Beginner here, please let me know if I'm on the right track!

[sysk]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to this bodybuilding thing although I did train for about one year when I was ~18 years old.

I tried to do my homework, read a bunch of articles/posts on bodybuilding.com + other websites
but I would like to make sure I am not making some massive mistakes before I start getting more serious.

First, here are my stats:

Age: 25
Weight: 90 kg
Height: 184 cm
Location: China

bodyshot2.png

I am not sure what my body fat is but after looking through a couple of "estimate my bf" posts, I guesstimate that I'm at 22%. Does that sound right? I have attached some pictures but I'm not really relaxed in them (ah btw, half my torso is shaved... lost a bet). I don't know any of my measurements unfortunately (waist, neck, etc.).

I think my goal for now would be to lose around 8 kg of fat while building a little bit of muscle if possible. Most importantly, I'd like to get rid of my belly and love handles.

I don't really have a timeframe in mind but I think it would be possible to do it in 2-3 months... right? I will probably set a more ambitious goal for myself once this first step is accomplished.

I've started going to the gym regularly (4 times a week) 2 weeks ago and mostly did many-joints exercises (presses, etc.) at 3 sets x 8 reps (for example, 3x8 flat dumbbell presses at 25 kg on each arm with 45s rest). I also usually jog to go to the gym (about 10 mins). I didn't really follow any program and didn't log my workouts. I also started eating more healthy (I used to eat pizza + soft drinks pretty much every day). I cut down a lot on carbs (I only drink water now and don't eat bread/pasta/rice/potato/fruits) but I didn't count my calories. I ate mostly salmon, beef steak, chicken, eggs, bacon and green vegetables - broccoli, lettuce, celery, cucumber (+ ground pepper, olive oil, some mayo).

Now that I'm back in the beat, I'd like to take things a step further (follow a program, log my workouts and track my calories/macros).

Here's some questions I have for you boys and girls:

1) What's a good macros ratio for cutting fat while still gaining a bit of muscle? Should i follow a specific diet or just stick to some ratio? I think what would work best with me would be something with a low amount of carbs as I don't especially like sweet stuff, rice or potato (I do love pasta and bread but I've gotten used to do without in the past 2 weeks). Any ratios / diets that would be well suited for me?

2) I've tried a few online calculators to calculate my required calorie consumption but their results vary a bit (2700 - 3400 range). Since my main goal is to burn fat, I was thinking of cutting down to 2200 calories/day. Does that sound about right?

3) Regarding nutrition, do you count the cooking oil/butter used in the pan when calculating calories?

4) Some of the food I buy (vegetables, meat) don't have nutritional data. Where can i find an estimate of nutritional data online for various kinds of food? (I have a food scale) I have played a bit with MyFitnessPal on my phone and it seems like a decent solution. Any other useful fitness/bodybuilding apps?

5) I bought some "Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey" and "MUSCLETECH HYDROXYCUT HARDCORE ELITE" but I am not sure if I should incorporate them in my diet now or wait until I "plateau".

Sorry for the wall of text and thanks in advance for the help.

[boghog]

22% sounds about right, I was thinking that exact number seeing your picture.

Questions:

1. about 2.5-3 g protein / kg lean body mass, about 1g fat / kg lean body mass and the rest carbs. In your case 175g protein/ 215g carbs/ 70g fat for a total of about 2200 cals.

2. Sounds right if you train a a bit. I started at around 90 kgs around similar body fat but my cut was at 2050 cals. Either way you should lose fat on that caloric intake if you exercise several times per week.

3. I don't count it since I only cook food once a day, but I also undercalculated cals to take that into account. If you cook many meals per day then you might want to take that into account and use maybe a spoon or similar to make sure you get the same amount every time.

4. Just search in google for macro nutrient or similiar for the desired food. There are plenty of lists available with that sort of information.

5. Whey is just protein so eat it if you need it to reach your daily protein intake. Not sure about the other since I dont use anything else than vitamins and some cod liver oil.

Good luck with your cutting.

[sysk]

22% sounds about right, I was thinking that exact number seeing your picture.

Questions:

1. about 2.5-3 g protein / kg lean body mass, about 1g fat / kg lean body mass and the rest carbs. In your case 175g protein/ 215g carbs/ 70g fat for a total of about 2200 cals.

2. Sounds right if you train a a bit. I started at around 90 kgs around similar body fat but my cut was at 2050 cals. Either way you should lose fat on that caloric intake if you exercise several times per week.

3. I don't count it since I only cook food once a day, but I also undercalculated cals to take that into account. If you cook many meals per day then you might want to take that into account and use maybe a spoon or similar to make sure you get the same amount every time.

4. Just search in google for macro nutrient or similiar for the desired food. There are plenty of lists available with that sort of information.

5. Whey is just protein so eat it if you need it to reach your daily protein intake. Not sure about the other since I dont use anything else than vitamins and some cod liver oil.

Good luck with your cutting.

Thanks a lot for your answers. Also, very motivational to see your recent pictures given that you started at a similar body fat.

By the way, do you think I should go for higher reps or is 3x8 fine for me? Is there any program on BB you can recommend?

Cheers!

[dmacdonal9]

Is there any program on BB you can recommend?

Beginner Workout Programs:
All Pro's Beginner Routine
Stronglifts 5x5
Fierce 5
Starting Strength
Ice Cream Fitness 5X5

How to lift properly

[boghog]

Thanks a lot for your answers. Also, very motivational to see your recent pictures given that you started at a similar body fat.

By the way, do you think I should go for higher reps or is 3x8 fine for me? Is there any program on BB you can recommend?

Cheers!

No problems, unlike nearly everyone else starting out you did your research before asking. Glad you liked my pictures. They are from last year and I stopped training in october and gained most fat back, so we are in the same boat. Best of luck to us.

Well to be honest if you are just starting out again any program will do. I'd be careful with going too low rep before joints, ligaments and sinews are used to weightlifting. They take a bit longer to adapt than muscle strength. The point of the training is just to stimulate hypertrophy to keep the muscles and lose the fat. You can go higher than 8 reps, usualy people say that reps anywhere between 5-12 reps are good for hypertrophy. So if you want, go for 3x10 or even 3x12. Just make sure you use a weight you can handle with good form. Again the goal is to keep the stimulate for maximum muscle growth , not necessaily getting stronger. One good rep = two bad ones.

Any program that contains a core of compound exercises (such as rows, presses, pull-ups, squats and deadlifts) is good. Though as assessory exercises I'd add in isolation for arms, calves and abdominals as well. People say it isn't needed but I've found that my arm strength limited me in presses and rows as well as weak abdominals made my back a wreck because back muscles overpowered my abdominals. Just pick a program that seems decent and qualify for containing most compound exerises. After you've tried it for a while, pick out the stuff you like and discard the rest. Personal experience trumps most advice. Personally I like to use 1-2 compound exercises followed by an isolation for every body part. Such as bench press and then flyes to finish off or deadlifts and hyperextensions.

Don't really know that much about other programs since I've always designed my own program.

Good luck man.