Help Me Understand my Goal

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

Alright… so I have been lifting since this February… and have lost like 12 lbs in the due course of training. Currently I am at:
168lbs
5ft 11 inches
probably with a bf of 14ish%

My main target areas are back[lats… even though i cant do BW pull ups] and arms. I have been getting some progress… Yet recently, I have troubled by some comments and feedback I have been receiving.
Currently I do lower reps with higher weights … say 5x5 or 5x6 followed by a last set of 20 + reps using lower weights.
Nevertheless, my friends said that I should do lower weight higher weights always… which I think is a stupid idea personally.

Nevertheless, I was wondering whether anyone could comment on this …What should I do?
Again… I plan to maximize the time during the summer… and I plan to workout for 6 days a week… What kind of program should I follow … I mean a day for chest … or a combination of multiple muscle groups… or a circuit training program.

Finally, does any one have suggestions on a diet which enhances lipolytic state for increased fat loss ?
Currently I consume like 200gms of protein, less than 30 gms of fat … and moderately low amounts of carb !
Thanks a lot… Any kind of comments would be really appreciated.

2

*Lower weights higher reps… I mean

3

Keep lifting HEAVY WEHIGHTS LOWER REPS This is very important Look into “starting Strenth” Its a great program for you! As well read the “T-Dawg 2.0 Diet” Put those two in motion and you will see great results!

On a Side note EAT MORE FAT! Fat is important in your diet for many reasons omega fats help to break down stored body fat to be used as energy as well monosaturated fats and saturated fats help keep your testosterone levels high!

Keep carbs low areound 100 grams or so 50 being post workout from dextrose or maltodextrine! Good luck and start reeding those 2 articls

4

Personally, even though everyone is different, i grew faster with lower weight higher reps. Any where from 8-12 reps. 6 days a week is too much for you to workout. Your body will start to fatigue after a week or so and you will loose strength and size because you are not letting your body recover fully.

I’ve done many workout routines, and I feel the one that works best for me would be:

  1. Chest and Tricepts
  2. Back and Bicepts
  3. Shoulders and Legs

You do not need to go any more days than those unless you want to throw some cardio in.

Just my Two Cents…

5

Thats a pretty significant amount of fat loss since February. 200 gram protein x 4 + 30g fat x 9 = 1070. Add another 200 grams of carbs for 200 x 4 = 800 = 1870 total, which isn’t exactly low carb. That seems low if you are lifting that much at your size. For contrast, I’m about 160 and eat 2400,2200, or 2000 calories a day and I’ve been losing about a pound a week if not a little more. Either add more fat if you are watching carbs or balance your carb and fat intake. How you respond really depends on your body, and you should experiment until you figure out what works best for you.

For diet I have been doing a carb cycling approach, check out the carb cycling codex. You basically just up your carbs on training days and cut them back on rest days. I’m trying to lose a little more fat then I’m going to up my calories. The difference in my intake is basically a dextrose+whey shake after my lifting, and I just got my Surge today so I am going to start using that. Check out the article called solving the PWO puzzle by Dr. John Berardi. Getting the right amount of nutrition will help speed up your recovery if you lift that often.

For training, if you like being in the gym that often go on a split program. I’ve been doing a total body workouts then a day of interval training on the rower or jump roping and a day of rest. I think I might try an EDT program to get the rest of the fat off my body, then I’m going back to a lower rep higher weight program to get my strength back up. There are a lot of templates on this website, look around, pick one you like and stick with it.

6

First off, unless you’ve had an athletic background, you’re probably a bit higher than 14% BF.

12lbs of fat lost in 12 weeks is average. Not spectacular, and not bad. Congratulations on the progress.

You’re too small to have any particular ‘weakness’. You don’t need to add mass to your lats and arms. You need to add mass PERIOD.

If you want to lose fat, unless you’re asian, you should probably follow something low carb.

T-Dawg Diet 2.0
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=473067
mDragon’s Experience on the Anabolic Diet.
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=658379

Just for kicks, here’s the carb-cycling codex
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=811783

Personally I recommend the AD. I follow it, and it kicks the living daylights out of the T-dawg diet 2.0. But it’s not quite as easy to follow.

Carb cycling works better for people leaner than you. I doubt you’re 14% BF. Not because I think you’re a liar, but because it puts your LBM a bit high for two and a half months of lifting experience.

Do you squat and deadlift? If you’re reading this site, you better, or you’ll be flamed to shit in the next two or three posts.

And as to the ACTUAL question you asked… 5-8 is a good rep-range for your training age. It allows you to develop both good strength and size. Going 6 times a week will be counterproductive. I recommend going three.

Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength.

Throw in HIIT for 16-20 minutes on two or three other days to boost fat loss.

Good luck. Truthfully, the program you use is less important than the intensity you work it with. Post up what you end up doing, and the results you get with it.

Good luck!

7

[quote]Otep wrote:
First off, unless you’ve had an athletic background, you’re probably a bit higher than 14% BF.

12lbs of fat lost in 12 weeks is average. Not spectacular, and not bad. Congratulations on the progress.

You’re too small to have any particular ‘weakness’. You don’t need to add mass to your lats and arms. You need to add mass PERIOD.

If you want to lose fat, unless you’re asian, you should probably follow something low carb.

T-Dawg Diet 2.0
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=473067
mDragon’s Experience on the Anabolic Diet.
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=658379

Just for kicks, here’s the carb-cycling codex
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=811783

Personally I recommend the AD. I follow it, and it kicks the living daylights out of the T-dawg diet 2.0. But it’s not quite as easy to follow.

Carb cycling works better for people leaner than you. I doubt you’re 14% BF. Not because I think you’re a liar, but because it puts your LBM a bit high for two and a half months of lifting experience.

Do you squat and deadlift? If you’re reading this site, you better, or you’ll be flamed to shit in the next two or three posts.

And as to the ACTUAL question you asked… 5-8 is a good rep-range for your training age. It allows you to develop both good strength and size. Going 6 times a week will be counterproductive. I recommend going three.

Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength.

Throw in HIIT for 16-20 minutes on two or three other days to boost fat loss.

Good luck. Truthfully, the program you use is less important than the intensity you work it with. Post up what you end up doing, and the results you get with it.

Good luck![/quote]

Thanks a lot …
Ok so … I am not sure its 14% i just put my stats in some internet website and they predicted it … I am not counting much on that though :smiley:

What do you mean by mass PERIOD ?

Well now about asian … I am definitely ASIAN … but I am actually from INDIA… so conventionally I guess I have to follow the low carb diet … I had a look at the TDawg Diet earlier… Should try my hands on the AD …

I do squat … but haven’t yet tried my hands on deadlifting… the form is pretty difficult and I dont wan to risk a back injury :frowning:

Once again thanks a lot for all the comments … Ummm I shall post my workout routine soon !

8

When you said [quote]My main target areas are back (… even though i cant do BW pull ups) and arms[/quote], I assumed you’re either

a) doing a bunch of work for your back and arms and not much else or
b) doing a proportionally larger volume for your back and arms.

Both of these are … suboptimal… decisions. You need to add mass to your entire frame, not just your arms and back. I know this without looking at you because you’re 170lbs.

Squatting and deadlifting are the two greatest things you can do for your development. If it helps any, deadlift form is actually much simpler than squatting- you grab a weight and stand up with a straight back. If your back stays straight you won’t hurt yourself.

Since you ARE asian (south asian counts), carb cycling might not be that bad for you. Asians generally handle carbs better because they’ve been civilized and been eating grains longer, and have adapted (evolutionarily… if that’s a word).

You’re probably going to have to figure out on your own what works best for you. Finding what works best takes time. Right now, find what works period. Any of the diets will get you there. All you have to do is work it.

9

Slave,

From your description, it sounds like you want to focus on your back. As Otep said, that’s probably not a good long-term plan. If you want your back to look great, you’re going to help show it off by having a good balance overall. Higher weight and low reps is going to demonstrate your efforts more quickly than lower weight & high rep. For me, doing low weights & high reps took a longer time in the gym & was BORING… bored, bored, bored. I would end up thinking about other stuff & my form would be “off” because I was bored. But lots of “people” out there will tell you what to do. Deciding whether you want to listen to them is up to you. 90% of this is nutrition, so do they have good nutrition? Are they balanced, or do they have great biceps & chicken legs? It’s all up to you & what works for you. You can try one way for 2-3 months, then try the other way for the next 2-3 months.

Good lifting,

Renee

10

I commend you for this thread, it’s good to get clear on your goals. However, based on your thread I am still unclear about what your goal is.

It’s important to understand how the body works and adapts to training. For instance, many people are looking to get strong and maintain a low bodyweight. This is important for most power lifters and Olympic lifters. If this is what you want you NEED to know that because these guys train differently than bodybuilders and people looking for aesthetic enhancement.

So decide exactly what you are trying to achieve and be as specific as possible about it. The quality of the advice you receive will be equal to the level of the specificity of the question IMO.

11

[quote]Otep wrote:

Since you ARE asian (south asian counts), carb cycling might not be that bad for you. Asians generally handle carbs better because they’ve been civilized and been eating grains longer, and have adapted (evolutionarily… if that’s a word).

You’re probably going to have to figure out on your own what works best for you. Finding what works best takes time. Right now, find what works period. Any of the diets will get you there. All you have to do is work it.[/quote]

Wow,
Not to hijack.
That might actually explain why I am doing so much better now that I have added a higher amount of carbs back into my diet than before. Good insight Otep.