Barley1 - Jacked Athlete 31 at 46

[barley1]

Full body
Incline bench press 165lbs x 6, 175lbs x 4, 185lbs x 5
Front squat 135lbs x 4, 165lbs x 4, 175lbs x 4, 180lbs x 5 (2, 1, 1, 1)
DB Pullover 60lbs, 80lbs, 86lbs x 4, 90lbs x 6

My weight loss seemed to stall the past few days–I’m actually up two pounds since Saturday. Also, my strength is all over the place. Lighter weights feel especially light, but even a few pounds makes weights feel much heavier than, say, three weeks ago. Some exercises are getting harder, others staying the same or getting easier.

I’m not particularly concerned yet about the stall in weight loss, but will reassess in a week or so.

Calories 1900
Weight 187lbs

[barley1]

Full body
Bench Press 195lbs, 205lbs, 210lbs x 6
DL…Ramped up to single @ 285lbs
DB Row 90lbs x 6, 106lbs x 6, 106lbs x 9
High bar, close stance squats…ramped to 195lbs x 4…good for 205lbs

Thibs advocates this type of low volume work at a relatively high intensity when beginning a diet. It seems to work; strength seemed to drop earlier on, but has stabilized.

I’m down around 184lbs, which is fantastic. I move better; my knees feel better. I’m not too hungry and have room to drop calories even more. My only gripe is that this training is booooring.

Next week, I’ll rerun Waterbury’s 10x3 for fat loss for a month or so, then reassess. This is fairly consistent with Thibs’ recommendation to increase volume after the initial 3-4 week phase. And 10 x 3 is anything but boring.

Calories 1900
Weight 184lbs

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss (yesterday)
Close stance squats @75% 10x3
Incline Bench Press @75%10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift @75% 10x3
Chin ups @75% 10x3

Weights were really a best guess, as I have no idea what my 1RM is.
I used 175lbs for squats
160lbs for press
135 for SLDL
BW for chins

The program calls for planned increases in weight and reductions in rest, but I think I’ll bump the weights up next workout, regardless. Lifts were a tad too easy.

I like this style of lifting far more than the low reps with long rests. I’ll give it a few weeks then reassess for the final transformation push in May.

Calories 1900
Weight 185lbs

Weight loss is weird. I ate out with my family on Friday and had high sodium, but low calorie food. My weight shot up two lbs overnight. I should be back to baseline by Wednesday, then decide what, if any, adjustments to make.

[barley1]

Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 235 @ 10x3
DB Row 100 @ 10x3
DB Press 76s @ 10x3
Front Squat 155 @ 10x3

Weights felt right, more or less. I’ll bump them a few pounds for the next workout.

Again, this is a far more enjoyable way for me to train. I like turning my brain off, having short rests, and getting after it.

I’m violating the first rule of following a program by NOT following the program. Waterbury recommends two lifting workouts per week and two conditioning sessions per week. Weight progressions and rest reductions are preplanned. I’ll start with three lifting workouts and two gentler conditioning sessions, adjusting rest and weights as I see fit.

If I feel too beat up, or not recovered, I’ll switch things around.

Weight 186
Calories 1900ish

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss
Close stance squats 180lbs @ 10x3
Incline Bench Press 170lbs @ 10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift 140lbs @ 10x3
Chin ups +10lbs @ 10x3

Lots of work, short rests. Felt stronger than last time.

Calories 1800
Weight 184*

If weight doesn’t drop a bit in the next few days, I’ll add more activity and scale calories back a bit.

[barley1]

Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 245 @ 10x3
DB Row 106 @ 10x3
DB Press 80s @ 10x3
Front Squat 160 @ 10x3

Roughly 45 seconds of rest between sets.

Weight dipped to 182 late last week. Ate some sodium-heavy food on Friday with the family and bloated back up to 184. Still looking leaner.

Going to aim for 1700 calories/day and loaded carries twice per week and see what that accomplishes.

Weight 184
Calories 1700

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss
Close stance squats 185lbs @ 10x3
Incline Bench Press 175lbs @ 10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift 140lbs @ 10x3
Chin ups +10lbs @ 10x3

45 seconds between sets

Still really enjoying the program. The best part of the short rests is that there isn’t much time to think–you just go. Sets of three are also incredibly brief, hard to dread them like a Widowmaker set.

I wonder how well this, or Waterbury’s 10x3 for hypertrophy program, might work while eating a surplus? I may have to find out.

Anyhow, still getting a tad stronger, have a bit of room to increase weight a few lbs or shorten rests a few seconds.

Calories: 1700
Weight: 184

[barley1]

Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 250 @ 10x3
DB Row 106 @ 10x3
DB Press 80s @ 10x3
Front Squat 160 @ 0 x 0*

Roughly 45 seconds of rest between sets.

Life does get in the way sometimes. I was interrupted midway through the workout and simply ran out of time for front squats.

Dropped calories a bit. Also saw a video posted in another thread about how weight loss often stalls because the body holds on to water to compensate for lost fat.

Thomas DeLauer suggested adding Potassium to remedy this. Others suggested bumping carbs up a bit. I did both and lost a pound over the last couple days.

Whether this is a positive trend or a fluke…well, who knows?

Calories: 1700
Weight: 183lbs

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss
(from Friday)
Close stance squats 185lbs @ 10x3
Incline Bench Press 175lbs @ 10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift 145lbs @ 10x3
Chin ups +13lbs @ 10x3

Feeling stronger, but puzzled about weight loss seeming to stall. Added a few hundred cals worth of oatmeal yesterday. Felt much better overall, but the scale keeps holding steady at 183.

[barley1]

Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 250 @ 10x3
DB Row 106 @ 10x3
DB Press 80s @ 10x3
Front Squat 160 @ 10 x 3

*Roughly 45 seconds of rest between sets.

Today was one of the workouts where I felt as though I perfectly rode the edge, managing fatigue, weight, and rest.

I don’t think I could’ve pushed much harder, added weight, or shortened the rests and still made it through the workout.

Calories:1750ish
Weight: 183lbs

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss
(from Wednesday)
Close stance squats 190lbs @ 10x3
Incline Bench Press 180lbs @ 10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift 150lbs @ 10x3
Chin ups +15lbs @ 10x3

Today
Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 255 @ 10x3
DB Row 110 @ 10x3
DB Press 80s @ 10x3
Front Squat 160 @ 10 x 3

*Roughly 45 seconds of rest between sets.

My strength seems to be slowly inching up; my weight seems to be slowly inching down. I believe I look leaner, too.

I’m going to try cleaning up my diet a bit–a little less IIFYM and bias calories towards lean protein. Looking at s.gentz’s log, his calories are almost all lean protein with a few carbs and fats thrown in. Worth a shot.

If I stop dropping weight, I’ll switch to the Velocity Diet for a few weeks to reevaluate.

[barley1]

Waterbury 10 x 3 for Fat Loss
(from Wednesday)
Close stance squats 195lbs @ 10x3
Incline Bench Press 180lbs @ 10x3
Stiff-legged deadlift 155lbs @ 10x3
Chin ups +15lbs @ 10x3

Can probably bump the weight a tad on all four exercises, especially squats and straight legged deadlifts. I’ve been doing some single leg deadlifts as a p/rehab of sorts. They seem to help. Squats felt the best they’ve ever felt. I tend to drift to the right while I descend; this is the first time I felt completely centered in the hole. Squats felt easy, should be good for 5 more pounds, no problem.

Bumped protein to close to 200 grams/day. Was down at 180lbs this morning.

Losing fat is weird. I seem to lose it from my shoulders down and knees up. The stomach and love handles seem to be the last to get lean.

Really curious to see what losing another 8lbs does.

Calories: 1700ish
Weight: 180.4lbs

[barley1]

Waterbury 10x3 for Fat Loss
Deadlift 260 @ 10x3
DB Row 110 @ 10x3
DB Press 82.5s @ 10x3
Front Squat 160 @ 0 x 0 (ran out of time)

Weight was 181 this morning. For the first time this phase, I felt pretty worn down and like I was dragging. Got through the reps, but barely.

Had some preplanned activities with my kid. Workout ran long, so I dropped the front squats.

I double-checked my notebook: this marks the end of the fourth week of Waterbury’s 10x3 for fat loss. He recommends running the program for just four weeks before switching to another program.

I ran this program a year ago. I looked at my notebook and was surprised to see how much stronger I am than last year, now rowing 20lb heavier dumbbells, deadlifting 25lbs more for reps, incline pressing and squatting 10-15bs more.

I’ll try circuits for the next four to six weeks. I threw in the towel on managing my own diet and will try the Velocity Diet for at least two of them.

Calories: 1750
Weight: 181.6

[barley1]

German Composition Training (AKA Project Six Pack)

Friday, April 14
3 x Supersets:
A1. Squat x 8
A2. Neutral Grip Chins x 8

B1. Incline Bench Press x 8
B2. Goblet squats x 8

C1. Barbell Curls x 6
C2. Calf raise x 15
C3. OH DB Tri ext. x 10

Didn’t quite have the weights or reps dialed, so I reran the workout today. I’ll alternate this and another workout 3x/week.

Today:
Supersets: 3x
A1. Squat x 10, 10, 8
A2. Neutral Grip Chins x 10, 10, 8

B1. Incline Bench Press x 8, 8, 9
B2. Goblet squats x 8, 8, 9

C1. Barbell Curls x 10, 10, 8
C2. Calf raise x 20, 20, 20
C3. OH DB Tri ext. x 10, 10, 10

This was smoother than last time. I’ll probably work up to sets of 10-12 before adding weight.

Started the V-Diet on Sunday. The week prior, I focused on eating more protein, finally dropping below 180lbs, weighing 179.8 this morning. I’m shooting for 170-172 by the end of the Transformation challenge.

Calories: Around 1600 (no need to worry too much with this diet)
Weight: 179.8

[barley1]

German Composition Training (AKA Project Six Pack)

3 x Supersets:
A1. Deadlift x 6
A2. DB Rows x 10

B1. Decline DB Press x 8
B2. Split squats x 15

C1. Chin ups x 8
C2. Jumps x 5
C3. Dips x 8

This was tough. If weight loss stalls again, I’ll add a third super set to each cycle.

I’ve been doing farmer’s walks on off days, usually 4 x 60-90 meters. The first thing to give out is my grip. I like these for conditioning. A lot. Someone suggested shorter walks Supersetted with KB swings. Something to keep in the back pocket, just in case.

Calories: 1600
Weight: 179.4

[barley1]

Catching up on logging. Kinda forgot about it for a bit.

Still running German Composition Training (aka Project Six Pack)

4-21
Supersets: 3x
A1. Squat x 10, 10, 10
A2. Neutral Grip Chins x 10, 10, 10

B1. Incline Bench Press x 9, 10, 10
B2. Goblet squats x 9, 10, 10

C1. Barbell Curls x 10, 10, 8
C2. Jumps x 5, 5, 5
C3. OH DB Tri ext. x 10, 10, 10

4-24
3 x Supersets:
A1. Deadlift x 6
A2. DB Rows x 10

B1. Decline DB Press x 8
B2. Split squats x 12

C1. Chin ups x 9
C2. Jumps x 5
C3. Dips x 9

4-26
Supersets: 3x
A1. Squat x 10, 10, 10
A2. Neutral Grip Chins x 10, 10, 8

B1. Incline Bench Press x 10, 10, 6
B2. Goblet squats x 10, 10, 9

C1. Barbell Curls x 10, 10, 8
C2. Jumps 5, 5, 5
C3. OH DB Tri ext. x 10, 10, 10

Been able to add a bit of weight of a rep or two here and there.

For the record, this type of training is BRUTAL, right up there with the Surge Challenge workouts. The lifts themselves aren’t that bad, it’s the two minutes of sucking wind afterwards that’s hell.

I’m on day ten of the Velocity Diet and down about 7 lbs. In the mirror in the morning, I think, "Geesh only another lb or two to go. " In the mirror in the afternoon, I think “Oh, shit! More like 10lbs to go!”

Regardless, the V-Diet works. Well.

Calories: 1400-1600
Weight: 174.8lbs

[barley1]

German Composition Training (Project Six Pack)

Three Supersets
A1. Deadlift x 6, 6, 6
A2. DB Rows x 10, 10, 10*

B1. Decline DB Press x 10, 10, 10
B2. Split squats x 12, 12, 12*

C1. Chin ups x 10, 10, 9.5
C2. Jumps x 6, 6, 6
C3. Dips x 10, 12, 9

*Time to add a few lbs, probably

This type of training STILL sucks. I’m not entirely sure how hard to push; I usually end up folded in half, sucking air for a minute or so, after the final superset of each block. For me, the cardiovascular demands are pretty intense.

Two more weeks of this. Tops.

Weight loss stalled for a day. Weird. Still looking leaner.

Calories: 1500ish
Weight: 174.6kbs

[barley1]

German Composition Training
Supersets 3x
5-1
A1. Squat x 10, 10, 10
A2 Chins x 10, 10, 19

B1. Incline Bench Press x 10, 10, 10
B2. Goblet squats x 10, 10, 10

C1. Barbell Curls x 10, 10, 10
C2. Jumps 6, 6, 6
C3. OH DB Tri ext. x 10, 10, 10

German Composition Training (Project Six Pack)
5-3

Three Supersets
A1. Deadlift x 6, 6, 6
A2. DB Rows x 10, 10, 10*

B1. Decline DB Press x 10, 10, 10
B2. Split squats x 12, 12, 12*

C1. Chin ups x 10, 10, 9.5
C2. Jumps x 6, 6, 6
C3. Dips x 10, 10, 12

Not dead. Just been terrible about logging. Finished up German Comp Training–3 weeks worth. I hate it, but it works. I’ve had about all I can take of it, though.

Tried lower volume higher intensity today, will log later. Added more conditioning.

Hit recent lowest weight of 173 today. Still V-dieting and will continue for another week or two.

[barley1]

Still not dead. Been running a bastardized version of Thib’s BDWPFNL. The original is being the T Nation+ paywall, but I kinda remember the gist…three push and pull workouts per week with a different set variable–slow negatives, rest pause, myo reps, etc-- per lift, one set per body part. I like it.

My weight loss is weird. I stalled around 174. I added extra cardio and cut calories, then bounced up to 176.6. Weird.

Wrapped up the VDiet, but plan to keep 2-3 shakes per day and 1-2 solid meals until I get this figured out.

I think I’m slowly looking better and definitely feel better when I have some carbs.

Today’s weight 173.8.

[barley1]

Push Day, BBDWPFNL*

Front squat (ridiculously light) x 7, 1, Stapled
Decline DB Press 80s x 6, 3, 2
DB Military Press (MTOR Set) 42.5s x 10
Dips BW + 15lbs x 9, 6, 4

I didn’t eat any carbs yesterday. Unplanned, but that’s just how yesterday shook out. What I keep realizing is that I function better physically with at least some carbs. Front squats felt way too heavy and I just bonked.

Weights started moving better afterwards, probably because of the Surge I started drinking ahead of time.

Good news: This morning, I hit my lowest weight in four years–170lbs.

I dropped about three pounds since Sunday and I have no idea why. Because I ate a bowl of pasta and maintenance calories last Saturday and felt capable of training like a maniac on Sunday? Less sodium, more potassium? More calories offset with more activity? Less lifting volume, higher intensity?

I have no earthly idea.

I’ll keep on plugging for another week, wrap up this challenge and think about what’s next.

*The extra “B” is for “Bastardized.”