Need some advice on nutrition, workout, supplements.

[Burks]

First a little history. I've been lifting since I was fourteen (for football) and made some great strides. When I graduated I was 150lbs and benching 290 and squatting 550 (none of those were official as in competition. Bench went down to chest to full extension while squat my thighs were very near even with the ground. Kind of hard to tell when concentrating on the lift). Sadly that year I suffered a rather bad dislocation/seperation of my shoulder the second week of the season and kept playing thanks to painkillers and motivation. Every half I would need my shoulder adjusted back into position.

Fast forward one and a half years. Here I am today, 170lbs, nineteen years old, and from my waist up is out of shape (legs are stronger than ever). Three months ago I bought myself a Bowflex Comp to help regain my strength and physique (I was cut as hell before).

Currently I am taking in 60g of protein from protein shakes alone with a diet high in protein and average in fat, Cell-Tech occassionally (tastes beyond nasty, hate it), and Animal Stack as a multi-vitamin. I have noticed a slight increase in strength and muscle mass but hardly any loss in overall body fat or gain in toning. Before I could train and notice big gains in just a few weeks time but now I am having a horrible time.

I don't want to be insanely huge but being built and cut would be great. Strength is always a good thing too. Any suggestions in a change of supplements, training, etc? Maybe there should be a supplement added that I am missing or I am just doing the wrong routine?

Current Program:

Day 1: 2-4 Sets @ 8-12 Reps with good form.
Chest -
Bench Press
Chest Fly

Shoulders-
Seater Shoulder Press
Rear Deltoid Rows
Standing Lateral Shoulder Raise
Shoulder Shrug

Day 2: Same as above

Back-
Seat Lat Rows
Narrow Pulldowns
Lying Lat Fly

Arms-
Standing Biceps Curl
Lying Triceps Extension
French Press

Day 3: Same as above except I go until failure a lot. My legs are already very well built and decently cut.

Legs-
Squat
Leg Extension
Deadlift
Standing Hip Extension

Normall Day 1 is Monday, 2 is Wednesday, and 3 is Friday. Between those days I normally do crunches, situps, etc but have yet to see any decent results.

Any advice is great. If this is in the wrong area I apologize ahead of time. If it would be better to split this into different posts than go ahead and do it. Whatever will help me reach my goals. You are welcomed to contact me through AIM if you would like

[Lady C]

It looks like your training is pretty good. Add in some pull-ups and rows on those back days. What about abs? Put those on day 3 and you should be fine.

What does the diet look like?

[Burks]

I try my best to eat healthy but when I work from 9-2 and school from 3-10 it is hard to eat a really healthy diet.

Mainly I try to stick with low-fat cuts of meat (mainly beef and chicken, hate fish) and vegetables. I do enjoy my toast and try not to use jam/jelly. I do eat quite a bit of vegetables like carrot, corn, spinach, etc. I'd say I do eat a lot of carbs (breads, pancakes, etc) but stay away from candy, soda, or anything high in sugar like that. As for protein I am using a Wal-Mart special brand that is 20g of whey protein per serving.

When not at home I try to look for semi-healthy food choices like Subway, Quiznos, subs from the vending machine, or I pack a nice salad. I'm not the healthiest eater but I eat better than the average person.

As for abs I only do one or two exercises. A lot of them really bother my lower back. Any ideas on some that don't put a lot of stress on the lower back?

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Burks

I try my best to eat healthy but when I work from 9-2 and school from 3-10 it is hard to eat a really healthy diet.

I did it, so I know it is possible. Set your goals and stick to them.

Originally Posted by Burks

Mainly I try to stick with low-fat cuts of meat (mainly beef and chicken, hate fish) and vegetables. I do enjoy my toast and try not to use jam/jelly. I do eat quite a bit of vegetables like carrot, corn, spinach, etc. I'd say I do eat a lot of carbs (breads, pancakes, etc) but stay away from candy, soda, or anything high in sugar like that. As for protein I am using a Wal-Mart special brand that is 20g of whey protein per serving.

Give me a detailed sample day. I can't critique what you have here

Originally Posted by Burks

As for abs I only do one or two exercises. A lot of them really bother my lower back. Any ideas on some that don't put a lot of stress on the lower back?

Making your abs stronger will help relieve back pain. By putting your feet up on a stool or bench helps remove the hip flexors so your truely work the abs. Try these

[Burks]

Thanks for the exercises.

What I'll do is keep a detailed journal of what I eat over the next three days (combining working and school days with just work days).

[Burks]

Day 1:

Breakfast - Banana, bowl of oatmeal.
Lunch - Two grilled chicken sandwiches, protein shake (20g), serving of glutamine, multi-vitamin, Cell-Tech.
Day 1 workout - Chest and shoulders
Dinner - Pizza sub from Subway, no sauce, with some veggies, big bowl of fruit (grapes, melons, strawberries, banana), protein shake.

Day 2:
Breakfast - same as day one
Lunch - Two 8 oz hamburgers (lean meat), salad with fat-free dressing, protein shake, glutamine, multi-vitamin, Cell-Tech
Workout - Abs
Dinner - Chicken pasta, dinner rolls (no butter), bowl of fruit, protein shake

Day 3:
Breakfast - Banana, protein shake
Lunch - Begal bites (oops), protein shake, banana, multi-vitamin, yadda yadda.
Workout - Back and arms
Dinner - Steak sub from Subway with veggies and no sauce, protein shake, small salad.

Well that's about normal for me when I eat. Like I said, it is not the healthiest diet for a bodybuilder but I do what I can. Since I changed my diet two months ago I have felt much healthier and energetic. All my shakes have a banana or two blended in for added nutrition and flavor. Between meals I am drinking water, Powerade, Gatorade, and milk. No soda or anything loaded with a ton of crap.

Am I missing some important link here? Maybe too many carbs? Personally I think my metabolism isn't what it used to be a few years ago. Yeah I'm 19 but my metabolism has dropped drastically. Before I could eat a large pizza every day and not gain an ounce.

[Lady C]

My first glance says that is not enough calories. Have you added these up using calorie counters? One of these? How many carbs/protein/fats and calories are you eating. Tally them up for each day and then we can give you a better analysis.

Space your meals out more. Like in Day 1 have one chicken sandwhich mid morning and the other one at lunch. Save the protein shakes for pre and post workout. I would not have the fruit for dinner - move it to the morning. Eat that last protein shake right before bed.

At 19 your metabolsm is NOT slow wait until you reach 40 something. Eating more frequently, smaller meals keeps the metabolism up.

[Burks]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Space your meals out more. Like in Day 1 have one chicken sandwhich mid morning and the other one at lunch.

I'll try that. I'm just so used to eat three big meals a day. Having school from 3-10 with only 5 minutes to go across campus kind of sucks. I'll have to get me some nutrition bars to eat between classes real quick so I can space out my meals more. I honestly didn't think I wasn't getting enough calories, that is a shock to me.

I forgot to ask, what should be my intake of calories per day?

Maybe it didn't slow down but it sure feels like it did.

Thanks for the help Lady C. I've learned a lot from this thread.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Burks

I forgot to ask, what should be my intake of calories per day?

How tall are you? How much do you weight? What would you like to weigh?

Originally Posted by Burks

Thanks for the help Lady C. I've learned a lot from this thread.

No Worries - that is why we're here - to help others :

[Burks]

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 168 pounds

Desired Weight: Not sure but rather well built and cut. I'd say 160lbs would be really nice for now.

[Lady C]

Since you are real close to ideal weight I would start around 2200 calories. Monitor it for a couple weeks and see if you are gaining or losing. Adjust calories up or down as necessary. Your goal is to build muscle and stay lean so eat for that goal.

[Burks]

Would it be easier to lose fat now and gain muscle mass later or gain mass first and lose fat later?

[Lady C]

There is no right answer to that one. Do what works for you. That is only found through trial-n-error. Find a diet and stick with it for a while. If you are gaining too much cut back some on the diet or add more exercise. I personally don't focus on traditional cutting and bulking cycles.

[cursor]

I think we'd all agree that it doesn't make much sense to bulk for 2004, then cut for 2005, then bulk for 2006, etc. Right? To me, it makes about as little sense to cycle in 6-month or 4-month periods.

What makes the most sense (again, to me) is to process dietary and weight lifting cycles on a much tighter frequency. By intelligently designing and implementing a plan for yourself (monitoring and tweeking all the while), it is very possible to gain muscle and lose fat "at the same time." That is, on much tighter intervals than is traditionally believed.

[Cort]

Originally Posted by cursor

I think we'd all agree that it doesn't make much sense to bulk for 2004, then cut for 2005, then bulk for 2006, etc. Right? To me, it makes about as little sense to cycle in 6-month or 4-month periods.

Heck, take it a step farther and bulk for the 4-6 month periods and cut in 1-2 month periods. If you're keeping your diet under control you shouldn't add enough fat to warrant a 4 month cutting period.