Losing Belly Fat Without Burning Muscle?

[soulforge]

Ok guys, at my age 42..

How can I effectively lose belly fat and get leaner without burning off muscle?

My muscle gains are great, but I have a little very stubborn belly fat, that I cannot get rid of?

High Intensity running?

Maybe cut down the carbs a little?

Does long distant running burn off muscle?

 

[stovepipe]

Diet would be the most important. Counting calories and maybe try adding some HIT a few times a week. Cutting down on carbs and sugar would be also help. I'd also look into starting TRT. It can do wonders at your age.

 

[Julian]

Dont worry about losing some muscle dude. 6 pack abs are worth it...what u should do is focus on getting shredded...get your abs on point...THEN slowly lean bulk and get your diet precise so that you can effectively gain muscle while keeping your 6 packs poppin

 

[soulforge]

Dont worry about losing some muscle dude. 6 pack abs are worth it...what u should do is focus on getting shredded...get your abs on point...THEN slowly lean bulk and get your diet precise so that you can effectively gain muscle while keeping your 6 packs poppin

To be honest man, developing abs is not my priority.. I am happy with just a flat stomach and V shaped body..

I prefer to have big arms, chest, shoulders and legs..

But thanks for the tips man

 

[soulforge]

Diet would be the most important. Counting calories and maybe try adding some HIT a few times a week. Cutting down on carbs and sugar would be also help. I'd also look into starting TRT. It can do wonders at your age.

Stovepipe, been thinking it could be low testosterone telated.. at 42 my levels must be dropping.. Thanks for the video link, I will look into this

 

[sosousage]

Afaik diet rich in carbon and many repeats low weight on gym. Im not 100% sure about carbon diet because im slim guy by default. My fat friends used some tablets for burning fat

 

[marmel75]

1) Try consistently doing 5 minutes of HIIT cardio---30 seconds High/30 seconds Low--- immediately after every lifting session...it skyrockets HGH

2) Try lowering the rest periods of your lifting workouts so that you are 30 seconds or less to keep your heart rate revved up.

3) Get a weighted vest---one that holds about 60 lbs or so(ZFO sells a really good one that I use personally)---start wearing it for all your workouts at about 20 lbs or so, then increase it by 5 lbs a week until you are up to 60lbs. You will drop weight and fat very quickly using this after you get up to around 35-40 lbs...I used to do 15-20 minute HIIT cardio sessions wearing this too...brutal

The quickest way would be to incorporate all three of these at the same time.

 

[soulforge]

1) Try consistently doing 5 minutes of HIIT cardio---30 seconds High/30 seconds Low--- immediately after every lifting session...it skyrockets HGH

2) Try lowering the rest periods of your lifting workouts so that you are 30 seconds or less to keep your heart rate revved up.

3) Get a weighted vest---one that holds about 60 lbs or so(ZFO sells a really good one that I use personally)---start wearing it for all your workouts at about 20 lbs or so, then increase it by 5 lbs a week until you are up to 60lbs. You will drop weight and fat very quickly using this after you get up to around 35-40 lbs...I used to do 15-20 minute HIIT cardio sessions wearing this too...brutal

The quickest way would be to incorporate all three of these at the same time.

Hey Marmel as per usual, thanks for the great advise man!

Currently I am pretty lean everywhere else.. Lean arms chest etc etc..

Just my belly letting me down a little.. I think it's age thing too!

I'm planning to cut back the Carbs a little.. And defo increase HIT cardio

 

[Three]

@soulforge - I'm in the same place. I'm slowly bulking and losing belly fat by cutting out carbs. I try to avoid all bread and sugar and only drink beer on the weekends. Good sleep every night helps, too.

 

[amazingswayze]

I've been thinking about eating at maintenance for a while and doing a recomp. Does anyone here have any experience with that?

 

[Annaa123]

The best and easy way go for daily gym exercise and 2 KM running per day

 

[resilient]

Soul, I followed @Espi's advice of doing cardio 3-5x/week on the treadmill at 8% incline, 4-7mph until I burn 400 calories.

I've done this for a month and got my bulk under control. I was starting to push out on my t-shirt. No bueno.

I also cut pre-workout and before bed protein shakes. I used to use hemp and almond milk with whey protein, yet I still believe that had started to be detrimental towards my overall build.

So my schedule typically looks like:

M,W,F - cardio
T,Th,Sa - weights/machines
Sun - rest

Find out what works for your body. Listen to what your body is telling you what you need and go from there to maintain and sustain.

P.S/Edit: Be careful with HIIT if you decide that path. I went too gung-ho with that and lost way too much weight late last year to the early part of this year. At my lowest, I weighed 136 pounds. I had to bulk and use weight gainer to get back to a healthier level.

 

[TheTrader]

Long Distance running or other steady state cardio is fine, as long as you don't do it longer than ~45 minutes. Fast walking is also an option. The most important is your diet. If you do a lot of cardio and then compensate for your effort by consuming more calories, you will not drop fat.