9th September: Week 4 Day 2 (YMCA)

Squat:
100x5x3

Cable Row:
5 sets of 10

Rear Delt Flies:
3 sets of 10

Feeling a bit sore so went in for some recovery squats and supplemental back work.

10th September: Week 4 Day 3 (GS)

Comp Bench Press:
97.5x3
100x3x2

DB Bench Press:
37.5sx6x4

Half ROM Bench Press:
85x4x4

Dips:
BWx10x4

Lat Pulldown:
5 sets of 10

Bench press feeling really good, RPE was probably 8-8.5 on the 100s, achievement unlocked. Everything else felt pretty good too. Still rating groin muscle pain on the 2-3 level, will have to keep on top of it. PL competiton is November 8, then I'll try to do a novice strongman comp at the end of november that we'll be running.

Noods. Not safe for anybody, fat as **** cut cut cut.

Lot of real LBM in those pics

Your increase in bench is pretty impressive, and in all seriousness I'm worried you're going to pass me next year.

Do you have any aesthetic goals (or dreams), or are you just taking it as it comes? To be honest if I would meet you at a pool I would never think you're as strong as you are. If you would tell me you squat 200kg I probably wouldn't believe you. With that upper back thickness you've got going on in the front pic, having some more chesticles popping out would look great on you. You'd look like a small white Elliot Hulse.

ETA: You obviously look better than 90% on the forum obv would/would

Skinny, bulk.

Agree with Weasel. Everyone fat looks like they can lift.

Syndrom doesn't understand how fitness model pecs don't just magically appear once you start doing 185 for reps? Story checks out.

It worked for me!

Cheers, buddy. I don't think my bench progress has been all that amazing numbers wise, but considering the starting point I'm pretty damn pleased. I feel pretty ******ed that you posted on the 2nd or 3rd page of this log about how to go about getting a better bench and its taken this long to actually implement that advice, and lo and behold...

Thanks (i think?). I don't have any aesthetic goals. Do i want to look better, sure, don't we all? Do I care enough to be more rigorous with my diet and spend time in the gym doing tedious things? Not really. Do i care that I don't look like I lift? Not really. Compared to the pics in the OP, and what I looked like before I started lifting at all, im reasonably ok with how its gone. I should probably do more direct pec and arm work, i dunno. My lifting technique has got a ton better since the start of this log too, so i'll count that in the win column. I like the technical aspects and being in the gym, the worrying about diet thing is that **** I dont like.



no u

Lookin sexy, Aidan.

Just need to tan up and bodyfat will go from close to 20 to close to 15.

Lol. I mean, i've been slaying it in the gym this year, barely missed a workout and done a bunch of extra workouts. Bench 1RM is moving. I'd definitely like a bigger chest, and I should add in more cardio. Maybe I'll make my accessory workout day more bro focused. We DB benched today for the first time in a while, that'll stay for a while and hopefully it helps.



I've started working on my tan, it's finally warm enough here. Hopefully by christmas I'll be a bit tanned and not cancered.

Posting the pics has at least got me to take stock, and I'm probably letting myself down on all of my outside of the gym stuff, particularly nutrition. I've re-started tracking macros and will also get back to doing more SMR at home. My current diet is not high enough in protein and too high in carbs and fat.

Im not really sure where to aim for calorie wise at the moment. Is recomp possible? Someone tell me what to do. 5' 9" 180lbs, meet coming up in 8 weeks, lift 4 times a week, doing little-no cardio at the moment, summer is on its way.

I guess I'll be aiming for something like:

Cals	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)
2500	>180	<265	81

Should be about maintenance according to calculator. Thoughts?

I feel like this is very common. Bad eating, sleeping, mobility, conditioning, etc. Seems like people are only good at lifting weight 3-4 times a week and scrutinizing their programs the rest of the time.

Myself included of course.

Yep. I need to do better. No excuses.

Summer just finished, bro. Wait, nvm

Carb cycle and get down to 175 and make an easy water cut to 165 while getting stronger.

Applicable at 7 times a week too I heard.

	Cals	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)
target	2500	>180	<265	81
9/11	2631	141	263	115

Measurements:
Around stomach at belly button: 35"
Around neck below adams apple: 15 1/8"
Bodyweight: 82.0kg
Puts me at ~20% bf navy method.

I've been reading a lot of Jordon Feigenbaum stuff on SS forum and elsewhere. Plan is to get calories under control, get protein up, start making better snack decisions and add in some HIIT (he recommends 20s on/140s off for 7-8 repeats on a rower, but I might sub KB swings in?).

Haha!

No point cutting water with two hour weigh ins for IPF. Im in that twilight zone where I'm too fat to bulk properly to 84-85kg and too tall to cut to 73. Damn sons all round.

That seems low for maintenance. That's my maintenance at 164. Just eat 3000cals man with 200g protein and throw in a bit of conditioning and more volume so you don't balloon to 85kg. Jesus man, you are a powerlifter. Snap out of it. Obviously as you get older you either up the conditioning to stay healthy or cut to 165. It's wishful thinking that you will be 180 and Jacked. I mean that's what I want also, but I just get cottage cheesy instead.

Aidan,

I prefer what you suggested. Eat more, but add in conditioning and/or HIIT. Better to eat more+burn more. Even if there's no actual nutritional benefit, compliance is easier imo. Adjust as necessary if you find you're affecting your recovery for strength sessions. Recomp is possible. You will probably just lose weight. I think you go several weeks and lose several pounds before you start to feel the weakness of a cut setting in. But that's fine. Cut out some of the conditioning/HIIT or eat more and go back to maintenance for a few weeks, then rinse, repeat, until you're at the desired weight/leanness.

I am of the saw-method when it comes to macros. Figure out your calories and your protein. Let the rest fall where it will.

Meet in 8 weeks = **** HIIT, unless it's typical fake HIIT where you just drag an easy sled or do some swings or farmers walks a couple times a week.

Real HIIT is no joke and saps up recovery. If you're already training 4x a week it's tough to sneak in. If anything the way to do it is very slowly (like 2 prowler sprints in week 1, 3 in week 2, etc until 8, then slowly ramp a 2nd day). But this is both hard to do right and tedious.

Just bang this meet out and figure it out after.

Agree that you shouldn't start throwing around what works for you 8 weeks before a meet. It would make more sense to think about what you want to accomplish on that day and what you can do to improve this, rather than suddenly start engeneering tables and calories and exercises to get rid of some tiny bit excess bodyfat you might have.

I also think Navy method is rating you high because you have the the world's pencilist neck.

12th September: Week 4 Day 4 (GS)

Deadlift:
182.5x3x3

Box Squat:
130x4x3

GHR:
4x8

Cable Row:
5x10

Deadlifts were kind slow towards the end. Box squats felt good, working hard to keep my knees out.

All good thoughts, thanks very much for the input. I'll mull it over.

KC makes a good point. No HIIT. Do some LISS. Yum.