Getting in Great Shape. When Did This Go Out of Style?

Hey guys…comments are turned back on. Sorry I had to shut them down for a week.

Rusty

Darn it!!!!! I had the settings wrong. NOW you guys can comment…my deepest apology to anyone who tried to comment today! I guess I had it set where only registered users could comment.

So please, feel free to comment,

Rusty

Note: It will have to moderated as always. I will "okay" your comments and answer them usually within 12 hours.

Hey Rusty:

Just to give you an update: I am a 6' male, and I weigh 179 now. Since the middle of March (when I started HIIT and cut down to 2000 cals) I've lost about 15 lbs!!! I'm trying to get down to about 165-170 lbs now, but I know its going to get tougher. The weight is starting to fall off a little bit slower now, and I think I'm gonna take a "break" from my diet in about 3 weeks when I have a vacation, hopefully that will help to burn off the last 5-10 lbs that I will have left.

Since last September I'm down 38 lbs from 217, and I can feel my upper 4 pack of abs (can't quite see them yet, but I'm excited!!).

I have a quick question: I just watched the movie "Snatch" the other night (pretty entertaining, loved Brad Pitts character), and I was wondering if you could make an estimate of Pitt's weight and body fat % in that movie. To me, I think he looks a little better/more realistic in "Snatch" than in "Fight Club".

Thanks!
-Patrick

ps: I'm down to a 6:50 mile (I started at 9:00 last september) on the treadmill.

Great to have you back Rusty!!! How was the trip? Question for you…being 6'3 and 226 I want to lean down some to about 185-190 before puting on a little muscle. I am naturally slim with broad shoulders and want to know how can I get a slimmer toner look much like Will Smith in I am Legend. What would you recommend as a workout for someone who is looking to slim down and for how long see as now I focusing mainly on cardio and jumping rope. Need that six pack for my trip to Rio in July!!
Do i have enough time?

Thanks

Quick question..im about 6' and weight around 165. I have a decent amount of muscle and my abs are slightly visible, but i feel like dropping more weight is bad. I see some guys around 6' that weight more and have a lower body fat % than i do. Its kind confusing. Could it just be the body type? Like maybe im meant to weight less than someone else at our height? Again, i have a decent amount of muscle so its not like im extremely skinny. Thanks.

Sorry, my goal is to become a little more cut and have my abs clearly visible.

The area I struggle with most is Cardio. I usually run on the treadmill 2 or 3 times a week but my biggest problem is that I get bored doing it. I ran for two miles the other day and I got so bored I had to start counting to 100 just to keep my mind busy. Every time I counted to 100 I would allow myself to look at how far I had run, I had to stop a few times and ultimately ran the 2 miles in 18 minutes. Then A day or two after that I ran a mile in a little over 8 minutes. Do you have any advice in helping me get down to a 6 minute mile and to keep me from getting bored while I run?

I am pretty good with Bodyweight exercises I max at 50 push-ups and 15 pull-ups. I think I could do a few more pull-ups but just like with cardio I get bored. I've never tested my max on dips but I'm positive it is upwards of 20. I urge everyone to check out http://www.bodyweightculture.com

I weigh 150 and the other day I did bench press for the first time in a while and got two quality reps off at 165, so I think i could do 10+ reps at 150. My chest is my weakest/ least defined muscle, any tips for my chest?

Hey Rusty
This is my first post and just wanted to let you know that I love the website and believe that you have found a fitness niche that hasn't been explored enough yet. I certainly was looking for this type of professional advice for a long time. My body type allows me to put on muscle mass fairly easily, but that's not what I want.
My one request is that you put up an actual sample program. There is a ton of little stuff on the website, but I'm still not sure what a program would look like exactly. Totally agree with Manchild about Will Smith in I Am Legend.

Rusty, your site is awesome, and i look forward to reading it every few days. I appreciate all of the effort and time you put in. For this post I agree with all of it except the running. a 6.5 minute mile is veeeery fast, and i would supect that most of the population cannot even come close. Honestly I think an 8.5 minute mile (running on the road, not a treadmill) is closer to a realistic goal for most folks. i am happy to run a 11 minute mile at 268 lbs, but i am always trying to beat the clock a little more each week. Anyway, keep up the great work, and thanks for the all the cool info.

Great post. Totally agree. Just would add that you probably need a mixture of cardio to prevent joints from wearing out. Also, should flexibility be one other facet of fitness. Helps in the bedroom too…

Welcome back Rusty!

I used to train like a typical hard-gainer, eating six times a day, 5-day split and very little cardio for over two years. And while I looked physcially impressive in the gym (and selective clothing), I didn't like the fact I would get totally out of breath when I needed to jog to catch the train to work.

It felt kind of obscene to be spending all of that time (and money) on the weights and diet, while my fitness and general well-being was suffering.

Since switching to a more balanced diet (I recently adopted the Warrior Diet a couple of months ago) and incorporating calethetics and cardio 4-5 times a week (particularly HIIT) my energy levels have gone through the roof…I now rather feel like I'm training for a healthier body (and mind) rather than a preconceived 'look'.

Nowadays, hitting the weights is only half of the picture for me. Form and function beats just being 'ripped' any day of the week!

Great article Rusty! Very similar to the overall fitness approach the crossfit website advocates. I know I am weak in cardio and in some strength areas, but I am working on it.

Do you know much about how the actors in the movie '300' got in shape for the movie? To me they had the perfect look of really lean and strong looking without being hugely muscular. I read that they trained at a place called gym jones and used a training approach similar to crossfit, but I have no idea what kind of regimen that involved and what their diet was like.

Great post Rusty, I agree 100%
I am a very athletic male, 5'11 170 lbs very lean ,I play foot ball and baseball for my school, and out of all those benchmarks I am able to do all of them far beyond those standards except for one. The planks! I can only hold them for a minute or two at a time. My core is fairly strong but those planks are killing me. Ive started doing them maybe a month ago, and still can only hold them for a minute or so before fatigue sets in. What can I be doing to hold them longer. I want to at least hold it for 5 minutes.

Hey Rusty,

I didn't realise I was so addicted to your site until the posts stopped!

Once again you seem to be reading my mind. For the last week or so I have thinking about being "all round" fit. To me a soccer player is close to this. They have the cardio and bodyweight strength down but not sure how they would do with the weightlifting.

I'm really into circuit training at the moment and would like to start doing some running, cycling and jump rope.

Do you think I could get a really good physique doing that?

I'm 6' 155lbs and 5% body fat.

Hey Patrick I have read alot of info about Brad Pitt and his various workout programs over the years. He says he didn't workout for 'Snatch'. He filmed it shortly after 'Fight Club', so what you are seeing is the results from the training he did for 'Fight Club' but with a higher body fat % from a less strict diet. I read that his body fat in 'Snatch' was 9%. But Rusty is the expert on body fat guessing so he probably has a better idea.

Hey Rusty What would you estimate would be a 400 meter benchmark to aim for? I am able to run it in 70 seconds. Also, how long will it take for me to get from 6 pullups to 12? I do a couple of sets every other day, but I have only progressed from being able to do 2 full pullups 2 months ago.

Hey Rusty, hope you had a cool trip. Anyway, working out at all seems to be a little out of style. It is like you are obsessed or "media brainwashed" if you workout lol. A lot of people I know SAY they want sexy bodies but think you are weird if you don't eat pizza and drink beer all the time.
What do you think of this workout plan to work back, chest, legs, arms all on their day with 15 min of cardio warmup and abs after. (I don't really need that much cardio since I'm an ectomorph) The cool thing about this plan is if I miss a few days because of busy lifestyle I can just pickup where I left off and it is easy to remember. I try to stick to MON,TUES,THURS,FRI but if say I workout back on Monday and am busy for a few days I can just easily remember to pickup with chest whenever. Does this plan sound decent to you?

Glad you are back, Rusty!!! You are sooo right!!! I noticed that alot of people at the gym focus on weights only. Some of those guys do NO CARDIO whatsover unless they are doing it outside of the gym. I seriously doubt it. MOst of the people I see using weights are not focusing on their nutrition either. That is so important!

I havent hit all of those goals you have up there but am working on them. Im running about an 8 1/2 min mile. I really lacking on the body weight exercises. What are some things you can do to make you stronger in that area?

Rusty,
Great website and awesome information! We're on the same page buddy.. It seems cardio is so hard, that's why people steer away from it, but it takes a ton of discipline to really dig deep into your work ethic and find that strength to turn and burn on the treadmill.. The good thing is though most people don't want to do it.. YOu can seperate yourself from the pack by doing these the thing that's so hard that nobody wants to do.. I really think positive self talk and having a goal of what you want is what seperates good from great.. If you want to be in great shape and be super lean, you need to do cardio and eat clean.. Plain & simple.. The fact that people don't want to commit to this, is a good thing in my opinion because it makes the ones that do shine like stars! Great post Rusty.. We have similar philosophies my man.. I'm outta here! Going for a late night run myself. (I even sleep better when I run)..
John Fit!

Patrick,

You have made incredible progress! Those last 5-10 pounds can be tough. A break from your diet for about a week will reset your metabolism and help you get those last few stubborn pounds off when you resume your diet…you have a good strategy. Brad Pitt was between 5-6% body fat for Fight Club and around 155 pounds. He claimed this wasn't really a realistic manageable weight. He was between 165-170 for Snatch and 8% body fat. Part of the reason he looks leaner than a typical guy who is 8% is that his skin is tight because he put on a bit of size from Fight Club (he filmed Snatch shortly after Fight Club). Certain people do look more ripped at certain body fat percentages than others.

Manchild,

The trip was great! It was in Atlanta, so I ate a ton of food. They really focus a lot on food in the south. Atlanta isn't as health and fitness oriented as places I've lived like San Francisco and Seattle. The food tastes wonderful, but I was tired the whole time. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym and work up a sweat. I also was pumped to getting back to communicating with you guys. I have a fun time with this site. You have plenty of time to look amazing for RIO. Focus like crazy on cardio…seriously do intense stuff for 15-20 minutes followed by steady state cardio for 20-40 minutes. As you get closer to the trip add a day and some time to the cardio. The month before the trip back down a bit and eat a more normal diet…but the last 21 days before the trip do cardio at least one hour every single day and eat low carb. The reason you need to take that week break before this is to "reset" your metabolism to a high level. You will be amazed at what can happen with 21 days of focused effort. I swear I'll get that vacation preparation e-book done soon! For now keep on plugging away and burning body fat like mad. The lifting part is easy…I'll cover that in the book as well.

Bryan,

You are meant to weight less…you have a small bone structure. Brad Pitt is the same height and weight as you. In Fight Club he leaned out and got down to 155, but he is around 165 most of the time. Not bad to have similar stats to Brad Pitt…don't worry about dropping weight, it will probably just make your muscles look bigger anyway.

DangeRuss,

Running can be a bit dull…I'm with you. What I do is try to get work done in my head when I'm running (example…what am I going to write about on my blog, where should I travel next, how can I make my weekend exciting for my girlfriend, etc.) To get a stronger and more defined chest try this. First do a dumbbell press exercise for 5 sets of 5 reps, then do a barbell press exercise for 5 sets of 5 reps, and finish with a machine press exercise for 3-4 sets of 5 reps. The dumbbell press develops the stabilizer muscles, but doesn't allow you to use as much weight. The barbell exercise allows you to use heavy weight and still exercises the stabilizer muscles to a certain extent. The machine exercise doesn't require any balancing and just focuses purely on strength. If you do three exercises in this order, you will see complete development of your chest (I'll do a full post on this…thanks for reminding me about this principle).

heatstar2002,

Thanks for the compliment. I haven't put up a detailed workout, because I kind of want people to understand the principles and create their own workout that fits their personality. There are so many variations of workouts that work, it's insane. I will most likely put up a sample workout in the future. I want to hit a few more topics first. Thanks for the feedback…and yes Will Smith looks great in I am Legend. Here is my post I did on that before the movie came out: Will Smith Slims Down For New Role in the Movie "I Am Legend"

Jay,

Okay…I may need to adjust the mile time a bit. I'm willing to compromise…how about 7.5 minutes for guys and 8 for women? I know they run the 4 minute mile in the Olympics…I know they are elite athletes, I just don't think they should be twice as fast. Will you work with me? Thanks for reading buddy

JayK,

I am not very flexible and it hasn't really slowed me down, but it can't hurt. I would get schooled in Yoga, but I don't do Yoga anyway. To be honest…most of us should probably stretch more. Good point.

Paul,

Yeah, I went to a gym where these 3 "roided out" guys lit up cigarettes after their workout in the parking lot. I would estimate that all of them were under 8% body fat and they looked ripped. They were way too muscular in my opinion…they looked like competitors to be honest. One of the guys was ridiculously tan (you know that contest tan look). Anyway…he was big and lean but didn't look healthy at all. Like you, I spend at least 1/2 my time on cardio…actually a bit more. I look and feel better than ever! Glad to see you are doing HIIT and other effective forms of cardio. It feels great doesn't it?

Ramon,

I know they have a video up over on Youtube. Type in the 300 movie and look it up. Actually…I'll find it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy2ElkOuNF0

I like more of a controlled workout, where I know exactly where to make adjustments…but this looks amazing for an athlete in any type of contact sport. It does look kind of badass to flip tires and sprint against the pull of those rubber bands. I believe you can get just as defined with a much more systematic type of workout…but obviously this workout works well.

Scott N,

That is great that you can blow the other benchmarks out of the water. I actually thought the 3 minute plank would be easier than the 6.5 minute mile. You will get there quickly. To get stronger at it, practice doing them on an exercise ball as well…and include side planks on the floor. They hurt after a minute…go to your "happy place"…mind over matter. If you can reach 3 minutes and do this 3-4 times per week, your abs will take on a very sharp appearance. Well worth the pain!

David,

Soccer players do have some of the best physiques. Australian Rules Football players may even have a slightly better physique since they have a bit more muscle tone. If you do circuit training in addition to those other forms of cardio, you will probably never have a problem staying lean. You are so lean in fact that you may want to throw in a day or two of traditional lifting just to maintain your muscle mass. Are you naturally someone who stays around 5% body fat. That is a tough accomplishment for most of us!

Ricky,

I'll have to research the 400m time. I am not sure what is realistic. I should go to a track and time myself (I have to think that 70 seconds is pretty darn fast). I'm a pretty fast runner, but it would give me an idea of a range to recommend. I suck at pull-ups as well! Here is one way that I am getting better. Practice doing "static holds". Pull up all the way to where your chin is above the bar and hold for as long as possible. Do 2 sets of these. Do 2 more sets where you hold at the point where you are 1/2 way to the top. Hold until your arms and back are shaking and you start dropping down. This has helped me a lot and is building great definition quickly in my lats as well as my forearms and biceps. Give this a try and let me know if it helps!

James,

If you do this, feel free to do more volume per muscle group than a typically recommend. I would still probably recommend that you save your cardio for the end and do an intense 10-15 minutes. Even if you are an ectomorph, the intense cardio will help increase your body's production of HGH…which will sharpen you up more than if you did moderate cardio. Do it at the end, because I don't want it to make your lifting suffer. If you want to hit one more lift after this intense cardio…this is a great time to do it. Here is a post on that:
How to Get Stronger Than Ever While Burning Body Fat

Sandy,

To get stronger in bodyweight exercises you simply have to do them on a regular basis. I wish there was a shortcut…I feel your pain, because this is my weakness as well. It seems as if people who are naturally good at running are weak at bodyweight exercises…kind of a weird deal. You are right about a lot of lifters…they have muscle, but it is obvious that they don't eat right…the lack sharpness and have visible fat on their mid section, etc. I coach people to get rid of that fat as quickly as possible. That is goal number one…everything is secondary.

John Fit,

Funny you mention that you sleep better when you run. I had the hardest time sleeping when I was away on my business trip…it had to be because I wasn't working out. Cardio and eating well is such a HUGE part of the puzzle…couldn't agree more. Nice site buddy!

Amazing comments everyone…thanks for welcoming me back…more topics to discuss coming soon!

Rusty

Hi Rusty,

Firstly welcome back mate! I hope you had an enjoyable week away.

Great post this. I t really puts into perspective the improvements i've made re. 'getting in shape' but more importantly lets me know that i'm not quite in all round 'great shape' yet.

For instance, in the past i was always good at cardio but pathetic at strength and below average on the body weight exercises. And i used to have a body that reflected that – somewhat lean but no decent muscle at all. 'skinny fat' if you like.

This has changed a lot in the last 3 months largely thanks to your advice.

I haven't been timed over the mile but previously could run a mile and a 1/2 in under 9min 30sec. I also previously could ran about 8.7 miles in an 1hour. I'm sure i've slowed a little but i'd meet the yard sticks you put up (and for the record i don't think that 6.5min for a mile is too difficult.)

My body weight stuff has improved a lot but still needs to improve a lot. Chin ups (palms away) – about 7 max (used to be zero)
Pull ups (palms towards) – about 10 atm (uused to be 1)
Pushups – max of around 42-44 (up from about 30)

I'll try the tip you mentioned above re. imporving chin ups and pull ups.

My raw strength whilst has mproved but i know i could not bench press my weight 10+ times yet. I have a long way to go there (god damn long arms make presses hard! lol.) re. standing military presses i might be able to do 1/2 my weight 15 times i'll need to test that one.

I think i need to do more barbell and machine work re. presses as you mentioned above. I'm mainly do dumbells which as you say are great for stabaliser muscles but don't allow me to lift heavy weights.

so overall, i've improved a lot but i've got a way to go re. being in 'great shape' but i'm still really motivated to get there.

Cheers

Hulbs

Sigh how I miss running. Hurt my knee about a month ago and still not sure what is wrong with it (in the process of seeing an orthopedic). I do hope I get better soon, but I did find myself having to get stricter in portions and how I eat since I don't have that added benefit of burning calories.

Any suggestions on what I can do for an added exercise? Right now instead of any form of cardio in the morning I incorporated a calisthenic routine.

PS – welcome back Rusty

Hey Rusty, I know your getting a ton of comments now that your back, but I have to ask you this.

I can do a heavy deadlift, squat, and bench press, and can also run for MILES, but I cant seem to improve on pushups and pullups. What kind of training should I do to improve?

On your run time, just an FYI, in the Air Force we have to run 1.5 miles, in the Army 2 miles. Not sure about the other services, I know for Air Force the "ideal" time is 12 minutes (8 minute mile for men), the max is 9:30 mile and a half which is just a little faster than a 6 1/2 minute mile. I know the Army has to run their 2 miles within 18 minutes (9 minute mile for men) I'm not sure what their max speed is, but for special forces in the Army they have to run their 2 miles in 14 minutes which is still only a 7 minute mile. I'm sorry I don't have better numbers for the women. Just letting you know what the military standards are, 6 1/2 minute mile is fast, considering that is the max speed (for Air Force at least).

Hey Rusty, welcome back. Great post again! This summer I hope to work on the things I hate like running, and try to get in the best shape of my life, I plan on doing all forms of cardio, and also purchasing a power tower to work on my dips and pullups. I have started working on planks now, and I am up to 3 minutes. I am trying to do whatever I can to work on my abs and obliques now that my bodyfat is finally getting lower, so when I do get it low enough I have the 6pack to show. I have picked up the intesity of my workouts some and that is only going to go up more as time goes on thats for sure, Ive become obsessed!! With all things diet, exercise and fitness!! Here is an update, when I started in January, I was a little over 290lbs. today I weigh 223 and still losing, thats over 67 pounds and counting!! I feel great and I wont quit till my six pack is showing, and I am in the best shape I can be in. Right now that goal is around 200, with my muscle structure. Thanks for all the good advice!! Keep it coming!

Sounds like you had alot of fun in ATL. And your right we focus alot on down here. Im from SC and now reside in FL and whenever I tell my mom or family members Im on a diet or go to the gym the first thing they ask is Whats wrong? Are you sick? Food tastes great but its the easiest way to put those unwanted lbs on! I believe I have the understanding of what you are saying with the cardio but how many days a week should I be doing cardio? Currently I just started a 2hr split for Tues, Thurs, Sat, & Sun where I do 1hr in both am & pm. Is that too much and if not how long can I do it before it has a negative effect? Also should I be lifting for more density at this point since I know I will lose a lot of fat over the next 3mnths but I dont want to look thin. In a post you had on here you told someone that since he was 6'3 he should be doing 5 set of 5 reps which would add both density and mass is that correct or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

Thanks Rusty

Glad to see you enjoyed the South!!

Hi guys! Crank up the IPOD…that can help you to make running fun! I download some new songs once a week. Its helps so much!

Alright thanks Rusty. You did mention that Brad Pitt said it was hard to maintain his weight at 155, and keep that low of a body fat %, and how he bulked up a little bit to 165 and kept his body fat % under 10. Should i try to bulk up a little more, and then worry about my BF% so i can stay around 165 while looking cut?

Hey,

I am training to look good, but I'm also training to mountain bike race at a high level. I race two events: Downhill (a 4 minute brutal, insane time trial) and Slalom/mountain cross (Jumps and turns, racing with other people on the course…many 30-50 second heats). Obviously, this requires me to be "functionally fit". I need to be fast, have endurance as well as take the beating from the terrain. I have put together a training program using a bunch of sources (including your site) to fit my needs. I know you know what you're talking about, so I was just wondering what you thought of my plan:

Monday-Plyos+Interval Training (or cross country MTB/BMX track practice)

Tuesday-Upper Body+Tabata Protocol (or BMX track sprints/practice)

Wednesday-Heavy Leg Lifts (Cleans, Squats etc)+ Steady State Cardio (or Cross country MTB)

Thursday-Upper Body+Tabata Protocol (or BMX track sprints/practice)

Friday-Plyos+Interval Training (or Cross Country/BMX track)

The upper body days aren't too difficult and are mainly for maintenance. I'm 5'8" and I bulked up to 185 last summer because i was planning on playing college lacrosse. I'm down to 166, and I'm just trying to maintain that amount of mass/strength. Let me know what you think.

Thanks a lot!

Trevor

I just got a body fat % test done using the skins fold method and it was 7.6%, but there is margin of error of 3% but still even with 10.6% there should be abs. I can kinda of see my abs, but i still look flat and not really defined. At 7.6% shouldnt i be more defined and hard? Should i change up the muscle tone routine to a mass building one?

Hi there
rusty
Great post
i like that u talk about bodyweight trainin i been doin bodyweight trainin for about 4 month i got very good on it
this month i been workin on my handstand push ups against a wall at first i couldnt do none but now im up to 10rep
i just need to work on my cardio

Great read. I have been having the functionally fit vs. appearing fit debate with people for awhile now. When I was 18, and went in the Marines, I squeaked in over the minimum weight by 3 lbs. I was 6'2" and 138lbs. After putting on 10lbs in boot camp, I started hitting the weights. I grabbed every bodybuilding magazine I could find and tried to emulate what the pros did. I kept trying to get bigger and ignored my cardio (other that what was required in the military) because I was afraid of losing what little muscle I had. Needless to say I didnt know squat about nutrion either. Eventually I gained a little here and there over 10 years, until I got to 230, now my present weight is at 215. But it wasn't until about 4 years ago when I started training in mixed martial arts, that every thing I thought I knew was turned upside down.

It didnt matter what I could squat or bench when I was kickboxing or grappling and I was sucking wind. My cardio was crap, my flexibility was crap, even my functional strength was crap. I had to take a whole new approach to fitness. My goal was to have balance in all the areas of strength, endurace, and flexability.
Exactly what I pictured was a decathalete. Not the best in one area, but great in many areas.

You are absoultely right when it comes to the guys working the "impressive muscles". I never see the bodybuilders at my gym doing pull-ups. I know some out there do, but I wouldnt lump all in the same category. I've seen plenty that are fit, do martial arts, powerlift, or can still do intense cardio. I would not compare them to the guys that do endless sets of curls and bench press so them can look at themselves.

i have been trying so hard to lose weight, but i dont seem to lose or gain any, i dont get what is happening, im tyring to lose about 10-15lbs of fat asap, but it just isnt happening, ive been playing soccer 3-4 times a week for about 2-3 hours long, i run, i sprint i walk in soccer, i dont know what more i can do, iv kinda stopped lifting lately because im get short of time due to work, do you anything else i can apply to make sure i definatly start to lose some weight because its really a big downer on the motivation, my current diet is basically eating the main meal at night, a bit like warrior diet, and in the morning or during the day there would be small snacks, can you help me to achieve my goal by summer time which is roughly 3 months from now?

Thanx Rusty I did the Mind over Matter trick for planks and and got to almost two minutes today before I about passed out I cut sit ups out of my routine until I can get 5 minutes, Thanx to you Ill probably be there in no time.

P.S. Everyone reading this should listen to Rusty "SIDE PLANKS WORK BIG TIME!!!"

Basically Rusty, im confused. I dont know whether or not to bulk. I like my size now but i wish i was more defined/dense and hard. Supposedly im at 8% BF but i still dont see clear abs? Im so lost. I want to be comfortable at 8% bf and have clear abs and a defined sculpted chest. The thing is, im not sure if i need more muscle to be able to have that. Also, im a little worried about bulking because i like the slim look but cut. Here is an example of what i want to look like: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/bg10.jpg I dont know if i need more muscle to look like that or if i just need to be more defined..help..

Also, my main concern is abs. Why dont i have clearly defined abs? Im at 8% bf? Ok lets add the % error, thats around 10%. Should i just run more then? Its not like i havent worked my abs either. I do planks all the time, i did crunches/situps my entire life. I am able to max 100 crunches in 2 minutes for the Marine physical fitness test, i just dont understand.

This is a wonderful post Rusty! I've recently noticed that i'm great at lifting weights but there's absolutly no way I could run a few miles. I'm not even sure I could run one mile in under 9 minutes! The thing is that I actually have a pretty low body weight and I exercise regularly; I've decided to try for a little more balance. So tomorrow it's time to go back to good ol' runnin! Thanks for reminding me to work on my weakspots

Hulbs,

I always like reading your comments, because you have freaky long arms like me. Presses of all types are really tough with long arms. Usually guys with long arms have really strong biceps…just something I've noticed. After doing chinups and pullups religiously for the past few months, I'm convinced that they are an amazing exercise. No wonder the military is so big on these…they work the entire upper torso…lats, abs, shoulders, traps, intercostals, etc…I swear they sharpen up the chest a bit as well. So the 6.5 minute mile is realistic? Yeah, but naturally strong guys with short arms and legs may have a very tough time hitting this benchmark. I need to time myself and see how tough it really is.

Oz,

Good to hear from you. Can you do a stationary bike? Because you can burn a ton of calories if you do intervals on the bike. I used to get really lean from just hitting the bike hard for 30 minutes a day…this was before I got into the treadmill. I think the treadmill is the best, but the "old school" exercise bike is a great alternative (not the one where you are sitting down low).

Brandon,

First off, I want to say that you are pretty darn toned. I try my best to click on the links when people include a website (I've never shared that fact, but I'm just curious to find out about readers of this site). You are still a young guy…don't make the same mistake as me and put on a bunch of muscle. You have that Abercrombie build that the ladies dig. Let the clueless guys muscle up and argue over who has the biggest guns…you will "clean up"! Anyway…I'll just copy and paste a tactic that I told Ricky on how to get stronger at pullups…Practice doing "static holds". Pull up all the way to where your chin is above the bar and hold for as long as possible. Do 2 sets of these. Do 2 more sets where you hold at the point where you are 1/2 way to the top. Hold until your arms and back are shaking and you start dropping down. This has helped me a lot and is building great definition quickly in my lats as well as my forearms and biceps.

AFDerrick,

Okay…you have convinced me to change it to a 7 minute mile. I'll put 8 for women.

Cory,

WOW…you probably already look like a different person! Losing 67 pounds in such a short period of time is outstanding. Holding planks for 3 minutes is super-impressive as well. Right on! If you can go from 290 to hitting just a few of these benchmarks within the next couple of months, that is almost miraculous. I am truly inspired. Keep it up!

Manchild,

The south is great. Everyone is much more "laid back" and relaxed. They even walk at a much slower pace. I like ATL…there are trees everywhere and it is actually quite scenic.

Yeah…Start doing 5 sets of 5 reps…that is good way to build density and maintain the muscle you have without getting big. It will add a bit of muscle but then it levels off. This way of training seems to add the ideal amount of muscle for your frame. A slim guy like me won't gain as much as a bigger guy like The Rock, but we both will gain the ideal amount of muscle for our bone structure. I really like this rep range, because of that. I'm not a huge fan of 2 day splits. You can do them for the short term to reach your ideal weight, but once you get there do a more realistic exercise plan. You don't want to spend all of your free time exercising. They laughed at me in Atlanta when I ordered a regular ice tea and used artificial sweetener in my drink…"what is a slim guy like you drinking diet?"…My answer "that is WHY I'm slim".

Bryan,

Brad Pitt didn't bulk up to 165…that is his normal size when he doesn't diet super hard. After Fight Club, he backed off on cardio and loosened up a bit on his diet. He got back to 8-9%…which is what he maintains year round. I would keep focusing on dropping body fat if I was you…once you get really low, then you will back off on being so strict and your muscles will look full after a few weeks, but you will still look super lean.

Bryan,

Your muscles are flat from dieting hard and doing a ton of cardio. Keep at it and lose a bit more fat…then switch to more of a maintenance calorie level while gaining strength. Over a few weeks you muscles will naturally fill up a bit and you will display a much greater degree of definition. Sometimes you need to hold a low body fat for a few months and wait a bit for your skin to shrink down a bit around your muscles. You will get there!

intacto,

I wouldn't be able to do a handstand pushup to save my life! Very tough…this is right up there with one arm pushups and one arm chinups. I went to your Fitconnect profile and it looks like you are able to do all of these. I have some catching up to do!

Sarge,

The Marines are great examples of functional fitness. These guys have to be able to scale walls, climb rope, do chinups, etc. I am much more impressed by a Marine then I am a typical gym rat. There is a Marine that used to workout at my old gym and he could run at level 10 on the treadmill at a slight incline for 30 minutes straight. The same guy could bench 275 x 5. He was lean and ripped and in ridiculous shape.

Hassan,

Are you eating a lot of carbs? That would be the only thing I could think of that could be holding you back. Everything else looks solid.

Scott N,

Side Planks are the only thing I would recommend for obliques. They are amazing…they work like nothing else I have ever experienced to get rock hard slim obliques that frame a great set of six pack abs. Good call!

Trevor,

I think you have outlined an ideal workout for your event. I like it that you have included the Tabata Protocol workout. You need to get used to that lactic acid burn produced by such an intense effort. I think power cleans will translate well because you have to pull your bike over jumps. Have you tried "Hang Cleans"? I actually think they would translate better to your sport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpXqVba1mFo
Get strong at these and your bike will feel light as a feather. I do 4-5 sets of 15 with 100 pounds once a week right after cardio to keep burning calories in a "circuit training" fashion. It has made my grip and forearms stronger than ever and is toning up my legs while building explosive strength. Give them a try. Everything else looks solid!

Bryan,

You will get abs, but it could take a few more years to get great abs. Once you develop a bit more muscle maturity you will experience a greater degree of definition. Instead of bulking, try to gain strength in the 5 rep range while maintaining or losing a bit of body fat. I have many friends that didn't really get great ab definition until they were 25…it was just stubborn for them.

Tesa,

You go girl! Hit the cardio. It isn't enough to look fit, you have to be fit. Good luck!

Have a great one!

Rusty

I'm glad you like my posts Rusty.

A couple of things. Firstly, I really don't see why 6.5 minutes for a mile too hard as a yard stick.

For instance I timed myself today after a 3 minute warm up and did a 6min and 10 sec mile on the tready. To show it wasn't a flook i then walked for 90 secs and did another mile to see if i could get close to that time. Well I did a 6min and 5 sec for the second mile. Whilst I know it's easier for guys like me as i'm lean at 6'2" and 176 pounds i hadn't timed myself over that distance or 1.5 miles in over 10 years (back when i joined the police force). So my point being i made the yard stick comforably without specifically training for it so its not too hard IMO. In fact i've only been doing cardio once a week lately as i've been lifting a lot to put on a bit of muscle. I'm sure i can and will break 6 min just to make a point and maybe closer to 5.5 min when i'm heavily training for cardio again in a few months.

It would be like me saying that bench pressing my body weight 10 times is unrealistic as a yard stick just because i can't do it once or twice probably. The yard stick is not too hard its the individual that needs to improve to get to that yard stick otherwise its loses any meaning as being a credible acheivmnent.

Secondly, I just want Bryan to know that i also have pretty average looking abs dispite getting to low bf levels of around 6%. So i don't think it that unusual. I'm sure our abs will both improve with time!

Cheers

Hulbs

Alright, thanks guys. I will keep working my abs and hope for results. About the sets of 5 reps. Will 5×5 or more sets of 5 reps help me gain a little bit of size as well?

Hulbs,

Okay…it is back to 6.5 minutes! I trust your opinion on this. I need to go to a track and give it a shot. I bet I'll be able to do it, but I'm tall like you.

Good point to Bryan. A lot of it just has to with consistent training over a period of time once you reach a low enough body fat percentage. Good stuff.

Rusty

Thanks Rusty!! I'm looking forward to your next post. Keep'em coming best blog on the net.

Sorry to bother you again Rusty but this has been bothering me…Is it normal to feel fatter while exercising? I mean since I started weight training and cardio as of late I can actually feel fat move as I walk or run especially in my midsection. Is that just the lose skin from losing weight? And if so how long does it take to adjust?

Hey Rusty, I come to you very frustrated. For the past couple of months I have been dieting (Warrior Diet) and working out rather hard. I have leaned down in my face, waist and my man boobs are almost gone, but when I weighed myself for the first time in months, I have only dropped a pound despite looking like I dropped close to 20. Moreover my midsection is thick, like a wrestler's. I am 5'8 and weigh 176 pounds. Last measured I was 13% bodyfat. I do cardio and bodyweight training according to you recommendations. I also gain muscle easily and believe that I should stop lifting altogether for a while. What should I do?

by carbs i dont even eat thats much, only at night do i eat rice and some curry, and i eat what only a bit not too much, during the day i eat sum bananas, and maybe a few pieces of bread thats all, what do you think i can do to make it work een better?

Manchild,

Yep…you will feel that flab while running. The nice thing is that your skin will tighten up and once you lose all the excess fat, you will feel nothing but muscle. Once you get to that point, you should be looking outstanding. Keep at it…you are on the right track!

Ricky,

You probably gained 19 pounds of muscle and lost 20 pounds of fat. Keep lifting, but just reduce the volume a touch. There isn't anything wrong with gaining a bi of muscle. This is probably just the natural amount that your body wants to carry. If you are at 13%, you are close to looking really defined…just keep pushing and you will get there.

Hassan,

Continue to eat the rice, but drop the bread for a while. In fact, try to avoid wheat for a while. Don't even eat that tasty Naan bread (I'm a huge fan of Tikka Masala and Naan). You probably just need to make a few adjustments and you will lose weight again.

Rusty

Hey, me again. I'm sorry to bug you but the frustration is killing me. 20 lbs of fat and 19 pounds of muscle? Is that even possible in the course of 2 months? Thing is that I was already somewhat muscular when I started. If this is the case, then the Warrior Diet is a dream come true! My friends have been commenting on my leanness, and one even said that I look "swole". Should I just do HIIT and steady state cardio 4-5 days a week? I love my cardio days but how much would be overtraining? Thanks and sorry

what do you recommend i eat now? if i cant eat any wheat lol?

sorry bwt the double post, but was going to say, i also want to put on a few pound son my chest as it is the only laggin body part i have and want a full looking chesy completely and the rest seems to build up fine, what can i do?

Running is the best form of exercise? I trained for a marathon last year, and I didn't lose any fat. In fact, I lost 2 lbs of muscle. I would not describe running as the best form a exercise. It's high intensity and can be a great form of cardio, but I wouldn't call it the best form of exercise overall.

I'm just disgruntled because I took up running last year thinking it was going to be that extra little push to get me down to 18% body fat but it did not. I went from 19% to about 23%. I blame running, eating too many carbs and not enough protein, and neglecting weight training in favor of running.

I think people trump running's horn too often.

Rusty,

What about this…I think i need to bulk up a tiny bit. I am going to switch to:

Monday: Chest: Incline DB Press, Incline Bench, Incline flyes, wrist rollers

Tuesday Back: Lat Pulldowns, Cable Rows, Hinged Rows, DB Row

Wednesday Shoulders: DB Press, Lateral Raises

Thursday Bi's & Tri's: Incline DB Curls/Hammer curls, BB curls, close grip bench, skullcrushers, tricep pulldown

Friday Cardio: 30 min HITT, or sprints, followed by steady state cardio

M-F: Power Pushups 5×5, Planks 1-3 minutes, Pullups – Recon Ron Routine

For my routine i will be doing a pyramid type routine: 12, 10, 8, 6.
I will be lifting slow and steady and contracting hard.

Also, im an ectomorph so putting on weight is hard for me, so i dont think im going to get huge in this process.

What do you think about this Rusty? If i start getting too big i will stop and go back to low reps and moderate eating and more cardio.
All through this phase i will be eating healthy, and consuming a protein shake after workout, and maybe before bed. I will

Hey Rusty,

So I was wondering if I can get some advice; I maintain my cardio training at 70% (just over an hour) of my workout time and weight training at 30%. Recently I've intensified my runs on the treadmill and run farther in the same amount of time. So in a nutshell everyday I go for 800+ calories (about 6 – 8 miles) doing cardio; I'm doing this just to buckle down on the last of my body fat. But I've noticed that my lower legs (especially calf muscles) have become significantly larger. I never do any isolated leg exercises with weights. Has this happened to you as a result of upping HIIT cardio? Don't get me wrong, there's still shape and muscle in my legs but it's a little disproportionate to my body size. I can pass as a soccer player lol. Any suggestions?

Rusty,

I have a freind who i am helping out with her fitness and nutrion regimen and need your help. This site is exactly what i need. I have a fair bit of knowledge about this topic but is it the same fr guys and girls? I know what i should do to look better but what should a girl do to get the hollywood look? In terms of excercises with cardio and weights or just cardio? How to burn fat and tone up without looking muscular at all.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ricky,

Muscle gain never goes steadily at all. You can gain strength at a steady pace, but muscle mass goes in spurts…especially if you are a guy in his late teens to early 20's. I put on 15 pounds in two months when I was in college. I had some friends back then gain quickly as well. You can certainly do cardio 4-5 days a week…in fact I'd recommend it since summer is coming.

Hassan,

There are a ton of things to eat that don't contain wheat. If you have been eating wheat and drop it from your diet, you will notice a big difference. As far as building your chest…do a higher volume of lifts and higher reps for a while…bodybuilding style 15 sets of 6-12 reps.

Jen,

Running needs to be done in a strategic way, with proper diet and with lifting. When done properly, it helps create an amazing body. I am not a big fan of marathon running or anything that approaches that distance…it doesn't create a pleasing physique at all. I'm talking running 4-5 miles and including interval training, HIIT, etc. It is a great tool if used the right way.

Bryan,

That is a solid mass gaining strategy. Since you are striving for mass, speed up the tempo a bit to build up a bit of a pump. Don't worry, when you go back to 5 sets of 5 you will gain back a lot of muscle density. Looks good to me.

Km,

That is just the way your body is built. Really not too much you can do, but hey it probably looks fine anyway. I have friends with huge calves who never work them. I wouldn't sweat it.

Rusty

Thanks for getting back to me Rusty.

I just Googled Australian Rules Football and you're right, they have similar physiques to soccer players but are more defined. I'll have to do so research into their training.

Yeah I naturally have very low body fat. I used to be 4%. When I was on crutches for an achillies tendon injury for two months and couldn't do any cardio my body fat still stayed real low.

I just happened to stumble across your site about a couple months ago and have been reading it pretty much daily since then. I want to thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It has definitely helped me with my quest for a healthy and fit lifestyle. I agree with your thoughts on being "functionally fit". I still have some work to do but I can meet 5 (possibly 6) of the seven benchmarks you mention above. You can bet your arse that I am going to be working on my planks and military press. My workouts consist of running (7 min mile pace) for 30-35 minutes (with a few sprints along the way) followed by 10 weight training exercises four days a week and a strict Cardio day once a week for typically an hour or so. My goal is to get back into Marine Corps Boot camp days fitness level that I was at 15 years ago. Almost there. Thanks again Rusty. Oh yeah any advice on how to go about adding a little mass and peak to my biceps?

Rusty, a question regarding "the pump". I work out in the morning without eating beforehand (so I am carb depleted), I try your strategy of lifting very slow and deliberate, but doing high weights with low reps, but I'm still noticing a "pump" effect in my arms when in the shower. Is this bad and am I doing something wrong? It could be I'm just starting to lose weight in my upper arms and seeing a slight definition, not sure. I'm in uniform (long sleeves) the rest of the day and don't think to look in the evening.

One last question: everyone on here talks about their body fat percentage? What is a good way to test this? I am curious where I'm at.

Welcome back Rusty, and with another good post, you're so right most people tend to develop just one thing, weightlifting or cardio. The truth is just what you said, we should try to get fit in all 3 things, even those people who only want to look good, they'll look much better if they combine cardio, weightlifiting and bodyweight exercises. I usually combine weights and cardio, other times i stay out of the gym for 2/3 months and work with cardio and bodyweight exercises. Another very hard way to train is doing heavy weightlifting with almost no rest between sets, when you finish the workout you'll be out of breath, it's a good mix.

Hey Rusty, good to have you back! Hope the business trip went well.
I have a question, have you ever heard of lipodrene? As far as I know, its the only fat loss pill that still has ephedra, not sure why they can do still have that though? Anyways, I'm getting closer and closer to my goal weight and I'm assuming things wil eventually get difficult as far as burning off the last few stubborn pounds around the midsection. I'm looking for every single edge I can get to achieve my goal.
I was thinking about taking lipodrene with aspirin(ECA stack) method. Have you ever done this stack, and do you think it works?
Things are going well, I'm as lean as I've ever been. But in the past when I got to this point, I stopped my fat loss phase and started pigging out again. So I'm more then ready to keep losing bodyfat, but I'm concerned I will hit a platuea and never get rid of these last few pounds of fat around my stomache. I really just want to lose 5-7 more pounds and then maintain that. I hope I can do it. I have yet to use many of the advanced fat loss tips I have learned from your site. I'm trying to hold off on those until I get to a sticking point, as of now, I have not hit a platuea so I don't want to change anything. Thanks for all your help by the way.

Oh yeah, I thought you might find this interesting. Couple years ago I read in a mens health article how paul walker had bulked up to 205 on a lifting routine and creatine cause he was told he needed to look buff. He said that he then went on a vacation and was surfing and he said he felt slow and to heavy from the added weight. He decided after that he wanted to be lean again and got his weight back down to 180. I think he looks awesome at his weight now, lean and toned with the right amount of muscle. Pretty cool article.

Take care!

Hi Rusty,

I tried those "static holds" last night in my bicep workout whilst doing pullups. They are killers! Both my biceps and forearms were on fire after those. I could fell they were definitely working me hard.
What i did was the first 2 sets of pullups as normal and on my last rep do the holds at neck above bar level. Then the next 2 sets pullups as normal but held static at 1/2 way level. I think these will definitely help me in time.

Our gym is small and doesn't a 'free weight' military press just a seated shoulder machine. (re. 1/2 body weight 15+ reps standing military press). So i tested myself on it and 62.5% of body weight exactly 15 times, but i'm sure this exercise would be easier than the one you described due the stabalisation of the machine.

CHeers

Hulbs

I know you already have tons of comments on this post, but I wanted to suggest a workout program for the ladies, because it's been working really well for me. I don't need to increase my "tone" per se, but just want to keep what I have active, healthy, etc…

I have been training with weights 3x/week, but on mondays and fridays I do high-reps (2-3 sets of 25-30 reps) (I know you typically don't like this, but I do this more for endurance), and then on wednesdays I lift heavy weights for 4-5 sets of 5 for all the major muscle groups (for the lower body I stick with lunges, deadlifts and the "butt-blaster"), and for the upper I go with chin-ups, rows, incline chest press, chest flies, shoulder press, bicep curls, and triceps dips.

In addition to the 2 light lifting days (for endurance) and the 1 heavy lifting day (to keep the tone and neurological connection to my muscles, including my butt), I also do sprint intervals and jump rope intervals 3x/week for 20 minutes (sprinting or jumping for 1 minute and then "active rest" for 1 minute for the full 20 minutes).

The last piece of my workout puzzle is "endurance" cardio, which I do because I own a high-tech marketing company, and spend WAY to many hours each day sitting on my butt in front of a computer. Therefore, 5-7x/week I do an hour of "activity", which can range from dancing, tae kwon do, golfing, hiking, helping a friend of mine with their landscape company business (because they work on Saturdays, and let me tell you, that is a crazy workout in itself and it lasts for hours!), as well as the odd traditional bout of cardio on a piece of gym equipment such as an elliptical machine or treadmill. The key is to work at this general activity for 60 minutes most days. The great thing about this is it adds "life balance" to the exercise equation, because I count going to a club and dancing as my "endurance cardio" for the day!

As if that is not enough to take in, I have been diligently watching what I eat and focus on lean proteins (fish, chicken, lean steak, egg whites, etc.), fruits, vegetables, and moderate amounts of whole grains, nuts and "healthy fats" such as olive oil.

I know this post is really long, but my body is in crazy shape right now, which is perfect with the summer days coming up, and I am going away for a week the beginning of may!

Hey Rusty,

Great post as usual but I would like to make a comment about the 50+ pushups… Why are you saying that a man should be able to do 50+ of them while you are raving in other posts about doing less reps and more sets. Doing pushups with lots of rest in between doesn't condition the body to do 50+ of them at once if you ever need to be able to now does it? Could you please elaborate this?

Remon

thats 15 sets in total for chest right? lol not 15 sets on each exercise? so just on chest and the rest i should stick with strength training right?, can you recommend me what else i can eat at night and what else can be substitued instead?

So, since I'm 17, does that mean you expect more out of me? (:

I can only run a mile in about 12 minutes, and a lot of it is speed-walking combined with… fast jogging.

I can't do a single pull-up, although I can do half of one! That's better than when I started 2 months ago. (:

OOKAY, push-ups…now here's where I've got real trouble.

I used to be able to do 20 in a row but now I certainly just cannot. It hurts my wrists! Is there any way to strengthen them without injury? That is what I am afraid of. I have sprained my right one before and the pain is slightly more noticeable in that wrist. Help here would be greatly appreciated, Rusty!

I did the plank protocol today and am unsure as to how to perform an exercise ball plank. I would look it up, but I'd rather hear it from the man himself (:

I ran 10 minutes non-stop today, following your "ultimate fat burning cardio workout" and let me tell you, I have never felt so rejuvenated, worn out, hot, sweaty, or proud of myself until today. I hate running and could never do it for more than…oh, 2 minutes at a time (I played soccer. Mostly standing and sprinting, no in-betweens unless coach made us run a lap or two–which was hardly ever). Thank you so much, you're my new hero!

I always hated running but now I'm beginning to like it. (:
You have no idea how happy this makes me!! I cannot thank you enough. You have a new avid follower and I hope I can make you as proud of me as I was today!

- Hannah

T-Dawg,

To build a bit of mass to your biceps…grab a straight barbell and do a typical pyramid routine 12, 10, 8, 6, 10. Do the same for dumbell curls (make sure and curl them at the same time…not alternating). The last and most important exercise (for peak) is preacher hammer curls or any preacher machine curls. Machine curls will provide tension at the top of the curl which builds peak. This is high volume, but this is what will build mass.

AFDerrick,

Don't worry about getting the pump. I do too, but just don't strive for it. As far as checkin body fat percentage. Most gyms will check for you for free. You can also buy calipers online for around 20 bucks.

Helder,

Yeah…I like all around fitness. I also like your idea of taking some time away from the gym and getting creative with working out from time to time.

Brad,

Women dig Paul Walker, so certainly he is a great example of someone who looks fit without too much bulk. I'm not familiar with Lipodrene, but I have done ephedrine in the past. I decided to go against it, because it just doesn't "feel right" to be taking something that seems so drug like. It works well, but I get just as good of results from a few cups of Green Tea before working out. You can still order ephedrine, by the way.

Hulbs,

Good job on trying the static holds. I have been doing them for a little while and they are definitely adding great detail to my back, biceps, and forearms.

Jennifer,

Great post! I'm sure this will help a bunch. I'm not against high reps, if they are done in a "Circuit Training" like fashion. Cardio is basically a high rep bodyweight exercise, if you look at it in a certain way. Glad to hear you are looking great! Love that.

Remon,

I don't advocate doing high reps for your workouts, but by getting strong in low rep exercises…it translates over to high reps. I haven't gone above 5 reps in any weight training exercise for years, but I can crank out a ton of pushups because my triceps and chest are stronger as a result of low reps. Hope that makes sense.

Hassan,

15 total sets for chest. You are right. At night…eat meat, but eat veggies as much as possible instead of wheat. This will make a huge difference for you.

Hannah,

Yep…if you are 17 I expect more out of you. Planks on a ball, Just put your elbows and forearms on the exercise ball and feet on the ground. The closer together you put your feet, the harder the exercise becomes because it requires you to balance. Keep focusing on running, in 3 months it will be much easier and your body will begin to transform. I already am proud of you…most people in this world would not be able to run for 10 minutes straight.

Good comments!

Rusty

Hi Rusty,

Just for info, the 2008 Mens London Marathon winner ran 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 15 seconds. This means he ran every mile in an average speed of approx 4 minutes and 45 seconds….!!!

I think 6.5 minutes for ONE mile is attainable. Just takes a lot of time and training.

Hi Rusty,

This is a great post and put my goals in perspective. I realized I needed to be functionally fit a few months ago and I it makes working out a less of a chore.

I started with the captains chair leg raises and could only manage 6 a few months ago and now I can do 2 sets of 20 and I feel good.

I also took up running since I started reading your site and I'm still not good at it but I can run a mile in a little more than 11 minutes which is more than I've done in all my life.
{Ok I only did that once but I'm trying }
Thanks

Hey Rusty,

Yeah, i'm glad you just keep to the low rep stuff in your normal training Makes sense now!

The reason I mainly asked is because I do pushups 5 times per week. I only do about 24 of them (4 sets of 6, with a minute of rest in between) but I could never ever do 24 pushups in a row!

Also, i'm quite exhausted after doing those 4 sets and I don't have the feeling that it's getting easier to do at all..
You'd think that after a couple of weeks of doing this I should have an easy time keeping this up, but in fact it isn't!

Could the above be because the *only* arm excersize that i'm doing are in fact pushups? Like, if I would throw in some barbell curls and that sort of stuff, would it also help me to increase the amount of pushup-sets I could achieve?

Thanks!

Remon

Hey Rusty, great post! To whoever said that 7 minutes for women per mile and 6.5 minutes for men was too low … it isn't!! Someone in really good shape should be able to run this; I ran a lot in high school and had a 6:50 mile. An 8-minute mile is what I did after not running for years…

Anyway, the real burning question I have is … when is that ebook coming out???!! Soooo excited for it!

Small addition to the post above: I mean I do 4 sets which consist of 6 reps. After each completed set I take a minute of rest before I do another set. It would be perfectly okay of I would up this two a two-minute rest, right?

Okay, I'll take that into consideration, thanks for the comment.

How much HIIT do you think I could get away with over a 3-4 week period. Do you think I could work up to 4 maybe even 5 days a week of seriously intense HIIT followed by Steady State cardio?
I'm very intent on getting rid of these last few pounds around my waiste and I will do what it takes.
What do you think of this plan over a 3-4 week period.
- cardio every single day, 5 of those days HIIT followed by steady state
- weight train 4 days per week
- eat low calorie/ low carbs for 2 to 3 days at a time followed by one higher calorie day, probably around 1500 to 1700 calories on low cal days – on my higher calorie days I'll eat around 2000 to 2200 calories
- I might also take an ECA stack during this time or maybe do what you have done in the past and take a 200mg caffeine pill prior to cardio and drink Green Tea throughout the day

What do you think of this plan, think it could work to drop stubborn bodyfat? Is it to much even if its just a few weeks.?

Sorry for the long post, thanks Rusty!

Rusty,

I know you probably get a million comments, and this post already has its fair share. I just wanted to say this was a great blog/website.

In January I started a life change that I'm still working on and seeing through. When I started it was me and a friend going together. We are both larger, though smaller now then when we started. He wanted a more muscular look, and my goal is for a more slim athletic and tone look. So I spent some time looking for info on how to go about that.

I just look at it like this. Why work my butt off to drop weight (which I've been doing) just to bulk up in a different matter. It might be muscle weight instead of fat weight, but it still has to slow you down, and hinder your body in some way. So I'm not really interested in that look.

About a month ago I found your web site. Let me just say that I've poured over most of your posts for info and ideas. Reading the comments to see what the other people who visit here think. Lots of good stuff I've either started doing or will incorporate as I become more and more able to do things, which is happening at a fairly rapid rate.

Its going to be a long journey, but I'm committed and motivated. Hopefully one day I can post a pic of myself in a "James Bond" swimsuit and not be afraid I'll make everyone gouge there eyes out in horror. Scratch hopefully, I know I'll do it.

so no processd food at all at night? or overall? lol…and how long should i do this you think? because i think i am an endo meso…because i have a muscular build but put on weight too easy…bit of both really, and i also heard somewhere that when mesos slim down they dont really need to build up because of that broad look they already have and that built look, is this true do you think? because im also big boned lol.but for the meantime i will just try my best to avoid wheat, which is really difficult in my house, as it seems to be rice and curry at night all the times.

I've managed to jog three miles in a row for the past two nights! Wahoo! I have to give myself some credit – i've never run more than one mile in a row! I was just wondering though, my goal is to get really lean and toned but not bulky. That's why i'm backing off the weights a little and trying to do more cardio. Running won't make me get big legs or a big butt will it?

Hey rusty,
Great post. My question is a little off topic, but I was wondering how much an apple can affect my cardio workout results. If I haven't eaten anything all day and then I do my 30 minutes on the treadmill, I feel so weak and exhausted. Eating an apple 1-2 hours beforehand helps so much but I don't know if that ruins my carb depleted state and slows my fat loss.

Steve P,

I had no idea those guys maintained that type of speed for 2 hours straight. That type of speed is faster than a lot of people can sprint. Completely unreal!

shailja,

Keep at it. It becomes easier the more you do it.

Remon,

Try adding a variety into your workout and do more lifts and exercises if possible. It will make pushups a lot easier.

Katie,

I'm still not quite to the point to write the e-book. I want to feel like I have really blitzed this blog and helped countless people, before I work on the book. When I am writing the book, I may have to turn commenting off…so I have enough time to complete it. I decided to postpone that, because I want this blog to develop a little further first. I also didn't want to leave questions unanswered, etc. It is on the backburner for the time being. You guys will be the first to know when I release it!

Remon,

You can increase your rest to two minutes. That would probably help a lot.

Brad,

I like your thinking…you are not giving fat a chance! The workout you described is very similar to what I would recommend to someone who was going on a tropical vacation. This will work extremely well. I am going to write a free report about a 21 day "vacation workout" that is 21 days in a row of strategic cardio and weight lifting. It is actually quite similar to what you have outlined and works very well.

Putzboy,

Thanks for the compliment. I always enjoy it when people tell me they like my site…it never gets old. About the James Bond Swimsuit…you will feel exposed! Seriously…I'm used to wearing those Abercrombie style "board shorts". Tell you what…if you do decide on putting on a pair on the 007 style swimsuit, it will be a great incentive to get in shape! I can tell by your attitude that you will get there.

Hassan,

You can do it. Think "vegetables" instead of grains and it will help you get lean. I love Indian food, so I would have a tough time in your position as well.

Tesa,

Running is the exact thing you need to do to keep your butt and thighs small. I live by a park in downtown Seattle and over 75% of the women that run on a regular basis in this area have amazing bodies. You will love what it does for your body. Three miles is a serious accomplishment, by the way!

TJ,

If you are feeling weak, an apple is fine. It is around 60-80 calories, which you will burn through quickly. Try some days with and some days without. This is one of the only snacks I would recommend before a cardio session…and only for those people who are having a tough time with their energy levels.

Rusty

lol yeaah…but i need examples of what type of veggies, because when i think veggie…only ones that come to mind are tomato n brocoli lol

Hey Rusty. Great article as always. I think I'm like you. Weight lifting is definitely my focus but unlike the majority of people I love to run aswell. I therefore make sure that I get at least one intense running session in each week (two if possible). However, my bodyweight strength is definitely an area that could be improved. I recently attended a circuit training class and was in absolute agony after performing an hours worth of rapid bodyweight exercises.

I definitely need to schedule more bodyweight exercises into my routine. Maybe a few pressups in the morning if I can get myself out of bed lol.

Rusty, this might seem like a weird question as it isn't directly related to building a sexy body (lol), but I have a question about proportions. I am 6'3 but wear only a 32 inseam in pants, so I have a long torso. I guess I have more of a "swimmers body" than a runner. I used to be on the track team in high school and have run sub 5:30 miles. I quit running awhile back and one of the major reasons is I knew I did not have the right body type for serious track and field on the college or professional level (of course there are exceptions but generally speaking.) I sometimes feel that having a long torso and short legs make me less athletic with "land sports". Also at my height, I can just barely dunk on a 10 foot basket. Mainly I feel that I am a pretty good athlete, but my "explosive skills" i.e. sprinting jumping etc are hampered due to my body type. Do you have any advice/insight on this?

I just have to say, I was reading Health magazine and it says to eat a carb rich snack 20 minutes before your morning workout or else you'll be sore and weak all day! Haha and this is why people aren't seeing the results they deserve for their hard work! I feel bad for people who are going to read that article and believe every word of it – I used to be one of those people and I never lost weight!

ahhh jus did sum cardio, footy once again lol…3 hours of constant runin and stopping, feels great

oh yeea….did soo much cardio…3 hours of football once again lol…feeels soo good this time, because i ran that extra mile, just need help with the diet now.

Hassan,

I live off of salads made with lettuce, onions, celery, rice vinegar dressing and chicken breasts for 2-3 weeks when I want to get really lean. I have an apple for dessert and then drink a ton of water. It works every time. Other veggies…asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, green onions, peppers, etc. Stick with a lot of green veggies. Just go to the produce section and grab green veggies like crazy.

JR,

You were meant for the water. That is cool. I am the opposite…I can jump and run, etc…but I'm not a good swimmer. Don't sweat it. It is great that you are tall and can still find jeans that fit. I have around a 36" inseam and it is a pain!

TJ,

Yep…terrible advice that I hear ALL the time. I will recommend an apple to some people if they feel really weak before working out, but that is 60 calories. The only advice that would be worse than eating a bunch of carbs before training would be to drink sports drinks DURING the workout (I actually see this a lot).

Hassan,

You will get there. Just think "veggies and lean meat", "veggies and lean meat"…this will be your mantra for a while!

Have a great one,

Rusty

dear Rusty,
I was told to read your blog by my ex-personal trainer (he just resigned and left me there alone!). What a great things you have in here! There are so many things I want to try in my next workout.. Anyways, I do have some questions for you about my workout. I'm 29 years old, with a 3 year old daughter, 5'1" and 105lb. I need to shed off that last pounds from the post pregnancy weight (especially those thighs, and the flabby abs. I used to weigh 135 for 2 years after my baby was born!). My questions are:
1. Since I only have 1 hr max to work out every day (5day/week), what would be the best workout for me??
Should I just concentrate on cardio for the whole hour? or both cardio and lifting as well?
2. This is what I had today (first day of warrior diet!)
Cardio at 6 am
1 cup of papaya at 10 am
3 med bananas at 6 pm (I was really hungry.
broiled chicken+ 1 cup of vegies + 2 pieces of tofu at 630 pm
1 large apple at 830pm
2 boiled eggs at 930 pm
(NOW I'm FULL)

What do you think about my day?? was it too much??
I really need your guidance on this..

thanks,
Tanya

ok thaks rusty, was going to say, how many times should i eat that? lol

Okay Rusty, I have a question about body fat estimators and waist to hip ratio calculators. I'm not fat – i'm actually in pretty good shape. But i've tried online calculators for body fat and some tell me i'm about 18% while some tell me i'm 31%! This makes absolutely no sense to me. I work out 5 days a week, almost never eat more than 1000 calories and am at a healthy weight. But when I do a waist, hip thing it tells me i'm fat! I'm freaking out right now and I have no idea what is right. Even if I lost ten more pounds (then I would be at my minimum weight for my height) I would still be classified as fat according to these standards. I'm totally baffled.

Tanya,

Your daily calories look a bit light, but you can eat low for a while until you reach your target weight. As far as what to do if you only have one hour? I would do 20 minutes of lifting, 10 minutes of really intense cardio followed by 30 minutes of steady state cardio. You can actually get a lot of lifting done in 20 minutes. You don't need a ton of volume to tone the muscles. This will work well.

Hassan,

A good strategy for eating is to eat two low calorie, low carb, for meal one and two…then workout…wait one hour and then eat your major meal…which should still be low to moderate carb until you reach your target weight.

Tesa,

Get your body fat measured by a trainer. They will use calipers and give you a much more accurate measurement. My girlfriend has a big hip to waist ratio, but isn't fat…she just has a nice "girlie" shape!

Have a great one!

Rusty

ok ok i will do that

Hello from England Rusty,

I've been reading your site for a while now – a wealth of knowledge and a resource I cannot stop coming back to. It's great. Especially to see my idol & inspiration Bruce Lee getting a mention – what serious fitness site would leave him out!?

I expect to be an avid poster from here on out – so here goes…

I have always been big on fitness and would value your opinion on the following change I propose to make to my training regime.
I have been alternating weights/cv days (I know you like to do a cv session following 30 your weights but I can't get away from the bodybuilding "truths" of getting post-workout protein asap after your final rep. This brings me to a side question:
Assuming ones goal is to stay toned (not bulking) do you think the vital window of opportunity to build/repair muscle is lost/reduced after doing weights if you put in a CV session too? (I wouldn't really want to inhibit any muscle growth but equally am not obsessed with being massive)

On to my main question. I am about to embark on a week long cycle between muscle/CV focus:
Week 1 – CV(HIIT+Longer, steady cv) 3 days + 2 days of circuits to keep the weights going. Food – Reduce the calories
Week 2 – Do 3 split weight sessions + 2 days of HIIT. Food – Raise the calories.

(I must thank you as it is through this excellent website that I got this idea. I listened to the mp3 that you linked in another post.)
Do you think that this CV/lifting week split will be effective to maintain/grow muscle and strip fat?
I guess I wont know until I try it but I would think that feeding my body for a week will be enough to get good muscle growth/tone and then pushing myself through an intense week of CV and more modest diet, will hopefully make that 'stubborn fat' (those bottom 2 abs I just can't seem to expose!) drop off.

Your advice/suggestions are equally treasured this side of the pond.

Luke.

Luke,

Every time I read a post from England…it makes me want to visit. Seriously…London looks like a blast (although I hear it is expensive).

I love it when you guys take these principles and create your own strategies. That is one of the reasons I don't post really specific routines…as long as certain principles are followed there are TONS of different workouts that work.

I actually like your approach A LOT. Seriously…it looks like a winner. You will lean out very well following this workout. I have a feeling that you will gain a lot of strength by letting your body rest a week in between the heavy lifting sessions (although circuit training is no picnic).

This is an extremely creative way to incorporate circuit training into a weight lifting program. Let me know how it works. I may just have to do a post on this workout if it works as well as it should. Of course I'll give you credit.

As far as the post workout meal. The flip side to not eating for an hour after working out allows for a greater HGH response from your workout. I guess if fat loss is your main focus, then no harm in doing cardio after lifting. If muscle gain is your goal, then drink a quick digesting protein shake.

Glad to have you as a reader/contributor Luke!

Rusty

Rusty,

Great site man,I keep coming back daily lol.

My question is similar to Luke's.My goals are to BOTH gain muscle and lose some fat.What do you think about lifting,then drinking a protein shake,waiting 20 mins,then hitting the elliptical for an hour? What kind of results will I get? Will it work well or be counterproductive?

Thanks a lot!

Moti,

I wouldn't obsess too much about getting protein right after lifting. You will get better fat burning results if you wait until the entire workout is done. Drink a shake and then eat a protein rich meal one hour after. It works a little better that way.

Rusty

Thanks a lot Rusty,

Just to clarify: since I workout in the morning I should wake up,lift,do cardio,then eat…what type of results will this achieve? A body with both muscle and tone? I am going for the Chris Evans/Raul Bova look.

You da man!

The running is doing wonders for my body! The change is incredible. I ran a mile in 8 1/2 minutes the other day! I know it's nothing spectacular but I haven't run that fast since 6th grade! I'm able to do about four miles now, granted I walk in between, but it's getting easier. However, I don't know if i'm eating enough. I've been trying to cut carbs so I can get lean but it's making working out really hard because I work out a lot. I run 3 miles a day now, weight lift twice and week and go to yoga once a week. I'll have something like a cup of milk with slimfast for breakfast, an apple for lunch – then work out about 2 hours later and then I have maybe some soy chicken (i'm a vegetarian haha) and another apple, maybe some low fat cottage cheese. But the point is the grand total is averaging about 650 – 700 calories. I don't want my body to eat muscle instead of fat so I don't know what to do at this point. Any help would be great. Thanks Rusty!

Moti,

That is exactly what you should do. If you want to lose weight a bit faster you also should ingest 200mg of caffeine 30 minutes before training. You are on the right track for sure. How can I be the man if YOU are the man!

Tesa,

You can eat low calorie days like this, but mix in higher calorie days as well. Maybe eat some granola and yogurt for dessert in the early evening…eat a bit more fruit, etc. Try to get those calories a bit higher.

Hope that helps!

Rusty

Thanks for the encouragement Rusty.
Im half way through my first 'CV focussed week'. Its been sunny over here this week – can you believe it! the gym is becoming a sweat box. Air con can only do so much.

Circuit training tomorrow night – its been a while.
(I didn't mention in my last post but I am training with a torn major pectoral tendon, it happened playing rugby back in November so no longer painful but it is very limiting – I've had to ditch chest exercises all together and most bodyweight stuff I'm desperate to get back to the chinning bar and be able to do more than 4 pressups without pain! In fact, results from my MRI scan tomorrow – so hopefully the doc will say surgery will repair it all. I've just been working around it really.

I'll take a few weigh-ins/fat % calculations and let you know how this training it is going in four weeks or so.

Yup you should definitely get yourself over to London – I was in the city today, a little bit of sun and all green spaces are packed with suits eating their lunch lol. Bring your trainers and try out a 'quaint English gym' lol .. no seriously thought, I think we are slowly getting the big factory style gyms up – Virgin Active etc but I've seen those American Gold's Gyms in Jay Cutler videos lol – massive! Everythings bigger in the US though right? I've not been – but will do so in the future.

Cheers,

Luke.

Luke,

Sorry to hear about your torn rotator cuff. That bites! You should see my gym…it is obnoxiously big! I swear it has something like 50+ treadmills. It is massive. Keep me updated. London sounds great!

Rusty

Rusty,

Have you seen this site?

http://www.sealfitnesschallenge.com/index.html

It is amazing how close their numbers are to what
you have listed in this post.

Dave

Hey Rusty. I haven't been frequenting your site in months since I was in the process of trying to pack on some muscle, hence bulking up. Well, after a few months of lifting excessively heavy, eating dangerously all of the time(every 2-3 hours) and using weight gainers, I ultimately felt and feel like crap. The hardest part of gaining muscle is eating continuously, at least for me. I'm not used to eating 3 boiled eggs/ two scoops of oatmeal and a protein shake every morning.
However, I gained about 7 pounds MAX over the course of 3 months. I have a VERY hard time putting on weight btw, which is something that a lot of people seem to tag as a "hard gainer".
Anyway, while 'beating up' my biceps every Friday with a 40lb dumbbell(heavy for me at least, I weigh 150lbs) I felt a surge of lightening shoot from my shoulder straight through my bicep and down my arm. It triggered a white hot pain for a split second, which I sheepishly ignored and continued bouncing to other machines that worked out that specific muscle group thinking I could 'iron out' the soreness with other exercises. Ugh.
Well, I play tennis, twice a week, sometimes more, and noticed that only several serves into my game a week ago, my left arm(I'm a south paw) KILLED to the point where I could even lift it. Pretty damn embarrassing as I had to retire from the match. Long story short, the constant state of being sore and being junked up with high calorie/high sugared weight gainers, has left me pissed off and longing to tone and NOT bulk. I'm done with 'lifting' heavy. The reason why I wanted to bulk was simply to add a little bit more muscle to my body since I'm naturally skinny.
Just thought I would share my experience with 'bulking'.

I only do HIIT once a week since I play tennis(lots of cardio in that game) But all in all, I'm going to create a routine of lifting lighter for strength, and tone.

Do you think 2 sets of 15 reps for biceps is good?
I work out one muscle group a day, so like, chest will be Monday, back will be Tuesday, Wed are for legs, Thursday shoulders, Friday biceps/triceps/ Saturday-Sunday rest.

Hope all is well,

–Ernesto

Hey Rusty

First of all,Thanks for such a nice blog!

I'm 19 yrs old,185 lbs body fat around 22%,virtually no muscle (My lifestyle is sedentary).People say that I look 25 yrs old.Is it because of my excess body fat?
My face is little chubby ,I have pot belly.While surfing the internet I stumbled upon few forums in which I get contradicting information.At some places people say that Excess Fat makes you look older,while some say that it makes you look younger and at some places people say that "While losing body fat,Older people will look older and younger people will look younger".Would you please clarify?

Will my face become wrinkly and old if I will lose weight?

I think you should post something regarding weight loss and age factor.

Regards!

Ernesto,

In your case, since you have some sort of injury or pinched nerve you may want to lift light for higher reps. I have an alternative suggestion for you.

Why don't you "lift light weights like they were heavy"? I know this sounds like I have gone mad, but please read this post and it will make more sense.

Lift Light Weights for Low Reps to Gain Strength and Muscle Definition

Rusty

PS: You will feel much better with much less food in your system. Your digestive system works best if you let it clean itself out every now and then. Non-stop food makes me feel terrible!

Mike,

You have a LONG time before you need to worry about looking old. It is my experience that the best looking people stay lean year in and year out…they don't go up and down in weight. I have seen someone who is overweight at the age of 50 look older after dropping a bunch of weight, because the skin ends up looking loose. The skin looses it's elasticity as people get older. My advice is for people to get lean before they hit their late 30's and stay that way their entire life.

Hope that helps!

Rusty

hey rusty, im a 17 year old from london, england and im trying to get into shape. i am trying not to get big and bulky but just reeli lean with good muscle definition and low body fat. i understand i need to do a lot of cardio, but when doing weights should i do them before or after and also should i use heavy or light weights for long or short reps? itd be reeli cool if u could reply to me.

thanks again, your site is reeli helpfull

Michael

Michael,

Do weights first then cardio. Actually, you may want to try this routine for a while as well.

How to Get Stronger Than Ever While Burning Body Fat

Also…here are some of my posts on "muscle definition"…I just searched for the term in the "search" box in the upper right hand corner.

http://fitnessblackbook.com/?s=muscle+definition

Need to visit London some day!

Rusty