I’ve read about people using 1-2 week recomps as a way of keeping their body composition in check whilst getting bigger. So what would be considered a good strategy? Adding an extra session or two into their current program? Altering your macro nutrient ratio? adding a few days of modest calorie deficit during the recomp process?
Im interested to see different points of view, and also what people consider an effective recomp…
If you want to recomp, i would keep a food log and go paleo for the 1-2 weeks you do it. So just meat, fat, and vegetables, i find this the most effective recomp strategy.I would keep it 55/5/40 (P/C/F% if you really want an estimate of a ratio)i would put all 5% of the carbs before a workout too. Adding 2 sessions of steady state for 45min should do the trick if your diet is right. Also keep it simple, drench vegetables in olive oil, eat meat with a handful of nuts, eat WHOLE eggs, and something like Surge Recovery or a couple apples with a protein shake before your workout and you will be set. Now i say this because it’s what i do, and it works for me so pick what you want out of it. Good luck on the recomp.
As I usually make use of a cyclical nutrition approach, I’d probably alter the number of ‘high’ and ‘low’ days per week before I’d start messing with cardio, or completely altering my macro breakdowns.
S
If you want to control fat gain during a bulk, why not try putting in some control days?
Just one day a week where you take a little bit of chub off, then get back on bulking. Maybe just a rest day where you up the protein, lower the carbs, do some extra walking and chug green tea; doubtful that it will hamper your progress at all.
Less work than a 7-14 day recomp, and overall you are in a gaining mode for longer than if you were to take 2 weeks off from bulking.
Low and high days in calories and just some cardio on the non weight training days.
A measly two weeks on a protein sparing fast like the RFL or Velocity Diet (coupled with reduced training volume) can get you back on track VERY quickly.
Brick,
I’m looking to do a 2 week re-comp at the end of this month. In the BB Bible, you advise to ease progression every 7-8 weeks by not trying to set rep records. Would you suggest a re-comp as a good time to do this or do you feel that lowering the volume is more important?
Thanks
J Holla
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
A measly two weeks on a protein sparing fast like the RFL or Velocity Diet (coupled with reduced training volume) can get you back on track VERY quickly. [/quote]
Short of an extreme calorie reduction like Brick is talking about, there is no point in doing a 2 week “recomp” since in that short of a time frame, without drugs, you are mostly going to lose water and glycogen, and minimal fat.
To me, it sounds like a really good way to spin your wheels.
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
A measly two weeks on a protein sparing fast like the RFL or Velocity Diet (coupled with reduced training volume) can get you back on track VERY quickly. [/quote]
Short of an extreme calorie reduction like Brick is talking about, there is no point in doing a 2 week “recomp” since in that short of a time frame, without drugs, you are mostly going to lose water and glycogen, and minimal fat.
To me, it sounds like a really good way to spin your wheels.[/quote]
Exactly. A modest caloric deficit isn’t going to do much in two weeks, unless the person is VERY big (fat or muscular or both).
[quote]jholla10 wrote:
Brick,
I’m looking to do a 2 week re-comp at the end of this month. In the BB Bible, you advise to ease progression every 7-8 weeks by not trying to set rep records. Would you suggest a re-comp as a good time to do this or do you feel that lowering the volume is more important?
Thanks
J Holla[/quote]
A REAL re-comp, like Stronghold and I say, isn’t going to be accomplished in two weeks. Sure you can decrease your calories a bit, and if you’re carrying a bit too much fat, you might lose some weight.
But most likely, nothing appreciable is going to happen.
So all I suggest for a quick “fix-up”, and this is actually if you are indeed TOO FAT - not just doing this for the sake of it, because besides, not much can be done in two weeks - is doing a severely restrictive diet like the V or Rapid Fat Loss diets.
Training during those PSMFs should be scaled back to twice per week or once every 3 to 4 days with full body sessions. I don’t know how anyone is going to want to even attempt to lift more frequently on 1,000 (can be this low on the RFL diet for some people) to 2,000 calories per day. I’m on my last week of the RFL diet of three weeks (I just can’t bear it any longer and lost an appreciable amount of weight for that time span). I just do a few sets per muscle group on a full body routine for 6 to 8 reps with this type of diet, as Lyle suggests. My strength improved in some lifts, but that was not my aim as I wasn’t intending on breaking records with such a restrictive diet.
And with what I suggested in that thread - there is NO drop off in the amount of physical acitivity being done. It would still be implemented in a bodybuilding program in which 4 to 6 sessions per week were done. So it’s not like there’s some drastic reduction in activity that warrants decreased nutrition.
What I did and suggested there isn’t a reduction in volume anyway. It’s simply stopping the last set of exercises 1 or 2 reps short of failure. I mean, technically taking away a total of 7 to 14 REPS in a full workout is TECHNICALLY a reduction in volume, but there’s no reduction in number of exercises or sets.
I think people need to make up their mind with a few choices:
Which of these do you fall into?
[quote]krebcycle wrote:
I’ve read about people using 1-2 week recomps as a way of keeping their body composition in check whilst getting bigger. So what would be considered a good strategy? Adding an extra session or two into their current program? Altering your macro nutrient ratio? adding a few days of modest calorie deficit during the recomp process?
Im interested to see different points of view, and also what people consider an effective recomp…[/quote]
Can we actually THINK about the term RE-comp here. RECOMPOSITION, with emphasis on the prefix RE-. That means altering your body composition DRASTICALLY. How can this be done in ONE week?
Ordinary guys who’ve been working out for some time might lose up to 2 pounds in this week with a SEMI-restrictive diet. Morbidly obese people might lose up to four pounds.
This is why you should use a SEVERELY restrictive diet in 2 weeks if you want to change anything much in body composition.
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
[quote]krebcycle wrote:
I’ve read about people using 1-2 week recomps as a way of keeping their body composition in check whilst getting bigger. So what would be considered a good strategy? Adding an extra session or two into their current program? Altering your macro nutrient ratio? adding a few days of modest calorie deficit during the recomp process?
Im interested to see different points of view, and also what people consider an effective recomp…[/quote]
Can we actually THINK about the term RE-comp here. RECOMPOSITION, with emphasis on the prefix RE-. That means altering your body composition DRASTICALLY. How can this be done in ONE week?
Ordinary guys who’ve been working out for some time might lose up to 2 pounds in this week with a SEMI-restrictive diet. Morbidly obese people might lose up to four pounds.
This is why you should use a SEVERELY restrictive diet in 2 weeks if you want to change anything much in body composition. [/quote]
Important to note that whatever weight is lost will be some combination of muscle, fat, glycogen, and water. You can get it done fast, drug free, or minimize muscle loss, but only a combination of those two, very rarely will an individual come along that can do all three at once.
Thanks for the response guys, especially Brick, you’ve given some great advice.
Obviously using a 1-2 week approach is limited and expectations should be realistic. The reason I am looking to get a quick handle on this isn’t due to aesthetics per se, but because I have inflammatory arthritis. I currently have this under control and have been able to make some real though modest gains in terms of muscle mass, but from prior experience I know that if my body fat gets too high I get a increase in inflammation in the joints. Obviously I don’t want this! So I’m trying to put in place some strategies to avoid this whilst throwing on whatever mass I can.
I have had good results with severely restricted diets before, and I figure that that may be the way to go for me…
Exactly. It’s good you point this out and it’s why I say “pounds” and don’t and don’t say “pounds of fat”. If 2 pounds are lost, half of that might be fat, a measly pound that might be re-gained just from normal fluctuations in body composition or when a lifestyle diet is resumed.
[quote]krebcycle wrote:
Thanks for the response guys, especially Brick, you’ve given some great advice.
Obviously using a 1-2 week approach is limited and expectations should be realistic. The reason I am looking to get a quick handle on this isn’t due to aesthetics per se, but because I have inflammatory arthritis. I currently have this under control and have been able to make some real though modest gains in terms of muscle mass, but from prior experience I know that if my body fat gets too high I get a increase in inflammation in the joints. Obviously I don’t want this! So I’m trying to put in place some strategies to avoid this whilst throwing on whatever mass I can.
I have had good results with severely restricted diets before, and I figure that that may be the way to go for me…[/quote]
Then why not do the RFL diet for 2 to 6 weeks or the V diet for 4 weeks, get your bodyfat down to where you want it, and then resume training with a lifestyle diet with a modest caloric surplus. I say modest because you’re writing implies to me (though I can be wrong) that you’re someone who gets over-fat quickly from large caloric surpluses (>500 cals over maintenance per day).
Truthfully I can’t stand counting calories and like JB’s G-flux approach - train as much as possible and let your appetite dictate how much you eat.
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
[quote]jholla10 wrote:
Brick,
I’m looking to do a 2 week re-comp at the end of this month. In the BB Bible, you advise to ease progression every 7-8 weeks by not trying to set rep records. Would you suggest a re-comp as a good time to do this or do you feel that lowering the volume is more important?
Thanks
J Holla[/quote]
A REAL re-comp, like Stronghold and I say, isn’t going to be accomplished in two weeks. Sure you can decrease your calories a bit, and if you’re carrying a bit too much fat, you might lose some weight.
But most likely, nothing appreciable is going to happen.
I think people need to make up their mind with a few choices:
Which of these do you fall into? [/quote]
I guess re-comp would be the wrong idea as I agree that nothing too drastic that lasts will happen in that time. Here’s my story.
I did an 8 week diet and got lean enough to where I was ready to put on serious size. The same week I ended my diet, a urologist informed me that my T was WELL below average for a 25 year old (189 on 250-1150 as normal). I was determined to gain strength/size so I planned on using the eat everything diet until the doc could get me straight. Well, 2 months down the road, I’ve put on 25-27 lbs (a lot of water/glycogen but still the leanest I’ve been at this size). I was ok with the amount of fat gained until I found out that my levels have normalized and that my problems were due to low iodine intake. No longer have the excuse of low T. /end hijack
So for those of us who aren’t looking for a drastic change in composition but are looking to keep fat loss at bay, would you suggest a couple weeks of maintenance level calories while keeping our training the same? Or would this just be spinning the wheels?
The way you keep fat loss at bay YEAR ROUND - ALL YOUR LIFE - is by never out-eating your physical activity or what’s needed to gain muscle.
If you’re going in the wrong direction, then cut back on your calories by ten percent or so or just eat less by instinct/“eyeball”, and check yourself on the scale and/calipers and in the mirror in 2 to 4 weeks.
Most people need 5 hours of activity per week. You can lose weight by increasing activity and/or cutting calories. I suggest combo of activity and SLIGHT caloric reduction. How much activity you do depends on your schedule and what you’re willing to do.
What’s your schedule like?
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
The way you keep fat loss at bay YEAR ROUND - ALL YOUR LIFE - is by never out-eating your physical activity or what’s needed to gain muscle.
If you’re going in the wrong direction, then cut back on your calories by ten percent or so or just eat less by instinct/“eyeball”, and check yourself on the scale and/calipers and in the mirror in 2 to 4 weeks.
Most people need 5 hours of activity per week. You can lose weight by increasing activity and/or cutting calories. I suggest combo of activity and SLIGHT caloric reduction. How much activity you do depends on your schedule and what you’re willing to do.
What’s your schedule like? [/quote]
Thats exactly what I was planning on doing. I eat the same thing every day because I’m one of those guys that has to have a schedule. I keep my sanity by snacking whenever I really want something. For 2 weeks, I’m going to eliminate all cheating and drop my morning carbs a bit and any EVOO I’ve been adding in which will set me back about 400 cals a day.
I’m a full time engineering student taking 19 hours this semester and working about 30 a week so I’m quite busy. I’m able to lift 5 days a week with 3 of those days being between classes. Post-workout cardio isn’t a possiblity due to lack of time. This will change in a few weeks when I’m only working full time and taking summer courses.
I strongly suggest you look at JB’s G-Flux articles to set up your training for fat loss.
You can do that for two weeks, but just remember you most likely won’t see much difference with that kind of a deficit. With an RFL diet, you can create a 1500 to 2000 calorie deficit - not to mention the other benefits of eating near ZERO starchy carbs and a large amount of protein!!!
Brick- you’re becoming quite the QnA columnist on here lately -lol
(always good info though, I hope other people are taking notes)
S