[InkyOne]

Hi!

I'm looking to change my body over the summer before I start Uni in October, and I'd really love some advice on how to do this.

My stats : 68kgs, 5ft 7

I'm going to be cutting to ~1500kcals per day (at the moment I maintain with around 3,000 due to the amount of exercise I do) and will be trying to reduce my BF%

At the moment, I do ~20hrs/wk of exercise including cardio circuits and weights all connected to my sport, so the aim of it has never been aesthetic, but to get faster, and I've never had to write my own training programme - i've always had a coach, so basically i'm clueless wrt what will make me look better.

I'm looking to reduce my size generally, which the reduced calories should do, but I was wondering what I should do in the gym? I think I can do a fair few lifts with decent technique, but I was wondering about reps and sets (usually would do 5x5 or 4x8 depending on the season). I'm also not looking to bulk up any more.

I'm fairly sure this is quite vague, sorry! So any questions, just ask!

Thanks!

Tl;dr What should I do in the gym to get a better body, without bulking up?

[seventyfourable]

Avoid weights, swimming is quite good so long as you ensure that you use your legs. I'd say cardio accompanied by stomach crunches is probably best

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by seventyfourable)
Avoid weights, swimming is quite good so long as you ensure that you use your legs. I'd say cardio accompanied by stomach crunches is probably best

Please never attempt to give advice ever again.

[humming]

(Original post by seventyfourable)
Avoid weights, swimming is quite good so long as you ensure that you use your legs. I'd say cardio accompanied by stomach crunches is probably best

Erm...WHAT?!

[InkyOne]

Any more advice? What lifts I should be doing maybe? I really don't have a clue!

[BKS]

If your maintenance is 3000 then a 1500 cut will have the weight falling off you if you just keep doing what you do now. thing is you'll loose muscle as well as fat and probably feel pretty knackered if you keep it up for more than a few weeks. For someone so active that's really hardly any calories. I'd suggest reducing by 500 at a time. If you don't see results after 2 weeks then reduce by another 500, repeat as needed. I suspect you won't listen to that since you want to rush it so my second suggestion would be go for 2000 since I think you might listen to that

If you don't care at all about keeping muscle then in the gym just do what you normally do. You just want to be moving as much as you can so you use up as many calories as you can. If you do care about muscle then yeah, you do need to be lifting but which such a big calories deficit you might struggle to regardless. Usually I'd say do something similar to what you have gained muscle on before but that depends if you have gained much muscle from a particular program before. if you haven't really lifted much before then you may as well do 5x5 of starting strength but since you say you know lifts then ramp up the weight a lot quicker than is advised.

[Cupid Stunt]

(Original post by seventyfourable)
Avoid weights, swimming is quite good so long as you ensure that you use your legs. I'd say cardio accompanied by stomach crunches is probably best

Ouch...

The only good advice in here is to use your legs whilst swimming, ****ING GENIUS!

[InkyOne]

(Original post by BKS)
If your maintenance is 3000 then a 1500 cut will have the weight falling off you if you just keep doing what you do now. thing is you'll loose muscle as well as fat and probably feel pretty knackered if you keep it up for more than a few weeks. For someone so active that's really hardly any calories. I'd suggest reducing by 500 at a time. If you don't see results after 2 weeks then reduce by another 500, repeat as needed. I suspect you won't listen to that since you want to rush it so my second suggestion would be go for 2000 since I think you might listen to that

If you don't care at all about keeping muscle then in the gym just do what you normally do. You just want to be moving as much as you can so you use up as many calories as you can. If you do care about muscle then yeah, you do need to be lifting but which such a big calories deficit you might struggle to regardless. Usually I'd say do something similar to what you have gained muscle on before but that depends if you have gained much muscle from a particular program before. if you haven't really lifted much before then you may as well do 5x5 of starting strength but since you say you know lifts then ramp up the weight a lot quicker than is advised.

Thanks for the tips! I'm definitely trying to keep the muscle - hopefully getting a sports scholarship to Uni, but i'm trying to get my power/weight ratio better. I've done quite a bit of lifting - for about 4 years now actually just never set my own program! I'll get started on the 5x5s then, i'm thinking power clean, back and front squat, lat pulls, bench press...

Any other recommendations would be really appreciated too Thanks!

[micalhassi]

Ya you need to join gym because by this way you can control calories at a normal level. If you make any changing in eating habits it mean that there are also change in body weight. Always try to burn more calories as compare to consumed.