Adam's Physique Clinic

Training Training Logs
121


WEDNESDAY - DAY 94/DAY 10 V-Diet

BIG Update. Finally I got off my lazy ass, took a picture, and did my best to measure my body fat.

Weight: 199
Body fat: 14.4-14.7% according to both 3 and 7-point skin fold measurements, and every site was at least triple checked for accuracy, though it was a bit difficult to get the shoulder blade and triceps measurements by myself (I managed, and multiple times of course)

Based on my numbers (and my picture), its quite apparent that a large majority of my weight is stored in my abdominal region. Oh well…

Did my first cardio session today that I’ve done in MONTHS.

Stats:
Duration: 20 min
Type: Elliptical HIIT (40 sec @ resistance 4 @ ~104 reps/min, 20 sec @ resistance 13 @ 104-120 reps/min)
Heart rate: 160 @ res 4, 175 @ res 13
Calories burned: 250

My plan is to not increase the duration during this next month, but to simply increase the intensity. Next session I simply want to go for slow part at resistance 5 instead of 4…there are 2 sessions a week so I have to make progress nice and easy. Still doing my morning and afternoon walks, totaling about 2 miles a day.

OVERALL
in the last 2 weeks or so, I’ve dropped 7.5 lbs and 2% bodyfat, which means 6 lbs of that was fat, so I’m at 80% efficiency, and my strength has not decreased so the other 1.5 lbs was water/muscle. If I continue at this rate, my final stats for the end of the V-Diet will be ~188 lbs @ 10.7% body fat.

As Borat would say, “Great success!”

122

Just as a reference, here’s Jeremy Likness (the guy who measured his body fat with pictures) at 14-16% body fat, height 5’10’’ (I’m 6’0.5’‘), 210 lbs, 36’’ waist. So I think my measurements are about right, because his composition looks roughly the same, though my love handles are not as prominent as his, and I have slightly more definition, which would make sense because I’m on the lower end of that 14-16%…so yeah, I think my measurements for today were pretty accurate :slight_smile:

123

THURSDAY - DAY 95/DAY 11 V-Diet

One day closer to real food all the time…

A) Bench
155x5 warmup, 205x5…my shoulder hurt so I switched to DB bench (I think this will be permanent
A*) DB Bench
5x5 @ 85 lb DBs…same weight I thought I had to use back when I was at the peak of my bulk, so I’ll consider this not losing strength. Gonna go for 7 reps next week

B) Bent row
6x6 @ 190, clearly a better week than last, but I want to go for 7 GOOD reps

C) Squat
295x5, 225x20

That’s right, I was bored, and I didn’t have a whole lotta time, so I said fuck it – it’s time to fucking man up. I haven’t done these in a while, but I’m glad I did, because I think 20 rep squats are perfect for fat loss.

I was sweating, panting and seeing stars like a motherfucker, though I probably could have gone higher because my rest towards the very end wasn’t more than 2 or 3 seconds, so I probably could go higher.

Haven’t veered from diet at all this week, but I will be having a solid meal lunch with a possible employer, so I am certainly going to relish in the whole food meal I am about to undertake :slight_smile:

124

SUNDAY - DAY 98/DAY 14 V-Diet

Tomorrow morning I need to be pimp smacked.

I have not been keeping track of anything at all…I have become lazy. On Friday I had 3 scoops protein, a salmon salad, and then because I did so well on the interview, I had a cheat meal in the afternoon and went out drinking that same night, and then was drunk and had Taco Bell. That’s 3 cheat meals.

Saturday I had a breakfast burrito, then a spinach salad, and then more taco bell, so 2 more cheat meals.

Today I had another salmon salad, and then beer and wings, so yet another cheat meal.

In one weekend, I had 6 cheat meals…granted I didn’t have too many calories, I just fucking fucked up. Big time.

FUCK;o;oijfewaa p98ut

That was me smashing the keyboard in disgust. I also am not keeping track of my workouts that tight–granted, my workouts have become very predictable, and easy to record in my head (because they’re 3-4 exercises long), I think I’ve been stagnating.

A) Lat raise + Front raise + DB overhead press
35lbs for 6/6/7 reps, 6/6/7 reps, 5/5/7 reps, 5/5/7 reps, 7/6/7 reps → so its still sort of the same – I guess maintaining strength is key when losing fat

B1) Machine preacher
90x7, 100x7, 110x4-90x3, 90x7 super close grip, 100x7 close grip – different pulley so once again different weights

B2) Tricep pressdown
90x7, 100x7, 110x7, 70x20 (different machine, someone took my fucking lat pulldown bar), 110x7 – so this went up a lil bit

C) Kneeling cable pulls (abs)
5x12 @ 150 lbs – that shit hurt! Much more effective than decline situps

D) HIIT cardio session
only burned 200 calories this time, but I did 5/13 resistance this time instead of 4/13.

So I still got all of my workouts in, but I’m starting to hate them.

I dunno, I think I’m getting bored of the shotgun method, and I’ve been doing it for a while now…me thinks I need a 3 day total body split, I kind of like doing cardio, dare I say it…I think EDT would be fun (plus its quick).

125

MONDAY - DAY 99/15 of V-Diet

So far so good…2/6 shakes down, 4 more to go. Total compliance.

Had a great conversation with my girlfriend last night and I no longer have to worry about trying to eat solid foods with her because she’s trying to lose weight too – we’re both each other’s motivators, so it’s been a big help.

TODAY’S WEIGHT: 196.5

2.5 lbs lost in less than a week, and 10 lbs lost in 3 weeks total. Wasn’t the most ideal time (after my workout), but it’s the same time in the day that I measured last Wednesday, so it’s definitely a legit 2.5 lbs lost. MOTHERFUCKIN JAM! Pics and body fat measurements later tonight.

I probably could have lost more if I didn’t eat so much shit, but I’ll still consider this success, mainly because my strength hasn’t gone down, so I doubt I’ve lost much muscle, if any at all.

NEW WORKOUT PROTOCOL:
The shotgun method was boring me, so I read some of CT’s articles on maximizing fat loss and I started one of his great programs, which will be outlined for the coming days…

MONDAY - CHEST BACK HEAVY + ALACTIC WORK

A1. DB Press @ 90lb
4-6 reps
No rest (or 10 sec. to change exercises, as coach Poliquin would say)

A2. DB Flies @ 60lb
6-8 reps
Take 2 minutes of rest, then move on to…

B1. Wide-grip pull-ups (3 sets), close-grip, fat-grip chin-ups (2 sets)
4-6 reps
No rest

B2. Rear delt raise @ 35 lbs
6-8 reps
Take 2 minutes of rest then get back to A1. Perform each superset 5 times.

C. ALACTIC WORK – 5 x 12 sec Bike Sprints w/ 3 min rest in between sets

RESULTS:
A1. 90x6, 90x6, 90x6, 90x5, 90x3 – stay at this weight, probably just go for 90x5 all the way through to start
A2. 50x6, 60x4, 60x4, 60x3, 60x3 – definitely need to drop down to 50, this will help stave away fatigue for the first exercise for sure
B1. Bodyweight all the way, and I got all my reps in, so I probably should add in more reps/weight.
B2. 35x6, 35x6, 40x6, 35x6, 40x6 – gotta do 40x6 all next week
C. Worked like a charm at resistance 13, maxing out at 130 bpm, gotta move up to probably 15 for next week, making sure I can still hit 130 bpm.

So yeah, pics and measurements to come tonight :slight_smile:

126

WEDNESDAY - DAY 101/VDiet Day 17

Yesterday was lactic work + energy systems work, which consisted of 4 1 min bike sprints followed by 25 min of 65-70% MHR cardio, 10 min on an elliptical, 12-15min fast walking home to my apartment from the gym.

Measured my body fat today:

13.05% – triple-checked all of the values…still the thickest measurements are at the abdominal region.

So 10 lbs lost so far, and based on my calculations, over 95% of it was pure fat.

FUCK.

YES.

Had my first cheat meal of the week yesterday, it was my mom’s birthday so I had some pizza with her – it was bertucci’s chicken margarita, with real cheese and tomatoes for sauce and a thin crust, so it was probably the healthiest of all possible pizzas I could have eaten (barring a whole-grain crust)…nonetheless a cheat.

I AM TOO STRESSED OUT RIGHT NOW WAITING ON A JOB OFFER!!!

127

SATURDAY - DAY 104/V-Diet 20

Didn’t have any cheat meals since last time, but I did have a solid meal last night (spinach, chicken, gorgonzola salad w/ 1 tbsp vinagrette)…scratch that, I did have a small, healthy sandwich, so I still don’t consider that a cheat meal, though it was off of my meal plan.

Had my leg workout on Thursday,

and it was the first time I’ve ever quit early. I’ve never felt a need to leave a workout early, but I have to say, I was so unmotivated it was bad. I got through 3 sets and I was so exhausted and apathetic I said “fuck it.” This could be from a number of reasons:

  1. The diet is starting to catch up to me – severe lack of calories = lack of energy.
  2. I didn’t get enough sleep that day
  3. I’m burnt out – I haven’t taken a week off in a while
  4. My legs are simply exhausted. A full leg day is brutal enough, but when you walk 3 miles a day, and you have 2 cardio days, and 3 rounds of sprinting, it’s a much heavier leg workout during the week. So I dunno – maybe I’ll just lighten the load for next week. I have another lactic acid workout today (or tomorrow), and that’s pretty much it.

So yeah basically I’m on par with my workout, but I just need to chill out on th eleg workouts and get this next workout in today or tomorrow!

Weight and pictures to come on Monday.

128


MONDAY - DAY 106/V-Diet Day 22

Meal compliance from last week: 91.5%
Current weight: 193.75 (-2.75 lbs)
Current body fat: 11.6-12.78%
Percent lost that was body fat over the whole diet: 80.8-99.9%

Still solid progress. 1 more week of V-Diet, then back up to Carb Cycling Codex, so I don’t start to lose muscle mass.

Today’s workout:

A1) DB Bench
90x6, 90x6, 90x5, 90x4, 90x3* – I don’t think this was any different from last week, which is I guess good because I haven’t gotten weaker.
A2) DB Fly
55x8, 55x8, 55x8, 55x6, 55x4 – I’m quite certain this is much better than last week, so overall chest workout improved
B1) Chin/Pull ups
bw x 6, bw x 7, bw x 6, chinups bw x 10, chinups bw x 10
B2) Rear delt raise
45x8 for 5 sets…also a huge improvement (probably figured out the ideal weight now, might move up to 50 next week).

C) Alactic sprints 5x12sec, this time at resistance 15 instead of 13…so also an improvement.

I’m debating going on HOT-ROX once I leave the low-calorie phase so to keep my fat loss significant. I did not complete my 4th workout from last week which is sorta bad, but I highly doubt I lost less fat because of it. I’ve also already cheated 1.5 times today, and I pretty much can only do it 1.5 more times to stay above 90% compliance. Also I think for this last week on the V-Diet, I have to cut out some more calories since I’ve lost over 10 lbs already. Maybe 1 less protein scoop, keep everything else the same. That’s about 200 less calories a day, and then I’ll re-formulate for when I have whole food :slight_smile:

1 MORE WEEK FUCK YEAH.

129

TUESDAY - DAY 107/V-Diet Day 23

Lactic work + energy systems work,
A) 4x70 sec bike sprints
B) 35 min of 65-70% MHR cardio, 20 min on an elliptical, 12-15min fast walking home to my apartment from the gym.

So I increased the duration of both pieces of the workout to promote progress. For this last week, since I have lost 12 lbs already, I have cut back my protein intake by 1 scoop to lessen the calories and make sure I make it to 190 by the end of the V-Diet, which is my end goal.

Also, I decided to follow CT’s “Destroying Fat” article because he says Carb Cycling is better for sub 10% body fat, and since I’m at around 12, I think I’ll stick to that article’s advice and simply have 1 carb up day every 7 days (on my leg days), and then the rest of my days be at around 100g carbs total.

I basically outlined a food plan that follows the article to a tee, except that my average carb intake is about 20g higher (calories are still at the target), which I rationalize as okay because a good deal of those carbs are fiber/green veggies (which I decided to count), plus I really don’t think 80g carbs v. 100g carbs is going to slow down my already insane progress.

So yeah, adjustments to be made next week, and hopefully all of that extra energy will fuel progress in my workouts, rather than just maintenance.

130

THURSDAY - DAY 109/V-Diet Day 25

5 more days on the stupid V Diet!

Yesterday was a day off, today was legs day. Either I woke up on the right hour or something, but I was back to normal on legs! Overall I would say it was a great day, and I really have not lost much (if any) strength at all.

A1) Squat (2 warmup sets of 135 and 225 for 5)
275x5, 275x5, 295x5, 295x1…stuck…then 275x4, 275x5
A2) Leg Press
275x10, 350x8, 375x8, 375x8, 400x8
2 min rest, then…
B1) Romanian Deadlift
225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 245x5 → this was huge! Not only can I not believe I RDL’d that much, but that my hands didn’t give in! My forearms have clearly gotten stronger since the summer!
B2) Glute ham-raise
5 sets of 8 w/ a 45lb plate
rest 2 min, then repeat back to A1

So yeah, I didn’t have to quit early this time. I don’t know what it was, but I certainly felt stronger than last week. These numbers are not much different (certainly better in the case of RDLs) than my bulking numbers, so I am quite certain that my strength has lowered only minimally, if at all, so I am quite certain that I truly have lost almost exclusively nothing but fat in this cut. Woohoo! 5 more days til real food all the time!

131

FRIDAY - Day 110/V-Diet Day 26

REVOLUTIONARY DISCOVERY

Food is more important than sleep.

Case in point:
yesterday I was running on 5 hrs sleep, but managed to eat on time and stay fueled…and my workout was pretty solid.

Today:
Forgot to bring a bottle, and hadn’t eaten for a good 5 hours when I started my lactic workout…had to quit less than a set in because I felt like shit!

I ended up repeating Tuesday’s workout, except I did about 10 more min on the elliptical, and carefully monitored to make sure it was at 65-70% my MHR…so it was still a very effective workout, I was just DRAINED.

Then I treated myself to a 8 piece turkey sandwich w/ 3 pieces of cheese, brown mustard and whole wheat bread. Pretty much a P+F meal, so I’m not really worried about it. 2 more shakes for the night, and I still think I haven’t cheated yet!

4 more days on this God-forsaken diet, then back to normal food, probably cut another 5-10 lbs, then begin another 3 month bulk cycle starting on…November 1st? That’s my goal for being single digit body fat.

132

All going well in Adam’s world then at the minute?

133

MONDAY - DAY 113/V-Diet Day 29

Hey man,

Yeah everything’s going well. Today was my last day on the V-Diet, and I will have final numbers tomorrow, but I’m quite certain I hit the goal of 190. Final V-Diet pics and stats tomorrow, don’t want to spoil anything :slight_smile:

I assembled some meals from Berardi’s delicious recipes in Gourmet Nutrition that fit my fat loss goals, and that begins tomorrow.

LAST WEEK’S COMPLIANCE: 31-32/35 meals, or just about 90% compliance…I’m not sure because I keep forgetting if Sunday counts as the beginning or the end of the week. Either way I did just fine, I included more cardio, worked harder, and ate less due to my lower weight, so I damn well better have hit 190.

Today’s workout I felt like trying a high rep/lower set scheme just to feel it. So I did this:

A) DB Bench
3x10 @ 75lb
A2) DB Fly
3x12 @ 40lb
2min rest then…
B1) Alternating chin/pull ups
3x10 @ bodyweight
B2) Rear delt raises
3x12 @ 40lb
2 min rest, then repeat back to A

Finished off with some alactic work using 6 bike sprints for ~12 seconds, ~3 min rest in between each sprint @ a resistance of 15, which is both harder and more sets than last week.

It just “felt” more effective. Based on my strength numbers, I’m just below that of an “intermediate,” which many would classify to be x2 BW for squats and deads for reps, and x1.5 BW for bench. So I’m almost there, but not quite, which makes me wonder if I should still stick to lower sets/higher reps like more traditional beginner programs (aka kind of like the awesome gains I got from the Physique Clinic workout, which definitely fits that design paradigm). I dunno, but I think maybe that’s the right move – my ego is telling me no, but my gut feeling is telling me yes.

I’ll report back tomorrow with more findings.

134


TUESDAY - VDIET CONCLUSION

CURRENT WEIGHT: 190
CURRENT BODY FAT: 10.9-12.6%
TOTAL LOST IN 1 MONTH: 16.5 lbs, 11.6-14.39 lbs fat (70-87% weight lost was body fat)
Inches off waist: 1.5

So I made it to my target weight, but not my target body fat. My fat loss is slowing down, and I think I’m starting to lose too quickly. I can see why people only do this for 4 weeks.

Was it effective? I would say so…pretty damn good results if I do say so myself. What would I have done differently? Probably eaten slightly more…I think the calories were just a wee bit too low, especially towards the end. Well, on to the rest of my diet! I’m in the 10-12% body fat range, and it’s still quite clear that MOST of my body fat is within my stomach (according to my pictures), so this is going to be a tough next month as the gains slow WAY down as I ramp back up the calories to a more normal cutting level. I just need to keep eating healthy and keep exercising!

And I did, today I did my lactic workout, increaseing my sets to 5, and my sprinting time from 70 to 75 seconds, at a resistance of 15 instead of 13. So this entire workout went well, including the ESW where I consistently maintained 60-70% MHR.

135

FRIDAY - DAY 117

A1)Front Squat - 3x6 @ 205…front squats are much harder than i remember them
A2)Leg press - 2x10 @ 400, 1x10@400 (for 5), 350 for 5 more…last set was ULTRA deep

B1)Romanian Deadlift - 3x6@245
B2)Glute-ham raise - 3x10@45

Next week, 215 front squat, 350 DEEP leg press and rom deads at 265…wow, progress returns!

Another thing I have noticed is that I now know what exercises are very effective for my body. For example, regular squats tax my lower body too much overall, and make my romanian deadlifts weaker. front squats are better at targeting just the quads, and i always see my legs get bigger when i do them.

plus, RDLs I feel more in my posterior chain – I just know what exercises are most effective for my legs. this is good to help maximize gains/minimize muscle loss while i’m still cutting.

136

WEDNESDAY - DAY 122

WEIGHT: 188 (-2lbs)
Bodyfat: 10.6-11.6%

Variance is closer in body fat, which means I’m more apt to believe this week’s results than last weeks, and even more apt to believe that my current food/workout program is working very well - 2 lbs/week is a very doable, safe level to lose, and I think I’ll definitely be ready to bulk by Nov 1 at quite a low bf%.

This last week was a joke in terms of eating, so I am DEFINITELY getting back on track by printing out another eating sheet. Workout went well today, I definitely have maintained strength, and increased load today too so that can only be good:

A1) DB Bench 4x6 @ 85
A2) DB Fly 3x10 @ 50
B1) Wide-grip pull-ups 4x6 @ bodyweight (very strict form, getting easier as I drop weight!)
B2) Rear delt raises 3x10 @ 50

C) 5 sets of 12sec bike sprints, this time w/ only 210 sec rests and upped the resistance to 17, so progress all around! Heavy leg day tomorrow, Friday off, and then lactic acid workouts Sat and Sun to make up for this short week.

137

THURSDAY - DAY 123

I don’t know what happened today…whether it was not doing a lactic workout 2 days prior, or more days rest…whatever it was, I am DEFINITELY moving my schedule to Upper body Monday, Lower body Tuesday, and my lactic workouts Thurs and Sat, because today was AWESOME

A1) Front squat 2x6 @ 205, 2x6 @ 225
A2) Leg extension (leg press was taken) 1x10 @ 210, 1x10@230, 1x10@240
B1) Romanian deadlift 1x10@265, 1x6@275, 1x6@295, 1x6@315 (last 2 reps I had to take a few breathers to rest my grip, not my legs)
B2) Glute-ham raise w/ 45lb plate 3x10

This workout has definitely shown me that I have not lost strength, if anything I am stronger because I am sans almost 20 lbs! Hell…yes!

138

Looking good sir. You seem to be learning what works for you which is incredibly important. Keep it up!!

139

MONDAY - DAY 127

A1) DB Bench
4x6 @ 85
A2) DB Flies
3x10, 1x6 @ 50

B1) Chin ups
4x10
B2) Rear delts
4x6

C) Alactic work - Bike sprints
5x12 sec sprints @ 17 resistance, only ~1 min rest

Last week’s 2 lactic acid workouts were having a singles test day.

FRIDAY
1x140 strict standing military press
3x205 bench
2x155 clean

So clearly my arms and shoulders are the weakest link in my upper body, if not the weakest link in my entire body. When I go back to a mass-building phase, I’m going to really stress my arms/shoulders for sure.

My other lactic workout was going hiking in NH yesterday. I took some amazing pictures of the fall foliage, did some hiking, and even did some random rock climbing for fun haha. So yeah, today starts my metered meals, and my adherence today was:

4 made meals, 1 missed meal, 1 cheated meal.

I AM BACK ON TRACK KIDS.

140

THURSDAY - DAY 130

Yesterday was way too packed in the gym, so I had to compromise my normal leg workout for this:

2 supersets of front squats (2x6@225) w/ leg extension (2x10@250 and 240)

then my rack and extensions were taken so I did

2 supersets of overhead DB squat (10 reps @ 50lb dumbbells, not too tough on the legs, but definitely tough on the core!) followed by leg press (10 reps @ 340 then another 13 reps @ 340)

then I did the hamstring portion, because like i said, i couldn’t really occupy 2 racks when it was packed

4 supersets of romanian deadlifts and glute-ham raises.

RDL was 135x12, 185x11, 275x8, 275x6
glute-ham was 45lb db for 4 sets of 10, and that last set I REALLY pushed myself…I was dead tired but I made it work.

legs are feeling sore today, so despite the lower numbers, I guess it all worked out well.

adherence was 100% yesterday, as well as today.

also, my weigh in was 186.5 lbs, so I dropped another 1.5 lbs, and my body fat has gone down another solid fraction of a point. I’m closing in on 10…

BUT I SEE NO DIFFERENCE!

This is mainly what I wanted to discuss in this post.

From 17% to ~12%, My waist has been narrower, less of a belly…but at NO point have I really noticed any DEFINITION.

Even now at sub 11%, I still see next to no definition in my waist, and my numbers seem to dictate that my stomach is the last place my body wants to lose fat. It’s really fucking pissing me off – it makes me feel like I’ve “been here before.”

Like I ALWAYS seem to attain this level of leanness, but I can never get past it! WHAT THE FUCK.

I need some help…some motivation…some SOMETHING! SHIT. Now I feel like I’m going to get another lecture that “I’m too skinny, put some more weight on” and the fucking vicious cycle will continue! I’ll never progress! IOUEtf;oijewa;joiawfeji;o

FUCK I’M SO PISSED.