theres nothing wrong with being a freak

it's the quiet angelic boy scoutish ones that you have the most freaky skeletons in their closet

Thanks Again Steve! A 15% reduction is on the cards... Have a good one!

good cuz I already ate them!! yay me

yay steve

Steve,
I just skimmed through every page on here, and you're one of the few people I trust when it comes to nutrition and exercise advice. I wonder if you have the time to answer a couple of questions.

I've already lost around 25 lbs., but still have 55 to go, so my main goal until I get down to a better weight is to minimize lean body mass loss and maximize fat loss. I have been doing an hour of cardio at least 4 times a week, and 2 hours a week of weight training. I've had a personal trainer who's had me mostly on the machines, doing a lot of specific muscle training.

From my reading of your advice, as well as some others I respect, I've come to the conclusion that on the two days I do weight training, I'd be a lot better off doing complex muscle exercises, and focusing on a full body workout.

My new routine consists of squats, leg curls, incline dumbbell press, wide grip pulldown, dips, one arm rows, ez bar curls, ezbar tricep extension, and shrugs. I do 3 sets of 10 on each.

Basically, I do 3 day cycles: day 1 is 1 hr. of HIIT, day 2 is weight training, day 3 is 1 hr. of SS cardio. Day 4 is rest or light walking. Then I repeat.

So here are the questions.
1) I was doing HIIT on day 3, but it seemed to me that I wasn't allowing my quads to recover if I did squats the day before. I really push my quads on the HIIT, so I came to the conclusion that day 3 should be SS Cardio, as much as that bores me. Am I correct in this, or do you think HIIT on day 3 would be OK, even if I push myself on the squats the day before?
2) You seem to advocate 5x5's rather than 3x10's. Do you think I'd be better off with a routine like that?
3) Do you think this is a good full body routine? Anything missing? (I'm wondering if I should maybe include deadlifts).

You sure have all the hot ladies after you! I appreciate any help you can give.

Steve, I just wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me. I know I have to eat more but I really hate that fact. The feeling of being full for me is disgusting, and my lowest weights were reached by restricting my eating. I know it's stupid, and I gained all the weight back after those crash dieting spurs, but it's just crappy that the less you eat, the more your body holds onto the fat. This is just something I will have to get used to. You say I don't have much weight to lose, but 33 lbs. is a lot to me! I work out all the time and eat like a saint and I just feel like the weight should be falling off, it's just such a long process. Grrr. Anyways, you are very inspiring and your pictures are very awesome, keep up the good work! <3

Heya Stevee

Figured since you were gonna be here a while i should jump on into your diary and keep up with whats been going on etc

Hows it going?

good morning, have yourself a happy tuesday

Not in the carbs.... rather in the total calories.

Hey Tom, so glad you took the time to read through the journal. I was just saying I feel bad for any poor soul who reads through this journal, but in reality, there have been many great discussions in here regarding nutrition and fitness that get lost in the banter. So, I really appreciate you taking the time.

That's a good goal to have. I have seen you around the forums and have noticed your level of intelligence in your approach to dieting. I am impressed. Do you think you have your caloric intake zoned in to a proper amount? Has your weight loss been steady? Average pounds per week?

So if I am reading this post correctly, you do steady state cardio on day one, resistance training on day two, steady state cardio on day three, day four is a rest day, and then you repeat for days 5, 6, and 7. Is this correct?

Also, did this trainer help you with nutrition? Does he/she know that you are in a caloric deficit? If he/she knew that you were dieting and therefore short changed of energy as is, and still had you training in this manner, it's time to fire him/her. Sounds like a "boob" to me.

If you are going to allot 2 days per week to resistance training, IMO, full body workouts is the only way to go. Also, 2 days per week will surely be efficient for resistance training to play the role it is meant to play while in a caloric deficit.... that being to ward off catabolism.

Any routine, one geared toward muscle maintenance or one geared toward muscle growth, should have a base of complex exercises that comprise the foundation of the program.

I would do something like this:

Day1:

Full Squats 5x5, same weight each set if possible
Bench Press 3x5, same weight each set if possible
Barbell Rows 3x5, same weight each set if possible
Pull-ups 1x5
Standing Military 1x5

Day 2:

Full Squats 5x5, pyramiding upward toward a 5RM. So set one would be light, and you build up each set until your 5 set surpasses the weight used on day 1
Bench Press 3x5, same weight each set if possible
BB Row 3x5, same weight each set if possible
Deadlifts 2x5, same weight each set if possible

If you want on day 2, you can switch similar exercises. For instance, incline presses for bench, Cable Rows for Barbell Rows. If you opt for this though, keep it consistent each time you do Day 2.

I highly recommend HIIT. I have done them in the same session as legs.... talk about killer. Managing fatigue, however, is a huge component of program design. I would still try and get a session in each week, and try and space it out from your 2 resistance training sessions by at least a day.

One session of HIIT each week coupled with 1 or 2 sessions of LISS cardio should do the trick. If you were my client, I would probably keep you to one session and see how it goes. If results were not being obtains, I would maybe add one more session, but after that I would look at nutrition. Nutrition is the main driver of success. Hours and hours of cardio is not necessary.

I think I answered most of these in the above responses.

1. Could you do something like Tuesday weight train, Thursday HIIT, Saturday or Sunday resistance training. Add your steady states where you can?

2. Yes, there is no point in doing higher reps. You want to be brief and intense.... intensity coming from the weight lifted, which of course is higher when using lower rep ranges like 4-6 when compared to 10-12. If you were looking to gain some muscle, it would be a different story. But in all actuality, not much different.

3. Too much accessory work, meaning, things like bis and tris. The goal of weight training while in a caloric deficit is to stress the system just enough to initiate muscle maintenance. However, it is a fine line.... stress too much and seeing as how energy is already deficient, you are setting yourself up for muscle loss.

Hopefully you can take something from this Tom. Let me know if there is anything else you want to discuss.

I suppose your journal isn't the typical sort you'd find on this site but still it does offer a lot of good advice for someone who is bulking up.(This is my first time reading any of it) Keep up the good work steve.

I wish it were as simple as eat less, lose weight. But thankfully for our ancestors who did not have the abundance of food that we have today.... our bodies are built upon an evolution that involved starvation periods. Our bodies are built to survive. And there is A LOT more that goes into weight loss than simply eating less.

People who have 100+ lbs to lose, sure, it is physiologically easier for them to lose weight. People who are closer to their set point weights..... it tends to get trickier.

People who cut cals too much, almost ALWAYS gain their weight back. By doing so, you wreak havoc on the amount of calories your body burns each day, and your hormonal dispositions flip so that weight loss becomes next to impossible. There is nothing you can do BUT gain the weight back.

You know where to find me when you need some help. Best to you, really.

And thanks for the compliment.

Hola Wishes! Very nice to see you in here. Thanks.

I am well, and I hope you are too.

Thanks Mal, you do the same, OK!

Thanks.

Honestly, there is NOTHING in this journal geared toward bulking up, as you put it. I don't put any of my personal stuff in this journal, and, to my knowledge, I am the only person who comes in this journal who is bulking up.

Steve, my boyfriend got jealous of you last night lmao. I was telling him about how you helped me out so much and then I was like 'oh and he has this cool list' and he was like 'you really like this guy dont you'. hahahaha he's such a goon sometimes. It was just like the time he got jealous of the guy at verizon when i was getting help with my internet, and he goes 'is he going to help you or talk to you all night'. hahaha he's so funny, but anyways i just thought i would share that...