Pikey's progress

Tall

Did you carb up over the weekend...? I could easily add 3kg of water weight from carbing up in 2 days and lose it just as quick.

Pikey

I did but that was 3 days ago and visually I look dryer than this time last week, that is at least I think I do.

Tall

Hmmm...

Are you 'bunged' up....? That could account for some of the weight.

Don't worry about the scales too much - tape and mirror all the way

Pikey

lol yeah full of it mate.... Soluble fibre have two heaped tablespoons a day just aint a problem anymore...

Typically at four weeks out I’ve felt that drained that my workouts haven’t been near the usual intensity.
Training with AJ it’s a whole new story he last competed about 15 – 16 years ago but at the time was successful. This week we’ve increased reps and weight and changed things around. This is one of the main reasons I’m trying carb cycling as opposed to a fairly static low carb intake as I’m sure I’d just go catabolic with stress at both ends.

Last night we started with reverse hack with the slide as close to vertical as it would go, two warm up sets and two working, the first working was 25 reps with 2 ½ plates each side, felt nicely pumped then he suggested whacking another 50K on and seeing what we could get. He managed 10, now as a point of pride and one of the reasons I’m improving I try and get as close as I can to what he does which is always a challenge as the guy is seriously strong with fantastic focus and muscle endurance, time after time he destroys me on chest shoulders and arms, but from my old power lifting days I just can’t cope with that with legs, so I decided I was getting more than ten what seemed an agonising eternity latter I failed at 21, the set wasn’t pretty I had to rest several times at the top of the reps but it felt seriously good.

The rest of the workout was more typical finishing with walking lunges, in the end I fell over so decided enough was enough.

H was rather less impressed as without warning I was half an hour late and she’d prepared my food. After this show we’re going to have to get some serious quality time together as I must be horrid to live with, and she deserves a big thank-you!

That set has lifted my mood; I think it’s the best set I’ve performed in a long time, there’s life in the old dog yet!

Tall

Ha ha ha classic! Keep up the good work mate

Pikey

28 days out now, been to a half with H this morning, felt quite good with all those running types about and me in my Gasp stretchy T so can see my abs etc through the shirt bit of a pose ;-) mind you ended up with a coat on Brrrr.

I seem to have fallen into having a Saturday re-feed on the carbs, this week I went to 450gram just to see what would happen, I don’t think I’ve spilled over but my gut seems a bit bloated that should work through today. I only ate clean stuff, just more of the same as in the week, oats, basmati rice and baked potato. I think the carb cycling works for me from a diet point of view as I seem to be keeping hold of more muscle and is great to look forward to but it’s a killer the day after as I’m in the mood to trough where as if I keep it low I just seem to get used to eating low carb.

We’re throwing the idea around of training every day now for the next 24 days, I’ll let you know what we decide to do. I’m a bit concerned as I end up drained and am not sure what to do now with reducing the diet further, I was going to drop the protein and have 18 Olyimp anabolic amino’s instead of each drink but looking at the analysis it seem apart from the Taurine and B6 to be just the same as their Whey isolate and a more expensive way to get the food in, the whey had jack carbs in it anyway. Would appreciate thoughts on this from anyone who’s dieted a few times?

Diet going into next week
12 egg whites and 75gram oats
Vitamins Cantamega 2K 3 gram Vit C, digestive enzymes, milk thistle, Omega matrix
50g Olimp matrix
300 gram Turkey breast, 150gram baked spud and salad
50gram Olimp Matrix
300gram Turkey breast and 60 gram Basmati rice
100 gram Olimp Whey Osolate – post workout meal
300 gram Turkey Breast, Broccoli and 150 gram baked spud
2 tablespoons of Soluble fibre

Might drop that last baked spud see how I feel / look.

Body weight 81K condition lumbars coming through nicley glutes getting close, quads best they've been as are back and arms.

Tall

Good work mate on the definition coming through mate.

P.S. - 'Show off' on the tight t-shirt front

Pikey

Thought I’d add this update in the interest of providing an accurate picture of the day to day of getting ready for a show…

It’s been a tough few days; I’ve not had a good night’s sleep since Friday and have started questioning why on earth I put myself through all of this. I started getting a swollen medial head of my left Delt on Saturday and didn’t really think much of it, or do anything about it, after ignoring the discomfort all day Saturday and Sunday by Monday I was in quite a significant amount of pain and could barely move my arm, the medial head was so swollen it was restricting movement. I also had cold sweats so either a reaction to the pain or infection…

Not had the ice and heat packs out since I packed in Judo…if only I’d started when I first noticed the problem.

Last night I applied ice and heat three times once before training and twice afterwards, along with a good soak in a hot bath. I’ve also applied ice and heat for 20mins after cardio this morning. The idea being that by cooling the inflamed area most of the blood and lymph is forced out and then by heating it up fresh blood and lymph is drawn back in. This should help repair any tissue damage and flush any toxins.

The swelling seems to have come down some today and I have movement back if not a full range. However some of the fluid has moved and I now have fluid down to my elbow and no definition in my left triceps or outer side of the upper arm.

The good news is I have no perceptible heat in the area so I don’t think I have an infection, I’ll continue with the massage and hot and cold treatment, so hopefully that will sort it out over the next few days.

I’ve increased my vitamin C intake to 5gram per day split morning noon and night as it does help combat infections, if it’s not right in the next few days I’ll go and see a doctor. Like loads of blokes I hate going to the doctors, stupid I know but I am what I am.

I dropped carbohydrate from my last meal from Sunday night, I’ve added to the bulk with non root green vegetables to try and get a full feeling in my stomach. I think I’ve tightened up some, I’m going to go through to Saturday on lowish carbs about 135gram per day and see how depleted I look and how I feel in myself, then will have a high day on Saturday and take a good look Sunday morning. At which point I’ll decide what I’m doing next week, if all is progressing I’ll probably do the same again with a moderate week two weeks out and then carb deplete and load over the last week

I must start putting a routine together…I think I’ve settled on posing to Sisters of Mercy after deciding I can’t move well enough to try anything with a faster beat. I had been toying with posing to the Weather girls and “its raining men” but have bottled it… 

Pikey

Saturday 29th Sept - 3 weeks tomorrow

I’ve struggled through the last week, the shoulder isn’t right and has made upper body work difficult, what is it the T shirt say’s “pain is only weakness leaving the body” well I wish it’d hurry up and bugger off! I’ve shaved this morning so I can have a good look at condition and it isn’t where it should be, there’s little to no definition anywhere on the LHS of shoulder girdle, the pain has more or less gone but I’ve a lump right on the cap, I’m going to be very lucky if it doesn’t cause further problems.

As I haven’t trained upper body balls out you can see I haven’t the changes that should be through aren’t. I know it’s the easiest thing in the world to make excuses but I’m trying to give an accurate reflection of where I’m at right now.

Poor H how the hell she puts up with me I’ll never know, that woman is a diamond; I’ve been snappy all week.

The upshot is my motivation is on the floor which isn’t good 3 weeks out, yesterday I ate through about 500 gram of cinnamon and apple oats and was so tempted to crack open a bottle of Jamaican Rum a friend of H has brought back for her (which wouldn’t be fair to H) and give it a sod it and forget the show.

Next week is going to be crunch week, this shoulder needs to clear up and I need to raise my game. I’m working away Wednesday through Friday so need focus.
I’m dropping an additional cardio session in this morning and will also put a low impact session in before bed for the next 3 weeks; at least the dogs will be Happy! I’m meeting up with THS after to put him through whichever workout he fancies.

Tall

Mate - thanks for pushing me through that workout.

Your quads looked immense!!