I've got a fat belly and a fat chest but I'm EXTREMELY skinny everywhere else

[Demystify]

So my chest is pretty close to man boobs and my belly is noticeable even with a shirt on, but much worse when shirtless. Now everything else on my body is extremely skinny, my forearms are so skinny that they look weird and my legs look like sticks. Obviously I don't want to do much cardio because I don't want those parts to be any skinnier. Pretty much imagine a Marilyn Manson frame but with a huge gut and man boobs

Any advice as to what kind of workout regime I should be going for?

 

[Colossus]

You have no muscle mass, and I suspect your estrogen may be a little high.

Basically you have a propensity to store bodyfat in your trunk, like most men, and it is likely factors in your diet exacerbate that.

If you want to start trimming off the fat, this is best accomplished with dieting. Doing lots of cardio will only stave off muscle growth. Cardio is overrated for physique composition. I'd advise you to take a good hard look at your diet, and cut out the carbs. Aim for a 5:2:1 ratio of protein/carbs/fat. In other words if you have 50g of protein in a meal, you should only have about 20g of carbs and about 10g of fat. Err on the side of more protein and less carbs. Fat isn't as terrible as people think provided it is quality dietary fat. Hit the weights hard and heavy 3 days per week, add weight to the bar each week.

 

[Mex]

Demystify,

I am in similar shape. Skinny arms and legs, but a beer belly. I just starting training the right way last week (see my journal). I am not too worried about fat, I am just trying to bulk up, then I will worry about the fat, if I even need to. I guess I just have to have faith that my routine will work, I am using the Stronglift's 5x5 by the way. My diet is essentially 'diet for skinny guys' (can be found on Stronglifts web page) slightly altered according to comments from people on this forum.

Too early to say if it works, but I feel a hell of a lot better today than one week ago, gained 5 lbs, and belly does not seem any bigger. Hope this helps.

 

[Demystify]

So what specific workouts should I do? I know the shoulder workouts are a good one to help lose the skinny frame. Anything else?

 

[EFFORT]

Your not a special case. The same thing that works for everyone else will work for you.......

Strength Training Program
Clean Diet
Cardio


Check out where to start and simple starting diet. Then start a journal with your diet planned out and people will be able to help you.

 

[Da Realist]

So what specific workouts should I do? I know the shoulder workouts are a good one to help lose the skinny frame. Anything else?

I use the stronglifts 5x5 like Mex and it works. There is a website by the same name where you can download the e-book and spreadsheet. It works out every muscle group and will thicken your arms and legs pretty quickly if you follow the program.

 

[Demystify]

Your not a special case. The same thing that works for everyone else will work for you.......

Well considering I worked out really hard for three years to lose my skinny frame and didn't lose it at all, I'd say I'm a special case. Whenever I lose my skinny frame and stop attracting tons of fat girls is when I'll feel like my workout was successful.

 

[EFFORT]

Well considering I worked out really hard for three years to lose my skinny frame and didn't lose it at all, I'd say I'm a special case. Whenever I lose my skinny frame and stop attracting tons of fat girls is when I'll feel like my workout was successful.

Post up examples of the workouts you were doing for the past 3 years, and frequency. Summarize the diet you've been eating for the past 3 years.

 

[Alle_Gory]

Do you drink alot of beer?

Post your diet.

 

[Jaggs]

kready for it.

go on a massive bulk. dont worry about the excess fat right now.

eat tonnes of food, squat, deadlift, bench, eat, rest, grow repeat.

get slightly over desired weight.

then cut down body fat.

WA-LA! Problem solvered.

read Rippetoes Starting Strength.

 

[EFFORT]

kready for it.

go on a massive bulk. dont worry about the excess fat right now.

This would just turn into a disaster

 

[nextfryday]

It sounds like you have a poor posture to start off. If the excess weight is going to the front of your body maybe you are slouched and not standing up tall. Trust me it makes a big difference. Stand tall, workout tall and sit up tall (you'll look alot better and more confident to other people) Good luck chief!!

 

[Jaggs]

This would just turn into a disaster

Wut?

He said he was skinny and weak, he needs to add mass to himself before he can think about cutting.

I have fat around my stomach and pecs and I've been bulking for a while and it has tightened up significantly, and I've gained weight in the process.

 

[EFFORT]

Wut?

He said he was skinny and weak, he needs to add mass to himself before he can think about cutting.

I have fat around my stomach and pecs and I've been bulking for a while and it has tightened up significantly, and I've gained weight in the process.

I agree that he needs to add muscle mass, but the last thing a skinny fat guy needs to do is go on a massive bulk ,eating everything he can get his hands on. He'll eat dirty and just make his situation worse.

I'd recommend eating very clean, cardio, and a basic strength lifting program like Starting Strength

 

[Demystify]

I unfortunately don't have my old workout schedule or diets written out. I do drink beer but I'm trying to cut back. I have cut out fast food completely which is good. I've been trying to cut out soda, but it's hard.

To the guy who said my posture is terrible, you're right. When I met up with a personal trainer three years ago he said my posture was terrible and I'm sure it's not any better today.

As far as cardio, I do think I did way too much cardio when I worked out before and I believe that's what kept me skinny. When I start lifting again I'm going to do little to no cardio, unless someone can recommend cardio that won't make me too skinny.

To clarify, even though I do have a gut, people still consider me a skinny guy. I'm pretty much one of those guys that girls will say "needs more meat on his bones."

 

[EFFORT]

So in 3 years of training you have no idea of what you were generally doing or eating? Only reason I'm asking is to show you what you were doing wrong so you can learn from it and improve this go around and actually reach your goals.

 

[Demystify]

So in 3 years of training you have no idea of what you were generally doing or eating? Only reason I'm asking is to show you what you were doing wrong so you can learn from it and improve this go around and actually reach your goals.

Well, I said I did too much cardio, but I'll try to remember it to the best of my memory.

Workout:
Day 1: Biceps/back w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 2: Legs w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 3: Triceps/chest/shoulders w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 4: Biceps/back w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 5: Legs w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 6: Triceps/chest/shoulders w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 7: 1-3 hours of intense cardio

I worked out my abs about 3 random times through out the week.

Diet:
Lots of protein shakes and eggs, but lots of junk food too, fast food 3-5 times a week (which I said I quit), and lots of soda, and lots of alcohol on the weekends because I was in college

Keep in mind this was from fall 2004-summer 2008
I will say that I quit working out for a year because I discovered that all the ladies men I knew weren't muscular at all. But I've decided to hit the gym again because I want to lose the skinny frame entirely, which is a reason that isn't based on girls.

 

[Demystify]

bump

 

[Quiksilver]

Sounds like just cutting out alcohol and fast food will do wonders for your physique(moobs, belly).

Don't neglect cardio, I'd actually suggest rotating between different types of cardio: 45 min incline walks/20 min jogs/20 min HIIT sessions(100m sprint repeats)/and GPP cardio(farmers walks, sled pulling, tire flipping, BB complexes).

There's good progs in the sticky to follow you shouldn't need help there.

So yeah, eat relatively healthy bu since your trying to get bigger and thicker you have to remember that eating enough every day is priority #1. that means if you missed a couple meals one day, don't starve because you can't eat a perfectly healthy meal; get some calories into you.

At the same time, you don't want to overdo it or else you'll just get fat.

I strongly suggest keeping regular cardio sessions in your schedule, as they keep your heart strong, keep you healthy, and support muscle growth to an extent while minimizing fat gain.

Most people with amazing physiques are athletes, and just doing 3 hours of gym work per week isn't athletic. As long as your eating to support your activity levels and are training different fitness qualities, then you can easily put in 5-10+ hours of exercise a week and your physique will be transformed.

Oh and... This all takes patience. You may be doing the right thing even now, though most peoples bodies are very good at resisting change, and you may just have to give it some time.(you can do the right thing for weeks before you'll notice benefits).

 

[EFFORT]

Well, I said I did too much cardio, but I'll try to remember it to the best of my memory.

Workout:
Day 1: Biceps/back w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 2: Legs w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 3: Triceps/chest/shoulders w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 4: Biceps/back w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 5: Legs w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 6: Triceps/chest/shoulders w/ 30 minutes of cardio
Day 7: 1-3 hours of intense cardio

I worked out my abs about 3 random times through out the week.

Diet:
Lots of protein shakes and eggs, but lots of junk food too, fast food 3-5 times a week (which I said I quit), and lots of soda, and lots of alcohol on the weekends because I was in college

Keep in mind this was from fall 2004-summer 2008
I will say that I quit working out for a year because I discovered that all the ladies men I knew weren't muscular at all. But I've decided to hit the gym again because I want to lose the skinny frame entirely, which is a reason that isn't based on girls.

This is why I said your not a special case before. Its very rare to find someone that is a special case. You didn't see results because your diet was terrible and your training was equally as bad lots of over training.

The good news is you can learn from that and do things correct this time around.

The first step is getting your diet laid out, then training/cardio. How about you start a Journal thread and we can work things out in their.