SpeculatorSam's Recomp Journal

[SpeculatorSam]

Alright, so I've been strength training again for 7 months now. I didn't log my training earlier because I didn't discover this website and forum until just recently I'll post a brief summary of my trying again.

Starting Stats: 201lb at like 32-35% as a 5'7.5" dood. with a 42in. waist. Don't have a physique photo from then but I found the least flattering photo from a video my YouTube channel (Tyguy80s if you're interested). I'll leave a shirtless photo of me at 190 (1.5 months in) for a reference of how drastic the seven months difference is.

Lifts were
Bench: nothing I did push-ups and one arm push-up progressions for 4-5 months
Squat: Single Leg Squat with 2.5lbs. pair
Deadlift: Nope, DB single leg deads with 25lb pair. for 3 x 6
Pull-ups: 9 was my max reps
OHP: Nope, pike pushups 3 x 13
Curls fiddled with 15lbs pair once, didn't curl again until five months later.

7 months later, I'm currently 175 @ 18.5-19% with a 34.5in waist. Lifts and current physique below

Single Arm DB Bench: 3 x 5 with 75lb dumbbell
Builted up to single leg squats with 30lb pair for 3 x 8, but switched to Reverse Lunge and built to 3 x 8 with 70lb DB pair
DB Single Leg Deads 3 x 9 with 50lbs.
Weighted Chins doing 3 x 10 slow reps w/ +10lbs, can do 12 slow full ROM chins as a warmup
OHP 4 x 5 with 55lbs. pair, former true max two months ago was 60lbs for 3 or 4 good reps
Strict Curl 45lb pair for a triple, working sets are 30lb. pair for 3 x 9 slow reps ane 50lb pair slow negatives 3 x 4.

The idea is I'll post an update here once a week or once a month, since I've decided that cutting's stupid now that I'm no longer obese and that eating more maximizes beginner muscle gains and allows you to workout harder. I'll take a true average on my weekly weigh-ins and share my waist measurement and my lifts at the time of updating. The idea is to eat maintenance or slight deficit 80-90% of the time, but I'm not opposed to eating more unless it gets out of control and my waist line goes up to 35 or above again. I haven't really been able to maintain a leaner physique than this, so I'm taking it slow 'coz "the slower you lose it, the more likely you are to keep it off."

This is the year of the recomp for me

[scrossmaggard]

Following

[SpeculatorSam]

Following

thx scrossmaggard

[SpeculatorSam]

Alright, so for fun I did some body measruements since I'm not really cutting anymore for the most part. Did these first thing after waking up. Height is 5'7.5. At 174.8lbs today 19% bodyfat... lol these measurements are silly. I've got work to do

Arm 13
Forearm 11.25
Chest 40.5
Waist 34.5
Thighs 23.5
Calves 14,5
Neck 14.5

[SpeculatorSam]

Weighed in at 172.8, my lightest in a very long time. I took a posing progress video. This first one is from December 24th, and the second is today. The 24th was after leg day, but this new one is first thing in the morning after my weigh-in.

[SpeculatorSam]

Was pretty happy, I measured in with a 34in in waist now, that's a half inch less than when I checked three-four weeks ago. 173lb today, here are some more body measurements, and some photos. I'll list any new lifting PRs too. I did a very awkward posing routine so I'll just post pics of the nicest poses I made.




Arm 13
Forearm 11.9
Chest 41
Waist 34
Thighs 23
Calves 14.25
Neck 15

Clean 180
Deadlift 270 for 5
Weighted Chins doing 5 x 6 w/ 35lbs
Barbell OHP 150lbs.
Barbell Curl 70lbs. for 9

[SpeculatorSam]

Hasn't really been that long'a time but I took a massive bodybuilder poop, so I figured this'd be a good time to measure things. Scale weight is 174.4lbs My upper body muscles got a bit bigger, and my waist line is now 34in on the dot. Unfortunately do to a lack of a squat rack and that I've already maxed out my dumbbells at home, my thighs are still 23 and 23.5in (they're very even too wow). On the plus side, my traps are coming back since I'm doing cleans again

My front squatting sessions are currently limited by how much I can clean for a working set, so that sucks. I'll add some 20 rep set of dumbbell lunges to see if that can bring my quads up a bit more, won't really make me stronger but it will induce a hypertrophy effect. Another thing is I've already built a lot of my thigh muscle from distance running and the single leg squats I did a year ago, so I'm not gonna expect any big thigh gains until I beat my old high school high bar squat PR of 305lbs x 5; albeit I go that PR as an obese 197'er, I'm now a 174'er that's 18% bodyfat, the US Marines would accept me just fine




Measurements (* = improvement)

Arm 13.1 *
Forearm 11.9
Chest 41
Waist 34
Shoulders 47.33 * (I got this measurement before as a fat guy, so this is a big PR for me)
Thighs 23 & 23.5
Calves 14.5 *
Neck 15

Lift PRs

Barbell Curl 95lb for 5 good reps and a 6th questionable rep. Curl negatives with 115. 105 for a single.
Barbell OHP 120 for 5
DB lunge 20 rep set with 65lb
Hamstring Curl working with 85lb for 5 x 8
Single Leg Calf raises in a doorway with 25lbs in a backpack for 5 x 7

[SpeculatorSam]

Just got back from a consecutive month of working, because someone quit I opted to cover the shifts. I decided counting the calories wasn't worth my time and boy was I wrong. I'm not even mad, but I did gain a solid inch on my waist. My lifts also went up in general so that's good. I'm not gonna freak out and start doing a huge cut or anything like that, after listening to Mike Isratel and using my knowledge of beginner lifting gains I realize that trying to cut will inhibit precious muscle gains that you can only receive in your first year or two. Also, 19-20% is ultimately fine if you aren't competing and are still doing your cardio (20min of jogging or a video workout daily to no avail).



Only measurement I took was my waist, which is 35in (I'm 5'7.5" guys)

Lift PRs

Weighted Chins 5x3 with 60+lbs, and 52.5lbs+ for 6.5-7reps
Barbell Curl 110lbs barbell curl, 120 for curl negatives.
Not a PR, but I did finally beat 77.5lbs DB bench and 115lbs BB OHP for 5x5.
My clean techinque improved, but no PRs in the legs unfortunately Can't wait to get that squat rack.

Particularly the reason why I'm not choosing to cut no is because my weighted chin has improved vastly, and that's not something can improve if someone's gained a significant amount of body fat.

[SpeculatorSam]

Alright so a two months of no days off at work and not even bothering to count calories later, I got my waist to 35.5in, so I'm gonna do a mini-cut then retry the recomping thing again. My physique doesn't really look much different, so not gonna post a photo, and for now I'm not bother to measure bodyparts since there just gonna get smaller anyhow. Gonna cut 6lbs in 6 weeks then try my best to eat at caloric maintenance. I'm roughly 22% bodyfat now, but I am 4lbs. more muscular Lift PRs will be listed below.

5x5 working weights
Bench 200
Squat 280
OHP 140
Weighted Chins +45lbs

PRs in general
80+ for 2.75 reps on Weighted Chin
165 x 8 Pendlay Row
32.5lbs in a backpack for 4x8 on single leg calf raises on a doorframe
92.5lbs on the hamstring curl machine for 2x8
5 sets of 3 rep Power Clean w 165lbs.
1RM on Strict Curl: 90 to 105lbs in the last month

[Kiffy200]

Great to see your progress man story sounds rather similar to mine I was about the same starting and trying to get as much off as I can before I try bulk back up Great work though man keep it up I'll be sure to keep checking to see how you're going

[SpeculatorSam]

Great to see your progress man story sounds rather similar to mine I was about the same starting and trying to get as much off as I can before I try bulk back up Great work though man keep it up I'll be sure to keep checking to see how you're going

Thanks Kiffy It's always fun being overweight, then doing the six month cut to become not overweight, then having to do a mini-cut two months later because "oh, it's just ONE chocolate bar... and an Arizona tea, a cookie, and a donut". Oh well, if nothing else, it boosted the newfound beginner gains from doing bench and squats again and it was mental refreshing to not count calories for two months. Unfortunately, if I plan on maintaining a healthy bodyfat, I will have to be more disciplined in my weight management. Back to the 'ol grind.

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick Update; Week 1 of 8 of mini-cut. Weight lost, 184 to 181.6. 0.4% bodyfat lost and .25in lost Waist:35.25in. I never can capture my legs in my bathroom, so I'll post a video of me doing dumbbell swings.


Lift progress

3x5 working weights
Bench 205x4 (True max out), 190
Squat 285
OHP 140
Weighted Chins +50lbs
37.5lbs in a backpack for 4x8 on single leg calf raises on a doorframe
95lbs on the hamstring curl machine for 2x8

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick Update; Week 2 of 8 of mini-cut. Weight:180 avg and .5in lost Waist:34.5-34.75in. Nice to see a water weight drop, it gives me hope

Lift progress

Working weights
Bench 190 3x6
Squat 257.5 3x6
OHP 130 3x6
Weighted Chins +55lbs
DB Swings 3x10 w 80lbs.
40lbs in a backpack for 2x8 on single leg calf raises on a doorframe
95lbs on the hamstring curl machine for 2x8

[TheUnderdog83]

Congratulations on your progress. Don’t worry about “wasting” your newbie gains by cutting. You will still make good gains when you get back out of the deficit. However, it will take you 2-3 years to get that first year of newbie gains if you have to keep switching to a cut every month or two. Ideally you want a bulk to last for 7 months or longer, gaining about 2-3 pounds per month in your first year of lifting. My biggest piece of advice, after this cut you’re on, is to learn what eating around maintenance or just slightly over looks like.

My weight has fluctuated between 165 - 210 for the past 10 years, and for the first 8 years I wasn’t hardly lifting at all. I just finished a cut about a month ago, and for now I still have to count all my calories or I will gain weight too quickly (too much fat). If you haven’t already, read the link in my signature block about nutrition.

[SpeculatorSam]

Congratulations on your progress. Don’t worry about “wasting” your newbie gains by cutting. You will still make good gains when you get back out of the deficit. However, it will take you 2-3 years to get that first year of newbie gains if you have to keep switching to a cut every month or two. Ideally you want a bulk to last for 7 months or longer, gaining about 2-3 pounds per month in your first year of lifting. My biggest piece of advice, after this cut you’re on, is to learn what eating around maintenance or just slightly over looks like.

My weight has fluctuated between 165 - 210 for the past 10 years, and for the first 8 years I wasn’t hardly lifting at all. I just finished a cut about a month ago, and for now I still have to count all my calories or I will gain weight too quickly (too much fat). If you haven’t already, read the link in my signature block about nutrition.

This is all very true. I don't plan on "eff it" bulking anymore. I didn't to begin with, however there was a stressful time in my life that caused me to stop counting calories for a bit. Lesson harshly reminded that calories always matter.

I've been listening to some Mike Isratel and other podcasts on Revive Stronger, Abel Csabei, etc., learning and re-internalizing how to eat and what have you. If the cut's slow enough, then you'll still build plenty of muscle, maybe just not quite as much as when recompling/bulking, I'm aware of that Underdog, that's why I'm losing no more than a pound a week, and will run this cut no longer than 8 week. I actually did hold maintainence for a good month straight, and lost a half inch off my waist while at the same bodyweight, but I started slacking diet wise.

Thanks for the repsonse underdog, and dems some good lifts in the sig fellow 175'er

[TheUnderdog83]

This is all very true. I don't plan on "eff it" bulking anymore. I didn't to begin with, however there was a stressful time in my life that caused me to stop counting calories for a bit. Lesson harshly reminded that calories always matter.

I've been listening to some Mike Isratel and other podcasts on Revive Stronger, Abel Csabei, etc., learning and re-internalizing how to eat and what have you. If the cut's slow enough, then you'll still build plenty of muscle, maybe just not quite as much as when recompling/bulking, I'm aware of that Underdog, that's why I'm losing no more than a pound a week, and will run this cut no longer than 8 week. I actually did hold maintainence for a good month straight, and lost a half inch off my waist while at the same bodyweight, but I started slacking diet wise.

Thanks for the repsonse underdog, and dems some good lifts in the sig fellow 175'er

I understand, I’m a stress eater too. Some of my most stressful times at work is when I gained the most weight. Anymore I try to pour the stress into my workouts, I always feel a little better after lifting.

Thanks, looking forward to seeing your progress.

[SpeculatorSam]

BTW my legs for those who srsly need to check out my legs 14 days into this mini-cut

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick Update Week 2.5 (Day 18) of 8 of mini-cut. Weight:179.x avg and Waist:34.8-34.9xin. but I wasn't squeezing the tape measure as much

Lift progress

Working weights
Bench 192.5 3x6
Squat 270 3x5
OHP 130 3x6
Weighted Chins +57.5lbs 3x5
DB Swings 3x10 w 85lbs.
40lbs in a backpack for 2x8 on single leg calf raises on a doorframe
97.5lbs on the hamstring curl machine for 2x8





I love my love handles, but they could be smaller.

[SpeculatorSam]

1 month mini-cut finished; photos and video below. I've decided to raise my calories up some and hang out between a 200-300cal deficit and maintenance and work to ramping my training volume back to where it was before the cut. In other words, now that I'm back down to sub20% bodyfat, I'll work on the recomping thing again. The plan is to come back once every two weeks and not measure my waist more often than 1x/2wk-4wk





Working weights
Bench 200 3x5
Squat 280 3x5
OHP 132.5 3x6
Weighted Chins +57.5lbs 3x6
DB Swings 3x10 w 85lbs.
40lbs in a backpack for 2x8 on single leg calf raises on a doorframe
97.5lbs on the hamstring curl machine for 2x8

[SpeculatorSam]

Three weeks later

I'll share a few photos a my latest squat PR. Waistline is down to 34in. I ate at calorie maintenance, and I haven't really lost significant weight but alas I have a 34in waist now. Project Recomp is proving successful as of yet







Working weights (the one's that've changed much)
Bench Top single 205, 195 3x5
Squat Top single 310, 3x5 w 295
OHP Tope single 145, 137.5 3x5
Weighted Chins +45 3x5
DB Swings 3x10 w 85lbs.
Power Cleans 5x3 w 155, top single is 162.5lbs

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update


I'm getting a lot of compliments on my physiqe, although my measurements haven't really changing (it's been one week) I feel like I look better. My lifts are improving, but I'm certain I've more or less maxed out my 3x5 gains, at least on my squats and OHP. I'll share a load of physique photos and my lift PRs.





Working weights & PRs
Bench Top single 212.5, 202.5 3x5
Squat Top single 315, 300lbs x 5
OHP Top single 150, 140 3x5 and 142.5 x 4
Weighted Chins +50 3x5.
Power Cleans 3x3 w 157.5, top single is 162.5lbs[/QUOTE]

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update

Not too much to say here, but I weighed in at 174.6 and the waistline's still at 34in. Lifts going up some, but I'm not expecting a lot of hypertrophy for the next couple months or so, since I'm switching to 3 sets of 3 reps on a lot of my compound movements. Nonetheless, I'll post my photos and share my lift PRs here



Working weights & PRs
Bench 2x5,1x4 w 205, 3x3 w 215lbs
Squat 310 for 3x3
OHP 3x3 w 150
Weighted Chins +52.5 3x5.
Power Cleans 3x3 w 160 top single is 170llbs

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update

Muh v-taper's coming along nicely Roughly same body measurements, currently weigh 174.8-177.2 throughout this week.


Working weights & PRs
Bench 3x3 w 220lbs
Squat 310 for 3x3
Zombie Front Squat 225, 3x3 w 260lbs
OHP 2x3 w 155
Weighted Chins +55 3x5
Pendlay Row 3x5 w 170

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update

I weighed in at 174, and my waistline is just under 34in now Posting pics and working weights. V-Taper looks better in a tigher t-shirt, my chest pops out more, and more people notice my muscles.



Working weights & PRs
Bench 3x3 w 225lbs
Squat 310 for 3x3
OHP 2x3 w 155
Weighted Chins +62.5 3x5
Pendlay Row 3x5 w 175
Rest-Pause Strict Curls for 10 x 90lbs

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update

I weighed in at 174 on average, and my waistline is 33.5in now Don't have any proper relaxed photos today, but I can share these cringey flex photos that were taken sometime in the last two weeks. Noticeable improvements in general size but especially the back, chest, and traps




Lifts within a month's time

Incline Bench 5x5 from 165 to 190lbs. 5RM is 195, 3RM is 205
Squat 285 is a new 8RM
Good morning from 80lbs for 3x8 to currently 115 for 2x10
Power Clean is now 175lbs for 3; lifetime PR
OHP 160 x 3
Weighted Chins +67.5 3x5, 3x3 maxed at +80lbs
Can preacher and hammer curls 40lb'ers for sets of 8 now.

[SpeculatorSam]

Quick update. Kinda lean bulked for the last two months instead of actually recomping. Have gained about .75-1in on the waist, which roughly puts me at 18-20%bf.

Am gonna do a cut now. For how long I dont know but I also switched to full body 3x a week now that I do tradework/labor for a living now. Currently 5 days into the cut. Weighed 182lbs when I started with a 35in waist at 5ft7.5in

[SpeculatorSam]

Been a while. That last cut lasted about two weeks, turned into a recomp and into a lean bulk over the course of 4 months. I've got flattering and non-flattering physique photos for y'all.

Starting this cut at 187lbs at roughly 22%bf. I've made slow but certain progress on most all my lifts, including my weighted chinup despite gaining 10lbs of fat.



My PBs since the last post
Inclinr Bench 225 for 1
Larsen Bench 217.5lbs for an easy triple
Squat 305 is a new 8RM; 345 3RM
Good morning 200lbs x 5
Weighted Chins +90lb for 2.75 reps

[SpeculatorSam]

Week 1 Results: Start weight was 187lbs at an estimated 22% bodyfat. Day 7 was 181lbs. My BodyAnalyzer scale tells me I lost .5% of bodyfat. I definitely lost a lot of water weight. Probably haven't lost that much bodyfat, but I know that this is working.

Average daily calorie intake was about 2900. My lifts are progressing nicely, so that's reassuring. Will post pictures for the beginning and end of week.

Day 1 Pics 187lbs @ 22% 36.5in waist


Day 7 Pics 181 @ 21.5% w 36.25

[SpeculatorSam]

Week 2 Results: average bodyweight was 181.4/ I lost another .25in off my waistline, and clothes are fitting looser. I hit 179.8 on Saturday. so yipee I got under 180 again! I've still got a while before I'm back to 16% bodyfat. I can definitely notice the difference in my abs and my belly is flatter now, but I'm not happy with my appearance and it's definitely not helping my chinup/physqiue goals any.

I slipped a tiny bit a couple of days in terms of the calorie target, but I'm maintaining my discipline here. Average daily calorie intake was about 2880. My lifts are progressing nicely still, and now I'm adding curls, tricep extensions, and upright rows. My mid delts look flat, my strict curl and one-arm chinup goals require curls, and my presses could use more tricep strength.

Day 7 Pics 181.2 @ 21.3% w 36in waist

[SpeculatorSam]

The third week isn't complete, but I did wanna share some flex photos, and I did lose a half inch off my waist. The official update will be posted on Sunday.