# lean body except flabby stomach! help and advice needed



## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

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.

jan/feb/mar

stuck to the routine. training was on and off due to me picking up colds, too tired, weekend break, and family wedding. i still managed to train in between. i didn't put any more weight on, and i didn't lose any either.

my waist is down to 30" and i have lost body weight. as of this morning i am 158 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

here's some pics of what i mean

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/neckpainmusic/body/ password is: fatloss

many thanks

finest1


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## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

damn, my pics that bad, its stumped everyone!! :confused1:


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## Wevans2303 (Feb 18, 2010)

Here's all you need to know.

You cannot spot reduce fat, lower abs and lower back are normally the last areas where the fat comes off, like me for example I have the beginning of quad and delt striations yet I cant see my lower two abs atm.

Just keep on dieting, calories in vs calories out.

1-1.5g protein per lb body weight.

Fat 20-30% total calories.

Rest carbs.

Lift your weights and do your cardio and give it time, I prefer low intensity cardio over HIIT, just because my hamstrings get fried with sprints. Keep consistent and you will get the body you want.


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## Need2Grow (Jun 4, 2011)

Low carb/Keto + Yohimbine HCL :thumb:


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## 1Tonne (Jun 6, 2010)

Simple.....your not lean.


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## Wevans2303 (Feb 18, 2010)

Need2Grow said:


> Low carb/Keto + Yohimbine HCL :thumb:


Yeah when you're 7% and want to get 5%, otherwise no need.


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## Brutal1 (Jan 25, 2011)

You've got lots of fat to be put bluntly mate, Some of us, me included struggle to lose fat where some lose it in a matter of a few weeks, IMO you need to keep training and lowering cals everytime you stop losing the flab, Aim to lose 1-2lbs per week, If your not losing then cut cals again or increase cardio to counter it.

If your cutting natural you will lose muscle mass, so you are also reducing your BMR, So everything slows down and your body will try to hold onto the fat stores.


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## JANIKvonD (Jul 7, 2011)

keep dieting, abs will come eventually just gotta keep at it. just make sure ur diet n training are spot on and ur under ur maintenance cals. patience


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## zak007 (Nov 12, 2011)

no offence but your not holding a lot of mass, how long you been training


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## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

first of all, thanks to you all for taking the time to read and comment, it has really helped. :thumb:

to answer some questions:

i've been training since sept 2011. my intention was not to bulk up, but to tone up and define midsection, and get rid of the pot belly!!

im all natural, only supplements im taking is protein powder

i feel i am losing muscle and not fat, but rather than diagnose the past, best thing for me to do is draw a line as of today. looking back, i reached the goal of losing the pot belly, healthy eating and increasing my fitness. downpoints are, i trained like i was obese, so i think im burning muscle rather than the fat. so, clean page, phase 2. what do i do now?

as of this morning i am 158 lbs

my goal now is to lose my belly fat, and expose abs

in terms of training, should i keep to the circuit style training or should i do something else? if so, any recommendations? Rq335 mentioned the body mass im holding...

in terms of cardio, should i do HIIT or steady state cardio? im up for whatever, just as long as i get the results. i can currently jog for 35 mins.

in terms of diet, i can work on that myself, although im open to any advice

thanks again for the advice, i hope i can get some info so i can move forward

finest1


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## Fullhouse (Mar 31, 2010)

You need to be adding lbm imo, you don't have enough to properly cut into


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## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

ok, interesting..how many others agree?

so would you advise a months worth of mass phase? i therefore assume i go for compound exercises, heavy as i can, any programmes you can suggest. i was trying to avoid heavy bodybuilding, but i suppose i can do it if i really have to..

thanks



Fullhouse said:


> You need to be adding lbm imo, you don't have enough to properly cut into


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## zak007 (Nov 12, 2011)

youve not been lifting long and will still be able to build muscle and lose fat at the same time if done properly

have around 2500 cals per day 100-150g protein works for me and im a similar weight to you fats keep them under 50 and make sure their good fats not saturated!

carbs try and keep moderate not too many say 150 or less

workout 3-4x a week depending on how many days you have available

and do 15 minute walk after workouts and give yourself a few months to see the difference it should be good


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## English muscle (Feb 12, 2012)

Why does everyone still think you can tone up muscle that isn't there? Build muscle get a bit fat then diet lose fat with minimal muscle loss possible then you look toned/ripped whatever, none of us are gonna reveal the body of a Greek god just buy losing a bit of fat.


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## Goldigger (May 28, 2011)

If your stocky lean..then I'm massive lean..

Sorry couldn't resist..

Like its been said.. heavy weights, you'll add muscle whilst burning some fat..

Keep the intensity going and don't let your ego take over with weights that you can't lift with perfect form..

you'll need to do it for more than a month!


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## English muscle (Feb 12, 2012)

Goldigger said:


> If your stocky lean..then I'm massive lean..
> 
> Sorry couldn't resist..
> 
> ...


Ha x2 on that


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## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

thanks very much to you all for your advice and experience.

can anyone advise on some bulking workouts? how many days? split routine or whole body?

:thumb:


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## Luke-bronson (Oct 12, 2012)

Golddiggers right, your not stocky lean, I'm 15 and my shoulders/arms are a lot bigger than yours, your athletic lean.. Best thing to do is eat a lot, lift heavy, do crunches and some cardio, good luck


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## geeby112 (Mar 15, 2008)

Simple method Id do is

Fasted cardio 5 -6 times a week ( walking)

4 x a week gym sessions

Legs

Shoulders/triceps

Rest

Back/arms

Chest/traps

Keeps protein high to keep hold onto muscle, carbs around your training , healthy fats.

I stick to this religiously and it works for me.

You dont really need hiit training as your not over weight/fat. You dont want to end up smaller With fat.

Concentrate on compounds with good form.

Try this for 4 months then evaluate where u are. Good luck.


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## geeby112 (Mar 15, 2008)

Simple method Id do is

Fasted cardio 5 -6 times a week ( walking)

4 x a week gym sessions

Legs

Shoulders/triceps

Rest

Back/arms

Chest/traps

Keeps protein high to keep hold onto muscle, carbs around your training , healthy fats.

I stick to this religiously and it works for me.

You dont really need hiit training as your not over weight/fat. You dont want to end up smaller With fat.

Concentrate on compounds with good form.

Try this for 4 months then evaluate where u are. Good luck.


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## lucs (Apr 8, 2011)

cant work photo bucket due to being thick


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## paul xe (Sep 24, 2011)

Think photobucket adverts are trying to tell you something!

I do sympathise with you though as I am similar to you with regards to the old spare tyre! Low carbs/keto is working for me at the mo.


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## iamyou (Oct 29, 2012)

IMO your body fat percentage is so high that you can easily drop weight by just doing heavy lifting and eating at a caloric deficit. There's time for the advanced stuff later when you're at single digit bf and plateaued.


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## stoatman (Sep 13, 2012)

Yeah, no offence mate but I think you should definitely try and gain a bit more muscle. Whilst your bod is ok ( no **** !) there is room for more mass. You have pretty big traps , but your shoulders need work. Do you do military style pressing at all ?, maybe 6 months of 5 x5 and plenty of food. Then cut for summer.


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## finest1 (Jan 2, 2012)

hi all !

wow, i wrote this thread nearly a year ago! thanks for the latest responses.

let me quickly update you. in may 2012 i fell ill, i ended having this viral infection that knocked me out for 6 months!! anyway i started again in october 2012. i wanted to get back into it, and found a 30 day workout in mens health, so i thought i'd give that a go. it was a brilliant routine. it incorporated german volume training. anyway within a month my health got better, my motivation, i feel great!!! the training routine just pumped my body up. i hadn't seen some family and friends since end of sept 2012 and when they saw me last week, they all commented on how well i look and they noticed i got more chunky compared to the last time they saw me, so its great to hear that. ok. so let me tell you where im at now.

i have put on weight i am now 171.8 lbs as of this morning. i do like the size i am now, but willing to sacrifice for the greater good! so i basically look like the above, with a touch more size, but with this annoying flabby stomach!! so i would like to burn that off. reading the above. one advice was to go ahead and burn it off (see geeby112 advice), the next advice was to continue adding mass for a few months. one suggestion was the 5x5 routine, which funny enough i read about last week, (see iamyou and stoatman advice) so which should i do?

another thing i need is some help to decide whether HIIT has a role in my training routine from now on. i love the idea of intense training, but i feel with HIIT i burn muscle, but not sure. i just can't seem to shift some of this flab on the midsection. its also difficult when my thights are sore. so im not sure if i should be doing this. should i be doing LISS cardio from now on, regardles of whether its a mass training, or "cutting" training? as always there is so much information out there, i just don't know where to start as they all sound good. im looking to start some kind of new routine on 3/12/2012.

thanks again for your advice, but im gonna need to ask for a little more :thumbup1:

this was me 3 weeks ago


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

mate, you`ve got the same body shape as me.

I`m just glad I look 200 times in better shape than anyone I was at school with and accept the only way I will show abs is if I paint them on.

lift weights, look good in a T shirt, be healthy are my aims.


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## s3_abv (Feb 10, 2010)

You look fuller but you also have a high body fat.


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## mmwwh (Dec 11, 2012)

Myself was like you.. you just need to keep working out

More on weight, built mass, the more muscle mass the more the fat burn!

Do not mix cardio with weights

Cut down bad carbs

You're set mate


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