Like you I eat six meals a day. I seperate my fat and carbs. Morning cardio is a part of my morning routine, along with a cup of coffee (on an empty stomach of course). Yep, I down a protein/carb shake immediately after weight training. Followed by another protein and carb meal about an hour later. I count every macro. 50 grams of carbs, 15 grams of fat....yada yada...
Been doing this routine for the last 2 years with GREAT results. Very happy with the progress I've made. This goes on for about 5-6 months followed by 2-3 months of lean bulking. Basically eating the same clean foods just in bigger portions. Slap on some extra muscle and then start cutting down again. Keep in mind that I genetically have a blocky frame so "bulking" any longer than 2-3 months and focusing on just size completely sabotages my bodybuilding efforts (going for the "X" frame, lean and defined look like most here I suspect).
BUT - over the last 6 months, I've noticied my progress starting to stall. Although the cardio was taking care of the fatloss, and my diet and workouts were "preserving" muscle, I felt like I've been neglecting the muscle building part of the equation for too long. You know...the lean look without that extra pop. Muscles look flat. "I think its time to start bulking mentality" - but that means back to the blocky look. How about running a test cycle and continue cutting up? Good idea!...but unfortunately it was NOT even an option. Just couldn't "do it" with my new job.
Instead I tried something different. And its working great. You're probably even gonna laugh when I tell ya. The trick is I started drinking half of my protein/dextrose shake before stepping foot in the gym. A friend of mine told me he's been doing it for awhile now with great results. I always believed in working out on an empty tank. Eat a protein/fat meal like an hour or two before lifting. That way your glycogen levels are low and the post-workout shake spikes your insulin and restore levels back to normal.
But doing some research on my own (not just hands-on but scientific research as well), I've found the pre-workout shake 1.) Increases nutrient delivery to muscles and spare muscle glyogen and protein. 2.) Limits immune system suppression. 3) Minimizes muscle damage. 4) Sets the stage for a faster recovery following your workout. This was taken directly from "Nutrient Timing" by John Ivy. GREAT book. I was amazed when I found this book. Not only did I see a real-life improvement by following this simple principle but theres actually text-book research data to back up this theory.
I know some might get insulted with this unconvential bit of info. It goes against the grain. After all, everything we learned in the Dieting Section of AR preaches "no pre-workout" shake. I always subscribe to the same theory myself. But I'm telling you....this one works (at least for me). Of course, you gotta try it for yourself and see how it works for you. If your comfortable and content with your progress now, I'd say save this post for possible future reference. But if your looking to spice things up, do yourself a favor and try this one out. It WORKS!
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