Need a plan, please help!

[Matt Thornton]

If anyone has the time, any addition, small or large, will help me a lot.

My first MMA fight will be a month or so after my 18th birthday, so I'll be fighting in Sept. or October. I'm finishing up wrestling season, which ends at the end of February. My plan is as follows so far:

This week - Mid March: "Cutting" phase; get from 11% body fat to 6%
End of March - Mid July: Strength phase, focus on building mass and strength

I'm 5'11" and about 156 pounds. I have great technique but I seriously need to get bigger, especially since I'll be around 146 lbs. when I get down to 6% body fat. My goal is 160 pounds at 6%, but I think it might be a little unrealistic to put on 14 or 15 pounds of muscle in 15 weeks.

If I am training MMA at an average of 2-3 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, and I want to lift weights to gain muscle, what should my calorie intake look like? Proteins, fats, carbs? I'm thinking of doing the 3 days on, one day off thing, to avoid putting on an excessive amount of body fat. I know I should eat a lot, but how much?

Also, I know this is more a conditioning thing, but I'm aware it might be a little much cardio to expect gains. I'm planning on cycling my training; around the peak of the strength phase, for about 4-6 weeks, I'll cut down on MMA to several short, intense 1 hour sessions of pure sparring. I'll also roll and spar relatively hard, and I'll avoid long, 30-45 minute grappling matches (which I am notorious for in my gym )

So, if someone could please give me a good plan for eating, so that I can get the most out of the *much* needed strength phase, I'd appreciate it.

Oh, and here's the supplements I plan on taking; let me know if anything here is B.S. or a waste:

-CytoSport CytoGainer whey protein weight gainer
-CytoSport muscle milk (for the casein, before bed)
-BSN NO-Xplode
-BSN CellMass

Plus, for general health,

-One A Day Active Multivitamin
-CLA and/or Flaxseed Oil


Thanks!

 

[Vilo Magee]

I dont think you need to be down to 6% bodyfat but that is just my opinion. I would not kill myself cutting bodyfat. I also wouldnt kill myself trying togain 15 pounds in 15 weeks. I would worry more about my technique and about my cardio. Your cardio is going to be the most important thing you have in any type of combat sport.
Also add in some fish oil and some garlic cloves. I eat 2 pieces of garlic per morning befor eI run yes it smell but it helps keep you healthy while training.
Also I wouldnt rely on weightgainers and all that shit just eat good lean meats, fish, veggies, pasta and oatmeal. That other shit imo is a waste of money.

 

[Vilo Magee]

Also I wouldnt worry to much about gaining to 160 because if you weigh in at 160 and fight there the cat you are fighting may of dropped from 175 so no matter what you are the smaller man. I would fight a weight class lower than what you are and sweat off the extra pounds so you are the bigger man. Worry about gaining weight as you mature as a fighter. One thing you must remember is that you always want to give yourself an edge and being the bigger man in ring is an edge, being the bigger man with great cardio and technique makes you up by 3 already before match starts

 

[thomas87]

Is it not a little greedy to want both more muscles and at the same time lose weight?

 

[Masakatsu Funaki #1]

I dont think you need to be down to 6% bodyfat but that is just my opinion. I would not kill myself cutting bodyfat. I also wouldnt kill myself trying togain 15 pounds in 15 weeks. I would worry more about my technique and about my cardio. Your cardio is going to be the most important thing you have in any type of combat sport.
Also add in some fish oil and some garlic cloves. I eat 2 pieces of garlic per morning befor eI run yes it smell but it helps keep you healthy while training.
Also I wouldnt rely on weightgainers and all that shit just eat good lean meats, fish, veggies, pasta and oatmeal. That other shit imo is a waste of money.

I really dont want to argue with someone who actully has professional experiance, but I dont think the NO-Xplode is a waste of money at all. I speak with people daily, who think very highly of NO-Xplode. Its easy to just say eat right, but not to many really do eat righ. Also you can have the best diet in the world, but that doesn't equal having the best advantage as an athlete. NO-Xplode is just one of those supplements that gives you the little edge you need to work harder to attain goals youre looking for. Cell Mass is nothing but creatine. I also dont see how thats exactly a waste of money, but then again I am not looking through a Pro's perspective.

 

[mmagic]

I highly doubt that if you are going to do a cutting phase FIRST and then a gaining phase, you are going to end up with 6% body fat. That is wicked lean, and if you come out of your gaining phase with 6% you did a shitty job of gaining.

I agree with Vilo that if you are fighting in a 160 class, you have a tough road ahead of you. 160 is pretty damn light actually, and most guys are going to be dropping a lot of weight to get there, not working their way up. However, I don't think that you should necessarily give up on that weight class (especially if that is not an option); and being 15 pounds lighter than your opponent is certainly better than being 20 or 25 pounds lighter for sure.

What I would recommend is that you bulk up between now and then. If you measure your diet carefully you can get max muscle gain without putting on too much fat. Then when you feel you are heavy enough, work on cutting down toward your 6%. That is the only sensible way of approaching a higher weight class, for sure. I realize that this is drastically different from your current game plan, but I don't really see it working.

 

[mmagic]

Also, definitely a good idea to stick with that weight gainer. Just make sure that you are getting MORE THAN 1g of protein per lbs of body weight (increasing as you gain more weight obviously), lifting a lot (and doing so in a manner appropriate for weight gain), and making sure that you spread your protein intake over the course of the day with a boost in the amount you take in 1-5 hrs after lifting. You definitely want to get good protein coverage throughout the day, because this will maximize your protein synthesis throughout the day. If you also eat your meals with your protein every 2-3 hours, you will suppress your cortisol secretion and minimize the amount of body fat that you gain.

 

[Matt Thornton]

I highly doubt that if you are going to do a cutting phase FIRST and then a gaining phase, you are going to end up with 6% body fat. That is wicked lean, and if you come out of your gaining phase with 6% you did a shitty job of gaining.

I'm planning on gaining body fat. But after the 14 or 15 weeks of bulking up I'll cut down my body fat again.

 

[CH1LL]

you probably have already decided that you are going to stick with your original plan, so i would say try this (daily) for your cutting phase:

200g protein
200g carbs
45g fat

and then for your bulking phase i would raise the carbs to 300-400 or more. you might have to eat a lot more depending on how much cardio work you will be doing. because if you are doing a lot of cardio, there's no way you are going to put on 15 pounds in 14 or 15 weeks.

now go to the grocery store and buy chicken breasts, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, skim milk, natural peanut butter, whole wheat bread, brown rice and vegetables and get used to them all and don't skip a meal