# Lou's log



## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Just another soul on a goal of gaining muscles while getting lean :whistling:

Current stats:

80kg at 5ft 11

180kg Deadlift

145kg Squat

120kg Bench

Current diet:

M1: 200g oats, 200ml milk, protein shake with 3.5gDAA and 10gBCAA

M2: 100g uncooked weight brown rice, 200g chicken breast and 200g green veg

M3: 200g steak, 200g green veg

M4: 100g uncooked weight brown rice, protein shake, 10gBCAA, sultana's

Intraworkout: 50g carbs or 30g Aminos dependant on length and intensity of sessio

Postworkout

Protein shake with 10gBCAA

M5: 200g oats, 150ml egg white, nutella and PB OR 1 baguette with cheese, chorizo, olives and milk

M6: 300g cottage cheese with protein shake, 3.5g DAA and 10g BCAA

Am just qualified as sports Nutritionist and qualifying as PT soon. Working at 7g/kg a day on carbs at the moment. Actually got leaner on this amount and put on 1kg in 4 weeks. Going to increase to 8g/kg a day as of tomorrow as am getting so hungry these days.

Cardio is 2x week 1x fartlek rowing for 10 mins. 2200m is current standard. Need this up to 2500m. Other session is 10 mins continuous. 2100m is standard at the moment.

Had a little carb load this weekend and hit PB of 180kg Deadlift this morning. Wasn't too pretty but when is a 1RM ever pretty?! Video up soon.

*Picture is 2 weeks old


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

Good luck mate, your hair looks dreamy.


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## Sasnak (Oct 11, 2016)

Quackerz said:


> Good luck mate, your hair looks a mess, get it cut


 Fixed :tongue:


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## Sasnak (Oct 11, 2016)

Welcome btw!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Quackerz said:


> Good luck mate, your hair looks dreamy.


 Haha thank you :whistling:



Sasnak said:


> Fixed :tongue:


 Ah that's more like it :thumb

Hey the pic is 2 weeks old!


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

Iron Lou said:


> Just another soul on a goal of gaining muscles while getting lean :whistling:
> 
> Current stats:
> 
> ...


 There's an infinite number of goatees in this pic. Trippy AF.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Sphinkter said:


> There's an infinite number of goatees in this pic. Trippy AF.


 I bench more when I have a tache!


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

Iron Lou said:


> I *bum *more when I have a tache!


 Welcome to the forum


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Sphinkter said:


> Welcome to the forum


 Oh the irony that the one who said that has the screen name "sphincter"  :whistling: thanks for the welcome!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Been a complete pleb and didn't cook enough rice for work so had to last minute make up 120g uncooked weight white rice for today ^_^

Using that as sub as doesn't take as long to cook and is higher GI than the brown rice so will be good preworkout. I usually eat 2 hours before a workout so it won't ruin me.

Here's to another day of mindless office work before I wake up and get to the gym. Gonna try for a 130kg Bench today!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Just done chest. Training buddy wasn't around and benches were taken so had to do dumbbells instead. Weighed myself before session at 81kg right on the money.

5 mins of mobility work before session on shoulders

15kg dbell x 15 reps, no rest straight into 22kg dbell x 15 reps

30s x 10

35s x 6

40s x 7 + 1 negative

3x Superset

20kg flye press x 12

15kg plate press

Then finally

3x15 of cable flye

Then a bit of triceps

Pressdowns pyramiding up in weight over 4 sets

Rope pressdown 2 sets failure

1 set single arm pressdown

The 40s felt too easy and wish I had done the 45s but I know it's in the tank for next time.

Took some pics of my back after the session....

This is at 81kg, previous pics were at 79kg.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Went to do a leg session today. Not the smartest idea, 2 days after my back session. Lower back/ erector spinae got so pumped so quickly it ruined my quad session. Somehow still ground out reps but damn it hurt.

10 mins Glute activation

1 set Glute ham raises

2 warm up leg extension

2x Superset

Leg extension with weighted walking lunges

3x Single leg barbell Squat

3x leg press

3x Superset

leg extension with ham curls

2x Seated ham curls

3x seated calf raises

Session really went downhill after single leg Squats. Surprised that my quads got pumped at all. Gonna try legs on Friday's for the foreseeable and see if that makes a difference, otherwise I'll be dosing myself on taurine and eating extra banana and hoping for the best! Belts are useless for me as I haven't found one that is small enough!

Strangely though, last time it happened, the pain from the lower back pumps was so bad i didn't notice the leg pump and it ended up that it had been a good session but that wasn't until a day later that it dawned on me so maybe tomorrow we will see!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Weight is up at 81.7kg now. Happy with this. Got myself some callipers so trying to get consistent measurements before taking them as gospel but using a 3 site test, apparently I have 8.9% body fat. May need a retest! Measurement at suprailliac says 12% so gotta get to grips with it.

Work was interesting to the extent I was sent home early in the day. It threw my schedule out and I ended up having an unwelcome nap. Went to gym and somehow woke myself up enough for a good session, though tbf I was buzzing for it in the day.

Added in 2 Bagels a day and now my carbs are up at 560 a day, not including the nutella and peanut butter I cover them in (heart face smiley here).

Did a chest and triceps with 1 set on biceps.

Warm up - thoracic mobility work for 5 mins

2 sets no rest dumbbell press 15s then 22s

1 set 30s x 12

1 set 35s x 8

1 set 40s x 6 - sleep had massively affected performance but got it out

3x Superset

Chest press machine

Side raises

3x superset

Cable flye

Dumbbell side raise

1 set Narrow grip chest press to finish drop set

Triceps -

4x underhand grip pressdown

3x triceps rollback with supination twist

3x rope pressdown

Biceps

1 set machine preacher curl pyramid up and down

So basically 10 reps at a weight and go up in weight til can't get 10 then come back down the rack

Decent session, adding the bagels in preworkout and moving my rice forward helps a lot. Will see what changes happen this week.

Gonna try to take some unpumped relaxed pics before breakfast tomorrow for a baseline.

So yeah, 81.7kg now and somewhere around 8-12% bodyfat while eating over 500g carb a day. I'll take that!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Did a back day today ?

Weighed 81.4kg today, so only a few hundred grams down which isn't going to be a worry! Water weight probably.

Was a tad longer than expected. It was 1 and half hours but we kind of go for it today.

Deadlifts

T-bar rows

Single arm rows

Cable rows

Lateral rows

Preacher curl

Lying bicep curl with supination

Rope cable curl

Too tired to write it all out properly with weights etc. Attempted 180kg DL again but stuck at knees. Did 90kg t-bar rows as part of a brutal 4 drop drop set.

On 280g carb after my postworkout meal now. Another 290g to go which considering how hungry I am will be easy.

Still getting to grips with the callipers but will start to tracking them when I get it fairly consistent. Pleased with how my back is looking today.

Oh and I cut my hair. Maybe that is where the few hundred grams went!

You'll see my front once I'm trimmed haha


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## Sasnak (Oct 11, 2016)

Good progress bud!

Your hair is looking better as well!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Diet was good yesterday and managed to hit my targets. With being off work and training at lunch it nearly threw me off. Same today but managed to get going.

Had 2 meals before session today plus obviously what I had yesterday afternoon/evening.

This morning was 200g oats, 200ml milk, protein shake, DAA, BCAA and L-glutamine.

Then at 11 had 2 Bagels with PB and Nutella. Insert heart face here. So that took me to 230g carbs for the day so far. Another 350g to hit which won't be difficult.

Got a new PB today on bench of 130kg x 2 at bodyweight of 81.1kg. Seem to be dropping a bit of weight at the moment but strength is staying there as are the pumps. Muscles feel rather full but there is still room in them.

Got new PB on incline dumbbells as well with using 35s for 7 reps.

Tomorrow will probably be a cardio day as I'm moving leg day to Friday due to the inexplicable lower back pumps. I may do a specific arm session too as my arms are too small for my chest! Will see how my food goes today and if I'm not hungry tomorrow morning I'll do biceps triceps and cardio!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Soo, I should probably listen to my own advice!

I did legs yesterday. Started with squats and got up to 120kg. Which I'm pleased with since I haven't squatted for 3 months after trying to sort out my ankle mobility issues.

Then I went onto Smith machine front squats. Back pumped so quick and while I managed to finish the session I had to have a cold bath afterwards to alleviate the pump. Had pain with it this time on the left iliac crest. Better get that looked at!

Session was:

Squats

Smith machine front squats

Leg press

Leg extension

Walking Lunges

Hamstring curls

Cold bath!

Decent enough session but those back pumps are too much. It can't be a back injury as my Deadlift is improving and my back sessions are strong and intense.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Shoulders today!

Really good session. Had a wee bit of a carb up yesterday to the extent I ate far too much food and looked like a middle aged man with a pot belly!

Felt better today though and blasted shoulders.

4x6-8 behind neck press

4x10-15 side raise

4x10-15 front raise

3x15 bent over cable flyes

3x10-15 preacher curl

3x10 concentration curl

4x10-15 rope cable curl

3x15 ab crunch

Had to stop there as had cramp in my abs and I doubled over in pain writhing on the floor lol


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Screenshot of behind neck raises from earlier and attempt at front double biceps lol.

As can see need thickness on chest and bit more mass on arms.

Be nice to actually have abs to show off seeing as my callipers say I'm 10% body fat. (9mm measurement at suprailliac). Really need to play catch up on my abs.

Pleased so far with what I'm doing and only way is forward right now!

Got a PT exam tomorrow so should be fully qualified PT to go along with Sports Nutritionist degree!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Sasnak said:


> Good progress bud!
> 
> Your hair is looking better as well!


 Thank you! I thought I had responded obviously not!


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## Tonynico (Jun 2, 2017)

Natty?


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Tonynico said:


> Natty?


 I take:

D-ASPARTIC Acid

Bcaas

Protein powder

L-glutamine

And food lol

So, yeah, natty


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## Tonynico (Jun 2, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> I take:
> 
> D-ASPARTIC Acid
> 
> ...


 Nice mate


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Tonynico said:


> Nice mate


 My amounts that I take are in my first post but FYI I take 7g DAA, 40g BCAA, 15g L-glutamine and 3 shakes. Food is generally up around 3800kcal


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## Tonynico (Jun 2, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> My amounts that I take are in my first post but FYI I take 7g DAA, 40g BCAA, 15g L-glutamine and 3 shakes. Food is generally up around 3800kcal


 Sick got nice lifts good job so far bro you going stay natty or


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Tonynico said:


> Sick got nice lifts good job so far bro you going stay natty or


 Thanks mate. I'm going to see how far I can get, I reckon I can hit 240kg Deadlift natty, 190kg squat and get 160kg bench.

No plans to hit gear really!


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## Tonynico (Jun 2, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> Thanks mate. I'm going to see how far I can get, I reckon I can hit 240kg Deadlift natty, 190kg squat and get 160kg bench.
> 
> No plans to hit gear really!


 Sick your doing well with out it tbf mate and depends how far you want to go i suppose


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Tonynico said:


> Sick your doing well with out it tbf mate and depends how far you want to go i suppose


 A lot depends on how heavy I get, cause I'm considering PL but at a lower weight class. (82kg class).

Otherwise I'm a recreational gym goer who just enjoys BB and PL


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

On a carb up today. Aiming for 650g carb today. Protein intake will be a bit lower to accommodate the extra calories. Got a fasted cardio tomorrow at 7ish then home, eat and train at 4ish. Gonna be doing a heavy shoulder and arms session tomorrow. Had a decent cheat yesterday. Didn't really track anything though but hazard a guess came in at 550g carb.

Would normally do back on Monday but Deadlifting and squatting within 2 days of each other isn't doing me good ATM so spreading them out and moving back to Saturday so that legs on Wednesday isnt affected.

Currently on 330g for the day. Another serving of brown rice, 2 Bagels, large bowl of oats will make up remaining carbs. Depending how I feel I may go past this and go to over 700g. I fully believe in intuitive dieting as well as intuitive training. Sometimes I totally get it wrong, others I nail it.

Will see what weigh in says tomorrow!


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## Tonynico (Jun 2, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> A lot depends on how heavy I get, cause I'm considering PL but at a lower weight class. (82kg class).
> 
> Otherwise I'm a recreational gym goer who just enjoys BB and PL


 Ahh I see good luck anyway bro


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Weigh in today at 81.0kg, suprailliac callipers says I'm at 10% bf. (9mm measurement). Numbers are consistent at least now so can happily say 9mm skin fold there.

Got up a bit later than expected today so will probably have to do cardio tomorrow or after the session tonight. Expecting to do shoulders later so gonna eat and chill for now!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So I did shoulders today as I'm rearranging my schedule a bit. Great session today, yesterday's carb up seemed to do the trick.

Warm up: 5 mins mobility work, 2x15-20 behind neck barbell press

4x6-8 ohp behind neck barbell press

4x6-8 ohp dumbbell press

4x10-15 lateral raises

3x10-12 front raises

3x10 rear delt cable flyes

4x10,10,8,6 barbell curl

3x6,8,10 preacher curl

2x15 concentration curl

1 drop set alternating dumbbell curl with twist

1x failure drag curl rope attachment

3x15 ab crunch

2x15 reverse crunch

2x10 crunch machine

Had a great pump in shoulders and biceps, had to be careful with abs as could feel them cramping again but managed to avoid it.

Had 80g cornflakes, 1 scoop protein, 200ml milk, 1/2 tbsp nutella and topped up with water shake afterwards.

Feeling good. No pics today though as had to run but looking in the mirror I was happy!

Feel a bit watery around my waist but given diet I have I'm not too upset. Gotta add cardio back in but training partner hates it so it's difficult but I'll get it back in there


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Legs today! Yay 

Saw a client this morning and came home and went back to gym. Decent sesh. Was a tad tired, didn't fully get my 560g carb target but powered through today anyway. Missed a meal putting me down at 430g. Not end of world.

Legs:

Squats - sumo style and parallel

60kg x 12, 60kg x 12, 80kg x 8, 100kg x 5, 60 x 10

Hack squat 3 x 12

Leg press 4 x 6-8 final set triple drop

Superset leg extension with walking lunges 3 x 12, 3 x 40metres

Lying Hams curl 3 x 8

Standing ham curl 3 x 10

Standing calf raise 2 x 10

Sweaty one to say the least. Got decent pump. Ankle mobility is improving but is hampering ability to grow outersweep.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Chest and triceps yesterday! Decent session although I slightly tweaked my left bicep while benching. Pulled back on weight and it's fine today.

Weighed 82kg at gym but that wasn't on empty. Empty I'm weighing in at 81.5kg which I'm still happy with.

Bench

Incline press

Incline flye superset with plate press

Cable crossover

Skullcrushers

Dumbbell lying extension

Kickbacks

Rope pressdown

Went to beach afterwards and got fried on the right side of my body lol so I need to balance that out 

Debating doing abs and arms today, as I have time off work it makes sense to use it but dunno if will be too much frequency considering how tired I'm getting in the evenings at the moment.

Meh might go down beach again who knows


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

I just did a weigh in and few measurements:

Weight: 80kg on empty - dropped some water probably

Waist measurement: 80cm

Suprailliac skinfold: 9mm

Umbilicus skinfold: 12mm

Pectoralis skinfold: 10mm

Quadriceps skinfold: 12mm

Midaxillary skinfold: 6mm

Subscapularis skinfold: 5mm

Triceps skinfold: 7mm

Unsure about measurements but gives an idea. Apparently am at 9%.

Im not sure what to make of that, will continue testing but numbers were consistent and those are averaged numbers

Edit: Oh and apparently I'm overweight with a BMI of 26 haha


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So I decided to go down the gym for a spot of biceps and abs. On the treadmill ATM just doing a steady state cardio now. Should help my headache go away too. Preworkout gave me headache lol so gotta deal with it.

Barbell curl

Preacher curl superset with cable curl

Concentration curl

Drag curl

Ab crunch

Crunch machine

Ab crunch machine

10 mins steady state cardio


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Didn't train this weekend, was a nice break tbh. Enjoyed the time with the fam and went out for a wee bit of a ramble. As I'm still off work I went down the beach earlier and it was lush, 30 degrees and the sea was perfect. Clear sky and sea. Had an "interview" at a gym for being PT. Probably a no from me tbh as got no clientele and I'm only just qualifying even though already got sports nutrition qualification.

Anyway, to training. Shoulders today.

Behind neck presses

Dumbbell ohp

Side raise

Front raise

Barbell curl

Preacher curl

Concentration curl

Drag curl

10 mins steady state.

Weight was 82kg before session. Did a calliper read on suprailliac today and was saying 6-8mm each time.

Will try and get pics tomorrow. Dunno if to do chest or back tbh.

Gotta cut down oats as they are bloating me a wee bit now. That may be due to the addition of kidney beans though. Beans seem to be helping me lean up a bit. I think I'll spread my oats through the day instead of having them in 2 hits. Will be easier on my system


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Weighed on empty and am 81.5kg today. Did suprailliac measurement on callipers and coming in at 6-7mm. I'm changing my oats from today to see if that will reduce my bloating. I've been drinking about 4L a day which is pretty standard for me and with the weather the way it is, as well as the diet obvs, I feel leaner. Gonna do 7 site measurement soon before I heat up too much. Started vitamin D yesterday, only 25iu but it's enough, considering that I get it a lot from food.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Fantastic session today

Did some chest and triceps. Good strong session.

Incline bench press

Incline dumbbell flye press superset with plate press

Cable flyes

Dumbell Pullovers

Triceps pushdown

Dumbell skullcrushers with twist

Rope extensions

Felt good today after the session. Pics below. Seem to be getting leaner and still gaining. Pleased with my progress. Especially my shoulders and chest progress. Legs will thicken up in time but there is a noticeable difference from the start IMO


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Haven't updated today's or yesterday's training yet. Been a tad busy.

Weighing in at 83kg now.

Legs day was good, compression pain in QL has gone now after changing my routine around a bit.

Legs:

Sumo Squats

Hack Squats

Leg Press

Leg Extension

Sprinters Lunges

Hamstring Curl

Standing Hamstring

10 mins cardio

Arms day yesterday:

Close grip bench

Seated OH extension

Dumbbell Kickbacks

Rope extensions

Barbell Curl

Preacher curl

Rope extension curl

10 mins cardio

Now that am weighing 185lbs gonna have a revamp of diet. Seem to be leaning out still. Decreasing oats intake to lessen bloat and upping beans a tad to get rid of water.


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## JuiceyjayV2 (May 31, 2016)

Looking good bud! Will tag along your lifts are at nice numbers for natty


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Shoulder Saturday today!

Felt good and was up for it today. First time in fortnight got a training partner. It does slow me down a bit but it's nice to train with someone!

Behind neck presses 4x6-8

OH dumbbell press 4x6-8

Side raise 3x10-15 then quadruple drop set

Hammer grip dumbbell Front raise 3x10-15

Barbell curl 4x6-8

Preacher machine 3x10-15

Single arm preacher curl 2x12-15

Weighed again and steady at 83kg. Well 83.2kg to be exact! Feeling decent today even though only one meal before training. Fortunately I had had some extra carbs at midnight as ended up going bed late which helpd fuel me.

Will put some pics up this weekend.

Tried something new post workout and mixed protein shake with 100g soft scoop walls ice cream lol. That was nice. Insert heart face smiley. I wish I'd put PB and nutella with it too but that's for next time.

This week coming is going to be a heavy volume week. So everything is going to be 10-12 reps but with my weights I use for 6-8 reps. I do this generally once every 5th week as it gives a good idea of where my strength actually is at. Then I can do another push for improving my 1RMs on the 3 lifts.

Target is 190lbs/85kg at 10% BF by August. Expecting Deadlift to hit 190kg, Bench to go to 135kg and Squat I want to equal my PB as I have had so long off squatting but if im feeling it I will go for a 160kg attempt. All of that by end of August, it's on.

Will post new diet once written up.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Right. I've gone over my diet and honestly I've hardly touched it in 4 weeks and been making gains so I have decided to do this:

M1: 200g oats, 200ml milk, protein shake with 3.5gDAA and 10gBCAA, 10g glutamine

M2: 110g uncooked weight brown rice, 200g chicken breast and 200g green veg

M3: 200g steak, 200g green veg, 300g potato, 100g kidney/black beans

M4: 110g uncooked weight brown rice, protein shake, 10gBCAA, 50g sultana's

Intraworkout: 50g carbs or 30g Aminos dependant on length and intensity of session

Postworkout

Protein shake with 10gBCAA

M5: 200g oats, 150ml egg white, nutella and PB

M6: 150g white fish, 200g potato, 100g green veg

Before bed: protein shake, 3.5g DAA, 10g glutamine

I've kept my oats up and my bloating seems to be stabilising now after the addition of beans. Will keep an eye over course of the week.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Food shopping this morning!

Then gonna be off to do chest later today. I really feel like trying for 140kg Bench today. I'm in the mood. So basically 2 options for chest today.

1st option:

1rm attempt bench at 140kg

Incline dumbbells 4x6-8 with 35s

Incline flye press 4x10-12 with 25s superset InclinePlate press 20kg

Dumbbell Pullover 25kg 3x12

2nd option:

Bench 4x10-12 at 90kg

Flat dumbbells 4x10-12 with 35s

Incline flye Press 3x12 with 25s superset with 20kg plate press

Cable flyes 3x10-12

Dumbell pullover 2x15 30kgs

Toughie. Cause I love doing both workouts and I feel really strong today.

Weighed in 82kg on empty. Just done 7 point calliper test. Still unsure of numbers so not holding a lot by them ATM. Will get a measurement done at the gym and see how the numbers compare


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Food bought and packed!

12 bags of 200g white fish

12 bags of 200g rump

5kg of chicken breast

5kg spuds

Took an absolute age but all done now


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Ok so I ended up doing neither lol.

Got to the gym. Mind was willing but body was not. Still ground out a good session though.

Bench press

20x bar, 15x 50kg, 12x 70kg, 6x90kg, 4x100kg, 4x110kg

Incline press

3x60kg

Incline flye press superset with plate press

3x15 and 3xfailure

Dumbbell Pullover

2x15

Preacher curl

20xbar, 12x15kg, 8x20kg, 8x20kg

Dumbbell curl (1 set up and down the rack)

12x6s, 10x8s, 8x10s, 4x12s and same again back down all as one set

10mins cardio Heart Rate control at 120bpm

Tough one for my body. Mind was more than willing. Think it's cause I've been training in mornings for past fortnight and I got my food slightly out of alignment yesterday.

Tomorrow legs will be fine though I think as I've held off on my food a bit and stacking it towards the end of the day as I'll have the most available glycogen about 6ish. That probably explains why this morning I was raring to go


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Legs today!! Video on my Instagram:

https://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=system&controller=embed&url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2fZwsl8fB/

Close to personal best of 145 with my 142.5kg. Put it as PB on Instagram then remembered my 145kg last year lol. Oh well. I'd already ripped my shorts and bit of ass cheeks was showing lol fortunately it's not visible in the video. Pleased with form considering. Shame can't tell if I hit parallel so I'm going to do it again next week at a higher weight and camera in different place.

Legs:

Squats

20xbar, 12x 60kg, 10x90kg, 5x120kg, 1x142.5kg. Went for a second one but didn't come back up.

Hammer strength Leg press machinr

3x12-15 at 200kg.

Vertical leg press

3x10-12 at 100kg

Seated calf raises

3x15-20 at 50kg

Glute and ham dominant compound day today. Got a good pump in quads funnily enough but hams and glutes were firing away. Training partner didn't feel like doing hams but considering he has 2 toes missing and this first leg day since the incident I wasnt going to push him.

Pleased. As. punch.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Don't really know what I did today in the gym. Was not feeling it at all. Mashed something together and actually ended up a decent session.

Behind neck barbell press

Behind neck lat pulldown

Dumbbell shrugs

Side raises

Front raises

Crunches

Bit of a meh session weight wise and couldn't get much going but I ended up with a good pump on my front and side delts!

Taking tomorrow off and maybe Friday too. I think I've burned my CNS a bit close. Sleep has been interruppted last few nights with waking up at 3am.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Established I have a wee bit of burnout. I'm going to relax my diet a bit today and have some 'dirty food'. That will probably give me the energy I need cause my diet has been so clean for about 6 weeks now with the occasional cheat meal I can get away with having a relaxed day. I much prefer a clean bulk, hard as it is, it's so much more satisfying and the gains don't fall off I find.

I'll probably have today and tomorrow off the gym. Saturday will be a nice easy gym day if I do go. That being said I'll probably end up hitting a PB haha. Training buddy has been on at me for nearly a year now to take a week off haha. I tend to change my diet a bit and relax it which normally sees me through.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

UpSo much for burnout and taking it easy!

Hit a 150KG PB last night lol. Well, technically it's a PB. I was helped a little bit out of the hole so it isn't a legit PB but I still got it up myself after the initial bump start out of the hole.

Got a touch of the golfers elbow still so today and tomorrow are off and will see how Monday is before deciding to train or not.

Weighed 84kg last night but I'll see what empty on Monday morning says.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Shoulders today. Seeing as my shoulders and upper back seem to be a strong point I'm training them together for now. In the sessions I've done, it occurs it may backfire because the sessions are really good.

Behind neck barbell press

Behind neck lat pulldown (max grip)

Dumbbell shrugs

Side raises

Front raises

Took a pic in a changing room a few hours later which is probably what would call 'flat' and not pumped. Yay for changing room lighting!

Pleased with how I am progressing.

Weight 83kg on empty, which is an improvement. Appetite is still down a bit but I'm taking that as a sign my body is getting used to the weight I'm carrying.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So, managed to finally sort out a myfitnesspal account. This is what my macros and meals look like roughly every day. Obviously I add herbs and shizzles to my food. That would be boring otherwise..... Lol


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## BestBefore1989 (Oct 21, 2008)

In

I was tired just reading the volume of work your putting in. Good luck with your goals, I shall follow with intrest


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

BestBefore1989 said:


> In
> 
> I was tired just reading the volume of work your putting in. Good luck with your goals, I shall follow with intrest


 Thanks!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Rough day today with train delays. 4 hour round trip took 7 hours. Glad I had all my food with me! Stank the train out though haha.

Today is last session I'm going to do til Saturday or Monday. Will see how body responds to the rest. Even though I'm still benching, squatting and Deadlifting decent numbers and getting good pumps on my body is just starting to fray a bit and it's coming through in my attitude as well. I've picked up 3 elbow tweaks and injuries in 2 weeks, neck tweak, shoulder niggle, foot niggles and so on. It's just a sign it's starting to take its toll so I'm taking the first decent amount of time off I've done in nearly 2 years! Even the owner said I looked rough. Cheeky git lol. But he does have a point. I woke up with flipping panda eyes, sleep is poor quality and it's nigh on impossible to get going in the day. Not good when I start a new job Monday! So I did a good leg session today to finish me off. Only did quads but I had Bambi legs at the end of it!

Conventional squats parallel

Bar, Bar, 60kgx12, 80x12, 105x4, 110x4

Hack squat ATG

50x12, 50x12, 50x failure

Leg extension Superset with walking short step lunges

3 sets of 12 (dunno weight, just says number 7)

40 lunges x 3

Back and quad pump laid me out on the floor. Lovely sweat angel for the cleaner to admire haha


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Just thought I would put up what yesterday's food looked like.....

Wow I had a few too many carbs haha glad I decided not to have the potato with my fish before bed!

Normally that would be far too much protein but fortunately I know the symptoms of excess protein and I'm not showing them right now. Probably because my body is actually using the protein as my diet has massively improved. (I'm an undergraduate sports Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapist).

Funny how I eat this much food and wake up hungry lol. Not quite sure why that happens but I'm not complaining! Waking up lean(ish) after nearly 600g carbs and over 4000kcal on a bulk is not something to sniff at! My sugar levels are running a bit low interestingly. Would explain the occasional dizziness. I'll probably have some honey on my breakfast and have a few squares of dark chocolate in the day. That will sort it.

Right, where's that pizza....

I'm not going to reduce my carbs but I will reduce my protein over next few days while not training. Reason being that I can build up some decent glycogen stores over next few days for a saturday or Monday session. Protein will reduce a bit due to simply not needing that much!!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So I'm going to change my routine for 6 weeks now, starting tomorrow:

Sat: Legs (Quad Dominant)

Sunday: Off

Monday: Shoulders, Upper Back, Triceps

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Legs (Ham & Glute Dominant)

Thursday: Off

Friday: Chest, Biceps

The actual workouts themselves will change marginally. This is so that I can focus on my biggest weaknesses, which are my chest and legs.


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## mac1969 (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi Good work like the way you think things through.

Have you tried ground rice instead of oats it digests so easily without bloat I just add scoop of whey for flavor. Asda do it in Indian Isle cheap too same as cream of rice.

I used mixed Mexican beans brilliant addition lots of fibre.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

mac1969 said:


> Hi Good work like the way you think things through.
> 
> Have you tried ground rice instead of oats it digests so easily without bloat I just add scoop of whey for flavor. Asda do it in Indian Isle cheap too same as cream of rice.
> 
> I used mixed Mexican beans brilliant addition lots of fibre.


 Thank you mate! Trying to pick things up here and there.

Not looked at ground rice before, I'll have a look at that thanks. Yeah beans are great and for a while I stuck them in with my brown rice until I ran out lol


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So, yesterday I chucked a pizza in with my meals and I woke up feeling full and good. Ok ok it's not the best thing to have BUT it added in a load of carbs which fuelled a VERY good leg session today.

Dynamic Mobility work 10mins

Conventional squats 4x6-8

Hack Squats 2x10-12

Superset

Leg extension 3x10-15 with Walking lunges 3x10-15

Hamstring Curl 4x6-8

Kneeling leg curl 2x12

Nordic Lift 2x10

Donkey calf raises 3x10

I wanna cry lol I fell over twice lol


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## mac1969 (Apr 28, 2009)

I wish I could consume high carbs, mine are at 330 on training days around workouts might try push a bit more. At 48 have to watch the fat .


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

mac1969 said:


> I wish I could consume high carbs, mine are at 330 on training days around workouts might try push a bit more. At 48 have to watch the fat .


 At lot depends on your output imo. I'm a big advocate of increasing output before decreasing input. Obviously age plays a major part.

A good test for seeing how high you can go is seeing what carbs do to you. In other words do they make you sleepy or wake you up. The more alert you become after a meal the more insulin sensitivity you have and therefore more carbs you can eat before piling on the pounds. Of course carb type plays a part like you said in earlier post about oats. If I eat carbs too near bedtime I have no hope of sleeping for a good hour at least.

Tbh 330g a day is high for the majority of the population and if that is what works for you then keep at it and change it up by 10-25g a day until you hit a wall. Looking at your profile pic though you are in very good shape for any age let alone 48!


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## mac1969 (Apr 28, 2009)

Thanks m8 try to stay in shape all year round, I think being natural makes that easier not so many variables (only my thoughts). Carbs do tend too make me sleepy although changing to ground rice , wholegrain rice, mixed beans has helped. I will follow along m8 got a holiday in 12 weeks will get some tips.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Thought I would upload this. This was Friday's diet macro's. Took me to 720carbs and funny thing was I didn't feel at all bloated or sleepy from all the carbs. I wondering if I should keep taking my carb intake higher. ATM it's 550g carb a day. I may try 600g this week to see what happens.

Funny thing is that I nearly got the percentages spot on!

This was a really good feed before yesterday's leg day and it's going on the menu for now


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

mac1969 said:


> Thanks m8 try to stay in shape all year round, I think being natural makes that easier not so many variables (only my thoughts). Carbs do tend too make me sleepy although changing to ground rice , wholegrain rice, mixed beans has helped. I will follow along m8 got a holiday in 12 weeks will get some tips.


 No being natty does make a difference to "off season" I agree.

Eating complex and fibrous carbs makes a big difference to energy levels. The less processed the better. The body hates processed food and ironically the processed food creates more processing for the body!

Sure follow along mate I'm more than happy!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So been thinking about my leg training and I really need to get my vastus lateralis up (outer sweep). So I'm going to be isolating (I use the term loosely) it 2x a week in my sessions.

The exercises that hit it are generally ones with a shoulder or hip width stance. So my quad dominant days will hit it better. I'll have to make a conscious effort to activate it so the weight might have to come down a bit but I'm not upset as I know I've got a 4 plate squat coming up in next few months and I'll be using at least 2 plates most of the time anyway.

My hamstring and glute dominant days will start off with mobility work and direct exercising of that muscle. Partly cause you have to go ass to grass to work it, it'll wake the hammies up as well as being a proven method of weak point training.

Shoulders and back tomorrow. Every other week I'll change it so that it is back dominant rather than shoulder dominant so that my back doesn't fall behind.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Fantastic shoulders and back session today

Seated behind neck ohp

40kgx12, 40kgx12, 50kgx8, 60kgx6 

Behind neck lat pulldown wide grip

42kgx12, 56kgx12, 70kgx6, 70kgx 6

Barbell shrug

60x12 (4sets) maximal contraction

Seated side raises superset with front plate raise

6kg x12, 15kg plate (3sets)

Triceps pressdown (elbows out, shoulder width)

30kgx15, 45kgx10, 60kgx10, dropset of 60kg, 45kg, 30kg, 15kg all to failure

Single arm cable extension

5kgxfailure each arm maximal extension each rep

Believe it or not I did take some front facing pictures but I posed them so badly it really isn't worth it and my faces I pulled as well, are stupid haha so out of self Respect I'll redo them tomorrow!

I seem to be getting a bit loose and watery so instead of doing the 600g carb I'm going to cut out the carbs at bedtime and swap them to fats. Well, I think I'm getting watery. Any opinions?


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Ok. So I've just had a sugar crash. Forget reducing my carbs. Just about to chow down on half cup dry weight of brown rice. Had a square of milk chocolate and some bcaas with l glutamine. I think maybe I have left it a bit late to have a meal after my workout, even though I did have a post workout shake with 50g carbs.

The chocolate and bcas mixture has made instant difference though so I feel better already. This rice will help a lot too.

I'm extremely insulin sensitive at the moment hence why one square is enough. I've been building this sensitivity over a few months with my diet and it's working wonders. I get the occasional crash but otherwise I feel good for it


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Today's food....

I actually had one meal less than usual and went over my 'target' of 550g. I hit the 600g I was aiming for. My fat intake was a tad low though. Although the app doesn't take into account the lovely piece of fat attached to today's steak (insert heart emoji).

I'm going to roll with this for the week. I feel absolutely fine, in fact I do kind of feel I could eat a bit more but I'll keep it like this for now. I'm figuring the protein shake has pushed the carbs up but 50g on non training days is easy to do. Small (for me) bowl of cornflakes or I'll whizz them up with my protein shake and stick a spoonful of nutella and peanut butter in there.

I'll see how I feel in the morning. I'm tempted to move my first carbs back by 1 meal and start on just protein and greens.... We will see


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Oh dear. Well. In some ways it's oh dear. I've been having major issues with sleep. In that recently I am waking up at 3am. I'm generally asleep by 1030 and I don't have issues getting to sleep. When I'm awake I'm on like a bulb! And it's been a struggle to get back to sleep.

The quality of the sleep between 10pm and 3am though is amazing. I'm gonna check out a theory, I think it's something to do with my diet. Read somewhere this morning that eating carbs late enables you to wake up earlier and feeling more refreshed.

Anyway on to the oh dear. I've already eaten 1000kcal and it's not even 530am. Looks like today might be an excessively large carb day. Just as well me and training buddy contemplated doing legs! Seeing as I'm up for a few extra hours I'm going to push the boat out to 800g carb maybe even more depending how I feel.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

And I've just broken my toe. It's my little toe so legs might be possible will see. Stubbed it on the damn freezer. Looks like a little balloon now lol


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## mac1969 (Apr 28, 2009)

Bad luck I broke my big toe 6 weeks ago luckily never stopped me training, had to take laces out the trainers. Good read this training and diet different from mine but like the way you think.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

mac1969 said:


> Bad luck I broke my big toe 6 weeks ago luckily never stopped me training, had to take laces out the trainers. Good read this training and diet different from mine but like the way you think.


 Toes are irritating when they break cause it's not enough to stop training but enough to get in the way! I just loosened my shoe and didn't Squat today.

Thanks mate!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So due to my toe being broken I didn't do sumo squats. Altered the workout a bit.

Glute raises (Nordic lifts)

15x bodyweight, 15x bodyweight, 15xbodyweight +5kg plate

Straight leg Deadlift

3x bar

Vertical leg press

15x80kg, 12x120kg, 10x140kg

Lying hamstring Curl superset with walking lunges

3x30kg, 3x20 steps

Seated leg curl

12x50kg, 12x50kg

Adductors machine superset with abduction machine

2 sets of dunno what weight but it is as light

My legs are shaking at the moment so I'm not driving home yet lol


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## DemonNeutrino (May 18, 2017)

You don't need your little toe just cut it off haha.

Seriously though joking aside fair play for smashing a legs session out, as regardless of how careful you were I bet it hurt (or will later). I smacked mine up a treat once and you literally engage it doing everything where your foot is planted :huh:


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

DemonNeutrino said:


> You don't need your little toe just cut it off haha.
> 
> Seriously though joking aside fair play for smashing a legs session out, as regardless of how careful you were I bet it hurt (or will later). I smacked mine up a treat once and you literally engage it doing everything where your foot is planted :huh:


 Haha oh mate I was close to getting the scissors....

I was surprised how little it hurt in the session, tbh I didn't even notice it but it's starting to ache now lol

Fortunately only 3 of my exercises needed feet placement on the floor and I went light on 2 of them, but it does make you aware of how much you actually need that little toe!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Had almost hit my calorie/macro target by Lunchtime today! Not happy with the bit of bloating I have though.

Seeing as it's only taking 3 meals to hit my carbs and protein I'm considering taking the carbs out of breakfast and backloading my carbs. Going to stick at 500g a day but have them between hours of 12-8. Breakfast will be at 7 before work and will be a shake with scrambled eggs with some greens.

Will write out rest of diet later.

Did biceps and chest today

Biceps first as a major weakness on my physique.

Barbell curl

4x12

Preacher curl

4x6-8

Overhead cable curl

3x12

Incline bench

4x6-8 3 second negative

Hammer strength machine

3x10-12 maximal contraction

Flye press superset with plate press

2x12, 2x10-15

Dumbell Pullover

1x15

Good pump in upper middle portion of chest and good feel in biceps

10 mins cardio after


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Ok so I've worked out my new diet. It is based on carb backloading, I'll do this for 4 weeks, but see where I'm at each week and amend accordingly. I'm trying to keep carbs high within reason as I need to ensure my glycogen stores are high as possible.

Meal 1: 7am

2 eggs, 4 whites scrambled

Asparagus

Meal 2: 10am

400g potato

50g spinach

100g brocolli

200g chicken breast

Meal 3: 1pm

1/2 cup uncooked weight brown rice

200g steak

100g brocolli

50g sultanas

Meal 4: 4pm preworkout

30g protein

200g oats

Meal 5: 7pm postworkout not including shake at gym

200g oats

50g blueberries

150ml egg whites

5g organic chocolate spread

Works out at

475 carb

259 protein

85 fat

3752 kcal

This will have minor tweaks as I do it but this is the essence and I'll start tomorrow cause, well I'm ready to!

The reasoning is, I plan to take advantage of the body's ketogenic metabolism in the mornings and to do this I need to cut carbs out of breakfast.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So the change is going well so far, literally gone down an inch on my waist already which is of course bloating which is decreasing. Haven't felt hungry or anything untoward simply because it was a decent breakfast and I'm keeping greens in (to which I don't see why people take them out).

Will see how I feel tomorrow and then maybe look at an adjustment on Monday


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Nearly threw up in the gym today. Ran to the toilet, stuck my head over it and burped then felt fine. Weird. Anyway, legs today! More specifically Quads.

10 mins Glute activation work

Squats (Conventional)

60kgx12, 60kgx12, 60kgx12, 100kgx5

Hack Squats close stance ATG maximum contraction

15kgx10, 15kgx10, 15kgx10 (machine itself weighs about 20kg)

Leg extensions maximal contraction

Plate 7x12, Plate 9x10, Plate 11x10, Triple dropset from 11 down to 4

Walking short step Lunges

2x20 steps

Calf raises

3 sets x15 reps

Ideally should have waited til this evening when will have had more food but I was up for it so went and did it and good a good feeling in my quads.

Took some condition pics too. Let me know what your thinking is on my physique. Yes yes my posing isn't the greatest and my shorts are far to big for my legs but they're the only size that fit my butt lol

Eugh my facial expressions haha oh well so what I'm blind as a bat :cool2:


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

My plan of reducing water weight and my bloat is working so far.

I'll take some pics tomorrow when at the gym. I've taken 2.5 inches off my waist in a matter of 3 days which is almost exclusively bloating reduction. Pinching less at my umbilicus skinfold point as well.

Quads still feel pumped from Friday but no DOMS, yet. Need a bit more sodium in my diet to get this to work 100%.

Still got lots of energy which was what I expected considering I only took 80g of carbs out and shuffled the order a bit. Feeling a bit grotty but that's cause I picked something up from some scumbag who doesn't wash his hands :angry: appetite hasn't diminished though and my mood is still good! No training today or yesterday.


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## mac1969 (Apr 28, 2009)

If I was eating those carbs I would look pregnant  . Is your training log book based ? since I started using Jordan Peters style and flooding carbs in pre, post and post post have noticed big difference in body composition. Keep up the good work


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

mac1969 said:


> If I was eating those carbs I would look pregnant  . Is your training log book based ? since I started using Jordan Peters style and flooding carbs in pre, post and post post have noticed big difference in body composition. Keep up the good work


 I did use a log for a while but found I was writing the same thing out time and again and it actually hindered me strangely.

I just decided to take carbs from the morning cause I was getting a bit preggers lol and it makes sense cause the body doesn't like carbs in the morning in general. Being a qualified sports Nutritionist and Nutritional therapist as well, I looked at the best way of optimising carb in take, performance and fat loss. At the moment I'm trying this and going to adjust accordingly.

Thanks mate I'll try to!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Shoulders today. Got some pics but will upload later.

Diet is setting in now. Waist measurement at 31inches down from the bloated 35inches I was this time last week. Bear in mind it is mostly bloating that has gone away and some water too. It's not like I stumbled on a miracle lol.

Good session today with new pb

Behind neck Seated OHP

Bar x15, 30kgx 12, 55kgx 10, 60kgx6, 65kgx5

Hammer Strength shoulder press

40kgx 15, 60kgx 6, 60kgx 6

Ez Curl bar military press (will go into detail below) superset with ez curl bar front raises

1)10kgx15, 10kgx15

2&3) 25kgx 15, 10kgx 10

Triceps pressdown

30kgx15, 45kgx 12, 60kgx 6, dropset down to 30kg with negatives on last drop

Cable kickbacks

5kgx 10 e/s, 5kgx10 e/s

Rope extension

15kgx failure, 15kgx failure

So, ez curl bar military press:

With an underhand narrow grip, rest the bar on the inside of the hands (bit between the thumb and index finger) and pull the shoulders back and down. You don't want them to rise up in the rep. Press upward, if the tension goes onto the triceps probably going too high up. It's very isolating on the front felt and when you hit it with a superset on front raises it really gets the pump going. May need to lean back against something for support depends on weight and balance etc. My shoulders were burning after this and I had to use both hands to hold the water lol.

Good session today. Experimenting with taking DAA before the workout and seemed to work today, will keep an eye on it and see if there is any difference


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So these are pics from yesterday, I think I'm gonna have to take them again though. (Due to space I had to screenshot the album lol)

Difficult to get pics of the front in this room cause of the split in the mirror. I think there is a noticeable difference in my back already, I'm not actually tensing here. I'm just annoyed at how much better my back and shoulders look than my front but if I actually had abs then it may not look so bad (the difference that is)


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Leg day today!

10 mins mobility including single leg Squats for glute activation

Conventional Squats

Bar x 20, 60kg x 15, 4 sets of 90kg x 6

Leg press

120kg x 15, 160kg x 12, 200kg x 8 with Triple drop set

Leg extensions superset with sissy Squats (max contraction)

Plate 7 x 12, 15 sissy Squats

Plate 9 x 10, 15 sissy Squats

Plate 9 x 10, 15 sissy Squats

Done. Legs pumped. Hungry belly.

Brutal.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Chest day today

Flat Bench

Bar x15, 60kgx15, 80kgx10, 90kgx6, 100kgx4, 60kgx12

Hammer strength chest press

90kgx10, 90kgx10, 90kgx10

Incline dumbbell press

20kgx 10, 20kgx 10 (I was somewhat fatiguing at this point)

Superset Flyes with plate press

10kgx12, plate press 15kg plate

10kgx12, plate press 15kg plate

Preacher curl

Bar x 12, 20kg x 8, 20kg x 8, 20kgx 7

Standing dumbbell curl max contraction

8kg x 12 each side, 8kg x 12, 8kg x 12

Machine curl

2 sets of Max contraction to failure


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

This is actually the first time since changing my diet I've felt a bit hungry, other than when I wake up that is. Did some cardio after the session, kept my HR at 140bpm for 5 mins after 5 mins of 110bpm. Looking in the mirror at home, I seem to be starting to get a bit of definition. Clavicles, delts and cheekbones are starting to show better now. Waist is down at 31inches which is about 4 inches in about a week. Will see how I look tomorrow before deciding if anything needs a change although I'll probably stay on this for another week before taking another 50g of carb out. Strength is good at the moment, pushing out 2 plates on Bench, 1 plate on ohp other day, will probably do 3 plates on Squats at weekend as well.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

30 inch waist on empty today. Well 30.7 to be exact but it's still a 30! Feeling good, now that I've fully adjusted to the diet. Trained a bit earlier today, so was on 3 instead of 4 meals but it worked out fine. Removing one the oats based meals has helped a lot. All my carbs are after 12 noon now.

Back today

Pullover machine

3x12 (max contraction)

Chins

5x5 (these were somewhat a struggle)

Pulldown

3x12 (focused contraction)

Cable row Superset with ISO lat row

3x12-15, 3x15

Barbell curl

3x12

Preacher curl

3x8

Rope curl

3x8

Crunches

3x20

15mins cardio

2 people commented on how I look "bigger" recently but I didn't have the heart to tell them that since last time they told me I have shed some weight lol

Photos to follow later


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Pics from today:

Top pic is screenshot of back poses in mirror room

Bottom pic has images I took from a video I had to take. The first lot of locker room pics towards the top are from today and the second lot are about 5 days old I think. Definite difference between the 2 groups!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Didn't really get into the session today. Was a bit meh for some reason. Felt a bit drowsy at work. Probably a carb coma lol. Got to gym and did a session that was about it. Most enjoyable part was the cardio lol other than the Deadlift.... Did back again as chest day machines are always full lol

Deadlifts

Bar warm up, 60kgx15, 80kgx12, 100kgx10, 140x5, 160kgx2

T-bar row

40kgx15 3 sets

Hammer strength row

60kgx10, 60kgx10, 60kgx10

ISO lat row

50kgx15, 50kgx15

15mins cardio


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## DemonNeutrino (May 18, 2017)

Your making a lot more progress than you give yourself credit for. Back especially

And if you do feel disheartened then have a look at my log and it will make you feel instantly better about yourself :lol:

Keep it up mate :thumb


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

DemonNeutrino said:


> Your making a lot more progress than you give yourself credit for. Back especially
> 
> And if you do feel disheartened then have a look at my log and it will make you feel instantly better about yourself :lol:
> 
> Keep it up mate :thumb


 Thank you mate!

I think it's because I still remember when I was barely 8 stone/50kg (4 years ago) and therefore remember being the small guy. I think I've got a lot of that mentality still which means I can't see improvements easily!

Obviously when I put it like that, I've put on 34kg in 4 years which I'm damn pleased with but given the gym I'm in is full of big guys it is hard to be objective!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

DemonNeutrino said:


> And if you do feel disheartened then have a look at my log


 I think I am following it actually lol

But I don't like to compare as we all on different journeys and I do enjoy your log


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## DemonNeutrino (May 18, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> Thank you mate!
> 
> I think it's because I still remember when I was barely 8 stone/50kg (4 years ago) and therefore remember being the small guy. I think I've got a lot of that mentality still which means I can't see improvements easily!
> 
> Obviously when I put it like that, I've put on 34kg in 4 years which I'm damn pleased with but given the gym I'm in is full of big guys it is hard to be objective!


 I feel exactly the same mate, my gym is probably the best in the area, run by competing bodybuilders, full of competing bodybuilders and powerlifters, I am but a small child in comparison. :lol:


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Chest today!

İncline Bench

Bar x15, 40kgx12, 50kgx8, 60kgx6, 60kgx6

Flye press superset with plate presses

20kgx 10, 15kg plate x 10 (3 sets)

Chest cable flye

15kgx12, 15kgx12

Barbell biceps curl

10kgx15, 10kgx15, 20kgx10, 20kgx10

Multi bicep machine

10kgx 10 (3 sets)

Rope cable drag curl

4x drop set

AB crunch with reverse crunch

20 reps, 15 reps (3 rounds)

10mins cardio


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Only really getting a chance to sit down now. Session was good. Did less work per se, only 4 chest exercises, and 2 of those were in a superset. I felt more able to focus on the contraction though. Truth be told I was running late so had to improvise and turned out decent. İm getting very hungry at work at the moment so I had to go out and get extra food. (On top of my 6 meals a day). Bad move. Well, what I got wasn't a good idea. Sesame seed baton of bread with chorizo and Philly and milk. No wonder I'm bloated. I was so hungry though anything would do. I think I need to adjust my diet slightly although ınterestingly I have actually gained a little bit of muscle since reducing my carbs. I've leaned out as my serratus are starting to show, so it's not water that's come back on. My skinfolds have decreased enough to be a difference worth noting. I put it down to a combo of noarbs before 1300 and doing cardio. No strength loss at all as yesterday deadlifts show. Body seems to have accustomed to the diet now as I wake up flat and lean and in the evening and still lean but full as well. I literally watch my arms fill up in the day lol. Think I've almost got it to a tee at the moment. Gotta start a change Friday though. Will Work it out over course of tomorrow and update


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Was so tired yesterday I didn't write up my leg workout. Was simply leg extensions, squats, leg press, standing calf raises. I wasn't at all feeling it. Session wasn't a waste but wasn't good either. Ah well these things happen. Did shoulders today. Same sort of thing. Except got a good pump on so I'm not worried about a few hard sessions.

Back on d asapartic acid. Going completely against the recommendation of 3.5g a day lol. I'm double dosing in the morning and in the evening with one before my session. Only for a week though.

Got tomorrow off the gym then back to it!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Back last night

Lat pulldown

Machine bent rows

Rack pull (160kg X3 best lift)

ISO lat row

10 mins cardio

Diet has changed

Now only having carbs preworkout.

M1:

4 eggs poached, asparagus, DAA, L-glutamine, protein shake, milk

M2

Protein shake and fruit

M3

Chicken & green veg

M4

Brown rice and chicken/steak

Green veg

M5

Postworkout shake with milk

Eggs and cheese scrambled with chorizo or other cured sausage

M6

Oats

Egg whites

L-GLUTAMİNE

Backloading carbs at the moment and feel great for it. Very strong in the gym. Weight is down but appearance has improved. Little to no muscle mass lost

2800kcal a day. Bit of a deficit but nothing that's alarming as regards muscle mass as long as I'm sensible in the gym

M5 & M6 are wrong way round lol but I cant be bothered to change them


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

As an aside to saying you look damn good for a natty and your strong... :thumb

why would you use cooked rice values especially at 300g, it's so open to weighing more when cooked for longer as it absorbs more water, so your 300g could be 150g uncooked or 180g and the macros would be way different, I do everything uncooked as weights can change with cooking times so much it can be a scary amount out... just might be worth checking dry weight before cooking and seeing what it weighs cooked and check macros for the two against each other :beer:


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

superdrol said:


> As an aside to saying you look damn good for a natty and your strong... :thumb
> 
> why would you use cooked rice values especially at 300g, it's so open to weighing more when cooked for longer as it absorbs more water, so your 300g could be 150g uncooked or 180g and the macros would be way different, I do everything uncooked as weights can change with cooking times so much it can be a scary amount out... just might be worth checking dry weight before cooking and seeing what it weighs cooked and check macros for the two against each other :beer:


 Thank you  it's so weird cause I think I'm not that strong and still see the failings in my physique!

Ah yes that's a fair point, I write up my diets using dry weights though, my rice measured dry by either 1/2, 2/3 or 1 cup depending on my current goal. I didn't trust the dry weight Nutrition on that app though and did some vague maths like you suggested with the weighing before and after. You are very right though and I agree :beer:


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Can't you use the dry weights from the packet and add it to the app under your foods and then it's correct, each time I add a food I check it and then I know it's done right ?


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

superdrol said:


> Can't you use the dry weights from the packet and add it to the app under your foods and then it's correct, each time I add a food I check it and then I know it's done right ?


 Tbh it's only the rice that I do that way so I just gotta get off my bum and do it lol


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## DemonNeutrino (May 18, 2017)

Iron Lou said:


> Was so tired yesterday I didn't write up my leg workout. Was simply leg extensions, squats, leg press, standing calf raises. I wasn't at all feeling it. Session wasn't a waste but wasn't good either. Ah well these things happen. Did shoulders today. Same sort of thing. Except got a good pump on so I'm not worried about a few hard sessions.
> 
> Back on d asapartic acid. Going completely against the recommendation of 3.5g a day lol. I'm double dosing in the morning and in the evening with one before my session. Only for a week though.
> 
> Got tomorrow off the gym then back to it!


 Just started on this stuff. Do you feel it gives you much of an edge? I'm using T Matrix from MP.

Keep at it mate.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

DemonNeutrino said:


> Just started on this stuff. Do you feel it gives you much of an edge? I'm using T Matrix from MP


 I genuinely believe so but I'm ignoring the advice on the back and taking 2 scoops in the morning and 1 or 2 in the evening at the moment. I dont think it's placebo effect because I do notice a difference in how manly I feel...

Edit: advice is 1 scoop a day at 3.5g

Seen studies on it and they didn't seem to notice effects until they were on at least 7g a day


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Tried another gym today that's like 5 mins from work rather than the hour I have to battle through rush hour to get to my normal one. Long and short it's not worth the 55 mins difference. I only got home 30 mins earlier than usual. Equipment was decent for a commercial gym but I had to improvise hamstring curls and glute raises rather than have a machine to do them and it wasn't the best atmosphere. All that said though I had a good session. I did kind of make it into a good session by setting realistic expectations. İt's good for your better than average gym goer but not for serious athletes IMO. Anyway. I did legs!

Squats

Walking lunges (no leg extension machine?!)

Sled pushes (decided to stick this in to try it, brutal. Ran 20m with 120kg on sled. Considering never done them before I dunno if that's good or bad haha)

Romanian Deadlift

Some weird way of doing glute raises. I can't even describe how I did them

Edit: I think it is best described as a Nordic lift. Until my hams cramped.

Got a good sweat on and my glutes and hamstrings were pumped.

Realised I'm doing the wrong workouts for my diet though so Need to pull back on weight a bit and increase reps instead. Not much harm done though. İmprovements coming!

May have got my first 2 clients as well, one wants to do bikini class and her bf is into BB. Gonna see if anything comes of it and start logging their progress here on another log if they ok with that


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Training was good on Thursday, only just updating now. Did a chest session. Can't remember what I did but I remember thinking 'oh that was a decent session' and my chest still aches a bit lol. My glutes are still on fire from Wednesday!

Established the reason I'm feeling tired and a bit grotty is due to lack of water. I'm barely making 3L a day. I've decided to take 2L bottles with me now Instead of 500ml bottles and the extra water is keeping me awake. I'm having a small amount of oats in my protein shake and have nuts and sultanas as emergency food. Might sound like I'm being a bit vague but I didn't expect the tiredness with my new diet so need to tinker a bit but I expect Monday will be fine now!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Really good back session last night. Weight is just under 80kg and waist is down at a solid 30inches. Might sound strange to some seeing as was 83kg a few weeks back but that was quite a fluffy (for me) 83kg. İ haven't lost anything in the way of strength and people have said I'm looking bigger than I was a few weeks ago so it's going well.

Back:

Rack pulls

60x12, 100x10, 120x8, 140x5, 170x2

T-bar row

40x12, 60x8, 70x4 with drop

Cable row

30kgx12 3sets

Triceps pressdown

30x15, 45x10, 60x8 with drop

45° degree French press

Bar x12, 25x10, 25x10

Triceps overhead dumbbell press

20kgx12 3 sets

Ab crunch Superset with reverse crunch

Bird-dog

Ab crunch machine

Hard but felt good. Diet was:

M1:4 poached eggs, protein shake and milk

M2: protein shake,25g oats, handful nuts

M3: 200g chicken and 200g brocolli

M4: 150g steak with 200g potato

M5: 2/3 cup uncooked weight brown rice and 200g chicken

Postworkout: protein shake with nuts and sultanas

M7: protein shake, milk, nutella ( I pretty much fell asleep when I got in and woke up about 10ish making it awkward to have anything major. Should have been scrambled eggs with cheese lol)


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Arms today! Really enjoyed it. Even with the vastly lower amount of carbs I'm eating. Actually I feel better and have been getting very good pump last session or so. I'm putting it down to increasing sodium in my diet. I'm going to do a different thread about sodium cause I want opinions and so on.

45° French press

Overhead dumbbell triceps press

Rope cable pressdown Superset with v-bar attachment pressdown

Barbell curl

Preacher curl

Rope drag curl

Ab machine

Reverse crunches

Starting to see outlines of my cheekbones, will keep updated. Going to do another week at this diet and evaluate. Noticed I'm getting little salt cravings about midday so had some olives and manchago cheese which settled them. Going to try adding pickled gherkins tomorrow. I'm liking the change to higher sodium. Will keep an eye on it so that I don't get hypernatrimia but I seriously doubt that will happen


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Screenshot of a load of back images I took today. Yes I know it's my back again lol. I don't have enough space to upload too many images and it's difficult to get people to take pics or to take pics of myself. Plus, you don't really want to see my fur haha.

Pleased with comparison of first image I posted on my original post. Strength has stayed high, with 170kg rack pulls on Monday. Will see how shoulders are on Saturday strength wise and legs on Friday "eek".


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Shoulders today!

Behind neck barbell press

Machine ohp

Smith machine underhand grip press

Seated laterals

Behind neck cable laterals

Rear delt machine

Seated dumbbell curl

Bicep curl machine

Rope curl

Ab crunch

Reverse crunch

10 mins treadmill

Looks like a lot of work, and it was!


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Didn't upload Monday as was so busy

Ended up training with the gym owner so followed his competition workout, so obviously not gonna put it up on here. Was great workout though and very specialised for upper back thickness.

Gonna do rear delts, side delt and triceps tonight as doing a shoulder day on Saturday. Chest day Friday.

Going to change back to the platz style of training soon as really enjoyed it even though it meant 2 weeks to train entire body I saw good changes on that.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Wednesday training was good, did some side delts, rear delts and triceps. Pleased with training. Not doing quite so well at maintaining this log though haha. Will start up again properly tonight. Upper chest and biceps tonight for me!

Eating about 100g carbs a day at the moment. Feel very energetic surprisingly and stopped dozing in afternoons. Waist is down to 29inches in mornings! Got some damn love handle I want to get rid of though lol.

Cardio here I come....


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

Struggling to keep this updated right now.

Anyway. Did back tonight. Weight is at 77kg in empty. Massive difference in weight in past month (lost 7kg). Mostly water/fat that is lost. Have lost some muscle too but my strength is actually up.

Previous pb on rack pull was 180kg at 85kg now it's 180kg at 77kg so proportionally stronger. Weights are going up better at the moment. Don't actually feel smaller even though scales at so. Mirror is best judge at the moment though and things are looking better.

Waist is at 29 inches against the 35 it was a month ago. Chest is 39 inches which actually hasn't changed in the month. Biceps still the same size. Feeling good about my size for once. Finally got my mind off the scales and using visuals to measure progress more so now. Still have to wear 36inch trousers though cause of my glutes and thighs lol so I haven't lost anything there, if anything they feel tighter recently.

Workouts are mainly going like this at the moment:

Compound move 6-8 reps

Dumbbell 8-10

Machine 8-10

Cable 8-12

Seems a bit washy and vague but at the moment this is going well for me and it's helping me stay sane while I adjust to my new job.

I feel very strong at the moment and may go to increase my 1RM for bench soon. I'm incline pressing 70kg quite easily at the moment as well so I'm definitely on the right track. I would love to get to 6% body fat and have a good amount of strength left. Aim is to have this done in next 2 months. I've never gone that low before so I may start a new log just for that. I've already taken 6inches off my waist in 4 weeks without really trying so I'm going to actually try now!

Already know how I'm going to do it, it's just a matter of doing it now! Will keep updated.


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## Iron Lou (Feb 7, 2017)

So In the course of the week I decided to move my carbs from 3pm to 10am and I'm waking up less bloated and feeling leaner as well as having more strength In The gym and feeling generally more alert. Only drawback was legs yesterday I was ruined after 3 exercises but then I haven't done legs in nearly a month lol but I'm doing them again on Tuesday. Great. Finding this hard to keep updated cause of work and time. Anyway, got shoulders today. Will put another pic up soon.


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