I Wanna Be a Spartan!!!

[Ryan Sas]

Ok, so other than some basic knowledge and about a year of pretty sporadic lifting and dieting (maybe 2-4 gym visits per week, some weeks 5, some one or none at all) I'm a noob to the whole body-building scene. That being said, I have some goals, pictures, and questions.

Basic Stats:

Age: 18
Height: 5'7
Weight: 157lbs

I'm pretty dedicated to trying to build myself properly now and have transitioned over to 5 meals per day shooting for about 2200 calories intake, 3200 expended, and something like 155-160 grams of protein intake per day. (I've heard that the rule of thumb for body building is to take in 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight). With that, first question: How can I manage to take in THAT much protein? Even with a Whey supplement it doesn't seem too realistic. Do I need to up my overall calorie intake?

I'm lifting about 4-5 times per week and doing something like 45-60 minutes of aerobics on those same days. Because I have physical therapy twice a week (ACL reconstruction), it's only about 3 days of true, heavy lifting, using the PT days to work on basic core stuff and agility drills (they'll turn into trick days when my knee has recovered). I'm attempting to both cut my fat to about 6-7% while making about a 10 lbs gain in lean muscle mass. Right now there are certain excercises like power clean, squat, etc, that I can't due because of my knee, but I expect to work back into that stuff within another month. Anyways, is serious muscle gain and fat loss possible with this regimen?

So yeah, I'd love loads of tips and recommendations to achieve that Spartan-esque physique. Now for some pictures so you can see about how far I need to go: (from my first week of harder training)


Being stupid outside in the snow... because it never snows here... yea...
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c218/TrickyRyan/Winter033.jpg


In the middle of a core day
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c218/TrickyRyan/Winter030.jpg

All tips and comments are greatly appreciated and I guess I'll be updating this periodically to show progress. (sorry if I posted this in the wrong section btw)

Thanks

[receive]

I don't think you should be trying to cut, really. Are you happy with your current amount of muscle? If not, and you plan to get more swole in the future, then do it now.

[Steve]

Spartans don't think about cutting or bulking of course, they just eat food to sustain themselves and prevent hunger. Most people's optimal athletic physique is just a few pounds heavier than their maintenance level, with low body fat. For people around 5'7", it would probably be about 170-185 pounds of muscle.

Also the actual "Spartan" physique is barely different from your own, as it's not like they had any advanced knowledge about physiology or anything. They just ran around all day, carried equipment, did calisthenics, lifted rocks, wrestled, etc., and so were about average (for now) weight and somewhat "solid".

[Touch_the_Wind]

i think that he means that he wants to look like the actors in 300

[chicanerous]

i think that he means that he wants to look like the actors in 300
We generally operate on the principle that posters are able to make the distinction between reality and fiction here and the OP clearly stated that he wants to be a Spartan. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and interpret that as merely wanting to look like a Spartan, there is still no reason to believe he wants to look like some fictional character in a one-hundred and seventeen minute slow motion digitally enhanced close-up of nearly naked homosexually subconscious fictional male protagonists.

[NightHunter]

I Wanna Be a Spartan!!!

Move to Sparta....

[Sakanem]

haha good post Chicanerous. Also, contrary to my previous notion, I just realised that you're not called Chicarenious.

[chicanerous]

haha good post Chicanerous. Also, contrary to my previous notion, I just realised that you're not called Chicarenious.
http://www.dyslexia.com/qasymptoms.htm

[compleks]

You have a pretty solid build already.

First thing, a 1000 calorie deficit is too much. If you are in fact maintaining that deficit, you would be losing weight at a fairly rapid pace.
It is impossible to build muscle while on a calorie deficit (especially such a large one).
If you want to lose weight (which I don't think you really should), cut your deficit to around 500calories a day.

[Sakanem]

* She might see some letters as backwards or upside down;
* She might see text appearing to jump around on a page;
* She might not be able to tell the difference between letters that look similar in shape such as o and e and c ;
* She might not be able to tell the difference between letters that have similar shape but different orientation, such as b and p and d and q ;
* The letters might look all jumbled up and out of order;
* The letters and words might look all bunched together;
* The letters of some words might appear completely backwards, such as the word bird looking like drib ;
* The letters and words might look o.k., but the dyslexic person might get a severe headache or feel sick to her stomach every time she tries to read;
* She might see the letters o.k., but not be able to sound out words -- that is, not be able to connect the letters to the sounds they make and understand them;
* She might be able to connect the letters and sound out words, but not recognize words she has seen before, no matter how many times she has seen them -- each time she would have to start fresh;
* She might be able to read the words o.k. but not be able to make sense of or remember what she reads, so that she finds herself coming back to read the same passage over and over again.


kinda makes it sound as though only girls are dyslexic

[Ryan Sas]

Haha, well the Spartan bit was just facetious crap-- though it would be pretty cool to be an elite warrior for my job, I did just mean that I wanted a physique that the actors portraying the Spartans had.

So a no to cutting fat whilst adding muscle? In that case, would it be better for me to bulk first and cut the fat after, or cut the fat and bulk from there? And to answer a specific question, whether I'm satisfied with the amount of muscle I currently have, that would have to be a no. What I'm shooting for is somewhere in between Juji in Thousand and his present state (if that helps with the visualization). I'd primarily like to bulk my tricepts, traps, and lats, I really feel like those are my worst areas. Overall though, I'd like to increase size just about everywhere a little bit. The three aforementioned target areas have really been neglected in the past.

Another general question, and I realize it probably depends on the person and protein intake and all that good stuff, but about how long would it take, on average, to go from my current state (see first post) to the aforementioned Juji-like state?

Thanks

[Syn]

go die in battle

[mr popular]

How could consuming that little protein be difficult for an average person?
I generally consume between 250 and 350 grams of protein daily. It's really not hard if you eat meat a few times a day and consume whey after workouts.

My advice to you would be to eat about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (main sources coming from chicken, red meat, and milk), weight train with a basic bodybuilding routine 3-4 times a week, aiming to gain about 3-5lbs each month. Use light cardio a few times a week to keep bodyfat levels in check along with a relatively clean diet (avoid sugar and trans fats).

Once you get to 190-195lbs, then take more pictures and come back with an update to ask how you should cut if you still want to. This would obviously be in about 6-12 months from now, if you do everything correctly.

[Steve]

There is "cutting fat while gaining muscle" but since everyone in this god forsaken forum is obsessed with bodybuilding they think you can only cut or bulk at one point. You only have like 10-15 pounds to gain to be like the faggots from 300, which you could easily achieve by just setting a slight caloric excess and then stop being so anal about it, forgetting the "need" to either be on a cut or bulk, as it will all work out in the end with you being pure muscle at the caloric intake that you've set. If you set it below your current weight, expect to be 150 pounds of muscle, if you set it above and work out patiently, expect to be leaner at a higher weight.

Here is what happens when you eat casually, forgetting crap about bulking and cutting:
http://www.eugensandow.com/photos/ES004.jpg

[Ashtar]

Steve's right, some people on t-nation showed that too.

[receive]

http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/ <--- read the eating advice in some of the books there, its a good approach.

[Ashtar]

While a cool reservoir of history, I think teh theories espoused by some of those guys was contradictory on occasion.

[Steve]

Everyone in bodybuilding history is foolish and I know everything.

[Kitosho]

Sensational! Ab-so-lu-te-ly sensational!

[Lobo]

i think that he means that he wants to look like the actors in 300
Ha ha.

[NightHunter]

i think that he means that he wants to look like the actors in 300

Gay?

[Steve]

Spartans handjobbed each other

[receive]

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/373633

[blademonki]

Google the 300 workout I know they published the regime used by the actors somewhere.

But nobody will help you grow a beard as manly as Gerard Butler.

[Steve]

http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/vcs/dennert/archives/regime_change.jpg

[Ryan Sas]

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/373633

Hahaha, that shit made my day.

So 10-15 lbs or so to get to a physique similar to those of the actors? (gay or other wise, whatever). For this week, I'm going with a diet that consists of 200+ grams of protein per day, with alternating days of carb intake slightly under protein intake and days with about 1/2-3/4 of the protein I intake (so higher calorie days versus lower calorie days) so that my metabolism will keep working at an optimal level and wont adjust to fit a super low calorie diet. I'm keeping fat intake relatively low, probably sub-50g per day. For the record, I've opted to try to cut and bulk at the same time, with the emphasis being on cutting more so than bulking (ie. I do an hour of cardio daily and am working with a calorie deficit each day. I'm unsure just how many pound of fat I might have on my body, but I can already see some results over my abdominals, so with the same workout schedule and a drastically increased protein intake, I think bulking without adding back the fat should be viable.)

Once I've cut my fat down to about where I want it and begin to start bulking, should I decrease my cardio or keep it about the same?

[NightHunter]

Why so few fats?

[Ryan Sas]

Why so few fats?

Well, I'm not paranoid about eating fats, but it just seems counter-intuitive to take in an abundence of what I'm trying to get rid of. Most of my fats come from olive oil, meat, and legumes. I don't know though, am I going about it the wrong way?

[Yuri]

man you are making things way too complicated

I would say training hard and eating regularly works pretty well without any of this cut/bulk business

at least for me

[Honken]

Eating fat doesen't make you fat. You need enough fats everyday, it's essential! The thing that you cut down on is carbohydrates!

Muscle/fat gain = Calorie surplus
Muscle/fat loss = Calorie deficiency

[Gusch]

You don't get fat from eating fat, unless you got a caloric surplus. And at that stage you would also gain fat from proteins and carbs.
Depending on the level of your surplus of course.

[Honken]

Exercising and diet may not be exact science, but the rules of calorie surplus/deficiency resulting in muscle/fat gain/loss should be written in stone.

[Ryan Sas]

duly noted. as mentioned, i'm new to the "science" of fitness and body building, so eh, forgive the fat cutting issue if it seems ignorant. i'm pretty much learning as i go. :eh:

[compleks]

Just keep training hard and eating healthy.

[American]

Just to clear a few things up, as with all of the opinions that can get offered in these kinds of threads, clarification can be occasionally necessary:

-It is totally up to you whether you would like aim primarily for muscle gain or fat loss. However, I suggest you go with muscle gain, then cutting off the excess. Why? If you're dead serious about achieving a 300-worthy physique, you'll have to lose fat in the end anyway, to get to the level of ripped those actors are touting, so why not save it for all at once? Besides, you've got a healthy bodyfat % now. As you add muscle, you'll appear to be getting more ripped.

-Also, Eat Clean!. Shower before every meal. And while you're doing that, think about all the crap you should be cutting out of your diet. You really only have(debatable word choice) to gain a few lbs of fat in your quest for the 15-20 lbs you look like you'll need. This is up to your diet. And nutrient timing, which reminds me, you'll want to google "John Berardi", and navigate his website to the Massive Eating artic-oh, fuck it, here (http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/masseating_rl_1.htm)
and here (http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/masseating_rl_2.htm)

-For those who say "be casual" about this, well, how bad do you want it? Those 300 actors shat bricks every fucking day to get there. Juji and Antoine are anything but casual when it comes to their physiques, and as a result they look damn serious.

And just so you know what approx. 185 lbs at 6% bf can look like, I give you.....Dr. Berardi himself! Voila. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/members/attachment.php?attachmentid=2624&d=1191562306)

Best of luck to you. May your lifts be compound and your meats lean.

[Kitosho]

well, the 300 actors were trained by Mark Twight, who basically ripped off xfit and pretended he made it up. if xfit is gay, then that makes mark twight super gay, and it makes the actors he trained super-mega-ultimate gay. either way, if you want that, just do xfit as hard and heavy as you possibly can, eat a shitload of food, and do 1-3 days of bodybuilding-ish training a week.

[NightHunter]

Just to clear a few things up, as with all of the opinions that can get offered in these kinds of threads, clarification can be occasionally necessary:

-It is totally up to you whether you would like aim primarily for muscle gain or fat loss. However, I suggest you go with muscle gain, then cutting off the excess. Why? If you're dead serious about achieving a 300-worthy physique, you'll have to lose fat in the end anyway, to get to the level of ripped those actors are touting, so why not save it for all at once? Besides, you've got a healthy bodyfat % now. As you add muscle, you'll appear to be getting more ripped.

-Also, Eat Clean!. Shower before every meal. And while you're doing that, think about all the crap you should be cutting out of your diet. You really only have(debatable word choice) to gain a few lbs of fat in your quest for the 15-20 lbs you look like you'll need. This is up to your diet. And nutrient timing, which reminds me, you'll want to google "John Berardi", and navigate his website to the Massive Eating artic-oh, fuck it, here (http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/masseating_rl_1.htm)
and here (http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/masseating_rl_2.htm)

-For those who say "be casual" about this, well, how bad do you want it? Those 300 actors shat bricks every fucking day to get there. Juji and Antoine are anything but casual when it comes to their physiques, and as a result they look damn serious.

And just so you know what approx. 185 lbs at 6% bf can look like, I give you.....Dr. Berardi himself! Voila. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/members/attachment.php?attachmentid=2624&d=1191562306)

Best of luck to you. May your lifts be compound and your meats lean.

You're kidding, right? Shower before every meal? If you're directing him to Berardi, you're also expecting him to eat at least 5 meals a day. Are you legitimately suggesting someone shower 5 times a day?

[Kon-El]

to eat CLEAN, you must SHOWER before every meal. get it, get it?!!
yes it was lame, but it was obviously a joke.
not sure why I'm talking on his behalf though.

[compleks]

I just assumed it was a joke, that way I don't have to ponder if anyone could really be that stupid.

(Though I did genuinely believe it to be a joke in this case.)

[Steve]

Juji and Antoine JUJI AND ANTOINE

[American]

Yeah, it was a joke. A shitty one, at that. But the confusion resulting was quite pleasant.

Steve, are you suggesting JUJI and ANTOINE are being over-used as examples, or are you in love with the sound of their names?

[Ryan Sas]

Ah, that big long post was pretty helpful. I'm still reforming my diet on a daily basis, trying to make it more efficient and conducive to my goal. I checked out the 300 Excercise routine and while I suppose it would work, I'm unable to do the box jumps due to my knee right now and the whole 300 reps gimmick seems just a bit far fetched to me, leaves a few muscles out for sure.

I liked the point about building and then cutting off the fat all at once. For the time being though, I'm still trying to cut down the vast majority of the fat on my body and am going to increase mass more slowly just to see if that wont help in not putting on more fat than is necessary. (gotta look good in the interem) Anyways, thanks for the nutrition link, I'm gonna try to read that in detail tonight so that I can keep on reforming the diet so that I can find something that will work both for my physique goals as well as the maintainence thereof.

[Ashtar]

to eat CLEAN, you must SHOWER before every meal. get it, get it?!!
yes it was lame, but it was obviously a joke.
not sure why I'm talking on his behalf though.
http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/pictures/kramer/kramer003.jpg
Wouldn't during be better?