RT's long way to the top

[RThoads]

03-JUN-2016
(Week-15: Friday)

Weighed in at 196 lb.

And put up the weight I set out to do – 405/315/500 today!

Some of the reps were a little sloppy I know, and I will continue to work on form, but I am very happy with these gains –- I wanted 405/315/495 by the end of 16 weeks of The Texas Method and I got more than that in 15 while eating at maintenance, dropping a little bodyweight, and improving body comp.

I am looking forward to the coming cruise and doing some bodybuilder split hypertrophy training for a little bit to let things recover and heal up before I hit another strength phase.

Video of week-15 PRs up for a short time for you guys I trust then I take it down from youtube tomorrow @Seven Dog @jaymaximus @Mr.B66 @Wunderpus @lightspan @bickel29 @Melly Mel from hell @Trapmonster @Nutpuncher @ruckin @ROB581211 @Perrin Aybara

link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0vZdH5ZLn4&feature=youtu.be





Workout
3 mins on a stationary bike.
Cable internal and external rotations (rotator cuff).
Light-weight leg extensions
Light-weight standing leg curls
Leg Abductor and Adductor Machines

Squats:
ramp sets: 135, 225, 275,
315 lb x3
365 lb x1
405 lb x1 **PR**

Bench:(touch-n-go)
ramp sets: 95, 135, 185, 225,
275 lb x1
315 lb x3 **PR** (sloppy)

Deadlifts:
ramp sets: 135, 225, 315,
405 lb x2
500 lb x1 **PR**

Pullups:
BW x8
BW+25 x8
BW x8 F

EZ-bar Tri Ext:
ramp: 50, 70, 90,
110 lb x7 F
110 lb x6 F

Seated DB Curls:
ramp: 25, 35,
45 x8 F
45 x6 F

Standing DB Preacher Curls:
20 x10
25 x10

NOTE: "F" = set taken to failure where one more rep beyond what is listed was attempted but not completed; "NF" = set taken to "near failure" where I predict I would fail on the next rep if attempted.

 

[jaymaximus]

03-JUN-2016
(Week-15: Friday)

Weighed in at 196 lb.

And put up the weight I set out to do – 405/315/500 today!

Some of the reps were a little sloppy I know, and I will continue to work on form, but I am very happy with these gains –- I wanted 405/315/495 by the end of 16 weeks of The Texas Method and I got more than that in 15 while eating at maintenance, dropping a little bodyweight, and improving body comp.

I am looking forward to the coming cruise and doing some bodybuilder split hypertrophy training for a little bit to let things recover and heal up before I hit another strength phase.

Video of week-15 PRs up for a short time for you guys I trust then I take it down from youtube tomorrow @Seven Dog @jaymaximus @Mr.B66 @Wunderpus @lightspan @bickel29 @Melly Mel from hell @Trapmonster @Nutpuncher @ruckin @ROB581211 @Perrin Aybara

link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0vZdH5ZLn4&feature=youtu.be





Workout
3 mins on a stationary bike.
Cable internal and external rotations (rotator cuff).
Light-weight leg extensions
Light-weight standing leg curls
Leg Abductor and Adductor Machines

Squats:
ramp sets: 135, 225, 275,
315 lb x3
365 lb x1
405 lb x1 **PR**

Bench:(touch-n-go)
ramp sets: 95, 135, 185, 225,
275 lb x1
315 lb x3 **PR** (sloppy)

Deadlifts:
ramp sets: 135, 225, 315,
405 lb x2
500 lb x1 **PR**

Pullups:
BW x8
BW+25 x8
BW x8 F

EZ-bar Tri Ext:
ramp: 50, 70, 90,
110 lb x7 F
110 lb x6 F

Seated DB Curls:
ramp: 25, 35,
45 x8 F
45 x6 F

Standing DB Preacher Curls:
20 x10
25 x10

NOTE: "F" = set taken to failure where one more rep beyond what is listed was attempted but not completed; "NF" = set taken to "near failure" where I predict I would fail on the next rep if attempted.

Good Stuff. I was thinking you were doing a 1RM on the bench and you started repping it

 

[ruckin]

fuck yeah bro that's awesome! congratulations

 

[Melly Mel from hell]

RT you are killin this shit!!! I am being very sincere when I say that I am impressed with your progress. This log is definitely one of the best I've followed. Very detailed and the progress speaks for itself. This log is the kind of contribution that can really help others.
With your numbers going up the way they are just be mindful of your connective tissue. Give it time to catch up. I'm not being preachy or trying to tell you something you don't already know but sometimes we forget things in search of the next PR.
You're an inspiration.

 

[Perrin Aybara]

Awesome work, RT! Congratulations.

 

[jJjburton]

very well done. Your bench was not sloppy at all lol.

 

[Trapmonster]

Good shit man

 

[strongsafety41]

Congrats RT! Hard work and dedication is paying off. Keep gettin it in.

 

[ROB581211]

That's work right there man. Keep it up brother.

 

[Seven]

Hell yeah RT!! I'm glad I got to see your video. Your logs are always well done and an excellent read. I also thought your form on all three looked great.

 

[RThoads]

Thanks for checking it out and all the support guys.
coming to MESO has been such a positive change compared to other boards I was on -- you guys have helped me, kept me accountable, taught me new ideas, and motivated me to improve regardless of age or any set-backs.

Thanks again

 

[RThoads]

RT you are killin this shit!!! I am being very sincere when I say that I am impressed with your progress. This log is definitely one of the best I've followed. Very detailed and the progress speaks for itself. This log is the kind of contribution that can really help others.
With your numbers going up the way they are just be mindful of your connective tissue. Give it time to catch up. I'm not being preachy or trying to tell you something you don't already know but sometimes we forget things in search of the next PR.
You're an inspiration.

Thanks, and I agree 100%.
Those were the target numbers for this 16-week strength phase and recomp.
I hit the originally stated goals and will simply be happy with that and save some new goals for the next strength phase.

Now I will be shifting into higher rep ranges and more of a bodybuilding style training for a couple months for the exact reason you mentioned and to just let my system recover from pushing all the PRs.
I hope to add a little new muscle during that time, work on my form, and then be ready once again to hit another strength phase in the fall/winter and prepair for a meet.

Bloodwork tomorrow to see how I am doing -- I feel great!
if it all looks good I will extend things a little longer and try to drop some more fat with a diet deficit while doing the bodybuilder split while I have the supplements in me to help holding onto muscle.
IF anything is not good then I will be switching to cruise and start eating just slightly above maintenance to hold my gains.

 

[RThoads]

Week-16 Bloods:

 

[RThoads]

Looks good to me--correct me if I am wrong and something need to be addressed.
But I don't like how high the BUN is since I been off from the gym since last Friday -- no creatine, no protein shakes, nothing... any advice on the BUN score is welcome.

I will donate this week to drop the RBC a bit.

but everything else looks good to me so I am thinking to extend 4 more weeks to hit the 20-week EQ mark everyone recommended in order to fully see EQ's potential.

These last 4 weeks will NOT be strength training. I most likely will not track workouts in a detailed way (I will just post the general idea of what I trained and how I responded).

Instead, it will be focused on fat loss, higher rep bodybuilding style training, and a real push to improve the body comp a few % before the cruise starts because I don't want to eat in caloric deficit on cruise.

 

[Seven]

Week-16 Bloods:

Healthy as a race horse!! Lol

 

[RThoads]

Healthy as a race horse!! Lol

the key is doing EVERYTHING a race horse would do haha
need to get me some more TB4 and I would love to try injectable Carnitine these last weeks but I am not sure it would arrive in time to be of benefit.

 

[Perrin Aybara]

I'm no expert, but it looks good to me.
I'm jealous of your hematocrit, I've yet to have mine below 50.

 

[RThoads]

I'm no expert, but it looks good to me.
I'm jealous of your hematocrit, I've yet to have mine below 50.

I had those struggles last year. Even on Doc TRT or my own cruises it would be difficult to control. But I read up and got a handle on things now. I do feel better with it lower so it does make a difference; I used to get headaches and just felt "off" but with it lower I feel "fresher" and healthier as if I am younger.

I am sure you already know as much as I, but here are the top things that have helped me:
I donate (1 unit whole blood) every 8 to 10 weeks.
Cutting out red meat has seemed to help a lot as well.
Also, I really try to stay extremely hydrated, always (I carry a gallon jug with me regardless of the situation) and that helps a little bit as well.

 

[Perrin Aybara]

I had those struggles last year. Even on Doc TRT or my own cruises it would be difficult to control. But I read up and got a handle on things now. I do feel better with it lower so it does make a difference; I used to get headaches and just felt "off" but with it lower I feel "fresher" and healthier as if I am younger.

I am sure you already know as much as I, but here are the top things that have helped me:
I donate (1 unit whole blood) every 8 to 10 weeks.
Cutting out red meat has seemed to help a lot as well.
Also, I really try to stay extremely hydrated, always (I carry a gallon jug with me regardless of the situation) and that helps a little bit as well.

I can't donate blood as I had hep C in the past. Cured now, but still lifetime ban from it. I've got blood bags and butterfly needles to do it myself. It's been a struggle with 21g as it takes so long and they clog easily. I've got some 19g on the way and hopefully they'll make it easier. It's been kind of trial and error.

As far as red meat I avoid it almost entirely and use turkey or chicken. Also avoid cereal and try to keep iron in check. At the rate I'm going to have to drain blood I worry I may end up low in iron before it's over.

I drink a ton of water, too.

I think I just run naturally higher than average for some as yet unknown reason. Last bloods hematocrit was 54, but no headaches and blood pressure has been consistently 110's over 70's before and since then. It was fasted bloods in the morning and I may have been a little dehydrated though.

I want to get it down and see if I fell better like you were saying. I'll be getting bloods in about six weeks and I'm hoping I can get it below 50 by then.

 

[RThoads]

Donated earlier this week and decided to have a cheat day -- they told me to eat well after giving blood -- and eat big so I start out the next training phase strong

Go big or go home--right?!? haha

This will be my last cheat meal for 4 weeks.

I plan to bracket training sessions with carbs, but almost no carbs at other times (only what comes in carrots, broccoli, and kale etc).

I will continue with no red meat and mostly like just keep that as a lifestyle change since it did seem to improve my health and blood results.

As for training,
Here is a rough idea; I will adjust ranges and volume as I learn my needs and how I respond (I have never trained like this). Also, I will likely incorporate methods such as pre-exhaustion (such as flys before bench) and drop sets to see how I respond.
I am think of the following split as my loose guideline (if no rep/set is listed it means I am undecided and will have to try things to see how I feel):

Legs:
Squats 3x8
Deficit deadlifts 3x5
Lunges 3x8
GHR or Ham curls variation 3 sets
Calf raise variation 5 sets
abdominal variation

Chest/Arms:
Bench 3x10
Incline variation 3x10
Fly variation
Tricep lift-A
Tricep lift-B
Bicep lift-A
Bicep lift-B

Back/Shoulders:
Strict Standing Overhead Press 3x8
Barbell Row 3x10
Wide-Grip Pullups 3x10
Shrug variation 3x10
Pulldown/Row-B variation
Reverse Fly (rear delt)
Side lateral raise

Rest Days:
As needed. Potentially 3-on/1-off but I am thinking I will mostly likely rest between upper-body days. Listening to my body and doing what I need to do will be the priority.

Fasted Walk every morning - 45mins to 1 hr.
Pre-bed walk every evening 45 mins to 1hr.


let the split experiement begin.