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Rapid Fat Loss Log
I ran Starting Strength from Nov/14 to Mar/15. I'm 29 years old, 6'3".
After several stalls, recovery fails, and form issues (but zero missed workouts) my final numbers were:
Squat 290x5x3
Bench: 232.5x5x3
Press: 135x5x3
Deadlift: 330x5
Power Clean: 145x3x5 (pathetic form)
I am most disappointed in my squats. They got stuck for almost 2 months and I just couldn't push them past a pathetic 290, even with a light squat day. I have finally reached the end of my rope of dealing with the novice progression and, most importantly for this log, I've gotten way too fat. I would estimate that I went from something like 17% to at least 25% body fat if not more.
I was stupid with my diet. Before doing the program, slowly and reasonably dropped from 245-220 lbs. while doing some lifting. Then when I started SS I read too many articles and quotes by Rip that were geared toward skinny 18 year olds, and I stupidly thought it was a great idea to stuff my face in the name of putting weight on the bar. Now that I've realized that a considerably more moderate approach to diet would have been far more intelligent, I have decided to put my strength focus on hold while I get my gut and man boobs under control.
After a ton of research and soul searching, I've decided to do 4-6 weeks of Lyle McDonald's "Rapid Fat Loss" diet.
I realize this is an insane and unsustainable diet that most people will just think is stupid. I've seen all of the arguments against doing it. I've read about 500 threads about it, both for and against. I'm going to do it as a short term experiment (which is all it should ever be anyways).
My starting weight as of this morning is 261.4 pounds. I am going to do this for 6 weeks, then go back on maintenance for 2 weeks as Lyle recommends before going back to a "normal" diet. I don't really think it makes sense to set a weight goal for this time period, as my goal is just to stick to the program and I will lose whatever fat I lose.
I discovered a thread in which Jordan Feigenbaum lays out a program that he would recommend for someone doing RFL. It is geared toward keeping weights pretty heavy but also throwing in some volume/isolation work to prevent too much atrophy. Here is the program:
Day 1:
Squat x 8 x 3 @ ~ 70%
Bench x 8 x 3 @ 70%
Chins x max reps x 3 sets
Curls x 12-15 reps x 2 sets
Day 2:
Squat x max reps x 3 sets @ ~80%
Press x max reps x 3 sets @ ~80%
Deadlift x max reps x 1 set @ 80%
Lateral raises x 15-20 reps x 2 sets
Day 3:
Power clean x 3 reps x 5 sets
Squat x 1 rep x 5 sets @ same weight as day 2 workout
Bench press x 1 rep x 5 sets @ same weight as day 2 workout
Curls x 12-15 reps x 2 sets
30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio 2 days/week.
Alternate press/bench press workout to workout.
My goal with this program is to obviously lose as little strength as possible. At the end, I will hopefully be under 15% body fat. At that point I will assess how I'm feeling about my body fat and I'll either go back on a strength program with a more moderate diet or I'll cut a little more before going back to a strength focus.
Okay.. here I go!
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It'll be interesting to see how it works for you.
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Body Weight: 260.4 lbs.
Squat: 230x8x3
Press: 107.5x8, 8, 6
Lat Pull-Down (until I lose enough weight to do chins again): "10"x15, 10, 10
Supersetted with
DB Curls: 25x10, 6
Energy Level/Mood: No issues yet
I may have set my starting weights a little bit high but I'd rather do more weight now before detraining sets in. My goal is to establish my starting weights this week and then maintain or (wishful thinking) slightly increase the weights week by week. I won't be too bummed if they go down a bit. This is a drastic cut after all.
Left hamstring feels a bit pulled probably because I didn't warm up enough but moreso because I can't even remember the last time I did more than 5 reps for squats, let alone three sets of 8 with only 2 minutes of rest. I don't normally have any issues with my hams. Gotta make sure I stay tight on the descent.
For this log I'll log my training, bodyweight, and mood/energy level for each training day (3x/week). I'm going out of town on April 28 so that will be a convenient stopping point for this program.
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I'm in. Sounds like you've done your research and have some objectives in mind. You familiar with Izzy(Tom Narvaez)? He probably has some good write ups on RFL either here or his site http://www.powerliftingtowin.com .
Last edited by JTC_MN; 03-15-2015 at 07:53 PM.
Reason: Link
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Yeah I was checking out Tom Narvaez's log while researching. I read quite a bit of it. Seems like as long as you aren't an idiot about it, it can be a good way to drop fat quickly and get the motivation flowing before moving on to a more sane approach.
Ate some grilled pork chops and a crap load of steamed broccoli for dinner tonight, and I'm feeling fine. We'll see in a week though, lol.
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Good luck. Sounds like hard work.
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Body Weight: 255 lbs.
Squat: 260x1x5
Bench: 210x6, 6, 5
Deadlift: 295x8
Lateral Raise: 15x15x2
Energy/Mood: Good
So I'm down 6 lbs. since starting, though I realize most of it is water weight right now.
Decided to switch the heavy squat day to day 3 so I don't have to squat, bench, and deadlift heavy all on the same day.
I was hoping to get a few more reps on bench at this weight, but so it goes. The lack of carbs/glycogen/etc. probably affects pressing strength quite a bit.
Still feeling pretty good. Had some chicken breasts, a whole bundle of asparagus, and some bell peppers for dinner along with a lot of water and I was actually completely stuffed off of about 500 calories. If nothing else, this is teaching my that I can be satisfied off of much less food if I merely make sure to get enough fiber, food volume, water, and protein at each meal. When I get back on the strength wagon I'll definitely take what I've learned here to help me keep my fat gain in check.
Last edited by musician; 03-17-2015 at 09:00 PM.
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Curious as to how your program & training is going...
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Body Weight: 256.2 lbs.
Power Clean: Shitty, just ended up practicing form for a while
Squat: 260x6, 5, 4
Press: 125x1x5
Hammer Curls: 25x15, 12
Mood/Energy: Good
Squats felt fine although I thought I'd get more reps at this weight. I'm sure as soon as I replenish my body's sugar stores it will go right back up. I obviously haven't gotten significantly weaker in 4 days.
This honestly isn't much worse than a more moderate cut. I don't feel much more hungry than I did in a ~500-1000 calorie deficit, and my mood and energy are fine. The key is to eat lots of fibrous veggies whenever you can. Yesterday I had a "stir fry" with extra lean ground beef and a whole crap load of broccoli and bell peppers seasoned with soy sauce and chicken broth, and I was super full and satisfied for the rest of the evening. The free meal and carb refeed also give you something to look forward to every 2-3 days.
Hopefully I'm able to maintain/slightly increase the weights I'm moving week to week. That's the only thing that concerns me.
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Best of luck! Very interested to see how things work out.
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