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@offwidth Like I said, I think energy balance is a factually accurate way to describe what happens based on the laws of thermodynamics (e.g. you lost weight because you converted body mass to energy at a greater rate than you converted food mass to body mass), but it doesn't really explain why that happened.

I agree, the hormonal response to r
Okay, I read it all and gratefully accepted the blessing that came with it!;)

Now. How to apply? Please say more about this.

I am menopausal. I'm 50yrs strong. I did wonder how much that played a part in the results I experienced the first two(failed) runs at building muscle. Along with the problems in my program (300 light double swings daily for a month, low protein, low sleep).

I wondered if my hormones were jacked from the stress of over training/sleep deprivation and low calories).

I didn't mention that in addition to the getting unlimited sleep and only training M/W/F I am now supplementing with 100mg of dhea and nervous system tonic herbs(holy basil, skullcap, st. Johns wort/ashwaganda/astragalus/lemon balm) daily.

Can we surmise that my (MUCH) improved results had thier roots here as well? I realise that you're not an herbalist as I am so may have limited knowledge of these plants but they work WONDERS to smooth the road for menopausal symptoms aka; wild hormonal fluctuations) I stopped having hot flashes and slept well this entire training round of 7 weeks. I don't eat junk. Me "going off the rails" is organic cheese and crackers or occasionally ginger snaps and dark chocolate...And Funyuns!:D

I know you said there are different schools of thought about how to achieve a more hormonally balanced body while cutting but what are some of your thoughts on how to do it? I would love to plug-in any that I haven't heard of and see what happens. I do at some point in the future (next summer?) want to reduce the fat. I'm at 32lbs of fat 117.3 lean mass/21%BF now, which is fluffy for me. I'd love for 10-12lbs of that fat to go but if I can't do a sensible "cut" without jacking up my metabolism I won't do it.

Thanks again for your time and input. :)

You can juice your metabolism without too much tinkering just by periodizing a little. If you increase intensity one week out of three even will have an effect. Two on two off will have an effect. Now that you're getting the muscle mass where you want it, a little more intensity will have you burning more fat in off hours, buring more carbs during the workout, which will also have you relying more on fat for the off hours and rest.

I'm not talking about huge changes here, the apple cart is pretty well balanced now. Personally I'd stay the course and see if body comp doesn't slowly go the way you want. If it stalls, my vote is for working some higher intensity into the routine. As I've gotten older I find this holds true more and more.
 
When you say "increase intensity " and "two on two" what does that mean exactly?

Like next week I plan on starting over m/w/f double bell chain 3/3/3 sets following week 3/3/4, then 4/3/4, 4/3/5 and so on. Using that example what would an increase in intensity mean? Or do number of sets have nothing to do with what you're referencing?


Not familiar with 'two on two' ..

I agree, the hormonal response to r


You can juice your metabolism without too much tinkering just by periodizing a little. If you increase intensity one week out of three even will have an effect. Two on two off will have an effect. Now that you're getting the muscle mass where you want it, a little more intensity will have you burning more fat in off hours, buring more carbs during the workout, which will also have you relying more on fat for the off hours and rest.

I'm not talking about huge changes here, the apple cart is pretty well balanced now. Personally I'd stay the course and see if body comp doesn't slowly go the way you want. If it stalls, my vote is for working some higher intensity into the routine. As I've gotten older I find this holds true more and more.
 
When you say "increase intensity " and "two on two" what does that mean exactly?

Like next week I plan on starting over m/w/f double bell chain 3/3/3 sets following week 3/3/4, then 4/3/4, 4/3/5 and so on. Using that example what would an increase in intensity mean? Or do number of sets have nothing to do with what you're referencing?


Not familiar with 'two on two' ..

Two on two off would be two weeks at one intensity level, two weeks at your usual, or one week out of three etc. This is more of an abbreviated periodizing that might involve 4-6 week on/off intervals.

Increasing intensity could mean adding more total reps or sets but is most easily done by altering your pacing, less rest time between sets. It could also mean going closer to failure on each set or the last set of each exercise. You could use rest/pause on one set of each exercise, or accentuate the negative portion of the movement, increasing time under load.

Ultimately I prefer to alter my rest periods and do more work in less time. I am also a big fan of rest/pause.
 
I begin with 5 sumo DL(double 55lbs.=110). put those down
no pause pick up double 30lb...

1 Swing-1 clean-1 squat-1 press x3 times through (1st 3 weeks then matched rep for week...week 4=4times through , week 5=5 times through etc. up to 8)
1 pushup+1 Ren. Row(l & R) x3 (1st 3 weeks the matched rep for week as above only up to 5. thens tay at 5)
straight leg row (l & r) x 3 (same as above)
Swing-Clean x 3 (1st 3 weeks then match rep for week up to 8)

All above = 1 set bells go down upon completion (I've been matching rest to how long it takes to complete the set which is 2.5 min. on average- 3-4 minutes depending on how gassed I get. ( I rest in the middle of the set with both bells in rack)

I have only been able to make it to 5 full sets twice. So the plan was to back it up to 3 sets/ 3 reps per move and stay there for 1st couple weeks. a couple of times I've had to bust down to double 12's to finish. I elevate my heels on a 1 inch board for the squats about half the time. I train barefoot and fasted.

Edited to add: I also progress the sumo DL reps by 1 additional rep per week as with the other moves.


@ DancingLion ,

When you describe your current routine with the double KB chain, how many reps are typically performed in a single set?
 
I begin with 5 sumo DL(double 55lbs.=110). put those down
no pause pick up double 30lb...

1 Swing-1 clean-1 squat-1 press x3 times through (1st 3 weeks then matched rep for week...week 4=4times through , week 5=5 times through etc. up to 8)
1 pushup+1 Ren. Row(l & R) x3 (1st 3 weeks the matched rep for week as above only up to 5. thens tay at 5)
straight leg row (l & r) x 3 (same as above)
Swing-Clean x 3 (1st 3 weeks then match rep for week up to 8)

All above = 1 set bells go down upon completion (I've been matching rest to how long it takes to complete the set which is 2.5 min. on average- 3-4 minutes depending on how gassed I get. ( I rest in the middle of the set with both bells in rack)

I have only been able to make it to 5 full sets twice. So the plan was to back it up to 3 sets/ 3 reps per move and stay there for 1st couple weeks. a couple of times I've had to bust down to double 12's to finish. I elevate my heels on a 1 inch board for the squats about half the time. I train barefoot and fasted.

Edited to add: I also progress the sumo DL reps by 1 additional rep per week as with the other moves.

Sounds like the intensity is pretty good now. If it were me, I'd stay the course and keep with the program/pacing that you are currently working.
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me think this through and intelligently flesh out/tweak my programming. Since the gym where I taught closed down I train alone and its me vs. my thoughts & worries. Major gut check when I was losing ground.:( I can't just hit up the senior coaches anymore with my questions for guidance. I feel like I have a really solid plan now. Thanks again!

Today will be day 1 of round 2... here we go...:)
Sounds like the intensity is pretty good now. If it were me, I'd stay the course and keep with the program/pacing that you are currently working.
 
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