my diet and workout plans.. let me know what you think so i can continue to improve!



9:00 AM
25 Minute Jog

9:30 AM
1/2 cup of Oats 140 2.5 26 0 5 4
3 slices of Turkey 140 6 0 0 26 0
Spring Tree Sugar Free Syrup 30 0 0 0 0 0
Meal Totals 310 8.5 26 0 31 4

11:00 AM
Resistance Training

12:00 PM
1 Scoop All The Whey Protein w. Water 110 1.5 3 0 22 0
12 oz Skim Milk 135 0 21 21 13 0
1 Banana 105 0 26 26 1 1
Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt 90 0 14 14 6 0
Meal Totals 440 1 63 61 42 1

3:00 PM
1 Slice Whole Grain Wheat Bread 90 1 17 3 4 2
1 Slice Whole Grain Wheat Bread 90 1 17 3 4 2
Turkey 140 6 0 0 26 0
1 Slice of American Cheese 30 2.5 0 0 3.5 0
Meal Totals 350 10.5 34 6 37.5 4

6:00 PM
Chicken Breast 190 3 0 0 40 0
1 TS Olive Oil 150 14 7 5 0 0
Meal Totals 240 17 7 5 40 0

8:00 PM
1 Scoop All The Whey Protein w. Water 110 1 2 0 22 0
2 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter 200 16 7 2 7 2
Meal Totals 310 17 9 2 29 2

12:00 AM
1 cup 1% Cottage Cheese 200 6 14 7 26 0
Meal Totals 200 6 14 7 26 0

Total Calories 1850 60 153 81 205.5 11
540 612 822
29.20% 33.08% 44.43%




and the my workout plan as well, though it may not make sense to some of you, the exercises are worded so my ignorant to fitness friend would be able to follow it as well.

Monday: Chest/Triceps
Flat Bench
3 warm-up sets of 4 reps lifting just bar
4 sets of 6 reps at the heaviest weight you can do
Incline Dumbbell Press
2 sets of 10 moderate weight
Skull Crushers
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight you can do
Tricep Pulldown
2 sets of 10 or until failure



Tuesday: Back
Pull-ups
3 sets of 10 – add weight as you can, focus on good form and technique. Do one at a time if you must until you can do 3 sets of 10.
Bent-over Barbell Row(lower back)
4 sets of 6 at heaviest weight you can do
Upright Upwards Barbell Row(upper back)
2 sets of 10 at moderate weight

Wednesday: Legs
Squats
5 sets of 6 at heaviest weight
Leg Curl
1 set of 10 moderate weight
1 set of heavy weight until failure
Calf Raises
3 sets of 10 heaviest weight you can do

Thursday: Off

Friday: Shoulders/Biceps
Seated Dumbbell shoulder press
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight
Seated Deltoid Flies
3 sets of 10 light weight(10 pounds)
Standing Deltoid Flies
3 sets of 10 light weight(10 pounds)
Bicep Curls Dumbbells
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight
Barbell Bicep Curls
2 sets of 12 moderate weight

9:00 AM
25 Minute Jog


Drink a protein shake (just protein, no bananna, in water) 30 min before hand or you will use your own muscle for energy during the run.


9:30 AM
1/2 cup of Oats 140 2.5 26 0 5 4
3 slices of Turkey 140 6 0 0 26 0
Spring Tree Sugar Free Syrup 30 0 0 0 0 0
Meal Totals 310 8.5 26 0 31 4

11:00 AM
Resistance Training

12:00 PM
1 Scoop All The Whey Protein w. Water 110 1.5 3 0 22 0
12 oz Skim Milk 135 0 21 21 13 0
1 Banana 105 0 26 26 1 1
Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt 90 0 14 14 6 0
Meal Totals 440 1 63 61 42 1

3:00 PM
1 Slice Whole Grain Wheat Bread 90 1 17 3 4 2
1 Slice Whole Grain Wheat Bread 90 1 17 3 4 2
Turkey 140 6 0 0 26 0
1 Slice of American Cheese 30 2.5 0 0 3.5 0
Meal Totals 350 10.5 34 6 37.5 4

6:00 PM
Chicken Breast 190 3 0 0 40 0
1 TS Olive Oil 150 14 7 5 0 0
Meal Totals 240 17 7 5 40 0

8:00 PM
1 Scoop All The Whey Protein w. Water 110 1 2 0 22 0
2 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter 200 16 7 2 7 2
Meal Totals 310 17 9 2 29 2

12:00 AM
1 cup 1% Cottage Cheese 200 6 14 7 26 0
Meal Totals 200 6 14 7 26 0

Total Calories 1850 60 153 81 205.5 11
540 612 822
29.20% 33.08% 44.43%



Seems like a well designed diet, though personally I'd cut out as many carbs and fats as I could post-workout (ie have the peanutbutter with your pre-workout shake, reduce the amount of bread for the rest of the day, get more lean meats in there instead). However, you seem to be keeping carbs low enough, so you probably don't need to worry about that.


Monday: Chest/Triceps
Flat Bench
3 warm-up sets of 4 reps lifting just bar
4 sets of 6 reps at the heaviest weight you can do
Incline Dumbbell Press
2 sets of 10 moderate weight
Skull Crushers
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight you can do
Tricep Pulldown
2 sets of 10 or until failure



Tuesday: Back
Pull-ups
3 sets of 10 – add weight as you can, focus on good form and technique. Do one at a time if you must until you can do 3 sets of 10.
Bent-over Barbell Row(lower back)
4 sets of 6 at heaviest weight you can do
Upright Upwards Barbell Row(upper back)
2 sets of 10 at moderate weight

Wednesday: Legs
Squats
5 sets of 6 at heaviest weight
Leg Curl
1 set of 10 moderate weight
1 set of heavy weight until failure
Calf Raises
3 sets of 10 heaviest weight you can do

Thursday: Off

Friday: Shoulders/Biceps
Seated Dumbbell shoulder press
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight
Seated Deltoid Flies
3 sets of 10 light weight(10 pounds)
Standing Deltoid Flies
3 sets of 10 light weight(10 pounds)
Bicep Curls Dumbbells
4 sets of 6 heaviest weight
Barbell Bicep Curls
2 sets of 12 moderate weight

[/quote]

You seem to have a good training split going, however your sets per muscle group are fairly low, especially the number of sets for your back and chest groups. You want to work your back and chest more than your other muscles as they are your larger muscle groups. You also want to work more of those muscles' range of motions. I'd recommend adding the following exercises

Back:
Reverse Flye
Lat Pulldown
Standing Reverse Flye (where your torso is at an 45-60 degree angle to the ground, standing, pulling the weight up in a flye motion)
Also, for all back exercises where applicable, vary your grip (ie use wide grip and close grip for pull-ups, rows, etc...)

Chest:
Flat-bench Dumbell Flye
Incline Dumbell Flye
Cable Cross-over Flye from High Pulley Position
Decline Press (dumbell or barbell, remember to have a spotter)

Tricep
Dips (warmup, same day as chest, do at beginning of workout)


For all muscle groups, I'd recommend finishing each exercise with negatives at the end of the workout.

Other than those suggestions, you seem to have an excellent plan set up for yourself, and with or without my suggestions added you will do well if you stick with it. Good Luck!

do cardio and weights on seperate days, never do exercise on an empty stomach

your pre-WO meal is pretty good, you need more of, and better carbs in your PWO shake, at least 0.5/lb and half as much protein
also get fast carbs, such as dex, mixed with nutritious carbs such as oats and the banana

you really need ALOT more vegies in your diet, most of your carbs should come from vegies, for example at 6pm add broccoli or spinach there

pretty solid diet, just get your pre/post workout nutrition right, and eat your vegies!! (so important)

Dietary approach needs major adjusting.

Running for cardio is far from ideal for fat loss, if this is what you are after.

Weight training 2 hours after cardio is not a good idea either.

~SC~

swole, care to offer advice other than just blunt statements, i mean that isn't too helpful just tearing it down without stating what i should do.

what veggies would you reccomend? i enjoy brocholi, but i'm sure i need more than one serving a day. how many servings should i get?

swole, care to offer advice other than just blunt statements, i mean that isn't too helpful just tearing it down without stating what i should do.

Sorry, being that I'm travelling and my schedule is hectic, blunt statements are all that I have time for.

I'll refrain from offering those if they are of no help to you, to get you to research a bit further. Here I was thinking I was helping you w/the spare time I do have.

Regards,
~SC~

man sorry if i offended you, it was rather bitchy. i am irritable i just got off working. my apologys. I have researched this quite a bit actually, and from what i've read on this board it seems to be pretty good. what meals do i need to change up? post workout is really the only thing i see wrong, but i really enjoy the taste of my current shake. maybe i should change it up?

Cardio and weights dont necessarily have to be on seperate days... just try and seperate them by at least 8 hours. As far as diet goes for maxium fat loss... this is by no means the gospel this is just what I think and has worked for me.

-I'd go dairyless if you can manage (I still eat cheese on my cheat day)
-I'd stop bread all together... get carbs from brown rice, fruit (at approriate times of the day like PWO), non-instant oatmeal, stuff like that
-Focus carbs to the morning, I try not to eat carbs after 7pm personally (except in trace amounts)... green veggies aren't bad in the evening if they have very low GI... like spinach
-Cardio in the morning is great... an empty stomach is fine... all I take before mine is some L-glutamine
-A good multivitamin will probably make you feel better
-More veggies!!!! I eat at least a head or whatever they are called a day and then usually some zuchinni (great grilled or steamed)
-Varied types of protein is also good... fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef... basically if it is meat and really lean eat it... unless really high in sodium or cholesterol (note: sodium is really only a concern if you are suspectiable to hypertension..excess will cause bloating and water retention but it will not prohibit fat loss)
-One other thing... dont mix carbs and fats in the same meal. For some people this isnt an issue... but I tried not too and had great results.

Make sure you keep your calorie intake a couple hundred above your BMR rate or your lean mass will suffer. Keep in mind there is no magic formula. If something is working to a degree you are happy with it, stick to it. Play around with your diet till you feel good and are getting the results you want.

man sorry if i offended you, it was rather bitchy. i am irritable i just got off working. my apologys. I have researched this quite a bit actually, and from what i've read on this board it seems to be pretty good. what meals do i need to change up? post workout is really the only thing i see wrong, but i really enjoy the taste of my current shake. maybe i should change it up?
Swolecat (at least, at the time when he posted on there) approves of the diet posted in this thread:

http://forums.anabolicreview.com/showthread.php?t=75729

Swolecat knows his stuff, obviously. This diet must work for him. But for me, I'm still growing, so not eating any fruit would probably be pretty unhealthy. And that looks like way too much protein. Necessary for someone like him with an great deal of muscle, but for regular people?

Anyway, I appreciate your posts, SwoleCat. They're pretty informative. But if you don't have the time to correct their mistakes, maybe you could link to a diet that you approve of or something like that?

what iS flax? and where can i get it?

what veggies would you reccomend? i enjoy brocholi, but i'm sure i need more than one serving a day. how many servings should i get?

Fiberous vegies:
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower
Spinach
Bok/Pak Choi
Asparagus
Cos/Romaine lettuce
kale

Other vegies:

Celery
Cucumber
tomatoes

Red/Green Peppers - sweet
Green Beans
Eggplant

i think potatoes are considered vegies! they are good too :)

try get vegies with every meal, except for maybe pre/post workout

Running for cardio is far from ideal for fat loss, if this is what you are after.
~SC~

I am SOOO confused right now. I thought that running was the best type of cardio that you could do for fat loss. Can someone explain this?

I am SOOO confused right now. I thought that running was the best type of cardio that you could do for fat loss. Can someone explain this?
He has said that running will cause muscle to be catabolized because your heart rate goes so high when you run.

He has said that running will cause muscle to be catabolized because your heart rate goes so high when you run.

well he made a rather large generalization with saying "Running for cardio is far from ideal for fat loss". Running is one of the best things that you can do to burn fat....it doesn't mean that you have to necessarily lose muscle either.

well he made a rather large generalization with saying "Running for cardio is far from ideal for fat loss".

It seems any exercise burns calories, calorie burning can cause the loss of fat or muscle. The most effective means of exercise would be one that builds muscle. A pound of muscle burns 19 times the amount burned by a pound of fat at rest or in BMR. So someone burning fat by exercising with weights less than 40 min. a day would also build muscle and increase their metabolism.

Let me put it another way. Remember your BMR is the vast majority of your calorie burn a day not exercise. A pound of fat burns 2 calories a day, muscle 37.5 or higher at rest. Getting rid of fat causes loss of metabolism but not as much as losing muscle would. So, build muscle.

Another reason for resistance training, muscle takes up 20% less volume than fat. it is more dense, it doesn't weigh more. So that pound of calorie burning muscle is smaller than the pound of fat.

To me, there is no question what is more effective. But a few more calories burned by cardio in off-days won't hurt if you don't carry it too far.

This is science, not opinion, so here goes:

The burning of pure FAT for fuel during cardio-vascular exercise occurs when your heart-rate is at 65-75% of MAX. Running puts your heart-rate WAY over that percentage, thus your body uses GLUCOSE for fuel. When you run out of glucose, your body will then break down muscle tissue into glucose for fuel.

Again, it's science, so if you wish to argue it, no sweat off my balls. :lol: I know what works not only through science, but real-world application not only w/myself, but w/1000's of others I've assisted.

Carry on!
~SC~

Maybe you guys can throw me some advice :bow: ..

I'm a small guy 5'7" 140 lbs. I've never been too overweight, I've just always had the gut. I've been doing strictly cardio 6 times a week (Intense 25 minute running Mon-Fri and Tennis Sunday). I don't do resistance training simply because I find it alot more convenient to put on my running shoes and pound tha pavement hard fot 25-35 minutes. I also really enjoy running and really dont care about being muscular. I've seen alot of success doing just the cardio, but I'm at the point where my fat loss has kind of hit the wall. The scale hasnt moved from 140 for a couple weeks, and for the past week, I've upped the running intesity and distance.

Obviously, the combination of resistance training, cardio and diet is ideal, but just doing the cardio after work, works out good for me.

How important is the resistance training for me, and will I need to join a gym to really reach my flat stomach goals? Or should i just keep up what I'm doing and be patient? I understand that the closer I get to my goal, the slower the fat will go so maybe I'm just being impatient ;) .

Maybe you guys can throw me some advice :bow: ..

I'm a small guy 5'7" 140 lbs. I've just always had the gut. I've been doing strictly cardio 6 times a week (Intense 25 minute running Mon-Fri and Tennis Sunday). I don't do resistance training The scale hasnt moved from 140 for a couple weeks, and for the past week, I've upped the running intesity and distance. How important is the resistance training for me,

How much have you lost? How long have you been doing intense running 6 days a week? Sure you might be geting close to a good weight, what is your estimate of BF%?

swolecat,

you said "The burning of pure FAT for fuel during cardio-vascular exercise occurs when your heart-rate is at 65-75% of MAX. Running puts your heart-rate WAY over that percentage, thus your body uses GLUCOSE for fuel. When you run out of glucose, your body will then break down muscle tissue into glucose for fuel"

would u agree that the first statement "pure fat" is a little off ? if so, what do u think of the following:


the body is always using a combo of glucose and fat. when the body is at lower activity like watching tv, it prefers to burn fat over glucose. when doing lower intensity cardio, it burns a higher percentage of cals from fat than glucose. at higher intensity, it burns some fat, but a higher percentage from glucose.

also, it is pointed out that over 65-75% will cause more glucose to be burned but is there a reason this you point out running specifically? when any activity can be tailored for hrm targets. if i ride the bike hard enough, then i can also go over the 65-75% range easily.

"How much have you lost? How long have you been doing intense running 6 days a week? Sure you might be geting close to a good weight, what is your estimate of BF%?"

I've been running for about 2 months now. I'm not sure of my bf%, maybe these pics would help. I was about 146 and saw changes immediately in my legs, arms, face , back and chest. But it seems like I'm just a smaller version of me because the gut hasnt really moved. I figure I need to lose 3 or 4 more pounds, and Im sure its all stored right in the midsection. I've always been soft around that area, so maybe my bodies clinging on for dear life to that fat ive always had.

I have no problem being consistant with my exercise. It just makes me feel healthier all around. But i dont want to keep busting my but out there if the gut wont go anywhere. if I have to join a gym, I'll do it, but if i can lost that last 3 or 4 without it, I'd rather not..

I think the reason he said that is because running so easily puts you over the top. He didn't say it wouldn't work, just "far from ideal". If you take a heart rate monitor on a jog and keep your rate in the 70% zone, most people will laugh at you... you have to do such a slow pace that you might as well just be power walking. Jogging is also not good for fat burning because if you aren't on a perfecly flat track, you have hills that change your heart rate.

If you don't have any equipment, just try something as simple as bouncing in place, like a boxer, or like you were skipping rope. It's absolutely amazing how simple, light bouncing can raise your heart rate if done for 30-40 minutes. That's a much more effective and controlled way to stay in the fat burning zone than running.

I've been running for about 2 months now. I'm not sure of my bf%, maybe these pics would help. I was about 146 and saw changes immediately in my legs, arms, face , back and chest.
. if I have to join a gym, I'll do it, but if i can lost that last 3 or 4 without it, I'd rather not..

Eight weeks of running and I assume dieting or at least clean eating and you lost 6 lbs. Hard to tell from pictures, I am going to say 18%. If you lose 4 more, you may have belly.

This is just me, you ought to get more opinions. My suggestion - Drop cardio for six weeks, start a simple weight routine, 1-2 set of 8 -12 reps of basic exercises, three days a week.

Legs: mach leg extensions, mach leg curls and mach calf raises
back: mach. seated row and DB bentover row
shoudlers: DB press and BB miltary press.
Arms: BB curls and Cable tricep pushdown
Abs: crunches and hanging leg raises
Mystery exercise: pick one to try out

Shouldn't take more than 30-40 minutes. less than 30 seconds between sets. Use a weight that brings partial failure at 8 reps, try to increase a rep each workout till you reach 12 then add 5-10lbs and start over at 8. Drink a gallon of iced water a day.

Thanks alot for the great advice rtestes, i think I'll do that :tu:

It seems any exercise burns calories, calorie burning can cause the loss of fat or muscle. The most effective means of exercise would be one that builds muscle. A pound of muscle burns 19 times the amount burned by a pound of fat at rest or in BMR. So someone burning fat by exercising with weights less than 40 min. a day would also build muscle and increase their metabolism.

Let me put it another way. Remember your BMR is the vast majority of your calorie burn a day not exercise. A pound of fat burns 2 calories a day, muscle 37.5 or higher at rest. Getting rid of fat causes loss of metabolism but not as much as losing muscle would. So, build muscle.

Another reason for resistance training, muscle takes up 20% less volume than fat. it is more dense, it doesn't weigh more. So that pound of calorie burning muscle is smaller than the pound of fat.

To me, there is no question what is more effective. But a few more calories burned by cardio in off-days won't hurt if you don't carry it too far.

Good info!....Thanks!



Again, it's science, so if you wish to argue it, no sweat off my balls. I know what works not only through science, but real-world application not only w/myself, but w/1000's of others I've assisted.



No arguments here. I appreciate the reply. Thanks for elaborating and clearing that up for me. :tu:



I think the reason he said that is because running so easily puts you over the top. He didn't say it wouldn't work, just "far from ideal". If you take a heart rate monitor on a jog and keep your rate in the 70% zone, most people will laugh at you... you have to do such a slow pace that you might as well just be power walking. Jogging is also not good for fat burning because if you aren't on a perfecly flat track, you have hills that change your heart rate.

If you don't have any equipment, just try something as simple as bouncing in place, like a boxer, or like you were skipping rope. It's absolutely amazing how simple, light bouncing can raise your heart rate if done for 30-40 minutes. That's a much more effective and controlled way to stay in the fat burning zone than running.


Gotcha....Thanks! ;)