2018 Spring/summer Goals and progress thread

[stockriderman]

6" 186lb.

It's been about what, 13 months since I started going to the gym. Posted a thread about it a few months back. More progress since then.
Had to slow down the speed in the gym and add extra 15 minutes or so to hit every muscle group as I train every 3 days - full body workout. So now I am in the gym for about 1h 20min
Strength is increasing solidly every month and muscles slowly been adding up as well.
Examples: On December 27th workout I was doing:
140lbx11 leg presses(the horizontal machine). Today 185lbx13
35lbx8 dumbbells and today 45x12
62lbx7 V-bar tricep push downs and today 72x11

My back grew the most and my legs(they were skinny and overly weak) are growing very fast month to month which I am very surprised and happy. I am no longer embarrassed to wear shorts...as I was my whole life - what a great feeling.
My goal for this year to get my calves growing. I have tiny calves and all my ex's were always jealous of... And my wife is still jealous of them. They've been the slowest to grow with only half an inch over 1 year period so I am switching routines to train them based on the new found science research requiring stretching - promising results as fast as 3-4 weeks. I am putting twice the effort so we'll see!
Bad: Half of my clothing does not fit any more. Pants got shorter(due to legs becoming bigger). None of the shirts I have fit me and I can't even button them up as my chest, shoulders and biceps grew considerably. T-shirts that were bigger now fit me perfectly though.

I may post something in the coming weeks or months with progress pics.

[induced_drag]

I would like to eventually get a power rack with high and low cables, dip bars, and pull bars, and also some Power Block dumbbells for the gym room to augment my lunch time workouts. There really isn't room in the gym/playroom right now though, so I am thinking about setting it up in the garage. .

I worked out at home up until 3 years ago. It made working out possible with young kids without sacrificing too much in the way of family life. Now with kids older, I joined a gym near my daughter's activity. She dances 4 days a week, so I take her to dance and workout while she is there. Works great....

I used ironmasters as well. They are a pia to change in some ways but I like the conventional feel of them. (for seated behind the head tricep ext, and dumbbell pullovers...etc). Their bench is GREAT....just a tad high in the flat position so I made a foot block to give me something to drive into when benching. But I dont think you will find a better multi-purpose bench around.

Good luck!

Where I am at now



Short term: adding complexes, ramping up conditioning, counting calories…maybe even a deficit. Drop the waist from 38.5” to say 35” by June?

Long term: (fall) Get those lifts up: Snatch to 60kg, CnJ to 80kg, Squat to 112kg or so, build work capacity, and start to look like someone who lifts.

Former hockey player myself! I was a goalie....that is probably what is wrong with me My only advice is dont kill yourself with activity to lose weight. Do it with a good deficit and get your weight training in. By all means, 2-3 30 min LISS cardio sessions are great for the cardio-vascular sys....but dont use cardio for weight loss. 38-35" waist is a simple deficit away!

Re-posted from Grubman's thread:

2017 had mixed results, overworked myself twice (I'm stubborn, once apparently wasn't enough) and got sick so I had to learn better fatigue management and cut back on cardio. Getting older can be annoying at times. My new(ish) job is awesome, but came with more corporate events that involve food which put a crimp in my cutting progress. Had to tweak my diet multiple times to get to something sustainable and low calories, but that's all settled now. Lifts went up, especially deadlifts, though probably not as much as they "should" have.

More updates:

Been cutting since the holidays were over, probably going to be down about 8.5lbs or so. (....... (I generally shoot for 1.25lb/week on a 9 week cut and count anything 9+ as a success) ....

My wife has actually just starting working out a little and has been cutting with me, that's a totally new development and something of a surprise. Definitely plan to do another cutting cycle after my three week refeed. I originally planned to switch to a slow bulk after that but if she keeps cutting I may too in order to support her.

Very cool to see someone dial in the diet so well. You seem to have it down. Most people dont realize how 'easy' it is once you decide to do it. Instead they stay in diet limbo and struggle with fat loss. We are the same age, and despite many years in the gym in my 20's, I never figured out how to make my diet work for me until i wandered over to bb.com when I decided to come back to the gym. It is great to see another learn and use those tools with great success. I am sure over time you will get the chance to help others figure it out! Nice job

Looking to try some duathlons this summer, so I've ramped up the running and biking (well - spin classes since there's still a lot of snow on the ground.)

Six days a week training from Mar 1 through August, I'm looking forward to the lazy days of September ha ha.

Good to see you around! Always admired your progress.

2018-

-Take a break from competitive bodybuilding
-Let my body and mind recover
-Try to allow my SI joint to heal. Tired of living with pain.

Right now 6', ~180ish. By the end of the year, I still hope to be 6'.

Hey man.... I recently took some of my own advice and started taking cissus and glucosamine. After giving a guy the advice to try cissus, he came back to me in the gym about 3 weeks later and said he is feeling better than he has in 5 years. His shoulder had gotten to where he had to stop doing any direct work and doc told him his only option was replacement at this point. Last week he was doing OHP. I laughed, and realized I should order some and see if any of my nagging issues are helped. I am 2 weeks in and I have not been waking up with acute shoulder pain if I sleep odd. That is huge! I also can do some external rotation with my elbow at 90deg to my body with my bad shoulder.(5lb weight) That would have been impossible a couple weeks ago.

Give it a shot. For cissus I go with Primaforce brand. Good value and good rep.

No hands more than my 1rm, phuk you id!


Props

Thanks man. As we all know....'weight' is relative. I have seen your deads......THAT is some heavy sh!t you are pulling. Seriously impressive. With back strength like that, I am sure heavier squats are in your future if you want them.
Again...awesome consistent progress!

[blue9steel]

Very cool to see someone dial in the diet so well. You seem to have it down. Most people dont realize how 'easy' it is once you decide to do it. Instead they stay in diet limbo and struggle with fat loss. We are the same age, and despite many years in the gym in my 20's, I never figured out how to make my diet work for me until i wandered over to bb.com when I decided to come back to the gym. It is great to see another learn and use those tools with great success. I am sure over time you will get the chance to help others figure it out! Nice job

If you're a math kind of guy I recommend reading the hacker's diet: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/

He didn't really understand the exercise and macro parts, but he nails the calories and tracking in way that has really helped me.

The longer I'm at this, the more I realize that diet drives everything. Sure, working out is important, but even with a bad routine you can make pretty good progress if you've got your diet dialed in.

[Bo_Flecks]

Good luck, Bo. I miss your journal, it was one of the best.

Journaling while competing got too frustrating. Not many people understand that the training is extreme, and can lead to failures before stepping on the stage. It got old having to explain that. I started feeling like I was letting people down. In the past six years I only made it to competition day 50% of my attempted times.

Gl on your not shrinking in 2018 goals!

Yep. I would like to avoid being 3 feet tall in a wheel chair. I am paying for my military days now. When the old injury flares up, I can't walk, so I am working to avoid that on a permanent basis.

Hey man.... I recently took some of my own advice and started taking cissus and glucosamine.

I've tried glucosamine before (didn't experience any benefits that I could tell), but I have never tried cissus. I guess anything is worth a shot.

So far, the only thing I have found that alleviates the SI issue is 8 very long needles, and steroids injected right into the joint. I have had to have that done 3 times in the last 5 years. During my last contest prep when I was a few weeks out, I was training with a back brace on, and ended up having to have a procedure done. Needless to say, I got my ass handed to me on stage.

Not sure if I'll ever compete again. Hard, heavy training in a public gym does not provide the protections I need. Maybe if I get back into a home gym I'll consider it.

[Payton1221]

I've tried glucosamine before (didn't experience any benefits that I could tell)

I've read in one article that said only the glucosamine sulfate provides any benefits. In fact, the article said that it might be the "sulfate" part that's what provides any benefit. Around here, stores stock mostly (sometimes exclusively) the Glucosamine HCl version.

One supp that I value more than glucosamine sulfate (which I do take) is tumeric/curcumin. I feel that it has kept my golfer's elbow in check for ~2-3 years now.

[Plateauplower]

ID, Just ordered some primaforce Cissus for my shoulder issue for $20. I’m happy with the jeans and underwear you picked out for me so it’s worth a shot . I’ve also been using high potency turmeric caps 1000 mg 95% sappions they are like $30 bottle at Sams club, but seem to help.

Steve, if you’re taking a year off you can coach me if I get lean enough to step on stage . I’ve been toying with the idea of entering a natty comp at some point if I get lean enough and don’t look like $hit when I get there. Not for certain just something I’ve thought about, especially since at 38 I think I qualify for the old fuker division . So far it actually seems like I could get to single digits with my current diet plan. I’m pretty sure I could get through the day on 1700 cals if I needed to. Hopefully I’m not losing much muscle (hard to say I’m flat AF from lack of carbs), but I’m cruising along at a good pace and don’t plan on stopping until I’m truely lean (hopefully). Of course things could change when I start getting closer, perhaps hunger, hormones, injury potential etc could become more of an issue, but right now I’m down 23lbs in 11 weeks (now going about 1.5lbs /week will slow it down further as needed about 2200 cals/day currently), and lifts are only down 5% or so, and I feel better than I have in years.

[kgun12]

Quick overview, I'm 57 yrs old(March 15th), I was in the AF for 8 1/2 years. Played many sports, to include semi pro football, hockey, baseball, softball, you name it I played it. In 1998 I start having major back and knee issues. My L5 fell off the spinal column I had a10 1/2 hour fusion of the L5 and S1 surgery, within two years, I blew two discs in cervical region and now have C3,4 and 5 fused. Four knee surgeries from 98-2003. Needless to say, I was afraid to do ANYTHING. I did nothing but sit on my butt, drinking, eating and feeling sorry for myself for 10 years. In 2012 I had my gallbladder out. March 2013 I quit smoking, 5 years now!

Fast forward to October 2013, I took a desk job (just what I needed) and put on a few more pounds, moved from New York to Michigan. On my birthday 2014, I stepped on the scale weighed in at 240 lbs. and at 5-7, needless to say I wasn't very happy with myself! I decided to join Planet Fitness (cheap membership) and started very slowly, light weight, just working on technique. Slowly started losing weight and toning up. 18 months later, I was 200 lbs. looking pretty good, benching 245, and deadlifting 200. I don't squat with much weight to speak of, after all those surgeries squatting scares the hell out of me, I do light dumbbell squats! I maintain that weight until about a year ago. Then some life events happened and I couldn't workout as much as I wanted, I'm back up to 220. January I joined a real gym, lots of free weight and folks that are there to workout not socialize! I've been doing a full body program since the beginning of February. Motivation to get in the gym is not my issue, eating is! I don't eat badly and for the most part as clean as possible, just like food! BUT I do like my bourbon and wine. I usually have a glass of wine with dinner and I have limited the bourbon to the weekends. ( I will say, my wife like what she is seeing and feeling and my sons have noticed the changes as well!)

My goal for this year is, get back down below 200, then start adding to the bench and deadlift. There is a lot of muscle but right now it's kind of hidden. Even though I'm short, 185-195 is a good weight for me. I did have a weight waiver while in the AF, which allowed me to be at 185 lbs. Like I said I have always been athletic.

I will stay with the full body workout 3 days a week for awhile and some HIIT Training. Besides eating well. I supplement with coffee and creatine monohydrate for my pre-workout drink and protein powder after my workout and of course lots of water.

Hopefully by the end of summer, I will want to show some before and after pictures!

[ljimd]

Trying to decide if I have one more good cut left in me.

Jeezus, just typing that made me hungry.

[KoolDJVader]

Get the elusive 365 lb squat. Should have had it last summer....hit 350 last February but personal issues and bad programming halted any progress. Two weeks ago I hit doubles with 340 so probably back up to 350 now.

Also 455 on deadlifts. I hit 440 on sumo last October but since it beats up my hips a bit went back to conventional soon after and then just dropped regular deadlifts in favor of RDLs and GMs....ironically my log is titled 3/2/1 Deadlift Log (https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=166190881)

185 on the standing barbell press would be nice but Ive slacked off on the lift and upper body in general.

The only other lift I cared about was power cleans but actually hit my goal of 225 a couple of years ago (albeit very sloppily https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-CitpCi4RTA ).

Will record if and when I hit my goal

[ectoBgone]

Journaling while competing got too frustrating. Not many people understand that the training is extreme, and can lead to failures before stepping on the stage. It got old having to explain that. I started feeling like I was letting people down. In the past six years I only made it to competition day 50% of my attempted times.

Yup, I totally get it. Heal up, man.

[guidzilla]

I gotta say, this is a really cool thread. It's good to see so many people not letting age fully get in the way.

Personally I've been on and off the fitness wagon for many years and am now 38 and finally creating sustainable habits. The last handful of years I let work stress and busy parenting take over and suppress my willpower in proper eating and working out. Back on December 1st 2017 I was 6', 273, with high cholesterol. My GP wanted to push a Statin right away and I didn't want to band-aid the situation or give myself another reason not to follow-through. I decided not to take the Statin and start working my diet, along with my wife.

February 1st we rejoined our local YMCA(2 nice locations nearby). Along with our improved diet we've been in the gym a minimum 5 days per week lifting heavy, adding cardio at home on our Nordic Track C1650.

As of today I'm down to 249. Putting on noticeable solid mass, and slowly but surely losing the flab. Clothes are fitting better, including some I flat out did not fit into at all last year. It's exciting and becoming a sort of addiction again like it was in parts of my 20's.

My goals are simply to have a solid core, avoid injury(have had L5,S1 surgery in the past), and have a comfortable/sustainable cut. I'm not planning any major super lean goals, I just want to be fit, happy and be able to keep up with my 2 boys... And not be another chubber on a Harley(2014 Street Glide for you riders).

Thanks for the info you all continue to post.

Brian

[Cantplankwell]

I gotta say, this is a really cool thread. It's good to see so many people not letting age fully get in the way.

Personally I've been on and off the fitness wagon for many years and am now 38 and finally creating sustainable habits. The last handful of years I let work stress and busy parenting take over and suppress my willpower in proper eating and working out. Back on December 1st 2017 I was 6', 273, with high cholesterol. My GP wanted to push a Statin right away and I didn't want to band-aid the situation or give myself another reason not to follow-through. I decided not to take the Statin and start working my diet, along with my wife.

February 1st we rejoined our local YMCA(2 nice locations nearby). Along with our improved diet we've been in the gym a minimum 5 days per week lifting heavy, adding cardio at home on our Nordic Track C1650.

As of today I'm down to 249. Putting on noticeable solid mass, and slowly but surely losing the flab. Clothes are fitting better, including some I flat out did not fit into at all last year. It's exciting and becoming a sort of addiction again like it was in parts of my 20's.

My goals are simply to have a solid core, avoid injury(have had L5,S1 surgery in the past), and have a comfortable/sustainable cut. I'm not planning any major super lean goals, I just want to be fit, happy and be able to keep up with my 2 boys... And not be another chubber on a Harley(2014 Street Glide for you riders).

Thanks for the info you all continue to post.

Brian

Good work!!

[Bo_Flecks]

Steve, if you’re taking a year off you can coach me if I get lean enough to step on stage . I’ve been toying with the idea of entering a natty comp at some point if I get lean enough and don’t look like $hit when I get there.

There is a lot of mis-information out their about getting contest lean.

Here is my mindset and experience on it: First of all, getting to ~10% is really not that complicated. Calculate your estimated body fat target loss and give yourself 1 week for every pound of fat you need to lose to get there. Then pad that by a couple of extra weeks. Go on your 500 cal per day deficit and stay there. If you notice your fat loss is starting to stall, cut out another 100 cals per day, because you have reached a new maintenance level. Don't try to mess with any of that cheat day/refeed crap during this time. There is no need and it just screws up the weekly calorie deficit total and slows down the fat loss. This phase is simply a matter of determination. Don't try to lose any faster during this time because you want to train your ass off, and continue to make some progress. Yes it's possible.

Getting from ~10% to contest conditioning is a different game. If you get there, I will be happy to share techniques to get to ~6/7%.

Yup, I totally get it. Heal up, man.

I really don't think it's a matter of healing up any longer. It's really a matter of protecting the SI joint from getting overly stressed, and keeping inflammation from building up which impacts the nerve that runs all the way to my right foot. I am simply paying for a 35 year old military injury now. When I was younger, my body could get rid of the inflammation on its own and much faster. Now, not so much.

ETA: This break from natty bodybuilding is probably just as much a mental break as a physical break. I just don't think I'll be able to train my legs like I need to be a competitive bodybuilding any longer. So if I want to continue to compete, I'll need to do so in a physique division and cover up my quads with some flowery cloth. That will take some shifting of attitudes for me.

[Plateauplower]

There is a lot of mis-information out their about getting contest lean.

Here is my mindset and experience on it: First of all, getting to ~10% is really not that complicated. Calculate your estimated body fat target loss and give yourself 1 week for every pound of fat you need to lose to get there. Then pad that by a couple of extra weeks. Go on your 500 cal per day deficit and stay there. If you notice your fat loss is starting to stall, cut out another 100 cals per day, because you have reached a new maintenance level. Don't try to mess with any of that cheat day/refeed crap during this time. There is no need and it just screws up the weekly calorie deficit total and slows down the fat loss. This phase is simply a matter of determination. Don't try to lose any faster during this time because you want to train your ass off, and continue to make some progress. Yes it's possible.

Getting from ~10% to contest conditioning is a different game. If you get there, I will be happy to share techniques to get to ~6/7%.

I really don't think it's a matter of healing up any longer. It's really a matter of protecting the SI joint from getting overly stressed, and keeping inflammation from building up which impacts the nerve that runs all the way to my right foot. I am simply paying for a 35 year old military injury now. When I was younger, my body could get rid of the inflammation on its own and much faster. Now, not so much.

ETA: This break from natty bodybuilding is probably just as much a mental break as a physical break. I just don't think I'll be able to train my legs like I need to be a competitive bodybuilding any longer. So if I want to continue to compete, I'll need to do so in a physique division and cover up my quads with some flowery cloth. That will take some shifting of attitudes for me.

Right now my plan is to see how I look in the 170s before deciding anything. I am currently about 190, and going a little more aggressive than 1lb per week, but that should resolve itself when I hit the mid/low 180s and my deficit decreases itself. Looking to be 180 in June. That might put me around 10-15lbs from "stage conditioning" so another 15-20 weeks from there if I decide to try it lol, but hard to say. Abs are coming in nice now at 190, but plenty of fat left on my obliques, lower back, lower stomach etc etc.

I have been doing some reading, jeez doing a show is not cheap with joining the fed, paying registration, paying for polygraph, buying trunks, tan etc, I could buy a whole bunch of trophies and a mantle to put them on for that . I think learning to pose, and learning how to peak would be the biggest things where I would need to focus on aside from how to get that last couple of percent bodyfat off which I am sure would provide much less enjoyment than I have experienced so far dropping from 213 to 190. Its been very easy so far, have not had a cheat meal yet, nor a desire for one because I haven't dealt with the painful hunger I am used to when I eat more carbs. I can't remember the fed I was looking at, have it open on ipad at home. That one was 40 for masters though, but they did have BB and the new classic physique. Not interested in reg physique cause I don't think I have the look for it, and I train legs .

Right now I am actually enjoying dieting, which is certainly a first....Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself


I'll report back or log my experience with the Primaforce Cissus to see if it helps my shoulder. Should have caps and powder arriving today. Planning 4-6g/day total, two separate doses and see what happens.

Edit to add

Iceman posted this in nutrition section earlier (cause he hates 035 ) interesting read on 0mega 3, has implications related to aging...
PDF full text available, reading now.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29510597

[Cantplankwell]

Right now my plan is to see how I look in the 170s before deciding anything. I am currently about 190, and going a little more aggressive than 1lb per week, but that should resolve itself when I hit the mid/low 180s and my deficit decreases itself. Looking to be 180 in June. That might put me around 10-15lbs from "stage conditioning" so another 15-20 weeks from there if I decide to try it lol, but hard to say. Abs are coming in nice now at 190, but plenty of fat left on my obliques, lower back, lower stomach etc etc.

I have been doing some reading, jeez doing a show is not cheap with joining the fed, paying registration, paying for polygraph, buying trunks, tan etc, I could buy a whole bunch of trophies and a mantle to put them on for that . I think learning to pose, and learning how to peak would be the biggest things where I would need to focus on aside from how to get that last couple of percent bodyfat off which I am sure would provide much less enjoyment than I have experienced so far dropping from 213 to 190. Its been very easy so far, have not had a cheat meal yet, nor a desire for one because I haven't dealt with the painful hunger I am used to when I eat more carbs. I can't remember the fed I was looking at, have it open on ipad at home. That one was 40 for masters though, but they did have BB and the new classic physique. Not interested in reg physique cause I don't think I have the look for it, and I train legs .

Right now I am actually enjoying dieting, which is certainly a first....Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself


I'll report back or log my experience with the Primaforce Cissus to see if it helps my shoulder. Should have caps and powder arriving today. Planning 4-6g/day total, two separate doses and see what happens.

Edit to add

Iceman posted this in nutrition section earlier (cause he hates 035 ) interesting read on 0mega 3, has implications related to aging...
PDF full text available, reading now.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29510597

I do not even have shred of that discipline, hats off to you...hope you go for it, it would be an epic experience!!

[Plateauplower]

I do not even have shred of that discipline, hats off to you...hope you go for it, it would be an epic experience!!

Lol well I’m not there yet, I have a looong way to go, so I’m not sure if I have that discipline either. It’s just been very easy and effective dieting and I currently feel like i can easily keep going, and I’m more confident it will be sustainable wherever I decide to stay in terms of bodyfat. My TDEE appears t be right around 3000 cals per day which is absurd for me, that has been “get fat fast” intake. Waist is smaller than it’s ever been too, despite still being at a higher BW (could be due to lack of carb bloat).

[Corbets]

Man, I’m loving this thread. All you guys my age (and up!) looking better than I ever did in my early 20s. Gives a fella hope!

My goals for 2018 are straightforward - cut to single digit body fat (started around 24% this year, currently a bit over 14%) and then probably do some bulking. At 6’ 3” and 190lbs, I’m already in the best shape of my life... but why stop when I’m on a roll?

Will follow this thread closely!

[drudixon]

Journaling while competing got too frustrating. Not many people understand that the training is extreme, and can lead to failures before stepping on the stage. It got old having to explain that. I started feeling like I was letting people down. In the past six years I only made it to competition day 50% of my attempted times.



Yep. I would like to avoid being 3 feet tall in a wheel chair. I am paying for my military days now. When the old injury flares up, I can't walk, so I am working to avoid that on a permanent basis.



I've tried glucosamine before (didn't experience any benefits that I could tell), but I have never tried cissus. I guess anything is worth a shot.

So far, the only thing I have found that alleviates the SI issue is 8 very long needles, and steroids injected right into the joint. I have had to have that done 3 times in the last 5 years. During my last contest prep when I was a few weeks out, I was training with a back brace on, and ended up having to have a procedure done. Needless to say, I got my ass handed to me on stage.

Not sure if I'll ever compete again. Hard, heavy training in a public gym does not provide the protections I need. Maybe if I get back into a home gym I'll consider it.

Damn man...

You're one of the few people I'd like to meet irl from here. So far I've met one. Totally no homo, just respect

[Bando]

Totaled 1,055 in the gym today, 6 weeks out. My PR is 1,100 and I'm just starting my peaking program. Was rough with only a 300 bench but feeling pretty damn good about my other lifts!

[Hooverville]

Been closer and closer to hitting 199. Probably make that weight tomorrow or this weekend. Seeing the trend go towards loss is always a great feeling.

I have been making better and better choices when it comes to food and overall calories are coming down without much tracking.

Have been avoiding breakfast and insuring I get plenty of good macros around my workout. Today is “dads day” at my kids preschool and there will be hotdogs and chips with soda for everyone. I’m not even worried about being a buzzkill and not eating them.

Onward.

[Plateauplower]

Update on the Cissus, obviously its not doing anything yet, but I got a tub of powder to add 2g to my intra WO drink, and a bottle of capsules to take other times to get to 4-6g/day. Only observation so far is The powder tastes absolutely disgusting. If a scoop of a blue razz Xtend and a scoop of sour gummy bear Kraken can't cover the taste good luck drinking it straight. Its also very clumpy and looked like a big greenish brown turd floating in my shaker before I set a shaker shaking PR and got it to somewhat mix turning my entire drink blueish brown with a hint of green.

Also Kraken sour gummy bear says it contains NATURAL and artificial gummy bear flavor on the label I did not realize gummy bears were a real animal, nor do I understand the process of extracting flavor from them....

[induced_drag]

Totaled 1,055 in the gym today, 6 weeks out. My PR is 1,100 and I'm just starting my peaking program. Was rough with only a 300 bench but feeling pretty damn good about my other lifts!

Sweet! Just finish out and dont try to second guess yourself at the end with any drastic changes.

Have been avoiding breakfast and insuring I get plenty of good macros around my workout. .

.

Macro timing has little to no effect. (without getting into extremes of contest dieting...etc. ) If it makes you feel better to eat things at a certain time, then go for it. But dont feel like you need to structure like that for a reason. When you get pretty lean, you can take advantage of carb timing...etc. BTW....eat the hotdogs and soda. Not for you, but for your kid. If you are really strict, than take a bite or two and leave the rest. Dont make the day about you and your diet. Go and enjoy fun with your kid. I have been to many a 'donuts for dads' day and even during the most strict cut, I shared a treat with my kids and it never hurt me in the long run.....

Update on the Cissus, o ..

Cissus may be working for me. I am not trying to buy in too much with the placebo effect, but I am feeling pretty darn good. Almost too good. I can actually do a vertical external rotation with my right arm. I did it this week with 5lb dumbbells. I would not even attempt to do this without any weight...ever before. Getting a tight jacket or reaching for a seatbelt has been a challenge for years if I move the wrong way. People often seem surprised at how limited my shoulder is when they see what I can bench, but I am limited to very strict range of motion. Outside my 'groove', my should is worthless. BUT I am happy to say it is feeling better than it has in years. I'll keep you updated.

On the note of taste....you are nuts for the raw powder. I smelled what the caps taste like...and no thanks!!!

[Hooverville]

Totally ate the hotdog lol. Still watching those cals though.

[Plateauplower]

Cissus may be working for me. I am not trying to buy in too much with the placebo effect, but I am feeling pretty darn good. Almost too good. I can actually do a vertical external rotation with my right arm. I did it this week with 5lb dumbbells. I would not even attempt to do this without any weight...ever before. Getting a tight jacket or reaching for a seatbelt has been a challenge for years if I move the wrong way. People often seem surprised at how limited my shoulder is when they see what I can bench, but I am limited to very strict range of motion. Outside my 'groove', my should is worthless. BUT I am happy to say it is feeling better than it has in years. I'll keep you updated.

On the note of taste....you are nuts for the raw powder. I smelled what the caps taste like...and no thanks!!!

Did you ever have your shoulder issue medically diagnosed? That sounds almost identical to mine. Raising the arm laterally or external rotations are the sensitive zones (putting a coat on etc), OHP / incline bench is definitely not good currently for me. I have been trying to to work through the issue with a variety of rehab exercises I found and talked to a rehab therapist that we use at work for occupational injuries, and massage (and about anything else I find that could help). If I message a really tight area in my back/scapula on that side it seems to "release" it and it feels really good. The muscle is pretty knotted up there. I bought a big electric vibrating impact massager that sits next to my desk and I crank it on and lean against it in my chair and just hammer it out....Luckily mine is my left and I'm right handed so don't really need that arm anyway . Mine was getting drastically better then I started trying to get my bench numbers back up and it started getting sore again. I think that was mostly due to pushing too hard too fast and allowing myself to get out of the groove on some reps. If I am careful, I can still handle enough weight to get quality work in. DBs seem better to push myself on that BB since I can adjust for more comfort.

I got the powder and capsules on the same day. Yea the powder smells and tastes even stronger than the capsules. Highly do not recommend, although it is far cheaper...And I'm cheap, so if it works I'll figure a way to "like" the powder .

[induced_drag]

Did you ever have your shoulder issue medically diagnosed? .

I had a mri done in 2008 and came very close to going under the knife. I have a torn labrum. The doc said I would be a good candidate for surgery. At the time, I had been out of the gym for many years. My shoulder go so bad, that I could not even lift my arm enough to put my infant son in a car seat. My wife would have to lift him in and out for me. I could not reach out and change the radio station in a car without having something to rest my arm on. Moving my arm forward from my side to overhead is impossible without bringing it out to the side.

Not sure where the original injury came from. I separated my shoulder a couple times in hockey during highschool. My shoulder problems got a lot worse when as a college freshman, I broke my collar bone of the same shoulder. It never healed right and my right shoulder now sits about 1 1/2" further in from my centerline than my other one.

Long story short, I never got cut open and just lived with it. When I came back to working out, I was forced (because of limited equipment of my home gym) to learn to bench. I never benched in my 20's because my shoulder did not like it. I just did all dumbbell work. Working with a buddy of mine who is a sports chiro, we found some things that helped it. A series of rotator cuff stretches helped. The biggest one is putting my arms behind my body on a bar in the rack at the safties, and lowering my body to raise my arms up. The other one that helped, is putting both hands behind my lower back and pushing myself back into a corner (so both elbows are forced forward). I do this in the shower all the time and it does wonders. Of course internal and external rotations helped. And the last thing that helped a little was some active release therapy. When I was getting my hip worked on, I shared my shoulder issues with him. He said there is a muscle that ties in basically near your lat. He said mine was tight and pulling that shoulder forward. It was painful as hell, but he worked that and it did give me more relief. The biggest things though were the stretches.

My shoulder got to where I could bench heavy with no issues, but I had to be a form nazi. A slip in form 3 years ago on a failed 440 bench messed me up for 6+ months and I have decided not to bench heavy any longer.

My should is good, but I cant throw a baseball, and I would fall over in terrible pain from one frisbee throw. (srs) Sounds funny that I can still sling decent weight but a frisbee will take me out of commission

[Plateauplower]

I had a mri done in 2008 and came very close to going under the knife. I have a torn labrum. The doc said I would be a good candidate for surgery. At the time, I had been out of the gym for many years. My shoulder go so bad, that I could not even lift my arm enough to put my infant son in a car seat. My wife would have to lift him in and out for me. I could not reach out and change the radio station in a car without having something to rest my arm on. Moving my arm forward from my side to overhead is impossible without bringing it out to the side.

Not sure where the original injury came from. I separated my shoulder a couple times in hockey during highschool. My shoulder problems got a lot worse when as a college freshman, I broke my collar bone of the same shoulder. It never healed right and my right shoulder now sits about 1 1/2" further in from my centerline than my other one.

Long story short, I never got cut open and just lived with it. When I came back to working out, I was forced (because of limited equipment of my home gym) to learn to bench. I never benched in my 20's because my shoulder did not like it. I just did all dumbbell work. Working with a buddy of mine who is a sports chiro, we found some things that helped it. A series of rotator cuff stretches helped. The biggest one is putting my arms behind my body on a bar in the rack at the safties, and lowering my body to raise my arms up. The other one that helped, is putting both hands behind my lower back and pushing myself back into a corner (so both elbows are forced forward). I do this in the shower all the time and it does wonders. Of course internal and external rotations helped. And the last thing that helped a little was some active release therapy. When I was getting my hip worked on, I shared my shoulder issues with him. He said there is a muscle that ties in basically near your lat. He said mine was tight and pulling that shoulder forward. It was painful as hell, but he worked that and it did give me more relief. The biggest things though were the stretches.

My shoulder got to where I could bench heavy with no issues, but I had to be a form nazi. A slip in form 3 years ago on a failed 440 bench messed me up for 6+ months and I have decided not to bench heavy any longer.

My should is good, but I cant throw a baseball, and I would fall over in terrible pain from one frisbee throw. (srs) Sounds funny that I can still sling decent weight but a frisbee will take me out of commission

I don't know how I hurt mine either, it started last April after a landscaping project at home, and also around that time I was doing skull crushers and missed the bench behind my head setting the bar down and it jerked my arms back a little before I could let go (don't do it that way anymore, just sit-up with it and carry it back to the head of the bench). I didn't get mine checked primarily because I would absolutely not do surgery at this point, maybe down the road but in terms of cost to benefit I don't like the idea of being put under for even a minor surgery if I can perhaps rehab it on my own and have it take 18 months instead of surgery plus 3-6 months....We have similar history on the "bad" side. I broke my L collar bone when I was little (3? - only bone break I've ever had that I'm aware of) and it was misdiagnosed for a few weeks according to my parents, before they took me back in and they realized it was a broken clavicle. That shoulder has also been dislocated twice in wrestling

Massage really helps me. Its almost instant when I work on it, hurts doing it, but it does help. I got the Cissus on Tuesday and took 2g Tuesday evening and 6g/day since. My shoulder feels pretty good today raising my arm over my head (noticeably so). I did throttle myself back on BB bench on Monday, but went heavier on DB bench yesterday. I'm cautiously optimistic so far. Glad its my left, my dog would hate it if I couldn't throw a frisby.

[dazlittle]

Still here and working out 4 times a week, I've been a little more relaxed with my diet for the last 6 months or so. Not gone crazy but just increased portion sizes, My weight has slowly creeped up to around 210Lbs. I can still see abs but they are a little fluffy!!

Switched from PPL to and upper/Lower routine, I train 4 times a week so I'm hitting each body part twice a week and I'm liking it especially hitting legs twice a week.

2 vacations booked this year, so its time to start restricting the calories a little to drop a bit of fat.

Love reading this thread and hearing about everyone plans and sucssesses keep it up guys.

Cheers
Daren

[Cantplankwell]

I hang up the skates this week till September and start on restricting my calorie intake.

Reviewed the stickies in the nutrition forums last night.

Got out my nutrition logs from last year and began by checking my math on my usual staples.

Last year I was pretty much only doing two things, trying to find out maintenance accurately through monitoring my food, and weighing on the scale, and making sure I was getting enough protein. My maintenance calories are somewhere around 2700. 5'11, 185lbs.

Looks like sunday will have to be a big food prep day.

Hardest part will be giving up or drastically reducing my snacks at work with my coffee.

Felt like an accountant trying to find a way to "cook" the books.

[Aristotelian]

I have been lifting for about 1 year now. Quit smoking (after 10 years of heavy smoking) late last year, and will never smoke again. I lowered my alcohol intake a lot as well.

2018 has been about pushing my lifting sessions even harder (I did my first weighted spread eagle sit up sets yesterday...). I'm currently based on an island and I'm looking forward to summer. My plan is to push my workouts as hard as I can, while slowly (I've started already) incorporating cardio into my routine. Plan to regularly go swimming in areas where the waves are pretty choppy (was a competitive swimmer when I was younger but my form is off now, getting a swim coach too), so I can soak up some sun, get some cardio done, and hopefully help my muscle recovery with what I've been reading is 'active recovery'.

[Vytis]

Still training, but unfortunately due to injuries I haven't been able to lift with the same consistency and intensity that I would like. Probably like many of you I am still a little unsatisfied with the way I look, and for me my current goal is to reduce body fat (it would be nice to get to single digit fat levels). And as always the trick for me is to coax my upper body to mirror the leanness of my legs....forever shredded legs and keg for abs....whomp, whaaa.....