Official Workout Thread

[Socal 524]

So I have been cutting(losing fat) for about a month and a half now, went from 165 lbs 15% bodyfat to 150 lbs 10% bodyfat. I like the progression I have made, although I lost too much weight too quickly and my lean body mass suffered a little bit. Other factors such as being unable to concentrate on my bulk as well as a lower back injury hindered my muscle gain. I plan to cut through all of April and get down to 145 lbs at sub 8% bodyfat and then slowly bulk up from there over the summer, going more intense once school starts up again in the fall. To most, sub 150 seems too small for a 6' male but as long as I stay above 140 I will be fine, bulking and cutting cycles are pretty routine for me. I am in much better shape at this weight than when I was 165 in early February. If anyone is interested in my diet and routines and how I achieve my results, I will post it all as well.

[Guest Durant4MVP]

How tall are you, Socal?

[Socal 524]

How tall are you, Socal?

 

I'm 6' tall

 

It's actually interesting, because since I was in high school I always thought that I was closer to 6'2(6'3/4) but when I did some body composition tests up at the University testing lab a few weeks back i came up closer to 6' every time.

[Guest Durant4MVP]

6' tall at 150 lbs? Jesus man that's pretty skinny. :0

[Socal 524]

6' tall at 150 lbs? Jesus man that's pretty skinny. :0

 

Yeah, I am pretty thin, man. Dont be mistaken though, I am very cut and I actually appear bigger than when I am at a higher weight. My waist is a 28 and I have a thin frame compared to others so that is part of it as well. My mass on my upper legs is lacking because I couldn't go heavy whatsoever with my back injury so normally I would be heavier with a lower bodyfat %, shit happens though.

 

I will try and get some photos up here sometime

[Krawnka 282]

Upper leg development make a huge difference when it comes to weight.

[Socal 524]

So I said I would post some pics up here, and here they are. I don't have a specific before picture but I will try to locate one. I restricted my calories gradually for 2 months, starting at around 2,000 a day in early Feb to where I am at now at about 1,500. My maintenance, including a activity multiplier, is about 2,800 calories a day... that's just for reference.

 

 

 

[Socal 524]

Forgot to mention, above pictures are 150 lbs 10% body fat, I started at 165 lbs 15%. Basically, if you cover up my abs, and a little mass to everywhere else, you can get an idea of what I looked like at 165.

[rzb+ 367]

 

 

Definitely first degree.

[Socal 524]

 

 

Definitely first degree.

 

Haha yes, that's what I get a lot... must be the angular face I suppose.

[sweetness34 142]

 

 

Definitely first degree.

I was seriously about to post a picture of Kevin Bacon as soon as I saw those pics haha

 

right now we are only lifting twice a week as we are doing spring ball, our lifts are super light. Things will pick up hard again in June. May everyone goes home and lifts so I go hard but I know a lot of my teammates slack

[Socal 524]

So I entered an 18 week bodybuilding competition for the summer, it started this week, I have been eating like crazy . Wish me luck

[NaTaS+ 958]

Good luck.

 

I'm in a bulk phase right now but not by choice. I'm waiting on arthroscopic shoulder surgery on May 13th. I'm still going heavy with the weights but limiting my overhead work. I live an die by the squats, deads and cleans.

[Socal 524]

Good luck.

 

I'm in a bulk phase right now but not by choice. I'm waiting on arthroscopic shoulder surgery on May 13th. I'm still going heavy with the weights but limiting my overhead work. I live an die by the squats, deads and cleans.

 

Thanks man, it's not a traditional competition where there is a finished product on stage, everything is done online and we are required to post before, middle and after pictures of our progress as well as keep a daily log. I'm competing against about 30 other guys, several of them are pro bodybuilders, they're at a disadvantage though because it takes them much longer to improve their already impressive physiques.

 

Injuries suck, I have a lower back injury that is still bothering me 3 months later, but it's finally starting to feel better. Good luck with the shoulder injury, that can be frustrating. Squats and deads are pretty standard in my routine, but no cleans.

[rzb+ 367]

I'm on Week 3 of P90X. I'm not exactly doing it by the book, more just the workout routines than yoga and kenpo. Started taking True Mass to help the process. Should probably start running more soon too.

 

I'm hoping to be lean by summer's end. I'm 5'10" 185lb. Aiming to cut at least 15lb.

[Socal 524]

I'm on Week 3 of P90X. I'm not exactly doing it by the book, more just the workout routines than yoga and kenpo. Started taking True Mass to help the process. Should probably start running more soon too.

 

I'm hoping to be lean by summer's end. I'm 5'10" 185lb. Aiming to cut at least 15lb.

 

P90X is a pretty good program as far as home video workout programs go. I wouldn't recommend strictly following their diet recommendations though.

 

Cut your calories about 10-20% below your maintenance level which is your BMR(basic metabolic rate) plus activity level and exercise. There are three formulas that you can use to estimate you're BMR and then multiply this number by an activity multiplier to get a rough estimate of your TDEE(total daily energy expenditure). This number will represent your maintenance which then you either add to(to gain weight) or subtract from(to lose weight).

 

To save you the trouble of having to write out the whole formula, here is an automatic BMR calculator. If you would like to know the exact formula as well as the other formulas, I can write those out as well.

 

After entering your Height, Weight and Age, we get your BMR as 1964.75, meaning that regardless of activity, your body needs on average around 2000 calories a day for vital functions. Now, we multiply this number by an activity multiplier.

 

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

 

Now I don't know your lifestyle, but I know you are not sedentary, and the fact you are doing P90X means you are more than lightly active. However, people tend to overestimate their activity for this step. I will put you at moderately active and 1.55 x BMR

 

So we end up having 1964.75 x 1.55 = 3045

 

Your maintenance level, the amount of calories you would have to eat to maintain your current weight is about 3,000 calories per day. To lose weight, we take 10-20% off this and get 2,400-2,700 cals.

 

Next step is to look at your macro-nutrients (fats/carbohydrates/protein). A lot of people like to use percentages to divide their macros but it's largely irrelevant and will not fit every individual. What is important is that the fat and protein content of your diet is vital for specific physiological needs.

 

There are varying ranges but generally you want to have .45g-1g of fat per pound of body weight. For you this would be 83-185g a day. In my personal opinion 1g per lb is WAY too much, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Unless an individual has hormone regulation issues, I firmly believe that .8g per is the highest someone should go for body composition purposes.

 

Protein intake varies from 1g-1.5g per LBM or lean body mass which is everything but fat(this recommendation is for those interested in athletic fitness and body re=composition. For those interested in general health, lower levels of protein are adequate. Assuming your body fat % is rather average(15-20%) then I we will assume your LBM is your weight minus 17.5% of your body weight which = 153 pounds of LBM. For this we then get your protein range of 153-230g protein per day.

 

Now we have fat 83-185g and protein 153-230g. Because you are attempting to get leaner, we will take the lower end of the fat and go with 100g a day which is .55g a day. Each gram of fat = 9 calories so then you would be consuming 900 calories of fat per day. With protein intake, it is important to keep it high when attempting to lean out and still maintain your LBM so we will take the high end 230g. Each gram of protein = 4 calories so then you have 920 cals per day.

 

We add 900 + 920 = 1820 and then we subtract this from the calories you need to lose weight which is 2,400-2,700. We get 580-880 cals to be devoted to carbohydrates which are 4 calories per gram. We end up with 145-220g of carbohydrates per day. I recommend beginning with a smaller calorie deficit.

 

So finally, we have 100g of fat/220g of carbohydrates/230g of protein = 2,700 calories per day to lose weight. Generally, on days that you lift weights and do more intense exercise, you keep fat low and carbohydrates moderate to high and on rest days, fat moderate and carbohydrates moderate to low. Certain individuals respond better to higher or lower amounts of carbohydrates so its important to play around with things and see what works best for you. Body re-composition is a trial and error process that needs to be reassessed as you progress. If you cease to lose weight, you can either further decrease cals or increase activity, but it's not an exact science.

 

For my last thought, I will say that eating 'healthy' is not necessary, the nutrient profile of a food has very little to do with body composition, but rather general health and well being. This is why I try my best to eat as healthy as I can. However, because changing your body in terms of losing or gaining weight is reliant on thermodynamics, all that really matters is calories in and calories burned. As long as you hit your macros, you can eat whatever you like and see the results you want.

[Guest Durant4MVP]

I've slacked off on the weights lately and started working on my vert. If I can add another 4-5 inches to it I should be able to dunk a basketball. I can already get my hands up and over the rim and hang on it but can't quite get the ball over it too. My routine right now pretty much just consists of squats, deads, and lots of plyo work.

 

So I entered an 18 week bodybuilding competition for the summer, it started this week, I have been eating like crazy . Wish me luck

 

Good luck dude. You've already got pretty good aesthetics but considering how much you weigh, you should be able to make some nice, impressive improvements over those other guys.

[Socal 524]

I've slacked off on the weights lately and started working on my vert. If I can add another 4-5 inches to it I should be able to dunk a basketball. I can already get my hands up and over the rim and hang on it but can't quite get the ball over it too. My routine right now pretty much just consists of squats, deads, and lots of plyo work.

 

 

 

Good luck dude. You've already got pretty good aesthetics but considering how much you weigh, you should be able to make some nice, impressive improvements over those other guys.

 

Keep up with the plyometrics, specifically weight box jumps are the best form of training for increasing your vertical jump, which you probably know of. Other strength exercises such as squats, lunges and step-ups will help a lot. Power cleans are a good exercise as well.

 

Thanks man, out of the 32 guys I should get at least top 10, I see a total noob winning it though because the difference from start to finish will be very noticeable if they do work. The pro's and the guys who are out of shape dont really stand a chance haha.

[Socal 524]

Thought I would bump this thread and share my training routine with everyone. Its designed towards strength and hypertrophy with an emphasis on exercise variation. It is high intensity but also fairly high volume so I only work out one body part or muscle group a week in order to fully recover. I also have two off-days because its important to give your central nervous system a break, when doing very heavy, intense movements, your muscles rely on your CNS just as much as themselves to be able to move the weight. The program I use is called PRRS which stands for Power Rep Range and Shock, its a program developed by Mark Broser and one that I have used for several years. Each phase consists of one week and once you progress through all 3 phases you start over, the idea is that every time you go back to the same exercises in the cycle, you will have gained enough strength to easily improve all your lifts, basically, you won't experience any plateaus.

 

This is just an example of my routine, I don't suggest anyone follow this but if you like how I split it up and some of the exercises that I use, go ahead and incorporate them into your own routine. Feel free to ask me any questions

 

Key: DB= dumbbell BB= Barbell CG= Close grip WG= wide grip BW= body weight

Power= 3 sets of 4-6 reps per exercise

Rep Range = 2-3 sets of 6-8, 8-10, or 10-12 reps depending on exercise

Shock= 2-3 sets of 8-10, or 10-12 reps depending on exercise

 

Monday: Back and Traps

Power =Rep Range =Shock

Rack Deadlift =CG Weighted Chin =Pullover/WG Pulldown

BB Row =WG-Tbar Row =Stiffarm Pulldown/Reverse Grip Row

Weighted Chin =DB Row =Cable Row Drop Set

CG Seated Row =Lat Pullover =Smith Shrug/Bent Lateral Row

BB Shrug =DB Shrug

Upright Row Shrug CG =Smith Shrug

 

Tuesday: Chest and Biceps

Power =Rep Range =Shock

DB Decline Press =DB Incline =Cable Crossover Underhand/Incline Hammer Press

Smith Incline Press =BB Bench Press =Incline Flyes/ Chest Dips

Weighted Chest Dips =DB Decline =Machine Chest Press Drop Set

Flat DB Chest Flyes =Incline Cable Flyes =EZ Bar Curl/CG Chin

BB Curl =Alternating DB Curl =Preacher Curl/Reverse Curl

Preacher Curl =Cable Curl =Single Arm Curl Drop Set

Hammer Curl =Concentration Curl

 

Thursday: Legs

Power =Rep Range =Shock

Squats =Leg Extension =Leg Extension/Front Squat

Leg Press =Hack Squat =Single Leg Extension/Leg Press

Stiff Leg Dead Lift =Smith Lunge =Lunge Drop Set

Single Leg Extension =Single Leg SLDL =Lying Leg Curl/Hyperextension

Seated Leg Curl =Single Leg Curl =Single Leg Curl Drop Set

Smith Calf Raises =DB Calf Raises

Seated Calf Raises =BW Calf Raises

 

Friday: Deltoids and Triceps

Power =Rep Range =Shock

Military Press =DB Overhead Press =Seated Side Lateral/Hammer Strength Shoulder Press

Upright Row WG =Bent Lateral =Reverse Pec Deck/WG Upright Row

Cheat Lateral =Cable Lateral =Cable Front Raise Drop Set

CG Bench Press =Weighted Dip =Pushdown/CG Bench Press

Skull Crushers =Cable Pushdowns =Reverse Grip Pushdown/Incline Overhead Ext

DB Overhead Ext =DB Kickbacks =Weighted Dip Drop Set

 

NOTE: I tried to format it so that it was all separated but it didn't work so the = signs represent a space between each exercise

[әightninә. 39]

Back from the dead, bitches.

 

Alright, so I'm picking up a three-month gym membership Friday, as well as a protein powder of some sorts, with the sole purpose of bulking up/getting stronger/getting more defined/trimming fat.

 

So, what exercises/lifts do you guys recommend, what protein powder, all that good stuff.

 

*keep in mind I'm a sophomore in high school, lol.

[Guest Durant4MVP]

Back from the dead, bitches.

 

Alright, so I'm picking up a three-month gym membership Friday, as well as a protein powder of some sorts, with the sole purpose of bulking up/getting stronger/getting more defined/trimming fat.

 

So, what exercises/lifts do you guys recommend, what protein powder, all that good stuff.

 

*keep in mind I'm a sophomore in high school, lol.

 

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

[Socal 524]

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

 

^ This is a good program

 

Learn the proper form, leave your ego at home, work hard and be consistent

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I decided I wouldn't bitch about it... But it's pissing me off...

 

Im 225, I've been trying to hit 245 for a year and a half now, and it's not happening. Am I doing something wrong...? lol.

[Socal 524]

I decided I wouldn't bitch about it... But it's pissing me off...

 

Im 225, I've been trying to hit 245 for a year and a half now, and it's not happening. Am I doing something wrong...? lol.

 

I'll take it that you're talking about your bench max?

 

If so, yes you are, but I am sure you knew that

 

Most likely I would guess you're not training in the proper rep range, if you don't train for strength, you're not going to seem much improvement in strength gains. Lower reps to 4-6 and you will see your gains go up as long as you are eating enough(of course you are) and being consistent with your workouts.

 

If you are already doing everything above, I suggest taking a break from flat bench and working on incline and even moreso weighted chest dips, both exercises will help get your strength up for bench press.

[JetsFan4Life 542]

Any idea for a good ab exercise I could do around my house, other than crunches? Just trying to get a little more tone around my stomach area.