Firehawk's Journal to Fitness - Fat Loss Phase 2

[gcs118]

Why don't you do a maintenance kinda thing? That's what I'm doing. I was bulking, but it's turned into maintenance I suppose. I came from 165 up to 175, and now I'm at 180-185. Body fat hasn't seemed to change much. But I eat whatever I want, I can eat as much as I want, and I don't gain or lose. I think I've found the sweet spot of maintaining what I have and gaining muscle. I'm not so sure if this would be as easy for you because of body type differences, but it has worked great for me.

For 6 months I was 155-160, another 6 months 165-170. I just max out my gains at a weight, then bulk a little higher to keep progressing. I might just be getting lucky though I dunno lol

[Cort]

How much cardio do you do? The weight should come off pretty fast if you are doing regular cardio, your strength shouldn't suffer from it either. If you're just trying to diet down while lifting weights its going to take FOREVER without a decent amount of cardio to speed up the process.

[Firehawk]

I do cardio 3 days a week dude. The issue isn't whether I can or not, the issue is "im tired of doing it".

[.V.]

I don't really have any real suggestions. You have already came so far. My only fear is if you switch to bulking right now and gain some fat with it, it may actually be discouraging. Your weights and strength keep going up - while still burning fat, you must be building some muscle. You are doing the "impossible" thing successfully. In your shoes, I would keep doing what is already working. Of course, you will have to do what feels right for you.

I think most of us hate cardio, but while cutting - it just has to be done. Besides it is so good for the heart - that's why they call it cardio. Maybe eat a little bigger and do an extra day of cardio each week?

[Firehawk]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I'll probably end up cutting to 250 and then re-evaluating at that time. I just need to focus on 2-3 lbs every week. If i can achieve 3 lbs a week, it does come off fast and i drop like crazy through the numbers.

If anyone can correct me on this, I don't think it's possible to get stronger and lose muscle, unless you were a bench freak who never trained legs or something. If you are training your whole body you must be putting SOME muscle on while you get stronger.

Anyway, it's just taking a long time to increase on strength. Sometimes i go up quick for a couple weeks, then it comes back down to reality and it's a gradual thing, but it almost never stops.

[luke.w]

hey man, I know that you and I are differant, but both of us want to lift BIG weights my training gets mentally changanging also becasue I have to train for both brute strength and strength endurance (cardio) making my job tough. You also want brute strength and to get that fat trimmed down, tough job also. Everybody needs cardio.

Some things I've done with my training is one day hit some endurance and then on another day train some LOW volume LOW sets, I've noticed on days when I stop my training WANTING MORE, meaning I don't push myself, I find I am very energetic and ready to go on the next session and always feel stronger, and I don't feel mentally drained at all.

Keep the cardio and diet as these are your tools for trimming fat and maybe hit only the big three with singles,doubles, and triples, (under max effort) and using your other training for your actual workouts, I'm just saying maybe think about something like this, theres many ways to do this, you can also take one day and train all the three lifts if it's LOW volume LOW sets and do the cardio and supporting exercises for the rest of the week. hope this helps some.

Oh to answer your question I'm competing May 7th, and have a crapload of training to get done.

[luke.w]

heres something else, you make a schedule using certain exercises once every two weeks like "rack pulls" their not necessary every week and you don't lose strength on something after two weeks or even three weeks in fact you'll find youself so excited to train something you've waited two-three weeks for and hit a PR. hope that helps also.

[Firehawk]

Luke thanks for the ideas. I've been thinking about rotating say deadlifts/rack pulls every other week. So rather than do both of them each week, do one or the other. What do you think about that?

I heard that alternating each week on exercises will help keep the gains coming longer than if you were doing a standard progressive overload pattern with the same exercises each week, which causes the body to adapt too quick.

The only reason i'm even doing rack pulls right now anyway is to keep my back strength up while i get my squat and low end of the deadlift caught up. Had i been training squats and deadlifts properly when i started 1 1/2 yrs ago, I'd be beyond 400 by now. Sounds like we are talking about the same thing according to your last post there. I've also thought about rotating 3 exercises too, so one every 3 weeks. Makes sense that I would definitely be excited "next deadlift day" to put up bigger numbers and hit them as hard as I can.

Makes alot of sense, and i've been thinking alot about that.

PS. still waiting to hear what a Hook grip is.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

PS. still waiting to hear what a Hook grip is.

Page 19 post 188,on your journal explains the hook grip!

Yeah thats sounds good Dave.

[gcs118]

Originally Posted by luke.w

Page 19 post 188,on your journal explains the hook grip!

Geez Dave pay attention!

What exercises you thinking of rotating if you don't do deadlift every week?

[Firehawk]

Probably rotate conventional deadlifts off a 2 inch box with regular deadlifts and rack pulls if i go 1 every 3 weeks. Right now i rotate the 2in box and reg deadlifts anyway.

We'll see what i do. I like doing the rack pulls regardless because my back doesn't get hit as hard after the deadlifts since im liimited by starting motion.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Probably rotate conventional deadlifts off a 2 inch box with regular deadlifts and rack pulls if i go 1 every 3 weeks. Right now i rotate the 2in box and reg deadlifts anyway.

We'll see what i do. I like doing the rack pulls regardless because my back doesn't get hit as hard after the deadlifts since im liimited by starting motion.

Cool, the rack pulls are awsome and very important, hell I took over 1-year off of deadlifting and did nothing but partial movements, and after 1-month of getting used to the full ROM, I'm pulling what I maxed over 1-year ago like it's cake, thats why I know that core strength is the key to deadlifts, and rack pulls and holds hit the core awsome.

[Firehawk]

Core strength is really the key to getting big numbers in any lift no matter how you look at it. Very important if you want big numbers.

You can't expect to squat 600 when your abs are weak or you're ass is weak.

[Firehawk]

I'm ending my journal. Thank you all for your opinions and your help through everything. Thanks to all that let me know that i encouraged them. That means more to me than anything else.

See yas on the flip side.

[gcs118]

I said it in a PM, but I'll say it again - you helped me a lot, encouraged a lot, helped me get past hard lifts. Thanks for all the advice and interesting discussions. Take it easy man.