Because I did not do my front squats last night, I will be doing them this afternoon, along with bike sprints. Oh joy.
@12:00 - I feel like I have a hole burning in my stomach due to hunger. My next meal isn't supposed to be until 1:00pm, but oh well. I will be eating it now. I will probably have a "bonus" meal today, due to my impending squats.
@13:45 - Yup, still starving. Meal #4 coming up.
@15:30 - just ate 90 minutes ago, ravenous again. Time for more food and then front squats and cardio.
@17:30 - I have had five meals already today, and I still am dragging. I completed my cardio, but there is no way I will be able to handle front squats. I guess I just am skipping them this week. I will be having my extra meal soon. Only eating once more tonight is not an option.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday - Front Squat day
@08:15 - cold waking up, but I feel pretty good. Last night's hunger does not seem to have any negative effects upon me this morning.
@11:30 - two meals down. Still doing fine.
@18:00 - I have felt ok so far today. My workout sucked. I only got four sets of skull crushers, and I did not get any of my front squats. I'll make it up tomorrow, but I am not pleased.
On the front squats, I did three reps and realized that I was going to hurt myself if I kept going. Just no juice to lift today.
@11:30 - two meals down. Still doing fine.
@18:00 - I have felt ok so far today. My workout sucked. I only got four sets of skull crushers, and I did not get any of my front squats. I'll make it up tomorrow, but I am not pleased.
On the front squats, I did three reps and realized that I was going to hurt myself if I kept going. Just no juice to lift today.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Pullups, bicep fatigue, etc
I was supposed to be working in the 10-12 rep range today. I was more hitting the 8-10 range. Oops. I am fairly certain that my issue with doing high volume pullups is that my biceps have very little endurance. I can do one or two sets of pullups/chinups/curls/etc (anything that is bicep intensive), but then my strength falls drastically.
Floor press is coming along. Not great, but not horrid. Still need vast improvements on it.
Overall, I have been doing decently today. No real problems of any sort, just a "meh" feeling induced by the weather shifts.
@19:45 - Ears have been burning ever since I had my post-workout shake. Not a full-out crash, but worrisome nonetheless.
@21:45 - starving. I am foregoing the extra meal Shelby said I could have as I will be going to bed in about an hour. I'll see how I am tomorrow based upon this.
Floor press is coming along. Not great, but not horrid. Still need vast improvements on it.
Overall, I have been doing decently today. No real problems of any sort, just a "meh" feeling induced by the weather shifts.
@19:45 - Ears have been burning ever since I had my post-workout shake. Not a full-out crash, but worrisome nonetheless.
@21:45 - starving. I am foregoing the extra meal Shelby said I could have as I will be going to bed in about an hour. I'll see how I am tomorrow based upon this.
11/28 - Weigh-in & Start of Week 3 [180.75@31.75]
CURRENT WEIGHT: 180.75
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT: 179.75
CURRENT CARB ROTATION: MHLLHML
CURRENT CARDIO: Tues - Steady state, Wed - Sprints, Thurs - Steady State
HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
Training went rather well. I am getting used to the volume, so I was able to increase weights on all exercises. I am reaching the upper limit on overhead presses, skull crushers, and bicep curls, so my increases are going to slow down greatly. Squats and dips I have not reached my 10/12 rep maxes yet, so I will be increasing my weights dramatically again this week.
I had issues with endurance on pullups, EZ bar curls, and dumbbell overhead press. On the pullups, my forearms were giving out, which made concentrating on the pulls difficult. This week I am going to be wimpy and use straps if my grip starts getting tired.
ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
On Thursday (Thanksgiving - high day): At dinner I combined meals #4 & #5. I measured out turkey & mashed potatoes to the proper amounts. I also cheated and had some home-made bread and homemade spiced apples (ingredients - organic apples and spices. no sugar or other junk). I did not have meal #6, as I was too full from dinner, and fell asleep early.
Workouts/cardio: Due to picking up family from the airport, my workout schedule was Sun,Mon,Thurs,Fri, rather than my usual Sun,Mon,Wed,Fri. This necessitated having two medium days this week.
DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight: 180.75 (+1.0)
Waist: 31.75 (no change)
Arm: 15.75 (+0.125)
Thigh: 23.0 (no change)
Calf: 14.375 (no change)
Chest: 41.5 (no change)
PHOTOS: http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-11-28/
OTHER NOTES:
Monday and especially Wednesday I was very hungry. Wednesday was my second low day in a row, and I also had a timing issues with my meals, due to the 5 hour span when I had to go to the airport (it is far away).
Friday I had the issue with breakfast. Combined with the Back Squat workout, I was kind of out of it.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Saturday - off day
No lifting today, just some cardio.
I sawed some logs into 8' lengths and got to shoulder-carry them and keg toss them over the barbed wire. Not too difficult, although my father tried to help. He realized this was not a good idea, as he is in his mid-60's and does not exercise. Hauling 100#+ logs around does take a bit of effort.
I have felt pretty good today. Slept a lot, no residual issues from crashing down yesterday. My legs are a bit sore from the squats, but not too bad. As always, I have been hungry.
@19:00 - meh. no motivation to do cardio. A bit frustrated right now, just want to relax, but I have too much shit to do.
I sawed some logs into 8' lengths and got to shoulder-carry them and keg toss them over the barbed wire. Not too difficult, although my father tried to help. He realized this was not a good idea, as he is in his mid-60's and does not exercise. Hauling 100#+ logs around does take a bit of effort.
I have felt pretty good today. Slept a lot, no residual issues from crashing down yesterday. My legs are a bit sore from the squats, but not too bad. As always, I have been hungry.
@19:00 - meh. no motivation to do cardio. A bit frustrated right now, just want to relax, but I have too much shit to do.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday - Back squat day
Medium day today, due to the high day yesterday.
@08:30 - Ate breakfast, something had gone off. It all came back up about a minute later. Then I spent about thirty minutes blowing omlette and sweet potatoes out of my sinuses. Blech. Unpleasant.
@17:30 - no replacement meal for breakfast, as per Shelby's input. Ate again at 10:30, then went downtown for a few hours with the folks. Ate next meal at 15:00, then lifted about 16:00. Two more meals to go.
Workout went pretty well, although I am still disappointingly weak on barbell overhead press. Squats were still wimpy, but I am not going to push it too hard. I'd rather be slow about my increases.
@19:00 - Crashed hard after my immediate post-workout shake. Ate my next meal about 45 minutes early. I am attributing the crash to the first meal regurgitation and the long time between meals #2 & #3.
@08:30 - Ate breakfast, something had gone off. It all came back up about a minute later. Then I spent about thirty minutes blowing omlette and sweet potatoes out of my sinuses. Blech. Unpleasant.
@17:30 - no replacement meal for breakfast, as per Shelby's input. Ate again at 10:30, then went downtown for a few hours with the folks. Ate next meal at 15:00, then lifted about 16:00. Two more meals to go.
Workout went pretty well, although I am still disappointingly weak on barbell overhead press. Squats were still wimpy, but I am not going to push it too hard. I'd rather be slow about my increases.
@19:00 - Crashed hard after my immediate post-workout shake. Ate my next meal about 45 minutes early. I am attributing the crash to the first meal regurgitation and the long time between meals #2 & #3.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Turkey-Day
Today is a high day, so food portions will be a bit odd during Turkey-day dinner.
@08:30 - Hungry when I woke up. Ate (omlette, brown rice toast, oatmeal). 30 minutes later, starving again. Oh, this is going to be a fun day. Thankfully today is a push/pull day, so will hopefully not drain me too much. Tomorrow is a Medium day, and is back-squat day. That is going to be interesting.
@15:00 - Three meals and workout completed. I might combine a couple of my remaining meals into a single extended feeding for dinner.
The workout went quite well. Added 20# on my row, 40# on my dips (next week I will probably be going up another 20#), 10# on hammer curls, and 20# on calf raises. Not quite as dialed in as my other workouts, but getting closer.
@(later) - I was a big lax in eating regularly after the workout, so I was snippy and unpleasant until dinner. I was very bad at dinner. I combined two of my remaining three meals, and had some home-made bread and applesauce. Neither of which are on my diet. The turkey, greenbeans,and mashed potatoes were, thankfully.
@08:30 - Hungry when I woke up. Ate (omlette, brown rice toast, oatmeal). 30 minutes later, starving again. Oh, this is going to be a fun day. Thankfully today is a push/pull day, so will hopefully not drain me too much. Tomorrow is a Medium day, and is back-squat day. That is going to be interesting.
@15:00 - Three meals and workout completed. I might combine a couple of my remaining meals into a single extended feeding for dinner.
The workout went quite well. Added 20# on my row, 40# on my dips (next week I will probably be going up another 20#), 10# on hammer curls, and 20# on calf raises. Not quite as dialed in as my other workouts, but getting closer.
@(later) - I was a big lax in eating regularly after the workout, so I was snippy and unpleasant until dinner. I was very bad at dinner. I combined two of my remaining three meals, and had some home-made bread and applesauce. Neither of which are on my diet. The turkey, greenbeans,and mashed potatoes were, thankfully.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Week 2 - Wednesday (off day)
Due to picking my parents up from the airport this afternoon, I am shuffling the latter half of this week around. Usually, I work out on Sunday,Monday,Wednesday,Friday. This week I am going to lift on Thursday instead of Friday. Also requires moving my diet days and cardio to match.
Work up this morning, did my 1/2 week weigh in. I am up 1.25#, and down 0.125" on my waist. Granted, this is not much at all (especially the waist part), but it makes me very hopeful.
@07:30 - Starving, almost nauseous from hunger. Off to do cardio (sprints). Hopefully this will redirect my hunger for a while. Otherwise I am going to be very unhappy for the next 45 minutes.
@10:00 - Cardio & meal 1 down. The interval sprints were rough, mostly because I am working at level 11 now. More resistance, not fully conscious, etc. Still, made it through without too much trouble. Feeling pretty good, just hungry. Thankfully, I get another meal in 30 minutes.
@20:00 - kind of crashed out. Mostly exhaustion, but a bit of hunger issues. Nothing too bad.
Work up this morning, did my 1/2 week weigh in. I am up 1.25#, and down 0.125" on my waist. Granted, this is not much at all (especially the waist part), but it makes me very hopeful.
@07:30 - Starving, almost nauseous from hunger. Off to do cardio (sprints). Hopefully this will redirect my hunger for a while. Otherwise I am going to be very unhappy for the next 45 minutes.
@10:00 - Cardio & meal 1 down. The interval sprints were rough, mostly because I am working at level 11 now. More resistance, not fully conscious, etc. Still, made it through without too much trouble. Feeling pretty good, just hungry. Thankfully, I get another meal in 30 minutes.
@20:00 - kind of crashed out. Mostly exhaustion, but a bit of hunger issues. Nothing too bad.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Post-Front Squats
Slept intermittently. I woke up about every hour or so. Bleh.
I feel pretty good at the moment (it is 8:00am). We shall see how I am faring later on in the day.
On an unexpected and nifty note: The spot in my mid-traps which has been caught for weeks is loosening up. Even the massage did not get rid of the huge knot. But apparently dropping almost all trap specific lifting and using higher reps for other stuff has helped. Hooray! No more feeling like my back is ripping in half!
Bonus yay: Shelby said that I can have squash! Considering I just got a basket full from Grant Family Farms, this is a good thing.
--update @ 11:45
Two meals down, four to go. Hungry and a wee bit head-spinning at the moment.
--update @ 14:00
Steady state cardio, abs, and meal three finished.
Cardio I got up to level 11 on the bike. Only five more levels until I max it out.
Feeling pretty good right now.
--update @ 19:00
Still going strong. The extra carbs really seem to be helping a lot. We'll see what they have done to my mass & measurements tomorrow morning.
I feel pretty good at the moment (it is 8:00am). We shall see how I am faring later on in the day.
On an unexpected and nifty note: The spot in my mid-traps which has been caught for weeks is loosening up. Even the massage did not get rid of the huge knot. But apparently dropping almost all trap specific lifting and using higher reps for other stuff has helped. Hooray! No more feeling like my back is ripping in half!
Bonus yay: Shelby said that I can have squash! Considering I just got a basket full from Grant Family Farms, this is a good thing.
--update @ 11:45
Two meals down, four to go. Hungry and a wee bit head-spinning at the moment.
--update @ 14:00
Steady state cardio, abs, and meal three finished.
Cardio I got up to level 11 on the bike. Only five more levels until I max it out.
Feeling pretty good right now.
--update @ 19:00
Still going strong. The extra carbs really seem to be helping a lot. We'll see what they have done to my mass & measurements tomorrow morning.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Hunger & Front Squats
note: a couple of hours post-workout I am crashing slightly. No mood problems, but burning ears and utter lack of energy. Chalking this one up to a hard workout, compounded with the workout & wood chopping from yesterday. Just tired.
Woke up very hungry. Hooray for high days that let me stuff my tummy with oatmeal, brown rice bread (tasty, but dense) and omlettes. [silly thought: "cigarette" means "small cigar". Does "omlette" mean "small om"?]
Photos were taken today, due to sun issues yesterday morning.
--edit: post meal #4
Still hungry, even though I have had a meal every two hours (8,10,12,2:30). Supplement stack and two more meals to go. I fear my hunger levels tomorrow.
Workout:
Went much better today than last week. I have my weights dialed in pretty well. Aiming for 10-12 reps per set, and I was hitting that nearly every set. My last set of front squats only got to 8, but that was due to a lack of energy. I lost strength in my overhead press sets drastically. 12,9,8,11 with descending weight. I was wondering why I had such issues, then remembered that I did floor press yesterday, and thus my delts were already a bit tired. I'll make up for it on Friday.
Yet again, I was shaky after my last set of front squats. I have a suspicion that this will be a theme.
Next week, I will either be staying at the same weights and aiming for more reps (complete all of my sets) or going up in weight slightly (if I feel particularly strong). Which is as it should be.
Still in a good mood, just kind of dead from the workout. Tomorrow is an off-day, so just cardio.
I will be shuffling things a bit this week. Wednesday will be another low day, Thursday high, Friday medium. I can't lift on Wednesday, thus the shuffle. Although doing back squats on a medium day is going to suck.
--Post meal #6
Ever since the workout, I have been dragging. I am exhausted now [8:30pm], and will be showering and going to sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting. But I do have the additional carbs to look forward to, so I am hoping that I do not crash out.
Woke up very hungry. Hooray for high days that let me stuff my tummy with oatmeal, brown rice bread (tasty, but dense) and omlettes. [silly thought: "cigarette" means "small cigar". Does "omlette" mean "small om"?]
Photos were taken today, due to sun issues yesterday morning.
--edit: post meal #4
Still hungry, even though I have had a meal every two hours (8,10,12,2:30). Supplement stack and two more meals to go. I fear my hunger levels tomorrow.
Workout:
Went much better today than last week. I have my weights dialed in pretty well. Aiming for 10-12 reps per set, and I was hitting that nearly every set. My last set of front squats only got to 8, but that was due to a lack of energy. I lost strength in my overhead press sets drastically. 12,9,8,11 with descending weight. I was wondering why I had such issues, then remembered that I did floor press yesterday, and thus my delts were already a bit tired. I'll make up for it on Friday.
Yet again, I was shaky after my last set of front squats. I have a suspicion that this will be a theme.
Next week, I will either be staying at the same weights and aiming for more reps (complete all of my sets) or going up in weight slightly (if I feel particularly strong). Which is as it should be.
Still in a good mood, just kind of dead from the workout. Tomorrow is an off-day, so just cardio.
I will be shuffling things a bit this week. Wednesday will be another low day, Thursday high, Friday medium. I can't lift on Wednesday, thus the shuffle. Although doing back squats on a medium day is going to suck.
--Post meal #6
Ever since the workout, I have been dragging. I am exhausted now [8:30pm], and will be showering and going to sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting. But I do have the additional carbs to look forward to, so I am hoping that I do not crash out.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week 2 - wood chopping & dropping strength on sets
Today I have felt pretty good overall. I spent about an hour to an hour and a half cutting up firewood today (4.5 wheel barrow loads).
Workout:
Pullups - set 1 was great. 2 was decent. 3 dropped strength a lot. Set 4 I had to stop at seven reps because my forearms were giving out. Note - wear straps next week
Floor press - Not great, not horrid.
Bicep curls - Ugh. Set 1 was good. 2 was decent. Set 3 involved a pause, and some cheat curls. Set 4 was about 50% good reps, 50% cheat curls.
Calf raises - nothing major to report.
All in all, a much better workout than last week. I actually reached failure on at least two sets for all of my exercises, which means my weights are dialed in perfectly. Next week: more weight!
Energy levels:
During the day - not bad at all.
Workout - The lifting was difficult, but my energy levels were fine
Post-workout - I have been in "go mode" since the end of the workout, and just finished my second-to-last meal (medium day). I am going to relax for a while and see how things go.
Workout:
Pullups - set 1 was great. 2 was decent. 3 dropped strength a lot. Set 4 I had to stop at seven reps because my forearms were giving out. Note - wear straps next week
Floor press - Not great, not horrid.
Bicep curls - Ugh. Set 1 was good. 2 was decent. Set 3 involved a pause, and some cheat curls. Set 4 was about 50% good reps, 50% cheat curls.
Calf raises - nothing major to report.
All in all, a much better workout than last week. I actually reached failure on at least two sets for all of my exercises, which means my weights are dialed in perfectly. Next week: more weight!
Energy levels:
During the day - not bad at all.
Workout - The lifting was difficult, but my energy levels were fine
Post-workout - I have been in "go mode" since the end of the workout, and just finished my second-to-last meal (medium day). I am going to relax for a while and see how things go.
11/21 - weigh-in [179.75@31.75]
CURRENT WEIGHT: 179.75
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT: 183.5
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:
CURRENT CARDIO:
HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight: 179.75 (-3.75)
Waist: 31.75 (no change)
Arm: 15.675 (-0.125)
Thigh: 23.0 (no change)
Calf: 14.375 (no change)
Chest: 41.5 (+0.25)
PHOTOS: http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-11-21/
OTHER NOTES:
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT: 183.5
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:
CURRENT CARDIO:
HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight: 179.75 (-3.75)
Waist: 31.75 (no change)
Arm: 15.675 (-0.125)
Thigh: 23.0 (no change)
Calf: 14.375 (no change)
Chest: 41.5 (+0.25)
PHOTOS: http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-11-21/
OTHER NOTES:
Saturday, November 20, 2010
End of week 1
Weigh-in and measurements come tomorrow morning.
I did not have an actual crash today, but I was on the verge of it most of the day. Grumpy on and off, energy levels lacking, etc.
Mostly, I viewed this first week as pure acclimation. I doubt that I will have much in the way of results during the weigh-in. Getting used to the diet and dialing in my workouts means that I was not able to push myself as hard as I would have liked. I will make up for it in subsequent weeks.
General view of this week:
The diet has been very easy to follow, provided I remember to eat frequently enough. The increased carbs on my high & medium days makes the meals much more satisfying. Even the low days are not too arduous, with the increased protein and nuts. I have crashed out a few times this week, regardless of my meal schedule. Likewise, my mood has gone south a few times. Not as bad as when I was dieting, but still annoying.
The workouts were difficult only for the rep ranges. After years of sticking with 8 reps or fewer per set, the 10-12 reps are brutal. Unfortunately, I really feel like I accomplished nothing at all this week in terms of lifting. Aside from a couple of arm exercises, I never felt like I truly was working hard. The front squats made my quads shaky, but primarily because I have not done them in a long time. The back squats merely felt like weighted cardio. Next week I will be going up in weight on everything, and hopefully my increases paired with the additional sets and decreased rest periods will make me feel like I am accomplishing something.
I have discovered that I can do hamstring curls and leg extensions without pain, provided I use the bench attachment and not cables. This makes me inordinately pleased.
I did not have an actual crash today, but I was on the verge of it most of the day. Grumpy on and off, energy levels lacking, etc.
Mostly, I viewed this first week as pure acclimation. I doubt that I will have much in the way of results during the weigh-in. Getting used to the diet and dialing in my workouts means that I was not able to push myself as hard as I would have liked. I will make up for it in subsequent weeks.
General view of this week:
The diet has been very easy to follow, provided I remember to eat frequently enough. The increased carbs on my high & medium days makes the meals much more satisfying. Even the low days are not too arduous, with the increased protein and nuts. I have crashed out a few times this week, regardless of my meal schedule. Likewise, my mood has gone south a few times. Not as bad as when I was dieting, but still annoying.
The workouts were difficult only for the rep ranges. After years of sticking with 8 reps or fewer per set, the 10-12 reps are brutal. Unfortunately, I really feel like I accomplished nothing at all this week in terms of lifting. Aside from a couple of arm exercises, I never felt like I truly was working hard. The front squats made my quads shaky, but primarily because I have not done them in a long time. The back squats merely felt like weighted cardio. Next week I will be going up in weight on everything, and hopefully my increases paired with the additional sets and decreased rest periods will make me feel like I am accomplishing something.
I have discovered that I can do hamstring curls and leg extensions without pain, provided I use the bench attachment and not cables. This makes me inordinately pleased.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Back squat day
Later on today I will have my back-squat workout. Hopefully, unlike my dip workout from Wednesday, I will remember to stay in the proper rep range (I exceeded it on Wednesday).
So far, I have just been hungry all day. I feel good, just hungry. Luckily I get a lot of meals today. Updates will come after the workout.
Post-workout report:
Back squats were really easy. Actually the entire workout was easy. I have issues once I get above eight reps, but that is just because I am not used to doing higher rep sets. Need a huge jump next week. The 185# was pathetic, just felt like weighted cardio.
Overall report for the week's workouts:
Pretty smooth. No real difficulties on anything. Aside from a couple of the exercises, I need large jumps on everything. Even better: I had no issues using the hamstring curl for the bench. No "oh gods, my hamstring is going to rip off" feelings. Yay!
So far, I have just been hungry all day. I feel good, just hungry. Luckily I get a lot of meals today. Updates will come after the workout.
Post-workout report:
Back squats were really easy. Actually the entire workout was easy. I have issues once I get above eight reps, but that is just because I am not used to doing higher rep sets. Need a huge jump next week. The 185# was pathetic, just felt like weighted cardio.
Overall report for the week's workouts:
Pretty smooth. No real difficulties on anything. Aside from a couple of the exercises, I need large jumps on everything. Even better: I had no issues using the hamstring curl for the bench. No "oh gods, my hamstring is going to rip off" feelings. Yay!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
post-dip day
Slept decently. Woke up hungry. Took care of morning chores, ate a lot (omlette, chicken, and oatmeal), and now I am oddly perky. So far, so good. I shall see how I feel later on today.
Off topic: I am pondering doing weighted cable crunches on my leg days, and just sticking with leg raises and such on my cardio days. I need more abs.
I was fine up until mid-evening, when I crashed out. Ears turned red, I became grumpy, etc. First serious crash of the week, however.
Off topic: I am pondering doing weighted cable crunches on my leg days, and just sticking with leg raises and such on my cardio days. I need more abs.
I was fine up until mid-evening, when I crashed out. Ears turned red, I became grumpy, etc. First serious crash of the week, however.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Supplement Stack, Dips, and stuff
1. Powdery stuff
The supplement stack I take peri-workout: waxy maize, whey isolate, maltodextrin, Anatrop (from troponinnutrition.com). Anatrop + maltodextrin + whey tastes of bitter ass, due to the creatine and BCAAs in Anatrop. Maize + Anatrop tastes like kind of chalky bitter ass. Whey + maltodextrin is fine, because I put in flavoring. The Anatrop is technically fruit punch flavored. But still tastes nasty.
It seems like the stack keeps me going. I had more energy today than I have the past couple of workouts. The real test will be on Friday when I do back squats.
2. Dipping things
My dip bars arrived today, hooray! And a big yay for NewYorkBarbells.com for selling dip bars that attach to my rack. $40 including delivery, woohoo! The bars work wonderfully, provided I point them into the rack. I tried having them point out at first, and the rack started tipping over. Oops.
Also, I am very happy that I had no trouble doing the dips. My delts felt a bit tight at first, but they loosened up nicely. I only used bodyweight, as I have not done dips since I hurt my shoulder and had to get surgery. Which was in 2006, I believe. 3x12 was no problem at all, and I remembered how to change positioning to switch it from a tricep exercise to a chest dominant one.
3. Meals
I am having trouble keeping track of my meals. One day a week I have five meals plus my peri-workout stuff, three days I have six meals, and the other three days I have six meals plus the peri-workout. I need to remember to eat more often earlier in the day. It is now 6pm, and I need to eat around 7, and then I have two additional meals to eat before bed. During the day I eat about every 3 hours. With 6-7 feedings a day, I need to shorten that to about every 2.5 hours.
The supplement stack I take peri-workout: waxy maize, whey isolate, maltodextrin, Anatrop (from troponinnutrition.com). Anatrop + maltodextrin + whey tastes of bitter ass, due to the creatine and BCAAs in Anatrop. Maize + Anatrop tastes like kind of chalky bitter ass. Whey + maltodextrin is fine, because I put in flavoring. The Anatrop is technically fruit punch flavored. But still tastes nasty.
It seems like the stack keeps me going. I had more energy today than I have the past couple of workouts. The real test will be on Friday when I do back squats.
2. Dipping things
My dip bars arrived today, hooray! And a big yay for NewYorkBarbells.com for selling dip bars that attach to my rack. $40 including delivery, woohoo! The bars work wonderfully, provided I point them into the rack. I tried having them point out at first, and the rack started tipping over. Oops.
Also, I am very happy that I had no trouble doing the dips. My delts felt a bit tight at first, but they loosened up nicely. I only used bodyweight, as I have not done dips since I hurt my shoulder and had to get surgery. Which was in 2006, I believe. 3x12 was no problem at all, and I remembered how to change positioning to switch it from a tricep exercise to a chest dominant one.
3. Meals
I am having trouble keeping track of my meals. One day a week I have five meals plus my peri-workout stuff, three days I have six meals, and the other three days I have six meals plus the peri-workout. I need to remember to eat more often earlier in the day. It is now 6pm, and I need to eat around 7, and then I have two additional meals to eat before bed. During the day I eat about every 3 hours. With 6-7 feedings a day, I need to shorten that to about every 2.5 hours.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Week 1 - Post Squat Hunger
Last night I was buzzing until after midnight, which is a large change from last week, when I was fading out around 9pm. I was restless most of the night, and then woke up at 5:30. Granted, I stayed in bed until 7:00, but I was awake and planning things for the day.
I was also very hungry when I awoke, which is probably part of the reason I could not fall back asleep.
I did my cardio this morning - yay pre-breakfast sprints. *sarcasm* And as has been mentioned before, the new bike is killer. Especially on higher settings.
--edit (near time for meal #2)
Been almost nauseous from hunger all day, aside for about a 30 minute period after I ate breakfast. So yeah, much hunger ensues.
--edit 2 (shortly after meal #2)
Still starving.
--post meal #3
Yup. Hunger continues. I really wonder what my weight & measurements will be like at the end of the week...
I was also very hungry when I awoke, which is probably part of the reason I could not fall back asleep.
I did my cardio this morning - yay pre-breakfast sprints. *sarcasm* And as has been mentioned before, the new bike is killer. Especially on higher settings.
--edit (near time for meal #2)
Been almost nauseous from hunger all day, aside for about a 30 minute period after I ate breakfast. So yeah, much hunger ensues.
--edit 2 (shortly after meal #2)
Still starving.
--post meal #3
Yup. Hunger continues. I really wonder what my weight & measurements will be like at the end of the week...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Front Squat Hell
1. I have reaffirmed that dumbbell tricep extensions are not my friend. Elbow tendons do not like them, so I will be pinging Shelby for a replacement.
2. High rep front squats are absolute hell. Especially at the _end_ of a workout. I hit 3x12 with pathetic weights. Set 1: not so bad. Set 2: Barely hit rep #12, actually collapsed afterwards because my quads gave out. Set 3: got hard at rep 5, by rep 11 I was barely able to move. After rep #12 Wendi brought me a bucket just in case I needed to vomit. I believe that the bucket will be used in the future.
On the upside, the diet is quite nice so far. Tomorrow is my first low day of the week, but I do not anticipate that it will be too bad.
2. High rep front squats are absolute hell. Especially at the _end_ of a workout. I hit 3x12 with pathetic weights. Set 1: not so bad. Set 2: Barely hit rep #12, actually collapsed afterwards because my quads gave out. Set 3: got hard at rep 5, by rep 11 I was barely able to move. After rep #12 Wendi brought me a bucket just in case I needed to vomit. I believe that the bucket will be used in the future.
On the upside, the diet is quite nice so far. Tomorrow is my first low day of the week, but I do not anticipate that it will be too bad.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Lifting, Week 1 - Day 1
The lifting today was hard, but not killer. The main exercises went quite well, while the supplementals were brutal. *snort* I will probably be really hyper in about an hour or two (effect of a challenging but not draining workout). I was a bit head-spinny at the end of the workout. Hopefully the supplement stack will help alleviate that. Unfortunately, I get to do tomorrow's squat workout supplement-free, as the stuff isn't supposed to be here until Wednesday or so.
--EDIT: I did not become hyper and energized later on. I was basically in a near-crash state. Burning ears, lack of energy, etc. Again, hopefully the supplement stack will help. As will acclimating to the workout.
All in all, not a bad session. I really enjoyed being able to make a chicken wrap for lunch. Brown rice tortillas are kind of funky, but they work well as food holders. Tomorrow I get to try brown rice bread. Yay sammiches!
Doing shots of straight olive oil isn't too bad, but I will probably find a way to work it into my food, rather than just drinking it down.
Pumpkin pancakes:
1 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oat flour
cinnamon, nutmeg, clove
about 50 carbs, 25 protein. Also, an easy way to consume two servings of oatmeal.
Would be better with syrup (must look for calorie free stuff at the store).
Sadly, these are medium-day only treats. So, Sundays it is!
--EDIT: I did not become hyper and energized later on. I was basically in a near-crash state. Burning ears, lack of energy, etc. Again, hopefully the supplement stack will help. As will acclimating to the workout.
All in all, not a bad session. I really enjoyed being able to make a chicken wrap for lunch. Brown rice tortillas are kind of funky, but they work well as food holders. Tomorrow I get to try brown rice bread. Yay sammiches!
Doing shots of straight olive oil isn't too bad, but I will probably find a way to work it into my food, rather than just drinking it down.
Pumpkin pancakes:
1 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oat flour
cinnamon, nutmeg, clove
about 50 carbs, 25 protein. Also, an easy way to consume two servings of oatmeal.
Would be better with syrup (must look for calorie free stuff at the store).
Sadly, these are medium-day only treats. So, Sundays it is!
Check-in Week 0 [183.5@??]
Starting notes for day 1 of the plan.
CURRENT WEIGHT: 183.5
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT: 178.5
CURRENT CARB ROTATION: (will be) MHLHLHL
CURRENT CARDIO:
HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
The 5# weight gain is unsurprising. This past week, I gorged quite a bit. And paid for it. I felt rather horrid most of the week, due to the dirty food I consumed. On the downside, I gained quite a bit. On the upside:
1) I will never do that again. The week was pretty much "this is the only time in at least six months that I get to eat out/be lazy/etc", and I have no desire to ever do that again. Honestly, even most of my previous favorite restaurants were relegated to "well, it's food. It is not _good_ food, and I have no need to ever eat this crap again."
2) I have regressed only one week. My waist measurement is the same as it was on October 31, and my mass is only 1.5# more (which I am viewing as water weight from carbs).
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Gym stuff & supplements
Things that I have had to purchase/order for this next lifting phase:
- leg extension/curl attachment for the bench
- dip bars for the rack
Much yay for YorkBarbells.com. My rack does not actually have dip attachments, and I was resigned to spending $180 for a free-standing dip station. After hunting through forums online, I found out that York Barbells makes dip handles designed to fit my rack. For $40. So much nicer. - maltodextrin
- waxy maize
- whey isolate powder
- whey/casein/egg mixture powder
- Anatrop (BCAA/creatine/etc mix for workout nutrition/recovery)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Shelby is an evil man
I have my new diet and workout routine from Shelby Starnes. The diet is not going to be difficult. Very similar to the fat-loss plan, just larger portions and some different peri-workout nutrition. The lifting will be brutal. Four days a week. Two days are shoulder, triceps, and squats. The other two are back, chest, biceps, calves. And then I toss in abs and cardio on my non-lifting days. The "best" part: no lockout for any exercise. Constant tension on all reps, and everything is in the hypertrophy zone. This routine will either make me explode or it will kill me.
I am testing out the various exercises so I know what to start with next week. Half of the lifts I did today, the other half I will do on Friday. And then Sunday begins twelve weeks of brutality.
I am testing out the various exercises so I know what to start with next week. Half of the lifts I did today, the other half I will do on Friday. And then Sunday begins twelve weeks of brutality.
Recover, Refeed, Restart
Current maxes:
Saturday I went to LaVida Massage to get a 30 minute massage from Johanna. Tiny, cute, rockabilly/goth girl. She focused mainly on a huge knot in my mid traps. And she giggled a lot at the purring noises I made. *grin* I was not even actively flirting. Saturday the spot on my traps hurt (felt like a huge bruise), Sunday it was sore, but by Monday it was much better. Twelve weeks of constant deadlifts and heavy pullups & rows apparently trashed my traps. Who knew?
So, I am up 4# and 1/2" on my waist since Saturday morning. Not surprising at all, due to: 1) a lot more carbs than I have had for months; 2) several gorge days; 3) no real workouts. Therefore, I am going back on the diet template for the next four days (today through Saturday) in hopes to trim back down a bit before embarking on the Shelby mass gaining cycle on Sunday.
Restaurants we have hit since ending the diet:
- Bench: 215# (gods I am pathetic)
- Squat: 295# (likewise)
- Dead: 445# (estimated, based upon my 395x5 the other week)
Saturday I went to LaVida Massage to get a 30 minute massage from Johanna. Tiny, cute, rockabilly/goth girl. She focused mainly on a huge knot in my mid traps. And she giggled a lot at the purring noises I made. *grin* I was not even actively flirting. Saturday the spot on my traps hurt (felt like a huge bruise), Sunday it was sore, but by Monday it was much better. Twelve weeks of constant deadlifts and heavy pullups & rows apparently trashed my traps. Who knew?
So, I am up 4# and 1/2" on my waist since Saturday morning. Not surprising at all, due to: 1) a lot more carbs than I have had for months; 2) several gorge days; 3) no real workouts. Therefore, I am going back on the diet template for the next four days (today through Saturday) in hopes to trim back down a bit before embarking on the Shelby mass gaining cycle on Sunday.
Restaurants we have hit since ending the diet:
- Denny's - Meh. It was food. That is the most I can say for it. Not nearly as tasty as I remember
- Texas Roadhouse - Again, it was food. Better than Denny's, but really nothing impressive other than the fact that it was steak I did not cook
- Fiona's Deli - Sandwiches still very tasty, but again, don't need it in the future
- Young's Vietnamese - Still oh-so-tasty. Must visit again for another cheat meal
- Camacho's Mexican - Ditto.
- Coopersmith Pub - *shrug* No need to go again.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Week off...
Officially on the Week Off. Which means that not much in terms of dieting or lifting will occur. Downtime is occasionally necessary.
Shelby has stated that I am lean enough to begin a mass gaining program with him. So starting on Sunday, I will have another twelve week period of very rigid diet and exercise. But hopefully with more food and more fun lifting routines. I am not yet certain if I want Shelby to design a lifting regimen for me, or if I will do one one my own. I probably will just have him make one, and then play with my own template after the twelve week period is over.
Shelby has stated that I am lean enough to begin a mass gaining program with him. So starting on Sunday, I will have another twelve week period of very rigid diet and exercise. But hopefully with more food and more fun lifting routines. I am not yet certain if I want Shelby to design a lifting regimen for me, or if I will do one one my own. I probably will just have him make one, and then play with my own template after the twelve week period is over.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Diet phase 1 over...
Phase 1 of the diet is over! Hooray!
To make myself feel really bad: Here are my mass, waist, and arm size comparisons
June 13, 2010 (start of basic diet)
Last night my workout was primarily playing around. Main focus was to pump up for photos. Thus, here are some photos (photobucket): Progress Pics, Nov 6 2010
I still have a bit farther to go to have visible abs. Although I am getting striations in my back, which makes me happy.
Went in for hydrostatic weighing/bodyfat testing today. Yeah, I think the testing equipment they had is off. They had a hell of a time getting Wendi measured at all. And my results came back at 15.3% bodyfat. Granted, I am not shredded yet. But 15%? I think that is a wee bit high. Having tried the cheap place, we will probably go into CSU for caliper and hydrostatic testing. More expensive, but hopefully they will have better equipment.
After the weigh-in, we went to Denny's for breakfast. Yeah, not nearly as good as I remember. Ate, but it was pretty much a feeling of "ok, I need food. This qualifies, more or less."
After food, I went in for a back massage. Johanna (massage therapist) kept giggling at me because I was making very appreciative groans. After twelve weeks of deadlifts and pullups my traps were apparently a bit kinked.
Coming home, pretty much ate on-diet, but with the addition of some home-made applesauce (sooooo tasty). Honestly, aside from one or two restaurants, I have no cravings for junk food. Just slightly larger portions, and maybe some fruit.
Awesome thing: Stopped at the local grocery market on the way home for some basic stuff. They were having a sale on sirloin. $3/pound. Poor butcher had to cut up two entire sirloins for greed little me (I picked up 20# of steak - might go back and get more later on).
To make myself feel really bad: Here are my mass, waist, and arm size comparisons
June 13, 2010 (start of basic diet)
- Mass: 214.0#
- Waist: 38.25"
- Arm: 16.675"
- Mass: 207.0
- Waist: 36.50
- Arm: 16.375
- Mass: 178.5
- Waist: 31.375
- Arm: 15.5
Last night my workout was primarily playing around. Main focus was to pump up for photos. Thus, here are some photos (photobucket): Progress Pics, Nov 6 2010
I still have a bit farther to go to have visible abs. Although I am getting striations in my back, which makes me happy.
Went in for hydrostatic weighing/bodyfat testing today. Yeah, I think the testing equipment they had is off. They had a hell of a time getting Wendi measured at all. And my results came back at 15.3% bodyfat. Granted, I am not shredded yet. But 15%? I think that is a wee bit high. Having tried the cheap place, we will probably go into CSU for caliper and hydrostatic testing. More expensive, but hopefully they will have better equipment.
After the weigh-in, we went to Denny's for breakfast. Yeah, not nearly as good as I remember. Ate, but it was pretty much a feeling of "ok, I need food. This qualifies, more or less."
After food, I went in for a back massage. Johanna (massage therapist) kept giggling at me because I was making very appreciative groans. After twelve weeks of deadlifts and pullups my traps were apparently a bit kinked.
Coming home, pretty much ate on-diet, but with the addition of some home-made applesauce (sooooo tasty). Honestly, aside from one or two restaurants, I have no cravings for junk food. Just slightly larger portions, and maybe some fruit.
Awesome thing: Stopped at the local grocery market on the way home for some basic stuff. They were having a sale on sirloin. $3/pound. Poor butcher had to cut up two entire sirloins for greed little me (I picked up 20# of steak - might go back and get more later on).
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Silly Squats
I am strangely hyper and energetic today (although I am low on strength). Perhaps it is the knowledge that the diet ends after tomorrow. Anyhow, instead of my scheduled day off of lifting, I decided to go play. And thus came into being my silly squat session.
Used a light weight (only 135#) and a 16" box for depth (touch & go). Cranked out 100 reps in six sets (20,20,10,20,20,10). If I was pushing myself, I could have gone much heavier or used fewer sets. But today was just play time. Got my heart rate up quite nicely.
Note: when it is routinely below freezing at night and only up to the high 40's during the day, barbells get friggin cold. I had to use lifting gloves to keep my hands from freezing. I felt like such a pussy.
Used a light weight (only 135#) and a 16" box for depth (touch & go). Cranked out 100 reps in six sets (20,20,10,20,20,10). If I was pushing myself, I could have gone much heavier or used fewer sets. But today was just play time. Got my heart rate up quite nicely.
Note: when it is routinely below freezing at night and only up to the high 40's during the day, barbells get friggin cold. I had to use lifting gloves to keep my hands from freezing. I felt like such a pussy.
And so it begins....
This blog is primarily meant for tracking my bodybuilding progress. The reason I will be blogging my progress is so that I can have a record of how I am feeling (mentally and physically) so I can gauge how I am doing aside from my mass and measurements.
The first phase of my bodybuilding will be under the direction of Shelby Starnes (http://troponinnutrition.com/shelby.htm). Shelby is an awesome nutritionist and coach. Following his guidance I have dropped over 35# in twelve weeks. Including a week I took off of dieting and exercising to attend DragonCon.
I have not chronicled my progress on fat loss, primarily because I had not thought to do it. In summation: yes, I was hungry a lot. Yes, I was grumpy and on edge rather often. Such things happen when dieting extensively. But losing over 35# and 6" off of my waist was worth it.
This Saturday marks the end of this round of the diet. I will be going in for hydrostatic body composition testing (aka - dunk under water, measure bodyfat). The next week will be an "off" week. No diet (yay restaurants!), no serious lifting/exercise routine. Just eating when hungry, lifting when bored, and lots of wood chopping (I need to build up the wood pile for fires).
Note: Final progress will be noted this weekend, at the end of the diet phase. I will be taking progress pictures at that point. Possibly posting them as well.
Based upon my state this Saturday, I will either be continuing to diet a bit more or or engaging Shelby for a muscle gaining program. Which option I take depends upon my bodyfat levels and what Shelby deems appropriate. Usually his requirement is for a client to have visible abs before embarking on a mass gaining cycle. I am not quite there yet, but if I am much below 10% bodyfat I am going to see if I can convince him to let me start anyways, with the note that I apparently do not have sufficient muscle at this point to have abs without dropping to extremely low bodyfat percentages. But if he says "no", then it will be back to dieting for me.
Plan for phase 1 of bodybuilding (once it begins):
1. Train under Shelby for 12 weeks.
2. If all goes well, continue with his guidelines for an additional 12-16 weeks.
3. If I stagnate or start having problems, re-engage Shelby for additional coaching.
4. At the beginning of July or so, halt mass gaining and go on a 6-8 week fat loss cycle. Goal: be shredded for DragonCon (beginning of September)
My end goal/pipe dream is to have a physique comparable to the Golden Era bodybuilders (Arnold era). My ideal physique would be something like Serge Nubret.
Small waist, super-hero look, not overly bulked. Modern bodybuilders are very thick and much more muscular, but I do not like the look as much. In the above photo, Serge (at 6' tall) is only about 215#. So I have hopes that I can come close to how he looks. As opposed to some of the modern pros who are about 300# or more at under 6'.
Anyhow, initial rambling is over. Only two more days on this part of the diet. Hooray!
The first phase of my bodybuilding will be under the direction of Shelby Starnes (http://troponinnutrition.com/shelby.htm). Shelby is an awesome nutritionist and coach. Following his guidance I have dropped over 35# in twelve weeks. Including a week I took off of dieting and exercising to attend DragonCon.
I have not chronicled my progress on fat loss, primarily because I had not thought to do it. In summation: yes, I was hungry a lot. Yes, I was grumpy and on edge rather often. Such things happen when dieting extensively. But losing over 35# and 6" off of my waist was worth it.
This Saturday marks the end of this round of the diet. I will be going in for hydrostatic body composition testing (aka - dunk under water, measure bodyfat). The next week will be an "off" week. No diet (yay restaurants!), no serious lifting/exercise routine. Just eating when hungry, lifting when bored, and lots of wood chopping (I need to build up the wood pile for fires).
Note: Final progress will be noted this weekend, at the end of the diet phase. I will be taking progress pictures at that point. Possibly posting them as well.
Based upon my state this Saturday, I will either be continuing to diet a bit more or or engaging Shelby for a muscle gaining program. Which option I take depends upon my bodyfat levels and what Shelby deems appropriate. Usually his requirement is for a client to have visible abs before embarking on a mass gaining cycle. I am not quite there yet, but if I am much below 10% bodyfat I am going to see if I can convince him to let me start anyways, with the note that I apparently do not have sufficient muscle at this point to have abs without dropping to extremely low bodyfat percentages. But if he says "no", then it will be back to dieting for me.
Plan for phase 1 of bodybuilding (once it begins):
1. Train under Shelby for 12 weeks.
2. If all goes well, continue with his guidelines for an additional 12-16 weeks.
3. If I stagnate or start having problems, re-engage Shelby for additional coaching.
4. At the beginning of July or so, halt mass gaining and go on a 6-8 week fat loss cycle. Goal: be shredded for DragonCon (beginning of September)
My end goal/pipe dream is to have a physique comparable to the Golden Era bodybuilders (Arnold era). My ideal physique would be something like Serge Nubret.
Anyhow, initial rambling is over. Only two more days on this part of the diet. Hooray!
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