It seems like a good time of year to simultaneously bump this thread, share my goals and process, and hold myself accountable by posting it.
Goal: 12% body fat by Memorial Day Weekend. Currently I am 36yo, 6’3, 200lbs, and 21.5% BF, measured by a personal trainer via the 7-step skinfold test. That’s 43lbs of fat. I’ll need to lose 22lbs of fat to hit my goal.
Workout Numbers: I squat 205lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set, leg press 420lbs at 12 reps on the 3rd set, and bench 155lbs 10 reps on the 3rd set (I work in pushups to failure immediately after each BP set). Shoulder DB press is with 45lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set.
I’ve been lifting 3x a week faithfully for the last 9 months, and stretching/activating separately, for 45 minutes, an additional 3x a week. It took me 3 months to rebuild my proper squat form after throwing out my back last spring.
Diet Background: 12 months ago I weighed 180 while training for my last sprint triathlon with a weak back. In June of 2013, I started from ground zero with weightlifting and went back to the basics, using a personal trainer. The last 10lbs to 200lbs was the hardest. I did it by consuming loads of animal fats and eating peanut butter at my desk at work every morning and every afternoon. I didn’t drain the fat from cooked hamburger, didn’t cut the fat off of the rib-eye steak, and was liberal with the olive oil. I reduced chicken and turkey breast white meat and substituted heavily marbled meat instead.
4 months ago I recalibrated the diet and gave up dairy, sweets, pasta, and limited bread. I used potatoes, rice, oatmeal/granola, and whole grain crackers for carbs. I ate a couple of fruits in the morning (apples, raisins, dates) and a nice romaine or spinach salad with tomatoes at night.
Process Going Forward:
1) The first 2 weeks I will start up cardio again; 3x a week. This morning I held my heart rate at 130-135bpm for exactly 60 minutes. In my triathlon training last year, I trained at 175bpm for 60 minutes. My max heart rate was 200 last year.
2) Coinciding with the addition of Cardio, I will continue to lift 3x a week, since I want to maintain as much of my muscle gains as possible. I realize that this will be next to impossible. I will continue consuming 1g protein per lb of body weight.
3) Diet will be reduced from ~3000 calories to ~2500 calories daily. This will be easy for me. During the past 4 months, I ate every time I was even remotely hungry. I’ve been full for the past 4 months. For the first two weeks, I will simply eat at the same intervals, only with smaller portions.
a. I’ve found that cold, lightly steamed carrots and broccoli taste good. This week I will keep 3-4 baggies of them in the fridge at work and take them to lunch with me. They will be my substitute for fries/bread. The benefit in steaming them, is that you can eat them in 3 minutes instead of 15 minutes of chewing raw veggies.
b. Increase water intake. It’s been recommended to me that I get 1oz water per lb of bodyweight. This is a ton of water and it makes you pee all the time. Forget sleeping through the night. I’ll expand on this in a post later on.
c. I’ll have to quit drinking. This shouldn’t be that hard. I rarely have more than 3 drinks a night anyway. We’ll see how it goes. No beer for sure.
d. Props to MikeCF for recommending Quest protein bars. 200cal, 20g protein, taste great, and the added bonus of not melting in your car. These are great!
Motivation for this is that I’ve realized that my best game comes in the summer time at pool parties and at the beaches. It’s definitely where I have the most fun, and I want to have my best summer yet in L.A. and Vegas.
Critique is welcomed.
Goal: 12% body fat by Memorial Day Weekend. Currently I am 36yo, 6’3, 200lbs, and 21.5% BF, measured by a personal trainer via the 7-step skinfold test. That’s 43lbs of fat. I’ll need to lose 22lbs of fat to hit my goal.
Workout Numbers: I squat 205lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set, leg press 420lbs at 12 reps on the 3rd set, and bench 155lbs 10 reps on the 3rd set (I work in pushups to failure immediately after each BP set). Shoulder DB press is with 45lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set.
I’ve been lifting 3x a week faithfully for the last 9 months, and stretching/activating separately, for 45 minutes, an additional 3x a week. It took me 3 months to rebuild my proper squat form after throwing out my back last spring.
Diet Background: 12 months ago I weighed 180 while training for my last sprint triathlon with a weak back. In June of 2013, I started from ground zero with weightlifting and went back to the basics, using a personal trainer. The last 10lbs to 200lbs was the hardest. I did it by consuming loads of animal fats and eating peanut butter at my desk at work every morning and every afternoon. I didn’t drain the fat from cooked hamburger, didn’t cut the fat off of the rib-eye steak, and was liberal with the olive oil. I reduced chicken and turkey breast white meat and substituted heavily marbled meat instead.
4 months ago I recalibrated the diet and gave up dairy, sweets, pasta, and limited bread. I used potatoes, rice, oatmeal/granola, and whole grain crackers for carbs. I ate a couple of fruits in the morning (apples, raisins, dates) and a nice romaine or spinach salad with tomatoes at night.
Process Going Forward:
1) The first 2 weeks I will start up cardio again; 3x a week. This morning I held my heart rate at 130-135bpm for exactly 60 minutes. In my triathlon training last year, I trained at 175bpm for 60 minutes. My max heart rate was 200 last year.
2) Coinciding with the addition of Cardio, I will continue to lift 3x a week, since I want to maintain as much of my muscle gains as possible. I realize that this will be next to impossible. I will continue consuming 1g protein per lb of body weight.
3) Diet will be reduced from ~3000 calories to ~2500 calories daily. This will be easy for me. During the past 4 months, I ate every time I was even remotely hungry. I’ve been full for the past 4 months. For the first two weeks, I will simply eat at the same intervals, only with smaller portions.
a. I’ve found that cold, lightly steamed carrots and broccoli taste good. This week I will keep 3-4 baggies of them in the fridge at work and take them to lunch with me. They will be my substitute for fries/bread. The benefit in steaming them, is that you can eat them in 3 minutes instead of 15 minutes of chewing raw veggies.
b. Increase water intake. It’s been recommended to me that I get 1oz water per lb of bodyweight. This is a ton of water and it makes you pee all the time. Forget sleeping through the night. I’ll expand on this in a post later on.
c. I’ll have to quit drinking. This shouldn’t be that hard. I rarely have more than 3 drinks a night anyway. We’ll see how it goes. No beer for sure.
d. Props to MikeCF for recommending Quest protein bars. 200cal, 20g protein, taste great, and the added bonus of not melting in your car. These are great!
Motivation for this is that I’ve realized that my best game comes in the summer time at pool parties and at the beaches. It’s definitely where I have the most fun, and I want to have my best summer yet in L.A. and Vegas.
Critique is welcomed.