Lifting and Leaning Out

cisco_red · January 1, 2021, 6:26am

I’m a 44 year old male who has been lifting for 21 months. I had a previous log in the main training log category but quit updating it a couple months ago. I’ve kept lifting but my goals have evolved more towards overall health, being lean, and relative strength.

I’ve lost at least 60 pounds now from 280+ to about 221 now. I’m 6 ft and 3 inches. I’m looking to get down close to 200 lbs as my first and primary goal. Once there, I’ll continue to recomp and try to be as relatively strong as possible while being that lean. I’ve had ongoing and recent lab work that has encouraged me to get much leaner than I had initially planned.

Another change is that over the last 7 weeks I’ve adopted a mostly plant based diet. I’m essentially a Monday - Friday vegetarian, with only dairy as animal based food. On the weekends I’ll have meat 2-3 times. I also switched to plant based protein powder.

I am hopefully nearing the end of a long rehab on an AC joint issue. For months I tried half measures but it just kept it from healing so I finally had to accept that any upper body pressing was off limits until it was fully healed. It seems to be making significant progress but I’m not rushing it.

I’m also finding that a tilt towards sub maximal training suits me better. I currently place emphasis on squats, deadlifts, and chin ups. I have a gym membership but am mostly lifting at home and am slowly adding or building additional equipment. I have a half rack, 310 lbs of iron weights, a heavy bag and reflex bag, and just built a plate loaded kettlebell handle. The half rack also has a bar for pull ups or chin ups. Additionally, I have a set of resistance bands. I had an old bench but have disassembled it to make a decline bench. I’m also going to make a cable pully soon.

I’ll begin logging my workouts in here this week.

bulldog9899 · October 4, 2020, 12:00pm

Nice progress . The crew in here will be interested in seeing your future progress. Welcome aboard.

hardartery · October 4, 2020, 5:35pm

You might want to consider supplementing coallgenand/or glucosamine if yoo are plant based primarily. It will help with the connective tissue in ways a Vegetarian/Vegan diet can’t. Welcome to the club.

cisco_red · October 5, 2020, 1:38am

Thanks, I’ll check into that. I’m trying to limit supplements as much as possible. I’m currently just using the plant based protein powder, creatine, and vitamin D.

cisco_red · October 5, 2020, 1:46am

10/4/20

Squats with a 2 count concentric pause.
1x3x150 lbs
1x3x180
4x3x210

Chin Ups
3,1,1,1,1

Standing Pullover with 3 Bands
4x6

Curls and Triceps Push Down superset

Curls 3x10x55

Triceps with 3 Bands 3x15

Kettlebell Swings 24 lbs 2x25

Struggled on the chin ups a little more than usual today.

hel320 · October 7, 2020, 12:01am

Welcome and congrats on the weight lose. I’m near your size, 6’2" and around 210. Got a few years on you. Sounds like this will be interesting to follow.

cisco_red · October 8, 2020, 4:19am

10/7/20

Deadlift (Squat Stance/Semi Sumo)
1 Full Lockout and 2 partials from below knees to lockout

1x1+2 175 lbs
1x1+2 210
1×1+2 245
4×1+2 265

I thre in a couple of singles with a conventional stance at 265 just messing around.

Inverted Rows

1x7, 3x5

Pullover with 3 Bands

4x7

Split Squats BW

4x5

Barbell Curls and Triceps Push Down Superset

Curls 65 lbs

8/8/7

Triceps Push Down with 3 Bands

15/15/15

cisco_red · October 10, 2020, 4:40am

10/9/20

Everything is sets x reps x weight in lbs

Squats

1 x 5 x 150
1 x 4 x 180
1 x 3 x 210
2 x 2 x 240
3 x 1 x 255

Chin Ups with Hold at Top

1 with an approximate 15 sec hold
1 with a 3 sec hold

Pullover with 3 Bands

4x8

Good Mornings

4 x 6 x 120

Kettlebell Swings

1 x 20 x 34 lbs

cisco_red · October 12, 2020, 12:55am

10/11/20

Squat with a 2 Second Eccentric Pause

1 x 3 x 150 lbs
1 x 3 x 180
1 x 3 x 210
4 x 2 x 225

Chin Ups

2/2/1/1/1

Pullovers with 3 Bands

4 x 9

Curls and Triceps Superset

Curls 45 lbs 15/15/10

Triceps with 3 Bands 15/15/15

Good Mornings

4 x 5 x 125

Kettlebell Swings

1 x 21 x 34 lbs

cisco_red · October 14, 2020, 5:10am

10/13/20

Had some stuff going on this morning before work so I split my workout into two parts. Deadlifts before work and everything else tonight.

Also, I decided to explore using Sumo for a couple of weeks or so.

Paused Deadlift - Short pause just below knees.

1 x 3 x 175 lbs
1 x 3 x 210
2 x 3 x 245
4 x 2 x 265

2nd part was done at a small gym at my work so it’s a little different than my usual.

Lat Pulls with a wide grip

6 sets with ascending weight of 6-8 reps per set.

Standing Pullover with cable

4 x 8

EZ Bar Curls and Triceps Push Down superset

3 Sets Each

cisco_red · October 18, 2020, 3:37am

10/17/20

Been dealing with some patellar tendinitis the last week or more so I took an extra day this week.

Sets x reps x weight

Squat with one light band for accommodating resistance.

1 x 5 x 150 + band
1 x 5 x 180 + band
4 x 4 x 210 + band

Chin Ups

2/2/2/1

Pullovers with 3 bands

4 x 10

Barbell Curls and Triceps Push Down Superset

Curls

3 x 8 x 65

Triceps with 3 Bands

3 x 15

Kettlebell Swings

2 x 20 x 34 lbs

I’ve never squatted with bands or chains before. I’m going to try to get some chain cut at some point. My bands are the type with handles where you snap on anywhere from 1-3 bands. I squat low bar so I placed the band over my traps and hooked to J-Hooks on my half rack. I don’t know if it was ideal but it worked okay I think.

Usually I listen to some type of metal when lifting at home. Today was a little different…listened to Old Timey Radio Gunsmoke episodes.

cisco_red · October 20, 2020, 5:03am

10/19/20

Sets x reps x weight

Squat
1 x 5 x 160 lbs
1 x 4 x 190
1 x 3 x 225
2 x 2 x 255
2 x 2 x 270

Inverted Rows

BW

10, 7, 5

Pullovers with 3 Bands

4 x 10

Good Mornings

4 x 5 x 130

kleinhound · October 20, 2020, 7:59am

Awesome work man, welcome aboard.

I was vegetarian (and still frequently switch back and forth depending on my goals) for a few years.

I never ever experienced any ‘negative’ effects from not eating meat so I’m sure you’ll be fine

The food is delicious

cisco_red · October 20, 2020, 1:42pm

Appreciate it. I still need to do a better job on food preparation.

cisco_red · October 22, 2020, 4:23am

10/21/20

Sets x reps x weight

Deficit Sumo Deadlift

1 x 3 x 165 lbs
1 x 3 x 200
4 x 2 x 220

Curls

25 lb Dumbbells
12/10/8

Triceps Push Down

105 lbs cable
10/10/7

I went to the gym today for the first time in a while. Hadn’t set up anything fo use for the deficit deadlifts. Just stood on a couple 100 lb plates.

Had a follow up appointment yesterday for the shoulder. Got a cortisone injection in the ac joint. Going for a MRI in couple of weeks given the stubborn healing of it. A week or so ago it felt about 95% better in terms of just regular movements but any loading on pressing movements aggravated it. But something seemed to cause a mild setback over recent days. Feels a little better after the injection.

cisco_red · October 24, 2020, 3:49am

10/23/20

Sets x reps x weight

Squat

1 x 5 x 160
1 x 4 x 190
1 x 3 x 225
4 x 2 x 255

Chin Ups

3 regular
1 with a 10 second hold at top
1 regular

Kettlebell Swings

1 x 30 x 34 lbs

I may lay off the chin ups for a bit. At full extension or near full extension, that seemed to be aggravating the shoulder. Will probably shift emphasis to the inverted rows and maybe add another pull like bent over rows and focus on straying from full extension.

cisco_red · October 24, 2020, 6:10pm

Today is not a lifting day for me, though I’ll probably take a walk later, weather permitting.

But I did hit my first sub 220 morning weigh in at 219.4 this morning. It’s been a long time since I have hit below 220.

cisco_red · October 26, 2020, 1:35am

10/25/20

Squat

1 x 5 x 160 lbs
1 x 4 x 190
1 x 3 x 225
4 x 2 x 255

Bent Over Rows

5 x 7

95, 100, 105, 110, 115

Landmine Press

+25 lbs

5 x 10

Good Mornings

4 x 4 x 135

Decided to see how the shoulder would respond to landmine presses with light weight. It seemed to do well but we’ll see in the next couple of days. If I can do them, I will keep them light for a long time.

cisco_red · October 28, 2020, 5:29am

10/27/20

Tight on time so I broke up my workout into two parts, deadlifts and abs before work and the rest after work at my work facility.

Sets x reps x weight

Deadlifts to knees with a one second pause. All sumo.

1 x 3 x 165 lbs
1 x 3 x 200
2 x 3 x 230
3 x 2 x 250

Hanging Knee Raises

3 x 10

…

Single Arm Dumbbell Rows

Weight x reps

20 x 8, 30 x 8, 35 x 8, 40 x 8, 45 x 8, 50 x 8, 55 x 6

Triceps Push Down with Cable

20 x 10, 30 x 10, 40 x 10, 50 x 5, 40 x 8, 30 x 8, 20 x 8

Barbell Curls

45 x 10, 50 x 10, 55 x 8, 60 x 6, 45 x 8

Morning Weight - 219.0

cisco_red · October 31, 2020, 5:15am

10/30/20

Sets x reps x weight

Squat

1 x 5 x 160
1 x 4 x 190
1 x 3 x 225
4 x 3 x 255

Inverted Rows

5 x 5 x BW

Landmine Press

25 lbs

5 x 10

Kettlebell Swings

3 x 15 x 34 lbs

I hope I can continue to train with no interruptions. I work in a corrections setting where Covid-19 is spreading rapidly and some of those I work closest with are positive now.