EB68's workout journal

[Lou1se]

/\ Makes sense. You will probably recover quicker too. And you are right, when you begin to ache all over it is time to adjust things. :-)

Your forearms stand out! Nice thickness and looking strong while lean. Obliques and abs showing through.

[fittofattofit]

Thanks Baker.



Today was Chest an Biceps and here it is.

BB Benchpress
Barx15
135x12
155x10
185x10
205x6
205x6
205x6

Incline Bench
155x10
185x8
185x8
185x8

Incline Flyes
30'sx12
30'sx12
30'sx12
30'sx12

Olympic Bar Curls
Barx15
65x12
75x10
85x8
95x6

Hammer Curls
20'sx12
25'sx12
30'sx12

That was it for today. I have been having some minor aches and pains all over for the past couple of weeks, I believe it is a combination of lack of rest and pushing too hard every session trying to hit new PR's. I think I will slow it down a little and try to stay with normal weights and just do as many reps as I can with those for a couple of week, while trying to get some decent sleep time in. The 205 sets of benchpress felt pretty heavy today anyway, so I stayed with those. I weighed 163 this morning, but weighed again after breakfast and weighed 166.5, I took a pic at that time and will post it below. Today's food

This morning after 4 scrambled eggs, 2 waffles w/syrup, 5 ounces smoked sausage, and wheat toast w/ peanut butter. I also had 24 ounces of water and two cups of coffee

Did you use the sling for today's benching?
That's a very solid chest session ... heavy lifts and lots of reps. Hitting sets of 185 x 8 after all the flat benching is really strong work. 95lb curls are looking good as well.
I'm mirin' that breakfast
You are looking very lean still and I reckon you can afford to have a few more cheat days ... I'm with Fn257 .... I think you'll gain good muscle and strength on top of the excellent base with upping the cals

[EB68]

Eric, you are putting in some intense solid work brother. I am wondering why you are watching your calories so close. You are really lean now. This is just my opinion but I think you should eat big, keep lifting like you are and pack on some good mass and strength and worry about cutting later. I believe also it would be easier on your body right now to survive the hard work load you are putting on it. I admire you for what you are doing and certainly don't mean to undermine your plans but man your work load and workout are incredible.

Thanks fn257. I have upped the calories from 2000/2200 per day to 2700/3000 per day and have been slowly adding some weight over the past few weeks. I want to stay fairly lean over the summer, and will up them some more around august. I hope to never go much over 12% BF again though, cause I hate cutting

/\ Makes sense. You will probably recover quicker too. And you are right, when you begin to ache all over it is time to adjust things. :-)

Your forearms stand out! Nice thickness and looking strong while lean. Obliques and abs showing through.

Thanks Louise.

Did you use the sling for today's benching?
That's a very solid chest session ... heavy lifts and lots of reps. Hitting sets of 185 x 8 after all the flat benching is really strong work. 95lb curls are looking good as well.
I'm mirin' that breakfast
You are looking very lean still and I reckon you can afford to have a few more cheat days ... I'm with Fn257 .... I think you'll gain good muscle and strength on top of the excellent base with upping the cals

Thanks Andrew. I did use the slingshot yesterday on all sets of 185 and up. I had planned to do a few sets of 225, but wasn't feeling it yesterday. I plan to continue eating a little over maintenance as long as the gains are mostly muscle and not too much fat. This fall I will do a slightly more aggressive bulk through next spring.

[EB68]

Today was Deadlift day and here it is.

135x10
225x10
315x10
365x8
405x3
405x3
405x2
365x5

That was it for today. I had planned to hit 6 reps on the 405 sets, but felt weak as crap today and just couldn't manage it. Don't know if it is the weather or what but I have been feeling a little down the past couple of days. I am sick of the rain for sure, about 5" in the past couple of days, and the same for last weekend. Hopefully the weather and my mood will improve over the next few days. Today's food
Now it is off to bed so I can get back up at 11:00pm and do it all over again.

[fittofattofit]

Today was Deadlift day and here it is.

135x10
225x10
315x10
365x8
405x3
405x3
405x2
365x5

Yeah, yeah .. make me jealous .. I don't feel sorry for you repping what I got as a single for 8 reps
That's a lot of volume and you're doing all that heavy lifting at 160-162. Cals up now and your strength and stamina will follow

[EB68]

Yeah, yeah .. make me jealous .. I don't feel sorry for you repping what I got as a single for 8 reps
That's a lot of volume and you're doing all that heavy lifting at 160-162. Cals up now and your strength and stamina will follow

Thanks Andrew. I hope the strength and recovery picks up soon.


I am taking off today. Was supposed to be Back and Biceps, but I tweaked my back at work today. Not sure what the damage is, but it is pretty painful in my lower right spinal erector. My right trap is so sore that I can barely lift my arm. Could have been from yesterday's deadlifts, but didn't start hurting until I tried to move an 800 pound pallet today. I will ice it down overnight and hope it is eased off by tomorrow. Today's food

[fn257]

Take it easy Eric, rest up and heal up.

[Vanguard1965]

Thanks Andrew. I hope the strength and recovery picks up soon.


I am taking off today. Was supposed to be Back and Biceps, but I tweaked my back at work today. Not sure what the damage is, but it is pretty painful in my lower right spinal erector. My right trap is so sore that I can barely lift my arm. Could have been from yesterday's deadlifts, but didn't start hurting until I tried to move an 800 pound pallet today. I will ice it down overnight and hope it is eased off by tomorrow. Today's food

Ouch Sorry to hear Eric. Hopefully its just minor and with a bit of rest you will be back in action in no time.

[Lou1se]

Rest and eat. I hope your not still cutting, you need energy for that job.

And also hope the back problem is only something minor, it should be right in a few days

Play some of your favorite music to lift your spirit.

[fittofattofit]

Shifting an 800lb pallet will do it I'm sure you're getting in there and rolling the trap and back with a tennis ball or roller
I like your diet ... 500 cals surplus and still staying lean

[Jtbny]

Rest up Eric and live to lift another day Nice deadlift weights and volume btw!

[EB68]

Take it easy Eric, rest up and heal up.

Ouch Sorry to hear Eric. Hopefully its just minor and with a bit of rest you will be back in action in no time.

Rest and eat. I hope your not still cutting, you need energy for that job.

And also hope the back problem is only something minor, it should be right in a few days

Play some of your favorite music to lift your spirit.

Shifting an 800lb pallet will do it I'm sure you're getting in there and rolling the trap and back with a tennis ball or roller
I like your diet ... 500 cals surplus and still staying lean

Rest up Eric and live to lift another day Nice deadlift weights and volume btw!

Thanks to all. I am not sure the issue is muscle related though. I am still having sharp pains, but it is between the spine and my right side. I am starting to think it may be a kidney issue because every time I take a leak I get the pains, I also get them from bending over or twisting though. I am going to give it a day or two and see how it goes, and if it isn't feeling better I may schedule a doctor's appointment. It is no where near as bad today as it was yesterday, and it could have been a little bit of doms on top of a kidney issue. My Trap and Spinal erector are both fine today, just the pains above. I have had kidney stones before and the pain is similar. I am off today anyway and if it feels okay I will do some legwork tomorrow.

[EB68]

I felt really bad for not lifting yesterday, so I went down and did what I could that didn't bother my back and here it is.

Skull Crushers/Olympic Bar Curls supersets
55x15/Barx15
65x12/65x12
75x10/75x10
85x8/85x8
/85x8
/85x8

Incline Flyes
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx12
30'sx12

Calf Raises
250x20
250x20
250x20
300x15
300x15

That was all I felt comfortable doing today. I tried a set of Leg Presses, but they were causing some pain so I stopped them short. I weighed 163 even this morning still so I upped the calories slightly today and may continue to stay at 3,000 per day for a week or two and see what that does.
Today's food

[fn257]

It's good that you are doing some work but don't push anything and hurt yourself, see the Doc and be sure every thing checks out.

[Lou1se]

/\/\ What he said

Your calves must hate you Eric!

[cmoore]

Looking good E. Take care of yourself (maybe see a doc too).

[fittofattofit]

Good work getting some lifting in Eric
It all sounds pretty much musculoskeletal so it should settle with a bit more rest
Good move to bump the cals a bit more and see what happens ... you've got plenty of leeway to add a bit of fat along with extra muscle and still stay lean

[highiso]

Fuarkin shredded! Mirin.

[EB68]

It's good that you are doing some work but don't push anything and hurt yourself, see the Doc and be sure every thing checks out.

Thanks fn257. I won' do anything that irritates the problem.

/\/\ What he said

Your calves must hate you Eric!

Thanks Louise. My calves take a lot of punishment at work already, but they need alot of work.

Looking good E. Take care of yourself (maybe see a doc too).

Thanks cmoore. If the problem hasn't corrected itself soon I will see the doc.

Good work getting some lifting in Eric
It all sounds pretty much musculoskeletal so it should settle with a bit more rest
Good move to bump the cals a bit more and see what happens ... you've got plenty of leeway to add a bit of fat along with extra muscle and still stay lean

Thanks Andrew. I don't think it is serious, just need some rest and should be good to go again.

Fuarkin shredded! Mirin.

Haha, I am a fatty compared to you.

[EB68]

No lifting today. My back feels much better today. When I got up I had zero pain and thought for sure it was a kidney stone that had moved out, but later in the day the pain was back, only alot less than yeterday. I still decided to take off today, I had a tough day at work already and don't want to push the issue. I ate really good today and feel pretty good other than the minor back pain and feeling pretty tired. I am off work tomorrow and hope to get my grass cut before the rain sets in again for the weekend. Today's diet

[highiso]

No lifting today. My back feels much better today. When I got up I had zero pain and thought for sure it was a kidney stone that had moved out, but later in the day the pain was back, only alot less than yeterday. I still decided to take off today, I had a tough day at work already and don't want to push the issue. I ate really good today and feel pretty good other than the minor back pain and feeling pretty tired. I am off work tomorrow and hope to get my grass cut before the rain sets in again for the weekend. Today's diet

Are you prone to kidney stones? I've had two bad episodes about 10 years apart. One needed lithotripsy surgery the other passed on its own. I know I've passed a couple that didn't need any treatment, tiny ones that cause little discomfort but knowing from past experiences I knew what they were. Nasty buggers they can be!

Oh and btw you're much leaner than me ATM. great work man!

[EB68]

Are you prone to kidney stones? I've had two bad episodes about 10 years apart. One needed lithotripsy surgery the other passed on its own. I know I've passed a couple that didn't need any treatment, tiny ones that cause little discomfort but knowing from past experiences I knew what they were. Nasty buggers they can be!

Oh and btw you're much leaner than me ATM. great work man!

Thanks Highiso. I am not sure if I am prone to them but have had them a couple of times. The same as you I have passed a couple with just some discomfort and have had to see the doctor once for one. I am not sure if that was the issue this time or not though, I have been back and forth on whether it was kidney related or muscle related. Either way my back is much better now.

[EB68]

Yesterday was Leg day and I tried a couple sets of squats, but had some slight pain in my back even with the light weight so I decided to give it some more rest. Today my back feels great, even after mowing and weedeating for most of the day yesterday. My internet was down all day yesterday, but there wasn't anything to update anyway. I got a decent leg workout today at work though, my calves are pretty sore already from last night/this morning. My quads were pretty worn out as well. I will try some chest and bicep work tomorrow and hopefully be back in my routine after that. I weighed 165 this morning, but not sure it will stay there, we will see tomorrow. Today's food

[Vanguard1965]

Sounds like you made the right decision. Back pain is nothing to mess with especially with how much of a physical job you have.

[EB68]

Sounds like you made the right decision. Back pain is nothing to mess with especially with how much of a physical job you have.

Thanks Vanguard. I felt much better today after the rest. Today's benching irritated it a little, but I think I am mostly past the issue.

[EB68]

Today was Chest and Biceps and here it is.

BB Benchpress
Barx15
135x12
155x10
185x8
205x6
225x4
225x4
225x3
185x7
135x11

Incline Flyes
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx15

Olympic Bar Curls
Barx15
65x12
75x10
85x8
95x6
95x6
95x4

That was it for today. I finished weedeating this morning and have been working on my wife's jeep all afternoon, I stopped to lift because I was afraid I would be too tired by the time I finished. My back was feeling great today, but the benching irritated it a little. I am not sure that isn't the cause of the pain to begin with. When I try to arch my back while benching it hurts pretty bad, so I Just layed flat and used the ole pecs alone to lift the weight today . I have a huge pump in my pecs and biceps, it feels good. I weighed 163 this morning again, figured the extra weight wouldn't hang around. I plan to slowly increase the calories until I begin to hold on to some weight. I wanted to stay very lean all summer, but I want to add some mass and staying lean isn't helping that situation so I is time to put on some beef. Today's diet

[Jtbny]

How are you liking the sling?

[fittofattofit]

Awesome work on that benching Eric! WTG with all those reps of 225 and you had no problems with the shoulders and the pec so you've moved beyond your old injury.
Really strong reps on the way down with the 185 x 7 and the 135 x 11. Strong curling as well
Good move on the decision to bulk --- I know I've said it before, but you're lean enough that you should be able to bump your weight to 170 or 175 and still have good abs. A bulk will do wonders for your strength as well!

[Lou1se]

Nice volume in that last workout Eric! You did a great job in the flat benching position. Reminds me of Vanguard's floor benching.

I agree with Fit, you'll still look lean enough at a higher weight. You'll feel a lot stronger and cope with the stresses of work(workouts) better too

Bears are pleased to hear you will be putting on mass for the warmer weather

[EB68]

How are you liking the sling?

I am liking it very well John. It gives me a secure feeling with the shoulders and the confidence to add some extra weight on the bar.

Awesome work on that benching Eric! WTG with all those reps of 225 and you had no problems with the shoulders and the pec so you've moved beyond your old injury.
Really strong reps on the way down with the 185 x 7 and the 135 x 11. Strong curling as well
Good move on the decision to bulk --- I know I've said it before, but you're lean enough that you should be able to bump your weight to 170 or 175 and still have good abs. A bulk will do wonders for your strength as well!

Thanks Andrew. My pecs and biceps are really sore today. The benching went well yesterday, but can't say the same for the deadlifts today.

Nice volume in that last workout Eric! You did a great job in the flat benching position. Reminds me of Vanguard's floor benching.

I agree with Fit, you'll still look lean enough at a higher weight. You'll feel a lot stronger and cope with the stresses of work(workouts) better too

Bears are pleased to hear you will be putting on mass for the warmer weather

Thanks Louise. I may have to gain some extra padding, but I want to get stronger and bigger so it is just something I am going to have to deal with. The bearsdon't bother me while I am skinny, I suppose they don't think it would be worth their time