Getting cut

I've started to go to a small gym recently, but I have no idea what really to do. I assume I should do cardio to remove what little fat I have on me and some weight training. But I thought I remembered Rayn saying you can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, so will I have to focus on building a little bit of muscle first then lose fat? Are there any supplements/vitamins I should take to help?

Not trying to come off as a douche, but read some of the MANY threads about this already and then come ask more specific questions.

But I thought I remembered Rayn saying you can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, so will I have to focus on building a little bit of muscle first then lose fat?

to answer this question...

It's generally considered easier to gain muscle while keeping fat gain at a minimum if you are already at a lower body fat percentage.

I would concentrate on losing fat and gaining STRENGTH, not muscle. Perfect for a beginner.

Ok I've read a little more of TW Fitness and he's my weekly plan so far. It's a rough plan, I sometimes switch it around:

Sunday: Cardio/Abs
-normal ab stuff
-30 minutes on treadmill at 65% mhr

Monday: Arms (Biceps/Triceps) / Legs
-curls (individual dumbbells and a single bar)
-pushdowns
-squats
-leg extensions
-leg curl
-lunges

Tuesday: Back/Abs
-pull ups
-declined crunches
-other ab stuff
-lat pull down
-rows

Wednesday: Chest/Legs
-push ups
-pull ups
-bench press
-pec deck machine
-squats
-leg extensions
-leg curl
-lunges

Thursday: Basketball, may do cardio after if I'm not tired

Friday: off

Saturday: off

After each exercise day I'll take some Whey Protein (should I do 26g or 52g?)

Any suggestions?

I'd like to see deadlifts or rows on your back day. If you're doing pullups for the back, take a wider-than-shoulder grip. It's pretty hard, though so you might need to start on a weighted machine. I think you could probably drop that supplementary leg work besides the squats if you are just starting out. If you do the squats right and go just below parallel, I imagine you'll be covered for leg work in the beginning. The first few days I expect you'll have a very hard time trying to sit.

I guess during the beggining I am a big fan of the Rippetoe workout with it's big compound lifts and overall simplicity. If you have to lift Mon - Wed though , it wouldn't work for you.

Is your goal during this phase fat loss? If so, I'd add as much cardio as you can bear in 30-60 minute intervals. Also, try and switch to 6 smaller meals a day, makes a big impact on the metabolism.

Once you are happy with your body fat %, if you're looking to add lean mass, I'd consider moving to the Rippetoe workout detailed in the useful resources post, for 3-5 months. Depends on your goals.

Oh, the protein. I take 26g every morning. I have no science behind this except in the morning I know I've been fasting a long time and want to replenish the protein available for muscle gain. I eat protein with every meal though (cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs).

go to trecs and i will PERSONALLY whip you into shape

go to trecs and i will PERSONALLY whip you into shape

:D unfortunately I live off campus so the Trecs is a little far away and never open late when I like to work out. It was nice living in Andy Holt & Reese and being able to walk 2 minutes to get to a really nice gym. I'm probably going to live in the Fort somewhere next year so I think the Trecs will be my only option.

I'd like to see deadlifts or rows on your back day.

Done

Is your goal during this phase fat loss? If so, I'd add as much cardio as you can bear in 30-60 minute intervals.

I think my goal at this point is to gain some muscle mass. I don't want to get super bulky, just fit. For example:

John Stone Fitness - (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/m.php)

I'd rather look like this:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/274.jpg than this http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/1396.jpg

Oh, the protein. I take 26g every morning. I have no science behind this except in the morning I know I've been fasting a long time and want to replenish the protein available for muscle gain. I eat protein with every meal though (cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs).

Would you take it after you only did cardio? Or only after weight lifting.

I don't take it after a workout cause the body needs carbs at that point, not proteins. It takes about 2 hours for your body to start needing additional protein (you become anabolic) and I believe I read here this peeks at 24 hours post work out. I'm sure it varies person to person.

I take my whey every morning because I haven't had any in a long time, then I eat some form of protein every 2-3 hours so I feel like there is enough protein in my body day round to maintain more anabolic muscle-building time.

Don't worry about getting bulky inadvertently. Believe me, it takes a lot of work. I'd say 2 years minimum heavy lifting before you start looking bulky if you start out without much lean mass. Anyway, if you're primary goal is looking fit I think your bread and butter lifts are the following:

Squats - Maximum CNS stress causes overall growth and core fitness.
Deadlift - Nothing builds size in the back like the deadlift, and having a developed back really makes a difference.
Military Press - or some variation of compound shoulder work (incline bench can work) to build the clavicular pecs and shoulder muscles.
Benchpress - Sternal pec, triceps.

If you fan out from there you'll be fine. You can throw in some rows definitely, I recommend chin-ups and dips of course. I guess I'm basically just parrotting the Rippetoe workout, it worked so well for me.

Just one thing in retrospect I wish I did at the very beginning is that I wish I didn't push the weight up so fast so that I couldn't finish my sets properly. It's important to get all your reps. You don't want to undertrain, but I think I would've done better in the beginning if I wasn't failing on my last set for months.

i just added deadlift back into my routine and my upper back was sore as shit.

your upper back? 0_o

between the shoulder blades

feels good im not complaining was just surprised

That's normal, you are using your back muscles to stabilize and pull the weight towards your body and it's usually quite a lot of weight. If you look at it properly, it's a rowing motion.

Any suggestions?

I'd change up the split to something like:
Chest/Back
Legs
Arms/Shoulders(shoulders are important)
Abs whenever you want.

Chest and arms seperate is a good idea and usually legs are the most difficult so you don't need to be lifting a bunch of other stuff as well.

Also 65% cardio is weak as fuck. And 30 minutes is weak as fuck too.
a)Have a look at "HIIT"
b)Bump intensity to 75-80% and do 45 minutes to an hour.

Also 65% cardio is weak as fuck. And 30 minutes is weak as fuck too.
a)Have a look at "HIIT"
b)Bump intensity to 75-80% and do 45 minutes to an hour.

I was just going by what Ptavv said, that 65% maxes using the stored fat over the temporary carbs.

http://www.tribalwar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=499079

But I'll look around at the HIIT

Also for the cardio, if I'm only able to do it for 15-20 minutes, is it worth it? Or should I there be a minimum amount of time you should do cardio for it to be effective.

lower intensity is nice because you can go significantly longer which will result in more fat loss. Most people are incapable of during really strenuous exercise (running) for extended periods of time (say >15 minutes) but can do lighter exercises for an hour easily. I think the best is to just pick a time you want to spend on cardio (30-60 minutes depending on what's available) and just max out the intensity that you can hold for the entire duration. As with lifting, changing intensities and what you're doing can be beneficial as well so there really isn't one best plan.

Tuesday: Back/Abs
-pull ups
-declined crunches
-other ab stuff
-lat pull down
-rows


The lat pull down machine is a pussified pull up.
Stick to the pull up.
Also, you dont need to take protein because you arent doing anything that difficult. Protein that isnt used is turned into fat.
Cardio. Jog 3 times a week for no less than half an hour per session.

i like to superset pull ups with the lat pull down,

Shouldn't always superset, it's good for building strength but not that great for building muscle mass.

Ok here's my new routine, and blazin, what exactly would I have to do to warrant extra protein?:

Sunday: Cardio/Abs
-normal ab stuff
-30 minutes on treadmill at 65% mhr

Monday: Arms (Biceps/Triceps) / Shoulders
-curls (individual dumbbells and a single bar)
-other triceps stuff
-shoulder shrugs
-pushdowns
-pull ups

Tuesday: Legs
-squats
-leg extensions
-leg curl
-lunges

Wednesday: Chest/Back
-push ups
-pull ups
-bench press
-pec deck machine
-declined crunches
-lat pull down
-rows

Thursday: Basketball, may do cardio after if I'm not tired

Friday: off

Saturday: off