Classic Kleen - The Road To Competition Fall 2024

[MrKleen73]

Well this weekend I re did mine for my yearly re seasoning. This time I used my angle grinder and I got a wire wheel attachment to get most of it then I hit the top with a sanding pad attachment on the grinder don’t remember what grit.

I tried to use a drill the year before with a wire wheel attachment as well, it kinda worked but nothing like the angle grinder. I was all done in 10 minutes.
View attachment 241053
This is the wire wheel cup I used
View attachment 241054

Thanks, I will be giving this a shot this weekend. My batteries have all died on my ryobi tools so I have to go get some new batteries.

Looking great bro!! Sorry I've missed out on all the fun trying to keep my headspace right

Trying to checkin every couple of weeks though

Thanks, and no need for apologies brother, just happy to have you along for the ride!

Lookin pretty freaky there Kleen

Thank you Sir!

how has your rest/sleep quality been lately?



and after you told your wife about these female compliments she said, yes I absolutely agree you sexy beast of a man!

Sleep has been getting better. Also yes, that is almost exactly what she said!

I have been waking in the 220's this week. I touched on 221 one morning but have been 220.x every other morning. So still adding some weight at the right pace. I am at a place where my abs are pretty visible in the morning and pretty faded by the evening with all the food intake. So currently just looking BIG! I still get compliments when I go to my more commercial gym that I am looking really good, they see me about every other week, so they are a good gauge of how things are looking to those on the outside. I have also been able to hit all of my cardio sessions with the intended intensity the last week so the last week and a half which is great. I am burning over 370 calories per 30 minute session, putting in the work!

Noticing some neck tightness and a bit of referral pain going down into my scapular region on my right side. Not sure of the pendulum squats are causing this or some neck craning during a row or RDL but I am having to kind of really pay attention to this. I may have to limit myself to belt squats and leg press for my main quad movements. I was finally able to do some good leg pressing and got a good increase in overall leg volume this week.

Here are a few sessions from this week.

Chest & Biceps - Monday, Mar 25, 2024 at 4:26pm

Incline Chest Press (Machine)
Set 1: 115 lbs x 9 @ 10 rpe [Failure]
Set 2: 90 lbs x 11 @ 10 rpe [Failure]
Set 3: 90 lbs x 4 @ 10 rpe [Drop]

Iso-Lateral Chest Press (Machine)
Set 1: 85 lbs x 10 @ 7.5 rpe
Set 2: 85 lbs x 10 @ 8.5 rpe
Set 3: 85 lbs x 8 @ 10 rpe [Failure]
Drop Set 4: 60 lbs x 5 @ 10 rpe [Drop]
Drop Set 5: 35 lbs x 6 @ 10 rpe [Drop]

Bench Press (Cable)
Set 1: 60 lbs x 15 @ 7.5 rpe
Set 2: 70 lbs x 15 @ 8.5 rpe
Set 3: 70 lbs x 14 @ 10 rpe [Failure]

Chest Fly (Machine)
Set 1: 120 lbs x 21 @ 10 rpe
Set 2: 110 lbs x 21 @ 9 rpe
Set 3: 110 lbs x 19 @ 10 rpe [Failure]

Spider Curl (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 30 lbs x 10 @ 8 rpe
Set 2: 30 lbs x 10 @ 9 rpe
Set 3: 30 lbs x 8 @ 10 rpe [Failure]

Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 20 lbs x 14 @ 10 rpe
Set 2: 20 lbs x 12 @ 10 rpe
Set 3: 20 lbs x 9 @ 10 rpe [Failure]

==========================================================================

Legs - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 4:43pm

Leg Press (Machine)
Set 1: 470 lbs x 12 @ 7.5 rpe
Set 2: 470 lbs x 15 @ 8.5 rpe
Set 3: 470 lbs x 13 @ 9 rpe
Set 4: 470 lbs x 10 @ 9 rpe
Set 5: 470 lbs x 3 @ 9.5 rpe [Drop]

Pendulum Squat (Machine)
"Very slow, paused"
Set 1: 45 lbs x 10 @ 8.5 rpe
Set 2: 45 lbs x 10 @ 9 rpe

Walking Lunge (Dumbbell)
45x8 @RPE 8
45x8 @RPE 10

Glute Ham Raise
Set 1: 8 reps RPE9.5
Set 2: 10 reps RPE10
Set 3: 10 reps RPE10

Standing Leg Curls
Set 1: 80 lbs x 15 @ 8 rpe
Set 2: 90 lbs x 15 @ 9 rpe
Set 3: 90 lbs x 14 @ 10 rpe [Failure]

Standing Calf Raise
Set 1: 30 reps
Set 2: 30 reps
Set 3: 30 reps

Legs are a bit sore today, definitely feeling much weaker, I could only muster a 330 calorie burn today on the elliptical due to my legs being toasty.

 

[Dustin07]

solid looking sessions!!

So currently just looking BIG! I still get compliments when I go to my more commercial gym that I am looking really good, they see me about every other week, so they are a good gauge of how things are looking to those on the outside. I have also been able to hit all of my cardio sessions with the intended intensity the last week so the last week and a half which is great. I am burning over 370 calories per 30 minute session, putting in the work!

it's sorta wild to think of the difference in approach you have right now vs 1yr+ ago when you were cutting down etc

 

[MrKleen73]

solid looking sessions!!



it's sorta wild to think of the difference in approach you have right now vs 1yr+ ago when you were cutting down etc

Yeah, I knew when I got started that we would definitely be changing the eating style up quite a bit. Training has gone well but I am breaking down, been hobbling from on ache and pain to the next with the failure training since about a month into it. I do think I would have made the same progress either way with the training I was already doing but for sure the diet has been the biggest factor outside of gear driving progress. That and of course consistency. Being locked in with focus for so long has really benefited me. My training has gradually become a slight bastardization of what he gave me and I have been peppering in the myoreps whenever going to failure did not feel safe. It is a totally different mindset that normal daily training for fun and fitness.

I am getting excited about the idea of starting prep, I am so over the massive amounts of food and am ready to start giving my digestive system a slight break from the onslaught. I am sure after a couple months of cutting I will be over that too, but by then I will be getting lean enough that my own reflection will motivate me to push forward and see where we can take this. Right now though, I can't wait for the drop in calories.

This last week has been rough, I had a guy cut me off and then brake check me end of last week. So I have had to take some time off of lifting because it triggered my lower and midback when I hit his truck. It was bad enough that it had cardio feeling rough too. Yesterday I was able to complete my time on the elliptical with correct effort level but towards the end my lower back started to complain. Today I am feeling a bit better in my midback, yesterday it was so tight that getting into position for pressing was causing some pain, but today it feels a bit better. I am going to try to get in some stimulation just so I don't lose any ground this week. Hoping once I get into the gym and get moving that things will loosen up enough to let me do some real work.

Another even worse thing, someone did a hit and run on my wife Monday, her car is an older car 2008 350z in pristine condition, well it was. Now they are talking about possibly totaling the car, this would be an absolute horrible mess for me. I honestly do not think I can afford to do this competition if all of the sudden we have another car note. Already the $1000 deductible is making things hard as is, but if we have to add an unplanned car note to replace her car that is probably going to force me out of the contest due to simply not having the cash to push through with another 400-500 a month in expenses. I am really hoping they do not total it but the insurance already told us that is very likely what will happen. So I really don't know how things will work out if that becomes the case. I just know I will be so very bummed if that becomes the situation.

 

[Segansational]

Oh snap, hope you're doing OK after this car crash. And your wife too. When it rains it pours sometimes...

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, I knew when I got started that we would definitely be changing the eating style up quite a bit. Training has gone well but I am breaking down, been hobbling from on ache and pain to the next with the failure training since about a month into it. I do think I would have made the same progress either way with the training I was already doing but for sure the diet has been the biggest factor outside of gear driving progress. That and of course consistency. Being locked in with focus for so long has really benefited me. My training has gradually become a slight bastardization of what he gave me and I have been peppering in the myoreps whenever going to failure did not feel safe. It is a totally different mindset that normal daily training for fun and fitness.

I am getting excited about the idea of starting prep, I am so over the massive amounts of food and am ready to start giving my digestive system a slight break from the onslaught. I am sure after a couple months of cutting I will be over that too, but by then I will be getting lean enough that my own reflection will motivate me to push forward and see where we can take this. Right now though, I can't wait for the drop in calories.

This last week has been rough, I had a guy cut me off and then brake check me end of last week. So I have had to take some time off of lifting because it triggered my lower and midback when I hit his truck. It was bad enough that it had cardio feeling rough too. Yesterday I was able to complete my time on the elliptical with correct effort level but towards the end my lower back started to complain. Today I am feeling a bit better in my midback, yesterday it was so tight that getting into position for pressing was causing some pain, but today it feels a bit better. I am going to try to get in some stimulation just so I don't lose any ground this week. Hoping once I get into the gym and get moving that things will loosen up enough to let me do some real work.

Another even worse thing, someone did a hit and run on my wife Monday, her car is an older car 2008 350z in pristine condition, well it was. Now they are talking about possibly totaling the car, this would be an absolute horrible mess for me. I honestly do not think I can afford to do this competition if all of the sudden we have another car note. Already the $1000 deductible is making things hard as is, but if we have to add an unplanned car note to replace her car that is probably going to force me out of the contest due to simply not having the cash to push through with another 400-500 a month in expenses. I am really hoping they do not total it but the insurance already told us that is very likely what will happen. So I really don't know how things will work out if that becomes the case. I just know I will be so very bummed if that becomes the situation.

Man that really sucks….first of all that jerk cutting you off, and then your poor wife’s car. Hopefully your back will heal quickly, and they don’t total your wife’s car. That would be messed up if you couldn’t compete because of one bad week of bad luck, but understandable because of finances.

 

[MrKleen73]

Oh snap, hope you're doing OK after this car crash. And your wife too. When it rains it pours sometimes...

I am not too bad just some residual soreness, it didn't help that I was already nursing my lower back though but the midback took the brunt of it and seems to be improving well.

Man that really sucks….first of all that jerk cutting you off, and then your poor wife’s car. Hopefully your back will heal quickly, and they don’t total your wife’s car. That would be messed up if you couldn’t compete because of one bad week of bad luck, but understandable because of finances.

Yeah, and in Texas without video proof or witnesses of brake checking / road rage the person who hit from the back is always at fault. So I had to also eat what little bit of damage there was or risk my insurance going up so much I couldn't afford it. Plus homeboy did not have insurance, it was obvious, considering I had to chase him waiving him down for like 3 miles to get him to stop. Luckily it was bumper to bumper contact but it dented my plastic bumper. It is not crazy noticeable thank goodness. I will get another bumper cover at some point or do a lil bodywork and wrap over it so it isn't visible.

I wasn't already locked into traveling for my nephew's wedding in June and spending some time there in Florida with family then I could probably muster up the money but too many things hitting the budget at once could be the end of this. I am just going to keep on moving forward until I know for sure what the deal is then figure things out when and if that hammer drops. Trying to stay positive here and not let everything overwhelm me too much right now.

 

[MrKleen73]

Trying to wrap my head around the idea of what may happen here. I think if it comes down to it instead of giving up I will probably try to prep myself and just plan on doing one show. I might be able to make that work without the extra expense of a coach but even then I don't really know. I just can't imagine not getting the job done after all of this prep. I hate not knowing what is going on, and still waiting for insurance to send someone out to the house to do a field quote on the repairs. Since there was a wobble which as best i can tell is a bent rim they said it was undriveable but my wife drove it home from downtown so I might just drive it up to the shop we have always used for any bodywork. I already know they work with USAA so it won't be an issue.

 

[gphagan1]

Trying to wrap my head around the idea of what may happen here. I think if it comes down to it instead of giving up I will probably try to prep myself and just plan on doing one show. I might be able to make that work without the extra expense of a coach but even then I don't really know. I just can't imagine not getting the job done after all of this prep. I hate not knowing what is going on, and still waiting for insurance to send someone out to the house to do a field quote on the repairs. Since there was a wobble which as best i can tell is a bent rim they said it was undriveable but my wife drove it home from downtown so I might just drive it up to the shop we have always used for any bodywork. I already know they work with USAA so it won't be an issue.

That sounds like a good alternative plan, especially after all the blood, sweat, and money that you’ve already invested.

 

[Dustin07]

I do think I would have made the same progress either way with the training I was already doing but for sure the diet has been the biggest factor outside of gear driving progress.

what % advantage do you think the gear contributes? I remember Arnold in that docu series saying 5%. I mean... maybe he's downplaying what it did for him, but then you watch a guy like @Hyde and I think a person would have to be an idiot to not accredit his massive hard work, thoughtful programming, and huge caloric intake along with the gear for the numbers he has been hitting the past year.

I think the part that is on my mind is you seem to be leaning up, or at least, not getting fatter, despite getting much larger.

Cardio is up, without losing muscle mass
Caloric intake is up, without gaining substantial BF

so it's a fantastic balance you have going here.

when I hit his truck.

I had to chase him waiving him down for like 3 miles to get him to stop.

dude it's the same way here in WA.. you rear end, it's automagically on you. BUT DAMN if the guy just ran away I don't know what I'd do. Not sure how much I'd chase him down in that scenario lol

Now they are talking about possibly totaling the car,

I really hope this has a better outcome for you. My buddy built an Eclipse that he LOVED. It was honestly very fast for an eclipse and he treated it like a '68 camaro. (not my style car, but he loved it). When he got hit, they totaled it out and gave him a check for like $1200 but it would have been much more to replace. He really got royally screwed on that one.

 

[Dustin07]

that's something that pisses me off about insurance. When my truck got hit by a semi truck, and then drug 20ft while in park, it F'd the transmission. They fixed all the cosmetics but the truck was like 6 months old. I find it highly disappointing that we are required to have insurance but the insurance is not required to truly fix the issue. I had a brand new truck that had never been in a wreck and insurance was required to what... fix a dent in the back quarter panel, replace bumper and replace a wheel. But the issues with a wrecked car can pop up down the road (no pun intended) once those ground off gears start getting into the fluids.

 

[MrKleen73]

That sounds like a good alternative plan, especially after all the blood, sweat, and money that you’ve already invested.

Agreed, hoping it is a non-issue but might be what I end up doing if I can still make that happen. Once we find out what insurance says we will start making plans based on the budget from there.

what % advantage do you think the gear contributes? I remember Arnold in that docu series saying 5%. I mean... maybe he's downplaying what it did for him, but then you watch a guy like @Hyde and I think a person would have to be an idiot to not accredit his massive hard work, thoughtful programming, and huge caloric intake along with the gear for the numbers he has been hitting the past year.

I think the part that is on my mind is you seem to be leaning up, or at least, not getting fatter, despite getting much larger.

Cardio is up, without losing muscle mass
Caloric intake is up, without gaining substantial BF

so it's a fantastic balance you have going here.

I would give it more than 5% but it is also very intertwined with nutrition, training, and rest. So it would be very hard for me to actually assign it a percentage.

While I agree my cardio is better, I have definitely gained a noticeable amount of fat. I still look good but have some love handles and back fat coming back, and far less definition in my arms and legs. I just happen to have really big defined abs so they stay prominent deeper into the fat gain. I would put myself in the 17-20% range right now compared to probably closer to 10%-12% at the leanest point before we turned things around. Not knocking it, I think I have made excellent progress but the last 2-3 weeks I definitely noticed the beginning of softening up more. Most likely has something to do with being on a cruise dose but eating the same calories as when I was on.

dude it's the same way here in WA.. you rear end, it's automagically on you. BUT DAMN if the guy just ran away I don't know what I'd do. Not sure how much I'd chase him down in that scenario lol



I really hope this has a better outcome for you. My buddy built an Eclipse that he LOVED. It was honestly very fast for an eclipse and he treated it like a '68 camaro. (not my style car, but he loved it). When he got hit, they totaled it out and gave him a check for like $1200 but it would have been much more to replace. He really got royally screwed on that one.

Yeah, I just wasn't sure how much damage there was up front. If a lot I was going to do my best to nail him for the road rage incident. However once I saw it i just decided the juice was unlikely worth the squeeze and let it go. I did get the satisfaction of seeing his face once he saw me out of my car and the fear and panic as i approached barking at him that he can't just force his way into a lane without his blinker on. You could tell he just wanted to get right back in his car and leave. Something about that immediate panic and fear in him just made me relax and start to think the situation through more clearly. I told him it was his lucky day, since my car wasn't too bad and I had changed my mind about beating the crap out of him for brake checking me then taking off.

that's something that pisses me off about insurance. When my truck got hit by a semi truck, and then drug 20ft while in park, it F'd the transmission. They fixed all the cosmetics but the truck was like 6 months old. I find it highly disappointing that we are required to have insurance but the insurance is not required to truly fix the issue. I had a brand new truck that had never been in a wreck and insurance was required to what... fix a dent in the back quarter panel, replace bumper and replace a wheel. But the issues with a wrecked car can pop up down the road (no pun intended) once those ground off gears start getting into the fluids.

Yeah, it is frustrating. Honestly once they do the deal to check it out I may try to buy it back from them if they total it but it doesn't have a bunch of issues. I would much rather finance some body work than a replacement car.

 

[Dustin07]

Something about that immediate panic and fear in him just made me relax and start to think the situation through more clearly. I told him it was his lucky day, since my car wasn't too bad and I had changed my mind about beating the crap out of him for brake checking me then taking off.

yeah I've been rear ended 10 times. I was parked every time, so it's not like I was driving crazy or anything but 7 out of the 10 I took a look and said, meh no big deal. One time I had to get some work repaired on my truck. the next time the gal had smashed the bumper in (again on my truck) so we agreed to just have her cut me a check for repairs and keep insurance out of it, and the third time was the semi truck that clipped my truck and drug it down the road. I went full bore on them cause it was a hit and run out of their own facility so I went straight to the office and hounded them. your situation is so weird, he must have felt like he was in the wrong to let it go like that

 

[Hyde]

Sucks to hear of these misfortunes. I am glad you are both not hurt worse!

Have you really considered only buying a car within the amount they total the car for? So if you get $7k for the Z, only buying a used car for $7k, no payments on something nicer. You can find running cars with AC at almost any price range. It’s more a balance of needs vs wants. My car is only worth about 6 grand, but it runs like a top & is quite comfortable, also getting 30+ mpg. It’s not sexy, but I make it look good

what % advantage do you think the gear contributes? I remember Arnold in that docu series saying 5%. I mean... maybe he's downplaying what it did for him, but then you watch a guy like @Hyde and I think a person would have to be an idiot to not accredit his massive hard work, thoughtful programming, and huge caloric intake along with the gear for the numbers he has been hitting the past year.

I think the part that is on my mind is you seem to be leaning up, or at least, not getting fatter, despite getting much larger.

Cardio is up, without losing muscle mass
Caloric intake is up, without gaining substantial BF

so it's a fantastic balance you have going here.

I will let Kleen speak for himself, but I feel it’s not so much a percent advantage kind of thing as an ENABLER. Using steroids takes the governor off, supercharging processes that - when you do the right things, the diet and the requisite training - allow continual and extreme adaptations to eventually take place.

From a strength perspective, guys using steroids tend to lift about 8-15% more than they can without, for the individual. I am on the top end; I get a LOT out of them.

 

[Dustin07]

I will let Kleen speak for himself, but I feel it’s not so much a percent advantage kind of thing as an ENABLER. Using steroids takes the governor off, supercharging processes that - when you do the right things, the diet and the requisite training - allow continual and extreme adaptations to eventually take place.

From a strength perspective, guys using steroids tend to lift about 8-15% more than they can without, for the individual. I am on the top end; I get a LOT out of them.

That all feels like what I have observed from you. Absolutely no doubt they have a positive contribution but I've watched the grind long enough to know the amount of work and nutritional discipline that has to be done with it.

 

[Hyde]

That all feels like what I have observed from you. Absolutely no doubt they have a positive contribution but I've watched the grind long enough to know the amount of work and nutritional discipline that has to be done with it.

Said another way, I have a higher ceiling AND I get a lot more return on my efforts than you will. But I still have to eat (or not eat) the extra food, and expose my body & joints to the greater weights or volumes in training, and live with all of the side effects/stressors that presents. If I only take steroids, they don’t do that much with no other changes, unless I just keep taking more progressively. But that has very real practical limitations (sides and stressors).

 

[MrKleen73]

Sucks to hear of these misfortunes. I am glad you are both not hurt worse!

Have you really considered only buying a car within the amount they total the car for? So if you get $7k for the Z, only buying a used car for $7k, no payments on something nicer. You can find running cars with AC at almost any price range. It’s more a balance of needs vs wants. My car is only worth about 6 grand, but it runs like a top & is quite comfortable, also getting 30+ mpg. It’s not sexy, but I make it look good



I will let Kleen speak for himself, but I feel it’s not so much a percent advantage kind of thing as an ENABLER. Using steroids takes the governor off, supercharging processes that - when you do the right things, the diet and the requisite training - allow continual and extreme adaptations to eventually take place.

From a strength perspective, guys using steroids tend to lift about 8-15% more than they can without, for the individual. I am on the top end; I get a LOT out of them.

I like that explanation calling it an enabler, I couldn't think of how to word it but that was the gist of what I wanted to say.

Honestly on the car thing, if my wife will take my car and I can get myself a beater I would be fine with that. I don't really want to tell my wife she has to drive a beater so I can do my contest or have more room in the budget. I would prefer that she have the better car between the two of us to be perfectly honest. However that is definitely a consideration here and to be honest until you mentioned it the idea of giving her my nicer ride hadn't crossed my mind yet. I know she sometimes get nervous with it being bigger. Unfortunately even though her car was in excellent condition I don't expect the insurance to give top dollar and don't expect to see much more than a couple thousand once they hit us for the deductible. Honestly I haven't spoken to my wife too much about it being totaled because she is emotionally attached to the car and gets visibly upset and teary eyed at the thought of losing it. It was the first car she picked that she really wanted and the first car she got for herself that she paid off so she is just torn up about the idea of losing it. So I will have to broach that topic with her when we get the news and see where we can go from there.

That all feels like what I have observed from you. Absolutely no doubt they have a positive contribution but I've watched the grind long enough to know the amount of work and nutritional discipline that has to be done with it.

Facts, you have to put in the grind if you want the good results. Its like an amplifier, if you put crap music in you will get louder crap music coming out, if you put great music in it you get a concert of wondrous sound on the other end.

Said another way, I have a higher ceiling AND I get a lot more return on my efforts than you will. But I still have to eat (or not eat) the extra food, and expose my body & joints to the greater weights or volumes in training, and live with all of the side effects/stressors that presents. If I only take steroids, they don’t do that much with no other changes, unless I just keep taking more progressively. But that has very real practical limitations (sides and stressors).

Agreed!

 

[love2liftkat]

Dang Chris! That really sucks about the car stuff! Maybe the insurance will be willing to work with you and/or give you the option to not total it! So glad y’all are both okay and they weren’t worse. Just so frustrating for sure though!!

 

[akboom87]

How bad off is your wife’s car? I didn’t get a chance to read through all the posts yet but wanted to throw this out there.
If they do total it and pay you off the value, a lot of times you can buy it back for literally nothing. I did this to one of my campers that insurance totaled. Fixed the things that needed it rest was cosmetic. Especially if she was to take your car and you drive it. Just a thought but obviously I don’t know how bad of condition it’s in. I will catch up on all the posts tonight.

 

[Hyde]

My car isn’t expensive, but I really don’t consider it a beater. It has some hail damage, but the paint and interior are in truly great shape, no appreciable wear, and everything works as factory. All of it! The exhaust is quiet, it has no rust despite being an IL car, it is clean. It was well cared for by my mother, then later my little sister, before I bought it.

I have had beaters, but this is not that - not even a little bit. You might be surprised by what you can find, especially if she also prefers smaller cars like I do, like the Z.

I don’t want to diminish your scenario - just to give you some hope! The used market has been improving again.

 

[SkRaw85]

Sorry to hear about the car man. Hoping it turns in to something better!

 

[Dustin07]

One of my employees drove a geo metro that wouldn't go in reverse for like 6 years and got around 50mpg lol. (my buddy with the 500lb squat). he'd just push the car when he needed to back out of a parking spot. Drove it from Seattle to Texas like that. super economical and you get free sled pushes every time you start it.

 

[MrKleen73]

Dang Chris! That really sucks about the car stuff! Maybe the insurance will be willing to work with you and/or give you the option to not total it! So glad y’all are both okay and they weren’t worse. Just so frustrating for sure though!!

Thanks Kat, great to hear from you.

How bad off is your wife’s car? I didn’t get a chance to read through all the posts yet but wanted to throw this out there.
If they do total it and pay you off the value, a lot of times you can buy it back for literally nothing. I did this to one of my campers that insurance totaled. Fixed the things that needed it rest was cosmetic. Especially if she was to take your car and you drive it. Just a thought but obviously I don’t know how bad of condition it’s in. I will catch up on all the posts tonight.

Honestly from what i can see the damage is not too bad, but the agent told us it would likely be totaled which doesn't really make sense. It is a decent dent in the rear driver side quarter panel right in front of the back tire, but it is not like OMG or anything. The wheel took the brunt of the hit and Jo said it kind of had a wobble to it when she drove it home which I believe is likely just a bent rim but I don't know if it messed up the suspension or axle or anything. I have definitely already been contemplating buying it back if they don't want to fix it. We have zero intention of ever selling it so even if it had a salvage title it would be fine.

My car isn’t expensive, but I really don’t consider it a beater. It has some hail damage, but the paint and interior are in truly great shape, no appreciable wear, and everything works as factory. All of it! The exhaust is quiet, it has no rust despite being an IL car, it is clean. It was well cared for by my mother, then later my little sister, before I bought it.

I have had beaters, but this is not that - not even a little bit. You might be surprised by what you can find, especially if she also prefers smaller cars like I do, like the Z.

I don’t want to diminish your scenario - just to give you some hope! The used market has been improving again.

Oh no diminishment at all. Definitely wasn't referring to your car as a beater but most things I could buy with what i expect to get would be a huge step down from the Flex which has all the bells and whistles. So was referring more to the drop in quality / poshness as a beater, and not an actual beater. I would like to think I have owned my last actual beater long ago. LMAO! It is great to hear that the used car market is going back down. It was so ridiculous a little while back I had to look really hard for Sage's Jeep to find one that was in decent shape for a reasonable price.

Good news is after checking the bluebook value on the Z I am actually pretty surprised with how much they are saying it is worth on Kelly Blue Book. More than anything seeing it in the 10,000-12000 range for private sale and 9-10000 for trade in value leaves me a lot more hope that they will just fix it. In my humble opinion there is nowhere near half of the worth of the car in damage judging from the dent and the wheel I am guessing 2000-3000 for what I see, and then if there is any damage to the suspension from the wheel taking the hit it would go up from there. I don't know what the cut off is for them totaling it but I am at least a bit more hopeful.

On another note, when it rains it pours, I think I might have broken a piece of my brake pad when I hit that guy while locked up. All of the sudden out of nowhere on the way in to work my right front brake started grinding. I am contemplating taking the day or at least morning off tomorrow to replace the pad and possibly have the rotor spun. If too bad I will just drop another pad on there for the time being and order a new rotor. I roll my windows down about once a week while driving down my parking garage and listen for noises like brake wear indicators, popping, clicking since everything echoes in there it is easier to hear. I hadn't heard anything so I assume this is resulting from the collision same as my back pain since it happened.

To finish this off on a good note, today is the first day not waking up with pain and tightness around my ribs and erectors. As much as I didn't want to I took one last day yesterday to let it heal and rest. I wanted to push it but thought about coaches words. We need to be as close to 100% when we start prep, we don't want to be nursing things from pushing when we should have been recovering. So I just took another walk last evening and today I am actually feeling a lot better. Deep breaths don't hurt or feel like they are pulling at my ribs, so I am happy with that.

I have kept up with my cardio and am also doing a step challenge right now with a goal of 10,000 steps a day. I did over 12,000 yesterday. I even got out in the sun at lunch to get me some natural vitamin D.

 

[MrKleen73]

Sorry to hear about the car man. Hoping it turns in to something better!

I am trying not to get too hopeful but I am feeling a little more positive right now.

One of my employees drove a geo metro that wouldn't go in reverse for like 6 years and got around 50mpg lol. (my buddy with the 500lb squat). he'd just push the car when he needed to back out of a parking spot. Drove it from Seattle to Texas like that. super economical and you get free sled pushes every time you start it.

Now this sounds like the type of beaters i used to drive. When I was broke and irresponsible back in the day I had a rotating account with a place called Cash For Cars, I would go buy beaters he got for next to nothing at the lot for like 200 a month and drive them until they broke, if he couldn't fix it he would just give me another car from the lot and i would keep making payments. Sometimes I would have the car a year sometimes a month and a half. At least half did not have AC, and all were what you would consider a beater but i did get an MGB from him that was something he bought as a project for himself then his health went bad. It was awesome and I drove it for like 2 years. That thing was so fun and got so much attention. I could do donuts in that thing in such small and tight areas, it was so fun to drive and always got attention. It looked just like this but had some sun fading on it when I got it but I used some restoring product and compound rub and shined it up real nice. Was a torquey little thing too!

 

[Hyde]

Yeah that 10k is more what I expected; I was like there’s no way they can’t get a clean functional ride for 8g.

Sub-4g is where it gets tough.

One of my employees drove a geo metro that wouldn't go in reverse for like 6 years and got around 50mpg lol. (my buddy with the 500lb squat). he'd just push the car when he needed to back out of a parking spot. Drove it from Seattle to Texas like that. super economical and you get free sled pushes every time you start it.

Lol now THAT is a beater! Well-played, sir…

 

[MrKleen73]

Yeah that 10k is more what I expected; I was like there’s no way they can’t get a clean functional ride for 8g.

Sub-4g is where it gets tough.



Lol now THAT is a beater! Well-played, sir…

Yeah, right now they have just done pictures and I am waiting to hear from them if they want to do a full in person which with the minimal damage visible I sure hope they intend to have done. Really annoyed the guy marked it was undriveable considering she drove it home from downtown. I am sure if he didn't mark it that way we would not even be hearing the words totaled being mentioned.

I did not end up lifting last week. I started to do some chest work and things went very poorly, so I took the rest of the week off and during check ins coach mentioned I might not want to do the elliptical at all either if it was even remotely bothering me which it was. So probably another couple days. I think this will work out better anyway since I am going to go get bloodwork Thursday or that is my plan anyway. Might as well have a clean slate and not have killed my muscles before going to get the bloodwork.

 

[akboom87]

Yeah, right now they have just done pictures and I am waiting to hear from them if they want to do a full in person which with the minimal damage visible I sure hope they intend to have done. Really annoyed the guy marked it was undriveable considering she drove it home from downtown. I am sure if he didn't mark it that way we would not even be hearing the words totaled being mentioned.

I did not end up lifting last week. I started to do some chest work and things went very poorly, so I took the rest of the week off and during check ins coach mentioned I might not want to do the elliptical at all either if it was even remotely bothering me which it was. So probably another couple days. I think this will work out better anyway since I am going to go get bloodwork Thursday or that is my plan anyway. Might as well have a clean slate and not have killed my muscles before going to get the bloodwork.

Hoping for a positive turnout for the situation! Sounds like a good call on a week off. You been pushing hard and then add this stress and all. This a 3 month check? I have lost track of time. I was reminded yesterday just 3 more months and my little son will be here where does time go!

 

[MrKleen73]

Hoping for a positive turnout for the situation! Sounds like a good call on a week off. You been pushing hard and then add this stress and all. This a 3 month check? I have lost track of time. I was reminded yesterday just 3 more months and my little son will be here where does time go!

I am feeling more positive, and if we do need to find another car I actually found some 2012-2014 370Z Roadsters that look to be in very good shape, and are well within the budget if we want to replace the car. If we did that we would likely drop a decent down payment finance for what looks like a long term loan then pay everything but the last 2 grand off and then pay that down at the normal payment until I stop paying for coaching and then the money for coaching can be rerouted to pay the rest off within a year. Then she still gets something she loves, and it is even an upgrade without breaking the bank. It isn't the most budget friendly option we could take, but it is a very doable option. I got her the 350 as a gift, and I want to try to replace it with something she loves just as much if possible.

We are just waiting for the insurance company which is annoying because any other time the car would have already been at the shop by now. How are you going to raise rates ridiculously but offer worse service. This fool marking the car undriveable has really slowed everything to a crawl...

I definitely feel like things are healing up with the time off. Many of the other little aches I had before the accident are subsiding, so I think I will be in a much better place to kick off prep after this week. Plus, I am itching to get back under the weight.

 

[Dustin07]

We are just waiting for the insurance company which is annoying because any other time the car would have already been at the shop by now. How are you going to raise rates ridiculously but offer worse service. This fool marking the car undriveable has really slowed everything to a crawl...

I have a friend who thinks insurance should be illegal. I'm starting to come around and understand his perspective a bit.

I definitely feel like things are healing up with the time off. Many of the other little aches I had before the accident are subsiding, so I think I will be in a much better place to kick off prep after this week. Plus, I am itching to get back under the weight.

I was going to ask, during your off week did you adjust calories down a bit?

 

[MrKleen73]

I have a friend who thinks insurance should be illegal. I'm starting to come around and understand his perspective a bit.



I was going to ask, during your off week did you adjust calories down a bit?

I think how they conduct themselves should be illegal for sure. Once they turned it int the massive profit margin machine that it is now it is pretty much a scam. They basically charge the dependable to cover for everyone else it is like a socialist government running that crap. All of you people share debt, while we here at the top enjoy all of the good your money provides...

He did not tell me to but there have been a couple days I ate a little less just because I hadn't done much at all that day. Then one day I got sick, and lost a meal then didn't eat my last one since I wasn't feeling well. I think I ate some slightly old chicken that morning. One of those, I think this should still be good type of things. WRONG!!!

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, insurance companies really do border on criminal. And if you miss payments they will cancel quick, but when they have to fix something it’s amazing how slow they can be. And they really do total cars way to often now, and in the long run that really just costs everyone more.
Glad you’re feeling better physically… hopefully you can get back to it next week.

 

[Electrake]

but when they have to fix something it’s amazing how slow they can be

My truck is still mangled from getting hit Jan 23rd "it's a parts problem"

 

[MrKleen73]

Yeah, insurance companies really do border on criminal. And if you miss payments they will cancel quick, but when they have to fix something it’s amazing how slow they can be. And they really do total cars way to often now, and in the long run that really just costs everyone more.
Glad you’re feeling better physically… hopefully you can get back to it next week.

Oh I have no doubts I will be training next week. I am actually feeling pretty good, my lower back is probably the best it has been in 2 months from the rest. I think what I may do if all goes to plan is do a push session Thursday after I do my brakes and have done my blood work. Then hit lower body Friday, and a Pull session on Saturday. Keep things a bit lighter and go for volume and pump on that one to test the waters. Then pick back up Monday with my full on training.

My truck is still mangled from getting hit Jan 23rd "it's a parts problem"

Yeah, my car ended up in the shop for almost a month over parts availability. Ended up giving up on new and having to order a 2nd hand driveshaft if i didn't want to wait for months. Obviously not an option for an insurance job, but you would think they could custom order something made if they have had since January...

 

[Dustin07]

One of those, I think this should still be good type of things. WRONG!!!

my wife tells people she needs to go through the fridge and make sure she gets rid of expired food before I eat it lol

 

[MrKleen73]

my wife tells people she needs to go through the fridge and make sure she gets rid of expired food before I eat it lol

Yeah, I would be smart to put a date on my bags of chicken. Occasionally the making of them overlap and I will grab one that looks a bit different and wonder, was this from part of last weeks prep? Occasionally it is... and sometimes it bites me back.

 

[MrKleen73]

Great news! They are not totaling the car, so we will only be out the $1000 dollar deductible. That is some of the best news I have gotten recently. Very happy there will not be any payments required other than the 1000 for the deductible. WOOHOO Celebration time!

 

[gphagan1]

Awesome man

 

[SkRaw85]

I have a friend who thinks insurance should be illegal. I'm starting to come around and understand his perspective a bit.



I was going to ask, during your off week did you adjust calories down a bit?

Insurance is racketeering. Change my mind???

 

[SkRaw85]

Oh I have no doubts I will be training next week. I am actually feeling pretty good, my lower back is probably the best it has been in 2 months from the rest. I think what I may do if all goes to plan is do a push session Thursday after I do my brakes and have done my blood work. Then hit lower body Friday, and a Pull session on Saturday. Keep things a bit lighter and go for volume and pump on that one to test the waters. Then pick back up Monday with my full on training.
Yeah, my car ended up in the shop for almost a month over parts availability. Ended up giving up on new and having to order a 2nd hand driveshaft if i didn't want to wait for months. Obviously not an option for an insurance job, but you would think they could custom order something made if they have had since January...

All that recovery will be a blessing. I bet your next session is going to be a disgustingly pumped banger!

 

[Dustin07]

Great news! They are not totaling the car, so we will only be out the $1000 dollar deductible. That is some of the best news I have gotten recently. Very happy there will not be any payments required other than the 1000 for the deductible. WOOHOO Celebration time!

right on!

 

[MrKleen73]

All that recovery will be a blessing. I bet your next session is going to be a disgustingly pumped banger!

Yeah, I expect a massive pump, with all the carbs and not burning through a lot of them my glycogen stores should be pretty full and ready to swell me the hell up!

 

[Dustin07]

it's starting to feel like @SkRaw85 s thread did for a while in here, time to start seeing some logs soon!!

 

[MrKleen73]

it's starting to feel like @SkRaw85 s thread did for a while in here, time to start seeing some logs soon!!

You will get one for tomorrow, I am feeling great today! I am ready to rock and roll, just waiting to do my bloodwork before I push things so I can get some true readings. Feeling fresh and ready to kill some shiz!

 

[akboom87]

You will get one for tomorrow, I am feeling great today! I am ready to rock and roll, just waiting to do my bloodwork before I push things so I can get some true readings. Feeling fresh and ready to kill some shiz!

Glad to hear they aren’t totaling the car and you are healed up! Time to move some weight hellllll yeahhhhhh !!!

 

[BennyMagoo79]

Relieved to read the news about your car mate!

Looking good in the progress pics!

 

[MrKleen73]

Glad to hear they aren’t totaling the car and you are healed up! Time to move some weight hellllll yeahhhhhh !!!

Relieved to read the news about your car mate!

Looking good in the progress pics!

Thank you Gentlemen!

I did a good feeler full body push session Friday, and am doing a feeler pull session today. Everything held up yesterday, and my chest and shoulders got a little sore. I am looking forward to seeing how everything holds up today after a pull session then will be kicking things right back up in intensity and volume. I am going to start some of the worrisome areas with 3 straight sets instead of failure for a couple sessions probably limiting effort to right around 2RIR. Make sure form stays at all times and I am not pushing so hard that aggravation of these areas is overly likely.

We started Prep this week, decent size caloric drop here. Mostly by cutting a lot of fats back out of the diet.

Previous Daily Macros:
Calories - 4114 - Macros - 445g Carb, 300g Protein, 126g Fat

New Daily Macros:
Calories - 3581 - Macros - 438g Carb, 293g Protein, 73g Fat

Other changes - Cardio goes from 25x5 a week to 30x5 a week.

This is my current bloodwork as of 4/11/24. All in all not that bad many of the things I expected to still see up are up. Some of the other stuff is so good I am very surprised. I am not overly worried about the higher creatinine levels, relatively common for me, and the EGFR improved over the last month but the one here in the metabolic section is not the one I am looking to read off of. I did the cystatin c to get a more accurate EGFR reading. I will make a few comments as I go through. However I am pretty sure some of this does put me off from starting the push with gear for a few more weeks. Going with the coach's decisions here.

TSH is high and out of range, this means my metabolism is running a little slow right now. I know being on gear raises this number so maybe just a matter of time. I will also look into some ways to boost this. Possibly add some real cranberry juice, and more iodized salt to my diet. I had been wondering if only using Himalayan Sea Salt would lower levels. Not sure if that is the case but if iodine levels are lower that could also have something to do with that.

HCT is a little high but I warned coach this will not dip below 50 on 210mg of testosterone a week. So not sure what his intentions will be here.

Platelets are a little low, and MPV is just a touch out of range, curious if this has anything to do with the baby aspirin or the fact I donated a few weeks back.

My Cystatin C is only .01 out of range, but eGFR is in range which is good. Uric Acid and all urine analysis looks good feeling confident to move on. I was half expecting to see things looking worse here.


These are the best lipids I have seen in years for me. Look at that HDL, that is pretty good for me especially after having been on 600-1200mg of gear from Oct 1- March 23rdish with only 3 weeks down at 200mg of test. I am very impressed with that.

All in all I am pretty happy with the blood work as mentioned it has been a long run and blood work has looked pretty good throughout. Between the diet, and the consistent cardio it makes sense, but I am impressed with the numbers anyway. I am looking forward to stopping my statins after the prep to see if I even need them any more as long as I maintain cardio, healthy diet, and leanness.

Here are some shots of the reversal point after a total gain of 26.8 lbs @221.2 lbs!!! Not too bad after a down week from injury.

 

[Segansational]

Prep time, let's GOOO!! the 1k cal decrease is probably going to be a shocker to your system, so good luck there. But you added some real decent mass. So can't wait to see what prep does for you!

 

[MrKleen73]

Prep time, let's GOOO!! the 1k cal decrease is probably going to be a shocker to your system, so good luck there. But you added some real decent mass. So can't wait to see what prep does for you!

Yeah, it is more like a 600 calorie drop, but still my body should definitely respond to that drop. I have been ready for the cut for a while now so happy to be getting a decrease in calories. However overall food volume is not really dropping here so much as cutting out a lot of olive oil. I imagine I will be happy with the decrease for at least the first 6-8 weeks then will probably start missing being fed but by that point I think I will be seeing enough changes that they will motivate me even further. Then once I fall in love with the process and continuous positive feedback of getting leaner things will just get better and better until the suck takes over but then it is already almost done by then.

 

[Hyde]

With an eGFR that low even with cystatin C, I would not touch Tren. Not over something like 10mg/day purely for glucocorticoid inhibition. If you can’t get stage ready on test & mast with Winny and some halo besides that, then so be it.

 

[gphagan1]

Thank you Gentlemen!

I did a good feeler full body push session Friday, and am doing a feeler pull session today. Everything held up yesterday, and my chest and shoulders got a little sore. I am looking forward to seeing how everything holds up today after a pull session then will be kicking things right back up in intensity and volume. I am going to start some of the worrisome areas with 3 straight sets instead of failure for a couple sessions probably limiting effort to right around 2RIR. Make sure form stays at all times and I am not pushing so hard that aggravation of these areas is overly likely.

We started Prep this week, decent size caloric drop here. Mostly by cutting a lot of fats back out of the diet.

Previous Daily Macros:
Calories - 4114 - Macros - 445g Carb, 300g Protein, 126g Fat

New Daily Macros:
Calories - 3581 - Macros - 438g Carb, 293g Protein, 73g Fat

Other changes - Cardio goes from 25x5 a week to 30x5 a week.

This is my current bloodwork as of 4/11/24. All in all not that bad many of the things I expected to still see up are up. Some of the other stuff is so good I am very surprised. I am not overly worried about the higher creatinine levels, relatively common for me, and the EGFR improved over the last month but the one here in the metabolic section is not the one I am looking to read off of. I did the cystatin c to get a more accurate EGFR reading. I will make a few comments as I go through. However I am pretty sure some of this does put me off from starting the push with gear for a few more weeks. Going with the coach's decisions here.

TSH is high and out of range, this means my metabolism is running a little slow right now. I know being on gear raises this number so maybe just a matter of time. I will also look into some ways to boost this. Possibly add some real cranberry juice, and more iodized salt to my diet. I had been wondering if only using Himalayan Sea Salt would lower levels. Not sure if that is the case but if iodine levels are lower that could also have something to do with that.

HCT is a little high but I warned coach this will not dip below 50 on 210mg of testosterone a week. So not sure what his intentions will be here.

Platelets are a little low, and MPV is just a touch out of range, curious if this has anything to do with the baby aspirin or the fact I donated a few weeks back.



View attachment 241475
View attachment 241470


View attachment 241471
My Cystatin C is only .01 out of range, but eGFR is in range which is good. Uric Acid and all urine analysis looks good feeling confident to move on. I was half expecting to see things looking worse here.


These are the best lipids I have seen in years for me. Look at that HDL, that is pretty good for me especially after having been on 600-1200mg of gear from Oct 1- March 23rdish with only 3 weeks down at 200mg of test. I am very impressed with that.

View attachment 241473
View attachment 241474

All in all I am pretty happy with the blood work as mentioned it has been a long run and blood work has looked pretty good throughout. Between the diet, and the consistent cardio it makes sense, but I am impressed with the numbers anyway. I am looking forward to stopping my statins after the prep to see if I even need them any more as long as I maintain cardio, healthy diet, and leanness.

Here are some shots of the reversal point after a total gain of 26.8 lbs @221.2 lbs!!! Not too bad after a down week from injury.
View attachment 241476

It’s always a good sign when you end your bulk, going into your cut, and still have abs.
Awesome job Kleen, even with the setbacks.

 

[MrKleen73]

With an eGFR that low even with cystatin C, I would not touch Tren. Not over something like 10mg/day purely for glucocorticoid inhibition. If you can’t get stage ready on test & mast with Winny and some halo besides that, then so be it.

Good looking out, I was looking forward to your feedback regarding the Cystatin C test. I need to read up a bit more on tren and kidney function. Since I was never really that interested in running it due to the temperament issues I haven't really super educated myself on it, and why it would be worse on the kidneys than other compounds. I will go have a look and educate myself on that a bit more. I imagine he will be able to bring me in with a good package tren or no tren.

It’s always a good sign when you end your bulk, going into your cut, and still have abs.
Awesome job Kleen, even with the setbacks.

Thanks you Sir! We made it, and did pretty good even with having to drop doses from 1200mg down to 800mg a week during the final push instead of increasing it. Does kind of make me wonder where we would have ended up if we hadn't had to drop and were able to push up further instead.

Either way, I am really looking forward to cutting weight back down and getting ripped AF!!!