PeterD's Training Log

Training Logs
1

Well I’ve lurked around T-Nation for awhile now and I’ve made some pretty good progress but I really need to get things figured out and I’m going to need your advice to get there. I’ve been doing some type of lifting for a little over 6 months now and eating pretty clean for about a year now.

I’ve gone from 250lbs to 180lbs but I seem to be fairly stuck at this point with not much difference in the mirror or the scale in the last month. The only change I have noticed is an improvement in forearm vascularity and a big improvement in shoulder strength/size/lack of pain from adding the shoulder routing about a month ago.

Overall Goals:
A real 6pack by summer!
loose as little strength as possible

So here’s a quick rundown of the way things went today:

Breakfast:
2 HOT-ROX
oatmeal w/ blueberries
2 eggs

Walk 2mi to work(30min)

Snack:
baby Spinach leaves w/ balsamic vinaigrette
Chicken
Walnuts

Lunch:
fresh Broccoli
Wild Steelhead

Snack 2:
2 HOT-ROX
fresh Broccoli
Chicken
baby Spinach leaves w/ balsamic vinaigrette

Walk 2mi home(30min)

Dinner:
Wild Steelhead
Walnuts

Workout:
1/2 scoop Metabolic Drive + 1/2scoop Surge pre workout
1/2 scoop Metabolic Drive + 1/2scoop Surge sipped during workout
2 scoops Surge post workout +5mg creatine

1hr after workout:
2 eggs
velveeta cheese

30-60min before bed:
1 scoop Metabolic Drive
metamucil

This works out to about 2700 cal today but normally I’m at 2400cal. The baby spinach and dressing is new and the oatmeal+blueberries just got readded to my diet today because I was hungry for some this morning.

Workout Details:

Complexes D workout @8reps. I HATE this one! The 10s hold squats kill me! I’m at my first week back after a week off with a back injury so everything is extra hard and I feel pretty flat.

Set1@65lbs - 10sec holds hard. 5sec pause after 4x10s hold
Rest:75sec
Set2@65lbs - 5sec pause after every other 10sec hold
Rest:90sec
Set3@65lbs - 5sec pause after every other 10sec hold
Rest:150sec
Set4@65lbs - 5sec pause after every 10sec hold
Rest:5min - Laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs

The 10sec squat and hold sets in the complexes routing absolutely kill me and towards the end of my sets I usually end up pausing after every other 10s hold. If those weren’t in the workout I could power through this lift without a problem. What can I do to improve my 10s hold performance? I normally do a set of 8x10sec hold squats before I head out for my morning walk with bodyweight and my legs feel tired just with bodyweight.

At 180lbs I think I have enough lean muscle to look good ripped and since I’ve been fat since I was a kid that’s what I really want. I’m open to any suggestions that will help me achieve this goal and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there. So what info did I leave out or what other info would be helpful?

Thanks!

PeterD

2

Almost forgot I take 2-3caps fish oil 2-3 times/day with main meals. Here is a pic from today. As you can see not really abs just yet but I know I’m not far off!

PeterD

3

try CT’s destroying Fat http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1499282

Great program for fat loss. i did this earlier this year prior to my wedding. very effective for me.

4

I can’t wait to see what you look like after you lose more weight.

5

[quote]PozzSka wrote:
try CT’s destroying Fat http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1499282

Great program for fat loss. i did this earlier this year prior to my wedding. very effective for me. [/quote]

Thanks I’ll check it out. I’m about ready for a new routine as I’m getting bored with this one.

Though I would put in a quick update for today although not much to put down. My lower back was a little tight today where I had pulled something a few weeks back but it didn’t actually hurt. I did manage to get a set of 50 bodyweight squats at lunch but I didn’t do much in the way of exercise today since I woke up late I didn’t get any walking in. Food intake today broke down to:
Fat:74.5g
Net Carb:39.4g
Protein:253g
Cal:1840

I read CT’s nutrition for noobs article and worked out what I should be eating daily and my RMR was around 1900cal which would mean I’m actually starving to death slowly. This would probably explain why I tend to put on about 5-7lbs after a cheat day and why I can’t seem to get rid of this last few lbs if my body is in starvation mode. To fix this I obviously need to add more calories so I’m going to try and find something else to add to breakfast.

PeterD

6

[quote]goochadamg wrote:
I can’t wait to see what you look like after you lose more weight.[/quote]

That makes two of us! I’d actually like to stay around the 180lb mark but drop the fat and build some muscle but as long as I drop the fat and can keep what muscle I have already I’ll be happy.

PeterD

7

I thought I would try something different today and focused on minimizing my rest intervals to try and mix things up a little. I’m not sure that my legs were completely ready for another workout today since they felt pretty flat about halfway through my complexes routine. My left knee has been acting funny lately too. No pain, just feels funny where the quad attaches to the kneecap.

Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Complexes A @8reps
Set1@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set2@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs
Rest:60sec
Set4@70lbs - slower jump squats
Rest:60sec
Set5@70lbs - legs shaky after jump squats
Rest:5min - Laid on the floor for a few min until I caught my breath.

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs

I also got in 2x2mi(30min) walks to and from work today since I actually got up on time this morning. Saw snow on the way home already. Was not happy about it!

Dietwise my day didn’t turn out too bad although I think that my low carb diet is probably causing me to feel weak or flat during my routine.

Fat:105.2g
Net Carb:86.2g
Protein:282.3g
Calories: ~2420

No treats for my pwo meal today since no cheat foods in the house so I just had some beef jerky. Looking forward to tomorrow since it’s the chili cook off at work. I have no idea on how I can even calculate out my daily intake from something like that but it looks like it will end up being my cheat day. I stepped on the scale today and got 177.5 which is the lowest I’ve seen so far. Hopefully the low carb/higher protein&fat approach I’ve switched to is working.

P

8

PeterD.You are so great to get amazing result!

9

My lower back was pretty sore and tight today in the same spot where I had pulled something a few weeks back. Not sure if it’s DOM’s or something else. I’m sure it’s just water from the creatine but looking in the mirror this morning it looked like I had put on the 2lbs the scale showed in muscle. Besides being a little sore all over I felt pretty good all day. Then again I actually got a good nights sleep last night too for the first time in weeks. Unfortunately I normally only get about 4-6hrs a night which I usually end up spending staring at the ceiling for part of. Needless to say I’m sure my cortisol levels are through the roof between that and the stress that keeps me up but not much I can do about that I guess. Is there anything I can take or do to help with this?

Luckily my diet didn’t do too bad today although I’m not sure how to put the chili down. I did spent about 90min eating a cookie after the cookoff. It’s so rare that I eat anything like that nowadays that I wanted to savor every little piece of it. Between that and Planche’s in my chair when I get up for anything at work I’m sure my co-workers think I’m nuts.

Todays summary:
1:45pm
1x10bw GHR
3x10bw Squat
2mi(30min)walk

3pm:
1/3-1/2 Cup Vegan Black Bean chili
3/4-1 Cup Southwest style Venison chili
3:30-5pm:
Meijer Double chocolate chip cookie!

6:15pm
2mi(30min) walk

The rest of my intake today totaled the following:

Fat:73.4g*
Net Carb:58.1g*
Protein:199.8g*
Calories: ~1700*

*not including the Chili since it was homemade

[quote]CHRIS_M3 wrote:
PeterD.You are so great to get amazing result!
[/quote]

Thanks, My results are pretty vanilla compared to a lot of people on here but I’m convinced that without T-Nation I would still be about halfway between my before and after pic with no muscle whatsoever.

Peter

10

Well today was supposed to be Deadlift and Complexes B day today but between DOM’s in my shoulders from the other day and my back and left knee still bugging me I decided not to push my luck and just lift tomorrow.

Activity today:
~1.5hr walking around the mall
1x8bw squat and hold for 15sec
front and side planks. 60sec each

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:112.9g
Net Carbs:68g
Protein:191.1g
Calories: 2052

Today I actually had a cheat meal and still didn’t turn out too bad overall for the day. I did find these low carb/high fiber tortillas by La Tortilla Factory that are awesome! At 50cal/tortilla with 3g Net Carbs I can finally enjoy chicken quesadillas again!

I picked up some sugar free jello today. I’d be interested to see what T-Nations opinions are on things like this to control cravings for sweets/desserts since it’s only like 10cal/serving. What do you guys use as a good alternative to pigging out on ice cream or chocolate when you are trying to cut carbs?

PeterD

11

What do you guys use as a good alternative to pigging out on ice cream or chocolate when you are trying to cut carbs?

i tell em to screw off in my mind and go eat more chicken

generally if you wanna eat carbs its best before and/or after workout. i sometimes eat spaghetti or rice. it doesnt really hinder my fat loss , but it sure helps me do more stuff at the gym so its no biggy

12

[quote]PeterD wrote:
I picked up some sugar free jello today. I’d be interested to see what T-Nations opinions are on things like this to control cravings for sweets/desserts since it’s only like 10cal/serving. What do you guys use as a good alternative to pigging out on ice cream or chocolate when you are trying to cut carbs?
[/quote]

I just throw up afterwards.

13

[quote]goochadamg wrote:
I just throw up afterwards.
[/quote]

Not an option. Hate throwing up. I’d rather be sick then throw up and feel better even when I’m hung over.

Today turned out pretty good and I actually deadlifted for the first time since I had hurt my back a few weeks ago. Things felt pretty good although I paid particular attention to my form today.

Workout:

1x8bw squat and hold for 10

2mi(30min) walk 8am

2mi(30min) walk 6pm

Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Deadlift:
10x45lb practice form, 8x135,5x165,3x185,3x1x220 - felt heavy but great

Complexes B @8reps
Set1@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set2@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set4@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set5@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs
Rest:5min - Tired but not about to pass out like I normally am. I guess it’s time to up the weight for this routine and start my sets/rest intervals over at the beginner level again.

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs

Before bed:
1x10bw GHR
front and side planks@60sec each
15 regular push ups

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:76.7g
Net Carbs:171.7g
Protein:265.9g
Calories: 2441

Carbs are really high today but 125.1g of that was either breakfast( double oatmeal w/ blueberries I was craving) and Surge w/PWO shake and PWO mean an hour later so at least they are well timed I guess.

With thaksgiving coming up I will be out of town for a few days without access to weights and probably without an internet connection. I am going to look into some HIIT as we have a sandy beach all the way around our lake with some really steep hills that would let me try something new for a change. Hopefully this wednesday I’ll be going to the doctor to have my lower back and knee checked out just to make sure nothing is wrong with them.

I’d feel a lot more confident deadlifting more weight(265lbs is max I’ve tried so far) if I knew my back or knee wasn’t going to explode on me at the end of my set. I started doing GHR’s with my planks before bed and it’s made a big difference in being able to properly lock out a deadlift or at least feel the muscles more.

PeterD

14

Well no doctors appt. this week like I was hoping. Turns out my doctor(and family friend) passed away suddenly so just one more thing to add to the stress pile. Today was pretty much a normal off-day with a slightly higher calorie intake:

Workout:

1x8bw squat and hold for 10
1x10 GHR
2mi(30min) walk 8am

2mi(30min) walk 6pm

Before bed:
1x10bw GHR
front and side planks@60sec each
15 regular push ups

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:91.1g
Net Carbs:84.1g
Protein:232.8g
Calories: 2087

Normally I shoot for about 1800cal on a off day but felt hungry today for some reason so I ate more. Plus it appears my BRM is 1900cal so I’m going to at least shoot for that if not 2000cal on off days now. Tomorrow is the last day before I head out for the long weekend so I’m using up a lot of stuff in the fridge which means tons of greens tomorrow. We’ll see if I can eat them all throughout the course of the day!

PeterD

15

Well I was pretty sore today especially my midback but this was my last chance at the weights until sunday so I wasn’t going to pass it up. This was the routine I had pulled something in my lower back a month or so ago so although I pushed myself on shorter rest periods and an extra set I paid extra close attention to form and control

Workout:

1x8bw squat and hold for 10
1x10 GHR
2mi(30min) walk 8am

2mi(30min) walk 6pm

Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Complexes C @8reps
Set1@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set2@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs
Rest:60sec
Set4@70lbs - slow military - spots
Rest:90sec
Set5@70lbs - dead - lots of blue spots - military very hard
Rest:5min - Laid on the floor. My arms and forearms in particular were fried. I could barely hold the bar for Set5

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs

Food Intake:

Fat:88.8g
Net Carb:142g
Protein:285g
Calories: ~2500

Assuming I only have a Drive Bar and a shake w/metamucil for the rest of the night. Today was a little off since I was cleaning out the fridge since I’m going out of town until next week. Lots of eggs and spinach/romaine lettuce. Had almost 50g of fiber today if that tells you how many greens I ate. I probably won’t be near a pc for at least a few days so I’ll update when I can.

Hopefully I will come up with at least one good routine while I’m out of town. Was thinking of sprinting uphill for HIIT type work or rigging up a sled and harness to pull around for awhile. Have a happy thanksgiving guys! Looking forward to pumpkin pie :slight_smile:

PeterD

16

Betcha thought I was done huh? Well not quite yet. I was out of town for a few days for thanksgiving and of course have been catching up on things since I got back. Well here’s whats been going on the last few days:

11/21
1x8 bw squat and hold for 10s
Ate good all day but not as often/as much as I normally eat
11/22
1x8 bw squat and hold for 10s
Had a reasonable amount of food for thanksgiving but ate whatever I wanted instead of trying to eat clean.
11/23
1x8 bw squat and hold for 10s
Ate fairly well today and had lots of leftover turkey. Stayed away from foods I wouldn’t normally eat until we got done at the bar then it was mexican food at 3am
11/24
1x8 bw squat and hold for 10s
Bad eating day. Ate a chimichanga for breakfast and froze working outside until about 5pm when I pigged out on carb heavy snacks.

11/25 - 185.5lbs right after getting up
Food intake:
Fat:67.4g
Net Carb:166.3g
Protein:284.4g
Calories: ~2400

Pretty good for a lifting day with 112g of carbs coming from either oatmeal at breakfast or PWO Surge.

Workout:
Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Complexes D @8reps
Set1@65lbs - good 10s holds
Rest:75sec
Set2@65lbs - 10sec pause every other 10sec hold
Rest:90sec
Set3@56lbs - 5sec pause after every 10sec hold
Rest:120sec
Set4@65lbs - 5sec pause after every 10sec hold
Rest:5min - left knee tight again right where quad meets kneecap. Lower back fried

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x5lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x5lbs

11/26 - 181lbs in evening after work
Fat:85.6g
Net Carb:72.6g
Protein:238.9g
Calories: ~2000

am:
1x8bw squat and hold for 10sec
15 pushups

pm:
front and side planks for 60sec
15 pushups

Tomorrow would normally be a lifting day but if my knee keeps feeling funny I will put it off until wednesday since I’m not going out of town this weekend so I won’t mess up my lifting schedule. If you’ll notice I put on about 5lbs over my 4 days off and luckily it’s pretty much gone already although the Complexes D routine is pretty intense so I’m not surprised.

17

Well too cold to walk again today. My weight has stayed about the same but since thanksgiving(pigging out) and not walking I’ve seen decreased definition in my abs. I may have to start walking again just for the extra energy flux of eating a little more and burning a little more.

I wasn’t going to workout today since my knees and lower back were still a little sore from my last workout but it’s been a pretty crappy day and lifting is really the only time all be BS of daily life disappears so I wasn’t going to pass that up. The good news is that in my drive to make it all go away I made a pretty big jump in my complexes A performance compared to previous weeks. I probably would have kept on doing sets until I dropped today because everything except my lower back felt really good. Well enough talk here’s the meat of it:
8am
1x8bw squat and hold for 10sec

7pm
Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Complexes A @8reps
Set1@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set2@70lbs - twinge in lower back a few times during set
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set4@70lbs
Rest:45sec
Set5@70lbs - slower jump squats
Rest:55sec
Set6@70lbs - slow jump squats. lower back tired
Rest:5min - caught my breath after about 30 sec.

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs/arm
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs/arm

Midnight
Front and side planks for 60sec
15 pushups

Diet:
Fat:74.4g
Net Carb:200.7g*
Protein:295g
Calories: ~2650

*High carbs today. 64g at breakfast(oatmeal+Blueberries), 46g PWO Surge, and 26g PWO meal 1hr later account for most of it so it’s at least fairly well timed if a little high.

PeterD

18

Pretty standard day with a low carb focus. I should probably add my morning oatmeal&blueberries back into my diet since I really look forward to it but I’ve had a hard time keeping my total calories in check lately. Tomorrow I’m supposed to be going out to lunch for Katsudon which is probably my all time favorite food(~1100cal meal) so we will see how that goes.

I had found my left knee bruised this morning so I’m not sure if it’s from working out or if I bumped it on something. My right elbow was pretty tight today too for some reason. I was surprised I didn’t have DOMS today since they seem to come out when I push myself for shorter rest periods on my complexes routines.

Workout:

1x8bw squat and hold for 10
15 pushups

Before bed:
front and side planks@60sec each
15 regular push ups

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:92.5g
Net Carbs:59.4g
Protein:247.3g
Calories: 2050

BTW Libby’s Pumpkin Rocks! I love that stuff. Anyone know if it’s seasonal or if it’s year round? Need to stock up if it’s seasonal.

PeterD

19

Today was actually pretty good even with a ‘cheat’ meal that was thai curry for lunch and the rest of it post workout. Today was also the first day I have done Hang Clean’s outside of a complexes routine so it was kind of a figure it out day weight wise.

That was also the reason I was hesitant to increase the weight for my complexes routing since i didn’t know how I would react to adding the new lift. Turns out I could have gone up a little more and still been ok. My first set of complexes felt like I was playing with an empty bar after the DL and hang cleans with heavier weights.

Workout:
8am
1x8bw squat and hold for 10
15 pushups

7pm
Stretched using:The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stretching. Upper+Lower body

Deadlift:
10x45lb to practice form,
8x145
5x165
3x195
3x1x230 - 10 sec between each single. Heavy but not ‘gonna break’ heavy.
Rest:2min

Hang Clean:
5x135
3x5x115 - light
5x120 - seems like about the right weight might try 5x5x125 next time

Complexes B @8reps
Set1@70lbs - felt super light after hang cleans
Rest:45sec
Set2@70lbs - bumped knees with bar after a push press
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs - winded
Rest:45sec
Set4@70lbs - getting tired
Rest:45sec
Set5@70lbs - tired
Rest:45sec
Set3@70lbs -
Rest:4min - Tired but probably could have done another set after 60sec if I really put my mind to it.

Cracking the Rotator cuff conundrum workout:
Barbell Cuban press: 3x8x45lbs Rest 60sec
L-Lateral raises:3x10x10lbs Rest 60sec
Side Lying Dumbbell abduction to 45 degrees:10x10lbs
Side Lying Dumbbell external rotation:10x10lbs

Before bed:
front and side planks@60sec each
15 regular push ups

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:76.7g
Net Carbs:199.2g
Protein:285.2g
Calories: ~2625

Supps:
2x2 HRX
5mg Creatine w/PWO Surge
3x3 Fish oil caps w/big meals
2x1 Flax oil caps w/breakfast&dinner
Daily multivitamin

Carbs were high today because of the Thai curry having about two cups of rice and some noodles which I had for lunch and at my PWO meal. For some reason I fogot to add in the supps I’m taking before so I’ll start putting them in.

I’m wondering if adding two money lifts before a complexes routine is a good(or bad) idea. The reason I did it today is because I won’t be lifting again until sunday so I will have two recovery days instead of just one like I normally do. I normally like to do DL’s on Complexes B days since they are by far the simplest complexes routine of the group.

I’m also limited in that my equipment consists of an olympic bar, 265lbs of plates, and a situp bench that I can use for decline and rig up a flat bench. So things like back squats are out and I can only front squat what I can at least get to my shoulders(hence DL’s and now cleans). So what’s the general consensus?

PeterD

20

Today was actually pretty nice since I got 8 hours of sleep for once. Can’t remember the last time I didn’t have to get up early. I wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be today either which was a nice surprise. Calories were a little high today for a non workout day but it was a semi-cheat day and who can turn down Metabolic Drive bars on a day like that?

Workout:

11am:
1x8bw squat and hold for 10
15 pushups

1:30:
3.5mi walk(60min)

Before bed:
front and side planks@60sec each
15 regular push ups

Nutrient intake for the day:

Fat:91.5g
Net Carbs:124.5g
Protein:228.8g
Calories: ~2240

Supps:
2x1 HRX
Epsom salts bath to help with recovery and relax
3x3 Fish oil caps w/big meals
2x1 Flax oil caps w/breakfast&dinner
Daily multivitamin

So no opinions on doing deadlifts and cleans before a complexes routing being a good/bad idea?

PeterD