Friday June 2 – 148.8 lbs
 
2x13 hanging leg raises
75 chin-ups
150 push-ups

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

OHP – 5x45lbs, 2x5x82.5, 5x82.5
Chin-ups – 6x, 6x +35lbs
RDLs – 2x8x45lbs, 8x75, 8x115, 8x135
DL – 2x5x95lbs, 5x135, 5x165, 5x195

2368 cal/190 carb/93 fat/161 protein/45 fibre

Saturday June 3 – 149.1 lbs
 
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
2x13 hanging leg raises
75 chin-ups
150 push-ups

45min walk

2135 cal/126 carb/90 fat/172 protein/34 fibre

+/- a bunch of cals on Friday and Saturday. Was out for lunch on Friday and for dinner on Saturday.

Sunday June 4 – 150.5 lbs

2x13 hanging leg raises
75 chin-ups
150 push-ups
 
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x115, 2x5x130, 6x130, 10x115
Curls – 5x45lbs, 13x67.5, 12x67.5
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x125, 2x155, 2x5x175, 6x175, 8x155

1969 cal/180 carb/63 fat/178 protein/49 fibre

Dodged a couple doses of pizza at kids birthday parties. Ice cream cake could not be avoided however.

Nice job on the extra sets!

You need to summon some WIM for squats. You got 195x5 just three days ago, so you should be good for 175x9 today. Not sure if you sorted out your rest between sets like we discussed. Anyway, the reset protocol for GSLP when you fail to get 3x5 is to lower the weight to something you could hit for 9+ reps in the third set, then continue to progress and hit rep PRs from there. If you were truly capable of only 6 reps at that weight today, then you should have reset the weight even farther back.

Thanks Renton. More WIM for squats would certainly help. I find I am still super gun shy about stressing my back so I wimp out early on squats often. I do try to get to only having one full rep left in the tank but I very likely error on the soft side of that regularly. I have been going super slow and easy on DL for the same reason. I have failed enough OHP and Bench reps that I feel like I can judge a bit better on those lifts now but unless I literally fail a rep I never seem to know for certain how much I had left in the tank.

I did extend the rest breaks a bit to 3min or a bit more but under 4min ahead of the last set of squats.

On resets I have just been slicing 10% off the bar and rounding down to the nearest 5lbs.

Generally taking 10% off the bar should result in you being able to do nearly double the reps. I really think if you'd have rested for a solid 5-6 minutes and just said "I'm going to hit this for 10" to yourself before you got under the bar for the 175 AMRAP, then you'd have hit it. Probably with reps in reserve. As far as fear of failing, you have safeties for that. I don't know your back injury history so I can't comment on that. I can tell you from experience that you almost always have more squat reps than you think, especially when you are 6 reps into a set of a weight that is 90% of your 5 rep PR.

You might benefit from resetting the weight even further to around 160-165, getting some confidence and some nice bar speed for sets of 5, and practicing doing the balls-out 15-reppers that you should be more than capable of doing at such lighter weights. It wouldn't slow your progress that much, as GSLP progression suggests to take 10 lb jumps if you exceed 10 reps in the AMRAP.

I will try taking closer to a 5min rest before my next final workset and see how that goes. May try dropping weight further on a back-off set to rack up some good extra volume as well. Will consider peeling back the weight a bit further too. I usually feel like another rep is there if I would just take enough time to pant before attempting it. I am quick to stop though at the sign of any back discomfort and it is tricky to discern between good and bad discomfort.

Re Back injury - Towards the end of last summer within just a couple months of getting my home gym set up I messed up my lower back (probably bad form on rows, maybe squats, maybe DL's. The final work set was just a 10x150lb squat but there had been mild back discomfort leading up to that set, nothing remotely worrying though - never got anything diagnosed and only saw a massage therapist afterwards). Ended up taking two months mostly off and had pretty bad pain immediately after reintroducing squats. Took two more months completely off and then started back with a lot of core work, body weight stuff and kettlebell swings. Have been fine since starting back up in January, lifting since February and attribute most of the back health to the core work. No way for me to know if any of that back health can be attributed to correctly reacting to warning signs and stopping short of issues.

I think I will modify as follows:
- reset squat back to 165lbs
- increase rest before final work set
- add a back off amrap set with 10% weight removed
- start microloading when I get within 90% of my previous 5 rep max
- lift Wed/Fri/Sun on 2xBench weeks
- lift Wed/Thu/Sat/Sun on 2xOHP weeks and add a Bench (and maybe DL) session to the Sunday

Monday June 5 – 150.4 lbs

Rest day
90min massage

1567 cal/108 carb/68 fat/143 protein/37 fibre

My chicken was still frozen in the morning when I went to finish getting my lunch salad ready so I rummaged around for some tuna and dumped a couple cans in. This salad turned out to be way tastier than I was expecting as the tuna in question turned out to be 230cal per can with 14g of fat due to being packed in olive oil and made for a 750cal lunch. Spinach, mache lettuce, blueberries, raspberries, grape tomatoes, yellow pepper, avocado, pecan halves and dried cranberries rounded it out. This, or something close to it, has pretty much been my usual lunch for the past few months in a row now with a combo of chicken breast and thigh in place of the tuna. Other ingredients like cucumber, kale, shaved brussel sprouts, strawberries and other peppers cycle in and out. I drop the nuts and cranberries if I want to keep the kcals in check and never use dressing. I usually make a big enough batch to leave a chunk for an afternoon snack or even later as part of a pre-workout meal. They tend to be somewhere between 450 and 600cal on average with 45 to 60 grams of protein. I should probably swap in tuna more often and likely would if it all were soaked in oil like this batch.

Tuesday June 6 – 149.7 lbs

Rest day
10min swim

1473 cal/95 carb/56 fat/155 protein/36 fibre

Wednesday June 7 – 149.4 lbs

2x13 hanging leg raises
80 chin-ups
150 push-ups
 
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

OHP – 5x45lbs, 2x5x83, 6x83, 10x70
Chin-ups – 7x, 6x +35lbs
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x125, 2x145, 2x5x165, 10x165, 10x145+5x145

10min swim

1932 cal/157 carb/75 fat/169 protein/50 fibre

Rested longer between work sets and gave myself close to 5min before the last squat workset. Reracked for 20 or 30 seconds on the backoff squat set. Not entirely certain that I got 7 reps on the 1st set of chins, it was super close either way. I think a piece of goatee hair broke the plane though.

Thursday June 8 – 149.5 lbs

2x13 hanging leg raises
80 chin-ups
150 push-ups

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x115, 2x5x132, 5x132 F, 10x115
Curls – 5x45lbs, 13x67.5, 13x67.5
RDLs – 2x8x45lbs, 8x75, 8x115, 8x135
DL – 2x5x95lbs, 5x135, 5x165, 4x200

1837 cal/164 carb/66 fat/161 protein/46 fibre

Played around with slightly wider and more narrow grips on Bench and didn’t notice much difference either way. I have been benching with my pinkies just inside the inner rings which is more narrow than I initially started with. Anyway, bench went reasonably bad failing rep 6 which I should have had. DL was ok.

Good effort in the backoff set though!

I'd move the RDLs after the DLs, and potentially move them to a different day entirely. I'd also do the 5x165 after the 4x200, and just pull a single or double to ramp up to the 200 set from the 135 set.

Thanks Renton.

I started the RDLs just to try to find my hamstrings and use them mainly as a stretch and warm up for DLs. I can't remember why I do so many of them now or why I have been bothering to add weight. Just seemed like the thing to do I guess. I could consider saving a heavier set to follow DLs but I do really like the stretch they provide ahead of the DLs. I like the ramp up and back off suggestions for DL and will likely make some sort of change there.

I think they're (RDLs) fine to do that with, I just wouldn't be doing any actual volume i.e. fatiguing sets prior to the DL work set. The 5x165 is a fatiguing set too. The following would be a decent alternative:

45x10 RDL
95x6 RDL
135x5 DL
175x2 DL
200x4 DL (rest 4-6 minutes)
180x8 DL (rest 3-5 minutes)
135x8x2 RDL for assistance/volume*

*fatiguing RDL sets might be best left to a separate day, though.

Looks good, thanks. I'll play around with something like that.

Friday June 9 – 148.6 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

2x13 hanging leg raises
80 chin-ups
150 push-ups

1608 cal/126 carb/54 fat/158 protein/36 fibre

Been trying to shave some calories during the week to pave the way for extra cals with friends in town on Saturday. Need room for afternoon drinks, evening drinks, dinner and after dinner drinks.

Saturday June 10 – 148.0 lbs

15 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

OHP – 5x45lbs, 2x5x84, 5x84, 10x70
Chin-ups – 6x, 6x +35lbs
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x125, 2x145, 2x5x170, 10x170, 13x145

2x13 hanging leg raises
80 chin-ups
150 push-ups

2685 cal/201 carb/80 fat/194 protein/32 fibre

+/-500cal. Went out for dinner and shared a pile of sharing plates so lots of guesswork. Crispy fish, beef and sauerkraut and Cajun chicken tacos, calamari, duck, lobster curry, braised beef curry, sirloin, miso cod, fries, handmade donuts, beer, scotch, wine, probably some other stuff. Workout was okay. Squats went a bit better than upper body stuff.

Sunday June 11 – 148.5 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x115, 2x5x133, 5x133
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
DL – 2x5x95lbs, 5x135, 2x175, 5x200, 7x175
RDL – 2x6x135lbs
Bench – 10x115lbs

15min swim
2x13 hanging leg raises
80 chin-ups
150 push-ups

2020 cal/165 carb/64 fat/202 protein/42 fibre

Forgot bench back off set and did it after everything else. Pretty chaotic weekend with kids events, company from out of town and a few different sets of family popping in for visits at various points throughout.

Monday June 12 – 150.5 lbs

Rest day
10min swim

1419 cal/89 carb/57 fat/144 protein/37 fibre

Our air conditioner broke down the other day and Monday we had a heat advisory. We have confirmed that the compressor is dead so now we get to find out how much of our retirement fund is going to disappear and how long we get to live in a sauna. I anticipate a downward swoosh on the scale.

Sick diet day. What is your body weight target?

165, ripped.

I am trying to trim off my midsection fat belt before I start trying to gain weight, with the intent of getting sub 15% before I start any sort of bulk. It is looking like I might have to get down to your weight to see sub 15% though so we will see. 145lbs will definitely not do the trick, so 140 likely won't either. I don't think I will try to go sub 140 though regardless. Probably wasted all my noob gains cutting or trying to recomp.

I gained strength during the last several months of my cut by adding volume and reducing the intensity a bit. Don't let your expectations of losing strength while cutting become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sucks about the compressor (and that it apparently wasn't under warranty). We had to replace one a few years back one day before we were having 40 people over for the boys' first birthday when it was scheduled to be 95+, so I feel your pain.

Re: cutting, what Renton said. None of us lift enough weight that gainz will be meaningfully impacted by a mild deficit. A bit less intensity, more volume, and keep it up!

I think that I started out weak enough that I should be able to keep eeking my strength upwards while cutting for a bit still. I just needlessly worry about how much in the way of noob gains I may have given up by not just focusing full bore on strength and mass from the get go. Completely pointless because I did not go that route and given the chance to do it over again I would not go that route still. I am pretty comfortable taking care of the extra fat first in the skinny-fat equation.