Regarding the calories thing, why not do a reverse-diet like thing where you add something like 50-100kcal a week and keep doing that until the scale starts moving up.

That's a pretty safe method

I would consider a large carb refeed regardless of plans after

You believe you just lost fat and gained muscle and you want to change what you just did?

That doesn't seem as reliable as theorizing a number, and consuming that number for several weeks to see a substantial trend. There's quite a delay in how the scale responds, such that adding 100 per week would end up being too much by the time the scale responded definitively.

AJ, you mean a refeed before the bulk?

Yes, I would prefer to make faster gains rather than merely gains. Is that wrong? I weigh 123 pounds.

Yes, a large carb refeed over a few days followed by a couple weeks at maintenance should prime you for a higher calorie intake and presumably increased performance

Edit- that's assuming you've been at a deficit for an extended period of time, at least a few months

Deficit for >6 months, followed by 5 weeks of near-maintenance calories leading to the present day. My intent was to begin a surplus with the new training cycle starting this week.

If you didn't do a major refeed between the deficit and maintenance then you should probably do one now and then go to the surplus. It would be the beginning of the surplus essentially

Are you going to add macronutrients proportionately, or just increase carbs/protein?

If he's getting enough protein at the moment for a 123lb dude, then I'd advise just adding in carbs + some fat as the source of the surplus. Adjust protein intake once the scale has moved considerably - Feigenbaum talked about this on a recent BB Medicine pod. I can't imagine a refeed serves any purpose when he's been on maintenance for weeks.

I just weighed 122.6 (all-time low) this morning after a 2k calorie day. I'm thinking the fact that its deload week is a factor as my weight dipped similarly during the last one. Do you just deflate immediately during short layoffs from training? I know it would all come back anyway, just curious.


AJ/Aidan,

"Enough" protein for my body weight is 101g (0.84g/bw). I'd like to pay a bit more attention to meal/protein timing now that I have the luxury of a surplus, so at least 4 and probably 5 >25g protein meals. I've been getting 140g at 1900, so I'll probably bump that up slightly at 2300, with most of the surplus coming from carbs and fats like Aidan suggested. So, 2300 calories, 145-150 protein, as many carbs as possible but not actively restricting fats too hard. So basically making sensible choices like (still) never eating french fries or fried noodles, but having a good amount of rice, potatoes, breads, etc. along with a decent bit of animal and dairy fats.

I'd rather start at significantly higher calories than I am instead of gradually acclimating to it because of something I heard Mike Israetel say on a podcast about applying the overload principle to dieting. If you're trying to cause an adaptation (in this case, to increase muscle mass and body weight), you're better off shocking the system a bit instead of titrating the dose of the stimulus so the body can adjust to it more easily without needing to upset homeostasis. Sounds slightly broscientific, but he's the guru I've chosen *shrug*!

As for re-feeding, there might be some value to a small one. My bodyweight is pretty damn low, and I trained with a good bit of volume last week. I suppose it's just a question of whether the ~160g carbs I've eaten per day during this deload was enough to fix me for glycogen. Dunno enough about this stuff.

I think the only unmentioned variable is getting the carbs around training with less fat then, with the fat at the other meals.

I basically do this, but I don't nit over it too hard.


Sunday, May 28, 2017 Training
Deadlift Variant, C3 Deload

1. Deadlift (kg):

20x10 good morning
20x10 rdl
40x8 rdl
60x4
75x2
90x4
90x4

2. HBBS (kg):

20x10
40x5
60x5
70x5

***

As has been tradition, I took deload week to practice some pulls from the floor. They seem fine?

Squats were not great. Reach depth, have a vertical bar path, pick one. Hmph. I'd have tried another set but I had to meet a friend for lunch. Gonna have to make good things happen on Thursday when I'm expected to squat 77.5x10x3. I think it's just going to take getting used to. In other words, I don't think I'm caving forward because of a muscle weakness, it's just a lack of proprioception on my part that I need to develop.

Dunno who that guy is but "shocking the system" with a sudden large calorie increase is the best way to instantly regain fat after a diet. You will start regaining fat pretty quickly if you suddenly increase kcal significantly without an increase in activity. Having as much bread as you want is a good way to accomplish this. Definitely make sure to track kcal

The carb refeed isn't just about glycogen. 6 months of dieting will have hormonal effects. Large dosages of carbohydrates over a short period of time have been shown to help reverse metabolic downregulation resulting from prolonged dieting

Basically there's no way it's going to have a negative effect and will probably improve your performance in the gym the following week. 160g for 5 weeks isn't that much after a prolonged dieting stint. Doubling or tripling that for 2-3 days would probably do it

I've been tracking calories for over a year now, and have no intention of stopping doing so. And I'm talking about going straight from 1900 to 2300 calories instead of titrating up 100 cal at a time. Not exactly a dirty bulk that I'm planning here.

Sounds fine in that case. I doubt 2300 is that far above your maintenance judging by the last couple pages

People often get good results increasing 200-300 a day to start, and carb refeeding way more often, especially around longer workouts. This allows one to increase kcal in a way that takes advantage of the workout window.

Agreed with Aidan that increased protein isn't necessary. Won't hurt either. I would focus on carbs for sure, before anything else.

Personally I drink gatorade during any hard training sessions even when cutting, but its not for everyone

Week 59 Diet
Maintenance Phase Week 5



This was, overall, a pretty tame week, but tonight I had a total blowout meal. A whipped cream cafe mocha, creamy pumpkin soup, roast chicken, and molten cake and coffee ice cream for dessert. I won't say ActionJeff was directly responsible for that last choice, but certainly a bit influential. I'd have some more protein tonight but it's nearly bedtime, I'm exhausted, and have no desire to eat.

Beginning tomorrow, it's 2300 calories from reasonably clean sources and back to hard training on Wednesday.

@AJ: I'll probably do another highish carb day on Tuesday just to see if it increases the likelihood of kicking off this training cycle with some good workouts. Hopefully not from molten cake.

Steady gains far more important than fast, imo. Don't sacrifice the former for the latter. I'm not really talking about the decision currently before you as much as the overall philosophy. It's not like you have a fixed deadline. At your stage, the gains will come to you, just find an easy, low-risk (wrt injury) way to receive them. Don't stress about how fast they come.

In case nobody visits my lame "log", http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...4&postcount=49

I've talked about your landmine rows, figured I should film my own set.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017 Training
Bench Variant, C4W1 TM79 3x10 @65%

1. Close-Grip Bench (kg):

20x10
35x5
45x3
51x10
51x10
51x11 @8.5

2. T-Bar Row (kg):

52.5x10
52.5x10
52.5x10
52.5x10

2. Arnold Press (#):

30x12
30x12
30x11
30x10

3. Push-ups:

21
21
21

3. Chin-ups (@57kg):

7
7
6

3. DB Laterals (#):

15x13
15x13
15x13

***

Kind of a lackluster day. I lost my upper back tightness during the amrap, so I left a bit in reserve.

T-bar is kind of frustrating. I think the form is improving, I just dislike the way they feel. This time I inclined my back a bit with each rep, and reset the angle between reps. I must have done something right though because I had nothing left for chinups afterward.

Thursday, June 1, 2017 Training
Squat Variant, C4W1 TM121 3x10 @65%

1. HBBS (kg):

20x10 first 4 paused
40x6 first 2 paused
60x4 first 1 paused
70x2
77.5x10
77.5x10
77.5x12

2. Romanian Deadlift (kg):

77.5x10
77.5x10
77.5x10

2. Cable Straight-Back Crunch (#, leverage):

100x19
100x19
100x19

3. Leg Press (kg):

150x12
150x12
150x12

3. DB Hammer Curl (#):

20x16
20x16
20x16

***

Another so-so day. Depth, on average, is probably improving but I still lack consistency. Striving for a new depth standard, even if I don't actually achieve it, is costing me reps. Oh well, I got the prescribed work done. It would be nice if the calorie surplus would step up to the plate a little, otherwise I expect next week's 85x8x4 to be pretty rough.

In good news, the RDLs felt very good.

Saturday, June 3, 2017 Training
Overhead Variant, C4W1 TM47 3x10 @65%

1. Press (kg):

10x10
20x5
25x3
30x10
30x10
30x14 @9.5

2. Chin-ups (@57kg)

4
12 @10 [PR]
8
7 @9

2. Paused CGBP (kg):

20x8
35x4
50x8
50x8
50x8
50x8

3. DB Incline Press (#):

35x12
35x12
35x11

3. Cable Face-pull (#, leverage):

65x20
65x20
65x20

3. DB External Rotations (#):

10x9
10x8
10x9

***



I think that, given how dinky the weights being handled are, it's hard to appreciate how well things have been going for my press without the bird's eye view. Especially when considering that I had basically months of no progress on it before I began this program. If I have a good Week 2, I'll bump the training max up a bit and attempt 35 and 36 in weeks 3 and 4.

I hadn't tried a max set of chin-ups in quite a while, so I took today to get a dipstick reading. Generally with chin-ups, I avoid sets like this, instead trying to maximize total reps across all sets. This is a several month PR, the last one being 11 reps at 61kg body weight, I believe.

Very nice work . . . before I clicked on the chin video, I thought briefly to myself "I wonder how his ROM is" and then thought immediately thereafter "Who am I kidding, it's going to be great because he has formsperger's."

And so it was.

Sunday, June 4, 2017 Training
Deadlift Variant, C4W1 TM143 3x7 @65%

1. 6cm Block Pulls (kg):

20x10 good morning
20x10 rdl
45x8 rdl
60x5
80x3
92.5x7
92.5x7
92.5x11

2. Paused HBBS (kg):

20x8
40x4
60x2
72.5x8
72.5x8
72.5x8

2. Hanging Leg Raise:

18
18
18

3. Machine Seated Row (#):

115x13
115x13
115x13

3. Good Morning (kg):

55x10
55x10
55x10

***

Today was hard. I was still very sore from squat day, mostly in the hamstrings and adductors. Weird, because I didn't feel like I hit it especially hard the other day. Maybe I should not push it as hard during future Week 1s, considering how sensitive the deloads seem to make me to subsequent overloads.

Week 60 Diet
Mass Phase Week 1



I got a little carried away with bulking during the first week, with blowout meals on Tuesday and Saturday. I'm not accustomed to eating this much, and I overcompensated a bit. Today was meant to be a maintenance day but circumstances compelled me to eat out twice with different friends for lunch and dinner instead of staying at home like I'd originally planned. Just gotta adjust to this. I'll put up more consistent numbers this week. In particular, I'd like to reduce my fat intake and replace it with more carbs where possible.