Nitefly's 'Hearts on Fire' Log

Nitefly

Nitefly

Nitefly

Man of Honour
Joined
24 Sep 2005
Posts
36,875

Now that we are all nice and pumped, I can begin. I decided that I was sick of not being ripped and that I should do something about it. I was steered in the direction of CBL by resident douchebag icecold and have been on the programme since 6th January 2013. Just over a month in and I think I can see some results, so here's hoping they continue!

Essentials:
6' 1"
77.4kg at last weigh in (late January)

Routine
Doing SL 5x5 + a few bonus bits. To justify the backloads I'm doing bonus reps on the last 2 sets just to make sure I'm truly dead, to a maximum of 12 reps. As the weights are going up, the reps are obviously going down, so soon I will plateau to a standard 5x5. On some exercises I have done so already. I'm quite happy with the split, although day 2 is a bit hamstring heavy. 90s rests if a set is completed, 3.5mins if I fail.

Day 1:
Squats
Bench Press
Barbell Rows
Dips
Overhead Squats (5x10)
Leg Raises

Day 2:
Squats
Overhead Press
Deadlift (I'm going 5x5 on this as well for the time being)
Pull ups / Chin ups --> negatives -> pull downs (alternating every 2 sessions)
SL Deadlift (4x10)
Leg Raises

3/4 weights sessions a week, with 20 minutes HIIT + mobility rolling on 'off days'. Once a weekish I'll have a day where I do nothing as part of 2 'off days' in a row.

Diet

CBL is the weapon of choice. Aiming for 250-300g per backload in line with my fatloss goals. Getting in 160g of protein on 'off days' and aiming for +200g on training days. ~300kcals and 0 carbs consumed before 5pm.

Recent Efforts:

Squats were avoided for a fortnight due to injury. Went down from 75kg to 60kg and concentrating on form.

Squats 60kg - 5,5,5,12,12
Bench 52.5kg - 5,5,5,6,5
Rows - 42.5kg - 5,5,5,6,6
Dips (36kg assisted) - 5,5,5,5,5
OH Squats - 10x5 using a pole (~5kg)

Squats 62.5kg - 5,5,5,8,12 (was hesitant on going ultra turbo with dead lifts imminent)
OH Press 37.5kg - 5,5,3,4,4
DL 80kg - 5,5,5,12,12
Pull Ups - 3 + negatives, 1 + negatives, pulldowns (45kg widegrip) 7, 7
SL Deadlift 40kg - 10x5

Stay tuned for exciting progress!
 
As I'm not failing many sets it's relatively swift, probably sub-90 minutes a session. Each exercise takes about ~15 minutes including the warm up sets, the assistance exercises take less because I don't go into a rage at the stupid clip that refuses to go down the barbell *throws it on the floor in a huff*

Leg raises have been the order of the day because I actually couldn't do them at all when I started. I've steadily been getting better. I have an infamously pants core, but it's getting better. I find the rolling gives my core a run for its money too.

And thanks :)
 
The assisted dips are with a machine. Between the parallel bars is a platform that can be set to counter balance your weight, so I'm doing dips at BW less 36kg. In reality it doesn't quite work like that, because the 36kg really doesn't give that much assistance at all and I think the next step after 31kg is nothing.

In short, I'm a fortnight off BW. However I've always found dips give me shoulder problems (I gave myself a long term injury from doing BW dips a few years ago) so I'm wary of going too heavy too soon.
 
Haha you cling onto those dips! :p

As you can tell from the reps on my last 2 sets, squats and DL are a relative doddle at the moment. DL is probably going to get hard at 100kg, I can see squats getting harder after 75kg (it was stupid, I got an injury when I had no problem with the weight...?!)

I'd be surprised if I did 57.5kg on bench first go, and I'll be disappointed if I don't do 37.5kg on OHP on friday.

Here's hoping.

Huuurngh! ><
 
Squats 65kg - 5,5,5,12,12
Bench 55kg - 5,5,5,5,5
Rows 45kg - 5,5,5,5,5
OH Squats - 10x5
Dips "32kg" assist - 5,5,5,5,5 (turns out 32kg is actually less than 8kg, as the result of some experimentation with balancing weights on the platform).

Bench was really hard today, good job I have a 5 day rest before I do it again. The whole cycle tends to go:

Day1, off, day2, off, day1, off, off, day2, off, day1, off, day2, off, off

This means that on the 3rd off day my pecs are dying and on 7th off day my hamstrings are dying. Lots of rolling on the pecs over the next few days! I will probably skip dips the next time around and maybe doing incline bench instead, for fear of injury. My chest isn't painful, but I'm aware of a niggling.

On an amusing note, me and my flatmate had some caffeine powder before our session. I was complaining that the dosage suggested on myprotein was way too high as I was lying about groggy on the sofa... which somehow tempted him to take some as well.

Yeah, didn't realise there was a difference between a small and a micro scoop on myprotein... oops :o :o :o

*climbs up the walls*
 
Turns out that bench pooned my neck, argh! Was a bit worried about how it would affect my performance today... thankfully not so much!

Squat 67.6 - 5,5,5,5,8
OHP 37.5 - 5,5,5,4,4
DL 85 - 5,5,5,8,8
Pull ups (+negs to 5) - 3,2,0; Pull downs 50 - 5,6
SL DL 40 - 10 -> abandoned, Leg Curls 36 - 10x3

I decided going up to 12 reps on squats was a bit unnecessary, but on the 5th set decided "OK too easy, at least 8". Squats and DL are now going to be 5,5,5,5-8,5-8.

Argh so freakin' close on OHP. I was visibly ****ed off when I failed that 4th set. Going to get it next time, grr :D

I was pleased with my pull-ups too. SL DL abandoned as I felt my lower back was getting too much of a beating and it was niggling. Swapped to leg curls instead for some hammy action.

Quite pleased, good fun session with expected progress. Looking forward to eating myself until I'm sick at cosmo, omnomnom!
 
I think squats is going to be gruelling circa-85kg or before, DL - 110, OHP - 42.5ish, bench ~60kg.

Sounds about right.

No real strength goals, but I'd love to do 5x5 on pull ups once more.
 
Yes it will :mad:

I just had so much cosmo. Trying not to be sick and have been to toilet in anticipation.

So much meat. So much ice cream.

\o/
 
Captain Planet said:
Are you still doing assisted dips? Can you not try just do unassisted? Even if it's just 1 or 2 reps? Much better than assisted for 10.
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I imagine I could do unassisted dips for reps, but for some reason they give me shoulder pain. Going to swap them for decline press next session, but the next time I attempt them is going to be unassisted since I can't actually be assisted any more by the machine.

At any rate, they were for a max of 5 reps, not sure where the 10 was from :p
 
Freefaller said:
I found ring dips to be less problematic for my shoulders and more pump!
Click to expand...

Ring dips, at my level? Really? :o :p

icecold said:
Nitefly, how are your energy levels now
Click to expand...

Concentration levels still aren't ideal during the day and really, I don't think they ever will be on this diet. However! Getting rid of the cheese at lunch time, or at least minimising it, has seemed to have gotten rid of the 'afternoon energy drain' of death.

Background for everyone else - I was suffering from dreadful energy drain in the afternoons. It would feel as if I had no energy at all and very weak / ill. It would seem to go by the time I hit the gym or at least be better. Icecold suggested it might be an insulin spike from the cheese I was eating for my lunch. I have since swapped it for chorizo and the nightmare energy drains have gone or at worse got better. I'm not sure if it's the dairy that was causing it, or the fact that my chorizo contains about ~1g of sugar per portion I'm eating. Either way, it's much better.

I was about to invest in some whey isolate 97%, but was concerned about extreme lethargy post-consumption. Kiefler suggests just taking 10g a pop to avoid an insulin spike... which is like a half scoop shake. Hmmm.

Bonus info - haven't felt ketones on my breath for a few weeks now.
 
No, 3-5g in the morning and the same in the afternoon. Think this needs upping? Kiefler doesn't seem to suggest having so much in the book.
 
I rarely sleep for more than 7 hours on a week night, job or not, and I use my weekends to re-charge. Not a big sleeper, but it does make a huge difference when you get the hours in :)
 
Squats 70kg - 5,5,5,8,8
Bench 57.5kg - 5,3,3,3,3
BOR 47.5kg - 5,5,5,5,5
Decline Press 45kg - 5,5,5,10,9

Going to warm my groin (ooo I say) a bit more from now on for squats. Feels a bit tight on both sides but stretched beforehand seemed to help and it got easier as I went through my sets.

On bench I felt my form was fairly steady, no twinges and didn't feel at risk of injury. Looking forward to attacking it again next time. Decline press was utilised today instead of dips and I still felt the presence of a 'twinge' on my right pec into my shoulder. I believe it's a pec injury that forces my shoulder to compensate. Discomfort was reduced when I concentrated on keeping everything tight, particularly by 'pulling the bar apart' (<---->), so I think it's a form issue. I'll keep to decline press keeping everything tight until I'm satisfied I can safely attempt dips again.

I will attempt BOR again at that weight. Although I did it (verified!), my form was going a bit wonky on the last set, purely as I was really going for it. No harm with keeping it on the same weight for one more session and focussing on form at this point.

I'd be interested on comments as to how to proceed with bench. At present I'm resting 90s if I make a set. I'm approaching my limits on bench here, so a mere 90s rest makes things as hard as nails. I'm more inclined to go up a weight as opposed to keeping to a set rest period just for the sake of doing so, but taking enormously long rests would be going too far the other way. 3.5 minutes for a failed set seems OK to me. Not entirely sure about keeping things at 90s if I complete a set. Thoughts?

As for OH Squats, I just forgot about them. Will do some tomorrow after cardio.
 
Squats 72.5kg - 5,5,5,8,8
OHP 37.5kg - 5,5,5,5,4 ARRRRRGH **** YOU OHP!
DL 90kg - 5,5,5,8,8
Chin Ups -> negatives to 5 - 5,5,3,2 Pull Down Knuckles Outwards 55kg - 5
Leg Curls 40kg ->10,10, 7 arrrrgh cramp 30kg -> 10

OHP obviously annoying, but pleased with DLs, felt my form was good. Legs dying now. A well deserved 2-day rest to follow!
 
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King Damager said:
Your legs and back are definitely better than mine proportional wise to the rest of your body...

kd
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In relation to the big lifts, I'd kind of expect my max bench to be 50-60% and 40-50% of my max squats and deadlift respectively. That's what's familiar to me at least.

In crude words, I expect this sort of proportion:

DL 100
Squats 80
Bench 50

Very crudely done mind.
 
I really wouldn't worry or be bothered about making such analytical comparisons, my progress bares little reflection on yours, especially considering I have logged 6 sessions for just over a week!

My bench has been unhindered by injury, however dips/decline are to a very mild degree.
 
Try to do 5, but if I fail, I will do negatives until I have completed the set. E.g 2 chin ups, a failed chin up with lots of effort, two negatives.

So on that workout, I made 5 chin ups, then another 5, then 3, then 2.
 
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No update today I'm afraid fans, I've had three days off from everything because:

- I have a twinge behind my left knee, I assume as the result of over-enthusiatic leg curls. It's much better today than yesterday;
- My left wrist has discomfort on the tendons from overworking it on my last session in a very 'not pleasant' way.

Going tomorrow and will use straps for rows (thankfully it's bench day). I will then take another 2 days rest as I want to work out before I get loaded next Thursday night. Hopefully this will all sync in for nice recovery and I should be burning fat by continuing with the no carbs programme anyway :)
 
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