A few more questions

I'm on day 6 of keto, i started saturday, and have lifted heavy every day high intensity etc, i started at 182lbs, i'm down to 173 today (9lbs in 6 days) that's a little bit scary, is it normal? I haven't lost any strength in terms of lifts, my bench i actually set a rep pr, and i set a 10lb pr on deadlift too....

my diet looks like this, basically same thing everyday

EC
aminos
workout
2 scoops protein powder
4 strips of bacon 6 eggs tons of cheese
3 sausages
tuna with mayo
casein shake with evoo and flax seed

i'm drinking 4.5+ litres of water a day, and urinating a lot, i've only had the neon yellow pee like 3 times, but i've yet to feel lethargic or lazy, am i doing something wrong?

i want a push/pull/legs routine where i do not overtrain during lifting days

also i want to know a lean bulking diet 40/40/20?

i only have access to around my bodyweight in grams of protein per day, thus the rest into carbs and minimum fats?

It would be better for you to reduce carbs AND fats if you are not going to be in ketosis. That means, try something like 40/30/30, or even 40/25/35 (p/c/f). If you are going to do keto, then obviously it would be 40/0/60 (p/c/f).

As far as how low to go with calories, basically calculate your BMR (google this), and then go approximately 500-700 cals under that (with exercise included). Every 2 weeks, you can have a cheat day.

As far as getting stronger goes, theoretically no, if you are on a true caloric deficit, your body is going to be unable to build sufficient muscle. HOWEVER, if you take BCAA's before/during/after working out, a protein shake immediately after, and eat enough carbs immediately after your workout, you are capable of building marginal amounts of mass, due to inhibiting the "deficit" during those times. You also must get sufficient sleep to support this. (8+ hrs a night)

You're doing everything right. First of all, some people respond much better to keto than others. Insulin sensitive individuals will actually see great energy improvements on keto, and can even see strength gains.

However, you are only on the first week. Usually ANY diet, including keto, will yield a lot of water losses the first week or two. I can assure you that 9lbs is not 9lbs of fat, but more like 7-8 lbs of water, and 1-2 lbs of fat.

Keep up the great work!

Here is a sample diet:


http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=406743805
3,000 calorie diet w/ 40/40/20 macros


As far as carbs or fats goes, you can do either, however, you want a minimum of around 1.5x carbs to protein if you are bulking with a 1g / lb bodyweight protein intake. IE: 200g protein would mean at LEAST 300g carbs.

Also, in terms of push/pull/legs, do 5x5 or 3x5 with the compounds, and 12/10/10/8/6 reps of the accessories.


Push - Bench Press, Incline DB Press, Overhead Press, DB or BB Shoulder Press (seated), Skullcrushers or Tricep Pulldowns,
Pull - Deadlift, Bent over Rows, Good Mornings, BB/DB Curls, Hammer Curls
Legs - Squats, Lunges, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Calf Raises


Lastly - you will need abs. I would Recommended you train abs 3x per week, in addition to the above plan. You abs should be 20-30 minutes of "instinct training" which will follow a set/rep scheme that you feel is necessary for your body. IE: you will pick an exercise that works for you, and use a weight you feel is good to start with, and continue with the maximum number of reps that you can do in one set (shouldn't go over 20 reps). From there, go to another exercise and repeat with little rest between sets. Dominate the abs and you will see results fast. If your goal is purely core strength and not aesthetics, you will train abs with heavier weight, lower reps, and only 2x per week instead of 3.

thx a lot! I'm so stoked for my first carb up day, prolly gonna go for all you can eat sushi yummm

so the compounds on all those days are only BB bench, squat and deadlift?
for every other exercise you mention, should i gradually increase the weight and do 5 sets each making a 12/10/10/8/6?

Overhead Press is also a compound. In addition, you can train the bent over rows as a compound as well, for a total of 2 compounds per workout (except for legs day, which is one).

Correct, you will gradually increase the weight as you reduce the reps.

I was trying to diet and cut but it's not working out lol, I'm kinda getting fed up with failed diets and diet pills. Im 5'7" 176 lbs, that's still over 25% body fat.

Is it too early to start trying to "bulk"? I want to get on a diet that supports gaining weight (muscle mass) so I know I won't run into muscle wasting.

How many calories should I be taking in and what should the macro ratio be like? I'm starting my second cycle of 5/3/1 with moderate activity levels at work.

I'm hoping that seeing some results from a "bulk cycle" will motivate me to do a serious "cut cycle."

How long should each one last? Should I have a 5/3/1 cycle last as long as a bulk cycle then time it for a cut on the next 5/3/1 cycle?

This post was edited by mykromisfit on Aug 31 2014 08:40pm

Hey there.

Unfortunately 25% BF is way too high to start bulking, unless you simply don't care about your appearance whatsoever.

I would HIGHLY recommend you do a solid cut for approximately 2-3 months, resulting in around 20-25 lbs lost.

You don't need "diet pills" or "fad diets" in your life to do a proper cut.

Here is the bottom line -

Increase your activity level dramatically. I mean as much activity as you can possibly do. Running, cycling, swimming, weight lifting, sports, etc. You want to shoot for at least 3 hours a day of INTENSE physical exercise, 6 days a week.

At that point, you will be able to eat more calories than on a traditional cut, which will satisfy you more, but also yield rapid fat loss.

On workout days (3 hours of activity), you will be burning around 1,500-2,000 cals from exercise alone. Your BMR is approximately 1,800 calories on its own. That places you at around 3,300-3,800 cals per day total burned.

In order to lose fat, you will need to take in approximately 500-800 cals less than that number, which places you in the area of 2,800 cals (ON WORKOUT DAYS)

As far as your actual diet goes, stick to the basics....lean meats, protein shakes, veggies/fruits, lean dairy, eggs, complex/fibrous carbs.


A sample meal plan would be:

Workout Days:

2,800 cals (approx)

Meal 1 - 3 whole eggs + 5 egg whites + green peppers and onions + 3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked volume) + handful of mixed berries (any)
Meal 2 - 8 oz grilled chicken + 1 cup cooked brown rice + 1 large salad + 1 tbsp olive oil + vinegar
Meal 3 - 2 slices whole grain bread + 1 can of tuna + 1 oz of 2% cheese + 1tbsp mayo + veggies (tuna sandwich)
Meal 3 - 40g protein shake + handful mixed berries + 1 slice whole grain bread w/ 2 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tsp jelly (POST WORKOUT MEAL)
Meal 5 - 8 oz grilled sirloin steak 90/10 or leaner (trim off the fat) + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup brown rice + veggies + 1 tbsp olive oil
Meal 6 - 1 cup of 2% cottage cheese + handful mixed berries + 10 almonds + 1tbsp peanut butter + cinnamon to taste



Non-Workout Days:

2,000 cals (approx)

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


Obviously, if you can't exercise that much, it will reduce the amount of calories you can eat throughout the day as well.

A good rule of thumb is, 1 hour of intense exercise burns anywhere from 500-1000 calories, depending on the intensity. In order to hit that 1,000 cal marker, you have to truly be possessed while working out....virtually no breaks, go HARD the whole time, and keep challenging yourself. Elite Athletes train in this area, and only SOME of the time. I tried to keep your numbers more likely in the area of 500-700 cals per hour.

I would also HIGHLY recommend that you buy a food scale and start using it. You would be surprised at how much you are actually eating when you start weighing things.

Lastly, you must drink at least 1 gal of water per day to maintain optimal hydration and keep your body functioning and peak capacity.