Hello everyone. My end goal is to get stronger, bigger, leaner, etc. Same thing as pretty much everybody, right? My problem is that for the majority of my life, I really loved food (let’s be honest, I still do). I’m in the military, so I’ve always been forced to maintain a certain body fat % (no more than 22%), and I’ve done physical training daily for the past 6 years, but never any real lifting.
I’m currently deployed, with nothing to do but work and work out. Where I’m stuck is how much should I cut? In February, I was 210 and 22%. I completed a row marathon (42,195m) and the 10K KB swing challenge since then, and in mid-march, I was 200 and 18%. I’m currently sitting at 191, and my chest, abs, arms, legs, back, etc are all stronger and better looking than ever. I’m sitting at about 14-15% depending on who tapes me.
I’ve been following the 531 progression for my main lifts with a decent amount of accessory work to where I try to hit every body part at least twice a week.
Monday: Chest (531) and Biceps
Tuesday: Deadlift/back (531) and Shoulders
Wednesday: Squat/legs (531)
Thursday: Chest (more bodyweight intensive) and Biceps
Friday: OHP/Shoulders (531) and Back/Triceps
Saturday: Just move heavy shit around the gym. Farmer Carries, sled pulls/push, tire flips, whatever comes to mind until I want to die.
Sunday: Rest.
I’ve been doing this for about two months, and I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve been taking some basic supplements, as it’s tough to get a lot of stuff over here. But, I’m still in a caloric deficit and I miss eating food which leads to the crux of my post…
What body fat % should I aim to get at before shifting focus to building lean muscle mass? I plan to follow the guidance in the simple diet for athletes. Just eat right, adjust my calories accordingly, and work my way to massive.
Any help figuring out when the right time is to shift gears would be great. I still feel like I have fat to lose, but I also don’t want to miss out on the hard effort I’m putting in. Any and all thoughts are appreciated! Thanks everyone.