[koreez88]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I don't remember if I ever posted these, but I figured that I should add them to this thread....

Damn strong!

Btw upon completing the 10x3 bench program my bench went up 10 lbs to it's now 260. Slowly climbing up!

Finally passed 1100 total, happy about that.

Started Wendler 531 Triumvirate, thoughts or recommendations?

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Hey Sedan_Clan you weren't that officer hit by the SUV on Donner Pass, I hope!

I'm still alive and kicking. Thanks for the concern my good man.

Originally Posted by koreez88

Damn strong!

Btw upon completing the 10x3 bench program my bench went up 10 lbs to it's now 260. Slowly climbing up!

Finally passed 1100 total, happy about that.

Started Wendler 531 Triumvirate, thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks koreez88.

I'm also pleased to hear that my suggestion proved beneficial and you made steady [and real/tangible] progress. Creeping up incrementally has longer lasting benefits that will pay dividends down the line. Keep it up!

I've never tried the Wendler 531 approach, but do try it and let us all know how it works for you. The basic structure is set-up for improving maximal strength, and that's a good thing. I've always been a fan of pull-ups/chin-ups/dips. You can vary them until you're blue in the face and the strength they build is phenomenal.

[koreez88]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I'm still alive and kicking. Thanks for the concern my good man.




Thanks koreez88.

I'm also pleased to hear that my suggestion proved beneficial and you made steady [and real/tangible] progress. Creeping up incrementally has longer lasting benefits that will pay dividends down the line. Keep it up!

I've never tried the Wendler 531 approach, but do try it and let us all know how it works for you. The basic structure is set-up for improving maximal strength, and that's a good thing. I've always been a fan of pull-ups/chin-ups/dips. You can vary them until you're blue in the face and the strength they build is phenomenal.

Slow and steady wins the race!

The goal for SBD is 405-275-495 this year while trying to minimize the chance of elbows and knees blowing up. In this for a long run.

I'll keep you posted on the progress, I might run Wendler till end of year (might change the accessory work half way) so let's see where I end up.

[UncleWede]

So Saturday I had mowed the lawn, fertilized, then decided to go for a little run. I get less than a mile from the house and WATER STARTS FALLING FROM THE SKY. THE sky is literally FALLING on me.

The front of my shirt got so soaked that the weight was throwing off my stride, so had to remove it. Got home totally soaked.

Good thing though, I didn't need to take a shower afterwards (but wife still made me for some reason)

[richardbb85]

anyone ever tried mr. hyde for preworkout? i tried it for the first time today with 2 scoops and holy shit, i was cold sweating 10 mins into my workout. the more i sweat the colder i felt, n the rest of the workout pretty much sucked.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by richardbb85

anyone ever tried mr. hyde for preworkout? i tried it for the first time today with 2 scoops and holy shit, i was cold sweating 10 mins into my workout. the more i sweat the colder i felt, n the rest of the workout pretty much sucked.

Almost sounds like my workout Monday night. Went in feeling similar (cold sweats), still did my 5 sets of squats but could barely get 6-8 reps and didn't move from warm-up weight. Finally decided something was wrong so just left. Took me 5 minutes to get to my truck, staggering like a drunk. Each sidewalk square took me about 4-5 steps to complete (funny what I remember) Don't know how I got home, but came around eating a bowl of ice cream in the kitchen. #hypoglycemia

[koreez88]

Originally Posted by richardbb85

anyone ever tried mr. hyde for preworkout? i tried it for the first time today with 2 scoops and holy shit, i was cold sweating 10 mins into my workout. the more i sweat the colder i felt, n the rest of the workout pretty much sucked.

1 serving of hyde is over 400mg of caffeine. You took two. That's over 8 cups of coffee right there.

[rjd598]

basic advice for losing body fat yet retaining the current muscle i have right now? i know that's vague and whatnot, but i bet there is a wide variety of opinions and i'm open to learning always.

i started a basic diet/workout routine for myself almost three months ago with the goal of losing 30lbs in three months. i've become more focused in training hard the right way and losing bfp instead of actual weight as i've plateaued for the past 2-3 weeks.

[richardbb85]

Originally Posted by rjd598

basic advice for losing body fat yet retaining the current muscle i have right now? i know that's vague and whatnot, but i bet there is a wide variety of opinions and i'm open to learning always.

i started a basic diet/workout routine for myself almost three months ago with the goal of losing 30lbs in three months. i've become more focused in training hard the right way and losing bfp instead of actual weight as i've plateaued for the past 2-3 weeks.

count calories + cardio. workout program isn't that important when you on a cut/diet, you arent gona build any size/muscle

[ErvGotti]

Originally Posted by rjd598

basic advice for losing body fat yet retaining the current muscle i have right now? i know that's vague and whatnot, but i bet there is a wide variety of opinions and i'm open to learning always.

i started a basic diet/workout routine for myself almost three months ago with the goal of losing 30lbs in three months. i've become more focused in training hard the right way and losing bfp instead of actual weight as i've plateaued for the past 2-3 weeks.

The best way I found to retain muscle is to add light cardio in the mornings. Treadmill at 10% incline walking as fast as you can walk while keeping your heart rate below 130 for 30-45 mins. 3-5 times a week. Maybe throw in a HIIT session every now and then.

Track your calories and make sure your still getting the 1 to .75 grams of protein to body weight.

I found that this in combo with my lifting routine has helped retain muscle, but you'll lose a little bit of strength being in a caloric deficit.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by richardbb85

count calories + cardio. workout program isn't that important when you on a cut/diet, you arent gona build any size/muscle

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

The best way I found to retain muscle is to add light cardio in the mornings. Treadmill at 10% incline walking as fast as you can walk while keeping your heart rate below 130 for 30-45 mins. 3-5 times a week. Maybe throw in a HIIT session every now and then.

Track your calories and make sure your still getting the 1 to .75 grams of protein to body weight.

I found that this in combo with my lifting routine has helped retain muscle, but you'll lose a little bit of strength being in a caloric deficit.

Already on the cardio. Need to start counting the calories. I have rough estimates of what I eat versus what I burn but nothing specific.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by rjd598

basic advice for losing body fat yet retaining the current muscle i have right now? i know that's vague and whatnot, but i bet there is a wide variety of opinions and i'm open to learning always.

i started a basic diet/workout routine for myself almost three months ago with the goal of losing 30lbs in three months. i've become more focused in training hard the right way and losing bfp instead of actual weight as i've plateaued for the past 2-3 weeks.

Here's my advice. Start with a moderate calorie deficit... say 20% under TDEE. You need to be deliberate and track it accurately using something like MyFitnessPal or something like that. I'm super diligent in tracking. Figure out your TDEE and macros using something like this.... http://www.muscleforlife.com/weight-loss-calculator

Up your protein intake. I weigh 175lbs and I'm taking in 200+g of protein when I'm dieting down. For two reasons... higher protein (really more than I need) to preserve muscle, effective nitrogen balance and also the thermogenic impact of protein as it is the hardest macro nutrient for your body to process so it's calorie efficient, so to speak.

Continue heavy lifting and focus on compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench, etc) as your main exercises. Add HIIT to your routine. I do 5 days of weights and add 2 to 3 sessions (30 minutes) of cardio. Long, steady state cardio (jogging, etc) is bad for muscle retention. HIIT is much better. Lots of articles (LOTS) on the link above on this topic.

I find I don't lose any strength (and therefore likely little to no muscle) and I am able to lose weight quickly. Once I get to my goal, I reverse diet (add 200 calories a week) until I get back to my maintenance level TDEE. For me, I maintain around 2,600 calories, bulk around 2,800 to 3,000 calories and cut around 2,100 calories if I'm working out 4 to 5 hours a week. Works really well for me.

I went from 29% BF to 8% BF doing this. I then bulked to around 10% - 12% BF and then cut again to 8% BF in a very short period again. I'll continue this cycle until I'm happy with my lean muscle and then I'll simply continue working out and eat around my TDEE to maintain an 8% to 9% BF level.

Some useful reading...

http://www.muscleforlife.com/high-in...nd-weight-loss
http://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat

Lots of different views on all of this but what I wrote above worked amazingly well for me and it's pretty basic, common sense stuff.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by gthal

all the good stuff he said

Absolutely agreed. MyFitnessPal is an excellent starting point for gaining, losing, or maintaining bodily mass down to the terms of macro distribution. If you pay for the premium version (like I do) you get to receive full breakdowns of where the majority of your carbohydrates are coming from, and more in depth looks into the foods you are consuming.


Do you use a heart rate monitor? I use a Fitbit blaze for the majority of my HIIT and even my weight training routines, and it greatly helps to keep things into perspective. But high proteins, moderate carbohydrates and [good] fats are key, as well as knowing what to consume.


You don't want to invalidate your muscle gain based on consuming too little, or too much of the wrong stuff.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by gthal

Here's my advice. Start with a moderate calorie deficit... say 20% under TDEE. You need to be deliberate and track it accurately using something like MyFitnessPal or something like that. I'm super diligent in tracking. Figure out your TDEE and macros using something like this.... http://www.muscleforlife.com/weight-loss-calculator

Up your protein intake. I weigh 175lbs and I'm taking in 200+g of protein when I'm dieting down. For two reasons... higher protein (really more than I need) to preserve muscle, effective nitrogen balance and also the thermogenic impact of protein as it is the hardest macro nutrient for your body to process so it's calorie efficient, so to speak.

Continue heavy lifting and focus on compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench, etc) as your main exercises. Add HIIT to your routine. I do 5 days of weights and add 2 to 3 sessions (30 minutes) of cardio. Long, steady state cardio (jogging, etc) is bad for muscle retention. HIIT is much better. Lots of articles (LOTS) on the link above on this topic.

I find I don't lose any strength (and therefore likely little to no muscle) and I am able to lose weight quickly. Once I get to my goal, I reverse diet (add 200 calories a week) until I get back to my maintenance level TDEE. For me, I maintain around 2,600 calories, bulk around 2,800 to 3,000 calories and cut around 2,100 calories if I'm working out 4 to 5 hours a week. Works really well for me.

I went from 29% BF to 8% BF doing this. I then bulked to around 10% - 12% BF and then cut again to 8% BF in a very short period again. I'll continue this cycle until I'm happy with my lean muscle and then I'll simply continue working out and eat around my TDEE to maintain an 8% to 9% BF level.

Some useful reading...

http://www.muscleforlife.com/high-in...nd-weight-loss
http://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat

Lots of different views on all of this but what I wrote above worked amazingly well for me and it's pretty basic, common sense stuff.

First of all thank you for the well thought out response. Secondly you are absolutely right about the common sense part. Most of what you advised are things I've either heard from others or basics I've found researching. For me it comes down to actually counting my calories which I dreaded, but if I want to reach my goals it's a must. I will admit I need to add a little more HIIT to my workouts for sure, but I have a decent amount in right now.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Absolutely agreed. MyFitnessPal is an excellent starting point for gaining, losing, or maintaining bodily mass down to the terms of macro distribution. If you pay for the premium version (like I do) you get to receive full breakdowns of where the majority of your carbohydrates are coming from, and more in depth looks into the foods you are consuming.


Do you use a heart rate monitor? I use a Fitbit blaze for the majority of my HIIT and even my weight training routines, and it greatly helps to keep things into perspective. But high proteins, moderate carbohydrates and [good] fats are key, as well as knowing what to consume.


You don't want to invalidate your muscle gain based on consuming too little, or too much of the wrong stuff.

Once again well said. Things I already knew, but I think what you've said is very basic knowledge needed for people trying to accomplish certain levels of performance.

Your last statement is the basis of my need for help. I don't want to consume too little and make myself miserable and lose muscle mass, but I also know eating too much will not get me to my bfp goal. The quality of food I eat is very good, my workouts are decent but I could definitely add a little more HIIT routines in, and now I need to just track my calories closely to reach my goal.

[FType22]

What's everyones thoughts on carbs?

I read this one bodybuilding.com article about restricting yourself to 30g carbs per day for 5.5 days and then, not really unleashing, but sort of letting go the next 1.5 days. So Sunday-6pm Friday this guy would go 30g carbs a day and Friday night and Saturday he wouldn't regulate. He argued it gives a similar physiological response to steroids because of how your body acts on carbs/off carbs and would burn more fat.

I then read another nutrition guide by another bodybuilding.com writer that pegged most bodybuilders eating 3-400g carbs a day. Now, I'm not a bodybuilder, but this is a staggering difference.

At the moment I estimate I am probably at around 145-180g carbs per day. I was going to try to cut to 30, and realized that it's almost impossible. Even my protein has 3g of carbs. I decided to cut down on them instead, down to around 100g or under.

Who is right in this bodybuilding.com article war?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by DJP86

What's everyones thoughts on carbs?

I read this one bodybuilding.com article about restricting yourself to 30g carbs per day for 5.5 days and then, not really unleashing, but sort of letting go the next 1.5 days. So Sunday-6pm Friday this guy would go 30g carbs a day and Friday night and Saturday he wouldn't regulate. He argued it gives a similar physiological response to steroids because of how your body acts on carbs/off carbs and would burn more fat.

I then read another nutrition guide by another bodybuilding.com writer that pegged most bodybuilders eating 3-400g carbs a day. Now, I'm not a bodybuilder, but this is a staggering difference.

At the moment I estimate I am probably at around 145-180g carbs per day. I was going to try to cut to 30, and realized that it's almost impossible. Even my protein has 3g of carbs. I decided to cut down on them instead, down to around 100g or under.

Who is right in this bodybuilding.com article war?

30g of carbs per day is stupid IMO

You need carbs to perform in the gym. Carbs will not make you fat. Overeating makes you fat. Carbs are not bad. I'm at around 360g per day and am not gaining any fat at all. When I'm cutting I'm around 190-200g per day.

So much misconception and fad diets that restrict carbs these days.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by gthal

30g of carbs per day is stupid IMO

You need carbs to perform in the gym. Carbs will not make you fat. Overeating makes you fat. Carbs are not bad. I'm at around 360g per day and am not gaining any fat at all. When I'm cutting I'm around 190-200g per day.

So much misconception and fad diets that restrict carbs these days.

Thank you just needed someone to confirm my feelings. I'm following the "Arnold get ripped" work out plan from bodybuilding.com the next few weeks to change things up and I can't function without the carbs, the work outs are too intense.

I still can't seem to easily drop body fat though. Not sure what the deal is.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by DJP86

Thank you just needed someone to confirm my feelings. I'm following the "Arnold get ripped" work out plan from bodybuilding.com the next few weeks to change things up and I can't function without the carbs, the work outs are too intense.

I still can't seem to easily drop body fat though. Not sure what the deal is.

That's because that is one of the (literally) hardest things to do when conditioning. Do you know what BF% you are trying to reach?


Also, as gthal stated, carbs are necessary in adequate moderation but cannot be indulged in very frequently because your lifting/HIIT efficiency is going to suffer, and you will grow increasingly sluggish. I've learned this the hard way.


I am currently averaging 40-50g fat, 200-300g carbs, and 200-250g protein.


30g is nothing.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

That's because that is one of the (literally) hardest things to do when conditioning. Do you know what BF% you are trying to reach?


Also, as gthal stated, carbs are necessary in adequate moderation but cannot be indulged in very frequently because your lifting/HIIT efficiency is going to suffer, and you will grow increasingly sluggish. I've learned this the hard way.


I am currently averaging 40-50g fat, 200-300g carbs, and 200-250g protein.


30g is nothing.

How do you usually get your protein? Can you give me the amount per meal and how it's eaten (like shake 40g/chicken 45g/fish etc) ?

I'm Shooting for single digit body fat, last time I was checked I was down to 11% but that was probably around 3-6 months ago. I'm
Also not sure how much body fat you can lose month to month safely, or on average.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by DJP86

How do you usually get your protein? Can you give me the amount per meal and how it's eaten (like shake 40g/chicken 45g/fish etc) ?

I'm Shooting for single digit body fat, last time I was checked I was down to 11% but that was probably around 3-6 months ago. I'm
Also not sure how much body fat you can lose month to month safely, or on average.

What works for me, on an average day (concerning solely/mainly protein macronutrients) are a greek yogurt (15g avg)/protein granola bar (6g avg) for breakfast, deli meat chicken sandwich (2-3oz on whole wheat with reduced fat cheese) around lunch (10g), and dinner includes 18-24oz of chicken/beef (120g avg) with a BSN Syntha 6 shake with almond milk, double scooped (22g a scoop, 44g a serving, for me).

Of course these are just the main sources, with everything else providing slight distribution for me to hit those numbers.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

What works for me, on an average day (concerning solely/mainly protein macronutrients) are a greek yogurt (15g avg)/protein granola bar (6g avg) for breakfast, deli meat chicken sandwich (2-3oz on whole wheat with reduced fat cheese) around lunch (10g), and dinner includes 18-24oz of chicken/beef (120g avg) with a BSN Syntha 6 shake with almond milk, double scooped (22g a scoop, 44g a serving, for me).

Of course these are just the main sources, with everything else providing slight distribution for me to hit those numbers.

OK cool that is good reference, now how often do you work out? Are you happy with your results?