I don’t even listen to music when I lift and I still l stick headphones in
8 Likes
Woke at 194.3 lbs, looking decent.
3 Likes
Woke at 194.3 lbs again, looking decent. Which was a surprise because this was yesterday’s intake:
Yesterday’s training
Lazy lifter plus shoulders
Squat, wrapped, mono
TM is 429 lbs
Work up from bar in 44 lbs x3-5 to 60%, bare knees
3x297 lbs, 6 revolutions (3, X, 1), under 6 RPE
2x342 lbs, 6 revolutions (3, X, 1), under 6 RPE
Started chatting to Jeremy, and the meet comes up. I’d just found out it looks like it’ll be a two flight small meet to which my reaction was not joyful. Mentioned to Jez that I really wasn’t looking forward to the meet to the point that I’d considered pulling out a few times. His asnwer was, pull out. Why do it when you’re not ready? It just clicked. I wasn’t competing for the right reasons: by mid next year I’ll be above 198 lbs if everything goes well, so why get a total at 181 lbs? Also, I was getting a fair bit of encouragement to compete at 181 lbs just to beat Justin as he’s about the most unpopular guy at the gym. Irritating as he is, he’s my friend it didn’t sit right with me to compete just to beat him by a large margin. He’s always helped me so I’ve got no reason to want to show him up.
Wraps off, walking out
1x363 lbs or 374 lbs, I forget, narrow stance, 6 RPE
8x319 lbs, narrow stance, 6 RPE
8x319 lbs, narrow stance, high bar, 6 RPE - fuck high bar with a purple studded strap-on
I’ll go with 220 lbs front squats from next week, I think it’ll be a good change of pace. I’ll have the comp stance SSB squat to keep me in the groove. Narrow stance might target my quads but it’s also a stance where I have a tendency to irritate my lower back. If 5x8-10 front squats won’t target my quads I don’t know what will.
High incline Smith machine press
Worked up to 3x8x132 lbs - felt different in a really good way.
Strict BB row
3x12x176 lbs
Rear delt machine
A bunch at hole three and then hole five - I’ll go with hole three and the handles just below my elbows
Alternating hammer curls
Drop set 25, 20, 15 lbs - nasty arm pump
Was absolutely ravenous by dinner time, where I went over. By today’s scale and mirror there was a reason for that.
Five days a week starts next week. Very happy. I’ll try block pulls today, then probably BTN press and pull-ups.
6 Likes
Famous last words…
Not pulling out is definitely my Dad’s biggest regret.
On a more serious note…:
I am wayyy too competitive to not:
regardless if he is your friend or not. It wouldn’t be you showing him up, it’s a competitive sport. I would find it more offensive, if I was Justin, if you didn’t compete just because you didn’t want to crush my total.
It’s a dog eat dog world out there, don’t be a cat.
10 Likes
@littlesleeper if he was even remotely able of beating me I’d relish the challenge. Thing is, apart from DL my openers would be around his third attempts. That’s not a competition.
Also, it’s not that I don’t want to crush his total. It’s more that other people wanted to see that happen.
That’s only a part of it though. I was never overly keen on this meet to begin with but I figured it was a good way to qualify for the 181s next year. Except, that plan was made when I was sitting around 187 lbs and I thought I’d be sticking around there, or at least would have to go stay reasonably lean. Turns out I’m now around 192-3 lbs and still reasonably lean, and it looks like I’ll keep seeing lean gains unless I’m an idiot about how I eat. I thought it’d take a year or so for me to be able to do that, so I’m ahead of schedule. The plan was never for me to stay in the 181s.
If things keep going as they have been since July I’ll keep adding two to three pounds per month of lean mass. That’s 10 to 15 extra pounds by mid 2018, or around 205 lbs. What good is a 181 qualifying total if I’m above 200 lbs?
1 Like
Figured it was time I had a somewhat quantifiable look at my weight gain. The mirror and things like my waistline are key, but transient bloating, lighting, hair, etc all make it not entirely accurate. As far as I can tell from the mirror I haven’t added much, if any, fat since I stopped trying to lose fat.
I also know I’ve added scale weight pretty consistently since around the end of June. I want to believe it’s lean mass, but I figured apart from the mirror a decent indicator would be the rate of gain, because my understanding is that above a certain rate of gain you’re almost guaranteed to be adding fat on top of lean mass.
I’m going to go ahead and tag @The_Myth @robstein and @BOTSLAYER here as a sounding board. Sorry guys 
I figured I couldn’t simply take my weight on a given day and flip forward a month. Instead, I took an average of my weight over the seven days around the end of June and every month thereafter: 27 June to 3 July, etc. I figure an average over seven days would be reasonably indicative.
End of June 185.4 lbs
End of July 189.3 lbs
End of August 191.1 lbs
End of September 192.4 lbs
Mid October (took an average of the last four days) 194.7 lbs
So that gives
End of June to end of July up 3.9 lbs
End of July to end of August up 1.8 lbs
End of August to end of September up 1.3 lbs
End of September to mid October up 2.3 lbs
Which then gives over three and a half months or 15 weeks an estimated gain of
2.7 lbs per month
0.6 lbs per week
If I do combine that with the mirror, I think that indicates I’m not gaining weight so fast that much of it should be fat. I’ll keep aiming for one extra carb day per week, although admittedly the last two weeks I’ve done that twice. Need to watch that.
I’ve been at 2700 cal/day for the last two weeks, and I’ll stay there for another four weeks minimum - I spent around 12 weeks at 2600 cal/day before going up, and similar for 2400 and 2500 cal/day - and then go to 2800 cal/day, with any addition being carbs.
The aim is to keep adding lean mass (duh), I’m guessing around the same 2.5 lbs or so per month with the mirror being the main indicator. I also think I’ll take some measurements (waist, chest, thighs, arms should do it, right?) monthly as well.
2 Likes
Based on the mirror/pictures, I see minimal, if any, fat gain. I believe that is accurate also because of your rate of gain. For me this has been great fun watching your meticulous calculations and tracking of macros, calories, weight, and workouts. I’ve been fearful of your refeeds but that’s just me, a former fat boy being afraid of those types of meals. Clearly, they have served your purpose.
As you well know, I’m a slave to my scale and BIA, weighing myself daily and tracking my BF% daily and developing averages for the week. I’ve never been able to gain weight without it being about fifty percent fat, but I tend to swing to extremes - adding five hundred calories a day immediately rather than actually reverse dieting. I think your recomp, loss, and reverse diet have been done very well and so you have probably added primarily lbm.
From my own experience, when I ran SS and gained fifteen pounds in ten weeks, the mirror was encouraging - I looked bigger - while the BIA was not. In other words, I looked better at 197 and 15% than I did at 175 and 12%. I think greater LBM allows you to walk around at a higher bf% and look better, to a degree. Just food for thought.
With this mass gaining phase I think you’re going to see some real changes in the weeks ahead. I’d like to see a Dexa before and after as well.
TL;DR - I feel like you’re as lean now as you were at 185.
3 Likes
looking good Mark.
Love the way you calculates things and seem to get it right.
Stick to 2600 cal as long as you’re gaining weight. You can have your carb up days and that’s great. Even a pound a months is 12 pounds in a year.
1 Like
That some decent and consistent gains there Mark and from the pics you really don’t look like you added much fat.
2 Likes
Today’s training
90 degree back raise to GHR for a bunch
Block pulls, 4 inches
10x132 lbs
8x220 lbs
6x308 lbs
2x8x396 lbs, 6 and 8 RPE straps
1x6x396 lbs, 9 RPE straps
First set
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaLe8pUhEXD/
I like how these feel. Load selection seems good too. Need to decide whether or not to use belt for these. Probably won’t, it’ll teach me to brace better.
SSB squat
5xbar
5x154 lbs
15x242 lbs, 6 RPE
5x330 lbs, 6 RPE
1x418 lbs, 9 RPE - this was just for fun, and I forgot it was the SSB so went in thinking it was 396 lbs. Plates slid down the right sleeve as I walked out too, which made things interesting
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaLdUHiBs86/
So, Chucks are fine for comp stance squatting. Also need to decide whether to stick with two plates for the 350 sets. Weight was absolutely fine, breathing was the issue. I might go two and a half plates.
Incline DB press (2-3 slot on the EFS bench)
12x20 lbs
12x40 lbs
3x12x60 lbs
Pull-up ladder
1-5, 5-1 varying grips starting wide, working in and then back out. Tried one rep without cuffs. Didn’t feel too great.
Turned out 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 5, 4, 4, 2, 1 because apparently bodyweight pull-ups are now easy enough I get to five without thinking, which while still low is cool for me. I’ll keep the ladders but definitely add weight where I can.
6 Likes
haha! 
Oddly enough, this doesn’t deter everyone for me. I have to pull my earbuds out once or twice every day because someone will still talk to me!
6 Likes
On my heavy days I do both while looking like a complete goon and it doesnt help LOL. It is probably my fault because I am pretty friendly the other 80% of the time. Go time I just say to give me 5 minutes or what ever and they get it.
I do think you lost a little definition in the last month or so but the weight gains made over those couple months are significantly more than I would have expected with losing so little definition.
2 Likes
Which is definitely a win-win. I agree I’ve lost a bit, but I’m going to shave and see what that shows. I’ll take measurements too.
2 Likes
Woke at 194.7 lbs, looking around the same.
I’m having a real hard time targeting my quads right now. I’ve swung from a former quad dominate squatter to a posterior dominant squatter. Even with front squat, my body relies on my glutes back and hamstrings more in comparison for one simple reason: I’m not actively, mentally, trying to execute the lift with my quads. Of course they are working, but not like they should. Reason for the story is: don’t forget to have your mind in the right place (on your quads) if that’s what you’re trying to target. Second, hit the positions to further bring the quads in. Upright torso, knee forward.
Anywho, great job as always brother.
2 Likes
Kind of why I want to front squat. It’ll force me to stay upright and push my knees forward. Even with a high bar and narrow stance my hams and glutes do most of the work. That’s reduced with front squats.
3 Likes
Woke at 195.4 lbs. Expected, since we ate out a couple of times and I could tell it was extra salty. Shaved yesterday too. Took some pictures on waking this morning that will serve as my before shots for this mass phase.
6 Likes
I failed so hard at a vacuum the other day. I should add that to the ab work rotation.
and looking leaner with out the hair!!
4 Likes
Shave equals Gainzzz.
Dem legz? Not busting on you for not showing em, cause I know you work them, but, if you’re going to shave bro . . .
Who’s the hound?
Lay off the obliques if you’re planning on competing in physique.
Four pack looks good! I reckon you’re 16 weeks out from stage ready. Five pounds away from six pack.
Hit the meet hard, bring on the hypertrophy.
Looking good!
#Nohomo
4 Likes