I just weighed myself

[Zander1983]

187.5 pounds!!!

Sure, its not a morning measurement, but its not the end of the day either (3pm). So lets say 185 pounds...

Either way, I am definately gaining a lot of fat, so its time to get some more cardio into the mix along with tweaking what I eat.

5 out of 7 mornings before breakfast I will do some bodyweight GPP (jumping jacks, shuffle spits, slalom jumps etc.). My weight training won't be adjusted.

I'll cut out carbs later in the day and reduce them on non-weight training days and make sure I don't over-indulge otherwise. No more swaining, but it has to be done

Given my long-term goal of playing football, I can't afford to be too fat for the positions I would like to play (either DB or RB). I need to be in shape. If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't bother and would just keep swaining and gaining.

Once I am down to 175 pounds I will reconsider where I go from there. Only last week I said I wanted to get to 190 pounds by November, but that has been changed

I hope I'm doing the right thing. My last set of photos didn't really show how much fat I'm carrying. The balance of muscle-fat gain is in the wrong direction at the moment, and I have to think about football...

Some reassurance or a slap in the face would be nice, because I don't want to end up spinning my wheels or going backwards...

 

[gonelifting]

I would gradually cut back until you get the desired effect, before starting the cardio. I`m in the same boat as you regarding the fat to muscle gain ratio. lol

But you have football to worry about.

 

[revexrevex]

fatty

 

[Zander1983]

Originally posted by revexrevex
fatty

But what should I do, fatty?

At the moment I have a desire to face challenges, compete and win that isn't met by merely lifting or playing soccer.

If there were strongman events in this country then everything would be easy to decide, but there aren't. And powerlifting and bodybuilding aren't for me.

Even as I adjust my goals based on playing football next year, I still have my reservations...

The real problem is that I'm not sure where I want to go. I'm definately not satisfied with where I am or where I'm heading. I need to find MY niche...

 

[revexrevex]

FATTY

 

[IronLion]

As a football player you have to find the balance at where you can carry the most mass and not sacrifice performance. For the positions you want to play that is going to be a lower bf than an offensive lineman obviously but there are those who can carry more mass and still perform. Case in point Jerome Bettis. For your goals and the position you are in I would strongly suggest not "dieting", 187 pounds is small even for most running backs. You should aim to be the most lean and athletic 190-200 pound man you can be. I played a season at around 6-8 percent bodyfat and my performance was not noticeably better than at 10-12 percent. You have to let your performance be the judge not the mirror, scale, or bf calipers. The whole deal with playing football is that you have to be able to play with as much mass as your frame will hold. Just because you can run a 4.5 forty at 180 doesn't mean you should play at that weight if you can be more durable and stronger at 200 with a 4.6 forty....

 

[coolcolj]

just hit the sprints, which you'll need to do anyway

 

[Zander1983]

IronLion - thanks for that. I need to focus on what I really want and what it takes to achieve it. I could tolerate being a little soft if I could run right over the top of people like The Bus... lol

CCJ - I definately need to get sprinting sooner than I had planned. You're right

No more screwing around. I've had to be very strong mentally this past week and I can't lose focus now.

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

Zander, I want to add that you need to find a style that works for you on the field too. Are you a smooth, elusive runner? Or are you more naturally inclined to run people over, kill the clock, and where down a defense?

I went in to my Fr year of college a 225lb fullback. In high school I could run over anybody I wanted to whenever I wanted to. In college at 225 I could be a little quicker, but I am not a smooth, elusive, pretty runner. My style is bruising, and 225lbs playing D II and I AA schools wasn't enough to be a hammer, I'd either break down and be hurt by mid-season, or I would get embarrassed trying to take on a lineback who had 15lbs on me, so I had to gain weight. I got up to 265 and I outweighed every linebacker I played, I outweighed some of the smaller d-lineman, and with 265 on a 5'11" frame, it was a luxury because I was used a lot of times as sort of like an extra guard.

My 40 time dropped. At 225 I ran a 4.6, but at 265 I ran a 4.79, but it made no difference, I wasn't a burner and 4.79 was adequate speed for me to perform my main job, and that was wearing down a defense, carrying in short-yardage, killing the clock, and blocking, blocking, and blocking.

So, my point is you need to find out what your own personal styles and strong suits are. Are you a smooth runner, a burner, or a bruiser?? Just find your style, then pack on as much weight as humanly possibly to allow you to perform your best at that style, not a lb more, not a lb less.

 

[Zander1983]

BBD, appreciate those thoughts

I've watched the team I would be playing for and they have a very speedy, elusive running back that I doubt I could compete with on those terms.

There would probably be a spot for me in the secondary if I wanted to keep that type of size and quickness, but I'd rather be playing in the backfield.

So, it appears like my best chance is to be as much of a bruiser as possible. If I get big and strong enough I could even play fullback. One of the best fullbacks in the league is 5'9" and 220lbs. The team he plays on has a website that says he benches 110kg (about 245lbs) for 8 reps, like it is some sort of super-human lift. When I read that I thought "ffs, if I get a bit of size behind me I could be unstoppable."

 

[Zander1983]

benches 110kg (about 245lbs) for 8 reps

My mistake. Make that 100kg (220lbs) or bodyweight for 8 reps.