Where should I start? [duplicate]

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• How can an overweight engineer get back in shape? 9 answers
• What is the most effective plan to get abs? 1 answer

I am fat and I am already trying to eat less and eat healthy. I figured the muscular route to be the best way to get my muscles to show(my body is able to burn fat and gain muscle at the same time).

I am not a bodybuilder but I would rather be muscular than fat like I am now.

I am not sure which muscles to start with. I don't want to lose so much fat that my menstrual cycle stops but at the same time, I want muscle definition.

I remember one time I successfully lost weight while gaining muscle. This was when my Abs were starting to show(upper Abs).

So what muscles should I start with? I know that ideally you'd want to do all of them but I can't do that. Should I start with Abs like last time(first to show up, first to atrophy, prone to injury)? Or should I start with other muscles first? I think I should do arms and legs last since those will be indirectly exercised the whole time. For the same reason,I don't need to do much for my chest muscles(all abdominal exercises also exercise the chest).

This is why I think my Abs should be done first even though it will take the most work to keep the definition. But there is a little of a drawback for me as far as Abs are concerned. No matter how much I do,I can't get my lower Abs to show. Upper Abs, easy, lower Abs, super hard. Lower abdominal exercises(for example leg raises), doesn't help.

So should I do Abs first or not? If yes then will my lower Abs ever show up? If not, then what should I do first muscle group wise? I don't have weights or any muscle specific exercise machinery so exercises with those are off my list.

Answer 1

First of all, there's no way to target fat loss from a specific part of your body. In the same way, you can't build muscles at a specific part. To lose fat, you need to lose the overall body fat. Your body is quite intelligent and it would take care of where you need to lose it, but you just can't lose gut by doing crunches, or gain abs by doing the same. In the same way, muscle development happens all over the body, not just targeted to specific area. So, to answer your question, in order to build abs, you need to work on your legs, arms and your whole body, along with abs. Your lower abs would only show up, when you have a muscle layer below the fat. If you do, then you need to lose the surrounding fat. If not, you need to build lower abs, and lose fat at the same time. You can trigger the muscle growth by doing specific exercises targeting certain muscle-heads, but without full body workout(chest,arms, legs and core, shoulders, back etc), it will be very hard. Make a plan, like what muscle you want to workout on what day, and stick to it. I'd say combine aerobics with weight training. Eat clean and drink a plenty of water. Regarding recovery time, you need to figure out what amount of rest is appropriate for you and prepares you for the next workout.

As you said you don't have equipment, you can stick to free body workouts like pushups, squats, running, biking etc. Here's a link giving some details about freehand workout, but please keep the safety factor in mind before starting any of those that involves chairs, or bed railings as support. http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/the-15-best-beginners-exercises-to-do-at-home