Daily News Archives
January 2006
01/31/2006 - Bulk is over.
01/30/2006 - Taking today and tomorrow off from training.
01/29/2006 - Last bulking workout today.
01/28/2006 - Weight gain stalled; Bulk ending in a couple days.
01/27/2006 - Horrible night of sleep.
01/26/2006 - Nice day off yesterday; Overslept.
01/25/2006 - Day off; wh0areume's journal of cool.
01/24/2006 - Biceps/triceps soreness; New sponsor announcement coming soon!
01/23/2006 - Excellent arm workout last night.
01/22/2006 - Balancing work with exercise; Last night's workout; New photo.
01/21/2006 - Work.
01/20/2006 - First back workout since the injury.
01/19/2006 - 12 days left in bulk; Late start to last night's workout.
01/18/2006 - Yesterday's back workout postponed.
01/17/2006 - Steroids.
01/16/2006 - Great weekend workouts; Stats update and progress report.
01/15/2006 - Yesterday's workout; New photo; Back day plans; Taking the day off.
01/14/2006 - Back update; 3 major network problems yesterday; Today's plans.
01/13/2006 - Setbacks, or new opportunities?; Excuses.
01/12/2006 - Great chest workout; New photos; Back injury continuing to improve.
01/11/2006 - Back feeling much better today; Cutting will start on schedule.
01/10/2006 - Back from vacation with a back injury.
01/09/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/08/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/07/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/06/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/05/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/04/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/03/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/02/2006 - No update - on vacation.
01/01/2006 - No update - on vacation.
January 31, 2006
This is the final day of my bulk, so this morning I decided to look back at my bulking workout logs from the past three months. As I looked through the logs, it was amazing how I was able to recount each workout like it happened yesterday just by looking at the exercises, the reps, the weights and the occasional note. Every workout seemed as unique as a fingerprint, and I was surprised at how clearly I was able to recall each one this morning while I rifled through the logs.
So now that I'm done bulking, I've got about 20-25 pounds of water and fat to lose. I'll be back tomorrow with my end of bulk pictures, stats and cutting goals. See you then!
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January 30, 2006
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I completed my final bulking workout yesterday, and will be taking today and tomorrow off from any kind of training. As I mentioned over the weekend, on Wednesday I'll start cutting, and I will also post my final bulking stats and pictures.
There's not a whole lot else to report this morning, so I'll just wish everyone a wonderful Monday and sign off for now. Have a great day!
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January 29, 2006
I can't believe how fast the past three months have gone by: tonight is my final bulking workout! I'm going to take Monday and Tuesday off, and on Wednesday I start cutting using SGX. While I'm cutting I'll be doing the same 4-day weight training split I did on my last cutting cycle, and I'll be doing cardio 7 days per week. For the past three months I've only been doing cardio two times per week, so my body should respond very well to the increased activity. I'll have my final bulking stats and pictures up on Wednesday. At over 220 pounds, I'm sort of looking forward to seeing the pictures and dreading it at the same time. I'd say I'm around 14% body fat right now, and my abs are barely showing.
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January 28, 2006
I'm eating a ton of food, but my weight gain seems to be leveling off. I've been upping my calories to unheard of levels (for me) over the past two weeks, but I think my body is finally tapping out and screaming "mercy!" I guess I have gained a lot of weight over a relatively short period of time, and I think my choice to bulk for 3 months was just about right. I start cutting on Wednesday, and I can't wait! I know I added a good amount of muscle this winter, and I'm very anxious to strip away the fat and see how it looks. I'll update my page on Wednesday to reflect my cutting goals, and I'll also take my monthly pictures on that day. I'm looking fairly pudgy around my mid-section and in my face! Between the water and the fat, I suspect I'm going to need to lose around 20 pounds to get back to 8% body fat. Of course this is just an estimate: 3-point body fat measurements using calipers are just that - estimates.
Have a great Saturday!
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January 27, 2006
Last night was easily the worst night of sleep I've had in months. I overslept yesterday morning, and I guess that made me more awake than usual at my regular bedtime. Also, I always run the portable A/C at night to make the room extra cold, plus the white noise usually lulls me right to sleep; unfortunately Lisa was freezing. Guess who won that disagreement? Yeah. So, after the A/C was turned off, I became very hot and the deafening silence was irritating. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep, but just after I dozed off Lisa reached over and woke me up: "Babe, you're snoring." Arrrrg. It took me another hour to fall back asleep. By this time it was well after 1:00 AM - an hour I've not seen in years. So here it is, 5 minutes until 9:00 and I'm running late and very tired. I'm afraid if I try to grab a catnap over my lunch hour I won't be able to sleep again tonight. Yawn. Time for work.
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January 26, 2006
Somehow I was able to enjoy my day off yesterday with no interruptions from work! I had a great day, and got a lot of stuff accomplished: I cleaned the bedroom, did 2 loads of laundry, washed my car, goofed around on the forum and had an excellent chest workout. I didn't get around to watching a movie, but that's OK.
I suppose all that work yesterday made me extra tired, because this morning I overslept by almost 1.5 hours! I didn't get up until almost 8:00 AM, and that is unheard of for me. I'm running very late as a result, so I need to cut this update short, grab some food and get to work.
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January 25, 2006
It looks like I'm going to get to take one of my comp days today! I'll be amazed if work doesn't call or radio at least 6 times. I'm going to wash my car, clean the bedroom, watch a movie and participate in the usual pointless "Seinfeld-esque" banter that goes on every day in the V.I.P. forum. wh0areume's journal of cool has morphed into a raucous chat thread in which anything and everything is discussed. It seems like 20-30 pages of nonsense (albeit funny nonsense) are added every day. The rules are a little more relaxed in the V.I.P. forums, but sometimes we really push the envelope of good taste. If you are easily offended, it's probably best to stay away from wh0's journal!
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January 24, 2006
The modified training style I've been using since I pulled a muscle in my back seems to be shocking my muscles. I do my biceps/triceps superset workout on Sunday, and generally by Tuesday the soreness in my biceps is almost gone and my tricep soreness is greatly diminished. The past two weeks have been different: Tuesday seems to be the apex of my soreness in those areas. My biceps and forearms are on fire this morning, and my triceps are equally as sore. I don't want to over-train my biceps and potentially reduce any gains, so I'm going to do the same thing I did last week and move my back workout to Thursday (normally a day off).
I've reached a verbal deal with a major new sponsor! I'm very excited about this new sponsor because I've already been buying from them for many months. I've had one great experience after another with this firm, and know you all are going to love them as much as I do. This new sponsor is the only company I've ever approached "cold" about becoming a JSF sponsor. I normally don't chase down potential sponsors, but I knew they would be a great match for the JSF community. Look for an official announcement soon!
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January 23, 2006
Last night's workout was the second-to-last arm workout remaining in my bulk. I decided to make it extra-intense, and I shortened my rest intervals to 30 seconds between each superset. I completed the entire workout (not including warm-ups) in just over 30 minutes. My skin was so tight that my arms and forearms felt like over-filled water balloons. Last night when I went to sleep I turned my pillow over and my forearm cramped up; hooray for hammer curls!
I've got to get moving. I've been goofing around all morning and putting off all the work I need to accomplish today. Have a good day!
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January 22, 2006
Things went very well at work yesterday, so it looks like I'm going to be able to take today off. I've also managed to build up 4 comp days over the past couple of weeks. On the surface that sounds great, but in reality I don't know when I'll be able to take any of them!
Yesterday I made it clear to my boss that I had a prior obligation and, come hell or high water, I was done at 5:00 PM. That obligation was, of course, my 6:00 PM delts and traps workout. I take an hour each day to workout; that is a non-negotiable part of the package. I won't make an exception, and I refuse to think that the company I work for can't do without me for 1 hour each day. My workouts are all scheduled "after hours" (whatever the hell than means in IT), and I jump through hoops the rest of the day/night to make sure I'm available. I think every employer should encourage their employees to exercise every day. I'm a far better employee now than I was three years ago when I was a fat, bitter, out-of-shape pothead.
Speaking of my delts and traps workout, it was a good one! As usual, I've posted the details along with a 1-year progress photo in my forum journal. Here's the direct link.
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January 21, 2006
It looks like this weekend is going to be spent working. Sometimes I really hate IT.
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January 20, 2006
Last night's back work out went about as I expected it would: I had no trouble with wide-grip pull-ups, seated cable rows were a little more stressful (but doable), and T-bar rows were out of the question (along with deads). Despite the abbreviated workout, my lats and middle back had a nice burn going. I'm pleased that I was able to get some back work done without further complications to my already stressed pulled muscle.
I'm running late and need to eat and shower; there's a very good chance that I'll be going downtown in a couple hours. Have a great Friday!
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January 19, 2006
The end of my bulk is finally in sight: just 12 days left to go! I've really enjoyed this year's bulk, and I'm extremely pleased with the gains I've made so far. I can look back and honestly say I put everything I had into it. As of this morning I've gained 31.2 pounds, and I'd say around 18-20 pounds of that added weight is lean mass. Of the lean mass, I estimate 13-15 pounds of that is pure muscle. That's a little over a pound of muscle added per week, every week. There are still almost two weeks left, so I should be able to pack on a couple more pounds of muscle in that time. After I finish cutting back to 8% body fat, I estimate that I will be at least 200 pounds, maybe even 205 pounds.
The small investment I've made in SwoleCat's SUP2 bulking program, and his SGX cutting program, have been WELL worth it. Because my late 2005 SGX cut was such a success, the choice to use SGX again for this year's cutting program was a very easy one. I highly recommend SwoleCat's SGX and SUP2 programs to all motivated individuals who want to add lean mass and/or reduce body fat. The bottom line is these programs WORK!
I had to take my dog to the vet last night and leave her for a few hours (looks like everything is fine, whew!) I went back to pick her up, but wound up having to wait a long time, so I didn't get home until 6:45 PM, which is 45 minutes past the usual start time of my workout. I felt emotionally and physically drained, but I forced myself to hit the weights anyway. I wound up having a great pecs workout. I'm proud of myself for pushing through, because I really did not feel like working out at all. This morning my pecs feel tight, and are starting to get sore; a perfect reminder that hard work and dedication gets results - not excuses.
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January 18, 2006
Yesterday was back day, but I did the smart thing and decided to postpone the workout until Thursday (which is normally a day off). I really wanted to work out, but I made the choice not to for a couple of reasons: my biceps are still unbelievably sore from Sunday's workout, and my back, although much improved, is still on the mend. A couple more days of rest can only help. I am going to do my chest workout tonight, and tomorrow night I should be able to perform my usual back workout, minus, of course, deads. I'm hopeful that I will be able to resume deads and squats within the next month.
I'm running late this morning, so I'd better get some food in me. Have a great day!
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January 17, 2006
After posting pictures of my 18.5 inch arms yesterday, it wasn't long before the subject of steroids was brought up... again. Rather than sweep it under the rug, I feel it's important to address this issue head-on. The ensuing discussion has gone on for several pages - please feel free to take part. The discussion starts right about here and continues (with a couple of sidetracks) for several pages.
For those who are new to the site, I want to state unequivocally that I am a 100% natural trainee, and I always have been. I have NEVER used steroids; I've never even toyed with the idea of using steroids. I don't know anyone who uses steroids (I train at home, so I rarely see other lifters), and I have no idea how I would obtain steroids (nor do I want to know, so save your emails). I changed my body over the past three years with hard work, discipline, dedication and a healthy diet. Thousands of other people have done the same thing, and you can do it, too. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
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January 16, 2006
In case you did not check the site over the weekend, I had a couple of terrific workouts: delts & traps on Saturday, and arms last night. Here's the journal entry and a new photo from my delts & traps workout, and here's last night's bicep/tricep journal entry, which also has four new photos.
My back is still healing from the relatively minor injury I sustained a little over two weeks ago; thankfully the injury has not affected my ability to train most body parts. These last couple of weeks of my bulk are important to me, so I'm very thankful that I'm able to train. I think the five days that I was forced to take off actually did me some good: I feel rested and refreshed. My body also continued to grow while I was resting, which, of course, makes perfect sense.
I updated my stats page this morning with my new measurements. All measurements are taken cold and flexed. My quads are up to a personal best of 26 inches, my chest is up to an all-time high of 44 inches and my calves & arms set high-water marks at 17.25 inches each. Interestingly my calves and arms were both 16 inches before my bulk, so I seem to be adding mass at almost the exact same rate to both body parts - about a quarter of an inch every two weeks. Checking last year's bulking measurements, I added 2.5 inches to my arms in about 4.4 months, and that also averages out to a little over a quarter of an inch every two weeks. My arms and legs are definitely my genetic strong-points: I wish my back, traps and delts would respond so well!
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January 15, 2006
Yesterday's delts & traps workout was excellent! I've updated my journal with the details and a new picture; here's last night's entry.
My back continues to improve, so tonight's arm workout is definitely on. I don't anticipate any problems; however, as I've been doing all this week, I will lighten the weights I use around 20% from the norm, slow my rep speed and pause/flex for a full two seconds between the concentric and eccentric phases. This is the plan for the rest of my bulk.
Tuesday is back day, and I'm still not sure what to expect. Deads are definitely out, wide-grip pull-ups should be fine and seated cable rows & T-Bar rows are a big question mark.
This past week at work has been relentless. I'm looking forward to getting off the computer and relaxing today, starting RIGHT NOW!
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January 14, 2006
When I woke up this morning I felt ZERO pain in my back! I got up, went into the kitchen and braced myself for the sharp pain that, for the past week, I've felt every time I bend over to pick up Loki and Turtle's food bowls. No pain! Now that I've been up for a while and sitting in my chair, some pain has returned, but at this point it's really more of an annoying ache than actual pain. I'm definitely going to work my delts today and my arms tomorrow. The only exercise that I might have to skip is bent over DB raises. I'm going to play that by ear, and see how I feel.
I'm not a superstitious person, but yesterday was Friday the 13th, and there was a full moon. I don't pay attention to that sort of thing, but it seems odd that there were all kinds of unusual network problems. I wound up working until almost 10:00 PM tonight, and this morning I've got to take some network equipment to a co-worker to replace some hardware that is flaking out up in North Carolina. We also had a major switch go belly up just as I was sitting down to enjoy my cheat meal, and the upstream provider to the datacenter that hosts the JSF servers suffered an equipment outage that took us offline for about an hour. I hope things quiet down today!
I've got to eat and get dressed: I've got a haircut at 9:00 and then I have to meet my friend to give him the equipment I configured. Have a great day!
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January 13, 2006
My pecs are on fire this morning! As you may recall, I reduced the weight I normally use by about 20% for Wednesday's chest workout. To make the workout more challenging, I did slow reps, with a full 2-second pause and contract between the eccentric and concentric phases of the lift. I really didn't expect to feel much DOMS, but I'd say this is as sore as my pecs have ever been. While my back is recovering I'd begrudgingly planned to use lighter weight anyway, but now I'm extremely interested to see how much I grow using this altered training style. There are almost three weeks left in my bulk, so that's enough time to gauge my progress using the lighter weights.
Maybe this injury happened for a reason; maybe changing my training style will help increase hytrophy. The lesson here, I think, is that situations that seem negative on the surface can often be spun into something positive: keep an open mind, stay positive, keep your plans fluid and treat obstacles as learning opportunities. Over the past three years I've encountered a number of difficult obstacles, any of which could have used as an excuse to quit. Over time, we all go though tough spots. I think life's challenges and setbacks are nature's way of separating those who are successful from those who are not. All the excuses in the world won't matter one bit this summer. Will you be on the beach, proudly displaying your hard-earned body, or will you be wallowing in your hotel room, watching TV and feeling sorry for yourself because life is so unfair?
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January 12, 2006
I'm happy to report that last night's workout (the first since I pulled a muscle in my back last Friday) went off without a hitch - in fact, my back felt better after the workout than it did before the workout. My back is definitely not fully recovered, but the pain is no longer constant, and much less severe than it has been over the past week. Details on last night's workout along with a couple of new pictures can be found in last night's post-workout journal entry.
Today is a non-training day, and tomorrow I'll be skipping leg day because there is a lot of back involvement in most of my leg training routines. I figure with another couple days of rest, working my delts on Saturday and my arms on Sunday should not be a problem. Monday is another non-training day, and Tuesday is back day. I'm definitely not going to be doing my favorite exercise (heavy deads) on Tuesday, but I think I'll be able to do the rest of my back workout. We'll see.
All things considered, I feel pretty lucky that I've only had to miss a few workouts. When I woke up on the day after my injury, the pain was completely debilitating. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my bulk (or longer) sitting on the sidelines.
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January 11, 2006
This morning when I woke up and got out of bed, I couldn't feel any pain at all in my back. I bent over a couple of times, moved around into different positions that have been causing me pain and... nothing - no pain! I went to the bathroom, weighed in, grabbed my coffee and started my morning ritual in front of the computer. After about 30 minutes I had to get up from my chair and BANG - there's the pain again (but greatly reduced). I think laying flat on my back all night is very helpful, and sitting in this chair in my office puts a lot of pressure on the injury. That's OK - the improvement is very definite now. Tonight is chest night, and I think I'm going to try to workout using about 60% of the weights I normally use. tomorrow is a non-weight training day, and Friday I'll be skipping my workout because it's leg day and most of what I do on leg day requires a lot from my back (squats/leg presses/leg curls/lunges). Hopefully by Saturday I can hit my delts full force, and on Sunday my triceps/biceps: those two workouts don't put much of a load on my back. The big question is Tuesday (back day); I may go forward with that workout as well, depending on how I feel. Needless to say, deads are out of the question until I'm back to 100%.
I've decided that no matter what happens, I'm going to start cutting on February 1st. I gave some thought to extending my bulk, but I've only been out of action for 5 days and things seem to be improving rapidly. Even if I wind up on the bench for another week or two, I'm still going to start cutting on schedule.
I want to thank everyone who's emailed/PM'd/posted their support. I really appreciate you all. Thankfully this injury looks like a relatively minor setback. I'm feeling very good about my recovery thus far.
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January 10, 2006
Hello everyone, I'm back from my vacation! I wish I could say it's been a relaxing time off, but it didn't turn out that way. I wound up having to work quite a bit last week due to various unexpected problems that no one else could deal with. By last Friday things at work had finally settled down, but then I injured my back while doing squats. I spent the rest of my vacation flat on my back. This morning I'm feeling some real improvement, but certain moves are still very uncomfortable and borderline painful. Sitting in my chair here in my office doesn't feel too good. Because I have to go back to work today, I think I'm going to set up my wireless laptop and work from bed. Needless to say, I have not been able to train since Friday. I doubt I'll be doing any deads or squats for at least a few weeks, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to resume all other lifts again by this Saturday.
Well, I've got a mountain of work to tackle today. I'm going to go eat and get started on it. It's great to be back!
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January 1 - January 9, 2006
No update - on vacation.
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