Well, ive posted around a bit these last few months, given advice where i can and asked questions where i needed to. Now i feel its time to get a journal going to keep y'all up to date with my progress. :nod:

I have decided that if I am to really cut up for the summer, I’m going to have to seriously start committing to CV and diet. I have no problem weight training, because I love it so much. Its like a hobby for me, I look forward to going to the gym and lifting, I have no problem getting my 4 sessions a week in. However, I’m not overly keen on CV work. And whilst I’ve made major diet improvements, I am tending to through them out of the window come the weekend. Ive never been overweight, i could eat whatever (within reason) and stay below 15% BF. The downside is, its damn hard work putting muscle on !

Since last September (2003), I have been lifting solid and packing the protein in and have gone from 149 lbs (67.7 kg) to 162 lbs (74 kg) whilst maintaining my 14% (estimate) BF%. I have never done a cut/bulk cycle as such, although I didn’t watch what I ate at all during this time, so u might consider that to be a bulk. Before this time, id trained on and off, but nothing really consistent.

I gave up smoking tobacco after New Year 2004. I haven’t touched one since.

At the end of February this year, upon discovery of John’s site, I realised that I could make even more gains if I began to eat correctly. From the beginning of march, I have eaten healthy and often throughout the week, and have managed to cut down to 11.8BF% (According to my calipers)!!! Goes to show the difference a diet makes. (Thanks Jeremy). I didn’t loose any weight during this cut, as I continued to pack the protein, lift heavy etc. In fact, my new midweek diet probably helped increase muscle mass a little, whilst cutting the BF down as i took on even more protien.

At the weekends however, the plan goes to pot. I sleep in both days, drink both nights (Fri and sat) and tend to eat s**t at the wrong time of the day. Also, I dabbled with Morning CV, but that to was exchanged for a midweek lie in. ;) Besides, 11.8 aint bad, i could live with that...

Last weekend was a scorcher ! The sun was blazing !!! I went down to the beach, topped up the tan and felt really good about how I looked. I was happy with the muscle gained and the fat lost thus far. I felt confident. That feeling gave me more pleasure then any lie in or take away ever could. And that feeling has given me the motivation to really cut down for the actual summer. I know I can do it, and now I WANT to do it.

I have come this far in stages, starting with lifting, then lifting with high Protien, then cutting out crisps and midweek crap, and now I’m ready to commit to the final stage. Im gonna go the extra mile to cut down to 10% BF without loosing any muscle mass. Impossible? Can’t cut and keep muscle? Watch me. ;)

So my new plan/goals are as follows.

1) 30 Mins morning CV 6 days a week.
2) At least 20 mins CV on two of my lifting sessions (Don’t mix CV and weights? Watch me. ;) )
3) Sticking to clean eating every day, with 1 cheat meal per week.
4) Continue MAX-OT training 4 times per week (Legs and Abs, Chest & Tris, Back and Bi’s, Shoulders and Abs)
5) Improve flexability by adding streching sessions each week.
6) Keep this journal to monitor progress and keep motivation up. And hopefully get some help on the way !

I want to be 10% by the end of June. 2 months. What do you think? I feel positive about the whole thing.

What you will get out of it i dont know. Maybe it will prove useful for those who are at a pretty low BF and want to go the extra mile without sacrificing muscle and a social life. Maybe ill prove it cant be done ! We shall see.

With this journal, I mark the start of the new era of training. I will note my diet and exercise daily, weigh in / BF caliper each week and perhaps even take some photos to. Maybe. ;)

Updates will be in the evening, starting tonight. See you there. :tucool:

I was happy with the muscle gained and the fat lost thus far. I felt confident. That feeling gave me more pleasure then any lie in or take away ever could. And that feeling has given me the motivation to really cut down for the actual summer. I know I can do it, and now I WANT to do it.

Can’t cut and keep muscle? Watch me. ;)

I want to be 10% by the end of June. 2 months. What do you think? I feel positive about the whole thing.

You can do it.

When I started lifting weights, I also dropped my calories at the same time. I've lost more than 10 pounds, and while I've never had my body fat percentage, nobody could say that I haven't gained muscle. :db:

The pleasure feeling will get you there faster than anything.

good luck man ive been cutting for 14 weeks now and lost 22 pounds but im still not satisfied.. im still trying to burn away that gut. I just started a journal also a few days ago so check into my journal c ya man!!

Well, i took my BF% with my calipers today and ive actually gained on what id got down to. I thought as much, as ive been really bad these past couple of weeks. However, just coz u fall off the wagon, dont mean it leaves u behind. Im now back on, and this time i got a tight grip. I aint falling again. :tu:

So a slight correction. Im actually at 14.8 BF. So its a bigger drop to 10%. But im still confident. Also, i weighed in at 74 kg.

Today i ate:

Breakfast (8.15am):
2 slices wholemeal toast with Marmite.
2 scoops whey protein, 3/4 pint of semi skimmed milk and 1 bannana
1st meal (11.00am)
Cottage cheese, turkey breast and salad
2nd meal (1.00pm)
2 tuna sandwichs with low fat mayo, 1 fat free yogurt and an apple
Pre Workout energy boost
1 orange
Dinner (post workout 7.30pm)
Sliced ham, mashed potatoes (no butter) and carrots in a parsley sauce.
2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint Semi skimmed milk, 1 bannana

I drank 8 pints of water (1 gallon)

Today was my mates birthday, so i had to go out for a few beers. I drank 1 pint fosters and 6 bottles of miller. Bad i know, but i wont not go out and celebrate my friends birthday.

Workout wise, i woke up and cycled for 30 mins outdoors. Was a great ride, although it was a little tough at the end. I took all these country roads near where i live. Great views and a lovely sunrise, but a strong headwind on the return leg of the trip. Was a good morning CV session.

At the gym, i worked Back and Biceps. My routine is always the same, so i will post each muscle group workout once, then ill just put back and Bi's, and u'll know what i mean. I hope. ;)

Back and Biceps Max OT

Warmup sets etc on Seated Row then:

3*6 seated rows
3*5/6 Wide grip lat pulldowns
3*6 close grip pulldowns
3*6 Good mornings
3*6 Dumbell Shrugs
3*6 EZ barbell curls
3*6 Single arm dumbell curls
3*6 double arm Cable curls, with a squeeze.

Has been a good day, apart from the beers and the higher BF then expected. I think maybe im just inaccurate with my readings. Its only the 2nd time ive used the calpers. However, im still confident and i feel good. Am going to make walnut oil salad dressing tommorow evening, should be fun.

See y'all tomorrow

Thanks to all for words of encouragement. :tucool:

DAY 2

Today has been a good day. Got up and cycled around for 1/2 hour again this morning. Theres an area of the viliage that i live in that i had never been in, so this morning i decided to investigate whats there. Turns out... nothing. Just some houses. Still, at least now i know.

Today i ate

Breakfast (see yesterday)
11 oclock (see yesterday)
1 oclock (see yesterday)
Pre workout energy boost (see yesterday)
Post workout dinner - 2 chicken breasts in plum sauce, with peas, carrots, and potato cakes! (This was delicious!!!)

Gym session was chest and triceps and boy was it a beauty !!! This week and last ive been upping my weights, as 6 reps has gotten a bit easy to achieve (Am doing MAX-OT). So i stuck another 5kg on my bench. Was chuffed. :claplow:

Chest and Triceps session

Flat bench warmup etc then...

Flat bench (Smith) - 3*4
Incline bench (Smith) 3*5
Incline dumbell flys 3*6
Decline flys 3*6
Cable Crossovers 3*6
Tricep reverse curls with cable/handle (Single arm) 3*6
Tricep curls with cable/bar (Both arms) 3*6 supersetted with
Behind the head dumbell extentions 3*6
Weighted tricep dips 3*6 with weight, then 6 without.

Also did 15 mins med intensity treadmill run with incrementing hills.

Today has been a good day. Still confident.

Well, its the evening of day 2, and ive decided that uploading some before shots will not only help me monitor my progress, but also give me inspiration to see this through, by having a comparison there in front of me.

So what d'ya think? 10% by the end of june?

All comments appreciated. :)

They were taken at 8.30pm, only 30mins after my evening meal. So you may notice some bloating. :o

I am NOT flexing in any of them apart from the arm one. The reason for this is that i want to look cut in an unflexed pose, so i wish to note my progress in a unflexed state. This project is not really about muscle size, so flexing is unecessary. When ur walking along the beach, your not permenantly flexed are you ?!?!? ;)

I took pictures of these areas (Arm, back and abs) as that is where i use my calipers to measure BF%, so those are the areas i sould loose weight from.

Is anyone actually reading these journals, or shoudl i post my pics in the media gallery if i want feedback / advice ? :whistle:

Looking good Reno, I don't think you'll have much of a problem reaching your goal by doing what you're doing. You've got a great shape to work with and will look better and better. Good luck.

DAY 3

Today was a tough old day in general. Very hard going at work, who would think sitting at a desk all day would be so stressful. ;)

Morning bike ride was a good one, cycled up to a big field not too far from my house. Cycling on grass is much harder, especially in an open field with the wind. Rode around there for 15 mins, then took the long route home. I actually think getting up that bit earlier is getting a bit easier. Still, thats only 7.10, compared to some of the people on this site, thats a lie in !!! (I work locally, dont need to leave mine till 8.40am :d_biggrin )

Today I ate:

Breakfast 8.30am - 2 scoops whey protien with 1 bannana and 3/4 pint semi skimmed milk. 2 wholemeal (with wheat flakes) toast with marmite
11 o'clock - Cottage cheese (with chopped chives from the garden. :drool: ) and Chicken salad
1 o'clock - 2 chicken sandwichs on wholemeal (with wheatflakes) bread, fat free yogurt, apple
Pre workout boost 3pm - Orange
Post workout dinner 7.40pm - 3 poached eggs and baked beans on 4 slices of wholemeal (with wheatflakes) bread

Snack - 1 apple this evening (was starving !!!)
Drank ususal 8 pints of water


Todays gym session was great ! Was CV day, 10 mins warmup on the cross trainer, then 10 mins lower body stretching. Then i rowed 3km in less than 15 mins, then ran 3km in 20 mins straight away afterwards. Total (exc warmup) of 35 mins at a good pace. Am relativly new to CV, so am building up to HIIT. This was good session for me.

Today has 4 positives

1) Getting up for bikeride felt easier.
2) I really felt id pushed myself on the CV
3) My flexability is improving, which is one of my goals. I want to be able to touch my toes while keeping my legs straight. Thats my first goal.
4) I can notice more definition. Maybe just water loss from eating clean this week (after an unclean diet at weekend), but its noticable. :claplow:

Well, see ya tomorrow. Once again, comments and advice appreciated, even if to just say hi. :p

Hey man, just wanted to make a couple comments on your plan. Please note, everything I say comes from MY own experiences and MY own research. You and/or others may disagree, but I am just giving you another angle to look at it from.

I will comment on your plan first:

So my new plan/goals are as follows.

1) 30 Mins morning CV 6 days a week.
2) At least 20 mins CV on two of my lifting sessions (Don’t mix CV and weights? Watch me. )

This is what I did for 3 weeks in the end of March and the beginning of April. I will never do it again. Why? It's too taxing on your body IMO and unnecessary. My body got very rundown and all my workouts were suffering. I was doing cardio 4-5 mornings for either 60mins or 25mins HIIT and after EVERY lifting session, I did 30mins steady state cardio.

I don't care how you eat, this is a sure fire way to lose muscle IMO, because in order to cut fat, you must be on a calorie deficit, so there is no "saving" muscle when you are eating less and doing so much cardio.

Again, I don't want to discourage you from trying, I just know myself and Stanzo both tried what I said for several weeks and we both found it very unfulfilling.

I truly think cardio is "overrated" when it comes to cutting. I DEFINITELY think it should be a part of everyone's workout for several reasons, but more than 2-4x's per week is excessive from what I gather. I've seen some people make AMAZING transformations with minimal cardio, but a very precise diet and intense lifting. This is what I am going to attempt to do for the next 4-5 weeks with perhaps a tad more than "minimal" cardio.

3) Sticking to clean eating every day, with 1 cheat meal per week.

I couldn't tell from your logs, how many calories and in what breakdown are you eating daily? I also only saw 4 meals? I really think you should be aiming for 6 per day. Each of your meals looks too big for one sitting to me.

I think some of your food could use some change as well such as mashed potatoes, all that skimmed milk and late night bananas.

4) Continue MAX-OT training 4 times per week (Legs and Abs, Chest & Tris, Back and Bi’s, Shoulders and Abs)

If it's working for you then stick with it. I tried Max-OT while cutting and will never do it again.

5) Improve flexability by adding streching sessions each week.

Always a good idea.

6) Keep this journal to monitor progress and keep motivation up. And hopefully get some help on the way !

Another good idea! :tu:


Again, this is all just one man's opinion. Please feel free to let me know what you don't understand and what you don't like!

:gl:

I truly think cardio is "overrated" when it comes to cutting. I DEFINITELY think it should be a part of everyone's workout for several reasons, but more than 2-4x's per week is excessive from what I gather. I've seen some people make AMAZING transformations with minimal cardio, but a very precise diet and intense lifting. This is what I am going to attempt to do for the next 4-5 weeks with perhaps a tad more than "minimal" cardio.
I certainly agree with this. About 10 years ago I was very much into lifting and didn't do any cardio (didnt' know much about it then and also hated doing it) although I was eating cleanly. I put on good muscle mass and the fat seemed to drop off without me even thinking about it.

On recent fat loss attempts, I tried doing cardion 5 days x 45mins a week together with lifting and my body burned itself out after a couple of weeks resulting in flu and bringing my fitness routine to a complete stop. This happened every time I started a new get-fit regime.

Right now, I'm lifting 3 times a week with a 15min cardio warm-up before each session. I'm feeling fitter than I have in a long while and whilst the bodyfat seems to be reducing quickly, my weight doesn't which indicates to me that I'm managing to cut and bulk at the same time. Time will tell I guess, but it seems to be going well at the moment.

Ok, cool, some feedback at last ! I will comment on that in a minute.

Am a bit rushed today, as im tired and need my bed. So will be breif on the daily details.

Cycled my 30mins again this morning. Is really feeling like a good way to start the day, all the fresh air and peaceful roads. Very postive beggining to a day.

Today i ate

Breakfast 8.30am - See yesterday

11 o'clock - see yesterday

1 o'clock - See yesterday

Pre workout - See yesterday

Post workout dinner - 2 Chicken thighs in casarole with carrotts, mushrooms and onions on a bed of rice. Rice was white, am buying brown tomorrow.

Todays gym session was legs and abs, and was again another flyer!

Legs - Squat warmup etc then

Sqaut 3*6
Dead lift 3*6
Leg press 3*6
Ham string curls and calf raises superset 3*6 per excersize
Various crunchs, leg raises etc (Good solid session)

Still seeing good improvements ! Am also still positive !

Ok comments...

Cardio - Am not really doing any HIIT or really intense high rate stuff. The 30 mins in the morning is more to raise metabolism rather then fat burning per se. Even if you told me that it did nothing with regards the metabolism, id still do it, as its a great way to begin the day. Will take on board both your advice though, i was thinking it to be a must, maybe even above diet, now i will look at it as an added extra.

Meals - Ok,

so if i need 6 meals, and i shouldnt eat before morning cardio, or 2 hours before training or late in the evening (So ive read in various threads, could be wrong), when can i fit these in? Id appreciate some ideas. :confused:

Havent had bannanas late night, have one in protien shake in the evenings though, will cut that out. :nod:

I love milk loads, do i really need to cut it out? Good source of Lactose to. :drool:

Mashed potatoes etc - I realise some evening meals arent perfect. But they are better then Chips, pizza etc. And they are very well balanced. Now if your telling me i gotta eat even cleaner in the evening meal, or else it will seriously hinder my progress, ill consider it.

How many cals Percentage breakdown etc - Ok, you got me. Im guessing here. I check the label on everything, but ive never counted all the calories up before. Why? Lazyness and also lack of info. How many cals in 1 potato? F**k knows. I thought i might have to count them all up and work out the protien etc. Do I? If i do, i will. Definately. Might need some help though. I know im eating at a deficit to what i was at, and where i was at i was maintaining... i know that im eating low saturated fat and some heathly fats and no sugar etc so is that not enough? Again, help needed please

MAX - OT

Im not following the plan. Im merely using the warmup sets, weight ajustment sets and then 3*4-6 basis. It works well for me. :)

Again, appreciate the time out to help me ! I wanna do this, no point wasting my time and working hard to get 50% results.

Cheers

:tu:

Ok comments...

Cardio - Am not really doing any HIIT or really intense high rate stuff. The 30 mins in the morning is more to raise metabolism rather then fat burning per se. Even if you told me that it did nothing with regards the metabolism, id still do it, as its a great way to begin the day. Will take on board both your advice though, i was thinking it to be a must, maybe even above diet, now i will look at it as an added extra.

It doesn't raise your metabolism. :p

It does, if you are doing HIGH intensity cardio, but low intensity cardio hardly raises your metabolism. I agree though, I LOVE starting my day off with cardio. I didn't say to lose that cardio, I said the post-lifting cardio.


Meals - Ok,

so if i need 6 meals, and i shouldnt eat before morning cardio, or 2 hours before training or late in the evening (So ive read in various threads, could be wrong), when can i fit these in? Id appreciate some ideas.

Well, I don't eat before cardio, but some people do. Anyway, who said you can't eat 2 hours before training? I usually eat a carb/protein meal 1-2 hours before lifting, depending on my schedule.

As for getting 6 meals in, well... I don't know how many hours you sleep per night. Let's assume you are awake for 17hrs/day. You eat 1 hour after waking (after your cardio), so that's 16 hours.

16/6 = 2.7 hours between meals. However, my post-workout meal and real meal after that are only 1 hour apart. Therefore, all my meals almost perfectly are 3 hours spaced apart and I fit 5-6 in per day, no problem.


Havent had bannanas late night, have one in protien shake in the evenings though, will cut that out.

I love milk loads, do i really need to cut it out? Good source of Lactose to.

The banana wasn't terrible, remember, I am just giving you the IDEAL situation.


Mashed potatoes etc - I realise some evening meals arent perfect. But they are better then Chips, pizza etc. And they are very well balanced. Now if your telling me i gotta eat even cleaner in the evening meal, or else it will seriously hinder my progress, ill consider it.

Again, it's a matter of optimizing your diet. It's a simple carb that has a lot of calories. A sweet potato is a FAR better choice. I have a sweet potato every day.


How many cals Percentage breakdown etc - Ok, you got me. Im guessing here. I check the label on everything, but ive never counted all the calories up before. Why? Lazyness and also lack of info. How many cals in 1 potato? F**k knows. I thought i might have to count them all up and work out the protien etc. Do I? If i do, i will. Definately. Might need some help though. I know im eating at a deficit to what i was at, and where i was at i was maintaining... i know that im eating low saturated fat and some heathly fats and no sugar etc so is that not enough? Again, help needed please

Well, I don't have the time to figure out all your macros, but http://www.calorieking.com should be very useful.


MAX - OT

Im not following the plan. Im merely using the warmup sets, weight ajustment sets and then 3*4-6 basis. It works well for me.

Good, then stick with it!


Again, appreciate the time out to help me ! I wanna do this, no point wasting my time and working hard to get 50% results.

Cheers

That's why we're all here. To help each other! :D

Don't cut back on the milk. Milk is like a perfect food. It's tasty, nutritious and filling. Recently they've published studies showing that calcium consumption from milk products aids in weight loss. I knew this three years ago. Every time I've lost weight it was because I was drinking more milk.

Here's a couple links to back me up
http://www.annecollins.com/weight-control/calcium-weight-loss.htm
http://www.coral-calcium-for-newbies.com/calcium-and-weight-loss.html

Don't cut back on the milk. Milk is like a perfect food. It's tasty, nutritious and filling. Recently they've published studies showing that calcium consumption from milk products aids in weight loss. I knew this three years ago. Every time I've lost weight it was because I was drinking more milk.

Here's a couple links to back me up
http://www.annecollins.com/weight-control/calcium-weight-loss.htm
http://www.coral-calcium-for-newbies.com/calcium-and-weight-loss.html

Ehh, for every article encouraging milk, there's one discouraging it. I don't think taking milk out complete is necessary, but when you are cutting and on a calorie deficit diet, there is no doubt that a) your carbs can come from MUCH better sources b) you can stay "fuller" by eating your calories rather than drinking them.

I just saw milk in a lot of spots on his menu and I think it should be limited to 1 serving/day, when really cutting hard like he is.

Ehh, for every article encouraging milk, there's one discouraging it. I don't think taking milk out complete is necessary, but when you are cutting and on a calorie deficit diet, there is no doubt that a) your carbs can come from MUCH better sources b) you can stay "fuller" by eating your calories rather than drinking them.

I just saw milk in a lot of spots on his menu and I think it should be limited to 1 serving/day, when really cutting hard like he is.

<hijack>What's so bad about milk that you should limit it?

I disagree. I feel very full from drinking my calories. An apple and a glass of milk fills me much more than an apple and a handful of amonds.
</hijack>

Just a quick note aside from my daily posting

Karatetricker - Thanks mate, your help is so appreciated! So how about i throw in a meal replacement shake immediately after my workout (Its a good one at our gym, Low GI complex carbs and protien, no sugar or fat, and in water)? Then id get showered, changed, drive home and then have evening meal (about 1 hour in between).

And i could switch my pre workout energy boost to another small meal, reduce my 11 o'clock meal? So my daily intake would look like

(Weekdays)

8.30 - Protein shake with bannana and milk. 2 slices wholemeal bread with maramit

11 o'clock - Cottage cheese salad

1 o'clock - 2 * tuna sandwichs on wholemeal bread, fat free yogurt and apple

3 oclock - Sliced wafer thin turkey (100g)

Workout 5-7pm

Post workout (usually 7) - MRP shake with water

Dinner (8 o'clock) - Whatever is made (will try and cut out the mash potatos and replace with sweet potato. ;) )

Does this look better? Seems an awful lot.

So my 30mins bike ride wont raise my metabolism? Hmmmm.... maybe i should be really going for it 20mins on the excersize bike instead. Or can i get intense on a pushbike? Whats ideal here to raise metabolism? I will drop post workout cardio, and make the effort to get to the gym on off days for a run etc. Want to improve fitness to you see.

I didnt mean for you to work out all my cals and macro nutrients !!! That would be well cheeky ! :p Just wanted the link, i will being to work them out next week. And how do i work out my daily need for maintainence cals?

Guava - Im going to keep the morning dose of milk in my diet, because i agree that it contains good calcium and sugars, plus i love it. This diet is not going to be ideal, because for a start ill be drinking once a week, and when i drink, i DRINK ! If i stip out EVERYTHING i enjoy, im unlikely to stick to this. Of course im getting rid of of all the really bad stuff i enjoy, but if the pretty good stuff (but not ideal) stuff goes to, ill not stick to this. Number 1 on my agenda is enjoyment.

Both of you, thank you very much. Your both dedicated and knowlegable people, and i thank u for makeing my task that bit easier. :tucool:

Off to the gym now, Shoulders day today methinks ! ;)

This diet is not going to be ideal, because for a start ill be drinking once a week, and when i drink, i DRINK ! If i stip out EVERYTHING i enjoy, im unlikely to stick to this. Of course im getting rid of of all the really bad stuff i enjoy, but if the pretty good stuff (but not ideal) stuff goes to, ill not stick to this. Number 1 on my agenda is enjoyment.
Ditto

If i stip out EVERYTHING i enjoy, im unlikely to stick to this. Of course im getting rid of of all the really bad stuff i enjoy, but if the pretty good stuff (but not ideal) stuff goes to, ill not stick to this. Number 1 on my agenda is enjoyment.

:nod: If someone told me that I couldn't eat cake and still achieve the body that I have, then I would never have gotten here. (I did quit drinking, but it's not so much a sacrifice for me.)

Drink up!

<hijack>What's so bad about milk that you should limit it?

I disagree. I feel very full from drinking my calories. An apple and a glass of milk fills me much more than an apple and a handful of amonds.
</hijack>

To each their own. It's all a matter of opinion. You keep asking me what's so bad? I said, each time that I wouldn't cut it out completely if you like it. However, some people can knock back 3-4+ cups in a day and IMO, it's wasted calories to drink so much milk.

I have also read in numerous places that limiting your dairy other than low fat cottage cheese, when dieting, is a good idea. Therefore, I am just reiterating that information.

Reno, that meal plan, timing wise seems quite a bit better. However, without the nutrition information for each meal, it's difficult to say how much better. The only thing that looks like it might be a bit much is the 2 tuna sandwichies as 1 pm if that's 2 cans on 4 slices of bread.

As for the cardio boosting your metabolism. Just being active in general raises it, so I wouldn't cut out cardio completely just because it doesn't raise it as much as say HIIT. I am pretty sure though that low intensity cardio will raise your metabolism, but by a couple calories an hour while a very intense cardio workout (i.e. HIIT or Max-OT Cardio) is meant to raise it much more.

Again, try a few differemt things and see what works and what YOU enjoy the best. It's far better to do what you enjoy more even if the results are not optimal because this way you are more likely to stick to it.

:gl:

Regarding the milk.

Milk is fine when cutting but don't drink a lot of it. Remember it has some sugar in there. Some nutritionalists/experts say dairy products give you a "thick skin" but I'm not 100% sold on this idea. I just read this on another forum, "how many calories you eat determines if you gain or lose weight, what you eat determines what you gain or lose" - great advice for anyone.

Anyway, I'm doing a mini-cut for 4 weeks atm and have cut out all dairy products besides cottage cheese (great for pre-bed meal). SoO far so good but I can't consume much dairy because I'm lacotse intolerant.

I wouldn't drink over a pint a day when cutting though.

Good luck Reno_1ted, if you stick to it you'll amaze yourself!

Hey,

Well, the weekend has been and gone, usually my training / diet has gone as well. However, while not all together ideal, i really gave it a good go this time round.

Saturday, i stuck to my diet. While i did eat less then a weekday, i ate healthy and often. Sunday day i also ate well, apart from a cheat meal in the evening (Lasagne ! MMmmmmmmm !!!!!). Weirdly enough, i was looking forward to my cheat meal loads ! Normally, id just be like, "Cool lasagne. " But because id been so good all week and eaten to cut, rather then for pleasure, i was actually excited about this meal ! Sad really. :o

With regards all the advice ive had these past few days id like to say a big thanks. Ive taken all of what youve said on board and have decided.

1) Alternate between 30 mins bike ride outdoors (Low-Med intensity) and 20mins Stationary bike (Med-High intensity). I realise that the low intensity stuff wont raise my metabolism as much, but riding in the fresh air in the morning has been a really positive thing, which i think is keeping me positive about the whole experiance.
2) I will be cutting my 11 o'clock meal in half and having another meal at 3pm. So it will now look like

11am - Cottage cheese and salad
3pm - 100g sliced turkey and orange.

3) I will add a Meal Replacement shake post workout. The ones at our gym are high protien and low GI shakes with no sugar and minimal fat. Following the milk debate, i will be having this one with water, meaning ill only be drinking 3/4 of a pint a day, which i think will be more benificial then harmfull. :) This, plus the new 3pm meal, will give me 6 meals in total (5 on non training day).

On a side now, my lunchtime tuna sandwichs is 1 tin on 4 rounds of bread.


Today is a bank holiday, and thus a day off work. The last few bank holidays ive eaten complete crap, but today ive treated it seriously and ive eaten

Breakfast (10am) - 2 wholemeal toast. Protein shake with 3/4 pint of milk and bannana
1st meal (12pm) - Chicken breast and potato wedges (Homemade, no crap added)
2nd meal(3pm) - Chicken and salad on brown bread (2 slices)
4.30pm Meal replacement shake
5.30 - Cottage cheese and cucumber
6.30 (Havent had yet) - Chicken breast with low fat curry sauce on brown rice.

A lot of chicken today

Went to the gym, forgot it was bank holiday, it was closed. :o No matter, was meant to be a day off training any ways. Will be there tomorrow.

Pictures to be posted wednesday, new BF reading tomorrow !!!!!

Thanks again for all the advice.

Day 8 - 1 week on !!!

Here i am, one week into my summer cut-up project. And to say im happy with my progress would be an understatement !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Took my BF% today 1 week on and its down to 13% dead on !!! Thats 1.8% lost in a week. And weighing in 1 week on, im down to 73kg ( 1kg loss or 2.2lbs) !!! No noticable loss of muscle size, definately no loss of strength, in fact, last week i upped all my weights by about 5kg, so im actually stronger then ever !!!!

Ok, so the first week was always going to be a bigger then normal loss, with water and that, but along with the visual difference and the weight loss of 1kg (Both weights were first thing in the morning, making water less of an issue !), i can only write week 1 down as a success. Not just because of what ive achieved, but also becuase ive learnt so much and found many ways to improve even further ! :tu: :tu: :tu:



Tonight im going to visit my girlfriend who lives in Manchester (1 hr train ride) so wont be making the gym. Im not too concearned, because i can still go wed, thur, fri and sat, with CV work on 1 of those days. So its all good. 3 days off weights will do me good anyways, was getting a niggle in the back of my neck, havent had 3 days off in a row for like 8 weeks now.

Because of my trip to see the missus, i wont be able to post later so hence why im posting now.

Woke up and did 20mins on stationary bike (Why does it seem so much harder then 30mins outdoors???) Really took it out of me, felt like id really pushed myself.

Today i ate:

Breakfast - 2 wholemeal toast with marmite. 2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint of milk, 1 bannana

11am - 200g cottage cheese and cucumber, chives and spring onion

1pm - Chicken wholemeal brown baggette with salad and low fat mayo

3pm - (not had yet) 100g Sliced turkey

6.40ish (not had yet) - Chicken stir fry with egg noodles. (Fryed in olive oil, very light sauce)

Only 5 meals today, as no weights workout.

Tomorrow is visual day. I will be posting "1 week on" progress pics in comparison with week 1 !!! Heres hoping you guys notice what i believe i can notice. :) :) :)

Later guys n gals.

Well done Reno, keep up the good work :tucool:

Hey,

Well, i never had chance to post up the photos last night. I took them though, and theres a slight difference between the new and old shots. The difference is more apparent in real life. I think using the flash and the self timer is detrimental to my photos, but they give the general idea, and it has onyl been a week. I will post them up tonight, along with todays food log etc.

Yesterday i cudnt get my morning Cv in, as i was 40 miles away from work, so had an hour train journey, plus i had no bike there. Is the first weekday morning ive missed since i began this project, and i dont intend on making a habit of it.

Yesterday was chest and Tri's day, and again it was a good tough session. It was the second week on my new increased weight, and i managed 5 reps on my bench press, 1 rep up on each set from last week. The way i lift is based on MAX - OT, but without foloowing the actual 12 week program. So i will warmup with 2 sets on a compound excersize, then do another two sets of 3 reps then 1 rep to get muscles used to bearing weight, then ill do 3 sets of 4-6 reps on every excersize. When i can easily do 6 reps, i up the weight slightly. So last week i upped the weight on my bench press, and just managed 4 reps per set. Yesterday i managed 5 reps. Next week, i hope 5 wil be easier, then hopefully ill be up to 6, and i can increase the weight again. The point is, considering im "Cutting", im still lifting as if i was bulking, still hammering the protien, and still increasing strengh. :)

Session included incline cable cross overs instead of standing ones. I did this as a friend recommended them and i fancied changing things up a bit, plus i wanna hit my upper inner chest. Was a good excersize, id recommend it. I always do

Bench press
Incline bench press
Incline flys (Wide stretch)
Decline dumbell press
One other excersize (Standing Cable Cross. Incline cable cross. Pec deck... whatever i fancy)

Tri's is

One arm cable push downs
2 arm bar cable pushdown supersetted with behind the head extensions
Weighted tricep dips

Was very pleased.

I ate...

2 slices wholemeal wheat toast
2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint of milk, bannana
Cottage cheese salad with 1 tblespoon walnut oil
4 rounds wholemeal wheat bread
1 tin tuna
bannana
100g sliced turkey
1 Meal Replacement shake (post workout)
Turkey, roast potatoes (In olive oil), carrots

Totals Cals (Protien:Carbs:Fat)

2121 (47:41:12)

Cals are above 2000, what do you think? I was aimining for 1950-2000. Thats gonna be a typical day, mostly due to the 120 cals added by the walnut oil, which i added to get my fats up (They were at 9%!!!). Ive dropped the fat free yogurt at lunch time, wasted calories. ;)

Well, see ya later tonight !

Hey,

Well once again i didnt have time to post my progress photos. My scedule is very busy this week, and whilst im not having trouble getting my workouts in etc, i am finding it difficult to spare the time to upload my images.

I have noticed that a great deal of the fat ive lost has come off my chest. The underside is much more defined (Not perfect, but better) and the "Cut" down the middle of the two pecs is getting quite impressive ! Ive lost some fat from the abs area, and quite a bit from my arms. My shoulder and bicep used to almost be a straight line, but now it goes in at the base of my shoulder, then back out for the bicep. Nice.

Yesterday, was shit weather, so was on the staionary bike for 20 mins Med-High intensity. (NOT HIIT !!!). (On a side note, today was the first sunny day all week, so managed to get back outdoors on the proper bike today :D )

Yesterday i ate...

2 slices wholemeal wheat toast w high polyunsaturate spread
2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint of milk, bannana
Cottage cheese salad with 1 tblespoon walnut oil
2 wholemeal wheat rolls (with added wheatflakes)
1 tin tuna
Apple
100g sliced turkey
1 Meal Replacement shake (post workout)
150g turkey and 1 baked potato with salad.

Totals: Cals (P:C:F)

2012 (45:42:13)

I also had 2 weetabix in the evening, because i got the munchies real bad ! :whistle: So add those to my day. Good fibre, not too bad GI, no fat, all good. Better then pizza or chocolate cake, or crisps (Americans read chips), which was my old munchies food. :drool:

I will try and post tonight, although again im pushed for time. Might just make the progress pics bi-weekly, probably more of a noticable difference then anyways.

Later people.

Regarding the milk issue, so long as the calories and fat are worked into your diet, there's no real need to worry. I use less than half a pint of milk in my protein shakes (two shakes on lifting days, one on rest days) which gives the shake a very thick and delicious texture but I'm still getting the same amount of protein as I'm still using two scoops.

Here is pics of my progress after week 1 of my cutting program. The before pics are on the left, to help compare.

Am really happy with my results this far, and this last week, theres been even more progress.

The pics are taken at the same time (Evening). I may take a morning shot next time. :confused:

Well, the weekend has again been and gone, and im delighted to say, it was a success !!!

i ate near perfect, not as good as my weekdays, but miles better then most weekends.

For those doubters of the power of the cheat meal, i ate a large pizza saturday night. And i mean LARGE. It was soooooo tasty, although i felt very bloated afterwards. That pizza gained me 3 lbs !!! (Water of course). So i went to the gym sunday morning and hammered the cardio, (tired HIIT for the first time, more on that later), and ate perfect sunday, with a slightly bigger then normal deficit (Maybe 1500 cals). This morning, i weighed 1lb lighter then i did on friday !!!! So that means from friday, i gained 3lbs, then lost 4lbs. So overall, i lost 1lb. If you eat clean all week, then have 1 cheat meal, for me anyways, it works a treat. :)

Overall, im amazed with the progress so far. Its so motivating to see results before your own eyes. Everytime i feel like i need to pig out on junk, i just take a look at myself, and the results so far keep me focussed on the bigger picture, especially the cut appearing down the centre of my chest. :nod:

Im loosing this weight fairly fast. Ive always been more skinny then fat, but with half decent genetics and a good body shape. My body finds it easier to loose fat then gain muscle (Although obviously i find it easier the other way round, no clean cutting diet !!!). I may try ABCDE, as if i can loose fat this quick (With dedication i might add), it might be worth looking into. Might combine it with creatine as well. So many possibilities.

I feel now that i know my body so much better. If i ate like i used to (Not excessive, but not clean either), i wouldnt go higher then 15%. I now know what i need to do to cut up, and if i can make 10% within 4 weeks (watch this space), i know that i could put on a super bulk, do everything i can to build mass, and then go on a 4 week cut like this and cut up again. :)

Im gonna keep going till i get to 10% though. I wanna see what 10% looks like. Then i will re-asses.

So another week ahead of me, another clean week of clean calories. Heres hoping i keep seeing results.

Weight and BF posted tomorrow !!! Fingers crossed.

Hey,

Well, i didnt have time to take my BF this morning, as my bike ride overran (Ended up doing a new route which actually took 5 mins longer, making me have to rush for work.) Will defo post it tomorrow, as well as progress pics 2 weeks in. Has it only been 2 weeks? Jeez.

Yesterday i ate:

2 slices wholemeal wheat toast w high polyunsaturate spread
2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint of milk, bannana
100g Sliced chicken
4 slices wholemeal wheat toast
1 tin tuna
1 tblespoon light mayo
Apple
100g sliced turkey
75g Egg Noodles
~3oz sliced lean beef
1 tblespoon soy sauce
2 cups Mixed Veggies (Toms, mushrooms, onions, peppers)

Total Cals: (P:C:F)

1838 (44:43:13)

Had a day off from the gym. I Always have 2 days off per week, and thats ususally a weekend day, and a weekday.

Im feeling pretty good in general. Am confident ill meet my target of 10% in no time, and the best thing is now i know i can really cut, i know what i need to do. I can go all out for a bulk, add another couple of lbs lean muscle mass, and then cut right down again. At the moment im around 71kg (156.2lbs). Down from 74kg, a good rate of loss, esp at already low BF levels. However, id rather be heavier in general. Id like to be 163lbs at 10%. Thats my overall long term goal. Now, ive never managed to gain more then 14% BF in my whole life, so the way i see it, if i bulk up to 12 stone (168lbs), ill be at 14% again tops, so the rest of the weight gained will be lean mass (water inc of course). So maybe after this cut (I think ill get down to 154lbs), ill maintain for a bit, enjoy the way i look, then go all out for a 14lb bulk ! Clean of course ! ;)

Yesterday was a bit of a bad one diet wise.

In a addition to what i normally eat, i wolfed down 2 pieces of garlic baggette (Only like 2/8ths of a baggette, but with garlic butter on them) and also for dinner i had mince beef stew (Mince with carrotts, potato chunks and gravy) and chips. Now dont get me wrong, i didnt exactley pig out on junk. The chips were oven ones with less than 5% fat. The mince would have been quite fatty though. Just feel a bit down about it, even though its so minor and not the end of the world, its the first lapse of the diet so far, the first day where ive felt a bit let down by myself. However, it has given me more determination to suceed. I was so tired this morning when i got up for cardio, but i cast my mind back to the guilt of yesterday and got up and did it. What doesnt kill u will only make u stronger RIGHT? :nod:

Not going to post my BF or my pics, as the slightly salty and fatty dinner last night has left me with a bit of water to shed to get an accurate reading and pic. Am drinking pleanty of water today, will add some cardio to my Chest and Tri session tonight, and hopefully be back to my best by tomorrow. :)

Yesterday i ate: (Oh my god, not going to be pretty)

2 slices wholemeal wheat toast w high polyunsaturate spread
2 scoops whey protien, 3/4 pint of milk, bannana
1/2 tin tuna with salad and a tiny bit of light mayo
1 tblespoon walnut oil (eaten before i knew what was coming !)
4 slices wholemeal wheat bread
1 tin tuna
1 tblespoon light mayo
Apple
100g sliced turkey
1 scoop MRP shake powder
200g Mince beef
1/2 potato and carrotts
~20 low fat oven chips
2 small pieces of garlic bread

Total: Cals (P:C:F)

(gulp) 2584 (39:42:18)

Hey, macros are ok ! Shame its all bad fats and crap carbs. :o

Well, im back on track today, no harm done i hope. Im NOT having mince beef again (Unless its a cheat meal). :tu:

See y'all tomorrow.

Ok, so yesterday was a great day food and workout wise.

Chest and tri's session was awsome !!! I felt really strong, managed 6 reps, then 6 reps, then 5 reps on my bench, with near perfect form !!! Will be ready to up it 5 kg in no time. Then ill be pressing my body weight ! :D

I felt really pumped yesterday at the gym. More so then usual. Do you think my lower BF, esp round my chest and shoulders, could result in a better looking pump?

Yesterday i ate:

2 Scoops whey protien powder
2 wholemeal wheat toast
3/4 pint of semi skimmed milk
1 bannana

1/2 tin tuna and fresh salad

1 tin tuna
1 tble spoon low fat Mayo
4 Wholemeal wheat bread

1 TBS walnut oil
100g sliced turkey

4 small potatos
Haddock fillett in a light mayo and tomarto and red onion sauce.

Total Cals (P:C:F)

1935.5 (45:37:16)

Still high on the cals side, and a bit high on the fat side, but overall im pretty happy. I am going back to Cottage cheese for mid morning snack as of today. My dinner of fish and potatos was sooooo good !!!

Im aiming for cals between 1900-2000, what do people think of thos target? Im doing 20 mins at 70% MHR in the morning 5 times a week (Sometimes 30mins at 50% if im outdoors), i lift weights 4 times a week and do 1 cardio session nearly every week. Well, im loosing fat, so i guess it must eb working.

One question, which if i dotn get answered here, ill post in the main forum.

Maintaince cals. Is this the number of cals to maintain whatever BF you have, or is it to maintain a certain level of BF. What i mean is:

Say you need 2000 cals to maintain and your 15% BF
You deficit down to 1700 and cut up to 10%

Do you then keep at 1700 to maintain 10%, or go back to 2000. If you go back to 2000, will that not take you back up to 15%. Do you see what i mean? If you decrese your cals to 1700, will that deficit only take you so far? Will you say, get to 12% and then have to deficit again?

If not, then surely if what im eating now is dropping fat, then i will keep cutting until 10%. Right?

Ok, ive come to the conclusion that no one reads on line journals ! ;)

Ive also come to the conclusion that im going to drop the milk and bannana at breakfast. Its not a descision i came to lightly.

The thing is, i need the cals elsewhere. At the moment, im at my hungriest in the evenings, after my workout. I eat at 3 oclock, then go to the gym 5-7, get home and eat dinner about 7.30. By then im starving. So i need a big meal to recover from my workout. At the moment, that big meal is pushing me towards the top end of my cal allowance. By stopping the bannana and milk in the mornings, i can free up some cals for the evening, when i would like them most.

Now i know i should not consume most cals late on in the day, but im listening to my body, and at 7.30, after 2 hours in the gym and 4 1/2 hours since i last ate, my body is saying "Feed me". So thats what im going to do. Besides, i dont go to bed till 12.30am, so its not too late realyl. I had a milkless shake this morning. Not nice.

Also, i realised that i had my cals way to high on my spreadsheet for certain foods. I had been using mostly the set cals and macros on Calorieking, but today ive been writing down my ACTUAL cals and macros, and its lower then Calorie king has it. By a LOT. So even on days ive thought ive been top ending, i havent, which is good !!! Always nice to know ur deficit is bigger then u thougt, rather then less then you thought ! ;)

Yesterday i ate:

2 Scoops whey
2 wheat toast
3/4 pint of milk
1 bannana

100g cottage cheese
2 tea spoons walnut oil

4 rounds brown bread
Mayo
1 tin tuna
Apple

100g sliced turkey

Cheese 50g
Pasta 100g
Mince 200g (All in a pasta bake !)

100g chicken on rice cake

Total Cals (P:C:F)

2097 (38:45:17)

On the high side of cals as well, however without the bananna and milk

1758 cals ( 42:40:18) - Perfect ! :D Now u can see why they are dropped !

Yesterday was a mighty back and bis session with my old pal col. Was a long and hard session, top stuff ! I love lifting !

Laters people,

Well, havent checked in these last few days. But that doesnt mean i havent been keeping up with my diet. Been away at my Girlfriends mum and dads last weekend, which was a challenge. Being away means you kinda have to eat what everyone eats, i mean, they arent gonna cook you a separate meal just coz you wanna be ripped for the summer are they ! ;) However, i managed to do pretty well. I had a cheat meal of a takeaway curry on saturday night and a chinese takeaway monday night. The chinese wasnt all that unhealthy really. The curry was though. Boy, i love giving my thyroid a good kick up the ass ! :D Took on quite a lot of water, which after lots of black coffee and water the last 2 days, has all gone.

So all in all, not too bad a weekend. Got home tuesday and went straight to the gym. Yesterday, got up for bike ride as usual and then gym again in the evening. Did a killer legs and abs session, especially the abs part. Finally set out a structured abs program, consisting of 3 * 10 weighted decline situps, then 15 crunches, 10 straight leg lying on my back leg raises, then 15 full situps touching the floor between my legs. Thats 1 set, i do three sets. Then, on shoulder day, i do 3 sets of 20 * decline sull situps with a medicine ball and 3*10 weighted hanging leg raises (Straight leg). Really have neglected my abs in the past (Maybe coz i couldnt see them !!!), but now im focusing on them, to get them up to the standard of the rest of my muscle groups.




So....I took my BF% yesterday..... came out as

10.5 % !!!

Wooooo !!!! Was sooooo chuffed. All this hard work is paying off, and best of all its visual to. I LOOK 10.5%. Cant say how happy i am. When i get to 10%, ill post pics of before and after, as i havent really been keeping up with my weekly updates. Then im gonna keep hammering the weights program, keep stretching and keep eating clean.

Ususal diet and program at the gym. Had a lovely breaded Haddock fillet with new potatoes and mixed mediteranian veggies ! :drool:

Laters people.

Today is friday and payday all rolled into one !!! :D

Yesterday i had the best shoulders workout for ages !!! I managed 6 reps on all three sets of military presses. Just upped them like 4 weeks ago and really struggled to hit 4 reps, so to get 6 on each one is very pleasing !!! However, 6 was hard going, so not going to up them again just yet. Ive just finished another 4 weeks, so usually i try and add some weight at this stage. I think ill wait another 2 weeks, really get 6 good solid reps with perfect form before i up my weights. But i must say, im feeling really strong, who said you couldnt build strength while cutting. ;)

Diet wise, im happy enough. Im loosing fat at a good rate, and im enjoying the food i am eating. Which is really a bonus. Im not subscribing to the "No potatoes, no evening carbs etc" strict thing. I think that simply by eating healthy and clean, and keeping a caloric deficit and good macros, you will achieve fatloss. And i for one are more likely to stick to a diet i like. Having said that, im not someone who puts on fat easily, ive never been overweight, so perhaps someone in that position would need to be stricter then me. Guess im lucky, not that i havent worked hard.

This weekend, ill be gyming it hopefully saturday and sunday. Got my back and bi's session to get in, so will defo be there tomorrow. And then id like to get a good CV session in sunday. We shall see. Oh, and cheat meal time tomorrow !!! Pizza anyone? ;)

Have a good one, see y'all monday !

If there is such a thing as the proverbial "Fitness wagon", i well and truely fell off it this weekend...

Stupid amounts of alchohol friday night, saturday night and all day sunday. 2 combo platters at 2 different bars. 1 chinese takeaway, 1 9'' pizza after saturday nights exploits... and not one gym session.

On the plus side, i had done my 4 workouts for the week, so anything i had done at the weekend would have been extra. And i did cycle everywhere yesterday. But still, the weekend was far from a success fitness wise.

So whats the damage ? Well, minimal really. Ive been SO good for ages, only having 1 cheat meal and eating perfect throughout the week that one binge weekend wont have hurt too much. I feel no guilt, and i dont feel at all down. Just staying focussed, picking myself up and jumping back on the wagon. The way i look at it, the weekend was 1 step back. So long as i make sure i take 2 steps forward this week, ill be back on track. So im going to eat PERFECT and train really hard. Im gonna make sure i get in at least one CV session extra (Above my daily morning cardio) and i may even go circuit training later in the week. Infact, ill state it now, as thats the point of these journals.

I WILL GO CIRCUIT TRAINING later this week !!!

So in the bigger picture im still more :) then :( . I managed my morning cycle despite being tired and a little hungover. And tonight is chest and tris, so im gonna sweat out lots of the s**t ive put in my body. And also, im gonna try to up my incline flys to 27.5kg. So im looking forward to that, after which im gonna go home, eat, chill and get an early night.

Laters.

I just noticed ive become a senior member ! I feel so honoured and knowlegable. ;)

My eating was back on track yesterday. I think it was pretty much spot on, with lower fat (maybe 45:45:10 average). Guess this was just out of guilt for the weekend. However, i cant be precise, as i had a sauce with my evening meal which was made for me, and i ave no idea what was in it, but id guess that had a few cals and a bit extra fat in there, plus i had a slice of brown toast with adentes pate and cucumber in the evening. so the foods i do know had me at 1527 cals, so add the foods i dont know, and i think i will have been spot on. :tu:

Yesterdays gym session was immense. It was a day filled with PB's. Managed to lift 4 reps flat bench heavier then ever before, and the same with incline flys !!! Was totally chuffed. I just felt really strong, like i could keep going heavier and heavier ! Maybe thats because of all the cals i ate sunday??? What do you think?

A new sub-goal is to get 100kg on all "powerlifting" excersizes (Press, deads and squat). It will be a while off, so no date for this goal, just something to keep in mind.

The weekends excess has bumped my BF up to 11%. :( Was 10.5% on friday. However, i will be 10.5% again by this friday, i know my body well enough, and this weekend, im gonna be perfect diet wise. All the cheat food has given me terrible skin, so im gonna make sure i have ONE cheat meal and thats it.

Tonight is back and Bi's. Gonna see if i can up my close grip pulldowns and seated rows. Im gonna keep my straight legs deads the same for now, as well as lat pulldowns, as i need to make sure my form is good before upping the weights.

Take it easy. :)

Well, nothing all that new to report really, but thought id better check in anyways.

You may have noticed (if anyone other then me reads this) that ive stopped logging calories. Well, the reason for this is, i eat the same things every weekday. So theres really no need. Trackign my cals for a while was one of the BEST moves i ever made.

1) It helped me see where i was taking in too many calories (Result - dropped bannana and milk from breakfast
2) Helped me see i needed more fat (Result - Added walnut oil to cottage cheese salad
3) Helped me get a general idea what foods were good and bad (Result - No longer eat minced (ground) beef, have swopped for quorn)

Now im at the stage where i know that if i eat what i usually eat during the day, it allows me for a large healthy evening meal, and a pre bed balanced snack and still keeps me under 2000 cals. I still have the spreadsheet if i need to check something.


Following my Chest Personal best session monday, i pushed the weights up for my back to. Added 7k to my seated row and close grip pulldowns. Im interested as to which of those 2 ill hit 100kg on first. Im on 91 for close grips and 98 for seated rows. Ive never lifted 100kg in anything. So i look forward to that. Didnt up my deadlift, as i do stiff leg ones on back day, ive only just intorduced them, so wanna b sure i got my form down before i go heavier. :tu:

Swopped morning cycle for excersize bike today. Man i prefer getting outside, but i feel its good to change things up a bit.

Tonight is legs with my mate col. He's got the legs of a beast, so will be pushing me all the way. Good to have someone to go with and make you push it and keeps u motivated.

If i keep clean this weekend, allow 1 cheat meal and a few drinks, i think that by this time next week, i will be at 10%, my goal. If so, i will post pics here and in media gallery and review my goals.

Laters :)

Well, the weekend is almost here, and i am focussed on staying on track. Its gonna be hard, as its a bank holiday weekend, meaning 3 days off from the usual midweek routine, instead of the already difficult 2. I will succeed, i must. I wanna be at my goal by next friday, and i feel that with a perfect weekend, a few beers and 1 cheat meal, i can do it. 10% by friday. BRING IT ON !

Yesterday was legs day, and today i can barely walk (In a good way), so much so that i had to forgo my Morning bike ride for the first time since i began (Excluding times i havent been at home). I just couldnt find the leg energy to do it. So i will make up for that at the gym tonight. A massive shoulders session, rounded off with some ab work. BRING IT ON !!!

I AM going for a CV session this weekend !!!! Im focussed, im going to make this weekend. No deep fried platters this time ! :nod:

Diet is still the same, had lovely chicken wraps for tea last night. :drool: Oh, and i squatted and deadlifted more then ever to. That means all my compounds have been increased this week. So at least im not loosing strength on this cut. :bb:

Well, have a super weekend, if you live in the UK, dont miss Big Brother (You say you wont watch it, but you KNOW you will), and im sure ill check in for some motivation this weekend. May even take some pics as an added incentive.

Right, im off for a beer... ;)

Its funny, because although diet wise this weekend was better then last weekend, it still wasnt perfect by any means. Lots of beer, and LOTS of food at a BBQ on monday night. And i mean LOTS !!! Im talking 2 burgers, 1 pork chop, 3 chicken wings and 2 sausages !!! The result ? Well, 6 lbs gained in one day to start with ! Ha ! I put most of this down to water and also the weight of the food itself. Time for damage limitation...

This week is my week 9 week off weights wise, so just cardio for me. Morning cardio every morning. Then 1 major session tueday night, including punch bag work, situps, chins, pressups and a 3km run (all after another keeping heart rate up). Then last night i went to play pre-season touch rugby at the rugby club for 1 1/2 hours. And ive eaten PERFECT all week so far. And ive drank TONS of water. Plenty of fiber as well, to compensate for all that meat...

The result...

... today i weighed in 1lb lighter then i was before the weekend !!! And my BF is at an all time record of 10.3% !!!!! :spaz: :spaz: :spaz:

Every weekday i am PERFECT, i train hard and dont miss sessions, i get up for morning CV without fail (Unless im not at home), i eat clean and healthy. Then at the weekend i seem to go nuts, eat loads, drink loads, and then after ive lost the water weight etc, i seem to loose some fat as well !!! Am i just teh luckiest guy ever, or is this the old cheat meal theory put into action big time ??? Who knows. All i know is, ive lost an extra lb of fat, and im feeling good.

10.3 % !!!

Chuffed. I think i may make 10% next week. :D 0

Well on April 27th 2004, i committed myself to loosing ~4% BF and cutting down to 10% body fat before July. I dieted for the first time in my whole life, i took up bike riding every weekday morning, i lifted harder then i ever have at the gym and made a life commitment to change the way i was.

On Friday of last week (4th June 2004), i reached my goal if 10%. I looked in the mirror and i looked 10%, exactely how i wanted to look. Not ripped up, but with visible abs and a cut chest. I felt 10%. I felt great.

Ive now switched to maintainance, have dropped the morning cycle and am consuming a few cals more a day. This morning, i checked again. Still 10%. Still look and feel 10%. Am made up.

So to conclude this cut journal:

1) The one thing that has come out of this is that i will always eat well and clean. I have felt so healthy and well these past few weeks. My skin is clearer, my confidence is up, my fitness has improved. So i will not go back to crisps and sweets. I have never abstained from beer and a cheat meal (or 2 ;) ), and i never will. But this is a major change for the better. This is a descision for life.

2) 10% is my ideal BF i think. I have a good 6 pack at 10% and dont look to skinny or too "Bodybuilderish" (Not that i have that much mass in comparison, but you know what i mean. Therefore, whenever i cut, i will make 10% my goal. It looks and feels healthy.

3) I have learned that u can preserve and maybe even increase mass (Slightly) while cutting.

So what next ?

Well, my new commitment is to playing rugby once again, and my new goal is to reach the 1st 15 next season for at least 1 game. So far, ive only ever played 3rd string. I hope that will change. In order to do that, i will need to train to play rugby rather then train for cosmetic reasons. Hopefully the cosmetic benifits will be a byproduct. ;)

So this means

a) lots of training.
b) More mass needed
c) More general CV fitness needed.

So these are my new goals. Im going on a bulk to try and add some serious lean mass, hopefully preserving a relativly low BF through all the cardio ill be doing. Im going to eat lots, but all 100% clean.

Ill start a new journal and post my 10% pics in the media gallery.

Thanks to those who have helped me get to where i am. And i hope you'll guide me through my next journal and my new goals. Thanks. Look out for photos in the media gallery, and ill see you all for a bulk. :db: :bb:

:)

looking good man, keep up the good work!