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(quadancer @ Apr. 02 2008,02:20)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">You're on your 15th cycle? Wow, dedication. Was there a point where you hit the wall with one?
I see you added the plankies in there. Maybe you could do them from a belly flop up to straight in a rep? Kind of a reverse hyper?</div>
I've hit walls, but I don't have the data right now to show when I hit them. The walls were not because of training, but because of poor diet. HST has never failed me.
A diet that turned out to be at maintenance levels screwed me over early 2006. This wasted away what could have been great cuts during my back-to-back
Faustonian cycles. Why not explain my history of HST cycles while I am at it?
Prior to my experimentation with specialization, I had two LONG HST cycles that went from July 2005 to December 2005. Here is a link to my
2nd cycle review. I had excellent success with these, but 75% of the gains were to be blamed on muscle memory. Was HST the antagonist though? Perhaps.
After the failed Faustonian cycles, I had to change it up in Cycle #5. I went back to the basics for the next two cycles. The cut went really well that summer thanks to a moving job that I also had. On came my Senior Year at Penn State and the start of my 6th cycle. At this time, I was just starting to up the poundage in the SLDL. I started to bulk a bit, but I wasn't ready for what was about to hit me. The appendectomy in October 2006 really screwed things up for me. I also quit counting calories upon having that surgery. This resulted in me blimping out and going from 205 to 230 in a matter of months.
My 7th cycle would be known as the bridge. I had to get back to my lean shape that I had worked so hard on. I also had to build up strength in my core despite a fresh four inch cut in my abs. I was counting calories again and I was making some progress with my Battle of the Bulge. I was a bit overconfident in how I was doing, but at least I was back to lifting.
The new year (2007) brought on a whole new fresh outlook upon my training. I started a theme of training that would use HIT concepts for warmup and post-exhaustion mixed with HST A/B splits. I did shed some body fat despite another surgery (tubes), but as always, I was under minding how much fat I actually had as the following link can attest.
Cycle #9 was of the same breed. Unfortunately, this cycle stumbled into the summer as a failure thanks to a lot of school work and a really bad bacterial infection that threw me for a loop that Easter. My diet got out of hand, and I once again gained weight.
My 10th cycle was perhaps my most famous cycle, at least since the Faustonian cycles. Last summer, I had no job, and my fiancee and I were trying to save money, so I lifted at home with very little equipment. This thrifty cycle would be known as the
Caveman Cycle. Weight was at its all time high at that point as I just hit 250 lbs. It seemed as if I couldn't get a grip on cutting and getting myself back to a lean state. After all, I did gain 45 lbs in 9 months. I tried out gyms around the area, and had a lot of success here. I cut some fat and hit a lot of PR's. I pulled 335 lbs in the Romanian deadlift, but that would be one of the last times I would deadlift in such a style.
Cycle 11 was my first attempt at 5x5, mixed with HST of course! I really enjoyed 5x5, but it came to a halt when I got my own equipment last fall. As you can see, my return to 5x5 comes 4 cycles later!
My 12th, 13th, 14th and now, 15th cycles are all contained in this log. Last fall, I decided to dedicate myself to a cut to 10% body fat. This road would last at least until May 31st, the date of my wedding. I was tired of the up and down weight and inconsistencies in my diet and training. The success has been great, and despite the winter hampering my ability to do cardio, I have found other ways to shed the fat with lifting as my only exercise. Intermittent Fasting has helped me shed the fat and bring back my V form in my 14th cycle. I am continuing that in my 15th cycle with even better eating, and a return to HST/5x5 hybrid.
I'll admit my body fat percentage may still be higher than where I record it, but I will not write down 12.00% until my love handles are gone. At the very least, I want to hit that point in two months. 59 days to go and counting down, I believe I can do this.
I would like to thank everyone for their comments, critiquing and support in my journey! I will not even make my plans for what I will do when I do hit 10% because I need to concentrate on getting there. I think IF, consistent diet and training, and then some cardio when the weather heats up is my key!
Wow.... that was a rant?
