Lean 2 Bills Pt. 4 - Synchronicity

Training Logs
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Life’s a garden, dig it. -Joe Dirt

Hi I’m Matt & glad to get know you all. 38 years young & back in the gym for 2months as of yesterday. Starting a journal in here to have a place to log my fitness progressions, as my little sister is pretty sick of hearing about my gainzzz.

Little background… Born with great genetics, never been fatter than I am now @~10%. Moms side powerlifter polish Russian bear types. Dad’s side scrawny anglo-sprinter types. Highschool athlete & briefly competitive cyclist in my late teens. Sat around & ate like shit for 15 years till my early 30’s & started playing a ton of basketball & was on a push-up/pull up just for a year or so. @35 was in best shape of my life, 175lb & leeean. Baaaad knee injury & being on the ibuprofen & thrift store splint/crutches insurance plan, had to rehab myself. @37, I was mobile & strong(?) from being a farmer & I re-did my knee.

Fast forward 6months & I’m ending a terrible relationship, loaded with antibiotics from a dogbite that was just a little resistant. I do nothing. I sit. I exist on some spinach sardines coffee & swiss cheese. I was miserable. I found a scale at my mother’s house (staying with mom trying to help right her health ship - cancer, teeth, nerve surgery, mental issues, etc…) & scale tells me I’m 155lb. I’m fucking almost 6’2". Check out my abs bro.

Pull up bar? Check! Elevated push-ups? Check! Maaad tuna & rice? Check! 2 weeks of soreness & eating & I was 157-160lb but feeling better. So joined a gym for the first time ever after 2weeks of at least moving & eating. Spent first 3 weeks being scared of the iron & did machines & push-ups & pullups. Then I squatted for the first time ever. Uhhh may zing. Hipflexors like whoa! I’m thrilled that I can go parallel with no knee pain.

6weeks under barbells & dumbbells, doing compound movements on a push/pull/legs split & staying over 3500 calories 6+ days a week has me going to bed over 180lb & waking up just under. Jeans fit without a belt & snug in the thighs. Filling out shirt sleeves. Still got some abs, bro. LOVING IT.

Not too set on any goals yet, just want to continue to train hard & feel good. I don’t want to push too hard & hurt myself lol. Progress will mean a combination of size & functional strength. I’m not looking to lose my abs though, bro :stuck_out_tongue:

Today was a rest day (1 mile bitter cold walk with dogs to get a gallon of milk for my beefcake shakes) so I’ll list my workout from yesterday.

Push day
Warm-up on bike 85+ rpm @med resistance 5min
Static leg & ab stretching (leg day + abs the day before)
Shoulder warmups (circles, ROM & rotation stuff, scrap pushups)
Elevated push-ups with perfect push-up handles x 25

Incline bench
10@95
7@105
6, 5, 5 @135, last set of 5 to form breaking failure

Dip machine (can’t do body weight dips due to crunchy rotator cuff)
10 @270
8@270
7@270 last 2 sets to ass lifting failure

Seated overhead press (not confident in my knee yet to do standing presses. Pretty sure I have no ACL)
9 @75
6@85
4@85
4@85 rested 20-30sec after the 4rep sets & squeezed off 2 more good reps.

Dumbbell flat bench (triceps were pretty gassed)
2 @55 lol
10 @40
7 @45
7 @45
5 @45

5 wide grip pullups because fuck you I love pullups.

Finished with incline perfect push-ups AMRAP x 3 last set was 3pushups, good day. Kept heart rate up then squeezed my & calves on the elliptical for 5 min of fury @high resistance.

Came home & ate 20 oz of liver & some rice. Good day :slight_smile:

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If you’re 6’2" and 155, people walking behind you can probably see your abs. Just kidding but you get the idea. I suggest cleaning up that diet and exploiting those Russian genes.

Good website for inspiration. Welcome.

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I wuz cuz.

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That pic is after getting off my ass for 2weeks too. Note the sad face & lack of pump & flex, as I knew it was going to be a “before” pic. I think that’s the day I joined the gym.

Diet is 80% on point, reality says I eat 5-6days a week @ 3-3500calories. I’m still getting used to preparing food ahead of time. Looots of chicken, eggs, veggies, cheese, spinach, peanut butter, avo’s, fish & 2-3lb red meat per week most weeks. Organic brown rice is my staple carb along with organic seedy bread with my eggs & tuna. Too many calories still come from shakes (1000-1500 with milk & fruit). As weather warms I’ll be grilling like crazy so I’m looking forward to that. No fast food, no sweets, no alcohol, lucky to have been eating like that for a while.

Thanks for stopping in Biker, this place is basically my reference for this whole process. Lots of inspiration & love here fer shurrr. I am focused for allllmost 3mo, shout out to the lifers!

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Progress.

1mo later (11 days ago), mid 170’s

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Pull day, log & swole back shots later on lol

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Pull day, I’ll just put up pics when I’m waking up over 180 like errry day.

Warm-up on elliptical cause only squeaky bike was avail
Shoulder warmups, static lege, chest & triceps stretches
Scap pullups & retractions, 3super smooth lean back pullups

Smash a caffeine & BCAA & red 40 drink

Pullups to failure & I’m super proud of my strict form (for first 90% of my sets). Gym was a zoo today so pullups were on the squat rack & Smith machine. Strongest hand position is shoulder width chin, weakest is wide grip overhand. Did weakest positions first. 4-6 reps on ~7-8 sets. Did a set of 1 super wide grip to finish. Won’t be writing all that in the future, but that’s how I go thru pullups sets.

Flat bench one arm DB rows
11, 13 x65lb
11 x70
9 x80

Seated cable rows just used narrow neutral grip today
9,8,7 x ‘#10plate’
5 x #11
6 x #10 turned into a drop set where I was just rowing & whimpering the #6 for a while

Static stretch everything

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Welcome to the party…

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Thank you bulldog, think I’ll party ummm till I can’t?? I’m seriously humbled that you & biker stopped in my nipple bearing high on a pink cloud noob thread. You guys are both seriously dedicated & to take the time to say high to a new person shows Jedi like status.

Maybe someone could point me to a squat & deadlift form video that they really like. I like squatting & I’m not really comfortable deadeadling yet. Last time I deadlifted with bad form & got a really sore back. Last leg day I just did ham raises & lying curls but I’d like to learn the deadlift the right way. FWIW I try squatting like mark rippetoe teaches & seem to do more ‘good’ reps each leg day.

Thanks in advance!

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Always nice to see new blood in the Over 35 forum

Now i would suggest … even though Im not a Huge Fan Boy of him ( respect him but dont agree with everything he says) I would suggest if you can, getting a copy of Starting Strength by Rippetoe since I feel that he does a great job introducing and explaining certain key movements for people not completely familiar with them.

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Looking awesome man, welcome

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Looking good man, keep up the good work. Looking forward to following along!

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Oh boy, you’ve really got some the ‘usual suspects’ on board already::))) Count me as one of them.

My initial .02; take a break from the scale OCD, said respectfully. Your doing well: find a program, FOLLOW IT, give yourself time to reap the benefits, rest and repeat :slight_smile:

The bad didn’t happen over night (mostly); the good wont either (I’m sad to say).

Z.

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Dude, I read 6’ 2" 160 and cringed. But it looks good on you. Hope to see you drag that up to 185 at same leanness. Will drop back in.

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Bulldog thank you for that video, I “jump landed” to find my foot position & pulled 134lb of the 135lb weight to set my hamstrings & upper body like guy in your video said. Today felt better. Probably half of the reps “felt right”. I know that last time I deadlifted I wasn’t setting the weight down & was rocking at the top, I’m thinking those mistakes led to my back soreness. Going to order the Rippetoe book tonight, I loooove detail & over 35 = old enough to appreciate books. Always been fascinated with human body & mechanics. The videos I have been watching are from “Omar Somebody”, Athlean X, & train untamed, FWIW.

Old Goat, thanks for stopping in, gotta love a fellah whose initials are OG. Did I mention I’m a farmer? :wink:

Robstein thank you for the kindness, What exit? Loool I’m joking. But I’m way up north & west, almost to PA. Where the men are men & the goats are skeer’d.

Denver Z, suspect beats convict! Haha thank you for stopping by. Those notes are from the first time I ever tracked my weight & was interested in how my weight changes thru the day. I’m better now I swear. I just check when I wake up & sometime after I workout & feed. And sometimes once before bed hahahaha. Low #'s tell me its time to eat hard though. My initial goals were strictly weight based. 165 then 175. Texted my sister yesterday that I’d like to be 190 by June. Guess that’s my new goal haha.

Drew, thanks for dropping in :slight_smile: 160 looked like shit, that’s the first pic. The pics in a towel are mid 170s & that’s as big as I’d ever been prior to now. Woke up today at 179.5, shoulda held my emptying till after I weighed myself to see a wake-up 180 lol.

Ok, Leg day.

Bike 5min, few sets of leg press low weight a set of dumbbell RDLs, shoulder stuff, static stretching, did some hip movements I saw on YouTube to get loose, too.

Squats :grinning:
6 x bar
6 x 95, 115 135 155
4 x 165 (failed on 5th)
9, 6 x 135 (failed on 7)

Deads :thinking:
6 x 135, 155, 175 185
5 x 185

My legs feel pathetically weak. I lost pretty much the outside head of my left quad to atrophy from my knee injury. The rest of my left leg has atrophied too, but that quad muscle tho… When I was a cyclist, I had some big strong quads (relative to the rest of my waifness). Great news, there is an easy place to gain weight!

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If you are interested in putting on serious strength and muscle get the book Super Squats. I think it’s by Randall Stassen. Do the routine and you will gain. Great for beginners and those needing a change. I went from 175 to 195 in 6 weeks on the program and it changed my training life. There is no try, only do. Be strong…

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Gorillavanilla, yes, that’s EXACTLY what I’m interested in!! Looks like I found a program to follow :wink: Just ordered starting strength, super squats & a senior move-around type exercise book for my mother. Back from my happy place (empty shoprite) bout to make my go too meal - chicken fajitas. Knee is on fire then isn’t then is right now it isn’t so cook now I will.

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Last day of intensity for a week. Shoulder got together with knee & asked for a break. Lighter weights, less volume, nothing to failure, no negative emphasis, maybe some iso movements, moar cardio this upcoming week.

Push day lots of rest between sets except drop sets. Warm-up on elliptical, snapping my calves mostly. Running hard immediately made my quads burn so I guess I got em pretty good last night. Shoulders, stretch, scap push-ups & a few pullups.

Bench
8 x65
6 x95
5 x135, 155, 165
4 x165 (fail on 5)
Drop 8 x135

Incline
13 x95
8 x114
4,4 x135
7 x125

Seated overhead
8 x75
5,4 x85
4 x85 drop 4 x75, 65, 55, 6x bar

DB flat bench
10 x40
6 x50
8,7,8 x45 (form & moar rest made last set stronger than next to last)

Feel good in low back after deads, have a slight thing going on in mid upper back, feels like soreness from an until-yesterday-sleeping muscle though.

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I need a nap from just reading this :laughing: No wonder you have delts and I don’t.
No seriously, great progress!

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Thanks for dropping in & for the delt love, CL :blush:. I’ve read thru lots of your log, don’t sell yourself short, you work just as hard as anyone I see here! I actually had to take a nap after my post shake/meal/shower/dog walk today. I know it’s a quality workout when it forces me into bed haha. Planned on doing perfect push-ups to finish today but had to go grab mom from her Sunday Scrabble game. :innocent: Life’s priorities huh?

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I don’t know if I would go that far :smirk:

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I go far :joy:. You have goals & work towards them & post the good & the less good. That qualifies as just as hard to me. My gym has slogans & quotes all over the walls & one of my faves is “Whatever your 100% is, give it”.

But seriously, the contest prep folks weighing your 1800cal & the guys casually picking up & putting down 400+ lbs 2-4 times a week is some next level hard work stuff. Respect!! :weight_lifting_man:

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