Calorie Deficit OR Low Carb

kjkitzman

kjkitzman

Active member
I am currently cutting and find it easier to stay under my numbers when I eat 40% carbs 40% protein and 20% fats but will this hinder fat loss with not doing any low carb days? I found carb cycling a little stressful.

One day a week I have a rest day and cut my carbs in half that day but everyday I workout I am doing 40c/40p/20f.

The question is will carbs hinder my fat loss goal. I am at 22% body fat.
 
As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Don't fear carbs, they can actually be very beneficial while dieting for energy and muscle sparing. Just make sure you're in a calorie deficit. I basically do exactly what you're describing - 40/40/20 on training days, and cut carbs in half on rest days. Carb cycling can be effective, but it can also be overwhelming to keep track of and end up being more trouble than its worth.
 
PERFECT! just what I wanted to hear. I had a rest day yesterday and I average 200g of carbs on training days and yesterday was 85g but it was stressful figuring out foods and felt like I couldn't eat as much :(

I have one day where I do just plyo workout, does low carb assist on these days, or not worth it?
 
kjkitzman said:
PERFECT! just what I wanted to hear. I had a rest day yesterday and I average 200g of carbs on training days and yesterday was 85g but it was stressful figuring out foods and felt like I couldn't eat as much :(

I have one day where I do just plyo workout, does low carb assist on these days, or not worth it?
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I envy you if you can diet on 200g of carbs, haha. I usually have to drop below 200g to get lean. But if you're maintaining a calorie deficit and making progress, keep the carbs as high as you can!

If you're doing a plyo workout, having some extra carbs might be helpful before the workout to give you more energy and power during the workout. It's completely up to you though. Depending on your usual training, you might not want to go as high with the carbs as other training days, but if you struggle with energy levels on low carb days, add in a serving of carbs 1-2 hours before the workout.

At the end of the day, as long as you're maintaining a calorie deficit each day, the scale is moving consistently, and you're seeing results; keep doing what you're doing. Don't stress too much about carb intake. If you're able to cut and lose fat on a higher carb intake, then keep doing what you're doing
 
Oh no.. am I doing something wrong. My macros are: 191g carbs / 149g protein / 38g fat = 1,700 calories...should I be eating less!? I just starting my cut and want to get to 18% body fat, currently at 21%
 
kjkitzman said:
Oh no.. am I doing something wrong. My macros are: 191g carbs / 149g protein / 38g fat = 1,700 calories...should I be eating less!? I just starting my cut and want to get to 18% body fat, currently at 21%
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No not at all, your macros look good! I just have a slower metabolism haha. I diet on around 2200 calories, which is low for my height and weight. If you're losing weight and seeing results, keep your macros where they are. If you begin to plateau at 1700, you will either have to decrease calories or increase calorie expenditure (aka cardio). How long do you plan to cut for?
 
john.patterson said:
No not at all, your macros look good! I just have a slower metabolism haha. I diet on around 2200 calories, which is low for my height and weight. If you're losing weight and seeing results, keep your macros where they are. If you begin to plateau at 1700, you will either have to decrease calories or increase calorie expenditure (aka cardio). How long do you plan to cut for?
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I have no idea what my metabolism is... I currently weight training 5 days a week, and 1 day plyo, 1 rest day. 3 of the days I do 10 minutes of HIIT after my training session. I currently IF from 7:30p-11:30a (I train in the morning at 4am) but take BCAA's after my training and until I have coffee and creamer at 9am and then my first meal is at 11:30a.

I want to cut for my vacation since I gained some weight being off with a breast aug. and during my bulkish stage. I leave for vacation on March 18th. So I have about 45 days LOL
 
kjkitzman said:
I have no idea what my metabolism is... I currently weight training 5 days a week, and 1 day plyo, 1 rest day. 3 of the days I do 10 minutes of HIIT after my training session. I currently IF from 7:30p-11:30a (I train in the morning at 4am) but take BCAA's after my training and until I have coffee and creamer at 9am and then my first meal is at 11:30a.

I want to cut for my vacation since I gained some weight being off with a breast aug. and during my bulkish stage. I leave for vacation on March 18th. So I have about 45 days LOL
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It sounds like you have your training schedule and diet on point. I think that getting to 18% BF in 45 days might be a stretch, but you can definitely see noticeable progress in that amount of time. I would stay consistent with what you're doing, aim to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and adjust calories and cardio as needed. Sounds like you have a good understanding of how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together though. I'm a 4am lifter as well, the only way to do it!
 
john.patterson said:
It sounds like you have your training schedule and diet on point. I think that getting to 18% BF in 45 days might be a stretch, but you can definitely see noticeable progress in that amount of time. I would stay consistent with what you're doing, aim to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and adjust calories and cardio as needed. Sounds like you have a good understanding of how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together though. I'm a 4am lifter as well, the only way to do it!
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What would be an obtainable goal of body fat % I should aiming for. I have a scale that says I am 21%, so I don't like to always go by weight on the scale?
 
Tbh, scale BF can be easily manipulated by water and other variables. I can change 5% in a day depending on how full I am, water, etc.
 
Woody said:
Tbh, scale BF can be easily manipulated by water and other variables. I can change 5% in a day depending on how full I am, water, etc.
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I normally weigh myself everyday at the same time right after I go to the bathroom and after my workout....
 
Everyone worries about carbs so much - there are two factors that matter for 99% of your results - calorie intake and protein intake. Think of it this way:

Carbohydrates and fats are both made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Protein is made up of these same three chemicals PLUS nitrogen. When you need carbs or fat, protein can be broken down to make carbs and fat (and carbs and fat can be changed into each other) - but you CANNOT create protein from anything other than protein/amino acids - you will be lacking nitrogen.

Amino Acids (which make up protein) are not JUST used for muscle tissue, organ tissue and energy. They are also used for metabolic processes throughout out entire body. I think this is why people wind up losing muscle on low protein diets - it isn't that they can't create enough energy, it is that they need the amino acids for other functions and without a supply, they have to create that from stored sources (organs/muscles).

If you take in sufficient protein with all the necessary amino acids, and eat in a deficit - your body will HAVE to lose weight and have no reason to use muscle to do so. I say it will have to lose weight because, the laws of thermodynamics rule over every dieting article you've ever read. If you aren't taking energy in, and you are burning it - it has to come from somewhere. You can lose weight eating twinkies if you limit it to 2-3 twinkies a day. Healthy? No, but I guarantee you'll lose weight at that point (and be miserable haha).

The thing about higher fats/lower carbs for me is, eating high fats/high protein really helps keep me from over eating. It makes me feel more full. I can eat carbs non-stop and it becomes real easy to let things get out of control.

If what you are doing is working and you're in a deficit, keep doing it!
 
kjkitzman said:
What would be an obtainable goal of body fat % I should aiming for. I have a scale that says I am 21%, so I don't like to always go by weight on the scale?
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I wouldn't stress too much about your body fat %, especially if you're tracking it on a impedence body fat scale. I would aim to loose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and use the scale as your ultimate gauge for progress. Bodyfat can be a good number to track, but I wouldn't rely on that number to determine your progress.
 
HIT4ME said:
Everyone worries about carbs so much - there are two factors that matter for 99% of your results - calorie intake and protein intake. Think of it this way:

Carbohydrates and fats are both made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Protein is made up of these same three chemicals PLUS nitrogen. When you need carbs or fat, protein can be broken down to make carbs and fat (and carbs and fat can be changed into each other) - but you CANNOT create protein from anything other than protein/amino acids - you will be lacking nitrogen.

Amino Acids (which make up protein) are not JUST used for muscle tissue, organ tissue and energy. They are also used for metabolic processes throughout out entire body. I think this is why people wind up losing muscle on low protein diets - it isn't that they can't create enough energy, it is that they need the amino acids for other functions and without a supply, they have to create that from stored sources (organs/muscles).

If you take in sufficient protein with all the necessary amino acids, and eat in a deficit - your body will HAVE to lose weight and have no reason to use muscle to do so. I say it will have to lose weight because, the laws of thermodynamics rule over every dieting article you've ever read. If you aren't taking energy in, and you are burning it - it has to come from somewhere. You can lose weight eating twinkies if you limit it to 2-3 twinkies a day. Healthy? No, but I guarantee you'll lose weight at that point (and be miserable haha).

The thing about higher fats/lower carbs for me is, eating high fats/high protein really helps keep me from over eating. It makes me feel more full. I can eat carbs non-stop and it becomes real easy to let things get out of control.

If what you are doing is working and you're in a deficit, keep doing it!
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Good stuff right here! I actually do better on higher carbs, because I am able to eat "more'' food OR at least it seems like more and I seem fuller longer, high fats are hard for me because I am allergic to all nuts/nut butters.
 
john.patterson said:
I wouldn't stress too much about your body fat %, especially if you're tracking it on a impedence body fat scale. I would aim to loose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and use the scale as your ultimate gauge for progress. Bodyfat can be a good number to track, but I wouldn't rely on that number to determine your progress.
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If you were just looking at these pictures, thoughts on body fat %? Just kind of like a ball park. But I will start using the scale as my guide :)
 
kjkitzman said:
If you were just looking at these pictures, thoughts on body fat %? Just kind of like a ball park. But I will start using the scale as my guide :)
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I would agree with Woody, probably in the 19-21% range. I think it's more difficult to tell with women. From what I've seen in the past, the biggest change between 18 and 21% are in the shoulders and arms for women. In 45 days of hard work and consistent dieting, you could definitely expect to see some changes in your physique. Keep up the good work!
 
....I'm sorry....what were we talking about again?
 
I generally like to clean diet up and slowly increase calories before thinking about taking anything away. and then once you start to have a sticking point you have to either cause more caloric burn by increasing intensity, reduce fats or carbs (protein doesnt usually go up and down too much with juggernauts) and then cardio is added at the very end and very rarely goes over 45 minutes. and on the very rare occasion all carbs are pulled to the point of being a actual keto diet, its usually the final 21 days before the competitors show (if needed)
 
john.patterson said:
I would agree with Woody, probably in the 19-21% range. I think it's more difficult to tell with women. From what I've seen in the past, the biggest change between 18 and 21% are in the shoulders and arms for women. In 45 days of hard work and consistent dieting, you could definitely expect to see some changes in your physique. Keep up the good work!
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I definitely hold my fat in midsection, my arms and chest lean out pretty quick... I will have to update this post with a before and after once I'm ready to go to FLORIDA :)

Anyone have IG handles?
 
MindMuscleRep said:
I generally like to clean diet up and slowly increase calories before thinking about taking anything away. and then once you start to have a sticking point you have to either cause more caloric burn by increasing intensity, reduce fats or carbs (protein doesnt usually go up and down too much with juggernauts) and then cardio is added at the very end and very rarely goes over 45 minutes. and on the very rare occasion all carbs are pulled to the point of being a actual keto diet, its usually the final 21 days before the competitors show (if needed)
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45 minutes of cardio a day?....that sounds horrible.

I don't mind 15 min of HIIT OR 30 min of LISS. I normally switch it up so my body keeps guessing. My diet is about 80/20 or 90/10 - most food is clean but I normally have some Halo Top, Donut, or a Pop Tart if I can fit it in :)
 
In all seriousness, you look great ...I agree with the above...Maybe 18-21%.
 
kjkitzman said:
I definitely hold my fat in midsection, my arms and chest lean out pretty quick... I will have to update this post with a before and after once I'm ready to go to FLORIDA :)

Anyone have IG handles?
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Looking forward to the update!

I have IG, but not fitness related at all. I do photography as a side business, but I follow a lot of fitness people.
@ johntpatterson
 
john.patterson said:
Looking forward to the update!

I have IG, but not fitness related at all. I do photography as a side business, but I follow a lot of fitness people.
@ johntpatterson
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whelp be ware... mine is fitness to the max, its one of my motivations to get my ass up and do work for the day :) kelseyjfit
 
Great advise in here!

First, not to sound creepy, but you look great! I would not go crazy with leaning out, unless you want to compete.

As mentioned, all that is needed to lose fat is a caloric deficit. It does not matter if that comes in the form of lower carbs or fats. I would keep protein high during this time and maybe increase it even more.

Some people function well on low carbs while others cannot. You have to experiment to see how you respond. However, I would keep carbs as high as possible. Here is a great article that outlines 5 very good reasons to eat carbs

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Remember also, to cheat or have a refeed day! The leaner you get and the longer you diet, the more your leptin levels will decrease. A cheat meal/day or refeed will do wonders to not only improving your body composition and mental state, but also improve performance, depending on when this day occurs. I prefer refeed days and love to have them on days I am training a large body part or expecting a tough workout. Give the following a read:

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I would also opt for carb cycling. Carb cycling is great no matter what, but especially when dieting. You have your high carb days t furl your grueling training sessions and your low carb days for non training days. The article I am going to post below is my go to and something I have been following for years. I have modified it for myself, but it is something I swear by.

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I will only be dieting for about 8 weeks, when would be the best time for a "treat" meal?
 
kjkitzman said:
I will only be dieting for about 8 weeks, when would be the best time for a "treat" meal?
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Probably towards the tail end, weeks 6-8. However, this is going to depend on how your feeling if you you see the signs for a reffed/cheat.

Some signs of low leptin include:

Decrease in bowel movements
Low body temperature
Constantly fatigued

If you search low leptin, you will get a ton of hits.
 
Personally, it sounds like you have your diet in check pretty well and you don't have far to go. I would do a planned refeed every 7-10 days. What I am experiencing now after a Loong period of dieting is that, by the time leptin is messed up, it can be difficult to repair. Better to avoid the issue with regular refeeds than to wait until you are showing signs. 8 weeks isn't a super long time, but what is your history? Have you ever been far over weight? Have you been dieting for a while already?

Generally, what AntM1564 just said is correct though...

What I am also experiencing recently is really making me believe that having only 1 rest day a week will mess up leptin more than diet. I was eating 600 calories/day for months without issue. Increasing workout frequency, however, really did me in. Just something to watch if you suddenly have cravings, etc.
 
HIT4ME said:
Personally, it sounds like you have your diet in check pretty well and you don't have far to go. I would do a planned refeed every 7-10 days. What I am experiencing now after a Loong period of dieting is that, by the time leptin is messed up, it can be difficult to repair. Better to avoid the issue with regular refeeds than to wait until you are showing signs. 8 weeks isn't a super long time, but what is your history? Have you ever been far over weight? Have you been dieting for a while already?

Generally, what AntM1564 just said is correct though...

What I am also experiencing recently is really making me believe that having only 1 rest day a week will mess up leptin more than diet. I was eating 600 calories/day for months without issue. Increasing workout frequency, however, really did me in. Just something to watch if you suddenly have cravings, etc.
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That workout frequency is an interesting take. Do you have any articles on it or only anecdotal evidence?
 
HIT4ME said:
Personally, it sounds like you have your diet in check pretty well and you don't have far to go. I would do a planned refeed every 7-10 days. What I am experiencing now after a Loong period of dieting is that, by the time leptin is messed up, it can be difficult to repair. Better to avoid the issue with regular refeeds than to wait until you are showing signs. 8 weeks isn't a super long time, but what is your history? Have you ever been far over weight? Have you been dieting for a while already?

Generally, what AntM1564 just said is correct though...

What I am also experiencing recently is really making me believe that having only 1 rest day a week will mess up leptin more than diet. I was eating 600 calories/day for months without issue. Increasing workout frequency, however, really did me in. Just something to watch if you suddenly have cravings, etc.
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I was dieting or trying to diet from January 2016-Sept 2016. Then I went to maintenance/surplus from Oct 2016 to just two weeks ago when I began my cut. I was eating around 2,100-2,300 calories/day. Now I am at 1650 cal/day. Thoughts on refeed? Any truth that you shouldnt have you refeed be any more than 50% more than what I eat on my cut, so with that said my refeed shouldnt be any more than 2,475 calories? Calories be mostly carbs/protein?

(1650/2 = 875+1650 = 2475 calories)
 
kjkitzman said:
I was dieting or trying to diet from January 2016-Sept 2016. Then I went to maintenance/surplus from Oct 2016 to just two weeks ago when I began my cut. I was eating around 2,100-2,300 calories/day. Now I am at 1650 cal/day. Thoughts on refeed? Any truth that you shouldnt have you refeed be any more than 50% more than what I eat on my cut, so with that said my refeed shouldnt be any more than 2,475 calories? Calories be mostly carbs/protein?

(1650/2 = 875+1650 = 2475 calories)
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If you just started cutting 2 weeks ago, I would assess how you feel and probably give it another 1-2 weeks before refeeding. If you feel very lethargic and tired, and you have no energy to train, then you might want to consider adding in a refeed sooner. When I diet, I will typically go for a 4-5 weeks to start my cut, and then refeed every 2 weeks following that.

In regards to calorie consumption on a refeed, there are a lot of opinions. From what I've read and tried, do what you think is best as long as you keep in consistent and you're able to track it. I will usually try aim to stay at or below maintenance calories on a refeed day, and I do so by keeping fats very low and protein low/moderate as needed. Adding in a refeed with 50% more calories may work, but that will put a dent in your weekly calorie deficit
 
john.patterson said:
If you just started cutting 2 weeks ago, I would assess how you feel and probably give it another 1-2 weeks before refeeding. If you feel very lethargic and tired, and you have no energy to train, then you might want to consider adding in a refeed sooner. When I diet, I will typically go for a 4-5 weeks to start my cut, and then refeed every 2 weeks following that.

In regards to calorie consumption on a refeed, there are a lot of opinions. From what I've read and tried, do what you think is best as long as you keep in consistent and you're able to track it. I will usually try aim to stay at or below maintenance calories on a refeed day, and I do so by keeping fats very low and protein low/moderate as needed. Adding in a refeed with 50% more calories may work, but that will put a dent in your weekly calorie deficit
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I have a feeling I wont need to do a refeed at all since I keep my carbs and proteins high anyways. I actually have a hard time getting 1,650 calories in because I currently fast 16:8 (11:30a-7:30p feeding) and I end up eating two meals at 7:30pm and then go to bed at 8:30pm. I train fasted at 4am so I normally feel somewhat not as strong as when I train fed.

I have a "girls" night in a few weeks and will be consuming alcohol, so I guess I will consider that my refeed :( ughhhhh but I normally stick to drinking shots of grey goose and drink water throughout the night.
 
kjkitzman said:
I was dieting or trying to diet from January 2016-Sept 2016. Then I went to maintenance/surplus from Oct 2016 to just two weeks ago when I began my cut. I was eating around 2,100-2,300 calories/day. Now I am at 1650 cal/day. Thoughts on refeed? Any truth that you shouldnt have you refeed be any more than 50% more than what I eat on my cut, so with that said my refeed shouldnt be any more than 2,475 calories? Calories be mostly carbs/protein?

(1650/2 = 875+1650 = 2475 calories)
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john.patterson said:
If you just started cutting 2 weeks ago, I would assess how you feel and probably give it another 1-2 weeks before refeeding. If you feel very lethargic and tired, and you have no energy to train, then you might want to consider adding in a refeed sooner. When I diet, I will typically go for a 4-5 weeks to start my cut, and then refeed every 2 weeks following that.

In regards to calorie consumption on a refeed, there are a lot of opinions. From what I've read and tried, do what you think is best as long as you keep in consistent and you're able to track it. I will usually try aim to stay at or below maintenance calories on a refeed day, and I do so by keeping fats very low and protein low/moderate as needed. Adding in a refeed with 50% more calories may work, but that will put a dent in your weekly calorie deficit
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kjkitzman said:
I have a feeling I wont need to do a refeed at all since I keep my carbs and proteins high anyways. I actually have a hard time getting 1,650 calories in because I currently fast 16:8 (11:30a-7:30p feeding) and I end up eating two meals at 7:30pm and then go to bed at 8:30pm. I train fasted at 4am so I normally feel somewhat not as strong as when I train fed.

I have a "girls" night in a few weeks and will be consuming alcohol, so I guess I will consider that my refeed :( ughhhhh but I normally stick to drinking shots of grey goose and drink water throughout the night.
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As usual, John.Patterson is pretty dead on. There are so many theories out there. What I normally try to do is to be within 200 calories of my TDEE on a reefed day, I keep protein high throughout the day and maybe eat very few carbs/fats until I have about a 4-hour window where I pack in a lot of starchy carbs. The goal is to keep fats reasonable, carbs high, and above all else, hit my protein goals.

But...there are a lot of ways to implement this idea. The bottom line is that when you reduce food intake, shrink fat stores, reduce carbs - you have a drop in a lot of hormones, most notably Leptin and T3. Regardless of HOW you lose the weight, losing fat should lower leptin levels. Low leptin = hunger. This, I believe, is the REAL reason behind rebound weight gain. It isn't that we've messed up our metabolism, it is that we have messed up our signaling for hunger. Starchy carbs are great for getting leptin back up and avoiding this.

You seem to have a reasonable plan, and if you aren't over-training then I would say that 8 weeks may only necessitate 1 refeed half way through (well anywhere in weeks 4-6) and at the end. And necessitate isn't exactly the right word - it may not be necessary at all - just preventative.

Not to plug a product - but Evomuse Epitome is designed to normalize leptin levels and if you don't want to do a refeed - it may be great as insurance during your cut.
 
AntM1564 said:
That workout frequency is an interesting take. Do you have any articles on it or only anecdotal evidence?
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This is a great question. I've read things alluding to this in many places, I believe including Lyle McDonald's work. Obviously, I like to think I'm indestructible, so I learned it somewhere but don't always listen. But, as I've experimented on myself, this experience has shown me that - the more exercise I do, the harder it becomes to stick to a strict diet. Keep in mind when I say strict, I mean extreme as I did a lot of PSMF dieting over the past 2 years.

So your question is a great one and I just did a quick search for my own curiosity and these came up pretty quickly:

This study: Invalid Link Removed

Suggests that exercise doesn't acutely reduce leptin levels unless it is long bouts greater than 60 minutes. As I'm reading the study, I am feeling my own experience rings true - I was doing 1-2 hour bouts of cardio when things got really bad - but they didn't get bad gradually. I was doing it for weeks and then suddenly it was like a switch where I became ravenous and lost control. I'm not saying I was binging - but I WAS searching out sugary foods such as donuts, pastries, etc. - things I hadn't looked for in a while and I was craving them badly enough that I felt resisting the urge was actually unhealthy. In other words - I think chronic, long bouts of exercise will cause issues that build until it just hits all at once. This study seems to "point" in that direction, although it isn't exactly definitive.

Here's another study, more simplistic, that shows fasting and then exercising will reduce leptin levels. Again, it's an extreme situation, but points in the direction:

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I scanned this study and found it interesting that after a 12-week aerobic program, it showed that women had leptin drops but men did not. Interestingly, there wasn't a decrease in fat mass - which means the leptin drop wasn't caused by reduced fat - the exercise itself played some kind of role.

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This study shows, at least in the abstract (didn't read it all) that even short term exercise can impact leptin levels:

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And a study in children that shows leptin decreases during 4 month periods of training vs. 4 month periods of non-training:

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Everyone always talks about "starvation mode" and "metabolic damage" as if your metabolism is being damaged and you are burning fewer calories. I think this is somewhat naïve and over played. The REAL issue is perception and things that happen in the background that actually control our actions and we don't even realize. It isn't about will power. It's about the fact that starving yourself changes hormones that, once you get to a certain point, these hormones will make it near impossible for your to resist the call. Which is what you would expect. How long can you go without peeing? Sure, you can hold it. But after a while, your body will signal your brain that it needs to happen and you won't be able to resist, and most likely won't have any desire - even if it means pissing your pants.

Exercise, I believe, has a huge impact on this. People diet (regardless if it's 250 calories/day or 1,500 calories/day less than they normally eat) and exercise, and if they are creating too much stress through exercise in ANY deficit, their body will search for the materials to repair itself. This means that when they come off a diet, they are primed to over eat even if they don't realize it.

This is why I say pre-planned refeeds may be better than waiting for your body to tell you something is wrong.

Lol -sorry for the rant, but it was an interesting question and it got me thinking!
 
With the leptin level talk and over training.....Is 6 days a week weight lifting too much? Should I do 5 days instead?
 
My belief in this is that it depends. What are you doing for training? How you are splitting up your training, the volume, the intensity all come into play. My feeling is that volume, intensity and frequency all have to be modulated.

If you are training hard/with high intensity, then you need to reduce volume and frequency. If you are doing high volume, you can't do that every day and take everything to failure and crush yourself.

If you want to break out your workout routine, I can make more precise suggestions.

I would say that if you are lifting 6 days a week AND doing cardio - most likely a reduction may be beneficial.
 
HIT4ME said:
My belief in this is that it depends. What are you doing for training? How you are splitting up your training, the volume, the intensity all come into play. My feeling is that volume, intensity and frequency all have to be modulated.

If you are training hard/with high intensity, then you need to reduce volume and frequency. If you are doing high volume, you can't do that every day and take everything to failure and crush yourself.

If you want to break out your workout routine, I can make more precise suggestions.

I would say that if you are lifting 6 days a week AND doing cardio - most likely a reduction may be beneficial.
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Currently I am doing a lower body day every 3 times a week, upper body 2 times a week(can't train chest), and 1 day plyo/full body (all body weight) with cardio.

Lower Body days: lasts about 1 hour with stretching
Upper body days: last about 40 minutes then I do 10 min of HIIT (sprinting on treadmill for 30 seconds- heart rate is 185bpm, then 2 minutes of slow walking heart rate gets to 170bpm)

During my weight training: I super set everything, lighter weights (10-15 reps depending how my knee and back are feeling) I do minimal breaks to keep heart rate around 150-170bpm.

Plyo day: is non stop for about 40 minutes (HR = 150-170) Then I do LISS for 20 minutes or do glute activation band work.
 
Still need more detail...What do you do specifically in each workout? I know it is a pain to type it all out.. but the more training details, the better.

If I were just giving general advise....I think that in a caloric deficit, 3x per week training is a really good place to start...With maybe 2-3 days of cardio work in between.

What I have learned is that you want to let the diet do the work, the exercise should be focused on keeping/building muscle.
 
Ok I weight lift 5 days a week not 3.

Normally do 4 sets of each with 10-15 reps

2 days are lower body which consists of 1 hour + 0 cardio:

o Back Squat
o Romanian Deadlifts
o
o Traditional Deadlifts
o Hip Thrust /Glute Bridges
o
o Sumo Squat
o Weighted Standing Calf Raises
o
o Bulgarian Lunges
o Single Leg Deadlifts
o
o Sumo Deadlift
o Good Mornings (sometimes skip because of back problems)
o
o Curtsey Lunges
o Dumbbell Step Ups

1 day is a lower body day but consists of all machine work 1 hour + 0 cardio:
o Leg Press - all variations - use bands also
o Leg Extensions
o
o Hamstring Curl
o Abductor & Adductor Machine
o
o Bulgarian Lunges
o Sumo Squats
o
o Random lower body exercises (depending how I feel)




2 days are upper body which consists of 40 minutes + 10 min HIIT:
o Hammer Curls
o One Arm Dumbbell Rows
o
o Incline Bench Bicep Curls
o Rear Delt Flies
o
o Wide Curls
o Barbell Upright Row
o
o Overhead Press
o Lateral Raises
o Front Raises

o Bent Over Rows
o Dumbbell Bicep Curls
o
o Tricep Dips
o Skull Crushers


I will throw in glute activation exercises all the time :) with bands or weighted ankle straps:
*Glute Kickbacks
*Donkey Kicks
*Firehydrants
*Hip Thrusts
*Single Leg Glute Bridge
*Cross Overs
*Hip Thrusts
*Monster Walks
*Sumo Walks
*Seated Hip Abduction

One day I do plyo 40 minutes + 20 min of LISS
consists of lunges, squats, kicking, jumping (I actually do insanity DVD)

ONE rest day!
 
kjkitzman said:
Ok I weight lift 5 days a week not 3.

Normally do 4 sets of each with 10-15 reps

2 days are lower body which consists of 1 hour + 0 cardio:

o Back Squat
o Romanian Deadlifts
o
o Traditional Deadlifts
o Hip Thrust /Glute Bridges
o
o Sumo Squat
o Weighted Standing Calf Raises
o
o Bulgarian Lunges
o Single Leg Deadlifts
o
o Sumo Deadlift
o Good Mornings (sometimes skip because of back problems)
o
o Curtsey Lunges
o Dumbbell Step Ups

1 day is a lower body day but consists of all machine work 1 hour + 0 cardio:
o Leg Press - all variations - use bands also
o Leg Extensions
o
o Hamstring Curl
o Abductor & Adductor Machine
o
o Bulgarian Lunges
o Sumo Squats
o
o Random lower body exercises (depending how I feel)




2 days are upper body which consists of 40 minutes + 10 min HIIT:
o Hammer Curls
o One Arm Dumbbell Rows
o
o Incline Bench Bicep Curls
o Rear Delt Flies
o
o Wide Curls
o Barbell Upright Row
o
o Overhead Press
o Lateral Raises
o Front Raises

o Bent Over Rows
o Dumbbell Bicep Curls
o
o Tricep Dips
o Skull Crushers


I will throw in glute activation exercises all the time :) with bands or weighted ankle straps:
*Glute Kickbacks
*Donkey Kicks
*Firehydrants
*Hip Thrusts
*Single Leg Glute Bridge
*Cross Overs
*Hip Thrusts
*Monster Walks
*Sumo Walks
*Seated Hip Abduction

One day I do plyo 40 minutes + 20 min of LISS
consists of lunges, squats, kicking, jumping (I actually do insanity DVD)

ONE rest day!
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to write that all out. So you are saying that one workout is 4 sets of everything you listed, as supersets? So you do Back Squats superset with Romanian deadlifts for 4 sets of 10-15 and then move onto regular deadlifts and hipthrusts as a superset for 4 X 10-15 and so on? For all of that? And you get this all done in an hour?

So, my next questions are probably the types of questions females sometimes hate, but you've actually got a good base and look like you've built some structure/muscle so you probably already know more than most.

1. What do you squat and deadlift?

2. Do you increase weights on a regular basis - i.e. - do you progress?

3. You previously mentioned that you can't do chest exercises - can you share the reason for this? Also, I noticed you mentioned some back problems - what kinds of problems? It looks like you do a number of dead lift variations without issue...so some details may be helpful.

Judging by the VOLUME of work you have here, you must be using relatively low intensity on each exercise. Even at a lower intensity, doing all that gives you machine status IMO. And you're willing to work and you've seen some good results - so I don't want to change too much if you don't want to go in a new direction - but I would do things MUCH differently. Which is relatively meaningless because there are many roads to Rome and my way and your way may both get there. It is a matter of what you prefer - but I can share ideas and you can use what you like.

The one down side of my way vs. your way - your way probably does create a good calorie burn, which will aid in weight loss. My way MAY reduce your overall calorie expenditure slightly, but I think it will build some muscle and improve your composition over time, especially since you seem to have your diet in a good place.

Basically, I would drop a BUNCH of the exercises you are doing. They become redundant at some point; and you're asking your body to get good at too many different things. Pick one movement and get good at it. For instance, deadlifts, sumo deadlifts in the same workout for a total of 8 sets and up to 120 reps? I think you'd be better off to do 1-2 sets of just one version of the deadlift but make those sets high intensity - going close to failure or to failure. You will find that if you do this, you will get stronger and stronger every week.

I know women often don't focus on getting stronger, and don't want to get big and bulky - but I want to point out some things. I am a guy - I have, presumably, much higher testosterone than you do. This will make it easier for me to get bigger and stronger. Even with this advantage, I will be LUCKY if I gain 5 pounds of muscle this year. Hell, in all reality, 2 pounds is going to take work. For a trained woman to gain more than 2 pounds of muscle in a YEAR is pretty hard. You won't wind up big and bulky by accident.

What you will do though, if you focus on strength, is become stronger - which will make you more capable when dealing with life. Boxes your brother, father, boyfriend/husband can't life you will suddenly be able to pick up because of all your deadlifting and squatting; for instance.

I can give more details - but I don't want to push too much or assume too much. Those are just my thoughts.
 
Correct 4 sets of each superset. I don't really take longer than a 30-45 second break because yes my weight is fairly low. I squat and deadlift 55 lbs and thats the highest I went. I currently am doing 35 lbs on the barbell because I just got back to lifting because I had a breast augmentation and was just cleared to go back to lifting (aka why I don't train chest :) ) I have only increased weight when I was doing a "bulk?" LOL from October-December and I started from 35 and ended at 55 lbs. So I try to increase and when I do I end up only doing 8-10 reps then but I get fatigued!

I dont believe I will get bulky, I would have to take steroids to obtain that :) sometimes I feel lost. I have had back problems from having my son 3 years ago and I have sciatic problems very bad. (could be bad form) Even plyos and jumping can make me limp around afterwords.... I do have issues if I lift to heavy with deadlifts and squating, sometimes even with certain lower back exercises I have issues.

Darn kids I tell ya! Thank you for your help BTW!
 
Well, I hesitate to give advice since you have recently had surgery and you have some back issues (maybe).

As far as the back...Have you ever injured it or had potential injury where you could have a hernia or other issue? Or do you think the issues are just general backaches? When you had your son, where there any issues?

When you say sciatica - is this doctor diagnosed or just a description of your issue?

Heavier weights will cause more fatigue faster...Which is why you can't do as much volume. But this can be used to your advantage - if you can bang out a workout in 30-40 minutes instead of an hour and still get results, that usually makes people happy :)
 
I am describing my pain and I have only seen a chiropractor for my sciatica (which was when I was pregnant). She said my pelvic area grew too fast when i was pregnant and my small frame couldnt handle it.... in which why I have pain. This morning I woke up and have back pain but havent worked out since yesterday morning! I might need to get an X-ray or see my doctor.

But working out for 30-40min wouldnt burn as much calories? Can I incorporate heavier when I am off my diet or start now? I currently eat 1650 calories a day, weekends I go up to 1700.

Right now my heart rate monitor states on typical weight training days I burn 500-600 calories.
 
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Picture on the left: July 2016 in which I was only doing cardio/ plyo (lost about 15 lbs)
Picture on the right: two days ago and starting in July 2016 I did all weights, had a cutting phase from July-Sept, and bulked from Sept 2016 - January 2017

I wonder what body type I am?
 
Anyones thoughts on EvoMuse SUPERNOVA vs. Iron Legion Invictus for stubborn fat areas?
 
There is no supplement that is going to do spot reduction on fat. We all store fat in different areas and the leaner you get the harder it is to drop the pounds. Diet has to be spot on as well as your workout plan. As you know you have to burn more calories than you take in to keep losing. Try adding a fat burner like ignit3 from ol. Ive been on it for 2 weeks and even throw in some ephedra some days. Fasted cardio also helps. I am starting the Virtus and Invictus stack with VII-KT next week and will be logging it. Ive been on a little over 2 month cut and im down right at 20lbs. I have another 5-7 to lose to be sub 10% before Cancun. The last bit of weight is coming off slower but I can tell the ignit3 is helping some. I keep a super strict diet and carb cycle. I consume most all carbs pre and post workout. After that fat and protein make up the rest of my macros
 
OK, so, everyone has different ways of doing this. My ideas aren't always the "popular" ideas and some may even recoil and fight me on what I recommend. It is what it is. Take what you want from what I say:

As far as spot reduction products - both Supernova and Invictus seem to be great products. Invictus gets great feedback but I've never used it. Supernova just flat out works - but it isn't like it will do the work for you. Do you use Ephedrine/Caffeine and/or yohimbine? These products are great for all around fat loss, but they will really help get rid of those areas that can be tougher. Evomuse Abliderate Ammo is also another option that reduces cortisol and can help as you get leaner.

Now, if this were me, I would revamp your training routine. I hesitate to make recommendations because I would totally overhaul things and take a different approach - and your approach is CLEARLY working. You have made some dramatic improvements. Still, my mentality is this - lifting weights builds muscle. That's it. It makes you strong and helps you hold onto lean tissue during a cut. Lifting weights CAN burn extra calories, but exercise is a hard way to lose weight (although, again, you're doing it just fine).

I would personally swap to a 3X per week weight lifting program, training half the body one day, the other half the second day, the first half again on the 3rd day. I would keep the exercises simple and focus on major compound movements. You don't have to do every exercise just because you know it. 1 exercise per bodypart, with 1-2 sets per exercise, carried to failure in the 6-10 rep range can be VERY effective.

Twice a week, on non-lifting days, I would do a HIIT cardio workout.

Chances are your workouts would go from 1 hour to about 30-40 minutes. You would burn less calories on these workouts, but gain more strength. You MAY have to adjust your diet down 100 calories/day to compensate - but let the diet do the work and have more challenging but breif exercise.
 
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