Burn the gut or Build the arms, or both?

• RushingStream
  
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  May 20, 2012 4:23 AM GMT

  Hookay, so last summer I did the mistake of partying too much and drinking too much alcohol and the result was a beer gut that I was not too proud of. I tried to loose it during both semesters at college but I just wasn't finding the time nor the energy to loose any significant weight.
  
  However, now that summer has officially started again I have enough time to focus on loosing the beer gut. (No more parties and alcohol this time)
  
  At the same time I want to get bigger arms and basically get bigger all around. That has always been a wish of mine. After doing some research I came to realize that doing too much cardio will diminish the building of muscular mass , so it seems I have to choose between loosing the gut or building the mass.
  
  So the questions: do I have to choose one or the other? Or is there a method that allows me to loose the gut and get bigger at the same time? I'm aware that this question has probably been asked and discussed many times before but I just became a member of this site and unfortunately I do not have enough time to look for a tread that will answer my problems specifically. Anyone kind enough to direct me to a similar thread- that will be much appreciated.
  
  

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• stratavos
  
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  May 20, 2012 1:31 PM GMT

  so no reply yet...
  
  why not build the gut while building the arms, and then in the fall do the cardio, or swim in your free time during summer (cardio based swimming)?

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  May 20, 2012 3:10 PM GMT

  Tha freakin' belly fat of mine just never goes away. With a lot of treadmill it goes down in size substantially, but never goes away completely. And when I get it to go down some, I also lose some fat in the face, which I DON'T want to lose.

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  May 20, 2012 3:11 PM GMT

  I do both!

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  May 20, 2012 3:19 PM GMT

  Ummm....I confused here.
  
  Do both!
  Neither is rocket science.
  
  Tristan
  
  WAIT---I just went back and looked at the OP's stats. He has a 29" waist!
  Doesn't sound like much of a gut.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 20, 2012 4:32 PM GMT

  @musclefetish1 : I may have a small waist, but that doesn't mean I have a flat stomach. And in all honesty it is not much of a belly but it is still bothersome and I just want it gone.
  
  @stratavos: I'm afraid if I focus too much on my arms I will feel uncomfortable with a belly still present. I am also not much of a swimmer seeing as how there are no beaches where I live. And the only gym with a swimming pool available charges way too much. So I'll need to find another cardio method.
  
  @Helios69: I just recently purchased a treadmil and I have been using it for about a week. So far, no noticable declining of the gut but it is too early to simply give up on that. I do hope that I do not experience the same dilemma you have.
  
  @JoyfullyRando: I have considered doing both, but I will have to focus more on one goal to actually see any improvement soon.

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  May 20, 2012 4:43 PM GMT

  You only have the one pic, but it seems you have a really hot face. So if I were you I wouldn't stress about a little belly. When a man has a hot face there's more flexibility with the body. Just get your arms and chest really nice and you should be fine.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 20, 2012 10:48 PM GMT

  Maybe so, but I want to loose the gut to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, as well as other avoidable illnesses. Besides, with a flat stomach and good abs my self-esteem and confidence will be through the roof. Thank you for the compliment though.
  
  As far as choosing what to do, I think I will put slightly more focus on the cardio while at the same time also working on my chest and arms. I plan to do this by doing the cardio first thing in the morning and occupying the weights during a seperate workout later in the day. Once I begin to see a noticable decrease in belly fat I will dedicate more of a greater effort on getting bigger. That seems to be my plan as of right now, but we'll see.
  
  With that said, I am still looking for any advice or testimonies anyone might want to share.

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  May 21, 2012 1:26 AM GMT

  Yeah, that belly flab can be lethal. I'm working on getting rid of it, but need to start going back to the gym.
  
  I think part of the belly flab problem is sitting in a chair for hours on end. The experts recommend avoiding sitting down as much as possible.
  
  Noticed you have nice sized wrists. Your arms are going to look even better when you're done.
  
  I have very skinny arms, but nothing can be done about bone size, I'm afraid. And nothing I've ever done has really helped with forearm size. I've done curls til I was blue in the face, but not much change.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 21, 2012 2:04 AM GMT

  I do hope you are right about my arms. In responce to your own experience, have you ever tried protein shakes or suppliments? I see a lot of buff guys who swear by their products. I have never tried anything like that, personally, but maybe I can try something out once I have fixed my belly-problem.

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  May 21, 2012 2:14 AM GMT

  Oh yeah. Tried quite a few.
  Found this, though. Gonna give these a try. Seems my routine wasn't optimized for skinny guys.
  http://www.skinnytomuscle.net/
  http://howardguy.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Build-Muscle-for-Skinny-Guys
  
  Hey, at least you have the right body type and bone size! You have the best foundation.
  
  

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 21, 2012 2:53 AM GMT

  Thanks for the linkage! I did not know about the three classifications for body types until today. I also found Vince's testimony to be somewhat inspiring. I must say that I am not too fond of the idea of increasing my consumption of calories since my primary goal is to loose the belly-fat. But I still think that all of this is definitely a step in the right direction.

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  May 21, 2012 4:23 AM GMT

  Eating more may sound scary, but it is necessary. Eating 6 small meals instead of a couple of big ones helps increase the speed of your metabolism. Even though it will seem you're eating all the time, your metabolism will rev up and you will process food more efficiently. It will not accumulate in your belly. You need the nutrients for growth. With the right foods and amount of exercise, of course.
  
  I was eating six meals a day and exercising and my belly got smaller and my muscles were more defined. Chest and abs looked better. But since I'm a skinny guy I reached a plateau because I was following the routines in the magazines and they are just not designed for skinny guys.
  
  I hope the techniques this guy uses are really what I need.

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  May 21, 2012 4:38 AM GMT

  I say take care of what concerns you the most?
  
  However, if I were in your position I would get rid of the gut and develop the arms later.

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• spinker
  
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  May 21, 2012 4:49 AM GMT

  lose the belly first.. then work the arms.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 22, 2012 12:58 AM GMT

  @Orthojock & Spinker: What matters most to me is the belly, so loosing that first and building up on the arms later seems to be the way to go.
  
  @Helios: I did not think eating more throughout the day actually helped you loose weight, but your explaination makes lots of sense. (Do not think I'm lame for not knowing the basics of workingout) I have never been as interested in doing so as much as I am today. I think I will eat more non-fatty foods to increase my metabolism that way I don't have to concern myself with how much calories I am eating. But thank you for your advice. Greatly appreciated.

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  May 22, 2012 2:36 AM GMT

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/13/should-you-eat-many-small-meals-each-day.aspx

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  May 22, 2012 6:49 AM GMT

  not hard. Do both. the fat issue is mostly diet, as, in fact, is the arm issue. You just have to get very very disciplined about eating, then lift, then do HIT. That order of importance tbh.

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  May 22, 2012 7:40 AM GMT

  Mexican food burned my gut once. It also burned my butt.
  
  I think it built my arms, too, cause I had to hold the rails next to the shitter to keep from blasting off into oblivion.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 22, 2012 6:15 PM GMT

  @Gonzo: Alright, but what does "HIT" mean? My diet mostly consists of brown rice, beans, veggies, fruits, and the occasional chicken and beef. Are there any changes you might be willing to suggest?
  
  @PaulFlexes: Haha, yeah mexican food has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. I do not eat it though because it is very high in fat. Although, I do enjoy avacado every once in a while but only because that contains good-fatties.

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• jim_sf
  
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  May 22, 2012 6:47 PM GMT

  paulflexes saidMexican food burned my gut once. It also burned my butt.
  
  I think it built my arms, too, cause I had to hold the rails next to the shitter to keep from blasting off into oblivion.

  
  
  Dysentery did that to me. I thought I was going to die, but that would have been OK because at least then my suffering would end.
  
  BUT ANYWAY.
  
  "HIT" stands for High Intensity Training, a specific approach to lifting which involves higher intensity but fewer sets. It can be very effective for building muscle mass, but it doesn't directly address your belly fat. For that, I would probably throw in an occasional HIIT (high intensity interval training) session, just for good measure.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 22, 2012 11:54 PM GMT

  @Jim: I understand now. I have a question though, how many sets are required for HIT and for how long must I keep at it in order to see progress? The HIIT method sounds interesting.

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• neosyllogy
  
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  May 23, 2012 12:02 AM GMT

  Uh, no. Just do a clean bulk. You won't lose the gut as fast, but if you're working out hard (hopefully whole body, not just arms: which is inefficient to say the least) and eating reasonably your body will burn excess calories. Just make sure you're getting a lot of protein, calculate your resting calories and eat that (normally you'd add more calories for the bulk, but this will let you add muscle by canabilizing excess fat).
  Also: putting on muscle will make losing the gut much easier as your resting metabolism will be much higher.

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• RushingStream
  
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  May 23, 2012 12:24 AM GMT

  @Neo: Well alright, but what do you mean by a "clean bulk"? And also, where do you recommend I get my protein from? And lastly, what are resting calories and how do i calculate them? I am aware that this is a lot to ask, but I'm clearly not very smart when it comes to workingout. So please bare with me here.

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  May 23, 2012 6:05 AM GMT

  
  Hi Bud, BOTH, BOTH, DO BOTH
  There are plenty of technocrats who are all scientific with their supplements and theorys and so called science. But as far as I am concerned all that is mostly bunk. It sounds like you are eating right, which is the main thing to lose weight. Pretty much like anything else, losing weight is different for everybody.
  The main thing is keep it simple. Think like fueling a machine. Clean fuel, in the right amount. Don't starve yourself but to lose weight you just need to BURN more calories than you take in. Sounds like you got that coverered pretty well. And keep your metabolism up by eating more small meals. That is definitely true. Oatmeal and fruit and things like that with bulk can make you feel full without adding a lot of calories. And working your muscles by lifting weights AND cardio is more effective than just cardio. And you will see that adding muscle you will burn more also. Don't worry about bulking up, just do high reps, Keep your heart pumping. Believe me that is how you lose weight.
  Keep your workouts from becoming boring and routine by changing up the routine and 'shocking' your body. The best way is start with a little cardio, to stretch and get warmed up, then lift some weights, then finish with more cardio.
  Does that sound like that would " KEEP YOUR HEART PUMPING" Don't over do it with carbs (like bread, grains etc), but don't be afraid to use them also, That is your source of energy. Chemical burners are mostly a waste of time and money. Also building muscle you will burn more energy naturally which is burning calories. You need to replenish your body after working out within about an hour to recover. Use PROTEIN, like meat, eggs etc, that is what your body uses to build muscle. Yes science but not chemical, or rocket science.
  It does take time but its the same pretty much either way with or without supplements. Just keep your calorie intake lower than what you burn. Mostly by just KEEPING YOUR HEART PUMPING! You will see results soon enough.
  And MUCHO RESPECTO for being an open minded Christian. That is the way to live healthy physically AND spiritually. Alcohol is a problem in more ways than we americans like to admit. Anyway Keep it up!

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