Critique My Training and Diet

Hey guys I’m hoping all you t nationers out there can help me out.

I’m 6’1 and 92 kgs (202.4lbs)

I’m currently doing the Total Body Training Program by Chad Waterbury
and I add in 2 core, abs sessions in there too. I am on week 3 of his program. Starting weight was 96.5 kgs ( 212 lbs)

When I’m not at the gym I play soccer once a week and train once a week.

Goals are fatloss and a better physique.

So my typical diet looks like this:

Wake up 3 BCAA’s

Meal 1: 4 eggs with 3 stalks of celery and a tangerine, 4 fish oil capsules, 1 teaspoon benefiber, and a serve of protein blend shake ( 25g protein per serve)

Meal 2: 2 cans of tunba with a cup of brocolli, 4 fish oil capsules and 1 serve protein blend shake

Meal 3: Salad consisting of spinach, lettuce, 1/2 an avocado, 8 cherry tomatoes with no dressing. 1 250g chicken breast with chilli and garlic.

Meal 4: ( 1.5 hour before workout) 2 serves protein blend shake w 1 teaspoon benefiber, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 fish oil caps.

30 min before workout: 5g creatine 3 BCAA’s

During Workout 1 serve protein shake ( 30 g carbs, 30 g protein) 5 BCAA’s

Post workout: 5g creatine, 3 BCAA’s

1.5 hours after workout.
Meal 5: 250 salmon, 1/2 cup cauliflower, 1/2 cup green beans salt and pepper only.

30 min before bed 3 BCAA’s

so there is the diet…

any tips my current goal is fatloss I want to get to 12% ideally or however low I need to go to see abs.

Current program: this week

Monday:

Crunches 3 x 12
Reverse Crunches 3 x 12
Bridge hold 45 secs
Side Bridge hold 30 secs each side
Glute activation on swissball 60 secs hold

do whole circuit 3 times

rest 2min.

Tuesday: 4 x 5 rest 60 secs

Incline bench (60 kgs)
Pullups body weight
Standing Military Press ( 17.5 kgs)
Seated Rows ( 55 kgs)
Close Grip Bench ( 60kgs)
Bicep Curls ( 32.5 kgs)

I lay off the lower body as I have soccer training on wednesday and have found I am quite sore if I squat or deadlift on tuesdays.

Wednesday: Soccer training

Thursday: 4 x 8 90 secs rest

Back Squats ( i suck at these just startedsquating) (60kgs)
Romanian Deadlift: (50 kgs)
Incline Bench: (55 kgs)
Pullups: ( assisted 10kgs)
Seated Military Press ( 17.5kgs)
Standing Front raises ( 30kgs)

I then add in the ab/ core circuit from Monday.

Friday: Day Off

Saturday: 3 x 15 120 secs rest workout done in the morning around 11am.

Incline Bench ( 40kgs)
Pullups ( assisted 25kgs)
Squats ( 40kgs)
Standing Military press ( 12.5 kgs)
Close Grip Bench ( 45 kgs)
Barbell Curls ( 25 kgs)

i lay off legs as its game day sunday and need the legs relatively fresh.

Sunday: game day.

anyway guys thats it just looking for some critique… would love to drop another 3kgs in the remaining 5 weeks.

I should probably add that I’m coming back from a hamstring strain and that I am doing my first full training session this week and will probably get at least a 45 min run out on sunday.

Hi, thanks for the pm,
If you want to see your abs you will have to cut down to 10%, but remember it is easier to cut when you have more muscle mass, so bulk up first!
As for creatine and BCAAs, I don’t think you are doing enough volume to be using them effectively, and it is better that you understand cycling creatine before you start taking it, you don’t want to become dependent on it otherwise it will skew your longterm results.

Ok, so now we look at your program! Let us look back at the article it is derived from:

1) They train every major muscle group three times each week.

2) They keep intensity levels sufficient without overindulgence.

3) They choose a training volume that can be maintained along with the stressors of life.

4) They execute compound, multi-joint exercises that have been shown to produce the most hypertrophy.

5) They keep each training session as brief as possible.

6) They allow at least 48 hours of recovery between workouts.

He also quotes ‘By the time you make it to squats or deadlifts, you’re pretty beat.’ - this means it is ideal to do one OR the other, or both in lower intensity.

“Since many lifters need to increase their work capacity and lose some bodyfat, I typically lean towards total body sessions when you’re limited by training time. A heavy circuit of the dip/chin-up/deadlift” - this quote seems to fit with your goal perfectly, so why don’t we start with this?

You have played around with the set/rep scheme quite a bit, can I ask why you have done that? All the authors on this site quote set/rep schemes for specific reasons, even if they don’t explain it. So keep to the 3x5, 3x8, 2x15 until you stop seeing results.
Don’t restrict yourself to certain weights, and as you are quite weak at the moment really push yourself. If you are worried there isn’t enough work with this set/rep scheme just do it twice as fast, less rest periods! You will still be able to thoroughly destroy yourself.

So, my advice would be to stick to compound excercises, do less, and replace the ab day.
E.g.
Day 1.
Flat BB bench
Flat BB row
BB Military press
Back Squats

Day 2.
Dips
Pullups
Standing Upright Row
Deadlifts

Day 3.
Power Cleans
Jerk
DB bench
DB row

See how you go with that, and just work through any leg pain you get in soccer, seriously, I used to do athletics on my ‘off days’ with sore squat legs, and after about a month you just get used to it and the DOMs don’t hit you as hard. The deadlifts wont hurt nearly as much for your Sunday match.
And if you are concerned about your abs, do ONE excercise at the end of your 4-5 excercises for the same set/rep scheme as that day. Actually, keep the abs heavy (reps < 8). Cycle Isometric Ab hold, Weighted Crunches, and Leg raises? Lots of variety that way.