Young's Natty Log - 90 days - 9% BF - 9LBS Muscle

[younganabolic]

Good to be back. It's been about 6 years but I'm looking forward to getting back into it these next 90 days.

Start Date: Aug 8, 2016
End Date: Nov 6, 2016

Start Weight: 180lbs
Start BF%: 14-15%

Goal Weight: 178lbs
Goal BF%: 9%

Supplements: Protein Powder, Creatine Monohydrate

Current Calories: 2500/day (4-5 meals per day)
Macros: (EST) 180P, 80F, 250C


Alright guys, it's been a good 3 years since I've trained properly but I've been conditioning for about a month before this 90-day log. I've been running about 2 miles 4-5x per week in the mornings and training about 3x per week in the gym. This log will be focused on aesthetics and physique, not on strength. My reps are typically around 15 per set.

For all that are curious, here is some reference about my PRs:
Bench: 225x33 (355x4) Squat: 400 Deadlift: 450 Bent-over Row: 350

If I lift heavy during this log, I won't go below 8-10 reps.

I'll include some before pictures to give you guys an idea of where I'm starting out. I'll include some photos from 1 month ago and some photos of Aug 8th, 2016.

I hope this log shows how possible it is to put on quality muscle and maintain a low body fat in a healthy way.


PS: For all of those that might not know what 10% body fat looks like, do some research. I get friends telling me they are 7 or 8% and they have no clue that they are most likely around 12%. I'll be using my eye and some amateur experience measuring my estimated BF, but you guys can be the judge. If I get down to sub-10 or even 10% at all, I will be very satisfied. I will not be starving myself in this log and I will be GAINING lean muscle.


Enjoy!

 

[JamesReef]

Do it to it brother I'm in!

 

[younganabolic]

June 28, 2016 (flexing)

July 2, 2016 (flexing)

August 9, 2016 (flexing)

August 9, 2016 (flexed)

August 10, 2016 (flexed)

August 10, 2016 (no flex)

 

[younganabolic]

You guys be the judge. Check out the pictures from August 9 and 10. I'd say that's 14-15% body fat.

Here is the type of food I'm currently eating. I know it's not clean, but I am going to start with this level of dieting and at the weeks progress, I will get more methodical and cleaner.

 

[younganabolic]

Here is my 'Diet Guide' I use. When I talk about "eating with a purpose", I'm talking about what, when and why I consume food. I categorize this guide in ascending levels from 1 to 5 - with 5 being the most strict.

It goes like this:

Level 1 - intentionally/deliberately eating to work toward your goal: making gains or losing weight

Level 2 - tracking diet, focusing on protein, setting goals (cals, protein, carbs, fat)

Level 3 - sticking to a specific macro nutrient ratio or goal, shopping on a budget, eating consistent food at consistent times (every 3 hours)

Level 4 - paying attention to when you eat and how often, eating macro nutrients with intention (ie- carbs before workout, protein/fat end of day), eating only essentials (no salt, sugar or saturated fats), eating right when you wake up and 2 hours before bed

Level 5 - dialing your diet in to meet your specific needs, paying attention to how fast the types nutrients are absorbed and use this to your advantage, eating foods that digest at the same rate or compliment each other in terms of nutrient absorption, eating every 3 hours (immediately after weakening, slow release protein before bed, and a serving of protein (ie - egg in middle of night)

 

[younganabolic]

Good to have you here JamesReef. Hope this is entertaining and informative for you.

 

[younganabolic]

Week 1:

Started creatine mono hydrate at 15-20 grams per day.

Workouts consist of mainly compound movements and I will detail a few training days for you guys.

Here's my typical diet:
8/9/16 - 7:30am 2 eggs and 1/3 can corned beef hash, 11:30am 2 leaves lettuce w/ 1tbs ranch and 6 oz cooked chicken and 1/2 cup blk beans, 4pm 10oz cooked chicken and 1 cup blk beans and 1.5 cup white rice, 5pm 2 scoop protein, 8pm cheese dog and Popeyes chicken thigh and half biscuit

 

[younganabolic]

Diet Day 3:

8/10/16 - 7:30am 2 eggs and 1/2 cup cooked grits and 1/3 can corned beef hash, 9:45am 1/2 raised bagel w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese spread, 11:45am chicken sandwich (cheese, tomato, onion, bacon and Tom sauce), 1:30pm 8 wings and 8 pretzels and 2 cookies and quest bar, 3PM 5 wings, 5:30PM 4 oz chicken and 2 oz ground beef and 1/2 cup broccoli and 1 cup rice (all cooked)

 

[younganabolic]

Aug 10, 2016 continued 8:30pm - I forgot what I ate but it was another meal

 

[JamesReef]

Aug 10, 2016 continued 8:30pm - I forgot what I ate but it was another meal

Bro I do this at night sometimes
Just start grubbin and lose myself to all the calories I ingest lol

 

[younganabolic]

Here's a breakdown of a few workouts this week to give you guys an idea of what I'm doing. I'm starting slow with compound movements and I'll get more granular as the weeks progress. I'm taking it easy with my legs for the first few weeks because I like to play tennis 2-3x per week and run every morning - which I can't do with sore legs.

Week 1: (2500 cal - 80f - 250c -
150p)
8/8/16 - 1 tsp (6g) creatine w/cran juice heated. Shoulder/chest/tri - 5 set incline machine, 5 set shoulder press machine, 3 set free flat bench, 5 set lateral raise machine, 5x seated shrug machine
8/9/16 - 1 tsp CM in morning, 1 tsp before workout. Back/bi - 5 set assisted pull up, 8 set diverging seated row, 5 iso-lat front lat pulldown, 3 set ab crunch machine
Week 2: (3000 cal - 80f - 300c - 200p)
8/11/16 - legs and abs - 5 set squat, 3 prone leg curl, 3 hip abduction, 3 torso rotation, 3 set ab crunch

 

[mickc1965]

Week 1: (2500 cal - 80f - 250c -
150p)

Week 2: (3000 cal - 80f - 300c - 200p)

How are you calculating your total caloric intake as

W1 - 250c and 150p = 1600 plus 80f = 720 = 2320 not 2500

W2 - 300c and 200p = 2000 plus 80f = 720 = 2720 not 3000

 

[Joe12]

For all that are curious, here is some reference about my PRs:
Bench: 225x33 (355x4) Squat: 400 Deadlift: 450 Bent-over Row: 350

DANG! I weight just a little more then you, but my numbers are not even close to this. That's a lot of hard power lifting work there. I can see the squat & DL at 180, but your bench and BoR is insane! I am doing a mild cut/recomp right now, im hoping I can maintain my strength.

 

[JamesReef]

How are you calculating your total caloric intake as

W1 - 250c and 150p = 1600 plus 80f = 720 = 2320 not 2500

W2 - 300c and 200p = 2000 plus 80f = 720 = 2720 not 3000

I believe he mentioned somewhere above that they were estimations. I had similar question in my head the other day lol

 

[younganabolic]

When I calculate my caloric intake, i always leave a little room for variation. Since I'm not actually counting the macros, I leave 100-200 calories open.. One of these days I will break out my scale and do an exact calculation but you're right, I usually don't calculate my macros exactly

 

[younganabolic]

Here are some pics from yesterdays chest/shoulder workout:

Grocery List!

 

[younganabolic]

The starburst at the bottom of the grocery list was for my office. I fill up the bowl in the waiting room with candy every Friday. The only cheating I do on my diet that goes unreported are small snacks under 100 calories and the occasional small bowl of ice cream once or twice per week.

 

[younganabolic]

DANG! I weight just a little more then you, but my numbers are not even close to this. That's a lot of hard power lifting work there. I can see the squat & DL at 180, but your bench and BoR is insane! I am doing a mild cut/recomp right now, im hoping I can maintain my strength.

You can maintain strength and get to those numbers with consistent proper diet and training if you train heavy. You can also gain muscle while maintaining the same body fat which will lower your overall body fat percentage. Unless you cut your calories too much you can do it.

Keep in mind, your arm length will play a role in your bench press. If you have short arms like I do, then it's easier to press more weight. Additionally, I respond unusually well to creatine mono hydrate when it comes to strength. So it depends on your body but you don't have to be a genetic freak because last time I measured my testosterone it was only around 330 which is not high.

At the end of the day, that type of weight isn't healthy for my joints and tendons, especially the shoulders, which is why I stopped. Also, unless your Mike OHearn or Dexter Jackson, you probably won't look your aesthetic best when you are your strongest. That's another reason I choose looks over strength.

 

[younganabolic]

This is the rest of this first week's diet log. From now on, I will only post updates.

I will also weigh my food this week or next to get an accurate estimate of calories and macros.

This second week, I'm adding one more meal to my diet for a goal of 3,000 calories per day. I would estimate that my meals are anywhere from 500-600 calories each so if I eat 5 meals per day plus some snacks and a protein shake, it will end up being around 3,000 +\-

So far, I have not gained any weight but I can definitely see some minor changes. The creatine is filling me out and I'm adapting to the exercises.

I predict that I will gain a few pounds this week. At 4,000 calories per week I will definitely be gaining a few pounds per week.. if I go over 188, I'll cut back diet. I will eat cleaner as this workout and diet log progresses. By the time I eat 3500-4000 calories per day, I will be eating lean meat and healthy carbs only.

My goal is not to get higher than 185 and during the last 4 weeks, I will stop the creatine to dry out and shed 7-8lbs of fat/lean mass.

The end goal is to be 9% body fat at 178. No water weight, no starvation, but an honest, stable and maintainable 178.

This is the plan:

Week 2: (3000 cal) - weight 180
8/15/16 -
Week 3: (3500 cal)
Week 4: (4000cal)
Week 5:
Week 6: (3500cal)
Week 7:
Week 8: (3000 cal)
Week 9:
- stop taking creatine
Week 10: (2500cal)
Week 11: (2000 cal)
Week 12: (1500 cal)
Week 13:


6/12/16 - 7am 1 egg white and 1 egg and 1/2 cup grits and 1/3 can corned beef hash and 1 cup fat free milk, 11:30am -8 oz skirt steak and 1/2 cup of noddles and 2oz manchego cheese with crackers, 3:30p 3.5oz cheese burger w/bacon and 1/3 cup broccoli and 1 scoop protein, 6:30pm 1 cup of ground sausage and 3/4 cup of noodles

8/13/16 - 8am - 1 egg white and 1 egg and 1/2 cup grits and 1/3 can corned beef hash and 1 cup fat free milk, 11:45am - 4oz cheese and crackers, 12:15pm 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 oz scallops, 3/4 cup pasta, 1/2 cup cauliflower mashed, 1/2 garlic bun. 4:30pm - 1 hotdog in bun, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 sweet potato in slices dehydrated, 6pm - cheese, triscuts, guacamole and chips, 8pm - noodle scallops and shrimp, 8:30pm - 1 cup milk fat free

8/14/16 - 9am - 1 egg white and 1 egg and 1/2 cup grits and 1/3 can corned beef hash and 1 cup fat free milk, 12pm - 4oz hamburger and 1/2 swt potato chips, 3:30pm - 8oz steak and 1/2 swt potato chips, 6:15pm - 1 cup milk and 2oz cheese and crackers and 1 scoop protein, 7:45pm - 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 oz scallops, 3/4 cup pasta, 6 oz steak, guac and pretzels, 8:30pm fruit smoothie

Week 2 - 3000 calories

8/15/16 - 7:30am - 1 egg white and 1 egg and 1/2 cup grits and 1/3 can corned beef hash and 1 cup fat free milk, 12:15 - Pasta and scallops and shrimp and a half a cup ground cauliflower, 3:30pm - 8oz steak and 1/2 swt potato chips, 7:30pm - ribeye 12oz, 3/4 cup rice, 1/2 cob corn, small salad, 8:30pm bowl of ice cream

 

[younganabolic]

Week 2 Day 2 Update:

Morning photos:

 

[younganabolic]

Week 2 - 182 pounds

Alright guys, I have to be honest, eating 5-6 meals per day plus snacks and shake is a little tough. I need to measure my calories this week, but I would estimate I'm at around 3,000 and probably slightly over that.

I'm supposed to bump it up to 3500 calories on week 3 and 4000 on week 4 but I might have to postpone that until I'm able to adjust.

I need to throw in some more cardio to help increase my appetite because creatine naturally suppresses my appetite.

I don't normally like to force feed but I will maintain 3,000 calories this week and bump it up to 3,500 next week IF I'm feeling it.

Leg pics coming soon....


Here's my diet so far this week. From now on, I'm only posting the times I eat. I don't have time to list every food.



8/16/16 - 7:30am , 10:30am , 1:45pm , 6pm , 7:15pm 1.5 scoops protein post workout, 7:30pm 1 cup milk, 9pm

8/17/16 - 7am, 10am, 12:45pm, 3:30pm, 5:45pm, 8-9:30pm intra/post protein, 10pm

 

[younganabolic]

Intra workout chest pic Aug 17 8:45pm EST

 

[younganabolic]

Update Aug 20, 2016:

You know what's crazy? I weight the exact same amount as when I started ... 180lbs.

I hopped on the scale this morning.

That's strange since I usually retain at least 3 lbs of water from the creatine. Plus I've been eating a lot more.. I'm not sure if it's the way I've been eating (evenly spread out throughout the day) or that I've been working out more frequently (4x/wk vs 2x/wk), but I haven't increased cardio so this is strange to me.

It doesn't look like I've lost fat but you guys tell me. I've never increased my diet and taken creatine for 2 weeks without any weight gain... I did bump up to 182 a few days ago but I'm now back down to 180

 

[younganabolic]

This week's grocery list:

Alright, so I spent about $200 the last grocery trip I went on back in Aug 11, 2016. So I tried to keep the cost down today on Aug 20, 2016 and ended up with a total of about $150.

If we can keep the food under $600/mo, that will be awesome. Plus who has $800-$1,000 per month to spend on groceries for 1 person.

Hopefully this gives you guys an idea of how I'm eating. I'm aware that Walmart is low quality but I'm not rich and 5-7 meals per day is expensive! Let me know how you guys shop and what your average monthly food bills are. I'd be interested to find out the average bodybuilder grocery bill.

 

[younganabolic]

Week 3 Day 1 Update:

Weight is still about 180... Maybe 181 or 182 but it hasn't changed much. I'll weigh in tomorrow morning to confirm. I'm not trying to put on a bunch of fat so I'm cleaning up my diet and adding more cardio as I increase calories.

I'm sticking to about 5 meals per day with snacks and shakes in between. I'm eating better carbs, less saturated fat, and eating fat free cottage cheese before bed.

Also starting post workout cardio.

Calories still around 3,000 calories and I have been measuring. I will measure macros soon for all those that are interested.

My protein is probably around 200+..

 

[younganabolic]

Update Week 3 Day 3:

Weight 185

It looks like the creatine mono hydrate has kicked in. I felt it in the gym yesterday when I was working arms - I had to use heavy weight on tricep extensions to get a decent pump.

At this point, I will not be jumping up to 4,000 calories next week as planned. Instead, I'll stay between 3,000 - 3,500 and see what happens.

The plan is to maintain body fat while gaining muscle and then lose the body fat during the last 4 weeks.

 

[younganabolic]

Week 3 Day 3:

I'm at the gym working shoulders and the creatine has definitely kicked it. Water retention is up and has probably made me gain 4-5 pounds.

Strength is going through the roof. I'm doing nearly double what I was lifting a few weeks ago on shoulder press.

I love this stuff... Who needs all these steroids when you have creatine mono hydrate that's dirt cheap and works great.

Can't wait to see final results when I shed this fat and water weight.

I will grow into this 9% and 9lbs, not blowing up and shredding. We are doing a limited bulk cycle here. Pulling a Kevin Levorne - growing into the show. Paper thin skin.

Can't wait for the Olympia 2016!!!

 

[younganabolic]

So my scale at home says I'm sitting at about 183 (when weighed in the morning).

The gym scale is about 3-4 pounds heavier so my home scale might not be loyal, but it's consistent in any case so I've still officially gained 3-4 pounds.

Based on my own judgement, I can see more definition but then again, it might be more fullness of the muscles due to higher carbs and creatine. It's hard to tell if I've lost fat or gained muscle but I wouldn't be surprise if I've gain 1lbs or 2lbs of muscle.

We will only know once I stop the creatine, get the water out of my muscles and weigh myself officially plus look in the mirror. Only the mirror knows and we will find out in Nov...

Here are the latest pics as of 8/27/2016 - end of week 3:

 

[younganabolic]

Working on those peaks!

 

[younganabolic]

Back pumps came in hard yesterday but I'm jogging through it, taking breaks by walking..

I'm definitely in growth mode. I expect to gain 3 pounds of quality pure muscle in the next 4-5 weeks. I'm feeling anabolic right now.

Just need to keep my meals up to 6. My engine is running hot and my body is burning calories fast. Times to stabilize my carbs and slowly reduce them in the coming weeks.

 

[younganabolic]

Week 4 Day 4 Update:

Weight - 187
Arms over 16" no pump

So far I've gained 7 lbs and a skosh more than 1/2 on my arms.

I'm about the same body fat percentage I was when started so the 7 pounds gained is probably 1.5lbs fat, 3.5lbs water and 2lbs muscle.

Here are some updates pics from yesterday:

 

[younganabolic]

Alright guys, my weight has stabilized and I'm now cruising at about 188.. As I said in the beginning, I don't plan on going higher than 188 because #1 I don't think it's necessary #2 I don't want to spend the money tailoring my clothes.

I'll be honest, this past week I've screwed up my workouts and diet. I have absolutely not hit 4000 calories in my diet but then again, I probably didn't need to.

My focus for the next month will be recomposition and lean muscle development, targeting my weak spots like legs and back, while also focusing on my arms and shoulders of course.

The last month of this will be spent cutting body fat and getting to that sub 10% if possible. That means striations, fingers, thin skin, visible 8 pack and so on....

I'm trying not to screw up my hormones so I won't be starving myself or fasting or any of that. I'll do it through diet, cardio, small/frequent meals, eating in my sleep, etc.....

Pics will come when I have something to show. Stay tuned

 

[younganabolic]

I've been slacking on diet and gym big time but I'm making up for it this weekend. I'll probably maintain 183 while I lose fat and gain muscle as I slowly get down to 178