Brendbro's 'almost too weak to lift' Log

[brendbro]

Lower

weight - 69.8

Sumo deads
120kgx6x4

seated leg press
400x5
400x5

Lying leg curls
60x10.5
60x8
60x7

Calf things
22x17+10+8 PR

calf ducks
95x8

cardio
incline treadmill - 67:35, 721 cals

Not a whole lot to report today. Every lift felt great. Playing it safe with deadlifts and they're feeling top notch. Leg press was an absolute bitch, failed out on the 5th of each set. Energy was great again. Definitely feeling much better now that I've upped cals a bit, and not just while working out either. The increase in energy and having less fatigue is doing wonders for me outside the gym too. Just in general I have much more motivation now to even get out of bed in the mornings. That being said - with more food comes more bloat / higher weight. It kinda stinks because I've definitely noticed less definition ( ) and the scale today reflects that, but I'm not worried in the slightest honestly - I'll just have to wait it out until things kind of re establish themselves, no big deal and the pay off is well worth it! Got to get my last gym session of the week done tomorrow which means I will have had no rest days between my two upper sessions so tomorrow will most likely be slightly altered to accommodate - I can say with relative certainty that I won't be hitting chest too hard as DOMS are currently KILLING me from wednesday, but I'll see how I'm feeling then

Nutrition

the thickest chocolate caramel banana shake EVER


aaand a peanut butter banana cinnamon raisin bagel


honey bbq marinated chicken - can't believe it's taken me this long to get into marinating meat, unbelievably tasty

[brendbro]

All this talk of veins.... hmmmmm

anywho, do you even lift?

sadly not, all this log is for show & tell I'm just BSing you all

Dude you're in a really good place mentally and physically I can tell. Stoked to see you're still making great progress in the weight room and most importantly having FUN with the whole thing.

Glad you enjoyed the coleslaw too. Did you make it low fat style or did you splash out on full fat mayo?

There was definitely a point there over the past week or two where I had a BIG dip in energy and motivation. That really sucked big time and not for the obvious reason that I wasn't able to really push myself as hard as I wanted in the gym - but because of general fatigue outside the gym was causing a serious lack of motivation to do anything... when it starts affecting my life like that I knew I had to do something about it. But fortunately I'm feeling a heck of a lot better this week, now it's time to get this sh!t over and done with ONCE AND FOR ALL!!

coleslaw was fat free I'm afraid. I don't think I've ever had full fat mayo at my house, my parents have always bought the fat free kind so I've grown up with that, still it was bloody delicious and I will be making it again for sure!

WHat an awesome workout session, hitting that bench PR that far into dieting! Gjdm!

OMG ash it was INCREDIBLE! I am not kidding when I say I was THIS close to crying, (yeah Im homo whatevs lol) I was just so happy!!!!

Leaner than ever? O RLY?!

Pics or gtfo.

post pic of said vein

soon fellas

[kitkatkate]

haha all I hear is how I shouldn't get too veiny, your thoughts?

If you want more, go for it! I, personally, like the veinage/bodybuilder type of body on a guy...especially if they are into bodybuilding. lol It shows that they are working their ass off! And, for some reason, I find veins to be sexy. Same with other delicates like ankles, wrists, clavicle, etc. That's also where you can see a lot of veins. Ironic? Hmm.

Anyway! Go for it, you have nothing to lose! ...not my support anyway!

[Ashlei]

OMG ash it was INCREDIBLE! I am not kidding when I say I was THIS close to crying, (yeah Im homo whatevs lol) I was just so happy!!!!

Not homo! I did a bit of a happy dance after hitting my squat PR yesterday. To finally bust through plateaus feels so good!

[foodpr0n]

lol sorry which one? I've literally gotten into the habit of a pizza a day lol

cheers man! absolutely AWESOME to see you still following

Of course my man. Did you get my PM reply. On FB the other night, I had to run
For the next week, just dw bout bloat and weight too much. After Jan 01 we can all jump back on the boat. Being reasonably sensible during these times (enjoying the food not just eating for no point) will be surpluses on only a few days so at worst you'll be at maintenance for a week


As for the pizza's what bases/cheese are you generally using?
and dat shake?
....and chicken

[brendbro]

Upper

weight - 69.6

DB Shoulderpress
25kgx10
25kgx8
25kgx8

seated tricep extension
5x12x2

Bicep crossovers
30x12
30x8

Kneeling tricep extensions
7x5
7x6

preacher
55x10

cardio - 40 mins, 500 cals

This was yesterdays WO. I had no rest days between my two upper sessions this week, both my back and chest were still destroyed with DOMS so I just hit shoulders, bi's & tri's - quick, simple and bro Had a lotta fun actually - just went around and did what we could with what was available. Absolutely killed my triceps - feeling massive DOMS today. No new lows in weight this week, but I'm not worried as I was absolutely not expecting any - I have been bloated and puffy all week, sodium intake has been through the roof and an increase in calories will do that I suppose lol. It SUCKS but I realise it's only temporary so it's all good. Anyway, unfortunately has to be a quick update, because... well there isn't much to update and it's christmas eve! Hope everyone has happy holidays and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! thanks all for following my journey thus far and I love you all (homo, nohomo... whatever)

Nutrition

plum sweet & sour stirfry -


chicken & bacon gorgonzola -


dark choc oats with pb sludge, bananas & iced vovos -


plum chicken & brocolli -

[brendbro]

If you want more, go for it! I, personally, like the veinage/bodybuilder type of body on a guy...especially if they are into bodybuilding. lol It shows that they are working their ass off! And, for some reason, I find veins to be sexy. Same with other delicates like ankles, wrists, clavicle, etc. That's also where you can see a lot of veins. Ironic? Hmm.

Anyway! Go for it, you have nothing to lose! ...not my support anyway!

sweet!! I'm definitely noticing more veins each and every day now... obliques, calves, quads... it's fuarking awesome honestly. I've also discovered (and this is a bit OT) that I feel so much better eating 100% 'cleaner'. To elaborate; I've always had a bit of a mixed diet approach where I'll eat what I want, generally it's a decent mix of 'healthier' & 'cleaner' foods with more 'junk' and 'processed' stuff. These past couple of days I ate pretty bro and noticed a myriad of improvements in my physique. I am fully aware of the physiological reasons for this and not because these foods contain special properties. Regardless of the reasons I think I'd like to start eating like this more regularly as I just feel better

Not homo! I did a bit of a happy dance after hitting my squat PR yesterday. To finally bust through plateaus feels so good!

honestly nowadays when I get excited about something I have noticed I get absolutely ecstatic and have to jump around or something like that lol... I think it has to do with my general mood being basically 100% more positive than it used to be To get that bench PR this far into dieting after the past couple of weeks of dreaded fatigue was just about the greatest thing I could ask for... kind of like a gym xmas present to myself

Of course my man. Did you get my PM reply. On FB the other night, I had to run
For the next week, just dw bout bloat and weight too much. After Jan 01 we can all jump back on the boat. Being reasonably sensible during these times (enjoying the food not just eating for no point) will be surpluses on only a few days so at worst you'll be at maintenance for a week


As for the pizza's what bases/cheese are you generally using?
and dat shake?
....and chicken

sh!t yes I did! haha sorry about not replying man I didn't have time when I read through them and forgot to remind myself to reply, will do though!

Do not worry in the slightest mate, I'm definitely not one of those people who see Christmas or other holidays / events as reasons to pig out excessively or anything like that. I have absolutely no binge desires or cravings anyway, which is pretty awesome honestly considering in the past when dieting I haven't gone one week without cravings. I aint going to restrict myself in the slightest though because come on.... what damage can a few (hundred) dozen prawns do?

For the past week or so I've been using mission brand jalapeno wraps for the bases - they're not that great but I bought some and needed to use them up, and most of the time I find I always convince myself to go for a pizza instead of a wrap... every.damn.time. lol

cheeses I've been using are perfect italiano light mozzarella, Igor Gorgonzola (holy sh!t nothing is tastier than this stuff), provolone & jarlsberg lite. Most of them have been a base of light mozzarella with a bit of gorgonzola on top but I've done a mix of mozzarella / provolone / jarlsberg a few times too. Lolz it's a banana shake so you wouldn't like it bro, but basically an entire tray of ice with about 80g coltees diet caramel / diet chocolate, a tiny bit of vanilla essence and a splash of water and then a scoop of banana casein on top... it is pretty tough to blend up because of how thick it gets so I've had to resort to blending it for about 10 seconds, then manually mixing it up and reblending it etc... in the end though it is SUPER thick and freaking DELICIOUS.

chicken was the masterfoods honey bbq marinade, just threw some chicken in a zip lock bag with the marinade and let it sit in the fridge all day, then cook... easy peasy!

[kitkatkate]

I feel ya, man. I love eating clean! Plus I have a very sensitive GI tract. Last night my family and i ate out at a chain restaurant and i bloated up and felt horrible. I even ordered a simple grilled chicken salad, but it still happened. Happens every time I eat out at restaurants that don't make homemade, healthy meals.

I have also been eating very bro, and i am definitely reaping the benefits. I have cut my carbs a bit and am only trying to consume them around my workouts. Plus, I have cut out gluten/wheat and I am seeing major improvements in my bloat and other GI stress. Oh, and no artificial sweetener either. I might tinker with a semi primal diet...no grains at all, but I don't know if i can give up oats. I could easily have a delicious breakfast without grains though. Sweet potatoes, yogurt, flax, nut butter...

[brendbro]

I feel ya, man. I love eating clean! Plus I have a very sensitive GI tract. Last night my family and i ate out at a chain restaurant and i bloated up and felt horrible. I even ordered a simple grilled chicken salad, but it still happened. Happens every time I eat out at restaurants that don't make homemade, healthy meals.

I have also been eating very bro, and i am definitely reaping the benefits. I have cut my carbs a bit and am only trying to consume them around my workouts. Plus, I have cut out gluten/wheat and I am seeing major improvements in my bloat and other GI stress. Oh, and no artificial sweetener either. I might tinker with a semi primal diet...no grains at all, but I don't know if i can give up oats. I could easily have a delicious breakfast without grains though. Sweet potatoes, yogurt, flax, nut butter...

funnily enough I've been going rampant on the carbs, my fat intake has been super low and has been surprisingly easy as hell to keep up (like... under 30g a day), in fact - anecdotally speaking I feel like the lower fat intake has actually drastically reduced any cravings which people commonly contribute to carbs... for example: usually after a meal I'll either be thinking "that was great! I'm full and satisfied" or "yeah that was good but man I could go for something more...", whereas recently it's just been "okay that meal is done and that's that"<<< bit hard to explain but I much prefer the latter... NO cravings and just be done with it... though I may be mixing correlation and causation here. I don't think I could ever give up artificial sweetener entirely however I've completely replaced all artificial sweeteners where possible with Natvia, which is a stevia product here in Aus and I freaking LOVE it!! 100% natural, tastes unbelievable! Only issue is the price.

As for oats... no bloody way am I ever giving them up. no.fcuking.way.

regarding restaurant eating - whenever I have the opportunity for a restaurant meal I will be there, mainly because it means 1. I don't need to / can't count (which I see as a good thing ) and 2. it usually means an opportunity to see friends / family, and there is absolutely nothing I love more than that. I'm honestly getting a bit fukking tired of macros/calories having even the slightest impact on my choices/decisions. Not to say I am OCD or have an ED or anything like that - it's just being this far into dieting etc I'd like to get this done with once and for all and whether I like it or not the food I eat is (obviously) going to have a direct impact on that so, for the time being, I need to be weary of what I'm eating. I have proven to myself time and time again that I can easily overcome any OCDness so that isn't an issue in the slightest, and I have been thinking about it and I'm 90% sure that when I finish dieting I will no longer count macros/calories ever again, that is unless I feel I'd like to take body building a bit more seriously but I don't see that happening any time soon.

p.s sorry for rant

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

[kitkatkate]

funnily enough I've been going rampant on the carbs, my fat intake has been super low and has been surprisingly easy as hell to keep up (like... under 30g a day), in fact - anecdotally speaking I feel like the lower fat intake has actually drastically reduced any cravings which people commonly contribute to carbs... for example: usually after a meal I'll either be thinking "that was great! I'm full and satisfied" or "yeah that was good but man I could go for something more...", whereas recently it's just been "okay that meal is done and that's that"<<< bit hard to explain but I much prefer the latter... NO cravings and just be done with it... though I may be mixing correlation and causation here. I don't think I could ever give up artificial sweetener entirely however I've completely replaced all artificial sweeteners where possible with Natvia, which is a stevia product here in Aus and I freaking LOVE it!! 100% natural, tastes unbelievable! Only issue is the price.

As for oats... no bloody way am I ever giving them up. no.fcuking.way.

regarding restaurant eating - whenever I have the opportunity for a restaurant meal I will be there, mainly because it means 1. I don't need to / can't count (which I see as a good thing ) and 2. it usually means an opportunity to see friends / family, and there is absolutely nothing I love more than that. I'm honestly getting a bit fukking tired of macros/calories having even the slightest impact on my choices/decisions. Not to say I am OCD or have an ED or anything like that - it's just being this far into dieting etc I'd like to get this done with once and for all and whether I like it or not the food I eat is (obviously) going to have a direct impact on that so, for the time being, I need to be weary of what I'm eating. I have proven to myself time and time again that I can easily overcome any OCDness so that isn't an issue in the slightest, and I have been thinking about it and I'm 90% sure that when I finish dieting I will no longer count macros/calories ever again, that is unless I feel I'd like to take body building a bit more seriously but I don't see that happening any time soon.

p.s sorry for rant

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

No problem about the rant! I love long replies.

I think it's neat how bodies are so different when it comes to satiation and cravings. For me, I have to have my fats! The past couple of days I have been eating a serving of nuts for a snack and they fill me up really well, surprisingly for what little volume they have! I haven't been missing all of the extra carbs, but I guess it's pretty easy when I don't eat gluten/wheat anymore. I think I will still keep my oats, but I do want to switch up breakfast every now and then. I like to be creative with my meals so that I don't get bored!

That's awesome that you are being more intuitive and not so obsessive! I am working on that too. And, I love stevia! I use it in my coffee sometimes and I use it for all of my baking! It's not extremely expensive here. The vanilla stevia liquid drops are though. :/

[brendbro]

Lower

weight - 68.8

Hack squats
100kgx8
90kgx10,8,8

Seated leg press
400x7
400x3

Lying leg curl
60x9.5
60x6.5
60x5.5

calf ducks
95x9
95x8

calf raise
22x13

cardio
10 mins, 100 cals

Upper

weight - 68.5

bench
85kgx7
85kgx7
85kgx7
85kgx6

Seated row
75x6
75x7 pr
75x7 pr
75x6

pullups
BWx9
BWx8
BWx7

Tricep extensions
5x14 PR
5x13

DB Incline
25kgx12
25kgx8
25kgx8 (+1 assisted)

Bicep crossover
30x12

cardio
10 mins, 170 cals

After having a few days off from Christmas it felt surprisingly good to be back in the gym, especially considering I was going to be all by myself and I knew the gym would be insanely busy as the opening hours over Christmas break stink so it's absolutely packed from 8-2. My first session was all alone but I still had a great session which was probably my fastest session yet, was in and out within an hour (usually my partner and I are in there are about 2 ) so intensity was much higher than usual. Dropped hack squats down to 90 and in all honesty they felt infinitely better, form felt spot on. In fact everything felt relatively great despite numbers being down, but I guess that's what increased intensity will do. I am getting some of the most insane leg DOMS I've ever had so I must've done something right

Today's upper session was terrific, everything went well! Bench felt great and hit an increase on my usual numbers... albeit it wasn't nearly as epic as last week but it's still an improvement on what I've been averaging. Hit PR's on seated rows and they felt fantastic! especially considering I've been contemplating dropping the weight on these. By now the place was swarming with folk left right and centre so the rest of our WO got a bit muddled up, pull ups came next and these were done nice and slow, was not expecting much else from what I got considering I just came off a PR'd seated rows, and I absolutely felt a stretch in my lats so I'm happy! Triceps next and hit a PR - but what can I expect when they're done before incline. Incline felt awesome - increased intensity yet slower tempo, plus being already after hitting tri's explains the lower numbers.

Haven't been able to get too much cardio in as all the machines have been taken but I've been very active outside the gym, feelsgoodman! And considering my EPIC Xmas bloat that literally left me in pain I'm pretty fuarking happy with my weigh ins and how I'm looking this week... things are going well

Honestly, all I care about any more is getting in there and knowing I'm giving it my best - no numbers, nothing like that any more. As long as I know deep down that I've truly given 110% then I'm happy. And I can say with absolute CERTAINTY that these sessions I was @ 120% and I aint looking at slowing down.

Nutrition

no Xmas food shots

dinner with the fam on Boxing day, Angus Sirloin cooked rare (no blood shot but it was oozing, finished with pepper sauce) -


I regretted not asking for no sauce as it was done REALLY well and didn't even need it!

Vita brits & fruit topped with cocoa -


honey bbq chicken, veggies -


cheesy chicken gorgonzola noodles -

[Shazriki]

I'm going to send you some anthrax for missing pics of your Christmas feast.

Notsts, glad you had a good few days off the diet and are ready to get back on that sh!t. Call me crazy but I actually drooled at the pic of chicken and veggies, it's all rice and beans here and the carbs have been doing a grand job of bloating me up and playing mind games haha.

I guess youve been considering dropping weight on seated rows because progress has been slow on them? Well firstly don't forget you're dieting and secondly that it's a machine exercise and those will almost always be slower to progress in than the equivalent barbell movement IMO.

[brendbro]

weight - 69

weight is still eeking around 69ish, I'm not fussed though as I've finally learned to trust my body and my body is telling me I'm getting leaner... still we'll see how the weight goes!

cardio
240 laps - 49 minutes

So did my old cardio routine outside as it was an absolutely beautiful day. This was what I used to do before I lifted and to give an idea I used to just barely manage 100 laps, worked my way up 120ish in about 40 minutes if I remember correctly, and that was TIRING. Today did 240 laps with relative ease, I'm very surprised at just how much my endurance has increased... awesome

Nutrition

Garlic Prawn Gorgonzola pizza


Chocolate peanut butter oatmeal w/ strawberries & peanut butter sludge


Turkey salad club w/ avocado & cranberry sauce


Chicken, veggies

I'm going to send you some anthrax for missing pics of your Christmas feast.

Notsts, glad you had a good few days off the diet and are ready to get back on that sh!t. Call me crazy but I actually drooled at the pic of chicken and veggies, it's all rice and beans here and the carbs have been doing a grand job of bloating me up and playing mind games haha.

I guess youve been considering dropping weight on seated rows because progress has been slow on them? Well firstly don't forget you're dieting and secondly that it's a machine exercise and those will almost always be slower to progress in than the equivalent barbell movement IMO.

immense carb overload + lack of training will definitely do that, but I'm sure you're smart enough to realise it's all just temporary From last progress pics you're looking great bud and honestly I'd say if any damage was done then it was rightly so considering you're diving straight into prep! You deserve a bit of time off brother!

I had been considering dropping weight on rows because of strength loss mainly, my reps were dropping to the 5's and below and they were feeling piss weak. However lately they have been feeling much better!! and my back has been fuarking killing me yet again. It sucks though that I was having EPIC back progress when I was bulking and was absolutely loving it and yet when it came round to dieting I definitely noticed more strength loss in my back than anywhere else.

[Shazriki]

immense carb overload + lack of training will definitely do that, but I'm sure you're smart enough to realise it's all just temporary From last progress pics you're looking great bud and honestly I'd say if any damage was done then it was rightly so considering you're diving straight into prep! You deserve a bit of time off brother!

I had been considering dropping weight on rows because of strength loss mainly, my reps were dropping to the 5's and below and they were feeling piss weak. However lately they have been feeling much better!! and my back has been fuarking killing me yet again. It sucks though that I was having EPIC back progress when I was bulking and was absolutely loving it and yet when it came round to dieting I definitely noticed more strength loss in my back than anywhere else.

FUAAAARK sick food in that last post. Pizza blew me away. Pizza mastery level 100 achieved IMO.

And yea not too worried about it because dayum stuff tastes good. Plus waking up every day with veiny arms is some good positive reinforcement

Maybe you were just having a low week wrt rows. Especially if back was already a weak point, dieting ain't going to help (but you know that). It'll just remain a point to focus on during your next bulk!

Btw, happy new year bro!

[Webber91]

Hope you had a sick new year down the coast brah, I'll see you when you get back!

[brendbro]

Mix
weight - 69.6

BB Bench
85kgx6
85kgx5
85kgx4.5

Sumo Deads
120kgx6
130kgx6 fukk yeah

DB Shoulderpress
25kgx4, 4 <--- epic fail

Seated rows
75x7
75x6.5

Tricep extensions
5ppsx15 PR
5ppsx9

Bicep crossover
30x12 + 4x25 <<< super set

Seated leg press
400x5

Cardio
stairmaster - 36 mins; 600 cals

Had to cut out one WO this week unfortunately so this last one was basically just going in and doing what I wanted and felt like. Rest breaks were extremely short as we were stumped for time, intensity was probably the highest it's ever been. I have no doubt that some numbers are down because of this but still it was a freaking insane work out. Wanted to start off with deads but all the racks were taken and we didn't want to wait around so started with bench which absolutely flew by & my chest was ripped apart by the end. Onto deads and I felt good enough to go for a weight increase this week - 130kg for 6 reps! Haven't hit that much in a long time and these felt absolutely amazing! Hurting in all the right spots, I'm VERY excited about the weight increase. From here we moved onto whatever we wanted - did some shoulderpress which was just an absolute fail after benching lolz, seated rows felt really awesome and tri's and bi's flew by and were incredible. Threw down a super quick set on the leg press machine before jumping on the stepper for some cardio.

Happy new year! With the start of a new year comes a change in routine for me Haven't entirely planned out how it's going to look but I'm very excited to be changing things up, will be most likely keeping some sort of 4 day split but we'll see. Also... an end date has been set for my cut! 22nd January... 3 more weeks and I'm keen as FUK to make these the most intense 3 weeks of my life!!!! Wish me luck!!

Looking back, 2011 has been a damn good year - my best yet regarding body building and probably life in general, I've definitely learnt a ton about myself, both in and out of the gym. VERY excited to see what 2012 brings... this will be a year of continuing transformation. I promise to not slow down, to not be a pussy, to push beyond all my comfort zones, and most of all... to enjoy every minute of it Thanks all so much for following along, I owe more to you guys than I do to myself.

FUAAAARK sick food in that last post. Pizza blew me away. Pizza mastery level 100 achieved IMO.

And yea not too worried about it because dayum stuff tastes good. Plus waking up every day with veiny arms is some good positive reinforcement

Maybe you were just having a low week wrt rows. Especially if back was already a weak point, dieting ain't going to help (but you know that). It'll just remain a point to focus on during your next bulk!

Btw, happy new year bro!

Happy new year shaz! Haha cheers about the pizzas! I don't see them stopping any time soon

That's another awesome thing about high CHO's is the mass veinage! Love it. And yeah back was definitely my weak point and my key goal last bulk was to add some thickness and general strength to it which I definitely feel I did Cannot wait to get bulkin again and see what I can achieve this time around when I don't look so sh!t! (aka fat)

Hope you had a sick new year down the coast brah, I'll see you when you get back!

yeah man it was absolutely incredible!! Weather was spectacular and the water was down right perfect, absolutely crystal clear! Broulee has some awesome beaches Hope you had a good one too bro!

[AlwaysTryin]

I'm glad to hear your cut is ending soon

[Ryanmckd]

Ah once you know the end is near motivation seems to hit an all time high in the home stretch, kill it these last few weeks then MAKE SURE you set yourself another short/long term goal once you finish your cut as I found that people/myself tend to lose motivation/focus when there is no goal to achieve. Not saying this will be the case with you but thought I'd give you a heads up.
Looking forward to seeing how your going to set up your training, remember to make sure you have enjoying what your doing as the #1 priority. There may be more optimal ways to approach your training that will yield better results but if your not enjoying it then whats the point? Do what YOU want to do, put in 100% and PHUCK what anyone else says .

[psychodiver9]

Just found this inp

[brendbro]

Upper Power

weight - 67.7kg NEW LOW

BB Bench
87.5kgx5 PR
87.5kgx5
87.5kgx4.5

Seated Rows
80x5 PR
80x5
80x5

Weighted Pullups
5kgx8 PR
5kgx6.5
5kgx6

Dips
BWx12
5kgx9x2 PR

Shrugs
120kgx10
120kgx10
120kgx9

Cardio
stairmaster - 36:17; 600 cals

New routine is a customised 4 day Layne Norton PHAT - only 1 leg day so that will be a power/hyper combo day. What more is there to say about today's workout other than it was as beautiful as they come. I am beyond motivated now that there is a deadline in site and with a new programme comes fun new exercises and new weights. PR's on absolutely every exercise, FUK yes. I felt strong as sh!t on bench and think I can probably even move it up further since I'm aiming for 3x5, rest breaks were a bit short as to what they will be usually so I'm very confident that I can fairly easily hit a 3x5 on that weight, feels fuarking good. Rows were an absolute BLAST, I OWNED these - and considering I had been weary about staying @ 75 and these were on 80... !! Very happy. Finally got around to adding weight to my pullups and they felt INCREDIBLE, I fukking LOVED the feeling of these. Today's work out was the metaphorical gym equivalent of all the stars aligning and everything just going 100% right. Can I ask for anything better this far into dieting?

Let the countdown begin

Food

Prawn & Avocado pasta


This was freaking fantastic!! Just threw together a few things for an avocado sauce -
100g avocado
80g cream cheese (fat free)
25g tomato puree
25g sweet chilli sauce
garlic
lemon juice

DELICIOUS!!

I'm glad to hear your cut is ending soon

Hell yeah man I'm very excited, this last 3 weeks is going to be more intense than I've ever experienced.

Ah once you know the end is near motivation seems to hit an all time high in the home stretch, kill it these last few weeks then MAKE SURE you set yourself another short/long term goal once you finish your cut as I found that people/myself tend to lose motivation/focus when there is no goal to achieve. Not saying this will be the case with you but thought I'd give you a heads up.
Looking forward to seeing how your going to set up your training, remember to make sure you have enjoying what your doing as the #1 priority. There may be more optimal ways to approach your training that will yield better results but if your not enjoying it then whats the point? Do what YOU want to do, put in 100% and PHUCK what anyone else says .

you are 100% correct mate on all accounts. I already things planned out for after I finish cutting and I am excited!! I am definitely somebody that needs to be constantly striving towards something, I couldn't just sit around without a goal in mind or I think I'd go insane! lol

Talked to my partner about the routine today - mentioning exactly what you said. It's all about enjoyment now, once I get back to bulking I'll look @ perhaps structuring thing more towards what is most effective (despite this being a highly subjective thing), but right now I am enjoying the sh!t out of every aspect of life and that's all that counts!!

Just found this inp

hey mate! VERY happy to have you along! You are an inspiring guy

[psychodiver9]

Thanks for the kind words. Waking up and seeing all those pRs is inspiring! Glad I read that before I go lift.

[brendbro]

Legs

Weight - 67.3 NEW LOW

Sumo Deadlift
130kgx5
130kgx5 pr

Hack squats
100kgx4.5
100kgx5
100kgx5

Super set #1
Leg press - 95x15,95x15,100x15,110x12
Calf raise - 95x13,95x12,95x12,95x12

Super set #2
Leg curl - 60x11,55x6,50x9
Standing calf - 65x12,65x12,65x10

Cardio
stairmaster - 36:16, 600 cals



T minus 16 days

Chest/Arms Hyper

Weight - 67.2 NEW LOW

DB Incline
25kgx12x3

Close grip bench
30kgx12x3

DB Bench
27.5kgx10
27.5kgx9
27.5kgx8

Bicep superset
25ppsx9,9
20ppsx8,8,7,7

Tricep superset
Seated tricep extension - 5ppsx12, 5ppsx6
pulldown - 6ppsx6, 6ppsx3

Cable crossover - N/A

Preacher curl
55x12
55x9

Cardio
Stairmaster - 36:51, 609 cals

These past few sessions have been GREAT! In fact looking back this whole week has been top notch - very busy (hence the lack of updates), this is the first chance I've had to have some time to myself and catch up with things, but hey I'm not complaining. Considering this is the first week of my new routine there is still some fine tweaking to be done to certain exercises etc, critiqueing and advice is more than appreciated regarding how things should be set out - as always I'm all about learning. One thing I've noticed is I'm not an enormous fan of super setting on upper body, lower body felt great and I had just about the best hamstring work I've had my entire cut. Not to mention my back has not hurt this much EVER... period. My god my new weighted back work and increase weight in deads is phenomenal at torturing the fuk out of me and I LOVE IT!! I can't describe how great things are going at the moment. Maintaining strength, losing weight (new lows all over the place!), energy has been through the roof, and general mood has been better than ever - it's hard for me to find something to be unhappy about. Cardio has been so freaking easy recently I actually almost thought the machine might have been broken or something. Today for example - I usually keep my head down so as to not look at the time until I start really getting worn out which is usually about 25 minutes, from then on I am basically counting down the minutes until it's over, today however was an absolute BREEZE and when I eventually decided to check how long I had been going for it was at 36:51! More than I wanted! Haha felt good Been getting more compliments recently & I caught a glimpse of my quads @ the gym today and did not realise the amount of seperation there is! Kind of just snuck up on me Feelsfukkinggoodman.jpeg

Food

prawn & avocado pasta again -


macaroni & cheese, pork steak, mushrooms -


peanut butter vanilla proats w/ banana, cinnamon & strawberry cream cheese -

Thanks for the kind words. Waking up and seeing all those pRs is inspiring! Glad I read that before I go lift.

no problem mate! Been lurking your log for a long time now - glad I could return the favour!!

[foodpr0n]

Here's how I'd implement it right now mate;

The hyper days to look like this:
Chest/Back
Shoulders/Arms

instead of
Chest/Arms
Shoulders/Back

Reason being;
Bi's and tri's will most likely cut into what you're able to do on your back and shoulder movements. Either way shoulders will be compromised SOMEWHAT being worked via chest on thursdays, BUT you can limit that by not adding extra tricep work (this is assuming you are doing a pushing movement for shoulders btw)
Bi's being worked before back obviously doesn't need explanation.

Thus, what I'd do (dieting btw is
2 x10-12 db incline or flat
2 x10-12 row
2 x10-12 db incline or flat
2 x10-12 pulldown
1-2 x12-15 fly movement (OPTIONAL depending on how you feel on the day)
1-2 x12-15 straight arm back movement like pullover machine, straight arm pulldown etc. (OPTIONAL depending on how you feel on the day)

THEN when you're coming into more calories you can increase the volume a bit if you want. Starting out with all of it now won't leave you room to add it in. So when you add it in, you could do like 3 sets on the first chest/back movements (keep the 2nd movement @ 2 sets to limit indirect tri/bi work for the following day) and 2-3 sets on the fly/straight arm pulldown.

Then
Db press (see how you go with tricep fatigue as you'll be hitting upper again on monday) or DB/BB front raises 2x10-12
DB Laterals 2-3 x10-12
2 tricep and bicep movements 1 at 2 x10-12 and one at 2 x12-15

Keep the hyper days a bit lighter and pumpier (1-2 reps from failure [remember this is higher freqeuncy AND volume, what gives here is a bit of intensity - you'll create a nice little sink for those incoming carbzorz too

Btw .... Must be lean as fuark right about now?!?

[Ryanmckd]

Is that mac n cheese low fat by any chance or store bought? Looks tasty, Keep it up mate!!

[psychodiver9]

Yes. Deadlift pR!!!!

[brendbro]

Shoulders/Back Hyper

Weight - 68.1 (definite bit of bloat )

DB Shoulderpress
25kgx8
25kgx9
25kgx9

DB Lat raise
10kgx12
10kgx10
10kgx8

Back superset #1
Seated row - 65x9,60x6.5,55x8
Pullup - BWx5,27kgx5,27kgx7.5

Lat pulldown superset
10ppsx8 + 5ppsx12
10ppsx9 + 5ppsx12

cardio
stairmaster - 30:15, 500 cals

Not a whole lot to report from today. Reasonably quick session, and I definitely felt the fatigue from yesterday in chest & tri's which greatly hindered shoulder performance so will definitely need to be tweaking a few things with the new routine. First time doing lat raises and not sure if I was performing them correctly so will check out some technique vids online. Only got in 30 mins of cardio today as I'm heading to my mates farm (literally right now) for the weekend, should be AWESOME!

will get to replies when I get home! everyone have a great weekend!

[Trillios]

Sorry for the lack of input brah. I've been busy and barely have time to make long meaningful posts lately (besides my log). What is this crap I read about you ending your cut early? LOL da fuk son! Either way you're still demolishing every session bro. Don't for a second think I forgot about our extended comp .

[SJB23]

If your food is the damn good on a cut, can't wait for the bulk! You had an awesome 2011, keep it up man!

[brendbro]

Back from my mates farm. Felt like absolute sh!t all day today, completely hungover! It still amazes me just how easily alcohol affects me nowadays. Not to mention INSANE DOMS in my entire upper body - chest, shoulders, lats, bi's & tri's! It's insane. Still, had a bloody incredible weekend... let's just hope it doesn't take me all week to recover as it's my 2nd last week of dieting and sh!t is about to get intense.

Food

Peanut butter, bacon & Relish sandwich -


Sweet chilli & Sour cream, 'roo sausage & bacon pasta -

Here's how I'd implement it right now mate;

The hyper days to look like this:
Chest/Back
Shoulders/Arms

instead of
Chest/Arms
Shoulders/Back

Reason being;
Bi's and tri's will most likely cut into what you're able to do on your back and shoulder movements. Either way shoulders will be compromised SOMEWHAT being worked via chest on thursdays, BUT you can limit that by not adding extra tricep work (this is assuming you are doing a pushing movement for shoulders btw)
Bi's being worked before back obviously doesn't need explanation.

Thus, what I'd do (dieting btw is
2 x10-12 db incline or flat
2 x10-12 row
2 x10-12 db incline or flat
2 x10-12 pulldown
1-2 x12-15 fly movement (OPTIONAL depending on how you feel on the day)
1-2 x12-15 straight arm back movement like pullover machine, straight arm pulldown etc. (OPTIONAL depending on how you feel on the day)

THEN when you're coming into more calories you can increase the volume a bit if you want. Starting out with all of it now won't leave you room to add it in. So when you add it in, you could do like 3 sets on the first chest/back movements (keep the 2nd movement @ 2 sets to limit indirect tri/bi work for the following day) and 2-3 sets on the fly/straight arm pulldown.

Then
Db press (see how you go with tricep fatigue as you'll be hitting upper again on monday) or DB/BB front raises 2x10-12
DB Laterals 2-3 x10-12
2 tricep and bicep movements 1 at 2 x10-12 and one at 2 x12-15

Keep the hyper days a bit lighter and pumpier (1-2 reps from failure [remember this is higher freqeuncy AND volume, what gives here is a bit of intensity - you'll create a nice little sink for those incoming carbzorz too

Btw .... Must be lean as fuark right about now?!?

Thanks a ton for the input man, will be implementing something along those lines this week!

Leanness - well to be honest I'm not 'checking myself out' all that often currently. That is except for at the gym I suppose when I'm training in front of mirrors the entire time. I love being at the point where fat loss is becoming very sneaky - where all of a sudden I'll notice new cuts here and there and think 'wow where'd you come from?' feels great! As I mentioned the other day - noticing new cuts in quads, and more veinage than I've ever had in legs. Same with obliques & chest! Couple things I've noticed is when I bloat I tend to feel it mostly in the face which kind of stinks walking around with a puffy face haha, also I feel my arms have lost a bit of size, though I don't mind too much. Plus getting compliments all the time is really helping fuel motivation, though I'm trying to be as modest as possible... but I love how supportive my friends are being hehe even my mum complimented me today! that is a definite first

Is that mac n cheese low fat by any chance or store bought? Looks tasty, Keep it up mate!!

haha cheers mate! I wish it was home made but it's just easy mac chicken flavour

Yes. Deadlift pR!!!!

I felt like I may have had another set in me but wanted to play it safe now that squats & deadlifts are on the same day! I definitely felt it during hack squats!

Sorry for the lack of input brah. I've been busy and barely have time to make long meaningful posts lately (besides my log). What is this crap I read about you ending your cut early? LOL da fuk son! Either way you're still demolishing every session bro. Don't for a second think I forgot about our extended comp .

Mate do not worry in the slightest, been busy as hell myself! Just caught myself up with your log! Yeah bro cut will be coming to a close january 22nd and I'll be taking a 1 week break and then reversing so hopefully we'll still see some sparks fly during that period anyway. Motivation has been through the fukkin roof! Haven't had any low energy or nothin which is fuarkin awesome! In fact cardio has god honestly been easier than ever (when you get to do cardio next to Weber it isn't hard to be inspired though lol!), I actually think my endurance is finally improving, may need to up the intensity!

If your food is the damn good on a cut, can't wait for the bulk! You had an awesome 2011, keep it up man!

Cheers for checking the log out mate! 2011 was a great year all around - definitely a much needed year of learning a lot about myself!

It's funny - food is basically a non issue for me now. I eat what I enjoy and the only real 'rules' I set myself have been keeping protein & CHO's high which is now just basically a lifestyle rather than a 'rule'. I have no cravings, nothing! I was talking to a close friend about this the other day and if anything I actually don't enjoy how much I need to eat! It truly is a euphoric feeling for me considering my background (ED issues). But yes - food will be even better when cals become more openly available! (btw first like 11-12 pages of the log were during a bulk if you'd like to check them out)

[Webber91]

Haha, I'm just glad that I've got someone else in the same room as me sharing my love for the steppers mate!

If you need a hand with your reverse just give me a yell when I see you next