Lazarus's Long Log

[Lazarus]

Today's workout:

Squats:
135 lb 1x10
205 lb 1x8
260 lb 5x5

Bench Press:
95 lb 1x8
125 lb 5x5

Pullups: 3,2,2

Lower back was tightening up so I ended the workout there. Feels fine now, so perhaps it was just tired...

[Lazarus]

I realized when I got to the gym that I wouldn't have enough time to do my full 5x5 workout, so I had a fool-around day.

Squats:
135lb 1x5
225lb 1x8
275lb 1x5
295lb 1x3

Deadlift (double pronated grip)
245lb 2x5

Chins 4/3/3 and Dips 5/5/5 (supersetted)

DB flyes
35 lb 2x10

Progress on the Body Composition front-- So I'd gradually been increasing the amount of tennis and cycling that I was doing, which had stalled my bodyweight at 215 lb for some time. While camping and being injured I put a noticeable amount of fat, but numerous people commented on how I lost it within the first week of hitting the gym again. So, I cut way back on the aerobic stuff, from 6xweek to 3xweek, and put on 5 pounds in 2 weeks, now up to 225 lb, vs 215 a month ago. It's confusing, b/c according to what people say you can't put on more than 1 pound of muscle in a week, and I don't disagree with that, but it doesn't feel like I put it all on as fat, either. The thing I love about dirty bulking like this is that when I go to work out, the squats and deads feel so light, my muscles just love being fed like this .

[pagangoddess]

Just to clarify . . . your goal is to gain weight. (I had to go back and reread your first post )

There are no hard and fast rules about weight gain/loss. Each person will experience variances on a "general" rule. I say don't argue with success and keep doing what you're doing as it seems to be working.

[Lazarus]

Part of the reason I'm interested in how cardio affects my weight gain is that you see so many people saying that traditional cardio is ineffective in weight loss programs. Based on my experience, it's highly effective in taking weight off, even if you don't want to lose weight. I understand that taking off all your muscle mass with cardio is long term not a good idea, of course. The thing with cardio that no one seems willing to talk about is its hormonal effects--this is totally going off what it feels like, not anything scientific, but it feels to me like a good cardio session releases a bunch of cortisol, which makes me feel like shit, destroys my appetite, and impedes muscle growth. People will talk about that in terms of building muscle, but no one mentions this when talking about weight loss.

[pagangoddess]

From what I've read any intense exercise will release cortisol including weight training. That's what happens when the body is put under stress. It's one of the reasons post workout nutrition is so highly recommended.

What I found was that with cardio I definitely experienced appetite suppression which I didn't experience when lifting. Other than that I felt the same.

I found the most progress I made losing weight was doing steady state cardio. I would spend anywhere from 30-45 minutes on the eliptical 2-3 times a week along with weight training.

[Wooderson]

The thing I love about dirty bulking like this is that when I go to work out, the squats and deads feel so light, my muscles just love being fed like this .

Dirty Bulk FTW. Then just do the cut cycle. Chance are you're getting a ton of sat. fat which leads to T boost. The cortisol that Pagangoddess mentioned goes through a cycle where it turns to T as well, so no wonder you muscles are happy.

I haven't read, but are you doing GOMAD or just a dirty bulk?

[Lazarus]

I'm not doing GOMAD, although I do consume a large quantity of whole milk daily, at least 3 gallons a week. I'm certainly not scared of sat. fat during this bulk, 2 weeks ago I went through 1/2 gallon of heavy cream added to protein shakes in 8 days, as an experiment. My lifts feel really easy during this bulk, although I'm confusing the issue by also cutting down on cardio, leaving me more rested. I feel like rest is a bit overrated for newer lifters, but I have a gut feeling that as my poundages increase, my desire for rest will also.

Today's Workout:

Squats:
135 lb 1x8
225 lb 1x5
265 lb 5x5

These felt really easy, when I got over 245 lb prior to my vacation, I developed this sticking point a few inches above parallel, like I would build up speed, slow down, and then speed up again. My lifts today were smooth and continuous, hot stuff.

Deadlift: (alternating grip)
275 lb 2x5

OHP:

80 lb 5x5 focusing on explosive lifts

Dips: 5/5/4

Reverse curls: 3x12

[Wooderson]

I'm surprised at where you are on squats (big weight) and where you are on OHP. Did you deload on OHP recently?

[Lazarus]

I was at 100 lb OHP and 225 lb squat or so 6 weeks ago, which was much more proportionate. I had some right shoulder issues a month ago, although I never figured out exactly what the issue was, and I'm bringing the weight back up somewhat conservatively. I've had a number of right shoulder issues over the years, but all in different places, so I think they are not related. I've been doing the shoulder mobility drills, and have started to add in soft tissue work with tennis balls.

[Wooderson]

Yup...Like me and my elbow.

[dsc]

Lazarus,
I've been catching up on some logs I haven't read in a while and getting caught up with yours. Good to see you over your injuries (for the most part) and coming back strong from your holiday. Glad to hear your vacation went well.

Thanks for your post - I'm glad to be back at it with more consistency now.

[Lazarus]

Today's Workout:

Deadlifts: (regular grip)

135 lb 1x5
245 lb 2x5

Squats:

135 lb 1x8
225 lb 1x5
270 lb 3x5

After my 3rd set, I felt nauseated and also as if I were about to black out. I'm not sure if this was due to the heat, or pre-workout nutrition, or just to the weights getting higher, but I decided to skip the last 2 sets. Anyone have any insight into this?

OHP:

90 lb 5x5

Dips: 6/6/5

Prone bridges 1 leg: 4x40sec

[Lazarus]

alright, time to rename my log to "Stuff Lazarus does instead of SL5x5 while he's injured" Tweaked my knee sprinting to catch a frisbee 2 days ago, I'd call it a minor sprain with a bit of swelling. I'm just doing some random upper body stuff while it heals, probably another 4-5 days with no lower body lifting. It's been fairly illuminating , seeing how much harder I can hit my upper body if I don't do heavy 5x5 squats first.

Today's frat boy workout especial:

Chins: 4,4,3 Supersetted with
Dips: 6,5,5

Bench Press:
155 lb 5x5

BBR:
135 lb 3x5

Face Pull:
50 lb 3x5

OHP:
90 lb 3x5

DB Fly:
35 lb 3x5

BB Curl (yes, I popped my collar for these, and put on sunglasses as well ):
90 lb 3x5

[lifthard]

Smart to not squat on a swollen knee.. Also good you are not using it as an excuse and you are working the upper harder.

Heal up and you'll be back at it.

[Lazarus]

The irony is that I didn't lift for years because I thought it would cause injuries, but I only injure myself playing tennis, or basketball, or frisbee even. No big deal though, just minor stuff, and I'll just keep trying to improve my injury resistance. Plus, I feel like I've learned something from each one.