Squatober 2021.

 Well, this ain't the first rodeo. Same things as previous years still apply: 

- It's a lot of squatting, which I'm still not confident about, and in which I still don't feel like I have a lot of top end

- It's a lot of pressing, especially benching; more than I'm accustomed to, and not as much antagonistic pulling (so I worked in a couple of bonus pulling days to compensate)

- Macros and sleeping were good, did all workouts as Rx'ed, felt great, and felt sore 

- It's great powerbuilding programming at the right price

- Lots of farmer's walking was good for the core this year, forgot that these were so legit

Didn't PR or anything (some of that's thanks to covid all through July and the major setback that that was to all things muscular), but I felt solid in my form, depth, and didn't experience knee pain or glute insertion pain as I have for the last couple of years. 

On PR party day, I had an easy 305, and couldn't get 315 up out of the hole. Not what I want, but what is reality for me. I feel like I'm in a place where I have a basis for continuing strength here though. Deadlift has come along in the past couple of years, and I feel like the tide is rising. Just have to consciously put more weight on the bar than feels comfortable. On heavy days, I still had a sense of creeping dread that I would fail. But the bar was going up, and form was spot on this year — something that wasn't as true in the past as it was this go around. It's still a wonder that I can bench the same weight I'm squatting with ease and without hesitation, but the squat is always with trepidation and without confidence.

Gained 5lbs, but lost a half inch off of the waist. Felt throughout the month that the quads and boot were more solid, and true enough, gained most there. Knee gained the most, I really wish I had access to a leg extension machine.

Like I said, gained 5lbs, on 2734 cals/day average, and was using the creatine. Helped with recovery. 212g protein a day, 186g carb, 130 fat. 443 cals/day for workouts, which was the highest average for the year (I don't usually go for an hour lifting).

Another great month of solid programming. Good for my comeback from Covid weakness, good for my squat confidence.

CFFB - DL and Pulls & Float Month Assessment - 210402

Buy in
3x lunge/ypulls/rollouts 

Mains

DL 276/325/2x355/325/275

Weighted pull up +35 3x3 / iso dB press 7@54

Cash out 

Bag work 8 mins

This is a day late to end the 4 week breather between 8 week cuts to begin this year. Doing the mashup of the CFFB 3x5 double main movements with an LP each week to the weights used; felt good. Adding in Buy ins and Finishers (thought a lot about which ones to use for this) was good mental exercise. I'll continue the structure of the format for as long as it lasts - 4 on/3 off through beginning of summer. 

To recap the last 4 weeks, I was doing IF most days with just ozonated water, coffee and BCAAs until noon, and on/off schedule just happened to fall into a 4/1, 3/1, 2/1, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 breakdown. Cool looking on the calendar, came out to basically 2/1. 

Took creatine for the last month, and put back on 9 lbs (212 to 221) but BF% stayed at 12. Added back an inch at the neck, 1.5 at the chest, 2 at the hip, and .5 at the thigh and waist. I was worried about eating like a pig and just going right back to old measurements, so only a half inch back on the waist was in line with my objectives here. During the cut, ate 2326 cals/day (2147 after exercise deduction) and 2577 (2238 after exercise) so only 200/day more (and only 50 more after exercise) with means I ate not as little as I might've during the cut, and I also trained harder during this last month (179 cals/day vs 349 cals/day). Protein was 209 g/day, up 19 g/day, but carbs were up 60.

Creatine makes a big difference. I don't feel larger but just yesterday all the welders at the shop were saying that I was huge. Not really my goal but I think it's where adding a little more muscle without adding fat makes people look noteworthy. I didn't eat enough to add 9 lbs this month, so it's water in the muscle bellies via the creatine.

9.5-1 hours - 2100/0630. 49+8 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 221/12.

HT Pulling - 210328

8! Wide grip BW chins / 9! OHP @105

4x5/x12s

Pendlay @185 / Dyno push ups
 

4x11

Side laterals/rear laterals 30-32s/Meadows

3x10/9/8

Ez in T/C/DB curl w30

HT day, what a good feeling. No buy in or cash out, just thinking shoulder work today.

7.5 hours - 2300/0630. 59 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 220/12.

CFFB Squat & Bench Press - 210327

Buy in - 3 rds
Good Mornings @95 - FtB - Muscle Snatch @105

Mains
Squat 135,185, 4x5 @235
Bench 4x5 @235, 2 @275

Finisher 4 rds x10+
RDL 185 - Hip - OHS @48

Opening up the shoulders, still. Squat wants some love. There is a mental or physical block there.

9 hours - 2130/0630. 72 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 220/12.

CFFB Power Cleans and Chins - 210326

Not posting all of these sessions, just keeping up enough posts to keep FutureMe in the know - that this little patch of between-the-cuts is functioning. Added back 300 cals/day to 2500ish, and taking Creatine, up 6 lbs. Feeling tired all the time but the numbers are going up on all the lifts.

Mains

Pwr Clean @145/165//170//

4x3/4/4/3 Weighted Chin +30

4x10-7

Side Laterals

Trap shrug @275

Finisher 4 rds x10s, 1:30 RI

Shrug/Ez out/hammers

9-1 hours - 2130/0630. 51 minutes total, PE: 6. 48 hours. 219/13.

CFFB Pulls & Trap Deads - 210324

Buy in 4 rds 
Muscle snatches @100

Main 2+ RI

4x4 Weighted pull up +30

4x6/7/8/9 Trap dead 275

Finisher 4 rds x10s, 1:30 RI

RDL 185 - Hip ez - OHS @43

Still opening up the shoulders. Programming in more Y-pulls. But the OH Squats aren't hurting like they were. Bar only, I know.

9-1 hours - 2130/0630. 55 minutes total, PE: 8 late, early 7. 24 hours. 218/13.

CFFB Front Squat / W Chins - 210318

Buy in:

3 rounds 

Back lunges/Rollouts 

1x5 @ 135/3x5 Front squat @155

4 weighted Chins / trap shrugs

Finisher: 

4 hip/light RDL 10's @165

Just getting out there, keeping in step with the 4 day/week CFFB schedule, but not logging all of it. Today was supposed to be OHP instead of the Chins, I just spaced it. Taking everything easy still on that right hamstring-glute insertion, which still feels strained from Squatober.

8 -1 hours - 2130/0530. 53 minutes total, PE: 7. 48 hours.  

Easy A - 210316

Buy in :
3 rounds 
Kb swings x15/cleans x4

3 weighted Chins /OHS light/KtE

4 Meadows @170/iso OHP @54

3 Iso C/trap dead shrug

9.5 -2 hours - 2130/700.  minutes total, PE: 8. 24 hours. 218/13. 

Flat Ruck - 210314

Just an easy walk with 39# in the new Highland Tactical Foxtrot Ruck. I'm too thick around the middle for the waist strap, not that I need it. Dunno if that had anything to do with the way it carries, but I was really feeling some cramping in the traps. Not as bad as with the issue ruck (remember that day on the Forks trail?) but bad enough. Either my shoulder girdle gets into better shape, or I start rucking with less weight/use something with a hip belt that carries some of the load.

Three miles easy along the bike path in trail runners, just under an hour, never out of breath today.

CFFB Front Squat / OHP easy - 210312

AM: Juggled the weights around between DBs to try to better complete a set of singles with 1# increments where I'm using them.
Couldn't help myself but to do iso hammers with 40/39/35/34/33/32/30, supersetted with french press tris.

PM: The CFFB workout that I almost didn't do because my butt's sore. 

Buy in:
4 iso KBs x15/goblets x10/Hip x10-12  

Front Squat 3x5 150  
... these are light, but they felt good. Coming in sore, I thought there would be tearing pains, but ... pleasantly surprised.

OHP 3x5 118 (super'ed with single calf raises)

A couple light RDLs and Good Mornings to cash out and test to ensure the right butt was listening to reason. I'm feeling a little thin in the skin, motivated, but knowing that limit strength just isn't there right now. No IF today or yesterday. Going to feed for the rest of the month and see if I power up.

9 - 2 hours - 2100/0600. 17 + 38 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 
217/14.

CFFB DL / Weighted Pulls - 210310

No Buy In ... feeling sore and tired but I have the bug to train. Took yesterday off; an act of the will. Funny, should be desiring homeostasis and lounging. The will says to do this thing.

DL 5s 145/235/285/4@335/2@355
Yes, I lost some strength over the last couple of months.

Weighted pull up, 3s w/+25

Finisher 4x10s
Iso Inc 65#/flyes/meadows 

8.5 hours - 2100/0530. 58 minutes total, PE: 7. 48 hours. 
216/14.

Squat 5RM - 210309

Buy in 4 rounds, .75 RI
15 Kb swings / 10 rollouts / 20 walking lunges w/ single 30#
... some same right ass pain, which diminished as we went. 

Squat - find 5RM, 2:30 RI
135 / 165 / 195 / 225 ///
... annnd the ass pain is back. Afraid I’m aggravating it (but not so afraid I didn’t finish the sets across).

Hip x10ish / RDL x10 @ 145 
4x finisher, non-rotated, 1:30 RI

Next time up, heavier doubles. 

9 hours - 2100/0630. 58 minutes total, PE: 8. 24 hours. 
215/13.

OG Volkswagen - 210308

Buy in
3x8 of all, .60 RI
Chin
MS @ 95#
SBJ - these are weak!
KtE
OHS - bar only

- 5 mins -
OG Volkswagen for time, no spotter
21/15/9 

Bench press @ 217.5
Pull ups 

22.01
... this gassed me more than I would have anticipated on paper. The first round of pull ups were harder than I thought they should have been (strict).

4x10
Rev BBBO @145# / Cav Press 30#

4x rotated finisher
Shrug x10/BB curl x12/Tri x14

9 hours - 2100/0630. 75 minutes total, PE: 10. 24 hours. 
216/14.

8 Week "LeanGains" IF Cut.

Just finished another 8 week cut, from January through end of February, 2021. Not a true LeanGains cut, because I didn't do the Reverse Pyramid training. I didn't do any real, progressive training at all (work, work, work, and not under the bar, if you know what I mean). If anything, this cycle goes to prove that this program works. The basic elements make it work: Intermittent Fasting with a caloric deficit and a modium of physical activity; the heavy lifting only serves to ensure that one doesn't lose strength and muscle.

Objectives: Compositional; cut some of the thickness around the waist, don't lose much or any of the good stuff. Lose 4 or 5% bodyfat, which would be a loss of body weight from 227 down to 218 or 215. 

Start: 227/15% BF
End: 212/12% BF

So I lost 15 lbs, which is a significant number, looking back. A couple of pounds a week, but I didn't feel it going at all. I used the caloric daily objectives from last time I did this cut (but wasn't as focused on differentiating between training day/rest day calories). Goal was 14000 cals a week - or 2000/day, but I ate 2326/day on average. Goal is over 200g protein/day, but I was at 190g. Try to have carbs under 100g/day, but I was at 118/day.

I would have preferred to see Protein at 40% or more and Carbs at 20% or less. So, I didn't hit any of my marks, but this still worked well enough. Maybe not doing this during football season would help - late January with playoff game Sundays and Super Bowl Sunday in February; these three "bites" are enough to shake up the average for the whole cycle. 
Besides, cutting when the weather is cold is contradictory to nature. Still, we'll take this all as a win.

Did IF everyday, and on weekdays, it was easy to have coffee and one drink of BCAAs (two scoops, 14g pro) each day til noon. Many days I bubbled ozone water first thing, and I think on an empty stomach, this helps tighten things up (maybe kills candida, which shrinks all the pipes in there under the fat?). Shrinking the midsection's not only about losing fat, it can be surely be about doing TVA vacuums and not having guts full of sludge.

Didn't get to train heavy as I would have liked, on the road with long days at a job site an hour from home, so was away from 4am to 7pm. I brought DBs in the truck with me, and a ruck with water bottles in it, and did 6 sets of squats every other weekday, and some flies/curls with them. 

Being able to do some NEPA walks in the AM, and some rucking would have helped a lot. I did walk a good bit early on at the job site each day, before having to use a buggy to get around and move gear. 

So the whole cycle was an approximation, in both the nutritional side but surely on the training side, but it was successful. Again, the goals coming in were to get around 215 (did), lose off the waist (3 inches from 40.5 to 37.5) and not lose everywhere else or lose significant strength.  

I didn't gain any size in the arms, even with that being kind of a focus. Neck down an inch, chest down 1.5, Hip down 3. Shoulder girdle grew 1.5. Added another belt hole to the belt-I-had-to-add-belt-holes-to during the cut in 2018 (yeah, time to get some new belts) ... waist ended at 38.5 then, so another inch off was a plus, even from last time when I was adhering pretty strictly to the protocols. I think I ate cleaner this time, which is to say carbs might have been up a bit but those carbs were foody, and not refined sugars.

Want to hold here for a month and eat at 2500 cals/day for a while, then do another cut and get the waist down even more. I may not see 33 or 33.5 as Steve Reeves and the ancient Romans would like, but 34 is within reach. 

Recomping this year for reals and for good, not just a nebulous purpose that I write about, cut for, and then find at the end of the year, the numbers are basically the same as before. Maintaining at 212 and holding here will be a good test for 4 weeks at least, while keeping the waist from expanding right back to 39 or 40 will be a win. Then drop under 210, down to 205 say, during another 8 week cycle in April - May. The idea this year is to get light enough and lean enough to then work on power-endurance and rucking without all the wear and tear. Limit strength on the backburner (still simmering there though). 

Time and determination will tell.