Workout/Diet

[jj]

Alright, here are my stats. I am 6'4", 203 lbs. I have been lifting on and off for about 4 years, but just recently,(about 3 months ago)started eating right and working out right. I started at 225 lbs. I feel I have had great results with just a very clean diet, and working Full body 3 days a week. This is pretty much what my diet has looked like.

Breakfast 6:15 AM
1/4 Cup oatmeal uncooked(yields alot after cooking, it equals half a serving)
1.5 cups Orange Juice(Minute Made Light)
Snack 9-9:30-I also take my GNC mega men Multi at this time
2 Peanut Butter Sandwiches(1 tbls. of PB on 1 slice of 100% whole wheat for each sandwhich)
Fruit(banana, apple, peach, plum, pear, cantaloupe)I eat alot of fruit
Lunch-This varies
Entree-Turkey sandwich(always 6 slices turkey, tomato slice, cheese, and mustard on 100% WW) or grilled chicken, or an Uncle Bens Rice Bowl,(these are great, alot of sodium, but good carbs and around 25 grams of Protein)
Along with: mixed nuts, and sometimes a piece of fruit
Snack 2-2:30
Can of 3 oz. Tuna in water, with about 6 Tbls. of Salsa
Also, another piece of fruit.
Dinner-4:00
Grilled Chicken, or Stir Fry, or Spaghetti(Usually something clean though)
5:00-workout
6:30-7:00 PWO
1 scoop muscle milk 1 scoop ON vanilla whey, 2 cups Skim Milk
9:00-snack
About an hour before bed, I drink 1 cup skim milk with another scoop of Muscle Milk for protein all night. During the day, I drink water all day, probably around a gallon to a gallon and a half, not to sure though.

WORKOUT-I do this M/W/F-upper body

Asst. Pullups 2x8
Dips 3x8
Seated Rows 2x8
Pull Downs 2x8
Chin-ups on Pull down bar 2x8
Switch M/W/F DB Bench, decline,flat, incline bench presses 2x8
High Rows 2x8
DB lateral raises 2x8
reverse flys 2x8
shrugs 2x8
Hammer Curls w/ez-curl bar 2x8
Kickbacks 2x8
Brainbusters 2x8
Plus I do an ab routine at the end, along with some lower back raise's(not to strenuous on the lower back)

Now on T/TR-Legs

Squats 3x8
Sumo Deads 3x8
Walking lunges 3x8
Standing Calf Raises 3x8
Seated Calf Raises 3x8

Cardio M/W/F-

I usually run about 2 miles after I workout. But I am going to try and start running in the morning.

The reason I am posting all this is b/c I am going to start BOM on Aug. 23rd after I get back from a military school starting the 5th. What I need to know is if the diet looks ok to keep cutting, also the total cals are around 2200-2600 a day depending on what I eat, macro is about 30/40/30 P/C/F. Also is this exercise routine ok to keep doing until I start, and at what stage should I start at. Any advice would be helpful, thanks to all, sorry for the long post

JJ

[jj]

I guess I should have mentioned that my goals are to lose weight until I get around 190-194, and then start bulking. I only have around 10 lbs. left, maybe a little less. I would like to be around 9-10% bodyfat, before I start bulking, does anyone know what weight I would have to get to. Currently, haven't measured in awhile, but I think I am around 12-13%, maybe lower now. Thanks again...

JJ

[mountn21]

I started the BOM plan awhile ago and it really makes you work your a$$ off. A very active program. Ideal for cutting. I abandoned the plan for other reasons (laziness and sickness) and have recently started the Homegrown plan which is similar. A lot of compound exercises with quads, tri-sets,and supersets.

[jj]

Oh come on, I know its long, but someone has to have some input...

[Bond007]

One question before I answer:

What's your age?

[jj]

I am 24, sorry about that

[tightjer]

Looks to me like you may be over-training. Rest days are vital, remember.

[jj]

I rest on sat. and sunday. But do you really think I am over training. I know it seems like alot on M/W/F, but its my whole upper body. I may be though, this is why I asked. Thanks for your response.

JJ

[jwrives]

203lbs is not a lot of weight for 6'4". Your food mix seems reasonable, but 2,200 calories seems pretty low assuming that you are at least moderately active (you are working out almost every day). Do you feel hungry a lot?

How intense are your workouts and your cardio?

What shape do you feel like you are in now and what are your goals?

Sorry but I am having a hard time seeing a 6'4" guy at 203lbs being overweight. I can see that maybe your BF% is too high. But if that is the case I think you are hurting yourself with too much calorie restriction. You would want to up the intensity of your workouts and increase your calories some to stay out of starvation mode.

[jwrives]

Sorry I guess I asked more questions that I gave answers. But maybe with some more information, we can give you better feedback.

[jj]

I can see where you would think i was starving, but I feel like I eat all the time, and yes I do feel hungry sometimes. I think that maybe I should eat a little more at each meal, but I just wanted to get the bf% down. I prob. should start bulking, but I at least want to wait until I start BOM in AUG, around the 23rd. My workouts are very intense, I workout by myself, but I keep it as intense as I can. Cardio is less intense, but I have to run 2-miles during my Physical test for the army, so thats what I do for cardio, and I want to get some HIIT in some time soon. But that will be when I start BOM also. I know I am not overweight, I just wanted to get rid of what bodyfat I have before I bulk. I'll give you all the info you need, if you need to know something, just ask. I feel I am in pretty good shape, I have some good definition in my shoulder, bi's, tri's, and back, still working chest, abs, I have pretty sizeable legs, but most of it from basketball my whole life. So to answer your question, yeah, I feel like I'm in decent shape.

JJ

[Bond007]

I have 3 concerns:

1) At your age, weight, and training level you should be taking in more like 2850 kcals per day in order to lose 1 pound of fat. By going down to 2200 daily cals, you will lose faster, but I'd be concerned that you might be eating into muscle mass as well. BOM is a strenuous, but effective, workout program. You'll need some additional energy to protect/sustain muscle growth. The more muscle you have, the hotter your metabolism burns, the more weight you'll lose, so eventually, you'll need to up kcals to continue gaining LBM.

2) I'm not really liking your macro split. Personally, I believe that 40% carbs is still too high, especially if you're trying to dump body fat. I'd make an immediate switch to 40/30/30 (p/c/f) and see if that doesn't help trigger even more fat loss. You can always up your protein and lower your carbs to increase that weight loss. Just make sure you also increase your water intake. The higher a diet is in protein, the less water retention you have and you need to protect all your muscles, including your heart, by keeping them well hydrated.

3) How long does your workout routine take you? If it's over an hour, you're doing too much and you need to cut it back. By going longer than an hour, your body will begin to produce cortisol (a stress hormone) that will begin to eat away at LBM.


Ok, now on to some particulars. The rice bowl....I'm hoping it's not white rice, but long grain wild rice. There's more nutrients and MUCH less processing. Thus, an even cleaner diet. The same goes for the spaghetti. I have no qualms with pasta, but make sure that it's whole wheat.

[jwrives]

Well I can tell you what works for me, of course everyone's body may react differently. If I severly limit my calories then, my body makes every effort it can to hold on to fat. I am most successful when I don't really count calories, but I eat frequently small meals and snacks and try to never let myself feel hungry. The more muscle mass you add then the higher you base metabolism will be so you will burn more calories all day long every day.

Cardio can be counter productive to trying to add muscle mass and the added muscle mass will do more to help you lower your BF% than the cardio will. But 2 miles a day 3 days a week is not really excessive. Since you are doing cardio to prepare for a fitness test,you might consider doing 3 miles 2 times a week. That way when it comes time to run 2 miles it will seem like a breeze.

Your weight training routine seems pretty reasonable. Are you tracking the weight that you lift and do you challenge yourself to try and increase the weight every workout? If you can lift a certain weight for 3 sets of 8 reps, then add 5 pounds the next workout. Keep lifting that weight until you can do the new weight for 3 sets of 8 reps, then go up another 5lbs. Do that for the next month until you ready to start BOM in August.

[jwrives]

Oh and I agree with everything Bond says about the diet. Increase the calories almost exclusively with protein. You already take in enought carbs IMHO.

[jwrives]

Hey Bond what is white rice and spaghetti anyway?

I think I remember when I used to eat those in an earlier life.

[Bond007]

Originally posted by jwrives:
Hey Bond what is white rice and spaghetti anyway?

I think I remember when I used to eat those in an earlier life.

ROFLMAO!!!

[jj]

OK, so I'll change my macro's to 40/30/30, up the cals to around 2800-2900, and make sure its wild rice, and whole wheat spaghetti. Oh, and I hardly ever eat pasta, prob. less than once a week. I am more into the stir fry, and grilled chicken and salad. I also drink lots of water, a whole lot, I have to pee all the damn time. And lastly my routine never lasts more than 1 hour and 15 mins. That includes stretching before I work out,

JJ

[jj]

Hey Bond, kinda O/T but, where about are you from in AR. I'm here in NLR, but have lived in Jonesbor for 6 years prior, and, Searcy the 18 years b/f that.

[jj]

Thanks for your replies, I will take your advice and run with it. I'll keep you posted on the BOM progress. Which brings up another question, start at the beginning, or find a phase that is attuned to my condition and start there?

[Bond007]

Originally posted by jjschmidt1121:
Which brings up another question, start at the beginning, or find a phase that is attuned to my condition and start there?

Start at the beginning, but that doesn't necessarily mean to start with beginner's program. If you believe that you are beyond "Beginner", then pick up with the Intermediate. I would not start with the Advanced. You do need to start at the beginning of the program you choose as each segment builds on the one before it.

Good luck!

[jj]

Thanks, I was thinking of starting intermediate, but I thought there may be some core exercises in beginner that I need. Thanks for your time bond.

JJ

[Bond007]

No problem, bro!


P.S. I sent you an email regarding your other question as to where I'm located in AR.

[RedLefty]

Small world, jjschmidt!! I lived in Jonesboro for 12 years, then moved to KS, then went to college in Searcy. Still have family in Searcy and visit them at least 2 or 3 times a year!

[jj]

Hey Bond, I spend a few days there every summer, nice place. And Red all of my family still lives there. Its a great place, but kinda boring, and so is J-town, really boring. I kept PPS in business for awhile, lol. Nice to see some fellow Arkansans in the brotherhood of iron.

JJ