Bet: To lose 5% body fat in 4 months [Archive]

CaptHook

02-13-2012, 03:29 AM

Good morning all,

I recently took a bet with a good friend in an effort for us to both dramatically reduce our body fat. There is no money involved but the loser will be subject to an embarrassing act. The bet is straightforward; we're both 5'11'', I'm 80kg whereas he's 77. I'm 15.7% BF and he's 14.9%. The bet started yesterday and we will have our final check up on the 8th June. Our fat loss will be calculated as a % loss and obviously the bigger % is the winner. My friend would be far more knowledgeable than me in exercise and nutrition but according to him and other knowledgeable friends, it's going to be slightly tougher for him as he has less to lose. The 5% in the title is only a personal aim and I honestly don't know how achievable that is but he was honest with me in saying that he expects to finish up around 11-12% so it would be nice to win the bet and actually finish with a lower BF %!

Anyway, the point of this thread is to keep a log of progress and also hopefully get some advice on how I can improve my diet/workouts. I think my diet is relatively clean on the whole and the leaks are obvious:

Breakfast (8:30am): 2 or 3 scrambled eggs.
Lunch (2pm): Chicken/fish/turkey/steak with veg (& spuds/rice/pasta half of the week)
Dinner (7pm): Chicken/fish/turkey/steak with veg & soy sauce (possibly a small amount of cheese too). Regular veg I eat are brocolli cauliflower and corn, with peppers and chillis occassionally.
supper/Snack (10pm): I usually smoke a joint after dinner to unwind. This results in a snack which is usually a bowl of cereal.

So, I think if I took out the late night snack this diet would be good, maybe not good enough, but a start. I can definitely cut out eating after dinner if this is the best option, or would an alternative snack be better? Is the 3 meals a day optimal or should I be having minor snacks between those 3 meals and no late night snack (e.g. carrot sticks around 11am and possibly a rice cake with salmon around 4pm)?

Obviously this bet will come down to diet first and foremost. I hope to work out 4/5 times a week too. Usually my work outs involve a mixture of pull ups, dips, bench press, incline bench, lat pull downs, one legged row and cardio. Cardio I can't run atm as my ankle is a bit damaged but I can row/cycle/cross train. Again I don't know what training would be optimal but I'll enquire with a worker at the gym. I'd imagine HIIT on any of the machines would be most suitable but am open to correction. Would ye advise completely ditching the weights for this period or at least making it 3:1 or 4:1 in terms of cardio workouts to weight sessions?

Clearly this isn't going to be easy but having the challenge put to you by a close friend should keep us both motivated throughout. I appreciate any feedback on this with regard to the nutrition and exercise. Hopefully I'll have positive regular updates. Initial plan is to get BF checked every 2 weeks from here in.

swole-striation

02-13-2012, 03:32 AM

that diet looks like shiit.

GO back to the stickies and read it all over again.

like this one
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

CaptHook

02-13-2012, 03:49 AM

that diet looks like shiit.

GO back to the stickies and read it all over again.

Cheers for the link, according to the Katch-McArdle method I require 2730 kcals a day so reducing that to 2200 kcals should be what I'm aiming for with 660 kcals coming from protein, 880 from carbs and 660 from fats? I'm pretty confused over this as I thought reducing carbs was pretty important in weight loss.

absphilips

02-13-2012, 03:49 AM

I just joined here mate a the stickies did help so would suggest having a read through them to clear a few things up e.g TDEE

swole-striation

02-13-2012, 11:33 AM

Cheers for the link, according to the Katch-McArdle method I require 2730 kcals a day so reducing that to 2200 kcals should be what I'm aiming for with 660 kcals coming from protein, 880 from carbs and 660 from fats? I'm pretty confused over this as I thought reducing carbs was pretty important in weight loss.

Try not to cut out carbs straight away in your diet, slowly taper off in a few weeks. Reducing carbs is a way to lose weight but what matters is, calories in = calories out.

CaptHook

02-14-2012, 03:07 AM

OK I've had a look at the stickies and through quite a few threads and I'm still lost to be honest. It's preached to eat on the basis of 40-40-30, then others eat no carbs, some alternate depending on workout or not, others are in ketosis eating carbs once a week and little fat. To be honest I'm more confused than ever but having read a number of threads I'm considering either going into ketosis or having a clean diet of 3 meals a day all based on the 40-40-30 and obviously less than 2200 calories. It just seems that these two clash heavily with one involving carbs in every meal and the other involving carbs once a week! I can easily not eat carbs, that's no problem but I struggle to see how both can be a success? I'd imagine ketosis is a short term thing that maybe would be more beneficial for me.

CaptHook

02-14-2012, 04:24 AM

OK I have an Excel spreadsheet done up with the calories and carbs/protein/fats breakdown for chicken/turkey/salmon/steak fillets, rice, red/green peppers, baby corn, brocolli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, pistachio nuts, and natural peanut butter. So obviously the bulk of the calories will come from the lean protein meat, rice, peanut butter and pistachio. I noticed that most threads were people were successfully losing weight (not by drastic measures) they followed the macros stringently. So I'm going to do that for 2 weeks and see what results are like. I have the following questions that I'd greatly appreciate answered:

- Is the 40-30-40 split of the macros the optimal or would something like 55 p - 25 c - 20 f be more beneficial?
- Carbs everyday or just workout days?
- Is 3 meals OK if they follow the macros perfectly?

I'm just going to put what I would consider an ideal breakfast based on the above? Will post lunch and dinner if someone tells me I'm doing this right :)

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (88kcals: 0 carbs, 12g protein, 8 grams fat), 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100kcals: 3g carbs, 5g protein, 8 grams fat). This looks low on carbs so possibly an apple too (20g carbs) or banana (27g carbs)? Or either could be had as a snack before lunch.
Total breakdown (with banana): 293kcals; 30g carbs, 18g protein, 16g fat.
Total breakdown (without banana): 188kcals; 3g carbs, 17g protein, 16 grams fat.

Just looking at that now I can see that if the protein was brought up to 30g with the banana breakfast while keeping the kcals below 400 it would be a pretty ideal breakfast and another egg does that perfectly (may need a fat oil tablet to bump the fat up)!

I'll follow the same approach for lunch and dinner if someone can confirm this is the best method. Would suck to start eating a lot of carbs again and put on weight!

CaptHook

02-15-2012, 02:31 AM

Head still all over the place regarding nutrition ha. Just don't know if I should go for the diet I've been on lately as shown below, or use the same as below but add carbs to lunch for workout day, or go into macro mode having the split perfect in every meal.

Yesterday: breakfast was 3 eggs, lunch was 1.5 chicken fillets with 2 tbls olive oil & 100g of brocolli & cauliflower, dinner was 1 fillet of salmon with 2 tbls olive oil & 70g of brocolli & cauliflower.

Workout:
Dumbell bench press: 17.5kg x 8 x 2 sets, 25kg x 8 x 4 sets
Incline dumbell bench: 17.5kg x 8 x 2 sets, 20kg x 8 x 4 sets
Row machine: full strength 250 meters then 1 min rest x 10
Cross trainer: 1km 15 mins
Bicycle: 6km in 10mins

krete77

02-15-2012, 06:12 AM

- Is the 40-30-40 split of the macros the optimal or would something like 55 p - 25 c - 20 f be more beneficial? NO
- Carbs everyday or just workout days? your choice
- Is 3 meals OK if they follow the macros perfectly? you can have 1 or 6 a day it doesn't matter

I'm just going to put what I would consider an ideal breakfast based on the above? Will post lunch and dinner if someone tells me I'm doing this right :)

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (88kcals: 0 carbs, 12g protein, 8 grams fat), 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100kcals: 3g carbs, 5g protein, 8 grams fat). This looks low on carbs so possibly an apple too (20g carbs) or banana (27g carbs)? Or either could be had as a snack before lunch.
Total breakdown (with banana): 293kcals; 30g carbs, 18g protein, 16g fat.
Total breakdown (without banana): 188kcals; 3g carbs, 17g protein, 16 grams fat.

Your diet looks to robotic and a pain in the arse. Did you read the stickie that was provided in here? You need to calculate your maintenance calories first. now this isn't some magical number, its just a starting point. eat at it for a couple weeks and if your weight doesn't change, then you know your in the right ballpark.

Now if you want to drop body fat, you can eat 10-20% less of your maintenance; so for example, if your maintenance level was around 2500cals a day, 20% is 500, so eat 2000 cals a day to drop body fat. Make sense?

You don't need to hit your macros EXACTLY, as people stress in here. Just make sure you get in the ballpark, with protein being the most important one.

now you need to know your body fat % to use the formula. just post up a pic with your shirt off here asking for body fat % advice, and just take the average of all the responses you get. or you could measure your waist, and follow this link; http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/ <-- it is a great resource

remember, this is in KG not LBS.

Katch-McArdle:Considered the most accurate formula for those who are relatively lean. Use ONLY if you have a good estimate of your bodyfat %.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

I'll use me as an example; my LBM = 164lbs. I got this number by doing this:

My weight: 197lbs;
my BF %: 17%

multiply 197 x 17% = 33lbs. Subtract 33lbs (which is all the FAT weight) from my total weight, and there is my LBM (Lean body mass weight) = 164lbs.

just remember to multiply your BMR by an activity factor (i'm guessing 1.2 is probably good for you) and there's your maintenance.'

good luck, i'll subscribe to this thread and watch your progress. you seem sincere so i'll try to answer any questions you have

CaptHook

02-15-2012, 08:13 AM

Hey mate thanks very much for the reply. According to the Katch-McArdle method I require 2730 kcals for maintenance so my plan was to reduce that to 2200kcals. I got my BK checked a week ago at 15.7% My LBM is 149 lbs based on this.

Appreciate all the info there and I'm happy to hear that the macros don't have to be spot on but I'm wondering is it better to follow a diet including the macros or would I be better to have 0 carbs all week and 1 day of re-carbing which is pretty much what I've done the last few days. It would just feel like cheating to go back eating carbs now haha. Really it boils down to which one is more suitable to a 3 month fat loss diet? I'm also considering the in-between where I have carbs with my lunch on workout days as I workout around 6pm then could have a dinner with just protein and fats.

krete77

02-15-2012, 08:17 AM

Your making it complicated..why are you trying to carb cycle? Are you an experienced lifter, and are prepping for shows? I'm guessing not since your asking newb questions, so my advice; follow the guidelines laid out in the Stickies for calculating nutrient requirements. Like I said, if your cutting, just make sure to keep your protein intake high, meet your fat requirements, and fill in the rest with whatever. I'm thinking your guessing carbs will make you keep fat , or get fat, whatever...which is simply not true.

Eat the same every day, stay in a deficit, lift heavy and be consistent, and over time the results will show. Your body simply cannot do anything else but improve.

CaptHook

02-15-2012, 08:26 AM

Ya spot on mate just associating carbs with high calories and thus fat to be honest. I think I just got into a world of confusion in my head with all the different logs I skimmed through and so many different people advocating different things. Tomorrow I'll post what I've eaten that day based on 2000-2200 kcal intake and covering the macros. So, I see 40-30-40 is the recommended, would you make any changes to that?

I reckon I'll use fish oil tablets to get the majority of fat required. I've heard there's ~20 kcals and ~2 grams fat in most pills so would it be alright to just have one of these with each meal?

Your making it complicated..why are you trying to carb cycle? Are you an experienced lifter, and are prepping for shows? I'm guessing not since your asking newb questions, so my advice; follow the guidelines laid out in the Stickies for calculating nutrient requirements. Like I said, if your cutting, just make sure to keep your protein intake high, meet your fat requirements, and fill in the rest with whatever. I'm thinking your guessing carbs will make you keep fat , or get fat, whatever...which is simply not true.

Eat the same every day, stay in a deficit, lift heavy and be consistent, and over time the results will show. Your body simply cannot do anything else but improve.

krete77

02-15-2012, 08:36 AM

Alright brother, listen up, and listen up good. I"ve stated this twice now in my previous replies. I can only lead a horse to water, know what I'm saying?

RATIOS ARE NOT THE WAY TO A PROPER DIET.

Goto this link; http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Scroll past the first part where you've figured out your calorie requirement for overall nutrition, and get into the section where it tells you how many grams of fat per lb you need, how many grams of protein per lb...etc;

Using YOUR numbers, calculate how many grams of each of ^^ those you need per day. Then, once you get the numbers your looking for, create your diet/meal plan based around those numbers..

So, heres an example; Say I'm eating 2400cals/day whilst cutting.

A breakdown of that for my minimum requirements of fats/proteins might look like: 180g/day of protein; 120g/day of fats;

So from here, I' will make sure that before the end of the day, I've accumulated close to those amounts...which totals somewhere around 1800 calories, so I can just meet my 2400calorie limit with more carbs, more fats, or more proteins, it doesn't really matter.

THe whole point of reaching those numbers is muscle sparing and hormonal regulation. (proteins and fats respectively). Carbs are there for energy, but the general consensus is you dont really need them.

CaptHook

02-15-2012, 08:43 AM

**** I feel like an idiot :/ Will get on this right away thanks dude!

CaptHook

02-15-2012, 09:21 AM

Right so the following is required everyday:

Protein 1.25-1.5 grams per kg = 100-120g of protein
Fats: 1-2 grams per kg = 80-160g fats

So I'm not going to be too strict on the protein; it'll fluctuate between 100 and 120 daily but I'll try keep the fats stable at around 120g.

So at the minute breakfast is 3 eggs (18g protein, 12g fats, 180 kcals). I think I'll add in a fish oil tablet every morning which should be around 20kcals and 2 grams fats so a 200kcal breakfast.

Lunch at the minute we're looking at 1.5 chicken (285 kcals, 39g protein, 13g fat) along with some assorted veg which I will get details of tomorrow. We'll round the calories up to 350 here as it will be a relatively large portion. Will pour some olive oil on it post-cooking depending on nutrients in this, or another fat tablet.

For dinner we're looking at the same/1 steak (192 kcals, 28g protein, 8.5g fat)/salmon (100kcals, 19g protein, 3g fat) along with some assorted veg again.

That accumulates to 800 kcals so I'm pretty confident I got my measurements wrong. I'm working off 100g being a decent sized fillet so I'll have to get the scales out and figure everything out properly. There is no way in hell I've been surviving on 800 kcals the last few days.

Will buy a scales and tonight and really get this moving properly!

krete77

02-15-2012, 10:05 AM

Ok, so that looks a little better. Your right with fats; It wouldn't hurt to increase your protein a little more to say 150g a day but it probably won't make any difference anyways.

With your diet plan, you won't be meeting your required calories for the day, and that's not a good thing. Make sure your hitting your 2200 calories per day. If you eat at such a low deficit like 800cals, your going to be in some serious trouble later on down the road. Do it right the first time.

So, I'll give you a few other ways to get your protein up, since getting protein intake high daily can be a pain.

- cottage cheese; at almost 30g per cup serving, its a great way to get in a good amount of protein;
- chobani yogurts; they got 16g per cup, and taste great.
- Eggs; you got that already; egg whites can help also, since they don't contain the fat breakdown, you can easily get 25g from 1 cup egg whites for <100cals;
- steaks, hamburg, turkey breast, chicken breasts, roast beef, **gasp** bacon,
- milk; lots of people don't like milk because of the fats, but if you can fit it into your macronutrient requirements, it wont have any negative effect on you; 8g/cup;
i usually have 3-4 cups a day. if you don't want to bother with fat, get fat free or 1-2%; still has the same protein per cup;

Also, don't forget about your micronutrients; ie; minerals, vitamins, etc... be sure your consuming a steady flux of water; mix up your veggies daily; i usually have about 5 cups/veggies a day, all at one time; carrots, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflour, etc...steam em all up at once, throw in some red-wine vinegar with some butter and you have one awesome cocktail of veggies that contains most, if not all your micronutrients for the day.

I just started cutting last week,; i actually have a log started myself; i have a few people that have joined with me in for the journey; feel free to come hang out in there. i don't spit out garbage advice and am up to yak about anything..

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=142044201&p=827049301#post827049301

also, a good way to track progress is to take weekly/biweekly/monthly pics, and compare before / after pics. it will give you the optio to see your before/after progress. post up some pics in here; (im curious to see where your starting from also).

CaptHook

02-16-2012, 09:12 AM

Thanks again man, just had a look at your log. Have no idea how you're 18%+ to be honest you certainly look to have less than me. I'll try get a pic up it will be through a smart phone though so mightn't the best. What site do you use to upload it?

I'm going to get the scales over the weekend and cook a lot of my weeks' meat on Sunday. I'll get a weigh in and BF check done again over weekend and post diet and work out daily next week. I think I'm seeing results already which is pleasing!

krete77

02-17-2012, 09:05 AM

Well most people misjudge their own BF % and think they are really lower then they are. No reason in short guessing yourself. I just used measurements + guesses from people online, and sorta combined it all together and the avg came out to about 18%. Chances are I'm somewhere between 17-19%...numbers aren't too important, its more about how my body looks overall anyways.

I'm cutting slowly because i really hope to retain my size while dropping fat. Going to be a toughy for me though, my body is long and lanky, and it seems too shrivel up if I eat at a deficit :(

CaptHook

02-22-2012, 06:19 AM

Little update:

Still haven't got the scales, I know I know I'll get on it!

Diet is clean as a whistle the last week but realised today that I definitely need to add at least 1 small snack as this morning I was pretty weak to the point I was worried about fainting to be honest, until I ate.

Diet for last 7 days:

3 egg whites scrambled, 1 fish oil tab, 1 vit B complex tab
1.5 chicken fillets, brocolli, cauliflower, corn, half handful of cheese
1 steak/fish, brocolli, cauliflower, corn, 2 tbls soy sauce, 1 fish oil tab

This morning I added two slices of brown bread which definitely gave me the required energy. I think I'll add a protein shake & a tbls or 2 of peanut butter to my diet starting tomorrow, having one between breakfast and lunch and the other before bed.

The scales aren't showing much difference to be honest but the mirror is so very happy with the progress so far. Long way to go in this bet but I'm confident.

CaptHook

02-28-2012, 04:27 AM

Mini-update: weight is down to 76 kg and I would estimate BF at around 14.5%. Happy enough with the progress so far but I'm going to start IF in the near future as it is getting very positive reviews in StevefromNY's thread and the pics of fat loss over 10-12 weeks are incredible. I will put a lot of research into it before I begin though and will have to get myself some BCAAs.

105mphMegsan

02-28-2012, 05:00 AM

I normally miss my breakfast and make it up with a heavy lunch. Is it harmful?

nlite2000

02-28-2012, 06:42 AM

I normally miss my breakfast and make it up with a heavy lunch. Is it harmful?

no.

CaptHook

02-28-2012, 07:07 AM

OK I'm going to start updating this daily for the next few weeks to keep motivation high. As already stated I plan on starting IF Friday week, possibly this Friday depending on my weight then. I'd like to be 75kg starting it.

I'm going to post yesterday's diet and workout too as it's a reflection of my weights routine.

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 rice cakes w jam,1 fish oil, 1 vit b complex
Lunch: 2 burgers, cauliflower, brocolli, cheese.

Workout (all done with dumbells besides the 7x7x7):
Bench Press: 25kg x 8 x 2
27.5kg x 8 x 3
Incline bench press: 17.5kg x 8 x 3
Bent Over Row: 27.5kg x 8 x 3
Shoulder press: 17.5kg x 8 x 3
Dumbell flys (?): 15kg x 8 x 3
7x7x7: not sure if there's a name for these but it's 7x arm curls normal position on bar, then 7 close together and 7 far apart. x3. 10kg on both sides, bar prob 5kg.

Dinner: 1 steak, cauliflower, brocolli, corn, green beans, celery, cheese.

Today:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 rice cakes w jam,1 fish oil, 1 vit b complex
Lunch: 1 steak, cauliflower, brocolli, corn, green beans, celery, cheese.
Workout: in 2 hours probably 100% cardio

krete77

02-28-2012, 07:56 AM

I'm keeping an eye on ya. Will give some more input later today after class. I'm curious though, could you post your workout routine, for each week? Just include all your maine exercises, and what you do. I have a sneaky suspicion about something and I'd like to confirm.

CaptHook

02-28-2012, 08:03 AM

krete77

02-28-2012, 10:30 AM

Yep cool man, good to know someone's keeping an eye on it. I know I'm going to get berated for my routines in the gym as there's no real structure or focus on key areas. But I will post exactly what I do in there. There'll be an update in about 3-4 hours.

Just from what you wrote in the underline/bolded part that I selected tells me it's time to formulate a structured program thats geared towards your goals. And if you don't know exactly what you want to achieve, then your spinning your wheels.

Hey, I"m just trying to save you years and years of wasted time in gym, to advance your goals to your maximum potential. I wasted over 7 years in the gym up until just the end of last year where I've made steady gains/consistent efforts and have achieved excellent results.

I anxiously await your routine :)

CaptHook

02-28-2012, 12:12 PM

Cool here's what I did tonight. I'll keep posting every day & I look forward to criticism & advice. My goal is simple: retain muscle and lose fat with the emphasis on losing fat. I want to get my BF down to around 10% by June 2nd.

Tonight I did 500m warm up jog, then interval distances on rowing machine (250m 1min rest x 10) followed by 5km on treadmill @ 27:11. Very happy with the run because, although it's not a great time, I haven't run since mid-November when I hurt my ankle. So a) I was happy to be able to do it without any ankle concerns and b) I'm happy not to be too far off what I was doing in Nov (around 23:45) considering it wasn't full intensity today.

Dinner now 1 salmon & veg from last night. Had a post workout snack of rice cake peanut butter and jam.

EDIT: Also had a sneaky weigh in which I shouldn't have bothered doing - 78.5 kg :(

RaketenWerfer

02-29-2012, 01:04 AM

You need to weigh yourself in the morning each time, it will be more consistent. Weight fluctuates by a few lbs throughout the day.

Also, dude, it should only take from now until mid-April to lose 5% body fat. Between 1 and 2 lbs a week is ideal and very realistic.. you just have to stick to your macros.

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 01:31 AM

Right buying a scales later & I'm going to spend a few hours concocting recipes that hit the macros & are based around IF. Do you guys just not bother counting the calories & macronutrients in veg?

I spent a good while last night browsing other logs & googling the weight exercises people were doing & I'm confident I now have a few more that I can do. The following is every exercise I can do with weights in the gym plus all the machines of course:

Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, Bent Over Row, Shoulder Press, 7x7x7,
Preacher Curls, T-bar row, Dips, Pull ups, Box Jumps,
Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Ab Pulldown (Rope), Skullcrushers,

There might be a couple I'm leaving out but a lot of them are new to me too after my research last night. Tonight is a weights session. Breakfast was 3 egg whites & 3 rice cakes with peanut butter & jam.

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Shoulder Press
7x7x7
Preacher Curls
T-bar row
Dips
Pull ups
Box Jumps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Ab Pulldown (Rope)
Skullcrushers

swole-striation

02-29-2012, 02:47 AM

Going strong. Keep at it :)

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 03:41 AM

Thanks dude, it's going alright so far but as krete touched on with the gym work, and probably with the diet too, I could be getting much better results with the same effort. So I'm revamping my whole gym routine & diet.

I'm going to go to the gym 5x a week, possibly 4 or 6 depending. One of these days will be solely cardio probably the same routine as last night. The other 4 days will be weights. From reading other logs I know people usually break their sessions up into arms/chest one day and legs/back another (I think?). As you can see from the routines I know above the majority are focused on arms & chest (in fact all bar bent over row, tbar row & pull ups). I know I should be doing squats & deadlifts as the core of my workout but I'm unfamiliar with them and don't want to start until my ankle is fully right.

So I'm thinking of breaking my weight sessions into 1 day back/legs, 2x arms/chest & 1x core & boxing routine.

Would something like the following be beneficial for arms/chest days with a day of back/legs (will have to research best machine exercises here) & cardio in between, finishing the week off with core & boxing:

Day 1 Chest/Arms:

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Machine Lat Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Skullcrushers
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
7x7x7 (possibly super-setted with box jumps?)

Day 2 Chest/Arms:

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Cable Flys
Dips
Pull Ups
7x7x7 (possibly super-setted with box jumps?)

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 03:53 AM

I've spent the morning looking at IF and macros and think I have a decent understanding of it now. Anyway without going into the maths the following will be my macro break up:

Workout Days: 2400 calories; 164-196 grams protein; 20-40 grams fat; 350 grams carbs.
Resting Days: 1540 calories; 164-196 grams protein; 40-80 grams fat; 70 grams carbs.

And to follow IF this is the breakdown of the meals:
W-Days: 1pm & 4:30pm = 480 kCals, 8pm = 1440 kCals
R-Days: 1pm & 4:30 pm = 308 kCals, 8pm = 924 kCals

I am going to plan & possibly prepare meals tonight when I have the scales.

krete77

02-29-2012, 09:00 AM

Will reply to your posts a little later. IF isn't anything magical. If you look at it, all it is is really skipping breakfast. I'm not downplaying IF because it's how I have been dieting for almost a year now. Suffice to say it makes life a little bit easier when trying to reach your macros.

How bad is your ankle? If anything you could probably benefit from learning the squat & deadlift. Starting out with just the bar will be enough to start learning. IMO this is a must in bodybuilding, but other will disagree.

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 09:09 AM

Hmmm I could definitely start doing it with the bar only. My ankle was able to hold up for 5k without too much stress I just know myself it's not fully right so didn't want to have 70kg+ on my back squatting. But I would 100% be able to start learning the form now so I might do that later if there's a PT free for a few mins. May as well plan my workout ahead so chest/arms tonight. Feeling a big one so going to go with the following:

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise/cable flys
Dips
Pull ups
7x7x7

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 12:58 PM

Very happy with today's session & definitely in the mind frame of splitting days up as outlined above.

Dumbbell Bench Press 22.5kg x 8 x 2, 27.5kg x 8 x 2
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 15kg x 8 x 1, 20kg x 8 x 3
Bent Over Row 27.5kg x 8 x 3, 30kg x 8 x 1
Shoulder Press 10kg x 8 x 1, 17.5 kg x 8 x 3
Cable flys 10kg x 8 x 1, 12.5kg x 8 x 3
Dips 10 x 3
Pull ups 7 x 1, 5 x 2
7x7x7 15kg (+5 kg bar) x 3 super setted with box jumps 10 x 3 was in bits after this :)

Lunch was chicken fillet & veg, dinner 2 burgers in butties (140 kCals per buttie) - not a great dinner but still within deficit

Weighed 75.5 post workout too so all round a great session. Tomorrow is back/legs/core so would appreciate recommendations on exercises to do. So far I have T-bar pull ups for back, usual machines for legs and a variety of exercises for core.

RaketenWerfer

02-29-2012, 02:22 PM

Day 1 Chest/Arms:

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Machine Lat Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Skullcrushers
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
7x7x7 (possibly super-setted with box jumps?)

Day 2 Chest/Arms:

Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Cable Flys
Dips
Pull Ups
7x7x7 (possibly super-setted with box jumps?)

You say these are chest and arm days, yet you are doing lats and back as well..

And you need to split it up into more days, working the same bodyparts 2 and 3 times a week is not going to be beneficial. If the bodyparts aren't sore from lifting that often, then it's probably because you're not lifting hard/heavy enough

CaptHook

02-29-2012, 02:42 PM

Ya I know the bent over row/machine pull down work the lats but a friend of mine told me it's beneficial to work antagonistic muscles in same day so if doing chest do lats? Which exercise is the back; pull ups?

I'm trying to get everything right now so I appreciate the feedback. I really enjoyed today's workout so I'll be extremely happy if by this time next week I have a proper routine in swing. Today's workout:

Dumbbell Bench Press 22.5kg x 8 x 2, 27.5kg x 8 x 2
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 15kg x 8 x 1, 20kg x 8 x 3
Bent Over Row 27.5kg x 8 x 3, 30kg x 8 x 1
Shoulder Press 10kg x 8 x 1, 17.5 kg x 8 x 3
Cable flys 10kg x 8 x 1, 12.5kg x 8 x 3
Dips 10 x 3
Pull ups 7 x 1, 5 x 2
7x7x7 15kg (+5 kg bar) x 3 super setted with box jumps 10 x 3

Would this be fine once a week for chest/arms so without the bent over row and obviously using bigger weights? I don't know if I can any bigger though unless I want to be doing something like 4-5 reps x 2 sets as I would be struggling in the last set of all the above bar the shoulder press & bent over row really. Again, all feedback greatly appreciated!!

krete77

02-29-2012, 02:48 PM

You say these are chest and arm days, yet you are doing lats and back as well..

And you need to split it up into more days, working the same bodyparts 2 and 3 times a week is not going to be beneficial. If the bodyparts aren't sore from lifting that often, then it's probably because you're not lifting hard/heavy enough

Soreness (DOMS) isn't an indicator on the muscles being worked per se. So don't think that if you aren't sore, your not doing something right. It's simply incorrect. Also, you do not need to split up into more days, and working the same body parts 3x a week is perfectly fine & CAN be beneficial if done correctly. CAPTHOOK; you are a beginner I assume, so your are going to tremendously increase in strength and size if you find a good workout program (like I mentioned way before) and stick to it. Starting Strength is probably a good place for you to start.

swole-striation

02-29-2012, 06:27 PM

SOunds good man. Quick question, what do you have for the fats? i been eating PB ever since August and im getting sick of it lol

CaptHook

03-01-2012, 02:28 AM

SOunds good man. Quick question, what do you have for the fats? i been eating PB ever since August and im getting sick of it lol

I can't stand peanut butter on its own so have it on a rice cake with a small bit of jam spread on top. The jam pretty much overpowers it. Besides that I just have fish oil, cheese & fatty fish but I'll be looking into it more over the next few days as I plan IF meals. I'll post them all here.

CaptHook

03-01-2012, 05:45 AM

OK today is legs/back/core and it will be as much an experiment as a workout to be honest as I've rarely worked these areas in the past. The following is what I've come up:

Dumbbell Shrugs
Lat Pull Downs
Chin ups (probably going to add 10kg)
Seated Leg Curls
Leg Press Superset: Leg Press (close stance) & Wide Stance Leg Press
Seated Ab Machine
Ab Pulldown Rope
Plank

Just to reiterate I never really do these exercises so again all comments welcome. Report to follow in about 5 hours.

CaptHook

03-01-2012, 05:53 AM

Just came across negative pull ups, might throw them in after normal ones.

CaptHook

03-01-2012, 12:13 PM

Decent workout & bought a scales :)

Dumbbell Shrugs 15kg x 10 x 1, 17.5kg x 10 x 1, 22.5kg x 10 x 2 (not sure if I was doing this right, need to watch more vids)
Lat Pull Downs (30kg x 8 x 1, 60kg x 8 x 3)
Chin ups BW + 10kg x 4, BW + 5kg x 5, BW + 2.5kg x 5 x 2
Seated Leg Curls 20KG X 8 X 1, 40kg x 8 x 3
Leg Press Superset: Leg Press (close stance) & Wide Stance Leg Press 80kg x 8 x 3 for both (v tough)
Seated Ab Machine 20kg x 8 x 1, 35kg x 8 x 3
Ab Pulldown Rope 10kg x 10 x 1, 25kg x 10 x 3

All opinions welcome on how this looks for a leg/back/core workout ?

Think from here on in it will leg/back/core x 1 a week, chest/arms x 2, cardio x 1 and a 5th day boxing/cardio or a mixture of weights.

CaptHook

03-02-2012, 09:02 AM

Gym again tonight - think some cardio is in order probably do some circuit work too. Will get BF checked also.

CaptHook

03-05-2012, 05:20 AM

Been sick since last update but might try make it into the gym today for a chest/arms workout.

krete77

03-05-2012, 07:25 AM

I've been super busy with school and my daughter, haven't had time to update my other thread either. Hope all is going well with your progress.

CaptHook

03-05-2012, 12:46 PM

Relatively happy with the session, went in not knowing if I would have the energy to complete it but did what I set out to:

Dumbbell Bench Press 17.5kg x 8 x 1, 30kg x 8 x 3
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 10kg x 8 x 1, 20kg x 8 x 3
Shoulder Press 10kg x 8 x 1, 20 kg x 8 x 3
Dips BW + 5kg 8 x 3
Cable flys 7.5kg x 8 x 1, 12.5kg x 8 x 2, 10kg x 8 x 1
7x7x7 17.5kg (+5 kg bar) x 3 super setted with box jumps 10 x 3

El Elyon

03-05-2012, 01:39 PM

Good job on the log. Keep it up mate.

Btw how did you come to the % of your bodyfat? Did you do the 4 site, 7 site or 9 site test? I have done all three i came in at 15% for 4 site, 12% for 7 site and 18% for 9 site. I'd deffo say i'm more 18%. It's also hard to get accurate with calipers if you're a beginner with them etc.

CaptHook

03-06-2012, 02:45 AM

I had it done in the gym - the PT used some sort of scanning machine that you hold fully outright and it takes a scan of your body and based on height age and weight it gave me that BF. I don't know how accurate it is to be honest but judging by photos I see I reckon I'm around 14% now. Abs aren't visible but upper rib cages are and there isn't a large amount of excess fat. I'm confident visible abs are just around the corner.

I still haven't taken the plunge into leangains due to not being at full health but soon it will happen. Tonight will be back/legs/core.

CaptHook

03-07-2012, 01:15 AM

Ugh yesterday was my first very bad day in a while. Ended up having a double cheeseburger & McFlurry from McDs as well as 2 bowls of cereal and a chocolate bar, probably adding up to ~1200 kCals before bed. Didn't make it to the gym either. Any way it's not the end of the world. Back to normal today, back/legs/core tonight & possibly a run/row to make up for yesterday.

CaptHook

03-07-2012, 01:07 PM

Dumbbell Shrugs 15kg x 8 x 1, 25kg x 8 x 3
Lat Pull Downs (30kg x 8 x 1, 60kg x 8 x 3)
Chin ups BW + 2.5kg 6 x 2, 5 x 2
Seated Leg Curls 25KG X 8 X 1, 50kg x 8 x 3
Leg Press Superset: Leg Press (close stance) & Wide Stance Leg Press 80kg x 8 x 3 for both
Seated Ab Machine 20kg x 8 x 1, 40kg x 8 x 3
Ab Pulldown Rope 12.5kg x 10 x 1, 25kg x 10 x 3

CaptHook

03-08-2012, 04:29 PM

250m 1 min break x 10, each split was between 50 & 52 seconds.

Followed by 5km run in 25:57. Very happy with this run as for the first 2km I had ankle and calf pains and a stitch for parts. Stuck with it and was delighted in the end. Going to give the 5km a proper go in the next few sessions and aim for 24:00.

CaptHook

03-11-2012, 09:33 AM

Ran 6km today in 29:30.

Diet is going to be perfect this week.

krete77

03-11-2012, 12:32 PM

Nice I just started running myself. Awful for me though, took 15:38 to run a mile and a half. I got some work to do to get those numbers WAYYYYY down

CaptHook

03-11-2012, 12:40 PM

Hmmm just looked at the breakdown of a sample day's diet and I'm surprised by it (it's probably miscalculated).

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs (180 kCals, 18p, 12f), 2 slices brown bread (172 kCals, 6p, 24c) with 2 tbsp peanut butter (150 kCals, 16p, 12c, 32f) & 1 tbsp jam. 2 fish oil tabs (2f).
Total: 502 kCals, 40p, 36c, 46f.

Lunch: 2 chicken fillets (460 kCals, 86p, 10f) & assortment of veg with a sprinkling of cheese (42 kCals, 3p, 3f)
Total: 502 kCals, 89p, 13f.

Dinner: 1.5 fish fillets (240kCals, 7f, 42p) & assortment of veg with a sprinkling of cheese (42 kCals, 3p, 3f)
Total: 282 kCals, 45p, 10f

Snack: 2 rice cakes with 1 tbsp peanut butter (75 kCals, 8p, 6c, 16f) & 1 tbsp jam. 2 fish oil tabs (2f).
Total: 75kCals, 8p, 6c, 18f

Overall Breakdown: 1360 kCals, 182p, 42c, 87f.

Calorie intake is far too low it seems but I think it's clear if I just had carbs with lunch and dinner everything would be pretty close to what it should be:

Workout Days: 2400 calories; 164-196 grams protein; 20-40 grams fat; 350 grams carbs.
Resting Days: 1540 calories; 164-196 grams protein; 40-80 grams fat; 70 grams carbs. I'll just go with the usual diet plus a small portion of pasta on rest days.

So going to keep the diet as above and add carbs in the form of rice/pasta to lunch/dinner. Or is there any other high-carb food I could add?

One more question, is 87f on workout days ok for someone trying to lose fat? Or should I try bring it down to ~40g?

CaptHook

03-11-2012, 12:44 PM

krete77

03-11-2012, 08:38 PM

Thanks krete I struggled to run 1km only a year ago and hated running but once I decided to work on fitness a lot more I actually started to enjoy it. Two goals to coincide with weight loss for me will be to be able to run 10km in 60 mins and 5km in 22:30 mins.

Nice my fastest 5k was 27 mins and a few seconds. I used to run a lot of 5k events many years ago...I'm looking in my area for any that are going on right now actually. Went to a state park the other day and walked it, and it was roughly 5k. I'm betting they have 5k's here as well.

I like distance running, think the most I ever ran was 7 miles. But 3 miles is a perfect jog in my opinion.

krete77

03-11-2012, 08:46 PM

So going to keep the diet as above and add carbs in the form of rice/pasta to lunch/dinner. Or is there any other high-carb food I could add?

One more question, is 87f on workout days ok for someone trying to lose fat? Or should I try bring it down to ~40g?`

Remember, I'm not a nutritionist or anything so what I say can be up for debate, but I give you my honest answer and it comes from a collaboration of a lot of research.

Ok Disclaimer out of the way, 1360 seems a little bit low, I might bump it closer to 1500-1600. You want to retain as much lean body mass and strength. Cut to fast/too much, and those go out the window. No point in being super skinny; muscle retention is key.

87f is fine. Read over the calculating calorie needs in the nutrition forum sticky..(at the top of the forum).. It tells you exactly what you need. I think .45/lb is pretty average and your right in the ballpark. Fat doesn't make you fat remember. Excessive caloric intake does.

CaptHook

03-12-2012, 08:08 AM

Today's diet:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs (180 kCals, 18p, 12f), 1 slice brown bread (86 kCals, 6p, 17c) with 1 tbsp peanut butter (75 kCals, 8p, 6c, 16f) & 1 tbsp jam.
Total: 335 kCals, 32p, 23c, 28f.

Lunch: Wrap with chicken, onion, cheese, bacon (hard to know but roughly wrap = 220kCals, 5p, 35c, 5f, ingredients = 300kCals, 35p, 10c, 15f - that's basically guess work to be honest)
Total: 520kCals, 40p, 45c, 20f.

Dinner: 2 chicken fillets (460 kCals, 86p, 10f) & assortment of veg with a sprinkling of cheese (42 kCals, 3p, 3f) plus 165g rice (193 kCals, 4p, 44c)
Total: 502 kCals, 93p, 44c, 13f.

Snack: 2 rice cakes with 1 tbsp peanut butter (75 kCals, 8p, 6c, 16f) & 1 tbsp jam. 2 fish oil tabs (2f).
Total: 75kCals, 8p, 6c, 18f

Overall total: 1432 kCals, 173p, 118c, 79f.

Still too light it seems. Think a protein shake might be the obvious solution here.

105mphMegsan

03-20-2012, 05:51 AM

no.

But, can you please tell me what could be the consequences of skipping breakfast?

CaptHook

03-21-2012, 02:22 AM

Been a while since an update. I missed quite a few days in the gym going maybe 3x out of 10. Was in last night and did a long session as punishment:

Tricep Pull Down 10kgx8x1, 25kgx8x3
Shoulder Press 10kgx8x1, 17.5x8x3
Incline D Bench Press 17.5x8x6/7 (was waiting for a flat bench/cable fly machine)
D Bench Press 20kgx8x1, 22.5x8x1, 25x8x2
Cable Flys 12.5x8x2, 10x8x1
7x7x7 20kg+bar x 2

5km run - 24:40.

Good session but I weighed in at 79kg after which was ****. I thought I was losing fat and think I look different to how I did 4 months ago or so but it's hard to know when the scales never make any progress. It doesn't feel like I've put on muscle either and I shouldn't considering the calorie deficit I've been on. Anyway I'm upping the carbs/calories by having rice with lunch & dinner so I'll report back in a week with results.

CaptHook

03-21-2012, 02:17 PM

Dumbbell lateral raises 12.5kgx8x3
Dumbbell Shrugs 30kgx8x3
Machine Lat Pull Down 30kgx8x1, 60kgx8x2, 70kgx8x1
Dips: BW+5kgx8x2, BW+10kgx8x1
Dumbbell Bent Over Row 30kgx8x2
Pull Ups BWx5x2, BW-10kgx10x1
Machine Ab Crunch 15kgx8x1, 35kgx8x3

5km in 23:33.

Very happy with that session and the time for the 5km. Confident I'll be able to hit 22:30 within 3 weeks.

Weighed in at 77.7kg on a new scale too.

CaptHook

03-22-2012, 09:26 AM

Won't be running today. Will do some chest/arms/core/legs workout:

Barbell Preacher Curls: Bar + 15kg x 8 x 4
Dumbbell Kickbacks: 15kg x 8 x 3
Bench Press: 20kg x 8 x 1, 30kg x 8 x 3
Cable Flys: 12.5kg x 8 x 3
Cable Kneeling Crunch: 30kg x 8 x 3
Seated Crunch Machine: 35kg x 8 x 3
Squat: Bar x 8 x 3 (first time ever attempting squat coming up! Will go with basis of starting strength for now)
Seated Leg Curl: 50kg x 8 x 3
Standing Calf Press: 50kg x 8 x 3
Leg Press: Super set narrow & wide stance 80kg x 8 x 3

I'll probably be dead come leg press time but we'll see. I've been having a coffee before the gym the last two days and I think it's a good idea. Will report back later.

CaptHook

03-23-2012, 03:02 AM

CaptHook

03-23-2012, 03:16 AM

Signed up to a 10km at end of April too - aim for now is 55 mins but on a race day in 4 weeks time I can probably raise the bar to 52:30.

swole-striation

03-23-2012, 03:40 AM

No gym today, going tomorrow with a friend and will get the form of squat, deadlift & bent over row covered. Would it be recommended to start these compound exercises on a cut or should I wait until June-ish and introduce them with a bulking diet.

start now.

krete77

03-23-2012, 03:56 AM

Went like this:

Barbell Preacher Curls: Bar + 15kg x 8 x 1, +20kg x 8 x 3
Dumbbell Kickbacks: 15kg x 8 x 2
Bench Press: 20kg x 8 x 1, 30kg x 8 x 1, 30kg x 6 x 1 (to failure), 27.5kg x 8 x 1
Cable Kneeling Crunch: 30kg x 8 x 3
Seated Crunch Machine: 35kg x 8 x 3
Seated Leg Curl: 50kg x 8 x 3
Standing Calf Press: 50kg x 8 x 1, 100kg x 8 x 3
Leg Press: Super set narrow & wide stance 80kg x 8 x 1, 90kg x 8 x 2

No gym today, going tomorrow with a friend and will get the form of squat, deadlift & bent over row covered. Would it be recommended to start these compound exercises on a cut or should I wait until June-ish and introduce them with a bulking diet.

Like i said, you should be doing those compound exercises as the main focus of your workouts, and your accessory work after. is your ankle healed? i think you said that's what was stopping you. you need those compounds!!! they work all your muscles in your body!! forget about cable crossovers and dumbbell kick backs lol.. do some close grip bench and weighted dips for tri's. deadlifts for that back; pullups/chinups for back also.. so many muscle fibers are recruited it's ridiculous to not use them

CaptHook

03-23-2012, 04:18 AM

Hey krete, the ankle can handle the runs fine so it's definitely time to start the compounds. How do you break up your workouts, i.e. do you do back with triceps or biceps? Then what with legs and back? I'm going to make 3x workouts based around chest/back/legs, just wondering which days incorporate tris/bis/delts or does it matter really? If you're working out more than 3x a week do you just rinse & repeat ya?

Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Cable Fly Overs

Back: Deadlift
Bent Over Row
Pull Ups
Dumbbell Shrugs
Machine lat pulldown

Legs: Squat

CaptHook

03-24-2012, 01:24 PM

Just did a short chest/biceps session:

D Bench Press: 15kgx8x1, 27.5x8x3
Then I super setted the dumbbell bench press with 10 chin ups: 30kgx8x1,30kgx6x1, 27.5kgx8x2, 4x10xchin ups
Barbell Curl: 10kg bar + 20kg x 10 x 3

Weighed in at 80kg then which was slightly unpleasant but what can ya do.

CaptHook

03-28-2012, 12:36 PM

Ugh poor last few days. I'm all over the place. Weighed in at 78.7kg after this routine for chest/bis/tris:

D Bench Press: 15kgx8x1, 22.5kgx8x1, 27.5kgx8x1, 30x8x1
D Incline Bench Press: 10kgx8x1, 15kgx8x1, 25kgx6x1, 22.5kgx8x1
Cable Flys: 7.5kgx8x1, 12.5kgx8x1, 10kgx8x2
Preacher Curls: 5kg bar + 20kg x10x4
Dumbbell Curls: 10kgx16x1, 15kgx16x2
Dips: BW+5kgx8x1, BW+10kgx8x3
Cable Tricep Extension: 15kgx8x1, 30kgx8x3

krete77

03-28-2012, 01:10 PM

Your weight has stayed the same since the start.
You've been doing chest/tris/bis since the start, basically the whole month and a half.

Go back to the beginning of this thread and remember what I said. Time to find a workout program, that increases lifts and based around compounds and get to it. Takes many years to look good, not a short few months :)

CaptHook

03-29-2012, 02:22 AM

Hey krete, first off I know you're right. I am trying to implement the compound exercises in & when I am 100% able to do them they will be the core of my workouts. I did some bar squatting at the weekend and really felt it on my ankle. I know 20-40kg would be bearable but I wouldn't trust my ankle to have any more weight on. Still, I will involve them more starting today. I've just had a good read of starting strength & their novice programme which looks v easy atm compared to my workouts. So tonight is legs/core/back but I want to implement Day 1 of SS prog which is as follows:

Start week one with a 20kg bar in every lift.
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench press / Press (Alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

So I will base my workout around this...
Squat: Barx5x1, Bar+20kgx5x3
Leg Curl: 50kgx8x3
Calf Press: 100kgx8x3
T Bar Row: 40kgx8x4
Lat Pulldown: 30kgx8x1, 70kgx8x3
Bench Press: Bar+20kgx5x3
Ab Rope Pulldown: 30kgx10x4
Seated Crunch Machine: 35kgx10x4
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure

If my legs aren't too bad I'll do a 5km after this. If they are I'll do some shoulder presses.

krete77

03-29-2012, 08:58 AM

Definitely don't do any compound lifts if your injured. I hope that's not how I came across. I just assumed you were better (I thought I saw you write it somewhere) and was making sure your on the right track.

How long are you spending on your workouts? Remember, its the quality of reps (each and every rep) that counts!\

CaptHook

03-29-2012, 09:22 AM

Ya I thought it was as good as new myself as there was practically no trouble when running the last couple of weeks. I'll try the squat tonight with 20kg & just won't push past the point when I can feel it weakening. Really need to see a physio about this.

I would say I spend about 1 hour avg on weights per session, but I get quite a bit done. Yesterday's workout was around 70 mins for example. I'm going to take that last comment on board this evening as I may rush early reps in sets when there isn't too much effort required. Obviously new exercises I take very slow especially the squat.

CaptHook

03-29-2012, 12:09 PM

Squat: Bar+20kgx5x3, x10x1 (ankle was fine bar one set, was messing around with position a good bit but think the form was ok)
Leg Curl: 50kgx8x3
Calf Press: 100kgx8x3
T Bar Row: 40kgx8x4 (need to look up vids of this before next session - think my form was pretty awful but maybe not)
Lat Pulldown: 30kgx8x1, 70kgx8x4
Dumbbell Shrugs: 40kgx8x3 (have had a niggling pain in my right deltoid for the last week, this has it aggravated again)
Bench Press: Bar+20kgx5x3 (form was definitely **** here, couldn't keep the bar straight)
Ab Rope Pulldown: 30kgx10x4
Seated Crunch Machine: 35kgx10x4
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure

Had a protein shake after which I'll now be doing after workouts. Having no carbs for recovery from now on I don't think, just with lunch a few hours pre workout. Weighed in at 78.2 and I don't want to see it higher until I'm cut enough to start bulking, 10% BF here we come!

krete77

03-29-2012, 02:03 PM

CaptHook

03-31-2012, 06:38 AM

**** sake what is with this site & so many replies just disappearing. Has happened me at least 5 times in this thread :/ Anyway I'll update later going gym now for chest/tris. Yesterday was a mix of everything with a decent bit of squatting.

CaptHook

04-02-2012, 03:37 AM

Had two good workouts over the weekend - Fri was a mix of squatting, core & biceps, Sat was a very good chest/tris day. I want to make April a great month so I'm going to outline a number of goals here that have to be achieved by May 1st. I don't know what increases I can expect to make in the compound movements as I'm only really getting used to form now but if anyone thinks I should aim higher or lower for 30 days progress let me know.

Current weight: 79.8kg (as of 31/03) Target weight: 76kg
Current body fat: 15.6% Target BF: 13.5%
Bench press: 65kgx6x4 Target: 75kgx6x4
Squat: 35kgx8x4 (not a struggle really) Target: 90kgx6x4
Deadlift: Have not done one yet Target: 80kgx6x4
5km: ~23:30 Target: 22:30
10km: haven't completed one. Target: 52:00.

I know that the runs are achievable, the weight loss is too. However I don't really have a clue about the squat & deadlift but at least it's something to aim for.

Going to break up workouts as follows: Day 1 (today): legs/shoulders, 2: back/biceps, 3: chest/triceps, 4: core/cardio. If I go a fifth day I'll probably do 50/50 cardio & whatever weights I can do.

Today's workout will be squatting, leg curling, calf raises, shoulder presses, Arnold shoulder presses & dumbbell front raises. Hope to get up to 45kg on the bar for the squat.

krete77

04-02-2012, 05:08 AM

So how did the squats feel?

CaptHook

04-02-2012, 05:29 AM

So how did the squats feel?

Much better on Friday . Don't think the ankle bothered me once. I did around 10 sets of 5 reps overall I think, from the bar up to the bar +35kg.

CaptHook

04-02-2012, 01:24 PM

Decent session:

Calf raises: 50kgx10x1, 110kgx10x4
Arnold Shoulder Presses: 10kgx10x1, 15kgx8x4
Dumbbell Front Raises: 10kgx8x1, 10kgx6x4
Squat: Barx5x1, +20kgx5x2, +30kgx5x2, +40kgx5x5 (form didn't feel right for the most part here, didn't go as low with the 40kg on I don't think)
Shoulder Press: 12.5kgx10x1, 17.5kgx10x4
Leg Curl: 30kgx10x1, 55kgx10x1, 50kgx10x2

Wilcox28

04-02-2012, 01:34 PM

Keep up the hard work and dedication man! Your doing great. Stick with it!

CaptHook

04-04-2012, 03:42 AM

Cheers mate. Yesterday was back/bis with the introduction of deadlifting. Think my form was pretty poor so didn't go any higher with the weight.

Deadlift: Bar+10kg*5*2, +20kg*5*2, +30kg*5*2
Preacher Curls: Bar+15kg*10*1, +20kg*10*4
T-Bar Row: +20kg*8*2, +40kg*8*2
Cable Curls: 30kg*8*2, 27.5kg*8*2
Dumbbell Shrugs: 40kg*10*4
Lat Pulldown: 35kg*8*1, 70kg*8*3

CaptHook

04-04-2012, 04:06 AM

Today, chest/tris. Want a tough session so aiming for this:

Bench Press: Bar*8*2, +30kg*8*3
D Bench Press: 20kg*8*1, 25kg*8*1, 30*8*2
Cable Tricep Extension: 15kg*8*1, 30kg*8*3
D Incline Bench Press: 12.5kg*8*1, 22.5kg*8*3
Bent Over Cable Triceps Extension: 15kg*8*1, 25kg*8*3
Dumbbell Flys: 7.5kg*8*1, 12.5kg*8*3
Dips: BW+5kg*8*1, BW+10kg*8*3

Tomorrow is cardio/core so will be have to put a big effort in there, haven't done cardio in about 10 days!

CaptHook

04-05-2012, 05:39 AM

CaptHook

04-06-2012, 05:42 AM

Didn't make the gym today so I think as punishment/test I'll attempt a 10km tomorrow. Won't be aiming for anything major, I'll take it steady & set a provisional time of 57:00. Will do some core work before this too.

Just a quick question, do people ever try to cut & bulk simulatenously, e.g. having a deficit on non-workout days & a surplus on training days?

Well, knocked that out of the park. 10km in 52:30 - very pleased with that! Tomorrow I'm going to try bench 70kg 5 x 4, squat 50kg 5 x 4 & deadlift 50kg x 5 x 4. One thing about the run I noticed was my legs were definitely stronger which has to be credited to the squats!

CaptHook

04-10-2012, 11:46 AM

Was in the gym Sat & Sun, did a mixture of things. Today had a v good legs/shoulders session:

Squat: 20kg*8*1, 50kg*8*1, 60kg*6*2, 70kg*6*1, 80kg*6*4
Barbell behind neck shoulder press: 25kg*10*4
Leg Curl: 55kg*10*4
Military Barbell Press: 25kg*10*1, 35kg*8*2, 25kg*8*1
Leg Press: 90kg*8*2 (wide stance & narrow super-setted)
Arnold Dumbbell Press: 10kg*8*1, 15kg*7*1, 15kg*5*1
Calf Raise: 50kg*10*1, 106kg*10*3

Weighed in at 78.2. Going to start trying to increase most of these every session from here on out. Was a lot more focused today & think I've lit a fire inside and am well up for going above & beyond the goals set earlier. I'll change the squat to 90kg for now which should be very do-able & if I can do 70kg*5*3 bench this weekend I'll increase the goal there too. Now time to completely cut the **** out of the diet & see real results!!!!

krete77

04-10-2012, 01:29 PM

Just a quick question, do people ever try to cut & bulk simulatenously, e.g. having a deficit on non-workout days & a surplus on training days?

Yes but your just spinning your wheels. Pick one goal and stick to it!

CaptHook

04-11-2012, 11:56 AM

Back/bis:

Deadlift: 25kg*8*1, 40kg*8*3, 50kg*8*1 (these didn't feel good at all, will get form sorted this weekend with someone who knows)
Barbell Preacher Curls: 30kg*12*3
Dumbbell Shrugs: 20kg*12*3
Barbell 7x7x7: 30kg*3 supersetted with 12 box jumps
Bent Over Row: 30kg*8*4
Lat Pulldown: 35kg*10*1, 65kg*12*1, 60kg*12*1, 60kg*9*1
Don't know name for this one but involves crossing the cables & works the upper back, 4 sets
Wide grip pull ups: 3 sets to failure: 5,4,3

CaptHook

04-12-2012, 03:41 AM

Today will be chest/tris, here's what's planned - hopefully can get all this in:

Warm up (what sort of warm ups do you guys do? It's something I need to do more of, and warm downs, I plan to just go on cross trainer for 5 mins but have been researching foam rolling which looks really beneficial)
B Press: 20kg*12*1, 40kg*12*2, 50kg*12*2
Incline B Press: 20kg*12*1, 30kg*12*1, 40kg*12*3
Cable Flys: 10kg*12*3 (I was shown a new way to do these lately by someone studying personal training, means dropping the weight)
Dumbbell cable flys: 10kg*12*3
Jog 2km @ 13km/hr (going to implement this into 2 training sessions each week along with 1 all out cardio session to get my pace up for a race at end of month)
Tricep Dips: BW*12*1, +10kg*12*3 (slightly optimistic)
Rope Tricep Extensions: 15kg*12*3
Dumbbell Tricep Extension: 25kg*12*3
Warm down (prob just a km slow pace cycle or something)

As you can see that's quite a serious session but tomorrow is cardio/core & on Sat I'm going to be getting the form of deadlift & squat down with the help of a friend so won't be exerting too much again until Sun/Mon. Cardio tomorrow I think I'll do HIIT rather than another 10km but we'll see. Diet clean as a whistle last 3 days.

CaptHook

04-12-2012, 02:05 PM

The run in the middle was a bit of a killer. Did 2km @ 13.5 & the subsequent tris workout was tough.
Dips: BW*12*1, +5kg*12*1, *10*1, *9*1
Rope Tricep Ext: 7.5*12*3
Didn't do the dumbbell ext

Weighed in at 77.7. Diet still squeaky clean!

rameez600

04-13-2012, 01:39 PM

What's ur overall BF % change so far??
Good stuff, keep on gunning em! Also don't focus too much on ur weight since "excellent bodybuilders" actually increase weight due to muscle volume while still trimming BF%.

krete77

04-13-2012, 01:51 PM

What is your BF%? Your weight is the same; but you can't lose fat and build muscle, so your weight should be decreasing or increasing depending on caloric intake.

CaptHook

04-15-2012, 01:12 PM

BF was 15.2% when checked about 3 weeks ago. Only down slightly which was a shame but I think I look in better shape than the % change would suggest. The aim is 13.5% by the end of this month which I think is do-able. The 10km race is in two weeks & I haven't run properly in a while so going do two runs this week, on Tues and Thurs. I did some deadlifting (60kg) & squatting (70kg) so will cover upper body in the intervening days probably chest tris shoulders tomorrow & back bis legs Thurs.

I'm changing my diet up & workout days will look something as follows:
Breakfast: 3 egg whites boiled, 1 50g protein shake w water, 3 fish oil tablets
Lunch: Wrap with chicken cheese & veg/dinner from night before, 3 fish oil tablets
1-2 coffees daily w milk & sugar
Post-Workout 50g protein shake w water
Dinner: Chicken/fish/steak w veg, 2 fish oil tablets

CaptHook

04-17-2012, 04:37 AM

Great workout yesterday, have a 9-10km run this evening that I'm not looking forward to.

Diet yesterday: 2 50g P shakes, 3 egg whites, 1 chicken fillet wrapped in bacon w potatoes & veg, 1 salmon w veg, 4 rice cakes w chocolate (84 kCals total each), 1 bowl of cereal (~300 kCals). Took in the extra calories as had an extensive workout.

Diet today: 2 50g P shakes, 2 slices toast w peanut butter & jam, 1 chicken wrap w veg & cheese, 1 steak w veg

krete77

04-17-2012, 10:59 AM

So how has your body composition changed lately?

CaptHook

04-18-2012, 04:38 AM

I think I've definitely gained muscle, or else my shoulder & arms just look more defined. Chest is definitely bigger too with more defined pecs. Stomach hasn't changed much, less fat for sure but only a loss I'd notice really.

Only managed about a 3-4km run yesterday so today will do a back/bis session with a bit of shoulder work because I didn't get it all done on Mon. Will run 5km after at a pace of 13km hopefully not dipping below 12.7 once.

CaptHook

04-29-2012, 07:54 AM

Goals by end of April were:
10km in 52:00 Completed (Ran 10km in 49 mins today)
5km in 22:45 mins Completed last week
Bench Press: 80kg x 5 x 3 Won't make this, can manage around 70-72.5 x 5 x 3
Squat: 90kg x 5 x 3 Think I was doing 80*8*4 at my last legs session so will get this completed tomorrow.
Deadlift: 80kg x 5 x 3 Again, should be able to complete this tomorrow.
Weight: 76kg
Body Fat: 13.5%

Haven't checked my weight or BF in about 2 weeks but I reckon it's still about 78kg. I will update this in more depth tomorrow. All round I have to be happy with meeting the majority of the goals. Back tomorrow with a review & goals for May.

CaptHook

04-30-2012, 02:57 AM

Will be in the gym later to attempt the squatting & deadlifting goals & to weigh in. Here's hoping I'm successful on the 3 fronts. Based on today I can make goals for end of May for the two lifts & desired weight. I am going to continue to run 10kms probably once a week, with the desired time for the end of May 45:30. I think for the bench press I will be aim for 77.5kg*5*3.

I'm out of protein so need to order more today. I'm looking at starting creatine & have read some of the threads on here relating to it. Anyone have any recommendations on what brand to go for & recommendations for the protein too would be helpful. I've heard ON is the best.

StitchT

04-30-2012, 04:00 PM

CaptHook

05-01-2012, 12:22 PM

****, had bought it already ha. Just got ON Gold Std Whey. No creatine as of yet.

10km in 52:00 Completed (Ran 10km in 49 mins)
5km in 22:45 mins Completed last week
Bench Press: 80kg x 5 x 3 Didn't make this, can manage around 70-72.5 x 5 x 3
Squat: 90kg x 5 x 3 Completed today. Tough enough, had built up to it steadily so happy I got through it.
Deadlift: 80kg x 5 x 3 Completed today. Actually did 90kg*5*3 so happy with that.
Weight: 76kg Fail. 78kg.
Body Fat: 13.5% Fail. Didn't get it checked but no difference, still ~15%.

So while the strength gains are satisfactory the important matter of fat loss was negated. This month is going to be all about fat loss. Every day I'm cutting properly from here on in. Going to increase my HIIT too so won't aim too high on weight improvements.

Targets:
Weight: ~74kg
Body fat: 12%
10km: 45:30
5km: 21:30
Be able to swim 20 lengths front crawl consecutively
Bench press: 75*5*3, 67.5*8*3
Squat: 110*5*3, 90*8*3
Deadlift: 110*5*3, 90*8*3

How does that look?

CaptHook

05-02-2012, 03:35 PM

Chest/tris earlier today & continuing the calorie deficit. Back/bis/shoulders/HIIT tomorrow, will attempt 100kg in the deadlift I reckon.

CaptHook

05-03-2012, 01:22 PM

Got the 100 on deadlift 5 * 3, last set was tough though. 78kg on the button last two days so hopefully see that down a decent bit in next week.

twistandshout

05-15-2012, 02:41 AM

What's wrong with ON?

krete77

05-15-2012, 07:03 AM

Chest/tris earlier today & continuing the calorie deficit. Back/bis/shoulders/HIIT tomorrow, will attempt 100kg in the deadlift I reckon.

So you haven't lost any weight since the start?

CaptHook

05-15-2012, 04:11 PM

Ya it's pretty sickening but I'm a lot more determined now for the last 4 weeks - the truth is I was rarely on much of a deficit, usually eating around maintenance & just not realising it I think. I've dropped aroud 5/600 kcals daily now so will hopefully see results. Will update weight weekly, 78.00 today.

CaptHook

05-16-2012, 03:50 PM

Last two days have been in and around 1600 kCals.

Boris2k12

05-21-2012, 06:51 PM

CaptHook

05-22-2012, 08:57 AM

I admit I wasn't cutting properly - there's no doubt about that. I have been on a proper cut for the past 8 days with 2 of those days actually having a calorie surplus, and I've dropped 2 kg.

I'm not sure on the facts but I think you're wrong regarding protein, nearly everything I have read suggests protein being the crux of the diet/calories & filling the rest up with fats & carbs if needed. Also, the avg chicken breast I eat is 220kcals & usually have 1.5/2 of these, bread is 90 kcals a slice (again usually 2 a day but not recently on the cut). Black coffee is ~40kcals & 110 with milk & sugar.

I've been on around 1600 kcals 6 of the past 8 days & marginally over maintenance the other 2 days. Will not be weighing in again for another week & aiming for 75kg then. I am super busy atm but when I get time in the near future I will go into detail about why this was a failure for a few months. For now, onwards & upwards!

I'm a bit disapointed that nobody else pointed out how bad your diet actually is

You're eating chicken 2x a day WITH CHEESE AND BREAD? (with bread included that alone is about 1.2k calories a day

You do not need 100g of protein a day unless you weigh 100kg....

1-2 coffees a day is ****ing you up as well

My advice:
Count your callories properely
Do more cardio (5-7 days of 20-30 minute sessions)
All your protien instake should be to maintain muscle not gain it if your primary goal is to lose fat % lol...

CaptHook

06-06-2012, 04:21 PM

73.2kg as of today with 12.2% BF - it's been a good month!

CaptHook

06-24-2012, 03:17 PM

71kg, 10.7% BF

StitchT

06-24-2012, 05:53 PM

Pictures!!!!

krete77

06-28-2012, 04:09 PM

I'm a bit disapointed that nobody else pointed out how bad your diet actually is

You're eating chicken 2x a day WITH CHEESE AND BREAD? (with bread included that alone is about 1.2k calories a day

You do not need 100g of protein a day unless you weigh 100kg....

1-2 coffees a day is ****ing you up as well

My advice:
Count your callories properely
Do more cardio (5-7 days of 20-30 minute sessions)
All your protien instake should be to maintain muscle not gain it if your primary goal is to lose fat % lol...

Wrong. Coffee is fine..has hardly any calories. Chicken 2x a day is perfect; at 125g/4oz with 25g protein you can't go wrong. Bread only has 90cals per slice so that's wrong also.

You don't need to do more cardio to burn fat..just lower intake; if you stall, refeed, reset, go at it again.