I am a regular member of ASIA - SPA since July last year with an aim of reducing my fat along with muscle build up. I guess I'm slightly overweight with 165 cm and 71 kg ( When I joined, it was 77 kg ). As suggested by the trainer, I do quite a lot of training ( free hand and weights ),maintain a balanced diet & having protein shakes which definitely helped to reduce the fat. However there is no significant improvement in terms of gaining muscles. Anyone provide pointer to a consultant trainer who can review my training list,diet chart and suggest accordingly ?
Any other suggestion from EFers is highly appreciated..

You're in a classic conundrum.

You have a choice. You can lose fat, or you can gain muscle. You can't do both at the same time. You need a surplus of calories in order to build muscle, and you need a deficit of calories to lose weight.

That's why most serious weight lifters will go through bulking phases, where they concentrate on taking in huge amount of calories while building muscle mass (and gaining some additional fat at the same time) followed by cutting phases, where they reduce their caloric intake while maintaining the new muscle they've built (although you'll inevitably lose a little bit during a cutting cycle).

There's lots of good information here: http://www.stumptuous.com/eating-for-mass-gain

Incidentally, although the site is written by (and targetted towards) women, it is full of excellent advice for anyone interested in getting started in weight training.

..my question is, do you want to build mass (bulk up) or simply gain strength? There is a fine difference. A lot of strength and power comes from the back, that's why you can easily tell an athlete from a bodybuilder or a gym guy. Athletes have well defined backs whereas guy who train at gyms simply have a puffed up chest.

So which are you, L-i-B ? Puffy pecs or rippling back

I got a broad and well defined back...thanks for asking.

with a very visual mind...
this was my first thought:
spot the athlete and the body builder

Ok I will look tonight in Lenzburg for the guy with the broad and well defined back, I will be the guy with the broad and well defined belly....

..alright, but no hanky panky...my missus will be there as well.

hmmm, you are the one talking about hanky panky, not me

But but but, how's he gonna get a good look at your back?!

..blame it on me now.

Oh I am sure I will see the well defined ripples through whatever he is wearing no worries there.

unfortunately all I've got is a well defined Broad in the back. Sigh, will she ever shut up.

Can we stop talking about me please...and focus on the OP. (don't want to turn this into any other thread)

Typical body builder view and WRONG!

While if you are too much in calorie deficit you will start to break down muscle protein it is not the case if you are only in a small deficit and eat a proper diet. It is actually possible to change body composition i.e. reduce body fat and increase muscle within reason at the same time.

Fat burning comes from having a calorie deficit. Muscle building comes from creating the correct kind of overload in the muscle and preventing too much protein break down. Typical bodybuilders hype up on so much protein that the body actually starts to turn over protein quicker and then they get into a vicious circle of needing more just to maintain body. For most people who eat meat they will get plenty of protein for most purposes in their daily diet.

Building muscle mass has as much to do with the kind of weights you do as anything else. If you do max lifts and heavy weights chances are you will be mainly working on neuromuscular changes to the muscle rather than hypertrophy. Lifting at lower intensities 65%ish of 1RM will usually lead to more hypertrophy. Everyone is an individual though and you may need to find what works best for your body.

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I would sggest the OP take up swimming. Great for all that ails you and developes beautiful muscles. Especially thighs, and shoulder. And back muscles. OOH, and pecs! Gotta have pecs.

Swimming is alright...but the ultimate exercises are weight lifting for Swimmers, which focus on upper and lower body strength and tend to bulk you up as well.

Swimming is fantastic. I needs nothing else. Great cardio workout and fantastic muscle builder. Why would anyone wanna "bulk" that up?

Sure. The most effective thing to build up muscles I ever tried out was "Hot Iron" http://www.iron-system.com/ and they offer them at asia spa. (Pretty much the same as "body pump" if others are in a "les mills" studio.) When I looked into the group fitness room and see mainly girls with some five kilos on a long bar, I always thought this is some Kindergarden training - it really isn't. Since it is free for a member, just give it a try.

Since you make many repetitions with rather low weights, you do not look like the pumped up body builder.

The only problem is: The system works, because it is very intense - so it is not some secret way, but simply hard training

Because that's what a lot of guy want to do...get big in size. Swimming is awesome and builds a lot of strength and endurance....but in terms of building muslces, it cannot compete with lifting weights.