TheJame

I have a few questions for anyone that can answer them.

First, I’ll be doing a lot of running and sprinting up hill, as well we light weight lifting and various abdominal exercises, not to gain muscle but just to have them exercised on a regular basis and to get rid of extra fat. I have a wrist injury and I probably won’t be able to do any heavy lifting until I get surgery, so I was wondering if a lot of running and eating properly would help me shed some extra fat and loose skin around my stomach.

Also, once I shed the body fat that I don’t want and I’m at a reasonable size, I was thinking of giving Creatine a try to see if there would be any results for me. Would relatively light lifting and Creatine still have an effect on the growth of my arms?

Thanks to anyone that can answer that

linkster01

Creatine helps improve recovery time, wich in turn lets you lift harder for longer. But if you dont lift up to or past your limits, creatine doest realy get to do its job. Light weights are ok if you plan on doing a TON of reps & sets with creatine, but even then you probably wont see much for gains.

TheJame

As for running, which will be my main focus, will a lot of running and different cardio exercises, as well as a decent diet help me to shed excess fat and tighten up a little?

cabby

Creatine is alright. You will put some excess water weight on with it tho. But if you do your cardio well and keep trim you won't notice that much of a difference. I'm doing the same thing right now, light lifts and running.

TheJame

What is your routine as far as running and light lifting goes?

HowWePlay_77

Yes...cardio (like any exercise) will raise your metabolism, but the faster way to lose fat is gaining muscle. Muscle requires calories, so when you eat, more calories will be used by muscle rather than being stored as fat. But I know you have a wrist injury so I don't know how well you will be able to gain muscle.

Anyways, when you run, try to run first thing in the morning before eating anything. Your blood sugar will be low and you will be using your fat as a source of energy when you run rather than the calories you ate that day.

Another tip: lift weights for 20 minutes before running. When you run, for the first 20 minutes all you're burning is glucose. But if you lift weights, you'll use up the glucose so when you start running your main source of energy comes from your fat.

Hope this helps!

HowWePlay_77

Oh, another tip! After your exercise in the morning, EAT BREAKFAST.

Your metabolism is like a fire, the fire needs wood to keep going. Whenever you eat your metabolism rises, but as you keep eating and over eat, your metabolism goes down. Just like as if you dropped way too much wood and covered the flame.

So, exercise in the morning, then eat a good portion and you just gave your body a 1,2 punch for burning fat.

To keep your metabolism high, try to never starve yourself. Eat frequently (every 2-3 hours) just make sure they're small portions, that's the trick.

hurrakane212

Do tabata drils. Run as hard as you can for 20 seconds walk for ten seconds run again 20 seconds walk ten etc.
You do 8 cycles and in just 4 minutes you've really pushed your body. You can use tabata cycles with any technique.
Here is a good link about how they work and the science behind them (and the source site is a great training site).
~Nathan
RossTraining - Articles

TheJame

That's a lot of awesome information guys. I'm definitely going to do the tabata drills, it sounds a lot easier than long distance running, and it really pushes your body. I know I'll be able to get a good 20 minute workout in without heavy weights, and the Tabata exercise sounds like it's a very effecive method of burning fat. Thanks for sharing that with me.

I've never been very good at watching what I eat, and I know it'll be difficult for me to do. The exercise sounds like it'll be very beneficial to me if I can keep a regular schedule and do it at least 5 times a week. I'm a weekend guy and I love to party, and the only place I run on Fridays is to the beer store, so I can count weekend exercises out. Just gotta watch what I eat.

Thanks a lot for the tips and link guys, I hope I can keep at this.

TheJame

Oh, and as far as doing the tabata workouts, is it necessary to do it more than once a day, besides in the morning? Possibly twice a day or would I just be wasting time burning the food I've eaten instead of fat?

I have time to do it right after school but its pitch black in my area at 5:00pm and evening running on my road is impossible.