Critique my Fitness/Diet Regime please!

Shoota

In the past 18 months I started to take my training "seriously" at least seriously compared to the two dreadful attempts previous to that

I'm 25, 5'9, and currently 73kg, I go to the gym four times a week.

In the last 18 months I've lost 11kg total and put on some muscle, but I'd like to be a lot more toned, especially around my stomach, I'm not saying I want a six-pack, but I still have a lot of fat around my stomach (good old love handles) and cant get rid of it...... My shoulders are pretty good, arms are fine, legs are okay, back is a bit rubbish tbh....

I did instructor regimes for about 12 months but started to get a bit bored so I tried mixing it up (I was given three day programmes, back+shoulders, triceps + biceps, legs + cardio) but for the past month I've been trying to build up the intensity a bit, so every session I've been doing:

1. squats ( they come boards.ie recommended!) I'm up to 70Kg x 4 (8 reps)
2. Bench press (I can bench about 50 comfortably, 12 reps by 5) and 60kg I'm up to about 5 reps but only 3 sets, with no one spotting me.... (I've had only the one embarrassing bench issue this year so far....!)
3. Dips x 10 straight into leg raises x 10 3 sets
4. I think its a reverse row, y'know, bar at your feet, squat like position, bring up the bar to your chest.....

The rest is different each day, could be arm curls, or pull ups or rows shoulder press etc....

Now as well as this, I do an Irish dance show maybe four times a week, late night like 10pm, now you might think this would be great cardio, but the problem is, its the same each night, so its kind of like a cardio plateau that I cant do anything about! Its about a half hour long, but I cant really push myself because I've reached a fitness stage where its just not very difficult, its like running the same route for half an hour but never improving your times.

Diet-wise

Morning: Porridge + OJ

Lunch: Its almost always a chicken wrap with lettuce or an M&S pasta + chicken

Dinner:Chicken/ Salmon/ Quiche + veg, usually dont bother with potatoes but am a big fan of pasta and Rice

After a dancing gig (sounds wrong doesn't it! ) I'm almost always famished again and usually have a late night snack of bagel with chicken and cheese, or some gingerbread.

After the gym I'll have some protein with water or with juice and fruit, usually strawberries

Any advice would be great, the forum is pretty fantastic, and has helped me greatly the last 18 months.

Mellor

Shoota wrote: »

Diet-wise

Morning: Porridge + OJ
Juice is pretty high in sugar, you'd be better off eating an equivalent amount of cals from a bigger bowl of porridge, or some eggs

Lunch: Its almost always a chicken wrap with lettuce or an M&S pasta + chicken
Drop the pre-packed pasta salad, terrible food. Check the label. The wrap is hit and miss depending on what is in it, no mayo vrs loads of mayo, grilled chickem vrs breaded and fried

Dinner:Chicken/ Salmon/ Quiche + veg, usually dont bother with potatoes but am a big fan of pasta and Rice
Watch portion size if you can't cut it out altogether

After a dancing gig (sounds wrong doesn't it! ) I'm almost always famished again and usually have a late night snack of bagel with chicken and cheese, or some gingerbread.
Try find a less carb loaded alternative, cottage cheese, jerky, low fat/sugar yoghurt

My 2c

Shoota

Hey Mellor, cheers for the advice on the diet, any further tips on actual training would also be great