I go to the gym 4 times a week, mostly after work. I’m 6ft, in decent shape, athletic. Initial days of gym were great, lost lot of weight and felt active. But I seem to have arrived at a plateau. How should I go about taking my work out to the next level? My aim is to be around 12-15 percent body fat with decent muscular built.
I should also add that I mostly do weight training focusing on compound exercises.
9 comments
Just working out won’t get you there. Change your diet.
1.) Figure out the macros you need to lose fat(not “weight”). Work on making that diet a habit(example: Protein shake for breakfast).
2.) Find a beginner lifting program(stronglifts, starting strength) that focuses on compound life.(Bench, Squat, Deadlift). Ignore isolation lifts at the beginning. Adjust calorie to where you gain weight during the program.
I think these things are harder to communicate than people want to believe honestly. It’s kind of vital to know where you’re at to be able to provide constructive feedback, and height + weight isn’t enough to get such an idea.
Personally I’ve always found it easier to lose body fat first and then build muscles on a strict macro budget.
It sounds like you have a good schedule already, just need to mix it up and keep it more interesting, or change it to make things more difficult again. If you just do the same exercises over and over again, of course it’ll get stale. Try other exercises, try isolation exercises, try slowing down the reps, try super sets, compound sets, century sets, anything to mix things up.
Peruse r/weightroom and see what’s popular, there’s a lot of great programs out there.
I just asked my brother in law who trains people who fit your profile and has been doing so for the last two decades and is really good at it.
He says:
(1) strict diet – no processed foods, watch the sugars, unhealthy fats and portion sizes.
(2) drink a ton more water a day. Cut all the alcohol.
(3) sleep hygiene. Get solid 8 hours sleep a day.
Meal prep, IF and new workouts add something like interval sprints.
Get your testosterone levels checked. I’m 32 and my friend (also 32) who I’ve worked out with for the last 15 years, had less than half the T levels that I have. Turns out his low levels were causing depression, excess body fat and slow recovery. His T levels are now the same as mine (around 750) and he looks like a completely different person.
Also, I would suggest adding cardio in at least 2 – 3 days a week.
Crossfit and TRT.