I have been training for about 3 1/2 months with the goal of 7-8% body fat and some muscle gain. I would love some feedback on my training and progress. I have everything listed here.
Wow, great job. I hope I make as much progress as you have by the time I hit 3 months on my current program.
It's hard to argue with success, but I think your program could be better. I see a lot of iso exercises and the "blast your muscles from every conceivable angle" mentality. On Saturday, for example -- just how many sets/reps do you think you need to do to adequately stimulate your biceps?
Also, your schedule has you working your chest on Thursday, arms on Friday, and shoulders on Saturday. Consider that this means that basically you are working your arms 3 days in a row, giving them very little time for adequate recovery.
Again, it's hard to argue with success, but you might consider a push/pull routine or a full-body workout.
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The reason you don't have big arms is because you're weaker than a baby's fart, not because you don't do enough arm curls. -- Tony Gentilcore, via thefitcast.com
[Your] biceps [comprise] just 3 percent of the amount of muscle mass in your entire body. Remember that number: It's a good way to keep a perspective on how much you train your biceps compared with your other muscle groups. -- from menshealth.com
You've made a lot of nice progress. Congratulations! It seems like what you're doing is working well for you. I'd suggest you stick with it till you reach a point where you want to go in a different direction. From the looks of your current picture, you'll be there pretty soon.
Thanks so much for the compliments guys. I started off with a low fat high carb diet doing HIIT cardio. After switching to a low-carb ketogenic diet, I'm making much better progress while just doing 1-3 sessions of light intensity a week. Plus, I get to eat tastier foods!
Just wanted to give a quick update on my progress:
I'm now in the 3rd low carb cycle of my Cyclical Ketogenic Diet and am feeling really good. The low carb hazes are gone and the fat seems to be really falling off now. I do seem to get more hungry, though. Thankfully, I get to eat every couple of hours.
I would love to get some opinions of some of the members here as I think this is one of the most knoweledgable forums on the Internet. My question is...
Which do you guys think is better for cutting fat, a low fat, high protein, high carb diet or a low carb, high protein, high fat diet?
Thanks so much for the compliments guys. I started off with a low fat high carb diet doing HIIT cardio. After switching to a low-carb ketogenic diet, I'm making much better progress while just doing 1-3 sessions of light intensity a week. Plus, I get to eat tastier foods!
Good luck mate. You have done good job till now and better luck for next step.
Anyone on here know anything about calorie cycling? My question is does this look good?
I've been eating around 1600 calories a day for several months and have dropped a significant amount of fat. Therefore I'm thinking about doing 2 days at 2000 calories, 2 days at 1300 calories, and 3 days at 1600 calories.
Anyone on here know anything about calorie cycling? My question is does this look good?
I've been eating around 1600 calories a day for several months and have dropped a significant amount of fat. Therefore I'm thinking about doing 2 days at 2000 calories, 2 days at 1300 calories, and 3 days at 1600 calories.
That's pretty low calories for a guy. How tall are you and what are your workouts like? Also in your most recent photos you look pretty lean and at 165 probably don't want to drop too much more "weight". If you want to lean out and maybe put on some muscle, you will need to change things around a bit.
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That's pretty low calories for a guy. How tall are you and what are your workouts like? Also in your most recent photos you look pretty lean and at 165 probably don't want to drop too much more "weight". If you want to lean out and maybe put on some muscle, you will need to change things around a bit.
Actually 1600 calories is about 700 off maintenance so it's not low at all. If you check out my original post you will see that my goal is to get to sub-8% body fat so I still have a little ways to go.
Uh.... I have to agree that 1700 seems really low. You might loose the weight but it won't be sustainable and your body's metabolism will start to slow and store fat if you don't feed it. You will also loose a good deal of muscle if you drop the weight too fast. I don't know... Doesn't seem right to me.
Actually 1600 calories is about 700 off maintenance so it's not low at all. If you check out my original post you will see that my goal is to get to sub-8% body fat so I still have a little ways to go.
Scotty
That's nearly a 30% drop. Again, too much. You posted your stuff here and asked for opinions. For a male in your age range with your activity level, 1600 calories is way too low to maintain good muscle and have energy to keep up with your life. If you throw in poor sleep, the consequences could be bad. Remember that food is fuel, and you need to fuel hormone production, metabolic processes, and energy for activity. Cutting it that low will result in interruption to one of those things ...
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What a great idea to make a website to help keep you motivated! Accountability is the best motivator. When you have the entire world watching your progress, you can't help but push yourself. Anyway, just wanted to say good job.
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