Getting lean

[boxerEli]

Hey guys

Ive never had a weight problem or anything like that, becasue I work out and box. I just want to know how to get very lean,I am 5'8 165 lbs, with some fat on me. Pretty much i want to be lean enough to have a 6 pack, to give you an idea of what im talking about.

So if i should bump up the cardio, do certain weight traing, or change my diet, any responses are appreciated.

[Filero]

Hate to say it, but the answer is: bump up the cardio, do weight training, and change your diet

[boxerEli]

thanks man

yea im just not sure what to do with the weights, like lift small weights alot, or heavy weights with less reps

and my diet sucks, thats gona be the hardest part to change

[Ghost]

depends what you want exactly but id say for now hit the 3x12 or around there type rep range with as heavy as you can manage for that weight.
However, as you imply that you find it all quite hard, just change one thing at a time.
Firstly sort your diet out.
Just work on that and when you have got that nailed for a month add weight, then cardio, or cardio then weight. doesnt matter.

SO many ways to go about doing things, many right ways and many wrong ways.

[rvafighter]

Abs are made in the kitchen.

Unless you are genetically gifted (as some people are and can eat anything and maintain defined abdominals), you will have to cut out a lot of your carbohydrate intake, any refined sugars of any kind, eat lots of protein, etc.

You'll want to have your body utilizing stored fat as an energy source, as opposed to pulling sugars from your blood to fuel your muscles. To do that, you'll need to stabilize your blood insulin level as much as possible, which means eating 5-6 small meals daily. You want to eat in a way that your caloric intake is less than what you burn, but still provide your body with enough protein so that you don't digest existing muscle mass to make repairs.

All that being said, a lot of it depends on your body and metabolism type. See a registered dietitian if you are serious about it, they'll point you in the right direction.

[Filero]

Originally Posted by boxerEli

thanks man

yea im just not sure what to do with the weights, like lift small weights alot, or heavy weights with less reps

and my diet sucks, thats gona be the hardest part to change

Diet is job #1. Make small changes and adjust to them, so that you can live with them indefinitely, rather than doing some goofy crash diet, and you can walk away from this exercise with a healthier lifestyle for life.

On weights, you'll be doing both of what you stated above. For strength training, you'll be working heavy weights for low reps; a typical 5x5 scheme works well. This will give you fastest strength gains. Since you should be moving to a caloric deficit, you won't be seeing big muscle size gains anyway, no matter what you do, so I'd rather see you using a protocol that still keeps you seeing gains on strength and power, instead of a protocol that is focused on muscle growth (e.g., 3x12) since you won't be seeing big muscle growth regardless.

As part of you cardio, you might lift lighter weights. For example, here's Ross's Magic 50 workout, a simple and deceptively brutal cardio and muscle endurance killer:

5 rounds of:
1. 5 dumbell snatches each arm
2. 5 dumbell swings each arm
3. 10 burpees
Rest one minute between rounds

Obviously, since the above is a cardio workout, you'll be using lighter weight on the snatches than you would during a strength workout. I don't believe light weights and high reps have much of a use by themselves. But put that kind of protocol in a cardio exercise where you're in serious oxygen debt, and you have a killer calorie-burner (not to mention you'll be building characteristics that will pay dividends in boxing).