Your a smart man
I agree. We need some pics to see what’s going on here.
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Thanks! I missed it.
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I want my abs back when I was 9% and 160 pounds. They may have been a skinny pack but I know they’re denser now just hidden
i believe beachbody abs are available at 10-12% bodyfat,just different visibility.Not higher then 15%,thats when abs start to lose visibility and become not aesthetic
IMO, you need to forget the body fat percentage. Quit chasing a number. The number you will measure is not going to be precise, regardless of the measured method. Rather, learn to read the mirror, monitor the scales, and increase strength.
If the most important goal is having pronounced abs, try staying lean. Without exceptional genetics, you have no chance of gaining muscle and seeing pronounced abs in the mirror. (You are way past starting to lift weights.)
If you want anything close to an impressive physique, you need to have some level of excess body fat. My suggested level of fat is seeing major muscle group separation and some abs. Your pictures show that you do not have major muscle group separation. You are either too fat or lack much muscle development.
I asked for some strength numbers. You have yet to suggest your strength level. IMO, to be in a discussion of being strong you need to:
- Bench Press your body weight 10 reps
- Squat 1.5 times your body weight 10 reps
- Deadlift 1.5 times your body weight 10 reps
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As far as numbers, I cannot bench my body weight for 10. That is my worst lift by a mile because I had a separated shoulder on one and broken clavicle on the other that have caused me issues so I have zero chest development. I can do 165 for 10 maybe with good form. My squat for 1.5 times body weight I can do probably 8-10 of as I can do 325 for 4-6 but I don’t do it because I have bad knees so I try to avoid squats. Deadlift I can do for 10. I need a program that will actually build me the muscle I’m trying to get and I try and find something that works and try it for 4-6 weeks and don’t progress. And I try to read the mirror and I get sad so that’s that 
and I think it’s honestly a mix of muscle development and fat that is causing me to not have any physique
@Reider I think we’ve all aligned that:
- You can get far cleaning up your food choices
- Should lift to build strength
- Have a higher bodyfat than you think, but 1 and 2 are the solution anyway
What would be most helpful for you from here? @jskrabac gave you a great list of foods. I think you’d do well just to eat from that list vs trying to plan out a macro approach, for the time being.
Do you just want a program suggestion? We’re all going to throw our favorite at you, but you really can’t go wrong if you pick a coach on this site, choose a free one, and get after it. My favorites (with programs on here) are John Meadows, Christian Thibaudeau, Dante Trudel (article by Nate Green), Jim Wendler and Dan John.
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I’ve never heard it stated that way.
Are there particular pairings you’d expect to see? (I’m assuming flexed.)
Seeing quad and hamstring separation seems quite a bit leaner than seeing some chest to shoulder and shoulder to arms separation.
You mentioned a plateau in the gym. What is your lifting like?
Have you found great moves that allow to target your muscles and work around your injuries so you can progress? And things are just slowing down after awhile?
Or are you spending lots of time trying to do big barbell lifts like the bench press and not really getting anywhere? So like you can’t even really get any momentum going?
As someone that ruptured their ACL, tore the meniscus and fractured the patella in one knee and tore the meniscus in the other, I’m curious what is bad about your knees that is limiting squatting?
Just 12 years of skating everyday for 2 hours a day with hockey they are just in pain all the time that I kneel, squat, anything. I try to warm up forever and even after doing so I still have pain in them most of the time
I think the diet will help a bit but I am definitely in need of a program. I struggle to actually gain any muscle no matter what I do lately. It may be due to user error of course but I’m hoping I can get somewhere soon because I’m losing my mind on it all
I haven’t found anything lately and I am at a standstill. It’s almost like I’m doing the opposite and just draining myself for no results
Have you considered getting some manner of diagnosis?
Are you able to perform the box squat pain free? And is it just pain you experience, or is it dysfunction?
The assumption is that the person has lifted weights enough and had the genetic potential to actually add muscle. And anyway why would there be any discussion of “cut” or “bulk”, if there isn’t a foundation to work with.
Some areas to consider, but not all are necessary:
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There should be obvious separation of the deltoid and triceps regardless of whether you pose or not…
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The pecs should show obvious separation from the lower torso.
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Abs are still vaguely visible when flexed, and obliques separation from the abs.
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The front double biceps should show obvious biceps separation from the deltoid.
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Upper back separation should show some separation and not be just smooth. Deltoids need to be distinct from the traps when back double biceps is posed. The traps begin to show separation from the rhomboids.
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There should be enough quad separation to see both vastus muscles, plus a hint of the rectus femoris between the vastus muscles.
In other words, it is obvious to anyone that you lift weights. You don’t want to “bulk” until you can be confused with just being big, or a super heavyweight powerlifter. (220lb and lower weight classes in powerlifting don’t count as they just don’t “bulk” so far that they can’t make weight come competition.)
IMO, this is far superior to “measuring” percent body fat and making decisions based on your “measurement.” It can be highly flawed and misleading. Don’t chase a body fat number; strive for a look.
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Sir,
what is your opinion on the following
Breakfast…3 eggs and a ham steak
Lunch…chicken Thighs
Dinner…Ribeye in butter or Burger patties with cheese
Fat creamer with coffee for snacking
Been following a high carb, moderate protein and fat with no luck in reducing bodyfat
how long would it take for my body to adapt to this 180 degree change of diet?
TIA
I’m not the biggest fan of ham on the regular, as it tends to be processed. As far as cheese goes: it would depend on the type consumed.
In general, I avoid snacking. If I find myself needing a snack, it means I didn’t eat enough at meals. And perhaps it’s the 3 eggs at breakfast that are driving that. I’d consume more at that meal.
how long would it take for my body to adapt to this 180 degree change of diet?
I genuinely couldn’t say. I never went through such a transition. But during that phase, I would really make sure to make use of some electrolytes. The body is going to undergo a pretty ROUGH transition from there, and those can go a long way to help.
Is this something you’re interested in pursuing, or more a hypothetical? If so, you may also like looking into Vince Gorinda’s “Steak and Eggs” diet as a way to bridge between the two, as he includes a carb refeed.
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I didn’t realize a smithfield hamsteak was processed…interesting
Is Surge considered electrolytes
the cheese on the burger would just be for variety…i can’t eat a burger without cheese, lol…it would be chedder
i am looking to pursue and am researching my options at this point…as i have been following this high carb low calorie for quite a while…lost weight then gained it back
i did the steak and eggs many years ago but to be honest i was not discipline to it and blamed the diet for my own failure
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It absolutely contains them, but it also contains sugar/carbs, which would kind of work against the goal here. That said, there are many trainees out there that have managed to make targeting carbohydrate ingestion around training function well, but as far as employing electrolytes for the sake of adapting to a no-carb diet goes, using a carb based one is going to confuse things.
Argue for your limitations and you shall have them! Cheddar can be fine: I get grassfed cheddar from Trader Joes. But keep in mind that the primary function of dairy in nature is to make mammals fatter. It’s VERY good at that. For a fat loss phase, I like to limit my dairy to butter/ghee.
Pretty much anything that comes in a package is. Technically, groundbeef is processed as well. But if you check the label on a smithfield hamsteak you’ll see what’s listed.
It’s the curing process that does it in. That’s a significant amount of sugar in something that should just be meat. Non-processed meat would serve you better.
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