The weight gain can be muscle growth. The mirror and / or measurements are a better guide for progress. I would ditch the scale for a while.[/quote]
I’m going to go ahead and quote myself. As you have already seen, the scale will lie to you about progress. It is not a weight number you are shooting for; it is less body fat. If you keep looking to make the scale number go down, you will likely under-eat which will affect you strength & muscle gains.
You are doing great. Keep at it.[/quote]
This is pretty well what happenned in the middle couple of weeks, scale wouldn’t move, ate less, workouts sufferred. In truth i need to grow some muscle.
tweaked my lower back quite badly while doing an awkward job on the boat (lifting and rotating while bent over tryin to move my spare anchor out of its’ locker).
Doh !!
went to gym (mistake) --so that’s me out of action for a few days.
Rethink :
Actually if i just don’t do any compressive work it might be possible to get some work done so :
Walked about 2 hours with day pack.
Got home, chins to pull up bar : 8 .6. 4. 2. , pull ups 2 chins 6 . 4. 2
Back recovery drill, hot shower and extra fish oil.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Actually, your strength gains have been quite good for a beginner on a fat loss diet. I’m curious to see how you do with hearty eating.[/quote]
Cheers cav, i think the next few months will be an entirely new stage in my transformation. The good thing about the lessons from this tage is that i have a much better idea about how to go lean when i want to.
Currently thinking around 6-7 months of solid work and enhanced diet which will see me through the winter and then probably do another fat hit next may/june.
The target now will be to get some muscle on without piling the fat back on, main tactic in terms of workout nutrition will probably be carbohydrate back loading and a bit more protein.
I note that when i went high protein/low carb and had to add fat that i didn’t tolerate the extra fat very well.
Today.
2 hour walk this morning. Back gradually easing up.
For the last couple of days of not going to the gym i have tried to keep up some non compressive work.
Have targeted pull ups and chin ups doing sets frequently, will total up at the end of the week.
Progress so far though has been (best) 1 set of 4 pull ups straight through and a set of 8 chins straight through.
Today later :
Walk up to gym.
Careful warm up, usual warm up complex but with bare bar and 55 lbs.
Main work : lat pull downs paired with decline press ups.
Lat pulls
121 lbs 1 x 10
136 1 x 10
143 1 x 10
Then :
158 6 x 5 + total of 8 x 8 decline press ups.
Secondary work
Front squat (back feeling not so bad just took it slowly)
88lb 2 x 5
99lb 2 x 5
110lb 1 x5
115lb 1 x 5
121 lb 3. 3. (most i have ever front squatted)
Couple of sets of chins
Couple of sets on bench but bench got taken over.
5 minutes on exercise bike
20 minutes on treadmill, dartmoor miles routine = 2 miles and 594 feet ascent.
So : carefully back to the gym and see what my back has to say for itself.
Walk to gym ,short route 35 minutes.
Warm up complex x2 1 set at 55lbs 1 set at 66lbs (but less the final clean/push press movement)
Main work today : combination of squat and bench (supersetted)
Front squat :
88lb 1 x 10
99lb 1 x 10
104 1 x 8
110 2 x 5
115.5 1 x 5
121 1 x 5
126.5 1 x5
121 1 x 5
132lb 2 (new 2 rep max, almost got stuck at the bottom but grunted it through)
Bench
BB warm up 1 x 10
66lb 1 x 10 (warm up set)
88lb 1 x 10
99 1 x 10
104 1 x 8
110 1 x 5
115 1 x 5
121 3. 2.
121 4. 2.
126.5 3.
132 1.
132 2.
137.5 1.
Secondary work :
Lat pull down as drop sets starting at body weight-ish , paired with decline press ups, 4 blocks and deck
180.4 4
171.6 5
165 6
136 8
121 10
Decline press ups 3 x 8 but definite fatigue after the bench today.
Finishing work
Cycle 5 minutes sitting upright
Foam rolling and stretching.
I’m looking forward to seeing how you do on the Indigo. I’ve been tempted to try it myself so your experience just might tip the scale one way or the other.
[quote]JoeGood wrote:
I’m looking forward to seeing how you do on the Indigo. I’ve been tempted to try it myself so your experience just might tip the scale one way or the other.[/quote]
Joe, thanks.
It came about after thinking about it for some time, i was under the impresssion that it is only for the super advanced but an online conversation with Chris Shugart yesterday convinced me that i would be a good candidate for it.
It is a very expensive option and i need to look at doing the whole deal for 12 weeks ( i have ordered the first 6 weeks worth) this week and next i am getting my head around the training and nutrition plan.
Luckily my first week on should coincide with a weeks leave so there should be no reasons to get it wrong.
Downside is that have to give up tea—and i am the quintessential english tea drinker !!.
Looks like bread needs to go as well --will miss my toast.
Not looking to piss in anyone’s cheerios, but wanted to butt in with my .02: Indigo is the most advanced supplement out there, so let’s call it the nuclear weapon of supplements; as iron warriors so to speak, shouldn’t we start out with knives, move on to pistols, rifles, machine guns, etc., before we move on to the nuclear weapons? My point being, progression is key to exercise choices and techniques, why would that not be applicable to supplement choices as well?
To be clear, I think you’ll do great on it, especially with all the additional guidance that comes with the Indigo purchase. Good luck with it!
[quote]punnyguy wrote:
Not looking to piss in anyone’s cheerios, but wanted to butt in with my .02: Indigo is the most advanced supplement out there, so let’s call it the nuclear weapon of supplements; as iron warriors so to speak, shouldn’t we start out with knives, move on to pistols, rifles, machine guns, etc., before we move on to the nuclear weapons? My point being, progression is key to exercise choices and techniques, why would that not be applicable to supplement choices as well?
To be clear, I think you’ll do great on it, especially with all the additional guidance that comes with the Indigo purchase. Good luck with it![/quote]
Based on peeping in the Indigo logs, I would be prepared to eat 100% more and train with twice the intensity to get full effect. No exaggeration intended. I recall one guy (can’t remember name) that had his carbs cranked up to 600g per day. I’m sure individual recommendations vary.
[quote]giterdone wrote:
Does it include training and nutritional guidance? Or do you just jump into the Indigo live spills and get information that way?
Actually, now that I think about it, aren’t you are supposed to have an INdigo training log? Does that mean you will be moving out of O35 for awhile?[/quote]
Git…
I do now have an indigo log as well, one gets set up automatically on first order. I will be keeping 2 logs because i will keep up my log here (where i am very happy and get lots of support).
The indigo log will have my regular training reports (will cut and paste from here) but will also be keeping a very detailed food log as well–that seems to be almost a requirement !!.
[quote]punnyguy wrote:
Not looking to piss in anyone’s cheerios, but wanted to butt in with my .02: Indigo is the most advanced supplement out there, so let’s call it the nuclear weapon of supplements; as iron warriors so to speak, shouldn’t we start out with knives, move on to pistols, rifles, machine guns, etc., before we move on to the nuclear weapons? My point being, progression is key to exercise choices and techniques, why would that not be applicable to supplement choices as well?
To be clear, I think you’ll do great on it, especially with all the additional guidance that comes with the Indigo purchase. Good luck with it![/quote]
Punny.
Its a fair comment and to be honest i was expecting to get a bit of a slapping along the lines of this ie why would a beginner even consider this as an early option.
I certainly questionned this myself but then had an online discussion with Chris Shugart who was kind enough to look at my pics and log and who thought that i would be an ideal candidate for it.
There are aspects of my plans for the future that i really can’t talk about yet but just to say that i am moving into a whole new stage of my life and where i need to take a ‘no excuses’ approach.
Hopefully within the next year or so if things work out then this may become a lot clearer.
Once again…a huge thanks to the over 35s who have been nothing but supportive, my only regret is that i didn’t start this journey sooner.
EDIT. Although indigo is clearly a ‘super supplement’ it will only be so with a higher work effort from me and yet another diet modification, i am certainly not seeing it as an easy or quick fix.
The weeks work.
Aside from the 2 gym sessions (easy week) i have been working on a couple of weak areas at home namely pull ups and chins. It’s been a continous frustration so far that i just havn’t been able to get past a couple of true dead hang pull ups and/or 4-5 chins.
This weeks main effort has been to attack this ‘Pavel Tatsouline’ style ie just keep going out to the pull up bar and doing a short set again and again throughout the day.
At near end of week (rest tomorrow) i have got :
pull ups 79
chins 197
decline press ups 96
Best sets are now : pull ups 4 and chins 8 , but could probably get 5 and 10 respectively which is a nice improvement.
Generally a bit sore !!, but seems to work as a method…
I reccomend it to the house !!
Came off night shift yesterday morning after a rough set,poor sleep,shitty shifts.
Bad news last night, losing one of our best team members to reorganisation.
And so much for a nice quiet day off after night shifts relaxing, o8.00 and heating engineers have moved in next door and started what looks like putting in new central heating.
(note …we live in a very small terraced house and next door is literally through 1 wall)
As i write i can feel the vibration from the drill grinding through the house !!.
So : change of plan. I was going to have this week as my indigo organisation week–get diet and shopping organised but now i Can’t see any point in waiting for the ideal moment to get stuck in.
08.30 first indigo dose
Straight out for a fasted walk of 40 minutes peace and quiet down in the woods.
09.30 first meal on indigo.
3 slices bacon
2 egg ommelette
1 banana (not in ommelette)
black coffee.
Just for anyone looking in–the significant changes on diet for me are :
No tea (sob) and i am the quintesential tea drinking englishman !
No bread --not even bread coated fish or chicken fillets.
Vastly reduced dairy–manily cutting out most milk.
So straight onto todays main work.
Warm up complex x 2 rounds
Main work squat and bench supersetted.
Squat sets (front squat) based on Dan Johns ‘big 55’
88lb 1 x 10
99lb 1 x 10
104 1 x 10
110 1 x 5
115 1 x 5
121 1 x5
110 1 x5
126 1 x5
Felt like a bit more work after that so added another wave :
110 1 x 5
132 1 x 5
Bench sets
bb warm up
66lb warm up
88lb 1 x 10
99lb 1 x 10
104 1 x 10
110 1 x 5
115 1 x5
121 2.
110 1 x 5
115 1 x 5
secondary work
2 x dartmoor miles on treadmill s0 :
20 minutes
2.1 miles
640 feet ascent
EDIT. Although indigo is clearly a ‘super supplement’ it will only be so with a higher work effort from me and yet another diet modification, i am certainly not seeing it as an easy or quick fix.
[/quote]
Amen to this Nurse! One thing I learned a long time ago, there are no quick fixes, you get out of your training exactly what you put into it.
[quote]JoeGood wrote:
What does the indigo dosing look like and what exacly are you told not to eat?[/quote]
Dosing protocol that came with the indigo is slightly different to the original protocol.
Main dosing instructions are (summary) :
4 capsules 3 times a day on empty stomach
On training days take 4 caps about 30-40 minutes before starting peri workout nutrition.
Take 4 caps before last meal of day.
Main things not to eat/drink are :
Tea–any ie no green tea/normal tea.
Wheat–avoid
Milk.
Some things may interfere with the action, these sound like foods with high flavonoid content like berries, these aren’t a no-no just don’t have them straight after indigo dose.
Todays note is that my first 2 doses were quite close together and i may have had the second one too soon after eating breakfast.
I did also use Surge Workout Fuel for the first time today.
I am going to ramp things up week by week and see what i can deal with.
This week is an unplanned break-in week, i was going to start in next week during a weeks leave but i figured that if i can get through this weeks rough working schedule on some training and a clean ideal diet then i can really get into it next week.
This week is going to be about finding the right pattern of dosing , eating and training.
Also this week i need to experiment with a few different food choices to replace some of my standard items.
Next week i will probably increase all food intake ie protein and carbs, maybe larger meals, maybe an extra meal.
This weeks training i would define as ‘moderate’ was going to be 3 sessions but i suspect that will turn into 4 main ones and some suplemtary wotk at home. Already thinking about some more work today, possibly a load carry session or a session on the pull up bar.
Next week i intend to go up a level to a new ‘hard’ week, previous weeks ‘hard’ has been 4 sessions so immediately aiming for 5 main training sessions.
At the moment i will stick with what i know ie the big compound stuff that i am familiar with, in a few weeks time i will probably move to one of CT programmes for indigo.
All round quite a lot of changes so i am intending to bring them in gradually.