TangoDown's Vanilla HST Run

Stats: 5'8", 152lb (+ 0lb.................)

Squat: 3x10 @ 170lb

Sumo Deadlift: 1x10 @ 215lb, 1x5 @ 215lb (Felt regretful for doing a second set midset and stopped lol)

Bench Press: Warmup 1x5 @ 85lb, 3x10 @ 140lb

Weighted Pullups: Warmup BW x 5, 2x10 @ Belt + 32.5lb

E-Z Bar Concentration Curls: 1x15 @ Bar (weight unknown) + 30lb

Elliptical: About 10 minutes at a moderate resistance.
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The gym scale says I'm the same weight I was last week...

One of the front desk people said people have complaining about it, but I came home and my scale says the same weight.

I really don't understand this. I'm eating 3000 cals a day on workout days and 2700 cals a day on rest days. I'm not an uber active person because I'm in class all day on my ass, so how the fuck am I not gaining any weight from week to week if I'm eating this much and only 152lb? I know I'm not undercounting because a lot of what I eat has nutritional information, and even so, my calculated maintenance is about 2100 cals, and I can't imagine my workout burning more than 300 calories (like 150 from the 45-60 minutes of lifting and then 100-150 from 10 minutes of cardio). So 500 calories over maintenance should be about 2800-2900 on workout days and 2500-2600 on rest days (and my rest days are the days I'm on my ass for upwards of 12 hours).

My fear is that if I up the cals anymore and then find out the scales have indeed been inaccurate, I'll have gained far too much over this cycle and will have to compensate by having to cut far sooner than I've planned.
 
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TangoDown said:
Stats: 5'8", 152lb (+ 0lb.................)

Squat: 3x10 @ 170lb

Sumo Deadlift: 1x10 @ 215lb, 1x5 @ 215lb (Felt regretful for doing a second set midset and stopped lol)

Bench Press: Warmup 1x5 @ 85lb, 3x10 @ 140lb

Weighted Pullups: Warmup BW x 5, 2x10 @ Belt + 32.5lb

E-Z Bar Concentration Curls: 1x15 @ Bar (weight unknown) + 30lb

Elliptical: About 10 minutes at a moderate resistance.
___________________________________________________

The gym scale says I'm the same weight I was last week...

One of the front desk people said people have complaining about it, but I came home and my scale says the same weight.

I really don't understand this. I'm eating 3000 cals a day on workout days and 2700 cals a day on rest days. I'm not an uber active person because I'm in class all day on my ass, so how the fuck am I not gaining any weight from week to week if I'm eating this much and only 152lb? I know I'm not undercounting because a lot of what I eat has nutritional information, and even so, my calculated maintenance is about 2100 cals, and I can't imagine my workout burning more than 300 calories (like 150 from the 45-60 minutes of lifting and then 100-150 from 10 minutes of cardio). So 500 calories over maintenance should be about 2800-2900 on workout days and 2500-2600 on rest days (and my rest days are the days I'm on my ass for upwards of 12 hours).

My fear is that if I up the cals anymore and then find out the scales have indeed been inaccurate, I'll have gained far too much over this cycle and will have to compensate by having to cut far sooner than I've planned.
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Don't drop your calories on rest days.
 
I would say if both scales are showing no increase then you have not gained weight this week, do as Bulldog says and consume 3000 every day and see how that goes, how do you monitor food intake, diary?. Do you have calipers so you could monitor your body fat levels?
 
I keep a calorie and protein count in my head throughout the day.

I'd get calipers but the number on the scale needs to go up or the calipers aren't really going to be necessary.

I guess I'll aim for 3000 everyday, though I can't imagine why I'd need 1000 calories over expenditure on a day where I'm essentially sedentary. I work out in the morning so it's been 24 hours since last session by 10am on my rest day.
 
You could download MyFitness Pal onto your phone and keep a log of calories as you consume them, then you could be sure of what your actual intake is, I agree 900 calories over BMR plus Activity seems a little excessive but a 1.5lb increase in nearly 4 weeks would suggest calories are only 200 - 250 per day over. What are your macros for carbs, protein and fats?
 
I don't keep count of carbs or fat.

I aim for 1g/lb BW for protein. Tend to get about 150-170g a day.

I'll take a look at the MFP app and I'll up the cals to 3000 a day and see where I'm at next week. That should add about 1200 cals per week which spread out over 7 days is an extra 170-200/day.

Should probably order a better scale than the one I've got since it's a pos as is.
 
Just for the record I work in an office so would be considered sedentary and therefore at 48, 5' 10" and circa 180lbs my calorie intake should be around 2100 without taking into account training, however to lose weight I consumed approximately 2300 and when maintaining weight I was around 2800 calories a day and now my average daily intake is nearer 3500 and gaining just under a 1lb per week over the last 6 weeks - so in conclusion I needed around 700 calories more per day than my BMR just to maintain weight.
 
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mickc1965 said:
Just for the record I work in an office so would be considered sedentary and therefore at 48, 5' 10" and circa 180lbs my calorie intake should be around 2100 without taking into account training, however to lose weight I consumed approximately 2300 and when maintaining weight I was around 2800 calories a day and now my average daily intake is nearer 3500 and gaining just under a 1lb per week over the last 6 weeks - so in conclusion I needed around 700 calories more per day than my BMR just to maintain weight.
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Strange. How hard were you working out while maintaining? Also how advanced of a lifter are you? If you're way big then maybe all that extra muscle contributes to an accelerated metabolism.

I hope 3000 cals is enough for me, honestly. Don't want to have wasted this cycle.
 
1. You're more active than you realise.

2. At you size and proportions, I'm guessing that your body is pretty subpar at performing heat-retention, so there's more calories disappearing.



It's quite simple; either you're gaining, or you aren't, and if you aren't, then you need more food.
 
TangoDown said:
Strange. How hard were you working out while maintaining? Also how advanced of a lifter are you? If you're way big then maybe all that extra muscle contributes to an accelerated metabolism.

I hope 3000 cals is enough for me, honestly. Don't want to have wasted this cycle.
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TangoDown - while maintaining I was training 6 days per week on an upper (m/w/f) and lower (t/t/s) generally two compound exercises per muscle group with two sets per exercise based on HST principles. In respect of lifting history I have been training currently since October 2011, I did lift for about 5 years between 1992 and 1997 where I was bigger and stronger (was around 200 to 205lbs @ about 12% bf - edit thinking about it I was nearer 196lbs at that bf) than I am today, would not say that I am that big (in our world - 45 inch chest with 34/36 inch waist) as at my age trying to look good rather than be big - currently training on a full body routine on a 3 day on / 1 day off schedule - http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?42222-mickc1965-3-day-on-1-day-off-full-body-log
 
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AlexAustralia said:
1. You're more active than you realise.

2. At you size and proportions, I'm guessing that your body is pretty subpar at performing heat-retention, so there's more calories disappearing.



It's quite simple; either you're gaining, or you aren't, and if you aren't, then you need more food.
Click to expand...

Well like I said, I'll be upping my calories on rest days so I get 3000 7 days a week. I know it means I'm not in surplus. It's just strange because I'm definitely not walking more than a mile a day most days so I don't really see where any extra energy expenditure could be coming from. I guess your thermodynamic explanation makes some sense. Lol maybe the intellectual strain of 12 hours of math and chemistry on my rest days are causing an increase in caloric requirements.

Wondering if the fact that my sleep isn't very restorative could be a contributing factor. Struggled with insomnia for more than a year now, and though I don't really suffer from long periods of wakefulness anymore, I find myself waking up frequently for no noticeable reason which is causing me to be very tired throughout the day.

GP said a while back that the back of my throat has substantial room so apnea isn't likely, but my mom has severe sleep problems and apnea. Still, scheduled with him for next week so I can get a referral to sleep clinic. And even if the shit sleep isn't a contributing factor, I'm sure some mitigation would lead to better workouts and more gains.
 
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mickc1965 said:
TangoDown - while maintaining I was training 6 days per week on an upper (m/w/f) and lower (t/t/s) generally two compound exercises per muscle group with two sets per exercise based on HST principles. In respect of lifting history I have been training currently since October 2011, I did lift for about 5 years between 1992 and 1997 where I was bigger and stronger (was around 200 to 205lbs @ about 12% bf - edit thinking about it I was nearer 196lbs at that bf) than I am today, would not say that I am that big (in our world - 45 inch chest with 34/36 inch waist) as at my age trying to look good rather than be big - currently training on a full body routine on a 3 day on / 1 day off schedule - http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?42222-mickc1965-3-day-on-1-day-off-full-body-log
Click to expand...

Wish I could go to the gym 6 days a week. :(
 
Stats: 5'8", 152lb

Squat: 3x10 @ 180lb

Bench Press: Warmup 1x5 @ 105lb, 2x10 @ 150lb

Weighted Pullups: Warmup BW x 5, 2x10 @ Belt + 35lb

E-Z Bar Concentration Curls: 1x15 @ Bar (weight unknown) + 30lb

Treadmill: Ran about 7:30 mile, upping pace until last .10 was at 9mph.
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It was hot as hell today and the only ventilation the weight room in my gym has is two crappy fans, so I felt sluggish. Only thing that felt real strong was pullups.

Only did 2 sets for bench because of that.
 
Squat felt strong. Sumo Deadlift did not. 2-3 reps less than tested max.

I think doing them after squat is taking a toll on them so I'm considering just dropping it in favor of focusing on squat, because I think squatting is more crucial at this point.
 
Been thinking, it was probably due to doing the squats first. Since Sumos use a lot of quads, squats are probably hampering them.

Think I'll do my deadlifts first on deadlift max day next time. I'll probably still squat first when deadlift is at sub-maximal weight.
 
Final session of planned cycle is Friday. Gonna probably extend it out a few days to test some new lifts.

So far:

Body Weight: 150lb - 158lb (+ 8lb) @ 5'8"
- Had to up cals to 3500 a day.

(Low Bar) Squat: 220lb x 5 - 230lb x 5 (+ 10lb)
- Best I've done in these heeled shoes. Best in minimalist shoes/barefoot was 235lb x 5. There's always been about a 10-20lb difference there but I feel like my form is way better in power lifting shoes so I use 'em. Probably gonna try 235lb x 5 before I SD.

Bench: 175lb x 5 - 185lb x 5 (+ 10lb, + 5lb lifetime PR)
- Finally! I might even push for 190lb x 5 before I SD because the reps weren't the hardes reps I've ever done. We'll see. I thank the frequency/volume I did this cycle.

Sumo Deadlift: 275lb x 5 - 275lb x 5 (+0lb, 40lb lower than lifetime PR)
- My problem here is that the bar is uber slow off the ground and unbelievably quick once I'm almost to the knees. Exactly the opposite problem most people have with deadlift. Due to my sticking point with squat being midway up, I think I still have a lagging imbalance where my quads are a lot weaker than my posterior chain. It also makes sense because this cycle, I made sure I was a lot more upright with sumo deadlift, and yet when I was more parallel to the ground eons back, I could lift a lot more. Back rounded and I could get 315lb off the ground at least 10 times. Both those adjustments minimize quad usage.

- Thus, I'm dropping deadlift for the time being. I also think volume is too low since I'm hammering squats. Don't have enough time to work on technique with these. Gonna replace them with something quad dominate to work on strengthening quads. Thinking maybe close stance leg press from a dead stop to really work on powering out of the hole. Any suggestions, feel free to comment.

Weighted Pullups: Belt + 65lb x 5 @ 150lb - Belt + 62.5lb x 5 @ 158lb (PR)
- Gonna try Belt + 65lb again next session. Thinking about throwing in another back exercise. Gym as a really cool unilateral rowing machine I might do. I can throw in a set of those next cycle after a set of 15 rep pullups/2 sets of 10 rep pullups/3 sets of 5 rep pullups.

E-Z Bar Concentration Curls: Bar (weight unknown) + 50lb x 6 - Bar (weight unknown) + 50lb x 8 (PR + 2 reps)
- Not enough to increase the weight next cycle unless I plop a 2.5lb magnet at the center of the bar. Gonna test that and if I get 10 reps, I'll just repeat the weights from last cycle + the 2.5lb magnet.






 
That's some great progress, TD! The Bench PR has to feel incredible, and both the Pullup and Curl PR's are absolutely notable. I'm not sure cutting the deadlift is the best idea, but I understand fundamentally why you're thinking that way. From reading the log thus far, it seems that caloric consumption was maybe a little bit inconsistent; I wouldn't cut deads unless you had a good, firm cycle with your calories up. If there is one lift that demands you to have enough fuel to move the load, it's the mighty deadlift. Don't give up just yet - she ain't done with you.

Regardless - great progress in key areas of the cycle.
 
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