http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25266525

Just how intense are we talking about?

It is best to bulk when in the area of 6-12% body fat, mostly for aesthetics. If you bulk at 15%+ the end result will be fairly overfat, and thus physically unpleasing.

In regard to protein synthesis when someone has a larger body fat%, that is a myth.

Generally speaking, failure sets, cardio until total exhaustion, etc. However, doing some failure sets here and there isn't a big deal. The idea at hand is training the body to complete and total exhaustion, consistently, without proper rest and so forth, will definitely decrease your overall longevity, and can cause serious long term neurological damage.

Hey Ray im running my first 5k November 27th, do u think that gives me enough time to drop my time from 25 mins to around 22?

Also any advice on some training I should do for it? I will still be lifting but my main focus is running.

That is certainly a short time for that kind of time reduction. HOWEVER, anything is possible with great amounts of training and discipline. You need to focus on running a longer distance each day, at least 10 seconds faster than the previous day. You should run 5-6x per week, but give yourself at least one full day off each week.

So, for example -

Week 1 -

Day 1 - Run 6K as fast as possible, record the time.
Day 2 - Run 6K as fast as possible, striving for 10 seconds less than Day 1
Day 3 - Continue, 10 seconds less
Day 4 - Continue, 10 seconds less
Day 5 - Continue, 10 seconds less
Day 6 - Continue, 10 seconds less
Day 7 - OFF


Week 2 -

Repeat all of week 1, except go for 7K this time.


Week 3 - Repeat all of week 2, except go for 8K this time


Week 4 - Repeat all of week 3, except go for 9K this time


Week 5 -

Day 1 - 5K, as fast as possible, record the time (This will tell you how much you've improved)

Day 2 - SPRINT TRAINING - 1 hour of as many 100 yard sprints as possible.

Day 3 - HIIT Training - 1 hour of as much HIIT as you can handle (2/2/1 minutes of fast walk, jog, sprint)

Day 4 - Sprint training again

Day 5 - HIIT training again

Day 6 - OFF

Day 7 - OFF


Week 6 -


5K in the exact same format as week 1 (which was a 6K). Record your times each day and note the progress



Week 7 -

6K just like in week 1, but make sure to take at least 2 days off prior to the actual 5K



By this time, you should have shaved a LOT of time off of your 5K. The key here is DISCIPLINE. No slacking.

Just finished up day 2.
5k time was 23:05. Dat 25 min was a while back.
This was actually a harder course today, some uphill plus it was hot. November I gotta get used to the cold

Hey Raynor,

I've started a cut about two weeks ago, and I have heard from most people to just keep my carbs (mostly complex), at 100grams per day with one 'cheat day' every 6-7 days.
My goal is too make some noticeable changes to my appearance by december, and to get as close I can physically can to a six-pack by around april.

Helpful Info About Me:
-I weigh about 160lbs and am 5'8",
-I worked out on and off for a while last year, and stopped completely for 4 months during the summer.
-I am now working out 4-5 times a week (since september) (5 exercises, 3 sets of 10 reps)
- I am skipping rope for around 10 minutes every morning (before showering, eating, etc..; if that matters)

Is 100 grams of carbs a good place to stay around?
Why is it so necessary to have a cheat day every week?
How many carbs should I be intaking on the cheat days?
Whats the most efficient way to cut without losing a ton of muscle?

Im completely healthy and do not plan on taking a long break from working out again.

Any advice you could give me is greatly appreciated; I love the thread you have. From what I see its helped out a countless amount of people achieve their goals.

Good Morning.


At 5'08 and 160, you are burning around 1,800 cals on your own from BMR. That being said, one hour of intense physical exercise burns around ~500 calories, depending on the level of intensity. You can burn as little as 200-300, and as much as 1,000, but 500 is a good baseline to expect.

In order to lose around 1 lb of body fat per week, you need to have a 3,500 calorie total weekly deficit. That means 500 cals per day, on average. However, cheat days/cheat meals are very important because they actually help prevent the body from getting used to a particular routine, and thus seeing diminished gains. (that was simply put, I spare the scientific jargon unless it's requested).

So if you are burning 1,800 cals per day, and do 1 hr of exercise, that puts you at 2,300 cals per day. HOWEVER, general daily activities, even if they are not directly exercise, also burn calories. Assuming you aren't sitting at a desk or laying on a couch all day, another 200 cals can be expected. Thus, 2,500 cals total burn per day. You need to be 500 cals under that, which puts you at 2,000 cals.

Now, for the carbs. If you are going to cut from any macronutrient, carbs is the most obvious choice, as these directly impact glycogen levels and lead to fat gain when excess are stored.

However, you need a certain amount of carbs at certain times of the day, UNLESS you are on ketosis. If you are on ketosis, you can actually handle a bit more calories, in lieu of having ANY carbs.


Here is my keto diet plan:


http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&p=304616466
anabolic cutting diet (cyclical keto diet)

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=395333577
Keto Food List

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=410086673
Sample Keto Meals



Here are three NON keto diets:


Meal 1 - 3 whole eggs + 5 egg whites + green peppers and onions + 3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked volume) + handful of mixed berries (any) = 40g protein, 35g carbs, 12g fat
Meal 2 - 6 oz grilled chicken + 1 large salad + 1 tbsp olive oil + vinegar = 42g protein, 10g carbs, 12g fat
Meal 3 - 2 slices whole grain bread + 1 can of tuna + 1 oz of 2% cheese + 1tbsp mayo + veggies (tuna sandwich) = 40g protein, 40g carbs, 13g fat
Meal 4 - 4 oz grilled sirloin steak (trim off the fat) + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup brown rice + veggies + 1 tbsp olive oil = 36g protein, 40g carbs, 12g fat
Meal 5 - 35g protein shake + handful mixed berries + 1 slice whole grain bread w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tsp jelly = 40g protein, 35g carbs, 10g fat
Meal 6 - 3/4 cup of 2% cottage cheese + 1tsp heavy cream + handful mixed berries + 10 almonds + cinnamon to taste = 22g protein, 5g carbs, 6g fat


Meal 1 - 2 slices whole grain toast + 2 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tsp jelly + 20g protein shake (half a shake basically)
Meal 2 - 4 oz LEAN ground beef or steak + 1 cup broccoli + 1 cup black beans
Meal 3 - 1 large apple, 1 large banana, 20g protein shake
Meal 4 - 6 oz chicken breast + large green salad + olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 - 6 oz salmon or other fish + green beans + carrots
Meal 6 - 1/2 cup greek yogurt + handful of mixed nuts


First thing upon waking - Drink 2 cups of coffee (or take 3 GAT Jet Fuel) with 20 oz water and perform 20 mins of fasting cardio.
Meal 1 (wait another 15 mins after finishing cardio) - Protein shake w/ 1 cup oatmeal + handful of berries
Meal 2 - 1 chicken breast + large green salad + o-oil and vinegar
Meal 3 - 5 oz lean beef (90/10 or better) w/ mixed veggies
Meal 4 - 6 oz chicken breast + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup green pepper
Meal 5 (assuming this is POST WORKOUT, if not adjust this meal to PWO) - 1 Protein shake + 1 tbsp peanut butter + handful mixed berries
Meal 6 - 1 cup cottage cheese + 1 TSP peanut butter + cinnamon



Lastly, there is intermittent fasting. This is basically when you go approximately 18 hours WITHOUT eating, following 6 hours of eating. This does NOT work for everyone, although some have reported great losses of fat with some muscle sparing. Basically take these three meals, eat them within 6 hours of each other, and then simply do NOT eat until the following day at the same time. Eat during 6 hours, fast for 18 hours (including sleep).


[INTERMITTENT FASTING PLAN]
Meal 1 - 6 whole eggs + 6 egg whites (cooked in olive oil) + green peppers and onions + 1 cup oatmeal (uncooked volume) + 1/2 cup of mixed berries (any) = 72g protein, 50g carbs, 20g fat
Meal 2 - 2 slices whole grain bread + 2 cans of tuna + 1 oz of 2% cheese + 1tbsp mayo/mustard + veggies (tuna sandwich) + 1 baked potato w/ 1 tbsp olive oil = 72g protein, 80g carbs, 20g fat
Meal 3 - 8 oz grilled sirloin steak (trim off the fat) + 1 cup black beans + 3/4 cup brown rice + veggies + 1 tbsp olive oil = 70g protein, 70g carbs, 20g fat




The best way to spare muscle is to keep the deficit you use on the lower side, and make sure to get at least 1.25g / lb of bodyweight of protein per day. Take BCAA's before/during/after workouts as well.


Good luck!

I been having lower back pain when I squat. It's not a sharp pain but more of a sore or aching pain. I like to think that my form is decent enough. My knee doesn't go past my toes and I go low enough where the bar hits the safety bar. I do feel like I'm using my back when I am coming back up. Any tips?

Is the pain mostly when coming back up? Or going down?

Either way, form is a key issue here, as well as lower back strength. Do you train lower back frequently enough?

If you feel that you are lifting with your back on the way up, and not using the legs fully, then using a weight belt, and consciously focusing on DRIVING upwards through the legs will be necessary. You really have to isolate your legs consciously and feel yourself pushing through them, keeping the back straight and not rounded.