Optimass

[Optimass]

Chest today ....

Flat d/b press warmup shoulders 3 sets with front raise with a 10kg plate between.

Incline Machine press - 5 sets / final set failure 10 reps @ 250lbs

Flat Bench / B/b - 3 sets / final set 7 reps 140kg > bit stronger than last week.

D/b flyes 4 sets / final set 10 reps @ 30kg d/b

D/b Pullover 2 sets @ 52.5kg 12 reps (elbows very sore on this so will give it a miss for a couple of weeks)..

d/b curls 4 sets / final set 25 kg 12 reps ea

straigh b/b wrist curl X superset with reverse bicep curl 2 sets 12 reps each 30kg b/b

30 minute treadmill same setting as yesterday.

END

Stopped by the mad butcher on the way home 8kg of chicken breast 2 kg of rump .... :grin:

Nutro same as plan for last week - weekly cheat meal tonight :clap: --

Cheat meal =

8 large Fish cakes (2 large potatos + 1 large kumara + 400g Fish)

Apple pie - Custard

\:D/

[poos_n_wees]

Cheat meal =

8 large Fish cakes (2 large potatos + 1 large kumara + 400g Fish)

Apple pie - Custard

[Optimass]

:evil: weigh in tonight 114kg :?

Have officially hit a sticking point - normally happens at 105kg so need to mix it up a bit this week. Leg session tonight was quite a change from the norm and should do the trick. Sacrificed the power for reps ... and should make the difference and allow me to get back to heavy again next week. Body just likes being this size so the fun and games of fighting my endomorph roots begins. I have found sticking points at 105kg have shown to be a transition point where my muscle measures maintain but waist continues to taper so it's probably (hopefully) a bit of transference. I have switched to chicken this week in any case so should get the drop going again by the end of the week - on that note if its just plain old water retention the switch to chicken will definately show improvement.

Tonights Workout,

Reverse Lunges 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 50kg (feel the glutes)

Leg press 2 x 50 rep sets @ 120kg (burning)

Leg Extension 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 150lbs (not very nice after leg press)

concentration leg curl 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 120lbs

Standing calf raise 3 sets / final set full stack (slow eccentri / double concentric single pump with 30 pulse reps in last 30% range of motion to finish each set) :puke:

30 minute cardio -

3 sets leg raises and decline crunches to end.

.................

[Optimass]

Have had a full on couple of days with work but got a train in on Thursday night -

Shoulders / Tricep

Front raise / side raises 10kg plate superset 12 reps each x 3 sets ... warmup shoulder

Hammer Strength Shoulder press: 4 sets / final set 50kg 10 reps

upright row / cable - 3 sets / finals set full stack 12 reps

Shrug ... B/Bell: 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 220kg

Rear delt machine - 2 sets 120lbs 15 reps.

Cardio 30 minutes and some feg raises to finish.

.............

Went out for dinner last night with some friends we hadn't seen for a while > had to do the cheat meal then so Green chicken curry on white rice .... has been a bit tough cutting back the carbs today but all good and well.

I weighed in at 114.8kg on Thursday night before shoulders.. this is after dropping carbs out to near nil and busting in the cardio and loading the water .... have experienced this in the past and just have to put it down to muscle responding well to the training. On the upside I have to go out tomorrow and buy a few things to wear as my clothes are very loose now around the waist. May need a few larger t-shirts too as was hard to get a good fit last night when we were heading out.

Training tomorrow will be back with Chest scheduled for Monday.

[poos_n_wees]

I weighed in at 114.8kg on Thursday night before shoulders.. this is after dropping carbs out to near nil and busting in the cardio and loading the water .... have experienced this in the past and just have to put it down to muscle responding well to the training. On the upside I have to go out tomorrow and buy a few things to wear as my clothes are very loose now around the waist. May need a few larger t-shirts too as was hard to get a good fit last night when we were heading out.

\:D/ Sounds like your hard work is paying off.. keep up the good work!

[Optimass]

Back last night - Just a quicky

Latpulldown 4 sets / final set full stack @ 12 reps

Dead Lifts 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 180kg

Hammers Strength seatted row 4 sets finals set 12 reps @ 55kg ea

25 minutes cardio

Ab machine to finish.

....

Weigh in last night 113kg finally broke the sticking point :clap:

Chest and bicep tonight .....

Feeling really good about tonights workout > amped :nod:

[Optimass]

Chest and biceps

Mixing it up to night ... lots more reps than last week. Should keep the excess weight in decline.

flat d/b press 3 supersets with front raise. Not working sets - i need to maintain the condition in my shoulders now. In the past I have had real trouble with pain in my shoulders around previous injuries (rotator). So to minimise this I'll be doing some light movements like this to pump some blood into the shoulders before I hit off my working sets.

Flat B/B bench: 4 sets / final set 10 reps @ 140kg (7 then rest pause with 3 to finish)

Incline d/b press / superset with d/b Flyes: 4 sets / final set 10reps @ 42.5kg and 12 reps @ 25kg.

Decline bench on Smith: Giantset / Pyramid with 10 second rest pauses between .... 12 reps @ 60kg / 12 reps @ 70kg / 12 reps @ 80kg / 8 reps @ 90kg / 8 reps @ 80kg / 10 reps @ 70kg / 12 reps @ 60kg

Chest was pumped to say the least.

standing Bicep curls: 4 sets / finals set failure 12 reps @ 30kg

bicep machine curl: 3 sets final set 12 reps @ 90lbs

30 minute cardio to finish

Abs: horizontal leg raise / decline crunches

ENd

Nutro: Have added an extra 2 Tbl Peanut butter 20 minutes before a workout which is helping considerably with energy to train.

10 egg whites + 3 yolks

50g Whey shake + 2 Tbl Peanut butter

250g Chicken breast + 6g Fish oil

Pre training = 2 Tbl Peanut Butter

Post Training = 50g Protein Shake

250g Chicken breast + 6g fish Oil + 1 cup Steamed Brocoli

10 egg white + 3 yolks

Water in good supply - note right through this transformation only have used WPC with water (no milk).

Tomorrow is legs ....

[Optimass]

No Legs today ... tomorrow instead ... was daddy day care tonight

So will leave you with a great song ... and motivating picutres ... Kevin rocks!

[thatwaslight]

kevin is f**king awesome, when are you gunna post some more pics mate?

[Optimass]

kevin is f**king awesome, when are you gunna post some more pics mate?

6 weeks ... end of reset. I should be around 108kg at a workable b/fat level (est 12%ish) to start a clean bulk through to March/April next year. In looking back at my shots taken 6 weeks ago kind of set in a reality check as to my conditioning. in taking a full year off my fluid and fat levels had changed significantly. I'll need 6 more weeks to iron out the last of my ab.

...

have been following kevins blog - see Polumbo called him out on a drug test and he agreed. Goes to show you never fully lose your muscle as kevins muscle volume has come up considerably in the last 3 weeks.

[Optimass]

Well - dazed and confused .... thats how I'm feeling today.

Energy has dropped really low on the back of a very sedentry week. Work commitments interupted things this week so today was my first day in the gym since last Monday. workout was piss poor so i'm not even going to post it -- legs - lots of reps and I'm sure Jo Stewart has broken the leg press again this week

The good news is my weigh in tonight is 111.9kg, so another consistant drop.

Journal summary ...

All up I have been back from the gym for 11 weeks total after a full year off. May 11th start. I spent the first 5 weeks going straight into a quick bulk which saw me increase from 113kg to 118kg. (+5kg)

On June 23rd I started my keto diet. My weigh in the day before was 117.4kg (116.9 end of first day no carbs).

So thats a 5kg drop in just under 6 weeks - which is pretty much what I was wanting - (Anything over 1kg a week would be high risk of damaging muscle).

At about week 3-4 my body hit a sticking point (114kg) which broke finally a fortnight ago after throwing in some higher rep days and extending my cardios (x2 - 3 per week) out to 30 minutes. As a result I'm convinced I haven't lost any LBM but it does suggest I may have probably gained. (Which wouldn't be too far fetched due to the time away and the body having a fresh start).

My waist has come in a good amount but not enough to form my lower abs just yet - top 4 are clear - arms and legs showing good veinage and starting to see seperation in delts, hammys and chest now.

My trip to bali is now 6 weeks away and my goal was to get to 108kg ---->

6 weeks = need to lose 3kg which based on the results above would be easy. However, I want to drop to 105kg if I can by the 30th August and then will re introduce the carbs slightly to bring my self up to 108kg by the 3rd.

Supplements used so far during cut;

Multivitamin

WPC Whey

Fish Oil

.........................................

I still don't think I'm going to be satisfied with my bfat at 108kg but will take two weeks of the nutro plan whilst I'm in bali with friends and then assess where I'm at and my game plan for next year. I'll be training at Ardis gym in Kuta ... 4 day schedule while I'm away ... and eating lots of local seafood/rice/noodles and drink the local beverages. I probably wont put on too much bfat while I'm away given the nightlife is great and ephidrine is over the counter there \:D/

.............................................

I would like to thank the Warehouse for supplying a great crunchy peanut butter - with out which I probably would have imploded by now.

CHEAT MEAL TONIGHT :grin:

My mother in law is making:

Corned beef / kumara-potato-pumpkin mash / there will probably be some greens but may be not enough room left on my plate :pfft: (Will have to have 2 i guess :nod: ) Then I'm going to indulge in a home made lemon steamed pudding with low fat custard 8)

I will probably be bloated but I just don't care :clap:

[Optimass]

.... forgot the cheese sauce :pfft:

[poos_n_wees]

YUM! Enjoy the cheat meal tonight :nod: Sounds delish.

[Bobsta]

Optimass I hope now that you're a mod, you wont be too busy to continue doing your journal

[Luigi]

yea been a while since we seen a workout in here !

[Optimass]

nope - i'm still here ....

2 day managers forum ... going to be a tight couple of months at work but will update as per the norm.

Was caught a bit unawares today and left my whey at home and my middle meal so had to resort to human food for the whole day. Will be back on the eggs and nuts tomorrow for sure.

As a result by the time I got home from the meeting today I had put an inch on my chest ... looked like it anyway .... no more carbs now for the rest of the week. :evil:

Chest Bicep Monday night ... (weight 113.5kg - bit of water as intake a bit lower due to cold and flu ) .... in denile ...it wasn't the cheat meal, I know it wasn't :pray:

Flat d/b press 4 working sets / final set failure 10 reps at 57kg

Incline smith bench 4 sets / final set 10 reps (6x4 rest pause 10sec)

Pec Dec > 4 sets / final set failure 8 reps @ 250lbs

seated d/b curls 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 25kg d/b

END

HOME for a peppermint tea and a warm blanky.

Back tomorrow night provided my woman thing is o.k with it.

Update tomorrow.

[samoan_muscle]

Was caught a bit unawares today and left my whey at home...

Yeah I hate that...or cooking up a lot of chicken and leaving it in the fridge.

The whole food plan for the day seems to go out the window...and the local lunchbar starts looking like an option (jokes)...

[steak]

Impressive and inspirational journal :clap:

Thanks for a great read

[Optimass]

and the local lunchbar starts looking like an option (jokes)...

better to eat something than nothing though :grin: (thats how I would justify it :pfft: )

Impressive and inspirational journal :clap:

Thanks for a great read

Thanks ....

.............................................................

TODAYS Activity;

Well no chance of a workout today, as the last day of meetings went a bit later than expected - then got caught in the southern and north-western auto churn.

Will be in the club tomorrow night for sure.

Food today was better prepared;

10 egg whites + 3 yolks

50g Whey serve + 2 Tbl peanut butter

250g Beef + 1 cup green vegies + 6g fish oil

50g Whey serve + 2 Tbl peanut butter

10 egg whites + 3 yolks + 1 cup green veggies

50g Whey serve ....

.............

Energy good today - but should be after the carbs in last nights meal. Was a tapas menu which is good cause I could stick to the meats and cheeses mainly.

Flu is still lingering so may be another day isn't a bad thing.

END

[Optimass]

Forgot to add .... secured my place at the springs ....

:rockout:

Angus is swole :nod:

[gazza]

jealous!!! will be a hell of a concert :nod:

[Hennie]

Awesome log, nice to follow along

[Optimass]

jealous!!! will be a hell of a concert :nod:

Yeah - kind felt like it was one I will never get a chance to do again. Often have it blasting on the iPod during a workout.

Awesome log, nice to follow along

Thanks Hennie - trying to be as transparent as possible.

...................

Back training tonight as semi-planned.

Seated row 4 sets / final set failure 8 reps @ 255lbs (stack)

tried some chins tonight but my elbow failed on the 5th rep so will have to wait until I get a bit lighter - :doh:

Unilateral Lat pulldown 4 sets / Final set 8 reps at 255lbs (stack)

Deadlifts 4 sets / final set 8 reps @ 180kg (finished comfortably)

Deadlift 1RM 220kg - failed :x 35% but stalled and couldn't snap it through the mid point as my posture changed. I'm going to get it next week :nod:

One arm row - holding the TBAR pin 3 sets / final set 8 reps @ 60kg

Cardio 25min finsih.

..............

Food back to the norm now - ate a bit lighter today though

10 egg whites 3 yolks

50g shake + 2 Tbl peanut butter

250g Chciken and a tin of plain mushrooms (<1g fat/carb and protein)

50g WPC + 2 Tbl peanut butter

325g smoked fish + 1 cup of greens

50g whey serve

END

Weigh in tonight 113.4kg ( a high for a Thursday) - cardio tomorrow will initiate the drop after having carbs Sunday and Tuesday this week. Flu is still there but seems to be loosening up now.

i have a cut on one of my gums that is stinging with the peanut butter so its helping supress the need to eat :pfft: - energy is really good though. I'm expecting tomorrow to be a bit more of a challenge based on the load I went through in tonights workout.

Tomorrow will be Shoulders/Tricep time permitting otherwise just a cardio. I have the weekend off so I'm planning to take advantage and get through the whole body cycle - so Legs on Sunday is probable.

END

[Old Bull]

Deadlift 1RM 220kg - failed :x 35% but stalled and couldn't snap it through the mid point as my posture changed. I'm going to get it next week :nod:

Good work ethic Optimass

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Optimass]

Thanks OB - nothing worse than knowing you can lift a weight and your brain jams the signal to the body.

............

Shoulders and Triceps this morning:

Warmup - i do do this sometimes :pfft:

Front raise supersets with lateral raise 12kg d/b 12x12reps for 2 sets

20kg plate 2 sets 20reps.

...........

Hammer strength shoulder press 4 sets / final set 8 reps @ 60kgx2

Shrugs B/B 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 220kg

Rear Delt maching 3 sets / final set 12 reps @ 150lbs > just taking easy as did back the other day and my neck was a bit tender from sleeping a bit crooked that night.

Reverse one arm tricep pulldown 4 sets / final set 12 reps @ 48lbs (elbows a bit tender still but the pain is significantly less than a fortnight ago).

Close grip machine bench 4 sets / final set 10 reps @ 255lbs

ENd

Will be doing cardio tonight - 30 minutes walk out side. Weather permitting.

Nutro is still to plan although yesterday I had to improvise a bit as I couldn't get out of the office to get some solid protein. End result I stopped at the Mad butcher on the way home and stocked up on red meat and some chicken - and demolished a 400g steak when I got home - follow by another 200g 3 hours later.

The great thing about trainng at different times is you bump into people that only see you once per week. I had had a few members this morning comment on how lean I'm looking which was a boost to my confidence.

I also did a bit of posing at the end of my training and can see full seperation in my hammies > one of my favorite body parts. I wish my legs were shorter though,as I still think they look like twigs. (Legs thick like Bobsta )

Body dysmorphia - the one issue that sneaks back in when I'm drop weight. It's constantly there but I can better manage it when I'm heavier on the scale - seem to be able to justfy my size better subconciously. Tradgic really as most bbuilders try for years to get over 100kg and I'm not satisfied at 112kg :doh: (I'm not actually satisfied under 120kg but the older I get the more I would rather be leaner than have just overall bulk). At 130kg I feel too fat but I'm strong as so I can handle it there but only for short periods.

If I can make it to 120kg / 10 - 12%bfat I think for my height this is where my brain would be most comfortable. (Although I'm not certain)

Anyway - tomorrow will be legs as planned - cheat meal tomorrow :clap: not sure what it will be at this stage ... weigh in today 111.4kg so on target > tomorrow should be 110.8kg as the last of the glucose in my body burns away.