Well I finished another cycle last week and stayed on target gaining 1lb./week reaching 166, up from 159 after 7 weeks. I stopped the cycle at 6 weeks, 2 weeks short, for my upper body since I’m starting to feel some tendonitis in my elbows and didn’t want to push it, though I continued my lower body workouts into week 7 and getting 330lbs. on the deadlift and 285lbs. on the squat up 15 lbs. and 35 lbs. respectively. I’m 95% sure I would have made 340 and maybe 350 on the deadlift had I jumped right from 320 lbs. but I wimped out. I’m going to try hard for 405 on the deadlift and 315 on the squat this time around since big plates = cool and I’m finding that as I get in better “lifting shape” I can deadlift and squat more than once a week each now.
I also started jogging a few times a week again. When I started this last cycle I was trying out some high rep work, 25 rep range which though it didn’t seem to cause much if any strength/size gains sure got me back into cardio shape. So I wouldn’t lose that I decided to do some jogging which seems to be maintaining my cardio w/o hampering my leg work, although I’m not that sure if my knees are liking it.
Although the mirror can lie the scale doesn’t and 166 lbs. is the most I’ve ever weighed. I topped out at 165 lbs. when I was a firefighter. Pretty much everyone I know and many people at work I didn’t even realize knew me have commented on how much bigger I look. I guess hanging 26 lbs. on a 140 lb. frame in 6 months while maintaining the same pant size is noticeable. If you don’t think so go to the grocery store and stack up 26 lbs. of steak and look at how much it is. Ok some of my gains are fat, muscle glycogen and water but even 20 lbs. of steak is a nice visual.
It’s not without its downside however. Despite stretching regularly I can no longer reach the middle of my back to scratch it, outer wall corners are my newfound friends. My thighs now chafe even when jogging a couple of miles (TMI?). I’ve had to buy new “large” instead of medium T-shirts as it was starting to look like every day was “tight T-shirt Tuesday.” Even using shakes eating 3,200 calories a day while limiting fat to 25-30%, is a chore. Eating 4,000 quality calories a day as I approach 200 lbs. is going to downright suck.
Some things I’m thankful for. That I’ve always bought loose fit jeans even when I was skinny though I’m starting to run out of gluteus maximus room in them. Air Force dress uniforms aren’t tailored to fit like Marine Corps ones. Deadlifting eliminated all the lower back pain and sciatica I’ve suffered from since rupturing a lumbar disk, so now I can sit doing marathon HT sessions in comfort. I’m not married and can use the master bedroom as a weight room. That although imperfect the internet is around now so I can get training information from sources other than “supplement selling” magazines.
I’m not sure if I stated them but just so everyone who isn’t sure about it yet knows that I’m crazy I do have some long term goals. To reach a body weight of 200 lbs. with a body fat <= 15% while Bench Pressing 300 lbs. Squatting 400 lbs. and Deadlifting 600 lbs. in 5 ½ more years or less.
