Well I may sign up for a silly event soon, as a result I have now done some form of exercise 11 days in a row including lift 3 times. Tomorrow will be #4 for lifting with some short run sprints.
I realized back when I did events I was never the best but I was in better shape than 99% of the population or more. The new job and location to the gym makes things easier now. Hopefully I can keep at it and love to be an ancient curmudgeon not just an old one.
Still really off my game. I failed on a warm up set of squats yesterday. Not even my final warm up.
Last week did 305 for 3's. Plan was to hit 315 for 2's before dropping back weight for another volume cycle. I went down for 275 and immediately got stuck at the bottom.
It's been a couple weeks now that my energy level and appetite have been decreased. Two nights of insomnia within that span. Had small muscle spasms in my triceps for 5 or 6 days in a row after last week's main lifting day. No one obvious thing I can point to as a clear problem, but lots of little things that I know aren't right for me.
Fortunately, got a prescription from my Dr. for hydroxyzine that I can use if I'm having trouble sleeping. (It's an antihistamine with anti-anxiety properties - so a step up from taking Benadryl, but well shy of Ambien.) Took one of those last night and felt like I slept really heavily. I think I'm feeling better this morning. A bit low energy and sluggish, but more the feeling of finally getting a good nights sleep and noticing how much fatigue was being ignored, rather than having not slept well.
I'm going to try to be restful and low activity (by my standards) for the next week and see how I feel. If my energy level, appetite, and sleep quality are still way down in another week or two, I'll make another Dr. appointment to get checked out.
Really want to be exercising better than I am, but I think I need to sort out other things first.
Yeah if your sleep isn't on point it will affect your gains. I struggle to get enough sleep, seeing as I have a 2-year-old and a couple cats. Plus, I'm just a super light sleeper.
My lower back was doing well the other day, so I decided to do some lightweight squats. The bar felt fine, 95 pounds felt fine, so I went up a little bit to test it. 135X10 felt great so I tried 155X10 which felt heavy but my lower back still was fine. I wound up doing 185X8, which is the first time I've squatted more than 95lbs or so in a long time, so my thighs are pretty sore.
I'm going to a different (nicer) gym in the afternoons for a week while filling in for my supervisor, and going with my family. It's a nice gym but you can tell it's a lot of high school and college-aged kids, the 19-year-old guys with t-shirts slit completely down the sides, women the same age wearing booty shorts so tight you can practically see their, well, nevermind. Most of them are too busy talking to get any real workouts done so sometimes i have to wait on some dipE36M3 to stop yacking so I can use their equipment. I miss the 5:30AM crowd at my gym, they just say hi and work out.
While I'm generally one for reps, I have had a strong temptation to push myself on bench press and see if I can get to 315. Right now I'm somewhere around 250X5 so we'll see.
In reply to infinitenexus :
Sleep is so important. Beer Baron that sounds like classic fatigue. You are going to need sleep and a different form of exercise to allow recovery for heavy lifting, You ever think about hiking, swimming, biking or something different with a lot of scenery? No goals, no pace, just something to stay active and allow the body and mind to recharge? Old guy soccer? Basketball? Softball?
In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :
I've been rock climbing a lot, but that's pretty intense.
I run the dog most mornings. He doesn't want to do as long of runs as I'd like though because it's warm, and there's apartment construction along our route and he doesn't like the noises.
I think it's time for me to start park skating again. I've stayed away from that because of the vasectomy and not wanting to irritate anything with a fall. But I'm doing a lot better now, and I can ease in just working on surfy flow skating rather than try to really push the tricks. Put in some headphones and just carve bowls.
@BeerBaron - do you have a smartwatch that checks your resting HR? When I see mine trend up, I know I need to prioritize sleep and recovery.
I got a smartwatch as a graduation gift; even with my techno-luddite ass it's pretty neat to see my resting rate and how even my daily caffeine intake alters it. Right now I slept terribly and I'm about 8bpm over my usual.
I keep using that program Beer Baron and The_Jed made me, and I keep tossing weight on and I keep genuinely feeling good about it! Also having ab workouts first and foremost has done wonderfully for finally making me do them and I'm starting to see a bit of a tuck in my stomach muscles. I do regular crunches Wednesday and ax choppers Monday I'm thinking maybe I'll either do planks or leg raises Friday, because I need that lower ab engagement.
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Nice! I've been using that program too while making some minor tweaks here and there.
It really is an amazing layout for a program. It blows me away how Beer Baron seemingly nonchalantly threw together the muscle group order and intensity fluctuation, all I did was plug in some of my favorite exercises. Despite the fact that I have more experience lifting weights (since I've literally been slinging iron for 30 years) Beer Baron definitely has more knowledge.
Using his program (with a few of my favorites tossed in) I feel like I'm on the verge of finding what for me could be a nearly perfect program.
This is how it looks with my latest tweaks:
Warm up (do this every day): Lots of stretching and crunches, KB Halo, jump rope
Day 1:
KB Rite of Passage
Goblet Squats (two kettlebells in the rack position) 3 x 8
TRX band bodyweight rows 3 x failure
Pushups x 100
Lu Raise
Day 2:
Incline press 3 x 8 (Pushup drop sets)
KB Swings x 100
Leg Press 10-1 drop set (This is a KILLER!)
Pulldowns or High Row machine 3 x 8-12 (Drop set at the end)
Reverse flyes + lateral raises 10-1 drop set
Day 3:
Leg Curls + Leg Extensions + Calf Raises (run in a circuit for 100 reps each) [helps warm up the knees and hips]
Hex Bar Deadlift x EMOM
Weighted Dips 3 x 5 (pushup drop sets)
Landmine Press 3 x 8
Face Pulls + Pressdowns 3 x 12-15
The following workouts are thrown in either between lifting days or whenever I feel it's necessary:
* LISS, Turkish Getup, Reflex ball, Double end bag, Heavy bag
* Murph
* ACFT (as close as I can get to the real thing)
I decided to go ahead and push myself on bench press a bit to see what kind of strength I can build. Got 245X6 and 255X4. Tomorrow morning is shoulders, so I might see what I can do on standing overhead press. I pressed 165 for a few reps last shoulder day so I might back off and do lower weight/higher reps for a workout, then try something heavy again.
Started going to a new gym in the afternoons as this one has childcare so The Wife can come workout with me. It's a nice gym in a nice neighborhood but the afternoon crowd is definitely a lot of teenagers so it can be pretty annoying. Most of them stand there and talk more than they actually work out.
Almost two weeks since anyone shared info. How is everyone else doing? I've been doing something everyday and lifting 2x a week. I tweaked a tendon or knee ligament doing squats Monday but it is mending fast. I can still ride a bike or jog, I will try weights again next Monday. I used a new belt hole today (smaller) so that was interesting. I have a long way to go but slow and steady is show minor progress.
My back has been doing generally okay so I've tried my hand at some barbell squats. I tend to go for more reps than weight to keep the wear and tear down, but I got 205lbs for 5 reps, ATG so that's good. No matter how hard I work on leg press, including preexhaustion on extensions and everything else, I never feel like I get a truly good workout on it. With squats, my legs always feel blasted. Also the other day I got 170X3 on standing overhead press. My ultimate goal on that lift is 185, so I'm getting close.
I still can't break 170lbs bodyweight. I'm working on eating more, but it's tough. I got a colonoscopy the other day to make sure my guts are working right. They found a polyp and took two biopsies but otherwise said everything looked good. Today is another shoulder day and I think I'm going to go for higher reps instead of high weight.
So, I'm on testosterone replacement therapy, and I decided to make a change. I've been on 160mg of test/week for I dunno, a year or so. I switched that up to 100mg of test and 50mg of nandrolone decanoate, aka deca durabolin, as deca is known to help joints feel better, even at such a low dose. We'll see.
Since I have a medical cannabis card that I don't really use, I decided to pick some up. I figure a low dose here and there might help with eating and sleeping, two areas where I struggle.
In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :
I took a week off social media including GRM, and then caught a cold from visiting family with kids. So sliding back into things now.
I think things are looking solid. After everything, I'm doing a cycle again of having dropped waaay back in weight and doing easy 8's, building up a little each session. Just doing the Big 4 and pull ups every session for a while.
Plan is 3x8 on Squat and Bench, 2x8 on Deadlifts, and then superset light OHP (12-15 reps) with Pull ups.
On my last set, I crank out a 9th rep. If I can do that, I go up next session - 5lbs on squat and deadlift, 2.5lbs on Bench. When I hit a point that I don't have that extra rep in me comfortably on the last set, next session will go will still go up in weight, but drop reps by 1. I'll repeat the pattern until I hit 4's, and then I'll split back to a Heavy/Medium/Light program. Overhead press is for reps, so I'll just add 2.5 lbs when I hit 14's or 15's.
Yesterday that was 240 squat, 157.5 bench, and 255 deadlift with an easy 9th rep, OHP 75 for 3x14, and Pull ups 7, 7, 6, 5.
At that rate, this should get me back to where I was pre-vasectomy in 7-12 weeks. Although I'm actually focusing on getting lower in my squats than before.
Also sleeping better. Energy level and appetite are up (barring being sick). The sleep aids work very well, but I do fine the vast majority of nights without them. I've done fine taking them just occasionally when I feel like something has me really on edge or I want to be like, "I want to be 100% certain I am asleep before 9:30."
In reply to Beer Baron :
I only do the big four but I'm doing a lot of other things too. My wife hates the deadlifts but I tell her that is the king of all exercises. I'm doing light weight 2x12 and will shift to 3x10 soon. Then I will slowly add weight. If I get hurt lifting I will not be able to do the other exercises except possibly the swimming. I do squats, dread lifts and then alternate bench presses and shoulder presses for the two days a week. I base my plan on ratios really. Squat is comfortable but I can go full range for all sets. I add 5-10% for deadlifts and go about 60% for bench and 40% of squat for the other two. If a set feels light I add 5-10 lbs. If it feels heavy I reduce it 5-10. We've been going to the gym since my wife is going too. At home I use a sharpie and write numbers on the rack.
Anyone have any luck boost testosterone with lifting?
Mine is low at 38, but not low enough that the Doc wants to treat.
Definitely feel pretty run down and weak often, so I'm putting some effort into not being weak.
In reply to pheller :
I'm going to say yes, but I will have actual numbers later this year from my annual checkup.
In reply to pheller :
Get sufficient rest, ensure you're eating enough including fats and saturated fats (but not so much you get clogged arteries of course) do plenty of heavy lifting, don't do a ton of long distance cardio, focus more on shorter, higher intensity cardio, ensure you're sleeping enough because bad sleep will wreck your T levels, check your vitamin D which can also affect both sleep and T levels, a zinc or ZMA supplement can help a little. Outside of that there are a few herbs that may help a tiny bit, tribulus terrestris or however it's spelled, and beyond that there isn't much you can do other than treat it yourself or (preferably) with a doctor.
That post got me thinking. So I'm on TRT, and a few others have mentioned that as well so I thought I'd share some experiences. I decided to stop using the doctor I was using, as they charged $250 for a vial of test cyp, which is crazy. So I'm just doing it myself now. Sources are incredibly easy to find, especially with the internet and cryptocurrency. Most test their stuff regularly and post test results and encourage their customers to do blind testing and will even pay/give store credit for that. Apparently brewing that stuff is a fairly competitive market so most good sources work really hard at being exactly that, good sources. One bad test or bad vial and you're pretty much blacklisted. So I picked up a few vials of test cyp for my testosterone replacement therapy, and I feel very safe about my decision. And the best part? Instead of $250 for a vial, I paid $35. The stuff is apparently very cheap to make, but TRT clinics enjoy a hefty markup. I am of course not encouraging anyone to participate in any illegal activities, and I do still have a prescription from a doctor. Just sharing my experiences. If you could get your medical insurance company to cover it, that would be the ultimate route.
I also changed mine slightly. I was on 160mg/week, which put me just above the normal range. I lowered it to 150mg/week, simply because the number 160 was bothering me, and because less is more, I'm trying to be as safe as can be. Ultimately, I'll probably lower it to around 120mg/week or so. Also, after several weeks of reading and research, I made another change—one that was offered by my old TRT clinic, but their prices were just astronomical. So now I take 100mg/week of testosterone and 50mg/week of nandrolone decanoate, aka deca durabolin. It's slightly less androgenic than pure test, so less chances of things like balding and gynecomastia, although at these low doses neither of those are a problem, not even remotely. However, it's slightly more anabolic (muscle building). And, it has another beneficial side effect of slightly increasing synovial fluid in joints, so it can really help with creaky old joints. This is something that has been studied by the medical community and is in real research out there, I want to emphasize that just so no one thinks I'm shooting gear in my shoulder that was made in someone's bathtub all based on rumors some roided-up guy at the gym told me.
Roadblock. Problems with my left foot; podiatrist put me in a walking boot. Still working out, but this definitely limits my routine. Pretty sure the staff at PF don't want me hitting the cardio machines with this thing on.
In reply to Nicole Suddard :
Hope you heal quickly!
Update:
I'm still doing more or less the same routine, with the goal of building some definition, keeping energy levels up, and maybe flattening my belly a bit.
Stretch
30 pushups
Row 2K goal 8:30
stretch
2x 10 inclined bench @ 100 lb
2x10 sitting arm press @ 100 lb
2x 10 chest swings @ 147 lb
2x10 delt swings @ 140 lb
3x20 side bend @ 45 lb
3x20 standing tow raises on one leg each with 45 lb
1x10 burpee with 3 pushups at each bottom
1x10 burpee with 2 pushups at each bottom
1x10 burpee with 1 pushup at each bottom
It makes for a good workout in like 45 minutes. Anyway after my second burpee set a guy walks up "Hey man, you're making us all look bad". It was a nice compliment.
Nicole Suddard said:Pretty sure the staff at PF don't want me hitting the cardio machines with this thing on.
I hope you recover quickly!
I'm pretty sure the staff at PF gives zero berkeleys what is happening in there. Dont set off the lunk alarm and pretty much anything goes.
I feel I've been stagnating on a lot of my workouts so it's time to mix things up. I have a habit of doing the same lifts over and over, and I've recently reached a plateau. Changing things will also allow me to lower the weight, which will be easier for my joints. Did some heavy bench yesterday and my shoulder wasn't feeling 100% so I stopped halfway through and went to incline bench with 100lbs less, which felt okay. At least I feel my legs are doing okay. I went right back to squatting 225 for reps, so that's good.
The Wife is 28 weeks pregnant so I'm trying to get her to do daily cardio but she has a limit before her stomach hurts, so we do what we can.
I'm still using what I refer to as the GRM program (That's what is written on the top of the page in the notebook I bring with me to the gym, yes, I'm that guy.) The Beer Baron/Girthquake/Me routine.
I'm also back to the "All protein and fats for five days then whatever I've been craving throughout the week on Saturday (lots of fruit, oddly enough), then whole grains and very little fat on Sunday." eating plan. I was ever-so-slowly expanding and constantly hungry when I was consuming protein and carbs. My strength and endurance improved significantly compared to my anti-carb diet but, I was always thinking about food and looking forward to my next meal. I've begun incorporating some keto-friendly berries for my post-workout meal too.
I don't have a scale at the moment so I don't know what I actually weigh right now (not that it really matters, it's just a metric to measure progress) but, my uniforms are slowly getting more and more loose-fitting again so, I am happy about that.
I also recently found a copy of Jack Dempsey's book "Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense". The techniques he describes are a pretty neat contrast to the "modern" style of boxing that I was trained in and attempting to learn them keeps things fresh and interesting when I'm hitting the bags.
Signed up for silly event. Been exercising everyday the last several weeks. Doing 3x10 sets of the big 4 twice a week when th chest and shoulder presses once a week each. So it's 3 sets of 3x10 twice a week hitting squats and deadlifts twice. I'm slowly adding more weight but I don't want to over stress the previously scoped knee so it's slow to build up. Bike riding is starting to feel really fun again
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