weight lifting supplements

[Mike DC]

Possibly a diet issue?

Sounds like you're already getting enough exercise to be making a real difference in your body.  If the fat isn't going anywhere then my guess is that the calories are being replenished too well.

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A good friend of mine has lost about 45 pounds (of flab) in the last 6 months or so.  He did it with daily walks/hikes of a few miles (while wearing a 20-pound weight vest), and a restricted diet (very little sugar & processed foods).  I think he may have been pretty close to losing too much weight too fast, but he was very careful & informed about the whole process.  He seems very healthy/energetic now and his weight loss is still continuing (at a slower rate).

Of course, it's an extreme case and he was in an ideal scenario to post those kinds of numbers.  (Six months ago he weighed 240 pounds, he was getting no exercise whatsoever, and he was not controlling his eating AT ALL.  Then he started a full-bore diet control and exercise program.)  But it's still very potent example to me that the basic stuff works when it's applied strictly enough. 

One time he said: "Yeah, it seems scary to eat so little while I'm working so hard.  But the whole principle of weight-loss is that I have to NOT BE EATING ENOUGH TO SURVIVE at this activity level. If I even ate enough calories for my body to do this steadily then I wouldn't lose any fat.  I have to give my body absolutely nothing to work with except the healthy stuff." 

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I don't know how much food/protein is enough to build muscle with, and I don't know exactly how the diet restrictions & exercise issues should be changed when you're trying to lose fat but still add muscle mass in a healthy way at the same time.  But I think the answer probably lies in balancing these issues.

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[The Ghoul]

I did change my eating habbits as well (forgot to mention).
I went from eating what ever when ever to a strict regiment of.
bowl of cheeri-o's with half a bannanna sliced up in it, one glass of milk for breakfast
lunch is 2slices of turkey on wheat bread with lettice, milk, bannanna or orange, and 2 ghram crackers
dinner is usualy what my mom makes for dinner but half the portion I normaly eat.
I stay away from pop when ever possible but my down fall is coffie. I normaly drink about 6 12oz cups a day but i dont church it up with shugar or cream. just plain black coffie.
A diet for me is easy to stick to because every day I eat a packed lunch eather at school 2 days a week or work 3 days.
I have been loosing weight and noticing a diffrence in the waste line but like I said my problem areas are not being solved quick enough for my taste.
My muscle mass is growing but its still under a layer of flubb.   

[69_Hemi_Charger]

There are a number of things that I do to regain my 6 pack when i get lazy and lose it.....

1. I space my my meals out from 3 a day to 5 or 6 a day. I also proportionally cut the meals down, so I eat less but more often. This really helps to boost metabolism and helps you burn what you eat plus whatever fat is on the body.

2. Regulate the types of food I eat. Obvoiusly cut out the crap. Also, something that has worked for me is a diet that is called "The Testosterone Advantage Plan" by Mens Health editor, Lou Schuler. The book outlines an ingenious way of dieting without ever feeling hungry. I am an avid follower as it has worked for me for two years plus. It outlines exactly how much carbs. protein, and good fats you should eat. About 33% of your diet should comprise of each of these groups.

3. Work out my abs until I can absolutely move any more. You tend to feel tired long before you actually begin tearing those muscles, which is what you want.

Working the abs can be very painful... but well worth it!

Hope that helps

[The Ghoul]

Ive actully had a rough time finding good ways to work my abs at the gym. They have 2 types of macheenes there for it but both of them move me so unaturaly that i end up cheating and work more of my upperbody rather than the abs (sounds weard but the way they are set up thats how it works out). I try to do some free style excersizes my friend taught me.
first one is laying on a flat bench, grab eather side of the bench behind your head and roll up onto your sholders. Then extend your legs so your body is making an L with only your head, sholders and hands contacting the bench. then slowly lower your body to the bench keeping your legs and back aligned with each other. There will eventually be a point where your arms will not support your whole body any longer and your butt will come crashing down onto the bench but make sure your legs never touch the bench. That one kills but it feels affective.
Next one works more obliques (sp??).
you get one of those stupid big inflateable balls sit on it and start walking your feet away from it. let the ball roll along your back untill its between your sholders your torso is flat and in line with your upper legs. with your legs at a right angel keeping your but from drooping down roll with the ball onto one sholder, hold
roll with the ball back to starting position then onto the other sholder, hold
keep doing that.
last one is a yoga technique, dosent feel like your doing much but after a while you feel it.
sit on the floor and point your legs as streight as possible forward.
roll back on your tail bone, keeping your legs as streight as you can and off of the floor.
ballance with your arms held up and away from your sides. your body pritty much makes a V shape while you try to maintain your ballance on your tail bone.
Its tough to get your legs stright and ever tougher to keep your body  in a V shape.

so out of those 3 things I always feel like I havent even started to work my abs when I leave the gym.
any good ones you can think of that dont involve a partner?