Go with the flow!

[stingo]

What about updated progress photos?

[Espi]

Yes.. I really should. The only nasty part about getting leaner is how my face looks older than on the avatar, which was taken in Nov 2006. So, that's quite a while ago!

[stingo]

Dang that's a year and a half! High time to post new ones says I.

[dillytl]

Hi Espi! Congrats on the PR's yet again!! You are making some nice progress!

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Espi

So, I don't mind taking like forever to get leaner.

I'm with you on this. I have quite a bit more fat to lose than you but even I am in no hurry. It'll happen eventually.

[Kirjava]

Originally Posted by stingo

Dang that's a year and a half! High time to post new ones says I.

Here here! I agree.
(says one who hasn't posted any progress pics yet at all! )

[Espi]

So much for the plans to keep calories low till day 18 of the cycle and then raise them. Last cycle, the temperature jump didn't happen until day 19, while it normally comes on day 17.

So... this month, the jump was already on day 14, due to the massive overfeeding on day 12.

I'm really getting to understand to a T how food influences the length of a cycle:
- eating very little over a longer period lengthens the first phase and shortens the second phase
- eating a lot on a given day before ovulation , even when you've eaten little on other days will make ovulation happen within a few days
- eating very little on a given day before TOM, even when you've eaten enough on other days , can make TOM arrive within a few days.

So..
- to make ovulation happen reasonably late (like day 17-19) I'll need to eat low calories consistently every day and not skip a single day
- to prevent TOM from coming too early (like before day 24) I'll need to eat moderate to high calories consistently every day and not skip a single day!

Hah... next cycle it's going to be interesting to watch if I can be stronger than my natural tendencies

[Kirjava]

Very interesting insights indeed!
Just curious--why would you want to make ovulation happen late--around day 17 or 19? Why not a bit earlier--I always understood that day 14 to 16 was ideal.

[Espi]

I am trying to diet in the pre-ovulation period. When ovulation happens too early I will be hungry and unable to keep calories low.
Also, as soon as I'm past ovulation, eating little will have the effect that my cycle gets shortened a LOT and TOM gets around after just 22-23 days instead of a more normal 28 days.

That's why I want to cut pre-ovulation and bulk post-ovulation. Cutting pre-ovulation lengthens that period = more fat loss due to the calorie restriction.
Bulking post ovulation will lengthen that period as well. It may not lead to more fat loss , but may lead to LBM gain &strength gains. Plus not have the annoying TOM come too soon.

Last cycle I was pretty good at the cutting and the temperature jumped on day 19 instead of day 17. That's why I decided to keep cutting till day 18 since appetite is very manageable before ovulation.
This time I binged on day 12 and bam, presto.. temp jumped on day 14 already.
I've tracked over 40 cycles and have seen this happening at other times too. And probably also had ovulation happen sooner. I've only started tracking basal body temperatures a year ago, so can't be sure.

I'm not sure if I am the only one whose menstruation cycle is so superduper sensitive to calorie/carb intake, but I fully intend to understand what makes it work in specific ways and be able to manipulate like *I* want it to happen.

[kfisherx]

No you are not the only one. I notice huge changes based on diet. Adding fat to my diet (regularly) seems to make mine early and heavy. I don't get into the tracking much beyond that though.

I am totally with you on the lean face thing. As I was dropping weight before my face looked so old. Everyone commented on how healthy and young I looked when I started to put on a bit of bf. Even so I am going for a giant cut this summer.

[Espi]

The too lean face look especially happened when I dropped wt fast past November due to getting shingles. Everyone who gets ill looks bad in their face.
I've always prided myself on looking younger than I really am. This year I'll be 45, the pic was taken in Nov 2006 so that was when I was 43.
It's unavoidable I start to look older, but the wrinkles aren't what I want.

yet.. OTOH there's a happy medium. A lot of people look older when they are (too) fat and start looking better once they lean out.

The bad part is that my face is already 'there' or actually 'beyond' the optimal look, but my body is not there yet. By taking it really sloooooowwwwly I may prevent looking like an old hag. One more reason I didn't put up a new pic (besides I don't like having people taking pix of me.

Something that is really exciting though is how my body changes in its' preferences for food, eg it wants & needs more carbs and less fats nowadays.


But now, my workout

Wednesday April 2
Triple Anti-KISS 4-3B
all weights in kilograms

DYNAMIC STRETCHING
The usual 10 exercises.

double wave
A1 front squat w hang cleans
WU: hang cleans w 25-28-35-30kg to move bb out of the way & no more other hang cleans.
WU: 50x5
55x5 – 57,5 (5RM)x5 (0)
60x3 – 62,5 (3RM)x3 (0)
65x1 – 67,5 (2RM)x1

No wonder I didn’t pull off another PR on the 67,5 kg: the wts for the 2nd wave had me doing the reps I just PRd on the week before

PREPARATORY WORK
B1 deadlift
WU: 67,5x5
75 x7 (-1)
77,5x7 (+1)
80x7 (+2)

As superset with
B2 chins or supine rows
As a real chin: BWx2
In Smith : BW+8x7-7
Another chin: BWx3

C1 leg press – narrow stance
BW+40x10
BW+47x8
Legs started to shake from fatigue


ODD EXERCISES
Excercises You've Never Tried Before #15
Single Arm Overhead Dumbell Squat



Description:
This might be the best "core stability" exercise we've tried. We learned this full-body challenge from Alwyn Cosgrove.

Use two dumbbells for this exercise – a heavy one and a lighter one (50-60% of the load of the first dumbbell). Taking a shoulder-width stance, hold the heavier dumbbell in your left hand by your side, and the lighter dumbbell pressed up over your head. Now, maintaining an erect torso, squat down, keeping your body weight in the center.

The offset load will create a large torque through your back and midsection. Fight your body's natural tendency to want to lean to one side!

Practice:
6/3 x 5 for each side
8/4 x 5 for each side
The arm that holds the db overhead wants to go sideways and starts to hurt at a certain angle , so most time was spent trying to find the least painful position, which turned to be a kind of 'cleaned' position'

Opinion: neutral: was hesitant to try it at higher wts due to shoulder issues, but may be an interesting balancing exercise that is good as a core builder for those w/o shoulder issues

CARDIO
None today as I felt fatigued and all treadmills were taken. Besides, I was walking to/from the gym today so that’s a 30min walk right there.

General: I’d have to thought to have more oomph left after Saturday’s humongous eats (500g of carbs), but it seems I’ve already burnt through that glycogen and have actually even started losing weight since then, while I’d been stalled before. I even feel leaner too..
Tomorrow I’ll be doing another carb-up with more carbs than I had yesterday (ate a kg of strained yoghurt, so that’s a ton of P but not so many carbs).

Training statistics
Volume: 11630 (+2302)
# of sets: 29 (+10) # of reps: 170 (+30) - avg reps/set : 5,9 (-1,5) - kg/rep : 68,4 (+1,8)

[Espi]

Friday April 4
Triple Anti-KISS 4-3C
all weights in kilograms

DYNAMIC STRETCHING
The usual 10 exercises

A1 weighted chins
BW+8x1 (0)– BW+6x1 (0)– BW+4x2 (+1) – BWX2x3 (+1)– BWx2 (0)
Not as tired as last week
B1 deadlift as double wave
WU: 50x5 – 60x4
85x4 (0) – 90x4 (-2)
90x3 (-3) – 95x3 (-1)
95 (6RM)x2 (-2) – 100 (3RM)x3 (0)
Not bad at all. No improvements, but staying steady.

PREPATORY WORK
C1 decline db/bb press
(2x19, 8RM)x8 (0)
(2x18)x9 (-1)
(2x17)x12 (-2)

As superset w
C2 db row
19 (9RM)x7 (0)
18 x10 (0)
17 x12 (+2)
Satisfactory.

ASSISTANCE LIFTS
D1 pull throughs
36,3 (8RM)x8 (0)
33,8 (8RM) x15 (+7), PR, didn’t slip back this time

SMALL STUFF

E1 kneeling crunch
28,8 x2
26,3x8


F1 exo rotation
3,8 x12L/12R (-5/-5)

G1 wood chop
16,3x12 (-1)


ODD EXERCISES
Excercises You've Never Tried Before #15
None that I liked enough to do or was able to do : like no bands + bum shoulders = no band dips. Could’ve done the GM squat but felt lazy.

CARDIO
17min @ 15% & 5,0-6,7 km/hr speedwalk , finishing with a 8,5km/hr jog
4min cooling down
249kcal (711kcal/hr; +21) – 2,02 km (5,77km/hr ; +0,30) - 278m (13,8%; +0,5%)
HR only went up to 145bpm max until I started jogging when it bumped to 158bpm AFAIK.

General: still not at the max level, but staying steady in a decent shape without feeling tired or exhausted at the end. Good sign! Next 3 workouts will be more strenuous and also.. better fuelled as the mini-bulk is about to begin (day 19 of cycle)!

Training statistics
Volume: 9899 (+1148)
# of sets: 29 (+1) # of reps: 241 (+13) - avg reps/set : 8,3 (+0,2) - kg/rep : 41,1 (+2,7)

[Espi]

So.. yesterday my SO took some pics of me. Man, was I ever disgusted.

I'm turning into having a bit more femine shape... so, yes, my abs are leaning out a bit and my waist does get slimmer. BUT
- butt cheeks are still sagging
- virtually no ham development
- legs are getting fatter (feminine fat deposits!!)
- same for the triceps fat.. growing more femine too and jigglier to boot
- still no or very little lat growth
- my girlz are virtually non-existant and.. I've got a hyooge amt of surplus abdominal skin and no money on hand to get it removed.

However, my honey pointed out my butt looks fantastic when I am lying down (yeah, I've got some big Afro-butt going).
Also my quadriceps have grown into hugantic size due to the front squats. But this actually makes me weep even more for the lacking hamstrings development. HOW to make them GROW???

More good news:
- the actual belly fat is disappearing and I can even see the outline of my abs if I draw in my huge belly
- my shoulders are finally growing due to the cleans
- some nice veinage going on in both lower arms and lower legs (well if you like veinage)

So in total, there's about as many things I'm happy about (shoulders, abs, quads) as I'm unhappy about (fat on buttcheeks, triceps, upper legs; lack of muscles on hamstrings & upper back)

So, not really wanting to post pics. Besides.. they were done nekkid.

[Espi]

Sunday April 6
Triple Anti-KISS 4-4A
all weights in kilograms

DYNAMIC STRETCHING
All the 10 usual exercises, finally 10 real pushups again

double wave
A1 db bench press ,
WU: (17x2)x4
(19x2)x5 (0) – (20x2)x5 (+1)
(21x2)x4 (0)– (22x2)x4 (+1)
(23x2; 5RM)x3 (0) – (24x2; 3RM)x3
The 24kg was a bitch to get to the proper height but then ‘repping it out’ wasn’t too hard. Dang, once again I thought to have not done 3 reps w 24kg before, but I had. Didn’t dare to go for a 4th one.

as supersets w
A2 bb bent over row w UH grip (using wrist wreights from the db presses for 1st wave)
WU: 47x7
52x7 – 55x7
57x5 – 60x5
60 (7RM)x4 – 65 (5RM) x4
No PR here either , but I wonder how much body English I must have been using to eke out 5 reps at 65kg (143lbs). Time to switch things up and use an easier to ‘gauge’ row.

PREPATORY WORK
B1 front squat
hang cleans w 25-28-30-35kg. No cleans for hanging stuff back.

WU: 40x5
45x8
50 (9RM) x8 (-1)
52,5 (7RM)x8, PR!!
First had wanted to try 10 reps and use sane wts as las week, but wasn’t feeling like working that hard.. so simply upped the wt to 52,5kg and still got a PR


ASSISTANCE LIFTS
C1 standing military press
23 (11RM) x 12 ,PR!
22x9
21x10
Man you get so exhausted quickly on MPs! Quite happy with the PR. There’s something funky going on with MPs, viz. that 12 reps is what I can max on quite a few weights, so here’s a flattish curve (horizontal = wts, vertical = reps) instead of an oblique one as it should be

As superset w
C2 triceps rope pushdown
21,3 (11RM) x8 (-1)
18,8x10 (+4)

C3 pec deck
42,5 (16RM)x10
40 x12 (0)

ODD EXERCISES & CARDIO
None today.. am in bulk mode sirree Besides, had arrived late & gym was closing.


General: good workout. Not truly stellar as I had a problem focussing really well (read: yakked far too much), but strength is back again!
Also, I just dreamed up a new routine that will make me put more emphasis on lats, shoulders and hamstrings. It's either going to be
1 backside of body + UB + LB or
2 backside + 2x FB (one starting at UB, the other starting at LB)
It will involve 3 workouts/week (instead of EOD) plus 1 free choice class = RPM (if knee doesn't whine) or yoga/callistenics/BodyBalance

Training statistics
Volume: 12319 (+305)
# of sets: 40 (-1) # of reps: 240 (-8) - avg reps/set : 6,0 (0,0) - kg/rep : 51,3 (+2,9)

[nutbar]

Congrats on the PRs!

Originally Posted by Espi

So, not really wanting to post pics. Besides.. they were done nekkid.

Ha! Doing something that scary would not even occur to me.

[Espi]

Hmm my honey loves to see me that way