Hello all,
I am a new member working to cut my fat. (Height 6ft, Weight: 177 pounds, body fat: 25%). I was doing ab exercises in the gym once and the assistant suggested that I don't drink water during ab exercises. His reason was that I am trying to burn the water layer surrounding my tummy and more water will make my effort zero. In case I needed to drink water, it should be not more than just a sip. Also, after exercises, he suggested to wait for half an hour before consuming water or any food. Is he correct?

Also, how much water should one consume during a workout? My workout is usually weight training (25 mins) followed by cardio (~1 hour). During weights, I focus on a single area with 4 exercises with 3 sets each. Cardio depends on my mood but its usually treadmill/exercycle.

Thanks,
Hemang.

That's total bollocks as far as I'm concerned. You cannot spot reduce fat... drinking water won't negatively impact you. To lose the fat is about caloric deficit.

That's total bollocks

Smells like a giant sasuage gone bad...Don't bother listening to that junk. Your body needs water to function...to metabolize that fat you are trying to reduce.

That all sounds crazy. BUT, if you drank a gallon of water before/during your ab routine, they might not appear as defined/pumped as usual. But that would be temporary, and there's no reason that it would affect ab development.

6'0, 177lbs? 25% bodyfat?

it looks to me like you're lacking some mass and it's going to be very difficult to cut fat well.
if i were you, i'd aim to put on muscle.
i guess i'd have to see pictures, but i'm 6'1 177 lbs, 11.5% bf and i'm pretty skinny looking.

6'0, 177lbs? 25% bodyfat?

wh0, I'm glad you caught that. I'll agree. If you really do have 25% BF there's not much mass there. I'm 6' and 187 lbs at 25% BF. I KNOW there's not much muscle on these bones.

Thank you all for the replies.

For body fat percentage, I used some site which told me to enter my waist, hip, neck measurements and gave a number.

About my muscle mass, I agree. Its less and I look skinny. I have a fat reserve around my hips (42") and thighs, and also some around my tummy (Waist: 36"). My body can be attributred to genetics and diet (vegetarian) but the diet wasn't complete in nutrition due to my ignorance. I have begun changing that and am eating and drinking clean stuff as much as possible.

My other measurements as I recall are:
Biceps: 14", Calves: 14.5", Waist vacuum: 33", Thighs: 21"

Shouldn't I get rid of the fat first and then building solid muscle?

Hemang.

Thank you all for the replies.

For body fat percentage, I used some site which told me to enter my waist, hip, neck measurements and gave a number.

About my muscle mass, I agree. Its less and I look skinny. I have a fat reserve around my hips (42") and thighs, and also some around my tummy (Waist: 36"). My body can be attributred to genetics and diet (vegetarian) but the diet wasn't complete in nutrition due to my ignorance. I have begun changing that and am eating and drinking clean stuff as much as possible.

My other measurements as I recall are:
Biceps: 14", Calves: 14.5", Waist vacuum: 33", Thighs: 21"

Shouldn't I get rid of the fat first and then building solid muscle?

Hemang.

You should just eat at maintenance, all clean and healthy food. And lift hard with a solid, comprehensive training program. You should be able to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Hi hemberger, i am a fitness professional from australia and from what we have been taught through our courses and from all my research i cannot find anything that says anything about burning the water layer around your stomach.

you should be drinking water during your workout. in the body, water is found the most in active tissues and less in fat, skin and some parts of bones. if you are dehydrated muscle strength is weakened. by the time your thirst mechanism has kicked in you have lost 2% of your body weight in water. this is considered dehydrated. this backs up the saying that you should drink water even if you are not thirsty.

back to the question of how much water you should be drinking. btw this is all recommended by the american college of sports medicine.

weigh yourself immediately before exercise

before you exercise : atleast 2 cups 2 - 3 hours before exercise. immediately prior to training take another cup. in hot and cold weather take in 1 and half to 2 and half cups.

weigh yourself immediately before exercise

during: one cup every 10 - 20 mins of exercise.

after exercise : drink 2 - 3 cups of water for every pound of weight you have lost (obviously weighing yourself immediately following exercise)

if you are exercising intensely for that hour you should also take in a 8% carbohydrate/water mix, ie gatoratade or powerade, to help replace electrolytes. one bottle of this will do, take this instead of a cup of water.

hopefully this helps you and it will energise your workouts thus helping you burn those extra calories. drinking no water can be dangerous and will not benefit your workouts.

Thank you all for the replies.
For body fat percentage, I used some site which told me to enter my waist, hip, neck measurements and gave a number.

Ok, in that case don't worry about it :) Definitely carry on with your cutting.

thank you aaron. I tried that for my latest workout and I do feel better. I am a heavy guzzler of water, esp during exercises. The earlier method let me feel way too dehydrated and I could have injured myself if persisted with it.

again, thank you all for the advice.

Hemang.

You seriously heard that? I'm not kidding: that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in months, years, perhaps ever. That guy should be fired for working in a gym and saying things like that.

From now on do not listen to anything he says about anything. He has proven he's utterly worthless at offering meaningful advice.

of course he should be! Being a beginner, I sort of believed him. I haven't been to that gym in a long time but the next time I see him, he's due for a hearing.

My workout references from now are: Schwarzengger's book (the encyclopedia) and JSF.

Hemang.

You can't burn water. Hydrogen Peroxide (what you get from oxidizing water) is less stable than water, and its synthesis is endothermic.

Hydrogen Peroxide is also poisonous, and although your body does make it in small quantities to dispose of certain tissues, your body does not dispose of water by oxidizing it - that would kill you.

It's amazing how many weight loss myths, if they were true, would result in the liquefaction of your internal organs.

So, yeah, what the gym trainer said makes no sense. If you need to get rid of water, that's why God invented peeing.