[Kiera]

Hey guys, check in for me this morning and was quite interesting to see the change in my body composition over the last 3 weeks despite not losing any weight on the scale. i think i mentioned in a previous log that 3 weeks ago i started a 6 week cycle, the exact same PED cycle to what i ran last time. Usually it would push me up by a KG or two however this time i have just stuck at the same weight.

Really minor changes this week, nothing to diet or cardio so will continue to push as normal and will update you with another physique check in a few weeks.

[Kiera]

I don’t think you’ll need to decrease calories that low at all, indeed just the act of fasting from dawn till dusk will mean that you’ll find you’ll be naturally dropping your calorie intake dramatically and drop weight without even intending to.

[Kiera]

The issue with straight sets is that you’re never really pushing yourself to true failure, or else you wouldn’t be able to sustain the same reps for the subsequent sets – if you did in the previous.

There is probably more risk in a top set/back off set as you are constantly trying to push the boundaries of progression each session. – however provided form, and sensible weight jumps are used then it can be done safely.

It’s the same with joints, ensure your recovery is on point, as well as your form then your long term joint health can be maintained.

[Kiera]

Really wanted to train today but super busy this morning and ran way into the afternoon and this evening is my parents last night here in Dubai before they head back to the UK and i wanted to spend it with them as i won’t see them for a few months. This morning we went to change our Drivers licences from UK to UAE and of course it was never going to be as simple as they said it would be and ended up taking us 3 hours instead of 1! which ate into our training time so we decided to have today as a rest day, go to the gym to do cardio but train tomorrow instead.

I have a check in with Calum tomorrow morning and think i will post my 3 weeks progression pics for you here. weight has not changed much but i can definitely see a huge difference in my body composition. Feeling a lot tighter and fuller and can definitely see my mid section coming in nicely. Food and cardio remained the same this week, it may decrease slightly next week but we also might add an extra rest day as i am now on a 4 day training split with one accessory day that isnt too taxing so can be done on rest day food. We will see what Cal says tomorrow and i will update you with some pics.

[Kiera]

Interesting read. Would you say that squats have been a good leg builder for you? I am trying to find out how necessary it is to me you see. I like doing it, but there is so much going on technique wise especially after I finally stopped using wraps during squatting. I kinda wonder if a V Squat where I can just press is a better option for me.
And what is you favourite leg exercise after squats? ?

Heyy, So it all depends on your biomechanics in regards to if squatting is optimal for you from a bodybuilding standpoint. Can you squat, with a fairly upright torso position, and without too much forward lean, with good mobility and a stance that is not crazy wide. – if so then squats most likely are a very good excercise to have. It would be quite beneficial for you to post a video of you squatting so we can assess. – my next favourite leg exercise is hack squat, purely because I can alter the positioning of my feet optimally, and make it more quad focused, – without the risk of tipping over like a squat.

[Kiera]

Chest, shoulders and glutes for me today.

Really happy with the progression on bench today. 90kg for 3 x 10 which has come on leaps and bounds from about 5 weeks ago where i was benching just the bar. My bicep was a little unhappy after the 3rd set, luckily not during it but i did decide to give the other shoulder push movements a miss as i did’t want to aggravate it any more. I still went ahead and did some heavy tricep pushdowns, lateral raises, rear delts on the cables and then glutes on the hip thrust machine. All in all it was a good session and obviously finished with 30 mins of stairs. I have 3 days now before i revisit bench and push so i am hoping that gives it enough time to heel and recover for another round.

[Kiera]

I would try and avoid it if you can, as it will have an effect on your output and effort. However, if it’s between holding on and falling off then it’s better than nothing. You definitely can try reducing the speed and gaining your balance and working your way back up like the others have stated above or if you have the time replace your treadmill walk with an actual walk and that way you have nothing to hang onto.

We all do it though, the main culprit being stairmaster. I hold onto the handles on stairs but I see A LOT of people hanging out of them and like the treadmill it does make a big difference.

[Kiera]

Leg day for me today, Squats went up by 5kg and felt awesome. 180kg for 2 singles and 160kg for 4 sets of 6 which were nasty by the last set. I focused on depth through out the whole workout. If my depth is high I don’t move the weight up next session and I retake the session until it’s perfect. However today was awesome and every set was actually below parallel which is what you want on the lighter weights because no doubt that will try and creep up as the weight gets heavier.

Half the leg room was in darkness today as they are creating a second floor and have assembled it but haven’t put any lighting in under it yet. It made it pretty difficult to train and adductor and leg press were both done in the dark ?

Finished with 30’mins cardio which after legs is brutal. I can do the do the same intensity as any other day and in-fact increased it from yesterday as it was too easy but perhaps a silly move as I didn’t factor in it was a leg day ?

I may have chest/shoulders/glutes tomorrow but I hit them VERY hard on Saturday so might leave them another day as I still have DOMs in them and don’t want to push my bicep too harshly. I will assess it in the morning though.

[Kiera]

Being aware of squat depth is always wise. I’d say a bad squat form could cheat your squat (weight and rep wise) by a lot. However, these look decent, it wouldnt pass in a powerlifting comp because your hip crease needs to be in parallel with your knee and this looks to be a bit higher but can’t see clearly because of the rack. I’d just aim for consistency, if you can can consistently squat to this depth then do that and like Rich said this is probably where your body is comfortable. As long as you keep your squats here i don’t see it being a problem. Problems will only occur if you try and take it lower because you will find that you will miss out on a few reps or find your working set much harder.

From a bodybuilding stand point this is great and consistency is key, just keep an eye on the form and make sure it doesn’t creep up as the weights get heavier.

[Kiera]

Such a nice day today! Rest day for me, also mothers day and also a very unexpected car purchase.

Cardio only today so headed to the gym to do 30 mins of stair-master and some abs and then went to look at an Audi RS7 which me and max both fell in love with so we bought it. We paid the deposit today and pick it up next weekend. We were always set on getting a car out here but wanted to wait for the right one, so i’m really over the moon with this one and recon we will have it for the entire time we are in Dubai. It was also Mothers day and my family are still over so we went out for shisha and dinner (both max and i just had shisha and watched my family eat haha), it was lovely though and a really great day.

I have squats and legs tomorrow and heading upto 180kg for a nice single and 160kg for 4×6.

[Kiera]

Base your frequency on both your recovery rates and also your weakpoint bodyparts and what needs bringing up. – twice a week for a bodypart is usually a pretty standard practise, however this isn’t set in stone, where for example you could need to train lower 3x per week if they’re really lagging, and take away some volume from an upper bodypart that is overpowering.

[Kiera]

Happy Saturday ?
Chest/shoulders/glutes for me today.

So happy that my bench is finally starting to feel normal again and I’m able to focus on pressing the weight and executing the movement rather than on the sheer shooting pain I was getting.
My bicep still says ‘hello, hi, I’m pissed’ for the first few reps but it seems to be under control and doesn’t get worse throughout the session. I have some peptides on the way to help me with that too.

Calum was happy with my check in a visual change as I’m looking much tighter but still no drop to my weight yet. It’s to be expected with me going back on a 6 weeks cycle.
We added 20mcg of clen from today to help with the fat loss, kept cardio and calories the same.

Soon off to dubai waterfront market which sells fresh meats, sea foods, fruit and veg as well as loads of other things like herbs and spices so I’m pretty excited for that.

[Kiera]

Hey Sam, could you tell us what we are meant to be reviewing? Do you want us to tell you if we think the meals are good choices, input on macros/calories ? ..

[Kiera]

Late one from me today – really busy day and lots of little jobs to do today as well as training and cardio. Deadlifts moved well today – 215kg for 2 sets of 7 which felt heavy but got them done followed by 200kg for a set of 7. I warmed up using mix grip and pulled a set of 5 at 215kg before my working sets too just for a little bit of grip. I continued grip training after with some double overhand shrugs in the rack. Managed to get up-to 110kg for 5 shrugs before my grip fell apart. Target is 140kg for 5 reps which hopefully over the months will be become available ??

[Kiera]

I bump test to up 200mg and add in 100mg of masteron – 300mg total load. Enough to see a pretty dramatic retention in strength as your deficit continues, whilst also at the same time being easy on bloodwork and without the need for an Ai most likely