Pistol gets shredded 2015

[pistol345]

Bench day

Bench:
190 x 3, 200 x 3, 215 x 3
150 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent over rows:
115 x 10, 10, 10, 8, 9! (Beast mode)

LISS cardio: 12 minutes
HI cardio: 2 Minutes


Solid workout today. Been having some great accessory sets because my brother has been pushing me. Been hitting cardio after every workout to burn some more cals.

 

[love2liftkat]

Awesome work!!

 

[pistol345]

Leg Day (yesterday)

Squats
240 x 3
255 x 3
270 x 3
175 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 9

Really short workout today. Turns out the gym opens late on Saturday so we had to wait outside for 30 minutes before it opened, then we had limited time to get our lifts in. Made sure to hit squats hard as hell tho and had a great workout (hence why i'm limping around today).

 

[pistol345]

General updates:
I'm about 3 weeks into PCT and have felt good for the most part. Lifts have been great, but I've still been feeling sort of anxious at times (clomid). I've been waking up with erections almost every morning for the past couple weeks so I feel like I'm recovering nicely. I've been taking the EC stack all week and it's been kicking my ass. It was getting to where I would feel exhausted within an hour after taking it. Haven't taken it this weekend so I'm trying to recover a bit so I can feel it more during this next week.


Also, measured my bf to check progress and it says 11.5%. I'm a little dehydrated at the moment, so it's probably more like 12 but still the leanest so far. I'm definitely not gonna be satisfied til I'm BELOW 10 tho. I'm gonna keep taking EC this week and try to hit some longer cardio sessions and check progress. If I see no results, I'll probably cut 50g of carbs from my diet.

Progress Pics:

 

[pistol345]

Deadlifts
285 x 3, 305 x 3, 325 x 4 (PR!)

Lat pulldowns
130 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 10 (assisted)


Hit an awesome PR today so I would say I had a killer workout. I had never lifted above 310 until about 6 weeks ago when I did 325 x 2. And I just doubled those reps today. Score!
It was a pretty short workout tho because we had to be to work early and my brother made us late to the gym. Made the best of it tho

 

[smithstetics]

hey man whats your end goal here?

 

[pistol345]

hey man whats your end goal here?

8% bf
Bench 245
Squat 315
Deadlift 360
Standing Overhead press 135


I'm close with the deadlifts, think I can get the overhead press too. No way I'm benching 245 right now. Bf is still around 11. And I don't think I can squat 315 yet. I'm shooting to gain strength while cutting but would happy with maintaining it

 

[smithstetics]

8% bf
Bench 245
Squat 315
Deadlift 360
Standing Overhead press 135


I'm close with the deadlifts, think I can get the overhead press too. No way I'm benching 245 right now. Bf is still around 11. And I don't think I can squat 315 yet. I'm shooting to gain strength while cutting but would happy with maintaining it

sounds like some good goals here, personally I'd bulk up though

 

[pistol345]

sounds like some good goals here, personally I'd bulk up though

Well I just bulked and put on 30lbs this winter. A lot of it was fat, but I still gained some muscle. I used to look like a skeleton so I'm stoked to look better than average now.

 

[pistol345]

Sorry I haven't been posting that often. Been busy lately, but I've been getting all my lifts in.

Yesterday
Squats:
230 x 5, 260 x 3, 290 x 1
175 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10! (PR)

Super short workout because we had to be at work an hour early. Felt good lifting 290 and set a sweet PR with 175 for 5 sets of 10. I'll take it!

 

[pistol345]

Standing Overhead press:
100 x 5, 115 x 3, 130 x 1! (PR)
75 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 9 (PR)

Lateral cable raises:
20 x 10, 10, 9, 8, 8

Reverse Delt cable work:
20 x 10, 9, 8



Sweet ass workout today. Hit 2 different PRs. Been having great workouts on a regular basis lately so that's a good sign. I weighed in at 184 today so I've lost 19 lbs since the end of my bulk and about 10 lbs since I've been home for summer (about a month). I ran out of ephedrine early last week so I really didn't take any and just drank a lot of coffee. So I'm going to take this week off from stims and then jump back on EC next week.

Bonus update: my brother has lost 10 lbs already. personal trainer status!

 

[eddieaz]

Sounds good! How's the bf looking?

 

[RegisterJr]

You're a PR machine.

 

[pistol345]

Sounds good! How's the bf looking?

I need to check it again but id estimate about 10.5%. Really stepped up the cardio this week and have been hitting my macros pretty well.

 

[pistol345]

You're a PR machine.

That's what I'm sayin. Haha. That's what I love about 5/3/1. Hitting PRs like every week. Once I fail, I just dial it back 10% and start again

 

[pistol345]

Haven't been posting because it has been a deload week so I've been taking it really easy at the gym and gettin some more cardio in. Already dreading squats next week. Gotta go so hard for 5 reps. Sucks.

I'll try to post some progress pics today or tomorrow and take my bf% again

 

[pistol345]

Measured by bf and it said 11.5% again. I think that's right because I look the same as before. I usually see results at the end of my 2nd week of EC, so hopefully i'll see a little bit of difference by next weekend.

Current Pics

Not seeing much in the mirror. Honestly, I've been feeling terrible all week. We've been working in attics and it hit above 95 degrees outside (add 20 in an attic) and I've been sweating to death. Lost 2 more lbs since last time I weighed in, but it doesnt look like it was fat so who knows. Also, I've been having calf cramps every night and it's driving me crazy. I drink a lot of water at work, so I'm not sure what's going on. Guess I could still be dehydrated. Hoping for improvements soon

 

[RegisterJr]

Could be dehydration. Increased potassium will help a little, and maybe add Gatorade powder to your water. Definitely won't hurt while in attics

 

[pistol345]

Bench day

Weighed in at 180.5 so that's the lowest since last september when I started my bulk. Probably have another 10lbs to lose to get shredded.



Bench: 180 x 5, 195 x 5, 205 x 5 (barely)
155 x 10, 10, 7
135 x 9, 7

DB rows: 50 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

Tricep extensions (flat bar): 100 x 10, 10, 10, 8


Tough workout today. Fought like hell to get 205 x 5 but I got it. It wore me out and my tris were giving out during my accessory sets.

 

[pistol345]

Also, I need some diet advice. I want to get stupid lean so I'm thinking about switching things up a bit. I've been doing 2800 cals on workout days and 2300 cals on off days. 250c/215p/105f on lifting days and 150c/215p/93f on off days.

I think I need to reduce cals a bit so I'm thinking about 2500 on lifting days and 2000 on off days. For ratios, 218c/218p/82f on lifting days and 134c/218p/65f on off days.

Most days I tend to eat too much fat and go lower on carbs. I just haven't been seeing much fat loss lately so I'm trying to crack the code. Advice?

 

[JXiiXViii]

Also, I need some diet advice. I want to get stupid lean so I'm thinking about switching things up a bit. I've been doing 2800 cals on workout days and 2300 cals on off days. 250c/215p/105f on lifting days and 150c/215p/93f on off days.

I think I need to reduce cals a bit so I'm thinking about 2500 on lifting days and 2000 on off days. For ratios, 218c/218p/82f on lifting days and 134c/218p/65f on off days.

Most days I tend to eat too much fat and go lower on carbs. I just haven't been seeing much fat loss lately so I'm trying to crack the code. Advice?

Your cals seem kinda high for your current size. Especially the fats.

Now I'm just speculating because I don't know your metabolism and what activity you do outside the gym, but for comparison, I currently weigh around 192ish (started my cut at 210) and my cals are a good deal lower than yours.

I don't vary greatly between workout days and non workout days because even on my "off" days I try to get some physical activity in, but I average around 2200 cals total.

Lifting days look like this:

200g carbs
200g protein
50-60g fat

Off days I basically drop down to ~150 grams of carbs or so.

At this amount, I've lost roughly a pound per week and retained most of my strength (it just recently started dropping on some of my lifts, which I expected would happen eventually).

For reference, I'd say I have an average metabolism.

The other thing that makes me think your cals might be a bit high is that you seem to keep setting PRs in the gym. Now again, I know everybody is different, but from everything I've seen and from hearing other people's experiences, it's not too common to constantly be getting stronger while dieting. For most of us, all we can aim to do is retain strength while cutting.

This obviously excludes those who are brand new to lifting or obese, as they can do so.

With all that being said, and this is just my opinion, why are you not focusing on getting bigger and stronger rather than cutting? In the pictures you've been uploading you already look pretty lean so I'm not sure how much further you need to go.

On the other hand, you could definitely benefit from putting on some more muscle and getting stronger.

 

[pistol345]

Your cals seem kinda high for your current size. Especially the fats.

Now I'm just speculating because I don't know your metabolism and what activity you do outside the gym, but for comparison, I currently weigh around 192ish (started my cut at 210) and my cals are a good deal lower than yours.

I don't vary greatly between workout days and non workout days because even on my "off" days I try to get some physical activity in, but I average around 2200 cals total.

Lifting days look like this:

200g carbs
200g protein
50-60g fat

Off days I basically drop down to ~150 grams of carbs or so.

At this amount, I've lost roughly a pound per week and retained most of my strength (it just recently started dropping on some of my lifts, which I expected would happen eventually).

For reference, I'd say I have an average metabolism.

The other thing that makes me think your cals might be a bit high is that you seem to keep setting PRs in the gym. Now again, I know everybody is different, but from everything I've seen and from hearing other people's experiences, it's not too common to constantly be getting stronger while dieting. For most of us, all we can aim to do is retain strength while cutting.

This obviously excludes those who are brand new to lifting or obese, as they can do so.

With all that being said, and this is just my opinion, why are you not focusing on getting bigger and stronger rather than cutting? In the pictures you've been uploading you already look pretty lean so I'm not sure how much further you need to go.

On the other hand, you could definitely benefit from putting on some more muscle and getting stronger.

Yea, I think its time to take my cals down a bit more, but I have a crazy metabolism and have lost weight eating 3K per day. Yea, I've been thinking my fats were a bit high too. I usually would prefer more fats and less carbs if I could only have one.

And honestly, I've been struggling for years to get much bigger and stronger. I graduated high school at 135lbs. I was the scrawniest kid I knew until I started working out. I'm up to 180 and leaner than when I started. My lifts have gone way up and I've completely transformed my body, but I hit a plateau along the way. I tried really hard this winter to eat a ton and put on some more size and I put on 30 lbs but most of it was fat.

I switched to the 531 routine before my bulk to focus on strength and gaining weight. So I absolutely have focused on putting on size (with mixed results). But I live at the beach so id prefer to be lean as hell for a few months when my shirt is off a lot.

I know you're trying to help and I do appreciate the advice, but it really gets under my skin when people say I need to bulk instead. I've basically been on a super bulk since I started and I just really want to lean out and enjoy my gains. But honestly, thanks for the help. Its all about doing a little better than yesterday

 

[pistol345]

Leg day (FML)
Woke up with my chest and lats sore as all hell from yesterday. Must have done it right!



Squats: 235 x 5, 250 x 5, 265 x 5 (barely)
175 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 10

Leg press machine calf raises: 210 x 15, 15, 14, 14, 13


Today's workout really kicked my ass. I felt like I was going to pass out after squats. Wanted to hit some abs but couldn't find a good place in the gym to do em. Might try some cable crunches sometime this week.

 

[JXiiXViii]

I know you're trying to help and I do appreciate the advice, but it really gets under my skin when people say I need to bulk instead. I've basically been on a super bulk since I started and I just really want to lean out and enjoy my gains. But honestly, thanks for the help. Its all about doing a little better than yesterday

I hear ya man. Wasn't tryin to get under your skin or anything.

The progress you have made is awesome - going from 135 to 180 is a nice accomplishment.

So then back to the cutting topic, I'd cut fats first, not carbs. Especially since you're running 5/3/1, which is a hard enough program even on a bulk, let alone a cut. The carbs will help keep your energy levels up. If your carbs go too low, your workouts may start to suffer.

I used to be a 100-150g of fat per day guy too and thought there was no way I could cut that back to 50-60g and still enjoy my foods, but it was actually pretty easy.

I switched from 85/15 ground beef to 93/7 which is a drop of like 15g of fat per 4 oz serving. This alone was a big help. I do 8 oz per day which I think is 14g of fat total or somewhere around there.

Other than that I get a small amount from chicken breast, and the rest is just olive oil and almond or cashew butter and the occasional egg or 2. This puts me at 50-60 grams.

I actually find cutting fats to be way easier than cutting carbs, but that's just me.

 

[pistol345]

I hear ya man. Wasn't tryin to get under your skin or anything.

The progress you have made is awesome - going from 135 to 180 is a nice accomplishment.

So then back to the cutting topic, I'd cut fats first, not carbs. Especially since you're running 5/3/1, which is a hard enough program even on a bulk, let alone a cut. The carbs will help keep your energy levels up. If your carbs go too low, your workouts may start to suffer.

I used to be a 100-150g of fat per day guy too and thought there was no way I could cut that back to 50-60g and still enjoy my foods, but it was actually pretty easy.

I switched from 85/15 ground beef to 93/7 which is a drop of like 15g of fat per 4 oz serving. This alone was a big help. I do 8 oz per day which I think is 14g of fat total or somewhere around there.

Other than that I get a small amount from chicken breast, and the rest is just olive oil and almond or cashew butter and the occasional egg or 2. This puts me at 50-60 grams.

I actually find cutting fats to be way easier than cutting carbs, but that's just me.

Good advice. I've actually lowered my fats for the last few days and it has been no problem.

 

[pistol345]

Skipped the gym today because I'm terribly sore all over. My chest is about 5/10 soreness, lats 4/10, front delts 6/10, and legs 9/10. I've been limping my ass off for the last couple of days and today has been brutal. I think I'm going to tough through it and hit overhead press tomorrow because I don't want to get too far behind.
Feel like I've been looking a bit leaner lately so I'll check my bf again tomorrow as that will be the end of another 2 weeks of EC.

 

[pistol345]

Overhead press: 105 x 5, 110 x 5, 120 x 5! (PR)
85 x 10, 9, 8
75 x 10, 9

Rear delt cable work: 20 x 10, 10, 9

DB curls: 25s x 10, 9, 8

Concentration curls: 20 x 10, 10 (assistance for last 2 reps)


Pretty nice workout today. Fought hard as hell on that set of 120 x 5. Barely got the 4th and 5th reps. Was burnt out by the time I hit the 5 assistance sets, but did what I could. Also had a great pump going during curls. Good stuff

 

[pistol345]

Just checked my bf... 10.3%! Definitely thought I lost about a percent so that feels good to confirm it. Definitely excited to get even leaner soon.

Progress pics:

 

[JeremyNG25]

Just checked my bf... 10.3%! Definitely thought I lost about a percent so that feels good to confirm it. Definitely excited to get even leaner soon.

Progress pics:

View attachment 120842

View attachment 120843

View attachment 120844

Sorry if you posted this just curious about what you're using to measure body fat? Also I'm starting to see that starting these logs actually increases motivation to get results because you have other people following and you want to have something to show for it. Anyway I think it's a great motivator and I can definitely see your results. Great job

 

[pistol345]

Sorry if you posted this just curious about what you're using to measure body fat? Also I'm starting to see that starting these logs actually increases motivation to get results because you have other people following and you want to have something to show for it. Anyway I think it's a great motivator and I can definitely see your results. Great job

Exactly. Setting specific goals and running a log where people are expecting you to reach those goals is a great motivator. But I'm using some crappy calipers I bought on Amazon. I don't even use them exactly like I'm supposed to because they don't work right. I've just learned to use them over the years a certain way so I can get accurate results. Mine say "PE-USA-2000-Fat Measure" on them, but you can find better ones for sure. At this point, I can just look in the mirror and estimate within a percent or so, but the calipers just confirm it for me. good luck!

 

[JeremyNG25]

Exactly. Setting specific goals and running a log where people are expecting you to reach those goals is a great motivator. But I'm using some crappy calipers I bought on Amazon. I don't even use them exactly like I'm supposed to because they don't work right. I've just learned to use them over the years a certain way so I can get accurate results. Mine say "PE-USA-2000-Fat Measure" on them, but you can find better ones for sure. At this point, I can just look in the mirror and estimate within a percent or so, but the calipers just confirm it for me. good luck!

Calipers are at least better than those hand held electronic ones. Believe me those are very inaccurate and more expensive

 

[pistol345]

Binge drank on Saturday and felt like hell all day Sunday. Ate like crap too. Still didn't feel great this morning but toughed it out at the gym.

Deadlifts: 275 x 5, 295 x 5, 315 x 5!(PR)

Lat pulldowns: 140 x 10, 10, 8, 7

LISS cardio: 15 minutes


Felt pretty terrible the whole time I was at the gym, but still managed to set another PR. Glad its over

 

[pistol345]

Still didn't feel great yesterday. I'm also off EC this week so that has me in zombie mode.


Bench: 195 x 3, 205 x 3, 220 x 0! (FAIL)
155 x 10, 10, 7
135 x 8


Had to cut it short today because we had to be at work an hour early. But damn. What a terrible workout that was. I was supposed to get 220 for 3 reps but couldn't even get 1! Then I just felt burnt out during accessory sets. Guess I gotta dial it back to 90% of my current max

 

[pistol345]

Squats

250 x 3, 265 x 3, 280 x 3
175 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 11! (PR)

Ab machine: 70 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 8


Those squats kicked my ass. My brother was talkin trash and made me get 11 on that last set. It was brutal. Taking a few days off to recover

 

[RegisterJr]

Nice deadlift and squat PRs man.

 

[pistol345]

Monday: overhead press day
Started Ostarine at 15mg/day
Hoping to maintain or slightly increase strength as
I get even leaner


Overhead press: 110 x 3, 120 x 3, 125 x 3! (PR)
85 x 10, 9, 7,
75 x 8, 8

Chin ups with cables: 150 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

LISS cardio: 27 minutes


Good workout. Fought like hell for that PR.

 

[RegisterJr]

Nice PR man!

 

[NurseGray]

Keep up them PR'S!!!

 

[pistol345]

Well, I had to check my ego the other day while doing deadlifts. I was lifting the weight, but I couldn't keep my form and was rolling my lower back badly. I decided to stop short and recalculate my max to 90% of what it was. Don't want to cause an injury/ look like a rookie in the gym

 

[pistol345]

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Been really busy. I've continued to lose weight and weighed in at 177 yesterday. That's down 26lbs since February and I'm looking pretty damn lean. I need to take my bf% again but id say 10 flat. I just jumped back on the EC stack yesterday so I should see some more fat loss in the next two weeks. I made up the cals a tad because I don't want to lose more muscle. Alreasy been feeling weak most days.

 

[pistol345]

Yesterday's workout: Squats

Squats: 235 x 5, 265 x 3, 295 x 1
185 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 9! (PR)

Chin ups with cable: 150 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 8

cardio: only 5 minutes. I felt like I was going to throw up after going so hard on my lifts.



General updates:
Just checked my bf... said 9%! That's pretty close but I thought it could be 1% higher (it may actually be). I was definitely getting lower numbers on my belly and thigh than I have been. See for yourselves.

Pretty stoked to be in the single digits. I've still been taking osta at 15mg per day so I'm hoping that will boost strength and endurance while I cut even further. I also have some PES Erase that I've been meaning to use. Gotta plan it out and take it at the end to "cap off" my cut. stay tuned!

 

[pistol345]

Deadlifts: 245 x 5, 280 x 3, 315 x 4

Preacher curls: 50 x 12, 11, 16 (assisted for 4-5 reps)

Calf raises (leg press): 210 x 15, 15, 13, 13, 12

LISS cardio: 24 minutes


Solid workout. First workout since I dialed back my deadlift. Maintained better form this time. Success

 

[pistol345]

Overhead press: 110 x 5, 120 x 3, 135 x 1 (PR!)
85 x 10, 10, 9, 7
75 x 9

cable Chin ups: 150 x 10, 10, 10, 9, 8

Lateral DB raises: 15s x 10, 8, 8

LISS cardio: 15 minutes

 

[pistol345]

Deload day

Bench: 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 175 x 5
115 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline DB curls: 25s x 10, 9, 8

Overhead DB tricep extensions: 55 x 10, 10, 9

LISS carrdio: 15 mins


Nice relaxing workout. Got my pump on.

Probably just gonna make this my only deload workout since we've missed a few workouts lately. I'll jump back on the 5s week starting Monday.

 

[pistol345]

general update:

Been looking hella lean lately. People keep pointing out how cut up I'm looking. Veins are visible all day along my arms. Haven't been sticking to my diet too well, so I'm glad I've still managed to lean out. Still waiting to drop the hammer and pop Erase. Gonna get shredded and make this thread title come true!

 

[pistol345]

Squats: 240 x 5, 260 x 5, 275 x 5
185 x 10, 10, 8, 9

Calf raises: 210 x 15, 14, 13, 13, 12

Liss cardio: 24 minutes


Very tough workout today. I'm off the ec stack so I was feeling weak and lethargic. Toughed it out tho.

 

[RegisterJr]

How's it going?

 

[pistol345]

Apologies for the slow response. I just moved across the country and back to college so I've been pretty busy lately. I suffered a back injury a couple weeks ago so that slowed down my progress a lot. I couldn't lift or even go to work for a few days. But I've still managed to get pretty damn lean. This is probably the leanest I'll be this year, but I'm going to try to stay below 12% if I can.

Pics:

 

[pistol345]

Before and after comparison. Pretty dramatic change. I lost some strength and look smaller in general but I'm much happier with the way I look now. Thanks for all the help guys. I hope this was a fun transformation to watch.

 

[JXiiXViii]

Good sh*t dude. Congrats.

What was the total time spent cutting and the exact bodyfat % lost?