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hardestgainer
11-20-2013, 10:28 PM
Here's my log in response to my last thread- Should I just go ahead and just bulk? (http://www.swolesource.com/forum/general-discussion/1755-should-i-just-go-ahead-just-bulk.html)

To make it short and sweet if you dont wanna read the more detailed version above:
Started lifting at 13
On the Olympic lifting team in high school
2 torn ACLs(left), multiple lig tears in left ankle
Recently back from a torn rotator cuff

Stats:
Age- 24
Height- 5'11
Weight- 170lbs
bf%- unknowns, my calipers still havent arrived. They were supposed to be here Tuesday

I was in amazing shape back in my "earlier days" 18-20 but the last 4 years has basically been a cycle of regression with small recoveries in between. The end result is basically being skinny fat.

Ive been working out now for a month again consistently, doing a full body workout(5X5)till failure on the last set for each bodypart 3X/week.
These were my lifts first week back:
Squats- 95x5(5 sets barely got it)
Bench press- 85x5, 85x5, 95x5, 95x5, 95x5
BB Row- 65x5(5 sets)
BB Upright row(3x8)- 45x8(3 sets)
Skull Crushers(3x8)- 30x8, 4x8, 40x5
BB Curl(3x8)- 30x8, 40x6, 40x3
Hyperextensions(2x10)- Bodyweight for 2 sets of 10
Cable Crunches(3x20)- 80x20(3 sets)

My workout on Monday
Squats- 125x5(5 sets) Up 30lbs
Bench Press- 115x5, 125x5(4 sets) Up 30lbs
BB Row- 115x5(5 sets) Up 50lbs
BB Upright Row- 65x8(3 sets) Up 20lbs
Skull Crushers- 50x8(3 sets) Up 10lbs
BB Curl- 40x8(3 sets) Up no weight but completed 8 reps
Hyperextensions- still just doing BW (no change)
Cable Crunch- 110x20(3 sets) Up 30lbs

hardestgainer
11-20-2013, 10:31 PM
I have 2 workouts A and B. Workout A was used in the example in my OP. Im alternating every workout, doing a total of 3 days per week

Workout B
Squats- 5x5
Deadlift- 1x5
Standing Military press- 5x5
BB Row- 5x5
Close gripe Bench press- 3x8
BB Curl- 3x8
Cable crunch- 3x20


If Im leaving anything else out, feel free to let me know guys, Im leaving for the gym now to get this one done

Sorrow
11-21-2013, 07:35 PM
Solid volume man! I like the close grip bench press. Does the Standing Military press bother your rotator at all?

hardestgainer
11-21-2013, 09:38 PM
Solid volume man! I like the close grip bench press. Does the Standing Military press bother your rotator at all?
No pain, its just noticeably weaker but that was expected. Sometimes when I fully extend my arm out though it kinda feels like there is a gap/sepereation in my should. I noticed it when I tried to do cable curls

hardestgainer
11-22-2013, 11:31 PM
Squat- 125x5, 125x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5
Deadlift- 195x4
Standing Military press- 70x5(5 sets)
BB Row- 115x5, 115x5, 115x5, 125x5, 125x3
Close Gripe Bench- 85x8, 85x8, 85x8
BB Curl- 40x8, 40x8, 50x6
Kneeling Cable Crunch- 80x20, 100x20, 100x20

After the last set of squats I already felt like I was gassing out, the last two reps I really had to fight to get up but I was happy with it. Also think Im gonna need to buy some straps, my grip was really slipping. This workout kicked my butt, I hit failure on multiple body parts, by the time I got to the cable crunches I was flat out exhausted.

weekend
11-23-2013, 04:15 AM
One thing that helped my grip is a lot of pullups. Can now rep out the 125's for rows and I think it's just cause I have a pull-up bar and use it.

hardestgainer
11-27-2013, 04:33 PM
sorry for the delayed update, Ive been keeping good track of everything though!

Mondays workout:
Squats- 135x5(all 5 sets)
Bench Press-125x5(all 5 sets)
BB Row-115x5, 115x5, 125x5, 125x5, 125x5
BB Upright row-70x8, 70x8, 70x8
Skull Crusher- 50x8, 60x8, 60x6
BB Curl- 40x8, 40x8, 50x6
Cable Crunch- 110x20, 110x20, 110x11

The squats again kinda made me feel gassed out but I suppose thats a little expected because its such a tough lift and Im really going as hard as I can. I saw a couple new veins popping out on my inner quads during that last set.

Ive got another workout tonight and im still feeling a bit sore on most body parts, so Im guessing the weight will be a little down.

hardestgainer
11-27-2013, 04:47 PM
Diet for monday:
Natty pb&j on wheat
10oz ground turkey, lots of veggies(yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, and onion sauteed in olive oil)
half of a roast beef sandwich on wheat from jimmie johns
1 scoop 100% whey in milk
2 scoops muscle milk

2143 cals, 136 carbs, 96 fat, 178 protein


I know I need to eat more still, but I was really full all day eating this much so Im trying. Also the reason the last two things I had were protein shakes is because with work and school I dont have a chance to workout till about 9pm usually.

hardestgainer
12-08-2013, 12:46 AM
Sorry for not updating, my computer last week had its hard drive crash so Ive only been on here from my phone. It happened like half an hour after I uploaded my pics for the aesthetics contest, coincidence? I think not lol.

This week though my lifts have actually dropped off a little bit which is frustrating. Ive been having trouble feeling balanced on the flat bench lately and figured it out though. My left arm(the shoulder I tore) is now over a full inch shorter than my right! WTF?! Also with my rotated hip it seems when I lower the bar on bench I can feel my back roll to the left a little. So Im gonna be going back to the doctor after finals(full time student and work, its pretty hard for me to find any free time)


Edit: also I cant upload this weeks workouts so far if anyone wants, otherwise I might just do it every other week(but ill still track all of them myself)

hardestgainer
12-18-2013, 11:20 PM
Just got done with Finals for the semester and starting to feel like my diet is a lot more dialed in. Ive been trying to cook atleast 3 days worth of meals at once, and been tracking macros. I switched to DB Bench due to the imbalance I have with the barbell for now, still really confused on how all of a sudden one arm is a full inch shorter than the other. But even just when using the bar I can feel my body shift a little and my left locks out before my right.


Also hoping for more sleep now that the semester is over, Im guessing that was hindering my recovery a little bit because I was rarely even getting 6 hours a night.

VayneZ
12-19-2013, 05:22 PM
Sleep... I need more of that also.

I've been away from BB bench for a bit over 2 years... Now I'm picking back up with it and it's such a hassle. I think BB helps a lot with balance though, if you go a bit lighter and focus on a level that both arms would be able to handle.

hardestgainer
12-19-2013, 08:26 PM
Thanks for the advice, tonight is the night I do bench. Maybe I'll switch back to BB and drop the weight some, the problem is I just never feel even on the bench, I always feel like Im laying down kinda crooked

h2s
12-20-2013, 10:45 PM
Thanks for the advice, tonight is the night I do bench. Maybe I'll switch back to BB and drop the weight some, the problem is I just never feel even on the bench, I always feel like Im laying down kinda crooked

It takes awhile to find your good spot. I tend to have a routine when I lay down on the bench of aligning my back my preferred way before even touching the bar.

Sorrow
12-21-2013, 09:20 AM
Yeah man, rest up! IT's important. Take the time when you set up and sit down on the bench, check to make sure your feet are even. Lay back and get under the bar. Probably the two things that would help you the most is foot placement, and grip variation on the bar. DB work is a great idea but dont give up completely on the bb bench. Use it as a warm up and just stay really light with high reps to you develop some feel for it again.

hardestgainer
12-23-2013, 11:21 PM
It takes awhile to find your good spot. I tend to have a routine when I lay down on the bench of aligning my back my preferred way before even touching the bar.


Yeah man, rest up! IT's important. Take the time when you set up and sit down on the bench, check to make sure your feet are even. Lay back and get under the bar. Probably the two things that would help you the most is foot placement, and grip variation on the bar. DB work is a great idea but dont give up completely on the bb bench. Use it as a warm up and just stay really light with high reps to you develop some feel for it again.
Thanks guys for all the input, I lurked(and rarely posted) a lot back on the PP forum so I know a lot of guys have a ton of experience. My problem with the flat bench is my right hip is rotated, so when I start to lower the bar I feel my body start to shift on the bench to my left a little. But I havent given up on it, I dropped the weight 20lbs and put a lot of focus on keeping my body tight on the bench, feet planted firmly, and bring my shoulder blades back. I also widened my grip a little bit which seemed to help.


I dont know if any of you guys have checked out the contest pics lately, but I did upload mine to the aesthetics thread. Earlier I was unsure which route I should go in terms of cutting my cals down or increasing. If anyone wanted to chime in on which route you guys think would be best now that you actually know what my body looks like and now that im not just a former injury prone athlete haha. Since I started this journal Ive just been focusing on getting my strength back, which has started to plateau just about everywhere. I will say my quads have really bounced back in terms of actual muscle(everything else not so much), Ive probably added an inch or so already from all the squats.

hardestgainer
12-27-2013, 01:59 AM
Going back to the doc tomorrow morning for my shoulder and Im gonna ask him to take a look at my hip and how it feels like my whole equilibrium is off. Because my back right next to my left shoulder blade is pinching when I bring me shoulders back and it feels like a massive knot is there.

Anyways here were my lifts from today, My rows havent gone up because I dropped the weight to make sure my form was good and now Im holding it at the top to get a good squeeze.

Squats- 140x5(5)
DB Flat Bench- 35x5, 45x5(4)
BB Row- 125x5(5)
Skull Crushers- 60x8, 60x8, 60x4
Straight BB Curl- 45x8, 45x8, 45x7
Cable Crunch- 110x15(3)

hardestgainer
12-28-2013, 12:28 AM
Went to the doc today, he thinks after the torn rotator cuff I've developed some tendonitis so he gave me a cortisone shot, but now the area is just incredibly tender and I got the shot about 12 hours ago now. He also said there is was too much grinding and popping going on when he felt me rotate, so he's got me starting up physical therapy monday morning.


Maybe its time to add something to the mix to help reduce inflammation? I take fish oil everyday, but at a pretty low dose.

hardestgainer
12-31-2013, 02:50 AM
Hit 145 for all 5 sets on squat today and 135 on the last 2 sets of BB rows. So I was pretty happy with my lifts, except for BB curl, I'm still stuck on the bar lol for two weeks now on the 3rd set I gas out about half way through and only get 6 reps instead of the 8.


My right knee was feeling like it was swelling up a little after the squats so when I got home I got an ice pack on it. If its still sore In the morning I might skip the squats for the rest of the week

hardestgainer
01-03-2014, 02:34 AM
Do you guys feel this is an optimal training plan? I know it mostly comes down to diet but Im just trying to get everything dialed in.

Im in the contest on here, but also entering the big one on bb.com since its 50k and a couple of buddies work there. I've just been eating slightly over maintanence, but based on my pics Im starting to think theres only two options.
1- Increase cals and change routine for bulk util the final 3-4 weeks and cut
2- cut first and then bulk after at only 5% over maintenance to keep bf from increasing

Im not going to attempt the impossible by trying to add muscle and drop fat at the same time

hardestgainer
01-17-2014, 11:50 PM
Just a quick update, Im still training and dieting like I planned.


My bf% when I started was 21% based off just the 1 point caliper test because all my fat basically sits on my lower abdomen, now my bf is at 17% based off this
At the beginning based off a 4-point test my bf was 17% because ,my arms and legs naturally are pretty lean and vascular. I wish I could find the exact site I used for this test to remeasure. As soon as I do, Ill retake the measurement


Next week is my last week of physical therapy, my back still has some issues from the rotator cuff injury, T5&T6 are "locked" and basically have no movement. This is what was causing my left arm to appear shorter, the muscles in my thorasic region were being over worked and had no flexibility. Its starting to get better

VayneZ
01-18-2014, 05:49 PM
update pics? 4% drop is pretty good!

What are your plans to get your T-region back in order? Do you feel they get overworked when you do heavy rows?

hardestgainer
01-19-2014, 06:28 AM
update pics? 4% drop is pretty good!

What are your plans to get your T-region back in order? Do you feel they get overworked when you do heavy rows?

Ill see if I can get my brother to snap some for me.

They've got me doing a lot of different stretches everyday to try and help get it moving and when I go in for PT they do some manual traction, ultrasound heat, and e-stim. I could feel it getting worse when I was doing the rows so Ive dropped them for now. Instead Im doing pullups(well I can only do about 5 lol) and lat pulldown

hardestgainer
01-24-2014, 12:06 AM
Got some more new added motivation. I was just invited to a wedding where there's gonna be a lot of lovely Eastern European ladies :)


Work and school has messed up my routine for the gym but Ive done a good job on my diet this week, slowly been eliminating carbs so thats a good note.



Also kinda makes me want to bump up the idea in my head of running epistane and epistane andro. Wasnt planning on doing anything until I felt I was back to full strength where I was before my injury and also had dropped my bf to around the 12-13% area. But I guess it'll just depend how everything keeps going

hardestgainer
02-06-2014, 08:27 PM
Ive been trying to expedite my fat loss so I can better forcus on trying to get decent muscle, but so far havent had much luck. Its been a slow process, so a week ago I cut out all carbs except veggies with a refeed on sunday. Its basically taken all energy out of me, my coffee only gets me through about half my classes and then I barely even stay awake lol.

Is cutting out the carbs much more effective? So far I havent really seen any difference. I know you guys all seem to know of other supps and stuff to achieve goals. Any suggestions?

markam
02-07-2014, 07:55 AM
Ive been trying to expedite my fat loss so I can better forcus on trying to get decent muscle, but so far havent had much luck. Its been a slow process, so a week ago I cut out all carbs except veggies with a refeed on sunday. Its basically taken all energy out of me, my coffee only gets me through about half my classes and then I barely even stay awake lol.

Is cutting out the carbs much more effective? So far I havent really seen any difference. I know you guys all seem to know of other supps and stuff to achieve goals. Any suggestions?

Once you adapt to getting your energy from fat rather than glucose, you will have plenty of energy. Fruit juice, sugar will obviously stop your body entering ketosis and you will feel like crap. For me, the easiest way is to go zero carb for two weeks, then a reefed once every ten days. Still eat your green veg, though.

Scope75
02-07-2014, 08:42 AM
Supps won't really do anything for you right now so spend that money on food.

Layout your daily diet and what you have on your refeed.

hardestgainer
02-07-2014, 06:31 PM
Once you adapt to getting your energy from fat rather than glucose, you will have plenty of energy. Fruit juice, sugar will obviously stop your body entering ketosis and you will feel like crap. For me, the easiest way is to go zero carb for two weeks, then a reefed once every ten days. Still eat your green veg, though.

Ya I figured I wouldnt be able to do fruit either so thats all been cut out as well.


Scope Ill write it all down tomorrow. Today Ive been really busy so far all Ive eaten is
protein shake
protein shake
chicken with romaine salad and avacado
pork loin and green beans

markam
02-07-2014, 06:36 PM
Ya I figured I wouldnt be able to do fruit either so thats all been cut out as well.


Scope Ill write it all down tomorrow. Today Ive been really busy so far all Ive eaten is
protein shake
protein shake
chicken with romaine salad and avacado
pork loin and green beans

Ditch the shakes. Eat Steak / Eggs instead. You need plenty of fats if you're cutting out carbs.

hardestgainer
02-07-2014, 06:50 PM
Ditch the shakes. Eat Steak / Eggs instead. You need plenty of fats if you're cutting out carbs.

Im trying to, in the morning with school it kinda hard. On days off though Its usually steak and 3 or 4 whole eggs or something like Ukrainian joe

Scope75
02-07-2014, 08:06 PM
Ditch the shakes. Eat Steak / Eggs instead. You need plenty of fats if you're cutting out carbs.

X2
I'd just stay fasted instead of relying on shakes while at school.

markam
02-08-2014, 02:31 AM
X2
I'd just stay fasted instead of relying on shakes while at school.

These days I prefer low carb (not keto) and (IF) intermittent fasting. Really hard to get back on the keto bandwagon, so I'm just having a few carbs, mainly fruit, some oats, etc. Keto is too hard for me, especially when you cook for kids etc.

hardestgainer
02-08-2014, 08:16 PM
These days I prefer low carb (not keto) and (IF) intermittent fasting. Really hard to get back on the keto bandwagon, so I'm just having a few carbs, mainly fruit, some oats, etc. Keto is too hard for me, especially when you cook for kids etc.

The diet Im following from Stoppani I dont think is technically keto because Im still consuming 80g carbs a day and he still recommends a carb source like dextrose post workout. Ive done a keto diet before when I lived on my own and it was easy to follow but now Im with my family and its a complete pain in the ass because I have to eat completely separate meals at all times. Even when I did keto before I didnt yeild great results but when my brother does it he drops weight constantly(he's obese though)

Scope75
02-08-2014, 08:41 PM
I'd have all 80g carbs spead across pre, intra, and post workout that way your running on fat and not spiking insulin threwout the day.

hardestgainer
02-20-2014, 07:37 PM
Havent checked in in awhile. Progression has been slow and steady as far as the fat loss goes. Only got to the gym a couple times last week because Ive got midterms coming up and Ive just been swamped with school work. But I think I made some good adjustments to my diet to make up for it and I havent seen regression on my waist at all. When I went to the gym this week I could actually tell there was a bit of a decrease in strength just from the week off which kinda sucked, but Im not too worried about it.

VayneZ
02-25-2014, 02:31 PM
Haven't been updated on this log for awhile. Scope's right about the best time to eat carbs. I agree 100%.

What has worked for me is to workout in the PM and consume all my carbs post workout (right away) until about an hour before I sleep. In the morning, like Mark said, it just works wonders when you make sure you don't eat ANY carbs, unless you have to, like in small amounts that can come from veggies or nuts.

Doing this I dropped a LOT of fat and kept my strength. Days that I don't workout, I make sure I eat one carb meal about 2 hours before I sleep.

That's the way I do it. Different than Mark and Scope. But very much the same principles. And I agree on spending money on food, not supps :)

hardestgainer
03-03-2014, 11:35 PM
Not really much to update, same thing happened that happens everytime after a couple months, strength starts to drop and over the weekend I gained 2lbs out of no where. There has been no visible changes in my body at all since I started working out, look just like I did when I uploaded pics. At this point Im about to drop my cals to about 1k a day and just say fuck it

hardestgainer
03-03-2014, 11:37 PM
Haven't been updated on this log for awhile. Scope's right about the best time to eat carbs. I agree 100%.

What has worked for me is to workout in the PM and consume all my carbs post workout (right away) until about an hour before I sleep. In the morning, like Mark said, it just works wonders when you make sure you don't eat ANY carbs, unless you have to, like in small amounts that can come from veggies or nuts.

Doing this I dropped a LOT of fat and kept my strength. Days that I don't workout, I make sure I eat one carb meal about 2 hours before I sleep.

That's the way I do it. Different than Mark and Scope. But very much the same principles. And I agree on spending money on food, not supps :)
Thats how Ive been doing it, I workout at night anyways so Ive been waiting till post workout to eat carbs and usually thats my last meal before bed or if Im up a few more hours Ill have a protein shake.

What if I added in fasted cardio in the mornings and did weight training later in the evening? Just maybe do a protein shake or bcaas after the morning cardio then have breakfast and waiting until night to have carbs, right?

VayneZ
03-04-2014, 04:26 PM
HG, don't do it bro... don't drop down to 1k :( you need the fuel to burn the fat also!

Why not just lower the cals throughout the day, except for your post work out meal (I say keep that normal, higher cals, for example on my workout days that I aim for high carbs, about 30% of all my cals comes out of my post workout meal... and I eat about 7-8 meals).

This year I've been waking up:
1) Take ON Amino Energy / BCAA / Glutamine combo (+ ECA - A is for Alphamine stack every 4 weeks on and off) + coffee (when not on ECA) + 2 TBSP of Coconut Oil
2) prep meals and sit on the toilet
3) about 45 min afterwards I'm at the gym in the gym on HIIT cardio for about 30 - 45 minutes
4) Go home, shower get ready for work
5) 30 minutes POST cardio, I eat my breakfast (6 eggs / slice of roastbeef / green red peppers / onions / mushrooms cooked in CO)

That's how I start the day and make it to ''meal 1''. Doing that and gradually lowering my cals. GRADUALLY!!!!! I dropped quite some fat and kept the strength and size bro. Don't drop cals to quickly... you'll regret it afterwards....

hardestgainer
03-04-2014, 08:43 PM
Thanks VayneZ, I wasnt really considering cutting my cals down that low but I appreciate the input.

I decided to track my diet to give more detailed information on here, I generally skip breakfast because I don have much time to get to school in the mornings besides showering.

Skipped breakfast
Large salad with 1 grilled chicken breast, handful of pecans, and a little bit of cheese. No dressing
Snack- low fat mozzarella string cheese and 1oz raw almonds
Come home- 3 whole eggs with salsa and 2 strips bacon(porbably should have gone with another egg or 2 here)
Now Im about to drink pre-jym for my pre-workout, followed by post-jym(what can I say, Im a Jim Stopanni fan)
And then Ill eat another 2 meals later on


Wish I could give exact macros but I didnt measure out the salad and weigh the chicken but Im starting to change my diet to be set-up for carb back loading. Simply because it honestly seems like what would work best with my schedule of work and school and the earliest I can ever get in the gym is 7pm.

VayneZ
03-05-2014, 01:00 PM
imo the most important meal of the day is Post workout meal. Way more important than breakfast. But if breakfast could be done, especially HIGH fat, would always be very beneficial for fat burn throughout the day.

Jim has a sick physique, and it looks real good with the tatts!
What were you're last 2 meals like? About how many grams of protein did you consume throughout the day? (a rough estimate).

hardestgainer
03-05-2014, 05:27 PM
imo the most important meal of the day is Post workout meal. Way more important than breakfast. But if breakfast could be done, especially HIGH fat, would always be very beneficial for fat burn throughout the day.

Jim has a sick physique, and it looks real good with the tatts!
What were you're last 2 meals like? About how many grams of protein did you consume throughout the day? (a rough estimate).
after the post jym I had 2 scoops of MP Combat protein powder with milk then later I had about a 10oz steak with veggies. I thought about having one more last meal, like just some cottage cheese but skipped it and just went to bed because today was one of the early school days

Those last two meals alone was about 120g protein, so throughout the day I had just a little under 200g of protein with me @ 165lbs

Scope75
03-05-2014, 06:52 PM
You just need to play with your diet and figure out how to get your fat stores mobilized and being burned.
I know everyone wants to get leaner bigger and stronger but maybe let strength and size go for a bit and work on cutting then work on gaining mass and strength after your leaned out.

hardestgainer
03-05-2014, 08:28 PM
You just need to play with your diet and figure out how to get your fat stores mobilized and being burned.
I know everyone wants to get leaner bigger and stronger but maybe let strength and size go for a bit and work on cutting then work on gaining mass and strength after your leaned out.

Thanks, thats whats been my major goal and what Ive mainly trying to focus on. At least Ive learned a couple things that no longer work for me, I used to be able to eat carbs any time of day and cut weight, I put on a couple pounds real quick this last time I started eating even just brown rice/whole wheat bread and pasta.

I will say today is probably the best Ive felt all semester when it comes to energy and mental clarity in my early morning classes, didnt even have my usual coffee or anything.

Scope75
03-05-2014, 08:59 PM
Well if you want to toss some diet ideas around I'm sure you'll get a few different approaches to your goals.

hardestgainer
03-05-2014, 09:47 PM
Well if you want to toss some diet ideas around I'm sure you'll get a few different approaches to your goals.


CBL is what Ive been planning on doing, so for right now Im in the "prep" period everyone seems to suggest even though I already know my body has learned how to produce ketones so its probably not needed.

Im going to try and update it this every day or so with my diet so if anyone wanted to, they could check it once and easily see the last two weeks of my diet

Scope75
03-05-2014, 11:18 PM
Well I'll check it you once you start it up and do the prep and the full 10 days too. No point in starting a new diet off by cutting a corner.
What's your ULC/prep days look like?

Check my log out for ULC and Carb meals.

hardestgainer
03-05-2014, 11:51 PM
Well I'll check it you once you start it up and do the prep and the full 10 days too. No point in starting a new diet off by cutting a corner.
What's your ULC/prep days look like?

Check my log out for ULC and Carb meals.
Ya I figured Id just do the prep either way so thats what Ive been doing, started it a couple days ago.

Today I had
salad- 1 heart of romaine, 4oz steak, 4oz grilled shrimp, and half an avacado
1 grilled chicken breast
12oz ny streak with asparagus
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese


That puts me at only 27g carbs for the day with 12g fiber and right at 1g protein per lb


Sorry but I dont know what ULC stands for

VayneZ
03-06-2014, 06:45 AM
Ya I figured Id just do the prep either way so thats what Ive been doing, started it a couple days ago.

Today I had
salad- 1 heart of romaine, 4oz steak, 4oz grilled shrimp, and half an avacado
1 grilled chicken breast
12oz ny streak with asparagus
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese


That puts me at only 27g carbs for the day with 12g fiber and right at 1g protein per lb


Sorry but I dont know what ULC stands for

Solid layout for the day. I would keep the protein a bit higher though. At least around 200 or a bit more (not too much more imo).

ULC = Ultra Low Carb. As less carbs as possible!!!
Very good pointers made by sensei Scope! :) Check out Scope's ideas, you'll learn a lot from that dude (just don't get carried away by the food porn).

I'll also be checking your eating routine HG!

Scope75
03-06-2014, 07:05 AM
Ya I figured Id just do the prep either way so thats what Ive been doing, started it a couple days ago.

Today I had
salad- 1 heart of romaine, 4oz steak, 4oz grilled shrimp, and half an avacado
1 grilled chicken breast
12oz ny streak with asparagus
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese


That puts me at only 27g carbs for the day with 12g fiber and right at 1g protein per lb


Sorry but I dont know what ULC stands for
Now when you say your going to do CBL does that mean Kiefers protocols or just backloading your carbs?

If its Kiefers CBL then.....
Raise the fats and drop some protein.
During the prep and the first part of your day on CBL you should be higher fat than protein.
Also when you have a chicken breast you need to pair it with some fat.

If your just backloading your carbs scratch what I said and do your own thing.

hardestgainer
03-06-2014, 01:35 PM
Thanks for the feedback, I thought my fat was pretty high for the most part except the one meal that was just chicken. but it won't be too difficult to raise it some more

Last night I went a checked out the last 100 pages of Scopes log to help get ideas. The donuts with bacon and chocolate was probably my favorite haha

Scope75
03-06-2014, 02:06 PM
List your daily macro breakdown.

hardestgainer
03-06-2014, 02:47 PM
Yesterdays macros:
Protein- 160g
Fat- 70g
Carbs- 27g
Fiber- 12g

Scope75
03-06-2014, 02:51 PM
Yesterdays macros:
Protein- 160g
Fat- 70g
Carbs- 27g
Fiber- 12g
During the prep you'd probably enjoy it more with 160g fat and 70g protein.
Plus your only eating 1300 cals a day so I'd at least bump the fats up and get 2k in a day.

hardestgainer
03-06-2014, 04:01 PM
During the prep you'd probably enjoy it more with 160g fat and 70g protein.
Plus your only eating 1300 cals a day so I'd at least bump the fats up and get 2k in a day.

Ok thanks, I'll have to hit the grocery store again to get my fat up that high

The one thing I'm kinda worried about is eggs, in the book Kiefer says eggs can spike insulin if you eat too many(like 6) so I've been trying to keep it down around only 3/day

VayneZ
03-06-2014, 06:12 PM
HG, that's really low cals per day, and we're about the same weight correct? I would cruise above 2k per day total at the least...

hardestgainer
03-06-2014, 07:55 PM
Ya my cals have definitely dropped a lot since starting the prep phase for CBL. With the increase in fat I should be able to get the cals up more. Today it'll be pretty low again but that just because I've been at work all day, and still at work a couple hours after I'm usually gone..

Scope75
03-06-2014, 08:25 PM
Your body need to know its being fueled before it'll want to release its stored energy and lowering your cals way down will just make things harder in the long run too.

hardestgainer
03-07-2014, 01:22 PM
Diet:
Chicken ceasar salad
Mozzarella string cheese and 1oz raw almonds
14oz steak, heart of romaine salad with so shtetl yogurt dressing and cheese
4 whole eggs, 6 strips of bacon

Protein-129g
Fat- 123g
Carbs- 29g
Fiber- 8g

hardestgainer
03-09-2014, 03:52 AM
3/7:
Chicken ceasar salad
string cheese, sliced pepperoni, 1oz almonds, and Zero Ultra Monster drink(1 carb)
10.5oz Rotisserie Chicken with skin, organic salad mix(spinach, kale, chard), greek yogurt dressing
5 strips of bacon and 2 tbsp of natty pb

Macros of 3/7:
Fat- 108g
Protein- 124g
Carbs- 30g
Fiber- 8g


3/8:
3 whole eggs, 4oz 88/12 ground beef, colby jack cheese
string cheese, pepperoni
10oz chicken with gravy
3oz 88/12 ground beef, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni
Gonna hit the grocery store tomorrow, starting to create odd combos of food to try and get the right macros

Macros:
Fat- 106g
Protein- 151g
Carbs-19g

VayneZ
03-09-2014, 06:55 AM
Did you train those 2 days? And if so what kind of workout did you do?
I liked the organic salad mix. LOVE me some Kale bro!!!! good stuff, especially when I eat it with fatty salmon and avocado, cooked in Coconut oil... that's my favorite meal!!!

hardestgainer
03-09-2014, 02:38 PM
No I skipped the gym both of those days. Ive dropped 5lbs this week with minimum time in the gym, I figured Id cut down on the workouts since I was struggling with the cals, 1700 is still about 500 below maintenance. Ive been spending my time re-reading the CBL book, just want to make sure I run everything properly

But ya Im a fan of Kale, once it warms up it'll be super cheap at the farmers market from locals.

hardestgainer
03-12-2014, 05:50 PM
Been eating the same thing everyday, only difference is I added in wing stop to get get their classic wings (no carbs)


Today is the last day of the prep phase so tonight after the workout I'll get to have some carbs. Also I dropped 6lbs over this 10 day phase and according to Kiefer that means I should be eating 545g carbs

Scope75
03-12-2014, 07:09 PM
545 is your max and isn't what you should aim for either.
I'd start at 200g carbs 3 times a week and after the big 3 lifts.

hardestgainer
03-12-2014, 10:37 PM
545 is your max and isn't what you should aim for either.
I'd start at 200g carbs 3 times a week and after the big 3 lifts.

Ya, probably should have made it more clear I wasnt going for that much. You guys probably noticed I get full kinda easy, I doubt Ive ever eaten 500 carbs in a day lol

Very happy with the 6lbs I dropped, theres a little bit of a noticeable difference in the mirror and my jeans are definitely a bit loose

Scope75
03-13-2014, 05:52 AM
That 6lbs was water and quickly lost so seeing it in a mirror will be hard.

What's your CBL plans/layout look like?

hardestgainer
03-13-2014, 09:14 PM
No exact plans yet except just following some of the meal recommendations Kiefer seems to be a fan of like pizza, white rice, sandwiches on white/sourdough, cheeseburger and fries, mashed potatoes, and hashbrowns also I believe he recommends a protein shake as the last meal.

Last night I had my post-jym bcaa and carb drink after the workout which has 30g of dextrose, then 4 slices of pizza which put me at 180g of carbs

Scope75
03-13-2014, 09:28 PM
Solid...
Great number to start at so you don't get to crazy to early and think the diet is to working right.

hardestgainer
03-14-2014, 09:31 PM
OK cool then Ill just keep the carbs the same for the next week or two and see how Im feeling. One thing Im still kinda confused on is what days specifically to backload, in his book he says on days you workout, but then he also said to do it on rest days if Im going to workout the following day. So am only supposted to do ULC days when I rest consecutive days in a row?

Scope75
03-14-2014, 09:37 PM
No just backload after your main training sessions meaning squats, deads, and bench. If you have a 4th day just backload again.
Layout your lifting routine and I'll tell you how I'd do things and see what you think.

hardestgainer
03-14-2014, 09:52 PM
No just backload after your main training sessions meaning squats, deads, and bench. If you have a 4th day just backload again.
Layout your lifting routine and I'll tell you how I'd do things and see what you think.

Thanks Scope, you(and pretty much everyone on here) are very helpful

Heres how my routine breaks down:
Day 1- Chest, Tri's and calves
Day 2- Back, Biceps and abs
Day 3- rest
Day 4- Shoulders and calves
Day 5- Legs and abs
Day 6- rest
Day 7- rest

I sometimes switch up the rest days a little depending on soreness, like yesterday I killed my calves (seated calf raises seem to hit mine the most) so Im skipping tonights lift and doing legs tomorrow instead. So Ive just kept my diet today so far as a ULC day, right now im sitting at 10g of carbs with high fiber

hardestgainer
03-14-2014, 10:24 PM
Heres a breakdown of my actual lifts each day, hopefully I havent skipped anything im starting to feel the effects of this amazing Potion 9 stuff you guys clued me in on. This routine is Jim Stopannis Shortcut to Size routine, i decided to go with it because last year I did his shortcut to shred and had amazing strength gains on it before I destroyed my rotator cuff

Chest/Tri/Calves:
BB Bench press
DB Incline Press
Machine Flys single arm
Cable crossover
Cable Tri pushdown
Skull Crushers
Seated Calf raises
Standing Calf raises

Back/Bi's/Abs
DB One arm rows
Wide grip lat pulldown
Standing Pulldowns
Straight Arm Cable pulldown
BB Curls
Incline DB Curl
One arm high cable curl
Bent knee raises
crunches

Shoulders/Calves
DB Shoulder press
DB Lat raises
One Arm Front Cable Raise
DB Shrugs
Seated Calf Raise
Leg Press Calf Raise

Legs/Abs
Squats
Leg Press
Deadlift(may switch this to Back day)
Leg Curl
Crunches
Planks

Last set of every exercise is a rest pause set

Scope75
03-15-2014, 03:15 AM
Yeah just lift and BL after each session and don't worry about days off because your main goal is fatloss.

Sorrow
03-16-2014, 08:40 AM
Personaly Id put deadlift on back day if your conventional. Could leave it leg day if you pull sumo.

hardestgainer
03-20-2014, 09:12 PM
Ya I thought about doing that, I enjoy sumo deads, usually I do stiff-legged ones though. Last saturday on my leg day my knee was actually bothering me pretty bad so I had to skip the squats and leg press, the deadlifts didnt hurt as much. I was looking in the mirror at the gym and its pretty visible the rotation in my hip is causing my right leg to be at a different angle which is probably causing the pain.


Sorry I havent updated I felt a little under the weather the last couple days, I actually got on Tuesday and started typing to update but laid down for a minute at 6PM after work.......didnt wake up till the next morning.

hardestgainer
03-31-2014, 04:10 AM
Still on track with my diet, usually having just about the same thing everyday for low carb meals. I picked up some caffeine pills to help me cut down on coffee because before I had one everyday....the type filled with carbs. Now on the random occasion I do have one its a sugar free iced coffee with heavy cream instead of milk. Only weird thing Ive noticed is there seems to be a 3lb weigh fluctuation the morning after days that are CBL and ones that are ULC all day. The morning after CBL im weighing 161 everytime, then on days that are ULC im at 158.

Id say the only thing I still need to work on is trying to get in a gallon of water a day in

Scope75
03-31-2014, 06:57 AM
The 3lbs is from the carbs holding more water.

hardestgainer
03-31-2014, 02:44 PM
Thanks Scope, I figured it had to be something like that.

Scope75
03-31-2014, 02:48 PM
No problem and every gram of carbs will want to hold 3-4 grams of water.

hardestgainer
03-31-2014, 03:09 PM
Also on CBL days im still keeping it at the 200g carbs marker, my recovery and energy seems to be normal right around there and there hasnt been much change since I started it so I havent felt the need to increase it- im completely full anyways by the time I get around 200 or so. I know Ive read other people say it usually takes a couple weeks for their body to adjust after they start before they can start feeling the difference waking up feeling like they hit a "sweet spot" with things like muscle hardness.

Scope75
03-31-2014, 04:01 PM
You won't be able to judge things like that until your lean enough that some extra held water will make a difference.
If you have fat/flab right now you won't be waking up looking a whole lot different.

hardestgainer
04-04-2014, 06:43 PM
This week for the workouts I dropped the reps down to 3-5 per set because Im still following Stoppanis plan. I gotta admit Im feeling a bit stronger in the gym and next week the plan resets so Ill be able to see what type of strength increases Ive made. Also still sticking with the diet, not that ive found a groove with it, its really simple. I did have to tell a girl from school no today because she wanted to go out and have beer and pizza for lunch, told her maybe after my workout we could get pizza....she didnt understand why



Edit: Also didnt know if any of you guys saw but I made a separate thread about possibly running a cycle in the future once I feel Im ready for it, probably would have been nice to help my results for the contest we have going on if I was already running one, but figured with the back pain still and my shoulder not being 100% it really wouldnt be worth messing with my hormones. I gotta admit when I ran 1T from PP a few years back, I thought it was the greatest thing ever and actually helped me make good gains with muscle for the first time.

Ill be scheduling for bloodwork to be done probably soon just to see what Im at anyways, hoping for some good improvement since my old endo told me my body would increase T "on its own"

Scope75
04-04-2014, 07:08 PM
Pizza+Beer=Getting Laid

Especially when its her asking you out....

Now you should understand why she didn't understand. Lol

burlyman30
04-05-2014, 02:59 PM
If she was good looking, I would happily eat her pizza and drink her beer. And that's from a guy who doesn't drink beer. But that's me after having a few years of experience. When I was young, I was so dedicated to my BBing pursuits that I turned down many such opportunities without realizing what I was saying no to.

Bucks
04-05-2014, 08:05 PM
Pizza / Beer = lots of calories. All the sex after = lean gains 😃

hardestgainer
04-05-2014, 10:25 PM
Eh she's ok looking, I was well aware of what she wanted guys lol. Theres a couple other girls Id be willing to skip the gym and have pizza and beer with

burlyman30
04-05-2014, 10:44 PM
Eh she's ok looking, I was well aware of what she wanted guys lol. Theres a couple other girls Id be willing to skip the gym and have pizza and beer with

The "OK looking" ones probably work harder to make you happy. Lol.

hardestgainer
04-05-2014, 10:58 PM
The "OK looking" ones probably work harder to make you happy. Lol.

lol well she's been texting me again tonight so it looks like Ive got more opportunities to test out that theory

burlyman30
04-05-2014, 11:36 PM
lol well she's been texting me again tonight so it looks like Ive got more opportunities to test out that theory

When I was young, I had a 40something guy tell me "get lots while you're young". I misunderstood, and thought he was talking about real estate. Oops.

If she's texting you after getting the brush-off, she's ready to show you that she is worth your time. Be prepared to have your world rocked.

Scope75
04-06-2014, 12:07 AM
I have a feeling he's a little scared....

Bucks
04-06-2014, 06:37 AM
I have a feeling he's a little scared....

Or he is using a little too much of Wesley's Pheromones....... 😊

hardestgainer
04-07-2014, 05:24 PM
lol Scope im 24 not 14 damn it



On another note, I got my new foam roller from tptherapy in the mail today and already used it a little. Massive upgrade from the old one I had, hoping to see some better relief on my back.

Bucks
04-07-2014, 08:38 PM
lol Scope im 24 not 14 damn it



On another note, I got my new foam roller from tptherapy in the mail today and already used it a little. Massive upgrade from the old one I had, hoping to see some better relief on my back.

I have a rumble roller and I love it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Scope75
04-07-2014, 10:25 PM
I have a rumble roller and I love it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
X2
Also the Supernova and Gemini are some other tools that come in very handy.

hardestgainer
04-13-2014, 01:41 PM
Yeah I looked into both of those and will be getting them here probably pretty soon.

Still following CBL and my workout program, kinda confused that Im not dropping any bf% and my waist has gone up back up and inch this week. Still following the diet like I have been, I eat the same foods just about everyday as I had posted before on here. Add fasted cardio in the morning?

Scope75
04-13-2014, 05:25 PM
Your still just hitting 80-100g carbs a day threwout the day or just postWO?
Either way 80-100g carbs shouldn't make you add and inch to your waste and I'm not sure if fasted cardio would help but you could try that or just drop your cals 200-500 and see what happens.

Now if I was you if just hit a 7-10 day ULC stretch then get back to CBLing, 1-2 refeeds a week, or a refeed every 4-5 days. Loads of different ways to carb up and you just kinda got to pick what your really after fatloss or mass with slower fatloss.
I almost think you need to get a little leaner so you able to judge things better because I know when your holding a few extra it kinda gets hard to tell what's really going on.

hardestgainer
04-13-2014, 11:47 PM
Thanks Scope, so far Ive just been keeping carbs at 30g/day tops on days I dont lift
days I do, I CBL getting in 175-200g after the workout and keep it under 30g all day before the gym.

I agree though, Im still focusing on just fatloss not trying to add muscle. My strength is still slowly climbing on the majority of my lifts. Ill drop my cals a bit and see how it goes, may do another 10 days of ULC

Scope75
04-14-2014, 06:37 AM
You could also try dropping the carbs back to 100g postWO and that would be your drop in cals without even touching any other macros. You either might not be able to store that many carbs or your body just likes to hold on to glycogen so you never really deplete your stores by the next time your CBL and those will both cause the gain you've experienced.

VayneZ
04-14-2014, 10:15 AM
I agree completely with Scope. Post workout's the time to really go CRAZY on carbs especially High GI ones if possible. But there should always be a limit. I've learned that from experience as well. Maybe 100 is indeed all you can absorb right now, especially if your're trying to get lean

hardestgainer
04-14-2014, 09:37 PM
Will do guys, thanks! Ill be hitting the gym very soon tonight so Ill start applying the drop in PostWO carbs tonight. VayneZ ya Ive been keeping it to only high GI carbs after the gym.

Scope75
04-14-2014, 09:47 PM
Will do guys, thanks! Ill be hitting the gym very soon tonight so Ill start applying the drop in PostWO carbs tonight. VayneZ ya Ive been keeping it to only high GI carbs after the gym.

Good call and make sure your other macros are in check too.
And if fatloss is your main goal you could just do a tame refeed every 5 or so days instead of after every workout.

hardestgainer
04-26-2014, 06:19 PM
Sorry for no update, Ive been super busy visiting different Uni's because Im transferring after this semester. Most stressful thing ever playing the waiting game on Vanderbilt and UW to let me know if Im in or not, and the deadline coming up to commit to other schools.


Scope, looking good in the new Avi

VayneZ
04-26-2014, 08:41 PM
Stress = cortisol. Do a 5 minute all out HIIT with the most brutal music and it will remove the stress :)

hardestgainer
04-26-2014, 08:59 PM
Stress = cortisol. Do a 5 minute all out HIIT with the most brutal music and it will remove the stress :)


will do one today before squats :)



Cortisol came back through the roof both times I had my blood check

markam
04-27-2014, 07:45 AM
Phos serene (main ingredient in PP's Endoamp) works exceedingly well, but is spendy.
I bought some bulk powder which I keep in the fridge as it does degrade quicker, otherwise. This worked out much
cheaper than buying products that contained it. You could add some lecithin and then you would pretty much have something similar to Endoamp.

Phos Serine 340mgs ed or 800mgs pre workout to control cortisol from intense training.

Don't dose over 2400mgs a week or your joints will scream with pain, (mine do).

Phos Serine has cognitive benefits and aids restful sleep.

A much cheaper option to reduce cortisol is magnesium citrate @ 450mgs. (If I wake up to early I take 450mgs with one of those fizzy orange vitamin C tablets and easily sleep for two more hours. Try it, it works and it's very inexpensive.

More than 450mgs Mag cit and you may have horrible diarrhoea (had to look up the spelling., lol).
I only take Mag Cit on a empty stomach.

hardestgainer
05-02-2014, 02:40 PM
yesterday I decided to do pullups at the start of my back workout, did twice as many as I could last month!

Also got a video if me doing DB rows drop set. Ill try to upload it off my phone to add in here, really want to get a video of me benching for a form check too

hardestgainer
05-23-2014, 04:30 PM
Alright im finally back, sorry everyone. Semester is done, I was getting a bit swamped with everything going on, BUT I never skipped a workout, even if it meant not getting to the gym till 10PM I made sure I got it done.

Strength is slowly still going up, left shoulder still lagging a lot but thats not surprising. When I started this log I could do about 2 wide grip pullups, now I can bust out a set of 10 with perfect controlled form not crossfit style pullups. Its kinda what Ive been using to gauge my progress because of the bodyweight/strength ratio thing.

Ill try to get my brother to snap some new pics so I can see if theres any noticeable difference in body comp