Turning into a meathead- mid life crisis

[coachcalande]

Todays nutrition

4 eggs, cup of whites, 3/4 cup oats

After my arm work
8 oz beef, 5 oz greek yogurt, banana

Lunches, chicken breasts, banana, apple

After work - tuna rice beans

Then legs

Before bed whey, oats, pb

[coachcalande]

Crushed arms and then had a great leg day.

Six sets of PR SSB squats

285x5. https://youtu.be/Ph6y85zmVNA
305x3
315x2
255x3 pause, sit and digs
255x7 nice depth! Reflex
255x6 nice depth. Reflex

Pyramid on leg ext AMRAP
125
150
175
200
200

Leg ext
5. Sets 10-15 reps

Calf raise with ssb x3 sets

Post lift
12 oz tuna
1.25 cups rice
1/2 cup green beans

[coachcalande]

Finished up the day’s nutrition with

Oats
2 scoops whey
1 tbsp peanut butter

Might not tolerate this whey very well. Last night had gut pains and just after eating this it’s starting again.
Might have to go with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt or something like that next week.

[coachcalande]

Tolerated the whey ok last night.
Sleep well but holy sore legs! Ssb hits my outer quads hard. I’m enjoying the volume/weight and intensity with it.

No knee pain at all, maybe even helping sciatic stuff. No sleepless nights since starting ssb.


Today is a “rest” day, what that really means is food prep, laundry, mow lawn, run errands. Getting car oil changed…stuff like that…and why I am happy to lift 3-4 days a week. Lifting days are dedicated to lifting, off days take care of life.

My arms are not sore …yet, they were fatigued…triceps especially…the close grip bench is nice but bothers my wrists a bit. I’ll probably ditch that or only stay with 10-15 reps.

Todays nutrition

4:00 4 eggs, 1 cup whites, 3/4 cup oats
We have a half day with a free lunch at school. I’ll predict that it’s pizza so I’ll just bring my usual.
7:00 am- 8 oz chicken, banana
11:30 - 8 oz chicken, banana
2:00 -8 oz chicken, apple
5:00- 10 oz ground turkey, potato, broccoli
8:00- whey, oats, pb

[coachcalande]

More video from yesterday
305x3
https://youtu.be/wOspgXcotDg

315x2

https://youtu.be/fj6872g0j8Y

Back off sit and dig pauses
https://youtu.be/5w6ZEhe215I

[coachcalande]

So myfitnesspal seems to really jack up protein in cooked chicken breast. I’m not sure I’m buying that. I have seen numbers at 7g protein per ounce and as high as 9 grams per ounce which I doubt.

I’m going to try and eat 1.5 lbs chicken today. Essentially, this just stuffs the Tupperware I bring and I can pick at that as opportunities arise. I’m trying to eat early in the am, when I arrive at work, during work, after work….then sometime around dinner and again before bed. Looking for max recovery and regained strength since Covid. Weight is staying exactly where at was in the 270-271 spot for the moment.

Something worth note that the 4 eggs I make in the am, I now actually add two cups whites to and then share that concoction with my son. So rather than dirty two pans or cook twice, we just share.

[coachcalande]

Couple of notes:

Replaced a chicken/apple meal today with egg whites, half oz cheese and oats. Got out of work early, nice to have a hot meal.

Purchased two sets of knee wraps, one for me, one for my son. He’s hitting 315x8 now , no belt, no wraps. He needs the wraps!

Hitting chest/back/shoulders tomorrow. Feeling stronger!

[coachcalande]

271.0 feeling good.

Up early getting ready to smash my lift.

Black coffee, eggs, egg whites, oats….

Lunches will be my 10 oz ground turkey, green beans….and about half pound chicken, two bananas.

After work, probably more Turkey and potatoes for dinner.

Oats, whey, pb before bed.

[coachcalande]

Ill try and post videos later but some of today’s numbers

Bench 285x5
290x3
290x3
255x8
255x7

Incline
205x8

Rows a PR 344 x4

Had a great lift. Post lift meal of banana, greek yogurt, chicken

[coachcalande]

A bit of video from today.
Bench
285x5

https://youtu.be/xsfNInM3qwI


Rows 344x4
https://youtu.be/6bHXUPrAAbM

[coachcalande]

Tonight’s dinner was delicious

Rice, about 1.25 cups
4 eggs, maybe 1.5 cup whites. (Unmeasured, could have been 2 cups for all I know, either way I got more than 50 G protein)
Salsa
Jalapeños

One meal to go.

Wish. Was lifting tomorrow, but that’s the point, keep me passionate and rested and fully recovered so at 55 I can still absolutely kill it.

[coachcalande]

Final meal

3/4 cup oats
Whey
Banana
Peanut butter.

350 G protein, 250 carbs on the day.

[coachcalande]

Feeling the carb bloat. Got on the scale at 272.6.

Trouble sleeping so I’m up, having whey coffee…

Can’t wait to squat tomorrow but I took a “bad step” last night and something feels off in my left foot. Crazy.

Today at will back off on the carbs and cals a bit just because of the bloated feeling. I’m not training or mowing anyway…

Seems like sciatic nerve is less inflamed so there’s a positive. No pain in leg or hip. SSB is helping there I’m sure.

[coachcalande]

Meal plan
1- whey coffee
2- eggs/oats
3- chicken banana
4- chicken banana/apple
5- ground turkey/rice/green beans/1/2 cup egg whites
6- whey, oats, pb

Planning more SSB PRs

[coachcalande]

Planning Saturday lift:

SSB squats 6x 3-8 reps
Deadlift 3x 3-5 reps
Leg ext 5x10-20
Seated leg curls 5x10-20
Standing calf 3x 15-20

Ez curls 5x5-12/pushdowns 5x5-15
Alt db curls 5x5-10/skull crushers 5x5-12

Took in about 3200 cals, 400 G protein, 200 g carbs, 80g fat

This should fuel that workout!

[coachcalande]

271.8

Having whey coffee and thinking about my lift.

I only have 400 lbs Olympic weights so I would imagine that 400 would be my top set of deads today unless I’m just too old, tired, weak to do that these days…it has been about seven years since I last pulled. Might be smart to ease into it to test my shoulder anyway…but I want to try it…on a bit of a strength kick since getting the SSB bar.

I’ll probably do something like this:

Warmup sets…
135x3
235x3
355x3 and see how it goes from there….no mats on the garage floor is also on my mind.
*400xAMRAP, 400xamrap, 400xamrap


Not looking to cripple myself for the weekend either!

[coachcalande]

Ah the family man life.

Was all full of caffeine to train legs like a beast and my son tells me he needs a ride to work. I had a about a half hour so trained my arms first (not ideal if intending to deadlift!) - the best laid plans…

As it goes I had enough time for six set pyramid on ez curls/pushdowns and another 4-5 sets of db curls/skull crushers. I did 2 sets of hammer curls there as well. Have been slowly adding in a couple of those each arm day.

Just ran a second errand and had a smaller meal of some leftovers…ground Turkey, eggs, Greek yogurt and a banana.

I’m going to relax, eat again, and hit legs a bit later. The bad news, the collars I brought home don’t secure the weights on my ssb bar. Too worn out I guess.

Have new knee wraps to try so looking forward to that.

One of my “bulking clients “ has already gained 4 pounds and is excited. The other seems on his way. Both have health issues to work around making things uniquely challenging but even more meaningful.

My son was upset that his own training was interrupted yesterday at school . He’s working today so perhaps he makes it up tomorrow.

[coachcalande]

Absolute FIRE today!

Four straight PRs on SSB

315x4
325x3
335x3

Then this single with 355.
https://youtu.be/X2ihiEdX_-U

Finished those with 255x6, 255x6

Then five sets leg ext, five sets leg curls, 3 sets calf raises on ssb.

[coachcalande]

More gains on film

https://youtu.be/J3s251x-HbI

[HomeGymChains]

Absolute FIRE today!

Four straight PRs on SSB

315x4
325x3
335x3

Then this single with 355.
https://youtu.be/X2ihiEdX_-U

Finished those with 255x6, 255x6

Then five sets leg ext, five sets leg curls, 3 sets calf raises on ssb.

Congratulations on the PRs!

[coachcalande]

Great lunch after lifting.

Had two wraps, each 100 cals
Sliced 8 oz chicken
Shredded cheddar
Jalapeños
Salsa

About 715 cals, 100 G protein (myfitnesspal seems wrong)- I’d guess more like 80 g.

Dinner will be rice with lean beef.

[coachcalande]

Congratulations on the PRs!

Thank you!

[coachcalande]

272.2

Review of yesterdays meals
4 am whey coffee x 2
6 am eggs , egg whites oats
9:30 am eggs/whites, ground turkey, banana, Greek yogurt
12:30 whey shake, eggs/whites, ground turkey, banana
3:30 2 chicken/cheese wraps
6:30 lean beef, rice

This am, I feel the PERFECT feeling of soreness in my thighs with zero sciatic nerve pain…several good nights now. It’s odd but just doing fronts and hacks vs any firm of back squats may have been the culprit as since getting the ssb I have steadily improved. Makes me feel years younger. Additionally I have no knee pain at all.

I have added calf training back (3 straight leg days) and though the perineal tendon is not secure under my right ankle, I can tolerate about three sets without a lot of problems but the higher the reps go, the more I feel it. I’m now doing a combination of ssb calf raises and single leg body weight raises.

The pec strain scar tissue area on my right arm pit area hurts a bit when my wife lays on my arm/chest. That stretch I guess…but it’s improved a lot and is allowing me to …a bit more…confidently, add some weight to my bench which has suffered considerable loss over the last seven years. Consider 325x6 vs 285x6 ..that’s from age, pec strain and shoulder trouble…the good news is that I am no longer battling elbow bursitis/tennis elbow or anything else. One thing I am feeling is wrist discomfort after close grip benching. I’m getting away from those again.

Well, off to check Twitter..which has blown up to over 1000 followers. That club 100 has been very supportive and energizes me. I have a couple of “bulking clients “ to check on…

Whey coffee time.

[coachcalande]

Legs feel amazing.

This morning after 3x whey coffee at 3 am

I had a “high test” breakfast
3 whole eggs, approximately 12 oz lean ground beef, 1 cup rice.

Theres a very different feeling that comes with 350-400 G protein vs say 200-275.

I will probably take a trip to the store at some point- ground meats and egg whites…gotta have that!

Lawn needs mowing again, there’s the cardio.

[coachcalande]

Meals

3 am whey coffee
6 am 3 eggs, 10 oz lean ground beef, 1 cup rice
9am 6 oz chicken, 1 slice cheese, two slices wheat bread
1 pm 8 oz chicken, 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup green beans
5 pm 10 oz beef, 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup green beans
8 pm whey/ oats/pb

Lawn is done …99 million degrees.

[coachcalande]

More activity- frisbee at the park.

[coachcalande]

Bench today - continued improvement!

300x3
305x1.5 ( fail at two)
265x6
265x6
265x5
265x4

Lat pulls between each….

Inclines
215x6
205x8
2o5
205
205

Also db press, upright rows , side laterals and a couple of sets of shrugs.

Going to try and hit a lot more stuff at 8 reps, this 3 rep stuff is hard on my body these days. Fun as hell but it can’t last.

[coachcalande]

Sitting at 271.8 this am

Regaining some
Lost strength and really miss the regular heavy duty training I used to do.

That said, its really most important that I stay in the game for two more decades by being smart! Having a blast watching my bench climb back up but The reality ie, Ill never see 400 again.

Its more likely that ill be injured before that happens- so, goals?

I probably need to smartly stay with 5-10 reps for “heavy “ training and have some sets in the 10-20 rep range where I give joints and tendons a break- just never been my thing:

Diet today

Eggs, whites, oats

Tub of chicken thighs and tenders for work with fruit

After work Ill have ground turkey and either rice or potatoes

Edit* had 10 oz tuna over 1.25 cups rice

I’ll probably have a whey shake before bed


I feel like my arms and legs are growing fast! Leg changes are nice along with healing sciatic issue!

[coachcalande]

My wheels are turning again about my old 3 on, 1 off split. I wrote a program for someone else yesterday and it made me want to run it.

Lol, as it goes, life is hard enough training 3-4 days a week. Anyways, I finally got some sleep but 3 am sciatic burn woke me. It’s like a perpetual muscle spasm, just fire. So I got out of bed.

My weight this am is a 30 day high of 273. I had tuna with hot sauce and mustard. My guess, the sodium there bumped me up a pound. I’m clearly not trying to lose weight, but also anxious to build muscle , particularly now that have this SSB bar and can already see and feel changes in my legs.

I’ve had three consecutive bench sessions training with at least 2 heavier sets of 1-3 reps. I feel that, but I feel great. I’m ready though for a few high volume sessions.

Todays meals will almost certainly play out this way:

5 am - 4 eggs , 1 cup whites, 3/4 cup oatmeal
8am- 1/3 of chicken tub , banana
11 am- 1/3 of chicken tub, banana
1:30 - 1/3 of chicken tub, apple, maybe a Greek yogurt too.
4:30- 10 oz lean ground turkey, 1/2 cup green beans, 1.25 cups rice
7:30 3/4 cup oats, two scoops whey, 1 tbs pb

“Guessing 3300 cals”…I’m going to see if my guess is accurate (getting better at this)

Drum roll…it’s 3329 cals, 384 G protein. 82 g fat 235 g carbs. I feel perfect at this intake

[coachcalande]

Good start to the day. Did 10-12 sets bis/tris this am. Some “angry lifting “ attacking sets and getting negatives and cheat reps.

The usual eggs/oats breakfast…

Eating a boatload of chicken/turkey all day, some fruit…and then legs after work. Want more SSB PRs but am mindful of need for bb range training and volume for longevity.

Dinner will probably be something low fat like tuna/rice or egg whites/rice

Later, whey and oats, pb. That’s just delicious.

Killing this training again, life is good.