Lib, what Lisa said! HUGS!
Justine, I got the A templates for cutting (I was 141 at the time, so I think they figured I'd soon be below the 140# cutoff). I later bought the B templates for massing (138 at the time, same logic reversed). But 'base' is the same for A cutting and A massing (or B cutting and massing). A base vs B base = a world of difference. Stick with B! In retrospect, no wonder I lost so fast I thought bodyparts were falling off. Next cut, I'll adjust the B templates for cutting.
What I've heard for light vs. moderate vs. hard is, 10 working sets or less = light, 10-20 = moderate, 20+ = hard. Don't count abs towards working sets. I also don't count calves. So when I did 'hard' yesterday, I had 25 working sets (upper body, but plenty of benching, rowing, pullups, etc.). However, you use common sense, of course. If you have 21 sets but you're doing heavy triples up to heavy singles, that's not 'hard'. Volume is the primary variable. High rep squats and deads will obviously take more out of you than a high rep 'arm day'.
Today was 'moderate', but honestly, harder than yesterday's 'hard'. Because, squats and deads. To give an idea of the torture:
High bar squats 4 sets to 2 shy of failure 155# (I hit 10-15 reps each)
Front squats for 4 sets 2 shy of failure 115#, about 10 reps per set
Stiff legged deads for 4 sets 2 shy of failure 185#, about 10/set
Hip thrusts for 4 sets 2 shy of failure 230#, about 10/set
Stair calves 90# DB for 5x15. The rx for sets/failure is the same here, but I just don't have the equipment to hit my calves that hard (without my hand falling off... holding a 90# DB is a PITA after high rep RDLs...).
So, that's a taste of what I've been doing. I think I'll probably do a 'mini-mass', just to reap the benefits of all the evil high rep work. Because, quads.
OK, gotta run -- that's my training dump for the day!
High fives and hugs all around!
Roz