Wango back at the grind

[wango]

64 y.o. skinny dude on TRT trying to flex. Damn I miss that biceps . . .

[Cylon357]

64 y.o. skinny dude on TRT trying to flex. Damn I miss that biceps . . .

Looks like some serious weight loss, way to go man!

[wango]

Looks like some serious weight loss, way to go man!

Thanks, likely 25 pounds of fat. Time though for a gradual introduction of more calories & protein. Maybe a cutback on cardio volume.

Hey, good luck with your killer time crunch buddy!

[JaneDoe]

64 y.o. skinny dude on TRT trying to flex. Damn I miss that biceps . . .

You are a badass Wango guy, God bless your life. I want to reach your age in shape like this! You are in excellent physical shape, being fully muscular is not always necessary

[wango]

You are a badass Wango guy, God bless your life. I want to reach your age in shape like this! You are in excellent physical shape, being fully muscular is not always necessary

You are too kind brother, much appreciated! Added body weight at my age just doesn’t make sense. And man, drop a ton of extra $ in my lap and I’d have some of the plastic surgeons in our area tighten/lift my pecs and get rid of those life-long fat deposits. They perform miracles, but they ain’t cheap.

Week 21 was an easy/light one. One push, one pull, one day of squats. 2 days abs and 2 days of easy cardio. Anniversary dinners with friends and then just my wife. Yikes 40 years passes fast!

[wango]

Enjoying my Sunday’s glued to a chair and watching NFL RedZone from 10:00 a.m. on. Doesn’t build much muscle or burn any fat but it sure is fun.

Pull day yesterday with abs and light cardio.

Push day today. 4 sets of squats and light cardio. Digging those squats on the Smith machine, starting to look forward to them.

[wango]

Liking my new needles/syringes. Damn sucks that you can get an awkward batch.

Yesterday was alternating between core & cardio for 75 minutes. Hit abs & core from every direction and switched between stationary cycle, elliptical & treadmill.

Pull day today with 4 sets of squats. Could only muster 8 reps when I increased my weight to 70 pounds. Slow, clean form down to parallel. Only 15 minutes on elliptical.

Eating is super clean after a couple of restaurant dinners last week. Morning scale at 199. I fucking hate my chest. It refuses to let go of its extra fat. If I had $ to burn, it would be surgery in a heartbeat.

Shoulders are a joke. Realized I couldn’t toast our anniversary with friends with only one hand. Eating soup is looking awkward as well Yet my resistance climbs on almost all chest & deltoid movements.

[Cylon357]

Liking my new needles/syringes. Damn sucks that you can get an awkward batch.

Yesterday was alternating between core & cardio for 75 minutes. Hit abs & core from every direction and switched between stationary cycle, elliptical & treadmill.

Pull day today with 4 sets of squats. Could only muster 8 reps when I increased my weight to 70 pounds. Slow, clean form down to parallel. Only 15 minutes on elliptical.

Eating is super clean after a couple of restaurant dinners last week. Morning scale at 199. I fucking hate my chest. It refuses to let go of its extra fat. If I had $ to burn, it would be surgery in a heartbeat.

Shoulders are a joke. Realized I couldn’t toast our anniversary with friends with only one hand. Eating soup is looking awkward as well Yet my resistance climbs on almost all chest & deltoid movements.

Take the progress you can get, man, and enjoy it!

[wango]

Take the progress you can get, man, and enjoy it!

Definitely, for sure! Nothing is taken for granted & all blessings are counted & given thanks for! And go figure. . . squats of all things, lol.

[wango]

Last week was solid: 2x push, 2 pull, 2 squats, 4 days abs and 4 days cardio. Continued clean diet. Weight is dancing between 198 and 200 depending on salt/water intake, but continuing to tighten up. T-shirts still stretching out more and more in the right places & strength climbing slightly on all lifts.

Today begins week 24. Pull day, some abs, elliptical & treadmill and squats (up to 35 pound plates on each side).

Side note, I’m getting tired of the ad with the bald sour puss in the lab coat popping up relentlessly.

EIU alum, pulling for Jimmy G tonight against the Rams. He does make some cringe worthy throws though

[Cylon357]

Last week was solid: 2x push, 2 pull, 2 squats, 4 days abs and 4 days cardio. Continued clean diet. Weight is dancing between 198 and 200 depending on salt/water intake, but continuing to tighten up. T-shirts still stretching out more and more in the right places & strength climbing slightly on all lifts.

Today begins week 24. Pull day, some abs, elliptical & treadmill and squats (up to 35 pound plates on each side).

Side note, I’m getting tired of the ad with the bald sour puss in the lab coat popping up relentlessly.

EIU alum, pulling for Jimmy G tonight against the Rams. He does make some cringe worthy throws though

The Waginator returns! Carefully with the squats, man, these old knees might not enjoy the extra work! But good on you for getting it done and keeping your weight below 200!

[wango]

The Waginator returns! Carefully with the squats, man, these old knees might not enjoy the extra work! But good on you for getting it done and keeping your weight below 200!

Adding weight very gradually to the squats. Focus is on form & keeping the core/alignment spot on.

Truly blessed to be hitting it with gusto again.

[wango]

Sweet push day. The body said let’s go for heavier weights & I obliged. Hit PB on Hammer Military Press (added 10 pounds, now at 110, got 3 reps). Also on Hammer Chest Press (added 10 pounds, now at 70, 5 reps). Secondary to having to crank my shoulders/arms back for squats, my shoulders are a bit more loose, so the starting positions/first 10 degrees feels easier on each exercise. Kept triceps at 6-8 reps, I believe I added another plate to the seated dip machine. The body continues doing ok working out fasted.

Some 1/2 kneeling wood choppers, stationary bike and treadmill.

Watched “The Northerner” last night. Yikes, it was a mess. It was ok to just pass time & be able to FF occasionally, but if I paid at a movie theater I would have not been happy.

[wango]

The last 2 days have been low calorie days, yesterday in particular (likely only 500, but nothing after 2:00 pm).

So the scale had dropped this morning, then we took a 5 mile hike and it left me drained - scale said 195 .

We bought a large and deep tub when we built the place and although I’ve never used it, nor the tub in our previous home; I felt compelled to fill it with cold water & just cool down. Damn that was nice, I might have started a new habit. I know some of y’all have pools, this will have to suffice.

I think I can get myself below 190. I know I’m a grandpa, but there’s still some fat that I can see gone. Abs still not close to being clean, thinking I’m at least 13% bf.

I’m happy I did/am doing this without the help of var, HGH & clen (all now which would be a fast contributor), but I still have some tren , but would like to be closer to 10% before I pull that trigger.

[wango]

An all my favorite movements day. I felt pretty taxed so stuck around the 12-15 rep range with lighter weights. I did get 3 sets of squats in, but didn’t think a 4th would be smart as the legs are still fried from yesterday.

Snapped a pic. Size is clearly not the objective & considering the calorie (and protein) deficit I’ve been on for 24 weeks now, it’s amazing I have anything muscle wise. Look ma, I’m sprouting some veins, lol!

[Cylon357]

An all my favorite movements day. I felt pretty taxed so stuck around the 12-15 rep range with lighter weights. I did get 3 sets of squats in, but didn’t think a 4th would be smart as the legs are still fried from yesterday.

Snapped a pic. Size is clearly not the objective & considering the calorie (and protein) deficit I’ve been on for 24 weeks now, it’s amazing I have anything muscle wise. Look ma, I’m sprouting some veins, lol!

Good job, man! In the immortal words of Metallica:

Vass
Cue
Lair
It tee

On my arm!


Oh wait, maybe that was "Sanitarium"

[wango]

This week (wk. 25) is about seeing where I’m really at. I had bread one day & Raman/Soba noodles last night. Actually snacked once on a few pretzels and have deliberately cut way back on cardio. Despite that and quite a bit of sodium in my wife’s cooking this week, I’m staying around 198. Hell, I actually increased alcohol a bit this week as well.

At my worst, I was 225. I’ve regained any lost muscle over these past 25 weeks, so I’m confident I’ve dropped 30 pounds of fat.

This week, 2 pull workouts so far & one push. Squatted on Monday and a couple of days of abs. Happy to see my delts really stretching my t-shirts & my pecs filling in.

Will start my assault on 195 next week.

[Cylon357]

This week (wk. 25) is about seeing where I’m really at. I had bread one day & Raman/Soba noodles last night. Actually snacked once on a few pretzels and have deliberately cut way back on cardio. Despite that and quite a bit of sodium in my wife’s cooking this week, I’m staying around 198. Hell, I actually increased alcohol a bit this week as well.

At my worst, I was 225. I’ve regained any lost muscle over these past 25 weeks, so I’m confident I’ve dropped 30 pounds of fat.

This week, 2 pull workouts so far & one push. Squatted on Monday and a couple of days of abs. Happy to see my delts really stretching my t-shirts & my pecs filling in.

Will start my assault on 195 next week.

Hell yeah, brother! Slay that dragon!

[wango]

Solid end of week 25. Squats (went a touch deeper today) and a push day. Digging high rep (15-20) chest movements. Really going for a strong & focused contraction, particularly at the end.

Also got in treadmill & elliptical.

Reading about Vietnam; holy smokes what an f’n mess. Good thing we learned and didn’t make the same mistake in Afghanistan lol .

[Cylon357]

Solid end of week 25. Squats (went a touch deeper today) and a push day. Digging high rep (15-20) chest movements. Really going for a strong & focused contraction, particularly at the end.

Also got in treadmill & elliptical.

Reading about Vietnam; holy smokes what an f’n mess. Good thing we learned and didn’t make the same mistake in Afghanistan lol .

Ken Burns did a PBS documentary on Vietnam for PBS. Definitely worth a watch.

[wango]

Started the week off with a bang. Weighed in at 196.5 which is a great positive reinforcement right there fo-sho.

Squats & a pull day. A few sets of abs, but only a couple of rounds on the elliptical. Finished everything with machine preacher curls and they felt stronger than usual, so I tested myself. Got in about 6 WS of progressively heavier weights, with reps dropping to 4 clean/pure curls. Then I blasted past my previous best of 150 to 155 and got 3 clean reps. Last set I did manage 1 1/2 clean reps with the entire stack, which here is only 160.

Thinking maybe I need to integrate some yoga/stretching/abs into the 6 hours I simply sit watching NFL RedZone. 6 weeks x 6 hours is already 36 hours on my ass just watching the NFL on Sunday thus-far

Bring on week 26!

[wango]

Ken Burns did a PBS documentary on Vietnam for PBS. Definitely worth a watch.

Will look for it for sure. I know it got great reviews.

[wango]

Push day & made some changes. A combo shoulder press/incline press (bench at 80 degrees) on the smith machine. Then on the machine where it gives you assist for dips/pull-ups, pushing down on the platform that you kneel on, makes for a perfect decline chest press.

Calorie restriction day today with no alcohol. Then going to try a fasted 5 miler tomorrow morning.

Afternoon naps are getting to be part of the daily routine & makes for some nice recovery.

[wango]

Wednesday was a 5 miler (digging the long walks less & less as they really kill me after the first 45-50 minutes).

Yesterday we walked 2 miles back and forth to the gym. Got in a pull day with some abs.

Today was a push day with stationary cycle, elliptical & treadmill mixed in.

The mirror shows traces of progress, but the scale is dropping only about .5 pounds per week. I can’t complain as my muscles are still “growing”. I thought 195 was going to be my destination; I’m almost there, but I thought wrong. I’m seeing another 10 at least, to get me to single digit BF. Let’s see?

[wango]

Nice cool weather, in the 60’s with some cloud cover, so - 6 mile/2hour walk with my wife. The cooler temps really made this walk tolerable today.

Done reading about Vietnam (yikes), just started a book on new findings on the Charles Manson murder cases. This dude has been interviewing & researching for 30 years and has come up with some interesting shit.

*Edit: too much time watching the NFL. Just went through my thread here, looked at a calendar and realized that 25 weeks have passed since I started tracking things the beginning of May. Today starts wk. 26. Joe Burrows is on fire at the half.

[wango]

Good start: 2 mile walk back and forth to gym yesterday & throw in squats & a pull day.

Today was a push day with abs, couple of rounds on the elliptical, 10 on the stationary bike and finished off on treadmill.

Highlight of the day: alternate stairs both legs, 2 consecutive steps. Significance? Hadn’t done that in about 15-20 years, which is when my hips started to fail me. Guess the squats are paying dividends, even at my low resistance.

Continuing the one week at a time mindset. Thinking I might take this to a full year, meaning I’ve got a ways to go. Damn, staying away from wine is tough.

[wango]

Yesterday started with 4 sets of squats after a warmup. Dropped the resistance but increased reps to 15. Mixed in 4 different ab movements with a couple of rounds on the stationary cycle & a couple on the elliptical. Legs felt it last night, but were ok for today.

Walked back & forth to the gym (pull day). Wife wanted to walk further to Trader Joe’s afterwards so that added another mile (but got a nice steak out my efforts for tonight!).

Despite another 3 days without wine, the scale is being a bit stubborn, but I got to let that go and stay positive. Week 25 ain’t over yet!

Just bought 3 more books on Amazon, the book shelves are filling up.

[wango]

Finished the 25th week with a push day. This week I switched to higher reps (12-15, as high as 20) and kind of dug it. Blasting past a 15th rep with a weight I recalled being my PB in the not too distant past is cool. Once again, the calorie deprivation hasn’t sucked the life out of my muscles.

Celebrated with a extra order of Thai steamed dumplings & tempura shrimp. I’m officially a fiend for sriracha & garlic chili sauce. My old taste buds have evolved.

Was going to add a 6th day today, but said f-it. Extra large pot of coffee & moved on to another couple of books. Plus, leftover Thai for lunch, later - hell, f’n yeah. White wine chilling in the fridge; another hell, f’n yeah.

My boy is with me eternally . . .

[Cylon357]

Finished the 25th week with a push day. This week I switched to higher reps (12-15, as high as 20) and kind of dug it. Blasting past a 15th rep with a weight I recalled being my PB in the not too distant past is cool. Once again, the calorie deprivation hasn’t sucked the life out of my muscles.

Celebrated with a extra order of Thai steamed dumplings & tempura shrimp. I’m officially a fiend for sriracha & garlic chili sauce. My old taste buds have evolved.

Was going to add a 6th day today, but said f-it. Extra large pot of coffee & moved on to another couple of books. Plus, leftover Thai for lunch, later - hell, f’n yeah. White wine chilling in the fridge; another hell, f’n yeah.

My boy is with me eternally . . .

Dang, man, sounds like you are slaying all sorts of fitness dragons! Good job!!

[wango]

Dang, man, sounds like you are slaying all sorts of fitness dragons! Good job!!

TY buddy!

[wango]

Week 26 (officially 1/2 of a year at this thing) without a break.

Pull day with squats & elliptical on Monday. Light abs.

Push day Tuesday with elliptical & light abs.

Wednesday was off for house crap, but also got a last moment additional Covid booster.

Slept like crap and took Thursday off due to body aches & a light headache.

Today was a favorite movement day. Whole body with abs, but no cardio.

Wife made a killer chicken tortilla soup and made a bunch of tortilla chips (with tons of salt!). I didn’t say no. Also, no days off from wine this week but weight/mirror is holding.

[wango]

One pic was at 202 (about 6 weeks ago), the other from today is at 197. It’s SLOW progress on the scale, but the mirror is progressing a bit quicker. Not the greatest pics, but I’m satisfied. Thinking I may start doing some vacuum work ala Frank Zane.

I did not take pics at 215 and definitely didn’t at 225, though regretting that now; just for comparison sake.

I am happy I did and continue to do this slowly & gradually:

*I want to enjoy the process & not grumble about it and count the days till it’s over.
*I didn’t want a roller coaster effect going from a severe diet to a “regular” diet.
*I want to maintain this indefinitely.
*I didn’t want to contribute to any more skin sag in my waste/chest, particularly at this age.

[wango]

Took Monday & Tuesday off to very unusual happenings here. We had these drops of water falling down from the sky steadily, I mean seriously wtf is that all about.

Yesterday was a pull day, light abs, no cardio.
Today was squats and a push day. Light abs and treadmill. Mirror looked oddly better than usual this morning, hit the scale and got a 194.5.

I thought the arimidex helped me shed fat when I first started TRT, so started using .5 mg the 2 days following test injections, last week. Let’s see, but will likely drop to .25 in a couple of weeks if this experiment shows promise.

So tempted to order HGH and some anavar , want to keep going this route a couple more months though.

[Cylon357]

Took Monday & Tuesday off to very unusual happenings here. We had these drops of water falling down from the sky steadily, I mean seriously wtf is that all about.

Yesterday was a pull day, light abs, no cardio.
Today was squats and a push day. Light abs and treadmill. Mirror looked oddly better than usual this morning, hit the scale and got a 194.5.

I thought the arimidex helped me shed fat when I first started TRT, so started using .5 mg the 2 days following test injections, last week. Let’s see, but will likely drop to .25 in a couple of weeks if this experiment shows promise.

So tempted to order HGH and some anavar, want to keep going this route a couple more months though.

You could, and probably make some mad progress, but you doing so well right now, I would wait until you stall. Keep killing it, brother!

[wango]

You could, and probably make some mad progress, but you doing so well right now, I would wait until you stall. Keep killing it, brother!

Oh for sure. The HGH agreed with me & did keep me leaner. Also had nice results with var. I just like where this is going right now. I’m curious to see how the AI contributes at this stage as it’s a brand new variable.

[wango]

Took off a few days to chill with the wife and closest friends in Sedona. Walked a lot, ate minimal, very well, but clean until an unplanned stop at a highly rated BBQ dive, in an area pretty close to the Phoenix airport. Best BBQ I’d eaten in my life!

Smoked brisket, cheddar cheese grits, beans and some wicked good pickles.

Poor timing on my prescription drug order/delivery - can’t believe my package of prescription drugs (including 3 months of test) and an Amazon delivery sat untouched for 2 days on our abandoned door step.

It’s good to be home. Back at it tomorrow.

[Cylon357]

Took off a few days to chill with the wife and closest friends in Sedona. Walked a lot, ate minimal, very well, but clean until an unplanned stop at a highly rated BBQ dive, in an area pretty close to the Phoenix airport. Best BBQ I’d eaten in my life!

Smoked brisket, cheddar cheese grits, beans and some wicked good pickles.

Poor timing on my prescription drug order/delivery - can’t believe my package of prescription drugs (including 3 months of test) and an Amazon delivery sat untouched for 2 days on our abandoned door step.

It’s good to be home. Back at it tomorrow.

That is a tasty looking plate!

[wango]

MF’R, got Covid. Had the most miserable night of my life last night. Literally had chills/shivering so strong I kept pissing everywhere but in the toilet. A bit better today thankfully.

That & the damned open jeep tour my wife got us on. Great views! But the trail was so nasty you had to hang on for your life non-stop. And bless my baby, she opted for the longer 2 1/2 hour tour. My shoulder is not happy.

Crappy disposition, hopefully I can turn it around on Monday.

[Cylon357]

MF’R, got Covid. Had the most miserable night of my life last night. Literally had chills/shivering so strong I kept pissing everywhere but in the toilet. A bit better today thankfully.

That & the damned open jeep tour my wife got us on. Great views! But the trail was so nasty you had to hang on for your life non-stop. And bless my baby, she opted for the longer 2 1/2 hour tour. My shoulder is not happy.

Crappy disposition, hopefully I can turn it around on Monday.

Covid-19 is gonna get us all, eventually. I had it at the beginning of the year, wasn't awful but sucked donkey parts all the same.

Glad you are doing better today!

[wango]

Covid-19 is gonna get us all, eventually. I had it at the beginning of the year, wasn't awful but sucked donkey parts all the same.

Glad you are doing better today!

Thank you buddy.

Lol, I used my wife’s hand towel by mistake & she’s pissed.