I'm at a point where I don't know what the
next step in my workout/diet plan should
be. Here is my situation, and my goals.
I would appreciate advice on where I
should go from here:
i am male, 20 years old, 5 feet 10 inches,
and in college. In high school, I ran
track (mid distance), ate whatever I felt
like, did little to no strength training.
I was consistently 155-160 pounds. When I
got to college, my eating habits didn't
change much-- but if they did they got a
little worse. I also stopped running
regularly. Sure I did intermurals and
what not, but I was not nearly as active
as I was in high school (running basically
every day). By the begining of the second
semester of my second year (this past
january) I was 185lbs and when I
participated in physical activity I could
feel how out of shape I was.
So, for the last 4 months i've been on a
diet (2000 to 2500 calories a day, with
very little fat, no sweets or soft drinks,
and mostly chicken and fish for meat),
gotten back to running (2-3 miles a day
again), and for the first time in my life
started strength training (alternating
push, pull, and legs at the gym 4 or 5
days every week). I've made progress in
all areas. I can do 3 miles no problem
again and my times are back where they
were in high school. My weight is down to
about 163 lbs, and I am lifting much more
weight at the gym than when I started (i
was pretty pathetic when I started!).
There is also a noticeable change in my
physique. For the first time I have some
muscle tone in my arms, and abs, and to a
lesser extent my chest.
Unfortunately, i'm kind of hitting a wall
in all areas. Running I would expect--
i'm pretty much back to the times I was
running in high school, and I don't expect
to do much better. Really, i'm running
just for the sake of cardiovascular health
anyway, and that is a key point: my
ultimate goal is to do what is generally
healthy, not to push myself to extremes in
any one direction.
I don't want to be a marathon runner or a
body builder; ultimately I just want to be
healthy, get myself into good habits, and
reduce risk of partially preventable
diseases. The one area i'd like to see
more improvment, however, is my strength.
I've been stuck on the same weights for a
while now, and i've been told by lots of
people I won't put on any muscle mass
unless I turn my diet around, and start
eating for a calorie surplus every day.
Lots of people suggest phases: weight gain
for strength and muscle mass, then go back
to dieting to lose the fat gained during
the bulking phase while hopefully
preserving the muscle.
There are lots of websites that suggest
how to bulk up, but I just wonder: is this
whole phase thing healthy? They all
focus on making you stronger, which I
want, but I want to do it in a healthy
manner. I know gaining, losing, gaining,
losing weight in general is considered a
bad thing. No one wants to yo-yo diet
right? But that seems exactly what this
is, except you add in the strength
training so you gain in the form of mostly
muscle. Does that negate the unhealthy
effects of yo-yo dieting. Is having lots
of extra muscle even good for you? Just
because you are bigger and stronger
doesn't mean you are healthier, does it?
How many professional athletes have heart
trouble later in life? Just wondering if
anyone has specific info on the health
effects of this kind of thing. I need to
figure out where i'm taking my routines
from here.
That was long.....So if I didn't put you
to sleep, thanks for your time and advice!
