No, you won't. Fat cannot be turned into muscle any more than liver can be turned into brain.

Herbalife is incredibly dangerous for you. People really should read into things before suggesting them to others.

Herbalife is incredibly dangerous for you. People really should read into things before suggesting them to others.

Does it make you repeat yourself?

Were there no fat cavemen then?

In my albeit limited experience, any diet that requires a designer name should be avoided at all costs

Very useful thread.

A specific question if i may. I'm trying to get a bit fitter and lose some weight. I'm trying to change my diet (ie cut out most/all fizzy drinks, no late night snacks etc) and go to the gym regularly (i usually do running/bike/cross trainer and then a few of the weight machines)

I've lost the best part of a stone in a couple of months but not really any from my stomach/flab. I'm just wondering if there is anything i can specifically change (either diet or exercise wise) to "target" that area more?

One thing I have noticed is the heavier you start, the more rapid the initial weight loss. This gradually tapers off unless you increase activity and/or reduce calorie intake. If aiming at the latter don't skip protein otherwise your body could start consuming muscle instead of fat. Men are genetically predisposed to carry fat around the waistline, so although you could concentrate on that area, the best way to reduce fat around the waist is to continue to lose fat generally. So up your exercise regime and/or reduce your calorie intake

No. You cannot target where the fat loss appears. To make it worse, typically the first place fat appears (belly for you, and me) is the last place it will come off. However, once you've got it off, you might find future fat gain is a little more spread out.

You're better doing the weights first by the way, whilst you've got max energy, then the aerobic stuff. Try to get organised, rather than just doing a few machines. On a really basic level, that's enough to do an upper body routine of horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push, vertical pull. For lower body, some kind of push (squat, leg press etc) and a "pull" which would be a hamstring curl.

Where does everyone stand on punching bags? Are they any good? I've been looking at getting one recently but can't decide whether I should or not.

Basically my upper body strength is a bit pathetic and needs sorting out. I've got a barbell and dumbbells and have been looking at various muscle gaining exercises but from what I've been reading it seems that a heavy bag is a great workout and can help to build muscle and also looks like a lot of fun.

I run 40+ miles a week and also go for the occasional bike ride so my fitness level is already quite high and I don't really need to lose any weight. With my running and cycling my legs are also quite muscular so I don't need to worry about them too much. As I've already said it's my upper body that needs working on. So are heavy bags any good or are they just a waste of time and money?

Any exercise is good. Exercises tend to make you better at those exercises. Did you notice you got better at running and cycling when you ran and cycled? So punching a bag will make you better at punching a bag. Lifting a weight would make you better at lifting a weight. You want to get stronger. How would you measure strength?