Going to gym but nothings happening

[Devilish_Nitro]

Hiya

Just wondering if you guys have any advise on this.

Been going to the gym proberly for 12 months now. The last six months I have been going pretty much 3/4 times a week constantly. Usually spend an hour down the gym working different areas of the body such as running, cross trainer, rowing, pull ups, push outs, lifting and that.

I was a big lad, was 16 stone (dunno how much that is in pounds) and got myself down to just over 13 stone due to my diet.

I think I have hit my limit though So Im not too worryed about my weight, its acceptable but I just cannot seem to loose my stomach/waist area and my chest isn't tight enough. I got down to 13 stone back in feb and since I thought I would concentrate on toning up. It just ain't happening, I still look like ive got a small belly with man boobs when I wear a good fitting top.

I don't eat alot, just the recommended 3 meals a day and fruit.

Starting eating multi vitamin tablets to see if that might help but just wondering if you guys could shed any light on what might be happening?

Many thanks

 

[TedJustAdmitIt]

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

You've lost 3 stone(42lbs)in a year so somethings happening.

Can you give more details on what you want to happen?

Are you trying to gain muscle mass?Are you trying to cut?

Can't remember where I read it but muscles do one of three things:they get bigger,they get smaller or they stay the same size...no such thing as "toning".

What's your body fat %?
That could account for the small belly.

Chest not tight?
Work it heavyier/more.

Some more details on your exact routines would be good,you might be over training.....

 

[Devilish_Nitro]

I just want to get cut. Have a good fitting top on with out my tits poking out a little and a tighter waist.

Basically I just want my skin to tighten up more.

"no such thing as "toning"" Course there is, im not trying to turn into mr universe but I don't want be skinny, I just want to tone the skin I have got up.

Im not too sure on my body fat %.

Well my routine goes like this:

-10 mins constantly running medium paced and 5 mins relaxed walking
-10 mins costantly on the cross trainer with high resistance and 2 mins slow cool down
-5 mins constantly rowing on the highest setting. Achieving about 1300 meters in 5 mins
-30 reps of pull ups, break after 15 then the next set
-30 reps of push ups, the ones where you push the weights up
-30 reps of pull ins @ 100
-30 of push outs @ 62
-30 of leg push outs at 180

 

[AbAbber2k]

Actually, Ted is right. "Toning" is really just marketing bullsh1t used to sell useless products.

If you want to look "toned" you have ONE option. Increasing your Muscle-to-Fat ratio. To do that, you can either increase your muscle mass, reduce your body fat, or both.

Your problem either lies in your routine or your diet. You could do 1000 push ups and sit ups a day, but you're never gonna be satisfied with your gains. Want to know why? Both exercises can be classified as "low intensity resistive." Resistive training burns very little calories even at high intensities. Cardio is a MUCH better path to take, but even so, you'd have to run for about 4-5 hours at a moderate pace (depending on your fitness level) just to burn up ONE pound of fat.

So how do we improve your gains? My suggestion is to modify your diet. How many calories are you getting? How much protein? Drop your calorie intake but increase your protein intake. Just make sure you don't starve yourself. In addition, start LIFTING. I don't know what "pull ins" and "push outs" are, and I'm assuming "leg push outs" means leg press, but you need to start SQUATING and BENCHING at the very least. Also, if you could post your height on here that would help a lot, since a 5'6" 180lb man and a 6' 180lb man are very different.

 

[TedJustAdmitIt]

You're gonna have to be a little clearer here mate:

I just want to get cut. Have a good fitting top on with out my tits poking out a little and a tighter waist. Basically I just want my skin to tighten up more.

K.....so you're happy with the current amount of muscle you have right now,yeah?

You wanna be cutting then....read the sticky at the top of the forum page "GUIDE TO CUTTING UP" by Diesel.Good stuff and has everything you need to know.

"no such thing as "toning"" Course there is, im not trying to turn into mr universe but I don't want be skinny, I just want to tone the skin I have got up.

No,there is no such thing as toning.

What you're describing(making you skin tighter)is simply reducing your overall body fat percentage.
Your skin is "loose"(for lack of a better description)because your body fat % is likely quite high.
The lower your body fat % the tighter your skin will be.

Like I say,if you're happy with the current amount of muscle you have and do not wish to gain anymore,then you need to be cutting.
This will give you that "tight skin"(ie:low body fat %,more muscle definition,no belly)look that you're after.

Hope that helped.

 

[Devilish_Nitro]

Cheers for the advise guys.

How many calories are you getting?

200 for breakfast
100 - 200 for a snack
200 - 400 for lunch
600+ for main mea
100 - 200 for snack

I know that guys are supposed to have 2500 cals per day but Im trying to get rid of fat. Ive been eating this way since last october so I would of thought my body should of got used to it by now. Im 5ft 11 inches by the way.

Not sure on how much protien Im getting, is there a guideline amount per day?

I have checked that guide Ted. It looks useful but it says about never go below 1600 cals, I would start to put weight on if I went to that straight away and more cals.

I don't usually do more than 20 mins of fast paced work outs anyway. 10 mins running, 10 mins cross trainer, 5 mins on the rower.

As you suggested, I might just take the weights notch a bit higher

 

[semag]

*sigh*

I'll try to post a reply here to help you out, but it'll have to be later, cause it's gonna be pretty long.

 

[EFFORT]

Originally posted by semag
*sigh*

I'll try to post a reply here to help you out, but it'll have to be later, cause it's gonna be pretty long.

hehe i feel that

 

[Alpine]

You've actually done very well to lose the weight you have, give yourself some credit.

Here's my theory FWIW.

OK you've lost 3 stone in WEIGHT. That's not 3 stone of fat.

You almost certainly have lost muscle as well, now what a lot of people don't realise is muscle needs calories just to sit there, fat doesn't, so you have lost some fat burning capacity by losing weight.

This combined with the body's natuaral reaction to calorie restriction you will have a hard time going further.

As someones suggested, but for aesthetic reasons, you need to start doing more resistance training, probably weight training in your case.

You may want to up your calories with a bit more protein and keep up the aerobic stuff, but I would recommend starting swimming or running and mix up the distance and intesity.

 

[HoldenCaulfield 420]

It sounds like taking protein supplements would help. Maybe mixing whey protein with milk would help. Just make sure you're getting at least 1.5 gram per pound of body weight per day- and this is pretty much impossible without supplements.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by HoldenCaulfield 420
It sounds like taking protein supplements would help. Maybe mixing whey protein with milk would help. Just make sure you're getting at least 1.5 gram per pound of body weight per day- and this is pretty much impossible without supplements.

What a joke. Not only is the post in general pretty useless, but the last bit is hilarious. Last summer I was taking in about 1.7g per pound BEFORE protein supplementation. Including post-workout shakes and the occasional bedtime shake, it was more like 2g/pound.

After reading your last post (Nitro) it's pretty obvious what the problem is. You're STARVING your body. And in response your body is lowering your metabolism and using your muscles as fuel... this is BAD. So here's what you need to do.

1. Start eating. I'm 5'6", closing in on 160lbs (not sure of my body fat, abs just barely peekin) and I easily consume at least 2500cals daily... and I wouldn't even say I'm bulking. According to you you're getting MAYBE 1500, right? You should shoot for 1.5g of protein per pound, so at 180 that's about 270g of protein... but as long as you're between 200 and 250g you should be fine.

2. Start lifting... HARD. forum.bodybuilding.com has a huge list of routines and exercises. Start building a routine, and then ask for advice on how to proceed. But to get you started, start SQUATING (legs), BENCHING (chest/shoulders/tris) and do weighted Pull-Ups (back/bis).

3. Experiment. In the beginning, just about ANYTHING you do (assuming you're lifting and eating) will show progress, but chances are it'll taper off quickly. It's up to YOU to figure out what works best for YOUR body. Personally, I like a 4 day split routine where I work every muscle group twice. But for you, a 3 day split might be ideal.

4. Be PATIENT. Adding lean mass takes time (adding the other kind of mass just takes a lazy, gluttonous fata$$). Maybe start a journal where you track your progress. Write down what you lift and for how many reps, and then try and do more next time. Take pictures of your body and watch your progress. If you're doing things right, a monthly photo-journal should be able to show how you're progressing.

Good luck to you, and keep posting if you have questions or to update on your progress.

 

[Devilish_Nitro]

Sounds like a good plan.

Im gonna start taking more suppliments, starting with the vitamins.

So more resistance training the way forward then? Might spent 20 mins on the cross trainer on heavy resistance then and more reps with the weights.

Im thinking it could possibly be to do with my metabolism aswell. I drink a fair amount of water etc. Would there be anything that would increase the metabolism more apart from just the gym?

*Edit: Just seen the last post*

That sounds like a good idea. The only problem is that 2500 cals just like that will be most likely be harmfull. I wouldn't say i starve myself though becuase Im rarely that hungry.

Ive already taken a track down of my current weights etc so I might just start uping them slowly.

Great advice guys. Thanks for the responses

 

[AbAbber2k]

Eat.

Your body responds to increased calorie intake by upping your metabolism. Like I said, when you're body is LACKING in calorie intake, it responds by LOWERING your metabolism. That's why fad diets don't work.

Aside from that you NEED to put on more muscle. Muscle requires calories to keep from atrophying, which means more muscle = higher metabolism.

STOP focusing on cardio so much. Do a 5-10 minute warm-up and then LIFT. Once your body is in a healthier state you can start doing more cardio to burn any excess calories.