For some history of my fitness life so far, and some pics, please take a look at this thread http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=443112#post443112

I'll keep this simple:

Stats

Age: 18
Height: 6'
Weight: 182 lbs (on empty stomach in the morning, in the evening after last meal around 185)
Neck: 15''
Bicep: 13''
Forearm: 10.75''
Chest: 39.25''
Waist: 32''
Hips: 41.25''
Thigh: 24.5''
Calf: 15''
BF%: Uknown


Cut start: February 25th
Cut end (planned): June 25th
Goal: Quad separation
Motivation: High
Cheat meals: No
Expected weight loss: 1-1.5 pound per week (BMR: 3186kcal-600kcal=2585kcal per day)


Diet

Meal 1 - Breakfast
oatmeal:
-3/4 cup raw oats
-1/2 cup milk 0.5% mf
-1/2 cup hot water
-1 tsp splenda
*microwaved for 4 mins
1 orange
2 baked egg whites

Calories: 403
Protein: 22g
Carbs: 70g (Fiber 11g)
Fat: 5g (Sat. Fat 1g)

Meal 2
rye bread with boiled chicken breast and lettuce sandwich

Calories: 401
Protein: 49g
Carbs: 32g (Fiber 4g)
Fat: 7g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 3
protein pancakes with peanuts:
-1/2 cup raw oats
-2 raw egg whites
-1 cup milk 0.5% mf
-20g raw peanuts
*blended and baked on skillet, peanuts added after baking

Calories: 348
Protein: 23g
Carbs: 37g (Fiber 6g)
Fat: 13g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 4 - Lunch
boiled chicken breast
1/2 cup boiled white potato
1 cup broccoli

Calories: 409
Protein: 48g
Carbs: 29g (Fiber 5g)
Fat: 12g (Sat. Fat 3g)

Meal 5 - PreWorkout
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 cup cooked green peas
1/2 can of tuna

Calories: 352
Protein: 26g
Carbs: 41g (Fiber 8g)
Fat: 9g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 6 - PostWorkout
1.5 scoop EAS 100% Whey Protein Powder
1 scoop dextrose

Calories: 302
Protein: 35g
Carbs: 33g
Fat: 3g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 7 - Dinner
1 can of tuna
1 raw tomato
20g raw peanuts

Calories: 389
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 12g (Fiber 4g)
Fat: 20g (Sat. Fat 3g)

TOTAL

Calories: 2603
Protein: 245g
Carbs: 254g (Fiber 38g)
Fat: 69g (Sat. Fat 14g)
38% Protein
39% Carbs
23% Fat

Meal times:

Meal 1: 7 am
Meal 2: 9:35 am
Meal 3: 11:35 am
Meal 4: 1:50 pm
Meal 5: 3:30 pm
Meal 6: 5:30 pm
Meal 7: post workout
Meal 8: 8:30 - 9 pm



Weight training

Monday: Pecs/Triceps
flat bench press
-warm up 3 sets
3x6-8

incline bench press
3x6-8

dips (normal)
-warm up 1 set assisted dips
4x6-8

close grip bench press
3x6-8

flat bench dumbbell flyes
4x6-8

Wednesday: Quads/Harmstrings
back squats
-warm up 3 sets
3x6-8

leg press
3x6-8

dumbell lunges (stationary)
3x6-8

romanian deadlifts
-warm up 1 set
3x6-8

barbell good mornings
3x6-8

Friday: Back/Biceps/Forearms
assisted pull-ups (wide grip)
-warm up 3 sets lateral pulldowns (behind back)
3x10

bent over barbell rows
-warm up 1 set
3x6-8

conventional deadlifts
3x6-8

standing EZ-bar curls
3x6-8

assisted close grip chin-ups
2x10

reverse hammer curls
3x8-6-8

Saturday: Delts/Traps/Calves
lever shoulder press
-warm up 3 sets
3x6-8

side lateral raises
3x6-8

barbell upright rows
3x12

dummbell rear lateral raises
3x6-8

front barbell shrugs
3x20

seated calf raises
3x10-12

standing calf raises
3x10-12


Cardio

Fasted 20 mins LISS on non-training days (just like John).
I will increase it when neccesary to 30, 45 mins or add some more on training days rather than decrease the calories.



Questions:

1. I feel like I may be cheating on some reps with barbell EZ-bar curls (Friday). Can anyone suggest with what exercise to replace it, or should I split it to 2 exercises of 2 sets that involve both Brachii and Brachialis --- like 2 sets of dumbbell preacher curls and 2 sets of cable curls, or is that too much exercises for one day?
2. Do you think my goal of getting a quad separation is attainable considering my weight loss during the 4 months of cutting will be approximately 10kgs?
3. Should I expect any muscle gain? I've read somewhere that muscle gain while cutting is impossible, while a lot of people say that if you cut right with enough calories, you can gain some muscle, so I am confused here.

P.S. I know I recently had a thread asking for help adjusting my bulk diet/routine, but I've decided to go on a cut in the meantime. I've incorporated all the advices I got in that thread in this cut so it didn't go to waste. Don't worry, I ain't trying to pull a fast one on anyone ;) !

Help me out guys :) !

Although I don't think there can be a perfect plan for a cut, your cut plan is pretty damn good. Is this your first time cutting? If it is, you sure did your HW. One suggestion is increase the amount of dextrose in your PWO drink more. If that increases your overall calories, take the carbs out of some other meals. Other than that, I have no more suggestions.

I'm not sure if I can answer the first two questions but for the third question, you should not expect neither expect. Lean body mass gains on a cut may happen and may not. It depends on your overall nutrition, training, genetics, and too many variables to mention. But from your plan, I think it's possible for you to gain a bit of lean mass during your cut.

M1: I would increase Protein here, maybe add in another 4-6 egg whites :)

M2: I might change the bread for a lower GI carb, and also ditch the lettuce for some broccoli / green beans.

M3: Sounds nice :)

M4: You could change this for a P+F meal... just an idea :)

M5: Could increase protein here too :)

M6: Increase the Dextrose to around 60g.

M7: Sounds good :)

================================================== ==

As Chris said, if the carbs get too high then take them away but not from:

M1, M5 and M6

As someone mentioned in your other post, I would say maintain for a couple weeks without letting up on the lifting. And bulk some more. 3 months is relatively short, and you made some good newbie gains. Translate that into some real, solid muscle and strength gains. If you're worried about looking good on the beach, you could safely cut 6-8 weeks out, and drop a good amount of fat on the way. A 4 month cut would be brutal, and you will probably lose some nice gains in the gym as a result.

As someone mentioned in your other post, I would say maintain for a couple weeks without letting up on the lifting. And bulk some more. 3 months is relatively short, and you made some good newbie gains. Translate that into some real, solid muscle and strength gains. If you're worried about looking good on the beach, you could safely cut 6-8 weeks out, and drop a good amount of fat on the way. A 4 month cut would be brutal, and you will probably lose some nice gains in the gym as a result.
:doh::doh::doh:Ooooh...I'm being torn apart now! I'd feel a bit stupid deciding to go on a cut and then throwing it all away...but then again, when I think about it, a 4 month cut would probably be brutal. You guys were right three months ago when you advised me to start bulking slowly...maybe you're right again. I don't wanna lose my gains, maybe I am being too impatient with the cut.
In that case, I would go into maintenance for a month, bulk slowly for 2 more months and then do a slow cut for 1 month. Then I would go on a holiday, and when I get back I would cut for some 4 months...
But I still haven't made my decision. I'd like to see some more opinions on this :rolleyes:.

One thing that really helped with Quad seperation...

When I did Dumbell Lunges, I went all the way down, with my rear knee just touching the floor... Also, with back squats, go really deep.. Whereas my quads used to be a huge amorphous blog, they became extremely chiseled, seperated, and even vascular toward the end of my cut by really focusing on deep form during the reps.

I would definitely take your form and range of motion into account if quad seperation is one of your primary goals.

:doh::doh::doh:Ooooh...I'm being torn apart now! I'd feel a bit stupid deciding to go on a cut and then throwing it all away...but then again, when I think about it, a 4 month cut would probably be brutal. You guys were right three months ago when you advised me to start bulking slowly...maybe you're right again. I don't wanna lose my gains, maybe I am being too impatient with the cut.
In that case, I would go into maintenance for a month, bulk slowly for 2 more months and then do a slow cut for 1 month. Then I would go on a holiday, and when I get back I would cut for some 4 months...
But I still haven't made my decision. I'd like to see some more opinions on this :rolleyes:.

Okay, another opinion, and it's not what you're going to want to hear.. Bulk until ~June.. Then start cutting in the Summer when you have an excuse to take your shirt off all the time. After successfully completing another bulk and then cutting from that, you're going to be HYYUUUUUUUGE.. you can be the pretentious a-hole who is just itching for an excuse to take his shirt off all the time..

You know like go to the mall, and just take your shirt off and walk into the victoria's secret store.. "Hey Ladies, I've got 45 minutes to spare before I go pump up my Biceps and Pectoralis Majoris at ze local gym.. Who wants to oil my body up for a posedown before I go to ze gym?"

One thing that really helped with Quad seperation...

When I did Dumbell Lunges, I went all the way down, with my rear knee just touching the floor... Also, with back squats, go really deep.. Whereas my quads used to be a huge amorphous blog, they became extremely chiseled, seperated, and even vascular toward the end of my cut by really focusing on deep form during the reps.

I would definitely take your form and range of motion into account if quad seperation is one of your primary goals.First of all: Yeah, my primary long-term goal is quad separation. I set that as my cut goal because imo when my leg fat has dropped enough for me to have a quad separation, I'll have a six-pack and ripped every other body part. That's because I have the most fat there.
Thanks for your advices, I am already doing all that though. I can feel my legs becoming a lot stronger, I can see them getting bigger, but there's just too much fat there to get anywhere near quad separation :lol: .
You know like go to the mall, and just take your shirt off and walk into the victoria's secret store.. "Hey Ladies, I've got 45 minutes to spare before I go pump up my Biceps and Pectoralis Majoris at ze local gym.. Who wants to oil my body up for a posedown before I go to ze gym?"Dude, that's sick...
I love it :).



Is there a way to change the thread name?
Because I am not cutting after all. Reason? I don't wanna compromise my muscle gains, and I'd rather cut when I go from "I've added some muscle" to "I have a decent amount of muscle".
But first, I'll go into maintenance for 1 month eating about 3100 kcal (according to Harris-Bennedict formula to maintain weight I'd have to eat 3186 kcal). Then I'll do a 2 month, probably 3 month bulk---I'll only cut if it becomes necessary.
Oh and actually, I don't have to look good for the beach---I'll just be going somewhere to relax with my family...bulk would actually fit perfectly here b/c in those 2-2.5 weeks I probably won't be able to train and my diet won't be top notch-I'd feel better interrupting a bulk then a cut this way.
The only event I'd like to look good for is my prom night, which is in 2 months. But what the heck, it's only one night, I couldn't do much with a cut till then, and I look decent as it is. What I really want is to look fabulous somewhere around October, b/c that's when (hopefully) I start going to faculty (college in US).

*EDIT* I've just realised this is my 100th post! T'was a long way for me from post 1 to 100, I've learned so much here. My motivation is rock-hard and JSF forums have become an important ally in my life. :)

OK I have my maintenance diet ready (hopefully)

Diet

Meal 1 - Breakfast
oatmeal:
-3/4 cup raw oats
-1/2 cup milk 0.5% mf
-1/2 cup hot water
-0.5 scoop EAS 100% Whey Protein Powder
-1 tsp splenda
*microwaved for 4 mins
1 orange
2 baked egg whites


Calories: 463
Protein: 34g
Carbs: 71g (Fiber 11g)
Fat: 6g (Sat. Fat 1g)

Meal 2
140g boiled chicken breast
40g raw peanuts

Calories: 456
Protein: 53g
Carbs: 6g (Fiber 3g)
Fat: 25g (Sat. Fat 4g)

Meal 3
protein pancakes with peanuts and raw oats:
-1/2 cup raw oats
-2 raw egg whites
-1 cup milk 0.5% mf
-20g raw peanuts
*blended and baked on skillet, peanuts and raw oats added after baking


Calories: 441
Protein: 28g
Carbs: 66g (Fiber 9g)
Fat: 6g (Sat. Fat 1g)

Meal 4 - Lunch
140g boiled chicken breast
1/2 cup boiled white potato
2 cup broccoli

Calories: 496
Protein: 55g
Carbs: 34g (Fiber 12g)
Fat: 17g (Sat. Fat 4g)

Meal 5 - PreWorkout
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked green peas
120g can of tuna

Calories: 429
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 35g (Fiber 6g)
Fat: 13g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 6 - PostWorkout
1.5 scoop EAS 100% Whey Protein Powder
2 scoops dextrose

Calories: 423
Protein: 35g
Carbs: 63g
Fat: 3g (Sat. Fat 2g)

Meal 7 - Dinner
1 can of tuna
1 raw tomato
20g raw peanuts

Calories: 389
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 12g (Fiber 4g)
Fat: 20g (Sat. Fat 3g)

TOTAL

Calories: 3096
Protein: 288g
Carbs: 289g (Fiber 45g)
Fat: 91g (Sat. Fat 17g)
37% Protein
37% Carbs
25% Fat

Forgot to ask this...

I am switching days for my workouts---Monday is quad/harmstring day now, and Wednesday is Chest/Triceps day. I am doing this b/c my bench press has stalled the last 4-5 weeks, and I believe this to be caused by increased effort I put in Saturday's Delts/Traps training.
So does this look OK now, is it bad to have Chest/Tris and Back/Bis days next to one another?

Monday: Quads/Harmstrings
Wednesday: Pecs/Triceps
Friday: Back/Biceps/Forearms
Saturday: Delts/Traps/Calves