I’ve had to give the Rack Pulls a miss as the rack is way above my knee!
Doing close grip pull down instead
Do you have aerobic steps? I’ve had to do that before, where I stand on a step to get enough height to do the pull.
Dugdale has some substitutes in this article that are helpful in a pinch too:
elitefts.com/education/training/bodybuilding/bench-squat-and-deadlift-alternatives-for-bodybuilding/
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Mate I never even considered the trap bar at any point 
Went to use it however some PT was using it with a client
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Bench and Accessory
Just kidding - chest and shoulders
Spin Bike: repeated yesterday
-
Incline DB Press
30/20
50/15
70/10
80/10
90/12 -
Incline BB Press
45/8
135/8
185/8
205/4
Stupid. My next jump was supposed to be 195, but I thought I was awesome today (I wasn’t). I should have just done the 195. -
Incline Smith Press
135/6
185/6
225/6
225/6 + 185/4 -
Dips
BW/8 x 4
Held the bottom position for a good while on each rep -
DB Side Raise
20/10 x 5
I’m starting to do these pushing my arms a little farther behind me. It’s a bit harder than when I let them drift -
Rear Delt Destroyer
50/60
25/30
12/10
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I’m about to go lift, but I just did my weekly weigh-in and I’m frustrated. I’ve been at 2200 calories a day for two weeks, had a total of three drinks, and dropped not ounce 1. In fact, I’ve gained .1 lbs.
Things are not moving this time around the way I want them to. I don’t really want to go crazy low calories; at ~205, depending on which of the scales lies you want to believe, I’m already close to that. When I go too low, I’m cranky and that’s just not fair to everyone. I would like to see some abs, though. I don’t think 190 should be so hard to achieve.
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Maybe the three drinks were you weight loss nemesis? Just spitballing, because your workouts and macros seem sound.
Or maybe keep the nutrition as is and add some 15-minute sprint intervals on an exercycle or elliptical. 3 minutes just goin’, 30 seconds as fast as humanly possible, repeat for around 15-17 minutes. Surprisingly effective at fat burning and improving your memory.
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I think you’re on with the cardio. Last time I lost weight I had to do a significant amount. I just didn’t want to this time. Turns out my wants don’t matter to my fatness…
I could drop the drinks… but… that’s a fate worse than dad bod. If anything, I’ll give up the rest of my food calories first!
Thanks for the advice though. I apparently need to hear common sense from others to actually implement it.
Below the hip guns today
5 minutes stationary bike
-
Lying Leg Curls
50/10
70/8
90/6
110/4
130/2
That’s the super warmup with no breaks!
130/10 x 3
130/10 + 100/10 + 80/10 + 20-second isohold -
Machine Squat
-/8
1p/8
1.25p/8
2p/8
2.25p/8
These felt good. I’ve been going to a chiropractor and I’m really noticing a difference in how even I can get my hips and feet in a squat -
Leg Extension
One leg at a time
10/10
20/10
30/10
40/10 + 30/10 + 20/10
I normally can’t do these at all because my right knee hurts. When I do try them, I stay light and slow and flex hard. Today my knee didn’t really hurt, but that whole leg shook like crazy on the 40. I don’t know if that’s indicative that I should do these to strengthen it or stay away because I don’t want to hurt it. -
DB RDL
65/10
70/10
75/10 x 2
Now I’m going to do a walking meeting with a friend for 90 minutes (we like talking about that in corporate America but never do it), so that should be cool. Then I might do arms tonight instead of tomorrow. Out with friends tonight, so I’ll keep my eating under control but I will have my weekly drinks. Then I’ll start doing the nefarious cardio. Weird how everyone that gets lean does cardio, but then I want to think I don’t have to…
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You’re positive you’ve been hitting this number? Don’t worry about the drinks. I used to have a few beers and skip dinner to hit a new low the next morning. It might’ve been dehydration but the psychological boost was always nice.
2200 cals should do the trick at your weight. Unfortunately, I used 2200-2300 to get to 210 last year. Maybe our bodies don’t care for those calculators.
What incline are you using? I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to catch up. I’m using the barbell setup so I think I’m around 45*.
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Jesus mate, 2200 kcals is like a fucking cheat day for me 
I’m jealous!
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I’m at least as close as I’ve been in the past. I do work dinners, so I’m at the mercy of the restaurant doing what I ask there, but I always go sirloin, rice and broccoli. So I could be off, but not insanely.
Unfortunately I think this is the problem. I probably need to just suck up a super low day here and there to create a deficit. Plus actually do the cardio like @TriednTrue said. I’m trying to take the lazy way out and that just isn’t doing anything. I’ll be back to report a drop next week - guaranteed.
Well now I feel both better and worse/ scared!
Good question. I’m not always real consistent on the dumbbell work. This was like a static bench bolted over in the dumbbell area (so not adjustable). It looked similar to what the barbell setup was, so whatever that is. Dumbbells are finicky for me - some days I’m in the groove and some days I let them go all over the place.
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And happy birthday!
It’s T-Nation birthday and I can still remember when I signed up. I was sitting in the weight room of the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY. I was doing an internship and it was the best job ever. I got to train on the clock. I made $9.50/hr and lived on site. I had food prepared for me all day. They reduced my paycheck by $27 a day to cover room and board. I ate more than $27 worth of food a day!
The reason I asked about the incline is because I was curious how far behind I’ve fallen. I don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past year, but it didn’t do anything for my strength. All these dang injuries and modifications have somehow resulted in me looking the same but losing a ton of strength. It’s frustrating because gaining strength at 35 is proving to be more painful than it was at 30.
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You were a paid athlete? That’s a pretty amazing experience.
As I accumulate more wear and tear, I am more able to get stronger on bodybuilding programs than strength ones. You may not take as quick a leap forward session to session, but you also don’t take the steps back. Plus it’s just easier to work around the stuff that hurts. On the other hand, I’m shorter than you so a lot of the stuff is simply easier for me. I can’t dunk a basketball though, and it continues to piss me off!
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I was an intern. I basically just absorbed as much information as I possibly could and helped athletes with their programs. I’d load and strip weights and critique form where I could. The coolest part was that I got to take a ride down the track in a bobsled! I was sore for days from that. The brakeman position in a two man sled is not fun. The g forces basically folded me in half. My head was between my knees and I can remember looking up with my eyes and seeing my heels.
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A consistent intern story. I hope you went to HR.
Did a 4 mile “walk and talk” then went back and did arms, abs and calves. Today I’m the pro athlete!
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I’ve read so many articles that talk about cardio’s irrelevance for fat loss or how lifting is superior, yet all I can think is either those authors are laughing and lying at their audiences or their metabolisms are very, very different from mine.
No prob, we all do from time to time.
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It might not be necessary, but everyone should do it for health. I’m sure a hard gainer thinks it’s easy to cut fat but people like me feel differently. Losing weight is basically a mental battle and hunger, like pain, has a cumulative effect - eventually it wins.
As someone who does this for fun, it’s easy to choose food over hunger because there’s no point in being miserable all the time. But, I’m also not carrying enough fat to be unhealthy. That makes it easy to cave in to my hunger.
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Totally agree with all of that. There’s a level of lean I just have no interest in earning. I do want to be less fat than I am and be in better shape - ergo less food and more cardio are on the menu
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Excellent point. You have a degree in exercise physiology, right? If you don’t mind sharing some knowledge, what are a couple health benefits cardio confers that lifting, even intense lifting, doesn’t?
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It’s just the simple heart health and cardiorespiratory benefits. I used to think I was a Badass walking around at 240 lbs in college. And then I’d get out of breath gong up the stairs in my house. Not cool.
I use my resting HR to judge my fitness now. 2-3 sessions of 1 minute on, 2 minutes off intervals for 15-20 minutes on the elliptical or bike work well for me. My resting HR is in the mid 40s right now.
I try to follow the “use it or lose it” principle. A little work now can go a long ways in terms of maintenance. It’s easier to maintain than it is to build. I want to maintain my physical abilities as long as I can. I don’t want to be one of those old people who just sit around and wait to die.
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