critique my routine and diet

[matryx]

I''m 5'8 and about 158lbs right now. I have been cutting since December 2008. When I started this diet I was 177lbs.

Here's my routine:

Monday - Chest/Tris
- Bench Press - 3x4-6 reps + 1 warm up set
- Incline Press - 3x5-8 reps
- Pec Dec Fly - 2x6-8 reps
- Dips - 2x10-12 reps
- CGBP - 2x10 reps
- Cable Pushdown - 2x8-10 reps

Wednesday - Back/Bis
- Deadlifts - 3x8-10 reps + 1 warm up set
(haven't been doing them for 2-3 weeks because of lower back injury)
-Lever Bent-over Row - 3x6-10 reps + 1 warm up set
- Wide Grip Chin Up - 2x7-10 reps
- Close Grip Chin Up - 2x6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Shruges - 3x8-12 reps
- Barbell Curls - 2x8-10 reps
- Preacher Curls 2x8-10 reps

Friday - Legs
- Squats - 3x8-10 reps + 1 warm up set
- Leg Curls - 3x6-8 reps
- Leg Extensions/Dumbbell Lunges - 3x6-8 reps
- Standing Calf Raise - 3x10-12 reps

I do cardio 1-2 times a week and plyometrics 2-4 times a week. I do my abs usually on my
cardio days which is 1-2 times a week. My calorie intake range from 2200-2600 calories.

Here's my typical meal plan:

7:00AM : Protein Shake with water
8:00AM : Half WW bread with low fat mayo and deli chicken, roast beef and kravkavoska saugsage
9:30-10:00AM: Half WW peanut butter sandwich
11:15AM: Rice with 4-6oz chicken breast/fish/lean beef with some type of vegetables.
12:30PM: Plyometrics for 25mins
2:00PM: Other half WW bread with low fat mayo and deli chicken, roast beef and kravkavoska saugsage
3:30-4:00PM: Other half WW peanut butter sandwich
6:00PM: Weightlifting at the yym
7:00PM: PWO protein shake with water
8:30PM: Rice with 4-8oz chicken breast/fish/lean beef with some type of vegetables.

My goal right now is to try to cut down my bodyfat so my abs can be more visible. I'm finding it harder at this stage. Should I consider bulking up first and cutting again later since I'm finding it harder to reduce my calorie intake even more.

Here's a picture of yesterdays meal. After I hit my goal of 160lbs at the beginning of the month. I have to admit that I have been off a little on my diet lately and gave in to my chocolate cravings.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/492/76331580.th.jpg (http://img119.imageshack.us/my.php?image=76331580.jpg)

[howie]

Here is my opinion,

You workout schedule looks good to me.

More cardio how about 30 mins low intensity (140BPM) before or after weight training. 3-4 times a week. As your body gets used to the cardio you may need to increase the time or intensity.

Next your diet. No bad but...

You get lots of protein but some of your choices are not that great. Deli meat, sausage etc = Salt = water retention.

You need to do some research and get some better fat choices in there.

If I were you I would consider switching to a low carb cylclic type diet. So what I would do is low carb (so macros like P/F/C 40/55/5) for 3 days then a high carb day (macros P/F/C 25/10/65) You need to make sure on those high carb days you plan carefully its not a cheat day but a refeed day. If you can't plan it that well then go low carb 6 days with one cheat meal on the 7th day and stick to that

If you are going to switch to this type of diet you would first need to run the low carb portion for 2 weeks then you can start to cycle. This worked really well for me without having to drop calories and starve.

I like the idea of bulking to 15% BF and cutting to 10% and then start again. Minimal fat gains.

Good luck

[CallmeB]

I wish I could diet Eating at 7am 8am 9am & 11am!
I agree with Howie, carb cycling is the way to go.. I do 4 low and 1 high 150g low 250g high. Sitting at about 2500 calories per day..

[matryx]

I do plyometrics for 25 minutes which I consider as cardio at least 3x a week at my work place during lunch. I am soaking wet after that. This is including maybe 1-2 thirty minutes on the stairmaster. I'll tried to make it 3x a week starting from now.

The weekend is where I usually slack off and because of transportation problems I can't get to the gym. I might just start doing more plyometrics, but I find out doing that 5x a week is really hard on my legs and knees. I'm still deciding on a joint supplement I can get for a decent price. I'm thinking of Controlled Labs Orange Triad.

As for my diet, I would have to look into that more. The deli meat I'm using are pretty lean though. I'm using extra leaned cooked chicken breast mostly in there. I know the sausage isn't good but I only put around 20gs of that in my sandwich.

This diet has been really great for me since I lost nearly 20lbs with it since January. But it seems that I will need to change it to get rid of the last bit of fat I want to lose to get my abs visible. I'm not sure how much BF% I'm at right now, but I'll post a picture up tonight and see if you guys can gauge how much BF% I'm at.

[tiramisu]

5' 8" - 158 pounds and cutting... wtf.

There is something fundamentally wrong right here unless you are a woman.

Get on a starting strength type program and start eating like a horse.
You are way way to small to be cutting.

[matryx]

What else can I do if I want to get my abs visible? I need to get my BF% lower so that's why I'm cutting, but I have been thinking of bulking back up to 170lbs and cutting again. Everybody got different goals and I'm not looking to get big. Just maybe alittle bigger and getting ripped.

[andymc]

5' 8" - 158 pounds and cutting... wtf.

There is something fundamentally wrong right here unless you are a woman.

Get on a starting strength type program and start eating like a horse.
You are way way to small to be cutting.

definitely agree, i think youll find that as you grow more muscle, it will be easier to cut down and get them abs out.

[matryx]

Here's a picture of January 18 and March 01. I'm waiting for the end of the month to take my April 01 Picture.

How much BF% am I at roughly?

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2910/critque.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=critque.jpg)

[Sean Summers]

Get rid of the bread.
SS

[matryx]

Really? It's only four slices a day. Well I'll try to reduce it to two slices a day and just eat it with my deli cut meat. That means I'll have to cut out my peanut butter sandwich :(.

Also are deli meat that bad? I'm not getting the pre-packaged ones. I'm getting the deli cut ones. It find that the pre-packed salty, but after I switch over to deli cut meat it tasted fine.


Edit: new pictures as of today

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/4938/45n77.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=45n77.jpg)


Get rid of the bread.
SS

[nisser]

Yeah, get real food.

You can eat oatmeal and then have a tbsp of peanut butter on the side.

ALso, nice progress but I hope you haven't touched gear yet.

[L3]

what kinds of ab excercises are u doing? from the pics it doesnt really look like you have any muscle there (not to be a jerk).... with a low enough bf and minimal ab work you should at least see some bumps...and considering you have vascularity in your biceps, its a little weird...

[matryx]

I should work abs more often, but I usually work them on my cardio days which is 2-3x a week.

My ab routine:
- Weighted crunches on the machine 3x15-20 reps
- Leg raises on the dip machine 3x15-20 reps
- Weight side crunches on the machine 3x10-12 reps
- Lever Back extension 3x12 reps

I'm having trouble with the lower abs, but more upper abs are there.
Your right my abs aren't really that visible. That's why I want to drop a few more BF%. I'll get another picture up with my abs. It's there but not ripped like how I want it.

nisser: What you mean by haven't touched gear yet?

[tiramisu]

If you want to work abs. Try heavy squats. When you get to around 405 you will have pretty good abs.

[matryx]

damn 405lbs? I'm not even close to that. Although I have to admit that I sometimes missed my leg workouts because of all the plyometrics I am doing.


Here's some more pictures. I'm having a really hard time losing the lower abdominal fat. I used to have a beer belly and most of the fat I gain over the year was around my waist.

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/8749/allp.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=allp.jpg)

[Sean Summers]

Get rid of all the bread and all the deli meats.
SS

[howie]

Get rid of all the bread and all the deli meats.
SS

Hey listen to Sean here you look bloated dude. Bread and deli meat are NOT good choices when cutting.

Also you said you where fat before is it possible that the skin around your abdomen is streched / damaged? If it is you can cut forever and it will never go away.

The reason I ask this is I have this problem. Disappointing but I'm not sure I want a tummy tuck to remove loose skin.

Also can I ask why you are so focused on plyometrics? They are typically used for some sort of specific sport conditioning.

If you are missing leg workouts because of Plyometrics then maybe just for now you should condsider stopping for a while.

If it where me I would do this:

Weight training 4 x per week with 30 mins cardio before (good warm up) or after (if is taking some energy and strength away from weight training).

Look into the Scivation Tri-Phase training program (minus the sales pitch at the end). Here

You need to build your abs.

Squats
Front Squats these are awsome for core work
Deadlifts

Specific abdominal excersises 2 times per week

My 2 cents

[howie]

Sorry here

http://www.scivationbooks.com/triphase.htm

[O-Train]

My ab routine:
- Weighted crunches on the machine 3x15-20 reps
- Leg raises on the dip machine 3x15-20 reps
- Weight side crunches on the machine 3x10-12 reps
- Lever Back extension 3x12 reps


None of those are good exercises (imo). Heavy compound exercises and get someone to show you how to do a proper abdominal crunch with TVA activation.

[matryx]

I was not really fat. I just had a gut from all the drinking I been doing and fast food.
I follow the P90X Plyometric video during my lunch break. I can subsitute it with skipping for 30 mintues if that's better. I can only spend a little over an hour in the gym so I won't be able to hit the weights and do the cardio the same day.

I have been doing deadlifts but was off it for three weeks because of an injury. I'll keep working on Squats and learn the Front Squats.

I usually do cardio with abs. What kind of ab workout should I be doing at the time. What is TVA activation?

[L3]

for me personally the best results for abs come with stretching under tension... ill try to explain

your stomach needs to be in constalty flexed state during the workout, this usually requires you to hold your breath... basically you would do a regualar cruch on a flat surface (no need for decline), on the up phase your stomach should be rock hard and you are pulling up with those muscles, not your lower back, imagine trying to push your shoulders into your pelvis, NOT lifting your shoulders to your knees. when u reach the peak (5-7 inches above the ground, NOT at the top of your knees), hold it there, then slowly, very slowly, start lowering your shouldrs, while will having your stomach tight tight tight, and strech out the muscles... when your shoulders touch the ground, pull them back even more to give a good abdominal strech, then keep the stomach flexed TIGHT and pull up again....when you do it right you will feel it because it hurts like a bitch, i cant get more than 15-20 GOOD reps in like that per set

for lower abs, i do hanging leg raises, again i have a really really deep strech usually arching my back till i hear it pop, then i flex the area below my bellybutton and try to pull up my legs, when i get to the top i usually curl up my butt, then do a very very slow agonizing release streching the lower abdominals... its really about visualising the lower abdominal muscle in your mind and forcing that part of your body to pull up your legs

[waderow]

you need more cardio

you look young so eat eat eat and train train train

deadlift, bench, squat.....repeat

[howie]

I was not really fat. I just had a gut from all the drinking I been doing and fast food.
I follow the P90X Plyometric video during my lunch break. I can subsitute it with skipping for 30 mintues if that's better. I can only spend a little over an hour in the gym so I won't be able to hit the weights and do the cardio the same day.

I have been doing deadlifts but was off it for three weeks because of an injury. I'll keep working on Squats and learn the Front Squats.

I usually do cardio with abs. What kind of ab workout should I be doing at the time. What is TVA activation?

Okay so it's not streched skin. Good.

As far as the plyometrics great for speed and strength of the legs but will not engage as much core (abs / obliques) as compound movements like squats and deadlifts. Plus if it is interfering with recovery with legs then you may be short changing yourself.


For me with my body type and age I put on fat around my midsection. I do low intensity cardio all the time even when bulking. If you skip thats good but don't go crazy LOW intensity so you don't burn muscle up.

Watch form on those deads or they will rip up your lower back up if you don't do them right.

[matryx]

I will reduce plyometrics to maybe 1-2 times a week so I can work on my legs more. Looks like missing those leg days are not helping with my cutting phase. I'll try to be more consistent on that.

I usually watch my form on deadlifts since I'm still new to it. I probably did like 3-4 workouts before I hurt my lower back doing them. I was pretty dissappointed because I love doing those and had to stop for a few weeks. Oh was I in pain when I hurt it! I couldn't bend down or make any quick movements for a few weeks and was in pain constantly.

I started deadlifting this week again just this past Wednesday. It was good getting into it again and started a little lighter to get used to it again.

Well I'm going to cut the bread and deli meat out since everyone is suggesting that.
What do you guys suggest eating for breakfast and snacks during the day to replace that?

[tiramisu]

This is just silly, p90x and bread and deli meat.... stop and listen.

try reading here ....
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki
read it all twice. I wish I had at your age. It took me till I was 40 to figure it out.
consider buying Rippetoes book.

-- If you are doing a starting strength program at your age then you will be eating like 2 growing boys to keep up with the calorie requirements.
A well balanced diet plus a gallon of milk a day once you get going is almost enough.

Check out the videos for proper exercise form.
Form is important you can't train if you injure yourself


If you really find you must do p90x useless type crap...
then...
www.crossfit.com
They know a tremendous amount about general fitness although most there will tell you to start with Starting Strength as well because

You are too darn small to be cutting despite carrying 20% bodyfat.

or alternately instead of putting on 30 pounds of muscle on your frame you can keep trying to get down to 120 pounds of lean nothing.

[tiramisu]

... and just in case your gonna ask don't even think about drugs.

Follow the starting strength program at your age and weight and you will see gains that us old guys can't hope for in 6-8 months.

[matryx]

I think I've already read some of that. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link this, but let me know if it's against the rules.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Although I didn't follow it strictly I took the what felt I could do out of it. Those exercises are all part of my routine except the power clean and the press.

I only do plyometrics out of P90x. It is the only exercise I can do during my lunch with a small amount of time. I'm also on the stairmaster 1-2 times a week for 30 mins. I'm going to try to increase the amount though to 2-3 times a week.

I'll take you guys advice and take out the bread and deli meat out of my diet.

Thanks for all the input guys.

[tiramisu]

Plyometrics are an excellent way of developing explosive power for sport once you have developed a strength base. Doing plyometrics properly is extremely demanding and is likely to be a great way of injuring yourself if you haven't built a proper strength base.

I'm not sure exactly what you think Plyometrics are but I sincerely doubt you are doing them. P90x is better than sitting on the couch but only slightly better.
Tudor Bompa has some decent work on the appropriate use of plyometrics in a periodized athletes program in his books that is worth reading but it is really mostly tagetted at advanced/elite athletes

As a novice strength athlete you need to develop at least a high intermediate strength level before specializing in bodybuilding, powerlifting, specific sport strength training.

By "you need to" I mean if you follow a basic starting strength program and eat and
sleep you will grow more muscle more quickly with more strength in one year than if you do anything else.

Once you reach an intermediate strength level the rules start to change a bit. The starting strength wiki helps to explain this but a fair bit is about learning how your body reacts to exercise.

[tiramisu]

Jim Wendler from elitefts speaking on training
http://strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4482

[O-Train]

I was not really fat. I just had a gut from all the drinking I been doing and fast food.
I follow the P90X Plyometric video during my lunch break. I can subsitute it with skipping for 30 mintues if that's better. I can only spend a little over an hour in the gym so I won't be able to hit the weights and do the cardio the same day.

I have been doing deadlifts but was off it for three weeks because of an injury. I'll keep working on Squats and learn the Front Squats.

I usually do cardio with abs. What kind of ab workout should I be doing at the time. What is TVA activation?

Abdominal work is all about feel not the amount of weight you lift. Aside from the obvious work they get stabalizing your body during exercises (mostly closed chain exercises like squats, pushups etc...).

When directly trying to target the abs you want to not only activate the external muscles (external obliques/rectus abdominus) but also the internal obliques and the TvA (transverse Abdominus). The internal "deep" muscles are what provides you with core stability. The easiest way to explain TvA activation is suck your belly button in towards your body. That's basically it.

You want the muscles to be constantly activated (always under tension). I just do bodyweight exercises like crunches (with some variations like twisting and or raising the legs, bicycling etc). Avoid machines, side bends are useless because the resistance isn't in line with the obliques.

[matryx]

I've decided to get the book Starting Strength since I been hearing a lot of good things about it and also RobertF suggesting it.


Abdominal work is all about feel not the amount of weight you lift. Aside from the obvious work they get stabalizing your body during exercises (mostly closed chain exercises like squats, pushups etc...).

When directly trying to target the abs you want to not only activate the external muscles (external obliques/rectus abdominus) but also the internal obliques and the TvA (transverse Abdominus). The internal "deep" muscles are what provides you with core stability. The easiest way to explain TvA activation is suck your belly button in towards your body. That's basically it.

You want the muscles to be constantly activated (always under tension). I just do bodyweight exercises like crunches (with some variations like twisting and or raising the legs, bicycling etc). Avoid machines, side bends are useless because the resistance isn't in line with the obliques.

Thanks for explaining in detail about the abs workouts and TVA. Really good info and will help me on my ab routine.