Thursday Intake
3200 calories
Weight 194
Lots of eating and lifting and moving around over the weekend.
Intake Monday
2850 cal
280g P
315g C
67g F
Training Monday
Mostly biceps and traps
Shooting to keep fat around 70 this week.
Protein at least 185 but as high as it wants to go.
Carbs to bring total calories up to 2900.
Carbs - fruit, bread, cereal, workout drink, rice, oatmeal, maltomeal, skim milk, vegetables, fruit strips, honey, syrup, candy canes, candy corns.
Training Tuesday - 60 minutes
Chest
with some triceps and biceps and shoulders between enormous extended mechanical drop-set work for chest.
Here are some of my current little tweaks and hacks to help me stick to my nutrition plan and optimize my results:
- Base plan is 2900 calories, minimum 185g P, maximum 75g F, fill in the rest with carbs
- Eat as light as possible early in the day so at LEAST 1200 calories are left for after 4 PM.
- Keep fat as low as possible for as long as possible so I can have lots of flexibility with macros after 4 PM.
- Recognize false appetite signals and look for underlying triggers
- Use protein powder to satisfy “snacking” urges (I mix in the minimum amount of skim milk to create a cookie-dough texture and eat my protein, usually with some fiber one or grapenuts mixed in with it. casein or blends work best, isolates and hydros not so much)
- Drink around 40 grams worth of pre-workout carbs, but the timing of all other carbs is flexible and structured to minimize potential binge triggering. Fruits are great. Cereal is best just before bed, because it has the potential to unleash the carb craving monster.
- Espresso to start the day and cups of decaf throughout to satisfy the need to constantly consume shit all day long
- Minimize added oils or nut butters during the day, but allow at night if there’s still room under the cap.
Intake Tuesday
2900 calories
230g P
340g C
44g F
I’ve recently made a few half-assed attempts at re-starting Carbolin 19, but I haven’t been real consistent with it.
I’m on day 3 of 2x2 and once again reminded that I really like this stuff. It’s hard to describe the effect, but it seems to just give me that semi-pumped feeling throughout the day. I can see the smaller veins that worm their way over the main ones.
Random thoughts continued, because just watching tennis isn’t stimulating enough.
CHEST
I am actually starting to learn to love chest training the same way I love training arms and shoulders and traps.
The key has been the evolution of the “d-roy raise”. This move is now the backbone of my chest training, and the variations are endless.
Today, I was alternating sets. For a few minutes, I would work just to connect with this one specific area of my chest that I’m trying to fill out.
It’s kind of in my upper middle chest, and when I push on that area, I can find an area that seems to be thinner…I think it might be the area between the two sets of fibers…the ones that attache to the sternum and the ones that attach to the clavicle.
Anyway, I find that spot and dig into it a bit, and then I start my resistance movement and try to focus the contraction right at that area. Once I find it, I just blast away at it for a bit with different types of reps and contractions.
After a long set like this, I’ll then go over to the horizontal machine chest press. I use a variety of grips and angles, but today I was using mostly the wide grip, to-the-neck angle.
The key thing here is that I try to maintain that same connected feeling to the muscles that I just brought over from the previous set. So I will kind of anchor myself against the handles on the chest press and pinpoint that contraction before the stack even moves. Similar to how CT teaches the lifts from pins, only instead of focusing on pure mechanical piston-like power, the focus is on the fibers in the pecs.
Once the tension is in the right place, that’s when I’ll pump the stack for reps. My favorite variation here is to just barely lift the stack and then BOOM, explode it for about 6 inches or so and hold it for a second. It’s kind of like a pulsing, jolt type of sensation. The key is to locate the tension and get it moving slowly first, otherwise I think the instinctual motor pattern will kick in and you won’t use the chest, you’ll use whatever gives you the best mechanical leverage.
So today, I alternated between “connection” sets and “pumping/pressing” sets. It seemed to do the trick.
Another month or so, and I will be celebrating one year of continuous ass-kicking in the gym.
This will be the first solid 12-months of lifting I’ve put together in at least 15 years and maybe forever.
Training Wednesday
Lats - almost all of what I did consisted of loaded “flexing” of the lats - using about a 2 inch range of motion with something resembling a sideways-facing single-armed straight-armed pull-down. It’s mentally draining to spend that much time on a 2 inch range of motion.
I used about 40 grams of carbs total pre-workout, and my blood glucose was about 78 when I got home. I think I could feel it towards the end of my workout, the pump kind of just disappeared on me.
I think I’ll try sipping some throughout instead of slamming it all before.
I also ordered Surge Workout Fuel…it really does fit the bill for me, so I was pumped when I saw they were releasing it. I just had to make my way through most of my other stuff before I ordered.
I still have a little of the other stuff - I think the flavor is strawberry kiwi and when you mix it with vodka, it makes a super tasty cocktail. So maybe I’ll reserve the rest of it for my performance cocktails.
Macros This Week - Averages
190g P
350g C
74g F
I’m averaging about 3300 calories/day.
I’m weighing about 191-193.
Got some Surge Workout Fuel arriving today, so I’m looking forward to giving it a go tomorrow morning.
My objective with pre/intra-workout carbs is to ignite the carb/insulin pathways for better pumps, recovery, and to quickly re-set my blood sugar levels back down to baseline after my workout. I use as many grams of carbs as needed to make sure I get a great workout, but not so much that my blood glucose is still high 30 minutes after I’m done. I want it to be lower than before the workout, but I don’t want that to happen while I’m training. 50 grams seems to be about the sweet spot for me.
I’ll probably use 1 scoop of Surge Workout Fuel alnd then another 20 grams or so of pure dextrose. I like the dextrose because it kick-starts the pump. I’ll probably add extra beta-alanine, because I’m sure one scoop of SWF does not have a full 3.2 grams, which is what I like.
The nice thing about the Workout Fuel is that it has all those great hydration factors and goodies included, so I can pretty much minimize the need to add scoops of this and that. Surge Workout Fuel is like a customizable tennis racquet. Works in stock form, but leaves room to tweak things up a little bit here and there.
I usually take one or two caps of a glucose-disposal agent first thing in the morning before the carbs - very similar to the old Receptormax.
The Surge Workout Fuel is working out great so far.
I’m doing about 1.5 scoops or so…66 grams to be exact. That’s 50 grams of carbs.
I’ve been mixing it up in about 1.2 L of water. I take a few big gulps at home as I’m getting ready to leave for the gym, and then I just try to make it last until about 10 minutes before I’m done with my workout.
This week, I’m gonna pull back on the carbs a bit and shoot for something in the 30/30/40 range PCF or maybe even 25/25/45.
No change with the lifting.
Carb choices will be changing, too.
Bread, berries, and beer will probably make up the majority of my carb intake, with the rest coming from Serge Workout Fuel and the sum of any passenger carbs that come along with things like nuts, cheese, milk, avocado, and dark chocolate.
I feel a leg day coming soon, I’ve just been hammering the shit out of my upper body.
Ever try taking pics for progress purposes in the same lighting /time/and clothes? It’s always hard to see progress when those variables aren’t controlled. You’re log is always a good read man. You do so much better than ppl my age
I miss the old log title.
Looking sharp as always man.
Appreciate the writeups!
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
Ever try taking pics for progress purposes in the same lighting /time/and clothes? It’s always hard to see progress when those variables aren’t controlled. You’re log is always a good read man. You do so much better than ppl my age [/quote]
Thanks man, appreciate the visit.
The lighting kind of just evolves. I get what you are saying but it’s only hard for you guys to see the difference. I can tell. For me, pics are more for fun, motivation, and maybe just a little of the Ron Burgundy in me saying “hey everyone, look how good I look!”
By the way, glad to see you bouncing back after that ER thing.
[quote]raven78 wrote:
I miss the old log title.
Looking sharp as always man.
Appreciate the writeups![/quote]
Sup man, thanks for dropping in.
I liked the old title, too. Sometimes I change things for no other reason than boredom.
[quote]Serge A. Storms wrote:
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
Ever try taking pics for progress purposes in the same lighting /time/and clothes? It’s always hard to see progress when those variables aren’t controlled. You’re log is always a good read man. You do so much better than ppl my age [/quote]
Thanks man, appreciate the visit.
The lighting kind of just evolves. I get what you are saying but it’s only hard for you guys to see the difference. I can tell. For me, pics are more for fun, motivation, and maybe just a little of the Ron Burgundy in me saying “hey everyone, look how good I look!”
By the way, glad to see you bouncing back after that ER thing. [/quote]
Got ya. I just know I struggle to see progress until I make sure to take pics same light and clothes and time of day otherwise I can fluctuate so much and make progress with each pic but in reality not. Lol yeah ER and icu was fun 
Monday Macros
215g P
200g C
165g F
3250 calories
The goal here was to keep protein about the same and simply swap out some carbs for some fats while keeping total intake around 3250.
Here’s what I ate:
Pre/Intra:
66g Serge’s Workout Fuel
1 scoop MAG-10
Breakfast:
2 whole eggs on white toast with 21g butter and 30g Land 'O Lakes four cheese italian blend
Lunch:
4 oz Dietz and Watson Gourmet Lite deli turkey breast on white bread with 2 tbsp light mayo and 30g cheese
4 squares of 90% cocoa dark chocolate
Snacks: (spread out, not all at once)
scoop of MAG-10
scoop of Casein mixed with 2oz skim milk
handful of blueberries
24 grams cocoa roasted almonds
4 chewable fiber wafers
Dinner:
Salad with 14 pepper jack cheese cubes, 2 tbsp bacon bits, 2 tbsp olive oil vinaigrette dressing, 3.5 tbsp pine nuts.
8 ounces chicken breast
1 Beck’s light
Snack:
1 glass white wine
17 grams cocoa roasted almonds
2 squares dark chocolate
Activity yesterday
1 hour training - a mix of chest, back, shoulders, arms
1 hour of destroying golf balls at the range
30 minute easy bike ride through the woods trails with wife and daughter
5 minutes of violence while trying to cram all the bikes back in the truck
Tuesday AM Training - 60 minutes
LEGS
Hamstring and glute work with the low cable with foot strap attachment
- This is currently my favorite type of lower body training - I use a mix of squeezing reps and violent explosive contractions. The core move is similar to the move you do on a butt blaster machine. Endless angles and variations. Very easy to get a strong mind-muscle connection and fun to move the contraction around to different areas of the glutes, hams, hip flexors, etc. My glutes and hamstrings seem to have lots of power but they are not even in the same league as my upper body in terms of endurance. To me, that would indicate a huge potential for hypertrophy, should I ever completely lose my mind and decide to blow my ass up like a shot putter.
A few extended sets of leg extensions
Some interesting body weight squat variations - mostly TUT work
I did two sets of jump rope - about 4 minutes each
Also a little ab work and some light recovery work for upper body
Tuesday Macros
3200 calories
305g P
250g C
110g F
I’ve been playing around with these macros to see which approach is easier to execute on lower-carb days… moving those calories over to fat or moving them to protein.
So far, my conclusion is that neither is great. I don’t really like to decrease my carbs anymore and I’m thinking that if I need to, it might just make a bit more sense to make it more of a “low day” and just cut the calories out completely, keeping my protein and fat intake the same.
Weight = 192.2
Smoke and mirrors. Holy shit, that’s it.
Wednesday Macros
3450 calories
305g P
375g C
53g F
I’m struggling just a little bit to tame my appetite these days.
Part of it is because I’m home for a full week without travel - working from home mostly.
I also think the carbs around my morning workout tend to light up my appetite pathways a little bit.
I almost wonder if I’m rebounding a bit too far after my workout and resetting my blood sugar to a level that is low enough to make me hungry.
I haven’t been fighting it too much and it really doesn’t seem to be hurting me. I think it might be possible to hang out up here in the 3500 calorie range and still fit into my skinny jeans.
I do need to make an effort to stay away from certain things when I’m in this kind of mode. Quest Bars, MetRx bars - I’d be 8 quest bars deep by late afternoon on a day like yesterday. Instead, I mixed up a few batches of Casein Cement Mix throughout the day.
At one point, I ate a huge bowl of kale salad - some kind of pre-mix thing in the bag. Chopped it up, mixed it with some lite ranch dressing, and went to town.
I thought it would be a good low-cal volumizer, but it did nothing but make me hungrier. It must have provided some ideal substrates to my microbiotic partners, though.
Anyway, when my appetite seems to be getting away from me, here is what seems to work:
A) Find a distraction or activity where I won’t be able to eat for at least a few hours.
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I allow myself to eat, but I try to eat even smaller snacks more frequently.
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I try to stay away from super-dense foods like candy bars, pizza, cheeseburgers, ice cream. With the early part of the day filled with smaller snacks, there is always the potential to reel it back in at some point. One bad meal (something like a normal restaurant meal) will blow my chances for hitting any goals that day. Once the chance is blown, it opens up the door to just say fuck it and get stupid.
A) Find a distraction. Logging on T-Nation is a good example. Usually, I’ll jump on the internet in small doses all day long - I don’t have the type of day where I can just fuck off for hours at a time. But, if I’m struggling with appetite, sometimes I will allow myself an hour of uninterrupted internet time. It’s almost like a reward to replace the food reward. I don’t know, it works.
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If I feel like I only have but a few ounces of willpower to spend, I spend them earlier in the day. In other words, I try to ask myself in the morning…can I get by without eating, is it REALLY that hard right now? I know that at night, there will be fewer distractions available and I probably will NOT be able to restrict my eating as much, so it’s better to just hold out early and save it for later.
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Decaf coffee
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If practical, take a nap. Not sure this is possible for normal human adults these days, but it would be nice.
A) Find a distraction. Seriously, is it that hard to find something else to focus on for few hours?
And here are some things that I’m told should work but really don’t work for me at all:
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Drink water. Bullshit. In fact, I really don’t think drinking water is the answer to anything. Ever. If you are thirsty, you’re gonna drink. Trust me. And no, it doesn’t do shit for a rampant appetite.
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Eat vegetables. Nope. Kind of makes me want a big meat-lovers farmers skillet.
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Eat apples. Okay, this one actually might not be bad in that it takes a little time to eat an apple. But it just makes me want to eat ten boxes of raisins.
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Eat slowly and mindfully. Sure, not a problem. I can do that all day and then 4,500 calories later, I’ll tell you how much I truly enjoyed each bite and felt the presence of the original photons of sunlight with every swallow.
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Exercise. Again, it does take up some time but if the appetite circuits are tripped, it doesn’t seem to help much. And definitely do not exercise solely for the purpose of compensating for extra calories. The only person this ever worked for was Michael Phelps. And he didn’t even eat the 10,000 calories on purpose, he just had the munchies.
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Meditate, breath, relax, etc. Those are such non-rewarding behaviors that I think they actually cause a rebound response and make me want to head straight to the strip club for a liquid lunch and a lap dance.
Training Thursday AM - 60 minutes
I was feeling great this morning, so at one point I decided to see how many consecutive double-unders I could get with the rope.
I stopped at 100. It was super easy. Heart rate didn’t even get past 160.
My lifting focus today was mid-back thickness. I’ve been playing around with some movements where I start with my shoulders really rounded - kind of like a lat spread back pose where the back is rounded and the traps get all spread out across the back.
Anyway, I do these little rows from that position so I can focus on just the mid back pulling. The key is to relax the rear delts and traps, otherwise they will kick in. This was good - I still need to do some more discovery here, but I think I can spark up some better back thickness progress if I continue down this path.
Wasn’t able to read that long post so maybe you hit it. But if hunger is off the chart I wouldn’t try to control it too much. If it’s true hunger most likley your body needs its and needs the extra food for growth and repair. Just my option.
Bicep peaks are nice. Work mid back. Your. Lats look good mid back needs to catch back up. Chest up and lateral and rear delts can use some more to help round things if that makes sense. It would add a lot. Need more meat for those side shots
Some great stuff here, and a fun read to boot.
Maintaining on 3400-3500 cals/d @192, huh? I’m only ~5# lighter than you, but am finding 2500/d is about the upper limit of maintenance for me. Enjoy your roaring 40 y.o. metabolism while you can, whippersnapper.