The Constant Intermediate

[broseph]

5/7/17 Test Week Squat

Bodyweight: 224 (no change this week, -8 total)
Last week was peak fatigue for the cycle, and I've been feeling ravenous and deprived, so I ate bigger and bigger as the week progressed. Culver's for dinner Thursday. Way too much taco meat Friday. Queso. Cake. Crepes. Bacon. More Cake...

Squat 405x8 (PR)


I think I could hit 405 for 10 if I really had to. But I had 8 in my head, and I have a bad tendency to make the last rep of every set harder than it needs to be. Also, I don't know where that weird head shaky thing before each rep came from.

Calf Raise 205x3x8. Can't help but also shrug at the top. Will probably get huge traps.

Excited to bench tomorrow. Probably will keep eating to guarantee success.

HA! Guess I missed that when reading your log before. My cousin is a former small engine mechanic and could probably fix it, but it's not THAT hard.

Yeah, it was my dad's old mower. He gave it to me all cobbled together and I'm slowly getting it back to proper working condition. It's probably just a stripped gear or something with the driveshaft. It's funny how the gift version of most things is suckier than the version you would just buy yourself. But once you have the crappy gift version, you won't spend the money to upgrade.

[broseph]

5/8/17 Test Week Bench

Bench 390x1 (PR), 265x2x5


I filmed with my crappy tablet because I honestly didn't think I was going to get it. During warmups, 365 felt unreasonably heavy. Looks I just barely got the 390 anyway. I'll take it.

EZ Curl 128x3x12

Musings: I've "cut" a few times before and lost A LOT of strength. This is the first time cutting with macro tracking (I used Jordan's TBAB fat loss numbers) and it seems to be going very well. It's easy to just eat less and go full retard with cardio (my friend keeps trying to get me to do crossfit now that I'm cutting). But getting so much damn protein on a deficit takes work. I'd much rather have more cereal instead of another scoop of whey, but it's hard to argue with the results.

It's so hard to spend money when free is already there.

Money is the worst. Sometimes I'm ashamed of how much I think about it- how to save more, how to get more, etc. Obviously, financial security is a good thing, but it definitely takes work and energy to be balanced and focus on what's important (lifting).

[Tim K]

Awesome bench! 4 plates isn't far off.

Musings: I've "cut" a few times before and lost A LOT of strength. This is the first time cutting with macro tracking (I used Jordan's TBAB fat loss numbers) and it seems to be going very well. It's easy to just eat less and go full retard with cardio (my friend keeps trying to get me to do crossfit now that I'm cutting). But getting so much damn protein on a deficit takes work. I'd much rather have more cereal instead of another scoop of whey, but it's hard to argue with the results.

Amazing what getting enough protein and training hard will do. When I get impatient with my current weight loss I need to remind myself that although I'm 4lbs heavier than I was at the beginning of January, my waist is 2" smaller and I've set new PR's on all my lifts. I've actually never lost strength while cutting assuming I was training hard and getting adequate protein intake. Granted I've never actually got very lean either so I'm sure things might be different if I was trying to get ripped. I have a long way to go before that's a problem though.

[Tim K]

Are you still doing this program, more or less?



source: The Constant Intermediate

I'm switching to a 4 day split next week and I'm going to try to keep some linear gains coming week to week for a while if I can but when that runs out I am considering something along these lines in terms of the weekly rep scheme/volume/intensity setup. Working well for you?

[broseph]

Are you still doing this program, more or less?

I'm switching to a 4 day split next week and I'm going to try to keep some linear gains coming week to week for a while if I can but when that runs out I am considering something along these lines in terms of the weekly rep scheme/volume/intensity setup. Working well for you?

Yeah, this basic layout has worked well for me, both as an intermediate and now early-advanced. As an intermediate, I didn't do week 4, as every week should see a new volume PR on heavy day. Also, as an intermediate medium days were 90% of heavy days' weight (no RPE's). For what it's worth, my heavy days were pretty grindy. I also deadlifted every medium squat day.

Beyond intermediate now, I only get PR's on week 4, and I believe I'm still a little fatigued going into that week. If I really wanted to "test" my 1RMs I would treat week 4 as a deload and max out on week 5.

Also, now that I'm in a caloric deficit, I'm not afraid to give myself an "acclimation" week between cycles just so I'm not grinding my dick into the ground too hard.

Hopefully, I actually have a handle on all this nonsense. But it's possible I'm just lucky and getting stronger despite my programming.

[broseph]

5/10/17 Test Week Deadlift

I failed 555 again... I know I have that number in me, but I think the 8RM back squats from Sunday are still talking to me. Maybe I'll take it easy on squat next test week and finally complete this stupid deadlift.


I posted this failure to IG as well, and mentioned something about the Golgi Tendon Organ... I think that's what causes the hamstring shakes with a heavy pull, right? #broscience

Squat 315x2x5

[broseph]

5/11/17 Cardio

C2, 5k, damper @8
22:35

It only took me 5 months to realize the s/m on the display are sampled from the most recent few strokes. Not an average from the entire workout.

I'm calling this Steady High Intensity Training. Because it makes me feel like shit.
@allent: Dad Joke?

The rower is just sooooo different than running. With running, you quickly find your pace and learn to slowly add time. You can work on running faster later. With the rower, I just can't help but push as hard as possible. The pace waxes and wanes over 5k, but I'm guessing my heart rate stays consistently in the SHIT zone.

[JFick]

PRs while cutting, I'd say it's safe to say you have a handle on this nonsense. Great bench man.

[broseph]

5/12/17 Conditioning

Mowed the lawn with the heavy ass mower in record time, this time going up and down the hills instead of alongside them. Counting it.

For some reason I've never thought of the SRA cycle with regards to cardio (since I'm not an endurance athlete). I just figured my conditioning was so terrible that 1 weekly dose was enough to accumulate some gains but not hurt anything. Now that I'm doing some higher intensity stuff, I feel easily winded the next day or so. Could this be the valley of the cardio SRA cycle? lol it's probably just in my head.

PRs while cutting, I'd say it's safe to say you have a handle on this nonsense. Great bench man.

Every little bit counts at this point! I actually don't think I'm any stronger than I was before cutting, it's just that my PR's were "soft" then, and now I'm reaching for those last few pounds within the boundaries of my previous limits.

[broseph]

5/15/17 Week 1 Squat Session A

Bodyweight 222 (-2 from last week, -10 total)

I'm fatter than I thought. I figured 10-12 lbs would be all I really needed to lose to get a little upper ab definition. That number might be closer to 20+.

Squat 365x2x8. Stopped after 2 sets due to some hip tightness that was affecting my form. When you get older, something as simple and novel as wiffle ball home run derby can cause residual tweaks days later. Especially when you reach for every pitch and swing as hard as you can every time.

Deadlit 405x3x5

Calf Raise 225x3x8

Catching up here...

The cut is going well along with the strength gain. Looking sexy for the garden gnomes.

Hey thanks big guy. The goal is to make the neighbors think I'm a real douche by going topless any time the temp is above freezing and I'm doing yardwork.