How do I get cut?
09-30-2009, 03:35 AM
#1
Moderator
Thread Starter
How do I get cut?
Ok, so I hit the gym like 2-3 times a week. Been doing so for the last 2 years. The thing is, I've been getting bigger. Like I have big arms and chest and everything, but that's not what I want. I want to get cut. How do I get these results? Is it that I have to reduce the weights and do more reps? For the first year, all I did was the opposite, increase the weight, which lessens the reps. Of course if I put two and two together, that means that more weight and less reps means that you'll get big but not cut right? I've been changing it up for the last six months now by doing less weights and more reps. I think I can see some results but I'm not entirely sure that I'm doing is right. Can someone lead me in the right direction? Thank you.
09-30-2009, 03:41 AM
#2
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Define 'cut'
Do you want every vein to be pulsating and appearing to be nearly bursting at every slight movement of your upper torso?
Do you want every vein to be pulsating and appearing to be nearly bursting at every slight movement of your upper torso?
09-30-2009, 04:03 AM
#3
Moderator
Thread Starter
oh no haha not like that. Kinda like the the guys in the bowflex or iron gym commercial. Of course not LIKE them because they're of a bigger build. Im asian so I dont think I can look like them. But I hope that can generalize what my goal is.
09-30-2009, 08:10 AM
#4
My Garage
Get the idea that 'how you lift is what's going to define your body' out of your mind.
The questions and focus here is on your diet. That's what you need to tell us about.
The questions and focus here is on your diet. That's what you need to tell us about.
09-30-2009, 10:17 AM
#6
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x3 on diet. How come it seems like black people are more cut than the white folks. I had a roommate in college say that their muscles are built a little different.
09-30-2009, 10:20 AM
#7
My Garage
I've heard this too. In fact, I've heard they have more muscles in their legs than white people. Who knows if it's true.
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09-30-2009, 10:46 AM
#9
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16937962
Well... that is not entirely true. Black men and White men typically have different muscle fibers used for different activities. Black Men tend to be faster which is good for sprinting, basketball, boxing, etc. Contrary to popular belief, white men do have great genetics for muscle building, just look at powerlifting and strong man competitions. There is also an issue of shading. The color black or any dark color for that matter further excentuates the muscle tone of the body. That is why when white men are tan they tend to look leaner and more muscular. Do not be fooled by what you see on television. We are all human and muscle knows no race. I have thought the same thing in the question you are posing, but being an avid gym goer i can personally account for muscularly huge white men, black men, asian men, hispanic men, and all other types of men. Muscle relies on genetics that is it plain and simple
If you consider that "muscle relies on genetics" than you have to consider the theory of evolution. Mainly those that are better fit for their role in life is able to survive. In the case of African Americans in America, those that have lineage tied in with slavery may genetically have an advantage in athleticism. During the time of slavery, slaves were treated in the likes of animals, those that were stronger and faster fetched a higher value. Push forward some years with some selective mating, and now you have a group of people genetically gifted in physical attributes.
Well... that is not entirely true. Black men and White men typically have different muscle fibers used for different activities. Black Men tend to be faster which is good for sprinting, basketball, boxing, etc. Contrary to popular belief, white men do have great genetics for muscle building, just look at powerlifting and strong man competitions. There is also an issue of shading. The color black or any dark color for that matter further excentuates the muscle tone of the body. That is why when white men are tan they tend to look leaner and more muscular. Do not be fooled by what you see on television. We are all human and muscle knows no race. I have thought the same thing in the question you are posing, but being an avid gym goer i can personally account for muscularly huge white men, black men, asian men, hispanic men, and all other types of men. Muscle relies on genetics that is it plain and simple
If you consider that "muscle relies on genetics" than you have to consider the theory of evolution. Mainly those that are better fit for their role in life is able to survive. In the case of African Americans in America, those that have lineage tied in with slavery may genetically have an advantage in athleticism. During the time of slavery, slaves were treated in the likes of animals, those that were stronger and faster fetched a higher value. Push forward some years with some selective mating, and now you have a group of people genetically gifted in physical attributes.
09-30-2009, 01:10 PM
#10
Team Owner
I was going to mention diet. Also try these workouts:
http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index....s/viewforum/16
If you can do Big Dawg then you're a badass. If you're on the buttercup level, then it's probably because your cardio sucked.
http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index....s/viewforum/16
If you can do Big Dawg then you're a badass. If you're on the buttercup level, then it's probably because your cardio sucked.
09-30-2009, 01:23 PM
#11
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My legs must be from Africa
09-30-2009, 01:28 PM
#12
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Thread Starter
How is my diet suppose to be? I love eating greens, so whenever I can, I would eat salads, with fat free dressings of course. I don't eat at fast food places except subway when I have an 8 hour class. I eat twice a day actually because of my schedule. I really don't know what I can do with my diet. I mean, I eat enough to get me going, and healthy enough to keep my weight. I am 5'8" at 160 lbs. I'm in the Army actually and have been working out a lot. I do a lot of running too. It's just my upper body has been getting big and it just seem unproportional to me. That's why I'm trying to get the lean and cut look. When you guys say diet, I really don't know what to tell you guys about what I eat. I eat rice, meat, salads, fruits, cooked vegetables. I take fish oil and flaxseed oil pills, mainly for my eyes since I had lasik. I run every other day.
When I work out, I focus on abs, biceps, triceps, back, and shoulders. My legs are fine, they actually look lean and kind of cut from all the running I do I guess. The reason why I think that I should do less weight and more repetition is because my abs are more cut than my arms and shoulders. I usually do incline sit ups and would do about 40-50 of them. I can never do that many reps with biceps and triceps. So for the past six months, I've lessen the weights and been trying to do 30 reps for each muscle group.
And please guys, don't ask for a picture
When I work out, I focus on abs, biceps, triceps, back, and shoulders. My legs are fine, they actually look lean and kind of cut from all the running I do I guess. The reason why I think that I should do less weight and more repetition is because my abs are more cut than my arms and shoulders. I usually do incline sit ups and would do about 40-50 of them. I can never do that many reps with biceps and triceps. So for the past six months, I've lessen the weights and been trying to do 30 reps for each muscle group.
And please guys, don't ask for a picture
09-30-2009, 02:11 PM
#13
I'm Down Right Fierce!
By cut I'm guessing you mean the "Bruce Lee" type of muscle definition? (Extreme case, but just using him as an example.)
Basically you have to drop body fat % below 10%. That requires paying attention to the details in your diet and doing some cardio to burn some of that fat.
Basically you have to drop body fat % below 10%. That requires paying attention to the details in your diet and doing some cardio to burn some of that fat.
09-30-2009, 07:56 PM
#17
Q('.')=O
iTrader: (1)
1-throw up all food
2-work your ass off at the gym
3-run 5 miles
4-eat
5-throw up everything you ate
6-work your ass off at the gym again
7-run 5 miles again
8-eat a granola bar
9-throw up granola bar
10-sleep
and repeat....
No but really...
Cut out fatty foods/exercise as much as possible/give up alcohol (I will never give up alcohol but I hear that does wonders...).
Reiterating what someone said here before... no matter how much you work out, if you don't fix your diet, you won't see that much improvement; diet is most important. You can work your ass off but if you still eat shit food you probably won't notice much of a difference. Lower your calorie intake but make sure you are eating enough to function.
There are a bunch of site out there where you can input your weight, what exercise and how often you exercise, etc.. and determines how much calories you should intake to either keep stable where you are at, gain weight, lose weight, and lose even more weight. All I can say is be careful and don't be a dumbshit and eat barely anything during the day. You need atleast like 1500 calories just to function properly (depending on your height/weight/etc). Umm hope that helps
...that being said, I'm gonna go get some Panda Express
2-work your ass off at the gym
3-run 5 miles
4-eat
5-throw up everything you ate
6-work your ass off at the gym again
7-run 5 miles again
8-eat a granola bar
9-throw up granola bar
10-sleep
and repeat....
No but really...
Cut out fatty foods/exercise as much as possible/give up alcohol (I will never give up alcohol but I hear that does wonders...).
Reiterating what someone said here before... no matter how much you work out, if you don't fix your diet, you won't see that much improvement; diet is most important. You can work your ass off but if you still eat shit food you probably won't notice much of a difference. Lower your calorie intake but make sure you are eating enough to function.
There are a bunch of site out there where you can input your weight, what exercise and how often you exercise, etc.. and determines how much calories you should intake to either keep stable where you are at, gain weight, lose weight, and lose even more weight. All I can say is be careful and don't be a dumbshit and eat barely anything during the day. You need atleast like 1500 calories just to function properly (depending on your height/weight/etc). Umm hope that helps
...that being said, I'm gonna go get some Panda Express
Last edited by imj0257; 09-30-2009 at 08:01 PM.
09-30-2009, 08:04 PM
#18
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here are some tips you see everywhere, although u probably need to hit the bodybuilding forums for some real advice. i'm not an expert but these tips are common knowledge (i think).
-better to eat a bunch of small meals over the course of the day then eat just 2 big meals. it sounds like you eat well already.
-you have to work out your legs and lift weights with them. you can't just lift with your upper body. i know you run but that's not the same thing, although it's good you're getting the cardio in. the entire body is stimulated by working out all muscle groups so you have to work out your legs too to get the max benefit of working out your upper body.
-i think you're on the right track getting more reps in with lighter weights which should get you more toned than big. also, lifting weights quickly normally gets you more strength while a slow lifting pace develops more mass -- which you don't want.
-it was already mentioned, but in order to get cut and toned it really depends on your diet and genetics more so then working out, assuming that you do actually work out.
if you're really hell bent on getting cut and toned you're probably going to need to run 5x a week and still hit the gym for proper weight lifting a few times a week too. this is exactly why we're all fat slobs, because not many of us have the time or dedication lulz.
-better to eat a bunch of small meals over the course of the day then eat just 2 big meals. it sounds like you eat well already.
-you have to work out your legs and lift weights with them. you can't just lift with your upper body. i know you run but that's not the same thing, although it's good you're getting the cardio in. the entire body is stimulated by working out all muscle groups so you have to work out your legs too to get the max benefit of working out your upper body.
-i think you're on the right track getting more reps in with lighter weights which should get you more toned than big. also, lifting weights quickly normally gets you more strength while a slow lifting pace develops more mass -- which you don't want.
-it was already mentioned, but in order to get cut and toned it really depends on your diet and genetics more so then working out, assuming that you do actually work out.
if you're really hell bent on getting cut and toned you're probably going to need to run 5x a week and still hit the gym for proper weight lifting a few times a week too. this is exactly why we're all fat slobs, because not many of us have the time or dedication lulz.
09-30-2009, 10:39 PM
#19
Moderator
Thread Starter
^^ Thanks for all your input. I'm not actually being hell bent on getting cut and be Mr. Universe. I like to workout, it's almost like an addiction. But I don't want to work out and get big. I've seen a lot of the same guys everyday and all they do is bench press. Those guys are BIG on the upper body. I don't know how to explain what they look like but if you go to gyms and watch heavy weight lifters, you might know what I'm talking about. But then I see this other guy using free weights and hardly ever lift more than his own weight, and he is toned. Maybe I used the wrong word when I said cut. Maybe I want the toned look or something. But I just don't want to be a huge guy.
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
09-30-2009, 11:03 PM
#20
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^^ Thanks for all your input. I'm not actually being hell bent on getting cut and be Mr. Universe. I like to workout, it's almost like an addiction. But I don't want to work out and get big. I've seen a lot of the same guys everyday and all they do is bench press. Those guys are BIG on the upper body. I don't know how to explain what they look like but if you go to gyms and watch heavy weight lifters, you might know what I'm talking about. But then I see this other guy using free weights and hardly ever lift more than his own weight, and he is toned. Maybe I used the wrong word when I said cut. Maybe I want the toned look or something. But I just don't want to be a huge guy.
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
Let me explain something to you. It's not easy to be big. Just because you lift heavy , does not mean you will be big. In order to get big, you need to eat (consume more calories than you burn), lift heavy, lift hard , and most importantly lift frequently.
Stay away from machines. Use free weights, avoid isolation exercises such as standing there for 30 minutes doing bicep curls, tricep extensions, leg curls etc...these are a WASTE OF TIME.
To get "ripped" as your describing - I'm assuming you want to be very defined, six pack, defined musculature, etc - you need to DIET - and DIET WELL.
There is a plethora of information in this section on proper dieting , but I will give you a general rule of thumb that if you follow I can grantee you will become shredded assuming your lifting with proper intensity.
It's very simple, so let's not over-complicate this.
Eat lean meats and fish.
Eat lots of vegetables.
Eat fruit.
Eat nuts and seeds and other alternative sources of HEALTHY Fats.
Do not eat refined sugar, sugary starchy foods.
Do not eat fried food.
Do not drink soda/ caloric beverages.
Do not drink alcohol excessively.
Do not eat dressings/mayo, - i.e condiments high in saturated fat and sugar
Eat frequently, throughout the day.
Drink alot of water.
As for a lifting regiment.
You want to do both HIGH repetition movements with light weight, with heavier weight, and LOW repetition movements with heavy weight - essentially you want to combine all weight and rep schemes together.
Throughout the week make sure your doing a combination of gymnastic, weightlifting and "cardio" movements.
Learn how to power lift and do olympic lifts. I.e ->deadlifts, all variations of the shoulder press (push press, push jerk, split jerk) , learn to clean, power clean, hang power clean, snatch, power snatch , squat etc....
Gymnastic movements are described as any exercise which moves your BODY through space.
Weight-lifting movements are described as any exercise which moves your BODY plus a foreign object through space.
And "cardio" I will define as running, swimming, rowing, and biking.
Do short, high intense intervals with your cardio. Stay away from long-distance boring regiments -
Vary your workouts frequently - varied functional movements done at high intensity is a key to success - not only in building muscle, and getting ripped, but also at becoming an effective, functional machine.
visit www.crossfit.com and read the FAQ. READ this - do not be lazy. Start to learn their workouts, and follow them. I advocate this in every thread, most people ignore it. Only after they do a workout themselves do they understand the efficiency of this programming.
Again - DO NOT OVER-COMPLICATE THIS - it's actually quite easy to be in good-shape...for the obvious reasons people are lazy and always looking for the half-assed way to lose weight.....
If you want to some sample workouts here are a few :
"Cindy"
5 pullups (chin over bar), 10 pushups (chest to floor), 15 squats (ass below parallel) - this constitutes 1 round.
Do as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes.
My top is around 22 rounds. Try and beat that.
"Hansen"
5 rounds for time (meaning perform this as fast as you can ) of :
30 KB swings/ DB swings (50-70 pounds, if this is too heavy for you, drop it to what you are comfortable with)
30 burpees (google this if you dont know)
30 situps
"Fran"
21-15-9 rep scheme
of
95lb thrusters (drop this weight if it's too heavy, and check crossfit.com exercise demo page for what a THRUSTER is)
and PULLUPS
meaning 21 thrusters, 21 pullups, 15 thrusters, 15 pullups, 9 thrusters, 9 pullups
Do this workout as fast as you can. CrossFit machines do it under 3 minutes. My personal best is high 5.
These 3 workouts will rape your lungs. They will build muscle, and rip you to shreds (there are hundreds of workouts to do, just research).
Go young one, and learn.
10-01-2009, 08:15 AM
#22
My Garage
^^ Thanks for all your input. I'm not actually being hell bent on getting cut and be Mr. Universe. I like to workout, it's almost like an addiction. But I don't want to work out and get big. I've seen a lot of the same guys everyday and all they do is bench press. Those guys are BIG on the upper body. I don't know how to explain what they look like but if you go to gyms and watch heavy weight lifters, you might know what I'm talking about. But then I see this other guy using free weights and hardly ever lift more than his own weight, and he is toned. Maybe I used the wrong word when I said cut. Maybe I want the toned look or something. But I just don't want to be a huge guy.
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
To remind those of my post, I'm mainly asking what kind of procedure can I do at the gym to get the tone look. Do I have the right idea that less weight and more repititions will give me this result?
Read the above advice a couple times. It's really good.
10-15-2009, 12:58 AM
#26
Moderator
Thread Starter
But isn't low carb diet more detrimental to your health though? I researched the Atkins and Keto diet back then and decided it wasn't for me. Since I work out 3 times a week and am active, I don't think I can stay low on the carbs.
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