So it’s been a month, I had planned that this month would be pretty static in what I was doing to let my body adjust to what happened and to give myself a bit of a break from the heavy lifting I had been doing. I have stuck with the plan of cycling my workouts on a 6 day schedule and have been trying not to max out on too many lifts, partly because my shoulder wasn’t great but also because this was supposed to be a resting month.
Here is what has happened since I stopped my cutting cycle right before Cuba at the end of August.
Weight 224 to 220.6
Fat 19% to 18.4%
This puts me right on the doorstep of my weight goal of 220lbs. I have been trying to maintain my eating habits within keto (super low carb) but I have occasionally been having the Thai Express soup that I recently found is completely misleading on their website. It claimed that the soup is only 180 calories with 20g of carbs until you realize that they are only measuring the broth. If you add the noodles in after you add another 240 calories and 56g of carbs for a total of 420 calories and 76g of carbs. This isn’t so bad if you have zero carbs the rest of the day but for me it was a big disappointment.
That said, I haven’t done too badly over the last month and I am ready to start increasing the weights again at a significantly improved position than I was a year ago. I am sure I won’t be able to hit the 1000lb club again this year, although I may try, since I am 40+lbs lighter and that is a significant difference when it comes to strength. In any case, I am going to start to aim for a bodyfat % this time around rather than a body weight or a weight total. It’s a bit weird since I have been “on a diet” for a lot of my adult life going into something without my weight as a primary focus is going to need some adjustment.
I think I am sticking with the workout rotation for the time being with approximately 25 total sets per day.
Chest day – Bench if possible, if not bench machine. Incline press. Laying pullovers. Cable flys high and low.
Back day – Low rows on machine. High pulls on machine. Deadlifts occasionally. Pullups. Cable pulldowns.
Legs – Leg press. Extensions. Ham curl machine sitting and laying.
Shoulders and traps – Military press. dumbbell raises. High pulls. Upright rows. Rear delt machine.
Arms – Free dips. Dip machine. tricep pushdowns. Preacher curl. Standing ezcurl. Alternating hammer / pronated curl.
Accessory work – Abs and calves and forarms etc. Plus stretching hips, neck, splits, upper back. Mostly for abs strength (new for me)
Day 7 I rest.