Jeffro's Log Jam


front double bi; from a couple of weeks ago, feeling a bit leaner now


front double bi; taken a couple of weeks ago


last session was chest, shoulders etc and did 5x5 with 105kg bench.
I’m going to start a little 4 week cut, and i’m planning to take an ECA stack since I have heard such good things - I’ve also heard reports of this stack generally increasing energy/motivation outside of the gym also which will be handy around exam time. I’ll post in here as a way of my review
rear double bi pic

Day one of EC stacked cut
Edit: started yesterday, and so far I’m experiencing none of the heavily touted ‘appetite suppressant’ qualities - if anything I’m hungrier on it…
But I have noticed an increase in body temp (raised metabolism) which isn’t that great as I was generally too warm before I started.

Front relaxed


side relaxed

Mega update:
I bulked up to 96kg, wasn’t happy being so fat so I cut back down to 90kg (during the summer). Now I’m back on the bulk (have been for a month) and pushing 100kg; lifts have all significantly improved (except DL):
bench - 120 x 3 (going to attempt 140 today)
squat - 170 (the rate at which my strength is increasing I hope to hit 180 next time I back squat)
DL - around 200 (haven’t been able to fit it into my routine)

the reason I bulked so hard before the start of term was to counter-balance the effect of cycling 6 miles a day - which I will be doing at uni next year (on the days I decide to go to)


here’s a front double bi shot taken toady - bang on 100kg. I’m pleased with the progress of my lats, which I think are significantly bigger than in previous pictures. Cable pull-downs (and their variations) plus one arm DB rows are all I’m using for upper back now, as they’re the exercises I feel the most. Also pleased with my (lagging) arm development, although slower than I would have liked (from 15.5" to over 17" in less than 9 months). I am 4kg (8.8lbs) heavier in these pics than in any others (and 10kg heavier than in my first set - taken in December).

progress so far:
the only comparable lift is bench and curls (as I’m either using machines now, or not performing the same exercises) bench is 130kg x 3. this was without a spotter, so I may have been able to squeeze out another one but obviously I didn’t want to die. As for curls I hit 36kg x 6 reps in standing DB curls and 26kg x 8 in spider curls today.
As sated above I’m using machines far more now, as I’m definitely getting into the mind-set of feeling the muscle working as opposed to just moving the most amount of weight weight with the correct form, this leans far on the bodybuilding side of training - which is my preference - and I find machines are best for this in most instances. For example I used to find it very difficult to engage my lats (and middle back) correctly; so at the start of every back workout I start with very light lat pull-downs - squeezing all the way - to really try and make the mind-muscle connection to my lats. I find this transfers great to other bodyparts as well, find an exercise which you can feel the most in the specified body part and perform some perfect (light) reps before your main workout.
My arms are at 17" cold now, and over 17.5" pumped (although I swear they don’t feel any bigger than when they were 16"), however I have recently started getting pins and needles in my hands when I fold my arms - I’m presuming this is due to the size gain. Pretty messed up haha.
Cycling the 6 miles everyday is going to take its toll on leg strength soon I believe, however I’m hoping to gain some/maintain size due to legs supposedly responding well to higher rep training too. It’s also going to be difficult to stay motivated enough to cycle there before every workout

today was legs and despite after two and a half weeks of cycling at least 5 miles everyday I was feeling very strong and confident of a new PB. I hit 170kg with good depth comfortably, went for 180 twice but dumped the first attempt and didn’t go deep enough on the second. I’ll get it within the next few training sessions.
warm-up: (15 mins cycling in) 20kg x6 - 60 x6- 100kg x6- 120kg x4- 140kg x3- 160kg x2- 170kg x1
then three sets of leg curls (10 reps each time)
single leg leg press 2 sets (10 reps each)
ab work
calf work
fairly low volume due to the large amounts of cycling

I’m really enjoying low rep stuff for the first exercise in the group (i.e. bench and squats) and then relatively high reps for the rest. Imo it gives me the best of both worlds and seem to be working great

edit - I ALWAYS ramp (then occasionally drop the weight for a final set and get some extra reps). I can’t remember the last exercise I didn’t ramp on

I’ve found that the cycling does help, at least with size gains however it does not help recovery in the slightest.

I was sick of the perma-bloat (+2.5" to regular waist size) so I’ve decided to ‘cut’. Now I’m using the ‘’ because I thought it was a cut - I had dramatically decreased overall food consumption, yet after adding up my macros for the first time today I’m not so sure, I am also not sure how much extra energy the cycling is burning yet here is a excel spreadsheet showing my macros etc.

my diet is as follows.
2.5 scoops whey + milk + 120g of crunchy nut (cos they’re so damn tasty)
pre-gym: flapjack + 2.5 scoops whey + water
post gym: 120g wholemeal pasta + 1 tin tuna

  • 3 hours: same meal again
    around 8pm: 350g mince + a tin of beans
    before bed: 2 scoops whey + water

as somewhat to prove my hypothesis that cycling has increased my leg size here is an update pic - measuring at 27.5", making my calves look relatively tiny (16.5" :frowning: ) however they are catching up.

I’m about 2 months into my cut (not including the festivities over Christmas + New Year), and down to 92kg, highest I got was 103kg (around October); still a ways to go yet, can’t seem to crack 92kg - lifts are going up though.
waist is back down to 32" and arms a smidge under 17", pretty happy with these measurements, although would like to be leaner.
Not a massive difference in lifts, my most impressive lift atm is probably 190kg x 6 in DL, or 95kg x 4 in OHP.
I’m putting up some pics of back + MM, very happy with my back development. Re-introducing DL’s has made a massive difference, who’d have thought it? and Shoulder development seems to be coming on well, abs are not - so damn boring to train.

back…

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