Wooderson's Monthly Progress Update Log

[Wooderson]

Ok, to help me consolidate month-to-month changes, I'm making this monthly progression thread.

Typically I do a monthly update on the first Saturday following the first day of the month. I check weight, bodyfat (using calipers as well as electro-resistance scale), measure a number of different points on my body an take a photo.

Initial Update - May 10, 2009
Hello Stronglifts Forum Dwellers.

Thanks in advance for following me here and offering what ever help you can.

Brand new here, but have been messing with the Stronglifts routine off and on since January. I say off and on because I simply have not been consistent.

About me: I'm 37, married with two dogs and one cat. I love working outside (landscaping, gardening, hitting golf balls into the lake across from my house while having a couple of beers, drinking three to four Captain & Coke Zeros while mowing the lawn... you see where this is going?). I am essentially self-employed in the financial services field, running my own retirement planning practice.

I've been overweight more in my life than I have been in shape. The last time I was really in shape was ten years ago. I was working at Microsoft at the time, living alone only a few years removed from college graduation. I was going to the gym daily after work. I ate very healthy. I was obsessed with sports nutrition due to a prior stint in college with some deep biology and organic chem. I got down to about 200lbs and 12% body fat. I was pretty strong, not too shabby at all. Then I left work at Microsoft trying to figure out what I wanted to do since I knew being a cube jockey in the technology sector was not for me.

I kept up the daily work out until I hired on with a company in financial services. I began working 12 - 14 hour days studying for licensing exams. Once those were over I kept up the long hours auditing senior advisors in meetings and marketing to get my own clients. Not only did my gym time go from daily to zero, my nutrition went from obsessively good to Wendy's at 11PM nightly.

So fast-forward to now. I've been going to the gym for 10 days. I've been obsessing with meals and eating clean in general, but it's hard with a wife that does not and is naturally high metabolism.

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 256.5lbs
Body Fat: 33%
Lean Mass: 171.9lbs

Measurements
Neck:18.5"
Chest: 48.25"
Waist: 49.25"
Hips: 48"
Bi/Tri: 13.75"
Forearm: 12"
Thigh: 26.25"
Calf: 17.25"

5x5:
Squat 65lbs
Bench 60lbs
OHP 60lbs
BWRow 20
Push Ups 32
Deadlift 1x5x60lbs
Assisted Pull Ups 19 @ 140lbs counterweight
7:23 minute mile[/list]

I can't do a pull up, obviously, so I'm using an assisted pull up machine. My goal is to get to 20+ on the 3xFail days for pull ups, and once I hit that I will reduce the counterweight by 10lbs and then work my way back to 20 reps, reduce again by 10lbs, etc. until I can do 1 pull up.

What are my goals? Get to 200 lbs with 8% bodyfat. Squat 1.5 x body weight and bench 1 x my body weight. 30 Pullups without stopping. I dream of a day I can do an iron-cross on rings, but i'll take things one day at a time on that. I run a marathon in under 4 hours, and I will attempt that when I get to 200lbs. I'm a bit scared of that as I get shin splints, so right now I am using an elliptical with a good amount of resistance. It is my hope that the squats will strengthen the muscles in the front of my shins enough that the shin splints will go away.

What's my plan? Go to the gym daily. Work the 5x5 beginners plan until I get to the goal of squatting 1.5 x my body weight. On resistance days I'll do 20 minutes on the elliptical, and on off-days I'll do 45 minutes on it. I love HIIT, but I really want to work my cardio over time in prep for marathoning.

In terms of eating, I've put together about 10 meals each around 250 - 450 calories (inclusive of post-workout creatine/whey shake) and I will have six meals daily to keep calories between 1800 - 2100 per day.

What's my plan? November 10th, 2009. That's six months away. I hope to beat that goal by at least six weeks, but that's my starting goal.

Please give me support, criticism, good jokes, internet sarcasm, Big Poppa Pump shoot-promo videos, Ric Flair mullets, etc. If anyone else is new and wants to add some kind of competition, I'm in!

Going forward I will post weekly pictures as well. I don't have my camera handy now, but here is one of me in August of 2008 about 10lbs lighter. Not apples to apples, but it'll have to do until my next week's photo.

[Wooderson]

Update #2 - July 5th, 2009

Wow, so pretty huge monthly update.

The only thing I have done since late May to measure progress is to step on the scale, and stepping on the scale has been a huge letdown. Every time I do, my weight has not changed. After going through the total inventory today, I am just amazed at what has happened in five weeks. Totally just amazed.

In general my food has been horrible. I'll eat half clean, half crap. I've been drinking a bit more than I should (and by a bit I mean a lot). I can only imagine how much better these results would be if I was operating optimally.

Monthly Update

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 257.1 lbs, up .1 lbs since start
Body Fat: 27.4%
Lean Mass: 186.7 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 14.4 lbs
Muscle gain: 14.5 lbs

Measurements
Fatty areas
Neck:18.00", down .5"
Chest: 45.00", down 1.25"
Waist: 47.00", down 3.0"
Hips: 47.00", down 1.25"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.00", up 1.25"
Forearm: 12.125", up .125"
Thigh: 27.50", up 1.25"
Calf: 17.5", up .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 8"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 2.9"

5x5:
Squat 160lbs
Bench 145lbs
OHP 120lbs
Inv.Row 27
Push Ups 36
Deadlift 1x5 160 lbs
Barbell Rows3 x5 140 lbs

Monthly photo:

[Wooderson]

Update #3 - August 1, 2009
Monthly Update

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 259.2 lbs, up 2.1 lbs since start, up 2.2 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 26.9%, down 6.1% since start, down .5% since last month
Lean Mass: 189.4 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 15.1 lbs (0.7 lbs in since last month)
Muscle gain: 17.3 lbs (2.8 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck:18.00", down .5"
Chest: 44.75", down 3.5"
Waist: 45.50", down 4.5"
Hips: 46.00", down 2.25"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.50", up 1.75"
Forearm: 12.125", up .125"
Thigh: 27.87", up 1.62"
Calf: 17.50", up .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 10.75"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 3.75"

Current 5x5:
Squat 195lbs
Bench 165lbs
OHP 135lbs
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 200 lbs
Barbell Rows3 x5 155 lbs

Monthly photo:

[Wooderson]

Update #4 - September 3, 2009
Monthly Update

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 260.1 lbs, up 3.1 lbs since start, up 0.9 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 23.9%, down 6.1% since start, down .5% since last month
Lean Mass: 197.9 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 22.6 lbs (7.6 lbs since last month)
Muscle gain: 25.7 lbs (8.5 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck:18.00", down .5"
Chest: 44.00", down 4.25"
Waist: 46.25", down 3.75"
Hips: 45.50", down 2.75"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.50", up 1.75"
Forearm: 12.25", up .25"
Thigh: 27.63", up 1.38"
Calf: 17.38", up .13"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 11.25"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 3.50"

Current 5x5:
Squat 250lbs
Bench 160lbs
OHP 120lbs
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 220 lbs
Barbell Rows3 x5 135 lbs

Monthly photo: (FYI... not my bras, brah...)

[Wooderson]

Update #5 - October 3, 2009
Monthly Update

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 267.6 lbs, up 10.6 lbs since start, up 7.5 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 27.2%, down 5.8% since start, up 3.3% since last month
Lean Mass: 194.8 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 12.0 lbs (down 10.6 lbs over last month)
Muscle gain: 22.6 lbs (down 3.1 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck:18.00", down .5"
Chest: 47.00", down 1.25"
Waist: 47.75", down 2.25"
Hips: 46.00", down 2.25"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.50", up 1.75"
Forearm: 12.25", up .25"
Thigh: 28.00", up 1.75"
Calf: 17.38", up .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 6.3"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 4.0"

Current 5x5:
Squat 270lbs
Bench 170lbs
OHP 130lbs
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 225 lbs
Barbell Rows3 x5 145 lbs

Monthly photo:



Commentary: Odd month. I was on vacation from Sept. 19th through Sept. 25th. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I highly recommend it, and if you go, make sure to eat a a place high atop the city called Barcelona. The best paella I have ever had. Here's a photo of me enjoying it and the sangria:



Clearly happy. But vacation plus not working out and eating like hell in the week since I have returned have clearly made this month what I will euphemistically call a "dirty bulk". The moral of the story: vacations = fat gain and laziness.

Starting today I am doing the EC stack and beginning next weekend I will also begin a two-month cycle of Testraflex. Both cycles will end at the end of November.

Also, looking at my initial goals (200lbs, 8%BF, 1.5xBW squat by Nov. 10, 2009), I obviously need to adjust them. I'd like to drop my body weight to 230lbs or less by the end of the year while retaining my current muscle mass. That would put me at about 15% bodyfat, about 1/2 of where I am now. This means eat clean, and since I never have before, begin following Medhi's 8 rules. Also I'm going to go back to 45 min of slow-cardio 3+ times a week.

[lovestolift]

Looks like you had fun on your trip. Now it's back to business, right?

I must commend you for doing this. It's tough to put yourself on display in such an aboveboard manner. Keep up the good work. Let us know how you get on following the 8 rules as well.

[tuffnutts]

Jump right back in man! I see more triceps definition.

You're in this for the long haul. YOU CAN DO IT!!

[Barry101]

You can do it! Keep on going. Rest and diet are the hardest part for a lot of us (ME). You're look'n good.

[Wooderson]

Update #6 - November 2, 2009 Monthly Update

Please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks!

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 270.0 lbs, up 13.0 lbs since start, up 2.4 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 27.3%, down 5.7% since start, up 0.1% since last month
Lean Mass: 196.3 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 11.1 lbs (down 0.9 lbs over last month)
Muscle gain: 24.1 lbs (up 1.5 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck:18.25", down .25"
Chest: 47.00", down 1.25"
Waist: 47.50", down 2.50"
Hips: 45.50", down 2.50"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.75", up 2.0"
Forearm: 12.25", up .25"
Thigh: 27.50", up 1.25"
Calf: 17.75", up .50"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 6.8"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 4.0"

Current 5x5:
Squat 270lbs
Bench 155lbs
OHP 130lbs
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 220 lbs
Barbell Rows3 x5 155 lbs

Monthly photo:

No monthly photos - my card says it is locked and the lock/unlock switch is missing, so I need a new SD card. I look almost exactly the same anyway and if you really want to see me in boxers, just scroll up. Cuz everyone like shots of fat dudes in boxers, right? Damn skippy.

Commentary:

I have just plain sucked since September 16th - the last workout I had prior to going on vacation. I got back and did not work out once the rest of September. In October I only went to the gym six times all month, and in the last 15 days I have gone three times. I did some strenuous labor each weekend which helps, but it's not part of 'the program'.

I made a post here on October 13th with my new goals and such. I've reprinted it below with a couple of modifications.

Mission 2: Lose Fat and Weight

What I have noticed in the last five months is that while working the SL5x5 I have been losing fat each month, but gaining weight overall because I have gained slightly more muscle each month than I have lost fat. That's good and fine and I'm very happy about that. I've gained strength and learned basic form. I've lost fat and gained muscle.

However, the downside to this seemingly good progress is that I have not been making smart food choices along the way. Fast food, pizza, "dirty bulking" and my natural propensity to drink due to a gregarious personality that typically has me at bars or at dinner with friends and clients have all kept me from losing fat faster.

My first 'mission" found me with what in retrospect were probably unreasonable goals. Some person probably could have hit them, but that would have been one phenomenal human (see first post of this thread for Mission 1 goals). My goals now for this next mission are, between November 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010:

• drop gross weight from 270 lbs to 230 lbs
• drop body fat to 15%
• squat @ 325 lbs
• bench @ 225 lbs
• OHP @ 170 lbs
• BBR @ 200 lbs
• deadlift @ 300 lbs
• hit workout 100
• do 3060 minutes of cardio on the elliptical

So a bit of commentary about the goals. Dropping 40lbs in four months is not hard. Dropping 40 lbs of fat in that same time period is probably significantly harder. To hit 15% body fat means I am gaining as much muscle as I waste, so I will need to keep my protein intake up. To that end I plan to eat 1gm of protein per pound of lean body mass, or basically 200gms / day. That's in my wheelhouse anyway. I'm going to try to go by the 8 eating rules as much as possible.

All the strength goals are just basic guesses of where I think I can reasonably be in four months. We'll see. They all seem reasonable from where I am currently.

Hitting workout 100 means working out just shy of 3 times per week on average. That should be pretty easy. The 3,060 minutes of cardio is 51 hours, or basically 45minutes every workout + an additional 12 cardio-only days. I've switched from the Bear (basically HIIT) to steady-state for two reasons: it's easier and it burns more fat even if it may not burn more calories. Honestly, I simply think it will be easier to do after all the other stuff than the Bear would be. That said, I am going to attempt the Bear (5x5 x 45lbs) every workout prior to doing the elliptical cardio.

One last point: if at any point along the way I hit a goal prior to February 28, 2010, I will revisit my goals.

Again, please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks!

[JohnAnthny]

Dude where are you? Maybe your current log is somewhere else, I dont think you have just stopped. Your squatting a lot and the other lifts will follow. Your number tracking is impeccable. Success is imminent!

[Wooderson]

Update #7 - December 5th, 2009 Monthly Update

Thanks for stopping by my monthly update. As always, please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks! As a reminder, my current goals are...

Mission 2: Lose Fat and Weight - November 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010

• drop gross weight from 270 lbs to 230 lbs
• drop body fat to 15%
• squat 5x5 @ 325 lbs
• bench 5x5 @ 225 lbs
• OHP 5x5 @ 170 lbs
• BBR 3x5 @ 200 lbs
• Deadlift 1x5@ 300 lbs
• hit workout 100
• do 3060 minutes of cardio

So how and I doing after the month of November, 2009? Pretty well I think...

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 258.0 lbs, up 1.0 lbs since start, down 12.0 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 23.2%, down 9.8% since start, down 4.1% since last month
Lean Mass: 198.1 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 25.0 lbs (down 13.9 lbs over last month)
Muscle gain: 26.0 lbs (up 1.9 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck:18.00", down .50"
Chest: 45.50", down 2.75"
Waist: 45.00", down 5.00"
Hips: 44.50", down 3.75"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.50", up 1.75"
Forearm: 12.50", up .50"
Thigh: 27.00", up .75"
Calf: 17.50", up .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 12.0"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 3.3"

Current 5x5:
Squat 280lbs
Bench 180lbs
OHP 155lbs
Inv.Row current max is 12 in one set
Push Ups current max is 19 in one set, with feet elevated on a workout bench so they're slightly above my head
Deadlift 1x5 245 lbs
Barbell Rows 3x5 145 lbs

Monthly photos:



Commentary: Lots of great things going on this month. I still added muscle but really made progress to my goal of dropping a lot of fat. I could tell that was going on through the month as shirts were fitting different and there are actually times during yoga that I can see the muscles in my shoulders and chest through the fat sitting on them. My legs are getting super solid and angular in a few places when I flex, and I can also start to see where the fat on my stomach is getting that slight indentation on the sides of my abs. So I've got that going for me... gunga gulunga...

This month I went back to doing 5x5 on squats, OHP and bench after moving to 3x5 in September. I could tell I was missing strength gains due to dropping two sets. Sure it's added 20 minutes to every workout, but I'm glad I moved back to 5x5. The downside is that I am freaking exhausted by the time I'm done with the lifting so I have been skipping the BW exercises and the Bear. I don't like that, but I guess I need to adjust a bit and get reacclimated to these heavy weights at 5 sets. Well, and I have also noticed my quads hurt after the squats, my biceps (yes, bis, not tris) hurt after benching and my shoulders hurt after OHP.

I have 2,270 minutes of cardio remaining, so I am behind the schedule there but with the addition of Bikram yoga three times a week (hopefully more as my cardio improves), I'll knock this cardio goal out of the park. The down side is that I feel fairly sure this is also contributing to me being so exhausted after lifting. Oh well... no one said progress was easy.

Again, thanks for stopping by and please make all comments in my regular training log, here. BTW, I went to the gym this afternoon, so you'll see an update in that thread that is not reflected in this update.

Thanks!

[Wooderson]

Update #8 – January 2, 2010 Monthly Update

Thanks for stopping by my monthly update. As always, please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks! As a reminder, my current goals are...

Mission 2: Lose Fat and Weight - November 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010

• drop gross weight from 270 lbs to 230 lbs
• drop body fat to 15%
• squat 5x5 @ 325 lbs
• bench 5x5 @ 225 lbs
• OHP 5x5 @ 170 lbs
• BBR 3x5 @ 200 lbs
• Deadlift 1x5@ 300 lbs
• hit workout 100 (33 remaining)
• do 3060 minutes of cardio (2,070 remaining)

How am I doing after the month of December, 2009? To quote Alice after she jumped through the looking glass, “Curiouser and curiouser.”

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 238.5 lbs, down 18.5 lbs since start, down 19.5 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 22.6%, down 10.4% since start, down 0.6% since last month
Lean Mass: 184.6 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 30.9 lbs (down 6.0 lbs over last month)
Lean gain: 12.4 lbs (down 13.5 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck: 17.5", down 1.0"
Chest: 44.0", down 4.25"
Waist: 43.50", down 6.50"
Hips: 43.00", down 5.25"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.13", up 1.38"
Forearm: 12.25", up .25"
Thigh: 25.50", down 0.75"
Calf: 17.00", down .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches lost in fatty areas: 17.0"
Inches gained in muscle areas: 0.6"

Current 5x5 (weights based on last workout, not possible max during month)
Squat 285 lbs (119.5% of bodyweight)
Bench 175 lbs (75.5% of bodyweight)
OHP 155 lbs (65.0% of bodyweight)
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 250 lbs (104.8% of bodyweight)
Barbell Rows 3x5 150 lbs (62.9% of bodyweight)

Monthly photos:







Commentary: Curiouser and curiouser indeed, Alice.

So I dropped 19.5lbs gross body weight through December, and only 6.0 lbs was fat. I’m willing to concede that some of the remaining 13.5lbs I lost was muscle wasting, but I can’t believe it all was because I haven’t really lost any strength. I have lost some: last month I did 5x5 OHP @ 160lbs and had only three or four push presses in the entire sets and this month 155 lbs was more difficult, but I still repped 5x5 on it.

Also odd in this month is that I took a one week break early in the month to let my body recover on the advice of H (holvoetn) and James (atypical1). Did so for one week, went to the gym and woke up with a nasty upper respiratory infection that had me out for a week.

All in all I only had six 5x5 workouts in the month of December, although I also did seven session of Bikram yoga. Great results at the effect side of the equation in terms of gross weight lost, but horrible results on the cause side of the equation. It will take an extremely motivated effort for me to hit my goal on cardio, and I think I may end up just shy of my workout goal.

Random good news: I put on a pair of men’s US size 38 jeans that I haven’t tried to wear since 2007, and to my surprise they are slightly loose. I have two button-down shirts and one jacket that were all the same story as the jeans. Very cool.

So New Year, new possibilities... blah blah… same goals. It’s time to get cracking though after a sub-par December in terms of making gains in the weight I’m pushing. I’m going to be adding

One last note: Thanks to SgtRock in this thread, I am adding these to my workouts in the New Year.



Again, please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks!

[Wooderson]

Update #9 – February 6, 2010 Monthly Update

Thanks for stopping by my monthly update. As always, please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks! As a reminder, my current goals are...

Mission 2: Lose Fat and Weight - November 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010

Goals

• drop gross weight from 270 lbs to 230 lbs
• drop body fat to 15%
• squat 5x5 @ 325 lbs
• bench 5x5 @ 225 lbs
• OHP 5x5 @ 170 lbs
• BBR 3x5 @ 200 lbs
• Deadlift 1x5@ 300 lbs
• hit workout 100 (22 remaining)
• do 3060 minutes of cardio (1,583 remaining)

Just as December was interesting, January was as well. What is even more interesting/curious/WOW/etc. is looking over Nov/Dec/Jan together. So here's where I am as of this update:

Vitals
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 241.0 lbs, down 16.0 lbs since start, up 2.5 lbs since last month
Body Fat%: 18.5%, down 14.5 % since start, down 4.1% since last month
Lean Mass: 196.4 lbs

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Fat lost: 40.2 lbs (down 9.3 lbs over last month)
Lean gain: 24.2 lbs (up 11.8 lbs since last month)

Measurements vs. Beginning
Fatty areas
Neck: 17.38", down 1.12"
Chest: 44.0", down 4.25"
Waist: 42.75", down 7.25"
Hips: 42.63", down 5.62"
Muscle Areas
Bi/Tri: 15.00", up 1.25"
Forearm: 12.25", up .25"
Thigh: 24.68", down 1.58"
Calf: 17.00", down .25"

Since starting StrongLifts 5x5:
Inches gained/lost in fatty areas: -18.2"
Inches gained/lost in muscle areas: -0.3"

Current 5x5 (weight is highest amount of successful complete routine in the month)
Squat 265 lbs (110% of body weight)
Bench 195 lbs (81% of body weight)
OHP 155 lbs (64% of body weight)
Inv.Row Body Weight
Push Ups Body Weight
Rack Pull Ups Body Weight
Deadlift 1x5 270 lbs (112% of body weight)
Barbell Rows 3x5 160 lbs (63% of body weight)

Nutrition/Supplements
Cals/day 2200 - 2500
Protein/day 250gms
Carb/day less than 30% of intake
Creatine 10gm/day
BCAA 15gm - 20gm
Omega 3/day 2.4gm EPA/1gm DHA (from 5.5gm of fish oil)

Monthly photos (me in boxers, so please use extreme caution):

Front Relaxed

Front Flexed

Side

Arm/Shoulder

Back


Commentary: What a month. Almost all the lean mass I lost last month I have gained back, yet the strength that left with it is also gone. That gets to something I mentioned in my workout journal earlier in the week, and that is that in Mission 2 I have been trying to serve two masters: fat loss and strength gain. For now I'm focusing on fat loss with the knowledge that I'm going to fail a number of my Mission 2 goals. I won't hit the strength goals I had; I won't hit the gross body weight goal I had; I won't hit the 100th workout or the total number of cardio minutes. Ok... but my goal is still to get to 15% body fat by the end of this month. Given my history, it seems that in a normal month I gain about 2lbs of lean mass. I'll need to lose about 10lbs of fat to get to 15%. What I'm focusing on is the nutrition/supplement info above and then getting good workouts in.

Let's look at some charts and then I'll talk about them a bit and what I think is going on here as well as my plan for the rest of Mission 2 and then beyond.

Total Lean Mass vs. Total Fat Mass


Cumulative Lean and Fat Gain or Loss


Monthly Lean and Fat Gain or Loss


So The interesting thing here to me is the last three months of November/December/January. In November I lost 14lbs fat and put on 2lbs lean mass. In December I lost 6 lbs fat and lost 13.5 lbs lean mass. Then in January I lost another 9 lbs of fat but gained 11.8 lbs of muscle. The fat loss is great of course, but I don't think it is sustainable. The muscle loss/gain roller coaster is an aberration and I think I know why. I also think they are related.

In October I mentioned that I was going to start taking a supplement called Testraflex. I had a friend taking it and he said it had helped him add strength. SO I bought some without really looking into it. That's out of pattern for me, but I did it anyway. Turns out Testraflex is one of many marketing names for Estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione, a prohormone for the steroid Dienolone. Unfortunately there isn't much on the web about dienolone. I took it for six weeks, from the week of 11/1/09 through 12/11/2009. What Estra-4 seemed to have done for me was boost my strength (this was when I was doing 5x5 x 160lbs on OHP with almost zero push presses) and burn fat.

Now as I got to about week four/five of use I started reading more about the compound and realized what I was on and that I needed to take some post-cycle therapy supplements to try to help even my hormones out after I stopped taking the Estra-4. So I got some, and through December while I was on PCT my hormones must have hit a wall. I still lost fat, but my body ate 14lbs of muscle. Through January my hormones evened out - or at least that is my theory - and thus the rebound in lean mass with continued fat loss.

Reading about pro-hormones really interested me, but that's not a route I want to go down. That said, where do I go from here? Well I still have one goal in Mission 2 that is achievable: get to sub-15% body fat. Again, that means I need to lose just at 10lbs of fat in February, assuming I put on 1 - 2 lbs of lean mass. Between today and my next monthly update on March 6, 2010 I want to do 700+ minutes of cardio. That means one non-A/B day doing cardio per week. I also want to get 12 A/B workouts in, or basically three per week for the next four weeks. Unfortunately that isn't going to be possible because on Feb. 11 through Feb 16 I go to New York City. I'm going to take work out stuff, but I may only get cardio in. Going to try to get at least one actual workout in because there is a Bally's within abut 10 short blocks distance.

Beyond the next monthly update, my next goal is to get to under 10% body fat by my one year anniversary of doing StrongLifts 5x5, which will be my May monthly update. That will be Mission 3, however I'm actually giving myself three months to do it: March, April and May (i.e. by my June update). After that I'm going to work on strength and muscle mass.

Thanks again to those of you checking in and keeping up. Please make all comments in my regular training log, here. Thanks!