Mindfulness, Mastery, and Muscle - DJaRiHardstyle's Offseason Mission

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Who am I and why is this log worth following?

My last log (contest prep log):
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=171334061

If you're new to my logs, here's a quick rundown. I'm 20 years old, 21 in under a month, and I'm a rising senior in college, though I'm graduating a semester late. I study Health Sciences, with a minor in Religious Studies, and my career path as of now is really towards anything involving clinical dietetics. I had originally narrowed in on becoming an RD working in a hospital setting, but I'm keeping my options open as I'm still young and just enjoy learning as much as I can about nutrition and seeing where I can go from there. I'm the Features editor of my college's newspaper and I also write weekly columns in it about nutrition. On top of that (though I've never been good about maintaining the two simultaneously), I write articles for my own site, which is linked in my sig. Most famously, I write a weekly "recap" of what's been going on in the world of nutrition that past week, called TWIN (This Week In Nutrition). I'll occasionally link some of my articles on here, but I don't like to spam the log with that kind of stuff.

On to the more relevant material... I started seriously lifting when I was about 16; I had never really been into sports, other than a brief stint on the basketball team in 5th grade, and I was always the prototypical weak, scrawny kid picked last on every PE team and teased constantly and told by family friends to "put some meat on those bones" seemingly every day. And so, like for most people, lifting and eating to get big was my confidence builder and outlet for emotions I was so used to not being able to express.

After a bit of nudging from my step uncle, who is a former IFBB pro and pretty big name in bodybuilding, I decided to bite the bullet and diet for my first show when I was 17. In around 18 weeks, I was able to go from chubby DYEL status (fueled by a nutritious diet of fried chicken, Bubba burgers, and pop tarts) to relatively lean.


(~181 lbs. to 153 lbs. in 18 weeks)

After that, something of a spark was ignited where I realized what a profound effect some proper diet and training could have on my physique. That was when I began to take serious interest in the world of nutrition and of course the development of my own physique. 3 and a half years, and 3 powerlifting meets, later I decided I wanted to do my next show. This was mainly fueled by my dad's wanting to join me in this journey and compete alongside me. I figured you don't get too many opportunities like this in life, and so we took 14 weeks to crash diet pretty hard over this past summer and just 2 days ago, I competed in my 2nd show and him his 1st.


(~191 lbs. to 164 lbs. in 14 weeks)

This show was an amazing experience. I ended up placing 2nd out of 3 in Men's Open Middleweight, although apparently it was close b/w me and the 1st place guy, and then won Men's Junior by default. On top of that, I got to step on stage with my dad after we went thru weeks and weeks of the most restrictive dieting I've ever done.

So why should you follow this log?

Knowing that, while I may not have been dealt the genetic cards to win National shows or anything, I still have the potential to be somewhat competitive, I feel that same spark ignited from my 1st show. I'm more motivated than ever to give this my all, in terms of mental and physical intensity and smart training and dieting, and step on stage years later with the most impressive physique I can possibly bring.

But this isn't just about building muscle or losing fat. I've been struggling with pretty debilitating depression and anxiety for the past 4 or 5 years. I've gone from medication to medication, different therapists, bookshelves of self-improvement books, and everything in between. But as I've gotten older, I have begun to come to terms with the fact that this is a major part of who I am and it can't be fixed with some "5 minute foolproof trick." Rather, the process of self-betterment and self-acceptance will have to be part of a continuum, as are all things in life, but that doesn't have to be a scary thought.

This log, while not a full blown diary, will track not only my progress in the gym and on the scale but my journey towards building a healthier, happier mindset. Behind everything I've ever wanted, what I really yearn for is an unconditional sense of happiness about my identity and my circumstances.

Hopefully, through so doing, I can scratch a little deeper into the surface and touch on some of the things we all encounter in our daily lives that surpass (and often unknowingly affect) our training and dieting efforts. While not everyone suffers from clinical depression, we all have our fears and worries and anxieties that we must balance with everything else we do. This log will NOT leave those stones unturned.

Goals

I've gone on for pretty long, so I'll make this section brief and cover each facet of my goals moving forward.

Competition goals

I have no specific date set, or even a rough estimate, for when I plan on competing again. I know it'll be a while down the line though, as I first want to finish college and graduate (December 2017) and I also want to really milk the rest of my naturally growing testosterone levels, being a 20-year-old still, before diving back into a cut.

That said, I know for a fact my next prep will be a lot longer, with diet breaks programmed in from the get-go and more incremental expectations of week-to-week weight loss, and I will need to start a lot leaner. I therefore am making it my goal to not let college be an excuse to let myself go and have to resort to extreme dieting measures again next time I want to prep. It may also mean the eventual implementation of mini-cuts; only time will tell.

Size/strength goals

Looking at the amount of lean mass I was able to put on from my first to second show, while humbling, gives me a more appropriate idea of what to expect and aim for moving forward. I think where I'm at currently, a realistic goal would be to limit weight gain to no more than a pound a month. Even then, I can be fairly certain I won't be putting on 12 pounds of LBM in a year. But some amount of accompanying fat gain, while it should be limited as much as possible, is going to make for a much more anabolic and productive lean bulk.

So I'll try to cap weight gain at 1 lb. a month, but what I'll be more focused on is progression in training, as I'm at the stage where that's a more reliable indicator of muscle gain. I'll be using what I've learned from Eric Helms' Training Pyramid book to periodize my training appropriately for this. More on that in a bit.

In terms of pure strength goals, while secondary to my physique goals for the time being, I'd really like to first focus on bringing all my lifts back to where they were prior to contest prep. My best ever squat was 405, but at a bodyweight of about 210, my best bench was a competition 300, but that also at a BW of 210, and then my best deadlift was 515, at a BW of about 190.

With squatting, I'm going to need to crawl before I can run. I've been avoiding squats for quite a while because of a knee injury. The severity of this prep, diet-wise, simply didn't allow for the appropriate amount of recovery so that I could do that, so I unfortunately had to drop them entirely. I'll be working on slowly reincorporating that movement into my training.

Training routine:

Tentatively, my current routine will be a heavy legs / heavy upper / legs hypertrophy / push hypertrophy / pull hypertrophy split, with intermediate-based progression. I'll use that up until the point I plateau and need to move on to more advanced programming, utilizing DUP and block training. I'm mainly doing this to keep things simple as I regain lost muscle and strength from prep before overcomplicating things.

I'll be using RPEs to a greater degree and with better consistency, as well. Having been coached by Izzy (PowerliftingToWin) for a solid 6 months last year, I've come to see the great usefulness of them in any style of training, when used to any degree really. Hopefully that'll help gauge progress from more than just an objective progressive overload view.

Rehab/recovery:

My most major issues as of recent have been a nagging left trap tightness that likely stems from my scoliosis (I wore a back brace for 3 years, but it's still a chronic issue), a very new nerve entrapment in my right bicep as it comes out of my chest (which my chiro thinks is caused by the aforementioned trap issue), and some quadriceps tendonitis in my left knee area (which has kept me out of squatting for so long).

The plan moving forward is loose and tentative in nature, but I basically aim to use these next 2 weeks to really let my body heal from the beating it's taken throughout contest prep. I'll be using the deload protocol I'd prepared for this intermediate program for both of these weeks (it normally is every 4th week) to keep the loads light, both in terms of volume and RPE. I'll try and ice these problem areas soon after training-induced inflammation, but that's not something I want to abuse (I really only resort to it when my chiro, who also specializes in ART, gives me the A-OK). Other than that, I'll be working on form with these new movements (i.e. squat) and so may have to use very light loads and tons of warm-ups/activation drills for those. I'll discuss this all in more detail when the time comes.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Diet goals

I'll be living in our frat house this semester (I come back to campus in just under 2 weeks), which could prove to be a challenge on this front. However, I've gotten better and better each semester about adhering to my diet while on campus. I'll be our fraternity's risk manager, meaning I'm required to stay sober (to conduct campus police walkthroughs before/after parties, etc.) 1x a weekend... so for half of our weekend parties. That makes it exceedingly easier to make drinking less of a factor in my diet, as it can get out of hand at college and eat into recovery/physique/etc.

As I didn't get quite lean enough for this show to worry about having to regain much fat and I did enjoy myself a bit Saturday night and Sunday, I'm not going to be purposefully putting on fat right now. Rather, I'm going to jump straight into Lyle's recommendation in the UD2 Addendum (as we used UD2 extensively, and RFL a couple times, to diet) to bring calories back up to what my new maintenance is, shooting for the lower potential end as a buffer.

So I'll continue to weigh myself each morning and look at changes in average weekly weight.

Diet plan:

On maintenance calories, with that buffer I mentioned, so that comes out to:

260c/60f/180p (~2300kcal)

I'll stay on that, unless weight keeps climbing in which case I'll bump things down a bit, for at least the 2 weeks I have before returning to college. Lyle recommends this, on account of "normalizing" hormone levels and eating patterns, before focusing on increasing food intake. Depending on how things go, I'll either stay on it for another 1-2 weeks once I get back to college (to account for differences in food options, sodium, stuff like that) or begin to slowly increase it, with the goal of maintaining BW for as long as I can. So yes, reverse dieting, just at a more reasonable pace and without the issue of keeping me in a deficit.

I eat foods I enjoy, but I don't believe in including pizza and donuts and ice cream every day under the pretense of "it fits my macros" or throwing factors like meal timing/frequency, supplementation, micronutrient density, food source, phytonutrients, etc. to the wind on account of their being "too science-y." I'm eating whole foods, high in micronutrients and everything else, and trying to optimize diet factors wherever possible. That said, I just finished 14 weeks of the most intense dieting I've ever put myself through, and so some leeway is to be expected every now and then.

But yeah, that all starts today. My last prep, I let myself binge for 4 weeks straight after the show, put on tons of weight I didn't lose again until this past summer, and basically hated life for it. Not happening this time. I gained a pound the day after the show (yesterday) and then 3 pounds this morning from Sunday's absence of tracking and just eating lots of good foods. Not too worried at all, as it would be physiologically impossible, even in the "primed for fat-storing" condition you're in post-show, for any appreciable amount of that to be actual bodyfat.

Cardio plan:

For completeness, let me include my current plan for cardio. So far, I'm thinking 3x a week... 2 30min LISS sessions Sunday and Thursday and 1 HIIT session Saturday. As much as I'm ready to never sit on a stationary bike again in my life, after spending so long doing 1hr cardio 5x a week and then the most intense HIIT sessions (which were followed by 30min LISS) 1x a week on top of basically starvation-level dieting, I don't think jumping straight into no cardio at all is necessarily the smartest idea.

Plus I just want to keep small levels of cardio in my training at all times, for health, GPP, and avoiding that disgusting feeling where you transition back into a cut and do cardio for the first time in a year.

Life goals

Last, but not least, are my goals in life. This covers the "mindfulness" and "mastery" parts of the title.

Mindfulness
I've been meditating for about a year and a half now, though it was pretty sporadic in the beginning. For the past month or so, I've managed to get in a 20min session every morning, and the difference it makes in my quality of life is HUGE. This is something I want to capitalize on and continue to improve upon, not only in terms of the act of meditation, but in incorporating it into my everyday life. Mindfulness is what I always come back to when trying to determine how to make the best of any given situation or problem. It's something I want to be a large part of my life forever, ideally.

I'll update on my meditation streaks to keep you all in the loop with how it's going, but, more importantly, I'll try and remark on elements of mindfulness I come across in my life outside of bodybuilding (and inside as well). It's something that's changed my life and so this log would be inherently incomplete without profound mention of it.

Mastery
As I've gone over, my career path has to do with nutrition science, mainly from a clinical standpoint. I strive to better myself in terms of knowledge in this field as much as possible. I've taken both the 200 level basic Nutrition course and 300 level Advanced Nutrition course in my major's department, and have done very well in both as it's something I get sucked into and don't even think of as busy work, simply because it's so damn fun to learn about. Sadly, those are all the nutrition courses my college offers, so I'll only be able to take other 300 level Health Science courses moving forward (and Health Science Stat, 200 level). Because of that, I've taken it upon myself to not stop here and in fact continue to broaden my knowledge on the subject.

Sometime early this summer, I decided I'd start reading a set number of pages from my Nutrition textbook each day and taking notes on them, with the goal of finishing the book in its entirety before returning to school. And it's worked really well... I'm a little over 500 pages in to the ~670 page book, with 1 and a half notebooks filled with notes. I've been trying to read and take notes on 10 pages a day, and the simple act of setting that specific goal has powered me through. It can be tough at times, and certainly was tough during prep when just getting up and walking took unbelievable amounts of energy, to study on my own time for something I'm not being tested on. But accomplishing this (not done yet) has proven to me that I can do more than I think I can.

I've also managed to improve my academic standing and presence over my college career. I went from a ~2.8 student wondering why I ever thought I'd be smart enough for a science major, getting C's and D's in my general chem/bio classes, to a 3.45 and then 3.6 GPA student learning to love learning and participating in as many extracurriculars as I could fit on my plate.

And so my journey to mastery will not be one void of content and full of fluff and meaningless motivational quotes. It will be a very realistic look at my path to mastery in my field and overall intellectual improvement.

But beyond that, I want to leave my comfort zone and do things I've always been too afraid to do. Life is too short and its opportunities too sweet for me to sit back and do what's easy and comfortable. I know my anxiety and depression have kept me from going after some things I've wanted in life, and so my goal is to overcome those voices in my head, not through shear will power (that would be delusional), but through the little things. Doing little things in my day-to-day life I maybe don't feel so comfortable doing every now and then.

The Template

I don't want to make promises I won't keep, so I'll keep expectations realistic for what the template of this log is going to look like, as I won't know how much free time my college schedule allows until I get into the swing of things.

For the time being, this is going to be how updates will look in here:

-Weekly updates will, like in my prep log, cover my macros that week, my weight (and how much it's changed since last week), updates on health/injuries, miscellaneous things I did or encountered, and a recap of the training. They'll ideally also go into the more subjective reflections and thoughts on those factors, along with a little something on both mindfulness and mastery, whether that be some cool resources I've come across or interesting quotes or personal experiences from the week or even questions posed to all of you.

-Training updates, unlike last log, will probably be a bit more frequent, just so that I don't have to fill the weekly updates up with them and make them pages long. I'll try and post a training update after each respective session.

-Realistically, I won't promise constant progress pictures (followers of my previous log will recall I couldn't even keep that up while in contest prep), but I will try and get some out, probably when I'm on break and can come back home. I will try and get training videos up pretty routinely, but that still may be less frequent than desirable. 1x a month would be awesome.

Most importantly... Your feedback

But all of what I've just mentioned really doesn't mean much if it's a bore to read and serves only to scribble down my thoughts somewhere. I'd be really grateful to get some feedback from all of you on things you'd like to see more of, or changes in the formatting style you'd be interested in, or even actual comments on my form, my training, my dieting, etc. that are constructive.

I would love for this to be an interactive log where we can all share ideas on some of these topics that go deeper than just the weights I've lifted or amount of food I've eaten. Having followed a lot of other people's logs in here, I know there are some extremely bright individuals whose insights I'd be more than honored and happy to have in here, as frequently or as scarcely as you'd like.

So... if you read this through, wow, that's a lot to read, so thank you SO SO much. And I hope to have you join me on this journey...

Let's make some physique, strength, and mental gains!



**I'll be posting up some of the professional photos that just came in today from the show, contrasting them to my physique at the start of prep, as I did above**

[IK9]

1st..

Spot for sale tho.. wire me $100 USD

BRB.. reading ^^^^^^^

[LoganBrown]

Damn, Inna beat me to it. Haha consider me in brother.

[Kameronn]

IN.

Wanna give you a huge congrats on putting in the work and coming in so well conditioned for your circumstances at that show my dude. You look pretty damn shredded and the transformation from your first week to now is insane and something to be proud about. Good chit!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Monday, August 15: Legs (Heavy) - DELOAD

Today was my first day back in the gym since the show. While I feel worlds better, in terms of mood and energy, I can tell I'm still far from 100%. Going super light and using this week (and next) to mainly relearn movement patterns and heal overuse injuries/just get the general recovery I need was definitely the right call. Finished it up with 30min LISS on the bike.

High-bar squat (Primary)
(135 x 3) x 2 @DELOAD

Semi-sumo deadlift (Primary)
(185 x 3) x 2 @DELOAD

Walking DB lunges (Secondary)
(25s x 5) x 2 @DELOAD

Seated leg extensions (Unilateral) (Secondary)
(30 x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Calf press (Unilateral) (Secondary)
(1pps x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

LISS cardio (Stationary bike)
30min

**Thoughts**
Like I said, didn't push the weights at all and don't plan on it this entire week. Next week, weights will probably increase but not by much and emphasis will still be on recovery and health, as I don't want to get started on the new training macrocycle until I'm back in college and gym weights can remain consistent. So these 2 weeks serve more to get used to the split and rep ranges and exercise selection, etc. so that those variables are gone when I start really training and then I can put all my energy/intensity into the weights.

Left knee bugging out on me a little bit, but I think my form on the high-bar squat is pretty close to where it needs to be. I could definitely use some improvement but by and large I feel tight and locked in and am driving through the heels pretty hard.

Moved my stance on the sumo DLs in, after reading in Helms' training pyramid book that those shooting for bodybuilding-specific goals will reap more benefits from a closer sumo stance than a PL-style sumo stance. Makes sense: it allows me to control the eccentric more appropriately and actually train the desired muscles through a full ROM. Felt a little odd and crowded at first, but with some practice I should get used to it over time.

1st..

Spot for sale tho.. wire me $100 USD

BRB.. reading ^^^^^^^

Lol I wrote a novel my B.

Damn, Inna beat me to it. Haha consider me in brother.

Glad to have you in here!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

IN.

Wanna give you a huge congrats on putting in the work and coming in so well conditioned for your circumstances at that show my dude. You look pretty damn shredded and the transformation from your first week to now is insane and something to be proud about. Good chit!

MUCH appreciated mane, I still need to check in on your log for PL meet results, I've been trying to tackle 8 million things at once this weekend but I'm getting to it now!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Tuesday, August 16: Upper (Heavy) - DELOAD

It's midnight rn and I just had my first 2 beers since the start of prep (first alcohol period) so I'm about ready to crash; this is gonna be quick lol. Just got them at this real nice bar at our mall w/my friend (got a nice malty ale and an IPA, both of which were SO good) before watching Sausage Party, which was hilarious. Haven't legitimately laughed out loud so many times in a theatre in my life.

Anyways, just another boring light session here. Drove my dad in to the metro early this AM so I could have the car to go lift... Ended up taking my brother as well, who's starting college this weekend so thought it'd be nice to get a lift in together (they grow up so fast). We actually worked out together, which we never do, and I took him thru my workout. It was nice and relaxed.

Flat bench press (Primary)
(135 x 3) x 3 @DELOAD

DB seal row (Secondary)
(40s x 4) x 2 @DELOAD

Steep incline DB press (Occlusion) (Primary)
30s x 8 @DELOAD
40s x 5 @DELOAD

Pull-ups w/outward, medium grip (Secondary)
(BW x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Nunez skullcrushers w/EZ-bar (Secondary)
(Bar x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

EZ-bar curl (Occlusion) (Secondary)
*weight per side*
(5 x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

**Thoughts**
Very, very easy workout once again. I'm hopeful that this very light week will translate into me being able to actually get into the swing of things next week. Like I've said, I won't be truly starting the training cycle until the week after that, when I switch to my college gym, but if recovery smooths over nicely by the time this week's out, I'll at least move the set/rep scheme to what it normally would be on Week 1 (a non-deload week), but with deload weights (but heavier than they've been).

The left chest/bicep is still giving me some issues and so I need to start actually icing it, rather than just putting under ice cold water for a few minutes post-lift and then sporadically popping an Advil. Thought the occlusion training might be nice to give the chest a break this week, but it ended up just making the tendon feel even weirder, especially after curls.

Thinking of altering some things so that leg training frequency goes up to 3x a week, not just 2x. I see noticeably more growth with more frequency and I feel going from 4x a week to 2x, with less volume overall as well, isn't the best way to prime hypertrophy coming out of this show.

[TGreggors]

Progress over the years. wow. You have more than the potential to be somewhat competitive. I bet you could eventually go pro if you put your mind to it. In!

[IK9]

Progress over the years. wow. You have more than the potential to be somewhat competitive. I bet you could eventually go pro if you put your mind to it. In!

This.

You both are still really young.. give it 5 years time & see how much you can improve!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Wednesday, August 17: Lower (Hypertrophy) - DELOAD

I'm finding myself gravitate towards pushing the weights a bit now, which is a good sign b/c it tells me some level of observable recovery is happening, but it also means I have to consciously scale things back so that I stay on track with this week being devoted entirely to rest and recovery.

Lifting a little later b/c of my dad's new job and the subsequent car availability. This whole recovery week is also good for test driving the split, b/c I can already tell there are things that need changing. First order of business is to switch to a Lower-Upper-Lower-Upper-Lower split... The 2x week leg frequency is just too much of a drop from what I've been doing for my liking, and volume still needs to be equated to what I've been able to tolerate thru-out prep, so that that factor isn't hurting me.

Leg press (Primary)
(4 plates x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Hip thrusts (Secondary)
(135 x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

Rear foot-elevated split squats (Secondary)
(30s x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

Seated leg curl (Unilateral) (Secondary)
(40 x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

Seated leg extension (Unilateral) (Secondary)
(30 x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

Seated calf raise (Secondary)
(1 plate+25 x 12) x 2 @DELOAD

**Thoughts**
Going to spend some time tomorrow reworking this program to my liking. It's annoying, b/c I know I'm only planning on using this to regain detrained muscle that's a product of contest prep, as pretty soon the fact that I can't make huge gains on linear periodization alone will catch up to me... SO, part of me wants to just jump straight into the advanced programming DUP-style split that already has 3 upper and 3 lower days that alternate. But I know this method is going to make for the fastest gains and prime me to be as strong as I can be as early as I can for this next round of programming.

Hip thrusts were a bish to set up and felt incredibly unstable, even w/only 135. I was really looking forward to having these in my training, but I might have to find a new exercise to fill this slot. This is going to be a bit of a trial and error process, which is great b/c that gives me 2 weeks to figure all this out (well, 1.5 now) before I go back to my college gym.

More in depth stuff to come in the weekly update.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Progress over the years. wow. You have more than the potential to be somewhat competitive. I bet you could eventually go pro if you put your mind to it. In!

This.

You both are still really young.. give it 5 years time & see how much you can improve!

These were both so cool to read. Really made my day, guys, haha. I'd love to see what could come of some long term, hard work and appropriate diet changes over time

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Thursday, August 18: Upper (Hypertrophy) - DELOAD

Finally got around to rewriting the split/exercises so that it's Lower-Upper-Lower-Upper-Lower, which has been my favorite training split. Just one more workout, tomorrow, of this "recovery week"... I haven't taken a deload this drastic in a while (considering how much both volume and intensity have been scaled back), and so I'm really hoping by next week I can go into the 1st week of the training cycle as a test drive of sorts. Because the REAL 1st week will be the week I come back to school, as I've said many a time.

Anyways, again nothing remotely exciting in training. Worth mentioning the order was switched from chest-back-chest-back to back-chest-back-chest b/c someone had a lot of sets left on the incline bench when I got there. Finished it up with 30min of cardio, which was kind of a breeze to get through.

Lying DB pullover (Secondary)
35 x 6 @DELOAD
50 x 6 @DELOAD

Incline BB bench (Primary)
(95 x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Plate-loaded row (Secondary)
(25 x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Spoto press (3-count hold) (Secondary)
95 x 6 @DELOAD
115 x 6 @DELOAD

DB curls (Secondary)
(15 x 12) x 2 @DELOAD

Rope pressdown (Unilateral) (Secondary)
40 x 12 @DELOAD
50 x 12 @DELOAD

LISS cardio (Stationary bike)
30min

**Thoughts**
Because I reworked the split, I'm going to have to use next week to see if everything works. Of course, it'll then take some getting reoriented with my college gym the week after, but at least I'll have the majority of other potential problems figured out going in.

My hunger has been through the roof recently. Will expand on in the weekly update, but it's taking everything in me not to just drive to the grocery store and buy a pack of Oreos and inhale them. Hunger is arguably worse than it was last week, peak week. I think a large part of it is that going into the show, I at least had the tangible goal in mind that I needed to look conditioned on stage... whereas now, when I'm craving some junk food, it's so easy to start thinking of reasons it would be fine. It's just hard when the goal is a little more long-term and intuition tells you to just enjoy yourself. Hopefully weight starts to drop a bit so I can up calories slightly for next week, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ultimately, I know this is the time when hunger signals are going to be the most intense, and if I can brave thru this a little longer, things should at least start to normalize.

Also, uploading videos has been oddly unsuccessful on here recently, but hopefully this one works. It's just a slideshow of my transformation over contest prep, to give a better picture.

[Kameronn]

Fuuck man, I'm mirin that leanness lol. Makes me not want to bulk up to 205.

[IK9]

^ transformation video was really fun to watch

make sure to hold up a bottle of whey protein on the before and afters #trolololol

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Friday, August 19: Lower (Hypertrophy) - DELOAD

This was the last session of this "recovery week" I devoted to the post-show period. So starting either Sunday or Monday (depending on how I want to break up the split), I'll be doing the regular (non-deload) volume and using somewhat heavier loads. Still not pushing it; more just feeling things out so I can dive headfirst into the cycle when I get to my college gym and not have too many variables in training to worry about.

Romanian deadlift (Primary)
*beltless, w/straps*
(185 x 6) x 2 @DELOAD

Leg press (Unilateral) (Secondary)
2 plates x 6 @More than I wanted
(1 plate x 8) x 2 @DELOAD

Seated leg curl (Unilateral) (Secondary)
40 x 10 @DELOAD
30 x 12 @DELOAD

Seated calf raise (Secondary)
(1 plate+25 x 12) x 2 @DELOAD

Face pulls (Secondary)
*supinated*
6 x 12 @DELOAD

**Thoughts**
Nothing much to put here with how low the intensity and volume's been this week. Really hoping my body can use this to bounce back a bit and get on the gain train next week.

I'll probably post the weekly update tomorrow after cardio (got a HIIT session, but not Lyle's crazy SFS madness thank God). I'll be using tomorrow morning's weight to kind of gauge what I do with my calories, because I've gradually been going down in weight more and more each morning. Literally woke up at a bodyweight low and 0.6 lbs. under stage weight.

It's taken everything in me today to not just eat more than I'm allowed. Keep thinking "ah, it's post show, you can relax a bit," but I know from experience that's a slippery slope. I'll be much happier with myself if I can look back and say I was able to tough it out a bit longer to bring my metabolism back up as much as I can and keep from ballooning up.

Fuuck man, I'm mirin that leanness lol. Makes me not want to bulk up to 205.

I'll tell ya, man, as much as I LOVE to eat, being lean is by far my preference. People who say "life isn't about having a six pack" probably either don't have a six pack or haven't had one in a while.

Don't let this russle ur jimmies

^ transformation video was really fun to watch

make sure to hold up a bottle of whey protein on the before and afters #trolololol

I feel dumb for asking, but why?

[IK9]

Cuz you always see those 12-week transformations or before and afters with them holding a random supplement that they supposedly used hahah

^ For marketing purposes

[TGreggors]

Eager to see how this routine looks once you start having it in full swing. That frequency. curious to see the volume. and way to show that mental fortitude. Going to get to eat more in the long term by showing restraint now.


and by the way, are you planning on doing a pound/month right out of the gates? always cool to hear about peoples' stances post-show. Because the methodology here is never black and white in terms of what's right or wrong, but just about preference.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Offseason Week 1 Recap - August 13 - 19, 2016

Macros
All days - 260c/60f/180p (2300kcal)

-I'm going to bump it up to 285c/60f/180p (2400kcal) because although weight has gone up since peak week, it's by a very small margin and my average weekly weight doesn't tell the full story, as I've been losing weight each day for the past ~4 days. I also just don't think I should be feeling quite this crappy a week out from my show. I'll monitor weight closely though.

Average weight
*Not including Sunday and Monday in the average, b/c those were the product of untracked days*
164.5 lbs. (+0.6 lbs.)

-Went up 0.6 lbs., but I'm actually looking arguably better than I did on show day; vascularity coming out in my legs like never before, looking fuller, etc. I think it might have been naive to think I could bring my peak fullness on show day after so many weeks of super-low carbs.

Training sessions and notes
*R&R Week*
Nothing really to remark on here. Very light weights, cardio 3x a week (30min LISS Monday, 30min LISS Thursday, and 5 HIIT sprints [elliptical; 1:30/0:30 scheme] Saturday], mobility/stretching was sporadic but got in a solid 3 sessions.

Health/injuries
Feeling very sore; I think the change in training, even with how incredibly low the volume and intensity is, is hitting me a bit. Left trap really bugging out on me, which is super annoying, but the left chest/bicep thing seems to be easing up.

Mindfulness

This is a clip from People v. The State of Illusion, a really eye-opening, albeit corny, film I watched a couple days ago. Talks a lot about the concept of perception being reality, and how we can change our life experience by changing our patterns of perceiving things. The biggest takeaway was the idea of a "content-to-process shift," wherein you actively pay more attention to the processes of life than the content itself. Highly recommend checking it out... I have like zero exposure to psychology, except from what my psych major roommate tells me, but this was easy to understand and follow.

I've been able to keep up my morning routine of 20min meditation, though some days it's just so unfocused and uncomfortable that I've had to cap it at like 15min. It's really helping to get in the hang of it and use them not as some quick fix to my anxiety/depression, but rather as a time to practice concentrating on the body and not so much the "monkey mind," as Buddhists famously call it.

I'm also trying some CBT techniques I had dropped a while ago, realizing I never really gave them a chance. When I have debilitatingly negative thoughts, my goal is to stop my line of thinking there and actively challenge them. See them for the negative thought process they are, rather than letting the content they contain dictate how I feel. So if I start thinking, for example, "oh that was a dumb thing to say; now [such and such person] is going to think less of you," I'll stop and try to diagnose that kind of thinking as, say, labeling and emotional reasoning.

Mastery
I've been keeping up with my studying, but it's definitely getting harder now. That said, I'm ~543 pages into my Nutrition textbook, and that doesn't include the ~20-30 pages from the back Appendix I studied. It's crazy to think this used to just be a crazy idea in my head; "Hey, why don't I spend this summer reading my entire nutrition textbook and taking notes on it?" I'm now almost done with it and feel I've learned SO much. The "use it or lose it" concept reigns so true, and so I think it's been instrumental in keeping me mentally sharp and aware when it comes to nutrition science now that my exposure to it is limited.

Cuz you always see those 12-week transformations or before and afters with them holding a random supplement that they supposedly used hahah

^ For marketing purposes

Aaaaah. Gotcha. Lol should've done it for something ridiculous, like Super Beets or raspberry ketones.

Eager to see how this routine looks once you start having it in full swing. That frequency. curious to see the volume. and way to show that mental fortitude. Going to get to eat more in the long term by showing restraint now.


and by the way, are you planning on doing a pound/month right out of the gates? always cool to hear about peoples' stances post-show. Because the methodology here is never black and white in terms of what's right or wrong, but just about preference.

Yep, planning on doing it right out of the gates. I highly doubt I've lost enough muscle to warrant a quicker gain than that... At least, that's been my thinking on it.

[TGreggors]

the idea of us putting our own twist on reality when we interpret events in our heads is a cool concept. and that statistic at the end of the video was pretty neat.

So a traditional reverse diet! I think your reasoning is sound, as you're probably right. our post-show methodologies differ in that I was just ready to get rid of the prep feels asap. Not that I've gained a TON of weight or anything. but definitely faster.

How is your dad going about things post-show/what's his game plan?

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Sunday, August 21: Legs

2nd week post show. Decided to start it today, because I probably can't go Tuesday, so this lets me do: Sun/Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri. Still unsure of which days I'm going to do, but tentative plan looks like (assuming my risk manager duties are still a thing) all weekdays consecutively then weekends off [on weeks I monitor Friday night] and the same split as this week [on weeks I monitor Saturday night]. In case it wasn't obvious, the variable here is which weekend night I consume alcohol on.

High-bar squat (Primary)
(135 x 5) x 3 @0
*Solely working on perfecting my form with this... I've found that angling my toes further outward, softening my knees once I take the weight out, and then really cuing to open my knees hard during the lift helps mitigate any issues with the left knee. My self-doctoring has led me to believe the cause of this knee pain is just a really f**ked up left hip flexor, so I'll need to work on that in mobility/stretching early and often.*

Semi-sumo deadlift (Primary)
*belted*
275 x 5 @7
*add straps*
(275 x 5) x 2 @7
*Emphasized keeping my shoulders back and locked down, driving with my quads, squeezing glutes hard, and controlling the eccentric + not resting too long on each deadstop*

Walking DB lunges (Secondary)
(50s x 5) x 3 @7

Lying leg curl (Secondary)
100 x 6 @6
100 x 6 @6.5
100 x 6 @7

*Accidentally switched the order of the last 2 exercises. Calves should've been first.*
Face pulls (supinated) (Secondary)
(8 x 8) x 2 @6

Calf press (on leg press sled)
3 plates+25 x 6 @6.5
(3 plates+25 x 6) x 2 @7

**Thoughts**
This session felt AMAZING. None of the weights up there are near impressive, but that's totally fine. Just the feeling of coming in to the gym without being quite as starved and out of sorts as I've been for so long was refreshing. While this is only a week after the show and crash dieting for so long no doubt took a toll on the ol' endocrine system (not to mention kcals have a ways to go; they're still hella low by my standards), it's a good sign that things are starting to click and work this much better.

MMC was very focused in today, tunnel vision was on another level, and overall I was able to focus more on getting strong, quality reps than what injuries I have to baby atm or how soon I'm going to "hit the wall," etc. Stoked to slowly creep this kcals up and ideally regain detrained muscle, along with that mental intensity that contest prep took a lot out from. As per usual after every show/meet I've done, while it's cool to use future competitions for goal-setting, what I'm looking forward to most is just grinding for these next few years, emphasizing consistency, a level of emotional and mental maturity that can transfer into the gym atmosphere, nailing proficiency of the movements I do, learning more and more, and just living this amazing lifestyle.

Realized as I was walking toward the leg extensions that there were no hamstring-dominant exercises at all implemented today. That was a major oversight, as hamstrings are an area I want to bring up even more than quads. So I switched it to lying leg curl, but I'll have to go in and make some adjustments to the selections and order of leg exercises thru the week to account for that. Obviously not just going to throw extra volume in for the sake of "hitting hammies," I'll just divvy it up to target them more.

Kind of sucks knowing I'll be switching gyms before my next Sunday workout, rendering most of these weights irrelevant, as machines and even the types of bars and platforms vary markedly from my home gym to my college gym. But that's fine; this week wouldn't have been the actual 1st week of the cycle even if I wasn't switching. I like that I got to spend all of last week purely focusing on R&R, reintroducing kcals for the first time in a while, overall taking a mental and physical break, and now I can spend this week test driving the program: the volume/intensity/frequency, the exercise selection, the form and cues I want to work on, getting used to tracking RPEs, and just transitioning into the 1st week so it can be as productive as possible.

So a traditional reverse diet! I think your reasoning is sound, as you're probably right. our post-show methodologies differ in that I was just ready to get rid of the prep feels asap. Not that I've gained a TON of weight or anything. but definitely faster.

Well, no, not a traditional reverse diet, unless our understandings of it are different (this is what I'm getting from Layne and Peter's side of the Reverse Diet Debate). I made an effort to get us both out of a deficit first thing, so we both calculated what our maintenance might be, using conservative estimations to stay on the safe side. And the only reason I want us to try and maintain our bodyweights is because neither of us, imo, got lean enough for the show that putting bodyfat back on is of dire concern.

tl;dr We didn't stay in a deficit; we bumped calories back to maintenance right off the bat.

I feel you on wanting to eliminate prep feels. I guess it comes down to a matter of personal priorities, and for me the additional fat gain that would come quite expediently isn't worth the immediate elimination of moodiness/hunger/etc. My mindset through and through, since the show, has been that the food will always be there.

How is your dad going about things post-show/what's his game plan?

I say this not at all to knock him or anything, but his knowledge on nutrition and how the body works is pretty limited. I think he has a tendency to "do things by feel" if left to his own devices (one could argue, "doing things by feel" has been working pretty well for him for the past ~30 years), so I'm trying to employ my nutrition nerdiness and keep us both on a more scientifically sound approach. He's using the same method I am for diet, but he's still in the process of figuring out his training from here on out.

But he's really good about it. He tends not to get too hungry, which definitely works to his advantage in this instance.

[TGreggors]

Okay, so not quite as conservative as the traditional reverse, as you aren't spending many, many weeks still in a deficit like those who follow the traditional model. Not trying to put words in your mouth! Just wanted to pick your brain a bit on it. And I am actually in the same boat on the hamstring thing. Having a sort of PL oriented routine, I noticed when I was reading Helms' pyramid book that I was not activating my hammies in the way that I needed to...Since I had no leg flexion movements and only those for hip extension. Had to implement some hamstring curls myself just to hit that short head of the biceps femoris.

Loomis devised a routine for me that didn't hit my hamstrings "optimally", as much as I hate to use the word. Feels bad mane.

[IK9]

Okay, so not quite as conservative as the traditional reverse, as you aren't spending many, many weeks still in a deficit like those who follow the traditional model. Not trying to put words in your mouth! Just wanted to pick your brain a bit on it. And I am actually in the same boat on the hamstring thing. Having a sort of PL oriented routine, I noticed when I was reading Helms' pyramid book that I was not activating my hammies in the way that I needed to...Since I had no leg flexion movements and only those for hip extension. Had to implement some hamstring curls myself just to hit that short head of the biceps femoris.

Loomis devised a routine for me that didn't hit my hamstrings "optimally", as much as I hate to use the word. Feels bad mane.

I really like doing one-leg hamstring curls.. I feel like it's made a dramatic change for me

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Monday, August 22: Upper

So today wasn't too hot nutritionally to be completely honest with you guys. I've been constantly playing a game of catch up with my macros, due to unplanned meals occurring later in the day and abusing the "borrowing" system, and I think it's been getting to me mentally. Yesterday was supposed to be capped at 100g carbs to make up for the good foods we ate at my brother's move-in day, but then a protein bar and a late night Nutella craving (I need to just throw that thing away) pushed me a little over that. So today was supposed to be like 200g and then by tomorrow I'd be back to normal and no harm, no foul.

BUT the most intense cravings hit me out of nowhere after I took a post-breakfast nap (this could be why.. I rarely do this). Told myself "Ah, you've had a restrictive mindset for too long and if you just sit here and brood over food you're going to go crazy." So I ate a small protein bar. And then I made a Nutella fluffernutter on blueberry bagel. And then a bowl of Cocoa Krispies. And then a spoonful of Nutella (geez). So this is the 2nd time this summer I've had what I would consider a "binge," and it feels awful to write this down even.

Got real down on myself and depressed after that, but I was able to come to my senses and realize this is only making things worse. Realistically, dietary adherence isn't going to be immaculate once I go back to college in 5 days, and while a binge is unacceptable to me, what it speaks more to is not my lack of will power (though that was obviously a factor) but my inability to roll with the punches and accept imperfection. Some degree of straying from the diet, especially after the 14 weeks of madness we put ourselves thru, is to be expected.

So tomorrow macros are 100c/50f/160p. On top of 30min cardio and no lift, it's gonna suck, no doubt, but I'm gonna do it and get back from this. Moving forward, I'm going to try and implement Eric Helms' 3-tiered system, where adherence for the day is ranked as "Good," "Better," and "Best," based on degree of accuracy for macros or calories. Not too sure that with the fast-paced, busy, socially and academically demanding atmosphere of college I'll be able to hit each macro to the tee without fail. More likely, hitting my calories for the day within a +/- ~100 range and getting my protein within ~10g will be considered a success. But I'm going to do my best to find the most amount of accuracy I can employ without it becoming a burden and distraction.

ANYWAYS, lift tonight was iite, but it rekt me pretty hard too. Felt that contest prep feeling afterwards of no energy in the tank, even in reserves. For some reason I gravitated towards pushing the weights today, when the plan was to stay on the lighter side (like I did yesterday). Will learn from this... on the bright side, it felt pretty damn good to be able to push it like this once again and not feel completely depleted after my 1st exercise.

Flat bench press (Primary)
185 x 5 @9
165 x 5 @7.5
165 x 5 @8
165 x 5 @8.5
165 x 5 @9
*Wasn't able to put up anywhere near what I expected. Think it's partly from slowing down my eccentric considerably but then mostly from the left pec issues. Not too worried; I was able to keep it within the RPE range and expect it to bounce back fairly soon, so we'll see.*

DB seal row (Secondary)
*using incline bench*
(60s x 4) x 2 @7
60s x 4 @7.5
60s x 4 @8

Incline DB press (Primary)
55s x 7 @7.5
55s x 7 @8
50s x 7 @7
50s x 7 @7.5

Pull-ups w/neutral, medium grip (Secondary)
BW x 6 @7
BW x 6 @7.5
BW x 6 @8

Nunez skullcrushers w/EZ-bar (Secondary)
*weight per side*
10 x 8 @7
10 x 8 @7.5
10 x 6 @8
*These were harder than anticipated. Guess Berto wasn't lying when he said it takes very little weight to feel the stretch in the long heads. Will decrease next time so that I stay in the rep range.*

EZ-bar curl (Secondary)
*weight per side*
10 x 8 @7.5
10 x 8 @8.5
5 x 8 @7

Lateral raise machine (Secondary)
98 x 8 @5
(118 x 8) x 2 @7
*Just added in to program, since squishing 3 upper days into 2 meant I accidentally left some bodyparts out. Going to try and keep within @6-7 RPE range b/c at this point, it's adding a lot of volume.*

**Thoughts**
Like I said, while it felt cool to be able to push the weights again, get a nice pump, and have that post-lift "I accomplished something" tiredness kick in (though this time felt more like contest prep "I need food or I'm going to die" tiredness, but tomato tomah-to rite)... I definitely still pushed it a bit too hard today, as evidenced by the RPEs. Goal was to, like yesterday, stick to the lower end of the prescribed RPEs and emphasize proper form, MMC, and intensity. That's fine, at least it's with upper body, so recovery issues won't be as much of a worry as they'd be with legs. At the end of the day, I'm really not too worried about this. Was a decent session.

One thing that should be interesting to keep an eye on, now that I'm tracking RPEs for everything, will be workload capacity. Because now rather than subjectively concluding "I feel like I'm able to handle more volume now than I was 2 months ago," I actually have objective measurements in place to keep track of it. It's pretty telling how quickly sets go from one RPE to the next right now, since recovery is pretty hampered still. If all goes as planned, food increases appropriately, volume was on the money, and deloads do their job, I should see more exercises where all the sets were the same RPE. And I might also see exercises later in the session start to decrease in RPE once I get more used to the training volume per session.

Okay, so not quite as conservative as the traditional reverse, as you aren't spending many, many weeks still in a deficit like those who follow the traditional model. Not trying to put words in your mouth! Just wanted to pick your brain a bit on it. And I am actually in the same boat on the hamstring thing. Having a sort of PL oriented routine, I noticed when I was reading Helms' pyramid book that I was not activating my hammies in the way that I needed to...Since I had no leg flexion movements and only those for hip extension. Had to implement some hamstring curls myself just to hit that short head of the biceps femoris.

Loomis devised a routine for me that didn't hit my hamstrings "optimally", as much as I hate to use the word. Feels bad mane.

Haha no worries, was just making sure there wasn't any confusion there. But you are right that kcals are on the lower side right now.

I'm just seeing this comment now, after commenting in your log about building your hammies. Lol

I really like doing one-leg hamstring curls.. I feel like it's made a dramatic change for me

Ooo I wish we had those. Do you have the standing machine?

[IK9]

Yeah, we have the standing machine.

Don't be too hard on yourself.. enjoy your offseason!

Pack in those veggies again

[Leo520]

O!!M!!G!!!
man you make all kind of gain!
ALL KIND

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Wednesday, August 24: Lower

Quick update before I crash. I'll be honest, I kinda fell off a bit the past couple of days. Despite feeling like I'm making strides in terms of my self care, via meditation and more positive thinking, etc., I've had a couple pretty disappointing moments diet-wise. I'm trying to be as levelheaded about this as possible and make the rational choices moving forward, but it can be hard. It's not just a feeling of hunger.. it's a feeling where once I let myself cheat a bit, all hell breaks loose and I lose control. Plan moving forward now is to really re-evaluate what's been working and what hasn't, what type of behaviors/foods led to these episodes, etc. I've already tossed out a bunch of my "weaknesses" in terms of foods sitting around, like chocolate PB, nutella, marshmallow fluff. The protein bars are still a strong temptation, as my dad buys some that taste great and keeps our pantry stocked.

I'll definitely keep you all updated on that. I don't want this to be a repeat of last show, and I want to move on with my life and take on new challenges and get back to feeling normal. It's just hard to do that when all of a sudden this thing that hasn't been a problem for almost 4 years is rearing its ugly head.

Regardless, I went into this workout with the mindset that I can't change what's already happened today and can only move forward now. Got a pretty decent lift in, and found myself pushing the weights a lot more than I had planned to for this week, but it's fine because I'm actually able to. Can't even explain how great it feels to come into the gym with a sense of optimism and determination to give it my all.

Leg press (Primary)
5 plates x 8 @8
4 plates +25 x 8 @7.5
4 plates +25 x 8 @8

Lying leg curl (Secondary)
90 x 8 @6.5
90 x 8 @7
80 x 8 @6.5

Seated leg extensions (Secondary)
(85 x 8) x 3 @7.5

Seated leg curl (Secondary)
100 x 8 @8
(90 x 8) x 2 @7.5

Seated calf raise (Secondary)
2 plates +10 x 8 @6
2 plates +25 x 8 @7
2 plates +25 x 8 @7.5

Yeah, we have the standing machine.

Don't be too hard on yourself.. enjoy your offseason!

Pack in those veggies again

Haha thanks man, and yepp been doing that. Yesterday I had a big salad from Chopt, a chicken breast salad I made at home, serving of brussel sprouts and asparagus, and lots of mixed berries

O!!M!!G!!!
man you make all kind of gain!
ALL KIND

<3 Thanks homie

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Thursday, August 25: Upper

Great session today. Got in, got my work in, made sure to stay within the RPE ranges and focus on contraction while still maintaining intensity. And then finished it up with 30min cardio.

Made an active effort today to stick to veggies and then fruits, lean proteins, skyr, etc. throughout the day with the intention of counting it up at night. Ended up still going slightly over macros, but it was mainly from protein... go figure. Tomorrow I just need to go back to the old way of doing things, it's tried and true.

Incline BB bench (Primary)
135 x 8 @7.5
135 x 8 @8.5
115 x 8 @7.5
115 x 10 @8.5 <-- accidentally did 10 reps, no idea why lol

Plate-loaded hi-row (Secondary)
1 plate +25 x 6 @7
1 plate +25 x 6 @8
1 plate +15 x 7 @8 <-- again accidentally did too many reps, not sure where my head was at today

Flat bench press (Primary)
135 x 8 @6
135 x 8 @7.5
135 x 8 @8
115 x 8 @6.5

DB lat pullover (Secondary)
70 x 6 @9
(55 x 6) x 2 @7

DB spider curls (Secondary)
(15 x 12) x 2 @7
(15 x 12) x 2 @7.5

Rope pressdown (Secondary)
150 x 12 @7
150 x 8 -dropped-> 100 x 4 @7
120 x 12 @8

Kettlebell lateral raises (Unilateral)
13 x 12 @8 --> due to left trap pain
9 x 12 @7

LISS cardio (Stationary bike)
30min

**Thoughts**
Finally getting some decent pumps in the gym. I'm pretty stoked to actually start this training cycle next week and get reoriented with my college gym. Currently writing out some of my goals for senior year, but I'm trying to place them all under 1 or 2 BIG umbrella goals for the year. I feel like "get to 175 lean" is realistic, considering it wouldn't be lean lean, but I already know my plan for diet and training moving forward, so I wouldn't really need to periodize goals into monthly, weekly, and daily subgoals, which is the entire point of this goal setting method.

So then I'm thinking applying for my Summer Capstone Internship could be a good yearly goal but, while hugely important, it's not going to take the level of careful planning I have ready. Like I'll still make it a huge priority of mine obviously, but I don't know if it screams "big yearly goal" to me. I want it to be something that if I achieve that and nothing else, it'll still have been a successful year. I want to have this finalized before I go back to college, because I don't want to have to worry about changing things once I get there.

Thaaaass about it. Tomorrow night is my last night back home, so the 'rents are taking me out to dinner, which may mean I can't do my Friday legs session and will have to move it to Saturday, which means moving the HIIT to either Sunday (and then doing the M/T/W/Th/F split for training) or doing it post-leg day. Oh well, life is all about making adjustments on the fly right?

[IK9]

Your incline barbell bench is about as strong as mine.. Prolly my hardest movement to do

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Offseason Week 2 Recap - August 20 - 26, 2016

Macros
All days - 285c/60f/180p (2400kcal)
Adherence: Bad

-As I've been mentioning, adherence has definitely been subpar. However, I'm posting this on Monday and, while it may be too early to call, I'm slowly finding ways to get into my rhythm back at college and not let my being at college serve as an excuse to slack on my diet.

Average weight
*Not including Sunday and Monday in the average, b/c those were the product of untracked days*
165 lbs. (+0.5 lbs.)

-VERY surprised weight only went up 0.5 lbs., considering there were, sad to say, a couple borderline binges scattered throughout. Currently Monday, back at college, and have yet to weigh myself, so I'll start tomorrow... but I'll get to that when I get to that.

Training sessions and notes
*Test driving the program*
Using the training cycle I didn't plan on actually starting until my 1st week of college, basically just test drove the exercises, allowed the slowly increasing (though it's moving at a much faster rate now, b/c of eating too much) hormones and energy to fuel some moderate-to low intensity lifting, and got a feel of things.
Successful training week, though. I really enjoy just spending each session tuning into that MMC, getting in a rhythm, pushing yourself without worrying about injuries due to a malnourished body lol, etc.

Health/injuries
Soreness is basically gone, now that my body is adapting to the movements and volume. Left trap not quite as bad as it was last week, but still an issue I'm going to need to nurse a bit throughout this offseason.

Mindfulness
So for most of this week I'm recapping, mindfulness habits have been improving and becoming a more habitual part of my day-to-day life. Meditation bumped up to 30min and I've been actively making the mental note to do whatever it is I'm doing; i.e. when I wash the dishes, I'm not preoccupied with outside worries or anxieties, but just washing the dishes, feeling the water run down them, listening to the subtly rhythmic sounds of the stream of water coming thru the faucet muting slightly when I run dishes under it and then the gentle clanking when they enter the dishwasher. Geez, I feel like I'm writing a novel here lol. Point being, I'm trying to apply mindfulness to my completion of everyday tasks and not just the 30min I spend meditating.

The mood has changed quite drastically as I've come back to college. This kind of surpasses the weekly recap, but it bears some mentioning, and I will expand upon it in the next weekly recap for sure.

Essentially, it's been a bit of a bumpy ride transitioning into living in a frat house. The difficulty of keeping my intended eating habits and general lifestyle goals up has taken a toll on me. I called my dad today to talk about it, and so we'll see where things go. Rome wasn't built in a day and self-improvement is a long, continual process that's more about the journey than it is the destination.

Mastery
Well, as school was drawing near and the actual science portion of the material in my Nutrition textbook was coming to a close, readings kind of stopped like halfway through the week. And that's fine by me honestly... my goal was to finish the whole book, but what's left is basically just 100 pages of vague discussion on "the role of nutrition in [early development, aging, etc.]." The stuff I've studied over the summer comprises over 600 pages of nutrition science, and I read every damn word on those pages other than the copyright logo at the bottom and I took 2 notebooks' worth of notes on it all. All in all, successful endeavor in that area.

Your incline barbell bench is about as strong as mine.. Prolly my hardest movement to do

Such a weird movement, but I like it a lot better than OHP now cuz of my trap.

Will get to replying to everyone's threads once I get more into the swing of campus life again.