23/M, 5'11", 183lbs, 19% BF
Started as an absolute beginner to the gym (and skinny fat) around 5 months ago - with several 7-10 day long breaks in between. My routine -
Routine November -> Now
Workout: [ICF](https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout) - I switched to 3x5 instead of 5x5 sets after a month since it took too much time, and got too intense. Diet: Not very closely monitored, but I tried to take at least 100g-120g of Protein a day. Did not monitor my Carbs/Fats too closely, but I simply tried to eat clean and make it to 2000-2500 cals a day. Again, not closely monitored but that's my estimate. Sea cod liver oil and Multivitamins erryday.
I wanted to sort of a recomp, but my main aim was to first learn proper form and get used to the routine, and train my CNS to handle weight lifting. This is one of the reasons why I chose a long (~2 hour) workout, so that I can train my body to handle all kinds of lifts. This is also one of the reasons why I chose to ignore strict diet control for some time since I already struggled to fit workouts in my work days, additional efforts to manage diet in Office/back home would be too much to handle right at the beginning. I just wanted to start with something.
How I progressed in a few main lifts - These are NOT 1RM weights, but the weights I used for for **3 sets of 5 reps**:
Squat: 55 lbs --> 130 lbs (decently happy with the progress) Bench: 45 lbs --> 80 lbs (feel like I could've done better, although I've pretty long arms so that plays a role) Deadlift: 65 lbs --> 176 lbs (not bad)
Note, the final numbers are pretty low, but I considered myself to be negative in terms of strength previously. Much much weaker than the average male. At least now I'm not in that place.
Body Weight: 170 lbs --> 183 lbs. This was a bit of a surprise since I was eating 2-2.5k everyday, but I think I can pin this increase down to careless diet habits sometimes on Weekends and vacations back home. And NOT being strict at all with the macro/calorie count.
I'm happy with the strength progress, and I've gained confidence because I look far better with clothes on; but I'm not happy with how I look with no clothes. Yes I've developed some chest/back/biceps, but I don't think I've lost much fat. I don't think I've gained any either, which is understandable considering the lack of dietary care. I have a lot of fats on my hips/love handles which I desperately want to get rid off.
I don't really know if I successfully recomped since I only bought body fat calipers last week. Without tracking the diet it's in fact improper to call it a recomp.
Planned Path Forward
I'm planning to Cut until I feel comfortable about bulking. Recomp works, but its slow and not my thing. I think I have enough muscle now to cut without looking like a skeleton.
Workout: This is where I need your help! I'm so confused. I don't want to continue with an ICF cutting variation because I'm kind of bored of it now. I'm definitely willing to look at any other options - RPT (is it okay for someone at my level?), SS (squats thrice a week on a cutting diet will make me dread my workouts), anything else. RPT seems so great - short, sweet, effective for cutting - but then I keep reading about how it's not really aimed at beginners.
Diet: Planning to be pretty strict about diet now. I'm aiming around -
Rest day - 1600 cal (170g Protein, 80g fat, remaining carbs)
Workout day - 2400 cal (170g Protein, 50g fat, remaining carbs)
Questions
1. What Workout would you suggest going forward to someone in my situation?
2. How does the new diet plan look? It's a pretty standard leangains cutting diet, but if you have any tweaks specific for someone in my situation, I'd love it.
3. Any other tips!
