When I grow up, I want to be an Alicorn

Training Training Logs
1144

Thursday 3/7
Pull

Pull-Ups
5, 3, 4

Cable Row
8, 8 x 120, 8 x 115

Single Arm DB Row
2 x 12 x 45

Neutral grip, single Arm Lat Pulldown
12 x 45, 6 x 55, 6 x 45

Chest supported Tbar Row
2 x 8 x 45, 8 x 50

BB Curls
12, 12, 8 x 40, 4 x 30

Varied Incline DB Curls
3 x 12 x 10

Shrugs
3 x 8 x 255

Both machines full, didn’t feel like waiting, will do on leg day:
Seated Machine Rear Delt Fly
Cable Cross Pull

25 minute treadmill walk

Pretty great day. I was able to move the weight up on a few things and held the reps longer than I thought I could.
Getting some awesome striations on my shoulders during bicep curls. I got a: “good hell your shoulders are getting jacked” from hubby. That always adds a few fresh drops into the motivation bucket.

Speaking of motivation, update photo time!

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January 2nd on the left, yesterday on the right.
I’ll let you all be a better, third party, judge, but not bad for less than 10lbs of drop. Abs and love handles are looking smaller.
I have a ways to go, but progress is being made. Also starting to accept the fact the fat isn’t going to be coming off in one, 12 week diet. This is looking like it will be a year of cut, maintenance, cut, repeat until jacked.

Friday 3/8
Extra Movement

100 KBS
1 mile walk

It was 27F again this morning. Had to get the parka back out. Sunny and pretty though, just happy to be outside.

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1145

Really solid progress. Well done

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1146

@simo74 I appreciate that it’s noticeable, thanks!

Saturday 3/9
Legs

Hip Press
12 x 270, 10 x 295, 8 x 315

Leverage Squat
12 x 100, 12, 20 x 115

Slide Lunge
2 x 12 x 45

Leg Extension
3 x 15 x 60

Hamstring Curl - 3 x 12 x 35
SS
Abductors - 3 x 12 x 60

From back day:
Rear Delt Fly
3 x 12 x 30

Cable Cross Pull
2 x 12 x 10

Felt tired going in, but everything moved well. Need to add wet to the hip Press, I have been moving the same weight for a couple of weeks, it feels like a nice push every time, but I am hitting all the reps, time to grow.
Threw more weight on the Leverage Squat and my back didn’t speak up, very happy with that.

11 Likes
1147

Backs are to be seen and not heard for sure!

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1148

Will ya tell that to mine? It didn’t get the memo. lol

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1149

@EmilyQ @QuadQueen

I agree! Mine has been yelling for long enough, you would think it would run out of things to say!

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1150

For real. Like, just give it up. Lol!

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1151

Monday 3/11
Push

Machine Press
6, 6, 6 x 125

Incline Press
3x6x115

Dips
5, 4, 4

Front Raises
2 x 12 x 20

Machine Pec Flye
12, 8 x 60, 4, 10 x 50

Seated DB OHP
3 x 10 x 30

Single Arm Cable Tri Pushdown
SS
Single Arm Cable Tri Ext
3 x 12 x 10

Cable Lat Raise
3 x 12 x 10

10 minute treadmill walk, hill program.

Weight wasn’t there, but the effort was. Moved the adjustment pins back on the machine presses, getting a better stretch at the bottom, but man it’s hard to dig out of that hole.
Dips suffered as well, but all the accessories felt great… Yay? Still, great pump, and I got to go to the gym. Always a good day.

11 Likes
1152

Tuesday 3/12
Weigh in
149.4lbs
-3.4lbs from last week, which takes me back to ~1lb loss per week. Yay! This is a friendly reminder that weight loss is not linear.

Macros & Steps:
P: 168
F: 60
C: 102
Steps: 67k

AM Conditioning
100KBS
1.25 mile walk w/ 10lb pack

50F this morning, but snowing in the mountains. Now that is a perfect representation of spring in Utah. Bring on the water!

10 Likes
1153

Wednesday 3/13
AM Conditioning
100KBS
1 mile walk w/ 10lb pack

Repeat of yesterday with a slightly shorter walk. Getting tons of steps today at work too. Keeping things moving along!
Finish this cut strong with two more weeks, then onto practicing how to maintain.

10 Likes
1154

Thursday 3/15
Pull

Pull-Ups
5, 4, 4

Cable Row
8, 8 x 120, 8 x 115

Single Arm DB Row
2 x 12 x 45

Neutral grip, single Arm Lat Pulldown
12 x 45

Chest supported Tbar Row
2 x 8 x 50, 8 x 45

BB Curls
12, 12, 12 x 40

Varied Incline DB Curls
2 x 12 x 10, 12 x 15

Rear Delt Fly
3 x 10 x 30

30 minute treadmill walk

Pull ups get marginally easier every pull day. One. More. Rep.
Absolutely blew out the lats by the time I got to the single arm pull down, oped for one set, but it was to failure.
Didn’t have any snacks before this and dizziness was a thing. It’s not as bad if I know it’s going to happen and plan on standing up slowly after sets.

10 Likes
1155

Saturday 3/16
Legs

Hip Press
12 x 270, 10 x 295, 10 x 315

Leverage Squat
2 x 12 x 115

Slide Lunge
2 x 12 x 55

Leg Extension
15 x 80, 15 x 60

Hamstring Curl - 3 x 12 x 40
SS
Abductors - 3 x 12 x 80

15 minute walk outside

Increased the weight on a few things, my arse is still sore writing this on Monday. Focused on adding intensity with more weight or reps very close or at failure. Seems to be having a good effect on progression.
This was the last day of the PPL I came up with off of a TNation template. Overall, I think it worked well and fit into my schedule nicely.
I was missing something more structured though, I am not experienced enough to come up with my own programs.
That said, I have been getting into a lot of Jeff Nippard’s stuff on YouTube, so I am trying one of his programs. It’s body building focused, which not only works well for my gym setup, but I was struggling to find a program that didn’t include deadlifts or BB squats. This program has almost no Barbell usage and offers exercise substitute options for everything, which is perfect for me because I need alternatives, and I don’t want to butcher a program in order to find exercises that work with my spine.
New program is a full body, upper, lower split, and it’s a full 12 week progression with slight exercise rotation every four weeks. Having the ability to put two days back to back was very nice, and I wanted to keep that when I picked a new one.
Enough rambling, I am excited to be on a real program again and will be getting into day one after work.

12 Likes
1156

How long will you be on maintenance? (You’re planning to continue cutting at some point, no?)

You and I have similar cut/bulk (but not the good kind of bulk) histories. Maybe we can be accountability partners post-Transformation.

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1157

Plan is 5 weeks of maintenance, the last week of March + all of April. Kind of a weird timeline but I have another flight test at the end of April I am studying for/working toward. Seems like a good idea to not add the stress of cutting to that. Once that is done, back on the cut train in May!

Love this idea! It brings me anxiety to think of ending my cut because I feel like I will just balloon back up. I do not want my history to repeat itself.

1158

Exactly.

I agree that it’s a good idea to optimize yourself for a stressful undertaking. I’ve noticed that I’m cold a lot and sleepier than usual with the caloric deficit. I’m sure there are cognitive impacts as well. I also believe there’s benefit to allowing yourself to settle for a minute at maintenance to let your body get comfy with a new set point.

My plan is to continue through to the first of June, but I’m becoming a little more comfortable with deviations from plan. We’ve had family birthdays two weeks in a row and both have been celebrated out - Mexican last week, pizza this weekend. Yesterday I ended the day 200-300 kcal over, but eh. I actually feel happy that it wasn’t worse. Two months ago a cheat meal made me anxious that I’d fall off the wagon completely.

That said, I’m really looking forward to tapering up when it’s time.

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1159

I like this approach. It’s cutting - lite edition. Slow, but I feel like you will have far less rebound this way. I have thought about continuing like that for a while, but I also like the sound of the cycling approach. Different ways to skin the cat, and I think they will both work.

Yes. So much. My anxiety for figuring out how to maintain is quickly curbed by remembering my meals get to be larger. Instead of looking at my plate and getting sad because it’s not much food.

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1160

Monday 3/19
Jeff Nippard’s Essentials, Week 1, Day 1

Hack Squat
6, 6, 5 x 180, 10 x 135

Incline DB Bench
10, 9, 8, 8 x 40

Seated Hamstring Curl
12 x 100, 12 x 120

T-Bar Row
12, 12, 10 x 50

DB Curl
2 x (15 x 20 drop 12 x 10)

Lateral Raise
2 x (10 x 12 drop 12 x 5)

Cable Crunch
15 x 40 drop 15 x 20

20 minute walk outside

First day went well. Little slow experimenting with weights, but so far, I think these days will go much faster than what I was doing.
Those drops sets are brutal, real ego buster. Light weight feels like hundreds of pounds quickly.

Tuesday 3/19
Weigh in
150.2, +0.8 from last week

Macros
P: 155
F: 50
C: 131
Steps: 73k

Little bump back up today. Keeping calm. My food/coaching app wants to bump my calories up +50/day even with that increase. Interesting. Going to trust it, that is kind of the point. My reaction would have been to drop 100 cals for the last couple of weeks.

Speaking of lots of food, it’s my hubby’s birthday today. Our favorite Sushi place and homemade Lava Cakes are on the docket. Going to be a very high calorie day. That’s what birthdays are for!

12 Likes
1161

Tell your husband Happy Birthday from me and enjoy the heck out of those Lava Cakes!!

1 Like
1162

I will! Thank you!

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1163

Happy his-birthday to you both! Enjoy!

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