ArgSki77 Uses Kryptonite For Good

[ArgSki77]

I am sure that everyone here is nerdy enough that I dont need explain what kryptonite is or what it does to Superman. But for the sake of this challenge, we are going to try and harness the power of kryptonite and defeat super(heavy)man.

 

 

Goal 1: Defeat Super(heavy)man

A few years ago before the IPF weight class standards, the super heavyweight class was 308lbs+ for most federations as I am told. I'm competing in a local competition August 20th which doesn't have a weigh in since its really just person vs barbell so this is more of a personal vendetta against the scale. I have been kind of stuck near current weight of 317 for 2-3 months now bouncing between 309-318lbs. I'm not too upset about the stall as focus has really been on increasing lifts so I have been trying to eat closer to maintenance to account for a new program. I know for a fact that I ruin almost every week by eating poorly on the weekend when I eat back all the calories from the week. Typical week would be a 310 weigh in Friday and 315 on Monday morning from all the bad food and bloating. No longer want to be in that super heavyweight class so going to tighten up my diet and drop below 308. Ideally I would drop to 300 and have room to gain back some weight in muscles.

 

Goal 2: Prevent kryptonite from sapping strength

New program has been rewarding with big gains and some milestone PBs. The last challenge I hit my first 3 plate(315lb squat) and am closing in on the 4 plate deadlift(405lb). Despite trying to cut some weight, there should still be a little bit of room to gain some strength since the calorie deficit already exists during my weekday lifting but is ruined during my two rest days on the weekend. I know progress may be a bit slower since the weekends wont be a big re-feed. Just hoping to see some improvement during the cut time and then start having some more gains once I reach goal weight and start eating maintenance again. Also, daily mobility counts towards my workout for the day. Have really been seeing the benefits of ROMWOD during my lift sessions and daily recovery so really want to stick to this as part of the program.

 

LUYL Goal: Leaving Krypton

Lease at current apartment ends at the end of June and already signed a lease near Boston. I got a friend to help move my big things in two weekends so I really need to start packing. There is crap everywhere and work has required long hours so packing has just kind of been second priority. Need to focus so I am not up all night the day before loading random stuff into boxes with no organization.

I am super excited to be close to the city. It puts me 10min from my coaches gym which is where my friends lift at which I cant wait to start going to on a regular basis. Right now its 45+ min away so I only go to do some form checks on occasional weekends. The gym is group training focused but with emphasis on different goals throughout the day. There is a nighttime class that basically runs my current program but in a group setting. I really look forward to the group support with the class structure and being in close proximity to my coach come competition time.

The only downside is the time I save getting to the gym gets added to my work commute which goes from 20 min to almost 50min. This is going to require some organizational work to make sure I can get to work early in the morning so I can constantly make the nighttime lifting session. Going to work on getting up earlier and getting to work early in the next few weeks so waking up isn't so hard when living farther away.

[SevenofSeven]

Cool a Superman Challenge!

 

(I secretly believe Superman would have kicked Batman's butt quicker, harder, faster if they didn't have a whole movie to make!)

[ArgSki77]

Quick morning update to what I posted last night so I have baseline numbers at the start.

 

Current Numbers:

BW: 315.6lbs

Squat: 315lbs actual, 325lbs program estimate

Bench: 230lbs actual, 255lbs program estimate

Deadlift: 385lbs actual, 405lbs program estimate

OHP: 140lbs actual, 155lbs program estimate

[Grymm]

That's a pretty good starting point.

[Grizzy]

So jealous of those lifts!

[ArgSki77]

13 minutes ago, Grizzy said:

So jealous of those lifts!

Its funny because I always get jealous of other peoples lifts when I look at the forums.

 

I am by no means unhappy that my squat and deads have pushed up above 300lbs and that I am hitting new PRs almost weekly but in proportion to my bodyweight it seems to feel weak now and again, especially watching friends at the gym pull 1100-1200lb totals at 185ish bodyweight. I've only been training seriously around a year and a half though so I cant really be upset about my progress.

 

Just calculated current lifts to be a 235 wilks score and if I were to lift all my estimated maxes it would be a 248. My meet goals is a 1000+ total to earn my patch which would break wilks over the 250 mark. I smell a future challenge goal in there.

[ArgSki77]

Week 0 Day 3:

Already weighed in this morning to get a baseline number which is high since last week I was on vacation and eating crap. But food today was pretty good even with an ice cream treat at work party. Close to goal at 2363 thanks to meal prep last night...2 breakfasts and 3 lunches. Turkey sausage scramble for breakfast(free bagels tomorrow morning though, woot!) and fajita beef kale salads for lunch. Carbs 202g, fat a bit high at 84g because ice cream, and protein at 194g which is a bit lower than I aim for but not to shabby.

 

Heading back to the gym today was quite the struggle. Still haven't quite adjusted to the jet lag from vacation yet and that made me lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling until almost 2am last night with a 6am wake up...picture related.

 

Tried to power through deadlift workout the best that I could after work(which I am still working 10+ hour days grrr). Estimated 1RM was at 405 which in turn means my 90% single was at 365. Two weeks ago I did a bit of a test at 385lbs and it was easy. Today the 90% 365lb deadlift as part of the program was a big struggle. Probably should have taken a bit more of a rest before that set since I could feel I was tired. Did manage to get 13 reps at 285 for the AMAP so the workout fit the template fine weight wise for working sets, just felt a bit weak on the daily heavy. Rack pulls(12" deads) at 200lb felt great which was strange because usually if I am tired during main sets the accessory is a struggle but put up 52 in the 350 method sets. Rounded out with some battle rope slams, hanging knee raises, and the ultimate end of workout burner, Bulgarian split squats.

 

Still haven't started packing. Need to get around to that soon. But now bedtime and hopefully no more staring at the ceiling tonight.

[ArgSki77]

Week 0 day 2: Birthday PRs!

 

Work up to a text from my coach saying that you get double gainz when you lift on your birthday. From my gym performance today, apparently that is a fact. Broke through a 3 week stall on my overhead press. 140lbs single felt good and crushed 16 reps during the AMAP at 110lbs. My boss told me I wasnt allowed to work overtime on my birthday so I celebrated by leaving at a normal time and actually doing all my accessory work instead of rushing through my gym time. The dips and pushup 350 method sets still feel weak, even assisted. Those often get a bit rushed though and I skipped a few weeks to let my shoulder recover a bit so I really want to make sure not to leave those out. They seem unbalanced with the progress compared to other lifts and accessory. Other lifts were 4x10x100lbs push press, 4x8x80lb dumbell rows, and 4x8x25lb lateral flys and front raises.

 

Even better news is that weight this morning was 313.6lbs which is a 2lb drop. I was around 311 when I went on vacation so the weight I am dropping now is likely some leftover bloating from all the salty and sugary junk food we ate all week. But progress is progress. As for food today, I am gonna pull the "calories dont count on your birthday" card. Carbs are always high on Thursdays because its usually deadlift day and free bagel breakfast so but vacation shifted workout to OHP and I didnt change the food schedule. Cal 2587 Carbs 302, Fat 88, Protein 137

 

Actually started organizing stuff for moving while I was waiting for dinner to cook. Off to do my warrior ROMWOD before bed.

[Grymm]

4 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

Work up to a text from my coach saying that you get double gainz when you lift on your birthday.

Carbs are always high on Thursdays because its usually deadlift day and free bagel breakfast 

(3) Things:

1. Did you coach really put the "z" on "gainz"?  That would be amazing.
2. Did you schedule deadlift day on free bagel day on purpose?  That would be masterful.
3. Happy birthday and high five to PRs!

That would be the end of my comment.

[ArgSki77]

1 minute ago, Grymm said:

Did you coach really put the "z" on "gainz"?  That would be amazing.

Yes. Yes he did..." Happy birthday! It's a scientific fact that, if you work out on the day of your birth, you get double gainz. Look it up, there's like, medical journal stuff about it." direct quote.

 

2 minutes ago, Grymm said:

Did you schedule deadlift day on free bagel day on purpose?  That would be masterful.

I wish I did but its really just a happy coincidence. The program I am running just happens to have deadlifts on Thursday and my program manager just happens to bring in bagels on Thursday mornings. On most lifting days, I carb cycle and load up all my carbs just before, during and after my session after work. But I make the exception for a morning bagel on deadlift day typically.

[ArgSki77]

Week 0 Day 3

Going out with some friends tonight after work so wanted to get this update in before that. Rest day today from the gym so dont have to worry about waiting until after work to make a post.

 

Weighed in at 311.8lbs this morning. Back on the cleaner eating after vacation(hard to do worse than ~4000cal a day of junk) and dropped back to the pre-vacation weight already. Most of it was bloating like I said before so next week will hopefully be a better judgement of how fast weight will come off once the bloating is gone. Now the real challenge is to not eat crap all weekend. Friends from college are visiting for a concert so I have to navigate a day of tailgating. Volunteered to DD so that I don't over do the liquid calories. Just need to avoid over eating the rest of the time. I've run into this sequence for a while where Friday morning weigh ins are around 310 and Monday morning its back up to 314 due the uncontrolled eating and no gym time. This challenge mainly focuses not doing that but its always hard in social situations.

[Grymm]

Tailgating pro-tip - skip the buns and carby salads - mac/potato salads.  Obviously, bbq chicken is going to be a better bet than sausage due to the lower fat content, but if you're already shaving 1000 calories off on the carbs, I say go for the protein.  While dieting isn't considered very macho in some parts, protein loading and lifting always earn bro points. 

[ArgSki77]

22 minutes ago, Grymm said:

Obviously, bbq chicken is going to be a better bet than sausage due to the lower fat content, but if you're already shaving 1000 calories off on the carbs, I say go for the protein

I'm gonna actually benefit a bit with regards to this because one of my friends is gluten free so she suggested bringing chicken kabobs to grill instead of just the typical burgers and sausages since she cant eat the typical buns. Going to stick to the kabobs, avoid the rolls and minimize the cookout salads. Plus I voted watermelon(the perfect warm day snack) so Ill probably bring that to eat instead of mindlessly snacking on chips.

 

I need to have a bit of a plan otherwise I have little control once I start seeing all the good stuff being cooked up. Save a few carbs for a couple beers before the show.

[SevenofSeven]

Are you packing your own food? Watermelon sounds like an excellent option!

[ArgSki77]

Weekend recap

 

I tried to manage food as best as I could. Concert food was limited to a bratwurst, a small burger and some chicken with watermelon on the side and only had one roll for the burger. The thing that may have derailed the weekend a bit is that I got off the DD role so I indulged in a bit more drinking than I had planned. I also found myself mindlessly snacking on some chips during the tailgate because they were just sitting there and I wasn't paying attention. Hopefully the result isnt too bad in the morning.

 

I felt kind of guilty about yesterday so I tried to minimize the bad food today and get back on track. Just made a bunch of healthier. Light Char Sui Pork with veggie whole grain stir fry for dinner tonight and a good amount leftover for one or two lunches. Took my friends boat out today and spend a few hours running around playing soccer and frisbee on the sandbar we were hanging out at. Like having some exercise other than being in the gym, especially when it doesn't feel like exercise.

[ArgSki77]

Week 1 Day 1

As suspected weight jumped back up a bit over the weekend. Not as bad a fluctuation as I have seen in the past on weekends of drinking. Up to 314lbs. Hopefully that clears back to steady weight by tomorrow after cleaner eating and squat session tonight.

 

Side note: going to start monitoring my water intake. From trends that I noticed in the past, I think that plays a big role in weight fluctuations. If I stay really hydrated like I do during the week, I tend to stay a much more constant weight. I tend to slip on water intake on weekends and I think dehydration is another source making me bloated on Monday mornings. I always feel better when I drink my first water bottle when I get to my desk Monday. I never officially tracked water intake but I can at least note how much water on a daily basis by number of times I finish my nalgene just to get a real baseline.

[CourtnieMarie]

On 6/8/2016 at 0:23 AM, ArgSki77 said:

Goal 1: Defeat Super(heavy)man

A few years ago before the IPF weight class standards, the super heavyweight class was 308lbs+ for most federations as I am told. I'm competing in a local competition August 20th which doesn't have a weigh in since its really just person vs barbell so this is more of a personal vendetta against the scale. I have been kind of stuck near current weight of 317 for 2-3 months now bouncing between 309-318lbs. I'm not too upset about the stall as focus has really been on increasing lifts so I have been trying to eat closer to maintenance to account for a new program. I know for a fact that I ruin almost every week by eating poorly on the weekend when I eat back all the calories from the week. Typical week would be a 310 weigh in Friday and 315 on Monday morning from all the bad food and bloating. No longer want to be in that super heavyweight class so going to tighten up my diet and drop below 308. Ideally I would drop to 300 and have room to gain back some weight in muscles.

 

LUYL Goal: Leaving Krypton

Lease at current apartment ends at the end of June and already signed a lease near Boston. I got a friend to help move my big things in two weekends so I really need to start packing. There is crap everywhere and work has required long hours so packing has just kind of been second priority. Need to focus so I am not up all night the day before loading random stuff into boxes with no organization.

I am super excited to be close to the city. It puts me 10min from my coaches gym which is where my friends lift at which I cant wait to start going to on a regular basis. Right now its 45+ min away so I only go to do some form checks on occasional weekends. The gym is group training focused but with emphasis on different goals throughout the day. There is a nighttime class that basically runs my current program but in a group setting. I really look forward to the group support with the class structure and being in close proximity to my coach come competition time.

The only downside is the time I save getting to the gym gets added to my work commute which goes from 20 min to almost 50min. This is going to require some organizational work to make sure I can get to work early in the morning so I can constantly make the nighttime lifting session. Going to work on getting up earlier and getting to work early in the next few weeks so waking up isn't so hard when living farther away.

 

oh hey! welcome to my life of clean weekdays and dirty weekends  let's stay accountable this challenge and try to get some of the extra weight off!

 

On 6/10/2016 at 1:41 PM, ArgSki77 said:

Week 0 Day 3

Going out with some friends tonight after work so wanted to get this update in before that. Rest day today from the gym so dont have to worry about waiting until after work to make a post.

 

Weighed in at 311.8lbs this morning. Back on the cleaner eating after vacation(hard to do worse than ~4000cal a day of junk) and dropped back to the pre-vacation weight already. Most of it was bloating like I said before so next week will hopefully be a better judgement of how fast weight will come off once the bloating is gone. Now the real challenge is to not eat crap all weekend. Friends from college are visiting for a concert so I have to navigate a day of tailgating. Volunteered to DD so that I don't over do the liquid calories. Just need to avoid over eating the rest of the time. I've run into this sequence for a while where Friday morning weigh ins are around 310 and Monday morning its back up to 314 due the uncontrolled eating and no gym time. This challenge mainly focuses not doing that but its always hard in social situations.

i was going to comment on how smart you were to offer for DD...

 

On 6/12/2016 at 6:55 PM, ArgSki77 said:

Weekend recap

 

I tried to manage food as best as I could. Concert food was limited to a bratwurst, a small burger and some chicken with watermelon on the side and only had one roll for the burger. The thing that may have derailed the weekend a bit is that I got off the DD role so I indulged in a bit more drinking than I had planned. I also found myself mindlessly snacking on some chips during the tailgate because they were just sitting there and I wasn't paying attention. Hopefully the result isnt too bad in the morning.

 

I felt kind of guilty about yesterday so I tried to minimize the bad food today and get back on track. Just made a bunch of healthier. Light Char Sui Pork with veggie whole grain stir fry for dinner tonight and a good amount leftover for one or two lunches. Took my friends boat out today and spend a few hours running around playing soccer and frisbee on the sandbar we were hanging out at. Like having some exercise other than being in the gym, especially when it doesn't feel like exercise.

but then you didn't even have to be DD! that always kills me. because i love having a good time with peoples. i usually can stick to vodka sodas unless i'm in a nice specialty bar that has tasty margaritas or negronis.

 

oh, btw! have you hit up the boston meet ups thread? or the fb group? every once in awhile we get our act together and do something fun  can i ask what gym you go to? i'm a bit outside of the city so it wouldn't be convenient for everyday purposes but i've been keeping my eyes out for good coaches

[ArgSki77]

So since workout at night and I weigh in during the mornings this is kind of a split recap of the end of the day yesterday and start of today.

 

Week 1 Day 1 Night:

Lifts last were pretty good. I was pretty much running on fumes at the gym after work though. I was at work until 730 so I didnt get to lift until 8ish. All I had between lunch at 12 and the gym at 8 was a quest bar and some pre-workout. Not a fan of this overtime schedule and being stuck in the lab but hopefully only a week or two left and then I can lift without getting kicked out when the gym closes and not eat dinner at 10pm.

 

My squat 1RM estimate was raised 10lbs from last time to 325lbs. The 90% single at 295lbs was difficult but still went up smooth with little grinding. AMAP set was at 230lbs and I managed 13. This was low but expected since the workload increased with the 10lb increase on 1RM.

 

Accessory work was solid. Increased the RDL to 165lbs and managed 47 reps. Did some farmers carries with 80lb dumbbells and ab rollout/crunches until the gym closed so I didn't get my full accessory work in. Missed out on the walking lunges. Went home and ate some turkey tacos, did ROMWOD and fell asleep.

 

Food was meh. Havent had a chance to do much meal prep and got free lunch at work. Those lunches always tend to be a bit high in carbs and low in protein from what I want.

Cal 2639 Carb 249 Fat 114 Protein 158

 

Week 1 Day 2 Weigh In

Going back down..312.4lbs this morning. Overslept and rushed into work for a meeting so I didn't have time for real food this morning. Luckily I keep protein powder in my desk so I made a shake on the run before the meeting. But it was a flavor I regret buying and not that satisfying so I am craving lunch. I'm trying to delay as long as I can because I know I will likely be here late again and wont make it until preworkout snack if I eat now at 11. Rest of the week looks a little less busy so getting food on track. Plus I have no events this weekend since I am moving on Sunday. That gives me two days alone(Friday off and Saturday) where I can make good food choice and have no pressure in social situation.

[ArgSki77]

2 hours ago, CourtnieMarie said:

oh, btw! have you hit up the boston meet ups thread? or the fb group? every once in awhile we get our act together and do something fun  can i ask what gym you go to? i'm a bit outside of the city so it wouldn't be convenient for everyday purposes but i've been keeping my eyes out for good coaches

I joined the facebook group and follow the thread a bit. I haven't chimed in on so far but once I get settled in a bit after moving this weekend I hope to meet up with some local folks.

 

As for the gym, I am going to be going to RX Strength Training in Somerville. My friend from high school is an athlete there and has recently begun to coach as well. He introduced me to his coach, the gym owner Jeff, who put together my current program but there are a couple of other coaches, men and women as well. Its mostly group classes, a few open gym sessions, and personal training. Lots of variation in classes from weighlifting and powerlifting to kettlebells and strongman. 

 

The gym is sponsored by GoRuck and Spartan Race so there is always some cool stuff going on(not that Ive done any because my schedule has been crazy). But there are free spartan workouts every few weeks and other free events. Ill try and keep others informed on facebook group if I see any events pop up.

[CourtnieMarie]

4 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

I joined the facebook group and follow the thread a bit. I haven't chimed in on so far but once I get settled in a bit after moving this weekend I hope to meet up with some local folks.

 

As for the gym, I am going to be going to RX Strength Training in Somerville. My friend from high school is an athlete there and has recently begun to coach as well. He introduced me to his coach, the gym owner Jeff, who put together my current program but there are a couple of other coaches, men and women as well. Its mostly group classes, a few open gym sessions, and personal training. Lots of variation in classes from weighlifting and powerlifting to kettlebells and strongman. 

 

The gym is sponsored by GoRuck and Spartan Race so there is always some cool stuff going on(not that Ive done any because my schedule has been crazy). But there are free spartan workouts every few weeks and other free events. Ill try and keep others informed on facebook group if I see any events pop up.

please do! looks like a great gym. i'd love to come up for a friday evening or weekend class!

[ArgSki77]

Week 1 Day 2 Lifts and Food

Life as usual at work still. Long day so I was tired going into the gym at 8pm but made it through with ok results.

Bench press was exactly the same as last week. 255lbs 1RM estimate with a 230 single and 180 AMAP set at 13 reps.

Incline press started strong at 20 reps in the first set and then slowed down fast with 15 and 12 in the last two. But the weight was 5lb high this week at 110lbs

Finished up with 4x10 barbell rows at 110lbs and 2x15 plate raises with 35lb plate. Did a few 65lb barbell curls but ran out of time to do a full 350 method set.

Annoyed that my romwod account isnt working tonight. Just doing some foam rolling and basic stretching before bed.

 

Food was scattered a bit today. Like I said earlier breakfast was just two scoops of protein on the go. Had chipotle for lunch which I planned out on MFP before I went so that I made sure to stay resonably within my macros. Leftover basic dinner of mexican ground turkey which I put into a quesadilla for a change of pace from the usual taco or rice bowl. Best macro alignment for this week. Just need to cut back on that fat a bit in exchange for some more carbs to fuel workouts a bit better but protein was much closer to the mark. 

Cal 2318  Carb 133g Fat 104g Pro 219

[CourtnieMarie]

nice job planning food ahead! that's key for me too. sounds like they were good fats yesterday too!

[ArgSki77]

9 minutes ago, CourtnieMarie said:

nice job planning food ahead! that's key for me too. sounds like they were good fats yesterday too!

We are really on the same wavelength. I was thinking about that last night actually. When my macro ratios are off, I tend to look at whether the increased values were at least good foods. I though that they would have been good fats but, looking at my log, I had the chance to eat better fats. Most of those fat grams came from dairy which isn't that good. Next time I should probably sub guac for the cheese and sour cream but I was feeling cheap and didnt want to pay more on top of the double meat cost.

Plus I had some calories to burn at the end of the night and I was starving after the gym to the point where my planned dinner didnt cut it. So I added in a few frozen meatballs as a snack (and to clean out the freezer for the move...side goals!). Then I remembered why I haden't eaten them in the past which is that they are pretty much equal fat to protein and tons of calories but boy are they tasty!

[ArgSki77]

Week 1 Day 3 Weigh In

Another drop today...311.8lbs. So even with the bump up from last weekend, I am back down relative to this time last week despite not being the lowest I've been on this challenge. The real comparison will be from Friday weight to Friday weight each week. That shows what the week day clean eating does. And then to minimize any weight gain over the weekends from Friday to Monday weigh ins.

 

Also, ordered a new Withings scale since my current scale is something crappy from the dollar store. A little added treat for some motivation. Plus I'm a sucker for anything Bluetooth!

[Jord]

I'm behind the times, on yer thread anyway. From my speed reading I get the drift though. 

 

I'm excited for your fancy pants scale.