Nothing working, time to quit or use drugs?

[Denilson35]

I'm about 6'1, 178, 8.5 % body fat. I play soccer, so its a necessity that my body fat is low, but I don't have good definition anywhere really. I take exercise quite seriously, and I run 7 days a week(HIIT/some longer runs) in the morning and I lift 6-7 days a week, so I think I'm holding up on that end of the bargain. I do the CKD, and am at about 120 f, 250 p, 25 c, so I stay around the 2100/2200 mark with calories. I've never used any supplements except protein powder, but I'm starting to doubt my body's capabilities without some sort of drug. I'm quite confused, and anybody's advice would be really appreciated. My goal is just to get down to about 170-172 and get some abdominal definition, but I don't know what direction to go, or if my genetics will keep nixing the work I put in.

 

[overhead]

AT that activity level you are going to have to take total cals up some to put on any muscle. I would try 2500 for a week or two and see if you put on any weight. If not make 500 cal jumps until your weight starts to increase.

 

[Him1]

Well, you're right about one thing. Your confusion abounds. 1: There is no chance, absolutely none, that you will gain muscle on 2100 calories a day. 2: You say you are at 8.5% bf, and you have no abdominal definition? That is not the way it works, sorry. First, get your bf tested at pretty regular intervals so you can track your progress w/ that. Then, I would rasie your calories to app. 2700 calories(BWx15... maintenance). If it were me, I would take in about 250 g of this from protein(1080 cal's 40%) app 185 carbs(810 cal's 30%) and 70-90 from fat(30% healthy fats). this ratio works very well for me, while bulking or leaning out(I'm sure overhead will give you his differing opinion on the ratios... but, thats a different thread . )

 

[overhead]

No Him1, for a guy with a problem putting on weight I would not follow the diet that I do. Yours sounds about right. And I think you are right about the cals, they should be around 2700 atleast, I did not take the time to do the math.
If you wish to continue CKD (which I like), you are REALLY going to have to up the cals. Probably atleast 3000, but each person is different so its hard to say. And if I were you I would not even think about adding drugs until I found a cal total that I could gain on, hate to waste all the money due to a lack of food.

 

[Denilson35]

I don't think you read exactly what I wrote originally. I said I wanted to go DOWN to 170. I appreciate the interest though.

 

[Him1]

No, I understand exactly. You're the one whose confused(I don't mean to be rude, I'd actually like to help you... thats why I showed interest). First, you need to figure yourself out. You can't drop your calories to 2100 while burning countless hundreds of calories a day 6-7 days a week. you need more. How do you expect to see musculature in your abs or anywhere else if your body has burned it all up? My plan would give you energy for all that cardio... keep calories low enough to burn fat, and at least hold on to the muscle.

 

[overhead]

Oh, sorry. 8.5% body fat is pretty low already. If thats right, then you have a couple of choices. Lower cals by a couple of hundred a week until you begin dumping fat again, or eat a little more and work on adding muscle, than cut all over again.

 

[Denilson35]

Are there any supplements that would benefit in the loss of the last 5 pounds or so, or should it just be simply diet and exercise? That stuff you rub on yourself, Yohimburn, seems verrrry questionable. If it was that effective, wouldn't other people know about it? Also, what about the "stacks"? Are they any help? Caffeine to enhance workouts? I'm just throwing stuff out there. What do you guys use, or are genetics kinder on you? Oh and about the body fat, I had it tested at 9% about 2 months ago, and I tested myself around 8.3 or something. Maybe I misspoke, I have definition around the whole abs, but nothing like the so called six pack, theres no lines in between.

 

[Zagreus]

I'm about 6'1, 178, 8.5 % body fat. I play soccer, so its a necessity that my body fat is low, but I don't have good definition anywhere really. I take exercise quite seriously, and I run 7 days a week(HIIT/some longer runs) in the morning and I lift 6-7 days a week, so I think I'm holding up on that end of the bargain. I do the CKD, and am at about 120 f, 250 p, 25 c, so I stay around the 2100/2200 mark with calories. I've never used any supplements except protein powder, but I'm starting to doubt my body's capabilities without some sort of drug. I'm quite confused, and anybody's advice would be really appreciated. My goal is just to get down to about 170-172 and get some abdominal definition, but I don't know what direction to go, or if my genetics will keep nixing the work I put in.

I used to play soccer in high school and college before I got injured. If you are sure about your body fat here is what I recomend.

1) Stop doing CKD unless you are a massocist and do not want to gain muscle or size. CKD is designed to be a cutting fat loss, weight loss program. The ketogenic enegy cycle is less efficient in converting food to energy then the Krebs cycle ie a diet using glucose for energy instead of ketones. That is why it is easier to loose weight while in ketosis then in the krebs cycle when keeping food and cardio intake at a constant. Furthrmore if you are playing competitive soccer and have a game during your carb down and transistion into the ketogenic cycle you must feel like shit and not play as well.

2) Your current calorie consumption is equal to your basal metobolic rate. Meaning your diet and current exercise routing is geared for one thing, weight loss. With the calories you currently consume, you could sit on your ass all day and barely put on any weight. You need to up your calories and consume carbs for energy. Stop doing ketosis! With quality carbs you will have more energy and your muscle cells will have more water volume and size. Thus you will not look flat and have some definition. Increase you caloric intake to 2500-2750 and decrease your cardio unless neccesary for soccer.

3) Stop doing HIIT and hopefully you are not doing HIIT muscle training because both are geared toward weight loss and toning. If you want size and some definition go to the training boards, see the stickeys and try the 5x5 mass program.

4) Suppliments, once you drop CKD start using and cycling Creatine, that will give you at least 5 extra pound of muscle and some strenght to help build more mass at the gym. Not to mention stuff more ATP into your muscle cells that will help you on the feild and in the gym. Lastly, you should put on at least 5 pound of water weight alone once you stop ckd.

5) Keep you protien very high and choose quility short and long acting protients. IE Whey is short acting takes abot 2 hours to digest, while miceler cassine is a longer acting protien. Buy a blended protien like muscle milk that has healthy fats and a meal replacement powder like Micelean it has 3 quality protiens plus solid long acting carbs. You should take this before you go to bed and first thing in the morning. Or mix muscle milk with 1/2 cups raw oatmeal in the blender with some milk for your am drink and plain muscle milk with some skim milf before bed time.

6) Do not due gear until you have mastered your diet and training and understand your bodies reaction to changes in both. There is a person i recomend you due a search on his posts. His name in Fonz and he also plays soccer and in the past had difficulty putting on muscle size and definition because of all the cardio. Check out his posts and see what worked for him.

Lastly, my roomate followed a program you are currently using. He is a male model with the goal of maintaning the heroine model look. Long, skinny, flat, and gaunt. He is doing CKD and runs every day. Guess what, he has the look that gets hired for shoots and looks like shit.

Good Luck-

Zag

 

[Fonz]

CKD =DEATH for soccer players.

It will SEVERELY compromise your endurance.

If you want to lose fat(8.5% BF and no cuts?????...I think you're most likely higher then that). use a diet composed of (Prots/Fats/Carbs) 33%/33%/33% or 30%/30%/40% works best for soccer players.

Keep your carbohydrate soirces LOW GI as well.

I'll assume yiu're pre-season b/c wanting to lose fat during the season is just not what you want to do...it compromises your performance.

Fonz