I'm Chris and I'm new to this forum and so on,

I'm 22, 187 cm tall and around 88kg. 3 years ago I was pretty fat at 128kg., so lost 40kg, I don't nothing about my BF% but it is still too much, I want to get anywhere around 13-15% BF (for the beginning). The meal plan tab on this side said my BMR is 2190kcal,

so I want to start with following macros: 50%carbs,25%protein and 25%fat - is this okay or should I start with lower carbs?

besides that I want to build some serious muscle, I'm really greatfull for any advise or tips, I would apreciate if you can show me a nice routine who I can start with?

THANKS TO ANYONE!

here is a picture of me, really bad, but it will be better soon ;-)

http://postimg.org/image/3wufs1tej/

Chris,

First off, congrats on losing the weight and wanting to make the commitment to be a leaner, healthier you. You need to prepare for a marathon not a sprint - meaning this will be a somewhat slow process butif you are patient and consistent you will reach your goals. 13-15% is a realistic goal to start but just realize it won't happen in 12 weeks. It could take 8-12 months but it will be permanent :-)

To calculate your RMR and calorie requirements, you need to calculate against LEAN body mass. You need to somehow guestimate or actually get your body fat level. Based on your pic, I am guestimating you are around 25% with most of it around the belly. You already know the importance of macros and their ratios. The first thing you need to do is re-train your metabolism to use and burn CLEAN fuel. Body fat loss will be very slow until this process is done and underway. Re-training means eating only non-processed, complex carbohydrates like oats, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, all types of fresh vegetables, and limited amounts of whole fruits (no juices) as well as nutritious proteins (chicken, fish, beef, milk, eggs) and essential fats (nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, fatty fish, egg yolks).

If you are 88Kg (128-40) or about 193Lbs, your actual guestimated lean body mass is 193 x .75 (assuming 25% Bodyfat) = 145Lb or 66Kg. Calculate your macros based on this number. It will need to be adjusted as you lose fat and gain muscle as your lean body mass will increase. The good news is the more muscle the more calories you burn even at rest as muscle is metabolically active 24/7/365. Starting off, your ratios should be more like 40%/40%/20% or 35%/45%/20% C/P/F. Carbs are not evil when you eat nutritious non-processed sources as they fuel your workouts and support growth. Protein is critical for muscle growth and repair and fats are crucial for your hormones, fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E), and cell membranes. Eating fat will not make you fat. Eating simple, processed and artificial sugars like corn syrup makes you fat.

As for routines, you will want to be doing full body circuits, Push/Pull, or Push/Pull/Legs type full body workouts initially. These burn lots of fat, build muscle, and train your entire body systems (muscular, vascular, nervous, digestive, endocrine) how to handle the rigors and stresses of training. I wouldn't work out more than 4-5 days a week and keep your time in the gym limited to 60-90 minutes max (including post workout cardio). You don't grow at the gym, you grow when you are resting away from the gym so more does not equal better. Muscle groups need at least 48 hours between training sessions to recover. Sometimes your body needs more time as your WHOLE body recovers not just your muscles.

As for a routine, there are numerous exercises, routines, and programs on SHF you can use. As for the cardio, keep it moderate and no more than 4-5 days a week as well as your body adapts. Best time to do it is right after your workouts as you have exhausted most of your glycogen stores so your body will need to use fat for fuel. Keep it moderate ( jogging, fast walk, etc) as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is too advanced for you right now and long, slow endurance cardio (45-60 minutes) is counter-productive for muscle building while losing fat.

You make the most progress in your first 2 years of lifting. Your testosterone levels are still relatively high naturally at 22 and weight training will give them a boost - this aids muscle growth and fat loss. More advanced workout routines like muscle splits and isolation exercises will be something you can tap into after a couple of years lifting. Stick to the basic compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, barbell curls, shoulder presses, benching, abs training. These will help you build a solid core foundation and all your stabilizing muscle groups for balance and functional strength. They also burn more calories as more muscles are involved per exercise.

It's a lot of info but hopefully it helps and gives you a starting point :-)

John

Forgot to add - cardio should be about 20-30 minutes each session.

Hey John,

thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with me! will try to do everything :)
I recalculated my macros, am now at 200C/200P/50F - I trained with a 2 split push/pull workout for a year. but did not gain a lot of muscles cause of bad diet. should I stick to the 2 split push/pull? Or should I do a full body routine 4 times a week? Would be great if someone can link me 1-2 or to great workouts which will fit to my goals or my situation.

thanks in advance!

Chris

Chris,

Diet is 90% of the equation. I would try staying with the 2 split push/pull utilizing a better diet and more protein based on your new macro counts. If you don't eat enough protein, no muscle growth will occur. 200g should be more than enough. I currently do a 4-day push/pull cylce where Mon and Thu are Push and Tue and Fri are Pull. You want to be training each muscle group twice a week to spark growth. I do my cardio 4-days a week as well after my workouts. You may want to modify your routine accordingly.

John

Hey John,

thanks! My workout looks very similar to yours! will add the cardio after my workouts instantly.

let's see what will happen :)

thanks for all your help John!

Chris