Demigod before 35 (Aldebaran)

[aldebaran]

@wanna_be @Voxel thanks guys. I intead to read and tan as a break from my writing.
This morning’s weight was 85,4 kgs. Yesterday’s calories 3290

In the end, hard to extrapolate something from these datas since last saturday I did a 12 hours drinking + shitty eating, so I was bound to lose weight and water this week no matter what.

And Easter, of course a 4000+ cals days and a liter of beer are going tilt the scale up.

I was barely active this week though. Less than 6000 steps most of the days.

So i think I was right when I estimated my maintenance at more than 3000, especially when I’m active. (lost 1,5 kgs in 5 days at around 2800 and very little sports so yeah)

Plan is for next 3 weeks to follow a plan. I never really did it for food. Here’s the first week I’ll follow:

2600 calories: 200 P 80 F 270 C

With this I’ll have plenty of macros and micros, nothing to worry.

20 mins of either biking or rowing, at easy/medium intensity every morning, fasted. 1 run a week, around 45 minutes.

Project Colossus 6 x per week.

I’ll assess the following week the number of calories if I lose too slow, or if I feel too tired.

ButI intend to go hard-ish 3 weeks, then 1 week maintenance, and keep going down a little bit for the shoots afterwards.

I’m excited to do this, even though I’m not a big fan of the rigid plan and eating. I’m sure I’ll learn things about myself and dieting, as well as ending up shredded AF

[Voxel]

You are already shredded AF

[anna_5588]

@Voxel

already shredded AF

quoted for emphasis

[aldebaran]

Well good, then my goals will be easily reached!

85,4kgs this morning, but after breakfast… Calories yesterday were 3300

And I’m pleased that my calves look decent even though I haven’t trained them in a year ahah

05/04 - Colossus - Pull 1

Low Cable Row

Rack Pull

Banded Pull-ups

Meadows Rows

Accentued Eccentric Lats-pull downs

Sit-ups

EZ bar Curls

Hammer Curls

Pretty much everything to failure… Slept badly again, but I manage to get out of bed quite early so that’s good! This workout had its toll on me lol…

I tried a mobility challenge afterwards. Yes I’m mobile!

Mobility Challenge

[jdm135]

You look awesome despite the temporary lifestyle issues.

[aldebaran]

Thanks well like 8 years of training can’t be destroyed by a few weeks of slacking.

But you know appart from the lack of sleep these last two weeks… this is just my lifestyle. I eat bad stuff often, I drink on the weekends… I’m not teally proud of myself right now because for instance my 4k+ cals didn’t make me feel good, just stuffed and bloated

I’ll see what these weeks of strictness will do to me (last time I did so was 2 years ago ahah)

[aldebaran]

Since I did not do my walk today as I was busy I did a little home workout

1 min Rower
1 min Skipping Rope
1 min Bike
1 min Burpees

x5 rounds

Keeping a good pace, my HR skyrocketed

[aldebaran]

Project Colossus - Push 1

Slight Decline DB Bench

Incline Bench

Chest Press Machine

Stretch Flyes

DB Seated Press

Lateral Raises

Rear-Delt Flyes

Pull-ups Machine Pressdowns

Triceps DB Extensions

Hefty work. Long, hard session that leaves you ravenous.

With a decent lightning and a little posing I look quite shredded, even if I put on a horrible face here. I’m confident than in a month, with good dieting and some tan I’ll look incredible lol.

Obviously at 6’1’’ and and 187lbs right now I still feel a bit skinny, but it’s normal you diet down. Always this moment before being shredded when you feel smaller, but you lack some definition. I just have to remind that I do this for pictures and all, the illusion.

But really, it’s not too hard for now. And I certainly could move more

Forgot to weight myself this morning. But I’m at only 1735 cals today so I have plenty of room left! (almost 900 cals)

@ChongLordUno if you’ll allow me I want to translate your post sometimes for my fellow frogs, and give you a shoutout.

It really resonated with me. Maybe because I lack a dad myself. Instant realization and surge of motivation.

Too often we’re ungrateful. We’re obsessed by our petty squabbles, our little annoyances, our insignificant vicissitudes.

And I’m too often ungrateful.

We forget that we’re alive. That we’re healthy, that we have a roof, that we can have the privilege to train even.

We could all have excuses. But we still do the work. For this we’re grateful.

And I thank you for putting things in perspective and reminding me to be more grateful and appreciate the little things.

[anna_5588]

@aldebaran

I’ll look incredible lol.

You look pretty incredible now

By the way, what’s the update on lockdowns in france?

[ChongLordUno]

@aldebaran

if you’ll allow me I want to translate your post sometimes for my fellow frogs, and give you a shoutout.

Of course you can mate, it’s an honour

Really glad it has resonated with you and gave you a kick up le derrière

[aldebaran]

Thanks @anna_5588

Well it’s a pseudo lockdown. Most shops are closed, and you can’t go farther than 10 kms of your house. Fortunately because of my studies I can still go to the gym, and it’s less than 10 kms away (let’s hope they won’t close!)

It’s annoying but really it’s been almost the case since october so… Lots of people got fined and were very angry. It’s extra annoying cause now the weather is amazing. 25+°C in the sun. I can tan in a swimsuit on the beach no problemo

I’m just waiting for may and some freedom lol

@ChongLordUno

Really glad it has resonated with you and gave you a kick up le derrière

yeah thanks. I’m feeling better. Talked to my great-uncle as well. He’s been supporting whenever I had troubled times.

Focusing on what matters. Wrote a bit today. Taking the life as it comes.

I’m trying not to put extra pressure on myself considering the pain I’ve just been through, and the general weariness with this lockdown. Just enjoying life, no pressure. Working a bit, training hard, and working towards my goals

Here’s tonight meal and I’m spot on 2600 cals

[raven78]

@aldebaran

Just enjoying life, no pressure

Brilliant to read this. Recent posts of yours are reading more positive and that’s great.
(and echoing others here, you’re in top shape)

[aldebaran]

Thanks… I try. Honestly I just feel the best is yet to come

07/04 - Colossus - Leg 1

Lying Leg Curl

Squat

Leg Press

Bulgarian Death Set

Banded RDL with slow eccentric

Standing Calves Machine

This was my preworky

475 cals of deliciousness. I love fresh fruits more and more

This time I trained later, at 4:30 PM and I probably should have eaten more because I had only 850 cals in my system. Also slept less than 6 hours so really tired (my bad, I went to bed very late). Because after the leg presses and RDL (at least) my head was spinning

Here’s my squat. Only 115 kgs for sets of 8 because I was very tired and also we did a 1RM on deadlift on monday before the session (yeah stupid, but my mate really wanted to see where he was, and I failed 190, most likely out of lack of practice. happy because I never rounded though)

But I’m very happy with my form! Still some valgus but nothing crazy. I love the depth and the speed (the French Contrast really improved my power out of the hole, I noticed that last week).

That’s around 75% of my 1RM. I want to keep my sets like this, using a good form, rather than going batshit banana monkey

So i’m happy and confident now.

Believe me, second set was really tough! Maybe a tiny bit less focused, but it was a true RPE 9-10 on technical work, really tough.

Squat 115

For the sadists, here’s my video of the bulgarian death set: split squat with a 3 secs eccentric, + a 3 secs pause at mid-range, to complete failure… yeah… My ass was on fire

Bulgarian Death Set

Overall good, tough session, now let’s go to bed…

Tomorrow I’ll have to tighten things up: stayed in my 2600 cals, but ate too much fat rather than prots and carbs

[anna_5588]

@aldebaran

475 cals of deliciousness. I love fresh fruits more and more

protein pancakes? Looks delicious!

[kdjohn]

Great squats, dude! So clean.

[theinneroh]

@aldebaran

475 cals of deliciousness. I love fresh fruits more and more

Everything taste better in France.

[aldebaran]

Indeed, and they are really low cals, but I don’t do them often because cooking them with love takes time, like a solid 20 mins

@kdjohn

Great squats, dude! So clean.

Thanks. I feel I have a sufficient technique and I should just put quality reps in. I just have to remind myself to not rush things, which I sometimes still do, even in this vid like at rep two (when you’re focused too much on speed, you can lose tension… Happened on my last 150 squat ahah)

@theinneroh

Everything taste better in France.

I think it’s more of a cliché. In Uni I had a teacher who was telling us about the US, how the supermarkets have all these huge, colorful fruits and vegetables, but they taste bland and watery. We can have the same in stores here. But there are plenty of farmers proposing cheaper delicious food, just as there are some in the US

But it’s true that some food tastes better here (bread for instance).

[aldebaran]

08/04 - Colossus - Pull 1

Banded Pull-ups

Reverse-Stance Lats Pulldowns

Machine Row

Hyperextensions

Preacher Curls

Reverse-Grip EZ bar Curls

Then 45 mins of boxing/rope skipping

That was my preworkout! It was fun today, and the boxing was good cardio…

Did some pics as well, for fun and without a flattering lighting.

We can see I have too much fat for a photoshoot, but I’m confident. The process is not painful. (the calories). Next week I’ll just try and move more because my NEAT is very low. Appart from the gym and a 30 min walk I just sit on my ass all day long. So next week I’ll add 15 mins of fasted cardio every day and I’ll juste move and walk more all around the day, but I’m planning on going lower than 2600 any time soon. I have to keep in my mind my friday to sunday was a bit of a splurge

[aldebaran]

Leg day…

10 x 10RM Leg Curl supersetted with

10 x 10RM Leg extension

5 x 12-8RM Squat

5 x 10-8RM Lunges

5 x 8-10 Machine Hip Thrusts

One of my teacher proposed me to train with him, what an error

He’s been training for 30 years and he’s on the juice. And that’s his second leg session as well. The Horror, oh the horror.

Just plain, RPE 11 horrible. I don’t really want to describe it lol. I pushed myself just because he was there but honestly I was aware it was too much for me lol I can’t follow him

I had quite the headache and dead during the lunges lol

On the way home, driving, my legs were shaking like crazy it was terrible

I ate a pizza afterwards, but I still have 400 cals left so I’ll just eat chicken breasts and broccoli lol

During the shower I was feeling super good though! Maybe it was the pizza, or the fact that my body no longer believed it was dying

[aldebaran]

10/04

@wanna_be you said you have usually trouble with your chest, as I do. This session just felt amazing today.

All the exercises use a 1 min rest, this is a pump session

A. Slight Incline (20°) DB Press 3 x 12 with 28 kgs

Keeping 1 rep in reserve and a perfect form, controlling the eccentric, these were nice activers

B. Hex Press 3 x 8-12 with 16 kgs

Using a 2-3 secs eccentric and concentric, squeezing the dumbells as hard as I could, and squeezing at the top for 1 sec, just trying to focus on my pecs. Theyw ere burning

C. Stretch Push-Ups with hands on steps

Controlling the eccentric, trying to stretch the cest as much as I could. My chest was burning and pumped AF! As you can see on the vid of the next exercise my chest was full of blood and some separation appearing

Delts superset

D. Partial Lateral Raises + DB press with 20 kgs 2 x 20 + 6

Incredible pump… This one superset was etched in my mind when I did it first last year

E. Dual Spongy Grip Pressdowns 2 x 12

F. Lying KB Extensions 2 x 15

Nothing special, but nice triceps work! I could really feel the muscle working and pumping

This took me like 30 mins. So short and efficient!

It had me thinking about programming of course… Some kind of “functionnal hypertrophy” the nice Squat + push and DL + pull split you could completely add this upper body work after a lower body work on strength/technique/speed and it would feel like an amazing session…

Kinda obsessed with speed work as of late lol. French contrast was amazing and useful (increased my jump, increased my speed of the hole, increased my max) but I was more thinking about traditionnal speed work for many sets with low rest. I want to focus on quality work and stop the ugly reps

84 kgs, I’m feeling super lean and amazing