Sedan_Clan's Personal Trainer Thread

[Halewafa]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

It depends on what you're trying to accomplish and how your body reacts to cardio. The advice that you received was sound simply because you don't want to burn all of your glycogen stores, etc. on cardio. Use it to move the weight, and then follow up your workout with low impact/low intensity cardio. No need to go balls to the wall. Slow & steady (...with long duration) will get you there. I've tried all of the approaches (..fasted cardio first thing in the morning, two-a-days, post-workout cardio, etc.), and each approach has it's pluses and minuses.

Great thanks. I'll stick to cardio post workout for a while to see how it goes. I just climb on the stair master. I'll be honest, I HATE cardio, so I usually only last 10 minutes before stopping. Not because I'm tired, just bored. Is 10 minutes at 50/steps a minute even going to accomplish anything (only about 100 calories burnt).

My goal is to lose some fat while maintaining or even gaining muscle. So far it seems to be working, just going very slowly. I've lost about 2 pounds on the scale in the last 2 months, but my pants are getting loose and I continue to PR every week in the gym.

[UncleWede]

On the scale, remember muscle weighs more than fat. So if the waist is shrinking but the scale shows the same total, you are probably moving in the right direction

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Halewafa

Great thanks. I'll stick to cardio post workout for a while to see how it goes. I just climb on the stair master. I'll be honest, I HATE cardio, so I usually only last 10 minutes before stopping. Not because I'm tired, just bored. Is 10 minutes at 50/steps a minute even going to accomplish anything (only about 100 calories burnt).

My goal is to lose some fat while maintaining or even gaining muscle. So far it seems to be working, just going very slowly. I've lost about 2 pounds on the scale in the last 2 months, but my pants are getting loose and I continue to PR every week in the gym.

To be honest, if you're not doing at least 30 minutes (...preferably 45-60 minutes depending on the goal and your current body composition), you're really wasting your time. The stairclimber is an extremely effective fat shredding tool (...as is walking on a steep incline on the treadmill at a slow/moderate pace). Both of the aforementioned cardio apparatuses are the body builder's fat shredding tools of choice; we use them because they work. The trainer in me assesses visually rather than through arbitrary numbers. Your weight may not change much at all, but your body composition can/might do a complete 180.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

On the scale, remember muscle weighs more than fat. So if the waist is shrinking but the scale shows the same total, you are probably moving in the right direction

Very true... I've gone up 3 lbs over my lightest weight but my BF% dropped to around 8%. It's hard not to be paranoid when you see the scale stay the same or go up because it's harder to see 1lb of muscle gained than it is to see 1lb of fat lost.

My advice is to measure your waist and get calipers to do 3 or 7 point measurements. They won't be completely accurate but at least they are good to compare changes in BF% if you are consistent in how and where you measure.

[hanszilla]

Question to everyone here, what kind of a diet are you guys keeping or doing to keep your physique? I've been using my fitness pal and trying to calories, and the type of food I am eating. Long story short, lost a lot of weight, hovering at a certain weight, gained weight, but still went down in waist size. I feel like I need to fine tune my diet even further to get the physique I want.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by hanszilla

Question to everyone here, what kind of a diet are you guys keeping or doing to keep your physique? I've been using my fitness pal and trying to calories, and the type of food I am eating. Long story short, lost a lot of weight, hovering at a certain weight, gained weight, but still went down in waist size. I feel like I need to fine tune my diet even further to get the physique I want.

What kind of physique do you want?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

What kind of physique do you want?

This is the right first question for sure

Originally Posted by hanszilla

Question to everyone here, what kind of a diet are you guys keeping or doing to keep your physique? I've been using my fitness pal and trying to calories, and the type of food I am eating. Long story short, lost a lot of weight, hovering at a certain weight, gained weight, but still went down in waist size. I feel like I need to fine tune my diet even further to get the physique I want.

I watch my macros, eat nutritionally and track everything I eat. Nothing fancy... no cycling, fasting, etc... just basics. I used online calculators to estimate my maintenance calories and then experimented a bit to get the right number. They I adjust depending on whether I want to cut, lean bulk or maintain. I've decided to get lean and then eat around maintainance and it's been pretty easy. I ensure that over the week, I hit my maintenance calories. That way, I can be a little over or a little under in any given day to accommodate life but ensure I'm on for the week. I can maintain a sub 10% BF level and continue to build strength doing it. It's all about calories in and calories out... very basic, nothing fancy.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by gthal

This is the right first question for sure

I watch my macros, eat nutritionally and track everything I eat. Nothing fancy... no cycling, fasting, etc... just basics. I used online calculators to estimate my maintenance calories and then experimented a bit to get the right number. They I adjust depending on whether I want to cut, lean bulk or maintain. I've decided to get lean and then eat around maintainance and it's been pretty easy. I ensure that over the week, I hit my maintenance calories. That way, I can be a little over or a little under in any given day to accommodate life but ensure I'm on for the week. I can maintain a sub 10% BF level and continue to build strength doing it. It's all about calories in and calories out... very basic, nothing fancy.

Great response, and it tidied up his inquiry nicely.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

To be honest, if you're not doing at least 30 minutes (...preferably 45-60 minutes depending on the goal and your current body composition), you're really wasting your time. The stairclimber is an extremely effective fat shredding tool

Two things: a)are you still lurking the fwy in Rancho? b) I agree on that point. When I lost 45 lbs in 3 months, most of my workout was extreme cardio. I ran 5 miles, then stair master for 45 minutes, and last elyptical for 30 minutes. My eating didn't Change much, and I was able to shed those unwanted pounds.

[F80_M]

Originally Posted by hanszilla

Question to everyone here, what kind of a diet are you guys keeping or doing to keep your physique? I've been using my fitness pal and trying to calories, and the type of food I am eating. Long story short, lost a lot of weight, hovering at a certain weight, gained weight, but still went down in waist size. I feel like I need to fine tune my diet even further to get the physique I want.

Are you looking to have a lean/cut physique or something more bulky and cut?

[hanszilla]

Originally Posted by F80_M

Are you looking to have a lean/cut physique or something more bulky and cut?

I'm trying to get into a lean/cut build. I'm not trying to toss out my entire ward robe. I'd like to stay the same size, just a bit more cut.

[DRTMGRT]

cool thread. In for updates.

[Mingwan]

Have any good chest workout routine's, brah?

My body isn't really responding to my routine anymore.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Have any good chest workout routine's, brah?

My body isn't really responding to my routine anymore.

What is your current routine?

[InternetFame]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Have any good chest workout routine's, brah?

My body isn't really responding to my routine anymore.

Incorporate isometric training.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Have any good chest workout routine's, brah?

My body isn't really responding to my routine anymore.

Not responding in what way? Size or strength? You don't necessarily need to change the routine as long as you are continuing to progress in strength and/or reps because, as we know, progressively overloading your muscle will result in muscle gain all else equal.

If you are stuck and plateauing at a strength level (and therefore not building muscle as effectively) then there are strategies to break that plateau.

Also, check your diet... maybe your routine is fine but your diet sucks.

[InternetFame]

That too.