Critique My Health Routine

[juliank]

Stats

I started at 5' 6 167 lbs on 12/29

Currently 158 lbs

Goal 140 Lbs or whatever 10 % or less BF looks like

To make a long story short I have been lifting weights on and off for 5 years and now I am totally committed to getting lean. Luckily I have well developed muscle all over my body from my weight lifting, unluckily I have the fat that comes from never properly applying caloric science to my daily routine.

Right now I am doing cardio 45-90 minutes 6 days a week.
HIIT on off days and low-medium intensity on days I lift.
Currently lifting HEAVY 5X5 compound lifts 3 days a week, with a couple isolated lifts thrown in.

Blind Spot: Abs
I have always hated doing abs and since I wasn't doing a diet that put me under 10% BF I simply skipped them. Now that I am working to get under 10% BF through cardio/diet/weight lifting I need an ab routine that will help my abs to be visible when I hit that under 10% zone.

Diet

5 small meals a day
1500-1700 Calories
50p/30f/20c on off days
40p/30c/30f on lifting days

Multi Vitamin, Fish Oil, Whey Protein, Flaxseed Oil, Green Tea Extract

1 Cheat day a week where I eat more carbs but I still keep it under 2000 cals

According to the Mifflin Equation my RMR is 2471 Calories

Thanks and would appreciate any tips or pointers !

 

[Scrumhalf]

Looks like you've got it all covered. Weight training, check. Cardio of both kinds, check. Caloric deficit, check.

You've lost 9 lbs in 2 months. That's not too bad - 1-2 lbs per week is probably reasonable - anything significantly more than 2 is likely to also include muscle loss and that's no good. Keep at it for a couple of more months and see how things go.

Do abs, you'll start seeing then when your BF drops below 15%. If you want to get down to 10% or less, be prepared for a significantly higher commitment - i.e a PSMF diet or carb cycling.

Here's my core routine - I vary things around a lot but you can do this as a circuit. Do it slow and concentrated and you'll see results.

1. Weighted back hyperextensions
2. Hanging leg lifts - slow and controlled, no swinging or using momentum. Try to get to an L, or a V if you are super flexible.
3. Weighted swiss ball crunches - make sure you curl up with your abs, not by raising your shoulders.
4. Ab rollouts

Do sets of 10 reps in circuit fashion, 3 to 4 rounds.

Finish with a couple of sets of chinnies - try to get 50 reps, work up to 100.

That will burn your abs up and your core will feel rock hard. It's a great feeling!

 

[Automated Response]

Your caloric intake is probably too low. Everybody wants crash diet instant results, etc., but ultimately, this is about a lifestyle tweak/change, and people trying to get lean fast often make the mistake of eating too little. For a variety of reasons, this can sabotage your progress. Bump your intake of fat and protein up while keeping your carb intake under (2/3 bodyweight x grams). This is a useful general formula for good muscle maintenance plus fat loss, and it will reprogram your eating habits by forcing you to eat better, more nutritious foods (i.e. not wasting calories).

Otherwise, you're making the right moves. I would personally add another lift to your week. Make sure that your cheat day is the same day as your heaviest lift of the week (squating/deadlifting/pressing session, for example).

 

[TRA8324]

Originally Posted by Automated Response

Your caloric intake is probably too low. Everybody wants crash diet instant results, etc., but ultimately, this is about a lifestyle tweak/change, and people trying to get lean fast often make the mistake of eating too little. For a variety of reasons, this can sabotage your progress. Bump your intake of fat and protein up while keeping your carb intake under (2/3 bodyweight x grams). This is a useful general formula for good muscle maintenance plus fat loss, and it will reprogram your eating habits by forcing you to eat better, more nutritious foods (i.e. not wasting calories).

Otherwise, you're making the right moves. I would personally add another lift to your week. Make sure that your cheat day is the same day as your heaviest lift of the week (squating/deadlifting/pressing session, for example).

He's 5'6" and wants to weigh 140lbs. 1700 calories is not too low.

 

[Hartmann]

This sounds like a recipe for burnout.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

This sounds like a recipe for burnout.

Not necessarily. I think different people have different work capacities. If he can maintain energy and focus with this routine, more power to him. The only think I would say is to make sure he is not doing high impact cardio 6 days a week, for injury prevention. If he throws in some spinning or something like that, it should be ok.

 

[Hartmann]

Do you really think he'll be able to squat/deadlift twice a week near max and then do a full round of sprints the next day with only one day off per week and keep it up for 3 months straight?

e: On top of a calorie deficit?

 

[Scrumhalf]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

Do you really think he'll be able to squat/deadlift twice a week near max and then do a full round of sprints the next day with only one day off per week and keep it up for 3 months straight?
It's up to him. His body will tell him if it can't keep it up. BTW, I didn't see where he said he is squatting/DL'ing twice a week.

 

[juliank]

I squat/deadlift on my cheat high carb day which is Sunday. I usually take Monday off or will shoot some light hoops. I understand what you mean about burnout which I was concerned with when I diagrammed this plan out but after 7 weeks at this I can confidently say I feel none. However, if that changes I plan on dialing back the cardio. The reason why I think I don't feel tired or lethargic may have to do with my strict eating routine, I dont know honestly but that's my guess.

I have thought about adding another day of weights, 4 versus 3, but I don't know if this would trip up my whole flow. I know I definitely need an ab routine into the mix. I guess since my focus is to be lean and since I already have a good deal of muscle I figured I would focus on cardio/diet with heavy lifting but only 3X a week. Still unsure whether that's enough. You gotta understand I am short and the last thing I want is to look stocky/bulky any longer which is why I am commited to getting lean and staying that way.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Try the core routine I gave you. I would also throw in Russian twists to vary things around. Think broader than just abs.... think core. Everything becomes easier in life with a strong core - lifting things around the house, loading and unloading groceries from the car, picking up your son when he is an unwieldy squirming 60-something lbs, etc..

Plus you get injured less. All those niggling back aches, pulled muscles, etc. are a thing of the past after I started focusing on the core as a major muscle group that needs to be taken as seriously as anything else.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

This sounds like a recipe for burnout.

Disagree.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

Disagree.

+1. I think people often significantly underestimate their work capacity. As corny as it might seem, it took my viewing of the Navy SEAL BUD/S Discovery Channel DVD to understand this. You can push yourself far beyond what you thought was capable if you put your mind to it. Burnout may be real but the horizon where burnout sets in is often much farther than one thinks. Worrying too much about burnout is often used as an excuse to wimp out of pushing oneself, so I always hesitate to invoke the b-word. It is for each person to find their limits and not prescribe to any generic notion of what's possible.

 

[the shah]

Originally Posted by Scrumhalf

Try the core routine I gave you. I would also throw in Russian twists to vary things around. Think broader than just abs.... think core. Everything becomes easier in life with a strong core - lifting things around the house, loading and unloading groceries from the car, picking up your son when he is an unwieldy squirming 60-something lbs, etc..

Plus you get injured less. All those niggling back aches, pulled muscles, etc. are a thing of the past after I started focusing on the core as a major muscle group that needs to be taken as seriously as anything else.

this is good advice. strong core unifies the body indeed

 

[jarude]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

Disagree.

90 minutes of cardio 6 days a week, 3 days of HIIT and 3 days of moderate intensity cardio, compound lifts 3x a week (maybe 4) + caloric deficit?

By all means, if OP is able to continue with that amount and be progressive towards his goal, then that's awesome (and I'm jealous!). Seems a little like overkill to me personally; I'd argue he could be more progressive/successful with less activity but its obviously impossible to say so. Also, more compounds >>>> isolation for abs

 

[Hartmann]

Cool, keep up the good work and post some updates. I know where you're coming from, it sucks to be short and fat, luckily we have control over one physical aspect...