Low fat and ripped goal

[AndrewJamesE]

Hi Guys

Please can you assist me in my workout. My goal is too have low fat and be ripped.
I am reaching my goal in losing fat, but I need help on muscle gains.
There seems to be a fine balance between losing fat and gaining muscle - getting ripped.

My workout per week (I probably need the most guidance here.): My workout takes about 1 and a half hours.
Tuesday, Thursday
20 incline pushups
80 Lunges.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Deadlift 20kg 3 x 5 (lower back issues, so building strength slowly)
Squat 20kg 3 x 5 (lower back issues, so building strength slowly)
Benchpress 30kg 3 x 5

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Lower Body:
Standing Calf Raises 150kg 20 x 3
Leg curl 50kg 5 x 3.
Leg extension 40kg 5 x 3.
Leg press 120kg 5 x 3

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Upper body:
Tricep Pushdown 10 x 3 75kg
Lat Machine 10 x 3 45kg
Arm curls 10 x 3 15kg
Chest Press 10 x 3 50kg
Shoulder press 10 x 3 25kg
Low Row 15 x 3 60kg

My pic is uploaded.

[dazlittle]

couple of things that will help people give you advice.

1. How long have you been working out consistently.
2. What you eat means nothing to people here, what is your total daily calorie intake, what is your TDEE, what is your protein, Fat and Carb breakdown.
3. To get ripped, cheating every single day is not going to help.
4. Getting truly ripped takes a mad crazy amount of commitment, that I do not have.
5. Get yourself on one of the tried and tested novice routines, you will find them right here on this site.

Finally looking at your picture I would say you would be better served building some muscle over the next couple of years, while eating slightly above maintenance.

[jgreystoke]

In the pic, you look like a stamp collector, no offense.

Less muscle than normal size manual workers/athletic guys who don't even lift.

If you cut from where you are now, you'll look like a thin stamp collector.

Arnie used to be 12-15% off season, and only went down to a 9% to step on the Olympia stage, seriously.

The reason he was so impressive(even at 15% with no sixpack.......see any pics all over Google Images), was muscle mass and shape, not being cut or ripped.

Little guys whose muscles are underdeveloped don't look impressive no matter how ripped they get.

Lots of guys slave away in the gym for a decade, and because they prioritize being ripped, they find it impossible to gain, and still look like they don't even lift.

[AndrewJamesE]

In the pic, you look like a stamp collector, no offense.

Less muscle than normal size manual workers/athletic guys who don't even lift.

If you cut from where you are now, you'll look like a thin stamp collector.

Arnie used to be 12-15% off season, and only went down to a 9% to step on the Olympia stage, seriously.

The reason he was so impressive(even at 15% with no sixpack.......see any pics all over Google Images), was muscle mass and shape, not being cut or ripped.

Little guys whose muscles are underdeveloped don't look impressive no matter how ripped they get.

Lots of guys slave away in the gym for a decade, and because they prioritize being ripped, they find it impossible to gain, and still look like they don't even lift.

Lol, thanks for the feedback.

What do you think of my workout plan. I have seen improvements in the last 3 weeks.

[Plateauplower]

Scrap whatever that program is your doing. I don't even understand whats going on there are you doing all that stuff every day? ...Pick a beginner routine and lift and eat in a small surplus. You do not have enough development to get "ripped" and need to build a foundation of muscle. Read the starting over 35 sticky at the top of the page which includes all the information you need to get on the right track. You need to eat in a surplus to gain muscle, you need to eat in a deficit to lose fat, trying to do both is just spinning your wheels from where you are currently at...

[AndrewJamesE]

Scrap whatever that program is your doing. I don't even understand whats going on there are you doing all that stuff every day? ...Pick a beginner routine and lift and eat in a small surplus. You do not have enough development to get "ripped" and need to build a foundation of muscle. Read the starting over 35 sticky at the top of the page which includes all the information you need to get on the right track. You need to eat in a surplus to gain muscle, you need to eat in a deficit to lose fat, trying to do both is just spinning your wheels from where you are currently at...

Yes, thats my workout for the week. Too much?

[Plateauplower]

Yes, thats my workout for the week. Too much?

A lot of redundancy if you are doing all of that 4 days per week. your efforts would be better spent focusing on progressing compound movements, which are what the programs located in the sticky I mentioned do. Less training time, but higher quality time.

[DuracellBunny]

Pick a compound heavy beginner programme with structured progression, eat enough to gain 0.5-0.75lbs a week and stick with that for a year. After that year you will have something to work with and know enough to ask questions enabling you to refine things further.

[jgreystoke]

Lol, thanks for the feedback.

What do you think of my workout plan. I have seen improvements in the last 3 weeks.

Everyone sees improvement for a few weeks, even if the 'program' is anything short of awful.

You need to progress for the next several months to a year on a simple beginner program like FIERCE 5. Then you can continue to progress on the simplest program for intermediate to advanced guys: 5 3 1.....

......which is also very easy to adapt to your individual goals.

Starting very light is a great idea. I also have lower back issues(spondylitis), and arthritis pretty much everywhere. Even if you start very light, a lot of little increments over the next couple years will add up to a hell a lot of strength for reps, and a hell of a lot of muscle.

Best of luck.

[pastorgbc]

Hi Guys

Please can you assist me in my workout. My goal is too have low fat and be ripped.
I am reaching my goal in losing fat, but I need help on muscle gains.
There seems to be a fine balance between losing fat and gaining muscle - getting ripped.

My workout per week (I probably need the most guidance here.): My workout takes about 1 and a half hours.
Tuesday, Thursday
20 incline pushups
80 Lunges.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Deadlift 20kg 3 x 5 (lower back issues, so building strength slowly)
Squat 20kg 3 x 5 (lower back issues, so building strength slowly)
Benchpress 30kg 3 x 5

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Lower Body:
Standing Calf Raises 150kg 20 x 3
Leg curl 50kg 5 x 3.
Leg extension 40kg 5 x 3.
Leg press 120kg 5 x 3

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Upper body:
Tricep Pushdown 10 x 3 75kg
Lat Machine 10 x 3 45kg
Arm curls 10 x 3 15kg
Chest Press 10 x 3 50kg
Shoulder press 10 x 3 25kg
Low Row 15 x 3 60kg

My pic is uploaded.

You are doing very little for your back in relationship to your isolation work.

Here is what I would do: I would back off to three days a week, M-W-F.

I would do 5 movements, all at a 5x5 set x rep scheme:
1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

Progress in weight as you reach 5 sets for 5 reps. There are templates that encourage this type of workout such as Stronglifts 5x5. My personal favorite is the Reg Park 5x5.

If you have a solid diet, you should be able to lean out and add some strength at the same time.

Ray

[AndrewJamesE]

A lot of redundancy if you are doing all of that 4 days per week. your efforts would be better spent focusing on progressing compound movements, which are what the programs located in the sticky I mentioned do. Less training time, but higher quality time.

Yes to the redundancy, however due to lower back challenges I'm very cautious on dead lift and squat. I will have to stick to 20 kg for now.

[bradstearns]

Find a good low volume, full body workout based on compound movements. Do that three days per week. Stick with it for a year using progressively heavier weights.

Consume slightly more than maintenance calories ensuring you're meeting protein intake requirements. If you start to get noticeably fatter, cut back slightly. Your aim is optimal muscle gain, minimal fat gain.

Reduce your overall life stressors and make sure you get plenty of sleep.

At the end of the year you should be noticeably bigger and stronger. Then, you can think about how much cutting you want to do and how to go about it.

Consistency is king. Good luck.

[AndrewJamesE]

You are doing very little for your back in relationship to your isolation work.

Here is what I would do: I would back off to three days a week, M-W-F.

I would do 5 movements, all at a 5x5 set x rep scheme:
1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

Progress in weight as you reach 5 sets for 5 reps. There are templates that encourage this type of workout such as Stronglifts 5x5. My personal favorite is the Reg Park 5x5.

If you have a solid diet, you should be able to lean out and add some strength at the same time.

Ray

This looks good:
1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

I go to gym Monday Tuesday, Thursday, Friday due to circumstances beyond my control.

[DieselBro]

Find a good low volume, full body workout based on compound movements. Do that three days per week. Stick with it for a year using progressively heavier weights.

Consume slightly more than maintenance calories ensuring you're meeting protein intake requirements. If you start to get noticeably fatter, cut back slightly. Your aim is optimal muscle gain, minimal fat gain.

Reduce your overall life stressors and make sure you get plenty of sleep.

At the end of the year you should be noticeably bigger and stronger. Then, you can think about how much cutting you want to do and how to go about it.

Consistency is king. Good luck.

Not to hijack the thread, but a fat guy would do the same but eat slightly below maintenance, correct?

I am trying to maximize my noobie gains on the big 5 lifts but not gain, or preferably lose some weight.

[pastorgbc]

This looks good:
1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

I go to gym Monday Tuesday, Thursday, Friday due to circumstances beyond my control.

Here is what I would do then:

Monday - 5x5

1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

Tuesday

1. Dips - 2 sets, 8-15
2. Lat pulldown - 2 sets, 12-15
3. DB Romanian deads - 2x12
4. Cardio

Thursday - repeat Monday
Friday - repeat Tuesday

Ray

[Palmac]

Mate did you make that routine up? It's way off track.

Just stick with the big five compound movements, bench press, military press, squats, deads, rows, for at least 6 months. Strong lifts 5x5 would be an excellent starting point and about 1000 x better than your current routine.

Dont complicate your eating, stick with good quality foods, veggies, meats, fruits etc.

You'll want to cut back on sugars and processed foods.

5 x 5 SL will see you gain new muscle faily fast that is if you do it properly and strictly employ its progression plan.

Good luck.

[CaiBruhn]

You must watch out to the food you intake.. go green

[grubman]

You already got all the information you need on your program…but I’m going to speak to the “getting ripped” portion of your thread, using myself as an example (to hopefully get that crazy idea out of your head for a few years).

If you click on my avatar and then check out my before/after pictures you will see me weighting about 145 in the before (with a build pretty close to where you are right now). In the after, I weigh 165 at about 13-14% bodyfat.

There is quite an improvement in overall appearance…but if I was to get “ripped” now, I would weigh about 150. That’s not much more than my former weight. Yes, I would have cuts everywhere…but I’d be very small looking. Now look at the “before” picture…and imagine if I had started cutting then? I would weigh about 130 pounds and be skinny as a rail.

To put it in further perspective, Bruce Lee was about my height, and was ripped at about 145 pounds (where I’d be if I was ripped now). Yes, he looked very muscular when flexing, but there is no doubt that despite the muscle tone and extremely low bodyfat, he is very thin (especially evident in clothes). So, at this point, even if you wanted to look like Bruce Lee, you would probably have to put on 20 pounds of muscle before you started thinking about cutting.

[AndrewJamesE]

Here is what I would do then:

Monday - 5x5

1. Dead lifts
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Chins
5. Military press

Tuesday

1. Dips - 2 sets, 8-15
2. Lat pulldown - 2 sets, 12-15
3. DB Romanian deads - 2x12
4. Cardio

Thursday - repeat Monday
Friday - repeat Tuesday

Ray

I'll try this workout. To be honest, it does seem a little though.

[AndrewJamesE]

You already got all the information you need on your program…but I’m going to speak to the “getting ripped” portion of your thread, using myself as an example (to hopefully get that crazy idea out of your head for a few years).

If you click on my avatar and then check out my before/after pictures you will see me weighting about 145 in the before (with a build pretty close to where you are right now). In the after, I weigh 165 at about 13-14% bodyfat.

There is quite an improvement in overall appearance…but if I was to get “ripped” now, I would weigh about 150. That’s not much more than my former weight. Yes, I would have cuts everywhere…but I’d be very small looking. Now look at the “before” picture…and imagine if I had started cutting then? I would weigh about 130 pounds and be skinny as a rail.

To put it in further perspective, Bruce Lee was about my height, and was ripped at about 145 pounds (where I’d be if I was ripped now). Yes, he looked very muscular when flexing, but there is no doubt that despite the muscle tone and extremely low bodyfat, he is very thin (especially evident in clothes). So, at this point, even if you wanted to look like Bruce Lee, you would probably have to put on 20 pounds of muscle before you started thinking about cutting.

Thanks for the info.

[AndrewJamesE]

Update after 1 year working out.

I have put on 6 kg (13lbs) over the past year. So currently 81kg (178lbs) from 75kg

My current training program is (3 times a week, alternating):
Workout A
Squat 5 x 5 80kg (176lbs) (80% of PB to conserve strength for deadlift).
OHP 5 x 5 40kg (88lbs)
Deadlift 1 x 5 125kg (275lbs)
Seated Calf 5 x 10 60kg (132lbs)
Low Row 5 x 10 30kg. (66lbs)

Workout B
Squat 3 x 5 100kg (220lbs)
Bent over row 5 x 5 45kg (99lbs)
Seated Calf 5 x 10 60kg (132lbs)
Dips 5 x 10 80kg (176lbs)
Eazybar 3 x 10 20kg (44lbs).

I have made good progress on bodyweight and lifting, in particular
Deadlift 20kg to 125kg
Squat 20kg to 100kg.

Thanks for all the advice. Onwards and upwards!

[banjoman23]

Great work! Thanks for coming back and posting a year-later progress update, those are always good to see.

[ChristianMR]

That's great, Andrew. Just curious: did bench drop out of your workout?

[AndrewJamesE]

That's great, Andrew. Just curious: did bench drop out of your workout?

Yes, I dropped bench due to an old shoulder joint injury from sport. My Physical Therapist also advised me to drop it.

I also kept agitating the old injury when doing the bench and it impeded overall progress. If you check my upper body movements, you will see the kg/lb is still lowish. These low figures are due,in part, to benching and agitating the old injury.

I am hoping pendley/bent over, OHP, dips et cetera will be enough.