I'll Never Do TBT Again

I had been using different forms of it for the last 3 years, and I’ve made OKAY gains. I could never wrap my mind around “doing the same workouts bodybuilders do”, because my main focus is my athletic career. I compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and occasionally fight MMA) full time. With morning class (open mat) going from 12-2 then going back to help teach kids class from 5-6, then my own training again from 6-9, it’s safe to say I’m busy and I work my body to it’s limit daily, training 6 hours a day (skill work only) or more.

This is not a “look how awesome I am” rant. I’ve tried different programs in hopes of getting significantly stronger to gain whatever advantage I could, and TBT always seemed the best option for my tight schedule, and knowing that I wouldn’t have much recovery capacity left for lifting as it is (BJJ comes first). I finally gave a body part split a try (shoulders/legs, back/bis, chest/tris, 6 days a week) and I’m LOVING it. In the last 2 weeks, I’ve seen the gains come like when I first discovered weight training.

I’m actually spending significantly more time in the gym than before, (more days, sessions about the same length) yet still recovering better than I ever have. My only “issue” if you will, is gaining too much muscle. You see, this form of working out has drastically increased my appetite, and I’m putting on muscle, which means going up in weight. I feel as though I need this amount of food and total calories to recover from all that I’m doing.

However, I’d prefer to stay in the weight class that I’m in, due to the fact that I’ve been competing at this weight since 2006, I’m just really comfortable here. Does anyone have any info/suggestions as to how to recover fully, but keep my weight down? I’d prefer to keep the body part split, as I really enjoy both the gains, and the style of lifting itself (slightly higher rep ranges, less joint/tendon stress). Wasn’t sure if I should come here, or the combat section, but after seeing as many fighters diets as I have, I much more trust a bodybuilder to tell me how I should be eating.

Thank you guys for bearing with me and reading this huge wall of text. Any comments/criticism/fuck you being small is teh gheyz, welcome.

Learn to run some proper paragraph spacing.

Slowly lower your overall caloric intake, while keeping protein high, until you stop gaining weight. It’s called eating “at maintenance.”

Son, it’s okay to hit enter after you’ve…ya know…finished a line of thought and wish to start a new one.

mmmmmk?

Haha, I’ll admit, I expected some flack over my ability to relate my question in my own first language! It’s my fault for not paying better attention in school! No hard feelings, I knew I’d get flamed for it. Also, thank you very much, Kingbeef, for the serious advice, even though I guess all of the advice was pertinent in one way or another.

Did it occur to you that maybe the reason why your gains are better now is BECAUSE of gaining more muscle? Which is a result of giving your muscles more TUT and more food (plus longer recovery between hits)?

Other than that, agreed with KB, keep calories at maintenance…just don’t expect the gaining phases to last as long/be as amplified.

Maybe I should just blast the calories and see where it gets me by the time I compete again in late October. I’m really surprised that I’m gaining muscle with all the extra work. I really enjoy the workouts, concentrating on only a couple of areas per workout.