Atlas13 Is back. Let’s Get To Work

BBQ culture in the US can get intense, but the end result is good BBQ all over, which is never a bad thing, haha.

@atlas13 That would be fantastic to have you dude! We do have some pretty clutch gyms around, but you come over to casa de’ Pwnisher and it’ll be different, haha.

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I feel like this offer should come with a signed waiver and serious health warning. Still makes me wish I didn’t live on the other side of this rock.

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HSM for today. Pan seared salmon over a bed of mash potatoes, covered in a butter cream sauce. Figure my protein is pretty well covered, so wanted to get in some calories while also loading up the healthy fats. Also had a handful of grapes with this.

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damn that looks good.

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I have no shame to say I literally licked the plate.

Also, I need to make potatoes more often. I forgot how filling they are for how low calorie, even when I add some sour cream for texture

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Work for today: 531 c5w3d1

Bench; 45x10, 135x5, 155x5, 185x5, 200x5
FSL: 155x5, 155x5, 155x5, 155x5, 155x5
15 Blue band pull aparts btwn all sets

Chest support T bar row (seat 1 hole showing): 45x10, 55x10, 65x10, 75x9.5

Incline bench: 135x8, 135x8, 135x8, 135x9

Lat pulldown: 90x12, 130x10, 150x10, 165x10, 180x6

Hammer curl: 20x12, 25x10+2alt, 25x8+4alt, 35x7alt+15x9

Tricep machine: 70x12, 70x12,

Conditioning: 1 mile run: 7:40

Notes:

  • bench went fine.
  • rows felt awesome. Played around with the setup, going lighter, controlled tempo, can really stretch out my lats. Always gives me more bang for my buck on back work. Only counting weight loaded, not whatever the machine handle adds.
  • idk why incline bench feels better than regular, especially given the jancky incline bench we have at this gym, but it does.
  • alright, no more running excuses, I know I hate it, but I need it.

AM weight: 223.3

More notes to follow later

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Alrighty, as promised, more notes.

  • Just got notice that my strongman competition is canceled. Not sure why, I know a decent amount of people who had signed up for it. Pretty disappointed, I was honestly excited to compete in something again.
  • so, time to adapt. Need a new goal. Looked around, no other shows in reasonable distance coming up during I time when I won’t be at sea. (Incidentally, one cool one happening while I will be. Unfortunate.) So, I need a new goal.
  • i spent 5 months bulking, spent the last two pretty much maintaining weight while pushing some strength goals. (Minus bench since it hates me). I think now, without the comp, it’s time to cut. Installed out around 205 last time after a drastic weight loss, pushing for closer to 185-190 this time. Wanting to maintain strength and push conditioning during this time, will start working on some other goals once I’ve achieved the goal weight.
  • sticking with 531 throughout the cut. 5s pro with FSL for the foreseeable future, as I just respond well to it.
  • I didn’t plan for the Velocity diet to lose weight…. But the timing sure worked out well. Definitely sticking with that for the next few weeks. Traveling the first week of June for a fly fishing trip up in Colorado with some old friends, not going to worry at all about diet then, but otherwise I’m planning pretty strict compliance.
  • on the velocity diet note, this is surprisingly easier than I thought it would be lol. With how much I work, I can honestly go until dinner without eating pretty easily just because I’m busy, having the shakes is actually a very convenient way of getting calories in. Ik it’s only day 2, but I haven’t felt an ounce of hunger. Idk if that’s because of how much protein I constantly have in my system, or if I am just completely blowing myself out on the healthy solid meal without knowing it (which, I did track this out, so unless I messed up majorly it should just be around 600 cal). So, this seems pretty doable to me.
  • I do worry about not having enough fats. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I have definitely noticed some mood/fatigue issues if I don’t have enough fats in my diet, so I don’t want that. Trying to eat a lot of fat in my healthy meal. Planning lots of salmon, steak, olive oil in my cooking, avocado, just getting healthy fat sources in.
  • also making sure to eat meat every meal, not because I feel like I need the protein, but because my willpower will drop near instantly if I don’t eat something’s child at least daily.
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The weight drop sounds like a good plan, and definitely support trying to maintain as much strength as you get lighter.

Just a though regarding the bench press. I wonder if during your cut it might be a good time to do higher volume in this movement and treat it more like an old bodybuilding movement. Sets of 8-12 reps with decent weight and really working on that pump and burn. I really feel like the guys with a good solid bench all spent many years just doing sets and reps and building the base.
You could still run 5’s pro with the down sets at FSL weights but consider higher rep sets.

Good luck with it mate.

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Traveling the first week of June for a fly fishing trip up in Colorado

If you don’t mind me asking, what area / town will you be around? You might end up being close to me or hella far away haha

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Are you taking the Flameout with each shake? That helps assuage my concerns.

Glad to hear the experience has been positive so far. You’re a driven enough dude that even IF hunger was an issue I know you’d come out the other side, but it does work some sort of nutritional alchemy to stay satiated once that 20 minutes goes by. Being/staying busy helps as well, as you’ve noted.

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This is a huge one for me. If I’m actually heads down, working hard on something I rarely get hungry, I get 10 minutes of free time and it’s snack o’clock. Half the time I’ll just go for a short walk and by the time I’m halfway through, I’m mysteriously no longer “hungry”

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@simo74 I completely agree. Most my bench has ever blown up was when I was primarily doing multiple sets of 10 for the juggernaut programming. My body just digs the volume for bench. Definitely need to remember that moving forward.

@KonsuTheTraveller flying into Denver, then Breckenridge for the trip itself.

@T3hPwnisher I do take them with every feeding, but I still feel like that isn’t a TON of good fats, even if all the fats are pretty much ideal. Probably nothing to worry about, especially given it’s just a month, but my head doesn’t jive well with the idea of a pill being my nutrition source.

@heretolog you know, I think for me, I often miss eating more than I miss being full. If I’m busy enough to not think about it, I don’t really get Hunger cues. But If I go a while without something to occupy my time, my body translates that into “time to put something tasty in your mouth”

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plan on mate, play on

flying into Denver, then Breckenridge for the trip itself

Aw shit man that’s far as hell from me. I was thinking we could’ve linked up for a gym session together haha. You’ll love it here though, have you been to co before?

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I used to go every summer, had some family that lived in Denver. Every year we would do a weeklong backpacking trip, absolutely loved it. Toured around boulder and Estes park a lot, and rented out a little place in Lyons before. About the extent of my Denver experience.

Shame it’s far, it’s a big state. If you’re ever in VA, let me know, we could totally get in a lift!

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Dead tired, stupidly long work shift.

Came home, made dinner

I really do enjoy cooking, I just never have time. Easier to do with the velocity diet.

On that note, still no hunger issues. I actually think that psychologically, this jives with me. I wake up in the morning and pretty much bolt into work (or in todays case, bolt up yesterday morning and haven’t slept since), go full send all day at work just knocking things out left and right, just slamming some protein along the way in order to keep the wheels spinning, and then at the end of the day finally sit down and refuel with a big meal after a hard days work. Also, these have been pretty large meals, and my body has been on board, so I have no intention of changing that.

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Work for today: 531 c5w3d2

Squat: 45x10, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 260x5, 295x5
FSL: 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5

Hack squat: sled x5, 90x5, 180x3, 200x12, 200x9

RDL: 135x12, 165x12, 185x12, 215x10, 245x9

Superset;
GHD sit-up; 11, 11, 11, 10
Band Pull apart: 4xBx20

Conditioning: 400m intervals, 90s rest
8.0
8.3
8.6
8.9
9.2
9.5

Notes:

  • squats moved fine. Easy week. Slowed down my rep speed, stayed a lot tighter through these.
  • discovered how vital my stretching is before squats. Skipped it today since I’m running on empty rn, and felt like I was about to split in 2 that first set with the bar. Hips were freaking tight.
  • accessories all moved well. I can tell that I don’t have my usual carbs in me. Still feel strong, but not as “explosive” if that makes sense. I can grind just as well, but my power factor seems smaller.
  • running went well. I like intervals, because they trick me into starting. If I don’t want to run, I’ll tell myself “alright dude, just go do 2x400m to get something in today.” Then I do one and think “man, I’ve got another in me” and repeat until I hit what I told myself I needed to do before starting anyway lol

AM weight: 219.1

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Local grocery store has great discounts on meat every now and then, picked up some London broil for $2 per lb.

Roasted carrots, black beans, and red meat. Today is a good day

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Work for today: 531c5w3d3

Press; 45x10, 95x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x1
FSL: 135x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5

Lat pulldown: 80x10, 120x5, 160x12, 160x12, 160x12, 160x12

Inc chest press machine: 90x10, 140x10, 160x10, 180x10, 200x7

Legend chest support row: 90x12, 140x12, 160x12, 180x10, 180x9

Superset:
Tricep press machine: 110x12, 130x12, 150x12,
Alt hammer curl: 25x12, 25x12, 25x12,

Superset:
Machine incline curl: 30x12, 50x12, 60x12, 70x9
Db lat raise: 15x15, 15x15, 15x15, 15x15

Notes:

  • feeling effects of calorie deficit. Weights going down both in the scale and in the gym. That’s fine, still putting in the work, I think I’m maintaining muscle, just going into these workouts at less than 100%
  • tried out my gyms 3rd location. Absolutely love it. Tons to space and equipment. Very dungeon feel: walls are just cinderblocks, exposed ventilation overhead, mismatched plates, old hammer strength equipment. Of course this is the one far from me. Still, may start making more weekend trips.

Edit: photos of mentioned equipment


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:bangbang:

Maybe I’ve lost track of where your press was, but this looks pretty awesome to me. It’s nice work, regardless!

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