Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday - off day

@9:30 - no lifting or exercise today.  Today is the day of mild pain!  Round 1 of my tattoo, which means that exercising will be on hold for a few days.  I am not sure if I will be able to lift on Sunday as scheduled.  I shall figure it out when the time arrives.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thursday - Push

@08:45 - Was thinking about lifting tonight, but with Wendi's shoulder hurting it is not worth going into town by myself.  Snowing, windy, and in the 20's all day.  I am not going to be lifting in the garage.  Then again, I might.  It is supposed to be in the single digits tomorrow, and the gym in town will be closed.  Which does not make for happy lifting Davens.  We'll see how I feel later on.

On the upside, not having a lifting-day dependent carb cycling diet means that I don't have to be concerned with eating on the wrong schedule.

@22:00 - today was supposed to be an off day, but I went ahead and lifted anyways.  Up in weight on both bench and dips (only a little, but more than nothing).  My reps went down, but that was kind of to be expected.  More weight, not a ton of energy, and a lot of cold (it was below 30 in the building).  Lat raises I kept the weight but went up in reps a little.

Bench - after my first set, I really was able to dial in my form.  I was actively tensing my pecs almost the entire set.  Thus, fewer reps, because I was able to keep constant tension.  I think that I am going to try to do the same in most exercises from now on.  First set (heavy) - just move the weight.  Subsequent sets (lighter weight, rep to failure) - try to keep constant tension going.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Wednesday - Legs

@12:00 - morning weigh-in was worrisome.  Up a few pounds and a bit on my waist.  However, it is Wednesday, and my results often shift a lot by Sunday.

Today is legs, take #2.  I need to do a lot of practice reps to get my RDL form back into shape.  I might need to reduce my weights to ensure that my form does not vary.  Ah, well.  Too many months of full deads has negatively affected my romanians.  I'll get better.

Note:  might lift at the gym in town tonight, depending upon the weather.

@17:45 - workout went ok.  I beat my results last time by a tiny amount (a little more weight on hams & calves, a few more reps on squats).  RDLs I went down in weight drastically to work on my form.  If Shelby OK's me, I will be going up in weight next week.

@19:30 - worn out.  Not crashed, just dead.  The workout took more out of me than I had thought.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tuesday - off day

@12:00 - Nothing major planned for today.  I feel pretty good after last night.  Some mild soreness when I stretch, but that is all.

@19:00 - kind of down/depressed. not sure why.  I have been eating regularly, so it is not a food related issue.  Just very meh for the past few hours.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Monday - Pull day

@10:00 - Nothing major to report.  No residual soreness from last night's workout.  My lower back is recovering.  I really need to work on my RDL form to keep the weight on my hams, not erectors.

@18:00 - workout went pretty well.  Felt very short (only nine working sets plus abs).  My biceps are kind of trashed, but the rest of me feels ok.  Although I have reaffirmed that I suck at pullups.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday - push day

@16:00 - I was quite energetic earlier in the day.  I seem to have run out of go-juice.  Seeing how I still need to lift and process a couple of chickens, this is not ideal.  Meh.

@19:00 - Workout went better than expected, especially as I was so meh before hand.  Decline bench was much more impressive in the number of reps than anticipated.  Drop sets, lowering the weight 10% each time.  Got 9,14,12 reps.  Lat raises - eh, they are lat raises.  Dips - was getting a bit tired, so not as many reps as I was hoping for.  Still did not drop out of my desired range.

12/26 - Sunday Check in

CURRENT WEIGHT: 186.5
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT:  187.0
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:  none
CURRENT CARDIO:  none

HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:

This week I did a deload, more or less.  I just dialed in my main exercises for the new routine early in the week (worked up to the 6-8/4-6 rep max).  On Friday I began the new routine, starting with my legs day.  I can safely say that I enjoyed the workout vastly more than the previous routine.  I had no issues with endurance, strength, or completing my reps.  My weights are not all that much lower than they were before I dropped the 35# of fat.  In February I was doing RDLs for 435x2, and I was at 365x6 on Friday after not doing them for many months.  (Yes, I know, I am pathetically weak)


On a fun note:  every 10% drop in weight I got another 3 reps.  I wonder if that will continue with my upper body days.
ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:

Nope.  Just the aforementioned deload.
DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight:  186.5 (-0.5)
Waist:  32.675 (-0.125)
Arm: 15.875 (-0.125)
Thigh:  23.375 (+0.125)
Calf:  14.5 (no change)


PHOTOS:  http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-12-26/



VIDEOS:

Squat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_tNf0B2-JE
Romanian Deadlift - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zTzyHMfF8I

I apologize for the lack of lighting (our garage is kind of dim).  Also, I suggest watching with the sound turned off.  The music in the background does not come through well.


These are for my first working set of each exercise.  I just recorded squats and RDLs.  Hamstring curls and calf raises I did not think were necessary.


I will be recording other videos as I get to the workouts with the relevant exercises.


OTHER NOTES:
For the past few weeks my Saturday routine has included 4-5 hours of chopping wood.  Which involves:
1) cutting tree trunks into 6'-8' logs (anywhere from 50# to about 300#), carrying them about 50' (Zercher, shoulder carry, or bear hug, depending upon the log.  Some of the big ones I do a Fingals Fingers flip), and tossing them over a 4' high barbwire fence

2)  picking the logs up, placing them onto a cutting station (about 3' high), and sawing them into fire-place size billets (chunks)
3)  chopping the billets into cord wood
Usually by the end of this I am drenched in sweat (even though it is in the low 40's) and worn out enough that I merely flop on the couch for several hours.  I interspace the hauling/sawing/chopping sessions with food, so I have not missed or delayed any meals.


This routine will continue throughout the remainder of the winter.  The only deviations will be if it is really windy or actively raining on me.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Saturday - wood pile

@10:15 - woke up late, put on my clothes (not taking the wedding car to the liquor store).

Feeling pretty good this morning.  Today is massive GPP.  Also known as "cut more wood for the wood pile" day.  Much like last Saturday, I will be spending many hours sawing/hauling/chopping wood.

@16:15 - done with the wood pile for today.  About 4 hours spent on it, and I am now quite sore.  Plus, the sun is going down, so that concludes my productive outside portion of the day.

@21:00 - Not doing too badly.  Sore, worn out physically, but good overall.  Tomorrow we shall see the results of this week's deload.

Also:  eggs over easy/medium with some carbs on the side?  Pretty good.  Must try again tomorrow.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday - Legs for real

@18:00 - earlier this week was just dialing in/deload.  Today began the routine for real.

Although my weights were lousy (only used 275# for squats), I got through the routine and actually felt good about the entire thing.  No "oh gods, another set", no dropped reps, no problems at all.  hooray!

@22:45 - nothing negative to report.  I am working on new egg-based recipes, as I am getting tired of fried rice, and the soup only works if I am very cold.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thursday - off

@08:30 - nothing major this morning.  Pretty hungry when waking up, but not starvinating.

@12:30 - Still doing fine.  Bored, but that is due to work stuff, not lifting.

@15:00 - Today is the first day in a long time that I can remember actually being pleasantly sore.  No horrid doms, no feeling dragged out, just feeling the aftereffects of last night.

@21:00 - kind of crashy.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Wednesday - legs

@08:00 - woke up somewhat hungry, but not starving.  weigh-in = no change since Sunday.

@14:00 - a bit of a head-ache from hunger.

@16:45 - Dial in for leg day went pretty well.  My weights are pathetic, but they will improve.  Although I really need to construct a box for RDLs this weekend.  I cannot get any depth.

Due to meal timing, I did not have my pre-workout shake.  I combined it with my during & post workout shakes instead.

@22:15 - Became very weary/tired after eating my post-workout fried rice.  Recovered eventually, but was disconcerting

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tuesday - off

@08:15 - No hunger problems on waking up, feeling pretty good so far.

@16:45 - Chopped some wood.  I cannot remember how many times I ate today.  I _think_ I have had three meals.  Stupid meetings that mess with my food schedule.

@19:30 - feeling kind of bleh.  Eating is getting difficult, because I really don't want to eat anything I have.

@22:30 - going to sleep now.  Worn out.  But not really crashed.  Just tired.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday - pull day

@08:30 - not bad so far today.  Really hungry, but that should abate soon.

@16:30 - Food schedule got a bit wonky, due to getting wood particles in my eye and the subsequent trip to the optometrist.  Still going to lift in a bit.  Just dialing in my pull-day exercises.

@18:00 - Dial-in went fine.  Pullups are still pathetic (only 40# for a set of 8).  I am doing controlled single-hand rows, because fuck barbell rows in the ear.  We hates them, precious.  Hmm...might invest in a handle for t-bar rows?

@19:30 - mildly crashy.  Burning ears, tired.  Can't eat, as I just consumed a meal about 45 minutes ago, and my stomach is still full.

@22:30 - post-fried rice, I feel much better.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sunday - Push day

Hooray!  Shelby gave me a new workout template, as I sucked at the previous one.  Push/pull/legs split, mostly in the 6-8 rep range.  Much more comfortable setup for me.  Although it is still odd for me to be aiming for actual failure on each and every set.

The first part of this week I am just going to be dialing my weights in.  I felt better after lifting today than I really have since I began the mass-gaining cycle.

Plus, sawed more wood.  Will be chopping it tomorrow.

@21:30 - still feeling quite good.  No crashing, no death, no depression.  Yay.

12/19 - Sunday Checkin

The differences are from the Friday check-in on 12/10 (pre-Vegas), not from Tuesday 12/14


CURRENT WEIGHT: 187.0
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT:  183.75
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:  none
CURRENT CARDIO:  none

HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
Lousy.  I only lifted three times this past week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)



Tuesday [standing BB OH press, tricep pressdown, back squats] - I had trouble completing my sets at all.  I did not go up in weight on OH press, and got fewer reps than the previous week.  Pressdowns I at least could do (as opposed to skull crushers).  Squats I went down to 225 just so I could get through all of my sets.


Thursday [pullups, floor press, ez curl, standing calf] - I sort of made it through pullups, but I dropped reps on a couple of sets.  Again, worse than the previous week.  I got through 2.5 sets of floor press, and then was stapled.  I had no strength or endurance, and I just stopped my workout rather than push through and likely hurt myself


Friday [DB OH press, tricep pushdown, front squat] - Again, issues getting all of the reps in my sets without going up in weight.

ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:

Thursday - I only had a bit of my during workout shake and I skipped my post-workout shake, due to not completing my workout.

Friday - I did not have my pre-workout shake.  I was rather nauseous prior to lifting.  Post-workout I had a Metabolic Drive protein bar (Biotest brand).  We went into town to lift (details below), and I forgot to mix my post-workout shake to bring with us.

DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight:  187.0 (+3.25)
Waist:  32.75 (+0.675)
Arm: 16.0 (+0.125)
Thigh:  23.25 (+0.25)
Calf:  14.5 (no change)
Chest:  due to difficulties getting consistent results, I am not measuring my chest



So I gained a few pounds, no strength or endurance, and the only appreciable change was that my waist went up over half an inch.  Note to self:  no more vacations until I have at least a decent amount of muscle and am lean.

PHOTOS:  http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-12-19/

OTHER NOTES:

On Friday we visited the gym in town, as it was too cold to lift in our garage.  Nice gym, has everything necessary for our workouts.  We might get a membership for the next few months depending upon price.


Tuesday - mild post-workout crash.  Nothing major, attributed to being worn out from not sleeping or eating correctly while in Vegas
Wednesday - Hungry and kind of down most of the day.  Actually had some DOMS in my quads from the squats.  Shocking, with the pathetic performance I had
Thursday - Hungry and low on energy all day.  Also I was very cold, even when standing in front of the fire.  Wendi was not having any issues with the temperature, and I am usually the one who runs warm.  So it was not the house that was cold, just me.  I just could not get warm.  After lifting I became somewhat nauseous and was utterly exhausted.
Friday - Again, extremely cold.  Immediately post-workout (a few minutes after I finished my front squats) I crashed out hard (thus the protein bar).  Continued to be pretty much dead for the rest of the evening.
Saturday - I felt ok most of the day.  I was very worn out in the afternoon, but that was due to sawing up trees, hauling the logs around, and then chopping them into firewood.  For four and a half hours.  It seems that tossing around logs that weigh between 50# - 200# and swinging an ax for a few hours is mildly exhausting.  Who knew?


Workout-wise, I am throwing in the towel for this routine.  In the last ten workouts (5 sets of 10-12/8-10 reps) I have only truly completed two of the workouts (BB row, dips, hammer curls, seated calf).  So for eight of ten sessions I dropped reps, sets, or just had to stop.  I don't know if it is just that I am so incredibly out of shape that I cannot make it through, or that the straight high rep sets of single exercises just don't work for me.  But even dropping weight drastically between sets I continue to struggle, and not in a good way.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Saturday - wood chopping

@ 13:45 - no lifting today.  However, I am doing a lot of work on the wood pile, as we are pretty much out.  tossing around logs that weigh between 50#-200# does get a bit tiring.  

I feel much better today than yesterday.  Falling asleep on the couch with the cat apparently recharged me nicely.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday - Front squats

@08:00 - So far, I do not have high hopes for today.  I did not sleep very well.  Weighed & measured my waist this morning, just for the fun of it.  I am at 187.5# and 33.0".  So I have lost 4.5# of water weight since Tuesday, but my waist has remained the same.  Bleh.

@09:30 - really fucking cold.  Wendi is not having the same issues, so it is likely just me.  She also mentioned that I looked crashed/dragged out.  All in all, not a fun morning.

@18:30 - Crashed out hard immediately following the workout.  On the upside, tried out the Wellington gym.  Nice little place.  Didn't really do very well in my workout.  8-10 rep range, rather than 10-12.  Strength sucked too.

Note:  I did not have my pre-workout shake, as I was rather nauseous prior to lifting.  Post-workout, I had a protein bar rather than a shake, as I forgot to bring the post-workout shake, and I was too crashed out to make it home without something in my stomach.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday - pullups

@09:00 - woke up feeling decent.  Nothing major to report yet

@13:00 - ate about 45 minutes ago.  Quite hungry currently.  Not sure why.  Also:  Cold.

@15:30 - ate less than 30 minutes ago.  Hungry again.  Perhaps my Vegas-induced weight & waist gain will go away.  One can only hope.

@17:00 - Well, the workout sucked.  Got through my pullups.  Sort of.  Dropped reps in most of my sets.  Floor press, I made it through 2.5 sets, and then was pinned.  I called it after that, as I was worried I would hurt myself.  Due to not completing my workout, I did not have a post-workout shake.

Today I have been hungry & dragging all day.  Not a happy energy filled experience so far.

I need to ask Shelby if I can switch my rep range, exercises, something.  I have not yet made it through a full week on this volume, and it is getting very disheartening.

@18:15 - was kind of nauseous after lifting.  Feel utterly exhausted now.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wednesday - off day

@12:30 - minor amount of DOMS in my quads today.  Been rather hungry and "blah" today.

@22:30 - never really got over the mild "meh".  Nothing notable today otherwise.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuesday - Back squats

@17:30 - Been low on energy all day.  Mostly post-vacation issues.  Lack of sleep & proper diet.  Made it through the workout, although my energy levels and strength sucked.  Today has been a grind all day.

@22:00 - Crashed out mildly after workout.  Burning ears, tired, grumpy, etc.  Have not recovered, but I do get another meal after I finish this round of cooking

12/14 - Tuesday - Post Vegas

Vegas was double-plus ungood in terms of my diet & physique.
These numbers are the differences from Friday morning until today (Tuesday):

Mass:  192.0 (+8.25)
Waist:  33.0 (+0.875)
Arm:  16.0 (+0.125)
Thigh:  23.5 (+0.5)
Calf: 14.75 (+0.25)
Chest:  42.375 (+0.875)

This is rather shocking and upsetting.  Considering that due to flight delays I only had one meal in Vegas on Friday (plus a turkey sandwich and protein bar in the airport), that means that I put on eight pounds in three days.  And I really did not eat all that much.  I cannot imagine that I ate enough extra food to pack on over eight pounds, and yet I have done so.  I had not anticipated getting to this mass for several more weeks, and I was kind of hoping to keep my waist below 33" at all times.

My only consolation is that the last time my waist was at 33.0" (in early October while dieting down), I weighed 186.0 pounds, and my arm was at 15.75" (I was not tracking the rest of my measurements).  So I am six pounds heavier, and my arm is a quarter inch larger than when I was at this waist size last time.  Alternately, when I was last at this mass, my waist was at 34".  So I am better than before, but the rapid gains  are still concerning.

There was only one meal where I know I over-ate, and that was intentional.  Reason:  On both Friday and Saturday I crashed out rather badly, which is a sign that I need more food.  So on Sunday, I ate an overly large meal in an attempt to offset the crashes.

Due to visiting with friends & family and various shows/events, I was not able to eat on schedule.  Friday and Saturday I only ate three times, Sunday and Monday had four meals.

I did not exercise normally while in Vegas.  The hotel's gym was laughable, and was not worth the cost.  I did average about five miles a day of walking (in boots that weigh almost three pounds a piece).

Friday, December 10, 2010

12/10 Friday Checkin

CURRENT WEIGHT: 183.75
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT:  181.0
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:  none
CURRENT CARDIO:  none

HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
Up until Thursday, quite well.  

Sunday (pullups/floor press/EZ curl/standing calf) - I went up up on everything a bit.  Both in weight and in reps.  Monday (seated DB overhead press, skull crushers, front squat) - Overhead went very well.  Front squat felt like nothing, even though I added 20# to last week's attempt.  My skull crushers were non-existent, due to my triceps being absolutely fried.
Wednesday (bent over BB row, dips, hammer curls, seated calf) - kicked ass.  Up in weight on everything.  I felt better during/after this workout than I have in any lifting session for months.  Granted, my dips are still pathetic (only used 50# on the belt), but I felt great.
Thursday (Standing BB overhead press, skull crushers, back squat) - details below


ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
Thursday - Failed to be able to lift.  My energy levels were good, I felt good, but I had absolutely no muscular strength.  Tried my overhead press, and got 1/2 way up on the first work set and my delts said "oh hell no!".  I then tried to do my squats.  135# warmup (my working weight was supposed to be around 300#).  Got into the hole, and my upper thighs/hip flexors started screaming, and not in a "I can push through this" way.  Rather than hurt myself, I just stopped.  I had my pre-workout shake, but I did not get to either my during or post-workout shakes.



I am mostly viewing the failure due to working on on Wednesday then Thursday, rather than  Wednesday and Friday. I can think of no other reason that I had such a complete failure.

DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight:  183.75 (+2.75)
Waist:  31.125 (+0.375)
Arm: 15.875 (no change)
Thigh:  23.0 (no change)
Calf:  14.5 (+0.125)
Chest:  41.5 (no change)

PHOTOS:  http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd478/davenwilliams/Progress%20Photos/2010-12-10/

OTHER NOTES:

Aside from some minor hunger on Sunday & Monday, I have not had any issues with hunger, crashing, or energy levels at all this week.  So once I had my reserves built up, I have flown through the week.  Previously I was getting hungry within an hour of eating.  If I missed my meal window by as little as thirty minutes, I started to crash out.  Now I am finding myself forgetting to eat on schedule.  


As mentioned, Wendi and I will be in Vegas this weekend (today through Monday).  We will be doing our best to eat properly.  Exercise - if nothing else, we will be walking the strip a lot, so we will at least get some low-intensity cardio in.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thursday - Squats

@11:15 - so far, so good today.  Mood is fine, energy is good, not dreading my lifting tonight.

@15:30 - nothing major to report.  A little bit hungry, but nothing major.  Lifting in about 45 minutes.

@17:30 - Workout was a no-go.  Good energy levels, felt great walking in.  Warmed up, then went for my first set of overhead press.  Got half way up, and my delts said "oh hell no".  Tried a back squat with 130# (you know, about 175# less than my working weight).  Got down in the hole, and barely could get back up, thanks to my upper thighs/hip flexors.

Skipping the latter two of my per-workout shakes.  And just saying "hell with it".
I firmly blame this on trying to workout after last night (I usually have a day between lifting sessions)

@22:15 - I am concerned about my weigh-in tomorrow.  I really feel like I have not earned the amount of food I have been consuming.  No cardio, only three of four lifting days, and vastly elevated calories.  I think this spells a very bad morning.  182#-183# is where I would like to be.  Possibly up to 184#, but that is pushing it.  Any more than that is just more fat I have to rip off later on.  Somehow, I don't think Shelby will be pleased with my results.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Wednesday - Dips

@10:00 - so far, so good.  Actually up a couple of pounds since Sunday.  And a bit on my waist (meh).  Actual weigh-in comes on Friday this week, due to being out of town this weekend.  I am not too concerned with the waist measurement.  First off, my guts were unhappy this morning.  Secondly, my Wednesday results are not always indicative of end-week results.  Last week I was up 1.5# on Wednesday, but by Sunday I was only up 0.25# (I lost 1.25# from Wednesday to Sunday)

@18:45 - Best workout of the cycle.  My rows were kind of meh.  But I went up on everything, dips went really well, and I am more energized now than before lifting.  Which marks the first time since I began dieting in August that I am not drained after lifting.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tuesday - off day

Today is an off day.  No lifting, no cardio, just some abs and stretching.

@08:30 - oy, gods, breakfast was too large.  440g of cooked steel cut oats with 20g of protein powder, 240g of sloppy joe meat, 40g of sunflower seeds, and some veggies.  Comes out to roughly 50g protein, 40g carbs, and 20g fat.  My stomach is not pleased with the volume (oatmeal of doom).

I have also calculated that I am taking in roughly 3200 calories per day now.  Huge jump over the 1500 or so I was eating when dieting down, and a significant jump over last week as well.

@12:30 - So, in order to consume 1/2 dozens eggs and not get to the point of "ugh", I made fried rice.  This worked incredibly well.  Six eggs, scrambled.  ~200g cooked rice (actually 190g, which equates to 40g carbohydrates based on how I cook the rice), onion, green pepper, some garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.  Makes a very large meal, but a tasty one that lets me consume all of the eggs happily.  Plus, it is really filling.

@15:00 - I believe I have conquered my hunger.  Main weapons:  oatmeal, rice pudding (rice, almonds, cinnamon, almond milk), fried rice (mentioned above).  Any meal containing one of these three fills me up for hours on end.  Hooray!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday - Front Squats on the new diet

@10:15 - feeling pretty good today, albeit cold.  Slightly hungry, but not bad yet.  This evening I will try the front squat workout, and see how I do.

@17:30 - Made it through dumbbell overhead press and front squats.  Improved on both over the last time I did them.  I had to skip my skull crushers, as I had no triceps strength.  Seriously.  Couldn't even rep out with the bar.  I am blaming the fact that I did five sets of heavy skull crushers on Friday, and then five sets of heavy floor press yesterday.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday - pullups

Shelby has changed my diet drastically.  No more carb cycling, just straight days, with lots of eggs.  I am repeating last week's workout.  Two reasons:  1) I sucked last week, and need to try it again; 2) this way the main variable changed is my diet, so keeping the workout the same will help track things (reduce variables)

@17:30 - Well, I did better at lifting than last week.  Made it through all of my sets, and improved on everything.  Only small improvements, but it is still progress.

Today's diet is about 50% of the new, as I did not get the new parameters until after my second meal.  Thankfully the first two meals were relatively close to my new structure, so I am not missing much.

Sunday - 12/5 - Checkin & Start of week 4

CURRENT WEIGHT:  181.0
LAST WEEK’S WEIGHT:  180.75
CURRENT CARB ROTATION:  MHLHLHL
CURRENT CARDIO:  Tues - Steady state, Thurs - Steady State, Saturday - Sprints

HOW TRAINING/STRENGTH GAINS ARE GOING:
In a word:  Poorly.  I am extremely irate with myself.  My workouts this week were abyssmal.
Back & Biceps - I was having severe issues completing my sets.  My biceps became fatigued very badly, to the point that even dropping weight 40% I could not complete a full set by the end.  My pullups and barbell row suffered because of my biceps.  The initial 1/2-2/3 of the motion I was fine, but once I reached the point that my biceps were heavily required to complete the pull I struggled for the alst set or two.
Chest (floor press & dips) - the only part of the week that went decently.  I went up a little on floor press, and a decent amount on dips.
Triceps - Both days, I seemed to hit a wall with my skull crushers.  My weights did go up a tiny bit since last week, but completing my sets was brutal
Shoulder press - Monday (seated dumbbell) not great, not horrid.  Friday (standing barbell) better than it has been.  Higher weight, better form.  Still pathetic weight *wry grin*
Squats - How do we say, no-go?  Monday (front squats) - I did three reps of 135# to warm up, and realized that I was going to hurt myself if I continued (details below).  So, no front squats.  Friday (back squats) I got three sets, then had to stop.  Details below, in the OTHER NOTES section.

ANY DEVIATIONS THIS PAST WEEK:
Tuesday - I had an extra low-day meal (45 Protein, 20 Carbs, 1/4cup nuts, 2g fishoil).

DETAILED MEASUREMENTS
Weight:  181.0 (+0.25)
Waist:  31.75 (no change)
Arm: 15.875 (+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/2010-12-05/

OTHER NOTES:
Nearly constant for all days - Within an hour of eating, I became ravenous again.
Sunday - I started crashing a bit after the workout.  Not a full-on crash, so I did not have an extra meal to compensate.
Monday - I felt decent, but had no energy.  I only was able to finish four sets on skull crushers.  On my front squats, I tried the warm ups and could barely move.  My balance and stability were off, and I could barely get out of the hole.  So I stopped, and planned to make up the squats on Tuesday.
Tuesday - I was nauseous from hunger most of the day.  I had absolutely no energy all day.  Thirty minutes of steady state cardio wiped me out to the point that when I sat down about ten minutes afterwards, I passed out for about half an hour.  I had an extra meal in the evening due to nearly blacking out a second time.
Wednesday - I started to crash out immediately following my workout.  I recovered after I had the post-workout stack and the next full meal.  I began to crash again later in the evening, but I just went to bed a bit early instead of eating more.
Thursday - Nothing major to report.
Friday - I felt pretty good most of the day.  Strength-wise I felt fine, and my overhead press & skull crushers went well.  But I apparently did not have enough endurance.  I had to stop after my third set of back squats.  I got through two reps of my fourth set, and began to black out.  I was able to good-morning the weight up to rack it, then I had to sit down for about five minutes until I could see well enough to stumble back inside.
Saturday - Actually felt good all day.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturday - sprints

@09:30 - Slept a lot, woke up feeling pretty good.  Did bike sprints & cardio pre-breakfast, then nommed spaghetti squash & chicken.  *nom nom nom*.  So far, not a bad day.

@16:45 - Three meals to go.  I still feel good.  Weigh-in tomorrow will tell the tale.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Friday - Squat day

@08:30 - woke up hungry, but not deathly so.  Nommed breakfast, doing ok so far.
@15:00 - lifting commences in about 30 minutes.  I have felt pretty good all day.  No ravening hunger, energy issues, etc.  After 5x10 overhead press, skull crushers, and back squats I might have to re-evaluate that claim.

@16:30 - Workout results:  Overhead press - better than before.  No major drops/fatigue issues, good form.  Skull crushers - not too bad.  Missed a couple of reps, not too shabby.  Squats - gods, I sucked.  I got 3x8.  On set 4, I made it two reps and then started getting a throbbing headache and began to black out.  Which heralded the end of my workout.

@19:30 - Was pretty dead for a while.  Ate about an hour ago, feeling better now.  Still bummed about my squats.  One more meal to go.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thursday - Off day

@08:15 - normal morning.  Woke up, slightly nauseous/in pain from hunger.  Just ate breakfast, doing ok so far.

@09:30 - starving again.

@13:30 - sawed several logs, ate again at 13:00.  Really hungry, yet again.  This is ludicrous.

@21:00 - crashed while cooking.  Just ate, hopefully I will perk back up.  Stupid body.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Wednesday - Dip day

General note:  I tend to be very hungry within about an hour of eating.  This has been constant every day this week.

@10:30 - Slept very soundly last night.  Woke up feeling much better than I did yesterday, albeit slightly nauseous from hunger.  Went on a walk, as it was above freezing for the first time in weeks.  Had meal #1, worked, now for meal #2.

@13:30 - Just ate an hour ago, and I am starving.  My body seems to be processing meals way too quickly

@18:00 - Workout kind of sucked.  Dips & calves went ok, but rows & biceps sucked.  No endurance at all.  And I started crashing out immediately post-workout.

@21:45 - Had my post-workout shake and then whey+carbs meal.  Felt a bit better after the meal.  After my next full meal I was ok.  Consumed my final meal about an hour ago.  I do not feel hungry at all, but my ears are burning and I am rapidly growing weary, which generally connotes the initial stages of a crash.  However, I am just going to take the second method for handling a crash:  sleep more.  So in the near future I will be heading to bed.

Summary - hungry all day.  Workout endurance sucked for back & biceps.  Kind of crashed post-workout.