There is no spoon

[blue9steel]

Thursday Dec 18 - Upper Day B (RM Week)
Chest & Hamstring Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 75w45x5 REPS@50%: 1 20
Inc DB Press 30w5 REPS@35%: 28
Bent Rows 125w95x5 REPS@50%: 1 20
V Pulldowns 77w40x5 REPS@35%: 1 28
Face Pulls 60w30x5 REPS@50%: 1 21
Cable Upright Rows 20w5 REPS@50%: 20

[blue9steel]

Friday Dec 25 - Lower Day B (RM Week)
Chest & Hamstring Hypertrophy Meso
--------------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 95w45x5 REPS@50%: 1 22
GHR Bluew3 REPS@35%: 28
SSB Squats 155w95x5 REPS@50%: 20
Belt Squats 25w3 REPS@50%: 20
Calf Raises 135w5 REPS@35%: 28
EZ Curls 40w3 REPS@50%: 21

[blue9steel]

Monday Dec 28 - Upper Day A (2s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 2x135w95x5 REPS: 10 8
Inc DB Press 2x55w35x5 REPS: 15 11
T-Bar Rows 2x175w135x5 REPS: 8 7
Chinups 2xPurplew3 REPS: 8 6
Seated RL Raise 2x12w3 REPS: 19 14
Inc Laterals 2x12w3 REPS: 13 11

Cardio was a bit hit or miss last week, missed a couple of sessions due to the holidays, did it about half the time and did a 4.2 mile walk one day instead of the recumbent bike.

I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of RIR in a general sense. Basically the first week I take each set until I hit the first hard rep, which should be somewhere around 3 RIR, then each following week I try to match or beat. The last week is supposed to be to failure but sometimes I exceed that on RM week due to the psychological advantage of knowing there are no follow-on sets and less systemic fatigue since I'm doing less per workout.

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Dec 29 - Lower Day A (2s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------
RDL 2x315w225x5 REPS: 9 6
GHR 2xPurplewBWx3 REPS: 15 12
Front Squats 2x135w45x5/95x5 REPS: 8 6
Rev Lunges 2x105w45x5E REPS: 10E 9E
Calf Raises 2x225w225x5 REPS: 15 12
Hammer Curls 2x30w25x3 REPS: 12 8

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Dec 30 - Accessory Day (2s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------
Dips 2xRedw3 REPS: 14 11
Cable Pushdowns 2x40w3 REPS: 19 14
DB Pullovers 2x55w35x5 REPS: 18 16
Wrist Curls 2x55w3 REPS: 14 10
Hip Thrusts 2x235w3 REPS: 9 8
DB Shrugs 2x40w3 REPS: 15 11

[blue9steel]

Thursday Dec 31 - Upper Day B (2s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
------------------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 2x80w45 REPS: 14 10
Inc DB Press 2x40w5 REPS: 17 14
Bent Rows 2x135w95x5 REPS: 13 11
V Pulldowns 2x100w50x5 REPS: 16 12
Face Pulls 2x70w30x5 REPS: 10 8
Cable Upright Rows 2x30w3 REPS: 13 10

Some of those ended up heavier than the target range but I needed the increase because the previous weight was so light it was hard to properly feel the exercise. (RM Calculation isn't always accurate either so there is some guesswork involved) I'm also emphasizing ease of loading this cycle which means some of the jumps were bigger. No big deal, I'll just stick with these weights till reps climb up to the appropriate range.

[blue9steel]

Friday Jan 1 - Lower Day B (2s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 2x115w45x5 REPS: 16 14
GHR 2xGreenw3 REPS: 22 17
SSB Squats 2x165w95x5 REPS: 10 6
Belt Squats 2x25w3 REPS: 22 15
Calf Raises 2x185w5 REPS: 18 15
EZ Curls 2x45w3 REPS: 13 9

[blue9steel]

Monday Jan 4 - Upper Day A (3s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 2x135w95x5 REPS: 11 9
Inc DB Press 2x55w35x5 REPS: 16 12
T-Bar Rows 3x175w135x5 REPS: 9 8 7
Chinups 3xPurplew3 REPS: 9 7 5
Seated RL Raise 3x12w3 REPS: 20 15 12
Inc Laterals 3x12w3 REPS: 14 12 10

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Jan 5 - Lower Day A (3s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------
RDL 2x315w225x5 REPS: 10 7
GHR 2xPurplewBWx3 REPS: 16 13
Front Squats 3x135w45x5/95x5 REPS: 9 7 5
Rev Lunges 3x105w45x5E REPS: 11E 10E 8E
Calf Raises 3x225w225x5 REPS: 16 13 10
Hammer Curls 3x30w25x3 REPS: 13 9 8

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Jan 6 - Accessory Day (3s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------------
Dips 3xRedw3 REPS: 15 12 10
Cable Pushdowns 3x40w3 REPS: 20 14 10
DB Pullovers 3x55w35x5 REPS: 19 17
Wrist Curls 3x55w3 REPS: 16 11 9
Hip Thrusts 3x235w3 REPS: 10 9 8
DB Shrugs 3x40w3 REPS: 16 12 8

[blue9steel]

Thursday Jan 7 - Upper Day B (3s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
------------------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 2x80w45 REPS: 15 11
Inc DB Press 2x40w5 REPS: 18 15
Bent Rows 3x135w95x5 REPS: 14 12 9
V Pulldowns 3x100w50x5 REPS: 17 13 10
Face Pulls 3x70w30x5 REPS: 12 9 7
Cable Upright Rows 3x30w3 REPS: 14 11 9

Cardio is back on track this week and workouts are going well. I've cut my calories to drop some of that holiday weight before it gets too comfortable hanging around. Once I get things stabilized I'll hang out at maintenance for a bit. Official cut starts after the end of this mesocycle, so Feb 1st. I'm thinking of trying to do three cuts this year and finally get somewhat lean. Rough schedule, dates represent (week starting on date):

H Meso 1 Feb 1 - Mar 1
H Meso 2 Mar 8 - Apr 5
S Meso 1 Apr 12 - May 10
H Meso 3 May 17 - June 14
H Meso 4 June 21 - July 19
S Meso 2 July 26 - August 23
H Meso 5 Aug 30 - Sept 27
H Meso 6 Oct 4 - Nov 1
S Meso 3 Nov 8 - Dec 6

Hypertophy mesos would be cutting, strength would be maintenance. No bulking this year till the next holiday season.

Experiments this week suggest I can get my diet down to around 1860 calories or so on average while still hitting my macros and not chewing my arm off. With 5x week workouts and 7x a week cardio that gets me a meagre 534 calorie deficit though obviously that will slow down as I lose weight and down-regulate. A plausible estimate if I have high compliance is that I could lose 10lbs then 9lbs then 8lbs, though you have to expect some regain during the maintenance periods. Some summer vacations will likely throw that off a bit as well. Maybe get down to 12% BF if everything goes really well.

[blue9steel]

Friday Jan 8 - Lower Day B (3s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 2x115w45x5 REPS: 17 15
GHR 2xGreenw3 REPS: 23 17
SSB Squats 3x165w95x5 REPS: 11 7 6
Belt Squats 3x25w3 REPS: 23 16 13
Calf Raises 3x185w5 REPS: 19 16 13
EZ Curls 3x45w3 REPS: 14 10 8

[blue9steel]

Monday Jan 11 - Upper Day A (4s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 2x135w95x5 REPS: 12 10
Inc DB Press 2x55w35x5 REPS: 17 14
T-Bar Rows 4x175w135x5 REPS: 10 9 8 7
Chinups 4xPurplew3 REPS: 10 8 6 5
DB Bent Flies 4x12w3 REPS: 21 16 13 12
Inc Laterals 4x12w3 REPS: 15 13 12 8

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Jan 12 - Lower Day A (4s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------
RDL 2x315w225x5 REPS: 11 9
GHR 2xPurplewBWx3 REPS: 17 14
Front Squats 4x135w45x5/95x5 REPS: 10 8 6 5
Rev Lunges 4x115w45x5E REPS: 8E 7E 6E 5E **Upped the weight to reduce rep range
Calf Raises 4x225w225x5 REPS: 17 14 11 8
Hammer Curls 4x30w25x3 REPS: 14 10 9 **Got distracted by work and forgot to do the last set

I made a math error on my cutting info above, I forgot deloads should be at maintenance. Taking that into account and dealing with summer vacation, holiday season, some level of non-compliance, etc. It looks like it might take as long as two years on that strategy to get to my goal bodyfat percentage. I'm not sure that's a realistic plan so I'm doing some more thinking about my approach. One thing I have noticed is that my test cutting shows I can run a 500 cal deficit on weekdays with virtually no diet fatigue, my schedule is so regimented with work, etc. that I barely even notice. Weekends are another story. I'm considering just running a deficit on weekdays, with maintenance on weekends and deloads. I suspect I could do that virtually indefinitely with high adherence. Interestingly enough, the numbers seem to suggest I'd be at virtually the same place after two years. Something to think about.

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Jan 13 - Accessory Day (4s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
----------------------------------------------------
Dips 4xRedw3 REPS: 16 13 11 9
Cable Pushdowns 4x40w3 REPS: 21 17 12 11
DB Pullovers 4x55w35x5 REPS: 20 18 15 13
Wrist Curls 4x55w3 REPS: 17 12 10 9
Hip Thrusts 4x235w3 REPS: 11 10 9 8
DB Shrugs 4x40w3 REPS: 17 13 9 7

[blue9steel]

Thursday Jan 14 - Upper Day B (4s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-------------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 2x80w45 REPS: 16 12
Inc DB Press 2x40w5 REPS: 19 16
Bent Rows 4x135w95x5 REPS: 15 13 10 8
V Pulldowns 4x100w50x5 REPS: 18 14 11 9
Face Pulls 4x70w30x5 REPS: 13 10 8 7
Cable Upright Rows 4x30w3 REPS: 15 12 10 9

[blue9steel]

Friday Jan 15 - Lower Day B (4s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 2x115w45x5 REPS: 18 17
GHR 2xGreenw3 REPS: 24 18
SSB Squats 4x165w95x5 REPS: 12 8 7 6
Belt Squats 4x25w3 REPS: 24 17 14 12
Calf Raises 4x185w5 REPS: 20 17 14 12
EZ Curls 4x45w3 REPS: 15 11 9 9

[blue9steel]

Monday Jan 19 - Upper Day A (5s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 2x135w95x5 REPS: 14 12
Inc DB Press 2x55w35x5 REPS: 18 16
T-Bar Rows 5x175w135x5 REPS: 11 10 9 8 7
Chinups 5xPurplew3 REPS: 11 9 7 6 5
DB Bent Flies 5x12w3 REPS: 22 18 14 13 12
Inc Laterals 5x12w3 REPS: 16 14 13 9 8

Managed to tweak my mid-right back doing T-Bar rows again, this time with a belt on. Not too bad and I'm able to work through it but I'm starting to wonder if I should rotate out that exercise for a while.

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Jan 19 - Lower Day A (5s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------
RDL 2x315w225x5 REPS: 12 10
GHR 2xPurplewBWx3 REPS: 18 15
Front Squats 5x135w45x5/95x5 REPS: 11 9 7 6 5
Rev Lunges 5x115w45x5E REPS: 9E 8E 7E 6E 5E
Calf Raises 5x225w225x5 REPS: 18 15 11 9 8
Hammer Curls 5x30w25x3 REPS: 15 11 10 9 8

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Jan 20 - Accessory Day (5s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------------
Dips 5xRedw3 REPS: 17 14 12 10 10
Cable Pushdowns 5x40w3 REPS: 23 18 14 12 11
DB Pullovers 5x55w35x5 REPS: 21 19 16 14 12
Wrist Curls 5x55w3 REPS: 18 13 11 10 9
Hip Thrusts 5x235w3 REPS: 12 11 10 9 8
DB Shrugs 5x40w3 REPS: 18 14 10 8 8

[blue9steel]

Thursday Jan 21 - Upper Day B (5s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-------------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 2x80w45 REPS: 18 14
Inc DB Press 2x40w5 REPS: 20 17
Bent Rows 5x135w95x5 REPS: 17 14 11 9 8
V Pulldowns 5x100w50x5 REPS: 19 15 12 10 9
Face Pulls 5x70w30x5 REPS: 14 11 9 8 7
Cable Upright Rows 5x30w3 REPS: 17 13 11 10 9

[blue9steel]

Friday Jan 22 - Lower Day B (5s Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 2x115w45x5 REPS: 19 18
GHR 2xGreenw3 REPS: 25 19
SSB Squats 5x165w95x5 REPS: 13 9 8 7 6
Belt Squats 5x25w3 REPS: 25 18 15 13 12
Calf Raises 5x185w5 REPS: 21 15 15 13 12
EZ Curls 5x45w3 REPS: 16 12 10 10 10

So I survived 5s week again, damn that's a lot of volume. Interestingly I don't think I hit local MRV for most muscles but the only way to have a longer meso would be to prioritize less muscle groups since I'm at max systemic fatigue. I'd run into per session limits if I tried that and I don't want to add sessions right now, additionally while I'm ok with an alternating prioritization I don't want to move to say a 1 in 3 model. I'm making good gains so I'm just going to keep doing what's working.

I've got some new equipment to play with next cycle. I bought some Nike Romaleo 4s, an IronMaster Kettlebell handle, and I finally got my DIY cable crossover setup built and working right. I'm going to rotate out some exercises next meso.

[blue9steel]

Monday Jan 25 - Upper Day A (RM Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 135w95x5 REPS: 1 15
Inc DB Press 55w35x5 REPS: 3 19
T-Bar Rows 175w135x5 REPS: 1 12
Chinups Purplew3 REPS: 1 12
DB Bent Flies 12w3 REPS: 3 23
Inc Laterals 12w3 REPS: 3 17

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Jan 26 - Lower day A (RM Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------
RDL 315w225x5 REPS: 1 13
GHR PurplewBWx3 REPS: 3 19
Front Squats 135w45x5/95x5 REPS: 1 12
Rev Lunges 115w45x5E REPS: 1E 10E
Calf Raises 225w225x5 REPS: 3 19
Hammer Curls 30w25x3 REPS: 3 16

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Jan 27 - Accessory Day (RM Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------------
Dips Redw3 REPS: 3 18
Cable Pushdowns 40w3 REPS: 3 24
DB Pullovers 55w35x5 REPS: 22
Wrist Curls 55w3 REPS: 3 19
Hip Thrusts 235w3 REPS: 3 13
DB Shrugs 40w3 REPS: 3 19

[blue9steel]

Thursday Jan 28 - Upper Day B (RM Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
-------------------------------------------------
Banded Bench 80w45 REPS: 19
Inc DB Press 40w5 REPS: 21
Bent Rows 135w95x5 REPS: 1 19
V Pulldowns 100w50x5 REPS: 1 20
Face Pulls 70w30x5 REPS: 1 15
Cable Upright Rows 30w3 REPS: 18

[blue9steel]

Friday Jan 29 - Lower Day B (RM Week)
Back and Quads Hypertrophy Meso
---------------------------------------------
Good Mornings 115w45x5 REPS: 21
GHR Greenw3 REPS: 27
SSB Squats 165w95x5 REPS: 1 14
Belt Squats 25w3 REPS: 26
Calf Raises 185w5 REPS: 22
EZ Curls 45w3 REPS: 17

[blue9steel]

Monday Feb 1 - Upper Day A (2s Week)
Chest & Hamstring Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------
Paused Bench 2x145w95x5 REPS: 10 8
Inc DB Press 2x60w40x5 REPS: 13 10
T-Bar Rows 2x135w90x5 REPS: 10 8
Chinups 2xRedw3 REPS: 7 5
DB Bent Flies 2x15w3 REPS: 14 12
Inc Laterals 2x15w3 REPS: 6 6

I decided to stick with t-bar rows but spent some time today experimenting with different handles and setups. Previously I was using the closegrip handle right on the bar, I switched to adding a ring & carabiner. This moved the weight out farther and changed the pull angle. I dropped weight by a fair amount to match the new setup and went to 3 RIR, seems like it worked ok.

Chinups and Inc Laterals had big weight jumps due to the limited options so ended up being heavier than I'd like. I'm going to stick with it but use down sets for any additional volume so that I can stay in the 5+ hypertrophy rep range.

[blue9steel]

Tuesday Feb 2 - Lower Day A (2s Week)
Chest & Hamstring Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------
RDL 2x320w225x5 REPS: 8 7
GHR 2xRedwBWx3 REPS: 15 13
Front Squats 2x140w45x5/95x5 REPS: 8 6
Rev Lunges 2x120w45x5E REPS: 6E 6E
Calf Raises 2x235w225x5 REPS: 13 8
Hammer Curls 2x35w25x3 REPS: 6 6

Reverse Lunges I wanted lower reps so that's a good outcome from adding weight. Some of the rep falloffs wer larger than anticipated but nothing I can't handle. Hammer curls I'll have to do downsets when I add volume, just the downside of using fixed dumbbells.

I tried the new squat shoes for real today. Overall I liked them for front squats though I suspect I'll have to adapt a bit to the change. It did feel like I was wearing clogs when walking around but when squatting my feet felt nailed to the floor. I didn't like them for reverse lunges or calf raises, though I tried both briefly.

[blue9steel]

Wednesday Feb 3 - Accessory Day (2s Week)
Chest & Hamstring Hypertrophy Meso
-----------------------------------------------------
Dips 2xBWw3 REPS: 10 8
Cable Pushdowns 2x50w3 REPS: 10 9
DB Pullovers 2x60w35x5 REPS: 13 10
Wrist Curls 2x60w3|2x20w3 REPS: 10 9 | 7 7
Hip Thrusts 2x240w3 REPS: 7 6
DB Shrugs 2x45w3 REPS: 10 8

Moved up in weight on every exercise, some of the jumps are large so that likely won't happen again next cycle. I added reverse wrist curls, it took a bit to find an appropriate weight but eventually got that sorted out.