Hi everyone...I am a 24 year old graduate student and have been using Beverly products for about 3 years now. I just had a few questions for some of you on here. I was just wondering how much cardio and what type you guys/ ladies think. I am trying to cut up for vacation on July 26th. I am currently 6'1" and 187 lbs my bodyfat is around 15-18% right now. I am currently taking 4 mass amino 4ultra 40 and 2 lean out with each meal. I am doing low intensity cardio (about 65% max hr) 5 days week for 30-50 minutes and still lifting heavy. I have never been one to go light. Any thoughts on nutrition such as should I go lower carb yet or still keep them a little higher to preserve muscle? Also, should I bump up the cardio more or just stay here fro a little longer. I have about 7 weeks till vacation. Any thoughts/ ideas would be greatly appreciated.

what is your current diet right now?

quote:

Originally posted by JON:
Hi everyone...I am a 24 year old graduate student and have been using Beverly products for about 3 years now. I just had a few questions for some of you on here. I was just wondering how much cardio and what type you guys/ ladies think. I am trying to cut up for vacation on July 26th. I am currently 6'1" and 187 lbs my bodyfat is around 15-18% right now. I am currently taking 4 mass amino 4ultra 40 and 2 lean out with each meal. I am doing low intensity cardio (about 65% max hr) 5 days week for 30-50 minutes and still lifting heavy. I have never been one to go light. Any thoughts on nutrition such as should I go lower carb yet or still keep them a little higher to preserve muscle? Also, should I bump up the cardio more or just stay here fro a little longer. I have about 7 weeks till vacation. Any thoughts/ ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Post your current diet. Any changes in your bodyfat or lean mass is 98% diet and the rest from energy output and metabolic demand. Can't tell you what you can do until we see what you are eating my man!

My current diet varies a little according to what I have in the fridge/ freezer but it looks something like this.

Workout @ 6am (cardio....sometimes weights too)

Meal #1 Protein shake (2 scoops UMP in water)
one packet low or no sugar oatmeal
1 grapefrutit plain
4 mass, 4 ultra 40, 2 lean out
(2 whole grain waffles instead of oatmeal some days)

Meal #2 chicken breast
green beans 1-2cups
sometimes 1 cup whole grain rice
fruit (strawberries or 1/2 grapefruit)
4 mass, 4 ultra 40, 2 lean out

Meal #3 2 scoops UMP in water
4 mass, 4 ultra 40, 2 lean out

Meal #4 chicken breast
1-2 cups veggies (spinach salad or green beans)

Meal #5 fish, chicken, or lean red meat (92% or leaner)
some type of veggie
if i feel i need more carbs= some potatoes or similar starchy carb (bananas, rice, etc...)
4 mass, 4 ultra 40, 2 lean out

Snacks throughout the day include: handfull of almonds, no sugar added applesauce, kashi bars, sunflower seeds, or fresh fruit (stuff I can take to class)

for a cheat...i have been having a little fat-free chocolate cool whip every once in a while...its like 15-25 calories and 0 fat, 1 gram of sugar per serving...helps with the sweet tooth cravings.

Thanks for the help everyone, hope this info helps.

If your eating that good I would think your Bf% would be lower. I think you def need to lift weights 3-4x per week. You would put on some lean tissue, look more toned and burn more calories with the added muscle.

Jared to answer your question...my bf is higher than usual right now. Last June I fell from a roof and landed on my left forearm...shattered both my radius and ulna (7 breaks in total and the bone poked through my skin). I had to have surgery and now have 2 metal plates and 16 titanium screws in my arm, lol. I took about 6 months off and let my eating go. I think that the excess calories were good for all of my healing but not the greatest for my physique. Anyway, I am back to normal now and and really trying to push myself in the gym. When I first got back into the gym I was only able to bench 20 lb db for like 10 reps. I am now currently back up to 95's for three sets of 8. Still improving daily which is good. Looking back, i wish that I would have kept up with at least some cardio and kept my diet a little cleaner. But I know ill get back there...its just a matter of time.

Jon your diet looks pretty clean. Specify for me. What do you mean by Chicken Breast and lean red meat?? How many oz. are we talking here? Portion size is pretty important.

What is your lifting schedule like? You can't get lean on Cardio alone. In the end lifting weights and compound lifts will require more than triple the amount of energy consumed in comparison to just 30-50mins cardio. Like I said, you diet looks pretty clean. You want to get lean? Stoke that metabolism by lifting more aggressively and frequently.

CB...thanks for the response. By chicken breast I mean one whole breast (about 28g of protein or 4-5 tenderloins appr. 30 grams of protein). Red meat...I was getting 96% lean but the grocery store stopped carrying it (Marc's...they change products all the time...now the best I can get is 92% lean). I would say about 8-10oz red meat in a serving...I might start measuring it out if I have the time. I am lifting between 3-5 days per week right now. Usually right after my cardio. I would rather lift at night after class when im not on an empty stomach but I cant do it with my class load. I try and take some aminos before so I dont go quite as catabolic. I am a big believer in going heavy even when cutting. I feel more full and feel like I can still gain even when reducing calories...as long as I dont go too low...at least for now because im still 8 weeks out. If my energy starts to decrease later on Ill prob. reduce the total work for my workouts so im not burning too much muscle due to the calorie reduction. I have been doing like a whole body workout each day of the week so far to try a theory I have. For example, on Mon Ill do 3 sets heavy DB bench, 3 sets heavy lat pulldowns, 3 sets heavy db curls, 3 sets heavy tricep ext, and 3 sets heavy dumbell military presses. This way im not tearing down too much tissue but stuill incraesing metabolism and frocing nutrients and blood to most of the body everyday. Im hoping this will keep me from going catabolic as quickly. Been working really well so far. I havent been training legs for 2 weeks due to a pulled hammy during a baseball game. Days where I feel a little drained, I switch to a slightly higher rep scheme and rotate in some new exercises to let my body rebuild a little bit more. Just wondered about how low you guys actually go on starchy carbs when preparing fro a comp or cutting. I dont want to go soo low that I start burning muscle for fuel, but I need to lose kinda quickly in the next 6 weeks. Any thoughts??? Righgt now im thinking just a few carb up meals throughout the week to keep me going??? ANy one try anthing like this and have success? Thanks again for all of the help.

wow...im a horrible typer, lol.

Well, the one thing that you may wanna change is the order of exercise. NEVER do cardio before you lift! You are burning out your muscular glycogen reserves before you have a chance to use it anaerobically! Switch that around, do your cardio after you've lifted. It is more important anyways.

If you only have 6 weeks left, then a carb up meal could be a good idea. You have to look to tighten up your diet and be more consistant with your meals. At this point you don't have the luxury to eat whatever is in your freezer or fridge. The meals have to be timed, cooked, and placed correctly in order to guage if more or less calories are needed. You can't have a lot of variety, or else you won't know what to take out or add in? You see what I'm saying?

Here are some ways to tighten your current diet. I would back off on the fruit and save those for your protein shake (3-4 strawberries at your meal #3). At meal #2 make sure that you add in a 6-7oz sweet potato (don't just add it in sometimes). You could stand to add 1 cup cooked brown rice to your meal #4. At your meal #5 keep from adding in starchy carbs.

I am just working with what you've got already, and not changing things to drastically. This way you won't necessarily have to throw in a carb up meal. You are currently following along the lines of a 50/20/30 caloric split, which is fine, but in need of a few carb-up meals. The suggestions I've made are putting you closer to the 40/40/20 split which I find to be superior and does not necessarily need a carb-up meal (unless there is significant fatigue).

These are just some suggestions to help you out, but you know your body the best. Do what you feel works best for you!

Thanks CB for some great ideas. I have always been a lift first do cardio after believer too but I have been training with my fiance lately and have made some sacrifices in that respect...I think I am going to try and go back to lifting first though. I will def add the sweet potatoe in a sweet potato with meal #2. And I do have a lot of brown rice in the cupboard that I can add in with meal #4. Im gonna see how that works and judge to see if I even need the carb up meal. I might try and make my shake #3 before I go to class in the morning so I can throw in a few strawberries. I go to class from 8am-5 pm with only 30 minutes for lunch so I cant blend them into a shake unless I make it at home before I leave. Thanks again for taking the time to answer a few of my questions, I really appreciate it. I have always had a fairly good physique but I would like to take it to the next level and help from people like you that are already there is nice. Thanks again...Ill let ya know how it works out for me.