Daily News Archives
June 2005
06/30/2005 - It's leg day.
06/29/2005 - Already thinking about my next bulk.
06/28/2005 - Workouts I'll be writing about this week in my Journal.
06/27/2005 - Busy morning, Titan journal update later this week.
06/26/2005 - Having a good weekend; Home Gym Page updated.
06/25/2005 - Curses! Pizza owns me; DOMS.
06/24/2005 - Another good workout; Titan Journal update.
06/23/2005 - Resuming my leg workouts today!
06/22/2005 - Good workout yesterday; Titan learning curve.
06/21/2005 - Today's workout.
06/20/2005 - Muscle loss; Balance in life.
06/19/2005 - Yesterday's workout; Today's plans.
06/18/2005 - Pizza bloat: oh, the shame.
06/17/2005 - Getting back on track and loving it!
06/16/2005 - Back from vacation!
06/01/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/02/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/03/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/04/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/05/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/06/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/07/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/08/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/09/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/10/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/11/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/12/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/13/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/14/2005 - No update - on vacation.
06/15/2005 - No update - on vacation.
June 30, 2005
Wow, it's already leg day again. I'm actually still a tad bit sore from last Thursday's workout, but it's so slight that I can only feel it when I clench my leg muscles. Even though I'm still a little sore, I'm going to go ahead and work my legs today. Darn, just when I was able to start walking normally again, too!
I'm going to cut this update a little short and get to work. I've got a lot to do today and I don't want anything to interrupt my workout over my "lunch" hour. See ya tomorrow!
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June 29, 2005
I'm still trying to get down to 8% body fat, and I'm already looking forward to my next bulk. 
Yesterday I was
playing some music that I have not listened to since last year's bulking workouts and it brought back some awesome memories.
Other than my initial weight loss, I'd have to say that last year's bulk was the most fun I've had since I began my healthy lifestyle. There's something very
satisfying about working hard and watching my body grow bigger and stronger. All the extra food is nice, too! I wonder if this year's bulk will produce results
as dramatic as last year? I don't know, but I'm sure going to try! This time around I want to focus on my biceps, back, traps and lats. My upper body needs a lot more thickness
and my biceps need more "peak". A few more inches on my chest would be nice, too! I'm pretty happy with my legs and my triceps development. I'd like to wind up with a 45"
chest and 17" arms (cold/flexed) by the end of my next bulk. I'm thinking seriously about starting my bulk as early as August.
But for now it's back the "drudgery" of cutting. I'm off to do cardio. Have a great day!
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June 28, 2005
Today is back/biceps/traps day, and I'm going to go ahead and do the same exercises today that I did last week. I never posted my thoughts on those exercises in my Titan Photo Journal, and want to do so while they are fresh in my mind. Also, I know that I still need to post to my journal about last Sunday's pecs/delts/triceps workout, and Wednesday's ab workout. I'll probably make a big post on Friday or Saturday when I have some time. Here are the three workouts I'll be writing about:
BACK: Supported Bent-Over Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Pull-Ups, Cable Low Rows
BICEPS: Dumbbell Curls, Standing Cable Curls, Preacher Curls, Chin-Ups
TRAPS: Cable Shrugs, Barbell Shrugs
ABS: Incline Weighted Crunches, Incline Reverse Crunches, Leg Raises
PECS: Barbell Bench Press, Shallow Incline Barbell Press, Decline Press w/ Smith, Chest Dips
DELTS: Dumbbell Lateral Raises, Seated Military Press, Cable Seated Rear Lateral Raises
TRICEPS: Dumbbell Tricep Extensions, Seated Tricep Extensions, French Curls, Bench Dips
Because my workout is not until 11:30 today, I'm going to go outside and do a little gardening before work. See ya!
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June 27, 2005
I had an awesome workout yesterday. I'll update my Titan Journal as soon as I have time. It might be later this week before I can update the journal, as I've got a lot happening at work right now. Also, I just got an email that says I've been pre-approved for a $412,000 home mortgage loan, so I've got that going on...
Have a great day!
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June 26, 2005
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! I took the day off yesterday: I watched a movie with Lisa, and then I took some time to update my Home Gym page (I had not updated it since I got the Titan). After dinner Lisa and I watched another movie, and then I treated myself to a couple hours of intense MMA action on HDNet. It was a long, relaxing day.
My legs are still extremely sore today, but I've got to get out and do the yard work. All this rain is making the grass grow like wild. Around 11:30 I'm going to get my pecs/delts/triceps workout in. It should be another fun day - hope yours is, too!
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June 25, 2005
So last night was my free meal. Some of you may recall that I decided I was going to switch things up and have something besides pizza for my free meal for a while. You know, try something new. Add a little variety to my weekly indulgence. I mean, after eating pizza for practically all of my cheat meals over the past 2 years, you'd think I'd be sick of it by now, right? Sigh...
So last night rolls around, and the hamburger and fries that I had planned just didn't sound as good as... what else? Pizza. I reasoned that it was the one meal every week where there are no dietary restrictions, so why settle for a burger when pizza sounded better? So, pizza it was. It was awesome, but boy am I ever bloated this morning! Pepperoni pizza makes me very thirsty and I usually retain a lot of water due to the high amount of sodium in it. Last night just before bed I must have drank a gallon of water, and I only got up to use the bathroom once.
I'm going to push my pecs/delts/triceps workout off until tomorrow. As expected, the soreness in my legs is at its apex this morning and I want my body to recover a bit more before I hit another large group of muscles. Lest anyone think I'm complaining about the soreness, I'm not! I tortured my legs on Thursday after several months off from training them. I hit them extremely hard, and I did it on purpose knowing full well that I was going to be very, very sore this weekend.
I love DOMS, and I actually enjoy being sore. I know that DOMS is not necessarily an indication of progress - some people don't get very sore at all no matter how hard they train, while others (like me) tend to get extremely sore after a good workout. If I don't get sore, I feel like I didn't work hard enough. Again, this is me and my body I'm talking about. I'm not saying that you have to get sore to make progress - I'm only saying that I do! I have to make that point very clear, because every time I talk about soreness I always get a flood of emails that say stuff like, "I never get sore, son, and I make HUGE gains!"
Of course I take some supplements that help mitigate the soreness: Chondroitin, Glucosamine, MSM and especially AtLarge's ETS shorten the amount of time I'm sore by a significant margin.
It's raining here today, I can barely walk and I'm not working out... sounds like a movie day to me! Have fun and enjoy your Saturday!
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June 24, 2005
Yesterday's leg workout was something else. I'm sore from my glutes to my ankles, but I should still be able to get my cardio done. I'm usually most sore on the second day after my workout, so tomorrow should be, um, interesting.
I updated my Titan Photo Journal with a breakdown of each exercise that I performed yesterday. My written review of the Titan won't be ready until sometime in August, so in the meantime I'm going to try and update my Titan journal after each workout. I'll mostly detail my likes and dislikes as I work though the Titan's huge repertoire of exercises.
Ok, I've procrastinated long enough. Cardio time. Have a great Friday!
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June 23, 2005
Just when I thought my body couldn't be any more sore... it's leg day! Yep, I'm resuming my leg workouts today after a very long hiatus. It's been such a long time since I've trained my legs that I doubt that even ETS will save me from several days of intense DOMS. I should probably mow the lawn tonight, because I have a feeling this weekend is going to be spent mostly hobbling around in pain. I'm pretty excited about today's workout because the Titan has some really cool leg exercises. Here's the plan:
QUADS: Barbell Squats, Leg Press (High Position), Vertical Leg Press, Leg Extensions
HAMSTRINGS/GLUTES: Leg Curls, Smith Machine Lunges
CALVES: Seated Calf Raises, Smith Machine Calf Raises
Yeah, no deads for this workout. I don't want to be completely incapacitated this weekend! 
I'll add deads for next week's workout, assuming I'm
not still sore!
June 22, 2005
When I first started using the Titan it seemed pretty overwhelming: I thought setting it up for each new exercise was going to be difficult. Thankfully, after just a few workouts, I'm feel like I "understand" the Titan. While I still refer to the exercise setup instructions when performing exercises for the first time, it takes surprising little time to get the machine ready now that I have a reasonably firm grasp on the fundamentals. Once you get over the initial learning curve, everything seems intuitive and logical. The engineering that went into this machine is absolutely remarkable. Yesterday's workout was especially enjoyable because I was able to focus on the actual workout and not the equipment.
I've got meetings all day, so I'd better get moving. See you tomorrow!
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June 21, 2005
I'm looking forward to today's back/bicep/traps workout a lot! Now that I have my Titan, planning my workouts takes a lot longer because there are so many exercises from which to choose. I think today I'm going to do the following:
BACK: Supported Bent-Over Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Pull-Ups, Cable Low Rows
BICEPS: Dumbbell Curls, Standing Cable Curls, Preacher Curls, Chin-Ups
TRAPS: Cable Shrugs, Barbell Shrugs
That workout should toast all of the targeted muscle groups nicely! Next week's workout will look completely different, as I'm trying to familiarize myself with all of the Titan's exercises for my review.
I'm going to go eat and get to work - lots to do today!
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June 20, 2005
I'm back down to 190 pounds today, so it looks like all the water weight I gained over my vacation is gone. I've probably got about 5 or 6 more pounds of fat to lose to get back to 8% body fat. I definitely lost some muscle/size during the month I couldn't lift due to re-aggravating my shoulder injury, and I also lost a little more size over my 2-week vacation (on which I also did not lift and ate poorly).
Some people have written to me and expressed concern over this muscle loss, but I can tell you that I'm not concerned in the least. It's simple: I'm not a body builder. I don't compete, and I have no desire to compete. Sure, I love working out and challenging myself, but I'm also enjoying my newfound health by living life. If I want to take a couple of weeks off from working out every once in a while and that time off results in a little muscle loss, then so be it! I'm cool with that. I'm in this for the long-haul, and a little time off here and there is a good thing for someone like me. Remember, my goals from the start were to get healthy and feel better about my body. I've done that and my life is better now than it's ever been. While there's always room for more improvement, I'm not going to drive myself crazy worrying about it. Life's too short. Find some balance and enjoy it!
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June 19, 2005
I had a pretty good workout yesterday, but I lost some strength over my vacation layoff. I'm sure over the next few weeks I'll get stronger as I continue my normal workout schedule.
Today after my workout I'm going to get out in the yard and do some trimming. All these new plants are a little overwhelming to a guy like me - I don't have much of a green thumb (but I'm learning as fast as I can!)
I hope you have a fun Sunday!
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June 18, 2005
Yesterday I said I was going to skip my Friday night pizza, but I decided to have it anyway. I wish that I hadn't - I feel groggy
and bloated this morning. As much as I love it, I think I'm going to swear off pizza for a while and find some other foods
to have on free night. Pepperoni pizza makes me sleep poorly because I get very thirsty: I must have drank 4 or 5 glasses of
water throughout the night! I need to remember how I feel right now next Friday night when my pizza craving rears its ugly head.
I'm going to go work in the yard and sweat some of this water away. Later today I'm going to hit the weights, and I can't wait! Have a wonderful Saturday!
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June 17, 2005
It felt great to get back to my workouts and normal diet yesterday! My cardio workout provided me with a natural rush that lasted the entire day. I spent most of the day putting out fires at work and not much time getting caught up, but I was in such a good mood that it didn't really bother me.
I'm going to skip my cheat meal tonight - I think I've had quite enough of those this month! I was looking at myself in the mirror last night and I'm looking pretty soft in the middle. I've got some cutting to do...
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's weight training workout a great deal. It's really cool to have so many exercises from which to choose. It sure keeps things interesting. I can't see myself getting ever getting bored on the Titan. I'm need some more time to take it all in, but expect my written review of the Titan in about a month.
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June 16, 2005
Hello - it's great to be back! I, Lisa and both of our families all had a long, wonderful and very relaxing vacation. As much as I enjoyed the time off, I'm ready to get back into the normal swing of things. I've missed updating the page everyday!
Well, I didn't workout at all during my vacation. I did do a lot of walking and a lot of outdoor physical activities, but I didn't do a single "formal" workout. I also ate like complete crap: barbequed pork, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, ice cream, candy, buttered popcorn... I could go on and on. It looks like I put on about 5 or 6 pounds, which is not too bad I guess. Some of that is probably water, but I probably gained a good 3-4 pounds of fat. I'm going to be jumping right back into my cutting diet starting today, and I may get a little more aggressive compared to the past few months. I want to get pretty shredded before I start my bulk in September or October.
I want to thank everyone who donated during our semi-annual membership upgrade drive. It got off to a very slow start, but thanks to the efforts of several dedicated members things picked up considerably. Special mention must go to forum members vatechguy and Wilderbeast. These two guys are the first JSF members to purchase a LIFETIME membership, and they really stepped up and showed their support when we needed it most. On behalf of all JSF members and visitors, thanks to everyone who made a donation. We all appreciate your kindness and generosity a great deal. If you didn't upgrade your membership and would like to, you can always do so right here.
As you may have guessed, I've got a lot of catching up to do at work. I'm going to go get my cardio workout in and then try and make a dent in the mountain of work I have waiting for me. Thanks for stopping by - I'll see ya tomorrow!
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June 1, 2005 - June 15, 2005
No update - on vacation.
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