Stuck at this BF%! >:{
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prolynch
Posts: 3
Hi,
I'm 27, 5'10'', ~165 and was in the army for 5 years. I'm no stranger to fitness but have always gotten stuck at the point you see in the picture as far as body fat percentage. I have never counted calories like I am now but its not seeming to matter. It's been two months now and no major differences. Also, I quit smoking two months ago from a 14 year habit. In the first week, I gained fat and reached a weight that I have never weighed before. This rekindled my interest in fitness and I then quickly started a 'coach' program on nike+ to better my 5k personal record. Its a 8 week program. I'm in week 5 now and have already beaten my record from my army days. So, as far as running, I am still gaining. My strength still seems to be slowly gaining as well. It's just that I want to lose body fat percentage the most. This whole aesthetic bodybuilding thing is what appeals to me. I am beginning to think that I have reached the lowest point of a sustainable bf% and am looking for some people to support me. If I can't sustain it, so be it, but I want to have a full on six pack at least once in my life. If anybody has some motivation or advice or whatever to help me push through this please talk to me. I'm very much against arguing over who is smartest so if we could stick to reasonable comments I would appreciate it. I recognize a bold body may very well need a bold routine but that doesnt mean you have to call someone stupid or anything. Facts/science/positivity is what I like to see. Thanks guys!
Some more information on my training:
Running: I'm running 50+ miles a month with an average pace of 9min30sec/mile. It varies per day from 2mi to 6mi but I'm committed to this nike+ coach program. I'm going to complete it because thats what I do. I finish what I start. Afterwards (a month from now) I am open to suggestions such as HIIT or biking or whatev. Add me on Nike+ if ya got it.
Weightlifting: At the moment I don't have the luxury to adhere to a strict routine involving machines or weights. However, I have been managing to go to the gym a minimum of 3 times a week and do a fast paced upper-body workout (with a tiny amount of squats and lower-body). This includes supersets of whatever I can think of (thats balanced between push and pull) that will squeeze into 45min-1.5hr. Other than that, I work hard in the country and I do incline push ups and situps and curl random crap throughout the day.
Again, thanks for whatever input you got for me!
I'm 27, 5'10'', ~165 and was in the army for 5 years. I'm no stranger to fitness but have always gotten stuck at the point you see in the picture as far as body fat percentage. I have never counted calories like I am now but its not seeming to matter. It's been two months now and no major differences. Also, I quit smoking two months ago from a 14 year habit. In the first week, I gained fat and reached a weight that I have never weighed before. This rekindled my interest in fitness and I then quickly started a 'coach' program on nike+ to better my 5k personal record. Its a 8 week program. I'm in week 5 now and have already beaten my record from my army days. So, as far as running, I am still gaining. My strength still seems to be slowly gaining as well. It's just that I want to lose body fat percentage the most. This whole aesthetic bodybuilding thing is what appeals to me. I am beginning to think that I have reached the lowest point of a sustainable bf% and am looking for some people to support me. If I can't sustain it, so be it, but I want to have a full on six pack at least once in my life. If anybody has some motivation or advice or whatever to help me push through this please talk to me. I'm very much against arguing over who is smartest so if we could stick to reasonable comments I would appreciate it. I recognize a bold body may very well need a bold routine but that doesnt mean you have to call someone stupid or anything. Facts/science/positivity is what I like to see. Thanks guys!
Some more information on my training:
Running: I'm running 50+ miles a month with an average pace of 9min30sec/mile. It varies per day from 2mi to 6mi but I'm committed to this nike+ coach program. I'm going to complete it because thats what I do. I finish what I start. Afterwards (a month from now) I am open to suggestions such as HIIT or biking or whatev. Add me on Nike+ if ya got it.
Weightlifting: At the moment I don't have the luxury to adhere to a strict routine involving machines or weights. However, I have been managing to go to the gym a minimum of 3 times a week and do a fast paced upper-body workout (with a tiny amount of squats and lower-body). This includes supersets of whatever I can think of (thats balanced between push and pull) that will squeeze into 45min-1.5hr. Other than that, I work hard in the country and I do incline push ups and situps and curl random crap throughout the day.
Again, thanks for whatever input you got for me!
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Replies
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Good news! I was in the same boat as you were. I worked out all the time, lost a bunch of weight but couldnt get rid of the last 10lbs or so to get that six pack(which was there).
There are two ways to reduce bodyfat:
1) lost fat
2)gain muscle
You are not at the lowest sustainable bodyfat. You are at about the lowest BF that your current program can achieve. Everybody has the ability to get down to shredded unless they have some serious genetic metabolic issues which I doubt you have. For you I would subscribe to option 2. If you are 165 and have 25 lbs of bodyfat you are at 15% If you add 15lbs of muscle to get to 180 you are at 13%. Adding this muscle will make future weight loss much easier.
My recommendation(not specific) is to eat more, drastically decrease the running(makes you skinny fat) and increase the frequency and intensity of your workouts.0 -
How many runners do you see with aesthetic physiques?
You want to focus your exercise on resistance training. I would recommend something like Ice Cream fitness 5x5 routine.
Also, second the opinion that you could gain some muscle at your stats. A period of maintenance (while gaining strength) could be good also.
No where near that much cardio is required for fat loss in most cases (unless you SERIOUSLY eat).0 -
Awesome. I'm thinking you guys are right and your pics second the opinion! As a matter of fact, I just got back from the gym doing 5x5's. Felt good and its a whole different kind of pump I got going on. I like it. Unfortunately, I'm going to stick with the running for 3 more weeks. I signed up for a stupid program and I've gone so far that I can't give up now. It's stupid but some digital 'trophy' means too much to me. The aesthetics will have to wait just a tad bit longer but Im coming! Hopefully by then I'll have a 'set-in-stone' routine that I can follow. Right now Im just winging it by trying to re-live my army days.0
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Have fun with the running, focus on it and do your absolute best. It will give you time to plan a good routine, do your research and come in fired up to gain some muscle. Just be careful when you are done because running is a metabolism killer so adding in too many calories will get you fat fast. I ran half marathons and lifted 6 days in week when I was in the military and had little results in muscle gains.
Practice eating protein. Don't know how much you are getting but try to get in over 200 a day which can be a lot if youre not used to it0 -
Good call. Thanks a ton for the input. You've inspired me. I can't believe I didn't think of these things myself. They seem so obvious now.0
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I'd recommend flipping your routine and concentrate of lifting and making running secondary. Then control your calories though diet vs trying to run it all off.
Your probably due for a change anyway. Good luck0 -
by no means an expert but id lift an hour a day 5 times a week with 20 min of cardio either post workout or in the morning on empty stomach. see how that goes for about a month or two then if still struggling to lose lower calories or up cardio0
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Running is great for your brain and mood. Or cognitive function and your mental health both long and short term. But I will not produce big fat loss. You need at least one session a week of weight training. i keep recommending Wayne Westcotts book Strength and Stamina. You can get a cheap used copy at Amazon. I have that hard cover edition. It was a dollar with the shipping much more expensive than the book. And the recent book Body by Science by McDougall and Little is great and so is Darden's Body fat Breakthrough. The kindle versions are cheapest. Westcott and Darden have PhD in relevant fields or McDougall is MD's. The title and format of Darden's book makes it sound like BS but Darden has produced excellent books for body builders and the diet he recommends is ideal for losing fat and maintaining optimal body composition and health in the long term. All these guys have done relevant research and they cite a lot of studies in these books and their other . There are free you tube talks by Westcott and talks and demonstrations by McDougall.0
