Hahah, I get excited when you update this thread, Synergy. Would love to see the template!
Yes for sure…post it!!!
I might be dumb…but can someone fill me in on what is meant by “Profile Views” on a members page? I see mine is like 2 but others have 50,100, 200.
Here’s what I’ve been up to the last 4 weeks…but first, a brief review of what I was doing. What I’m doing now, is dependent on what I was doing. If you don’t have a reference point, you won’t know what changes to make or which direction you’re heading, in regards to both training and nutrition.
Starting stats as of February 1: just north of 260…approximately 10% BF
Previous Training Focus: Very similar to CT’s HPM program. Was following this sort of split for a 3 months (2) 6 week cycles
Monday: Upper primary + lower secondary (quad dominant)
Tuesday: Same as Monday + lower secondary (hip dominant)
Wednesday: OFF, Neural charge or lats and biceps if I felt good and wanted to train
Thursday: Lower primary + upper secondary (horizontal plane)
Friday: Lower primary + upper secondary (horizontal plane…slightly different angle or range of motion)
Saturday: lats and biceps
Sunday: usually completely off…sick of the gym!
**While I followed the basic principles and split of the HPM program (similar way I’ve been training for a long time), I implemented various types of loading methods, density techniques, eccentric-less work, etc.
Body Composition Focus: size and strength, minimal fat gain
Nutrition plan followed: Rather than write it all out, I’ll just give the averages of what I was consuming
Protein: 400
Sources: The usual suspects…beef (ton of beef for calorie density), chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, protein power
Carbs: 200-500 (depending on day)
Sources: Ezekiel bread, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, beans, fruit, milk (sugar…more sugar than protein), wild rice, cheat meals
Fat: 90-150
Sources: The usual suspects…naturally occurring fats in meats, cheese, oils, nuts, butter, condiments (tartar sauce, dressings), nut butters, etc
Cals: somewhere between upper 3000’s and upper 5000’s
Workout Nutrition: 2 FINiBARs (didn’t have these every training day…just the ones that lasted more than 90 minutes), 2 scoops of Surge Workout Fuel, 2-3 scoops ANACONDA, 2-3 scoops MAG-10
Current (as of the last 4 weeks)
Currently: just north of 250…approximately…6-7% BF…closer to 6%. This was more of a body recomp…maintained (even gained some strength on presses) every bit of strength, while getting rid of the “bloat.” Mission Accomplished.
Deadline: 89 days. This is very, very important. It gives me an endpoint to focus on.
Primary Focus: fat loss (I’ve now past the recomp phase and into pure fat loss)
Secondary Focus: Retaining as much LBM as possible, by maintaining as much strength as possible WTIH ADEQUATE VOLUME in most of the big lifts. You naturally lose strength, not only due to lower overall nutrient intake, but “loss of leverage” due to less overall body fat
Current Training Split: Upper/Lower
I felt this would be a good change of pace from the “Full Body” routine I’d been following the past 3 months. It’s a nice change of pace to be able to focus on only half the body. This doesn’t mean intensity is any lower, in fact, it’s been higher. The volume per session has been very high, and more focused.
I have found that focusing on workout density (as defined by more work in the same amount of time…so volume increases a bit each week, until it’s impossible to complete any more work per session…then load is adjusted and volume is decreased…so volume and load naturally wave over the course of the phase) works extremely well for me, when it comes to maximizing fat loss.
**I have to admit, my autoregulation of each workout sort of gets “thrown out the window” while focusing on density (and fat loss). There are definitely times when I feel I’ve hit my peak performance for that day, but I get obsessed with “beating the book” from the previous session. This way I know I’ve increased either volume or intensity, or both. I pay for it on some days physically, but it’s worth the satisfaction sometimes.
Here’s been my basic split:
Length of Phase: About 4 weeks
Monday: Lower Body Strength Work
Technique: Strength Clusters (I used these last time I leaned out and they work extremely well for me. I can pound out a lot of heavy sets in a short amount of time)
A. BB Front Squats
Load: 6 rep max
Reps: 3-5 reps per set
Sets: As many as possible in 20 minutes
B. BB Back squats
Load: 8 rep max
Reps: 5-6 reps per set
Sets: As many as possible in 15 minutes
C. Leg Press
Load: Varies
Reps: 6-10 reps per set (Increase the weight whenever possible…shooting to stay within 6-10 reps per set…more like pyramiding, than ramping)
Sets: As many sets as possible in 10 minutes
D. Lying Hamstring Curls
Load: Varies
Sets: AMAP in 10 minutes
Reps: same as Leg press
Abs: 1-4 exercises…weighted…usually supersetted
Lower Body Sled:
I plan to do the above split for about 4 weeks, so I focus on increasing sled work slightly week to week. Again, I may end up doing more than I can tolerate, but I don’t consider the sled “risky.”
Week 1: 15 minutes
Week 2: 20 minutes
Week 3: 25 minutes
Week 4: 30 minutes
Tuesday: Upper Body Press emphasis + isolation circuits for chest and shoulders + traps and rhomboid assistance work
Focus: Power
Technique: Upper Body press complexes
Load: 70-85% of 1 RM for each strength lift…as many explosive reps as possible for bodyweight and med ball exercises
Reps: 3-5 for strength exercises…5-10 for throws and push ups
Sets/Rounds of circuit: As many as I can tolerate and perform well…again, guilty of doing an occasional “extra round” because I want to do more volume than the previous week, but since power and performance are my main goal with this day…it usually ends up being about 5-6 times through the circuit
Rest: as little as possible between exercises…usually about 45 seconds or so
Workout:
A1 Flat press from pins…start point near chest…I’m a VERY dominant tricep and shoulder presses, so I emphasize starting power here
A2. Flat Bench
A3. Push Press…try to keep heels from coming off floor
A4. Partner Med Ball drops and throws off an elevated surface
A5. Depth Push ups on small plyo boxes…changing levels with each rep
Chest Iso:
Sets: 3-4 usually
Reps: 10’ish on first movement, maximum reps without failure on following movements
Rest: as little as possible between exercises…90 seconds or so between circuits
A1. Decline DB Flies with rotation at the top of the movement…push DB’s towards ceiling at top for a peak contraction of the chest
A2. Cable crossover flies
A3. Flat Kettlebell Power flies…arms bent to about 90 degrees…don’t lock out at top and go for a gnarly stretch at the bottom
A4. Push ups on bench with a wide grip…all the way down, no lock out at top
**After each round of chest work I’ll do:
BB shrugs…a lot of weight for a lot of reps…aiming to keep my form pretty strict
Shoulder isolation work:
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 10’ish on first movement, maximum reps without failure on following movements
Rest: None between B1 and B2…10-20 seconds between B3 and B4…90 seconds or so between circuits
B1. Standard seated DB lateral raise
B2. Standing DB lateral raise…a little body english at end of set
REST…10-20 seconds
B3. Standard seated DB front Raise
B4. Standing db front raise
*After each circuit of shoulders I’ll do either a rhomboid or rear delt exercise
Abs: 3-4 non-weighted exercises…always in a superset or tri-set fashion
Lower or Upper Body sled work (depends on what I’m feeling like doing)
Same weekly amount of time as stated above
Ok, that’s enough for tonight! I’m tired as hell. I’ll continue with more tomorrow.
Thanks for reading. Hope it’s not too boring and you guys can get something useful out it!
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I was going to post the nutrition template/plan I’ve been implementing the past 4 weeks, tonight, if anyone’s interested.
Are you???
I’m not gonna post if no one cares to check it out!
[quote]wannabebig25 wrote:
wow, you are huge AND lean, very impressive man. are you still using the lowish carb diet you posted in the first pages to diet down? sorry if you mentioned this already, as i havent read all 9 pages.[/quote]
[/quote]
hell yes!! i just read the novel you typed out haha. looks solid. eagerly awaiting the rest of it.
Many thanks for your detailed info.
There’s alot to be learned just by reading such posts.
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Carbs: 200-500 (depending on day)
Sources: Ezekiel bread, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, beans, fruit, milk (sugar…more sugar than protein), wild rice, cheat meals[/quote]These carbs consumed at breakfast and during workout?
Thanks Synergy! just wanted to ask: as you cut cals even more and become more depleted do you think its better to scale back a bit on the iso work and focus on the heavier stuff for muscle retention and since there will likely be less nutrients floating around during your workout? thanks.
Generally, yes.
Although, if I’m feeling good that day, I’ll do some additional iso work or additional sled work
I don’t take in less than 100 grams peri-workout (or for a daily total), so I’m never really “depleted.”
I always aim to get as much high quality work done on the big basic lifts and then let how I’m feeling that particular day determine what I do after…some days I just feel really good, so I’ll do both iso and sled work after the main heavier training is done.
If I feel like I’m out of gas and feel any additional work would be counterproductive, I’ll just call it a day after the main stuff.
[quote]coolusername wrote:
Thanks Synergy! just wanted to ask: as you cut cals even more and become more depleted do you think its better to scale back a bit on the iso work and focus on the heavier stuff for muscle retention and since there will likely be less nutrients floating around during your workout? thanks.[/quote]
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Generally, yes.
Although, if I’m feeling good that day, I’ll do some additional iso work or additional sled work
I don’t take in less than 100 grams peri-workout (or for a daily total), so I’m never really “depleted.”
I always aim to get as much high quality work done on the big basic lifts and then let how I’m feeling that particular day determine what I do after…some days I just feel really good, so I’ll do both iso and sled work after the main heavier training is done.
If I feel like I’m out of gas and feel any additional work would be counterproductive, I’ll just call it a day after the main stuff.
[quote]coolusername wrote:
Thanks Synergy! just wanted to ask: as you cut cals even more and become more depleted do you think its better to scale back a bit on the iso work and focus on the heavier stuff for muscle retention and since there will likely be less nutrients floating around during your workout? thanks.[/quote]
[/quote]
Thanks for your thoughts. Hey Synergy, i know you just wrote out a huge in depth look at your current training but if you ever feel the need to write down your diet plans for this fat loss phase i am more than interested! haha
Yep, still my favorite thread. Awesome writeup. I love seeing how someone as accomplished and self-aware applies principles intelligently to his own training without needing to take someone else’s program step-by-step. It’s pushed me to experiment more along the same principles and get better results than ever.
Thanks, Synergy.
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Here’s what I’ve been up to the last 4 weeks…but first, a brief review of what I was doing. What I’m doing now, is dependent on what I was doing. If you don’t have a reference point, you won’t know what changes to make or which direction you’re heading, in regards to both training and nutrition.
Starting stats as of February 1: just north of 260…approximately 10% BF
Previous Training Focus: Very similar to CT’s HPM program. Was following this sort of split for a 3 months (2) 6 week cycles
Monday: Upper primary + lower secondary (quad dominant)
Tuesday: Same as Monday + lower secondary (hip dominant)
Wednesday: OFF, Neural charge or lats and biceps if I felt good and wanted to train
Thursday: Lower primary + upper secondary (horizontal plane)
Friday: Lower primary + upper secondary (horizontal plane…slightly different angle or range of motion)
Saturday: lats and biceps
Sunday: usually completely off…sick of the gym!
**While I followed the basic principles and split of the HPM program (similar way I’ve been training for a long time), I implemented various types of loading methods, density techniques, eccentric-less work, etc.
Body Composition Focus: size and strength, minimal fat gain
Nutrition plan followed: Rather than write it all out, I’ll just give the averages of what I was consuming
Protein: 400
Sources: The usual suspects…beef (ton of beef for calorie density), chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, protein power
Carbs: 200-500 (depending on day)
Sources: Ezekiel bread, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, beans, fruit, milk (sugar…more sugar than protein), wild rice, cheat meals
Fat: 90-150
Sources: The usual suspects…naturally occurring fats in meats, cheese, oils, nuts, butter, condiments (tartar sauce, dressings), nut butters, etc
Cals: somewhere between upper 3000’s and upper 5000’s
Workout Nutrition: 2 FINiBARs (didn’t have these every training day…just the ones that lasted more than 90 minutes), 2 scoops of Surge Workout Fuel, 2-3 scoops ANACONDA, 2-3 scoops MAG-10
Current (as of the last 4 weeks)
Currently: just north of 250…approximately…6-7% BF…closer to 6%. This was more of a body recomp…maintained (even gained some strength on presses) every bit of strength, while getting rid of the “bloat.” Mission Accomplished.
Deadline: 89 days. This is very, very important. It gives me an endpoint to focus on.
Primary Focus: fat loss (I’ve now past the recomp phase and into pure fat loss)
Secondary Focus: Retaining as much LBM as possible, by maintaining as much strength as possible WTIH ADEQUATE VOLUME in most of the big lifts. You naturally lose strength, not only due to lower overall nutrient intake, but “loss of leverage” due to less overall body fat
Current Training Split: Upper/Lower
I felt this would be a good change of pace from the “Full Body” routine I’d been following the past 3 months. It’s a nice change of pace to be able to focus on only half the body. This doesn’t mean intensity is any lower, in fact, it’s been higher. The volume per session has been very high, and more focused.
I have found that focusing on workout density (as defined by more work in the same amount of time…so volume increases a bit each week, until it’s impossible to complete any more work per session…then load is adjusted and volume is decreased…so volume and load naturally wave over the course of the phase) works extremely well for me, when it comes to maximizing fat loss.
**I have to admit, my autoregulation of each workout sort of gets “thrown out the window” while focusing on density (and fat loss). There are definitely times when I feel I’ve hit my peak performance for that day, but I get obsessed with “beating the book” from the previous session. This way I know I’ve increased either volume or intensity, or both. I pay for it on some days physically, but it’s worth the satisfaction sometimes.
Here’s been my basic split:
Length of Phase: About 4 weeks
Monday: Lower Body Strength Work
Technique: Strength Clusters (I used these last time I leaned out and they work extremely well for me. I can pound out a lot of heavy sets in a short amount of time)
A. BB Front Squats
Load: 6 rep max
Reps: 3-5 reps per set
Sets: As many as possible in 20 minutes
B. BB Back squats
Load: 8 rep max
Reps: 5-6 reps per set
Sets: As many as possible in 15 minutes
C. Leg Press
Load: Varies
Reps: 6-10 reps per set (Increase the weight whenever possible…shooting to stay within 6-10 reps per set…more like pyramiding, than ramping)
Sets: As many sets as possible in 10 minutes
D. Lying Hamstring Curls
Load: Varies
Sets: AMAP in 10 minutes
Reps: same as Leg press
Abs: 1-4 exercises…weighted…usually supersetted
Lower Body Sled:
I plan to do the above split for about 4 weeks, so I focus on increasing sled work slightly week to week. Again, I may end up doing more than I can tolerate, but I don’t consider the sled “risky.”
Week 1: 15 minutes
Week 2: 20 minutes
Week 3: 25 minutes
Week 4: 30 minutes
Tuesday: Upper Body Press emphasis + isolation circuits for chest and shoulders + traps and rhomboid assistance work
Focus: Power
Technique: Upper Body press complexes
Load: 70-85% of 1 RM for each strength lift…as many explosive reps as possible for bodyweight and med ball exercises
Reps: 3-5 for strength exercises…5-10 for throws and push ups
Sets/Rounds of circuit: As many as I can tolerate and perform well…again, guilty of doing an occasional “extra round” because I want to do more volume than the previous week, but since power and performance are my main goal with this day…it usually ends up being about 5-6 times through the circuit
Rest: as little as possible between exercises…usually about 45 seconds or so
Workout:
A1 Flat press from pins…start point near chest…I’m a VERY dominant tricep and shoulder presses, so I emphasize starting power here
A2. Flat Bench
A3. Push Press…try to keep heels from coming off floor
A4. Partner Med Ball drops and throws off an elevated surface
A5. Depth Push ups on small plyo boxes…changing levels with each rep
Chest Iso:
Sets: 3-4 usually
Reps: 10’ish on first movement, maximum reps without failure on following movements
Rest: as little as possible between exercises…90 seconds or so between circuits
A1. Decline DB Flies with rotation at the top of the movement…push DB’s towards ceiling at top for a peak contraction of the chest
A2. Cable crossover flies
A3. Flat Kettlebell Power flies…arms bent to about 90 degrees…don’t lock out at top and go for a gnarly stretch at the bottom
A4. Push ups on bench with a wide grip…all the way down, no lock out at top
**After each round of chest work I’ll do:
BB shrugs…a lot of weight for a lot of reps…aiming to keep my form pretty strict
Shoulder isolation work:
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 10’ish on first movement, maximum reps without failure on following movements
Rest: None between B1 and B2…10-20 seconds between B3 and B4…90 seconds or so between circuits
B1. Standard seated DB lateral raise
B2. Standing DB lateral raise…a little body english at end of set
REST…10-20 seconds
B3. Standard seated DB front Raise
B4. Standing db front raise
*After each circuit of shoulders I’ll do either a rhomboid or rear delt exercise
Abs: 3-4 non-weighted exercises…always in a superset or tri-set fashion
Lower or Upper Body sled work (depends on what I’m feeling like doing)
Same weekly amount of time as stated above
Ok, that’s enough for tonight! I’m tired as hell. I’ll continue with more tomorrow.
Thanks for reading. Hope it’s not too boring and you guys can get something useful out it!
[/quote]
I wish you’d “bore” us like this more often
bump
were all anxiously awaiting your cutting diet lol
Synergy this is an awesome thread, thank you for all the incredibly in depth responses. Your thread and X’s thread should be required reading. How is your cut coming?
Where was I?
Thursday (Lower body workout #2)
Emphasis: Power (as defined by load) and Density (as defined by minimal rest between movements…Not necessarily getting more work done in the same amount of time or equal work in less time, although that could be possible to improved work capacity over time)
Technique: Lower Body Hip Dominant Power Complex
Reps: 3-5 reps pet set in strength movements, AMAP in explosive body weight movments
Load: 70-85% in strength movements (increasing or decreasing load to stay in “power zone”, typically 5-10 reps for bodyweight (jumps)
A1 Top Half Deadlift from pins
*Set bar to just below knee caps. This involves the hamstrings, glutes and low back to a much greater degree, than above the knee
A2 Sumo Deads from platform (I like the sumo style for more hip emphasis)
A3 Power Clean from the floor (this involves more overall lower body, but I find that a slower pull from the floor to the knee allows a much great hip whipping effect, then starting from the hang, which is what I’m going for with this particular workout. Plus, it’s more neurally demanding, thus more metabolically demanding doing a larger range or motion which involves more overall lower body musculature)
A4 Power Snatch from the floor (same reasons as A3)
A5 Standing broad jumps across floor…cover about 30 yards in 10 jumps (about 9 feet per jump…not bad for 250+ and not training for that movement!)
A6 Heavy Sled push for 40 yards OR heavy Kettlebell swings for 45 seconds…depending on how I’m feeling. I’ll choose the kettlebell on days I feel like going nuts and my low back is good shape
The first week I was able to make it through 5 times before I almost puked, last week I “cruised” through 6 solid rounds, which tells me my work capacity (and neural efficiency with those movements) is improving.
B. Leg Press + added resistance from bands attached to the leg press
*I borrowed this idea from one of John Meadows latest articles
Reps: 8-12…focusing on continuous tension and maximum quad contraction at the top when the bands are applying the most resistance
Sets: As many as I can torture myself with
C. 2 Minute set of Leg Press
Technique: Start heavy, and strip off plates as I go. Keep pumping out reps for 2 minutes, locking out and resting when I feel like my traps are going to tip off my head! Brutal and lovely.
Abs: 3-4 sets of weighted ab work
If there’s one part of my physique that is lagging way behind the others, it’s my damn abs. Even when I’m ultra lean, they aren’t great. Very shallow. So, I’ve been working to develop “deeper cuts” and weighted ab work is the best thing I’ve found for that
Post Weights: Sled work…usually for legs, but it’s tough after a complex workout like this. I’ll do some upper body which is usually lat and bicep focused
Friday: Upper Press Dominant #2
Technique: Strength Clusters (I used these last time I leaned out and they work extremely well for me. I can pound out a lot of heavy sets in a short amount of time)
**I choose mostly vertical plane movements because the first upper body press workout of the week focused primarily on horizontal plane movements
A. Decline BB Press
Load: 5-6 rep max (I’ve been using 405 lbs.)
Reps: 3 per set
Sets: As many as possible in 20 minutes
Week 1: Completed 11 sets in 20 minutes
Week 2: Complete 13 sets in 20 minutes
B. BB Military Press (heels stay on floor)
Load: 5-6 rep max
Reps: 3 reps per set
Sets: As many as possible in 15 minutes
Week 1: Completed 13 sets in 15 minutes
Week 2: Completed 16 sets in 15 minutes
C. Weighted Dips
Load: Varies
Reps: 6-10 reps per set (Increase the weight whenever possible…shooting to stay within 6-10 reps per set)
Sets: As many sets as possible in 10 minutes
D. Incline DB press
Load: Varies
Sets: AMAP in 10 minutes
Reps: same as Dips (6-10)
Chest and Shoulder Iso Circuits
Chest
Reps: Aiming for about 10 on first movement, as many as possible on second and third movements of circuit
Rest: Minimal between movements, just enough to walk slowly, set up and kill
E1 DB floor flies plus internal rotation peak contraction at the top of each rep (reach for the ceiling)
E2 Cable Cross Over flies…whatever angle I’m feeling that day
E3 Flat bench Kettlebell Power flies (arms bent to 90 degrees…3/4 ROM…constant tension)
Shoulders
Reps and rest the same as Chest Iso work
F1 Single Arm alternating DB lateral raises
F2 Lean away lateral db raises
F3 Seated Deadstart lateral raises (rest db’s on bench for a count between each rep)
F4 TRX external rotations with bodyweight…as many as possible
Post weights:
Run/Walk combo on the treadmill. I try to run as much as possible. This is about the only “traditional form” of cardio I’ll be using for this prep. I like to go for a jog after pounding the weights. I work through a lot of stuff mentally while blasting Slipknot and Metallica while running.
Progression: I just aim to cover more distance than the week before and do it at a slightly faster pace each week…nothing fancy
Week 1: 10 minutes
Week 2: 15 minutes
Week 3: 20 minutes
Week 4: 25 minutes
Saturday: Lats and biceps
I’m not going to cover this one in depth. I’ve been utilizing a lot of different techniques on these days. I’ve mostly been playing around with different loading methods, rep ranges, super sets, angles for pulls, etc.
It’s difficult to describe the training effect I’m going for on these days and probably boring as hell to read
Hope you guys like it.
I’ll cover the nutritional aspects next time.
BTW…I started to implement the Pulse Feast strategy today. I had yet to try it and figured Sundays would be a great day to give it a shot.
Here’s what I did today:
11 am…slept in…2 MAG-10
2 pm…2 MAG-10
5 pm…2 MAG-10
7:30…huge salad (spinach, romaine lettuce, green peppers, red peppers, red onions, green olives, cucumbers, peppercinis)
12 ounces of Flank steak
1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Feta cheese
3 Flameout
3 FA3 capsules
Roughly 800 calories, 75 grams protein and 45 grams of fat
Will have this before bed:
3 scoops Low Carb Metabolic Drive (along with added cocao, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice)
2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter
3 Flameout
3 FA3
2 scoops Superfood
Roughly 600 calories, 70 grams protein and 25 grams fat
Daily totals
Protein: 200 grams protein (60 from the 6 scoops of MAG-10, but more importantly it’s from CH and contains a ton of leucine)
Carbs: Virtually zero carbs (just trace carbs from veggies, protein powder and peanut butter), and 70 grams of fat
Fat: 75 grams
Calories: About 1800. Obviously way below normal, which is a good thing when focusing on fat loss and one day of very low nutrient intake isn’t going to cause “a massive loss of muscle.”
I choose to start this for a few reasons:
- I usually have one cheat meal on Saturday’s…helps “offset” the damage, although there really isn’t any from one meal
- Increase fat loss due to a significant drop in calories for a day (one day is enough at this point, as I’m already in a deficit on almost every other day)
- Ease the monotony of food prep and consumption on a daily basis
- Most importantly…to see if I could do it…the challenge! I’ve pretty much eaten 5-6 times per day every day for the last 6 years and today was the first day I’ve done tried something like this.
I wasn’t really hungry all day and didn’t hump my dinner plate when it was time to eat solid food.
We’ll see how it affects fat loss over the next couple weeks.
I’ll post some good info on nutrition tomorrow.
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Where was I?
Thursday (Lower body workout #2)
Emphasis: Power (as defined by load) and Density (as defined by minimal rest between movements…Not necessarily getting more work done in the same amount of time or equal work in less time, although that could be possible to improved work capacity over time)
Technique: Lower Body Hip Dominant Power Complex
Reps: 3-5 reps pet set in strength movements, AMAP in explosive body weight movments
Load: 70-85% in strength movements (increasing or decreasing load to stay in “power zone”, typically 5-10 reps for bodyweight (jumps)
A1 Top Half Deadlift from pins
*Set bar to just below knee caps. This involves the hamstrings, glutes and low back to a much greater degree, than above the knee
A2 Sumo Deads from platform (I like the sumo style for more hip emphasis)
A3 Power Clean from the floor (this involves more overall lower body, but I find that a slower pull from the floor to the knee allows a much great hip whipping effect, then starting from the hang, which is what I’m going for with this particular workout. Plus, it’s more neurally demanding, thus more metabolically demanding doing a larger range or motion which involves more overall lower body musculature)
A4 Power Snatch from the floor (same reasons as A3)
A5 Standing broad jumps across floor…cover about 30 yards in 10 jumps (about 9 feet per jump…not bad for 250+ and not training for that movement!)
A6 Heavy Sled push for 40 yards OR heavy Kettlebell swings for 45 seconds…depending on how I’m feeling. I’ll choose the kettlebell on days I feel like going nuts and my low back is good shape
The first week I was able to make it through 5 times before I almost puked, last week I “cruised” through 6 solid rounds, which tells me my work capacity (and neural efficiency with those movements) is improving.
B. Leg Press + added resistance from bands attached to the leg press
*I borrowed this idea from one of John Meadows latest articles
Reps: 8-12…focusing on continuous tension and maximum quad contraction at the top when the bands are applying the most resistance
Sets: As many as I can torture myself with
C. 2 Minute set of Leg Press
Technique: Start heavy, and strip off plates as I go. Keep pumping out reps for 2 minutes, locking out and resting when I feel like my traps are going to tip off my head! Brutal and lovely.
Abs: 3-4 sets of weighted ab work
If there’s one part of my physique that is lagging way behind the others, it’s my damn abs. Even when I’m ultra lean, they aren’t great. Very shallow. So, I’ve been working to develop “deeper cuts” and weighted ab work is the best thing I’ve found for that
Post Weights: Sled work…usually for legs, but it’s tough after a complex workout like this. I’ll do some upper body which is usually lat and bicep focused
[/quote]
pulse feasts are great, even just keeping the same foods that are always in your prep and lumping them into that one feast can give you a nice break from the small meals that you normally eat. oh and i would not be bored by your lats/bis training haha
Nutrition Protocol for “Recomp” (Weeks 1-4…January 31st-February 28th)
I’m just going to give the outline of what I was doing overall. I’ve covered the main food choices I use on a daily basis in the past, which are nothing special.
**Keep in mind, that I was consuming the following for most of my buik (May 2009-end of January 2011):
Protein: Around 350-400 grams
Carbs: Averaged out to be about 300 carbs per day (anymore than that and I would have started to pile on the fat)
Fat: Around 100
Calories: Average about 3500-4000 cals per day (some days got over 5-6K with cheats)…enough for me to slowly gain on, while minimizing fat gain (this allowed me to go from 235@5% to 265@just north of 10%)…Gained a solid 15-20 lbs of lean body mass over a course of about 9 months (about 2 lbs per month)
Workout Nutriton: 1-2 FINiBARs, 1-2 scoops of Surge Workout Fuel, 2-3 scoops ANACONDA, 2-3 scoops of MAG-10 (720 cals-1020 cals…depending on carb goal for the day…used the FINBARs on high carb days)
First 4 weeks
Technique: “Loose Carb and Calorie Cycle”
**I use the term loose, because although I kept track of carb intake, I still continued to use some of the carb sources, I used during my bulk. Mainly…potatoes, fruit, and beans, as well as allow myself 2 cheat meals per week (both of which were usually on my high carb/calorie days, unless I just felt I flat out needed it, but never did, as my workout carbs and overall nutrient intake were still fairly high.
Cardio: ZERO, although I did the sled for lower body after most workouts, but didn’t push it too hard.
I used a 3 day rotation, and basically ate the same things on those days. Constructed a menu of foods that corresponded to my daily goals for those days
Day 1 (moderate carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Upper Body Press dominant + one lower body press movement
Protein: 350 (40%)
Carbs: 175 (20%) *I’ve found 20-25% to be the sweet spot for allowing my body to drop fat, and maintain good energy levels
Fat: 155 (40%) Keep fat intake high, due to fairly low carbs
Calories: 3500 (maintenance is right around 3800 or so)
Workout Nutrition: 3 Surge Workout Fuel, 3 ANACONDA, 3 MAG-10
Days employed: 2 days per week Monday (upper body focus) and Thursday (Upper Body Focus)
Day 2 (Low carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Off days (Sundays), Neural Charge Days (Wednesday’s/day after high carbs), Lats and biceps (Saturday’s)
Protein: 375 (50%)
Carbs: 75 (10%) **Workout Nutriton Carbs only (usually 2 scoops of Surge Workout Fuel)…the rest are “trace carbs” from veggies, protein poweders, nuts, etc…ends up being close to 100
Fat: 155 (40%) Keep fat intake high, due to fairly low carbs
Calories: 3000 (maintenance is right around 3800 or so)
Workout Nutrition: 2 Surge Workout Fuel, 2 ANACONDA, 2 MAG-10
Days employed: 3…Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturday’s
Day 3 (High carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Lower Body Press dominant + one upper body press movement + Lower Sled Work
Protein: 350 (40%)
Carbs: 300 (30%) *Basically, my “spillover” point…this was even higher if I had a cheat meal that day…around 500 grams or so
Fat: 135 (30%) I found I feel best if fat intake is kept at 30% or higher…could get away with lower due to the high carbs
Calories: 4000 (maintenance is right around 3800 or so)
Workout Nutrition: 2 FINiBARs, 2 Surge Workout Fuel, 2 ANACONDA, 2 MAG-10
Days employed: Tuesday and Friday (Lower Body Focused workouts)…usually had my cheats on these days if I felt like having one. Didn’t really needed them physiologically and definitely not “psychologically” as I was still employing a decent amount of carbs and calories throughout the week.
This was a very solid strategy overall. It allowed me to drop about 10 pounds of “fluff and fat” and keep my strength, energy and performance levels very high. I didn’t feel depleted at all during this. Very pleased with the results.
Current Rotation (the last two weeks…March 1st-Current)
**I felt that my fat loss had been stalling the last few days of the first cycle I set up, so I made these adjustments.
Day 1 (moderate carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Monday (Upper Body Press Power complexes), Tuesday (Lower Body (press/Quad dominant) Cluster/Strength, Thursday (Upper Body Press Cluster/Strength, Friday (Lower Body Hip dominant Power Complex)
Protein: 375 (45%)
Carbs: 150 (20%) *I’ve found 20-25% to be the sweet spot for allowing my body to drop fat, and maintain good energy levels
Fat: 125 (35%) Keep fat intake high, due to fairly low carbs
Calories: 3200 (maintenance is right around 3500 or so at this point, due to loss of first 10 lbs)
Workout Nutrition: 3 Surge Workout Fuel, 3 ANACONDA, 3 MAG-10
Days employed: 4 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday)
Day 2 (Low carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Off days (Sundays), Neural Charge Days (Wednesday’s/day after high carbs), Lats and biceps (Saturday’s)
Protein: 350 (50%)
Carbs: 75 (10%) **Workout Nutriton Carbs only (usually 2 scoops of Surge Workout Fuel)…the rest are “trace carbs” from veggies, protein poweders, nuts, etc…ends up being close to 100
Fat: 125 (40%) Keep fat intake high, due to fairly low carbs
Calories: 2800
Workout Nutrition: 2 Surge Workout Fuel, 2 ANACONDA, 2 MAG-10
Days employed: 2…Sundays (Off) and Wednesdays (Neural charge + lats and biceps (added a second day of lats and bis to ensure they stay on target with the rest of my physique and to add in a bit more overall exercise to the week)
Day 3 (High carbs/cals)
Workout Focus: Lats and biceps
Protein: 350 (40%)
Carbs: 300 (35%)
Fat: 100 (25%)
Calories: 3500 (maintenance is right around 3500, so sitting right around maintenance, so nothing lost, nothing gained (gain my sanity back from the cheat meal…feel like I need it at this point, starting to feel like I’m really dieting)
Workout Nutrition: 3 Surge Workout Fuel, 2 ANACONDA, 2 MAG-10
Days employed: Just on Saturdays. While it’s not a “big workout day” (lats and biceps), I choose to have my high day here because I want to increase my overall intake to ensure my lats and biceps don’t fall behind, but mostly because I like to have Saturday nights to eat whatever the hell I want for dinner
This has also worked very well the last couple of weeks. However, I’m still sitting at just around 255, maybe a bit lower, but haven’t dipped below 250 yet, BUT am getting noticeably leaner now (Increased and pronounced vascularity in: Quads, Shoulders, Mid pecs, arms, calves, upper back and even lower abs). Still carrying most of my remaining fat around waist and lower back…ALWAYS the last place to lean out for me, even after the rectus area of my abs.
I BELIEVE I’m holding at this heavier weight for a couple of reasons:
- MAG-10 (and the overall protocol). I usually consume 2 scoops of MAG-10 mixed in water between a couple meals a day. I’m convinced this supplement helps you retain a significant amount of LBM, while still losing fat. I believe it really works, IF you implement it properly.
- I slowly added weight over the last 9 months or so, and held the top range (255-265) for a good 2-3 months or so. My body “got used” to this weight (set point…hmm), so my body rid itself of the extra body fat first.
I’ll drop below 250 in the next week (probably around the end of this week), as I’ve started to incorporate some high intensity energy systems work post weights this week AND added in a third upper body press day on Wednesdays. So, I’ll be blasting the weights 6 days per week vs. 5, and adding in some additional metabolic work.
I was anticipating having to do this, which is why I didn’t drop my overall macros/calories too much.
RULE OF THUMB FOR FAT LOSS:
Do not slash calories drastically, and do not perform an absurd amount of exercise…INITIALLY
BEFORE dropping calories, INCREASE exercise volume (preferably strength training), but cardio too
I dropped overall nutrients slightly from the first four weeks, and added in additional exercise (one weight training day and 2 short (15-20 minutes) high intensity interval periods ( I usually just add them on to the end of a workout…not interested in going to the gym twice a day a this point)
Overall, things are going along nicely. Haven’t felt too deprived yet and hunger is still very manageable.
Enjoy the post!!
Oh, forgot to mention I’m going to start doing a “Pulse Feast” on Sundays. Yesterday was my first one, and it well very well. Felt a little “off” but not bad.
I’ll also begin “posing sessions” on Sunday nights…that would count as even more exercise…it’s exhausting.
Hey Synergy,
I’m starting to lean up too. I was maintaining at ~3,400 kcals a day with 2 cheat meals a week and one pulse fast during my bulk. I’m starting to aim towards fat loss, so I’m implementing a pulse feast/Leangains protocol. Baiscally, I drink 2 scoops of Surge Recovery pre/during workout and 2 scoops whey immediately post. Then, I’ll pulse using a Mag-10 like product, then have 2 big meals at night.
This isn’t really IF b/c sometimes I lift first thing in the morning and “break my fast” with my workout drink, and I’m hesitant to go full Leangains style and train in a fasted state. I do the 2 meals a day mainly b/c it really is convenient - college student, work, blah blah blah. My 2 meals right now, and my workout drink total 2,900 kcals, and off days are 2,400 kcals. I’m probably going to stick with these numbers this week and next, then drop lower.
Before going on a fat loss diet, I was still doing HIIT once a week and jogging once a week. Since I just dropped kcals pretty significantly, should I keep the cardio, drop it for now, or add more? BTW I have until the end of May (about 10 weeks) to get absolutely shredded for a non BB related competition - long story lol.
Anyway, I’ve made the mistake of dropping kcals too low and adding too much cardio right out of the gate, so what do you think? Also, how should one do cheat meals on this type of diet? I guess I’ll just have some oats or some low fat ice cream or something once a week. Lastly, is HIIT a bad idea on a low-carb diet like this?
BTW for anyone interested, here are my meals as of now.
Meal 1: 1 large apple, 1 big salad - 3 romaine heads, 2 beef patties, 1 slice cheese, 4tbsp fat free rance
Meal 2: 12 whole eggs, 1 slice cheese, 1 russet potato, 1 small bag sunflower seeds, Fish Oil X 5
Macros: 2,730kcal, 138g CHO, 203g protein, 135.5g fat
thanks synergy, really appreciate the time you put into this thread. interesting stuff!
Thanks for the question. Couple things…
- If you look at my last nutrition post, I mentioned a couple of important things about WHAT I WAS DOING PREVIOUS to focusing on fat loss
-My body comp at the end of the bulk (and body weight, although, it’s not that critical of a component, initially)
-My training (I outlined this a few days ago)
-My overall nutrient breakdown and carb rotation
I outlined the same things for the first four weeks of my recomp (weeks 1-4) and the changes I made starting at week 5
In other words, what were you doing then and how is what you’re doing now different, more so in regards to your nutrition, as your training probably hasn’t changed a whole lot, which is good. What put the muscle there, will keep it there, for the most part.
I think a modest caloric (overall reduction) drop initially would be about 500 calories. This is what’s most commonly recommended, and seems to be about right in the beginning. I’ve found being in a caloric deficit about 5 out 7 days in the beginning is enough.
How long have you been focusing on fat loss? Are you just starting this week?
Cardio
You want to do as little as possible in the initial stages (and for the duration of your lean out, but this will naturally increase as you get leaner. If you were currently doing 2 exposures per week, I would just keep it there and let the diet kick start the fat loss process. However, everyone is different in regards to cardio. Some need more, some need less. This is why your body comp stats are important to know. If you’re not carrying much lean muscle mass, don’t possess very good strength, etc. You’ll be better served focusing on continuing to train hard and heavy, with a bit of cardio, but not a lot. In my opinion, I think the dietary changes will be enough to start with. Assess as you go.
I don’t believe a session or two of HIT cardio will be detrimental at this point, especially since it’s the beginning, you’ve been doing it, and if you’re carrying a fair amount of body fat currently.
If you were 10 weeks in, under 7-8% body fat and your overall nutrient intake was low to really low, then I’d say yes, HIT COULD be detrimental, especially if done too often. I don’t necessarily think it will cause you “lose muscle” in this state, but it can affect recovery.
I forgot to mention how I assess myself as I lean out:
I simply take two measurements:
- girth measurement with a tape measure DIRECTLY around my navel. If this is getting leaner (getting smaller), then everywhere else is to…generally. Yes, we all “store fat in different places”, but most people lose it the slowest around the midsection, which includes anterior core/rectus, obliques, and low back. I aim for a 1/4 inch reduction per week. Depending on your starting point, this could be more or less.
- Caliper: I do an ab pinch (lateral to navel) with a skin calipers. I aim for 1-2 millimeters per week or so. This is similar to the tape measurement, but only directly measures the abs, not the obliques or low back (I use the mirror for those areas)
** I consistently track these each week. I have a white board in my office and record it on there, so I can be reminded of where I’m at on a consistent basis.
(3) Scale: I don’t worry too much about what the scale says, especially in the beginning. I basically disregard the first 5-6 pounds, as this is mostly “water weight” due to a tighter diet and carb intake. After that, I generally aim for a 1-2 pound per week loss. I only have about 25-30 pounds to lose overall, so this is a good rate of loss. However, if I’m visually improving, the tape measure and skin caliper are going down, but the scale isn’t moving a whole lot, I don’t let it stress me out. Obviously, I’m getting leaner, so take the scale for what it’s worth…not much sometimes. The scale will eventually drop, and rather significantly a few weeks into your lean out. That’s when I pay more attention to it. This is about the time that you start to venture into the “muscle loss” zone. You will lose SOME (very little if you do things right and be smart) throughout the process, especially if mid to low single digits is your final destination.
The scale can drive you nuts if it’s your first time doing a cut. Don’t let it. More often than not, those who put too much focus on the scale end up losing more muscle than they should, at the expense and sadly, the satisfaction of seeing the scale drop. I too made this mistake the first time I leaned out. However, I went from 300 lbs. to 220 lbs. in about 6 months. Too much, too fast. I lost a ton of strength, but fortunately I possessed a lot of muscle to begin with, so I ended up looking pretty good by the end. I’d definitely do things different if I was in that situation again, knowing what I know now.
Use the mirror, energy levels (they won’t and shouldn’t always be high…it is a diet), performance (same as energy levels, but should remain fairly constant, if you’re auto regulating your workouts properly), recovery (again, won’t always be great, but should be good most of the time), and the way your clothes fit (looser waist and arms to name a couple significant areas, but generally looser all over). These factors are a much more accurate way to measure your progress.
Long ass answer to your question!
Post your “bulk” stats, or your approximate stats at the beginning of your focus on fat loss.
BTW…have you ever done a lean out before?
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
Hey Synergy,
I’m starting to lean up too. I was maintaining at ~3,400 kcals a day with 2 cheat meals a week and one pulse fast during my bulk. I’m starting to aim towards fat loss, so I’m implementing a pulse feast/Leangains protocol. Baiscally, I drink 2 scoops of Surge Recovery pre/during workout and 2 scoops whey immediately post. Then, I’ll pulse using a MAG-10 like product, then have 2 big meals at night.
This isn’t really IF b/c sometimes I lift first thing in the morning and “break my fast” with my workout drink, and I’m hesitant to go full Leangains style and train in a fasted state. I do the 2 meals a day mainly b/c it really is convenient - college student, work, blah blah blah. My 2 meals right now, and my workout drink total 2,900 kcals, and off days are 2,400 kcals. I’m probably going to stick with these numbers this week and next, then drop lower.
Before going on a fat loss diet, I was still doing HIIT once a week and jogging once a week. Since I just dropped kcals pretty significantly, should I keep the cardio, drop it for now, or add more? BTW I have until the end of May (about 10 weeks) to get absolutely shredded for a non BB related competition - long story lol.
Anyway, I’ve made the mistake of dropping kcals too low and adding too much cardio right out of the gate, so what do you think? Also, how should one do cheat meals on this type of diet? I guess I’ll just have some oats or some low fat ice cream or something once a week. Lastly, is HIIT a bad idea on a low-carb diet like this?
BTW for anyone interested, here are my meals as of now.
Meal 1: 1 large apple, 1 big salad - 3 romaine heads, 2 beef patties, 1 slice cheese, 4tbsp fat free rance
Meal 2: 12 whole eggs, 1 slice cheese, 1 russet potato, 1 small bag sunflower seeds, Fish Oil X 5
Macros: 2,730kcal, 138g CHO, 203g protein, 135.5g fat [/quote]