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

[BenM]

Sun 21/5 - S&M40+ W4 D1: Heavy Bench / Light Press / Triceps

Food yesterday: Target: 2128 kcal / Actual: 2097 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 7.9k steps

Sleep last night: 8 hrs 17 mins - 2 times awake, 4 times restless, 14 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.8kg (> 0.2kg from yesterday, down .3kg from last Sunday)

Planks:
4mins 15secs (PR), 2min, 3mins 30secs

Bench Press (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x5 @ 61.5kg
2x5 @ 61kg

Overhead Press (L):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 32.6kg
5x3 @ 39kg

Lying Tricep Extensions:
3x12 @ 32.5kg

Overhead Tricep Extensions (dumbbell, single arm):
3x12 @ 25lbs

Work sets etc:
_______

• Start of a new cycle! I'd planned to bump 1.5kg on bench, 1kg on press, 2.5kg on squats and either 2.5kg or 5kg on deadlifts; but I think I'll lean towards conservative for this cycle too.
• Got a decent-ish bump in calories from Avatar. Will see how this week goes. New macros (before adjustments for high/low days) are 172P/246C/62F. Staying compliant this week might be a challenge though, gonna be away on a business trip for a couple of days, and taking the wife out for lunch today for her birthday.
• Planks were good, got a PR but that fucked me for the next attempt.
• Bench was such a grind the first set that I dropped back half a kilo. Glad I did. I'm sure I've benched a couple of kilos more than this for fives (when I was heavier) - but I also woke up with a headache and probably wasn't feeling 100% to be fair.
• Presses went ok, not much to report. Just trying to be explosive, 2 min rests, got 'em done.
• Triceps are fried but got that done too. Still not overly happy with the dumbbell extensions.
• The session took 1hr 23mins - have a great day everyone!

[BenM]

Mon 22/5 - S&M40+ W4 D2: Heavy Squat / Upper Back

Food yesterday: Target: 2291 kcal / Actual: 2220 kcal - macros compliant (if my guesstimates of restaurant food are on point)

Activity yesterday: 9.8k steps

Sleep last night: 6 hrs 11 mins - 3 times awake, 11 times restless, 26 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.9kg (+0.1kg)

Side Planks:
1 min 45 secs (PR), 1 min 15 secs / side

Back Squat (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x5 @ 70kg
--- Belt On --- (5th hole)
1x3 @ 90kg
3x5 @ 107.5kg

Pull Ups (wide grip):
4, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ BW

Bent Over Rows:
2x12, 1x13 @ 37.5kg

Hammer Curls:
10, 9, 10 @ 27.5lbs

Here's a video of some work sets:
_____

• Another Monday, another shit night's sleep. The Fitbit lies, I lay in bed awake for hours. Maybe too much caffeine yesterday, also maybe worried about some of the stuff happening outside the gym this week. Either way when the alarm went off at 4:45am I woke up freaking tired.
• Squats were hard. Last rep I really used the lower back to get it up and it didn't feel good (hence my talking to myself as I racked it) - hope I don't pay for it too much later. Pullups and curls regressed a bit from last week which is sad. Rows I added some weight though and they felt pretty good, little body english (but not too much I don't think) and my upper back was feeling nice and pumped by the end.
• Kinda not sure if I am spinning my wheels or not, I think probably a little, but mostly because nutrition/sleep isn't quite there. It's tough to get enough sleep with family commitments, but I keep holding out hope that as calories go up that strength gains will start to show up. Just gotta be patient I guess.
• Anyhoo - got it done in 1hr 18 mins and now I get a day's rest from lifting. Happy Monday!

[BenM]

Tue 23/5: Recovery day

Food yesterday: Target: 2291 kcal / Actual: 2283 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 7.8k steps

Sleep last night: 6 hrs 52 mins - 3 times awake, 11 times restless, 18 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.9kg (no change)

Cardio (fasted) - LISS:
Elliptical - up a notch @ 5 mins, down a notch @ 25 mins
30 mins total, 5.15 km, 386 kcal burn, ave HR 128 BPM
_____

Wed 24/5: S&M40+ W4 D3: Heavy Press / Light Bench / Chest Supplemental

Food yesterday: Target: 2210 kcal / Actual: 2116 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 12.2k steps

Sleep last night: 5 hrs 40 mins - 2 times awake, 9 times restless, 22 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 67.0kg (+0.1kg)

Elliptical:
5 mins warmup

Overhead Press (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 32.5kg
3x5 @ 42kg

Close Grip Bench Press (L):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x7+F @ 57.5kg
2x6+F @ 57.5kg

Incline Bench Press (dumbbell):
3x10 @ 40lbs

Decline Bench Press (dumbbell - 2 x 20kg plates under end of bench):
3x12 @ 42.5lbs

The footage - including all of the press / CGBP work sets:
_______

• Confirmed, that last squat rep on Monday tweaked my lower back. It's been sore, and tight as a nun's nasty for the past couple of days.
• I've been feeling pretty bloated and crampy intermittently over the past week but it was particularly bad yesterday. Not sure if it's the sudden uptick in carbs or something more specific. You'd think I'd be able to work it out when I'm logging everything I eat. Anyway, still managed to get within 10% of my macro targets so far this week (which is compliant) although it's taken a couple of big pre-bed meals and I was a bit down on fat and carbs yesterday.
• Not enough sleep, as usual - was busy packing last night as I'm flying out for a work conference today. I hate these things (and I'm particularly apprehensive about this one), but it has some upsides - like hopefully I'll be able to avoid the usual conference dinner craziness and get a couple of decent night's sleep. It'll also push my normal Thursday night workout back 24 hours so hopefully the back tweak improves enough to squat/DL. It's gonna be interesting to see how I go hitting my macro targets when I don't have as much control over the menu too. Got plenty of protein packed and there's a supermarket near the hotel.
• Workout notes:
  
  • No planks today because of back / time constraints, just a quick run on the elliptical to get the blood pumping.
  • Press was a struggle even though I only added .5kg and I've pressed more than this for fives before. Glad I went conservative.
  • CGBP was super disappointing. Again, I only added half a kilo and couldn't even get one set of 8 - sigh.
  • Based on the general malaise/weakness I just kept weight the same on the dumbbell presses; got them done but I was maxed - once again that 13th rep on the decline eluded me.
  • Total workout time: 1 hr 19 mins. Overall, a little bit disappointed with this session but I can probably put it down to bad sleep and stress. This is still my favourite day out of the whole program.
• Have a great Wednesday fellow lifters!

[BenM]

Fri 26/5 - S&M40+ W4 D4: Light Squat / Heavy Deadlift - Makeshift Hotel Edition

Food yesterday: Target: 2283 kcal / Actual: 2619 kcal - at least - blew my fat and carb macros out big time.

Activity yesterday: 9.6k steps

Sleep last night: 5 hrs 55 mins - 1 times awake, 11 times restless, 27 mins awake/restless

AM BW: No idea. Probably a good thing, I might freak out.

Morning Cardio (yesterday):
Exercise bike - 15 mins / 6.19km (both treadmills were taken)
Treadmill walk - 25 mins / 2.92km
Fitbit has the walk at 321 kcal burn, ave HR 151 BPM. That seems high.

Morning Lifting:

Dumbbell Squat:
1x10 @ 10kg
2x10 @ 20kg
3x10 @ 40kg

One of the sets (last one I think):

Dumbbell Deadlift:
2x5 @ 40kg
2x10 @ 40kg

Another video:

Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift:
3x10 @ 40kg

I think this is the right video:

Dumbbell Shrugs:
3x20 @ 40kg

Dumbbell Bench Press (floor):
1x12 @ 14kg
1x12 @ 16kg
1x12 @ 18kg

Tricep Push Downs:
3x12 @ 28kg

Cable Crossovers:
3x12 @ 35kg

_______

• Noticed that the hotel gym had dumbbells and a couple of cable machines, so decided to try and get my deadlift workout in this morning as best I could. Unfortunately the heaviest they had was 20kg so it wasn't ideal - but since my back is still a bit tight, it works out ok - then when I get home tonight after a couple of nights away I can actually spend time with the family instead of spending half the evening in the the gym, too.
• Last night was the gala dinner at this conference. If it was a buffet I would've tried to stay within my macros but it was canapés plus 3 courses alternate drop and the food was amazeballs so I figured fuck it, life's too short. Surprisingly after doing the maths (and not drinking any calories) I might actually be able to still stay compliant for the week if I go pretty low fat/carb for the next two days. Soooo worth it. Really hoping I don't gain too much weight and Avatar gives me another macro bump.
  
  • Since the weight was so light I just added a bit of volume.
  • No idea how my form was on the leg work, probably pretty shithouse, and probably not very effective for gaining any strength. I got a bit of a pump though. Sorry for shit video, it's not as easy on my phone as with the proper camera at home - I gave up after the SLDLs.
  • Since the scheduled stuff was pretty quick, I did some tricep/chest work too. Triceps were fried after the floor presses and the push downs finished them off. Then took advantage of the dual cable machine that I don't normally have access to to hit chest a bit.
  • Workout time was 1 hr 13 mins. Really, I know it was pretty submaximal, but I actually enjoyed the workout.
• Have a great day all! Can't wait to get home tonight.

[BenM]

Sun 28/5 - S&M40+ W5 D1: Heavy Bench / Light Press / Triceps

Food yesterday: Target: 2165 kcal / Actual: 2103 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 8.9k steps

Sleep last night: 8 hrs 39 mins - 3 times awake, 5 times restless, 18 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.2kg (> 0.3kg from yesterday, down .6kg from last Sunday)

Planks:
3mins, 3 mins, 3mins

Bench Press (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x1, 1x2 @ 66kg
1x3, 1x1, 1x2 @ 65.5kg
1x1 @ 65kg

Overhead Press (L):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x3 @ 32.5kg
5x3 @ 39kg

Lying Tricep Extensions:
1x12, 1x11, 1x9 @ 33.5kg

Overhead Tricep Extensions (dumbbell, single arm):
3x12 @ 25lbs

Ab Rollouts (on knees):
3x10

Vidiot of idiot:
_______

• So I ended up managing to stay compliant with my macros for the week by having a lighter eating day Friday. Woke up at 66.5kg yesterday morning and this morning (weekly weigh in day) the scales were jumping between 66.1 and 66.2kg - W.T.F... that is another weight PR, the lightest I have ever been - so I got another small bump from Avatar today. I've been struggling a bit to hit carbs so I've increased protein a little more (it's now as high as it'll go) and I might need to consider increasing fat as well. New macros (before adjustments for high/low days) are 174P/258C/64F. On one hand I'm pleased to be eating more but I am a long way from where I want to be and it seems to be taking forever - we'll just see how this week goes and reassess.
• Think I'm coming down with a cold (like the girls have got) - I certainly woke up with dry throat and headachy. That plus maybe the weight loss might be why today was such a crappy effort.
• Session notes:
  
  • Stayed within myself for planks, just went for 3 mins at a time. All good.
  • Bench was a shitshow. Was supposed to hit triples at 66kg but after grinding out the first rep I knew I wouldn't get them so I dropped it back another half a kilo and it still wasn't enough. The worst part is, I believe I need more bench volume so I had planned to start doing 5 sets of whatever the RX is from this week onwards, but I just felt so weak I pussied out.
  • Presses were fine, but not particularly fast considering how light they were.
  • Did the tricep work, with a bit of added weight on the LTEs - actually did one more rep than noted above on the last two sets, but didn't count them as they were more shoulders than triceps. Dumbbell work meh.
  • Did some ab rollouts to finish because I want to keep doing ab work somewhere...
  • The session took 1hr 58mins - was a bit longer than usual, because of the extra work and because I'm in no rush today.
• Final thoughts - I am fairly disappointed with the numbers I've been hitting and the fact that my strength still seems to be regressing (for example my 1RM on bench was 75kg a couple of months ago) but I am also trying to trust the system and let my metabolism adjust to the increased food slowly, as I feel like it will become important later when I switch to a proper lean bulk phase. I sure hope so anyway because I feel like I'm still in a hole even though I'm eating 25% more than I was 3 weeks ago.
• I've got a lazy afternoon planned in front of Netflix. Have a great day everyone!

[BenM]

Mon 29/5 - S&M40+ W5 D2: Heavy Squat / Upper Back

Food yesterday: Target: 2353 kcal / Actual: 2304 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 6.3k steps

Sleep last night: 4 hrs 29 mins - 2 times awake, 6 times restless, 14 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.7kg (+0.5kg - no BM)

Back Squat (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x5 @ 65kg
--- Belt On --- (6th hole)
1x3 @ 85kg
1x1 @ 100kg
3x3 @ 112.5kg

Pull Ups (wide grip):
5x5 @ BW

Bent Over Rows:
2x12, 1x13 @ 38.5kg

Hammer Curls:
1x10, 2x12 @ 27.5lbs

Squat work sets, plus accessory work:
_____

• I really should stop watching Grand Prix on Sunday nights if I plan on training in the morning. Training on 4 hours sleep sucks, and as I sat on the toilet trying (unsuccessfully) to poo, I seriously considered going back to bed. But I fucking beat that little voice in my head again (with the help of two 15oz coffees) and did it. I'll be tired tonight, but that's life - I feel much better for it right now. Workout notes:
  
  • Iffy depth on a few squat reps. OK, most of them. I also rounded my back once or twice out of the hole, but not as badly as last Monday. Not ideal though.
  • Sets across on pullups is a bit better than last week but not really gaining much here. Really trying to engage lats more and maybe that will help.
  • Added weight to the bar (still ridiculously light) and got all reps on BORs with an acceptable amount of body english. Upper back was feeling a little pump after these. I have heard Alsruhe say he thinks everyone should be able to row the same weight/reps as they can bench press. I have a freaking long way to go to get there!!
  • Curls were good, I think this is actually an equal PR for twelves (from back in December when I was heavier / eating more). Might have to add some weight
  • It took 1 hr 27 mins to get through, because it took forever to get going (hence the lack of planks) but overall, happy feels afterwards. Have a tops day all!

[BenM]

Tue 30/5: Recovery day

Food yesterday: Target: 2353 kcal / Actual: 2288 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 6.2k steps

Sleep last night: 6 hrs 44 mins - 2 times awake, 11 times restless, 26 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.5kg (-0.2kg)

Cardio (fasted) - LISS:
Elliptical - up a notch @ 5 mins, down a notch @ 25 mins
30 mins total, 5.40 km, 404 kcal burn, ave HR 139 BPM
_____

Wed 31/5: S&M40+ W5 D3: Heavy Press / Light Bench / Chest Supplemental

Food yesterday: Target: 2243 kcal / Actual: 2208 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 11.8k steps

Sleep last night: 8 hrs 53 mins - 3 times awake, 14 times restless, 33 mins awake/restless - plus an hour or so nap yesterday

AM BW: 66.1kg (-0.4kg - later than usual weigh in though)

Side Planks:
2mins, 2mins / side

Overhead Press (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 35kg
1x2+F @ 45.5kg
3x3 @ 45.5kg

Close Grip Bench Press (L):
2x8 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
2x6 @ 57.5kg
1x7 @ 57.5kg

Incline Bench Press (dumbbell):
2x10 @ 40lbs
1x9 @ 40lbs

Decline Bench Press (dumbbell - 2 x 20kg plates under end of bench):
3x12 @ 42.5lbs

Show and tell:
_______

• Was crampy and bloated again yesterday, and I've got a throat infection so taking some time off work - at least I got plenty of sleep. Really gotta figure out what's causing these stomach upsets though. I'm not eating heaps of bread or anything (the extra carbs are mostly coming from one or two pieces of fruit a day, and maybe some rice crackers or something). Can't seem to see any pattern to it.
• With being a bit off colour, fatigued and the fact my weight is still trending slightly down, it's unsurprising I'm spinning my wheels a bit in the gym.... Need to make more of an effort with sleep.
• Workout notes:
  
  • Missed the first set of press. Got angry and hit it harder - managed to get the prescribed 3 triples but it was a frigging grind. Couple of the sets I might not have come all the way back down to the start position, but judge for yourself on the video - the last one felt OK.
  • CGBP was again a bit ordinary, but at least I managed a 7th rep on the last set, for the same total as last week.
  • The dumbbell work was weird. First set of inclines was frigging hard, almost failed. Second set was pretty easy and I could've maybe got another one. Then with the same amount of break (5.5mins) on the last set I couldn't even get the tenth rep up - WTF? Then I go to decline presses, with the same weight as last week and I finally managed to get a couple of extra reps on the last set after failing a couple of times. Chest feels swole now.
  • Total workout time: 1 hr 41 mins - faffed around a fair bit today. Not unhappy with the effort though.
• Have a great Wednesday fellow lifters!

[BenM]

Thu 1/6 - S&M40+ W5 D4: Light Squat / Heavy Deadlift

Food yesterday: Target: 2353 kcal / Actual: 2336 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 9.4k steps

Sleep last night: 6 hrs 53 mins - 1 times awake, 5 times restless, 17 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.3 kg (> 0.2kg, but no BM)

Morning Cardio:
Braved the cold for an early morning walk (fasted)
4.60 km, 38:12min, ave HR 116 BPM
Not sure I trust this, it's a much slower pace than usual

Evening Lifting

Back Squat (L):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x5 @ 67.5kg
--- Belt On --- (6th hole)
5x3 @ 87.5kg

Deadlift:
1x5 @ 100kg
1x3 @ 110kg
3x3 @ 117.5kg

Stiff Legged Deadlift:
3x8 @ 90kg (PR)

Barbell Shrugs:
3x20 @ 52.5kg (PR)

Work sets for main movements, plus a set each of the accessories for shits and giggles:
_______

• Before I start, a note on macros - it might look like I'm falling short every day but I'm really not. If you believe MyFitnessPal I've been well over most days - it's just that since I started with Avatar I've been working out calories based on macros alone, so the calorie number is lower than what MFP actually says if you know what I mean.
• Workout notes:
  
  • Squats went well, bar path looked decently straight and hit depth most of the time. The usual protocol - focus on speed/exploding out of the bottom and limit rests to 2 mins.
  • As usual, my deadlifts looked horrible (upper back rounding straight away) and they felt way heavy, worse than usual - probably since I only did that high rep light dumbbell stuff last week.
  • SLDLs were ok but my hamstrings and lower back are a little tired now. Don't think I'll increase the weight next week.
  • Worst part about this workout is after doing that leg work I then have to work my way over/around the bar to do shrugs when all I wanna do is sit down and rest my pegs... lol. Got them done with a bit more weight but the last few were pretty piss poor so I might not add weight here either. The RX is for a couple of sets of 15-20 anyway. Maybe I should just go heavier and get as many reps as I can, will see how I feel.
  • Was a 1 hr 13 min session, very happy with that - didn't get into the gym til late.
• For accountability's sake - didn't plank (due to time constraints, and I did them yesterday) - planning a session of light / high volume benching tomorrow so might try and get them in before that.
• Now I gotta go eat close to 70g of protein and 50g of carbs before bed to hit my macros for the day, it'll be a trial... oh and 16g of fat, so bring on the hot chocolate and whipped cream - what a shame. Have a great evening all!

[BenM]

Fri 2/6 - Bench volume

Food yesterday: Target: 2243 kcal / Actual: 2239 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 12.3k steps

Sleep last night: 6 hrs 34 mins - 3 times awake, 11 times restless, 26 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.7 kg (> 0.4kg, but again, no BM.. WTF?)

Planks:
3x3 mins

Bench Press - 6x6 @ 70% of 1RM:
2x5 @ 20kg
6x6 @ 50kg

Dumbbell Rows:
1x12 @ 30lbs
2x12 @ 35lbs (PR?)

Dumbbell Flys:
1x10 @ 25lbs
2x10 @ 27.5lbs (PR?)

Last set of bench, plus some rows and flys:
_______

• Didn't sleep well - 4 big coffees yesterday plus this chest infection, was dry coughing all night and couldn't get any relief. Otherwise, I feel pretty good after last night's session - bit of tightness in hams/glutes, lower back is good (touch wood).
• Wasn't going to bother videoing today, but changed my mind for the last set of bench onwards.
• Workout notes:
  
  • Happy with benching. Gripping a bit wider, making sure to keep my head off the bench (neck is still sore from mashing it last time out).... Wasn't too hard, but not too easy especially as I got tired.
  • Threw in some rows to balance the benching out a bit. 30lbs seemed too easy, so threw another 5lbs on there - think my upper back is a bit stronger than it used to be.
  • Hrm, what else to do. Flys? These seemed easier than last time out at 25 pounds too, so went a little heavier again. Get that chest pump.
  • Session time: 1 hr 19 mins - really good. The bench and planks were planned, the other stuff was just for kicks. I definitely I like the idea of throwing in a little extra bench volume on Fridays when I have the opportunity - it slots in nicely with the rest of the schedule and I think I need it both to groove my technique and to get it stronger. Might have to be in the evenings most of the time but we'll see.
• Lunch time..... Have a great day all!

[BenM]

Sun 04/06 - S&M40+ W6 D1: Heavy Bench / Light Press / Triceps

Food yesterday: Target: 2353 kcal / Actual: 2322 kcal - macros compliant

Activity yesterday: 19.7k steps (golf)

Sleep last night: 7 hrs 54 mins - 5 times awake, 9 times restless, 22 mins awake/restless

AM BW: 66.1kg (< 0.5kg from yesterday, down .1kg from last Sunday)

Decline Planks:
3 x 1 min holds

Bench Press (H):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x5 @ 45kg
1x3 @ 60kg
1x1 @ 71kg
Fails @ 71kg x 2, 70.5kg, 69kg, 67.5kg FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUU
3x1 @ 65kg
1x1 @ 60kg fuckit

Overhead Press (L):
2x5 @ 20kg
1x3 @ 30kg
5x3 @ 39kg

Lying Tricep Extensions:
3x10 @ 33.5kg

Seated French Press:
3x10 @ 28.5kgs

A video of many fails - this should be fun:
_______

• Weigh in day. Average weight for the week is down another .3kg so macros are bumped up again - now on 174P/274C/66F for 2386 kcal (before adjustments for high/low days).
• Still have a chest infection. Also, played golf yesterday, and my pecs/triceps are still feeling tightish from Friday's extra bench session so I'm probably under recovered. For bonus points, my daughter has gastro and it remains to be seen whether me and the missus have it too - at 10:30pm last night I was stripping a spew covered bed and showering with a spew covered 2 year old. So while this was another horrible workout - and I was angry about it at the time - to be fair to myself, there are probably good reasons why.
• Anyhoo - session notes:
  
  • Been reading about planks and apparently it's a waste of time continuing to just work on extending the time (and it's also not going to be sustainable with workout lengths anyway) - so I'll work through a plank progression instead and move on once I can do 1min of each. Incline planks was the next step, 1 min was fairly easy though - so I think the next step is one legged planks - ugh.
  • If last week's bench was a shitshow, this week's was an absolute clusterfuck. The 60kg warmup set felt fricking heavy, I did manage to grind out one single at 71kg. Then the wife came in and told me to turn the music down, and after that - nothing, nada, zip. Tried and kept dropping the weight back, it was 65kg before I could even get singles, and they were butt-off-the-bench all out efforts. I actually wanted to do some reps at 60kg as back off work but the first rep went up so slow I just pulled the pin at that point. I wanted to cry. Dafuq? I don't _think_ that form was egregiously bad (feel free to critique, though the angle isn't ideal), I managed 4 singles at 70kg pretty easily 3 weeks ago, and I'm eating more now. I can only put it down to recovery... now I am wondering whether that Friday benching is a good idea, OR whether golf on Saturdays takes too much out of me - even though I made yesterday a high carb day I still dropped a bit of weight overnight.
  • Presses, just repeat what I said last week. Fine, but slow considering....
  • Bit of a regression on the LTEs as well. I swapped out the dumbbell overhead work for seated extensions with the EZ Curl bar, for variety, and because I think the bar will force me to use better form. Definitely felt like I got more of a pump, but it was also heavier. Last rep on both was a bit iffy.
  • Another longer than usual session at 1hr 57mins, for obvious reasons.
• I don't really know where to go from here - this week will finish the second 3 week cycle. I was originally thinking I wanted to do one more cycle and see if I can get closer to my old PRs before doing a deload week, but the way things are going, maybe I better just take a light week next week and catch up on recovery a bit. It's demotivating and it sucks, but if I start seeing gains again afterwards it'll be worth it. Guess I'll see how I go this week with lifting and sleep, make a decision in a few days time.
• Happy Sunday everyone. I'm going to eat lunch then curl up in the foetal position somewhere......