To Infinity.... and Beyond!

Deads
10 x 135
2 x 5 x 225
5 x 275, 325

RDLs
3 x 6 x 225

BB rows
3 x 10 x 135

Incline seated DB curls
4 x 12-15

Hammer curls
3 x 10 x 40s

T-bar rows
4 x 10-12

SS with EZ bar curls
4 x 10-12

LISS
15 Min




Notes
Didn't have my belt today so kept it light.
Testing IF 8pm till noon / preWO.
 
Dustin07 said:
yeah it's good to know. I always had thought I'd reintroduce it when I felt like I was starting to lean back out and in a deficit to see if I responded differently to it. but nope, lol. I am going to give the epi another try maybe later this month as well because as far as I can tell aside from some hair shedding, that one was pretty dynamite for me. I want to give the xpg TD a try though vs caps.



I don't track RIR but probably 2 ish. Maybe more. I went in early and without PreWO to get a session in that was intended to be heavier than a deload but also I was prepared for it to not be ground breaking, ended up being a pretty decent session with a good pump.
Click to expand...
Man I feel like we're really neck and neck and some things... other things you got me beat by a mile though lol
 
Bench
2 x 10 x 135
2 x 175, 205, 225

Slingshot
1 x 255, 275, 295, 305, 315

Raw
8 x 225
20 x 135 (wider grip, suicide)

CGBP
3 x 8 x 185

Tricep rope extensions
3 x 15

Hammer strength flies
3 sets to failure




Notes

Shocked I came back to 315 after a month of damage.

Had a nice chat with my wife last night. She brought out this little model barbell with a carefully hand picked 500lbs that she had bought me when I hit my 500lb rack pull but she was waiting until I pulled it from the ground to give me.

Since we have been dealing with some health issues in the family, plus my caloric deficits, added cardio etc things have been hard and I confessed to her I was feeling lost in my "fitness" journey after a solid year of laser beam focus.

Long story short, the diet is off. I'm back to my strength focus.

500lb pull still the goal
315 is the new 300 on bench.
210 is the new 200 on my personal weight cap.


Ironically got changed in the gym today pre workout and my abs were popping beautifully at 194 so long fellas.


Ordered two bottles of XPG epiandro from Steve and a bottle of PXT to kick it off right ..



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Dustin07 said:
Bench
2 x 10 x 135
2 x 175, 205, 225

Slingshot
1 x 255, 275, 295, 305, 315

Raw
8 x 225
20 x 135 (wider grip, suicide)

CGBP
3 x 8 x 185

Tricep rope extensions
3 x 15

Hammer strength flies
3 sets to failure




Notes

Shocked I came back to 315 after a month of damage.

Had a nice chat with my wife last night. She brought out this little model barbell with a carefully hand picked 500lbs that she had bought me when I hit my 500lb rack pull but she was waiting until I pulled it from the ground to give me.

Since we have been dealing with some health issues in the family, plus my caloric deficits, added cardio etc things have been hard and I confessed to her I was feeling lost in my "fitness" journey after a solid year of laser beam focus.

Long story short, the diet is off. I'm back to my strength focus.

500lb pull still the goal
315 is the new 300 on bench.
210 is the new 200 on my personal weight cap.


Ironically got changed in the gym today pre workout and my abs were popping beautifully at 194 so long fellas.


Ordered two bottles of XPG epiandro from Steve and a bottle of PXT to kick it off right ..



Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
Building is definitely more fun then cutting!
 
GreenMachineX said:
Building is definitely more fun then cutting!
Click to expand...

It is. My size must be showing because I had a couple more comments the past few days and finally my wife even said it. We were at an appt and someone asked who I was, I said I'm her husband. she said oh I figured you were the bodyguard 😅
after a dozen comments about that stuff, my wife started making the same comments and made it clear that she likes the extra 12lbs I'm currently carrying. I really wanted to get leaned up for our beach trip next Feb but if she likes what she sees then, to the moon. She's generally the only one who "has" to see me with my shirt off 😅😅
 
Yeah Man 194 with abs is nothing to sneeze at. I always enjoy the little odd compliments or comments like that from people. Sometimes they are so cheezy about it too but I just see it as them trying to compliment me without directly doing it.
 
However whatever compliments the wife followed it up with was 1000X more valuable to you if you are anything like me!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Yeah Man 194 with abs is nothing to sneeze at. I always enjoy the little odd compliments or comments like that from people. Sometimes they are so cheezy about it too but I just see it as them trying to compliment me without directly doing it.
Click to expand...

haha yeah, we take the puppy to a dog trainer every friday (he trains us as much as the dog) and he is always saying something about being barrel chested etc. last week he was talking about someone and he goes "oh man this guy was huge, he was built like an ox, like you actually!" lol I about died 😅😅

MrKleen73 said:
However whatever compliments the wife followed it up with was 1000X more valuable to you if you are anything like me!
Click to expand...

See then my wife started mentioning the things all these other people were saying this week, I just about lost it knowing she saw me like that. lit a fire in my belly. when everyone else says it I am nearly embarrassed half the time, but when she says it, it's like I won the lotto.

it really got me in the feels hearing my wife say those things
 
Dustin07 said:
haha yeah, we take the puppy to a dog trainer every friday (he trains us as much as the dog) and he is always saying something about being barrel chested etc. last week he was talking about someone and he goes "oh man this guy was huge, he was built like an ox, like you actually!" lol I about died 😅😅



See then my wife started mentioning the things all these other people were saying this week, I just about lost it knowing she saw me like that. lit a fire in my belly. when everyone else says it I am nearly embarrassed half the time, but when she says it, it's like I won the lotto.

it really got me in the feels hearing my wife say those things
Click to expand...
She is probably a very smart woman and saw that you enjoyed that feedback immensely and it would be an easy way for her to let you know how sexy she thinks you are and it have a great effect on you.

However a compliment from my wife is definitely a million times more important to me than one from a stranger or even friend.
 
Sort of glad for you that your changing course and going back to heavy lifting. You were so close to those goals and took so long to get there after long break would almost be like starting the climb all over again. Hit the goals then you can worry about the other stuff.
 
dapack said:
Sort of glad for you that your changing course and going back to heavy lifting. You were so close to those goals and took so long to get there after long break would almost be like starting the climb all over again. Hit the goals then you can worry about the other stuff.
Click to expand...

Thank you, me too. It feels a little like a suicide mission after staying lean for so long, to both allow some extra fat and age at the same time lol but it sure is a lot more fun having high energy and being strong.

Maybe I'll work on trying to find a little more balance with occasional cardio and 30hr fasts to keep things in check.
 
Dustin07 said:
Had a nice chat with my wife last night. She brought out this little model barbell with a carefully hand picked 500lbs that she had bought me when I hit my 500lb rack pull but she was waiting until I pulled it from the ground to give me.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

This is the coolest gift ever!

Dustin07 said:
She's generally the only one who "has" to see me with my shirt off
Click to expand...

Well, her and all of us of course. We're only here for teh nudez. 
 
Segansational said:
This is the coolest gift ever!



Well, her and all of us of course. We're only here for teh nudez. 
Click to expand...
And we are still waiting! You know this guy's rule, no publicly posted pics above 8%. ;)
 
Deads
2 x 10 x 135
3 x 225, 275
1 x 315, 365, 385, 405

Rack pulls
3 x 425
1 x 445

2" deficit
EMOTM
10 x 3 x 225

Barbell rows
4 x 10

SS with lat pull downs
4 x 10-12

That's a spicy superset!

Pretty happy with today's test run to see where I am. Definitely had more pull in me.

Weight 198 this morning. Carb loading like a mofoInvalid Link Removed
 
Dustin07 said:
My body is beat to holy hell today.
Saturday was a pretty chill day with the wife, up to the boat show to explore (amazing how much they cleaned up Seattle for the all-star game and taylor swift concerts, lol).

Sunday though I took my ball paintballing again to our favorite little outdoor place. they have like a dozen courses, all of them outdoors in the woods with rocks, creeks, trees, structures etc. we played for hours and by the time I got home my legs were killing me from 3hrs of sprints, lunges, and 20 minute squats sitting crouched as 12yr olds buzz my face with a barrage of paint.

Finished the day with a shitload more shoveling, still wrapping up aspects of that plumbing project.

Notes for the experience? I am throwing away my last pair of Reebok nanos. They are pure dogshit shoes, they always were, I always hated them. they had a cultish following and are completely useless garbage pieces of crap with flat soles that absorb every drop of water from the concrete like a sponge. most of my foot and leg pain today is no doubt from those garbage shoes lol.
Click to expand...

Ha! Some friends just recently got back from Seattle and said the same thing lol
 
Segansational said:
Well, her and all of us of course. We're only here for teh nudez. 
Click to expand...

I keep telling her the same thing

MrKleen73 said:
And we are still waiting! You know this guy's rule, no publicly posted pics above 8%. ;)
Click to expand...

ha every time I think about it I realize I'm in a locker room and the 80 yr old man next to me is hanging brain past his knees.

SkRaw85 said:
Ha! Some friends just recently got back from Seattle and said the same thing lol
Click to expand...

lol yeah they moved the drugs and tents up the hill a bit. even China town was very nice in the tourist area, but a couple blocks east you could see the row of fentanyl and meth zombies. the problem didn't leave, they just did a better of hiding it....

Hyde said:
Nicely done
Click to expand...
thanks broski, felt like a good session, good use of calories, and gives me a guideline for where I'm picking up next week.
 
@MrKleen73 so I finally have a legit doc appt for like oct 24th I believe. it's required to become a long term patient there so even though I don't have much of an agenda, I'm going to ask her for a blood panel (again) finally but I think this time it will work. even though my toys are less severe than you guys. I'm thinking of going pure natty and even dropping my current Alpha Gel for 2-3 weeks until I can get those bloods done, then try to get them 4-8 weeks later into a cycle with xpg epiandro, alpha gel, and maybe one other product I'm thinking of stacking. what do you think?

reason I ask is because Steve has the XPG epi coming to me any day now and I have my alpha gel already in stock. it would just require me sitting on it for a couple weeks to get a natty baseline.
 
Dustin07 said:
@MrKleen73 so I finally have a legit doc appt for like oct 24th I believe. it's required to become a long term patient there so even though I don't have much of an agenda, I'm going to ask her for a blood panel (again) finally but I think this time it will work. even though my toys are less severe than you guys. I'm thinking of going pure natty and even dropping my current Alpha Gel for 2-3 weeks until I can get those bloods done, then try to get them 4-8 weeks later into a cycle with xpg epiandro, alpha gel, and maybe one other product I'm thinking of stacking. what do you think?

reason I ask is because Steve has the XPG epi coming to me any day now and I have my alpha gel already in stock. it would just require me sitting on it for a couple weeks to get a natty baseline.
Click to expand...

What’s the end goal with the bloodwork? You can get your test levels or whatever checked anytime you like for like $100 with places like Ulta labs, private md labs, marek health.

I mean it’s great if you can get something covered like a checkup from your doctor, but as far as follow up while experimenting you can do that privately if needed.
 
Hyde said:
What’s the end goal with the bloodwork? You can get your test levels or whatever checked anytime you like for like $100 with places like Ulta labs, private md labs, marek health.

I mean it’s great if you can get something covered like a checkup from your doctor, but as far as follow up while experimenting you can do that privately if needed.
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure this goes back to his nipples getting sensitive on the UltraHard, and me telling him if he really wants to know what is going on estrogen-wise to get blood work while he was actually experiencing the issue. I agree he might want to do the 2nd bout at a private lab if he wants to keep it away from his Dr or insurance.
 
@Hyde @MrKleen73
I'm 41 next week so I'd like a baseline. I haven't seen my doc since 2019 when I had the heart issues pop up so I'm required to have a basic visit to basically begin my "membership" and stay active in their system as they aren't taking new patients and I really like her.

So I was gonna ask for a vasectomy referral, talk about cancer screenings as I'm aging so I understand expectations better and since I finally have a Drs ear I thought a blood panel would be interesting just to see where I am.

It's mostly curiosity but I thought it would be interesting to see also if the mild supplementation I use has any effect.
 
I think my baseline/steady weight right now is 197.
today I have just a hint of doms in the lower back, lats feel flexed and pumpy, but nothing bad, I everything just feels like I had a good session. fantastic week to be back in the saddle. running a 30hr recovery fast today. round of golf, then a pretty low key weekend with my my wife and more fence building for the chicken coop expansion. no lifting until Monday.
 
Sounds like a nice weekend. Enjoy!
 
Dustin07 said:
@Hyde @MrKleen73
I'm 41 next week so I'd like a baseline. I haven't seen my doc since 2019 when I had the heart issues pop up so I'm required to have a basic visit to basically begin my "membership" and stay active in their system as they aren't taking new patients and I really like her.

So I was gonna ask for a vasectomy referral, talk about cancer screenings as I'm aging so I understand expectations better and since I finally have a Drs ear I thought a blood panel would be interesting just to see where I am.

It's mostly curiosity but I thought it would be interesting to see also if the mild supplementation I use has any effect.
Click to expand...

All of that makes sense, I just meant as far as follow up bloodwork to do your own testing on how supplements are affecting you, that can always be done privately whenever you need it.
 
Bench
10 x 135

+ redbands
3 x 135, 165, 185
1 x 205, 225

No bands
1 x 255, 265, 275, 285

+ redbands again
EMOTM
3 x 10 x 155
(8 reps on last set)

CGBP
10 x 135, 155
5 x 185, 205

Wide grip
20 x 135

Tri rope pushdowns
3 sets





Notes.
Fridays fast was 36hrs. Weight dropped to 193lbs. This morning 197 holding water so I'm guessing legit weight is between the two.

First true raw heavy day in a while, felt great to hit 285.
 
How did the 285 move?
 
MrKleen73 said:
How did the 285 move?
Click to expand...

Pretty good, I'm not sure it was worth the risk of a failed rep to try any more than that. I wanted to reach as far as I could today without over reaching. 285 being 95% of my 300lb PR feels like a really good place to kick things off this week.

My plan on bench session 2 this week is to do the opposite. sling shot my way up over 300 again, then a back off 3 x 3 set most likely somewhere in the 260 zone.

then come back at it next week and see if I can make linear progress to 290 and just see what's working and what's not. I'd like to get a little more volume in than I did today, but the 10 x 3 was pretty good.
 
Deads
10 x 135, 185
5 x 235
1 x 285, 335, 365, 395
3 x 415 (2 RIR)
1 x 435

2 x 5 x 315
10 x 315

Lat pull downs
4 sets

Cybex t bar rows, narrow grill
4 sets

Ez bar curls
3 sets

My buddy sorta blew his back out on the 315s so we kinda abbreviated stuff there out.

Awesome pulls tho. I 100% believe deficits are the answer for me
 
Dustin07 said:
Deads
10 x 135, 185
5 x 235
1 x 285, 335, 365, 395
3 x 415 (2 RIR)
1 x 435

2 x 5 x 315
10 x 315

Lat pull downs
4 sets

Cybex t bar rows, narrow grill
4 sets

Ez bar curls
3 sets

My buddy sorta blew his back out on the 315s so we kinda abbreviated stuff there out.

Awesome pulls tho. I 100% believe deficits are the answer for me
Click to expand...
What's your best DL now?
 
GreenMachineX said:
What's your best DL now?
Click to expand...

I believe 475 off the ground this summer, and 500 rack pull from below the knees.
I did go in one day thinking I had 520 in me easy peasy off the rack but forgot my belt so limited myself to like 465 off the rack.

today felt fantastic, just rushed which is a bummer but probably better than overworking.
I HAVE to force myself to do hard deficits regularly. I truly believe they have been the biggest bridge to better deadlifts for me. I felt like I had strong endurance today. I finished with that set of 10 at 315 and it was easier than the first set of 5. so maybe abbreviated sessions, carbs, and deficits are the answer.
 
Segansational said:
Guess I should incorporate deficits - at a light weight for me of course.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily.

Deficits are what are working for him, for now. You don’t necessarily have the same weaknesses currently. And they won’t be the answer for him in 2 years likely, if he successfully uses them to shore up a current shortcoming.
 
Segansational said:
Guess I should incorporate deficits - at a light weight for me of course.
Click to expand...


back in like 2015 I had a huge PR and took my 1rm from 425 up to 455 with a 3 x 425. I had started incorporating both rack pulls and deficits. it was usually like a 4 week cycle for me.

week 1 deficits
week 2 rack
week 3 hard off the ground
week 4 1/2 weight volume

I didn't PR again until this year because I had an injury that set me back in 2016 for about 18 months, then moved twice, then covid, and more specifically, my priorities had changed during that time as well. This year when I started seeing PR's again of course I had added about 700-1000 calories to my daily intake, but the deficits man... as long as I give myself enough recovery, the deficits seem to be huge.

Hyde said:
Not necessarily.

Deficits are what are working for him, for now. You don’t necessarily have the same weaknesses currently. And they won’t be the answer for him in 2 years likely, if he successfully uses them to shore up a current shortcoming.
Click to expand...

for sure. I wouldn't tell everyone I meet its the secret. I'm only pulling what I'm currently pulling. not going to set any world records but they are helping me right now for sure.
 
Hyde said:
Not necessarily.

Deficits are what are working for him, for now. You don’t necessarily have the same weaknesses currently. And they won’t be the answer for him in 2 years likely, if he successfully uses them to shore up a current shortcoming.
Click to expand...

energy and recovery management are a biggy for me. huge actually. rotating between the methodologies I think helps. vs sitting there trying to linearly pound out a +10lb 5 rep every week
 
Dustin07 said:
energy and recovery management are a biggy for me. huge actually. rotating between the methodologies I think helps. vs sitting there trying to linearly pound out a +10lb 5 rep every week
Click to expand...

Right. A lot of things can work, at the right time/scenario, for a while.

I think conventional deficit deadlifts are one of the best deadlift variations in general because they are just a harder movement/good overall strength builder. The added time under tension builds patience, ability to strain, grip & bracing endurance, and more muscle.

But they do change how you set up, position-wise, and they will have you use less weight. So they may be less ideal for someone who just needs more technical work on deads but is already bull strong. Or someone who lacks maximal grip on their 1RM and needs to hold heavier weights more often. Those are times I’d use other variations.
 
Segansational said:
Guess I should incorporate deficits - at a light weight for me of course.
Click to expand...
That depends on where you weak point is. If it is breaking from the floor then yes. If from halfway up your shin up maybe some DL off of blocks. If you haven't been pulling a lot in a while just straight up Conventional Dead until you are highly practiced. Plus if you have a tweaky lower back Deficits might push you over the edge if not careful.
 
Hyde said:
But they do change how you set up, position-wise, and they will have you use less weight. So they may be less ideal for someone who just needs more technical work on deads but is already bull strong. Or someone who lacks maximal grip on their 1RM and needs to hold heavier weights more often. Those are times I’d use other variations.
Click to expand...

that might be why rotating rack pulls and deficits had also done really well for me in the past.
however grip strength has never been a fail point for me unless I had a super shitty bar with zero knurling. I have no idea what my grip strength max truly is with a high quality bar. the only time I attempted 500 off the rack, I got it. I don't think I have ever failed a rep due to grip except when I did have a horrible bar on a crappy day.

i think I've only failed a rep once in my life, maybe twice, when going for a PR at shin height or higher. Generally speaking if I can break the ground, I'll get the rep. that's one of the reasons I think I originally incorporated deficits back in the day.
 
however I don't deny that I do tend to be hyper aware of injury potential in 1rm settings as well and do mentally exhaust myself by over stimulating. I am not good at over reaching after a lifetime of injuries, I feel like I have a hard time reaching a true RPE 10 for 1rm. Although I have always been great at reaching an 11 if it's a light weight wod to failure type thing. both of course are injury potential, but I've always been mentally more comfortable killing myself with high reps than 1. just a deficiency I work on. no big deal
 
I wasn’t saying you shouldn’t be doing them, just to be clear. Just that them being a great movement doesn’t mean they are ideal for Segansational right now, was my point.
 
Bench
2 x 15 x 95
3 x 145, 185, 205, 225

Slingshot
1 x 255, 275, 295, 315, 315 again

Raw
2 x 260 + 1 assisted

Long pause
2 x 3 x 225
5 x 225

20 x 145 (no pause)

Seated rear delt thingies
4 x 12

Superset with
Lateral raises
4 sets 30s

Tricep pull downs
3 x 10-12

Hammer strength decline
3 sets

Dips
3 x 10

Notes
Ideally would have pushed this to tomorrow or Friday but felt recovered enough and have a tight schedule Friday.

Second 315 was so slow my spotter reached in and I said no no, I got it. By the time I racked it we both died laughing. He's like you're the only guy I know who can grind one out that slow and still have a conversation mid rep


Threw down an extra 71g carbs via pretzel buns prewo and felt pretty amped for it. Not supplementation other than pump addict preWO.

Weight 195
 
Dustin07 said:
every time I get feeling sour about wanting to be leaned again, I have a good carby salty session and the pump quickly makes everything feel OK again 😅
Click to expand...
Yeah, there is a certain point at which clothes start to get loose and swallow you on the way down too and it almost hurts your feelings... Then like you said in the other thread you take your shirt off or put on a tank top and tada!!!! When I start to shrink like that I am going to buy smaller clothes to rock my physique. Just take my happy ass to the resale shop.
 
MrKleen73 said:
When I start to shrink like that I am going to buy smaller clothes to rock my physique. Just take my happy ass to the resale shop.
Click to expand...

yeah man I always loved having tailored shirts that fit right but last night a friend of mine gave me this sweatshirt in an XL (I always wear Large) and i gotta admit, it sure was comfortable lol (no that's not me in the picture lol)

I don't remember if I was ever an XL before 😅

Invalid Link Removed
 
MrKleen73 said:
Yeah, there is a certain point at which clothes start to get loose and swallow you on the way down too and it almost hurts your feelings... Then like you said in the other thread you take your shirt off or put on a tank top and tada!!!! When I start to shrink like that I am going to buy smaller clothes to rock my physique. Just take my happy ass to the resale shop.
Click to expand...

When I was 220s I was wearing all of my tightest XLs I hadn’t gotten to sport in eons. It’s a fun change of pace.
 
Plan for yesterday was a light volume day with practice but my colleague had to leave early to run his wife to the ER (she's fine now) so I had a high carb Mexican business lunch but... could not execute gym time. I think if I have to miss a day, that's the day to miss.

new toys came in from sns this week so I'm excited about that.
starting a fast (well started at 8pm last night) and a round of golf today.
 
Yeah, missing what was going to be a fluff session isn't too big of a deal. Got some extra recovery in I am sure.
 
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