Commanding My Body

[Commander]

Diet Update

Bodyweight average last week: 175.1
Bodyweight average this week: 173.9

Macros to remain unchanged. I feel like I am getting lean at a rapid rate, due to the double sessions, I am taking in slightly more calories per day, but I am also burning more, which I believe is a good thing, high G-flux, Go Berardi!

I have noticed increased vascularity in my delts, new veins in my abs, and finally, two veins are starting to pop on my calves. I really believe I have all the sled pulling to thank for that. Still have work to do to get my legs as lean as I'd like before I post pictures. Striations are coming in nicely on the pecs and now even the lower lats.

I measured my waist yesterday upon waking at 173 lbs, it was 31.25 inches, that is 4 inches smaller than it was was I started my cut!

Today is not looking great for a workout, I might (I said might) have to, GASP, take a day off. I am left with 20 minutes total on my lunch break because the rest of the time is going to a school meeting. Evening is likely full with family and soccer practice. We shall see what happens, I've been able to squeek in some great workouts on limited time and I actually do plan to squat in the those 20 minutes and throw in a few other exercises. But I won't cry if I don't get to squat, I will enjoy the rest if that is how things work out.

[VeeKay]

you've come a long way Commander.. very inspiring & enjoyable journal..

[Commander]

Originally Posted by VeeKay

you've come a long way Commander.. very inspiring & enjoyable journal..

Thanks VeeKay!

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What do you do when you have only 20 minutes?


SQUAT!!!


More specifically, widowmaker.

Leg Day- Squat

250x20 - 10 lb PR

This was absolutely terrible and wonderfully awful. My arms were dying, I literally was scared on rep 19 and 20 that I was going to drop the bar. My lungs felt like they were going to explode. I think my legs had the easy end of the job.

Front Squat
120x12 - cardiovascular failure, my legs had more in them, but I was still huffing and puffing from the widowmaker, it was almost unbearable.

Leg Extension superset with SLDL
100, 115, 130, 150 x 5, 115x15 with 200 x 5, 5 sets

Hamstring Curl
50x13

That's what you do with 20 minutes. I was toast after this.

[Wizard24]

Dog, I almost puked just reading that workout. Well done my friend.

[Commander]

Originally Posted by Wizard24

Dog, I almost puked just reading that workout. Well done my friend.

Thanks for checking in Wizard, it's about time you posted a journal!

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I didn't think I would have time to get in a second session. In the afternoon after work I was busy playing with my two boys and I knew the evening was going to be spent running errands and taking my oldest to soccer. Well, a friend shows up and wants to play with my kids, you know how kids are, they didn't want anything to do with Daddy once their friend was there. I had exactly 35 minutes before dinner. Perfect, 5 minutes to prep (change clothes, get tire ready, make up a quick shake) and 30 minutes to drag a tire! Gotta make the most of opportunities.

Leg Day - PM Session

Tire Work

Upperbody 20-24 reps, Lowerbody 50-60 reps

Total sets performed:
Forward Drag 125 x 5
Backward Drag 100 x 2, 75 x 2
Row 75 x 3
Chest Press 50 x 3

Legs are nice and sore today. I hope to hit them with some tire flips today, heck, tire flips are a total body workout.

[Commander]

Well, today I have a midnight shift, so I decided to do an eccentric-less workout so as not to tax my body too much since I won't be sleeping until sometime on Wednesday evening.

To change up things, I went to my friend's gym to flip tires instead of pulling my tire sled.

Here is an old video of me flipping tires just to give anyone new an idea of what I was doing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUgjs5QxLws

10 sets of 10 flips in 20 minutes

4 sled sprints with 90 lbs (not sure how much the sled weighed, but it's the same one you can see in the video, except I was pushing it, like a prowler)

[Commander]

PM Session

Had a great moment during this session, an SUV with 4 girls pulls up at the alley right near where I was working out, a girl yells out the window, "I love your body!" Naturally, I said, "Thank you" and at that point, my head exploded because it could not contain my ego! Just kidding, but it was a nice confidence booster, I told my wife and she thought it was pretty neat.

Tire Work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CpKAwws1yg

Hopefully the video makes it clear what I've been doing lately for anyone who is confused when I talk about tires in my journal!

Upper Body 20-24 reps, Lower Body 50-60 (both reps listed are total for up and back)

Forward Drags 135
Row 100
Backward Drag 100
Chest Press 50

Repeat 2 more times

Forward Drag 75 (focusing on more speed with lighter weight)
Bicep Curl 50 - forgot to include these in the video
OH Tricep Ext 25

Repeat 2 more times

Massive pump from this, really enjoyable.

[bigbear6708]

nice work so far man! you definatley know the idea of "opportunity workouts"! how is your speed coming? i know in the beginning it was a priority of yours. i can tell you from just doing smolov, my speed is getting insane!

[Commander]

Originally Posted by bigbear6708

nice work so far man! you definatley know the idea of "opportunity workouts"! how is your speed coming? i know in the beginning it was a priority of yours. i can tell you from just doing smolov, my speed is getting insane!

Yeah, I try to make the most of opporunities. Speed is no longer a priority, I have decided solely to focus on getting shredded.

Tired currently from working a midnight shift last night, I still plan to hit up a workout at lunch. We'll see how it goes.

EDIT

Pull Day - Lunch Session

Pullups
BW (plus 20) BW+80 x 3 - PR

T-Bar
115 (plus 15) 190x5 - PR

Circuit - until failure, rest and repeat once
Pullup BW+25 x 9, BW x 8
T-Bar 135x12, 10
Rack Chin BWx8, 8
Decline Cable Pullover 55x8, 7

Incline DB Curl superset with Ab Wheel Rollouts
27x8, 7, 6 with BWx15, 3 sets

The Ab Wheel rollouts are getting much easier, so I made them harder by adding in 1/2 reps on that last 5 reps of my last set. Basically, I rolled out, came halfway back, rolled out, then came the wholeway back, that equals 1 rep. Just those 5 reps really blasted my lats. I will have to try a whole set like that next time to finish them off.

[Commander]

Last Night

Pull Day - PM Session

*Keep in mind, just because it's a pull day, doesn't mean I don't do other stuff with the tire

Warmup with tire:
Forward Drag 50
Chest Press 50

Repeat 2 more times

Back Isolation work with Tire:
Low Lat Stiff Arm 25
High Trap Stiff Arm 25
Lat Pulldown 50

Repeat 2 more times

Back Compound work with Tire:
Forward Drag 100
Row 100

Repeat 2 more times

Today

Push Day - Lunch Session

Incline Barbell Press
140 (plus 15) 215x3
180x10

Standing OH Press - strict
100 (plus 10) 130x5, 135x5

Incline Barbell Press
150x12

Standing OH Press
90x10

Deloaded Skull Crusher superset with Ab Bench
70x11,9,7 with 55x19,8,5 - had no endurance here, abs tired from yesterday's ab wheel rollouts

Dips, Pushups with handles, Pushups on bench - all until failure to finish off my workout

My pushing strength was decent today. I am extremely pleased.

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Did some posing (yes, I just said that) in the mirror last night, I was pleased with my chest striations and I finally noticed some leanness in my triceps. I don't have striations yet, but finally, the fattest part of my upperbody is coming along. Aside from my tris, I need a little more leanness in my lower ab/love handle (their not really handles anymore though!) region.

Legs are a different story. I remember thinking that my butt was big when I was doing Smolov, now I realize how much fat I was carrying on my legs and it wasn't that my glutes were hyoooge. My legs are starting to look skinny. They are OK looking in some poses, but from the side, they disappear. That said, they still need to be leaner. I have some deep lines/seperations and striations on parts of my upperbody, but nothing close on my legs. The day I notice a striation on my quad will be a happy day....and any detail in my hammies would be great.