Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...

  • Has anybody tried CoachOS? 

    I believe it was made by the developer of Boostcamp, and a couple pretty popular naturals referenced on this sub have used it to create a coach platform (GVS, Bald Omni Man, Alex Leonidas).

    If have you used it, which coach did you choose? Did you feel like by using it you got something useful / time savings from it?

    parent

  • Hello

    I am 23, Male, 5'8 (172cm) 125lbs (57kg) and currently somewhere between 16-18% BF (likely on the higher end of this range). I am definitely skinny in most places, but I have some lower back fat and do not have visible abs.

    My end goal is to get to around 136-140lbs (62-63kg) and crucially, at around 12-14% BF

    Yes, this is small, but for reasons pertaining to my career, I have to maintain a very slim, lean build (I am currently slim, but not lean)

    I have been strength training for approx. 3 months, I started at approx 54kg 18% BF, I am now 57kg, likely the same BF%, maybe a bit lower, yet to do a DEXA scan.

    Throughout these 3 months, I have had periods of being in a slight surplus (2300ish cals), being in a slight deficit (1800ish cals), and maintaining bodyweight(2100ish cals). In all 3 scenarios, my lifts were progressing and I felt about the same.

    I would prefer to reach this goal without putting on any more body fat, as I already have love handles despite being so light. (I am south asian, we tend to store fat around the midsection extremely stubbornly)

    There are three avenues that seem to make sense to me, please elect one as the best route, or suggest your own

    1. Cut from 16-18% BF --> 12-14% BF at a slow deficit (as to not lose muscle mass) and then do maingain or a very slight surplus of 100 cals long term to 140lbs
    2. Eat at maintenance (which in my case, is however much keeps me at the same weight [i don't actually know what maintenance means nowadays, some say it is how much energy your body needs to function, some say it is how much your body needs to maintain the same BF% - these two are a lot harder to measure than tracking body weight, so what metric do I use???]) now and then re-assess once i've put on more mass.
    3. Same thing as above but instead of maingain, eat at a small 100ish surplus now and then re-assess

    In all three scenarios, I will be consuming 125-130g of protein per day and lifting 3-4 times per week, I am very consistent with both of these, so rest assured.

    I'm very lost.

    If you need photos of my body to prescribe a plan, please let me know.

    parent

    You’ve only been doing this for three months, and already you have been in a surplus, a deficit, and at maintenance. Right now, I would suggest picking a goal and working towards that (which it sounds like that’s exactly what you want to do).

    You are in a great position for a recomp, basically eating at approx maintenance, and riding those newbie gains until your progress slows. At that point, you can reassess if you want to bulk or cut.

    parent root

    should body fat % rise, stay the same, or fall on maintenance? Ideally

    parent root