What doses are you running for test and deca?
300-350mg Test
200mg Deca.
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What doses are you running for test and deca?
Looking good, nice work & upping this calories, slowly I see. What's your plan 100. Extra per week ??? And do you plan on staying at 300test & 200 Dec???
I do plan to increase above 3100 eventually. Weight seems to be slowly climbing with skin folds staying relatively the same. My next increase will be to 3300 on workout days and around 3000 on non workout days. Will probably add 10g fat and another 25 carbs. Suggestions?
How many calories over maintenance will 3300 be?
How many calories over maintenance will 3300 be?
I'm curious to know as well
I'm curious to know as well
Has your weight been holding over the last few weeks?
Hey bro, see my response below to CC. Also, since you are reverse dieting at the moment, check this video out. Very informative https://youtu.be/A3gTGLulLnI
I am trying to stay 200-300 over maintenance. Just as the metabolism slows during calorie deficits, it increases during Calorie surplus. I am just trying to stay 200-300 ahead of it. Right now I am in that range. I suspect in the very near future, I will need to increase calories to stay in that positive 200-300 energy range. Based on that, let's say in a perfect world, I was in a 300 calorie surplus all 7 days of the week. That would be 2100 calories per week, so a little over 0.5pounds. I realize the gains are slow and that there are more optimal approaches. However, my goals are different. I am not as concerned with an actual "Scale weight" as I am with how I look and my LBM number.
I'm curious where you got that number. I question how many calories are actually needed to build a lb of muscle. I know if you were break down a lb of muscle it's supposedly 2500 calories per lb, but I don't know that's how much it is to "build" muscle. It isn't like fat where the fat cell just absorbs the "calories". I haven't researched this much at all, but what I have always read always seemed questionable.
The scale weight can give you a better indicator of what your current maintenance calories are. LBM number isn't going to change much from week to week! I am sure you know this but body fat and lbm changes take time. For me during reverse dieting I use the scale to see if I am at a surplus maintenance or deficit. For me my maintence is always changing so I make adjustments accordingly! I agree the slower the better not only for not putting fat back on but for a optimal finctioning metabolism! Here is one last thing that I wanted to mention and it doesn't apply too much to reverse dieting as it does for cutting. For me and from my experiences and what studies have found, front and back loading carbs within a certain amount could be the deciding factor for preserving lbm during a cut as well as increasing lbm during reverse dieting. The muscle sparing effects of carbs when the body is in a low energy state it may try to produce energy by converting amino acids to glucose. Having enough carbs for you prior to a workout prevents this since they can readily be broken down to glucose. Another reason to front load carbs (prior to workout), when we lift heavy weights the primary pathway that is used to produce ATP is the anaerobic or glycolytic pathway. The only substrate for this pathway is glucose which can be used from what the carbs we consume prior to. Another reason carbs are important prior to workout is they increase cell volume. cell size is the indicator of the state that the body is in. When cells are at a large volume it signals that the body is in a fed state. Cell size also indicates the anabolic state and increases protein synthesis. If cell volume drops protein synthesis drops. For every gram of glycogen stores the body stores approx 2.7 grams of water and increase cell volume thereby triggering the forementioned responses. I will be using this principle for my mock peak week coming up. Another reason front loading (prior to workout) is important is workout intensity. If one can not maintain his or her workout intensity while trying to get lean or stay lean the have a greater chance at preserving lbm or increasing lbm! As far as post workout carbs in my experience finding the right amount to increase the rate of recovery! So in my opinion not only is the amount of calories that we get from pro, carbs and fat important but when we get them is also important and could be the deciding factor in lbm!!
Just my thoughts and experience bro!!
I agree with you 100% on all points. LBM is very slow to change and can not be used to measure progress on a weekly basis. Right now I am monitoring scale weight and skin fold measurements. If weight is going up, but skin folds are staying the same, then this is a good indication the weight is muscle. Obviously, some will be water, but I am talking the trend over time. I also agree with the timing of carbs pre and post workout. If your on a cut and your budget is 100 carbs, consuming 50 pre and 50 post workout is definitely advantageous. However, I have never had to worry about this as I have never gone below 175 carbs on a cut. My issue with carb front/back loading is when people put it as a priority over total calorie intake. I realize you do not do this, but I come across people all the time who do. They are on a cut, doing all this fancy carb front/back loading, carb cycling, low carb, paleo stuff, but have no idea where there total energy intake is because they don't track their food or have a meal plan. I try to explain the hierarchy of importance 1.) Total Calories 2.) Where those calories are coming from - Pro, carbs fats 3.) Timing of those P, C F. I tell them don't worry about #3 until you have #1 under control.
I agree with you bro but my order would be a little different. That's the great thing we all have different ways of attaining a similar goals!! I look forward to reading your post and seeing how you go about attaining your goal!
Agreed. Definitely gained a lot of respect for both you and Iron during this contest. You guys have shown that you have your head in the game and I have no doubts you guys will be able to attain goals. I hope we continue to compare notes as I'm constantly making tiny adjustments to how I view training/diet etc.