I would caution against cutting too soon (doesn’t look like you’re desperate to cut so no big deal here just thought I’d pipe in). I started lifting at 151 and struggled the gain weight and I’m happy I did, I think if I went up and cut quick I’d have spun my wheels.
Holding a bodyweight for a period of time and then moving on (in my case almost always upwards) led my body to finding “set points” where even if I fell off the wagon it would just default to that weight rather than my original weight. If you cut now I would hazard a guess you wouldn’t be happy with the outcome. Slow steady progress on the weight gain, head for 160 and if your still fairly happy with how you look hold it for a bit then 170 etc, eventually when you cut you’ll be able to sit at 160/170 lean, and be much happier but that’ll be a few years away (or never if you gain/cut frequently - which I know you’re not looking to do).
The idea to cut (which if I did would only last for a month and I’d aim to lose 2 lbs, so nothing major) just comes from my weight scale starting to report my subcutaneous fat as starting to be in the high range. I know those things aren’t that accurate, but I still use it as a ballpark measure. However, it only goes into the “high” range on Saturday morning when I weigh myself in the morning, because typically on Fridays I have a large/cheat meal for dinner. But other times it’s just below the high range.
That being said, yeah I don’t feel like I’m fat or anything. I sort of judge it more on waist size and whether I start needing to increase the belt notches to wear pants, which hasn’t happened yet.
Deload
Bench: 6x153 lbs
Medicine ball leg raises - 1x50
Bench leg curls - 55 lbs - 2x15
Chin-ups: 5x10
Since I’ve struggled the most with bench wanted to test how many reps I could do. I was able to finish 6 reps. Last TM test, which would have been lighter too, I couldn’t finish the 6th rep, so some modest progress there.
For next cycle I decided to add 5 lbs to squat, press and bench. For deadlift I added 10 lbs. I was debating about adding 10 lbs to squat too but figured I’d rather just do 5 lbs and focus more on controlled movement.
Start of cycle 3. Felt a bit lighter than usual since I only increased squat by 5 lbs this cycle. I think it was the right move since it allowed me to focus more on form and trying not to dive down. Did the dive down a few times though out of habit.
Thanks. I think the consistency is due to the fact that I work from home now due to quarantine. It’s easy for me to workout in my basement. It’s sort of a silver lining around this crazy pandemic.
Hey, you still gotta give yourself credit. You could be wallowing in self-pity like a lot of people, but you chose to take advantage of the unique situation. That’s The right attitude to have.
Thanks. I have taken good advantage of the pandemic in other ways too. But I’m a big introvert, so it hasn’t been too tough on me. If anything, I’ve rather enjoyed being at home so much.
My wife is the same way, and I’m the opposite. I’ve struggled, but have filled the void with an awful lot of projects and busy work so I’m making it. So far I’m up $500 flipping music equipment and have started a band. Gotta try and take advantage of bad situations as much as you can.
Medicine ball leg raises - 1x50
Bench leg curls: 60 lbs - 2x15
Chin-ups: 5x10
I sort of wanted to go AMRAP on my bench to test it. I think next cycle I’ll start getting into weights higher than previous program which should be more telling.
With chin-ups I’m trying to get to a point where I can do all 5 sets cleanly. My last set is always so-so.
I knew I was going to have a bad session since I wasn’t feeling like working out due to long day at work, not the best mood and just a busy day in general. I feel like my squat has made no progress since I failed to finish the fifth rep. Not sure what that’s says and I only increased it by 5 lbs too.
Even 5x10 felt off, more than usual. Maybe just not finishing the 210 set got in my head. Hopefully the rest of the week goes better.
I feel like you need to be 100% on week three of this program, especially after a few cycles, or you’ll suffer/fail. I do like the program though. I just think I struggle the most with squatting. Could be related to eating since my weight hasn’t changed much. I was hoping to recomp on the program.
Hey man, the reason I suggested dropping your Squat TM is because of this exact situation. Those divebomb reps are a good sign that you’re not supposed to be handling that weight. I’d recommend doing a TM test with a controlled descent and recalculate from there.
Really tried to get 5th rep but got halfway up. So this is the end of my 3rd cycle and I’m stalling on squat and press. So I feel like I’m not making the best progress. My 5x10 didn’t go great either.
I think my deadlift/bench will go better but it’s discouraging to see me stalling. Not really sure I’ve made progress on press. Feel like I’m just maintaining or slight increase.
My weight was going up but then I felt I was getting a bit more body fat that I’d like and fell down back to 150-151 range. So my weight hasn’t gone up on this program, which seems wrong. I was aiming more for recomp.