Lowering Body Fat

[LightningMunk1]

hey everyone! i dont know if this has been asked already or posted somewhere else, but im wondering how the actors on 300 got that "ripped" look. I know workout was a good chunk of it, but i thought a diet would have played a big role as well. I am trying to find a good diet/regime that will cut down on the levels mainly around the core and minimizing the love handles. thanks!

[Cookie]

Welcome to the forum...

I`m not 100% sure if I have seen a *specific* diet that they used.

But how about posting up what your current diet & training are like at the moment and we can see if there are any adjustments needed.

Plus post up any other relevent information you may feel we need, age, height, weight etc etc etc

[LightningMunk1]

thanks for the welcome yea ive been real eager to do some Spartan training ever since watching 300, and since im a martial artist already, thought i would bring my training up to the next level.

I am a male, 18 years old, 5'11", and weigh about 160 lbs. My training consists mostly of martial arts training (hitting the heavy bag, shadowboxing, jump rope) mainly every day, running (3 miles, pretty much every other day), and weightlifting (every day im not running). My usual weightlifting routine starts off with some ab work (raising knees and inverted broomstick twists). Then usually i follow that with either some arm work then followed by either chest (45 degree angle bench press and dumbell flys) or back (lat pull downs/wide arm pull ups). I have an uncanny ability of doing alot of pull ups, reaching up to 25 (school record ). I want training that increases my power for hitting/striking, agility, muscle endurance, and just plain endurance to last throughout a fight.

alright my diet pretty much consists of morning (pb&J) with lunch (any sort of meat like chicken and rice with some fruit) evening (any meat with some vegetables). I usually have an evening snack too which mainly is pb&j *note that every pb&j i eat is with whole wheat grain bread*. i drink alot of water, about 7 glasses a day, but i do tend to snack every once in awhile, but i have been trying to cut that down with chewing gum instead, which i found out cut down my need for a snack.

Heres a link to a pic of me i took in my karate school http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/ssjyamivegeta/P7080025.jpg
The muscles i want to get more chisled are my lower abs, the area on both sides of my abs (as you can see that are just a bit plain), my lats, my deltoids, forearms (bruce lee like) and my pecs (the kind of look Gerard Butler had on 300 where you could see the pec muscles, almost like Stallones training for rambo http://photos-097.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v80/191/94/1598400097/n1598400097_30043002_6440.jpg
I want to also be geared towards more applicable power more than just look, since i am a martial artist, i want functional power instead of just the looks...but looks help alot for me . so yea, any help with my training/diet/and body sculpting regime would be VERY much appreciated thanks

[samurai69]

welcome, nice to see you have set goals in what you want from your training

[Cookie]

Your not going to get ripped on pb&j sandwiches unless our mega active.

I would suggest a more oatmeal/porridge style breakfast to set you up with some slow releasing carbs for the day..

Lunch looks ok

Tea/Dinner I would also be looking at a meat based meal with veggies and slow releasing carbs...

[Obessian]

Add olympic-style movements like power clean&press (or do "real" cleans if you can or have someone to instruct you).

Add weight to pullups and ditch direct arm work, or do it last. Also add dips (weighted, preferably).

Add squats and deadlifts and prepare yourself to go very heavy on these (absolute must for developing strength and power - 2/3 of your muscle mass is below the waist).

PB&J rocks :)

[LightningMunk1]

thank you for the advice. i am wondering if there any supplements or protein powders i should take if i want to gain more muscle and cut down on body fat percentage that will help aid me in my training. ive always thought about using it but i never knew which ones.

[Ape4]

most are just hype, but there are a few that work pretty fine

[Obessian]

If you have to use protein powders (i.e. if there's absolutely no way you can make the necessary changes to your diet), stick with 100% whey or casein (or mixture of the two) protein. Don't get the mass gain stuff (meal replacement stuff) or you'll pack on quite a few pounds of non-muscle. Or if you're a trust fund kid with money to burn go out and start buying protein isolates :)

I know this sounds like stating the obvious, but in my experience many weight trainers don't know the difference between a protein and a mass gainer (with protein).

[LightningMunk1]

yea i just need something to cut down on the extra fat around my lower abs and the love handles area, as you can see in the pic above. so idk if anyone has any cardio/diet regimes to help with that cause ill be glad to try, looking more for the ripped/cut look then just muscle mass.

[Cheesedog]

If you are interested in the training of the actors and stuntmen from "300" you can find lots of info at the Gym Jones website. Mark Twight is the owner of the site and trained all the people for the movie. Be warned, the Gym Jones workouts tend to be VERY intense.

[Cookie]

yea i just need something to cut down on the extra fat around my lower abs and the love handles area, as you can see in the pic above. so idk if anyone has any cardio/diet regimes to help with that cause ill be glad to try, looking more for the ripped/cut look then just muscle mass.

The only way to loose the excess is to exercise hard and eat clean...