Legs quaking just reading this…
2 Likes
pretty sure consistency is his middle name 
1 Like
@shaneinga, @simo74 - Thanks for that, fellas! I’m still a long way from those 30-some-odd cycles of 5/3/1 with 2-a-days, but I’m back in the weight room every day, the fat is coming off, and I’m slowly finding my mojo again.
@Greyhound90 - Nice to have you drop in! That was definitely hard work, but those Bulgarians absolute bury me: hard on the legs, yes, but hard on the lungs too!
4 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/A - w5d5
Thursday - 10 October 2024
Workout: Conditioning + abs, 0525-0620 (55 minutes)
(Modified) Short Stack WOD - 3 rounds, for time:
Deadlift - 185 lbs - 12
Jump rope - 100
Shuttle run - 10x25 yards
Time: 17:08
4 rounds of:
a) Hanging knee raise - 15
b) Alt. shoulder-tap plank - 30
c) Mountain climber - 30
Fasted.
Happy with that WOD. And everything else, really. The deadlifts were super-sharp today: I tried to focus on slowing the bar down and keeping my torso more upright than I probably usually do. The ab work was stellar today, too: I can totally feel the hanging knee raises in my abs, whereas with HLRs I tend to feel my lats more.
Anyway, it was good work all around today!
14 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/A - w5d6
Friday - 11 October 2024
Workout: Pull, 0525-0615 (50 minutes)
Begin: 0536; End: 0610; Duration: 34 minutes
a) Lat pulldown - 90x12, 95x10, 100x8, 105x6, 90x12
b1) Supinated BB row - 100 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12
b2) Rear delt cable pull - 30 lbs - 10, 10, 10, 10
c) One-arm row - L/R - 35x12, 40x10, 45x8, 35x12
d) DB curl 21s - 12 lbs - 7/7/7, 7/7/7; 15 lbs - 7/7/7
Fasted.
Once again, progress everywhere. Keep in mind, this is the first repeat of Week 1 in this six-week A/B block, so I should hope there’s been progress. But even so, I’m happy with how things went.
Might try starting with 15 lbs on those 21s next time and working down as necessary—I survived with 21 decent reps in the 3rd set, so maybe there’d be more in there if I started heavier?
Edit: Forgot to say: My legs were feeling Wednesday’s work a bit yesterday, and my lower back was feeling the Thursday WOD by mid-afternoon. Both are feeling tired today—not so much sore, just… tired.
Also, tomorrow evening might be a carb-up meal. It’s only been two weeks since the last one, and I’m not sure how often I should be doing that on PSMF, but we’ve got family in town and Mrs. SvenG already starting preparing the food yesterday—tons of meat (because she knows me), but lots of other stuff as well.
Anyway, my question for anyone who knows: Given that I’ve still got a ton of fat to lose and that I don’t believe my energy or my level of effort in the weight room is suffering from 3 Metabolic Drive shakes and 1 HSM per day, is two weeks too soon for another “feast”?
17 Likes
I use similar diet approaches pretty regularly, and i judge my carb-up/treat meals based totally on psychological factors. As a fat boy at heart, i know that i can do a lot of damage to my deficit if my willpower goes so i’ll use controlled feast meals to avoid that. If i’m still super psyched to keep losing weight and see the numbers go down, i won’t have one.
1 Like
From my experience with PSMF, it depends.
If your feast meal is like an absolute binge of carbs, every 2/3 weeks might be a good idea if you aren’t having any carbs at all during that 2/3 week period.
If your feast/carb up, is moderate or small, with no carbs in that time frame, you could probably do it every week or every week and a half.
My feast meals steady trickled down from like a tub of ice cream and 3lbs of enchiladas from Sams to a decent amount of rice, sugary drink, and some meat in the span of 3 weeks when I was doing a feast every week.
If my goal is to get lean, I just don’t eat carbs when I’m eating by myself and effectively save the carb up for when it’s a social meal (which is about every week). This is biased though because I’ve never had a ton of fat to lose.
3 Likes
I think it depends on your current goals. If it’s continued weight/fat loss, stick with the 3 shakes + 1 HSM per day longer. If it’s to maximize performance and muscle gain, than add in carb ups more often.
(Note this is not based on experience, since I’ve never run that protocol, but just as an outside observer).
1 Like
@dagill2, @freshyfresh, @antiquity - Thanks for the comments, guys! I definitely appreciate the perspective.
Tonight will be a carb-up. The great thing about this PSMF business: It’s easy, convenient, and doesn’t feel like punishment—aside from our friends’ party a few weeks ago, I’ve been on nothing but trace carbs for 5 weeks. No deviations, no (significant) cravings, and no binging—even at that cookie table!
I’m definitely leaner as a result, but I’m also feeling flat: I think some reasonable-even-if-atypical foods might actually do me some good. Certainly they’re not going to wreck my progress over the past 5 weeks, nor will they derail me.
Anyway, you didn’t ask for a book, so I’ll just say thanks again for chiming in!
11 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/A - w5d7
Saturday - 12 October 2024
Workout: Conditioning, 1110-1145 (35 minutes)
Burpees + KB swings - 32 kg - 2x(25 + 25)
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 20 minutes
Fasted.
And fast.
Tomorrow begins the final week of this block, and we leave for vacation really, really early on Friday morning, so I’ll be cramming 7 days of work into 5—but really that just means doubling up tomorrow and Thursday, shifting everything else forward by a day.
Vacation itself will be a “carb-up.” We’re doing the Airbnb-thing, so meals will still be awesome. And we’re doing the beach-then-Disney-thing again, too, so there will be lots of walking.
We’ll see where I stand once we get back, but I’m beginning to toy with the idea of re-introducing breakfast. Honestly, though, I meant what I said about PSMF—if nothing else, it works because I can always down a shake when the meeting schedule gets hectic and breakfast/lunch just aren’t on the table. (Haha!)
Anyway, we’ll just have to see. For now, I’m just keeping my head down, doing my thing…
Which reminds me: @oldnattychris - It’s been a long, long time—I hope you’re doing alright, my friend.
11 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d1
Sunday - 13 October 2024
Workout: Push, 1235-1330 (55 minutes)
Begin: 1243; End: 1324; Duration: 41 minutes
a) Incline DB press - 65 lbs - 8, 8, 8, 8
b1) Press - 75 lbs - 12, 12, 12
b2) Upright row - 60 lbs - 12, 12, 12
c1) DB flye - 2x30 lbs - 10, 10, 10, 10
c2) Skull crusher - 2x20 lbs - 12, 12, 12
d1) Push-up - 20, 16, 14, 12, 12
d2) Dip - BW - 6, 5, 5, 5, 5
Not fasted—had a 2-scoop shake about 15 minutes before knocking this out. Still intending to get the easy conditioning in, but we’ll see how the day goes.
15 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d1
Sunday - 13 October 2024
Workout: Conditioning, 1740-1820 (40 minutes)
Burpees + KB swings - 32 kg - 2x(25 + 25)
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 20 minutes
I’ve had a headache all day, and that weighted vest did nothing to help it. But I’m done, so now it’s just dinner and relaxing until bed!
14 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d2
Monday - 14 October 2024
Workout: Conditioning + abs, 0535-0625 (50 minutes)
(Modified) 211009 WOD - 3 5-minute rounds:
DB farmer’s walk - 2x35 lbs - 10x25 yards
In time that remains, AMRAP
a) Deficit push-up - 10
b) DB squat - 2x35 lbs - 10
2-minute rest
Rounds: 1 + 0, 1 + 0, 1 + 0
4 rounds of:
a) Hanging knee raise - 15
b) Alt. shoulder-tap plank - 30
c) Mountain climber - 30
Fasted.
That WOD was tough! I got all 250 yards without setting the DBs down in the first round, but then had to reset twice in the second and three times in the third!
It was definitely some good yoke work, but even better as a grip challenge. I only had enough time for 1 set of 10 + 10 in each of the post-walk AMRAPs, but those did a good job of spiking my heart rate at the end of each 5-minute period.
The ab work was tough, too, but the all of the reps were solid!
Edit: It’s about 12 hours later, and this:
is more true than I realized earlier: My traps are tight and maybe even a bit sore—good stuff!
17 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d3
Tuesday - 15 October 2024
Workout: Lower, 0515-0635 (80 minutes)
Begin: 0531; End: 0630; Duration: 59 minutes
a) Sumo deadlift - 145x8, 165x8 | 185x8, 185x8, 185x8
b1) Squat - 185x12, 195x10, 205x8, 215x6
b2) Side plank - alt L/R - 40s, 40s, 40s, 40s
c) Seated calf raise - 185 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
d1) Split squat - L/R - 2x20 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12
d2) Leg curl - 80 lbs - 10, 10, 10, 10
Fasted.
In a nasty twist, Morgan threw in squats today—and man, I am out of practice! The original plan was to jump 20 lbs between sets there, but my lower back was already mad after the deadlifts. I had a few more in me on the last set, though, so that’s something.
Edit: Hm; can’t seem to shake this post-squat flu. Or post-ridiculous-leg-day flu. Or whatever. Maybe dinner will help. Taco meat always helps!
21 Likes
I like the way you think!
2 Likes
@ChickenLittle - I mean, what can I say? The truth is the truth.
1 Like
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d4
Wednesday - 16 October 2024
Workout: Conditioning + abs, 0535-0625 (50 minutes)
Press + jump ladders - AMRAP, 20 minutes
1-2-3-4-5, repeat
Press - 95 lbs
Box jump - 24-inch
Rounds: 4 + 12 (5 full ladders in +2:00)
4 rounds of:
a) Hanging knee raise - 15
b) Alt. shoulder-tap plank - 30
c) Mountain climber - 30
Fasted.
That was a nice, slow burn—but a burn nonetheless! Rounds of 4 and 5 got tough by the end. Not like, “I’m going to miss!” hard, but there’s no doubt I was working.
Not sure why we repeated Monday’s core work again today, but these moves continue to improve, so who cares, really?
Edit: Also, it’s worth mentioning that I did shake that post-workout flu yesterday: Dinner and genuine rest (v. sitting at my desk working all day) did the trick.
And that’s another data point for after-vacation nutrition planning—it could be I’ve lost enough fat that I actually need more solid-food calories throughout the day to keep my recovery where it should be.
Or maybe the lower-body work yesterday was really just THAT bad?
Hm…
Edit 2: I’ve also been hungry for the past two or three days, at least until after the HSM at dinner, and that’s with three 2-scoop Metabolic Drive shakes by about 1600. I promise I’m not going to overanalyze this—vacation will likely reset things a bit, anyway—but I’ve not done this PSMF thing before, and it’s been working, so I am trying to pay attention to stuff.
Besides, I’ve learned to listen to my body when I’m in the groove—training consistently, eating right, and actually sleeping—so I don’t want to ignore what it’s saying. I did that the first time I had a ton of fat to lose and I spun my wheels for a long, long time, only to finally realize MORE food was what I needed—not less!
18 Likes
Morgan’s PPL/B - w6d5
Thursday - 17 October 2024
Workout: Pull, 0515-0625 (70 minutes)
Begin: 0526; End: 0617; Duration: 51 minutes
a1) Supinated BB row - 100 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12
a2) DB reverse flye - 2x15 lbs - 8, 8, 8, 8
b) Pull-up - band assist - 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
c1) One-arm row - L/R - 35 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12
c2) DB pullover - 40 lbs - 10, 10, 10, 10
d) Backward sled pull - 25 yards uphill - 90 lbs + sled - AMRAP, 8 minutes - 7 + some (8 full in +?:??)
Fasted.
Solid morning despite a poor night’s sleep—not sure what that was about.
I’ll admit it was weird to see the sled pull on a pull day: I think of it more as a lower body movement, despite actually being a full body move, but I realized I could easily shift it to a back-focus by keeping my shoulders back and my elbows and wrists locked, rather than letting them extend out in front of me.
It was also programmed as E2MOM for 8 minutes, but there was no prescribed distance, so I wasn’t sure how to map it into my 25-yard driveway—just ended up doing these AMRAP. Turns out I ran it just a little faster than my typical rate, so it wasn’t too much different in the end. Still good work, though.
Planning to knock out the last bit of easy conditioning after work, and that’ll wrap-up Week 6 and this block, just in time to hit the beach: By this time tomorrow, we’ll be landing in Florida!
16 Likes
If there is one thing I miss from a commercial gym, it’s a sled! Not really viable for me at home. I consider it a push movement as in I’d drive from my legs, but it’s surprisingly versatile enough to attack from all angles.
1 Like
Have fun at the beach!
1 Like