I’m being mental and need some help from anyone’s experiences/knowledge.
Like a previous post said I’m 165ish, 5’8" and 8% BF from keto and weekly refeed.
Im going to start eating more. I am going to sack my weekly refeed since I will be upping my carbs. Is that the correct thing to do?
I am guessing that I am going to naturally feel like I can bump up my training volume manipulating total reps & frequency. Is that as simple as it is in the planning?
After reading lots of threads and articles that seem to oppose each other I am not sure how to plan the relative length of each phase. Do I just go til I just seem fat then cut? Others say “minicycling” is a waste of time. I am concerned that I will lose too much mass cutting unless I am correct thinking that is when Carb cycling comes in until it turns Keto?
Maybe If i post pics of myself it will help to see if I have been ‘doing’ things right so far but not sure if it matters.
Thanks guys, and sorry for this going on and on about same shit.
You only lose muscle (to a significant degree) when you try to rush things and diet severely right off that bat. Are you competing, or plan on competing? Then no need to rush when you plan on dieting.
Same with fat gain. You only gain significant amounts of fat when you eat shit tons of food that your body doesn’t need.
And scrap the cheat/refeed day, you won’t be needing it, since you won’t be depriving your body.
[quote]protein-pro wrote:
not to be rude or something… but who measured the 8%
I have measured 100s of people and you are not on 8% according what i see…
10/11 at least![/quote]
If he’s not 8% BF, he obviously not that far off, so what’s the point?
If he is happy with how he looks, its ok. I dont want to insult him, he looks fine…but if his goal was/is to achieve the 8% it might not be the time to start gaining mass.
Depends if you take the mirror or the callipter to set your goal. (I want to get to 8% myself, but my sport is to get that actual number, not a good look in the mirror)
So…irregardless of what number I am at, is there any hidden treasure in getting a lower BF before I bulk? My goal wasn’t to hit 8% really, just get lean enough so I can respectfully start bulking because I was a bit on the softer side a few months ago.
[quote]protein-pro wrote:
If he is happy with how he looks, its ok. I dont want to insult him, he looks fine…but if his goal was/is to achieve the 8% it might not be the time to start gaining mass.
Depends if you take the mirror or the callipter to set your goal. (I want to get to 8% myself, but my sport is to get that actual number, not a good look in the mirror) [/quote]
Yeah he’s clearly fat as shit and needs to keep cutting.
/sarcasm
OP bump cals up to maintenance-+500 and start from there. It’s really a learn as you go process. If you’re pleased with progress week by week then keep coasting. The change may seem drastic at first since you’ll be introducing carbs and retaining water/glycogen, but it’ll even out and you’ll look/feel better with CHO back in your diet/training.
Fat gain is inevitable but you can minimize it with proper diet and nutrient timing. I’d say relax and enjoy your bulk until you are pushing the zipper apart on your jeans. Then reassess. Weekly pics are a good way to gauge progress.
[quote]protein-pro wrote:
not to be rude or something… but who measured the 8%
I have measured 100s of people and you are not on 8% according what i see…
10/11 at least![/quote]
I dont understand what you’re asking here…are you going to bring yourself out of a deficit and out of ketosis? If so, yeah get rid of the refeed day, it’s unneccessary. Was that it? You’re going to need to adapt as you go. Start eating more and lifting consistently and decide as you progress if you feel as though you’re putting on too much fat or if it’s acceptable and keep pushing forward. Hopefully you already understand that you’re going to put on some fat and to not yo-yo if your abs become a bit blurry.
By the way, since you’re going to be putting on some weight now I assume, start working those legs; especially your calves and hamstrings.
The same thing happened to me when I first started. I lifted for a little while and put on a bit of muscle and then thought “Oh boy I should get super shredded, I’ll look so siqq.” I got to a point where I honestly had hardly any fat when I pinched anywhere on my body (less than I do now), but I didn’t have abs sticking out. I just didn’t have enough muscle for the leanness to show. At the moment I have more fat that I can pinch than at that time and I have full abs. I don’t think he’s at a point where bodyfat measurement is relevant.
Honestly OP, start hitting it hard in the gym and eat smart and IMO I don’t find it unlikely that your abs might actually get MORE pronounced for a while as the impact of added muscle will far outweigh impact of any added fat visually. That was my experience at least when I was in a similar situation as you.
