HELP! Nutrition for Heavy Lifting

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

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 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.