gym help

[goodo123]

Well I've bin going about a month and not lost any weight, well I don't think I have it fluctuates by around 4kg? But I've put on muscle I think (feel stronger and look more defined). Is it normal to turn fat into muscle with no notice of loosing weight?

 

I know this is a pw forum but I'm sure there are sum fitness freaks amongst us....

[colin lad]

Well I've bin going about a month and not lost any weight, well I don't think I have it fluctuates by around 4kg? But I've put on muscle I think (feel stronger and look more defined). Is it normal to turn fat into muscle with no notice of loosing weight?

 

I know this is a pw forum but I'm sure there are sum fitness freaks amongst us....

if you want to loose weight keep the weights to a minimum and up the cardio

 

colin

[Dr_evil]

Fat doesn't turn to muscle!

 

 

Muscle doesn't turn to fat!

 

 

 

Both are separate and cannot transpose/change to one and other, you burn fat and replace it with muscle simple as that

 

 

 

I don't do cardio, I go heavy weights low reps and that brings your HR right up! Burns the same amount of fat doing deadlifts/sqauts/bench as you do on a medium run

Edited May 2, 2013 by Dr_evil

[goodo123]

I do a mix to be fair, probably 50/50 is it possible to burn fat and build muscle at the same rate? Beer in mind I've gone from doing no real excersize to going to gym.

[Dr_evil]

Cant remember tbh been a while since I did physical ed studies, all I do now is hit the gym and stick to old routines I made a few years ago

 

 

I find it harder to lose the fat than gain the muscle though

All depends on the exercise you do as some will burn fat better and some will make muscle, i.e. deadlift vs cross trainer

 

 

deadlift is all about mass

[colin lad]

I do a mix to be fair, probably 50/50 is it possible to burn fat and build muscle at the same rate? Beer in mind I've gone from doing no real excersize to going to gym.

yes you can burn fat and build muscle are you trying to loose weight or bulk up if your bulking up then as Dr evil has said do sqauts dead lifts etc if your trying to get fit and tone up then more of a 50/50 workout is for you

remember if its bulking up you want then remember the chance of health problems that come with that type of training

 

colin

[Dr_evil]

if he wants a mix of both I'd look at military workouts using your bodymass, they revolve round running, push ups, pull ups and lifting heavy objects like barrels from time to time

[Twistedsanity]

muscle is more dense and weighs more than fat so as you train you will burn off fat and replace it with muscle but see very little weight loss when you train , weight loss training is 80% diet and 20% exercise so it really is paramount to eat properly otherwise you are wasting your time and money , running is excellent for weight loss

[colin lad]

if he wants a mix of both I'd look at military workouts using your bodymass, they revolve round running, push ups, pull ups and lifting heavy objects like barrels from time to time

in my opinion that would be by far the best way to go but i can only speak from my experiences i would avoid the heavy weights

 

colin

[goodo123]

To be honest I just want to be fitter than I am now and look better, I don't want to be a body builder but not skinny as a rake either, I've always had more muscle than my mate's (do a manual ish job) so I guess it's more toning but saying that wouldn't mind more muscle if it makes me look better.... Hope that makes sense

[debaser]

IMHO loosing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise.

Don't get me wrong, excersise is good for the heart, lungs etc, but if you want to loose weight cut the calories.

If you do this, it will be very hard to start building up muscle though, so if you want to bulk up eat lots (of the right stuff)

ATB.

[Dr_evil]

muscle is more dense and weighs more than fat so as you train you will burn off fat and replace it with muscle but see very little weight loss when you train , weight loss training is 80% diet and 20% exercise so it really is paramount to eat properly otherwise you are wasting your time and money , running is excellent for weight loss

Muscle isn't too much denser, definitely not the 2x that some people claim its actually only 18% more

 

Diet as you say is key though,

[colin lad]

To be honest I just want to be fitter than I am now and look better, I don't want to be a body builder but not skinny as a rake either, I've always had more muscle than my mate's (do a manual ish job) so I guess it's more toning but saying that wouldn't mind more muscle if it makes me look better.... Hope that makes sense

i can only speak from my own experiences but here goes,

i was a skinny rake i trained 5 days a week for 23 years although i am a butcher by trade i did work in a gym for 3 years as a fitness instructor and personal trainer after 4 years in 1993 i was at my fittest and entered gladiators i got down to the last 50 from 16,000 entrants and was feeling and looking good,

i didn't make the show and decided then to change the way i trained to a more body building approach lifting some very serious weights now i have given it all up and can look back at what i did ,

well the 1st 4 years was great i got very fit and looked great felt great all by training for both fitness and strength as others have said 80% of your training is done in the kitchen,

then the next 19 years was pumping heavy weights and some silly workout's that made you throw up out side then go back in for more and what did i get out of that,

i gained 5 stone of body mass had a great looking physic big arms a small waist and big chest,

oh yeah and i also got

heart palpitations

high blood pressure

found myself with a very short temper

arthritis

i get awful aches in my knee's and hands in cold months

to name a few

if i had the chance to do it all again would i??

yes but not the body building and heavy weights i would of carried on with the lighter weights and plenty of cardio work

go see the gym instructor and tell what you want and get him to write out a routine that suits what you need,

i am not trying to put you off the heavy weights

most important have fun

 

colin

[scotslad]

There will be people on here more knowledeable than myself but in very general simple terms

 

If ur doing weights if ur around 10-15 reps off an wieght and about 3 sets is about normal general purpose workout, althou masses of variations of sets/reps/rest for different training if ur down to 4ish reps off heavy weights ur building bulk/strength, while if ur doing 20+ reps its more stamina, toning etc, often ladies will do high reps to avoid 'bulking up'

 

If ur doing cardio ur actually better going slower and longer, it's all to do with ur heart beat band when ur heart beat is too fast u burn different fuel (not fat) roughly speaking for fat burning u should be able to hold a conversation just (if i remember right 220- your age is the maxium heart beat then u take % bands, can't remember wot the % bands are now)

 

Prob best to do a mix of both cardio warm up and down with wieghts in between, and remember to keep streching ur muscles after a workout

 

That's very basic but i don't think that far away for a general rule off thumb, if in any doubt ask some staff at gym, i would also say some off the other gym users might not have that much off an idea or be wrong (just as i might) so better checking wi staff that actually know about it

[Sheldon Cooper]

Cut out all processd food like bread cheese cake chocolate. Eat lean meats and plenty of fruite and vege. Go gym and mix it up with running swimming rowing machine and weights. I prefer running and biking on the roads/ hills in the spring / summer far better than being cooked up inside of a gym. weight loss is as simple as this eat less calories and do more exercise.

[Penelope]

I lost 3.5 stone from April to December in 2010 by cycling 3 miles hard to and from the train station 5 days a week and cuttig out rubbish food.

 

Cut out all processd food like bread cheese cake chocolate. Eat lean meats and plenty of fruite and vege. Go gym and mix it up with running swimming rowing machine and weights. I prefer running and biking on the roads/ hills in the spring / summer far better than being cooked up inside of a gym. weight loss is as simple as this eat less calories and do more exercise.

[craig hill]

You will be better loosing the fat first, doing as you are doing, you may well be losing fat, but not seeing any results isn't going to do you any good. I find it real hard dieting for the first few weeks, then I start to see results, it really boosts you up and keeps you going. Even though more muscle mass speeds up metabolism, I would suggest concentrating on cardio,then start to bring in the weight training as you start to reach your desired target.

 

Burn the fat first, running, a mix of jogging, then mix it up and do 10x 100m sprints instead, do 2 miles of steady pace one day, then 1mile of quicker pace. Keep meal times small and regular, no meals after 6pm.

 

Put your mind to it and stick to it, allow yourself the odd treat, don't whatever you do, cut the bad foods completely, as soon as you reach your target you wil just pig out and put it back on.

 

Losing body fat really is simple, burn more calories than you take in, keep this in mind,

 

I disagree with a few of the above, to effectivly burn fat, it's pretty much it's 50% diet 50% exercise, do all the dieting you want, if you drive to work, sit at a computer desk all day, drive home, lounge about al night, go to the gym twice a week, you will get nowhere, it works both ways, exercise every day but eat like a horse you 'll get nowhere

 

Hope this helps

Edited May 3, 2013 by craig hill

[Brigsy]

In my opinion and in practice, weight loss is 80% diet 20% exercise. ,

[TaxiDriver]

Can we stop all this talk of exercise NOW,

 

Im exhausted

[Brigsy]

And you can measure your fat loss with calipers. Very cheap. Here

 

Just use the same spot (above your hip bone for example) every time for consistent accuracy.

[Gilberts1989]

Lol I'm reading this while eating a mc Donald's

[coyotemaster]

I have found that anything that stokes up your metabolism is conducive to weight loss, whether it is weight training or cardio--both will do this. It is true you can't turn fat to muscle or vice versa but you can replace one with the other simultaneously and hence not see the scale move and still be getting healthier(or fatter).

Diet is huge, I won't argue percentages but eating clean and lean will get you where you want to be, avoid processed foods and try to find organic sources of meat and veggies if possible as most commercially produced is pesticided and full of endocrine disrupters that will keep you fat.

You don't get out of shape in a week and won't get back in a week, be patient and persistent.

[chrispti]

goodo123, on 02 May 2013 - 20:51, said:

Well I've bin going about a month and not lost any weight, well I don't think I have it fluctuates by around 4kg? But I've put on muscle I think (feel stronger and look more defined). Is it normal to turn fat into muscle with no notice of loosing weight?

 

I know this is a pw forum but I'm sure there are sum fitness freaks amongst us....

What are your dietary habits ??

[TaxiDriver]

All this talk of exercise has to be fuelled somehow

 

Lol I'm reading this while eating a mc Donald's

[hedge]

Well I've bin going about a month and not lost any weight, well I don't think I have it fluctuates by around 4kg? But I've put on muscle I think (feel stronger and look more defined). Is it normal to turn fat into muscle with no notice of loosing weight?

 

I know this is a pw forum but I'm sure there are sum fitness freaks amongst us....

 

Some good suggestions so far.

 

"Going to the gym" doesn't tell us what you do when you get there. As has been said, there is the weight/resistence side of it and the cardio/exercise part.

 

You said you feel stronger and more defined which is good. You are probably losing fat but as muscle weighs more than fat your aggregate weight may stay much the same. When you say you fluctuate by 4kg do you mean lb's?

 

To get good results I would suggest a) talk to an expert personal trainer or nutritionalist b) agree a plan that works for you c) stick to it.

 

It is about input (food/diet) and output (exercise) being combined. How often you exercise and what you do. You should be able to get a `free` referral and check BMI, weight etc so you know what needs to be done. Starting a food and exercise diary would be helpful as well.

 

My wife runs outdoor fitness bootcamps and the results we see are amazing. Serious life changing stuff. Usually it takes up to 3 months to really see a difference but that is with regular exercise (at least 3 times a week) and some sort of dietry control.

 

Well done for addressing it and wanting to do something but if you don't know how to achieve the results you may end up a little frustrated. Knowledge is everything in this game. Get some professional help - you don't have to sign up for regular PT sessions. Just get pointed in the right direction and have an occasional review to make sure you are still on track.

 

Good luck with it.