Mon 4/29 - FB Stripped Down Hypertrophy

Sun 4/28: Rest day
Nutrition:
I weighed 176.8 again this morning. I was shocked my weight didn't jump at all from yesterday's re-feed. I finally did a decent re-feed and didn't go overboard for once. Nice!  Good nutrition day:

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	243	111	34	1,721
	Calories	973	442	307	1,722
	Percent	56%	26%	18%	`

Mon 4/29: Full Body Stripped Down Hypertrophy
Workout: (Fitness First)
Group1
(HackSquat)4PL3x8,6PL2x6
(80#DBBench)5x5
(Pullups)5x6
23mins

Group2
(255#SLDL)5x5
(105#OHP)5,5,5,5,6
(135#T-Bar)5x5
25/48mins

Add-ons
(55#IsoIncline)11,11,10
(165#CableCrunch)3x12
6/54mins
54 + 15 w/u + 10 c/d = 79mins total

I decided to switch to a full body routine today, so I dusted off the Full Body Stripped Down Hypertrophy routine I used last fall.  I made great progress on this routine back then.  As written, the routine is a mix of 5x5 and 4x10 done 5-times a week, but I basically did everything heavy today.  I know I won't be adding any muscle on the cut so I kept things heavy in hopes of holding onto as much muscle mass as I can during this cut.  I also wanted to switch things up a bit and this is a great balanced routine. I probably did too much volume for being on a cut and might adjust downward a bit adjust going forward.

GROUP1: Hack squats were really good and I bumped up the weight from the last WO for the last 2 sets. Worked pretty hard on the last 3 sets. I'll have to look at the machine and figure out what happens if I fail on a weight. I don't want to get stuck under this thing! Fairly short rests.(9mins)

I warmed up on BB bench w/ 135#s and even at that light weight it REALLY hurt my elbows (they are in bad shape), so instead of bumping the weight here, I switched to 80#DB's. I thought 5x5 would be easily doable, but it was harder than I thought and I actually failed on the last rep. Not thrilled about that. Pullups were good, but due to elbows, I didn't push reps or go near failure.(14/23mins)

GROUP2: I stayed "heavy" with SLDL and 5x5 was pretty good. I'd been doing 3-4x8.(11/34mins)

Overhead press was really good and I got a 6th rep on last set. T-bar was good, but felt heavy and bothered my right elbow quite a bit.(14/48mins)

ADD-ONS: I had some bi/tri accessory work written in, but didn't feel like chest had gotten enough work, so I did iso-inlince and that felt really good. I combo'd that with heavy cable crunches.

Really good FB workout and now I remember why I liked this routine setup so much. It's a really tough WO, but really balanced, hits everything with pretty much all compound movements.  Not a lot of fluff here.

Nutrition:
I weighed 176.6 this morning.  Good. Yet another tight nutrition day w/ plenty of protein.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	252	71	28	1,531
	Calories	1008	283	250	1,542
	Percent	65%	18%	16%	`

Sat 4/27 - GBR Lower (Pics & Hack Squats)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(HackSquat)4plates 5x10 Great
(LegPress)6plates 4x10
(205#SLDL)3x10, 255#x8
(75#LegCurl)12,10,10 Hard/cramp
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(165#CableCrunch)10,10,8'
46mins + 13 w/u + 11 c/d = 70mins total

Last lower WO squats really bothered my hips so I decided to give hack squats a try this morning. I warmed up with 2 plates and then did 5 sets of 10 with 4plates. This wasn't too hard at first but a couple sets in I was really working toward the end. I went really deep and liked these a lot. Didn't bother my knees/hips and felt like I got a lot of work. I'll do these again, but will try not to get completely away from squating.(14mins)

I went lighter on leg press today for a couple of reasons. The cut, plus hack squat is a similar move and legs already fatigued. These were good. Also went lighter on SLDL for the 1st 3 sets, but did 1 heavy set at normal weight.(18/32mins)

Leg curl was tough today and really had to work to even get 10 reps. I've had some issues w/ cramping in my legs the last day on my cut, and my hamstrings really started cramping up after these. I tried to stretch them out a bit after each set, but they cramped hard after the last set. Rear delts were OK.(10/42mins)

Finished up w/ 3 sets of heavy cable crunch w/ short rest.(4/46mins).  Good WO, especially while on a cut. I went lighter today, which isn't recommended for keeping LBM on a cut, but felt that's what I had to do today. It felt good and I still got some really good work. Really liked hack squats and they were much easier on my body while still providing really good leg work.  On the down side, my elbows are pretty bad and my left shoulder is really bothering me and I think SLDL bothered both today. I my have to break from doing pullups and might have to take tomorrow off instead of forcing an upper WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 176.8 this morning. Lowest I've been in a while and feeling good and lean. Took a few pics for reference. Had a re-feed of sushi (a lot) for lunch, some fruit, cheerios, Sweet Frog and normal protein.  Higher carbs, but didn't go overboard and kept fats low.  A good re-feed for once.  My cut is going well and working. I'll try to stick to it for another week, possibly 2.

Fri 4/26 - Accessory (arms/shoulder/abs - Started EC stack)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(40#Dips)4x8
(40#Curl)3x10
(25#LatDelt)4x8
(45#HCurl)3x7
(135#CGBP)10,8,8,8
(105#RearDelt)4x8 Weight bump
(160#TriPushDn)10,8,7
(HangLegRaise)3x12
(T-Twist)14/+6,6,6,6
42mins + 11 w/u + 7 c/d = 70 mins total

So I was considering doing GBR lower today, but decided to give my legs another days rest and really just did an accessory WO today.

I started dips w/ the weight belt w/ a 35# disk hanging from the chain, but the weight swung a bit and I didn't really like it so I switched to using the DB I was curling with.  Dips were OK. Curls bothered my R elbow a lot at first, but "warmed up" and pain wasn't too bad. Kinda surprised I got sets of 10.(11mins)

Lateral delts and hammer curls were good. Bi's and forearms were screaming a bit by the end of these.(8/19mins)

I was a little surprised I didn't get more sets of 10 on CGBP. Maybe dips worked tri's harder than they felt, or they are still worn out from yesterday, or maybe I'm not as strong as I thought :).  Bumped up the weight on rear delts.  I've been stuck at 90#'s forever. Had to wait for rear delt machine each set because some old guy with sleave tats didn't want to share.(12/31mins)

Tri pushdowns were good...heavy. Hanging leg raises were good and I pulled a vanity move and pulled my shirt up during one set to watch my abs work while I did them. Lean enough to really see them work, which was vain, but cool and motivating :) (8/39mins).  Finished up with myo-rep torture twists.

Good accessory (arm/shoulder/ab) WO.  Hopefully energy stays up, legs feel OK and I can get a decent lower WO in tomorrow AM.

Nutrition:
I weighed 177.8 this morning. Good. Definitely feeling as lean as I did before at 170 or below.  Good sign. Another tight nutrition day and energy level seems to have stabilized (for now). Started the EC stack today.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	239	77	27	1,495
	Calories	957	307	239	1,502
	Percent	64%	20%	16%	`

Thu 4/25 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(185#Bench)5,5,5,5,8 Good
(Pullups)6,6,6,6,11
(70#DBInc)4x7 V. good
(70#SeatedRow)4x10 Weight bump
(105#OHP)4x6 V. good
(105#IsoRow)2x10
(135#T-bar)2x7
(135#CGBP)3x8 Good
(165#cableCrunch)3x12
57mins +14 w/u + 11 c/d = 82mins total

Bench was good today, even though it wasn't quite as heavy as what it was (195). Felt good to get some good work in after the pec strain and now being on a cut. Pullups were good, but elbows have really been bothering me again, so I stayed far away from failure until the last set.(15mins)

DB incline felt really good, so I added a 4th set.  I bumped the weight on seated rows and they were good. Glad I'm doing these again.(17/32mins)

OHP was feeling good so I added a 4th set there as well.  I mixed up the superset here with iso rows and then t-bar.(15/47mins)

Main WO was done there, but I added some tri/abs.  Close grip bench was pretty good and so were crunches.(10/57)

Very happy with this WO. I was concerned about getting the WO in today due to hectic schedule, so I got up at 5AM and got the the gym early. I've also been feeling VERY worn down lately, so I was very happy that I got some energy back and had a positive WO today.


Nutrition:
I weighed 178.6 this morning.  Good, but it hasn't been easy and still not that close to where I want to end up. Good nutrition day, and feeling better today than earlier in the week. I think my body is adjusting to the cut.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	256	89	28	1,618
	Calories	1026	357	254	1,637
	Percent	63%	22%	16%	`

Wed 4/24 - Walk

Still feeling beat up today so I walked for 52 mins before work (3+miles). Work schedule is a bear tomorrow, but will try to fit in a WO (upper).  Energy has been really low.  Combo of cut and still fighting a bit of bug I think.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.8 this morning. Tight nutrition day today.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	221	69	25	1,392
	Calories	884	277	229	1,390
	Percent	64%	20%	16%	`

Tue 4/23 - GBR Lower (Beat up!)

Mon 4/22:

• Rest day. Shoulders, neck and elbows all sore and in bad shape today.
• I weighed 185.4 after yesterday's cheat day.  Strict nutrition day today.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	226	73	25	1,415
	Calories	903	293	221	1,416
	Percent	64%	21%	16%	`

Tue 4/23:  GBR Lower
Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x10,135x10,185x5,5,5 Hard! Hips hurt
(LegPress)6platesx15,8plx12,12,12
(255#SLDL)3x8
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(LyingLegRaise)3x12
41mins + 14 w/u + 0 c/d = 55 mins total

Still feeling real beat up today, even after a day off yesterday. Both shoulders bothering me, pain in my neck, elbows bad, knees barking at me. Good lord, I feel like I'm falling apart. I was considering taking another day off, but work schedule later this week might make a couple of WO's tough and I want to get two in before the weekend. Back to cutting pretty hard after the Sunday splurge, so I wasn't feeling a ton of energy, so...

Front squat was tough, but decent. I was thinking about keeping it at 135#'s and doing sets of 10, but put 185 on anyway and did 3 "heavy" sets instead of the normal 4. I should probably be cutting volume a bit during a cut anyway. My knees weren't too bad, but my hips bothered me today. Weird.(14mins)

I put on 8 plates for leg press, did the first rep and holy crap I thought the weight was going to crush me. Took 2 plates off and did a 1st set of 15. It didn't feel too bad after I got into a bit of a groove so I put the 2 plates back on for 3 more sets.  SLDL was OK, but I had to switch to mixed grip after the 1st set. I dropped the weight to 205#'s to do a lighter 4th set, but after the 4th set of leg press I was done. Totally fatigued. I had to take extra rest between sets here today.(20/34mins)

I was going to leave then, but decided to do rear delts to hopefully help my shoulders and also did lying leg raises.(7/41mins).

Not a great WO today, but got some decent work in. I cut out leg curls, cable crunch and shrugs. I just didn't have the energy after the 1st 3 exercises. I've been dealing with a cough, so maybe the combination of fighting a bug and the cut really got me today.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.6 this morning. Nice bounce back from yesterday's high, but it took its toll.  Another strict nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	242	86	28	1,541
	Calories	967	343	254	1,564
	Percent	62%	22%	16%	`

Sun 4/21 - GBR Upper

Sat 4/20:
- Rest day.
-Weighed 179.4.  Good nutrition day, especially for a Saturday

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	234	115	46	1,826
	Calories	935	462	413	1,809
	Percent	52%	26%	23%	`

Sun 4/21:
Workout: (Fitness First)
(185#Bench)4x5
(Pullups)4x6 Above the bar - V. good
(70#DBIncline)8,8,7
(135#T-Bar)3x7
(105#OHP)7,6,6 Good
(65#SeatedRow)3x10 V good
(135#CGBP)3x8
(HangingLegRaise)3x12 V. good
(150#TriPushDn)12/+5,4,4'
47mins
+13 w/u + 0 c/d = 60mins total

Bench was OK, but went a little lighter and only did 4 sets. Wanted to be cautious of my R pec. Pullups were really good. Got really high on the bar and got most reps to bar at nipple level.(13mins)

DB incline was OK. T-bar rows felt heavy. Just lacking energy today.(11/24mins)

OHP was really good. Gotta keep working this in, but have to be careful with shoulders. Left one has been wonky lately. Seated rows were good.(10/34mins).

Close grip bench was OK and hanging leg raises were good. Tried to come down on the negative slowly.(10/44mins). Finished up with myo-rep set of tri-pushdowns.(3/47mins).

Decent WO. Purposely took it a little easy due to my pec, but bench was harder than it should have been. Just didn't have it today. Maybe due to the cut.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.8 this morning. Good. Feeling lean. Had a cheat day today. Big cheat day. Sushi for lunch, went to the garden fair and had peanut brittle, funnel cake and then fireworks pizza and Sweet Frog for dinner.  Whoa!

Fri 4/19 - Pull day (elbows bad)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(Pullups)3x8 V. Good
(Chinups)3x7 Elbow pain
(135#T-bar)3x6
(40#HammerCurl)3x7
(60#SeatRow)3x10 V. Good
(35#Curl)3x7
(75#DBRow)3x8 Good
(HangLegRaise)3x12 Good
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(LyingLegRaise)3x15
54 mins + 14 w/u + 12 c/d = 80mins

Played it "safe" to give my right pec some more rest and did a "pull" day.  Pullups were really good. Chinnups were not great. They really hurt my elbows, and I have a feeling they are going to be really sore tonight/tomorrow. Not much rest between sets here.(11mins)

T-bar row felt really heavy. Probably because chins were tough and elbows/bi's already getting worked. I started with 45# hammer curls, dropped to 40#'s after the 1st set.(11/22mins).

Seated rows were really good and did higher reps here because of heavy pulling w/ other movements already. Dropped to 35# DB's for curls.  Good superset.(11/33mins)

I had iso rows penciled in, but decided to do DB rows.  I used 75# DB's and really liked these. Supersetted w/ hanging leg raises. Very good.(11/44mins)

Finished up with rear delts and lying leg raises.(10/54mins)

Pretty good pull WO. Lot of back work and bi's were done. Elbows screaming at me this afternoon.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.0 this morning.  Good. Weekend is going to be tough to keep at it. I'll have a re-feed at some point this weekend for sanity. Cut out the brown rice w/ my chicken for dinner and treated myself to 8oz of Sweet Frog.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	252	163	36	1,945
	Calories	1010	650	328	1,987
	Percent	51%	33%	16%	`

Thu 4/18 - Rest/cardio

Walked 85 mins before work (about 5 miles).

Good nutrition day, but could feel it in the morning at the gym.  Tomorrow would normally be upper day, but I may try to use my brain a little and not do any chest work.  So, I'm thinking a pull day (back & bi's) might do the trick. Then, Saturday, if I'm feeling OK do a push day (chest/shoulders/tri's).

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	233	63	25	1,411
	Calories	930	251	228	1,409
	Percent	66%	18%	16%	`

Wed 4/17 - GBR Lower (Cut getting to me already)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x10,135x8,185x5,5,5,5 Hard!
(LegPress)8plates 4x12
(255#SLDL)3x8 Brutal combo
(75#RollingShrug)3x8
(75#LegCurl)3x12
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(HangLegRaise)3x12  Good
(150#CableCrunch)10/+5,5,5,5
63mins + 16 w/u + 11 c/d = 90mins total

Knees felt pretty good today on front squats. On 3rd heavy set, 4th rep the weight hit the cage and messed me up. Barely got 4th & 5th rep. Last working set was really hard. I can tell the cut is taking a toll. Good work though.(18mins)

Leg press was really good and I got 12 reps each set. I cut SLDL one set short to 3. I was beat already and 3 heavy sets here was enough today. Brutal combo on a cut. I started shrugs instead of 4th set of SLDL and did 2 more sets while unloading the leg press.(25/43mins)

I really felt leg curl in my hamstrings today and stretched them when I was done with these sets. Rear delts were just "there". Hopefully good for shoulder health.(8/51mins)

Leg raises were really good. I think lower abs are getting stronger.(7/58mins). Finished up with myo-rep set of cable crunches which were tough even with a little lighter weight.(5/63mins).

Overall I am pleased with this WO even though I had to cut last set of SLDL and didn't improve any weights. That's going to happen on a cut. Rest day tomorrow, then I'll have to decide what to do with my pec. I know I'm going to want to hit the gym, but worried I'll do more damage if I don't rest.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.8 this morning. Coming down nicely. I haven't really reduced calories as much as in the past yet, but I'm also working out quite a bit more (and heavier) than before.  I think that's why the cut is already affecting me...and because my body just hasn't adjusted to it yet.  It's going to get tougher and I'm going to have to reduce volume. I might switch to a full body heavy compound routine a little further into the cut.  Also need to decide how low I'm going to try to get this early.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	248	172	36	1,976
	Calories	993	688	324	2,004
	Percent	50%	34%	16%	`

Tue 4/16 - Shoulders/arms

Workout: (Fitness First)
(95#OHP)6x7 Great!
(45#Curl)6x7 Great
(20#Lat/90#Rear/35#FrontDelt)3x10/10/10
(145#CGBP)10,8,8 V. Good
(Torture-Twist)3x20
(150#TriPushDn)15/+5,5,5
(165#CableCrunch)12/5,5,5
49mins + 15 w/u + 10 c/d = 74mins

Overhead Press and curls were great. I wasn't planning on doing this many sets, but I was able to keep getting 7 reps so I kept going. Curl weight was OK, but I probably should have gone heavier on OHP with less sets/reps. Left should was bothering me lately though, so I didn't want to really go too heavy.  Therefore, this much volume, although felt great during the WO, probably wasn't very smart either :-) .(20mins)

Lateral/Rear/Front delt tripple-set was good, and hard, as it always is.(10/30mins)

CGBP was really good and combo'd it with torture twists.(11/41mins)

Finished up with tri pushdowns and cable crunches. Both were good. Failed on crunches last set.(8/49mins)

Good shoulder and arm work. As I write this at 3:15 in the afternoon my right pec is on fire. I've had a burning sensation in it for the last several hours. Maybe all that OHP really wasn't a great idea. 11PM update, right pec still feels like it's on fire.  Going to have to give it some rest.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.6 this morning.  Getting there...slowly. It's going to take a while. Felt pretty lethargic this afternoon/evening.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	253	147	40	1,905
	Calories	1010	587	356	1,953
	Percent	52%	30%	18%	`

Mon 4/15 - GBR Upper (Pec again!)

Sun 4/14: Rest

Mon 4/15:

Workout: (Fitness First)
(195#Bench)5,5,5,5,135#x17 - Right pec
(Pullups)7,7,7,10,8 Good
(70#DBIncline)8,8,7 Pec
(135#T-Bar)3x8,45#x12
(60#SeatedRow)3x10 Very good
(40#Curl)3x7
(60#SkullCrusher)2x10 Weight bump
(150#TriPushDn)2x10
(HangingLegRaise)4x12 V. good
53mins
+10 w/u + 0 c/d = 63mins total

Not sure why, but didn't feel a lot of energy for this WO this morning. Slept well last night and ate at/above maintenance over weekend, so should have been good to go. Bench felt pretty good, but my right pec started bothering me right after the 1st set. Started feeling it more each set, so I decided to do 4x5. Pullups were good and I did 10 on the 4th set. I was going to move on there, but being stubborn, I did a 5th set of bench, but dropped the weight to 135#'s and did 17 reps. Probably not a good idea and that high of reps probably did very little other than aggrivate the pec more. I did another set of pullups and got 8.(19mins)

I went ahead and did DB incline in spite of the pec, but tried to stay away from failure and only did 3 sets instead of 4. T-bar felt heavy. Lacking energy. Did a drop set to 45#'s after last set.(13/32mins)

Finally did cable rows today and they were really good. They felt light at first, but I stuck with the weight and that was the right choice. They got pretty tough the last set. Supersetting these rows with curls was really tough on the bi's.(10/42mins)

I wanted to do CGBP, but because of pec I did skull crushers and bumped the weight. Bothered my left elbow, so I only did 2 sets and then switched to tri pushdowns. Supersetted with 4 sets of hanging leg raises which were really good.(11/53mins).

Decent WO, but right pec is an issue. I may need to take some time off from heavy chest pressing.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.2 this morning. Better than most Monday's after a weekend lately.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	231	185	39	1,995
	Calories	923	741	353	2,017
	Percent	46%	37%	18%	`

Sat 4/13 - GBR Lower

Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x8,135x6,185x5,5,5,5 Good - L knee pain
(LegPress)8platesx10,10,10 4platesx25,25 (5)
(255#SLDL)4x8
(75#LegCurl)3x12
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(HangLegRaise)12,10,10
(165#CableCrunch)9,6,8
55mins + 16 w/u = 71mins total

Surprisingly knees felt really good yesterday and this morning so decided to go ahead with the lower WO.  But, my left knee was pretty painful during squats. Other than the knee they were going fairly well. I almost did another set at 185, but decided against it. Even though they were going well, I'm not really close to bumping the weight up here, and especially not if I continue my cut.(16mins)

Leg press was good, but during the 3rd set my left knee started barking at me pretty bad, so I finished that set and did 2 more at high reps. Starting to feel reallly spent after 3rd set and high rep sets about did me in.  SLDL was good, but I was losing motivation and didn't want to do a 4th set. Did it anyway.(21/37mins)

I decided not to do leg extension because of the knee and did leg curls and rear delts.  Weird combo on leg day, but did rear delts for shoulder health.(8/45mins)

Finished up with hanging leg raises combo'd with cable crunches. Abs dead during 2nd set w/ short rest, so took a little longer before final set.(10/55mins)

Overall a good WO. Legs definitely don't recover as fast as upper body and I really wish I could get my knees in shape. They haven't been too terribly bad, but are always a concern and often limiting.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.6 this morning. Good.

Fri 4/12 - GBR Upper (Great bench! - Pec)

Thu 4/11:  Rest
Nutrition:

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	237	86	35	1,594
	Calories	948	343	315	1,606
	Percent	59%	21%	20%	`

Fri 4/12: GBR Upper
Workout: (Fitness First)
(195#Bench)5,5,5,5,7 Weight bump - Great!
(Pullups)7,7,7,7,10 Great
(70#DBIncline)4x8 Right pec strain
(135#T-Bar)4x8 Good - heavy
(100#IsoRow)3x10
(40#Curl)3x7
(55#SkullCrusher)12,10 Weight bump - Good
(HangingLegRaise)3x12 V. good
56mins
+18 w/u + 11 c/d = 85mins total

Bumped up the weight on bench by 10#s. On the 2nd set, my wrists "collapsed" after the last rep and really hurt. I think I just lost concentration for a second. So, I asked for a spot on the 3rd set to make sure I had someone there in case it happened again. No problems. I asked for a spot on the last set because I wanted to go for more than 5 reps. I got 7 w/o any assistance. These were REALLY good and a good weight to stick with again. Pullups were really good today too.(18mins)

DB incline felt really good until after the 3rd set. I felt some slight sharp pain in my right pec. I went ahead and did another set, but probably shouldn't have done that. Stupid!  Bumped the weight on t-bar row and they felt good, but were heavy.I didn't have any other chest work written into the WO, and a good thing because I would have scrapped it due to pec strain.(17/35mins)

Iso rows were good and I combo's them with curls. I wanted to go heavier w/ curls, but already a lot of pulling and since supersetting with rows I used 40#'s and that was PLENTY heavy.(11/46mins)

I had CGBP pencilled in, but switched to skull crushers. CGBP is more tri's than chest, but wanted to play it safe due to my pec. Skull crushers were good and supersetted w/ hanging leg raises. They were really good too and I got legs really high and controlled.(10/56mins)

Very good WO. Really happy with reps on increased bench weight, especially after a low cal/carb day yesterday. I iced my pec and took some advil when I got home. I hope it'll be OK. I'd like to get another upper WO on Sunday.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.2 again this morning. WTF? I thought for sure I'd be lower after yesterday. Solid day today. Tried to keep carbs post-WO, but did treat myself to 8oz of sweet frog.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	229	202	39	2,057
	Calories	916	808	354	2,077
	Percent	44%	39%	17%	`

Wed 4/10 - GBR Lower

Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x8,135x6,185x5,5,5,5 V. Good
(LegPress)8platesx10,10,12,15 Awesome
(255#SLDL)4x8 Weight bump
(75#LegCurl)3x10
(90#LegExt)3x12
(165#CableCrunch)14/+5,5,5,5'
(HangLegRaise)3x10
54mins
+13 w/u + 11 c/d = 78mins total

Left knee has been bothering me, but so has left shoulder so I didn't want to do heavy bench again today and it was leg day anyway, so I warmed up well and went at it. Front squats were good, but definitely staying at 185#'s for at least another WO. Not going to be easy to bump weight here on a cut anyway.(17mins)

Leg press was great today and I repped out the last 2 sets. I bumped up the weight on SLDL and this combo was just brutal today with increased load/volume on both movements. I had to take a little extra rest before the last set. I was beat. I had leg press w/ 4 plates, high reps penciled in, but no way that was happening after this.(20/37mins)

Leg curl/ext was OK.(8/45mins).  Cable crunch was bumped up in weight and I failed on last rep. Leg raises were a struggle after crunches. I should have done them first. (9/54mins)

Great WO today, but I have to keep an eye on my left knee. It's really been bothering me and I want to start running soon, so that could be problematic.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.2 this morning. Good. Decent nutrition day. Clean, but cals were higher than I wanted. I was REALLY hungry all day after heavy leg WO this morning.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	250	165	53	2,109
	Calories	999	661	476	2,136
	Percent	47%	31%	22%	`

Tue 4/9 - Shoulders

Workout: (Small Sprint Gym)
(50#DBShoulderPress)5x8
(40#Curl)4x8
(100#RearDelt)3x12
(20#LatDelt)3x8
(HangLegRaise)3x12
(50#OHTriExt)20,18,18
(LyingLegRaise)3x15
32mins (no time for w/u or c/d)

Work meeting from 10AM-4PM and hard-stop hour for lunch, so if I was going to do a WO, it had to be a quick one. I decided to do shoulders, but this might end up being problematic from a WO programming perspective the rest of the week. My left knee is hurting a lot, so I might not be able to do a lower WO tomorrow, which means I'd have to do upper again.

Anyway, DB shoulder press was good, but felt a little heavier than I thought. I could definitely still feel yesterday's WO. Curls were good.(14mins)

Rear/lateral delt and hanging leg raise was good. Lateral raises were really tough with very little rest and 5 sets of shoulder press already. Leg raises were good, but hanging like that really bothers my elbows.(10/24mins)

I had tri pushdowns written in, but decided to do overhead tri extensions. I haven't done them in a couple months.  High reps here were pretty painful. Lying leg reaise w/ hip thrust were good.(8/32mins)

Decent little WO. Not a lot of rest and some decent work crammed in there.

Nutrition:
I weighed 184.4 this morning.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	226	107	41	1,689
	Calories	903	430	371	1,704
	Percent	53%	25%	22%	`

Mon 4/8 - GBR Upper (Bench!)

Sun 4/7:
Walked for 60 mins in the morning. Weight really high (188.2).

Mon 4/8:
Workout: (Fitness First)
(185#Bench)5,5,5,5,10 Great last set!
(Pullups)6,6,6,6,8
(70#DBIncline)4x8 V. Good
(125#T-Bar)4x8 "Light"
(65#IsoIncline)3x10 Weight bump
(100#IsoRow)3x10 Weight bump
(145#CGBP)7,6,7
(45#HammerCurl)3x8
(50#SkullCrusher)12,10 Good
(165#CableCrunch)10,10
(HangingLegRaise)3x10
60mins
+10 w/u = 70mins total

After my last upper WO I decided I needed to start adding some focus on good old bench press. I wasn't sure where to start, so just warmed up a couple sets working my way up and settled on 185# 5x5. Turns out this was too light. I asked for a spot the last set because I wanted to get 6-7 reps. I got 10 w/o any help and it felt awesome (was working hard though!). I guess I'll be feeling my way through this weight until I get it dialed in. Was just clueless today where to start. 185# wasn't "easy" for sets, but clearly I had too much left in the tank for the last set. Really good work regardless and I was very pleased with this after being pretty pissed at my poor bench performance last WO.  Very good starting point.  Pullups were tough, partially because I was pretty heavy this morning.(16mins)

I still love DB incline and did 70#s here. These were real good working sets. T-bar row was good, but kinda light and I need to bump the weight.(14/30mins)

Bumped the weight on iso incline and these were good. Might have been able to do this because bench wasn't as heavy as it needed to be though. Bumped weight on iso row and they were good.(10/40)

Close grip bench was good, especially the last set. Combo'd it with some bi work.(9/49mins)

Skull crushers were good, but a little tough on the elbows. I like them, but have to be careful w/ elbows. Combo'd with couple sets of cable crunch and then "remembered" I need extra work on lower abs so finished up with 3 sets of hanging leg raises.(11/60mins)

Very happy with this WO, especially bench. 185#'s was easier than I thought and will start working up from there.  Better to start light and move up than the other way around.

Nutrition:
I weighed 186.6 this morning. Gotta get serious about a cut date/decision. I can tell I'm getting a little nervous about this upcoming cut. I'm used to eating a lot and I'm still making good progress on upper and lower lifts. I'm a little hesitant to start cutting and stop that progress, but I also want to be good and lean as it warms up.  Coming to decision time very soon though.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	236	251	54	2,424
	Calories	943	1004	487	2,434
	Percent	39%	41%	20%	`

Sat 4/6 - GBR Lower (Front Squat PR)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x10,135x8,175x5,185x5,5,5,5 Very good - Weight bump!
(LegPress)8platesx10,10,10,10
(245#SLDL)4x8
(LegPress)4platesx20,25 Great - brutal
(90#LegExtension)3x12
(75#LegCurl)3x12
(150#CableCrunch)15/+5,5,5,5,5 Great
53mins + 12 w/u + 10 c/d = 77mins total

My left knee has been bothering me so wasn't sure what to expect today. Warmed up, felt OK, and got at it. Bumped up the weight on FS again after the first working set felt pretty good. 185#'s was pretty tough the last 2 sets and might need to stay at this weight for a little bit. Very pleased.(19mins)

Leg press/SLDL combo was really good again. I need to bump the weight up on SLDL. After this combo for 4 sets was done, I dropped the weight on leg press and did sets of 20 & 25. Brutally good.(22/41mins)

Leg ext/curl was OK. Nothing of note.(9/50mins). Abs still sore from the ab WO the other day, but myo-rep cable crunches felt great. Really stretched at the top and really felt them working.(3/53mins)

Another really good lower WO despite left knee being a little wonky lately. Very pleased.

Nutrition:
I weighed 183.6 this morning.

Fri 4/5 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(85#DBIncline)6,6,6,6,5 Great - Rep PR!
(CGPullups)6,6,8,10,8 Good
(155#Bench)4x8 WTF! Sucked
(125#T-bar)4x8
(55#IsoIncline)3x10
(90#IsoRow)3x10
(145#CGBP)7,6,6
(150#TriPushDn)10/+3,3,3,3
51mins +10 w/u + 14 c/d = 75mins total

DB incline was really good and I got the 6th rep on 4th set that I didn't quite get on my previous best. I didn't even attempt a 6th rep on 5th set. It wouldn't have been close. I wasn't really feeling "up" for this WO either and really was just considering doing 5x5, but glad I pushed it a bit. Close grip pullups were good, but I got a little overzealous on the 4th set. I should have just done 5x7/8.(20mins)

I've been stuck on chest press and have been wanting to get back to flat bench, so I decided to do it today. I was expecting 5x10 fairly easy at this weight. Boy was I wrong. 4x8 was tough. It was after heavy incline, but still. This isn't much better than my close grip bench work for tri's, later in the WO! REALLY gotta work on this! T-bar was good.  I ate low carbs yesterday, and I could tell energy was falling off here.(14/34mins)

Iso incline was good and I bumped up the weight during 1st set. Still love iso rows, but gotta do some seated rows soon.(9/43mins)

Close grip bench was pretty good, but tri's dying by this point. Notice how this is only 10#'s lighter than bench, and done later in the WO. (5/48mins).  Finished off with myo-rep set of tri pushdowns that felt good, but heavy. I was going to do skull crushers again, but someone was using the EZ bar.(3/51mins)

Overall very pleased with this WO. Great incline, and identified something I really need to start working on - flat BB bench. I might have to start using that as my first focused movement, but it's going to be tough making a ton of progress on a cut.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.6 this morning. Thought I'd be lower with significantly reduced carbs yesterday. Normally when I cut carbs, I drop 3-4 lbs (water) quickly.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	276	273	56	2,651
	Calories	1104	1093	504	2,701
	Percent	41%	40%	19%	`

Thu 4/4 - Abs. Just abs.

Workout: (Small Sprint Gym)
(CaptChairLegRaise)4x12
(TortureTwist)4x12
(BallPike)4x12
(LyingLegRaise)4x12
(60#CableCrunch)4x12
(25#RussianTwist)4x1
(1minPlank)4x1min
4 circuits x 8mins each
32mins work + 15w/u + 16c/d = 63 total.

I was itching to do something workout-wise today, but I'm feeling pretty beat up, especially legs, so a full body circuit was out. I decided to just do an abs circuit. Just kind of threw together a lot of the exercises I've done in the past, and am still doing currently into a routine. Some of these got very difficult to get 12 reps on the 3rd and 4th go-around.

To be honest, I think focusing on a couple heavy sets of a couple movements is just as effective, but this got me moving for 32 mins of work. Each circuit took about 6.5-7mins of basically continual work and then I rested until 8 mins hit and started the next cycle. I warmed up on the TM for 15 mins and cooled down for 16. There were a couple of exercises that I did 15+ reps on during various sets, but basically all 4x12.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.0 this morning. Higher than I wanted, but what I expected when weight was high last night. Good clean nutrition day. Low carbs (veggies only).

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	236	88	44	1,671
	Calories	946	351	392	1,689
	Percent	56%	21%	23%	`

Wed 4/3 - GBR Lower + shoulders

Workout: (Fitness First)
(FrontSquat)95x10,135x6,165x5,175x5,5,5,5 - Weight bump - Good
(LegPress)8plates 4x10, 4plates 1x20 V. Good
(245#SLDL)4x8
(105#OHP)7,7,6,6
(45#HammerCurl)4x7 Weight bump
(75#LegCurl)3x10
(90#RearDelt)3x10
58mins
+10 w/u + 6 c/d = 74mins total

Knees weren't feeling great this morning, but decided I'd better try to stick to the plan.  Left knee bothered me a bit throughout squats, but not enough to stop, and I went ahead and bumped up the weight. Very good work. Tough.(20mins)

I was thinking about wussing out and doing 2 heavy sets of leg press and then two lighter, higher rep sets. Glad I didn't give in. I did all the heavy one's and they were good. The extra set of 20 was brutal and legs were burning.  SLDL was good, but grip became an issue at the end of the last set.(21/41mins)

I decided to add shoulders to lower day because I just don't have time on upper days...a programming issue I'm going to have to find a better solution for.  OHP was good, but I stopped at 4 sets instead of the planned 5. Combo'd them with curls, up a weight.(11/52mins)

I wanted to do some hamstring work because quads get hid much harder in squats, and especially leg press so I don't want to create a huge leg imbalance. Combo's them with rear delts for shoulder health.(6/58mins)

Great WO, but an odd combo of movements.  Hope my knees aren't going to start acting up again. I'll probably give them an extra day rest after today.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.2 this morning. Good nutrition day, but weight is relatively high this evening.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	258	207	43	2,245
	Calories	1032	828	384	2,243
	Percent	46%	37%	17%	`

Tue 4/2 - GBR Upper

Mon 4/1 - Rest
Nutrition:
I weighed 184.0 this morning. Good nutrition day. Starting a moderate cut.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	241	147	43	1,940
	Calories	965	587	385	1,937
	Percent	50%	30%	20%	`

Tue 4/2 - GBR Upepr
Workout: (Fitness First)
(85#DBIncline)6,6,5,5,5
(Pullups)6,6,6,6,9
(50#IsoIncline)4x11
(125#T-Bar)4x8
(95#ChestPress)3x6
(90#IsoRow)3x10 V. good
(145#CGBP)3x7 V. good
(40#Curl)3x9
(50#SkullCrusher)10,8 Good
(165#CableCrunch)15/+5,5,5,5
54mins
+5 w/u + 18 c/d = 77mins total

DB incline was good, but I lost 2 reps from last WO. Same with pullups, but still good work on both.(18mins)

Decided to do higher rep iso incline and these felt good. 4 sets was probably overkill, but I wanted to do 4 sets of t-bar, so figured I'd keep it balanced.(12/30mins)

Chest press was hard. Tri's feeling it after all the pressing already done. Iso rows were good. Need to do some seated cable rows soon.(10/40mins)

Close grip bench was good, even though I lost reps. I think due to all the pressing already done. Combo'd this with curls.(10/50mins)

Finished off with 2 sets of skull crushers. Tri's were done, but liking this exercise. A little tough on elbows.(4/54mins). I cooled down on the TM and then did a myo-rep set of cable crunches at the lat pulldown.

Good WO. Nothing really noteworthy, but good work.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.4 this morning. Had Chipotle and some Sweet Frog, but still good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	240	217	51	2,290
	Calories	961	866	455	2,282
	Percent	42%	38%	20%	`