input on dieting / bodybuiding

[Steel 0]

Ok I will try to summarize by stating my priorities.
1. To get down to a 32" waist without letting my chest get under 42"
2. After #1 is met to attempt to get my bench max as close to 400lbs. as possible.
3. Without screwing up #1 to get my chest between 46-48".
4. To keep my weight between 180-185 LBS.

In the past this is the closest I have come to those goals.

1. Waist down to 33"
2. Bench max at 340 lbs.
3. Chest at 44"
4. Weight right around 200 Lbs.

This is the sorry condition that I am in now.

1. Waist just under 35" (was approaching 36 a month ago when I realized I severly needed to diet)
2. Bench max, which was at 340 six months ago is unknown, I feel so much weaker because of my recent diet that I am guessing its as low as 270 LBS.
3. Chest is just over 43"
4. Weight is at 200 Lbs. currently

Steps I have taken to deal with my catastrophy.
1. Documenting every single calorie I take in on and excel sheet and maintaining a low carb diet equaling between 1600 and 1900 calories per day. (BTW I am 5'9")
2. Swimming 5 times a week for 1-2 hours, for a distance of 1.5-2 miles with 30 second breaks every 5-10 minutes.
3. Working out as best I can considering how weak I feel from the lack of calories.

That is my situation. Anybody who has been through something like this and knows a better way, (Preferably somebody whose bench max is between 300-400 lbs. or a professional dietician who truly knows what they are talking about) your advice would be appreciated
thanks

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[JoeyRamone 0]

Let me have a smoke, some food and a beer. I will get back to you on this one....

[Blahr 0]

While your max goal is certainly attainable, I dont know if its possible to put that much muscle on your body and keep your weight at 180 lbs.

You are setting a goal (given your preferred weight) of being able to bench 2.2 times your body weight.
Thats huge and if you can accomplish it, more power to you.

I have been body building for a good number of years. I have yet to achieve my own goals which, from the sound of things, are VERY similar to your own except for the weight. I dont see myself achieving that 400 lb. goal at less than 200 lbs body weight.

I currently weight in at 205 lbs. I'm 5' 10" with a 34" waist and a 48" chest.
My max bench as of 4 days ago is 340 lbs. I've been stuck at 340 lbs max for a number of months now. If I can hold it there till I get down to 195, then I will begin to push again.

I am not currently taking any suppliments other than multi-vitimins and protien. Once I'm ready to push upwards again I will start a cycle of creatine supplimentation doing a 2 month on one month off rotation. I have had exellent results using creatine in the past but it does add weight as your muscle cells uptake more water.

I am working to put my weight at 195 lbs right now without sacrificing any muscle mass.

losing 10 lbs (in a short time) without losing strength
is quite a challenge. Especially since I like cookies so damn much :-)

[dustin19d 0]

If you every feal tired from lack of calories then you are doing something wrong!!!

Its very posible to reach your goal and not feal hungry.

[Steel 0]

Quote

While your max goal is certainly attainable, I dont know if its possible to put that much muscle on your body and keep your weight at 180 lbs.

You are setting a goal (given your preferred weight) of being able to bench 2.2 times your body weight.
Thats huge and if you can accomplish it, more power to you.

I have been body building for a good number of years. I have yet to achieve my own goals which, from the sound of things, are VERY similar to your own except for the weight. I dont see myself achieving that 400 lb. goal at less than 200 lbs body weight.

I currently weight in at 205 lbs. I'm 5' 10" with a 34" waist and a 48" chest.
My max bench as of 4 days ago is 340 lbs. I've been stuck at 340 lbs max for a number of months now. If I can hold it there till I get down to 195, then I will begin to push again.

I am working to put my weight at 195 lbs right now without sacrificing any muscle mass.

losing 10 lbs (in a short time) without losing strength
is quite a challenge. Especially since I like cookies so damn much :-)

thanks I need to run right now because I have a tech job to do. But I will leave you with one other question. How is your diet? Do you following it? Keep track of it? Do you think calories matter if they are carbs as opposed to protein or something else? I guess those are things I am concerned with because ever since I have been on this diet 1600-1800 I have unusally week. Even with my hands getting cold. And that has made me start to wonder if I am doing more harm than good.
talk to you later

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[AggieDave 6]

I put up 275 for reps, so yeah, my bench max should be around 340(Clicky (don't do it, not worried about my max and am not willing to risk injury just for that).


I'm sure you know the carb tricks used to drop bodyfat. The thing is, though, it is impossible to keep size/strength and drop off those extra %s when you get to your stage in lifting/dieting.

Cycle it, do 12-weeks of dieting, 6 weeks of massing, etc.

Also, are you keeping your protein intake up during the dieting? If not, then you'll definately loose muscle.

Are you eating "clean"?

Oh, btw, it looks like you may have taken your calorie intake too low for your goals. You may need to bump them back up and realize that it'll take some time to burn off that extra %.

You may also be doing too much cardio. When your calarories are that low and you're still lifting hard, adding that much cardio will make your body burn off some muscle, since its gone into a starvation mode.


Side note: Yeah, I've still got my beer gut, but I'm not to a diet point yet. Right now I'm cleaning my diet up again, trying to put just a bit more mass on before I go into a diet cycle.

Some numbers of mine:

Bench: 275lbs for reps
Squat: 450lbs for reps
Deadlift: 405lbs for reps

Not real impressive, but not bad either.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skipro101 0]

Well, counting calories never works for me. I think you have the experience to make this work, so all you need to do is listen to you body.

In my experience, after about my 3rd year of lifting/running, i found that other people dont really know shit. I know why my body needs to make it do what i want to, the atkins, bill's BFL, and stupid exercise balls are great for getting you started, but its best to make your own conclusions about the whole thing.

In other words, I think you just need to stay consistant, moniter your progress (or lack thereof) and make changes accordingly.

As far as the calorie thing, you probably know this, but just make sure you have either 1 day of high caloric intake with whole grains, fruits and veggies, or 2 days of caloric intake that is above your daily caloric usage. (in other words, eat a lot one day or just kinda alot on two days). This way you dont put your body emergency mode and make it think it needs to hang onto that fat.

Also, be honest with yourself, while cutting, your not going to make the gains or be as strong as when your not catabolic. Just by cutting my running down from 20min 5 days a week of interval sprints, to 10min 3 daysa week of jogging. I am noticably stronger. My squat goes from a max of 350 to 420. Perhaps part of it is mental, but i really tihink the caloric resrrition AND the running (or swimming in your case) really has an adverse affect on your lifing gains. So, just be realistic.

let us know how it goes.

• Quote

[Blahr 0]

Quote

Oh, btw, it looks like you may have taken your calorie intake too low for your goals. You may need to bump them back up and realize that it'll take some time to burn off that extra %.

I'll answer your last question and heartily second what AggieDave said here.
Your caloric intake is too low. You should either add calories or cut down the cardio some. Myself, I advocate increasing the calories. If you are like me (slow metabolism) you NEED the cardio to reduce your body fat but you also need to calories because you are pushing your body hard. Keeping your intake that low invites illness and injury.
It would also be a good idea to use a good high potency multi-vitimin/mineral suppliment.

I'm currently on 2500-3000 calories per day. I dont count them religiously but rather just take note of averages. Nutrition is extremely important but counting calories isnt imperative.
My diet consists mostly of protien and carb with very little fat (cept for those damn cookies).
280 - 300 grams of protien a day. Carbs fill out the rest. I try to minimise the carbs at night.
I dont drink alcohol. That a shitload of carbs there plus it dehydrates you which is VERY BAD. Keep properly hydrated at all times. VERY IMPORTANT.

This isnt preaching. If yo are serious about your goals, dont consume any alcohol on a regular basis. Once in a while is fine, but keep it to a minimum.

I am on a fairly hard core physical routine.
I do 90 minutes or cardio a day 7 days a week. 60 in the AM before breakfast and another 30 in the evening after weights.
I have a 4 day training split on a 6 day rotation for weights.
ie:
day 1 Arms (bi's tri's)
day 2 Back & legs
day 3 off
day 4 shoulders (delts & traps)
day 5 chest
day 6 off
back to day 1

the weight routine is a pain sometimes because the rotation is les than a week meaning that various body parts do not fall on the same day every week but come up 1 day shorter each week (if that makes sense)

The effect of this routine is that I am losing fat at a rate of 1 lb per week (give or take a few oz.)
At this rate it will take nearly 3 months to lose 10 lbs BUT I wont drop any muscle mass or strength in the process. You already know how disheartening it is to lose strength you worked so damn hard to get. I am seeking to avoid that mental anguish.

note: once I'm ready to start pushing up the max again I will reduce the cardio. I only have it this high right now because I'm trying to lean out.

The key to it all? Patience.
You have lofty goals. Thats awesome. Realize that they will take time to achieve and dont quit

[steve1 5]

I hope these are long term goals because it might take many years to achieve them, and it might not ever happen without the right genetics and a whole lot of discipline. I agree with the others that your calorie intake is probably too low. And I doubt if you are going to be able to lose that much weight and still keep increasing your maximum bench press. Try to take the weight off slowly or you are likely to lose a lot of muscle in the process. The first week of dieting you might lose five pounds or more, but after that a lb. a week is about right. Expect the poundages you lift to go down when you are dieting. Don't expect them to increase. After you get your body weight down where you want it, you can start increasing your calories some and increasing your bench. You should also be taking some supplements if you are dieting to avoid too much muscle loss. Aerobic work like swimming will help keep you from entering a starvation mode when dieting. It will keep your metabolism sped up, but again this can be detrimental to building muscle mass and strength. You'll be doing well just to hang onto the muscle you have while cutting back on calories. Many bodybuilders take steroids for that purpose alone...To keep most of their muscle mass while dieting. Don't be tempted to take that route!

I'd say two hours a day swimming is way too much aerobic work, if you are also training hard with weights. As another person mentioned, listen to your body. Yours may react differently than someone elses. Don't expect the progress that many professional body builders make. Often times their gains are exaggerated in books and magazines. Also most of these guys are genetically gifted. Expect to feel really crappy if you are dieting and lifting hard. The two don't go well together. I'm no expert. You are already handling heavier poundages than I ever have. I was never blessed with a great genetics, but at one time I was a competitive body builder. It took me four contests on a state and interstate level to realize I'd never be another Arnold. But I still like to lift and it was a real challenge training for those contests. Dieting is a real bitch.

Right now, I'm hoping to lose some pounds myself, mainly so my new jump suit will still keep me up. I have at least ten lbs. to go. Maybe if I tell enough people about my diet, maybe I'll stay on it this time. When I was competing, the thought of looking fat in front of an audience is what kept me from fudging. Getting up in front of a couple hundred people in a skimpy pair of trunks is one of the scarier things I've ever done. Today I'm too comfortable I guess. I'm old and love junk food, grease, and beer, but I still like to train....Steve1

[rocketdog 0]

i have NO IDEA about bodybuilding & all that stuff, but after taking a ton of college Health/Dietetics courses, be careful that you're eating healthy! SERIOUSLY, you can do major damage to your muscles/tissues and body in general -- especially if you're not getting enough vitamins, minerals, water, proteins, etc.

just realize that its not always whats on the outside either (sorry, that was SO cheesey but true!)

see the world! http://gorocketdog.blogspot.com

[skydivingchad 0]

It sounds like your goals are almost too specific in nature, with such a narrow range of acceptability in your chest/waist/weight measurements. Everybody's body type is different, and there are certain genetic limitations as well. I agree with everyone else, do it slow. Be careful with this starving yourself thing, your body needs food to build muscle. Building muscle, even with minimal dieting, will increase your basal metabolism and burn the fat you want to get rid of.

I am 5'3" and 3 years ago weighed 225. That sucked. I started tae bo. Lost 35 lbs. 8 months ago started going to the gym. So far have lost another 35 lbs, though the first 4 months I was actually gaining weight due to increased muscle mass. I do weights 3 days a week, about an hour. I regularly bench 3 sets of 15 reps of 110, could probably do at least double that if doing less reps. And I'm only a girl. Before and after I do weights, I do 20 mins of some form of cardio. Then 3 days a week I do an hour and a half of cardio. I take Sundays off.

I have found that when things stop re arranging or I stop losing weight and plateau a bit, if I shuffle my workout around, do something even a little bit different, I'm off the plateau.

My diet is to cut back on carbs for bfast and lunch. Dinner I eat pretty much whatever I want. No big macs or anything like that, but I don't starve myself either. I cut out coffee and drink tea, cut out snacking. Basically, it's a diet that I don't feel starved on, I don't have to use much mental energy to keep to, and has worked beautifully. I'm down 5 dress sizes.

Be careful, be realistic, don't overdo it.

Jen (Mrs. Chad(

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
Pelt Head #3