Hello all! Well after reading these forums for some time, I decided to start my transformation. I am tired of being fat and out of shape.

I am 29 years old (turning 30 soon) and I am 6'4" and weigh in at 215lbs. Right now, I have an adjustable bench (flat/incline/decline) and a set of Hex dumbbells to work with. Eventually I am looking into getting a power rack with olympic bar / plates, but I will need to wait a little while on that.

I have researched as much as I could on these forums as well as a few others and I decided on a 3 day full body routine concentrating on compund excerise. Eventually as I get into better condition, I will do a split.

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY:
Warm up Chest (2 light Sets)
3X6-8 sets/reps of Flat Bench Press
3X6-8 sets/reps of Incline Bench Press

Warm up Shoulders (2 light Sets)
3X6-8 sets/reps of Sitting Shoulder Press
3X6-8 sets/reps of Front Lateral Raises

Warm up Back (2 light sets)
3X6-8 sets/reps of Standing Bentover DB rows
3X6-8 sets/reps of One Arm Bent over DB rows

Warm up Legs (2 light sets)
3X6-8 sets/reps of DB Squats
3X6-8 sets/reps of Deadlifts

ARMS
3X6-8 sets/reps of DB Curls
3X6-8 sets/reps of standing 2 handed Tricept Extensions

*Note after 6 weeks I plan to keep changing my routine*

TUESDAY/THURSDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY
Using my Fitness/Swiss Ball, work on ABS
Cardio for 30-45 mins

I am also targetting 7-8 hours of sleep daily.

How does this look? Any suggestions on what I could change? Remember right now I just have an adjustable bench and hex DB set.

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Egg Whites / Peanut butter Sandwich. or as an Alternative, Oatmeal. Also I take a daily Multi-Vitamin.

AM Snack: 2 Mozzarella sticks

Lunch: Brown Rice, Chicken cooked in Olive Oil, Brocolli

Snack: Protein Bar (140 calories / 10g Protein / 10 vitamins/minerals)

Dinner: Generally lean Meat with Veggies

Snack: Whey Protein Shake

This is rough idea of what I am going to be eating each day, I will work more on calories/figures each day to tweak it just right. But based on this, what should I change if anything?

I also attached some photos to show what I look like. Should I cut or bulk based on those photos?

I also did some calculations and came up with:
BMI = 26.05
BMR = 2166.65
Daily Maint = 2979.14

I am just unsure if I should be worrying about bulking to get some mass started or I should first cut and trim off all that fat.

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Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

No one? :cry:

I guess I can assume to cut first while lifting, then worry about bulking afterwards...

I'm no expert, bit IMO it is easier to bulk first then cut. Build up plenty of muscle, then cut so you can better define your results. Someone else will chime in with research to the contrary I'm sure :)

OK, I will. I'd say cut first, do a lot of fasted cardio, and lift heavy. Clean up your diet. Drink a lot of water. If you haven't worked out recently, you may even be able to add muscle while losing fat and end up with a great physique without having to bulk. Your frame and muscle mass looks pretty good already. Cut the fat to reveal what you have.

Can't find the exact article right now, but dr John Berardi says first cut then bulk: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/ and he knows what he's talking about. John Stone also did it that way and you just read what Carguy said. So..... seems like to cut first is the way to go :)

I definitely think cut. Preserve what lean mass you have, though. Lift.

Bulking while already carrying too much fat seems to put more of the weight gain into fat stores than in lean mass gains, making it even harder in the long run.

I don't really like your diet much, but it's a start. It's not horrible so it should work for awhile. I try to always have a protein source to give me at a minimum 20-30 g protein. I also try to have a green vegetable at most if not all meals (70-80% minimum). And I generally don't just do a "protein shake" without a source of healthy fat or healthy carbs. Also, many of those "protein bars" are really glorified candy bars if you look at the ingredients, full of sugar and low quality proteins. There are some exceptions, but I'd prefer something else like jerky and almonds, etc.

When you do a split routine, will you be doing 2 sessions each of squats and deadlifts a week? And on the same day? If so, you might find it hard going. Or not, as the case may be. I've read that some people would find that too much to do. Or is that only the case with really heavy weights? What do others think?

Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like I will be cutting first. It seems I may need to clean my diet up some more. I will look into this.

My fiancee and I are getting married next August, another motivation to get into shape for the event.

Anyhow, thanks again for the advice!!

Welcome to the site and congratulations on deciding to change yourself for the better!

I agree with cut first, don't really have anything else productive to add, just wanted to welcome you to the site.


Chris.