Hey guys,

Looking to get my post count up, and wanted to share how I've gotten to where I am now.

Started working out 4 years ago, at which point I was 145lbs. At... 6'2!! My god, I was the poster child of "Needz moar sandwhichez" Definitely a skinny fat look, not a good thing.

First year of training, i ate EVERYTHING in sight and trained pretty smart IMO. Focused on a starting strength 5x5 program. Stayed away from too many isolation exercises. Fell in love with squats and deadlifts.

Finished my first year at 200lbs, probably 16% BF.. which i wasn't happy with so i started to learn about diet and really focused on that. Dropped down to 170lbs at roughly 12% and felt too skinny.. so up i went again.

Long story short, I've been considering my first cycle after 4 years of training in which time I believe that I've mastered what works for MY body. (Everyone is different) Currently i'm at 190 pounds and 11% BF, been as low as 9.77% and i'm heading down to hopefully 8% before I start a cycle.

h ttp://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?501217-quot-Well-informed-newb-quot-looking-for-suggestions-on-1st-cycle.#.T7SBp8VBkmY

Check out that link if you wanna see more of my thought on my virgin cycle.

Anyways, for training here's whats worked for me..

Focusing my first lift on a HEAVY compound movement.

Chest day - Flat Bench
Shoulders - Military Press
Back - Bent over rows
Legs - Heavy ass deadlifts and then high rep squats

Arm days are silly IMO.

Next i'll worry about more of a "bodybuilding" style routine where i'll do higher reps (8-12) for upper body. Really focusing on feeling the muscle work. I believe in a system of "Power-bodybuilding" as its whats worked for me the best.

I train 1 day on, 1 day off. People WAY underestimate time off, and through my years of training this is what i've found has given me the best results.

As far as my diet is concerned, whats worked for me is a system by a fellow named Martin Berkhan. Not sure how popular he is among these boards but I love the system he has laid out. It's called intermitent fasting which isn't anything new, but his protocols can be found on his website at www.lean gains.com.

Basically fasting for 16 hours, train (Empty stomach with 10g BCAA) then eat for 8 hours.. repeat.

For dieting, everyone knows the right foods to eat. Whats important is how much you eat of them which i figured out after my first year of training.

When dieting down, i follow a 3 low carb day, 1 high carb day rotation and this works amazing for my body.

As far as something to critique, this is what a low carb day looks like.

Meal 1:
Protein shake, fruit.

Meal 2:
Egg whites, egg yolks, low fat cheese, almonds.

Meal 3:
Chicken breast, veggies.

Meal 4:
Extra lean ground beef, cottage cheese. More veggies if i'm hungry.

As you can see, there is little to no carbs on my low carb days. I try not to add any foods that are main carb based like rice or pasta.. I save those for my high carb days. (I call them refeeds, not cheat days)

On a high carb day.. i'll cram in crazy amounts of carbs, usually adding a serving of brown rice to each meal listed above. Man is is satisfying to pound down the carbs after 3 days of not having much at all.

The day after I feel great and spend most of my morning hitting a front double biceps or lat spread in the mirror. lol

My supplements are as such..

BCAA
Creatine monohydrate
Omega 3
Multi

And thats about it, I feel like i'm almost ready for a cycle.. although as you'll see in the link above.. i'm pretty nervous and still not 100% where to begin.

If anyone can see holes in my regime please point them out because as many of you, i'm always looking to improve.

Thanks!