Schmopey's Quest for Half a Ton

[Schmopey]

Main Goal: Get Stronger

I’d like my big 3 total to be at least 1000 pounds by the time I turn 38, three days before 2013 comes to a close. I have maxed at an estimated 748 pounds, so that means I have almost exactly 5 months to add 252 pounds to my lifts. I’ll need to progress well on each lift, but I’ll have to do it without causing myself harm.

The Plan:

1. Work the Program

I have been doing StrongLifts since the end February, and have just hit my first prescribed deload for bench and OHP. I have deloaded on both squats and deadlifts to prevent injury. Last challenge the deload on my squats worked well, I am having no issues with my back. Unfortunately, I am having issues with my adductors and other hip flexors, so I have taken another deload to work back up. Even with this I should be able to hit 225 for 5 on squats, 192.5 (taking Gainsdalf’s recommendation to get fractional plates) for 5 on bench, and (hopefully) 315 for 5 on DL by the end of this challenge. This would put me at an estimated 863 and good shape to accomplish my goal.

2. Loosen Up!

I think some of my aforementioned hip issues stem from a lack of mobility and general suppleness. I need to finish reading Supple Leopard and begin doing some mobility work in earnest. I plan to spend at least 10 minutes on lifting days and 30 minutes on off days doing mobility work and stretching.

3. Fuel the Work

I would like to do all this, and still be able to get my weight below 220. I was at 226.5 as of this morning, so I am hoping that I can slowly drop a few pounds while still making strength gains. Losing weight is secondary to making the lifts, however. I am currently working with a base target of 2500 kcal/day, and if I feel that I am restricting my gains at any point, I will increase my intake.

And thusly, I begin my quest for half a ton.

[Schmopey]

Life's been a bit hectic recently. I feel lucky to have been able to get my original post up, so I'll cover the first three days of the challenge in this one.

 

Part (most) of the life craziness has to do with adopting a puppy on 7/19. She's sleeping through the night now, so things are a little better.

 

Monday's (7/29) workout:

 

Squats:

BWx10

45 2x5

95 1x5

115 1x5

125 1x5

145 5x5

I dropped the weight down from 185, because I was only able to get 2 reps @185 on Friday. It felt like I was on the verge of pulling something in my left hip/groin. Dropping down and working back up has worked so well for my back that I thought I'd give a try for this as well. I am also focusing on keeping my chest up, as that started to become an issue as I moved above 170#. These felt good at 145.

 

Bench:

45 2x5

145 1x5

165 5x5

This was my first deload workout after failing my third attempt @185 last week. I kept rest between sets to under 3 minutes, and had no problems making the reps.

 

Dumbell Rows:

75# 5x5 each side

I decided to use these instead of barbell rows to reduce strain on my back and instead of assisted pull-ups which didn't seem to be helping much.

 

I foam rolled and stretched for about 12 minutes after lifting.

 

Tuesday (7/30): Foam rolled and mobility stretches for 32 minutes in the evening.

 

Wednesday's (7/31) workout:

 

Squats:

BWx10

45 2x5

95 1x5 (paused)

115 1x5

125 1x5

150 5x5

I did the 95's paused to try to help get everything loose. It's quite a bit harder getting out of the hole after a 5 second pause.

 

OHP: deload from 125

45 1x5

65 1x5

85 1x5

105 1x3

110 5x5

Kept rest to about 3 minutes. I was doing deadlift warm-ups between the last few sets, so I might have gone a little over the three minutes.

 

Deadlifts: deload from 275

I did the snatch grip dl's as warm-up

95 1x5

135 1x5

185 1x5 originally intended this to be the max SGDL

225 1x5

Conventional

245 1x5

I had intended to only pull 235, as I wasn't even able to get 225 off the ground at all last Friday, but 185 snatch grip felt so good that I decided to do 225 with the snatch grip. At 225 the only limiter seemed to be my grip, so I decided to do 245 instead of 235. I briefly considered attempting 255, but I didn't really have time to wait for the recovery.

 

Foam rolling and stretching: 14 minutes.

 

My weight was down 2.1 pounds which isn't unusual for Monday to Wednesday. I've been pretty close to eating my targeted calories each day, so I might need to up the target. I'll give it at least through the end of the week before changing anything.

[Caution]

OMG Puppy!

 

Nice workouts, especially considering life being hectic and all.

[Schmopey]

Thanks, my workouts have been the one thing in which I've managed consistency. Of course, I wake up at 4:30 to do so.

[spudgun]

That puppy is so cute!  Reminds me of when we got my dog at home, over 13 years ago now.

 

Solid work on the deadlifts.  In fact, all your weights are very impressive!

[Schmopey]

I saw this 90 day Challenge at my gym yesterday and have been contemplating entering. I would be looking to do the Transformation Challenge. To achieve a BF% loss comparable to the last winner, I would need to drop around 25 pounds of fat (that's with no muscle gain), which seems a bit difficult if I still want to get stronger. Of course, the actual body recomp only counts for 30% when determining the winner. 30% is also allotted to the before and after pictures, and your essay counts for 40%. The national winner gets $10,000 and a trip for two to Vegas. The entry fee is $25 which I believe includes two body comp tests by the folks at the gym. 

 

This 90 day challenge would end right around the same time as the next six week challenge, and would mean that I will probably have to change my focus. I still want to get stronger, but $10,000 would be mighty helpful. I am fairly certain that I can find some nerds to help me figure out diet and all that, and I am pretty sure my current strength regimen is helpful when trying to recomp.

 

What do you all think?

[Schmopey]

Well, I've signed up for the 90 day challenge, which officially starts tomorrow. So it looks like I'll be tracking my diet more closely and trying to drop a bunch of fat. I am hoping to still get stronger, though my original goals of squatting 225, benching 192.5, and deadlifting 315, might be a bit out of reach. We'll see.

 

I am open to suggestions regarding diet and workout regimen.

 

Mobility work has been going well. I've been able to hit my target everyday so far.

 

Today's workout:

Weight 224.5

 

Squats:

BW x10

45 2x5

95 1x5

115 1x5

135 1x5

155 5x5: I think I may need to get another form check on these soon. Perhaps next Friday.

 

Bench:

45 2x5

95 1x5

145 1x5

165 1x3

170 5x5 These felt pretty good.

 

Dumbbell Rows:

80 5x5

 

Stretching and foam rolling:12 minutes

 

Oh, and I received the lacrosse balls I ordered yesterday. Hooray for the pain ball!

[Caution]

Yeah, if you are going to be cutting that much, I'd imagine any gains would be tough to be had. Good luck though, I know I could use a spare 10 grand

[Schmopey]

Thanks, Caution. I'd really like to be able to do a recomp slowly, but the last winner had something like a 61% change in BF%. I don't think I can get results like that in 90 days without dropping a bit of weight.

 

So something I forgot to report about this morning's workout; I had to do it barefoot. I only had one of my wrestling shoes in my bag, and I figured flip-flops were no good. I found that my feet always ended up pointing quite a bit more out after each set of squats. I guess bare feet slide more easily when spreading the floor. I guess that is what happens when I leave the house at 4:30 without turning on a light.

[Schmopey]

The official starting weigh-in for the LifeTime Fitness 90-day Challenge had me at 225.1 pounds and 22.7% body fat. I am a bit less fat than I thought. I was expecting something around the 26% range. This means I have 51.1 pounds of fat on me. If I can get down to 200 without losing muscle. I'll be at 13% for a change of -42.7%.

 

Today's weight: 224.8

 

Squats:

BWx10

45 2x5

95 1x5

115 1x5

135 1x5

155 1x5

160 5x5 Felt good on these. One minute rest on the first 3 sets, One minute 30 seconds on 4 and 5.

 

OHP:

45 1x5

65 1x5

85 1x5

105 1x3

115 5x5 Tried to keep to 3 minutes between sets but was also doing my deadlift warm-ups in between.

 

Deadlifts:

warmed up using SGDL

95 1x5

145 1x5

185 1x5

225 1x5

Conventional:

255 1x5 These felt pretty heavy, I think I need to do a last warm-up single that is closer to my work weight.

 

Rolling and Stretching: 12 minutes

[orcwarrior]

Congrats on taking up the challenge!  Sounds like you're going to be revamping your focus from gaining liftage to losing fat in pursuit of the ten grand. 

 

What's your plan for modifying your diet?  Have you thought through that yet?  Sounds like you're looking for a good-sized calorie deficit with high protein intake to keep muscle up.  Good luck, Schmopey!  We'll be rooting for you!

[Schmopey]

I'm using MFP set to lose 2# a week. It seems pretty close to the IIFYM calculator set to reckless if I eat back my exercise. Cycling calories just seems to make more sense to me,  especially since I workout in the morning. I'd be interested to hear if there is good  reason  to eat a constant amount per day instead.

 

I have my macros set to, P:45%, F:30%, C:25%, to make sure  I get over 200g of protein. Though with a good bit of exercise the protein can get as bit ridiculous, so I am happy once I hit 250 on those days. Feel free to take a gander at my food diary if you're curious.

 

I'm going to see how this goes for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't seem to be working, I'll  definitely be calling on the nerds for help.

[Schmopey]

Not the most auspicious first weekly check-in; my weight was down 2# to 223.1, but my BF was up 1% to 23.7%.  I am going to chalk that up to the vagaries of bioimpedance. The gym is using an InBody 520, which supposedly has a .98 correlation with DEXA (according to the company's Web site). It also has a starting price of $10k, so I hope it is fairly accurate. I'll see how things trend as the week progresses.

[Caution]

Using electric current to measure fat % is always suspect. Regardless you've lost weight, and your macros look good, I'd chalk it up to water / weight fluctuations or other things like that, I tend to fluctuate 3-5 lbs per day depending on what I ate the night before, how much water I've drank or other related factors. Keep an eye on the general trend after a few weeks to get a better idea of what's going on. 

[Schmopey]

Using electric current to measure fat % is always suspect. Regardless you've lost weight, and your macros look good, I'd chalk it up to water / weight fluctuations or other things like that, I tend to fluctuate 3-5 lbs per day depending on what I ate the night before, how much water I've drank or other related factors. Keep an eye on the general trend after a few weeks to get a better idea of what's going on. 

 

Yeah, I am even more skeptical as back-to-back measurements varied by 0.7%. Also yesterday's measurement was in the evening, and I typically weigh in the morning. I'm planning to stay the course for a couple of weeks to see how things are trending. Though, I am starting to think I may need to up my daily calorie target; I am down almost 5 pounds since Saturday, and my legs feel fatigued after this morning's workout for the first time in a few months.

 

Today's workout:

 

Wt from locker room scale: 220.1; Wt from InBody 520: 220.5, BF: 21.9%

 

I forgot to foam roll yesterday, so I began with 5 minutes this morning. It really helped loosen up my hammies and quads.

 

Squats:

BWx10

45 2x5

95 1x5

115 1x5

135 1x5

155 1x5

165 5x5: These are feeling good, even with keeping rest between sets to under 1:30.

 

Bench:

45 2x5

95 1x5

145 1x5

165 1x3

175 5x5 Keeping rest to 3 minutes, though I was a tad over before set 5.

 

Dumbbell row:

85 5x5 These were heavy. I think I'll stay at 85 next time, as 90 seems a bit much to which to jump.

 

Dumbbell Pullovers:

25 5x10  Perpendicular to the bench, superset with the rows.

 

I like these; could definitely feel the stretch in my lats and pecs. It also stretched my shoulders a bit at the bottom, but felt like a good stretch without compromising joint positioning. I'll be adding these in regularly. Would it be too much to do them 3x a week?

 

Foam rolling and stretching: 10 minutes

I am able to touch my toes without too much difficulty after I'm done rolling and stretching now (I am about 2-3 inches away beforehand). Hooray for flexibility!

 

 

What do you all think about the timing of calories? I lift early in the morning, so I've been eating my base plus what my HRM says I've burned during the workout on my lifting days. Would it be better to eat more the day before I lift? Or should I stop cycling and just eat a flat amount everyday? Or, is this one of those things I shouldn't mess with until I've seen how things are going for a couple of weeks? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[orcwarrior]

Wish I could help you with your eating/timing questions, but I'm ignorant in this area.  I'd just say good luck in your transformation efforts.  One thing I could toss in - I've found it very helpful to add a couple interval workouts each week on non-strength-training days.  Helps raise metabolism, lose fat, increase cardio-vascular health.  Tiring, though.  But I've maintained a pretty steady 2-3 lbs/wk loss pace over the last couple months by doing this.  And my body fat percentages suggest it's been almost all fat loss.

 

Just a thought....

[Schmopey]

Georgia is growing nicely. We've been puppy sitting for my MiL this week, so she's had a friend with which to play. Hope she's not lonely we he leaves tomorrow. We'll definitely be glad to only have one puppy in the house.

 

[Caution]

I'm not much of an authority on nutrition but I know there is a lot of bro-science surrounding meal timing. I'm sure there are several authorities around here. Try in the nutrition section, that probably could help you out. 

[Schmopey]

Week 2, Day 5 (I think)

 

I took the day off to go to the doctor's appointment I made last challenge. Everything seems good. She was impressed at the weight I've lost this year. When she asked how I'd done it I told her diet and exercise, predominately lifting. She told me not to use any "heavy" weights. She's concerned due to my two back surgeries and the crap with my neck. Speaking of crap in my neck, 

 

I told her that I'd be careful.

 

On to the workout!

 

Locker room scale: 219.7

InBody 520: (pre-workout) Wt: 220.9 BF: 23.7 ECW: 45.9 ICW: 77.8 TBW: 123.7

                    (post-workout) Wt: 223.3 BF: 22.1 ECW: 47.2 ICW: 80.5 TBW: 127.7

I'll be taking my measurements after lifting from now on.

 

Squats:

BWx10, 45 2x5, 95 1x5, 115 1x5, 135 1x5, 155 1x5, 170 5x5; felt pretty good, took video

 

OHP:

45 1x5, 65 1x5, 85 1x5, 105 1x3, 120 5x5; these got a touch ugly at the end. Superset with SGDL warm-up. My fractional plates have arrived, so I think I'll only go up by 2.5 lbs next time.

 

SGDL:

95 1x5, 145 1x5, 185 1x5, 225 1x5; felt pretty good, took video

 

DL:

255 1x1, 265 1x5; 265 didn't feel too heavy, the 255 single helped. Took video so I'll see how they were. Grip had issues on rep 5.
 

Dumbbell Pullovers:

30# 5x10; see write up in side quest thread.

 

 

[Schmopey]

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to be able to get full sized pictures to post? Thanks!

[Caution]

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to be able to get full sized pictures to post? Thanks!

I use an external site (ala photobucket) and just put the image there instead.

[orcwarrior]

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to be able to get full sized pictures to post? Thanks!

 

I've had problems with this at times as well.  First, need pics in right format - jpeg and several others work - sorry don't remember which ones as I always use jpeg.  Second, upload them to a photo storage website such as photobucket, google pics or flickr.  Third, left-click on little image button above and copy/paste the pic url there.  Should work.  Good luck!

 

BTW, found out the pic itself doesn't post - continually pulls from the website.  So if you delete the pic from the website, no longer loads on the thread.

[Schmopey]

Work is sucking right now. Haven't had time to compose any posts. Too much family and other stuff going on in the evenings.

 

Weight was 220.7 this morning. BF% at 21.1.

 

Workouts going OK.

 

DL: hit 275 for 4 just couldn't get the 5th up. But 275 is a PR!

 

Hope to have a chance to expand the post later.

 

I now need to go to an impromptu management meeting with the VPs.

[Schmopey]

Well the impromptu meeting was not bad; the VP who heads our department has been elevated to the university's executive council. He now reports directly the the president. I don't think this really means anything changes for me. It would be real nice if the advancement trickled down, but that doesn't happen.

 

The 90-day challenge leader board has been updated: I currently sit at 208 overall and 3rd for my particular club. You can find me by searching for MikeK, or by selecting men and filtering for Maryland and Columbia, MD.

[mvelic]

DC-Baltimore represent! That's all I really got there... Also, nice new PR on the DL.