Diary Of A Meathead

[Meathead56]

[Log changed 8/19/24 to a general training log]

I’m going to focus for the next 4 weeks or so on seeing if this whole spot reduction thing works and do spot reduction for my glutes. I’m fairly lean overall so skinfolds are becoming less useful for tracking fat loss, but I still have enough fat on my ass for calipers to be somewhat useful.

I’ll be following the spot reduction method in this article:

Targeted Fat Mobilization

I’ll be combining dumbbell hip thrusts with some type of conditioning exercise. I’ll probably change the conditioning method weekly to keep inefficiency high to optimize fat loss.

I must have some females genes in me because I’ve always carried the most fat on my ass/saddlebags. It’s bizarre - I have veins popping out of my quads, but a super sloppy backside.

Here’s a photo as of today to get an idea of what I look like. I’m not posting my ass, you weirdos - nobody needs to see that mess.

Skinfolds (approximate mm) as of 6/24/23:
Hip: 2-3
Stomach: 3-4
Quad: 2-3
Chest: 1-2
Glute: 8-9 (I’ve been stuck at 8-10 mm for 9 months, whereas the rest have gone down ~50%)
Weight: 214.0 lb
Height: 6’ 3"
Age: 48

The glute isn’t a typical skinfold location, but it’s an area I have a lot of data since it’s been such a trouble spot.

My maintenance calories are about 3,000/day. I’m going to be keeping calories at maintenance and increasing activity to create an energy deficit. The hip thrust/conditioning will be incremental activity to what I’m doing now so in theory most glute fat loss will be attributed to this. I’ll likely add in more daily steps as well.

I weight train every other day. “Off” days are some form of active recovery like band work, mobility work and/or just walking. Maybe 50% of the “off” days I do some sort of Tabata (rower, aerodyne, etc.) if I’m feeling decent.

My eating plan follows this article generally regarding macros:

EOD: The Most Efficient Way to Train and Gain

Training day macros: 235g Protein, 290g Carbs, 100g Fat, 3,000 Cals
Off day macros: 200g Protein 415g Carbs, 60g Fat, 3,000 Cals

I eat a lot of carbs and seem to handle them fairly well regarding body fat. I do a lot of things to manage my insulin response - psyllium, apple cider vinegar, Indigo-3G, potato starch, eating order of vegetable → protein → starch, eat only cooled starches to increase resistant starch content. None are a magic bullet but in combination seem to be effective.

And oh yeah, I take anabolics. The last few months I’ve been doing 200mg/week T, 150mg/week nandrolone, and 25mg/day oxandrolone. I’ve been off oxandrolone for almost 2 weeks. I’ve been on “TRT” since August 2021 (really TOT).

Starting today I’m upping to 400.g/week T, 250mg/week nandrolone, and 50mg/day oxandrolone for the next 4-6 weeks depending on how I respond. I’m limited on upping my dosages based on what I’ve been able to stockpile from my scripts, along with not wanting to have my bloodwork/side effects go completely sideways. My overarching goal is to feel good, not to be hUgE bRo.

My current training progression follows this article:

The Complete Power Look Program

Exercise selection for main lifts are: front squat, trap bar deadlifts, single arm dumbbell incline bench, weighted chin-ups (if elbows aren’t screaming). These have been my core exercises going on over a year. I do a hybrid full body workout that rotates between a push or pull focused workout.

[Andrewgen_Receptors]

In.

@Meathead56

Training day macros: 235g Protein, 290g Carbs, 100g Fat, 3,000 Cals
Off day macros: 200g Protein 415g Carbs, 60g Fat, 3,000 Cals

Question:
Why do you have fats so high on training days? I could make a half compelling argument that your hormonal supplementation means you wouldn’t need even the 60g fats to be totally honest.

I could see changing your macros to coincide with caloric expenditure from training days to non-training days, but I would imagine higher carbs would be more beneficial on training days than rest days.

@Meathead56

Starting today I’m upping to 400.g/week T, 250mg/week nandrolone, and 50mg/day oxandrolone for the next 4-6 weeks depending on how I respond.

Have you had bloodwork done to see how your lipids are faring after having already been on 25mg anavar? You may want to give yourself 1:1 on:off time for anavar usage.

@Meathead56

My overarching goal is to feel good, not to be hUgE bRo.

I’d argue that you probably don’t need test higher than 200mg to achieve this. I would also consider lowering nandrolone to 100-150mg/wk for longevity purposes, and perhaps adding in some Primo.
FWIW, I always felt great when taking L-Carnitine at 200mg/55lbs BW dosage. Would not recommend pharmacy compound as PIP is brutal… Amino Asylum doesn’t sting. This could help with weight loss as well.

Last note: I think if you were to really focus on leaning out (not that you really need to tbh), you’d still find yourself losing fat on your glutes. Alternative: forego your supplement stack for like 2 months and spend that amount on Coolsculpting or Vanquish, considering your intention is targeted fat loss. I’ve considered this for my last little bit of flab from my days of fatassedness.

[Meathead56]

First workout. Article recommended 100 lb dumbbell. LOL not happening. Started easy since I’ve never done this much volume for hip thrusts. I’ll slowly work my way up.

Added in some light kettlebell swings for fun. Did deadlifts yesterday and hamstrings were a little tight so figured it would help them recover.

[Meathead56]

@Andrewgen_Receptors

Why do you have fats so high on training days?

My macros follow what CT recommends in the every other day article I linked. He recommends higher carbs on non-training days. The once I hit the protein requirement, the rest is for fats. I’ve had good success with it so far. I don’t eat any garbage food, which is probably 90% of it regardless of macro split.

@Andrewgen_Receptors

Have you had bloodwork done to see how your lipids are faring after having already been on 25mg anavar?

I just had blood drawn last Thursday. If lipids are sideways, the oxandrolone is gone forever.

@Andrewgen_Receptors

I’d argue that you probably don’t need test higher than 200mg to achieve this.

Agreed. I’ve been feeling good on 200mg/week. I’m in an experimental mood and wanted to see what happens. This isn’t something I’ll do on a regular basis. My guess is I’d need to be in the 600mg/week to really see a big difference in strength/muscle gain.

@Andrewgen_Receptors

I would also consider lowering nandrolone to 100-150mg/wk for longevity purposes

Yes, agree. I usually only do 150mg/week max and occasionally go off. More experimentation for this short period, which might be a waste of time but I want to find out.

@Andrewgen_Receptors

Alternative: forego your supplement stack for like 2 months and spend that amount on Coolsculpting or Vanquish,

I looked at Coolscultping a year ago but I wasn’t lean enough to bother with it. I might look into it again now that I’m fairly lean. If you do it, I’d love to hear about the experience.

I feel like I should be more “ripped” based on my skinfolds, but I guess I’m probably retaining some water from the T and nandrolone. Whatever, I’m not trying to compete. Getting to a truly ripped state sounds like a miserable experience and not something I’m that interested in doing.

RE: spending money. 90% of the money I spend on all this second/third order stuff is for maybe 2% optimization. It’s stupid but I’m a supplement junkie - I can thank TC for that. All I really need is good nutrition and the T.

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.

[Meathead56]

Yesterday’s weight workout. I realized today I should not have done hip thrusts yesterday lol. I’m going to swap out hip thrusts for RDLs moving forward on weight days.

B3W2 Whole Body Hybrid
Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 9:07 AM

Trap Bar Deadlift
Set 1: 425 lb × 5
Set 2: 425 lb × 5
Set 3: 425 lb × 5
Set 4: 425 lb × 5
Set 5: 425 lb × 5

Snatch Grip High Pull (Barbell)
Set 1: 95 lb × 5
Set 2: 95 lb × 5
Set 3: 95 lb × 5
Set 4: 95 lb × 5
Set 5: 95 lb × 5

Hip Thrust (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 90 lb × 5
Set 2: 90 lb × 6
Set 3: 90 lb × 6
Set 4: 90 lb × 6

Bent Over One Arm Row (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 100 lb × 6
Set 2: 100 lb × 6
Set 3: 100 lb × 6
Set 4: 100 lb × 6

Farmer’s Walk
Set 1: 100 lb × 9
Set 2: 140 lb × 9
Set 3: 180 lb × 9

[FlatsFarmer]

Fun experiment! Will you try other spot reduction techniques like using lineament and rubber pants?

[Meathead56]

Rubber pants made me laugh. No, I won’t be wearing them.

I did buy this stuff called Lipoxyderm that is arriving today. There was some sort of “study” done on it that showed it has some efficacy for sedentary women.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.12801

I know I’ll be adding more variables if I use this stuff (along with the change I’m doing to my hormone dosages), but I’m OK with a kitchen sink approach. I’m not doing anything scientific here.

[RT_Nomad]

@Meathead56

Glute: 8-9 (I’ve been stuck at 8-10 mm for 9 months, whereas the rest have gone down ~50%)

IMO, we all have the last area to drop fat (which is also the first area we gain fat). Though I never measured glutes, my last area to lose fat is my upper back. Do you have that measured (as you cannot do it yourself)? Once I got down to a skin fold calculated (9 point test) mid 6% body fat, the only place worth measuring was my upper back.

I don’t take much stock in “spot reducing”, but never saw much need to do so. So there is that.

I wish you well in your quest.

[Meathead56]

@RT_Nomad

Do you have that measured (as you cannot do it yourself)?

If you are referring to my upper back, I’ve never measured that spot.

I measure the glute myself on the right side near the glute/hamstring crease. I’ve been doing this so long, I’m pretty good at measuring the same spots and being fairly consistent in how I do it. I usually take 10 or so readings and just “average” them in my head as I go. The accuracy (and likely precision) of what I’m doing isn’t the greatest but I just care about the trend over time.

[RT_Nomad]

@Meathead56

I just care about the trend over time.

That was what I used the skin fold test to accomplish for a contest cut. The precise % body fat number was unimportant. I went by the mirror. I just wanted to know when I was losing fat and when I wasn’t, so I could adjust my diet. I also used a strength metric, to help me know when I was losing muscle. Once you get good at the skin fold measurements they have good repeatability.

[Meathead56]

Today’s workout was trash. Could barely get through the two main lifts and had to stop. Both were supposed to be 5x5, plus two more accessory lifts.

Doing the fat mobilization hip thrusts and kettlebell swings yesterday made my hamstrings very tight today. I don’t think it really bothered me during the front squats, though. The two sets of front squats I did actually felt pretty good.

This is the second front squat workout in a row that I’ve gotten crazy lightheaded to the point of blacking out on set 2 or 3 after unracking the weight before I even do rep 1. My entire body feels like electricity running through me, a buzzing feeling. I’ve never felt this before and I’ve done weight this heavy in the recent past.

I need to examine my ridiculous supplement list to see what might be causing this.

[Andrewgen_Receptors]

@Meathead56

This is the second front squat workout in a row that I’ve gotten crazy lightheaded to the point of blacking out on set 2 or 3 after unracking the weight before I even do rep 1.

How hard are you bracing?
Are you letting all your air out all at once?

[readalot]

@Meathead56

I’m not posting my ass, you weirdos - nobody needs to see that mess.

Dan Duchaine not approved.

Good luck with the experiments. I guess we will just have to go by the numbers and how you describe the glute improvement.

I am sure you have read this:

Spot Reduction Revisited: Removing Stubborn Thigh Fat - The Blog of Author...

Related:

First Cycle Running Test E, Dbol, and Equipoise

Excellent and inconvenient truth. For many of us that carried excess midsection fat in our early years the reality is it may never go away even after taking overall BF levels below 10% There are a few options I can think of but even after going to 6% BF what I learned is that most of that last bit of fat was around my lower back. Extremely frustrating. Coolsculpting. Not without risk and havent tried it yet. Liposuction. Various creams that may have some limited efficacy. Death. I will sp…

Given the coolsculpting and lipo some consideration. Coolsculpting results seem underwhelming but people like you or me would seem to be ideal candidates. Then there is the paradoxical fat response. I dont think I would like that.

https://www.andersonsobelcosmetic.com/blog/how-common-is-paradoxical-adipose-hyperplasia-after-coolsculpting/

[Meathead56]

I’m bracing quite hard. This is the breathing I’ve been doing for going on a couple years and it’s never been a problem for me:

1. Deep inhale just prior to unracking
2. Fully brace entire body and unrack; quickly set feet while exhaling fully
3. Deep inhale and hold breath while bracing entire body
4. Perform controlled negative, maybe 2 seconds (I go almost ATG, basically calf just touching hamstring)
5. About 1/4 out of the bottom, I begin to exhale forcefully to top position
6. Repeat at 3 for rest of reps.

Maybe now that I’m bumping up the reps (each block increase every 10 days is +1 rep per set - 3, 4, 5, 6) and I’m at 5 reps, I’m hitting some sort of nervous system circuit breaker and my brain thinks I’ll die if I don’t stop. I had none of this at the training block with 4 sets. I don’t know, the buzzing is a weird feeling I’ve never had before.

Another guess is it’s one (or a combo) of the 14,000 supplements I’m taking that is messing with my blood pressure.

[Meathead56]

@readalot

I guess we will just have to by the numbers and how you describe the glute improvement.

You’ll have to just be satisfied with the photo of me in my underwear.

@readalot

Then there is the paradoxical fat response.

Thanks for this. I’m out on Colsculpting. Not a risk I’d want to take even at 1% occurrence.

[Meathead56]

No workout yesterday as I needed a break. Just walked and got in 12,479 steps.

Had to cut today’s workout short due to family obligations. I really need to unload those boat anchors. They keep impacting my gains bro.

I now feel a small tweak super deep in my right groin area. No idea how I did it. My body is made of glass. I’ve been a walking injury my entire life.

I was going to do the hip thrust/conditioning circuit as a finisher today but ran out of time. I’ll do it tomorrow on my “off” day.

I started using the topical Lipoxyderm on the keester a few days ago. Not too greasy and makes your skin feel warm.

Today’s workout:

[Meathead56]

Quick session today with just the operation fat ass circuit and a few kettlebell swings.

I have fairly heavy front squats tomorrow and want to be recovered. I stopped all the supplements a few days ago that jack with blood pressure so I’m hoping the near blackout experience I’ve had recently with front squats goes away.

[Dani_Shugart]

@Meathead56

My body is made of glass. I’ve been a walking injury my entire life.

Samsies. This is a fun log!

I hope the intensity and frequency of these spot reduction workouts isn’t interfering with your recovery and causing niggling injuries. The vision going dark thing is something I can relate to, and it tends to gets worse when I’m under-recovered.

For the record, a bigger behind is on trend for men too.

[readalot]

@Dani_Shugart

bigger behind is on trend

I hope this is what we all have in mind.

RIP!

@Meathead56

You’ll have to just be satisfied with the photo of me in my underwear.

Was a 90s joke. From my reading I take it that Dan would need hard physical evidence or at least some quality pics with good lighting. Excellent skin also helps.

[Dani_Shugart]

@readalot

I hope this is what we all have in mind.

I’m not sure we all have that in mind. If a wife tries to grab her husband’s butt, and it’s striated and as hard as a table, it’s probably not going to be super rewarding. A completely flat butt would be equally disappointing. But a strong athletic butt (whether it’s a little bigger or smaller) is great. I get the sense men can relate to this.

Think I’m done talking about butts though. haha