Numpty Novice

[fatboyatkins]

Id definately listen to bouncer and scrum in terms of diet but i think you should definately up the reps in your weights even if that means dropping the weight. If you are trying to burn fat you need to definately up your squats 5 sets of 5 is doing nothing thats a warm up smash out sets of 20 and watch your weight drop.

also its virtually impossible to naturally drop fat and put on muscle. while you will see strength increase focus on keeping your heart rate up during weights and cardio then when you are at an appropriate body fat level focus on your strength and size.

I did wonder if the 5x5 routine would help, so I dropped most of the routine except for the squats and bench press. I'll drop the weights tomorrow and get in more reps.

[Scrumhalf]

No, don't do things like 5x5. Just do some solid lifting 8-10 reps. Wendler is great, but 5x5 is a strength routine that is is periodized to enable advanced lifters aiming for continued gains. I don't think you need anything complex at this time. The only thing you need is CONSISTENCY, both in lifting and cardio.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see Henry's reference to 5x5 above. I thought you were talking specifically about Wendler's 5x5 routine. I still think you should keep things simple - 8-10 reps. No need to get super fancy at this stage.

Also, I don't quite agree that it isn't possible to drop fat and gain muscle at the same time. I think it is possible for beginners, which I believe you are. After you have been lifting for a year or two, then sure it becomes a lot harder, at least naturally.

[fatboyatkins]

No, don't do things like 5x5. Just do some solid lifting 8-10 reps. Wendler is great, but 5x5 is a strength routine that is is periodized to enable advanced lifters aiming for continued gains. I don't think you need anything complex at this time. The only thing you need is CONSISTENCY, both in lifting and cardio.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see Henry's reference to 5x5 above. I thought you were talking specifically about Wendler's 5x5 routine. I still think you should keep things simple - 8-10 reps. No need to get super fancy at this stage.

Also, I don't quite agree that it isn't possible to drop fat and gain muscle at the same time. I think it is possible for beginners, which I believe you are. After you have been lifting for a year or two, then sure it becomes a lot harder, at least naturally.

The 5x5's are gone as of tomorrow.

I'm a lot more determined now to continue from the advice you've (and Bouncer) have given me on this thread.


Cheers

[fatboyatkins]

You've got a great attitude. And your cologne smells like heaven.

Thanks for that - you saved me starting a new thread regarding my cologne!:thumup:

[GrowthMan]

Training routine is irrelevant. Grab some weight and lift the shit.

Save your supplement money and use that for groceries. If you are trying to gain muscle you will need to cut the shakes out. Replace the shakes with the following and watch magic happen.

(For starters)...

4 egg whites/1 whole egg
1 Cup oats
1/2 slices toast with one Tbsp jam (sugar ok)

Chicken or Steak (6oz min or more ok)
1 Cup Rice or 8 oz red potato
1/2 Cup Green veg of your choice

Same

Same

Shake or better yet same as meal 1 no toast no jam.

Steak no more than once/day. Chicken twice. Play with rice types and red potatos to see which carb assimilates better, fills you out better. On paper it doesn't seem like much, but since you were drinking your food before this will feel like a lot of food. Don't worry, your metabolism will be on fire.

Try this for 3 weeks and you will thank me.

[henry]

listen to henry or me in terms of tren:thumup:

hahahahhaa definately worth a thought

:thumup::thumup::thumup:

[fatboyatkins]

Training routine is irrelevant. Grab some weight and lift the shit.

Save your supplement money and use that for groceries. If you are trying to gain muscle you will need to cut the shakes out. Replace the shakes with the following and watch magic happen.

(For starters)...

4 egg whites/1 whole egg
1 Cup oats
1/2 slices toast with one Tbsp jam (sugar ok)

Chicken or Steak (6oz min or more ok)
1 Cup Rice or 8 oz red potato
1/2 Cup Green veg of your choice

Same

Same

Shake or better yet same as meal 1 no toast no jam.

Steak no more than once/day. Chicken twice. Play with rice types and red potatos to see which carb assimilates better, fills you out better. On paper it doesn't seem like much, but since you were drinking your food before this will feel like a lot of food. Don't worry, your metabolism will be on fire.

Try this for 3 weeks and you will thank me.

Crikey your right it does sound like a lot!

Is pasta any good instead of rice or potatoes?

[Scrumhalf]

Pasta is fine. Make it whole wheat pasta if you like instead of brown rice. Frankly none of these things matter too much until you are under 15% BF.

[fatboyatkins]

Pasta is fine. Make it whole wheat pasta if you like instead of brown rice. Frankly none of these things matter too much until you are under 15% BF.

Under 15% BF - that's a target, I'm currently a shameful 36% :(

[Scrumhalf]

If your bodyfat is that high, none of the things you are worrying about matter WHATSOEVER. Run a 1000 Kcal deficit. If you have time, try to do some kind of cardio for 45 min to 1 hour a day. If you can lift 3-4 times a week. Keep the protein high, say 1-1.5 g/lb of bodyweight. Maybe shoot for a 40%/40%/20% split of Carbs/Protein/Fat calories. Run a 1000 Kcal deficit.

Don't worry about what brand of pasta you are eating, whether your post workout shake has the right amount of carbs in it or not, and whether you are eating 3 meals or 8 meals a day. None of those things matter at this stage.

Did I mention running a 1000 Kcal deficit? :) Seriously, the place where most people fail is watching what they eat. It's the miscellaneous stuff here and there that will deep-six you. Driving by the mall and have the urge to get that venti mocha frappuchino? Bad news. Reach for a 32 oz soda and get the non-diet variety? Bad news. Tub of buttered popocorn at the movies? Bad news.

Well, let me correct myself. All of these things by themselves are not necessarily killer (although garbage) AS LONG AS YOU ACCOUNT FOR THEM IN YOUR DAILY CALORIC INTAKE. That's where most people fail. They don't honestly account for half their calories and wonder whey they aren't losing weight.

Eating in moderation and staying physically active is a lifestyle bro. Make the change today and you'll feel infinitely better in even a couple of months, and if you stick with it, you won't recognize yourself in a year.

[Bouncer]

Agree with scrum, get the fat off first and foremost. Forget gaining muscle right now.

[fatboyatkins]

If your bodyfat is that high, none of the things you are worrying about matter WHATSOEVER. Run a 1000 Kcal deficit. If you have time, try to do some kind of cardio for 45 min to 1 hour a day. If you can lift 3-4 times a week. Keep the protein high, say 1-1.5 g/lb of bodyweight. Maybe shoot for a 40%/40%/20% split of Carbs/Protein/Fat calories. Run a 1000 Kcal deficit.

Don't worry about what brand of pasta you are eating, whether your post workout shake has the right amount of carbs in it or not, and whether you are eating 3 meals or 8 meals a day. None of those things matter at this stage.

Did I mention running a 1000 Kcal deficit? :) Seriously, the place where most people fail is watching what they eat. It's the miscellaneous stuff here and there that will deep-six you. Driving by the mall and have the urge to get that venti mocha frappuchino? Bad news. Reach for a 32 oz soda and get the non-diet variety? Bad news. Tub of buttered popocorn at the movies? Bad news.

Well, let me correct myself. All of these things by themselves are not necessarily killer (although garbage) AS LONG AS YOU ACCOUNT FOR THEM IN YOUR DAILY CALORIC INTAKE. That's where most people fail. They don't honestly account for half their calories and wonder whey they aren't losing weight.

Eating in moderation and staying physically active is a lifestyle bro. Make the change today and you'll feel infinitely better in even a couple of months, and if you stick with it, you won't recognize yourself in a year.

My initial weight loss was really good, losing 14lbs in the 1st month. then zilch after.
After doing some research on the net I thought that my calorie deficit may have been too much, slowing my metabolism.
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, bearing in mind my starvation mode conclusion I have aimed to consume between 2000 and 2500 calories per day.
The carbs was something I also avoided like the plague, eating mainly tins of tuna or sardines twice a day. With a chicken/rice/veg meal in the evening.
Looking back I think the main contributor to the weight loss was water, drinking at least 3 litres per day.

My main goal is to gain muscle mass, but I'll focus on the fat 1st. I know fat don't turn to muscle but I hopeed that muscle growth will increase metabolism and help lose the fat.

[Bouncer]

i can tell ya what happened bro. you went from eating junk to eating clean and your body dropped the initial fat and water quick. you dropped down into to much of a starvation type mode and killed the metabolism.

need to slowly bring the metabolism back with adding in a bunch more calories.

do as scrum says and you will be thankful you did.

[fatboyatkins]

Agree with scrum, get the fat off first and foremost. Forget gaining muscle right now.

Should I stick to my current routine reducing the weight but increase the reps?

[Scrumhalf]

My advice to you is to do your weights in the 40 min you have at lunchtime and wake up a half hour earlier to do an hour of cardio in the morning. Stick to 1 compound movement and 1 isolation movement per body part, 8-10 reps. Keep notes and try to bump up the weight slightly (2.5-5lbs) every workout if you can and feel like you can do so. Important thing, don't push too hard and end up getting hurt, but at the same time, don't stagnate doing the same weights over and over again without pushing the envelope.