I have done more thinkin' this week, as I have gotten back to being locked in with my training and diet. I am also adjusting to TRT and, if I'm being honest, I feel pretty good.
Most of my thinking has revolved around how I want to approach my leg training -- not just during TRT for the next 12 weeks, but also when I step on the gas again mid-November. As I stated in the last coach log, I figured it would be best to get straight to TRT and let my blood markers reset while being unable to hit legs 100%. As much as I will likely be able to train legs long before mid-November, I can't know how long it will be, so being TRT right now just seems logical. When my hip is ready, I will be ready to pound legs for a long off season.
The drop in volume feels good and shows promise for increasing recovery during the next 12 weeks. Of course, as I step up my calories, slowly over time, this will help with recovery, as well. I have decided, though, to keep my training at 4 days per week instead of 3 days. I train clients at TITAN GYM here in FTL on a M/T/Th/F schedule, and I would like to keep my own training on this schedule considering I'm already in the gym on those days, anyway. I allow time for my pre-workout meal prior to my last client session, so when that session is done, I'm ready to train. Plus, it should be noted that my 4th (last) training session of the week is leg day, and right now leg is comprised only of stretching, training calves and hams at 100% and then training quads with only leg extensions and POSSIBLY working into sissy squats within the next few weeks. Sissy squats (with the EliteFTS sissy squat) doesn't involve much hip/glute tension (some but not much) as long as I stay upright and perform the exercise the correct way. At least this way, I can hit my quads relatively hard with higher reps and not put my hip/glute in a vulnerable position like I would with leg presses, smith squats, etc. So, this 4th day isn't as intense nor does it involve a higher-volume workload like the other days. So, I don't anticipate leg day being incredibly demanding on my recovery abilities at least for the first 5-6 weeks or longer.
One of the things I decided on for the diet, this week, is I am still basically on a cutting diet for this week and next week. I will evaluate again in another week to see if I want to then start adding calories or wait another week or two. I am doing this only to clean up my scale weight and make sure that my body fat is not higher than I want it as I go into this off season phase. I am roughly 220-221 right now and feel that I will drop even further, ending up below 220 by the time I skipload this weekend. I was holding a lot of water (and added body fat), so I need to see what is water and what is fat. Plus, I am decreasing my distention from not being on my diet or training for the last 7-10 days (until this last Monday). To give you an idea of how much water I was holding, I weighed 232 Monday morning and by Thursday morning was 221. With the lower volume of food, I am also watching my distention decrease quite a bit, as well, as the week has progressed.
I said I wouldn't lay out my diet, but I will give the macro structure just to show that though I am still on a cutting diet for a couple more weeks, I do have plenty of carbs, fats and protein is as high as it always is. The macro structure looks like this:
Skipload on Sundays
Monday workout day:
Pro/fat
Pro/fat
pro/carb (pre-workout)
TRAIN
pro/carb (postworkout)
pro/carb
pro/fat
Tuesday workout day:
Pro/fat
pro/carb
pro/carb (preworkout)
TRAIN
pro/carb
pro/fat
pro/fat
Wednesday (non-training day)
pro/fat
pro/carb
pro/fat
pro/carb
pro/fat
pro/fat
Thursday workout day:
pro/fat
pro/carb
pro/carb (pre-workout)
TRAIN
pro/carb (postworkout)
pro/carb
pro/fat
FRIDAY workout day:
pro/carb
pro/carb
pro/carb (preworkout)
TRAIN
pro/carb
pro/fat
pro/fat
SATURDAY non-training day (day before the skipload):
same as Wednesday's non-training day
As you can see, I am lower carb and higher fat early in the week due to those first couple of workouts riding off of the skipload carbs and calories.
For Thursday and Friday, I ramp up my carbs more and bring fat down to make sure that I have enough carbs for leg day on Fridays. Even though I am not going all out of legs right now, I am still using this diet but keeping carbs lower in those carb meals on Thursday and Friday until I am banging legs at 100% and then those carb amounts will increase.
The Skipload on Sundays is, as always, based on hunger. So, even though I will be depleted by the time Sunday comes around, I won't be crazy depleted. I don't anticipate my skiploads to be epic in relation to how much food I typically have to put down while in a caloric deficit. I anticipate roughly 3 meals and 3 protein drinks and increasing to 4 meals, at some point in the near future.
I know this may sound crazy or impossible to some, but I plan to hold my poundages pretty damn close to my prep poundages. Because I was TRT for almost 5 years from 2013-2018, I know how well I respond to increased calories, and I should have no problem holding my strength close to the poundages that I was putting up while I was gassed for this last prep phase. The reason is because the increased calories work well for me to maximize recovery AND I am adjusting my workload (volume) to ensure that my recovery is great, moving forward. My recovery was pretty good during the prep phase, but recovery is never really maximized while in a deficit. This way, when I do step on the gas, my poundages should then go through the roof.
I will, of course, be doing no cardio this off season, either. I have already proven that I can get into retarded condition without it, and I also did zero cardio for the 2-year off season prior to this last cutting phase, too, while keeping body fat relatively low. I have no doubt that I can replicate this.
I hope you all enjoy your long weekend. I know I will.
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