Bodybuilding Forums

Hey guys, brand new here and have a question I would like some serious feedback on.

I bought Mark's TotalSixPackAbs a week and a half ago (still waiting on password to get into that thread) and just found out I have my 20 year high school reunion coming up in 2.5 months! I want to get pretty lean and half-ripped by then, I'm just not sure if working out one muscle group once a week is gonna be enough for the timeframe I am in. Should I try to go with an upper/lower split twice a week to build faster, or is this 4-5 day spread not enough time to allow proper growth and recovery?

I am 38 years young, 162 lbs. with 19% bodyfat (which REALLY bums me out. DAMN YOU PIZZA AND BEER!!!).

I have little-to-no definition right now and this is only the second time I have ever tried to weight train (first time I burnt out in 3 weeks floundering around on Body-for-Life). This time I am dead-set on getting the body I want and I now have the time, energy, and ability to do it (I quit my job).

Here's the now pic:



Is there a chance in hell with progressive overload training that I can even come close to looking like this in 2.5 months?:


Here are all the things I am doing to optimize my results:

• Clean, low-glycemic load diet (oatmeal, eggs, tuna, chicken breast, nuts, lettuce, broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat bread, flaxseed and olive oil, all-natural peanut butter, etc.)
• Daily multivitamin plus fish oil, magnesium, and calcium (because the multi is lacking)
• Doing 17% carbs, 48% fat, 35% protein (1g for every pound)
• Down to 1900-2000 calories (2650 is maintenance intake)
• Working out 2 hours after eating
• Hard, intense 20-30 minutes workout with proper rests in between exercises and going to failure (if not reaaaallly close)
• Tracking all my previous workout stats on my Blackberry so I can take it with me and know my "numbers-to-beat" for progressive overload
• Protein after workout (limiting carbs to the 4g that are in my whey protein mix)
• Lean meat protein (no carbs) 2 hours before bed

At the end of my first week I am down 1 pound (Probably would've been 1.5 but I missed a couple of days of training because I waaay overtrained my calves and could barely walk for two days -- Stupid newbie!)

So, whaddya think? Can I do it?!

Thanks for all the comments and criticisms,

Eric

EricZinTX wrote:Hey guys, brand new here and have a question I would like some serious feedback on.

I bought Mark's TotalSixPackAbs a week and a half ago (still waiting on password to get into that thread) and just found out I have my 20 year high school reunion coming up in 2.5 months! I want to get pretty lean and half-ripped by then, I'm just not sure if working out one muscle group once a week is gonna be enough for the timeframe I am in. Should I try to go with an upper/lower split twice a week to build faster, or is this 4-5 day spread not enough time to allow proper growth and recovery?

Neither. You should go with the 6-day split as laid out in TSPA, to get yourself down from 19% to six-pack turf.

EricZinTX wrote:I am 38 years young, 162 lbs. with 19% bodyfat (which REALLY bums me out. DAMN YOU PIZZA AND BEER!!!).

And Chinese food! And Mexican food! And ice cream!

EricZinTX wrote:I have little-to-no definition right now and this is only the second time I have ever tried to weight train (first time I burnt out in 3 weeks floundering around on Body-for-Life). This time I am dead-set on getting the body I want and I now have the time, energy, and ability to do it (I quit my job).

Quit your job? Brave soul. I will tell you this - this bit right here is the single hardest hurdle to overcome. You have to make it a priority, and then you have to convince yourself that failure is a training technique and nothing more.

EricZinTX wrote:Here's the now pic:



Is there a chance in hell with progressive overload training that I can even come close to looking like this in 2.5 months?:

Honest answer? Maybe, but I doubt it. You're talking burn off a good 16 lbs of body fat and add back like 7-8 in muscle (since that guy don't look no 146 to me). At 2lbs a week of fat loss (which is reasonable on TSPA), you could get your body fat percentages down to where you'd be more defined in that time frame - that part is doable, it's adding back enough muscle at the same time that may present a problem. Leaner, more muscular, more defined in 2.5 months? Absolutely. Look like dude in 2nd pic? Maybe, but that's a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig stretch - though not impossible. If you want to make that your goal, go for it, just make it a stretch goal and don't give up the whole ship if you only get most of the way there and not all of the way there.

EricZinTX wrote:Here are all the things I am doing to optimize my results:

• Clean, low-glycemic load diet (oatmeal, eggs, tuna, chicken breast, nuts, lettuce, broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat bread, flaxseed and olive oil, all-natural peanut butter, etc.)

Sounds like GLAD. Would really suggest you keep a lot of these food choices, but switch to TSPA (since you like bought it and all). If you're already following those macros, GREAT, keep it up.

EricZinTX wrote:• Daily multivitamin plus fish oil, magnesium, and calcium (because the multi is lacking)

Supplementing with calcium for weight management is futile. For weight management purposes, calcium has to be dietary. If you're just taking it to get your RDA, then have at.

EricZinTX wrote:• Doing 17% carbs, 48% fat, 35% protein (1g for every pound)
• Down to 1900-2000 calories (2650 is maintenance intake)

Off a bit. Can't (and won't) get into TSPA macros here - but consult your book, and/or email Mark for the password to the right forum.

EricZinTX wrote:• Working out 2 hours after eating
• Hard, intense 20-30 minutes workout with proper rests in between exercises and going to failure (if not reaaaallly close)
• Tracking all my previous workout stats on my Blackberry so I can take it with me and know my "numbers-to-beat" for progressive overload

All great practices...

EricZinTX wrote:• Protein after workout (limiting carbs to the 4g that are in my whey protein mix)

You know, you can switch to a zero-carb like Nature's Best Isopure...

EricZinTX wrote:• Lean meat protein (no carbs) 2 hours before bed

Casein protein is your better option - like cottage cheese or a supplement shake - but this is a pretty close second.

EricZinTX wrote:At the end of my first week I am down 1 pound (Probably would've been 1.5 but I missed a couple of days of training because I waaay overtrained my calves and could barely walk for two days -- Stupid newbie!)

Mistakes are how we learn buddy. Just try and let them be other people's mistakes next time - trust, I hurt myself enough for half the forum!

EricZinTX wrote:So, whaddya think? Can I do it?!

Thanks for all the comments and criticisms,

Eric

SUPER tough call on whether or not the goal is realistic. Without knowing your personal metabolism, I'm hesitant to come down very strongly either way. The biggest thing you have going for you is that you are in fact a newbie - new trainers always make very impressive initial gains, and it gets progressively harder as you go. You'll need to be nazi-strict on your diet, you'll need to never miss a training day, and you'll need some good luck and good genes. It's a great stretch goal. I think you should go for your goal (and folks here will tell you, if I thought you were dumb I would tell you you're dumb, so this ain't me being nice). Just come that day, in the event you don't make your goal, don't go back to "that guy" that goes back to the pizza and beer for life if you miss your goal by a little bit - and I do think if you can stick to it, if you miss at all it'll only be by a little bit. GOOD LUCK!!

If your trying to impress a girl after 20 years, money, success and confidence will more than likely do much more for you than a six pack.. I think you have a pretty agressive goal, however I do not think it is impossible..
I do not have pictures, but just a quick summary.. I was a college linbacker 12 years ago and played at around 225 - 230 pounds. Since college, I ate aweful, didn't exercise much and gained 40 lbs. I started the TSPA in October 2010 at 265 lbs and by Xmas I weighed 225 lbs, and did not have a full six pack, but had my center line and top "2-pack." From Xmas to current, I dropped an additional 5 pounds, have a pretty cut up stomach and made signifcant muscle gains. In October 2010, I looked like a overweight slob and by February 2011, I was in Puerto Rico and had lots of comments from many people about my bodyshape. I did have alot of muscle mass under the fat, that was built years ago, but if you put your mind to it, you will make some huge gains. Even if you get halfway to your goal, you'll look a hell of alot better than you do now.. Take my advice, just pretend like you have tons of money, and women like confidence more than a six-pack..

Thanks for the feedback guys.

It's not to impress a girl, hell, it's to impress everyone! In high school I was a 135 pound shrimp of a guy. Not completely ectomorphic with the caved in chest and all, but damn close. My body fat back then was probably non-existent, but I was not cut at all, just skinny.

I just wanna look like I haven't been eating pizza and drinking beer for the last 20 years (which I have!).

I'm going for it! And even if I don't get quite that cut, I'll personally just be glad to have gotten rid of the flab and maintained/strengthened the muscle that I do have. I don't plan on stopping once the reunion rolls around. Hell no! I think I'm addicted. It's just too damn easy.

I just really wanted some honest opinions, because I am doing everything I can think of to make it happen.

It still blows me away that I can get away with such a small amount of actually working out. I should have done this years ago!

Thanks guys! I'll post after pictures in 2.5 months.

-Eric

The short answer for you is: No, you are not going to look anything like the picture below. You are an endomorph, which means you have skinny fat genes. So, do I but I've put my time in to look like this as you can imagine. You will look really skinny with abs because you have no muscle mass. I would say lose your body fat by using tsp and then start bulking to gain muscle mass. Also, body composition really matters. In my avatar picture I'm currently around 16% body fat. When I was at 19% during my bulking phase I looked totally different than you muscle wise. regardless of your class reunion you need to get in shape, so better start now.

Stuff some socks in your crotch or tie a zuccini in there next to your leg. That will impress them.