01-10-2017
C8W3D1
SHOULDERS - OHP
5@45, 5@65, 3@85
5@105
3@120
1@135 RPE 10
3X6@105, 100,100
BPAS 5X30, FP’S, SIDE LATERALS, ARNOLD PRESSES 4X12, SHRUGS, TPD’S 5X20
Clearly need to reset. Debating whether to even finish this cycle or reset and start over. Will probably reset and finish this cycle with some added volume for the reset.
@MarkKO, your thoughts?
@The_Myth I’d finish the cycle, but for the remaining days don’t go for plus reps, just hit your minima. If on the day you feel good, add one joker set up to your TM.
I think all of this is down to your caloric deficit, so there are a couple of ways to fix this. The first is to eat more - which I think we both know isn’t happening. The second is to adjust your training based on what’s going on.
Next cycle why not do this:
Do that for two cycles (you’re going in four weeks, right?). Third cycle, if you’re feeling better, add in an FSL AMRAP set after the joker.
That, and some other stuff, but I’m aware of why, not disappointed, just trying to figure out where to go, and I think you gave me a good plan. [quote=“MarkKO, post:503, topic:214529”]
reset your TMs down to something you know you can hit for a good triple on any given day.
[/quote]
This in particular - I was just thinking about dropping fifteen pounds off of everything, but I think the 3RM with jokers is a good idea.
I’ll finish this cycle - just this week, skip the de-load but take two or three days off lifting, start a new cycle next week.
Thanks!
1-12-2017
C8W3D2 - BACK AND BIS - DL
PC 3@75, 3@105, 3@125
DL
5@210
3@235
1@265 RPE 9
1@275 Joker
ROWS, LPD’S, HAMMER CURLS, PREACHER CURLS, HYPERS, HLR’S - 4X12
BPA’S 5X30
Not bad, just feel weak AF, no pump, no real sweat, just feel weak. It’s almost eight weeks in calorie deficit, down ten pounds, so it’s coming off nice and slow without too much LBM loss according to my scale, so there is good and bad 
Good stuff man with the weight loss! Just be careful, there shouldn’t be much strength loss on a well executed cut, if you feel this weak after 8 weeks you may be dipping down too much. Might be a good idea to get a refeed day in there! Keep it up man!
Um, refeed?
So I’ve never been serious enough to consider worrying about shit like a refeed, and actually, I have some other shit going on - trying to restart HPTA so I know my T is wicked low right now. But, I felt like I needed to learn some more so I googled it. I had a basic idea, feel a little more versed now, but wanted to run it by you.
There are differing opinions on refeeds, but what I think is a good idea for me is to cut fat and jack up carbs on a training day. I’m typically around 150-200 grams of carbs right now, so on a refeed I would bump those to 300+ without bumping my calories, or maybe a slight bump. Do that once a week or so?
I suspect this will jack up my leptin, refuel my glycogen, and help me train a little harder.
On another note, the mirror. I look smaller right now, and it seems to make the fat around my midsection seem more pronounced. I’m about 13% BF so I suspect that fat is going to be the last to go. Do you have similar experience?
BTW, love the Halo Top, killing Lennie and Larry’s - so is my daughter, lol.
Thanks in advance.
1-13-2017
C8W3D3 - CHEST AND TRIS
BP
5@45
5@95
5@140
2@160
5@135 RPE 10
MACHINE BENCH 4X10, PEC DECK 4X10, TPD’S 5X20
Just a ridiculous morning. I’m flying this afternoon, and I can never get into the washing machine, so I was up until 1:30 doing laundry so I could pack, packed until three, figured fuck it, might as well go lift. I ate a bowl of cereal and prepped up a mass gainer shake and went to the gym and just failed miserably on my threes, gave up on my ones, tried some volume at 135 and almost failed on my fifth rep, so I figured I’d just get a little pump from the machine and pec deck and GTFO of Dodge.
At work now, fly at five, land at 7:00 and have a 2 1/2 hour drive after that.
Going to be a long fucking day.
I agree this is a good way to go for sure, and maybe even twice a week wouldn’t be a bad idea. If your carbs are 150-200 currently, that’s pretty low. If you’re feeling run down, a twice a week refeed might be beneficial, on your biggest lifting days. One for legs, one for back maybe? Something like that.
A typical re-feed raises carbs and has very low fats, so you could certainly go that option. Depending on how much you want to experiment with, you could also do a normal day, with one or two reasonable cheat meals. Burger and fries or something like that, something really enjoyable without going overboard. But, certainly can’t go wrong with a standard re-feed! Everyone can do it differently, but if you’re 150-200g carbs daily, I’d recommend a 350g-400g re-feed (mine I do once a week at 350g). I would also definitely bump calories for you, not huge but at least to maintenance calories, or slightly above for the day. Enjoy glucose rich carbs like bagels, cereal, Lenny Larry cookies, rice, those are the ideal foods for a re-feed. Don’t be afraid to have some fun with it!
I do have similar experience in that lower ab fat is always the last to go, upper abs always come in first. That’s totally normal, your body wants to conserve fat around that area, just takes time until it goes away, but eventually it will. Also though, if you’re at 150-200g carb per day and feeling beat up, you probably don’t have much glycogen in your muscles, also making you look “smaller”, or flat. I’m sure the day after your re-feed you’ll look, and feel, better. Keeping re-feed days in your cut will make sure your body doesn’t freak out and try to conserve resources, and keep the fat burning mechanisms humming along nicely.
Nice! Something the whole family can enjoy! Today happens to be my re-feed day, got my bagel, cereal, cookies and halo top ready to go.
Safe travels on your trip man!
Okay, bit of a radical change. Took a week off, travel and a bunch of other crap got in the way, and thought about where I’m at. . . and am a bit bored with 5/3/1, which is my usual MO. I’m probably just being a sissy because of the cutting and the shit is getting hard.
So, I’m going to keep the same routine - OHP (shoulders), DL (back and biceps), BP (chest and tris), and squat (legs), with abs as part of my warm ups - but I’m going to do the main lift in a 4x8 routine adding five pounds per week. I did squats today, because I never finished them from last cycle, but I did them in the new 4x8 program.
1-20-2017
Legs
Squats - 5@45, 5@95, 5@135, 4x8@155
Leg Extensions, leg curls, 4x12
Hammer curls 3x4, preacher curls 3x4
Crunches 4x30
BPA’s 5x30
I’m going to do curls and tris an additional day - legs and back days - at 3x4 and heavy, but keep them at 4x12 on their regular days.
I’m also going to give keto a try and see if that will help me keep LBM. Things have been going okay, slowly losing weight and seem to be keeping LBM, but I figured, I still have a lot of time before my trip in April to make changes as needed.
If anyone has any tips on getting enough fat and calories on a keto diet, feel free to share!!!
Peanut butter. Got to be the all natural one hundred per cent nuts one though. Also avocado. Meat too, and stuff like liver won’t go amiss. Check out Mark Bell’s stuff at the moment too, he started a keto diet not long ago.
My keto day meals go something like this:
All that is like 1700 cals, wouldn’t be hard to add more though. I’d probably have more nuts/but butters, maybe some beef jerky and cheese. Some people like Sardines since they’re portable (an acquired taste though)
Avocados, grass fed cheese, nuts/nut butters (not too much on the nuts though), fatty cuts of meat, fish, olive oil, coconut oil, all good stuff!
Thanks!
I’m doing too much reading I think. I’ve been a fan of Sardines since I was a kid, stocked up on those and tuna for snacking. Peanuts and peanut butter are go to’s for me as well.
I’ll get it figured out. Right now, chicken thighs with the skin on, broccoli or cauliflower with cheddar cheese, and eggs with cheese and sausage - these are my standards. I have a recipe for keto meatloaf - beef, almond meal, chopped mushrooms, egg, cheddar, wrapped in bacon. Will make that tomorrow.
1-22-2017
SHOULDERS
OHP
5@45, 5@65, 8@95, 3X8@85 - SS W planks 4@30 seconds - need to improve on these.
Laterals 4x12 SS w shrugs, 5x20.
Facepulls 4x15 SS with Tri press downs 4x4 (heavy)
Decent workout, quick and dirty.
Looks like you are a pretty good cook! When I first started posting on here I thought it was crazy when people would talk about meal prep. Now that I’ve done it for a while it’s a huge help with my schedule and fitness goal. I still like Sardines too 
I used to be, when I didn’t care about macros, I made a mean lasagna, and some killer gumbo, but those days are gone.
Me too. But now, it’s easier to think about eating as fuel rather than reward. I still like my chicken thighs, and am looking forward to the keto meatloaf, but there is a certain joy about eating for performance, and knowing that you are hitting calories and macros - does that sound weird?
I swear that’s the only real secret to this. You do not deserve your wine or cake or bacon or whatever the fuck. You don’t deserve jack shit. Want to get jacked and tan? Eat right.
There so is, and it doesn’t.
Man, I used to love breading and sauteing chicken, making a nice gravy from wine and stock, thickening it with a roux, putting that shit over garlic mashed potatoes, it was awesome.
And, I might go back to that.
But, narcissistic fuck that I am, I’d rather be at twelve percent body fat, with an outline of abs, and wear 32 inch jeans.
And, have a good A1c number, good cholesterol numbers.
Just saying.
Yeah, we get it.
I suspect you will compete at 181 in the next two years.
Just saying.
And, I bet your total goes up.
Funny you should mention that…
That would be an interim weight, as I work my way back up to 198 lbs and then hopefully 220 lbs.
One would hope. I mean, if it didn’t I’d be pretty pissed off.