supersplish's journal

[supersplish]

Prologue:

Quit drinking for good in June of 2013 because the list of things that could have gone better but didn't due to alcohol consumption finally got long enough to where it was impossible to ignore. (I could write a book all about that decision by itself but will leave it at that.) Long-term relationship fizzled out earlier in the year. With an excess of free time and the prospect of dating new people again it seemed like a good time to give weight training another go. Further, my weight had climbed as high as 270 lbs within the past couple of years and I worried about weight-related health problems. And finally, I always wanted to be heavily muscled and ripped like a brick sh*thouse when I was young .. No better time.

Some guys buy a Corvette when they hit middle age. Same thing, I guess.



First Year Goal:

To cut from 245 lbs (I was around there when I started) down to 180 lbs while adding / keeping as much muscle mass as I can.


Workout Scheme:

After experimenting with a few different schemes to see what worked best in my schedule I settled on T TH Sat full-body workouts (Wednesday and Sunday I have church-related time commitments).
[on the 5-day split v. push/pull/legs v. three-day full body issue, my guess is that there's not much difference in hypertrophy between the schemes at the end of the day .. far more important is fitting workout in with life's other commitments and lifestyle .. soapbox commentary finished]

Currently I do

[Squat + Straight-leg Deadlift] OR Deadlift alone (alternate each workout) - this seems to work well. Squatting every workout gets old fast, and SQ + DL was catching up with me. Also DL is tough on the grip, whereas SLDL is a little less weight, gives the forearms a break on that day

SQ - ramping up to eventual singles, max of 205 so far
SLDL - five rep work sets at 225 lbs
DL - ramping up to singles, max of 295 (I will get you, 300 lbs!)


Bench Press - I worked 5x5 for awhile, then moved to 3x10 for a month or two and actually saw nice gains, then moved back to five rep sets ramping up to triples or singles depending on feel
BP - work up to triples at 205, or rep 195x5, depends on how chest feels

Back - 5x10 supine pull-up (feet on bench out in front of rack, body parallel to the floor, hanging by arms from bar in rack around waist-high) - I was doing Pendlay rows for awhile but having a fatigued posterior chain after SLDL/SQ made form kind of shaky and I hated them, so I do something different. Considering getting the "stage 2" upgrade for my powerblocks so they're heavy enough for dumbell rows, but this seems okay for now. I can throw a 45-lb plate on my chest, I suppose.

Shoulder - OH barbell press, seated (basement ceiling is too low for standing OH press, sorry Coach Rippetoe!)
OHP - 5x5 work sets @ 115 or ramp up to 125 for triples

More Back (i.e., lats) / Bicep - chin ups. (No chin-up bar and low ceiling, so I put bar at high hooks in rack and chin-up to that bar with bent knees) - five sets to close to failure

Optional if I have time:

standing dumbell row (40 lbs dbs) 3x10
seated forearm curl (45 lb bar) - 3x15
seated reverse forearm curl (45 lb bar) - 3x6


Oh, and I run . .

My plantar fasciitis (which sucks super-bad - takes months of relative inactivity to heal) is better so I'm back to running.

I try to run on workout days, pre-workout. [Another recurring forum debate question.. I run pre-workout because my muscles are in better condition to absorb the shock from leg hitting ground, which ought to save my joints and skeletal structure. Why not save my joints by simply not running? Because I like it, and as Bruce Lee said, there is no substitute for running from a training perspective.] I'm working back up. My training runs were as long as ten miles a year or two ago, but slow. Fat man speed.

Last run was my five-mile loop course, it's a bit hilly in places but pretty scenic. Maybe I will post pictures someday. I ran about a 9:00 pace, not bad but not fast. Much faster than I ran before I lost weight. Usually 3-4 times a week I run, so 12-15 mpw? I was up to 30-35 mpw before last winter. Winter is very cold here. The prospect of freezing your cock off tends to dampen enthusiasm.


Weight Loss

I think I was around 245 lbs when I started. Today I weighed in at 212.4 lbs. Don't appear to have lost any muscle during this cut, in fact, the opposite.

Torso is finally leaning out around the lower midsection, over the obliques. Back hips and lower belly still a work in progress. Pecs have more pec than fat, arms are getting ripped, shoulders need work in center delts but it's coming along. Relatively pleased, still have thirty pounds or so to lose. Woman at work asked if I lost a lot of weight, and if I am "working out", that's a good sign. That makes two people at work telling me I look like I lift, neither of which is a nubile, young, heavily-breasted female, however. Oh well, progress comes in small steps, that's why we set one-year goals and not one-month goals.

Anyone on the front end of a fat loss diet, it's worth the interminable, plodding effort. Just takes forever. Gardens will grow and die and you'll still be eating at a deficit. Infants will go from diapers to rubber pants to Tuffskins . . okay it's not quite empires rising and falling, but it's a long-term project. It is an opportunity for glory, though. One man, standing alone, facing big a obstacle and overcoming it to reach his goal, through perseverance and dedication. And success begets success. Your confidence and sense of achievement just might spill over into other areas of your life.

Damn, I'm feeling ripped today. Off to run, then lift .. probably be lamenting my (fl)ab-dominals by lunchtime .. these are the emotional tides of dieting ..


[if you bothered reading this far I appreciate your time and I hope you were amused]

[supersplish]

Ran five miles - around 43:00 flat, roughly 8:40 pace. Probably too fast for training runs. Feet feel pretty good, probably have some heel soreness tomorrow.


Deadlift - I got you, three hundred!

DL - 135x10 185x5 225x5 245x5 255x3 275x1 295x1 305x1 225x3 .. tired


BP - 135x10 185x5 195x5 205x3 205x3 185x5

Supine chinup 45lb plate on chest x 6, 6, 6
25lb plate on chest x 8, 8

seated OHP (barbell) 95x6 120x5 115x5, 5, 5

pullups - 8 7 6 6 6

[supersplish]

No running, no lifting - rest day today.

Also, diet break aka eat like a normal person day. Today I had three eggs, couple shakes, bacon cheeseburger with fries, nice big chunk of braised pork shoulder roast and a large potato with a carrot or two. And some peanut M&Ms -- a few here, a few there, and a few more over here. Giving peanut butter cup ice cream some serious consideration..

[supersplish]

Yesterday's workout got moved to today, daughter needed a ride to the art supply store for oil painting gear during workout time. (I did run four, nine-ish pace)

Wasn't feeling it anyway, my cat's gotten real sick over the last week or so, taking him to the vet for his final journey in about an hour.



:'(

feelsbadman


But the beat goes on .. these weights aren't going to lift themselves

Squat 135x5 155x5 175x5 185x3 185x3 185x3 185x3 185x3
SLDL 135x5 185x5 225x5 225x5 225x5 -- grip issues -- 205x5
Bench 135x10 185x5 195x5 195x4 -- easy day I guess -- 195x5 195x3
sup. pullup (25lb plate) x 8 8 8 8 8

unpleasant break ..

. . .

back. They are very nice at the pet hospital, but that was f@#$ing awful. And I did all this @#$% with my other cat, not five months ago, so that's both my cats gone this year. These feels, I do not like.

Anyway, back to workout..

OHP 95x5 120x5 120x5 120x5 120x4
Chins 8 -- eight good solid reps there, four more sets of whatever the @#$% reps will I'm sure follow those.. I'll write 'em in my book but not gonna bother logging the rest here, my givea****ometer is stuck at zero, care cup is empty. .

weighed in at 209.8, broke the 210 lb mark. . hurray.

[supersplish]

11/22 workout

SQ 135x8 185x5 225x5 275x5 275x4 245x4 (alt. grip reversed for this next set) 245x3

[grip is wearing out, maybe get straps this week for later sets]

Bench Press 135x10 185x5 200x5 200x4 200x3

Supine row (?) (35lb plate on chest) x 6 6 6 6 6

OHP (Shoulder) 115x5 125x4 115x6

bailed on pullups and anything else for 11/22 in favor of dinner, any guilt I felt was eclipsed by delicious pepperoni pizza



Still miss my cat. Keep looking for him in different rooms, keep expecting to see him, keep remembering that he's not going to be there.


Nowhere near 210 lbs today. More like 212-214. The pendulum is swinging the other way for a few days, but that'll happen in the weight loss game. Much sodium, much water retained. I am not afraid.

[SteveWright1]

tagging along for the ride on this one supersplish

some trials and tribulations thus far, good news on the weight loss, great news on the amount of weight your currently working with
sad news on the cats, I can relate to the "still expecting them to appear" situation

keep it going, weight does Yo Yo in my experience, but over the course of time, it is heading in the direction you want it to