A Weak Persons Journey To Strength...

[LuNa]

Lookin good man! If you need help setting up a cycle gimme a shout, Im more than happy to help. Once you go carb cycle youll love it.

Thanks for the help, i have been reading about it a bit, but i am still lost a bit. My current low days seem to be 200gr which doesnt seem really low. I can use all the help that people are willing to give, so thanks in advance.

[LuNa]

So had my first high carb day. Energy is insanely high . These are my current macros:
Cals F/C/P
2819 28.0 440.5 201.3
Aiming to have a pre bed meal with a bit more protein. Tomorrow will be a low day again but i do wonder how i will feel in the gym on Thursday. Today was pretty good.

Squat:
3x5x107.5 <-- Felt good. I am still using a box to gauge depth but i am going to remove the box during warm ups.

Deadlift:
1x5x152.5 <-- Pretty good, i am getting close to my personal goal.

Hammer curls:
5x5x18kg <-- Didnt fail any reps so i might try 20kg next time.

Energy was good and i wonder how i will feel tomorrow after all these carbs.

[LuNa]

Feeling really good today. Legs are a bit tired but they should feel better after some long walks to get the blood flowing. Today is going to be low carb, as low as possible just to see how that goes. I am just trying this carb cycling out, because i dont really know how it works . Should have a complete plan for next week though.

[LuNa]

So today is another high carb day. I tried a no carb day yesterday and it didnt work out. Late afternoon i felt like **** so i decided to have some carbs which made me feel a lot better. I think moderation works better so i am going to have low (max 200g) and high (450-500g) days. Going to have high days on Monday and Friday and the rest are low. This is similar to my previous plans but with longer refeeds.
I am also reading the book Ultimate Diet 2.0. (Thanks again Zen) This will give me more ideas about cycling and i will adjust things where i see fit. Furthermore, i might try one 4 week cycle of UD2.0 in December, but that is still far far away. Pictures will come on Saturday.

Todays workout
Squat:
3x5x110kg <-- Almost failed on the last rep. Had a sticking point but worked through it. I am going to increase because my goal is coming really close .

OH press:
2x15xbar <-- recoup work. Shoulder felt ok but i need to wait to see how it feels later on.

Power clean:
5x3x60kg <-- Form was pretty good. I can still make some gains by keeping at this weight so will do that.

Hammer Curls:
5x5x20's <-- Failed on the last two sets. Will keep working on it. I have been doing this as an experiment to see if my body likes volume or frequency. At this point frequency seems to be ok, i can recover easily before every day. Will have to see if there is any growth though.

Abs:
Decline sit-ups
1x12
1x9
Leg raises
1x10

[tomv]

Keep up the awesome work on squats Luna!

[LuNa]

Keep up the awesome work on squats Luna!

Thanks Tom! Every time i increase it i think of your comments :P.

[LuNa]

So, i didnt loose any weight this week. Weighed in at 106.6 today. Not going to let this hold me back, because it was a week with trying out carb cycling. Next week has to be better. I am also looking to add a day where i do a short workout with complexes. They look like fun and i can use the extra "cardio".

Squat:
3x5x112.5kg <-- These scare the **** out of me . Almost failed on the last rep again but i pulled it off. Increase .

Deadlift:
1x5x155kg <-- This felt awesome. It is heavy, but going heavy on deadlifts is different than squats. I am getting so close to my goal that i can not wait to increase this again.

Bench press:
2x15xbar <-- Light recoup work


Didnt do any additional work because my arms are sore. 5x5 on the hammer curls with 3 times a week is too much. I will probably reduce it to two times, or do 3x8. It feels good getting to know what works.

[tomv]

Yo Luna when you can mate you should make the trek over to North Sydney PCYC where Heavy Metal Powerlifting Club trains.

Good place to train and get a bit of motivation as well as get some tips on form (e.g. Power Cleans ;-)

Let me know when you are and I'll try and make sure some Powerlifters will be there training.

[LuNa]

Yo Luna when you can mate you should make the trek over to North Sydney PCYC where Heavy Metal Powerlifting Club trains.

Good place to train and get a bit of motivation as well as get some tips on form (e.g. Power Cleans ;-)

Let me know when you are and I'll try and make sure some Powerlifters will be there training.

Googling it right now. Saturdays are pretty good at my gym because there are a lot of Strongmen training there, but i could deff use some help with my major lifts. Thanks for the headsup!

[LuNa]

I am really sore today. Especially my lower back is feeling it. It was one hell of a workout yesterday . Going to do some small walks today to get the blood flowing. I have also found the complexes that i will be doing, they look amazing and a lot of fun. This is the one found in this article:
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a...edded_physique

Ill be doing the one made by Alwyn Cosgrove:
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Bentover Row
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Good Morning

I am looking forward to doing this but i am pretty sure it will kick my ass, exactly what i need .

[LuNa]

So yesterday was a day off from the gym. I had class from 9-9 and two assignments that i had to work on. I did feel that it wasnt too bad because i felt that some of my joints were sore. Diet has been great. All carbs, except for veggies and fruits are out my diet. I am feeling pretty good and looking forward to the gym on Wednesday.

[LuNa]

Well, i couldnt resist to weigh myself today, after having some awesome days diet wise. 105,5, which means i am already down 1 kg. Really hope this is not water weight due to the restriction in carbs. Workout today was on a completely different level.

Squat:
3x5x115kg <-- I am not sure what was up, but this felt completely different intensity wise. For some reason it felt like i could get a lot more strength from my muscles. Not sure if its possible, but it felt like a change in CNS. Awesome that i was able to do it. I was smiling from ear to ear during the rest time because i cant believe how close i am getting to three plates per side and my goal.

Deadlift:
1x5x157.5kg <-- Tried to not lift in front of the mirror today. Felt pretty good even though it feels a bit unnatural. The weight was heavy, but not heavy that i would fail. 160 next time it is!

Bench Press:
3x5x30kg <-- Form is much better now that i am doing recoup work with low weights. Really focussing on the form by Dave Tate. Feels very tight.

No accessory work because i was reasonably low on carbs the last couple of days so wanted to keep volume low. However, awesome feeling when i was done. Bit of a tight back, but that should go away with some rest.

[Jboy]

I am jealous of your squats. I'm only at 70kgs can't wait to hit the 100kg club for them.

[LuNa]

I am jealous of your squats. I'm only at 70kgs can't wait to hit the 100kg club for them.

Hehe, i have to say squatting is really a mental thing. Sometimes you have to push through certain barriers because your body is able to do it, but your mind isnt. Keep working hard and you will be there soon enough!

[Jboy]

Hehe, i have to say squatting is really a mental thing. Sometimes you have to push through certain barriers because your body is able to do it, but your mind isnt. Keep working hard and you will be there soon enough!

Don't you worry my mind is 100% focused on the job. I want to rush it but I'm holding back and going through it properly.

[LuNa]

Don't you worry my mind is 100% focused on the job. I want to rush it but I'm holding back and going through it properly.

I think it was more to say about myself . I had a hard time going past 100kg because i was afraid i would fail on a rep. Decided to set the pins correctly and just go for it.

Its a good thing what you are doing, there is no rush.

[yasher]

Your lifts are lookin great, man!

I didn't mean to nick your thread title - I was thinking about it for a day or so and I must have seen yours at some point and thought it was a good one

[LuNa]

Thanks!

No worries. Before you know it you are asking the mods to change yours because you finished your journey to strength

[LuNa]

So, today it felt like it wasnt my day. I threw my morning shake all over the ground and hit my head twice. However, the scale made up for it a bit: 105.75. Thats a 1kg drop after a week of hard work which shows that i can really do it if i stay focussed.

Todays workout
Squat:
3x5x117.5kg <-- This was soooooo heavy. Had a guy spot me on the last set because i already came close to failure on the 2nd set. I didnt need his help, but him standing there made me push even harder. Felt like passing out after i was done. I never ever want to do squats again! Well untill the next WO.

OH Press:
2x8x30kg
1x5x30kg <-- Didnt want to go to heavy already and I felt really tired after the squats.

Power Clean:
1x3x60kg <-- I was exhausted. Form was so bad i stopped before i would hurt myself in some way.

So, happy about the PR, not so happy ill have to squat 120kg and deadlift 160kg next time. Starting Strength is kicking my ass!

[tomv]

Luna you're becoming a beast mate! Don't you dare slow down now :P. I will come in to the city and whoop your Dutch ass! haha

[LuNa]

Luna you're becoming a beast mate! Don't you dare slow down now :P. I will come in to the city and whoop your Dutch ass! haha

Haha thanks mate. Seriously, today when i was finished i was thinking. **** you Tom, for making me increase this. You are a great motivation. Thanks a lot.

[LuNa]

Last night was a calculated cheat for me. I saved around half of my daily cals so i could eat with some people i invited. Had some low carb beers as well. Today i did the complexes to make up for what i had last night.

The complexes were fun however, i was finished after 12 mins. I was sweating pretty heavily, but seeing that i have to walk for half an hour to get to the gym, 12 mins is just too short. I also felt that it messed with my recovery because i felt pain in certain muscles. I think i will just keep it to three days of heavy lifting a week with enough rest. I rather cut on the cals when needed just now than adding cardio. But it was fun to do something else for a change!

[LuNa]

My hamstrings are really sore today. Normally all feeling of soreness is gone but the complexes extended it i guess. Diet today has been a bit off. I have only had around 900 cals because i didnt have anything in the house to eat. Will need to make up for that tonight. Tomorrow is going to be an off day again from the gym because i have class from 9-9 again. I guess its not that bad seeing i done the complexes on Saturday.

[LuNa]

Diet is going pretty well. I like not having the carbs at night, makes me feel a lot better. I do feel that protein is lacking a bit so i need to pick that up. I did finally finish my ON 100% vanilla, which was disgusting. It has been replaced with Rocky road which is amazing, even in water. I also got the ON creatine which uses Creapure, so i am all good to go. Wont be much of a change though because i was already using creatine. Still, i am going for the placebo effect!

I am looking forward to hitting the gym tomorrow. I am feeling pretty lean (im not) nowadays and actually enjoy what i am seeing in the mirror. This should be keep getting better with every week/month.

[tomv]

Diet is going pretty well. I like not having the carbs at night, makes me feel a lot better. I do feel that protein is lacking a bit so i need to pick that up. I did finally finish my ON 100% vanilla, which was disgusting. It has been replaced with Rocky road which is amazing, even in water. I also got the ON creatine which uses Creapure, so i am all good to go. Wont be much of a change though because i was already using creatine. Still, i am going for the placebo effect!

I am looking forward to hitting the gym tomorrow. I am feeling pretty lean (im not) nowadays and actually enjoy what i am seeing in the mirror. This should be keep getting better with every week/month.

Sure will mate, you won't know yourself in 6 months. Dutch Dud -> Dutch Dominator!