Kleen - Project 50: Under Construction

[Rocket3015]

Some how I can't put Happy and Fasting in the same sentence !

 

[MrKleen73]

Happy fasting! Your leaning out is good motivation for you to know your effort IS paying off.

Thank you Sir, and agreed, progress is one of the biggest motivators for me. Once I get to a certain point, I just get so excited I adhere so much better. I am so close. Abs get just a tiny bit closer with every fast. Visceral fat seems to be coming down, and I have been extremely comfortable in the 5th hole of my belt the last 2 weeks, down from tight in the 4rth about a month ago. Although the weight itself is not making huge strides the additional 50mg of testosterone seems to be making a slight difference too.

What I am really curious about is what my gyno / pseudo-gyno is going to look like once I am leaner. I am hoping not too bad but a year and a half of inconsistent TRT shots playing with estrogen levels could have made it worse but it has been so long since i was lean enough to tell how it was going to look. I don't know how much worse, if any it got during that time I wasn't working out or taking my shots correctly during my bout with depression and injuries.

 

[MrKleen73]

Some how I can't put Happy and Fasting in the same sentence !

Haha, I know right. It's not the fasting that makes us happy, it is the results of the fasting and the surplus or maintenance calorie days we get to enjoy that makes it a "Happy" thing to do. Although fasting gets easier and easier to do. A 36 hour fast now is simply just making the decision to do it. Like working a body part you don't enjoy working but love having the results from the work.

 

[Hyde]

Thank you Sir, and agreed, progress is one of the biggest motivators for me. Once I get to a certain point, I just get so excited I adhere so much better. I am so close. Abs get just a tiny bit closer with every fast. Visceral fat seems to be coming down, and I have been extremely comfortable in the 5th hole of my belt the last 2 weeks, down from tight in the 4rth about a month ago. Although the weight itself is not making huge strides the additional 50mg of testosterone seems to be making a slight difference too.

What I am really curious about is what my gyno / pseudo-gyno is going to look like once I am leaner. I am hoping not too bad but a year and a half of inconsistent TRT shots playing with estrogen levels could have made it worse but it has been so long since i was lean enough to tell how it was going to look. I don't know how much worse, if any it got during that time I wasn't working out or taking my shots correctly during my bout with depression and injuries.

There’s a reasonable chance you burn up some of the pseudogyno too. It may not be too bad unless you get lean for a show, but you would be running Ralox/Tamoxifen into a show to mitigate.

 

[MrKleen73]

There’s a reasonable chance you burn up some of the pseudogyno too. It may not be too bad unless you get lean for a show, but you would be running Ralox/Tamoxifen into a show to mitigate.

That was my hope for sure. That it could be something not too noticeable while leaner and treatable on the way into a show.

 

[MrKleen73]

5/26/23 - Morning Weight 200.8lbs - Looking much tighter today. Seeing a more detail in my serratus and obliques. In downlighting if I lean back I can actually see where my abs are under what is left of the fat. My love handles, and lower back fat are leaning up noticeably too.

Broke my 40.5 hour fast with 2 sirloin fajita tacos. Got in about 45-50g carbs, 30g protein, and 15g fats. Looking forward to training my 2nd upper body session of the meso tonight. Considering replacing Hammer Strength Incline Press with Barbell Incline Press for the higher incline. Get a little more overhead like movement for my anterior delts since all of my other shoulder work is more for the side and rear delts.

It is interesting now how much higher the peak on of my left biceps looks higher now that I had the biceps tendon tucked under my pec. It is also really going to make the separation between my left biceps, and front delt more noticeable making them look bigger. Only concern is the top of the biceps does not look quite as thick side to side with it being tucked under. So I hope that does not look like a deformity once the fat in between them is gone.

Looking at my meso now, the way I created it, I am going to have to either go to the commercial gym every session or change some of the exercises to things I have in my garage as well. I think that some of the IronTec lever stuff can double for the HS machines but will have to test the weights to see if they land me in the same rep range with the lifts. With the temp Tuesday night being 88 at 9:00PM and only being May, I think I will probably just stick with the gym for this meso though. A lot of that depends on how much time training in the gym costs me waiting for others to get off of equipment I need. I spent probably 20-25 minutes of my session Tuesday waiting on things to become available which was very frustrating and time consuming. One thing I liked about instinctive training was that if the machine I wanted wasn't available I would just find something that worked the muscles through a similar angle and keep moving. With trying to track all of this accurately, I need to try to use the same model of machines each time which leaves me waiting.

 

[Rocket3015]

I am really enjoying this program of yours and seeing things happen fairly quickly. Keep up the hard work!

 

[MrKleen73]

I am really enjoying this program of yours and seeing things happen fairly quickly. Keep up the hard work!

Thanks Rocket! I still have a lot of drive and love intensity, this training fits the bill for both. While having the benefit of keeping it far less dangerous to joints and connective tissue. I have already regained a good bit of ROM!

 

[MrKleen73]

5/27/23 - Morning Weight 203.8 - Up 3lbs from carbs and water. I looked fuller and tighter in the extremities this morning, which was nice. Abs still incoming, no loss of definition from the weight gain. We shall see how I look in my progress pics tomorrow. After 2 days of eating I expect to be around 204.5 or so. I am eating Chinese post workout so the salt may make more stick around.

WEEK1 DAY4 Saturday

Pre-Workout - 2 scoops Pump Addict - I did 1.5 then got delayed and took another half about 15 minutes before I left for an additional kick since it had been a while since I took the first part.
Peri-Workout Drink - CT Lemonade 54g, HBCD 25g, Dextrose 30g, WPC 54g - I added some extra protein, and Lemonade since I drank a some just after my initial dose of pre-workout.

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Shoulders And Traps

Quads

Hack Squat

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	140	11
2	140	9

Glutes

Reverse Lunge (Dumbbell)

DUMBBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	5	13
2	5	10

Hamstrings

Lying Leg Curl

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	90	10

Calves

Calf Machine

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	230	10
2	230	10

Shoulders And Traps

Barbell Facepull

BARBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	55	13
2	55	9
3	55	7

Another good session in the books. I think I did better on my 3RIR estimates today. I went to 2RIR on 1 or 2 movements, but overall an improvement. I have to fight my natural inclination to try to get as close to the reps on the previous set to stopping at the prescribed RIR instead. I have notoriously trained 1-2 reps shy of failure, or to failure out of preference and limited time but the 3RIR is tricky. Plus when my muscle is done it doesn't wear out over several reps, it is one moves pretty good, the next may be a grinder or failure.

I found my preferred Hack Squat Machine at the gym. I can get super deep like touch the bottom, and still have an inch or two to move my feet lower on the plate as ankle mobility improves in my right ankle. Great stretch and nice pump. Although next meso I will bring back the SSB Squats.

 

[MrKleen73]

Oh yeah, so new questions pop up on the app when you go into the first exercise for a muscle group worked already. It asks prompts with radio buttons that say Never got sore, Soreness gone a while ago, Soreness gone just in time, and Still Sore. So it factors those into your additional volume and or weight increases along with your performance and feedback from this workout.

Very Cool!!!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Crap, I just realized I didn't post yesterdays session.

Session for 5/26/23

4 day per week Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat - Arm and shoulder focus

WEEK1 DAY3 Friday

Chest. Back, Triceps, Biceps, Shoulders And Traps



Chest

IronTec Incline Iso-lateral Chest Press

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	55	13
2	55	13

Back

Barbell Bent Over Row

BARBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	115	12
2	115	10

Triceps

IronTec Dip Attachment

MACHINE

Joint pain: Low pain

set	weight	reps
1	130	14
2	130	12

Triceps

IronTec Lever Rope Triceps Extensions

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	50	8
2	50	8

Biceps

Dumbbell Curl (Incline)

DUMBBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	12
2	20	8
3	20	9

Biceps

Machine Preacher Curl

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	14
2	20	12
3	20	8

Shoulders And Traps

Barbell Facepull

BARBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	45	10
2	45	12
3	45	10

Great session, had a few issues accidentally going too far, just naturally trying to get closer to the reps on the previous set. Had to calm down and pay more attention to the RIR goal instead of the number of reps I hit on the last set.

 

[MrKleen73]

I apparently had Barbell face pull 2 workouts in a row, I thought one of those was barbell upright row going to have to fix that.

 

[Hyde]

Why the giant spacing to scroll between listed exercises?

 

[akboom87]

Crap, I just realized I didn't post yesterdays session.

Session for 5/26/23

4 day per week Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat - Arm and shoulder focus

WEEK1 DAY3 Friday

Chest. Back, Triceps, Biceps, Shoulders And Traps



Chest

IronTec Incline Iso-lateral Chest Press

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	55	13
2	55	13

Back

Barbell Bent Over Row

BARBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	115	12
2	115	10

Triceps

IronTec Dip Attachment

MACHINE

Joint pain: Low pain

set	weight	reps
1	130	14
2	130	12

Triceps

IronTec Lever Rope Triceps Extensions

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	50	8
2	50	8

Biceps

Dumbbell Curl (Incline)

DUMBBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	12
2	20	8
3	20	9

Biceps

Machine Preacher Curl

MACHINE

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	14
2	20	12
3	20	8

Shoulders And Traps

Barbell Facepull

BARBELL

Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	45	10
2	45	12
3	45	10

Great session, had a few issues accidentally going too far, just naturally trying to get closer to the reps on the previous set. Had to calm down and pay more attention to the RIR goal instead of the number of reps I hit on the last set.

Looks like you are getting into the groove of it nicely! I know the RIR is going to take some getting used to for sure to get a good handle on it

 

[MrKleen73]

Why the giant spacing to scroll between listed exercises?

It is the formatting that comes over with the copy. If I copy same formatting it messes it up bad, if I use the just text mode it is messy and hard to read without the tables. So I had to merge the formats in a Word Document then copy into here.

They made the app very utilitarian and not all pretty to start in the Beta just to get it out and get people using it so they can catch things to correct before the final release. The format is made bulky so it looks good on a phone while still being in open in a browser not an actual app on the phone. I was really looking forward to copying and pasting into here for the time saving but it is bigger. I know it is a lot of scrolling... I will play with it a little more to see if I can make it smaller without having to add another 15 minutes to dealing with it. It annoys me too, but still better than all the typing.

Looks like you are getting into the groove of it nicely! I know the RIR is going to take some getting used to for sure to get a good handle on it

Yeah, it is coming along nicely.

5/28/23 - 207 on the dot. Up a bit more, I had a feeling with the tons of salt from the Chinese and a little milk that I may hold some water. Going to fast today and take progress pics tomorrow to capture a little more accurate picture of the progress.

 

[MrKleen73]

I just tested a couple of options and found a way to cut out some of the scrolling with some formatting modifications. It adds close to 10 minutes to time to post though.

Also, somehow I have aggravated something at the top of my scapula / bottom of upper traps. It does not affect any of my lifts as far as I can tell, but it is definitely bitching when I lay weird and lean my head to the left side. Going to put some Helios in the area today and start some ibuprofen to knock it down over my next 2 days away from lifting. It is very acute so hoping it is just some inflammation or soreness of a small deconditioned muscle back there. Once I can nail down what caused it I can adjust but it could just be from sleeping wrong. It has been a couple days now so it is time to take some action.

 

[akboom87]

I just tested a couple of options and found a way to cut out some of the scrolling with some formatting modifications. It adds close to 10 minutes to time to post though.

Also, somehow I have aggravated something at the top of my scapula / bottom of upper traps. It does not affect any of my lifts as far as I can tell, but it is definitely bitching when I lay weird and lean my head to the left side. Going to put some Helios in the area today and start some ibuprofen to knock it down over my next 2 days away from lifting. It is very acute so hoping it is just some inflammation or soreness of a small deconditioned muscle back there. Once I can nail down what caused it I can adjust but it could just be from sleeping wrong. It has been a couple days now so it is time to take some action.

Hopefully that gets to feeling better!!

For what it’s worth the formatting doesn’t bother me to scroll through.

 

[Hyde]

I just tested a couple of options and found a way to cut out some of the scrolling with some formatting modifications. It adds close to 10 minutes to time to post though.

Also, somehow I have aggravated something at the top of my scapula / bottom of upper traps. It does not affect any of my lifts as far as I can tell, but it is definitely bitching when I lay weird and lean my head to the left side. Going to put some Helios in the area today and start some ibuprofen to knock it down over my next 2 days away from lifting. It is very acute so hoping it is just some inflammation or soreness of a small deconditioned muscle back there. Once I can nail down what caused it I can adjust but it could just be from sleeping wrong. It has been a couple days now so it is time to take some action.

It bothers me a lot; it’s tough to put the workout together in my head - that being said, don’t spend 10 minutes editing for us!

I always record mine on apple notes and just copy paste directly so it’s zero effort; I would not expect more from you guys

 

[Dustin07]

I always record mine on apple notes and just copy paste directly so it’s zero effort; I would not expect more from you guys

I've toyed with a few different ways of tracking and I hate doing duplicate work so I actually tend to open the tap a talk app while I'm at the gym and update my workout directly to my thread while I'm lifting. one the one hand, it makes me look like i'm that guy at the gym on his phone inbetween sets but on the other hand... one and done. only downfall is that if we ever lost AM I'd lose much of my log in the same way that I lost a few years of logging from bodybuildingdungeon.com when that closed and we all migrated over here.

 

[MrKleen73]

It bothers me a lot; it’s tough to put the workout together in my head - that being said, don’t spend 10 minutes editing for us!

I always record mine on apple notes and just copy paste directly so it’s zero effort; I would not expect more from you guys

Yeah, I haven't even looked at how it comes out on the phone, but on the desktop it comes out clean but still with a decent amount of scrolling unfortunately but as you know from my posts. I tend to like to format to make it easy to read and get the gist of what is going on easily as well. Not only for me, but for anyone looking.

I've toyed with a few different ways of tracking and I hate doing duplicate work so I actually tend to open the tap a talk app while I'm at the gym and update my workout directly to my thread while I'm lifting. one the one hand, it makes me look like i'm that guy at the gym on his phone inbetween sets but on the other hand... one and done. only downfall is that if we ever lost AM I'd lose much of my log in the same way that I lost a few years of logging from bodybuildingdungeon.com when that closed and we all migrated over here.

Yeah definitely, I like this because it tracks and suggests the next weight, reps or additional sets based on performance and after a couple of meso's it should start to understand how my body works even better. Plus, like you mentioned, if I have this I can always go back and look at old data or review an entire meso as it progressed. It has a place for workout notes after each session too which is awesome. Another thing is I only have to pick my phone up for about 10-20 seconds between sets to add the weight, reps and feedback from the set. Not like it takes too much time.

==================================================================================

The wife bought me a 36 inch Blackstone for Father's Day. She told me I could go pick it up Sunday afternoon to use to cook Memorial Day grub on. So I went and got it and put it together and then seasoned it yesterday morning. Somehow I weighed exactly the same thing yesterday morning after a 40 hour fast. Not exactly sure how that worked out but even after 90/10 smash burgers, a chili dog, some bean dip, a few drinks, and a nice helping of dessert via a half and half Cherry and Blueberry Dump Cake with vanilla ice cream eaten warmed like a cobbler I woke up at the same weight today but have already started clearing a little of that out.

Looking full, but a little bit of water being held this morning. Stomach is a little distended do to the abnormal food intake, and starting to try to push things out. Definitely gonna be a DUDE wipes kind of day today... I have the day off today as an extra day out of the office. I will be breaking my fast shortly then go to the gym an hour or so after.

Here are some pics this week even though they won't show progress it is still a part of the process so I bit the bullet and did them today anyway.

Progress Pics 5/30/23 - Morning Weight 206.2 - Day after Memorial Day feasting.

 

[Dustin07]

I can see the progress for sure. the abs might be a little distended but what I'm seeing is separation everywhere. the difference between the waist and lats is growing, the definition in biceps, triceps, and calves seems to be increasing as well. Looking great man, good job!!

bicep bump from rear shot is great, but what really catches my eye is the tricep, that's looking monstrous WITH definition

 

[MrKleen73]

@Dustin07 Thanks for all of the great feedback!

I just broke my fast with these high protein bean and chicken dip tacos with pico, and homemade jalapeno and habanero salsa. I still need to put the recipe into MFP to get macros but they are good I can tell you that!

 

[Dustin07]

man you're always breaking fasts just as I'm starting them lol

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, I haven't even looked at how it comes out on the phone, but on the desktop it comes out clean but still with a decent amount of scrolling unfortunately but as you know from my posts. I tend to like to format to make it easy to read and get the gist of what is going on easily as well. Not only for me, but for anyone looking.

Yeah definitely, I like this because it tracks and suggests the next weight, reps or additional sets based on performance and after a couple of meso's it should start to understand how my body works even better. Plus, like you mentioned, if I have this I can always go back and look at old data or review an entire meso as it progressed. It has a place for workout notes after each session too which is awesome. Another thing is I only have to pick my phone up for about 10-20 seconds between sets to add the weight, reps and feedback from the set. Not like it takes too much time.

==================================================================================

The wife bought me a 36 inch Blackstone for Father's Day. She told me I could go pick it up Sunday afternoon to use to cook Memorial Day grub on. So I went and got it and put it together and then seasoned it yesterday morning. Somehow I weighed exactly the same thing yesterday morning after a 40 hour fast. Not exactly sure how that worked out but even after 90/10 smash burgers, a chili dog, some bean dip, a few drinks, and a nice helping of dessert via a half and half Cherry and Blueberry Dump Cake with vanilla ice cream eaten warmed like a cobbler I woke up at the same weight today but have already started clearing a little of that out.

Looking full, but a little bit of water being held this morning. Stomach is a little distended do to the abnormal food intake, and starting to try to push things out. Definitely gonna be a DUDE wipes kind of day today... I have the day off today as an extra day out of the office. I will be breaking my fast shortly then go to the gym an hour or so after.

Here are some pics this week even though they won't show progress it is still a part of the process so I bit the bullet and did them today anyway.

Progress Pics 5/30/23 - Morning Weight 206.2 - Day after Memorial Day feasting.

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Those Blackstone’s are nice….I’ve got one of the Big Green Eggs. I may have to hint to the wife that I have a space next to the Green Egg that a Blackstone would fit just perfect.
Oh, and you can definitely see more progress in your pictures. The outline of your abs is showing more and more.

 

[MrKleen73]

man you're always breaking fasts just as I'm starting them lol

At least you aren't deep into it looking at these. Not sure how good they look from your end, but they taste even better!!!!

 

[gphagan1]

They look great to me…..making me crave something for Taco Tuesday later.

 

[MrKleen73]

Those Blackstone’s are nice….I’ve got one of the Big Green Eggs. I may have to hint to the wife that I have a space next to the Green Egg that a Blackstone would fit just perfect.
Oh, and you can definitely see more progress in your pictures. The outline of your abs is showing more and more.

Thanks! It is hard for me to see those things when I have a decent increase in weight. I guess I don't expect much progress, so I don't look too deeply for it.

I did so much research on which to go with too. I really wanted the Pit Boss with the smooth teflon coating for less maintenance, but it just costs too much to justify to my wife. This one seemed to be the best for the money. Especially since I found a sale and got it for $300 with a grill cover. So it was about 150 off. If you want to try to slide that in and have a Tractor Supply store in your area they are on sale right now for $300. Hard to beat that deal.

 

[MrKleen73]

Okay, I just entered in the recipe for the bean dip to see what my macros were and damn if I wasn't right. They are pretty damn good! With 1.5 cups of chicken bean dip, and 2 tortillas came out to the macros below. Nice set up and plenty of fiber, as well as room for plenty fats later. I have no complaints here, but will likely go with one can less of fat free refried beans to get the animal protein a tiny bit higher. I would guess anywhere from 25-28g of animal protein in this feeding.

 

[Dustin07]

At least you aren't deep into it looking at these. Not sure how good they look from your end, but they taste even better!!!!

when I did that first 60hr fast last month I was craving Caesar salad like crazy. I think I've had 3 or 4 of them since then

 

[gphagan1]

when I did that first 60hr fast last month I was craving Caesar salad like crazy. I think I've had 3 or 4 of them since then

Sometimes I get to where I just crave salads, and load them up with chicken and I’m set, especially on a hot day.

 

[MrKleen73]

5/30/23 - Morning Weight 206.2

WEEK2 DAY1 Tuesday - Chest, Back, Triceps, Biceps, Shoulders And Traps

Chest - Hammer Machine Chest Press (Flat) – MACHINE - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	72.5	10
2	72.5	10
3	72.5	8

Back - Assisted Pullup (Normal Grip)- MACHINE ASSISTANCE @ 202.5 LBS BODYWEIGHT

Joint pain: No pain

Weight was 206.2 so I left the stack at -85 to hit target weight.

set	assistance	reps
1	82.5	10
2	82.5	8
3	82.5	7

Triceps - Dip (Weighted)= LOADABLE @ 202.5 LBS BODYWEIGHT - Joint pain: No pain

Weight was 206.2 so I left the stack at -85 to hit target weight.

set	+ weight	reps
1	27.5	8
2	27.5	7
3	27.5	7

Triceps - Cable Triceps Pushdown (Bar) – CABLE - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	50	12
2	50	11

Biceps- EZ Bar Curl (Normal Grip) – BARBELL - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	60	12
2	60	11
3	60	8
4	60	6

Biceps - Hammer Curl – DUMBBELL - Joint pain: Low pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	13
2	20	13
3	20	8

Shoulders And Traps - Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Super ROM) – DUMBBELL-Joint pain: Low pain

set	weight	reps
1	10	15
2	10	15
3	10	12
4	10	8

@Hyde I hope this is a little better! It looks better to me anyway, and only took a couple minutes to delete some unneeded returns.

I added weight, and or reps and one set to all body parts, but added 2 sets to biceps, one set on two different biceps exercises. Pump was bigger and better than last time understandably with more overall volume. Definitely upped things a notch, and the last set not having a number just an 2 RIR rep goal is a little reminiscent of 5/3/1 AMRAP to help with autoregulation but for hypertrophy. On chest press I was noticeably stronger out of the bottom today, and bottomed out before I got a huge stretch. Neural adaptations, and increased flexibility not shutting muscle fibers off of course, but I will take it. It bought me 2 extra reps over the suggested goal because I wasn't even close to 2-3 RIR at the prescribed reps. My biceps tendon was kind of bumping across my shoulder during the hammer curls for some reason today. It wasn't painful, but I listed it is mild joint pain in the review for the biceps just to track better. On Super ROM DB it was just figuring out the right way to keep my wrists, once I figured out to keep them slightly pinky up all discomfort went away. I figured it out during the warm ups so I was good to go.

 

[MrKleen73]

5/31/23 - Morning Weight 206 down from 206.2lbs - Going to keep on doing the damn thing!

My pecs finally have a small touch of soreness today after adding a little volume yesterday. Everything else feels worked. Mid-back is still a bit sore on the right side where I was having some pain. It still does not affect the workouts but is still a little inflamed. It is either from sleeping weird, or the increased ROM working some muscles that are simply deconditioned.

Training yesterday was a little frustrating. Trying to make sure I get on the same model of machine to be able to compare weights and reps while also working out during peak gym hours is very frustrating. It added probably 30 minutes to the session, and I still had to go home to do my Super ROM Side Raises in the garage because I couldn't find 2 unused 10lb weights after 10-15 minutes I just went home to do in the garage. I am not 100% sure I will make it through this mesocycle if this keeps up. At least not using the same exercises. The program can handle an exercise change in the middle of the meso though, so that might be what ends up happening. That or I just get used to training in 90+ degree temps in the garage which sounds both horrible, and awesome but more horrible. LOL Also the sessions are too long for me to do in the AM since the gym doesn't open until 5:00AM. So considering the possibility that I may have to break some of the sessions up into 2 training sessions to get everything in, and or rewrite the plan with things I can do in the garage. I did shorten my rest periods a bit, trying to push fitness while also pushing weight and volume. Seemed to work out. Tonight is legs, and I am kind of tied in to the gym for these because my leg press doesn't really allow enough weight for me to push what I need for legs as a main exercise. So expecting a possibly long session unless one of the leg press is free when I walk in. If free, I won't even bother with a general warm up and just warm up a little slower and longer on the leg press itself. Letting go of a machine at that time is like stepping out of a line at Disney to go to the bathroom. You are gonna end up waiting a lot longer.

Macros and calories a little lower yesterday. I will make sure to be in a surplus today for the lower body session tonight.

 

[Dustin07]

Letting go of a machine at that time is like stepping out of a line at Disney to go to the bathroom. You are gonna end up waiting a lot longer.

when the squat racks are full I take a position at the db rack where I can watch the squat racks in the mirror while I warm up with db RDL's, goblet squats, and light weight db curls to get the elbows ready for low bar. as soon as I see someone starting to remove plates I bee-line over to them and snag the rack. it's all fair game right? but what makes me feel bad is I jump in, do my squats........................... then add bands and do more squats........... then front squats................ maybe good mornigns........... RDLs............ LOL I can get a full gym session in just with the squat rack so I likely tie that thing up longer than most people do.

 

[Hyde]

I was going to say, way more readable now, drastically better. I actually understand the workout now!

I On the phone app it just puts 10 posts a page, regardless of length, so trimming them makes perusing your log retroactively much easier this way as well.

when the squat racks are full I take a position at the db rack where I can watch the squat racks in the mirror while I warm up with db RDL's, goblet squats, and light weight db curls to get the elbows ready for low bar. as soon as I see someone starting to remove plates I bee-line over to them and snag the rack. it's all fair game right? but what makes me feel bad is I jump in, do my squats........................... then add bands and do more squats........... then front squats................ maybe good mornigns........... RDLs............ LOL I can get a full gym session in just with the squat rack so I likely tie that thing up longer than most people do.

I spend almost all of my training on the platform for my squat day later tonight - I don’t feel bad about it at all. Anyone who can train my height can work in, and they are welcome to deadlift on my platform if I’m squatting. People just never ask - once you lift at a certain weight range, I have found they basically just avoid you & write it off as loss to powerlifting

I’m sure they hate me, but literally not one person EVER asks me how much longer I need it or if they can work in. It’s usually me asking folks if they would like to join in, but everyone acts like it’s a big deal to move a few 45s between sets.

 

[MrKleen73]

when the squat racks are full I take a position at the db rack where I can watch the squat racks in the mirror while I warm up with db RDL's, goblet squats, and light weight db curls to get the elbows ready for low bar. as soon as I see someone starting to remove plates I bee-line over to them and snag the rack. it's all fair game right? but what makes me feel bad is I jump in, do my squats........................... then add bands and do more squats........... then front squats................ maybe good mornigns........... RDLs............ LOL I can get a full gym session in just with the squat rack so I likely tie that thing up longer than most people do.

Nothing wrong with that as long as you are willing to let people work in. I hate when people post up like they own equipment and make themselves unapproachable. It's annoying that people feel so entitled to a machine or station that they refuse to let people work in with them. That was my issue yesterday. Asked him how many sets he had left on Bench to see if he was even cool enough to ask to work in with. He was not... He says I just started. I go back after 10-15 minutes and ask how many sets he has left. He says again annoyed this time. I don't know, I will get up and leave when I am done.

I was going to say, way more readable now, drastically better. I actually understand the workout now!

I On the phone app it just puts 10 posts a page, regardless of length, so trimming them makes perusing your log retroactively much easier this way as well.



I spend almost all of my training on the platform for my squat day later tonight - I don’t feel bad about it at all. Anyone who can train my height can work in, and they are welcome to deadlift on my platform if I’m squatting. People just never ask - once you lift at a certain weight range, I have found they basically just avoid you & write it off as loss to powerlifting

I’m sure they hate me, but literally not one person EVER asks me how much longer I need it or if they can work in. It’s usually me asking folks if they would like to join in, but everyone acts like it’s a big deal to move a few 45s between sets.

I am the same way. If I notice someone waiting around I ask if they want to work in. Hardly anyone ever asks me though. I tend to do what i did with the guy last night. Ask how long they have and if they don't seem like a douche ask if I can work in with them. Often when working things I can stay at one station that is what I prefer. I will often opt for many sets on a main movement, and one or two of another than trying to do 3 for a body part. Heck sometimes I would rather just do 7 of the same exercise if the gym is too busy. Just trying to stick with the plan now which is more challenging.

 

[Dustin07]

Anyone who can train my height can work in, and they are welcome to deadlift on my platform if I’m squatting. People just never ask - once you lift at a certain weight range, I have found they basically just avoid you & write it off as loss to powerlifting

I’m sure they hate me, but literally not one person EVER asks me how much longer I need it or if they can work in. It’s usually me asking folks if they would like to join in, but everyone acts like it’s a big deal to move a few 45s between sets

yup I'm literally the same way. occasionally I'll ask if I can work in if someones working weight is around my warm up and I get the vibe they are wrapping up. But if anyone asks if I'm almost done I always offer to have them work in. I have zero qualms about changing weights in between sets while I take a minute or 3 to breathe anyways!

Nothing wrong with that as long as you are willing to let people work in. I hate when people post up like they own equipment and make themselves unapproachable. It's annoying that people feel so entitled to a machine or station that they refuse to let people work in with them. That was my issue yesterday. Asked him how many sets he had left on Bench to see if he was even cool enough to ask to work in with. He was not... He says I just started. I go back after 10-15 minutes and ask how many sets he has left. He says again annoyed this time. I don't know, I will get up and leave when I am done.

Only once did anyone ever rub me the wrong way. there were 3 racks recently all in use. I had one, a girl in the middle, and a tall guy on the end rack. He had his own rack, he was lifting. My buddy and I were lifting on our rack and we were moving pretty fast because it was lunch break and we were swapping weights. I had just strapped my new bands on for banded RDL's and while i'm in the middle of getting ready for my set, headphones in, he comes over and asks if he can pull it cold. It wasn't 500lbs but it was a banded 315 and I was in a hurry.

I looked over at his rack, now a complete mess of weights and gym bag that he left there and I think i said "what" (headphones), "do you mind if I give this a pull?" I know my face was likely accidentally disgusted and frustrated to be interrupted but I think I said something like "no" as in "no I don't mind"

he got all pissy with me and I said I was just confused since he had a rack down there he was using. "forget it" he said in a big huff and stormed off, cleared off his rack and moved to machines lol.

to be honest I wasn't crazy about a 6'6" guy stretching out my brand new bands, nor was I excited about him interrupting my set, or the fact that he was monopolizing a rack and asking to use another simultaneously BUT I was letting him work in....


I think the biggy was my precious new bands lol I didn't want a stranger standing on them

 

[Dustin07]

I might have also engaged bully mode a little bit also because despite his height I likely outweighed him, by far outlifted him on his presses, and he was making a mess of my gym, which I might throw an occasional fit about lol

 

[MrKleen73]

I wonder if the dude had never used bands and just wanted to check out what they felt like. Seems he was decent enough to put away his weights and stuff. Still an odd request at a time you have put your earbuds in and approached the weight.

 

[Hyde]

I wonder if the dude had never used bands and just wanted to check out what they felt like. Seems he was decent enough to put away his weights and stuff. Still an odd request at a time you have put your earbuds in and approached the weight.

I’m sure it was the bands…people get intrigued by novelty

 

[Dustin07]

yeah it wasn't that big a deal, not sure why he in particular rubbed me the wrong way that day. I offer to have literally everyone around me work in and do frequently work with others but something about the way he carried himself as I'm setting up on the platform to start a set just irked me.

 

[MrKleen73]

I’m sure it was the bands…people get intrigued by novelty

Yeah they do.

yeah it wasn't that big a deal, not sure why he in particular rubbed me the wrong way that day. I offer to have literally everyone around me work in and do frequently work with others but something about the way he carried himself as I'm setting up on the platform to start a set just irked me.

Sometimes that happens. Maybe the guy was actually a jerk, and you avoided dealing with him. I often don't deal with people i get a bad vibe from. Hence not even bothering to ask the guy on the HS to let me work in. I could tell by his demeanor he was already annoyed i had the nerve to speak to him during his 5 minute rest periods... No her was not powerlifting just chilling on the bench forever then doing a regular straight set.

I just got back from a 45 minute walk, about to eat some more chicken bean dip tacos / mini burritos. We had street tacos for lunch so I got some extra chicken and dumped it in there to increase the animal protein as mentioned yesterday. So that worked out well! Also got some additional fat via sauteed veggies to put in there. Pretty happy with the situation.

Tonight is Leg Press, Glute focus walking lunges, DB SLDL, Calf machine, Barbell Shrugs, and Standing Barbell Wrist Curls. Hopefully I won't be waiting for the leg press forever. I can manage everything else at home if needed. Last week I had to busy myself with other things for over 20 minutes to even get on a leg press.

 

[Dustin07]

I can manage everything else at home if needed. Last week I had to busy myself with other things for over 20 minutes to even get on a leg press.

I figure around 10-15 is sorta my limit with warming up hammies and joints. DB RDLs, goblets squat etc but trying to keep that momentum going if warm ups start to become sets I prepare myself to inevitably start chasing heavy working sets on leg press in case I just don't get under a bar that day.... doesn't happen often but hey, there's always a plan B

 

[MrKleen73]

I figure around 10-15 is sorta my limit with warming up hammies and joints. DB RDLs, goblets squat etc but trying to keep that momentum going if warm ups start to become sets I prepare myself to inevitably start chasing heavy working sets on leg press in case I just don't get under a bar that day.... doesn't happen often but hey, there's always a plan B

Yeah, and that may end up being what happens if i can't get on them. However if it happens too much it will mess with my progress measurements so I really want to do the prescribed work as much as possible since truly trying to give the program my all. last time I replaced something last week the last session just had me start it adding another set, and just put me at 2RIR instead of 3 since already in the meso, so it adjusts. I just want to do my best to keep things the same for each session within the meso if possible for best progress tracking. Like replacing Leg press with squats is going to take a lot more recovery and remove a lot of the volume I am able to get from leg press. So not really something I want to replace the leg press with while I am focusing on getting in more volume with less systemic fatigue. I will be adding them back in later though, but right now I want to do my best to get through this first 5 weeks, well 4 weeks then a deload with the prescribed exercises since I chose them with a specific purpose in mind.

 

[MrKleen73]

5/31/23 - WEEK 2 DAY 2 Wednesday - Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Traps, Forearms

Pre-Workout - 1.5 Scoops Pump Addict
Peri-Workout - CT Lemonade, HBCD, Dextrose 100g, Whey protein 2 scoops

Quads - Leg Press – MACHINE - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	520	20
2	520	17
3	520	16

Glutes - Walking Lunges (Glute-Focused, Dumbbell) – DUMBBELL - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	20	9
2	20	9

Hamstrings - Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift – DUMBBELL - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	45	10

Calves - Calf Machine – MACHINE - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	92.5	12
2	92.5	10
3	92.5	9

Traps - Barbell Shrug – BARBELL - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	185	10
2	185	9

Forearms - Barbell Standing Wrist Curl – BARBELL - Joint pain: No pain

set	weight	reps
1	45	20
2	45	18
3	45	17

This was a good session, but had me at the gym later than I wanted to be. It was 10:00PM by the time I got home. Since my traps and forearms are already very well developed I entertained the idea of calling it after calves since it was late but decided to just keep trucking...

Added Weight, and or reps to everything as well as additional sets. So far so good. I am really enjoying the program.

Final macros for yesterday - I ate a bit more to make up for the lower calories yesterday. I figured legs could definitely absorb them!

=================================================================================

6/1/23 - Morning Weight 208.4 - I am not surprised seeing a weight increase after yesterday. We shall see how much cleans up tomorrow after today's fast. Not fasting Monday has me a little behind progress with actual weight loss but my muscles are more full and responding to the training too. So I am happy with that.

 

[Dustin07]

woah 10pm is a late one!

 

[MrKleen73]

woah 10pm is a late one!

Yeah, I wasn't exactly happy. Unfortunately all of the beans just had me feeling so full when I got home I had to wait a little longer for my last feeding to settle before trying to hit legs. It just ain't a good idea to do higher rep legs on a full stomach... Although I woke up hungry today, I am actually happy to be fasting. I need the reset from the holiday and to just kind of be back on my schedule.

 

[Hyde]

Beans & legday don’t mix kids

 

[Dustin07]

Reminds me of this IG I sent my boy the other day

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[MrKleen73]

Beans & legday don’t mix kids

Amen to that! Same with Oats! I love me some oats but they stick in my stomach like they were superglued. Often leaving me distended and bloated.

Reminds me of this IG I sent my boy the other day

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I hear the sound!

I did a 90 minute walk on the hills by the bayou. Was a rough one today, hot and humid on top of my thighs being tired. The walk was a bit tiring and a lot more challenging than usual with my thighs being so spent already. Spending the rest of the day getting in more water, but happy to have gotten in all that activity today.

I am putting in an order in for a lil something probably tonight or tomorrow, and will end up kicking something off when I get back from California. I am not sure how long it will take to get but hoping to have by the time I get home. Most likely kicking things off at 400T, and 300EQ, and working my way up from there. Towards the end I will decide if I want to add in an oral for one last push. I don't think I need tons of gear to achieve the size needed for a show next October if I intend to do Classic Physique. I think probably 2 nice productive cycles will get me the additional mass I want. Then a prep cycle to finish things off on the way into the show. My goal will be to grow into being leaner moreso than an aggressive cut. So once kicked off my fasting protocol will likely change up a bit. Probably only one full 36ish hour fast a week, then probably a 20:4 on the other two non lifting days. Also, as mentioned I may split my sessions into 2 smaller training sessions on the days I train so not missing as much time with my family. Get the bulk of training completed in the AM then finishing up in the afternoon at the gym at work for things like arms and side / rear delts.

 

[akboom87]

People at the gym I go have a habit of laying a towel over the equipment, then go to other machines or the bathroom etc.

Usually just 3 people that do this, now that I know who they are if they do that to something I want to go to I just toss the towel in the cart for used towels and use the equipment. No one has confronted me they come back and just move to something else.