Help needed for the amateur!!

[underfoot]

Hey guys looking for some advice from the pro's so here it goes.

I'm 21 years old 5ft11" 22% body fat and have been doing weights on and off at the home gym for a couple of years but really did not know nothing at all about diet or training techniques so got very limited results.
I have been going to a gym now for 10 months with the goal of adding muscle and dropping the bodyfat (although ive heard you cant really do both at the same time) my main motivation is to look good at the beach with a muscular athletic frame (towards the fitness model look).
In the 10 months I have gone from weighing around 88.2kg's (194lbs) to around 91kgs (200lbs) and have dropped a little bit of bodyfat but still no where near enough, i still have a fair around of fat around my waist, chest and buttocks.

My diet is somewhat around this:

6:30AM
8 eggwhites with protein shake and 3g glutamine (protein shake equals 60g protein 12 g carbs)
6 weetbix with milk getting about 80g carbs here

9:30
180g tuna on 4 wholemeal slices of bread with 2 slices cheese and mayonaisse

12:00 wholemeal roll with chicken and salad, and protein shake with 60g protein 12g carbs

3:00 180g tuna banana

5:30 (preworkout) protein shake with 60g protein 12g carbs and 5g creatine, 3g glutamine

8:00 (post workout) same protein shake as above

8:30 dinner which is usually something around 3 sausages and vegies, or some chicken and salad (whatever my old lady has cooked but i try stear clear of the carbs)

9:30 Protein shake with 8 egg whites and another 60g's protein 12 g's carbs

The workouts:
I usually am going to the gym 5 days a week for around 2-2.5 hours a night
the different days are
Day 1 chest:
incline dumbell press 1 set of 10 warm up 50lbs then 3 sets 65-75lbs (each dumbell for all dumbell weights) depending on how im going
flat dumbell press 3 sets of 10 55lbs
decline machine press 3 sets of 8 175lbs
dumbell flyes 3 sets of 10 45lbs
cable crossover 4 sets of 45lbs each cable

Day 2 biceps/triceps:
Preacher close grip EZ bar curl 1 set of 10 warmup 45lbs followed by 3 sets of 8 55lbs
One arm standing dumbell preacher: 3 sets of 8 35lbs
Incline dumbell curl: 3 sets of 8-10 45lbs then sometimes drop set right down to 15lbs
21's: 3 sets 45lbs
tricep cable pushdown: 2 warm up sets around 100lbs then 3 sets of 8 130lbs
3 sets of superset 10 tricep dips followed by 8 reps dip machine 110lbs
rope cable pushdown and flair out at bottom: 3 sets of 110lbs then drop set all the way down to 10lbs

Day 3 legs:
Squats on smith machine: 2 warm up followed by 4 sets of 8 110lbs
3 Supersets of standing calf raise machine 10 reps 200lbs followed by 8 reps seated calf raise 110lbs
leg extensions 3 sets of 8 reps 65 85 110lbs
lying leg curls 4 sets of 8 45lbs

Day 4 shoulders:
seated dumbell shoulder press 2 warm up sets 45lbs and then 3 sets of 10 55lbs
laying incline front barbell raise: 3 sets of 10 45lbs 1 set 40lbs
seated bent over side lateral raises 3 sets of 10, 15lbs
standing lateral raises 3 sets of 10, 15lbs
shrugs using machine 3 sets of 8 220lbs

Day 5 back and lats
Lat pulldown 1 warm up set then 3 sets of 10, 85, 100, 110lbs
straight arm lat cable pulldown: 3 sets 110lbs then drop set down to 35lbs
bent over smith machine row: 3 sets 55lbs then drop set down to 20lbs
Seated cable rows: 3 sets of 8 85, 110, 135lbs
one arm dumbell row: 3 sets of 10 45lbs
deadlift: 3 sets of 10 150lbs

With every workout i have also done either abs or 10 minutes high intensity cardio

What do you guys think, i could really do with some advice from you guys as I dont think ive got as good results as i should have. I go 5 days a week becuase when i go only a few days a week my muscles arent hard and i feel soft and and flabby in a lot of areas. Every workout I aim to go until im absolutely stuffed and hurting. I dont feel like im overtraining but that im not training each muscle enough. I'd really appreciate any help you guys could give me im willing to put in a lot of hard work but dont know which way to go, whats doing too much, too little. ive also been worried that if i do too cardio every night and drop down my carbs that i'll just get smaller (less muscle) and still look around same % bodyfat.
I really do want to drop my bodyfat but maintain my muscle. Alot of the time when doing the exercises ive been trying to go a bit heavier than what is above, at the expense of form is it more important to have perfect form than go super heavy as i always hear lift big to get big
I really would appreciate anyones input thanks guys

 

[The Hulk]

Hi there underfoot,


Your diet looks good to me, better than mine
Your dedication looks good too, 10 consistent months at the gym.

However, wtf are you doing during thoes 2-2.5 hrs a night, 5 days a week

Those workouts you listed should take no longer than 60mins at a moderate pace.
I say get into the gym, do your workout and get out.
What is taking you so long?
I think this is definately affecting your results.
At first I thought you were definately overtraining by the amount of time you spend in the gym, but then I saw your volume is actually quite low.

If I were you, I would do 3 times a week, M/W/F and if you want to do some days of cardio, do it.
Sometimes less is more.

Or reduce the calories a little to lean up.
Looking at your diet, you are taking in alot of protein, maybe excess to your needs.


Extra note: If you cut your weight training down to 3 days a week, you will recover better and should have a little more strength to really concentrate in increasing your lifts.
All your lifts can be improved considerably, really focus hard on the big moves.
Do real squats instead of Smith squats.


Good luck

 

[Cruxis]

Yeah, it's a very long time there. Remember, you're at the gym to workout, not talk or check out the chicks.

Also, you should be having no more then a minute break between sets. If you have too long of a break, your heart rate slows down. When you're trying to lose weight, you want to keep the heart rate up, so short breaks keeps it higher.

Also, don't compromise form just for heavier weight. You'll get injured, then you'll have to stop going to the gym till you recover, and you'll lose more muscle not going to the gym.

 

[underfoot]

Hi there underfoot,


Your diet looks good to me, better than mine
Your dedication looks good too, 10 consistent months at the gym.

However, wtf are you doing during thoes 2-2.5 hrs a night, 5 days a week

Those workouts you listed should take no longer than 60mins at a moderate pace.
I say get into the gym, do your workout and get out.
What is taking you so long?
I think this is definately affecting your results.
At first I thought you were definately overtraining by the amount of time you spend in the gym, but then I saw your volume is actually quite low.

If I were you, I would do 3 times a week, M/W/F and if you want to do some days of cardio, do it.
Sometimes less is more.

Or reduce the calories a little to lean up.
Looking at your diet, you are taking in alot of protein, maybe excess to your needs.


Extra note: If you cut your weight training down to 3 days a week, you will recover better and should have a little more strength to really concentrate in increasing your lifts.
All your lifts can be improved considerably, really focus hard on the big moves.
Do real squats instead of Smith squats.


Good luck

Mate thanks very much for taking the time to post that, ive been doing a bit of research and what you say here confirms it too. Im considering doing a 3 day split, Chest/Tris, Back/Bi's and Legs/Shoulders. Do you think this is the way to go just doing each muscle group once a week allowing for the maximum recovery?
Because I go ****in hard at the gym but the strength gains in some areas I would have liked to have been a little higher in some areas. But at the same time I dont know if i'm aiming too high, is going from 25kg dumbell press x 10 reps perfect form to 27.5 to 30kg dumbell press x 10 reps perfect form a decent improvement in 10 months or not??
I have been pretty undecided as to wether I should do something a long the lines of the rippetoe workout but i felt this didnt have enough exercises and as im already used to doing a wide range of exercises im thinking the 3 day split with cardio may be the shot?
Will this be the best chance for me to strengthen/tone up or would i achieve more doing each muscle group twice a week?

 

[underfoot]

Yeah, it's a very long time there. Remember, you're at the gym to workout, not talk or check out the chicks.

Also, you should be having no more then a minute break between sets. If you have too long of a break, your heart rate slows down. When you're trying to lose weight, you want to keep the heart rate up, so short breaks keeps it higher.

Also, don't compromise form just for heavier weight. You'll get injured, then you'll have to stop going to the gym till you recover, and you'll lose more muscle not going to the gym.

That is also great advice cruxis, and something im strarting to realise now is to limit the rest breaks. I used to rest for up to 3 or 4 minutes trying to get myself fully recovered and dialled in to lift big but now ive figured i dont want to be fully recovered and just need to focus on punishing the muscles and tearing the fibers. Im interested to know what you think of the split ive just posted above, as you definitely look like you know ya stuff? Cheers matey

 

[Cruxis]

I'm doing the same, trying to lose fat and gain. It's a slow process, but I find it enjoyable.

Been doing it for about 6 months now, and have lost 6kgs of weight, but have also increased my weights by around 150%.

I go 4 days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Having the Wednesday off allows me to recover before going at it again.

Days i train:

Monday: Chest and Bi's.
Tuesday: Legs
Thursday: Back and Tri's.
Friday: Delts.

I have a 10 minute warmup before each session on the bike at 70% of my MHR. Then get into the weights. Between muscle groups, like, between back and tri's, I do another 10 minutes on the cross trainer at 80-90% of my MHR. Then at the end I go to the oval and do 5 sets of 12 tempo runs for cardio. I do the tempo runs because the career i wish to go into requires me to be able to sprint. So if you don't really want to run faster, you can stick just the general cardio like jogging/biking.

With cardio, if you keep it short and intense, you will burn less muscle then if did it at a moderate intensity for a longer period.


Of course, this is all based on what I've found works. Everyone is different, and you just need to alter your workouts till you find what works for you.

Note what your weight is after each workout, and measure yourself once a week to see if you're going in the right direction. If not, change something, then see if that helps or not.

 

[kindred]

i used to lift weight like you with huge amount of time in the gym doing stuff. I stopped doing that now i just lift the heaviest i can and pyramid the weights up and down until im totally exhuasted with that specific exercise. keep the breaks in between sets very short even if this means making the weight less. pump out 4-5 exercises in total with anywhere from 3-5 sets. usually i do 1 warmup set 2 really heavy sets and the last one or two to failure with a moderate weight. i guess the aim is to exhuast your self as fast as possible cause doing over long periods seems to have less effect. but im a n00b so prolly better not to listen to me.