those last 5 pounds..

[jsg52]

5'9", 170, ~10% BF. I'd really like to get that down to 7 or 8 - ie I can feel my abs through a thin layer of fat and I would ultimately like to eradicate said thin layer of fat.

My exercise and diet are pretty well-tuned, and I think one way or another I will get where I want to be - I try to eat 5-6 times a day and keep it at around 1800-2000 calories. I'll cheat about once a week (not even so badly, I'll have a chicken parm sandwich and a cookie or something) but I exercise 5-6 days/week and the rest of the time, I eat appropriately. Lots of protein, I try to stay low-ish on carbs but I'll always have some after a workout, and a fair amount of fat (natural peanut butter is god's gift to man).

So here's the lead-in to my question and then the question itself. I lift about 3 times a week, but only my upper body. I do cardio (run, bike, or elliptical) for about 45 minutes 5-6 times a week. To give you an idea of intensity, I'll do something like 4 9-minute miles and then cool down on a bike at low resistance.

Now, my question is, should I do any weight training for my legs? I don't think it would be wise to lift with my quads/calves the same day I run or bike; I'm wary of hurting myself and ultimately doing more harm than good. At the same time, I think it might be a good idea to work this into my routine even at the expense of some cardio, to put on a bit more muscle and, in turn, boost my metabolism and burn fat a little more efficiently.

Hope this makes sense. Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

[theleip]

You need to train you legs. Cardio doesn't build muscle it burns fat and even can burn a lil muscle too. Its very important to train the whole body. Just make sure to get in plenty of protein after your workout for your legs and rest a little that way you burn into as little of that as possbile when doing your cardio. I always do HITT for 20 mins after a leg workout to also help that.

Other than that it looks like you are doing pretty good keep it up.

 

[Trainer Lynn]

You're right on target about needing to do lower body as well, and it sounds like it will come at the expense of some cardio workouts.

Theleip offered some good pointers. If you are around 10% body fat... I am assuming you are a man? If not, you are in REALLY friggin' good shape for a woman.

But yes, strength training should be done on all body parts.

 

[~LV~]

Your body does NOT require fat after a weight training session and I would eliminate that from both PWO and PPWO meals.

List excactly what you eat and the times you eat it.

 

[busyman]

And train those legs. Legs are the biggest muscles in the body, how can you neglect them? You know muscle burns calories, and your only running on 4 cylinders.