Fat boy gets slim (and hopefully, strong) by lifting heavy stuff

[Jugrock]

Welcome to the board. Your goals are similar to mine when I started. Mine changed, but that's not saying yours will. I was also 70kg at 183cm, and I started on Stronglifts. My advice, fwiw, is to switch programming to SS, read [http://www.barbellmedicine.com/potpourri/584 for nutrition goals, and be proactive on problems. Get your form checked in the Staff Coaches Forum (or Technique forum once you can filter great/good from not-so-good info). Well, the best is a seminar/camp/SSC, but this place is full of amazingly knowledgeable lifters. Take advantage of them. Just read the SSBT3 so folks don't need to rehash the basics.

[BenM]

Thanks Jugrock - and congrats, you've made great progress in 2 and a half years - you're only a little older than me so it's good to see some inspiration. So much of the stuff seems to be aimed at younger athletes with fast metabolisms and quick recovery, I'm a bit past that now.

I have read that article before, it's been actually a really good guide along with a lot of the SL diet stuff too. I actually pay a lot of attention to macros, and eat generally pretty welI, I think. I aim for 40/40/20 and average 150-160g of protein a day but obviously not enough to build muscle, I'm probably still at a slight deficit. Your comments about a mini beer belly is what worries me; I have worked so damn hard to lose the fat that I don't want to go too hard too soon, I'd rather add muscle slowly and hurt gains a bit than overeat and increase fat too much. My plan was to go to 2000cals this week, see where I'm at, maybe 2100-2200 next week if needed, and keep going up til I'm gaining weight slowly - probably I'd be happy if I could get to high 70s at my current BF% but I fully expect that to take 1-2 years.

Gotta order the SS book this arvo, since I just have the app at the moment. Will definitely switch once I've got it and understand it a bit better.

[BenM]

Sat 13/8

Sneaky extra session, I'd normally play golf on Saturdays instead.

Squat:

2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
5x5 @ 65kg

Incline bench press
2x5 @ 20kg
2x3 @ 40kg
1x4 @ 40kg
1x2 @ 40kg
1x3 @ 40kg

I hadn't really tried this before, and underestimated how much harder it'd be than flat bench press - put too much weight on the bar.

DL
1x5 @ 60kg
1x5 @ 80kg and new PR
Ok, that's getting to be a bit harder now!

Dumbell tricep extensions
1x10 @ 10kg each side
1x20 @ 10kg each side

Just mucking about now really.

Chinups
3 sets of 4 - it was only a few short months ago I wouldn't have been able to do one.

Utterly spent now. Gonna go eat something.

PS - ordered both SS and PPST this arvo.

[BenM]

Mon 15/8

Food: 2054kcal / 2442kcal - (target was 1800/2000) - blown out a bit by chocolate coated macadamias (Sat) and a couple of beers yesterday. Aiming for 2000 all this week. I don't trust MFP/Fitbit on this much but according to those, that was still a 785kcal/539kcal deficit.....

Exercise: had the bonus workout Saturday, did a 5.5km walk yesterday, otherwise, not much. Woke up feeling utterly exhausted yesterday too but pushed through.

Sleep: 8hr 28 / 6hr 3, both pretty broken as usual

BW: 69.1kg Sun, up to 69.9kg @ 16.1% this morning

Threw a banana in my pre workout protein shake for some extra carbs. Think it was a good idea, as getting up at 5am and training on just the shake with a spoonful of coffee is probably part of the reason for the lack of stamina. That and being weak. I think it helped.

5mins elliptical warmup

Squat:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
1x3 @ 55kg
5x5 @ 67.5kg

Wasn't easy but was easier than I thought. Will be up to body weight on Wednesday [emoji15]

OHP
2x5 @ 20kg
5x5 @ 35kg attempt - FAIL

I was so mad about this. Got the first 4 sets, and was utterly determined to get the last but got stuck halfway up on the very last rep and the fucker just would. not. go. up. I had everything shaking.

The app says to deload now (and microload) but I am tempted to give it one more crack on Friday, and microload after that.

Deadlift:
1x5 @ 60kg
1x5 @ 70kg
1x5 @ 80kg
No problems... Didn't increase weight since Sat was a bonus workout, it was easier this time round. Roll on 85kg on Friday.

Bicep Curls:
2x8 @ 32.5kg attempt - FAIL

Got 7/7 and the last few were ugly. I am weak all over but my upper body is definitely weaker....

5mins elliptical warm down

[BenM]

Wed 17/8

Food: 2086kcal/2064kcal so on target, and 160/170g protein. Actually had two lunches yesterday....

Exercise: Woke up and walked 5.5km yesterday morning before work. My bad.

Sleep:5hrs 56mins / 6hrs 41mins and both pretty horribly broken. Make my daughter sleep through the night

BW: 69.5kg @ 15.7% BF

Felt like crap yesterday, had jelly legs. Still walked. I must be mad.

5mins elliptical warmup, plus hamstring stretches

Squat:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
1x5 @ 55kg
5x5 @ 70kg

New PR and FMD I can squat my body weight for reps. I was surprised.

Bench:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 35kg
5x5 @ 50kg attempt, FAIL

SO cranky. This is the closest I've come, finished 4 sets, waited 2 mins, got 4 and then just could NOT lock out the fifth on the final set.

That's 3 fails at this weight but again, like OHP on Monday I was so close that I don't think I'll deload. I actually went back after the rows and did another set of 5 just to prove it to myself.

Rows:
5x5 @ 45kg

Skullcrushers
2x8 @ 32.5kg

I have been slack/cheating these a bit so I dropped the weight back and concentrated on getting the bar back to my face and really torching the triceps. Felt it.

5 mins elliptical warm down

I think that the extra food is giving me more energy and stamina - this is good, the improvements are positive. I don't think it's going to be enough to gain much weight though - will reassess on Sunday but I might need to bump it again. MFP/Fitbit still have me at roughly a 500kcal/day deficit but I don't actually believe that. Accurate or not though, kinda pleased that my metabolism isn't completely rooted after being on a restricted diet for so long....

A week off work started today so really looking forward to catching up on a bit of sleep, eating well and reducing stress, and hopefully I'll nail a few more PRs before I go back.

[DevilfromGA]

Congrats on the squat PR. BW squat is a milestone that needs to be celebrated.

Not completing the work outs on OHP and BP should have you questioning what you do differently on the next attempt. Is my diet sufficient for recovery, am I getting enough sleep, do you rest enough between sets, should you deload with and increase with micro weights? Sounds like you are close, but you'll get more failures in the future so evaluate each to see where you can find small incremental improvements.

Also don't forget you got sneaky and put in extra work on Saturday that could be hindering your recovery time...

If you are eating at a deficit, are you loosing weight?

Hope you enjoy reading the book. Also read the article To be a Beast as a complement to the book To Be A Beast | Barbell Medicine

[BenM]

Congrats on the squat PR. BW squat is a milestone that needs to be celebrated.

Not completing the work outs on OHP and BP should have you questioning what you do differently on the next attempt. Is my diet sufficient for recovery, am I getting enough sleep, do you rest enough between sets, should you deload with and increase with micro weights? Sounds like you are close, but you'll get more failures in the future so evaluate each to see where you can find small incremental improvements.

Also don't forget you got sneaky and put in extra work on Saturday that could be hindering your recovery time...

If you are eating at a deficit, are you loosing weight?

Hope you enjoy reading the book. Also read the article To be a Beast as a complement to the book To Be A Beast | Barbell Medicine

Thanks for the feedback! You're dead right of course, I should be looking more at what to do differently. Sleep is difficult and partially out of my control, as getting our 22month old daughter off to sleep of an evening can be tough, and she refuses to sleep through the night no matter what we do. That said, with no work for the next few days I hope to get a bit more rest.

Diet, I still have a question mark over. Am I losing weight? No, I don't think so, but I'm not gaining either - weighed in at 69.1kg after my morning ablutions today which is exactly what I was over the weekend. My gut feel is that I've found my maintenance number, but I really need to give it a few more days to be sure - when I was losing the weight earlier this year it tended to stay fairly static for 3-4 days or more and then drop all of a sudden. Eating more wont be a problem though if I need to, quite the opposite....

I also just reviewed the video and only took 3 mins before the last set so I am sure I would've got it if I'd had longer breaks.

Anyway I will see how I feel in the morning, hopefully a good food day today and a decent night's rest and I'll nail it this time. I am happy with slow gains, for me it's not about getting strong fast, it's about the long term.

I still get those, 4 years and not much muscle later.

Damn... Here was me hoping it'd get better soon!

Don't think they're as painful as they were. Shoulder blades are actually not too bad, the one on my spine is the worst. I think at the bottom of the squat, when leaning forward the bar tends to slide up a bit and put pressure on it.

I gotta take a cup of concrete and harden up!

[BenM]

Fri 19/8

Food: 2046/2040 kcal

Exercise: A 5.5km walk yesterday morning, and a busy day round home saw me register almost 16k steps on the Fitbit. Probably didn't eat enough food for that much activity....

Sleep: 7hrs 23mins + a 1hr 10min nap / 6hrs 35mins. Last night was 3 times awake, 13 times restless.

BW: 69.4kg @ 15.4% BF

Disappointed with today, but not surprised, woke up feeling like crap. Wife has a throat infection and I think I'm feeling a tickle this morning. Was just about to get into bed last night and the dog threw up on the carpet. Cleaned it up, got into bed, 30 mins later child started crying and I got told it was my turn to go settle her. Then she ended up in our bed kicking me by about 2. Getting up to pee 3-4 times every night is also getting old - must get that checked out.

Anyhow. No excuses, got up and had a crack anyway.

5mins elliptical warmup, plus hamstring stretches

Squat:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
1x5 @ 60kg
5x5 @ 72.5kg

Another new PR. Felt it though, that's starting to get hard!

OHP:
2x5 @ 20kg
5x5 @ 35kg attempt, FAIL

Yep, I should've reset it especially how I was feeling this morning. Stubborn prick I am. Managed 5/5/5/4 then waited 5 mins and got the last 5. I'll reset this (and bench) for next week, and see how they go once I'm eating more.

Deadlift:
1x5 @ 60kg
1x5 @ 72.5kg
1x5 @ 85kg

Another new PR so it ain't all bad. Looked at the video earlier, might be time to get a form check though!

Barbell curls:
1x2 @ 32.5kg
2x4 @ 30kg
1x8 @ 30kg

I was so rooted I couldn't even get 3 reps out at 32.5, and dropping back to 30 didn't help much either til I took a good long rest.

5 mins elliptical warm down

Good news is, my lower back which has been niggly for 6 or 7 weeks seems to have improved a bit this week with all the walking, foam rolling and hamstring stretches. Not sitting in an office chair for long periods probably also helps.

Bad news is, OHP/bench aren't really moving and I won't be far off stalling on the squat either. Moar food is required, I feel like I'm always hungry and obsessing about my next meal. I also might have to go back to sleeping in the spare bed to try and get better quality sleep. It isn't good for our relationship though.

We are doing a day trip to Hobart on Monday so an early morning workout will be difficult; I'm gonna skip golf tomorrow to catch up on sleep/give the back more rest, then move Monday's workout forward to Sunday. That'll make me feel better about the beers I'm gonna drink on Sunday night too!

[BenM]

Sun 21/8

Food: 2642/2068 kcal - went a bit mad at afternoon tea on Friday.

Exercise: A 5.2km walk yesterday morning, this time pushing a pram with a toddler in it, did about 12k steps yesterday.

Sleep: 7hrs 54mins / 7hrs 14mins. Last night was 3 times awake, 9 times restless, 25 min awake/restless!

BW: 69.0kg @ 15.5% BF

5mins elliptical warmup, plus hamstring stretches / foam rolling back

Squat:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
1x5 @ 50kg
5x5 @ 60kg

Took a big deload here because my form has not been right. Have been high bar squatting instead of low bar again. Determined to get it right this time. Think it was better, videoed it, will put it up later.

Bench Press:
2x5 @ 20kg
5x5 @ 35kg
5x5 @ 47.5kg

No real issues here. Hard, but not OMG I'M GONNA DROP IT ON MY FACE hard. Since I failed 50kg a couple of times I'll probably just add 1kg to this for the next little while.

Barbell Rows:
1x5 @ 40kg
5x5 @ 47.5kg

Not too hard, but I just need to focus on being explosive at the pull so I can hit my chest every time. I tend to run out of puff quickly, get lazy and don't pull hard enough at the start - still putting that down to diet.

Skullcrushers:
2x8 @ 35kg

5 mins elliptical warm down, some more hammy stretches and foam rolling

Right, well. According to MFP I've averaged 2198 calories a day for the past 7 days (not including today) and my weight this morning was as low as it's ever been, so clearly I'm either too active or I'm not eating enough still. Need to ramp it up a bit more, it's a bit hard to make gainzZz when your body is struggling for energy all the time. I have no problem eating more, I just gotta make sure I don't fill in the gaps with crap food - have been doing pretty well with eating clean.

Not sure if I'll work out Tue or Wed now. Got about 5 hours in the car tomorrow, and walking around shops shouldn't be too physically taxing, though with the wife and 22 month old daughter, could be mentally draining haha. Advantage of Tuesday is I'm not back at work til the next day so can have a decent sleep beforehand.

[BenM]

Tue 23/8

Food: 2577 kcal (incl 300 of beer) Sunday/2074 kcal yesterday

Exercise: Not much, 4.5hr round trip in a car yesterday, plus in and out of it visiting shops, which is why I didn't push too hard food wise.

Sleep: 7hrs 0mins / 9hrs 4mins. Last night was 6 times awake, 10 times restless, 33 min awake/restless!

BW: 68.4kg @ 15.4% BF... WTF!

Woke up snotty and sore throaty. Amazed to discover I've dropped almost a kg since yesterday morning, this is officially my lowest weight ever. Not celebrating.

5mins elliptical warmup, plus hamstring stretches / foam rolling back

Squat:
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 40kg
1x5 @ 52.5kg
5x5 @ 62.5kg

Still getting used to low bar position, which pinches something in my left shoulder blade especially during later reps. Pushed through it, the weight itself isn't very hard since I backed it off.

OHP:
2x5 @ 20kg
5x5 @ 30kg

Done it before. Very last rep was hardish but not too bad.

Deadlift:
1x5 @ 60kg
1x5 @ 80kg
1x5 @ 90kg

New PR. Tried to really get back extension this time, felt really good after doing them.

EZ curl bar curls:
2x8 @ 30kg

Almost skipped these. Got them but it was hard. Weakling arms.

5 mins elliptical warm down, some more hammy stretches and foam rolling back

More food needed, and need to get over this bug.

Back to work tomorrow. Damnit. Might train Thurs then Sun again, it's nice to have a session after a good nights sleep instead of getting up @ 5am.