Week 4, Day 5
Squat (280 x 5 x 1), RPE 8
Squat (245 x 8 x 3), 85% of Set 1
RDL (240 x 5 x 1), RPE 8
RDL (205 x 8 x 2), 85% of Set 1
Leg Press (365 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5
Russian Twists (15 x 4)
Squat
RDLs
Cutting is so much more gratifying than bulking IMO. Just a reasonable timeline to see real changes. Bulking is way harder mentally for me. I just look worse, and that is even with AAS usage the past go around.
Cutting now, and I feel like it is going to stick as I am at day 3. Usually I need about 5 days without reverting back to eating more for it to mentally stick that I am cutting and it is okay to have a bit of a dip in gym performance.
Yeah man- that’s how I’m feeling right now as I start to see the physical changes even if they’re little things here and there. Really pumped to see where I am at the end of March and see if I can hit my 10% target.
I’ve been following your thread too and am excited to hear how things go. You have a solid base so I’m sure lots of good stuff to show when you’re peeled.
Week 4, Day 6
DB Shoulder Press (50 x 10 x 2), RPE 9.5
Machine Chest Fly (120 x 15 x 2), RPE 9.5
Pull-ups (BW x 13), AMRAP at RPE 9.5
Horizontal Machine Row (140 x 15 x 4), RPE 9.5
EZ bar spider curls (55 x 17 x 3), RPE 9.5
DB Lateral Raises (22.5 x 20 x 3), RPE 9.5
Glad to be on the deload now. Good chance for me to reset mentally and recover physically.
Things really starting to come in nicely now!
Didn’t log the deload week on here, but am on a new training block as of Saturday. Feeling rested and recovered so mission accomplished.
Week 1 - Day 1
Close-grip Incline Bench (145 x 6 x 3), RPE 7
Incline DB Press (55 x 10 x 3), RPE 7
Smith Machine Skullcrushers (65 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
DB Lateral Raises (17.5 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
Spider Curls (50 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
Being more conservative with my starting point and progressions this go on upper body because upon reflection I think I went a little too hard out of the gates. Also, slightly less volume overall in terms of compound lifts while increasing accessory moves to better manage fatigue. Chest felt huge and swole post-workout.
Week 1 - Day 2
Squats (265 x 3 x 1), RPE 7
Squats (225 x 8 x 2), 85% of Set 1
Leg Press (335 x 12 x 3, RPE 7
Walking Lunges (35 x 2 x 20), RPE 7
Lying Leg Curl (100 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
Week 1 - Day 3
Pendlay Rows (125 x 10 x 3), RPE 7
Cable Rows (140 x 12 x 2), RPE 7
Parallel Grip Lat Pull-Downs (120 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
Lateral Raises (20 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
Single Arm Preacher Curls (30 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
Down into the 182s… starting to feel good about hitting my 10% goal by the end of March/early April. My coach is estimating that stage weight will be in the mid-upper 160-170 range.
Week 1 - Day 4
Bench (185 x 3 x 1), RPE 7
Bench (155 x 8 x 3), 15% of Set 1
Cable Flies (22.5 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
Lateral Raises (20 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
Single Arm Preacher Curls (30 x 12 x 3), RPE 7
A day where I semi felt like I forgot how to bench. After the fact I realized the gym got new barbells so the placement of the rings is different and I was gripping way too narrow… whoops! My coach has been trying to get me to grip more firmly from the outside of the bar/my pinkies which has been helping in terms of stability at the bottom where sometimes I’ll let the bar roll a little.
Accessories went well
Been off the grid as far as my log here, but some quick updates on the past month or so:
Started a new training block where I’ve transitioned over to more ‘pure’/traditional bodybuilding style workouts
To better manage fatigue as I get deeper into the cut we’ve dropped squats and DLs from my programming. At first I was worried about losing my technique, but then I remembered how fast things came back after the gyms reopened in 2020 when I had about 6 months off of any barbell work, so I’ll be fine.
I’ve dropped down to 178 (down 16 lbs since the beginning of Feb) which is the first time I’ve been below in 180 in I have no idea how long!
About 7-8 months ago, I decided to take a break from being online/social media. Following the time away, I realized that I missed the interaction with members here, both in terms of my thread, and reading, learning, and getting inspired from the stories of people here. As a result, I’ve decided to make a bit of a comeback, though I will probably be less active compared to before. Unfortunately, I forgot both my password for my account here and the email address associated with it, so here I am under a slightly different username!
Below is the Cliffs Notes version of what I have been up to since my absence.
Men’s Physique Competition - Summer 2022
I did end up competing in an NPC competition over the summer! Overall the process wasn’t nearly as painful as I was expecting, particularly in terms of my overall physical and mental well-being. However, I was probably between 5-10 lbs heavier than I should have been. My stage weight was in the low 170s, when I likely needed to get into the low-mid 160s for my abs and overall definition to really pop.
I had two 4th place finishes (true novice and Masters) against some pretty stacked competition. Everyone that placed above me was a top two in other crossover classes, and one of them did very well in both true novice and open, so definitely nothing to be ashamed about.
While I enjoyed the experience, I didn’t love it enough to make competing a regular thing, or even in the immediate future.
On our first call, my posing coach took one look at me and said that in the future I might actually do better in classic because of the strength of my lower body. I was skeptical until I got to the competition and was backstage with all the guys(including BB and classic) and to my surprise, I think his assessment was fair. My upper body still needs quite a bit of work in comparison though!
Joining the Dark Side / Going Enhanced
After seeing the competition through, my coach asked if I wanted to try PEDs. I’ll be honest and say the thought crossed my mind previously, but at the same time, I didn’t feel post-competition I was in the proper place to make an important decision like that. I took a few months to think things over, make sure all of my health (labs, physical, etc.) were in good order before deciding to pull the trigger. With how fulfilling I find the process of getting stronger and improving my physique to be, I thought it made sense to take things to the next level.
We started by bumping my TRT dose from 150 mg to be 200 mg (with my doctor’s approval). After 8 weeks, feeling good, and another set of labs looking great, it was time to take the next step.
My first cycle will be: 200 mg Test C + 200 mg primo + 100 mg mast and go for 16 weeks.
After that, I will drop back to just TRT for 6 weeks, see how I’m doing and go from there.
I’ve been on TRT since April of 2020.
Wrapping Up Week 3 of Current Training Block
Training Highs (all RPE 7-8ish)
Bench : 210 x 2, 190 x 5 paused
Squat: 275 x 6
DL: 350 x 3
BB Row: 175 x 6
Weight - 191.5 weekly average
Notes -
Injury recovery going well, lower back feeling the best it has in a couple months
Feeling very confident and in a great place mentally. My coach’s mantra of embracing the suck and that training isn’t always going to feel great has worked wonders on a day to day basis.
Just finished up Week 2 of my cycle.
Current physique, one of those weeks I feel like I noticed a drop in leanness/definition, but still happy with how I look.
ETA: Adding a couple tags for people that were following previously but might not be aware that I’m back, but of course no obligation to follow going forward: @mnben87 @wanna_be @bkb333
Week 4
Progression is from Week 1 to Week 4
DL: 325 x 3 → 365 x 3
DL, Back-off Sets: 280 x 6 → 330 x 6
Walking Lunges: 35 x 2 x 16 → 50 x 2 x 16
Leg Curls: 90 x 15 x 4 → 105 x 15 x 4
Seated Calf Raises: 135 x 20 x 4 → 155 x 20 x 4
DB Curls: 35 x 12 x 3 → 35 x 15 x 3
Cable Curls: 42.5 x 20 x 2 → 50 x 20 x 2
Week 4
Bench: 190 x 2 → 215 x 2
Bench: 165 x 5 → 195 x 5
Incline DB: 55 x 12 → 65 x 14
Weighted Dips + Push-ups: BW + 10 x 13 → BW + 17.5 x 13, 11 to 13 reps on push-ups
DB Skullcrushers: 15 x 15 → 25 x 15
DB Upright Rows: 40 x 15 → 45 x 19
Two solid days down, four more to go before I hit the deload week.
I have some technical things to work on for bench, and as always the mental side of things. That being said, I couldn’t be much happier with the progress that I made over the past few weeks, especially since weights that used to be heavy / RPE 10 for me are falling into the RPE 8 range for me now.
Lookin good man! Strength seems to be flying up as well!!
Thanks @wanna_be ! I’m still making some technical improvements to my lifts so I know that has been driving most of the strength gains so far. I’m excited to see what happens once I figure out those last few tweaks on bench and squat, and also as I get deep into my cycle (just starting Week 3 now).
Week 4
Weighted Pull-Ups: BW + 10 x 8 → BW + 15 x 10
Assisted Pull-Ups: Assistance at 55 lbs x 15 reps → Assistance at 45 lbs x 15 reps
Incline DB Chest Supported Rows: 40 x 15 → 50 x 15
Super ROM Lateral Raises: 10 x 12 → 15 x 15
DB Reverse Flies: 20 x 20 → 30 x 20
Pinwheel Curls: 20 x 15 → 30 x 15
All 3 sets unless otherwise specified, progression from RPE 6 → RPE 8.5
What type of coach you working with? Someone you found online? How’s that going?
To me it looks like you are making small improvements over time. That’s a good way to win long term.
It does look like you are improving in multiple areas too (not just more weight). I do that too. More reps per set, more weight, more sets, doing the reps in a harder way. Lots of ways to get better.
Yes- I have an online coach that designs my training blocks, sets my macros/nutrition, and most recently PED guidance. On top of being a great technician, he provides solid client service (very responsive and detail oriented), and I admire that he’s always evolving as a coach. What he learns from his coach, or other experts filters down to me, and I can see the different approaches to solving problems over time.
When I did my physique competition over the summer, I hired another coach to specifically work with me on posing.
Thanks man! Appreciate the kind words. One of the things that I’ve really worked on the past couple of months is my mindset and realizing that if I have a bad session here and there, or even one to the point where I feel like I’m regressing, I need to just trust in the process and know that I’m heading in the right direction in the grand scheme of things. I’m way more grateful for all of the small wins and less likely to get frustrated or develop mental blocks from the off days.
