Thin boy exercise advice

[innocentbychoice]

Hello everyone.

I've been skinny all of my life, my dad was too as well as my mom so there's no way for me to get fat. I started working out last summer. I went to the gym for a month and then got bored so I bought an horizontar bar, put it in my door and started working out there. I started taking proteins too.

So, to my surprise, and for the first time ever, I actually got results pretty quickly, in about 2 months I gained 22 pounds of muscle ( and fat I guess, I'll explain in a bit). My chest got bigger, my arms and shoulders got bigger, my face was fuller, my butt and legs got big too! (I did a bit of leg exercise, sit ups). I was really happy with my results and everyone noticed I had muscle.

Here's my problem, my belly got a bit bigger too. I started eating a lot and taking protein so that's what happened; if you saw me down the street you probably wouldn't notice it but I do when I take my shirt off. I see I have a small belly and I kinda hate it. I can see the shape of my abs but there's fat over them! a lot of fat, like when I sit down I see this big roll and I hate it lol. Before, I worked my abs but then I realized I wasn't getting that much results, besides, I read online that abs workout makes your abs stronger but don't really burn the fat over them. And when working out in the bar I also work my abs (it is like the best exercise ever, you work everything at once).

So I just want to get rid of the fat in my stomach but don't know what to do. I do 5 minutes of cardio on my exercise bike everytime I work out (which is 3 days a week now).

I thought I should stop taking the protein and start taking a protein to burn fat but I'm scared that besides losing the weight on my stomach, I will also lose it on my butt and legs (and I don't want that).

What do you guys think?

 

[3nipples]

I think you didn't put on fat, but rather that the added muscle is pushing whatever you already had out.

 

[KaraBulut]

Can you post pictures of your torso so that we can get an objective idea of the amount of fat that we're talking about?

How much protein are you consuming? And in what form?

We can get more into detail after you give a bit more detail but if you meant that you're doing only 5 minutes of cardio, that's waaaayyy too little cardio. The minumum cardio time is 20 to get any cardiovascular/aerobic benefit. Most people who are working out should be doing 30-45 minutes in a session.

 

[innocentbychoice]

^Yeah I guess 5 minutes aren't that much but I just get bored easily :/.

Anyways last year I would drink a big glass of protein shake every day (3 tablespoons plus milk, banana and raw spaghetti). Now I take the protein like once in a while, maybe 2 or 3 times a week but this time it's just 3 tablespoons of protein plus water and nothing else.

And about the pics, well I'm too shy to post them.

Would you recommend more cardio? What do you think about gettin a definition protein?

 

[innocentbychoice]

I think you didn't put on fat, but rather that the added muscle is pushing whatever you already had out.

Hmm don't really know...I just want to get rid of it.

 

[KaraBulut]

Here's what's confusing.

Our bodies are largely water. So, weight gain up and down over short periods of time is generally water that is stored along with fat and carbohydrate (eg glycogen).

Body-builders generally target 10-20 pounds of lean muscle gain per year. Unless they're doing steroids, that's a reasonable number. Typically, when you gain lean mass, you are also gaining fat and carbohydrate stores simultaneously.

So, what I suspect has happened is that you've started working out and your muscles are storing carbohydrate and fat which is giving you more of a "filled out" healthier look to your muscles.

It's very important to distribute calories and particularly protein over the course of the day. That big shake you're consuming is a large dose of kcalories. Large boluses of carbohydrate and protein either cannot be absorbed or consumed, so the body either excretes them in urine/feces or stores them around the midsection as fat.

Break that shake down into smaller shakes and consume it between meals and immediately after your workouts. Don't try to overconsume kcalories (particularly protein and carb) in single large doses.

The problem you're going to run into is that unless you really push yourself on weight work, your body is going to start viewing those extra calories as reason to start storing fat in your belly.

The reason that you want to combine cardio and weight work is that it stresses your body and triggers your body to focus on building muscle and storing carb and fat into your muscles instead of around your waist.

Five minutes a day is not nearly enough to trigger this response in your body. You can do a cardio warmup before your weight workout (especially if you live in a cold climate) but there needs to be cardio days where you stress your heart and lungs. That kind of stress requires a minimum of 20 minutes of variable intensity cardio. You can start with 5-15 minutes but you want to work up to 30 minutes or more of intensive cardio supplmented with low weight stretching and flexibility work.

If you're getting bored at the gym, then you're not working nearly hard enough.

 

[innocentbychoice]

Ok so you're sayin that I should just keep doing what I'm doing (taking the protein and all) BUT start to do cardio for 20 minutes each day, is that right?

 

[Rex]

How did you gain 22 lbs of muscle from just using a pull up bar??

Here's what's confusing.

Our bodies are largely water. So, weight gain up and down over short periods of time is generally water that is stored along with fat and carbohydrate (eg glycogen).

Body-builders generally target 10-20 pounds of lean muscle gain per year. Unless they're doing steroids, that's a reasonable number. Typically, when you gain lean mass, you are also gaining fat and carbohydrate stores simultaneously.

So, what I suspect has happened is that you've started working out and your muscles are storing carbohydrate and fat which is giving you more of a "filled out" healthier look to your muscles.

It's very important to distribute calories and particularly protein over the course of the day. That big shake you're consuming is a large dose of kcalories. Large boluses of carbohydrate and protein either cannot be absorbed or consumed, so the body either excretes them in urine/feces or stores them around the midsection as fat.

Break that shake down into smaller shakes and consume it between meals and immediately after your workouts. Don't try to overconsume kcalories (particularly protein and carb) in single large doses.

The problem you're going to run into is that unless you really push yourself on weight work, your body is going to start viewing those extra calories as reason to start storing fat in your belly.

The reason that you want to combine cardio and weight work is that it stresses your body and triggers your body to focus on building muscle and storing carb and fat into your muscles instead of around your waist.

Five minutes a day is not nearly enough to trigger this response in your body. You can do a cardio warmup before your weight workout (especially if you live in a cold climate) but there needs to be cardio days where you stress your heart and lungs. That kind of stress requires a minimum of 20 minutes of variable intensity cardio. You can start with 5-15 minutes but you want to work up to 30 minutes or more of intensive cardio supplmented with low weight stretching and flexibility work.

If you're getting bored at the gym, then you're not working nearly hard enough.

So cardio is important to gaining muscle? Is it better to do cardio before or after lifting weights?

 

[innocentbychoice]

I gained 10 kgs (22 pounds) of weight in general; don't know if it's all muscle or what I just know I look better and I'm more muscular in my upper body.

And I forgot to say to Karabulut, i'm not going to the gym at all; I get bored lifting weights, that's why I use the bar...I can work everything at once.

 

[KaraBulut]

So cardio is important to gaining muscle? Is it better to do cardio before or after lifting weights?

There are some differences between guys- some guys naturally build up muscle and they can eat all they want and skip out on cardio. But most of us have a tendency to favor fat storage over muscle.

The challenge with doing weights without cardio is two problems: one is that you won't maintain cardiovascular fitness that favors muscle building over fat storage. The other thing that cardio does is help with endurance, balance and flexibility.

So, the two do go together.

And I forgot to say to Karabulut, i'm not going to the gym at all; I get bored lifting weights, that's why I use the bar...I can work everything at once.

I understood that. What I'm telling you is that you can build strength and tone with doing chinups and pullups. But you're going to have a challenge if you want to go further. There are lots of periods where you get discouraged and frustrated at the gym but it's never boring.

 

[innocentbychoice]

^Well I don't really want to get bigger. I like the way I look now, but I do want to get rid of the extra fat...maybe get more defined. I'll take your advice and will start using my exercise bike 20 minutes per day (and keep doing the rest) to see what happens.

 

[KaraBulut]

You can't go wrong with doing 20 minutes or more of cardio. It's a good plan for a lifetime of good cardiovascular health.

Just start slow. And increase the duration and intensity over time.

If you find it boring, then take a friend or dog with you on a walk or bike ride, or do treadmill while watching a favorite show on TV. Or use one of the games like Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Fit.

 

[3nipples]

^^or catch up on your reading.

 

[Rex]

There are some differences between guys- some guys naturally build up muscle and they can eat all they want and skip out on cardio. But most of us have a tendency to favor fat storage over muscle.

The challenge with doing weights without cardio is two problems: one is that you won't maintain cardiovascular fitness that favors muscle building over fat storage. The other thing that cardio does is help with endurance, balance and flexibility.

So, the two do go together.




I understood that. What I'm telling you is that you can build strength and tone with doing chinups and pullups. But you're going to have a challenge if you want to go further. There are lots of periods where you get discouraged and frustrated at the gym but it's never boring.

That's how I FEEL. I'm more discouraged and frustrated at myself rather than the gym probably because I'm not seeing results as quickly as I like so I feel like I'M doing something wrong and I get angry at myself even though I don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong if anything at all.

 

[KaraBulut]

That's how I FEEL. I'm more discouraged and frustrated at myself rather than the gym probably because I'm not seeing results as quickly as I like so I feel like I'M doing something wrong and I get angry at myself even though I don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong if anything at all.

That's part of the deal for most people. There are a few mesomorphic freaks who can eat anything they want and slack off at the gym and they will still look great. The other 99% of us go through up, down and plateau periods.

One thing that helps is to think about why you're going to the gym. The gym can become a habit like shaving or showering or masturbating where you do it every day and it becomes such a part of your routine that you forget why you're doing it.

So, if you are in a plateau give some thought to what you want to work on, set specific goals and plan your workouts ahead of time. Read fitness magazines and look for new things to try. Or give some thought to cutting back on weights and doing more cardio for a couple of weeks.

 

[innocentbychoice]

You can't go wrong with doing 20 minutes or more of cardio. It's a good plan for a lifetime of good cardiovascular health.

Just start slow. And increase the duration and intensity over time.

If you find it boring, then take a friend or dog with you on a walk or bike ride, or do treadmill while watching a favorite show on TV. Or use one of the games like Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Fit.

Yeah thanx for the advice! I started already. Question: Am I doing things wrong if I don't sweat while doing cardio?? Right now the weather is kinda cold and I realized this morning that I didn't sweat while doing cardo, don't know if that's a must...

 

[3nipples]

Some guys sweat and others don't. Check your heart rate. You'll find charts online telling you what it should be for your age (google "target heart rate").

The old rule of thumb used to be 80 % of the result you get when you subtract your age from 220. I think that's a bit low, but it depends on your health and condition.

 

[KaraBulut]

3nipples is correct- target heart rate is a better indicator of the work effort and it will also give you a guide as to when you are ready to increase the speed/intensity of your cardio.

 

[innocentbychoice]

Thanks guys.