Daily Check In - Part Duex

[Crease]

Ok cool figured about the supplements

1) roughly 1700-1800 calories should be good then?

2) planning on morning workouts when possible

3) ok if workout in morning only have carbs for breakfast but what about the days I have to work out at night? Only have the carbs after workout or just forego them?

You should have carbs every day. You can have carbs for dinner after your workout.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Ok gonna start posting here mostly to keep me accountable and have some questions as well. i have been trying to get my body fat % down. Currently 6 ft. ~183 lbs with a bf of 22%. Would like to get it down to 20% to start then down to 15%. Not super strong due to some injuries to my legs that made me stop going to the gym.

Going to be doing two days of chest triceps and abs and back biceps and traps and two days of swimming or rock climbing depending on schedule. E.g

Sunday CTA
Monday Rock climbing
Tuesday BBT
Wednesday CTA
Thursday Swim
Friday BBT

Can't do legs at the gym cuz I'm currently getting some treatment on hips and knee and will try to substitute that with the swimming.

My question though is how to get down the bf%. Should I be eating at a deficit or a lot. High carb low carb? There's a lot of info out there and it's difficult to figure out what's best.

Currently I'm looking at secret to shred (don't know if anyone has done this) but I can't afford all the supplements nor have the desire to do all that.

Thanks to anyone who responds

I don't like the order here. You have your back (pulling) day immediately after your climbing day, which stresses the same muscles. You'd be better off to do them both on the same day or separate them by at least one day of non-pulling activity. It you choose to do them on the same day, you can make the gym workout a more abbreviated version.

As for diet, you first need to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Only after this will you have a starting point as to what the average number of calories should be to maintain your current weight. From there, consistently be at a 300-500 calorie deficit. Your following post about 1700-1800 is bordering crash diet territory and it won't be sustainable in the long run. If you are exercising 6 days/week I imagine your TDEE is (or will be?) closer to 2,500 (just a guess) and you'd want to shoot for 2,000-2,200. Find out for yourself, but know that the only way you can truly know this is by collecting your own personal data (calories, activity, weight) after several weeks. https://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Lastly, if your #1 goal is to lose body fat, you're going to want to do more cardio. Since you have a lower body injury, I'd suggest substituting one of your pulling days each week for an additional swimming session. You can even alternate your pushing and pulling each week. Something like this:

Week 1:
Sunday BBT
Monday Swim
Tuesday Rock Climbing
Wednesday CTA
Thursday Swim
Friday BBT

Week 2:
Sunday CTA
Monday Rock Climbing
Tuesday Swim
Wednesday BBT
Thursday CTA
Friday Swim

Week 3 = Repeat Week 1.

This way you are swimming 2x week, climbing 1x week, and hitting your pushing and pulling muscles with weights every 5 days for each muscle group. Your muscles will get a great workout swimming and climbing too. Good luck.

 

[Thepoolmaster]

I don't like the order here. You have your back (pulling) day immediately after your climbing day, which stresses the same muscles. You'd be better off to do them both on the same day or separate them by at least one day of non-pulling activity. It you choose to do them on the same day, you can make the gym workout a more abbreviated version.

As for diet, you first need to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Only after this will you have a starting point as to what the average number of calories should be to maintain your current weight. From there, consistently be at a 300-500 calorie deficit. Your following post about 1700-1800 is bordering crash diet territory and it won't be sustainable in the long run. If you are exercising 6 days/week I imagine your TDEE is (or will be?) closer to 2,500 (just a guess) and you'd want to shoot for 2,000-2,200. Find out for yourself, but know that the only way you can truly know this is by collecting your own personal data (calories, activity, weight) after several weeks. https://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Lastly, if your #1 goal is to lose body fat, you're going to want to do more cardio. Since you have a lower body injury, I'd suggest substituting one of your pulling days each week for an additional swimming session. You can even alternate your pushing and pulling each week. Something like this:

Week 1:
Sunday BBT
Monday Swim
Tuesday Rock Climbing
Wednesday CTA
Thursday Swim
Friday BBT

Week 2:
Sunday CTA
Monday Rock Climbing
Tuesday Swim
Wednesday BBT
Thursday CTA
Friday Swim

Week 3 = Repeat Week 1.

This way you are swimming 2x week, climbing 1x week, and hitting your pushing and pulling muscles with weights every 5 days for each muscle group. Your muscles will get a great workout swimming and climbing too. Good luck.

Awesome advice. Thank you very much. I see your point about the calories. I'm just really sedentary at work so that is where I got that number from. 2200 (average for a male) - 500.

Also put my numbers in you were right. Roughly 2500. So I should be eating about 2000-2200 as you said.

I should have added in between sets I will be doing some form of cardio. I'll have to determine what works for my knee. So far the elliptical works pretty well in not bothering my knee/hip.

Understood on the climbing and back workouts. Would have never thought of that. Thank you.

 

[Captain Bowie]

You should have carbs every day. .

Why?

 

[Captain Bowie]

Been almost a month since I hit the gym for various reasons. Was sick (twice), pulled calf, lack of motivation. Plan on picking it up again this week. Excited and curious how much of the progress I made over 3 months will be lost.

 

[Wood Stick]

Shoulder days I've been hitting more side/rear delts than front. I feel like they're growing much better this way, and the shape is better. I hit a big lift at the start (OHP for example) and then smash 2 exercises of both.

 

[blue425]

Progress is slow but it is being made. That is enough to keep me going.

 

[Coffe]

Felt a cracking noise in my upper back during my last set of lateral raises which has caused me some pain. Applied some pain relieving gel which has somewhat reduced the soreness - hopefully it will be OK by the morning.

 

[Wood Stick]

Felt a cracking noise in my upper back during my last set of lateral raises which has caused me some pain. Applied some pain relieving gel which has somewhat reduced the soreness - hopefully it will be OK by the morning.

You turn the thumb down? Like a pouring motion at the top?

 

[Coffe]

You turn the thumb down? Like a pouring motion at the top?

I normally don't but I can't remember if I did on this last rep. The ascent did feel a bit uncontrolled so perhaps there was some forward rotation of the hands.

It feels better (but not perfect) this morning though, so hopefully it was just something minor.

 

[RayP]

Got an early morning 9 mile around Universal Studios in Orlando yesterday morning before the sun even came up. Was pretty neat.

 

[Crease]

Really pleased with my four week progress. Doubled my pull-ups and push-ups and re-established my compulsion to hit the gym everyday.

 

[KapG]

Really pleased with my four week progress. Doubled my pull-ups and push-ups and re-established my compulsion to hit the gym everyday.

Congrats

 

[Ozz]

Working set numbers were flat bench/2-board press 265x4 for 3 sets, then parallel dips +45x20, +80x12, +80x10. Next week I'll either aim for 275x3 for 3 sets or 265x5 for 3 sets. Not sure yet. I've done the 5-rep focus for a few weeks, I think a couple at 3-reps will be pretty good. Soon enough I've got to see how this all translates to my 1RM.

This week saw 2-board presses at 270x4 for 3 sets, back work remains the same (although I got more reps on 225lb. barbell rows following all my pullups), and I swapped out Bulgarian squats for front squats to the floor.

Last night was my 2nd week doing front squats, following a night of 2 hockey games, and I was able to reach 185x2 and 195x1 on my final sets. After that, just a bunch of hamstring machine press and calf work. I liked the quickness of doing Bulgarian squats because they nail you so hard, but doing them HEAVY like I want the day after playing 2 hockey games (3 in total for the week) is the last thing I wanted to do.

 

[blue425]

This week was my best week since January 20th.

Still chuggin' along and adding a one or two reps per set per week. Left arm is getting stronger since I hurt it working way beyond what I should have been doing.

Should be back to there by May 1st I think.

 

[KapG]

Keep up the good work everyone!

Today I did some BSS, seated calf raises, light leg extensions, seated hamstring curls and some weighted pull-ups (45 plate)

Gonna do some core later while I watch some tv

 

[UnrealMachine]

I attended a 2-day standing acrobatics workshop this weekend. The end goal was a standing hand-2-hand with the flyer holding a handstand on my hands (at shoulder level, like the clean position). I was definitely out of my comfort zone, as I have generally avoided most standing acro so far. Every move we learned leading up to the end was challenging, as I was fighting sore hands/wrists the whole time (rock climbing during the week was probably bad going into this). In the end I was only able to hold the H2H for (literally) a couple seconds. My whole body is so sore right now and I had to hit the vitamin I(buprofin) for a 2nd day.

 

[Thepoolmaster]

Did well week 1 in going to the gym. Not so good week 2. Also got to get diet on track better. Seeing a drop in weight but not body fat. Probably due to the deficit but eating some junk.

And wow unreal machine. That sounds ridiculously hard

 

[wingsnut19]

Today I officially hit all of my 1 year goals. I benched 185, and it was actually pretty easy. I probably had another 10lbs in me, and still had about a month left before my 1 year anniversary of starting in this hobby.

I know it isn't a big number or anything, but for me it is huge. I've got a fairly severe case of Crohn's disease (since I was 10yrs old), so I have always been really small. I'm still only 145lbs, but that is 28lbs heavier than at my lightest 18 months ago. I had some big struggles with my health the first few months I was lifting, but the past 5 or so months went well, and I made great progress.

My 1 year 1rm numbers, since I'm not going to go for PRs for a couple months again probably:

Squat: 285
Deadlift:340
Bench: 185
OHP: 125

Really proud of my progress, to be honest, and just wanted to share. Hopefully I can continue to get stronger and healthier.

 

[Ozz]

This week saw 2-board presses at 270x4 for 3 sets, back work remains the same (although I got more reps on 225lb. barbell rows following all my pullups), and I swapped out Bulgarian squats for front squats to the floor.

Last night was my 2nd week doing front squats, following a night of 2 hockey games, and I was able to reach 185x2 and 195x1 on my final sets. After that, just a bunch of hamstring machine press and calf work. I liked the quickness of doing Bulgarian squats because they nail you so hard, but doing them HEAVY like I want the day after playing 2 hockey games (3 in total for the week) is the last thing I wanted to do.

Tonight I hit 275x3, 275x4, and 275x5 on the 2-board press. Great jump from last week!

Today I officially hit all of my 1 year goals. I benched 185, and it was actually pretty easy. I probably had another 10lbs in me, and still had about a month left before my 1 year anniversary of starting in this hobby.

I know it isn't a big number or anything, but for me it is huge. I've got a fairly severe case of Crohn's disease (since I was 10yrs old), so I have always been really small. I'm still only 145lbs, but that is 28lbs heavier than at my lightest 18 months ago. I had some big struggles with my health the first few months I was lifting, but the past 5 or so months went well, and I made great progress.

My 1 year 1rm numbers, since I'm not going to go for PRs for a couple months again probably:

Squat: 285
Deadlift:340
Bench: 185
OHP: 125

Really proud of my progress, to be honest, and just wanted to share. Hopefully I can continue to get stronger and healthier.

Congrats. That's a crazy deadlift compared to the other numbers. Squat is really good, too.

 

[wingsnut19]

Tonight I hit 275x3, 275x4, and 275x5 on the 2-board press. Great jump from last week!





Congrats. That's a crazy deadlift compared to the other numbers. Squat is really good, too.

Thanks. Squat came pretty easy to me. Deadlift took me awhile, but once I got the form down, the number really flew up quickly. Getting up to those numbers was pretty taxing on my body the last couple months, so I'm backing them up quite a bit and will focus more on volume rather than weight. I might just keep progressing the bench higher since it is still pretty low.

 

[RayP]

Saturday- 120 mile ride, 2+ mile transition run.

Sunday- same as Saturday.

Today- might just sleep all day.

 

[Crease]

Down about two pounds since I started my cut last week. Two pounds sounds about right, I'm being pretty aggressive here.

 

[Captain Bowie]

Finally made it back to the gym last night for the first time in a month and a half! Lost some progress for sure but not square one. Back on the road again!

 

[KapG]

Finding it really tough to get back into the routine of going 5 days a week after being out of commish for half of January and all of February.

Frustrating.