Full Body Day 2

4/19/12


Deadlift
315x5 @ 7
365x5 @ 7.5
365x5 @ 8
365x5 @ 8

Press
135x5 @ 7
145x5 @ 8
150x5 @ 8.5

Chins
BWx7
45x5
75x5
90x3
BWx6
BWx6

Farmers walks
75/75 x 60yds
75/75 x 80yds
75/75 x 80yds

Notes
Bodyweight was 231 this morning.  This freaked me out a little bit.  I started to worry I'm losing weight too fast, i.e. that I'm losing muscle.  I stuck with my plan and just did a very controlled 80% session.

I decided to push it a little bit with weighted chins to test my strength levels.  I needed to test this to see if I'm preserving muscle mass.  90x3 and 75x5 are basically right where I was at 2 weeks ago, maybe 1 rep off.  No big deal since I haven't done weighted chins in a while.

I decided to use the chins as the "strength barometer" for number of reasons.  First, they are a good indicator of relative strength.  I think relative strength keeps things in perspective during a weightloss phase.  The goal is to not lose any absolute strength (or increase it) during diet, but sometimes the huge changes in leverage are tough to overcome in stuff like squats.  Second, I certainly wasn't going to "test" my strength with a deadlift or press on a light week right after a deload.  I'm supposed to be coasting right now.  Finally, weighted chins just aren't a big deal in terms of recovery.  I might get a little sore, but they don't fatigue my lower back.  Lower back fatigue is the bane of barbell strength training.

So, chins went well.  My self-verdict is that I'm not losing significant muscle mass at this point.  I'm sure I've lost some... but honestly I really don't care.  I look better every week.  When the time comes to turn my training back on, I'll go hard and heavy.  Gaining strength (and adding muscle) is something that ususally comes relatively easy to me.  I know what works for me to get stronger.  Once I've dieted all the way down, the challenge is to surpass my old absolute strength levels without adding on significant bodyfat.

Update:  After a huge 500g carbup last night, the scale nudged up not even a full pound to 232.4. As I continue to lose fat, the carbups affect my scale weight less and less.  It's almost negligable at this point.  I've also noticed I'm getting really hot at night as my carbups become more extreme.  Basically, I think my nutrient partitioning is massively impoving.  I now feel awesome carb depleted and using FFA's for fuel most of the time.  When I eat carbs, there is an obvious metabolic effect taking place in my body.  I  get hot, and wake up looking full, hard and jaaacked. Haha.  As I continue to to lean out, my body is doing the "right things" with macronutrients.