Help Please! Gyno? Workout strategy? BF%

[medicman]

hey fellas, I'm gonna appreciate any advise big time. I'm 21 yrs, 6'0'' currently at 172lbs down from 245. Started the diet in december of 06 so that's about 70lbs in 5 1/2 months. Give or take. Always thought that I was just fat but is this gyno? I don't have the pain behind my nips or lumps really but I'm not sure about the symptoms of genetic gyno, so would something like letro be effective? I work 24 hours on and 48 hours off as well as being a full time student and a part time job on the weekend days that I'm not already on-duty, I just joined a new gym that's open 24hrs so I'm finally able to go a little more but it's usually after midnight and lots of the time I'm the only person there so the question is can someone give me a lifting regimen that I could do without a spotter? I'm pretty sure I know that answer that I'll get but what do you guys think of a cutting cycle possibly? I lost the weight with lots and lots of cardio and a calorie restriction diet (try to stay between 12-1500 cals a day and no more than 25gr of fat) 1 more thing guys, BF% ??? The handheld machine at the gym puts me between 9 and 13% and I know better than that shit haha I'm thinkin around 20 or so??? I know you can't give me good picks since it's just the top half and anything will help. Also sorry about the poor pic quality maybe one day I'll afford a real camera haha Thanks

[AandF6969]

You don't want to go that low on your calories. Your body will think there is a famine and you'll go into "starvation mode" when your metabolism slows down big time. You probably lost a TON of muscle as well. You'd be better eating a larger amount of calories (closer to your maintenance level) and doing cardio.

There are great gains to be made by getting a solid diet, workout, and cardio regimen in order. Doing a "cutting cycle" isn't a shortcut, and shouldn't be treated as such.

[medicman]

I know what you mean, and I've had blood tests throughout the diet (metabolic panels, blood counts, thyroid, electrolytes etc) and the only thing off was my LDL cholesterol which registered a little on the low side. I know it's time to up the cals but I don't want to jump to the 6 meal a day thing since the days I work tend to be pretty inactive. Your right that a cycle isn't a shortcut, just wondering if that might help with the man boobs. What do you think about gyno and my BF%?

[AandF6969]

I think your bodyfat is probably higher than what the test said. Getting a solid lifting regimen down and gaining some muscle should help tighten up your chest a bit.

To achieve your goals (more muscle tone, lower bodyfat percentage) It will be a lot easier if you adopt the bodybuilding eating lifestyle, which includes eating 6-7 times per day. You can get more calories in to build muscle, your metabolism stays constant, your insulin spikes are less intense, there are a ton of benefits to doing this. There are also a ton of ways to fit those meals in.

[5ifthCitizen]

first off, awesome job on the weight loss man. as far as the bf goes i would say ur guess at 20% is pretty much right on. i don't think its gyno, u have some more fat to lose so i would focus on losing another 5-7% and then you will be able to tell if that could be the problem. i agree with aandf on the diet, u should figure out ur maintenance calories and just try to maintain a 500 calorie deficit everyday. continue with the cardio 5-6 days a week for at least 45 min. on an empty stomach (preferably in the morning even tho that might be hard with ur schedule).
u shouldnt really need a spotter unless u max out. i almost never have anyone spot me. here's popular workout routine just in case u dont have one:
Day 1: back/biceps
Day 2: off
Day 3: chest/triceps
Day 4: off
Day 5: shoulders/legs
Day 6: off
Day 7: back to day 1

[medicman]

Thanks fellas, what about the actual workouts tho... high reps low weight? Are there any supplements I should consider?

[medicman]

Anyone?... I could really use some advice

[5ifthCitizen]

whats ur overall goal? are you just tryin to get cut up with the weight ur at or do u wanna gain muscle? have a specific weight that you want to be at eventually? just focus on doing 3-4 sets per muscle group like in the workout i showed. start with 12 reps then 10 reps,10 again, and 8 or something similar while increasing weight.

[briancb1]

have you ever tried doing a reverse pyramid?
1 or 2 light warmup sets, then go to your heaviest weight you can lift 8-10 times. Then go to a lighter weight that you can do 8-10 times, etc. I do 3-4 working sets. Record your results every week in a notepad so you can put yourself on that edge every week more consistantly. Add small amounts of weight accordingly to make progress in the long haul.

good luck

[medicman]

Well.. yeah mostly I'd like to cut up but don't really have any specific weight in mind I'd just like to get close to that 10% mark eventually and I guess stay around or under 200lbs.
And no I haven't tried a reverse pyramid, sounds like worth giving a try tho.

[THE JU-ICE]

Dude, forget the cycle or the supplements.You need to workout hard.Make what used to be giggling hard.It is tough, but you can do it.Drink 2 protein shakes a day on top of your normal diet and pump some iron.

[5ifthCitizen]

Dude, forget the cycle or the supplements.You need to workout hard.Make what used to be giggling hard.It is tough, but you can do it.Drink 2 protein shakes a day on top of your normal diet and pump some iron.

last time i checked protein shakes are supplements lol. anyways, yea since you want to gain muscle you could start taking protein shakes. try to get at least ur weight in protein (172 g/day). keep eating your other meals lean too tho. then if you do that cardio like i said on an empty stomach in the morning and stick to a good lifting routine you'll be able to keep dropping the fat and gain muscle. 200lbs at 10%, 6' and 21 years old is definately achievable naturally for you.

[AandF6969]

last time i checked protein shakes are supplements lol. anyways, yea since you want to gain muscle you could start taking protein shakes. try to get at least ur weight in protein (172 g/day). keep eating your other meals lean too tho. then if you do that cardio like i said on an empty stomach in the morning and stick to a good lifting routine you'll be able to keep dropping the fat and gain muscle. 200lbs at 10%, 6' and 21 years old is definately achievable naturally for you.

I'd go for at least 1.5x your weight for grams of protein, especially since youre trying to build muscle

[perfectbeast2001]

your diet needs to be completely overhauled. Check the cutting sticky in the diet forums for a start and then write out a diet that suits you and your bodyweight then post for critique in the same diet forums. You will get plenty of help there. You say that you dont want to eat 6 meals due to inactivity, this is in fact a reason you SHOULD eat six meals a day (at least). Eating more reguarly and often speeds metabolism and will greatly aid fat loss as long as your cals are below maintenance. Now lets get something cleat... They dont have to be a huge ammount below your maintenance cals. Too low will leave you tired and pissed off and unable to perfrom your cardio proerply, it can also lead the body into starvation mode where the body will hold onto fat. Work out maintenance cals here http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/ by finding your BMR, then go here http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/ and use the harris benedict eqution that applies to you. This will give you an approx maintenanace cals. lower this by 500 and work your diet around that figure. Lots of cardio work (in the AM empty stomach is good) and then when you reach a plateau in fat loss (probably about 3-4 weeks) then drop the cals by 200 and continue again. This way the body does not have time to get used to the diet (the body likes homeostasis)
Don't worry too much about spotters ect at the moment. Just utilize smith, DBs and machines as best you can. Diet is the biggest worry, lifting is a small thing when compared, as long as you go to the gym and you lift with good form for a few sets per body part you are pretty much doing OK.

[THE JU-ICE]

I agree Beast.

[dieselrip]

Thanks fellas, what about the actual workouts tho... high reps low weight? Are there any supplements I should consider?

high reps low weights is for burning more fat. if i were you i hit heavy weights low reps 6-8 count for a month to stimulate the muscles into growing again since they may be damaged from the hard diet and low cal's. after they have been stimulated for a good month jump to low weight high reps to continue to burn fat for a month then you should have your foundation then start slammin the high weight low reps again to pack on the muscle. keep in mind if your pron to gaining bad weight (fat) watch the starchs and carb's or you try to toss in a good carb blocker i.e. Chromium Picolinate and most whey protein has L-Carnitine . good luck. if you need a workout plan msg me and i can provide you with one that I used for my client with the same problem as your having and it worked really well