Two bad weeks. Real bad. Due to injuries and being sick, I missed 4 out of the last six dates with the gym. 11/6, 11/8, 11/13 and 11/15. Sigh.
I'm ready to hit it hard again today. I'm tired of feeling like a bum. Even though my weight hasn't dropped (nor gained, sigh), I feel like I've gotten smaller. I hate this feeling.
Update Rob? I know it's tough to stay motivated. I got stuck for a bit due to illness and work pwning my life (new job) but I am back in the game. You had better be as well!
Still going strong. Up to 189 or 190lbs, and looking for 200 by February. December/Jan is a little bumpy due to holidays, but I simply forgot this thread was here.
I'm now squatting 205, deadlifting 225 and benching 165. Others have all gone up as well.
I'm currently at 190.2lbs. I had a two week period where weight gain was probably a good 40-50% fat, so I'm not pleased with my muscle development relative to my current weight, but I am 10-12lbs away from my goal and I'm very happy about that.
By the end of February, I should start my cut cycle so I can finally see the fruits of my labor around June/July. Here's to hoping the next 10-12 pounds are super lean!
Awesome work dude. Really awesome. Going to have update my log as well. I am not weight gaining parse, just pure muscle growth. I won't look as "baulky" I guess but I can now lift a hell of a lot more than some of the bigger guys at the gym. There is a strange satisfaction in watching someone busting hard to do sets of a weight and I knowing that that would be no gain to me and I have to lift heavier!
Now up to 194 even w/ 3500 calories per day. This breaks down into about 120/230/330 fat/carbs/protein.
I rotated the order of exercises on my bench day to put incline first (I need work there), so my flat bench progress is going to flatline for a while. I find that I don't have very good endurance in my chest to go through 9 combined sets of incline/flat/decline, so I just live with whatever I can throw up.
I successfully deadlifted 245 on 1/27 and squatted 190 on 1/26.
Regarding squats, it's amazing how much refinement I've had to do to keep progression comfortable. For a while I was throwing up around 210, but was having serious issues coming out of the hole on the last reps of my third set. While normally I would write this off as muscle fatigue and the limitations of my current musculature, it just felt "wrong" and my lower back was consistently tight and strained at the conclusion of my sets.
After speaking with Nomad and doing some experimentation, I bit the bullet and dropped my squat weight back to 180 and have started to work my way back towards my mini goal of 225 (4x45 plates). Here are some of the adjustments I made and problems I noticed:
While conventional wisdom suggests a 30* outward turn for feet position, I feel most comfortable at very near to parallel.
While I was consistently keeping the bar on my traps, I was still having temporary lumbar pain at the conclusion of my reps. I corrected this by moving the bar even lower on my back. After careful analysis I realized that the bar was in front of my center of gravity in the hole which I meant I had to recruit too much of my back to force the bar into the right position to complete the squat.
If the bar's knurling can't cut a bitch, I hate squatting with it.
My shoulder flexibility issues were solved by grabbing the bar loaded with 225, getting into squat position, and then leaning even farther forward to essentially pull my shoulders/arms back. After a few days of my chest being pissy, I kept doing it and can more or less put the bar on my shoulder blades if I wanted to.
As for my deadlift, it is easily my best and strongest exercise (as it should be). I use a mixed grip for my working sets that puts my left hand palm out. I found that if I reverse the direction of my hands, I cannot complete a set. I don't know if this is bad or not, but whatever. I'm very happy with my deadlifts and the progress I am making towards my mini-goal of 315.
Things I am not happy with:
I continue to be the world's worst pullup athlete. I can still barely squeeze out five reps, and the last one could be considered laughable. I have tried many subtle variations of speed, torso angle relative to the bar, and grip, but nothing seems to matter overmuch. I'd love to grease the groove on this one and knock out a ton of reps per day at home, but money is tight and I cannot afford a bar.
The development of my pectoralis minor continues to be a source of consternation for me. My family is not gifted with chest development so it has been a struggle to make the progress I have made. While my lower chest is coming along decently well, my upper chest feels as though it has only grown half way from my deltoids to my sternum. If I flex my chest it feels like muscle has only developed about 2.5" from my shoulder, and it feels like bone from there to the center of my chest. VERY FRUSTRATING. This is why I now have incline at (as of last week) 3x8@135 as my very first exercise, instead of flat bench. I hope that this last-minute course correction will be what I need to fix my physique when it will be easiest to do so (bulk phase).
A matter of "I have no idea:" I have discovered that I really have no sense of self. Aside from having an uncanny ability to detect even the slightest changes in my body fat, I cannot assess the size of my own body now that I have added over 20 pounds in lean mass. I especially can't tell if my arms are big or small, which often makes me paranoid that my (very) slow progress with them hasn't put them out of proportion with the rest of my body. I also have the same concern for my anterior deltoids.
I feel like such a fatty! Bulking phases unavoidably add to your body fat, and I was already carrying too great a percentage when I went into this ordeal. I look at my own pictures and (vainly) think about how much of a Fat McFat**** I look like at the moment. I cannot wait to start cutting this fat out.
Moving forward:
I will begin my cut cycle on the first of March or 200 pounds, whichever happens first. At this rate I expect to be 200 pounds in about the 2nd or 3rd week of February, and I'm hoping that this will be the case. I got the first taste of success on this front when I stepped on the gym scale and it reported 202lbs; even though this is about 6 pounds off, it felt amazing to finally see that number on a scale.
All the nice new clothes I purchased back in November no longer fit. My wardrobe has been gutted down to a select few pieces on two occasions, and on those two occasions I've had to go out and purchase more clothing. This happened once in October, and again in January (~178 and ~192 pounds). I'm getting tired of wearing the same old clothing, so it will be nice to unlock access to my old favorites again. As much as I love my AE and H&M polos, I'm tired of wearing them only because they fit.
For all of my complaints above, I have been very satisfied with my progress. Since August 30 I have put on a grand total of 23 pounds or 4.6 pounds per month. This is exceptional progress, and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can finally stand around with my shirt off and not feel completely embarrassed about the way I look.
Did I say my flat bench was going to flatline for a while? Guess not. Threw up 165 this week for a full 3x8 for the first time. 170 next week. Sweet baby progress!
If the bar's knurling can't cut a bitch, I hate squatting with it.
This.
Worst squat injury evar? Two severely sprained wrists thanks to a shitty bar slip. Chalk and pain! Chalk and pain!
Edit: Question on squat stance. How wide? That typically determines the angle of your toes. If you find toes in more comfortable, it's probably an indication that your stance is too narrow. Load the bar up with light weight and try doing some really wide squats. From what you're describing, we may be built pretty similarly. I struggled with squats a lot until I abandoned the idea of doing narrow squats altogether in favor of wide squats and heavy, narrow leg presses.
Rotated incline bench into the first slot for my chest/tris day on Thursdays two weeks ago. Incline jumped from 3x5 @ 130 to 3x8 @ 155. Tossed up 3x6 @ 160 yesterday. Flat bench is 8/7/5 @ 175 right the moment, but I'm not expecting much progress when I've put my upper chest first.
Deadlift is up to 255, squat to 205.
Weight is currently 199. One more pound / 9 more days until I start cutting.
Weight is at 199 and change, and I'm bumping up against my March 1 deadline. I start cutting on March 1st, and I'm the process of doing research on the precise level of carbohydrate intake needed to induce ketosis. So far it's looking like 40-50g/day at a maximum.
I'm nervous and excited about the next twelve weeks. I'm excited because approximately 10 months to the day after I began this journey, I'll be done with the first phase of my efforts and I will be able to see what I've worked so hard for. I will be truly fit for the very first time in life.
I am nervous because cutting is the hardest part of bodybuilding. I hate running, and the thought of doing HIIT 3 days/week is already weighing heavily on my mind. Running -- cardio in general -- is a huge demotivator for me, so I need to keep my eyes on the prize and get through this.
Saturday is beer and pizza day. My last love affair with my beloved carbs until I wave them off until June.
I have officially started my cut. I'm dropping from 3500 calories/day down to 2700 calories/day over the course of this week. I'm at about 3000 for today, and have a modified workout plan specifically designed to hit some weak/undeveloped areas in preparation for having 10% BF.
My first day of HIIT is today (m/w/f, workouts on t/th/sat or sun/t/th). Nervous, excited, hopeful, etc.
My daily intake will be approximately 2679 calories with 70/100/350g carb/fat/protein.
I started sprints this past monday, and have been working on getting my diet under control. The first week was all about learning exactly what I have to buy, and ramping down my calories.
It'll start picking up this week, but I'm down to 196.
Here are my current workout targets for the upcoming week (excuse my peculiar notation). You can also see how my program has altered slightly in response to my cutting, and you can see that my benchpress has dipped in weight while the rest has gone up. I reset my benchpress and incline press by -20 pounds, and have been steadily working my way back up at 5lbs a week. So far so good:
I had a 12 day cold in early March that appeared to subside, but it left me with some sort of walking bronchitis. It plagued -- and continues to plague -- my running abilities. After I'm done I have chest tightness, coughing fits, and later phlegmatic wheezing that can last for 6 hours to 2 days.
My GP has assured me that this will all go away and I am on short-run antibiotics and a non-steroid inhaler to get this crap under control. Despite this setback, my running has improved dramatically. I started at just one lousy minute of HIIT, and my best is now 7 solid minutes. Things are looking up.
On the body fat front, I have dropped from 201lbs to 194.6lbs since March 1st. I would like to take this time to tell anyone who is reading about how important water is. You'll see that I've lost almost 7 pounds in 5 weeks. Not the best until you consider that 2 or 3 of those pounds came in the last week alone. What did I start doing differently? I added 1-2 gallons of water PER DAY to my diet.
That doubled or tripled my weekly weight loss. Water.
I used to love sprinting. I should try to get back into that. I'm trying to get back into running with my roommate. It sure hurts the whole body...but that's a good thing, right?
I'm down to 193 and change, which makes for about 1 pound a week so far. I've maintained my water intake but further dropped my calories to approximately 2300. I can go as low as 2200, but I'd rather not. So far this has given me appreciable results in fat loss, but the scale has not really changed much. Either I don't know how dramatic a difference a single pound really makes, or I'm gaining muscle while losing fat.
Either way, big win for me. ONWARDS!
After visiting the doctor, my HIIT has improved dramatically. I rocketed from about 5-6 minutes to 10-12 this evening. What a difference a week or two makes.
Down to 190 or 192, depending on what seems like the weather. My actual weight is probably 191.
I'm now at 2300 calories per day solidly.
I dropped running because I ****ing hate it.
I now jump rope or time-trial 12mi of cycling.
My bench has stalled at 160 (down 10 from pre-cut 8RM).
My deadlift is hovering around 290 (up 20 from pre-cut 8RM).
My squat is hovering around 225 (up 10 from pre-cut 8RM).
Today, for the first time in nearly 5 months, I wore a medium-sized shirt to work. It feels good. My effort is working.
I still can't really see any muscle, but I've got another 10-12 pounds to go that will make all the difference. I know immediately that my chest is going to look a bit goofy, and there's nothing I can do there but start bulking again in the fall. Everything else I'm fairly confident about.
I was doing well on mine a while ago - seemed to have been sidetracked but this is good motivation for people.
When I was first doing benching I spent ages at 90Kg - busted my ass and it took 6 months of hard work to suddenly jump up to 110kg over a period of 3 weeks. Sticking points are a pain!! I eventually after a few years got to 200Kg for 2 reps.
I hate running too - but I recommend keeping up the HITT your doing well.
I did a slight variation on yours - 20 secs sprinting (full pelt) with 10 secs walking - do 8 should take 4 mins - its very very good.
I dropped running completely because I ****ing hate it. I picked up cycling instead, and I'm doing ghost runs against myself to improve my time for a 13mi ride.
I'm still conscious about my chest and shoulders because I had major sticking points with them before cutting. I'll have to see how it all pans out after the fat is gone, but I'd be very disappointed if they were disproportionate after all my hard work.
Down to 187-188 pounds. Biking is going very well for me, and I love doing it. I don't dread it like I did running.
Hopefully I can get the rest of this fat off before the LAN!
On the lift front (for 3x8):
Bench: 170
Squat: 230
DL: 285
It is very hard to keep energy for my lifts with no carbs, though. I tried doing barbell rows yesterday after 3x8 chinups at BW+10 (my best ever), then lat pulldowns 10/6/5 @ 120, and I couldn't even lift the bar properly. It sucked. I was exhausted.
So right now I'm getting the major compounds out of the way first while I am energized, and cycling the remaining peripheral exercises so each muscle group still gets maximum attention at least once every other week.
Some days are good, some days are bad.
I also dropped leg press after yawningly doing 3x8 @ 600lbs leg press. Waste of time.
It's a struggle completing all my exercises every day. Carb deprivation is assuring that I can only complete 3-4 exercises satisfactorily before I just plain run out of juice. I hit my compounds first and have been rotating the remaining exercises to make sure everything gets some love.
I suspect I have about 8-9 pounds to go. This will put me about 5 lbs. shy of my initial lean bodyweight goal, but whatever. I think I'll be able to put those extra pounds on when I switch to maintenance calories (2900-3100) at the end of June.
I'm hovering around 181 or 182 pounds in the morning post-workout. That's the most accurate depiction of my weight I can get. Mid-day weight is around 183 and change, so I would say I've lost 2-3 pounds since my last update.
Here's to the month of July.
Lifts:
DL: 300
Bench: 170
Squat: 230
I haven't had the opportunity to squat or bench in 2 weeks, however, so these may increase come Thursday and Saturday.
Comments
I'm ready to hit it hard again today. I'm tired of feeling like a bum. Even though my weight hasn't dropped (nor gained, sigh), I feel like I've gotten smaller. I hate this feeling.
Must crush iron.
I'm now squatting 205, deadlifting 225 and benching 165. Others have all gone up as well.
Tuesday (1/13):
Pullups: 3x6/5/5
Dumbbell Curl: 3x10 @ 45lbs
Deadlift: 2x8 @ 235
Barbell Curl: 3x10/8/7 @ 80lbs
Incline Situp: 4x8 @ 75lbs
Lat Pulldowns: 3x10/10/8 @ 100lbs
Barbell Row: 3x8 @ 70lbs
Thursday (1/15):
Flat Bench: 3x8/8/8 @ 165lbs
Rope Crunches: 3x8 @ 200lbs
Decline Bench: 3x5/5/4 @ 180lbs
Dips: 3x8/8/8+30
Incline bench: 3x6/5/4 @ 135lbs
Skullcrushers: 3x8/8/8 @ 45
Saturday (1/17):
Hamstring Curls: 3x8 @ 110lbs
Squats: 3x8 @ 185lbs
Barbell Shoulder Press: 3x8 @ 105lbs
Leg Press: 3x10 @ 375lbs
Plank: 2x75 seconds
Lateral Dumbbell Raise: 3x10 @ 20
Calf Raises: 3x8 @ 175lbs
I'm currently at 190.2lbs. I had a two week period where weight gain was probably a good 40-50% fat, so I'm not pleased with my muscle development relative to my current weight, but I am 10-12lbs away from my goal and I'm very happy about that.
By the end of February, I should start my cut cycle so I can finally see the fruits of my labor around June/July. Here's to hoping the next 10-12 pounds are super lean!
Now up to 194 even w/ 3500 calories per day. This breaks down into about 120/230/330 fat/carbs/protein.
I rotated the order of exercises on my bench day to put incline first (I need work there), so my flat bench progress is going to flatline for a while. I find that I don't have very good endurance in my chest to go through 9 combined sets of incline/flat/decline, so I just live with whatever I can throw up.
I successfully deadlifted 245 on 1/27 and squatted 190 on 1/26.
Regarding squats, it's amazing how much refinement I've had to do to keep progression comfortable. For a while I was throwing up around 210, but was having serious issues coming out of the hole on the last reps of my third set. While normally I would write this off as muscle fatigue and the limitations of my current musculature, it just felt "wrong" and my lower back was consistently tight and strained at the conclusion of my sets.
After speaking with Nomad and doing some experimentation, I bit the bullet and dropped my squat weight back to 180 and have started to work my way back towards my mini goal of 225 (4x45 plates). Here are some of the adjustments I made and problems I noticed:
As for my deadlift, it is easily my best and strongest exercise (as it should be). I use a mixed grip for my working sets that puts my left hand palm out. I found that if I reverse the direction of my hands, I cannot complete a set. I don't know if this is bad or not, but whatever. I'm very happy with my deadlifts and the progress I am making towards my mini-goal of 315.
Things I am not happy with:
I continue to be the world's worst pullup athlete. I can still barely squeeze out five reps, and the last one could be considered laughable. I have tried many subtle variations of speed, torso angle relative to the bar, and grip, but nothing seems to matter overmuch. I'd love to grease the groove on this one and knock out a ton of reps per day at home, but money is tight and I cannot afford a bar.
The development of my pectoralis minor continues to be a source of consternation for me. My family is not gifted with chest development so it has been a struggle to make the progress I have made. While my lower chest is coming along decently well, my upper chest feels as though it has only grown half way from my deltoids to my sternum. If I flex my chest it feels like muscle has only developed about 2.5" from my shoulder, and it feels like bone from there to the center of my chest. VERY FRUSTRATING. This is why I now have incline at (as of last week) 3x8@135 as my very first exercise, instead of flat bench. I hope that this last-minute course correction will be what I need to fix my physique when it will be easiest to do so (bulk phase).
A matter of "I have no idea:" I have discovered that I really have no sense of self. Aside from having an uncanny ability to detect even the slightest changes in my body fat, I cannot assess the size of my own body now that I have added over 20 pounds in lean mass. I especially can't tell if my arms are big or small, which often makes me paranoid that my (very) slow progress with them hasn't put them out of proportion with the rest of my body. I also have the same concern for my anterior deltoids.
I feel like such a fatty! Bulking phases unavoidably add to your body fat, and I was already carrying too great a percentage when I went into this ordeal. I look at my own pictures and (vainly) think about how much of a Fat McFat**** I look like at the moment. I cannot wait to start cutting this fat out.
Moving forward:
I will begin my cut cycle on the first of March or 200 pounds, whichever happens first. At this rate I expect to be 200 pounds in about the 2nd or 3rd week of February, and I'm hoping that this will be the case. I got the first taste of success on this front when I stepped on the gym scale and it reported 202lbs; even though this is about 6 pounds off, it felt amazing to finally see that number on a scale.
All the nice new clothes I purchased back in November no longer fit. My wardrobe has been gutted down to a select few pieces on two occasions, and on those two occasions I've had to go out and purchase more clothing. This happened once in October, and again in January (~178 and ~192 pounds). I'm getting tired of wearing the same old clothing, so it will be nice to unlock access to my old favorites again. As much as I love my AE and H&M polos, I'm tired of wearing them only because they fit.
For all of my complaints above, I have been very satisfied with my progress. Since August 30 I have put on a grand total of 23 pounds or 4.6 pounds per month. This is exceptional progress, and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can finally stand around with my shirt off and not feel completely embarrassed about the way I look.
See you at the IC EXPO.
Worst squat injury evar? Two severely sprained wrists thanks to a shitty bar slip. Chalk and pain! Chalk and pain!
Edit: Question on squat stance. How wide? That typically determines the angle of your toes. If you find toes in more comfortable, it's probably an indication that your stance is too narrow. Load the bar up with light weight and try doing some really wide squats. From what you're describing, we may be built pretty similarly. I struggled with squats a lot until I abandoned the idea of doing narrow squats altogether in favor of wide squats and heavy, narrow leg presses.
Deadlift is up to 255, squat to 205.
Weight is currently 199. One more pound / 9 more days until I start cutting.
Time to get hulk, son!
I'm nervous and excited about the next twelve weeks. I'm excited because approximately 10 months to the day after I began this journey, I'll be done with the first phase of my efforts and I will be able to see what I've worked so hard for. I will be truly fit for the very first time in life.
I am nervous because cutting is the hardest part of bodybuilding. I hate running, and the thought of doing HIIT 3 days/week is already weighing heavily on my mind. Running -- cardio in general -- is a huge demotivator for me, so I need to keep my eyes on the prize and get through this.
Saturday is beer and pizza day. My last love affair with my beloved carbs until I wave them off until June.
//EDIT: Bench 175 8/7/6, Deadlift 265 8/8/8, Squat 205 8/8/8.
My first day of HIIT is today (m/w/f, workouts on t/th/sat or sun/t/th). Nervous, excited, hopeful, etc.
My daily intake will be approximately 2679 calories with 70/100/350g carb/fat/protein.
It'll start picking up this week, but I'm down to 196.
Sunday (4/5):
Shoulder Press: 3x8/8/7 @ 115
Squats: 3x8 @ 220
Lateral DB Raise: 3x10 @ 22
Hamstring Curl: 3x8/8/8 @ 120
Leg Press: 3x10 @ 420
Calf Raise: 3x8 @ 275
Tuesday (4/7):
Chinup: 3x8 +5
Deadlift: 2x8 @ 280
Lat Pulldowns: 3x10 @ 120
BB Row: 3x8/8/8 @ 145
BB Curl: 3x10/10/8 @ 50
Crunches: 3x12
DB Curl: 3x10/10/10 @ 50
Thursday (4/9):
Incline Bench: 8/8/8 @ 150
Flat Bench: 8/8/8 @ 160
Decline Situps: 3x15 (no weight)
DB Incline Bench: 10/8/8 @ 50
Dips: 3x8/6/6 @ 25
Skullcrushers: 3x8/7/7 @ 50
On the cutting front:
I had a 12 day cold in early March that appeared to subside, but it left me with some sort of walking bronchitis. It plagued -- and continues to plague -- my running abilities. After I'm done I have chest tightness, coughing fits, and later phlegmatic wheezing that can last for 6 hours to 2 days.
My GP has assured me that this will all go away and I am on short-run antibiotics and a non-steroid inhaler to get this crap under control. Despite this setback, my running has improved dramatically. I started at just one lousy minute of HIIT, and my best is now 7 solid minutes. Things are looking up.
On the body fat front, I have dropped from 201lbs to 194.6lbs since March 1st. I would like to take this time to tell anyone who is reading about how important water is. You'll see that I've lost almost 7 pounds in 5 weeks. Not the best until you consider that 2 or 3 of those pounds came in the last week alone. What did I start doing differently? I added 1-2 gallons of water PER DAY to my diet.
That doubled or tripled my weekly weight loss. Water.
Drink it, bitches.
Either way, big win for me. ONWARDS!
After visiting the doctor, my HIIT has improved dramatically. I rocketed from about 5-6 minutes to 10-12 this evening. What a difference a week or two makes.
I'm now at 2300 calories per day solidly.
I dropped running because I ****ing hate it.
I now jump rope or time-trial 12mi of cycling.
My bench has stalled at 160 (down 10 from pre-cut 8RM).
My deadlift is hovering around 290 (up 20 from pre-cut 8RM).
My squat is hovering around 225 (up 10 from pre-cut 8RM).
Today, for the first time in nearly 5 months, I wore a medium-sized shirt to work. It feels good. My effort is working.
I still can't really see any muscle, but I've got another 10-12 pounds to go that will make all the difference. I know immediately that my chest is going to look a bit goofy, and there's nothing I can do there but start bulking again in the fall. Everything else I'm fairly confident about.
I was doing well on mine a while ago - seemed to have been sidetracked but this is good motivation for people.
When I was first doing benching I spent ages at 90Kg - busted my ass and it took 6 months of hard work to suddenly jump up to 110kg over a period of 3 weeks. Sticking points are a pain!! I eventually after a few years got to 200Kg for 2 reps.
I hate running too - but I recommend keeping up the HITT your doing well.
I did a slight variation on yours - 20 secs sprinting (full pelt) with 10 secs walking - do 8 should take 4 mins - its very very good.
I dropped running completely because I ****ing hate it. I picked up cycling instead, and I'm doing ghost runs against myself to improve my time for a 13mi ride.
I'm still conscious about my chest and shoulders because I had major sticking points with them before cutting. I'll have to see how it all pans out after the fat is gone, but I'd be very disappointed if they were disproportionate after all my hard work.
BAH. We'll see how it goes!
Hopefully I can get the rest of this fat off before the LAN!
On the lift front (for 3x8):
Bench: 170
Squat: 230
DL: 285
It is very hard to keep energy for my lifts with no carbs, though. I tried doing barbell rows yesterday after 3x8 chinups at BW+10 (my best ever), then lat pulldowns 10/6/5 @ 120, and I couldn't even lift the bar properly. It sucked. I was exhausted.
So right now I'm getting the major compounds out of the way first while I am energized, and cycling the remaining peripheral exercises so each muscle group still gets maximum attention at least once every other week.
Some days are good, some days are bad.
I also dropped leg press after yawningly doing 3x8 @ 600lbs leg press. Waste of time.
It's a struggle completing all my exercises every day. Carb deprivation is assuring that I can only complete 3-4 exercises satisfactorily before I just plain run out of juice. I hit my compounds first and have been rotating the remaining exercises to make sure everything gets some love.
I suspect I have about 8-9 pounds to go. This will put me about 5 lbs. shy of my initial lean bodyweight goal, but whatever. I think I'll be able to put those extra pounds on when I switch to maintenance calories (2900-3100) at the end of June.
Here's to the month of July.
Lifts:
DL: 300
Bench: 170
Squat: 230
I haven't had the opportunity to squat or bench in 2 weeks, however, so these may increase come Thursday and Saturday.