more weight less reps or the opposite?

[kensouKOF99]

ok this is the thing im going for the bruce lee bod but i want the strength to i dont want all muscle and no go, no power, so what should i do to be nice and cut but also strong as an ox lol some say more weight less rep but then some say less weight more rep? what do i do to get the strength and tone bruce had ?

[Yohan]

ok this is the thing im going for the bruce lee bod

Pretty subjective goal - it's going to have more to do with your diet than your lifting routine.

but i want the strength to

Then you are going to want to build lean muscle mass, which will help you create power.

i dont want all muscle and no go, no power,

Unfortunate fitness myth here. Power and strength actually come from having more lean muscle mass.

so what should i do to be nice and cut but also strong as an ox lol some say more weight less rep but then some say less weight more rep? what do i do to get the strength and tone bruce had ?

If you want to build muscle, do high weight, low reps, and eat plenty of food - enough to put on weight. If you want to lose weight then do high weight, low reps, and eat less than enough food so that you lose weight.

Tone is a meaningless fitness buzz word - to tone is essentially to build muscle and lose fat, which typically can't be done simultaneously.

[kensouKOF99]

thanks any other input?

how do i get the bruce lee bod and strength diet and lift more weight?

[Fish Of Doom]

build a crapton of muscle then diet like hell without dying.

and pray you are genetically inclined to have a similar body structure.

[kensouKOF99]

and whats this LEAN muscle mass u speak of?

[Yohan]

Lean muscle mass is just mass that's made of muscle, as opposed to mass that's made of fat. Your body is made up of:

Internal organs
Bones
Muscle
Fat

Look at my fitness blog in my sig.

[CosmicFish]

build a crapton of muscle then diet like hell without dying.
To be fair, he could probably skip the first stage. Bruce wasn't exactly the biggest bloke on the planet.

[Fish Of Doom]

true :p

[kensouKOF99]

so if i left more weight and less reps and diet ill be stronger and have the bruce lee bod?

[Ty-00]

Are you reading what they are saying? If you diet you will struggle to put on weight, as muscle or fat. You need to accept that you will put on some fat when you try to gain muscle mass quickly, at a later stage you can work off the fat while maintaining the muscle. So eat lots, do low rep workouts, then a few months down the track change your diet and burn off the excess fat.

[Topher]

Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on fat loss and then built muscle?

[kensouKOF99]

im with topher that makes more sense right? im already pretty skinny like 5'7 and i weight about 135

[19thlohan]

In order to build muscle you need to eat alot. That means you are going to put on some fat as well so build your muscle first then work on losing the fat.

[Yohan]

Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on fat loss and then built muscle?

Read my training blog. I have been lifting under hypertrophy parameters for over 6 months and have dropped over 30 lbs and have an excellent physique. If you are after high performance and an excellent physique, I recommend sports/performance training, which includes lifting high weights with low reps.

[kensouKOF99]

i dont want HUGE muscle some said i should diet and lift hevyer weight

and do i need to build big muscle to be strong?

[Gary]

Huge muscles won't come by accident! Your training, diet and sleep all need to be spot on for many years to get huge naturally. If you want to look like Bruce Lee big muscles just aren't going to happen.

[Hiroji]

do a lot of conditioning, do 1-2max strenght lifts a week, and eat nothing but noodles.

[tom pain]

? im already pretty skinny like 5'7 and i weight about 135

i dont want HUGE muscle

Dude, you are aaages away from getting huge muscle at that weight. I'm just a little bit taller than you and have around 50lbs over you, and I'm not huge.


Here's an idea: Don't aim for Bruce Lee's body. He got that through good genetic and years of strict training/diet. Instead, just lift weights, eat right and gain the best physique that you can achieve.

[Nuklz]

to tone is essentially to build muscle and lose fat, which typically can't be done simultaneously.

are you sure about this, if you lift weights and train aerobics/cardio on alternating days, would you not build muscle and burn fat together?

[Yohan]

are you sure about this, if you lift weights and train aerobics/cardio on alternating days, would you not build muscle and burn fat together?

I don't believe you will get any appreciable muscle gain. You could, however, have 2 week cycles - 2 weeks of lifting under hypertrophy parameters and eating surplus, 2 weeks of aerobics/cardio, or lifting, and eat less than you burn.

[Gary]

I don't believe you will get any appreciable muscle gain. You could, however, have 2 week cycles - 2 weeks of lifting under hypertrophy parameters and eating surplus, 2 weeks of aerobics/cardio, or lifting, and eat less than you burn.
As usual I have to agree with Yohan, trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time is like driving a car with one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator. You'll achieve something, just not as much as you could have. That's the biggest problem with recomposition instead of a particular aim, it's very tricky to get your diet optimal for each goal at the right times.

[Topher]

As usual I have to agree with Yohan, trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time is like driving a car with one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator. You'll achieve something, just not as much as you could have. That's the biggest problem with recomposition instead of a particular aim, it's very tricky to get your diet optimal for each goal at the right times.
But you can do weight training for fat loss, right? Just don't try and build muscle and loose fat together?

[Gary]

But you can do weight training for fat loss, right? Just don't try and build muscle and loose fat together?
Definitely! Tabata style front squats for example are very effective.

[adouglasmhor]

Here's an idea: Don't aim for Bruce Lee's body. He got that through good genetic and years of strict training/diet. Instead, just lift weights, eat right and gain the best physique that you can achieve.


Thread Winner.

[kensouKOF99]

thanks guys ill post up pictures sooner or later like before and afters to see what u guys think

[kensouKOF99]

and ill post my work out

[Yohan]

But you can do weight training for fat loss, right? Just don't try and build muscle and loose fat together?

You can do weight training for fat loss, but most importantly, your diet regulates whether you lose fat. Essentially:

Calorie expenditure - calorie intake = caloric deficit (weight loss)

So in this case (normal calorie expenditure + calorie expenditure during weight training) - calorie intake = calorie deficit

[EvilhomerNZ]

Hey Yohan, been watching your blog's progress.

Just thought I'd point it out seeing as noone else did..

Nice scratch marks on the back in one of your shots :P I trust the hardwork at the gym is paying off?

[Svart]

Hey Yohan, been watching your blog's progress.

Just thought I'd point it out seeing as noone else did..

Nice scratch marks on the back in one of your shots :P I trust the hardwork at the gym is paying off?

Hahaha dude I saw that too and had a giggle to myself.

[Yohan]

:D;)

[tophalf69]

Control of carbs is much more important if you want to lose fat while training to maintain/gain muscle tissue. Carbs and protein yield somewhere in the region of 4 calories per gram and fat is around 9 per gram. If you removed all of your carb calories completely and replaced them with the same number of protein calories then even though your calorie intake would be the same you would lose weight and quite quickly if your carb intake was previously high. Likewise if you increased your calorie intake using fats and removed all your carbs again you would lose weight. Basically speaking a calorie isn't just a calorie in the way it acts on your body. Unfortunately it isn't even so simple when it comes to utilising carbs as carbs vary in the way that they act in the body also.
The most important thing is the balance of the foods you are consuming and being aware of how many grams of carbs and protein you are taking in to try and manipulate body composition.
Don't get me wrong, simnply reducing food intake as a whole will result in weight loss but at the cost of muscle tissue also and that isn't good.

I have competed in a few bodybuilding comps and the eye is mostly on the carb intake, more so than protein and fats.

I think an important point also on this thread is that Bruce Lee wasn't big by any stretch of the imagination but he was in amazing condition.
It is the condition that gives the impression of size by showing the muscularity.
I currently am in a "cutting" phase. I have lost somwhere in the region of 7lbs of fat which isn't much but I always carry a six pack so don't vary too much. Even though I have lost some fat a few people have told me that I am looking bigger, I am not bigger, it is purely that I LOOK bigger.
This is the priniple behind bodybuilding competition, I am normally around 224lbs at 5' 9 " but would compete at about 195lbs, a lot lighter and smaller but looking bigger on stage than if I carried the extra weight.

If you train with high intensity (NOT lots of sets!!!), progressively increase weights, using compound exercises, eat at least 200g of protein per day (preferably more but play it by ear) control your carb intake and have adequate rest between weight workouts you should be able to put some tissue on which in turn will alter your body fat percentage and make you look leaner as well as the fact that training with weights keeps your metabolism high 24hrs per day if you are training hard enough then in time your goals will be achieved. Losing fat first then trying to gain muscle while trying to keep the fat off isn't easy. If you are insistent on gaining some muscle then do that first if you must, it is MUCH easier that way. In the short term you won't look as good but in the long term you will look better :) :weightlifter:

[tophalf69]

are you sure about this, if you lift weights and train aerobics/cardio on alternating days, would you not build muscle and burn fat together?

It can be done but it's not easy. Your diet, training, rest, supplementation basically everything has to be spot on. It normally takes experience to be able to achieve this so unless you have it you need good advice, ie complete diet and weight training routine and a rather large dollop of will power cos it is tough going!!