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  1. #1
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Reached a plateau...need help!

    I'm 6ft tall, started at 242lbs back in Sept 2005. Started lifting weights and doing cardio regularly beginning January 2006, routine as follows:

    Mon: Chest + 30mins cardio
    Tues: Back + 45mins cardio
    Weds: Legs + 20mins cardio
    Thurs: Rest
    Fri: Shoulders + 30mins cardio
    Sat: Arms + 45mins cardio
    Sun: 1 hour cardio

    I'm currently taking in around 2200-2400 calories per day. Sample day's diet as follows:

    Meal 1: 3 Egg Whites + Oat Cereal + Bananas + skim milk + fat burner

    Meal 2 (Pre-workout): Chicken Breast + Small serving of rice + Multivitamins

    Meal 3 (Post-workout): Chicken Breast + Mixed Vegetables + Protein Shake

    Meal 4: Choice of fruit or assorted nuts

    Meal 5: Fish + Beef/Chicken + Lots of vegetables

    Meal 6: Protein Shake

    I have been stuck at 202lbs, bf=15% (Omron handheld & caliper tested) for the past 6 weeks.

    My goal is to reach 185lbs bf=10-12%. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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    Last edited by dc8585; 07-16-2006 at 11:03 PM.
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  2. #2
    Personal Trainer JayBon's Avatar
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    Hey mate

    A couple of issues need to be addressed here. If your main goal is to lose fat, you need to stimulate your body to do so. Because you have reached a plateau, you are not doing this effectively.

    It seems that you are giving your body enough recovery time. However I believe your training could be improved.

    The first thing that jumps out at me are your extended training sessions. If you are performing weights and (up to 45 mins) cardio consecutively, how long is your total workout duration? Generally you wouldn't want your workout to last longer than 45 minutes. After this time your body will begin producing stress hormones to undo any of your hard work.

    Secondly, the extended cardio sessions will limit the intensity of each workout. By lowering the intensity, this will reduce any results (ie. fat loss) obtained. I very highly recommend reading an article I wrote "Staying fat in the fat burning zone" (recently published in an Aussie bodybuilding magazine. This article will compare low and high intensity cardiovascular exercise for fat loss.

    Has your training evolved since you began training this way? Are you always demanding higher levels of performance or repeating the same workout over and over again each week? If the latter, have a read of my article "The art of adaptation". This article discusses how adaptive the human body is and how you can effectively force it to adapt to your requirements (ie. lose fat).

    Finally, once everything else is in check have you looked at reducing the calories contained within your diet? Since you have lost weight, your body will require less macronutrients in order to perform the same functions.

    Hope this is of help.


    --

    Jay Bonaretti
    2005 Aus IronMan BodyBlitz Champ
    AminoZ.com.au
    Last edited by JayBon; 07-16-2006 at 09:21 PM.
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  3. #3
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    JayBon, thanks for posting. Sometimes I separate the cardio from the weight lifting session but on the occasions that I do them consecutively, my total workout time would be 60-75mins. Will have a read of the articles you've linked to now.

    Thanks again for your input.
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  4. #4
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Anyone else???
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  5. #5
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Bump...might as well treat this like my journal and jot down my thoughts on how to break through this plateau.

    Would change the nature of my cardio after reading JayBon's article and also how John Stone moved onto HIIT after getting comfortable with 45mins of cardio at 70-80%MHR. Toyed with the idea of reducing calories/skipping Meal 2 today but decided against it. Will see whether changing to HIIT will do the trick before looking at reducing calories to say 1800-2000/day.
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  6. #6
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    honestly im in the same boat its gona be one year in august that im trying to get realy cut below 10% bf and im getting feaky frustrated so your not alone i see those people who done it i mean i made good progress i went from 248 and now im about 178-180 but i cant go lower so im thinking i need to build musle i need to add about 10 pounds of muscle do a 1 month mini bulk with creatine and then go back to cutting i can feel my body needing some food i destroid my metabolism dont go lower than 2200 cals a day that not good

    Anyway im frustrated and i thing the solution remains by adding some muscle and then cutting again that way ill have more muscle to burn more fat but if anyone wants to add anything do ahead im tired and frustrated after doiing carb cycling and keto and now a 40-40-20 diet
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  7. #7
    Registered User Ishbu3116's Avatar
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    A couple of things of extreme importance here. You need to eat more calories. You need to up your metabolism. I eat more than that each day on a cut and I weigh 171 Lbs (need to update sig). Slowly up your metabolism and eventually you will start losing weight again. Also if possible I would seperate weight training from cardio because after 40 minutes of weight training and 40 minutes of cardio your body is burning more muscle than stored fat. Do cardio in the morning after a protein heavy meal with zero carbs. And then weight train in the evening. Try this and up your caloric intake to about 2700 lbs daily. You may backtrack for about a week or two but that should kick your metabolism back into gear.

    Also you want to lost another 17 Lbs. If you lose 17 Lbs of pure fat you BF% will be somewhere around 7%. So you really need to lost about 12 or 13 pounds, not 17. Anyway good luck and if you have any other questions do not be afraid to ask me.
    Currently: Cutting
    Height: 5'8"
    Weight: 153 LBS
    Bench Press: 200
    Squat: 250
    Deadlift: 270
    RAW: 720
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  8. #8
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    mediatik - first of all, congratulations on your effort! I hope I can mirror your achievements upon completing a year of my journey. I must say your idea of a mini-bulk is extremely appealing...I'm dying to use the creatine I've stocked up for months now and try to improve on my PRs for lifts. Keep me posted on your progress/developments!

    Ishbu3116 - thanks for the pointers, I will try to incorporate them and report on the results.
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  9. #9
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    same thing ive been stacking my creatine since march i keep saying to myself i should wait and wait before usin it but i think its time now i figure i will cut until the end of august and then do a 8-12 week bulk

    honestly ill try a new technique 3 days low carb and 1 day high carb as for cardio well ill do in the morning + ill add 15 mins hiit after my workout so i wont have to do 30-40 mins of cardio after weights anyways im just frustrated and went on a 4 day binge i feel horrible right but i cant lose ficus i need this and i will do it i just need to lose another 10 pounds thats it but its the hardest ive been stuck here at 178-180 for about 2 months now and i feel my metabolism as stop i mean usually after a workout im so dead i cant do anything else after plus im having a hard time sleeping at night anyways anyones help is appreciated
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  10. #10
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    Since you have been "cutting" for nearly a year, I would suggest ramping up calories by 250 every other week until you are hitting 3300-3500 calories a day, then start stepping them back down again.
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  11. #11
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    ok would that be a bulk or just to restart metabolism
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  12. #12
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    Originally Posted by mediatik
    ok would that be a bulk or just to restart metabolism
    A bulk would be staying at the 3200+ calories for 3+ months...
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  13. #13
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    ok
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  14. #14
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Tried HIIT for cardio at the gym and literally crawled off the treadmill...who am I trying to kid, I'm nowhere near fit enough to be attempting this type of cardio...so, change of plan...will aim instead to:

    1. Gradually increase the intensity of my sessions on the treadmill
    2. Mix things up by swimming say twice a week
    3. Do cardio twice a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays

    Been experiencing severe drop in energy levels due to cutting down on my carbs.. have been really strict for the past 10 days, absolutely no complex carbs after 3pm per Tom Venuto's guidelines in BFFM. Consistently getting 5-6 meals in a day at roughly 3 hour intervals. Will consider ramping up calories if I don't see any results by the end of July.

    As usual, anyone out there with suggestions/advice do let me have your pearls of wisdom, will be greatly appreciated!
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  15. #15
    Registered User woow14623's Avatar
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    Okay. let me tell you a hint....cardio is basically how hard you want to push...if you have to crawl then do so....

    anyways but you should try this....do not start doing hiit unless you reach another pleatue keep in the pocket for later.

    I have done HIIT and wanted to do something different so I started doing body for life cardio program and I have changed it to my style and I make sure I push extremely hard. I do it in the elliptical.

    Mon - High Cardio (20 mins)
    Wen - Low Cardio (30 mins )
    Friday - High Cadio (20 mins)

    on High Cardio days.... I do this...
    2 min - intensity level 5
    1 min - int. 6
    1 min - int 7
    1 min -int 8
    1 min - int 9
    1 min - int. 6
    1 min - int 7
    1 min -int 8
    1 min - int 9
    1 min - int. 6
    1 min - int 7
    1 min -int 8
    1 min - int 9
    1 min - int. 6
    1 min - int 7
    1 min -int 8
    1 min - int 9
    1 min - int 10
    1 min - int 5

    your are done and this will kick you butt but make sure in each setting you do maximum steps mer min....I do 215 or more steps per min

    then on low cadio have the intensity setup to 4 and do 200 steps or more per min for 30 mins....i

    try this for few weeks and see....this all depends on what works for you and how much you push hard each time....do not do the same thing for long...

    increase the time....increase the intensity adjust the angle and so on....there are so many options how u can challenge....
    Last edited by woow14623; 07-18-2006 at 08:22 PM.
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  16. #16
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by woow14623
    ....do not start doing hiit unless you reach another pleatue keep in the pocket for later.
    Yup, I'm keeping it for later (cos I just can't bloody do it to be honest!!!)
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  17. #17
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=811783

    thats my answer a new twist in carb cycling its -perfect plus i just found out why im so tired after my workouts my post workout shakes dont have enough carbs after a workout you need to consume 50% of ur daily carb intake well it seems its when your the most frustrated that u find your answers

    im starting this with hiit 3 times a week and low intensity 40 mins 2 times a week plus weights hehehe for sure
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  18. #18
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by mediatik
    http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=811783

    thats my answer a new twist in carb cycling its -perfect plus i just found out why im so tired after my workouts my post workout shakes dont have enough carbs after a workout you need to consume 50% of ur daily carb intake well it seems its when your the most frustrated that u find your answers

    im starting this with hiit 3 times a week and low intensity 40 mins 2 times a week plus weights hehehe for sure
    Keep us posted on your progress!
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  19. #19
    Registered User Spaniard00's Avatar
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    Considering your build do HIT training 4x a week (All groups) and do cardio 2x a week. Would be good to see some new fat loss.
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  20. #20
    Registered User mediatik's Avatar
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    its tough realising that ur not eating enough to lose fat hehehe
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  21. #21
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Time for a break!

    Right, it's time for a break...will be going off to a beach resort this weekend and hopefully take my mind off all this fat-loss business...will come back fresh, hopefully with a good tan and decide how to tackle this nuisance of a plateau then. Adios!!
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  22. #22
    Live to learn. phatryde's Avatar
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    Hey I am not a technical mumbo jumbo genius, but I do have a suggestion for you. Are you performing the traditional, jog, run, type of cardio? Try and do something different now seriously. Just don't let yourself quit when you came this far, the frustration you are feeling has happened to everyone. I suggest playing a fun sport that you can honestly "practice" (cardio) alone in substitute of your regular cardio. There is no greater feeling then getting in some cardio, and improving in your favorite sport at the same time. Oh and after you jog you can also try skipping right after say a 400m lap say for about 2min intensely or however way you want it. Just have fun with what you do. I am not a professional and yes I too consistently get stuck. But I always come back to bodybuilding forum just to read, and get some inspiration from others like yourself. Good luck.
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  23. #23
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Burn the fat!

    phatryde - thanks for dropping by...+reps to you for your thoughts.

    Spent the weekend doing nothing but laze around the beach, sleep and eat. Feeling recharged albeit a bit flabby from all the food gobbled down during my little break. Oh well, now I'll use the guilt to help me break through this plateau!

    Attached is a shot of me at the beach, completely burnt by falling asleep in the hot sun!
    Last edited by dc8585; 08-22-2006 at 12:24 AM.
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  24. #24
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    To bulk or not to bulk

    Hi all...am considering doing a mini-bulk. I think I'm kinda tired mentally from cutting for the past 7 months and am really inclined to try a clean bulk for the next 3 months. Attached is a full-body pic...can you guys help me assess whether I should go on my mini-bulk or continue cutting some more? Thanks!
    Last edited by dc8585; 08-22-2006 at 12:24 AM.
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  25. #25
    Banned boyscouT's Avatar
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    Hello!
    Originally Posted by dc8585
    Hi all...am considering doing a mini-bulk. I think I'm kinda tired mentally from cutting for the past 7 months and am really inclined to try a clean bulk for the next 3 months. Attached is a full-body pic...can you guys help me assess whether I should go on my mini-bulk or continue cutting some more? Thanks!
    We need a better pic than that bro.

    -Closer
    -Shirtless
    -In boxers/shorts so we can see legs
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  26. #26
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by boyscouT
    Hello!

    We need a better pic than that bro.

    -Closer
    -Shirtless
    -In boxers/shorts so we can see legs
    will do, it's on the way...
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  27. #27
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    Originally Posted by dc8585
    will do, it's on the way...
    Aight.
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    Originally Posted by boyscouT
    Aight.
    lol you fall asleep?
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  29. #29
    Registered User dc8585's Avatar
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    lol..my timezone is GMT+8, am actually at work now...will upload the photo once I get home tonight.
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    Originally Posted by dc8585
    lol..my timezone is GMT+8, am actually at work now...will upload the photo once I get home tonight.
    Oh ok. Have fun at work, haha.
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