Workout regimen - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

jack10 · 01-16-2009, 01:41 PM

I am 18 in good shape im 5'8" and weigh around 135...i have been lifting weights for about a year now on and off andhave seen amazing results to my once puny body i am lean and cut in all the right places except my stomach...i seem to have a bit of a pot belly that i know is in the way of my abs...to address this i have started HITT (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING- a type of cardio where u start slow, go really fast, the go to low intesnity and repeat this process several times-total about 20 min) to try and crank up the fat loss on my midsection, along with this i am doing 100 crunches and 5 min total scissor kicks on days i run. I run 3 days a week and lift weight 4 days a week (thats 2 days of biceps,shoulders,legs, and 2 days of chest,triceps, and back--alternating)...my question is am i over exerting myself with the introduction of cardio (before this i jus use to lift weights about 4-5 times a week)...now i am working out 7 days but everyday doing somethign different so i hope it wont be a problem...i am worried because i heard that doing to much especially cardio can DECREASE MUSCLE MASS...anyway to avoid this>>?>>>>

tjlhb · 01-16-2009, 02:19 PM

If you continue the strength training, you should be able to minimize your muscle mass loss under moderate calorie deficit / increased exercise conditions that you use to lose fat (which is typically called "cutting", as opposed to "bulking" where one tries to gain muscle while minimizing fat gain, though it is difficult to avoid gaining any fat). Note that there is a saying "abs are made in the kitchen", which means that you need to keep your diet clean whether "cutting" or "bulking" or just maintaining.

But note that you cannot really "spot reduce". Doing hundreds of crunches and abdominal exercises may help your core strength, but will not preferentially reduce the belly fat.

jack10 · 01-16-2009, 03:38 PM

thanks i appreciate it!..i kno u cant spot train thats why i started to run...and my diet is very strict ...ill eat all fats but almost have non saturated (only saturated fat i get is from fish oil supplements, and very lean poultry)...hopefully with the running ill be able to trim the visceral fat around my waist and with the crunches builr the muscle to show