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Originally Posted by Mike_Karp
This I would consider to be cutting/toning. I also want to clarify there is nothing wrong with this kind of program, as a matter of fact it is great for weight loss and changing your body composition. I assume when you are lifting you are doing low weight high rep correct?
This is where I get confused because you said you want to attain 225 on your bench, even though you stated that you can only do about 200 right now. Based on your program right now of cutting fat and replacing it with muscle I don't believe you will be able to attain the 225. You are correct that you are changing your body composition from fat to muscle, however that does not equate to more strength. For example, when you cut down 25 lbs. (congrats btw) you are going to automatically lose strength on your bench, but you are going to look more lean/cut. You may be able to gain this strength back through a smart bulking program where you continue to replace muscle with fat, but this time adding the strength component.
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Well, first there does seem to be a bias for "toning" in here as it seems like people think it is simply for aesthetics or looking "pretty", which is why I tend to avoid it. And actually, no, I am not doing low weight/high reps. What I do is the same program I did in high school football, which was to start at a high number of reps to find a base point and then gradually lower that every one or two weeks (Except Cleans and Deadlifts, which are already at lower reps for safety). I also focus on typical "power lifts" (Bench, cleans, squats, dead lifts). Right now I'm in the back half of my cycle, so I'm doing most of my lifts between 4-6 reps and really pushing it.
I guess my main point is that I don't believe that it is not possible for someone to gain strength and cut fat. In my mind, that is perfectly doable. Maybe not at the same pace of trying to "bulk" up, but it can still be effective in my opinion, which is why I don't really believe in switching programs from strictly strength building to strictly cardio and vice versa. In my mind it is best to include a mix depending on how long you are at the gym. I'm at the gym for at least 1 hour and 45 minutes for 6 days out of the week, where I get in at least 35-45 minutes of cardio, 20-25 of stretching and core workouts, and then the rest lifting. Even if lifting 5-6 days of the week, I'd cut down on some lifting on 3 of those days to fit some cardio in. I think that is necessary.
I understand that with cutting I lose some of the leverage that comes with the weight. When I said I used to bench 225 and was hoping to get there what I meant was that in high school I hit that point (or around it) and I weighed 170 (I weigh 180 now), so that I was slightly confused as to why I was so far off there. This confusion was also because all of my other power lifts, strength, and even proportions (other than the waist fat) are near where I remember they were when I was hitting 225. I think I've realized that because I do alternating dumbbell presses most of the time instead of the bench that more than anything I had lost some of the technique that lead me to bench more, so that I really just need to incorporate it more often into my program.
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Originally Posted by Foreverford05
Im still going strong on my interval running schedule, for all of you who are doing this, what are your times to speed ratio's? Right now im warming up with 5min@3.8pmh Then bumping it up to 10min at 6.5mph, back down to 5min at 5.1 mph, then back up to 10min at 6.5mph, then back down to 5min at 5.1 mph, then a 10 minute cooldown at 3.8mph. I know it's not a ton of time or speed, but im working my way up in time rather than speed as of now. It's a work in progress
So who else is doing interval running? what are yal's times and speeds?
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I haven't been doing interval running lately (mostly to increase my distance running as my main priority), but when I would do it, it would be for the last mile or two of a run. Personally I'm pretty sure for intervals you want to make your intervals shorter. Instead of 5 or 10 minutes, make it 1 or 2 and then increase the speed accordingly so that those intervals are tougher. The point is to push your body/capacity in those few minutes.
In terms of speed I've cut my mile time time about 2-3 minutes from when I first started running (so from 5.5 to 7 mph), but when I sprint I kick it up to 8.5 or 9 mph, though I am average height with somewhat short legs so that could be slower for others (my roomie runs that at a regular pace...the tall bastard).