Lean but not shredded

[xtechnoirx]

Hi all

Its approaching the 12 week point of my diet which was originally the plan to stop , Ive lost 22 lbs in that time so a rate of 1.8lbs a week which on the face of it seems fair. My strength has gone down a tiny bit but ive been training in the 10-12 rep range vs 6-8 when i bulk so its not always easy to tell but it certainly hasnt dropped off a cliff im still living relatively heavy for me. Im 40 years old and am on TRT 100mg a week so i would expect that to give me a little help in muscle retention also.

Now i do have an issue seeing changes in my body and have a little body dysmorphia but my goal was to get shredded and this just seem to have happened i just look leaner and "thinner". Is there a point where it just clicks and the shredded effect start to come through ? I also used to be a massive fat bloke so have loose skin in stomach area so im never expecting a perfect six pack.

For clarity im 6ft currently 196lbs , i train PPL 2 days on one off , training is few warmup sets then 2 -3 heavy sets to failure per movement. Calories are currently at 2600 , in terms of cardio i mainly ensure i do 17500k steps a day the bulk coming from two walks with the dog of 40 mins AM/PM , i supplement this on training days with a very gentle 15 mins on elliptical or walking on treadmill, im ensuring my cardio is not intense as i dont want to burn muscle.

Is this just a waiting game or is there something i need to do differently ?

thanks

[xsquid99]

How many years of training history do you have? Because most people who are 6ft tall are going to be nowhere near shredded at 196 lbs. Usually to look extremely lean and muscular you're going to need to be closer to 165-175 lbs at that height.

[xtechnoirx]

about 12 years training

[fishnbrah]

Do you have some mass?

[Luclin999]

For clarity im 6ft currently 196lbs ,

Is this just a waiting game or is there something i need to do differently ?

thanks

Honestly, if you are 6' tall and 196 pounds then you probably aren't even close to "lean" yet much less shredded.

Try getting down closer to 170 and then see where you are at that point.

[xsquid99]

about 12 years training

For the best advice please post some photos.

[snailsrus]

about 12 years training

post a picture and what is your squat/bench/deadlift

Good job on the 22 lbs

[xtechnoirx]

Sorry guy i hate posting picture i have body dismorphia , i dont do 1 rep max's bench i usually do 140kg for sets of 8-10 , squats and deadlifts i dont do any more due to trashed knee (Squats) and a recurring rib injury that flares up on deadlifts. Last time i deadlifted probably was last summer 270kg for 6 reps , in terms of squats i only use machines Hack i usually do sets of 10-12 for 225kg or i prefer these days to use the pendulum squat as i certainly feel more activation sets of 12 for 70kg seems to do it for me on that machine not impressive i know.

I used to train a lot more strength based first 8 years or so as im my youth i wanted to be a strongman.

[xsquid99]

Sorry guy i hate posting picture i have body dismorphia

And this is precisely the reason we ask to see photos, because people are not good at (nor do we usually trust) their self-assessments, which ends up in someone receiving the wrong advice.

[etet1919]

I think many people underestimate how conditioned you have to be to get to, and then maintain, a ripped/shredded appearance IRL. Most people, including naturally leaner people, would have to train hard- cardio-wise- on a regular basis... athletic conditioning and eating for performance (e.g.; whole grains for sustained energy) are sometimes underrated by even experienced lifters...not all lifters but enough of them.

[xtechnoirx]

ok i understand , here is a pic taken this morning.

[TolerantLactose]

ok i understand , here is a pic taken this morning.

You're in better shape than 99.9% of men. If you're concerned about posting pics, you can always crop your head out first.

[AdamWW]

ok i understand , here is a pic taken this morning.

Damn dude you look fukkin jacked... respect

[xtechnoirx]

The problem i have is i never ever see what everyone else sees plus its never the goal body i have in my head , i want to be leaner, more striations, vascular and also have more size , i mean ive given up on looking like Arnold or Dorian at my stage of life but just something a little more towards a classic physique would be perfect

but i certainly dont fancy being 170lbs

[TolerantLactose]

its never the goal body i have in my head

That's why it's useful to have an outside eye. People's personal goalposts always move. I think it always should but don't let it get out of control.

[sunsean]

Bro you’re pretty much there.

Did you lose a lot of weight in the past? Looks like could be a little loose skin on your lower stomach but hard to tell.

You got a great physique though, don’t be so hard on yourself most would love to have your body.

[AdamWW]

The problem i have is i never ever see what everyone else sees plus its never the goal body i have in my head , i want to be leaner, more striations, vascular and also have more size , i mean ive given up on looking like Arnold or Dorian at my stage of life but just something a little more towards a classic physique would be perfect

but i certainly dont fancy being 170lbs

Dude you can’t compare yourself to guys who cranked mega-doses of gear for decades... they were the .0001% of the genetic elite and even then had to lean on heavy doses of enhancements to get there.

That’d be like someone making 1million dollars a year feeling poor because they weren’t as rich as Jeff Bezos...

[Tommy W.]

Dude, you’re in awesome shape. If you do want to lose more fat you need to lower your weekly calories however I don’t really see the need for you to get leaner. If you decide to go to the next level with the lower calories you may not like the outcome. Potentially less energy and your lifts may suffer. Then having to maintain the leanness with low calories. Not worth it IMO.

[AdamWW]

Dude, you’re in awesome shape. If you do want to lose more fat you need to lower your weekly calories however I don’t really see the need for you to get leaner. If you decide to go to the next level with the lower calories you may not like the outcome. Potentially less energy and your lifts may suffer. Then having to maintain the leanness with low calories. Not worth it IMO.

He's still losing fat so I don't think he needs to LOWER calories. He said he's losing 1.8lb a week which is already super fast.

If anything, he could probably do a 1-2 week diet break, then start at a 500 calorie deficit and just go from there if he wasn't feeling good.

[xtechnoirx]

Bro you’re pretty much there.

Did you lose a lot of weight in the past? Looks like could be a little loose skin on your lower stomach but hard to tell.

You got a great physique though, don’t be so hard on yourself most would love to have your body.

Yeah I had a break of a few years and got fat 260lbs , do u think another 10lbs loss and I'll be there ?

[xtechnoirx]

Just FYI I don't feel bad or lack any energy so I plan to keep going for 8 more weeks. At the end of that I will plan to maintain before a lean gains phase. Thanks for all the comments it's really helped me get some perspective

[AdamWW]

Just FYI I don't feel bad or lack any energy so I plan to keep going for 8 more weeks. At the end of that I will plan to maintain before a lean gains phase. Thanks for all the comments it's really helped me get some perspective

How lean are you expecting to get? Honestly, you look lean right now... just not sure what the goal is...

[Tommy W.]

He's still losing fat so I don't think he needs to LOWER calories. He said he's losing 1.8lb a week which is already super fast.

If anything, he could probably do a 1-2 week diet break, then start at a 500 calorie deficit and just go from there if he wasn't feeling good.

Yes you're correct if he's still losing no need to lower cals right now. That's a big deficit with plenty of room to keep losing for now

[radrd]

ok i understand , here is a pic taken this morning.

You look pretty awesome. If I looked like you, I'd just train heavy with some moderate conditioning and eat at maintenance. See how it goes for a while. Post another pic in a few weeks and adjust based on feedback. Keep in mind that being shredded has some drawbacks and may come down to genetics and "supplements" for a lot of people.

[snailsrus]

Dude my ex did loads of tech and your leaner and about the same size, his lifts were stronger but he was like 23 at the time

If you got leaner naturally at this point you may feel small cause you will lose size so it’s kinda like smaller, weaker but shredded or yolked and stronger

[Luclin999]

Honestly, if you are 6' tall and 196 pounds then you probably aren't even close to "lean" yet much less shredded.

Try getting down closer to 170 and then see where you are at that point.

After seeing the picture, I take back what I said.

Rare time where the OP really is as big as he thinks he is.

Honestly, you are already in really good shape but if you still want to be leaner then if you lose another 5-10 pounds you would probably look reasonably shredded.

[xsquid99]

Listen to these other posters, you're already where 99.9999% only wish they could be. I don't see how getting any leaner would even be comfortable/sustainable.

I would venture to say that your issues are definitely more on the mental side than anything to do with your actual physique.

[sunsean]

Yeah I had a break of a few years and got fat 260lbs , do u think another 10lbs loss and I'll be there ?

Well “loose skin” is different than body fat so if that’s your issue there’s not much you can do about it. I think it’s such a small amount surgery isn’t even worth it.

You’re already lean but dropping another 5-10lb might be reveal your abs more. Only one way to find out BUT you look good already.

[AdamWW]

Also OP, you look like a damn beast... like, nobody in their right mind would mess with you... i'm kind of jealous of the alpha factor you have going on, both in terms of size and just looking like a boss

[xtechnoirx]

Also OP, you look like a damn beast... like, nobody in their right mind would mess with you... i'm kind of jealous of the alpha factor you have going on, both in terms of size and just looking like a boss

Ha thanks dude , i must stress thank you all for the comments , its clear i am overly critical of myself