Enjoyed a weekend of intense workouts, which is the norm during the aggressive weight loss desired during a cutting phase.

Both days started with a brisk morning run for about 35 minutes. Saturday, I followed my run with a full lower body weight session. This afternoon’s workout was an intense upper body weight session. I warmed up with a 2 mile run ~ 6 min per mile. I combined the weight session with 90 pushups, 100 sit-ups on the exercise ball, and 15 pull-ups with a 10lb weight strapped to each leg. This is the off-season workout regimen I followed when I played baseball in college. It’s taken me a full 3 years of eating and working out to be able to train as I once have.

In an effort to accelerate weight loss, I’ve decided to continue my 40-yard sprints on alternating days. This morning before my run, I timed some sprints coming in at about 4.6 seconds in the 40. Frankly, that is very disappointing. In college, at my fastest, I was timed at about 4.4 seconds. Over the next month or two, I’ll try to increase my speed. If the results do not improve, I’ll have to accept the diminished performance as a natural progression of getting older.

The personal trainer who had patiently worked with me on proper technique when I was new to weight lifting several years ago was there today to oversee my weight session. She works with me once per month, just to follow up on my progress and ensure that I’m still lifting with the proper technique as I increase the poundage. Of course, I generally simply ignore the, “eat more carbs” thing, but she did make a nutritional recommendation that makes sense. She advises that during my cutting phase with my increased fast twitch muscle workload, I should increase my calorie intake to more around 2,500 per day. She thinks this will minimize the muscle cannibalization while I cut the 5 – 6 lbs over the next 8 weeks.

I’m bracing myself for week 6 when the increased intensity and slight caloric deficit will have affected my cortisol and leptin levels where widespread hunger may occur. I need to closely monitor satiation levels and introduce a refeed when necessary. Or, depending on my results, I may stop the cutting cycle short at week 6, and immediately go into the bulking up cycle reversing the stress the cutting cycle has placed on my hormonal balance.

Monitoring weight: For consistency, I weigh *only* once per week, on Monday mornings after an empty stomach run. In my view, that is my truest weight with minimal water retention weight. At any other time, I could be 2, 3, or even 4 lbs more during the day; but, will always use my Monday morning post run weight to gauge my progress.