Change things up or?

[mcr]

I have been cutting for 4 months now and have gone from 20%+ down to around 12%. While doing this I have been following Westside and haven't lost any strength whatsoever. However I haven't gained any either (not really a huge surprise).

I intend to cut for a further few months until I'm to around 8% as I am definitely not happy at how I look at 12% - although it's loads better than 20%+. Should I stick with Westside as it appears to be preserving my strength, or should I change things up? And if so, to what?

My overall goal is to gain both mass and strength, but I need to lose the rest of this flab first - I HATE it!!!

Reason to stay on Westside: I've proven that I can preserve strength while cutting quite drastically. If I change things up, I could end up losing strength from a lesser routine.

Reason to change: It is sort of demoralising doing a ME exercise and getting exactly the same weight week in and week out for months. Maybe I should just quit bitchin though and stick to Westside as it's working.

 

[big4life]

If it's working don't change it. Sometimes we try to over think everything, when it is really quite simple. Find what works for you and go at it.

 

[bignate73]

the thing about it is the fact that you didnt lose strength while dropping bodyfat/weight. Thats GREAT! fat/bodyweight gives you more leverage, so think of it like you got lighter and more efficient (basically stronger). if you were to gain weight now, you would be stronger IMO.

 

[TRUEsoldier]

Id more say its fuckin amazing!!! If you droped over 8% body fat (not exactly sure how much timespan you are tlaking about, or if you lost weight either) But all in all you should be happy as hell. If I were you I would stick with it, untill it stops working, you can read up on the other styles learn their benefit, but dont fix somethign that aint broken!!!

Keep up the awesome progree, and if you dont mind, can you post your timeline you are talking about, your sample diet, and your stats?? thansk bro

 

[mcr]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I will stick with it while I'm still preserving strength and re-evaulate when I start bulking (once I reach 8%).

Keep up the awesome progree, and if you dont mind, can you post your timeline you are talking about, your sample diet, and your stats?? thansk bro

I started cutting mid-April, so that's 4 months. It feels a lot longer when you're eating foods you don't necessarily enjoy! This morning I was measured 11.1% bodyfat, but my personal feeling is I'm a tad higher than that. Abs are starting to get pretty visible for the first time ever I am 200lbs. I was over 20% bodyfat when I started due to a really poor quality bulk. I have been lifting for 2 years now, although it's only been the last 4 months where I've started to look good (no coincidence that it's since I fixed my diet!). Not sure how much lean mass I've lost - but I don't think it's THAT much since strength has been constant throughout. I have lost no more than 2lbs a week (that was at the start when mostly water was going) and seem to be losing 1lb max a week over the last couple of months. Happy with the results in general but realise now that I need a lot more mass than 200lbs at 6' tall!!!

Diet is currently:

6am 2 scoops protein, 50g of oats in water.
6:30-7:30 Workout
7:30 1 scoop protein in water (PWO - I will be adding dextrose too soon)
8am Fish (enough to give 40g protein) and pasta (50g)
11am ANPB, whey and casein made into a bar
1pm 200g chicken, 40g brown rice and lots of veggies
4pm ANPB, whey and casein made into a bar
7pm 200g salmon and either veggies or salad with it
11pm Whey and Casein (sometimes some flax too)

I have very rarely cheated (in fact only two major cheat meals in 4 months), although this diet has evolved over the last 4 months due to me experimenting with how my body reacts to different clean foods at different times.

I am a raging meso/endo so I have found that as long as my diet is in check, I am good to go

 

[TRUEsoldier]

Thanks bro, I know what you mean about, being 200lbs at 6' and not being that bulky. I am 6' as well, and have only gotten over 200 once, but alot of it was water weight. I am currently at 199.5 (damn close to 200) my end goal is to weigh 215 at about 8% (which currently I am at about 12.9, way to high, but still bulking, so not worrying about it) When I first got out here, I was hopign to get to about 220 out here, but decided that is probably not going to happen, especially being that I came out here weighing only 180!!!

you weigh 200 now right!? how much did you weight when you began in mid april?? thanks again bro, and awesome shit

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I will stick with it while I'm still preserving strength and re-evaulate when I start bulking (once I reach 8%).




I started cutting mid-April, so that's 4 months. It feels a lot longer when you're eating foods you don't necessarily enjoy! This morning I was measured 11.1% bodyfat, but my personal feeling is I'm a tad higher than that. Abs are starting to get pretty visible for the first time ever I am 200lbs. I was over 20% bodyfat when I started due to a really poor quality bulk. I have been lifting for 2 years now, although it's only been the last 4 months where I've started to look good (no coincidence that it's since I fixed my diet!). Not sure how much lean mass I've lost - but I don't think it's THAT much since strength has been constant throughout. I have lost no more than 2lbs a week (that was at the start when mostly water was going) and seem to be losing 1lb max a week over the last couple of months. Happy with the results in general but realise now that I need a lot more mass than 200lbs at 6' tall!!!

Diet is currently:

6am 2 scoops protein, 50g of oats in water.
6:30-7:30 Workout
7:30 1 scoop protein in water (PWO - I will be adding dextrose too soon)
8am Fish (enough to give 40g protein) and pasta (50g)
11am ANPB, whey and casein made into a bar
1pm 200g chicken, 40g brown rice and lots of veggies
4pm ANPB, whey and casein made into a bar
7pm 200g salmon and either veggies or salad with it
11pm Whey and Casein (sometimes some flax too)

I have very rarely cheated (in fact only two major cheat meals in 4 months), although this diet has evolved over the last 4 months due to me experimenting with how my body reacts to different clean foods at different times.

I am a raging meso/endo so I have found that as long as my diet is in check, I am good to go

 

[mcr]

you weigh 200 now right!? how much did you weight when you began in mid april?? thanks again bro, and awesome shit

I was around 235 at 20%+ bodyfat and very bloated.

If the calipers were correct this morning at 11.1 that means:

Start: 235@20% = 47lbs of fat = 188 lbm
Now : [email protected]% = 22lbs of fat = 178 lbm

I was probably enough over 20% at the start to mean that I've actually lost more fat and less lbm than those figures show. If I wasn't over 20%, I was VERY bloated!!

My waist has gone from over 38inches to 32inches now and I have only lost about an inch off my arms (down to 16in), which sort of confirms that. They look so much bigger though.

Thanks for the encouragement and good luck with your goals too bro!!