First post - with some progress pics

[MJ.23]

Kettlebell work is very effective for this. It incorporates the weight lifting with conditioning and can keep strength up whilst losing body fat.

[notsobigjim]

Thanks guys - I like the idea of the complexes as I can already do these with the equipment I've got rather than kettlebell's (I'd need to buy).

Would you do them in a morning fasted or after a workout. Here's my current workout plan -

Mon - Chest and Back
Tue - Shoulders and arms
Wed - Spinning class
Thur - Chest and back
Fri - shoulders and amrs
Sat - legs

I used to do legs on a Wednesday too but swapped for spinning to try lose a bit more fat.

I could do complexes after a workout or in a morning.

What do you think?

Thanks again - this seems like a great place to get help and feedback!

[MJ.23]

Never fast yourself mate. It seems logical that you would burn off more fat but its an old myth im afraid. The main fuel of your body during exercise is glycogen; which is carbs that have been broken down and stored in the liver and the muscles – but you cannot store much. After sleeping, your glycogen stores in your liver are depleted by as much as 80%.

When you go out and do your workout on an empty stomach your body starts to actually use muscle as a fuel source. This is because muscle takes more energy to store and fuel than fat does. Your body needs to get rid of the fuel guzzaling muscles to prevent energy loss.

Your body is a survival machine and doesnt care about adding lean mass like i hope it would!

[notsobigjim]

Hi MJ - Really? I've read so much that recommends fasted cv for fat burning and it always seemed to work in the past. I'm not talking about running etc just 45 mins fast walking in a morning, though I guess the complexes are a lot more intense than just a fast walk!

I normally have a omlette for breakfast made up of 1 whole egg and about 5-6 whites as I try and keep my carbs down until POW. Would you recommend carbs for breakfast too?

[MJ.23]

Thats what i found out from research i did into it a while back. However the studies dont show what sort of exercise and for how long etc... so dont think that your bicep will fall off or anything!

The main thing to take away from it is to never ever ever ever try to starve your body of what it wants. This is why diets are very flawed. Your body will go into a "survival" mode and start to conserve things for longer term use.

I was reading a stupid "cookie diet" article a week ago and for the first few weeks yes you would lose weight as the total calories were under 1000! However after 2-3 weeks your body recognises this cycle and will start to conserve everything you throw at it, as its basically being starved. So you will put on fat like you never have before!

Your body will always find a source of energy to use so its best to supply it with food to stop it going elsewhere!

The key to losing weight is a balanced diet and the right cardio. Short burst sprint intervals, plyometrics, sled sprints are what i do

Dont get stuck doing huge runs or intense long term cardio as its detrimental to your health. It can damage metabolism and LBM. Dont forget you burn a lot of calories lifting weights as well

Its funny how the whole diet industry is answered in 2 words... balanced diet. Give your body what it wants and it will treat you well

[Monkfish]

I'd agree with Suj, I've done a cut recently and haven't slogged it out on a treadmill once. Do some intervals or complexes, hill sprints etc.

The general rule is: use weights to adjust muscle mass and diet to adjust fat stores