# Diet adivce



## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Hi everyone i'm new to the forum and i'm looking for some advice.

I'm a 26 year old Male, 5,8ft, 168lbs, I want to lose body fat and gain some muscle ready for the summer

I'm training 5 days split

My daily macos are 141g protein 133g carbs 17g fat split between 5 meals.

Can anyone see anything wrong with my diet considering my goal

Thanks for any help

*Can this thread be moved into Food, Diet and Nutrition Info please.*


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Hi everyone i'm new to the forum and i'm looking for some advice.
> 
> I'm a 26 year old Male, 5,8ft, 168lbs, I want to lose body fat and gain some muscle ready for the summer
> 
> ...


 You typed those macro's correct?

Quote: My daily macros are 141g protein 133g carbs 17g fat split between 5 meals?

That's 1249 calories a day!

Ain't no one building muscle on that my friend, weightloss yes, but not in a good way.

You have a TDEE of 2661 calories per day according to your stats and activity level.

www.tdeecalculator.net

Cutting is 2161 calories (-500 from maintenance).

And bulking is 3161 calories (+500).

Personally I would set protein to 1lb per lb of body weight, 75 - 100g fats and the rest from carbs.

I never go below 50g fats, even when cutting.

Once you drop into a calorie deficit, you're no longer building muscle, you need to be in a calorie surplus to do that, as little as 400 calories above maintenance is enough to gain, whilst keeping fat gain to a minimum.

If you were ever to see someone recomp or gain muscle mass on a deficit, it's because their body can actually use stored fat as energy, but this is rare and only happens in rare occasions, such as those beginning their fitness journey, those with pre-existing muscle memory, and those with really good genetics, diet and training.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> You typed those macro's correct?
> 
> Quote: My daily macros are 141g protein 133g carbs 17g fat split between 5 meals?
> 
> ...


 Yes I have calculated wrong try again lol

Current daily macros 191/382/71. 2135 calories


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Yes I have calculated wrong try again lol
> 
> Current daily macros 191/382/71. 2135 calories


 More like it :thumb

So you're in a 500 calorie deficit give or take, so NOT building muscle at this point in time.

If your goals are to get lean and defined - carry on, whilst you will lose physical weight, you will look bigger once the definition starts to come through.

View attachment 150489


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> More like it :thumb
> 
> So you're in a 500 calorie deficit give or take, so NOT building muscle at this point in time.
> 
> If your goals are to get lean and defined - carry on, whilst you will lose physical weight, you will look bigger once the definition starts to come through.


 Thanks for that, Giving my 500 calorie deficit would you think cardio is required? i am doing bits of cardio but only when i can squeeze 15 mins in here and there.

Also i'm training on about 620 calories as it suits me to train earlier, is this ok?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Thanks for that, Giving my 500 calorie deficit would you think cardio is required? i am doing bits of cardio but only when i can squeeze 15 mins in here and there.
> 
> Also i'm training on about 620 calories as it suits me to train earlier, is this ok?


 I believe cardio should part of everyone's weekly training whether cutting or bulking.

In a 500 calorie deficit, no cardio is not needed, many on here get to stage ready body fat levels without cardio, but stay fairly lean all year around.

Cardio would however speed up the fat loss process a little, by highering the calorie deficit somewhat.

I always start my cuts the same, -500 cal deficit and 3 x 30m cardio sessions a week (15m here and there is fine).

*Diet wise this is my advice:*

A simple 500 calories deficit is enough for good weight loss.

The key to any diet is knowing exactly how many calories you need on a daily basis, and just eating under that number).

First you need to workout how many calories your body needs in a day (Total daily energy expenditure).

Weigh yourself first thing in the morning.

Input your data in this website www.tdeecalculator.net 
Choose whichever activity level is closest to yourself.

Then click the cutting calories button (under the macronutrients heading), this will give you your starting calories, and what you need to stick to on a daily basis.

This start figure is obviously estimated, but works for most people.

Try to get as close as possible to your cutting calories every day, a little over or under is fine but no more than say 20 - 30 calories either way (stick to this bit).
Don't equate eating under your calories with faster weight loss, this will just lead to failure and probable binge eating.

Foods to eat:

Absolutely anything you want, Just weigh and track everything you eat and drink inc milk in tea & coffee etc. (don't add calories back in when you've exercised, MFP will ask if you want to do this).

Check your TDEE on a weekly or daily basis, because it obviously drops as your weight comes down, and adjust calories accordingly in Myfitnesspal.

If you want quicker weight loss you can obviously add in cardio and or resistance exercises, not only will this help build muscle but it will also create a bigger calorie deficit.
If you were to do this, I would recommend just a 30 min incline walk on the treadmill or walk outside at a steady state.

Drink plenty water, at least 2-3 litres a day.
It's important to drink more water whilst dieting, not drinking enough will cause you to retain it, not only that, toxins called persistent organic pollutants, accumulate in fat cells, which get released into the bloodstream when dieting and burning fat.

And that's it, just carry on until you are at the weight you want to be.

Eventually, when you are happy and want to bulk, use the same formula but set the TDEE calc to bulking.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> I believe cardio should part of everyone's weekly training whether cutting or bulking.
> 
> In a 500 calorie deficit, no cardio is not needed, many on here get to stage ready body fat levels without cardio, but stay fairly lean all year around.
> 
> ...


 Thank you for spending the time to help me


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Thank you for spending the time to help me


 Thanks for being so courteous and welcome to the forum :thumb


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> Thanks for being so courteous and welcome to the forum :thumb


 Thank you


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> Thanks for being so courteous and welcome to the forum :thumb


 If i stick to the diet previously discussed how many cheat meals do you think i can slip in per week without compromising things too much


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

I know someone on here who has a cheat night every Saturday eve, and still gets down to low bf levels.

Me personally, I keep going till I feel I need one, or my social life dictates one.

If your watching the scales daily, weight will rise and fall throughout the week anyway, and especially after you have a cheat day.

For every 1g of carbs taken in 1g of water will also be pulled in, this is just extra water weight and will subside 2-3 days after, just drop back to the deficit and drink plenty water and you'll begin to drop weight again.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Thanks for that, I'm currently using Bulk powders whey protein, BCAA Xplode for intra workout, omega 3 tabs. Are there any other supplements i should be using? anyone tried this https://niacinmax.co.uk/ ?


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## DC1 (May 5, 2014)

Ell91 said:


> Thanks for that, I'm currently using Bulk powders whey protein, BCAA Xplode for intra workout, omega 3 tabs. Are there any other supplements i should be using? anyone tried this https://niacinmax.co.uk/ ?


 I would avoid wasting money on BCAA's personally. If you are training fasted and are concerned about preserving muscle then look for a good EAA product.

If you don't train fasted just drink some water or sugar free diluting juice.

Make solid food the staple of your eating plan and leave the whey for when your struggling to hit protein target or pushed for time.

A good quality Omega supplement is fine albeit you'd get the same benefits from a few servings of salmon per week.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

DC1 said:


> I would avoid wasting money on BCAA's personally. If you are training fasted and are concerned about preserving muscle then look for a good EAA product.
> 
> If you don't train fasted just drink some water or sugar free diluting juice.
> 
> ...


 Why would you avoid a BCAA? i don't train fasted i usually train after only 2 meals


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Why would you avoid a BCAA? i don't train fasted i usually train after only 2 meals


 Because unless your diet is pretty shocking, you don't need them, you'll get enough nutrients from good quality foods.


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## DC1 (May 5, 2014)

Ell91 said:


> Why would you avoid a BCAA? i don't train fasted i usually train after only 2 meals


 They are almost useless when used standalone for muscle protein synthesis. They are just very expensive flavoured water.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> Because unless your diet is pretty shocking, you don't need them, you'll get enough nutrients from good quality foods.





DC1 said:


> They are almost useless when used standalone for muscle protein synthesis. They are just very expensive flavoured water.


 I bought some more about 3 hours ago lol, when this runs out i wont buy anymore, What are your thoughts on protein bars (I don't use them)


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Ell91 said:


> anyone tried this https://niacinmax.co.uk/ ?


 No but do not waste your money on it.


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## DC1 (May 5, 2014)

Ell91 said:


> I bought some more about 3 hours ago lol, when this runs out i wont buy anymore, What are your thoughts on protein bars (I don't use them)


 They are mostly full of garbage. I'd rather eat 200 - 300 calories of quality food that waste them on a protein bar.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

DC1 said:


> They are mostly full of garbage. I'd rather eat 200 - 300 calories of quality food that waste them on a protein bar.


 Ok i won't bother with them then.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

@Sparkey @DC1

https://ibb.co/gZV3px

Where I'm at now

A picture from last week, not the best even tho I'm trying to pose :lol:


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> @Sparkey @DC1
> 
> https://ibb.co/gZV3px
> 
> ...


 cool, and well done for posting, as many won't.

Ok so you look like your building muscle, shoulders/traps coming on.

You can see that you are carrying the majority of your fat in your torso.

I personally would just keep cutting.

If I was to estimate your BF, I would have to say 22 -25% at this point in time.

Now to give you some Idea, I usually say to get from 20% to 10% you would need to lose 2 to 2.5 stones of actual body weight.

Don't be disheartened bud, just keep pushing and it will come.

Most of us have been overweight at some point, this is me below back in 2013 after 10 years away from lifting, just about 9 months between the pics.

(First pic is flipped so the first 3 all face the same way).

View attachment 142826


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## DC1 (May 5, 2014)

Ell91 said:


> @Sparkey @DC1
> 
> https://ibb.co/gZV3px
> 
> ...


 As Sparkey has said, keep dieting. You have mostly abdomen and pectoral fat. The rest of your body is relatively lean in comparison. This is quite common for many men.

It takes time but you'll get there if you persevere.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> cool, and well done for posting, as many won't.
> 
> Ok so you look like your building muscle, shoulders/traps coming on.
> 
> ...





DC1 said:


> As Sparkey has said, keep dieting. You have mostly abdomen and pectoral fat. The rest of your body is relatively lean in comparison. This is quite common for many men.
> 
> It takes time but you'll get there if you persevere.


 Thanks lads I've been sticking to my diet really and seen the weight coming off on the scales (adjusted my TDEE calculation as the weight comes off)

unfortunately I'm on a training course Monday - Thursday for the next two weeks miles from home so my diet is compromised as is my training  I'll have to make the most out of Friday - Sunday.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

@Sparkey

Quick question, i've just been on TDEE calculator, where it asks for personal info age, height, weight etc it also says body fat % optional. leaving this box empty my cutting calories are 2086 per day when i enter 25% body fat it drops to 1839 for cutting. Which one shall i work to?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> @Sparkey
> 
> Quick question, i've just been on TDEE calculator, where it asks for personal info age, height, weight etc it also says body fat % optional. leaving this box empty my cutting calories are 2086 per day when i enter 25% body fat it drops to 1839 for cutting. Which one shall i work to?


 leave it empty, because you have no idea what your accurate body fat is, your just assuming you're 25% when you could be miles out.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> leave it empty, because you have no idea what your accurate body fat is, your just assuming you're 25% when you could be miles out.


 Ok i'll stay as i am then, is there anyone on here i could pay to write me a diet plan customised for me?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Ok i'll stay as i am then, is there anyone on here i could pay to write me a diet plan customised for me?


 Is the problem getting your protein amount in?

Or total calories or cost?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Ell91 said:


> Ok i'll stay as i am then, is there anyone on here i could pay to write me a diet plan customised for me?


 You will be far better off in the long term if you do this yourself using Myfitnesspal. You don't need to be eating special foods at special times to lose fat, just stick to the calorie target. The higher protein you're aiming for will help reduce how hungry you feel, and vegetables can also help as they provide a relatively large volume of food for fewer calories. Potatoes are my favourite carb source when focusing on fat loss for this reason too.


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

^This


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Ultrasonic said:


> You will be far better off in the long term if you do this yourself using Myfitnesspal. You don't need to be eating special foods at special times to lose fat, just stick to the calorie target. The higher protein you're aiming for will help reduce how hungry you feel, and vegetables can also help as they provide a relatively large volume of food for fewer calories. Potatoes are
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 No problem i'm hitting my macros and calorie count (when not a course) *according to myfitnesspal. *


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

@Sparkey

So I used a Boditrax machine today, here are my results

https://ibb.co/dnn11n


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Unfortunately electrical resistance measurement of body fat is a rough guess at best, it could be out by 5-7% or it might be somewhere near, for example your hydration makes a massive difference to your conductivity to electricity, drinking two litres of water before a test such as this will change your reading by a good chunk, so carry on as you are buddy, stick to @Sparkey's recommendation and see what happens  he knows his s**t :thumbup1:


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

@superdrol is right the machines are a guess at best.

One way to show this is if you measured yourself on the said machine, then went and drunk a litre of water, came back and measured yourself again, I guarantee the fat amount would have gone up slightly, this of course is impossible just from drinking water.

However on the positive side, I like the fact you are taking an interest in your weight/body composition bud :thumb

Stick to the plan, if you want to speed things up a bit, add some more cardio in, but don't lower the calories yet.

Half an hour brisk walk, first thing on a morning is ideal.

There will probably come a time in the your cutting when you plateau (stay at the same weight for a week or two) when and if this happens, feel free to tag me and we'll work around it.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

superdrol said:


> Unfortunately electrical resistance measurement of body fat is a rough guess at best, it could be out by 5-7% or it might be somewhere near, for example your hydration makes a massive difference to your conductivity to electricity, drinking two litres of water before a test such as this will change your reading by a good chunk, so carry on as you are buddy, stick to @Sparkey's recommendation and see what happens  he knows his s**t :thumbup1:





Sparkey said:


> @superdrol is right the machines are a guess at best.
> 
> One way to show this is if you measured yourself on the said machine, then went and drunk a litre of water, came back and measured yourself again, I guarantee the fat amount would have gone up slightly, this of course is impossible just from drinking water.
> 
> ...


 Ok lads thanks for the advice, @Sparkey would you suggest the half hour brisk walk in the morning being fasted?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Ok lads thanks for the advice, @Sparkey would you suggest the half hour brisk walk in the morning being fasted?


 Recent studies have shown that cardio whilst fasted will burn more fat whilst you are doing the exercise, but people who do cardio after non fasted will continue to burn more fat in the following 24 hours.

I personally do it fasted, as I find it works better for me.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> Recent studies have shown that cardio whilst fasted will burn more fat whilst you are doing the exercise, but people who do cardio after non fasted will continue to burn more fat in the following 24 hours.
> 
> I personally do it fasted, as I find it works better for me.


 I'll start tomorrow morning, something that hasn't yet been mentioned while on the subject of cutting. Fat burners, what are your thoughts? I've never used them in the past.


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> I'll start tomorrow morning, something that hasn't yet been mentioned yet white on the subject of cutting, Fat burners, what are your thoughts? I've never used them in the past.


 Most OTC fat burners are caffeine based, I use plain 200mg caffeine tabs off eBay, I don't actually use them for whatever small fat burning properties they may have, but more of a pre workout or boost on a morning when I do cardio fasted.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200-x-200mg-Caffeine-Tablets-Energy-Pills-Plus-Weight-Loss-Slimming-Diet-Pills/262169399010?hash=item3d0a838ee2:g:8kIAAOSw6DtYVak6

I have used Thermobol and they do give you a kick pre workout, but as is the case with everything caffeine based (in fact all stimulants) the longer you use them, the more you need, as the body gets used to them.

They recommend 2 weeks off to reset caffeine tolerance levels once this happens.

Anything that pertains to be 'super fat burner extreme' or whatever, probably won't do much.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Cheers for that, I already use caffeine tabs occasionally.

A couple of days this week I've come up 195ish calories short and over on carbs by around 60g, What shall i do on these occasions?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Cheers for that, I already use caffeine tabs occasionally.
> 
> A couple of days this week I've come up 195ish calories short and over on carbs by around 60g, What shall i do on these occasions?


 Work out what you can have via myfitnesspal before eating it.

If your over by 60g on carbs , reduce whatever carbs by 60g based on portion size and up protein (so add chicken,tuna,eggs, a protein shake or bar etc).

So let's say you have 80g of oats for breakfast, reduce this by half and add some scrambled egg or a couple of boiled eggs (whatever really).

I would really need to see what your having on the daily to swap stuff around.

Many times I get to the last meal of the day and have to work out what I can have.

Tonight for instance I had virtually no carbs left so I had:

200g sliced chicken breast

4 x whole eggs (fried but used no oil).

1 x tin tuna

All seasoned with salt, pepper and Franks hot sauce.

3 x sugar free Hartley Tropical jelly (6 cal's for the 3).


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Sparkey said:


> Work out what you can have via myfitnesspal before eating it.
> 
> If your over by 60g on carbs , reduce whatever carbs by 60g based on portion size and up protein (so add chicken,tuna,eggs, a protein shake or bar etc).
> 
> ...


 Reason I'm going over is my TDEE calculation is telling me to eat just 103g of carbs a day I'm trying to eat most of them carbs in the morning (as I train between 11:30 and 2:00) then I end up over shooting throughout the day. Could I eat my carb allowance within the first 3 meals, then next to none for the rest of the day ?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Could I eat my carb allowance within the first 3 meals, then next to none for the rest of the day ?


 of course.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

@sparkey Hi, hope your well.

What are the benefits of drinking green tea daily? a guy in the gym told me i should invest in a weight lifting belt, what are the benefits if any?

update on my cut: i'm feeling better each week, a little set back past two weeks as i've been commuting 50 miles each way for a course with short breaks no real chance to get my meals in but back into my routine now i'm down to 11,11 stone and strength is good : )


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> @sparkey Hi, hope your well.
> 
> What are the benefits of drinking green tea daily? a guy in the gym told me i should invest in a weight lifting belt, what are the benefits if any?
> 
> update on my cut: i'm feeling better each week, a little set back past two weeks as i've been commuting 50 miles each way for a course with short breaks no real chance to get my meals in but back into my routine now i'm down to 11,11 stone and strength is good : )


 There is some evidence that green tea will help burn fat, a lot of the OTC fat burners have green tea extract in them.

TBH, you could probably drink it all day and see very little if any effects from it, a 10-20 minute walk would probably burn more calories than a weeks worth of green tea (if not a months worth). I personally don't like the taste of it.

A belt is a very good idea, especially if you're incorporating deadlifts, bent over rows, stiff leg deadlifts etc in your routine.

Keep up the good work!


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Sparkey said:


> TBH, you could probably drink it all day and see very little if any effects from it,


 This as far as I'm concerned. The evidence of green tea doing anything in excess of what would be expected from the caffeine content is extremely weak from what I remember.

I drink green tea most weekdays as I like it and it may offer a very slight health benefit but I don't drink more if I'm trying to lose fat. If anything I tend to drink less as I'm more likely to want the larger caffeine hit from coffee.


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> This as far as I'm concerned. The evidence of green tea doing anything in excess of what would be expected from the caffeine content is extremely weak from what I remember.
> 
> I drink green tea most weekdays as I like it and it may offer a very slight health benefit but I don't drink more if I'm trying to lose fat. If anything I tend to drink less as I'm more likely to want the larger caffeine hit from coffee.


 Do you drink it just as it is bud?

Or milk and sugar/sweetener?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Sparkey said:


> Do you drink it just as it is bud?
> 
> Or milk and sugar/sweetener?


 Nothing added. I think it would be pretty unusual to add milk, and certainly not typical in China, Japan etc.

I should have mentioned that I buy loose leaf green tea which tastes much better than the rubbish in tea bags. The latter I tend to find can taste bitter.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Green tea is one I've somewhat changed my mind on. The polyphenols in GT were causing a lot of excitement a few years ago and there were a lot of studies showing various health benefits, from antioxidant, blood lipids, to fat loss to increased insulin sensitivity. It was also promoted as helping the immune system for its antimicrobial properties. For a while I was big into drinking a lot of it and recommending it everywhere.

After a while though more studies and more data paints a better picture and the effects are, of course, less exciting in real world situations than anticipated. GTE, the extract of green tea, is a decent addition to OTC herbal fat burners - in the proper quantity it does have a small effect, especially when in combination with caffeine. Sometimes you find GTE, or green tea products of all kinds, with the caffeine removed. This isn't as good because it appears there may be a slight synergistic effect where, when together, the combined effect of the caff and the green teas active ingredients is greater than the sum of them individually. Individually though caffeine itself is more potent.

Otherwise there's one thing against green tea and that's it's antimicrobial and antibacterial effects because green tea, in large quantities, can negatively impact the populations of healthy flora in your gut.

At the recommended three cups per day dose I think green tea is still a good option - the benefits are small but measurable, and the antibacterial effect is not high enough to cause an issue. At higher doses though there's not much increased benefit, just greater risk of wrecking your gut bacteria.

So while I'm not as convinced about some of the claims made about it's benefits I still drink the stuff - primarily because I like the taste more than black tea (which actually also has some of the same health benefits as green tea), but also because there may be some slight benefit to it, even if not as much as there appeared from studies early on.

For taste it's nice with a slice of lemon or a slice of orange. In China they tend to sweeten it with sugar which to me tastes horrible - IMO a better sweetener is a few drops of honey. I also usually buy the loose leaf stuff and have a couple of varieties that I really like.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

dtlv said:


> Otherwise there's one thing against green tea and that's it's antimicrobial and antibacterial effects because green tea, in large quantities, can negatively impact the populations of healthy flora in your gut.


 That's interesting. I'm vaguely aware of some research suggesting benefits to gut flora from green tea (maybe just in mice?) but hadn't come across the opposite idea. It could be a dose dependent issue of course, with a little possibly being beneficial but too much having the opposite effect.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Ultrasonic said:


> That's interesting. I'm vaguely aware of some research suggesting benefits to gut flora from green tea (maybe just in mice?) but hadn't come across the opposite idea. It could be a dose dependent issue of course, with a little possibly being beneficial but too much having the opposite effect.


 Yes, I read a review of a couple of papers looking at animal studies that suggested possible slight benefit at low-moderate dose for some specific bacterial populations but as dose increases issues with the health of some becomes apparent. I'll try and find it.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Hi guys,

I trained back yesterday, when i was doing bent over rows with the EZ bar at the end of the sets when letting go of the bar i had some lower back pain, then when training legs today i had the same pain while squatting, is it maybe something a weight lifting belt could help?


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## 66983 (May 30, 2016)

Ell91 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I trained back yesterday, when i was doing bent over rows with the EZ bar at the end of the sets when letting go of the bar i had some lower back pain, then when training legs today i had the same pain while squatting, is it maybe something a weight lifting belt could help?


 Yes, definitely.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Ell91 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I trained back yesterday, when i was doing bent over rows with the EZ bar at the end of the sets when letting go of the bar i had some lower back pain, then when training legs today i had the same pain while squatting, is it maybe something a weight lifting belt could help?


 Why were you using an EZ curl bar for rows?

I'd be looking at your form rather than buying a belt. First give your back a rest to recover, then video yourself from the side to make sure you are maintaining a natural back arch rather than letting your lower back round.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

Ultrasonic said:


> Why were you using an EZ curl bar for rows?
> 
> I'd be looking at your form rather than buying a belt. First give your back a rest to recover, then video yourself from the side to make sure you are maintaining a natural back arch rather than letting your lower back round.


 I used the EZ bar as that's all was available in the gym at the time, using wide grip which is shoulder width so cant't see it making any difference to using barbell, i always stick my bum out arch my back keeping my neck in neutral position, i only get lower back pain when i drop the bar, I'll try get a video.

How long is a rest? a week?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Ell91 said:


> I used the EZ bar as that's all was available in the gym at the time, using wide grip which is shoulder width so cant't see it making any difference to using barbell, i always stick my bum out arch my back keeping my neck in neutral position, i only get lower back pain when i drop the bar, I'll try get a video.
> 
> How long is a rest? a week?


 I do barbell rows from a rack to avoid having to lift from the floor and lower it back down again. Worth considering if you think this is how you injured your back.

The EZ curl bar is OK but I asked as it was unusual.


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## Ell91 (Apr 3, 2018)

x


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## RexEverthing (Apr 4, 2014)

Ell91 said:


> this is how the cut went, thanks for the advice. I wanna grow now
> View attachment 163543


 Good effort mate


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