critique

Hi

I have been training for around 2 years now after being heavily overweight.

I'm still looking to make gains though, so could you all give me your thoughts on where i can improve and a bf estimate. My aim is to cut down to around 12% bf.

All help appreciated

Thanks

Attached Image(s)

Hey Chris,

First off, congrats on slimming down, I know there are a lot of guys (and gals) on this board who know how tough that is.  Can you give us an idea of how bad off you were before you lost the weight (a "before" pic would be ideal), and what kind of training you've been doing to accomplish it?  Those details will go a long way toward giving us an idea of how you respond to training and what to recommend.

In lieu of those details, and considering the fact that you just dieted & trained DOWN from an overweight condition, the last thing I'd recommend is that you start an aggressive bulking phase.  I'm willing to be you already have enough of a base of muscle mass going that you could shift the entire focus of your workouts to strength training in the 12-15 rep range on everything and continue to refine and build that base while the pseudo-cardio effect of the high reps continues to burn off the remaining body fat.  In other words, tailor your workouts so 75% of the cardio comes from free weight work itself, the rest from proper aerobic activities.

Hit that with maintenance calories or a slight deficit, and cut all the carbs out of your last meal within 3-hours of bedtime (a big carb-heavy, insulin-producing meal right before bed will jack with your Growth Hormone release).

Once you've dialed the body fat down a few percentage points, ramp the intensity back up on the free weights (back to mass-building 6-8 rep & heavy).

My home away from DBB

thanks for the reply veggeep.

unfortunately i don't have many photos of before my weight loss. I do wish i'd taken some to see the progress...

Anyhow, i used to be 19st 4 lbs at around 35% bf. I'm now 13st 12lbs and not too sure on bf but i hope it's around 15%??

I started off watching my diet, lifting some weight and doing a lot of swimming. When i began to notice a difference i carried on the cardio using exercise bike and treadmill and kept up the weights. I hit a plateau abut 8 monhts ago where i was probably doing too much cardio, as since then, i've upped my weight lifting, reduced cardio and noticed more differences. I eat to my mainteannce around 2000 calories a day.

I had a bad knee injury around 3-4 months ago (meniscus tear to right knee) and lost around 40% cartilage of my lateral mensicus. Since then i have had surgery on this and being doing squats and deadlifts to strenghten my legs which seems to be working with minimal side effects...

At the minute, i'm doing a varied routine including bench press (around 50kg - not big really), deadlifts to 50kg, some squats @ 20kg, the usual bicep curls @15kg, some tricep dips and pulls, upright rows, lat pull downs for my back, some shrugs for traps etc. I really want to reach around 12% body fat by september if it's possible. Do you have any suggestions for improving the routine. I will follow the advice in your previous post!!

Well, if my trusty ConvertBot iPhone app is to be believed, that's a 76 Lb loss... CRIKEY!  Good on ya, bro! 

I'm glad to hear you're not letting the injury completely scuttle your leg training -I know if I sustained an leg or knee injury, I would be up a creek, since heavy squats and deadlifts factor so predominantly in my mass-building efforts.  Considering that, it sounds like back work is going to be your saving grace when it comes to creating a big anabolic stimulus.  I'll stand by my original advice and say that the increased focus on strength and free-weight training will get you where you want to go.  You've already made a huge change with a cardio-heavy routine, so naturally your body is going to slow down its response to that.

I honestly can't say what's realistic as far as fine-tuning your body fat percentage, because it's practically impossible to ascertain that from a photo.  At the very least, you should look into getting a skin fold caliper.  On the other hand, if your guess at 15% were accurate, and you're aiming for 12%, that's only another 5.5 to 6.5 pounds to go, and that is certainly doable between now and september.

Remember to adjust your calories and workout intensity to accommodate your new weight and body composition.  What was maintenance calories at 204 vs. 194 lbs may seem inconsequential on paper, but it's the % overage that matters, and tiny variations add up to big metabolic differences.

My home away from DBB

veggeep,
    What do you recommend eating just before bed.  Protein shake in water?  Sometimes I eat 16 oz of fat free cottage cheese.  Other times a gainer shake (loaded w/carbs and protein).  Bad idea?  Trying to bulk and training hard.  Want to make sure I have lots of protein, amino acids, carbs on board for all that glorious muscle building that supposedly happens when I sleep.  Straighten me out, what should I take for my bedtime snack?  Thanks!

Chris,
   I'm no expert, but looking pretty slim to me!  Congratulations, bro!  You can check that one off the to-do list.  Now all you have to do is fill out that fat-loss loosened skin with some beef!  From what I know, the increased muscle mass will ramp up the metabolism and help keep the fat from coming back, but I'll leave that to the experts to verify!  I've never had to worry about fat, but know people who have.  I know how hard it is.  The rewards of your efforts are amazing!  Good for you, man!  If you were able to buckle down and do that, my guess is the gains you seek are well within your grasp!  Best of luck!

JMBS


veggeep,
    What do you recommend eating just before bed.  Protein shake in water?  Sometimes I eat 16 oz of fat free cottage cheese.  Other times a gainer shake (loaded w/carbs and protein).  Bad idea?  Trying to bulk and training hard.  Want to make sure I have lots of protein, amino acids, carbs on board for all that glorious muscle building that supposedly happens when I sleep.  Straighten me out, what should I take for my bedtime snack?  Thanks!

Naw, I'm not sayin' you should scale the meal back completely to a meal replacement or anything; just don't have a big plate of pasta or anything that's going to spike your insulin.  I personally don't use gainer shakes anymore because I tend to get lazy and depend on them for too many calories -I want the majority of my calories coming from whole foods.  That's not to say they don't have their place, but to my point about pre-bedtime carbs, you might want to consider switching to a shake with a much smaller carb footprint for the final supplement of the day.

Personally, I've been making omelettes and fresh veggies for my last meal of the day (LMOTD).  You don't have to cut the carbs completely out of the picture, either, just make sure the balance tips predominantly toward clean protein and healthy fats.  If you normally do a cup of brown rice with your chicken, for example, cut it back to a third of a cup or less, and maybe add back the difference in protein calories by increasing the chicken.  If you're into broccoli, and I think you can tell I am, LOL, this stuff can be a life saver: small caloric footprint, LOADED with fiber, and fills you up without boring you to tears.  If you feel like you're not getting enough bulk in your LMOTD, you can always go bonkers on leafy greens.

Also, there's a lot of research indicating that Glutamine increases growth hormone release, so if you're including a (low carb) protein shake of some kind just before bed, throw in a scoop of the stuff right before you hit the hay.  That last (and most potent) release of GH kicks in about 45 minutes to 1 hour after you drift off to Never Never Land, and taking glutamine right before bed should have it in your bloodstream at peak levels just in time to get that little extra pituitary boost.  I've been using Optimum Nutrition's flavorless glutamine powder, and mercifully (unlike a LOT of supps who make that claim), it really is flavorless and blends effortlessly with just about anything.  Including lowfat cottage cheese

My home away from DBB

veggeep,
    Thanks as always for the useful advice.  Last night I broiled a pound of wild salmon (low fat) and had 1/2 a baked potato (I know brown rice would have been better).  I'll pick up some glutamine.  I have some tablets, but they're only 500mg each.  Don't you need like a few grams at least?  I'll take a protein shake (low carb) in a little milk instead of a gainer before bed.  I must confess the gainer is an easy way to get the calories/protein in, but obviously whole foods are better.  I hear you about the problem of being "bored to tears":  Fill in the blank with any of these phrases:  "If I have to eat another ______ I'm going to go postal!"  (bowl of scrambled eggs, broiled or grilled chicken breast, roast beef sandwich).  Variety truly is the spice of life.  It's tough to be creative when I just want to take a nap.

JMBS


snip ...I'll pick up some glutamine.  I have some tablets, but they're only 500mg each.  Don't you need like a few grams at least?...

Indeed.  5 grams, at least once a day.  That's one rounded teaspoon of the powdered variety.

My home away from DBB

Hi all

Just wanting to ask if you think i've made progress in the last month or so. I've tried eating a bit more to add some mass but i think that will take a long time. Here is a pic a month after the previous. Have i made any real changes? where are my weak points (probably many of them)?

Thanks all

Attached Image(s)

I think so.  The lower portion of your abs look a little tighter, and there appears to be a hint more definition there than in your first pic.  Kinda hard to tell from a two-dimensional front-only shot.  Don't put too much stock in a single photo tho.  I get the impression, when I look at my own pics lately, that I've made a lot more progress than they convey.

The important things here are:

1.  What are the scale, tape measure, bodyfat caliper, and mirror telling YOU?

2.  Do you FEEL like you're improving?

3.  Are you enjoying the process?

If the answer to #1 is "I'm blowing my mind with how fast the numbers are changing", then rock on.  If the answer is "gradual, tho slight improvements", again, rock on.  Physique improvement is a journey, not a destination.  Monthly check-ins are good, but don't let them become a distraction (this from a guy who meticulously logs every measurement every Saturday).

If you answered number #1 in the positive, but can't say the same for #2, then you're being too hard on yourself, or you set your expectations too high.  On the other hand, if the numbers are there, and you feel you're doing alright, then soldier on, bro.  It's affirmation and consistency like that that will deliver the results.

Finally, if you answered #3 in the affirmative (and I sincerely hope you did), then that's 90% of the battle right there.  It's not always going to be a parade and fireworks, but if you start to resent the workouts and the diet, you'd be surprised how corrosive that can be on your perception -if you're not happy, you'll start doubting your progress, even though you may be making perfectly reasonable improvements.

My home away from DBB