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Given that I am just now returning to lifting after a year off due to back injury, work schedule changes and general laziness, I figure I have a decent chance at reconditioning and regaining some strength while dropping a little bf% and possibly even getting some muscle back. Yeah, I know you really, really can't cut and bulk at the same time, but I'm going to exploit the hell out of "newbie gains" until they run out and I have to dial it in a little tighter to get anything accomplished.
Current workout routine is one light resistance training day a week done at home (abs and core work plus any body parts that I might not have hit hard enough), and one upper body day and one legs day done with a trainer/spotter at the gym. Typical resistance workouts consist of 5 minutes vigorous aerobic warmup, 2-3 minutes stretching and 45-60 minutes lifting, focusing largely on the heavy compound movements (bench, squats, deads).
Lately I've been fitting in 20 to 45 minutes of cardio immediately after lifting, but getting my PWO shake in before starting the cardio. On days I'm not lifting (and not destroyed by the aftermath of a seriously blitzing leg workout) I may slip in another 15-20 minute HIIT cardio session once or twice a week on my rowing machine at home. I have some concerns about catabolism from hitting cardio right after the weights, but I can only make so many trips to the gym a week due to my work schedule and I have very limited space for cardio equipment at home.
Sample day's eatins:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup raw oats, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/2 scoop whey protein. Might toss in a few berries.
OR 6 oz water pack tuna, 1/2 cup brown rice, green tea
Breakfast in a hurry: 2 scoops whey, 1 cup skim milk, 1 raw egg.
Pre-workout: BCAA's, scoop of whey in water
PWO shake: Scoop of whey, 1 cup skim milk, and either BCAA's or a tablespoon of dextrose
PWO meal: Steamed chicken breast, 1/2 a sweet potato, possibly with some spinach and a slice of tomato. Or more water pack tuna and brown rice.
Next meal (whenever I'm hungry again): 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup beans, 3-4 oz meat (generally lean, grass fed or wild game meat) Or a high fiber whole grain wrap with beans, meat and veggies. Clear some space around me in the squat rack, boys. If it's not a workout day this is where I drop my carbs, so the dinner meal below would be moved up a slot and repeated if necessary.
Dinner: 6-8 oz meat (poultry, fish, lean red meat, grass fed beef or wild game), salad greens and/or other raw or lightly cooked non starchy vegetables. Drizzle of olive oil on the veggies.
Before bed on heavy workout days or if I'm hungry: 1 scoop Muscle Milk in 1 cup skim milk.
Additional meal/snack if I'm hungry: Half an apple to dip in Splenda sweetened nonfat yogurt, maybe with a few walnut halves. Or a piece of whole grain bread with nonfat spread. Or a bran cracker with a little natural peanut butter. Or a protein bar. If I'm hungry I eat, I just pick clean foods and pay attention to macronutrient timing - carbs early in the day but little fat, fat later in the day but fewer carbs.
Occasionally I'll say fuck it and have a piece of pizza, since there's an awesome local place that does a whole wheat thin crust loaded with tomato slices, fresh basil, veggies and no cheese except for a few dots of fresh mozzarella. I take a bite or two of the boyfriend's desserts now and then, but generally I shy pretty far away from sugar and highly processed crap. My idea of a good dessert is a half scoop of chocolate mint Muscle Milk in half a cup of nonfat yogurt. Yum. My main dietary weakness is eating too much meat at one sitting, since half a steak never feels like quite enough.
I drink 1 to 2 gallons of water a day and take a fuckton of vitamins, dessicated liver tablets, milk thistle, calcium/magnesium, potassium, glucosamine/MSM and Super Cissus. I hit L-glutamine and extra BCAA's if my calories for the day look a little low. Calorie intake ranges from 1600 to 2400 depending on what I'm doing; current weight is around 145 lbs. I add more meals of clean foods or an extra protein shake whenever I feel hungry, and on some really heavy lifting days or recovery days after a heavy workout I do feel that hungry. Usually I come in right around 1900 calories, 50-60% of that from protein.
Currently natural. Will most likely be moving to very low dose nandrolone (25mg on a 14 to 21 day interval) in a few months, but figure on riding on the "newbie gain" honeymoon period first, for as long as that lasts. Mostly I'm interested in the joint protective effects, since I've been annoyingly injury prone.
Current workout routine is one light resistance training day a week done at home (abs and core work plus any body parts that I might not have hit hard enough), and one upper body day and one legs day done with a trainer/spotter at the gym. Typical resistance workouts consist of 5 minutes vigorous aerobic warmup, 2-3 minutes stretching and 45-60 minutes lifting, focusing largely on the heavy compound movements (bench, squats, deads).
Lately I've been fitting in 20 to 45 minutes of cardio immediately after lifting, but getting my PWO shake in before starting the cardio. On days I'm not lifting (and not destroyed by the aftermath of a seriously blitzing leg workout) I may slip in another 15-20 minute HIIT cardio session once or twice a week on my rowing machine at home. I have some concerns about catabolism from hitting cardio right after the weights, but I can only make so many trips to the gym a week due to my work schedule and I have very limited space for cardio equipment at home.
Sample day's eatins:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup raw oats, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/2 scoop whey protein. Might toss in a few berries.
OR 6 oz water pack tuna, 1/2 cup brown rice, green tea
Breakfast in a hurry: 2 scoops whey, 1 cup skim milk, 1 raw egg.
Pre-workout: BCAA's, scoop of whey in water
PWO shake: Scoop of whey, 1 cup skim milk, and either BCAA's or a tablespoon of dextrose
PWO meal: Steamed chicken breast, 1/2 a sweet potato, possibly with some spinach and a slice of tomato. Or more water pack tuna and brown rice.
Next meal (whenever I'm hungry again): 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup beans, 3-4 oz meat (generally lean, grass fed or wild game meat) Or a high fiber whole grain wrap with beans, meat and veggies. Clear some space around me in the squat rack, boys. If it's not a workout day this is where I drop my carbs, so the dinner meal below would be moved up a slot and repeated if necessary.
Dinner: 6-8 oz meat (poultry, fish, lean red meat, grass fed beef or wild game), salad greens and/or other raw or lightly cooked non starchy vegetables. Drizzle of olive oil on the veggies.
Before bed on heavy workout days or if I'm hungry: 1 scoop Muscle Milk in 1 cup skim milk.
Additional meal/snack if I'm hungry: Half an apple to dip in Splenda sweetened nonfat yogurt, maybe with a few walnut halves. Or a piece of whole grain bread with nonfat spread. Or a bran cracker with a little natural peanut butter. Or a protein bar. If I'm hungry I eat, I just pick clean foods and pay attention to macronutrient timing - carbs early in the day but little fat, fat later in the day but fewer carbs.
Occasionally I'll say fuck it and have a piece of pizza, since there's an awesome local place that does a whole wheat thin crust loaded with tomato slices, fresh basil, veggies and no cheese except for a few dots of fresh mozzarella. I take a bite or two of the boyfriend's desserts now and then, but generally I shy pretty far away from sugar and highly processed crap. My idea of a good dessert is a half scoop of chocolate mint Muscle Milk in half a cup of nonfat yogurt. Yum. My main dietary weakness is eating too much meat at one sitting, since half a steak never feels like quite enough.
I drink 1 to 2 gallons of water a day and take a fuckton of vitamins, dessicated liver tablets, milk thistle, calcium/magnesium, potassium, glucosamine/MSM and Super Cissus. I hit L-glutamine and extra BCAA's if my calories for the day look a little low. Calorie intake ranges from 1600 to 2400 depending on what I'm doing; current weight is around 145 lbs. I add more meals of clean foods or an extra protein shake whenever I feel hungry, and on some really heavy lifting days or recovery days after a heavy workout I do feel that hungry. Usually I come in right around 1900 calories, 50-60% of that from protein.
Currently natural. Will most likely be moving to very low dose nandrolone (25mg on a 14 to 21 day interval) in a few months, but figure on riding on the "newbie gain" honeymoon period first, for as long as that lasts. Mostly I'm interested in the joint protective effects, since I've been annoyingly injury prone.
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