Body fat %

[hevs10593]

Is anyone else just focusing on lowering this? I've lost the weight I need to and now I'm working on toning up my muscles and lowering my fat % for muscle definition. I bought some scales that read fat % and I can see it very slowly lowering. I want to be toned by July for my holiday. I go to the gym 4/5 times a week to do a variety of HIT training and weights.

[ALittleFaith]

I find it helpful to do weight, body fat % and measurements. Sometimes if you're exercising and building muscle you don't see weight loss on the scales but if you check your body fat it goes down. Definitely worth doing both.

[Vivacia]

It sounds as though you are attempting a recomp

What is your weight lifting routine, and what's your diet like?

[hevs10593]

What's a recomp? I do weights 2/3 times a week. I'm doing lots of squats to tone my bum/legs and I'm working on my abs. I do weights classes too because I'm not really an expert on what to do with weights at the gym aha

[hevs10593]

Also my diet is healthy lots of fresh fruit and veg lean meat and fish I've tried upping the protein too seen as I've been doing more weights.

[sleepwhenidie]

Think about it this way-you can move your bf% in two ways-by reducing body fat or by increasing muscle mass. It is very difficult to do both at the same time, mainly because you need a calorie deficit to lose fat but muscles require extra calories (in the form of protein). This is why body builders go through cutting phases (less food, less intense weight training) to drop fat, and bulking phases (piles of protein, intense weight training) to build muscle. Theres often a 'honeymoon period' of up to 6 months when people new to regular exercise that includes weight training manage to do that but after that it's much harder. So perhaps focus on one at a time, if you want to attack the fat itself then keep your diet as it sounds and do more HIIT as a priority. If building muscle then look at how much protein you are eating and prioritise the weights. MFP can be a useful tool to track macronutrients, see how much protein you are getting.

[Vivacia]

Sorry, "recomp" - "body recomposition" it means you are wanting to gain muscle whilst losing fat. (The latter is implied by you not wanting to put on weight which is what happens when you build muscle).

How heavy are the weights you lift when you do squats or abs? I am convinced by the school of thought that recommends heavy lifting. Lifting heavy weights for low reps.

I asked about your diet to check on the protein. Might be worth calculating how much protein you take in daily. I aim for 100g and am satisfied if I hit 80g.
The other reason for asking is to ensure that you're taking in enough carbs to fuel your workouts.

I'd love to hear more about your weights classes, my gym doesn't offer them and I'm pretty much self-taught.

[hevs10593]

It's just a boost pump class but if I hadn't if started that I wouldn't have touched weights because I don't have a clue. It's uses a bar with weighs and free weights to do all kind of reps on most muscle groups. It's a really good class and I get more enjoyment out of the classes than I do they gym itself! Thanks for your advice I'll just keep working, my % is slowly coming down just got to keep working on it.

[hevs10593]

Body pump** not boost silly auto correct

[sleepwhenidie]

To be honest, IMO the best thing you can do is stick to what you enjoy and not get too obsessed with diet, it can be slightly crazy-making counting protein grammes and % of split of macros. Eat mindfully, aim to include protein and good fat at every meal and snack, together with loads of veg and regular consistent strength training and whatever other exercise that you like and you should end up with great physical (and mental) results .

[Vivacia]

I would say that Body Pump is more aimed towards endurance, and more people would classify it as cardio rather than weights. When I did Pump, I was really surprised at how little instruction was given on good form and how to perform the moves.

If you want to get the toned look, than you need to lift progressively. I would recommend a beginner's programme such as New Rules Of Lifting For Women, Strong Curves or Stronglifts 5x5.

It sounds as though you love your Body Pump though - and enjoyment and motivation are 90% of the battle, aren't they?

[hevs10593]

I wouldn't say my pump is cardio as such. I've upped my weights as and when but the routines consistently change which makes it challenging as its never the same its always mixed up. I suppose it depends on the instructor and the gym but I think mine is really good

[Vivacia]

I agree that Pump is a great class, lots of fun and I certainly don't have the stamina for it. However, for that toned, "strong-not-skinny" look I am convinced by the arguments for heavy lifting. My working weight for squats is about 130lb. What would be typically used in Pump?