Daily News Archives
January 2005
01/31/2005 - Welcome JSF's newest sponsor: AtLarge Nutrition!
01/30/2005 - I've got the whole day off! New sponsor to be announced tomorrow.
01/29/2005 - Cardio this morning, weights tomorrow.
01/28/2005 - Another long day ahead.
01/27/2005 - Max-OT week off is over, that means it's leg day!
01/26/2005 - Workout then work.
01/25/2005 - Busy day yesterday, ordered pizza for dinner.
01/24/2005 - Important notice: moving to a new ISP this week.
01/23/2005 - Cutting progress.
01/22/2005 - Feeling better; Forums are 1 year old!
01/21/2005 - Bad headache.
01/20/2005 - Pep talk for the fitness newbies.
01/19/2005 - Is it February yet?
01/18/2005 - Running an hour late this morning.
01/17/2005 - Work, work, work!
01/16/2005 - Cutting progress; "I don't want to get too big!"
01/15/2005 - Lisa's in Vegas, I'm working and then going grocery shopping.
01/14/2005 - Early workout and then server maintenance this morning.
01/13/2005 - Cutting a few more calories; Email overload.
01/12/2005 - Dealing with stress.
01/11/2005 - No matter how busy you are, you can always take time to train.
01/10/2005 - Short Monday update.
01/09/2005 - Cutting progress report; Stats updated.
01/08/2005 - Short update.
01/07/2005 - Eating more, still losing weight!
01/06/2005 - On this day exactly two years ago I began my fitness program...
01/05/2005 - Change in cutting plan; Forum growth and stats.
01/04/2005 - Water weight gone, now the real fat loss begins!
01/03/2005 - I have a very busy month at work ahead of me.
01/02/2005 - Lost some water weight; Forum maintenance.
01/01/2005 - Happy New Year! Final bulking stats; Cutting starts today.
January 31, 2005
I'm proud to announce that JSF has its fourth official sponsor: AtLarge Nutrition! As you've come to expect from JSF sponsors, AtLarge Nutrition is not "just another supplement company". They have a very small, focused line of products (I'm a huge fan of their ETS (Extreme Training Support) supplement - more on that further down), and you can expect warm, personal service from Chris and Daniel. I've been working with Chris and Daniel over the past few weeks as I've tried their products and learned about their company, and it's been a real pleasure every step of the way. These two guys are 100% devoted to your satisfaction - you will not be disappointed!
So what's this supplement I've grown to love over the past few weeks? It's called ETS (Extreme Training Support). Basically this supplement is a synergistic blend of MicroLactin and ZMA (Zinc/Magnesium complex). If you are not familiar with MicroLactin and/or ZMA, you can read all about it on the AtLarge Nutrition web site, so I'll just tell you what this supplement has done for me. First of all, it dramatically decreased the length of my DOMS. I took a week off from weight training a little over a week ago (I do MAX-OT, which requires a week off every 8-10 weeks), and I resumed my workouts this past Thursday with a very intense leg workout. Normally my legs are sore for at least six days when training for the first time after taking a week off, but this time my legs were only sore for 3 days. In fact, by the third day my legs were barely sore at all. I've been weight training for 2 years now, so I'm very familiar with how my body reacts. There's no question that ETS is responsible for the reduced DOMS - it's just amazing! I've also noticed less stiffness and fewer aches and pains than normal. These little aches and pains are a very common (yet annoying) problem for most of us who train heavy, so this is a very welcome benefit. Another nice benefit to ETS is that the ZMA in it naturally boosts testosterone levels. We all know how important "T" is! I have to say, of all the benefits I've experienced while taking ETS, one of the most surprising is how well I sleep now. I can't describe what a huge difference this supplement has had on my sleeping patterns. Now I sleep deep, deep, deep! I wake up feeling incredibly rested and totally re-charged. If I have to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I am able to fall back asleep immediately. It's amazing. A good night's sleep is ultra-important to muscle development, fat-loss and overall health. There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to sleep. The ZMA in this product has me looking forward to bedtime again.
If you've used any AtLarge products and want to post a review, or if you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the Official "AtLarge Nutrition" Review and Discussion thread. Chris and Daniel are both members of the forum and are looking forward to assisting you.
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January 30, 2005
Things went very well at work yesterday, so it looks like I'm getting the whole day off today! I'm going to go do my workout (delts/pecs/triceps), and get as far away from my computers as I can.
JSF has a new sponsor! This new sponsor manufactures a very cool supplement that I'm very proud to promote. I've been using this supplement for the past few weeks and I really love it - I know you will, too. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the official announcement and more information!
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January 29, 2005
I only have about an hour and a half to update the page, get my workout in, shower, dress, eat and get to work. I'm going to go ahead and just do cardio this morning and get my pecs/delts/triceps workout in tomorrow when I have more time. I've worked over 70 hours this past week and I'm starting to feel a bit run down. Not easy work, either - a lot of stress and brain-drain. Hopefully next week will be the last week of this kind of work schedule.
Gotta run!
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January 28, 2005
Workout, breakfast and then another very long day at work. Looks like the same for tomorrow, but Sunday I should have some time to relax. Yay.
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January 27, 2005
As of today, my MAX-OT week off is finally over! Good. This week has been incredibly stressful and I've really missed the "pressure release" that I experience when weight training. Today is leg day, and I'm looking forward to a great workout before another long and difficult day on the job. I need to eat and get started right away - I've got a tremendous amount of work to accomplish before bedtime.
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January 26, 2005
I don't have much time to write this morning - I need to do my workout and then get straight to work. It's been a difficult and stress-filled month, but it's also been very productive and satisfying at the same time. I'll be in "crunch" mode for another couple of weeks, but so far things are moving along as planned. I've got no complaints!
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January 25, 2005
Wow, what a day yesterday. After my workout I was going full-tilt until 10:30 PM, at which my brain gave out on me and I began to drool on my keyboard. I was so wrapped up in work that I didn't feel like cooking, so I did a "bad" thing and ordered a pizza for dinner. It was good, but no matter how busy I am today I'm going to take the time to cook and eat properly.
On that note, it's off to work (no workout today - it's my MAX-OT week off).
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January 24, 2005
IMPORTANT NOTICE: I'll be moving the servers that host this site and the forums to a new physical location and to a new ISP sometime this week, perhaps as early as today or tomorrow. Expect at least 2 hours of downtime while the servers are re-configured and moved to their new home. The IP addresses will all be changing, so if you can't reach this site or the forums after the move, it's because your ISP still has the old IP addresses cached in their DNS servers. The DNS "lag time" should be minimal: I've set up the DNS entries for all my sites so that other DNS servers should expire the cached entries once every hour. I'll post a note here when you are seeing the site on the new IPs.
5:56 PM UPDATE: The move has been completed. If you are seeing this message, then you are hitting the new IPs.
This week and probably next week are going to be extremely busy for me. I'll continue to update the site every day (and, of course, work out), but you can expect short daily updates for a while! Thanks for understanding.
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January 23, 2005
My cutting cycle is going very well. After the initial water loss (and a week or so to find the right cutting caloric level), I seem to have settled into a cycle of 1-2 pounds of fatloss per week. My overall size and strength have been reduced somewhat, but it's actually less than I'd expected. There's still a long way to go before I reach my desired body fat level of 8%, so I'm sure I'll lose a bit more lean mass along the way. I expect my arms will be around 15.5 to 15.75 inches when I'm done cutting, and my chest will probably be around 42.25 - 42.5 inches. I'm glad I overshot my goals! Next winter I'm going to bulk again for sure, and probably the year after that, too! Eventually I'd like to have 17.5 inch arms and a 46 inch chest at 8% body fat.
I'm feeling really good this morning. Despite all the stress I'm dealing with this month from work, my body fought off that cold before it could really take hold and do any serious damage. Yet another benefit of healthy living!
I'm sick of staring at my computers. I'm going to finish typing this and get away from them for the rest of the day.
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January 22, 2005
I'm still struggling to shake off this cold, but I'm feeling better today than I have the past couple of days. Many of my friends and co-workers have been sick in bed for several days, so I think my body is doing a great job of fighting this bug off. I've been able to work and, aside from a headache, don't feel too bad at all. Unfortunately I'm going to have to work all day today, but I think I'll be able to take at least most of Sunday off.
I missed a very important anniversary yesterday - the JSF forum is one year old! The JSF forums have been an incredible success so far: in the first year we signed up almost 8,000 members. On average, that's over 20 new members joining every single day, 365 days a year. There are also now over 110,000 posts, which is an average of over 300 new posts every single day. Those numbers have been considerably higher as of late, so there's no sign of slowing down! The best part is all the wonderful success stories. Those who want to change their health and appearance can come to the forum and get the support and information they need, while those who have "done it" can provide their unique insight and knowledge. Every day people just like you and me are changing their lives, and helping others to do the same. I know I have not been around much lately due to my hectic work schedule, but I want to thank everyone for making the JSF community what it is today. I appreciate each and every one of you.
Time for me to get to work. I'm afraid I won't have much time to spend on the forums or answering email for at least another few weeks: the most difficult and time-consuming portion of the project I'm currently working on starts on Monday. When this is all over, I'm taking a vacation!
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January 21, 2005
Today's going to be wall-to-wall work, but I had to sleep in as long as I could this morning. It's been so long since I've had a headache that I'd almost forgotten what they feel like. Yesterday was a non-stop brutal reminder, and today I still have the headache and feel as if I may be coming down with something. My MAX-OT week off is long overdue, so this seems like a good time to take it. I can't afford to get sick right now - doing so will only make the work I must do that much more difficult.
On that note, I'm off to work!
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January 20, 2005
January 2005 will soon be coming to a close and, statistically speaking, many of those who started working out and getting healthy at the beginning of the year are already starting to slack off and make excuses. Once you start rationalizing your failure to stay committed with excuses, quitting is never far behind. Don't let this happen to you! Keep at it, and work harder than ever. Excuses are not going to matter one bit when you are still too embarrassed to take off your shirt or put on a bikini this summer. Imagine how proud you'll be in a few short months if you stick to your plan and reach your goals. Think of the look on your friends and family's faces when they see what you've accomplished. While you may have people in your corner that genuinely want you to succeed, the ugly truth is that there are a lot of people who are also secretly hoping you'll fail. Misery loves company. Think about that the next time you want to give up. Don't give those negative people the perverse satisfaction of seeing you give up - prove them wrong by showing them that you are stronger than they think. Maybe by reaching your goals those people who doubted you will become inspired enough to improve their lives and self-esteem, too. That's a heck of a nice bonus, don't you think?
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January 19, 2005
So far this whole month has been a blur, and the last couple of weeks are going to demand even more of my time. I went to quickly check the forums this morning and found an overwhelming number of new posts. I couldn't even begin to read them all. I can't believe how busy the forums have become! I wish I had more time to post, but right now that has to remain a low priority. Same goes for email, which has been piling up faster than I can read it, let alone respond. I said this earlier in the month, but it's worth repeating: I really appreciate your emails, and I always enjoy reading them a great deal. I do my best to answer as many as I can, but please don't be offended if I don't reply or if it takes a very long time for me to reply. I'm doing my best, but I lead a very busy life and I'm only one person. If you are looking for specific advice on losing weight or gaining muscle, please try asking your questions on the forum - it's a great resource! Thanks for understanding.
Hopefully things will settle down in a few weeks and I can return to a more normal schedule. I think I'm going to need another vacation when this is all over!
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January 18, 2005
I never set an alarm. I wake up every morning at 6:00 AM almost without fail. The dogs are my backup - I swear, they keep better time than my watch! If I'm not up by 6:00, they make sure that I know about it. Well, this morning it is very cold outside (for Orlando), so I guess the dogs decided that staying curled up around me was more important than food and we all overslept a whole hour. This was a bad day to oversleep: I'm taking the afternoon off because Lisa's coming back from Las Vegas today, so my workload this morning is extra heavy. I feel like skipping my workout, but there's no way I'm going to let that happen - I'll just regret it later. On that note, I'm off to the gym!
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January 17, 2005
I'm afraid it's going to be yet another short Monday update. I worked most of the weekend just to keep my head above water, but you'd never know it because this morning I've still got a thousand things to do. The next two weeks are going to be a real challenge, but I'll just take it one day at a time.
Time to work out. Have a great day - see ya tomorrow!
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January 16, 2005
I think I've finally found the right cutting caloric level for me, as I've begun to lose weight again. Today I weigh 204.6 - the lightest I've been in the past month. I've lost a little muscle size, but nothing unexpected. My strength also seems to be holding up very well: I'm still lifting the same weights that I used during my final bulking workout, and I've only slid back a rep or two on most exercises. I'm also starting to notice more definition in my abs, and my clothes are fitting better. I'm pretty sure I'll need to diet down to 190 pounds or so to get the look I'm after. I know I'm going to lose some more size as I continue to cut, so there's no question that I'll need to bulk again next winter (and probably the year after that, too.) Building mass while maintaining low body fat levels is a long and difficult road, especially when it's done naturally. When people email me and say "I want to add some muscle, but I'm worried about getting too big", I have to chuckle. Don't worry - you won't! When I read emails like that I always get a mental image of someone rolling out of bed, looking in the mirror and saying, "Oh my god, what have I done? Just look at me! I look like Ronnie Coleman - gross! I knew, I shouldn't have done that extra set of skull crushers yesterday!"
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January 15, 2005
Well, Lisa left for Sin City early this morning. [Napoleon Dynamite] Luuucky. [/Napoleon Dynamite]. Obviously I'm still here. With everything that's going on at work right now, I just couldn't go. I hope she has fun, but I told her not to bother coming back unless she's up at least ten large. I don't know why, but I've always felt drawn to Vegas. Something tells me I would do well there. I dunno, maybe I've just seen too many movies. Anyway, I think I'm going to listen to Frank Sinatra this morning while I work out...
After my workout I have to get some work done and then I get to go grocery shopping. That should be interesting. Normally Lisa does the shopping, and she's got it down to a science. She's in and
out in no time at all. Not me. I'll probably spend 2 hours in there wandering around looking for the things I need, and picking up 100 things that I don't need! Adding to that frustration will be the mental image of Lisa kicking back with a drink and a couple racks at the Bellagio. I should have plenty of time to mull over those thoughts while I'm stuck waiting
20 minutes for a price check on my tomatoes. Yeah, I guess I'm a wee bit envious. 
January 14, 2005
I've got to finish my workout by 8:00 AM and then go do some maintenance on my servers. This site and the forums will be down for a little while during the maintenance window of 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM (EST). So, if you can't reach the site between those hours, that's the reason. I don't expect the downtime to last anywhere near the entire maintenance window, but there will definitely be an interruption in service that will last a minimum of 15-20 minutes.
What a week it's been! TGIF...
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January 13, 2005
I've actually gained a little bit of fat over the last 7 days (about a pound), so I think it's time to chop a few more calories off my daily intake again. I'm glad I'm taking it slow: aside from the quarter inch I lost after the initial water weight drop coming off the creatine, my mass has not decreased at all. It's tough being patient because I know I could lose the weight a lot quicker if I wanted to, but that would be at the expense of lean mass - a trade I'm not wiling to make. I have to admit that I miss my six-pack and can't wait to get it back!
Leg day, then off to work. I haven't had much time to spend on the forums lately, and I've got a backlog of over 100 emails I have not even had a chance to read yet. The first few months of the New Year always brings a major increase in traffic to this site and also in the number of emails I receive. I really appreciate your emails, and I always enjoy reading them a great deal. I do my best to answer as many as I can, but please don't be offended if I don't reply or if it takes a very long time for me to reply. I'm doing my best, but I lead a very busy life and I'm only one person. If you are looking for specific advice on losing weight or gaining muscle, please try asking your questions on the forum - it's a great resource! Thanks for understanding.
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January 12, 2005
As I've mentioned, it's been a very stressful and busy month for me so far. One thing I've noticed, though, is how well I seem to handle stress now compared to how I handled it before I started my healthier lifestyle. The difference is pretty amazing. A few years ago I would have been handling this month completely differently than I am now.
I'm sure most of you are very familiar with that horrible feeling of being overwhelmed with work: you're in the middle of a big project, the phone keeps ringing, co-workers have questions, emails are piling up, another big project gets dumped on you and there are "fires" popping up all day long that need attention... A few years ago I would feel panicked and overwhelmed in situations like the one I just described. I would be short with my co-workers and rude to customers. Yesterday when things were really getting hot and heavy, I still felt a bit overwhelmed, but I realized that I was remaining calm. I think the reason for this relatively newfound ability to deal with stress is due to several factors: I always get a good night's sleep, I eat every 3 hours so my blood sugar levels are much more stable, I eat healthy foods and get a good balance of nutrients, I have increased self-confidence and I no longer use drugs or alcohol. Years ago I used to crave a joint when things would get out of control: "I can't wait to get done with this day so I can just kick back and get high, high, high." Now that I no longer use drugs, those cravings are totally gone - along with the added stress of dealing with those cravings during a hectic day. Years ago I told myself that pot was keeping me sane; in fact, it was making my life more stressful.
Some people complain that working out and eating right is "hard". You know what's REALLY hard? Dealing with life when you are unhealthy. My life has become easier thanks to the hour I spend each day focused on training and eating right. It's such a small amount of time, and the benefits are numerous and profound. The trick is to stick with it long enough to feel those effects. Ultimately the choice is up to you, but don't you owe it to yourself to at least try? Of course you do...
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January 11, 2005
Yet another short update - I'm struggling to fit everything in these days, and it's going to continue like this for at least the rest of the month. No matter what happens, I always make time to workout. The people I work with all know that the time I train is MY TIME. No matter what is going on at work, I take an hour every day to train. My health is important, and I deserve that time. I take it without guilt, and so should each and every one of you.
Time to get started. Have a great day!
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January 10, 2005
Sorry, no time to write this morning. I need to work out, then get right to work. It's going to be like this for the next few weeks - I've got a lot going on right now. I'm going to do my best to keep up with everything, but it's going to be a challenge! Thanks for understanding and for your continued support. Things should ease up a bit next month.
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January 9, 2005
I've been cutting for a little over a week now, and so far the most surprising thing is how much I need to eat just to maintain. After cutting my calories way too low the first couple of days, I moved back up to 3,500+/- calories per day and have been maintaining/losing at that level. Right now I'm still holding some water from Friday night's cheat meal, so tomorrow's weight should be interesting.
I stopped taking creatine over a week ago, so some of the weight loss is definitely due to that. As expected after coming off the creatine, I've also lost some size. I'm glad I overshot my goals, because I've lost about a quarter of an inch from every part of my body except my wrists and forearms. Of course this is normal and totally expected. I'm sure by the time I'm finished cutting my arms will lose another 1/4 inch, perhaps even 1/2 inch. That's still a around a two-inch net gain after cutting, so I'll be quite happy with that... for now! Next winter I will definitely bulk again. I think my ultimate arm goal is 17 inches, cold and cut. That means I'll probably need to bulk to 17.5 or 17.75 inch arms (cold) next Winter.
I'm going to trim a couple hundred more calories starting tomorrow. I'll be aiming for about 3,300+/- calories per day. I want to keep making "micro-adjustments" to my
diet about once every week and then study the results. All this new muscle has thrown off my ability to predict my body's dietary needs like I once could!
These first few weeks of my cutting diet are a definite "feeling out" period - it's like dealing with a whole new body.
January 8, 2005
Sorry, this is going to be a short update this morning. I've got some issues to deal with at work, and then I've got my pecs/delts/triceps workout to get in. I'll write a more substantial update with details on my cutting progress tomorrow, I promise!
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January 7, 2005
I'm constantly amazed at how adept our bodies are at adapting. Even though I'm eating 3,500+ calories per day I'm still losing weight! My body seems to have adjusted to my bulking diet (4,000 + calories per day), and my additional lean mass also requires more fuel to maintain. Bottom line: I get to eat more! I will not be cutting my calories back any further until my weight loss begins to stall.
I'm running really late this morning, so I'd better go get on the elliptical. Happy Friday!
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January 6, 2005
"It was exactly one year two years ago today that I lugged my fat, bloated, out-of-shape, hung-over, pasty, broken-down
body out of bed and in front of the camera for the first set of my daily transformation pictures..."
That's how I started last year's January 6th update - it's worth a read if you have not read it in awhile and/or you are looking for a little inspiration.
It's hard to believe that two years have passed since the day that I began to take my life back. I still remember that first morning vividly. Believe me, I didn't jump out of bed brimming with confidence. No, there was a lot of fear and doubt in my mind those first few weeks - especially when I looked down and saw my big ol' pasty gut hanging over my boxers, or when I looked in the mirror and saw my pale, bloated face. My appearance and health were products of countless years of too much booze and too much junk food, and I was afraid I'd gone too far. I remember my fear almost stopped me from moving forward. Does any of this sound familiar:
"This is how I look. No matter what I do today, this is how I'm going to look tomorrow."
"What's the point, John? Why waste your time?"
"You know you'll just do it for a few days, nothing will change and you'll quit."
"Why put yourself through the misery."
Sigh. Those kinds of negative thoughts ran through my mind a lot back then. I think the "old John" could sense that he was going down, and going down hard. Those thoughts were coming from "old John" as "he" flailed around in a pitiful, last-gasp effort to scare me into giving up the battle before it even started. Those kinds of negative, self-defeating thoughts are normal at first, but you have to be stronger than they are. You have to shut negativity and self-doubt down and focus on one day at a time. That first day will turn into the first week before you know it; that first week will quickly become a month. Soon you'll realize that you are really making it happen. You'll wake up feeling a little bit better every day, and your body and mind will become healthy again.
If you are reading this and are not happy with your body and health then CHANGE. I did it, and thousands of others just like us are doing it every day. Don't put it off, and don't be discouraged. Yes, it takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work, but I promise you one thing: you will never, ever regret it.
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January 5, 2005
My daily caloric intake at the end of my bulk was 4,000+ calories per day, and I dropped my intake pretty significantly to just 2,500-3,000 calories per day during he first few days of my cutting program. I was talking about this with some forum members yesterday, and I agree with them that dropping my daily caloric intake so quickly is probably not the best way to proceed. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - sometime I'm just too gung-ho for my own good! I don't have much fat to lose, and there's point in rushing. I want to preserve as much muscle as I can - I've worked too hard for it to lose it now! So, I've decided to raise my caloric level to 3,500+ calories per day for the rest of the week. On Monday I'll drop another 300 calories per day and ride that for a week. If I'm losing weight at that level, I won't change a thing. If I'm not, then the following week I'll drop another 300 calories per day, and so on.
One of the things I like best about the JSF forum is that I learn something new there almost every day. I don't care who you are or how much you think you already know, there's always room for improvement. Open-minded discussion with others is one of the best ways to increase your personal knowledge while simultaneously giving back to the community. It's a wonderful symbiotic relationship that grows stronger with each new member.
Speaking of forum members... there are currently over 7,200 members, and that number is growing rapidly. Yesterday alone we added over 50 new members! There are over 100,000 posts on the forum right now, and that number is growing rapidly as well. The JSF forum is less than a year old and it is growing pretty much by word-of-mouth, that's why I find those numbers particularly amazing!
Time for me to get my workout in - I've got a crazy day ahead!
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January 4, 2005
As expected, I rapidly dropped a lot of water weight since I ended my bulk on Friday - about 6 pounds. My face and body both look a lot less puffy compared to how I looked on Saturday morning. Now the slow, controlled weight loss begins. Figuring a maximum of 2 pounds of fat loss per week, I should be just below 200 pounds by the end of the month. I may need to bump my calories up a bit to avoid losing more than 2 pounds per week. If so, that'll be just fine with me! I'll evaluate and adjust my daily caloric intake as needed.
Time to hit the gym: back, biceps and traps today. Have a great day!
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January 3, 2005
If you didn't check the site over the weekend, I ended my bulking phase and started my cutting program on Saturday. I also switched my monthly picture day from the 6th of each month to the 1st of each month. You can read about my final bulking stats and my cutting plans by checking out Saturday's Daily News Update.
Today is my first day back to work after a well needed (and much enjoyed) week off, so I'd better get an early start on my workout. I've got a lot to do today, and this month is going to be one of the busiest months I've ever had at work. It's going to be a real challenge keeping up with everything, but somehow I'll manage to get it all done! Thanks for checking in, have a great day.
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January 2, 2005
If you missed yesterday's update, you might want to check it out: I've completed my bulk, and have started my cutting cycle. Yesterday's post sums up my bulking progress and lays out my cutting plan.
As expected, I dropped 3 pounds of water right away just by cutting my calories back to around 3,000 yesterday. I expect to lose maybe another 2-3 pounds quickly, and then I should settle into a 1-2 pound loss per week pattern. It's possible that I may need to bump my calories up to avoid losing weight too quickly. I should know by the end of this week.
I've got some maintenance to do on the forums this morning before my workout, so I'd better get that done. Have a great day!
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January 1, 2005
Happy New Year!
My 4.5 month bulking cycle is finally over! I'm 100% pleased with the progress I made, and I'm also surprised and amazed at how well my shoulders held up to the torture. In fact, my shoulders feel better now than they did before I started my bulk.
Here are the final bulking stats. I...
- ...gained 39.2 pounds, about 25 pounds of which is lean mass
- ...added 70 pounds to my bench press
- ...added 2.5 inches to my arms
- ...added 4 inches to my chest
- ...added 2.5 inches to my quads
- ...added 1.25 inches to my calves
- ...added .75 inches to my forearms
Complete stats including the actual measurements can be found on my stats page.
Now it's time to start cutting! I'll be cutting my calories back to between 2,500 - 3,000 calories per day. I'll be doing cardio 4 times per week, and lifting 3 times per week (no days off). I'll be eating very clean with just one cheat meal per week. No alcohol until I reach my goal of 8% body fat. I figure I'll be around 190-193 pounds when I hit 8% body fat. We'll see how it goes. I expect to lose some water weight right away (off creatine, less calories, less carbs), but after that I don't want to lose any more than 2 pounds per week. If I find I'm losing more than that, I'll bump my calories up.
One big difference between this cutting cycle and the one after my last bulk (which was cut very short due to my shoulder injury) is this time I can lift weights. That's going to make a huge difference in my retainable gains.
Speaking of weights, it's time for me to get started on today's workout. Make today the first day of the best year of your life!
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