--->>405<<--- accountability/progress log

[Standby]

wow bro great job! i myself along with some other posting in your thread have lost over 70lbs. it aint easy but it needs to be done. your doing f'n amazing man. im proud along with everyone else

[Back In Black]

sweet on the body mortar.. now does it matter that i pretty much get outta bed, walk into kitchen mix bcaa and go upstairs and chug it as im stepping onto the elliptical? do i need to like wait 10 mins or something?

No need to wait, BCAA's are REALLY REALLY fast acting, especially on a empty stomach.

[--->>405<<---]

Hey standby thx man! i really appreciate ur encouragement.. Congrats on ur loss as well!

Well i have a 1300 start at work today so i got to sleep in which was awesome.. Just woke up had my bcaas and now its time for fasted cardio.. Today 5 min warm up , 20 mins hiit, 20 mins moderate.. Let the pain begin LOL

[--->>405<<---]

Well got my cardio done.. It was pretty tuff.. Esp after doing the hiit just managing to continue doing 20 more mins of moderate was not easy but i got it dun.. This late afternoon will be legs.. Im hoping to be under 200 lbs by the end of this week thatll be sweet.. I did weigh rite after cardio this am and was 200.4 so i think its attainable(i am aware i had lost alot of water in my wkout) i weighed 201.6 before cardio...

[--->>405<<---]

alrighty well another day completed successfully except that the 1300 start has thrown off my eating schedule so i still have 2 more meals to consume

legs were tuff but good today.. stem i managed to do front squats w/o too much trouble on shoulder.. a little discomfort between thumb and index finger holding the bar.. kind of an awkward position.. did it with 135 which i could easily do more with my legs but i dont know if i can keep the weight held up with my arms when i go down i have to hold it tightly and actually support the weight with my arms.. maybe u could give me a pointer or 2..

regular squat wise i did better than last week doing 315 for 8 reps after 135 x 15(warm up)
225 x 8
275 x 8

i need to get a weight belt.. i think i could do more (maybe 405) if i had a spotter but i was the only one in the gym so i didnt push it..

split squats still continue to be the tuffest of all.. do them with dbs (45 in each hand) i think doing them last also makes it harder

think im gonna look at some u tube on the romanian deadlift as well.. did them but my technique prob needs some improvement. managed to do last set at 235 x 8 which was tuff.. the belt i was using was too small and velcro and it actually popped off during one set LOL ..

i think some gloves would prob help with the front squats too actually...

next up.. back and abs.. theyre just getting unsore(is that a word?? but im sure thats gonna change..

will post total daily macros later..still not eaten all my food..

oh 1 more thing yall may think is cool.. i have a buddy i lift with occasionally but hes a chicken wing eater and football watching beer drinker LOL (need i say more) and i told him bout yall and my diet 4 weeks ago.. he responded with not much interest.. well yesterday i texted him 2 pics (original and 4 weeks later) ...long story short i gave him my diet today LOL but i told him he needs to get bf checked because his numbers will be difft than mine.. made me feel good though that my 4 weeks results pics had that much of an impact.. cant wait til next month later guys

[--->>405<<---]

total daily macros:2273/322/97/56

[Back In Black]

Front squat like this so the hands are used mor for balance and the bar resting across shoulder and upper chest slightly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd_WsfebYOg

And romanian deadlift like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZjHErxMqQ

You most definitely do NOT need a belt on RDL's and I would argue against one on normal squats/deadlifts too unless you are doing really low reps or max attempts. Unless you have some underlying back condition that we don't know about.

Split squats are a real killer whether firs or last in your workout. By all means continue with dumbbells but I find them much more effective with a barbell on my shoulders. Just watch your technique and make sure that front foot stays flay and that the back knee comes within a hen's tooth of the ground!

Good news your bud has seen great results in you too. When he's 'ready' get him to sign up and we'll look after him too!

[Back In Black]

Do you squat in a rck or cage? If so, that's your spotter. It's not uncmmon at my gym to hear a big ass crash of weight as someone fails on a squat. It's why you use a rack or cage. If you only have stands then yes, you need a spotter but I bet there aren't many gyms with only stands anymore.

Your gym's staff should be able to spot you provided they aren't just lounging about sipping protein shakes sand flirting with the clientele!

[--->>405<<---]

ok on the belt.. i wasnt sure just always thought u needed one for them(squats heavy) i dont have any back issues and it hasnt been hurting me on either although on the DL it does get a tad sore and tired after...maybe cuz i never had done alot of lower back exercises..

split squats i like i am gonna watch the vid after i post this i have just had some prob with balance.. maybe using a BB will help with that..?

ive already suggested to my bud that he get on here.. well see what time will tell

i do have a squat rack i use.. its right up against a wall that has a big mirror on it and i dont know how much room id have to fall completely thru if necessary.. the gym i go to is very convenient (rite around the corner from work) and it only costs me 100$/year(thats rite per year) to be a member .. me and 5 buddys go in each yr and put up 100$ a piece ... u may say "have ur friends spot u" but usually im the only one who goes..

theres no staff in there the guy who owns it opened it in the 70s (back in the arnold days) and i dont believe hes added any new equipment since then LOL .. its not one of those fancy gyms where u have a bunch of people going all decked out in nice workout clothes and a smoothie bar with alot of hot chicks on cardio equipment.. the nautilus equipment has what looks like motorcycle chains attached to sprockets pulling the weight LOL but they have plenty of good freeweights to get it dun.. they actually have dumbells in there that look like two big balls on each end with a handle in between all one solid piece of iron..

now to an equally important matter.. my cheat meal the closer i get to it the more i think about the potential impact its gonna have on my progress.. i would appreciate ur recommendation as to how much i should eat.. i was under the impression that a cheat meal was a good and necessary thing to kind of throw off my metabolism that has grown accustomed to my current diet which should "reset" it (for lack of a better term) and get it cranked up again because the body is good at acclimating itself to whatever environment i create for it ie:diet and exercise routine.. is this indeed correct or is it an attempt to justify deviating from my diet?

if this is true then how much should i eat to achieve that as well as release some pressure thats built from eating boring food for a month where i will have the most efficient effect on my continued progress??

also after this cheat meal here will i have to wait another month for another one?(fine if i do i just need to know)

3rdly will there come a time when i will get to have a cheat meal more often than once a month and if so at what approximate bf% will that be and approximately how often would u suggest??

i know alot of questions thx man

[--->>405<<---]

oh yeh also i had an alarm clock mishapn this am so i didnt get in my usual fasted cardio.. (bummed) i thought about going to run at lunch which is what i used to do but ive gotten so in the groove with the efficiency of fasted cardio im wondering if itll be worth the time?? prob a 30 min session HIIT sprints?? will it still be constructive for fatloss considering i will have consumed 2 meals by then and 75% of my carbs for the day??

[Back In Black]

As long as your legs aren't too shot from yesterdays session then yeah, a HIIT session is certainly acceptable. In fact, it's all I'll have time for later so it's what I'll be doing.

[--->>405<<---]

when u get time will u check out post 289?

[--->>405<<---]

well i tell u one thing is for sure: HIIT sprints do NOT get any easier just cuz u take a month off got in 1/2 mile jog plus 10 sprints.. took 33 mins and im spent.. so much for worrying about it being a waste of time.. it def didnt feel like one..

[Back In Black]

Yep, if you do a HIIT session and you don't think it's been worth it, then you haven't done a HIIT session.

As far as your planned cheat I'm just gonna say, have what you want. You'll only know how much a cheat sets you back after you've done a few to varying degrees. What I will say is this - weigh yourself the morning of your cheat. Then the morning after and so on until you are at the weight the day of your cheat. How many days that is doesn't quite correlate to how many days it sets you back, but it isn't far off.

My last blowout took me 60 hours to return to my pre-cheat weight. My cheats are, on the whole, very much more controlled than that. You shouldn't see it as an excuse to fill your boots because you can. But, it's been a month so have what you like and just learn from the weight and how it makes you feel for a day or 2 after.

As to a cheat resetting your metabolism? Broscience so that the bro's have an excuse to pig out. Bodybuilders readying themselves for comps don't rely on pizza and chicken wings to keep their metabolism in check. To avoid your metabolism 'slipping' is the reason I suggested a carb refeed every 14 days. That's carb not carb AND fat.

So, yet again, it's a learning experience for you.

Any clearer?

[--->>405<<---]

thats a big 10/4 good buddy LOL on the bodybuilders relying on chicken wings and pizza LOLOLOL

[--->>405<<---]

Well another day dun.. I tell u im lookn forward to tomorrow when i can do my am fasted cardio and lift T lunch.. I didnt feel like i did enuff today just doing hiit at lunch today with no lifting.. Anyways ..

Total daily macros:2273/322/97/56

Oh and my buddy who i gave my diet to yezterday left work early today to go drink beer and eat chikn wings.. Guess he figd hed start the diet "on monday".. anyone relate to that? I can

[GirlyGymRat]

this is hard core stuff in this thread

[--->>405<<---]

Thx Girl.. Will take tAt as a comPliment ive always been an "all or nothing kind of guy" when i make my mind up to really diet or eat, drink beer or other activities ... Most of them ive given up so now i can really give my body a good shot cuz i dont have anything to get in the way (lifestyle-wise)..

Well i woke up and got in my 45 min fasted cardio this am.. I tell u the first 20 mins of am cardio is def the hardest... Getn those sleepy legs woke up and warmed up .. Alot of time i just frel like quitting.. (not really but kinda) today i tried doing a 30 sec interval all out to kinda give em a jolt and it actually worked.. Maybe next time ill do 2 or 3...

[--->>405<<---]

UPDATE UPDATE: got my test results back..

total testosterone :349 (normal 348-1197)
free testosterone:7.3(normal 8.7-25.1)

kinda bummed out.. posted thread in hormone replacement section.. does explain fatigue and mood.. any thoughts anyone??

[--->>405<<---]

well i got back and abs dun.. good workout.. did reg deads today stem..tuff.. 225 x 8 was the most i did.. prob a sad number for deads but i never really did them before.. maybe when i build up my posterior chain a littl bit ill be abloe to do more

[--->>405<<---]

total daily macros : same as yesterday

[GirlyGymRat]

[QUOTE=--->>405<<---;5788177]Thx Girl.. Will take tAt as a comPliment ive always been an "all or nothing kind of guy" when i make my mind up to really diet or eat, drink beer or other activities ... Most of them ive given up so now i can really give my body a good shot cuz i dont have anything to get in the way (lifestyle-wise)..QUOTE]

As you should and you are better off without IMHO!! I'll be checkin in on you periodically!

[--->>405<<---]

hey thx girl and ur rite i am better off believe u me and id appreciate u dropping in

well i didnt do any cardio this am cuz i didnt go to bed until 2330 and had to be at work at 0650 which would have meant i woulda had to get up at 0430 to do cardio and after 16 hr day yesterday i just didnt have it in me to do.. i did set the alarm for 0440 but when it went off i just stayed in bed.. i did feel guilty but what do u do? considering doing HIIT again at lunch and lifting at 1800 if i can but i may just have to wait and do cardio tonite or just skip it altogether today.. sometimes my schedule just doesnt allow especially cuz its friday and ive already worked 48 hrs before the start today.. if i do skip it today i will do cardio sunday which is supposed to be an off day..

shoulders today as well..

been debating on what to do about TRT if i should go ahead and get on under this doctor im seeing currently or wait until i can see an endocrinologist.. the only bad thing about waiting is the next available appt isnt until after Christmas.. thought about making another appt with regular doc and bringing info with me about TRT protocol and seeing if theyre open to following it before i make an absolute decision.. would be nice to have more energy and stuff as well as the possible positive aspect associated with having normal test levels.. like i said before i thought i was just tired cuz i work so much but now i see thats not the case and id like to get my energy back cuz my lifestyle does require alot of it..im still waitn to see IF shes even gonna give me a referral.. they seemd a bit unhappy with the fact that i was asking for one.. but thats coming from the lab woman not the actual doc.. i think i need to speak to her directly..

[--->>405<<---]

not alot of action on here today

[--->>405<<---]

well my workout went well.. did shoulders and then got in 20 mins HIIT on treadmill immediately after.. thats something ive never done before.. figd since i wasnt able to do any cardio this am i needed to get it in when i could and i had the time so there u go.. managed to do the 70 lb dbs on seated shoulder press for 3 sets .. maybe next week ill try the 75s..

tomorrow is cheat meal day! yay!! i would have thought id be more excited but with all thats going on its kinda lost its luster.. TBH i prob wont eat a whole lot cuz i dont want it to affect my diet too bad..

it appears my weight loss has slowed a tad but i wont be certain til at least tomorrow..i usually weigh in on sundays but since my cheat day is 2morr i will do it then..

Stem maybe if thats the case we might have to do some modification? also could it be that ive been eating 100g carbs for like 16 days strait without a refeed???

[Back In Black]

Mate, I can't comment on your test results, I have little experience in that area and will leave that to the experts.

HIIT after weights is pretty much the only cardio I do atm, it's all I have time for. And I like it. It's efficient! 70lb shoulder presses are good and 225 for 8 reps as a first time deadlift is a great start, should be able to add 10lb per session to that for a while.

Let's see what your weigh in tells us. The fact we have modified your workouts recently MAY have encouraged a little muscle growth. But, fat loss will slow down no doubt. Definitely need a refeed but we'll class your cheat as a refeed this time around.

Pleased your planned cheat is not gonna be as bad as suggested. Generally planned cheats contain less than those times when you suddenly have a mad craving and go balls to the wall without thinking about it.

Let us know what the weigh in reads.

[--->>405<<---]

yeh tats cool i didnt figure u could.. just thought it was relevant to my situation(diet)..

i am dun with lifting til monday at which time i will start writing down my weights and reps and stuff.. should i try to add weight to what i do every week? usually how much weight i handle has been just what i think i can do at the time..no real structure.. any suggestion would be appreciated..

im hoping ur rite about adding some muscle..also i cut out worcestershire and old bay (salt) from my diet as of today.. dont plan to use it again for awhile..

funny about the balls to the wall cheating attack.. sounds like a binge..

will be posting weigh in in the am

[--->>405<<---]

Total daily Macros:2273/322/97/56 ud think id have it memorized by now i eat the exact same thing everyday

[Back In Black]

A binge with attitude mate. We all do it. From time to time.

As far as adding weight every week? If you can add weight and stay within your target reps then yes, definitely. If you don't add weight I would expect you to be doing one more rep. eg on your 6-8 rep week if you do incline presses say for sets of 8,8,7,7 I would still put the weight up. You may need to drop the weight by the time the third set comes about but that's ok. It's still progression. If you only do 8,7,6,6 then you may want to stay the same weight and look to up your reps on the 7,6,6 sets.

Small progression, if you can, on every exercise, every week. Small steps equal a massive journey over time.

Oh, and Worcester sauce? You know what's in it and how it was created/discovered?

[--->>405<<---]

No i dont know wats in it or how it was discovered but i like it do tell ...

Weighed in first thing this am : 200.6 so tats exactly 2 lbs drop from last sunday .. May been a little more had i weighed in tomorrow which is when i shoulda weighed in but ill take 2 lbs.. I should hopefully go under 200 this week depending on my cheat meal today.. It also is supposed to rain today.. The only day in the next 10 rain is expected.. Can u believe tat crap?? Hasnt raind in a week and wont rain for 10 more days and the one day i have family coming for a cookout its supposed to rain..

Will have wifr chk bf when she gets in the mean time .. Fasted cardio..

[Back In Black]

malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice, and flavouring.[8] The "spice, and flavouring" is believed to include cloves, soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers.

When they made it it tasted so foul that they didn't even bother trying to make a better tasting version. About a year later these guys stumbled across it in their cellar having forgotten all about it. They tasted it and, hey presto, Worcestershire sauce was born!

It's awesome on cheese on toast. Not that we would even consider eating cheese. Or toast. Probably.

Good weight loss, 2lbs. Steady. Gonna look awesome pretty soon.

[--->>405<<---]

Funny u say that about cheese on toast w worcestershire my mom who i told u is fr england(sussex) used to make me grilled cheese sandwiches when i was a kid and she put worcestershire on it.. Was very good

Bf came in at 18.9%

Last week was 19.2 so not much of a drop.. At about 5 or 6 days worth of burger with worcestershire in it as well as old bay on my shrimp and eggd so maybe i have some water weight or someth..

LBM droppd from 74.03 to 73.77
Fat wt droppd fr. 17.6 to 17.2

So i lost .26kg lbm and .41kg fat

I start TRT on wednesday.. Test cyp 100mg/ml not sure if 100mg/week or 200mg/week
Got a 6 month script which works out to 200mg/week

5 x 10ml filld before end of april which is 50 shots..

Thats 8 shots/month.. Hope this boost in test will also assist in musclE growth and fatloss seeing as how my free test is only 7.3 rite now which is well below the lowest normal...

[--->>405<<---]

Had cheat .. Plate full of food.. Only had 1 1/2 chk wing and like 2 ribs with baked beans, salad , 3bean salad and potato salad.. And generous piece of choc cake w ice cream and big glass milk..

Dun deal.. More full than ive been in a month..

Now back to diet til thxgiving...

Stem u wer rite i dont feel spectacular but glad i got it behind me.. Could have eaten alot more.. Only ate 1 other meal today (about 450cal) so i shouldnt be too far over daily total cals..

Couch time

[GirlyGymRat]

Had cheat .. Plate full of food

Couch time

Sounds like you deserved both!

[--->>405<<---]

Hey thx girl.. Its been a good 5 weeks back to 100% diet .. Now i gotta get all this food outta house.. Gonna give sum to a friend at work tomorrow .. Took a pic of my plate will post it tomorrow when i have laptop running..

[GirlyGymRat]

Hey thx girl.. Its been a good 5 weeks back to 100% diet .. Now i gotta get all this food outta house.. Gonna give sum to a friend at work tomorrow .. Took a pic of my plate will post it tomorrow when i have laptop running..

Too funny.....I have done this on vacation at fancy places...but never a cheat meal so it must have been the bomb! hahahaha

[--->>405<<---]

It was very good if u like chk wings on the grill and ribs (smoked) ... But also i like to be thorough and what better way than posting a pic of exactly wat i ate for my cheat? Although i did leave out the cake.. I must say im a dang good grillman.. Plus my wife used to work at a wing restaraunt and she got me some wing sauce thats awesome .. Jalapeno cheddar.. Mmm of course i also used bbq sauce on some of the wings as well...Not to mention ive never been 5 weeks on a diet with no cheat in my life so it was pretty important to me.. Before i only went one week..

[SlimmerMe]

Sounding better and better! 5 weeks! That is fantastic! Keep it up~

[--->>405<<---]

well back in the saddle again!

woke up this am and did 45 min fasted cardio with 20 min HIIT and 20 min moderate..

SteM weight was up from 200.6 sat morning to 201.0 this am.. i can live with that

ready to get back in the gym tomorrow.. i included here a pic of my plate thats i ate yesterday..the only thing i left out was the cake.. (chocolate w big scoop 1/2 the fat vanilla breyers ice cream)

well the pic is taking forever to download so im gonna just post this and chek later to see if its dun..

[--->>405<<---]

this is how we do it in south cArolina