DLTBB - Classic Physique & Hiking Up Peaks

[DLTBB]

Hi UG-B.

I kept a couple of training logs here a few years ago and always found it to be a useful way to help keep myself accountable and to share/exchange ideas and knowledge with others. I'm also keeping this log on UK-M but I'd like to share it here too because it looks as if there is a lot of experienced guys who I'd value input and ideas from.

The last few years have been a bit rocky for me, but I've been back to consistent training since the end of July 2021 and have regained a lot of the muscle I lost in my time away from training. I was completely off weight-training and cold turkey from any PEDs supplements for almost a year due to a prison sentence for an AAS-related offence. I made a more detailed post about the prison sentence and my life since being released here.

I'm 30 now, so I'm not the spring chicken I was when I originally started my logs at 23. Back then I used to use a plethora of drugs with no real regard for my health. I'm older and wiser now so I'm going to try to keep things more sensible this time.

Physique Goals

The goal with the physique is simply to make small improvements while maintaining my fitness/health to the best of my ability. I've never fancied competing. A few people have said I'd have some potential in Men's Physique or Classic but I have no real interest in posing on stage in trunks at this stage. Never say never. But I mainly do this because I enjoy training and I like trying to optimise and experiment with my routine, diet and supplements. I appreciate the 'classic' looking bodybuilders, Bob Paris, Benfatto and so on, but I don't really have a goal physique. I just want to get better in general.

I do prefer to maintain a leaner look, so any size I gain will be done slowly. I'll either be in a very small surplus of 200-300 calories or 'maingaining'. The scale won't move up as fast as a regular all out bulk but it'll prevent me from having to do any cutting/dieting/tidying up and allow for more consistent progress.

Personal Goals

I'm still in the process of rebuilding my life after the whole 1-year holiday situation. I've already made good steps forward. I'm back working again with a job at a good firm, I have a new partner, we're due to move in together in less than two weeks, I'm avoiding recreational drugs/alcohol and I'm doing a little bit of training/diet planning/preparation on the side as an extra earner. Main goals in this department are to stay on the straight and narrow, maintain good relationships with friends/family/partner, work up the ladder in work and take on a few more clients to occupy my downtime in the evening.

Health Goals

I'm on the brink of receiving a diagnosis for a health condition which me and my Doctor suspect is an inflammatory bowel disease called Ulcerative Colitis. It's essentially an autoimmune disease which causes a lot of inflammation in the bowel/digestive tract. For the most part it's been manageable but it can flare up occasionally which can result in me shitting blood upwards of 15 times a day. As you can imagine, it's not optimal for any kind of progress with exercise/weight gain, but I'm doing what I can. The hope is to be prescribed with medication which will counteract the inflammation or suppress the immune system which will bring the condition into 'remission' and rid me of the side effects. It's been a bit frightening in all fairness because I've always been in good health and this popped up relatively out of the blue. Apparently stress can be a factor in its onset and it originally popped up while I was in prison - could be a complete coincidence however. I'll document the journey back back to good health in here and outline any flareups I suffer/treatment I receive.

The goal is to get the side effects under control so I can feel 100% (or close) again - it can be quite draining. I'll be making a conscious effort throughout to do regular cardio, keep nutrition somewhat 'clean', minimise the amount of harmful things going into my body and adding supplements where necessary to improve health markers.

Current progress on this is multiple blood samples were taken and sent off this week and a stool sample was dropped off at the GP's office today. Next stage is usually an endoscopy one the results from the samples come back.

Timeline so far:

• 05/04/2022 - Bloods taken by GP
• 06/04/2022 - Stool sample sent off
• 07/04/2022 - First bloods back. 2 inflammation markers elevated which hints at UC. Anaemic due to blood loss/poor absorption as a result of inflammation. Prescribed super high-strength Iron supplement to raise Iron levels
• 11/04/2022 - GP gave me urgent referral to gastroenterologist. Iron supplements helping with lethargy and no more dizziness when I stand up
• 13/04/2022 - Started using BPC-157 & TB-500 Peptides (Peak Body) to help reduce inflammation and heal the GI tract - I will be keeping a log of my experience with the peptide stack here

Training Split

Current split is a basic low-volume PPL A/B routine which I will post this below. I've done a more in-depth writeup on this if anybody is interested. Abs I am hitting directly 3-4 times a week and cardio is in 6-7 times a week. 30 minutes at ~140BPM treadmill incline walk. You will see some variation between this routine and the exercises I'm doing in sessions at the moment. The main reason being, I'm training between two gyms and my second gym is very busy in the evening meaning I have to substitute new exercises in. Exercise choice will be more consistent when I'm at one gym full time after moving house. I made a more detailed post about my split here.

I intended to run it as below but I skip the rest days quite often because I get bored and feel lazy if I miss a day. If I'm recovering in between sessions and missing the rest isn't hindering me, I don't mind.

Day 1	Push (A)
Day 2	Pull (A)
Day 3	Legs (A)
Day 4	Rest
Day 5	Push (B)
Day 6	Pull (B)
Day 7	Legs (B)
Day 8	Rest

Push (A)
Focus: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Flat Barbell Bench Press	3 x 6-10
Seated DB Shoulder Press	3 x 6-10
Pec-deck Fly	3 x 8-12
Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope)	3 x 8-12
Lateral DB Raise	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight
• Warm up rotator cuffs before pressing

Pull (A)
Focus: Back & Biceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Lat Pull-Down	3 x 6-10
Bent Over Row	3 x 6-10
Seated Incline DB Curl	3 x 8-12
Pull-Up	3 x 8-12
EZ-Bar Curl	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight
• Pre-exhaust your Lats with a few sets of cable pull-overs if you struggle with mind-muscle connection

Legs (A)
Focus: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes & Calves

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Back Barbell Squat	3 x 6-10
Leg Press	3 x 6-10
Lying Hamstring Curl	3 x 8-12
Standing Calf Raise	3 x 8-12
Leg Extension	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight
• Pre-exhaust your Glutes with a few sets of bridges if you struggle with mind-muscle connection or are very Quad-dominant with Squats

Push (B)
Focus: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Close Grip Bench Press	3 x 6-10
Standing Barbell Press	3 x 6-10
Incline DB Fly	3 x 8-12
Overhead Triceps Extension	3 x 8-12
Lateral DB Raise	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight
• Warm up rotator cuffs before pressing
• Grip on CGBP doesn’t have to be too narrow – can be around shoulder width

Pull (B)
Focus: Back & Biceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Pull-Up	3 x 6-10
Deadlift/Rack Pull	3 x 6-10
DB Hammer Curl	3 x 8-12
Lat Pull-Down (Neutral Grip)	3 x 8-12
Preacher Curl	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight
• Pre-exhaust your Lats with a few sets of cable pull-overs if you struggle with mind-muscle connection

Legs (B)
Focus: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes & Calves

Exercise	Sets/Reps
Lunge	3 x 6-10
Glute Ham Raise	3 x 6-10
Hack Squat	3 x 8-12
Seated Calf Raise	3 x 8-12
Abductor/Adductor	3 x 8-12

• Build up to working sets with warm-up sets at a lighter weight

Nutrition

Calories are at 3,200. Protein is at 175g. This is all I track. This should be a very slight surplus for me but my weight gain has stalled due to having a flareup with my illness. My body is probably not absorbing food/vitamins very well right now. I will adjust this if necessary. I'm currently using Huel Black Edition 1-2 times a day to increase calorie intake without upsetting my stomach too much. Seems a good addition so far.

Staple food/drinks are currently:

• Whey (MyProtein)
• Huel Black Edition
• Greek Yoghurt
• Milk
• Chicken
• Oats
• Granola
• Rice
• Bread

I do have the odd bit of junk, cookies, brownies, cakes, pizza etc. but I am trying to limit it at the moment as it can set symptoms off with my digestive system. I did try gluten-free recently and it did seem to subdue symptoms for a week or two but my GP said it'd make little impact realistically as the condition is immune/inflammation-related and I missed gluten so I've gone back to normal.

Meds/Supplements

1. 400 Test
2. 50 Var
3. 10 Cardarine
4. Iron
5. B12
6. Probiotics

These are the highest doses you'll see me using. Health is a priority now and I will try to get as much as I can out of smaller doses of more mild meds. Cycles will last a maximum of 8-10 weeks with cruises at ~150 T for equal time in between. Honestly don't think anything more than that is necessary for a regular non-competing weightlifting bro. I can still gain while cruising if I set my training/diet up properly and I'm consistent with it.

Cardarine is in for the endurance boost. I'll be training for a 10KM so hoping to get a small boost to my overall fitness in preparation for that.

B12/Iron are in there as many people with UC are deficient. I get my bloods back from my Doctor in a week so supplementation may change to counteract any deficiencies.

Recent Pics

Progress August - Now

Back is lagging in comparison to legs/shoulders but will add more back volume when I reorganise split next time.

Video: Legs

Video: Calves

Have some more recent pictures/videos on Instagram - @manc.fit

I'm going to copy and paste the entries from my UK-M journal here for the last 2 weeks or so to give a run-down of recent training, lifts etc.

 

[DLTBB]

6th April

Best sleep I've had in a few weeks. Symptoms have been mild compared to previous week today. Had to take a stool sample to the Doctor's this morning. Appetite was decent. Had 1 Huel shake to bump up calories, Black Edition is digesting well for me. Taste isn't great but definitely doable.

Training was Pull which consisted of:

• Lat pull-down machine 3 x 6-8
• Seated cable row 3 x 6-8
• Fat grip barbell curl 3 x 8-10
• Shrugs 3 x 10-15
• Cable curls 3 x 6-8

Cardio was 30 minutes incline walk at 140BPM.

Abs was:

• Crunch with legs raised 3 x 10-12
• Ab wheel roll-out 3 x 10
• Side crunch 3 x 10-12 per side

Worked from home today. Fairly easy day. Going in to the office tomorrow which means an early rise and a longer day overall. 50/50 on training tomorrow but it will be legs if I do and might be at the other gym I use in Northwich rather than the one in Sale.

Getting the keys for my new house in 1.5 weeks so me and the Mrs are just doing final preparations so we're ready in advance.

7th April

I had time to kill after work so I didn’t end up taking a rest day after all. I find it difficult because I’m enjoying training at the moment and I know I should ride the massive wave of motivation while it’s still strong before it inevitably dips again.

I’m in Northwich at my girlfriend’s house so I trained at Dave’s Gym. Excellent little gym for anybody who lives nearby, by the way. When my Mrs first told me about it I though “Dave’s Gym? Sounds shite”, but it’s genuinely a top gym with a load of decent kit and a decent crowd. It’s been running for over 50 years.

As mentioned in earlier post, prescription for my Iron deficiency is waiting to be collected, so I should be free of anaemia which will help energy levels. My GP said he’s surprised I’m still training, I’m honestly getting some of the best sessions I’ve had in a while though.

Diet has been decent considering I’ve been on the go. Ordered a Mediterranean chicken wrap in salad in to the office and it was delicious. Mrs is cooking tea tonight so we’ll see what she serves up. Hopefully something decent. Going to pop in Lidl on the way home and stock up on Skyr for the next few days.

Training was legs and cardio. No abs today because I’ve hit them 3 sessions in a row.

Cardio was the usual 30 minutes incline power walk at 140BPM. Forgot my AirPods so it kind of dragged today. It usually flies when I’ve got my tunes on.

In terms of legs, excluding warm-up sets, it was:

• Plate-loaded hack squat 3 x 6
• Leg press 3 x 6-8
• Plate-loaded seated calf raise 3 x 8-12
• Lying leg curl 3 x 8-12
• Plated-loaded extension 3 x 8-12 (love this machine)

8th April

Little bit tired but managed a decent session.

I was working from home, so I nipped out for a quick session during the day to avoid training after work while the gym is really crowded.

Pre-workout meal was 450g Skyr with honey and 100g blueberries. Grabbed a TNT shot (300mg caffeine) in the gym and necked it before my cardio for a little energy boost.

Did cardio, abs and a push session.

Cardio was 30 minutes power walk on incline treadmill at 140BPM.

Abs:

• Ab Coaster 3 x 8-12
• Nautilus crunch 3 x 8-12
• Sit-up 3 x 8-12

Push:

• Close grip press 3 x 6 (131KG)
• Seated press 3 x 6
• Cable fly 3 x 8-12
• Tricep pushdown 3 x 8-12
• Cable lateral raise 3 x 8-12

 

[DLTBB]

9th April

Was up about 4-5 times in the night again on the loo. Slept but can’t have had much REM sleep. I’m a little bit tired again today but I’ve felt worse.

Second day on the super strength iron tablets today. Can tell they’ve started kicking in because my turds are a lot darker. Grim I know.

Today was a pull session alongside the usual cardio and abs.

Cardio was 30 minutes incline power walk on the treadmill at 140BPM.

Abs:

• Decline crunch 3 x 10-12
• Nautilus crunch 3 x 6
• Ab Coaster 3 x 12

I was supposed to do weighted pull-ups but the gym I was training at doesn’t have a weight-belt so I did high rep sets instead. Managed to crack out a couple of 30-rep sets. I know ROM on the pull-ups isn’t full but was mainly for fun and kept constant tension throughout so was still tough.

Pull:

• Wide grip pull-up 3 x 30, 25, 25
• Chest supported row 3 x 6
• Preacher curl 3 x 6
• Single arm pull down 3 x 8
• Cable curl 3 x 6-10

Vid of 30 rep set - Video

Had to rush back home because I literally felt like I was going to shit my pants. Going to take it easy today and start packing some bits and pieces ready for the house move next week.

10th April

Possibly my final session at Dave’s Gym in Northwich today seeing as I’m picking up the keys for the new house on Thursday and will be training at Cosmos Mon, Tue and Wed. Only been going there for a few months but I really can’t fault the place. Clean, good kit, reasonably priced and a load of sun beds available. Definitely recommend it to anybody in/around Northwich. The only other gym nearby is Pure which is terrible IMO.

I’ve been using the Var (50/day) for about 4 weeks now. Going to use it for a total of 50 days seeing as that’s how many is in the pack. Been very impressed with it. No side effects whatsoever and a noticeable difference visually and in performance. Strength has increased and I look harder/denser. Probably my favourite compound overall. I used to be mad for the Tren but wouldn’t bother running it again seeing as my digestion/sleep is already suffering a bit from the colitis. Not running any AI at the moment, haven’t needed it.

Cardarine was a good addition too (10/day), felt a noticeable difference in endurance and my breathing felt lighter almost immediately. I reckon I’ll cycle that in and out at 10mg regularly going forward. I’m supposed to be doing that Manchester 10KM at the end of May (health permitting), so I’ll continue with it until then at least.

Feeling sound today. Slept until about 9:30-10AM which is good going for me at the moment. It’s a nice day too so I’ll probably try to get out for a walk with my Mrs and the dog and maybe go for a Sunday dinner. Obligatory pics of pooch below.





Today’s session was cardio and legs. Cardio was the usual 30 minutes incline treadmill, most of which was at 140BPM, but I adjusted the speed for the final 10 minutes and went up to 150-155 to get a little sweat on.

Legs:

• Leg press 3 x 6-8
• Leg extension 3 x 8-12
• GHR 3 x 8-12
• Seated leg curl 3 x 8-12
• Standing calf raise 3 x 10-15

No abs today as I hit them the last couple of sessions.

Keeping the diet a bit cleaner and including food I digest easily for the next few days after last night’s Chinese and Ben and Jerry’s. Lots of Skyr, Kefir, Whey and fruit.

 

[DLTBB]

11th April

Hi fellas.

Heard back from my GP today. We're still waiting on the results from the stool sample but he has given me an urgent referral to the gastroenterologist based on the results of my blood test due to the high readings on my inflammation markers. I have no idea how long I'll be waiting but can't imagine it being super quick as it's on the NHS. I should've enrolled for private medical insurance really, but I'll take what I'm given now. If you've been on the fence about it, I definitely recommend going ahead and signing up, especially if you can get it at a discounted rate through work. You'll be thankful of not having to wait in massive queues to see somebody if you ever need to use it.

On the bright side, my symptoms have eased off a little bit this week. Still far from ideal (or even good) but much more bearable than it was when I was in the middle of the last flare up. I'm digesting my food much better and my sleep has been a bit deeper/more restful.

Short working week for me this week due to the bank holiday weekend and I've booked Thursday off because I'm picking the keys up for my new place. It's going to be a bit of a nightmare moving in I imagine, transporting/carrying all of the furniture in and out but it'll definitely be worth it in the end. Buzzing to be able to see my Mrs more often as it's mainly just weekends at the moment.

Did a push session with my cousin today. He's just started training again after a year or so out of the gym. Much prefer training with somebody, especially for a push session. He's progressing fast too which is good to see.

Cardio was the usual 30 minutes on treadmill.

Abs:

• Ab wheel roll-out 3 x 10
• Lying leg raise 3 x 15
• Crunch 3 x 15

Push:

• Flat barbell bench press 3 x 6-8 120KG
• Seated press 3 x 6-8
• Incline cable fly 3 x 8-12
• Triceps push-down w/ rope 3 x 8-12
• DB lateral raise 3 x 20

First time doing actual bench in a little while. Done most of my recent push sessions at Dave's and was difficult to get a bench as it was quite busy at the times I was in there.

Went higher rep with the raises and focused on getting a good pump as the shoulder felt a little tender last time when I was using a heavier weight in 6-8 rep range.

Pull session tomorrow. Going to take it easy and try to get an early night tonight as I'm quite tired. Going to eat a curry, finish Top Boy on Netflix, watch a bit of YouTube and get my head down.

Have a good one chaps.

12th April

Evening fellas.

Just heard about the passing of Cedric McMillan. Rest in Peace. Top physique and enjoyed his performance at the Arnold a few years ago. Only 44 too. It's a shame.

As mentioned earlier today, my BPC-157 and TB-500 stack has been posted by Peak Body. It's coming via DPD and should arrive tomorrow, so I'll get to work with that right away. Might not have any insulin pins but will just use a small blue pin if need be as I want to get some in to my system as soon as possible. Will update regularly.

Symptoms have been quite mild today but I have felt a bit tired. I would have had a rest day today if it was up to me but I told my cousin I'd train with him and didn't want to let him down so I got a quick session out anyway. No cardio/abs this time, just a straight pull session. It wasn't the workout of the century but I got some decent sets out. Going to aim for an early night tonight and will most probably take tomorrow off as an actual rest day before hitting legs on Thursday.

Pull:

• Wide grip pull-up 3 x 6 (+80lbs DB)
• Seated cable row (wide neutral grip) 3 x 6-8
• DB hammer curl 3 x 8
• Single arm machine pull down 3 x 6-8
• Preacher curl 3 x 8

Quick session but it did the trick and I was happy with a good amount of my working sets.

Not much else to report at this stage to be honest. Fajitas for tea and an early night is on the cards. Hoping for a decent sleep.

Not had the final results back from the Doctor yet, hoping to get some news tomorrow.

Peptides arrived already! That’s customer service. Good guys. First doses in.

 

[DLTBB]

14th April



Keys collected! Moved some initial bits and pieces today but the proper moving in will be done on Saturday.

Going to pick up a packet of insulin needles from the chemist shortly so I can continue with the daily dose of BPC.

Diet might be a bit scattered this weekend as I will be off work and on the go a lot getting the house sorted but will try to keep it somewhat consistent and keep the protein high.

Video from today’s leg workout - Link

Usual 30 minutes cardio and ab circuit. Finished legs with a giant set as I was pressed for time and had to nip to the estate agents.

Legs:

• Hack squat 3 x 6-8
• Leg press 3 x 8-10
• Leg extension 3 x 10
• Single leg curl 3 x 8-12
• Calf raise giant set between standing/seated calf raise with various rep range/tempo

15th April

Bloody hell. Moving house is a ball ache. In the process of packing the van at the moment. Shifting couches and beds is a lot harder than lifting bars and DB’s. Having stumps for arms doesn’t help.

Another 10-hour sleep in the books. Didn’t want to get out of bed either. I read somewhere that the healing effect of the peptide could make you more tired. Definitely seems to be the case. Had less discomfort in my gut since starting.

Video from today.

Usual cardio done. Abs was Ab Coaster, decline sit-ups and Nautilus crunch. Love this grip for triceps.



Push:

• Chest press 3 x 6 (136KG, 149KG, 170KG)
• Seated press machine 3 x 6
• Chest fly machine 3 x 10
• Triceps push down 3 x 10
• Kettlebell lateral raise 3 x 10

 

[DLTBB]

16th April

Day off today fellas. Moved all the stuff in to the new house. What a nightmare. I feel like I’ve ran a marathon. Buzzing to have a place together with the Mrs though. To new beginnings.

 

[DLTBB]

Okay. We’re up to date now. Apologies for the spam fellas. Just wanted to share some recent training/updates.

 

[JuiceTrain]

Okay. We’re up to date now. Apologies for the spam fellas. Just wanted to share some recent training/updates.

definitely not spam,
just a well detailed log
insane progress man.... keep at it
I'll have a pizza slice and cheeseburger just so you won't fuk up your macros

 

[DLTBB]

definitely not spam,
just a well detailed log
insane progress man.... keep at it
I'll have a pizza slice and cheeseburger just so you won't fuk up your macros

Thanks mate. My diet has been all over the place the last few days because of all the upheaval, but I’ve stocked the fridge up and ready to dial it in tomorrow barring a cheesecake inside an Easter egg that my brother has made for me.

 

[RiR0]

Following the log man. Good stuff. Love the detail

 

[DLTBB]

My brother has made me a cheesecake inside an Easter egg. I’ll eat this tomorrow and then I’m going to tidy the diet up a little bit as it’ll likely help with my digestion too.

 

[RiR0]

View attachment 20794

My brother has made me a cheesecake inside an Easter egg. I’ll eat this tomorrow and then I’m going to tidy the diet up a little bit as it’ll likely help with my digestion too.

If you need any of those taken off your hands I’d be willing to assist

 

[DLTBB]

If you need any of those taken off your hands I’d be willing to assist

Just the one for me mate. The rest are spoken for. Mine will be getting inhaled for sure.

 

[RiR0]

Curious about your training. Are working up to one failure set with 2 progressively harder work sets?

 

[CJ]

16th April

Day off today fellas. Moved all the stuff in to the new house. What a nightmare. I feel like I’ve ran a marathon. Buzzing to have a place together with the Mrs though. To new beginnings.

View attachment 20789

View attachment 20790

I feel ya man, I moved recently myself, I needed 2 days off to recover, but my back was junk for over a week!!!

 

[CJ]

Awesome log, I will definitely be following along. Hoping your medical issues get resolved quickly.

 

[DLTBB]

Curious about your training. Are working up to one failure set with 2 progressively harder work sets?

I’ll usually try to take at least one working set of each exercise to failure. Usually the final one as I tend to pyramid up. Other sets I might have a rep or two in the tank. I use pauses are very slow negatives if I’m nearing my rep goal and not at a good RPE.

 

[DLTBB]

I feel ya man, I moved recently myself, I needed 2 days off to recover, but my back was junk for over a week!!!

It’s been hard work but definitely worthwhile. But yeah my lower back has taken a bartering for sure.

 

[DLTBB]

Awesome log, I will definitely be following along. Hoping your medical issues get resolved quickly.

Thank you and yep, hoping to feel better soon!

 

[DLTBB]

First sleep in the new place was a comfortable one. The TV broke in transit yesterday unfortunately, so I was up at 7AM taking a delivery for a new one.