# 20% bf and bulking question



## OpethDisciple (May 9, 2009)

Ok.

So im gona start eating more (of the good stuff dont worry) my only concern however is that I have some mid rift blubber (20% bf) that inititialy, I beleieved I needed to do cardio and diet to shift.

However I have been trying to build some muscle simultanenously, and have been told to forget about shifting the fat and concentrate on building the muscle and the fat will sort its self out.

My plan is full body work out 3 times a week accompanied by 10min pre weights bike and 30 mins post weights eliptical.

If I was to eat inorder to build muscle ie big, but not ridiculously big do you think what I have described above will work?

Ok to be more clear this is my stats:

63kg

20% bf

5.7 foot

My routine:

* Barbell Squats: 4 sets of 10 reps

* Bent Over Barbell Rows: 4 sets of 10 reps

* Bench Press: 5 sets of 8 reps

* Military Press: 4 sets of 10 reps

* Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 15 reps

* Barbell Curls: 2 sets of 10 reps

* Lying Triceps Press: 2 sets of 10 reps

My diet:

Breakfast:

Poridge / 30g whey protein

Multivitamin

Bananana

Mid-Morning:

o Chicken breast

o Baked potato

Lunch:

o Chicken breast

o Salad

o Rice

o Fruit

Mid-Afternoon:

o Protein drink 20g protein

o Almonds

Dinner:

o Steak, chicken, or fish

 o Baked potato

o Salad

Before Bed:

o Protein drink 30g whey

o Banana and peanut butter sandwich

Any comments of suggestions would be great!


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

sorry mate but at 20% BF i would look more at trimming down rather than letting the fat sort it self out which i would love to know how it does that.....

you have to go with what is best for you and your goals but i can say that the fat will not "look after itself"


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## Ceejay (May 9, 2009)

Sorry but i'm with Scarb on this 1, DOing weights 3 times a week will not shift your belt of fat... it just wont.

You can be eating like a god, but your metabolism will only be high 3 days out of 7... from your 3days of training.

Therefore the 4 days you arent training/using these food sources... then your body will put them into storage.

Lastly, best case scenario you eat a perfect diet and train 3 times a week.

The best that will happen is that you enquire tone/bulk... not fat loss.

Cardio cardio cardio. WOrry about getting rid of the fat, then bulk.


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## OpethDisciple (May 9, 2009)

Ok.

Say I switch it up to a 4 day routine.

Doing 4 x 40 mins cardio a week.

Aditionally this weights schedule:

Monday & Thursday:

* Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-8 reps

* Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 6-8 reps

* Military Press: 4 sets of 8 reps

* Shrugs: 3 sets of 12 reps

* Skullcrushers: 3 sets of 8 reps

Tuesday & Friday:

* Squats: 5 sets of 6-8 reps

* Leg Curls: 3 sets of 8 reps

* Pullups: 3 sets to failure

* Bent Over Barbell Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps

* Barbell Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps

Would that be ok?

The problem im having, is that yea im 20% bf, but its only located on my lower abdomen. Other than that im skinny and need to build some muscles.

Which way round, should I try? Try to cut bf% first at expense of building muscle or aim for getting bigger? Other people on here, I think LeeB basically told me to eat loads get big, and although I wouldnt be reducing the actually amount of fat the % would go down due to the changes in ratio of bf to lean muscle?

Oh god! I dont know what to do. Nobody seems to be able to give me a definitve answer!

I thought a 3 day all body work out would be good, as its for begineers? If I switch to 4 days a week, isnt that for more advanced people?

Or is it just a matter of doing the 3 day fullbody workout as described above, same diet (bulk) with 3 x 40 mins cardio, but also doing more on top of this?

Seems I keep going round in circles, one week, im doing a 3 day routine, next a 4 week, one week trying to burn fat, next week, build muscle...

I need some solid guidance here peoples!!

:smash:


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

train 2-3 x a week and do lots of walking with cals slightly in deficit(so you can stick to it)

its really that simple dude.


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## Pikey1466867920 (Apr 24, 2004)

The basic diet is a bit lacking, you need to start weighing out your portions, and considering how much protein and carbs you're eating per day and each meal.

How have you measured your BF? 20% at 63K would give you a lean mass iro 50K in which case at 5'7" you are definitely not carrying much muscle mass

Fat loss is simply a matter of correct diet and cardio, the more muscle you carry the higher you're base metabolic rate so it becomes easier to get lean, this may be what someone was trying to tell you, if you go for a flat out bulk though you won't lose fat.

As Paul said you can't leave fat alone to look after itself, if you could we'd all be ripped all the time, if you don't target reduction you won't reduce much if any at all.

4 days a week weights isn't particularly advanced, but a non assisted novice should be able to make good progress on 3 days per week as rest is very important to building muscle providing of course you're giving the workout 80% plus max intensity, if you're just tossing it off you can train as often as you want you won't progress. Conversely if you over train you won't recover and won't progress. My basic recommendation would be to train each muscle group once per week at 80% perceived maximum intensity. Stick to mainly compound movements with good form and you should see results.

If you need a routine have a read around the site if you're still struggling ask but don't just go and use every piece of equipment in the gym it won't work.

On top of that I would recomend 45 minutes of low impact cardio every morning before your first meal this will help you reduce fat.

How old are you and what is your base activity level?

If you let me know I'll give you a view on a basic diet.

all the best

Chris


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

id advise a real cutting diet with high protein... going by your stats etc. i think this type of diet although would be a slight calorific defecit for what your body actually needs you would probably find that the consistant eating and high protein may be something your body responds to in muscle terms too.

but the key would be in the high protein and regular meals.


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## OpethDisciple (May 9, 2009)

Il get back to you guys once I get home from work.

Il provide as much details about me etc as I can.

What I really need to do, is nail down a routine I can stick to for 6 months, to get some where and also get a solid diet as well that will alow me to progressivly eat (pardon the pun) in to my bf% but also make it possible to build up some muscle too.

Like I said will provide more personal details when I get home.

Thanks for the help guys!:clap2:


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

if you are really wanting to lose this fat then i would train 3 x week as Casl has pointed out then do cardio at 40-45min 6 days a week once you have reduced your BF% down to 12% then look at clean bulking


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## Biggenz (Mar 6, 2009)

I had the same problem when I got into my training again this year. About 25%bf, but not that skinny at 85kg, 6'2". After advice from everyone on the planet, it seemed that nothing will work to achieve my goal - which is to get rid of the flab and lean bulk.

It's been 4 months now, and my bf is down to 15%, and I've put on some lean muscle everywhere from head to toe. So my advice is, try a program and diet to see if you get any results at all. Keep at it, and after a while you will know what works best for you. No one can tell you what the best routine, diet will be, as nobody knows you as well as you.

Just for interest sake, I do 4 x weight training sessions a week, 3 x cardio sessions a week on an empty stomach. It's quite amazing to think that in just 4 months you can show some proper progress.

The secret is to keep at it, keep your diet clean and don't give up if you don't see results as quick as you hope for. And remember, you won't transform over night. It takes a long time and lots of dedication!!


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## OpethDisciple (May 9, 2009)

Well said dude!

What you said is the truth!

Inspirational!


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