Wednesday September 20 – 143.9 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 2x115, 2x5x125, 7x125, 9x115
Curls – 5x45lbs, 14x65, 13x65
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x75, 5x125, 3x145, 2x175, 3x5x200, 10x175

1650 cal/119 carb/54 fat/188 protein/40 fibre

I had a lot of doubts going into this workout after not being able to handle 3x5x200 last go around and still having sore legs after a full rest day. Warming up with 175lbs felt heavy which made me question whether I could handle 200. The first set with 200 was a bit of a grind which made me doubt I could do that weight for 3 sets. The second set was tough as well making me doubt a third set. By the fourth rep of the last work set I thought I might be good for 6 reps but then struggled with the fifth and final. Then I doubted I could do 175 for 10 reps but then managed it just fine. Doubts doubts doubts. The whole time I was squatting it was nothing but doubts but I made it through and was happy to have done so. Then I immediately questioned whether I should be feeling pleased for only matching the same thing I have successfully done at least twice in the past already and not adding any weight. Eventually I basically stopped worrying about it and just let myself feel some satisfaction. Next I have to figure out how to lift more. I got stuck at 185 for a long time and it looks like 200 might be another mental hurdle.

Congrats on the milestone!

Thanks Monte!

Thursday September 21 – 143.0 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
20 mins swim

2351 cal/209 carb/82 fat/212 protein/35 fibre

Had a fun day at the office which was an Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt type event that got me a few more steps than usual as well as the odd sprint for a block or two. Spent the better part of an hour in the pool with the kids in the evening but only a small portion was spent doing anything resembling laps.

Friday September 15 – 143.7 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 2x5x45lbs, 5x65, 2x5x82.5, 5x82.5, 10x70
Chin-ups – 8x, 7x +25lbs
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95, 8x125
DL – 5x95lbs, 5x135, 2x175, 4x205, 4x205, 7x175

1776 cal/161 carb/63 fat/159 protein/36 fibre

DL’s really deteriorated fast in the work sets. First couple reps felt pretty good but then went to hell quickly after. The second set was a little better but still bad enough that there was no point attempting a 5th rep.

I strongly suggest moving heavy weighted chins after deadlifts in your workout. I'm not surprised that you had trouble maintaining a flat back. The lats are a spinal stabilizer and can be the technique-limiting factor in the deadlift.

Nice chins though!

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

Saturday September 23 – 144.2 lbs


2 hr hike, 5.5miles, 1,000 foot elevation change, +25lbs
1.5 hr hike, 3miles @ kid speed, 500 foot elevation change, +25lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
20 mins swim

2144 cal/185 carb/90 fat/166 protein/43 fibre

I was planning to do a couple loops of one the trails and get a 10 mile plus hike in as the kids were supposed to go to a birthday party in the morning. The party got rescheduled so I went out early to get one loop in on my own and then met the rest of the family at an easier trail for a little jaunt with them.

Sunday September 24 – 143.2 lbs

2 hr hike, 5.5miles, 1,000 foot elevation change, +25lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 2x115, 2x5x127.5, 6x127.5, F, 9x115
Curls – 5x45lbs, 14x65, 14x65
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x75, 5x125, 3x145, 2x175, 3x5x200, 10x175

2587 cal/225 carb/98 fat/219 protein/50 fibre

I went out early again to do the same loop as the day before. I was out just after 7am and it was already quite hot and muggy. We are getting some unusually hot weather for this time of year. It was 30+ C today and felt like 40+ with humidity. Wasn’t sure how a workout would go afterwards but I put it off until late afternoon and it went okay with the exception of crappy benching.

Why no 202.5 squat?

Chickenheart fears mostly.
2nd and especially 3rd set of squats actually felt pretty good yesterday, due largely to taking lots of time between sets. At a minimum I should have gone for another rep on the last set. I was a bit drained from the hikes and figured I'd be content to knock off 200 again so never even considered adding more weight whiles I was lifting. Back was doing some niggly stuff in the afternoon with weird little pulls that would start and then subside. Essentially though I am just a pussy when it comes to pushing myself hard and especially when adding weight. Back does feel a little off today but just mild.

I think do GSLP or don't. There are intermediate programs that avoid having to do a balls-out set every single day if you're getting tired of that. But what's the harm in failing and resetting? You could even reset now if your last 3x5 required 10 minutes rest between sets and every set was a grinder. I'd like that more than repeating 200.

There is really no harm in failing and resetting other than the mental beatdown of failing/resetting and then working back up only to fail at the same weight again.

I have not spent much time looking around for alternatives to GSLP that would work for me but I really haven't been doing GSLP for a while now. I like throwing in the extra back off set which technically isn't GSLP but I have not been adding nor resetting per the program. I have been moreorless been micro-loading and doing micro-resets on only a very slightly more thought out method than totally random. I suspect that on most lifts I am at a full cycle stall point with Squat being the only lift with any chance of increasing still. I suspect that I haven't looked for alternatives because I really like GSLP but I could just be lazy.

Even with bare bones workouts I am clocking in at 1.5hrs, sometimes less sometimes more. This becomes 2hrs with my mandatory warm up, stretching and core stuff. Less time would be better. Equally low or lower chance of injury would be good also.

Monday September 25 – 143.4 lbs

Rest day
90 min massage

1599 cal/124 carb/67 fat/136 protein/33 fibre

Just saying, the perk of GSLP is that the resets aren't failures, they're cycles. Any day in which you beat the last cycle's rep record is a victory.

I'm not a fan of the attitude/expectation that you are at stall points on all of the lifts. Sure, that's possible, but it's a self-defeating mindset. You will stall if you believe you're stalling, even if you're not actually stalling. If you go into every workout with the genuine belief that you're stronger than the last workout, you'll only stall when it's a real stall, and that will be more reliable feedback that it's time for a new program.

Fair points. My mindset is not typically positive when lifting and the whole session becomes an effort in first overcoming the mindset and then actually moving the baby weights around. My mind wants me to go sit on the couch. Or at least lift even lighter.

I think I will get back to what I had decided to do previously and then strayed away from. GSLP plus a backoff set at ~90% of working weight but micro-load weight increases in place of 5lbs/2.5lbs using something like 2.5lb for lower and 1 or 1.x for upper. I'll likely keep DL in a whole other category of "work in progress". Still giving some thought to seeing a trainer to help with everything but have not come close to pulling the trigger. If I don't do it soon I'll lose my chance for a while as work tends to get progressively busier starting very soon.

Tuesday September 26 – 143.8 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 2x5x45lbs, 5x65, 2x5x75, 9x75, 11x65
Chin-ups – 8x, 7x +27.5lbs
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x75, 5x125, 3x145, 2x175, 2x5x202.5 , 5x202.5 , 10x175

1702 cal/82 carb/80 fat/163 protein/37 fibre

I usually like to take both Monday and Tuesday as rest days but I have an event I have to attend after work on Wednesday that is going to run past 9pm so it looks like Wednesday is going to be a forced rest day this week instead. I reset OHP back to 75lbs and really strained on the last couple reps on the last set which seemed to impact the backoff set. Took a vid of my 2nd set of chins and extension at the bottom of the reps is not looking quite as good as it feels. On the flip side the wicked angle makes the top look much better than it feels. Last reps on each set were barely made. Squats are killing my elbows and it looks like my chin should be more tucked.

Wednesday September 27 – 142.8 lbs

Rest day
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff

1530 cal/110 carb/61 fat/158 protein/41 fibre

Thursday September 28 – 142.1 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 2x5x65, 5x95, 3x115, 2x5x128, 5x128, 9x115
Curls – 5x45lbs, 14x65, 14x65
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
DL – 5x95lbs, 5x135, 5x165, 5x195, 5x195, 7x175

1744 cal/118 carb/79 fat/158 protein/43 fibre

Bench was causing sharp pain in or around my left elbow again and I barely finished out the work sets. I got 7 reps on the AMRAP at just a sliver below the current weight a couple sessions ago and could barely get 5 last night so I don't think it is a weight issue. I guess I will just reset bench and work back up to a pain threshold again. DL is still soft and sloppy even after dropping some weight off the bar. It is looking like I could log a week at an actual deficit but I still have a few nights to go that could blow that up.

Probably don't bench that way if it hurts. Try different grip widths, also bench variants like incline or dumbbell to see if there's one that feels better.

Every lift seems to be causing some pain around that general area with bench and squats being the biggest culprits. We do have an incline bench kicking around I could drag into the garage probably but I don't think we have dumbbells over 25lbs for now.

Friday September 29 – 142.3 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
30min walk
5min walk, 22:10 run for 2.41 miles, 5min+ walk

2006 cal/96 carb/94 fat/213 protein/42 fibre

Went for a short trail run just as it was getting dark. Doing 3x5mins running with 2min walking breaks in between was easier than I expected a couple weeks ago so figured I would try to go for a light jog for 15-20 mins. Pace was super comfortable and potentially slower than it could have been as I could not see the trail. I wandered off onto grass a few times and had a couple surprises when my foot hit uneven ground or rocks but I ended up with both feet still attached and my knees pretty much where they were supposed to be by the end. I turned around after 11 minutes to give myself some extra time to cool down at the end but ended up jogging from trail start to end. If I manage to get out for a run only once every two weeks I guess I should not expect dramatic improvement. I have always detested running but trail running might actually hold some appeal.

Saturday September 30 – 142.3 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
2 hr hike, 5.35miles, 1,000 foot elevation change, +25lbs
1.5 hr hike, 3.5miles @ kid speed, 500 foot elevation change, +25lbs
20 mins swim

3038 cal/316 carb/126 fat/178 protein/52 fibre

Like last weekend I went out for a 2 hour hike on my own and then met my wife and kids for an easier hike immediately afterwards. Our area had the hottest day of the year earlier in the week at 33C and it went down to 4C overnight last night. From heat warnings to frost advisories within a few days. lol Canada. My legs were absolutely smoked towards the end of the second hike and super stiff following the drive home. I tried to eat my way to recovery and enjoyed a rare pizza evening. Managed to eat a couple days worth of kcals and a few days worth of carbs today. No regrets.

A couple of the lookouts on the main escarpment trail loop I hike:



Lake/pond at the top of the escarpment:


Ruins that we hike to with the kids:


“Waterfalls” at the Ruins (not exactly Loco-esque Costa Rican falls):

Noodz from October 1, fully fed in the afternoon (~146lbs) on a day I woke up at over 145lbs after 3 weeks of averaging very low 143’s every morning. #pizza

Front:


Side:


Closer Front:


Closer Front with mini “flex”:


Been a while since I have posted any pics and I have been pretty lazy about capturing them so took advantage today. Last time I posted to imgur I used the “public” setting by accident. Ended up with several “nice bulge” type comments. I think/hope I learned my lesson. Relaxed versus flexed is still a coin toss as to which is which.

Looking good! I think the cut might be over.

Thanks Renton. Slowly getting there. I still have this pipe dream of getting to 12 or 13% but at my age and with my lifetime sedentary history that may either be impossible or at least plain ole silly given the lack of muscle on my frame. Think I have been hovering closer to recomp than to cutting for the last while. I drop a pound every few weeks or so.


Sunday October 1 – 145.2 lbs

25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 2x5x45lbs, 5x65, 2x5x77.5, 8x77.5, 11x65
Chin-ups – 6x, 6x +27.5lbs
Squats – 15xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 3x5x75, 5x125, 3x155, 2x180, 2x5x205, 5x205, 9x180

1731 cal/122 carb/60 fat/198 protein/38 fibre

Nice upwards swoosh on the scale. Got the weightlifting out of the way first thing in the morning. Legs were still pretty sore but it didn’t seem to impact squatting at all. Took a vid of 2nd and 3rd sets with the last set feeling much better. Not sure what the hell went wrong with chins as I dropped 2 reps off the first set and 1 off the second at the same weight as earlier in the week. I was hoping the pizza power gorge fest of the night before would at least keep me at the same reps with less struggle.