# lean arms, shoulders and legs but flabby stomach! what am i doing wrong? advice pls



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

first of all, let me wish you all a happy new year! i hope all you succeed in reaching your trainig goals.

my stats:

age: 37

current weight: 161 lbs

height: 5ft 8"

body type: stocky, lean but stomach flab and fat

here's my problem and history:

1/9/2011

i started training. i was out of shape (bloated stomach, but shoulders, arms and legs lean) so i had enough and wanted to get into shape. my goal was to shed the fat and become ripped with six pack rather than bulky, so i knew that i may lose a small amount of muscle to reach that. my weight was 168 lbs i found a training routine i liked and embarked on it. the training routine is based on power movements but training aerobically rather than anerobically, aiming for intensity in a circuit fashion. core work was included in this. cardio was also included in this, via HIT fashion. i also embarked on healthy eating diet, high protein, lots of green veg and small amounts of carbs, no supplements except for protein powder. training was 3 days a week, and cardio everyday.

6/10/2011

i had lost 2 inches off my bloated 34" waist, bringing me down to 32" which was fantastic and boosted my motivation even more!

1/11/2011

i decided to move on from my 3 day a week and progress to 4 days a week training

by mid december 2011 i was slowing training down leading to xmas as i knew things would get hectic. during my time off work i relaxed and decided to have the xmas period off. i still went for a run 2-3 times a week, just to keep myself active. during this time i reviewed and evaluated my progress.

my waist is down to 30" and i have lost body weight. as of this morning i am 161 lbs the problem i have is this:

my midsection is still flabby although it is flat. in proportion to my body, it seems i have lost more muscle weight than fat around the stomach. my face shoulders and arms look leaner so i assume i have lost some body fat, and some around my midsection as i can see my obliques, but not as much as i thought i would. i have a fat "tyre" that wraps around my navel waist area which i want to shift, so my evaluation and review has led me to these conclusions:

it seems i may have done too much HIT which has led to me burning off muscle than fat

it seems that i took the training routine and philosophy too literally, and now realise the training info was generic. so i trained like i was obese which is what the training info was aimed at, but i was not obese.

i was having a post workout shake which was 2 scoops of protein powder 1 scoop glucose in water. should i have been doing this?

have i really lost fat around my midsection or is it the muscle thats getting tighter and stronger?

contempory thinking states HIT burns off more fat than steady state cardio, but which should i be doing if HIT seems to be the culprit here and im burning muscle.

big question now is, what do i do? i think the training routine is fine and my diet is fine. i think its my cardio. i don't want to lose any more muscle but at the same time i want to shed this fat around my stomach.

what are your thoughts and experiences on this? or have i got the above conclusions wrong?

any help will be greatly appreciated and looking forward to the responses

many thanks

finest1


----------



## Mr White (Feb 8, 2009)

Post a picture.


----------



## Moonbeam (Jul 20, 2011)

Welcome firstly, Get a pic up mate. Water can help to reduce bloating plus eating smaller meals more frequent. All I can suggest is to add more cardio but hard to say with out looking at a pic.

EDIT-lower carb intake if your gaining too much in the mid section. Also working out on core, abs and obliques will make bf% look lower if your stomach is bulging


----------



## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

Stomach is the only place thats holding remaining fat for me, its like the last bastion of my former lard.

Just takes time buddy, keep at it.


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

thanks for your quick replies. i know my post was long, but that's because i want to give you as much info as possible. i'll tell you where im at now. im happy with my weight, and my fitness levels. my stomach is 30" its flat but flabby around the naval and waist. it seems like by body is shrinking except the fat around my stomach. in terms of training and cardio, what should i do now. i don't mind putting on weight, but i don't think i should go lower as i'll just look gaunt and ill looking rather than looking healthy.


----------



## Moonbeam (Jul 20, 2011)

Post up your routine and macros with your stats and we will help you as much a we can


----------



## Bamse (Feb 5, 2011)

Don't get too hung up on what type of cardio you should or shouldn't do. Cardio is important for general health and fitness reasons, but diet is key here. Unfortunatly, the midsection is where we men tend to hold on to our fat, and some are more genetically disadvantaged than others in this respect. One thing that can help appearance though, is working your core muscles - tighten up the midsection as it were. Stronger abs and lower back will help hold that gut and also improve your posture.


----------



## onthebuild (Sep 3, 2011)

like these guys have said whack up a picture and people will be able to give you much better responses. We are all very critical of ourselves, so you may think its alot worse than it actually is! remember you look at your body everyday so you notice your faults more. In regards to your training/diet, i think with cardio everyday your diet must not be upto scratch. You need to keep the protein high so as not to lose muscle, but remember you could be doing too much cardio. I believe i am correct (if not apologies) when i say the body burns of carbs, then fats, then protein, so if you are doing too much cardio your body may be starting to metabolise your protein stores?


----------



## tompei (Aug 8, 2008)

Afraid I have the same problem, gut is always the first to come on and the last to go for me!

Are you drinking alcohol? Sleeping enough?


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

thanks again guys!

to answer a few questions:

alcohol is no issue for me. i go out on a bender once every 2-3 months for a night, but other than that it serves no purpose in my life so i would say zero

yes the cardio could be too much, thats because im confused as to whether to do HIIT or steady state. im looking to max gains, so if HIIT is the best to get ripped, then i'll do it. like wise if steady state is the way i should go then i'll do that. it helps with the motivation

i've attached some photos here:

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/neckpainmusic/body/

password is *fatloss*

training wise, it comprises of this:

day 1 back tris upper abs

combo 1

lat pull downs

close grip press

cable kneeling crunch

combo 2

Db rows

tricep pushdown

swiss ball crunch

combo3

deadlifts

french press

weighted crunch

day 2 chest bicep lower abs

combo 1

incline DB press

standing DB curl

Incline hip raise

combo 2

chest press

concentration curls

kneeling swiss ball rollout

combo 3

incline DB fly

preacher curls

prone knee ball tuck

day 3 legs shoulders obliques

combo 1

squat

shoulder press

wood chop

combo 2

lunges

upright row

wood chops high to low

combo 3

DB bulgarian split squat

rear delt

wood chop low to high

combo 4

hamstring curls

hip bridges

core work done after workouts before cardio

all reps vary from 6-10 heavy

combos are done for 3 sets one after the other, minimial rest then move on to next combo for example: combo 1 x 3 sets then combo 2 x 3 sets then combo 3 x 3. if im feeling energetic may do four sets

i hope this helps


----------



## defdaz (Nov 11, 2007)

It's just down to your fat distribution. Most guys tend to store more on their waist than on their arms and legs, meaning that the rest of us leans up nicely whilst the belly still grins at you. You just have to keep dieting and eventually it'll go. If I was you I'd be tempted to try and put some more muscle on before dieting again as the extra muscle will give you a higher BMR and so make dieting that last bit off easier.


----------



## Dux (Nov 29, 2011)

I'm in the same boat, there's nothing you can do about it except keep working hard and eating clean, it'll tighten up eventually, but it could take months or years.


----------



## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

defdaz said:


> It's just down to your fat distribution. Most guys tend to store more on their waist than on their arms and legs, meaning that the rest of us leans up nicely whilst the belly still grins at you. You just have to keep dieting and eventually it'll go. If I was you I'd be tempted to try and put some more muscle on before dieting again as the extra muscle will give you a higher BMR and so make dieting that last bit off easier.


True, my fat loss has incresed alot since gaining even a small ammount of muscle.


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

thanks for your replies. i posted some more info plus photos, but when i hit the send button, it said it will be reviewed by an moderator, so not sure how long it will take to get the post up


----------



## golfgttdi (Oct 6, 2010)

Id cut out the glucose in your post training shake and try that for a while.

The glucose in the shake will jack up your natural insulin release (this is good for muscle repair etc but it shuts down fat burning)

Doing hiit cardio benifits in the 24hr AFTER training so you wanna keep insulin to a minimum for as long as you can after training.

This is all catch 22 cause if you wanna build muscle the glucose would help, but you wanna loose fat which it will not help.

Building muscle WHILE loosing fat is possible but alot easier when your on certain meds.

This would be why a bulk then cut works.

But if i were you id cut out the sugar rushes from the glucose for a start and concentrate on the fatloss over muscle building for a while.

Also as mentioned above if your core is much fitter/tighter it hold your gut in and helps posture so you look better already.


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

i;m still waiting for my post to be posted by the moderators. i had set up an online album of photos. i'll try and post the link:

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/neckpainmusic/body/

password is *fatloss*

thanks


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

hi golf,

i stopped taking the glucose and i went with a small serving of oats to see me through to dinner.

unfortunatley i sprained my wrist on thursday so im waiting for that to heal. still kept up with the steady state cardio, no HIIT this week.

weighed myself this morning and it read 158lbs. im getting worried that it could be muscle im losing.

my pass word is fatloss if anyone wants to take a look at the pics

thanks


----------



## smiley_boy2501 (Apr 22, 2011)

Unfortunately men hold there fat around the midsection (back and front). Its genetically predetermined this way (like women having big ****s and thighs). Calorie counting, macro measurement and small amounts of cardio (up to 2 x 30 min sessions on off days, up to 30mins post workout) are key.

Or you could do 1million sit ups a day.


----------



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

ok guys, thanks for all your responses. but i have to ask for a definitive advice, as im still confused as to what to do.

taking into account the above, here's my options:

bulk up for a month or 2

if i do this option, should i do a mass workout but anerobically rather than circuit style, and add carbs to every meal?

continue getting ripped

if i do this option, do i go for HIIT or Low intensity cardio

im really relying on your real experinces rather than magazines or the internet

thanks in advance

finest1


----------

