Wunderbar

My metabolism really didn't start kicking my ass until about a year ago when I turned 24, and working at a bar obviously I drink plenty of beer. However, i would absolutely love to get rid of this horrendous "beer-belly" and these love handles. What would be the best bet in getting rid of these?

What would be the best workout for me to get a better looking torso?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

stevie667

Lots and lots of cardio, whatever you fancy. I like half an hour on my bike each day.

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aberkok

Cardio will get you much better results if you are also doing some resistance (weight) training. This will give you a higher resting rate of calorie burn. Start a weight training program if you can... not with the objective to necessarily get bigger or stronger, but to get in enough repetitions to really get some fat burn in. Find a weight that you can do three sets of... at least 12 on the first set, slowly decreasing to no less than 8 on the 3rd set.

Oh... and it took me a long time to learn that you should do weights before cardio.

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Wunderbar

ya I'm really only wanting to burn this fat off. I'm not too concerned right now about getting built. I'd prefer to be toned over built anyday anyways.

Question though, how is it that better results occur with weight training as well? Does this include bench presses or free weights?

Awesome advice though, I guess just lots of cardio for me. There seems to be a lot of treadmill and bike work in my immediate future.

aberkok

Muscle burns more calories while at rest...as far as I know. I could use some corroboration here. Anyone?

Weight training doesn't have to include bench press or free weights. Even calisthenics would help to increase your muscle tone. Lower body workouts especially will just make cardiovascular activities like running easier. Like getting better tires and shocks on a car you want to drive a lot.

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Ch'i

Cut back on the beer; its full of empty calories, plus you won't feel like crap in morning. On that note, avoid baked goods such as chips, ect. too.

To boost your metabolism, have a big, hearty breakfast. Eat every two-and-a-half hours, or so, and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

With your workout, keep it simple. Bench press, squats, clean and press, pullovers, barbell curls, deadlifts. Do two sets of eight repititions for each of these exercises; for squats, do two sets of twelve. Never weight train two days in a row, and do around an hour of cardio on those alternating days.

Weight training is much more taxing on your muscles than the typical cardiovascular exercises.
Yes that's true, especially since your body requires a decent amount of energy while rebuilding muscle tissue. More energy than the initial training. Interval training is specifically designed to take advantage of this.

Daniel_

five words: CONSUME LESS, MOVE ABOUT MORE.

The advice I got from my personal trainer at the gym was to do a good warm-up (treadmill for 5 mins at medium walking pace), a longer go on the treadmill (15 minutes with incline and as fast s I can walk without starting to jog), then 5 minutes on a cross trainer, 20 rowing, 20 cycling.

In total that burns off over 600 kCal.

After that I do some weights - I use about 6 different upper body weight excersises, lat pulldowns, chest presses, arm curls etc - find a weight that you can comfortably do 15 reps of with moderate effort and then do multiple sets - by the end of the second or third set the same weight should feel barely manageable.

I've been doing this for a month and a half now, having done zro excersize for 18 years and I've lost 8kg (about 18 pounds) and a size in trousers.

I went back to the gym on Saturday for my six week view and was given higher settings for all of the equipment and larger weights for the training.

I col down with a go in the pool, sometimes use the sauna and generally hit the gym 3 times a week.

Drop the beer.

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Supple Cow

Wunderbar, you'll have a hard time losing that fat while trying not to get "built" - the more muscle you have, the faster you burn fat... even at rest. That's the reason you need a combination of weight training and cardio. You also can't be choosy about where you lose the fat - most people gain it in specific places, but fat burns off more consistently throughout the body. Even a moderate weight training program won't suddenly make you look like a body builder anyway, so quit worrying about getting "toned" instead of "built" and just do the exercise and eat better. Eventually, you will start to see results.

ratbastid

Why is that? I've always done cardio first. What's the benefit of lifting first?

The_Jazz

Actually, this is fairly subjective. When I was running seriously and consdering doing it professionally, I did a lot of reading on this subject. It's possible that it's changed, but at the time the consensus was that lifting before a long run increased stress-related injury rates and added muscle mass at a higher rate, which is something that most runners generally avoid. If you're looking to build your VO2 max, you should run first. If strength and muscle mass is the goal, lift first.

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Daniel_

I was told run first, lift second so I'd be well warmed up by the time I lifted.

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soccerchamp76

It depends on how far you run. If you just run for like 10 minutes to warmup, then run first before you lift. You should be doing that anyway to loosen your muscles up before lifting.
You shouldn't run after lifting because after you lift is when your muscles need food in order to rebuild. A nice protein shake after you lift is ideal.

Ideally though, you should be doing your running/lifting exercises on separate days. Run for 30-45min one day, lift the next, repeat.

A key note: While cardiovascular exercise is key, your diet is EQUALLY important. If your metabolism is 2500 Calories, and you eat 3000 but burn 500 at the gym, you'll maintain status quo. If you eat 2000 Calories and burn 500 at the gym, you're working at a -1000 clip for the day. Considering a pound of fat is 3500 Calories, you'll lose that weight pretty quickly.

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ratbastid

That was the coaching I got too.

Bingo. At the bottom of it all, we human critters are just caloric adding machines. If you give inputs that produce a positive-numbered result, you gain weight; a negative-numbered result, you lose weight.

Now please excuse me while I eat this piece of cheesecake...

pmb145

I don't think a warm up run is really a good way to lose the beer belly. I think running is great, but you need to run 30minutes to an hour to see major results. You should be able to burn 800-1000 calories/hour while running. I think this is a great fun way to lose weight and see quick results. It may seem hard the first few times, but you notice it getting easier quickly.

Hektore

Lifting weights is good for you and it's damn hard to gain muscle mass, ask anyone who is concerned with it. Lifting weights doesn't have to be about gaining more size, it can be about improving the quality, strength and appearance of the muscle you have now. 3-5 rep range is strength/size building, 10+ rep range is endurance/weight loss. Personally, I think you should be shooting for low low weight, but enough to make it burn. Do something like 4-5 sets of 10-12 (I would do 4 sets of 12)

Best statement about weight loss ever. ...ratbastid speaks the truth

As far running after lifting rather than before. Do both, you run for a good warmup before and to help recovery afterward. My understanding: Lactic acid build-up from strength training usually takes a few hours to clear out, the theory is that increased bloodflow through the area speeds the process, so getting your HR up after a hard lift is good for you. The lactic acid clears out within an hour of the end of your 15-20 minute run, rather than by the time you go to bed. You probably shouldn't run much more than that on the days you lift legs anyway.

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thingstodo

Fat burning lifts require 15-20 reps per set with the last 2-3 reps very difficult. Unless you're very serious, I can't see where cardio before or after makes much difference. I do it both ways just to shake things up. I do use an electrolyte drink if I do cardio for more than 30 minutes and then lift. In fact, I like lifting much better with the cardio before. The main time I lift before cardio is when I want to hit the weights really hard and need the energy. But doing it the other way around builds endurance if you gut it out and refuel before you lift.

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Baraka_Guru

When I was into high-intensity circuit weight training on top of post-workout low-intensity cardio, I lost four pounds in my first two weeks before regaining it back over the next couple of months. This was me burning a crap-load of fat and filling in the new weight with muscle. My metabolism skyrocketed and every day I was eating a big breakfast, two lunches, and two dinners, with snacks mixed in (God, I was so hungry). I didn't maintain this because my meal planning sucked. But if I stuck to this routine, I would have been a lean machine within 6 months to a year. Even though I was eating more than I ever had in my life... even as a teenager. And the cool thing about circuit training... I only needed to do two workouts per week... and the sessions were under 45 minutes each (cardio not included).

I don't recommend only cardio. All this does is burn the majority of calories during the session. Weight training and even interval cardio mixed in will burn hundreds more calories per week as you become a metabolic machine around the clock.

The principles, as always: eat properly, train hard, rest adequately. The training part is easiest and takes the least amount of time. Get this into perspective, balance things properly, and you will be successful.

And, yeah, lose the beer.

[Editor's note: Man, I should start that routine again. ]

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thingstodo

Well said.

However, low intensity cardio for an hour a day mixed in with a little interval training once a week or two weeks works wonders and gets your metabolism going. Your body learns a lot about processing fat more effectively for fuel. Many people lose a ton of weight just walking briskly for an hour a day. But nothing beats cardio with weights, that's for sure!!

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soccerchamp76

Aim for the trifecta:
1) Nutrition (six-pack abs begin in the kitchen)
2) Weight Training (replace the fat with muscle, increase muscle definition)
3) Cardiovascular training (increases metabolism, burns Calories/fat)

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cadre

Everyone has made good points so far so really all I have to add is that cardio exercise is very important if you want to lose the beer belly. Your stomach and sides can't be spot toned (at least as far as I was told) so if you just do sit ups or something they won't do much. You need to watch what you eat/drink too, I don't think you should give up beer, just don't drink as much.

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soccerchamp76

Liquids are the biggest source of "empty" calories you can consume. Water is your friend, drink lots. With each meal, drink water.

To give insight:
Bud Light: 110 Calories
Coors Light: 102 Calories
Sam Adams: ~150 (depending on type)
Orange Juice: ~120 Calories
Soda: ~150 Calories

These are estimates per usual serving size (12oz soda/beer, 8oz juice)

Now, running 6mph for 60 minutes at 150lb body frame will burn ~684 Calories. That is 114 Calories/mile assuming constant pace.

So, essentially, you have to run >1 mile for each drink you consume to burn off those Calories. They can easily add up during the day as well (OJ at breakfast, can of soda during work/school, beer/wine at dinner adds up to about around 450 Calories just in the drinks! You substitute water in there, leave all else equal, and you'll lose <1lb/week off your current pace!

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Baraka_Guru

This is good. In addition, and as mentioned in a previous post of mine, be sure to rest as well. This means two things:

1) Don't overtrain.
2) Don't sell yourself short by getting only 5 hours of sleep each night.

Without proper recovery, you will miss out on a key element of the equation. Being stressed and overtired can contribute to fat accumulation, not to mention sickness.

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Tamerlain

I had to check my jug of orange juice in the fridge to confirm that. It never occurred to me that orange juice would have more calories per 250mL than the Dr. Pepper I'm drinking (which has 100 calories per 250mL).

I'm shocked.

-Tamerlain

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Baraka_Guru

Yes, but let's keep things in perspective here:

Orange juice:
Potassium = 473 mg
Vitamin C = 97 mg

Dr. Pepper:
Potassium = 4 mg
Vitamin C = 0 mg

Also consider this:
The glycemic load per gram of fructose is only 19, while that of table sugar is 65. The calories in Dr. Pepper are from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), which has a similar GI value to table sugar.

Orange juice = fructose (burns more slowly)
Dr. Pepper = HFCS (burns more quickly i.e. more likely to be turned into fat)


Technically, orange juice makes an excellent pre-workout beverage. Dr. Pepper? Empty calories.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Tamerlain

Oh I wasn't saying I was going to stop drinking orange juice because it has more calories than Dr. Pepper, I was just surprised is all.

Orange juice is obviously better than Dr. Pepper, I just didn't know it contained more calories. But I guess that makes sense since there's more good stuff in orange juice than there is in Dr. Pepper.

I'm still going to stick to drinking orange juice daily and Dr. Pepper once or twice a week.

-Tamerlain

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intellijence

When doing cardio, your body has 2 sources of energy to choose from...glycogen/glucose and/or fat. When lifting, the body has virtually 1 source of energy - glycogen/glucose.

If you do cardio (extensive, not warmup) before lifting and burns up the glucose before you start lifting the body has to get more glucose (Muscle can make glucose for the body.)

If you lift and then do cardio, lifting burns up glycogen before starting cardio meaning your body has to use the other source of energy (FAT)

The thing is if you do the same things every day you get less caloric expenditure from them. Also, as you lose weight the number of calories expended from an activity declines. Therefore you should vary training to keep your body from getting accustomed to it (every 2-3 weeks).

Baraka_Guru

Yeah, I assumed as much. What I laid out was more for the benefit of the thread. You can never be too sure in the Age of Atkins. I'm always disappointed when I hear about people avoiding the "carbs"* in fruit products such as orange juice and bananas as though they were a bad thing.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

thingstodo

It helps to train your body to use fat for fuel by the way you do cardio. Working at less than 85% of max burns more fat, trains your body to process fat more effectively and builds your cardio base. That will move up the line on where your 85% really is. Lower than 85% trains your aerobic and endurance while above that is anaerobic and burns primarily sugar for fuel but also works your heart more.

All the bike riders are skinny. not because they are running at high intensity all the time but because they built their aerobic base, processing more fat for fuel which the body has a great store of (rather than sugar which burns off from what you've eaten) and increases both their physical endurance and their energy source endurance. See the link below:

http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460

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Tamerlain

Haha yeah, some people are... silly is the word maybe? I eat a banana with my breakfast every morning and one morning my roommate's girlfriend asked if I knew how many carbs were in a banana. She got a dumbfounded, blank stare and then I told her "it's ok, it's not one of those bananas made out of bleached white flour."

-Tamerlain

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Baraka_Guru

Ha! Funny answer. But seriously, though, if people actually understood nutrition, they would use carbs to their advantage rather than fearing them as something detrimental. As I mentioned in a previous post in this thread, I eat a ridiculous amount of food when I'm highly active. If I remember correctly, that would mean 400+ grams of carbohydrates a day.

Now I don't mean to say this is suitable for everyone, but you get the point.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

apeman

Hi,

I'm not to good on the specifics, but I find running tones up pretty much everything, including abs and all round the lower back etc. so you'll be burning fat and hardening up the muscle behind your love handles at the same time.

personally, I think that running on tarmac and on the flat is fairly dull and that uneven surfaces are probably better for your legs generally (as long as you don't twist your ankle!) but you've got to go with what's available. I usually start off with a short course and run it slowly, and then as you get used to the course and pacing yourself, you can add distance and try to go faster.

Doing weights would be good too, but I find it difficult to keep more than one thing going at a time, so if I'm running I forget to do weights mostly.

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