While I haven’t been writing here on the blog or posting videos to my Youtube channel, I have kept up with my training and diet plans.

You hear a lot about the “COVID 15,” sort like the “Freshman 15,” where people have gained weight due to the response to the virus. I’m pleased to say that beyond the 8 lbs I planned to gain during my massing phase in the spring, I’ve maintained my weight all summer. I’ve just started on a cut, because everyone cuts during the holidays, and so far it is going well. My target is for a very modest loss. More of a recomp than an ambitious fat-loss phase. The recomp goal would have me losing only about .5 lbs per week and at this point I’m losing about double that. It will be interesting to see how my progress continues over the next 10 weeks or so.

Workout-wise, I’ve moved the bulk of my training time to Blood Flow Restriction style training. I came to this decision after reading Brad Schoenfeld’s new book, “Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy.” There is a lot of information in that tome as to the effectiveness of BFR training and he’s had a number of posts on Instagram with even more studies supporting this mode of training. By using BRF style training I can work with lighter weights and get similar results to those I would see with more traditional training. Being an older trainee who workouts alone in a home gym, the lighter weights also reduce the chance that I will injure myself (or worse).

My basic plan for BFR is to use the basic workout structure from RP’s Male Physique Template. I do 3 sets for each exercise unless the template calls for more, as in the case of calf exercises. I try to select a weight that allows me to do between 20 and 30 reps in the first set, leaving 2 or 3 reps in reserve. For the remaining 2 sets I pretty much go to failure which results in between 8 to 18 reps. Rest periods are just 20 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between exercises. The BFR bands remain tightened from the start of the first set through the end of the third but are removed during the rest periods between exercises.

I handle progression as follows. If I was able to hit 30 reps or more on the first set, I will increase the weight by 2% for the next week and try to hit at least 30 reps. (Usually I’m able to hit the same reps.) If I am between 20 and 30 reps, I will keep the weight the same and try to do at least 1 rep more the next week. If on the first week I blow the weight selection and get less than 20 reps I will drop the weight and try to get between 20 and 30 reps.

This program keeps my lifting sessions to right around 40-45 minutes which gives me time to fit a bit of cardio into my schedule. This takes the form of about 30 minutes cycling, alternating between 5 minutes low-moderate pace and 5 minutes high-moderate pace. I’m just looking to burn some calories and, given I workout in a cold basement, get my body warmed up before lifting.

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