About to hit an arm maintenance session. Arms are sore as fuck. Body is just torn up. Also havent been training arms the past weeks, nor training my body at my usual intensity, volume or frequency. High thyroid issue, etc. May cause muscle fatigue issues.
I think Ill bring a third training day in now. Arms. It may not be every week since this is maintenance only right now. Or I may hit my arm work in the form of a few sets after my push and pull days. Have only been training twice weekly the last few weeks.
Bare maintenance. However my size is coming back up. Chest is 55 inches cold now and arms at 19 cold. 1/2 an inch down from peak on arms, 1 inch down from peak on chest/back measurement. Not bad for the low frequency of training and much reduced food intake. Also worth considering Im a little leaner than usual, so peak measurements dont really mean much in that context.
Upper chest started to fill out immediately after hitting incline work the first day. Its already looking a little fuller. That stimulation just wasnt there for a while. Ive only been hitting flat bench style machines, dumbbells, etc, for my chest rehab. Incline puts extra strain on the compromised area but is the best for my development. I should be able to build new muscle around these strains if I listen to the pain signals. Ill be working strength back up with full range reps on hammer incline press. Once I get to 450x20 in that form that will be pretty good. Size should be mostly back in chest by then, if not back. I was hitting 580 for maybe 20 with constant tension style on that machine. Its both easier and harder than the form Im using now though. Easier in the sense that the reps are very short, harder in the sense that its pure muscle control and tension in that mid range.
Right now Im using a mix of that form. Im stopping right before hitting the bottom of the machine. This means my chest gets no rest at the bottom and no bang off the stoppers, which creates some inertia and carry the weight a bit. I did full range in the past before, but hitting the bottom, with 500x10, 540x5, etc when I was a good deal smaller in 2012. This is a refinement of those lifts. It shouldnt take long to hit 450x15-20 with this stricter style. Its good for me to switch ranges and styles.
As stated I dont need much food and training to maintain around my peak size. Im still keeping with the lower calorie regimen. I still aim to get leaner while adding muscle, even though they work against eachother. Its been successful but VERY gradual and slow so far.
Im doing it this way because I lose interest immediately if Im only leaning out and losing size and strength. I have no deadline so theres no need to rush.
Its good to be filling back out again, even though I was only slightly downsized for a few weeks. It should start coming back now.
Im thinking november 21 I may start back up on a growth phase again. Thus I may start preparing now and amping things up as I draw closer to that date. Mainly food intake and eventually training frequency.
For now I will be trying to keep protein around 200 without force feeding. More like a break. I can maintain peak size on HRT at 130-200 protein range it seems. So this will come normally for now, with only a little training.
Im starting to feel that urge again to get back into the shit. Im divided and conflicted as always. Though I cant bury that fuckin beast for too long without serious repercussions.
The more restless I get the more wreckless I become. In all aspects, training and life.
Size style training will be the focus during this maintenance phase. Probably not alot of strength record attempts until I start the growth phase. Possibly on november 21 but not set in stone
KILL THAT SHIT
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