A New Beginning (Again)

So it's been almost 12 months since I've seriously trained. I'm not going to make any excuses. I did get sick for about a month but after that I really struggled to get back into my routine of training.

I've found if I miss just a single workout I notice a small drop in motivation and the habit of training. Miss a few in a row and its all over. When I tried to train after having a week or two off I started getting really sore again after workouts and I kept coming up with excuses on why I was too busy to train.

So now I find myself back at square one. After only 12 months of not training and watching what I eat I'm 74kg, ~20% body fat (guesstimate) and as strong as a 12 year old girl.

I think I need to commit to a goal to stay motivated so I'm going to make one right now. There's a Novice Push/Pull (Bench/Deadlift) Powerlifting Competition at a gym not far from me on February 14th 2016. That's exactly 13 weeks and 6 days away.

My goal is to get to 68kg, so drop about 0.5kg/week while also increasing my strength to something respectable. I'll post where I'm at strength wise later this week but it'll be borderline pathetic haha.

Anyways I'm a little excited, I've never had a home gym before so I'm getting everything setup. Picking up a cheap Power Cage today and just bought some Resistance Bands off Ebay for assisted pull-ups (too weak to do more than 6 lol)

Progress: June - September 2014

June 2014 ----> September 2014

Age: 30

Weight: 70kg ----> 73kg
Height: 175cm (5'9) ----> 175cm (5'9)

Bodyfat: ~12% (guesstimate) ----> ~14% (guesstimate)

Deadlift 1RM:                    155kg ----> 170kg

Back Squat 1RM:              120kg ----> 122.5kg

Front Squat 1RM:              105kg ----> ???

Bench Press 1RM:             95kg ----> 97.5kg

Strict Press 1RM:               57.5kg ----> 62.5kg 

I was quite happy with my gains on the Deadlift and Strict Press. To be honest I didn't think they would go up that much. My form on back squats needs work. I could have done more but decided I'm going to work on a low bar back position and use my glutes a lot more. Didn't attempt a front squat 1rm as my back was too sore by the end of the week. 

Diet: June 2014 - Body Recomposition

The diet I am using is called leangains. It incorporates calorie/carb cycling and intermittent fasting in the hope of acquiring lean mass gains. An in depth explanation of the diet can be found here.

I've done yoyo bulk/cutting approaches many times in the past and they never worked out for me. I find the leangains approach extremely slow for both muscle and strength gains but I prefer not having to cut for months on end with the risk of losing hard earned muscle.

Currently doing a 'body recomp' where I stay roughly the same weight but lean body mass and strength slowly increase and body fat slowly decreases.

This is the basic breakdown of my body recomp diet to maintain 70kg (154lb):

Calorie Intake
Daily maintenance calories: 2370
Training day calories: 2850 calories (+20%)
Rest day calories: 1900 calories (-20%+)

Macros
Protein 200g every day
Carbs: More on training days, Less on rest days
Fats: More on rest days, Less on training days

I have been following this diet for a few months now. My weight has stayed around the same but I am slowly leaning out and my lifts are slowly increasing. I'll stay with this diet until I am happy with how lean I am or my lifts start to stall.

Once that happens I'll be doing a lean bulk.

Progress: January - May 2014

After years of going around in circles with training and diet I believe I am still in the beginner stages of my strength and muscle mass potential.

I put this down to laziness and inconsistent training/diet. Also known as fuckarounditis.

I have been extremely disciplined with both my training and diet for the past few months and this is where I am today.

January 2014 ----> May 2014

Age: 30

Weight: 70kg (154lb) ----> 70kg (154lb)
Height: 175cm (5'9) ----> 175cm (5'9)

Bodyfat: ~14% (guesstimate) ----> ~12% (guesstimate)

Deadlift 1RM:                    150kg (330lb) ----> 155kg (342lb)

Back Squat 1RM:              105kg (231lb) ----> 120kg (265lb)

Front Squat 1RM:              90kg (200lb) ----> 105kg (231lb)

Bench Press 1RM:             80kg (176lb) ----> 95kg (210lb)

Weighted Pull Up 1RM:      82.5kg (182lb) ----> 95kg (210lb)  (BW + 25kg plate) 

Strict Press 1RM:               50kg (110lb) ----> 57.5kg (127lb)

Training: The strength program

This is the first training program I will be using. It is a 10 week strength program.

Monday
Strict Press
Back Squat

Tuesday
Rest Day

Wednesday
Bench Press
Deadlift

Thursday
Rest Day

Friday
Weighted Pull Ups
Front Squat


Saturday
Rest Day

Sunday
Rest Day


Warm up sets (Sets/Reps adjusted as weeks progress to reduce fatigue)
1x5 @ 30% of 1RM
1x4 @ 45% of 1RM
1x4 @ 60% of 1RM
1x3 @ 70% of 1RM


Week 1: Working Sets 6x3 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 2: Working Sets 6x3 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 3: Working Sets 5x4 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 4: Working Sets 5x4 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 5: Working Sets 5x5 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 6: Working Sets 5x5 @ 80% of 1RM
Week 7: Working Sets 4x4 @ 85% of 1RM
Week 8: Working Sets 3x3 @ 90% of 1RM
Week 9: Working Sets 3x2 @ 95% of 1RM
Week 10: Working Sets 1x1 @ 100% of 1RM

Introduction.

Hi, my name is Eddie.

My goal is be lean and strong. To be more specific. 10% bodyfat with a 3x bodyweight Deadlift.

I'm just an average guy but know if I put in the time and effort I will reach my goal.

This blog will document my plan, progress and my ideas.