Experienced gym guy out of practice and needs HIIT, circuit and cardio advice

[LondonGym]

Hello,

This is my first post. I have 20 years' experience working out in the gym. Until 2 years ago I was in excellent shape (6 pack, excellent definition etc.). I worked out 5 days a week and designed my own diet and training plan aimed at body sculpting. It worked well and indeed several friends used my diet and training plan when they wanted to get in shape.

Unfortunately for various reasons I have not been to the gym for 2 years, I have eaten to excess and I have put on 20kgs / 45lbs / 3 stone.

I did this once before several years ago and i was able to get back in shape quite easily. However this time around I'm older and it is more difficult. My goal is to lose 20kgs/45lbs in 3 months.

Having consulted a personal trainer I was told that my usual training method used in earlier years is designed for body sculpting and not for weight loss and so he has designed the following circuit training plan for me:

Circuit One (1-5 performed consecutively in 3 sets with no break):

1. Bench Press
2. Assisted Pull
3. Shoulder Press
4. Goblet Squat
5. Leg Raises/Curls

Circuit Two (1-5 performed in 3 sets with no break):

1. Cable Fly
2. Cable Pull
3. Bar row/pull
4. DB lunges
5. Ab bicycle crunches

This is challenging but I have been doing it successfully for the past week and it certainly increases my heart rate and therefore calorie burn. I perform this every second day (one day of rest in between).

However, my question is the following: As my goal is weight loss for the next 3 months how do I incorporate cardio into my gym sessions.

Should I:

A: Perform stationary bicycle HIIT after my work out sessions, on the same day?
B: Perform stationary bicycle HIIT first thing in the morning on my rest day after my workout session? Would this leave no chance for recovery?
C: If I perform stationary bicycle HIIT after my work out sessions (on the same day) can I also perform steady state low intensity 45 minute elliptical trainer cardio sessions on my rest days?

For HIIT I am using the Little Method -- 60 seconds high intensity with high resistance (at 90%VoMax) followed by 75 seconds low/medium intensity with low resistance. I can currently do 6 cycles of this but am working up to the recommended 8 - 12 cycles.

Again, my goal now is to lose 20kgs / 45llbs ASAP. After that I will return to body building in order to build and define muscle. But first I need to burn the fat.

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks and kind regards.

 

[Tyler23]

Hi LG -

I am hoping it's ok to post links to other sites (I just joined here to address your question). I followed the following this past spring with great success.

t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_five_principles_of_radical_fat_loss

This may seem excessive (in terms of frequency) but, man, it works. I kept my cals right around 2k/day; protein at 230g/day, carbs 80g/day and fat 85g/day. In two months I lost 16 lbs and just under 3" off my waist. I went from 13.9% body fat to 5.45% (calipers)....so all of it was fat.

I know you are wanting to lose more than this, but I am sure not all of what you gained over the past two years is fat. You could also consider reducing your calories more than I did, but I wouldn't push it. In fact I kept my cals at a constant 2k throughout the whole thing; I didn't have to drop them to keep progressing. My weights in the workout increased a bit, but not a ton (but there was progression there).

For the record, I am 6' and started at 181lbs. I have been lifting, training and dieting for about 20 years, and I got, by far, the leanest I have ever been (saw abs for the first time). So you are actually starting in a better place in that you have been very lean before from the sounds of it and your body does remember these things. And considering your experience, you are well aware that the majority of the battle here is with your diet

Anyway, this is the first time I really embarked on a full-on fat loss plan where I didn't concern myself with losing muscle in the process. Interestingly, I didn't lose any muscle at all. It's changed my views on things entirely.

Even it you cannot use this program as written, you might find some useful info there. Good luck.

 

[blur2u]

Hi LG -

I am hoping it's ok to post links to other sites (I just joined here to address your question). I followed the following this past spring with great success.

t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_five_principles_of_radical_fat_loss

This may seem excessive (in terms of frequency) but, man, it works. I kept my cals right around 2k/day; protein at 230g/day, carbs 80g/day and fat 85g/day. In two months I lost 16 lbs and just under 3" off my waist. I went from 13.9% body fat to 5.45% (calipers)....so all of it was fat.

I know you are wanting to lose more than this, but I am sure not all of what you gained over the past two years is fat. You could also consider reducing your calories more than I did, but I wouldn't push it. In fact I kept my cals at a constant 2k throughout the whole thing; I didn't have to drop them to keep progressing. My weights in the workout increased a bit, but not a ton (but there was progression there).

For the record, I am 6' and started at 181lbs. I have been lifting, training and dieting for about 20 years, and I got, by far, the leanest I have ever been (saw abs for the first time). So you are actually starting in a better place in that you have been very lean before from the sounds of it and your body does remember these things. And considering your experience, you are well aware that the majority of the battle here is with your diet

Anyway, this is the first time I really embarked on a full-on fat loss plan where I didn't concern myself with losing muscle in the process. Interestingly, I didn't lose any muscle at all. It's changed my views on things entirely.

Even it you cannot use this program as written, you might find some useful info there. Good luck.

Tyler,

Can you give me some examples of your diet? Like what your typical week is. I would love to be able to have that kind of intake but having trouble getting over 150 grams of protein and trouble keeping my carbs even below 1 gram per lb of bodyweight. i checked out that link and it was very interesting, I think I may take some things from it.

Thanks

Sam