Go with the flow!

[SpacecityPaula]

Espi:

So after Lyle Diagnosed you, did you ever go in and get a formal diagnosis of PCOS from a doctor? I'm assuming yes, but you know what happens when you assume.

[Espi]

I did go and see the gyneacologist but as far as I remember, they didn't actually 'see' multiple ovaries. Which can be explained because at the time (2002 or 2003), my cycles were normalized to 27-29 days, rather than the usual 35-42 and sometimes even 60 days.
However, I did have elevated DHT (no more free T, otherwise I'd have been more muscular), androsteendione and somewhat elevated cortisol levels as well as some hirsutism (excess hair growth).
The excess hair growth seems to have gone away mostly. I've not had my levels re-checked. I've been told that women that suspect PCOS can also self-diagnose by tracking temperature. If they get multiple (ovulation) peaks, it's also quite likely they have PCO(S), since each release of an egg will result in a temperature spike.
I guess that right now a lot of the PCO(S) symptoms no longer or barely apply.

Yet, precisely this month I've just seen a similar spike the day after a huge overfeeding day, but it fell back again the next day. I'd concluded this spike was due to the thermic effect of food, but now I'm not so sure, since I also had the typical 'Mittelschmerz cramps' on that day.
Last month I also overfed by a huge amount on the exact same day (12) but the temperature kept rising, so I landed firmly into the luteal (bulking) phase.

[SpacecityPaula]

You mean multiple cysts on the ovaries right? When I was diagnosed (I happened to read an article of Cosmo about it), if you looked at the ultrasound of my ovaries, you got the classic string of pearls effect from multiple empty follicular cysts. I cycle every month, but I'm anovulatory. the Hirsuitism part drives me nuts.... an aesthitician once told me that women with ovary problems often get hair on their necks.

[Espi]

Yes, of coruse.. multiple cysts, not ovaries .

[Espi]

Friday April 25
Funky Times 1-3B
all weights in kilograms

DYNAMIC STRETCHING
The usual 10 exercises.

A1 front squat w hang cleans
WU: hang cleans w 25-28-30-35kg to move bb out of the way & too tired to hang clean on the way back
WU: 35x5
55 (6RM)x5
60 (4RM)x4
65 (2RM)x3 , PR!
Experience was a bit similar to last time.. not really feeling strong and yet, improving upon the best effort by 1 rep .

B1 Romanian DL
WU: 50x5 – 70x5
80 (6RM)x5
85 (4RM)x5
90x4
95x2
Not really satisified. Still looking for the right form! Did them standing on top of 2 20kg disks so I’d get enough stretch in the hammies.

C1 1-leg press
26 (13RM) x7 (+2)
24 (20RM)x9 (+4)
At least not as bad as last time.

OK sets, but felt quite weak.
C2 seated leg curl
40x13

ODD EXERCISES
None today

CARDIO
24min @ 10-15% & mostly 5,5 km/hr speedwalk
3min cooling down
285kcal (633kcal/hr; +28) – 2,49 km (5,53km/hr ; +0,48) - 305m (12,25%; -1,68%)
Again , a relatively easy ‘MI’SS session.

General: still not back into the swing of things. Despite the PR, I’m so dragging my feet. Not really exhausted at home or anything, just ‘tired leg syndrome’. I’m combating it by ditching at least half of my normal sets and not doing anything strenuous re cardio.

Training statistics
Volume: 9556
# of sets: 23 # of reps: 143 - avg reps/set : 6,2 - kg/rep : 66,8

[Espi]

Sunday April 27
Funky Times 1-3C
all weights in kilograms

DYNAMIC STRETCHING
The usual 10 exercises.

A1 weighted chins
BW+10x1 (0)– BW+8x1 (0)– BW+6x1 (0) – BW+4x2 (0)– BW+2x2 (-1) – BWx3
This time, there was less struggling. Good!

B1 db bench press
WU: (2x16)x5
(2x18)x5
(2x20; 9RM) x5
(2x22; 7RM) x4 (-3) – (2x23; 5RM)x[color=Red[6 , PR![/color]
Taking it ‘easy’ until the final set. Felt quite satisfied.

as superset w
B2 bb bent over row w UH grip
WU: 50x5
55 (8RM)x5 (-2)
60 (7RM)x4 (-2)
65 (5RM)x3 – 67,5 (4RM)x2
It was better than it looked, since I concentrated more on form/technique , than on making the wt go up, no matter what

C1 military press
24 (11RM)x9
23 (12RM)x10 (+2)
22 (14RM)x11 (+1)
Also better than last week.

As superset w
C2 single arm lat pull down (with pulley tied to both lines)
28x3
24,5x6
21x8
Whoah, this is a LOT harder than just alternating the pulls as I now really had to pull the entire stack up.


D1 close grip bench press
40x4
Didn’t pursue any further.. hate bench presses for how they bother shoulders.

E1 pec deck
40 x11 (-3)

CARDIO
17min @ 15% & 4,5-6,5 km/hr speedwalk
3min cooling down
165kcal (619kcal/hr; -14) – 1,45 km (5,44km/hr ; -0,09) - 183m (12,6%; +0,35%)
Another easy fast paced walk.

General: did slightly less volume than originally designed and at a leisurely pace. It seems I’m getting back into it again.. good, since right before leaving I almost didn’t want to. This is the first really UB-only workout since I changed the routine. So nice to have an easier workout thrown in , w/o legs or DL work!

Training statistics
Volume: 7677 (-4157)
# of sets: 30 (0) # of reps: 178 (-62) - avg reps/set : 5,9 (-2,2) - kg/rep : 43,1 (-5,8)

[Espi]

So.. I skipped a workout today. Was running late and felt blah. It's been the n-th time I was feeling blah about going to the gym. Workouts were improving but I was just still not 'there' and into it.
Since my gym is closed tomorrow due to Queen's Day (April 30), and on Thursday as well due to Passover (?) and once again on Monday due to Liberation Day (May5) which is a hyoooge celebratory event.. I'll just take nearly an entire week off. Eats will be at or slightly over estimated mtn. Today is waaaaay over as I started carb loading yesterday evening..

It's puzzling.. am actually feeling not so bad at all, but am just a tad tired and don't feel like training. Quite unusual, or perhaps not so much as me and my new program just don't jive with each other very well. Ditching GM seems to be a logical first step.

[SpacecityPaula]

Espi:
What are you usual 10 exercises for stretching?

[stingo]

What don't you like about your program?

[Espi]

I'm not 100% sure on the actual names here but here they go
1 'windmills' = rotating arms forwards and backwards
2 kneeling down and standing up with hands keeping on the floor (it's faster and easier than doing an inch worm)
3 Frankensteins = swinging up 1 leg at the time and touching the toe with the opposite hand
4 something you'd call cat/camel: making a bump and arching the back , this is combined with moving the hips from left to right
5 push ups, have done knee push ups but now I do 'real' ones again as I lost strength here and want to bring it up again
6 lateral (static) lunges
7 reverse walking lunges
8 prisoner or actually 'kipping' squats , viz BW squats in which I swing arms back when I go down and forwards when I go up
9 Russian twist on ball , w medicin ball = you twist arms from left to right when holding up a medicin ball
10 swiss leg curl, SHELC (?) = lie on floor with feet on Swiss ball and pull it closer to the hips when making a bridge and then pushing it back.

[Espi]

Originally Posted by stingo

What don't you like about your program?

It's not that I don't like it,as I made the program myself. I just didn't realize it was so much work. At first I even had leg exercises on 3 out of 3 workouts.
I'm doing more volume and higher intensity work for legs than I've done in eons... all the time thinking that I was hitting my legs quite a bit with both front squat and deadlifts. I wasn't! Even front squats I bring up by using quite a bit of lower back strength!

My legs OTOH, seem to have grown weak. Heck I've grown weak in nearly every aspect, at least esp when handling higher volume work. Only for db presses I keep improving.

Probably also the fact that a decreased food intake is finally catching up with me. And then I've been having gastro-intestinal issues for over a month now , which culminated last week.

[Espi]

Today is May 1, hence time for a monthly update.

30d weight etc. averages May1/April1
May 1, 2008
63,0kg = -0,4kg
26,0bf% = -0,4%
F: 16,4kg=-0,3kg
= 0,0kg F to go to 63,0kg @ 26% = normal bf%! Back to bf% of November
= 2,1kg F to go to 60,9kg @ 23.5% = good bf%!

LBM: 46,6kg=-0,1kg
P-ratio: 17% LBM loss re to 30d avg wt loss . Reason for loss after the previous gain: tummy troubles!

April 1, 2008
63,4kg = +0,3kg
26.4bf% = -0.5%
F: 16,7kg=-0,3kg = 0,3kg F to go to 63.1kg @ 26% = normal bf%!
LBM: 46.7kg=+0.6kg !
P-ratio: 226%% LBM gain re to 30d avg wt gain
First time ever I gained a substantial amt of LBM while losing fat. Can only think of Karno4 as the main cause.

30 day average intake, maintenance & predicted expenditure
In April I was eating 2225kcal, which was 4,2% less than my actual maintenance of 2324 kcal, which led to 349g fat loss.
By using my own formulas, I had estimated to have a maintenance of 2283 kcal, so that’s 41kcal less than the actual maintenance.

In March I was eating 2230kcal, which was 4.4% less than my actual maintenance of 2332 kcal, which led to 341g fat loss.
By using my own formulas, I had estimated to have a maintenance of 2323 kcal, so that’s 9kcal less than the actual maintenance. Am relieved that actual mtn has gone up again.

30 day average macronutrient breakdown
April
carbs: 199g | 36% | 3,1g/kg BW
protein: 144g | 26% | 2,3g/kg BW = 3,1g/kg LBM
fat: 95g | 38% | 1,5g/kg BW
sat. fat : 39%
fiber: 30g


March
carbs: 196g | 35% | 3.1g/kg BW
protein: 147g | 26% | 2.3g/kg BW = 3.1g/kg LBM
fat: 95g | 39% | 1.5g/kg BW
sat. fat : 40%
fiber: 29g
Almost exactly the same breakdown as for March, w a tad less protein.

……………………………………………………………………………… …………

30d avg activity
April 2008
Amt of rest-WO-days: 16r-14T
kg lifted : 4833 (-690)
activity: 79min/day (-10)

March 2008
Amt of rest-WO-days: 15r-15T
kg lifted : 5523kg/day (+303)
activity: 89min/day (+15)
Less workouts and quite a bit less volume and cardio.

Comparison rest vs training days
April 2008
Calories eaten: rest 1646 (-146) =72% (-10) of mtn | lifting 2982 (+251) =134% (+10) of mtn
Carbs: rest 109 (-26) g | training 315 (+49)g
Protein: rest 118 (-4)g | training 178 (+3)g
Fat : rest 83 (-2)g | training 111 (+6)g

March 2008
Calories eaten: rest 1792=82% of mtn | lifting 2731 =124% of mtn
Carbs: rest 135g | training 266g
Protein: rest 122g | training 175g
Fat : rest 85g | training 105g

Ate less on rest days and a lot more on WO days. This is a bigger contrast than it seems to be as my workout ‘day’ already starts the day before, since it’s easier to calculate carbs that way.
I still like this approach a lot more than dragging in the gym and then falling head over into carbs post-workout.

I'm going to focus again on trying to aim for an increase of LBM while losing fat slooooooowly, rather than getting sucked into the diet mentality. I *am* at a BW I truly enjoy, just want the FAT to leave. Whenever I bulk I put on far too much fat, so that's not an option. This is culking.. teeny tiny overall deficits and teeny tiny fat loss. No pain = lots of gain

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Espi

This is culking.. teeny tiny overall deficits and teeny tiny fat loss. No pain = lots of gain

I love it!

[UConnJulie]

Culking? What does that mean?

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

Culking? What does that mean?

cutting + bulking = culking? (better than the alternative merged-word)

[stingo]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

Culking? What does that mean?

I means she's going to turn into Macaulay Culkin.