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Building Back Up

Segansational said:
You know, this might be the magic number. Because I think everyone underestimates how much they actually need to lose to hit ab status. But I've also found that when I did finally cut low enough to see a shadow of my abs a few years back, it was roughly a 20# cut.
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you avg like 172 right now right? if you were cutting hard for beach abs what weight do you think you'd have to hit?
 
I believe delt size is largely about volume (besides genetics and gear use). I always had fairly responsive delts before I ever used any hormones, but the primary training driver very much seems to be increasing quality volume, not so much progressive overload. The medial and rear can’t really be driven that way, so it’s just racking up exposure.
 
Hyde said:
I believe delt size is largely about volume (besides genetics and gear use). I always had fairly responsive delts before I ever used any hormones, but the primary training driver very much seems to be increasing quality volume, not so much progressive overload. The medial and rear can’t really be driven that way, so it’s just racking up exposure.
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Yes, I agree, I can't really go much over 25 for a side raise the way I do them. Typically in the 15-20lb range for reps, and I try to spread them across the week. My medial delts have gotten so much better swapping it out this way. With raises of any kind, I think the trick is adding another set, over adding more weight. Honestly I have noticed the isolative effects of the raises is much higher with lighter weights. When I try to go over 20 I am using a lot more of my traps. I build better with the lower weights for sure.
 
I think this is one of the misnomers to crossfit. My quads were bigger, my squat lower, my chest measurement was huge, my bench was 55lbs lower. My delts/shoulders built into cannon balls. (although my OHP and jerk were both higher, I just don't train them consistently anymore). But I was training legs and shoulders to failure multiple times a week. My strength gains clearly plateaued hard by the hypertrophy rewards were indisputable.
 
Dustin07 said:
I think this is one of the misnomers to crossfit. My quads were bigger, my squat lower, my chest measurement was huge, my bench was 55lbs lower. My delts/shoulders built into cannon balls. (although my OHP and jerk were both higher, I just don't train them consistently anymore). But I was training legs and shoulders to failure multiple times a week. My strength gains clearly plateaued hard by the hypertrophy rewards were indisputable.
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Look at the quads on a cyclist. They represent greater strength potential for that muscle, but nobody really equates cycling with strength. The strong ones are that way because they have also specifically strength trained.
 
Hyde said:
Look at the quads on a cyclist. They represent greater strength potential for that muscle, but nobody really equates cycling with strength. The strong ones are that way because they have also specifically strength trained.
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I think about that a lot, when I was competing I had a buddy who was at least 20lbs smaller than me, even when I was a mere 178-180ish. we were both shredded, but his quads were noticeably bigger than mine, just no upper body. he cycled so much daily and raced so much he was chasing a minimum of 4k calories a day as a 100% completely natural athlete in his 40s.
 
Weight: 217.8

Good grief…gained almost 10 pounds in 3 days 😂

Today’s WO:

Standing BB OHP 5x95, 5x135, 3 x 4 x 155
NG Pull up 5, 5, 4, 3
Dips 10, 12, 11
Machine Fly 2 sets
Cable Upright Row 3 x 8
BB Shrugs 8x135, 3 x 8 x 155

Back to 2800kcal today.
 
Dustin07 said:
you avg like 172 right now right? if you were cutting hard for beach abs what weight do you think you'd have to hit?
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Well, back in 2021 when I cut hard for the Readiness trials I went from 159 to 148.6# to see some semblance of abs when flexing. Now that I'm in the 170s, I'd guess I need to go sub-160, I'm going to go out on a limb and say roughly 155ish probably?
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 217.8

Good grief…gained almost 10 pounds in 3 days 😂

Today’s WO:

Standing BB OHP 5x95, 5x135, 3 x 4 x 155
NG Pull up 5, 5, 4, 3
Dips 10, 12, 11
Machine Fly 2 sets
Cable Upright Row 3 x 8
BB Shrugs 8x135, 3 x 8 x 155

Back to 2800kcal today.
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haha, I wouldn't stress over it too much, I weight fluctuated from 192 > 188.8 > 198 > 191 from Friday till Tuesday morning 😂

Segansational said:
Well, back in 2021 when I cut hard for the Readiness trials I went from 159 to 148.6# to see some semblance of abs when flexing. Now that I'm in the 170s, I'd guess I need to go sub-160, I'm going to go out on a limb and say roughly 155ish probably?
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woah thats way down there, but I bet you're holding more lean mass now. remind me how tall you are? I wrestled at 148 but it's been a long time.
 
Dustin07 said:
haha, I wouldn't stress over it too much, I weight fluctuated from 192 > 188.8 > 198 > 191 from Friday till Tuesday morning 😂


woah thats way down there, but I bet you're holding more lean mass now. remind me how tall you are? I wrestled at 148 but it's been a long time.
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I don't know for sure, but i remember him back then and he still had a lot of muscle at 155. Looked damn good too.
 
Dustin07 said:
haha, I wouldn't stress over it too much, I weight fluctuated from 192 > 188.8 > 198 > 191 from Friday till Tuesday morning


woah thats way down there, but I bet you're holding more lean mass now. remind me how tall you are? I wrestled at 148 but it's been a long time.
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Last comment, then I'll take it to my log so we don’t clog up Green's. 5'6", short king as they say nowadays. I tried to pretend I was 5'7" once upon a time - but with age (and probably time under the bar) I've definitely shrunk.
MrKleen73 said:
I don't know for sure, but i remember him back then and he still had a lot of muscle at 155. Looked damn good too.
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Thanks man. I just feel so small anytime I get under 165ish... but I know if I ever were to step on stage, I'd for sure have to.
 
Segansational said:
Last comment, then I'll take it to my log so we don’t clog up Green's. 5'6", short king as they say nowadays. I tried to pretend I was 5'7" once upon a time - but with age (and probably time under the bar) I've definitely shrunk.Thanks man. I just feel so small anytime I get under 165ish... but I know if I ever were to step on stage, I'd for sure have to.
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Not a problem at all! My log is for any chatting in general.
 
Weight: 213.0

Lost 5 pounds in 2 days 😂 I was really bloated.

Time to really buckle in. Wife comes home from deployment in a few weeks. Gotta hit 200 by then.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 213.0

Lost 5 pounds in 2 days 😂 I was really bloated.

Time to really buckle in. Wife comes home from deployment in a few weeks. Gotta hit 200 by then.
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You going to go the whole time with no free meals in the attempt to get there?
 
GreenMachineX said:
Not a problem at all! My log is for any chatting in general.
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Weight: 212.0

Yesterday’s WO highlights:
2 x 6 x 170 BB Row
5 x 3 x 370 Trad DL

Upper push later today.

I’m experimenting with something else also.

30-50g PRO and CHO preworkout shake right before working out. 1000kcal 3 hours before isn’t sufficient for mental health, sleep, or PEM prevention, but adding that shake in (and keeping total kcal for the day to 2800) seems to be working. Very mild PEM today and slept hard!
 
That's great news, I hope it continues to improve!
 
Weight: 211.8

2800kcal yesterday.

Between a good training session and 30 minutes incline walking, I’m surprised I’m not lower. I know I was in a deficit though because sleep was trash (which also means the preworkout shake failed lol).

Really hanging onto glycogen this time around so far which is good but tricks me into thinking my deficit isn’t low enough.

Upper push yesterday
Flat DB Press 4 x 6 x 80’s
ROC-it OHP 3 x 8 x 198
DB Upright Row 3 x 8 x 25’s
DB Lateral Raise 2 sets
Triceps Pressdowns 3 sets

Delts had a great pump after this. DB Lateral Raise while bent over slightly really turn on the lateral delts.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Delts had a great pump after this. DB Lateral Raise while bent over slightly really turn on the lateral delts.
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Yeah I definitely have to bend over to get the right ROM on the shoulders. if I were to stand straight up and do them I think the rom would be about 2/3 for me.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 211.8

Delts had a great pump after this. DB Lateral Raise while bent over slightly really turn on the lateral delts.
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Good to hear and happy bending over helped with activating the target!
Dustin07 said:
Yeah I definitely have to bend over to get the right ROM on the shoulders. if I were to stand straight up and do them I think the rom would be about 2/3 for me.
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Yeah, depending on my stance my weight and ROM changes.
 
Do you snore, or is there any chance you could have sleep apnea that is causing you to wake up more through the night? Or do you mean you just can’t fall asleep forever.
 
Hyde said:
Do you snore, or is there any chance you could have sleep apnea that is causing you to wake up more through the night? Or do you mean you just can’t fall asleep forever.
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Nope, had 2 sleep tests and no issues except waking up. I can fall asleep just fine, but the lower my kcal or harder the training, the more I wake up and more I just feel like I didn’t sleep, then I wake up at 2-4am and can’t go back to sleep at all.
 
Weight: 211.4

Upper pull, squats and leg curls today.

20 minutes 10.0% at 3.2mph incline walk, with 5.0% at 3.0mph on either side for a few minutes. HR 145bpm in the middle.
 
Weight: 210.8

Dropped kcal to 2500 yesterday. Feel like garbage today, but less than 2 weeks to hit a new low, so I’ll need to suck it up and add more days that low throughout, otherwise I’ll be at 2700-2800 kcal.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 210.8

Dropped kcal to 2500 yesterday. Feel like garbage today, but less than 2 weeks to hit a new low, so I’ll need to suck it up and add more days that low throughout, otherwise I’ll be at 2700-2800 kcal.
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Remember that the body doesn’t want to change, so if you feel bad that’s basically par for course here. Otherwise this would be maintenance. You’ve got this ✊
 
dude when I gave the dumb smart watch a chance I was shocked at how hard it was for me to get 10k steps in. I think with the desk job I naturally am like 4-6k steps a day so putting in 30-40 minutes of additional cardio wasn't even getting me there unless I really put in the effort to get all these mini 5-10 minute walks in before work, during breaks, etc.
 
Dustin07 said:
dude when I gave the dumb smart watch a chance I was shocked at how hard it was for me to get 10k steps in. I think with the desk job I naturally am like 4-6k steps a day so putting in 30-40 minutes of additional cardio wasn't even getting me there unless I really put in the effort to get all these mini 5-10 minute walks in before work, during breaks, etc.
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Yep, I have the benefit of working from home, so I’m not wasting time with silly commutes to and from work. Also, with a dog, I have to walk him anyway so that’s an easy 1-4k steps 3 times per day.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Yep, I have the benefit of working from home, so I’m not wasting time with silly commutes to and from work. Also, with a dog, I have to walk him anyway so that’s an easy 1-4k steps 3 times per day.
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thats what I'm finding. taking Lzzy for a walk in the morning is about 2500-3000 steps and gets us both started pretty well. if I can get up and get a few more short walks in during the morning I'm sitting at 5k+ before I get to the gym for "real" cardio. although the commute is a bitch at times, I consider that my podcast listening to time, lol.
 
Dustin07 said:
thats what I'm finding. taking Lzzy for a walk in the morning is about 2500-3000 steps and gets us both started pretty well. if I can get up and get a few more short walks in during the morning I'm sitting at 5k+ before I get to the gym for "real" cardio. although the commute is a bitch at times, I consider that my podcast listening to time, lol.
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You’re dog’s name is Lizzy or Izzy?
 
Weight: 208.8

Still down even after kcal being so high.

Goal is 2600kcal today, only steps. 6 days to hit a new low.

I think I’m onto something also…I’ve been doing 2 scoops of casein with some protein Cheerios before bed and 300mg magnesium glycinate. My sleep is far improved and basically no PEM. Magnesium glycinate by itself doesn’t do this, and I don’t think casein itself does this, and carbs before bed don’t do this (when in a deficit). The casein protein has 50% calcium and 20% magnesium per scoop, so 2 scoops plus the extra magnesium glycinate gives 100% of both minerals. So, I’m not sure if it’s the combo of casein protein and carbs, or the big dose of minerals, but either way, it’s working.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Flat DB Press 4 x 8/6/6/6 x 100’s
Machine OHP 3 x 9/8/9 x 200
Seated Lateral Raise 12x12.5’s, 10x15’s, 8x17.5’s drop to 10x5’s
Skullcrushers 4 x 8/7/6/6 x 70

Things moving up again! Weight coming down! 228.0 today.

Intra-Workout:
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Looking back here…I’ve lost 20 pounds of body weight and also 20lb per hand with flat DB press.
 
Weight: 208.5

3 days to hit a new low…not as confident now, but it is what it is. 1 meal or 2 this weekend out then back on it until the following weekend away.
 
Weight: 209.0

Did not hit a new low, but that’s ok because I’m still only 209 and macros/kcal were around maintenance the past couple days, so definitely improved. One cheat meal today, probably one less then perfect meal tomorrow (but not an all out crazy cheat), then back at it Monday until next weekend.
Pasted below is the past couple days of macros.

Picking up my wife today! The deployment is finally over…11 months. Made it 😂

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Couple updates on lifts:

Squats down: sets of 3 x 275
DB Bench down: sets of 6 x 80’s
Pullups same: sets of 4-6
DB Row up: sets of 8 x 75’s
BB Row up: sets of 6 x 165
DL down: sets of 3 x 375
Standing OHP down: sets of 6 x 135
 
The lifts will probably improve some whenever you stop losing weight eventually & are consistently taking in maintenance nutrition.

Glad to hear the wife is coming back home safe to your family! Happy for you 😄
 
silver linings bro, you missed one item

GreenMachineX said:
Couple updates on lifts:

Squats down: sets of 3 x 275
DB Bench down: sets of 6 x 80’s
Pullups same: sets of 4-6
DB Row up: sets of 8 x 75’s
BB Row up: sets of 6 x 165
DL down: sets of 3 x 375
Standing OHP down: sets of 6 x 135
Weight down, substantially: 209lbs or less
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GreenMachineX said:
Picking up my wife today! The deployment is finally over…11 months. Made it 😂
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holy cow dude I remember when she left, thats wild. congrats though I'm super happy for you!
 
Dustin07 said:
silver linings bro, you missed one item





holy cow dude I remember when she left, thats wild. congrats though I'm super happy for you!
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Yeah, I’m still coming to grips with I simply have to sacrifice some strength and muscle to get to the bf% I’m ok with. I thought I was ok with it…until now and looking back at what I lost. Granted, whatever that nerve injury was back in February really did most of the damage. So, it wasn’t all due to weight loss. But yea, silver linings.
 
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