I?ve been hitting the gym pretty hard for the last 8 months or so, but I feel like I?m loosing motivation. My bench had gone from about 180 to 275 (hit that 3 times as a last set last week). I?ve made gains in strength in all other areas as well, but I still have a belly. I do cardio about 3 or 4 times a week, when I hit the gym.
My arms are bigger, I?m stronger but I still feel fat. I?ve lost about 10lbs scale weight but I?m getting frustrated with the fat loss aspect.
I lift heavy as I can, I?m training major muscle groups, compound movements. I?m getting enough calories, and I?m just frustrated.
My history isn?t good for fitness, as a little kid I was fed a lot of processes carbs, not much protein so I was a fat kid. When I got my first desk job I bubbled up to about 240 (I?m 5?8?). I?m at 195 now, and I?m solid, but FUCK I want my gut to go away.
Someone give me some encouragement here. I live in Michigan and it?s getting gray and cold here so that maybe another factor. I need to keep going through the winter, and not fall into the habit of not working out in the winter it?s what has killed my progress every year.
Losing fat and building muscle are two diametrically opposed activities. Choose one or the other. If you want to gain muscle, don’t even think of gaining or keeping a belly. If you want to lose fat, look into either the Velocity diet or the Get Shredded diet.
Joel Marion also has a diet that he’s looking for participants, to start the day after Thanksgiving.
If you drink, quit.
Use the search function and look into Dr. John Berardi for diet tips.
As for motivation… you’re on your own. If you feel worn down, try Spike. If you’re losing interest… give up. In the six years I’ve been lifting, I haven’t lost interest once. It’s a passion. A hobby. A lifestyle. If you don’t feel these things, you’re fooling yourself. Find something you enjoy. [/tough love]
If you have gotten that much stronger while losing 10 lbs then you have lost a lot of fat! Any other conclusion is just impossible. So yes, it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat because that is what you have done. Anybody can get frustrated and lose patience.
But if you continue on your current path you will look a lot better one year from now; if you stop you will look a lot worse. Take a deep breath, relax, you are doing ok. Eight months is not a long time to be doing anything. You are just getting started!
Look through past articles. Search for Vision Quest by TC and look through Animal Amsterdam’s Brotherhood of Iron Post. Training partners that are more advanced than you also help. Don’t quit.
Just put your head down and soldier through. Also if it’s just the weather that’s getting you down you might want to think about a test booster or some kind. I know when my test levels are lower I feel unmotivated and irritable. Taking Carbolin 19 really helped.
What do you drink during and after your workout?[/quote]
Well I was doing about 1/2 hour of cardio before and after my work outs (1 hour total) at a mid level effort. I was told however that if I wanted to put in muscle which would burn more fat in the long run cut back, so now I do only 1/2 hour before my lifts.
I drink water during my work out’s, and protein shakes after.
It’s not that I’m not getting stronger it’s just I was to loose my gut fat. It’s so frustrating. I want to look better. I don?t want to be one of those sting boy male models but I want to be defined have a strong lean look.
I know getting to that point takes more then 8 months, and I know I?ll get there. Winter has been my downfall every time I have been in a serious lifting pattern. The grey weather comes, it gets cold, I don?t want to go out side much, the girls start putting on more cloths, meh?
But in the spring I have all the motivation in the world again. I need something to get me through this time period.
I?ve been hitting the gym pretty hard for the last 8 months or so, but I feel like I?m loosing motivation. My bench had gone from about 180 to 275 (hit that 3 times as a last set last week). I?ve made gains in strength in all other areas as well, but I still have a belly. I do cardio about 3 or 4 times a week, when I hit the gym.
My arms are bigger, I?m stronger but I still feel fat. I?ve lost about 10lbs scale weight but I?m getting frustrated with the fat loss aspect.
I lift heavy as I can, I?m training major muscle groups, compound movements. I?m getting enough calories, and I?m just frustrated.
My history isn?t good for fitness, as a little kid I was fed a lot of processes carbs, not much protein so I was a fat kid. When I got my first desk job I bubbled up to about 240 (I?m 5?8?). I?m at 195 now, and I?m solid, but FUCK I want my gut to go away.
Someone give me some encouragement here. I live in Michigan and it?s getting gray and cold here so that maybe another factor. I need to keep going through the winter, and not fall into the habit of not working out in the winter it?s what has killed my progress every year.
sigh
Smack[/quote]
why do you use question marks instead of apostrophes? Im confused!
Why not try Poliquin’s GBC training if you want to lean out and maintain strength.
Sounds like your doing a good job so far so you should be proud of that. I mean 275 3 times at 195 and only 8 months of training is pretty damn good.
But you keep talking about training when you have an issue with your gut. Your just looking in the wrong place for the solution to your problem. Look at Berardi’s stuff (seven habits of healthy eating specificly) all you really need is a little more attention to what you eat and how much you eat and your body will start to respond. This will surely get your motivation going again.
Also I would not suggest the velocity/get shredded diet. In my opinion those are both extreme measures to a minor issue.
[quote]Smack78 wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
Two questions:
How intense is your cardio?
What do you drink during and after your workout?
Well I was doing about 1/2 hour of cardio before and after my work outs (1 hour total) at a mid level effort. I was told however that if I wanted to put in muscle which would burn more fat in the long run cut back, so now I do only 1/2 hour before my lifts.
I drink water during my work out’s, and protein shakes after.
It’s not that I’m not getting stronger it’s just I was to loose my gut fat. It’s so frustrating. I want to look better. I don?t want to be one of those sting boy male models but I want to be defined have a strong lean look.
I know getting to that point takes more then 8 months, and I know I?ll get there. Winter has been my downfall every time I have been in a serious lifting pattern. The grey weather comes, it gets cold, I don?t want to go out side much, the girls start putting on more cloths, meh?
But in the spring I have all the motivation in the world again. I need something to get me through this time period.
Smack[/quote]
I had a similar prob when I started trying to lose weight many years back. I was doin cardio 5 days/wk and nothing was happening. It was all my diet… I didn’t want to give up the trashy foods and alcohol. But in the end, I had to. It’s all gonna come down to what you want more… do you want food or do you want your goals?
[quote]onewall wrote:
If you have gotten that much stronger while losing 10 lbs then you have lost a lot of fat! Any other conclusion is just impossible. So yes, it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat because that is what you have done. Anybody can get frustrated and lose patience.
But if you continue on your current path you will look a lot better one year from now; if you stop you will look a lot worse. Take a deep breath, relax, you are doing ok. Eight months is not a long time to be doing anything. You are just getting started!
[/quote]
The above poster is correct. Keep working out. You CAN lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. I am doing it myself. I have been hitting it hard since July, and am down 26 lbs and 2 pants sizes.
I am using FB3 and HT1 rfrom AC’s new book alternately, and just cutting way down on the carbs, loosely following Berardi’s get shredded diet. It can be done. Don’t fucking stop now, dude. You have accomplished a lot, and once you get your diet / exercise down, the fat will melt off.
Thanks guys. I know 8 months isn’t a long time compared to how long some of you have been working out. I’m really shooting for a 300lb bench with in a year.
I know a lot has to do with my diet. I don’t drink really at all I never have been a drinker. I think I may go see a nutritionist. I really try not to eat crap, my wife (who goes to the gym with me) has a metabolism where she can eat most any thing.
I think I may be getting to many processed carbs in my diet. I was doing better about that previously.
Thanks for all the support so far,
Smack
PS when you write something in Microsoft word and then paste it into the forums the ’ come out as ? for some reason.