Time for a Change

Workout

2010-02-11T11:17:00.001-06:00

Wed. Feb. 10th
Shoulder Press: 115x3, 135x3, 145x3, 155x3, 165x3, 185x3
Cleans: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 165x3
Close Grip Bench: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 165x3
D.B. Pullovers: 50x5, 65x5x2
Dips

2010-02-09T09:38:00.002-06:00

Another update.
I am actually at or past my goals that I put n here in October. My max Deadlift is now 415, Max Squat 345, max Bench Press is 245. Bench is still way lower than I would like, but as my friend tells me, it is a Marathon not a sprint.

Last wo workout sessions

Sunday Feb. 7th
Bench Press: 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 195x4, 225x1, 155x6
Shoulder Press (strict): 95x5, 115x5, 135x4, 135x3
D.B. Press: 50x5x3
B.B. Curls

Monday Feb. 8th
Deadlift: 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3
Bent BB Row: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3
Front Squat: 135x3x5 (still getting used to the feel for this, working n wrist flexibility)
Lat Pulldowns

I am also going to be adding a few Oly lifts to the mix: Snatch, High Pulls and Cleans.
They should have some decent carry over into HG Throws.

Feeling Good

2009-10-02T14:09:00.002-05:00

Last night was chest and arms (triceps and biceps) night.
So far of all of the lifts I do I find the chest exercises to be the most frustrating. I really have to force myself to do any of these exercises and I think that until I make some visible progress, I am going to feel like they are useless, because the only think I feel that I really get from Flat Bench, or incline bench or Decline bench, or even Pec Flys for that matter is a sore chest a day or two later. Now I know since I am sore in all the right places the lifts are doing their job, but during the lifts I feel like they are just mere acts of futility. I know it will take time before I see actual visible results, but it is just tough.
On another note I am really loving dead lifts and am getting back in the squatting groove too. My quads and hamstrings are usually pretty sore after my leg day so again I know I am doing something right, and the amount of weight I am squatting and deading are consistently going up so no complaints there. I am so ready to get my dead lift over 400 and my squat over 350. There are my goals to hit by Christmas, and I know they are easily within my grasp as long as I keep myself in the gym and keep myself focused.
Another thing I am struggling with is my diet. I know it is extremely difficult to burn fat and build muscle at the same time as the diets types are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and this difficulty is finally dawning upon me. I know there has to be a way that I can accomplish both things, I have just yet to figure it out.
Anyway, headed out of town for the weekend, so we will see how I can control myself as far as eating goes. Wish me luck.

Gettin Ripped

2009-10-01T13:16:00.002-05:00

Well, my Highland Games season was pretty much a wash this year. A couple injuries, and the weight loss really kept me from really performing like I would have liked to, but such is life.

I have completely taken my mind off of Highland Games for no in order to focus all of my energy in the gym, and it is going well. I am almost back to the point where I was before the "Hernia"like injury.
I am still at 220 pounds, and after another appointment with the bod pod, I found out my % of body fat has gone down a good bit, and I am really close to my goal of 18-20% bodyfat. Last October I was at 27.9% (I think) and I am currently at 22.6% bodyfat, a pretty decent change IMHO.
As far as lifting my deadlift is up to 365lbs and my bench is at 210 for 1RM. I have recently started squatting again, but have not attempted a total 1RM yet, but I am very near 300 which is where I left off last time I was seriously in the gym.

My diet slipped a bit this summer, but I am doing well getting it back on track (weekends are brutal though). Within the next couple weeks I should have my diet completely hammered out and I will once again be eating for success.
I am feeling so energized about the gym lately. I feel like I want to go 7 days a week, but I know I need days off in order to rest and so my massive muscles can get shredded. lol So I am there anywhere from 4-5 days a week and I love it, I actually think I am addicted to lifting right now. Let's just hope that I can keep up the moment and start getting some massive PR's again.
I haven't been journaling (is this a word?) my workouts like I should be but I am going to find the trusty workout log tonight and start tracking everything so I can post on here.

I reckon that about sums it up. I am heading to St. Louis this weekend to hang out with some friends and see one of the last Regular season games for the Cardinals before their run to the Series!

also want to give a quick shout out to www.muscle-geeks.com This is my new supplier of dietary supplements (and sweet free t-shirts) If you need any supplements, check these guys out, their prices are great and you will be helping out "the little guy"
Cheers!

Hurt back

2009-07-21T09:12:00.003-05:00

So I went to Chatham this weekend to compete in the Highland Games competition. I was really excited to throw again and was hoping for at least some decent numbers. Well once I got there the day just went downhill.
1. I threw with a group of three other guys, and each of these guys outweighed me by at least 100 pounds each. Not good. I actually looked small compared to these ogres.

2. Although I was throwing better than I had the last competition, I was getting my ass handed to me (except for the Stone Put where I did pretty decent)

3. I had to drop out of the competition with two events to go. During my warm up for the Weight Over Bar, I managed to really screw up my back (enough to where I could barely stand upright) A couple weeks ago I was doing some squatting and tweaked my back a little. It has been sore, but I didn't think much of it. Well I regret that decision now. I could barely move the rest of the weekend.

so yesterday I went to the Chiropractor and he did a bunch of X-rays, and I was surprised to see my spine and pelvis were WAY out of alignment. so he worked me over and hooked my up to an electrical muscle therapy machine and a felt a bit better (I could move at least) I am store very sore and tight today but better than yesterday. I go back for another adjustment in two days.
Hope we can get it worked out. In the mean time he told me I could lift, just take it easy and listen to my body.

Trying!

2009-07-16T09:22:00.002-05:00

So I had a very productive lifting session last night. Did mostly upper body and core work ( I am still a little afraid of squatting and deadlifting right now, plus I am throwing Sat. and did not want to have sore legs for that) But I will try some squatting next week and keep it relatively light and easy for now.

Doing a little cardio tonight in the from of some cycling. My first solo ride in a while, but should be able to get some serious riding in. Hoping to do 15-20 miles and get my average speed up to 16 mph (up until now 15.2 is my best average speed)
I will update again once the ride is done.
Cheers.

EPIC Fail

2009-07-15T15:56:00.002-05:00

So yeah, I have once again failed at keeping this up to date. Found today someone beside myself read this when I kept it updated so that might just be enough to keep me on task with this.
So at this point I am still stuck at 220 lbs, but have not been actively dieting, and exercise is spotty at best.
But I have a new Gym membership at the Rec Plex and I am ready to roll.
I also bought a new Road Bike and have been starting rack up some miles on it (I even have Amy cycling with me too)

Haven't done a Highland Games Comp. in months, but this Saturday I have one in Chatham, IL so we will see how much I have lost yet again.
Anyway, I am really gonna try to keep this updated at least 3 times a week.
Cheers!

Suck

2009-06-12T15:04:00.001-05:00

Man, I suck at this game. Haven't really had too much to write about lately. Been feeling down for a while and just trying tyo get back into the swing of things.
Starting back to the gym next week and I have been doing a fair bit of cycling. I am going to make a valiant effort to keep up with this now.

Sore

2009-02-13T12:16:00.002-06:00

So last night I squatted for the first time since I found out I had a small hernia. I kept it VERY light, just to make sure I could go through the motions without any pain. I will try to add a very small amount of weight every time I lift and just see how it goes.
I didn't feel any discomfort during or after the squats so that's a good sign (granted it was only 135 pounds). I did 3 sets of 5 reps started slow, and by set 3 I was blasting through them .

I am sore as hell now though. My upper body is still pretty sore as well, but being on reduced calories, recovery time is bound to be hella long. Just gotta make sure I don't over train.

I am wanting to throw this weekend, but we will see if it is too muddy or not. If I can't throw I will just go to the gym Sunday for some more benching and upper body stuff. I assume it will take 3-5 days for my legs to recover, but slow progress is better than none. I should be back to squatting 300 in no time (I hope!!!!!)

I will likely do a few squat sessions, before I even contemplate Deadlifts, just to get my legs used to the loads.
All in all I am happy though. Mostly since I had no problems go through the squat motions.

I am also doing core work 2-3 times a week. A stronger core will definitely help stave off anymore hernias or hernia type injuries.

I will post more after my weekend workout.
cheers!

Time for a break

2009-02-12T13:20:00.002-06:00

I have made the decision to take a break from my diet for about a month.
I am down to about 218 lbs, but I have lost so much strength it is ridiculous.
With my first competition coming up in just over a month, i feel it is time to try to get some strength back, even if it means gaining a few pounds. I know when the month is over and I get back to the diet, I will be able to lose whatever weight I gained pretty quickly.
I will be trying to hit the gym 3-4 times a week with as much cardio as I can stand in between.
I am also hoping to get out this weekend to throw for the first time since October. I am scared to see how much of a difference it makes now that I have lost so much weight.

I will hopefully have some good stuff to post on here, so we will see.
cheers!

Seriously

2009-01-27T12:55:00.002-06:00

I am not sure why, but I have just been finding it extremely difficult to keep this thing updated. I have lots of things to write about as far as my diet and training but I rarely remember to keep it updated.
Anyway, since the last time I posted I was able to get down the 225 lbs. That was about 2 weeks ago. Due to a coupe of weekends of careless eating and lack of exercise, I am hovering around 227-228. Luckily the next few weekends we won't have house guests so our diet will be back to normal. I am really hoping to hit 220 in a couple weeks.
I really need to force myself to get back into the gym. I know once the weather changes I will want to be at the gym every night, but there is something about the cold weather that makes me dread going to the gym. So I really am going to have to force myself to get back to the grind and start putting up some big gym number. I have basically 2 months until my first competition to I need to buckle down and try to get in decent shape for that.

anyway, I will try to get better about posting on here and hopefully I will have lots to write about soon.
Cheers.

Back to it

2009-01-05T12:47:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted in a while, but there really hasn't been much to post.
Went to the surgeon and he said that the hernia was no really operable. 1. It was very small. 2. It was occurring in a natural opening so there is really no tear to repair.
Just told me to take it easy a few weeks and it should get better.
Well it seems to have gotten a little better but I still get pain every once in a while.
So I haven't been working out much at all since then.

With the Holidays my diet was on hold too.
I didn't gain any weight, but didn't lose any either.

I am back on the diet and this morning weighed in at 229.4. So I broke into the 220's!!
Probably gonna try to lose about 20 more pounds before I go on a maintenance diet that will be more conducive to building muscle in the gym.

I plan to start lifting again this week, just hope I don't agitate the hernia. Highland Game Season starts in 2 months so I have a lot of lifting to do in that time. I have some pretty lofty goals for this Highland Game Season.

Here are some of my Goals for 2009:

Weightlifting:
Bench press: 250 lbs
Dead lift: 400 lbs
Squat: 350 lbs.

Highland Games:
Braemar Stone: 31' (Old Personal Record 28'4")
Open Stone: 39' (Old PR 36'9")
Heavy Weight for Distance: 25' (Old PR 23'8.5")
Light Weight for Distance: 51' (Old PR 48'5")
Heavy Hammer: 75' (Old PR 65'8")
Light Hammer: 86' (Old PR 83' 3")
Light Sheaf: 26" (old PR 24')
Heavy Sheaf: 22' (Old PR 18')
Weight for Height: 12'6" (Old PR 11'6")

I should be able to get most of these as long as I keep training and keep the diet working!!
I will be updating this more frequently again so I will keep you posted!

HERNIA

2008-12-10T15:17:00.002-06:00

Well, I did not post Monday because I spent my morning at the Doctors where I was told I have a small Inguinal Hernia. Doctor said I might not need surgery, but he made me an appt. with the surgeon to get a second opinion. I go next Tuesday to meet with the surgeon and to find out my fate. I hear Hernia surgery isn't too awful though, in most cases it is outpatient.

Anyway, my weigh in on Monday was 233.6. So I am still losing weight, although I think that trend will slow down now that I am unable to workout. So we will see how that goes.
I will try to update this more to let you know how the whole"hernia" thing is working out.

I just hope I am up and running before Highland Games season gets into swing.

Cheers!

Post Holiday Slump

2008-12-02T11:45:00.002-06:00

Well, I haven't posted anything lately, so I thought I would just add this update.
I decided not to weigh in this week, as I knew the results would be less than stellar following my Thanksgiving weekend scarf fest. I could not miss out on Thanksgiving this year, so I just ate what I wanted and that was the end of it, surprisingly I ate much less than I normally do on Holidays, with the exception of pie, I had me plenty of pie this weekend.

I haven't lifted much lately but that is due to a muscle strain in my groin region. Actually got it coughing while I as sick, and it is still on the mend and don't want to make it worse, so I have been taking it easy. I have been doing cardio a couple nights a week still though (jogging and walking doesn't seem to bother the muscle injury, just things where I am doing a lot of pushing)

I am hoping to get into the gym tonight to do some light lifting, and I am hoping I can start lifting heavy soon, but if the injury doesn't heal, it may be Doctor time!! So I am hoping for it to heal on its own.

I will weigh in probably next Monday with hopefully some good results (although Sunday is my Birthday!)

Cheers.

Weekly Weigh In

2008-11-24T09:15:00.003-06:00

It is that time of the week again.
Time for another weigh in.
This morning is weighed in at 235.0.
I was pretty pleased by this considering the fact I only hit the gym once in the last week and I went to a concert this weekend and had a very unhealthy dinner and breakfast.
But Amy and I made up for it by going on a 2 mile walk on both Saturday and Sunday.
It was good cardio, and we walked briskly enough to give me legs a bit of a good workout.

I am going to try to keep things really good for the next couple days, because I know this weekend will be a challenge. I am hoping to get to the gym at least tonight and Wednesday and hopefully Friday as well.
We will see how that goes since my parents will be in town.
I will have another weigh in on Monday, and hopefully it is a good one!
Cheers.

Truckin

2008-11-18T08:50:00.003-06:00

I have decided that I am only going to update my weigh-ins once a week from now on. It is a little too tedious to do it everyday, especially since losses normally take more than a day to happen. Plus, I am just way to pre-occupied to do this every single day.
This morning I weighed in at 236.2 And damn does it feel good. I have gotten on this cycle of eating really well during the week and eating a little worse on the weekend (yeah, we had Mexican Buffet this weekend...new favorite) and it seems that it works out fine that way. Even with weekends included, I am eating so much cleaner now than I have in the past. It helps that we keep most junk food out of the house (with the exception of some Low fat Ice Cream bars, and some 100 calorie packs of snack food) So all in all things are going well. My weight lifting has been waning the last week, it is always hard to get into the groove of working out when the weather changes. It is just so much easier to stay at home where its warm, instead of going to the gym, but I am going to try my hardest to keep up at least 3 days. Now that my cold is almost gone, it should be easier, so we will see!!
Otherwise, things are going great. I just hope I can keep up the losing!! I am getting so close to my end of the year goal of 230!
Cheers!

Kickin Ass and Takin Names!

2008-11-10T11:30:00.002-06:00

Weighed in the this morning at 238.0
I have been sick for the last couple of days but I have been eating as I normally do. Last day in the gym was Thursday. I wanted to lift on Saturday or Sunday, but just felt too much like crap! I am still feeling pretty awful, but I am going to at least try to get to the gym for some cardio and light lifting tonight. I will keep trying to get my workouts posted on here, but I always forget by the time I get home from the gym, so someday I will start that up again, just don't know when. Got kind of a lot going on right now, so I may not post much in the next week, but I will do what I can. Looks like I am on track to easily hit 230 by Christmas. Boy will that be a good feeling! I may even be able to hit 220 by the end of January if I keep things up like I have.
I guess we will see!
until next time.
Cheers!

How about some Pizza?

2008-11-06T12:17:00.002-06:00

Haven't written anything in a couple days because I have been pre-occupied, but I decided that today is as good a time as any to post an update.
Last weigh in was 240.4 lbs. That is a net loss of almost 32 lbs. Tobe totally honest, when I started this diet, I honestly did not thing I would lose 10 pounds let alone 3 times that number.
This is probably the lightest I have been in at least 5 years, if not more. I am wearing size 36 pants comfortably, and I am pretty confident that by my birthday I should be sporting size 34's. My weight lifting has been decent. Still having some elbow pain on press movements, so I am hoping that will work its self out soon. I would like to bench 250 by Christmas time so I have a long way to go, but hope I can get there.
Doing Bench tonight and dead lift sometime this weekend. Should be a good workout weekend. Might even go for a jog Saturday morning.
Until next time.
Cheers!!

Damn it feels good to be a gangster

2008-11-03T09:42:00.002-06:00

Even after a weekend of eating horrible, horrible meals I managed a loss of 1 pound! 241.2 this morning. Not sure how this is but it happened. I just keep thinking that tomorrow morning I am gonna get on and it is going to say like 245 again, so I hope that's not the case.

But yes, I did eat very well this weekend (didn't really have a choice though....Not that I would have chosen differently) But so far it seems that it all worked out.

It is good to know that you can diet and still be able to go nuts from time to time and not have to pay much of a price (except for a guilty conscience). But the food was great and I am glad I got to enjoy it (even had a decent amount of Halloween Candy too)

I really need to get back to posting workouts on here so I will try tonight ( I PROMISE)

I am hitting the diet really hard this week with a goal of 235 by Thanksgiving. And then that will only leave me with 15 pound to lose to hit my overall goal of 220. I know it would be healthier to lose a little more, but a man has to have some dignity. I just don't think I would be happy being much under that. So as of now, 220 it is!
Guess that's it for the moment.
Cheers!

Big Loser

2008-10-31T09:24:00.002-05:00

Well, I hit the 30 pound weight loss mark this morning, I weighed in at 242.2 and damn does it feel awesome!
I had been in a slump the last week and not losing very much weight even though my diet is the most strict now as it has ever been. I am really proud and hope I can keep this ball rolling! Going back to Gillespie this weekend for a party and I am sure the food there will be less than healthy, but I will be sure to take it easy.
I know I have been lacking in posting my workouts, but I will try to get back on track with that(spending my evenings either at the gym or playing video games)
Anyway, my weight lifting is going alright, getting frustrated with this elbow pain though, has prevented me from making any decent bench press gains, so I hop it gets better soon.
I will be back to dead lifting next week, so I am happy about that.
That's it for now.
Cheers!

Slow and Steady

2008-10-29T08:57:00.002-05:00

Down to 243.6 this morning.
Getting there. I must say have lost a fair amount of weight over the last couple days and it is a real morale booster. I am really on track with my diet and am eating better now than I have ever eaten. I am still getting big lifts so I must not be losing much muscle yet. I am thinking that I will go back to the Bod Pod sometime in January for a status report and to see how my body composition has changed over a few months. I can really start to feel the weight loss and it is great. I am currently struggling with keeping my energy level up in the gym and I am messing around with some diet changes that will hopefully help me stay energized through my workouts. It is really hard to keep on lifting when you feel like your tank is on empty. So I have gotten some advice from people and will see how it turns out. I still have to post Mondays lifts (I got another squat PR 305x3) so that is motivating, I just hope my elbow will allow me to make a little progress in the bench tonight.
Cheers.

Feeling Pretty Decent

2008-10-27T08:39:00.002-05:00

Weighed in this morning at 244.8, which isn't much of a loss, but better than 245.0. I haven't done any lifting since Friday night due to the fact I was out of town all weekend. Didn't dead lift last week because my elbow was still bother me, so I just did some lighter rep work on Friday night.
Back at it in the gym tonight. Gonna try to ad another rep or two on to my 300 lb squat so I can add another 10 pounds or so. Gonna stick to only 5 sets tonight so that I won't use too much energy and hopefully have the power to get 300 at least 4 times.
Other than that not much happening. I am hoping to be in the 243 range this week(hopefully by Friday). I am out of town again this weekend so my lifting will be less than normal again, but no big deal. It is nice having the two days of rest. I will post my workout later.

Cheers.

Suckage

2008-10-24T12:32:00.002-05:00

No Bod Pod post again.
Someday!

Anyway, still sitting at 245.0...BLAH.
Have been eating really good, so not sure what the deal is.
I hope after a nice long workout tonight I can get back to the losing game. I would like to lose at least 10 more pounds by the end of 2008. which would leave me with losing only 15 more by the time Highland Game Season starts in March....so this is very doable! Just gotta kick it up a notch!
Cheers!

Not so great

2008-10-23T08:15:00.001-05:00

I weight the exact same as I did yesterday so that's good!
Went to the gym to do a bench workout and did not get very far. On my second set on Bench (155lbs) I tweaked my elbow somehow and had quite a bit of discomfort. So I kept going but was not able to add much more weight. got up to 175 before I had to give up on adding weight. I just worked on reps for pretty much the rest of the night.
I still feel my form needs a lot of work and my stabilizer muscles are still pretty weak (I think this was mostly the reason I hurt my elbow). I am pretty unstable at the peak of the press and the weight sways a little. I did some DB Bench Presses to work on stabilization and still try to get a rounded chest workout. Also Did Push press and some Shrugs and that was about it.

I am hoping my elbow is fine for tomorrow as I really want to get some weights moving. Aside from some push ups and crunches, I am just taking tonight off to rest.

I will be out of town this weekend so workouts will be at a minimum which sucks, but at least I will be forced to give my body a break for at least 2 days. Might do me some good.
Still forgot to update you on my Bod Pod experience so I will really try to do that tonight.
That's it for now.
Cheers!

Weigh In: Down to a New Low

2008-10-22T09:09:00.002-05:00

weighed in at 245.0 this morning. WOO HOO
Yesterday at the Bod Pod I weighed in at 245.4 so I was hoping the trend stuck.
I skipped my whole afternoon meal yesterday so I was starving by dinner time. Ate a lot, but apparently not too much!
I will post the Bod Pod results tonight with my Bench workout. Things are going well.
I have been a little more tired lately, but the intensity of my workouts has gone up so that might explain it!
I was really quite pleased with my Bod Pod results, so I have a new found sense of motivation to step up the diet and workouts!!
That's it for now.
Cheers!

Weight In: Goin Down

2008-10-21T08:52:00.002-05:00

Weighed in at 246.6!
Can't complain about that!
Ate really strict yesterday (except for the post workout protein drink, but gotta have the protein)
Got the Bod Pod this afternoon, so I am excited to get those results and work off of them!
Cheers for now!

Work Out: Hellz Yeah....I am one bad Motha..Shut yo mouth!

2008-10-20T20:22:00.004-05:00

Oh yeah, had a super workout tonight. I am the most tired I have ever been but feeling good. Here it is:

Squat: 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 265 x 5, 290 x 3, 300 x 3 (PR), 310 x 0 - I was really trying to get 310 but I got all the way down, and just had no steam to bring it up....But hell yeah, I did 300 x 3

Tricep Extension: 20 x 10, 25 x 10, 30 x 5

Pullover: 45 x 12

EZ Curl: 65 x 10, 75 x 6 x 2

BB Forearm Curls: 55 x 10 x 3

Good workout. I am ready for the bench.

Weigh In: Pretty Amazed

2008-10-20T08:27:00.002-05:00

This morning I weighed in at 247.4, exactly what I weighed in at on Friday. I am pretty amazed by this because of the amount of garbage I ate this weekend. Amy and I decided to have a little break from the diet for a weekend just to let us have some freedom and enjoy some restaurants we used to enjoy more frequently. Had some BBQ, bread pudding, Caramel Apple and Chinese! And the great thing is neither of us gained any weight (didn't lose any) so I say that's pretty good.

I deadlifted on Saturday, but didn't really try to hard for much weight, spent almost the entire time working on form and good technique. Think I got technique going so I can start trying to go heavy.
Oh yeah, had to go shopping yesterday to buy a new pair of jeans! All of my 38's were too big, so for the first time since god knows when I bought a pair of 36's and it actually feels like it won;t be long until 34's are in my future. So that was a really nice self esteem booster.

Going to the bod pod tomorrow, ad doing squats tonight. I am hoping to get close to that 300 mark in squat tonight.
I will post when I am done.
Cheers!

Weigh In: Another Decline

2008-10-17T07:51:00.002-05:00

This morning I weighed in at 247.4, another small loss, so that's good.
I ate pretty light yesterday and spent an hour in the gym, so I am sure that helped. My hope is to be under 247 by Monday morning, but I realize that might be tough considering the weekend ahead of us. Plan to have a good meal this weekend, like we always do once a week.
This week it is my turn to pick, so we are going to Famous Dave's for some BBQ (and most importantly some Bread Pudding...Holy Crap, their bread pudding is AMAZING) and Saturday morning we are going to Apple Holler to pick some apples with a friend, so I am sure I will have a nice treat there.
Oh well. What fun is life if you can't enjoy it?
Anyway, tomorrow is Deadlift day, so I will post that sometime tomorrow evening.
That's it for now.
Stay tuned.
Cheers!

Weight In: More progress

2008-10-16T08:17:00.001-05:00

Weighed in at 248.0
Now lets hope I can get into the 247 range for tomorrow. Gonna eat really well today and go to the gym for at least 30 minutes of cardio plus some weight training. Hope it pays off!

Workout - Bench Press

2008-10-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

Tonight was a pretty short workout night. I was planning to get at least one more lift in, but I ended up spending about 15 minutes talking with the owner of the gym, so I am going to head back tomorrow night to get a couple lifts in. I still hate bench pressing but here it is.

Bench Press: 5 x135 , 5 x 155 , 5 x 175 , 2 x 195, 1 x 205 (PR) - I tried 205 again, but end up having Rhett get it back up. Oh well, it's progress! Then 8 x 145 just to work on technique, as mine is a little sloppy.

Push Press: 5 x 75, 5 x 85, 5 x 95, 5 x 105, 5 x 115

DB Shrug: 10 x 75 x 3, 5 x 90

This is all I got done in an hour!! So tomorrow I am going to do a little tricep/Bicep/Delt work along with some cardio.

Also, I made an appointment to get my body composition done in a Bod Pod.
I go next Tuesday after work. I am pretty excited and kind of nervous all at once. I know I am out of shape, but this will really tell me how bad it is. It will be good motivation though.
That's it for now!
Cheers!

Weight In: Lack of Progress

2008-10-15T08:20:00.002-05:00

Today I weighed in at 248.8. DAMN
This happens once every couple of weeks. I have a few days where I don't lose anything and it gets really frustrating. I know I just need to dial it in and get the fat burning kick started again but easier said than done.
Also woke up with a little knee pain this morning. Nothing major but there is a little discomfort. Hopefully it will go away.
Anyway, I really hope I can lose a pound this week! Will be really discouraging if I don't!
I will have a gym update tonight when I get home.
Cheers!

Weigh In: A Little More Progress

2008-10-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

This morning I weighed in at: 248.6 So I am back on a losing trend I hope I can keep at that way and legitimately get back down to 246 by the weekend.

Amy and I are planning to head to the gym tonight for some cardio, and I might show her a couple workouts she can do to start toning up.

I am really into going to the gym, and am pretty sure I would be there every night if I didn't need time to rest my muscles. And on that note, even after squatting heavy last night my legs feel pretty good. They feel a little tired right now, but nothing like the pain from last week. I think I am getting back in the groove, and my recovery time is speeding up, not to mention I have increased my protein intake. I doubt I will write anything tonight since I am merely doing cardio.
I will be back in the morning for another weigh in.

Squat night

2008-10-13T20:31:00.003-05:00

hit the gym tonight and was pretty pleased with the outcome.
I made some pretty decent gains in the squat. I didn't get as many lifts done as I would have liked because the power went out.
Her is how I did:
Squat: 5 x 135, 5 x 185, 5 x 225, 3 x 255, 4 x 265, 3 x 275, 3 x 285 (PR)

Tricep Extension: 10 x 15 lbs, 10 x 20, 10 x 25

DB Curl: 10 x 30

That is it for tonight. Planning to do some cardio tomorrow if my legs are feeling ok.
Hopefully I drop a little weight tonight too.
cheers.

Weigh In: Sure hope it is from Muscle Gain

2008-10-13T13:19:00.002-05:00

Weighed in this morning, but unfortunately I was up to: 249.3

This is really disappointing because on Sunday I weighed in at 246.0
I was pretty pumped but knew it had to be too good to be true. I am really hoping that as little weight gain is occurring from the building of muscle mass, since I have been lifting much more regularly now.
So back to the grind.
I am hoping to be close to 240 by the time I head down to see my parents on the 25th.

Since I started this new diet and workout routine I have had so much more energy, been a lot less sleepy during the day and overall feel so much healthier.

Tonight is Squat night at the gym, so I will post that when I get home this evening.
Cheers.

Weigh In & Workout (Goodbye 250's)

2008-10-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

So this morning I weighed in at my normal time (basically weigh in every morning right after waking up, to keep things consistent) and I was surprised to see what the scale said: 248 pounds.
I know I would lose a bit because I ate really strictly yesterday and spent 45 minutes on the treadmill. So I already reached my weekend goal of 248 lbs. I will try to lose one more before the weekend is over.

Workout:

Dead lift: 4 x 185, 3 x 235, 3 x 275, 3 x 295, 3 x 315, 1 x 335 I could have done more weight my my form is ASS AWFUL. Rhett (the owner of the gym where I lift) told me my form was using too much back and not enough legs ( I was standing too far away from the bar, damn I suck.
Anyway, I took some weight off the bar and worked solely on form I did: 3 x 225 x 4 My form looks and feels much better so next time I will go for more weight.

Seated Row: 10 x 100, 10 x 120, 10 x 140, 5 x 160

Dips (no weight added, just body weight): 10 x 3

Bent over DB Rows: 5 x 45 x 2

DB Curls: 5 x 30 x 2, 5 x 35

That's about it. I did a ton of cardio yesterday, so I will look forward to a day off tomorrow, maybe just do some crunches.

Cheers!

Weigh In : Just one more ounce until GOODBYE 250's

2008-10-10T10:30:00.002-05:00

Got on the scale this morning and I have lost .4 pounds since yesterday for a weight of 250.0. That might not be much to some of you, but it is good progress from my standpoint. I should easily be able to get to 248 by the end of the weekend, let's hope anyway.

Planning to go to the gym tonight for a little cardio work and then tomorrow morning for some Deadlifting. I may or may not post tonights cardio workout, just depends if I actually accomplish something or not.

Also called a couple places about getting into a Bod Pod, and have not heard back, hopefully it is not too expensive so I can get in one in the next week to get a Body Comp. Analysis.
Reckon that's it fer now.
Cheers!

Weigh In a.k.a"Your Blog is Gay"

2008-10-09T08:21:00.001-05:00

Well, this morning I weigh exactly the same as I did yesterday morning: 250.4
Guess that is not too bad because I went a little overboard on dinner last night.
Anyway, I am hoping to drop another pound by the end of the weekend, and I am going to try really hard to shoot for a goal of losing one pound a week from now on, could be a challenge but it's doable.

Been doing a lot of research into training diets and I think I have found a couple that will work for me. It just means no more cereal in the morning, and no more pudding cups or "Low Fat" Cupcakes in the afternoon. I told Amy last night that once we polish off the food that is in out house now, we are really going to keep the diet clean (Lots of Lean meats, Complex carbs, not refined foods, lots of whole grains, very little sugar, if any, stuff like that)

This weekend I will make time to put of a list of various goals for the end of the year.
That's it for now.
Cheers.

Workout

2008-10-08T19:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight was my bench press night. I really hate the bench press (mostly because it is by far my worst lift). Anyway, I really feel that it is a lift I need to start focusing on so I am forcing myself to do.
I did not do any cardio tonight because my legs are still jacked from my squat night (really sad I know) Went straight to the lifts.
Here they are.

Shrugs (Barbell): 10 x 225lbs x 2, 10 x 275 x 3 - I know I should be going to less reps and heavier weight, but I don;t normally do barbell shrugs, so I am still getting acclimated to them. I like Dumb bell shrugs better, but everyone else seems to think Barbell shrugs are the way to go, so I conformed.

Bench Press (Medium Grip, Flat back): 5 x135, 5 x 155, 5 x 165, 5 x 175, 3 x 180, 3x185, 10x145: I know I could get at least 10 or 15 more pounds on this, but didn't want t press my luck tonight. Next time I will try 200 x 1.

Push Press (focusing more on the press and the push): 5x 75, 5 x 85, 5 x 95, 5 x 105 I was pretty spent after this.

Seated Row: 10 x 90, 10 x 110, 10 x 120, 10 x 130, 10 x 140

I plan to do 75 crunches before bed.
And that's all she wrote.

Also plan on tweaking my diet a little bit in order to allow for more protein intake. I am doing some research into some supplements that can: 1) Help fat burning (Green Tea Extract), 2) Help with my recovery time. I am not fully convinced that most supplements help, but I am willing to try anything once. Had decent success with Creatine last spring, but am weary of the water retention and how it will effect my weight, so I am staying away from that right now.

Guess that's it for now.

See you all in the morning with a weigh in.
Cheers!

Weigh In

2008-10-08T08:14:00.001-05:00

This morning I weighed in at my lightest weight yet.
I am down one pound from yesterday: 250.4
It's funny, I have lost a little more than 20 pounds since I started this diet, yet, I don't really feel any different. Yeah, my pants are all too big (as well as my belts) and the other day I was out with Amy and I found a sweater I liked, so I tried on the normal XL and it was way too big.
I actually bought a size Large sweater. Haven't been in a size large in forever, it had to have been a fluke. But it was kind of morale boost, if only for the moment.

I woke up this morning and it felt like both my legs were beaten with bats. I guess that's what I get for taking such a long break from squats. My recovery time should go up over the next few sessions once my muscles get used to being so strained.
Amy suggested I use this blog to also track the food I eat in a day, just to keep a running tab of my diet. Not sure if I am going to do that yet, but I will think about it.

I will post tonight's workout sometime this evening or tomorrow (whenever I have time).
That's it for now.
Cheers!

Workout from October 6th

2008-10-07T17:52:00.001-05:00

Last night I started the first night of my official lifting routine. I plan to keep this routine solid for the next couple months and in that time I hope to see some decent gains.
Here it is:

Workout Start time: 6:45 pm

10 minutes on Treadmill for warm up

Back Squats: 5 x 135 lbs, 5 x 185 lbs, 5 x 225 lbs, 3 x 255 lbs, 2 x 275 lbs - By my last lift I was toast, barely got it up. I took about 3-5 minutes rest between each set.

Leg Extensions: 5 x 135 lbs x 5 sets - This was really did my legs in, but really worked them out

Tricep Extensions: 10 x 15 lbs, 10 x 20 lbs, 10 x 25 lbs - This is a great Tricep workout, felt a lot of burn. Triceps were like spaghetti after this.

EZ Curls - 5 x 65 lbs x 4

Dumb Bell Pullovers - 10 x 125

75 crunches

End time was : 7:45 pm

I wish I would have been able to get a few more sets of some exercises, but I was gassed.

On another note, I found a couple places in Milwaukee that has a Bod Pod (http://www.bodpod.com/) and I am thinking about going to get a Body Composition test done so I will be able to see exactly how much fat I have lost and muscle I have gained. I would still like to lose about 25-30 pounds of body fat and replace most of it with muscle.
I will let you know what I find out about that!
That's all for now.
Tomorrow night is my Bench Press night.
Cheers!

Intro.

2008-10-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

For those of you who do not know about a month and a half ago I started a diet with Amy (my wife). Along with the diet I actively train for Highland Games Heavy athletics. I like to spend at least 3 days in the gym, if not four lifting and trying to pack on as much muscle as possible.
This will just be a log of my diet progress as well as my Power Lifting and Highland games progress. I figured this would be a great way to make me accountable for my actions and might help to keep me going. Tonight I will post last nights workout out. I will also be sure to include a list of goals I would like to reach by the end of 2008.

Here is some info for now.
The day I started on the diet I weighed 272lbs. as of this morning I weigh 251.4 lbs. I think for my build, I would ideally like to be in the 220-230 range, so I have a ways to go, but it is totally reachable!

Cheers for now!