Where from here?

[reds]

I'm at a point where I don't know what the next step in my workout/diet plan should be. Here is my situation, and my goals. I would appreciate advice on where I should go from here:

I am male, 20 years old, 5 feet 10 inches, and in college. In high school, I ran track (mid distance), ate whatever I felt like, did little to no strength training. I was consistently 155-160 pounds. When I got to college, my eating habits didn't change much-- but if they did they got a little worse. I also stopped running regularly. Sure I did intermurals and what not, but I was not nearly as active as I was in high school (running basically every day). By the begining of the second semester of my second year (this past january) I was 185lbs and when I participated in physical activity I could feel how out of shape I was.

So, for the last 4 months I've been on a diet (2000 to 2500 calories a day, with very little fat, no sweets or soft drinks, and mostly chicken and fish for meat), gotten back to running (2-3 miles a day again), and for the first time in my life started strength training (alternating push, pull, and legs at the gym 4 or 5 days every week). I've made progress in all areas. I can do 3 miles no problem again and my times are back where they were in high school. My weight is down to about 163 lbs, and I am lifting much more weight at the gym than when I started (I was pretty pathetic when i started!). There is also a noticeable change in my physique. For the first time I have some muscle tone in my arms, and abs, and to a lesser extent my chest.

Unfortunately, I'm kind of hitting a wall in all areas. Running I would expect-- I'm pretty much back to the times I was running in high school, and I don't expect to do much better. Really, I'm running just for the sake of cardiovascular health anyway, and that is a key point: MY ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO DO WHAT IS GENERALLY HEALTHY, NOT TO PUSH MYSELF TO EXTREMES IN ANY ONE DIRECTION.

I don't want to be a marathon runner or a body builder; ultimately I just want to be healthy, get myself into good habits, and reduce risk of partially preventable diseases. The one area I'd like to see more improvment, however, is my strength. I've been stuck on the same weights for a while now, and I've been told by lots of people I won't put on any muscle mass unless I turn my diet around, and start eating for a calorie surplus every day. Lots of people suggest phases: weight gain for strength and muscle mass, then go back to dieting to lose the fat gained during the bulking phase while hopefully preserving the muscle.

What does everyone here think? Should I go on a surplus diet? If so, how many calories a day? What are good percentages of protein? fat? carbs? How long should I bulk up, and how long should I diet when I go back to that? Most importantly, is this whole phase thing (gain, lose, gain etc...) healthy?? Yo-yo dieting is supposed to have negative effects on the immune system and the heart, but does that still apply if the weight being added is mostly in the form of muscle. Or, does all the documentation on Yo-yo dieting only apply to people who are losing and gaining weight without the strength training component? There are lots of websites suggesting how to bulk up, good foods to eat, etc.. but none of them specifically address whether its a healthy thing to do.

That was long.....so if I didn't put you to sleep, thanks for your time and advice!

 

[wlmcrae]

I suggest picking up a copy of the e-book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. For 35$, it has all the diet, cardio & resistance information you'll need to be able to tweak your program to get the results you're looking for with the goals you have. It is an excellent, no-fad, good information book.

In general, you'll need to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate, add your activity multiplier and set your calories and ratios to match your goals. A quick and dirty calculation, based on your body weight alone, puts you at 2000-2100 calories to cut, 2400 to maintain and 2900 to bulk. You can be much more precise than that with the BFFM info, however. (Fortunately, EliteFitness also recommends this book, or I'm *sure* I would get labeled a spammer - I am sold on that book!)

Excellent goals, by the way. We'd have a lot fewer wheelchair bound oldsters if they'd started being healthy at your age! (Of course, you'd be competing for the girls with ripped 75-year-olds as well . .)

 

[promet1]

wlmcrae

I'll back Ya on the Book !
Great Read....anyone in the game should read and understand it, tons of great info

 

[alex2678]

Regarding the running, my suggestion is always to try and increase your strength on the full squat. Your speed and times will improve dramatically.

I'm sure you'll find all types of routines online, there's no one right choice for everyone. Stick to basic lifts: bench press, squat, deadlifts, bentover rows, shoulder presses, lying tricep extentions, and barbell curls. Low reps, low sets and try to increase your weight on these exercises by 5 lbs. every week or 2 while still maintaining good form.

Calorie surplus is necessary for weight gain. Again there's a thousand different beliefs on what types of calories you should be eating. Experiment and find what's right for your body. Generally high protein, healthy fats and quality complex carbs eaten every 2.5-3 hours throughout the day. I gain fat easily when bulking so my suggestion has always been to continue eating a higher calorie diet until you notice fat gain, then switch over to a reduced calorie diet to lose the gained fat. Little bulking cutting cycles throughou the year works better for most people.

Read up and follow the training and diet boards regularly and you'll be well on your way to achieving your goals of health,fitness and longevity.