Critique My Workout/Diet Part Two

[Mike Lowry]

Ok see what you think and what adjustments you would recommend.

If you don't know I am currently 5-8 170-175 depends during the week and probably around 20% body fat. I'd like to keep keep my weight in that neighborhood although it's not bad if I get to 160 as I have been in good shape at both 160 and 175. The kicker is shedding the body fat to around 11%

My level of fitness is definitely at beginner status. I have not worked out regularly for more than three months since 2003.

Days 1-3-5

Barbell Bench Press (15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 10)
Squat (15, 12, 10, 10)
Pull ups (Failure
Curl & Press (12, 10, 10, 12)
Deadlift (12, 10, 10, 12)
Lat pulldown to the back (15, 12, 10, 10)
Dips (failure)

Days 2-4
-45 minutes cardio (running, jumping jacks, pushups, jump rope)
-Abs, Lower back

Day 6
-45 minutes on treadmill/eliptical
-Abs, Lower back

DIET:

Monday
07:30: 1.5 cups Special K, 2% milk, 1 cup coffee
09:00: Banana
11:00: Turkey Sandwhich on Wheat
13:00: Isopure Zero Carb Protein Shake (50gms)
15:00: Apple
17:00: Grilled Fillet (5 oz), 1 cup green beans
19:00: 100 calorie sugar free jello pudding

Tuesday
11:00: Grilled Chicken Salad
17:00: Turkey Burger w/ low fat cheese, steamed mixed veggies

Wednesday
11:00 Subway 6 inch Turkey Breast (no cheese, no dressing, on wheat)
17:00 Grilled Chicken (touch of A1), steamed vegetables, 1 small sweet potato

Thursday
11:00 Grilled Chicken Salad
17:00 Wheat Fajita

Friday
11:00: Grilled 5 oz steak, steamed veggies
17:00: 1.5 cups turkey chilli, wheat crackers

Saturday & Sunday more of the same


The plan is to use 30 second rest periods inbetween sets to help amp up the cardio work. Good idea? Bad idea? Doesn't matter?

I would like to cut fat and increase strength.
My only concern is the first two weeks getting used to getting ****** kicked which I am sure will ease.

Any suggestions, critiques are welcome.

Thanks,

Mikep;

 

[smw356]

If those logs are all that you're eating you drastically need to up your intake.

 

[m_wave]

Eat about twice that..

 

[James Bond]

Lower the rep ranges.

 

[hahnb]

You're doing 5 compound lifts in one day, this is rarely ever a good idea-and is never a good idea for a long term routine. It's actually counter-productive in most cases.

How many calories is the diet you listed? That's what's going to determine your weight loss.

 

[bant]

as hahnb said you are doing WAY too much on your 1,3,5 'lift' days and it really is counterproductive.

i would suggest doing a search online for rippetoe's starting strength routine - it is based on core, compound lifts in a linear progression scheme (always lifting more in a particular lift than the day before - even if it is 1lb more).

if that doesn't appeal to you, you should have at least a 2 workout 'split' - where you do a couple compound lifts on one day and a few more the next. and lower your rep range into the 5 - 10 per set range and lift heavier.

and clearly you're not eating enough at all if your goal is to add lean body mass - i'd say triple that at least and add a basic whey protein powder.

hope this helps.

edit: also, re: your diet - I would first calculate your 'maintenance' caloric intake, add 500 and then use that number to back into the food you should be eating on a particular day. the types of foods you list look good, just not nearly enough

 

[Mike Lowry]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

I am not sure how many calories per day this is. I took the diet from here and modified it a bit to what I liked for food. I will have to add them up.

As far as riptoe's workout goes I looked at it and was wondering if it was too little. I admit one of the major things I've always wanted even when I had a low body fat % was to have that overall strength. However, my main goal in this is to lose body fat. Is this workout going to be enough to help promote the loss of bodyfat? I assume I need to do more cardio since I will be only doing 3 lifts 3 times a week?

Also be sure that when you are looking at my diet on Tues-Fri I have only two times listed for eating. I only put down lunch and dinner on there because everything in between is the same from Monday. My breakfast, morning snack, afternoon snack, and evening snack are the same everyday.

 

[hahnb]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowry

Thanks for all of the feedback!

I am not sure how many calories per day this is. I took the diet from here and modified it a bit to what I liked for food. I will have to add them up.

As far as riptoe's workout goes I looked at it and was wondering if it was too little. I admit one of the major things I've always wanted even when I had a low body fat % was to have that overall strength. However, my main goal in this is to lose body fat. Is this workout going to be enough to help promote the loss of bodyfat? I assume I need to do more cardio since I will be only doing 3 lifts 3 times a week?

Also be sure that when you are looking at my diet on Tues-Fri I have only two times listed for eating. I only put down lunch and dinner on there because everything in between is the same from Monday. My breakfast, morning snack, afternoon snack, and evening snack are the same everyday.

Check out www.fitday.com, it's a great site for calorie counting. You don't need to count each and every calorie, but if you're trying to lose weight it's helpful to know what your maintenance amount of calories is (what you can eat to NOT lose or gain weight) and start out eating about 500 below that.

Or you can just go by the scale and adjust accordingly.

To be 100% honest, your routine should have very little to do with you losing body fat, assuming it's not god awful. Your diet is what determines your fat loss. I'd aim for about 1-1.5lbs a week, 2 at the VERY most-otherwise you'll lose too much lean body mass. I like HIIT for cardio a 2-4 times a week, but it's not essential to losing body fat. Since you're only lifting 3 days a week, which is fine, you could do HIIT 3 days a week-just try to avoid it the day after legs.

 

[Mike Lowry]

I like the idea of shorter cardio routines however, it seems like HIT is just another form of lifting? I wouldn't have a lifting routine and then do HIT in between that right?

 

[hahnb]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowry

I like the idea of shorter cardio routines however, it seems like HIT is just another form of lifting? I wouldn't have a lifting routine and then do HIT in between that right?

I do HIIT on my off days, but I've also done it after workouts. I do loner sessions of cardio as well. I'll switch it up to keep myself from getting bored.

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowry

I like the idea of shorter cardio routines however, it seems like HIT is just another form of lifting? I wouldn't have a lifting routine and then do HIT in between that right?
HIIT. The extra I makes all the difference.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is cardio--it's just brief, intense cardio. Basically, you do short intervals where you're pushing yourself really hard, followed by slightly longer intervals of "active rest"--where you're doing the same activity but at a much easier intensity. For example, for HIIT I usually do sprint intervals, where I sprint at the fastest pace I can hold steady for 30 seconds, then jog slowly for a minute, sprint for 30 sec, jog for a minute, etc. If you can do more than about 15 minutes of this, you're not sprinting fast enough! If it gets easy, you can also increase the intensity a bit on the recovery period (slow jog -> moderate jog, for example). And like I said, you should aim to be pretty exhausted by the end of about 15 minutes or so. And that's your entire cardio workout. Better for maintaining muscle AND for burning fat than standard "steady-state" cardio where you exercise at moderate intensity for 45 min/1 hour.

 

[Philosoph]

^Good catch, good advice.

To the OP: I don't mean this to sound harsh, but you're a beginner and you really have no clue about proper program design. Until you're more experienced in that area, I suggest that you follow an established and reputable routine. Look into Rippetoe's Starting Strength, Bill Star's 5x5, or maybe Chad Waterbury's Total Body Training. Follow the program as written. It will be enough if you don't baby yourself with the weights. Then on your off days do some type of cardio. Follow Saucemaster's HIIT advice if youre up to it. If not, about 30 min. of steady state should be fine. As far as diet goes, you're undereating. Cut out the grains and up your protein and fat intake. Have some nuts or olive oil once in a while. And no lunch meat. Get one of those cheap bags of frozen chicken breasts at the grocery store. Or cans of tuna, salmon, or mackerel. If you concentrate on trying to get enough high quality protein, it will be hard to overeat because you will be full.

 

[smw356]

^ and eat your veggies.

 

[Snuggles]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowry

DIET:

07:30: 1.5 cups Special K, 2% milk, 1 cup coffee
11:00: Turkey Sandwhich on Wheat
13:00: Isopure Zero Carb Protein Shake (50gms)
17:00: Grilled Fillet (5 oz)
19:00: 100 calorie sugar free jello pudding
11:00: Grilled Chicken Salad
17:00: Turkey Burger w/ low fat cheese
11:00 Subway 6 inch Turkey Breast (no cheese, no dressing, on wheat)
17:00 Grilled Chicken (touch of A1), steamed vegetables, 1 small sweet potato
11:00 Grilled Chicken Salad
17:00 Wheat Fajita
11:00: Grilled 5 oz steak
17:00: 1.5 cups turkey chilli, wheat crackers
Saturday & Sunday more of the same

I've taken the liberty of slightly truncating your list to show you the lethal items. By eating these foods, you are at increased risk for arterial disease, prostate cancer, colon cancer, osteoporotic fracture, dementia, adult onset diabetes, premature skin and skeletal aging, and ischemic stroke. The excessive nutritionally-deficient calories consumed by many bodybuilders, in addition to the natural dioxins, acrylamides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and saturated fats contained in these foods act as multipliers for these and other health risks. If you want to become both strong and healthy, I suggest investigating people who are both, like the Okinawans. But, if your goal is a few seasons of jacked aesthetic appeal followed by a decrepid middle-age and premature death, then disregard this and carry on.

 

[smw356]

too easy