Callin all weight-lifters !!!

I need advice ! I am 3 lbs away from my docs goal of 175 and 13 lbs from my personal goal of 165. I have been doing weightlifting/toning and cardio. I see that im developing muscles and really dont wanna be too muscular, so my ?? is should I just be doin cardio to lose all the unwanted fat first or should I still continue to do my lifting/toning workouts with my cardio ??? But I also dont wanna lose my muscle so any advice would be appreciated. Thnx, Robert =)

I would recommend both Robert. Just lighten up on the weights if you don't want to gain too much muscle mass. Building some muscle is necessary for general health & helps you to keep the weight off by burning more calories while at rest. Less weight, higher reps. Keep up the great work. Jay

Robert, you are looking great! what a transformation. I just wanted to drop a quick note since I'm not feeling so well. Don't worry about getting big muscles, that really takes a lot of work to achieve. Try doing a whole body routine 3 times a week and cardio the other days. You are seeing muscles because your body fat is getting lower. Seek out Dave on the board and he has some great workout routines to help you achieve the balance you're looking for. I would stay with basic compound exercises in the 8 to 10 rep range but not to failure. Just make the last two hard to do. That should be the weight you need to use to get good results and keep lean muscle mass. Also, try to get in a gram per pound of protien. This will keep your muscle mass on your body where it belongs. So if you want to weigh 165 then try to get that many grams of protien as well daily. The guys you see in the magazines or the big guys on this board are either genetically blessed or work very hard at gaining size. It just doesn't happen with light workouts so don't worry about getting big. That's a whole hobby in itself......lol! So again, seek out Dave or some of the other guys like Christopher L and ask for a routine that suits the build you're looking for. Good luck......Carbonblob

Hi Robert, I agree with CB, who has done a lot more weight lifting in his life than I have. I did my first real low rep strength work (3-5 reps to failure) this year. Prior to that, I always did combination cardio-moderate strength training. I would say train until you have just a tad too much muscle, then back off a little. Chances are, it will only be increased tone and will reduce in a week or two. Then, you can keep a maintenance routine going to keep your metabolism up so it's hard to lose weight. The protein is not only good for muscle, but for energy and appetite regulation, so even if you don't do supplements, I would recommend a high protein diet. Good Luck, Dave

I think it is impossible to have too much muscle naturally. In my opinion, only those with "chemical enhancement" have too much. That being said, I would continue doing what you're doing...if it isn't broke, don't fix it. The last 10 or 15 is the hardest to lose, but when you do, you'll "see" all the muscle that you have that has been obscured by the THIN layer of fat that you might still have. It may take a little time, be patient. Also, to get the real "ripped" look and lower your bodyweight for a SHORT TIME, some tinker with low levels of dehydration. I really wouldn't recommend this unless you were posing for some pictures or attempting to "make weight" for some type of event. It isn't healthy to be this way for any extended length of time. Many a so-called "expert" has gotten this process wrong with disasterous results. Sonny

Thanks for posting this...I was wondering about this myself. I too want to start gaining muscles around my arms and upper back/shoulders. That's why I posted about protein..... I'm sure that since you will be building some muscle, you're weight will also slow? Due to muscle gain? Good luck!

hey Gus, It actually takes quite a while to build lean muscle mass. So I wouldn't expect to start gaining a bunch of weight and think it's all muscle. The funny thing is, you can use protein powders to lose AND gain weight. It just depends on your routine and how you use it. I take over 100 grams of protein a day, two are shakes the rest by food. I still lose weight although I think I'm steady where I'm at now for good. I would have to really step up the protien, calories, fat and lift heavy and lower my cardio to gain weight. I would follow Dave's excellent routine for beginners. He focuses on the basic compound exercises. Trust me, it will build the biggest and best quality muscle you can get, period! So do the benches, rowing, squats, curls etc and forget the isolation exercises for a year or two. I promise you gains like you wouldn't believe in your size and quality weight as well. So bug Dave if you can't find his prior post about his routines. Good luck.......Carbonblob