I'm 22, currently 169lbs, 6 feet tall. I've been weight training for a year and ten monthes. I have made significant gains in muscle mass in this peroid, hence, I have a new goal. I'm trying to lower my body fat % as low as possible so I look like I'm chisled out of wood. I have until the end of may to do this. Starting a couple weeks ago, I started doing cardio workouts for the first time in over a year. I have also been doing my normal weight training routeins. For my cardio I have been jogging a a treadmill, but I have been using a slightly different approach. I've been running at a slow jog (about 50% of my max speed), which happens to be 5 mph. Every minute I add an incline to the mix to make my heart rate jump around, which kind of resembles HIIT training. For example. I'll run at 0% incline for 30 seconds. Then I'll run at 3% incline for 30 seconds, then I'll go back down to 0% incline for 30 seconds, than I'll go to 5% incline for 30 seconds, then I'll go at 0% incline for 30 seconds, than I'll go up to 7% incline for 30 seconds. Then I start the while process over. When I first started doing this I was doing it for 21 minutes, and I've been adding 3 minutes every week, and now I am up to 30 minutes. I plan on working my way up to 45 minutes. I'm wondering if this workout will burn fat or just increase endurance. My diet is good. I eat tons of protein and I try to keep my carbs as low as possible. I also take a multi vitamin, and when I can afford it, protein supplements. Since I started doing this workout, I have went from 171lbs to 169. I don't know if it's water, or if I'm losing fat, or muscle, or what, but I have seen no change that I can notice. Any comments, suggestions welcome
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Lowering body fat %
- Thread starter Smoke420
- Start date
A couple of weeks is not enough to make a judgement of the benefits of any change in routine. Cardio is not necessaily the only way to reduce body fat. High intensity weight training coupled with a very low carb diet can do just as well. You don't say what your current body fat level is, but at six foot and 169 pounds you certainly want to add more muscle mass while cutting body fat. A high protein, low carb diet coupled with a high intensity weight training routine should be as good as any cardio intensive routine. 2-3 30-45 minute cardio sessions a week can be good, but be careful not to overdo it and start loosing muscle mass. The best measure of wether you are loosing muscle mass is if your working weights stop increasing or start decreasing.
running takes a while to lose weight, i lost 10lbs in like 2 months when i joined cross country. we ran every day for at least 30 min. just increase your intesity, it might work, the harder you push yourself, the easier it will become. thats a kidna weird thing to say, i know, but also dont push yourself too hard, vary your exercises, go easy a day or two and hard sometimes.