Time to reduce fat %

After going through the bulking phase which left me with 127 lb weight and 17% body fat, I decided to shed all the fat while maintaining the muscle. I wanted to go down all the way to 6% body fat. For this I decided to lean in 2 phases.

The first phase of leaning would be cutting down the calorie intake. Still keep eating clean most of the time. Decided to go with 50:30:20 ratio for carb:protien:fat. And keep increasing the weights I lifted while leaning. No cardio at all. The workouts would be Chest, Shoulder and Triceps on Monday, Back and Biceps on Wednesday and Legs on Friday. Simple isn't? I planed to keep doing this phase until I reach 12% body fat and then switch to phase 2.

The second phase would be reducing the calories further and still eating clean. This time the diet will be more protien, less carbs and fat. So the ratio I panned is 50:30:20 for protien:carb:fat. For the workout I will just try to do the same weight that I was doing at the end of phase 1. Not more, not less. In addition I planned on adding some kind of cardio. I will do this until I reach a body fat of 6%.

Simple plan. Should be easy to execute right? Nope. Wait for my next post to see what happens when reality hits you.

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Stats for Oct 2009

So it has been a month since I started bulking up. How am I doing so far? Here are the raw numbers Exercises Squats: 170 lbs, 8 reps Deadlifts: 185 lbs, 10 reps Bench Press: 110 lbs, 4 reps Pull ups: Body weight + 25 lbs, 7 reps Overhead Press: 75 lbs, 6 reps I am doing well in all exercises except bench press. The exercise that is already closest to my goal for end of december is my pull-ups. I can already do 7 reps with 25 lbs hanging off my waist! You can check out my previous post for the goals I have set. Body weight and fat Weight: 120.8 lbs Fat %: 12.2% I am able to add weight as expected. But my body fat % shot up too much. My goal for end of december was to weight 125 lbs at 12% body fat. But I am already over the limit for my body fat %. So I have to lower it and at the same time increase my weight. Very unlikely. I might have to revise my goals, but I will see how it goes and hope to make better predictions for my next bulking phase. It is not at all easy to ke...

Protein powder or a meal: Which is better?

I always like to eat a well rounded meal right after I workout instead of drinking protein shakes or eating protein bars. That is the reason I workout right before lunch. It works well. Protein bars and drinks should only be supplements to your diet but should not be the raw material for building muscle. The natural way to build body is to eat the natural food that is available. I found this interesting video on the same topic. Makes sense doesn't he? Eat solid natural food and lots of it right after your workout. At the end of the meal drink a glass of orange juice or grape juice. This will give you the insulin spike that you need and also some vitamin C to prevent muscle loss after the heavy bout of weight lifting. Give it a try and see the difference. I support eating a protein bar or drinking protein shake during workout session if it lasts a longer than 45 mins. But don't eat or drink so much that you will not be able to eat the huge amount of food that you will h...

The Graphs: November 2009

Here are the weight and fat graphs for November 2009. Body Weight Chart For the first few days the weight gain was slow, but after a couple of weeks the weight went down. Clear indication that I was not getting enough calories. That was when I increased my calories from 1800 to 2000. See my previous post for more details about it. As soon as I increased the calories I saw a sudden and quick weight increase for a couple of weeks and then it started dipping. I am not sure of the reason, but it could be because I was over training. I rested for the first week of december so that should give enough time for my body to recover. Body Fat % Chart The flip side of gaining weight is the fat. I have been constantly gaining fat. Even during the time when I could not gain any weight I was still getting fat. Perhaps over training, muscle loss and calorie deficiencies could be the reason. I have to take better care of my body. We will see how december goes.

Skinny to Strong

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