Critique/Feedback for Newbie

Training Bodybuilding
1

Hi t-maggers, I have up til now been a lurker but I would really appreciate some feedback with regard to my current diet/training. I am a 30 year old female, 224 down from 237, 5’4" and 42 percent bodyfat. My immediate goals are lowering bodyfat, increasing strength and endurance. I have been very consistantly with diet and trianing for about the last 2 months, a typical day is as follows:

meal 1: protein shake w/1 tbls. flax
meal 2: one oz. cheese or macadamia nuts
meal 3: 1/2 can tuna/1 tbls safflower mayo, 2 cups salad w/1 tbls olive oil
meal 4: 1 oz. cheese or mac nuts
meal 5: protein shake w/1 tbls flax
meal 6: 4-6 oz. lean meat, either small salad or 1 cup steamed veggies
meal 7: 1/2 protein shake, 10-12 salmon oil caps

I have given up alcohol, caffeine, and with the exception of a little cheese, no dairy, and no sugar or grains. At the moment I haven’t been having any cheat meals mostly because after about a week into the diet I just haven’t really had much in the way of cravings.

As far as training, I split upper and lower body, working each twice per week, one day heavy and one day lighter with higher intensity.

Heavy lower:
Ham curls-90lb. x 10 reps, 3 sets
Seated ham curls-205lb x 10 reps, 3 sets
Stiff legged dead-155lb. x 10, 3 sets

Sqauts-225lbs. x 8 reps, 3 sets
Leg Press-540lbs. x 8 reps, 3 sets
Extensions-100 lbs. x 8 reps, 3 sets

Light lower:
Ham curls-50lbs. x 15 superset with Dumbell deads 20lbs. x 15 for 3 sets
Standing curls, 20lbs, x 15, 3 sets
Stiff legged deads, 115lbs. x 15, 3 sets

Hack squats, 90lbs. x 15 superset with step-ups x 15 each leg, 3 sets
Lunges 15 reps, 3 sets
Horizontal press, 180lbs. x 15, 3 sets

I also through in some inner and outer thigh work, and some isolation work for the butt on the lighter day.

Heavy upper:
Chest-
Dumbell flys (incline)-22.5 lbs x 10 reps, 3 sets
Dumbell press (incline)-27.5 lbs x 10 reps, 3 sets
Flat flys- 17.5 lbs x 10 reps, 3 sets
Bench Press-70lbs. x 10 3 sets

Back-
Lat pulldown-80lbs. x 10, 3 sets
Seated cable row-70lbs x 10, 3 sets
Dumbell row-25lbs. x 12, 3 sets

Shoulders-
Dumbell presses-22.5lbs x 10 reps, 3sets
Lateral raises-10lbs x 8-10, 3 sets
Front riases-7.5lbs x 10, 3 sets
Rear delt raises-7.5lbs x 10, 3 sets

Triceps-
Skullcrushers-45lbs x 12, 3 sets
Kickbacks-10lbs x 10, 3 sets
Rope pulldowns-30lbs. x 10, 3 sets

Biceps-
Barbbell curls-35lb x 12, 3 sets
Dumbell curls (incline)-12lbs x 12, 3 sets
Preacher curls-20 lbs x 12, 3 sets

On my non-heavy upper body day I do essentially the same order, but lighter weights, higher reps, lots of super sets and short rests. I do incorporate other exercises, different machines, grips, etc. to change it up each time, the above are the ones that I tend to do most often. I do cardio 3-4 times per week, usually 1/2 hour of intervals on the bike, then 1/2 hour on the treadmill.

Anyway, I am interested in all opinions. I feel that it may be time to change my diet up as weight loss seems to have stalled, but I am not sure what to do. Should I lower the calories for a while, up the calories, try to add some more carbs back into the mix. I will say that I seem to be tolerating the low carb approach very well and my strength has been increasing steadily and rapidly. Of course, I don’t know if this is just because I was so out of shape to begin so I have a long way to go or what. I realize a 225 squat is not too immpressive to anyone here but it was a huge accomplishment for me, and really felt great.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, I just wanted to get as much info in as possible and any response is greatly appreciated!

2

Sabrina, I can see that you’ve made some positive changes in your life and that you have a lot of discipline. As is the norm, we all hit weight-loss plateaus and need to shake things up a bit. So in the spirit of shaking things up a bit (your diet, not you), I’ll make the following observations and suggestions.

Basically, I see you ingesting hardly any carbs. It looks like you’re on an Atkins Induction Phase. Atkins (at 20g/day during the 2-week Induction Phase) is great for people who want to lose weight, but it’s less than ideal for people who want to work out in the gym and lose BF. What happens with a lot of people who do Atkins is that they tend to lose about 10 pounds in the first two weeks and then stall. The weight they lost was essentially water weight, not fat.

The bottom line is that even on a very low carb diet (like Atkins), you will GAIN weight if you are eating in excess of what your body requires.

My recommendation is that you take a look at T-Dawg 2.0 and that you start keeping a food log (Search T-Mag for “Missing Ingredient,” without the quotes, of course). After you read the articles, if you need help running the numbers, we’d be glad to help.

Next, program design is an art and a science, both. You’re doing way too many sets. Pick a program here on T-Mag. Check out the FAQ.

Bottom line? More is not better. 3 or 4 days in the gym is ideal, no more than 20 sets per workout, no more than one hour total from the time you walk through the door and back out again.

Cardio, a combo of HIIT and moderate steady-state on your days off would give your metabolism a kick in the butt.

Okay, Sabrina, those are my quick thoughts. We’re glad to have you aboard, but start readying, searching and reasearching. The others should be by shortly. (grin)

3

Sabrina, I’m going to leave the dietary advice in TT’s very capable hands, but just a small point:

You wrote: “As far as training, I split upper and lower body, working each twice per week, one day heavy and one day lighter with higher intensity.”

Generally speaking, “intensity” is measured as a percentage of your 1RM (One Rep Maximum, or the maximum amount of weight you can lift once). Thus, your heavier workout would be more “intense” than your lighter workout.

I say this not to nit-pick, but because you seem serious about helping yourself, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea when you read some of the training articles that were recommended here at T-mag. My personal suggestion would be to check out Joel Marion’s “Ripped, Rugged and Dense” article. (Don’t let the title fool you; following the program won’t turn you into a Mr. Olympia!)

Good job on the progress you’ve made so far, and good luck from here on out. :slight_smile:

4

I agree completely with T.T. but then again, most do. I would also recommend some cardio at the end of each workout when the body fat is at that level. When the person is at this level of bodyfat, I think it’s also OK to cut the calories down a lot more than usual. The weight training (definitely keep up the heavy days) will help to preserve muscle mass while you burn the fat. Some may disagree with me, but this has been my experience with my brother and my wife both. There’s an article coming someday about fat loss for the heavier people and several of us are looking forward to what the experts have to say.
Other than that, welcome to the game. Read all you can in the previous issues and don’t be a stranger to the forum.

5

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. Atkins was exactly what I was doing and I read so many testimonials from people who said they had stayed on induction for months and lost very rapidly were quite seductive. Against my better jundgement I thought I would try it. Stupid, I know, but I was frantic to get some weight off fast.

If you will indulge me a bit further, I have a couple of questions. I like the sound of t-dawg 2.0, actually it sounds extravagant after the last 2 months. Should I re-introduce the carbs slowly, if so at what rate? Atkins suggests 5 grams per week, but at that rate it will be months before I am up to the t-dawg recommendations. As far as calories, currently I am at 1300-1600 per day, however per t-dawg recs. with 1.5 grams protein per lb of body weight and 100 grams of carbs I would be at 1750 cals. before I even add any fat. Does this seem high? Also, what ratio of fat would you suggest to start? I assume the addition of fat would put me around 2000-2100 cal per day. If I do go up to this number of calories should I graduate the increase over a few weeks?

Thanks again.

6

I would definately throw in some post-workout carbs, a liquid post w/o then 1.5-2 hrs later a solid P+C. This will do you more good than harm in the long-run. It will help you gain muscle which in turn will positively effect your metaboilc rate, helping you burn more fat, etc.

Also, I would try to eat some vegetables with every P+F meal.

Also, how’s your water intake? That is a must. Drink alot of it

HIIT is a must when trying to get lean very fast.

Hope that helps

7

Hi Sabrina: Welcome, and congrats on your progress so far! I’m in the midst of a similar transition, and the knowledge here is really useful.

I wanted to respond to your Atkins question, as I started out on a similar plan. I was extremely carb sensitive, and responded best to around 10g a day, but noticed that as I exercised, lost weight and built muscle mass, my carb tolerances changed. I now follow the t-dawg 2.0 recommendations of 70-100 a day, and am not only feeling fine, but also progressing nicely. I never would have believed it when I was doing Atkins only (without exercise).

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is your carb tolerances may change, too. Don’t be afraid to eat them on the T-Dawg diet. And I’d say when the time comes to re-introduce more, start with moderate “good” carbs, eaten in the morning as part of a P+C meal, when your body is most receptive, and just pay attention.

8

Sabrina,
You should be AGLOW with your post! You provided lots of pertinent info for us to use.
First I would ask how is your body changing? Just because the scale isn’t moving doesn’t mean you aren’t adding a bit of muscle and losing fat!
Second, adding the carbs back faster may just cause some water retention. So it’s a trade-off.With your calories currently at 1300 - 1600…that is woefully inadequate. You do need more.
The Calculation you did isn’t exactly correct. I think the protein amount is based on LBM (lean body mass) in your case you said at 224 lbs. So at 42% fat you go 224 lbs X .58 (the Lean Body Mass = % not fat) = 129.92lbs basically 130 lbs. Take this times 1.5 = 195 grams of protein per day. 195Gms X 4 cal per gram = 780 cals plus the 400 cal from carbs (100Gms X 4 cals per Gram) and you get 1180 cals per day so far. Now add your fat Grams and Calories to those numbers.
Another option for a ready made program if you don’t like what is already mentioned is Fat to Fire by Coach Davies. He also has a fat loss program that is very effective too.
Good Job on your desire and determination.
Peace,
T-Ren

9

Thanks T-Ren, I knew I was doing something wrong, those calcs make so much more sense…

10

225lb squat not that impressive, whatever!
I dont mean to pull out the female card here (ok, yes i do!) but a newbie, female squating almost double her lean body mass is friggin awesome.
Keep it up!

11

225 Is more than I can do and I’m 170 hovering around 14%…