IK9's Log

[IK9]

Used to like deloading in that way, too. But here lately, I'm finding that decreasing volume while maintaining/increasing intensity based upon how I'm feeling is most enjoyable for me. May not be as good for connective tissue recovery but it definitely feels great psychologically.

how lean are you planning on getting?

I think I kinda have to do it this way because I'm enhanced.. I feel like I can go bawls to the wall all the time & then when my front delt or other things start hurting.. I realize why lol

I wanna get down to 6-7% or about 7-9 lbs away from stage lean

Agree with T here.. cutting volume works infinitely better IME. Makes sure I don't lose the muscle memory associated w/lifting those numbers and lets me feel like I'm getting something accomplished in the gym. Though I'd imagine reducing intensity might be better long-term in terms of training maturity.

Also interested to see how this cut goes. Remind me again why you're waiting so long to start it?

Yeah, I usually cut both volume & weight

Billy Bnizzle says I have to hold my bodyweight for a while so my body gets used to being that weight/used to the new muscle mass cuz if I just go straight into cutting, I'll lose that extra mass I recently gained. Currently on TrT for 8 weeks then getting bloodwork then starting my cut.

[TGreggors]

ah yeah, always have to remember that is a game changer that encompasses so many different aspects of bodybuilding in general. 6-7%...dis gonna be good. Will be interesting to see where the body weight lands.

[Bnizzle163]

Billy Bnizzle says I have to hold my bodyweight for a while so my body gets used to being that weight/used to the new muscle mass cuz if I just go straight into cutting, I'll lose that extra mass I recently gained. Currently on TrT for 8 weeks then getting bloodwork then starting my cut.

To piggyback on what Innie just said, once the body surpasses a certain level of lbm, it needs some time to register that that new lbm isn't going anywhere. This is even more true for guys on "assistance" that get further and further past their natural genetic limit. When test levels come back into the physiological realm, your body doesn't want all that extra muscle. The only way to keep it? Keep training like there's no tomorrow and keep food high. You have to tell the body that your new muscle is there to stay. Give it a reason not to dump it.

Once hormone levels are again elevated into the super physiological realm, a caloric deficit won't be a big deal, and you can then maintain what you've gained while losing body fat.

Hope this helps clear it up a bit.

[IK9]

ah yeah, always have to remember that is a game changer that encompasses so many different aspects of bodybuilding in general. 6-7%...dis gonna be good. Will be interesting to see where the body weight lands.

Currently sitting at 180-183 lbs at 13-14% BF

[IK9]

Update
Deload is over. Got a 7 AM workout w/ my buddy that is in town. Started a modified 5/3/1 program to improve my squat & deadlift

Sumo Deadlift
90% of 1RM = 325 lb deadlift

Set 1: 210 lbs x 5 reps (65% of 90% of 1RM)

Set 2: 245 lbs x 5 reps (75%)

Set 3: 275 lbs x 12 reps (85%) AMRAP

Misc: Happy w/ the PR today. Was feeling good about it until my friend did 405 lbs x 4 reps then 315 lbs x 20 reps hahah

[TGreggors]

5/3/1 is really good for squat and deadlift progression, imo. Did it for a year and a half by the book and for half a year with modifications to my needs and went from a 1RM of 320 lbs. to one of 380 lbs. at a BW that was like 7-8 lbs. lighter on the squat. Also went from a DL of 360 lbs. to one of 440 with a similar difference in body weight. Found that it wasn't enough volume for my bench, which I think is a common complaint when running the program.

I think it is well-suited to your needs.

[IK9]

5/3/1 is really good for squat and deadlift progression, imo. Did it for a year and a half by the book and for half a year with modifications to my needs and went from a 1RM of 320 lbs. to one of 380 lbs. at a BW that was like 7-8 lbs. lighter on the squat. Also went from a DL of 360 lbs. to one of 440 with a similar difference in body weight. Found that it wasn't enough volume for my bench, which I think is a common complaint when running the program.

I think it is well-suited to your needs.

That's some good improvements you've made there.

I actually hit 315 bench on the program.. and didn't do any accessory exercises

My squat/deadlift barely went up tho haha. I'm not sure how much I can improve in just 7 weeks of this program

[IK9]

DB Shoulder Press 90's x 5 reps

Happy with the PR.. went up pretty smoothly

[IK9]

Squat

195 lbs x 5
225 lbs x 5
255 lbs x 5, 12 PR

Did my first set of squat w/ 255 & I couldn't breathe at the bottom because my belt was too tight.

Took my belt off & managed to get 12 reps with maybe 2 left in the tank

Belt fit fine on deadlifts last week tho

[IK9]

Week 1
5/3/1 Bench
90% of 1RM = 285 lbs
65%/75%/85%

Set 1: 185 lbs x 5
Set 2: 215 lbs x 5
Set 3 AMRAP: 245 lbs x 10

DB Bench: 105's x 6, 115's x 4, 4 leg started cramping lmao

[IK9]

DB Shoulder Press 95's x 2 reps

Kinda sad I only got 2 reps.. was feeling pretty optimistic but just couldn't get anything going during my 7 AM workout w/ my buddy

[TGreggors]

Seems to be how DB overhead shoulder pressing tends to work in a lot of cases. Increase the weight by hardly at all and the reps can tend to fall more than expected.

95s x 2 is still strong as hell doe

[Bnizzle163]

Saw Inna today. He has definitely gained some quality lean mass. His strength gains have been insane, too. Just texted me with a squat rep PR, but I'll let him post specifics .

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Yeah, I'd love to be upset about only getting 2 reps w/95s. Stoked to see what this skwat PR is.

[IK9]

Seems to be how DB overhead shoulder pressing tends to work in a lot of cases. Increase the weight by hardly at all and the reps can tend to fall more than expected.

95s x 2 is still strong as hell doe

Man, I saw Kinobody Greg Gallager on Youtube do DB Shoulder Press 100's for 8 reps easy at 170 lbs AND he's "natty"...... I give up brah

Saw Inna today. He has definitely gained some quality lean mass. His strength gains have been insane, too. Just texted me with a squat rep PR, but I'll let him post specifics .

Leg Press PR not Squat PR.. but man.. Billy looking fcking massive at 200 lbs.. it's prolly cuz he's really lean right now too.. makes me look super small.. dead serious.. also he's sitting pretty vascular

Yeah, I'd love to be upset about only getting 2 reps w/95s. Stoked to see what this skwat PR is.

Leg Press PR.. 8 PPS & 25's per side for 10 reps

Legs

5/3/1 Squat (Week 2)

Squat
225 lbs (70% of 90% of 1RM) for 3 reps
260 lbs (80% of 90% of 1RM) for 3 reps
295 lbs (90% of 90% of 1RM) for 5 reps.. not a PR lol

Leg Press
2 PPS x 10
4 PPS x 10
6 PPS x 10
8 PPS x 10 video
8 PPS & 25's x 10 PR

Hack Squat
2 PPS x 10
3 PPS x 10

Standing Leg Curl
60 x 10 per leg
80 x 10, 20 PR

Seated Leg Curl
75 x 15
90 x 12
105 x 12

Cable Crunches
4 sets

Standing Calf Raises
Worked up to 150 x 12

Misc: Had maybe 2 more reps on 295 lbs squat but I didn't trust the pins to catch the weight at the bottom.. didn't have the power rack available

Decided to make it up on the Leg Press.. I did 8 PPS for 15 reps plus more left in the tank a few weeks ago so I just added 25's per side for a baby PR

Lastly, tracking macros today to "see where I'm at" since I've been sitting at 180 for more than a month now.. I wanna know what my maintenance is

8 PPS went up easy

[IK9]

Tracked macros (weighed out everything) yesterday to "see where I'm at in maintaining my 180 lbs bodyweight" and it came out to

~3800 calories
128F
422C
165P

It's good to see that my metabolism is on fire!

[Blazed]

Tracked macros (weighed out everything) yesterday to "see where I'm at in maintaining my 180 lbs bodyweight" and it came out to

~3800 calories
128F
422C
165P

It's good to see that my metabolism is on fire!

Dude, I see a lot has changed here since I last lurked your training logs!!

Talk about some CRAZY progress!!! Great work.

[Bnizzle163]

Dude, I see a lot has changed here since I last lurked your training logs!!

Talk about some CRAZY progress!!! Great work.

It's because he finally decided to stop spinning his wheels and PUT IN WORK! Super stoked with how hard he's been training. This is a new Inna.

[IK9]

Dude, I see a lot has changed here since I last lurked your training logs!!

Talk about some CRAZY progress!!! Great work.

It's because he finally decided to stop spinning his wheels and PUT IN WORK! Super stoked with how hard he's been training. This is a new Inna.

Thanks guys.

Chest

DB Bench
85's x 6
105's x 4
120's x 4 PR

BB Bench
225 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 7 PR
295 x 3
225 x 9

HS Incline Bench
1 PPS & 25's x 12, 12, 12, 33 PR

Misc: Went ape chit in the gym today.. everyone around me in a 15 feet radius stopped to watch me bench 275 like I wasn't gonna get it lmao

#feelsgood

Didn't get to finish my whole workout so will prolly go back for arms/deadlift at night time

[IK9]

Deadlift is my worst lift but happy w/ the PR

Week 2 5/3/1

295 lbs x 10 reps

[LoganBrown]

Holy sh!t dude, been a while since I dropped in on this log and your progress has been insane. Had to go back and do some catching up, but damn, I'm hardcore mirin your pressing strength overall.. Bench Press, DB Overhead Press, everything. Not gonna lie, I'm jealous as hell about your metabolism as well, 3800 calories? Crazy

Keep killing it

[IK9]

^ thanks for the kind words Logan!

Roommate Had a $400 Food Comp to CUT steakhouse by Wolfgang Puck







20 oz NY Steak

[Blazed]

I just got a food boner bro.

[Blazed]

Inna, not sure if you mentioned this on here. Curious what you do for a living? Besides being an Asian superhero and food connoisseur.

[IK9]

Inna, not sure if you mentioned this on here. Curious what you do for a living? Besides being an Asian superhero and food connoisseur.

I do valet parking for a 5-star 5-diamond hotel/casino, the Wynn Encore.

It's cool because we meet celebrities all the time & drive expensive cars.. Rolls Royce is common. The only thing is, I don't like that it's not a big boy job.. I feel like it's more of a "for now" job but we have guys that are 58 years old doing it.. simply because it's easy and the health benefits/insurance we get is insanely good.

I did pretty good in school but didn't have any direction. My bachelor's in psychology isn't doing anything for me at the moment.

My girlfriend has a master's degree in accounting and I'm surrounded by friends that are pharmacists etc.. my friend just became the Las Vegas general manager of Panda Express & he's 25 years old and I'm over here thinking.. "what the eff am I doing with my life....." lol

[Blazed]

I do valet parking for a 5-star 5-diamond hotel/casino, the Wynn Encore.

It's cool because we meet celebrities all the time & drive expensive cars.. Rolls Royce is common. The only thing is, I don't like that it's not a big boy job.. I feel like it's more of a "for now" job but we have guys that are 58 years old doing it.. simply because it's easy and the health benefits/insurance we get is insanely good.

I did pretty good in school but didn't have any direction. My bachelor's in psychology isn't doing anything for me at the moment.

My girlfriend has a master's degree in accounting and I'm surrounded by friends that are pharmacists etc.. my friend just became the Las Vegas general manager of Panda Express & he's 25 years old and I'm over here thinking.. "what the eff am I doing with my life....." lol

Hey man, I don't think there is anything wrong with a well paying/good benefits gig like that. The hospitality/services industry is very lucrative. You will be just fine, keep networking and banking that $$.

I didn't even graduate college, I felt like I was wasting my time since I had no clue what I wanted to do for a living at the time. Now after ~7 years of work I think experience trumps a degree anyway.

People place too much emphasis on what they do when they trade their time for $$. It's cool that some people love their jobs, but to me work is work. Life is so much bigger than that.

I was just curious, since you post some really cool ish.

[IK9]

Hey man, I don't think there is anything wrong with a well paying/good benefits gig like that. The hospitality/services industry is very lucrative. You will be just fine, keep networking and banking that $$.

I didn't even graduate college, I felt like I was wasting my time since I had no clue what I wanted to do for a living at the time. Now after ~7 years of work I think experience trumps a degree anyway.

People place too much emphasis on what they do when they trade their time for $$. It's cool that some people love their jobs, but to me work is work. Life is so much bigger than that.

I was just curious, since you post some really cool ish.

This is $$$

Yeah, I don't feel all that bad because you don't necessarily need an education to make it in this world. I'm still young so I know I have time to figure out what I wanna do with my life. Thanks for the positivity!

Chest/Calves/Abs
183.0# Morning Weight

BB Bench
95 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 2 paused
275 x 5, 3

HS Incline Bench
2 PPS x 12
2 PPS & 25's x 10
2 PPS & 35's x 10
2 PPS & 35's x 10 dropset to 2 PPS x 16

Pec Dec
70 x 12, 12, 12
90 x 12

Seated Calf Raise
1 plate x 12
1 plate & 25 x 12
1 plate & 2 25's x 12, 12
1 plate & 25 & 35 x 12, 12 dropset 1 plate & 25 to failure

Horizontal Calf Raise
70 x 12, 12 per leg
90 x 12 per leg
100 x 12 per leg

Cable Crunches
65 x 12, 12, 12, 12

Misc: Strength was just not there on bench today.. not too happy w/ the 275.. it felt super heavy

Although I eat the same thing on the daily.. tracking macros today/tomorrow to make sure I get in 4K calories to stay above 180 lbs

Got blood work scheduled for next Monday to make sure TRT & everything is going well

[Bnizzle163]

I do valet parking for a 5-star 5-diamond hotel/casino, the Wynn Encore.

It's cool because we meet celebrities all the time & drive expensive cars.. Rolls Royce is common. The only thing is, I don't like that it's not a big boy job.. I feel like it's more of a "for now" job but we have guys that are 58 years old doing it.. simply because it's easy and the health benefits/insurance we get is insanely good.

I did pretty good in school but didn't have any direction. My bachelor's in psychology isn't doing anything for me at the moment.

My girlfriend has a master's degree in accounting and I'm surrounded by friends that are pharmacists etc.. my friend just became the Las Vegas general manager of Panda Express & he's 25 years old and I'm over here thinking.. "what the eff am I doing with my life....." lol

Dude, you have it pretty sweet. I think it's great that you're doing something you enjoy and making good money while doing it. I always find it more important to focus on you and what makes you happy vs. comparing yourself to others. Who cares what job title you own. It doesn't define you. It doesn't earn you a higher place in society (despite the way the majority of society thinks nowadays). As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. After all, our job, our belongings, our "status" will all disappear one day. It took me a long time to learn this.

Keep doing YOU .

[DJaRiHardstyle]

After all, our job, our belongings, our "status" will all disappear one day. It took me a long time to learn this.

Keep doing YOU .

This x 1,000,000



The progress in here is incredible.

[TGreggors]

I've been in the Wynn! didn't know that you worked there specifically.

good discussion ITT right nao. As corny as it is, just gotta find a position that pays the bills and that you like/get fulfillment out of. I do think that, as Americans, we tend to be workaholics who become defined by their careers. Shouldn't have to be like that.

Owning a business/being a manager sounds miserable to me. Like that follows you wherever you go. You can't go on vacations and fully disconnect. You can't go home at night and mentally check out. Not the kind of life that I'd wanna live, regardless of the money.