Ask a Fitness Model - Page 35

If you're after just looking better in the mirror with no mind to the scale, I would suggest incorporating weight training into your routine. However, you'll gain muscle so if your goal is simply to reach a target weight, monitoring your diet or doing something crossfit-esque (*gag*) may be a better bet.

IMO don't be afraid of gaining some muscle/adding "weight" above 170 if you'll look more aesthetically pleasing by the end of the day.


It takes years to get huge, don't worry about it. I haven't talked to a single guy who said "damn, i woke up this morning and was just too jacked." Yes you can make changes with cardio + bw only exercises. With that said, I don't particularly like the look. Also, it depends on your starting point as to how much you'll "transform" so to speak. A heavier set person will make a more noticeable change than someone skinny-fat or just plain skinny for example. Diet will also be key. I'm not sure on how bodyweight exercises will compare with heavy weights wrt glycogen depletion etc., but my guess is you won't be able to get away with as much.

I understand that you like the idea of doing bodyweight only, but again I'm skeptical of having an admirable physique using only bodyweight. One VERY notable exception is gymnasts; however, most people don't have the time to dedicate that these guys do. They look absolutely spectacular though.


You definitely should let your eating reflect where you want to be. (Gain muscle? eat more than you have been. Lose fat? eat less.) Of course I'll argue that where the calories come from and how much relative to what you use now matter, others will disagree, but the basic calories in calories out is pretty standard.


Small changes like this can make a big difference. Particularly in the evenings {which really sucks because that's when I get the munchies}. I wouldn't say that's all there is to it, but it's certainly a giant leap in the right direction.


A few things I don't entirely agree with (mostly in the use of superlatives), but yes I would think weight training would help him. I advocate 6 exercises in 2-3x10 a lot for beginners as well, often in some sort of circuit.


Good luck. Try and write everything down. Online journals are fine, but the old pen and paper works better for something like this because EVERY time eat ANYTHING you can write it down then and there. A lot of times people write down their meals but exclude their snacks (i.e. lunch meat or bread when making your kid's sandwich, the 1/2 bag of chips your coworker gives you, the coffee with 4 sugar cubes + cream + donut at the morning meeting, etc.). Tally it up. Also, if you remember you have to write it down you can sometimes "stay away." :-)


refer to my above quote. Cardio isn't your only solution, however, here's a suggestion. Since you're trying to be less bulky, why not simply go on a diet until your in the low-teens or below (8-12%) wrt bodyfat and see how it goes from there. The calorie restriction should make it so putting on excess muscle is difficult/impossible, and you'll get the added benefit of lower bodyfat. With diet on point some cardio is useful but not wholly necessary. If you're already sporting a six pack and striations on your chest/delts and STILL have too much muscle, hit me up so I can get some advice


I'm not sure what using nike+ has to do with this, but anyway :-P

First: a few things to be aware of.
13 lbs muscle w/ no or even decrease in bodyfat is possible if typically (a) you're a beginner, or (b) pharmaceuticals. If these don't apply, be wary because it's difficult to tell a difference between say 14-15 to 16-18% bodyfat. Beginner gains can come in many flavors though, and this would be my first guess. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it doesn't last long.

Now, onto your question. Running for endurance is a little easier to deal with than running to cut bodyfat because you want to run on full glycogen stores and keep them up instead of after depleting them. I'm not huge into the whole endurance thing, so I encourage someone with more experience here step in. My guess though is that the timing won't have a huge impact on metabolism. I believe the optimal time for weight training is about 4 hours after you first wake up - I'll assume (and perhaps incorrectly), that this is the same for endurance too.

To answer the second part of your question, yes I believe you will need to incorporate additional kcals if you're increasing activity level, particularly if you're on a bulk. Depending on how far and how you feel on your runs, you may not need them before but I would absolutely advise taking both carbohydrates and protein in afterwards. Also, since it's for endurance make the run after you have a couple of carb meals in you. I wouldn't worry about gels or blocks unless you're running more than say an hour -1.5h+ at a time.



comments in bold

A few broad-scoping things:
Play with your rep ranges. Try 6 or try 10 for a few weeks and see if anything changes. Your diet needs a bit of work (mainly need to eat more kcals if you aren't gaining any weight). Workout isn't as bad as I initially feared but could use some touchups. Minor issue but something I noticed because I did this myself is there is no real exercise for rear delts. Several months ago I noticed mine were grossly lacking so I spent a while bringing them back up to par. It's small so not a huge issue right now for you while you're bringing everyrthing up & not fully leaned out, but it's definitely a sexy muscle. Again, tally food and see exactly how much you're eating. Alter accordingly.

Hope this helps.

A bit behind but here's the beginning of how I'll do my diet. I don't have anything pressing diet-related coming up so I'll take it easy and have a treat or a drink every now and then if I feel like it so long as I still see myself progressing.

I had written out more detail but firefox decided to crash. The inner workings and mechanics are on page 2 of this thread I believe. I'll update this post as I get further along into High & low days, and off days (exactly like low days but the carb sources may change).

Of note:
I do eat vegetables, even though I didn't include them here. They go with the protein/fat meals, and it's usually spinach, broccoli, or occasionally green beans. I have a wacked out sleep schedule right now so that explains the timings where I'm just trying to compensate for it. (sleep from 9-3, then from 6-9/10. Very odd considering I've been running on 4-6 hours for the last two months.)

It's boring as hell but there's room for spices and some condiments (not worried about sodium atm). As it moves along it will more reflect my personal tastes as well so that should be taken into consideration. I use a spreadsheet with exchanges so if something seems particularly unappetizing I can click the dropdown and find an alternative.

i eat nuts too, i just didn't bother putting the exchanges for everything. I will once I move it along further.

answers in bold. I focused on fat loss because it was goal (1). For strength you're going to want longer rest periods I would imagine. Get yourself to a healthy bf level and then work on strength again in my humble opinion.