Silver and Steel

Looks like you might depart the Velocity Diet for the Carnivore!

1 Like

Haha! I’m in the right place!

This is legit my happy place. I always just wanted to work a farm, but I ended up a corporate slob

5 Likes

Got up and did a secondary back workout today. Same format as yesterday.

  1. 10m incline treadmill

  2. One-arm cable rows
    3 x 10

  3. Pull-ups
    3 x 8

  4. Machine pulldown
    3 x 10

  5. Straight-arm pulldown
    3 x 8

  6. Stretchers (kinda)
    3 x 8

  7. Cable curls
    6 x 10

  8. Cable crunches
    4 x 10

  9. 10m incline treadmill

6 Likes

I still dream of owning a ranch…while planning to get an MBA after this tour. So relate to this post lol

1 Like

Let me know if you have any MBA questions - I went to a good school and did ok. Good luck!

Quick week update while I depressingly watch my flight get delayed.

Great week, great company culture. I never enjoy meetings, and this one was outstanding.

My boss received an award for his 2022 efforts, which reflected well on him, obviously, but also the organization for celebrating folks the way they do.

Ever since posting in @Dani_Shugart’s log, I have been compelled to put my hands on my hips at urinals. Only twice have I made myself laugh and risked my shoes.

I’m coaching a squat/ leg day clinic at my wife’s gym tomorrow morning (so hopefully I get in before midnight) that I’m super pumped about.

I still don’t understand Instagram.

V-diet starts tomorrow!

7 Likes

Hahahaha so glad you guys educated me last week. This whole urination topic could be an episode on the “How Stuff Works” podcast.

How fun! The attendees will be so lucky to have you! :raised_hands:

Mind if I rant on this a bit? I feel hungover from Instagram and that’s why I’ve been posting here.

It used to be simple: pictures with captions. But then it got more complicated with stories, reels, etc. And if you take the time to respond to every last person who comments on each thing you post, it can feel like its own full time job.

The “social” interaction there can get a bit phony too. If people post effusive praise in the comments below your posts, you’ll enjoy it, but naturally feel compelled to do the same for them.

So it becomes a back and forth of meaningless “Yaaas Kween!” type comments with fire emojis. And sure, I want to cheer awesome people on, but it can be overwhelming to feel like you need to cheer on 500 people every single time they post, even if you don’t agree with what they’re saying.

And that’s another thing: much of the conversation around fitness is smaller influencers parroting the same exact things that bigger influencers said first.

So then you feel pressured to effusively praise people for stuff you’ve heard a thousand times before.

It’s likely a different experience for men though. And you may end up liking it.

But this community is the best place for deeper fitness conversations. It’s easier to have a more nuanced discussion and even the disagreements shed light on topics instead of making people get belligerent.

I still love to give and receive a little “yaas kween” type stuff but I do it with more sincerity here.

By the way, I truly appreciate all the thoughtful comments you make. Yaaaas kweeen!!! :joy:

6 Likes

“How Stuff Works” indeed.

Ha! I appreciate it. I’ve never done a setting like this. I’m worried I’ll give them nothing of value/ practical they can take away. I’m also not stoked I’ll be landing about 6 hours before I need to go, but that one’s on me.

I’m glad you did… I lured you here for a reason.

I appreciate all your thoughts! I never got into social media other than this site, so I’m playing from behind.

I think we are in different realities - there’s definitely nobody worried about my posts/ interacting with me. I can certainly understand where you’re coming from, though.

Right now I’ve just made a couple poor videos on how to use some of the equipment at their gym. It’s funny how little I understand it, because I’ve been a marketer for a long time. The secret is… younger people have always done this for me!

Agreed.

Ha! Thanks! Just call me Freddie Mercury.

1 Like

Come on over to South Dakota, we will put you right to work!! :wink:

3 Likes

But you also have to feed me… good luck!

1 Like

V-Diet Journey
Captain’s Log
Day 1

As I write, dawn is breaking upon the second day of our voyage. Day 1 passed without incident and the crew’s morale is high.

We debarked from port shortly after arriving from our prior cruise, which was as opposite in nature as could be conceived. Perhaps this was for the best, as it left little time for the men to carouse and set off the worse for wear.

I did not make it through the full day’s rations, likely owing to residual effects of having been at sea for so long. I consumed only one Metabolic Drive shake and a dinner of chicken and rice… pleasing the quartermaster but, no doubt, angering the cook. Lest I risk a mutiny, today will pass more accordingly with the plan.

Activities aboard ship included a small group training session where one participant, having never before put a bar on his back, achieved a 275 x 3 squat with even Internet-passing form. One hopes for a crew of such terrific athletes.

Today’s charted course takes us through cheer competitions and impressively long stretches of treacherous waters known as “awards ceremonies”.

9 Likes

Did you watch Master and Commander last night, too?

2 Likes

So how’d it go? If you got a guy to do that, I’m betting it was a big success!

And fun log! Are we sailors or pirates?

1 Like

It’s a pretty big beef operation. We got ya. :wink:

3 Likes

They got so many things wrong in my biography…

It was pretty fun! I think folks got something out of it. The weight was all him - he just needed some confidence to get under the bar.

We start as sailors, then we’re forced to become pirates when we get hungry. So maybe tomorrow?

That is obviously how I will be introduced from here on.

4 Likes

Master and Commander: Big Beef Operation

4 Likes

Damn it - you had the best joke in my own log!

3 Likes

V-Diet Maiden Voyage
Captain’s Log
Day 2

This morning marks the beginning of our third day. Day two passed with neither incident nor excitement; calm waters are a good omen to start our journey.

I have not yet consumed the full day’s rations. That’s not abnormal on the weekends - I don’t really think about it until the end of the day. I recognize I am setting myself up to blow it in the last meal, so I need to stay on top of the shakes, but I don’t want to cram them in once I’ve already missed. We’ll get it together today.

What began as a tale of maritime adventure quickly transitioned into a horror movie yesterday afternoon… we had a cheer competition. Much like dating, it’s a full day of suffering for 150 seconds of payoff. You sit through a billion teams just to see yours do their one thing, then it’s another couple hours until awards. It’s rough. Volleyball practice starts tonight, though, so greener lands are on the horizon.

This morning was legs and I’m still using one scoop of Surge Workout Fuel. I might up this to two as I start digging deep, but it’s fine for now. An unsung benefit of a great intraworkout when dieting is association.
Your two choices as you get hungry are:

  1. Your workout is going to be the worst you feel all day, because you have the same calories (not enough) and you have to dig deeper into your stores… probably disappointing yourself with each set while you’re at at it.
  2. Your training time is the best you feel all day, because you time your nutrition around it. I like this option because you start looking forward to training, even as it gets harder.

Anyway, I didn’t set any records today, but we knocked out a good workout.

  • 5 minutes bike
  1. Seated Leg Curls
    Warmups
    Worked up to a hard set of 8 (call it 3 sets)

  2. Leg Press
    3s eccentrics
    2pps/10
    4pps/10
    6pps/10
    7pps/10
    8pps/10
    9pps/10

  3. Belt Squat
    I don’t know why I never do these, then I always suck at them when I do rotate them in
    1pps/15 x 3

  4. Walking Lunges
    All reps on one leg first, then switch
    1 chain/ 12 per leg x 3 sets

  5. BFR Leg Curls
    Ouch

8 Likes

What day are we on? 5?
I will say - this really isn’t that bad nor is it insanely low calorie. I think it is doing exactly what I wanted, which is to get my portion control/ cravings in check. Yesterday I had canned tuna and rice for my meal, and I was totally fine with that. Big win!

I am trying to do better about spreading my main days out when I can, so yesterday was just walking. Today we were back for chest and shoulders.

  • 10 minutes incline treadmill
  1. Slight Decline DB Press
    30/12
    50/8
    80/8
    90/8
    100/8
    105/3 - whoops

  2. Incline BB
    45/8
    135/6
    165/6
    185/6
    195/6
    205/6

  3. Machine Press
    4 x 6

  4. Machine Flye
    3 x 8

  5. Machine Rear Delt
    3 x 25

  6. DB Side Raise
    30/12 x 3
    Allowed the last 3-4 reps to be cheated

  7. Smith Cage Press
    This was absolutely awesome. I may try to video to show it.
    95/5
    115/5
    125/5
    135/5 x 2

6 Likes

All right, good friends - in the words of that great orator, here’s the deal:

I’m one week complete (tonight) on the velocity diet, and it’s been perfect. Total reset of my food stress, which is what I wanted. I’m down ~3.5 lbs, which is about what I’d do in the first week of a new diet (glycogen, water), and it’s not really low calorie for me (~1800), but it’s just taking the pressure off and helping me get my habits right. That’s all I wanted. I think transitioning back into just some regular portion-controlled eating in 3 weeks is going to be no issue - yay!

In training, I’ve really dialed in my recovery lately. I have one scoop of Surge Workout Fuel each of my main days (3 in a week), which I’ve praised before. I’m also doing the other things smart folks do that I never feel like apply to me:

  • I’ve slightly increased my rest between my main sets (there’s only a couple of these per session)
  • I’ve spread out my main days from one another, so I have a day off before each of my heavy sessions
  • I still go near failure (and I still argue real failure is rare) on several sets each workout, and I still believe in it, but I’m a little more deliberate about it - done is done
  • I still don’t sleep, but you can’t have it all
  • I get my protein in immediately after my workout; bro-science or not, it’s rolled up in this menu of variables I’m currently enjoying
  • Most days I’m able to do my cardio away from my lifting, so each session is a little shorter; this at least is alleviating mental fatigue/ boredom. My cardio is backpack dog walks, so it’s not hard

Today was back:

  • 10 minutes incline treadmill
  1. HS Row
    One-arm at a time here
    1pps/6
    2pps/8 x 3
    2pps/ 22… so we’ll say those first sets were 14 RIR

  2. Supinated Pulldown
    4 x 8-10

  3. Rack Pull
    Phase 1: lowest pin
    135/3
    225/3
    315/3
    365/3
    405/3
    Phase 2: next pin up
    455/3
    500/3

  4. DB Pullover
    55/6
    50/8-10 x 2

  5. Back Extension
    BW/40

The end

7 Likes