the reformation [II]

12 Week Recap. I've completed my first 12-week circuit of weight-lifting and dialed-in nutrition, and I'm pleased with the results. I have set multiple personal records and am already looking 'buffer' (as my wife says). I haven't taken actual before-and-after measurements (beyond what shows up in the mirror and on the scale), but as I've only gained one pound, it's safe to say that I've increased muscle mass while losing fat. I've been meticulous in cutting my alcohol consumption, watching my macros (I averaged around 130-160 grams of protein a day), and have kept records of my caloric intake. This has enabled me to establish baselines for the next twelve weeks. Below are some dietary records (left here for posterity's sake, as I wish I had recorded them earlier for ease-of-access):

First 12 Weeks: 159.5# to 160.5# [1 pound weight gain]

Average daily caloric intake ~2000

Week 1 2050 calories per day   159.5 pounds

Week 2 1875                             158.5

Week 3 2115                             159.9

Week 4 2300                             161.6

Week 5 2000                             160.7

Week 6 1750                             159.7

Week 7 1875                             159.5

Week 8 2200                             161

Week 9 1950                             160.4

Week 10 1975                           159.8

Week 11 2125                           161.5

Week 12 1850                           160.5

Based on these measurements, I'm able to make the following deductions:

1850 or below results in WEIGHT LOSS

2000 results in MAINTENANCE

2100 or more results in WEIGHT GAIN

The Next 12 Weeks. Thus ends my first 12 week circuit. Next week is a deload week - reduced intensity and volume to give my body some much-needed recovery time before my next 12 week gauntlet - and then I'll begin afresh. While I've debated with increasing my caloric intake a smidgeon and going balls-to-the-wall with muscle growth, I'm leaning towards maintaining my 1800-2000 daily caloric range to slowly put on muscle while cutting down fat. I'm content with gaining some weight, but I hope to keep at or under 165# by the turn of the New Year. 

As far as an exercise regimen, I am going to continue alternating between heavy days and lighter eccentric days, while also incorporating more handle-band routines. I'm building chin-ups and pull-ups into my regular routines and am going to give more focus to isolation exercises for my chest and shoulders. The last 12 weeks were predominantly barbell-oriented with chest and shoulders, and I want to change that up; at the same time, I want to incorporate barbells more frequently into my arm workouts. I need to be more consistent with my chest and calves, and I'm going to be troubleshooting my upper leg workouts - due to bad knee joints, it's been difficult to find something that doesn't result in me waking up gasping in pain in the middle of the night, which invariably scares the little ones who end up in bed with us.