What Body Fat % am I?

[Gordon_Bennet]

Hi guys,

36M
5'9''
189lbs
3rd cycle - 1st 2 cycles were stopped early, due to being poorly educated and suffering sides at 23 years old and then family planning respectively.
Test E 500mg p/wk split over 2 days
Deca 300mg p/wk split over 2 days
Adex .25mg E3D
MK-677 10mg daily

PCT is ready: Nolva, Clomid, Hcg.
I will come off MK677 4 weeks before PCT and start it again to help with keeping up with eating enough.

4k Calories daily - a struggle but MK-677 has done wonders for my appetite.
protein ~220g
Carbs ~475g
Fat ~168g
I could be tighter with these macros, they do shift a bit day to day.

Currently on a bulk, completed week 8. I'm looking to bulk for 16-20 weeks.
I started at ~165 lbs, maybe more (8 weeks ago). Consuming 2,800 Kcal daily.
Weight shot up in the first couple weeks, as expected. Then weight starting to slow down, as expected. Today I am 189 lbs.

Tracking calories properly around week 5 when I noticed a plateau. Calories went up from 2,800 to 4,000 over the course of 10 days. Finally, this week the needle is moving again from what was 185lbs. I'm using a weekly average as the indicator.

So, question is, am I close to 20% body fat or closer to 15%. I've tried referencing using research. I've used the callipers in the past, the calibrating machines at the gym. A guide is really what I'm after from experienced lifters. I've attached a few pics all taken within 8 hrs of each other.

Just would like to have a better understanding of where I am and so be able to make a better decision on when to stop my bulk. I prefer to use a mirror than these inaccurate gadgets on the market. My goal was to reach 198 lbs.

Thanks for reading.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

Rule of thumb is diet down until you have pronounced abs and bulk until abs disappear, repeat process. Check out Renaissance Periodization on YouTube Dr Mike spells it out. Also has a decent description of what your body fat may be just by visual appearance w/out doing a dexa scan

 

[Smont]

Your bf% is a average of your whole body. Its always hard to asses and harder to asses just with front facing upper body picks. But assuming your bf is evenly dispersed probably 15-18%

I tell ppl cut to single digits first and i would stop the bulk about where you are right now.

Everyone who bites the bullet snd gets ripped first learns the importance of it and starts make progress faster then ever. On the other hand the the large majority of ppl cant handle the number on the scale and spent years spinning there wheels.

Going by your current bodyweight you probably will need to cut to about 160lbs.

Im currently 197 and im the same height as you and im probabably 11ish % right now. My initial cut to get the fat off was 218 to 182 and my bodyfat was probably 18% at 218.

I have all my stuff tracked over the past few years. It helps to keep notes and pictures to know bf% vs. What you weigh

 

[Smont]

Heres a ballpark idea

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Rule of thumb is diet down until you have pronounced abs and bulk until abs disappear, repeat process. Check out Renaissance Periodization on YouTube Dr Mike spells it out. Also has a decent description of what your body fat may be just by visual appearance w/out doing a dexa scan

Ah lovely, that make's this process so much easier to make decisions on bulks/cuts. Also, thanks for pointing out Dr. Mikes channel.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

On the other hand the the large majority of ppl cant handle the number on the scale and spent years spinning there wheels.

I can see how it easy it is to fall into this camp, your advice already has me feeling the need to resist and carry on. Lots of people here have said how knowledgeable you are though so I do appreciate this advice.

I'll do some more research, re-assess my plan and make changes. Thanks for your wisdom on this, my first time posting on a forum for advice training related.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

I can see how it easy it is to fall into this camp, your advice already has me feeling the need to resist and carry on. Lots of people here have said how knowledgeable you are though so I do appreciate this advice.

I'll re-assess my plan and make changes. Sounds like dropping the Deca is a wise idea and changing the diet albeit not to a crazy deficit. I've tried 1600 Kcal daily before and my body acclimatised to that lack of calories quite quickly so the cut wasn't working as well as I'd hoped. Thanks for your wisdom on this, my first time posting on a forum for advice training related.

Try lowering your cals by only 300-500 per day. Or, if you love food and get hungry AF like I do on MK-677, add cardio into the mix, LISS 30 min 3x a week. Or, drop the MK-677 entirely. You would prob drop 7-10lbs of bloat and appear leaner. It all comes down to moving more or eating less. If you have 2 “cookie cutter” weeks cal and activity wise and weight stays the same, you now know your maintenance cals to stay at that weight

 

[Segansational]

Yeah, I'd put you somewhere between 16-18% likely, in line with what @Smont has you at.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Try lowering your cals by only 300-500 per day. Or, if you love food and get hungry AF like I do on MK-677, add cardio into the mix, LISS 30 min 3x a week. Or, drop the MK-677 entirely. You would prob drop 7-10lbs of bloat and appear leaner. It all comes down to moving more or eating less. If you have 2 “cookie cutter” weeks cal and activity wise and weight stays the same, you now know your maintenance cals to stay at that weight

Going to do exactly this from today as a starting point and likely just drop another 300-500Kcal again in 2 weeks and repeat that process. That seems logical to me. Will likely drop MK too. What's the trend / understanding of cheat days? Are there any other nuances in this calorie cutting / activity increasing process for dropping fat? I mean as habits, rather than supps or gear.

 

[Dustin07]

36M
5'9''
189lbs

I started at ~165 lbs

That's an impressive jump, any pictures from 165? were you pretty lean then or skinny fat? your jump to 189 looks pretty good. not a lot of wasted fat lbs from what I can see.

But assuming your bf is evenly dispersed probably 15-18%

That's roughly what I was thinking, I'd love to see what he could do sitting around maintenance now and working on composition tbh. even if he's 18%, a little chest and shoulder development could make him look like 16%

Everyone who bites the bullet snd gets ripped first learns the importance of it and starts make progress faster then ever.

This is so true. First; you find out how much weight you actually hold as fat. everyone underestimates that. Second, from my own experience: When I maintained 9-10% for a long time my body was an absolute sponge to excess calories so when I started intentionally gaining weight I was a hell of a lot more efficient coming from a clean foundation to build from.

What's the trend / understanding of cheat days? Are there any other nuances in this calorie cutting / activity increasing process for dropping fat? I mean as habits,

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Arnold always said he basically just reduced carbs.
Smont I think will tell you he starts someone at about maintenance or -100 calories and builds the deficit with cardio slowly cutting calories further and further but avoiding deep deficits and starvation as much as possible.
I have really liked implementing fasting, legit long fasts like 30-60hr on rest days.

Sorta depends on your end goal for your nutritional approach.
as far as habits go, I meal prep every meal for mon-friday on Sundays with my wife and that probably helps maintain about 80% of my consistency right there.

 

[Smont]

I can see how it easy it is to fall into this camp, your advice already has me feeling the need to resist and carry on. Lots of people here have said how knowledgeable you are though so I do appreciate this advice.

I'll re-assess my plan and make changes. Sounds like dropping the Deca is a wise idea and changing the diet albeit not to a crazy deficit. I've tried 1600 Kcal daily before and my body acclimatised to that lack of calories quite quickly so the cut wasn't working as well as I'd hoped. Thanks for your wisdom on this, my first time posting on a forum for advice training related.

That's an impressive jump, any pictures from 165? were you pretty lean then or skinny fat? your jump to 189 looks pretty good. not a lot of wasted fat lbs from what I can see.



That's roughly what I was thinking, I'd love to see what he could do sitting around maintenance now and working on composition tbh. even if he's 18%, a little chest and shoulder development could make him look like 16%



This is so true. First; you find out how much weight you actually hold as fat. everyone underestimates that. Second, from my own experience: When I maintained 9-10% for a long time my body was an absolute sponge to excess calories so when I started intentionally gaining weight I was a hell of a lot more efficient coming from a clean foundation to build from.



There is more than one way to skin a cat. Arnold always said he basically just reduced carbs.
Smont I think will tell you he starts someone at about maintenance or -100 calories and builds the deficit with cardio slowly cutting calories further and further but avoiding deep deficits and starvation as much as possible.
I have really liked implementing fasting, legit long fasts like 30-60hr on rest days.

Sorta depends on your end goal for your nutritional approach.
as far as habits go, I meal prep every meal for mon-friday on Sundays with my wife and that probably helps maintain about 80% of my consistency right there.

I can tell you exactly what's going to happen sitting at maintenance calories, I spent 3 years trying to recomp. And it's a huge waste of time unless you've already been there before. And you're trying to recomp back to where you used to. I'm not trying to be a Dick but I honest. Ly god think the absolute worst thing someone can do in his position is go to maintenance calories and trying to work on his body composition unless he plans on blasting a **** ton of gear, lots of cardio and clen and t3 and i still think its gonna be a waste ($cost, health cost vs results)

 

[Dustin07]

I can tell you exactly what's going to happen sitting at maintenance calories, I spent 3 years trying to recomp. And it's a huge waste of time unless you've already been there before. And you're trying to recomp back to where you used to. I'm not trying to be a Dick but I honest. Ly god think the absolute worst thing someone can do in his position is go to maintenance calories and trying to work on his body composition unless he plans on blasting a **** ton of gear, lots of cardio and clen and t3 and i still think its gonna be a waste ($cost, health cost vs results)

I don't doubt that, just looking at his progress, current weight to height and photos I feel like if it were me in his shoes I'd be more inclined to continue some development on the upper chest/shoulders/delts before I got too worried about busting the abs out. But then again, the road to abs might help create some definition there.

my other thought is he just made a run from 165-189, since I don't know what BF he was at at 165, I'd hate to see him have to cut all the way back down to the same weight he was at before unless it comes with progress vs the last time he was there.

 

[Smont]

Going to do exactly this from today as a starting point and likely just drop another 300-500Kcal again in 2 weeks and repeat that process. That seems logical to me. Will likely drop MK too. What's the trend / understanding of cheat days? Are there any other nuances in this calorie cutting / activity increasing process for dropping fat? I mean as habits, rather than supps or gear.

Shouldn't just be picking random numbers for your calories.

I got lost in this thread. But I saw you say something about sixteen hundred calories before And that's like a starvation diet unless you're like a hundred and twenty pound female.

I can cut on three thousand calories right now Because my metabolism has been worked up to that. You can't always cut calories. Sometimes you need to do more cardio because a certain amount of calories is required to maintain a certain look, Fullness, strength ect.

Whatever calories you were eating when your bulk ended. Cut two hundred off and write it until the scale stops moving. I don't ever go below two thousand I'd rather increase cardio and eat more food. But there are situations where you'll have to go below 2000 but it's not when you're 15% body fat or 18% body fat. It's gonna be when you're like 6% percent body fat.

All of this stuff i'm talking about is if your goal is completely Based around a look that you're trying to attain. If you don't mind being twenty percent body fat and just big and strong, then keep bulking. Theres no rules, just guidlines to help reach your goals.

 

[Smont]

I don't doubt that, just looking at his progress, current weight to height and photos I feel like if it were me in his shoes I'd be more inclined to continue some development on the upper chest/shoulders/delts before I got too worried about busting the abs out. But then again, the road to abs might help create some definition there.

my other thought is he just made a run from 165-189, since I don't know what BF he was at at 165, I'd hate to see him have to cut all the way back down to the same weight he was at before unless it comes with progress vs the last time he was there.

That's a big issue too though. You can't really work on individual body parts when the body part itself isn't developed, That's not a knock on this guy. It's no different than me trying to work on my quad. Sweep when my legs need another three or four inches to match my upper body. There's no point in working on quad sweep before I work on the whole quad if you know what i'm saying. A lot of time gets wasted working on weak body parts when overall muscle is more important.

 

[Smont]

And again I always sound like I'm talking in absolutes. I'm not, I'm just rambling off The first things that come to my mind when I read posts

 

[Smont]

Dustin you were 190lbs lean natural at one point. You were probably on the upper limit area of what naturals can attain at your height at one point in time. ( I don't think i'm mixing you up with someone else lol) So I could see you working on your upper chest. But if you're running cycles and you're lean body masses like a 150 pounds, you don't need to work on an upper chest. You gotta work on the whole upper body and the whole lower body, Overall muscle that needs to be developed first and fine tuned down the road

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and contribute all this advice. Will go a long way and super helpful. Some of it I don't think I want to hear as I'm actually enjoying the bulk and breaking so many PBs. But I totally get the approach is for greater good.

any pictures from 165

Annoyingly I didn't take a pic of the start of this years which would have been September. I started really slow as I'd recently suffered a lower back injury, muscle spasm put me in bed for 4 days with a bucket as a toilet. So I slowly ramped up, going to the outdoor park at first doing bodyweight pull ups, push ups etc.

So for reference, the 1st pic is actually around last year September @164 lbs. I started, this year, at about the same weight as this, might be a few lbs difference. Wish I tracked in now.

The 2nd pic was taken 7th Oct this year at 174 lbs. So with that in mind, my starting weight may be inaccurate, but 165 lbs is where I tend to sit if I'm not tracking calories but am lifting.

chest and shoulder development could make him look like 16%

Nice to hear some feedback on development. Will keep this in mind, I don't train shoulders as hard as I always thought they didn't need much as everything else. Chest for me is a problem area, strong, decent pumps but never looks that great.

First; you find out how much weight you actually hold as fat

Ok, I'm following this, as already eluded too I don't like the idea of being that 'light'. But willing to go there to understand baseline and progress with solid knowledge of my body.

Smont I think will tell you he starts someone at about maintenance or -100 calories and builds the deficit with cardio slowly cutting calories further and further but avoiding deep deficits and starvation as much as possible.
I have really liked implementing fasting, legit long fasts like 30-60hr on rest days.

Yeah no surprises there for me so far from what I've researched on this. Slow and steady wins the race and all that.

Sorta depends on your end goal for your nutritional approach.

End goal is a modest sub 15% body fat on 200lbs. But I'm not going to cry to mummy if I don't get there.

Thanks for your input man. Actually think more people would train smarter if they reached out to communities like this.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

And again I always sound like I'm talking in absolutes. I'm not, I'm just rambling off The first things that come to my mind when I read posts

Thanks for your insight on all this. I'd gotten nowhere trying to recomp naturally. Also, I think it's clear that I haven't done things right in the past. Relying too much on TDEE being accurate was a mistake.

I'm keen to just keep getting bigger and stronger.

I agree with @Dustin07 here, i dont want to cut back to being back to where I was when I started.

With that in mind, I might be a little fatter than advised when going into cut in the new year.

 

[Dustin07]

fire up a log over here with your daily training routine and build it all from there:

Workout Logs

Keep a log of your workout and follow other workout logs in here.

anabolicminds.com

 

[Smont]

Thanks for your insight on all this. I'd gotten nowhere trying to recomp naturally. Also, I think it's clear that I haven't done things right in the past. Relying too much on TDEE being accurate was a mistake.

I'm keen to just keep getting bigger and stronger.

I agree with @Dustin07 here, i dont want to cut back to being back to where I was when I started.

With that in mind, I might be a little fatter than advised when going into cut in the new year.

Just rember. The leaner you are the more actual muscle tissue you gain. The higher your bf, the more of yiur weight gained is fat. You very likely may add 10lbs of fat to gain 1 lb of muscle when your creaping up around that 20% mark

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

fire up a log over here with your daily training routine and build it all from there:

Workout Logs

Keep a log of your workout and follow other workout logs in here.

anabolicminds.com

I use fit notes for my tracking and all weights are in kg as I'm British so won't that just be confusing for people. I got a nice little log, or is it more so readers will feedback?

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Just rember. The leaner you are the more actual muscle tissue you gain. The higher your bf, the more of yiur weight gained is fat. You very likely may add 10lbs of fat to gain 1 lb of muscle when your creaping up around that 20% mark

I see, point taken. I asked for this advice and you've given it. That's useful info, Cheers bud.

 

[Dustin07]

I use fit notes for my tracking and all weights are in kg as I'm British so won't that just be confusing for people. I got a nice little log, or is it more so readers will feedback?

logs become an interactive fireside chat of reflection, advice, questions and constructive criticism. yes most of the guys lift in lbs around here but compete in kgs anyways so everyone is used to the conversion.

 

[Smont]

I see, point taken. I asked for this advice and you've given it. That's useful info, Cheers bud.

Il tell you the same thing someone told me a long time ago that has rarely failed me. When your presented with multiple options to reach a goal, be it bodybuilding, work, family life ect. The things you dont wanna do are the things that will benifit you the most. Very rarely will the best answer be the answer you wanna hear.

logs become an interactive fireside chat of reflection, advice, questions and constructive criticism. yes most of the guys lift in lbs around here but compete in kgs anyways so everyone is used to the conversion.

100%, logs help drive progress given your actively working at it and being honest with yourself. If you start a log and your training 5x a week and eating 5 meals a day you will be less likely to skip those when you know 20 or 30ppl are following along.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Il tell you the same thing someone told me a long time ago that has rarely failed me. When your presented with multiple options to reach a goal, be it bodybuilding, work, family life ect. The things you dont wanna do are the things that will benifit you the most. Very rarely will the best answer be the answer you wanna hear.

100%, logs help drive progress given your actively working at it and being honest with yourself. If you start a log and your training 5x a week and eating 5 meals a day you will be less likely to skip those when you know 20 or 30ppl are following along.

On both accounts @Smont and @Dustin07 I hear what you're saying. I'll get logged up and start taking action sharing the workouts. As for the calories, I'll gradually start bringing them down. See where maintainence is, make note, and continue the process. I can accept a bit of backstepping for the sake of progress when the advice is trusted. Not what I expected to get out of the OP but hardly ever is from what I've read on others. Stoked with the advice here cheers guys.

 

[BCseacow83]

OP from a cosmetic stand point ditching the MK and the deca while adding HGH(2-4iu) and Mast or Primo or even EQ in place of deca would make a significant difference in appearance for most. Deca and MK and not know for adding "crispness" to a physique.

 

[Smont]

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and contribute all this advice. Will go a long way and super helpful. Some of it I don't think I want to hear as I'm actually enjoying the bulk and breaking so many PBs. But I totally get the approach is for greater good.


Annoyingly I didn't take a pic of the start of this years which would have been September. I started really slow as I'd recently suffered a lower back injury, muscle spasm put me in bed for 4 days with a bucket as a toilet. So I slowly ramped up, going to the outdoor park at first doing bodyweight pull ups, push ups etc.

So for reference, the 1st pic is actually around last year September @164 lbs. I started, this year, at about the same weight as this, might be a few lbs difference. Wish I tracked in now.

The 2nd pic was taken 7th Oct this year at 174 lbs. So with that in mind, my starting weight may be inaccurate, but 165 lbs is where I tend to sit if I'm not tracking calories but am lifting.


Nice to hear some feedback on development. Will keep this in mind, I don't train shoulders as hard as I always thought they didn't need much as everything else. Chest for me is a problem area, strong, decent pumps but never looks that great.


Ok, I'm following this, as already eluded too I don't like the idea of being that 'light'. But willing to go there to understand baseline and progress with solid knowledge of my body.

Yeah no surprises there for me so far from what I've researched on this. Slow and steady wins the race and all that.

End goal is a modest sub 15% body fat on 200lbs. But I'm not going to cry to mummy if I don't get there.

Thanks for your input man. Actually think more people would train smarter if they reached out to communities like this.

So lets say right now your 17% bf @ 189lbs.

That puts your lean mass at 157lbs.

If you cut 7% bf you now without loosing any muscle or water it would put you at 175, but for the sake that no1 is loosing 7% bf without sacrificing a small amount of muscle an water i think 170@ 10% is about where you would end up after a well structured cut.

Your end goal requires you add 20-30lbs of muscle. Even on steroids thats about a 2-3 year process with everything done right.

And thats about where i started to be honest. When i got back to this stuff about 4.5 years ago i was about 195 and similar build to your current photos.

For perspective i could show you pictures of me at the exact same weight in both pictures give or take a few lbs but look like 2 different human beings. 36in waist to a 31/32 in waist and a 20-30lb swing on muscle and fat

 

[Dustin07]

If you cut 7% bf you now without loosing any muscle or water it would put you at 175, but for the sake that no1 is loosing 7% bf without sacrificing a small amount of muscle an water i think 170@ 10% is about where you would end up after a well structured cut.

Your end goal requires you add 20-30lbs of muscle. Even on steroids thats about a 2-3 year process with everything done right.

hey he's only 36, dude could be fuckin' yoked by 40 if he keeps this going. Would you have him cut down to 10% then do a very slow bulk, like 100-250cals/day surplus then? I was thinking like 12%, then reverse diet to the tune of +100 cals per day.

tough balancing act between cutting back to the starting position vs slow clean bulk.

 

[Smont]

hey he's only 36, dude could be fuckin' yoked by 40 if he keeps this going. Would you have him cut down to 10% then do a very slow bulk, like 100-250cals/day surplus then? I was thinking like 12%, then reverse diet to the tune of +100 cals per day.

tough balancing act between cutting back to the starting position vs slow clean bulk.

If he was to cut back to his starting position that would mean he's built no muscle on his bulk already. Getting back to his starting body weight would show him how much muscle he's actually built so far. This is also a big problem. I see with people when they talk about a clean or a lean bulk, In order to bulk lean you have to be lean before the bulk starts. You can't gain weight and lose body fat at the same time. At least not anything significant. And everybody forgets you can lose fat ten times faster than you can build muscle.

My 100% personal opinion here. So don't quote me because it's not some kind of guaranteed fact, but i cant see any situation for him where continuing the bulk or a recomp phase is the best option.

I'm sure you've heard me say it before. And I'm using myself as an example Just because I don't want to speak for other people. A lot of people here a few years back. Watch me go through tons of recomp cycles on gear and not make a lot of progress. And I'm sure if anyone's been paying attention in the last. Maybe two years i've made a lot of progress and then I stopped but that initial progress all came after I cut all the fat. Actualy im sure @Hyde rembers my last dirty bulk to 225 for a bench comp where i put up 355. I had to cut 43lbs to get lean again. Then moving forward i looked completely different once i abandoned the dirty bulks and recomps. Now recently i recomped a ton. But its muscle memory mosrly. This past year i probably didnt add any new muscle till the past month because of boxing and not eating enough.

This also brings me to my next question and point. The person in question here doesn't really know. Dieting strategies very good yet, so you can't expect someone to pull off A miracle that's gonna be ninety nine percent diet.

If you talk to any successful body building coach, no one advises bulking if your abs are not in. And we're talking about guys whose job is to make you progress as fast as possible. The faster they bring you progress, the more clients, the more money they make. They're not gonna waste their time telling people to do stuff they know is not the best way to do it Because it's gonna make them look like a bad coach. When the results are not coming as fast.

Now I will say this, I think everybody should get a dirty bulk and at least once in their life. And i also think everyone should try to get there overall weight up. But theres a time snd a place and i dont see that place being right now.

I just keep in the back of my mind thinking if this guy was a client of mine, Given the majority of people I deal with Are people looking to lose weight not interested in building ridiculous amounts of muscle. But if this guy came to me and and wanted me to guide him through the process, the only way I'm gonna make money and keep him as a client is getting him results as fast as possible. And I know the fastest way for me to do That is to strip the fat off first.

And then I run into the problem. Where if someone's paying you you gotta kind of do what they want. And most people are not willing to lose the weight because as they lose the weight and they shrink down. They assume they're losing muscle because a lot of what they thought was Muscle was fluid in fat around the muscles. I was guilty of this myself for a very long time. Heck I still think i'm bigger and leaner than I really am lol

 

[Smont]

hey he's only 36, dude could be fuckin' yoked by 40 if he keeps this going. Would you have him cut down to 10% then do a very slow bulk, like 100-250cals/day surplus then? I was thinking like 12%, then reverse diet to the tune of +100 cals per day.

tough balancing act between cutting back to the starting position vs slow clean bulk.

And yes, I absolutely agree that in three or four years he could do a ton of transforming.

I just wanna make a point to say my responses to everything And the answers I give Are my personal opinions from prior experiences? It says and what I assume i've learned over the years. I'm definitely not in the school of telling people what they want to hear, I tell them what I would tell myself if presented the same problem
If that makes sense

 

[Smont]

Damn talk to text mangled that message lol

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

And yes, I absolutely agree that in three or four years he could do a ton of transforming.

I just wanna make a point to say my responses to everything And the answers I give Are my personal opinions from prior experiences? It says and what I assume i've learned over the years. I'm definitely not in the school of telling people what they want to hear, I tell them what I would tell myself if presented the same problem
If that makes sense

The way I see it I have made huge progress in strength. PBs every session by at least a few reps in the first exercise of the session.

That must surely mean there has been some muscle put on, can't all be down to water surely. The calories could be providing some of that umph as well I suppose.

Point being, I'm hopeful I won't go back to starting weight but I'm ok with it if end up close tbf. I'm actually quite keen to start this process and see what's under this chub and get down to business. It feels like a wise decision if that's how trainers get the best out of their athletes. I'm cool with taking time on the journey, I'm not going anywhere, my commitments don't really get in the way of training and I WFH which lends itself well to looking after my nutrition.

But i agree, ive tried recomps and for whatever reason, timing, discipline, excuses, I'd like to try something else. Atleast with bulk and cut you see things happen within weeks. Started a work log here too.

 

[Smont]

The way I see it I have made huge progress in strength. PBs every session by at least a few reps in the first exercise of the session.

That must surely mean there has been some muscle put on, can't all be down to water surely. The calories could be providing some of that umph as well I suppose.

Point being, I'm hopeful I won't go back to starting weight but I'm ok with it if end up close tbf. I'm actually quite keen to start this process and see what's under this chub and get down to business. It feels like a wise decision if that's how trainers get the best out of their athletes. I'm cool with taking time on the journey, I'm not going anywhere, my commitments don't really get in the way of training and I WFH which lends itself well to looking after my nutrition.

But i agree, ive tried recomps and for whatever reason, timing, discipline, excuses, I'd like to try something else. Atleast with bulk and cut you see things happen within weeks. Started a work log here too.

Thats a great indicator, espically in the first few years. If your adding weight to the bar your doing something right

 

[Smont]

The way I see it I have made huge progress in strength. PBs every session by at least a few reps in the first exercise of the session.

That must surely mean there has been some muscle put on, can't all be down to water surely. The calories could be providing some of that umph as well I suppose.

Point being, I'm hopeful I won't go back to starting weight but I'm ok with it if end up close tbf. I'm actually quite keen to start this process and see what's under this chub and get down to business. It feels like a wise decision if that's how trainers get the best out of their athletes. I'm cool with taking time on the journey, I'm not going anywhere, my commitments don't really get in the way of training and I WFH which lends itself well to looking after my nutrition.

But i agree, ive tried recomps and for whatever reason, timing, discipline, excuses, I'd like to try something else. Atleast with bulk and cut you see things happen within weeks. Started a work log here too.

You have to stop worrying aboit your weight. Weight is not a indicator of muscle. Who cares what the number on the scale says if the person in the mirror looks fantastic

 

[Resolve10]

Honestly unless it is a ton of bloat I'd say closer to 20. Getting random guesses online doesn't really matter though and probably is worse than even the most unreliable devices.

Putting on 25lbs in 8 weeks just seems way too fast, again maybe some is bloat, but (and you've got some advice like this somewhere in here) you just seem like you went a little haphazard and not patient enough. You can only gain and lose so fast without really compromising results, going at it with a bit more of a focused plan would probably help.

I see you started a log though and seem open to learning so I hope you find the advice and progress you need and good luck in your journey!

 

[Smont]

I found the pictures i was looking for.

So back in march i was 218, i was pretty close to my peak pressing strength too. I got some little injuries and then slacked off hard.

Fast forward july 5th im a really sloppy 212

Started a serious cut to 182-183 (i was gonna box so i had to drop weight anyway)

Once all the fat was stripped off i fed myself back to 192 and leveled off. Im 20lbs less in these pictures

The scale numbers only show if your in a caloric surplus or defict. And remeber, strength gains are definately a indicator of growth. But mass moves mass. When you gain weight you typically get stronger too.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

I found the pictures i was looking for.

So back in march i was 218, i was pretty close to my peak pressing strength too. I got some little injuries and then slacked off hard.

Fast forward july 5th im a really sloppy 212
View attachment 237772

Started a serious cut to 182-183 (i was gonna box so i had to drop weight anyway)

Once all the fat was stripped off i fed myself back to 192 and leveled off. Im 20lbs less in these picturesView attachment 237773View attachment 237774

The scale numbers only show if your in a caloric surplus or defict. And remeber, strength gains are definately a indicator of growth. But mass moves mass. When you gain weight you typically get stronger too.


So back in march i was 218, i was pretty close to my peak pressing strength too. I got some little injuries and then slacked off hard.

Fast forward july 5th im a really sloppy 212
View attachment 237772

Started a serious cut to 182-183 (i was gonna box so i had to drop weight anyway)

Once all the fat was stripped off i fed myself back to 192 and leveled off. Im 20lbs less in these picturesView attachment 237773View attachment 237774

The scale numbers only show if your in a caloric surplus or defict. And remeber, strength gains are definately a indicator of growth. But mass moves mass. When you gain weight you typically get stronger too.

So the recent pics are where you are now and your cut started in July? Looks decent. And over the years has your calorie TDEE changed much? Or is that something not to get hung up on.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

Honestly unless it is a ton of bloat I'd say closer to 20. Getting random guesses online doesn't really matter though and probably is worse than even the most unreliable devices.

Putting on 25lbs in 8 weeks just seems way too fast, again maybe some is bloat, but (and you've got some advice like this somewhere in here) you just seem like you went a little haphazard and not patient enough. You can only gain and lose so fast without really compromising results, going at it with a bit more of a focused plan would probably help.

I see you started a log though and seem open to learning so I hope you find the advice and progress you need and good luck in your journey!

I totally was inpatient. I plateaued on the scales and thought well I'm on a bulk, I better eat more. Before this I didnt know the rule of thumb of when to go into a bulk. I just made a choice and went for it. Really have enjoyed the process though. And keen to get it right and keep moving forward.

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

@PolishHamm3r77 pointed me in this direction. But I found a specific YouTube video that goes into detail about body fat here. It's an interesting watch, if you're looking to find some basic entry info about this topic.
You Might Be Fatter Than You Think! How To Tell Body Fat Percentage ACCURATELY

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

@PolishHamm3r77 pointed me in this direction. But I found a specific YouTube video that goes into detail about body fat here. It's an interesting watch, if you're looking to find some basic entry info about this topic.
You Might Be Fatter Than You Think! How To Tell Body Fat Percentage ACCURATELY

That was the video! Good find.

 

[Smont]

That was the video! Good find.

Mike isreatel does a great job with rp training. He presents His information in a very intelligent and easy to understand way without trying to sound too overcomplicated or smarter than everyone else. Which I think is a big problem that a lot of people do, They try to present their information in such a way that makes them sound so smart, and It just makes everything complicated.

Hes got a good sense of humor too.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

Mike isreatel does a great job with rp training. He presents His information in a very intelligent and easy to understand way without trying to sound too overcomplicated or smarter than everyone else. Which I think is a big problem that a lot of people do, They try to present their information in such a way that makes them sound so smart, and It just makes everything complicated.

Hes got a good sense of humor too.

Love the analogies. “You and 3 friends are in a car driving to Chicago …..”
Was the 18% bf chick not getting pregnant because no one was putting it in her? Lmao

 

[Smont]

Love the analogies. “You and 3 friends are in a car driving to Chicago …..”
Was the 18% bf chick not getting pregnant because no one was putting it in her? Lmao

She said 18% was too low for her, she gained 3lbs and got pregnant. So now she knows 22% bf is ideal for her.

Yep, thats definately the most logical thing ive heard this week

 

[Smont]

18% bf on a chick is pretty lean. Most girls with 15-18% have abs. But the whole.... i gaind 3 lbs and blah blah. No it's just more likely but that's when you got pregnant And it's a coincidenc lol

And gaining 3 lbs added 4% bf..... what lol

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

She said 18% was too low for her, she gained 3lbs and got pregnant. So now she knows 22% bf is ideal for her.

Yep, thats definately the most logical thing ive heard this week

Fuk I don’t wanna get pregnant. More reason to cut!

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

18% bf on a chick is pretty lean. Most girls with 15-18% have abs. But the whole.... i gaind 3 lbs and blah blah. No it's just more likely but that's when you got pregnant And it's a coincidenc lol

And gaining 3 lbs added 4% bf..... what lol

None of that tracks. The logic, the percentage, or the math.

 

[Smont]

None of that tracks. The logic, the percentage, or the math.

I know lol, im not sure why i was so drawn to that post lol. Im probably just a douch

 

[Gordon_Bennet]

She said 18% was too low for her, she gained 3lbs and got pregnant. So now she knows 22% bf is ideal for her.

Yep, thats definately the most logical thing ive heard this week

Was this in the female section? I didn't watch that bit.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

I know lol, im not sure why i was so drawn to that post lol. Im probably just a douch

Hopefully she gets her abs back. And if she doesn’t want any more kids stay under 20%

 

[Smont]

Was this in the female section? I didn't watch that bit.

No its the comments under the video, like 3 comments down. It has nothing at all to do with the video I don't think