Hey Guys,
So I am re typing this out again as I miss clicked somewhere else last time and lost my post. Sorry in advance for the wall of text, I know not everyone is going to read it, fair enough just thought I would post anyways.
I am mentally stuck on what I am supposed to do and if the workouts I am doing are optimal or correct, maybe just looking for reassurance here. Sometimes I think it may be low T but I doubt it but really tempted to look at that route but I know or believe that it is not the answer but it could be. However, I should try my real best before even thinking about that.
I started working out in 2018 and from that time til now have been in a deficit most of the times if not eating at maintenance here and there. As I have always been fat, the heaviest being 110kgs(242lbs) at a much shorter height and lowest being 60kgs(132lbs) in 2019 at 5’8”. Besides 2022, I don’t know what I did last year. I either ate at maintenance and trained upper/lower and nothing changed, no recomp no nothing. Don’t really know as I can’t recall last year.
I started off from the bodybuilding forums and read about nutrition and picked a plan from there called f5 full body 3x a week. Using this I have always upped the weights with 2.5kgs(5lbs) for upper and 5kgs(10lbs) for lower, when I stalled a lift 2x a week I would reset (drop the weight by 10-15%) and rinse and repeat. I’ve sometimes taken a week off if I couldn’t get past the weight again after a reset and started again. Have been using this method of progression until recently a gym bro recommend I do 8-12 reps for a set and if I get all 12 reps then increase the weight. During this whole time I have found it really difficult to reach my protein macros, I know I should be getting 0.7lbs/g of body weight and 0.4lbs/g of body weight in fat, filling the rest with carbs. But at most get around 80 - 90g of protein. I stick to a program for 4 - 6 months at most after doing the full body spilt for a year in 2019.
From another post I have found that my maintenance calories are 2,000 and so am currently eating 1500, focusing on 145g protein, 64g fats, and 72g of carbohydrates roughly. I have found that I like to workout 5x a week max as my body recovers in 2 - 3 days, on the second day my muscles are somewhat tender but I can go at it again but the third day my body feels relax and normal. Anyone know of or can recommend a 5x a week workout plan? The problem I find, finding a program is that since I injured myself my mid to lower back aches doing bent over rows, wasn’t like this until recently and I don’t feel comfortable doing dead lifts, bent over rows and now slowly squats as my back feels compromised. I can still RDL’s and don’t feel stressed about doing them and injuring myself.
I did turn a PPL into a PPL R PP R, LPP R LP R and was doing that which was fun but unsure if it’s ok to do and or would lead to unbalances. I doubt it would as long as I am hitting each body part 2x a week, right? Or do I just make my own workout plan aiming to do 2 - 3 exercises for the main muscle and then filling the rest with accessories for 5 - 6 exercises? My main body parts of concern are my chest, triceps and biceps which are lacking severely in my opinion. I really want to get abs and at least bench a plate on each side, squat 2 plates on each side a minimum. Long term goal of looking stocky aka beefy.
Workout Summary:
2018: Started doing SS 3x a week for 3 months, (Sep - Dec)
2019: Doing f5 full body and or f5 upper lower. During this time I was also doing a walking/standing intensive job that sometimes evolved lifting. Went from 78kgs(171.6lbs) to 60kgs(132lbs) in the span on 7 - 8 months while eating 1500 calories, factor in the job probably 1200 calories if not less a day.
2020 - 2021: Fuck yeah! I can finally lean bulk and eat more food that I want, finally getting that physique I dreamed of. NOPE! gotcha bitch, COVID-19 happens, during this time I tried my best to follow things but with gyms opening and closing every other day. The consistency and drive was withering, as my only form of exercise I like is the gym and lifting weights it’s what I like to do and or cardio at the gym on the stair master. Things are not bad here and think I stayed around 60(132) - 65kgs(143lbs) during most of 2021.
2021: This year around June/July I injured myself doing dead lifts and took 6 months off. During this time I listened to my family like an idiot as they said the reason I got injured was because I was not eating adequately enough. So listening to them I started to eat like normal and ballooned to 86kgs (189.2lbs).
2022: I don’t even know what I did this year, as previously stated, I either ate at maintenance and lifted with no recomp or body changes occurring at all.
2023: Start of the year til now I have been trying to cut, some months no weight was loss and sometimes it did. I was having difficulty the start of the year figuring out my caloric intake as my weight was not shifting whether I ate at a deficit of around 300 calories plus cardio of 30 minutes on the stair master or it was me eating at maintenance and thinking that the workout calories burned would create a enough deficit to lose 0.5kgs a week. So going back and fourth til now, I somehow managed to lose the 6kgs during this time.
Lifts from beginner to max:
Bench: Bar > 45kgs(99lbs) 3 x 8 can do 55kgs(121lbs) for 3 x 3
Squat: Bar > 76kgs(167.2lbs) 3 x5 or 5x5 can do 65kgs(143lbs) for 3 x 12 and 160kgs(352lbs) leg press for 3 x 12
Dead lift: Bar > 95kgs(209lbs) or 80kgs(176lbs) for 3 x 8 If I recall correctly
So I am re typing this out again as I miss clicked somewhere else last time and lost my post. Sorry in advance for the wall of text, I know not everyone is going to read it, fair enough just thought I would post anyways.
I am mentally stuck on what I am supposed to do and if the workouts I am doing are optimal or correct, maybe just looking for reassurance here. Sometimes I think it may be low T but I doubt it but really tempted to look at that route but I know or believe that it is not the answer but it could be. However, I should try my real best before even thinking about that.
I started working out in 2018 and from that time til now have been in a deficit most of the times if not eating at maintenance here and there. As I have always been fat, the heaviest being 110kgs(242lbs) at a much shorter height and lowest being 60kgs(132lbs) in 2019 at 5’8”. Besides 2022, I don’t know what I did last year. I either ate at maintenance and trained upper/lower and nothing changed, no recomp no nothing. Don’t really know as I can’t recall last year.
I started off from the bodybuilding forums and read about nutrition and picked a plan from there called f5 full body 3x a week. Using this I have always upped the weights with 2.5kgs(5lbs) for upper and 5kgs(10lbs) for lower, when I stalled a lift 2x a week I would reset (drop the weight by 10-15%) and rinse and repeat. I’ve sometimes taken a week off if I couldn’t get past the weight again after a reset and started again. Have been using this method of progression until recently a gym bro recommend I do 8-12 reps for a set and if I get all 12 reps then increase the weight. During this whole time I have found it really difficult to reach my protein macros, I know I should be getting 0.7lbs/g of body weight and 0.4lbs/g of body weight in fat, filling the rest with carbs. But at most get around 80 - 90g of protein. I stick to a program for 4 - 6 months at most after doing the full body spilt for a year in 2019.
From another post I have found that my maintenance calories are 2,000 and so am currently eating 1500, focusing on 145g protein, 64g fats, and 72g of carbohydrates roughly. I have found that I like to workout 5x a week max as my body recovers in 2 - 3 days, on the second day my muscles are somewhat tender but I can go at it again but the third day my body feels relax and normal. Anyone know of or can recommend a 5x a week workout plan? The problem I find, finding a program is that since I injured myself my mid to lower back aches doing bent over rows, wasn’t like this until recently and I don’t feel comfortable doing dead lifts, bent over rows and now slowly squats as my back feels compromised. I can still RDL’s and don’t feel stressed about doing them and injuring myself.
I did turn a PPL into a PPL R PP R, LPP R LP R and was doing that which was fun but unsure if it’s ok to do and or would lead to unbalances. I doubt it would as long as I am hitting each body part 2x a week, right? Or do I just make my own workout plan aiming to do 2 - 3 exercises for the main muscle and then filling the rest with accessories for 5 - 6 exercises? My main body parts of concern are my chest, triceps and biceps which are lacking severely in my opinion. I really want to get abs and at least bench a plate on each side, squat 2 plates on each side a minimum. Long term goal of looking stocky aka beefy.
Workout Summary:
2018: Started doing SS 3x a week for 3 months, (Sep - Dec)
2019: Doing f5 full body and or f5 upper lower. During this time I was also doing a walking/standing intensive job that sometimes evolved lifting. Went from 78kgs(171.6lbs) to 60kgs(132lbs) in the span on 7 - 8 months while eating 1500 calories, factor in the job probably 1200 calories if not less a day.
2020 - 2021: Fuck yeah! I can finally lean bulk and eat more food that I want, finally getting that physique I dreamed of. NOPE! gotcha bitch, COVID-19 happens, during this time I tried my best to follow things but with gyms opening and closing every other day. The consistency and drive was withering, as my only form of exercise I like is the gym and lifting weights it’s what I like to do and or cardio at the gym on the stair master. Things are not bad here and think I stayed around 60(132) - 65kgs(143lbs) during most of 2021.
2021: This year around June/July I injured myself doing dead lifts and took 6 months off. During this time I listened to my family like an idiot as they said the reason I got injured was because I was not eating adequately enough. So listening to them I started to eat like normal and ballooned to 86kgs (189.2lbs).
2022: I don’t even know what I did this year, as previously stated, I either ate at maintenance and lifted with no recomp or body changes occurring at all.
2023: Start of the year til now I have been trying to cut, some months no weight was loss and sometimes it did. I was having difficulty the start of the year figuring out my caloric intake as my weight was not shifting whether I ate at a deficit of around 300 calories plus cardio of 30 minutes on the stair master or it was me eating at maintenance and thinking that the workout calories burned would create a enough deficit to lose 0.5kgs a week. So going back and fourth til now, I somehow managed to lose the 6kgs during this time.
Lifts from beginner to max:
Bench: Bar > 45kgs(99lbs) 3 x 8 can do 55kgs(121lbs) for 3 x 3
Squat: Bar > 76kgs(167.2lbs) 3 x5 or 5x5 can do 65kgs(143lbs) for 3 x 12 and 160kgs(352lbs) leg press for 3 x 12
Dead lift: Bar > 95kgs(209lbs) or 80kgs(176lbs) for 3 x 8 If I recall correctly