I'm really into lifting weights and I hate cardio. Plus I heard cardio can counter making one's muscles bigger because it burns calories needed to build muscle. However, how can I lose unwanted fat on my body while huge weights and getting bigger muscles?

HoLLa BaCk
Nick

best thing i suggest is eating extremly healthy and on the dot... so try to find just the right balance diet... but to be honest... its going to be very hard unless you do some cardio :\

thanx. guys, any other suggestions?

HoLLa BaCk
Nick

if you are already in good shape, then doing weight training on a regular basis might be enough to keep your weight steady ... but, if you aren't, bulking up with help you burn more fat, but as Outlaw said, it's gonna be hard without some kind of cardio.

you should be able to keep your body fat stable, but dont expect to reduce it if you are trying to gain muscle mass.

Essentially you have a choice - get big muscles, or lose bodyfat.

This is what i have found from my experience:
Last year I weight trained very hard and very seriously. i did a lot of research, and did the Bruce lee workout every other day for about 3 months, on the back of a previous 6 months of generall weight training. i cycled 7 miles to the gym, stretched for 20 minutes, did weights for 1.5 hours, and cycled home.

I also ate 'healthfully' - at some points i had absolutely no 'bad' food at all (no crisps, cakes, sweets, fired food).

The end result? I got very defined and my body looked quite good, but I didnt have the muscle mass/size I wanted. i also felt tired all the time.

Now I am starting again hopefully more knowledgeable than before. I worked out that before, I was consuming an average of about 1500 calories a day, but expending about 2500 (or more!). i was overtraining and not getting enough nutrition. My approach was bordering on obsession. I have also learnt that my approach to warming up (cycling and stretching) was wrong too.

i hope my countless hours of research and experience on this will pay off this time as I have changed my method around. i realised that if you want to GET BIG you have to EAT BIG! So my general plan is to workout hard in the gym to gain mass. Alongside the lifting of the weights, diet and rest are equally important. So I have upped my calorie intake. I need a lot more protein, and im not as worried about 'bad' foods. Of course i try to eat healthily, but I have to acknowledge that I will gain fat if i want tro increase my overall size.

When my muscles are at the desired size, i will then begin 'cutting/ripping' which will try to maintain that muscle whilst burning off the fat.

Learn from my experience - getting a good body takes A LONG TIME, HARD WORK and DEDICATION. Getting huge muscles takes A HUGE AMOUNT OF QUALITY NUTRITION!
If you want to know more about my approach to stretching, warming up, working out, nutrition, and my experiences, please reply and Ill start ba new post on it.

I dont claim to be some kind of know it all, I respect every body's opinion, but I can share my experience to help others if wanted.

Sorry for the long post!

I appreciate the post! thank you! So I'll just keep workin on the mass and eat as healthy as possible. Can anyone recommend some kind of cardio? I heard HIIT is really good, cant say i know much about it though. Thanks for the help everyone.

HoLLa BaCk
Nick

Nick,

cardio 3-4 times a week for 20-30 minutes is enough, but not so much it will stunt your muscle growth. Try switching it up, as in run one day, next time bike, next time swim, next time stairs, then run again, etc.
www.clintphillips.com

You cant concentrate on everything at once, so if you want muscle mass, work on that first. once you have that, concentrate on the bodyfat.

For now eat healthy, but make sure you eat enough. 6 small meals regualrly placed throughout the day, each containing high protein. Dont overly avoid bad foods. its ok to eat chocolate, pasta, potatoes, meat fish and dairy. Just make sure your calorie intake is at least equal to your expenditure (probably around 3500 kcal on your workout days).

Lift heavy weights 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps with plenty of rest between workouts. Drink 3 litres of water per day and sleep at least 7 hours per night. Do HIIT a couple of times per week but not on weight days. Jog 1 minute, sprint 20 seconds , and repeat this cycle as much as you can in each HIT session.

When you have your desired msucle mass, the 'ripping phase' can begin. This is where you would do moderate weights 3 times per week in 3 sets of 12, and combine 30-60 minute jogs with HIIT at least 3 times per week (maybe every day, unless you havent recovered from last time). Also, inthis satge, completely avoid saturated fat, but keep the protein high. No chocolate or fried food, and no carbs fater 5pm.

TADA! You will then have one bad ass ripped body!!!(i wish it were as easy as it sounds!)

good luck!

How did you correct your warm up? I just doing 6mins on the rower. I know it's weak. If I do cardio more resistance I've less enthusiam to lift.

ok guys i started doing sum sprinting. it was actually pretty fun and felt good.

HoLLa BaCk
Nick

jago I orrected m warm to make it 6 minutes ont hr rower...just like you!!

Cyling for 7 miles was completely wrong for me as a) it depleted my energy for the weights sesion oo much, and weights was my goal, not cardio

and b) too much movement in a limited range of motion decreases your flexibility. Cycling will decrease your leg flexibility if done too much, and as a martial artist, i couldnt afford to do that.

I now go for running or rowing for 6 minutes at the start to warm up, and an sometimes but not always an extra 10 minutes at the end to burn some fat. I am in my bulking pahse. When cutting I will do HIIT on alternate days to weights.

is it OK to do HIIT doing the bulking stage?

HoLLa BaCk
Nick

i would say yes.

It is, but it will slow the bulking process down somewhat. Decreasing the cardio to around 3 times a week for around 30 minutes per session should be adequate (brisk walking is best).

well dont laugh, but yesterday was my first HIIT session and I only ended up sprinting three times! I felt like I could have done more, but I did any jeopardize the muscles!

HoLLa BaCk
Nick