My brother recently visited, and since he’s going to film school this summer, we collaborated on some video projects. We started with a leg workout, followed by sushi, and then filmed some content he’s working on. Later that evening, we planned a back workout. I fueled up for the day with a breakfast of egg whites, whole eggs, hash browns, and turkey bacon, along with a fruit cup.
My leg workouts typically start with squats, unless I’m deloading. I aim for a benchmark weight each leg day, which is currently 365 lbs. Depending on how the weight moves, I’ll either increase it by 20 lbs for the next set of five or stick with the same weight. I continue this until I reach an RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) of 9. For instance, one late-night workout, 365 lbs felt like an RPE of 9 from the first set, so I didn’t increase the weight. Another day, the weight felt lighter, so I went up to 405 lbs for my top set.
After squats, we moved on to walking lunges, which are currently my favorite exercise for targeting the glutes. I could barely bend over the next morning due to the soreness! While soreness isn’t the best indicator of muscle activation or hypertrophy, it does suggest I’m hitting the target muscles.
Next were Romanian deadlifts. We prioritized the stretch and contraction, focusing on the mind-muscle connection over simply moving the weight. We actually used lighter weight than in previous weeks. Finally, we finished with leg curls and leg extensions, working in the metabolic stress zone with 15-20 reps and slow eccentrics on the lying leg curl. Lately, I’ve been emphasizing mind-muscle connection in my training, even if it means reducing the weight. This is especially true for muscles I’ve struggled with, such as biceps, hamstrings, and rear delts. I’ve seen good results from this approach.
My brother filmed the leg workout, and I’m excited to share the edit he created. I appreciate his filmmaking skills and hope you enjoy the video. We’re planning another workout video later this evening, focusing on back.
I had some client work to catch up on, including programming and emails, and then planned to help my brother with his film short. The leg day footage was shot using my phone and a non-DSLR camera because his camera died right before our workout. Tonight’s back workout footage should be much better, as we’ll have a proper camera setup.
After the leg workout, we enjoyed some sushi. I always wake up a few pounds heavier the next morning after eating sushi due to the high sodium content in soy sauce and seaweed, which leads to water retention. I try to drink extra water the following day. For example, I woke up at 161 lbs one morning and 165 lbs the next after having sushi. The water weight usually disappears within 24 hours. Eating sushi is fine, but I recommend choosing traditional rolls like California rolls or vegetable-based options over deep-fried rolls or those with a lot of mayonnaise. Also, stay hydrated. If you’re deep into a cutting phase and want consistent weigh-ins, refeeding with sushi isn’t ideal, as you can expect a 4-5 lb fluctuation. I also dilute my soy sauce with a bit of water at the restaurant to reduce the sodium content.
It’s important to eat slowly, especially when following an intuitive eating plan. I felt full after my sushi, so that was enough for that meal. Since it wasn’t high in protein, I had a protein shake afterward. I prefer the Costco brand of whey protein. When choosing protein powder, check the ingredients for added glycine, taurine, or creatine. These additions suggest the protein is amino-spiked, meaning the nitrogen content appears higher than the actual protein content. This essentially makes it less effective. It’s always a good idea to go with a reputable and trustworthy brand, ideally one that undergoes third-party testing. Alternatively, check the ingredients for any added amino acids. A protein shake before a meal can help reduce overeating, especially if you’re not tracking macros.
We arrived at the gym for our back workout. My pre-workout meal consisted of egg whites and hash browns, followed by leftover sushi, a protein shake, and then more egg whites and hash browns. I decided to include the back workout in my next vlog to avoid having two workout edits in one video. So, this concludes this vlog. Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to like the video, and I’ll see you in the next one.
