New Year Cut

I have just embarked on a cut for the New Year and I am sure others are looking to shed some Xmas pounds gained over the fesitve period so I would be interested to see how everyone gets on.

A little about me prior to the cut:

Age: 24
Height: 6'5
Weight: 278lbs
Target weight: 245lbs
Goal: I was around 250lbs to begin but undertook a "dirty" bulk to gain muscle which I have in abudance...just looking to trim fat and a little muscle as I have gained stretch marks on biceps from rapid growth

Diet is:

Breakfast: Low carb protein (mixed with semi skimmed milk instead of water)
Lunch: Low Carb protein shake, soup and some fruit
Snack: Apple
Train in gym
Dinner: Low carb protein, 2 chicken breats grilled with broccoli and other green veg

After a week I have managed to drop 9lbs or 3.23% of total body mass

Love to hear how other people get on and any secrets they have!

Crikey, you are what they call 'a unit'. Bet you can shift some serious weights!

I've gained a couple of lbs after Christmas, and noticed to my horror when I checked yesterday that my body fat had crept up to 13.1%! It was hovering around 11% last time I checked in August.

Do you not get very hungry on such a diet, though? I feel the need for carbs a lot of the time due to my activity levels, so I always wonder about a) the hunger and b) whether you'll have the required energy for your workouts.

Well done on the results, though, it is clearly working!

Alright FoF hope you had a good one.

Yea unit, big man, fridge, wardrobe, hightower...etc haha been called it all. The other day I managed to hit a set of 8 500kg incline leg press was naughty...felt dizzy after. I think the main thing is I can still run 10k in under an hour easy but need to get back to 52-53 mins really.

With this I dont feel hungry at all the protein is really good filler and if I get peckish I have mints on me which usually quell a binge. When it comes to workouts I do sometimes fall back on NO Xplode or something similar to get hyped up but recently will power is really strong and I am in a good routine with work and meal times etc.

Haha I know the pain...its the beer that gets me everytime!

Wow, that's good going on the legs! Scary, in fact, haha!

How many calories are you getting down you per day then, do you think?

I've picked up the running again recently, just doing the odd 3 mile run each week, but did a 6 mile run on boxing day in 49 mins, which is a decent time. That, along with hopefully some more dietary control now that the festivities are over, should see the body fat reduce back toward 11 again I imagine.

You sound obese.......

but judging by the weights you use you probably don't look too bad...

Managed 13 reps at 800 pounds on the leg press but nothing in your league...

Always thought the key to good dieting is too reward yourself quite often....

for every three days on I used to have a nice cheat meal....Gave me something to look forward to and also got rid of the monotony..

Also compound movements are greater for turning flab into the good stuff as you probably already know!!

A cheat meal can be worked off in the gym ...

good luck and keep us informed..

Haaa I wouldnt say obese i have a 36 inch waist and a 16.5 inch neck and wear large/ xl clothing but I'll be first to admit I got a bit of a belly on me that needs to go!

Nah no cheating for me the rewards of success enough to keep me going!!

Whatever floats your boat Mate......dedication is what it takes....

and you certainly seem to have it!! good luck..

What sorta program you on at the moment then??

Well I've turned forty.....So I'm not a snimble as I once was...

Tend to go for higher reps these days....but still do the basics....also spend less time in the gym..

But have more days off now.....

Recently switched back to 5x5s in my upper body and defo think thats the future! I'm worried biut my joints though have you hqd any problems? Yesterday destroyed triceps and come today elbows are aching....poor form perhaps?

The_Essence_of_Excellence wrote:Recently switched back to 5x5s in my upper body and defo think thats the future! I'm worried biut my joints though have you hqd any problems? Yesterday destroyed triceps and come today elbows are aching....poor form perhaps?

5x5 training's really good, as mentioned on a previous article, I've just switched to a different programme though, but will revert to 5x5 in a few weeks.

I occasionally get pain in my elbow's following biceps or triceps sessions, but think it's just from going heavy. It's not a bad or horrible pain, but more a 'i've been exercised and am now knackered' sort of pain, if that makes sense?! Don't think it's due to poor form, since whichever way you lift the weight, you're still using the same tendons and muscles around the elbow joint.

I've never tried 5x5 training. Can I trouble one of you to explain a little about it? Is it better for bulk or lean muscle? Likewise, do you start high and go low, or the reverse.

Any info appreciated. Thanks.

5x5 training is basically a method of increasing strength (and therefore bulk as well). It's a really good system but requires a session or 2 of experimental lifts to see where abouts your comfortable starting weight is. The idea is that you complete 5 sets of 5 reps all at the same weight, and if you complete it all unaided, then you increase the weight by 1.25kg (or small increments) the next time you perform the exercise.
For instance, if for example sake, you decide to start at 60kg, and perform all 5 reps within each of the 5 sets without any help at all, next time, increase the weight to 62.5kg, and so forth. However, if you manage the following reps; 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, don't increase the weight but continue until you get all reps. That make sense? It's important to be strict and really push yourself to squeeze each rep out no matter how hard it is, and to always increase the weight whenever to reach the full 5x5, otherwise you risk becoming stagnant and plateauing.

How's that Fury? Hope it makes sense. My old training partner was going for the leaner physique, and he did 4x10 training which if effectively the same thing just with more reps over fewer sets. It's a nice way of forcing and monitoring progress.

That's great, bluestone, thanks very much.

Yeah at the moment I do something similar to your old training partner, i.e. 3 x 10 - sometimes 4 x 10.

No worries at all.

As far as I know he saw some good gains doing the 4x10, and it's also quite a good CV workout because it's so intensive. He was always a lot more exhausted than me because of the extra reps! But we are completely different body types.

I think that is what it comes down to, and of course your aims.

I have fairly wide shoulders, but a lean torso and waist, so not looking for any bulk really. My gains following such a workout from the beggining have been very decent, but seem to have reached a plateau in terms of growth (something I'm glad about, as I'm happy as it is now), so my workouts really are a case of maintaining and adding definition. I realise that the definition part is probably as much to do with body fat as anything else, but it is why I'm probably best advised to stick with the 10 x 3/4 and not move to something like the 5 x 5.

Definitely. Your goals should dictate your workout routine, so carry on doing whatever is working for you.

Try it Fists. You won't bulk up unless you start eating more. The strength increases would probably help with your boxing too. As it starts to get harder take 3-5 minutes rest between sets to make sure you get the reps out. This will facilitate strength gains more so than hypertrophy.

Where are the essential fats in your diet.

Dont mean to sound nasty or anything, but that diet is pretty awful. Clearly could benefit from some research.

Give us an example of a typical daily diet for building lean muscle if you don't mind then, Johnson. Diet is such a difficult issue with so many people that work out, it's all a bit up in the air to me.

As for the diet I would agree it's not ideal in the long term but it's only a quick fix and I have been taking glucosamine and mulitivitamins for this short period. Been eating a lot of oily fish too as makes a change from the chicken breast. Come Feburary I'll more or less be done I reckon.

Lost another 5lbs this week taking the total up to 1 stone in 2 weeks- not too shabby considering I have been stuffing my face with meat!! More importantly I dont appear to have lost any strength as bench is still hovering around the same weight as at the start!

Good work, essence.

The fish gives you the essential fats, I'd presume, so it seems you have that angle covered anyway. Alternatively, on the days when you are eating chicken, the odd handful of nuts will provide the necessary fats.

Yea almonds are the dogs danglies for that type of nutrition and also very easy to have at the desk at work. Also good for hair and skin apparently.

Well I'm pretty much half way now- only 15lbs to go now really. Have noticed a few side effects from this kind of cut though:

- Firstly I am enjoying training without eating carbs. My lifting is as good without them and my running and recovery time has definately improved.
- I have lost that bloated feeling you sometimes get when you over do it
- I am sleeping a hell of a lot more. I have gone from 7 hours to more like 9-10 hours. Not sure if this is because I am training harder or whether the low blood sugar level is making me lethargic especially after training.
- I seem to be more irritable and get wound up more easily (might be the missus watching Big Brother that brings it on though!)
- The cravings I first had for sweet things is slowly wearing off- I guess the addiction to it is like cigarettes and I am over the worst of it now.

The_Essence_of_Excellence wrote:My lifting is as good without them and my running and recovery time has definately improved.

That's really weird that your lifts haven't gone down at all! But, if it's working for you, then keep it up. Congrats on the weight loss!

Yea I am training so hard so as not to lose any strength ...been working the 5x5 and the weight I have used have not changed- it may be a little harder but its not decreased! It may go down in the coming weeks but I think the protein and BCAA's helping stop the muscles deteriating. When ever I do any cardio I'll do some squatting, deadlifting or bench just to keep them ticking over.