Ow, My Everything (P3C4D1)

Tuesday I decided to run a depletion workout to “make up” for the Independence Day Eat Like a Moronathon.

And, well… holy fucking ow.

The routine I’m following for this cycle is based off of Lyle McDonald’s Ultimate Diet 2. The nomenclature for the, uh, callsign stuff, is changed as follows:

• Phase and Cycle numbering will press on linearly. It’s a different diet set-up, and the workout is different, but it’s still “the next in line.”
• The workout LETTERING, however, will change. A and B will be reserved for when I return to a LeanGains-inspired routine. For Lyle, I’m using D, T, and P: Depletion, Tension, and Power workouts as inspired by him.

I’m not actually running UD2, because I lack the autism for that. But a lot of the principles will be recognizable to those who have read it, and utter nonsense to those who have not.

If you haven’t read it, tough. I’m not going to go out of my way explaining what I’m doing beyond this: the depletion workout day(s) are exactly as it sounds. It’s high-volume, low-nutrition (specifically carbs), and murders my muscles. The tension workout primes me for a carb refeed, which in turn fuels me for a power (strength-retention) workout. I only plan for the poundages to go up on the power workouts and POSSIBLY tension (meaning: I’ll decide when I get there.)

The marker for improvement with the depletion workouts will be that I get them done faster.

I wasn’t used to such high volume, and I found myself winded and needing to rest way more than I would have liked with this type of workout. I had to drop poundages several times to be able to continue working. I’m going to use the lowest numbers that I found in this workout in the next depletion workout to be the weight across all sets in the next attempt at this workout. I was time-restricted to begin with, taking so long get through this workout had an exaggerated annoyance factor for this reason as well (I need to be done by 11:30AM to have time to shower and be on a bus to visit a friend an hour-and-a-half away, on time.)

So, not having time for the full four-hour workout I would have “liked,” I did two rounds, one of each depletion. The distinction between the two is purely hitting chest, back, and midsection from different angles. This will be obvious when you look at the routine itself.

Depletion Workout for July 6, 2010

Round One

• Leg Extension / Leg Curl Superset (no rest)
  • 65lbs x 15 / 55lbs x 15
  • 50 x 13 / 45 x 15
  • 30 x 15 / 25 x 15
• Chest Press / Row Superset (no rest, except *five minute break)
  • 75lbs x 12 / 75lbs x 12
  • 65 x 12 / 60 x 6*
  • 50 x 15 / 45 x 15
• Lateral Raise / Calf Raise Superset (no rest, except *five minute break)
  • 50lbs x 12 / 45lbs x 15
  • 35 x 15* / 45 x 15
  • 35 x 15 / 45 x 15
• Dumbbell Curl / Cable Pushdown Superset (no rest)
  • 10lbs x 15 / 27.5lbs x 15
  • 10 x 15 / 27.5 x 15
• Cable Torso Twist
  • 30lbs x 15
  • 30lbs x 15

Ten minute break, then on to the next round.

Round Two

• Leg Extension / Leg Curl Superset (no rest)
  • 30lbs x 15 / 25lbs x 15
  • 30 x 13 / 25 x 15
  • 30 x 15 / 25 x 15
• Incline Press / Pulldown Superset (no rest, except *five minute break)
  • 45lbs x 15 / 75lbs x 15
  • 45 x 15 / 75 x 12*
  • (should have done a third set, but I didn’t)
• Lateral Raise / Calf Raise Superset (no rest)
  • 35lbs x 15 / 45lbs x 15
  • 35 x 12 / 45 x 15
  • (only two sets on shoulders, did the third set of Calf Raises later)
• Dumbbell Curl / Cable Pushdown Superset (no rest)
  • 8lbs x 15 / 27.5lbs x 15
  • 8 x 15 / 27.5 x 15 ~ really had to push for the last couple reps on the left arm curls
• Crunch Machine
  • 30lbs x 15
• Calf Raise
  • 45lbs x 15
• Crunch Machine
  • 30lbs x 15
  • 30 x 15
  • 30 x 15

While I never sat around and ‘rested’ like I ordinarily would, I certainly didn’t make any effort to rush from one machine to the next. The extent of my rest periods would probably be the 20 seconds or so it takes walking from one machine to the next.

Workout Start: 9:05AM
Round 1 Finish: 10AM
Workout End: 11:20AM

Weight: 169.5lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 16.9%

I ate somewhere in the neighborhood of 175g protein since that workout. Presently fasting until pre-workout tomorrow barring any wonky blood sugar issues or free lean protein.

Seeya then!

Popularity: 74% [?]

Show Prep

I had a workout on Friday evening around 5PM, to prepare for a walking audition (I still don’t know what to call the modeling interviews) for a show to benefit a school in India in May.

I don’t think I’m even being considered. I’m overweight, oversize, and my posing sucked. I HAD TO TURN LEFT.

Nevertheless I did what I could to prepare for it, which was also sabotaged by a ‘fuck it I’m with my buddy’ attitude. I went to the YMCA with him to show him where to go to do the exercises I laid out for his routine (it’s a machine program and you’d think that it’d be no-brainer material. And it is.) while I joggy-walked to the opposite end of the gym to get a very low volume/low intensity workout in myself.

I would have loved to have done a six-setted depletion torture session, but I wanted to be done when he was done (he drove, of course) and I had limited physical resource anyway. I was still torn up from Wednesday’s workout, which felt easy-balls at the time, but which was now mocking me mercilessly. I had no problem skipping my legs this workout. He had no such luxury, and it feels good to find out he was barely even half-squatting, making him go below knee with the same weight, and watching him stumble around afterwards.

Mean, yes, but totally worth it.

I had him take conservative loading parameters nonetheless as I checked for form. I also threw in direct arm work at the end for both of us, him because I want him to get his compounds in with the best form possible, and still be able to do his favorite bro-lifts. I didn’t harass him on form for his curls. He did preacher curls with good-enough form, and he needs to feel like he’s at least a little bit competent so he doesn’t give up the second I’m not around to badger him.

Back at his house we had a camerafag posedown. I still don’t have abs, and he’s skinny enough to have them be visible if he understood (despite multiple explanations) the concept of progressive overload. Which he will soon enough now that he has starting weights for all his lifts and a program that doesn’t change other than “bump weight when you hit the rep ceiling.”

So by no means is my workout from Friday worth shit. I’m just recording it so I understand where my gym frequency is at. I have, over this week, probably overate again. Tomorrow (Sunday) marks Day One if I decide to look at this from a “Fifteen Weeks Out” perspective. Which I am.

I wish I had those pictures, my shoulders look ridiculous and I love it.
EDIT: Pictures are here.

Workout for Friday, February 12th, 2010

Popularity: 5% [?]

I Am The Master of My Fate

Saw Invictus last night; been feeling pretty motivated overall.

Not that it helped the fact that I lost some muscle over the holidays. Evening workout on the wrong day didn’t really help matters, either.

And I was called back for an interview with p.i.n.k tomorrow. Go figure right?

Onto the numbers:

Weight: 156lbs.
BF%: 18.8%

No excuses today. Just going to take it for what it is. I’ve got roughly six pounds of fat I want to lose before the easy part of the diet is over.

Flat Bench

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 50lbs. x 5
3. 70lbs. x 3
4. 100lbs. x 1
5. 95lbs. x 3
6. 100lbs. x 1

I had to sneeze; still didn’t get my reps though.

Incline Bench

1. 85lbs. x 4 (seat was too high, did the set anyway)
2. 75lbs. x 5 (three holes = good)

Skipped incline fly today. Had some upper-depletion work I wanted to get in, and I wasn’t budging the 25 DBs tonight.

Round 1

1. Row: 10 & 2 @ 55lbs., 15 @ 40lbs.
2. DB Curl: 2 x 15 @ 5lbs.
3. Cable Extension: 15 & 11 @ 7.5lbs.
4. Lateral Raise: 3 x 15 @ 5lbs.
5. Crunch Machine: 3 x 15 @ 40lbs.

Round 2

1. Row: 3 x15 @ 40lbs.
2. Crunch Machine: 1 x 15 @ 40lbs.

Cut short because mom was picking me up; she was visiting my cousin who had flown in from Cali to celebrate the holidays. I’ll see her this summer. Can’t be missing workouts!

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Popularity: 2% [?]

You Gotta Jack-in With Your Ponytail

I haven't pooped in like three days :(

I’m going to jump right into the numbers and ramble afterward:

Deadlift

1. 80lbs x 5
2. 80lbs x 5
3. 120lbs x 3
4. 170lbs x 2
5. 205lbs x 3 (left under)
6. 185lbs x 2 (left over)

I “left one in the tank” on both work sets. I’m now recording my warm-ups, so the last two sets are what I would normally be reporting.

The last set felt weird besides, though. Just got a bad feeling about it, and I went with it.

Lat Pulldown

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45lbs x 5
3. 55lbs x 5
4. 70lbs x 3
5. 85lbs x 2
6. 100lbs x 4 (one less than I would have liked, but it’s progress)
7. 90lbs x 5 (the best set of this session)

On set 6 I attempted a fifth rep but got stuck. I held it and did a slow negative. Again, last two sets are the work sets.

The next two exercises don’t have specific warm-ups.

Horizontal Row
3 x 5 @ 80lbs.

I forgot to stretch my shoulders before the first set, but I cranked out all five reps besides. Then I stretched and did the second set, cranked out another five.

Then I remembered I’m supposed to explode concentrically, and the third set was a breeze. I will probably stay this weight, though. I don’t like how involved my arms got, and I don’t think my lats were truly handling this weight.

Nautilus Abs
3 x 5 @ 65lbs.

I don’t think I’m going to work abs both days anymore. It’s making me lurch forward. Just deadlift days is fine. Nevertheless, this was waaay too easy. The next plate jump puts me at 80lbs, and I did a single rep of that just out of curiosity.

I’ll be doing 80lbs. next week.

I decided to ditch my show prep. I highly doubt they’re going to select me, and it’s not worth having such a thrown diet. It was useful prep for the Christmas events, since I evened out just a touch above maintenance rather than thousands over, for the week.

Physiologically I was primed for this workout, but mentally trashed. Went to see Avatar with some friends, then wound up chatting until six in the morning (NOT about Avatar. That conversation ended ten minutes after it started:

“Would you want to do the Avatar program if you could?”
“No.”
“Seriously? Why not?”
“I already know what it’s like to have proportionally puny lats. I don’t like it.”)

The only miss as far as how my body felt, though, was this ridiculous level of constipation I’ve been dealing with. All this food is pushing my belly out in a rather discouraging way. I tried to pay attention to my shoulders in the gym mirrors, ugh.

And despite the bloaty chunkiness, I’m still 160lbs. So uh. I lost weight. Yeah. I just don’t know how much.

Popularity: 2% [?]

p.i.n.k Training

So I got a call a few days ago informing me of a fitting the first week of January for a fashion show in Milwaukee on the 9th.

So that means low-carb dieting for the next two weeks, and no enjoyment of Christmas meals whatsoever! Yay!

I was going to do some depletion work today, but since I only had 2 hours to workout, I essentially only had time for my usual routine. My weight is the same, but my body fat percentage mysteriously went down. I’m calling a fluke, since I’ve only started low-carbing TODAY. Yesterday I had nearly 300g.

Numbers time.

Post-workout and post-post-workout meal. I didn't even bother posing correctly.

Weight: 160lbs.
BF%: 16.2% (I check it three times…)

Deadlift

1. 200lbs. x 5 (LO)
2. 180lbs. x 5 (LU)

Fuck yes. That is all.

Lat Pulldown

1. 50lbs. x 5
2. 75lbs. x 5
3. 100lbs. x 3
4. 85lbs. x 5

I don’t feel like I activate my lats properly when I’m chinning, so I’m doing underhanded pulldowns. I’m definitely feeling my lats right now.

I didn’t load properly, though. I put the same amount as I would have offset on the chin assist, so for that reason what you’re ACTUALLY seeing is my warm-up lifts. I would be lifting 100lbs. (offset would thus be 60lbs.) on my third and final warm-up set. I knew this was going to be a lot harder than usual when I completed my first warm-up. I should have listened to myself, but part of me was thinking I was just coming off my high from making my reps in deadlift 45 seconds ago, so I carried on. (I also activated more of my mid-back on DL than I was anticipating. This scared me because I didn’t realize what was happening when I did it and it sounded like a couple ribs popped. But no pain, no injury.)

When my third warm-up set was as difficult as it was, I stopped it there, and called that my effective top-set for this workout. I moved a plate lower for a conservative deload, and got my reps there. Next workout I will see if a full rest before the 100lbs. combined with adaptations will allow me to get my reps. I’m not holding my breath though, I’ll likely be pretty depleted by the time that workout rolls around.

Horizontal Row

1. 80lbs. x 5
2. 80lbs. x 4
3. 80lbs. x 4

First set, again, felt like I wasn’t as strong as I should have been, but again I made the excuse that my previous exercise impacted me too much. This time, a little bit more of a legitimate excuse. My lats were genuinely exhausted for a change, and like I said, DL hit my mid-back for once. However, I was feeling some tightness in my shoulder, so during my rest before my second set I sauntered over to the dumbbell area and grabbed the broomstick to do some shoulder dislocations and watched the aerobics class.

Second set went much better, despite not getting all the reps. Technique felt cleaner.

Third set, no complaints, I failed on my fifth-rep attempt and slownegged it back.

Cable Crunch Nautilus Ab Thingy

3 sets of 5 @ 55lbs.

I gotta say, as far as goofy-lookin’ ab machines go, Nautilus felt like I was getting a decent range of motion on them. I don’t remember the brand-name of the one next to it, but I’d used it before, and it felt like such a stunted “I’m hurling now” jerky motion that I didn’t mind trying something new.

The reason I didn’t do cable crunches? Triceps aren’t strong enough to push down 55lbs. apparently. Oh well.

Chatted with Andy a bit following this, he seemed interested in my dieting history and the genesis of my intense interest in fitness and why I don’t already have the results I’m clearly so motivated to achieve. I felt they were honest and worthwhile questions to answer, so I did. Might write a post about it, but I’ll save it for when I’ve achieved. No sense in writing another “but this time it’s different!” until I AM different.

Plus I need to find all my fat kid pictures.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Thanksgiving Damage

So. Let’s see the damage Thanksgiving did.

Weight: 159lbs. – Pretty smoothed out from the carby fare lately.

I’m not really liking how much less I’m eating on would-be maintenance days. I’m losing weight too quickly. On maintenance days I don’t really care too much about my macronutrient split, but on fasting days I’m thinking of bumping up the amount of protein I’m having.

Today I’ve officially stalled on deadlifts, misloaded my chin assists, and regressed on my rows. The weights I’ve lifted today are what I am considering my functional ability. I will not be expecting these numbers to go up much, if at all, through the rest of the diet.

If they go backward, though, then I’ll know I’m doing something wrong and I will be officially risking lean mass. Which honestly, I don’t care about, but I want to maintain STRENGTH and drop FAT.

Here are today’s numbers:
Deadlift

1. 200lbs. x 2
2. 180lbs x 3
3. 160lbs x 5 (the only improvement this workout)

Chin Assist

1. 60lbs. x 6 (felt suspiciously easy, checked the stack, was supposed to load 50lbs.)
2. 40lbs. x 1 (just pissed off because I screwed up my reverse pyramid, so I overcompensated by the same amount I undershot. Surprisingly good form despite not being able to do another one.)

Horizontal Rows
3×5 @ 55lbs. – This one irritated me the most. Down from 85lbs. I couldn’t do 70lbs. either. I maybe could have, barely, but I’m trying to do this exercise explosively so I had to bump it down another plate. Saddens me.

A PROPS, though, go to my new friend Jake. He is the first person to use the squat rack next to me for something that was not only NOT curls, but POWER CLEANS! I shook his hand and told him to continue the good work.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Fasted-State Workout

All right everybody. Fasted workout is a blast.

I was a bit worried about weighing myself this afternoon (got to the gym a little later than I would have liked, but oh well) because fasting has left me a little… deficient in the fiber category, let’s say.

Last night I supplemented some fiber as well as some magnesium. Got rid of a week’s worth this morning. Felt like a workout in itself

I weighed in a 163lbs. and 19.5% bodyfat. I suspect a lot of water loss here, and it does edge my lean mass closer to 130 than 135, but I’m not worried. I’ve had carb-depletion phases in the past that have done the same thing to me.

All my lifts went up, so maybe I’m just optimistic for that reason. Bodyweight go down + lifts go up = Happy Eric!

Dynamic Warm-up
I warm up for upper and lower back independently (I don’t do a warm-up on the rows), but before I do my first warm-up set with deadlifts, I do 20 shoulder circles and 20 leg swings, each limb.

Deadlift

1. 1×2 @ 200lbs. (left under)
2. 1×3 @ 180lbs. (left over)
3. 1×4 @ 160lbs. (left under)

Chin Assist

1. 1×5 @ 50lbs. offset
2. 1×4 @ 60lbs. offset (I don’t think I’m jumping down far enough)
3. 1×6 @ 85lbs. offset (this felt like enough but I was FINISHED)

Horizontal Row
3×5 @ 70lbs.

No cardio today. Dad was nice enough to go out of his way to take me to the gym after mom ditched me this morning, and I didn’t want to him waiting. Nor do I like to spend more time than I have to in the gym after deadlifting, so… heh

While I was getting a breather at the chin station, I overheard this (ERC = me):

…so then I did my chins.

And my girlfriend called to ask me to help her with her training when she gets her car. I have no idea how people, who have no idea what my training schedule is, still manage to call me with fitness concerns while I’m dealing with my own. Story for another time.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Motherfucking Back Day: Barbell Headbang

I’m glad I stayed home today. I mean, I have a reason beyond being a pussy bitch, but WOW. I feel like such a newbie deadlifter. It was only 195lbs.!

I’m really sore and my back is stiff, is my point.

I also banged my head into a barbell, racked and a bit lower than I was expecting it to be. I was standing up and, had it been in the same higher position as the rack next to me, I would have cleared it. I was actually looking at that rack (someone stole it so I had to move over to this one) while I was standing up. I knew it was lower, but I was just distracted, and BANG! Moved the bar up one pin, cranially. I kept my back “straight” though as I was standing, so aside from the unexpected pressure to the lower back, the sudden impact to the right front lobe and my teeth clapping together was the only pain sustained. No bumps, chewed through lips, or other injuries.

It would have hurt my pride if I had just fallen down, but I actually… head-squatted, I guess… I must really be dying to squat on a subconscious level, holy shit.

So anyway, on to back day, here’s the routine followed by more pissmoaning:

Deadlift

1. 195lbs. x 3 (left over)
2. 175lbs. x 4 (left under)
3. 155lbs. x 5 (left over)

Chin Ass (Body Weight 167lbs.)

1. offset 50lbs. x 4
2. offset 55lbs. x 2 (nothing left this set)
3. offset 70lbs. x 3 (lowered it considerably and still barely got three)

The thing with the chins is I don’t think I activate my lats as well when I go heavier. When I’m lifting light I seem to be able to concentrate my back more, but the heavier I go the more I ‘panic’ and feel like I’m trying to curl my bodyweight. I really honestly think it has something to do with my breathing pattern, because I don’t really know what I’m doing! It seems easier to inhale as I exert, though, so I’ll try that next week.

Horizontal Row (7RM test)

1. 40lbs. x 7
2. 45lbs. x 7
3. 50lbs. x 7
4. 55lbs. x 7
5. 60lbs. x 7
6. 65lbs. x 7
7. 70lbs. x 7 – felt finished here
8. 75lbs. x 6 – went into the set a little defeatist

I honestly like doing these machine rows, my legs and lower back were done for today so I opted out of doing the pendlay rows I had planned to do, but I felt I really need to develop my back or risk developing the “bro” look with all the enthusiastic chest shit I’ve done. Next week I’ll be doing three straight sets of 5 at 70lbs., and I really should have at least done another set of 70lbs after failing at 75, but I was just in a negative mood overall.  I just wanted to get on the treadmill and finish up for the day.

So I did.

30s/90s jog/walk 4mph/2mph as last time. Though this time I did 30minutes worth. I feel a lingering desire to run a marathon, and though that could be a year or more away, at this low intensity I really felt like I could do more. Working up to a 30 minute consistent jog rather than a 20 minute one didn’t feel like it would impact my recovery so much as to outweigh the benefits.

My posture is great today unless I want to groan like an old man!

Popularity: 95% [?]