More shotgun 'o thoughts
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It just dawned on me that, now that I’ve found a way to make prowler work viable in the AM hours, “5/3/1 for Hardgainers” has become an option. I’ve always liked the look of that program. I’ll have to keep it in mind.
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I’m also way too excited about my upcoming diet break. It’s been a very weird transition from someone who traditionally gained weight just looking at food to someone that has to fight for every single pound on the scale. I’m just excited about having a more “high speed/low drag” nutritional approach, because right now I have to spend SO much time dealing with food. I will be eating WHILE making food for my next meal.
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Swapped out grassfed beef for ground bison in my morning/evening meal. It’s a little higher fat (90% vs 93% lean) and greasier, but that’s a positive for now. If I decide to keep it during the diet break, I might consider rinsing it.
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I have gotten SO bad on energy drinks again, and science fiction food. One positive of the latter is I’ve confirmed beyond the shadow of a doubt that blueberries are on my “though shall not” list. I used some Walden’s Farm blueberry syrup, which is about as far removed from a blueberry as you can get, and it still caused a reaction. Part of me is thinking about, as a new year’s challenge, setting aside a block of time to go Paleo-esque. It honestly wouldn’t be a tough shift for me to just go eggs, meat and veggies, and I think I’d permit myself nuts and natural nut butters, but just cut out all the processed stuff, even if it’s “healthy”. If nothing else, that might be a good protocol during the diet breaks. I tend to bring in that crazier stuff when I’m trying to gain.
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Conditioning plays an interesting trick on the brain: the better you get at it, the harder you have to work to get the training effect you want. Sometimes I have to remind myself that just because I’m not sucking wind doesn’t mean I didn’t push myself (double negative): it’s a sign the training IS working.
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All of my lifts are free falling, except for my squats, which are the strongest they’ve ever been. I hit a set of 4 for 405 on the SSB Squat as a return from injury. I had to SERIOUSLY work up to that weight in the past. And it’s weird, because usually my squats tank when I’m lean because I don’t have the abdominal circumference to make a good base.