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Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
#1

Hey…Im new to the site…had a personal trainer come and talk to my class and recommended the site…I started getting in to training towards the end of February and was 5’11, 260 lbs, 26% body fat. I have worked out 5X a week and followed a fairly close diet fairly close to the following:
Breakfast:
Fresh juice using 2 carrots and 2 apples
3 Eggs
Black Coffee

Lunch:
Grilled Chicken Breast
Salad
water

Dinner:
Grilled/Baked Chicken Breast
Baked sweet potato
water

Post-workout:
whey protein shake

and snacks every 2-3 hours:
peanuts, beef jerkey, etc.

About a month ago I had everything retested and was 5’11, 216 lbs, and 11.01% body fat. I am in a rut and can’t seem to cut the last bit of fat I want to cut. My trainer at home told me the only area I needed improvement on was my abdomen which I already knew. Just looking for any suggestions to get over the hump. Thanks a lot for the help!!!

#2

Most posters here are going to want to know a a few more specifics including details on your training and diet.

For starters though you likely have some reading to do. Check out the TDawg 2.0 diet, it would be ideal and go to the testosterone.net main page and click the FAQ and select a good training program, Fat to Fire or Meltdown will be good.

If you have money, supplements like HotRoxx and Methoxy will be incredibly helpful for getting that last bit of gut off. Check out the Hot Roxx challenge for some examples of results.

Training wise incorporating HIIT or even just some 100m sprints once a week will really help to get that last bit of gut off also.

It seems that for most males the “gut” problem is a result on not paying attention to insulin. Stay away from cokes and such (you basically don’t want to spike your insulin levels and then cram your body full of food) eat meals consisting of P+C or P+F. You’ll need to read up on TDawg and Massive Eating for further explanations.

Again, this is just for starters, but you are well on your way… just stick with it.

#3

Throw your age up for us, too.

I wonder if the trainer who spoke to your class is anyone we know?

#4

Off the top of my head? Eat more. At your weight, it sounds like you’re not getting enough calories to effectively lose weight, and your body has gone into starvation mode.

But yes, more info would be nice.

#5

alright…I am 20 years old and my training is the following:
M,Th-chest and bicep
Tues,Fri-back and tricep
Wed-Shoulder Leg

Chest:
Flat Bench: 4 sets of 6-10
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets of 10-12
Decline Flies: 4 sets of 10-12

Biceps:
Incline DB Curls: 4 sets of 10-12
EZ-Bar Curls: 4 sets of 10-12
Cable Hammer Curls: 4 sets of 10-12

Back:
Lat Pull-Downs: 4 sets of 10-12
Seated Rows: 4 sets of 10-12
Back Extensions: 4 sets of 15

Triceps:
Decline Skull Crushers: 4 sets of 10-12
Cable Kick-Backs: 4 sets of 10-12
Rope push downs: 4 sets of 10-12

Shoulders:
Shoulder Press: 4 sets of 10-12
Side RAises: 4 sets of 10-12
Rear Delts: 4 set of 10-12

Legs:
Leg curls: 4 sets of 10-12
Leg Xtens: 4 sets of 10-12
Front Squats: 4 sets of 10-12
Seated Calf Raises: 4 sets of 10-12

C/V: I am a phys-ed major so 2-3 of my classes require some sort of warm-ups with sprinting or jogging. Also have a 1-2 miles of walking from my house to campus and back and between classes every day.

I also do not drink coke or anything. THe only drinks that I have are the juice in the morning and water and occasionally will have a diet coke. I follow the diet that I posted earlier except change the meat up once in a while to turkey or a hamburger or something like that. Also have one day a week that I eat more of what I want.
Thanks for the help with articles to read. I do not remember the trainers name but he was not nationally known with training but had competed well at some national bodybuilding comps.

#6

Its extremely sad that physical education classes do not do a better job of preparing their students in the area of fitness. I would suggest you get Supertraining and start reading it. Also read as many books as you can on the conjugate method and/or the Westside Method. As a physical education teacher, you are more than likely gonna teach a weight training class. You arent going to get that info in school and you owe it to your athletes to know what you are talking about instead of just doing a program because Nebraska does it.

#7

I agree with char, I think your body has gone into starvation mode and will no longer allow you to lose fat, probably wants to burn muscle instead. Eat more and reset your metabolism.

Nice post goldberg, yes it would be nice to see a phys ed teacher who actually knows about lifting. Out of the 6 phys ed teachers I had in junior/senior high I would say only 1 of them knew about lifting, and one other one was good with cardio. The rest were just guys with degrees and no practical application skills.

#8

agrees with goldberg
I had one phys ed teacher who had told us he was a big time weight lifter. He tried to get us into weight lifting, but this was only a summer make-up gym course. And while he tried to motivate us, I think he sort of left the choice in our hands (especially since, it took us 10min to walk to the gym from the summer class “Garage” and then we only had 15-20min in the gym, just to walk back for 10min) At one point he had said to me personally I should weightlift more, as I had talent (talent being I was not only stronger than the girls, but I could outlift all the guys in almost everything), and me being uninformed said “I dont want to get bulky, Otherwise I would”… he tried to explain but by then my brain had shut off. I really wish now I had used that opportunity. I think you definitely owe it to your students to give them the opportunity, but more so, explain to them the myths & facts about weight lifting especially to the young women(Its also a damn lot more fun lifting than running around a track!)

Lauren

#9

  1. You’re not eating enough. I suggest adopting either John Berardi’s “Don’t Diet” plan or the T-Dawg 2.0 diet. Check the FAQ for the links to the articles, read and crunch numbers accordingly.

  2. Need more information on your sprinting and jogging activities. Either way, read Christian Thibaudeau’s “Running Man” article.

  3. Your weight training isn’t very good, in my opinion. The reps are too high while dieting. Most of us prefer a ‘maximal weights’ routine while dieting, in order to preserve or possibly gain strength. 5x5, 6x3, 5/4/3/2/1, wave loading, 1/6… check 'em out. (Also, for the heck of it, check out Charles Staley’s EDT dieting program here: Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION)

  4. Your leg day blows. Starting off with leg curls and extensions? Sheesh.

As your finding out, it gets a lot harder moving below 11%BF than it is getting below 15%. If you really want to progress, you’re going to have to have your business in order. In particular this means keeping a food log and known exactly what macronutrients your bringing in.

#10

Although the post sounded a little harsh, I agree with everything Ike said. (Except for where he mis-used “your” in his final paragraph. That was wrong.)

Basically, you’ve reached the point where you’re going to have to totally re-think your strategy. Your body is not the same now as it was when you were starting out. You’re actually in pretty good shape at this point, as opposed to being a fat-ass. So, congratulations!

My recomendations:

First, totally STOP dieting for about two weeks. Go ahead and eat what you want, just make sure to get enough protein. Yes, you’re going to gain some weight back. Don’t worry about it. You need to re-set your metabolism.

Second, find a different workout. I’d take a look at something like 5x5 and follow it for six weeks or so. The first two weeks will be with the no-diet approach, the last month will be while dieting again. You should see further gains.

Third, try some Hot-rox. It’s a little pricey for a guy your age, probably, but it works well and will give you a leg up.

Fourth (and this relates to point number two), get rid of all those isolation exercises you’ve got in your workout. Stop training arms directly, stop with the leg curls and extensions, and start using more of the large compound movements (squats, pull-ups, bench press, bent rows, push-presses, like that). These are the best (by far) for stimulating your metabolism.

Fifth, on your non-training days, try some HIIT. See CT’s Running Man article in the T-mag archives.

Good luck!