Problem with a pudgy stomach
I've been going to the gym 3 to 4 days a week since March. I already see the difference in my arms but my stomach is getting bigger. I feel muscle tone under the blubber, so why does my stomach look fatter? Am I doing my exercises wrong? Or could I have a big stomach now due to stress?
It could be water weight, but my bet is that you're building up the muscle and not losing the fat. Doing toning exercises and not enough cardio will do that. You need a balanced exercise regimen.
When you do cardio, your heart rate should meet or exceed 65% of your maximum heart rate, which you can approximate by subtracting your age from 220. Calculate that number, get a heart rate monitor, and go out for some heart-pumping cardio. You'll know you're working out hard enough when you reach your target heart rate.
That'll lose the fat; meanwhile, keep up the good work with the conditioning exercises. Both in conjunction will show off that muscle you've got 'under the blubber,' as you put it.
