Hi T-Nation,
I’m trying to change a few things in my life and get into the best shape I can over the next couple of weeks. I’m not sure if this is posted in the right forum, but I would really appreciate your feedback/help in this journey.
BACKGROUND
I’m 23 years old and have struggled with weight issues for most of my life (my family has insulin resistance issues and I did not eat very well when I was young). During college, however, I was able to drop almost 50 pounds by eating less and running myself into the ground, which has caused knee and joint problems.
My current state is as such (measurements made by scale, accu-measure caliper, and myotape):
Height: 5’6’’
Weight: 162 lbs
BF%: 21%
Chest: 36.5 in
Waist: 34.5 in
Hips: 39 in
Arms (avg): 11 in
I have attached current pictures for reference
GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS
My goal is to decrease bodyfat to 15%, weight to 155 lbs, and waist to 32’’ while maintaining past strength gains (moderate)
My major constraints are that I work demanding hours (60 hrs a week minimum), which mostly affects my ability to workout AND sleep for recovery. Also, I recently recovered from a torn lateral meniscus, which may affect my ability to lift heavy.
WORKOUT PLAN
I read through many articles and forums on T-Nation, and have settled on the following 6-day plan over a 6-week period.
Day 1: Upper Body Workout - Pairs performed as super-sets, 3 Sets X 8-10 Reps for each exercise.
-Pair 1: Bench Press, Cable Row
-Pair 2: Lat Pulldown, Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-Pair 3: Dips, Upright Row
-Pair 4: Bosu-Crunch, Back Extension
-20-minutes of Steady-State Cardio
Day 2: Interval Training
Day 3: Lower Body Workout - 2 Sets of 10-12 Reps
-Squat
-Leg Extension
-Step-up
-Leg Curl
-Standing Calf Raise
-Clam
Day 3: Rest or Pick-Up Basketball
Day 4: Upper Body Workout
Day 5: Interval Training + 20 Mins Steady State
Day 6: Lower Body Workout
Day 7: Off
NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS
I plan to follow the “slow-carb” approach in the 4-Hour Body, mainly because of it’s simplicity and the fact that it seems to adhere to most of the stuff on this site. The main rules are:
-No White/Simple Carbohydrates
-Simple Meals (e.g., Chicken Thigh, Broccoli, and Lentils)
-Don’t Drink any Calories (e.g., beer, soda)
-No Fructose or Lactose
-One Cheat Day per Week (e.g., Saturday 12PM - Sunday 12PM)
For supplementation, I will use Protein Powder (optimum nutrition 100% chocolate). In additional i will take 1 multi-vitamin, 2400mg of Fish Oil (Kirkland signature brand), and 1000mg of L-Glutamin
ACCOUNTABILITY
In order to ensure that I stay with this program and track my progress, I will:
-Keep a Daily Food log
-Track Progress on Lifts in Gym (Have a printout with 6 weeks worth of columns for each lift)
-Take Pictures and Measurements every Sunday
Again, I would really appreciate any tips or advice that will improve my program. I’m really excited to get started and can’t wait to see where this takes me.
Thanks!