I am perplexed. Should I follow a ketosis, zone diet or 1250 type eating program. I am 6’4 and weigh 340 @ 25%BF. I guess I would be catergorized as an endomorph. I am former College football player and am used to powerlifting as opposed to BB. Should I lose the fat and corresponding strength or Gain muscle and lose fat through calorie deficits?
Darren,
I’m interested to hear what people say, as I haven’t tried all the diets. However, I’m trying to put on lean muscle and have been following John Berardi’s massive eating guidelines. The reason I want to point out this diet is that I think it can work for you, no matter if you use a gaining or losing calorie count. Take me for instance. I’ve been eating a ton and have been gaining muscle … however, I keep losing body fat! Although my weight hasn’t changed, I’ve lost 5 pounds of fat while eating like a horse! So I suppose I’ve gained 5 pounds of muscle since, like I said, my weight hasn’t changed. For a workout routine, try German Body Comp program. You won’t need to do any cardio at all, you’ll sweat like a pig, and still be working your muscles, so you shouldn’t compromise any of your muscle mass as the fat drips off. Good luck! And drink a ton of water. MD6 and T2 may help too.
I feel your pain my man. I’m also a former college football player. I started Fat Fast a month ago. I was 6’5" 302 at about 20% BF. Now I’m 278, and I’ve lost 4" off my waist. Still working to try to get to 250. My thought process was, lose the fat first and accept the fact you’ll lose some muscle mass and strength. Once you get to a good BF %, you can start building your strength back. It’s really up to you. I’ve been done with football for a few years and it seem that ketogenic diets are what really work for me. It’s just a matter of keeping the weight off!
A lot of our linemen have gone to something like the “Massive Eating” plan to lose weight preseason. And it seems to be working well. Just reduce the calories suggested in the article. If anyone wants to see the details of how this is working (and it is) let me know and I’ll put together a bit of a report after preseason.
Bruscar, you said 4 inches in a month? I’m 6’4" 320, at about 20% bodyfat, and still playing college ball, but I wanted to get back to 300, I’ve been on t-dawg, and I brought me down from 345, but it took bout 3 months, but do you think fat fast would leave someone too depleted to play? I’ve got till July is over, basically, and do any of you think GVT is too much while on fat fast, leave you over trained?
Mike, I think Fat Fast could work for you. As long as you only do it in the off season. I’m assuming Spring ball is over by now, and you’ll have a few months this summer before you report to camp. This would be the perfect time to give it a shot. You won’t be able to make huge gains in your off-season workouts, but if you take Tribex or something you should be able to maintain your strength. The trade off in improved speed could be worth it. I got down to 300 from 350 after back surgery on a ketogenic type diet, but that took months! Fat Fast is taking the weight off like crazy. Losing 20 lbs should be no problem by the end of July. You’ll lose 10 of water in a week! Good Luck!
Bruscar, how many calories did you take in? I know I was figuring it up, and affording to do the Protein Shakes and Udo’s was going to take up most of my scholarship check, but I might’ve been runnin a little high on the numbers, always scares me not taking enough protein in. I live and die with my strength and punch, and losing it, I was worried about that, and it’s a little off topic, but what do you think about XXXL T-rone shirts, should we be pushin Chris, or should we be trying to get down to XXL?
Hey Mike Smith,
I would push for a XXXLT T-rone shirt.
Everyone,
I tried the German Body Composition and it felt like “stations” all over again minus the mat and cone drills. Good workout!
I have tried to stay away from machines but have found difficulty hitting the back well. I can only do 4 pull ups and I have tried slowing them down. I was wondering if anyone has a better alternative?
Plus flyes on exercise ball are wonderful. Full range of motion and good back support.
Hope, I didn’t ramble to much
Hey i would buy at least a half a dozen Testosterone shirts if they came in XXXL or atleast XXL. It Perplexes me all we talk is about gaining size and XL is the biggest T-MEN shirt. The massive eating Diet is working great for me i have lost 56 lbs in 3 1/2 months.
So Chris, what do you think? Make some t-rone shirts for us that aren’t quite goin for the fitness model look. I know I’d want 3 or 4. Sounds like I’m not the only one, and Darren, to hit my back, I don’t know how well it works for everyone else, but I always like doin hang cleans and barbell rows for my back, I can’t do enough chin ups yet to get much from them, but I can if I have my feet up on something, so I been workin my way up to 5 sets of 10 of those, and then we’ll see if I can get more than 6 chins, just an idea though.
Darren, I can’t believe you brought up Mat Drills. I was finally able to suppress those memories… now I have to start all over!!! As far as hitting the back, I do T-bar rows. They seem to work pretty well. I also do pull-ups, but like many our size, I can’t do very many. Mike I forgot to mention. If you can afford some MD6 and/or T2, hit it. They work wonders!
I hate that I use to take the football gym for granted. My current gym is cross between bally’s and golds. Two power racks and five smith machines, and forty cardio machines…That’s just wrong. I miss platforms, eleiko weights, medicine balls and chalk! I wonder if it too much of a liabilty to have olympic platforms in today’s gyms. Does anyone know of gym in Northern Virginia that is for powerlifters?
Sounds like a plan, I’m working as a trainer this summer, yeah, I know, don’t laugh, I’m not selling out and training Bill Phillips style, I can’t do that to myself, but that sound give me the cash to get any supplements I need, Darren, where you at in Northern VA, I can talk to some of my friends around there, see if they got any ideas, if it’s near baltimore, I know that’s not in VA, but close. And if you can’t find anything, I’ve noticed the best place I ever found to train was a boxing gym, not a whole lot of equipment, just the basics, but at least it wasn’t like a health spa, those things drive me nuts, more talk than work.
Hey im in Northern Virginia also so if you find a place let me know. Im in Gold’s and they have a some (as in very few)Eguipment but they are to wimpy in the rules and to many newbies doing freeking bicep curls on the squat rack!!! Anyways i get it done anywhere but let me know if you find anything deacent in NVA. Hey i would go on the massive diet rather than the fast fast build muscle and thr est will follow (or was it free your mind???)
I’m taking in about 2000 calories a day. Half from Flax Seed Oil and the other from my protein. I’m lifting hard 3 times a week, then doing a hour of intense cardio work 3 times a week, and one day off. I’m also taking MD6, T2 and Androsol. I’m not sure you can afford all that on the meager scholarship checks. You might want to check with the team doc about Androsol. I’m not sure how that will effect the “random” NCAA drug tests. I don’t think you’ll lose enough strength that it would adversely effect your punch. But, the speed you could gain could really help your cut-offs and pulls.
Bruscar, thanks for the info, 2000 cals a day, this should get interesting, right now I’ve been taking in about 6-7 thousand a day, yeah, T2 and MD6, which one you see the best results with, I doubt I can afford both, but I could afford one this summer pretty easily
Mike, If I had to pick… I would go with T2. They are both great, but I can really feel the T2 working. Increased heart rate, increased body temp… that kind of stuff. The thing about MD6 is that it helps suppress your appetite, which is a bonus if you are going to be taking in about 2000 cal. If you can handle the hunger pains, go with T2.
Hey Big Daddy,
I currently train at Jungle’s Gym in West Springfield. Which Gold’s do you work out at. I know of the Bracklick and Route 1 golds.
I work two weeks in NVA and two in Jacksonville. The hotel I stay at gives me a free membership to the Golds. I am excited that I lost 3 lbs last week with no loss in strength. I am doing a variation on the massive eating for the next few weeks. The German BC program is an ego crusher. I am planning on cycling through 1.5 more weeks of GBC and then do a maximal weights for 3-4 weeks and then try GVT after that. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Darren