On my way to the Manly V Shape: Need Critiquing (M/23/190lbs/5'10")

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luonnoliehre

New member
TLDR: Wondering if my diet plan and CrossFit workout regime is a solid path to that manly V-Shaped upper body.

Hi! I am seeking an opinion from the CrossFit Community since I am a CrossFitter. I put in a TLDR to make it easy for some people and I will do my best to not make this a massive text wall.

Goal: First step is to establish a goal. My goal is to acquire that V shape that many in shape men have. Muscles are an important part of this, but I definitely don't need to be strongest the guy in the gym, just have some nice definition. That probably means a BF% of around 12% while also having above average lifting stats. A six pack is also part of this, but I don't want to be absolutely shredded. I would like to be able to turn my fair share of heads when I walk into a public place that has a decent number of attractive women.

About Me: 23. Male. 190. 5'10" CrossFitting for about 10 months now. It is awesome! The Body Comp Analysis that is at one of my local nutrition stores put me at 25.5%. Per the picture would you say this is a correct assessment?

About a year and half ago, the scale read 228 and I was unhealthy. I decided to change and within eight months I got down to 182. This was done mostly through heavy cardio and little eating. I didn't have many muscles. After that I hovered at around 190 and jumped up to 206 back near Christmas. I cut all processed sugar from my diet on December 26th and lost 16. My doctor tells me the weight I need to be at for that V-shape is probably 170, but I think it is actually 160.

I know my "bro-lifts" maxes pretty well, but can't quite remember what my Olympic Lifts look like. Bench: 225 Squat: 350 Deadlift: 385. I think my lifts are fine, but I need to cut fat big time. The Body Comp Analysis also says that I need to loose about 23.6 lbs of fat. It also says my BMR is at 1768.

My plan: My diet will consist of the following Macros: Protein/Carbs/Fat: 215/71/90. This equates to 1954 calories per day. Obviously no processed foods and bad sugars.

I also intend to do CrossFit 4 days a week and do some lifting/ab work for 2 days (covering areas that CrossFit didn't). My box follows the programming that comes from Ben Bergeron (CompTrain) and I'd say its pretty balanced.

The Question: So that's my plan. Drawing from the experience of the CrossFit community, will this plan contribute majorly to achieving my goals? If you have any suggestions I am happy to hear them!

Minor Questions:

I intend to incorporate apples and bananas into my diet. People always smack talk sugar, but if I have an apple or banana with lunch and dinner, is this okay?

When I do reach my ideal level of aesthetics, can I still maintain that look while also relaxing a bit? Like having a donut when someone brings them into work or taking a girl out for ice cream?

Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/4o6sj451hnf...bp&s=7667e1d3506a5d48f98c535fc11b1c7b4e06e86c
 
@luonnoliehre Look up the RP or WAG diet. Get the template, stick to it. Your macros seem random and I’m not sure where you pulled the numbers from but making up your own diet plan seldom will give you the results you’re looking for.
 
@gospelknight Yea I get it. They’re not random. I found a calculator online and put in my info and this is what spat out. Also as a endomorphic individual, I need to stay below 20% carbs per day. I need a lot of protein to facilitate muscle growth and then the fat helps with my energy throughout the day. Don’t worry, I stick to the “eat meat, vegetables, nuts,seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar”

I have an RP template but the time that it takes to think about that is not the time I have. Maybe if I was working only 8 hours a day and not 12 I’d be into it. Not to worry though, those macros are similar macros I spent the last month and a half on. And they worked pretty well.
 
@luonnoliehre I’m on RP and it’s working great. I’ve been doing CF for 8 years, tried it all and this is the best plan I’ve found. It also calculates the timing of the macros and adjusts for rest days, high effort days, etc.

8 or 12 hours a day isn’t a big deal. I meal prep on Sunday and have everything separated out ready to go. Makes it much easier when you can grab and go, gives you no reason to cheat.
 
@gospelknight I’m open to the whole meal prep idea. My issues though are that RP includes like 6 meals a day and violates the KISS rule (Keep it simple stupid) I partly believe that it was way to complicated and that the framework behind it (healthy meats, vegetables and good carbs) can be sustained in any diet. I also don’t like the amount of food it requires one to eat if I’m trying to go from 190 to 160. But what do you think? Are my assertions based off of false assumptions?

Also since you bring up meal prep, can you tell me what type of containers you store your food in for the week? I have to find a really good product for this.
 
@luonnoliehre While I have a fair bit more weight to lose than you I can speak to the "how can I eat so much and lose weight" question. I didn't think RP would work for me, despite having many friends who have been very successful using it. Because of this I went with a 1:1 local nutrition coach. Bumped me up from ~1800 calories a day (I'm short and fat) which is what most calculators suggested I should be eating, to 2700 calories a day and 2 weeks in I'm down 5#.

Not eating enough I have found actually has more negative impact both mentally and physically. Eventually your body goes out of whack hormonally and instead of losing weight you just end up maintaining or gaining because your body has gone into starvation mode. All I can say is that sometimes less isn't more and that you should just trust the process.
 
@luonnoliehre In my opinion, majority of the goals, it seems you'd like to achieve, will actually come from the kitchen. In my experience, I have found the best results from tracking macros and incorporating both CrossFit and Steady State cardio. I know as CrossFitters we say you'll lose the weight doing CrossFit only, and cardio is stupid.. But the truth is, CrossFit 4x per week, and 30-45 mins of steady state cardio/running per week got me down 20 lbs through out this summer.

I would sometimes do steady state, and sometimes do interval workouts. For interval workouts, i would set a distance (something you can comfortably complete in roughly 20-30 minutes), and every 3 minutes do 5 burpees.
 
@luonnoliehre Sorry, meant to put that piece in as well. Yes, steady state to me is basically a very slow pace. Should be able to hold a conversation at that pace, and hold it for 30-45 mins.
 
@chantelle1989g Wow. Good thoughts man. Thank you. The guy who also suggest RP had some good thoughts as well. I think I can probably put together a nice plan given the information I have gotten on this. Thank you bro.
 
@luonnoliehre Four meals a day. Two shakes. And yes, just eating healthy will be better than not, I always ate healthy too but was always carrying extra lbs. Five weeks into RP and I’m down 8lbs and seeing significant results in the mirror. The first week it was complicated getting used to it, measuring, etc but now its second hand. They have an app also, which I hear is even easier than the templates.

I mostly use Pyrex containers, they’re glass which I’m more comfortable putting in the microwave. Kind of expensive, but I’ve picked them up at Costco and places like Marshall’s or TJ Maxx.
 
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