Looking for some insight

Hi everyone,

This is my first post as I'm fairly new to this site and I'm hoping I can get some helpful insight. I've gone through a few of the post in various categories which I've benefited from tremendously. I hope my questions aren't redundant so here it goes.

I've been back in the gym training for the past year after being away for awhile and have been making steady progress but feel I've hit a roadblock. I'm 35yrs old, 6' 220lbs. I eat very clean and cook 85% of my meals. I currently take in about 300-320gr/ protein 80-100gr fat and 200gr of carbs a day. I hit the gym hard at least 5x a week for at least 1.5hr and that's with no texting or chatting, straight business. I try to get in one or two 4km runs a week for the cardio aspect. I take short breaks between sets and go heavy for reps so I'm literally drenched when I leave the gym. However I haven't been getting soar except for my legs in the past 3-4 months which I find odd.

I've been trying to lose the mid-section fat but it just seems to not want to leave and I haven't been able to bring my weight down to 210 lean which is what I'm aiming for. It seems like there's only two types of diets which are cutting and bulking however I just want to gain lean muscle while losing the fat and not sacrifice the muscle I've been working so hard at packing on this past year.

What I take now is protein/hcl creataine/bcaa/glut/d-aspatic/pre-workout/omega's/multi/vit d+c+ b/cayenne/ginko/

I was pushing heavier 6months ago albeit I had a partner then. However I feel as though my gains are stagnant.

A typical day for me looks like this:

7:30am Protein shake (2 scoops)
9am 1 cup egg whites + 2 protein pancakes with blueberries
11am Quest bar
1pm lean ground beef + 1 cup basmati +veggies
3:30pm Chicken breast + sweet potato +broccolli
5pm Hit the gym
7pm Post shake (2 scoops)
8:30 Salmon steak + home fries
Sometimes a shake before bed as well

This week I've also started going to the gym for a quick 45min session at 6am to do accessory lifts for the body part I trained the evening before. I've also cut out the quest bar and protein pancakes this week and started having a powerade during my workout for the fuel. I have issues waking up at night so I never get a continuous sleep. I'd say I average 5-6 a night which I know probably sounds ridiculous. I don't drink coffee but rather have at least two servings of green tea a day and I feel great. Since starting the split sessions this week I've been able to catch a nap after work which I've never done before and feels great.

So with all this said I'd like to know if someone sees anything wrong with what I'm doing or if there's something better I could be doing to get the results I'm after.

Thanks in advance to all

You need to decide on a specific goal..ie drop body fat and get lean or add some significant muscle. Once you decide you can then put a plan into action. The way things are now...you wont drop much fat and you wil probably just maintain. Also the running is going to kill most of your muscular gains and does nothing for fat loss.

P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Praetorian

You need to decide on a specific goal..ie drop body fat and get lean or add some significant muscle. Once you decide you can then put a plan into action. The way things are now...you wont drop much fat and you wil probably just maintain. Also the running is going to kill most of your muscular gains and does nothing for fat loss.

P

---

1-2 x 4km runs in a week will not kill muscle gains. I'll agree that on its own it won't do much for fatloss. Diet is where you'll notice 90% of your fatloss which is probably a little high on calories if you want to lose bodyfat. Just a ballpark guess since it depends how much of the foods you are eating. ex, how many home fries, and how much beef, and so on. I'd say you can probably get away with most of what your doing and eating now, and just skipping out on a bit of the food before bed and start progressing. IE - ditch the home fries and you'll probably continue to lose unless you make up for calories elsewhere because you'll eventually start getting hungrier.

slow and steady wins the race. If you feel you hit a roadblock, it may or may not be true - since no one can steadily make noticeable gains workout after workout. If you structure your plan towards hitting PRs for reps at different weight ranges, you don't necessarily need to improve too much to be progressing forward. EX. if you bench 2 plates every workout, its hard to add a rep every time you workout. But if you start at 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255, and try to break your own PR everyworkout, you only end up doing that 2 plates every 6 workouts - much easier to measure steady small improvement.s.

Running kills my quads.

Thanks for the reply Praetorian. I guess you're also of the school of two diets. Cut or bulk! The running doesn't do anything to my muscle mass and as I mentioned "I try" which means I don't always get around to it every week. It's more just for cardio and because I work in IT and sit in front of a computer 8hrs a day so it does a body good to run and get some fresh air in the lungs I think :) Appreciate the feedback though.

I agree with you Steve D about the running as it's only caused me to lose water. Once again it's not really for fatloss but rather just to do some cardio as I hate the treadmill and elliptical. I honestly though I was under calories as most guys my size are in the 4000's and I barely hit 3000 now that I'm only having red meat 3-4 times a week. And even when I had meat everyday the highest was 3500. About the home fries that's maybe once or twice a week and maybe a handful. I have IBS/high lactose intolerance and a bunch of sensitivities so I really can't cheat much. How many calories would you recommend I aim for Steve?
Very true Steve, slow and steady. I started going back to 3-4 sets of the same weight instead of pyramiding which kind of threw me off. I gather you're a bigger fan of pyramiding that let's say straight sets ?
I was really afraid that lowering my nutritional intake would cause a loss in muscle but it seems I'm mistaken?! Really appreciate your feedback Steve!

@Cog.... Running kills your quads? It should give them a good pump which is nice from time to time...lol

Thanks for the reply Praetorian. I guess you're also of the school of two diets. Cut or bulk! The running doesn't do anything to my muscle mass and as I mentioned "I try" which means I don't always get around to it every week. It's more just for cardio and because I work in IT and sit in front of a computer 8hrs a day so it does a body good to run and get some fresh air in the lungs I think :) Appreciate the feedback though.

I agree with you Steve D about the running as it's only caused me to lose water. Once again it's not really for fatloss but rather just to do some cardio as I hate the treadmill and elliptical. I honestly though I was under calories as most guys my size are in the 4000's and I barely hit 3000 now that I'm only having red meat 3-4 times a week. And even when I had meat everyday the highest was 3500. About the home fries that's maybe once or twice a week and maybe a handful. I have IBS/high lactose intolerance and a bunch of sensitivities so I really can't cheat much. How many calories would you recommend I aim for Steve?
Very true Steve, slow and steady. I started going back to 3-4 sets of the same weight instead of pyramiding which kind of threw me off. I gather you're a bigger fan of pyramiding that let's say straight sets ?
I was really afraid that lowering my nutritional intake would cause a loss in muscle but it seems I'm mistaken?! Really appreciate your feedback Steve!

@Cog.... Running kills your quads? It should give them a good pump which is nice from time to time...lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steve_d

1-2 x 4km runs in a week will not kill muscle gains. I'll agree that on its own it won't do much for fatloss. Diet is where you'll notice 90% of your fatloss which is probably a little high on calories if you want to lose bodyfat. Just a ballpark guess since it depends how much of the foods you are eating. ex, how many home fries, and how much beef, and so on. I'd say you can probably get away with most of what your doing and eating now, and just skipping out on a bit of the food before bed and start progressing. IE - ditch the home fries and you'll probably continue to lose unless you make up for calories elsewhere because you'll eventually start getting hungrier.

slow and steady wins the race. If you feel you hit a roadblock, it may or may not be true - since no one can steadily make noticeable gains workout after workout. If you structure your plan towards hitting PRs for reps at different weight ranges, you don't necessarily need to improve too much to be progressing forward. EX. if you bench 2 plates every workout, its hard to add a rep every time you workout. But if you start at 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255, and try to break your own PR everyworkout, you only end up doing that 2 plates every 6 workouts - much easier to measure steady small improvement.s.

---

I disagree on the running Steve...not only is it detrimental to our joints and muscle building but it takes time away from ding much more efficient cardio work. It may not kill all gains but it definitely slows gains and works against you in a big way.
P

Keep in mind, he said 4km once or twice a week. Even out of shape this is no more than a 20-25 minute run/jog. Sure, I'll agree that there are better ways depending ultimately on your goals - but for people who enjoy running, its not something to avoid unless you have really bad problems with your joints/hips/etc. Not everyone is built the same way, and there are some people that running is easier than others. Take Eric Alstrup... once ifbb pro, now natural pro in another organization. Still running long races + training and still a bigger set of wheels than many enhanced lifters.

Yes, ever since I stopped endurance training / running swimming cycling and triathlons, I've gained size on my legs - however, the negative it had on me during that time was far less than you'd expect.

Detrimental is a strong word if you ask me! I know where your coming from as your advice is always related to 'optimal'... My advice is more related to 'it's not as bad as it sounds'. I think the reason many people are steered away from the gym is because some people feel the only way to get results is to eat 'like a bodybuilder' or train like a fanatic. It's just not true and there are other ways to getting healthy and fit... Now, I'm not saying join a crossfit gym just yet, lol.

Thanks for the reply Praetorian. I guess you're also of the school of two diets. Cut or bulk! The running doesn't do anything to my muscle mass and as I mentioned "I try" which means I don't always get around to it every week. It's more just for cardio and because I work in IT and sit in front of a computer 8hrs a day so it does a body good to run and get some fresh air in the lungs I think :) Appreciate the feedback though.

I agree with you Steve D about the running as it's only caused me to lose water. Once again it's not really for fatloss but rather just to do some cardio as I hate the treadmill and elliptical. I honestly though I was under calories as most guys my size are in the 4000's and I barely hit 3000 now that I'm only having red meat 3-4 times a week. And even when I had meat everyday the highest was 3500. About the home fries that's maybe once or twice a week and maybe a handful. I have IBS/high lactose intolerance and a bunch of sensitivities so I really can't cheat much. How many calories would you recommend I aim for Steve?
Very true Steve, slow and steady. I started going back to 3-4 sets of the same weight instead of pyramiding which kind of threw me off. I gather you're a bigger fan of pyramiding that let's say straight sets ?
I was really afraid that lowering my nutritional intake would cause a loss in muscle but it seems I'm mistaken?! Really appreciate your feedback Steve!

@Cog.... Running kills your quads? It should give them a good pump which is nice from time to time...lol

Some people have naturally good hams as well.I think it has something to do with repeated low level impacts,a lot of walking about can affect my leg mass as well.OP sounds overtrained ATM.