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Kleen - Project 50: Under Construction

MrKleen73 said:
Yep, makes me jealous every time I hear the grub you get from her. YUM!!!
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We had Lamb for Easter, I have never been a fan , but this was smoked and really Good !!
 
@Rocket3015 Here is the requested double front biceps pose with a pump right after the session.
I was 18 1/8 on left, and 17 7/8 on right. Feeling pretty good about this.

Here is a pic with the pump, unfortunately the veins on the inside of my biceps that are starting to show more can't be seen in the picture but they are there. No other definition left due to the pump being so full. My puppy obviously approves. Forgive the distended belly, that is a lot of food, and a half gallon of water over 2 hours so pretty darn full...

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MrKleen73 said:
@Rocket3015 Here is the requested double front biceps pose with a pump right after the session.
I was 18 1/8 on left, and 17 7/8 on right. Feeling pretty good about this.

Here is a pic with the pump, unfortunately the veins on the inside of my biceps that are starting to show more can't be seen in the picture but they are there. No other definition left due to the pump being so full. My puppy obviously approves. Forgive the distended belly, that is a lot of food, and a half gallon of water over 2 hours so pretty darn full...

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Got the Gun Show going on ! 💪
 
damnnit dude everytime I see a picture of you I realize that I need to do more back work. and you're not even showing your back directly this time 😅😅😅💪💪💪💪
 
Your whole Physique is Looking Really Good. 18" arm have been a dream of mine my whole life, I made it a little past 17" but never 18". We will see is a 65 year old cancer savior can build a pair !!! 💪💪
 
gphagan1 said:
Yeah the lats are popping too.😎
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Gracias Sir!
Dustin07 said:
damnnit dude everytime I see a picture of you I realize that I need to do more back work. and you're not even showing your back directly this time 😅😅😅💪💪💪💪
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Thanks!!! To be fair, a front double biceps pose is also a lat pose from the front. They are definitely engaged for sure. They may look a little
Rocket3015 said:
Your whole Physique is Looking Really Good. 18" arm have been a dream of mine my whole life, I made it a little past 17" but never 18". We will see is a 65 year old cancer savior can build a pair !!! 💪💪
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Thanks Rocket!
gphagan1 said:
We believe you can do it Rocket.💪
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Agreed, the man is undeniable in his quest so he can do it for sure!
Jeremyk1 said:
I’m more impressed with how amazed your dog is! My dogs never drool over my biceps.
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Amen to that! You should see my other dog. It literally drools ON MY BICEPS sometimes! He is a bull mastiff / great dane mix and has big ol floppy lips. Drools all over everything and flings it everywhere. We have to keep a towel around to wipe his face or the walls, floor and or furniture if we don't catch it before he slings it. So a lot of the time he will come up for love and lay his head on my arm and slime me...

akboom87 said:
Looking MASSIVE!!! Awesome work!
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gphagan1 said:
Every time I see a Pug like that it reminds me of the one in Men in Black.
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4/27/23 - Leg Day! WooHoo!

Warm Up = Recumbent Bike 10 minutes starting at level 5 and bumping 2-3 levels every minute to level 17 by the end. Hip felt great during this. It was the right warm up for today.

Super Set in 10x10 format 4-1-1-1 tempo

Seated Leg Curls - 70x10, 80x10, 90x10, 100x10, 110x10, 120x10, 130x10, 130x10, 140x9, 150x9, 150x8
Leg Extensions - 90x10, 100x10, 100x10, 110x10, 120x10, 130x10, 140x10, 150x10, 160x9, 160x7

I had figured out my weights by the 5th set with no rest when some ladies came in, and wanted to work on the leg machines too. So I offered to let them work themselves into my set which gave me more rest so you see the weights continue to go up as intra-set recovery improved so I could fail on a few of the sets as is planned on a GVT program.

I was Franken-Walking again when I left the gym. I pushed the sets I failed on to a solid 3 second effort at failure before stopping and lowering the weight slowly. Really get some serious stimulation in there. I definitely built up some metabolic factors to stimulate hypertrophy and my leg curl number are climbing pretty quickly going off of this performance.

If I am not able to squat again next lower body session I will use my bike to generate the pressing movement for thighs and see if i can do some 1 minute sprints as sets then do some more leg curls and leg extensions afterwards. That will allow for some extra effort and volume and a MASSIVE thigh pump!
 
Final Estimated Macros for yesterday 4/28/23

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4/28/23 - Morning Weight 205.4 - NEW LOW!!! This is not only a new low for this cut but a new low for the last 2-3 years! I am not as lean as I had hoped to be at 205 but my visceral fat was a lot more than I thought. Waist circumference continues to shrink, fat under chest is a little smaller, and slightly more definition in my abdominal area but probably still undetectable in photos. I will take my photos tomorrow or Sunday morning but am being sent to Austin for work Sunday through Thursday. Looking for a hotel with a good gym, but there is a Planet Fitness right there in Downtown so I might just go there if I don't find a good one on the travel site.

I am not sure how much I will be updating next week but hope to get some updates in.

Since I already hit a new low I am not fasting all day today. I will wait until later and build a little deficit, then may even train back since I am feeling nice and recovered in the back, and biceps feel pretty good today.
 
Congratulations on the new low! That’s some real, genuine progress. You are finally committing to the process long enough to realize the results you have always been capable of!

When you travel, keep your progress - you know how & have a plan. I hope it’s a smooth trip for you
 
Oh Yes Sir, that is definitely the plan. I may do OMAD instead of fasting the 36 hours, depending on the workload and desire, but one thing is for sure... I WILL MAKE SOME PROGRESS NEXT WEEK!!! Even if it is just cracking down to 205 even I need to continue to make progress. Unfortunately I expect a few long days of somewhat physical labor, and may just be starving at the end of the day and feel like I need it to maintain performance at work.

I misstepped during my walk at lunch and the hip jammed into the socket a little and let me know I am still swollen in there. Definitely no weight bearing work for the lower body over the next few days so may just continue with leg extensions and curls on my lower sessions next week.

Lunch Walk along the Bayou... 45 minutes, done fasted.

Here is the beautiful view of the skyline from the park by the bayou. The pinkish color building on the right side behind the one with the cool design with mirror windows and black glass at the top is the building I work in, it id 55 floors. The one on the other side of that building is the tallest in downtown with over 70 floors.
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Yeah, sticking with it by defining an actual goal has really improved my discipline so much. I got so used to having to switch from things all the time with my training that I was not truly committing to anything very well. Now I am committed, not only to the goal but the overall process. That being said, I am going to be focusing on leaning out and hypertrophy training more than strength for a good while to come then when I have built more muscle back up I will start focusing more on strength and accomplishing the strength goals I have.

@Hyde How do you, and or everyone manage swelling in an acute injury when also trying to maximize hypertrophy? I know NSAIDS and the like around training or just after can blunt the adaptation slightly so just curious how everyone else manages it. Do you just say F-it and use the anti-inflammatory stuff around training so you can be more consistent, or try to take every day for a week or so but avoid the 4 hours before and after training?
 
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So, I am going to be staying at the Omni which appears to have a very nice and well equipped gym for a hotel... as an added bonus I got a room with a balcony to sit on in the evenings. I requested it looking over the pool, hopefully they can make that happen too.

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Looks like I will definitely be able to put in some work here for sure!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Oh Yes Sir, that is definitely the plan. I may do OMAD instead of fasting the 36 hours, depending on the workload and desire, but one thing is for sure... I WILL MAKE SOME PROGRESS NEXT WEEK!!! Even if it is just cracking down to 205 even I need to continue to make progress. Unfortunately I expect a few long days of somewhat physical labor, and may just be starving at the end of the day and feel like I need it to maintain performance at work.

I misstepped during my walk at lunch and the hip jammed into the socket a little and let me know I am still swollen in there. Definitely no weight bearing work for the lower body over the next few days so may just continue with leg extensions and curls on my lower sessions next week.

Lunch Walk along the Bayou... 45 minutes, done fasted.

Here is the beautiful view of the skyline from the park by the bayou. The pinkish color building on the right side behind the one with the cool design with mirror windows and black glass at the top is the building I work in, it id 55 floors. The one on the other side of that building is the tallest in downtown with over 70 floors.
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Yeah, sticking with it by defining an actual goal has really improved my discipline so much. I got so used to having to switch from things all the time with my training that I was not truly committing to anything very well. Now I am committed, not only to the goal but the overall process. That being said, I am going to be focusing on leaning out and hypertrophy training more than strength for a good while to come then when I have built more muscle back up I will start focusing more on strength and accomplishing the strength goals I have.

@Hyde How do you, and or everyone manage swelling in an acute injury when also trying to maximize hypertrophy? I know NSAIDS and the like around training or just after can blunt the adaptation slightly so just curious how everyone else manages it. Do you just say F-it and use the anti-inflammatory stuff around training so you can be more consistent, or try to take every day for a week or so but avoid the 4 hours before and after training?
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Well, I’m 32, so I can’t say what things will be like at 50, but for now I do not use ibuprofen or NSAIDs at all except when I truly have an injury. I will use it immediately, without regard to the training effect I might lose, but generally speaking I am now not able to train through it so there’s no consideration towards training with NSAIDs or not. My wife is 40, and same thing.

Otherwise, I use oral Curcumin 500mg once a day most days, and if something is recovering like your hip I would be doing second dose at a different time of Apex’s transdermal on it while resting it.

Scott Stevenson did post that rat study where in rats it was found to actually allow muscle to regrow faster, so I wouldn’t be shy about training with Curcumin periworkout if you are set on training through things. He’s also talked about how he has been using some vitamin E preWO, because in elderly populations it does support muscle-building. His idea is if he can train harder because of the anti-inflammatory, then it’s a net positive.

I wouldn’t try to do hypertrophy with NSAIDs. Strength training is common, because to lift heavy you must lift heavy, but it goes against hypertrophy principles. I would rather take sufficient steroids, smash something once a week on a bro split and lean on the drugs to let me have a crazy long protein synthesis response in that muscle. Total volume matters most, not frequency, for hypertrophy, assuming you are on enough juice. And if you aren’t on blast, how much can you really build anyway? Could be time to just heal up and try to maintain what you can so you are healthy for the next push.
 
Hyde said:
Well, I’m 32, so I can’t say what things will be like at 50, but for now I do not use ibuprofen or NSAIDs at all except when I truly have an injury. I will use it immediately, without regard to the training effect I might lose, but generally speaking I am now not able to train through it so there’s no consideration towards training with NSAIDs or not. My wife is 40, and same thing.

Otherwise, I use oral Curcumin 500mg once a day most days, and if something is recovering like your hip I would be doing second dose at a different time of Apex’s transdermal on it while resting it.

Scott Stevenson did post that rat study where in rats it was found to actually allow muscle to regrow faster, so I wouldn’t be shy about training with Curcumin periworkout if you are set on training through things. He’s also talked about how he has been using some vitamin E preWO, because in elderly populations it does support muscle-building. His idea is if he can train harder because of the anti-inflammatory, then it’s a net positive.

I wouldn’t try to do hypertrophy with NSAIDs. Strength training is common, because to lift heavy you must lift heavy, but it goes against hypertrophy principles. I would rather take sufficient steroids, smash something once a week on a bro split and lean on the drugs to let me have a crazy long protein synthesis response in that muscle. Total volume matters most, not frequency, for hypertrophy, assuming you are on enough juice. And if you aren’t on blast, how much can you really build anyway? Could be time to just heal up and try to maintain what you can so you are healthy for the next push.
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Damn It! That is what I thought you might say. I hardly ever take ibuprofen either, definitely not for normal aches and pains. Right now though, I feel as if I bruised my labrum in my hip or something of the like. If the top of the femur bumps into the joint at all, it lets me know I just messed up. Other than some walking I am sticking with no weight bearing movements that compress the hip joint. Instead, I will likely do the leg curls and extensions as long as it does not aggravate the situation just to maintain current leg mass. Hopefully between that and extra curcumin I can heal up next week, and be ready to go. Don't get me wrong, it is most definitely improving, but the bark still has a bit of a bite right now so it is time to adjust for sure.

So the plan for next week will likely be to train for fun, and muscle retention. Keep RIR in the 3-5 range and just get a great pump. If walking bothers me at all, I will switch to cardio on the bike but I really hope it doesn't because I truly love going for walks around the area to people watch and explore my surroundings. I will start up a more structured training plan to follow starting the week I get back. I have decided to give the RP Hypertrophy methods a serious go for a while. Focusing on there structure and volume / weight progression methods based on MEV and MRV throughout the programs. So may try to find one of their programs, then intend to get their app when the beta is released mid-May. If not then I will start one of their programs on the app when I actually get the app and go from there. I am hoping they have something specific for focusing on specific body parts. I would like to run a shoulder and arms focused hypertrophy plan for a little bit to bring those up for sure.
 
Congratulations on the new low….it’s great you’re getting rid of any visceral fat. It’s always the hardest and usually last to go. The good thing is it sounds like you’re not too far from your abs starting to show. It’s almost like once the abs start to show you get that immediate feeling of satisfaction because you see the rewards of all that hard work.
As far as inflammation, I try and avoid NSAIDs too, but I will take if I really have to. I’ve become a big believer in Curcumin too, it’s truly an amazing supplement, and I will rub Helios right on an injured or sore area, and it really does seem to have a local effect and helps. As far as working through inflammation or muscle aches and pain, I actually still use Icy Hot, I know the smell may get to some, but it still works for me.
That’s a great view at your office…stay safe on your trip. Hope everything goes smooth.
 
@MrKleen73 you are really putting in the hard word and reaping the rewards from it. Enjoy your stay and get a few Great works in. I live that skyline photo looks like a great place to walk, get some fresh air and Vit D !
 
gphagan1 said:
Congratulations on the new low….it’s great you’re getting rid of any visceral fat. It’s always the hardest and usually last to go. The good thing is it sounds like you’re not too far from your abs starting to show. It’s almost like once the abs start to show you get that immediate feeling of satisfaction because you see the rewards of all that hard work.
As far as inflammation, I try and avoid NSAIDs too, but I will take if I really have to. I’ve become a big believer in Curcumin too, it’s truly an amazing supplement, and I will rub Helios right on an injured or sore area, and it really does seem to have a local effect and helps. As far as working through inflammation or muscle aches and pain, I actually still use Icy Hot, I know the smell may get to some, but it still works for me.
That’s a great view at your office…stay safe on your trip. Hope everything goes smooth.
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I do have a little more helios, I just didn't figure it would get in that deep, but I will give it a shot. I have a horse liniment I use and I don't care if people like it. It helps me!
Rocket3015 said:
@MrKleen73 you are really putting in the hard word and reaping the rewards from it. Enjoy your stay and get a few Great works in. I live that skyline photo looks like a great place to walk, get some fresh air and Vit D !
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Thanks Rocket!

I just wanted to quote this here as my update for the day since I just updated the accountability thread with my starting point and goals.

MrKleen73 said:
4/29/23 - Before Pictures, Starting Weight, and goals

Morning Weight 205.2Lbs - Another new low! Also for reference my height is somewhere between 5'7 -5'8.

Goals - Visible Abs while gaining or maintaining muscle mass intended time frame 8 weeks but up to 12. I don't need to be ripped, but want to see my top 4 abs, and have my lower chest fat and gyno recede up under my pecs so not as visible in a shirt. Unfortunately that estrogen sensitive fat is some of the last to go for me.

Approach - Hypertrophy based lifting, and various types of intermittent fasting. Typically a 36+ hour fast 1-2 times a week, 16-20 hour fasts on other rest days and then around maintenance or a surplus on training days. Also there is a decent chance I will run a pulse with MSten and SD starting in a couple weeks. Hence the possibly gain muscle!

My pictures of course don't reflect the details I can see. The light is coming from the front not really above, and the camera is low so it's not going to either. LOL Not too fat away from my upper abs showing decently now. Dent in the middle goes down through to my second set, and the line between my obliques and abs is showing well on both side, and where individual abs are is starting be noticeable from the side.

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4/29/23 - Morning Weight was 205.2 - Back Session

I can't quite remember all the exact reps and weights but will do my best here.

Warm Up on Recumbent Bike 10 minutes

Lat Pull Downs NG - 2 WU and 4 Work Sets @ 8-15 reps - I got great contractions with this bar. Had serious mind muscle connections and getting a nice burn in the lats.

Hoist Rock-It Rows - 5 work sets @ 8-15 reps finishing at 265lbs - Again mind muscle connection was off the charts. Paused for 1-2 seconbs at top and at peak stretch of every rep.

Pull Over Machine - 4 work sets @ 8-15 reps - I really let the machine pull me into a stretch and paused for a second before bring it back down.

Reverse Fly Rear Delt Machine - 5 sets @ 8-20 reps - great connection on these too!

Preacher Curls - 4 work sets @ 8-15 reps - Really dug in on these.

DB Hammer Curls 3 sets @ 8-15 w/ 20lbs - this one still pushes that right brachialis a bit but still trying to push volume and blood without injuring any worse.

DB Supinating Curls - 3 sets @ 8-15 reps 25lb DB's - Kept slow tempo here to create more effort without challenging the tendon on the right side too much.

My Sister drove in from a couple hours away where she had flown in to take my nephew to a school event then let hims spend time with his girlfriend here in Tx. Her favorite place around here for Mexican is Pappasito's which has some of the best beef fajita you have ever had. Since she flew in from Fla she doesn't ever get to go anymore so that is where we went to eat which was my post workout meal. I went ahead and had my last free meal for a couple weeks. We both attacked the chips, and salsa, shared a beef fajita for 2, had a couple margaritas and shared a Tres Leches. Admittedly she let me eat more than half of both. :) I really enjoyed myself with that meal, and it had been 3 months since I saw my sister so that was an awesome way to get to spend some quality time with her.

No caloric estimate for yesterday due to free meal. I assume protein was a little under 200, but all those carbs and salt stuck with me a little bit this morning as my weight is up but it appears to have landed in all the right places!

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4/30/23 - Morning Weight 208.2 - Up 3 lbs with all the salt and carbs from yesterday. Honestly though I think I look a little leaner and my muscles just got filled back up with all the salty carbs being pulled into the muscle.

I am fasting as of right now, and will be until later today. I may stop and get some beef jerky about halfway and break my fast then, or may wait until I eat dinner after I get to Austin this evening. I will plan to fast all day Monday and probably eat dinner again depending on how busy I am at work and if that has me exhausted and hungry. We have to get 2 days of work completed in one because they moved the dates up for the trial to start by almost a week. I am contemplating finding a food service out there for breakfast and lunch on my eating days, but not sure. So many restaurants around with healthy options it might be fun to just go around and pick different meals. I know for sure I am going to Kava for a Mediterranean bowl at some point on a lifting day.
 
That’s a good workout….sounds like you and your sister were able to enjoy a good meal together. Since it was post workout and you probably could have used a nice little refeed after the latest fast, most everything went to the muscle. Win/win 💪
 
gphagan1 said:
That’s a good workout….sounds like you and your sister were able to enjoy a good meal together. Since it was post workout and you probably could have used a nice little refeed after the latest fast, most everything went to the muscle. Win/win 💪
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Yeah, it was just what I needed mentally and seeing my sister was so awesome. We did exactly what we enjoy the most. Eating good food, having a few drinks and making each other laugh! It was a choice and one I am happy I made. I mentioned in the accountability thread my main goal this week is a little less lofty, but I will still break under 205 this week with the travel and if things are to hectic and I can't get away enough to lift, maybe more because that may make me push the fasting more. I am only scheduled for 2 lifting sessions while there so not too bad. More than likely though I will opt to do 24 instead of 36 hour fasts while there. We shall see how the days go. If not too busy I may push the 36 hour.
 
Yeah, my sisters and brothers all live a good distance from us so when we all get together it’s usually a feast and just a whole lot of good times. Looks like you will be able to stick to your plan on your business trip. It’s always good when your hotel has a good gym, and you can somewhat stick to your routine.
 
@gphagan1 Yeah, I am pretty sure I stayed there a couple years back and enjoyed the gym there. It looks like it might be pretty good especially with me not doing weight bearing loaded legs this week. Even though I don't see lower body stuff in the pics I am sure they have some leg extension and leg curls machines. I will have my bands with me as well. I enjoy when I can drive and take the things I want like protein powder, extra stuff for working out. I am even taking my VR headset. I may use it to get in a little cardio doing Synthrider or something. I can work up a decent sweat there while having fun. :)
 
5/1/23 - Fasted until Dinner, walked about 4 miles yesterday as well. Had a nice meal, Pork Ribeye with Habanero Chimichurri sauce, Roasted pickled cabbage, Spanish Rice, and a soft boiled egg I cut up into the rice. I also got some crispy potato fingerlings roasted in duck fat. SOOOOO GOOD! I had a protein bar around 9 also then went to bed.

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Fast Beaker / Carb load for training -

Salmon, and Bolognese bowl with broccoli sprouts, extra meat sauce and pasta.
All carbed up, and about to go down to the gym at my office. I am probably going to go to Cava tonight for a Mediterranean Bowl with extra meats! It will be a great healthy post workout meal!
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You Eat Good !!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Fast Beaker / Carb load for training -

Salmon, and Bolognese bowl with broccoli sprouts, extra meat sauce and pasta.
All carbed up, and about to go down to the gym at my office. I am probably going to go to Cava tonight for a Mediterranean Bowl with extra meats! It will be a great healthy post workout meal!
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Man I love some Cava!
 
Rocket3015 said:
You Eat Good !!
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Yes Sir! When I can expense I take advantage of it! Especially since I eat less meals than most people.
Hyde said:
Man, these are some killer eats!
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Oh yeah, damn good food!
sammpedd88 said:
Man I love some Cava!
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I know right! So damn good! I got a huge bowl with double honey harissa chicken, 3 scoops or rice a little of all the greens, the jalapeno feta, harissa hummus, tons of veggies, and a lot of harissa sauce, and washed it down with a mix of the cucumber mint, and old fashioned lemonade. So damn good, I ate about 2/3 then had the rest about 9:00. It was so full I had to ask for a 2nd bowl to mix it all up! The guy tried to put a lid on it before i could take a picture of it heaping over the bowl looking beautiful. Then squash and he realised the lid wasn't even close to going on. No longer picture worthy but is sure did taste amazing!

I did an upper body session in the gym at work right after work. Took my Oracle up there with me. I tried to keep my sets to 8-15 reps, and about 3-4 RIR but hit 2 RIR I few times misjudging the next rep. All sets were slow eccentrics.

Cybex Chest Press - 1 warm up 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Incline Bench DB Rows - 1 warm up 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Cybex Wide Grip Shoulder Press - 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Cybex Lat Pulldowns = 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

DB Side Raises - 4 sets 15x15-12 reps

Dips - 4 works sets of increasing weight 7-12 reps

Cable Curls - 3 sets 70 x15-8

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After eating my last meal I went to get undressed and noticed I was looking leaner. Some of it is probably lighting but some of it is probably progress too. I have been paying a lot attention to my intake while enjoying my food choices as much as possible. So I would expect to see some progress with all of the walking. You can definitely see where my abs are starting to try and peak through now!

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MrKleen73 said:
Yes Sir! When I can expense I take advantage of it! Especially since I eat less meals than most people.
Oh yeah, damn good food!
I know right! So damn good! I got a huge bowl with double honey harissa chicken, 3 scoops or rice a little of all the greens, the jalapeno feta, harissa hummus, tons of veggies, and a lot of harissa sauce, and washed it down with a mix of the cucumber mint, and old fashioned lemonade. So damn good, I ate about 2/3 then had the rest about 9:00. It was so full I had to ask for a 2nd bowl to mix it all up! The guy tried to put a lid on it before i could take a picture of it heaping over the bowl looking beautiful. Then squash and he realised the lid wasn't even close to going on. No longer picture worthy but is sure did taste amazing!

I did an upper body session in the gym at work right after work. Took my Oracle up there with me. I tried to keep my sets to 8-15 reps, and about 3-4 RIR but hit 2 RIR I few times misjudging the next rep. All sets were slow eccentrics.

Cybex Chest Press - 1 warm up 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Incline Bench DB Rows - 1 warm up 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Cybex Wide Grip Shoulder Press - 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

Cybex Lat Pulldowns = 4 works sets of increasing weight 8-15 reps

DB Side Raises - 4 sets 15x15-12 reps

Dips - 4 works sets of increasing weight 7-12 reps

Cable Curls - 3 sets 70 x15-8

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After eating my last meal I went to get undressed and noticed I was looking leaner. Some of it is probably lighting but some of it is probably progress too. I have been paying a lot attention to my intake while enjoying my food choices as much as possible. So I would expect to see some progress with all of the walking. You can definitely see where my abs are starting to try and peak through now!

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You definitely can see your abs starting to peek through, just in time for Summer.😎
 
gphagan1 said:
You definitely can see your abs starting to peek through, just in time for Summer.😎
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Yes Sir, I think I am right at the point where progress will begin to be a lot more noticeable per pound of fat loss.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Oh Yes Sir, that is definitely the plan. I may do OMAD instead of fasting the 36 hours, depending on the workload and desire, but one thing is for sure... I WILL MAKE SOME PROGRESS NEXT WEEK!!! Even if it is just cracking down to 205 even I need to continue to make progress. Unfortunately I expect a few long days of somewhat physical labor, and may just be starving at the end of the day and feel like I need it to maintain performance at work.

I misstepped during my walk at lunch and the hip jammed into the socket a little and let me know I am still swollen in there. Definitely no weight bearing work for the lower body over the next few days so may just continue with leg extensions and curls on my lower sessions next week.

Lunch Walk along the Bayou... 45 minutes, done fasted.

Here is the beautiful view of the skyline from the park by the bayou. The pinkish color building on the right side behind the one with the cool design with mirror windows and black glass at the top is the building I work in, it id 55 floors. The one on the other side of that building is the tallest in downtown with over 70 floors.
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Yeah, sticking with it by defining an actual goal has really improved my discipline so much. I got so used to having to switch from things all the time with my training that I was not truly committing to anything very well. Now I am committed, not only to the goal but the overall process. That being said, I am going to be focusing on leaning out and hypertrophy training more than strength for a good while to come then when I have built more muscle back up I will start focusing more on strength and accomplishing the strength goals I have.

@Hyde How do you, and or everyone manage swelling in an acute injury when also trying to maximize hypertrophy? I know NSAIDS and the like around training or just after can blunt the adaptation slightly so just curious how everyone else manages it. Do you just say F-it and use the anti-inflammatory stuff around training so you can be more consistent, or try to take every day for a week or so but avoid the 4 hours before and after training?
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If you are looking for an alternative to NSAIDs try air fried onion. Accidentally discovered this thanks to my beautiful coeliac wife. Two whole onions has my leg feeling great the next morning.
 
BennyMagoo79 said:
If you are looking for an alternative to NSAIDs try air fried onion. Accidentally discovered this thanks to my beautiful coeliac wife. Two whole onions has my leg feeling great the next morning.
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Wow, that is something I have never heard before. I will look into that!
 
Hyde said:
Are you staying in a Marriot? I feel like that wallpaper is so familiar…
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It is The Omni Hotel in Austin. Pretty decent place but my room is small, and surprisingly no bluetooth capable speaker in the room. I have gotten spoiled to that when traveling, and didn't bring mine.

Going to be breaking my fast for dinner. Haven't decided what I am going to have yet, but looking forward to eating! So many places in walking distance but I need to make sure I can get plenty of protein!
 
Enjoy you dinner !
 
Rocket3015 said:
Enjoy you dinner !
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Thanks, I sure did, and it appears to have enjoyed me last night. I went and got beef fajitas for 2, and made 3 huge meat filled fajitas, both tiny piles of rice, and one of the refried beans. No chips, but had them bring me their hottest salsa. I woke up holding some water, and had indigestion this morning from the fiery heat!

Here is probably the last of the food porn unless I grab myself a lunch today.

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I am not sure if I will train today, or just relax once I get home and spend time with the family. I think it is more likely I will just chill and spend the evening with them. I have missed them and I am sure they have missed me.
 
I love Mexican food !!
 
I’d say you stayed pretty focused on your trip eating/fasting and gym time, I’d say rest and spend family time!!!
 
Rocket3015 said:
I love Mexican food !!
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Same here, damn good stuff!
akboom87 said:
I’d say you stayed pretty focused on your trip eating/fasting and gym time, I’d say rest and spend family time!!!
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Agreed!

5/5/23 - Back at home! - Morning Weight 208.2 - First time with a scale this week. I was hoping to be in the 207 range, but for a week with no overnight fasts, or ability to actually count calories I am not too upset with it. I am sure if I had a scale there I would have tossed in a full overnight fast somewhere. Honestly though, I enjoyed some good food, kept my calories pretty much in check so I don't regret it. I made an honest effort to make a little progress this week while still enjoying myself.

Yesterday I had a Mexican Steak Sandwich for lunch, I took my co-worker out and expensed it so we could celebrate finishing the set up and bringing the Judge on for his first week at the firm. It was a big deal in the office. Then last night we had ground turkey, and rice casserole with low fat cream of mushroom soup, and brown gravy for dinner. It was good, but definitely had a good amount of salt. Which I enjoy. :)

My hip has improved a lot over the course of the week. It is still not quite there, but enough I am confident I can resume more substantial leg training this week. It got a very tiny dull ache at one point during the drive where internal rotation was bothering it. However it was only for a minute or so, I started rolling it through internal rotations and it let right up. So, not that worrying. I think I am going to end up fasting today and probably overnight to get myself back on track, then get in the gym tomorrow for a whole body Myo-Rep workout or something. Next week I will likely keep things on the lighter side, still focusing on just getting in good quality training then hopefully next week the RP Hypertrophy App will be out and I will pick a program and start giving it hell. I want to be fresh going in so I don't want to abuse myself this week, and leave plenty of room for adaptation once I start whichever program I pick. Like I mentioned previously, I am hoping there is something specific to a shoulder and arms focus in there. If not I will use the app to build one for that goal and give it some hell.

I am still deciding on MSten/SD pulse, straight cycle, or ordering some oils just to keep my health markers from tanking. Knowing it will be ridiculously hard to eat once I get going the oils sound like the better and healthier plan, but I also already have what I need for doing the oral run. I wish I knew someone with some oils that wanted to trade for some SD or something. EQ, or Mast would be my oil of choice here. If I end up ordering some, I may get a few bottles of Trest ACE just to see how it treats me with a side of Mast. I do have some caber tabs I got for the end of my run going into my meet where I was running low dosed Tren the last 4 weeks for the neural drive. I never ended up needing the caber which is a good sign.
 
Just got back from 72 minutes walking down by the bayou. Kind of annoyed, I turned on my auto workout feature on Samsung health to kind of record it and it waits 10 minutes of solid activity before recording anything as a workout. So since I stopped to take my shirt off, then stopped to tie my shoe, and also stopped for a second to say hello to one of the guys I see out there putting it in too. It only recorded part of the walk and didn't track all of my distance, It only shows 2 workouts one 20 minute and one 27 minute session, and didn't record any of the distance traveled during the times it started over. The surprising news to me is that I walk at 3-3.3 MPH and hit a few peeks of 3.6 MPH. However, anything over 2.8 on a treadmill makes me feel like I am having to push it. Then again my inclines are higher and longer duration on the treadmill too. I warm up at an incline of 5 on there and then go up to like 17 during some of the intervals where my lower intensity ones are like level 8-9 with 2 minutes at each setting. Damn, writing that out it is no wonder I crush 500-600+ calories in 45-60 minutes on there. LOL

I am still fasting and have decided to just go through the evening. I will start eating tomorrow morning to glycogen load for my afternoon session.
 
5/6/23 - Morning Weight 206 from 208.2 yesterday morning.

Curious to see how weight is tomorrow. I have been getting a second drop after the first day of full eating recently, and if that happens I might actually hit the 205 target I had for the week. Then again, lots of carbs and a decent amount of sodium today, it could go up. I am just going to keep following the process and not worry too much about daily fluctuations.

I decided to let the legs rest a couple more days to increase the likelihood I could get in some good break in training this week. I rode the bike to get blood in them though.

Pre-Workout 2 scoops Pump Addict
Peri-Workout Drink - Country Time Lemonade 37c, NutraPro Super Carb (HBCD) 12.5c , Dextrose 36c, 85.5c total + Gatorade Protein 10p

Bike - Level 12 Until I broke a sweat

Super ROM SDB Side Raises - 10x20, 15x10, 15x10, 15x10, 15x10, (rest 5 seconds go for 25 reps with as many pauses as needed) 10x7,4,3 - I stopped here to grab the 5s because shoulders were already smoked and started over in less than 10 seconds...
5x9, RP 7, RP 4, RP 3, RP2 = 25 Immediately put weights down and continue with just your arms and do AMRAP - These were taken up to about 65-75 degrees held for 3 seconds, then lowered over 4 seconds. Just brutal!

Super Set - 3 sets, 1-2 second hold at top, 4 second negatives
Olympic Barbell Face Pulls - 10, 10, 9 - These are done bent over in a hinge position.
Olympic Barbell High Upright Rows - 10, 10, 7 - These had to be over my eyes, hands a little wider than shoulders. On both movements I allowed myself to pause up to like 2 seconds a couple times to extend the set.

Seated Dip Machine - 80x12, 120x12, 140x12, 140x11, 140x9 - (rest 5 seconds go for 25 reps with as many pauses as needed) 100x10 RP, 8 RP, 7=25 - These were a lot harder after I toasted my shoulders I had to fight for the last rep because I didn't want to do an RP for just one more rep. I pointed my elbows back to really get a stretch on the triceps too.

Seated DB Supinating Curls - 1-2 second flex & hold at top, 4 second negatives - 25x12, 25x12, 25x10, 25x9, 25x7 - I chose not to do a drop and RP for 25 on this. I am still getting better on the right side and didn't want to push to where my connective tissue started taking on a lot of stress.

Pump Addict first impression - I went all in and went with 2 scoops. I wasn't feeling super motivated today but wanted to get in a good session. The energy was great, I had an awesome session, and the pumps were almost immediate. I give it two thumbs up for sure. You can taste the ingredients in it because it is so chock full of them, but it is still pleasant to drink.

I got the shoulder workout from an RP workout I saw on YouTube today. Although it did not fit into my taking it easy this week plan I thoroughly enjoyed it! What a challenging session, and humbling too, using little to no weight! I had to look funny grunting just trying to hold my arms up at a 65-75 degree angle... I don't expect a lot of damage from it, especially joint and connective tissue wise. My shoulders were so pumped, my traps too. That super set was ridiculous too! Total 3D delt annihilation!

Macros for the day
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Nice work Kleen! Sounds like the pump addict was working nicely. Solid movement on weight too. This barbell face pull’s going to look those up I don’t think I’ve heard of that before.
 
akboom87 said:
Nice work Kleen! Sounds like the pump addict was working nicely. Solid movement on weight too. This barbell face pull’s going to look those up I don’t think I’ve heard of that before.
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@akboom87 Here is the link to the video I watched if you want to try the whole shoulder workout. It was friggin intense, so I LOVED IT!
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