No harm in adding another working set on sumos since your in the low rep range.
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- Thread starter 33sun33
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the other half
Registered
33, how the heck are ya?
workouts are looking great.
we just started doing wide grip pullups agian after doing a couple of different programs that didnt have them. wow, i suck at them now. adding about 10 pounds over the last couple of months didnt help either.
and as far as the bb incline and press go. im with ya on that one.
we did flat bench the other day, and i sucked at 225. and i havent done incline bar since i dropped the bar on my chest about 3 years ago.
good luck with all and hopefully i will be around here more.
workouts are looking great.
we just started doing wide grip pullups agian after doing a couple of different programs that didnt have them. wow, i suck at them now. adding about 10 pounds over the last couple of months didnt help either.
and as far as the bb incline and press go. im with ya on that one.
we did flat bench the other day, and i sucked at 225. and i havent done incline bar since i dropped the bar on my chest about 3 years ago.
good luck with all and hopefully i will be around here more.
Hey OTH,
How are things? Yup, Im giving this journal deal another shot. So far so good, though Ive decided to take a week break to deload. My body needs the break, but Im still itching to get back to the gym (and its only been 3 days!).
How are things? Yup, Im giving this journal deal another shot. So far so good, though Ive decided to take a week break to deload. My body needs the break, but Im still itching to get back to the gym (and its only been 3 days!).
I hate deloading too I feel like it makes me weaker. How often do you deload? every 8 weeks?
Yup, I generally deload or take a break every 8 weeks. I had a break planned for next week, but my body felt like I needed to take a break a week early. Looking forward to next week tho!
I love a full body, but Ive been doing a variation of push pull for some time. So I am considering changing things up for the next weeks -perhaps going back to a Bill Starr type routine? the 5/3/1 looks a bit too advanced/overkill for my needs right now.
I love a full body, but Ive been doing a variation of push pull for some time. So I am considering changing things up for the next weeks -perhaps going back to a Bill Starr type routine? the 5/3/1 looks a bit too advanced/overkill for my needs right now.
Wednesday's 5x5 (Bench)
Alrighty then! Im back in the gym from my deload/break, for another 8 week bulk period before I start my spring cut! I had planned on sticking to the push/pull regimen, perhaps integrating a PRRS scheme to keep things interesting. But since I like to do a push/pull during cuts, I decided to completely switch things up and go the Bill Starr 5x5 route for the next 8 weeks.
My new 8 week program looks like this:
Wednesdays: Bench 5x5
BB Flat Bench Press: 5x5
BB Squats: 1x5
DB Rows: 1x5
Biceps: 3x8-10
Fridays: Deadlift Day
Sumo Deads: 4x5
Weighted Pull Ups: 3x6-8
Military Press: 3x6-8
Front Squat: 2x8 (light)
Sundays: Squat 5x5
Squats: 5x5
Bench: 1x5
Rows: 5x5
Triceps: 3x8-10
Todays first workout went pretty well. Good energy, strong lifts (though I didnt go crazy), and I was in and out of the gym in 40-45 minutes.
Bench
[95x10; 135x6]165x5x5. Felt very easy throughout. Im tempted to bump up to 185 next time, but will likely play it safe and stick to 175 for my next 1x5 and 5x5.
Squats:
135x8] 185x5. FElt good. Bump up to 195 or 205 next time.
Rows
[65x10] 85x5. Felt light. Bump up to 90 next time.
Alrighty then! Im back in the gym from my deload/break, for another 8 week bulk period before I start my spring cut! I had planned on sticking to the push/pull regimen, perhaps integrating a PRRS scheme to keep things interesting. But since I like to do a push/pull during cuts, I decided to completely switch things up and go the Bill Starr 5x5 route for the next 8 weeks.
My new 8 week program looks like this:
Wednesdays: Bench 5x5
BB Flat Bench Press: 5x5
BB Squats: 1x5
DB Rows: 1x5
Biceps: 3x8-10
Fridays: Deadlift Day
Sumo Deads: 4x5
Weighted Pull Ups: 3x6-8
Military Press: 3x6-8
Front Squat: 2x8 (light)
Sundays: Squat 5x5
Squats: 5x5
Bench: 1x5
Rows: 5x5
Triceps: 3x8-10
Todays first workout went pretty well. Good energy, strong lifts (though I didnt go crazy), and I was in and out of the gym in 40-45 minutes.
Bench
[95x10; 135x6]165x5x5. Felt very easy throughout. Im tempted to bump up to 185 next time, but will likely play it safe and stick to 175 for my next 1x5 and 5x5.
Squats:
135x8] 185x5. FElt good. Bump up to 195 or 205 next time.
Rows
[65x10] 85x5. Felt light. Bump up to 90 next time.
Solid routine to follow good luck.
Agreed. That is a great strength program.
the other half
Registered
good luck with the new program, i always like the first week or so, getting to go lite till you find the breaking point. lol
Friday's B Workout
@Toh- yeah, the beginning is great, but then it really starts to grind on you after a couple of weeks. I often can only get through 7 weeks before taking a break (aside from the working deload week at Week 5)
Had a solid routine today- surprisingly good energy (got to gym feeling tired), and decent lifts all around
Weighted Pull Ups
BWx10; +10lbs x8; +15lbs x6; +20lbs x5. These felt great. I really enjoyed the switch to lower reps on these, after sticking to 8-12 the last couple of months.
Sumo Deads
225x6; 275x5; 305x4; 315x2. Felt pretty good. I never understand how many total reps to get in on deads though. Since I like to keep my reps below 6 each set, Im not sure if I should add another working set here? Either way, I was dead tired after the last set today.
Standing BB MIlitary Press
95x10; 115x6; 115x5
Front Squats- light
95x8; 95x8
planks
@Toh- yeah, the beginning is great, but then it really starts to grind on you after a couple of weeks. I often can only get through 7 weeks before taking a break (aside from the working deload week at Week 5)
Had a solid routine today- surprisingly good energy (got to gym feeling tired), and decent lifts all around
Weighted Pull Ups
BWx10; +10lbs x8; +15lbs x6; +20lbs x5. These felt great. I really enjoyed the switch to lower reps on these, after sticking to 8-12 the last couple of months.
Sumo Deads
225x6; 275x5; 305x4; 315x2. Felt pretty good. I never understand how many total reps to get in on deads though. Since I like to keep my reps below 6 each set, Im not sure if I should add another working set here? Either way, I was dead tired after the last set today.
Standing BB MIlitary Press
95x10; 115x6; 115x5
Front Squats- light
95x8; 95x8
planks
I would only add another set to deads if you felt you could go up in weight or do 315x2 again. If you were gonna have to lower weight then you worked hard enough. Just my opinion.
Thanks, ihtschool. I was "dead" at the end of those sets, so I dont think Ill add another after all.
Sunday's Workout C
Another solid workout. Form was dead-on for squats, but I have some minor lb muscle pain- hopefully it will go away!
Bench Press
[95x10; 135x6] 175x5. Felt pretty good. I was tempted to bump up to 185, but I think I made the right decision sticking to 175 (since I will have my chest 5x5 coming on Wednesday)
Db Rows
[65x8] 90x5. Very easy. Had to do rows here instead of squats as the squat racks were all taken.
Squats
[135x8] 185 x 5reps x5 sets. Pretty easy overall. Definitely bumping up to 205 for my next 1x5 and 5x5.
Triceps - French Press
70x10; 80x8; 80x8
some weighted crunches at end
Another solid workout. Form was dead-on for squats, but I have some minor lb muscle pain- hopefully it will go away!
Bench Press
[95x10; 135x6] 175x5. Felt pretty good. I was tempted to bump up to 185, but I think I made the right decision sticking to 175 (since I will have my chest 5x5 coming on Wednesday)
Db Rows
[65x8] 90x5. Very easy. Had to do rows here instead of squats as the squat racks were all taken.
Squats
[135x8] 185 x 5reps x5 sets. Pretty easy overall. Definitely bumping up to 205 for my next 1x5 and 5x5.
Triceps - French Press
70x10; 80x8; 80x8
some weighted crunches at end
You use 90 pound DBs for DB rows?? That's crazy Im not very far off of 175x5 for bench but 90 pound db rows I am no where near.
@ihateschool - For some reason I can murder some DB rows, and Im (relative to the restof my body) strong on rowing/pull movements as a whole. When I first started lifting, I made the rookie mistake of obsessing over chest and arm movements, and barely did any pulling movements at all.
Once I started learning from this site, I adopted a more balanced routine. I found, lo and behold, that my body for some strange reason is "stronger" in row and pull movements than it is in push movements. As such, my DB rows are pretty strong (I should be able to get up to 100 dbs for low reps now), and yet my bench press is relatively weak. I guess we all have our strong and weak points!
That said, I am hopeful that I can get my bench up to 225 (for low reps) by the end of the program. I was repping the 80lb dbs for 8 reps before, so hopefully that strength will soon translate into the traditional BB bench press.
Once I started learning from this site, I adopted a more balanced routine. I found, lo and behold, that my body for some strange reason is "stronger" in row and pull movements than it is in push movements. As such, my DB rows are pretty strong (I should be able to get up to 100 dbs for low reps now), and yet my bench press is relatively weak. I guess we all have our strong and weak points!
That said, I am hopeful that I can get my bench up to 225 (for low reps) by the end of the program. I was repping the 80lb dbs for 8 reps before, so hopefully that strength will soon translate into the traditional BB bench press.
the other half
Registered
33, i hear ya, i have never been good with bar bench, i can do 110 db for flat bench, but bearly get 225 for 2 set of 6, but when it come to back i can kill it with most of the lifts.
keep up the hard work.
keep up the hard work.
Wed Workout A
Good workout today, despite having to rush through it!
squats
[135x8] 185x5; 205x5. felt strong on these, should be able too complete the 5x5 on sunday
bench
[135x8] 175 x 5 reps x 5 sets. decent, but harder than i thought it would be to get through all 5 et sets
db row
[65x6] 90x 5 reps x 5 sets. solid throughout, def bump up in weight next time
db bicep curl
45x8; 45x6
Good workout today, despite having to rush through it!
squats
[135x8] 185x5; 205x5. felt strong on these, should be able too complete the 5x5 on sunday
bench
[135x8] 175 x 5 reps x 5 sets. decent, but harder than i thought it would be to get through all 5 et sets
db row
[65x6] 90x 5 reps x 5 sets. solid throughout, def bump up in weight next time
db bicep curl
45x8; 45x6
Fridays Workout B
Very solid workout today, one PR in the military press (which I almost didnt do today!), and matched a PR in sumo deads. Kinda wierd since Im only doing those movements once a week - but perhaps the decrease in volume is also the reason for the PRs!
I also have been eating much more frequently the past few days/week, which I attribute to the start of my paternity leave! While taking care of my 4 month old daughter during the days this week (while Mom works) is much harder than any other job Ive ever had (and more rewarding), it has also given me more freedom to eat a lot more food! I think Ive already seen the increase in food translate to an increase in my lifts!
Weighted Pull Ups
bwx6; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5. Guess this also qualifies as a PR! Very happy with these. Felt like I could have gone for 6 or 7 reps even, but my hands were mad slippery.
Sumo Deads
225x6; 275x6; 315x3; 315x3. PR for doing 6 total reps at 315. Im not going to bump up the weight yet, just try for 4 or 5 reps next time.
BB Standing Military Press
95x10; 115x6; 125x3. PR for the 125 lift. Kept the total reps low as Im trying to save my shoulders for bench press day.
Turkish Getups
+35lbs x4 total get ups' +35lbs x 6 total get ups. Damn these were tiring. But it felt good to reintegrate these into my program
Very solid workout today, one PR in the military press (which I almost didnt do today!), and matched a PR in sumo deads. Kinda wierd since Im only doing those movements once a week - but perhaps the decrease in volume is also the reason for the PRs!
I also have been eating much more frequently the past few days/week, which I attribute to the start of my paternity leave! While taking care of my 4 month old daughter during the days this week (while Mom works) is much harder than any other job Ive ever had (and more rewarding), it has also given me more freedom to eat a lot more food! I think Ive already seen the increase in food translate to an increase in my lifts!
Weighted Pull Ups
bwx6; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5; +20lbsx5. Guess this also qualifies as a PR! Very happy with these. Felt like I could have gone for 6 or 7 reps even, but my hands were mad slippery.
Sumo Deads
225x6; 275x6; 315x3; 315x3. PR for doing 6 total reps at 315. Im not going to bump up the weight yet, just try for 4 or 5 reps next time.
BB Standing Military Press
95x10; 115x6; 125x3. PR for the 125 lift. Kept the total reps low as Im trying to save my shoulders for bench press day.
Turkish Getups
+35lbs x4 total get ups' +35lbs x 6 total get ups. Damn these were tiring. But it felt good to reintegrate these into my program
the other half
Registered
33, great job on the PR's, and also on the new addition to the family.
i really like the sumo deadlifts, i have dropped the weights down a bit, and am really trying to keep the form strict. i cant believe that you are doing sets with 20# on the pull ups.
how much are you weighing?
but great workout all the way around
i really like the sumo deadlifts, i have dropped the weights down a bit, and am really trying to keep the form strict. i cant believe that you are doing sets with 20# on the pull ups.
how much are you weighing?
but great workout all the way around
Hey TOH,
Thanks for the compliment on my pull ups - its something Ive worked on quite a bit since I couldnt do a single non-assisted pull up just a couple years ago! I started with singles at bw, then doubles, etc... until I could easily do 10 reps at bodyweight. Now Ive started to add weight (holding a dumbbell between my knees). I keep strict form, and go all the way down (arms fully extended), and then all the way up (head above hands); with my hands abit wider than my shoulders. For whatever reason Ive always have been much better at pulling movements than with pushing movements.
Also thanks for reminding me to weigh myself. I weighed myself for the first time in like a month, and damn I am heavier than I thought!!! (which I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing on this bulk). Im at 218lbs right now!!! I only wanted to bulk until I hit 220 before cutting, but looks like I may go over 220 since I still have 5-6 weeks left in this bulk. Ah well. I wonder what my bodyfat is - Ill try to take a measurement by next week (hopefully Im not above 16%). Some of it is definitely fat, but I dont think I "look" much fatter than before. Ill probably try the UD2 diet for the cut come May since I want to retain as much as my gains as possible. The Rapid Fat Loss variant has really worked for me in the past, but Im worried Ill lose too much muscle on that.
Thanks for the compliment on my pull ups - its something Ive worked on quite a bit since I couldnt do a single non-assisted pull up just a couple years ago! I started with singles at bw, then doubles, etc... until I could easily do 10 reps at bodyweight. Now Ive started to add weight (holding a dumbbell between my knees). I keep strict form, and go all the way down (arms fully extended), and then all the way up (head above hands); with my hands abit wider than my shoulders. For whatever reason Ive always have been much better at pulling movements than with pushing movements.
Also thanks for reminding me to weigh myself. I weighed myself for the first time in like a month, and damn I am heavier than I thought!!! (which I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing on this bulk). Im at 218lbs right now!!! I only wanted to bulk until I hit 220 before cutting, but looks like I may go over 220 since I still have 5-6 weeks left in this bulk. Ah well. I wonder what my bodyfat is - Ill try to take a measurement by next week (hopefully Im not above 16%). Some of it is definitely fat, but I dont think I "look" much fatter than before. Ill probably try the UD2 diet for the cut come May since I want to retain as much as my gains as possible. The Rapid Fat Loss variant has really worked for me in the past, but Im worried Ill lose too much muscle on that.
Wow three PRs in one work out that's awesome. And at your weight those pull ups are impressive.
Sundays Workout C
Pretty good workout today. While Im still a little nervous about all the weight Im gaining (which if muscle, is a good thing/if fat, is a bad thing), I am definitely stoked about my strength gains. Plus I just feel stronger/more energetic/more confident with many of my lifts (esp. squats). So Ill keep on this bulk deal until May as planned.
Squats: 5x5
[135x5; 175x5 - ramp up/warm up] 205 x 5 reps x 5 sets. Felt very strong throughout. While the last couple of sets werent a walk in the park, there was never a single question as to whether Id be able to get all my reps in.
Now Im wondering whether to bump up to 225 for my 1x5 on Monday (meaning 225 for my 5x5 the following sunday); or to play it safe and only bump up to 215. Im leaning towards doing 225 and seeing how if feels - if it feels relatively easy, then Ill stick with it for my 5x5.
Flat BB Bench: 1x5
[95x8; 135x5; 165x3- warmup] 185 x5 reps. Felt pretty good. Still not killing this movement, and the 5 reps were challenging. That said, I was confident about making all my reps. My 5x5 at this weight is coming up on Wednesday.
DB Rows: 1x5
[65x7 warmup] 95 x 5 reps. Very easy, though I can tell grip may become a limiting factor once I bump up into the 100lb range.
Tricep French Press: 3x8
80lbs x8 reps x 3 sets. Solid
and I threw in two random sets of weighted crunches at the end, since I finished early.
Pretty good workout today. While Im still a little nervous about all the weight Im gaining (which if muscle, is a good thing/if fat, is a bad thing), I am definitely stoked about my strength gains. Plus I just feel stronger/more energetic/more confident with many of my lifts (esp. squats). So Ill keep on this bulk deal until May as planned.
Squats: 5x5
[135x5; 175x5 - ramp up/warm up] 205 x 5 reps x 5 sets. Felt very strong throughout. While the last couple of sets werent a walk in the park, there was never a single question as to whether Id be able to get all my reps in.
Now Im wondering whether to bump up to 225 for my 1x5 on Monday (meaning 225 for my 5x5 the following sunday); or to play it safe and only bump up to 215. Im leaning towards doing 225 and seeing how if feels - if it feels relatively easy, then Ill stick with it for my 5x5.
Flat BB Bench: 1x5
[95x8; 135x5; 165x3- warmup] 185 x5 reps. Felt pretty good. Still not killing this movement, and the 5 reps were challenging. That said, I was confident about making all my reps. My 5x5 at this weight is coming up on Wednesday.
DB Rows: 1x5
[65x7 warmup] 95 x 5 reps. Very easy, though I can tell grip may become a limiting factor once I bump up into the 100lb range.
Tricep French Press: 3x8
80lbs x8 reps x 3 sets. Solid
and I threw in two random sets of weighted crunches at the end, since I finished early.
Nice progress 33. You sound like a good Dad 
Bummer!
So today was a major bummer!!! So far, my bulk has been going pretty well, imo. Ive gotten stronger, added weight (hopefully most of it muscle), and (from a subjective and non-scientific perspective) feel that my physique has improved a bit. So I am majorly bummed to have hit a roadblock today, that may end my bulk.
While benching, I started to feel increasing pain at the top of my armpit. It feels more like nerve pain, than muscle pain. I was doing my strenous 5x5 workout on the barbell bench press today (at 185lbs), but had to stop the workout a full set short because of the pain. Now, I could have sucked it up and finished the set, but I didnt want to do any lasting damage.
Im not really sure what this pain is, or what caused it, or how to remedy it. I have had this same pain (on my dominant arm) before, but in the past it was closer to my deload/break, and i just gave it rest and I was fine.
But I still have 5 more weeks of this bulk left! Im not even midway through the Bill Starr program!
Any ideas to what this pain is, and how to resolve it, would be greatly appreciated. AS I see it, I have the following options:
(1) rest it this week, take anti-inflammatories, and hope it goes away by my next chest workout (a 1x5 set (with ramp up sets) on Sunday).
(2) rest my chest for a full week or two, while continuing to work other muscle groups using the same program (IM still progressing on squat and rows);
(3) or just take ANOTHER complete break (had a week break only 3 weeks ago) for a week or two, and perhaps use it as an excuse to start my cut early.
So what do you all think? IM leaning towards #1, but if there is still pain on Sunday I dont know if I should just call it quits and start a cut or continue on Bill Starr without the bench.
So today was a major bummer!!! So far, my bulk has been going pretty well, imo. Ive gotten stronger, added weight (hopefully most of it muscle), and (from a subjective and non-scientific perspective) feel that my physique has improved a bit. So I am majorly bummed to have hit a roadblock today, that may end my bulk.
While benching, I started to feel increasing pain at the top of my armpit. It feels more like nerve pain, than muscle pain. I was doing my strenous 5x5 workout on the barbell bench press today (at 185lbs), but had to stop the workout a full set short because of the pain. Now, I could have sucked it up and finished the set, but I didnt want to do any lasting damage.
Im not really sure what this pain is, or what caused it, or how to remedy it. I have had this same pain (on my dominant arm) before, but in the past it was closer to my deload/break, and i just gave it rest and I was fine.
But I still have 5 more weeks of this bulk left! Im not even midway through the Bill Starr program!
Any ideas to what this pain is, and how to resolve it, would be greatly appreciated. AS I see it, I have the following options:
(1) rest it this week, take anti-inflammatories, and hope it goes away by my next chest workout (a 1x5 set (with ramp up sets) on Sunday).
(2) rest my chest for a full week or two, while continuing to work other muscle groups using the same program (IM still progressing on squat and rows);
(3) or just take ANOTHER complete break (had a week break only 3 weeks ago) for a week or two, and perhaps use it as an excuse to start my cut early.
So what do you all think? IM leaning towards #1, but if there is still pain on Sunday I dont know if I should just call it quits and start a cut or continue on Bill Starr without the bench.
Wednesday's Workout A
(see prior post re bench press pain)
BB Bench Press: 5x5
[135x5; 135x4 warmup] 185x; 185x5; 185x5; 185x5; 185x1 (stopped short due to nerve pain at top of armpit). These sets were strenous, but I felt confident about being able to finish all sets from a musclular/chest standpoint. But the damn pain in my armpit just kept getting progressively worse, so I cut the last set short to avoid further aggravation/damage.
Squats: 1x5
[135x5; 185x5 warmup] 225x5. Felt pretty good; the only highlight from an otherwise sucky gym day (see above). I think I could go for a 5x5 at 225, though it would be challenging.
DB Rows: 5x5
[65x7 warmup] 95 x5 reps x 5 sets. Pretty good, though my energy (at the end of my WO) was definitely waning. Im not sure if my grip strength is up to the task of moving the 100lbs DBs though.
DB Bicep Curls
40x10; 45x8. Solid.
(see prior post re bench press pain)
BB Bench Press: 5x5
[135x5; 135x4 warmup] 185x; 185x5; 185x5; 185x5; 185x1 (stopped short due to nerve pain at top of armpit). These sets were strenous, but I felt confident about being able to finish all sets from a musclular/chest standpoint. But the damn pain in my armpit just kept getting progressively worse, so I cut the last set short to avoid further aggravation/damage.
Squats: 1x5
[135x5; 185x5 warmup] 225x5. Felt pretty good; the only highlight from an otherwise sucky gym day (see above). I think I could go for a 5x5 at 225, though it would be challenging.
DB Rows: 5x5
[65x7 warmup] 95 x5 reps x 5 sets. Pretty good, though my energy (at the end of my WO) was definitely waning. Im not sure if my grip strength is up to the task of moving the 100lbs DBs though.
DB Bicep Curls
40x10; 45x8. Solid.
Decisions, Decisions
Well,
Im still worked up about the strange benching injury that I sustained the other day. Hurt through the night, but today doesnt feel that bad. But some tendon or ligament or some such is obviously tweaked, and I dont want to aggravate it by blindly pushing forward.
As such, Ive decided to stop my beloved Bill Starr program short, depsite the cool gains I was making. And since Im going to have to take a week (maybe 2?) off from horizontal pressing movements anyways, I thought that this is as good a time as any to get my summer cut on.
My plan is to follow Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss (RFL) diet as a Category 2 dieter for the next two weeks. Hopefully this will give my armpit tendon some time to heal, and will allow me to cut some bodyfat while preserving my lean body mass. I still need to retrieve my body fat calipers from my office to get an accurate measurement, but Im pretty sure Im around 16-17% bodyfat.
If that is generally correct, then I need to drop about 12-13lbs to get down to a goal of 10% bodyfat (at @203lbs). Supposedly this is possible on the RFL, but Id be happy with keeping my muscle and dropping "only" 5-10lbs over the next weeks.
My diet and training plan are based on the book, and entails a basic PSMF type diet with two moderate cheat meals a week, and 1 5 hour refeed per week. I also will be going to the gym only twice a week, for a low rep/heavy weight push/pull fullbody workout.
Pull
Deadlifts
Pullups
DB Rows or Yates Rows
Core work
Push
Squats
Standing BB Military Press (unless this tweaks my armpit)
Light Flyes, leading to DB Bench Press (as my armpit gets better).
Turkish Get ups (core)
So thats it! I feel bad about stopping Starr since it seemed to be working, but injuries are a bitch! Hopefully I can get down to 200-205lbs while maintaining most of my muscle mass. If I achieve this goal, then I may do a short slow bulk (4-6 weeks), followed by maintenance for the summer or the UD2 diet (if I still want to drop a bit more bodyfat). I am going to be HUNGRY for the next couple weeks!
Well,
Im still worked up about the strange benching injury that I sustained the other day. Hurt through the night, but today doesnt feel that bad. But some tendon or ligament or some such is obviously tweaked, and I dont want to aggravate it by blindly pushing forward.
As such, Ive decided to stop my beloved Bill Starr program short, depsite the cool gains I was making. And since Im going to have to take a week (maybe 2?) off from horizontal pressing movements anyways, I thought that this is as good a time as any to get my summer cut on.
My plan is to follow Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss (RFL) diet as a Category 2 dieter for the next two weeks. Hopefully this will give my armpit tendon some time to heal, and will allow me to cut some bodyfat while preserving my lean body mass. I still need to retrieve my body fat calipers from my office to get an accurate measurement, but Im pretty sure Im around 16-17% bodyfat.
If that is generally correct, then I need to drop about 12-13lbs to get down to a goal of 10% bodyfat (at @203lbs). Supposedly this is possible on the RFL, but Id be happy with keeping my muscle and dropping "only" 5-10lbs over the next weeks.
My diet and training plan are based on the book, and entails a basic PSMF type diet with two moderate cheat meals a week, and 1 5 hour refeed per week. I also will be going to the gym only twice a week, for a low rep/heavy weight push/pull fullbody workout.
Pull
Deadlifts
Pullups
DB Rows or Yates Rows
Core work
Push
Squats
Standing BB Military Press (unless this tweaks my armpit)
Light Flyes, leading to DB Bench Press (as my armpit gets better).
Turkish Get ups (core)
So thats it! I feel bad about stopping Starr since it seemed to be working, but injuries are a bitch! Hopefully I can get down to 200-205lbs while maintaining most of my muscle mass. If I achieve this goal, then I may do a short slow bulk (4-6 weeks), followed by maintenance for the summer or the UD2 diet (if I still want to drop a bit more bodyfat). I am going to be HUNGRY for the next couple weeks!
I like the simple work outs. good luck cutting. Have fun being hungry!
Thanks ihate! Today is my first day on RFL. so far, not so bad. Kinda hungry with low energy, but that is to be expected. Only 11-13 more days of this, thank god. And hopefully my tendon thing will be healed by then.
Ya that doesn't sound too bad. I've never had to cut and I think I'm gonna keep that up as long as possible haha.
Bulking (or just maintaining) is definitely more fun than cutting. I hate cutting 
Alright, so here is my diet, which tracks the guidelines in RFL. My overall calories seem a bit higher than the average "400-800" per day, but I cant see any other way to consume enough protein without jacking the calories up to 1000 (which is still pretty damn low for someone my size).
Meal 1 (Wake-Up): 1 scoop whey protein: 120 cals; 24 g. protein; 3 carbs; 0 fat
Meal 2 (Breakfast): 1 scoop whey protein; egg whites with mushrooms or onions; 6 fish oil caps; multivitamin; ECA stack: 240 cals; 50 g. protein; 5g carbs (mostly from veggies); 6 g fat
Meal 3 (Lunch): Grilled chicken breast, salad, 1 tbsp salad dressing; ECA stack: 240 cals; 45 g. protein; 5g carbs (veggies); 5g fats (salad dressing)
Meal 4 (Dinner): Same as above (although at times may switch to a lean grilled fish filet or tuna); raw veggies instead of salad
Meal 5 (Pre-Bed): Cottage cheese with cinnamon dusting: 230 cals; 40g protein; 0 carb; 4g fats
TOTALS: 1070 cals; 204 g. protein; negligible carbs (@15 g mostly from veggies); 20 g fats
Alright, so here is my diet, which tracks the guidelines in RFL. My overall calories seem a bit higher than the average "400-800" per day, but I cant see any other way to consume enough protein without jacking the calories up to 1000 (which is still pretty damn low for someone my size).
Meal 1 (Wake-Up): 1 scoop whey protein: 120 cals; 24 g. protein; 3 carbs; 0 fat
Meal 2 (Breakfast): 1 scoop whey protein; egg whites with mushrooms or onions; 6 fish oil caps; multivitamin; ECA stack: 240 cals; 50 g. protein; 5g carbs (mostly from veggies); 6 g fat
Meal 3 (Lunch): Grilled chicken breast, salad, 1 tbsp salad dressing; ECA stack: 240 cals; 45 g. protein; 5g carbs (veggies); 5g fats (salad dressing)
Meal 4 (Dinner): Same as above (although at times may switch to a lean grilled fish filet or tuna); raw veggies instead of salad
Meal 5 (Pre-Bed): Cottage cheese with cinnamon dusting: 230 cals; 40g protein; 0 carb; 4g fats
TOTALS: 1070 cals; 204 g. protein; negligible carbs (@15 g mostly from veggies); 20 g fats
