back and chest workout

[Courtney]

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I picked up weight lifting about a year and a half ago. Recently, I hit a plateau....my clothes were fitting tighter and it sucked....I adjusted my workout and now my clothes have gotten bigger. The problem is, I feel like my chest and back are getting thicker and wider.The reason I feel this way is b/c one of my favorite button up shirts will barely button(and it used to), but my pants and jeans are still getting bigger. So I don't know what to do, b/c I don't want that, I just want to be toned and defined in my back and chest, not bigger. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what exercises and reps I could do for that area to get them smaller but defined?
Thanks alot!!!!

 

[spatts]

Courtney, generally when I hear people saying that they want to be "toned" they are saying they want their body fat levels to be low enough to show off their existing muscle definition.

This is really a question about fat loss, not training. Which makes this a question about diet.

What are you currently putting in your pie hole day-to-day?

 

[Courtney]

My plan goes like this:

b/f: egg whites and1/2 c. oatmeal
sometimes I have a morning snack: Myoplex lite shake or bar or 1/2c. yogurt and 1/2 c. cottage cheese
Lunch: either salad(red leaf, romaine, green leaf) w/ veggies and 3oz. of chicken or turkey, and either a piece of whole wheat bread or a piece of fruit;or I have 3oz. turkey on whole wheat bread with baby carrots
afternoon snack: same as morning
dinner: 3oz. of fish or chicken or lean meat and brown rice or baked potato and some veggie(broccoli, green beans)
and usually an evening snack: same as afternoon or I have 1/2c. yogurt(not frozen yogurt just plain old yoplait) w/ a serving of fruit

 

[Realgains]

Spatts has made a good point....you will look defined at 15-18% body fat and that isn't excessively low yet enough to see results.

If you ARE leanish then simply do not train as hard on the compound exercises like benches, rows and pulldowns, and include some isolation work(which will build NO MASS on the natural trainee) such as pec deck, d.b. flys, and cable cross overs and perhaps pullovers.


RG

 

[spatts]

My plan goes like this:

b/f: egg whites and1/2 c. oatmeal
sometimes I have a morning snack: Myoplex lite shake or bar or 1/2c. yogurt and 1/2 c. cottage cheese
Lunch: either salad(red leaf, romaine, green leaf) w/ veggies and 3oz. of chicken or turkey, and either a piece of whole wheat bread or a piece of fruit;or I have 3oz. turkey on whole wheat bread with baby carrots
afternoon snack: same as morning
dinner: 3oz. of fish or chicken or lean meat and brown rice or baked potato and some veggie(broccoli, green beans)
and usually an evening snack: same as afternoon or I have 1/2c. yogurt(not frozen yogurt just plain old yoplait) w/ a serving of fruit

Nice!

One or two things you might make yourself aware of that can help out:

Yogurt...plain old yoplait...around 30+ grams of carbs a pop, mostly added sugars. That certainly won't help you, and is even worse right before bed when there's little chance you'll burn those extra carb cals.

Bread...cut down or get rid of it completely. Try making open face sandwiches on 1 slice of whole wheat to cut back.

Trukey...if it's deli turkey it probably contains corn syrup and alot of preservatives. Yes, even if they sliced it at the counter.

When I am trying to lose I carb rotate. On training days I eat more carbs and on non-training days I eat less carbs. Fat and protein are about the same; although, I recently tried making fat higher on low carb days, and lower on high carbs days and also saw great results (192 to 176 in about 6 weeks [no strength loss]).

It looks like this:

http://www.asylum-strength.com/spat-cutting.htm

You would have to alter the times by when you train, and cycle the carbs 3 days low (.5g/kg body weight) and 2 days high (2.0g/kg body weight), or high on training days and low on non training days. The diet in the link represents the 100g CHO median.

1Kg = 2.2046 lbs

I base my BMR on 10 x my LBM which is 1500 cals. Yours may be totally different.

The reason I eat like this, to grow or shrink, is because it makes sense to me. When I'm going to need fuel (training) I eat more fuel. When I'm not going to need it, I don't consume it.

Works for me...

 

[Courtney]

Thank you so much for the info. So, I usually lift on MWF and try to do cardio four-five times a week. So would you recommend that I eat higher carbs on the days that I include my lifting and lower carbs on days that I just do cardio.
Also, this may sound silly, but I don't know my LBM. I don't know how to figure it out either. So that might be a problem.
I really appreciate all your input!!THANKS SO MUCH!!

 

[Pink Space Biscuit]

Also, this may sound silly, but I don't know my LBM. I don't know how to figure it out either. So that might be a problem.
I really appreciate all your input!!THANKS SO MUCH!!

You need to get your bodyfat tested.

Then whatever isn't fat is lean body mass.

 

[Courtney]

AHHHH do I have to? No, just jokes!!! Thanks alot!!!!

 

[spatts]

Courtney, if you are near a university *ahem* there is a hydro lab there where you can get an accurate reading done. They will do a 7 site caliper reading and hydro for a minimal fee.