Ready...Set-y...Spaghetti!

[Spaghetti]

2020/09/05

• BW: 83.3kg
• SLEEP: finally some cool temps in the evening but it's starting to warm back up again
• DIET: have to take time off from tracking calories, my calorie limit somehow became my calorie minimum
• PHYSICAL: ehh okayish
• MENTAL: mostly anxious

AtS 2.0 Vanilla, 5x, W8
Main + Auxilary exercises

• Exercise	Squat	Bench	Deadlift	OHP	Zercher Squat	Paused Squat	CGBP	Incline Press	RDL	Push Press
  Sets +/- Threshold	+6 sets	+5 sets	+6 sets	+4 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets

Back + Accessories exercises

• Pull-ups replaced with v-grip pulldowns (5x10, 3x/wk)
• Pendlay rows replaced with seated cable row (5x10, 2x/wk)
• Curl volume reduced (12->8 sets/wk) while arms get used to the rowing machine
• Futzing around with yoga/stretching routines

Cardio

• 2km and 5km sessions on the rowing machine

Notes

• My brain considers a "deload" as a "no need to work out"-load, just skipped the last day of the deload
• Back exercises were changed around, mostly for variety
• I can't seem to find a yoga/flexibility video that I gel with, might as well try to make up my own routine

[Spaghetti]

2020/09/14

• BW: 83.8kg
• SLEEP: random heat wave killed my sleep for most of the week
• DIET: haha, nope, tried to eat my way to recovery, didn't work
• PHYSICAL: miserable
• MENTAL: surprisingly okay

AtS 2.0 Vanilla, 5x, W9
Main + Auxilary exercises

• Exercise	Squat	Bench	Deadlift	OHP	Zercher Squat	Paused Squat	CGBP	Incline Press	RDL	Push Press
  Sets +/- Threshold	+5 sets	+2 sets	+6 sets	+2 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+6 sets	+1 sets	+1 sets	+6 sets

Back + Accessories exercises

• Ehh nothing to add, just cranking out those pulldowns and cable rows

Cardio

• Nothing, too hot in the first half of the week and too stiff in the second half

Notes

• Really bad recovery for week 9 because I couldn't get a lick of sleep when the room was 85 degrees for several days. A ton of DOMS going on and a ton of weird little pains (maybe doms) in the shoulders and neck also going on.
• Just did the minimum for the last day (incline press and rdl day) and called it a day. Taking a few extra days off to let the stiff neck finally go away.

[Spaghetti]

2020/09/23

• BW: 84.6kg
• SLEEP: I just want a normal sleep schedule dammit!
• DIET: Much better compared to previous weeks
• PHYSICAL: Okayish
• MENTAL: rollercoaster

AtS 2.0 Vanilla, 5x, W10
Main + Auxiliary exercises

• Exercise	Squat	Bench	Deadlift	OHP	Zercher Squat	Paused Squat	CGBP	Incline Press	RDL	Push Press
  Sets +/- Threshold	+2 sets	+3 sets	+2 sets	+1 sets	+2 sets	+2 sets	+2 sets	+0 sets	+8 sets	+2 sets

Back + Accessories exercises

• Added in a few sets of tricep isolations and some lateral raises

Cardio

• Nothing, poor recovery from poor sleep

Notes

• Miserable sleep continues with a random bout of insomnia at the start of week 10 and I haven't been able to get back to the regular schedule!
• Sets capped at +2 over threshold (except for bench and ohp) to help with recovery.
• I did week 11 day 1 today. It did not go well. But I also hate back squats with a burning passion; probably should actively working on mobility stuff so I can do front squats...

[Spaghetti]

2020/10/02

• BW: 84.8kg
• SLEEP: Slowing getting back into a normal pattern after 2-3 weeks of miserable weirdness
• DIET: Average
• PHYSICAL: Really weird
• MENTAL: Average

AtS 2.0 Vanilla, 5x, W11
Main + Auxiliary exercises

• Exercise	Squat	Bench	Deadlift	OHP	Zercher Squat	Paused Squat	CGBP	Incline Press	RDL	Push Press
  Sets +/- Threshold	+0 sets	+0 sets	+0 sets	+0 sets	+2 sets	+2 sets	+1 sets	+0 sets	+2 sets	+2 sets

Back + Accessories exercises

• Nothing much to add, still doing pulldowns, cable rows, arm stuff

Cardio

• Nothing

Notes

• Sleep is finally getting back to a normal schedule after a weird 2-3 weeks
• Felt way more recovered EXCEPT once I started working out, I gassed out really quick. We did have a weird sickness run through the household over the weekend. I felt "off" and any conditioning just disappeared, while other family members had some chills and muscle aches; no one had a fever nor poor SpO2 numbers nor had their taste or smell disappear. It started Friday, peaked Sunday (when testing was closed), practically disappeared on Monday, so we never did bother with getting tested.
• Gonna start hypertrophy AtS2 template after week 14 in vanilla. I got some muscle gains from block 1 of the vanilla version, but not much from block 2, and Lord knows this desk jockey needs a lot more muscle.

[Spaghetti]

2020/10/08

• BW: 83.7kg
• SLEEP: Halfway back to normal
• DIET: Average
• PHYSICAL: HA! NOPE! Maybe even got the 'rona...
• MENTAL: Bad

Notes

• Looks like the poor sleep finally caught up to me. I'm not sure if I got sick with something new or whatever was going around at home a couple weeks ago decided to make a comeback. Not sure if it's corona or just a random cold that's been making the rounds (according to some nurse friends). The symptoms are more annoying than debilitating in contrast with everyone else that I know had corona, they all seemed much more miserable. I have some of my taste, but can barely smell anything. My nostrils feel raw and sensitive, but that tends to be a common cold symptom for me and usually only when I'm a few days past the peak of sickness.
• The most annoying symptom is that I'm getting quickly gassed if I attempt to workout. It's way worse than it has been like moving plates around has me huffing and puffing. SpO2 measures out okay though.
• Because of the sickness thing and since I was planning to stop at W14 anyway, I'm ending the AtS2 Vanilla run early. Tried starting week 12 earlier this week but it just wasn't happening. After recovering, the plan is to run the AtS2 hypertrophy template ... maybe...
• As for the AtS2 Vanilla run, until my sleep got seriously messed up, everything was progressing smoothly. I went from 6-8hrs of sleep a day to sleeping 3-4hrs a day at best. Progress stopped immediately. I plan to run again in the future, but this perpetual desk jockey needs actual muscle first. Dem stubborn skinny arms ain't pressing much...

Final Results @ End of W11 AtS 2.0 Vanilla, 5x

	Starting ES PR	Ending ES PR	Starting TM	Ending TM
Squat	93kg x5	103kg x2 (RIR 2, 8 sets)	85kg	125kg
Bench	68kg x5	72kg x2 (RIR 2, 9 sets)	60kg	86kg
Deadlift	111kg x1	124kg x2 (RIR 2, 8 sets)	105kg	148kg
OHP	41kg x1	46kg x2 (RIR 2, 7 sets)	40kg	55kg

[Spaghetti]

Finishing up the first meso for the AtS 2.0 hypertrophy template (5 day version):

Conditioning

• COVID killed my conditioning. What used to be a 3-5min rest between sets now became a >10min rest and I'd gas out long before my muscles would get tired. Work capacity and general recovery also got hit hard.
• Doing some light zone 2 / LISS type cardio (cycling on a trainer) for 15-30min a few times a week has brought rest times down to 5-7min though I'm still kind of gassing out first.
• I'm abstaining from any sustained high intensity cardio/conditioning for a while, just in case if COVID left a nasty surprise for me to find.

Exercises

• Main and aux: high bar squat, front squat, zercher squat, deadlift, RDL, bench press, db bench press, landmine press, overhead press, and push press
  • For most exercises, the starting TM was -10% from the ending TM for AtS 2.0 vanilla at week 11 (I was planning to go to week 14, but those remaining three weeks were taken up by the virus)
  • Except for the "shock" from the first two weeks, most TMs have been steadily increasing 0.5%-1% per week
  • Mobility work continues for the front squat. I'm currently stuck on trying, unsuccessfully, to increase my shoulders' internal and external rotation ROM. Most of the common exercises and stretches just seem to reduce the ROM
• Accessories: alternating back exercises, arms, leg curls, and facepulls. Volumes are super low, about 2 sets per week per exercise for now, while I rebuild my work capacity.

Progress

• Most of the visible changes are super subtle, you wouldn't be able to tell at all between a before and after. But I can definitely feel the changes and the tape shows positive some changes.
• I'm running between a slight deficit and maintenance and lost a 0.5-1in off the waist while keeping weight steady.

Next Meso

• Hopefully I can finally get enough shoulder ROM for a solid front rack. I'm hoping some easy yin/restorative yoga does the trick and gets me more flexible as well.
• Try out a super quick morning routine for some core and posture work aka do the work my physio told me I should be doing.
• Increase light cardio from 1hr/wk to 2hr/wk.

[Spaghetti]

Finishing up the second meso for the Strongerbyscience 2.0 hypertrophy template (5 day version) (round one of three):

Progress

• Set rest times mostly back to normal, though super-setting is still impossible. Smell and taste seem like they're finally 100% back, only took three months.
• Weight still around the same compared to W6D5. I think the recomp is going okay-ish, both the tape and calipers are starting to show decreasing bodyfat.
• Lots of sleep issues for the majority of this meso, poor sleep quality for most of the week with insomnia (I think it's all stress related) at least once a week. Because of this, cardio and yoga have been put on hold so I can save the effort for lifting.
• The training maxes increased at a faster but steady 1-1.5% per week and most lifts are about to overcome the -10% drop from the Vanilla ending TM. Bench has already surpassed it.
• Dips are slowly becoming a useful exercise, previously shoulders have always felt unstable when doing them, now everything feels more solid as long as I stop around 90deg for the elbows.
• Headaches and neckaches due to sleeping wrong have practically disappeared after incorporating trap raises into the face pull movement (Athleanx's facefull variations video).
• I still hate squats. And my front rack mobility has hit a plateau; the common fixes for poor shoulder external rotation ROM ain't helping.

Next Meso

• Attempt to fix at least some of sleep issues, though I don't think it'll work until I go back to work and be forced into a sleep schedule. It's way too easy to stay up or sleep in when you know that you don't really have to wake at a specific time.

[Spaghetti]

2021/02/19
Final Results @ End of W17 SBS Hypertrophy Template (formerly AtS2.0), 5x

(Ending early due because recovery went down the toilet starting early January and nothing (more calories, less volume, multiple deloads) fixed it. It seems to be life-stress related and my mental health has not been good at all for a while now.)

	Starting TM	Ending TM	Rough Rep Maxes
Squat	112kg	125kg (+0kg)	95kg x 11
Bench	77kg	89kg (+3kg)	68kg x 12
Deadlift	133kg	149kg (+1kg)	119kg x 10
OHP	49kg	53kg (-2kg)	41kg x 11

BW: 83.7kg -> 86.4kg | Starting TMs were Vanilla ending TMs minus 10%; number in parentheses in "Ending TM" is the change from Vanilla Ending TM

Notes

• I thought I was going to get all the way through the program, but everything finally started to collapse this week. I've been having recovery issues since early January and nothing seemed to work (more calories, less volume, multiple deloads). I think because of life-stress issues and ongoing sleep problems, my brain is basically "let's go work out" and once I start, it says "ehh, never mind, don't feel like it."
• Except for that weirdness at the end, everything felt sustainable for the long haul even while trying to recomp.
• As expected, body measurements and pics aren't showing any large changes, but I've definitely feeling much more solid muscle and less fat in most places.
• Although the ending TMs were the same as for Vanilla, I'm getting way more reps at similar working weights as Vanilla.
• Diet was stable enough for long enough for me to experiment with it, discovered that I can have a few hundred more calories without causing my waist to expand.

Next Steps

• Take a 2-4 week break from lifting programs while I let the life stress resolve and dissipate. Fixing sleep is a different story, actively trying to fix my sleep just makes it worse...
• Embrace the 2-4 weeks of fuckarounditis, try random shit, do some conditioning...
• Decide whether to continue with another round of the hypertrophy template, make large changes via program builder, or do a completely different program...

[Spaghetti]

Randomly decided to test some "safe 1RMs" (recent e1RMs - 10%, but push beyond that if it feels safe). No low rep or singles practice and not in a good enough mental state to try for an AMRAP set.

"Safe 1RMs" @ 86.2kg/190lb - 2021/02/22
Squat: 127kg (131kg e1RM)
Bench: 88kg (93kg e1RM)
Deadlift: 140kg (160kg e1RM) - I was hoping for 150kg but right ham went nuts at 140kg (tweaked it a couple weeks ago) so I just left it there
OHP: 53kg (56kg e1RM)

[Spaghetti]

Random-ish training while I recover from burnout issues from non-workout related causes. I got the mental space to workout but not to stick to a program, so I'm just gonna focus on reducing rest times, mind muscle connection, bro stuff, and some form issues (front rack and some annoying weird ass shoulder clicking during curls because my elbow is being stupid)

2021/02/23 - 86.3kg
Front squat: 60kg: 10,10,10,10 (first set finally had a "good enough" front rack w/ hands fully on the bar, remaining 3 sets used straps)
DB Bench: 50lb: 10,10,10,7
Neutral Grip Pullup: +6kg: 4,4
Cable Crossover (L2H): 3kg: 10,10
Wide Grip Cable Row: 50kg: 12,12
Ab wheel (elevated): 7,7
DB Con Curl (left only): 20lb: 10,8

-----

2021/02/24 - 86.5kg
Bench Press: 60kg: 10,10,10,6
Deadlift: 110kg: 4,4,4,4 (similar progression as in SBS base)
Neutral Grip Pullup: +6kg: 4,4
V-Grip Lat Pulldown: 61kg: 8,8
Leg Extension: 30kg: 12,12
EZ Bar Curls: 55lb: 11,7
Cable Crossover (L2H): 3kg: 8,8,8,8
Leg Raises: 4,4

-----

2021/02/25 - 86.2kg
DXA Scan - 24.6% BF - 46lb fat tissue, 136.2lb lean tissue, 6.8lb bone mineral content
Looks like it's prudent to continue with maintenance or a slight cut, plus my waist is still only just an inch away from needing new pants if I were to bulk. The good news is that my diet is slowly being refined, my appetitie has also dropped down to a more reasonable level and it is tracking much better with activity compared to a year ago.