Friday April 20 – 140.8 lbs
5/3/1 C6W4D2, 3/5/1 SST – Bench TM 140

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x75, 4x95, 5x105, 3x120, 2x125, 4x135, 2x140, 1x145, 10x105
KB Rows – 5x11x20kg
DB Hammer Curls – 3x14x25lbs

PM:
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x55, 5x65, 5x75, 5x85
Fat Grip Pullups – 5x7xbw

1927 cal/156 carb/68 fat/189 protein/39 fibre

Wanted a 5th rep at 135 on bench but apparently I did not want it hard enough. Barely got the last rep on OHP.

Saturday April 21 – 140.7 lbs

Rest day
Walk – 27:07, 1.33 miles, +18.5lbs

1698 cal/111 carb/63 fat/182 protein/37 fibre

Another short walk before work with reduced weight. Ankle is still not right.

Sunday April 22 – 139.6 lbs
5/3/1 C6W4D3, 3/5/1 SST – DL TM 255

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
Block pulls – 5x95lbs, 5x135, 3x175, 5x190, 3x215, 2x230, 3x240,F,F, 2x250, Fx260, 2x5x195
Hanging Knee Raises – 4x19

PM:
Squats – 10xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x95, 5x125, 5x150, 5x175, 5x195
Ab wheel rollouts – 3x12

2088 cal/113 carb/91 fat/222 protein/29 fibre

Apr 16 – Apr 22 Daily Averages: 141.1 lbs/15.8% bf/1848 cal/132 carb/70 fat/185 protein/7:11 sleep

I was going for 5 reps of pulls at 240lbs but the bar would not move after the third rep. I tried twice and then gave up. Same thing happened with 260. No go. Lower back was a bit sore afterwards, most likely due to my terrific form. Too much rounding, too much lower back, not enough legs. Squats felt laughably difficult. Work has been bat**** insane working 7 days a week, putting in 70 - 80+ hour weeks for almost two months straight and eating stress sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not sure if that is all to blame but it cannot be helping. Big projects are almost done though and there is an end in sight.

Another cycle comes to an end. During this cycle I missed reps on OHP, DL and Squat but mostly due to missed Joker sets that I tried adding in for the first time. I think I missed some base program Squat reps as well but F Squats, I don’t like you anyway. I hit all the minimum reps on bench but did not get all my goal reps. I am going to bump TM up anyway for the next cycle with a half step bump on Squat again. I had initially planned on doing 5’s PRO but there is no way I will get the last sets at bumped up TM’s so I will just do 3/5/1 instead. I have just about enough time for one more full cycle and then I am off to Vegas and the Grand Canyon for a week and a half which will give me a big deload and I plan to scale back TM’s a few steps when I return.

Monday April 23 – 140.6 lbs

Rest day

1670 cal/94 carb/67 fat/187 protein/31 fibre

Tuesday April 24 – 140.6 lbs

Rest day
AM: Walk – 27:17, 1.36 miles, +18.5lbs

1679 cal/88 carb/73 fat/180 protein/27 fibre

Couple rest days. A little more icing of my ankle/achilles. Some calf stretches and calf rolling.

Wednesday April 25 – 140.2 lbs
5/3/1 C7W1D1, 3/5/1 BBB – OHP TM 105

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x55, 3x65, 3x75, 3x80, 3x85, 3x90, 2x95, 7x75
NG Chins – 5x9xbw
Facepulls – 5x12x50lbs

PM:
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x65, 5x10x80
DB Curls – 3x14x25lbs

1894 cal/147 carb/73 fat/184 protein/32 fibre

Missed scheduled reps on last set of OHP by 1.

Thursday April 26 – 139.4 lbs

Rest day
10 or 15 mins mobility and stretching stuff.

1636 cal/122 carb/59 fat/175 protein/35 fibre

Still icing my ankle a bit at night and trying to do some stretches to help. Reached out to the Physio guy who actually seemed to fix my elbow by doing almost nothing but he has moved to Vietnam. He put me in touch with a colleague of his so I may actually check out both the ankle and the hip issue sometime soonish.

Friday April 27 – 139.4 lbs

Rest day
Little bit of mobility stuff and stretching

1692 cal/122 carb/81 fat/149 protein/43 fibre

Saturday April 28 – 139.5 lbs
5/3/1 C7W1D2, 3/5/1 BBB – Squat TM 235

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Squats – bwx10, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x95, 3x135, 3x165, 3x175, 3x190, 3x200, 2x210, 5x165
Ab Wheel – 4x12

PM:
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
Block Pulls – 5x95lbs, 5x10x135
Hanging Knee Raises – 3x20

1945 cal/180 carb/65 fat/167 protein/29 fibre

Pushed my Friday workout to Saturday. Took videos of 175, 190 and 200 and depth is looking good but I am getting some forward shifting at the bottom of the squat. I seemed to correct forward movement of my knees on the later sets by breaking at the knees earlier in the lift but was still getting some forward movement of the bar. Uploading failed but the bar path basically looks like this: U

Sunday April 29 – 139.2 lbs
5/3/1 C7W1D3, 3/5/1 BBB – Bench TM 145

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x65, 5x85, 3x100, 3x110, 3x115, 3x125, 4x130, 12x100
KB Rows – 5x12x20kg
DB Hammer Curls – 3x14x25lbs

PM:
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x10x52.5
Fat Grip Pullups – 5x7xbw

2430 cal/238 carb/80 fat/203 protein/45 fibre

Apr 23 – Apr 29 Daily Averages: 139.8 lbs/15.2% bf/1849 cal/142 carb/71 fat/178 protein /6:44 sleep

Monday April 30 – 139.3 lbs

Rest day

3228 cal/188 carb/93 fat/204 protein/27 fibre

Slight grunch. I've come in here a few times to snoop but this is the first time I've noticed you say you used the Fat Gripz for pullups.

Curious as to why? I tried that out a few times, found it to be more of a pain in the ass then actually worth it. How long can you hold a deadhang (w/o gripz) for? I found dead hangs with fat gripz way more intense and pumped the forearms more.

When I am doing OHP the pull up bar at the front of my rack is not accessible, so I use the bar at the back of the rack. That bar just happens to be a fat bar. I don't remember why I starting doing pullups on those days instead of just sticking with more NG chins which I can also do at the back of the rack.

No clue how long I can hold a dead hang of any sort for. I would guess not very long as my grip is pretty weak. I'll have to try and time it some day.

Tuesday May 1 – 141 lbs

Rest day
Walk – 39:01, 1.97 miles, +17lbs

2473 cal/205 carb/112 fat/169 protein/37 fibre

Day powered by hangover McDonald’s breakfast. Ankle was starting to get sore again towards end of walk but then handled hours of yard work just fine afterwards. Got the back yard cleaned up and got loads of garbage in the wake of a bathroom renovation cleared out.

Wednesday May 2 – 141.6 lbs

5/3/1 C7W2D1, 3/5/1 BBB – DL TM 265

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
Block pulls – 5x95lbs, 5x125, 5x165, 5x185, 3x200, 3x210, 3x225, 3x240, 5x185
Hanging Knee Raises – 4x20

PM:
90min massage
Squats – 10xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x95, 5x10x120
Ab wheel rollouts – 3x13

2001 cal/147 carb/74 fat/220 protein/44 fibre

Went for a physio appointment in the afternoon to check out my ankle and hip. Could not replicate any pain in the hip but made some progress with my ankle. Seems to just be an overuse issue which is what I figured. I can start increasing weight on hikes again but shouldn’t do any on back to back days. Time to put a lacrosse ball to work on my calves and front of shin. I am fine to keep lifting but she suggested backing off on some weight for the next couple weeks until after the hike into the Grand Canyon.

Thursday May 3 – 140.5 lbs

Rest day
Walk – 34:34, 1.67 miles, +21lbs

1756 cal/104 carb/64 fat/204 protein/37 fibre

Added a bit of weight back to the pack and went for a quick walk before work. Ankle felt fine during and after.

Friday May 4 – 140.0 lbs
5/3/1 C7W2D2, 3/5/1 BBB – OHP TM 105

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x60, 5x70, 5x75, 5x80, 4x85, 3x90, 7x75
NG Chins – 5x10xbw
Facepulls – 5x13x50lbs

PM:
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x65, 5x10x80
DB Curls – 3x14x25lbs

1908 cal/94 carb/81 fat/213 protein/32 fibre

Was supposed to do sets of 5 but pulled up a couple short on the last set and one short on the second last set. No surprise as I knew bumping up the TM for this cycle would be pushing it.

Saturday May 5 – 139.2 lbs

Rest day
Hike – 1:54:19, 4.9 miles, 654 ft, +23.5lbs

2242 cal/222 carb/86 fat/162 protein/42 fibre

Super wet, muddy and slippery. Great test for my ankle which seemed okay.

Sunday May 6 – 140.7 lbs
5/3/1 C7W2D3, 3/5/1 BBB – Squat TM 235

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Squats – bwx10, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x95, 5x125, 5x155, 5x165, 5x175, 5x185, 5x195, 2x5x165

PM:
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
Block Pulls – 5x95lbs, 5x10x135
Ab Wheel – 3x14
Single leg calf raises – 3x15

2355 cal/204 carb/66 fat/236 protein/26 fibre

Apr 30 – May 6 Daily Averages: 140.3 lbs/15.4% bf/2280 cal/166 carb/82 fat/201 protein /7:15 sleep

+8 hours cleaning the yard, cleaning the garage, checking the roof, cleaning the gutters, cleaning and tinkering with the pool, repairing broken things, running errands, etc. Busy weekend but pretty amazing to not be strapped to a desk in my office for a change. Ended up working over 350 hours in April which is pretty close to my breaking point for a one month stint. I think I topped 360 hours in a month once and basically cried into a drink at the end of it. Pretty sure that working out regularly during a patch like that is a major life saver and helps a ton.

Monday May 7 – 140.2 lbs

Walk – 47:45, 2.39 miles, +24.5lbs
90min massage

1575 cal/114 carb/53 fat/176 protein/36 fibre

Got out for a walk before work and added a little bit of mileage and weight. Have been doing a decent amount of hanging out on a foam roller for my calves and a bit of lacrosse ball torture. Ankle seems to be doing pretty good.

Tuesday May 8 – 140.5 lbs
5/3/1 C7W3D1, 3/5/1 BBB – Bench TM 145

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x75, 5x95, 5x100, 5x105, 5x115, 5x125, 2x5x95
KB Rows – 5x12x20kg
DB Hammer Curls – 3x14x25lbs

PM:
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x10x52.5
Fat Grip Pullups – 5x7xbw

2121 cal/173 carb/67 fat/176 protein/33 fibre

+a couple hours of axe throwing during a networking event in the afternoon.
Feeling a little blubbery around the lower abs despite flirting with ant division weigh-ins but that is nothing new as I spin round and round on the too fat to bulk too skinny to cut hamster wheel. Waist is hovering around 32” across the belly button which is a sliver lower than earlier in the year and a sliver higher than the lowest it hit last year.

Wednesday May 9 – 140.2 lbs

AM:
Walk – 1:00:30, 2.97 miles, +25.5lbs

PM:
5/3/1 C7W3D2, 3/5/1 BBB – DL TM 265
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
RDL – 2x8x45lbs, 8x95
Block pulls – 5x95lbs, 5x135, 5x170, 5x185, 5x190, 5x195, 5x200, 5x175
Hanging Knee Raises – 5x20

1866 cal/147 carb/70 fat/186 protein/36 fibre

Had another physio appointment and the ankle seems to be doing well. Haven’t had any serious pain since the day before my first physio session a week ago. Will keep up the daily foam roller and lacrosse ball treatments as well as some extra stretching.

Trying to squeeze the last of this cycle into a bit of a compressed timeframe and was supposed to do DL on Thursday morning but I have an early appointment that will get in the way so moved it up a day. My lower back has been a tweaky mess lately so I scaled back the weight on later sets and will likely continue to do so for the remainder of this cycle with most lifts. Been icing my back, ankle and calves. Feel like I am held together by a strip of duct tape and a couple pieces of string lately.

Thursday May 10 – 139.9 lbs

PM:
Squats – 10xbw, 2x10x45lbs, 2x5x95, 5x10x120
Single leg calf raises – 3x15

1824 cal/157 carb/73 fat/166 protein/38 fibre

Just a quick session to finish up the BBB portion of my DL workout. Lower back still giving me trouble even with light weights. I cannot tell if it is my innerEV messing with me or that my body just actually needs a break. Only three more scheduled workouts to go before I am away for a couple weeks so I’ll just try to keep plugging away at slightly reduced weights and hope that my body holds together.

Friday May 11 – 139.5 lbs
5/3/1 C7W3D3, 3/5/1 BBB – OHP TM 105

AM:
25 mins core, mobility and dynamic stretching stuff
OHP – 10x45lbs, 5x60, 5x75, 4x80, 3x85, 2x90, 1x95, 7x75
NG Chins – 5x10xbw
Facepulls – 5x13x50lbs

PM:
Bench – 10x45lbs, 10x65, 5x10x80
DB Curls – 3x14x25lbs
Walk – 45:10, 2.37 miles, +25.5lbs

1985 cal/173 carb/60 fat/194 protein/42 fibre

Saturday May 12 – 138.1 lbs

Rest and recovery day

3483 cal/300 carb/146 fat/217 protein/43 fibre

Recovery powered by double bacon cheeseburgers, pizza, haagen dazs, trail mix, beer and poker.

Sounds like a pretty great day!

Sub 140 - Christ. Congrats on achieving true ant status!

Yeah, it was pretty damned good and it would be fun to eat like that every day. I very likely underestimated cals by several hundred as well

Sub 140 was short lived as I managed to weigh in at almost 142 this morning. 138.1 weigh in was a bit questionable and I had to check about five times.

Sunday May 13 – 141.9 lbs

Hike – 3:00:58, 7.73 miles, 1,225 ft, +25.5lbs
15min swim

2407 cal/159 carb/115 fat/205 protein/38 fibre

May 7 – May 13 Daily Averages: 140.0 lbs/15.2% bf/2180 cal/175 carb/83 fat/189 protein/6:52 sleep

Ankle still holding up.