And the cut goes on …
Well … I’m behind schedule - that scraped up foot in April didn’t do me any good, and I’ve been plagued with a displaced rib that keeps popping out of position … but it’s coming along.
Under the advice of Erik Ledin, I’ve reduced my training volume now that I’m hovering around what feels like 15%-16% bodyfat. Weight this AM: 134 lbs. I’m reasonably confident I have about 114-115 lbs LBM.
My delts are striated and vascular. I have veins running down my biceps, one running sideways along the left bicep. I have veins in my pecs, occasionally visible veins in my abs and into my groin.
Legs remain a major PITA, but here’s what I’m doing with them currently:
In a framework of Baby Got Back with 3×5s instead of the 5×5s, I’m following the How to do Cardio if you MUST paradigm I wrote up earlier this year.
I’m also fiddling with an interesting cardio protocol I read about earlier this year. In a nutshell, it’s 8 second sprints with 12 second recovery periods. I’m nicknaming it “8 seconds of glory” and you build up to doing these 20-second sprint:recovery cycles for 15 minutes in total. I started with three. I’m at eight right now. Trust me, by the 6th minute, you hate your life.
My Week looks like this:
Monday: Horizontal push pull, abs (half day carbup)
AM 20-minute walk
PM Lifting then HIIT
- 3×5 incline bench, 95 lbs
- 3×5 T-bars, 70-80 lbs
Antagonist pair:
- 3×8 incline dumbbell press (35 lbs a side)
- 3×8 one arm HammerStrength rows (70 lbs a side)
3×8 crunches on bosu ball with 70-lb dumbbell on my chest (I moved up from 60, finally)
Cardio: 8 seconds of glory followed by SS to total 20 minutes
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Tuesday: Quad dominant, ham accessory, possible tiny bit of bicep work (half day carbup)
AM 20-minute walk
PM Lifting then HIIT
Front squats: 3×5 with at least a plate a side
Front squats: 3×8 with 35 a side.
Hyperbench GHRs or pullthroughs: 3×8
Cardio: Treadmill HIIT (20:40) followed by SS to total 20 minutes
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Wednesday: AM 20-minute walk (low carb/calorie day)
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Thursday: Vertical push pull, abs (high carb day)
AM 20-minute walk
PM Lifting then HIIT
- 3×5 Weighted self-assisted chins (25-lb plate)
- 3×5 Millies (45 a side on HammerStrengh)
Antagonist pair:
- 3×8 HammerStrength pulldowns (”Spidermans”)
- 3×8 Arnies
3×8 crunches on bosu ball with 70-lb dumbbell on my chest
Cardio: 8 seconds of glory followed by SS to total 20 minutes
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Friday: Hamstring dominant, quad accessory, tris (high carb day)
AM 20-minute walk
PM Lifting then HIIT
- 3×5 RDLs with 135, 155, 175
- Hyperbench GHRs or pullthroughs: 3×8
- Front squats: 3×8 with 35 a side.
Possible between bench dips with two plates on my lap, 2-3×7-8 reps
Cardio: Treadmill HIIT (20:40) followed by SS to total 20 minutes
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Saturday: Hill Repeats (low carb day)
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Sunday: Rest (low carb day)
Wow, so you are doing 4 HIIT sessions per week, plus hill repeats! You’re almost a cardio bunny;) That’s interesting that you do your 2 half day refeeds back-to-back, why did you choose to do them this way?
Comment by WendyOH — June 12, 2007 @ 2:22 am
Cardio bunny. Hehehe… they’re really short sessions - 20 minutes in total. Not much of an additional caloric deficit (but I’ll take it!), but I’m hoping as I get stronger and stronger on the sprints, I’ll generate more and more catecholamine. Gotta fry this goddammned fluff off my ass somehow!
I’ve been doing the two half-day carbups out of comfort. I may try a full-day next Tuesday for squat/treadmill HIIT day. Last time I tried I felt like crap, but last time I tried I was over 20% bodyfat. Now I’m under 16% and the rules are different.
Thanks for dropping by, Wendy.
Comment by MariAnne — June 12, 2007 @ 7:20 am
‘under the advice of eric ledin’ ?
sigh….
Comment by anti-eric — June 13, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Problem? You don’t think I should cut volume this deep into the cut?
What would you suggest?
Comment by MariAnne — June 13, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
awesome to watch you go, MariAnne!!!
Comment by Karen L — June 14, 2007 @ 7:25 am
Thank you Karen. I finally dropped too - dunno how long it will last, but I saw 132.8 this AM on the scale (after peeing three times… )
Finally broke that stall!
Comment by MariAnne — June 14, 2007 @ 7:33 am
Happy B-Day!
Comment by Boris — June 22, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Thank you Boris! Muah!
Comment by MariAnne — June 22, 2007 @ 10:21 pm