Holy cow, thanks for the kind words Cy! Very nice of you and thank you for helping with the motivation to continue. At the gym for some light cardio right now to not get in the way of my recovery time. Weighed in at 159.4lbs today. Ate 17 calories under my target yesterday and didn’t sleep great so wasn’t sure what the scale would look like. Weighing daily now just to help populate the new app with data. It’s supppsed to average my weight to display a rolling 7 day average weight to avoid those random water weight, poor sleep, weight fluctuation, etc.
heading out for the weekend right now, but just wanted to post this very brief weigh in update in here. so i came in at 190.2 lbs (just missed the 180s-handle by that much! ) this AM. down about 2 lbs for the week ... aiming for the high 180s (again) by next weekend. sorry for the lame update this week, but i literally have to run right now. will try to post most on my next update.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET Weighed in at 162.1lbs this morning - up 7 lbs from the low that I got to - but also have gotten a lot stronger so I'm sure a decent % of that weight gain is muscle, problem is some is fat too but can't avoid that. I had a bad weekend food-wise with it being the wife and my anniversary. Went to Dave & Busters for dinner Saturday night and that ran me around 2K calories alone between the drinks and food... Hard to hit the target of 2100 daily calories with that kind of dinner! Went over by a few hundred Sunday too, but oh well. Back at it this week, literally have every bite of food planned for the week. First time trying this. I usually make a general plan every morning before my first meal and adjust as necessary. This time I have every single bite planned. I know what I'll be eating for each meal, snack, etc. Spent a couple hours in the kitchen today meal prepping about 70% of the food I'll eat this week. Still gotta make some a little later in the week. Working EVERY night this week except Sunday . EXERCISES Another week of 5x5 down. First failure in awhile. OHP I couldn't get up for all 5 reps on all 5 sets. Reps per set were 4/4/2/3/3 on Wednesday.The rotation had me do OHP again today and I tried the same weight. Got closer but still didn't complete the required sets 5/4/4/4/3. Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) Squat 5x5 170lbs (Wednesday 175lbs) - Squatting well over body weight for 5 sets of 5! Overhead Press 5x5 85lbs (Friday 85lbs) Deadlift 1x5 195lbs (Friday 205lbs) - Attempting over 200 on Friday! Bench Press 5x5 110lbs (Wednesday 115lbs) Barbell Row 5x5 120lbs (Wednesday 125lbs) Goal Updates: Scheduled to squat my short-term goal next Monday of 185lbs (1.5 plates on each side) - for 5 sets of 5 reps. My goal is to do this for a 1 rep max, so I'm sure I could already do it. Hoping to cross this one off the list Monday. Scheduled to deadlift my short-term goal 2 weeks from today of 225 (2 plates on each side) - for 1 set of 5 reps. My goal was to do this for a 1 rep max, so I'm sure I could already do it.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET Weighed in at 159.8 lbs this morning - forgot to weigh yesterday because I spaced out and ate something in the morning before weighing myself. Had a really good week besides Sunday, which wasn't awful anyways. Stayed under my calories by 0-100 every day and ate all my meal prep foods, etc. Met all my minimum macro goals as well. Went over by 100-200 calories on Sunday because we went to the apple orchard with the extended family for a few birthdays. Then we got pizza. Still met my macros which is more important, and the excess calories were probably made up for during the week with the deficits each day. Doing the same thing as last week, have every meal planned and most are already made for the week. Got like 10 containers in the fridge with 3 courses each. EXERCISES Deloaded my squat last week because I didn't think I was hitting proper depth. Dropped down to 145 and recorded myself and depth was OK at that point. My lower back has been sore/pain the last few weeks but hit hasn't really been an issue until after Friday's workout. Still not horrible but more pain than usual so I decided to take today off and see if the extra couple days is enough or if I should take off Wednesday as well. I still went to the gym, but avoided any exercises that involved back. Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) Squat 5x5 170lbs (Wednesday 155lbs) - Dropped back down to correct form (170 is my PR, 155 is what I'll be doing wednesday to work my way back up) Overhead Press 5x5 85lbs (Wednesday 90lbs) - Finally hit the 85lbs. Failed it two sessions in a row, got it last week. Would have had to deload if I missed it again. Progress is being made! Deadlift 1x5 205lbs (Friday 205lbs) - I think my form may be off on this one as well so I may deload this like squats and record myself to verify. Bench Press 5x5 120lbs (Friday 125lbs) Barbell Row 5x5 125lbs (Friday 130lbs) Goal Updates: None
holy cow! still goin' strong i see! i just have to say, and i know i've already mentioned this on here like an umpteenth amount of times in the past, but it seriously never gets old imho, but your weekly updates in here @T0rm3nted are really so amazingly inspiring, especially that you're still going this strong this late in the season here is really incredible! i can't speak for everyone here, but typically once summer starts winding down is when a lot of people (i'm embarrassed to admit this, but yes, myself included!) start to kind of fall off the wagon a little. this is especially the case when we start hitting the major holidays like turkey day, and xmas. (hence the so-called "new year's resolutions" for most folks after lol) but, here you are @T0rm3nted still hitting it hard as ever! i am really so doggone impressed at your commitment into this whole process all year long. it's truly something amazing to witness. i really don't know how you do it, despite your insane work schedule, and also having to be a dad as well. it's just mind blowing! unfortunately for me, and i'll just make this very brief because it isn't very encouraging or inspiring if you will, but i'd be lying if i didn't at least come clean with you guys by saying this -- but yes, i've all but stalled out with making much more progress with my weight for the year. it's kind of sad actually that i'm admitting to this (almost like i'm throwing in the towel kind of thing) and i hate to make excuses for myself for anything, but truth be told i have been going through some family issues the past few weeks...rather not discuss it publicly, but it's sort of had me on the sidelines and resorting back to old (bad) habits again which is pretty unfortunate... that being said, i am trying hard to fight it and just remain focused on my health & fitness and trying to leave the drama out...it's been hard as hell, but i haven't entirely thrown in the towel just yet! i haven't weighed myself since my last update in here, but i'll try to get a new # in this weekend, it probably won't be pretty though...i'm thinking i put on at least a couple lbs. again, but if i'm unch'd that would actually be a victory. anyway, i probably won't be posting regular updates in here for the foreseeable future, or at least until i have made significant progress at the very least (not this 2 steps forward and 1 step back nonsense ). however, while i may no longer be posting regular updates in here anymore, i still do try to check into this thread to read your weekly progress updates whenever i can. i'll also try to post some comments in here every now and then in response to your weekly updates...however, even if i don't i hope you will continue posting your updates! i'm sure we have lurkers out there who are in the same boat and are very inspired by your transformation this year! documenting your progress is really good, so in the future you can come back to this and see how far you have come. keep up the awesome work!! really proud of ya man.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET A bit late with the update this week, slipped my mind the last 2 days. Weighed in at 160.7 lbs this morning - current moving average is at 160.2lbs. Only had 1 day over my calories in the last 9 days since I updated, and that was only 57 calories over. I wouldn't even count that. Had quite a few where I was at least 100 under, which is too many. Makes figuring out my maintenance calories harder. Met all my minimum macro goals as well every day. Meal prep went good last week. This week I'm on day shift so making dinner every night and taking leftovers the next day to work for lunch. No need to meal prep this week. Planning ahead for next month, I think I'll go into a calorie surplus of 200-300 calories to try to assist in the gaining of muscle/getting stronger. Exercises are getting harder, and my reading has made it clear that when eating at maintenance/calorie deficit you can still gain muscle, it's just significantly harder. I think I should remove that handicap and shoot for the weight gain of about 2 lbs/month. I can always cut when I'm getting unhappy with appearance, uncomfortable, or feel like I've built up enough muscle to show off. The plan right now is to bulk into about mid January and then cut down before the cruise in March. We'll see if I stick to that though. Calories starting next week will be 2350 to start, up from the current 2100. EXERCISES Deloaded my deadlift and row last week because of back soreness. Also only did half a workout on Monday, and took Wednesday off. Back at it full time on Friday though, and Monday this week. Will be going tonight as well. Dropped from 205 to 175 on deadlift, and 125 to 115 on rows. Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) Squat 5x5 155lbs (Wednesday 160lbs) Overhead Press 5x5 85lbs (Wednesday 90lbs) - Failed 90lbs on Friday, trying again tonight. Hit my 5 sets for the following reps: 5/5/4/4/3 Deadlift 1x5 175lbs (Wednesday 185lbs) Bench Press 5x5 120lbs (Friday 125lbs) - Failed 125lbs on Monday. I knew I was weak, but didn't think I'd be stalling already at 125. Was hoping to at least get to 1 plate on each side before stalling. I have some big long-term goals here, so this was my first bit of doubt. Kind of disheartening to be honest, but I'll keep at it. Maybe it was just a bad day or changing up my diet a bit will help (see diet section above) Barbell Row 5x5 115lbs (Friday 120lbs) Goal Updates: None
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET 162.9 lbs this morning - 161.6. Entered into BULK mode to start this week (yesterday). Upped the calories from 2100 to 2400 to start. We'll track progress and see how it goes for a few weeks and adjust. I want to gain about 2 pounds per month. I believe that's the speed I want to gain in order to keep most of it as muscle gain and limit fat gain. I hope to be able to bulk for about 5-6 months without getting disgusted with my appearance. I know it will be easier to keep getting stronger while eating more, so would be nice to ignore the scale changes as long as the weight gain doesn't get out of control. I'll cut down again eventually and have something to actually show off this time. EXERCISES Currently stalled on Overhead Press and Bench Press. Both at weights I consider embarrassing. But - I did it to myself. Never weight trained my entire life. Failed OHP and Bench twice in a row now. One more fail and I'll be deloading some weight and building my way back up. Should be easier while eating in a surplus. Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) Squat 5x5 165lbs (Thursday 170lbs) Overhead Press 5x5 85lbs (Today 90lbs) - Failed 90lbs twice now, trying again tonight. Hit my 5 sets for the following reps: 5/4/4/4/4, and the time before 5/5/4/4/3 Deadlift 1x5 185lbs (Today 195lbs) Bench Press 5x5 120lbs (Friday 125lbs) - Failed 125lbs twice now, trying again Thursday. Hit my 5 sets for the following reps: 4/4/3/3/3, and the time before 5/5/4/3/3. Not sure why I did less the 2nd time I failed... maybe just an off day? Barbell Row 5x5 120lbs (Thursday 125lbs) Goal Updates: Should hit my short-term squat goal of 185lbs in 1 week if I don't fail before then. All my goals are 1RM, and I'm almost there for a 5x5. So I'm sure I'm already there just haven't tested my 1RM's Next update will be the monthly update which will include more in depth goal updates, and measurement changes.
Good stuff once again @T0rm3nted keep up the great work as usual and keep them updates coming along! Whelp, I just wanted to quickly share this in here with you guys that for once I finally have a little bit of "uplifting" news to share with y'alls. After having pretty much stalled out with my weight loss progress (and even having gone backwards for a bit ) for the past month or so, I've suddenly a newfound motivation! I really thought I was gonna have to hang it up as far as biking for the rest of the year was concerned, but it looks like my schedule (which was kind of hectic during the Summer -- hence the early AM rides), will be settle down a bit for the Fall season at least, which means I ain't done biking yet! I can now bike during the afternoons. Truthfully, I really enjoy biking on the greenway around my home. I absolutely despise running, or anything that is hard on the joints. Including even light jogging. I can do a fast walk, but meh that doesn't really get my heart rate moving. I know my local gym has "spinning" classes that I can attend, and there are stationary bikes as well, but meh...not as enjoyable as doing it outdoors. Plus, I get a much better workout with all the hills and shit on the greenway. So, anyway getting right to what I want to share in here. I've gotten myself back and biking on the trails this week! This is probably the latest in the season that I have ever hit up the greenway. Pretty sure that I never made it November in the years that I have been living here, so that'll be some history breaking for me personally. I haven't done any new weigh-in's since I guess the first week of Oct. I'd be hella surprised if I haven't put on a least a few lbs. during the past few weeks. Diet has been sloppy, and workouts haven't been very consistent. But, I ain't gonna put too much thought into what has happened and just look ahead. Right now my goal is to get back to sub-190s by year end. Then, just try to maintain that until the Spring. I won't update in here every week like I did during the Summer. More like once every month, or whenever I've made significant progress to share. Anyway, I just wanted to quickly share that bit of good news with you guys. I've been deprived of some encouraging news for a while now haha. We'll see where this goes.
Weekly/Monthly Update (October) WEIGHT/DIET When I posted at the start of September, I weighed in at 160.1lbs. I weighed in this morning at 160.2lbs. Talk about eating at maintenance, which is what I did all of last month besides the last week where I started a lean bulk. Going to be in a lean bulk phase for at least 3 months. I hope to gain 2lbs/month ish. I'll adjust calories as necessary, but right now my target is 2400/day. I'm currently taking Creatine, Fish Oil, and a Multivitamin. Creatine is to help with muscle repair, and fish oil and multivitamin are just for general health. EXERCISES Last week was not good. Worked out Monday, failed OHP last Tuesday for the 3rd time so had to deload next workout. Thursday I started out with Squats as always and just wasn't feeling it. Hit my first set for my first rep and stopped. Went on to bench and finally passed 125lbs on my 3rd day of trying. If I would have failed I would have had to deload. Skipped my 3rd day last week to alleviate some back soreness. I haven't squat since last Tuesday, so not sure how today/tomorrow will go (whichever night I hit the gym). Made progress on every lift last month. Not as much as I'd like on some, but gotta keep the mind on progress I guess. Some made more progress than is shown below, but I had to deload for various reasons (form breakdowns, failure due to weight, etc.) Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) : Previous Month Numbers (in blue) Squat 5x5 170lbs (Monday 175lbs) : 155 Overhead Press 5x5 85lbs (Monday 80lbs - deloaded because I failed 90lbs 3 times 5/5/5/3/2 on last attempt) : 80 Deadlift 1x5 195lbs (Monday 205lbs) : 175 Bench Press 5x5 125bs (Wednesday 130lbs) : 105 Barbell Row 5x5 125lbs (Wednesday 130lbs) : 115 Goal Updates: Goals (1 REP MAX, NOT 5X5) - Copied from my original goals. Green means COMPLETE. Teal means I'M PRETTY SURE I CAN DO THIS ALREADY. Squat - Short term 185lbs (1.5 plates) - Mid term 225lbs (2 plates) - Long term 315lbs (3 plates) Overhead press - Short term 95lbs (0.5 plates) - Long term 135lbs (1 plate) Deadlift - Short term 225lbs (2 plates) - Mid term 315lbs (3 plates) - Long term 405lbs (4 plates) Bench Press - Short term 135lbs (1 plate) - Mid term 185lbs (1.5 plates) - Long term 225lbs (2 plates) Barbell Row - Short term 135lbs (1 plate) - Mid term 185lbs (1.5 plates) - Long term 225lbs (2 plates) I need to test these. Hoping to get a buddy to sign up for my gym so every few months I can test these for a 1 rep max. I believe I could probably hit the 1 rep max (1RM) on all of the short term goals I have set. I'm not sure if I should set a time frame for all of these... Failing OHP and Bench so early has me questioning if I can ever hit my long-term goals... MEASUREMENTS Still embarrassing numbers. Here's my measurements 1 month ago, and today. These were 11/2 BEFORE working out, so I hadn't eaten anything and did not have a pump. Hopefully they are fairly accurate (same time of day, no workout or food prior, etc.). All are flexed when it makes sense to flex (neck, chest, waist unflexed). I'll consider an improvement a LARGER number because I'm trying to gain muscle. Waist I will not assign a color to because I am trying to gain muscle right now, so it may go up along with the rest of my body. Current measurement (Green = improvement, Red = worse, Black = no change) : Last month measurement Neck - 15.125" : 15.5" Chest - 39.625" / 38.75" Waist at largest spot (lower belly) - 35.75" / 35.5" Left bicep flexed - 12" / 12.25" Right Bicep flexed - 12" / 12.25" Left Calf - 14.5" / 14.125" Right Calf - 14.375" / 14.125" Left Thigh (quad) - 23.75" / 22.5" Right Thigh (quad) - 23" / 23.0" My guess is there is a decent amount of error in there, but the more often it gets done, the more consistent the measurements will become. I feel like my biceps did not get smaller, so there's probably some error in there. I need to probably add some more isolation work to the biceps at least once a week to improve on those numbers. -------------------------------------- If anyone has any comments/suggestions/feedback let me know. Trying to make this in a format where anyone who wants to follow my progress can quickly tell what's going on. Also looking for anyone with experience to offer some guidance. I've never lifted in my life until this year. I started in March just doing random machines while trying to cut 20 lbs. Did that, and finally started an actual lifting program the last week of June. Took ALL of August off because of vacations/illness but have been diligent since then other than the occasional missed workout or occasional cheat day in regards to nutrition. Hope everyone else is staying healthy!
well i have not gotten a chance to throw in an update in here for several weeks now, but i am super glad to see you are still updating in here @T0rm3nted! i'm really enjoying and appreciating your progress update in here every week. it's helped me sustain motivation, albeit i have certainly been having my up's and down's of late. keep up the good work! sorry if i don't have too much to add. kind of running short on time this evening. will try to chime back in here again with a more meaningful update if i can remember to do it next week.
Haven't updated in awhile because I've been sick so haven't worked out in like 2 weeks. Weight is still the same range (158-161) every day. Hate feeling lazy like this cuz I've made decent progress and setbacks are annoying.
Weekly/Monthly Update (November) Before I get started, I'll just say November was pretty trash for me overall. Not sure how many times I worked out, but it was maybe 4-5 the whole month. Back on track this month though and going to set some lofty goals for 2019. Stay tuned next month for those goals with timeframes this time. WEIGHT/DIET All things considered, I didn't do too bad on diet last month. September I was 160.1, November start I was 160.2, and my last weigh-in on the first of December was 159.0. I was sick for around 2.5 weeks last month. Didn't really track any nutrition with MyFitnessPal like I do daily because of it just being a bad month, but I actively thought about it every day, made sure to think about how much protein I was getting, etc. I know I had some bad days, but overall most of the month went decent. It shows me that I already have a decent idea about how much I should be eating, and what foods. In the future once I get where I need to be, it's encouraging to know that once you've been doing it awhile, you can get a lot more lax on the tracking and you'll still know about where you are. Back on the counting grind for this month though. EXERCISE/LIFTING I got tired of doing the SL 5x5 program which I think is a lot of the reason why I half-assed last month overall. While I was sick for 2.5 weeks or so, I could have still worked out for at least half of that but used it as an excuse. Felt lazy the whole time, and regret it already. Can't get bigger/stronger without working out, and extended breaks make the progress that was made stall big time. I'm on a new program that I found on the bodybuilding forums called Vikings Upper/Lower split. It's 4 days a week instead of my normal 3 days I've been used to. I started it today and enjoyed the change of pace. I will track my results below in the same format I was doing. An overview of the program is basically Upper body workout M/Th, and Lower body Tu/Fri. The progression is basically there are a prescribed amount of reps that need to be done in a prescribed amount of sets (example - Squats 4 sets for a total of 32 reps). You need to hit the total number of reps within the allotted sets. Once you can do that at a weight, the next workout you up the weight as much as you want. If it was extremely easy, you can up it a good amount, if you barely got through it, do the minimum increase. Don't add more weight until you can get it done at the new weight. I like how it's more self-regulated than my old program. There's also a lot more accessory work. I feel like my old program was good for getting me strong, but there was very little in terms of building a nice physique overall, which is much more important TO ME than getting strong. I'd like to be strong to go with a nice physique obviously, but everyone has different goals. Some people like the shredded 6-pack look with the big arms and nice chest (that's the appearance I strive for), and some people like the "swole"/BIG look. My old program was more for the latter IMO. Current Numbers (5 sets of 5 reps) : Previous Month Numbers (in blue) N/A - Will update next month because I took most of November off so I'm not sure what these numbers would be. Goal Updates: Coming next month to start the Year off right. Timelines and goals for all lifts and appearance. MEASUREMENTS Did not take measurements this month for the same reason as above. No reason to get down on myself if I've lost size anywhere. Previous results are below: Current measurement (Green = improvement, Red = worse, Black = no change) : Last month measurement Neck - 15.125" : 15.5" Chest - 39.625" / 38.75" Waist at largest spot (lower belly) - 35.75" / 35.5" Left bicep flexed - 12" / 12.25" Right Bicep flexed - 12" / 12.25" Left Calf - 14.5" / 14.125" Right Calf - 14.375" / 14.125" Left Thigh (quad) - 23.75" / 22.5" Right Thigh (quad) - 23" / 23.0" ----------------------------------------------- That's it for this month, lots of words, but not a lot of quantifiable data. I'll get back to that next month. Hopefully back on the weekly updates starting now.
great to hear you're back at it @T0rm3nted and thx for this update! admittedly, i don't have much to add myself, i'm kinda embarrassed to admit that i've fallen back to hold habits again. november was a shitty ass month for me, and with thanksgiving, well it all just kinda fell apart lol. the start of this month (dec) hasn't started off too bad for me, but truthfully, i don't know if i'll be losing much weight until next spring. kind of a lame attitude to have i know. i guess i'm just kinda aiming to maintain my current weight, which if i can do that would actually be some kind of victory, until the spring. in the meantime, i'll still try to hit up the gym a few days a week so i'm not completely falling off. this is a pretty crappy update (probably my shittiest i've posted since i've started) and i know it isn't very motivating, but i hope to see brighter days ahead soon. i really have no excuses to be honest... i'm pretty much making excuses for myself for not being able to do any biking out since the weather's got cold now. but, meh, i could just take some spinning classes at my gym or something to get that heart rate up the same way i did when i was out riding every morning. although, i was under the weather the other week...which did set me back a lot. gonna see if i can at least get my diet back under control at the very least. if i can't workout much, i should at least be able to stop the overeating, which is not really helping my cause. anyway enough of that, i just wanted to give you a shout out @T0rm3nted! can't say it enough but your hard work and dedication through this process all year has been so damn inspiring man! keep up the awesome work!
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET 159.6 lbs at my most recent weigh-in on Saturday. Not quite eating exactly the right amount of calories per day, but maintaining the same general area so I have no concern here. Did a lot of meal prep yesterday for the this week since I'm working every night this week Still gotta make 4 servings of shrimp fried quinoa tomorrow. Not a lot of variety, but gets the job done and I feel healthy doing it so it's all good. I'm sure I'll mix it up with a few lunches here and there. EXERCISES I'm really enjoying this new workout program I'm on so far. Still early, but I feel like I'm making more progress already, even though it's early. Getting more of a "full-body" workout it feels like. As I mentioned in my monthly update, my goal has always been aesthetics and I think this program is better suited for those kind of results. Current Results and Goals I'm just going to do these in charts from here on out. Any questions/comments/suggestions on this, feel free to ask. Took me just a few minutes to make the very simple template. Open to making changes to help myself out or make it easier for others to read it. I haven't done a lot of these exercises, and wasn't sure exact results I can expect, so some of the goals are probably outlandish, while others are simpler. The chart contains most (but not all) of the exercises in my current program.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET 160.7 lbs at my most recent weigh-in today. Nutrition was pretty on point all week, calories and macros. Only issue was sleep mid-week with the daughter being sick and not sleeping through the night. I was night shift every night this week, so I never get more than like 6 hours of sleep, even though I shoot for 8 always. Weight been consistently going up a few tenths every day, so either I'm eating a few too many calories, or lack of sleep, water weight, etc. is off. Still in a decent weight range though so not gonna mess with anything yet. Ideally I think my weight is 150-155 when I get lean after building some muscle. 155 right now with not much muscle still appeared "skinny fat". 155lbs after a year of solid lifting should look better I think. EXERCISES Still enjoying the workout. Making progress on everything still except Overhead press, which is what I stalled on first when I was doing StrongLifts 5x5. Bench press I barely finished my last set today as well, so I have a feeling that's about to start stalling as well. Christmas and New Years will be challenging because the gym will be closed. My workout days are Monday (upper body day 1), Tuesday (lower body day 1), Thursday (upper body day 2), Friday (lower body day 2). I'll have to figure out what days to substitute, and also figure out if I'll be able to make it to the gym Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Family stuff might get in the way if the wife is being difficult Current Results and Goals Now that I've got a bit more experience running this program and tried all the lifts a couple times at minimum, I updated my goals to weights that will push me, but I think are achievable. If I hit them too fast or too early, I'll up each month's goals to keep pushing me before the month starts. I've done the calculations as long as I get all my workouts in this month, I'll hit all of my December goals.
wow, excellent @T0rm3nted! your weekly updates just keep getting better and better man! really loving' these logs. keep it up. nothing new to report from my end so i'll just keep quiet lol. although maybe some positive news (for a change?) is that i've managed to maintain my weight at this 200ish, and i haven't totally gone back to bad old habits again. to be honest, if i can maintain this 200ish throughout the winter that would be kind of a victory for myself, since i've had a terrible history of giving back all of my weight and then some during the winter seasons. this would break that nasty cycle for me. baby step to march..... meanwhile, i'll still pound some weights every couple of days, but i'm not really on any kind of dedicated plan like you have going at the moment. i know this is a pretty shitty excuse, but i'm kind of waiting to get through to the new year before i start getting serious again with anything. and i know i sound like a broken record sometimes saying this, but i am hella impressed at how you've managed to maintain the motivation and drive all year long @T0rm3nted, despite having to be dad and working crazy working hours. huge props from me once again man! keep it going in 2019, and keep up the great work!
Weekly/Monthly Update (December) Back on track for the whole month of December - only missed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Even hit the gym on NYE and New Years Day. WEIGHT/DIET Not a bad month. Had a few days where I went over calories and had a few drinks as well. Probably drank more in December than I did the prior 3 months combined (which still wasn't a lot). September I was 160.1, November start I was 160.2, and my last weigh-in on 1/3 was 161.0. Basically maintaining weight, maybe SLIGHTLY up, which is fine since I'm trying to gain muscle. I can always cut back down. Here's the weights I did track this month. Most of the days I missed I just end up eating before remembering to step on the scale, so I avoid weighing myself to keep the conditions consistent. Going to get back to weighing myself more regularly to keep track better. I plan to do a much better job at meal prepping every Sunday this week for meals/days that I know I need extra meals. Gotta quit hitting restaurants up for lunch, and just get another good meal in. A buddy and I plan to meal prep every Sunday and split the meals so we get more variety. I'll still eat fresh cooked meals with the wife most nights though, this is more for lunches and 2nd dinners on night shift nights. EXERCISE/LIFTING Stuck to the new program the whole month. Definitely enjoying it more than I enjoyed SL5x5. Summary of all lifts below, as well as goals for the upcoming months. I met all of my December Goals. Goals for January and future months were updated as well with my new knowledge about how each lift feels, and how I'm progressing on it so far. I'd be very happy if I could meet all of my long-term goals, but I'm only focusing on the short-term goals for now. At the start of every month I will update my next month's goals. That's all I care about, not what I thought I would hit before. Tracking 90% of the workouts that are in the program for now, I'll shrink this list at some point when I realize which ones I care more about advancing, and which are just accessory exercises that I don't care as much about progressing. MEASUREMENTS I think I'll only update these quarterly. Doesn't seem like there will be enough change month-to-month. Current measurement (Green = improvement, Red = worse, Black = no change) : Last measurement Neck - 15.75" : 15.125" Chest - 40" / 39.625" Waist at largest spot (lower belly) - 35.75" / 35.5" (larger is worse here in my opinion, although I'm trying to grow everywhere else) Left bicep flexed - 12.25" / 12" Right Bicep flexed - 12.25" / 12" Left Calf - 14.5" / 14.5" Right Calf - 14.75" / 14.375" Left Thigh (quad) - 22.5" / 23.25" Right Thigh (quad) - 23" / 23.0" Slightly larger waist, but I'm up a few pounds. Hard not to gain size there while gaining size everywhere else. Honestly think the thigh measurements are just hard to be consistent on because there's so many different spots that can be measured. Probably just inconsistent measurements based on the fact that everywhere else grew. Not much to glean from this info yet, hopefully over time I will notice these numbers go up, but even quarterly might not be significant. I'll throw them in here every month I do them, though. ----------------------------------------------- I'm enjoying updating the excel sheet every month to notice the change. You'll see in the 4th column the progress I've made from start to current.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET 160.9 lbs at my most recent weigh-in today (I had already eaten 2 pieces of toast and worked out though). Nutrition was on point all week, calories and macros. Still maintaining the weight range, but think I'm slowly gaining. Fine with me, I'll cut going into Summer next year. I should honestly probably try to add another 100 calories a day or so to help with the muscle gain/strength gain. Up 0.2lbs since the start of this month. 2nd week meal prepping with a buddy and sharing meals to diversify the diet a bit. We're both in the same general size and have the same general goals, so it helps. Probably about 3/4 of my meals are prepped for the week, and the rest are made fresh the nights that the wife and I can cook. EXERCISES Getting stuck on a few lifts, but adding weight anyways. Overall I believe I'm getting stronger. The lifts I'm "stuck" on are Bench and OHP. Everything else is basically still progressing. Some much quicker than others. Current Results and Goals Like I mentioned in the last post, the only goal that's "set in stone" are the current monthly goals. The rest are just estimates based on where I hope to get to, or think I can get to by when. Helps to stay motivated and have a target.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET Haven't weighed myself since Saturday, but that weight was 161.3lbs. I've decided to add 100 calories to my daily diet. You can only get "noob gains" in the gym for so long, I might as well make use of it by eating enough to see the most muscle gain I can. I can always cut back down. My weight is below. Continued the meal prep on Sundays. A buddy and I go to the grocery store and make quite a few meals for the week (8 meals for me, 14 for him) and then watch football. Takes a few hours, but is much cheaper than going out to get food, and is mostly "whole food" to continue living a "healthier life" and feeling better. EXERCISES Overall, still making progress on just about everything, except maybe Overhead Press. I think I set too aggressive of a goal on Barbell Curl as well, but it's still progressing so I'm not too concerned. I'll have a much better idea when setting goals for next month. Some guy in the gym told me my squat form was good today until my very last rep, I know I'm getting close to stalling on that as well. My estimated 1RM for that though is 196lbs. I've always wanted that 2 plate squat (225lbs), well actually I want a 3 plate squat (315lbs), but 2 plates would feel good. Getting close to it. Friday I'll be trying 4 sets of 8 reps at my body weight for squats (160lbs). Still enjoying the program I'm on overall, so I'll stick with it. Current Results and Goals Like I mentioned in the last post, the only goal that's "set in stone" are the current monthly goals. The rest are just estimates based on where I hope to get to, or think I can get to by when. Helps to stay motivated and have a target. I clearly set too easy of goals for some lifts, and barbell curl I was a bit aggressive on in hindsight.
Weekly Update WEIGHT/DIET Committing more to the bulk. Have added 200 calories over the last couple weeks. Now eating 2600 a day as of today. Meal prepped a bunch of meals again this week (10 meals for myself, 14 for my buddy). I should start taking a picture of either all of the food, or just highlighting one of the meals that week and post a picture of that one. Weighed in at 161.8 to start this week. Down 0.7lbs this month, but up 0.5lbs since my last weigh-in before adding any calories. I would like to gain about 2lbs a month, so that 0.5lb is about right. EXERCISES I'll just talk about the big lifts in this area, unless there's something notable in the future. I'll highlight one lift a week in the chart I post below as well. Bench I added 5lbs since last week. Not even close to hitting 4x8 like I want though, got 7 reps on the first set (could have got 8 with a spotter but better safe than sorry). Deloaded overhead press to give my shoulders a break from trying to get 80lbs every workout. Did 70lbs today and got the 25 reps (9/8/8 each set). Up to 75lbs again on Thursday then I'll try 80lbs again next week. Upped my barbell row another 5lbs today as well to 150lbs. First time I haven't gotten all 8 reps in the first set after increasing. I should note that I had to do a lot of snowblowing and shoveling this morning before going to the gym, though. I'll highlight bench press this week. I started this program at 85lbs (for 4 sets of 8 reps). The plan is to only increase weight once I can complete 32 reps for any workout (some workouts are different sets/reps though - so 30 total, 25 total, etc). For bench I need to complete 32 reps at that weight before advancing. I've started to plateau as can be seen below. Note, these charts only include the first workout of a week, even though I hit bench twice a week. This was a template I got from some website. It's not perfect, but I've modified it to be pretty close to what I need exactly. Current Results and Goals Like I mentioned in the last post, the only goal that's "set in stone" are the current monthly goals. The rest are just estimates based on where I hope to get to, or think I can get to by when. Helps to stay motivated and have a target. I clearly set too easy of goals for some lifts, and barbell curl I was a bit aggressive on in hindsight. I could have gone "off program" and did an extra rep on the first set to complete cable row, and barbell curl, but I'm sticking to the program. Missed those goals this month. I will hit deadlift goal and single-leg leg press tomorrow. Bench I have one more shot on Thursday. If I can get 120x8 on the first set, it will be enough. Got it up for 7 reps today (after snowblowing and shoveling). I think I can probably get it. Obviously I was a little too easy on a few of the goals for Feb/March, that's OK. I'll get more accurate as I become more experienced.
