Yes, thanks for checking in Ryan.
I’ve had little time to do much else due to other circumstances. However, schedule opened up again so double sessions may be in order after the Holidays. If that is the case, it will be HFS at the AM session and structural work or tire dragging at the earling afternoon session.
I am enjoying it, as doing squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press 5 to 6 days a week is more than enough to maintain and improve my body.
Subscribed. I’ve got a goal to be at or near contest condition by the first of May next year. I don’t know if I actually want to be a bodybuilder but I’d like to look a lot more like one than I do now. We’ll see…
I’m trying to follow CT’s HP Mass protcol, and I’m trying to drop weight. I probably have a lot more spare change around the waist than you do, but I’m going to use your thread to keep me inspired and motivated. Check out my log under the training log section if you want.
Are you going to put up pics before you start you cut.
I agree HFS is great. I love starting my workouts with it. It gets me fired up for my foundational work for the day.
@ nschneid
Thanks for checking in, I posted in your log. Good luck with your goal, I want to be inspired by you as well, so you gotta stop two day long carb ups. : )
@ ryan
You are right, I should put up some pictures. I actually started the cut on December 5th…well that was the planned day, but I was sick as a dog that day. I was losing weight but not as planned.
As I posted above, during a recent sickness I dropped 8 pounds. However, leading up to that, due to some training/dietary changes, I felt like my mass gain wasn’t going as well as it could. So I felt softer than normal and than I lost the weight and felt small too. It sucked. During the sickness, my wife shows me a picture of myself with my shirt off from late August. I looked lean and big. It made me feel like I had just spun my wheels from September through November. I was ticked off at myself and not happy with how I looked.
I probably over reacted. I am up 1.5 pounds from the sickness and looking better, so now I am SLIGHTLY less neurotic about how I look. With a show coming up, it was frustrating.
That said, it would be helpful to see where I am at. Pictures are always revealing.
Forgot to mention above, I am excited to try out the new holds and ring work, but trying to wait for the article and videos is excruciating.
Just read this by CT in the training lab:
“of course! The farther away you try to push past what your body is ‘‘supposed’’ to be weighing in a normal (no training) state, the harder it is to push your weight up. That’s why I stopped focusing on weight but rather on performance”
Funny reading this now, I was just thinking that I had hit 200 pounds plus for the 3rd time in my life and each time it was as if I couldn’t get any higher. No matter how much I ate (and at one point I was at 6000 calories, no typo, that was a six), I couldn’t gain. Plus, after the mid 190’s, I just felt soft as if the weight gain wasn’t as effective.
After this cut, I will not worry so much about getting to any specific number in terms of bodyweight. In fact, I will probably remain on the lighter side of things. If I can gradually add some mass, great, if not, I am not going to worry about it. The grocery bill was simply too darn high trying to push my body outside of its comfort zone.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
25 lbs in 17 weeks is easy, but the bottom line will be how thin your skin looks at the end. A Rushed weight drop will not give your skin time to ‘thin out’. However, hitting your target weight (and looking shredded at it) a couple of weeks early will allow your ultimate appearance to really take on a ‘hard’ look if you handle things correctly.
S[/quote]
Stu. Just wondering if you could elucidate on this point? Is it not a matter of just losing more fat or subcutaneous water? I have no experience in getting as lean as either of you two but am currently working my way toward it.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Just read this by CT in the training lab:
“of course! The farther away you try to push past what your body is ‘‘supposed’’ to be weighing in a normal (no training) state, the harder it is to push your weight up. That’s why I stopped focusing on weight but rather on performance”
Funny reading this now, I was just thinking that I had hit 200 pounds plus for the 3rd time in my life and each time it was as if I couldn’t get any higher. No matter how much I ate (and at one point I was at 6000 calories, no typo, that was a six), I couldn’t gain. Plus, after the mid 190’s, I just felt soft as if the weight gain wasn’t as effective.
After this cut, I will not worry so much about getting to any specific number in terms of bodyweight. In fact, I will probably remain on the lighter side of things. If I can gradually add some mass, great, if not, I am not going to worry about it. The grocery bill was simply too darn high trying to push my body outside of its comfort zone.[/quote]
Glad to see someone at your level (and CTs) attesting to this. Its not simply a matter of “eat big, lift big and dont worry about losing your abs because you can always cut later.” For some, especially at a naturally slender build, at a certain point it seems like ALL FAT AND NO MUSCLE and starts to become counter-productive.
Best of luck on you contest prep, I’ll be following along.
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
Glad to see someone at your level (and CTs) attesting to this. Its not simply a matter of “eat big, lift big and dont worry about losing your abs because you can always cut later.” For some, especially at a naturally slender build, at a certain point it seems like ALL FAT AND NO MUSCLE and starts to become counter-productive.
Best of luck on you contest prep, I’ll be following along.[/quote]
Thanks for checking in. I guess I need to accept my naturally slender build. The funny thing is, I thought my fast metabolism and ectomorphic tendencies would help alleviate fat gain, yet I definitely put on more fat than I am comfortable with.
Well, I took pictures. And I am not too happy.
Definitely feel like I put on mostly fat. Maybe a bit of arm and leg size.
To see previous pictures, go to the beginning of this thread and click on the link to my old thread.
1 positive regarding these pictures - the BEARD!
Oh, and forgive the posing…
(to see this picture bigger: http://www.flickr.com/photos/commander2/6551302617/in/photostream )
Arms definitely looking thicker.
S
Front Lat - I look like a dear in headlights
Bigger: http://www.flickr.com/photos/commander2/6551300473/in/photostream
Only pose that I look stupider than this is the front double bi, my thin abs disappear even when I am lean and my arms are non-existent.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Arms definitely looking thicker.
S[/quote]
You are too kind Stu!
You posted pretty quick, before I got the other ones up, curious what you think of the legs.
lol, posted after only seeing the 1st pic! Looking at the above shot (front lat), your quad sweep looks much improved as well. (I need to make that kind of leg improvement myself!)
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
lol, posted after only seeing the 1st pic! Looking at the above shot (front lat), your quad sweep looks much improved as well. (I need to make that kind of leg improvement myself!)
S[/quote]
That’s a positive, goals were to improve arms and legs as I felt those were my weakest points (while obviously respecting the fact that I need more size in general).
Probably put more focus on upperbody for the next few months.
This thread is highly motivational.
I have very similar conditioning as well as height and build as to what you started with in '09 before your epic cut. Just to know that you got to such an amazing physique with dedication and consistency is inspirational.
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
This thread is highly motivational.
I have very similar conditioning as well as height and build as to what you started with in '09 before your epic cut. Just to know that you got to such an amazing physique with dedication and consistency is inspirational.
[/quote]
Thanks Colin, that means a lot.
You are exactly right, it took dedication and consistency. People look at you weird when you don’t over indulge your self and have discipline, but you have to push through. Keep in mind, I’m not talking about neurotic, I can still enjoy myself, I just keep my goals in mind and keep limits on myself.
I hope you follow along.
Interested to see what your plans are for the coming weeks…
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
Interested to see what your plans are for the coming weeks…[/quote]
Here is the gist of it (sorry, it’s not very exciting):
Mostly monitoring weight and making sure the scale is moving down while performance in the gym is either stable or improving.
If that is happening, then I can safely assume that I am maintaining muscle mass and losing fat.
However, to be more specific, after seeing my pictures, I did change some things. I am still doing HFS, however, I switched from:
Everyday - Bench, Squat, OH, Deadlift
To…
Day 1 - Squat, Bench, OH
Day 2 - Bench, Deadlift, OH
I did this because I felt like I needed more upperbody mass in comparison to my lower body. I effectively halved my lower body volume to keep them on maintenance while I am actually hoping to slightly improve my upperbody with some additional volume.
The additional upperbody volume is coming in the form of ring progressions. I was too excited to wait for the article (hopefully in the 2nd week of January). Am I doing it right? Not sure, but I think I am close, based on watching Synergy’s video and CT’s critique of it and reading the training lab spills daily.
I pick one lift each day to go heavier in and keep the others at a “base” weight that I used day in and day out. I strive to add a small amount to the base weight weekly while still respecting that fact that CT said explosiveness should be the main focus. Rep scheme is 3 or 4 sets of 5.
I am employing holds and various lat/upperback/bicep work as active rest as well.
After being sick, my weight went back up to about 194 and currently I am at about 191. I feel good, already seeing additional definition and waist is getting tighter. I am right where I need to be currently.
So you are doing 3 compound movements per day, 7 days per week? Sounds pretty intense.
Not familiar with the ring holds, but best of luck.
I started a 5 month cut on Monday, that was solidified by your journey so far. Scale weight be damned, Its time to finally find out what actual muscle is under this flab.
