And your junk doesn't get beat up??? I like to wear baggies so I don't look like a tool, but dang, I've got to have something underneath.

LOL!! LOL!!

Steve,
OK, my last question for today.
During the first week of April, I was planning to spend a week with my son in San Francisco. I was going to line up a gym there, but I'm wondering if it would be more beneficial just to take a week off.

By the first week of April, I will have been going to the gym an average of 6 days a week for well over 3 months. Do you think that a week off once every 3 months is a good thing?

I'll still be getting lots of activity, as I'll be helping my son build some furniture for his apartment during the whole week.

thanx steve well doctors told me that i need to build my muscles in my lower back that it is the only way for it to stop. so i'm doing it gradually. two months ago it would hurt every other day...now i didn't feel any pain in month or so.

thanx for the advice for nutrition
Lena

Ask your doctor if you are ablt to safely do deadlifts, lol!

Really, Steve--those deadlifts made my butt hurt and my lower back is noticeably more solid--I can FEEL hard muscles there and I never had really, before--also a lot of bunny chub that was there is dimishing (bunny chub is my euphemism for girly fat ) . But don't worry, my cute love-handles may get smaller but they will never go away entirely! I need em!!

I will do that when I get a moment.

Thanks Tammy, I hope all is well.

I am a boxer briefs man, guess that saves me.

ya know i just figured it'd be me that owuld have obtained that info from you... Why I don't know - I just hadn't figured out how to get underwear choices into daily conversation.

and I must say -boxer briefs - way hot

that is all

Did someone mention that Steve is going without shorts???

m2m pulls up a chair!

Week off for sure Tom. I was going to have you take a week off before than anyhow, at least from the resistance training. Managing fatigue is a huge concept. Basically, as soon as you start plateauing in weight increases in your lifts, you should let me know.

This is a very general path, but just for your reference:

Weeks 1-3: Light, building up each week until you reach a specific rep max (in your case 5 RM)
Weeks 4-X: Continue building upon your 5RM numbers until strength gains halt.

After this, I like to actually reduce volume, something like 3x3 for each exercise.

After you ride this out, since dieting, probably take a good week off from training

Then the cycle starts back up, ramping up toward heavy weights.

Training is all about periodizing your various training components. Far too many people think it is about consistently going into the gym day and day and pushing more weight. Our bodies don't work like that however. They need breaks. Besides, detraining does not occur as rapidly as many think. Taking a week off does you more good than anything else.

the smile in your avatar just works so well with the above comment

How does your doc have you strengthening your back?

Deadlifts are the best.

Glad you are planning on keeping the curves.