I'm confused and I have a few question...help

[clash]

Hello.

I'm a little confused as to what I should to with by body. Heres some history: Im 18, 5'10 and weigh about 175. I did some half assed weight lifting in high school but nothing serious.

Anyways heres the problem. I have a really messed up body. I am what I like a call a "fat-skinny" person. Basically, I'm not overweight but I have a lot of fat. If you saw me naked, you would see stomach fat, love handles, chest fat, very "fluffy" arms etc. However, I have no strength what so ever. My friends who weight 10 15 pounds less than me can lift more and it sucks . Its kind of like a baby's body....lol. No muscle, not overweight but a layer of slab covering the whole thing.

So what should I do. I have decided that the Madcow's 3x5 program is probably best for me. However should i cut first and lose the fat or concentrate on growing muscle and cut late on? Or should I just concentrate on weight lifting and eat healthy and let my body eventually get into proper shape without specifically concentrating on bulking or cutting.

Its a lengthy post but I need real help...thanks guys.

 

[ajaygill]

do the madcow 5x5 for about 3-4 months, it'll build a good foundation. don't cut because you barely have any muscle to start out with. Good cardio + hard work = amazing results at your age. get some creatine in there and you'll be good to go.

 

[highlander555]

Dude, don't worry about cutting fat. The most important thing you should focus on right now is building a good foundation of muscle. The madcow 3x5 routine is a great way to get started. With a good plan in place, the most important bit of advice I can give is to allow a good six months for results. Don't give up just becasuse month two isn't coming along as well as you'd hoped. Stay consistant!

Good luck bro.

 

[layinback]

Dude, don't worry about cutting fat. The most important thing you should focus on right now is building a good foundation of muscle. The madcow 3x5 routine is a great way to get started. With a good plan in place, the most important bit of advice I can give is to allow a good six months for results. Don't give up just becasuse month two isn't coming along as well as you'd hoped. Stay consistant!

Good luck bro.

solid advice.

 

[SaiBoT]

Anyways heres the problem. I have a really messed up body.

Its a lengthy post but I need real help...thanks guys.

What do you mean by saying you messed your body? What's your diet and cardio history? Have you ever used hormones, steroids or prohormones?

 

[AEKDB]

You are probably like a lot of teenagers who did not play serious sports at the high school level. Assuming no drug abuse or other health issues you have nothing to worry about. Are you taller or the same height as your parents? If not, then you probably have not stopped developing yet. By your description you are an endomorph. Endomorphs tend to respond better to constant increases in weight as opposed to higher reps. A good program like a 5x5 or 3x3 including squats and deadlifts will work wonders for you.

 

[musketeer]

You're young so your body can tolerate pretty much as much as you will feel like putting it through.

Do the 3/5 x 5 and add playing sports and/ or cardio sessions to accentuate the fat burning.

Eat plenty of proteins and cut out most of the junkfood.

 

[Seattleite]

I used to be just like what you described, so I am going to tell you exactly what worked for me. First of all, you need to build up muscle before you can cut. No better way to start adding slabs of muscle than with this program:

Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version

Forget isolation exercises like bicep curls, calf raises, ab crunches, and so on. You're a beginner, and compound exercises will be your ticket.

I would also advise 30-45 minutes of cardio on your non-lifting days. So if you're lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then do your cardio sessions on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and maybe give yourself a full day of rest on Sundays. NEVER do cardio before you lift.

Eat every 2-3 hours. DO NOT restrict your calories. Keep the protein very high. Eating will not make you fat, however what you eat certainly can. Stick to foods like cottage cheese, eggs, fish, unsalted nuts, and of course your fruits and vegetables. If you can eat 6 times per day and each meal around 400-500 calories then you're off to a great start. Mix a few scoops of protein powder before and after your lifting sessions as well.

Good luck...

 

[highlander555]

I used to be just like what you described, so I am going to tell you exactly what worked for me. First of all, you need to build up muscle before you can cut. No better way to start adding slabs of muscle than with this program:

Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version

Forget isolation exercises like bicep curls, calf raises, ab crunches, and so on. You're a beginner, and compound exercises will be your ticket.

I would also advise 30-45 minutes of cardio on your non-lifting days. So if you're lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then do your cardio sessions on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and maybe give yourself a full day of rest on Sundays. NEVER do cardio before you lift.

Eat every 2-3 hours. DO NOT restrict your calories. Keep the protein very high. Eating will not make you fat, however what you eat certainly can. Stick to foods like cottage cheese, eggs, fish, unsalted nuts, and of course your fruits and vegetables. If you can eat 6 times per day and each meal around 400-500 calories then you're off to a great start. Mix a few scoops of protein powder before and after your lifting sessions as well.

Good luck...

If I had more energy the other day when I posted, I like to think I would have posted something like this.

That's some solid advice. Just remember, the Madcow plan is a solid program that's pretty simple on the surface. I think most people screw up their workouts by trying to overthink them. If you keep things simple and stay consistant, I have no doubt you'll see results.

 

[chaos13]

don't worry about the fat, hitting weights with moderate amount of cardio with a decent diet at your age will melt fat quickly