Looking for a little encouragement and inspiration this time around.

[cohzaku]

Up until recently, my life in the gym has been...checkered, at best. It really wasn't until Jan. 17th of last year that I finally got myself in the gym, lifting heavy and regularly. Now, I'm one of those "skinny" guys who carries my fat well enough to fit comfortable into a size small without looking chubby. I also know how to dress to compliment my body. So, I first started cutting. After dropping about fifteen pounds (from 168 to 150), I began to realise that I didn't have enough muscle to look good after cutting...also that my caloric requirements were getting too low. So, I began bulking for a while. I got up to 160 again, then started another cut. Dropped down to 145. Again, the fact that my bodyfat was still pretty high (not even hint of abs), I went back to bulking. Continued this until Dec. 3rd, when the lack of transportation, work, and illness all combined to keep me out of the gym. It wasn't until Feb. 1st that I finally was able to get back in the gym, weighing 170, and having gone from 15% bodyfat to 20%.

So, here I go again. And this time, I'm going to hold myself accountable not just to myself, but to a whole community.

I've been spending the last weeks on a cut. I've been fairly faithful to it, but My scale broke, so I'm just estimating my weight, which makes it hard to accurately calculate my caloric needs. I'm getting one sometime this week, god-willing.

My workout programme is BabyLover's Starting Strength, while I'm trying to get my lifts back to where they were before. I follow the eating methods of IIFYM and intermittent fasting, aiming to get a gram of protein per pound of lbm, and half a gram of fat per pound of lbm.

I haven't taken pictures just yet, but I have started recording videos to check my form and because I hope to use them in a transformation video I'll be making for a class I'm taking at the local college. (video editing).

I'd put the videos here, but I couldn't find information on posting youtube videos..

[CelticMuscle]

Originally Posted by cohzaku

I'd put the videos here, but I couldn't find information on posting youtube videos..

Go to the page with the YouTube video and copy the full address that starts off with the http. Then reply, quote, edit the message. In the top you will see an icon showing a chain with a globe. Click on that and then paste the link that you have copied and press enter. The link will appear twice, the second time will now be highlighted. Press backspace once and then label it with whatever you would like it to be called

In this case, Bicep Flex

[cohzaku]

Thanks! I've belonged to about four forums in my life, and every single one of them had their own way of putting up youtube videos. XD

[cohzaku]

After being pissed that my lifts dropped due to being out of the gym, I did something dumb to-day. Actually, it was brilliant, but if I'd have failed, it'd have been dumb.

Deadlifted 225 on a day I should have done 220.

D

Deadlifting two plates AGAIN!

I'm finally close to my old deadlift weight. I'm going to stick to 225 another session just because I don't want to push myself too much. After that, my next goal is 340, twice my bodyweight.

To-morrow is bench and squat, but I'm going to force myself to be sensible and only go up 5 pounds. In that case, but Thursday those lifts will be at one plate again.

P.S. how did my form look? the trainer at the gym said I looked good and just seemed to be lowering it to slow/not straightening at the top of the movement. I know I should probably be wearing less clothing (mind out of the gutter, please) so my actually body form can be seen better, but I'm still a bit self-concious about my body fat.

[cohzaku]

Almost got sick again this weekend. Also was out of the gym four days because snow had it closed friday and monday.

Was very tempted to switch to a bulk, but I forced myself to remember my goals and I'm sticking it out. Also, I realised I'm finally at that stage where eating more than 2200 calories feels like too much, so I'd rather embrace that while it lasts that switich back to 3000.