Alright, i'll lay everything out and you can give me an opinion. I would hope as i workout more and more i should become more toned. (hopefully) When i first started, i had to lines at all. Just a gut, and i haven't lifted since high school. (6 years) So, i looked a lot worse, lol.
I apologize for my ignorance, but how old are you? Around...23/24-somewhere around there?
I lift weights 4 times a week. Generally, i'm in the gym for over an hour, just because it takes that long...Two days a week i do HIIT cardio. Generally, i like to do my cardio on non workout days, but sometimes I'll do it on a workout day.
What we know
1. Weight Training 4 days per week
2. HIIT on off days (generally).
3. You want a defined ab core/"a bit" more muscle mass.
And,
4. You want to do this with 1,500 calories per day (which I "currently" have a problem with).
What do you do in your HIIT Cardio?
Monday - Chest/Back
Tuesday - Legs, including squats and deadlifts. Biceps as well.
Wednesday - Shoulders/Lats. Pull ups included
Thursday - OFF. (Sometimes HIIT)
Friday - Squats and deadlifts again and then i hit triceps.
Saturday - OFF (Sometimes HIIT)
Sunday - OFF. I always watch football.
Personally, I do not like your split-routine, Old Spice.
It takes an hour just to do Chest/Back? It takes an hour to do Shoulders/Lats?
Upper portion of your workout:
First: the Back gets worked out Monday AND Wednesday (as Lats are part of the back).
Second: the Chest gets trained once per week, while the Shoulders get work on Monday AND Wednesday (When working chest, shoulder are worked).
Third:The triceps are the most worked, with three times per week (Monday with chest, Wednesday with shoulders (assuming MP-like exercises), and isolated on Friday.
Fourth: I do not have a problem with the little bicep getting worked once per week (directly) on face value within your routine, as it gets some stimulation with back/lat work (assuming the correct exercises); however, the way its arranged is where I have a problem. For instance, if you are performing the BOR (or something similar) like the T-Bar row on Monday (it works the bicep), you are again working the bicep on your leg day Tuesday (as an example).
You get one "complete" day of bodily rest, or more if you decide not to do HIIT, with stating "sometimes" HIIT on rest days.
Your routine needs to be re-examined and put together better.
Do you prefer a split-routine with your current lifestyle or could you do a Full-Body Routine two to three times per week?
What do you do in your HIIT Cardio?
Are you going to a gym? Training at home or what?
I just graduated from school, so I'm done with that. I work at a customer service department, so i don't do too much physical labor. Yeah, I'm on my feet, but i don't pick anything up over 20lbs at work. I work about 30 hours a week, give or take.
An hour sitting at a PC for an average male (say 150 to 160 pounds), yields and "approximate" calorie burn of: 120c per hour.
So, (keeping things hypothetically equal here), a customer service person who works at a PC answering phones, doing paper work, etc, etc, (general office type of work), would approximately burn 600 calories (or more) in about 5 hours while at work. Besides the stresses involved with dealing with customers (and I know this extremely well), this is not to far off (in the calorie burning sense), of being at home on the PC, and doing general tasks--omitting some of the stress factors involved (keeping things metabolically-equal). Therefore, your employment, doesn't play a major factor in your calorie needs per day, in this sense, since its not physically labor intensive/demanding where more energy is expended--where it could have more of impact on your calorie needs, and could be of a concern on the impact of your calorie needs.
So, this part, I tend to agree with you on, in the energy expenditure sense.
My friends and i are thinking about starting football on Thursday's. If i do this, I'll start eating a bit more. But as you can see, I'm not insanely active...Working out is my main exercise...
Agreed, energy expenditure will go up (keeping things equal).
Also, carbs make me feel very bloated and i do not respond well to them. As you'll notice below, the carb count is low.
Define bloated for me, as it compares to you? You could be carbohydrate sensitive, but I am just not sold on it yet.
Additionally, carbohydrates are going to be "your friend" when going into the Navy's Basic, and to limit them, is limiting your physical performance potential--when attending.
If you are (say) a few weeks out, and you are drastically limiting your carbohydrates (making a definite trend history) leading up to entering your Navy Basic, you are going to wish you hadn't (IMO).
I'm also going to the Navy in April and would like to achieve decent abs by this time. (This is my goal)
You are only 4 months from your Basic Training, and this is an element I did not know, and changes "most-everything" in my humble opinion.
See, this is what I am talking about.
With you wanting to go in the Navy, "changes the face of training/diet (IMO)--completely".
First, you are going to be required to attend Basic Training, and simply devising a training program where one just throws weights around in a full-body/split routine--
"possibly will not address the endurance component" you may need when going through Basic Training in the Navy.
1. Since you are several months out, and have time to prepare, then you need to
find out what the requirements are and
what they will expect of you within Basic Training, and [/u]the large majority of your training.......
is training in the manner in which you are expected to perform.
2. Find the Navy's web site (or a site reputably similar), and learn what is expected of you......NOW. While you still have time.
I have some experience in this area, as last year, I went back to KLETC (Kansas Police Academy) at 46 years old, and went through Army Basic/AIT, and Officer Candidate School (OCS), in my 20's.
When I went back to the Police Academy, I had to change many things in my routine. I was strong, but I lacked muscle endurance in the areas that were going to be demanded and needed in the academy. Since, I went through it once, and updated myself on the differences (since I went many years ago), I knew what to expect, and could train myself--accordingly.
For example, I was going to be required to perform a certain amount of sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups in a two minute time span. I was going to be required to run a mile within a certain time limit. Run an obstacle course within a certain time frame. I was going to be required to perform sit-ups/push-ups in a spontaneous manner throughout the day (when the drill instructors felt we need it
, if you catch my drift).
I was going to be required to run the obstacle course within the time limit required, and be in shape enough, to get into a police unit (immediately following running the course), and drive a vehicle obstacle course (EPOC), while meeting these requirements as well. Which means, I have to have a certain amount of cardiovascular endurance to the point where breathing heavy (etc), doesn't interfere (or add to) with me driving a vehicle and making decisions when driving. And, breathing heavy can interfere--greatly.
In short, my entire approach to training, had to change. I still weight trained, but added in quite a few endurance activities, and trained myself in a manner in which.........I was going to encounter.........at the academy.
And, this is IMPORTANT for you to remember. If they require you to do, pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, then YOU DO THESE in your training. Yes, you can do various techniques to improve strength and endurance, but you do them. You simply perform the exercises that you are going to encounter, and train for cardio vascular endurance as "close as possible" in what you are going to encounter (mile runs, obstacle course, ect).
IMO, this is your "main component" of your training. How you shape this training, depends on what is expected and exercises used. Find this out, and we will work on a routine for you........until then, I am not going to advise you on a routine, until this "unknown" component becomes a "known component" (as much as possible).
What I will say, is that your routine (as present), and your calories of 1,500 per day are not doing you any favors. What are you going to be eating like when you go to the Naval Academy (basic), when heavy demands are high on your physical endurance? Have you thought about this?
You main.....focus, "should in my opinion" be preparing yourself for the Navy. This is the bottom line really.
So please, any advice is more than helpful. Here is my diet. (generally speaking)
Breakfast - Bowl of oatmeal in water, protein shake with a scoop of peanut butter added.
Snack - A couple servings of almonds as a snack
Lunch - Big salad with bell peppers, radishes, cut up chicken breast and a side of cottage cheese. (I cook the peppers and maybe some onions in extra virgin olive oil for more flavor and bumping the calories)
Snack - A can of tuna and maybe a scoop of peanut butter. (On workout days i will have another protein shake and a can of tuna 30mins after)
Dinner - A chicken breast (maybe 4oz) with a generous amount of vegetables, mainly broccoli. I don't like to eat a big dinner for some reason...
You seem to be getting a good amount of protein, fats, and veggies, with the amount of calories you are currently allowing. What do the servings break down to?
It has always been my opinion, that its "one's total circumference of food/calories during the course of the day", whether its 3 or 6 meals (this is minor), that matters the most. Multiple meals are over rated--"in the context some put this in", such as boosting metabolism, which is utterly false. But, it does have benefits such assisting in curbing hunger pains, and other side effects associated with calorie deprivation.
Since your carb calories are low during the day (primarily), with the Oatmeal (and some from Veggies), your pre and post workout meals can be come more important because the carbohydrates during the course of the day are not addressing some physical potential inefficiencies.
If you are getting one serving of oatmeal, then your getting about 27 grams of carbohydrates, if its two servings approximately 54 grams. The NPB, veggies, add tad more into the equation, and your PT-powder does too (if you got a brand that has carbohydrates in them). So, it appears you getting over 60 grams of carbohydrates--"dependent on the servings".
If you feel bloated during the day from carbohydrate consumption (away from working out), then change your carbohydrate consumption, to primarily around your workout routine, and see what happens.
Attempt to get most of your carbohydrates (during the day) from fibrous sources (I can give you several ideas here) (and limit starchy carbohydrates during the day), and consuming quick absorbing carbohydrates around your workouts.
See, if you see any changes in how you feel.
I am not saying you are NOT sensitive to carbohydrates (some people actually are), but truthfully, I am not all that convinced with you.
However, it wouldn't hurt to make some minor changes, and see what happens. You have to write the book, about you, my brotha. There is no diet and fitness book exclusively written with Old Spice in mind, my brotha. You have to get out the friggen pen, and starting writing, and write changes as needed as you move along.
In a recent post, you claimed to be: 149 pounds, and 5' 7". Is this correct?
With the above data in mind, and taking 23 years of age as your age variable (not much difference if you are a tad younger or a tad older),
the results are as follows with Benedict:
1. Base need: 1,675 calories, approximately
2. Variable MT-Line with multipliers:
•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2:
2011
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375:
2304.38
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.55:
2597.66
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725:
2890.94
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9:
3184.23
And, one can make adjustments, using a multiplier in between the ones mentioned above.
Your employment isn't a strong variable in the calorie sense, and isn't much different, than being at home at the PC (in the calorie expenditure sense, there is some, but not enough to be concerned about in my opinion). The stronger variable in the calorie sense, is when you train (and its contents) versus when you do not train (rest) variables, which can make "blanketing calories" with one multiplier extremely inaccurate. For example: If you are sedentary (say being at home, or just working, no workout, rest day), the calories are near or about: 2,000 (assuming no HIIT). If you training (lets say a FBW for lack of argument), then the calories increase to a variable between the 1.375, (1.4), and 1.55, multipliers (and its associated calorie ranges).
You may have experiment here, once your routine is reconstructed
Now, we have a problem. The problem is not with you wanting to drop fat tissue (---necessarily), the problem is with the Naval Academy variable--a few months out from attending a rather strenuous training program.
Your calorie content, macro nutrients, and content of your training are paramount, Old Spice. If you (only consider fat loss, on your rather small frame, and not take in consideration your performance at the Naval Academy), and blanket 1500 calories (everyday), you are severely harming yourself.
I am going to end it here. It is not my purpose to "figure this out for you", but to assist you to guide yourself. With this data in mind, what should you do.
I will continue (the above calculations), as we move along, and likewise address questions and what not.
1,500 calories is STILL TO LOW for you:
Best wishes as always,
Chillen
If i lose more than that, something is wrong. :angry2: