The chronicles of Luke the Rotund.

[lukepeter]

Its was definitely the triceps that were not puling their weight, I typically follow flat bench with incline bench with a much wider grip since my triceps are exhausted from the previous exercise I get great pectoral activation.
That being said, I had to drop my incline weight from 70kg last week(3x10) to 55kg this week (also 3x10, but with the last rep of the last set a near failure poverty rep), thats huge.

Thankfully, I got 8 hours last night and my legs day was great this morning I am seriously considering a deload, but I need to rule out the other variables first, I don't really train enough to justify needing to take a week of "easy going" I am nowhere near exhausted.

_______________________________________

Weight loss is looking poor this week, will see what the final number is tomorrow morning, but it looks like it will only be around 600g lost, perhaps my TDC calcs are out a bit, or my tracking has been poor(most likely this as my wife voiced complaints about me not eating the food that she cooks for the family, leading to me eating the food that she cooks for the family, which subsequently makes it very hard for me to track macros for that meal). I am blessed (cursed w.r.t my eating program) with a wife that is a fantastic cook, I need to improve my self discipline and eat smaller portions of her food.

My primary progress log is basically a weekly email I send to myself with a front and side profile photo and a weight, its really helps motivation to be able to look at a list emails week by week and (for the most part) see improvements. See below

[lukepeter]

800g down since last Wednesday - I will take it...

I had some... discomfort... in my erector spinae (both sides) that made it uncomfortable for me to sit at my desk during the day. I had some lower back rounding on the 9th and 10th rep on my final set of deads (132.5kg, yay for me) that I suspect is the source of my discomfort, I will switch back and bi's with shoulders and abs tomorrow to give my back a little longer to heal - the prospect of seated or bent over row with my back feeling like this is daunting.

Thanks to those of you that take the time to read this log and offer encouragement, the sense of community here is great and it has helped keep me on track.

Luke

[lukepeter]

Dear diary...

My back was fine this morning, so I went ahead with my usual schedule and trained back and biceps (I am grateful for my bodies ability to turn protein into fixed muscles, and to the cow that had to die so that it could be so).
If 20 years from now Luke reads this and curses me for his aching back so be it, it will be his problem. My weekly training session are now comfortably habitual, I am very pleased that I have managed to adhere thus far, and am determined to make this a lifetime thing.

I have found that my body has built up a tolerance to caffeine, this is unfortunate, I enjoy my coffee and dread having to taper my dosage off, but after an early morning session I find I am crashing at work around 10am (when the pre-workout in my system is exhausted). Maybe a small caffeine fast will be required for a week.

[PeteDenmark]

130 kg deadlift - that is a very quick progression you have made, but yeah - it taxes the core, and if it can't quite support the weight, the lumbar muscles have to do a lot of the work that was intended for the glutes. Do you do back and biceps and leg day on back to back days? I mean deadlift and bent over rows taxes many of the same fibres.

It's very cool, that training has become second nature in your life - considering that you have to fit it into an already busy life, makes it all the more impressive.

So how much do you weigh now? 122 kg?

[lukepeter]

Hi Peter.

Legs on Tuesday, back and bis on Thursday with a complete rest in between. It hasn't been an issue so far, may become worse as deads progress further, I don't mind pushing back and bis out to Friday, but thankfully it has yet to become a requirement.

I was 121.8kg this morning, I suspect I was carrying some sodium weight from my barbecue last Saturday (I added a stupid amount of braai spice to my meat, I like salt) which was expressed during the week, so I have managed to lose just over 1.2kg since Friday last week(averaging 2100kcal a day). Water weight fluctuations are frustrating, which adds to the school of thought that suggests only weighing once a week- it's hard not to step on the scale for a daily dose of dopamine and oxytocin when the number goes down, but it is worth not doing so to avoid obsession /addiction.

Another solid training week done, looking forward to a rest this weekend. I ate a cupcake and a piece of KFC chicken surplus to my Friday macros today, they were delicious.

[lukepeter]

Macros for the week have been good.

Summary Protein Carbs Fat Calories
Sunday 125.6 105.5 78.5 1630.5
Monday 223.9 109.5 79.3 2046.9
Tuesday 203.4 127.7 80.2 2046.3
Wednesday 175.4 171.3 72.5 2039.0
Thursday 142.6 113.5 89.5 1830.3
Friday 189.6 159.9 108.2 2371.4
Saturday 217.7 76.4 95.3 2034.3

A good week all in all. Fatigue is manageable, mood is somewhat irritable - deficit may be a little on the aggressive side. I will monitor myself introspectively to assess my mood moving forward, an additional 200g a week lost is not worth having fights at home.

[RandyMcFlab]

Awesome progress Luke, that side by side comparison says it all! looks like your arms have grown as well.. Your start shape is not too dissimilar to where im at now. Subbed for more updates.

[lukepeter]

Awesome progress Luke, that side by side comparison says it all! looks like your arms have grown as well.. Your start shape is not too dissimilar to where im at now. Subbed for more updates.

Thanks Randy.

My height makes it easy for my body to store fat in unobtrusive ways - one of the reasons it crept up on me I guess...

It is possible for individuals as tremendously out of shape as I am to gain muscle while cutting fat - I have somehow managed to do so . The trick now is holding on to those gains as the last half of the fat is shed, I found previously that the jump from 15%(still far away sadly) to 8% cost me massive amounts of strength (possibly due to poor training methodology, I was just a young lad of 19).

I appreciate the encouragement, its important to have people that feel the same way as you (focused and disciplined on and with the process of weight loss) to share this stuff with as real world friends typically do not get it.

[lukepeter]

Spectacularly weak chest set today, just dismal. Much the same problem as last week with the first two sets being perfect, and subsequent sets not breaching 6 reps (why is it always 6 reps??). My macro calculations must be out, or somehow I am running marathons in my sleep because I am 2 kg down since Wednesday last week which is much more aggressive than my plan - I am either over valuing my wife's cooking in terms of energy or possibly developing cancer - hopefully the former...

This is frustrating, its nice to see the scale values dropping, but it is depressing not being able to put up the weights I was doing two weeks ago. Time to eat a bit more.

Luke

[PeteDenmark]

Man - you lost 2kgs, your lifts are stagnating a bit, and you see it as a problem .

From what you describe, you seem to stick to 10 reps in your 3-4 sets, and the progressive overload is only the weight you lift, not the reps. I know that the 8-12 range is supposed to be the sweet spot for activation of both slow and fast twitch muscle fibers, but for natties, especially in a caloric deficit, it's not quite foolproof. (There is a dude on YouTube called Natural Galant Bodybuilding, who is quite self important and a little redundant, but nevertheless he brings up some points regarding being a natty).

You have been training for 7 months now, and having been in decent form before, how close are you to your former strength for 1 rep max? Didn't you just put up a PR on the deadlift? That will definitely tax your CNS, especially since you are forcing your body to find energy reserves outside what you feed it.

Try to take some training sessions, where you do slow controlled strict form reps, with 50% of your 1 rep max, for 15-20 reps, and let the number of reps be your progression, and say hello to sweet DOMS again BTW. You are in better shape than me, but that being said, i don't think you overall fitness level is at it's peak, seeing as you don't do cardio - even though the HIIT wouldn't hurt your gains. So the higher rep range will increase your work capacity, which will bleed into your max lifts for 10. Max gains is achieved with MODERATE overload, not close to failure - that is powerlifter territory, not for people who are looking to pack on muscle, to keep our body's burning as many calories as possible.

As we get closer to your natural potential, and being in a caloric deficit, the heavy lifts will be a bit hit and miss depending on your emotional state, sleep, motivation, and how much hypertrophy your body has had to deal with on the other lift days. Plus - i bet you take your bench "for granted", so you don't get as ready for the chest training day, as when you are looking forward to a deadlift PR?

I know i haven't said anything you don't know, but sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees, but you are really doing fine. Yes - you've missed a couple of reps, and yes, even with your training regimen you will still lose some muscle in the weight loss process, and maybe a little strength the closer you get to you goal. But gaining that muscle and strength back, when you get to a body fat percentage where you can actually eat at a small surplus, will be a lot easier and quicker, than trying to keep every shred of muscle and strength the whole way down.

We cut first, and then we bulk, and your are doing fine - great in fact.

Will we see some progress pics soon?

This post was a little messy - i'm a little unfocused because of a ketosis experiment.

[lukepeter]

I appreciate the reality check Peter.

I must admit - the last time I was training regularly I also had plenty of steady state and HIIT cardio in my routine - I was 88kg and sub 10% bodyfat (this was going on 7 years ago). I have never been stronger than I am now (I was training a 6x6 set to rep range previously and 1RM for bench was around 130kg - I haven't tested this, but I reckon I could shift about 145kg now without an issue).

You make perfect sense suggesting a switch from my rep range to a higher volume routine - it's just hard changing performance metric from weight shifted to weight repped, I think my mind recoils slightly at the idea (ego getting in the way of progress). I must admit that I go through no real mental preparation for any of my training sessions, I have never needed to since my rep and weight range has always been comfortable, with easy progression, and leg day typically happens after a whirlwind of getting my kids packed and ready for school, getting myself ready for gym, and then the drive to work(where the gym is) - all of this in about half an hour, directly into lifting. I squeeze my chest and tri day into a half an hour lunch break currently, which is 15mins faster than I am comfortable doing it at my current deficit - but its my window of opportunity that stops the training from encroaching on my family time. Balance is so difficult - I still judge myself by the standards of the university student lifter, but with a fraction of the time and energy to dedicate to training, the mental adjustment to the "working dad" routine is proving difficult for me to make since the benchmark against which I measure myself is in a past with different constraints...

Its very hard for me to define my training goals - I suppose I would fit mostly into the "powerbuilding" bracket - I value my strength over my appearance, but I also want to be lean and aesthetic. Alas, Jack of all trades must always make sacrifices in his discipline spread.

I am not sure if it is coming out in the tone of my posts, but I am frustrated. Some individuals at work who for good or ill get to dictate my shutdown schedules are making decisions that make little sense to me, this coupled with a very tight training time schedule and the lack of strength progression have me in a more highly charged emotional state than I am happy to admit (Logic and reason typically dictate calm in my life, but a collection of things superimposed on one another have cause my passions to run a little closer to the surface).

7 months on one regime is plenty - I will take your kindly offered advise and switch to a high volume program next week - I am still hesitant to add the cardio because even ten minutes will eat into my available training time, my RHR is around 52, not "fit" exactly, but not outrageously bad (it is around 42 when I consider myself "fit") perhaps I can work it in another way.

Again, thanks for the advice, your posts are always high quality.

[PeteDenmark]

I don't think you should do steady state cardio under any circumstance. The HIIT might not be necessary yet, if you up the rep range, since this will improve your endurance a lot. 140 kg bench for a 6"6' natty is, i would assume, pretty close to your maximum genetic potential, unless you do a targeted bench improvement regimen (like the one Mark Bell prescribes).

You can easily work the HIIT into your current training routine. Every other week, just do amrap (or at least 10 reps) supersets on three exercises with like 40% of your 1 rep max, for time. Like 8 minutes of back to back bench press, pushups, tricep cable press 2 minute rest, and then 8 minutes of cable flyers, close grip bench, and tricep kickbacks. That'll tax your system enough, and i works fine with compound exercises as well - even deadlift, since you won't be using more than 40 kg, so deteriorating form from fatigue won't hurt you. I've tried this before, and i have never felt so depleted, and got DOMS to the point i couldn't brush my teeth with an analog toothbrush
It's a little like crossfit, but i won't tell anyone if you don't (the world doesn't need anymore crossfitters )

I'm not saying you should do this type of training session, just that it is possible even within your allotted time.

But i think you should save the cardio, for when you hit a fat loss plateau. We should conserve the bullets we have. First we restrict calories and start lifting, then we progress in the gym, then we straighten up our macros, then we reduce carbs, and THEN we might get into some HIIT, and as an absolute last resort we might start doing some running/cycling, but that should only be if you want a lower than a 12% bodyfat percentage (and that will only make your wife feel bad about her body, no matter how fit she is, so what would be the point ).

And yes BTW, you have seemed a little worn in your last posts, and been a little more impatient with the way your body behaves in relation to macros, cals and lifts. But i can sympathise to what imbalances, caused by outside influences, does to the ability to cope with stress.
You seem very sure of the cause, so i won't bother you with my deload week idea (or heaven forbid you skipped a couple of training sessions ).

And once again - your progress has been miles above what a 4x35 minute a week lifter should be able to achieve, so if your ego isn't satisfied yet, you should absolutely check that sh** at the door to the gym . In the words of Captain Tom “Stinger” Jordan: "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash" (Yes - i quoted Top Gun - that's how serious i am).

[lukepeter]

The above made me laugh more than once Pete - Keto is good for your sense of humour

[PeteDenmark]

The above made me laugh more than once Pete - Keto is good for your sense of humour

Glad to hear it . Who doesn't like a quote from a movie starring everybody's favorite unhinged scientologist.

[lukepeter]

Its been a messy week macro wise - two days near maintenance - and, GASP, a missed workout...

I skipped my shoulder workout on Friday in order to save some energy for a open water mile swim on Saturday, it was probably a reasonable thing to do.

Summary Protein Carbs Fat Calories
Sunday 187.6 100.7 92.2 1983.0
Monday 203.6 133.9 99.2 2243.1
Tuesday 235.2 115.5 90.5 2216.9
Wednesday 241.0 186.5 125.1 2835.4
Thursday 160.7 150.8 45.8 1657.7
Friday 203.3 141.9 76.2 2066.3
Saturday 239.6 181.6 134.8 2898.4

That being said, I did have a good "other hobby" week, so a well balanced existence for the most part. I am a little dissappointed in myself for my two 2800kcal days, but I did promise myself I would eat enough to maintain acceptable mood and energy, so I am not going to beat myself up.

Luke

[PeteDenmark]

Its been a messy week macro wise - two days near maintenance - and, GASP, a missed workout...

I skipped my shoulder workout on Friday in order to save some energy for a open water mile swim on Saturday, it was probably a reasonable thing to do.

Summary Protein Carbs Fat Calories
Sunday 187.6 100.7 92.2 1983.0
Monday 203.6 133.9 99.2 2243.1
Tuesday 235.2 115.5 90.5 2216.9
Wednesday 241.0 186.5 125.1 2835.4
Thursday 160.7 150.8 45.8 1657.7
Friday 203.3 141.9 76.2 2066.3
Saturday 239.6 181.6 134.8 2898.4

That being said, I did have a good "other hobby" week, so a well balanced existence for the most part. I am a little dissappointed in myself for my two 2800kcal days, but I did promise myself I would eat enough to maintain acceptable mood and energy, so I am not going to beat myself up.

Luke

Yeah - two days of 2800 cals will slow down your fat loss by a staggering 200 grams for the week . As long as your mental state is good, that is the most important. One missed shoulder day does not a deload make, but i'll take it .

[lukepeter]

So... I altered my training program to finish on a high volume set (15-20 reps) and implemented on Monday.

I pushed through my usual chest routine in my allotted 30 minutes, but with a high repetition (to failure) set at the end of each exercise. I have never had such a low performance work day following my lunch time routine I was exhausted, so it obviously works. I will slowly hybridize my routine to include a progressing amount of high rep sets, but i dont think I will completely abandon my heavy lifts (maybe a few sets of heavy doubles and triples to keep strength up there early on in the session). I was also much hungrier yesterday afternoon, so the increased intensity (compressed workout) coupled with the increased volume must have had an effect on my metabolism.

Legs day went well this morning, I am walking a little strangely but its nothing that cannot be handled, deadlift form was better, I elected to skip the final two reps in favor of not destroying my spine. I really struggle with squats still, I am not sure why, but i suspect it is my 9 year old girl glutes that are the issue. Thankfully I have had no piriformis pain for the last week, and didnt feel any glute twinges today, so I am being the optimist in hoping that my glutes are finally catching up.

Tomorrow is the official weekly weigh and photo day, it will be one month since the last comparison shot posted here and time for another - be warned, fat guy pics incoming

[Denfete]

So... I altered my training program to finish on a high volume set (15-20 reps) and implemented on Monday.

I pushed through my usual chest routine in my allotted 30 minutes, but with a high repetition (to failure) set at the end of each

Hey Lukepeter!

I've read somewhere that doing failure reps during a cut/weight loss is bad for you since the body don't have enough resources to repair the "damaged muscles". Do you have other information/standpoint regarding this?

//Chris

[RandyMcFlab]

Good luck for your monthly comparison pics mate, I'm sure there will be excellent progress again. Seeing your body change has to be the ultimate mental boost to keep going! Looks like your doing really good with the workouts too, For now I'm just focusing on calorie counting but I know I'm going to have to start myself soon.

[lukepeter]

Hey Lukepeter!

I've read somewhere that doing failure reps during a cut/weight loss is bad for you since the body don't have enough resources to repair the "damaged muscles". Do you have other information/standpoint regarding this?

//Chris

I can only comment on my experience - I have been training to failure on my last set for every exercise for the last 7 months (the only change up here is that I am using a lighter weight and failing much later, around 20 reps).

Conventional wisdom dictates that your body is incapable of building muscle during a deficit - My take is that your body will dole out its resources where they are required, I lift regularly, I cause damage to the muscle fibres (hypertrophy building blocks), I give my body protein to fix those fibers (200g a day), it builds those muscles up to be stronger.

If you are training without any cardio (like I am) there are not too many processes that your body has to support other than the BMR and muscle repair, It sees stresses in the form of heavy weights being lifted, and adapts accordingly( steady state cardio adaption would dictate that it lose mass in all areas not relevant for that cardio == muscle wastage).

The above is really only based on my experience, and the training methodology I have developed over the last 15 (admittedly very sporadic) training years. My advise is simple - if you are not recovering from your workouts (I only lift 4 times a week to allow for adequate recovery whilst on a deficit) then you are either not eating enough, or working out too much - failing in a set is, for me, the signal my body requires to trigger growth, and it provides a good repetition metric for me with the weights I use (ie: I must be failing by the tenth rep of the third loaded set).

The above is somewhat rambling, apologies if it makes little sense.

[lukepeter]

Good luck for your monthly comparison pics mate, I'm sure there will be excellent progress again. Seeing your body change has to be the ultimate mental boost to keep going! Looks like your doing really good with the workouts too, For now I'm just focusing on calorie counting but I know I'm going to have to start myself soon.

Thanks Randy.

I post weekly progress pics on bodyspace because it is a bit of a fear motivator I posted on your log about the weight lifting - it really is very important during the fat loss process, and if you are just starting to lift (a beginner) it makes a lot of sense to follow a program designed to produce good form and steady progression for individuals in your position (a bench and dumbbells will not really cut it).

Obviously I am currently biased, mostly as a result of the progress I have made recently when compared to my past efforts, you will eventually learn what works best for your combination of willpower, motivation and genetics.

[lukepeter]

140 kg bench for a 6"6' natty is, i would assume, pretty close to your maximum genetic potential, unless you do a targeted bench improvement regimen (like the one Mark Bell prescribes).

This needed addressing - Alas, I am only 6'4, but if i have somehow managed to reach my genetic "anything" potential after 7 months of training on a deficit I am going to be royally pissed off... my understanding is that years - read 20 - of dedicated training and perfect nutrition would be required for me to reach my "best case scenario", and I was looking forward to steady noob gains t least for the first year or two once I return to a surplus

[Cubs68]

Amazing progress so far. Love how you're so meticulous/articulate in figuring out what body parts/muscles are bothering you. Keep it up.

[PeteDenmark]

This needed addressing - Alas, I am only 6'4, but if i have somehow managed to reach my genetic "anything" potential after 7 months of training on a deficit I am going to be royally pissed off... my understanding is that years - read 20 - of dedicated training and perfect nutrition would be required for me to reach my "best case scenario", and I was looking forward to steady noob gains t least for the first year or two once I return to a surplus

I apologize for my inaccuracy . Of course there is great room for improvement. What i meant to say was, that at your current training regime, and methodology, i don't think it's strange that your strength gains has stagnated. And yes - i do believe that you would get stronger if you ate at a surplus, at your current regime, but not by 10%. I mean 140 kg bench press with your long limbs, is already amazing, and i wouldn't expect it to get up to 155 kg, unless you went for a strength specific routine.
You've called me genetically gifted, but man - usually 140kg bench usually takes years, not months, unless you use PED's, so you are seriously built for it.

Cool that you pushed through the higher rep range. I think it makes sense that you will do a "hybrid" routine. Even though you've only trained 7 months this time around, you weren't new to weights, so you are not a inexperienced lifter. So taking a more "what's right for the day" intuitive kind of training, seems like a good idea.

I think you show great discipline, and have made progress 95%of people in here would envy you.

[lukepeter]

So progress photo time - no appreciable difference in how I appear over the last four weeks according to these photos, but the scale shows exactly 4 kg down, so I know there is progress happening

Weigh in at 120.6kg, 30 weeks into the rest of my life. Total weight loss at this point is 24.4kg.




Week on week this week I lost 800g, which is pretty much what is predictable based on my macros for the week - yay for science and a relatively steady BMR.

[PeteDenmark]

So progress photo time - no appreciable difference in how I appear over the last four weeks according to these photos, but the scale shows exactly 4 kg down, so I know there is progress happening

Weigh in at 120.6kg, 30 weeks into the rest of my life. Total weight loss at this point is 24.4kg.




Week on week this week I lost 800g, which is pretty much what is predictable based on my macros for the week - yay for science and a relatively steady BMR.

Only 600 grams to go until the next block - cool. The progress from your last picture i very visible in your jaw line. I know we focus on the gut a lot, but other people see the face, so losing some fat there is what is most noticeable for others - don't you feel like you look kinda "normal" with your clothes on now?

Have you had problems with chafing between the thighs?

[lukepeter]

"Normal" for me is hard to define But no, I still feel fat in my clothes - mostly because I have very well defined love handles, they are my "deep end", the last place to lose fat. There is still an unfortunately long way for me to go before I consider myself in acceptable shape - probably another 20kg easy, but I am resigned to this truth.

Chafing was an issue, not so much anymore - it depends on the pants I wear (lower crotch long pants are a no-no), and how much I am sweating. Shutdowns in my plant see me climbing 6 flights of stairs around 40 times a day in full PPE, so I wear ski pants during shuts.

I recon I am about halfway to where I need to be - I won't lie - I am craving an all-you-can-eat ribs night like mad, but mentally I am in an acceptable place to keep on carrying on. I am dreading loose skin however, though that is a secondary concern to the fat loss right now.

[PeteDenmark]

"Normal" for me is hard to define But no, I still feel fat in my clothes - mostly because I have very well defined love handles, they are my "deep end", the last place to lose fat. There is still an unfortunately long way for me to go before I consider myself in acceptable shape - probably another 20kg easy, but I am resigned to this truth.

Chafing was an issue, not so much anymore - it depends on the pants I wear (lower crotch long pants are a no-no), and how much I am sweating. Shutdowns in my plant see me climbing 6 flights of stairs around 40 times a day in full PPE, so I wear ski pants during shuts.

I recon I am about halfway to where I need to be - I won't lie - I am craving an all-you-can-eat ribs night like mad, but mentally I am in an acceptable place to keep on carrying on. I am dreading loose skin however, though that is a secondary concern to the fat loss right now.

For me it was bicycle tights, and sometimes talcum powder, to prevent the chafing . But this has totally gone away.

6 flights of stairs 40 times a day, in an uncomfortable heavy suit - THAT'S CROSSFIT!!! Throw in a couple of burpees and some pistol squats and you have a full on WOD .

From your pictures, it doesn't look like you will get lose skin - do you think it will be an issue? I personally haven't given it much thought. If i get a little on my gut, i will most likely be able to hide in my tights, and if it really bothered me, i would have it removed. But i don't think i will feel that way.

With all the crossfit you are doing, i don't think some ribs would hurt. I might even offset the gain eating from your HIIT .

But yeah - 20 kilos to go at least - you and me both. I promise i'll stick around in this forum until it happens for us both. Realistically that could be around september. My birthday is september 26, so that would be a good date to hit the mark, and then start bulking immediately .

Btw - what is your job?

[lukepeter]

If I was doing that every day I would have zero objection to frequent rib nights My plant is only off for two weeks a year, so thankfully my crossfit sessions are limited to those instances.

There will be some loose skin I think, not an obscene amount, but one does not throw 45 kg onto ones body in 6 years without stressing ones skin beyond its elastic deformation limit.

I am a mechanical engineer, though my current position is for the most part middle management (I supervise a maintenance team on a chemical cellulose drying and screening plant) with only the occasional design thrown in (when the machines you Scandinavians sold to the company show themselves to be deficient )

Your mentioning pull-ups got me thinking yesterday - I opened my back set with a tentative attempt today (after not having tried to do them since failing at 2 when I started this process). Surprise surprise, 7 good form reps and one questionable one. I am stoked, being able to shift my bodyweight around is a huge milestone for me (I am nowhere near the ten handstand clap-ups that 19 year old me could do, but baby steps ). When all is said and done I may well switch to a calisthenics based workout with only a little hypertrophy training mixed in, but time will tell.

__________________________________________________ ________

Back and bicep workout was great today, my biceps continue to be a lagging muscle group but they are a little group with not much real world application so I am not too stressed (I did open with 21kg db curls after my back routine - 10 reps per, but with the last two each arm recruiting too much shoulder, I am not quite there yet). I managed to get away from home on time for once, so I had the luxury of a 50min workout - having the time pressure relieved makes such a difference.

Having little kids means that I watch certain movies fairly often - this morning I caught myself quietly singing "just keep lifting, just keep lifting..." thanks Dory...

[lukepeter]

Midmar mile photos in from this year - still so far to go, but progress has been made.