This is 100% going to be factored in to the masterpiece I intend to create. I want to be excited enough to run it with minimal tweaking for a long time.
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Nope, was living on the Isle of Man for a bit but Dublin before that and back there now.
Why do you move around so much, if you donāt mind me asking?
Just where work has taken me.
Iāve had five moves in nine years; itās not too insane compared to some.
Iāve done worse. Not as far afield as the isle of man though.
Thatās why I said Isles (excuse my original bad spelling). Pretty sure IOM and Ireland are part of the British Isles.
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Youād probably get a fair bit of argument on that one I think!
But yeah I am actually from London but havenāt lived there for a while now.
Lol Iām only considering the geographical term for the collection of islands. No politics here please !!!
I have the outlines of a plan:
My goals are to look good and to help deal with depression symptoms. The 3 things I need to do to do that then are:
- build some shoulders
- lose some (lots of) fat
And:
- Set PRs regularly
- Not get hurt
Aim to continue slowly cutting down to 175lbs, probably by late September time. Then slowly increase calories and aim for a recomp. Iāve never done that intentionally before, so any tips appreciated.
In terms of sessions, Iām stealing a bit from here, a bit from there and coming up with something that I think makes kinda sense and importantly avoids exercises that I know hurt me or that I just flat out donāt enjoy.
Workouts in the format ABC, with the aim of doing at least 2 sessions a week.
Workout A:
Plyo push ups
Bench 5/3/1 with one set of FSL AMRAP
Rows: volume work
Chest pump work (Probably a cable crossover, push up combo)
High volume trap bar deadlifts. Probably from the 100 rep trap bar work, but with more appropriate jumps and weights this time.
Workout B:
Jumps
Squat 5s PRO and paused FSL 5 x 5
Incline press (Smith machine?)
Heavy rear delt work
Hit back like a tonne of bricks, TBA
Workout C:
Powerclean and press
Seated press 5/3/1, drop sets to follow
Rear delt work (pump)
Lat work (pump)
High volume squats (Probably original Mass Made Simple progression
Any thoughts welcome.
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So training has been a no go, havenāt even managed to be getting in my raises/pull ups/push ups most nights. Work and family commitments have just gone crazy. Sleep is a minimum, stress through the roof etc.
Positive: weigh in today at an all time (post fatty) low, by quite a sizeable amount. Iām extremely confident some of that loss is probably in muscle but Iāll take the win.
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Final plan before I test drive it tomorrow:
A Plyo push ups
Bench 5/3/1, FSL AMRAP
Rows 5 x 10
Cable crossover flys ss. With push ups AMRAP, continue until I canāt complete 5 push ups
High rep trap bar
B Jumps 3 x 5
Squats 5s PRO and paused FSL 5 x 5
Front squats ROM progression 8 x 3
Incline press, Smith machine RP, 3 sets ss Rear delt work, heavy swings, 35 reps
Abs/conditioning/shoulders circuit
C Powerclean and press, 60kg, 10 reps for time
Seated press 5/3/1, drop sets after.
Wendler rows ss pull ups AMRAP
Mass made simple squats progression
āOff dayā work will be mostly focussed on conditioning, abs and generally increasing general activity levels, although thatās not something I really need help with generally. By the end of the test cycle, I expect to have hit 175lbs for a few weigh ins in a row so Iāll bump calories up by a few hundred and monitor progress from there.
Edit:
Weights:
Decrease bench TM to a sensible ā5 clean reps at TMā level
Increase squat TM to a sensible ā5 clean reps at TMā level
Increase seated press TM as planned
Trap bar: start at 100kg 6 x 8, finish on 120kg 10 x 10.
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Work for today:
Explosive push ups 3 x 5
Bench: worked up to 72.5kg x 10
Then 55kg x 14(?)
Cable rows: 5 x 10
Cable crossovers: 3 x 12, SS push ups to failure.
TBDL: 4 x 8 @ 100kg, 1 x 16 @ 100kg.
Notes:
- Seems like a pretty sensible amount of work right now. I think the weight and volume will get obnoxious with the TBDL though. Depending how many cycles I manage, I expect the progression to take me up to Bout Christmas though, so plenty of time to get stronger.
- Bench i only equalled a previous PR. Slightly gutting, but also reinforces the change in plan. I also have to bear in mind Iāve been pretty tired and stressed the last few weeks, and that almost certainly affects performance.
Also, in the interests of properly assessing this program, Iāll put my starting point. Iām down to 182.4lbs as of last weigh in, about 15lbs down from where I finished the Transformation challenge. Iām not noticeably weaker either, so thatās a win. Picture below. Still definitely skinny fat, but much more on the skinny side that fat now, Iāll take that. Also flat out shit photography, but its late and itās similar enough to previous pictures to see the change. I also notice that by far the most noticeable effect on my physique is stress and sleep rather than dietary compliance or exercise compliance, so I fully expect this to improve quicklyā¦
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Thatās awesome work! Itās easy to work towards a short term goal and then back off. Kudos to you for continuing the journey.
I actually gained a lot during the challenge, this puts me about 5lbs down from where I was in January. Definitely stronger, slightly more muscular though.
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Today I did some running. I do not like running, or more specifically my knees do not like running. Tomorrow, I will not be running.
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Work for today:
Jumps: 3 x 5
Squat: worked up to 72.5kg x 5
Then paused squat 5 x 3 @ 60kg
Incline Smith machine press: lots
Rear delt swing/kelso shrug superset.
21-15-9 trx jacknife/thrusters plus lots of extra and stuff thrown in.
Notes:
- knee was fucked today, so Iām grateful squat session was light.
- I feel like as long as I hammer the assistance, this is likely to be the best long term way of increasing my squat without injuries. Shame itās so dull.
- incline Smith machine: I remember how much I like this. Absolutely no intention of counting reps or weight, just plug away, rest pausing etc. Only negative is the 10mins of fannying about trying to get the bench in the right place.
- shrug/swing superset: I really like this, however Iām considering cutting it anyway. Iām not big and strong enough to need dedicated time on this stuff.
- conditioning circuit: felt like a smart idea, not sure it achieved almost anything I wanted it to. Also found it very difficult to switch between pure bodybuilder mindset and conditioning circuits. Very much considering switching this out for something else. Maybe that assistance I mentioned above, or something more focussed on building basic size.
Do you normally do any running? Or did you go from zero to just going for a run ??
I do no serious running, apart from some easy jogs when playing with the kids. Nor do I plan to for the foreseeable. This was purely a spur of the moment thing in that i had to park much further away than expected so I decided to run back instead of walk. Typically when I try to get better at running and do it seriously, my knees start barking pretty quickly and it affects everything else so they make it onto the no fly list. Also, I hate it.
I would guess this is your problem. If you really want to increase your running you may want to consider a run / walk protocol where you walk 3 mins then run 1 min. Over a number of weeks you increase the run time and decrease the walk. This should help with the creaky old knees.
I was literally just trying to increase general activity levels to be honest. In terms of running, my only real goal is to be fit enough to play with my babies, and that will come from simply doing it.
My main goal with lifting is to cut down to a less embarrassing body fat level and since I donāt get much dedicated gym time, Iām trying to sneak in as much daily activity as possible in order to preserve the tiny fragments of muscle I currently have.