Cutting Log

[rascal14]

I posted this in the wrong forum by accident -

So I’ve been toying with the idea of hiring a coach for a legit cut, but really can’t find one I like all that much. I also figured there’s a ton of helpful people on here and I could get just as much benefit by putting everything out there and getting feedback.

im just running TRT dose 200mg test/week. Bulk ended short at 500mg due to insane amounts of anxiety and then from there training stayed pretty moderate. Hoping to cut down and maintain as much mass as possible, to start from a clean slate (I’ve never been below 15% bf)


I bulked for 10 weeks at 500mg/test, cut it short because I got insane panic attacks and couldn't figure out the cause. I've been on 200mg/week since December. Want to ride out a few more weeks of feeling good before upping it again.
I have been doing a modified form of PHAT, but training has continued without much tracking due to my issues and diet has been untracked around 3000-3200 cals. I went from probably 215-235 and am hovering around 235 still, lost some fullness and gained extra chub since hopping off but weight has stayed the same.

Current supplements
Weekly injectables -
200mg test
300-400mg Glutathione
1ml B12 (forget the actual dosage)

Daily -
450mg injectable carnitine PWO
Wellbutrin
Magnesium
KSM-66
Fish Oil
Inositol

Current plan for cut -
235lbs, 6' tall, going to start around 3200 calories consistently, see where I'm at in a week or so and adjust from there. I am thinking of just trying a bro split, not sure peoples thoughts on that? I've never done it, I've always hit everything twice a week but curious how I'd respond to once a week. I've always done short rest periods and 3-4 movements with 4-6 sets of 8-15 reps on each muscle roughly twice a week, with short rest periods. I want to try and go with longer rests for sure, just unsure of what schedule to go with right now. I also go to a couple different gyms and usually ends up being crazy busy during each visit so it makes any real plan tough sometimes.

Diet -
Plan on keeping breakfast and first 2 meals of the day the same or close to it each day. Dinner and evening snacks will change daily depending on what I have left.

Right now -
Meal 1 - greek yogurt, banana, greens powder if I remember
Meal 2 - 1 cup cooked white rice, 1 10oz can of chicken
Meal 3 - 1 cup cooked white rice, 6-10oz cooked chicken breast
Meal 4 - Protein powder mixed with 2 servings of baby rice
Meal 5 - dinner about 1hr post workout
Meal 6 - snacks to fill cals before bed

Legs are lagging, they really blew up on cycle but got smaller once stopping.

I’ll save this and the next post to really update things. I’ll need nutrition advice, training routine, etc. this isn’t my job just a hobby so I’m trying to stay realistic.

 

[rascal14]

Saving

 

[rascal14]

Saving

 

[rascal14]

I’m having to go buy a new scale for the camper since I’m out of town for work during the week days.

Starting weight 235lbs on 2/19, eating about 3200 calories a day right now only doing a few minutes of walking cardio at the end of each workout. My cardio is awful, I might as well be the fat kid in gym class “running” a 16 minute mile. I honestly don’t remember the last time I ran a full mile, I get shin splits after the first 3 minutes so I’ve always just done incline walking, but I need to get healthier overall so a goal is to learn how to run.


I did back on Monday, chest yesterday and thinking I’m going to stick with the following for the next few weeks

Day 1 - back
Day 2 - chest
Day 3 - legs and arms if I have time
Day 4 - shoulders and abs
Day 5 - arms

I try and hit some bicep or tricep movement each day, if I go a couple days without doing so my cubital tunnel gets worse in both arms.

Not sure how much I’m going to like this, but it will help me get cardio in during a reasonable amount of time since I’ll just be focusing on one body part and can knock it out fairly quick vs hitting two each day

I’ll start recording lifts next week, I’ll try and build an actual plan this week but for now I’m just winging it each day since I’ve never done a bro split before.

I’ll take some before pics as well this week

 

[Dustin07]

How much you trying to cut and how fast?
You mentioned PHAT, you referring to Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy training? If you like Layne and you mentioned you thought about getting a coach, you could reach out to his team. they do remote coaching still I believe.

235lbs, 6' tall, going to start around 3200 calories consistently, see where I'm at in a week or so and adjust from there. I am thinking of just trying a bro split, not sure peoples thoughts on that? I've never done it, I've always hit everything twice a week but curious how I'd respond to once a week. I've always done short rest periods and 3-4 movements with 4-6 sets of 8-15 reps on each muscle roughly twice a week, with short rest periods. I want to try and go with longer rests for sure, just unsure of what schedule to go with right now

I'm 40 and I have found my sweet spot to be sorta 4 days a week but more accurately 2 days on, 1 day off consistently so my training days change each week. the 4th day I spend on a second upper day because bench is important to me but I'd spend that day on my weakest area if I was bodybuilding. Or if I was going to compete in PL I would probably change it to squats.

For cardio, I wouldn't even bother running on a cut. not much at least. I'd be looking for 40 minute sessions of LISS with an incline around 2.5-3mph on the incline. and if I get bored .25mile jogs occasionally in the middle.

HIIT is incredibly effective but at a detriment. it burns calories like a MOFO but also increases risk of injury and makes recovery harder. I can't speak to life on gear or give any advice there so maybe your results will be better than mine but if you want to throw in HIIT with your cardio I'd likely limit it to 1 day per week of real HIIT.

just my thoughts of a guy who has cut many times but never with gear or any great strength numbers. so my approach isn't necessary the best.

 

[Dustin07]

last time I had a really successful cut I did 10 minutes LISS pre-workout then finished with another 30 minutes for what it's worth. I was very happy with the mass I maintained over a 2 or 3 month cut dropping around 14lbs. right now everything I have learned from Kleen and Hyde about fasting has helped tremendously with staying lean while putting on way more strength and muscle so I would not hesitate at all to utilize fasting during a cut as well.

 

[rascal14]

last time I had a really successful cut I did 10 minutes LISS pre-workout then finished with another 30 minutes for what it's worth. I was very happy with the mass I maintained over a 2 or 3 month cut dropping around 14lbs. right now everything I have learned from Kleen and Hyde about fasting has helped tremendously with staying lean while putting on way more strength and muscle so I would not hesitate at all to utilize fasting during a cut as well.

I appreciate all the input! I definitely don’t want to rush the cut or get too aggressive, like I said I’ve never been lean and I’d like to see how far I can go, mainly just so I can start fresh and have cleaner bulks, plus everything works better when you’re leaner.

I need to run just for cardio health in my mind, but I typically do LISS ascent cardio, I just don’t go for longer than 20 minutes, maybe once every other week lol.

It’s funny you mention fasting, I’ve always done that. Basically ate between 12-8pm, sometimes just 5-8pm. I was actually going to do the opposite this go around and have 4-5 meals throughout the day, starting mid morning. I’m not against fasting, but I have been starving end of the night just this week having cut calories back some. I’m eating healthier choices, but not getting incredibly full so I need to throw some vegetables in, but if I get to the point where I’m binging at night I will certainly start fasting again, that’s always been the easiest way for me to control hunger.

weight this morning was 234.8lbs, but that was a new scale so it will be more of a reference, I’ll just be tracking which scale I weighed on in case of any differences.

I could probably lose a full 30lb and still have more to go but I don’t want to go too quick and burn myself out but I’d definitely like to keep a steady 2lbs a week, atleast in the beginning. I have no real deadline either, I’ve never been one to care about being shredded so I’ve almost always stayed around 20% bf but I know that’s not nearly as beneficial or healthy. My last cut went okay, lost about 15lbs but I felt a lot of it was muscle mass.

 

[Smont]

I appreciate all the input! I definitely don’t want to rush the cut or get too aggressive, like I said I’ve never been lean and I’d like to see how far I can go, mainly just so I can start fresh and have cleaner bulks, plus everything works better when you’re leaner.

I need to run just for cardio health in my mind, but I typically do LISS ascent cardio, I just don’t go for longer than 20 minutes, maybe once every other week lol.

It’s funny you mention fasting, I’ve always done that. Basically ate between 12-8pm, sometimes just 5-8pm. I was actually going to do the opposite this go around and have 4-5 meals throughout the day, starting mid morning. I’m not against fasting, but I have been starving end of the night just this week having cut calories back some. I’m eating healthier choices, but not getting incredibly full so I need to throw some vegetables in, but if I get to the point where I’m binging at night I will certainly start fasting again, that’s always been the easiest way for me to control hunger.

weight this morning was 234.8lbs, but that was a new scale so it will be more of a reference, I’ll just be tracking which scale I weighed on in case of any differences.

I could probably lose a full 30lb and still have more to go but I don’t want to go too quick and burn myself out but I’d definitely like to keep a steady 2lbs a week, atleast in the beginning. I have no real deadline either, I’ve never been one to care about being shredded so I’ve almost always stayed around 20% bf but I know that’s not nearly as beneficial or healthy. My last cut went okay, lost about 15lbs but I felt a lot of it was muscle mass.

At least your mind is in the right place here. I see so many ppl be like, I only need to drop 10lbs, or I can't loose that much IL loose all my gains. No1 wants to sack up and do it right. My first REAL cut I had to go from 223 to 181. When I was 223 if yiu told me I needed to drop 40lbs I would have said your crazy.

Any1 watch chase irons on YouTube? He was jacked at 270 with abs. Cut for his show and stepped on stage at 208.

Aim for 1% weight loss per week. The first few weeks you will probably loose more then that but 2.5lbs a week would be a good start. As you get leaner you will probably need to slow that rate of loss down but that will kinda happen on its own.

Sorry for the long post, I'm following lol

 

[akboom87]

Following along! Did the camper life for a long time and just recently transferred to work out of a main office and stay in one spot.

 

[Dustin07]

It’s funny you mention fasting, I’ve always done that. Basically ate between 12-8pm, sometimes just 5-8pm. I was actually going to do the opposite this go around and have 4-5 meals throughout the day, starting mid morning. I’m not against fasting, but I have been starving end of the night just this week having cut calories back some. I’m eating healthier choices, but not getting incredibly full so I need to throw some vegetables in, but if I get to the point where I’m binging at night I will certainly start fasting again, that’s always been the easiest way for me to control hunger.

yeah I think 16/8 is great the more I learn about it but... it just would never work for me with my lifting routine... it's really difficult for me to get food in prior to a lift, lift, then still have enough window left to have dinner with my wife... so I've been throwing in 24hr fasts occasionally instead.

At least your mind is in the right place here. I see so many ppl be like, I only need to drop 10lbs, or I can't loose that much IL loose all my gains. No1 wants to sack up and do it right. My first REAL cut I had to go from 223 to 181. When I was 223 if yiu told me I needed to drop 40lbs I would have said your crazy.

LOL Truth! it always ends up being lower than we think lol

 

[rascal14]

At least your mind is in the right place here. I see so many ppl be like, I only need to drop 10lbs, or I can't loose that much IL loose all my gains. No1 wants to sack up and do it right. My first REAL cut I had to go from 223 to 181. When I was 223 if yiu told me I needed to drop 40lbs I would have said your crazy.

Any1 watch chase irons on YouTube? He was jacked at 270 with abs. Cut for his show and stepped on stage at 208.

Aim for 1% weight loss per week. The first few weeks you will probably loose more then that but 2.5lbs a week would be a good start. As you get leaner you will probably need to slow that rate of loss down but that will kinda happen on its own.

Sorry for the long post, I'm following lol

No problem, I appreciate the input! I have sort of a mental block of seeing myself go below 200lbs lol but obviously if the muscle is there it's going to look better.

270 with abs to 208 on stage is absolutely insane, I've seen some of his videos specifically on l carnitine.

 

[rascal14]

Following along! Did the camper life for a long time and just recently transferred to work out of a main office and stay in one spot.

I wish I would've done it sooner, I was traveling for the last 3 years and just wasting the money on an apartment I get no value out of. It was a bit of adjustment but it works just fine, really just come home to eat, watch tv and sleep so it does everything I need, another bonus is not having to deal with landlords anymore

 

[rascal14]

Taking the day off at the gym today, weighed in at 232.8lbs today on scale #1, I was just below 236 last Sunday, having eaten like **** all weekend.

I'm running low on carnitine and think I will try brewing the next batch up myself, it seems incredibly easy. I just don't know if I'll be able to get the higher concentration without real equipment to mix it up, I like the 900mg/ml, 1ml every day preworkout gets tiring.

 

[rascal14]

Quick back workout today, just happened to be fasted and be a quick one since I got to leave here soon. Weight was just about the same as yesterday. My knees have been killing me ever since we took the dogs on a long walk yesterday as well, I’ve never actually hurt them just have always been a weak point for me.


2/26 -
Bent over smith rows
125-8,8 145-6,7
Hammer strength MTS front pulldown (each side)
40-10 50-12 70-10,10 80-8 70-7
Hammer strength MTS row
60-8,10,10 drop 40-10 drop 30-10
Lat pull-down (mid grip)
100-10,10 85-10
Reverse machine flies
60-15,15 70-12,12 drop 50-9
Biceps 6 sets random

 

[akboom87]

Are you sticking to just the walking cardio at the end of your workouts? Or do you plan on doing cardio days?

 

[rascal14]

Going to hit chest today, tough part of creating a plan is the unfortunate gym availability of only have Planet Fitness, which is crowded 99.9% of the time and near impossible to have a legit regime unless you're willing to sit and stake out a spot for 15 minutes (I am not willing lol)

@Hyde I know you have tons of great input and I'd be curious to get your feedback on these random "bro split" days I come up with this week, I also know you're busy so feel free to just ignore me here lol.

I imagine while cutting I won't make any size gains, although I would like to see some size increase in the legs if possible, so I'm not too concerned with a strict week to week regime of lifting, but I'd like to keep movements consistent to see progress/strength loss. The whole point of going to a one body part a week is that I think my chest is not nearly as recovered come the second day, and two, it gives me more flexibility in available machines at the gym. If I am only targeting one muscle, I have more options.

One thing I am unsure of is optimal rest, I always heard the old bodybuilding sayings of high reps chasing the pump, but I always incorporated short rests. I see a lot of guys now recommending 2-3 minute rests between sets even for body building purposes, which I always compared that to strength training.

 

[Dustin07]

Going to hit chest today, tough part of creating a plan is the unfortunate gym availability of only have Planet Fitness, which is crowded 99.9% of the time and near impossible to have a legit regime unless you're willing to sit and stake out a spot for 15 minutes (I am not willing lol)

a major change I've seen in my area the past year is that all the sudden everyone squats. even if it's only 85lbs, everyone wants a squat rack. one of my gyms has 2 platforms and one has only 3. So I've become a bit more aggressive in asking people if I can work in with them if the weight is appropriate (or maybe if I can warm up with their working set while they wrap up). Sunday I went in and a dude was doing light weight deadlifts so I asked if I could toss my gym bag beside the platform and stretch while I waited for him to finish and he asked me to work in with him, so while he wrapped up some 205lb deads I did sets of 8-10 RDL's getting loose for squats until he was done. works a lot better than waiting and waiting and waiting and hoping someone else doesn't happen to race over to the empty rack before me lol.

 

[rascal14]

a major change I've seen in my area the past year is that all the sudden everyone squats. even if it's only 85lbs, everyone wants a squat rack. one of my gyms has 2 platforms and one has only 3. So I've become a bit more aggressive in asking people if I can work in with them if the weight is appropriate (or maybe if I can warm up with their working set while they wrap up). Sunday I went in and a dude was doing light weight deadlifts so I asked if I could toss my gym bag beside the platform and stretch while I waited for him to finish and he asked me to work in with him, so while he wrapped up some 205lb deads I did sets of 8-10 RDL's getting loose for squats until he was done. works a lot better than waiting and waiting and waiting and hoping someone else doesn't happen to race over to the empty rack before me lol.

I gotta get more social at the gym lol, it sucks PF is my only option in this area and I hate to judge people but the ones who there have no thought process to their workouts. Other times it’s they grab a smith machine, then do every single exercise there. Smith bench, dumbbell bench, dumbbell flies. Like no, gtfo of the way if you aren’t using the bar the whole time.

 

[Dustin07]

yeah I wasn't gonna say anything cause I know a lot of people have to use PF. It's either the only gym in their region, or the only affordable one. I'm blessed in the PNW that we have gyms from $25/month to $350/month depending on what you want and as much as I always hated big box chain gyms, the LA Fitness out here is actually insanely awesome. it's a great gym. but the PF............................. seriously sucks.

 

[rascal14]

yeah I wasn't gonna say anything cause I know a lot of people have to use PF. It's either the only gym in their region, or the only affordable one. I'm blessed in the PNW that we have gyms from $25/month to $350/month depending on what you want and as much as I always hated big box chain gyms, the LA Fitness out here is actually insanely awesome. it's a great gym. but the PF............................. seriously sucks.

Yeah I’d certainly pay a premium for something better. The only thing else in this town is CrossFit gyms and I can’t do that at all, plus they’re a huge scam. $200/mo with limited barbells and weights, hosting several classes a day, all while renting a basic empty warehouse. They’ve gotta be making so much money lol

 

[rascal14]

Forgot to weigh this morning I had to screw around a bit at the beginning today until a bench opened up so didn’t want to wear myself out too much. I forgot how heavy DB press was, its been a few weeks lol


2/27/23
Chest press machine - waiting on bench
55-10,10,10 70-8
Chest flies machine
70-8 85-8,8
Incline db bench
30-8 45-8 50-8 55-6 50-8,7
Flat db bench
50-8,8,6
Seated incline alternating db curls
25-16,16
Seated incline db Hammer curls
30-8,6,6
Seated Db skull crusher
35-8,10,12,12
Hammer strength MTS incline press
40-8 50-8,8
Cross body press
30-6 40-6,7 right arm only 30-20-10 to failure
Cardio - 12 incline 3.0 mph 10 minutes

 

[rascal14]

Forgot morning weight again, slept in today because I had a horrible night. Couldn’t fall asleep and anxiety was getting really bad so we went for a mile walk around 2am. Took some Cbd oil during the walk and got back and drank a magnesium drink, did some yoga nidra and fell asleep around 3.

Legs today was the first time I’ve hit them in almost 2 weeks, smith machine didn’t open up until midway through my leg curls so I said screw it and I’ll try to catch it next time, or keep an eye out and do some squats whenever I catch it open the end of this week. Knees felt okay, didn’t give me any issues until cardio at the end.

Seems like I say this everytime but I really need to bring my legs up, my squat strength is pathetic, I got decent size when I was running 500mg test but lost it pretty quick. Seems my ass balloons and that’s it lol



2/28
Leg press
210-10,10 300-8 320-8 430-8 480-8 570-5 300-12
Seated leg curls
70-12 85-10,10,12
Leg extensions
85-10 90-12 100-12,10 85-12 drop 55-8
Cardio 15 incline 2.5 speed 10 minutes

 

[akboom87]

Still made it to the gym after a bad nights sleep!

 

[rascal14]

Actually got a weight this morning, 232.8lbs. 6 days ago on this same scale I was at 234.8lbs, I don't feel like I've lost any water or anything, but I'm still shoveling in 3,000-3,200 calories a day which to me is crazy I dropped 2 pounds at that, but, I've also never been this heavy.

Side note - even though I've never been this heavy, I've certainly looked fatter at just 220lbs. I don't look like I've got much muscle which has me in this weird psychological state of really wondering how I'm going to look in 20lbs. I probably won't post a before picture yet, I'm hoping to get a decent midway picture so I'm not just embarrassed lol

I'm trying to save some money, but I've been toying with the idea of buying some Ursa Major, but think if anything I'll wait until I'm further in. With how cheap test is, I'd much rather bump to 500mg again for 8-10 weeks instead. Trying to be smart and save as much as possible, I'd like to buy a house in a year or two and goal is to have 50% available in cash (which really puts me at like 75% including emergency fund so that makes me feel like I need to be eating ramen every meal - yes, my wife does hate me)


Like I said, calories have been right around 3,000. Last night I hit 3,250 because I ate a protein bar and almost any time I have sweets I can't stop, so I of course had to eat 2. It's okay though, I was pretty hungry. lol


I am noticing that the more 'quality' food I'm eating, the more hungry I am. Carbs just don't fill me up like a high fat diet does, I don't think.

10am - greek yogurt
12pm - 1 cup cooked white rice 8-10oz chicken breast cooked
2pm - 1 cup cooked white rice 8-10oz chicken breast cooked
3-4pm - 1 scoop protein powder & 2 servings of Gerbers baby rice mixed with some water to make sludge
5:30pm - gym
7:30 to 8:30pm - lately has been tortillas, 85/15 ground turkey, cheese, hot sauce. Then some PB or a protein bar if I have calories left. I may sneak a handful of chips if I'm craving salt.

This is part of the reason I went ahead and dropped from 3200 to 3000 already, I know I sneak probably 100-200 calories a day of small things here and there lol but I am easing into this slowly. I think my last cut where I ended at 205lbs and mostly lost muscle I ended at like 2000 calories which was miserable. I had to only eat dinner, have 3-4 scoops of protein powder to hit that goal. Luckily now I have my smoker so I can make good chicken breast, smoke a pork butt for the week, etc.

Still made it to the gym after a bad nights sleep!

The only good thing about my sleep is that no matter how much or how little I sleep, I still feel like **** when I wake up so I'm used to it. lol

 

[rascal14]

A couple days here, went in for shoulders but couldn’t get anything so I went with arms instead. I’ll do shoulders today. Yesterday, just did cardio for about 30 minutes on high incline and low speed.

weight
3/1 - 232.8lbs
3/2 - 231.6lbs
3/3 - 231lbs


3/1
Machine preacher curls
40-10, 50-10,10 65-12,10 70-12
Seated tricep press
70-12 85-12 100-12,12,12 drop 85-12
Seated incline db curl
25-16,16,14 hammer curl 25-16 30-12,16
Seated db skull crusher
30-15,15,15
Abs
90-12 105-12 120-10,10
Cable rope curls
30-12,12 35-11,8
Cable rope push downs
35-10,8 drop 30-6 30-8 drop 20-8 drop 15-8

 

[rascal14]

Still be hovering around 3,000 calories.
Macros are about
protein 230-310
fats 90-130
carbs 150-250

Finally got going on a “legit” TRT train, gonna go the clinic route for a couple months and then try and transfer to a urologist to use insurance. $100/month + blood work is stupid expensive for what it is. Test alone is like $15 without insurance for a 10ml vial. Gonna see if some non UGL test will clean up the bacne I’ve been getting before trying anything else.

side note - insurance is a huge scam and mine happens to be really good. If you have a high copay or high deductible plan, always ask the pharmacy what the non insurance price for the generic med is. A lot of times going without insurance is cheaper - but the pharmacy cannot legally tell you that. I’m a big proponent of modern medicine and science but insurance and pharma companies run this entire country lol

 

[Dustin07]

I totally agree with you in regards to insurance being a scam. Although my dad busts his ass every year to work on our ins for our company since we pay upwards of $300kba year to insure our employees.

So yes it's a scam but of all the scams ours is doing pretty good on Rx. When I had to get antibiotics last year for my eye surgery I think my out of pocket was like $4

Back in 2019 I had to go to a cardiologist, have an echo, and all together it was like five Drs visits and my total out of pocket was 5 copays at $30ea with no additional costs so I'm really grateful for that.

 

[rascal14]

I totally agree with you in regards to insurance being a scam. Although my dad busts his ass every year to work on our ins for our company since we pay upwards of $300kba year to insure our employees.

So yes it's a scam but of all the scams ours is doing pretty good on Rx. When I had to get antibiotics last year for my eye surgery I think my out of pocket was like $4

Back in 2019 I had to go to a cardiologist, have an echo, and all together it was like five Drs visits and my total out of pocket was 5 copays at $30ea with no additional costs so I'm really grateful for that.

Yeah mines similar luckily, no deductible, max $50 copay even for surgeries, $15 cap for 90 day prescriptions. The company pays a huge amount and it’s only like $200/mo to add my wife. Just makes me go crazy thinking about what some people pay. Both my parents work in medical billing and it’s just sad some of the stuff they see.

 

[rascal14]

On a more fitness related note lol - todays workout, been fasted for 16 hours or so on this one


3/3/23
Machine lateral raise
40-16,12 55-8,8
Preacher curl (waiting for smith machine)
40-20 50-16,16,20
Smith machine seated overhead press
70-10 90-8 110-8,8 130-5 110-6
Smith machine shrug
110-12 130-12 150-12,12,10 drop 110-10
Smith machine upright row
40-12 60-10 40-10,10,15
Seated reverse shoulder fly machine?
Db lateral raises reverse fly machine was taken
20-12,8 to 4 partials, 8 to 6 partials

 

[akboom87]

Looks like dropping weight so that’s progress! one of that last remote sites I worked at I used planet fitness as it was the closest and cheap. I had to change my schedule because other wise I could never get a machine.

 

[rascal14]

Looks like dropping weight so that’s progress! one of that last remote sites I worked at I used planet fitness as it was the closest and cheap. I had to change my schedule because other wise I could never get a machine.

I either need to go about an hour later or go early in the morning around 4:30 or so, work hasn’t actually started yet on site so my schedule is screwy and non consistent so I’m waiting for it to actually get going to see what’s gonna work best for how I feel.

 

[rascal14]

Lack of updates - didn’t go to the gym Saturday or Sunday but walked the dogs for an hour each day, usually a “brisk” pace lol.

Having trouble sleeping and some panic again tonight so still struggling to get to bed at 2:30am here. I didn’t weigh this morning but last Sunday morning to this most recent Sunday morning on scale #1 was 233lbs>230.4lbs - trying to keep calories around 3,000 still until I stall out.

Todays back workout felt good overall. I was feeling pretty worn out after the rows on every other exercise so weights felt heavy.

3/6/23
Bent over smith machine rows
110-8,8 130-6 160-5 110-8,6,6
Smith machine shrugs
110-12 160-10,12,12
Hammer strength MTS front pull-down
40-12 50-12 70-10,10 80-8 70-8 to 2 partials
Reverse machine flies
60-15,11 70-12,12 drop 55-6 drop 40-5
Hammer strength MTS row
60-12,10,10 drop 40-12 30-12
Lat pull-down (mid grip)
85-15,12,10 drop 70-8

 

[akboom87]

Oh yeah that makes sense I didn’t realize the job hasn’t started yet. That’s a bummer about the bad sleep and anxiety. Sounds like you are keeping at it and still getting the time in!! Keep it up man!!!

 

[rascal14]

Oh yeah that makes sense I didn’t realize the job hasn’t started yet. That’s a bummer about the bad sleep and anxiety. Sounds like you are keeping at it and still getting the time in!! Keep it up man!!!

We've been on site waiting for an Owner contract for 8 weeks lol, normally you wouldn't mobilize until that's already done but that's not my call

 

[rascal14]

Didn't fall asleep until about 4:15am again, not sure what is going on. Anxiety wasn't as bad as I wasn't trying to force myself to fall asleep, so more just an insomnia deal last night. I'm going to drop the KSM-66 just in case it may be lowering cortisol too much, it never has for me before but it's really the only thing I can think of to try right now. I have some hydroxyzine and CBD to take intermittently when I don't want to take Klonopin but I really hate taking anything for sleep, I know if I take it too consistently it'll become a mental dependence kind of deal. Plus CBD doesn't really do anything for me and hydroxyzine makes it impossible to wake up the next morning.

Woke up at 228.4lbs, which I expected because my stomach was growling all night while trying to sleep. Supposed to do legs tonight but my knee is hurting pretty bad this morning, I'll do what I can though.

Yeterdays chest and cardio
3/7/23
Flat db bench - first incline notch
40-12,10,10
Incline db bench
50-8,10,10,8, short break 6
Seated incline alternating db curls
30-16,16
Seated incline db hammer curls
30-16,16
Hammer strength MTS incline press
50-10 60-8,8 drop 40-7
Cross body press dropsets
55-40-25 all to failure
Cardio - 15 incline 3 speed 14 minutes

 

[akboom87]

We've been on site waiting for an Owner contract for 8 weeks lol, normally you wouldn't mobilize until that's already done but that's not my call

Long as that per diem check still coming in don’t matter to me !!
All jokes aside man that sleep.. or lack of is terrible. Do you have the same trouble back at home in your own bed? I know sometimes when I would go back from rotation or a long spell at home I would have a tough time sleeping well for a few nights. Also have you tried doing any carbs before bed?

 

[GreenMachineX]

In. What body fat percent would you guess your at? I've been like you most of my life, hovered around 18-22% for the most part, but up to 25% right now...so also trying to cut, but it's not fun and I'm failing
Also on TRT.

Also struggle with sleep and anxiety. What do you attribute it to? Do you have regular anxiety, or health anxiety like your going to die? I had to resort to daily lunesta which has worked wonders, but I know something isn't right because I wake up frequently.

 

[rascal14]

Long as that per diem check still coming in don’t matter to me !!
All jokes aside man that sleep.. or lack of is terrible. Do you have the same trouble back at home in your own bed? I know sometimes when I would go back from rotation or a long spell at home I would have a tough time sleeping well for a few nights. Also have you tried doing any carbs before bed?

I sleep better at home, the camper I get a bit claustrophobic in the bedroom being so tight. I got used to it for a few weeks then anxiety crept back in. Just gonna have to ride it out and re-acclimate lol

I’ve not tried carb’s specifically for the reason of being before bed, but I tend to eat dinner and snacks within an hour of bed time and they usually have carbs.

 

[rascal14]

In. What body fat percent would you guess your at? I've been like you most of my life, hovered around 18-22% for the most part, but up to 25% right now...so also trying to cut, but it's not fun and I'm failing
Also on TRT.

Also struggle with sleep and anxiety. What do you attribute it to? Do you have regular anxiety, or health anxiety like your going to die? I had to resort to daily lunesta which has worked wonders, but I know something isn't right because I wake up frequently.

I’m scared to post a picture for reference lol I’m guessing 25% as well to make myself feel better. Maybe in a week or two I’ll post a before and current once I feel a little better.

once I fall asleep I am good, no issues. My anxiety has been around a long time, tren made it way worse several years ago. It came back bad with full blown panic attacks on my last cycle - in November. I mentioned heightened anxiety to the doctor but not having full on attacks, and she suggested Lexapro since I feel very good after taking a benzo, like not high just very clear, level headed and energized. So she thinks I need to medicate my anxiety.
However, I got into the bad side effects of SSRIs, all while planning to start superdrol at my 600mg test dose, and essentially psyched myself into a panic attack.

once I have one panic attack, I’m scared of another and I only get them at night which sucks because it prevents sleep. At this point, it’s all self induced I think. I may have one anxious thought or a brief moment of random panic that goes away, but I take that feeling and run with it until I’m full on having a panic attack lol

 

[rascal14]

Sorry for lack of upsets, did legs Thursday and shoulders and arms combined Friday. Had a great workout Friday, had plenty of time in the gym to kill so it was nice.

got almost all my material in to home brew my own carnitine, just need a couple more things.

This last week I’m down 1 pound - 229.4 to 228.5, so I’m thinking I may need to lowers calories a bit because I should be closer to 2lbs a week at this point I think.

I think I’ll drop to 2900 calories and add more frequent cardio this week and see where I end
up.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I’m scared to post a picture for reference lol I’m guessing 25% as well to make myself feel better. Maybe in a week or two I’ll post a before and current once I feel a little better.

once I fall asleep I am good, no issues. My anxiety has been around a long time, tren made it way worse several years ago. It came back bad with full blown panic attacks on my last cycle - in November. I mentioned heightened anxiety to the doctor but not having full on attacks, and she suggested Lexapro since I feel very good after taking a benzo, like not high just very clear, level headed and energized. So she thinks I need to medicate my anxiety.
However, I got into the bad side effects of SSRIs, all while planning to start superdrol at my 600mg test dose, and essentially psyched myself into a panic attack.

once I have one panic attack, I’m scared of another and I only get them at night which sucks because it prevents sleep. At this point, it’s all self induced I think. I may have one anxious thought or a brief moment of random panic that goes away, but I take that feeling and run with it until I’m full on having a panic attack lol

Oh man, I went through months of that. I know exactly how it feels. Hate it for you. I'm scarred from it so I haven't been going as high on my TRT dose...super slow incremental dose increases so I don't land myself in the ER again.

 

[rascal14]

Oh man, I went through months of that. I know exactly how it feels. Hate it for you. I'm scarred from it so I haven't been going as high on my TRT dose...super slow incremental dose increases so I don't land myself in the ER again.

Yeah trying to avoid it myself, first night I had a panic attack in a while my wife suggested we go and she’s a nurse and new what was happening, I was just acting so strange.
Couldn’t talk, couldn’t sit still, literally felt crazy and like my skin was crawling and trapped in my own head.

I never started the lexapro, it was a big mental factor that gave me anxiety so I filled the script and have been trying to manage it on my own.

it got better, then it got worse, so we will see.

 

[GreenMachineX]

Yeah trying to avoid it myself, first night I had a panic attack in a while my wife suggested we go and she’s a nurse and new what was happening, I was just acting so strange.
Couldn’t talk, couldn’t sit still, literally felt crazy and like my skin was crawling and trapped in my own head.

I never started the lexapro, it was a big mental factor that gave me anxiety so I filled the script and have been trying to manage it on my own.

it got better, then it got worse, so we will see.

You've explored all avenues already to see what could be causing it? Vitamins or mineral deficiencies (or excess), supplements, hormones out of whack, etc?

 

[rascal14]

You've explored all avenues already to see what could be causing it? Vitamins or mineral deficiencies (or excess), supplements, hormones out of whack, etc?

I'll be honest I have not. It was such an abrupt change that happened right as I was knowingly getting nervous about starting to take a handful of new things. I stopped and/or didn't start any of it and gave it a few weeks and it got better, but never back to 100%. Only thing I've checked is basic bloodwork, lipids, CBC, test, e2, etc.

I'd like to get a pregnenolone and DHEA test but waiting for my next appointment to ask for them to run it through insurance. Otherwise it'd be easier to just try taking each one for a few days and see what happens. Seems like pregnenolone can get low on TRT and cause insomnia/anxiety. But there is more I could check, I just haven't.

 

[rascal14]

I dropped to 2900 calories this week since I was only down a single pound last week, and I woke up today at 226.6lbs before using the restroom at all which was a crazy drop, probably a full 2lbs from Friday on this same scale.

Wasn't able to get a smith machine for rows until the end of the workout last night, plus I was having a hard time getting a good mind-muscle connection to start with so back kinda sucked, been having some nerve issues in my upper traps but it's gone after yesterdays workout and my back just 'feels' tired and tense.

3/13/23
Bent over smith machine rows
Skip
Hammer strength MTS front pull-down
40-12 50-12 70-14,12 80-10 70-9
Hammer strength MTS row
60-10,10, drop 40-10 45-10 drop 35-10
Lat pull-down (mid mag grip)
85-15,13,12 drop 70-9
Reverse machine flies
60-15 70-12,12,12 55-14,14,12 drop 40-9
Cardio - 12 incline 3.5 speed 15 minutes

 

[rascal14]

No good weight this morning (Wednesday) here is yesterdays chest and todays legs day.

must have been longer than I thought since doing squats, my legs were the most sore they’ve been in a while by the time I left the gym which was actually welcomed, I don’t get sore too often so it is nice for a change. Still having knee pain so I really just did a few reps and didn’t push it too bad, but still shows how weak my squat is. Both workouts were simple but actually felt good so I’m okay with them, switched up a bit for chest which was nice.

Cant sleep right now but thinking I’ll get shoulders and arms done this week and not take a day off so I can try and hit legs again Saturday if I have time.

3/14/23
Machine flies
40-12 55-12,12 70-10,10 55-10
Smith bench flat
110-8 160-5 200-5
Smith bench incline
110-6 160-3 200-2 110-12,6
Hammer strength incline MTS press
50-8 60-8,7,7 drop set to 30right side only
Cardio

3/15/23
Smith machine squat
Warm up
110-6 160-5,5 180-3 110-8 knee
Leg press
210-8 350-10,12,10
Calf raises on leg press
210-10,10,10
Seated leg curls
85-12 100-10,10 drop 70-6
Leg extensions
85-8 100-8,10 drop 70-8

 

[akboom87]

Nice looks like some good workouts man! Looks like you are dropping down on the scale so that’s always a good thing.
I struggle on some days getting a pre workout meal in before hand and then with cutting calories my strength is not there. It messes with my head because it feels like I’m losing ground but I have to remember what my current goal is, to shed body fat. Keep it up

 

[rascal14]

Nice looks like some good workouts man! Looks like you are dropping down on the scale so that’s always a good thing.
I struggle on some days getting a pre workout meal in before hand and then with cutting calories my strength is not there. It messes with my head because it feels like I’m losing ground but I have to remember what my current goal is, to shed body fat. Keep it up

that’s one thing I’ve never been consistent in, preworkout meals. I typically don’t have one and by the time I get to the gym some days I haven’t eaten for 5-6 hours, just depends. But I don’t mind a semi fasted workout.

I’m just hoping I can get my mental **** figured out so I can up the test dose. Or maybe just add in an oral since I know I react okay to those.

but yes end of the day, as long as I’m consistently down 1-2lbs each week I’m happy with taking it slow.

I’ve got a vacation in NYC in a month or so that will have me eating bad for a week, I’m trying to figure out how I want to do damage control there.

 

[rascal14]

Not gonna work out to hit the gym today, just getting started at work so can’t really be skipping out early just yet or doing a Friday lunch break lift. Will have to do arms tomorrow, shoulders yesterday and no real good or bads to report.

I’ve been doing traps more frequently and it seems to be helping some even in a deficit, and I just started hitting upright rows after being scared of hurting my shoulders for a while and they’ve been fine but yesterday felt a little wonky.

@Hyde do you have any ideas/suggestions on those? I’d like to take whatever advantage of extra androgens in the system I have to get that upper trap/shoulder look that everyone seems to associate with gear lol

I know you physically can’t build muscle in a deficit without a lot more drugs.

 

[KvanH]

Power Clean, suitcase carries, all kinds of shrugs. Those work pretty well for me.