Second Cycle Complete

watto1980

Hey all,

You might remember me from my thread "How Many Cycles Before" you started to notice a difference.

Well I have been working hard on my diet and exercise, just finished my second cycle and passed all exercises except for the overhead press and the upright row.

Over the past 8-10weeks I have lost 6kg (14lbs) of weight. Here is a pic of me when I started to cut from a few months ago and one now.



It has been pretty slow going on the progress front I feel because I was planning on doing a 15 week cut, but now I am thinking it might be more like 6 months lol. I didn't realise how much fat I had to lose.

I am planning to continue cutting on All Pro's till I get a nice BF% I am happy with, then begin a bulk (where I should get more benefit from the program) before cutting again. I hope by this stage I will look better than I ever have in my life, which should be very achievable because I am not far off it at the moment.

In that second pic there I had the heater on in the bathroom, in case you thought I might have been making visits to the solarium or getting spray tanned lol

edit: had to resize the picture, it didn't fit in the forum

cmeiron

Lookin' good, man! Nice loss for that time period- that's a good, sustainable rate. Your arms are definitely looking more defined, slimmer in the waist, too. At this rate you'll hit your goal bf% quite handily. And then bulk! Bulking is awesome (I'm into my first and am eating All The Foods).

Overhead press is a *kitten*, isn't it? That and the rows - I've failed them both a couple of times.

Keep up the good work!

watto1980

Lookin' good, man! Nice loss for that time period- that's a good, sustainable rate. Your arms are definitely looking more defined, slimmer in the waist, too. At this rate you'll hit your goal bf% quite handily. And then bulk! Bulking is awesome (I'm into my first and am eating All The Foods).

Overhead press is a *kitten*, isn't it? That and the rows - I've failed them both a couple of times.

Keep up the good work!

Hi cmeirun,

Thanks for the compliments, I think I am gradually losing fat all over so nothing really jumps out at you when comparing the two photos. But yeah I can see improvement in the waist and bicep areas too. I reckon the next 5kg loss will be defining (at least I hope).

It was disappointing to fail the overhead press, I thought I had it for sure. I think I was just too drained from the bench press which really drilled me. The upright rows (I swapped these for bicep curls) I didn't really expect to complete because I failed them in week 4.

As for bulking, you lucky thing, I can't wait to eat more food lol. A calorie deficit isn't the most fun experience. I have had to balance things carefully, especially if I do extra recreational exercise, I always try to eat back those calories. A few times I haven't and it really catches up with you, I think I have had low blood sugar a few times, that's what I try to avoid.

pandorakick

Very good progress, you're looking more defined all over as far as I can see!

OHP is indeed a *kitten*... Failed it again myself this morning ;-)

sun_fish

Great progress - I can definitely see a difference in the photos. I think we tend to not see changes in ourselves, so it is always nice to get feedback from others. I learned that when I posted pics!

christianteach

I think your arms are looking mighty fine! I also see a difference in your waist.

watto1980

Great progress - I can definitely see a difference in the photos. I think we tend to not see changes in ourselves, so it is always nice to get feedback from others. I learned that when I posted pics!

I think your arms are looking mighty fine! I also see a difference in your waist.

Very good progress, you're looking more defined all over as far as I can see!

OHP is indeed a *kitten*... Failed it again myself this morning ;-)

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I agree that sometimes it is harder to see the changes in yourself than in other people so I do appreciate the words. It is a good motivator, and right now I need all the motivation I can get because I am leaving shortly to go on a 16.5km bike ride, but, all I feel like doing is going back to bed lol

And yes OHP sucks, I haven't come across anyone loves it yet.

jasonheyd

Nice progress. Definitely seeing some changes in terms of definition. It's never an overnight thing, but with just two cycles in, it's showing.

watto1980

Nice progress. Definitely seeing some changes in terms of definition. It's never an overnight thing, but with just two cycles in, it's showing.

thanks mate, yeah it's a slow process. I have begun to realise that now. I think doing bulk cut cycles is the way to go. Each time looking better and better. I will be making mine a winter / summer thing trying to stay under 15% BF at all times.

jasonheyd

thanks mate, yeah it's a slow process. I have begun to realise that now. I think doing bulk cut cycles is the way to go. Each time looking better and better. I will be making mine a winter / summer thing trying to stay under 15% BF at all times.

Yep, the cuts ware likely to slow things down in terms of progress, but I think that approach matches your goals.

I've been on a mild cut for a couple of cycles since, and I'm getting pounded by bench press this time. Week 3 I only managed 10/8 and week 4 was 11/10. Not feeling too good about actually managing 12/12 next week, but we'll see. My weight's been pretty steady, and BF% is improving bit by bit, but I may switch to a more aggressive cut/bulk rotation myself.

For now though, I'm adding some running back in (took time off running to mend the bursitis in my hip), so I want to see how that pans out for at least a cycle, then I'll decide.

watto1980

yeah that's it, cutting makes it hard to get the strength gains. I struggled on my bench press too last cycle but just scrapped through. I feel I am surprisingly weak for my size lol What weight are you benching?

On a positive note in respect to the slow gains, at least I should get a few cycles out of the program once I start bulking. I reckon I will weigh about 75kg (165lb) before I start a bulk, I am 83kg (182lb) now. So it looks like another 3-4 months of cutting. Just have to stay focussed and consistent aka keep packing those tupperware containers and looking weird.

That's good getting back into running. You should enjoy that. I think the cardio is good to do, seemed to help me improve my weight lifting too.

But yeah from what I have read of everyone's experiences the bulk/cut cycle is the fastest way to look awesome. Bit of short term pain (fat) for some muscle gains.

jasonheyd

Yeah, I'm floating between 155 and 160 lbs right now, but my bench is only at 110. That's a lot less than I used to push, but it's a lot more than I was at before I started lifting again.

watto1980

yeah that's not bad, I am lifting the exact same weight. 50kg plus whatever the bar weighs. Seeing as you're lighter than me it's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't know how these guys bench press 1.5 x their own body weight, must take years :noway:

jasonheyd

Yep, it can take a while to get out of the "beginner" levels.

I kinda doubt I'll get back to my own former level any time soon. I'm working out a lot less often & just doing it more for general fitness than anything else. My wife even claims my current physique's acceptable, so I'm not too worried about buffing up. ;-)