Need help on routine and diet

[Anna Kubit]

Hi everyone!

I have started my 2nd hypertrophy specific 6 week cycle at the beginning of this week. The last cycle was short (about 3 weeks) as I started out with too much weight (tried to increase too fast and exhausted way too fast). I just had a little over a week off before starting this one...

Here’s my planned routine…

http://annakubit.com/fitness/routine/

(click on 'starting_10-25-04.xls'.

I have used the max weight which I want to achieve for the calculations in that excel sheet; all higher than I am able to lift now. I have been instructed to use my real max weight ever lifted though... The problem with that is that I cannot increase weight at every workout then, as my weights are a minimum increase of 2.5 lbs per side (increments), so I am forced to increase at least 5 lbs. per workout... Unless I use a max # higher than my real max nr. I will not be able to increase at this rate given the # of workouts I plan (in that excel sheet you'll find my calculations). For the max of what I could lift (have lifted), see ‘…9-18-04’ in excel… Those numbers are there, in case you may need them (or I can post them here; just let me know). For my small muscles, I have some smaller increment weights (dumbbells), so I can increase at a lower rate.... I use a home gym that I put together, by the way..

I am now at 130 lbs. and at 23 BF% PER THE BELOW CALCULATION... Yet, using only 4 measurements, unlike in the calculation below (back under shoulder, bicep, tricep and side of stomach), I am at about 17/18% (32 millimeters sum)... 5'8. 20 yrs old. My photo is on my profile: For those BF%/#s see:

http://annakubit.com/fitness/

and click on BF% and then on the xls document for precise cals. Are these calculations right? How do I calculate my BF% using only a few of the measuring spots (for instance avoiding the chest measurement) w/o the use of charts? I would appreciate some input about whether I am calculating my BF correctly (all nrs. are in the BF excel sheet)...

My goal is to shred more fat (obviously, LOL!), especially on my lower body and stomach area, as I still cannot see my lower body too well defined. Also I want to build more muscle. I am going towards the Female Body Building look from a Fitness Figure side, but w/o steroids, etc. (well at least for now, until I am more experienced and until I reach plateaus), ;-) I don't have any issues with bulking up a bit right now, only to cut later and lose the BF... I just need more specifics on how to do so...

I need your advice on what I should be supplementing with also… Glutamine? Creatine? BCAAs? I just started loading with Creatine yesterday (20g per day for 7 days) and then I will drop this to 5 g 1/2 hr. b4 workout -- is that right?). My muscles seem pretty tight even though I have been training light after this creatine; so it seems to have a positive effect on me...

Any advice on brands of supplements and protein?

I take my flaxseed in the morning (essential ground flaxseed; about 3 tbs.):

http://www.spectrumorganics.com/index.php?id=60

Also I take Tanolin CLA as prescribed.

I am doing HIIT training on the treadmill on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, starting with a total of 2 minutes per each of those days and then increasing by 2 min every week (hopefully). For abs (6x/week), I do various crunches and exercises with weights and without. What are the best abs workouts?

For nutrition, I eat very clean: No plain sugar (only in juices, and honey; pre and post workouts), lots of soybeans, veggies, and fruit (2 servings per day; apples mostly). My daily food intake is usually something like this:

Morning: Little oatmeal with soy milk and splenda with 2-3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed.

Mid morning: Apple and 6 brazil nuts for the minerals.

Noon time: Either a sandwich with hummus (bread with flaxseed; 11g carbs per serving) or a salad (romaine, some avocado, low fat/carb vinegarette dressing, and 2-3 chicken-style nuggets from Quorn)

Mid afternoon: Some soy beans usually

5/6 p.m.: Carbs b4 workout: Usually pasta with tomato/basil sauce with garlic and tofu., some juice (odwalla; the green one "superfood") or OJ.

About 1/2 hr after my meal: ~10g whey protein (which I drink as I workout), creatine.

Post workout (right after): Some more whey protein, creatine (when loading; then another 2 doses of 5 g b4 sleep), some juice for more carbs and lately a little bit of oatmeal mixed with honey (carbs).

Last meal: About an hr. after my post workout shake: Usually a light salad.

I drink water with every meal (about 25 FL OZ). I drink also 1-2 green/white teas a day...

Lately I have lost some weight... I was holding at about 134/135 for a few weeks and then went on a vacation where I ate clean as well and did not train, and this morning I was at 129.5. I am not sure whether it's fat I am losing (must measure BF% again)...

Oh, and I don’t eat meat or dairy (apart from whey, which I will most likely keep taking as opposed to soy) and get most of my protein from soy beans/milk and from nuts (brazil nuts), plus the protein shakes… I just ordered some soy protein, so I'll be mixing that in during the day...

What's the best soy protein I can buy?? I don’t feel as I am getting enough protein sometimes (though I am improving)..

I take a very good multi-vitamin; so that’s not an issue… 3x/day along with my CLA. At night I take a green tea pill (supposedly concentrated green tea extract and CO-Q 10).

I would appreciate all and any input to get me off to even more progress. For instance on my routine calculations, food choices, protein, any other issues I have addressed. As most people, I am in a hurry to look better, so any advice from you I appreciate very much ;-).

My photo:

www.annakubit.com/superanna.htm


Thanks girls in advance!! I know this is a long post, but well, it's better to be specific, right????

Anna ;-)

 

[Anna Kubit]

anyone?

 

[Daisy_Girl]

It's VERY good to be specific, but there are a lot of questions in your post. It is hard to weed out the information.

I'll try to tackle some of them....

1) Can't comment on Soy Protein, I don't use it.

2) I would add more Protein to your Meal 1. Right now, it seems to be mostly carb and fat.

3) Why so MANY carbs before workout? I would drop the juice. The energy you get for your workout will come in the first couple meals, probably not the one immediately before. It might also make it harder to lose fat with so many carbs in your stomach.

4) I would drop the pasta, even pre or post workout. Highly processed. Try a potato or rice instead.

5) Drop all those carbs post workout. Research is showing females do not need the carbs post wokout. If anything, add a SMALL SMALL amount of carb, but not as much as you have. Check out the Sticky at the top called "MS - Insulin Resistance".

6) Add Protein to your last meal.

7) I am confused on your HIIT. 2 minutes? Define further. TRUE HIIT intervals should be less than 1 min in duration. If you can go intensely for more than 1 min, you need to crank up the intensity. HIIT is anaerobic, and anything you can maintain over 1 min is NOT anaerobic. I would do 5 min warm up, then alternate 1 min on / 2 min off, 5 min cool down. The intervals should be gut busting.

Hope some of this was useful. Let me know if I can add anymore.

 

[Anna Kubit]

Daisy,

Thanks so much! That makes a lot of sense! Regarding the HIIT training, I am on the treadmill for a sprint of 20 sec, then 10 sec break/slow, for a total of 2 minutes of this. And at the end I am super-tired: 'Ready to die' type tired! ;-)

Please explain if you have the chance of how exactly my HIIT training should look... Should I train for a total of just one minute then? What do you mean by 'alternate?' So one minute on, two minutes of break and then again, right?

;-)

 

[Sassy69]

Just a quick comment on the HIIT - my HIIT sessions look like 1 min of high speed, 2 min recovery. When I can also drop the recovery period to 1 min 30 or 1 min 45.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

HIIT is normally no more than 30 min total time. This usually includes a 5 min warm up, 5 min cool down - so 20 min of intervals. If a person can do MORE than 20 min of intervals, they should do the intervals harder. Likewise, the "on" interval should be no more than 1 min.

You can really do the intervals ANY way. Like Sassy said, she does her differently. Plus, within any one workout, the intervals may change.

I like 1 min on / 1 min off. But this takes a lot of endurance and cardio conditioning., as you don't get a big recovery time.

I also like Sassy's concept - 1 min on and 1.5-2min recovery. This allows you enough recovery time so during the interval you can KILL IT.

The recovery time should be enough for you to catch your breath and prepare you to hit it again. No more, no less. This takes a lot of trial and error to find YOUR perfect combination.

A typical workout would be:
Warm Up - 5 min
Intervals - 20 min
-1min on / 1 min off
-1min on / 2 min off
-30 sec on / 1 min off
-30 sec on / 1.5min off
-etc, etc, etc .... you define your own "perfect" interval
Cool Down - 5 min


Hope this helps!