what is a good time frame for defined pecs?!


Question: What is a good time frame for defined pecs?
ok so i have been doing weights and no cardio for about a year. So I have muscle on my chest but its covered by fat because I was eating pretty badly. My bf% is ~18-20%.

So, I've decided to cut weight by changing diet and introducing cardio. 5-6 days a week I will do the following.

Morning, On empty stomach - Weight training, followed by "sprint and walk" cardio on the treadmill. Ie. I will do my weights session and finish it. Then I will get on the treadmill and walk for one minute, then sprint as fast as I can for another minute. Immediately after I will do some more weights, but lighter (eg drop 20kg on the bench press - not part of my normal weight programl, but put it in there for dropping extra calories). Then I will repreat the walk and sprint on the treadmill and the weights again usally completing 4 sets.

Later at night (about 6pm) I will go to the local atheletic track and do another sprint and walk (I walk the short length on the track then sprint the long length, then walk again, etc). This takes me about 15-20 mins (iwalking included).

Is this enough? Some say that I don't spend enough time on the track cos some people just lightly job for about an hr. but I just sptrint and get it over and done with in 15-20mins and im puffed out and I also do the gym earlier in the day too.

My diet is in check: All I'm eating is salad, chciekn, tuna, eggs and nuts, consuming green tea and water like crazy.

How long will it take me to see defined pecs (not neccessarily abs) and is my track "walk and sprint" for 15-20mins sufficient?

Answers:

Your cardio is fine - known as interval training, it is more intense - and is proven to be better vs fat than long distance (see sources)

The key things are going to be diet - fasted training is ok but listen to your body - if you feel light headed you have to fix it with some carbs.

If your diet is as you describe it - and you aren't having too many carbs - you are on the right track for closer to 15% fat.

My guestimate, given that this wont be a MASSIVE shock (since you have been training for a year) would be 8 weeks for a big difference, you should see progress within 3-4.

Bare in mind though - I used to be similar body fat as you - im closer to 15-16 now - but one week I did HIIT(cardio) and worked VERY VERY hard - my diet was VERY clean - but it was also pretty high in calories - I was going down in body fat consistently - but that week, because I had eaten more, I actually gained 0.4% body fat, despite murdering myself in the gym and eating very clean - you HAVE to be watching your calories while you do this - and that means knowing how many you had before too.

Aim for a weekly weight loss of 2lbs for the first 3-4 weeks then 1lb for the 4-5 weeks after - you can rebound this 2-3lbs when you have hit your goal meaning you should only really be dipping about 7lbs over 8 weeks - not enough to make you look "skinnier".

Short version: yes its enough - lower calories while you are at it, just be careful and ensure you weigh yourself/have body fat tested at weekly intervals (as opposed to once a day :) )

Edit: for the parties - low carb will dehydrate you generally (carbo*hydrate* :) ) - so be especially strict the week before them - 5-7 days of below 50 grams. www.fitday.com will let you enter foods and track how many carbs. This is a spikey method by definition, it has pros and cons, and is certainley not something you should maintain outside of this panic week, it prevents growth from insulin spikes, but also burns fat as not in build mode. You have to be getting enough vitamin C and iron - green veg is the absolute king of this stuff so if you have your evening meals served to you (i.e. family meal) and you have the luxuary of demanding certain veg, ensure you get a plate of greens as often as possible.

http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/HIITvsET.htm… - HIIT vs steady state cardio



its not just pecs your after.. u need to train all your muscles once a week.. shoulders, back, triceps, biceps, legs, chest... and abs everyother day...
legs never forget legs

so i hope u are doing all of them...

usually it takes 30-40 mins to burn fat.. but if u are sprinting at big intensity it might work.. and the days u do it on empty stomach u burn fat right away.. keep at it.. sounds good..

2-3 months it will happen




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories