Hi everyone.
First, some quick background info. I'm in my late 20s, 6'0", and right around 170 lbs.
After many years where my fitness plan was essentially running a couple of miles 2 or 3 times a week with some light dumbbell workouts at home, about 4 months ago I joined a local fitness center to step up my physical activity, both in frequency and variety. It's said that fitness plans are best approached with a long-term goal in mind, and since I started going to the gym about four months ago, my primary goal has been to shed some body fat and tone up my upper body, abs, torso, and legs and achieve what's probably best described as a skinny swimmer/diver or runner build that's more toned on account of lower body fat as opposed to being really muscular. Here's a perfect example of the build I'd ideally like to have...
That said, for nearly four months now, I've been hitting the gym 4-5 times a week doing cardio exercises. And, within the last couple of weeks, I've switched it up and started doing more high intensity/low intensity interval cardio workouts as opposed to working out at a medium intensity at a constant pace. Additionally, I've been doing some workouts with weights, and have been working twice a week with a PT doing various upper body, core, and lower body workouts. Ideally, my main goal is to lose body fat, but I did also want to add some muscle to my arms and legs as well.
Anyway, I've been very diligent about my exercise routine for almost 4 months now, but I'm becoming a little discouraged as the changes seem to be coming slower than I had anticipated, especially in the way of fat loss around my abs and torso which has been one of my biggest priorities. At 170 lbs, I don't have all that much fat to lose around my core, but what I do have seems to be very stubborn and I'm having a heck of a time shedding it. I do think I've made some progress around my obliques, but when I look in the mirror, I often think that my abs and torso look nearly the same as when I started working out. Also, my weight seems to have remained right around 170 lbs. since I started working out, and I would have thought that I'd end up losing a few pounds once I started working out.
I know that the topic of diet typically comes up when discussing fitness goals, and I'd say that my diet is pretty good. Breakfast is usually a high fiber cereal, OJ, and yogurt, a typical lunch is usually a chicken or turkey sandwich with salad, and dinner is typically rice with baked chicken.
So, is my ultimate goal probably out of reach, or am I just being too impatient? Granted, I had no expectations to have reached my goal in 4 months, but I would have thought that I would have seen more results in the way of fat loss in my abs and torso by now. Although I'm a little discouraged, I'm definitely going to keep at it, since if nothing else, there are many benefits to exercising and being active.
I did check my %BF a couple of weeks ago, and I'm currently around 17.7%. What would be the approximate target %BF to achieve the type of build I'd like to have?
Finally, if anyone has any any suggestions to improve my workouts and work toward achieving my ideal build, any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!
Four Months Into Workouts and Slow Results - Your Thoughts?
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