Day 139 - Q & A

Today I thought I would answer Lilla's questions in my post since they were some really good ones that I kind of wanted to talk about at some point anyway.

I'm curious about stronglifts - when you start, you don't chose weights for failure on each set 5 x 5?

When I started stronglifts, there were a few exercises that I hadn't done ever or in a while. Mainly, the deadlift and barbell squats, which are also ones in which you can injure yourself more easily if you have poor form and lift heavy. I started out with an empty bar and worked my way up in weight while concentrating on form. Since you squat 3x a week on this program, if you add 10 lbs each session, it doesn't take long to build up to a decent weight. If you're comfortable in the exercises, you would go to a slightly different program and use weights closer to your maximum. Most programs of this type recommend a basic 2-3 week strengthening phase using sub-maximal loads before you hit a maximal workload.

How did you up your calories %wise per macro? Do you eat differently on workout days vs. non-workout days?

My calories pecentage wise changed a little bit. Before, when I was on my initial fat loss stage, I aimed for about a 30/15/55 protein/fat/carb split. In order to get enough calories in for a bulking plan, the main thing that I did was allow myself more fats, since it is a good way to get the calories in. Also, some saturated fat is good because it stimulates your testosterone levels, which is anabolic. I also didn't increase my carb intake as much as the others. I think that my ratios are somewhere around 30/25/45, but it's hard to say exactly as I no longer log my food or count calories. I just try to eat a lot! If I overeat on anything, it's meat. I figure I need all the protein I can get.

I eat slightly differently on workout days to account for my workout nutrition. On non-workout days, I eat 6 meals, and incorporate meal tapering. My last meal is more of a bed-time snack which is a casein protein shake with a serving of fat, which has lately been either Udo's mixed in the shake or almond butter on celery sticks. I try to have minimal carbs in this snack. My pre and post-workout nutrition on workout days is strictly protein and carbs. I try to have as little fat as possible in these, and they are smaller. There might be 2-4 grams that sneak in, but I don't conciously add a fat source. These are usually meals 4 and 5 for me, then I'll have meal 6 about an hour or so later, and then finish with my bedtime snack (meal 7). Because of this, my workout days might be lower in fat content and might be more like a 35/15/50 split. The total calories per day probably don't vary much because I feel it is just as important to feed the muscle the day after a workout.

There is a good chance that I'm not making the leanest gains possible, but I am now fully accepting that some fat is going to be put on. What I'm doing is giving me results that I am happy with, so until I see large fat gains and little muscle gains, I'll continue on.

Thanks Lilla for the great questions!

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 21

Day 137 - Maximum Effort

Today was probably the hardest I worked out in the gym in a long time. On my current program, the goal is to increase the weight on all exercises each and every time I go in. I'm almost at the point where I've worked my way up from using an empty bar concentrating on form, to putting in a maximum effort and nearing failure on all my exercises. I was able to finish my prescribed reps for all of my exercises, except for my last set of weighted pull-ups. This might have to do with a slightly more intense warm-up. I usually only do a cardio warm-up on a machine, but today I tried a modified "CrossFit" warm-up. 3 sets of 10 reps of squats (instead of broomstick overhead squats), sit-ups, back extensions, push-ups (instead of pull-ups, which I do later), and dips. Now I know what they mean when they say, "Your work-out is our warm-up".

I think next week I might incorporate the "flip" method, where I invert the order that I do my exercises in. So, instead of ending with my weighted chin-ups or pull-ups, I'll start my workout with them. I think this will help me push my weights up another notch.

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 19

Day 136 - New muscle?

Although my stats are showing a small increase in lean mass, I've mostly been battling with feeling like I've either just put on water weight or fat. But today was different. Today was the first day where I really felt like I could feel new muscle on me. Well, maybe my muscles are just filling up with more water. It's really hard to say, but it's just one of those things where mentally, I felt it. It could just be in my head, but hey, it all starts with the vision. Just gotta stay clean, keep on the program, and have confidence.

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 18

Day 135 - Sweetness

Yesterday I picked up some stevia from the local health food store. Following Lilla's advice, I added a bit of it to the BFFM pancakes this morning. I think that was the secret missing ingredient. It made them much more enjoyable. Now I think the BFFM pancakes can be a real regular on my menu.

Today's workout was great. I was a little sore from Monday's workout earlier in the day, but the pain subsided once I got into the gym. My squats felt a lot stronger and I know I can keep pushing the weight up each session. Snuck in some push up work at the end of my workout, but my bench press and tricep dip had already taxed me. But it made for a great workout! By the end of it, I could barely move.

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 17

Day 134 - Udo's Oil

Today I ran out of flax seed capsules. Luckily though on the weekend I picked up a bottle of Udo's Oil to meet my EFA needs. Well, I just had a taste of it in my bedtime casein protein shake, and I must say...I think it might take a bit of getting used to. The capsules are great because you can't taste it, but they aren't the most cost efficient way of getting enough of your EFA's.

A serving of Udo's oil in a protein shake seems to be a pretty standard thing in the health circle, but I guess it's one of those things where you sacrifice your taste buds a little for the sake of your health. In time, I'm sure I'll get used to it though. I thought celery would be one of those healthy foods that I just wouldn't give in to, but I've just gone through a few bunches of them lately. They go great with natural peanut butter, or my latest indulgence, almond butter! I did the same thing with oatmeal. I thought it was one of those healthy meals that I just wouldn't sacrifice my taste buds for, but now I've been eating steel cut oats almost every day.

So you never know what healthy foods you're going to end up enjoying. They say that babies have to try a food up to 20 times before they realize they like it. I don't think it'll take me that long to learn to love the Udo's oil. So, I pledge to try it everyday for the next 20 days. If I can't stand it by then, I guess I'll go back to swallowing capsules.

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 16

Day 133 - Slow and Steady

Well, for the second week in a row, I managed a lean mass gain of about half a pound, which is on the low end of average possible lean mass gains per week, but I'm still happy with the results. As far as my basic measurements go, my bodyfat percentage is still the same, but physically, I'm having a hard time believing it hasn't gone up more yet. The mental struggle of the "buik" continues!

Well, as long as I can make slow and steady gains of half a pound a week though, I'll hit my target.

Here's this weeks stats:

M2 Week 2: 2008-01-14 to 2008-01-21
Weight: 136.33 (+0.55)
Suprailiac: 10 mm -> 11.6% (no change)
Jackson/Pollock chest/ab/thigh: 8/13/11 -> 9.13% (no change)
Avg BF: 10.4% (no change)
Lean Mass: 122.15 (+0.49)
Fat Mass: 14.18 (+0.06)

Get your game face on!

Cheers,
Raiden

M2 Day 15