I’m over 20% bodyfat.

I should be starting a diet.

It really doesn’t feel like happening. Just not motivated. Don’t really care about having abs. Kinda more interested in deadlifting 500. Maybe I’ll just work on that. Not this workout though. Just as a general plan of attack.

Though if I had started this week I’d be done in time for my birthday.

I’ve never met a deadline like that before in my life.

So fuck it.

Workout for 9.7.10

8AM: Sucked down 2 scoops of EAS Premium Vanilla Shit and, because I wanted to try it, decided to sub-out ephedrine for yohimbine this morning in the interest of the cardio coming my way later on in the day. Turns out I was using the ephedrine more for its neurological-asskick than raw stimulatory power. 2.5mg yohimbine, 200mg caffeine.

Weight: 173lbs.
Fat%: 20.4%

The Strong Bit

Start Time: 9:05AM

Bench Press

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 60 x 5
4. 80 x 3
5. 105 x 2
6. 120 x 2 (I should have only done one, my form was off and I neuro-fried myself for the rest of the workout)
7. 110 x 2 (pitiful)
8. 95 x 3 (but fried!)

Incline Bench

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 95 x 3
3. 105 x 1 (damn)

I stopped there. Nothing was moving, my arms were just done from that forced rep on the top set of benching.

Chin-Ass

1. 43lbs x 5
2. 88 x 3
3. 118 x 2
4. 138 x 3
5. 123 x 4
6. 103 x 6
7. 88 x 8 (went to failure)

HOLY YES! My first workout without a single chinny fuckup. Glorious day.

Strength Portion Completed at: 10:42AM, deep-throated another 5mg yohimbine.

Vanity Circuit

I didn’t have a lot of time to do this, I needed to be done by a quarter-after-eleven to have enough time to slave through some cardio before my ride arrived.

Calf Raise

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 60 x 5
3. 60 x 5
4. 60 x 24 (to failure)

These exercises are pretty much linear 3×5, with a warm-up set, because I don’t really give a shit about them but I don’t want it to look like that.

Increasing the weight here next time around.

Bicep Curl

1. 10lbs x 5
2. 10 x 5
3. 10 x 19

Increase.

Pushdown

1. 22.5lbs x 5
2. 27.5 x 5
3. 27.5 x 5
4. 27.5 x 16

I’m really not sure why I’m bothering with this exercise again.

Probably just because I’m guilty about the bicep curls.

Increase.

Vanity Completed: 11:03AM. Kickass. Glad I did it as a circuit.

Took a ten-minute break, then another 5mg yohimbine+200mg caffeine, and it was onto the stationary bike.

Cardio

Stationary Bike: 7.86 miles in 45 minutes @ level 2. My heart rate never went above 115bpm, so I’ll be increasing this to level 3 next workout. I don’t really buy into the whole “fat burning zone” thing, but I figure if I’m not AT LEAST at the minimum heart rate for that shit, I’m not working hard enough for it to be worth my time.

My goal is to get up to 13 miles per hour and then start increasing the duration of cycling.

Concert 1: Mika in Chicago

Concert 2: Lady Gaga in Milwaukee

Life is good. One awesome free-for-me concert a year is an awesome trend to have gotten started. I hope it continues!

But I am behind on posting my workouts so I’ll post last-week’s bench workout.

Workout for August 30, 2010

Bench Press

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 60 x 5
4. 80 z 3
5. 105 x 2
6. 120 x 1 (stay)
7. 110 x 3 (stay, bar slowed considerably on the last rep)
8. 95 x 6 (stay)

Incline Bench

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 95 x 3 (misloaded the bar)
3. 105 x 2 (stay, stopped the set because the second rep was so much slower)
4. 95 x 5 (increase)
5. 80 x 8 (increase)

Low Row

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 90 x 3
3. 120 x 2
4. 135 x 3 (top set, want to increase weight, ALSO want to look up proper form on this shit though, too)
5. 120 x 4 (increase)
6. 105 x 5 (stay)
7. 90 x 9 (increase)

I’m going to alternate chinning and rowing on this third exercise for my benching days. Just getting tired of chinning.

I’m going to cease doing depletion workouts until I have an event to do them for, they’re just such a crappy waste of time.

I won’t cease post-workout cardio, however. I may come into the gym more often to do cardio as the days get colder. I hate doing cardio but since I’ve bought all this yohimbine anyway and I’ll be getting back into fasting soon… might as well.

Body Weight: 175.5lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 19.1%

Start Time: 10:10AM
End Time: 12:22PM

I’ve been eating a lot. If my BF% next week is above 20% I’m going to do deadlifts and immediately get back onto a strict fasting schedule.

But if it’s still around 19% I’m going to just shrug off the missed workout, hit the bench, and keep gaining strength like a madman until I hit 20%. If I can stay sub-20% as I gain strength, I’m going to keep gaining until I hit a 315lbs. deadlift before I start cutting.

CUT CONDITIONS:

1. 20%+ bodyfat
2. 315lbs. deadlift

If I wasn’t afraid of getting too fat, I’d bulk all the way to 155lbs. lean mass and try to conserve that while shedding fat.

Workout for Saturday, August 21, 2010

Body Weight: 170lbs

Body Fat Percentage: 18.8%

Start Time: 9:05AM

Not only did I forget my gym pass at home, but my notebook too. Luckily I don’t do a lot of different exercises and it wasn’t too bad trying to remember my load-outs, working backwards from what my top sets were supposed to be.

I actually did a lot better than I had set up for myself originally, which was suprising.

Deadlifts

(left-hand-under sets)

• 135lbs. X 5
• 155 x 3
• 185 x 2

(left-hand-over sets)

• 210 x 1
• 215 x 1

After loading 225 and looking at it, I decided I’d leave that try-out for another day.

Goal next workout: 225 x 1

Lateral Raise

• 45lbs. X 5
• 65 x 3
• 85 x 2
• 105 x 1
• 110 x half-way there, but no complete rep
• 95 x 1

Goal next workout: 105 x 3

Crunch Machine

• 45lbs x 6
• 65 x 4
• 85 x 3
• 105 x 1

Goal next workout: 110 x 1-3

Then I nearly shit myself, so after taking care of that I decided to hammer out what little cardio I could and call it a day.

@11:22AM, took 15mg yohimbine and 400mg caffeine. Then I hopped on the stationary cycle.

Stationary Cycle: 4.01 miles in 20:04”

I was just falling-asleep exhausted. So I finished my workout at 11:44AM, took a shower, and went out to check out the badass chalk artwerkz I had no idea were occurring on precisely this day. Win.

Workout for Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Weight: 172.5lbs

Body Fat Percentage: 18.4%

Start Time: 9:10AM

Started with chest/back strength work, moved onto mishmash depletion work.

Strength

Bench Press

• 45lbs x 5
• 45 x 5
• 55 x 5
• 80 x 3
• 100 x 2
• 115 x 3 (one still in the tank, I’m going to increase this)
• 105 x 5 (increase)
• 90 x 8 (increase

Incline Bench

• 45lbs x 5
• 50 x 5
• 90 x 2
• 105 x 2 (stay)
• 95 x 5 (stay, the reps were good but they just felt too difficult)
• 80 x 7 (stay)

ChinAss ~ 171.5lbs Body Weight

• 46.5lbs x 5
• 46.5 x 5
• 66.5 x 5
• 91.5 x 3
• 116.5 x 2
• 131.5 x 3 (increase)
• 121.5 x 4 (increase)
• 101.5 x 6 (increase)
• 91.5 x 6 (stay)

Depletion

I’m not going to bother delineating the exhausting method I chose to do the sets in to alleviate boredom. Suffice to say that in the future I will start with Leg Press, supersetting with two upper body motions, and then do the same for Leg Curl. I should probably start with Leg Curls from now on. We’ll let supercompensated deadlift results determine that.

• Leg Press 12 x 15 @ 50lbs.
• Leg Curl 6 x 15 @ 45lbs. (I may have to drop weight on this lift to get the correct volume it, it was literally painful at this point… in no small part due to pre-depletion yohimbine.)
• Lateral Raise 8 x 15 @ 20lbs. (I’m going to increase this, it was a little too easy.)
• Calf Raise 9 x 15 @ 45lbs. (General fatigue and unwillingness. This weight is fine.)
• Bicep Curl 12 x 15 @ 5lbs. (May jump to 8lbs and drop to 3 sets if I continue to chin at the beginning of the workout.)
• Pushdown 9 x 15, 1 x 10 @ 22.5lbs (Dropping this exercise if I continue to do benching at the beginning of the workout.)
• Crunch Machine 12 x 15 @ 40lbs. (Considering cutting number of sets in half due to twists, weight needs to be increased.)
• Twists 12 x 15 @ 30lbs. (Same note as Crunches)
• Wrist Curl 4 x 15 @ 15lbs. (Going to do one less set and increase the weight.)
• Reverse Wrist Curl 4 x 15 @ 10lbs. (Going to do one less set and increase the weight.)

Completion Time: 2:30PM

Spent Monday sleeping it off.

Tuesday I got a half-volume partial depletion in before going to the dentist and getting my mouth raped.

I think tomorrow I’m going to sleep that off.

So I have to get this in now before I pass out.

Workout for Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Starting Weight: 172lbs.
BF%: 18.4%

Preworkout Supplements: Ephedrine/Caffeine (25mg/400mg), washed down with 12g Purple Wraath in 1 cup of water (fucking awful going down, but the grape Jollyrancher burps are ACE!)

Start Time: 8:55AM

Strength Work

Bench Press

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 55 x 5
4. 75 x 3
5. 95 x 2
6. 110 x 4 (increase)
7. 100 x 5 (increase)
8. 85 x 8 (increase)

My goals for the last set was lower, but I decided to just go for eight so I could increase all three sets next workout. Huzzah.

Incline Bench

1. 50lbs x 5
2. 90 x 2
3. 100 x 5 (increase)
4. 90 x 6 (increase)
5. 75 x 9 (increase)

Same story.

ChinAss (Weight: 174)

1. 44lbs x 5
2. 44 x 5
3. 99 x 3 (DAMN IT)
4. 129 x 3 (didn’t lose a rep thankfully, and I probably could have made the fourth that I wanted, but I left it at that and will increase next workout)
5. 114 x 5 (increase)
6. 94 x 9 (increase)
7. 85 x 12

One of these days, I’m going to load my chins properly, and it’s going to MATTER! Ugh.

Strength Finish: 11:05AM

Volume Work

Block One

Leg Press: 6 x 15 @ 60lbs
Leg Curl: 4 x 15 @ 45lbs
Lateral Raise: 1 x 15 @ 20lbs

Ten minute break.

Block Two

Lateral Raise: 3 x 15 @ 20lbs
Calf Raise: 3 x 15 @ 30, 30, 45lbs
Bicep Curl: 4 x 15 @ 5lbs
Pushdown: 4 x 15 @ 22.5lbs

8 minute break.

Block Three

Crunch Machine: 4 x 15 @ 35lbs
Calf Raise: 3 x 15 @ 45lbs

5 minute break.

Block Four

Cable Twist: 4 x 15 @ 30lbs

Volume Finish: 12:35PM

Body Weight: 174lbs

Cardio “Work”

Stationary Cycle: 35min, 6.62miles, level 2

30 minute break, then Yohimbine/Caffeine 15mg/400mg

Stationary Cycle: 35min, 7.08miles, level 2

Cardio Finish: 2:34PM

I was having trouble walking before I did the cardio, so I opted out of doing the treadmill in favor of something where I wouldn’t have to support my own weight.

Didn’t take any insulin until around 4:30PM.

That, coupled with my ride leaving in the afternoon rather than in the morning (not angry about this, I made great use of the extra sleep) cut down my lifts to two moves in less than an hour.

Workout B for Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Weight: 171lbs.
Body Fat: 18.1% (about 31lbs.)

Start: 1:25PM
Finish: 2:08PM

Deadlift

1. 135lbs x 5 (Right hand over)
2. 140 x 3 (right over)
3. 160 x 2 (left over)
4. 200 x 3 (right over) ~ increase
5. 170 x 4 (left over) ~ increase

• Next time I’ll do deadlifts with one grip straight through the warm-ups, then alternate it for the working sets.
• I need to balance better. I think I put too much weight on my right leg.
• Feeling it more in my lats now. Kinda nice.

Lateral Raise

1. 35lbs x 5
2. 55 x 3
3. 75 x 2
4. 100 x 3 (stay)
5. 90 x 3 (stay)

Tomorrow I’m going to do a 24-hour fast. I’ve been ping-ponging in my head between doing Eat Stop Eat and LeanGains and I’ve decided to just do both. I have my designated feeding periods (3-11PM), but I’ll have that be at maintenance and derive my caloric deficit from twice-weekly daily fasts.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, this was the first workout that was preceded by a scoop of Purple Wraath in water. Dear god. If this is some of the better tasting BCAAs out there… and it smells pretty righteous too. Leaving it in my closet until I need it. Totally stank up my cereal cabinet for a few days there…

I don’t really remember what I was going to rant about so this is going to be pretty bare-bones.

Workout for Friday, August 6, 2010

Weight: 167.5lbs
Body Fat %: 16.2%

Start: 10AM
Finish: 12:09PM

Bench Press

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 55 x 5
4. 75 x 3
5. 95 x 2
6. 110 x 1 (the second rep was horribly dirty and the third didn’t reach lockout, obviously staying)
7. 95 x 5 (increase)
8. 80 x 7 (increase)

I’m not horribly concerned. My chest is probably still pretty fucked from the depletion workout that I over-volumed on. I felt pretty fucked yet from that coming into this workout. I don’t know how I’m going to sort out my B workout just yet, but at the time what I knew was that I wasn’t ready to be doing deadlifts and I didn’t have time to sort out an alternative program aside from the one I had readily available.

Incline Bench

1. 50lbs x 5
2. 90 x 2
3. 100 x 4 (one less than what I was going for, stay)
4. 85 x 7 (increase)
5. 70 x 8 (increase)

ChinAss (bodyweight = 172)

1. 42lbs x 5
2. 42 x 5
3. 72 x 5
4. 87 x 3
5. 107 x 5 (this pissed me off, I really have to keep the work set on the same line in my notebook as the exercise name)
6. 127 x 3 (fortunately I didn’t lose a rep over it, stay weight)
7. 107 x 5 (increase)
8. 87 x 7 (increase)
9. 77 x 9 (increase)

Overall this exercise went pretty well, though I was ready for a nap by the time I finished here.

Stationary Bike

3.17 miles, 22:11

Level 1 intensity. Just too tired to go the distance this day, really.

Notes

I’m pretty solidly 20lbs away from being 5% bodyfat. I mean, of course I should be taking these measurements as dry as possible. But I’ve started my proper LeanGains-inspired fasting protocol on Sunday (August 8) and I’ve gotten my yohimbine and BCAAs in the mail, along with complimentary fat caliper (“free gift” for spending an excessive amount of money on supplements.) On Tuesday I’m going to take measurements with both the bio-impedance meter at the gym, as well as taking a skinfold measurement of my gut.

There’s a three-site measurement method with the calipers as well, but having tried to measure my chest on my own made me realize I only measuredly care about the fat loss around my navel, so, that’s what I’ll be pinching.

I managed to knock my head during a seizure since last I updated. Kind of weird what things I lose from my mind when that happens. I’m looking back on everything and feeling it’s too complicated.

I’m going to stop with the notation crap.

Tomorrow I have a photo test for an agency in Chicago, so today I’ve done a massive workout and spent some time in the sauna to shed some water.

Depletion Workout for Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Block One

Leg Press: 12 sets of 15 @ 50lbs. (going to add weight to this one next time)
Chest Press: 6 x 15 @ 50lbs.
Row: 6 x 15 @ 45lbs.

Block Two

Leg Curl: 12 x 15 @ 45lbs. (…ow)
Incline Press: 6 x 15 @ 45lbs.
Pulldown: 6 x 15 @ 50lbs.

Block Three

Chest Press: 1 x 15 @ 50lbs.; 2 x 15 @ 40lbs.
Pec Fly: 2 x 15 @ 40lbs. (felt I was using my arms too much on the chest press, but then realized I did entirely too much volume on chest anyway and THAT was why my arms hurt…)
Calf Raise: 3 x 15 @ 45lbs.
Bicep Curl: 2 x 15 @ 8lbs.

Block Four

Lateral Raise: 3 x 15 @ 35lbs.; 1 x 15 @ 20lbs. (BARELY)
Crunch Machine: 3 x 15 @ 30lbs.
Calf Raise: 1 x 15 @ 45lbs.

Block Five

Bicep Curl: 4 x 15 @ 8lbs.; 2 x 15 @ 5lbs.
Cable Twist: 6 x 15 @ 30lbs.

Block Six

Pushdown: 8 x 15 @ 17.5lbs (going to add weight to this one next time, guess I was wrong about my arms…)
Calf Raise: 8 x 15 @ 45lbs.
Cable Twist: 3 x 15 @ 30lbs.
Crunch Machine: 5 x 15 @ 30lbs. (will add weight)
Lateral Raise: 1 x 15 @ 20lbs.

The exercises were not necessarily done in the order shown, and definitely not straight across. I’m just noting volume because it’d be a huge hassle to delineate the order… and largely unnecessary besides.

Cardio

Stationary Cycle: 7.44 miles in 35 minutes (majority intensity: 2)
[26 minute break]
Treadmill: 1.65 miles in 35:46 (majority intensity = 3 incline, 3.3 mph)

There were slower warm-up/cooldown periods I’m not noting. Next time I’m going to start the machines at the listed intensities to get things going quicker.

Workout Timeline

8AM – EC1, bs275
9:17 – Block 1
9:41-9:47 – Five minute break leading into Block 2
10:15-10:20 – Break to Block 3
10:39-10:47 – Break to Block 4
11:02-11:07 – Break to Block 5
11:36-11:40 – Break to Block 6
12:20PM – Finished weight portion of the day
12:36 – EC2, bs322
1:05 – bs315
1:48 – Finished 35 minutes of cycling
2:50 – Finished 35 minutes of walking
5 – EC3
6 – bs257

EC = Ephedrine/Caffeine (25mg/400mg)
bs = blood sugar. It’s always been a concern of mine that my sugars get too low during high-volume lifting… clearly not as much of an issue as I expected. I took my usual amount of slow-acting insulin but none of my ‘fix yer damn sugars’ insulin, just to get a gauge of exercise-related impact.

Bodyweight Timeline

8:55AM – Body Weight: 174.5lbs
9:10 – MASSIVE CRAP, BW – 172.5lbs., Body Fat: 17.9% (sad day)
12:30PM – 169lbs.
1:03 – Not quite so much crap. 168.5lbs.
2 – 166.5lbs
3 – 166lbs
3:50 – Finished shower. 165.75lbs.
4:11 – 10 minutes in whirlpool. 165lbs.
4:35 – 7 minutes in dry sauna. 164.5lbs.
4:55 – Spent another 5 minutes in the dry sauna and started to get lightheaded, so I decided to stop. 164.5lbs.
5 – Final weigh-in before I left, having air-dried a bit. 164lbs.

Start: 9:05AM

Deadlift

1. 135lbs x 5 ~ hg
2. 140 x 3 ~ L/R
3. 180 x 2 (mis-loaded, wanted to do 160 here) ~ R/L
4. 200 x 3 ~ R/L

Today is the first day I really felt like I got the form nailed on deadlifts. I watched the Starting Strength instructional DVD and, wow. Highly recommended.

Lateral Raise Machine

1. 50lbs x 5
2. 70 x 3
3. 90 x 2
4. 100 x 1

Lost a rep. Shit.

Pulldown

1. 65 x 5

I’m cutting pulldowns from B workouts. I don’t want to do two pulls anymore.

Crunch

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 65 x 3
3. 85 x 2
4. 95 x 3

Went rather well.

DB Curl

1. 8lbs x 5
2. 10 x 3
3. 15 x 1
4. 15 x 8

Going to try increasing this.

Wrist Curl

1. 10lbs x 5
2. 15 x 3
3. 20 x 2
4. 25 x 8

Hurt. Going to keep it here.

Weight: 169lbs.
Body Fat %: 18.8% (Had a rack of ribs for dinner that didn’t finish digesting, along with some cottage cheese, etc….)

Finish: 11:05AM

Aside from watching the DVD, I also read the Vertical Jump Training Bible by Kelly Baggett. I wanted to start incorporating beginner-level plyometric drills but after doing 2 x 50 ankle hops I was spend. I kept toppling over doing the 4-star drill.

I’m going to start the plyo work this week, since I don’t think I’ll be getting to the gym.

I don’t have any of the macro information yet (aside for maybe some of the stuff I’ve eaten outside of the house, because I looked it up on my phone so I knew how much insulin to take.)

Apparently the day after my first training session on the fasting scheme of LeanGains, I took some circumference measurements. I really want to make clear that the only portion of his program I’m really aping is his 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of feeding, roughly the same times every day. My macronutrient splits are nonsense and my calories are not yet in order (look for that post on Friday when I look back on this first week, doing a dietary audit, hah.)

Now, I barely remember doing this. Certainly not what day this all was done, specifically, but I do remember being astounded that my chest was even a quarter of an inch larger than my waist. I intentionally pushed out my gut but relaxed my chest. I wanted to see my absolute worst relative measurements in these regards…

And I definitely remember being irritated that I couldn’t properly measure my shoulders because I didn’t have anyone to help me and my wrists wouldn’t bend enough to do it myself.

As Posted in the Workout Log, July 16, 2010

Weight: 171lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 17.2%

Fat Weight: 29.241lbs
Lean Body Mass: 141.759lbs

July 17, 2010

Chest: 35.75″
Waist: 35″
Hips: 40″
Thighs: 22.5″ (they’re the same size)
Calf (L): 15″
Calf (R): 14.5″
Neck: 15.25″

And then, Today, because I forgot to do my arms, July 21, 2010

Wrist: 6.25″
Forearm (R): 9.5″
Forearm (L): 9.25″
Upper Arm (R): 13″
Upper Arm (L): 12.5″
Shoulders: 44″

These are the lifts I’m going to struggle to maintain as I diet down. I will not be increasing weight much, if at all, until next year. Most likely.

Workout A

• Bench Press: 110lbs x 2 reps
• Incline Bench: 95lbs x 5 reps
  • Drop set: 85lbs x 8 reps
• Close-grip Bench: 80lbs x 5 reps
  • Drop set: 70lbs x 8 reps

Workout B

• Deadlift: 200lbs x 2 reps
  • Drop set: 165lbs x 4 reps
• Lateral Raise Machine: 95lbs x 3 reps
  • Drop set: 85lbs x 4 reps
• Pulldown: 130lbs x 3 reps
  • 115lbs x 6 reps

I’m probably going to still do Chins (assisted) on A days, but they won’t be a part of the central workout whose numbers I want to maintain. It’s almost a push/pull routine!

Probably going to fill this in with more goal-talk at some point, but I wanted to post up my numbers for my own reference. It’s surprising how useful this blog is when I have a phone with internet access.

God, I am so weak.