How much can a beginner progress in 11 weeks

[Fallen]

Sorry this is a long post, I'm after a lot of information.

Backstory: I've been meaning to get into shape for ages and I've just found the motivation I needed. I'm going to a charity event in 11 weeks where I'm going to be at least topless, so I'd like to get into the best shape I can for it. I've never taken working out seriously before. I've read through quite a lot of the threads on this forum (and others) especially the stickies.

Questions:
1. I know 11 weeks isn't nearly enough to make massive changes but how much difference (if any) can it make?

2. I've been reading about bulking and cutting, is that only really a useful method for people who have already attained a reasonable shape already? would it be advisable to try to put on as much muscle as possible over say weeks 1-8ish, then diet and try to retain some of it for weeks 9-11? or does that not make sense?

3. Is it possible to use a method of continuously working out and just having a continuous diet rather than this bulk/cut method, so you trade off looking in great shape for a short period of time so that you can look in pretty good shape all the time?

4. What should I focus on over the 11 weeks? (i.e. exercises, targets, cardio work, sets, reps) Please bare in mind that it's lean/defined muscle that I want to build.

The Catch / Other info: I'm only going to have access to a gym for weeks 3-11, the first 2 weeks I can get into a gym maybe once or twice a week as a guest with a friend.
At home I have some dumbbells, I've been working on my biceps & triceps with them, they only go up to 10k each, so what I've done is lump 17kg on one of them and do stuff like concentration curls, but I've now started to outgrow them, I've had to extend it to 5 sets of 15+ reps.
I'm currently playing squash once or twice a week, and work on a construction site part time, but apart from that I don't really exercise much beyond lifting dumbbells.
I'm in my early 20s.

More questions:
5. Since I've not got much access to a gym at the start would you recommend trying to drop body fat to start off with?
6. What other exercises can I do until I have a gym membership?

Thank you.

 

[Merkaba]

How old are you?

What does your diet look like?

How strict are you planning on being with your diet in order to cut fat?

 

[Fallen]

^24 years old

Diet looks pretty normal at the moment, breakfast is normally a couple of bowls of cereal, maybe a banana and maybe some toast, lunch is some kind of ham/cheese sandwich, dinner usually consists of meat and steamed vegetables or something like lasagne.

I can be pretty strict if that's what you recommend, nothing insane though, gotta work during the day.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Lost Grizzly]

I think you need to get a closer look at what goes in and track your diet over the 11 week. You can got to fitday.com and track your intake and adjust as needed.

As for the first 3 weeks with out a GYM do convit work outs in your house and get out and hit the street if you want this to happen.

You will get out what you put in.

Crap in crap out. Oh damm that is my problem atleast the crap out part.

 

[Ben dur]

what is your bf%

if your 20% bf it is very possible to be looking at 8-10% in 11 weeks
that means abs, and veins everywhere

but you may not like the program

if your a stick figure, you may be able to gain 20lbs, but it will come with some fat aswell

if you are planing on staying approximately the same weight, you could go on a maint. diet, and if your new to lifting your body composition may change greatly in 11 weeks (for the better)


post some pictures
and a more clear idea of your goals
11 weeks is almost long enough to turn a fat nerd into a United States Marine
(that takes 13weeks)

im sure you can achieve some very pleasing results, if you stay dedicated

 

[Fallen]

I think you need to get a closer look at what goes in and track your diet over the 11 week. You can got to fitday.com and track your intake and adjust as needed.

As for the first 3 weeks with out a GYM do convit work outs in your house and get out and hit the street if you want this to happen.

You will get out what you put in.

Crap in crap out. Oh damm that is my problem atleast the crap out part.

Cool, I'll probably register with that website in a bit to see what it's all about. I've just looked up some of those convict-style workouts, and they look pretty useful, thanks.

what is your bf%

if your 20% bf it is very possible to be looking at 8-10% in 11 weeks
that means abs, and veins everywhere

but you may not like the program

if your a stick figure, you may be able to gain 20lbs, but it will come with some fat aswell

if you are planing on staying approximately the same weight, you could go on a maint. diet, and if your new to lifting your body composition may change greatly in 11 weeks (for the better)


post some pictures
and a more clear idea of your goals
11 weeks is almost long enough to turn a fat nerd into a United States Marine
(that takes 13weeks)

im sure you can achieve some very pleasing results, if you stay dedicated

I've got no exact way of measuring my % at the moment. Based on rough measurements: 20-24% ish.

I've never seriously tried this before and I don't know what to expect. 20% down to 8-10% sounds extreme in just 11 weeks, I doubt I could stick to a diet that did that.

Would I be able to drop to about say 14% or 15% and still be able to build some muscle?
At what point do abs normally appear? lol, I've never had visible abs before.

What would a maintenance diet consist of?

GOALS:
Dropping by 6-7% I guess is a goal, although I have no idea what that's going to involve. Also putting on some muscle, almost all upper body, particularly chest/lats/biceps/triceps.
The 'huge' look isn't really what I'm after and I'd like to play some sports so purely bulking isn't right for me.
Core stability may turn into a pretty big goal for me later if I start playing sports a lot.
Short-term my goal is that 11 week target although that's just motivation to start, longer-term I plan to put on some more muscle and definition for summer '09.

(I've been through the photo gallery looking for examples...) A pretty good example of what I think of as being a great body shape is this: Image051 - Bodybuilding & Fitness Photo Gallery
I know I'm not going to achieve that kind of physique for a looooong time, that's just the general direction I'd like to head in.

Another one I found was this: oct_1 - Bodybuilding & Fitness Photo Gallery he's developed muscle without getting huge.

Thanks for the replies, I'll upload some photos in a bit so you can get an idea of my starting point.

 

[Ben dur]

in 11 weeks you could easily loose 15 pounds at your bf%

which would probably be about 7-8% less than your current
how much do you weigh?

thats about 1.5 lbs a week

and thats a deficit of 5200 a week

or 750 a day

that would mean probably consuming about 2000cal a day and probably 200 calories worth of cardio

but the people in the diet section could probably help you out more with that than i could


and the only reason i would say you could gain muscle while cutting is because you say your pretty new to all this
otherwise, that is a very difficult task to accomplish


you should see abs once you approach 10%, but sometimes endomorphs dont see abs untill below that
either way you will have a pleasing physique below 15%



and the examples you show are very possible long term, but not likely in 11 weeks

 

[Fallen]

I think about 165lbs.
Photos (this seems lame after seeing the photos in the gallery, never mind): -
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp78/stegaman/front.jpg?t=1221700419
Attemptin the flex the arm lol: http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp78/stegaman/arm.jpg

Thanks again. I'm going to do a trial run tomorrow to see how many calories I take in. I'll probably take a look through that diet forum too. 200 calories of cardio sounds doable.

 

[Ben dur]

its definitely doable

and dont feel outgunned by the gallery
the truth is that these guys exercise and diet the way required to look like that
and with dedication you can be a monster too

live by the stickies, and take to heart anything a moderator tells you
those are the best guidelines i can give

and DONT be afraid to ask questions

 

[Fallen]

LOL, 'outgunned' that's the word I was looking for.

Thanks for all the help man, I think I've got enough info to get started.

 

[Lost Grizzly]

Now "get er done"

 

[captaincaberman]

Hey man you can do it, don't get discouraged. Set some goals and stick to it