After the chaos and negativity last week, I am refreshed, rested and back at it this week. I was able to take a long weekend on the Gulf-side of Florida with my wife's side of the family and my Dad and step-Mom. It was a perfectly timed break and I was able to unplug a bit.
When I say "unplug" I was able to get away from work and from training but still managed my diet with precision. I have no real choice because if I don't, I will quickly fade and I have worked too hard to allow that. I packed all of my meals and even stretched the weekend for an extra day before loading for 2 days (Sunday and Monday).
Because it was the end of the 24-week blast phase and I was transitioning into a cruise week and then into TRT for 10 weeks, I took 5 days off from training to allow for the nagging aches and pains to (hopefully) dissipate. During this time off I also lowered my calories by lowering my carbs and found myself more depleted and hungry (and flat) than usual by the time it was time to Skipload. This worked in my favor as I was at the beach a lot and needed to keep my sexyAF going for the weekend. I think we can all agree that I was successful (as usual). It's hard being me, sometimes.
If I am being completely honest, I am not excited about the next phase of TRT for 10 weeks while I give my body a rest. I aim to hold as much strength as I possibly can and, obviously, hold my condition as far as body fat is concerned. The lack of progression in the gym, while my hormones drop and level off, is not appealing but it is necessary for future progress and more importantly, for my future health and wellbeing. It is simply a necessary evil that I will just have to deal with. It's just tough because in my head I want to continue to progress. To do so, I have to take this time or progression for the next 24 weeks would be difficult and likely limited.
I will keep my motivation high by continuing to remind myself of my goals for the rest of this year and how much work still has to be done. Not hitting that 230-mark has been discouraging but I know I have more wiggle room with my condition so I anticipate the next phase of growth that starts the middle of June to be very productive as I push my training to another level along with my nutrition and supplementation.
My left triceps tendon appears to be healthy or very close to it as I have had zero irritation this week so this is a great sign to kick the training back up next week.
My right biceps, of which I have been very concerned about since last week, seems to be about 90%. It was not irritated today while training, at all, and I will know more tomorrow when I train back. It typically doesn't bother me during back but after back, I am training biceps and that will tell the tale. Because I am cruising this week, the weights aren't as high and neither is the intensity so as long as I am careful and smart, I should be fine and hope to be very close to 100% by the time I bomb back again next week, Tuesday.
My back is great and everything else is going well so I have no other concerns at this time. All of my ducks are in a row and I am organized and everything is planned out to the point that I am already prepared for the blast that will start mid-June, again. It's just a time issue as I have to just do the work and stick to the plan from now until then.
After the stress and issues from last week, I admit that I am relieved that things have gone so well this week, so far. I am certain that stepping away for a handful of days and not training while spending time with family has been a big benefit and should get a lot of the credit.