Need Some Serious Advice Guys

N

nipponbiki

New Member
Hey dudes,

I am currently on SD. After making my final deadlift PR of 135kg, I started my SD. But even before I decided to SD, I haven't had the energy to train 3 times a week properly. I have recently started to study seriously for various IT certifications (Cisco certs). I am studying 4-6 hours a day, then come home and work out at my home gym and before I SD'd, I really had to force myself to work out even though I usually can't wait to do it!

Since I started studying, I am really feeling drained alot the time. And this is going to continue for at least a year, so I need to have some way of integrating both a workout plan and study plan and still be able to function.

If any of you happen to know about this stuff, I just renewed my CCNA and finished CCDA a couple days ago. I decided to SD when I did so I could focus on the CCDA for those last few weeks. Today marks the 21st day of SD. From now, I am going to pursue CCNP and CCVP simultaneously. In order to help with studying, I also started a speed reading course and a memorization technique course and do the practice when I have time.

Anyway, I also got too fat with my last 4 months of bulking. So, I am going to start a new cycle next week (will start a training log). I am going to cut, which means a calorie deficit.

So, I want any and all suggestions, advice, techniques, plans, whatever to help me so that I can keep doing this massive studying without sacrificing working out. ESPECIALLY since I will be cutting for probably the next 2 months

Since I will be doing this massive study thing for at least a year, I need a long-term solution to being able to work out and study.

My mid-term goal is to get a 200kg deadlift this year, and I don't want to let this cert study get in the way of that!

If you need any specific info to help give better advice, feel free to ask me anything.
 
Keep it simple. If you are studying that much and cutting on top of it, your energy levels are going to suck and you are going to lose strength very likely. 130 kg is grat, but are you sure you want to be cutting already since your goal is a 200 KG deadlift? That is a very big increase goal and you should be eating like a horse to help you reach it. Why not just run a non-bulk maintenance cycle, so you don't get any fatter? You could just train for strength and possibly gain some LBM while doing cardio to lose some fat.

If you are stuck on the idea of cutting, then be prepared to have your workouts suck and lose strength and muscle. With all the stress of school, your cortisone levels will be high and muscle wasting will occur with a caloric deficit.
 
Hey Sci,

Yeah, I know. But listen man, I am not only concerned about the cut. Like I was saying, even when I was still eating like a horse on my bulk, I had no desire to lift and felt drained even then.

I have gotten fat enough so that I only have like 2 pairs of pants that I can still wear. It's either lose some fat or buy some new clothes. But maybe you are right.

For the last 3 weeks or so of the bulk, I stopped gaining weight, but continued to gain strength.

My 135k dead was for reps. My 200k goal is a max goal. Should have made that clear.
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Oh yeah! One more thing. I am not going to school. If I were, that would be easy and I doubt I would be in this situation. I am doing self-study and plan on keeping a pace of 1 exam every 6-8 weeks.
 
I'm always reading. I have a book in my hand anytime there isn't a tool in it. That includes meals, (if Im not sitting here in front of this thing) dressing, waiting at stoplights or in traffic, and so forth. That accounts to a lot of hours so I can spend a little wrestling with my wifetypeperson in the evenings.
I do not, however recommend studying during a workout, unless you want it to suk. But you can read while mixing your shakes...

Funky Fact File: Only one in 18 people in America actually read a BOOK after leaving school.
 
In the short run, losing some excess fat will help in the  energy department. However, Sci is right that you will lose energy in the long run. How about cutting for a month and then transition to a strength-based cycle as per Sci's suggestion?  You might also consider 2x/wk workouts -- not optimal but maybe a necessary compromise if the time just isn't there.

I used to be like Quad - almost ran into a few light poles while walking down the street with my nose in a book!
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Yeah, I have also considered twice a week workouts. Actually, toward the end of my last cycle, that is what naturally happened.

It's not a time issue, it's an energy issue. I just don't feel like doing anything and I always seem to have a headache and feel this huge desire to eat sugary foods, which I usually don't really feel any desire for, even when cutting.

This is exactly what happened to me 6 years ago when I was studying for the major test of Japanese as a foreign language. I just gave up working out that time. I don't want to do that again. That time was somewhat short term, 5 months. This time it will be around 1.5 years of constant constant study.
 
Hey Quad,

You are probably my favorite person on here. I know you are always helpful and I like your down-to-earth attitude and sense of humor. Also have alot of respect for being able to modify things to your liking.

So, I am not sure how to say this, but I am not sure I understand what you were trying to say?
 
You mean you CAN'T read my mind??? Okay, I was just thinking it was a time issue, so I referenced ways to create more time. Also, when I have a lot to study on, I break it up into short sessions, rather than one long one, where my mind turns to mush. I find it helpful to study, then do something physical (vacuum or go get the mail, stuff like that) and get some oxygen flowing before sitting down again.

If your problem is lethargy, anemia, or some obscure Carribean Crab bite disease, we would have to know more about your diet and day's activities. It COULD be that your metabolism slows down a lot from sitting around reading, nothing more. I know it makes me sluggish. As Lol said, lack of sleep is a killer and a catabolizer. (you DID say that Lol, you just don't know it...
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There are always thermogenics for a workout. I use them when I feel tired and need to get up to normal. Yohimbe is a favorite, with a mug of coffee. As long as it's BEFORE 4-5 pm.
 
Well,

I work in IT, which usually means sitting at a desk all day, but I work at an airport, so I have to walk around the airport quite a bit on busy days, but yeah, not so much on quiet days.

I used to do cardio on non-workout days, but I stopped doing any form of cardio when I started my bulk because of some of the things I have read here.

My diet hasn't really changed from when I was feeling great and looking forward to workouts to feeling lethargic.

I don't eat enough vegetables and never eat fruit cause its so expensive here, but that's the way its been for years.

Maybe quitting cardio was a bad idea? Maybe I should do as Quad suggested and take a walk around the airport a bit between shorter sessions?
 
Quitting cardio IS a bad idea!  Improving your cardio-vascular fitness is a prime way to boost energy levels IMHO.  As long as your caloric intake is sufficient, it should not adversely impact your hypertrophy efforts and will help dramatically with body partitioning.
 
I wouldn`t say it helps partitioning dramatically...I`d say it`s still up in the air, but the cardiovascular fitness benefits are worth it by themselves.

Your problem is a tad bit complex really...stress is both good and bad with humans:we reach and surpass our potential under stressful conditions, and lack of stress induces complacency, but at times burn-out can occur. I think some of the things you`re experiencing can be pinned to your hormonal profile becoming screwy due to factors in your life.

Since this is a stingy issue, it`s hard to look at one aspect or another in isolation and focus on it, I`d rather suggest you use a multi-faceted strategy. First, let`s work on your sleep:be sure that it`s quality sleep!8 hours don`t ammount to much if you wake up intermittently, sleep in a noisy/light filled/too hot/too cold environment. Also, you could try using Acetylated-L-Carnitine(ALCAR)-there`s a thread here outlining a protocol that seems to give better results with lesser ammounts of sleep. You could try some Mg before sleep, it seems to help. Try to get 20-30 minutes of sleep in the afternoon, if possible(not more, just a quick, preferably deep doze).

WRT diet, upping your carbs may be a good idea-try to use quality sources though, not simple carbs as those may have an effect contrary to what you`re seeking to achieve. As a nut-kicker before a workout, to help with focus and such, try 3g L-Tyrosine+strong cup of Coffee(or a 200 mg caplet, I can`t get coffee caps so I use very strong instant coffee)-in my experience, it helped.
There are also like a billion herbs being touted with this or that effect, but I don`t know if they do anything so I can`t comment on them.

As a final note, it may help if you line-out a very regimented schedule and do everything in your power to stick to it:time your learning/work/training, stick to what you planned etc. Ordering one`s life can do miracles. Hope at least some of this helps.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I wouldn`t say it helps partitioning dramatically...I`d say it`s still up in the air, but the cardiovascular fitness benefits are worth it by themselves.</div>
Fair enough.  It probably depends alot upon personal factors -- at 47 I find cardio a significant help in keeping fat gain somewhat under control. Never-the-less, we are in general agreement that the cardio is worth it for its own benefits and I do think it is likely to give an evergy boost.
 
Sure, I was only saying that it doesn`t affect partitioning...not directly, unless you do some HIIT or something at lactate threshold, which would cause some ammount of glycogen depletion in your legs and cause some positive partitioning effects through it. I`m of the oppinion that cardio simply reduces the caloric excedent and thus lowers the ammount of possible fat gain. But anyway, this is kindof off topic
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yo nippon, I sympathise with you.

I think the reason you have low energy is because you aren't working out. I recommend 3x weekly workouts clustered to 15 or 20 reps if your cutting, really simple AKA

squats
bench
rows

dead
mil press
pull ups

with cardio on your off days. I firmly believe regular exercise will help your studying. Theres only so much you can learn in one day!

Good luck
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Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I will look into that ALCAR thing, and I definitely think quitting cardio was a bad idea. I just had one for the first time in months and although I was pretty wiped out that evening, I felt pretty good the next day and not so bad today either.
 
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