diet to get leaner/stronger

[Starkraven]

i know it is possible but im always around 15%. i used to be soley into bodbuilding but im starting to enjoy powerlifting as well and would like to build my strength more so than my muscles. i would like some extra size on my delts and legs though, but im 5'6" and weigh around 160. i would like to get leaner and stronger at the same time. i dont juice, i dropped that as i know my problem lies more in diet/training than anything.

currently i eat real clean all the time. plain old fashioned oats, chicken breasts, 93% lean ground beef or lean steaks, eggs (some whole) and protein shakes. i eat rommaine lettuce daily 1-2 times and have 2-3 tbsp of udos oil for my fat intake. no protein bars, no junk food.

i am just unsure of how many carbs/protein to eat during the day. i usually eat every 3 hours, usually until im not hungry and found this to be better than dieting my ass off and not getting much leaner. i dont do cardio and even when i did, i wasnt dropping much weight.

 

[gottabadrash]

experimentation is the best way bro... there are guidelines but everyone has a different genetic and metabolic composition so just tinker with some of the staple diets and ratios and youll figure out which is best for you

 

[Starkraven]

i think you're right. there is no set diet. each one must figure it out but i am just wondering if i do no cardio and strength train, will i see the fat loss? i dont want to lose strength, i want to gain it and lose fat gradually over time with no gear either. just basic hard training and plain food.

 

[joshbeam1]

I hardly ever do cardio and i keep my diet fairly strick and I still have a relatively low bf% and make gains. Say i'm about 10-11%bf and if i do cardio once every 10 days thats pushing it. So think if u get your diet down pretty good u shouldn't have to do cardio. Just hard to find the right balance, how much to eat, etc. THink it is possible though. However, don't think u're gonna get real cut w/o cardio.

 

[Starkraven]

i think its about the amounts and the timing. the food i eat cant be better or more lean/plain. i dont expect to be real cut without cardio but yet again i dont really care so much. 10-11% was always my goal as far as BF but im not going to get there looking small and being weak.

 

[joshbeam1]

How big do u want to get?? I'm 228lbs 6ft 3in about 10-11%bf. Like i said i don't do much cardio. A few months ago I was 244lbs at about 13-14%bf. All ive done is watch my diet closer and cut way down on my milk consumption.

 

[Starkraven]

i dont. i dont like looking bloated and all and the only way i gain mass is going through a fat phase, and im not going through that again. yet i havent tried doing it the clean way eating more calories (just not overdoing it) but this would not get me leaner. i could use more delts and legs though but im not going for a massive look anymore. however that doesnt mean im small or anything. i have a good build, i just have too much fat for my liking and its always been this way.

 

[joshbeam1]

I know what u mean about the bloated fat look. Sux. I've bulked before just doing a clean bulk and not getting too much fat (like about 14%) and I still made decent gains. I'm sure I wouldve made better gains if I wouldve put on more weight, but I didn't wanna do that. Think ull be alright. U'll prob. still be able to build up your delts and stuff a little, it'll just take u longer since u're wanting to stay leaner. Good luck man.