youv really put some size on during your bulk!
Member
youv really put some size on during your bulk!
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Hey Alex, thanks for your honest feedback and thoughts.Originally Posted by alex.mitev
Yes, I'm more or less planning on doing exactly as you're stating here... I want to cut bodyfat to an appreciable level (~ 10%) and then work to maintain somewhere between 10-12 year round' whilst slowly adding quality muscle. I'll basically be following a schedule along the lines of a 3 month cut (or UP TO 3 months, as needed) through March/April/May, 3 months of maintaining (through the summer) and 6 months of 'bulking' (through the fall/winter) although that's not really the right term as true bulking will never work for me.
You're right though - my goal would be to make subsequent cuts shorter and shorter in duration, through a combo of adding more LBM and managing BF gains.
Thanks brother. Even I'll admit I think I look decent here... but when the shirt comes off, I'm like wtf!?!?
I'm 1/4 through this cut; I'm hoping to be able to post up 'proper' pics (i.e. shirtless, posed, etc.) for you all to critique at the midway point in 3 more weeks, but I'll have to play that by ear with regard to my comfort level at the time.
Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm about to go eat a massive bowl of cereal and a pint of liquid egg whites for my first carb-up meal of the day.
Member
when i see the size youve added it makes me rethink things. as you no from the help youve gave me im lean bulking, and i always am i just wonder if its right to be constantly lean bulking never cutting trying to remain lean all the time. as apposed to doin afull on bulk then cutting?
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
If it makes you feel any better and/or makes your decision easier, I wish I hadn't 'straight bulked'. It was never my intention. Over a year ago, I started out on a lean bulk plan - for me, that was lifting (HST style) 3x weekly, macros were 275g protein, 400g carbs, 60g fat. On off days, I was supposed to do cardio (60 mins) and drop carbs to 200g.
Due to some personal issues I was going through during the time, I sort of 'winged' it and half-abandoned my plan. I did NO cardio, and pretty much let my 'lean' bulk become a standard bulk bordering on dirty bulk. Not a good idea for somebody like me who stores bodyfat so easily.
I'd be a lot happier right now if I were 13% bodyfat cutting down to 9 rather than upwards of 18% trying to cut that in half. Cutting sucks... as Alex/I said above, the goal would be to shorten the time spent cutting. Just remember - all the time spent cutting = time spent not building muscle, so it's in everybody's best interest to cut as little as possible. This is only achievable by keeping bodyfat gains to a minimum... unless you're one of those people with such a ridiculously fast metabolism that it doesn't seem to matter.
Productive Member
Hey GB,
As u work out morning what way do you work your diet around that? Workout fasted? Get a quick meal in?
May need to do this with work and study building up on me!
Cheers
Member
after reading that i think i might be doing the best thing for me by sticking with what im doing. the thing i wonder about is reducingcarbs on off days. i usually just keep them the same. as when i have a day off the gym im stil at work which is very hatd so i feel i still need the carbs. however i do hav one day a week where i dont work or train sometimes two days if im lucky! so starting yesterday since its my weekend off ive tried what your sticky said and only had carbs in first part of the day.
Associate Member
Gbrice, ur pretty straightforward and seem to have very objective standpoint. If i can recall ur on TRT? If positive, that'd make things way easier
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Nope, I never work out fasted unless I plan to - i.e. when I'm playing with IF. When I'm 'standard' dieting, I always have a preworkout meal. 90% of the time, it's my protein smoothie:
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup oats
1tbsp natty PB
1/2 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 cup 1% milkfat no salt added cottage cheese
1/2 scoop ON whey
1/2 scoop ON casein
1 cup crushed ice
2-4 packets stevia (depends on how sweet you like it)
5g creatine monohydrate (unless I'm cutting)
Works out to roughly 60g protein, 40g carbs, 15g fat. I prep all the ingredients the night before - dry all mixed together in the blender, wet all mixed together in another container. In the morning, I just dump the wet into the blender, add the ice, blend and I'm enjoying a delicious smoothie in 5 minutes.
What you need to do is find a plan you think you can stick with, then run it for at least 6 weeks without changing anything. Switching things up constantly/too soon won't ever allow you to see what really does or doesn't work. Trust me, I spent 3 years doing that and basically got nowhere.
Yes sir, although I cannot honestly say I've seen any vast improvement as a result, at least not yet. Still hoping for good things in the future.Gbrice, ur pretty straightforward and seem to have very objective standpoint. If i can recall ur on TRT? If positive, that'd make things way easier
Member
changed things up about a month ago. as i discussed with you i was loosing instead of gaining so added on some fish oil and kept things the same. so ill see how it goes. im thinking of getting loquid egg whites insted of norma eggs for convinience. amd i may try your breakfast smoothie.
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Forgot to mention my weigh-in this morning... bounced between 202 and 202.5 (digital scale, meh)... I'm going with 202lbs since I got that reading more often than the other. That would mean another 2lbs down from last week which, IMO, is absolutely PERFECT progress. If I can stay on track losing 1.5-2lbs a week with no decrease in strength, you're going to see a very happy GB.
Pissing Excellence!
Hell yeah!Forgot to mention my weigh-in this morning... bounced between 202 and 202.5 (digital scale, meh)... I'm going with 202lbs since I got that reading more often than the other. That would mean another 2lbs down from last week which, IMO, is absolutely PERFECT progress. If I can stay on track losing 1.5-2lbs a week with no decrease in strength, you're going to see a very happy GB.
Happy happy happy!
Just have to keep on truckin!
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Thanks man! Right now I feel like a bloated pig, but I expect to feel/look pretty good when I get up tomorrow. Gonna have a good gym session, I can just tell!
Productive Member
Sweet hoping for the same me t week myself...Forgot to mention my weigh-in this morning... bounced between 202 and 202.5 (digital scale, meh)... I'm going with 202lbs since I got that reading more often than the other. That would mean another 2lbs down from last week which, IMO, is absolutely PERFECT progress. If I can stay on track losing 1.5-2lbs a week with no decrease in strength, you're going to see a very happy GB.
Keep it up bro!!
Productive Member
And may need to make my own smoothie pre workout!!
Today I just had BCAAs intra and whey Pre
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Day 22 - Chest & Tri's
I was expecting a really good workout, but unfortunately that didn't happen. My joints ache, and I'm sleep deprived (I go through bouts of insomnia every couple of months... it'll pass soon). The carb up wasn't enough to counter those 2 issues, so here we go:
Close Grip Bench Press - 4 x 6-10
Set 1: 225lbs x 10
Set 2: 225lbs x 7
Set 3: 205lbs x 7
Set 4: 185lbs x 8
Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 x 4-6
Set 1: 95lbs x 6
Set 2: 95lbs x 6
Set 3: 95lbs x 6
^^ This is where things started going wrong. I had intended to work with 110's, but decided at the last minute to drop to 105's due to how I was feeling. Well... I couldn't even get em' up off my chest. I have no doubt if somebody helped me with the 'pop' I would have been able to press them, but I have a strict rule that if I can't initially lift them on my own, I have no business working with them. So, I dropped to 95's which obviously went up like butter. Very disappointed. I'm sure it has to do with the issues I mentioned earlier, and possibly pre-exhausted tri's as I did have a decent set on close grip bench (much better than last week). Either way, I put up 100's on incline last week and I HATE going backwards. I don't think it's loss of strength due to dieting - but I'll be paying close attention.
Flat Dumbbell Press - 3 x4-6
Set 1: 115lbs x 6
Set 2: 115lbs x 4
Set 3: 100lbs x 6
Go figure. I had a worse set than last week with incline, but better than last week on flat. WTF!!!!
One-Arm Dumbbell French Press - 3 x 6-10
Set 1: 40lbs x 10/10
Switched to (light) Two-arm dumbbell press due to elbow pain.
Set 2: 80lbs x 10
Set 3: 80lbs x 10
30 mins of cardio.
Pissing Excellence!
look on the positive side, workout is done!
whenever i don't sleep well, i never get a good early morning workout.
just keep that diet in check!
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Thanks buddy, I plan to! I'm all good from yesterday:
Post Great Grains cereal (blueberry/cranberry, 2 huge bowls)
3 waffles
Protein smoothie w/ oats and banana
16 pieces of sushi (spicy salmon and tuna rolls w/ avacado)
2 slices of pizza
'Lots' of coconut almond fudge ice cream
PB&J sandwich
Probably more but that's all I can remember right now. Met most of my protein needs via liquid egg whites.
Elite-AR-Hall of Famer
dang sounds good GB.. were u able to IIFYM or did u not quite get there? LOL.. looks like itd been challenging..Thanks buddy, I plan to! I'm all good from yesterday:
Post Great Grains cereal (blueberry/cranberry, 2 huge bowls)
3 waffles
Protein smoothie w/ oats and banana
16 pieces of sushi (spicy salmon and tuna rolls w/ avacado)
2 slices of pizza
'Lots' of coconut almond fudge ice cream
PB&J sandwich
Probably more but that's all I can remember right now. Met most of my protein needs via liquid egg whites.
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Meh, somewhat, lol. I didn't count meticulously, but I also know I didn't overeat to a ridiculous degree. Since I'm so regimented 6 days a week, I'm not too concerned - and it's not a full-blown cheat day. i.e. i'm still eating egg whites, etc, not fast food and what not. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the pizza - but we bought it for workers who were replacing our boiler and water heater, and they didn't finish - so I did.dang sounds good GB.. were u able to IIFYM or did u not quite get there? LOL.. looks like itd been challenging..
Elite-AR-Hall of Famer
well u couldnt let it go to waste!Meh, somewhat, lol. I didn't count meticulously, but I also know I didn't overeat to a ridiculous degree. Since I'm so regimented 6 days a week, I'm not too concerned - and it's not a full-blown cheat day. i.e. i'm still eating egg whites, etc, not fast food and what not. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the pizza - but we bought it for workers who were replacing our boiler and water heater, and they didn't finish - so I did.
Knowledgeable Member
So whats happening in here? You tipping the scales yet? Pants to loose? Don't recognize yourself in the mirror anymore? Hows your progress coming along
I think I read somewhere you're using animal cuts? How you liking that, and whats in it
Associate Member
Wow GB, what do u do for your traps, mine will not grow no matter what i do it seems? Mine still look like a 15 y.o. traps.
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Heh... none of the above. Down 6lbs over the past 3 weeks which I'm happy about... a steady 2lbs/week so far which is great. I still look like shit with my shirt off, but there's not much I can do other than to continue losing bodyfat until I look like an AIDS patient.
Yea, I decided to test it out just for shits and giggles. I wanted to stay synthetic 'stim free', i.e. no ECA or clen. No noticeable thermogenic effects, but it's definitely helping curb appetite... it might be worth the money just for that alone. Idk... I'll finish the can and report on it at that time. I did start a thread in the supplements section if you care to follow: http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...s#.UVCONheG2So
Thanks man... but where you do see traps!?!
I hate my traps... one of my worst muscle groups IMO, especially where they sit on the back (vs. the 'peaks'). But to answer your question - nothing really out of the ordinary. Standard DB/Barbell/Machine shrugs, sometimes I'll do bent over shrugs (to hit that back part), and hang cleans seem to help.
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Day 23: Back, Bi's, Traps
Shoulder Warmup - Seated Lateral Raise - 2x15
Set 1: 20lbs x 15
Set 2: 20lbs x 15
Underhand Pullups - 5 x 6-10
Sets 1-2: bodyweight x 10
Set 3: bodyweight x 9
Set 4: bodyweight x 8
Set 5: bodyweight x 6
Seated Row (medium supinated grip) - 4 x 8-12
Sets 1-4: 130lbs x 12
Decline Dumbbell Pullover - 4 x 8-12
Set 1: 100lbs x 12
Set 2: 100lbs x 9
Set 3: 90lbs x 9
Set 4: 90lbs x 8
Dumbbell Shrugs - 3x15
Sets 1-3: 90lbs x 15
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls - 4x12
Sets 1-2: 40lbs x 12/12
Sets 3-4: 35lbs x 12/12
30 mins cardio
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Day 24: Abs, Cardio
Roman Chair Sit-Ups: 5x10
Decline Sit-Ups: 5x15
Barbell Hang Cleans: 100 reps (as many sets as it takes to get there)
Sets 1-4: 75lbs x 25
Same weight as last week, but increased reps x5 for each set, thereby reducing total sets from 5 to 4.
Senior Member
I see your putting in the work there bro. Question if you would kind enough to answer, what are roman chair sit ups?
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
It's a basic sit up using a bench (chair) without a back, forcing core stability throughout the entire exercise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZzAkipK5lI
Senior Member
We've got one of those chair thingies at my gym, I may give them a go. I read recently doing sit ups can give you bad posture, apparently doing them over time makes your hip bone slant forward, this is from Arnolds old coach, he invented an exercise called the frog crunch, which is a safer way to do them apparently. I still do crunches though, I like doing leg circles too, hit the abs nice with leg circles.
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
I don't work abs often (over the course of a year), so I really don't worry much about this kind of thing. Still good to know and consider though.
Beach Bodybuilder ~Elite-Hall of Fame~
As much as I am gonna choke in my potato farls at saying this I'm gonna. Dan's an workout is actually pretty good. *cough**choke**heurgh*
NO SOURCES GIVEN
Senior Member
I work my abs twice per week at the mo, but I know people who don't bother working them, and there ripped, because you hit your abs when doing alot of compound movements.
I think the best way to hit your abs is with deadlifts, I depleted my abs on Monday evening, on my Tuesday night workout my abs where sore, when I was doing deadlifts could really feel my sore abs working. When your bending up and down doing deadlifts you really squeeze your abs.
for me the deadlift is the ultimate exercise. If I had to choose what I thought was the most beneficial exercise I would probably pick deads.
Knowledgeable Member
FactDan's an workout is actually pretty good
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
lol... to be honest, I don't care about abs enough to implement another routine focused around them. I have what I have, i'll work em and reduce bodyfat - beyond that, I just don't care lol!
Same here. Deads are amazing. Literally works everything for me... lats, traps, forearms, etc.
Senior Member
I've seen his ab routine, looks interesting. Thing is it wouldnt fit my routine at the mo, as im following the UD 2.0 total body workouts.
Elite-AR-Hall of Famer
dang GB u dont care about abs??
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Believe it or not, for as little as I've worked on them, I have relatively nice abs - in terms of genetics - i.e. shape, symmetry, etc. I've seen people who's midsection is an absolute mess, despite being leaner than me. That's why I say I'll work em' a bit, and from there, it is what it is.
The Transformer ~VET~Recognized Staff Winner - $100
Regarding abs I don't know what I want....
I know when I get lean my waist is tiny... Like <28"...... And it adds to the illusion of bigger delts last and everything really...
However I don't have the thick abs that really pop out.... I never train abs.... I really don't know what I want to do.... I do like the tiny waist however and have this 'bro science' theory in the back of my mind that if I start training them I will increase the size of my waist....
However I was training with a physique competitor the other week and his abs were thick and looked sick TBH.... And he still had a tight waist....
Maybe just train abs and try to limit oblique stimulation....
Sorry to blab on in ur thread lol
Don't be a 'Bro'..... Believe nothing....Question everything
Baseline - Working to phase out this generation of Bro-Scientists
Stop over thinking nutrition - If you want something to think about download Myfitnesspal and learn how to count macros
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
lol, no worries bro. You're lucky to have a small waist... I haven't dieted down to a ridiculous degree, but I have a thick waist/hips/ass (like a woman) and I'll bet I couldn't get much smaller than a size 31 jeans. Sucks, because my shoulders are already narrow (unlike you), that plus wide hips = terrible looking physique. Genetics has kicked me in the nuts in more ways than one.Regarding abs I don't know what I want....
I know when I get lean my waist is tiny... Like <28"...... And it adds to the illusion of bigger delts last and everything really...
However I don't have the thick abs that really pop out.... I never train abs.... I really don't know what I want to do.... I do like the tiny waist however and have this 'bro science' theory in the back of my mind that if I start training them I will increase the size of my waist....
However I was training with a physique competitor the other week and his abs were thick and looked sick TBH.... And he still had a tight waist....
Maybe just train abs and try to limit oblique stimulation....
Sorry to blab on in ur thread lol
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Day 25 - Legs
Warmup: Kettlebell Swings
5 mins (w/ breaks), 16kg
Front Squat - 5x10
Sets 1-2: 205lbs x 10
Sets 3-5: 195lbs x 10
Walking Lunges - 150 meters
Sets 1-5: 60lbs (30lb dumbbell in each hand) x 30 meters
FVCK YOU walking lunges, FVCK YOU!!!!!
Barbell Calf Raise - 5x10
Sets 1-5: 265lbs x 10
Cardio, 35 mins
And we begin another 3 day carb depletion. FML. BUT - I'm happy to report I'm starting to see my bottom 2 abs poking through again... that's all the motivation I need to keep going. That, and the fact I'm going to FL in 5 weeks. More on that later, seeing as it's right at the tail end of my cut.
Productive Member
LOL! Dude, lunges SUCK!! but damn do they work!
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