Saint Nick's DYEL Log

[Saint Nick]

What is your BCAA intake? I know you have a lot more muscle mass than I do, at least based on your strength. I am about 205, 15%ish BF. My whey protein has 5g BCAA in each serving so I'm wondering if I need extra. I want to cut the cals down but really want to minimize the muscle loss.

 

[Koing]

What is your BCAA intake? I know you have a lot more muscle mass than I do, at least based on your strength. I am about 205, 15%ish BF. My whey protein has 5g BCAA in each serving so I'm wondering if I need extra. I want to cut the cals down but really want to minimize the muscle loss.

Day to day:
5bcca morning
5bcaa before bed
plus the 5bcaa in each 2 scoops I take, I take about 6-8scoops a day

Training days (4x a week)
5 bcaa morning
17g bcaa pre training: exceed
15-18g bcaa during training
2 scoops of protein during training after the bcaa are out
2 scoops protein directly after training
5 bcaa pre bed

I take 2 scoops of whey when I wake up and 2 scoops before I go to bed.

My full supplementation is listed here along with everything I eat. Notice the past 2 days of eating has been sh!t due to being out but I got my supps and my protein in LOL. Everyone was like WTF? You took 10 scoops and 2.5 days worth of supps with you? Yes I did.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/koing

1st rule of cutting, DO NOT CHANGE YOUR CALORIES. Change your MACROS to better macros. See how the weight drops offs.
After it levels out, cut calories by 200-300 (30-40carbs, 9-15fats)
May add some cardio/ hit 2x a week

It's about doing things bit by bit so you can readjust things to keep on losing weight. And making it sustainable. Most people can't go from 3500calories high in carbs, fats and low in protein to low carbs, fats and high protein.

You won't lose much muscle if you cut slowly and as long as your protein and bcaa are high imo. I just jumped in right at the deep end but I've always kept my protein high and bcaa high. It's even gotten higher during my cut.

If you have never cut before you will learn a lot but use the above as a guideline imo. I like being leaner but I don't like being no where near as athletic. So for me I've traded in athleticism for aesthetics.

97-99kg bf around 20%, 37inch around belly button, Sn 130, CJ 158k Cn 160 and nearly jerked it about 10x, Racked 170, FS 191, FS 181x3

87kg bf around 13%, 31inch around belly button, Sn 105, CJ 135kg, Cn 140 3x, close on the Jerk, missed it, probably Cn 145, FS 155, FS 145x3

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

Koing thanks for the great post. I was eating at 2700 calories for a long time, but since the fat loss has seemed to stop, I wanted to adjust. What do you think about this?

2500 calories
188g carbs (30%)
219g protein (35%)
97g fats (35%)

I am probably still upwards of 15% and would like to get down to a good BF to look good before getting back on a "leaner" bulk where I'm not eating at a massive surplus. I'm very unsure of my body fat. I can see some abs when I flex but thats about it. Still some love handles/stomach buldge going on. Not sure if its from my posture or what.

 

[Koing]

Koing thanks for the great post. I was eating at 2700 calories for a long time, but since the fat loss has seemed to stop, I wanted to adjust. What do you think about this?

2500 calories
188g carbs (30%)
219g protein (35%)
97g fats (35%)

I am probably still upwards of 15% and would like to get down to a good BF to look good before getting back on a "leaner" bulk where I'm not eating at a massive surplus. I'm very unsure of my body fat. I can see some abs when I flex but thats about it. Still some love handles/stomach buldge going on. Not sure if its from my posture or what.

I'd say yes go for that. MONITOR your weight everyday, build out a 7 day average as this represents more than your 7days on a Sunday or whatever day you choose. You should be able to lose 0.5lb a week, just monitor it and be honest with yourself. 188g of carbs is a luxury

Once it has stopped I'd look to add cardio 2x a week if its possible, if not I'd drop the carbs to 160 and fats to 85 or so. I'd always keep protein high. Add in BCAA's in to your diet. They are pretty cheap.

15 to 10% is easily doable within 12-16 weeks of consistent dieting.

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

Great stuff... thanks again. Picked up some BCAAs, too. I'm guessing as my body fat goes down, my calories will also need to go down? I guess I'll only readjust as often as I need to.

Here's to a more steady and consistent cut.

Been out of town playing with the band but will be getting my lifts, mobility, and some cardio this week.

 

[Koing]

Great stuff... thanks again. Picked up some BCAAs, too. I'm guessing as my body fat goes down, my calories will also need to go down? I guess I'll only readjust as often as I need to.

Here's to a more steady and consistent cut.

Been out of town playing with the band but will be getting my lifts, mobility, and some cardio this week.

No probs mate. It's cool to help someone out

Only adjust if and when you stall for 3 weeks and everything has been consistent. But my guess is you should be able to drop fat for at least 6-8 weeks without having to readjust. Hell it doesn't matter if you readjust after 4-5 weeks. The main thing is YOU have *strategies* to readjust and keep on losing weight when you hit a plateau. The annoying thing would be to drop your calories to say 2000 or whatever and you stall out after 6-8 weeks. Then you have NOTHING to readjust as you have thrown everything at the weight drop.

Don't worry that the fat loss is slow. You don't want to be xxx and lose too much muscle for the sake of being at a given weight. You want to preserve as much muscle mass as you can whilst losing fat . What you weigh for the most part is irrelevant as long as you are dropping fat.

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

6/17/2013
Did some mobility work and BB good mornings last night (72.5 lbs) in order to help fix my posture. A personal trainer friend also suggested doing some "lower ab" work such as hanging leg raises to pull my back straighter.

I plan on going in for my usual lifts tonight: squat, bench, and row. Probably will keep the squats lighter (225lbs) than usual as I worked my hamstrings pretty hard last night. Been eating 2500 the past couple days while keeping protein high. Feeling pretty good, albeit sleepy.

Sounds like the GF and I will be going out of town for Friday - Sunday, so I will get another lift in this Thursday, then lift on Sunday when I get home. Might cheat a bit and get some BBQ this weekend

 

[Koing]

6/17/2013
Did some mobility work and BB good mornings last night (72.5 lbs) in order to help fix my posture. A personal trainer friend also suggested doing some "lower ab" work such as hanging leg raises to pull my back straighter.

I plan on going in for my usual lifts tonight: squat, bench, and row. Probably will keep the squats lighter (225lbs) than usual as I worked my hamstrings pretty hard last night. Been eating 2500 the past couple days while keeping protein high. Feeling pretty good, albeit sleepy.

Sounds like the GF and I will be going out of town for Friday - Sunday, so I will get another lift in this Thursday, then lift on Sunday when I get home. Might cheat a bit and get some BBQ this weekend

The BBQ is cool man. I think this Monday 3 of us are going to an all you can eat BBQ rib place after we train

http://www.bigeasy.co.uk/v1/index.aspx

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

6/18/2013
Squat: 225 (5, 5, 5)
Bench: 145 (5, 4, 4)
Row: 130 (5, 5, 5)

It was a good lift. I did miss my last reps on my bench. This happened last time, but I didn't have my GF to spot me this time so I had to dump the weight Everything else felt great.

Eating 2500 is definitely different. I am hungry... a lot. But I am keeping track and hitting my targets easily day to day.

Not sure if we're still going out of town, but the BBQ we were planning on getting is still on my mind.

 

[Koing]

You are hungry on 2500?! What were you eating before? I guess i was eating 3000+ and then cutting to 2200 for 8 weeks and now I'm adjusting to 2400, it feels like a LUXURY to have 2400 LOL. Also the days I do some cardio I get 200cals to eat as well. I'll eat some or bits and pieces but my swimming cardio isn't so intense.

MP 85 @ 87.4kg today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V15tyPHAe74

Bw within 4 weeks?!

With the extra calories I can have a wholemeal pita and olive oil spread pre training. I had 2 of them last night to carb up a bit and I felt great in the gym today.

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

I bulked on 3500 between October 2012 and early April 2013. Cut down to about 3000 for a few weeks, then dropped and ate 2700 for a few weeks.

So yeah... I'm really missing doughnuts and other sweets >: )

 

[Koing]

I bulked on 3500 between October 2012 and early April 2013. Cut down to about 3000 for a few weeks, then dropped and ate 2700 for a few weeks.

So yeah... I'm really missing doughnuts and other sweets >: )

What was your max weight on your bulk?

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

212 lbs. Down to about 204-ish now

 

[Koing]

212 lbs. Down to about 204-ish now

Okay.

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

6/20/2013
Squat: 185 (5, 5, 5)
OHP: 75 (5, 5, 5)
Deadlift: 255 (5)

Pretty discouraging lift today.

I was wondering about my squat form, and had my girl film it. It was horrible. I'm definitely not going deep enough and I lean forward too much at the start. I lightened the weights up, took a few more videos, and sent them to Koing for a critique. He really helped me out, and now I need to get to work on bettering my form. This sucks because I'm going to need to take off a lot of weight and pretty much start over on my squat. It's discouraging because I spent a long time thinking I could do 250 with good form -- that isn't the case. I tried to go deeper on my squat with 185 and it was really, really tough. I'm not sure if I should go back to eating at a surplus or not, so that I can build muscle with my corrected form.

OHP felt nice. I feel pretty confident on this lift but I should probably film it. I felt confident on my squats a few weeks ago and now I don't at all.

Deadlift was good. Probably should get a form check here, too.

 

[Blackjack200]

6/20/2013
Squat: 185 (5, 5, 5)
OHP: 75 (5, 5, 5)
Deadlift: 255 (5)

Pretty discouraging lift today.

I was wondering about my squat form, and had my girl film it. It was horrible. I'm definitely not going deep enough and I lean forward too much at the start. I lightened the weights up, took a few more videos, and sent them to Koing for a critique. He really helped me out, and now I need to get to work on bettering my form. This sucks because I'm going to need to take off a lot of weight and pretty much start over on my squat. It's discouraging because I spent a long time thinking I could do 250 with good form -- that isn't the case. I tried to go deeper on my squat with 185 and it was really, really tough. I'm not sure if I should go back to eating at a surplus or not, so that I can build muscle with my corrected form.

OHP felt nice. I feel pretty confident on this lift but I should probably film it. I felt confident on my squats a few weeks ago and now I don't at all.

Deadlift was good. Probably should get a form check here, too.

I've been there. The first time I tried starting strength I paid for a personal trainer to help me with the lifts because I wanted to make sure I was getting the form right. I got up to a 295 lb. squat before I got suspicious and took a video of my form which revealed that I was not getting parallel and even after I deloaded the lift I found I still lacked the flexibility to go any deeper. Hang in there, keep in mind that when you get it back up to 255 (and you will), you'll be stronger than you are now.

The good news with the deadlift is that there's really no way to cheat it. As long as you're keeping your back flat, if the weight comes up, it's been lifted fairly, even if the form is a bit off.

Similar with OHP, unless you're leaning back excessively, it's pretty hard to cheat the lift.

 

[Saint Nick]

Thanks for your encouragement. You're right -- I'll get back at it. Just sucks when you think you're making great progress and all of a sudden, you're stepping back.

My legs are so destroyed. I did a lot of squats yesterday trying to see what "felt" correct in between filming and doing my sets. There are parts on my legs/glutes that have never been sore...and they certainly are today.

I really don't know how I'm going to correct my "leaning forward" issue. I think I do that as a result of my (poor) posture. When I stand up straight with only the bar on my back, I feel like I can't find my center of gravity, and lose balance. This could also be why I "lean forward". It felt like my center was right there. I always figured as long as the bar is lined up with my heels I should be good.

Back to the grind!

 

[repoman0]

Thanks for your encouragement. You're right -- I'll get back at it. Just sucks when you think you're making great progress and all of a sudden, you're stepping back.

My legs are so destroyed. I did a lot of squats yesterday trying to see what "felt" correct in between filming and doing my sets. There are parts on my legs/glutes that have never been sore...and they certainly are today.

I really don't know how I'm going to correct my "leaning forward" issue. I think I do that as a result of my (poor) posture. When I stand up straight with only the bar on my back, I feel like I can't find my center of gravity, and lose balance. This could also be why I "lean forward". It felt like my center was right there. I always figured as long as the bar is lined up with my heels I should be good.

Back to the grind!

I went through the same deal with squats -- had to go from 235 for 5 to 155. I was going too deep though which somehow makes it easier for me.

Anyway don't sweat it, the numbers don't matter too much -- as long as you're challenging yourself you're getting stronger. I'm stronger now squatting 195 correctly than I was doing 235 not quite correctly. It comes back quickly. I was back at 225 for 5 within a month or so but I'm running now 3x/week which sort of kills it.

As for the leaning forward. Keep your weight mostly on your heels throughout the lift. If you feel it transferring to your toes you're probably leaning over. You might want to lighten it up even a bit more than 185. Remember, not a big deal since it will come back quickly and if it's a challenge it means you're getting stronger, potentially in places you haven't really worked before as you mentioned in a previous post.

 

[Koing]

Thanks for your encouragement. You're right -- I'll get back at it. Just sucks when you think you're making great progress and all of a sudden, you're stepping back.

My legs are so destroyed. I did a lot of squats yesterday trying to see what "felt" correct in between filming and doing my sets. There are parts on my legs/glutes that have never been sore...and they certainly are today.

I really don't know how I'm going to correct my "leaning forward" issue. I think I do that as a result of my (poor) posture. When I stand up straight with only the bar on my back, I feel like I can't find my center of gravity, and lose balance. This could also be why I "lean forward". It felt like my center was right there. I always figured as long as the bar is lined up with my heels I should be good.

Back to the grind!

Don't worry about it mate. Real depth and form will mean you improve and get much stronger properly. Doing the exercise properly is the most important thing in getting a good work out. Don't be one of those guys that are doing form poorly but shifting an okay amount of weight.

I rarely see people squat 3 plates breaking parallel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaQPfi8f27E

Work on your goblet squats every other day for mobility and you will get it. It takes time and work but if you put in the time you will be able to do a full squat properly. Get oly shoes as well. They will help you squat in the meantime, but this doesn't mean you can slack with your stretching

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

I mostly lean forward from my hip on up. I always make sure the weight is on my heels, but I do break at my hip. Is that still incorrect? Should I be standing as straight up as possible? If I do that, I lose balance very easily which makes it feel uncomfortable.

A lot of guys on YouTube break at the hip and "lean forward". But the barbell is still lined up with their heels.

Bought some Risto weight lifting shoes. Hope they fit.

 

[Koing]

Think of it as *sitting inbetween your feet*
Push your knees out to track along your feet
Keep your chest upright as possible

Work on the goblet squat video. This will help you to squat properly. You must do leg windmills forwards and backwards and then side to side as 2 different dynamic stretching exercises.

The lifting shoes will help you out a lot but keep working on stretching.

I've never heard about breaking from the hips. I always *sit down* inbetween my feet as I squat.

Yes focus on standing more upright in the squat. You should be holding your breath and squeezing your abs to steady your trunk as you unrack the bar. Always take a deep breath and squeeze out hard to contract your trunk to be tight before you squat down. You will get use to this. Use less weight initially as you are simply not use to doing this. It will feel odd to start with.

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

Goblet squats are really going to help out. The leg windmills were tough for me since I'm already very unflexible. The video below is from last night. I did a lot of goblet squats and leg windmills (or what I could) and did a few sets of five. I can't say I'm terribly motivated right now because of this issue, but I did just buy an expensive pair of weightlifting shoes so I hope that I can get back into this...lol. Going to start all over with the bar!

http://youtu.be/kaz4l0I5j7k

 

[Koing]

Goblet squats are really going to help out. The leg windmills were tough for me since I'm already very unflexible. The video below is from last night. I did a lot of goblet squats and leg windmills (or what I could) and did a few sets of five. I can't say I'm terribly motivated right now because of this issue, but I did just buy an expensive pair of weightlifting shoes so I hope that I can get back into this...lol. Going to start all over with the bar!

http://youtu.be/kaz4l0I5j7k

Leg windmills will help your mobility out a lot along with goblet squats. Just keep working on it it will slowly but steadily improve

Koing

 

[Saint Nick]

6/29/2013
Squats: 95 (5, 5, 6 [lost count], 5, 5)
Bench: 135 (5, 5, 5)
Row: 130 (5, 5, 5)

After I video taped myself squatting, I felt pretty discouraged about weightlifting in general. So, I took the next few days to mostly work on doing some mobility exercises that Koing suggested, namely the goblet squats and the leg windmills. I have also been getting more familiar with properly doing the low bar squat. Today I finally decided to put some weights on the bar, and I worked up to about 95 lbs and felt that was good. I could have gone heavier, but I am going to take this progression slow as I relearn. I'm really hoping that when I get great squat form, a lot of my other lifts will improve as well. Here are a couple sets from today's lift. http://youtu.be/QJPZier2J6g

Bench and row felt great. I still do feel confident on these lifts as far as form goes. I have video taped them in the past and compared to others on YouTube, but I think it would be beneficial to get some actual input on them. Likewise with my OHP and deadlift.

I ordered some Risto olympic weightlifting shoes. They'll be here July 2nd. Really looking forward to those!!!

Diet has mostly been in check. I haven't hit my protein goals perfectly the past few days, and am trying to get back on track. Yesterday, my band played a massive pool party and I drank a few more beers than I should have. Also ate relatively poorly. Ah well, I'm glad I lifted today. I plan on doing some swimming later so that should hopefully get me back to a deficit.

 

[Saint Nick]

7/2/2013
Just been doing some leg windmills and goblet squats. Sort of been playing around with form with the bar.