[Images] Training plan/Losing weight - constructive criticism please

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Ok - I am 17 (currently don't know what I weigh, I am picking up some bathroom scales tomorrow) and I really dislike the way I look at present. After reading what a few people have said in other posts on this forum, I have concluded that it would be best for me to shed the fat that I do have until I am happy with my bodyfat percentage before I begin to bulk and add muscle.

Here is what I look like at the moment:

body1.png

body2a.png


Now, if anyone would like to hazard a guess at my bodyfat percentage then please do as it would be nice to know :p

After weighing myself tomorrow I will hopefully be able to come up with some form of diet. I am thinking of possibly cutting to 2000 calories for about a week and then dropping to 1500 calories to see if I can lose the weight. I have also included my training plan that I aim to follow (below) but as I am not very experienced with lifting I am guessing that there are some things that could be improved in there.

Training Plan

With the excercises on that plan, I aim to perform them with a low weight but I think I need to increase my reps - I am unsure really of what to do to just lose weight. Obviously it would be nice to build muscle too but I am pretty sure that this is not possible and that it's a one or another situation. Hopefully, by sticking to the plan and some construtive criticism and advice from you guys, this will be the start of a new me :D and given time and massive determination, hopefully I can begin to see those abs sometime in the future ;) and in a few years - maybe I can help some other poor old sod who wants to change :p
 
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Associate
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tbh, for the first few months i wouldnt really worry about being to strict with the ratios. lots of carbs, lots of protien and good fats.
take advantage of the first few months of training and gain as much as you can.

I have trained for about 2 months before but didn't really have a clue what I was doing.. yeah I lifted heavy and did 3 sets/8 reps but my diet wasn't exactly great. Wouldn't I have already have 'used up' the newbie period?
 
Soldato
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Ok you fixed the text, now fix your workout, it's not very good :p

From years of trying to help people with workouts I've learned straight out telling them doesn't usually work. It's better to try and have someone think what they're doing wrong... if they still don't listen... well they're just going to have to learn the hard way lol!

First off, your poor shoulders are going to get hammered. They get hit very hard training chest, especially the front delt. They also get hit hard training your back... and you've dedicated a whole training session to solely hit the shoulders aswell, right in between your chest and back workouts with no rest. Now if you think muscles need approx 48-72 hours to fully recover what state do you think your shoulders will be in, in a few months time? Do you think they'll be improving optimally?

Muslces need rest to recuperate and grow stronger. Read up about this and understand it, it will serve you well.

Also if you're looking to add muscle and lose fat then you might want to take a look at sprinting instead of just running the same distance everyday. Take a look at sprinters compared to the longer distance runners for example.

- and listen to Morba ;)
 
Associate
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Your plan is a mess mate. Sorry, you really need to do some homework on this.

Firstly, this forum has a wonderful sticky which you should read.
Secondly, do cardio and lift heavy weights. You'll gain some lean muscle and lose the fat. Win win tbh.

Just to justify why your plan is a mess.
Doing Chest, triceps and biceps in one day will mean you won't be targeting those areas with sufficient exercise. Biceps work particularly well with back day since a lot of the movements compliment each other.
Don't exercise three days in a row. You do not gain muscle by lifting heavy weights at the gym, you gain muscle by RECOVERING from lifting heavy weights. Rest is FAR more important than being in the gym as often as possible. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is a better split.
8 reps is fine. Do what works for you, I usually like to do around 10 but doing 8 won't make me feel guilty. For big compound exercises like deadlifts you might find you can only do 5, that's still fine. If you feel it working, then it IS working.
Quite a lot of people will recommend you avoid upright rows because they can be quite intensive on the rotator cuff and aren't a particularly natural movement for your shoulders. It's up to you, but I'd say it's not worth it in the long run. Do some innies and outies on your shoulder day (if you don't start starting strength) to improve shoulder stability (use a very low weight).
Don't do leg and back together either. You are going to be aching if you do Deadlifts and Squats in the same day. It's simply not realistic to do them together.

But if you're just starting out, you should really be sticking only to compound exercises such as in Rippetoe's "Starting Strength".

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

That means plenty of Squats, Deadlifts and Bench press.

I wouldn't focus too much on cutting calories. Food isn't necessarily the main problem (unless you have McDonald's everyday). A lack of exercise is most likely the issue.

So lift heavy weights (forget about this high rep bull****, you gain muscle and tone by eating well and lifting heavy), do sufficient cardio (some people say at the minimum, 20 minutes a day of sufficient intensity, optimally 30-45 minutes - enough to keep your heart rate up.), eat well and stick to compound exercises and you'll start to notice changes in the next few months.

Hope that helps, I probably put more effort into this post than I should.
 
Associate
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Right.. I have written down the Rippetoes plan and have incorporated 30 mins LIIT after each workout and 30 mins HIIT (6:00am) on non-workout days.

As far as eating goes.. I am 11st. 13lb/82kg/181lb so what should I be eating in terms of calories if I want to add some muscle but not put on much/if any fat (preferrably lose it)?
 
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Ditch your training plan and go with 5x5, solid well built beginners routine that will make the most of your age and potential gains.

Please understand that its INCREDIBLY hard to bulk and lose fat at the same time and as a beginner its unlikely, your not fat anyway, so you have nothing to worry about.

Dont worry about calories, eat when your hungry untill your full, your body is a much better indicator then numbers will ever be, no matter what anyone says. The only thing to worry about is getting 1g per lb of bodyweight in protein, so in your case 180. This provides efficient amounts for growth but not over the top.

As your still new and young, dont get too hung up about what you eat, just make sure you do, but obviously dont go scoffing biscuits and fast food every meal. At the same time dont worry about having 100% perfect clean diet everday, it really wont make a lot of difference on a bulk unless you go overboard. I eat biscuits, kfc, chocolate etc nearly everyday and have still maintained a similar body fat (ahh the joys of being young :p).

Theres a lot to learn really, so do some research and read the sticky in the beginner section, its better if you learn for yourself than have someone else do it for you.

Good luck :)

Edit- another thing, doing some slow cardio for 15-30 mins AFTER your workout will be sufficient, doing to much will result in overtraining and you'll just be needing more calories. Only do it on your workout days, leave your off days for rest.
 
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Associate
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Yeah my bad :p

Here are my figures..

Current Weight (Kg): 76
BMR: 1867
Maintenance: 2893.23
Current Weight (Stone): 11.97
Current Weight (Lb): 167.55
 
Associate
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Either 5x5 or rippletoes will be good, both popular and work well.

On your non weight days I would just leave it as nothing, more recovery will do you better than training again.
 
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