Let's start with the basics, I'm not a big exercise guru, I get any fitness from playing sports, not lifting and exercising, so cardio is what burns fat right? If so, what are some of the best ones for me to do. I'm already pretty muscular but I have a thin layer of fat over my muscle now, which is starting to sicken me. I'm not disgustingly fat, but I don't want to get any more fat on my body. So I'd like to in like 3 or 4 months lose like 15-20 pounds, I'd like to be 6'0" 185 instead of 5'11" and a half (I slouch) and 205.

Oh and I know that I'll lose a little muscle when doing this, and I know you muscle bound guys hate the idea, but I don't mind losing a little muscle, as long as I'm still strong and flexible enough for golf.

High intensity interval training is definitely a great way to do it. It's not limited to sprints though. I'm sure HBK will be around to lend his expertise.

You want to be looking at burning more calories than you intake, so keeping an eye on what you eat is important.


Also, I don't understand the desire to set goals for weight loss by using pounds of weight as your goal. Don't burn until you're at a certain number, just burn until you look healthy and it feels right. You're setting the wrong mentality in my opinion if you set a goal to reach a certain weight because you could, like you've said, have to burn off essential muscle to reach your target when all you said you want is to get rid of that layer of fat.

Leg workouts like squats are also great fat burners.

Well I based the numbers on guys around my size at my school and the body type they have that I want. Which kind of sounds weird I guess.

I still wouldn't trust weight for a guide to your health. I weigh around the same as ITANI it seems and I'm around the same height, yet he's huge in comparison to me. It's probably my penis size that makes up the rest of my weight, or lack of size for him

I kid, ITANI

I'm pretty sure HIIT is pretty useless for "weight" loss when compared to other forms of cardio like steady state or LISS. HIIT is the best way to improve your vo2 max though.

quote U_Turn

Also, I don't understand the desire to set goals for weight loss by using pounds of weight as your goal. Don't burn until you're at a certain number, just burn until you look healthy and it feels right. You're setting the wrong mentality in my opinion if you set a goal to reach a certain weight because you could, like you've said, have to burn off essential muscle to reach your target when all you said you want is to get rid of that layer of fat.

I don't know if you just worded that wrong or i'm misinterpreting that but it's wrong. There is no way to reach any long term goal without tracking progress. If you want to lose weight you MUST track your progress or you won't know what direction you're heading in. I do agree with the fact that he should be looking at fat loss which is measured with body fat percentage rather than weight loss though.

Nutrition is where it's at. Eating well will be the main contributor to you reaching your goals. If you list in detail everything you eat + drink in a day, I can give you some detailed feedback on how to tweak that to achieve your goals. Exercise is important too, but it's 75% what you put in your mouth.

quote CyborgNinja

I'm pretty sure HIIT is pretty useless for "weight" loss when compared to other forms of cardio like steady state or LISS. HIIT is the best way to improve your vo2 max though.

You've actually got this backward. Long slow distance training is perfect for improving your VO2 max (maximal intake of oxygen basically), but mediocre for fat loss. HIIT won't do much for your VO2 max (doesn't matter unless you're an endurance athlete), but will shed the fat, based on the hormonal response and exertion.

quote U_Turn

I still wouldn't trust weight for a guide to your health.

Neither would I, nor for aesthetics either. You do need some measure of progress however, but you can choose what this is. How many of your abs you can see, your pants size, your bf%, how many compliments you get, how you feel when you look in the mirror etc.

Interval training is a great way to go, it involves multiple short flat out efforts, with rest in between. An example might be to do 10 sets of 250m rowing intervals (1:30/500m average splits for instance) on an indoor rowing machine (if you gym doesn't have one, ask very nicely if they could get one, they're badass, particularly Concept 2 brand). You would rest for 2-3 minutes between each effort. It doesn't sound like much, but it is brutal.

A similar method can be applied to anything, for instance burpees. Some sloppy form in the video, but you get the idea. Do as many burpees as you can in 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. This is one cycle. Do 8 total cycles (4 minutes - known as a 'tabata'). You can use this technique for any exercise, but they're especially useful for bodyweight exercises with minimal equipment.

There's 100 other things you could do, but play around with some intervals that I mentioned, perhaps do a five 800m runs, or if you're low on ideas/equipment, just ask and I'll give you some more. Farmers' walks are great, pick up something heavy, ideally something in each hand, or if it's light, hold it overhead, and just walk as far as you can. Deceptively simple yet brutal.

If you want a good physique, you'll need to lift heavy weights (and eat right!). Cardio will only get you so far. Along with the intervals, do the basic heavy compounds - bench, squat, press, deadlift, clean, row, pullup, dips.

There's a mountain of info to digest, read it a few times to absorb it and try not to be overwhelmed.

I have a 30kg vest that I was considerign going for long distance walks in. I'm just kinda worried I'll get so far and not be able to get back

quote CyborgNinja

I don't know if you just worded that wrong or i'm misinterpreting that but it's wrong. There is no way to reach any long term goal without tracking progress. If you want to lose weight you MUST track your progress or you won't know what direction you're heading in. I do agree with the fact that he should be looking at fat loss which is measured with body fat percentage rather than weight loss though.

You can't trust weight for a sign of progress though. He could so easily have acquired a bit more muscle-mass and there for increased his weight. Whereas he may look at his body and think there's progress being made, if he's setting weight goals then he's not going to be pleased with the progress he is actually making.

Like HBK619 said, there are other (better) ways to gauge progress than tracking your weight.

Since it's hard to notice the change in your body because you're used to seeing it more than anyone else and the change is so steady that it can go almost unnoticed, I'd suggest taking photos regularly to track your progress rather than wishing to reach a certain weight. Perhaps find an image of a body you would like to have something similar to and use your photos comparison as your guide to achieving your goal.

For the past month or 2 I've been getting compliments left, right and center at work, but I haven't felt there's actually been a change. Then I saw some photos from several months back and I was like "wow, I was so skinny back than in comparison to what I am now" but yet my weight is similar to what it was, maybe a few pounds heavier.

quote HBK619

quote CyborgNinja

I'm pretty sure HIIT is pretty useless for "weight" loss when compared to other forms of cardio like steady state or LISS. HIIT is the best way to improve your vo2 max though.

You've actually got this backward. Long slow distance training is perfect for improving your VO2 max (maximal intake of oxygen basically), but mediocre for fat loss. HIIT won't do much for your VO2 max (doesn't matter unless you're an endurance athlete), but will shed the fat, based on the hormonal response and exertion.

With HIIT you will often be working out at a supramaximal VO2 level which will, over time, 'cause your stroke volume to increase and also good heart hypertrophy. HIIT burns less calories overall (considering HIIT lasts for 10 minutes or so) than steady state cardio anyway, not as good for weight loss.

quote CyborgNinja

With HIIT you will often be working out at a supramaximal VO2 level which will, over time, 'cause your stroke volume to increase and also good heart hypertrophy. HIIT burns less calories overall (considering HIIT lasts for 10 minutes or so) than steady state cardio anyway, not as good for weight loss.

I'm really not sure where you're getting this information from? Yeah, depending on your current VO2, doing HIIT will probably increase it, but not by as much as endurance sports will. HIIT burns less calories during the actual workout yes, however, it leads to an increased metabolism for the next 24 hours after the exercise, which in total burns more calories than steady-state, and only takes a fraction of the time.

quote Jesh

Let's start with the basics, I'm not a big exercise guru, I get any fitness from playing sports, not lifting and exercising, so cardio is what burns fat right? If so, what are some of the best ones for me to do. I'm already pretty muscular but I have a thin layer of fat over my muscle now, which is starting to sicken me. I'm not disgustingly fat, but I don't want to get any more fat on my body. So I'd like to in like 3 or 4 months lose like 15-20 pounds, I'd like to be 6'0" 185 instead of 5'11" and a half (I slouch) and 205.

Oh and I know that I'll lose a little muscle when doing this, and I know you muscle bound guys hate the idea, but I don't mind losing a little muscle, as long as I'm still strong and flexible enough for golf.

Here's an idea - keep lifting, don't do cardio, and use lose weight with your DIET!

Also I may not be able to touch my back but I'm not muscle bound