Training Log - MacBuilt

[mp46]

@mp46 if the new gym isn’t big enough to support those kind of complex sets we’ll trash them. No worries. Let’s see how the first couple days go.

We’ll see, I won’t be nearly as reserved in a public gym as the private one. I’ll move someone’s shit to get a set in. If they don’t like it they can fight me for it or just not be a dick

Other than that woke up a litte earlier than I wanted but still got to bed earlier and some extra sleep in.

Weight is down to 202.0 but still way to early for conclusive results in my head. I’ve cut down on the god awful amounts of sodium I flavored everything with, 3-4g or so. I’d think that would have a faster effect on water retention than anything else on fat loss. I’m also drinking 1-1.5 gallons of water a day so there’s 10lbs shifting throughout the day.

I don’t trust the mirror anymore lol, so I’ll wait to see photos.

 

[mp46]

Today was the last day of the training week and I started at the big box. Stupid notes, there's one ez-bar attachment in the whole place for half a dozen cable machines. I couldn't find a single one handed grip thing for the cable attachment that you'd use for bicep curls or the lateral raises I was trying to do so I ended up using dumbbells.

I found out I have zero grip strength. Last gym maxed at 75lb DBs and I was trying to do shrugs but I couldn't get a grip on the 90lb ones for more than a few reps. I did find if I griped further rear they would tilt forward and I could rest some of the weight on my forearm and I got 3 reps of 110 before grip gave out. So I get to learn how to use straps for these heavy shrugs

Overall people were nice, or seemed to be. I'd asked if they were using a machine (clearly were) they said no and gave me a shit look as they took their stuff and walked off. Their problem, not mine, and actually motivated me knowing most of the people I interacted with didn't really have any goals or motivation.

You could also clearly tell who was in their own little world they'd grab weights go to a rack and didn't give a fuck what was happening around them. One woman was knocking out deadlifts over 200 like they owed her money then some cross over squat/lunge thing. I eventually got over my stage fright hanging around her, never really comfortable like I belonged there but I was able to focus on the workout.

I had to go to the grocery store afterwards and was picking up a cart full of beer while drinking my protein shake getting some looks. Now I'm at a BBQ covering ribs and sausage with all kinds of shit while I got my turkey and chicken going on the side with some salad greens. I'm just going to eat while cooking so I avoid the questions from people who think "I'm not living if I can't eat good"

I'll get a week 1 round up written after I start getting people fed.

 

[mp46]

Not sure what happened to my last post with the one week followup?? Couldn't have been deleted so maybe it got caught in cache and never posted? Either way some of the stuff will be parroted in.... Week 2

Basically the first week went well and it was all getting used to the plans. This week was no different going from a small community size gym to the big box. My biggest issues with this is sharing equipment, getting over stage fright, and figuring out what machines do what.

Overall life hit pretty hard last week but I managed to get to the gym, but my diet suffered. Still got everything in but I'd get distracted with everything going on and forget to eat so I'd find myself shoving down 3 whole meals and 3 shakes in a few hours before bed.

Diet: I've gotten used to the diet and I'm no longer hungry mid day in week 2 and we're actually adding more protein going into week 3 so I may start feeling stuffed, I'll just need to trust the macro numbers and that I'm not overeating.

Training: As I said I'm getting used to the new gym but that's coming quickly. Having difficulty with the supersets and what not as there's not really the 3 or 4 pieces of equipment open back to back so they usually become standard, individual sets.

I'm pushing through the workouts as hard as I can, usually getting light headed and wanting to throw up by the end of them, then there's cardio on top of that. I used to be a competitive endurance athlete before some of the injuries and surgeries, so cardio is easy for me and I really do enjoy it. 9 mile runs were a daily warmup, fasted sometimes


Overall appearance in the mirror is certainly noticeable. Cephalic veins are popping out plus all kinds vascular branching and capillaries especially during workout pumps. Chest is filling out both from actual gains and perceived gains with less fat in the mid section. The vast majority of my fat is held around the midsection so overall progress looks slow compared to someone losing equal amounts of fat around the body.

The biggest thing is noticing much faster progress than doing all the planning myself and that alone is motivating. Instead of researching and developing diet and workouts and filtering through cookie cutter plans online I simply follow the plan I'm given and bust my ass.

 

[mp46]

Week 0 vs end of week 2

Started around 220
Got aboard with Mac a week 0 around 205
Weighed in at 199.4 at week 2

As you can see I’ve got most fat around the belly with lean legs and arms. As I’ve said in other posts, I’m at or above 2,000 calories a day so it’s not like I’m starving here but still averaging 3lbs/week loss


Less belly fat and you can start to see seperation of the fat down the center of the abs.



Less fat around the lats and waist; you can also see the definition in the back muscles showing up.


Did my fasted cardio run this morning quicker than I could do my mid day run about a month ago. But still way off my competition days by about 40% lol. So cardio is going up and muscles are coming out.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

Week 0 vs end of week 2

Started around 220
Got aboard with Mac a week 0 around 205
Weighed in at 199.4 at week 2

As you can see I’ve got most fat around the belly with lean legs and arms. As I’ve said in other posts, I’m at or above 2,000 calories a day so it’s not like I’m starving here but still averaging 3lbs/week loss


Less belly fat and you can start to see seperation of the fat down the center of the abs.
View attachment 111960


Less fat around the lats and waist; you can also see the definition in the back muscles showing up.
View attachment 111962

Did my fasted cardio run this morning quicker than I could do my mid day run about a month ago. But still way off my competition days by about 40% lol. So cardio is going up and muscles are coming out.

Fuck YEAH bro. This is why we use the scale and mirror. 6lbs doesn’t seem like much until you see the changes in photos. Great work. Let’s keep it moving!

 

[mp46]

So not sure plateau is the right word but I don’t feel like I’m getting the most of my workouts. I go all out during the training and push through the lactic acid when I get towards failure and can’t do another rep. But a few minutes later I’m feeling fine and by the time I get to cardio after the workout I don’t even feel tired. I thought I was just in a low because of all the shit happening last week and I wasn’t pushing, but same thing today.

Obviously I’m seeing results but I’m not fatigued like I’d expect to be after going all out for 90 minutes. Who has thoughts?

Also, these prissy high school kids hanging out in the gym are annoying.

 

[MacBuilt]

So not sure plateau is the right word but I don’t feel like I’m getting the most of my workouts. I go all out during the training and push through the lactic acid when I get towards failure and can’t do another rep. But a few minutes later I’m feeling fine and by the time I get to cardio after the workout I don’t even feel tired. I thought I was just in a low because of all the shit happening last week and I wasn’t pushing, but same thing today.

Obviously I’m seeing results but I’m not fatigued like I’d expect to be after going all out for 90 minutes. Who has thoughts?

Also, these prissy high school kids hanging out in the gym are annoying.

My training isn’t designed to make you feel like you died during the workout. I’d youre hitting failure and resting for the appropriate times you’re doing it right. Failure is failure. Reach it on the specified sets. Also remember we were very limited by your equipment. With the new gym youre at and a new training program to match it coming, the overall fatigue will mount as we add more compound movements now that you have better equipment. Keep pushing hard.

 

[mp46]

198.8 this morning so almost a pound from last week but we did up the protein this week so I'm expecting slower weight loss and more fous on overall muscle development.

Noticing a flatter chest in the mirror, meaning my upper pecs are catching up to my over developed lower ones so I have less of a bitch tit look.

 

[mp46]

So a big reason for going this route with Macbuilt instead of going at it alone was stress. Mac gives me the meal plans and training and I just buy the stuff I need. I can focus on going all out in the gym and not wondering if I’m doing it right.

Take for instance I’m supposed to have sirloin for a meal, well sirloin prices are through the roof and couldn’t even find it at some local stores for what ever reason so I asked about substitutes, Mac was worried about fat/ protein content and wanted me to check nutrition facts. Well I’ve spent 3 hours today looking up the nutrition of different cuts of beef vs cost. I even went off on a tangent comparing deer and bear because I have some in the freezer. PS: venison has 20% more protein and 1/5th the fat content of sirloin beef. But you’ve either got to hunt yourself or pay out the ass for it.

Anyway, I ended up down a rabbit hole (the most lean meat there is which comes with some interesting problems of its own) of fat and protein content, sourcing, vitamins, and cost. I ended up studying research papers about the different proteins and muscle fibers in each cut of beef talking about micron level shit using electron microscopes.

3 hours later, what did I find out? Round steak; either top, bottom, or eye of round all contain more protein and less fat per serving compared to the sirloin cuts, and 30-50% cheaper. The difference? Tenderness. Round is a locomotive muscle and sirloin is more supportive so the round(thigh) cuts are much, much tougher, that’s the difference. So if you don’t care about the tenderness of the beef, round is actually a better source than sirloin.

Point is this is a single thing and I spent hours on it. If I had done this for every aspect of diet and training I’d never get anything done. That’s a big thing people overlook when working with a coach; it’s not that anyone is too novice or too stupid to do it on their own, it’s that the coach takes the stress out of things so you can put all of your focus on getting the best results. We’re already spending hundreds, if not thousands on training, diet, gear, etc. and you’re going to deny yourself the best results over the cost of a good coach?

 

[Test_Subject]

So a big reason for going this route with Macbuilt instead of going at it alone was stress. Mac gives me the meal plans and training and I just buy the stuff I need. I can focus on going all out in the gym and not wondering if I’m doing it right.

Take for instance I’m supposed to have sirloin for a meal, well sirloin prices are through the roof and couldn’t even find it at some local stores for what ever reason so I asked about substitutes, Mac was worried about fat/ protein content and wanted me to check nutrition facts. Well I’ve spent 3 hours today looking up the nutrition of different cuts of beef vs cost. I even went off on a tangent comparing deer and bear because I have some in the freezer. PS: venison has 20% more protein and 1/5th the fat content of sirloin beef. But you’ve either got to hunt yourself or pay out the ass for it.

Anyway, I ended up down a rabbit hole (the most lean meat there is which comes with some interesting problems of its own) of fat and protein content, sourcing, vitamins, and cost. I ended up studying research papers about the different proteins and muscle fibers in each cut of beef talking about micron level shit using electron microscopes.

3 hours later, what did I find out? Round steak; either top, bottom, or eye of round all contain more protein and less fat per serving compared to the sirloin cuts, and 30-50% cheaper. The difference? Tenderness. Round is a locomotive muscle and sirloin is more supportive so the round(thigh) cuts are much, much tougher, that’s the difference. So if you don’t care about the tenderness of the beef, round is actually a better source than sirloin.

Point is this is a single thing and I spent hours on it. If I had done this for every aspect of diet and training I’d never get anything done. That’s a big thing people overlook when working with a coach; it’s not that anyone is too novice or too stupid to do it on their own, it’s that the coach takes the stress out of things so you can put all of your focus on getting the best results. We’re already spending hundreds, if not thousands on training, diet, gear, etc. and you’re going to deny yourself the best results over the cost of a good coach?

If you buy whole eye of round roasts at Costco it's a dirt-cheap source of protein.

It's not the most tender or flavourful cut, but it can be delicious with the right treatment. I highly recommend cutting it across the grain and making fajitas with it. The juice from the onions and peppers helps soften it up a bit.

Stir fry with wild rice is another solid option (as long as it fits your meal plan that Mac designed, obviously).

 

[mp46]

If you buy whole eye of round roasts at Costco it's a dirt-cheap source of protein.

It's not the most tender or flavourful cut, but it can be delicious with the right treatment. I highly recommend cutting it across the grain and making fajitas with it. The juice from the onions and peppers helps soften it up a bit.

Stir fry with wild rice is another solid option (as long as it fits your meal plan that Mac designed, obviously).

I filled up the freezer on what was a steal on a local sale I found. I looked weird being that guy with chicken, eggs, and beef filling the cart.

For the rice I use salt, garlic, soy, and vinegar for the small portions, like a snack of rice. For larger portions I would mix vegetables in and use more soy or vinegar based sauces instead of oil(fat) based sauces.

 

[mp46]

Well my macros are shot for the day. Went to lunch with the crew and had a simple steak salad with beef soup. Then they didn’t finish the group appetizer they ordered and left it in front of me. I can’t stand food being wasted so I ate a handful of chips and probably 1 to 1-1/2 cups of ground beef queso (nearly the whole bowl)

Good thing the walking club has been picking it up to 3-5 miles a day around here. Most people join to offset their beer during the weekend while watching sports.


Edit: in the grand scheme of things a bowl of queso like 300-500 calories so it’s not the end of the world. This was just a random thought

 

[Mac11wildcat]

Well my macros are shot for the day. Went to lunch with the crew and had a simple steak salad with beef soup. Then they didn’t finish the group appetizer they ordered and left it in front of me. I can’t stand food being wasted so I ate a handful of chips and probably 1 to 1-1/2 cups of ground beef queso (nearly the whole bowl)

Good thing the walking club has been picking it up to 3-5 miles a day around here. Most people join to offset their beer during the weekend while watching sports.


Edit: in the grand scheme of things a bowl of queso like 300-500 calories so it’s not the end of the world. This was just a random thought

Plan is only as good as the adherence to it.

It’s ok, get back on track with your next meal and carry on bro.

 

[Cityofgrit]

Week 0 vs end of week 2

Started around 220
Got aboard with Mac a week 0 around 205
Weighed in at 199.4 at week 2

As you can see I’ve got most fat around the belly with lean legs and arms. As I’ve said in other posts, I’m at or above 2,000 calories a day so it’s not like I’m starving here but still averaging 3lbs/week loss


Less belly fat and you can start to see seperation of the fat down the center of the abs.
View attachment 111960


Less fat around the lats and waist; you can also see the definition in the back muscles showing up.
View attachment 111962

Did my fasted cardio run this morning quicker than I could do my mid day run about a month ago. But still way off my competition days by about 40% lol. So cardio is going up and muscles are coming out.

You can definitely see the difference, bro!! Way to fucking go!! Stick with it, you are making BIG progress!

 

[mp46]

Someone showed me that most phones log your activity automatically. Turns out I’m getting 3-5+ miles of walking in a day on top of any cardio at the gym, yesterday was 7 miles, already at 4 today.

 

[mp46]

I’ve been lethargic all day, didn’t do a single thing at work so it was a blah day to begin with. I pushed through the first part of the workout and kept feeling worse and I realized the music was shit, changed the playlist a couple times but it was all crap music that wasn’t motivating. The whole session felt like work instead of an escape into the zone. The vascularity in my arms is getting better during the workouts so that’s been my motivation all week.

What’s everyone adding to their workout playlists, need something to help push, sometimes Im feeling like I maybe might could have push one more rep on the failure sets.

 

[Btcowboy]

I’ve been lethargic all day, didn’t do a single thing at work so it was a blah day to begin with. I pushed through the first part of the workout and kept feeling worse and I realized the music was shit, changed the playlist a couple times but it was all crap music that wasn’t motivating. The whole session felt like work instead of an escape into the zone. The vascularity in my arms is getting better during the workouts so that’s been my motivation all week.

What’s everyone adding to their workout playlists, need something to help push, sometimes Im feeling like I maybe might could have push one more rep on the failure sets.

i download a bunch of playlists from google play. Heavy metal workout, rock and run, Metallica radio, etc. I have about a dozen and change to suit my mood and the workout

 

[mp46]

Been a while since the last update. Not much has changed in weight, I was 197.4 this weekend but like I said we significantly upped the macros over the last two weeks adding over 2lbs of food into the weekly diet. But the fat is still dropping even if the scale isn't moving, I can see my upper abs when flexing, and that wasn't possible 2 weeks ago.

Strength is up and I'm warming up with what used to be my working weight or even failure weight in some exercises 2-3 weeks ago. I leg pressed 4 plates for 3 sets, then 3 sets of straight leg dead lifts, then right into 3 sets of squats (only managed 1 plate) so Mac is taking advantage of the new gym format.

I'm constantly blowing my cardio reading the forums on the treadmill running 45 minutes+. I've found that sitting in the sauna for 5-10 minutes after everything makes it easier for me to eat my post workout meal without getting sick. Although, I fight throwing up and passing out on leg days anyway. My shirt is always soaked and dripping just from the weight portion of the workout.

I hooked up with an ex I hadn't seen in a while for the hell of it and she commented that my stomach was missing, so people other than me are noticing. I did catch myself in the mirror at the gym with my shirt off and I had to take a double look, chest is filling out and able to see some contour in the stomach. I've also comfortably moved another notch in my belt and I'm not struggling to button pants.

As far as blasting we still haven't discussed it, sorry to those people waiting on that portion.

I am kind of having second thoughts about dropping Mac for this trainer I saw at the gym. I mean, she is perfect in every way and I've watched her destroy some weights in her spare time. I weighing how much I want results vs how much I want to just pay to look at her for my whole workout.

 

[mp46]

i download a bunch of playlists from google play. Heavy metal workout, rock and run, Metallica radio, etc. I have about a dozen and change to suit my mood and the workout

Started listening to rock and metal playlists individuals uploaded instead of the generic ones from streaming services and it's made the world of difference in zoning off in the workouts.

 

[MindlessWork]

Started listening to rock and metal playlists individuals uploaded instead of the generic ones from streaming services and it's made the world of difference in zoning off in the workouts.

I got some pretty decent playlists together in Spotify but I have great playlists stashed on my trusty battered old mp3 player.