Building Back Up

[Dustin07]

Lastly, I believe the apple in the morning and additional fruit sugar and overall kcal is really helping controlling cravings for garbage.

I'm not surprised at all. When I was eating more consistently all day (zero fasting) and training more intensely I had a ritual snack every single day of a fat and a fruit, usually almonds + apple or almond butter + apple. I also believe the apples were good for my gums. In addition to that when my wife and i were our leanest we always kept stock on the dark chocolate (90% for me) and we'd break off a square at night as dessert, which seemed like plenty back then.

Edit: I'll rephrase that weird question...should I be worried about addressing imbalances and weak points during a cut since gains really can't be made during a cut?

I'll probably be a little contrarian here and the other guys are going to be more knowledgeable on some of the sciences so without straight out disagreeing with anyone I'm not sure I'd be super stressed out about "can't make gains on a cut" in your scenario. Your calories IMO aren't low, your sessions aren't excessively long, and you're not hammering out a bunch of additional cardio. Seems to me like you could still see improvements across the board while on this journey.

And broke the 220 barrier!

right on!!

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 224.2

Squat 4 x 5 x 245
Neutral Grip Pullup 4xBW-110, 4xBW-45, 4/3/2/1 x BW, 8xBW-110
DB Row 10x40, 8x50 (+1 set left arm)
Machine Shrug 2 x 8 x 130, 6x150
Reverse Pec Deck 3 x 12 x 30
DB Curl 3 x 10/8/6/4 x 25's

Neutral Grip Pullup 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
Squat 4 x 5 x 250
DB Row 2 x 10 x 50 (+1 set x 10 left arm)
Machine Shrugs 4 x 10/10/10/7 x 130
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8/8/6 x 25's
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 10 x 34

Unsure what the exercise is actually called at the end there, but basically crossing the cables and pulling slightly down and away like a reverse Pec Deck. Felt like a good workout.

 

[MrKleen73]

Looks like a good session to me!

 

[GreenMachineX]

I'm not surprised at all. When I was eating more consistently all day (zero fasting) and training more intensely I had a ritual snack every single day of a fat and a fruit, usually almonds + apple or almond butter + apple. I also believe the apples were good for my gums. In addition to that when my wife and i were our leanest we always kept stock on the dark chocolate (90% for me) and we'd break off a square at night as dessert, which seemed like plenty back then.



I'll probably be a little contrarian here and the other guys are going to be more knowledgeable on some of the sciences so without straight out disagreeing with anyone I'm not sure I'd be super stressed out about "can't make gains on a cut" in your scenario. Your calories IMO aren't low, your sessions aren't excessively long, and you're not hammering out a bunch of additional cardio. Seems to me like you could still see improvements across the board while on this journey.


right on!!

What is peculiar though is how much I've lost the past week eating on average 2500 kcal per day. I was at 227 when I started, but that was after a huge binge. I was consistently at 224 before that, so I've lost 5 pounds in 7 days at 2500kcal. Pretty cool.

 

[Dustin07]

What is peculiar though is how much I've lost the past week eating on average 2500 kcal per day. I was at 227 when I started, but that was after a huge binge. I was consistently at 224 before that, so I've lost 5 pounds in 7 days at 2500kcal. Pretty cool.

Could be a dozen different things right? Without seeing your nudez or your true BF (not that 99% of bf measurements are accurate) for all we know you could be hitting a sweet spot, putting on some muscle mass, ramping up the metabolism. Maybe a lower stress period of time effecting cortisol, better sleep? better workouts, lower sodium?

the important thing is that it does seem like you're settling into a sweet spot here. weight trending the right directly, lifting sessions looking good. strike while the iron is hot is always my mentality.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Could be a dozen different things right? Without seeing your nudez or your true BF (not that 99% of bf measurements are accurate) for all we know you could be hitting a sweet spot, putting on some muscle mass, ramping up the metabolism. Maybe a lower stress period of time effecting cortisol, better sleep? better workouts, lower sodium?

the important thing is that it does seem like you're settling into a sweet spot here. weight trending the right directly, lifting sessions looking good. strike while the iron is hot is always my mentality.

Yeah, who knows...but I'll take it lol

 

[Dustin07]

Yeah, who knows...but I'll take it lol

amen to that. the first week I started cutting I gained like 3lbs lol.
to gain weight, originally I needed to add 2 full meals a day essentially. a whole meals worth of prewo carbs, and an additional meals worth of protein postwo then let myself double down on dinner.

dropped about 1/2 that and gained the first week
it's going the right way now. might also be that I brought back squats and all the sudden blew up my quads and adductors

 

[GreenMachineX]

amen to that. the first week I started cutting I gained like 3lbs lol.
to gain weight, originally I needed to add 2 full meals a day essentially. a whole meals worth of prewo carbs, and an additional meals worth of protein postwo then let myself double down on dinner.

dropped about 1/2 that and gained the first week
it's going the right way now. might also be that I brought back squats and all the sudden blew up my quads and adductors

Lol
My wife has that issue...gets serious, cuts carbs, does 30 minutes intense cardio, works out hard, sleeps great, gains 2 pounds She gets mad how easy it is for us (usually). Lol

 

[Dustin07]

She gets mad how easy it is for us (usually). Lol

when my wife and mother both tell me how easy it is for a man to lose weight, I don't mention the fact that we lift until the skin is peeling off our hands, there's blood, sweat, and sometimes puke everywhere. 12 months = countless injurie rehabs, I go through 2-3 shirts a gym session, I am constantly adjusting/dialing my nutritional approach and their entire workout consumes less calories or sweat than my warm up. but I digress.....

again, a woman's perceived level 10 exertion rate is about a 5 for your average dude and a dudes 10 is probably actually a 13 and he is redlining the tach lol

 

[GreenMachineX]

when my wife and mother both tell me how easy it is for a man to lose weight, I don't mention the fact that we lift until the skin is peeling off our hands, there's blood, sweat, and sometimes puke everywhere. 12 months = countless injurie rehabs, I go through 2-3 shirts a gym session, I am constantly adjusting/dialing my nutritional approach and their entire workout consumes less calories or sweat than my warm up. but I digress.....

again, a woman's perceived level 10 exertion rate is about a 5 for your average dude and a dudes 10 is probably actually a 13 and he is redlining the tach lol

Yeah, can't argue any of that lol

 

[GreenMachineX]

Macros
2,541 kcal
221g pro
66g fat
266g cho (63g sugar from dairy and fruit)

At least 6k steps. Didn't have my phone on me for a few hours while floundering around the house...maybe hit 7k. Either way, kcal in the right place for this experiment.

 

[Hyde]

when my wife and mother both tell me how easy it is for a man to lose weight, I don't mention the fact that we lift until the skin is peeling off our hands, there's blood, sweat, and sometimes puke everywhere. 12 months = countless injurie rehabs, I go through 2-3 shirts a gym session, I am constantly adjusting/dialing my nutritional approach and their entire workout consumes less calories or sweat than my warm up. but I digress.....

again, a woman's perceived level 10 exertion rate is about a 5 for your average dude and a dudes 10 is probably actually a 13 and he is redlining the tach lol

I sometimes get a little down when I train at the commercial gym when I am on the platform for up to 90 minutes sometimes doing just two movements…multiple people coming and going on the platforms & benches nearby. Then I realize their deadlift “workout” was a few sets with 135, or what have you…

The stronger you get, the more work you have to be able to do, overall. What is a workout for some isn’t even sufficient warmup for others; of course they would get done much sooner to lift the same intensities.

Then, there’s the matter of intensity - an untrained lifter is not going to be able to, or need to go to, the level of intensity required by a veteran lifter to progress.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 219.6

Didn't sleep as good as the previous 2 nights, woke up maybe 4 times but at least fell back asleep quickly. Feeling a little rough today so far. Still gonna get my steps in though and hold kcal <2500.

 

[Resolve10]

What is peculiar though is how much I've lost the past week eating on average 2500 kcal per day. I was at 227 when I started, but that was after a huge binge. I was consistently at 224 before that, so I've lost 5 pounds in 7 days at 2500kcal. Pretty cool.

I know it is tough, but that is why sometimes it is important to just keep sticking to things for a little bit even if they don't seem to be moving in the right direction. The work sometimes gets you over the hump and the results lag behind.

Could also be a million other things, but at the very least it is good to see the progress.

when my wife and mother both tell me how easy it is for a man to lose weight, I don't mention the fact that we lift until the skin is peeling off our hands, there's blood, sweat, and sometimes puke everywhere. 12 months = countless injurie rehabs, I go through 2-3 shirts a gym session, I am constantly adjusting/dialing my nutritional approach and their entire workout consumes less calories or sweat than my warm up. but I digress.....

again, a woman's perceived level 10 exertion rate is about a 5 for your average dude and a dudes 10 is probably actually a 13 and he is redlining the tach lol

I mean you don't have to kill yourself in the gym to make progress. Most people vastly overestimate how many calories training actually burns as well.

In general people have trouble gauging their effort levels. Women also (tend) to recover between sets better due to differences in blood flow perfusion and potentially occlusion, so they may look like they aren't working as hard. Fwiw I've had plenty of women who would wipe the floor with how many dudes train so I don't think it is fair to lump them all together or even have the general assumption that they don't work hard.

 

[MrKleen73]

In general people have trouble gauging their effort levels. Women also (tend) to recover between sets better due to differences in blood flow perfusion and potentially occlusion, so they may look like they aren't working as hard. Fwiw I've had plenty of women who would wipe the floor with how many dudes train so I don't think it is fair to lump them all together or even have the general assumption that they don't work hard.

I was thinking this myself. A dedicated and disciplined woman can often work a man under the table. They just typically have more slow twitch fibers and can grind reps for days. The real slowdown for them is that they have higher estrogen levels and when the balance tips to estrogen fat loss is a bit slower, for a man or a woman. So inherently men are pre-dispositioned to lose fat a little faster, or more to the point women are pre-dispositioned to hold on to more fat naturally.

 

[Dustin07]

I mean you don't have to kill yourself in the gym to make progress. Most people vastly overestimate how many calories training actually burns as well.

In general people have trouble gauging their effort levels.

thats what I said

 

[GreenMachineX]

thats what I said

 

[GreenMachineX]

Macros
2,632 kcal
228g pro
64g Fat
291g cho

Unsure on steps...the last I recall seeing was 6k, then a Walmart trip, then a couple mile intermediate trail ride with the family. First mountain bike ride in a looooong time!

 

[GreenMachineX]

Drawn last Thursday
7mg daily
Total T 343 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 69 (35-155) pg/mL
Estradiol, Ultrasensitive 18 (<30) pg/mL

Drawn in March
7mg daily
Total T 465 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 117 (35-155) pg/mL

The only difference between the two 7mg daily protocols in March I used delts and vg mostly (shallow IM) as shot areas, and the second used vg and love handles (basically shallow IM and subq). Apparently subq isn't as effective. Going to switch back to mostly IM and bump to 8mg daily.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 219.6

Weight holding steady, but also didn't BM before that Weight so I may have lost a little more. TMI lulz

No workout today. Feeling a little rough, woke up a lot last night, so I'll wait until tomorrow and hit it hard..."appropriately hard" that is.

 

[Resolve10]

I was thinking this myself. A dedicated and disciplined woman can often work a man under the table. They just typically have more slow twitch fibers and can grind reps for days. The real slowdown for them is that they have higher estrogen levels and when the balance tips to estrogen fat loss is a bit slower, for a man or a woman. So inherently men are pre-dispositioned to lose fat a little faster, or more to the point women are pre-dispositioned to hold on to more fat naturally.

Ya it does seem on average they have higher slow twitch percentage and coupled with other factors like blood flow it might change training a little. I don't really think women (once equated for weight) have more trouble losing fat, they just tend to have less room to work with (lower weight therefore lower amount lost per time frame and lower starting calorie levels) and do have higher natural set points.

thats what I said

I must have just interpreted it wrong because my experiences don't really mirror that.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 219.8

Weight is holding, but visceral fat is definitely down.
Yesterday's Macros
2,488 kcal
213g pro
68g fat
256g cho (46g dairy/fruit sugar)

Steps
11,600

Upper push later today, and a grill out tonight. Undecided if this will be my cheat meal for the weekend, or if I'll keep it within maintenance and do another tomorrow.

 

[MrKleen73]

Weight: 219.8

Weight is holding, but visceral fat is definitely down.
Yesterday's Macros
2,488 kcal
213g pro
68g fat
256g cho (46g dairy/fruit sugar)

Steps
11,600

Upper push later today, and a grill out tonight. Undecided if this will be my cheat meal for the weekend, or if I'll keep it within maintenance and do another tomorrow.

Honestly if you are running maintenance their should be no cheat meals. You aren't helping get your metabolism back up from a diet. You are just adding extra calories, and losing some of the progress yoiu made recently. Just stick with maintenance. If that means cutting calories the rest of the day for the cookout then do that, but don't take a step back in your progress.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Honestly if you are running maintenance their should be no cheat meals. You aren't helping get your metabolism back up from a diet. You are just adding extra calories, and losing some of the progress yoiu made recently. Just stick with maintenance. If that means cutting calories the rest of the day for the cookout then do that, but don't take a step back in your progress.

Oh no, I'm definitely not at maintenance kcal. Unsure exactly how far lower, but the mirror is looking much improved and down under 220 when I was stuck at 224-227 for weeks. I just meant for today. But i hear you...don't undo all the progress from the week.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Seated DB OHP 4 x 8/8/8/6 x 65's
Dips 4 x 10/10/10/8 x BW
Upright Row 2 x 8 x 60, 8 x 40
DB Lateral Raise 2 x 8 x 5's
1 Arm Rope Pressdowns 3 x 10/8/8 x 16.5
Incline Cable Press 2 x 10 x 35.2

Scaled the weight back and used an almost 100% vertical Incline bench on seated ohp so I wouldn't lean back and get more all around delt focus. Really hit the Lateral delts a lot more like that. Gotta stop the ego lifting form

Also realized when I do heavier Upright Row, my left shoulder is significantly higher then my right, so I dropped the weight last set to see if it improves and it did. The bizarre thing is I'm not shrugging intentionally and can't overpower it; it just *happens*.

 

[MrKleen73]

Seated DB OHP 4 x 8/8/8/6 x 65's
Dips 4 x 10/10/10/8 x BW
Upright Row 2 x 8 x 60, 8 x 40
DB Lateral Raise 2 x 8 x 5's
1 Arm Rope Pressdowns 3 x 10/8/8 x 16.5
Incline Cable Press 2 x 10 x 35.2

Scaled the weight back and used an almost 100% vertical Incline bench on seated ohp so I wouldn't lean back and get more all around delt focus. Really hit the Lateral delts a lot more like that. Gotta stop the ego lifting form

Also realized when I do heavier Upright Row, my left shoulder is significantly higher then my right, so I dropped the weight last set to see if it improves and it did. The bizarre thing is I'm not shrugging intentionally and can't overpower it; it just *happens*.

It's most likely a compensatory movement pattern probably created by an older injury where you were guarding the injury and the movement pattern needs to be retrained. Retract your scapula and keep it down and it should limit how much the trap hikes up with the weight.

 

[GreenMachineX]

It's most likely a compensatory movement pattern probably created by an older injury where you were guarding the injury and the movement pattern needs to be retrained. Retract your scapula and keep it down and it should limit how much the trap hikes up with the weight.

As in pin the shoulders back and down like an OHP or a bench press?

 

[MrKleen73]

As in pin the shoulders back and down like an OHP or a bench press?

Yes, but it does not have to be anywhere near as hard of a contraction. You are just trying to keep the scapula in the right spot, not create a tight and sturdy platform to press off of if that makes sense. Also no big arch like in pressing, just keep the scaps depressed will tell the trap to relax and make it easier to stay in position. Also I would keep the weights light, go for a little higher reps and pause slightly at the top then lower slowly under control so you can really focus on the movement rather than moving the bar.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Yes, but it does not have to be anywhere near as hard of a contraction. You are just trying to keep the scapula in the right spot, not create a tight and sturdy platform to press off of if that makes sense. Also no big arch like in pressing, just keep the scaps depressed will tell the trap to relax and make it easier to stay in position. Also I would keep the weights light, go for a little higher reps and pause slightly at the top then lower slowly under control so you can really focus on the movement rather than moving the bar.

Guess my shoulder isn't completely better...the pain has begun. Guess that compensatory movement was protecting something, or the leaned back shoulder press...

 

[GreenMachineX]

Today's Macros

2,411 kcal
182g pro
86g fat
222g cho

11k steps.

Stayed on target even at the grill out.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 219.0

Rack Pull 4 x 5 x 325
Leg Press 3 x 10 x 270
Mid-Row Machine 10 x 165, 8 x 185, 8 x 205
Shrug Machine 12 x 90, 2 x 7 x 160, 10 x 90
Left Arm Only DB Row 2 x 12 x 20
Hammer Curls 3 x 10 x 20's

Definitely feeling the deficit, but still making small improvements overall. Grip is trashed though. Loving the mid-row machine; just feel my lats and rhomboids so much more. Adding in light left arm only db Row to get that left lat working better.

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats on keeping control of yourself at the cookout! Making progress with weights or reps in a deficit it awesome!

 

[GreenMachineX]

Yesterday's Macros

3,449 kcal
236g pro
121g fat
353g cho (about 50g from desserts)

13k steps. Also worked out in the yard for almost 2 hours.

Today's weight: 218.6

Definitely went a little overboard, but my weight went down! I'll take it.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Yesterday's Macros

4,001 kcal (estimated)
169g pro
167g fat
362g cho

16k steps.

Today's weight: 220.2

I really have no idea how many kcal the last meal of the day was since it was a "breakfast themed" potluck and I ate until I was full. But, I only gained 1.5 pounds which isn't bad for me when I binge lol.

Starting today with a 2 mile walk.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Flat DB Press 4 x 8/8/7/6 x 90's
Standing OHP 4 x 8/8/8/6 x 115
Machine Delt Raise 4 x 10/10/10/12 x 50 (plus extra reps on left arm)
Skullcrushers 2 x 8/8 x 60, 8 x 50
Incline CG Iso-Lateral Hammer Press 3 x 6 x 72

Not a bad workout for losing 7 pounds since the last one! Found a weakness in that Incline close grip hammer press, so need to bring the back.

Although, the brings up the question, does it matter during a cut regarding weaknesses since strength and muscle don't really increase anyway?

Edit: I'll rephrase that weird question...should I be worried about addressing imbalances and weak points during a cut since gains really can't be made during a cut?

Flat DB Press 4 x 8/7/6/6 x 90's
Standing OHP 4 x 8/7/7/6 x 115
Incline Cable Press 3 x 12/12/12 x 35.2
Skullcrushers 4 x 8/8/8/5 x 50
Machine Delt Raise 4 x 10/8/8/10 x 50

Reps starting to slip a little. Would it be better to stay at the same weight, or drop everything 5-10 pounds to keep the reps up?

 

[Hyde]

Flat DB Press 4 x 8/7/6/6 x 90's
Standing OHP 4 x 8/7/7/6 x 115
Incline Cable Press 3 x 12/12/12 x 35.2
Skullcrushers 4 x 8/8/8/5 x 50
Machine Delt Raise 4 x 10/8/8/10 x 50

Reps starting to slip a little. Would it be better to stay at the same weight, or drop everything 5-10 pounds to keep the reps up?

It’s good to have little waves in volume and weight in my opinion. But I only like to have one “low” volume week under 24 total work reps on hypertrophy movements before waving the weight back, or rotating the movement out if I don’t think that will be as productive. Usually these end up in some kind of 3-5 week progression for me before a wave or I rotate out.

Compound movements do well with waving, but it takes eons to bring up smaller isolation movements once it’s not novel/been in rotation for a while. DB Lateral Raises aren’t something that usually change much after they’ve been getting hammered for a while already.

 

[GreenMachineX]

It’s good to have little waves in volume and weight in my opinion. But I only like to have one “low” volume week under 24 total work reps on hypertrophy movements before waving the weight back, or rotating the movement out if I don’t think that will be as productive. Usually these end up in some kind of 3-5 week progression for me before a wave or I rotate out.

Compound movements do well with waving, but it takes eons to bring up smaller isolation movements once it’s not novel/been in rotation for a while. DB Lateral Raises aren’t something that usually change much after they’ve been getting hammered for a while already.

Thanks. I'm not sure I understand what you meant about the Lateral Raise though.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 218.6

Yesterday's Macros

2,725 kcal
222g pro
68g fat
296g pro

15k steps.

Slept really hard last night, but still stuck awake at 4:30am when my wife's alarm went off. Think I totaled all most 7 quality hours though. 2700 kcal seems to be the magic number for sleep quality And still went back down to my most recent lowest weight.

Testosterone update:
It's been 4 days now at 8mg daily shallow IM. My experiment with 7mg using some subq failed.

Here's the past couple years of results:

10mg daily Shallow IM
Total T 558 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 147 (35-155) pg/mL
Estradiol, Ultrasensitive 18 (<30) pg/mL

5mg daily (lots of missed doses) Shallow IM
Total T 159 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 25 (35-155) pg/mL
Estradiol, Ultrasensitive 15 (<30) pg/mL

5mg daily Shallow IM
Total T 260 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 45 (35-155) pg/mL

7mg daily Shallow IM
Total T 465 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 117 (35-155) pg/mL

7mg daily Subq and Shallow IM
Total T 343 (250-1100) ng/dL
Free T 69 (35-155) pg/mL
Estradiol, Ultrasensitive 18 (<30) pg/mL

 

[Dustin07]

Slept really hard last night, but still stuck awake at 4:30am when my wife's alarm went off. Think I totaled all most 7 quality hours though. 2700 kcal seems to be the magic number for sleep quality And still went back down to my most recent lowest weight.

Dude it seems like you're on a tear right now with things moving in great momentum!

 

[GreenMachineX]

Neutral Grip Pullup 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
Squat 4 x 5 x 250
DB Row 2 x 10 x 50 (+1 set x 10 left arm)
Machine Shrugs 4 x 10/10/10/7 x 130
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8/8/6 x 25's
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 10 x 34

Unsure what the exercise is actually called at the end there, but basically crossing the cables and pulling slightly down and away like a reverse Pec Deck. Felt like a good workout.

Squat 3 x 8 x 225
Neutral Grip Pullup 4 x 3/3/3/3 x BW, 10 x BW-112
One Arm DB Row 2 x 10 x 40
Seated Hamstring Curl 2 x 8 x 60
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 8 x 40
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8 x 25's

I haven't done more than 5 reps in a set on Squat in soooo long. That messed up the rest of the workout Pullups first from here on out.

Also adding in more lower body. The plan will be...
3-4 sets squats
3 sets leg press
3-4 sets DL variation
3 sets hamstring curls

Lastly, something still going on with this left arm. Can't activate the lat the same way as the right. I know there's still a small issue in the shoulder, but don't understand why I can't feel my lat working

 

[MrKleen73]

Squat 3 x 8 x 225
Neutral Grip Pullup 4 x 3/3/3/3 x BW, 10 x BW-112
One Arm DB Row 2 x 10 x 40
Seated Hamstring Curl 2 x 8 x 60
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 8 x 40
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8 x 25's

I haven't done more than 5 reps in a set on Squat in soooo long. That messed up the rest of the workout Pullups first from here on out.

Also adding in more lower body. The plan will be...
3-4 sets squats
3 sets leg press
3-4 sets DL variation
3 sets hamstring curls

Lastly, something still going on with this left arm. Can't activate the lat the same way as the right. I know there's still a small issue in the shoulder, but don't understand why I can't feel my lat working

You should look up local ART or Active Release Technique guys in your area and see if they can help out. Just ask @Hyde how much they have been able to do for him and his elbow. A good ART person is a godsend!

 

[GreenMachineX]

You should look up local ART or Active Release Technique guys in your area and see if they can help out. Just ask @Hyde how much they have been able to do for him and his elbow. A good ART person is a godsend!

I was actually thinking about going back to the clinic that got my arm full range of motion back 6 years ago now that we moved back to the area... probably should make a call.

 

[Dustin07]

more than 5 reps

that's called cardio

 

[Hyde]

Thanks. I'm not sure I understand what you meant about the Lateral Raise though.

Well, how much weight do you use for lateral raises? When was the last time you went up 5lbs on them? Most people are going to tell you something between 15-40lbs, because there’s just only so much weight to be moved on that lift. So waving the weights, doing heavy partials, rotating between cables, machines, dbs, playing with TUT are all going to be ways to manipulate the loading.

You don’t just linear progress weight on side raises, not often and not for long when you do go up.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Well, how much weight do you use for lateral raises? When was the last time you went up 5lbs on them? Most people are going to tell you something between 15-40lbs, because there’s just only so much weight to be moved on that lift. So waving the weights, doing heavy partials, rotating between cables, machines, dbs, playing with TUT are all going to be ways to manipulate the loading.

You don’t just linear progress weight on side raises, not often and not for long when you do go up.

Ohhhh, gotcha. I just wasn't getting what you said.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Macros

2,704 kcal
223g pro
71g fat
293g cho

14.5k steps.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Weight: 218

Still losing weight with kcal at 2700! Will be going lower today though since I won't be working out today. Maybe 2400... Slept great last night. 7 hours, only one wake up and dreaming hard.

 

[MrKleen73]

Weight: 218

Still losing weight with kcal at 2700! Will be going lower today though since I won't be working out today. Maybe 2400... Slept great last night. 7 hours, only one wake up and dreaming hard.

TMI, but happy your TRT is going well.

 

[Dustin07]

tongkat ali does that to me too

 

[MrKleen73]

tongkat ali does that to me too

I am actually going to be buying some tongkat Ali for the wife. She is on HRT Testosterone pellets and has issues with mood, sex drive and irritability the last month before she gets new pellets. So, I came up with the idea to introduce this to lower SHGB the final 6 weeks to see if it can free up some more testosterone to help level out her hormones as the pellets are releasing less and less. I asked Steve about it and he said it sounds like it might be worth a shot. So we are going to try that this time around.