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Can't make my mind up

JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 04:42 PM Hey everyone, for the past 4 weeks have been on a cutting cycle and am very pleased with results i've lost about 5lbs. down from 189 to 184. and it seems it's been mostly fat. I'm just not happy with the amount of muscle mass i have. Patience is something i've been trying to work on cause god knows you need it in this sport. I really want to start on my maintenance cycle so that in 2 weeks i can start my mass cycle, but i planned to cut for atleast 6-8 weeks and i don't know if i can do it for that long cause i just keep getting smaller. I know it's up to me and whether i'm happy with the way i look, i just can't seem to make my mind up. All i really want to do is keep the fat on my stomach under control until i get to my goal weight of 220 which i have achieved with this cut then when i reach my goal weight is when i want to cut all the fat off.Would it be a good idea to take a week off before i begin my mass cycle, which i was planning on doing, just wondering if that's a good idea? Just looking for a little input and some thoughts on how to approach this. thanks in advance.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/09/28, 05:37 PM you know that for muscle mass it is very hard not to gain fat. the reason of this is you are playing with your caloric limits. what i would recomend is to eat leaner and make some cardio and abs while massing so you dont gain as much fat as you would by not doing. it would be slower but it can be done. also, what you can do is lower carbs and higer protein, but just a little bit
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 06:14 PM I know that while gaining mass you will put on fat that is why I'm having trouble with making my mind up. I have a very clean diet that bb1 made up for me which has been working wonders and all i need to do to gain is make the portions larger.My problem is i've only been in the gym maybe 6-7 weeks and i wanted to take a week off before going into my mass cycle. So i don't know if i've been workout long enough to rest a week. And if i were going to go on my mass cycle i would probably only do cardio once a week if at all.
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2004/09/28, 07:42 PM if you think you need time off, then take time off. Listen to your body, if its burnt out, it will let you know. -------------- ......quote the Andrew....nevermore
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 08:00 PM I was burnt out a bit a few weeks ago and rested up so i'm good now, so you think it would be ok to skip the week off idea before going to a mass cycle as long as my body is feeling up to par.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/09/28, 09:21 PM yes good idea. good for mind, muscles and metablism.
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 10:56 PM Well i've made mind up, that i'm going to start my bulking cycle in 2 weeks. I just need to figure out my maintanance level. Right now i've been loosing one pound a week at about 2850 calories a day weight traing 3 days and cardio 3 days with one day off. I'm figuring 3300-3400 calories will be needed to gain and i gradually reach that amount over the next few weeks. While i'm bulking i plan to do just one day of cardio but if i'm not gaining i will drop that and i will lift 4 days. How should i go about reaching my maintenance cycle drop 2 days of cardio? or gradually drop cardio once for 2 weeks till i'm down to just one day cardio? Or should I find my maintenance with the program that i picked 1 day of cardio with 4 lifting days? thanks guys.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2004/09/28, 11:05 PM Bodybuilding is a very illusionary sport. This meaning, though you may be getting "smaller" in physical size, when the fat is stripped away, you may look bigger as you will be cut and the definition will make you appear so. Besides, that is what you really have in muscle. The fat around it does not count.:big_smile: I know how you feel, the first time I dieted for my first contest, thank goodness it was winter, where I was covered up most of the time. If it had been summer and wearing tanks all the time, I don't know if I could have stood it! Bodybuilding is a mind game, the more you do it, the more anal you become about everything. In answer to your original post, I mentioned this to you before. You are doing it for pure asthetics, no set date or contest or anything. So, the choice is yours as to when you are happy with how you look. When you are, proceed with your bulk, as kakaroto mentioned, keep things under control. It is very easy for a bulk to get out of hand. Some periodic cardio and eating as clean as possible will go a long ways toward keeping those nasty love handles at bay, but at certain points no matter how clean you eat, you will have to do some type of cutting cycle. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 11:05 PM I was just thinking well more like wondering if it is entirely neccesary to stay at maintenance for a week or two before moving your caloric intake either up or down?
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/28, 11:09 PM I know i just feel so small right now, my shirts don't fit like they used to, the think that bothers me the most is my arms look and feel smaller they used to fill my shirts in around the sleeves but as you say it's fat around the muscle that makes you feel big. ahhhhhhhhhh. I hate this. I just don't know where to go right now. I'm back and forth between what i want to do.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/09/28, 11:18 PM you will do fine. dont desesperate. get what makes you feel good.
puresnowchic Posts: 151 Joined: 2004/07/28	2004/09/29, 01:03 PM Justin I would advise to rest one week, like you want, then go on your bulk phase, but make sure your eating SUPER clean, eat a lot lift very heavy, but don't cut out your cardio, (unless your playing sports) you don't have to do a lot but at least some... its good for your heart... and if you stop doing it altogether then start up later you'll be like really out of shape and have to start over with your endurance... -------------- My mind tells me to win, my spirit shows me how, and my body delivers.
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/29, 03:07 PM yeah i was gonna plan on like 1-2 days of cardio and just keep an eye on the scale. Thanks for everyones's input. I've been sick 4-5 times in the past months so i'm taking my week off today, I don't know if it's from overtraining or what because i've rested and taken days off but i'm sick and tired of getting sick, so i hope this week off will fix that.
princesslodgey Posts: 1,748 Joined: 2004/02/21	2004/09/30, 04:41 AM Justin do you keep an eye on your resting pulse? Take your pulse first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. If it starts to rise, that's a good indication of overtraining. September is also a bad month for getting sick in UK, lots of new viruses about. I don't know if it's the same in the States.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2004/09/30, 11:15 AM Justin, when you are lowering calories and training hard as you are, it is not at all uncommon for you to get frequent colds, etc. If you do, this is a sure sign of overtraining. Some glutamine will go a long way toward staving these off, and boosting the immune system. Glutamine can be invaluable when dieting, I would never diet without it. When buying glutamine powder, look for a pharmeceutical grade if you can find it. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/30, 03:00 PM Yeah i thought it was a combo overtraining plus dieting i have been getting colds left and right. Thanks for the info on glutamine, i thought my body couldn't handle training 6 days a week. Well i'm going to start my bulking cycle on mon. or tues.
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/09/30, 03:13 PM If i do cardio while bulking should i still eat i'm normal amount on cardio day?
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/09/30, 05:38 PM if you bulking, eat everyday as it is your hardtraining day.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/09/30, 08:13 PM so JUSTIN, did you made up your mind?
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/10/01, 03:00 AM hahah, yeah kakaroto i think i did i'm going to rest till mon. and then i'm going to bulk, I've never really counted my calories and ate a real clean diet during my bulking cycle before, so this time i have a goal to eat clean through my entire bulking cycle and account for everything I eat(purchased a scale a few months ago, everyone should have one don't know why i didn't) and see how much muscle i can put with the least amount of fat. But i'm not afraid to put the fat on, i know it's part of the process,
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/10/01, 05:13 PM you should i still do abs on a bulking cycle? Won't that just push the fat on my stomach out more thus making me look and feel fatter? I know i still have fat on me that needs to be gotten rid of but if i do take all that fat off i will be tiny so i'm going to wait till i'm big enough so that when i do cut the fat off i will still have some size. I will prob, bulk for 2 months then cut for one month and so on and so on till maybe i get closer to my final goal.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/10/01, 08:08 PM but if you do abs while builk thwey will grow too... that means when cutting you will burn fat faster on your mid aerea and look better
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/10/01, 08:27 PM I shall give abs a go while bulking this time and see how everything pans out. I didn't know that having more muscle in a certain area would help get rid of fat better or faster. Interesting....
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/10/01, 08:36 PM Question on about the cardio while gaining. How am i going to help keep the fat at bay if i'm still eating above my caloric output on my cardio day/days?
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/10/01, 09:16 PM very hardly... you cant... do walking on hill so you target only fat and the least muscle: keep your heart beat between 125-140 i think.. for your age weight and height... not really sure look out on tables... some cardio machines got them
JustinE22 Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/09/18	2004/10/01, 09:39 PM very hardly...can't?...your refering to the cardio keeping the fat at bay while gaining correct?...125-140 what is that like a light jog? I was just going to do cardio as i normally would.
kakaroto Posts: 893 Joined: 2002/05/09	2004/10/02, 12:20 AM just remember heart is amuscle too thats means need to be work you are going to bulk so you need a exces on your daily caloric intake right? doing cardio as you normally do will help yopu not to achieve your goal but you still have to do. do cardio but dont focus on it. do 2-3 max sescion per week.