Thanks guys!

Actually, I am taking a forced break. I am going on a family vacation. Packing my TRX and bands, and may do a drop in at a gym once or twice, but bro levels will be down for sure.

Even though I am not tracking, I am not going to stop eating clean or carefully, just switching to intuitive for a bit.

If I get any spectacular n00dz at the lake or action shots doing outdoor stuff I will post proof that I got my bikini body.

Awesome! Have a great holiday. I'd better not see you in Politics very much over the next few weeks Don't make me come at you!

Thanks! I’ll be in Canada and for sure less time online, but don’t expect any cold turkey miracles.

JFC. So granted we started our morning at 3:30 am and already have traveled 2 hours each by land, sea and air...currently on a ferry with a very flatulent dog in the area...but monte jinxed me or something. Because of schedule and proximity I ate a rental car plaza egg salad sandwich for breakfast and a crab melt with fries by the ferry terminal for lunch. Just to spite loco and since the day is lost, I dipped the fries in the tartar sauce my daughter got with her shrimp.

Not a good start for mid-day on day one.

You should have bought a sugary soda too! Feel the rage!

Johnny cliffs on your holiday?

Rexx! Thanks for asking! Cliffs are it was pretty great. Just got back. I’ll do a mini update complete with action n00dz tomorrow prolly.

Back from my vacation. Cliffs=great time was had by all. Travel was smoove, the weather was great and while it is always too short, I was ready to be home.

This was an interesting trip for me as I was looking through a lens of perhaps relocating back to Canada. This meant that houses for sale, and the prices of them, were of keen interest. I also spent more energy imagining what real life would be like living there rather than fake-ass summer vacation, no work, and no obligation life during the few months (some years mere weeks) that have palatable weather. It always circles back to making me sad. I have made the move from Cali to BC and back several times in my life now, and I know how to temper my expectations, but this would be the first time that I am more motivated to leave than to arrive.

All of that aside, there are some pretty great things about where my fam lives and I got to relive some of my quaint-ass childhood through the eyes of my kiddies. Canada is still both wonderful and lol.

As far as H&F, I only had a single dedicated workout, which was a TRX complex focusing mostly on back, with some tricep and abs thrown in as well, and my diet certainly loosened some lug nuts, but the wheels stayed decidedly on.

I had quite a few sessions of expanded activity in the form of many miles of loaded carries with one of the two kids on my shoulders (31lbs or 39 lbs depending), some decent uphill hikes, loads of swimming in lakes and the ocean and a two-hour kayak session where I tried to insert some intensity.

I gained a pound or two and I am sure I also lost a bit of muscle, but I am not concerned and expect to get right back where I was within a couple of weeks. BP is good, joint pain is super-minimal. Sleep has been wonky but I think it has to do with crap beds.

I got some action-n00dz, as promised, but since am the main camera operator, both in skill and volume, there are only a few of my rippling torso and generally not in focus, though you can get a sense of what being 5'4" does for your gainz. (maybe consistency, technique, diet, and intensity a little bit also, but mostly lolshort).



Back to church tonight with the good ol' bro-chest workout because I put zero real thought into how I would change my routine and I am not going to in the next few hours.

Nice cliffs Johnny sounds like you had a fun time with the family and didn't put on the obligatory 3-5 pounds! However you made us all wait as we were all expecting this TR yesterday. You know what that means

Isn’t yesterday in Australia still? Or is it tomorrow? Shoot. I forgot to mention my peppers started producing while I was away too. Gonna have some spicy turkey chili tonight! (Or last night to Australians).

Don't try to bamboozle me into thinking you're right! Turkey chilli sounds good. I went through a stage of making it for myself for lunches but somehow stopped making it. I should definitely add it back into the rotation.

It’s in heavy rotation for us. It’s surprisingly light on calories for the volume and good protein. I’m adding the first jalapeños, habaneros and Tabasco peppers of the season. Pretty excited.

I also like that it's relatively light on the environmental footprint. Unfortunately my bf isn't super keen on turkey but will have it once in a blue moon. I've been eating way too much beef lately. I'm blaming the cold weather but it is something I would like to reduce. It can be hard negotiating food choices in a relationship and I am not nearly motivated enough to cook 2 meals at night. I'm having beef tonight lol.

Rexx,

I use ground turkey. I am pretty sure that ground beef tastes better, but I don't remember so I don't miss it.

First day back in the gym. I am not back to tracking cals/macros yet, but I am back on the usual diet. According to the scale at the gym, I did not gain weight as I thought. I did lose strength, as expected, but I'm not concerned. It especially seemed to manifest in falling off rapidly on subsequent sets, so I adjusted. I went a bit lighter both on weight and volume for the first workout and plan to do so for this week at least, maybe next week too.


Incline DB BP
30x20
30x15
85x10
85x5
70x5
55x5,3

Flat DB BP
90x5
75x8
75x7

Pec Deck
100x8
100x8
100x8

Gravity Dip Machine--On the dip controversy: Lol at dips--either at the station or on the machine--being a bad exercise. As long as you can control your ROM so you don't compromise your shoulders or have an existing shoulder issue that disallows it for you, it is pretty hilarious to say that such a natural and important functional movement for primates is worthless. Climb over anything or out of anything if you need proof. If you do not get good pec, tricep and anterior delt and even core activation from dips you just need more practice.
13x10
13x8
10x10

Ab Gravity machine
full stackx10
fsx8
fsx8

I would have thought dips would be beneficial but I do pilates so lol.

Johnny did you end up getting that bodyfat scan you talked about? Maybe you already posted the results and I'm just going senile a bit earlier than expected.

Rexx,

They're a pretty good secondary upper body pushing exercise that some people can't comfortably perform due to their glenohumeral architecture. Sometimes you have to take loc-huahua yapping with a pretty healthy grain of salt.

Well I'm ignoring his pilates advice but I agree I need to up my KB game. Who do you consider the most knowledgeable overall H&F poster? Or is that too hard to answer and you'd have to break it down into different areas of expertise?

They are awful. What do they even work? I don't recall the EMG data on them, but they can't possibly be good for anything. Probably tricep heavy, then some lower pecs and front delts.

Who the fack wants big giant lower pecs? Yeah let's get some titties. True legends of the aesthetic game, such as realb, know that incline variations of benching is where it's at. LolDips. Donk exercise from the steroid infused 90s.

Rexx; I didn’t. I knew I was going to go off program for a while and kinda lost interest in it TBH. I feel vapid enough with my current level of self-obsession. I’m comfortable to expose and excuse my vanity under the veil of anonymity here, but it’s a pretty bougie hobby when it gets past the health level and I have no real need to know my exact bf percentage.

Yeah it’s about goals I suppose. If it is to run really, really far having a well developed upper body is a burden since you want to reduce the already unhealthy damage you are doing to your joints. At that point you can focus on feats of circus strength like trying to balance yourself on a bench with half your body weight in one hand as the benefits of isolation and mind-muscle connection and working muscle groups from different angles for complete development is counterproductive. Instead you gotta pick one movement so you can hit the hamster-wheel and smash the cartilage.

Titties. Lol.

Rexx,

There are quite a few knowledgeable posters, of which the loc-huahua is one; you just have to remember where his blind spots are (i.e. anything he doesn't like or can't do well = dumb/bad), and you're pretty good to go. Plus I think moving from ant to proto-ant weight class may be meeting his brain.

Re: Pilates, from what I can tell he's correct re: the dearth of evidence-based studies with positive results, but as long as you enjoy doing it, have the time to do it, and do a bit more resistance based stuff (e.g. KB) with some semblance of progression, nbd imo.

Johnny,

I can understand your position. As long as you feel good about yourself that's all that's important imo.

Monte,

Ok thanks for the feedback. I had pilates recommended by my physiotherapist as well as other specific exercises to help my back and haven't had any issues since. Obviously this could be just good luck but I will continue with it on the basis of superstition lol. I definitely need to increase KB to twice a week and increase my intensity. I've just sort of been cruising along, happy I'm consistently doing something.

Dips are fantastic, esp considering the tricep activation.

Ground beef and ground turkey are basically the same kcals and macros...