NNN's Cutting Cycle (basketball begins in two months)

[NoNameNecessary]

At the end of my bulk cycle, I was 6 foot 195 pounds. I am currently 190 pounds, and will enjoy this last weekend, and beging "cutting" on Monday. This is less of a cut, as more of getting rid of the fat, and getting on some good, healthy muscle. Previously, the 4 on 2 off has worked well for me, so now I am trying the 3 on 1 off, for about a month or two before basketball begins, than I will tweak my program slightly to fit in the workouts. The supplements I am currently using are ON 100% Whey, Pinnacle Shredded Mass (fat burning creatine), Flax Seeds, Coconut Oil, and will add an E+C stack to help my burn later on. My current diet, is around 2,500-3,000 calories a day with 275-350 grams of protein, 300-400 grams of carbohydrates, and less than 40 grams of fat a day. My workout program will be as follows:

Monday: Chest/Tri

Bench Press 5x8
Incline Bench Press3x8
Chest Dips 5x8
Rope Pulldown 3x8
Cable Straight Bar Pushdowns 3x8

Tuesday:Legs/Shoulders (Hams, Quads, Calves)

Squats 5x6-8
Good-Mornings/Leg Extension 4x8
Leg Press 3x8
Calf Raise 5x8
DB Shoulder Press 3x8
Military Press 3x8
Shrugs 3x8

Wednesday: Back/Bi


Deadlift 4x8
Pullup 3x8
One Arm Cable Row 3x8
Barbell Curl 3x8
Incline DB Curl 3x8
Cable 21's 2x8

Thursday: off

Friday: Chest/Tri
done with DB's instead of bars

Repeat

Saturday: Legs

repeat

Sunday: Back/Bi

repeat..except chest exercises with DB's


My diet, on most days, will look like:

Meal 1:

½ cup oats w/ Splenda and Cinnamon
3 g fat
5 g protein
26 g carbs
140 calories


1 cup egg whites
0 g fat
2 g carbs
26 grams protein
121 calories

Meal 2:

2 cups Skim Milk
0 g fat
24 carbs
16 g protein
160 cals

Banana
?

2 scoops ON Whey
2 g fat
6 g carbs
48 g protein
240 cals

Add coffee beans, flax seeds, and ice..blend.

Meal 3:

Kong Oat-Meal Replacement Bar (will replace with homemade once these are done)
12 g fat
58 g carbs
30 g protein
460 cals

Chicken Breast
2 g fat
0 g carb
25 g protein
110 cals

Meal 4:

½ cup brown rice
1 g fat
33 carbs
4 g protein
150 calories

Chicken Breast
2 g fat
0 g carb
25 g protein
110 cals

4 sticks of celery (or other vegetable)
?

Meal 5 (Pre-WO)

1 Scoop Pinnacle Shredded Mass with 6-8 ounces of water
0 fat
2 carbs
1 protein
35 calories

2 slices wheat bread
2 g fat
28 carbs
6 protein
140 calories

Chicken Breast/or source of protein (shake with water is possible)

Meal 6 (PWO Shake)

2 cups NF Milk
2 scoops ON Whey
Mixed Berries
1/2 cup oats

Meal 7

Lean Beef, Fish, or Chicken
½ cup brown rice
small side salad

Meal 8 (Before Bed)

½ cup to 1 cup 1 % cottage cheese
1-2 g fat
3-6 g carbs
16-32 g protein
90-180 calories

And 1 tablespoon of coconut oil mixed into the cottage cheese.

Certain days I will allow myself to cheat with a healthy meal, such as brown rice sushi, Saladworks salad,or something of the sort. It will keep me sane. I know the program seems to look like I am overworking, but my body has responded well to the constant work in the past, if it's works, why change it? I just got done with my first bulking cycle, and I will post measurements as soon as I get them done. Any comments or help is greatly appreciated. This is my first journal, so I appreciate all of it. Thanks for reading, and join me on my journey...

[BBall24]

got any pics?

[NoNameNecessary]

Not as of now...I will possibly try and get some up. Workouts start Monday.

[BBall24]

yah im kinda in the same thing as you but im trying to get bigger before basketball.

[NoNameNecessary]

Bball24- Drop me a PM.

First workout tonight guys. Ate my chicken, and wheat bread half hour before the gym, and drank down my Pinnacle creatine while on the way to the gym (not reccomended). Started out with a light jog for about fifteen minutes, and then:

*Bench Press 5x8 115(warm-up)/135x2/145x2
*Incline Press 4x8 115x2/125x2
Chest Dips 3x8 Bodyweight
Rope Pulldowns 4x8 130/140/150/160
Cable Par Pushdowns 4x8 111/122/133/144 (my tris were dead by this point)

There you have it, that was my first workout. What do you guys think? The * for the barbell presses was because this was my first time doing them without the Smith Machine, because this was my first night using a spotter. I finally have a workout partner, and it's great, because I can actually push harder, even though those weights are weak, I'm hoping to get to around 200 pounds, in the next two months. The others are pretty respectable, nothing shocking, but nothing too weak. These numbers will be what I judge my strength increase on. Overall, it was a good workout, and I'm chugging down my protein shake as I type. Thanks all for the read, and any advice you may have is appreciated.

[BBall24]

nice workout bro, keep it up. Your diet and everything looks great too. I was wondering, how much did you get your Shredded Mass creatine for?

[NoNameNecessary]

BBall24- I got it on sale for around $20. Usually, I see it anywhere from $30-35, but it's around 40 servings, and it works. So, it's pretty comparable in price to things like it, cheaper, actually, than most. It's not the best tasting thing in the world, but not bad if you mix it with a shake, or some juice. I'd definitely recommend it with a score around 8.5 out of 10...with points being lost on taste, and smell.

Tonights Workout (Legs/Shoulders):

Deadlift (light) 3x8 135
*Squat 5x8..2x8 135/185 2x8 205 1x6 225
Leg Press 3x8 270/360/425
Standing Calf Raises (Machine) 5x8 155 (could do much more weight, but Gold's Gym sucks, thinking of switching to Smith Machine next workout)

Shoulders

*Military Press 1x8 65/1x8 75/ 3x8 85 (WEAK!)
DB Shrugs 3x8 80
supersetted with Front Raises 3x8 20
DB Press 3x8 30/35/40

Well, that was it for the nights workout. My shoulders are weak, they are my lagging bodypart. I hit them hard, but the weights were weak. I look for them to improve over time, especially the military press. I felt like I could do a little more, but I had no spotter, so I was a little worried, and didn't want to injure myself. Eating was on point today, but instead of the chicken breast for the fourth meal, I had a turkey sandwhich on wheat, with lettuce, tomato, and fat-free mustard. This wouldn't be considered a cheat meal, as it runs about the same. Nothing unhealthy here. Well good night all (or the few that might read this), and god bless!

*- first time doing these without the Smith Machine...I know, I'm retarded for using the Smith Machine.

[NoNameNecessary]

I've never really trained my back all that much before. I never thought it was really necessary, but I'm going to start training it now, and training it right. Normally, I would do some pull-ups, but I'm not feeling to well doing them right now. So, I did a different exercise, but maybe I need some new exercises, so let me know, and what kind of rep scheme I should use. Any help is appreciated.

Back:

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts 1x8 135/ 1x8 1x6 165/ 1x6 135 (decent, my second time doing deadlifts, trying to get the form down)

Single Handed-Cable Row 2x8 90/1x6 100

Iso-Lateral High Row 1x8 180/2x8 230/1x6 250

Biceps:

Barbell Curl 1x6 85/ 2x8 75 (bar weighs 45)

DB Incline Curl 3x6 30 (biceps were dead by now)

Cable Straight Bar Curl 3 Dropsets w/ a rep scheme of 8/6/8 122/111/100

This was it for Wednesday, and Thursday was my day off. Pretty good workout, I will add a little more back for next workout. What do you think I should add (excluding pullups)?

[NoNameNecessary]

Today was chest/triceps, except this time I used dumbbells instead of barbells. It was a good workout, especially considering how tired I was. Three tests today, all in a matter of three hours, so my brain was a little taxed. Still managed though.

Chest:

DB Flat Press 5x8 55/60/65/70/65 (could of pushed the 75's with a lift-off, but had no one to help me)

DB Incline Press 2x8 50/2x6 55

Chest Dips 3x8 bodyweight

Triceps:

Rope Pulldowns 5x8 140
Cable Straight Bar Pushdowns 4x8 122/133/144/155

Pretty good workout. Next workout I'm going to throw in some close-grip bench presses, as a really good movement to hit the tri's and chest, instead of Dips, or maybe both. I'll see how I feel. Felt pretty good to be back in the gym after the rest day yesterday. I am definitely making some progess with my strength, that's the highest I've done on DB's without any assistance. Tomorrow is legs/shoulders. Yes, on a saturday.

[NoNameNecessary]

Cheat meal tonight. Tuna sub with lettuce, tomato, and onions, and two Diet Barq's Root Beers. What do you guys think? Is it okay to cheat once a week on a cutting diet?

[BBall24]

yeah bro dont sweat it, just make sure you dont make it everyday.

[NoNameNecessary]

Legs and shoulders today, on a saturday. This really showed me that I was dedicated, if you guys get where I'm coming from. It felt good to wake up and hit the gym early in the morning. Well, I guess 1 in the afternoon isn't early, but at the time, it seemed like it was. Now to the workout...I felt a little bit stronger than last:

Legs:

Leg Press 2x8 360/2x8 450/1x8 500/1x15 180
Leg Extension 3x8 170/190/210
Squats 1x8 135 (warm-up)/1x8 165/1x8 195/1x8 235

Shoulders:

Military Press 4x8 75/85/95 x2
DB Press 2x8 40/45; 1x6 50
DB Shrugs 2x8 85/1x6 90
supersetted w/ DB Front Raises 3x6 25

Pretty good workout. Weights were up a little bit from last workout. This time, however, I cut out calves. I think I pulled? one last night playing basketball. All in all, it was a good workout. See you guys tomorrow.

[NoNameNecessary]

Yesterday (Sunday) was Back/Bi day. I sprained my thumb pretty bad Friday night playing basketball with a couple of friends, so it was sort of hard to do some of these exercises. The thumb has heeled a little however, and should be decent for tomorrow. Some exercises had to be cut out (Incline DB Curl) because of the pain, but I added in a different sort of bar curl. I don't have the numbers with me today, but I will post them tomorrow night along with my chest/triceps workout.

Some Goals for tomorrow:

Flat Bench Press 2x6-8 155
Incline Bench Press 2x6-8 135-145

[NoNameNecessary]

This is yesterday's back and bicep workout:

Back:

S.L. Deadlifts 1x6 135/2x5 155
Iso-Lateral Hi-Row 1x8 180/2x6 270/ 1x15 180
Single Handed Row 3x6 100
Close Grip Pulldown 2x8 150/160

Biceps:

Barbell Curls 2x8 75,85/ 1x6 85
St. DB Curl 3x6 35 (DEAD!)
EZ Bar Curl 1x10 40/ 2x8 50*

*-weights (for the EZ Bar) are minus the bar weight. Anyone know what the weight of that bar is? I think it is around 25 or so.

[NoNameNecessary]

Tonight was chest and triceps. I chose to keep the last two posts separate for easier reference, just so it will be easier to track in the future. Tonight I hit set some goals, and I came close to hitting the suggested reps, but I pushed out some reps for the weights. It was a good improvement, and I am really working hard night in and night out. Rain almost stopped me from going, but I drove there anyways. Good workout tonight, one of the best in a while.

Chest:

Flat Bench Press 3x8 115,135,145/ 2x5 155/1x6 135
Incline Bench Press 1x8 115/1x6 125/1x6 135/1x6 115

Chest Dips (bodyweight) 2x10/3x8 (also a step up from last week's workouts)

Triceps:

Rope Pulldowns 3x10 110,120,130/ 2x8 140,150
Standing Cable Bar Pushdowns (Overhand) 3x8 144,155 (2)
supersetted with St. Cable Bar Pushdowns (Underhand) 3x8 66,77,88

This was a great workout. Very good pump. Currently hitting the abs:

Sit-Ups 4x25
supersetted with Stomach Vaccuums 4x30 seconds
Laying Leg-Ins 4x25
Seated Ball Twists 4x25
Side Bends 3x15

I'm going to start doing that ab routine five nights a week. I think that's good. I usually hear around 3-5 nights a week on abs. Considering none of the ab work is weighted, I think five nights is good. Any feedback?