HELP! Nutrition for Heavy Lifting

Aliciaaah

Hey everyone! I'm hoping to get some feedback. I travel for work, and while I think I do well for such a crazy lifestyle, I'm definitely not where I want to be. BUT I'm going to be home for a few weeks and I'm ECSTATIC about it. I want to take advantage and set up a meal plan. I LOVE to cook, so this is exciting for me.

What's in my diary today (4/8/2015) isn't what I ate today but it's what I want my diet to look like while at home, give or take some protein and veggie substitutions to mix things up.

I'd like some feedback, especially from heavy lifters to see if I'm on the right track.

I'll post some background info about me and my training below.

Thanks in advance!

slaite1

Based on those legs Id say keep doing what you're doing. Well done!

Aliciaaah

So some background:

CW: 185, Height: 5'4

Goals:
-I want to be stronger
-I want to be leaner (not at a rapid rate necessarily)

Activity Level:
-Desk Job
-1-1.5 hours of heavy lifting 6+ days a week
-I also walk my dog about 3 miles roughly 4-5 times a week when I'm home

My Lifting:
-Four Splits (Fronts of Legs, Back/Shoulders, Hams/Glutes, Chest/Tris)
-I lift for volume on my main lifts, lots of sets/reps, but still lift for 1RM
-Accessory lifts are superset and done with moderate intensity, no lengthy breaks

My trouble areas:
-Binge eating, mostly dessert. I enjoy cooking and eating very healthy foods, but then I blow it on Ben and Jerry's which is why I incorporate the Arctic Zero in the meal plan, to curb that
-I like large meals, feeling full
-I avoid carbs, then overeat them in times of temptation. But I know I need the carbs for lifting how I like to, which is why cream of rice is part of my preworkout meal.


I have my MFP goals set to lose 1lb a week at a "light active" activity level. On days where I know I push myself harder, or walk my dog longer I'll probably eat more than the specified 1700, but I don't plan to track my exercise and eat back calories strictly.

Also, I do weigh and measure all my foods so the grams in my diary will be followed pretty strictly.

Thanks! I know this is a lot but I appreciate any help I can get

Aliciaaah

amyrebeccah wrote: »

Have you had Arctic Zero before? Some people like it fine, but it's. . .controversial, so I would try some before you make it part of a meal plan.

I have had it, I've tried most of the flavors. It's no Ben and Jerry's, but they have it at my local grocery store and I like the idea of having a whole pint. I eat for volume. But that's why I plan to add the chocolate syrup and almonds, to help it out a bit lol. I might end up replacing that dessert with something else but for now that's what I plan to work with.

Aliciaaah

slaite1 wrote: »

Based on those legs Id say keep doing what you're doing. Well done!

Thank you! That means a lot!

Always trying to take it to the next level

SezxyStef

Aliciaaah wrote: »

So some background:

CW: 185, Height: 5'4

Goals:
-I want to be stronger
-I want to be leaner (not at a rapid rate necessarily)

Activity Level:
-Desk Job
-1-1.5 hours of heavy lifting 6+ days a week
-I also walk my dog about 3 miles roughly 4-5 times a week when I'm home

My Lifting:
-Four Splits (Fronts of Legs, Back/Shoulders, Hams/Glutes, Chest/Tris)
-I lift for volume on my main lifts, lots of sets/reps, but still lift for 1RM
-Accessory lifts are superset and done with moderate intensity, no lengthy breaks

My trouble areas:
-Binge eating, mostly dessert. I enjoy cooking and eating very healthy foods, but then I blow it on Ben and Jerry's which is why I incorporate the Arctic Zero in the meal plan, to curb that
-I like large meals, feeling full
-I avoid carbs, then overeat them in times of temptation. But I know I need the carbs for lifting how I like to, which is why cream of rice is part of my preworkout meal.


I have my MFP goals set to lose 1lb a week at a "light active" activity level. On days where I know I push myself harder, or walk my dog longer I'll probably eat more than the specified 1700, but I don't plan to track my exercise and eat back calories strictly.

Also, I do weigh and measure all my foods so the grams in my diary will be followed pretty strictly.

Thanks! I know this is a lot but I appreciate any help I can get

If today is what you want it to look like why such high protein and such low carbs?

you don't need more grams of protein than you weigh....and carbs are needed for energy.

I lift heavy and have been for 2 years...the first year I ignored carbs but when I moved to maintenance I realized carbs are important for the energy and always can lift more when I get in my carbs.

Do you do compound lifts?
Where did that program come from?
How long have you been lifting?

Have you considered doing heavy lifting with lower reps like a 5x5 or 3x5 program?

I have my macros set for me but they are 45/25/30 and it seems to work well for me and I am currently eating 1800 as I gained over Christmas (still in my limit) but gained again on my vacation and trying to get down to 140 for September...currently 5 ft 7 155lbs.

Aliciaaah

@SezxyStef I talk too much, I'm long winded lol, but I appreciate the questions, I think I addressed them all:

High protein and low carb is generally how I prefer it, I do know that it's not always the best way to operate, but I do better mentally and in weight loss overall when I do less carbs. Part of this is the fact that I travel and live out of hotels for work, there are more hidden calories in carbs than proteins, generally. I have to eat out, or eat ready to eat foods from the grocery store when I'm away. But at home I do eat sweet potatoes somewhat regularly. That's part of this diet overhaul effort is to try to find which carbs work for me, and at what levels. And if I'm eating less carbs, I replace those carbs with protein, that's the only reason for such a high number there. My macros in MFP are set for 35/45/20 I believe.

I do compound lifts. I do my own workouts which I've tweaked and tailored for just over a year, when I started lifting heavy, and with purpose. I train for volume primarily because I also train to try and get a slightly higher calorie burn than normal power lifting would provide. It's also my goal to be able to lift heavy weight for reps rather than a 1RM goal. For example, my goal is to be able to rep 225 for 3x8 rather than work for a 1RM of like 275, for example. I still try for 1RM, just to see what it is, but it's not my goal.

A normal lifting day for me goes as follows (for a quad day):
Squats: 135 2x10, 185 3x8, 205 3x5, 225 1x2, 135 1x10 (for speed out of the hole), 135 1x6 paused.
Walking lunges: 90lb EZ bar, 5 sets of 20 (so 10 each leg), utilizing different styles throughout (speed, paused, pulse, kick back, knee up)
Leg Press: Varying weight depending on machine and energy level at that point 5x8
Leg Extension: Start at ~180lbs and do drop sets for approximately 8 sets

And then sometimes I'll do a set or two of jumping lunges or some other plyos before stretching and going home.

A normal set on bench is something like:
95 1x12, 115 2x8, 135 3x8 (unless I fail out at 6 or 7 reps), 155 1x3, and then keep going up by 5-10 lbs with a spot for one or two. Current max is 175 for 2 with assistance on the second one. Then I'll generally do a set of 135, and then 95 until failure.

A normal set of deadlifts is something like:
135 RDL 1x10, 135 Sumo 1x8, 185 RDL 1x5, 185 Sumo 2x8, 225 Sumo 2x5, 245 Sumo 2x3, then go for 1RM, current is 275. Then go back down to 135 and do one set of RDL and Conventionals for 10 reps each.

I'm fully aware that none of this is conventional, and that I'm tiring myself out before trying for maxes. Fully aware that I'd progress faster if I did shorter sets and reps, but my goal is endurance, and the burn. Like I said, my goal is to be able to rep 225 on squats and the more I'm able to rep 205, the more I'll be able to rep 225 when I get there.

I don't train to compete (though I get asked if I do about every other day), but I do it because it's fun, and I love it, and when I travel for work the only other option is to sit in the hotel every night. So this is my method. I'm not really looking to change my lifting, I'm super happy with it. Just trying to adapt my diet to meet my goals, which are lower BF% and getting stronger.

Aliciaaah

As far as my training style goes, this sort of sums it up, it's straight from the 5x5 website:

Unlike most bodybuilding routines, your goal on StrongLifts 5×5 isn’t to reach failure, get “pumped” or be sore. Your goal is to add weight. Here’s how: start light, focus on proper form and add 2.5kg/5lb each workout for as long as you can. This is the simplest way to get stronger – fast.
Read more: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

As it turns out, my goal is to reach failure and be sore. I like to feel totally wiped out. It just so happens I've also been getting stronger in the process. And I definitely consider being able to do more reps at a weight than you could before being "stronger" even though it's more tied to your endurance than actual strength.

jmaidan

Great numbers! Especially impressed by your 275 dead lift. I know plenty of guys who call themselves lifters that wouldn't manage that.

My goals are similar to yours, big numbers and fat loss. I experimented with my carbs till I found I had enough energy, but no more than necessary. This has helped me get leaner but to stay powerful in the gym. Works out at 190g of complex carbs for me, but you will no doubt be different. I try (but fail) to eat zero simple carbs and sugar.

Timing has also been helpful for me. I eat the majority of my carbs at breakfast time and about an hour before lifting. If I'm low on energey I'll have half a slice of brown bread and that usually helps out a bunch.

The rest of my calories I fill with as much protein as I can (usually about 150g - hard when you're veggie) and fats (lots of raw peanuts). I feel way better since I made a conscious effort to increase my fats, making more gains too.

Oh and if for some reason you're not on creatine - add 3.5g of monohydrate per day and prepare to set some new PRs!

Add me if you fancy some lifting chat/support

Aliciaaah

@jmaidan Thanks! That's really cool to hear. I'm proud of my lifts.

And I think upping the carbs a bit is probably the way to go. It's a bit scary, I'll have to experiment. My energy levels are so strange though. I'm tired all day at work, but it's just from sitting in a desk all day. As soon as I clock out I'm wired. When it comes to caffeine I never notice a difference in performance. I hardly even notice a difference in fatigue. But I've never noticed a strong correlation between higher carb days and lifting performance though. It'd probably be helpful to log my food more often and make a workout log as well, but I'm trying to keep things simple. The more I complicate them, the less likely I am to stick with it.

I just looked into getting creatine. I try to do everything as naturally as possible, no belts, straps, limited supplements, etc. But I think I could get into trying some creatine.