Methods for gaining muscle and losing fat

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Quote from Robert Yanks:

No protein powder at this time. Just calorie reduction to get rid of my "Fat Muscles" : ) and a major increase in egg, milk, cheese and lean meat protein.
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Ok, in that case, you should probably consider a fiber supplement or just do what I do, which is just nibble on a high fiber snack like almonds throughout the day.
 
Quote from Brass:

Baron, at what % of your MHR do you do your cardio? And do you vary it or do you keep it within a narrow range? I'm just curious because I have recently reduced the amount of time I do cardio per session and offset it by increasing the intensity a bit.
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My cardio is usually in the 110 - 120 bpm range. I put the elliptical on max incline and the resistance is on about 60. I think the resistance can go up to like 75 or 100. I don't vary the pace or anything like that... just a constant steady workout. It feels like you are walking up an infinite flight of steps by taking strides of two steps at a time. It's not fast paced at all but I'm sweating bullets after only 10 minutes.
 
Quote from 50/50:

I'll bet the "Karate Kid" can do it.

Has more to do with balance & skill than strength.

what's your best true squat, yayo with a barbell and real weight?
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Once you get the balance down, it largely becomes a matter of strength if you up the resistance accordingly. Didn't I already say this before?

In response to your question, and as I had noted in an earlier post in this thread, I did barbell squats with a bit less than double my body weight for a full set. That means anywhere between 8 and 12 reps. However, that would only be for the first set, as I would have to reduce the weight for subsequent sets to stay in the rep range. I always went parallel to a full 90 degrees at the knees. It's not great, but it's not bad either. I never did a max single rep squat, so I have no idea what I could have done at the time. I imagine it would have been something more than double my body weight. And, as I mentioned, I had not done barbell squats in more than 5 years. Since that time, and until about a month ago, I did leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls for upper legs.
 
Quote from mike oxbig:

I agree with 50 50.

Pistol squats look worthless.
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15 - 20 years ago I used to do 365 lb free weight (low reps) squats.

I never even heard of a "pistol squat".

Is that something ballerinas do?
 
Quote from Baron:

Every year I try to get in the best shape I can by my birthday, which is on September 21st. That puts me at roughly 12 weeks out from this point. So starting today, I will be tweaking my routine to incorporate cardio 6 days per week instead of 2. This will likely put the breaks on muscle gain over the next couple of months, but I don't care because the goal is to be in the best shape, not to be carrying the most muscle at the expense of also carrying some fat.

My initial goal is to do 30 minutes per day on the elliptical machine. This will start out as being something that I work into my routine whenever it's convenient to do so. But after about 8 weeks, that goal will move to doing my cardio on an empty stomach upon waking up, which sucks to be honest with you, but I have found it to be very effective, especially as a tool to get that last layer of fat off. I will likely end up being in the mid 170's by the time this is over. I am currently 187 as of this morning.

I will keep you guys posted on how things progress.
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I'm curious to know how things are going with your cardio blitz as you approach the end of the first week. I know it's too soon to meaningfully tell one way or the other, of course, but I'm wondering how it feels thus far and if you have noticed any difference yet at all (weight/fat loss, appetite changes, sleep patterns). I ask because I am toying with the idea of moving in the opposite direction, at least for a time. Whereas I previously had done 30 minutes of cardio following my resistance workout, I had subsequently reduced it to 20 minutes and then 15, each time upping the intensity a bit to compensate. However, after reading all kinds of conflicting information on the Internet from ostensibly credible sources, I plan to try eliminating my cardio component entirely, and just focus on high intensity resistance 3 times a week for about 75 minutes per workout, which included a good 10 minutes or so for abs.

I'm sure you know the rationale. High intensity resistance work ups the heart rate, not unlike cardio, but then, unlike cardio, keeps the metabolic rate raised well after completion. Some "experts" assert that resistance and cardio complement one another, while other "experts" claim that cardio can actually take away from the equation. Life can be so confusing.

And so, any news?
 
Quote from Brass:

I'm curious to know how things are going with your cardio blitz as you approach the end of the first week.
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Umm..., I'm not liking the results at all. Not one fucking bit! I feel like I've lost some muscle mass FOR SURE this past week with the cardio jacked up, and I'm pissed to be honest with you. The only thing this new cardio routine has accomplished is cutting into my muscle mass, which is about the last thing in the universe that I want. And I feel like my fat level has actually gone up a little bit as well.

All I can think about is the prior conversation about possibly doing my 2-way weight training split for three rounds, which equates to 6 days a week. I'd much rather be breaking down muscle tissue lifting weights at a high rep range than fucking around on the elliptical machine.

So, effectively IMMEDIATELY, I am making the following changes to my routine:

Monday: Upper Body Workout A
Tuesday: Lower Body Workout A
Wednesday: Upper Body Workout B
Thursday: Lower Body Workout B
Friday: Upper Body Workout A
Saturday: Lower Body Workout A
Sunday: Nothing.

The following week starts out with Upper Body Workout B. Etc.... Etc...

The difference between A and B workouts will be simply exercise choices. For example, lower body workout A will be more intense exercises like squats, lunges and stiff legged deadlifts. Lower body workout B will be a lighter variety comprised of leg presses, leg extensions, and lying hamstring curls. The same logic applies to the upper body workouts.

Seriously, I feel like this entire past week was a fucking waste of time and it has really got me frustrated. Brass, I think you are onto something by eliminating the traditional cardio and replacing that with weight training.

All I know is that I will never reach my goal of preserving my muscle mass and getting shredded at the same time by September 21st if I continue to do what I did last week. Yes, I want to increase cardo activity, but it can't be at the expense of using my fucking muscle for fuel!! That's why I'm ditching the elliptical bullshit and replacing that with weight training. That's my logic anyway.... You with me? :D
 
Quote from Baron:

...That's my logic anyway.... You with me? :D
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Sounds like a plan. Although I can't help but notice, working out six days a week (6!), you may have something of a god complex: "And on the seventh day he rested." :D
Quote from Baron:

...I think you are onto something by eliminating the traditional cardio and replacing that with weight training...
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Well, we'll see how it goes. And in my own case, I'm not so much replacing as I am eliminating, since my resistance routine will otherwise remain unchanged in its latest form. It's just that it occurred to me that compound exercises done to failure with reasonably brief rest periods between sets probably have something of an aerobic effect. And since all of my exercises in my current routine are compound with the exception of calves, I figure I'm getting some cardio. So why duplicate the cardio, especially since some people are saying that, done in excess, however "excess" is defined, it can have a muscle wasting effect as well as a negative effect on fat loss. (Interesting that your brief experience with a cardio blitz, though hardly conclusive after only a week, seems to support these claims.)

In any event, I'm giving it a try for a few months. Although I'll be monitoring it in the interim, at the end of that few months, I'll look to see if there is any noticeable difference in the mirror and weight scale, as well as in my bloodwork at the time of my next doctor's visit.

As an aside, and just out of curiosity, since you prefer a split routine to keep individual workouts fairly short, have you considered just doing your 4-day weight routine as before and simply leaving out the cardio for a time to see what happens? Is there a specific reason you feel the need to add two more workouts to compensate for the dropping of the cardio?
 
Baron, a few things here. Cardio does not waste muscle. What wastes muscles is if you cut calories and do cardio. You can do cardio 7 days a week if you want, but you have to up your calorie intake. I know it sounds counter intuitive if you are trying to cut, but it works. When I do cardio, I up my calorie intake substantially. Not reduce it.

Also, I have found that burst training works better for cardio then sitting on a treadmill for an hour. For example, I go on the treadmill and do sprints with a steep incline. I mix it up. I sprint 30 secs to a minute then rest a minute. I'll do that for 15 minutes. If I'm on bikes, I'll do a hill workout varying the intensity levels. If you do burst training, I guarantee you will not lose muscle. But you have to eat!!!! And drink lots of water of course.

Cardio is an absolute must for healthy living. I disagree with the idea that lifting gives the same benefit even if you use short rest periods. I'm not saying anyone should do cardio 7 days a week but two days a week with the burst training will do wonders for you.
 
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