KLEEN LIVING - A log about Life, Training, and Nutrition.

[MrKleen73]

absolutely dude, 2lbs at your stature and BF still means a lot. it's not like your sitting at 342lbs untrained and talkinga bout 340lbs.

That is what I am banking on. Yesterday was good nothing to brag about, took a trip out to the garage, it was so hot out there I could barely stand it. So much heat radiating from the roof with the unfinished garage just letting the heat soak in. I did what I could and got out of there fast.

Total calories yesterday were under 2000 for sure. I fasted most of the day, ate at home with 210g chicken breast 209g rice, in a Mexican Chicken bowl with salsa. Then went to the garage an hour later. Finished the night off with a 1lb shrimp boil with 5 small red potatoes.

 

[Dustin07]

Finished the night off with a 1lb shrimp boil with 5 small red potatoes.

that sounds awesome

 

[MrKleen73]

that sounds awesome

Oh it was good, they made them nice and spicy too. Recently, boiled shrimp has been my go to big meal in the evenings to keep fat down, and add in some carbs with the taters.

 

[MrKleen73]

Had a decent weekend. I actually did a legs only session Saturday and boy are my legs feeling it. I opted for some very carefully done leg press, and Arsenal Hip Thrust Machine

Airdyne x 10 minutes
Leg Press - 450x 4 sets about 2RIR

Arsenal Hip Thrust - 25 x 4 sets @1-2RIR

8 Sets total - Quads were pretty shot, walking funny, and doing my best not to let my knees buckle.

Lower back held up well yesterday, I had about 2800 calories yesterday because I was already getting sore. Wanted to feed the recovery a bit.

 

[Hyde]

If the back responds favorably to this recovery-wise, both of those are great builders for my thigh and glute size! If I was trying to fill out my trunks ASAP without bothering my back, just doing this day as often as possible would definitely be my ticket.

 

[MrKleen73]

If the back responds favorably to this recovery-wise, both of those are great builders for my thigh and glute size! If I was trying to fill out my trunks ASAP without bothering my back, just doing this day as often as possible would definitely be my ticket.

That was exactly my thought. I could probably toss a leg curl in there, but the hip thrust actually had an almost Sissy Squat effect on my teardrops from keeping the feet back far enough to really focus on the glutes. Probably a little unintentional BFR in the area. They were toasted afterwards. So full of blood, even though only two movements my leg stability was shot from the work. When knees start trying to buckle you know you got the work you needed done done.

I feel like I could probably manage 2 of these sessions a week at this point based on my bodies response so far. I won't go crazy with any of this before leaving, probably just try to mirror the effort here for good stimulation. Maybe add 10lbs to each movement or something minor like that. However, when I get back, at least for a little bit I think I will build my lower body program around these movements for a solid meso at least. I mean increasing glute strength and firing has got to help my lower back a bit too.

 

[SkRaw85]

Also, I just got back in from my hour walk at lunch, it felt great to get out in the sun, work on my upper body tan, and get a little extra vitamin D in my system.

Crazy how much you notice sun vit d effectiveness when coming out of winter!

 

[Dustin07]

Crazy how much you notice sun vit d effectiveness when coming out of winter!

all the sudden its like putting premium fuel in the tank and filling the gas tank to FULL instead of running it 1/4 all winter lol.

 

[MrKleen73]

all the sudden its like putting premium fuel in the tank and filling the gas tank to FULL instead of running it 1/4 all winter lol.

Wait, so you are running faster all winter? A car is gonna be faster with 100+lbs less gas... Ain't nobody trying to drag race with a full tank! I kid, I kid! Yeah, it is definitely like getting high octane gas with a tune to take advantage of it.

 

[Dustin07]

Wait, so you are running faster all winter? A car is gonna be faster with 100+lbs less gas... Ain't nobody trying to drag race with a full tank! I kid, I kid! Yeah, it is definitely like getting high octane gas with a tune to take advantage of it.

more like gas tank is low, you're in rush hour traffic, and it's 100 miles to the next gas station so you better preserve it

 

[MrKleen73]

more like gas tank is low, you're in rush hour traffic, and it's 100 miles to the next gas station so you better preserve it

Haha, I was referring to when getting the vitamin D all of the sudden, not how it feels in winter. Winter sucks unless you are somewhere you can ski or something and love that.

 

[MrKleen73]

Looking much tighter this morning, abs seem more prominent when flexed. Calories have been at an average of around 2200 with much lower days on non-training days and closer to maintenance on training days. Planning to hit some weights later today and see what I can get away with. if I have time I will do some lifting at lunch, if not I will go after work.

 

[Dustin07]

Winter sucks unless you are somewhere you can ski or something and love that.

man sometimes I look back and try to figure out how I had time for all that in my 20s. ha

Looking much tighter this morning, abs seem more prominent when flexed. Calories have been at an average of around 2200 with much lower days on non-training days and closer to maintenance on training days. Planning to hit some weights later today and see what I can get away with. if I have time I will do some lifting at lunch, if not I will go after work.

right on! sounds like the iron is heating up!

 

[MrKleen73]

man sometimes I look back and try to figure out how I had time for all that in my 20s. ha


right on! sounds like the iron is heating up!

Yeah, I am at a point I am happy with where I am. I would prefer to be a bit leaner, but my top 4 abs are clearly visible and separated when flexing, even with my arms down at my side. Honestly, this would probably be close to where I wanted to stay if my gyno / psuedo-gyno was gone. It would be relatively easy to maintain IMHO. However since it is not, I want to be leaner just because of that one reason. Other than that, my physique is pretty impressive by most people's standards.

 

[SkRaw85]

It’s the vitamin D!

 

[Dustin07]

Yeah, I am at a point I am happy with where I am. I would prefer to be a bit leaner, but my top 4 abs are clearly visible and separated when flexing, even with my arms down at my side. Honestly, this would probably be close to where I wanted to stay if my gyno / psuedo-gyno was gone. It would be relatively easy to maintain IMHO. However since it is not, I want to be leaner just because of that one reason. Other than that, my physique is pretty impressive by most people's standards.

this feels really relevant to where I am right now. I think my main driver to push down a bit lower is that I'm teetering on that point where I can either fluff up easily, or lean up (not easily) and I'd rather get my baseline a little lower so that when I do have a beer and a dog at the ball park I come back at 190 and not 197 or 199 like I was Sunday lol

 

[MrKleen73]

It’s the vitamin D!

I know my natural Vitamin D works to elevate the wife's mood quite well for sure!!!

this feels really relevant to where I am right now. I think my main driver to push down a bit lower is that I'm teetering on that point where I can either fluff up easily, or lean up (not easily) and I'd rather get my baseline a little lower so that when I do have a beer and a dog at the ball park I come back at 190 and not 197 or 199 like I was Sunday lol

Yeah, definitely, I am not unhappy at all with where I am but I am also too close to not being happy to have much room for a lot of flexibility. I need a better starting position before relaxing the reigns a bit. Especially knowing I am wanting to remain leaner year round than I have been recently. I have had 2 years of maintaining abs nonstop once before, it can be done again.

 

[Dustin07]

I have had 2 years of maintaining abs nonstop once before, it can be done again.

that's the part I keep thinking about too. for me, mon-fri is easy to maintain because I just meal prep. getting to that sweet spot allows for the weekend spontaneity!

 

[MrKleen73]

that's the part I keep thinking about too. for me, mon-fri is easy to maintain because I just meal prep. getting to that sweet spot allows for the weekend spontaneity!

Yeah, I want some wiggle room.

I didn't get a whole session in, I took a while to get warmed up on chest yesterday. I was only at the gym for a short while and ended up having to leave right after my chest work. Going to get in there today to finish up.

BB Incline Bench - 185x6, 185x6, 185x6. 135x12

Arsenal Straight Arm Pec Deck - 120 x failure down into LRP's

I started on a new machine for back, they got a Premiere back machine that does rowing and pulldowns. I know Premiere is supposed to be a good brand but this thing SUCKS!!!! You can't get a good stretch, or a good squeeze in the back. What is worse they got rid of the best back machine they had which was the Arsenal Isolateral Pulldown. I was pretty frustrated then got the call to go home. There are a few things they have changed recently and some of the machines I preferred their are being replaced with less effective equipment, at least for me personally. I loved that pulldown, it was hands down the best one I have ever used.

Looking pretty good now, got some good compliments yesterday, that I look both bigger and leaner. One of the office service guys saw me in my tank top on my way out to my walk at lunch and exclaimed DAMN SWOLE pretty loud then looked around like Oh **** I just did that at the reception desk. LOL The veins in my left shoulder seem to stay out all the time now. The right showed up during my session yesterday. The left side always comes in faster. I assume due to being closer to the heart. My delts are capping pretty well now, even when I am flat my caps are visible through my shirt now. The focus on medial delts has kept them pretty impressive.

Getting excited about vacation, I can't wait, we keep getting reminders and sending them to each other counting down the days. I can't wait to have a week alone with my wife in a romantic and beautiful setting like that. We don't get a chance to do much together like this so we are very excited.

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, I want some wiggle room.

I didn't get a whole session in, I took a while to get warmed up on chest yesterday. I was only at the gym for a short while and ended up having to leave right after my chest work. Going to get in there today to finish up.

BB Incline Bench - 185x6, 185x6, 185x6. 135x12

Arsenal Straight Arm Pec Deck - 120 x failure down into LRP's

I started on a new machine for back, they got a Premiere back machine that does rowing and pulldowns. I know Premiere is supposed to be a good brand but this thing SUCKS!!!! You can't get a good stretch, or a good squeeze in the back. What is worse they got rid of the best back machine they had which was the Arsenal Isolateral Pulldown. I was pretty frustrated then got the call to go home. There are a few things they have changed recently and some of the machines I preferred their are being replaced with less effective equipment, at least for me personally. I loved that pulldown, it was hands down the best one I have ever used.

Looking pretty good now, got some good compliments yesterday, that I look both bigger and leaner. One of the office service guys saw me in my tank top on my way out to my walk at lunch and exclaimed DAMN SWOLE pretty loud then looked around like Oh **** I just did that at the reception desk. LOL The veins in my left shoulder seem to stay out all the time now. The right showed up during my session yesterday. The left side always comes in faster. I assume due to being closer to the heart. My delts are capping pretty well now, even when I am flat my caps are visible through my shirt now. The focus on medial delts has kept them pretty impressive.

Getting excited about vacation, I can't wait, we keep getting reminders and sending them to each other counting down the days. I can't wait to have a week alone with my wife in a romantic and beautiful setting like that. We don't get a chance to do much together like this so we are very excited.

Yeah the anticipation and excitement of your upcoming vacation is always a good energy boost and puts a pep in your step. And that last day of vacation, it’s like me and my wife don’t want it to end so we find stuff to do, and usually end up leaving late to go home, that’s if we are driving and not flying. I’m sure you guys will have a blast.

 

[MrKleen73]

Oh yeah, me too! I hope we have some nice weather. Even if not just being there with her will be enough.

 

[Dustin07]

Getting excited about vacation, I can't wait, we keep getting reminders and sending them to each other counting down the days. I can't wait to have a week alone with my wife in a romantic and beautiful setting like that. We don't get a chance to do much together like this so we are very excited.

Dude thats so awesome, I can feel your excitement from here. Even if you were a fat tub of lard this would still be a great treat for you guys!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Dude thats so awesome, I can feel your excitement from here. Even if you were a fat tub of lard this would still be a great treat for you guys!!

Oh yeah, so excited. I also agree we would have an awesome time given if I were Big ol' tub-o-lard! fat but I will have a better time because I am not.
What has been impressive, my wife has lost 25lbs over the last 8 months without even lifting or doing cardio. She just chooses to eat less, but still eats what she wants. That type of discipline is impressive to me. I need to be in it to win it to really stick with my diet and often it is my training that spurs me to push nutrition. For her to just be like Okay that is enough, I am done now is impressive to me.

 

[Dustin07]

What has been impressive, my wife has lost 25lbs over the last 8 months without even lifting or doing cardio. She just chooses to eat less, but still eats what she wants.

wow that's impressive work for her! from the pics I think I have seen she did not seem overweight to me, 25lbs would be quite the accomplishment. And here she is doing it proving that nutritional is the solution.

 

[gphagan1]

Oh yeah, so excited. I also agree we would have an awesome time given if I were Big ol' tub-o-lard! fat but I will have a better time because I am not.
What has been impressive, my wife has lost 25lbs over the last 8 months without even lifting or doing cardio. She just chooses to eat less, but still eats what she wants. That type of discipline is impressive to me. I need to be in it to win it to really stick with my diet and often it is my training that spurs me to push nutrition. For her to just be like Okay that is enough, I am done now is impressive to me.

Yeah that truly is a special kind of will power. My wife is the same way, but me on the other hand, it’s always took my training to help motivate me to eat right. I know that’s not good, but my training goals largely dictate my diet. Ha, that’s why I tell my wife, see I’m healthier and happier when I’m in the gym.

 

[Hyde]

Oh yeah, me too! I hope we have some nice weather. Even if not just being there with her will be enough.

Whatever the weather, whatever you decide to do, make sure you swing by The Donut Hole on the main strip. They just so happened to be closed exactly the week we went in December, but it’s easily the best bakery there & I go every time we visit.

The donuts are great, but they’re renowned for the key lime pie - and if you go for actual dine-in breakfast, it’s pretty darn good too! But make sure you swing by for a good slice of pie or pastry if you can.

 

[MrKleen73]

Whatever the weather, whatever you decide to do, make sure you swing by The Donut Hole on the main strip. They just so happened to be closed exactly the week we went in December, but it’s easily the best bakery there & I go every time we visit.

The donuts are great, but they’re renowned for the key lime pie - and if you go for actual dine-in breakfast, it’s pretty darn good too! But make sure you swing by for a good slice of pie or pastry if you can.

Oh nice, if they are known for key lime pie then that is a must. Thanks for the suggestion!!!

 

[MrKleen73]

I got stuck at work finishing up a bunch of stuff for our TEAMS Phone project, and didn't get to train last night. We are going to be here late today doing the cutover, and I wont be able to train after work. Looking at a 14-15 hour day today. If I have time I will squeeze out for a session at lunch but that is a 50/50 situation there. I had 2 solid meals and a protein shake yesterday over an 8 hour period. Calories around 2000. I will match that again today.

 

[MrKleen73]

I am still at work, just a low point in the meeting. Making that almighty dollar, already at 13.5 hours today, and it looks like it might be a good bit longer. I was able to sneak over to the gym for lunch and get a session in. Hit Upper and will do lower tomorrow. I imagine I hit another 12000 steps today. My watch needs charged so I don't have a step count but have been moving nonstop all day.

 

[Hyde]

I am still at work, just a low point in the meeting. Making that almighty dollar, already at 13.5 hours today, and it looks like it might be a good bit longer. I was able to sneak over to the gym for lunch and get a session in. Hit Upper and will do lower tomorrow. I imagine I hit another 12000 steps today. My watch needs charged so I don't have a step count but have been moving nonstop all day.

Making money, getting the work and activity in - perfect for your goals and your career right now!

 

[gphagan1]

I am still at work, just a low point in the meeting. Making that almighty dollar, already at 13.5 hours today, and it looks like it might be a good bit longer. I was able to sneak over to the gym for lunch and get a session in. Hit Upper and will do lower tomorrow. I imagine I hit another 12000 steps today. My watch needs charged so I don't have a step count but have been moving nonstop all day.

Making money and burning calories, sounds like a good day.

 

[MrKleen73]

Making money, getting the work and activity in - perfect for your goals and your career right now!

Agreed! Plus I got a quick session in. Yesterday was a productive day for sure. I ended up workimg from 6:00-10:00 yesterday. I was the office project lead so I have been putting in the hours for prep on this one for sure. I got a lot of kudos already, and was called out as being exceptional and making a massive difference in how this has gone compared to some of the other offices. Provided some lessons learned and imagine I might end up traveling for at least a few more cutovers in my bosses 7 offices he is over. So this is definitely great for the career and another feather in my cap on the push to make Team Lead when ours retires next year. Assuming he still does. Who knows what might happen with Israel striking Iran last night. We don't need another war. I lost quite a bit of money when the Russia / Ukraine war kicked off. I don't want another one possibly getting in the way of this opportunity to move up. If his money gets tanked he will have to work a bit longer. He is planning to retire early. So he has many more years he could choose to work if he loses a big chunk of his investments.

Making money and burning calories, sounds like a good day.

Yes it was a great day! Long but good and fruitful which makes it all worth it. Nothing like a challenging project going well and getting kudos in front of one of the top guys in IT for the firm.

Another thing that highlighted me was for some reason my team mates took it upon themselves to decide when they were done. One of them basically told our boss in an email what was left could be done tomorrow and left. No sooner than they walked out the door my boss sent me a message asking if I thought it would be okay to send the guys home. I responded that they had just walked out the door, and I thought he had told them they could leave. He ran to the elevator to catch them then sent them a very short email that made it obvious he was not happy with them. They all came back but he sent them home anyway, but it was a respect thing in his eyes and I agree. You take ownership of something and see it through to the end. I have a feeling our celebration lunch today might be a little uncomfortable. Unless he addresses them earlier and then moves on but he was very upset which ended up making me look great. He was very thankful I stuck around, and hey, I got another 3 hours in after they left. MY MONEY BIATCHEZ!!!!!

I am hoping to get a lower body session in today, but I am exhausted, so not even going to say I will or won't. It is simply just a desire at this point. However the desire for a long nap is much stronger at this point. It has been a long two days of work, and a busy couple of weeks. I couldn't wind down until about midnight, and then woke up at 4:30 with restless sleep in between. Today will be a bit of a higher calorie day because the boss is buying us lunch from a place that makes AMAZING hamburgers, between that, and probably eating decently on Father's Day, I doubt I will see much more progress before I go, but I am okay with that. I will probably throw in a 36 hour fast Monday to get rid of anything hanging on from Fathers Day. Take some pics for you all Tuesday or Wednesday morning and then it is vacation time!!!!

 

[gphagan1]

Agreed! Plus I got a quick session in. Yesterday was a productive day for sure. I ended up workimg from 6:00-10:00 yesterday. I was the office project lead so I have been putting in the hours for prep on this one for sure. I got a lot of kudos already, and was called out as being exceptional and making a massive difference in how this has gone compared to some of the other offices. Provided some lessons learned and imagine I might end up traveling for at least a few more cutovers in my bosses 7 offices he is over. So this is definitely great for the career and another feather in my cap on the push to make Team Lead when ours retires next year. Assuming he still does. Who knows what might happen with Israel striking Iran last night. We don't need another war. I lost quite a bit of money when the Russia / Ukraine war kicked off. I don't want another one possibly getting in the way of this opportunity to move up. If his money gets tanked he will have to work a bit longer. He is planning to retire early. So he has many more years he could choose to work if he loses a big chunk of his investments.

Yes it was a great day! Long but good and fruitful which makes it all worth it. Nothing like a challenging project going well and getting kudos in front of one of the top guys in IT for the firm.

Another thing that highlighted me was for some reason my team mates took it upon themselves to decide when they were done. One of them basically told our boss in an email what was left could be done tomorrow and left. No sooner than they walked out the door my boss sent me a message asking if I thought it would be okay to send the guys home. I responded that they had just walked out the door, and I thought he had told them they could leave. He ran to the elevator to catch them then sent them a very short email that made it obvious he was not happy with them. They all came back but he sent them home anyway, but it was a respect thing in his eyes and I agree. You take ownership of something and see it through to the end. I have a feeling our celebration lunch today might be a little uncomfortable. Unless he addresses them earlier and then moves on but he was very upset which ended up making me look great. He was very thankful I stuck around, and hey, I got another 3 hours in after they left. MY MONEY BIATCHEZ!!!!!

I am hoping to get a lower body session in today, but I am exhausted, so not even going to say I will or won't. It is simply just a desire at this point. However the desire for a long nap is much stronger at this point. It has been a long two days of work, and a busy couple of weeks. I couldn't wind down until about midnight, and then woke up at 4:30 with restless sleep in between. Today will be a bit of a higher calorie day because the boss is buying us lunch from a place that makes AMAZING hamburgers, between that, and probably eating decently on Father's Day, I doubt I will see much more progress before I go, but I am okay with that. I will probably throw in a 36 hour fast Monday to get rid of anything hanging on from Fathers Day. Take some pics for you all Tuesday or Wednesday morning and then it is vacation time!!!!

That is definitely the kind of drive and dedication that should earn you a promotion. You going the extra mile will stick with him, and he’ll remember that when it’s promotion time.

 

[Hyde]

At a minimum, it’s good energy to help you retain your job if things ever get lean, and helps plead your case when it’s evaluation time, or if you ever mess something up big.

I know what you mean where you miss the gym, you like the idea of training very much, but you’re actually just exhausted and your fantasy of lifting is just denial. I have usually found that when I did train in those scenarios, it often goes poorly lol. Because I wasn’t actually recovered or prepared, just missing training.

 

[Hyde]

I’m not trying to put bad energy out there. It’s just something I do a lot, when we’re coming back from traveling and I’ve just been thinking ‘Maybe I could just slam some preWO and go get some work in late, no big deal.’ Then if I do go, it’s usually crap lol.

 

[Dustin07]

I am hoping to get a lower body session in today, but I am exhausted, so not even going to say I will or won't. It is simply just a desire at this point. However the desire for a long nap is much stronger at this point. It has been a long two days of work, and a busy couple of weeks. I couldn't wind down until about midnight, and then woke up at 4:30 with restless sleep in between. Today will be a bit of a higher calorie day because the boss is buying us lunch from a place that makes AMAZING hamburgers, between that, and probably eating decently on Father's Day, I doubt I will see much more progress before I go, but I am okay with that. I will probably throw in a 36 hour fast Monday to get rid of anything hanging on from Fathers Day. Take some pics for you all Tuesday or Wednesday morning and then it is vacation time!!!!

Enjoy your Friday homie, dig the burgers, get a session in rested, fed and recovered this weekend! I'll join ya on the monday fast.

 

[Segansational]

I’m not trying to put bad energy out there. It’s just something I do a lot, when we’re coming back from traveling and I’ve just been thinking ‘Maybe I could just slam some preWO and go get some work in late, no big deal.’ Then if I do go, it’s usually crap lol.

Sounds like my daily workout routine!

 

[MrKleen73]

That is definitely the kind of drive and dedication that should earn you a promotion. You going the extra mile will stick with him, and he’ll remember that when it’s promotion time.

Absolutely!

At a minimum, it’s good energy to help you retain your job if things ever get lean, and helps plead your case when it’s evaluation time, or if you ever mess something up big.

I know what you mean where you miss the gym, you like the idea of training very much, but you’re actually just exhausted and your fantasy of lifting is just denial. I have usually found that when I did train in those scenarios, it often goes poorly lol. Because I wasn’t actually recovered or prepared, just missing training.

Facts, this is why I pushed the session.

I’m not trying to put bad energy out there. It’s just something I do a lot, when we’re coming back from traveling and I’ve just been thinking ‘Maybe I could just slam some preWO and go get some work in late, no big deal.’ Then if I do go, it’s usually crap lol.

Not bad energy, just a reaity that is honestly a good thing to learn. We were brought up to rub some dirt on it and keep moving on. While it shows fortitude it is not the optimal way.

Enjoy your Friday homie, dig the burgers, get a session in rested, fed and recovered this weekend! I'll join ya on the monday fast.

Nice!!!

Sounds like my daily workout routine!

Haha!

So the last couple of days have been a sh!t show. Sunday during the storm my roof started leaking, so I had to take yesterday off to patch the roof. It was blazing hot up there and I sweat my ass off. Did about 4 hours of dying on the roof then came down and raised the ride height on my coilovers since my mechanic lowered them too far in front. Then took my car to the same place for an alignment I have been going. I get a call as they are about to close saying they couldn't do it because my exhaust scraped a little when they tried to put it on the machine to do the alignment. So now I had to take today off to get that done before we leave tonight.

Anyway, my plan was to fast until this morning but I didn't make it. I was feeling so run down and exhausted after all the work in the sun. Spreading that roof tar is ridiculously hard when you have to use the wet patch. It is much thicker so it can stand up to being done when rain is expected or it is still raining. I would say I spread about 150-200sq ft of the stuff. SO basically hard labor for about 4 hours straight then on to working on the car which was moderate labor for another couple of hours. I was dead to the world when my wife said she was craving South Western egg rolls from Chilis. So I got a 10oz sirloin surf and turf then made my big mistake because I was craving salty food so bad I had a double order of fries. So I basically sabotaged my pics for this morning with that one meal. I woke up a bit more watery than I was even the other day after the big feeding. I think my electrolytes got out of whack with all the sweating. My abs smoothed over a decent bit since yesterday. I was hoping since sweating so much the salty fries would pull the water into the muscle but it simply did not work out that way. Oh well sometimes plans back fire.

Anyway, as promised even though I am a bit water logged this morning, I took a picture to show where I am today.

 

[gphagan1]

Absolutely!

Facts, this is why I pushed the session.

Not bad energy, just a reaity that is honestly a good thing to learn. We were brought up to rub some dirt on it and keep moving on. While it shows fortitude it is not the optimal way.

Nice!!!

Haha!

So the last couple of days have been a sh!t show. Sunday during the storm my roof started leaking, so I had to take yesterday off to patch the roof. It was blazing hot up there and I sweat my ass off. Did about 4 hours of dying on the roof then came down and raised the ride height on my coilovers since my mechanic lowered them too far in front. Then took my car to the same place for an alignment I have been going. I get a call as they are about to close saying they couldn't do it because my exhaust scraped a little when they tried to put it on the machine to do the alignment. So now I had to take today off to get that done before we leave tonight.

Anyway, my plan was to fast until this morning but I didn't make it. I was feeling so run down and exhausted after all the work in the sun. Spreading that roof tar is ridiculously hard when you have to use the wet patch. It is much thicker so it can stand up to being done when rain is expected or it is still raining. I would say I spread about 150-200sq ft of the stuff. SO basically hard labor for about 4 hours straight then on to working on the car which was moderate labor for another couple of hours. I was dead to the world when my wife said she was craving South Western egg rolls from Chilis. So I got a 10oz sirloin surf and turf then made my big mistake because I was craving salty food so bad I had a double order of fries. So I basically sabotaged my pics for this morning with that one meal. I woke up a bit more watery than I was even the other day after the big feeding. I think my electrolytes got out of whack with all the sweating. My abs smoothed over a decent bit since yesterday. I was hoping since sweating so much the salty fries would pull the water into the muscle but it simply did not work out that way. Oh well sometimes plans back fire.

Anyway, as promised even though I am a bit water logged this morning, I took a picture to show where I am today.

View attachment 252813

You still look pretty Beastly to me. Abs are showing and you still got good thickness and size. No doubt you won’t have much competition at the beach. I hope you guys have a blast.

 

[Dustin07]

honestly dude I think this is one of your best pics. you might be sitting at just about your ideal beach bodyfat level cause you still have fantastic definition in the legs and abs, but are filled out in my opinion, exactly right. Pecs look more balanced, abs still have clear sepearation with obliques etc... we are our own worst critics right? you look ready for the pool to me.

 

[MrKleen73]

You still look pretty Beastly to me. Abs are showing and you still got good thickness and size. No doubt you won’t have much competition at the beach. I hope you guys have a blast.

Thank You Sir! I definitely have no complaints outside of the fact my little fill up and tighten up plan backfired on me last night. I should have been salting all day...

honestly dude I think this is one of your best pics. you might be sitting at just about your ideal beach bodyfat level cause you still have fantastic definition in the legs and abs, but are filled out in my opinion, exactly right. Pecs look more balanced, abs still have clear sepearation with obliques etc... we are our own worst critics right? you look ready for the pool to me.

Thanks D! This is something not too hard to maintain if paying attention to things, and if my gyno / pseudo-gyno was gone I would be happy about this level of leanness. However, I will need to go a bit lower to get my the area under my chest to tighten up more. Which is the end goal, maintain where my lower chest looks a bit tighter than it is now. I am thinking 5lbs more fat loss and I will be in a really good spot. I would like to keep this area as the top end of acceptable conditioning, but try to maintain a lower level of bodyfat most of the time.

As of this morning I was 204lbs, and more defined than I was at 198.8 which was my lowest point during this quest. So my plan to fill out more while still getting leaner worked. I am 5lbs heavier at a better composition now. So I can't really complain, but it doesn't change the fact I had loftier goals than I achieved.

I am really looking forward to this trip. I was able to get the car into Firestone for the alignment earlier this morning since there were some cancellations this morning. So my worries of having the card done in time for the trip are over now. They already had it up on the lift by the time I had I left so should be ready in the next hour.

I am picking the lovely wife up at work at 3:00PM and we are leaving directly from there. Heading to New Orleans for a night in the French Quarter, then leaving around 10:00AM to head to Panama City Beach. I know I kept calling it Destin, but I believe Destin is about 30 miles west of Panama City Beach.

@Hyde have you ever stayed in Panama City Beach? If so any recommendations for there? We may still drive over to Destin to check out the Donut Hole if we have some time. I definitely want to go to the gym once or twice while out there so going to be looking today for a decent gym to visit.

Here are some of the stock pics from the AirBNB site. I will post up some of my own later.

I think they played with the water color here a little bit because the true color is more of a clear emerald green with blue tints than how blue it shows in some of the pics. More like this one here.

 

[Dustin07]

dude those pics look phenomenal, I'm really looking forward to hearing about this trip. I look at Florida every year and honestly the reason we end up going to Mexico instead is because it costs less and I "understand" it better. But I think a lot of that is simply because I don't know "where" to go in Florida so I only find very expensive places. I've never been!!! really want to though.

Thanks D! This is something not too hard to maintain if paying attention to things, and if my gyno / pseudo-gyno was gone I would be happy about this level of leanness.

yeah to me it seems like the gyno is probably actually less prominant now? Maybe I'm wrong from the one pic but things are looking good! I totally understand wanting to cut about 5 more lbs so that you have that weekend fluff space, thats where I am right now.

 

[MrKleen73]

dude those pics look phenomenal, I'm really looking forward to hearing about this trip. I look at Florida every year and honestly the reason we end up going to Mexico instead is because it costs less and I "understand" it better. But I think a lot of that is simply because I don't know "where" to go in Florida so I only find very expensive places. I've never been!!! really want to though.



yeah to me it seems like the gyno is probably actually less prominant now? Maybe I'm wrong from the one pic but things are looking good! I totally understand wanting to cut about 5 more lbs so that you have that weekend fluff space, thats where I am right now.

Yeah, Panama City Beach is gorgeous, and even busy it wasn't too bad. Just enough people to people watch but not so many that people were cramped together. I do believe that Panama City although the same type of beautiful emerald green water and white sand beaches is cheaper than actually going to Destin. I think it was the cost that made us choose this place over one of the ones in Destin. We will be there from Wednesday through Tuesday for $1703 after taxes and cleaning fees. So $243 a night is not too bad for right on the beach with a huge balcony overlooking the beach.

 

[Dustin07]

We will be there from Wednesday through Tuesday for $1703 after taxes and cleaning fees. So $243 a night is not too bad for right on the beach with a huge balcony overlooking the beach.

no thats not too bad, I think I'm forgetting that you are driving though and the airfare from Seattle ends up being about the same price as the hotel so then we are into it for probably $3-4k. I stand firmly by my stance that Puget Sound is the most beautiful place in the 48 during the summer, but being so far up in the corner of the nation it gets pricey trying to fly anywhere.

 

[Hyde]

@MrKleen73 I have not, but my brother has a few times and loves it. Always heard great things & it’s still the Emerald Coast - the sand and water look identical really in that region. I don’t think they played with the color at all - the water definitely can look like that depending on exact location and time of year (the green comes from the variation in algae growth I believe with different temps). I have seen it that way in Destin and Fort Walton, especially winter, but also more green in warmer months and the further west you go. The colors can be truly wild.

There is a Gold’s Gym Destin I went to with a great selection of equipment you can just drop into for a daypass, which is showing about 45-50 minutes West of Panama City Beach and about 20 minutes before you would hit the Donut Hole (since the gym is basically at the eastern edge of Destin & Donut Hole is right in the touristy part).

Not so say there’s nothing great in Panama, but if you are training in Destin.

 

[Segansational]

Wow, the place you're going looks awesome Kleen! Enjoy yourselves.

yeah to me it seems like the gyno is probably actually less prominant now? Maybe I'm wrong from the one pic but things are looking good! I totally understand wanting to cut about 5 more lbs so that you have that weekend fluff space, thats where I am right now.

Agree with Dustin here, I think you and maybe lifters would notice, but to the untrained eye probably not. Don't worry too much about it here.

 

[SkRaw85]

Fuggin jacked sir!

 

[Dustin07]

personal thought and random opinion but I think the way we mature and our structure seems to change, that looking jacked at 50 looks 10x better than the same amount of muscle on our frame at 20, IMO. It's more alpha too. everyone looks the same under 30. Jacked at 50 is a status.

 

[SkRaw85]

personal thought and random opinion but I think the way we mature and our structure seems to change, that looking jacked at 50 looks 10x better than the same amount of muscle on our frame at 20, IMO. It's more alpha too. everyone looks the same under 30. Jacked at 50 is a status.

100%
Shows decades of consistent hard work

 

[Dustin07]

100%
Shows decades of consistent hard work

first thing I always notice in older men is the atrophy in the shoulders and arms. I got two buddies pushing 70 now, one on TRT and still hitting the gym. he's got a belly but shoulders are jacked. the other one no TRT and retired this past winter, already looks like he's lost 20lbs of the wrong kinda weight. But, he's smiling. so silver linings.