1-16 -- 228.6 bf 26.2%

Hot Yoga

-------------------

Treadmill Intervals: 6x2 minutes (~400m) with 90 second rests; 8.0, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.1 mph

Last 30 seconds of the last two felt pretty hard. Under 3 miles total including wu/cd. 333 alleged calories.

---------------------------

Food log

2290 Calories
230 g protein (139 from powders)
169 g carbs
70 g fats

Long wife therapy day so morning partial fasting & driving, brought a smoothie for halfway through and then a protein cookie on the way home. Cooked some asian high-protein egg noodles for dinner with a bunch of lightly sauteed veggies (bok choi, oyster mushrooms, been sprouts, bamboo shoots) topped with chicken & avocado. Giant bowl and feeling stuffed=900 calories.

1-17 -- 228.6 bf 24.8%

Morning Easy Run (elliptical) 30 minutes ~150 s/m 424 alleged calories

A week into the cut, 3-Day average vs weekly average prior to the cut:

Today : 229.0 bf 23.9% = lbm 174.3 bf 54.7
Precut: 232.2 bf 25.1% = lbm 173.8 bf 58.6

I suspect some noise in those numbers. Dropping 3.2 pounds in a week is not the plan...more like half that. I'm not going low carb or anything but who knows how the hot yoga profuse sweating affects weigh-ins. Bodyfat % numbers just come from my scale--but, as a wise man once said, "It's more important to be consistent than accurate."

7 day avg intake:

2488 Calories
235 g protein
159 g carbs
92 g fats

I'm still thinking my TDEE is around 3100-3200 although I guess 4000 could be possible. Since it's only a 2-week cut I think I'll keep the same calorie target (2400) for now. You guys would probably know better than me, though; should I be worried about too much weight loss?

glycogen depletion

eat a bread and drink water and you will be +3lbs imo. Dieting. Fun game.

ETA: I'd just keep up the same diet thing, less the cardio, probably. Why are you doing the cardio during dieting?

Stay the course. One week isn't enough data.

Running a 5k on the 27th. Hoping for a respectable time.

I did have a giant bowl of noodles last night...

However, your proposal for a pulled pork sandwich is accepted.

Food log:

2582 Calories
222 g protein (111 from powders)
149 g carbs
114 g fats

Sandwich for breakfast and bbq rib dinner. Was hoping ribs were a little higher in protein, so wound up boosting totals and going over calories to add a late whey shake and a Siggi's after logging. Tomorrow's (finally) lifting day.

1-18 -- 228.9 bf 25.0%

2 week cut workout #3; Bench, Rows, Squats

Reverse Grip Bench Press 20x45, 8x95, 6x115
Bench Press 6x165 @7, 5x215 @7, 5x230 @8, 5x245 @8.5, 5x250 @9
Pendlay Rows 12x135, 10x185, 10x235, 10x255, 8x265 (6 good reps)
Cheat Rows (45 second rests) 2x3x265, 3x3x285, 3x3x295, 4x3x305
Dumbell Bench Press (45 second rests) 10x3x80s
HBB Squats 5x235, 5x290 @7, 5x310 @9, 5x330 @10
T-Bar Rows (50X3) 10x90, 8x135, 2x6x160
Anderson-start Pin Squats 3x225, 3x265, 5x3x275
Machine Shoulder Press 12x120, 12x130, 10x140, 10x150, 8x160
Romanian Deadlifts 3x10x185
Tricep Pushdowns 3x8x90
Lateral Raises 15x15, 12x25, 10x30

Airdyne Intervals 6 rounds of; 30 sec sprint, 60 sec low intensity

Well that felt great! Back was fine through the rows but didn't try to push the envelope either. An all-around completely ****ty day. At least I got to burn some of it off. I hate everyone and every thing.

Food log:

2439 Calories
237 g protein (153 from powders)
160 g carbs
78 g fats

No morning fasting, but wound up just eating 2 meals anyway. Eggs and butterless toast breakfast. Drank a couple of protein shakes before workout--because I got delayed in heading over to gym. Sushi and salad dinner. Probably spending the day in hospital tomorrow with my mother, so got some jerky and protein bars & cookies for supplies.

Upcoming schedule likely ****ed as things are going downhill pretty rapidly. Difficult to be there and still balance wife's needs. Have put her rehab therapy on hold for a while (but obviously we still have to do "homework" in the meantime).

We'll see how it goes, but I expect to keep restricting calories through the week.

1-19 -- 228.5 bf 25.7%

Morning Fast Run (treadmill) 3 miles in 25:00 416 alleged calories

Mostly 7.5 mph with one 5 mph break. Felt horrible but there's ice around today and the treadmill doesn't bother my shins at all. Wouldn't usually do this workout fasted after legs, but wanted to be sure I got something in today.

1-30 -- 225.1 bf 25.4%

Bridge Day

Axle Overhead Press (45 second rests) 10x3x135
Deadlift (45 second rests) 10x3x365


Logged my food intake for a few days while on hospice duty at my mother's place, but no scale (food or human) and constant pot luck buffet and I eventually just gave up on it. Mostly kept morning fasting, just without any exercise. Looks like I dropped a few more pounds. Back home now and will basically transition to a 5/3/1 BBB bulk cycle. Thinking of targeting +5-600 calories on top of my reckoned 3100-3200 TDEE. One more bridge day and I'm on to it. Today was tiring enough--scraping myself back up again.

Sorry to hear about your mother Holliday

Condolences to you and your fam, Holliday.

Sorry holiday

Condolences, Holliday.

I'm really sorry about your mum Holliday. Losing a parent is extremely tough regardless of how your relationship was with that person. I hope you can manage to avoid the double doozy of grief; regret and guilt. Hope you're ok.

Thanks everybody. No regret or guilt. I'm ok except frustrated; wife getting the flu looks a lot like a normal person dying from a million concussions but I didn't think I should drive her the 2 hours to her neurologists' hospital in the middle of the night while my mother looked like she could go at any moment and I hadn't slept for two days, and now the neurologist is pretty upset at me for not bringing her in plus mother-in-law considerably moreso which has only served to get wife super agitated to the point she couldn't sleep last night and kept hyperventilating so was pretty schnockered today...and bitchy. So grief is sort of on my to-do list.

2/1 -- 227.5 bf 25.5%

Bridge day

HBB Squat (45 second rests) 10x3x275 - too hard
Bench Press (45 second rests) 10x3x215 - too easy
NG Frenchies 2x2x+30

In a bit of a hurry, just hitting the spots targeting 75% of max and adjusting for layoff. Really felt the squats in my glutes and quads. Bench press was like it wasn't even there. Lats felt weirdly stiff on pullups so just did some quick frenchies.

Intake around 3700-3800 calories with the usual ^200 protein.

2/2 - 227.4 bf 25.7% (3 day average)

Hot Yoga

2/3

Hot Yoga

2/4

Overhead Press 5's (TM 185)

Overhead Press 5x120 @7, 5x140 @7.5, 2x3x160 f4, f4, 5x150 @9, 6x150 @9.5
NG Chinups 6xbw, 5x+45, 3x5x+90, 6x+60
NG Frenchies 2x2x+20
Dumbell Bench Press 3x10x70s
Dumbell Skullcrushers 7x55s
Upright Rows 8x115


**** I'm so weak. Not even sure what to do with my programming right now. Probably just stay the course, if possible during medical tourism in ~2-3 weeks. Had been really DOMSy in the lower body last two days (nothing upper).

Intake still about 3700 calories and 210 g protein.

Note: had to run home for wife midway through the workout for about half an hour.

2/5 - ???

Morning Easy Run (hills) 4.32 miles in 46:36 (10:47 pace) 787 alleged calories

Great--I'm weak and I'm slow.

Give yourself a break. You have just been through and still going through a really difficult time, it is totally understandable that your body isn't running 100%.

Yeah I know it's logical that stress and inactivity set me back a bit, but this time seems too severe compared to the stimulus. Probably means I'm dying or something.

2/6 -- ???

Deadlift 5s (TM 455)

Sumo Deadlift 6x135, 6x205, 6x275
Deadlift 5x300 @6, 5x345 @7, 5x395 @10, 2x5x375 @8, 9
SSB Squat 6x155, 10x225, 2x10x235, 2x10x245
Shrugs 5x10x275


Deadlift, I was supposed to top out at 385 (then decide on whether to Joker set 405 or 415) but once I got there I realized it was easier to load 395 with the bumper plates I was using...so did that. Was harder than expected, and my back got out of alignment on the 4th rep so I bailed, reset, and finished better but was much harder than it should have been from that point. Probably could have done a repeat or higher weight but just decided on some volume drop sets. All on standard bar, all double-overhand after the Sumos until the drop sets just because I wanted to see how my grip is doing these days. The knurl on the deadlift bar is ****ing insane. I'll probably never use it without straps.

Think I'm getting a little acclimated to squat sets of 10. Still have to take 2 breaths after each rep though.

2/12 - ???

Begin again, no bridge days

Bench Press 5's (TM 290)

Reverse Grip Bench Press 20x45, 8x95, 6x115
Bench Press 6x145, 5x185, 5x215, 5x230, 6x245 @9
Pendlay Rows 12x135, 10x205, 3x8x255
1-Arm Arnold Press 12x35s, 12x40s, 10x45s, 10x50s, 10x55s
Cheat Rows 9x285, 6x305, 3x6x315
NG Frenchies 2x2x+15

Nothing felt terrible, just a little weak but at least able to hit the program minimums. Stressful week spent in the hospital--no idea where I ended up on sleep deficit, calories, macros, etc. OK, technically I suspect something not good. Fit in an occasional morning walk or quickie yoga routine but nothing like a sweat ever and was mostly just sitting and waiting. Not even my usual "wife carries" work. Back home and wife is doing better already--signs point to a week or so for her to *bounce back* and not going to need an urgent inpatient rehab trip. Just need to wait it out.

Was thinking about going whole-body today but this was tiring enough. Due to the cheat rows, I may wind up skipping the deadlift accessory tomorrow or just punting that workout until Wednesday and getting in a run tomorrow. Yoga studio (like most of the town) is closed for Mardi Gras.

2/13 -- ???

Squat 5's (TM 370)

wu Overhead Squat (53X1) 8x45, 5x75
wu Goodmornings 20x45, 10x75
wu Hammer Curls 41x25s
wu Front Squats (42X1) 5x135

Leg Curls 8x140, 8x150, 8x160
HBB Squats 5x230, 5x280, 5x300, 3x5x320 to @9.5
RDLs 10x185, 2x10x195, 2x10x205
Anderson Front Squats L9 (5_X1) 6x1x225

Airdyne Intervals 5 minutes


Elbows felt sore from yesterday (not sure from what). And back took a while to loosen up. Squats got better as I went, basically. Didn't want to push beyond the targeted weight but figured I'd do some repeats. The bar constantly felt heavier on the left side so I generally shifted a half inch that way. When I unloaded after squats, two of the plates were marked "47.5" and "48.5" so I'm just adding 5 lbs to the totals I was thinking at the time.

RDLs were fine except the last couple of reps were torture on the elbows. Anderson Front Squats were hard as ****.

2-14
Hot Yoga
2-16
Hot Yoga

2-18 -- 232. bf 25.2%

Overhead Press 3's (TM 185, BBB)

wu Zottman Curls 20x35s, 16x40s
wu Z Press 20x45
wu 1-arm Arnold Press 5x35s, 5x50s
wu Pullups Ladder 1->6

Overhead Press 3x135, 3x150 @7, 3x3x165 @10, 9.5, 9
BTN Press/Push Press 2x(5/5)x135 @9.5, 10
NG Chinups 6x+30, 5x+95, 3x3x+120, 5x+95

NG Frenchies 2x3x+20
Dumbell Bench Press 3x10x70s
T-Bar Rows (30X1) 3x10x135
Cable French Press 3x10x120
Lateral Raises 12x20s, 10x25s, 8x30s
Bent-Over Laterals 3x12x15s
Front Plate Raises 2x20x25


Tiring workout and my arms felt pumped for a solid 2 hours. Not sure why the OHP got easier as I went, but I think form got better too. Weird. Still felt pretty hard for 10 lbs under my usual 3-press weight but at least I didn't have any failed reps.

Nice to see a little advancement on the chinup weight in the face of inconsistency. Last rep of each set is "hold-and-repull" until failure (usually 4 or 5 permutations). Actually makes for less of a burn than the tempo T-bar rows, but I think it helps with finishing the motion strong.

Look at me; I'm doing Frenchies AND French Presses! Who knew the french were in such great shape?

On food intake, the last few days have been a little...well closer to 5000 calories than 3500. Technically closer like slightly over. High protein though.