So I have been hitin the gym 3-4 times a weeks for about 3 months or so. im really tying to get rid of my beer gut but nt seems to loose the fat. Is there a reallygood work out that really targets the lower belly fat? I try my bes to do plaks but can onlylastabout 4 sets of 1min.

Fat is fat. You lose fat everywhere. You can't just lose fat in one place.
What you can do is tighten up the abs. That will make them look thinner.
Do cardio AND weight lifting. Do everything.
I lost 35 pounds in 4 months. Went from 34+ in ch down to 30 or 31. Dropped blood pressure 20 points. I did everything. A personal trainer is good if you can afford it. Otherwise, participate in group classes. They help motivate you and keep you going.

Read Men's Health. There is also a MEn's Health Book of Exercises.

Also variety. Change your workout regularly. Your body will get used to a workout and you reach a plateau. Mix things up. If anything, one day a week do your workout in reverse order. Confuse your body and progress is faster.

In short: the key is calories in verses calories used. Also you need to eat lots of meat to build muscle.

muscle is not the issue I do about 30min cardio and the rest is weigt lifting. muscle growth has improved but just not my abs.  when I do cardio I use a sauna shirt t help me sweat ore from the upper body.

Im not a fan of gyms, they are for posers IMO (not trying to start anything). Buy a bike (cycle) and go for rides. Now thats its getting warm i like to do 1 hour+ rides a few days a week after work. You get outside, breath fresh air and its a great workout. Swimming is another excellent choice. You need to do cardio for a long periods of time to start burning fat, that is only after you have used up your sugars and the body will go to fat for energy. Not sure a half hour is enough.

Diet is another thing to look at. Eat less and move more, thats how you loose weight. Plain and simple. If your beer gut is the issue, step one would be to not drink beer anymore. Now that college is behind me (i didnt drink much anyway) I have a few beers/ wine/ drinks on the weekends only! Eat a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner and avoid eating late. I wont eat after 7:30/8pm. I also drink a lot of water (seltzer really) to avoid carb and sugar filled drinks.

I like the warrior diet. Not for everyone, but I have been doing it for 4 months with good results! 

http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Diet-Biological-Powerhouse-Explosive/dp/1583942009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303312228&sr=8-1

Bottom line is you're going to need to change something, either on the input or output end, to get you off dead-center.

+1 on bicycle rides. I picked up a cheap roadbike and started doing 30 mile roundtrips on weekends. Results were dramatic. But I like cycling and so biased this way. Probably why I like MCs as well.

You are excercising, but what are you eating? Has your weight adjusted at all since you started working out? If it's not it's indicating an issue.

What's your cardio routine; what are you doing? Are you hitting target heart rate? If you started at 30 min cardio and are still doing 30 min cardio at same effort, your body just gets used to it and adjusts. Weight lifting will give you definition, but if you're covered in a thick luxuriant layer of fat, the muscles won't show.

I will second the call for more cardio... your muscles burn more stored glycogen in the first 30 minutes or so than fat.
Shoot for 45 minutes per cardio session.
And a recent study showed a 6% increase in calorie burn when you start off with a high pace (after warm up of course) before settling down to a sustainable aerobic pacing.  (I'd guess this is a result of aenerobic comsumption of the glycogen stores referenced above)

Muscle building increases calorie burn at work and rest, so also a great idea.

Good Luck!  This is also of interest to me as I am getting older and my metabolism slows down.

There has been some great advice above, but one thing to keep in mind is that everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for a second.

About 2 years ago I decided that I had let my weight slip enough and started running as a new hobby.  I also started weighing all foods I ate so I knew I was controlling portions.  I never changed what I was eating, I just changed how much I was eating.  Its amazing what an actual portion is versus what most Americans eat at one sitting.  With those changes I was able to drop 40lbs in 6 months.

At that point, I decided that although my weight was low I looked like a stick figure with no muscle tone so I started to cut back on the cardio and started lifting.  I started small to introduce myself to the gym, and different types of lifts and to ensure that form was more important than weight being moved.  After a few months I started to cut out running and instead was using Crossfit (www.crossfit.com) as a "cardio" source.  I ended up putting on about 20lbs without raising my bodyfat at all.  After about a year of this I had to have a surgery and ended up not working out for about 4 months while recovering.

In that period I ended up losing all 20lbs of muscle I had gained, and was back to the emaciated stick figure that I used to see.  January 3rd I was finally cleared to workout again and this time I hit it much harder than before.  Now I'm doing 4 days a week of heavy lifting for about 90 minutes each, and 2 days a week of cardio (1 short/speed run, and 1 slower distance run).  In almost 4 full months I've put on 26.7lbs and dropped my body fat from 13.2% to 11.8%.

My tips are easy:
Don't be afraid to try new things
watch your portion sizes
a hard lifting session will burn more fat than any cardio session (I can talk more on this if you disagree)Switching up your workouts at least every 2 months (sometimes sooner) will prevent plateaus
and remember there is no way to target specific fat deposits, you must workout your entire body and slowly that fat thats been stored will start to dwindle away.

Mach,

Stop eating bread, salt and sugar. No legumes, rice or spuds either.

I've got an excellent cardio routine you can do at home. It sounds simple but all you macho people who reckon it is, do it and if you can do it with ease, repeat the routine, then repeat it again...

1 - Star Jumps / Split Jumps - 1 minute
2 - Pushups - as many as possible until you cannot do any more
3 - Squats - 15 to 20 reps
4 - Buttkicks - 1 minute
5 - Stationary Lunge - 15 to 20 reps each side
6 - Knee Lifts - 1 minute
7 - Mountain Climbs - 1 minute, if possible
8 - Dips - 1 minute

Alternatively, start playing squash

Michael

You'd be surprised how little effect working out has on losing weight or putting on muscle.
Most of that is genetics and years of doing something.
If you start working out now like a maniac and you're 30 and you're eating better, you'd see efefcts when you're say 50 or 60.
Its genetics and years of doing something.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: mister on April 20, 2011, 12:17:02 PM
Mach,

Stop eating bread, salt and sugar. No legumes, rice or spuds either.

Michael

Salt and sugar I agree with, but bread, rice and potatoes not entirely.  Carbs are a great source of energy, and in MODERATION can actually help fuel your body to burn fat.  A prime example would be directly after a heavy lifting routine.  Your body will use glycogen (blood sugars), fat, and muscle in that order as sources of energy.

If you pushed hard enough, your body has depleted its stores of glycogen, and will start breaking down fat as an energy source.  Once done working out you will need a quick source of energy to help kickstart the muscle building process of protein synthesis.  If something is not put back in your system to use as a source of energy, your body will enter a catabolic state where your body will start breaking down muscle as its last source of energy - thats not good.  Repeatedly entering this state and not doing something about it will also flip a switch in your system that your next meals will be stored as fat and your metabolism will slow down as your body prepares for your daily "starvation" it comes to expect.

Sugars (pop, coffee, sweets, etc.) will help with energy levels but eventually a.) you will crash and b.) if to much is taken it will be stored as fat.  Clean carb sources like bread (all natural ingredients, no chemicals in the list), potatoes, rice (brown perferably) are a quick source of energy (remember carbs are broken down into sugars) that can be taken for a quick boost of a source of energy for your body to use.

There has even been a school of thought among body builders that the more glycogen you can instantly introduce into your system after an intense workout the more your body will take in to use in protein synthesis which should lead to bigger gains in size and strength.  That is also the reason many body builders have turned to injecting insulin as a way to gain more, and quicker.

Another thing to look at is the fact that not all carb sources are equal.  2 measures you can use are the Glycogen Index, and the Insulin Index.  GI is a measure of the amount of sugars certain carb sources contain.  A healthier food will be lower on the GI.  The Insulin Index is a measure of how the glycogen in certain foods would directly effect the normal persons insulin levels.  Unfortunately not all low GI foods have low II ratings, and not all high GI have high II ratings (there is no direct correlation between the 2).  Body builders commonly use a food that is high on the GI and II ratings directly after a workout to pump glycogen into their bodies to use as a source of energy to build muscle and to prevent/stop the catabolic state.

Personally, I eat 3 slices of white bread (high GI and high II ratings) immediately after a workout.  I'm a hardgainer, with a high metabolism and I have trouble eating enough to put on much size.  The bread has almost tripled the amount of weight I put on each week (averaged out over 2 months), and I've actually dropped 1.5% body fat since starting it.

So although I half agree with you, make such a broad statement as removing all carb sources from his diet might be a bit extreme and would need more info from the OP before saying that.

Buddha may have his ideas, maybe due to a buddha belley that won't go away?

I went through a 3 month fitness challenge a year ago and dropped 35 pounds and dropped body fat ratio from 26 to 18. Heard rate dropped 20 beats and pressure also dropped. Kept that weight off for another year and built up muscle. That's after 25 years of lack of exercise and drinking lots of wine. I saw similar results from others doing the fitness challenge. Some more dramatic than mine.

Say what you like, buddha, but exercise and proper diet is what it takes.

So I say bull on "how little effect working out has on losing weight or putting on muscle". That's just not true. You don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you haven't tried?

Quote from: The Buddha on April 20, 2011, 01:22:21 PM
You'd be surprised how little effect working out has on losing weight or putting on muscle.
Most of that is genetics and years of doing something.

This is also a drastically false statement.  Although genetics plays a role in determining your general body make up, saying that regardless of your workout regimine your predetermined to a specific body type is baseless.

Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 20, 2011, 01:42:37 PM

Quote from: mister on April 20, 2011, 12:17:02 PM
Mach,

Stop eating bread, salt and sugar. No legumes, rice or spuds either.

Michael

So although I half agree with you, make such a broad statement as removing all carb sources from his diet might be a bit extreme and would need more info from the OP before saying that.

Who said anything about removing ALL carb sources? If I was going to suggest removing all carb sources I'd simply say, "eat only meat" - which works but is not really Good for your body. I was specific in what I said... salt, sugar, bread, rice, potatoes, legumes + do cardio (as I suggested cause it's simple and doesn't require going to the gym, plus squash is fun). Besides no sugar I should add, no artificial sweetener either - lest you be tempted to hook in to some Coke Zero or other Energy Drink.

If you want some quick glycogen, then chow down a couple of bananas or a few dates. Not only will you be providing the Sugar your body needs, you'll be giving it nourishment without the range of Additives found in bread and stuff, nor will it be Absorbing like rice is, nor contain toxins like legumes and spuds - lose weight and abdominal bloat, burn fat, improve health 

Everyone has a six pack. Most people's is just covered from view.

Michael

well working out, although it tones. sometimes can cause weight gain. ( building muscle ) a trainer. most gyms have them can fill you in on what works, and what does not. a dietitcian can as well. due to health my abdomen is swelling so im looking like a crackhead with a buddha belly lol. but i purchased a nordic track ski machine from a dollar garage sale , for a dollar lol. ive used it. for activity if i was in pain, ( often) ive got a skiball track in my basement. which i put to use. or various small engines laying about ill pick up and move from one location to another. my redneck weight set if you will. have 2 14hp lawnmower engine blocks ive stripped down, and welded a weight bar to it. weighing in close to 50. its good to work out aches, while not causing any really

Bottom line you need to change things up. Change the inputs or outputs, or both.

Find an excercise you enjoy, and do more of that.

Find groups of foods you like, and eat them in smaller portions.

Only diet advice is to fill up on fruits and things instead of potatoe chips and fries. I don't think saying that fried salted potatoes are a poor food choice is controversial... pretty much every other diet thing you'll hear is infinately debatable.

Quote from: noiseguy on April 20, 2011, 04:59:42 PM
Bottom line you need to change things up. Change the inputs or outputs, or both.

Find an excercise you enjoy, and do more of that.

Find groups of foods you like, and eat them in smaller portions.

Only diet advice is to fill up on fruits and things instead of potatoe chips and fries. I don't think saying that fried salted potatoes are a poor food choice is controversial... pretty much every other diet thing you'll hear is infinately debatable.

well said. an additional point id like to make. say while shopping, park car away from front of store, so you have to walk to get in. when collecting mail. dont pull up in car. park car and walk to mail box. i had 2 days off. although health needed. i cant move now lol. so time to break out the nordic track and see if i can get legs to unlock. small things where you do something for convencience. like parking up close at walmart or at mailbox park further away. eating in moderation. or instead of 2 or 3 large meals, several small ones throughout the day will add up and take off weight. if you cannot afford a personal trainer, make friends with one, facebook has many of them. and ask questions get advice. its free so its good

OK so some good info so far and I DO need to watch what I eat, but I have gotten better I used to eat fast food for lunch everday, now I'll bring 2 sandwhches just enough to fill my hunger but not get full I will only do 30 min cardio cause my time at the gym is limited but now we have a new treadmill at home more cardio will follow. during my work out I push myself everytime I push pul lift and squats as mutch weight as I can do until I cant lift no more than mys potter will assist me and I will go with more weight next sessin start at what my second rep is constantly using more weight. So things do need to chage mostly what food is comming in and how much. thanks for the tips guys much appreciation

Lots of people have washboard abs - sometimes they're just meant for delicates.

Im not looking for a flat ab section just not a f at ab section