Look @ My Body? What Should I Do!!?

[sharaabi]

OK....i was 270 at one point... this picture shows me
in FEB 2005 at 220lb and a bf test at the gym claiming me to be 21.2% standing at 6'00.

what have i done to get down to 220, PLEASE ...i dont know..... everythin from south beach, atkins, high reps, low reps AND I DONT KNOW WHAT WORKED!

NOW I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO? I NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS?

some ideas ive heard from ppl.... 8 weeks of str8 cardio with NO weights.... circuit train and cardio.....carb cycling.....NO CARB....stair climbing and the list can go on.

I KNOW i have to find what works for me but i just need some advice and good guidelines.

i BELIEVE i have some good muscle.....i can bench with 60lb dumbells, 3 sets of 8. My diet is clean....using the calculator on this site im eatin 2000-2500 calories of clean food and lifting.


I WAS thinking of circuit training...first circuit 15 reps/second 10 reps/ third 6 reps...... each time going HEAVIER.

i appreciate all ur help.

[Yogurt]

Everyone is going to say cut.

[artaxerxes]

OK....i was 270 at one point... this picture shows me
in FEB 2005 at 220lb and a bf test at the gym claiming me to be 21.2% standing at 6'00.

what have i done to get down to 220, PLEASE ...i dont know..... everythin from south beach, atkins, high reps, low reps AND I DONT KNOW WHAT WORKED!

NOW I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO? I NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS?

some ideas ive heard from ppl.... 8 weeks of str8 cardio with NO weights.... circuit train and cardio.....carb cycling.....NO CARB....stair climbing and the list can go on.

I KNOW i have to find what works for me but i just need some advice and good guidelines.

i BELIEVE i have some good muscle.....i can bench with 60lb dumbells, 3 sets of 8. My diet is clean....using the calculator on this site im eatin 2000-2500 calories of clean food and lifting.


I WAS thinking of circuit training...first circuit 15 reps/second 10 reps/ third 6 reps...... each time going HEAVIER.

i appreciate all ur help.

at this point eating less and more cardio with maintenance weights would be a good idea. You don't necessarily want to focuse on muscle gain, but rather weight loss, so make your cardio training your centerpiece and add weight training around it. I don't know if HIIT would be practical for you until you've done a few months of basic cardio conditioning. Circuit training is okay, but I don't know how well you'd take it if your out of shape, I'd just suggest a normal ressitance training routine.

as for food, eat less fat. I've seen people say 20/40/40 fat/carb/protein, you could eat even less fat if you feel you can do it.

[sharaabi]

what would be a good basic cardio conditioning program?

[HoboWithaRolex]

running/eliptical/bike at 65% of your max heart rate every morning on an empty stomach for a half hour

then weight train in the afternoon or at night

[sharaabi]

no more suggestions?

[madnerb]

run swim or cycle a lot and don't eat junk food.

[DreamTheaterFan]

Are you sure about that 21.2 figure? Seems a little low to me...

[pumped12]

lift hard and do alot of cardio

[natrlone]

I would say do a full body workout twice a week. Monday and Thursday. After warmup, 2 sets per bodypart, 8 to 12 reps. Cardio on Tues,Wed,Fri, and maybe Sun. Eat Calories at 500 per day less than maintenance for your weight right now.

[sharaabi]

dream theaterfan,
im a 21.2% according to the trainer at lifetime fitness in the chicagoland area here. i HIGHLY doubt that too.... reading this site and lookin at others, i think im a 25-27%.

Il get a test done soon. For now, im gonna do as suggested and do circuits and do cardio till i get it down.

IF I EAT CLEAN and DO my cardio and circuits....in about 8 weeks, HOW MUCH BF PERCENTAGE SHOULD I EXPECT TO FALL? i know we are all different, but i just want a ball park... 2 months 2%,3%???

[FKAExodusD2]

This is just me sayen this, but in 2 months i would expect more than 3% if your going hardcore

[copper2002]

2 Months, hardcore... 2lbs a week, 16lb total so that would be 7%BF loss. I did that I was in that BF range before and it can be easily done.

[sharaabi]

would anyone recomend HIIT with that kinda fat?
i cant even do 1/4 mile at 4.5 without breathing HARD CRAZY

[madball]

Lift 3 times a week. As somebody else in this thread said, the muscle you have is not very much, but do what's necessary to keep it. Cut your daily calories 500-600 below your daily maintenance. Supplement with some protein twice a day. Try 55%/35%/10% C/P/F.

Then do cardio 6 times a week each session @ 400-600 cals burned. Do steady state for now, add HIIT maybe in 4-5 months, when you feel you're ready for it. "Add" meaning, don't substitute steady state, just add in some HIIT to mix it up and dish out more damage to your metabolism. Also takes away the boredom of cardio for some people.

This should put you at a deficit of around 7x500 = 3,500 cals (caloric deficit) + 6 x 500 avg = 3,000 cals (cardio) for a total of 6,500 a week. That's something around 1.5 lbs of fatloss a week.

Once you're down to 14-16% BF you can bump up the weights, bump up calories & work on your weights/cardio mix to start gaining more muscle mass to eventuall reach a lower BF %.

[sharaabi]

do you think with my bodytype, taking any form of dextrose or grape juice / gatorade will be bad?

[DeezGst]

The #1 thing above all else you need to concentrate on is your diet. You can excersize until your feet bleed, but if your diet sucks your results will be less then stellar.

Plan your meals ahead of time, eat a good ratio of P/C/F 40/40/20 is a good start. Eat whole foods and stay away from processed ****. What you put in your body is equally as important as how much.

A rotation of 3 lifting days and IMO cardio 5-6 days a week is what you need to be doing. 30 mins of good intense cardio everyday. On days you lift cardio after weights. If you can do cardio in the morning on lifting days do it. But remember diet is the MOST important.

Derek

[LoveThyPain]

no more suggestions?

first of all i suggest u stop drinking.... saleh bevde!

[sharaabi]

i drank from 1998-2000 ....due to religious reasons AND personal preferences i have never touched alcohol for the past 5 years.....acutally had a NASTY o'douls 3 years ago.

i stopped dope when i graduated college which was jan 2004.

heydeezgst, along witht the 1000 congrats... add mine in there too !!!
nice work bro!

can u gimme a lil more on how u did ur keto diet, cuz im on the south beach diet now... i jus wanna know how long u did ur keto? what kinda foods and MOST importantly ur workout routine... how long was it? (months)... reps?sets? when u were 240, 230, 220 how did ur reps,sets etc?

thanks and congrats again!

[sharaabi]

ok today is the end of the first 2 weeks of south beach diet... gone done from 226 to 217 in 2 weeks with nothing but MEAT n VEGGIES with some nuts and ranch dressing once in a while. I had my fish oil ( 5/14 days - I FORGOT!) and multivitamins.

My clothes fit better and my body has shrunk, I STILL HAVE THE SAME HOMER simpson kinda shape though.

NOW, question: SHould I do as the south beach diet says and "SLOOOWLY" introduce the good carbs in..... or should I do the following carb cycling?


mon- NO carb - HIIT
tue- HIGH carb - Legs/SHoulders - 30 minits brisk walking
wed- NO carb - HIIT
thu- LOW carb - Back/Biceps - 30 mints walking)
fri- NO carb
sat- RESET (pig out at Chinese Buffet)
sun- LOW carb - Chest / Tri - walking

what do you all think? I will 3 sets per exercise between 8-12 reps.

[Igneus]

ok today is the end of the first 2 weeks of south beach diet... gone done from 226 to 217 in 2 weeks with nothing but MEAT n VEGGIES with some nuts and ranch dressing once in a while. I had my fish oil ( 5/14 days - I FORGOT!) and multivitamins.

My clothes fit better and my body has shrunk, I STILL HAVE THE SAME HOMER simpson kinda shape though.

NOW, question: SHould I do as the south beach diet says and "SLOOOWLY" introduce the good carbs in..... or should I do the following carb cycling?


mon- NO carb - HIIT
tue- HIGH carb - Legs/SHoulders - 30 minits brisk walking
wed- NO carb - HIIT
thu- LOW carb - Back/Biceps - 30 mints walking)
fri- NO carb
sat- RESET (pig out at Chinese Buffet)
sun- LOW carb - Chest / Tri - walking

what do you all think? I will 3 sets per exercise between 8-12 reps.

I still think circuit training (working 3 times a week - total body) w/ 5 days of cardio each week (possible sat and sunday) along with a descending calorie diet.. start off with like 2000~ (w/ 2 whey protein shakes not included in the calorie intake - 40%CARB 40% PROT 20% HEALTHY FATS) then after 2 weeks shock your body by hitting 1800 .. and finally on week 5&6.. this is the same exact plan I have been using for a few weeks now and I recommend it to everyone that has a similar shape/weight that I do and I'm seeing some massive gains and weight loss with it. The reason I like strength training better than cardio is because you're going to build lots of muscle from the strength training and that will help u burn your calories as opposed to having to keep up your cardio every other day to keep them off.

Hope this helps!

[sharaabi]

yes igenius that definately helps.
I personally like circuit training but i go this gym called LIFETIME fitness where its USUALLY packed nowadays. New years resolution ppl !!

ANywayz, I had a question/favor to ask you.... knowing that I should do compound exercises:

can you list me the circuit exercises and reps i should be doing? as you can see Im an endomorph.

I have issues with the rest between sets, usally some dude is hoggin up my next exercise machine, WOULD IT BE OK to rest 1-2 minits max between stations?

how many circuits should I do 2,3,??

should I eat LOW carb all day and maybe fuel my body with carbs BEFORE and after workouts only?

thanks a lot !!!! I SINCERELY appreciate this!!!

[sharaabi]

should i try any kinda fat burners?

[Powerlifter989]

It wouldnt hurt. A fat burner like hydrocut from muscletech somehow loosens fat cells (or something like that) allowing your fat to be more easily burned as fuel for your cardio. IMO it would be a good idea to take a multivitiman too, (why not?) also run in the morning, doesn't have to be early. The idea is to run before you start eating carbs and calories. Which will be used up for fuel instead of fat. And when doing your cardio, measure your heartrate, make sure its above your min heartrate, otherwise your heart is not getting a real good workout.

[HarryG]

Everyone is going to say cut.

bulk

[sharaabi]

with my bodytype?
OOOOOOK

[DieselFella]

run swim or cycle a lot and don't eat junk food.

No junk food including ketchup.

Cardio. Healthy diet. If your gonna eat fat make sure you burn it off. Fat = stored energy.

Good luck.

[SlickRickBDC]

Lose weight.

[Igneus]

yes igenius that definately helps.
I personally like circuit training but i go this gym called LIFETIME fitness where its USUALLY packed nowadays. New years resolution ppl !!

ANywayz, I had a question/favor to ask you.... knowing that I should do compound exercises:

can you list me the circuit exercises and reps i should be doing? as you can see Im an endomorph.

I have issues with the rest between sets, usally some dude is hoggin up my next exercise machine, WOULD IT BE OK to rest 1-2 minits max between stations?

how many circuits should I do 2,3,??

should I eat LOW carb all day and maybe fuel my body with carbs BEFORE and after workouts only?

thanks a lot !!!! I SINCERELY appreciate this!!!

Sorry I didn't see this sooner... Here's my example of a total body workout 3 times a week... It's not exactly circuit training but it works almost the same without having to worry about getting to the next machine very quickly. Just add in a little cardio each day (I like to sprint a good 20 yards 12x on my workout days and walk 1 mile on my off days)

Here's your options:
Week 1 & 2
Leg Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Leg Extensions: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bench Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bicep Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Regular Crunch: 30 reps - failure.
Regular Situps: 12 reps - failure.
2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions (suck it in, hold it, and flex those tummy muscles)

Week 3 & 4 During these two weeks try to do at least 2 sets per exercise.
Leg Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Leg Extensions: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bench Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Deltoid Rows: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bicep Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Skull Crushers: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Resisted Crunch: 12 reps - failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Crunch: 30 reps - failure.
Resisted Situps: until failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Situps: 12 reps - failure.
2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions (suck it in, hold it, and flex those tummy muscles)

Week 5 & 6 During these two weeks you must do 2 sets per exercise.
Leg Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Leg Extensions: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bench Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Deltoid Rows: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bicep Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Skull Crushers: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Resisted Crunch: 12 reps - failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Crunch: 30 reps - failure.
Resisted Situps: until failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Situps: 12 reps - failure.
4 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions (suck it in, hold it, and flex those tummy muscles)

Now remember when I advise you to take up your sets you can decrease the weight a little to adjust to the extra sets. And also notice the workouts get a little harder and include a few more exercises for particular body parts. This should cut you pretty good with the diet I suggested.

True Circuit Training:

Circuit 1
Bench Press 8-12 Reps
Leg Press 8-12 Reps
Seated Row 8-12 reps
Leg Curl 8-12 reps
Crunches w/ resistance 8-12 reps

Circuit 2
Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
Leg extension 8-12 Reps
Barbell Row 8-12 Reps
Lowerback excercise of your choice for 8-12 reps (I'm not sure what your gym has for lowerback)
Bicep Curls (with dumbells or barbell) 8-12 Reps

Circuit 3
Deltoid Rows 8-12 reps
Tricep Extensions 8-12 Reps
Leg Curls 8-12 Reps
Oblique Crunches with resistance (you can use a bench to help you with this)
Calf Raises 8-12 Reps

You only rest for the amount of time it takes you to switch to the next piece of equipment. The problem with this is you mentioned long wait times... This is how it works you do circuit 1 once.. then twice... then keep building yourself up till you hit the ability to do it 3 times. Then add one circuit 2 and keep building it up to 3 and then add Circuit 3 repeating what I mentioned above. The key is to do this as your fitness level progresses and never let your heart rate exceed 220 - your age. You should also warm up by jumping rope for about 5 minutes before doing circuit training.

When I first mentioned circuit training to you I was thinking about my total body workout as one circuit.. then I'd increase the sets as weeks come (ie in 2 weeks I do 2 sets... and finally work my way up to 3 sets).

I know it's a lot to take in... just kinda pick which is best for you and if you wanna try something different I'll come up with something else.


Edit: I forgot something... The carb thing... I try to take carbs in all day long, but not after 8:00 pm because I no longer need the extra energy. You can try carb cycling, but you'd need to search the forum about that.

Edit again: Make sure you intake about 1.5g of protein /1kg of your body weight! And drink at least 1 gallon of ice cold water a day.

As far as fat burning sups go, use Lipo 6 (but if you go that route I highly suggest you not doing the true circuit training). IF you want even faster results try taking creatine and BSN NO-Explode... This will allow you build lean muscle faster and burn off calories faster (You may not lose actual weight as quickly but the fat inches will just burn off you).

[sharaabi]

im SO lost and confused on what i wanna do and have a lotta doubts with my genetics.
I did the south beach for 2 weeks and lost like 8lbs. Then i read this carb cycling,and i do MON/WED/FRI - NO CARB, jus meat n veggies.... SUN/TUE/THU - high carb and saturday rest. I take WHEY,fish oil, multivitamins and this LIPO6 fat burner im gonna throw cuz it sux! I got this 7 fold body fat thing done at the gym yesterday, i found out i was 26%. Since June of last year, ive got a bodyfat test 4 times and results were 35,24,22,21 and now 26%. My clothes have gotten looser but my shape is still the same. My waist still remains at 37-38. Can you people please help me answer the ff;

1.I did carb cycling for a week after my south beach diet, i know i should check the scale every day but the scale fluctuated everyday, the lowest I got was 215lb.On high carb days im 219 again.

Q; with a CLEAN diet and looking at my body, should i do more cardio or lift more?

2. processed foods - i try to get whole wheat pita bread, rye bread or anything brown, it has HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP...is that ok?

3. again, if you see my body and all that fat hanging, should i try a tradional body split or do circuit training? I have issues at the crowded gym jumping from station to station within a minit, IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO GIVE A LONGER BREAK BETWEEN STATIONS?

doing a full body split 3 times, should i do the first circuit 20reps, 2nd circuit 10 reps then 6reps increasing the amount of weights respectively?

4. Can I do cardio with the 26% trying to sprint?

5. what is the time frame of my last bite and walking in the gym? 2 hours? 3?
what kinda food should I eat before i workout a) cardio b)weights amounts?