Cut: Week 1

Macros

This week

• 1767 calories
• 180g carbs
• 129g protein
• 59g fat

Stats

Last weeks weight: 65.4 kg

Current weight: 64.7 kg
Weight loss: 700g

Supplements

• Quadralean Fat Burner 3 tablets 2x per day
• Creatine 5g per day mixed in pre/post workout shake
• *ProSupps Mr Hyde Pre Workout before training
• Glutamine 2 tablets post workout
• Probiotics 1x per day
• Multivitamin 1x per day
• Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil 1x per day

*Tried this pre workout for the first time and it was VERY potent. I thought I was going to have a heart attack - not even kidding. It gave me heart palpitations, jitters and dizziness. I had to drive up town and didn't feel safe doing so. I will not be taking this again. Way too many stimulants or my liking. I will be taking a break from all pre workouts for at least the next month.

Workouts

Monday 19th Jan: Shoulders & Triceps
1. Barbell Overhead Press 4 x 8-10
2. 20-15-10-5-10-15-20
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Upright Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3. Plate Front Raise 4 x 10
4. High Pulley Cable Row 4 x 10
5. Triceps Push Down 4 x 20, 15, 12, 10
6. Single Arm Triceps Push Down 4 x 10

15 minutes cardio: walk/jog

Tuesday 20th Jan: Legs
1. Squats 3 x 6-10
2a. Smith Machine Single Leg Lunges 3 x 8
2b. Single Leg Leg Extensions 3 x 8
3a. Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 x 10
3b. Lying Hamstring Curl 3 x 12
4. Lying Hip Thrusts 3 x 10 with 10 second hold

Wednesday 21st Jan: Rest

How am I feeling and where are the rest of my workouts?

Unfortunately the workouts completed from Wednesday to Sunday were all over the place and a real struggle. I am pretty sure I am suffering from overtraining - strength loss, fatigue, low appetite, tiredness, increased heart rate etc. I really haven't taken any time off or had any 'deload' weeks like I should have and I think it has finally caught up with me. As crappy as it is, I am going to take next week as an active rest week - no weights, just low intensity walks; as much as it pains me to do so, I need to listen to my body. My macros will be adjusted to 1600-1700 calories for the next week.

Update

I'm sorry for the lack of last week and this weeks update! I ended up taking a week off two weeks ago due to very low iron. I had no energy or motivation to exercise and just wanted to sleep all day. I managed to maintain my weight, I picked up some liquid iron and got back into it this past week (although not 100%). I will be back to blogging my cut/workouts this week.

Workouts have been shorter and I have been getting terrible nausea about 25 minutes into my workouts and I am not sure why. My hunger has still been through the roof, so I am trying to drink as much water as possible and chew gum to help. Calories are at around 1700-1800 and I am exercising 40-60 minutes 5 days per week.

Maintenance Week before Cut

Macros

This week

• 1900-2300 calories (40/30/30 split)

Stats

Last weeks weight: 65.4 kg

Current weight: 64.5 kg
Weight Lost: 0.9kg (2lbs)

Supplements

• Quadralean Fat Burner 3 tablets 2x per day
• Creatine 5g per day mixed in pre/post workout shake
• Cellucor C4 Pre Workout before training
• Glutamine 2 tablets post workout
• Probiotics 1x per day
• Multivitamin 1x per day
• Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil 1x per day

Workouts

Sunday 28th Dec: Lower Body

1. Deep Squats

20kg warm up sets

50kg x 4

60kg x 3

70kg x 2

50kg x 12

2. Sumo Deadlifts
3. Barbell Step Ups

4. Cable Kickbacks 4 x 10-12 at 7kg

5. Lying Leg Curl 4 x 10 at 15kg

6. Seated Leg Extension 3 x 10 at 40kg

Monday 29th Dec: Upper Body
1. Assisted Pull Ups 4 x 8

2. Overhead Barbell Press

12 x 20kg

10 x 23kg

8 x 25kg

3. Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down 4 x 12 at 32kg

4. Shoulder Bombs 3 x 8 at 7.5lbs

5. Straight Bar Triceps Push Down 4 x 12-15 at 12kg

6. Hammer Curl 4 x 10-12 at 12kg

Tuesday 30th Dec: Abs & Cardio
4x10-12
1. Upside Down Hanging Crunch
2. Hanging Leg Raise
3. Stability Ball Knee Tucks/Pike
4. Bottoms Up
30 minute low intensity treadmill walk

Wednesday 31st Dec: Rest

Thursday 1st Jan: Lower Body
1a. Pulse Squats 3 x 10
1b. Step Ups 3 x 20
2. Lying Leg Curl 3 x 15
3. Leg Extensions 3 x 15

Friday 2nd Jan: Rest

Saturday 3rd Jan: Back & Shoulders
3 x 8
1. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
2. Barbell Overhead Press
3. Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down
4. Shoulder Bombs
5. Standing High Pulley Row

Sunday 4th Jan: Rest

How am I feeling?

S.T.A.R.V.I.N.G… I am not going to lie, decreasing my calories from around 2400 per day (bulking) to around 2000 has been HARD. The first few days I was still taking Halotropin (testosterone booster) and ended up eating well over 2300 calories as I was just so hungry. I stopped the Halotropin on New Years Day which helped with the hunger.

I also decided to take a week off exercising last week due to fatigue and it did seem to help. I do see the most improvement in muscle gain when using an upper body/lower body/core 5 day split working each body part twice per week, but I don’t think I will be able to continue to lift this way while cutting. This type of split requires a lot of energy on my behalf making me constantly hungry and a bit tired – throw in a lower calorie intake and I can see I will get burnt out pretty quickly.



I have done about 60 minutes cardio all up the past 6 weeks. I am currently doing around 20-30 minutes per week if I feel like it. If not, it doesn’t matter. I am keeping cardio to a minimum as I want to retain as much muscle as possible. Cardio is only used to help increase your calorie deficit and since I already have a calorie deficit with food and high intensity weight training, cardio isn’t necessary. It all comes down to calories in vs calories out. So long as you are eating less calories than you are consuming then cardio isn’t necessary. Over the next 12 weeks I will only be doing cardio if I feel like it, not because I have to. 

Plan for next week

I think I will probably start back next week with a 5 day split (Shoulders / Back / Arms & Abs / Legs x 2). I plan to keep my calories at 1900-2000. For reference my maintenance is around 2200 calories. I plan to cut calories slowly and will be keeping my calories as high as possible while cutting. Once I finish cutting in April, I will reverse diet to maintenance and into another bulk for 3 months. I always struggle with cutting as I HATE being hungry all the time. The next 12 weeks will definitely be a struggle!

Goals for 2015

Since we are now heading into 2015, I thought it might be a good idea to write down my top 10 goals and things that I want to accomplish this year (fitness and non-fitness related)

.

1. Gain strength in all exercises and continue to increase weight lifted each week.

2. Squat 100kg.

3. Overhead Press 35kg.

4. Continue to focus on building up my core strength.

5. Go to bed earlier and work on getting more sleep (7-8 hours a night).

6. Educate myself more on nutrition and increase the micronutrients in my diet.

7. Spend less time on social media, specifically Facebook (which I have been doing for the past few months already).

8. Save $10,000 for our USA trip next year.

9. Plan our first around Australia road trip.

10. Read 2 self-improvement books.



As you may have noticed, I have not put anything like ‘lose 5kg’ or ‘get to 16% body fat’ as a goal that I want to achieve. The reason for this is because, while that is great, I need to focus on goals that aren’t purely vanity-focused. Now I am not saying that you shouldn’t have a vanity-focused goal, but I have tried and failed with this many times before. Only working towards a certain number just does not work for ME. It is not enough to hold me accountable and keep me on track.

Focusing on my health and strength has allowed me to have a goal that I can really work towards each day for an extended period of time. Before when I would reach a weight loss goal I would celebrate that I had reached it and then I would fall back into bad eating and not exercising. Having strength gains and health as a goal makes it easier for me to stick to as a lifestyle. The weight loss aspect is just a bonus!