I'm also 5'8 but 160lbs, I usually work out 4 days per week about 2-3 hours each time and for a while I was doing some cardio and also hitting the sauna on avg for 20 minutes. I have cut out the sauna completely because it's ****ing usless now and doesn't get hot enough. I would say fairly active lifestyle but not too crazy now. Also the few calculators I have looked at online all said my maintenance calories are like 3k. I think my goal is to eventually reach like 170 and to be a bit thicker. What are you shooting for?

I went to the sauna a few times recently. It's pleasant but not worth regularly wasting fitness time. IMO

Being 10 lb heavier maybe adds 100 cal to your TDEE, and if you're 5 year younger (Im 28) that might be another 100

I've basically been recomping since I start exercising a year ago. Then 2-3 months of cutting. It does work at my BF% but I think it was short sighted. Was seeking a goal physique 2-3 months out and totally underestimated how long it takes to see changes. Right now I'm aiming for a 'goal' physique 12-18 months out. Will probably bulk up to right around 170, I'm sure I'll be super fat at that point, but then will aim to cut to <15% BF and see from there.

According to greg I should just gain 40lb of lean mass

That seems pretty high to me, not saying it's wrong though.
My maintenance seems to vary around 300 or so depending if I'm eating in @ maintenance or deficit calories. I think it was around 2500 when cutting but prob closer to 2800 now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi5NbkCAaeq/

I found this post interesting. His calories seem on the low end for what I would expect for someone with that much LBM. Idk everyone is different I guess.

DL
3x3x320

Felt light-ish, coming back to me, I guess I'll just do LP for a bit here til I stall

Goblet Squat 2x12x90 1x9x90
SS
Incline Bench 3x12x60

Squats are basically cardio. Probably not worth squats until I can do a more taxing variant.

EZ curl 4x12x50
SS
bar pulldown 4x12x50

60 minutes

BP
4x3x155
Not too heavy but bar moved slow. Will link form check with setup

RDL 4x10x120
SS
cable row 3x12x105

EZ curl 4x13x50
SS
bar pulldown 4x13x50

60 minutes

week 3 bulk

151 BW

poor job of counting, need to eat more. Targeting 2650

DL
3x3x325

Improving leg involvement, generating stress but not at intimidating weights yet



Incline Bench 3x12x60
SS
Leg Press 3x12x325
Trying to keep reps down on upper body work to protect shoulder. Both below rpe 7 atm

EZ curl 4x14x50
SS
bar pulldown 4x14x50
SS
Standing calves 3x20x60

60 minutes

Maybe I'm exaggerating and I'm off a little but I don't think so. A lot of days I was eating something like 4-6 eggs in the morning usually with 2 slices of bread, 2-3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a smoothie from jamba juice and sometimes a sub from subway as well, then for dinner usually like chicken with veggies or pasta. Of course it varied some but that has to be over 3k calories.

I'm basically basing it off the fact that my roommate is 200lbs and for a while I was eating almost as much as him. I don't know for sure how accurate my estimation is since I don't track it. Also for a while I was at like 11% bf, lately I'm at more like 12-13%

Those look pretty solid and pretty easy, good **** man.

Agreed. The only thing I noticed (and it might be the shoulder) is that it looks like the bar drifts a bit away from your shins a bit, which could indicate a lack of lat tightness. Chest could maybe be a bit higher/tighter too.

What's your stance width like? Looks super narrow there, though it could just be the angle.

Hard to say based on this information, but it actually sounds like you're under-eating. Try tracking for a week or two, it should be easy with this diet and you may be surprised.

Guessing based on the high end of your summary:
eggs - 350cal
bread - 200
PB&J - 900
smoothie - 500
subway - 650
dinner - 650

Would be just a hair over 3k. If you're skipping the one of the sandwiches or skimping or PB this number goes way down.

Thanks, feels good to be back to DLing, not sure why I ever stopped

It does drift a bit which I need to improve for heavy weights. Partly because its uncomfortable when it 'scrapes' if I'm too close, and partly because my back is much stronger than legs so I tend to rely on those muscles.

DL doesn't bother my shoulder at all.

Chest should be higher but this is my max thoracic extension I've been lying down on a roller for a few minutes every day to work on it.

My stance is super narrow, prob 3.5 inches between the heels, although the video makes it look worse. It know thats probably shocking to all the cool sumo pullers these days but it feels right to me

BP
3x3x157.5 1x1x157.5

RDL 3x12x130
SS
cable row 2x12x105 1x9x105
SS
Hip thrust 3x12x90

EZ curl 4x10x60
SS
bar pulldown 4x14x50

65 minutes

DL
3x3x330

Massive headache. Didn't love form so calling it a fail and redoing this weight.

Incline Bench 3x9x80
SS
Leg Press 3x12x335
SS
Pallof Press 3x12x20

EZ curl 4x15x50
SS
bar pulldown 4x15x50
SS
Seated calves 3x12x150

70 minutes

BP
1x3x160 (10)
3x3x155 (8-9)

Sad, I keep revising my 1RM downwards. This was great set up, best arch I've ever had, full control on the descent, but bar speed was so slow. Hopefully improve through the bulk but have to figure out the next step with programming since I'm clearly done with this LP.

RDL 3x9x140
SS
cable row 3x12x105
SS
Woodchopper 3x12x20

Should rework this SS, can't really jump from RDL to rows so easily.

EZ curl 4x11x60
SS
bar pulldown 4x10x57.5
SS
Hip thrust 3x12x100

65 minutes

week 4 bulk
2750 cal
enough protein
151 BW

Targeting 2750

DL
3x3x330
ez

Incline Bench 3x10x80
SS
Leg Press 1x12x335 (then machine got taken)
SS
Pallof Press 3x13x20

hammer curl 4x14x50
SS
bar pulldown 4x11x57.5
SS
Seated calves 4x13x150

55 minutes

Been almost a month and I'm still waiting on physio, probably just need to suck it up and start adding volume

why wouldn't you think so? you listed what looks like 2.5-3k cals on the high-end and said you might not have like 1/3rd of those calories sometimes. you may also be like me and some days barely eat anything, and some days eat 2-3 things that are packed with cals. you really won't have any idea what your average is if you aren't keeping some kind of record for a few weeks.

@ibavly,
right on man! good to see you still working at it even when things aren't all going well.
i'm still jelly of that DL tho.

Running nuns CAP3 3 week program. I've gotten so used to 80-90% lifts, will be interesting mostly working in the 60% range

flat bench
1x12x130 (8)

CGBP EMOM
1x10x110
2x8x95
1x7x95
4x5x95

pull-ups 3x5
SS
Leg Press 3x13x345
SS
Woodchopper 3x13x20

EZ curl 4x12x60
SS
bar pulldown 4x12x55
SS
calve raises 2x13x150 2x10x150

65 minutes

RDl
4x5x140
4x4x150
Highest Dbs available here

One arm rows EMOM
6x65
5x4x60
2x3x60
Surprisingly way easier on the left

HBBS
4x3x160
3x3x175
1x3x185

So much pain on the first set, even after ~20 minutes of shoulder warmup. Figured out on the later sets that by keeping my elbows as high as possible I can avoid the pain (while losing some tightness). It seems to be the torque on the shoulder that gets me.

1 arm shoulder press EMOM
1x8x40
3x6x35
1x5x35
1x4x35
1x3x35

45 minutes

week 5 bulk
2850 cal
Stopping to track protein, I'm easily get enough at this calorie level
153 BW

Think 2750 is a good level, going to try to stick around there for the duration of the bulk unless progress changes

Updated progress since beginning of log

Somewhat discouraging virtually straight lines, but probably don't feel as bad about it as I should.





Hoping that running a proper strength program now will start showing strength gains again

The realities of natty training are sobering, but beautiful.