Program Review + Starting a Cut

[sharkbait13]

40M beginner 6'2" 225lbs

Current Goals

• Drop 25 lbs of weight, goal weight is 200-205 lbs (assuming I can build some muscle)
  • Assuming maintenance for me is between 3200-3500 cal/day
  • Starting today to run a 500-750 cal deficit depending on the day.
  • This is roughly 1.5 lbs / week (0.66% of my body weight)
  • Therefore target calories is around ~2750 / day
  • I'm also assuming that my deficit will reduce, the body will adapt, and so this will end up taking until end of August, not end of July (which is when I'd otherwise hit my goal weight)
• Develop lower back and drastically improve core
  • L5/S1 herniation
  • Twisting motions fuck me up

Constraints

• Gym 5 Days a week
• maintain bench and improve technique (225 lbs 1x3 maybe increase weight)
• progress deadlift technique and weight (235 lbs currently for 1x8 and then 3x4, easy)
• maintain belt squat weight (275lbs)

For my main lifts I follow Greg Nuckol's programs. I'm moving from his 3x beginner bench to 2x weekly intermediate, 1x beginner deadlift, and 1x beginner squat.

For most everything else, I follow general advice online (Dr. Mike, Nippard e.g). 3ish working sets, 8-12 rep range depending on exercise (sometimes more), often bringing final set to failure

Sunday​

• Belt Squat
• Leg Press (sometimes to switch it up)
• Bench Press (D1, 1x8, 8+ 70% of e1RM)
• Dips (considering adding these)
• Machine Row
• Single Arm Overhead KB Carry

Monday​

• Cardio - 45-60 minute, 10-15+ mile stationary bike
• Chin/Pull Ups (considering adding these)
• Lateral Raises (considering adding these)
• Hot Yoga

Tuesday​

• KB Swings (warmup for deadlift)
• Dead Lift
  • in between sets do reverse hyperextension (not weighted, gym doesn’t have machine)
• Bench Press (D2, 2x6, 6+ 75% of e1RM)
• Lat Pull Downs

Wednesday​

Rest Day

Thursday (Cardio/Lift)​

• Cardio - 45-60 minute, 10-15+ mile stationary bike
• Good Mornings (considering adding)
  • in between sets do reverse hyperextension (not weighted, gym doesn’t have machine)
• Hot Yoga

Friday (Lift)​

not as much time on Friday, kids swim day

• Bench Press (D3, 3x4, 4+ 80% of e1RM)
• PecDec / Reverse PecDec
• Walking Lunges (5 sets 20 reps each [10 a side], first 3 sets unweighted, last 2 sets with 25 lb kbs)

Saturday​

Rest Day

Note

• was planning to change bench to 2x weekly intermediate program (which days?)
  • this change will add db press, close grip, db fly, tricep extensions as a result
• the yoga classes are hard AF, consider that core work

Thoughts welcome, hope this program appears to be meeting my stated goals

 

[jakson90]

@sharkbait13 I would set your target calories to 2200. You can still hit your protein goals. I'm 36 6'1 and was at 205 and I didn't really get the rate of loss I wanted until I cut much more.. and that's at 2200 calories with an hour of cardio and an hour of lifting 4-5x a week.. Now down to 15% BF , 185 in six months of sticking to the cut ( minus over eating around the holidays ).

 

[olusanya800]

@jakson90 Why would he start at the same deficit as you? He weighs 20 lbs more and has already established his maintenance

 

[jakson90]

@olusanya800 2750 calories to lose 1.5lbs a week? Maybe I'm just jealous of being able to eat that much with those goals.

 

[sharkbait13]

@jakson90 The last time I weighed 185 was after I completed a major cycle tour of France and Spain, we were burning like 7000-8000 calories a day, riding 80 miles every day with 50 lbs of gear, camping, and 10k feet of elevation daily. Lost 8 pounds in a week. My gf, now wife, said I looked like I came back from a war.

Then, I was _all legs_ with very little upper body development. My legs can get back there, but this time I'll have much more upper body mass, so I don't think 185 is realistic for my current goals and build. 200 is I think is going to be the right weight for me.

But let's see, I could be under estimating body fat percentage, maybe I'm at 27% and so 195 ends up being the right spot.

When I've dieted in the past, I end up going over my deficit, so end up cutting more calories than I originally calculate for. I'd rather be conservative and be on track then be disappointed later I think.

 

[hemis7531]

@sharkbait13 Good plan! Get to it bro!

 

[agoodmeasure]

@sharkbait13 I think you're way high on your guess for maintenance calories.

BMR for a 6'2" and 225# 40 year old is 2000 calories a day.

 

[sharkbait13]

@agoodmeasure I'm using this calculator in which I'm using Katch-McArdle algorithm for the calculation and assuming a 25% body fat. That estimate yields 3490 calories for maintenance under heavy exercise 6-7 days a week. I've also run the same thing with a more conservative exercise estimate to arrive at a 3200 calories maintenance estimate, hence the range.

My weight is not moving right now and I assure you I eat far, far, far more than 2000 calories a day.

 

[jely]

@agoodmeasure I'm 6'4" 225ish lbs, 44 yo and my maintenance is 3400 cals. It's very believable that his maintenance is in that range.

 

[agoodmeasure]

@jely Maybe. I'm 6'2" and north of 250. If I ate 3400 calories a day, I'd gain weight rapidly. I do 1 hour HIIT classes 5x/week.

 

[jely]

@agoodmeasure Yes, different people have different TDEE's. That's why you can't rely on an online calculator. You have to measure your daily cals and compare that to how your weight changes over time. He'll actually have to track body weight and cal intake to know for sure but a cal target of 2750 will be a good start.

 

[sharkbait13]

@jely Yup, I've made a spreadsheet already with my expected vs. actual weight, week over week, and the assumed deficit I'm running, so I can adjust that based off of what is actually happening and reassess how long it'll take me.

I eat 4 times a day, do the slight majority of cooking in the house, and eat out once - maybe twice a week, at most, so I've a decent idea of how much I'm eating.

I'm also going to drastically simplify my diet now too, returning to a bit, but not all, of what I did during keto. Standard meals with known calories for example:

- I'm making a smoothie every morning with 2 scoops of protein, a banana, a bit nutella, a cup of milk and ice which is 710 calories.

- Today around 11AM I had 3 eggs on salad greens with avocado toast, honey and chili flakes 625 calories total. Plan on doing this regularly, not every day though

- Yogurt + berries, easy to track cals

Going to add to the repertoire so I don't lose my mind as food is pretty important to me. Rest of the day it'll be easier for me to know what my calorie spend is.

 

[agoodmeasure]

@jely Agreed. Just saying I think his starting point is too high, but that's for him to figure out.

 

[cqmethodist]

@sharkbait13 I won't review your program but I will say I did exactly what you're doing a month ago. I say do whatever you want for exercise but track your gym visits with a watch or chest strap. My watch went right into mfp. I tracked every single damn calorie. Get a smart scale to track your progress and weigh yourself at the same time of day each time. I ended up with more muscle than I started with but don't expect to get super strong during a cut. You will be stronger for sure just not as strong as you could be in a surplus. If you have a place that can test your rmr or a dexascan and can afford them it's a big plus.