January 24, 2023
Weight: 205.2 lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Lat Pulldowns – 115x6, 145x6, 175x8,5, 130x15,9
Incline DB Bench Press – 50x8, 70x6, 90x8,6
Seated SB Shoulder Press – 50x6, 70x6
Incline EZ Bar Triceps Extensions – 60x8, 80x12,8
HS Seated Rows – 140x6, 190x6, 240x7,5
Cable Standing Reverse Flyes – 10x8, 20x15, 10
Cable Leaning Lateral Raises – 10x10, 15x13,8
Cable Straight Bar Curls – 40x8, 55x8, 70x8,5
Total Daily Steps: 16,224
Cardio: Bike
Time – 31:08
Distance – 16.12 km
Resistance Level – 22/100
Nutrition
Calories: 2543
Protein: 150
Carbs: 201
Fat: 126.5
I rested less between sets than I normally do on all of my lifts, and the weights/reps were still ok. Heart rate was much higher during the workout and I managed to finish all exercises in my lunch workout. I’ll keep doing it this way.
I went for higher reps, better form/slower tempo, and less weight on the cable shoulder stuff, I feel like this will hit the muscles better and not like those are gonna be sources of PRs anyway.
1 Like
January 25, 2023
Weight: 204.4 lbs
Weights: Lower Body
Seated Leg Curls – 145x6, 180x6, 215x7,5
Squats – 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x8,8,6,4
Romanian Deadlifts – 45x8, 95x8, 135x5, 175x6,6
Leg Press – 360x5, 450x5, 540x8,6
Standing Calf Raise Machine – 200x20, 300x20,20 [form on last 2 reps were kind of bouncy though]
Leg Extensions – 185x6, 235x6, 285x6,5
Cardio - OFF
Total Daily Steps: 10,142
Nutrition
Calories: 2058
Protein: 203.5
Carbs: 99.5
Fat: 94
This was an early morning workout, and I think I only really woke up on the second work set of squats. Also ran out of steam towards the end, but I’m glad I didn’t skip any exercises. Form on squats felt better than normal the whole way through.
1 Like
January 26, 2023
Weight: 203.8 lbs
Weights: OFF
Cardio - Bike
Time - 30:04
Distance - 15.53 km
Resistance Level - 22/100
Total Daily Steps: 12,039
Nutrition
Calories: 2456
Protein: 165.8
Carbs: 187.4
Fat: 115.9
1 Like
January 27, 2023
Weight: 203.8 lbs
Weights: OFF
Cardio: Bike
Time – 30:08
Distance – 15.47 km
Resistance – 22/100
Total Daily Steps: 14,988
Nutrition
Calories: 2143
Protein: 150
Carbs: 168.5
Fat: 96.5
1 Like
January 28, 2023
Weight: 203.8 lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Lat Pulldowns – 115,6, 145,6, 175x10 [rep PR]
HS Seated Rows – 140x6, 190x6, 240x7,5
Cable Straight Bar Curls – 40x8, 55x6, 70x10 [rep PR], 50x10 (slow tempo)
Seated DB Shoulder Press – 35x8, 55x5, 75x9
Incline EZ Bar Triceps Extensions – 60x8, 80x17 [rep PR],10
Cable Rope Pushdowns – 50x8,8
Cable Standing Reverse Flyes – 10x8, 15x16,12
Cable Leaning Lateral Raises – 10x6, 15x12,8
HS Shoulder Press – 120x10, 160x13,9
Cardio: Bike
Time – 30:06
Distance – 15.55 km
Resistance – 22/100
Total Daily Steps: 11,230
Nutrition
Calories: 2025
Protein: 179
Carbs: 127.5
Fat: 88.8
I skipped the DB Incline bench press – going forward, I want to focus on the shoulder press on one upper body day, and the incline on the other day. Want to focus a bit more on my shoulders. I have a feeling that will actually lead to my DB incline bench press going up anyway. Today I didn’t kick up the DBs well enough on the DB shoulder press, most likely because I did back and biceps exercises right before. But had I kicked up the DBs, I think I would’ve rep PR’ed on those too. I’ll get those next time.
Other than the above, solid workout.
1 Like
January 29, 2023
Weight: 203.6 lbs
Weights: Lower Body
Squats – 45x5, 95x3, 135x3,3, 160x5, 185x5, 210x3, 155x10,10
Romanian Deadlifts – 45x8, 95x6, 135x5, 175x8,6
Seated Leg Curls – 145x6, 180x6, 215x7,5
Leg Press – 360x6, 450x6, 540x8,7
Standing Calf Raise Machine – 200x20, 300x20,20
Leg Extensions – 186x6, 235x6, 285x8,5
Cardio: OFF
Total Daily Steps: 10,469
Nutrition
Calories: 2572
Protein: 227
Carbs: 177.5
Fat: 106
Pretty shitty workout today. I slept terribly (around 4 hours) the night before and could not get into the workout. Did not get the 5 required reps at 210 for squats and had no gas for a widowmaker with 155 and did 2x10 instead (I’ve done 20 reps with this before). It had to have been the lack of sleep, because I had a much better leg day on Wednesday.
Even though it was probably a lack of sleep that led to the squats not working, I’m gonna lower the training max by 10 lbs and restart the 5/3/1 cycle next week. I don’t want to just barely make the prescribed reps - or worse, miss like today. By the end of the year it won’t matter much that I dropped 10 pounds from the TM in January. Especially on a diet.
1 Like
Week 4, 2023 – Summary
Weight: 202.6 lbs (-4.2lbs from last week)
Waist: 36.25” (-1.25” from last week)
Average Daily Steps: 12,787
Nutrition Weekly Averages
Calories: 2308
Protein: 184.4
Carbs: 159.2
Fat: 103.7
Mirror/Pics: Looked progressively better throughout the week in the mirror. Pics this week look more muscular (not smaller) than last week. Better, just not smaller.
Stress (inc. Work) and Mood: Work was ok, mood was good throughout the week.
Appetite: Definitely some moments of hunger this week, but other than Sunday evening, they were fairly minor.
Workout Quality and Activity: Upper body days went well, as did Wednesday’s lower body day. Sunday’s lower body day sucked but it was almost surely from sleeping only 4 hours the night before. Cardio sessions all went great, no complaints there. And I did a great job with the daily step count.
Take Home Points/Next Steps:
- Aim for 2 Squat Form + Core Days (like Monday, where I did squats + some ab exercises) in addition to the 2 upper body and 2 lower body lifting days. The 2 Squat Form + Core days will be Monday and Friday. More form practice will be good for me, and and some core work makes more sense now that I think I’ll actually be able to see my abs growing lol. And these days will add to my weekly activity.
- No skipping any exercises on lower body day, even if busy. I didn’t skip any this week; I need to keep this up.
- Do whatever you can to beat the logbook on lower body day. I didn’t do that at all last week. And if I don’t set PRs on leg press, RDLs, etc., then I can’t expect to PR on the squats.
- Consider investing in a pre-workout supplement – this is to avoid days like Sunday, where my lifts and energy throughout the workout were ruined by a lack of sleep. Hopefully a good pre-workout helps me survive a night of bad sleep.
- Cardio Bike Sessions: I’m not going to increase the time, speed, or even resistance next week as originally planned. I did notice my average heart rate dropped throughout the week while keeping my speed and resistance the same. I want to get my HR low enough for it to quality as aerobic/zone 2 cardio, and then from there I can progress by increasing time or resistance. Cardio is still a secondary goal, and I would love for it to be so relaxing I can listen to podcasts while I do it. Right now I have to listen to music to motivate me through the workout.
1 Like
January 30, 2023
Weight: 202.6 lbs
Weights: Squat Form, Core
Seated Leg Curls - 100x8, 145x8, 190x13,6
Vertical Knee Raises - 3x10
Squats - 45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 155x3,3,3,3,3,3
Standing Calf Raise Machine - 200x20, 300x20,20
Cardio - OFF
Total Daily Steps:
Nutrition
Calories: 2159
Protein: 156
Carbs: 175.5
Fat: 92.5
1 Like
January 31, 2023
Weight: 202.2 lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Seated DB Shoulder Press - 35x8, 55x6, 75x12,6
Incline EZ Bar Extensions - 60x10,80x11,7
HS Incline Press - 100x8, 150x8, 200x6,5
DB Lateral Raises - 30x8, 40x8
Cable Rope Pullovers - 50x8, 60x8, 70x6, 50x7
HS Seated Rows - 140x8, 190x6, 240x7,5
Machine Preacher Curls - 100x10, 135x8, 170x7,6
Cardio - Bike
Time - 30:06
Distance - 15.38
Resistance - 22/100
Total Daily Steps: 10,516
Nutrition
Calories: 2568
Protein: 166
Carbs: 191.5
Fat: 125.5
Went to the gym during peak hours (5PM) so exercise selection and order weren’t the best, but overall the workout was a good one aside from maybe the reps being a tad low. Glad I had a good workout because the workday that preceded it sucked 
Funny how sometimes the gym will let you turn a bad day into a good one.
Average heart rate continues to drop on the bike sessions, can’t wait for it to be down in aerobic/zone 2 range so I can add time, or do in the morning fasted.
1 Like
February 1, 2023
Weight: 202.4
Weights: Lower Body
Squats - 45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x8,8,6,4
Romanian Deadlifts - 135x6, 175x6,6
Leg Press - 360x6, 450x5, 540x6
Cardio: OFF
Total Daily Steps: 16,313
Nutrition
Calories: 2412
Protein: 158
Carbs: 233.5
Fat: 98.5
Had a short lunch due to work meetings, as such my lunch workout was pretty short too. I will make up for this.
1 Like
It’s been a long time since I updated this. But, I need some accountability right now, and this log gave me that while I was updating it, so here I am.
In brief: I will be updating this thing regularly as I want to close out the year at around 185lbs, and I’m currently around 197lbs. I eventually want to shift my training focus to more of a focus on general health (meaning cardio in addition to strength training, but maybe more focus on cardio), after I hit the weight goal. The plan is to get to 185lbs in the next 4 weeks, which would be right before the week of Christmas.
Longer - Updates on how training has been, and what I’ll do for the next 4 weeks:
- Although I didn’t update this thing, I kept training, and eating well enough to get down to weighing 186-188lbs throughout the end of August. September I still stayed around 190, but then in October when work got busy, I let my eating slip (although thankfully, training never slipped), and my weight went up to around 195-197lbs most days. That’s where I am now as well. So, still better than the 202lbs I was when I last updated this, but definitely worse than I was over the summer.
- I stopped tracking my calories, but I actually kept losing weight throughout the summer (albeit at a slower pace) and it was easier for me. That said, since I obviously slipped up with this approach in the last month or two, I will track my calories and macros for the next 4 weeks, with maybe some exceptions for a couple days provided I still track what I eat and be responsible.
- I still never got around to adding cardio on my bike as a regular training item. I do want to shift my focus in training to cardio and general health (in addition to strength), so I will start phasing the bike into my training in the next month or two. This isn’t a big focus or a must have in the next four weeks, however.
- A few months back, I started getting insane pain above my knees – both of them, but more on the left side – and basically stopped squatting as a result. It seems like what I had was quad tendinopathy (hope I said that right) given the symptoms, and I think the root cause was squatting too frequently and maybe bouncing a lot on the bottom of my squats? Not 100% sure but something caused it. The pain is gone and has been gone for more than a month now. I want to slowly reintroduce squatting in the next few weeks, gradually increasing volume/intensity. That is, unless the pain resumes. If it turns out that I can’t squat without that pain resuming, I’ll just take them out for good. I can get strong legs without squats, too.
- Main form of non-lifting activity will be walking (10k daily step goal) but might replace this once it starts snowing here (which was technically this week but I mean sustained snow that doesn’t immediately melt on the same day).
Basically, the above says that my training and nutrition will be similar to what it was when I last updated this log. This is more disciplined than I was last few months when I wasn’t updating this, though, so it is a change for me.
I’ll be doing the weekly updates I was doing in this log as well. Here are the numbers for this past Monday (Day 1) and next week I’ll be able to add more commentary:
Day 1 Stats: November 27, 2023
Weight: 196.6lbs
Waist: 34.5 inches
3 Likes
Monday, November 27, 2023
Weight: 196.6 lbs
Weights: Bonus Light Leg Day
Leg Extensions – 155x10, 205x8, 255x8, 305x9,6
Seated Leg Curls – 120x10, 170x6, 220x11,8, 200x10
Standing Calf Raise Machine – 300x20, 400x20,15
Pause Squats – 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 155x5, 185x5,5,3,3
Captain’s Chair Leg Raises – 18, 18, 18, 18, 19
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 12,331
Nutrition
Calories: 2298
Protein: 164
Carbs: 195.5
Fat: 95.5
Notes:
- My actual leg days are Wednesday and Sunday, but I’ll probably come in on Mondays and Fridays after work (whenever work permits) as it’s a fun way to get some extra activity in
- First time squatting in months. I kept it light, and these were paused as I think that will help my tendons acclimate to squatting again. So far so good – no pain the next day. I think once I get used to the lift again it’ll get easier because the 185lbs felt heavy. I think my best (somewhere earlier in this log) was only 245 for reps anyway, so I can get back there quick assuming no recurring pain.
- I do the leg extensions with a 1-3 second pause on the bottom (3 seconds on the lighter sets, and closer to a 1 second pause on the heavier ones). I have been doing these early in my lower body days ever since the quad tendon issues, as they reduce any pain. Not sure I need to do it like this anymore as the pain isn’t there anymore, but abundance of caution and all that. Plus, I think the pause makes it a better quad exercise.
- 18 rep sets worked for the leg raises, will try or 19 rep sets on these next time. Once I get to 5x20 on these, I’ll either add weight or do something else to make them harder (like slow eccentrics). Ab training sucks, and this is all I am willing to do right now haha.
2 Likes
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Weight: 197.0 lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Lat Pulldowns – 115x10, 145x6, 175x12,9, 160x9
Chest Supported Rows – 45x10, 90x8, 125x10,8
Incline DB Bench Press – 50x10,70x6,90x10,5
Seated DB Shoulder Press – 50x6, 75x7,5
Cable EZ Bar Pushdowns – 55x10, 80x8, 105x6,6
Cable EZ Bar Pullovers – 45x8, 55x8, 65x8,6
Cable EZ Bar Curls – 40x10, 60x10, 80x8,6
Cable Reverse Flyes – 15x10, 25x13,12
Cable Lateral Raises – 10x10, 20x11,7
Total Daily Steps: 15,732
Nutrition
Calories: 2505
Protein: 175
Carbs: 210.5
Fat: 107
Notes:
- Was really tired at the end of this despite taking a preworkout, I think it’s because of a lack of sleep last few days more than anything
- I’m tempted to increase the weight on the Incline DB Bench next time. I got 12 reps with 90 last Saturday, and 10 this time on the first set. Our DBs at out gym only go to 100lbs, so will look cool once I finally use the biggest DBs on bench
- I’ll lower the weight on the pushdowns and curls next time. Those are smaller exercises and shouldn’t be sub 10 on the first work set
3 Likes
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Weight: 195.8lbs
Weights: Lower Body
Leg Extensions – 205x8, 255x6, 305x10,8
Seated Leg Curls – 125x6, 175x6, 225x8,6
RDLs – 135x6, 205x6, 260x10,6 [weight PR]
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 11,109
Nutrition
Calories: 2896
Protein: 150
Carbs: 254.5
Fat: 142
Notes:
- Had to rush this workout due to work (35 mins vs. the normal 1.5 hrs), I was hoping to at least get Leg Press, RDLs, Leg Curls, Leg Extensions, and calf raises, but I missed the leg press and calves. I’m glad I did the extra work on Monday as I still did a decent amount of leg work so far this week
- If not for the rush I think it would be a good workout, I felt great despite shorter rest between sets
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Weight: 194.8lbs
Weights: OFF
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 5,670
Nutrition
Calories: 3158
Protein: 151
Carbs: 291.5
Fat: 155
Thursdays are always off days since I am in the office but I should have gotten the daily step goal in.
The last couple of days, calories were a bit high, too, protein could have been higher, and carbs were a bit high, too. Will fix.
3 Likes
Friday, December 1, 2023
Weight: 194.4lbs
Weights: OFF
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 10,495
Nutrition
Calories: 2119
Protein: 146.4
Carbs: 202.8
Fat: 80.2
Missed a chance to do some cardio on the bike, but weight was dropping steadily without, so I’m not beating myself up about it.
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Weight: 194.2lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Lat Pulldowns - 120x10, 150x6, 180x9,7 [weight PR], 160x13
Incline DB Bench Press - 55x8, 75x6, 95x7,6 [weight PR]
Seated DB Shoulder Press - 55x6, 75x8,5
Chest Supported Rows - 45x10, 90x6, 130x10,8
Cable Rope Pushdowns - 50x8, 70x8, 85x6,4
Cable EZ Bar Pullovers - 45x8, 55x8, 65x9,7 [rep PR]
Cable Reverse Flyes - 17.5x10, 27.5x12,9 [weight PR]
Cable Lateral Raises - 10x10, 20x13,9 [rep PR]
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 19,588
Nutrition
Calories: 2366
Protein: 171
Carbs: 196.5
Fat: 99.5
Notes:
-
fantastic workout, quite a few PRs including on the big lifts, and even a lot of the lifts that weren’t actual PRs were still the best I’ve lifted in 1-2 months, like the shoulder press and chest supported rows. I won’t get used to this, but it is nice to have workouts like this while losing weight. It probably won’t be like this in a couple weeks haha
-
good amount of steps today. This is tougher lately because it is starting to be too cold here for comfortable walking outside. I’m currently looking for a compact walking pad treadmill I can have at home and maybe even use under my desk,
-
I slept like a baby the night before and was better rested than I normally am for a workout, and that probably helped
-
I should lower the weight more on cable pushdowns if I am using the rope. I’m a lot weaker with the rope than the EZ bar
-
I cooked a bunch of chicken breasts in my air fryer on Saturday, so I shouldn’t be having the problem of protein being too low and calories too high that I had on Wednesday and Thursday. For at least the next week, and then I can just make some more
3 Likes
Sunday December 3, 2023
Weight: 193.8 lbs
Weights: Lower Body
Seated Leg Curls - 125x10, 175x6, 225x8,6, 195x8
Leg Extensions - 155x10, 205x8, 255x6, 305x10,7 [rep PR]
Leg Press - 270x6, 360x6, 450x5, 530x8,6
Captain’s Chair Leg Raises - 18,18,18,18,19 [rep PR]
Standing Calf Raise Machine - 300x20, 400x20,18,10
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 10,693
Nutrition
Calories: 2517
Protein: 177
Carbs: 193.5
Fat: 115
Notes:
- Not as good as Saturday’s upper body session, but this was a solid workout. Only the leg curls were kind of disappointing, otherwise the other lifts were good.
3 Likes
November 27 - December 3: Weekly Summary
Weight: 193.0 lbs (-3.6 lbs from last week)
Waist: 33.75” (-0.75” from last week)
Average Daily Steps: 12,228
Cardio Sessions: None
Nutrition Daily Averages:
- Calories: 2552
- Protein: 162
- Carbs: 220
- Fat: 113
Notes/Take Home Points
- Solid progress on weight. I was expecting something between 3 and 4 lbs lost in the first week and this was basically right in the middle. The weight drop throughout the week was steady, with a little bit each day, which was nice from a psychological perspective to not see my weight jumping around a lot.
- I was expecting a full inch off the waist, so a bit less progress than expected there. I noticed this morning I looked a bit more bloated than last night, which is weird since normally first thing in the morning is when I am least bloated.
- I had a couple of less than ideal days on nutrition last week, and this had more to do with me not having quality food at home than giving into temptation. I’ll be more proactive in cooking good food ahead of time and planning my meals this week.
- I was hungry at times this week, particularly in the evening but it was a mild hunger and was not very frequent. Nothing that was too hard to ignore and nothing unexpected.
- I think I can keep the average calories this week the same at around 2500, but I will try to increase my daily activity, largely through daily step count (need to seriously get that walking pad or add treadmill walking after strength training), and getting a couple of extra light lifting days or exercise bike sessions in.
- I’ll also aim to get over 175g of protein every day this week
- Workout quality was mostly good to great, aside from the one workout I had to cut short on Wednesday due to time constraints (and I felt strong that day, too).
- Sleep and work stress could be better, but some of this is out of my control
2 Likes
Monday, December 4, 2023
Weight: 193.0 lbs
Weights: Bonus Day
Lying Leg Curls - 100x10, 130x10, 150x7,6, 120x10
Leg Extensions - 155x10, 205x10, 255x8, 305x7,6
Standing Calf Raise Machine - 300x20, 400x20,13,10
GHD Back Extensions - 10, 15, 15, 15, 15
Captain’s Chair Leg Raises - 20, 20, 15, 15, 15
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 11,276
Nutrition
Calories: 2266
Protein: 177.7
Carbs: 173.8
Fat: 95.5
Notes:
-
another bonus day at the gym, these are kind of a fun way to burn some more calories, probably because they are low pressure (to get PRs)
-
did some similar exercises as Sunday, so no surprise but I didn’t get as many reps on leg extensions, leg raises, calf raises, etc.
-
I wanted to get some light squats in like last week, but the entire time I was in the gym the squat racks were all occupied. I will try and get some in on Wednesday’s leg day at the end instead.
-
I felt some weird tightness in my left hamstring on the first set of GHD back extensions, hence stopping at 10 instead of 15. But same as the leg raises, I want to get to 5x20 on those with bodyweight and then add resistance or find some way to make them harder.
2 Likes
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Weight: 194.8 lbs
Weights: Upper Body
Incline DB Bench Press - 55x10, 75x6, 95x6,4
Seated DB Shoulder Press - 50x6, 75x9,5
Lat Pulldown - 120x10, 150x6, 180x9,6, 165x10
Chest Supported Rows - 45x10, 90x8, 135x9,6
Machine Preacher Curls - 100x8, 130x8, 160x6,5
Cable EZ Bar Pushdowns - 50x10, 75x10, 100x9,8
Cable EZ Bar Pullovers - 45x8, 55x8, 65x10,7 [rep PR]
Cable Reverse Flyes - 17.5x10, 30x9,7 [weight PR]
Cable Lateral Raises - 12.5x10, 22.5x7 [weight PR], 20x11
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 13,000 (on the dot, somehow)
Nutrition
Calories: 2387
Protein: 190.2
Carbs: 171.1
Fat: 104.6
Notes:
-
rather large fluctuation in weight yesterday. Not too worried as I slept terribly the night before (about 3 hours) which probably hurt recovery. I lose weight better when I sleep better.
-
My weight is down a tad today (Wednesday) but still higher than Monday. Normal stuff, of course. I’ll worry if it is like this for a few more days. But I am doing well on diet and activity, so this should eventually even out. Or I will adjust calories/activity.
-
Okish workout today. Some PRs on the smaller isolation lifts - hopefully these translate to some PRs on the bigger compound ones in the next week.
2 Likes
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Weight: 194.2 lbs
Weights: Lower Body
Seated Leg Curls - 125x10, 175x6, 225x11,7, 195x11
Leg Press - 270x6, 360x6, 450x6, 530x10,7
RDLs - 45x10, 95x8, 135x6, 205x6, 265x10,9 [weight PR]
Standing Calf Raise Machine - 300x20, 400x12,14, 13
Leg Extensions - 155x6, 205x6, 255x6, 305x8,6
Captain’s Chair Leg Raises - 19,19,19,19,19 [rep PR]
Cardio: N/A
Total Daily Steps: 12,327
Nutrition
Calories: 2611
Protein: 178.2
Carbs: 196.3
Fat: 123.7
Notes:
-
solid workout. A couple of PRs, along with a lot of lifts where I did better than the prior leg day.
-
forgot to do some form work on squats. I’m realizing that as I write this, which is also after I got home from the gym today. Will do on Friday.
2 Likes