My Journey w/ Scivation into the Singles

[DJV81]

What's up everyone,

I'm back from my one week vaca...

I took the entire week off from training and dieting and lemme tell ya it was phenomenal. I took the full week off of training, but I was too paranoid to fully dive off the cut diet wagon. So, me and my girlfriend spent 3 days up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at a beautiful bed and breakfast/spa.

I had a full 3 day food orgy, well not really but I did eat bread and mashed potatoes while I was up there Tell you the truth, eating turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy made me viciously sick.....my body is so used to eating EXTREMELY clean that any deviation just makes me sick. Bread and whole wheat pizza/pancakes were my cheats.

My final weigh in was 165.5 lbs meaning I lost a total of 20 lbs. of FAT in 20 weeks. Not bad, but I've got bigger plans for myself. Derek sent me my Lean Mass Phase training program and diet this week and I'm unbelievably pumped to start on Monday. I've got all my meals planned out and all I keep doing is reciting my training for Monday in my head!!!!!!!

The week off was really good for my body and especially my mind, to get away from work, paper, e-mails, and all that nonsense was very theraputic to me.

Below I'm going to post my pics from April through last Sunday to show the changes I experienced throughout the 20 week period.

Let me know what you guys think....

[DJV81]

Here's the pics....

This was taken Week #1 with Team Scivation..







April 26th



May 27th



June 17th

[DJV81]

July 22nd



Final Pics taken Saturday

[billfinkbiner]

Awesome work Focus!!! Now is definately the right time for you to go on the Lean Mass Gains. Your body is ready to build some F'N MUSCLE. It's going to soak up all of those extra nutrients. This is the time where you are going to start seeing some drastic changes. TRAIN HARD!!!

[namtrag]

You look like a different person, seriously! Great job and keep going, make it muscle on the way back up!

If that's what's gonna happen to me in 20 weeks, I am freakin' psyched!

[DJV81]

Awesome work Focus!!! Now is definately the right time for you to go on the Lean Mass Gains. Your body is ready to build some F'N MUSCLE. It's going to soak up all of those extra nutrients. This is the time where you are going to start seeing some drastic changes. TRAIN HARD!!!

Thanks Bill,

The week off did wonders for me. This morning I destroyed day #1 of the lean mass program, what I couldn't destroy was Meal #1...lol

I'm so bloated right now sitting at my desk. I just struggled to get meal #2 in, and this is a problem I've NEVER had...

I'm a fatty, I can eat all day normally, but being on the cut diet 1500 for approximately 14-15 weeks definitely shrunk my stomach.

I'll post the workout later, but I'm so pumped to be into phase 2 of this journey!!!!!!!!

You look like a different person, seriously! Great job and keep going, make it muscle on the way back up!

If that's what's gonna happen to me in 20 weeks, I am freakin' psyched!

Thanks Nam,

You already are looking like your a beneficiary of all the goodness that the cut diet has to offer. Just keep your dedication in sync and you'll be amazed when you stand in front of a mirror, the man that's staring back at you, you might not recognize.

[Jimmy29LI]

Huge difference in the pictures bro...you really leaned out well and have a blank slate to add some serious muscle. I have a feeling your body is going to soak up the extra cals due to being on the cut diet.

Sounds like the perfect storm for muscle development!!!!

[gainmusclefast]

lets put on some mass baby!

[DJV81]

Huge difference in the pictures bro...you really leaned out well and have a blank slate to add some serious muscle. I have a feeling your body is going to soak up the extra cals due to being on the cut diet.

Sounds like the perfect storm for muscle development!!!!

Thanks Jimmy,

It's taken a couple of days for my body to become accustomed to all of the extra calories. The first couple of days I felt like I was carrying a child in my stomach from all the bloat. Over the past couple of days that feeling has subsided and I feel good.

I'm so pumped to see what I can do with this lean mass phase, I plan to give the same effort I gave to the cut, and hope I see the same level of success.

lets put on some mass baby!

Ahhhhhhhh Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gainmusclefast]

hows things so far? are u still doing cardio btw?

[DJV81]

What's up Everyone,

I just wanted to give a quick update on my first week of the lean mass phase. I've been overwhelmingly busy at work this week, Massachusetts just passed some new regulations and me being a staff accountant at a large corporation means crazy hours of work as we scramble to try and meet these new regs.....boring a$$ sh*t if you ask me.

An unfortunate bi-product of this is I no longer have time to surf the web my normal 5 hrs of my 8 hr work day

Anyway, week one is going great, as I said above the extra calories initially caused me to become extremely bloated but this has all subsided. The training is awesome, in the beginning the volume is really low, only 2 working sets of each exercise with the amount of sets increasing each week.

This week I'm blowing through my workouts in under a half hour and cardio has been cut down from 45 mins. to a half hour as well.

When I have more time over the weekend I'll post some of the workouts as well as a sampling of my daily diet and supps, but for now I have to do work

Later Guys.

[DJV81]

What's up Everyone,

I haven't been able to post in about a week or so, mainly due to my job. I gained some new responsibilities which has caused me to be away from my computer for a majority of the day, which honestly is not a bad thing.

My training and diet have been 100% spot on. The lean mass program is awesome, you get to eat a good deal of food, workout hard with compound movements, all the while stay lean and put on muscle...not bad eh??

I kind've tweaked my back a bit over the weekend carrying cases of water up to my apartment (I know stupid!!!), but a couple of days have passed and I feel great.

I blew up back today, here's how that looked. I don't have too much time so I'll just list exercises, no weights....

Rack Deadlifts
3 x 10

Pullups
3 x 7,6,7

T-Bar Rows
3 x 10

Barbell Shrugs
3 x 8

Dumbbell Shrugs
3 x 8

Cardio
30 mins. (Treadmill)

Tomorrow I'll hit up Legs. This is week #2 of the LM phase. The first week saw my weight sit at 167 lbs, to which Derek believes we'll be increasing cals if my weight doesn't increase this week at check-in.

I'll keep everyone posted.

If I have time later, I'll post a typical Workout-Day's nutrition.

Later.

[namtrag]

Great job, Str8!

I want to be able to do pullups like that, good job.

[DJV81]

Great job, Str8!

I want to be able to do pullups like that, good job.

Thanks Nam,

I'm actually pretty depressed at my dismal pullup numbers. I have slowly progressed though, when I started doing them I was only repping out at 4, now I've been able to squeak out 7.

Gradual Progression is the name of the game...

[DJV81]

I finally have a break today, so I'll take a couple of minutes and post my diet for today. The lean mass program the Scivation boys have me on is PHENOMENAL. Initially the amount of food was TOO MUCH....

The great thing about it thus far is the variety of foods your allowed to choose from, so it differs from the cut diet in that the selection of foods is not made for you, you given the ability to tailor the diet to your personal preferences.

I'm a creature of habit so I eat the same foods day in and day out, so below is today's meals, and every workout day for that matter. On non-workout days the calories/carbs are reduced...

4:15AM Wake-up and go to gym

Workout shake = 7 scoops XTend/2 scoops Vaso/1 scoop glutamine/1 scoop protein

Meal #1 (post-workout)
6 Egg Whites
3 Whole Wheat French Toast**
**Made with 1 whole egg + 3-4 tblsp. of skim milk + cinnamon
2.25 oz. banana
2 tsp. almond butter
24 oz. Coffee (no sugar with Fat Free Half and Half)

Meal #2 (9:45AM)
4 oz. grilled chicken
2/3 cup brown rice
2 oz. avocado (my new favorite food)
3.25 oz. apple

Meal #3 (12:45PM)
4 oz. grilled chicken
2/3 cup brown rice
1 cup green beans
1.5 tblsp. natty pb
Iced Coffee (no sugar with Fat Free Half and Half)

Meal #4 (3:45PM)
3 oz. ground turkey
2 oz. sweet potato
1 cup green beans
1.5 tblsp. natty pb

Meal #5 (6:45PM)
Omlette made with....
6 egg whites
1 oz. deli ham (cut into pieces)
1/2 cup onion
3/4 cup brocolli
1 slice fat free cheese
2 tblsp. natty pb { not in omlette }

Meal #6 (9:45PM or right before bed, whichever comes first)
Sludge
1 scoop protein/1 scoop glutamine
1.5 tblsp. natty pb

Other Supps
1 Sesamin with Meals #1,3,5
1 Fish Oil with Meals #1,2,3,4,5,6
2 CLA with Meals #2,4,6
1/2 mulitvitamin with Meals #1,2,3,4
3 ZMA a half hour before bed

That's basically it. I never change anything other than switching Tilapia for ground turkey in meal #4 or changing any of the meals with an equivalent number of egg whites.

I also (time permitting) will have Steel Cut Oats as a replacement for any of the carb servings...if you haven't had steel cut oats they are the bomb!!!!

They take forever to cook but its worth it. A word to the wise, unless you want to clean up a sticky, gooey, nasty mess, DO NOT try and make steel cut oats in a rice cooker...lol....although a slow cooker set for 10 hours overnight does work

[namtrag]

I will have to remember the steel cut oats if I ever get to eat more than 1.5 cups of oatmeal in a week...lol

Seriously, I have had the MCCanns Steel Cut, and they are really good.

[DJV81]

I will have to remember the steel cut oats if I ever get to eat more than 1.5 cups of oatmeal in a week...lol

Seriously, I have had the MCCanns Steel Cut, and they are really good.

I never tried them before, but when I was up in New Hampshire there was this little breakfast place across the street from the place I was staying.

They not only made the most unbelievable egg white omelettes, but I ordered a bowl of oatmeal (side of pb of course) and the lady brought me out a bowl the size of a football helmet filled with oatmeal I've never seen before.

I asked her what it was and she replied "Irish Steel cut oats, we make it every morning"...

Well I hit up that breakfast place 4 times in 2 days

In all seriousness they are extremely filling and have a different texture and flavor than my old trusty Quaker Oats, but the nutritional info is the same because its the same exact thing as Quaker oats, just before its steamed and rolled. The drawback is the time it takes to prepare them. Although, like I said before you can cook them up in a slow-cooker overnight (8-10 hrs), which allows you to wake up to some bomb @ss oatmeal...lol

[DJV81]

What's up Everyone,

I haven't kept up my journal in a bit due to several factors. First off my work schedule is even more frantic than it was in the summer, but in combination to working more I haven't had an opportunity to just chill and check out the boards.

Second, I like to give a quality account of how things are going, how I'm feeling, how the training went for the day etc. and lately I haven't had enough time to do this.

I just started a class at night this past week so I just scooped a little more onto my plate. After this class is through (December) I'll be half way to my MBA in one year's time...Yeah Buddy!!!!

As far as the Lean Mass Phase is going, its going great. The training is off the hook, everything is compound movements done for moderate reps, and I've been absoulutely killing it.

Surprisingly my chubby ass hasn't put on all that much weight in the first 4 weeks. Derek had me increase cals after week #2 after I actually LOST weight. I never thought going from eating ZERO carbs to having oatmeal and brown rice would result in weight loss.

After the cal increase in week #2 my weight has increased a pound and a half in two weeks, which to me seems like a good pace.

I started Phase #2 of the workouts yesterday, with today being Lower Body day...

Here's how it looked....

Squats
135 x 12 (Warm-Up)
185 x 10 (Warm-Up)
225 x 8
225 x 8
235 x 8

SLDLs
185 x 8
195 x 8
195 x 8

Seated Calf Raises
450 x 16
490 x 10
490 x 8

Decline Crunches
3 x 12

Cardio 30 Mins.

My energy in the morning's has been phenomenal, and I'm usually able to get through my complete workout in about an hour and a half.

The thing I enjoy thus far is the staggering days off on the LM plan. To accomodate my work/school schedule I've been hitting the gym on Sunday's and taking my off days on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays.

The days off also provide for the ability to fully recuperate and destroy yourself on workout days.

Next week the reps will drop to 6....good times.

I'll try and keep this journal updated as much as I can, but know that I'm not letting up one bit on this thing.

Team Scivation's got my back and I'm killing it.

Later Guys.

[ChokeOnStrength]

Triphase Baby!