Turning into a meathead- mid life crisis

[coachcalande]

269 this am. Down two lbs since yesterday. Always get wild fluctuations with The Anabolic Diet.


I’m just focusing on regaining strength and building muscle. I just don’t feel like I can purposefully give up strength just to be thinner.

In fact, even maintenance
Lifting is boring, I need GAINZ.

[coachcalande]

270 today.

Five high protein, very low carb meals for the last two days. Typically those meals give me 60-90 G protein each. I tend to drop water/glycogen wt in about 3 days. I also sometimes flatten out and feel small.

One way I judge bloat and water retention is by how my wedding band feels. Usually with keto water loss the ring gets quite loose.

Today is chest, back, shoulders. I’ve been considering a two on, one off approach to carb cycling. I’ve never tried it.

[coachcalande]

Chest and back, shoulders too.

Started with deadlifts today
455x3


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/stg28v4bMB4

[coachcalande]

Chose to carb up today

Todays workout

Deadlift x3
Bench x 5/ Rows x4
incline x4/ Pulldowns x4
seated press x4/ narrow pds x4
side laterals x5

Highlights
Deadlift 455x3
Bench 315x3, 335x1
Incline 225x6
Seated press 185x8

[coachcalande]

Mid week carb up.

Meal 1 Eggs, whites, oats and two slices bacon
Meal 2- two eggs, two cups whites, 1 large potato
Meal 3- 8 oz steak. 1.25 cups rice, spinach
Meal 4- 8 oz steak. 1.25 cups rice, spinach
Meal 5- 2 chicken Thighs, 1 cup rice

3600 cals
265 G carbs
118 G fats
345 G protein

[coachcalande]

270.8 this am after yesterdays carb up.

No carbs today.

I definitely feel the carb coma after rice with meals but I like the muscle fullness I feel right now. I’m looking forward to steak and eggs, bacon, ground turkey burgers with cheese…

Then a big leg day tomorrow.

[coachcalande]

I probably hit 4000 cals today in protein and fat…let’s hope it brings the right kind of GAINZ.

Tomorrow is arms/legs with a big emphasis on arms/calves and leg press/leg ext as low back fatigue will keep me from squatting.

[coachcalande]

271 this am.

Another low carb day. It’s arms/legs and calves.

[coachcalande]

Todays lift: Legs/arms

Bundle 1
leg press/ez curls/ close grip bench

Bundle 2
leg press/ pushdowns/ez curls

Bundle 3
leg ext/rope ext/ preacher curls

Bundle 4
leg curls/ calf raises

[coachcalande]

272 this am.

Today is a carb up day.

Meal 1- 800 cals, 71 G protein, 10 G fat, over 100 G carbs
1.5 large potatoes
2 cups egg whites
2 whole eggs

Meal 2- about 750 cals.
4 slices wheat bread (turned into French toast)
4 eggs/1 cup whites

Meal 3
1 cup oatmeal
2 scoops whey
Mixed nuts

The carb coma has been something of a problem today…bleh

Meal 4
2 burgers
Potato

Meal 5
Frozen pizza

[coachcalande]

271.2 this am

The carbs left me feeling very bloated and gassy yesterday. Really just uncomfortable all day long. Many times after eating I feel very sleepy and drugged.

On the plus side there is the “pumpy and lumpy “ added size effect from the water and stored glycogen. I’m interested in seeing how this translates today in my training.

[coachcalande]

I had a great lift today. The carbs are giving me some extra pop and I feel less dehydrated maybe. In any case so far so good.

Videos on YouTube

Todays bench
315x2,2,2
275x5,5pause reps

Inclines 275x3, 225x4x6-8 reps
Heavy pulls as usual, 290x8 on rows
Heavy wide and narrow pds with210 ish

Seated press 190x6,5,4,4

Side lateral raises.

[coachcalande]

273 after my 700ish grams carbs the last two days.

Yesterdays meals:

1- beef, eggs, oats
2- tuna over potatoes
3- turkey and cheese sandwiches
4- Greek yogurt, 2 scoops whey, banana , nuts
5- chili

Today and tomorrow it’s all protein and fats.

Feel “lumpy and lumpy “ but also gassy n bloated as the carbs/fiber irritates me.

Looking forward to arms/leg’s tomorrow.

[coachcalande]

271 this am.

Trained arms and had a great workout- seems better to do arms in the am and save legs for the afternoon.

Ez curls and pushdowns x 5 sets
Db preachers and rope ext x4 sets

[coachcalande]

Arms this am…after work This is what I did.

Smith Machine pause squats x 5 sets
leg press 12 total plates 4 sets amrap
3 sets leg ext /calf raise
4 sets leg curls/calf raise

[coachcalande]

271 again today. It was going to be a carb up day but I ate a keto breakfast and I’m feeling really good so may skip that carb up today and wait until I crave it and feel flat.

I had felt bloated last night so probably from all the lunch meats….

Anyways, eggs and bacon, hard boiled eggs, chicken breast with ranch..those are my meals at least until,dinner.

[coachcalande]

270 this am. Dropped the bloat from last weekends refeed. I’ve felt quite puffy and full all week. The muscles were fuller and an odd bicep vein was trying to poke out yesterday. I ate a huge dinner of steak, a burger, all beef hotdogs too…today I’ll stay low carb and I’ll probably start my refeed Friday after work thru Sunday.

It’s occurred to me that this could really be the ultimate maintenance diet as you can eat pretty much anything and your wt goes up and down about 3-4 lbs.

[coachcalande]

Bench
315x2
Pin tap 335x1
315x2
275x4-4-4

Incline 225x9

Hit heavy rows, wide and narrow pds
Side laterals which now bother my shoulder

Ran out of time

[coachcalande]

270 this am.

Meals today:

1- 3 beef patties, bacon, whey coffee
2- 8 hard boiled eggs
3- leftover chicken/eggs n beef
4- leftover chicken/eggs n beef
5- steak and rice (refeed begins Fri night-sun)

[coachcalande]

Had two bowls of rice last night and BOOM, back to 272.

Today is legs/arms. Refeed baby!

[coachcalande]

Planned to squat and deadlift but my cheap lifting belt popped open and I tweaked my low back.

Did about 6 sets leg press and a handful of smith front squats, leg ext and leg curls

[coachcalande]

Didn’t train arms yesterday due to low back strain. Finished the day with around 335 G protein, 308 G carbs, 130 G fats. 3700ish cals. Stopped at four meals. Was plenty.

Today will be similar but I’ll try to keep fat closer to 100 G .

Started the day with an omelette and rice, whey coffee.

Two chicken and cheese sandwiches

Protein coffee

Whey, Greek Yogurt, nuts

Dinner was a beef stew, I added roast beef and rice, had milk and egg white mix to drink.

That’s the end of carb refeed…4 meals a day is about right but I’m noticing inflammation in elbows and knees now.

[coachcalande]

274 all full of carbs.

Again this weekend I made 4 meals each day work just fine. I kept my protein up with the increased carbs but more like 300-350 G with similar carb levels.

I feel “fullness” when I flex my pecs or bis but I am also inflamed. My back aches, my knees and elbows are inflamed. I’m happy to get low carb meals in now.

I’m unsure if I will try training this morning with this low back strain. I think I could bench and do incline and maybe pulldowns…right now I’m having whey coffee before I cook up meat and eggs for the day.

I haven’t had any adult beverages in a few weeks now. I’d have expected that to have decent returns on sleep, training and physical appearance too.

[coachcalande]

Bench 5x5 275
Incline 225,245x5 on four sets
Military press higher reps

Did heavy wide and narrow pds

[coachcalande]

272 this am. My knees feel a bit less inflamed today. That’s a plus. These refeeds are something…make me gassy and inflamed. I wonder about type 2 diabetes or ciliacs (spelling?)

Today all meat and eggs again just like yesterday.

[coachcalande]

272

Great leg session.

5 sets smith front squats
4 leg press
3 leg ext
4 leg curls


I’m feeling it

[coachcalande]

271 today.

Knees a bit better, elbows better, gut better.

Resting an additional day and planning chest/back/shoulders tomorrow am.

Meals today:

Three cheeseburger Patties

Chicken with Ranch, some sliced cheese

Dinner is an unknown.

[coachcalande]

Todays bench training is a pyramid that will result in a large volume of work. AMRAP sets
185 x ?
205x ?
225 x ?
245 x ?
265 x ?
285x ?
305 x 2
*alternating with narrow pds

Figure I did about 65-70 total reps finished with 305x2

Doing the same pyramid with inclines start at 185, 10 lb jumps here. Alternated with wide pulldowns.

Will train shoulders with whatever is left in the tank.


Edit-Had a great session. Shoulders was done with a pyramid on presses, side and rear laterals.

[coachcalande]

I love meat and rice or meat and potatoes…
I love eggs and oats too.

The weekend refeeds are great but I think I’m a bit fatter/thicker and maybe stronger…but also battle inflammatory issues. So far this weekend no gut issues.


Todays meals:

Meal 1- rice,potato, veggies, beef
Meal 2- rice, veggies, beef
Meal 3- rice, beef and chicken
Meal 4- two roast beef and cheese sandwiches, milk
Meal 5- frozen pizza, 3 slices

[coachcalande]

Big ol carb up breakfast today…sort of two meals as I actually slept in:
Cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and banana.
Two small yogurts with another banana
2 whole eggs, 2 cups whites
bacon.
#powerbuilding