Destroying the Pendulum - Mission: Steady Progress

[Bnizzle163]

For those who know me, you are well aware that I went on a bit of a hiatus. Many of life's struggles left me somewhat sidelined for the better part of two years and it has been a frustrating journey on my quest for offseason gains. Not to go into too much detail, I had an emergency appendectomy which sidelined me for just over six weeks, followed by digestive issues which resulted in over a 25 pound loss, much of which was muscle. Lifting was still kept in check, however, my inability to eat and digest food properly really derailed much of my progress. HOWEVER, things have been getting much better, and though I still suffer from gastritis (which may be chronic), I have more good days than bad, and have put on much of the muscle I lost during the crazy journey. As you can see, my life lately has been like a pendulum; but I'm looking to break that. I WILL break that. So, onto the good news...

I have decided to start a new journal (obviously) to keep track of my progress. Much of what I missed was the great amount of support from my fellow bb.com members. I don't have many fitness savvy friends, so it's wonderful to have the support of like-minded individuals. This log should be filled with geeky stuff, wild antics, food porn, and (hopefully) loads of progress.

Now, onto the details:

Current Macros
67/375/200 - f/c/p

Physique
I'm sitting at 163lbs (on my new scale, which would be roughly 170 on the scale I used for my last prep!) so I would put myself at about 15lbs over shredded.

Goals
No competitive goals as of now. I just want to improve my lifts and build some quality lean mass!

So, that's it, folks! I encourage you all to join my journey to tapping my natural potential.

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W2, D3

Bench
100x5
120x5
145x3
170x3
195x3
215x3+ = 7

OHP
95x10
100x10
100x10
100x10
95x10

Cable Rows (was supposed to be DB Rows)
5x10

OH 1-arm DB Tricep Ext
30x10
30x12
30x10

Misc.
A pretty decent workout overall. I have been dealing with some lower back issues and things still don't feel 100%. It doesn't bother me when lifting, and I've been very careful to avoid doing anything idiotic. Hopefully when my deload comes up in a little over a week, it will be back to 100%!

Taking the day off tomorrow to take my Mom to the Museum of Science and Industry downtown. She hasn't been there since I was a little guy, and I think she'll enjoy the trip. I'm looking forward to it!

[IK9]

1st

[The Solution]

here we go!!!

[Bnizzle163]

1st

Yeeeeahhh!! Glad to have you, Inna!

here we go!!!

Chef Bob up in the house!

[jaredmus]

The Original Macro Man, at least one of first guys I saw use macros on this board. Good stuff man GET AFTER IT

[mhilliard44]

IN for this!

All aboard the gain train, letss gooooo!!

[Bnizzle163]

The Original Macro Man, at least one of first guys I saw use macros on this board. Good stuff man GET AFTER IT

I was taught well by my old coach, Eric Helms .

Glad to have you along!

IN for this!

All aboard the gain train, letss gooooo!!

Welcome, my friend.

Time to get this gain train chugging full steam!

[jpfaherty]

Aww yeah. In!

How was the museum?

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W2, D3

Squat
110x5
140x5
165x3
195x3
220x3 - add belt
250x3+ = 4 - could have gotten a couple more, but back is still not right.

Sumo Deadlift
235x10 (5 sets)

Leg Curls
5x10

Seated Alternating DB Curls
25'sx15
30'sx10
30'sx8

Misc.
Got up fairly early and took my Mom to the museum. We had a good time! She doesn't move around very well (COPD and nerve damage in her legs from a car accident) so I pushed her around in a wheelchair. It was my cardio for the week . We got home at an early enough time, so instead of hitting this workout tomorrow, I decided to get it in today, which is the day I would normally hit squats. I'm more of an earlier in the day lifter, but I got it in. Back is still weird. I'm going to see how next week goes and how I feel after the deload. I may have to figure out some programming to work with higher volume and lower loads/intensities. I really hope this isn't the case, as my original plan was to run 5/3/1 for all it's worth.

Chocolate Overnight Oats with Chocolate Cheerios and Melted Pb

Aww yeah. In!

How was the museum?

Cupcake masta up in here!

It was awesome .

[Bnizzle163]

So, I took the entire weekend off in hopes to aid in the healing of my back. It still feels about the same lol. I did a lot of mobility work and foam rolling, but it only moderately helped. Also, I decided I am going to work on bringing my Youtube channel back. I am kicking it off with a flexible dieting/vlogging series titled 'The Monday Munchies'. I plan to release a video every Monday, and each episode, during the intro, I am going to share something about myself that is either A.) Unknown to most, B.) Embarrassing, C.) Interesting, or D.) All of the above. So, look for that video to pop up here sometime tomorrow, and I would appreciate if you guys would follow or subscribe to the channel .

[The Solution]

in..

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W3, D1

Seated OHP - See Misc.
45x10
65x12
85x10
95x10
115x6 (4 sets)

Bench
155x10
160x10 (4 sets)

Chins
bwx11
bwx10 (4 sets) REP PR! lol

Seated Plate Laterals
15x20
15x15
15x15

Misc.
Back was feeling pretty sore/tight today so I played it safe and did my OHP seated. I lightened the load a lot and just tried to get some volume in; I'm going to do some instinctive training until my back is 100% and then get back to following 5/3/1 to the T. Better safe than sorry!

Youtube vid had an error, so it is currently uploading as I type this. Hopefully it will be done by midnight lol.

Tomorrow is supposed to be deadlift day, but I have a feeling I will just be getting in some bw stuff and mobility work. We'll see how I feel in the AM!

Raspberry Vanilla Proats with Pumpkin Spice PB and Dark Chocolate

[Bnizzle163]

Please show your support and subscribe!

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W3, D2

Sumo Deadlift
135x3
160x5
200x5
235x3
295x5
335x3
375x1+ = 1

Pause Squats
135x10 (5 sets)

Calf work
4 sets

Planks

Misc.
My back felt absolutely amazing this morning! I took it easy on deads and hit all my prescribed reps (though I could have easily gotten 4+ on the top set). Instead of squats with a normal tempo, I dropped the weight substantially and just hit some paused squats. It felt good!

Pumpkin loaf with chocolate sludge, melted pb + dcd, choc chips, bananas, oreos and c&c cereal

[The Solution]

Loafs.... so epic.

[NaturalPursuit]

F#$KIN in bro! Your loaves are some of the best I've seen!

[Bnizzle163]

Loafs.... so epic.

Love them loaves .

F#$KIN in bro! Your loaves are some of the best I've seen!

Glad to have ya, dude! I got that recipe from Bob, and worked hard to achieve loaf mastery lol.

[jpfaherty]

Still eating that junk food brah? u gonna get fat..

[IK9]

Ima watch your YouTube channel brah

[phillysteak]

In!! Catching up now

[jaredmus]

the pictures and loafs are back

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W3, D3

Bench
100x5
120x5
145x3
180x5
205x3
230x1+ = 4

Seated OHDB Press 3:2:3
40'sx15 (3 sets)

Seated Plate Laterals (pause at top)
10'sx20
15'sx15
15'sx15

Cable Rows
1x12
4x10

Seated 1-arm DB Extensions
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx11
25'sx12

Misc.
Just threw in some pump work after my main movement. Could have gotten 5 on bench, but still taking it easy as the back heals. I am not used to doing tempo work, so my shoulders were on fire! Felt good

Eggs + Pumpkin Blueberry Pancakes

Still eating that junk food brah? u gonna get fat..

Time to get fatz

Ima watch your YouTube channel brah

Heck yeah. Hit that subscribe button, too. Plenty more to come!

In!! Catching up now

Glad to have ya, homey.

the pictures and loafs are back

You know it .

[mhilliard44]

Sooooo much food porn. I might have to stay out of this thread for awhile lol. Proats are good though! That's my normal breakfast. Might have to attempt a loaf some refeed day though, that's pretty darn tempting.

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 (ish) C4, W3, D4

Squats
45x5
110x5
140x5
165x3
210x5 (4 sets)

RDL's - slow and controlled
135x10 (4 sets)

DB Walking Lunges
25'sx30 steps (3 sets)

Seated Incline DB Curls
25'sx16
30'sx9
30'sx9
25'sx10

Calf Raises ss w/BB Curls
1x20 / 45x12
1x15 / 45x12

Misc.
Back didn't hurt, but felt tight as weight was going up on squats. Instead of moving to 235 for 3 and 265 for a 1+ set, I just got some volume work in. I also swapped regular deads for RDL's and used a very slow tempo. It didn't bother my back in the least. I haven't done lunges in quite some time, so those suckers burned! I'm pretty sore today, too.

I threw in some extra pump work at the end for the lulz .

Grilled chicken, rice, bean and potato burrito, broccoli, and choco pb pop tart

Sooooo much food porn. I might have to stay out of this thread for awhile lol. Proats are good though! That's my normal breakfast. Might have to attempt a loaf some refeed day though, that's pretty darn tempting.

My journals have proven to be hazardous to preppers in the past lol. I love proats myself. One of my favorite, quick and easy meals!

[Bnizzle163]

New video up, guys. Please comment/like/subscribe .

[IK9]

Lol at your embarrassing story.. Brutal! I like watching your videos.. Gives me ideas of what to eat

[jaredmus]

Love the video showing the eats! Next time you do proats, throw in Crispy M&M's I just did it tonight

[Bnizzle163]

5/3/1 C4, W4, D1 - Deload

OHP
60x5
75x5
90x5

Bench
115x10 (4 sets)

Plate Loaded Lat Pulldown
120x8 (4 sets)
70x15

Seated Plate Laterals
15x12 (4 sets)

5/3/1 C4, W4, D2 - Deload

Sumo Deadlifts
135x4
160x5
200x5
235x5

Tempo Squats 3:3:2
45x5
135x10
155x10
155x10
155x10
135x8 - 5 second pause

Bent Over Fly
10lb platesx12 (3 sets)

Misc.
Everything was feeling great, but this week was a scheduled deload so I treated it as such. I got a bit of pump work in, which felt great. After watching a video of Mark Bell talking about varying tempo, especially on squats, when training to increase strength, it made a lot of sense. I really worked on nailing down form on squats today, and since my back is still healing I figure it's as good a time as any. Everything felt great, but I'm looking forward to some heavier training in the weeks to come .

Chocolate proats + bananas with brownies, and a pumpkin pie pop tart

Lol at your embarrassing story.. Brutal! I like watching your videos.. Gives me ideas of what to eat

Stay tuned, there will be a new embarrassing story every week!

Love the video showing the eats! Next time you do proats, throw in Crispy M&M's I just did it tonight

Grabbed a pack today because of you. I'll be giving them a whirl in proats soon .

[The Solution]

I only got 1 gingerbread left from the seasonal