Routine Switch.....

[GimpFace]

Hi WBB,

Ok, I have been doing a 2 day on 2 day off (upper / lower body split) workout for the last couple of months, eating well and been pretty happy with the new muscle I have been putting on. I figure its time to switch routines now and NEED to strip the BF % - I am waaaaaay behind on my target (see below) as far as BF goes.

So, I was thinking of changing my routine (for the next two months) to be something like:
- Mon: Cardio & Abs.
- Tues: Full body workout (by this I mean Squats, Bench, Deadlifts and mil press to failure)
- Wed: Rest
- Thurs: Cardio & Abs
- Fri: As Tuesday.

For the cardio I am thinking:
- 10min warm up run
- 15 mins cycle using HITT
- 15 mins running (again trying to go 2 mins hard, 2 mins steady)
- 10 mins cool off on the X trainer or some such.
With ab work taking place between the cardio.

What do you think WBB? If I do this type of work out for a couple of months will I strip body fat faster than by "just" lifting?

Thanks in advance for all comments..

[BG5150]

Well, you're porbably gonna have to change the diet a bit, too.

And you wanna strip OFF 5% body fat and GAIN 20# of muscle?

[getfit]

why not post your diet up so we can see!

[GimpFace]

And you wanna strip OFF 5% body fat and GAIN 20# of muscle?

I know - seems a little unrealistic now!! I currently rate stripping the BF a higher priority than the gaining of (much) new muscle.

[GimpFace]

why not post your diet up so we can see!

I dont think my diet is too bad:-

Weekday diet:
Breakfast - 1 Whey protein shake + low fat breakfast bar.
Mid morning snack (around 11:00am) - Cup of chicken and noodle soup
Lunch - Tuna Salad (with two cans of Tuna)
Mid afternoon - Cup of soup (as above)
Pre-workout (around 17:30) - 1 banana
After gym - 1 Whey protein shake
Dinner - usually something easy from the freezer (but nothing high in fat) accompanied with fresh veg (broccoli / cauliflower etc).

Don't drink at all in the week.

Weekend diet:
Breakfast: - Protein shake + toast with butter
Lunch: Usually a Tuna / Ham sandwich.
Dinner: Mixed Grill / Steak / Pasta, worst case this will be a curry or Pizza with friends.
I drink at the weekend, not a huge amount - around 15 pints in total.....
I drink a lot of green tea for what its worth.

[d'Anconia]

You're probably going to want to just work on losing fat or gaining muscle at one time.

I'd say go for just losing the bodyfat and once you get under 10% to then work on building muscle. Honestly your diet should take prevalence over your cardio workouts. Cardio can burn some of that muscle you just put on which is something you should probably try to avoid. Some people will say do that cardio some will say it's not necessary but good luck with your endeavors...

[GimpFace]

[QUOTE=fatrb38]You're probably going to want to just work on losing fat or gaining muscle at one time.QUOTE]

Yeah - thats what lead me to introducing cardio and cutting back the lifting. Love the muscle, cannot stand the BF.

[d'Anconia]

Whoa ho ho ho ho ho ho. Do not cut back on the lifting at all. That'd be a good way to lose your muscle. Honestly I cut down on bodyfat by 5-6% in about 6 weeks but didn't run one bit. No cardio at all, I just altered the diet a bit.

[GimpFace]

Whoa ho ho ho ho ho ho. Do not cut back on the lifting at all. That'd be a good way to lose your muscle. Honestly I cut down on bodyfat by 5-6% in about 6 weeks but didn't run one bit. No cardio at all, I just altered the diet a bit.

Thats impressive stuff man! My diet must be wrong somewhere as I have been lifting like a demon for the last 8 weeks and my BF has only gone down 1%. I "look" a lot better but I put that down to muscle giving me a better shape (i.e. wider shoulders + thicker legs = apparently smaller waist).
Can you see anything in my diet that would screw me over like that?

[d'Anconia]

Nah your diet looks fine. When it comes to losing fat pay attention to calories because they will pretty much just be bottom line. Create a deficit of calories and you'll lose weight. If you had to limit either carbs, fat, or protein I would say you should limit carbs because protein and fat are more necessary for keeping and building muscle. Don't be scared to eat some fatty foods as long as you're still keeping a caloric deficit.

Honestly with your diet you should be fine though. To lose weight all you really have to do is eat less.

[GimpFace]

fatrb38 - thanks for the tips man, I will keep plowing into it. Stick with the routine & diet I posted above and let you know what happens in a month or so.

What kind of deficit were you doing when you dropped 5%?

[d'Anconia]

I really couldn't tell you, I wasn't keeping close count. Probably around 1000 calories less than normal.

[GimpFace]

props anyway - so that would be you in your avatar?
What sort of BF are you running at now then?

[d'Anconia]

About 9 or 10%. Haven't checked it in a while but in that pic I think I was at 10%.

Until this summer I was always around 14 or 15% but I finally decided that I actually wanted to see my abs for once. If you look in my sig I believe I have pictures of me during early summer near the end of a bulk. I'd say I was around 15% or so there.