Hello everyone!I have a little problem regarding my fat loss stalling.I’m a 21 year old guy and i started lifting about one year ago.(I started weightlifting as a former handball player/calisthenics enthusiast).Six weeks ago i decided to cut.Ive followed intermitent fasting since i started lifting.My stats are the following:
Age:21
Weight:85 kg (187lbs)
Height:190 cm(74.8 inches)
Bodyfat:@12%-15%
During the last 6 weeks i was in a permanent caloric deficit with the following macro ratio:
kcals: 2400
protein:@25%
carbs:@45%
fat:@30%
I am a IIFYM prectitioner,but my diet consists in a good amount of clean foods.
Two weeks ago i started to incorporate liss cardio and hiit in my routine.
I walk every day @45 minutes and do hiit 2 times per week.
My weightlifting program is based around compound lifts with no isolation work (i cant see a benefit doing this while cutting).I weight train 4 times per week(This is the routine i currently follow):
1.Squat 3x5
Manual hamstring curls 3x8-10
Dragonflags 3x8-10
2.Bench press 3x5
One-arm bodyweight rows 3x8-10
One-arm pushups 3x 8-10
3.Deadlift 3x5
Pistol squats 3x8-10
Hypers 3x8-10
4.Overhead press 3x5
Weighted Chin-ups 3x8-10
Weighted Dips 3x8-10
I base my training on a lot of bodyweight training because is less taxing to my nervous system.Even tough i do so,the last two weeks were terrible in the gym because i lack energy and my strength started to drop.
I currently have the following PRs:
Squat 6 RM with 125kg(275lbs)
Bench 6 RM with 105 kg (231 lbs)
Deadlift 6RM with 145 kg (310 lbs)
Overhead press 6RM with 64(141 lbs)
My question is: What do i do wrong?Its been 2 weeks since i didnt drop a single pound.
I want to cut on the volume because of my lack of recovery(I have doms after every workout) but this wont solve my problem.Any advice?
At 6’ 2, 2400calories is far too low and you’ve prob slowed down your metabolism and as you say have crap recovery.
Do this program -far superior for fat loss (and not bad for strength either), up your calories to maintenance so you can go balls out…
Also for the doms, stretch hard immediately post workout
Thanks for the reply! I read the article u sugested and i dont have the necessary equipement to do such training,but i will try to adapt.Regarding to the caloric intake:if 2400 is too low that means ive screwed it up big time and i have to reset my metabolism.I am very confused about the numbers i should choose.
Yeah take what you can from athlete lean. The Wed HIIT alone will shred you up.
This another option and only really need a barbell.Main thing is multiple compund moves back to-back…
Meltdown Training 1
Thanks!The another one is great but I admit that the heavylifts in the first program sounds more appealing :D.What would you recomand after im done with Athlete lean,Athlete strong?I want to improve my strength and appearance(muscle mass) but i find that the conditioning part of a program is mandatory.Thank you in advance!
He’s 187lbs.
I eat 2400 calories right now, in a deficit, and I’m 208. I have no issues with strength or muscle, I assure you.
It’s not too low. Where are you getting this from?
You’re fine. I would look to make sure you’re accurately tracking what you eat. If you have “cheat meals” or “cheat days”, knock it off.
Are you weighing yourself at the same time (preferrably morning after your business) and on the same scale that’s in the same position?
How do you look?
Actually,today I was at 84 kg (2 pounds lighter).The main reason Im asking for elf is because I feel foggy and drained during my workouts even though I have a low volume-high intensity routine.
This was the last photo Ive taken:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJUix_mDReX/?taken-by=dcalin02
Cutting calories will do this. Totally natural. I just split my two upper body days in half because of this (so I now have 4 upper body days, heh). It’s the reason dieting sucks and is hard.
And you’re now down 2lbs. I think you went into panic mode when the scale didn’t move when you wanted it to.
It could be.Thank you for the reply!
You most likely overloading the workout or your fueling/ nutrition is not the best for your physiology. I personally think your may not be fueling optimally. So i would suggest tweak how and what you eat.
I eat 2400 calories right now
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Are you 6’2 or taller?
I’m 150 lbs 5’9 and my maintenance falls between 2200-2400 calories…
I would say for his size, that’s a bit low and agree on that…
Also, IF is not for everyone and maybe you are fasting longer than you need to as well… What is your window for eating? Are you filling your macros within these meals correctly and are you getting enough protein? How many grams per C/F/P is your current stats? Percentages don’t tell us anything.
Are you getting enough rest or sleep hours?
Also - if you are in a calorie deficit, if your macros are not working with your current ratios and if you’re practicing IF then doing HIIT on top of this, I would think you are taxing your body too much too fast…
Idk, just my opinion but it seems something is off maybe diet wise and you’re blasting your body with too much rather than focusing on a process that gives slow but steady results…
Ditch the intermitent fasting and eat through out the day. Might give you more fuel through out the day. If you want to stick with IF; how long of window are you eating and when are you working out compared to eating? You working out with nothing but a americano in your system? And are you eating 2400 “clean” calories in a 4 hour window because that is a lot of food to consume while eating clean.
I don’t really understand why this is relevant. Caloric needs are correlated with weight and activity level, not height.
Yeah. Maintenance. I’m at 2400 calories, losing ~1lb/week. My maintenance is “only” 500 calories over yours, and I got 60lbs on you.
I’m 35, sit a desk all day, then lounge at night. Everyone’s TDEE is going to be different, even those at the same weight. I assumed this was general knowledge, but apparently not.
OP, one of the things you need to do is realize that at this point the dieting progress is going to be intermittent. It doesn’t often come steady.
That said, of course you don’t want to waste 4 weeks not moving, but 2 weeks is a fair amount of time to see if you’re going to step down again like that 2 lb drop.
As far as calories, everybody is different. I don’t think you’re alarmingly low and it has been working for you, but everybody’s mileage varies. The best thing you can do to get the most mileage out of your calories is to put most of your carbs in meals immediately before/after weight training to allow you to fuel better and perform and recover better. The other best thing you can do is to not do intermittent fasting, but that’s just personal choice. People have gotten lean on it before. For my money i think it might be part of the reason you’re so drained at workouts.
The last thing you need to do is take your waist measurement, but do it at the belly button. Then if you have not lost any scale weight for a couple weeks, measure your belly button again to check. If the measurement has gone down then it’s no real worry. If the measurement hasn’t moved then it is time to reassess your dieting strategy again.
I dont think IF plays a role in my problem.Im not training fasted because I dont feel comfortable when i do so.My calories are not clean all the time.I aim to have at least 120g protein per day.I found that a higherish amount of fat is optimal for me.
My plan is to follow the advice RampantBagder gave me.Maybe a calorie intake is not that bad at all.The program he suggested is also centered around compound lifts but in addition some explosive movements are incorporated.
Im also in doubt with the next step im going to follow.In the future I want to train for strength/size with maintaining the conditioning portion but I dont like to jump from a program to another.
Yes, I agree and the reason why I agreed on his numbers being low is because he seems pretty active even based on his routine.