Hmm! Build muscle or lose the gut?! What to do first?!

[Crude24]

Hey guys!

Im a newbie thats just recently joined the gym. I would describe myself as a guy who is neither fat or skinny. People also tell me that 'you're not fat!' The only fat that i have is around my stomach! I have a lot of stomach fat that im really ashamed of and want it gone! Surprisingly I can hide it well when i'm dressed, but whenever i take my top off, the fats there...hanging off, its a beer belly! even though i dont drink at all!

My goal is to build muscle and obviously i want the fat around my stomach gone too but what do I concentrate on first? Losing the fat first, then concentrate on muscle building or vice versa OR building muscle at the same time as concentrating on losing the fat from my stomach however this option is difficult to comprehend and understand!!!

I know if i do alot of cardio, reduce the amount I eat and also do some different types of ab exercises, im hopeful that i can lose the fat from my stomach (However, I wouldnt wanna get any slimmer from any other parts of my body!) Lets say I get rid of the fat from my hard work and dedication and now its time to build that muscle i want and bulk up, I'd obviously be eating more and consuming more calories for strength etc How would i be certain that i wouldnt gain fat again on my stomach? Obviously I'd be maintaining my workout program and would without a doubt be working on my abs to maintain them so i guess no fat should accumulate there?!

Apologies if I've asked some really dumb questions here or that i'm missing the point!!

Any advice, comments/opinions will be very much appreciated!

Looking forward to your responses.

Crude24

[SuffolkPunch]

I would try to maintain your weight and gain as much strength as possible to begin with.

Then cut to about 14%

Then lean gain until you are over your target weight by 10-20lbs

Then cut to reach your target.

Some myth busting:
- you don't HAVE to do cardio. Calorie restriction can achieve the same thing. Cardio has other benefits but always prioritise weight training.
- doing ab exercises does not burn fat from your midsection, only a calorie defecit will do that (the fat will come off from all over your body, you can't decide where from)

[Crude24]

I spoke to a personal trainer, who reckons i should bulk up first as well as weight lifting and concentrating on compound exercises. Should I listen to him?

[Engineer_Guy]

I spoke to a personal trainer, who reckons i should bulk up first as well as weight lifting and concentrating on compound exercises. Should I listen to him?

Wow a personal trainer with reasonable advice. I'm stunned.

Look into Starting Strength.

[elementaltoad]

What are your stats? I still have a bit of a gut but decided to go for strength before cutting. I stopped cardio and just do high volume weight training to failure with each set. I get just as winded and sweaty doing that as I did from cardio, and I much prefer weight training over cardio. You don't look heavy, so depending on your stats, your trainer may be pointing you in the right direction. Packing on lean weight also seems to make the gut a lot less noticeable.

[Engineer_Guy]

Packing on lean weight also seems to make the gut a lot less noticeable.

That. The gut stands out when it's the most noticeable thing on your body. Pack on some impressive arms, legs, chest, and shoulders and no one will even be looking towards the gut anymore.

[Crude24]

Originally Posted by Crude24
I spoke to a personal trainer, who reckons i should bulk up first as well as weight lifting and concentrating on compound exercises. Should I listen to him?

Wow a personal trainer with reasonable advice. I'm stunned.

Look into Starting Strength.

Lol I guess thats a yes then. Thanks for the recommendation dude. Yeh I ordered Starting strength 3rd edition, a couple of days ago now, can't wait to get my hands on it, as its gonna take some time as I've ordered it from the states. Haven't been able to find it from a retailer here in the UK. i might get the dvd too.

Im hoping that I'll be able to learn alot from the starting strength 3rd edition book and the dvd and that it'll be enough for me to start with weight training/compound exercises. I might also get a personal trainer if i have to, Having a personal trainer with me periodically i think will give me that reassurance that I really need. The only problem that I'm having is TIME. I mean now I'm waiting for the resources to arrive, then its gonna take me some time to read what i initially have to do etc as Im clueless at the moment. Im just telling myself I need to be PATIENT, and that my patience will hopefully reap rewards!

[Engineer_Guy]

You don't need to read the book to start doing the program. I never looked at the book until i was pretty far into the program already. Most of the information you need is available online.

It's an informative read but the book is definitely more information than you need to begin doing the program.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi..._Strength_Wiki

[Crude24]

What are your stats? I still have a bit of a gut but decided to go for strength before cutting. I stopped cardio and just do high volume weight training to failure with each set. I get just as winded and sweaty doing that as I did from cardio, and I much prefer weight training over cardio. You don't look heavy, so depending on your stats, your trainer may be pointing you in the right direction. Packing on lean weight also seems to make the gut a lot less noticeable.

Hey dude, My stats are as follows: weight 12st13lb (181 lbs) and I am 5ft11.

Ive now learnt that i shouldn't concentrate on cardio so much, so will be concentrating on strength training/weight training. Had a look at your progress pics and you look good, just 1 month of lifting? I am astounded with the results you've gotten so far!

Obviously my aim is to learn as much as I can on strength training so waiting for my resources to arrive, I've done a bit of weight training so far, however my energy levels have always let me down. How do you maintain your energy levels or is this something that increases over time with constant weight training?

[elementaltoad]

Hey dude, My stats are as follows: weight 12st13lb (181 lbs) and I am 5ft11.

Exact same stats as me, it's the perfect weight to carve on IMO. I dropped cardio altogether, focus on strength training and do high rep sets or extra sets of whatever I feel like for the cardio/burn. This is month 4 in the gym, the 1st progress picture was after 3 months of diet to drop 40lb and then 1 month in the gym for strength training, so it's actually 4 months after my "fat" pic.

I really don't do much else during my work week than work out, around 3-4hrs a lot of times. But work and life get in the way a lot. Just hit the weights hard, eat plenty of good healthy food, get rest, and you'll see better results than where I'm at now.

[Crude24]

I really don't do much else during my work week than work out, around 3-4hrs a lot of times. But work and life get in the way a lot. Just hit the weights hard, eat plenty of good healthy food, get rest, and you'll see better results than where I'm at now.

I joined the gym about a month ago and have been having personal training sessions twice a week for the past 3 weeks. However I ditched my personal trainer as i wasn't happy with him and havent been to the gym since Saturday as Ive let life and studies get in the way alot too, also been getting stressed out alot. I hate to admit it but i get stressed out too easily and i know the gym is a great stress reliever. Gonna do a bit of research on strength training then im gonna go back cuz I feel like something invaluable is missing in my life if that makes sense. Might get personal training sessions with a different trainer just for that reassurance.

[FloridaGator]

Some may hate on me for saying this ... but if you have never been 'fit', doing some cardio in the beginning will be a good idea. I am not saying spend an hour on the treadmill or go run 10 miles everyday, just that getting your cardio up to a certain level will help you in the beginning. You are young and you will get what is called noobie gains. Take advantage right now of getting some cardio in to your routine.

Keep tabs on your diet. Understand how many calories your body burns, how much work you are putting in, and how many calories (and what type) you need to eat. Getting motivated to workout is the easy part ... diet is the hard part. If you get a good understanding of how your nutrition effects YOUR body from the get-go you will waste little time in getting the results you want. Nutrition is VERY important ... don't ignore it ... learn it ... and more importantly, learn how your body reacts to your diet.

Starting Strength is a great program to start with. Another is AllPro's Beginner's Strenght Program (stickied in this forum up top). Either way ... and it sounds like you have a smart personal trainer ... concentrate on compound lifts and you can't go wrong.

[JusTrying2BeHug]

Hmm this is very hard...am I pretty sure everyone faces this sometime or other in their life. But my opinion is to follow a very LEAN bulk diet. This can be hard, but keep you focus on your goal. Lift hard but diet even harder.

Just some advice I heard the other day..you don't grow in the gym..you grow in the kitchen and when your sleeping.

Stay focused

Best of luck to you.

[FloridaGator]

Hmm this is very hard...am I pretty sure everyone faces this sometime or other in their life. But my opinion is to follow a very LEAN bulk diet. This can be hard, but keep you focus on your goal. Lift hard but diet even harder.

Just some advice I heard the other day..you don't grow in the gym..you grow in the kitchen and when your sleeping.

Stay focused

Best of luck to you.

With out a doubt. I have typically been a perpetual cutter since what started me down lifting weights 3 years ago was because I was about 30lbs over weight. I thought eating less calories would be harder than bulking. Well, not true. For me ... just the idea of eating more calories than I need is hard to do because I feel like I am giving up some of the ground I gained by losing fat over the last 3 years. Also, and probably a bigger point, I am learning that when you bulk you have to each MUCH cleaner than when you are cutting. All things being equal, it is easy to work in a pleasure/cheat meal when you are cutting because theoreticaly every calorie going in the body is being burned. That is not so with a bulk. Right now I am bulking ... and I wish I had thought about it a bit more before planning my bulk. Bulking during Thanksgiving through Christmas if going to be very hard.