ArgSki Awakes

[ArgSki77]

Hi All...long time no talk.

EDIT: I will put original GIF just in case y'all havent seen GoT last season yet...a real spoiler for once!(Thanks CM) But seriously if you're worried about spoilers from last season you need to step up your TV game...

Spoiler

 

Lets recap whats been going on in life and fitness since I did not have a challenge last go around.

• Memorial Day BBQ at the gym included doing two Hero WODs, Bruck and DT, followed by copious drinking which made for a long rest of week due to soreness and hydration issues.
• Spartan Race the beginning of June went decently well. Struggled through some obstacles which I knew would be issues and some that I was a bit surprised I couldnt do. But the company @RedStone @CourtnieMarie @raptron was great and look forward to keeping OCRs on my radar for fitness events...just likely not this year because $$.
• Spent last week eating BBQ and Southern food in Alabama while on a business trip and then 5 day vacation for 4th of July full of parties all whilst doing pretty much no physical activity.
• Spending most of time outside of work doing the capstone project for my Masters program which cant be done soon enough...6 more weeks...not that I'm counting.

 

So that basically wraps up what would have been my last challenge...goods and bads. Now to move on and focus on getting back in a rhythm. Fiance yesterday reminded me that we have our engagement photoshoot in like 2ish weeks and I went to try on a shirt I want to wear and it was a tad tight. Turns out the lack of focus has lead to an 8lb weight gain since the Spartan which was already a 3lb gain since the Warrior Dash. That needs to be brought back down and then some and will be the metric of importance in this challenge. I know it wont all happen in two weeks but some progress needs to be made.

 

In the past, I have used events as motivation but without any of those on the horizon I am trying to work with a set weight goal in mind. The number in the crosshairs is 300lbs. I havent weighed in the 200s since freshman year of college 6 years ago. I was as high as 365lbs and now have been sitting in the 320's for a while. This time last year was my lowest at 307. So goals to start along the path to reach that:

 

Goal 1 - Figure out nutrition plan

Been bouncing all over the place with nutrition in the past. Paleo, IIFYM, Eat to Perform, and Renaissance Periodization have all gone through their trials. I am still not sure which one I liked the best and I learned some good from all of them. This goal is to lock down a specific path forward to nutrition. Not sure yet if that involves macros or tracking but that will be something to consider.

 

Goal 2 - Track foods every day - *Temporary?

Like I said above I am not sure if new nutrition plan will include MFP tracking but for now this is a step towards some accountability as I find the right program

 

Goal 3 - Return to workout schedule

Wednesday and Friday morning strength and conditioning classes have been the go-to workouts during the week. Then when weekend time allows it, Saturday and/or Sunday classes or open gym. But weekends have been busy so looking into adding another morning during the week. Ideally it would be Thursday but three strength days in a row is kind of tight especially in that order...Bench, Squat, Deadlift on consecutive mornings. Right now this goal will be 3 mornings a week and then the weekends will be extras.

 

Goal 4 - Track weight

Theres no way to tell if I am losing weight if I am not actually weighing in. I used to be in a habit of doing it every morning. But have fallen off of that. Need to get back to doing this at least 2-3 times per week so I can track fluctuations and losses/gains throughout the week and challenge.

 

Anyways that got long and thinking is hard after a 5 day weekend and only one cup of coffee so thanks for making it through all that and following along!

[CourtnieMarie]

woooooooooo! welcome back! good thing I just caught up on last season's GoT otherwise, spoilers!  jk i already knew that one

 

anywayyyy! looks good my friend. sounds like you have been having a happy time and have got back into your gym schedule and overcome your recent injuries pretty well. that's huge by the way and I don't think you gave yourself credit for it  

 

i don't think i'd be happy with a set nutrition regime (especially in the summer!) but i'm real good about tracking no matter the macros or alcohol consumed. hope this challenge helps you find something that works for ya!

 

[jonfirestar]

Following ! Focus can be hard to come by but you don't get anywhere if you don't try!

[Broba Fett]

Bangarang Rufio.  Let's get this shit back on track. 

[CourtnieMarie]

20 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

 

EDIT: I will put original GIF just in case y'all havent seen GoT last season yet...a real spoiler for once!(Thanks CM) But seriously if you're worried about spoilers from last season you need to step up your TV game...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

hahahaha sorry!

[raptron]

Yooooo! 

[ArgSki77]

Yesterday was brutal. First day back at work after a long weekend and coming off a 4th of July BBQ. Alarm going off at 515 for a 6am workout was not the most ideal way to end that weekend. But it was a solid workout. Still battling back towards old numbers from pre lifting break and injury.

 

Bench Day

Warmup - 10xBar, 10x135

3x70% - 175lbs

3x80% - 200lbs

3x90% - 225lbs

AMAPx90% - 225lbs - Only managed a single - Trying to get comfortable at this weight again

 

Accessory Supersets

3x8 Military Press - 135lbs

3x8 Barbell Row - 135lbs

 

3x10 Skull Crusher - 75lbs

3x10 Close Grip Bench - 75lbs

 

Conditioning/Shoulder Destroyer

:20/:20/:20 then :40 rest Three rounds

A. Battle ropes - Hurricane, Viking Press, Tsunami

B. Steel Club - Flag Press, Alt 360s, Pullover - 20lbs

C. Med Ball - Long R Side Toss, Long L Side Toss, Chest Pass

 

 

Food was decent except for lunch. I had a nicely prepped breakfast and lunch but left them on the counter at home so ended up with food from work cafeteria. Breakfast was a veggie omelet which was healthy but then ruined by a steak and cheese sub for lunch which was less than healthy. Balanced all that with some chicken kabobs and rice for dinner after work. Ended up around 2900cal for the day which is a bit high but it felt pretty solid where my energy levels were good and still saw a tiny drop on the scale this morning. If I could get up to 2800-3000 calories with more workouts and still cut weight that would be ideal. The 2400 cal cut left me feeling a bit low when I restarted lifting but was fine when I was only doing cardio so need to balance that once the lifting routine is stable.

[jonfirestar]

2 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

Food was decent except for lunch. I had a nicely prepped breakfast and lunch but left them on the counter at home so ended up with food from work cafeteria.

That never ends well for me. Though I don't have a cafeteria to raid but a smorgasbord of fast food joints.

[CourtnieMarie]

awesome job getting to the gym yesterday! i did not. hangover was reaaaallll

[ArgSki77]

1 hour ago, CourtnieMarie said:

awesome job getting to the gym yesterday! i did not. hangover was reaaaallll

I asked my coach for an extra 5min of warmup time to foam roll just so I could lay down for a few min after he made us do a 400m run warmup. Got some serious hangover spins from that run.

[ArgSki77]

Finished off yesterday with a pretty decent food total. Right around 2700 calories with a decently balanced macro split. Protein is still a little low but working on it. Trying to stay natural when it comes to protein intake before I start on powders or other supplement foods just to boost protein. Really just a personal preference right now until food gets on track and I can see exactly how much more protein I need to add. Food today has been pretty good. Trying to stave off some hunger this afternoon because company coming over for dinner and there is likely going to be a few beverages had on top of the food which luckily should be pretty healthy.

 

This morning was deadlift day! Everything still going smoothly as getting towards the end of this cycle of 531. Not quite fully back to max level lifts but getting there and staying pretty mobile and not achy. That does not mean that am not really tired and sore at work today though 

 

DL Day

Warmup - 10x135, 5x225, 2x275

3x70% - 315lbs

3x80% - 365lbs

3x90% - 415lbs

AMAPx90% - 415lbs - Managed a triple here - Everything is falling back into place with DL strength more so than bench or squats

 

Accessory

Three Rounds

A. 10 Bulgarian Split Squats - per leg

B. 8 1-Arm KB Long Cycle - per arm - 20kg Bell

C. 12 HEAVY KB Swings - 44kg Bell - When this said "HEAVY", I made mistake of asking how heavy which in turn made my coach give me the 44kg KB which were some damn heavy swings

 

Conditioning - Manual Labor

Three rounds

A. 100' Sled Push - 250lbs

B. 10 Steel Club Pullover - 25lbs

C. 6 Stone to Shoulder - 100lbs

 

[Broba Fett]

Oh how I miss 4 plate deads and 100lb stone to shoulders. 

 

I'm just gonna go ahead and live vicariously through you for awhile, k?

[ArgSki77]

8 minutes ago, Broba Fett said:

Oh how I miss 4 plate deads and 100lb stone to shoulders. 

 

I'm just gonna go ahead and live vicariously through you for awhile, k?

I was really missing 4 plate deads until like an hour ago...DOMS outta nowhere

[raptron]

Bahaha, love it. I'd imagine you'd definitely be in cutting range with 2800-3000 kcals and those kinds of workouts !

[ArgSki77]

On 7/7/2017 at 4:35 PM, raptron said:

I'd imagine you'd definitely be in cutting range with 2800-3000 kcals and those kinds of workouts !

I feel as though its going to be a balance between workout days and non-workout days calorie-wise. I talked to my coach this weekend and he wants whatever macro count I use to fluctuate like this mainly so that there is a deficit on rest days and then eating at maintenance/TDEE on workout days to help fuel those and recover better.

[jonfirestar]

On 06/07/2017 at 3:27 PM, ArgSki77 said:

get up to 2800-3000 calories

 

Aside from the fact that I'm no longer 300lbs and can't get away with quite so much I do notice for myself that there is a very fine line between where I'm dropping weight and where I'm not. Even if such a line doesn't make much sense. So if I stick to 2600-2700 I lose a few pounds a week. If I stick to 2800-2900 I do not. Even thought hat 100 calories shouldn't be enough to cut back the loss by that much.

[ArgSki77]

Ok so start of Week 1? Already checking boxes for this challenge on Day 1...progress!

 

I have figured out what I want to do for macro breakdown for the remainder of the summer. Its 8 weeks until Labor Day weekend and I am looking to see the impact of these macros on both gym performance as well as weight loss. That should be a manageable time to stay at those levels. Its basically a decent cut range on rest days and TDEE on workout days to help with performance.

 

Workout Days - 3150 cal (213g protein, 109g fat, 331g carbs)

Rest Days -       2520 cal (213g protein, 107g fat, 176g carbs)

 

So mainly there is just a boost of carbs on workout days. But the biggest challenge to this for me is going to be getting 213g of protein each day. I try to get around 50g of protein per meal but that only totals ~150g per day. I have some snacks at work but usually fruit or granola bar and not enough protein to boost daily value up to 213g. Likely need to replace snacks with something that has more protein to get back above 200. When I was eating on RP, my protein was 300g and that was brutal...I couldnt handle eating 50g of protein at 3pm...it was like trying to swallow concrete because I just didnt want it and it felt so heavy. I got those above macros from IIFYM because their newest calculator iteration determines protein amounts based upon a goal weight rather than current BW which I think is more reasonable for big guys like me. Anywho, going to see where this plan takes me over this challenge and the next then assess again!

 

The weekend was pretty good. Really utilizing our newly furnished back deck...had people over Friday night and I spent all night Saturday out there. Sunday spent a majority of the day at the beach. Slacked a bit on the food and tracking and it showed this morning on the scale...way more than it should have...to the tune of a 7lb gain since Friday . I'm going to attribute that to a pretty high salt intake this weekend especially with sushi for dinner last night but some definitely was the scattered junk and beers/ciders that were enjoyed as well this weekend. Getting back on track with some meal prep last night though so week is looking good!

 

Managed to get in another solid workout on Saturday this time it was squats. Recently I've been working with light weights trying to work on form. Staying off my toes and getting chest more upright all in the hopes it will help protect my knees a bit more. Seem to be helping and this week I was back on program.

 

Squatz

Warmup - 10x135, 5x135, 2x225

3x70% - 245lbs

3x80% - 280lbs

3x90% - 315lbs

AMAPx90% - 315lbs - Apparently squat strength hasn't gone far. Managed three reps here with no knee issues. First time back up to 3 plate squats since the winter likely. Note to self though: "back squats in a tank top with a center knurled bar is a silly decision...who you tryna impress?!?"

 

Conditioning - Sandbag Bear Complex

10 Min EMOM+ (Add 10 seconds and 1 rep each round - e.g. 1cycle/60sec, 2cycle/70sec...)

50lb Sandbag

-Clean

-Front Squat

-Push Press

-Back Squat

-BTB Push Press

 

That's one of my favorite conditioning workouts. Its simple yet challenging and works both strength and conditioning. Its monday morning and legs are still feeling a bit DOMsy this morning from all that. Is is acceptable to just drop onto my cubicle floor and roll my quads with a lacrosse ball?!

 

Checkboxes!

Goal 1 - Figure out nutrition plan

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Goal 2 - Track foods every day 

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Goal 3 - Return to workout schedule

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Goal 4 - Track weight

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[ArgSki77]

Little win last night when it came to food. We had company over and had a big menu of stuff(chicken, crab cakes, sausage, and apps) and alcohol. But I was able to manage this by just spending the whole time grilling the foods rather than eating the foods. I was picking at stuff during the night but never actually sat down to eat so I didnt over indulge on the apps specifically since they were not near the grill. I did have a beer and that put me right over my limit by about 200cal but still within workout day calories so I consider that a decent win. It led to a 2.3lb drop this morning on the scale which is good indicator that I didn't go overboard the night before.

 

But honestly damn you coworkers...donuts and pizza in the same day! You know I am weak!

Momentary lapse of judgement on those things looking like its going to push me a bit over calories today. I am trying to reign it back in and squeeze dinner into a smaller calorie package than originally intended. As of now I am spot on with calories (+3) and macros and have already put in the chicken sausage we are having for dinner but that includes no sides with dinner. So need to inventory what we have at home and come up with some low cal side.

 

Dying to get back into the gym tomorrow morning. Trying to stay amped up about that because its also going to be a pretty heavy day working up to an AMAP at 95% 1RM on bench. 

 

Checkboxes!

Goal 1 - Figure out nutrition plan

☑

Goal 2 - Track foods every day 

☑☐☐☐☐☐☐

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Goal 3 - Return to workout schedule

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Goal 4 - Track weight

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[CourtnieMarie]

ugh i would totally do donuts and pizza if they were here.

 

how about some spinach sauteed with garlic and onions? that's like 10 calories.

[Br0din]

On 7/10/2017 at 7:37 AM, jonfirestar said:

 

Aside from the fact that I'm no longer 300lbs and can't get away with quite so much I do notice for myself that there is a very fine line between where I'm dropping weight and where I'm not. Even if such a line doesn't make much sense. So if I stick to 2600-2700 I lose a few pounds a week. If I stick to 2800-2900 I do not. Even thought hat 100 calories shouldn't be enough to cut back the loss by that much.

 

This is the hell I'm in too.  That's why I'm reverse dieting to get my cals up to at least were you are.  Why can't nutrition be like adding gas to a car!

[ArgSki77]

24 minutes ago, Br0din said:

This is the hell I'm in too.  That's why I'm reverse dieting to get my cals up to at least were you are.  Why can't nutrition be like adding gas to a car!

I go through the endless mental cycle of

I need muscles to burn more fat -> To gain muscles I need more calories -> Up my calories -> Get fatter not muscular -> Cut calories -> Restart

 

That leaves me a persistent state of a constant chubby self.

[Br0din]

13 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

I go through the endless mental cycle of

I need muscles to burn more fat -> To gain muscles I need more calories -> Up my calories -> Get fatter not muscular -> Cut calories -> Restart

 

That leaves me a persistent state of a constant chubby self.

 

Get rich... it solves all chubby problems.

[RedStone]

 

[Broba Fett]

On 7/10/2017 at 9:41 AM, ArgSki77 said:

But the biggest challenge to this for me is going to be getting 213g of protein each day.

 

That struggle is a real one.  Stuffing your face with lean meat all day every day gets cold quick.

 

I'm very interested to see your results/hear your take on how the IIFYM based on your goal weight after you've done it a few weeks.  I've always felt something was off with running macros based on a supposed TDEE at 400lbs rather than the >300 I want to be. 

 

Squats look strong. Keep it going. 

[Br0din]

41 minutes ago, Broba Fett said:

 

That struggle is a real one.  Stuffing your face with lean meat all day every day gets cold quick.

 

I'm very interested to see your results/hear your take on how the IIFYM based on your goal weight after you've done it a few weeks.  I've always felt something was off with running macros based on a supposed TDEE at 400lbs rather than the >300 I want to be. 

 

Squats look strong. Keep it going. 

 

It's about planning.  

 

2 scoops of whey for breakfast = 40gr

12oz of boneless skinless chicken thigh = 70gr

2 scoops of whey for snack = 40gr

Sargento Balances breaks for snack = 7gr

+ the other foods for breakfast and lunch = 188gr 

 

and you still have dinner to go.