I’m not really trying to cut yet. I just decided to re-adopt an old eating style. It’s just healthy foods and frequent meals/snacks. I lost 6-8 lbs in the first week. I think that was because I quit eating animal crackers.
I was initially planning to cut at the start of 2019. All these injuries cut my bulk short but I’m not upset (I’m actually relieved). I’m not really worried about cutting during the holiday season. I’m just trying to be more healthy.
Junk carbs kill my metabolism, probably because they’re sooo easy to mindlessly munch.
Likewise. For my goals and life, being present with the holiday celebrations trumps worrying about calorie and pound counts. As long as I continue working out, I chalk up scale and barbell increases to what I’ll now call “gravy gains.” 
11/8/18
That Was Interesting
Warm-up: deadlifts/pull-aparts/pushups
Workout: deadlifts/pushups
Walking lunges / DB rows
holy smoke TnT looks brutal
Thanks Mort, it isn’t as bad as it looks. The toughest part was continually bending down, standing up, getting on the ground, standing up…
As Dan John observes, simply going down to the ground and getting back up several times is good exercise and good medicine.
We shall see!
Oh, I already KNOW, and all too well at that
For the record, stuffing, mashed potatoes, homemade bread, my sweet potato souffle, and pecan and pumpkin pies aren’t junk carbs. They’re necessary 
I have never tasted this, but I have never met a sweet tator I didn’t like!
It’s freakin’ delicious. You’d love it. Do you like walnut crusts? I can send you the recipe.
Never met a nut didn’t like either!
I concur! I seem to like different nuts seasonally, such as winter walnuts and summer peanuts.
Sunday, 11/11/18
Goals worked towards: front squats (indirectly), DB press for reps, BB rows, consistency
Daily Dose Squats, Week 1
Back squats / shoulder rehab
Flat DB press / pull-aparts
Semi-supinated BB rows / single calf raise
My first night of DDS, and I’m pumped. I’ve not done back squats much for a year and had little idea what weight to start at. Because of the leg injury, the most I’ve ever squatted was 245 after a deadlift session, but that was years ago. 185 felt good - and super light - but I know fatigue will accumulate, so I think this weight is smart. If it’s overly easy in a few weeks, I’ll bump it up.
The rows were done with my plate-loadong EZ curl bar, hence being semi-supinated. I paused for 2 seconds at the peak contraction of each rep, which felt great. I’m liking the contrast of a lower-rep row day and a higher-rep, supersetted day.
The DDS should bring some structure and consistency to my workouts. In fact, I’m looking forward to the regular, low-volume exercise. I plan to keep one day a week as front squats, perhaps on deadlift day, and if I only squat four times each week instead of five, no bigs.
Interesting. I just figured what 185 pounds is 75% of, and it turns out it’s 245, my years-ago, two-rep max. I’m thinking I chose just the right weight.
I think you have, if it’s easy for the first sesh, then I’m assuming there’ll come good days and bad days.
I think doing one day of front squats is a good thing.
Looking forward to see where this DDS takes you.
I don’t think you can go wrong by starting conservatively. That’s what I’m doing with squats. I’m also using my deadlift PR on a power bar and not the deadlift bar. There’s a 45 lb difference between the two and it’s letting me go 30 lbs lighter. I need it too. 75% of my best pull is 4 plates and that would be quite draining to do day after day.
Yep, exactly. Some days will be pulling teeth (feet?) to drag my sorry carcass out to the squat rack, while other days, the bar will fly up.
Likewise on both and thanks!
I think the perfect daily lift, at least for my post-injury physiology, would be a trap bar deadlift. I ain’t got one though, so squats it is! The weekly front squats may be necessary so I don’t get cumulative injury as a result of my altered limb physiology.
Are you wanting to increase your squats in particular, once you’ve finished SGSS?
I agree completely. Heavier weights entail higher recovery needs, which is diametrically opposed to performing a full-body compound lift several times each week.
There’s a verse in Proverbs that says “Little by little, the wise make their riches grow.” From that, I extrapolate that steady, consistent improvement supersedes jumping into something too fast, only to burn out quickly. I’m FINALLY following that good advice for my lifting. We’ll see how it goes 
Along those lines, I think you’re choosing wisely with relatively lighter weights too, especially because you’re doing more than just squats and deadlifts.
Not just squats 
I have a dream, as said many times before by bigger men than me, mine is simply to lift 1,2,3,4 plates.
I have my press, my bench is close (have actually been there) but not my lower body, it’s coming along. But it takes time.
If you read between the lines of DDD I think he recommends doing variations from time to time.
So one day front squat, one day box wouldn’t mess with the program if you choose to do another variation.
Bingo! I probably won’t do any squat variations. Front squats are the devil. I’d add weight to box squats would add CNS fatigue. I’ll stick with regular squats especially since I haven’t done them for a while.
For deads I might throw in some snatch grip and deficits (not at the same time) but it’ll be rare.
You could lower the weight one day and do paused squats, just sit there for 3-5 seconds in the hole try different stances just to find the right one for your hip.