I think so. Honestly, I’ve been around this lean for a couple of months now. I check how I look every morning on waking at least, often before bed too. So, I notice what are very slight differences. Overall, since I called time on Phase I and went into Phase II if anything I’ve seen slow and slight improvements as I go. It’s exciting, because I’ve got another nine to 12 months of Phase II to go.
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OK, time to firm up supplemental and assistance work for the next three weeks.
Monday
- heavy lockouts 3x5-8x308 lbs, two to four inches off pins replace CGBP to one-board
- strict log press 5x5x110-154 lbs replaces seated BB press
- strict BB rows stay
- bis/tris as I’ve been going
- bike sprints stay at level 15 but move to 35 sec off/25 sec on
Tuesday
- I’ll continue playing the 3x3 by ear since I’ll be pushing heavy jokers
- SSB squats 15x2x60-70% TM (270-315 lbs) replace 5x5x308 lbs straight bar, I’ll start at 270 lbs and work up to the highest load in that range that I can move with maximal speed on the day. Aim is to complete the 15 sets in 15-25 minutes
- back raises with squeeze and slow eccentric stay, as will BB suitcase holds, plate raises might, or be mixed with DB raises of some kind depending on the day
Thursday
No change
Friday
- abs/shoulders I’ll do whichever feels best on the day of ab wheel or STBs and plate or DB raises
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Had a very close friend over for dinner. She brought the entree, which was two whole wheels of Camembert stuffed with fig jam and rosemary wrapped in prosciutto. Grilled for 15 minutes and it is glorious. Ate around three quarters of a wheel with a bunch of baguette on top of my budget. Puts me around 3100 calories, which I’m not exactly proud of.
Feeling a little funny in the throat all day too.
Mostly irritated about eating over budget though. A skipload is one thing, overeating on a whim another. I need to watch myself. At least I’d returned to normal post skipload - just.
Yes, I know, I’m obsessing about 700 calories. Just don’t want to jeopardize things. I always figured Phase II would be harder.
Dumb question, but @robstein in terms of my body being somewhat adjusted to being leaner, what sort of timeline is realistic in terms of an occasional deviation over my calculated (unlike a deliberate glut like a skipload) allotment being something that my body is able to absorb without significant effect? Sorry, I know it’s a stupid question but this is an area I’m really shaky on.
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This is just an opinion, not a scientific fact (that I know of). People who starve their body of something are the ones hurt by the occasional cheat. If you go low/no carb for a while and eat 400g of carbs then I think you run the risk of storing that as fat. Your body hasn’t had an essential macro for awhile so once it gets it, it hoards it thinking it’s not going to get anymore in the near future.
On the flip side, those of us who properly fuel our body every day have less of a risk of storing every bit of excess as fat. I’m not exactly comparable to you because I’ve been between 215-235 for about 14 years now. I’m pretty set here. I know I can have a crap day and bounce back in a week or less (lately it’s only taken a day or two). You’ve been at your current weight for a little while now and you properly fuel your body so I don’t think you’re going to see a drastic change after a 700 calorie surplus.
One way I make up for it is to have a day where I fall short (or a couple days if it was bad enough). It’s natural to beat yourself up for overeating after you’ve worked so hard to get lean. Once you start to see that definition and separation between muscles you kind of get addicted to it.
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@MarkKO - Thanks for tagging me man, always happy to offer my thoughts man! It’s definitely a valid question for those of us who prioritize nutrition and our goals, and trust me, I’ve obsessed about way less than 700 calories!
Since you’re talking about 700 calories, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If you went on a burger and fries and cheesecake 4000-5000 calorie fest, it would be a different story, but for 700 calories it’s not much to worry about. To dissect a little bit further, I would say the effect you’d get from 700 calories of grilled cheese would depend on what else you ate that day and what you ate around that time. If you had a high carb meal along with the 700 calories of cheese, you might get a little bit of fat storage from the cheese, high fat and high carb meals together have a higher potential to add fat than a high fat/low carb meal, high carb/low fat meal, or medium carb/medium fat meal. But again 700 calories you’re talking like MAYBE a quarter of a pound in the worst case scenario, really no big deal at all. Especially since you had fat and not carbs with your extra cals, your blood sugar/insulin wasn’t really affected.
Depending on what you’ve been eating, if you’ve been low carbing and in a deficit with the T-Ransformation, then an occasional re-feed or high carb day can be beneficial. I know you’ve been dieting, so the 700 calories probably put you near or slightly above maintenance, definitely nothing to stress over. In the grand scheme of things, you train hard, you eat healthy, and 700 calories isn’t much at all, so I really wouldn’t worry about it. If you want to toss in an extra 20min LISS session, or pull back on cals slightly today to “even out” you could, but again at 700 cals from cheese I wouldn’t think twice about it. If you do have an occasional big meal or re-feed, you may notice the scale weight go up for a day or two, due to higher food volume or more glycogen, but it’ll go back down and regulate shortly after.
Hope this helps man, please let me know if I can elaborate on anything further or whatever!
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Thank you. That all makes a lot of sense.
Woke looking almost identical to yesterday, which is GD fantastic. No softness or wateriness. Scale weight was at 185 lbs, which was expected, but the mirror is my main guide now.
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Accompanied my fiancee across the road to get some sun - euphemism to catch Pokemon - and I got momentarily distracted by the outdoor gym. .
10 close neutral grip pull-ups - kind of a moment for me, might be the easiest possible variation but 10 is 10
16 dips with slow eccentric, for balance
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Haha don’t want those lats and biceps overshadowing your poor neglected tris and chest from the 10 pull ups 
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Woke at 184.8 lbs, looking a tiny bit softer but hardly noticeable. Ate a ton of vegetables yesterday so that partly explains the weight.
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Lifting in gear for raw? Gaining muscle while shredded as a natural? Staying the same strength while dropping down a couple weight classes? God damn, and I thought I was doing cool shit.
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Well, not losing too much strength would be more accurate. Thanks @Destrength
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Still, your wilks probably jumped by at least a good 50-60 points, which is a lot.
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Saw Jeremy for a consult and caliper check. Good chat, good results.
Skinfolds as follows
Chest 2.5 mm (down from 3 mm)
Abs 6.5 mm (down from 8 mm)
Thigh 6 mm (down from 7 mm)
Bicep 2 mm (no change)
Tricep 4 mm (down from 7 mm)
Subscapular 10 mm (down from 12 mm)
Suprailiac 7 mm (down from 9 mm)
Lower back 13 mm (down from 28 mm)
Calf 4 mm (down from 5 mm)
Massively pleased especially with the lower back and subscapular.
Confirmed with Jeremy I won’t change anything for another six weeks, when I’ll have another consult. Bar anything going weird at that point I’ll add a tablespoon of peanut butter at bedtime to take my daily calories to around 2500-2550 cal/day. That’ll be the only change, which as per master plan I’ll run for six weeks, check again, if all good continue for six further weeks, etc.
I will, however, per Jeremy’s advice add 2000 mg of acetyl L-carnitine pre training and start mixing my apple cider vinegar with warm water and lemon juice. The carnitine I’ll order today, so that’ll be here by the end of the week.
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Can I ask what that is?
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It’s an acetylated amino acid meant to promote lipid use as an energy source during exercise. Works well by all accounts.
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Training Maximally, cycle 2, week 1
Elbows a tad achy, but not where the tendinitis used to be but still cautious so wore the Slingshot Compression Cuffs which really are great. Beat elbow sleeves into cocked hat.
Today’s training
Lazy lifter plus shoulders
Bench press
TM is 247 lbs
Work up from bar in 22 lbsx3-5 to 60%, 20 pull aparts between sets. Head down definitely helping.
3x170 lbs, under 6 RPE
3x198 lbs, 6 RPE
1x220 lbs, 6-7 RPE
3x247 lbs, 9-10 RPE
1x264 lbs, 9 RPE
Bench is feeling good.
Heavy lockouts were a nope. Decided to run floor press instead.
Floor press
3x8x170 lbs, under 6, 6 and 8-9 RPE
Fucking awesome, hits my triceps hard and highlights that my right arm lowers more slowly. This is going to stay for this TM, maybe even through to the meet.
Strict log press
5x110 lbs, 5x121 lbs, 2x5x132 lbs, 8x132 lbs
Pretty sure that’s strict log rep PR at 132 lbs. Very encouraging.
Strict BB row
15x132 lbs, 15x154 lbs, 2x10x165 lbs
Upper back fried
Bis/tris
BB preacher curl: 3x12x88 lbs, controlled eccentric - had to STRAIN for the last couple of reps each set
supersetted with
DB skull crushers: 3x12x40 lbs
Stationary bike sprints 10 x 35 sec off/25 sec on at level 15 - five seconds less rest and more work very noticeable in exactly the way I hoped
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What time of day do you take you apple cider vinegar? I’ve usually done it before bed, but have also added in a tablespoon in the morning now as well. Unsure of what others have found through experience/research of what is ideal.
@lil.greggy religiously on waking, then usually around dinner time.
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What are the benefits?
Improved insulin sensitivity. Seems to be working, or at the very least not hurting my progress.
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