Got Built?

Time for an update.

Recall that I began cutting January 15th, having bulked to 150.4 lbs. 

Phase I was PSMF, which I did for 12 days, followed by a two-day refeed. This got me down to 139 lbs.

Phase II was my usual “Baby Got Back“, “How to do Cardio if you Must” and “carb cycling” combo, which I did for a month to bring up my work capacity and to prepare myself for Phase III, Lyle McDonald’s UD2.0.  (more…)

Fat loss is a funny little beast.

When you’re VERY fat, your body will drop fat easily (honest!) as soon as you do ANTYHING that lowers calories and incorporates some sort of exercise.

Thing is, it doesn’t work the same way from start to finish.

This is the part where you’ll hear the rep-counters say things like “you have to trick your body” or “confuse your muscles” … when in fact your body will neither be tricked nor confused. It will simply respond to the stimulus provided. If YOU are tricked and confused by the nonsense these bozos try to sell you, you’ll spend a lot of money and work WAY too hard trying to get the results you seek. Don’t know about you, but I’m too cheap and lazy to spend money and effort for sub-par results that wear me out and starve me to death. (more…)

Workout:

Done as antagonist pair:

• T-bars: 3×8 with two plates
• Low incline bench: 3×8 with 95 lbs

Done as antagonist pair:

• One-arm dumbbell rows, 3×8 each side, 50 lb dumbbell
• Low incline dumbbell press with stretchy bands: 3×8. I TRIED 30 a side, but I barely squeaked out 6 reps. Nope. Dropped to the 25s and hammered out 3×8

Bosu crunches: 3×8 with a 75-lb dumbbell on my chest.

Comment: I’m keeping the weight a little lower so I can build up the volume a bit for chest. My RC likes this better, and I’m gradually making progress. I really think the dumbbell presses with bands are helping me with this.
Weight: 142 and holding.

Workout:

• RDLs: warmups, then 3×8 with 185, smooth as silk.
• Split squats: plate a side, 3 sets at 8 reps each leg
• Bosu GHRs: 3×8, felt stronger than the last time, still assisting on most of the positives
• Sissy squats ss with the top third of leg extensions – 3×8 supersets

Ran out of time or I would have done close-grip bench. I’ll try to get a few in tomorrow.

Diet: still not tracking. I’m concentrating on foods I generally find satiating, and avoiding wheat like the plague. It’s amazing to me how much my appetite is affected by wheat.

Post workout meal: Homemade “instant” kheer with a side of cottage cheese.

Weight: holding steady at 142-ish. Kinda digging the whole “not tracking” thing.

It has been a hell of a summer. My cut had been going very well – I was seeing some nice vascularity and size though my delts and abs, my legs were almost looking decent, got down to 133 lbs and I think about 15% bodyfat – but personal tragedy was followed by – in no particular order – a kidney stone, a breast-cancer scare, a flu, an MRI for a possible cartilage tear in my right hip, and an eye infection that took five courses of antibiotic to clear.

I’m hardcore, but I’m not stupid – I ended the cut. I need to get healthy. (more…)

I asked my friend Lisa (Dane) to set up my PSMF for me, because, um, I’m lazy and besides she’s done it before, so she’s a pro.

Here’s what she came up with. (more…)

<blows dust off gym blog>

Well, let’s see. Bit of an update.

I’m training up at the Simon Fraser University gym ’cause it’s 59 bucks a YEAR if you sleep with a staff member (hubby works there). Killer facility, I sort of have access to a glute ham raise, there’s a proper official sprinting track, BRAND freaking new with a granular rubber surface, so springy it’s just to DIE for… treadmills that go to – get this – SIXTEEN MPH, and I’m kinda trying to nudge my way into the Masters sprinting group that meets on Saturdays. (more…)

This is the cut that never ends, I swear.

That being said, I want to see how truly freaking lean I can get this year.

I’ve been hovering around 134-137 for what seems to be an eternity, but my weight has finally started to cooperate with me – 132 lbs as of this AM, and after two days in a row with carbs.

Funny that this whole “eating less food” thing really works!

My workouts are in a holding pattern at this point. (more…)

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: (more…)

So I’m still plugging along here.

My weights are pretty much in a holding pattern this deep into the cut. BGB with carb cycling, working my way up the cardio ladder. My life is pretty structured right now. (more…)