vegansludge

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02.07.12 Outwork Day:QvC: Day VII No intro. Working on longer update right now; just wanted to throw these up here before I forgot. Standing barbell shoulder press 5x45 5x55 5x60 2x65 2x60 Notes: Wider grip for these this time around to see how much joints felt. They found it agreeable; my muscles, not so much. Barbell bench press 5x45 5x60 5x70 4x75 3x80 Notes: Focused strictly on form for these, making the lighter weight more taxing than adding any. Left the fifth rep of 75 in the tank to go for 80 at the prompting of a gentleman who kindly agreed to spot me. Definitely thought I was only going to get the one rep in but having him there pushed me to bang out another two. Thanks, mate. Assisted pull-ups 1x80 9x90 10x90 Notes: Weight increases here for this many reps. They’re still a struggle but I can feel them getting stronger. Assisted dips 3x70 7x80 10x80 Notes: Same as with the pull-ups. Probably could have even went with 60 if I hadn’t pushed myself so hard on bench press. Rack chins 2x10 Notes: First set from the lowest place the bar could go – ass hitting the floor with each rep – second set from just below the knees. These are a fucking doozy but I love how I feel afterward. Tricep pushdowns with rope attachment 10x100 12x110 8x130 Notes: If I hadn’t gone for 12 on the 120, I could have gotten the 10 on the 130. That said, I had some guys mirin’ these enough to get a ‘bro nod’ – what has my life become? EZ-Bar curl 10x60 10x50 10x40 Notes: No weight or rep increase; focusing on making sure I keep my back and ass against the wall getting full ROM. For aesthetics, of course. Seated dumbbell shoulder press 25x8 2x10x20 Notes: I will get the 25s for standing on hypertrophy day. I will get the 25s for standing on hypertrophy day. I will get the 25s for standing on hypertrophy day. Post-OW Assessment *Insert photo of me giving the thumbs-up for the hundredth time. Macros ~41/164/220 I didn’t track some swigs of almond and hemp milk so that probably put me at 2,000.

02.06.12 Outwork Day:QvC: Day VI Another day; some more Crunch. Longer update later today. Pre-OW Previous night’s sleep: 8 hours. Motivation: My shitty job. Energy: Pumped like a tire. Mentality: See above. Weight: 122lb flat Outwork Leg extension warm-up 10x50 10x60 Barbell squat 5x135 5x155 5x165 4x170 2x3x175 1x175 Notes: I think I said I wasn't going to keep adding weight to these but on the third rep of the 170, I knew I had at least 2 reps at 175 in me - there was no doubt in my mind about it. The fact that I got 2x3, however, was a bit of a surprise. The reason there's a loner at the end was because, after the last set of three, I asked a guy who had been "nonchalantly" watching me if I was at least hitting parallel and he said I was breaking it. So I shot one last rep to see if this was true. Leg press 6x400 6x420 6x430 Notes: I can't even ... Stiff-legged deadlifts 8x115 8x120 8x125 Notes: Moving these to power days because it doesn't make sense to try move heavy weight on squats and deads in the same day and I can't believe I've been trying to do that for so long. Seated calf raises 10x185 10x190 Notes: I saw stars. Okay, not really, but my calves might have. Leg extensions 10x110 10x120 Notes: By not focusing on the lock out, my knees don't hate these any more. Leg curls 10x90 7x100 3x90 Notes: Calf press on leg press machine 10x190 2x10x205 Post-OW Assessment Cap’n Crunch = PR’s. Not, but in all seriousness, this was one of the best sessions I've had in quite some time. Also, moving traditional deads to hypertrophy day made leg presses that much better. Hopefully deads also see improvement. Macros ~47/153/207

Maybe it's just psychological but after my past three or four work-outs, I have been insanely hungry. And the excel sheet would be great. I actually think I'm going to cut my cycle of PHAT short and just do 10 weeks instead of 12 so I can take a week to deload, test my working sets, and then jump right into 5/3/1.

02.05.12 Restless Day Days like today are why I, for the last ten years of my life, have understood why the Descendents penned the album Everything Sucks and why Satre said, “Hell is other people.” Sadly, these affirmations did little to alleviate the ever-increasing sense of discontent I’ve been feeling regarding my “professional” life as it is the source of my disgruntle beliefs; or, put much more bluntly, I hate my job. While I haven’t come to a conclusion about how I’m going to rectify this, uh, minor issue, I have made some more concrete decisions regarding my training. When I did my PHAT One Month recap, I set certain guidelines and goals for myself, including my target macros and potential future training programs. I’m currently in the process of solidifying these plans which will be detailed in a post I hope to have sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday. Other than that, this restless day was un-noteworthy. I listened the tail end of the Super Bowl on the radio after work (hell yeah, Giants) had a couple of beers, some popcorn, and that’s about it. Oh, I did partake in my favorite Dorado past-time: drinking in the shower after a long day at work (thanks for teaching me this one, dad). Macros: 14/125/70 before drinking and popcorn; ended up in a deficit because I don't like hitting my calories with booze - that's not why I drink

Hope all is well, mate, you haven't updated in quite some time.

I feel you. I've been putting off bumping my calories up for a while. Former fat kid syndrome and all. However, sometimes bumping up your calories actually helps you drop fat because you've been, unknowingly, eating less than your TDEE.

Big Green Machine, mate. Last photo is insane. Traps are looking huge.

The episode in which you learn a little bit more about me ...

Chewy, that last post proves why your log is so crucial to this forum - extremely insightful, analytical, and inspirational. Serious props for taking the time to do all of that; your dedication is admirable. And I'm stoked to watch this progress. Cheers, mate.

02.04.12 Outwork Day/QvC: Day V Shoulders and back hypertrophy “The last straw;” “the tipping point;” “over the edge.” These clichés are not typically part of my vernacular – their overuse has rendered them meaningless and, usually, when people employ them to preface a situation they’re about to describe, I immediately believe whatever it is they’re about to unveil isn’t really that bad. If it were, they wouldn’t need to use an idiom to explain its significance – their retelling, regardless of its simplicity or straightforwardness, would suffice. Today, however, was all of those things and, as I do not wish to go into great detail regarding why this was the case (as I don’t really want to be unprofessional), I am putting my foot in my mouth and allowing those clichés to speak for me. I suppose I can say this, though: today truly tested my ability to keep my head and, even though it was difficult, I believe I passed with decent marks. Instead of flying off the cuff, I used what could have been a potentially nasty blow up and turned into energy to expel under the fluorescent lights of a nearly empty Saturday night gym session. I think this was the best choice. Pre-OW Previous night's sleep: 8 hours. Motivation: Crush. Energy: Kill. Mentality: Destroy Weight: 122lb flat http://www.fearnet.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011115/CerealKillers_3PackMiniCerealSet__34514_zoom.jpg Outwork Rack chins 3x12 Notes: First set with the bar about a foot off the ground; second set with the bar just below my waist; last set with the bar just at my waist. Seated cable rows 2x15x90 Notes: These feel better every time I do them and running them along with the one-armed dumbbell rows definitely makes saying goodbye (temporarily) to barbell rows a little easier. Standing barbell shoulder press (speed work) 5x45 4x3x55 1x55 2x55 Notes: Not 70% of my max but I’ve found that the more I push myself on these, they more progress I’ve been seeing. However, I really would like to hit higher numbers on my standing dumbbell press so I might be switching out for those on hypertrophy days. One-arm dumbbell rows 2x15x25 Notes: I actually really, really like these. I could probably handle higher weight but I’d rather not risk anything with my back until I’ve given myself proper time to recovery. Close grip-lateral pulldowns 2x15x70 Notes: I felt strong as fuck doing these because I used to struggle to get 35 down for 10 reps. Dumbbell side lateral raise 15x25 12x20 Notes: Definite improvement on these – ROM is so much better on the 25s than when I was previously using that weight. Seated dumbbell shoulder press 2x12x20 Notes: I cannot fucking get the 25s up for anything, most likely because of the barbell speed work. We’ll see when I switch out for the dumbbells, I guess. Upright cable rows 2x15x90 Notes: Cable anything always feels like a cop-out but doing these with dumbbells always tweaks out my elbows. Thinking about removing them altogether, to be honest, but I’m not sure what I’d replace them with. Cable shrugs 12x190 15x190 Notes: Okay, cable shrugs don’t feel like a cop-out because, in comparison to using the barbell, I feel these more since, like I’ve noted, I’m not using any part of my arms to pull. However, I’m going to try and start using the dumbbells to make sure these are “legit” numbers. Though I don’t really know how the fuck I’m going to pick up two 90lbers. Shoulder press machine 10x50 11x50 Notes: Because I felt like it. Seated rows 2x10x80 Notes: Because I wanted to see if these aggravated my lower back at all. They didn’t. But machines make me feel even dirtier than cables. Post-OW Assessment The v-log from today will highlight this but I was ravenously hungry before hitting the gym and ended up devouring my pre-WO Cap’n in about two minutes and I ended up hitting the gym about 17 minutes after the fact. It didn’t even occur to me that it could have affected my performance because, after such a brutal day, all I wanted to do was hit the iron and get in my zone. If anything, I had more energy today after working eight hours and slamming my pre-OW than I have any other day. Another thumbs up to the Cap’n for sure. Macros/Nutrition 55/140/200 I’d also like to note that I’ve been getting hungrier, mostly after working out, but also upon waking – two time periods where, in recent months, hunger hasn’t been an issue. Misc. I’ve become relatively obsessed with this website: http://idigcerealkillers.blogspot.com/ and would, if I were prone to such things, pick up a copy of the book when published. However, since I’m not, I’m just going to continue looking through the blog archieves when I feel like procrastinating from video editing. Definitely worth checking out for sheer entertainment/awesomness.

I love this description. With that said, I'm terribly sorry to hear about your rabbit, mate. I'm sure the car incident only made matters worse. Loads of good vibes and internet hugs to you and your family. All the best.

02.03.12 Outwork/QvC: Day IV Arm and Chest Hypertrophy (aka Letting My Inner Bro Out) So, early yesterday, I found myself standing in my kitchen, chomping on some pre-OW Cap’n Crunch in front of my iPhone, when suddenly the rage I spoke of on Thursday abruptly resurfaced. The reason? Earlier that morning, I read a NPR article covering a topic I felt compelled to use as the “subject” of Friday’s v-log. However, as I don’t “script out” my videos, I simply started running off at the mouth, becoming more impassioned and increasingly, well, angry. I’m still undecided of how I want to edit the video before I upload it as, while I do believe in what I said, I don’t think I was as articulate as I would have liked nor do I know if this particular experiment is the best medium to express such opinions. We shall see as I work on it tonight. With that said, the combination of sugary cereal and opinionated rage was a pretty fitting fuel for such a bro-heavy session as arm and chest hypertrophy. Dumbbell bench press (speed work) 6x3x25 Notes: Maybe 3 seconds of rest in between each set. Beast mode. Incline dumbbell bench press 3x10x20 Notes: Took about forty-five seconds from flat press to switch to these. Felt like a champ afterwards. Chest press 3x12x60 Notes: Harder than I expected but nothing a lot of grimacing couldn’t make easier. Cable flyes 2x20x30 Notes: I don’t know how this happened. High cable curls 12x30 10x30 15x20 Notes: As much as I like these, I don’t know how beneficial they actually are. Curls bore me. Tricep pushdowns with rope attachment 12x110 15x110 Notes: Maybe it was the Cap’n and all of that sugar, but it most certainly felt like my triceps were going to blow up after finishing these. Concentration curls 15x15 10x15 Notes: Switched out hammers for these since that’s what Layne actually calls for in the PHAT outline and I legitimately struggled with them. Feltbad. Cable kickbacks 12x10 10x10 Notes: After the pushdowns, I tried these with 20 and couldn’t reach full extension. Next time. Ez-bar curls 18x40 20x40 Notes: Curls bore me but I wailed on these. Maybe those bros do know a thing or two about blowing up some steam. Seated tricep extensions 20x10 Notes: I threw these in because of the lower weight on the cable kickbacks. When I finished the set, I found myself questioning the existence of my upper extremities. And what bro-day wouldn’t be complete with some ab-work … Hanging leg raises 3x12 Dumbbell side bends 25x30 Cruches 45 Post-OW Assessment Crunch is still going strong – no heaviness, no drag, just steady energy and intensity throughout. Macros ~50/133/220 Estimated a bit on dinner since I went out for Indian food with the lady so, in reality, my intake was probably a bit higher. Not that worried about it since I’ve been holding at a steady 122 forever, something I plan on logging about this weekend.

You both are far too generous! Seriously.

I've actually been getting hungrier the last few weeks and I talk about it in my last video log, which is weird for me - I don't know if you remember but we talked a while ago about me not having an appetite and now I'm forever hungry. 5/3/1 was my number one choice after PHAT and what both of you are saying does make the most sense. I've only got five more weeks of PHAT left then the plan is to deload, test my 1RMs and jump into 5/3/1. If one of you gentlemen would be willing to send me the ebook, I'd be forever indebted (more so than I am for all the feedback/advice).

Thank you for the kind words! And I completely agree about the forum - while I haven't been lifting as long, I wish I'd known about this community when I first got into fitness a few years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time that I wasted sweating it out on cardio machines when I should have been picking up the bar. It's also been awesome to find other strong women who have similar goals - something I've had a hard time with since graduating college. Oh! I started following you on Twitter and saw that you're a sociologist - if I could, I'd high-five you. Yes. I'm planning to go at least for the last day. The strength stuff was very fun last time. I'd like to get a small group togetherfrom here. I'll keep in touch.Definitely keep me posted - I most certainly want to go.

All advice and critique is welcomed, mate, so no worries about "getting at me." That's why I jointed the forum - don't have any friends who lift or anybody to hash out my routine with and, as a beginner, that's pretty crucial. Since I learned my lesson with trying to write my own program, I'm currently following Layne Norton's PHAT program (http://www.simplyshredded.com/mega-feature-layne-norton-training-series-full-powerhypertrophy-routine-updated-2011.html) hence all the volume. It's supposed to bring about increases in size and strength which, yeah, it definitely has. However, I definitely don't want to stick to it forever as I'd rather just stronger so after I finish these 12 weeks I'd already talked about running 5/3/1 and either doing Smolov Jr. for my bench or doing that after I got through 5/3/1. In terms of hunger, I slam back a shake right after my workouts and then within an hour-an hour and a half I'm pretty hungry. 2,000 calories is because my projected maintenance is around 1,800 (5'3" female and 122 pounds) so I was eating that for a while but the scale wasn't going up, so I bumped them to 2,000 about four weeks ago (I think). Bumping them up again by another 200 this weekend to try and get things moving.

02.02.12 Outwork Day/QvC: Day III Lower-body hypertrophy You know those mornings when you wake up and just rage? Well, “that morning” turned into “that afternoon” and almost kept steamrolling right on through the evening but eventually dissipated after I whipped up some homemade biscuits and gravy for post-OW food inhalation. In fact, my mood change was so abrupt that it made realize something so simple and obvious I felt like a dolt for not seeing it before: a big reason I’ve been so frustrated with my life is that, for all intents and purposes, I’m not doing any work with my hands nor does that work that I do do actually yield anything. That is, I went from doing activism, running a newspaper, and organizing events/shows that not only allowed me to physically create something but also that generated a sense of accomplishment in me (even if there were no tangible results) to standing behind a register, moving my arms left to right, for eight hours with nothing to show for it other than annoyance and dissatisfaction. So, now, I’m looking into getting back into the arenas that engage both my mind and my body. Turning that rage into fuel for the fire to do something. Like educate and keep spreading word as per Dan’s advice/unnecessary praise … http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyszrbmpH31r3mlz8.jpg Outwork Motivation: Sky Energy: high. Mentality: Disgruntle, had a lot going on in my head today. Weight: 122 flat With a lil Cap’n in me. Barbell squat (speed work at 70% of max) 8x45 6x3x115 Notes: I tried to get video of these today but … my phone fell over midway through. Hopefully some of its salvageable to put on here. Front barbell squats 8x75 10x85 2x10x90 Notes: Got some video of these, too, but the same thing happened with my phone. I think I got a good amount of the last set/I need to up my recording game. Most importantly, if I do move deads to this day, these might go to power day. Leg press 10x270 8x290 10x180 Notes: These were fucking brutal today. So much spit flying out of my mouth and so much swearing. I blame those 400s and 410s on power day. Stiff-legged deadlifts 10x100 2x12x115 Notes: These felt really good today. If I do end up switching them out for traditional deads, though, I think I could end up pulling a lot heavier than I currently am. Leg extensions 2x15x100 Notes: I know I probably shouldn’t go any heavier on these because of how they trash my knees but these were cake today. Could have easily busted out another set. Or four. Seated leg curls 15x70 15x80 Notes: These, for whatever reason, are always a bitch for me no matter where they fall in my routine so I’m focusing on higher reps until I can get full ROM with higher weight. I actually broke a sweat doing these so I suppose that’s a plus? Glute kickbacks 10x40 10x50 10x60 Notes: Because I’m all about aesthetics. Seated calf raises 10x180 14x180 Notes: Fucking gnarly burn today. I wanted to do these with 185 but since I’ve added calf presses on the leg press, I wanted to see how heavy I could go on those, too … Calf presses on leg press 20x175 18x175 Notes: … and, apparently, pretty fucking heavy. I wish I would have videoed these. I felt like a fucking champion afterward. Post-OW Assesment I think it’s pretty safe to say that regardless of if it’s slow-digesting or fast-digesting carbohydrates that come out as the winner in this experiment, it’s safe to say that pre-OW nutrition is going to be a mainstay – no heaviness and none of that sick-to-my-stomach feeling I expected from eating before sessions. Amazingly enough there was no carb-crash during today’s session which, to be honest, I kind of expected since lower-body hypertrophy is always a doozey and I find myself grinding my teeth down to chalk by the time I get to my fourth lift. The only thing that differed today from the last two days is that, during the second set of seated calf raises, my stomach started growling. Not since the days when I (foolishing) was killing myself on the Elliptical for hours at a time have I gotten hungry during a workout. I don’t know if that relates directly to the pre-OW nutrition or if it has something to do with the fact that I broke a pretty intense sweat as a result of today’s higher reps. I guess we’ll see if this continues to happen or if it’s just an anomaly. Macros ~59/137/223 Misc. I want this shirt. http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyszufe3gn1r3mlz8.jpg

Truth. Just don't agonize over it too much. It's not like it's the last "cheat" you'll ever have to have

John V - I think I'm going to go on the last day to watch the Strongman/woman competitions! Are you thinking of going? James - Definitely not disputing the added nutrients/other benefits that come with eating fruit as opposed to something like Cap'n Crunch - but in terms of body composition, carbohydrates are carbohydrates. Should have been more clear about that one. Your ability to explain how blood sugar levels and insulin interact is pretty uncanny and highly entertaining. I had a good chuckle to the mental imagine of some sugar pouring insulin a nice glass of red wine. And thank you for the comment on YouTube - my ESP also sucks. And so does my cinematography. It was a free trial of Daiya on the pizza. And the frozen protein stuff is simple: use some flavored protein powder, put a couple of scoops into a bowl, start adding water and/or non-dairy milk to until it gets kind of fluffy (but not runny) and throw it into the freezer for about 20 minutes. Works even better if you blend the powder with a banana and throw it in the freezer or if you blend up a frozen banana with powder and pop it back into the freezer. And regarding the Clif bar or cookie debate ... http://troll.me/images/the-most-interesting-monster-in-the-world/i-dont-always-eat-cookies-but-when-i-do-i-eat-dos-cookies-thumb.jpg

Weird, that's what I was going to name my next dog. Great minds think alike. Also how beneficial do you think using Xtend has been?

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree because I don't like calling foods "clean" or "dirty" - it creates a certain stigma and makes it sound like certain foods have 'super' properties to them that prevent them from making someone gain weight. I mean, yeah, 2,000 calories of spinach is a lot harder to consume than 2,000 calories worth of peanut butter but it's still about calories in and calories out. I do totally agree with you here, though, and this definitely made me think a lot about my goals. I personally don't ever want to do bodybuilding competitions and really want to work toward doing raw powerlifting so, I suppose, my macro tracking isn't a necessity. It has, however, helped me out a lot with my undereating, figuring out how much I actually do need to be eating to get stronger, and what kind of foods work best for helping me perform in the gym. For example, I was eating 1,800 calories a day with really high protein/moderate carbs for a while but the scale wasn't going up in the gym and I was crashing half-way through sessions so I started eating 2,000 with lowered protein and higher carbs. Gym performance improved but now my weight's still the same as it was in December so I'll probably be upping my calories again. Training's going great, actually. Steady increases in all of my big lifts and I definitely feel stronger - which is awesome.

Filling out my form right now. Forever grateful that you set this up, Robert. I've met some really fantastic people on here since creating my journal and plan on keeping it going indefinitely because this community is an invaluable resource.

02.01.12 Rest Day Nine and a half hours of sleep? Who am I? Apparently I’m somebody who needed some big rest to get big. After those nine and a half hours, I woke up feeling tighter than usual and, after one small cup of coffee, immediately began putting together the third episode of Quake v. Crunch before I had to go to work at 2:30 p.m. After doing so I’ve realized two things I need to step up my v-logging game and I need to lead a more interesting life. Both of the aforementioned led me to, finally, admit, that I need to readjust my life to actually pursue the things I’m most passionate about. There will, undoubtedly be a longer post about that once I have some time to really work that out. Until then … today wasn’t too bad. Nutrition was on point, work wasn’t too terrible, and l indulged in some Maker’s Marker and IPAs, so no complaints whatsoever. Mostly just pumped about seeing how the Cap’n holds up against some hypertrophy tomorrow. So, until then … Macros 10/134/210 (drinks included)