I am trying to stay in shape, maybe lose some fat, and tone up, but mainly have quick strong flexible muscles for surfing, and general fitness. I get about 6-8 hours of intense cardio a week from basketball and tennis. I also surf, and swim. I don't know if that is pure cardio or part cardio, part muscle building. I do about 40 minutes 4 times a week of just basic exercises like push ups, crunches, and crunch variations, tricep dip things(with my hands on a chair in back of me and I dip down and up), military press with only 10lb dumb bells, bent over shoulder lifts with the same dumb bells, bicep curls with the same dumb bells. I do about 20 - 30 minutes of stretching as well. I do about 4 sets of everything as many as I can, since it is all light weight. I never lift anything heavier than the 10lb dumb bells. The problem is that I am still getting bigger. I don't want to be bigger at all. I want lean flexible muscles. It isn't like I am getting super cut either. I still have a little extra in my mid-section, and moderate definition. I thought that using light weights with high reps would be what I needed. I have lost some weight and fat with this routine, but I think I need to adjust it somewhat. I would almost rather be fat and out of shape, than be too big.
Drop the # of sets to about 6 - 8 total. and stay within the 12-15 rep range. Also what is your diet like. If your eating an excess of calories and prtien your gonna get bigger.
Long dist. running works the best for me, burns fat and bulk, just jog like hell every day as far as you can on a treadmill or outside or whatever
I am not eating that many calories. It may be that there is too much protein in my diet. I eat small portions, of some type of meat at 2 of my meals each day. It is usually poultry, sometimes fish, or shrimp, and sometimes beef, and occasionally pork. One of my snacks is almost always a handful almonds. So the 6 - 8 sets should be the inclusive total for all body areas? I will still be able to tone up with that amount as well? Thanks for the help.
I may try that. I used to run a loooooonnnnggg time ago, but I haven't been able to stick to it lately. I just get too bored running. Sports helps me exercise and I don't get bored. I might try it again, now that I have an ipod, and a dog, it might help keep it more interesting for me. I wish I loved long distance running, and it does seem like long distance runners don't have the bulk problem.
If you want to lose fat, you need to be doing some type of cardio for a sustained 30 minutes at least 3x a week. Also, I'd count the amount of calories you're eating each day, you should be eating about 10x your bodyweight in calories a day.
Try high intensity cardio training (HIIT). Basically where you exercise your hardest for 30 seconds, and then slow down for 30 seconds, and repeat for 12 minutes. You will be done in 12 minutes. Do two of these HIIT exercises and you will be done real quick. HIIT is a whole lot more fun than running on a treadmill for 30 minutes. You can do HIIT on an ellipses machine or stationary bike even. I used to run 7 miles in the park, over a span of an hour. I didn't see much results until I started HIIT. Now my body fat is at 7.5%, and I am in very lean shape. But I also hit the weight room pretty hard, but I don't really have the bulk that some of the meatheads do even though I can outlift them.
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I went from 220 to 185. Here is what made the most impact. Changed my diet to small portions, eating every 2 hours. I run 30 minutes a day (3-3.5 miles) I eat whatever I want on the weekends. There... Now tear it up. Just don't start hitting the tanning salon.
DAMN IT. Anyone who has seen the ATHF movie knows that it would be mildly amusing if we could get a picture of Insanoflexified Carl in a thread about someone who can't stop gettin' jacked. But I can't find one. I'm genuinely sad.
what do you mean by getting bigger? gaining fat or muscle. it's hard to believe that you're gaining mass if you're doing all that cardio and light weights. btw, doing more reps with less weight doesn't tone your body...that's a myth. it's girl talk. if you eat a good diet and lift heavy, you're more likely to shed the fat and see the cuts on your body.
I couldn't believe I would be gaining the mass either. That's what I didn't understand. I am gaining mass, and I'm losing fat. I was never that fat to begin with, but at one point I was about 20lbs. over my goal, and had a small gut. I lost the weight over the course of one year and started surfing more, so I need some strength. I am 5'8" 157lbs. I am by no means muscle builder style bulky, nor would it be apparent when dressed normally that I am getting too bulky. But when I am in swim trunks, I am noticeably bigger(more visible muscles than before). My wife has also made comments about it. Perhaps I will need to cut back on calorie intake, but I worry about having the energy needed for all my activity if I cut back too much.
