Physique advice

[mattygmbb]

Hi all

Please see photos attached initially.

Would like advice whether to cut/bulk. I would ideally like to be a lot bigger than I am now but leaner but just don't know how to get there. I reason bad to carbs and just bloat which I do not like

I get married in September so would like to get in the best shape by then preferably if anyone could help and be a life saver I'd really appreciate it.

Cheers
Matthttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/09/377c3eedf29b4b6e0135f5ed18448f68.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/09/2b5e964af805b127e8fd424f968cf9b4.jpg


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[Curt James]

Welcome to Rx Muscle Forums!

Cut. Strip you bodyfat and then enjoy a nice rebound after you're lean.

Buy grilled chicken breasts and zero-calorie drinks and get in the gym as much as possible.

Keto, keto, keto.

You can make a lot of progress by September. Get to work.

[Sunnyday]

Hi and welcome! Agree with Curt on cutting at this point. Use whatever type of diet works for you. Some like Curt prefer keto, I'm a keep-carbs-in-all-the-way kinda girl (a 50-25-25 diet works great for me). Other people prefer to do a high-low carb cycle. Some like a lot of cardio and others would rather cut food than add a minute of cardio. Just pick a direction and go.

Run the cut maybe 8-12 weeks or so, depending on how fast you drop, then use the insulin sensitivity you just gained from the diet to grow by gradually adding extra calories but don't go overboard. Think of it like a mini-bulk. I like using a 40-30-30 diet and dropping cardio completely. Again, it's your preference to what works for you and your lifestlyle. Run that higher calorie diet until you get maybe a month out before your wedding and then drop the calories a bit and add some cardio to tighten up slightly but at that point you don't need to go overboard.

Good luck and keep us posted! :)

[mattygmbb]

Hey guys

Many thanks for the replies much appreciated.

I have always been poor at setting a diet and don't 100% know what I'm doing apart from what I read online so any help with what I should be eating example dirt would be a great help and if you could advise on keto as well as know nothing on this really.

I have started adding a bit of cardio in now but wasn't sure what to change in the weights side of things.

Any supplements that may help here?

Thanks again guys

Kind regards
Matt


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[Sandpig]

Obviously you need more muscle. Remember more muscle means a faster metabolism.

I was going to say bulk but then I noticed you have a wedding in in Sept.

I once had the same type of build. It took massive amounts of food for me to gain any size.

You say your body doesn't loke carbs. I used to say the same thing.

Have you ever tried a clean bulk with only clean carbs.? That's what I would suggest you try for at least the first month. You'll still have plenty of time to lean out after that if it doesn't work.

[mattygmbb]

Thanks Sandpig

Not really sure how to clean bulk with clean carbs if you could advise?

How long did it take you to add decent size? Been training for years with little progress so very demotivated.

Please see current diet if you could advise and what sort of training would you do?


Breakfast
Pork loin, rump steak or chicken
2/3 scrambled eggs with mushroom, spinach, tomatoes

Mid-am
Handful mixed nuts
Apple

Lunch
This week am having the below
Chicken stir fry with onions, mangetout, baby sweet corn, ginger, honey, soy sauce
Wholemeal noodles

Mid-pm
Tuna with sweet potato and cottage cheese if in the office
Otherwise
Protein shake
Clementine

Gym

Post gym
Banana
Homemade shake with below
50g Impact protein
Peanut butter
Greek yoghurt
Skimmed milk
Frozen berries

Dinner
Mixed veggies
Fish
New potatoes

2-3 litres of water per day
X1 black coffee
X2 green tea

Macros from myfitnesspal

Calories - 3200
Carbs - 209
Protein - 234
Fats - 108

Cheers guys
Matt


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[Sandpig]

You need way more carbs and cals
You're really not eating any carbs till lunch
Lunch is your third meal
By my third meal, I have almost 200 grams in me
Once I learned to eat correctly, I was able to gain ten lbs in a year or so
Mind you I was stuck at the same weight for twenty years
Carb choices?
For me it's oats, white rice, red potatoes and whole wheat pasta
I don't eat veggies and only eat fruit occasionally post workout
BTW, Jay Cutler rarely eats veggies too.

[mattygmbb]

Thanks

I hear so many conflicting views it's so confusing. Some say carbs good early on and in each meal and other say just carbs pre, during and post training I can't keep up lol.

So is my current example diet poor or ok to build around?

Doing cardio x3 per week now but what sort of weight training should I stick to?

Thanks


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[mattygmbb]

Ok diet side sorted now for the training.

Would I be best sticking to a FB routine x3 per week as this is all I can get to the gym? Looking at my pics I have mainly done a basic split chest/bis, back/tri, legs/shoulders so wondering which would work best for improving my body composition and get me where I want to be for the wedding?

Cheers all


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[Sandpig]

Nothing wrong with a full body routine. You'll be doing minimal sets for each BB though so make them intense. No fuckin around.

If you can only get in three times but want to split, check out Frank Calta's rotation for recuperation.




Rotation for Recuperation


First Week


Monday
Wednesday
Friday


Muscle Group 1
Abdominals
Muscle Group 2
Abdominals
Muscle Group 1
Abdominals


Second Week


Monday
Wednesday
Friday


Muscle Group 2
Abdominals
Muscle Group 1
Abdominals

Muscle Group 2
Abdominals


On the third week you just repeat. This will allow you an extra day’s rest between muscle groups every other week for recovery.
The exercises are split into two muscle groups:
Group 1 - back, chest, shoulders, and arms; Group 2 - calves, thighs, and hamstrings (leg biceps). Note: You will work your abdominals three days a week after warm-up and before your other exercises.

[mattygmbb]

Cheers Sandpig for all the info I will have a look into this routine and give it a go. Thanks


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[mattygmbb]

Hi Sandpig. I have had a look at the program by Frank Calta and looks really good but cannot seem to find a comprehensive guide on how to perform the workout e.g. What weights to use? how often to increase the weight? Is there anything you know of?

Ta


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[BigZero]

You will not be able to get more muscular and get ripped by September.
Don't listen to advice from guys who use juice as their experience has no application to natural training and diet.
Just concentrate on getting ripped first. 1-1.5 gram protein per pound of lean body weight, keep fats low (aroung 100 grams) and fill the rest of your calories with leafy greens and low glycemic carbs like brown rice or Ezekiel bread. Keep calories around 1800.
Your current diet has too much of all three macros and just way too much sugar.
For training, stick to full-body workouts, every-other day with moderate weights. Only do cardio for about 30 minutes on your non-weight training days.
You will loose fat and get toned.
Get your lean body mass to at least 90% (10% body fat) before you try putting on muscle or you will just get fat (or maintain your current physique) and puffy with all those calories and sugar.
Broscience does not work on natural bodies.

[mattygmbb]

Thanks for the reply BigZero. 1800 calories for someone. My height and size really?


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[BigZero]

Thanks for the reply BigZero. 1800 calories for someone. My height and size really?


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What's your height and weight? What do you do all day for work, school, etc?

[mattygmbb]

I work as an IT Network Engineer but not fully desk based, always up and about carrying kit up and down 4 flights of stairs and active most of the day then gym 3 nights per week after work. What would the norm calorie intake be for adding optimal mass? I am 31yrs, 6ft2, currently weight 14st 11 ish now, 42" chest, 36" waist. I have a pretty strong lower body able to squat 150/160kg, deadlift 180kg but upper body poor always blamed long levers and aching elbows etc, would struggle to BB bench press 70kg for 10 reps over 3 sets, unable to do pull-ups or maybe 1 or 2 lol, what a going on I have [emoji17]


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[BigZero]

I work as an IT Network Engineer but not fully desk based, always up and about carrying kit up and down 4 flights of stairs and active most of the day then gym 3 nights per week after work. What would the norm calorie intake be for adding optimal mass? I am 31yrs, 6ft2, currently weight 14st 11 ish now, 42" chest, 36" waist. I have a pretty strong lower body able to squat 150/160kg, deadlift 180kg but upper body poor always blamed long levers and aching elbows etc, would struggle to BB bench press 70kg for 10 reps over 3 sets, unable to do pull-ups or maybe 1 or 2 lol, what a going on I have [emoji17]


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Based on your pics and info I'd guess that your lean body weight is around 165 pounds/11 stone 7. So yes, i'd start with 1800 calories and adjust up as needed. If you loose more than 1 kilo per week add in 250 calories of carbs. It will be faster to trim down by starting lower than needed and adjusting calories up rather than loosing less than 1 kilo per week and having to reduce.
In three months, if you try to build muscle, you might add (based on your inexperience and strength) 2-3 pounds of lean muscle while adding more body fat. If you train hard on a low calorie plan, you will loose fat, tone the muscle you have, and get (relatively) stronger.
3200 calories is maintenance level for me at 40 years old 5'10" 16 stone (13 stone 2 lean body weight) with 10 years of hardcore natural training.

If you're bent on getting bigger you will need to train more/harder/heavier. Your calorie intake is plenty to make gains.

Just remember that is is impossible to, naturally, build muscle and loose stored body-fat simultaneously.

[mattygmbb]

Great, thanks for the advice BigZero will give that a go and see how I get on. Much appreciated


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[m8kemremember]

okay buddy, heres the deal. im goign to debunk a BS myth thats been going around for years in the fitness industry. there is no difference between bulking or cutting in terms of gaining or loosing lean muscle mass. bulking is a term loosely used to allow fat ass body builders to eat whatever they want, aside from the extra weight making their heart and organs work over time, their blood pressure is elevated and fat begin to accumulate. The ONLY and I mean ONLY benefit of an "off season" its to intake more healthy fats to cushion your joints while attempting to lift heavier weight... and a higher carb intake to increase energy levels so you can train harder.... metaphorically speaking of course, I trained just as hard contest ready as i did not giving a shit about i ate. if youd like some more insight check out my youtube.com channel matthew cardwell or hell check me out on a few feautured workouts on this very website. i trained with chris cormier a few years ago in Venice California. good luck. my advice to you... low carbs high protein and FST-7 training. works like a charm. lift something. lol

[m8kemremember]

calorie intake has nothing to do with weight gain. calories are the grand total youre intaking in terms of grams ie... protein carbs and fats... those elements in (g) grams add up to calories. so please stop counting calories and start counting grams.

[mattygmbb]

Many thanks for your advice m8kemremember.


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[m8kemremember]

no problem, happy to help.

[misterb]

eat lift sleep, you just need time in the gym, transformations are done over a period of many years

[Physiquewars]

I would strongly recommend a 500 calorie deficit until you can clearly see your abs. Even when bulking you should never lose sight of your abs. Weights 3 days on 1 off 2 days on 1 off with progressive overload. Do a 6 week mini-cut see the outline of your abs then bring on the surplus.


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