I need some advice! I'm an avid lifter—at the gym at 5:30 a.m. before work every day (Monday-Friday, some Saturdays). I do 35 mins of cardio (run/stair step/elliptical) and then lift. I spot train and my breakdown is one day legs, one bi's/tri's, one chest, one back and one shoulders. Lift 12/10/8, increasing in weight as I go. I change up exercises often, too. Abs I try to do 5 days.

Now, I'm fairly lean (around 18% BF last time I checked) and am 5'2 around 120, due to some hefty muscle development. But for some reason lately, I've noticed extra flab around my thighs and lower belly. I've always been more curvy in the hips and legs, but my abs have always been pretty flat. I try to get protein though the day and usually start with a protein bar for breakfast, a salad with tuna or grilled chicken for lunch, and then fish or chicken/veggies for dinner. If I get a sweet tooth, I'll have some fruit or frozen yogurt for dessert.

So, I don't understand why I feel like I'm gaining fat (not necessarily weight). Should I jump start my routine by doing something else? I've tried doing high reps/low weights and doing all body instead of spot training. Should I up my cardio and do 3 days cardio and 2 days total body lifting? After 12 years in the gym, I am at a loss. I really want to get LEAN and strip down some of this excess BF. Any advice (professional appreciated) would be great. Thanks for listening!!

In terms of food i think u should be eating reasonablly low calorie foods far more often through out the day, so like have 6-7 meals a day..im pretty sure that could help. Also trying and do you'r cardio after you lift because you would ahve used up all your energy on cardio and u wont be able to as much into your muscles.

I hope i have helped

Heya. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things, a little more information may help me answer your question better.

Could age be a factor? (changing hormones? birth control perhaps?)
Are you taking any suppliments?
Do you drink alcohol? Have you had any extra lately?
Have you had an increase in emotional stress in your life?
How much fiber are you getting in your diet?
Are you in a positive or negative caloric balance? (Eating too little or too much over a long period of time can both cause an increase in bodyfat.) If you are training 5x a week and eating only 3 modest meals a day, you are likely not getting enough calories to maintain your metabolism.
Are you sleeping enough? (This is more important than you may think.)
Are you periodizing your training? Periodization is one of the more important principles of training that is almost always over-looked unless you are working with a qualified trainer.

Ok, ok enough questions. One thing I will mention based on what you have said, is that you are training your abs too often. 2-3x a week is PLENTY. Training them harder and more often is not the answer to a lean tummy.

Great advice! And Crazylegs...answering your questions...
I did consider that age may be a factor, although I'm only 28. I've been working out for so many years (since I'm about 15) that I thought maybe the years were finally catching up to me, I was plateauing or that hormones were changing.
I don't drink, except for the occasional glass of wine or ****tail. Haven't been increasing at all.
No supplements except for B-12/Folic Acid tablet once a day. Is there a supplement out there that's good?
I don't know my fiber intake (I eat lots fruit and veggies, though).
I do snack when I get home from work on low cal stuff, so I don't think I'm getting too little calories.
I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night (getting up at 4:45 is a killer, tho!), so I'm pretty sure I'm good on sleep.
I am not sure what 'periodization' is exactly, so I can't answer that!
As for abs, lately I've been training them less than 5x per week.

Anyway, I just feel like maybe I should do MORE cardio, less weights for a while? I only have limited time in the gym in the morning (1 hour) so I squeeze it all in. I don't want to lose muscle mass, though, so I'm torn. I just feel like I've hit a wall and my body is going to keep spiraling out of shape!

I don't think more cardio is the answer. Yes, it probably would help, but more weight training would benefit you more.

I realize your time is limited for your morning workouts. Is it possible for you to do your cardio in the morning, then an hour of weights in the eve?

Cardio in the morning is a great way to kick start your metabolism, try it on an empty stomach at a low to moderate intensity. (heart rate no more than 135bpm). I would not suggest weights on an empty stomach, just the cardio.

As for your weight routine, I would suggest a higher volume, say 45-60 mins of pure weight training. It is good that you are changing your exercises, but what of the other variables? (Rest between sets, number of reps/sets, load, etc.)

When you play with these variables periodically, say every 3-5 weeks, you are beginning periodization.

Some basic guidelines to follow: *some one with your experience should always train to failure in every set. Its those last few reps that count.* So if you are able to do more than 10 for hypertrophy training, you are not lifting heavy enough. Got it? Good. =)

Hypertrophy training (muscle size) 8-12 reps, 1-2 min rest, 3-4 sets.

Strength training 4-6 reps, 3-5 mins rest, 4-6 sets. (I know that is a lot of resting, this just means you have to rest that muscle group, feel free to work another group during your rest period.)

Musclular endurance training (not to be confused with stamina) 20-60 reps, 15-30 sec rest, 2-3 sets. (Sets are inversely proportionate to reps. You would not want to do 3 sets of 60.)

There are more types of training you can do, but they are more directed at sport enhancement and that sort of thing, for general conditioning and basic bodybuilding you really only need these 3.

More muscle = less fat in most cases, so for you I would suggest spending 4-5 weeks on hypertophy and 2-3 weeks on each of the others. Rotate them, experiement and have fun.

I am sure by now you know a ton of exercises. Your spot training plan looks good. Try adding one exercise per body part. I hope this helps. Good luck!