# EnjpyYourSymptom’s Log



## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

I’m new here and have never kept a journal besides what I track in my logbook, various Google sheets, and MFP. I’ll use this space for training highlight and videos, diet learnings and updates, and goal tracking.

*Shape and Stats*
36 years old
220, 6’1”
TDEE 4030
Macros


Current physique attached



*Training*
DC 2-way in my home gym (sorry Dante). I have the essentials: power bar, SSB, and angled bar. Powerblock adjustable dumbbells to 90lbs, plate adjustable DBs to 115. Vertical leg press, back extension, landmine, EZ curl etc. I walk my dog every day and ride a stationary bike on my off days for an easy 30-35 minutes. 

*Current Goals*
- Short term: Slow cut to very lean. _Current:_ 220 and relatively lean.
- Long term: 3x BW deadlift; 19” arms. _Current: _E1RM 530 deadlift; 17” arms

*Current Gear*
175mg test per week
2iu generic HGH in the AM
200mg injectable l-carnitine
5mg Cialis on training days
Random health supplements


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

A couple of things on my mind: 

- as a taller guy it seems like adding size takes ages. Anyone else here deal with this?
- I’d like to get to a point where I am very lean and maintain it for a while before deciding whether to progress any size related goal. I have been very lean in the past but find it hard to maintain and naturally tend to rest in higher BF more comfortably. 

(Leanest physique, I felt both too small and still too fat, which I now see is insane).


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## PZT (Jun 12, 2022)

Enjoyyoursymptom said:


> A couple of things on my mind:
> 
> - as a taller guy it seems like adding size takes ages. Anyone else here deal with this?
> - I’d like to get to a point where I am very lean and maintain it for a while before deciding whether to progress any size related goal. I have been very lean in the past but find it hard to maintain and naturally tend to rest in higher BF more comfortably.
> ...


Yes being tall sucks but once you put on the size it’s worth it.


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## PZT (Jun 12, 2022)

That 195 pic looks pretty good bro


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

PZT said:


> That 195 pic looks pretty good bro


I’d like to get that level of leanness with more size for sure.


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## PZT (Jun 12, 2022)

Enjoyyoursymptom said:


> I’d like to get that level of leanness with more size for sure.


Constant battle. In my younger days I always wanted to be 275 and lean lol. Never got to more than like 240 lean and 265ish fat


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## CohibaRobusto (Jun 12, 2022)

I am 6'1" and naturally very thin, it's hard for me to put on weight too. I've been just under 200 lately. I've had a lot of health setbacks the past year or so, but my goal is to get to 220 and re-evaluate.

I'll follow along. Keep it up with the logging!


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## PZT (Jun 12, 2022)

CohibaRobusto said:


> I am 6'1" and naturally very thin, it's hard for me to put on weight too. I've been just under 200 lately. I've had a lot of health setbacks the past year or so, but my goal is to get to 220 and re-evaluate.


Yeah ecto and tall has to be worse. I’m skinny fat, so can put on weight but it’s ugly lol


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

Back:


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

Legs:


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## RiR0 (Jun 12, 2022)

You doing the static holds and pulses


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 12, 2022)

Yes, I do the prescribed stretching. Is that what you mean? Or are you meaning holds/pulses in the eccentric of the last rep of each set? 

I run the sets as rest-paused with two failure points, failing on safer movements and stopping at form breakdown in squats and deadlifts. I let my final eccentric down as slowly as I can.


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## RiR0 (Jun 12, 2022)

Enjoyyoursymptom said:


> Yes, I do the prescribed stretching. Is that what you mean? Or are you meaning holds/pulses in the eccentric of the last rep of each set?
> 
> I run the sets as rest-paused with two failure points, failing on safer movements and stopping at form breakdown in squats and deadlifts. I let my final eccentric down as slowly as I can.


Holds or pulses after the last failure rep.


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 13, 2022)

RiR0 said:


> Holds or pulses after the last failure rep.


Nope, I haven’t added them. Have you found them helpful? I can see a few places where they could help in my pressing movements for example.


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## RiR0 (Jun 13, 2022)

Enjoyyoursymptom said:


> Nope, I haven’t added them. Have you found them helpful? I can see a few places where they could help in my pressing movements for example.


I do them on every movement besides quads. 
I honestly can’t say if they help I just like them because I’m a glutton for punishment. 
I never did them when i first started and I progressed just fine.


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 13, 2022)

Photo day on Monday. No big changes yet, this cut has been starting off slower than I expected but that’s OK, trying to make it an easy one for a longer time. 




Small macro adjustment, about 150 calories less per day. High day is 4600 calories, same protein and fat as my training day with the rest from carbs. 




Riding the bike now for my fasted cardio, plan to get at least 30 minutes in.


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 15, 2022)

Leg focus today. Biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings, and quads. 

I have two comments/questions for the interested:

1. *I need more hamstring movements*: I have an SSB, dumbbells, bands, high and low pulleys, and a vertical leg press. I am currently using SSB good mornings, band assisted nordic curls, and sumo leg presses. GMs are very stimulating to the lower back, less so the hamstrings. Sumo LP very stimulating for quads, less for hamstrings. Nordic Curls are great in terms of stimulus but hard to progress or effectively rest pause. I’d love to buy a leg curl but even a cheaper Titan is currently not in the budget. 

I have tried ham curls on my pulley and haven’t worked out a great way to do them but this seems like a good possibility. RDLs are good for me as well but nearly the same as GM in terms of stimulus.

2. *Motivation in the set: *I find myself very motivated before the set, talking myself out of a rep in the set, and feeling like I could have hit another afterwards. This is corrected over time with rep increase requirements. However, some sets I run as widowmakers and find ways to talk myself out of going beyond 20 reps. I did my heavy set of narrow pause SSB squats today at 290x8 and then went to 200 and hit 20. I didn’t fail, but I was feeling myself lurch towards a “squat morning” and called it form failure due to lower back pump/fatigue. On reflection I feel I could have hit a couple more reps and quit when I needed to dump the bar. I still barely walked away and my back was very pumped, but still felt a little like I shorted myself.

Has anyone found any hacks to improve mindset? One idea would be to rep-range my WM, something like 20-24 and add weight at 24 reps.


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## PZT (Jun 15, 2022)

Calls yourself a bitch before high intensity top sets. Works wonders


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## RiR0 (Jun 15, 2022)

On movements like barbell squats that’s when you should call it. Technical failure. 
Window makers aren’t just 20 reps. They’re progressive up to 50 reps. 
You’re also supposed to do the same widow maker movement each lower body day. So there’s not 3 widow makers. There’s only one that you beat into the ground  

Have you done lying db hamstring curls?


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 15, 2022)

regarding WM, I have been using whatever my quad movement for the day is, so SSB Narrow Pause Squat, Vertical Leg Press, and Landmine Single Leg Squats. I missed that the quad movement was supposed to go from 20-50 reps as well as that it is supposed to be a single movement. Guess I need to do a bit more reading on Dante’s board. 

I have tried to make DB Ham Curls work, but haven’t worked out the setup without a partner. I actually could try to make them work with my powerblocks and a length of chain attached to ankle straps… seems doable.


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## CohibaRobusto (Jun 15, 2022)

I don't know why but for me my squat routine alone hits my hamstrings hard enough. I do the last set with pause reps and they are toast. My quads are what I have trouble wearing out.


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 15, 2022)

RiR0 said:


> On movements like barbell squats that’s when you should call it. Technical failure.
> Window makers aren’t just 20 reps. They’re progressive up to 50 reps.
> You’re also supposed to do the same widow maker movement each lower body day. So there’s not 3 widow makers. There’s only one that you beat into the ground
> 
> Have you done lying db hamstring curls?


I haven’t found anyone recommending using the same WM movement except for very large people, everything I’ve found on IM suggests using the same movement for your heavy and your WM set. If you have some info you can share I’m all ears and appreciate it!


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 15, 2022)

CohibaRobusto said:


> I don't know why but for me my squat routine alone hits my hamstrings hard enough. I do the last set with pause reps and they are toast. My quads are what I have trouble wearing out.


The modifications I use help me hit quads more than my posterior chain. I use the SSB, a narrow and as upright as possible stance (like a front squat), three count eccentric, one second pause, and as fast as possible concentric. My best ever low bar back squat is 490x1; this has me dead at 290x8 due to quad fatigue.


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## RiR0 (Jun 15, 2022)

Enjoyyoursymptom said:


> I haven’t found anyone recommending using the same WM movement except for very large people, everything I’ve found on IM suggests using the same movement for your heavy and your WM set. If you have some info you can share I’m all ears and appreciate it!


It’s in the dc dvd that Justin Harris did where he talks about widow makers.
Also here where it goes more in depth


			https://www.intensemuscle.com/forum/main-forums/the-dogg-pound/pound-puppy-forum/1615625-dc-2-way-in-2021
		


“HACK SQUAT - 3 SETS FOR QUADS - 1 HEAVY SET OF 5-9, 1 LESS HEAVY SET OF 9-12 (this is an extra set) AND THEN FOR THE WIDOWMAKER he would pick a leg press and do it there on the same leg press EVERY session but rotating the widowmaker rep range (first session 20 rep widowmaker, next session 25 rep, next session 30 rep...repeat and progress).”


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 15, 2022)

RiR0 said:


> It’s in the dc dvd that Justin Harris did where he talks about widow makers.
> Also here where it goes more in depth
> 
> 
> ...


Ah, thanks. I have read that post a few times and have it saved in a Google doc where I was compiling important DC notes. I haven’t used the methods in that post because I’m still in the meat and potatoes 2-way territory and just need all over growth, where I read the author of that post saying he intends it for more advanced trainees who need more specialization. 

I could see that version of the WM working to resolve my issue since it uses a scheme of progression within a rep range.


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## Enjoyyoursymptom (Jun 23, 2022)

Conditioning:
Restarted BJJ last week, just going 3x per week and taking it easy. I haven’t trained since 3/2020 and was about to get my purple belt. I feel like a white belt again, BJJ is a perishable skill for sure. Happy to be back and looking forward to the next six months and getting my ass back in shape and growing my skills again. My cardio feels really good and I am about 25lb heavier than when I last trained and feel much stronger. 

Hamstrings:
Made adjustments to my sumo leg press form today. I used a much higher foot position and really felt the squeeze at the top of the rep. Is this still a quad dominant movement? Yes, but that’s not a terrible thing for me.

Cut progress:
Still going, slow and steady. Slower feels a bit harder mentally in some ways than faster, mainly because I have “high water” days where I am much heavier and more washed out than expected thanks to water retention. I’ll wake up the following day lighter and looking leaner.

These photos are at the same weight, but the second is on what I’d call a “high water day” where my normal weight would be about 3lb lower than the first photo. And of course the first photo is a “transformation” photo, ie body hair and less tight in the mid section so I have a nicer set of before and after photos to validate my ego.


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