Looking for advise for losing upper body weight while building muscle

[Technoize]

Hello, I am Joshua and am looking for advise catered to my situation.

I am 37 years old. 6' 7" and at the moment about 260lbs.

Cliff notes question: I want to lose fat while building muscle what's best?

Backstory (I'll try to make it short)

Been on a weight rollercoaster all my life. I have a weight bench which consists of a Bench, Lat bar, Preacher station, a straight bar & an ez-curl. I have more weight than I can use.

I started dieting AND lifting weights mid March @ 297lbs. I eat 5-6 small meals a day and weight train 2x a week (all upper body). I have been following Body For Life (which taught me the 5-6 meals a day thing) and I stick that hardcore. For my height I feel I am rather weak and I want to become a leaner, more muscular, me.

I have all the fundamentals I should, I work out with high intensity, stay strickt to form, wait till I fully recover and I eat properly. To date I have lost almost 40 lbs in 2.5 months(that weight is counting what I have transformed from fat to muscle). I take 30-45min walks @ work and I use the elliptical @ home for no less then 45min on level 12.

Most of my fat is upper body. I have a lil flab on the inside of my upper arms, some moobs (man boobs), love handles and a big ole belly. All of this I am trying to lose ASAP But NOT at the sake of making my weight training futile.

I am very conscious of my intake. I try to eat very low carbs and when I do it's complex. I always get my fill of protein (fish, beef jerky, cottage cheese) as well, I think. About 125g minimum, more on lift days, and some low carb veggies like grean beans.

I have def noticed gains in my performance but I feel like I should be increasing @ a higher pace. Unfortunately I work out alone and never have a spotter to help me burn out.


Soooooooo....based on what I have said, is there anything you guys would do different. I know there is more I left out that i'll remember later but that's it for now. Thanks

Joshua

[snoack]

Sounds like you have a good grip on what you're doing. Stick with it as long as it works, and if/when you get to a point where it doesn't change some things up. Tons of information available out here, the search box will be your best friend.

[Fifty+]

Hello, I am Joshua and am looking for advise catered to my situation.

I am 37 years old. 6' 7" and at the moment about 260lbs.

Cliff notes question: I want to lose fat while building muscle what's best?

Backstory (I'll try to make it short)

Been on a weight rollercoaster all my life. I have a weight bench which consists of a Bench, Lat bar, Preacher station, a straight bar & an ez-curl. I have more weight than I can use.

I started dieting AND lifting weights mid March @ 297lbs. I eat 5-6 small meals a day and weight train 2x a week (all upper body). I have been following Body For Life (which taught me the 5-6 meals a day thing) and I stick that hardcore. For my height I feel I am rather weak and I want to become a leaner, more muscular, me.

I have all the fundamentals I should, I work out with high intensity, stay strickt to form, wait till I fully recover and I eat properly. To date I have lost almost 40 lbs in 2.5 months(that weight is counting what I have transformed from fat to muscle). I take 30-45min walks @ work and I use the elliptical @ home for no less then 45min on level 12.

Most of my fat is upper body. I have a lil flab on the inside of my upper arms, some moobs (man boobs), love handles and a big ole belly. All of this I am trying to lose ASAP But NOT at the sake of making my weight training futile.

I am very conscious of my intake. I try to eat very low carbs and when I do it's complex. I always get my fill of protein (fish, beef jerky, cottage cheese) as well, I think. About 125g minimum, more on lift days, and some low carb veggies like grean beans.

I have def noticed gains in my performance but I feel like I should be increasing @ a higher pace. Unfortunately I work out alone and never have a spotter to help me burn out.


Soooooooo....based on what I have said, is there anything you guys would do different. I know there is more I left out that i'll remember later but that's it for now. Thanks

Joshua

Congratulations with your progress to date. It seems as if half the population wants to drop weight and add muscle mass. For you to continue dropping weight you should rewiew your food logs, (I hope you've been maintaining a written journal) ask questions and revise the diet plan. Start working your legs. They contain the largest muscle groups in your body and will help with your weight situation. Adding a third workout would also help to kick it up a notch.

[boathead]

definately start working legs....granted i am not looking to lose weight, but once i started high repetition squats, what little fat i did have has pretty much gone.

i'm not one of that endorse mega protein intake as many do...but...it seems to me that 125g is a bit on the light side for a big guy. i'd up it, and look into a 20 rep squat program. when i do my squats in the morning, my metabolism runs on overdrive all day long.

[ArmySoldier1old]

Hello, I am Joshua and am looking for advise catered to my situation.

I am 37 years old. 6' 7" and at the moment about 260lbs.

Cliff notes question: I want to lose fat while building muscle what's best?

Backstory (I'll try to make it short)

Been on a weight rollercoaster all my life. I have a weight bench which consists of a Bench, Lat bar, Preacher station, a straight bar & an ez-curl. I have more weight than I can use.

I started dieting AND lifting weights mid March @ 297lbs. I eat 5-6 small meals a day and weight train 2x a week (all upper body). I have been following Body For Life (which taught me the 5-6 meals a day thing) and I stick that hardcore. For my height I feel I am rather weak and I want to become a leaner, more muscular, me.

I have all the fundamentals I should, I work out with high intensity, stay strickt to form, wait till I fully recover and I eat properly. To date I have lost almost 40 lbs in 2.5 months(that weight is counting what I have transformed from fat to muscle). I take 30-45min walks @ work and I use the elliptical @ home for no less then 45min on level 12.

Most of my fat is upper body. I have a lil flab on the inside of my upper arms, some moobs (man boobs), love handles and a big ole belly. All of this I am trying to lose ASAP But NOT at the sake of making my weight training futile.

I am very conscious of my intake. I try to eat very low carbs and when I do it's complex. I always get my fill of protein (fish, beef jerky, cottage cheese) as well, I think. About 125g minimum, more on lift days, and some low carb veggies like grean beans.

I have def noticed gains in my performance but I feel like I should be increasing @ a higher pace. Unfortunately I work out alone and never have a spotter to help me burn out.


Soooooooo....based on what I have said, is there anything you guys would do different. I know there is more I left out that i'll remember later but that's it for now. Thanks

Joshua

yes, 125g is a bit lite...anywhere from 1-2 pounds of protein per pound of bodyweight. Also agree, start working legs. squats are an incredible exercise! I would increase how many times I work out as well, at least three days per week. More muscle = more fat burning. Also, try switching your cardio to right after working out and do HIIT. It has been proven to burn more fat that way. Congrats on your progress so far and remember, it is a lot easier to put on fat than it is to lose it. Be paitent and keep killin' it!

[Technoize]

Ok. I made the OP right before I left work. Now I have a lil more time to go in to detail.

Yeah I had a feeling I needed more protein. I dont keep a intake log but I should start that immediately.

7:30am - EAS low carb & fat protein shake - about 30g protein
10:15am - Kroger carb master yogurt (I love this sh*t) it has 80cal - 1.5g fat - 4g carbs & 12g protein. Maybe a few pieces of beef jerky (which I also love for it's values)
12:30pm & 3pm - Often I get a 12" oven roasted chicken breast on wheat & provolone & loaded with every veggie they have from subway which I split between the 2 eating times.
6pm - for dinner I eat A LOT of tilapia or a pan fried ham steak. mainly cuz my fiancee is a vegetarian. I don't go buy much beef or pork. I do eat grilled chicken when I go out.
8:30pm - I usually drink another shake cuz my bedtime usually falls about midnight.

I def want to start a leg and core routine. Dead lifts shouldnt be a problem. I have just been lazy implementing it in to my workout. Squats however are a huge problem for me as I have had several knee surgeries. My left is shot and my right def needs to be scoped.
This is not to say I can't do legs cuz I have. Hack squats, Leg press, Quad extensions, Hamstrings, etc. But anytime I did straight squats NOT on a smith machine, it was very stressing to my knees (remember I am 6'7" & wear a 38" inseam haha).

I used to go to a decent gym for $20 a month but stopped due to family obligations, I know I need to get back in there for a well rounded workout. I just started breaking my workout in to 2 different sessions mainly cuz I lift outside and the heat is now starting to fatigue me earlier on. For dumbells I only have 2 10's, 1 20 & 2 30's.

Day 1 is Biceps & Forearms (cuz I am self conscious about them and want big guns!)

In this order waiting no more then 1min between sets
10lb dumbell 20rep warmup
3x standing heavy weight straight bar curls (about 90lbs) 8,6,5-4 reps
3x standing straight bar curls - 70lbs - 8 reps
3x standing ez-curls - 60lbs - 8 reps
3x dumbbell hammer curls - 30lbs - 8-10 reps
3x overhand straight bar curls - 70lbs - 8 reps
3x forearm dumbbell curls - 30lbs - 15-20 reps

^^^ is about a 35min workout for me

Is this too much? I have long arms and really want to blow them up from wrist to shoulder.

Day 2 is everything else.
Upright rows with ez-curl
Shoulder shrugs
Shoulder Press in front and behind the head
Incline Bench @ 3 different angles tapering down to flat bench
Flat Bench
Skull crushers
Straight Bar push downs
Lat pull downs
Finish with 10lb dumbell front raises and side raises 3x - 10 reps each (these really burn!)

^^^ is about a 45min workout for me

My recovery time is about 3 days for pretty much everything except tri's. They tend to stay sore a day or two longer then everything else. However I have noticed an increase in size on the backside. Though it's hard to tell when you are hardcore dieting as well. Pointless to measure until I drop the fat I want.


I am kind of alone in these matters and dont have anyone to offer sound advise. Much thanks guys.

Joshua

[Coach_P]

I found that my knee pain went away as my legs became stronger, taking stress off of the ligaments and such around the knee itself. Start light and get acclimated. But I would bet that as your body gets accustomed to squatting, you'll see better gains.