Ok, so I've been here before, Bill Starr's 5x5, stuck at week 6 for 2-3 weeks, intense cardio, CKD diet, and.... my body starts to fail me. I begin getting tired, my legs feel like sharp needles are shooting into them, muscles begin to tighten up, upper back pain...

I'm working at a gym now and after speaking to some of the trainers (not the ones with the two week certs but real ones with masters degrees in physiology) I've decided to start incorporating periodization into my routine.

I call it advanced because according to Bill Starr this is the advanced variation of his 5x5 routine. It's always worried me though that doing a deloading week during CKD will result in muscle loss... so is this true? or do you think I may actually see some muslce gain? And in ya'lls opinion how much do I need to cut back the intensity?

I plan on doing a light fasted cardio tomorrow morning, then my carb up afterwards all day tomorrow, then my deloading week starting monday.