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Thread: Mike's SSLP 31/m/5'8"/162lb

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by ss-mike View Post
    Hey Bob, yeah the migraine definitely threw me off. I haven't really gotten them for years, maybe one off here and there. Hopefully its not a recurring thing but I am trying to keep a close eye on it. Have you noticed if any particular lift seems to aggravate it more?
    Not really, just pushing it past a certain point for max effort. Probably the main reason I've never attempted to find a 1RM for any of my lifts.

    Other than that, my triggers are mostly the "overs": overtired, overhungry, or overheated.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ss-mike View Post
    Hey Dillon, thanks! So, I have been hitting around 3200 calories, aiming for 230g of protein. A typical day looks like this:

    Morning Snack: Cottage cheese, banana, brazil nuts
    Breakfast: Oatmeal with hemp/chia/flaxseeds, blueberries, peanut butter, walnuts
    Snack: Apple, pistachios or almonds, dark chocolate, whey protein shake
    Snack: Sardine sandwich
    Lunch: Brown rice, chicken, broccoli
    Snack: Smoothie with peanut butter, banana, whey protein
    Dinner: Lentil Pasta with chicken

    I have consistently hit 3200 calories daily all last week, sometimes more depending on the day. I was surprised the scale hasn't moved much, since I was eating around 2800 calories a couple weeks ago. I am thinking about bumping it up to 3500 calories a day.
    Wow, you're one clean eating dude! If those are the kinds of high quality calories you're eating on a regular basis, I think you could definitely go to 3500 no problem. The standard recommendation around here is 4000, but you probably don't have to go there yet unless you find yourself to be a real hard gainer.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillon Spencer View Post
    Wow, you're one clean eating dude! If those are the kinds of high quality calories you're eating on a regular basis, I think you could definitely go to 3500 no problem. The standard recommendation around here is 4000, but you probably don't have to go there yet unless you find yourself to be a real hard gainer.
    Thanks Dillon. I conveniently left out the ice cream, burgers and fries I had this weekend . I'd say I hit that 85% of the time but make sure I get the protein. Normally, during the week, I keep to the diet better because I am prepped out but the weekend is were I enjoy life a little more. My weight actually came up a bit today, 164.4 lb. Not sure how much is water weight. I'll plan to see how my weight does the rest of the week, and if it goes back down I'll bump up to 3500. I'm not sure where I want to land, but I think I'd be comfortable pushing to 180/190 lb. Just don't want to go overboard and gain back too much fat.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by ss-mike View Post
    Thanks Dillon. I conveniently left out the ice cream, burgers and fries I had this weekend . I'd say I hit that 85% of the time but make sure I get the protein. Normally, during the week, I keep to the diet better because I am prepped out but the weekend is were I enjoy life a little more. My weight actually came up a bit today, 164.4 lb. Not sure how much is water weight. I'll plan to see how my weight does the rest of the week, and if it goes back down I'll bump up to 3500. I'm not sure where I want to land, but I think I'd be comfortable pushing to 180/190 lb. Just don't want to go overboard and gain back too much fat.
    Haha now that's more like it! One of my favourite things about strength training is that the occasional high calorie meal can actually be quite beneficial, with no guilt required! I hear you on not wanting to gain back too much fat, but you're not going to put on 40 lbs over night. You always have the option of dialling it back if you're body's doing something you're not a fan of. You just don't want to sabotage progress early by worrying about how much fat you may be carrying 3-6 months from now. It's usually best to be aggressive up front, when the potential for rapid growth is highest, and let your body grow into the increased calories. When I first started 3500 calories was like an 800/day surplus. Now, at 6' and 215 lbs it's basically maintenance. All I'm trying to say is don't stress finding the exact number that lets you gain a perfect pound a week or something. You obviously have the discipline and know how to cut a little extra fluff once you're much bigger and stronger, and it'll be easier with 20-30 extra lbs of muscle.

    Go forth and make gains my man!

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillon Spencer View Post
    Haha now that's more like it! One of my favourite things about strength training is that the occasional high calorie meal can actually be quite beneficial, with no guilt required! I hear you on not wanting to gain back too much fat, but you're not going to put on 40 lbs over night. You always have the option of dialling it back if you're body's doing something you're not a fan of. You just don't want to sabotage progress early by worrying about how much fat you may be carrying 3-6 months from now. It's usually best to be aggressive up front, when the potential for rapid growth is highest, and let your body grow into the increased calories. When I first started 3500 calories was like an 800/day surplus. Now, at 6' and 215 lbs it's basically maintenance. All I'm trying to say is don't stress finding the exact number that lets you gain a perfect pound a week or something. You obviously have the discipline and know how to cut a little extra fluff once you're much bigger and stronger, and it'll be easier with 20-30 extra lbs of muscle.

    Go forth and make gains my man!
    Okay you convinced me . I'll do 3500. All signs keep pointing back to eating more anyway .

  6. #16
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    Wednesday
    05/29/2019
    Squat: 175x5x3 - slowing down on the last couple reps, feel like I need to lean over more. Jhook @ 16 and safety @ 6 seems to work well.
    Press: 85x5x3 - felt awkward today, hip thrust and bar path seemed off. Think I need to tighten quads/glutes more and make sure wrists are positioned better.
    Deadlift: 195x5 - felt good and heavy, no hitting shins or knees.

    Weight: 163.7 lb

    A note to the guy planking and playing with the kettlebell in the squat rack next to me, at least have the decency to clean up after yourself. I ended up putting his 45 lbs and kettlebell away after he left. The personalities were out at the gym this morning.

  7. #17
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    Way to move that scale!

  8. #18
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    Friday
    05/31/2019
    Squat
    185x5 - 3 min rest
    185x3 - failed on 2nd set, safety bars did their job. rather uneventful besides a bruised ego. first time failing a squat. 6 min rest
    185x5 - felt ok, longer rest seemed to help. 4 min rest
    185x3 - wanted to get at least 2 to make up for the missed reps, but felt good enough for 3.

    I plan to keep doing 10 lb jumps and increase the rest period from 3 min to 5 min. So, next time 195x5x3 with 5 min rest. I could also try going to 5 lb jumps. I'll skim the book and forums and see where I land on Monday.


    Bench 125x5x3 - having an awkward time in the power rack. safety pin height is either to low or the bar slightly hits when I touch my chest. I put 10 lb plates under the bench which fixed the height. I tested failing and the bar rests on the pins but I couldn't really slide out. I don't really like putting 10 lb plates under the bench, seems like it could be dangerous if I was slightly off. I might try benching in the half squat rack next time. They have nice benches at my gym, just no safeties. Bench still doesn't feel that heavy, but the equipment is making this lift annoying.

    Deadlift 205x5 - felt heavy on the hands, need to start using chalk. Gym says they allow it but no one uses it, so I guess I'll give it a shot next time and see if anyone complains.

    Weight: 165.1 lb
    Last edited by Michael Smith; 05-31-2019 at 08:11 AM.

  9. #19
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    Here's what I did for benching at home:

    I have safeties which have 3" centers, so I can't really get them right where I need them. I set them to the highest spot where they don't interfere, and then I used the scraps from the rubber horse mats I use for my "platform" in the basement to make strips which sit under the two feet of my bench. I put a strip under each foot, and that gets it to where I don't hit the safeties with a full chest of air and an arched back, but it rests safely without hitting me when I relax/exhale. You are correct, there's still not really room to slide out, BUT, if your arthopometry (sp?) is like mine, the chest is the high point, so I just roll the bar all the way up past my head (yes, it clears my nose) and then I can just get up like I normally do.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by SeanThornton View Post
    Here's what I did for benching at home:

    I have safeties which have 3" centers, so I can't really get them right where I need them. I set them to the highest spot where they don't interfere, and then I used the scraps from the rubber horse mats I use for my "platform" in the basement to make strips which sit under the two feet of my bench. I put a strip under each foot, and that gets it to where I don't hit the safeties with a full chest of air and an arched back, but it rests safely without hitting me when I relax/exhale. You are correct, there's still not really room to slide out, BUT, if your arthopometry (sp?) is like mine, the chest is the high point, so I just roll the bar all the way up past my head (yes, it clears my nose) and then I can just get up like I normally do.
    Thanks for the tip! I didn't try rolling the bar up, will give that a shot. I like the idea of horse stall mat scraps instead of plates. I was thinking of bringing plywood but the mat would probably be better in the gym bag.

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