To the 4 dudes on here that go to the gym Options

[Abs]

I've been hitting the gym pretty solidly for the last 4 months. I've managed to cut down about 25lbs (have about under 20 to go for my target weight) and fit better in my clothes than I have in years. The beer gut seems to be the last thing to go, though I first noticed the loss around the face and legs.

how your weight is disbursed is ruled mostly by genetics, as I understand it. excercises targeting one area rarely help shrink that area. But, if you lose enough weight the gut will likely skrink.

[T-Bone]

For example, after reading Tyler's earlier posts, he and I have two different goals (he to bulk up, and I to melt down) and therefore our programs are probably very different, though the basic mechanics are the same.

The main difference is really only food. Unless you are inhibited by a serious injury, there's not much reason not to lift heavy when you're lifting weights. That doesn't mean that you should lift more than your capable of lifting, but you should be breaking a serious sweat, whcih few people do when they lift.

Honestly, if you want to lose weight, you just lower your calories. You want to gain muscle, then up your calories while lifting. That's about all there is to it. And that's why you'll see guys in the gym year after year, pumping away at those bicep curls but never getting any bigger - they don't have the first clue about nutrition. Whether you're losing fat or building muscle, 75% of your results come from what you do in the kitchen.

And having a trainer can at times help when performing complicated exercises, but that's assuming, of course, that said trainer doesn't have their head all the way up their ass. In many cases, people are worse off with a trainer simply because the trainer has a very misguided approach. But that being said, training people at varying age ranges and skill levels is not particularly easy, which is why the good ones are hard to come by.

[RJC]

The main difference is really only food. Unless you are inhibited by a serious injury, there's not much reason not to lift heavy when you're lifting weights. That doesn't mean that you should lift more than your capable of lifting, but you should be breaking a serious sweat, whcih few people do when they lift.

Honestly, if you want to lose weight, you just lower your calories. You want to gain muscle, then up your calories while lifting. That's about all there is to it. And that's why you'll see guys in the gym year after year, pumping away at those bicep curls but never getting any bigger - they don't have the first clue about nutrition. Whether you're losing fat or building muscle, 75% of your results come from what you do in the kitchen.

And having a trainer can at times help when performing complicated exercises, but that's assuming, of course, that said trainer doesn't have their head all the way up their ass. In many cases, people are worse off with a trainer simply because the trainer has a very misguided approach. But that being said, training people at varying age ranges and skill levels is not particularly easy, which is why the good ones are hard to come by.

I stand corrected Definitely the food thing is an issue, and it wasn't until recently when I made a conscious choice to alter my diet that results started happening.

OK, I'll shut up now hehe.

[DJKyttyn]

I stand corrected Definitely the food thing is an issue, and it wasn't until recently when I made a conscious choice to alter my diet that results started happening.

I didn't want to believe it either, but you can't get in shape without both diet AND exercise.
Eat more protein and less carbs - you'll feel full faster if you eat protein, and, if you're exercising, it's easier to turn into muscle.

i recommend lowfat cottage cheese. yummy.

[T-Bone]

I stand corrected Definitely the food thing is an issue, and it wasn't until recently when I made a conscious choice to alter my diet that results started happening.

OK, I'll shut up now hehe.

Don't worry, dude. You sound like you know what you're doing.

And DJ Kyttyn is right, you can't get "in shape" without exercising. You can lose weight, but just losing weight does not equal physically fit. You can be skinny and get winded after running a block.

However, without paying attention to nutrition, you can spend years in the gym and never get anywhere.

[Linnea]

If you go to the gym and aren't losing weight because you are eating too much or the wrong stuff you are still getting benefits, you just aren't getting all that you could get from it.

When you are working on losing weight it's much easier to focus more on shedding fat by proper diet and cardio and also just being on your feet more throughout the day, making it a conscious effort (I love pedometers for this reason). You won't really be building muscle during this time because you are taking in less calories, but you should continue with regular strength sessions to maintain the muscle mass that you have, therefore keeping your metabolism about where it is. Once you get your body fat down you can then focus on building muscle if that is a goal, including eating for muscle.

You always hear protein, protein, protein, but it's actually carbs that give you energy and get you through your workouts. It's been shown that weight trainers actually need less protein than endurance athletes, so don't just bulk up on protein and forget about carbs, balance it out and make sure they're healthy carbs.

The other piece of advice I give all my clients is to associate while you exercise, rather than dissociating. Meaning focus on what you're doing. Music is fine, but put down the book or the magazine, don't tune out to the television, and stop chatting with your workout buddy. While you are working out do exactly that, work. Get your heart rate up, focus on the movements and your body, don't just zone out.

[T-Bone]

You always hear protein, protein, protein, but it's actually carbs that give you energy and get you through your workouts. It's been shown that weight trainers actually need less protein than endurance athletes, so don't just bulk up on protein and forget about carbs, balance it out and make sure they're healthy carbs.

It's all about the 40/40/20 split.

[Linnea]

It's all about the 40/40/20 split.

I'm a big fan of meat, but when I actually started paying attention I didn't realize how little protein I got throughout my days. It really does make a big difference when you have the correct percentages. I personally go with a little less protein and slightly more carbs than that (when I pay attention), but just adding some protein to breakfast made a huge difference for me and my energy levels and appetite.

[T-Bone]

I'm a big fan of meat, but when I actually started paying attention I didn't realize how little protein I got throughout my days. It really does make a big difference when you have the correct percentages. I personally go with a little less protein and slightly more carbs than that (when I pay attention), but just adding some protein to breakfast made a huge difference for me and my energy levels and appetite.

I usually shoot for 1.5-2g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

[DJKyttyn]

my old diet was probably about 90% carbs. If you drink a lot of beer, you're probably getting WAY more carbs than protein. I'm probably about 30/30/30/10% some other crap and chemicals, but it's a lot better.

i also found that it's a lot easier to eat healthy when i stopped buying frozen/prepared foods and snacks. If i really want a bag of chips, i can walk to the convenience store.

It's next to impossible to eat well on tour we've been to convenience stores that don't sell bottled water, much less lean meat and fruits/vegetables.