Alex_uk: I've got more, time to give more

Morning weight is creeping up slowly, 204, What’s nice is this has been a pretty effortless gaining phase I’ve intentionally pushed protein up, the day usually goes: 6 eggs with one of the following: beans, cheese, bacon or toast.

Lunch is a fairly fluid option and depends where I am and what I’m doing work wise, ranges from skipping it all together (rare but easy if you’ve not eaten carbs with breakfast) to a pasty (it’s a heritage thing from my part of the UK, for my American friends it’s kind of like a meat pie/slice), to more eggs and often 50g of whey here.

Dinner is family meal so, pretty varied, curry, chilli chicken pasta, lasagne, meat balls, beef casserole (usually pretty carb heavy, fat heavy, and a decent portion of protein). More often than not an ice-cream follows and then 50g of micellar casein before bed.

It’s not particularly clean eating but it’s over 200g protein a day from my ballparking, I’m gaining slowly and it’s mentally easy, first time I’ve gained weight without really making a conscious effort and battling my body to eat when it doesn’t want to, I’m not obsessing which is nice, I skipped lunch yesterday just because of headspace at work and it didn’t phase me, and even weighing in this morning it was slightly down but still on the trendline up so it’s a good place to be.

4 Likes

isn’t the pause supposed to be at the bottom :rofl: just kidding, nice work

3 Likes

Haha good to see you back Simo!

1 Like

02/10/24 - AM

45M W2 B5 D26

Strength
Paused deads: 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160kg x 3
S/s
KB uppercuts: 16kg x 5 e/s x 5 sets

Volume
Deadlifts: 120kg x 3 x 10 sets EMOM

Assistance finisher
Sumo RDL & BB row - 70kg
7/7, 7/6, 7/5, 7/4, 7/3

As fast as possible: 6m 40 s

The observant among you may notice that this session is the same weight as last time I did this session, but that because the pauses last session were paused pretty high up the lift to reduce tension on my lower back, but in doing so it made them way easier, I did them properly here because my back is pretty good right now, and this was a hard effort, got an excursion headache, before the assistance finisher, I bumped that up 10kg, still focusing on muscle over movement.

Got a glute pump from the deads, good MMC in trying to protect my lower back.

6 Likes

Dude, this is SO huge. Not having to “white knuckle” nutrition is SUCH a gamechanger. We get so used to the idea that EVERYTHING should be a struggle that we never realize that, at some point, we DO need to have something feel natural to us. If the only way our nutrition “works” is through sheer willpower, it doesn’t actually work. I’m so delighted for you.

2 Likes

Training for climbing, rather than having training as a hobby in and of itself has been so liberating. I don’t feel any pressure to enjoy it or to get anything out of it other than climb harder stuff. It’s really, really freeing.

1 Like

This took me so long to figure out. Years of giving up on a sustainable diet that got me 90% results so that i could chase that last 10%, only to crash and burn on my 100% diet.

3 Likes

His paused squats usually mean “I paused them entirely for 4 months”

4 Likes

Yup I think this nails it for me, I used to have it as a hobby, then I stopped enjoying it, so then I have to wonder, why bother? And I did stop and gave struggled with consistency, but then I realise I want results (bigger, stronger, capable) and this is the only way to get them.

Thanks pwn, it’s massive, just a comfortable auto pilot that works towards my goals not away from. I’ll make minor amendments when I want to adjust and maybe if I got something big coming up (like the cruise we’ve got book for May) I’ll do something more drastic, but it’ll be intentional and short term.

You’ve been a big influence on it as always so thank you for that, interesting you’re thoughts on what you start the day with sets the body up for that way for the day (poorly paraphrasing you there). Starting the day off with eggs just makes eating so easy, I’m satiated for so long, so no cravings I can eat at lunch or power through I can train at lunch and not feel like I’m lacking. The rest of the day has very little in the way of cravings if I eat some junk it’s because I want to, it’s an active choice. Stark contrast to eating something carby for breakfast. (I still love carbs and eat tonnes of them but that’s again by choice).

Haha far too accurate!

4 Likes

03/10/24 - lunch time

45M W2 B6 D27

Strength
OHP: 20, 40, 50, 60, 67.5kg x 4
S/s
Landmines: bar + 5kg x 5 e/s x 4 sets

Volume
Ohp: 42.5kg X 5 x 10 sets EMOM

Finisher:

The pressing was solid today, despite feeling fatigued and under the weather, almost tempted for 70kg but best to get the win and beat the log book than go for ego pressing and miss.

The volume work was easy and beat the log book again.

The press-up death is aptly named, still finished on my knees rather than proper press ups.

5 Likes

Dude, this brings me so much joy, you have no idea. And, of course, I stole that idea from someone else as well, haha. Dr. Ted Naiman talks about how poor the Western breakfast is as far as getting protein in goes, and that whole concept of what we start our day with came from SOMEONE, but it made SO much sense when I heard it. And that’s so cool to hear you’re having that experience with the satiety. I’ve noticed it too. It’s driving my Mrs a little batty, because I went from the guy who was ALWAYS hungry and always “ready to eat” to someone that frequently says “I’m not really hungry right now” whenever the discussion of what to eat for lunch goes. But like you noted: it’s so different when it’s a choice we get to make vs a sacrifice. And having that awareness that you CAN employ a drastic approach in a drastic circumstance is huge too.

1 Like

Not too shabby. And yes, I am stalking your log for just OHP stuff.

2 Likes

Glad to hear it, never stop being you dude!

It’s funny I can see now why you’re so zealous about the carnivore eating style, I remember you saying how you’d happily eat every 30 mins, which whilst useful for gaining weight, when you stop and think about it, it’s signalling something pretty wrong. Such a liberating thing for you to go from that to just being satiated regularly and knowing when you’re not exactly how you fix it.

Yup, the reality is I like doing the drastic stuff on occasions, makes life interesting and you learn so much. I am half tempted by my next drastic thing being carnivore, but I’m not there yet!

Thanks, and you’re welcome to stalk for OHP stuff anytime, particularly when you come bearing compliments!

03/10/24 - PM (evening)

45M W2 B6 D28

Carry:
Single arm farmers walk: 60kg X 50ft up, switch arm, 50ft back x 10 sets EMOM

Pull up block:
Ring chin ups: 10kg vest x 3 x 10 sets EMOM

Core:
Teddy bear shouldered squats: 50kg sandbag x 3 x 10 sets EMOM

That’s two sessions in one day and after a fairly active drill night, mainly because I was going to the station and that’s the best place to do farmers.

Farmers went up in weight, very manageable I think my conditioning is improving.

Chin ups on rings because the indoor pull up bar has two options wide grip pull-ups or neutral, but there’s rings and so gave those a go. Didn’t love using a vest Vs dip belt but wasn’t an issue.

Teddy bears with the sandbag shouldered, were a surprising leg challenge, core held up well.

Solid session!

6 Likes

At least you know what your kink is

05/10/24 - PM

45M W2 B6 D29

Strength:
Zerchers: 48, 68, 88kg x 3, 108kg x 1

Done on axle, but at 108kg the second rep through me forward and I lost brace, the axle is easier on the arms but harder on the brace and very difficult if it gets any momentum.

120kg x 3 - barbell
S/s
Ab rollout: 10 x 4 sets

Volume:
Zerchers: 90kg x 4 x 10 EMOM

Finisher

3 rounds.

Top set on zercher was challenging, if you watch the video you’ll see after bracing and grabbing the bar I don’t actually get a breath in only out for the entire thing, last rep was like zero brace, I hate zerchers. Not upright, the earlier sets were better but form disappeared as weight went up!

Volume was good because I can breath easier, but horrible because I went up weight and reps and breathing is still hard, the rest in-between sets is just trying to inhale gargantuan lung fulls of oxygen, whilst trying to reduce my HR from heart attack territory, those minutes are impossibly short.

That was prior to the finisher!

Absolutely diabolical.

7 Likes

The amount you sweat should have scientists lining up at your front door asking to perform studies as to just what the absolute fuck is going on. The one school of thought is that you are super efficient at cooling yourself. The other school of thought is that you are super inefficient at cooling yourself. With that amount of sweat, I think it is the latter.

In any case, i hope you are drinking water, because Golly Gee Whiz.

1 Like

With how hot I feel during I’d be inclined to agree, but how quickly it happens I’m going to go efficient!

I am, but my predominant hydration is from coffee, my pee is clear though so I’m going to say it’s all good!

07/10/24 - PM

45M W2 B6 D30

Strength
Bench: 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120kg x 2
S/s
Bandy twisty things: black band x 6 e/s x 6 sets

Volume
Bench: 100kg x 3 x 10 sets EMOM

Finisher:

Strict Pendlay rows: 70kg - 30 secs
Floor press: 70kg - 30 secs
6 count burpees - 30 secs
Rest - 30 secs

Repeat x 5

Screwed up the recording on the top set, but it felt smooth, comfortably in range, bench feels in a good place.

Volume was very challenging on the final set, so perfect.

Finisher was nasty, nasty, nasty, Burpees when my HR is already redline and my chest smoked, nasty. Maybe hard work is why I sweat so much @Cyrrex?

Two thirds of the way through this program, I’ll do something like a write up after I finish but so far it’s been perfect for what I need.

Also two days later I now see my problem with zerchers last time was not enough weight, I’m currently still feeling it in my abs and quads, which I’d very much assume was the point.

7 Likes

Also this was 6 days ago, this morning 205, been up and down in between but the trend is perfect.

1 Like

No doubt that is part of it. I just didn’t want to say so, for fear that it would appear I was paying you a compliment.

3 Likes