Did you post here last week?

Frankly, I don't see the problem.  If you just keep doing what you're doing
& maintain your weight you should be fine.  I suggest you forget what others
say about you being skinny...they are probably overweight.  Adopt some
activities you enjoy - running, swimming, cycling, and combine them with a
sound weight training routine. And get this, you can train for strength, not
size. Work on increasing your strength at your current size rather than
thinking about gaining muscle / losing fat. if you're really at 13.2% bf,
then you're good.  Note that strength is not simply related to the size of
muscles, it has a great deal to do with the central nervous system too.

If you do that and combined with a diet devoid of refined/processed foods,
with healthy fats, you'll be just fine.

Cycling can be a good activity if running is bothering your needs. Swimming
is good too.

Why are you spending all this time fretting?  And if you feel like you wanna
do a lot of cardio, then do cardio (that's certainly better than sitting on
your butt).  I do suggest you mix in a little high intensity interval
training, as opposed to just straight cardio.  HIIT (google for it) will
definitely help you burn off fat and it's better for your heart than just
straight cardio. Straight cardio doesn't protect your heart against sudden
intense effort.

As you probably know, normal body fat percentages associated with no
increased risk for disease are generally 12 to 20% for men, and 16 to 25%
for women.

(Source: Guide to Wellness, Fitness and Nutrition: by Neil Wolkodoff Ph.D.)

People's perceptions of what is "skinny" are often distorted by their
overexposure to overweight and obese body types.

The reverse is often true for young women who try to look like runway
models.

stryped@hotmail.com wrote in message
<1161867765.228445.317890@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>...

   I do resistance training 3 days a week and aerobic exercise 5 days a
week.    I have no problem putting on and maintaining muscle.    Actually,
I am puzzled over that "will not be able to gain muscle with all that
Cardio. . ." stuff.

I recommend aerobic exercise classes to everyone.    You "buy into the
group" and show up,  even when you would rather sit home on your butt.
Then, during class,  you "keep up" and get that heart pumping because
everybody else is.

Umm. . .age 35 you say.    Note that aerobic exercise classes for folks in
your age group are populated with extremely good looking young ladies.    I
know this for a fact since I attend both the Old F*rt and the Young Folks
sessions.     (I won't tell your wife if you don't.)

Caution:  some of those ladies can run to the Moon backwards.

Regards
 Old Al

stryped@hotmail.com says...

I've found there is an amazing amount of BS in the world of
weight training.  In this case, it seems to me that there
are a lot of fitness models on the cover of Men's Health,
etc., who appear to have gained muscle and reduced fat at
the same time.

[sigh]

I guess if you are limited to working out 5 days a week, I
would prefer 2 days of weights and 3 days of cardio.  But
you know, that's just my preference.  Also, weight training
does have some cardiovascular benefits, so I'm not sure it
matters all that much so long as you're breathing hard.  But
I predict you will find that the cardio doesn't prevent you
from gaining muscle.

I do weights three times a week.  I do 15 lifts (actually,
mostly machines), one set of each, about 15 reps.  It
takes about 35 minutes. I'm 5'10", 170 lbs, and am generally
considered to have a good body.  I'm a good bit older than
you.

Oh, and the weight lifting gurus will also tell you that you
can't do any good doing just one set of each lift - you have
to do three sets.  Well, pretty much every time that's been
tested in a formal study, it's been found that one set is as
good as three.  If you do one set, and do the lifts in an
order that varies the muscle groups involved, then you don't
have to spend 80% of your time in the gym resting between
sets.  It just takes a lot less time to do the workout.

I do cardio the other 4 days.  Elliptical machines, because
they are non-impact, or swimming.  Your bad knee may like
the ellipticals.

To prevent injury, you might want to start at 20 reps, and
then work your way down to 15 or 12 as the joints, ligaments
and tendons toughen up after a few months.  As for specific
lifts, the squat is probably the single most beneficial lift
for men, but otherwise it doesn't really matter so long as
you cover the major muscle groups.  Visually, the biggest
effects come from the bench press for the pecs, pullups or
lat pulldowns for the lats that give you the V shape, and
shrugs for the trapezius.  Some ab work is needed, but a
six-pack is primarily a function of bodyfat levels.

Well, what it comes down to is - just give it a try, and see
what works for you. Have fun.  Good luck.

If you don't enjoy running, then it isn't the right exercise program for
you. This applies to just about *any* program you do for short-term goals.
You'll be at this exercise business for the long haul, so find something --
or several somethings, that you can enjoy enough that you'll keep doing it.
You don't have to do the same sport, routine, workout all the time. You are
allowed to change for any reason or no reason.
The important thing is to do.....something.

Or you could find another race to tune up for. If you're anywhere near any
kind of metro area there's probably a ton of them (though things tend to
slack off a bit over the winter). I live in DC & do 40 or so races a year,
various distances, and also volunteer at several club events, which adds to
the sociable aspect of it as a hobby.

You won't keep that fitness if you you don't continue to exercise -- in this
case, some kind of aerobic exercise if you want to keep the kind of fitness
you got from running.

With the *possible* exception of your wife, it doesn't matter what other
people think. They may have skewed ideas of what is "skinny" anyway. Maybe
they're just jealous...and yes, I have gotten that kind of response to my
"skinniness" -- which happens to be what I weighed when I finished college,
& nobody called me a runt back then.
What does your doctor say?
What do your clothes say?
What does your mirror say?
What do *you* say? Are you unhappy with your current look?

Maybe you need different people telling you how you look.
bj