I need help from the ones that helped me before!

[Geovicsha]

In regards to my history, I'll cut a long story short: My 2008 New Years Resolution was to lose weight; I did this through power walks/jogs, changing my eating habits and having a Diary/getting help on these forums - in the end, I lost about 26kg by July 2008!

When starting my weight loss journey, I thought it would be a pretty black and white journey: lose weight and therefore become confident with my body. But it didn't work out that way: I still have plenty of body fat on me; if I sit down, I can still feel the man boobs, the love handles and the soft stomach – I’m still not comfortable and confident with my body. When I sit down for along time, I have temporary stretch marks under my breasts and where those love handles were. People are always stunned and congratulating me on my transformation, but they only see me with a top on. I mean, sure, I’m proud of my achievements, but the ultimate outcome is not how I initially imagined it nearly two years ago (seems like yesterday in a lot of ways…)

In December 2008 I went to my local gym, and gained a bit of muscle in my arms, but this was little as I wasn't having enough protein/I was probably still having a caloric deficit. I plan this time to have a caloric surplus which includes lots of protein (steak, chicken, protein shakes etc). I don't know if I should continue on my cardio; would doing so contradict muscle growth? I do cardio these days mainly to keep me healthy in the mind, release endorphins and feel good about myself, but I don’t want it to halt muscle growth progress.

I feel very self-conscious posting these pictures, but I definitely need to in order to show you all what I’m dealing with here. Would gaining muscle reduce this body fat? Do you think I need to, perhaps, lose more weight first with cardio training (I don’t personally think so, but I also think it’s worth asking)? Or maybe, this is actually excess skin and a whole new kettle of fish? Although, it doesn’t feel loose like excess skin, but still that fat that I’ve had essentially all my life.

In the end of the day, I am seeking a workout plan that will eliminate this excess body fat and build muscle. Perhaps I should start with the 5x5? I somewhat tried it last year, but I don’t think my heart was in it. Steve sent me a private message this time last year giving me a workout plan, maybe I should follow that?

I’ve only got a month left at my university location until I return home for the holidays; I was thinking of just getting a one month membership here, then moving on to my hometown gym and continuing growth. Just like part one of my transformation, I have a goal: to have some muscle growth by my 21st birthday – January 23, 2010.

Help from any of you, like you’ve done so before, would be extraordinarily appreciated.

Attached are the pictures I’m talking about, and a picture of what I look like with my top on.

Peace to you all,
Shannon x.

 

[Geovicsha]

Just realised there's a max of five pictures allowed, here's a couple more. Usually I have back fat on a different angle, I guess this is just a good picture?

May as well update a few, such as me as Superman!

Peace!

 

[Omega]

I would be inclined to follow the workout plan that Steve suggested.

How many grams of protein are you currently eating on an average day (I presume that you still log through fitday - at least when toying with changing things about).

If you are not getting 1g per pound of body weight - I would be aiming for at least that in your shoes. I know that the RDA is woefully inadequate for people doing a lot of exercise - and that some people shoot for more - even 1.5g per pound.

Other people will be able to advise you better regarding your main questions.

 

[Geovicsha]

How many grams of protein are you currently eating on an average day (I presume that you still log through fitday - at least when toying with changing things about).

Hey, Margaret! I haven't began logging or taking my protein yet, I was beginning to do this upon when I first join a gym. I actually forgot about fitday, I didn't really use it that much even when I lost weight, and just stack to the diary.

 

[Omega]

A bit of revision of the nutrition section is probably called for. Especially those sticky threads. There is so much more to good nutrition than just counting calories. Try to remember some of the things that Kimberly had you doing in those old challenges of hers - they tended to be little nutrition lessons in themselves.

I ran a challenge over the summer - and you could do a lot worse than double check that you are doing a lot of the good habits that I had the people doing there.

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/club-challenges/32212-summer-shake-up-challenge-scoresheets.html

Being at goal weight is no reason to abandon good nutrition. The only real difference is that the calorie balance can work out even so that you have more calories to eat / drink.

I am absolutely positive that you were doing all those things while you were losing weight - but will have got a little relaxed in that area over the past year and a bit - living the student lifestyle...

I really do think that protein and exercise are going to make a big difference for you.

It may also be worth you doing a bit of a self-analysis exercise on why you did not follow through with that workout plan that Steve did for you before. Just like weight loss - you know that it always takes a lot of hard work to change our bodies.

Remember - you did not start to lose weight when you first joined the forum - it was in the New Year when you committed to the task that you achieved everything. It took consistent hard work.

In a similar way - you asked for the plan - but were not ready to do the work. You need to get your head in the right place to put in the consistent hard work.

 

[KaraCooks]

I'll chime in with my $0.02 as well.

You asked if gaining muscle would reduce body fat or if you needed to lose more weight first with cardio. That, to me, says that you are confused about the basics of exercise; cardio, weight/strength training, and muscle/fat loss.

So here's the scoop at it's most basic.

When you lose weight via calorie reduction and cardio only, you lose both fat and muscle. Some sources say it's close to 50/50, some say less, some say more. Regardless of the overall percentages, you lose a lot of muscle. There are only two ways to retain muscle while losing weight - and to skew the percentage towards more fat and less muscle.

The first way is to make sure you get sufficient protein. Ideally you should aim for 1g of protein per pound of goal body weight - for you that would be around 155-160g of protein per day. Ideally as much of that should be from food based sources - not protein drinks, bars, etc. There's nothing wrong with including protein powder in your diet to help boost your intake, but it should be one element of a whole diet, not the main source of protein. And, IMO, using protein powder or protein drinks as meal replacements is not a good idea.

The next way to maintain muscle is to WORK the muscles. That means weight lifting. That means body resistance work. That means strength training. That means NOT doing the whole "low weight high reps" thing that so many trainers are pushing. Low weight/high rep is nothing more than endurance and more cardio. The only way to make muscles grow is to WORK THEM.

Now, why is maintaining muscle important, you might ask. Why not lose all the weight you want to lose and THEN build muscle.

First, muscle is metabolically active. When you shed lean muscle, you are lowering your metabolism by removing the type of tissue that helps burn calories. If you think about it, that defeats the purpose right? What you're trying to do is burn MORE calories ... so why would you intentionally destroy the tissue that will help you with that?

Second, when you lose muscle, it takes a LOT longer to build it back. So if you shed muscle, then you stop dieting, and gain weight back, you don't gain back that muscle you lost, you gain back more fat. So you're actually worse off than you were when you started - you've dropped your muscle even further and gained more fat.

Third, when you diet w/out maintaining muscle, you wind up at a place a lot of us call "skinny fat". That means you've lost weight, but your body still doesn't look "fit" or healthy - that "toned" look that everyone wants. It just looks flabby. You might not be fat - but you don't look good. (This is, I suspect very close to where you are!)

Now, that said, I like cardio (to a degree). I understand what you mean about getting a rush from it and feeling better. I don't think you need to cut it out if it makes you feel good. I thnk you just need to re prioritize your working out so that cardio is not the main focus.

There is a post in the exercise section by Steve called "The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting". I STRONGLY suggest you read it and take it to heart. If you look at the workouts he's designed - which are pretty generic - and incorporate them into your plan, you WILL see results. I guarantee it.

If I were to give you specific advice, I'd tell you to do the following:
- eat around 2200 calories a day (to start with)
- make sure you get 150g of protein per day
- watch your sodium carefully and try to keep it below 2400
- follow one of the routines Steve mapped out in the thread I mentioned
- fill in around the weight lifting with cardio as you want to

From there, you can decide if you want to drop your calories a bit to speed up the fat loss, or if you're feeling good on 2200. You may even find out that at first you're not actually losing weight by the scale, but your body is changing shape - that's also good. Don't let the scale be your only guide - it could be that your body will change composition as you start growing muscle again and you'll actually lose inches w/out losing pounds.

Ok, I know that was long, but I hope it helps.

 

[Geovicsha]

A bit of revision of the nutrition section is probably called for. Especially those sticky threads. There is so much more to good nutrition than just counting calories. Try to remember some of the things that Kimberly had you doing in those old challenges of hers - they tended to be little nutrition lessons in themselves.

I know there's more to good nutrition than just counting calories, that's why I still try to eat pretty healthy. Ah yes, those challenges were very good for nutrition.

Being at goal weight is no reason to abandon good nutrition. The only real difference is that the calorie balance can work out even so that you have more calories to eat / drink.

I am absolutely positive that you were doing all those things while you were losing weight - but will have got a little relaxed in that area over the past year and a bit - living the student lifestyle...

Yeah, you're basically right, Margaret. I mean, I still eat healthy and try to remain with a healthy lifestyle, but I am not so disciplined on myself in regards to junk food. I think, though, I might need to get back into that strict discipline mentality that helped so much to achieve my weight loss.

I really do think that protein and exercise are going to make a big difference for you.

It may also be worth you doing a bit of a self-analysis exercise on why you did not follow through with that workout plan that Steve did for you before. Just like weight loss - you know that it always takes a lot of hard work to change our bodies.

I guess the workout plan with weights intimidates me somewhat; all the equipment, moves etc. And I didn't really have money for a gym at the time. But at the end of the day, I don't think my heart was completely in it.

Remember - you did not start to lose weight when you first joined the forum - it was in the New Year when you committed to the task that you achieved everything. It took consistent hard work.

I couldn't agree more, but I guess this community was the support I needed. And I need support to give me my motivation. And that's why I think if I wish to accomplish this and keep a strong mentality, I need my friends such as you.

In a similar way - you asked for the plan - but were not ready to do the work. You need to get your head in the right place to put in the consistent hard work.

Indeed I do, and I'm back!

I'll chime in with my $0.02 as well.

You asked if gaining muscle would reduce body fat or if you needed to lose more weight first with cardio. That, to me, says that you are confused about the basics of exercise; cardio, weight/strength training, and muscle/fat loss.

I guess I am a tad.

When you lose weight via calorie reduction and cardio only, you lose both fat and muscle. Some sources say it's close to 50/50, some say less, some say more. Regardless of the overall percentages, you lose a lot of muscle. There are only two ways to retain muscle while losing weight - and to skew the percentage towards more fat and less muscle.

Yeah, that makes sense. The thing is, I didn't really have much muscle to begin with when I first started losing weight, so I probably lost what little in the first place. And now I virtually have no muscle, and thereby I have this "skinny fat" dilemma.

The first way is to make sure you get sufficient protein. Ideally you should aim for 1g of protein per pound of goal body weight - for you that would be around 155-160g of protein per day. Ideally as much of that should be from food based sources - not protein drinks, bars, etc. There's nothing wrong with including protein powder in your diet to help boost your intake, but it should be one element of a whole diet, not the main source of protein. And, IMO, using protein powder or protein drinks as meal replacements is not a good idea.

I couldn't agree with you more, I was never intending to supplement protein powder for main food sources, I was intending to do simply boost the intake.

The next way to maintain muscle is to WORK the muscles. That means weight lifting. That means body resistance work. That means strength training. That means NOT doing the whole "low weight high reps" thing that so many trainers are pushing. Low weight/high rep is nothing more than endurance and more cardio. The only way to make muscles grow is to WORK THEM.

Definitely - no pain, no gain.

Now, why is maintaining muscle important, you might ask. Why not lose all the weight you want to lose and THEN build muscle.

First, muscle is metabolically active. When you shed lean muscle, you are lowering your metabolism by removing the type of tissue that helps burn calories. If you think about it, that defeats the purpose right? What you're trying to do is burn MORE calories ... so why would you intentionally destroy the tissue that will help you with that?

Second, when you lose muscle, it takes a LOT longer to build it back. So if you shed muscle, then you stop dieting, and gain weight back, you don't gain back that muscle you lost, you gain back more fat. So you're actually worse off than you were when you started - you've dropped your muscle even further and gained more fat.

Although it's too late to turn back the clock now, and I'm happy that I've still maintained weight and whatnot, I feel a bit of regret not focusing on muscle maintenance at all during my weight loss. Perhaps I wouldn't be in this mess now!

Third, when you diet w/out maintaining muscle, you wind up at a place a lot of us call "skinny fat". That means you've lost weight, but your body still doesn't look "fit" or healthy - that "toned" look that everyone wants. It just looks flabby. You might not be fat - but you don't look good. (This is, I suspect very close to where you are!)

I suspect it is exactly where I am.

Now, that said, I like cardio (to a degree). I understand what you mean about getting a rush from it and feeling better. I don't think you need to cut it out if it makes you feel good. I thnk you just need to re prioritize your working out so that cardio is not the main focus.

So weight lifting is the primary workout routine, while cardio supplements it - yeah, no doubt. I'm just worried that cardio would result in a caloric defecit, but then again, with a sufficient diet this shouldn't occur.

There is a post in the exercise section by Steve called "The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting". I STRONGLY suggest you read it and take it to heart. If you look at the workouts he's designed - which are pretty generic - and incorporate them into your plan, you WILL see results. I guarantee it.

Will check it out after this post!

If I were to give you specific advice, I'd tell you to do the following:
- eat around 2200 calories a day (to start with)
- make sure you get 150g of protein per day
- watch your sodium carefully and try to keep it below 2400
- follow one of the routines Steve mapped out in the thread I mentioned
- fill in around the weight lifting with cardio as you want to

Good points, but excuse my ignorance, but I don't particularly comprehend the last point? "Fill in around"?

From there, you can decide if you want to drop your calories a bit to speed up the fat loss, or if you're feeling good on 2200. You may even find out that at first you're not actually losing weight by the scale, but your body is changing shape - that's also good. Don't let the scale be your only guide - it could be that your body will change composition as you start growing muscle again and you'll actually lose inches w/out losing pounds.

But if I drop my calories a bit to speed up the fat loss, thereby I get a caloric deficit, then I won't be able to gain muscle, true? You cannot lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. And I know all too well that the figure on the scale is trivial compared to the image in the mirror. That would be amazing, however, to actually lose this skinny fat and finally be happy with my weight loss.

Ok, I know that was long, but I hope it helps.

It both helped substantially and got me asking questions, so yay!

Thanks to you both, guys.

 

[MikeSlough]

i think your diet plan is not well.

 

[MikeSlough]

But if I drop my calories a bit to speed up the fat loss, thereby I get a caloric deficit, then I won't be able to gain muscle, true? You cannot lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. And I know all too well that the figure on the scale is trivial compared to the image in the mirror. That would be amazing, however, to actually lose this skinny fat and finally be happy with my weight loss.

 

[Geovicsha]

I have not revealed my diet plan onto the forums, and indeed even created an official one yet for muscle growth?

 

[KaraCooks]

Good points, but excuse my ignorance, but I don't particularly comprehend the last point? "Fill in around"?

Sorry - that probably wasn't clear. What I meant was make weight lifting your primary form of exercise and then do cardio when you have extra time. For example, my workouts are based around lifting weights on M-W-F. If I don't have time for anything else, I still do that. Then if I have time, I "fill in" on T-Th, and on the weekends with some form of cardio. Sometimes I even do cardio AFTER my M-W-F weight sessions.

Now I make sure to do more cardio because I'm still actively working to lose weight and so I want the calorie burn, but if you're maintaining or wanting to build muscle, then your cardio can be more of a "fill in" during the times you're not liftin.

But if I drop my calories a bit to speed up the fat loss, thereby I get a caloric deficit, then I won't be able to gain muscle, true? You cannot lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. And I know all too well that the figure on the scale is trivial compared to the image in the mirror. That would be amazing, however, to actually lose this skinny fat and finally be happy with my weight loss.

It is true that in most situations you can't gain muscle while you're losing weight. There are 2 exceptions: one is if you're very overweight and the other is if you're very out of shape. I think you probably will fit the 2nd one.

It is actually possible to make significant gains when you're out of shape - which just makes sense. Going from nothing to something is a HUGE improvement ... vs. going from some muscle to more muscle.

At this point for you, I based my calorie suggestion on close to a maintenance level at least until you get some weight training under your belt. If, once you're building strength again, you think you might want to lose some more fat, you can always drop calories more.

And remember that even though you're not gaining muscle in a calorie deficit, if you're getting enough protein and doing weight training, you're stilll building strength and muscle shape, even if you're not adding new muscle.

 

[Tamago]

If you are trying to get muscle then no you do not need cardio. I don't do cardio anymore except once a week I do a 3-4 mile run to keep my system in shape but that's it..The reason is that you really need the (good) calories to gain muscle, and if you do cardio a lot those good calories are going to be used as fuel for energy instead of your muscles. You can still do cardio if you like, but you are going to need to eat more so you don't fall into a deficit, and given how filling yet low calorie a lot of the foods you will mainly be eating are (like veggies, proteins) it can be a pain actually to get more in. You're about the exact age/weight I was when I started so I'm guessing this will all apply strongly to you. I understand the release you get from doing cardio, but the one you get from seeing muscles and leanness forming is like 10x better Especially after the first few initial months of serious and proper weight lifting you'll look like a new person.

And if Steve gave you a workout plan, boy you follow it!!

 

[Geovicsha]

Sorry - that probably wasn't clear. What I meant was make weight lifting your primary form of exercise and then do cardio when you have extra time. For example, my workouts are based around lifting weights on M-W-F. If I don't have time for anything else, I still do that. Then if I have time, I "fill in" on T-Th, and on the weekends with some form of cardio. Sometimes I even do cardio AFTER my M-W-F weight sessions.

Thanks for that. When I went to the gym last year and lifting some weights (without sufficient protein, mind you) I would do cardio BEFORE and AFTER lifting weights. I guess this probably wasn't wise in hindsight.

Now I make sure to do more cardio because I'm still actively working to lose weight and so I want the calorie burn, but if you're maintaining or wanting to build muscle, then your cardio can be more of a "fill in" during the times you're not liftin.

Sounds good to me!

It is true that in most situations you can't gain muscle while you're losing weight. There are 2 exceptions: one is if you're very overweight and the other is if you're very out of shape. I think you probably will fit the 2nd one.

By "losing weight" did you mean "losing body fat"? I also assume you mean that I'm out of shape in the physical sense, but not the fitness sense?!

At this point for you, I based my calorie suggestion on close to a maintenance level at least until you get some weight training under your belt. If, once you're building strength again, you think you might want to lose some more fat, you can always drop calories more. And remember that even though you're not gaining muscle in a calorie deficit, if you're getting enough protein and doing weight training, you're stilll building strength and muscle shape, even if you're not adding new muscle.

So you think that I should perhaps lose some fat first by just maintaining muscle, eat 150g of protein a day etc rather than build new muscle straight away? When should I build new muscle straight away, then? I guess when I feel it is time? Or should I straight away start building new muscle? Thanks!

If you are trying to get muscle then no you do not need cardio. I don't do cardio anymore except once a week I do a 3-4 mile run to keep my system in shape but that's it..The reason is that you really need the (good) calories to gain muscle, and if you do cardio a lot those good calories are going to be used as fuel for energy instead of your muscles. You can still do cardio if you like, but you are going to need to eat more so you don't fall into a deficit, and given how filling yet low calorie a lot of the foods you will mainly be eating are (like veggies, proteins) it can be a pain actually to get more in. You're about the exact age/weight I was when I started so I'm guessing this will all apply strongly to you. I understand the release you get from doing cardio, but the one you get from seeing muscles and leanness forming is like 10x better

Yeah, I know. I just need exercise now when I feel like I'm on a bit of a mental down spiral (another story), so I do hope weight lifting still suffices for that. I'm going to join the gym here tomorrow, even just for a month. Get me in form upon once I return to my hometown.

Hello vegies, proteins, chicken breast, fruits and shakes!

Especially after the first few initial months of serious and proper weight lifting you'll look like a new person.

Oh boy!

And if Steve gave you a workout plan, boy you follow it!!

I'll look at it now and show you guys what he gave me; I can't believe it was in August 2008. I tried it for a bit, I guess it just looked somewhat intimidating.

I read by one of you (I forget which) that I should do a full body workout, however Steve back then recommended differently.

I would focus on a upper lower split where you rotate between training your upper body and your lower body.

A typical training split would be something like:

Monday: Upper
Tuesday: Lower
Thursday: Upper
Friday or Saturday: Lower

The first upper day can be heavy horizontal and light vertical.

That could be heavy bench and rows and light overhead press and pulldowns.

The first lower day can be quad dominant.

That could be Squats followed by some romanian deadlifts and single leg work.

The second upper day would be heavy vertical and light horizontal.

This could be push presses and pullups followed by db bench and cable rows.

The second lower day would be glute/ham dominant so you'd focus on deadlifts and then leg presses or some more single leg work.

Arms, calves and core can be thrown into the mix at the end of any one of the days, even all of them. But not all of them all at once.

Make sense?

I still don't know what half of those exercises are, so I guess I need to do research! I cannot believe I am back to this form full time, about to start a diary like I did nearly two years ago and start counting calories.

It feels like I'm starting all over again; it's very nostalgic.

 

[Geovicsha]

I'd just like to add I weigh about 70kg right now, this is the highest I've been for about a year as a few months ago I was averaging 67-68kg. In a way I want to get back to that figure first before building muscle, but in another way I know it doesn't really mean much and 70kg is still healthy for my height, and the only way I'll lose the body fat is if I tone up and build muscle.

 

[KaraCooks]

By "losing weight" did you mean "losing body fat"? I also assume you mean that I'm out of shape in the physical sense, but not the fitness sense?!

Whenever I say losing weight I am definitely talking about losing fat. Keep in mind that if you are losing weight *some* muscle loss is inevitable. In general, unless I'm specifying otherwise, I'm talking about a healthy and balanced weight loss program that maximizes fat loss and minimizes muscle loss. As far as the other ... when I say "out of shape" I mean that you have that skinny fat thin going. Your weight isn't necessarily the issue for you (or not much anyway) - it's the fact that you haven't got any muscle development (or not much anyway ).

So you think that I should perhaps lose some fat first by just maintaining muscle, eat 150g of protein a day etc rather than build new muscle straight away? When should I build new muscle straight away, then? I guess when I feel it is time? Or should I straight away start building new muscle? Thanks!

I get the feeling you *might* be overthinking the whole lose-fat-vs-build-muscle thing. You're kind of bolloxed up between eat more and gain muscle vs. eat less and lose fat and you're making it into an either-or that it doesn't have to be.

At this stage your muscles are underdeveloped - from a combination of calorie deficit (dieting), lack of muscle maintaining exercises, and lack of quantity of protein. Right now, even if you eat at a calorie deficit (a reasonable one) you're going to build muscle and strength if you (a) eat enough protein and (b) work your muscles.

Keep in mind that when we say build muscle, there is no such thing as building "new" muscle. Just like fat cells - you have a certain amount of muscle in your body that is genetically programmed in. You can build that muscle up by feeding it properly and exercising it properly, or you can tear it down by underfeeding it and not using it (letting it atrophy). But when we talk about eating more to "build" muscle - you're not building more muscle fibers. You're giving the ones you have nourishment to reach their maximum potential.

I would suspect that if you eat at what *should* be maintenance for your weight, plus you lift weights and eat enough protein, you'll build muscle and lose fat. I think weight wise you'll be balancing things out, but composition wise, you'll be changing the balance of muscle to fat and changing the shape of your body.

As you see the changes in your body, I think you can THEN decide ... it's time to eat more calories and make the muscle building go faster. But really, unless you're trying to drop into single digit bodyfat numbers, then it's really not necessary to stress about the whole drop bodyfat vs. gain muscle dilemma.


Ok, so looking at the workout Steve gave you back over a year ago, it seems you were in a different place then and his workout was set to that.

The thread I told you about? The one called The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting? READ IT.

There is a series of workouts in there that are designed for people just starting out. First of all he says:

Diet will rule above all else for losing fat. Weight training applied as I laid out will preserve muscle mass. Limited cardio will help skew where calories are coming from and going to (in terms of fat and muscle) in a somewhat positive way. The rest is all up to diet and your genetic tendencies towards fat and muscle losses.

Then he goes on to define a couple of variations of a basic, getting started, workout:

Building on the above foundation, here is ONE WAY of setting up a weight lifting routine to match your goals. Keep in mind, which should be obvious by now, that this is merely one slice of a much larger pie... the pie being the total, optimal approach to losing fat and keeping/adding muscle.

In essence, you could get away with doing something as simple as:

Squat - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Bench - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Row - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps

You could do that 2-3 times per week and be golden. It's plain. It's simple. And when applied using the above... it'll work in terms of increasing strength and preserving muscle.

Granted, many would get bored with it pretty fast. That's why I'll typically add some variety. This could be accomplished by merely changing up the exercises each day you train. You could do something like an A program and a B program and alternate the two. You could extend that to an A, B, and C program if you'd like.

For instance, using the A/B template you could do:

Template A
Squat - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Bench - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Row - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps

Template B
Deadlift - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Overhead Press - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
Chinup - 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps

And that could work well for a long while.

Personally, I like to vary the intensity and volume over the course of a week though, which the above is not doing. I find my clients like this better too, and to be honest, it's probably a good idea to avoid stagnation and work a the muscle using a variety of loading parameters.

With that in mind, I might do something like:

Template A
Squat - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps
Bench - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps
Row - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps

Template B
Deadlift - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Overhead Press - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Chinup - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps

So that would be the core of the "program" for the time being. I'm going through this to *sort of* show you the steps that go through my mind when I'm thinking of this, assuming you're interested in that, lol.

Once the core is established you can add in accessory stuff which might make it look something like:

Template A
5-min jog on treadmill
Foam rolling and dynamic mobility stuff
Squat - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps
Bench - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps
Row - 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps
Single Leg DB Romanian Deadlifts - 2 sets of 8-12 reps
Bicep Curls - 2 sets of 10-12
Planks - 2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds

Template B
5-min jog on treadmill
Foam rolling and dynamic mobility stuff
Deadlift - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Overhead Press - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Chinup - 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Single Leg Squats - 2 sets of 8-12 reps
Tricep Extensions - 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Pallof Presses - 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps

To fit this into a weekly format, you could do something like:

Monday: Template A
Tuesday: Metabolic Work
Wednesday: Template B
Thursday: Metabolic Work
Friday: Template A
Saturday: Metabolic Work
Sunday: Off

The following week everything would be the same, however the resistance training would be BAB instead of ABA.

*Metabolic work is simply your basic conditioning/cardio type work. This can include, steady state cardio, tempo running, interval training, low intensity circuit training, complexes, etc. If you aren't familiar with some of them, don't worry about it now. This type of work includes aerobic and anaerobic (HIIT for example) types of cardio.

And this is only a suggestion - again not written in stone at all! You might need more or less metabolic work. You may do more high intensity metabolic work in which case you'd likely want to group sessions of high intensity stuff on the same day to allow for more recovery. You may want to make an ABC template rather than an ABA-BAB template. The list goes on and on.

You could ride this out until you stop making gains, are burned out, mentally bored, etc. At that point, you could back off the weight lifted in each exercise which would let some fatigue dissipate, than start back at it focusing on progressing from that point. Or you could change your exercise selection, rep/set selection a bit, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless.

I would follow that workout - either the basic squat/lift/row 3x a week, or either of the A/B splits as he described. Getting fancier than that, at this point in your weight lifting journey, would be confusing, IMO.

Start with the basics and see where you are in 6-8 weeks. Then make adjustments as necessary.

 

[KaraCooks]

In a way I want to get back to that figure first before building muscle,

Ok, ok, ok, ok. Something just hit me.

I think in some ways we've created a monster by reinforcing that you can't build muscle while in a calorie deficit. I think a lot of people look at that and say it's a 100% either/or and that means if you want to lose weight, you don't lift weights ... because you don't want to build muscle because that means you can't lose weight ...

And it becomes this horribly skewed cause and effect of "if I lift weights I won't lose fat". So people say they're going to wait to lift weights until they've lost all the fat they want to lose.

WRONG.

When we say that you can't build muscle while in a calorie deficit, we're simplifying the whole process and mostly addressing the whole "you're swapping muscle for fat" mindset.

But factually, biologically it's NOT that black and white. The body doesn't shut off all nutrients to the muscle simply because you're eating fewer calories. The body funnels more energy towards your daily life, and therefore the muscles get less - but if you're working the muscle, then your body is going to send SOME nutrition to those muscles as well. It's not like a series of doors where your body just slams shut the door on the muscle and says (metaphorically speaking) "No soup for you!"

If you start using your muscles, your body will begin to send nutrition their way. It's not going to be able to send the amount of nutrition for growth that it could send if you were not eating at a calorie deficit, but it will be able to send some - it HAS to. And for probably 80% or more of the population out there, their muscles are so underused that they are going to build muscle and strength when they start lifting, no matter what kind of calorie deficit they are in.

Think of it like maintaining your car, ok? There are several things that you have to do to maintain your car simultaneously - you can't just focus on one and let the others go hang. You can't decide you're going to change the oil regularly, but you're not going to worry about the tires until they're bald and falling off the rim, right? You can't say you'll fill it up with gas once a week, but you won't check the oil until the oil light comes on. You have to maintain ALL the parts of the car at the same time so that it runs as a cohesive unit.

Your body is the same. You can't say "I'll focus on fat right now and deal with the muscle next month". You have to deal with all the parts of your body together so that it runs as a healthy, cohesive unit.

Don't make it an either/or dilemma because it's NOT. Right now you're close to your goal weight (w/in 2-ish kg, right?) and you know that you've let your muscles slide. If you eat healthily but not too much and you properly work your muscles, I think you'll find that you CAN build some muscle and lose some fat at the same time - because of where your body is right now. That balance will change as you develop the muscle, but for now, just relax and let your body do what it's going to do.

 

[Geovicsha]

Thanks Kara, that post basically explained most in regards to body fat/muscle maintenance. I posted a diary before, so check it out! I guess further discussions will occur there: Diary 2.0