Gamechanger: Gain 30, Pull 500.

nativetroutbum said:
That's good progress, Sci. Looks like you're doing exactly what you want to do: sparing as much lean mass as possible whilst losing fat!
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Thanks Bro. My wife thinks I look great, but I am still pretty fat. I really want to get sub-10%, as I've never really been that lean in my life.
 
Decline Bench personal record today... 205x9. Probably could have got 10, but didn't want to push it.
 
Well done mate. Just keep sticking in there. How much are you losing each week now? I got down to ca 180lb without trouble but the last 5-6 lbs took weeks.

Re the PRs: I hit new PRs on all exercises during the last cut. I have beaten all those now bulking though.
 
gbglifter said:
Well done mate. Just keep sticking in there. How much are you losing each week now? I got down to ca 180lb without trouble but the last 5-6 lbs took weeks.

Re the PRs: I hit new PRs on all exercises during the last cut. I have beaten all those now bulking though.
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I am losing about 1.5lbs a week on average. The first 10 ponds came off like nothing. The next 6 pounds came off much slower. I suspect the last portion of my cut will be tough. I started a full-body high-frequeny HST program this week, so I will be burning calories daily in the gym, which should help. I should look pretty damn fit at 190. I started this last bulk at 190 at around 12% bodyfat, but this time I am hoping to land out at around ~8% at the same bodyweight, so I will be a much more MUSCULAR 190 than when I started.
 
You're going to burn through energy (cals) like crazy on 5-6x a week.

Make sure you carb up on Wednesday and Friday (say M-F 5x weekly). Your glycogen stores are going to be non-existent after Tuesday's work out. Following that, don't get discouraged when you look in the mirror and you're flat and soft. It'll return once you're back to a less intense regime and certainly when you stop cutting.

I prefer to use creatine at such high frequency. Obviously this will affect the weight showing up on the scale somewhat, and likewise you'll be a bit bigger in the mirror (not a lot though).
 
Not sure what your fluid intake is but I would up that too, especially if you get on the creatine. I keep a one gallon jug of water in the fridge that I refill each night and take with me to work, once I've drained the whole thing, any hydration on top of that is just a bonus.

Going to be exciting to see some pics at 190 and compare them to your first pics in this log.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I have been taking Creatine and have been all along. I take Muscletech Whey protein plus, which also has Creatine Monohydrate mixed in.
I have increased protein , kept carbs adequate and increased water intake since starting the program. Definition is starting to come through, I am holding out for some real leanness and vascularity though. Have lost no strength at all, been conservative with my cut as to retain lean mass.
 
I did a refeed today, which I've been doing regularly on this cut, which is the reason I am losing weight so slowly. I believe refeeds are important to retain lean mass, you don't want to stay in a deficit all the time for weeks on end, because it screws up the metabolism and eats up the hard-earned lean tissue. Anyway, after the refeed, I got to see what my "real" body-weight is, without glycogen depletion. Carb-depleted weight: 202, after refeed, carb-loaded: 206. So I still have a ways to go, but I am very confident that I am not losing any muscle.
 
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Cutting fucking sucks... I respect those that can get below 10 % naturally... Mad amount of will power. This cut is one of the hardest things I've ever attempted in my life. game on
 
What are you fidning difficuilt Sci? Eating a small enough amount to actually lose weight?

How are you eating on a normal day? What time are you training? Are you fololowing leangains protocol or are you doing your own thing?
 
gbglifter said:
What are you fidning difficuilt Sci? Eating a small enough amount to actually lose weight? How are you eating on a normal day? What time are you training? Are you fololowing leangains protocol or are you doing your own thing?
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I am losing weight, it's just unpleasant. I find myself wanting to gorge on carbs and eat like a pig. Sometimes I'll follow my diet perfectly for a few days, then go off it one day, out of pure hunger. And of course, it seems to take forever....

I am not following any protocol. Just managing calories. Most days are about 180 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbs, 60 grams of fat. Ideally it would be even higher protein and lower carbs and fats, but I can't stand eating nothing but lean protein all day, it tastes disgusting after awhile. All this adds up to only about 1800-1900 calories, which is the most I can eat now and still lose weight. Maintenance is around 2300-2400 calories.

It's not too bad, I just have a hard time staying patient once I get near 12% or so, that seems to be my lowest set point, where my body goes crazy and sends me hunger signals. Last time I cut, the same thing happened, I got to about 12% and couldn't continue, that is when I started my last bulk cycle. This time I want to go to about 8%, which would be a personal record. I just have to hone my willpower. It's tough to beat the body's hormone signals designed for our survival.
 
I know where youre coming from. Every cut Ive ever done, until the last, was terrible. Just couldnt stand it. However, the leangains way actually worked. I made sure I ate a lot at every meal but not of carbs. I ate tonnes of veggies. Meat, veg and some sauce. I ate loads of broccoli at each meal which helped me feel fuller longer.

Typical day: lunch at 1pm consisting of meat, broccoli and some sauce. Train at 4pm. Porridge of some description after the gym with jam/jelly. Then meal at 9pm the same as lunch. I eventually had to cut down the meat even more to get the last few pounds off but I retained a high veg intake. On my off days Id bite the bullet and skip the porridge. Helped me down to 172lb from ca210lb. Perhaps 9%BF. Probably around 1300kcals per day then but still felt full due to the veggies.

Refeeds every other week to keep me sane and virile :)

Im really rooting for you mate. Im starting to feel the itch to cut but I shall resist until around february. Then my journey begins.
 
heavy day (2x6)

Low Row: 220
NG Pulldown: 200
Decline Bench: 225 (PR)
Machine Press: 110
Deadlift: 315x6 (only 1 top set)
Leg Extension: 200
Uni-Calf Raise: +100

Usually I do squats, but today some douchebag was benching in my favorite squat rack, so I decided to do deadlifts and leg extensions in place of squats.

Really pleased with my bench progress. Managed 225 for 2x6 without a spotter. I don't seem to be progressing much in the other lifts, but I'm certainly not losing any strength either.
 
Thanks for the support mate. I am determined to get ripped this time. Caffeine helps a lot, been chugging coffee at work which keeps the hunger minimal.
That's a good idea with the vegetables. I'll up my veggie intake to stay more full.
 
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Wow, the deadlifts and leg extensions are a killer combination. Better than squats! My quads, hams and back are all toasted and sorer than usual after these. I might just keep this killer combo instead of squats. Deadlifts are king.
 
I think you still want to pair up squats or press with deadlift. Leg extensions place a lot of torque on the knee, and there's still no substitute for the compound movement. I find that both the press and squat help me get my butt deeper in the deadlift (ala better form, better glute activation).

Leg extensions w/deads are a good combo for that particular workout, but I'd put squats or press in the alternating session.
 
Actually squats stress my knees more than leg extensions. Leg extensions pose zero problem for me. The only reason I would consider your plan of alternating is that deads are so demanding. If I manage high frequency deads with the undulating load, there is no doubt in my mind that deads+ leg ext. would be superior to squats. If I can't do high frequency deads though, then I'll alternate squats in the mix.
 
Sci said:
Actually squats stress my knees more than leg extensions. Leg extensions pose zero problem for me. The only reason I would consider your plan of alternating is that deads are so demanding. If I manage high frequency deads with the undulating load, there is no doubt in my mind that deads+ leg ext. would be superior to squats. If I can't do high frequency deads though, then I'll alternate squats in the mix.
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The knee is not designed to move heavy loads with the motion of the leg extension. It puts a horrible shearing force on the knee. If squats bother your knees more than leg extensions then you most likely have something wrong with your squat form.

[edit] That said, they are probably fine for high rep (12-20) loads.[/edit]
 
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Walking backwards uphill, walking forwards down a steep hill is similar to leg extensions, add a heavy backpack and you have similar torque on the knees.

I understand what you guys are saying, but really leg extensions don't bother me.
 
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