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Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: jonathanblain

Hello. My name is Jonathan Blain I am 18 years old. Currently sitting at 196.4 lbs, approximately 20% body fat. I am strong however i don’t look like it. I have been training for about 3 years now and have not seen much growth. I wanted to see if you can calculate my nutrition so I can gain muscle while losing fat or adding as minimal fat as possible to finally look good and feel like the gym is working for me. My lifting stats are 450 deadlift, 250 bench, 165 press, and 350 back squat. In the past i have done extreme deficits as I have been extremely overweight when i was 14. Big mistake in my part. I want to finally make the right choice and gain muscle and look good like if I am working out. I am working off a % based lifting program it is pretty good and I like how it’s set up. I just need help with the nutrition. My current workout regime is 3 days of work one of rest then another three days of work etc... I started doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week as well ad abs 4 times a week with a day of rest. My current nutrition is 2800 cals 250 protein 110 fat 220 carbs, I am in no rush however I got a cruise coming up in 7 months and i wanna look beach ready. Please help me out I really want to know what will work best for what i want. Thanks. 

What's up Jonathan?! Those numbers are pretty impressive man, you are a strong dude for sure at 18!

 

So really you need to pick muscle gain or fat loss.. because you've been training for 3 years, it's going to be pretty tough for you to do both at once now.. that is unless you kind of 'wasted' the first few years with poor nutrition.

 

I would say 2800 calories actually seems low for a guy your size to be honest, especially if you are training 6 out of every 8 days, with cardio added in as well.

 

However, it does look like you're holding onto a bit of excess body fat that could be useful to trim off to actually help you build more muscle (testosterone levels are higher at a lower body fat percentage).

 

I'd suggest that because you're not a newbie, you maybe do a small cut first, to try and get back down to more like 13-15% body fat before you go back into a lean bulk.

 

Basically it comes down to what your main goal is. Also, the calculations for your macros, did you get those from the @mealplan page? And is eating 2800 calories putting you in a deficit or surplus?

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Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: jonathanblain

My first years of nutrition were pretty trashy, I would go from extreme deficit to dirty bulk which was terrible. I would constantly be weighing close to 160 to then a few months after back at around 210. I was never taught good nutrition, I have always been told "Eat a lot less to lose weight, and eat a lot to gain muscle". I realized this after the 3rd time sadly and it was just because of my extreme deficit. I got the 2800 from a calculator online. At this point my ultimate goal would probably be to get leaner since I am not comfortable with the body fat I am carrying currently. More muscle mass would be nice, but if i had to choose looking leaner would be better since summer is coming up. Is there anyway you can calculate my accurate nutrition to get down to 13% body fat to then lean bulk? Also, can I upload my program to see if it is good for what you are advising me to do? Thank you very much Scott. Keep up the good work 💪 

 

*Note: While eating 2800 I noticed today I went from 197 to 201, but most likely was just bloat since I weighed myself at the end of the day.

Yeah man you can use the calculator on the @mealplan page to get an idea of what your numbers should be for your fat loss goal. To be honest your macros look pretty good, it would just be a case of figuring out roughly how many calories you need as well, which the calculator will help with.

 

Might be a good idea to drop the carbs a little bit, to more like 180g, and then back to about 150g on rest days to help with fat loss too. But like I say, use the calculator and then post your numbers here and we will help you adjust them!

 

And yes you can post an overview of your program here if you like for us to take a look at as well - you're not following any of the programs on the site? Cheat & Recover was just released this week! https://muscularstrength.com/Full-Workout-Programs

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
bigboss
bigboss g allan knight
73 Post(s)
73 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: June 6, 2013
Posted

I was thinking a slight carb adjustment would be good also if your looking to cut.

 

Remember, not all foods are made the same. A food may help you hit your macros, but not help you at all in your goals. This video can be a really big help in explaining it better than I can. Over the years I've appreciated this video more. Lean proteins and complex carbs are your friend. It's much bigger than just eating veggies with all meals. Best of luck!!

 

I'm 27, I'm male, I'm trying to maintain a healthy but nice physique. I weigh about 195, 6'0 I've got four large passions in my life! Sports! My Lord and Savior! P.E.! And last but not least..... My wife! HTH! I have other goals, just ask if you want to know! My handle is Big Boss, but you can just call me Allan. Finally, always remember, HTH!
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