since i was little i've always been in pretty good shape and played sports regularly. I just turned 23 and I've noticed that my metabolism is slowing a little, i'm 5'10'' 167lbs. I started a 5 day workout program last week it's going good.
I want to get down to 152-160 or so but I want to be real lean and cut up. I'm running like 2-3 miles a day and doing lots of crunches, plus i play a lot of basketball at the park. My diet could use some work tho i'm sure.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

one word... run. It is the key to getting cut up. I broke my toe 5 days ago, I have put on 6lb in those 5 days just because I haven't been able to go for my normal runs. Getting ripped is all about low fat, and low fat come from lots of running.

one word... run. It is the key to getting cut up. I broke my toe 5 days ago, I have put on 6lb in those 5 days just because I haven't been able to go for my normal runs. Getting ripped is all about low fat, and low fat come from lots of running.
ok thanks, any tips on dieting? also someone told me to make sure i'm taking protein shakes after workouts. i always thought they were for packing on muscle but he said if i cut out a meal and take a protein shake instead i won't gain weight.
is that true?

MaTTUP,
I am not sure if that info on protein shakes is 100% true. For example this is a outline of my meals per day. It starts out at 5am I wake up and eat breakfast normally fruit of some sort, and yogurt and maybe some veggie sausage. Some days I go for cheerios just depends on what kind of time I have. My second meal comes around 9am. Its a small meal Im not aiming to get stuffed just something to hold me over till my lunch. So again I go for fruit and maybe some trail mix, I prefer organic, a little expensive but on the upside a small container of it is about 5 bucks but will last you like 2 weeks. Normally consists of pistachios, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, just the seeds not the shell. At 12 I have my lunch I typically bring a lunch from home, great way to keep from eating bad fast food in my opinion. Any food well I wont say any but a vast majority of the foods you cook and bring from home will be better for you compared to fast food. At 3 I am typically leaving work so I go for a protein shake before training and dinner. Then, for dinner chicken breast, salmon, salads w/ light dressing, things like that. Ive been doing this for about a month in preparation for a fight in August and I already see and feel a difference. I am no expert but these are just a few things that have helped me out, maybe they will work for you. Good luck.

MaTTUP,
I am not sure if that info on protein shakes is 100% true. For example this is a outline of my meals per day. It starts out at 5am I wake up and eat breakfast normally fruit of some sort, and yogurt and maybe some veggie sausage. Some days I go for cheerios just depends on what kind of time I have. My second meal comes around 9am. Its a small meal Im not aiming to get stuffed just something to hold me over till my lunch. So again I go for fruit and maybe some trail mix, I prefer organic, a little expensive but on the upside a small container of it is about 5 bucks but will last you like 2 weeks. Normally consists of pistachios, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, just the seeds not the shell. At 12 I have my lunch I typically bring a lunch from home, great way to keep from eating bad fast food in my opinion. Any food well I wont say any but a vast majority of the foods you cook and bring from home will be better for you compared to fast food. At 3 I am typically leaving work so I go for a protein shake before training and dinner. Then, for dinner chicken breast, salmon, salads w/ light dressing, things like that. Ive been doing this for about a month in preparation for a fight in August and I already see and feel a difference. I am no expert but these are just a few things that have helped me out, maybe they will work for you. Good luck.

By the way MaTTUP using this plan I have lost roughly ten pounds

ok thanks, any tips on dieting? also someone told me to make sure i'm taking protein shakes after workouts. i always thought they were for packing on muscle but he said if i cut out a meal and take a protein shake instead i won't gain weight.
is that true?

It depends on the kind of workout you are doing. As long as you are burning more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight. I don't really diet, I just avoid the obvious stuff like cake and pie and McDonalds. I think that everyones body has a natural weight that it likes to be at. For me that is around 155lb. I can eat as healthy as I want, but without hard work, I will never get below 155lb.

Before I broke my toe, I weighed 142lb, I am up to 148lb, I could have probably slowed the weight gain by carefully watching what I ate and counting calories, but eventually my weight would drift up to 155lb.

So for me at least, what I eat doesn't really matter, so long as I am doing the work.

thanks for your help guys, i think my main weakness is dieting. im going to try to switch up my habits and eat healthier smaller portions more frequently. i guess if i keep running 2-3 miles a day and working out mon-fri i shouldn't gain weight from the protein shakes.
thanks again

just make sure your training and eating well. the rest will come.
i weight 167 lbs 2 months ago and now im 155ish

one word... run. It is the key to getting cut up. I broke my toe 5 days ago, I have put on 6lb in those 5 days just because I haven't been able to go for my normal runs. Getting ripped is all about low fat, and low fat come from lots of running.

I used to disagree with this, but now I'm a believer. I screwed up my neck in a car wreck a few months ago, and the first month I was out of the gym and unable to work out (bulging discs in my neck), I gained 15 lbs. That's about 4 lbs. a week, and that's with a normal, non-junk-food diet; just 3 squares (1 a Lean Cuisine), no dessert, and one drink after work or with dinner.

I started running a month ago (still not boxing, though) and I'm down 12 lbs in a month, nearly to my fighting weight.

Run.

It depends on the kind of workout you are doing. As long as you are burning more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight. I don't really diet, I just avoid the obvious stuff like cake and pie and McDonalds. I think that everyones body has a natural weight that it likes to be at. For me that is around 155lb. I can eat as healthy as I want, but without hard work, I will never get below 155lb.

Before I broke my toe, I weighed 142lb, I am up to 148lb, I could have probably slowed the weight gain by carefully watching what I ate and counting calories, but eventually my weight would drift up to 155lb.



Dude, you're right on with that. My natural weight seems to be around 175. I fight at 165 and usually hang around 165-170. If I quit training and eat "normally" -- no junk food, moderate alcohol -- I drift up to 175 in a few weeks. Not a fat 175, just one notch on the belt and softer-looking all around. If I really slack off, or around the holidays, I'll get up to 180-185.

how many miles do you guys usually run and how often?

how many miles do you guys usually run and how often?

Either 4 miles at an easy jog, or a mile of windsprints with a light jog at the beginning and then a light jog back. Either way, it's about 40-45 minutes.

It sounds like your very determined on the exercise, but you specify that your diet could do with improvement. If you want lean muscle mass and lose weight, then your diet is extremely important. I highly recommend protein supplements, avoid supplements with high creatine levels, they may add bulk which may add weight. L-cartinine is quite interesting, it's an amino acid which helps aid fat into muscular energy.

I have chosen a diet which I have found very successful for keeping myself at a light weight with little to no fat and lean muscle, the cave man diet. Eat foods which could only be hunted or picked, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. Keep your diet as natural as you can. My favorite pre work out meal is a salmon fillet because it's high in protein (which is easily digestible compared to other meats and fish) and has omega 3, 6 and 9 which is good for your joints. I also find Salmon fillets the 'lightest' high protein meal, lightest meaning easy on the stomach! Have some light carbs on the side as well for energy, my favorite being slices of tomatoes.

My post work out meal is normally a stir fry with two chicken breasts, and a couple of chillies (speed up your metabolism) with some spinach on the side (has zinc, important for muscle development). Avoid artificial foods such as white bread, processed sugars etc, these will make it harder for you to achieve your goals! Hope this post helps you.

Even though running can really help you get cut up, and even though I don't really want to go against what these posters are telling you, simply running will not get you "cut up". You have to supplement it with a lot of exercises like ab work, pushups, pullups, swimming, etc. As a matter of fact, I was able to get "cut up" over the summer without doing any running whatsoever. I just really tweaked my diet around, and made sure I really pushed myself on those exercises that I mentioned. Right now I do run everyday because I started boxing, but when I was simply trying to get into shape, I did not run at all, and I got into very good shape aesthetically (because it seems to me that this is what you want to achieve).

Also: I used to play very competitive soccer 3 years ago, and I would run 4 hard miles at a running pace every night, on top of the training sessions I had with my numerous clubs and games on the weekends. I was NEVER cut up during that time period (granted, I did not have nearly the same diet as I do now). I honestly believe that running has to be a supplement to the ab and bodyweight/weight exercises that you do to get "cut up".

Maybe my body is very different from the other posters on here - I don't know. But I do know that running and having a very strict diet will not get me cut up. Try not to flame my ass, guys.

everyone has been really helpful, i appreciate it. i'm definately going to start eating better, probably oatmeal or something in the morning, chicken, nuts, fruits, veggies. this guy at work made me a 5 day program that kicked my ass pretty bad last week.
it sounds like mostly everyone agrees that the protein shakes are ok and helpful even though i'm trying to lose weight, so i'm going to continue that with my running too.

also i was a little confused about ab work, i know i have to do a lot. my question is which equipment should i use?

i have a decline situp bench at home along with one of those ab roller things with the head rest that you do crunches with.
is one better than the other?
i'm going to do leg raises and stuff at the gym to hit the lower abs.

Even though running can really help you get cut up, and even though I don't really want to go against what these posters are telling you, simply running will not get you "cut up". You have to supplement it with a lot of exercises like ab work, pushups, pullups, swimming, etc. As a matter of fact, I was able to get "cut up" over the summer without doing any running whatsoever. I just really tweaked my diet around, and made sure I really pushed myself on those exercises that I mentioned. Right now I do run everyday because I started boxing, but when I was simply trying to get into shape, I did not run at all, and I got into very good shape aesthetically (because it seems to me that this is what you want to achieve).

Also: I used to play very competitive soccer 3 years ago, and I would run 4 hard miles at a running pace every night, on top of the training sessions I had with my numerous clubs and games on the weekends. I was NEVER cut up during that time period (granted, I did not have nearly the same diet as I do now). I honestly believe that running has to be a supplement to the ab and bodyweight/weight exercises that you do to get "cut up".

Maybe my body is very different from the other posters on here - I don't know. But I do know that running and having a very strict diet will not get me cut up. Try not to flame my ass, guys.

No I agree, but it works both ways. I used to just do weights and your never going to get yourself lean abs regardless of how many ab crunches you do! I do 50 min cardio when I train, 20 cycling (to and from the gym) with 30 mins running (6 kilometers). I follow it up with 1 half hour weight sessions. I have a pull up bar at home as well which really helps keep you into shape!

Even though running can really help you get cut up, and even though I don't really want to go against what these posters are telling you, simply running will not get you "cut up". You have to supplement it with a lot of exercises like ab work, pushups, pullups, swimming, etc. As a matter of fact, I was able to get "cut up" over the summer without doing any running whatsoever. I just really tweaked my diet around, and made sure I really pushed myself on those exercises that I mentioned. Right now I do run everyday because I started boxing, but when I was simply trying to get into shape, I did not run at all, and I got into very good shape aesthetically (because it seems to me that this is what you want to achieve).

Also: I used to play very competitive soccer 3 years ago, and I would run 4 hard miles at a running pace every night, on top of the training sessions I had with my numerous clubs and games on the weekends. I was NEVER cut up during that time period (granted, I did not have nearly the same diet as I do now). I honestly believe that running has to be a supplement to the ab and bodyweight/weight exercises that you do to get "cut up".

Maybe my body is very different from the other posters on here - I don't know. But I do know that running and having a very strict diet will not get me cut up. Try not to flame my ass, guys.

No I agree, but it works both ways. I used to just do weights and your never going to get yourself lean from weights alone regardless of how many ab crunches you do! I do 50 min cardio when I train, 20 cycling (to and from the gym) with 30 mins running (6 kilometers). I follow it up with 1 and a half hour weight sessions. I have a pull up bar at home as well which really helps keep you in shape!

never done boxing in my life,but i am a runner and even though i dont have a six pack(i have a 2 and a half pack lol)i can run 6 miles with out to much trouble.

i am also in the process of trying to get cut,and i have lost about a stone in a month.

im 6'2 and i weigh about 12st 8 down from 13st 6.

my tummy is completly flat,but i still have a thin layer of fat over it.

Equipment for ab workouts? You don't need equipment for that none whatsoever in my opinion that is. I do my ab workouts from home for the most part others I do in the boxing gym. If you need a list that can help you out as far as getting started on some exercises try bodybuilder.com thats where I looked for exercises all of them use just your body weight nothing more, good luck.

now im no expert, but one thing i would highly recommend is to run at night an hour or two after your last meal of that particular day. a good way to digest the day's food and boost your metabolism when it tends to naturally slow down towards the evening. i myself get hungry as hell after running so i drink a protein shake then and sleep a couple hours later without feeling hungry. i wake up the next morning feeling energized and non-bloated with some good, uninterupted sleep.

Maybe my body is very different from the other posters on here - I don't know. But I do know that running and having a very strict diet will not get me cut up. Try not to flame my ass, guys.lower your body fat and work your abs

lower your body fat and work your abs

No I know that - I was saying that to show that for me, personally, just running would not have lowered body fat and revealed my abs. I'm saying I supplement my running to all of the ab exercises and diet restrictions that I do to stay in shape.