I have been an avid T-Nation reader for years now but never became apart of the forums because I wanted to see if I could learn from my own failures/successes, and because I know I have a lot of work to do.
After reading the entire threads of the more active posts on here, especially Trents, I have decided to take things further to possibly step on a stage but more importantly just be more happy with my physical appearance and strength goals. I love lifting and nutrition but still struggle to make noticeable gains year after year.
I am making this thread for anyone who wants to follow along on my journey on a long term transformation. I have been weight lifting consistently for about 5 years now but each year I have trained smarter and smarter. I have run 5/3/1 and a few of defrancos programs.
Current profile:
5’8 170lbs bf%: approx 16%?
Max: squat- 300 bench-260 dead-405 military 135
Current macros:
Carb:338 Protein:203 Fat:60 I am fairly new to counting calories and am considering getting online nutrition consulting from a fairly inexpensive company. Currently I just aim to eat foods that come from an animal or from the ground and cook my own meals. I gain fat fairly easily so I try to stay as clean as possible and currently just aiming to hit the same macros each day.
Program:
I had finished up Wendler’s 27 wk BBB program and now doing Mountain dog reactive pump w a few tweaks along with wil flemings frequency squat program from his recent article.
My strength numbers are fairly weak so my theory is that from here I will go to a smolov jr on the squat and possibly bench along with a small caloric surplus to help w recovery. I do a few prowler sprints, farm walks, or battle ropes as a finisher 1-2 days a week.
I will post pictures tomorrow. Enjoy the Holiday and thank you to anyone interested in following along. Currently I believe my size is too small to fully focus on a prep so any advice on anything through the process is well appreciated.
Excellent! I love whenever we get threads like this on here. Definitely following along!
S
Here are some basic pictures. The picture with side by side comparison is last week vs last winter and the single picture is me from today.
I will try to get a back and legs shot soon, my legs are by far my weakest link and always have been, despite adding significant body weight and weight to the bar. I even took a few months off from a lot of benching to try to get my squat numbers up to par.
My typical diet is:
I weigh and put everything into an app to track but I do not usually focus too much on timing (past two days I have tried to divide my protein evenly in 6 meals, my carbs 25% pre 50% post 25% 90 min post, and fat 1/3 in first 3 meals). Typically I will weigh out larger quantities, store it in tubberware and then just try to finish it throughout the day. Towards the end of the day I’ll usually adjust so I can fit everything in before I go to bed. This has been my biggest issue because some days i find Im cramming 3 cups of rice or occasionally using cheerios to fit my macros.
Meal 1: 1 cup liq egg whites. sometimes 1/2 cup dry oats and ill break these two into 2 smaller meals an hr or so apart
Meal 2-6: baked chicken breast, brown rice, mixed veggies, baked sweet potato, occasionally some beef or fish
Whenever my workout fits that day (my work schedule has me in the morning some days and the evenings others). Post workout: 2 cups 1% chocolate milk, scoop of whey protein, usually a banana. Once I shower I usually just eat a balanced meal of foods listed. I do not use anything peri or really pre I more focus on just having something lighter so Im not hungry during my workout if I need it.
My fat has been low, and I had been supplementing w CLA. Now I have been adding spoonfuls of natural peanut butter at end of the night to meet my macros or some fish oils. I used to intake a lot of olive oil to get cheap extra cals but was not sure about its effectiveness.
Currently on week 3 of Wil’s squat program mixed in with a supplemental lift and moderate hypertrophy work from mountain dog reactive pump and trying to save the lower back as much as possible with modifications.
This is my first high freq prog and I really do like it. Yesterday on back squat Hit 3x10 w some gas in the tank at 80% when last week 75% felt equally as heavy. I can tell my depth is somewhat inconsistent with 1-2 inches higher on some and overall not consistent reps in form as I want. I did a short cycle of paused goblet squats to get more comfortable in the hole but I still have strength/mobility issues. I run over mental cues even on my warm up sets so form flaws should solve over time from repetition. Next week I will be going for a 10RM on my day 3 so I am curious to see how I do.
Today’s nutrition:
9am: 1 cup liq egg whites, 1/2 cup dry oats
1pm: 5oz baked Boneless skin breast w seasoning(this seems to make the food weigh heavier than what it usually is plain unless its in my head)
mixed frozen veggies (don’t track)
2pm- WORKOUT Chest strength work w band rear delt
3:30pm- 2 cups 1% chocolate milk, 1 banana, 1 cup of honeycut cheerios in a bowl with 1 cup cabot greek lowfat yogurt on top
6:30- 85% beef patty burgers baked (2), 2 cups brown rice
11:00pm- (baked and weighed in skin)sweet potato 8oz, 2 scoops whey protein in water
2698 cals, Carbs: 293 (had to compensate for the extra fat from the burgers and I am trying to slowly lower my carbs from 338g anyway and I seem to gain fat fairly easy in general despite my naturally smaller frame)
protein: 226g
fat: 87g
Here is a posterior relaxed photo. I am looking forward to lowering my carb intake as naturally I prefer lean protein sources in taste and have the hardest time hitting my carb macros unless I opt for 100% whole grain rozoni or cereal. My paper work just got completed for my nutrition consulting and I am looking forward to my gains. I have been getting great sleep and recovery and my lifts have all been improving. I have a lot of work to do but luckily I truly enjoy training and currently have less outside distractions than I have in years.
[quote]busdriver44 wrote:
Towards the end of the day I’ll usually adjust so I can fit everything in before I go to bed. This has been my biggest issue because some days i find Im cramming 3 cups of rice or occasionally using cheerios to fit my macros.
[/quote]
You don’t have to get all your daily carbs post workout. My last few years competing, I don’t think I was having any carbs after my early evening workouts. Instead I’d have some throughout the day, and then a whole boat load before heading off to the gym. I honestly felt that I had much better workouts with this approach (I did the post workout ‘thing’ for years previously).
S
Just started with my nutrition coach, here is what I am starting today:
Current macros: 195p/300c/60f and min of 25g of fiber
Now adding in 2 HIIT sessions per week 8 intervals each
20sec 100%, 40sec 50%, 15min cool down.
I am finishing up week 4 of Wil’s squat program and I really liked my first lower body high freq program. I really was surprised at how only a week later I was able to do more weight with same rep schemes over and over. My gym does not have a belt so it has forced me brace, concentrate, and push my weights. I also have almost been forced to roll multiple times a day everyday and get proper sleep because I know if I don’t, that next squat day is coming up and I won’t be able to hit my higher intensity.
Finished Wil’s modified smolov program which was my first freq program, and actually was able to PR while being in a deficit and being much lighter than my previous attempts. My bench has dropped roughly 5-10lbs. Aesthetically, I have noticed results with lower body comp than I have in many years.
My macros are currently adjusted to 195p, 250c, and 50f. I have 2 HIIT days along with a 35min 140bpm session. For now I am really trying to be meticulous with my macros, as in the past i was ±10g (not awful but not what I need to reach my goals especially since I know I need a lot of work). Next week I will add in a refeed.
Update: Not competing anytime soon but enjoying the process of a prep. Current macros have progressively lowered each week, I am now at 195p, 185c, and 45 f and really hitting my macros everyday now.
2 HIIT and a 30min 140bpm session. I am currently down from 162lb to 154 in 8 weeks. Currently doing 5/3/1 BBB with modifications and doing hill sprints for the HIIT 20on, 40sec walking back down for 12 reps at a 8RPE. I may switch to the sled soon.
Hey man, somehow missed this thread til now. Thanks for the kind words, glad to hear you enjoyed my thread! If you have any questions or want a second opinion on anything you’re doing I’d be glad to offer any advice I can!
Update: I’m still fairly easily tracking and weighing every macro, and had a print out from a free venue where I got my bf taken using the BIA scale. Came out at 12.5% where I was much higher before. Scale has been consistently moving slowly, down to 151lbs from 163 on 7/24.
current program is working well and I feel like I actually was much more sluggish at higher carbs, mostly because I was paranoid in the beginning of running out of macros early in the day I would go lighter on intake earlier and have a less intense lift.
Now I take 4g of BCAA tablets (just got a powder that I’ll be taking 5g of) during my workout and eat 50% of my carbs before and after my training.
Conditioning is still prescribed with a 20on:40off interval so sprints and tabatas have been at an 8RPE…I tried it with heavy sled pushes and had to adjust to finish all the reps. At this stage I feel I need to be questioning if I can finish the workout and then gut it out for the last few reps. I train upper 2x a week and lower 2x and then condition 2x, and 1 day of steady state. I’ve been recovering fine and spending a lot of time stretching and rolling.
This weeks MACROS: 195g P, 165 C, 45 F. 1 reefed every 6days at 160p, 315c, 40f.
The left is about 2weeks ago progress pic relaxed.
Any advice or thoughts always appreciated. I should have posted this in the beginner thread.
UPDATE: Cardio is bumped to 3x a week, but lowered the reps to 9 each session. I’ve been doing a day or 2 of heavy sled sprints, and 1 day of hill sprints and walking or slightly jogging down. The hills are not that tiring but the sleds are brutal as is the airdyne bike that I sometimes rotate in with all the same work:rest ratio of 20:40. 1 day of a 30min run 140bpm.
Lifting: May save the pump work for its own day to save time. w warmups/and mobility lifts take 1.5hrs
Monday- Squat 5/3/1, light banded box squat 5x2,lat band walk, f.squat hold rev lung 3x8, cable chops… hamstring, calf, etc pump work w low weights but slow tempos and mind muscle focus about 1 exercise for 3 sets each if time permits.
Tues: Bench 5/3/1, incline DB 4x8, face pulls, BB row, core, curls/pullups/3way shoulder pump work. 9 sprints
Wed: recovery work
Thurs: Dead 5/3/1, BB hip thrust 3x8/cossack squat, GHR/calf/farm walk, sideboard ham curl pump, core, 9 sprints
Fri: OP 5/3/1, Weighted dips/pullups 4x8, no moneys/DB OH 5x10 pump, arms pump,
SAT; 30min jog
SUN: 9 sprints
A few comments. While you’re nowhere near a rank beginner - I do agree.
You just don’t have any size at all right now but you’ll obviously look better lean.
A lot of “proud naturals” on this site got carried away with the diet threads that TN saw circa late 2013 after PX was banished to Burger King - where skinny fat lifters in their twenties, grinding 2 plates for a hard double on the bench, dieted down and were suddenly able to take impressive selfies (never mind the fact that they looked super stringy when not posing) - and all and sundry decided they had reached their natural limit and deserved to diet down to stage condition (I’m not saying this is/was your case)
At your stage of development (experienced novice :)) your 3-5RM lifts (not 1RM) are MUCH more strongly correlated with your overall development than for someone at the level of Stu.
For example, judging by that military/bench ratio and assuming you were hitting the military seriously for a while - you’ve left a lot on the plate w.r.t overall mass in the shoulder girdle, not to mention trap and general upper back thickness.
Compare your lifts and development with someone like say Gregron and flipcollar (both unassisted) and see the difference. While there is some value to the whole “stimulate don’t annihilate” mentality to a natural - don’t get carried away.
[quote]busdriver44 wrote:
I should have posted this in the beginner thread.
[/quote]
Thanks for the comments, I definitely agree with you on everything. My biggest fault was going from force feeding for about 6 months only watching the scale and hammering volume, to normal feeding where I fluctuated weight quickly. I am surprised at how much bf I have at such a low weight but I most likely lost a lot of muscle from my heaviest at about 185 around February. I cut weight from Feb- May just eating whenever I was hungry where as before I was eating as much beef, chicken, sweet potatoes, rice, and whole wheat pasta that i could. Early June I started meticulously weighting every morning, tracking macros, etc.
Starting macros:195/ 300/ 60 2 HIIT at 8 intervals
weight: 162lbs
Current macros: 195p/ 150c/ 45f 3 HIIT at 10 intervals
refeed: 160/295/ 40
Current weight: 148lbs
Update: So my coach decided it’s time for the reverse diet, I am really looking forward to what mass I can add on before I do a true prep in about a year. With 5/3/1 I’m hoping if I can keep adding weight to the scale my lifts will be able to linearly progress each cycle and 10lbs of body weight should lead to much more strength gains as well. I lost about .5/1lb a week consistently for about 3 months so we’ll see what the future holds.
I’ve been spreading these updates out to give myself time for larger changes for anyone following along. This also gives me time to try out the feedback given. I’ve been sticking with it and having fun.
Current macros: 305g carbs 195p 85f
weight:150
Lifts have all been going up great. I stalled a lot on 5/3/1 during my cut because i didn’t know what I was doing but with the slow added body weight 2lbs/month along with resetting my TM very conservatively, so my macros/ BW/ lifts have all been slowly linearly progressing each week. usually adding about 10-15g of carbs every 1-2 weeks.
Changed my workout to really focus on the big lifts. Main lift, then usually a few paused sets, and then adding in a lot more volume especially with pull-ups, BW row variations, light/BW hamstring work which have been going to failure and recovering fine.
