Losing some fat

[mvpshaq32]

I'm trying out for my high school basketball team and one thing that kept me away in my freshman year was my big calves. I just wanted to lose some fat there. Would running or bicycling be better or some other way?

[Nick]

Everybody is different. People store the majority of their fats in different places. For you it's your thighs.

Anyway, you can't choose where abouts you want to lose weight, you'll just have to burn fat all over if you wanna lose from your thighs. Any cardio exercise is good for this. So like you said, running and cycling is better.

I could be wrong on this though and anyone can feel free to correct me.

[---]

anyone can feel free to correct me.

OK, he said calves

mvpshaq32, I would either do running/cycling as you said, or try to build muscle up in your calves rather then burning the fat. That way your legs get stronger as they get more toned, so it's a win/win situation. You could do a light version of a jumping program (I'm guessing since your young you won't have a hell of alot of equipment available) or you could try a real simple excersice called calf raises.

Stand with about 1/4 - 1/3 of your foot on the edge of a ledge, wether it be a step, a sturdy chair, whatever is safe. Stand on that one foot, and push your foot right up to your tippy toes, hold it for a moment, and back down. Do this say 15 times, stop and do it on the other leg, then repeat. You'll feel feel the burn as soon as you stop, but it only lasts a few seconds. Every time you feel confident to do more, just raise the reps accordingly.

This exercise is really good for making your legs bigger, and more toned. I really liked this workout after my knee injury because it puts minimal strain on my legs where as a actual jumping workout and re aggravate the knee injury.

[mvpshaq32]

Thanks for the tip but I would rather burn the fat in it right now instead.
I only have the option to run though because I can't cycle..... Also with the little time I have, you think running stairs would have some effect?

[Nick]

Yeah, they'd be good. Stairs are pretty intense, but make sure your runs are long. Try and go for 30 mins, cos you improve your fitness officially after 30 mins of intense working out i heard. Even if halfway you get too tired, don't stop, atleast just walk at a decent pace for 5 or whatever minutes to keep the heart rate going and the heavy breathing going (i also heard that the burning fat phase is when you're huffing and puffing. So aim to prolounge the huffing and puffing for as long as you can), then when you feel up to it, start running again.

Not sure if that's the correct way, but it's what i do.

[Joe']

I need to lose some weight too... I'm 170 pounds and only 5'11" (179-180 cm).
I feel heavy and unconfident with my body, not to mention that I can't play basketball as I used to.

Fat on my body is concentrated mainly on my belly and thighs. What kind of exercising do you think would be more efficient to me?

[ixcuincle]

In my 2 years of weight training in high school we just worked out the upper body and lower body so I'd just do both...which is also what you should do too. Spend one day doing upper body exercises such as preacher curls and the upper body machines , and then do lower body the next day.

[cyanide]

Anyway, you can't choose where abouts you want to lose weight, you'll just have to burn fat all over if you wanna lose from your thighs. Any cardio exercise is good for this. So like you said, running and cycling is better.

Add swimming to that cardio list (better on the knees than running and no sore balls unlike cycling)

Best way to lose weight is a combination of cardio and weight training. That's only 50% of it, though, the other 50% is diet (diet not as in starving yourself, diet as in eat nutritional and healthy foods).

I need to lose some weight too... I'm 170 pounds and only 5'11" (179-180 cm).
I feel heavy and unconfident with my body, not to mention that I can't play basketball as I used to.

Fat on my body is concentrated mainly on my belly and thighs. What kind of exercising do you think would be more efficient to me?

I'm 185 lbs and 5'11" and while I don't have a great set of abs, you shouldn't feel bad about yourself either. As mentioned above, best way to lose fat in the common areas (belly, thighs, butt) is cardio and weight combination and a good diet. You could cross out cardio and just do weight training alone and you'll see significant changes after a couple months.

[PiksS]

Best way to lose weight is a combination of cardio and weight training. That's only 50% of it, though, the other 50% is diet (diet not as in starving yourself, diet as in eat nutritional and healthy foods).

actuality, he shouldn`t just go do weight training, because in that case, he will lose his speed, and lose his shooting touch!

[mvpshaq32]

As the diet goes, I eat a lot of rice... and fruit occasionally. I guess the best thing for me to do is cut off chips and soda. Would it really take a couple months?

[cyanide]

actuality, he shouldn`t just go do weight training, because in that case, he will lose his speed, and lose his shooting touch!

That's a misconception. Look at sprinters, they got huge thighs and calves, and they're not any slower. As for shooting touch, your arms may be sore the next day after doing weights on them, which makes it harder to shoot, but there's no such thing as losing a shooting touch.

I guess the best thing for me to do is cut off chips and soda. Would it really take a couple months?

Once you're off the chips and soda and on the lean meats and multigrain breads, you'll see results in your health. Combine it with weight training, and you should see at least little but noticeable results after 2 months, depending on your intensity and whether you're doing the exercises/diet right.

[Nick]

Hey cyanide. What exactly are the best foods to eat? My mum cooks healthy meals, but i'm not sure where they rank with other foods. If they could be healthier i'll say something.

[Srbija]

actuality, he shouldn`t just go do weight training, because in that case, he will lose his speed, and lose his shooting touch!

That's a misconception. Look at sprinters, they got huge thighs and calves, and they're not any slower. As for shooting touch, your arms may be sore the next day after doing weights on them, which makes it harder to shoot, but there's no such thing as losing a shooting touch.

That's because they do sprint/speed training aswell, but if you just do weights then you will lose speed.

[Joe']

Meh, I don't really care if I lose speed ... Right now basketball is one of my last worries; I just want to get back in shape.

I have another question, what is the fastest way to lose weight? Let's say I want to drop 5 kg (about 10-11 pounds) in a month, what should I do?

[Srbija]

Running would be the best option, but riding a bike is good aswell along with eating healthy foods.

Pasta's are always a great choice.

[cyanide]

Hey cyanide. What exactly are the best foods to eat? My mum cooks healthy meals, but i'm not sure where they rank with other foods. If they could be healthier i'll say something.

Basically anything that is not processed or high in saturated/trans fat.
Multigrain pasta, skim (non-fat) milk, eggs, cheese, chicken breast, lean meats, multigrain bagels & breads, green veggies like broccoli, red potatoes, and so on.

That's because they do sprint/speed training aswell, but if you just do weights then you will lose speed.

Well that's my point, if you don't run at all, you will lose speed regardless of doing weights or not doing weights Sprinting is an anerobic activity just as weight training is, where you're doing high intensity in spurts. If anything, weight training and sprinting will cause a gain in speed provided there's days off to allow the body to recover.

I have another question, what is the fastest way to lose weight? Let's say I want to drop 5 kg (about 10-11 pounds) in a month, what should I do?

A little unhealthy to lose that much in a month, but best way to do it is lose a pound a week, so roughly 2 months. As I've said earlier, a high intensity cardio (swimming or running or biking) combo with weight training and a healthy diet without starving yourself will produce the best results

[---]

Instead of making a new thread, I figured I would ask here...

In a few days I'm getting a weight bench, and I'm wondering how you many hours a day you spend working out, and how much of that is upper/lower body. I'm looking to workout not to just get toned or more healthy or whatever, I want to get qyuite a bit bigger.

[Steve [The Spiderman]]

Cyanide seems to be the only one that knows much of what he is talking about...

For losing weight: One should do some sort of weight training (for the whole body, not just where they want to lose weight). I would recommend at least 3 days a week for 1-2 hours at a time. From this there are two choices: one can build muscle, or tone it. To build muscle you must lift more weight with less repetitions (for example, 3 sets of 6-8 reps). To tone the muscle but not necessarily add more weight you would lift less weight with more repetitions (for example, 3 sets of 10-12 reps).

Cardiovascular exercise is also recommended while trying to lose weight but I have found the most efficient and most successful way to keep it off is with lifting weights. Because muscle naturally burns fat, so the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn.

Either of these will be most effective if one eats healthy food to go along with the weight training. I'm not going to go in depth in regards to what is healthy because there is much controversy and it is all over the internet. Try google to ease your qualms of what to eat.

Also, if you wish to stay proficient at basketball, I still recommend practicing while weight training.

[cyanide]

Because muscle naturally burns fat, so the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn.

Definitely. For every pound of muscle, you can burn about 60 calories per day. That's why most bodybuilders do a bulking stage and a cutting stage. Bulking, they gain significant muscle mass but also some fat (which is inevitable anyway) then they cut, by burning most fat but also some muscle (which is inevitable anyway), ending up with more muscle and less fat than before.

I'd also like to add that with weights, intensity and repetition of sets are heavily correlated. When Steve says 6-8 reps, the weights have to be heavy enough and you have to be intense enough to do that range of sets until fatigue (where you cannot do it anymore no matter how hard you try). Wait 60 seconds for your muscles to temporarily recover, then do another set. Typically, 2-3 sets per exercise and 2-3 exercises per muscle are reasonable numbers.

I should bring up the Fitness Thread since there's a lot to talk about when it comes to details...

Edit: Either the search function sucks, or the Fitness Thread doesn't exist anymore

[Srbija]

Well that's my point

But, the thing is, you said look how big sprinters legs are and they are not any slower, that is most probably the stupidest thing I have heard in my life.

if you don't run at all, you will lose speed regardless of doing weights or not doing weights ;) Sprinting is an anerobic activity just as weight training is, where you're doing high intensity in spurts. If anything, weight training and sprinting will cause a gain in speed provided there's days off to allow the body to recover.

You could run everyday for 10km and not increase your speed. If you are not doing the correct excercises/workouts for increasing/maintaining speed you won't get no where.

[Weiland]

use a bike or a stationary bike..you sweat more but it'll take you longer to feel tired... coz sumtimes ur body isnt tired yet only ur feet...if u guys get wat i mean..so i dont suggest jogging or running

[Nick]

use a bike or a stationary bike..you sweat more but it'll take you longer to feel tired... coz sumtimes ur body isnt tired yet only ur feet...if u guys get wat i mean..so i dont suggest jogging or running

That's true actually. Whenver i go for runs (that aren't on treadmils) my ankles get too sore to go on before my endurance wears thin.

[mvpshaq32]

Thing is that some people can't afford those stationary bikes and sad to say....I don't know how to ride a bike.

[Nick]

Thing is that some people can't afford those stationary bikes and sad to say....I don't know how to ride a bike.

:lol: Seriously?

So when people say, "It's as easy as riding a bike", you must hang your head in shame and pretend like you know what they mean.

[Weiland]

learn to ride the bike.. its easier than losing weight