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  1. #1
    Registered User sujun's Avatar
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    skinny upper but fat lower body. continue cardio or start lifting?

    Not sure whether to post this at the losing fat or bb section, so i'm sorry if this is the wrong section! I have another thread on the general section (will delete if double posting is inappropriate)

    For the past 11 weeks, i have been doing HIIT/interval and minimal of swimming/p90x/gym (like once a week). Cardio is my main exercise.

    This is what i have been doing for 3-4x/week:
    warm up- 400m light paced jog (about 4-5min)
    20s sprint, 40s jog repeat for 15 times (15min)
    light paced jog for 10mins
    1 min sprint and 1 min light paced jog for 5 time (10min)

    My main goal when i started exercising was to lose my thighs. Sure, i have lost some weight and fats around my thighs but my upper body is losing more than my lower body. I look kinda in-proportional now, smaller face, smaller upper body but larger lower body. I'm concern on whether i'm doing it right. Even though i lost around 7 kg, i feel that those were my muscles. I read that too much cardio will eat your muscles (need some light here!) but I want to keep my muscles as they help to burn fats faster! I do my HIIT in the morning on empty stomach. Is there anything i should have before/after my session?
    Also, i noticed that when i cut my carbs, i lost weight even faster but is it safe to just get carbs indirectly from other food instead of rice and sweet potato?

    I'm a female.
    Weight: ~57kg when i started and now ~50kg.
    Height: 156 - 158cm (last time i measured was 2 years ago so yeah...)
    Food: mainly chicken breast, salmon, eggs, tofu, sweet potato, yams, broccoli, spinach, mushroom.

    Question: 1)Should i continue with what i am doing (HIIT) or start lifting and stop HIIT or do both HIIT and lift?
    2) What should i have for my pre and post meal? Will having proper nutrition minimize my muscle loss during HIIT?
    I want to continue to lose my thighs but at the same time maintain my upper body so i dont look weird. Please advise. Please share some workout routine, links/guide will be much appreciated!

    Your advice is greatly appreciated, thank you! Sorry for such a long post..
    I will include more details if needed.
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  2. #2
    Bulking freebirdmac's Avatar
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    What's happened also happens to women who lift weights. The solution is to stop eating at a deficit and increase your lean body mass. After 6 months or so, lean out, then rinse/repeat as needed. So yes, you need to start lifting. And eating more. Yes you will gain some additional fat along the way but it won't be a big deal. There's a great bulking thread in the general section http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=128051673.

    Start looking the diet and training stickies. You'll need a good lifting routine.
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  3. #3
    Registered User sujun's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by freebirdmac View Post
    What's happened also happens to women who lift weights. The solution is to stop eating at a deficit and increase your lean body mass. After 6 months or so, lean out, then rinse/repeat as needed. So yes, you need to start lifting. And eating more. Yes you will gain some additional fat along the way but it won't be a big deal. There's a great bulking thread in the general section

    Start looking the diet and training stickies. You'll need a good lifting routine.
    Hey, thanks for your response.

    Sorry but you didnt mention anything about my HIIT session, should i continue with my HIIT and also start lifting? How should my routine be like? HIIT and lifting on the same day? Full body workout 3x/week and HIIT on non workout or split and workout everyday? They say to only workout 3x/week but i feel weird for not working out!

    I have checked the stickies at the Workout Programs section and also heard about new rules of lifting for women, there are so many routine, which one should i start of with? Is it necessary for me to do the legs workout? Since my main goal is to decrease the size of my thighs. Will doing just the upper body lean down my lower body? Of course i dont mind replacing those fats with muscles as long as they dont increase in size!

    I thought that eating less calories is the way to go for fat loss.

    Also, is it okay to workout/cardio empty stomach? I have read many different things on that topic.

    I'm very determined to lose my thighs, dont mind lifting as long as i'm doing it the healthy and right way. My apologizes for so many questions!
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  4. #4
    Bulking freebirdmac's Avatar
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    You are 5'1 to 5'3 weighing around 110#. That is a good weight. Since you believe you have more to lose on your lower body and because your upper body is getting pretty depleted, it's time to stop fat loss and work on increasing lean muscle mass. Continuing to lose body fat in this state (skinny-fat) means you'll get smaller, but you'll look the same. Only your upper body will start to look rather skeletal. You have to stop thinking fat loss and instead think muscle gain. Gaining muscle in your lower body will make them bigger, but too much muscle is never the problem. Lack of enough muscle however can make the fat that you do have look much worse than you would otherwise. Gaining muscle will mean adding some, not much, additional fat which will allow your upper body to fill back out. Then, after you have gained lean mass and you lean out, you can take your lower body to a leaner point before your upper body gets to the point it's out now.

    This skinny-fat starting point sucks. It's where I started. It's where many of us started. It is a real mind job to see fat we think we need to lose, ignore it, and instead bulk up. But this is exactly what has to be done. Read the bulking thread, look at the picts, it's no where near as scary as you think. While it'd be nice to simply be over weight, lift, and move from over weight to looking good in a straight line, it just doesn't work that way when you're not over weight.

    Which lifting routine you use is up to you. Pick what looks appealing. You can switch to another routine down the road. What matters is working all muscles, lifting heavy, increasing what heavy is to you, and eating to support muscle gains. As for cardio, you can stop completely or do some a couple of times a week for active recovery. The important thing is that you switch your mindset over to muscle gains and actually gain weight. Six months down the road you can then lean out, see what you've got, and possibly go through another bulking cycle.
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  5. #5
    Registered User sujun's Avatar
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    Can i lean down my thighs just by doing upper body workout? No squats or other leg workout, i will replace them with HIIT. Is it possible to bulk (upper) and cut (lower) at the same time?

    Would you recommend me to workout everyday instead of just 3x/week?
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  6. #6
    Bulking freebirdmac's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by sujun View Post
    Can i lean down my thighs just by doing upper body workout? No squats or other leg workout, i will replace them with HIIT. Is it possible to bulk (upper) and cut (lower) at the same time?

    Would you recommend me to workout everyday instead of just 3x/week?
    No to all in the first paragraph. It doesn't work that way. "Big" thighs are big due to fat, not too much muscle. Building muscle in your thighs, hams, and glutes is needed so your lower body will look the way you want. With your stats it's highly doubtful your legs are even big. What you are seeing and not liking is their composition.

    Working out more doesn't mean faster growth. Growth occurs outside of the gym. Sticking to a good beginner routine 3-4 times a week is all you need.

    Can you post up some picts? It's always better to speak to pictures over stats. We have a lot of women your height who weigh much more but are lean.
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  7. #7
    Registered User sujun's Avatar
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    I will try to post tomorrow. Its 1.24am here

    Edit: attached a pic.
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    Last edited by sujun; 02-29-2012 at 07:16 AM.
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  8. #8
    Back at square one wakechica's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by sujun View Post
    I will try to post tomorrow. Its 1.24am here

    Edit: attached a pic.
    Your legs ain't big. Get bulking and doing full body workout (squats and dead lifts). You just need some more muscle on you and you'll look awesome!
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