Oakley's Diet and Training Log

[thebiggestdumbass]

Na bro after about 8 sets of quads, I can’t give RDLs any real effort. You did the right thing cutting volume

 

[Oakley6575]

Na bro after about 8 sets of quads, I can’t give RDLs any real effort. You did the right thing cutting volume

I definitely felt that during RDL's. I do like training hams and quads on separate days for this reason.

How much quad and ham volume are you doing weekly when you are hitting each exercise with 3 sets?

 

[thebiggestdumbass]

I definitely felt that during RDL's. I do like training hams and quads on separate days for this reason.

How much quad and ham volume are you doing weekly when you are hitting each exercise with 3 sets?

Quads get 12-24
Hams get 6-12
Depending on if I’m hitting legs 1x or 2x that week

 

[Oakley6575]

Quads get 12-24
Hams get 6-12
Depending on if I’m hitting legs 1x or 2x that week

Damn, 12 sets is rough.

 

[thebiggestdumbass]

Damn, 12 sets is rough.

Not to sound like the bitch I am but it’s gnarly. but it’s done great things for my legs

 

[GasmanX]

Fasted Weight: 204lbs
Waist: 34"

Had more volume than this planned for the leg day today but literally couldn't get through it. There is no way more volume would have contributed to stimulating more growth. You just get to a point in an exercise where you can tell, this set isn't really doing as much as the first set, or as much as the last set. Why drive yourself into the ground at that point? Maybe that's why I'm not big though.

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​
Leg Press​	4​	15​
Bulgarian Split Squats​	2​	15​
Leg Extensions​	2​	15​
RDL​	3​	8​
Lying Leg Curls​	3​	15​
Cable Crunches​	2​	15​
Hanging Leg Raises​	1​	15​

You were smart to listen to your intuition. You’ve been at long enough to know

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34"

12 weeks in this bulk is over. Up 1.25lbs this week which is a bit over my goal. Shooting for a 0.25%-0.50% gain rate each week. 1.25lbs comes in at 0.62%. This week has been rough side effect wise. All the downsides of gaining weight have caught up to me. I'm waking up each morning breathing very heavy. Getting through cardio is tough but once its over, I have a much easier time breathing for the rest of the day. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed my cardio declining. My heart rate during cardio is creeping up from 105-110 to 115-120. My blood glucose is fine on non training days, but 760g of carbs on training days is proving to be too much for my size. BG is creeping up on training days even with humalog with my post meal. Looking at my check in pics over the last few weeks, I've clearly spilled over and am holding water. I think the water under the skin is what is causing all these issues. I've also hit a wall energy wise. I'm lethargic as fuck.

Because of all the issues, I've dropped carbs down and increased added fats. I lowered overall daily calories by 100cal/day to slow the rate of gain, and ease some of the side effects for this week. I'm hoping the drop in carbs lines up better with what my body is capable of using. New macros:

TD - 215P / 650C / 50AF
NTD - 200P / 325C / 100AF

Gear wise, I'm lowering Deca down to 300mg/wk, and increasing my test and primo doses. I felt my nips on and off all last week and there is no reason to play with those issues. New cycle:

1375 Test
550 Primo
300 Deca

 

[Bigjape34]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34"

12 weeks in this bulk is over. Up 1.25lbs this week which is a bit over my goal. Shooting for a 0.25%-0.50% gain rate each week. 1.25lbs comes in at 0.62%. This week has been rough side effect wise. All the downsides of gaining weight have caught up to me. I'm waking up each morning breathing very heavy. Getting through cardio is tough but once its over, I have a much easier time breathing for the rest of the day. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed my cardio declining. My heart rate during cardio is creeping up from 105-110 to 115-120. My blood glucose is fine on non training days, but 760g of carbs on training days is proving to be too much for my size. BG is creeping up on training days even with humalog with my post meal. Looking at my check in pics over the last few weeks, I've clearly spilled over and am holding water. I think the water under the skin is what is causing all these issues. I've also hit a wall energy wise. I'm lethargic as fuck.

Because of all the issues, I've dropped carbs down and increased added fats. I lowered overall daily calories by 100cal/day to slow the rate of gain, and ease some of the side effects for this week. I'm hoping the drop in carbs lines up better with what my body is capable of using. New macros:

TD - 215P / 650C / 50AF
NTD - 200P / 325C / 100AF

Gear wise, I'm lowering Deca down to 300mg/wk, and increasing my test and primo doses. I felt my nips on and off all last week and there is no reason to play with those issues. New cycle:

1375 Test
550 Primo
300 Deca

Solid details in the log man and way to listen to the body as well

 

[GasmanX]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34"

12 weeks in this bulk is over. Up 1.25lbs this week which is a bit over my goal. Shooting for a 0.25%-0.50% gain rate each week. 1.25lbs comes in at 0.62%. This week has been rough side effect wise. All the downsides of gaining weight have caught up to me. I'm waking up each morning breathing very heavy. Getting through cardio is tough but once its over, I have a much easier time breathing for the rest of the day. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed my cardio declining. My heart rate during cardio is creeping up from 105-110 to 115-120. My blood glucose is fine on non training days, but 760g of carbs on training days is proving to be too much for my size. BG is creeping up on training days even with humalog with my post meal. Looking at my check in pics over the last few weeks, I've clearly spilled over and am holding water. I think the water under the skin is what is causing all these issues. I've also hit a wall energy wise. I'm lethargic as fuck.

Because of all the issues, I've dropped carbs down and increased added fats. I lowered overall daily calories by 100cal/day to slow the rate of gain, and ease some of the side effects for this week. I'm hoping the drop in carbs lines up better with what my body is capable of using. New macros:

TD - 215P / 650C / 50AF
NTD - 200P / 325C / 100AF

Gear wise, I'm lowering Deca down to 300mg/wk, and increasing my test and primo doses. I felt my nips on and off all last week and there is no reason to play with those issues. New cycle:

1375 Test
550 Primo
300 Deca

Sorry to hear these issues are rearing its ugly head on you but once again, adjusting the plan, being smart. That’s the way to play it. Gotta think long haul

 

[Valdosta]

oh but when i go changing stuff every 2 days i get called an inconsistent retard

 

[Oakley6575]

Solid details in the log man and way to listen to the body as well

Thanks man. I try to give as much detail as possible to give my opinions, and to hear others opinions. All of us should be able to learn from each other.

Sorry to hear these issues are rearing its ugly head on you but once again, adjusting the plan, being smart. That’s the way to play it. Gotta think long haul

My plan for this bulk was to stay in it for a good six months if possible, but it's not looking like that is going to happen. All I can do is try and fix issues as they come up, and extend potential for growth. We will see how it plays out.

oh but when i go changing stuff every 2 days i get called an inconsistent retard

This made me laugh out loud.

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 205lbs
Waist: 33.875"

Solid workout today. Going to ditch the dips for tricep work next week. I like them much more for chest/shoulders. I'll probably do a gay single arm underhand cable extension or something to finish my triceps off.

I'm still really liking keeping the weight static during each set. It definitely makes it more intense and the pumps are crazy.

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​
Cable Lateral Raises​	4​	15​
Standing DB Lateral Raises​	3​	15​
Seated Partial Lateral Raises​	3​	15​
EZ Overhead Extensions​	3​	15​
Straight Bar Pushdowns​	3​	15​
Dips (Tricep Focused)​	2​	15​
Calf Raises​	3​	15​

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 204.6lbs
Waist: 34"

Diet changes are working. Eating anywhere from 25%-50% sugary carb sources around training. Since I made the switch, my BG has been back under 90 before my next meal. This tells me I was just not digesting the complex carbs fast enough to eat again in 3 hours. Stomach feels better and overall mood/lethargy is much better the past couple days. This will definitely give me a longer runway to stay in this bulk.

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​
Chest Supported Cable Row​	3​	15​
Meadows Rows​	2​	15​
Wide Grip Cable Rows​	2​	15​
Underhand Pulldowns​	3​	15​
Seated Rear DB Flys​	2​	15​
Rear Pec Deck Flys​	2​	15​
Cable Crunches​	2​	15​
Hanging Leg Raises​	1​	15​

 

[Bigjape34]

Fasted Weight: 204.6lbs
Waist: 34"

Diet changes are working. Eating anywhere from 25%-50% sugary carb sources around training. Since I made the switch, my BG has been back under 90 before my next meal. This tells me I was just not digesting the complex carbs fast enough to eat again in 3 hours. Stomach feels better and overall mood/lethargy is much better the past couple days. This will definitely give me a longer runway to stay in this bulk.

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​
Chest Supported Cable Row​	3​	15​
Meadows Rows​	2​	15​
Wide Grip Cable Rows​	2​	15​
Underhand Pulldowns​	3​	15​
Seated Rear DB Flys​	2​	15​
Rear Pec Deck Flys​	2​	15​
Cable Crunches​	2​	15​
Hanging Leg Raises​	1​	15​

Glad it’s squared away and your feeling better brotha

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 204.8lbs
Waist: 34"

Rest day today. I'm sore as hell, and odd enough, I'm hungry as hell. Usually I'm looking forward to my rest days since the food is lower, but I've noticed the past couple days, my hunger has doubled. Definitely excited about that. Now if only the uncomfortability of putting on muscle would go away. Still waking up breathing heavy and feeling like I just can't get enough oxygen. Makes me want to add a small dose of clen or ephedrine to open my airways up.

 

[GasmanX]

Fasted Weight: 204.8lbs
Waist: 34"

Rest day today. I'm sore as hell, and odd enough, I'm hungry as hell. Usually I'm looking forward to my rest days since the food is lower, but I've noticed the past couple days, my hunger has doubled. Definitely excited about that. Now if only the uncomfortability of putting on muscle would go away. Still waking up breathing heavy and feeling like I just can't get enough oxygen. Makes me want to add a small dose of clen or ephedrine to open my airways up.

Good problem to have

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34.25"

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​	Increase Load?​	Weight​
RDL​	3​	8​	TRUE​	245lbs​
Lying Leg Curls​	3​	15​	TRUE​	75lbs​
Pec Deck Flys​	2​	15​	FALSE​	235lbs​
Flat DB Press​	2​	15​	FALSE​	70lbs​
30* Incline BB Press​	2​	15​	FALSE​	170lbs​
Calf Raises​	3​	15​	FALSE​	270lbs​

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 205lbs
Waist: 34.125"

I also added three sets of rear delt flys today I needed some more volume on those that I didn't get to in yesterday's session. This week has been messed up a bit schedule wise because I can't train tomorrow. Looking forward to two rest days though so I can hit it hard next week.

Exercise​	Sets​	Rep Target​	Weight​	Increase Load?​
Leg Press​	3​	12​	600lbs​	FALSE​
Leg Extensions​	3​	12​	125lbs​	TRUE​
Bulgarian Split Squats​	2​	12​	60lbs​	TRUE​
Single Arm Cable Curls​	2​	12​	22.5lbs​	TRUE​
DB Preacher Curls​	2​	12​	27.5lbs​	TRUE​
Hammer Culs​	2​	12​	40lbs​	FALSE​
Cable Crunches​	2​	12​	70lbs​	FALSE​
Hanging Leg Raises​	1​	Failure​	BW​	FALSE​

 

[Oakley6575]

The surplus has officially caught up to me. I'm sitting here on the couch and can't seem to get enough oxygen in me. Over the last three weeks or so as I got aggressive with food, the water/fat has seemed to come on, and my breathing is just getting worse and worse. I'm reading this as my surplus is just too high, and I need to back off.

I'm going to pull 300cal/day all from carbs, and see what happens over the next week. I'm hoping that will drop enough water off me to clear up my breathing, and slow my rate of gain by half.

 

[GasmanX]

The surplus has officially caught up to me. I'm sitting here on the couch and can't seem to get enough oxygen in me. Over the last three weeks or so as I got aggressive with food, the water/fat has seemed to come on, and my breathing is just getting worse and worse. I'm reading this as my surplus is just too high, and I need to back off.

I'm going to pull 300cal/day all from carbs, and see what happens over the next week. I'm hoping that will drop enough water off me to clear up my breathing, and slow my rate of gain by half.

Are you having more edema than usual in the lower extremities? When you go to bed and are laying flat, is it difficult to breathe?

I’m not questioning your plan but do think it could too high of a gear burden for you and not necessarily a food issue?

 

[Oakley6575]

Are you having more edema than usual in the lower extremities? When you go to bed and are laying flat, is it difficult to breathe?

I’m not questioning your plan but do think it could too high of a gear burden for you and not necessarily a food issue?

No edema anywhere. My face, ankles, hands, etc are completely normal. My face still looks like I'm sub 10%. I look back at pictures of when Justin was coaching me and my face looks like the pillsbury doughboy compared to now.

I'm a stomach sleeper. It's the only position I get true deep sleep in. I wear a cpap so I don't really notice any issues breathing when it's on.

I've thought about the high gear a lot, but I just can't find a reason to blame it on that except for... my gear is high. I've been running basically the same total androgen load the entirety of this bulk. If it was from the gear, I'd except those issues to arise a lot sooner than this point.

The cardio decrease and breathing issues showed up exactly after I got more aggressive with food. What I think is happening is: I didn't rebound out of my cut, and feel like I missed out on a lot of "growth" or weight gain because of that. I over compensated with food increases the last month or so but clearly I was past the point in my bulk where I had any chance of accelerated "growth" or weight gain. So while I have been increasing in weight, I pushed the gas pedal when it was actually time to cut my rate of gain in half or so. Lesson learned for my next go around. There is a reason a lot of the big bodybuilders push food high right after a cut, and then pull the food back for the rest of their off season. I did it completely opposite because I wanted to stay lean, and then realized later, I wasted the first half of my bulk.

If you see something I'm missing or just think I'm flat out wrong somewhere, please tell me. This is why I'm here.

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34"

Today was completely off plan. First day this bulk I've eaten off plan. Thursday was my birthday and wanted cheesecake so fucking bad, but I didn't pull the trigger on it knowing today would be the way it was. My wife and I flew to Sacramento in the AM to pick up a new puppy. Flew back a few hours later. Was a long, long day.

Since the breathing issues came to a head yesterday, I thought I would just stick to protein and fat today to try and drop some water. Ate steak before we left for the airport. Once we where through TSA, we ate at a bar that had breakfast. Had six whole eggs, a ham steak, and bacon. Didn't get a chance to eat again until around 4:30pm where I ate two bags of beef jerky, and like 600 calories worth of salted pistachios. Just had my last meal at home which was just a plate of steak again.

Tomorrow I'll be right back on plan with carbs high again.

 

[GasmanX]

No edema anywhere. My face, ankles, hands, etc are completely normal. My face still looks like I'm sub 10%. I look back at pictures of when Justin was coaching me and my face looks like the pillsbury doughboy compared to now.

I'm a stomach sleeper. It's the only position I get true deep sleep in. I wear a cpap so I don't really notice any issues breathing when it's on.

I've thought about the high gear a lot, but I just can't find a reason to blame it on that except for... my gear is high. I've been running basically the same total androgen load the entirety of this bulk. If it was from the gear, I'd except those issues to arise a lot sooner than this point.

The cardio decrease and breathing issues showed up exactly after I got more aggressive with food. What I think is happening is: I didn't rebound out of my cut, and feel like I missed out on a lot of "growth" or weight gain because of that. I over compensated with food increases the last month or so but clearly I was past the point in my bulk where I had any chance of accelerated "growth" or weight gain. So while I have been increasing in weight, I pushed the gas pedal when it was actually time to cut my rate of gain in half or so. Lesson learned for my next go around. There is a reason a lot of the big bodybuilders push food high right after a cut, and then pull the food back for the rest of their off season. I did it completely opposite because I wanted to stay lean, and then realized later, I wasted the first half of my bulk.

If you see something I'm missing or just think I'm flat out wrong somewhere, please tell me. This is why I'm here.

This is a very detailed, thought out response and after reading it, I agree with your final conclusion.

It’s always hard to keep track and remember the details of all the guy’s logs and I wasn’t sure how long you had been around that 2 gram load. I agree if it was the gear you would have known by now, unless you developed acute heart failure (you haven’t).

The food is a tricky part. Have you heard this theory going around about how you really don’t need more than 100 calories over maintenance I order to facilitate growth? Paul Carter and others have been pushing this. I dont know if i fully buy in. I think because we push gear then we can get away with more food but maybe it’s a way to think “i can get just enough food in and let the drugs do there thing”.

Just some food for thought (no pun)

 

[GasmanX]

Fasted Weight: 204.4lbs
Waist: 34"

Today was completely off plan. First day this bulk I've eaten off plan. Thursday was my birthday and wanted cheesecake so fucking bad, but I didn't pull the trigger on it knowing today would be the way it was. My wife and I flew to Sacramento in the AM to pick up a new puppy. Flew back a few hours later. Was a long, long day.

Since the breathing issues came to a head yesterday, I thought I would just stick to protein and fat today to try and drop some water. Ate steak before we left for the airport. Once we where through TSA, we ate at a bar that had breakfast. Had six whole eggs, a ham steak, and bacon. Didn't get a chance to eat again until around 4:30pm where I ate two bags of beef jerky, and like 600 calories worth of salted pistachios. Just had my last meal at home which was just a plate of steak again.

Tomorrow I'll be right back on plan with carbs high again.

What kind of dog?

 

[Oakley6575]

This is a very detailed, thought out response and after reading it, I agree with your final conclusion.

It’s always hard to keep track and remember the details of all the guy’s logs and I wasn’t sure how long you had been around that 2 gram load. I agree if it was the gear you would have known by now, unless you developed acute heart failure (you haven’t).

The food is a tricky part. Have you heard this theory going around about how you really don’t need more than 100 calories over maintenance I order to facilitate growth? Paul Carter and others have been pushing this. I dont know if i fully buy in. I think because we push gear then we can get away with more food but maybe it’s a way to think “i can get just enough food in and let the drugs do there thing”.

Just some food for thought (no pun)

Funny you bring him up. I've been diving balls deep into his stuff for the last few days. What he says just resonates a ton with what I always come back to. I always think doing more, is going to give me more. And every time I fall into that though process, I regret it, and go back to low volume, more rest days.

As far as the food, yea, I battle with this as well. After the way I handled this off season, I think I truly believe in the rebound process, and then once I go into an off season after the rebound, that is where I might buy into a very very small surplus to grow.

What kind of dog?

Cane Corso. This will be number two in the house. One female, and the new puppy is a male.

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 202.4lbs
Waist: 33.75"

Amazing what one day eating carb-less did. Breathing is completely normal today. Dropped a couple lbs of water and all is well now. Why does my body hate carbs?

Here are some check in pics from this morning:

 

[erichuff1994]

Looking good bro. Still plenty of runway for growth!

 

[Oakley6575]

Fasted Weight: 202.8lbs
Waist: 33.75"

Okay I think final tweak to my four day split is making it a push/pull split like I was doing 6x/week. I dropped volume to the floor but I'll hit every muscle group 2x/week. Only having 1-3 very intense sets per session per body part should keep the stimulus high, and fatigue low. I'm going to focus on progressive overload again but really keep an eye on form, tempo, ect. I'm not looking to progress every session, or even every week. But if I do this for 4-6 weeks, and I'm not doing more weight on an exercise for the same amount of reps, I know I need to tweak something.

Diet wise, I've figured out that the high carbs are just not agreeing with me. I don't know if it's just a me thing, or if it's a deca thing, or most likely, a combination of both.. I've dropped my carbs pretty low in my opinion and only placed them around my training. Rest days the carbs are front loaded to take advantage of when I'm most insulin sensitive. I'm hoping this will keep the water retention to a minimum, keep my breathing demons from resurfacing as calories go up, and overall, give me the runway I need to stay in this growth phase for another 10-12 weeks.

Over the last month, I've made a ton of little changes to training, diet, and drugs. The only reason for changing anything has been me reacting to lack of progress, and side effects from diet and drugs. I have a lot of mass to put on, so I need to stay healthy and give myself the runway to stay in a surplus for the foreseeable future.

Rant over. Here is my training for the day. Since I just got done doing 8 sets of quads three days ago, and I decided to drop volume heavily, I only did one set of squats today when I have it programmed for two sets. Had a great set right before failure, and racked it.

Exercise​	Sets​	Weight​	Set #1​	Set #2​	Set #3​
Squats​	2​	240lbs​	8​	0​	-​
Incline Neutral Grip Bench Press​	2​	225lbs​	7​	6​	-​
Standing DB Lateral Raises​	3​	40lbs​	8​	7​	6​
EZ Bar Overhead Extensions​	2​	95lbs​	9​	8​	-​
Calf Raises​	2​	300lbs​	7​	7​	-​

 

[GasmanX]

Fasted Weight: 202.8lbs
Waist: 33.75"

Okay I think final tweak to my four day split is making it a push/pull split like I was doing 6x/week. I dropped volume to the floor but I'll hit every muscle group 2x/week. Only having 1-3 very intense sets per session per body part should keep the stimulus high, and fatigue low. I'm going to focus on progressive overload again but really keep an eye on form, tempo, ect. I'm not looking to progress every session, or even every week. But if I do this for 4-6 weeks, and I'm not doing more weight on an exercise for the same amount of reps, I know I need to tweak something.

Diet wise, I've figured out that the high carbs are just not agreeing with me. I don't know if it's just a me thing, or if it's a deca thing, or most likely, a combination of both.. I've dropped my carbs pretty low in my opinion and only placed them around my training. Rest days the carbs are front loaded to take advantage of when I'm most insulin sensitive. I'm hoping this will keep the water retention to a minimum, keep my breathing demons from resurfacing as calories go up, and overall, give me the runway I need to stay in this growth phase for another 10-12 weeks.

Over the last month, I've made a ton of little changes to training, diet, and drugs. The only reason for changing anything has been me reacting to lack of progress, and side effects from diet and drugs. I have a lot of mass to put on, so I need to stay healthy and give myself the runway to stay in a surplus for the foreseeable future.

Rant over. Here is my training for the day. Since I just got done doing 8 sets of quads three days ago, and I decided to drop volume heavily, I only did one set of squats today when I have it programmed for two sets. Had a great set right before failure, and racked it.

Exercise​	Sets​	Weight​	Set #1​	Set #2​	Set #3​
Squats​	2​	240lbs​	8​	0​	-​
Incline Neutral Grip Bench Press​	2​	225lbs​	7​	6​	-​
Standing DB Lateral Raises​	3​	40lbs​	8​	7​	6​
EZ Bar Overhead Extensions​	2​	95lbs​	9​	8​	-​
Calf Raises​	2​	300lbs​	7​	7​	-​

I think your approach is going to work well. We all know the importance of carbs but if going over a certain level is causing you problems, no need to push it. As long as you are full and fueling your training, the scale is going up and body composition is holding steady I don’t think it’s going to matter what your carb/fat ratio looks like. You have to make it work for you.

The training you are changing up to just tickles me . I’m biased because I know that style works for me. Similar to you recently, whenever I try to push the volume past 10 sets per body part the progress just stalls. Looking forward to seeing how these changes play out for you

 

[Oakley6575]

I think your approach is going to work well. We all know the importance of carbs but if going over a certain level is causing you problems, no need to push it. As long as you are full and fueling your training, the scale is going up and body composition is holding steady I don’t think it’s going to matter what your carb/fat ratio looks like. You have to make it work for you.

The training you are changing up to just tickles me . I’m biased because I know that style works for me. Similar to you recently, whenever I try to push the volume past 10 sets per body part the progress just stalls. Looking forward to seeing how these changes play out for you

I'm embarrassed that I go down the volume rabbit hole once a year or so. I need to stop listening to others and watch what actually works for me. I always come back to this style of training. I need to stop veering off the path in the first place. Would probably have had much better success in this bulk if I trained like this from day one.