suggestions for cutting body fat and keeping muscle..?

ndj1979
ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just seeing if anyone has any interestng strategies for cutting body fat% and keeping lean muscle?

I am 5-10 about 167 and hovering around 17% body fat. I would like to get my body fat down to 15% and then 10%.

Right now I am working out about five hours a week:
Mon - chest/arms
Tues - HIIT sprint interval in am and back/triceps in afternoon
Wens - legs
Thu - shoulders
Friday - HIIT sprint training folowed by core and/or circuit training
Sat - 45 min weight train followed by 20 minutes of abs and plyo
sunday - off

Currently eating about 2000 calories a day and cycling carbs....I usualy go low, low, med, med, high and then repeat...

Let me know thoughts on this and if anyone has any suggestions to build on let me know....

Thanks in advance!
«1

Replies

  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    1. eat 500 calories less than maintenance
    2. Squat, Bench, Dead, Clean, Dip, Pullups, Rows
    3. Eat BROtein
    4. ????
    5. Profit
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
    Bump
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    1. eat 500 calories less than maintenance
    2. Squat, Bench, Dead, Clean, Dip, Pullups, Rows
    3. Eat BROtein
    4. ????
    5. Profit


    ^^^ This, and get plenty of sleep.
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,078 Member
    bump
  • jppd47
    jppd47 Posts: 737 Member
    Thats should work for you, just give it time. Keep the deficit and eat enough protein.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Thats should work for you, just give it time. Keep the deficit and eat enough protein.

    thanks..I have been doing the carb cycling thing for two weeks now and plan to stick with it for 4-6 weeks...

    Just wanted to hear thoughts and other opinon on this topic..so keep em coming!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    1. eat 500 calories less than maintenance
    2. Squat, Bench, Dead, Clean, Dip, Pullups, Rows
    3. Eat BROtein
    4. ????
    5. Profit

    #4 should be "allow each muscle set to heal between sets, rotate muscles and don't overtrain any one set"
  • WandaVonDunajew
    WandaVonDunajew Posts: 183 Member
    Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

    I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

    I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.

    that is interesting..everything i have always read says that you should do the six meals a day thing because it keeps your metabolism going...from what I have read fasing is bad becuase your body goes into starvation mode and slows down metabolism...I will check the site/article out...
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    eat the right kind of fat as well as the right amount of good fat...and eat protein .. of course and lift weights
  • Isileo
    Isileo Posts: 13 Member
    Leangains has great info.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

    I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.

    that is interesting..everything i have always read says that you should do the six meals a day thing because it keeps your metabolism going...from what I have read fasing is bad becuase your body goes into starvation mode and slows down metabolism...I will check the site/article out...
    Bodybuilding.com is very hit and miss. If your metabolism ever stopped, you would die; people are really talking (I think anyway) about TEF when they talk about maintaining your metabolism with many frequent meals.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    The several small meal thing is total myth that has been debunked. It take WAY longer to go into starvation mode.

    That said I am personally not a big fan of IF for myself although it does make serious cal restriction easier for me, so I did it for one week of heavy restriction during my cut.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    The several small meal thing is total myth that has been debunked. It take WAY longer to go into starvation mode.

    That said I am personally not a big fan of IF for myself although it does make serious cal restriction easier for me, so I did it for one week of heavy restriction during my cut.

    how did that one week work out for you??
  • flyuk
    flyuk Posts: 28
    I do IF for cutting and not for bulking, I only do it to spread the calories missed across the rest of the week though, so on a 2800 a day diet I can add 450 a day to the non-IF days on a one IF day week. so 3250 kcal a day, then it doesn't feel like cutting.

    On bulking, when I go between 3500 and 4000 kcal a day I would have to eat 4100-4600 a day on the non IF days of a one IF day week. Uuuuurgh. Insane amounts of clean food.
  • jonski1968
    jonski1968 Posts: 4,490 Member
    bump to come back to...
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
    Up the calories, consume more protein & begin or continue lifting heavy weights.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    What's your protein intake at? Lyle McDonald has some interesting things to say about conventional wisdom re: protein, and (in short) recommends 3g/kg body weight along with lower volume/high intensity weight training to cut body fat. With enough protein in a solid deficit and some high-intensity stimulus to warn the body that it's not ok to shed necessary muscle, you should be ok.

    Low intensity steady state cardio (walking, basically) in a depleted (fasted) state can also help dig into fat stores, but is fairly inefficient in terms of time spent working vs. results.

    I, also, found LG-style IF to work pretty well, when I can be bothered to follow it. I suck at cutting, though. Until I hit my strength goals, I'm apparently going to keep cheating on the bulk side ;)
  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
    Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

    I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.

    that is interesting..everything i have always read says that you should do the six meals a day thing because it keeps your metabolism going...from what I have read fasing is bad becuase your body goes into starvation mode and slows down metabolism...I will check the site/article out...

    Just imagine trying to eat those 6 meals in onr big meal. Your body starves if your starving it.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    What's your protein intake at? Lyle McDonald has some interesting things to say about conventional wisdom re: protein, and (in short) recommends 3g/kg body weight along with lower volume/high intensity weight training to cut body fat. With enough protein in a solid deficit and some high-intensity stimulus to warn the body that it's not ok to shed necessary muscle, you should be ok.

    Low intensity steady state cardio (walking, basically) in a depleted (fasted) state can also help dig into fat stores, but is fairly inefficient in terms of time spent working vs. results.

    I, also, found LG-style IF to work pretty well, when I can be bothered to follow it. I suck at cutting, though. Until I hit my strength goals, I'm apparently going to keep cheating on the bulk side ;)

    Right now I am doing about 1.5 grams per pound of body weight, which I based on 170. I am hovering between 167 and 170 right now..so I am getting just about 255 grams of protein per day...sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less...

    As far as cardio goes, I do two sessions a week of sprinting intervals..sprint 30 seconds rest 60 seconds....do that about ten times. Rest of the week is strength training ...legs, back, arms, triceps, shoulders etc....I also mix in some core and plyometrics as well. Should I throw in one more session of sprint training? I have been going a little easy on the cardio BC a lot of what I read says that cardio will impede muscle growth...
  • SusanLovesToEat
    SusanLovesToEat Posts: 213 Member
    There was a great post today which included this link. Exceptionally helpful information on things to consider when trying to lose fat and gain muscle.

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/4_reasons_youre_not_gaining_muscle
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    My suggestion would be:

    1) Create an energy deficit around 20% under TDEE as a starting point.
    2) Consume adequate protein and fat. I'd consume AT LEAST:
    1g/lb LBM in protein.
    .4g/lb bodyweight in fat
    3) Once you've met or exceeded the above, stick the rest in carbs.
    4) I'd suggest full body or upper/lower etc over bodypart splits so that you can favor frequency over volume especially if you're not an experienced lifter
    5) Choose a program that has you squatting, deadlifting, rowing, chins/pullups, overhead presses, etc, over one that has you doing tricep kickbacks and sitting on an inflatable ball.

    Let personal preference dictate your eating schedule. Whether you do 6 meals per day, 8 meals per day, 2 meals per day, IF, whatever -- hitting your daily intake of kcals/macros will trump frequency in terms of importance, by a very big margin. Satiety/Adherence/Gym performance should be the factors that determine your eating schedule, period.

    Leisure reading:
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    The several small meal thing is total myth that has been debunked. It take WAY longer to go into starvation mode.

    That said I am personally not a big fan of IF for myself although it does make serious cal restriction easier for me, so I did it for one week of heavy restriction during my cut.

    how did that one week work out for you??

    Waiting until 12pm to eat wasn't very hard, and I lost a few lbs.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    My suggestion would be:

    1) Create an energy deficit around 20% under TDEE as a starting point.
    2) Consume adequate protein and fat. I'd consume AT LEAST:
    1g/lb LBM in protein.
    .4g/lb bodyweight in fat
    3) Once you've met or exceeded the above, stick the rest in carbs.
    4) I'd suggest full body or upper/lower etc over bodypart splits so that you can favor frequency over volume especially if you're not an experienced lifter
    5) Choose a program that has you squatting, deadlifting, rowing, chins/pullups, overhead presses, etc, over one that has you doing tricep kickbacks and sitting on an inflatable ball.

    Let personal preference dictate your eating schedule. Whether you do 6 meals per day, 8 meals per day, 2 meals per day, IF, whatever -- hitting your daily intake of kcals/macros will trump frequency in terms of importance, by a very big margin. Satiety/Adherence/Gym performance should be the factors that determine your eating schedule, period.

    Leisure reading:
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

    ^^^

    Only thing I would say is for fat I have seen .45 instead of .40 ;) and even though the min of 1g\lb of LBM protein should suffice, I personally still went a ways over to make myself feel more safe ;) (~150lbm eating 200g pro)
  • jenni375
    jenni375 Posts: 5
    I lost 3 kilos of fat and gained .2 kilos of muscle in two weeks by doing circuit training and interval running. My bodyfat % is down 4.1%. I am also on a low carb diet. I only do 4 exercises in the weight room. Chest press, Seated Row, Leg Press, and Abs. I aim to do 15-20 reps on each machine and I do not rest in between each exercise I just go from one machine to the next.

    Circuit training is the best way to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. It's time efficient. Instead of standing around while your muscle rests you do a different exercise. Your chest muscles get a rest while your doing the row. This keeps your heart rate up allowing you to burn more calories which means you burn more fat. I do circuit training 3 times a week. And I do 20-30 minutes of interval running 6 days a week. I also do other aerobic activities such as Zumba, belly dance, and step aerobics. You can probably only do 3-4 days of circuit training a week, but do as much aerobic activity as you want/can stand.

    If you are interested in bulking up you can still Circuit training just do 8-12 reps instead of 15-20 reps.

    Chest press, seated row, and leg press are the best exercises you can do if you want to lose bodyfat because they are complex exercises you are working multiple muscles at once which means you're burning more calories. Also your quads, lats and pecs are the biggest muscles in your body so that means they burn more calories. You've gotta include your abs for vanity you want the muscles to show through once you lose the belly fat ;) You can do other isolation exercises too their also great, but focus on doing the complex exercises first.
  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
    I think a good way to burn body fat, in my unprofessional opinion, and maintain as much muscle as possible is creating a deficit via diet but allows you enough energy to lift relatively heavy in the gym. Calorie cycling is good. You probably want to make your higher days be when you do your larger muscle groups (legs, back). Also maybe do periodic refeeds(a day, two days maybe if your lean), high carb and low fat, low protein.

    I mean if you have patience and don't do any thing crazy you could hang on to most of your muscle. You don't even need cardio if your deficit is sufficient and your getting good workouts in the gym on lifting days. Maybe a few session of HIIT thrown in?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I think a good way to burn body fat, in my unprofessional opinion, and maintain as much muscle as possible is creating a deficit via diet but allows you enough energy to lift relatively heavy in the gym. Calorie cycling is good. You probably want to make your higher days be when you do your larger muscle groups (legs, back). Also maybe do periodic refeeds(a day, two days maybe if your lean), high carb and low fat, low protein.

    I mean if you have patience and don't do any thing crazy you could hang on to most of your muscle. You don't even need cardio if your deficit is sufficient and your getting good workouts in the gym on lifting days. Maybe a few session of HIIT thrown in?

    this is essentially what I have been doing for the past two weeks with a few minor variations. I have been doing one to two sessions of HIIT sprints....and four hours a week of training. Something like chest/arms on monday; back/triceps tues; legs on wens; shoulders on thursday; friday is kind of whatever I feel like.usually 20 mint sprint interval followed by some core/plyo...
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I lost 3 kilos of fat and gained .2 kilos of muscle in two weeks by doing circuit training and interval running. My bodyfat % is down 4.1%. I am also on a low carb diet. I only do 4 exercises in the weight room. Chest press, Seated Row, Leg Press, and Abs. I aim to do 15-20 reps on each machine and I do not rest in between each exercise I just go from one machine to the next.

    Circuit training is the best way to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. It's time efficient. Instead of standing around while your muscle rests you do a different exercise. Your chest muscles get a rest while your doing the row. This keeps your heart rate up allowing you to burn more calories which means you burn more fat. I do circuit training 3 times a week. And I do 20-30 minutes of interval running 6 days a week. I also do other aerobic activities such as Zumba, belly dance, and step aerobics. You can probably only do 3-4 days of circuit training a week, but do as much aerobic activity as you want/can stand.

    If you are interested in bulking up you can still Circuit training just do 8-12 reps instead of 15-20 reps.

    Chest press, seated row, and leg press are the best exercises you can do if you want to lose bodyfat because they are complex exercises you are working multiple muscles at once which means you're burning more calories. Also your quads, lats and pecs are the biggest muscles in your body so that means they burn more calories. You've gotta include your abs for vanity you want the muscles to show through once you lose the belly fat ;) You can do other isolation exercises too their also great, but focus on doing the complex exercises first.

    o_O

    I don't even know where to start, but no. Just no.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I lost 3 kilos of fat and gained .2 kilos of muscle in two weeks by doing circuit training and interval running. My bodyfat % is down 4.1%. I am also on a low carb diet. I only do 4 exercises in the weight room. Chest press, Seated Row, Leg Press, and Abs. I aim to do 15-20 reps on each machine and I do not rest in between each exercise I just go from one machine to the next.

    Circuit training is the best way to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. It's time efficient. Instead of standing around while your muscle rests you do a different exercise. Your chest muscles get a rest while your doing the row. This keeps your heart rate up allowing you to burn more calories which means you burn more fat. I do circuit training 3 times a week. And I do 20-30 minutes of interval running 6 days a week. I also do other aerobic activities such as Zumba, belly dance, and step aerobics. You can probably only do 3-4 days of circuit training a week, but do as much aerobic activity as you want/can stand.

    If you are interested in bulking up you can still Circuit training just do 8-12 reps instead of 15-20 reps.

    Chest press, seated row, and leg press are the best exercises you can do if you want to lose bodyfat because they are complex exercises you are working multiple muscles at once which means you're burning more calories. Also your quads, lats and pecs are the biggest muscles in your body so that means they burn more calories. You've gotta include your abs for vanity you want the muscles to show through once you lose the belly fat ;) You can do other isolation exercises too their also great, but focus on doing the complex exercises first.

    o_O

    I don't even know where to start, but no. Just no.
    thanks Huff...I dd the circuit training/cardio combo thing four or five years ago when I first started working out becuase I wanted to lose weiht and it really helped get me from abut 21-0 (out of shape) to wehre I am now. Now I just want to keep my muscle and get my body fat down. So 3 to 6 sessions of interval running is not going to work for me, although I do appreciate the posters thoughts:)...I have doing some reading on IF an find it interesing. I actually decided to give it a try today and do a 17 hour fast. I did not eat breakfast and I actually feel fine! In addition to that I am cycling carbs and keeping my workout regimen the same as in previous posts. What kind of work out regimen do you find ideal?

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