XFatMan’s 1st Cycle

[XFatMan]

67,4 Kg / 148.8 lbs (+0,2 lbs / +0.5 lbs)
Body Fat: 6.8% (-0.2%)
Calorie Intake: 1750 (-400)

Bench Press: 5 x 5 x 52 Kg (115 lbs)
Squat: 5 x 5 x 62 Kg (137 lbs)
Bent-Over Row: 3 x 5 x 40 Kg (88 lbs)
Chest Dips: 3 x 5 x BW + 4 Kg (9 lbs)
Hanging Leg Lift 3 x 10 seconds

Comments:
The squat is a new PB at 5 Kg / 11 lbs less body weight. And it's definitely my limit. I was struggling very hard with the last reps, so I'm definitely not going to add weight for the next two workouts or so. I prefer to be safe than sorry.

[XFatMan]

Weight: 66,7 Kg / 147.2 lbs (-0,7 Kg / -1.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 6.7% (-0.1%)
Calorie Intake: 1750

Running: 3200 m / 2 miles (8 laps)
Time: 13:46

Comments:
On Monday I ran the same distance and I almost vomited. Today I was just pretty out of breath. Detail: today was 24 seconds - yes, twenty-four seconds - faster. Where does such improvement come from? Do squats have anything to do with this? I almost believe they do because I can always improve on exactly the day after squats, but never the day after deadlifts. Does anyone know about this?

[nomercy89]

Nice work. I like how you push yourself in the HIIT. I might start doing exactly what you're doing on my off days, although I'd start at a lot less than that. I need to get back my fitness when I was playing on a proper basketball team a few years ago.
Sleep is very important I've learned. I haven't been sleeping well for a while but I think I'm well on my way to fixing that. It's all a mental thing for me.
Good work. And your weight loss is really inspirational btw.

[XFatMan]

Thank you.
My sleep has been less than ideal for the past months. But I'm working on it, too. A little meditation can do wonders sometimes. How do you go about fixing sleep?

[XFatMan]

Weight: 66,9 Kg / 147.7 lbs (+0,2 Kg / +0.5 lbs)
Body Fat: 6.5% (-0.2%)
Calorie Intake: 2150 (+400)

Comments:
It was a great week. I was able to improve my running and my lifting. I didn't want to add weight to the squat for the next two workouts because I'm sure my last lift was my limit. But on second thought, I'll give it 2 Kg / 4 lbs more on Monday and see how far I can get. Also, I'm slowly increasing my calorie intake to make sure that all weight gain is fat-free mass. That should help in the long run.

[nomercy89]

Thank you.
My sleep has been less than ideal for the past months. But I'm working on it, too. A little meditation can do wonders sometimes. How do you go about fixing sleep?

I discovered that for me it was just a mental issue and I talked it out of my mind, although it took a while. A doctor prescribed me sleeping pills but I didn't want to get hooked on them and managed to sleep. 2 days in a row of decent sleep now so I'm looking at extending that . I've never meditated before but a few people told me it's got some good effects. Maybe sometime this week after I do some research on it.
Good luck.

[XFatMan]

Weight: 67,4 Kg / 148.8 lbs (+0,5 Kg / +1.1 lbs)
Body Fat: 6.5%
Calorie Intake: 1800 (-350)

Squat: 5 x 5 x 64 Kg / 141 lbs
OH Press: 5 x 5 x 40 Kg / 88 lbs
Deadlift: 1 x 5 x 80 Kg / 177 lbs
Pull Ups: 3 x 5 x BW + 4 Kg / 8 lbs
Hanging Leg Lift: 3 x 10 seconds

Comments:
I really didn't want to increase the weight for the squat. And the reason for this decision was pretty simple: fear. Lifting 2 Kg / 4 lbs more is much more demanding psychologically than it is in terms of strength. So halfway through my warm-up sets I decided to go for two more kilos. And this is really funny: the first set was the most difficult, and the third set felt even light. I did 5 x 5 and therefore got a new PB: 5 x 64 Kg / 141 lbs is equivalent to a 1RM of 74 Kg / 163 lbs. That in turn means I can lift 1.1 x my own body weight. Not the worst way to begin a week, huh?

[javanek]

Great job on the squats, man! Don't let your mind get the best of you, just focus on the lift and knock it out. I've been just mentally telling myself 'Just five down and five up.' Keeps me from hesitating or putting too much thought into the negatives that can happen. As long as you're not having trouble getting out of the hole, I'd say keep moving up. You got it in you, man.

Stay strong.

[XFatMan]

Weight: 67,4 Kg / 148.8 lbs
Body Fat: 6.5%
Calorie Intake: 1800

Running: 3600 m / 2.25 miles (9 laps)
Time: 15:32

Comments:
Felt good. Looks like I'm getting somewhere.

My next two workouts in the weight room will be very important. According to the workout progression, I'll be squatting my body weight for five sets of five reps by Friday. I'm pretty scared of the weights, but I'm also looking forward to such an achievement. It's also a 1RM equivalent of 1.2 x my own body weight. I must get that done because it would give me a great spurt of self-confidence.

[javanek]

Nothing to be worried about, mate. You've been hitting it hard for a while now, so it shouldn't be a problem. Don't let it get in your head. See the lift, be the lift. Looking forward to seeing the big numbers in your log, dude. I'm pulling for you on this side of the pond.

[XFatMan]

Bench Press: 5 x 5 x 54 Kg (119 lbs)
Squat: 5, 5, 4, 3, 4 x 66 Kg (145 lbs)
Bent-Over Row: 3 x 5 x 42 Kg (92 lbs)
Chest Dips: 3 x 5 x BW + 5 Kg (11 lbs)
Hanging Leg Lift: 3 x 10 seconds

Comments:
Hmm, this squat thing isn't exactly a walk in the park. The first two sets were very hard. On the third and fourth set I decided to play it safe because I was alone. On the last set, I asked two guys to spot me if necessary. And I could squeeze out four clean reps. Yeah, the psychological factor is considerable. I knew I'd have needed help on the next rep so I stopped. I'm not disappointed because I have no reason to be. At 66,9 Kg / 147.7 lbs, I have lifted almost my body weight for 21 reps. Mustn't grumble about that. Friday's another day.

I come out of the hole alright. But shortly before standing straight I got my weak point. I would guess that my hamstrings are the weak link. It would be great to get some feedback on this so perhaps I can do something about it.

[XFatMan]

Today was time for a 2400 m / 1.5 mile run. And I really wanted a better time than 9:16. So ...

Running: 2400 m
Time: 9:03