Out to lunch

[lunchbreak]

After lurking on these forums for a bit I figure it is time for me to put my journal here for everyone to poke fun at.

I'm Doug, I live in the UK and I'm an IT manager bound to my desk. Home, work and gym are all within a few miles radius so I'm usually commuting on a bicycle unless it is raining hard and this year it hasn't stopped raining for the last 3 months. In fact it is so bad that some supermarkets are out of Broccoli due to crop damage!

An intro for those who need context:
I was an asthmatic weakling as a kid, generally poor at sports and always one of the last few chosen out of lineups. All boys schools were not forgiving places for the likes of me and I tended to concentrate on solitary or low impact activities like sailing. Then at 16 something changed, quite suddenly I grew out of the asthma and discovered I could take part without feeling like I was going to keel over at any moment. It was too late to save my lineup reputation but I started enjoying myself at a wide variety of sports I just didn't have the capability of undertaking seriously before.

At 6th Form college I discovered girls and alcohol so things rapidly went downhill until I joined a local rowing club which started getting me into proper shape. Sadly I couldn't row when I went off to university so I kept in cardio shape with running and martial arts and some occasional climbing between extreme drinking sessions. It didn't really work, after leaving uni, travelling far flung parts of the world with a backpack I ended up back in Blighty an emaciated weakling with a large negative bank balance.

My next proper job was just 3 minutes walk from a proper free weights gym. I realised that I could do something useful with my lunch hours and so hatched a plan. Of course I was young, had no idea what I was doing and didn't read anything useful in the usual mags thus really suceeded inspite of my own ignorance. I was using a push, pull, legs split as a beginner but as legs was on Friday and that was my office team pub lunch day I remember skipping an awful lot of those in the summers! I didn't record anything, I didn't control my diet, actually I tended to undereat and tried to pickle my liver at every opportunity. God knows how I managed it but my lifts then were suprisingly respectable after a few years. Later constant business travel got in the way, then a change of job put me into the long commute category and any hope of getting into the gym went out of the window.

Fast forward a decade, my previously perpetually svelte 29 inch waist was now busting out of 34s and I had the strength of a small child again. Luckily my workplace was close by and I had time on my hands so I decided to do something about it. I joined a rowing club and went on a keto diet dropping from 89Kg down to 75Kg in just a few months, waist was back to where it should be. After that I let myself "eat sensibly" and started getting stronger and fitter from rowing, running and cycling. My VO2 max skyrocketed and my resting HR plummetted, I felt amazing. I figured I should use my lunch hours productively again and spent several months frequenting a commercial fitness gym 3 times a week treading old ground trying in vain to put on some size. Thats when I started reading around the subject properly and realised what I was doing wrong. I then ditched what I was doing and ran starting strength while eating more and cutting the cardio. Soon I had to change gyms as the one I was using just didn't have enough freeweights for the increasing number of punters in there and working out over lunch limited both my time and patience. I found a decent gym less than a mile from work and swapped to an upper/lower split putting me in the gym 4 days a week hitting everything twice a week. This seems to work well within the limited time and provides enough stimulus and recovery. As a bonus it is almost deserted at lunch so I never have to wait for a piece of equipment.

After 16 weeks of bulking on that plan I'd gone back up to 86.5Kg (190lbs) and was struggling to get into 32inch work trousers. I've now been cutting for 3.5 weeks and am down to 84.1Kg.

Build:
I'm 183cm (6 ft) and have a deceptively small torso and hip bone structure with monkey like long limbs and a giraffe neck. I tend to pool fat around my waist and have annoyingly hard to lose "love handles". I also have slightly uneven ribs on my right side that only become obvious when I get really lean.

Goal:
To look like I lift, to be strong as well as fit.

I'll record work sets here. I track them on an iphone app but never record my warmups. I'm usually doing 3-4 sets of warmups for the big lifts increasing in weight to reach my work values. I then try to maintain weight across my work sets but have found on a deficit that has become increasingly hard.



2012.07.05 - Upper

Actual/Target Cals: 1954/1950
Macros: Fat 46g / Carbs 139g / Protein 227g
Fats down and carbs up a bit today.

Like an idiot I forgot my microweights today. My gym doesn't have plates smaller than 2.5KG making for a 5Kg minimum step! Strength is in the toilet from the cut, really struggling to put the same figures up there.

Flat Bench:
90Kg x 6
90Kg x 6
85Kg x 6
80Kg x 8

Cable row:
80Kg x 7
80Kg x 7
77.5Kg x 7
75Kg x 8

Standing Military Press:
50Kg x 6
45Kg x 7
45Kg x 6
45Kg x 6

Pullups:
BW x 9
BW x 8
BW x 7

Weighted Dip (medium close):
17.5Kg x 12
17.5Kg x 10

Barbell Curl:
30Kg x 8
20Kg x 12

Cardio:
20 mins rowing trainer.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.06 Friday - Lower

Actual/Target Cals: 1953/1950
Macros: Fat 94g / Carbs 75g / Protein 216g

Last night was hot and humid making for poor, broken sleep. In all I think I managed 4 hours with many interruptions. Thus I was tired and mentally drained when I got to the gym only to discover it was closed! Stacey had to pop out for some emergency so I spent 40 mins in town buying some new gym wear so I look like less of a hobo working out. I was wearing a relatively tight old T-shirt and got accosted by a very pretty young lady trying to sell me home improvements who offered a free cuddle after losing her sales pitch. I don't think she expected me to accept! It did lighten my mood. Back to the gym:

Deadlift:
130Kg x 3 <- Double overhand, left grip failed already, knew I was tired.
130Kg x 5 Some rounding going on, will work on form.
130Kg x 5
130Kg x 5

Leg Press: (plates only)
142.5Kg x 12
142.5Kg x 12
142.5Kg x 12
142.4Kg x 12

Lying Leg Curls:
22.5Kg x 12
22.5Kg x 9
20Kg x 10
20Kg x 9

Standing Calf Raises:
120Kg x 10
120Kg x 10
120Kg x 10

Seated Calf Raise:
60Kg x 10
60Kg x 12

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.07 Saturday - Rest

Actual/Target Cals: 1959/1950
Fat 78g / Carbs 76g / Protein 222g


2012.07.08 Sunday - Rest

Murray lost Wimbledon. Called it.

Actual/Target Cals: 1984/1950
Fat 87g / Carbs 80g / Protein 203g

Cardio:
20 mins rowing trainer

Crunches!

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.09 Monday - Upper

Actual/Target Cals: 1952/1950
Fat 84g / Carbs 80g / Protein 199g

The weight is coming off pretty quickly at this end of the week with the low carbs, really looking forward to a pub meal tomorrow, just in time for squats. Bench is definately stalling. I need to de-load and take another run at it but am a little worried about doing so on a deficit. I've been considering programs for the next phase, I think madcow 5x5 might be in my future or possibly a cycle of stronglifts 5x5 first. The question is when is the best time to jump? Should I swap soon or wait until the diet is over? I want to diet at least another 3.5Kg (8 lb) of spare tyre by late August so certainly won't be eating above maintenance until then.

Flat Bench:
92.5Kg x 6
90Kg x 5
90Kg x 5
87.5Kg x 5

Cable row:
82.5Kg x 7 <- Equal PB
80Kg x 6
80Kg x 7
75Kg x 8

Standing Military Press:
50Kg x 7 <- Equal PB
47.5Kg x 6
45Kg x 6

Pullups:
BW x 9
BW x 8
BW x 7

Weighted Dip (medium close):
17.5Kg x 12
17.5Kg x 10

Barbell Curl:
30Kg x 8
20Kg x 12

[HoosierHardGain]

Sounds like you have a solid plan and are making good progress.

[lunchbreak]

Sounds like you have a solid plan and are making good progress.

Well, I had one, it worked great while growing, not so much while shrinking. This is the first time I've gone on a deficit while lifting so I'm out of my comfort zone here. Are de-loads a wise idea in this situation?

[HoosierHardGain]

Well, I had one, it worked great while growing, not so much while shrinking. This is the first time I've gone on a deficit while lifting so I'm out of my comfort zone here. Are de-loads a wise idea in this situation?

I don't know about that. Are you wanting to come up with a different plan while leaning out?

[lunchbreak]

I don't know about that. Are you wanting to come up with a different plan while leaning out?

Not necessarily, although that is one possibility. I guess I'm just tired of being nearly, or for some lifts actually, stuck and unable to progress while I'm doing so. Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want to stop getting leaner yet. I guess I just want everything lol!

[Hopsinrapper]

I stopped reading after the part about the girl

[HoosierHardGain]

Not necessarily, although that is one possibility. I guess I'm just tired of being nearly, or for some lifts actually, stuck and unable to progress while I'm doing so. Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want to stop getting leaner yet. I guess I just want everything lol!

I have usually subscribed to the theory that you can't serve two masters, i.e. losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. Now, I think in some cases it is possible to gain some muscle while cutting, but I don't know if it is something you should expect. So, if your goal is to lose fat and your are indeed losing fat, then take the stalling lifting numbers with a grain of salt. Once the cut is over and you get back up to maintenance level calories, you should see your lifts start taking back off.

Just my 2 cents.

[lunchbreak]

I stopped reading after the part about the girl

Haha, well her sales pitch was quite full on, obviously trying to make me confident about myself and get my guard down but she offered the cuddle as a sarcastic throw away as I started walking away as if to say she couldn't even give stuff away for free. I thought why the hell not!

[lunchbreak]

So, if your goal is to lose fat and your are indeed losing fat, then take the stalling lifting numbers with a grain of salt. Once the cut is over and you get back up to maintenance level calories, you should see your lifts start taking back off.

I think you are right, it's now just a battle of willpower. Desire to get lean vs desire to get strong. We shall see how long I can hold out.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.10 Tuesday - Lower

Re-feed "cheat" day. I estimate the pub meal pushed me a little over maintenance Calories, carb heavy with a pint of hopping hare to wash it down.

Gym was humid and sticky today, no luxuries like air-con at this place. I had to go stand in front of a fan to cool down occasionally. Went rowing this evening, got about 40 mins on the water before the heavens opened and we got drenched, back to the pub for dinner and a pint. I have a gig (fixed seat boat) race coming up in 2 weeks time so will hopefully be getting some practice in with the rest of my last minute team on Sunday.

Barbell Squat:
102.5Kg x 6
102.5Kg x 5
95Kg x 6
95Kg x 6

Romanian Deadlift:
100Kg x 6
100Kg x 5
100Kg x 6

Leg Press: (plates only)
145Kg x 11
145Kg x 11
145Kg x 12

Lying Leg Curls:
22.5Kg x 11
22.5Kg x 10
20Kg x 10

Standing Calf Raise:
125Kg x 10
125Kg x 10

Seated Calf Raise:
60Kg x 10
60Kg x 11

Cardio:
Rowing!

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.11 Wednesday - Rest

Actual/Target Cals: 1965/1950
Fat 78g / Carbs 77g / Protein 219g

Crunches.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.12 Thursday - Upper

Actual/Target Cals: 1989/1950 doh!
Fat 94g / Carbs 88g / Protein 193g

Right bicep giving me gyp with tendonitus at both sodding ends. Probably a result of the rowing as much as anything. Felt unstable on the bench because of it. Did some lighter barbell rows to stress it less. I'll see if I can change things a bit next week to help it out. On the positive side the peak is now at 15.5inches cold, I'll have to take a measure at the gym sometime.

Flat Bench:
95Kg x 4 <- would have failed on 5th, no spotter.
90Kg x 5
90Kg x 5

Barbell row:
70Kg x 6
70Kg x 6
70Kg x 7
70Kg x 6

Standing Military Press:
50Kg x 6
50Kg x 5
50Kg x 5

Pullups:
BW x 10
BW x 9
BW x 7

Weighted Dip (medium close):
20Kg x 10
20Kg x 10

Barbell Curl:
30Kg x 8
25Kg x 9

[kjake55]

In!

Recomp IS possible...I believe!

[lunchbreak]

In!

Recomp IS possible...I believe!

Hi there! Well I need to take a new avi, my middle is finally getting the message that it isn't wanted but there is some way to go with the flab loss. I actually ordered some skin fold calipers the other day, if they arrive this weekend I can get some proper idea on how much left I have to lose rather than my guesstimate. Of course I may not like the answer! Hopefully some level of recomp will help get there faster.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.13 Friday - Lower

Actual/Target Cals: 1949/1950
Fat 70g / Carbs 116g / Protein 211g

Right biceps tendon at the shoulder is causing me some pain today, had to take some ibuprofen. I guess I'll have to back off the chest/OHP for a bit and see if it gets better, if not it looks like a trip to the doc to see what is going on. Luckily today was lower and despite feeling like I had no energy when arriving at the gym I left happy with the workout.

Barbell Squat:
105Kg x 5
105Kg x 5
105Kg x 5
100Kg x 5

Romanian Deadlift:
100Kg x 5
100Kg x 5
100Kg x 5

Leg Press: (plates only)
145Kg x 12
145Kg x 12
145Kg x 12

Lying Leg Curls:
25Kg x 10
25Kg x 10
25Kg x 10

Standing Calf Raise:
130Kg x 10
130Kg x 10

Seated Calf Raise:
62.5Kg x 10
62.5Kg x 11

Weighted crunches.

Threw in some rotator cuff cable exercises between sets too.

[lunchbreak]

I appear to be breaking some law of thermodynamics. Either that or I'm holding more water. In the past 4 days I've lost exactly nothing, zero, nada. I feel thinner grabbing a handful of skin, and my jeans which were tight on me a month ago are now only held up by my belt. Things are trending in the right direction but the figures on the scale are just confusing.

I think I can post the entire history from my wifi scales on here, unfortunately you may need the hateful flash plugin to be able to see it or use chrome. Ignore the fat curve, it seems to be of little use, varies all over the place depending on hydration levels and none of the calculation methods they use correctly represent my current build. What you can see here is the tail end of my dramatic weight loss last year when I first bought the scales, then the slow ramp up through "sensible" eating while undertaking sporting endeavours, a small cut after new year to 175lbs (79Kg) and then my bulking phase which admittedly went a bit out of control.

I tend to get on the scales every morning after getting out of bed and using the bathroom. I do forget occasionally and more than once I've fat fingered things on the iPhone app and deleted a record by mistake. The long gap in the middle between readings was me forgetting to put fresh batteries in the thing.

Oh hell, I can't post it. I don't have enough posts to be able to post links or do anything useful. bah. Sorry

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.14 Saturday - Rest

Actual/Target Cals: 1949/1950
Fat 80g / Carbs 108g / Protein 198g

Did some gardening between rain showers, cleaned the house and prepared the spare room for my new lodger arriving tomorrow. Shoulder ached, much ibuprofen used.

Woke up Sunday morning, still no change on the scales, went to make tea and discovered that even lifting the kettle causes pain. Oh hell. Looks like this is fairly serious. The doctor's surgery is closed on Sundays so I'll have to make an appointment first thing Monday, however I know from experience that a non emergency appointment will be about 10 days in the future. I cancelled my planned rowing session today and have regretfully pulled out of the race next week.

I could train legs only for the next few weeks but right now even manipulating the plates onto the bar might be beyond my right arm. Looks like this might be an enforced rest period. I'm really bummed out. Even sitting at a desk typing causes aches!

[kjake55]

Hey LB sorry to hear about the shoulder problem and that you can't participatein the race but there will be others so take heart! Be smart about it and listen to your body. If a forced deload is called for then so be it. Maybe there are other things you can do for yourself that will still be beneficial. Don't underestimate the restorative powers of stretching, foam rolling and massage, oh and don't forget the ice! I've been preaching the same thing to myself since I hurt my hip and I know how frustrating it can be. The other thing that I've found helpful is internet research into the injury so I know how to combat it and keep it from reoccuring once I get it fixed up this time. Just suggestions a/k/a my .02 cents!

As far as your recomp is going if the jeans fit better and the measurments are tighter then it's working! YAY!!! Water weight/scale weight are tricky beasts. There was a time when I had a full blown scale obsession, weighed myself up to 5 timer per day ~ it was pretty sad . I learned that even once a day can be emotionally disturbing. Try once a week if you can or not at all for a least a month and then remeasure and try on clothes before going to the scale. You'll see better results, you'll learn to trust yourself more and overall you'll develop a healthier mental approach to your recomp. Again just my .02 cents. Tell me to stop preaching anytime.

If you really are carrying water weight try adding Dandelion root supplement and fresh asparagus to your diet. They're both great dieretics that I use daily/weekly.

Have a great Sunday. Rest, relax and enjoy your day! )

P.S. if you can't post a link yet then just type the site name out and people will be able to look it up in their browsers. for ex. just type www body building . com I would be interested in checking it out.

[lunchbreak]

As far as your recomp is going if the jeans fit better and the measurments are tighter then it's working! YAY!!!

Well the jeans fit worse, in that they are too large. The problem I always have when I'm lean is that I don't fit anything at the shops, 30inch jeans are too loose, if indeed they really are 30, most tend to be 32 marked as 30 presumably to flatter the customer, and 28inch ones are only built for twig legged dwarves.

I'm going to take at least the first half of this week as enforced rest. I've been icing it and keeping up the ibuprofen. I really need to put my arm in a sling or something to stop me using it instinctively. Since rowing is out my cardio will have to come from running. I haven't run since the rowing season started so this will be a shock to the system. I'll be planning to get into the gym as soon as I'm comfortable manipulating plates to concentrate on squats and assistance work. I'm not too proud to ask for help from the staff. I'm planning a 3 day per week leg assault for the foreseeable future to see if I can ramp my squats up. One reason I hate taking breaks from the gym is that I don't suffer from DOMS unless the muscle has had more than 5 days rest and legs DOMS is second only to traps in pain.

You can fix this URL to see the weight curve:
www withings com/en/utils/graph?userid=93247&publickey=d6ee1ddc7120f86d&mass Unit=lb&forcedisplay=fm

2012.07.14 Sunday - Rest

Actual/Target Cals: 1959/1950
Fat 84g / Carbs 103g / Protein 200g

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.16 Monday - Rest
Actual/Target Cals: 1957/1950
Fat 80g / Carbs 109g / Protein 198g

2012.07.17 Tuesday - Rest
Cheat/Refeed day ~2800 Cals

2012.07.18 Wednesday - Rest
Actual/Target Cals: 1875/1950
Fat 71g / Carbs 70g / Protein 243g!

I was trying some new mail order protein supplements for flavour on Wednesday, hence the borked macro figure. myprotein(dot)com do 25g taster saches for every flavour of their "impact whey" so I ordered all of them as trials before comitting to any bulk purchase. It was probably a good day for it anyway, Tuesday had a heavy pub meal in there satisfying any lingering hunger from the previous week. My new lodger thinks I'm nuts weighing all my food and recording it, but no arguing with the results.

The shoulder is improving, no longer giving me intense stabbing pain when I try to lift my arm holding anything heavier than a mug. I had it checked out by the local NHS drop-in centre and I'm seeing a sports physio on Friday. Hopefully this indicates recovery will be nice and swift, I'll know more after Friday's meeting. I'm going to stay out of the gym all this week. The rest has seen a number of accumulated aches and pains lessen or disappear so it doesn't feel like completely wasted time. I realised the other day that this is the first week I've taken off completely in about 10 months.

[kjake55]

The rest has seen a number of accumulated aches and pains lessen or disappear so it doesn't feel like completely wasted time. I realised the other day that this is the first week I've taken off completely in about 10 months.

Then it was definetly time to take a break. You'll be back stronger than ever after this for sure! Sending good vibes for a positive outcome with the doc tomorrow.

[lunchbreak]

Right, it's been a few days, time for an update. Uh, I did nuffin' gov. Ok, not quite nothing, I did take advantage of the rare sunny days to get a bit of cycling in, symbolically supporting Bradley on his way to tour victory.

The physio sorted me out. The tendonitus has been fixing itself nicely but I was suffering from nerve impingement too, weakening my right shoulder. He's cleared me for lifting again but told me to start at no more than 50% of my previous work weights with the upper body and keep things nice and easy for 4-6 weeks. I figure I may as well start back with everything low and ramp up at say 5kg per session for a few weeks and 2.5kg from there.

I was eating at 1950 cals a day but I'm scared of losing too much muscle if I'm not pushing heavy so I've upped it to 2100 to lose weight slower. I'll monitor and adjust up or down as I figure out what my body is doing.

2012.07.22 Sunday
Actual/Target Cals: 2094/2100
Fat 91g / Carbs 96g / Protein 221g

Yeah, I felt a bit of an idiot pushing diddy weights but, meh, in it for the long haul right? I decided to ramp the squat too so started everything low today. I got cocky and tried some pull ups. After only 4 I could feel I shouldn't be doing this yet! Lesson learned.

Squat:
5 x 5 x 55Kg

Bench:
4 x 5 x 50Kg
1 x 15 x 50Kg <- wanted to see where it started to hurt as a gauge.

Row:
5 x 5 x 40Kg

Dip:
2 x 15 x BW <- shoulder not 100% on this either.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.23 Monday - Rest
Actual/Target Cals: 2106/2100
Fat 79g / Carbs 132g / Protein 214g

2012.07.24 Tuesday
Pub meal day @ Rowing club estimated 2300cals total

Things seem to be healing well. That said I'm still going to be careful, better not to rush back and do something silly. The sun has been out and I'm back to cycling everywhere so I haven't bothered doing any additional cardio.

Squat:
5 x 5 x 60Kg

Military Press:
5 x 5 x 25Kg <- this felt fine on my shoulder to my surprise

Deadlift:
5 x 65Kg

Pullups:
BW x 8 <- better than last time, stopped right at the start of pain.
BW x 5

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.25 Wednesday - Rest
Actual/Target Cals: 2099/2100
Fat 92g / Carbs 111g / Protein 208g

2012.07.26 Thursday
Actual/Target Cals: 2303/2100
Fat 95g / Carbs 148g / Protein 214g

Yeah, I ate more today, miscalculated something early in the day and only realised my mistake in the evening when feeling uncharacteristically satisfied.

Squat:
5 x 5 x 65Kg

Bench:
5 x 5 x 55Kg

Row:
5 x 5 x 45Kg

Dip:
2 x 15 x BW

[lunchbreak]

OMG WTF BBQ, G&T, 100 year old rum, hot tub, mates, Olympic opening ceremony, more booze arghhh.... Team GB!!

[lunchbreak]

I've been watching the Olympic rowing heats all morning. Team GB off to a great start with a record time already. It has me itching to get back on the water, damn injury! I might do so tomorrow and just pull light and see how things go.

[lunchbreak]

2012.07.28 Saturday
Actual/Target Cals: 2100/2100
Fat 83g / Carbs 142g / Protein 193g


2012.07.29 Sunday
Actual/Target Cals: 2091/2100
Fat 88g / Carbs 120g / Protein 209g

Went rowing today for the first time in over 2 weeks. Took it nice and easy on the way down the river and stopped for a drink and a rest. Coming back up there was another club boat ahead so decided to test my shoulder out. Probably shouldn't have done that. 5 minutes of heavy pulling later they were well in my wake but next day I could feel warning twinges. I really am my own worst enemy.


2012.07.30 Monday
Actual/Target Cals: 2109/2100
Fat 80g / Carbs 130g / Protein 214g

Squat:
5 x 5 x 70Kg

Military Press:
5 x 5 x 30Kg

Deadlift:
5 x 80Kg

Pullups:
3 x 9 x BW <-again not good for shoulder /slap

Attached photo is 1 month and 5lbs lighter than the avatar and taken just before I cycled to the gym at lunch today. Starting to get abs again. Some way to go I think, still feeling flabby on my hips.