How do you get lean?

[Entity]

Ok, I think this one needs some explaining first......

Im not really a bodybuilder in the sense that I have no desire to ever compete as a bodybuilder, and I train with brute strength and size rather than aesthetics as my primary goal....I guess you can say I walk the line between powerlifting and strongman.
However, all that heavy training and eating (mostly eating) tends to put some fat on you, and I think Ive just about reached the limit of how fat Ill allow myself to get...Im about 235 & maybe 17-20% bf.
Ive made a commitment to get down to a resonable bf percentage by the end of june (maybe 10 or 12%), but at a VERY minimal loss of muscle and strength if possible. Thing is, Ive been training and eating to gain for probably 2 or 3 years nonstop now and to be honest, I dont really remeber how to run a good cutting cycle as a bodybuilder.
I know some of you guys are either pros or of that caliber so how 'bout helping your fat powerlifing cousin out?

Here's what ive done so far to stimulate fat loss:
1) Lowered my carb intake to 150g/day or less
2) Have carbs only at breakfast, and the meals before and after training; on non-training day I have carbs at only the first two meals
3) Do 20min of cardio 3 times a week, first thing in the morning after a whey-and-water shake followed by breakfast
4) Taking 'Clenbutrx' by VPX

Here's what ive done to prevent catabloism:
1) 350g of protein per day at 2.5 hour intervals
2) anywhere from 40-60g of glutamine/day
3) anywhere from 20-40g of creatine/day
4) Heavy-ass training in the gym (DC routine)
5) pulling my car down an airplane runway for cardio whenever possible (im not sure if or how this would 'prevent' catabolism but it sure seem like it would...just another growth stimulus I suppose)

Some things you should be aware of:
1) Im natural now, and have never used anything in the past
2) I have not reduced my CALORIC intake, just the carbs
3) I dont care about being ripped or in 'contest shape', just LEAN...maybe some, dare I say..abs?
4) I have a natural tendancy to gain fat and have kind of a hard time losing it

So what do you guys think, do I have the right idea? Is something missing? ....it been a long time since I did this! lol

Thanks alot for taking the time to read my stupid question and I appreciate any advice you give.

 

[Got Juice]

i think you should be fine with what you have put together for yourself. if you are only taking in 150g of good clean carbs per day, besides 30-40g of simple carbs after your workout i think yo should do fine. assuming you arent eating a whole jar of PB daily.

also you said you didnt lower your caloric intake, but you did if you cut your carbs to 150g/daily. you are now olny taking in 600 cals in carbs and you said 350g protien which is 1400 cals, so you have 2000 cals in carbs and protein just keep your fats pretty low and youll be fine.

Later,

Todd

 

[James]

i hear that

I also struggle with getting rid of fat. I have fluxuated up to 50 lbs the past few years, my heaviest being 295lbs, and I just can't seem to get down to that "lean" look. Right now I am 6'2 265-270lbs, and I think if I could get down into the 230's I could get the lean look I'm after. Anybody else have advice for a college student on how to lean out without losing mass?

 

[Dad]

High-intensity aerobics

As to aerobics, a number of studies have shown that high-intensity, interval training burns more fat per unit time than the long, slow type aerobics does. Several authors have also suggested that it helps preserve muscle mass (ever notice how mich more muscular sprinters are than distance runners?).

Another trick is to do aerobics first thing in the morning (groan!) as blood sugar levels are lower allowing for fat to be accessed faster, and serum insulin is low so fat can be accessed more efficiently.

 

[Entity]

Juice,
I try to keep my calorie high (enough to mantain weight) by adjusting my fat intake, do you think I should stop doing this. Dont you think 2000 cal/day is way too low? I burn about 5000cal/day on training days and probably 4000 on non-training days.

Dad,
Ive heard that theory on interval training. I run sprints first this in the morning but after I have a whey-and-water shake, do you think I should do it on an empty stomach? Wont that put me in a highly catabolic state?

 

[rugbythug]

If your like me than it is harder. I have always been chubby fat even. I did not start loosing well till I went 0 carbs except postworkout. Then I would eat about 60 half simple. I hope you don't have to get that extreme. But it is what I had to do.

 

[Dad]

catabolism

Do the run on an empty stomach, then come in and have a shake with whey. Whey protein raises serum amino acids levels quickly (they also decline with a couple of hours), so catabolism shouldn't be a major concern.

Even under the best of circumstances you'll lose a little muscle when dieting down, but you can really minimize this if you work at it.

 

[Bain]

Re: catabolism

Do the run on an empty stomach, then come in and have a shake with whey. Whey protein raises serum amino acids levels quickly (they also decline with a couple of hours), so catabolism shouldn't be a major concern.

Even under the best of circumstances you'll lose a little muscle when dieting down, but you can really minimize this if you work at it.

Ive been having a long running debate about am cardio on an empty stomach. I say it works well .some swear it burns more muscle than fat. I know I read an artical in musclaur development but I cant find it. Do you happen to have any links or studies to back up the am cardio theary? Or maybe alaberate on it some more?

 

[Entity]

Yeah, id like to look into it some more myself.
Youre already in a catabolic state after 8 hours of fasting while youre asleep, so wouldnt doing cardio rigth when you wake up catabolize even more muscle for the same reason that it would burn the maxumin amount of fat?

 

[Dad]

Studies, etc.

If you go to the thread Resaearch Help For Those Interested, you'l find a link to the PubMed site.
This is the public access for MedLine, and you can use keyword searches to look up articles.

You're unavoidably going to lose a little muscle anytime you go into the negative energy balance necessay to lose fat. THe question is: How do you minimze this loss?

 

[Entity]

Thanks

 

[saint808]

First off.... I loved the way you wrote out your question... because too many people ask "how do i get a six pack?" and stuff like that.... We have similar builds and here is what works best for me, so maybe you can give it a try.

Cardio in the AM... walking at a 3.5-4.0 on as steep an incline as you can and squeeze with every step you can.

My main High GI carbs (might as well say sugar) comes only post work out (when i am being good that is LOL) and then i take in real food protein with some medium GI carbs such as rice. Sushi is my favorite... salmon to be exact because of the EFA's. Also I watch carbs at night because you just can't burn them the same.


That is what helps me retain more muscle than higher intensity cardio... works for me but we are all different and if it doesn;t work for you then you can alays try something else... after all this is all trial and error... mostly error anyhow