Daily News Archives
March 2006
03/31/2006 - "All clear" from doctor.
03/30/2006 - Going to the doctor this morning.
03/29/2006 - Great back & traps workout last night; Pecs are sore; New night picture of house.
03/28/2006 - Good workout last night; Food poisoning?; Landscape lighting: Phase II complete!
03/27/2006 - Wonderful weekend, but diet not so good; Landscape lighting project & picture.
03/26/2006 - New home plans on hold; Projects around the house today.
03/25/2006 - Positive mental attitude: cliché, or words to live by?
03/24/2006 - Nice weekend ahead; House hunting?
03/23/2006 - Down to 203.8 pounds; Pressure Washer.
03/22/2006 - Cutting progress; Tough love for excuse makers.
03/21/2006 - Still recovering from the weekend.
03/20/2006 - Recovering; New garden photo album up; Week off from training.
03/19/2006 - Mulch: Day II; Garden pictures.
03/18/2006 - Mulch.
03/17/2006 - Down to 10% body fat; Thumb update; Past couple of workouts report.
03/16/2006 - Enjoying my free weekend evenings; Excuses.
03/15/2006 - Good morning, abs; "V" taper; I'm in a great mood!
03/14/2006 - Good workout despite thumb pain; New pictures; Cutting progress.
03/13/2006 - Very productive weekend; Yardwork; Messed up my thumb.
03/12/2006 - Yard work; Spring cleaning.
03/11/2006 - Last night's workout; New picture; Almost "cheated"--dealing with cravings.
03/10/2006 - I need a new scale, MyoTape and digital caliper.
03/09/2006 - Increased fat loss in abdominal area; Getting a "6-pack"; Leg day.
03/08/2006 - Last night's back workout; Tips on working the lats.
03/07/2006 - Yesterday's workout; Right shoulder pain; New photos.
03/06/2006 - Massive response to yesterday's update; More on addiction.
03/05/2006 - Overcoming addiction: 3 years ago I quit a 13+ year weed habit.
03/04/2006 - Overslept!
03/03/2006 - Leg workout - still no squats; Good leg progress; Shaving.
03/02/2006 - Headache; Recap of yesterday's update; Happy with progress.
03/01/2006 - Monthly pictures; Back/delts/arms comparison.
March 31, 2006
I went to see my doctor about the sore throat I've had for the last month. He said it's nothing but the very high pollen count causing some aggravation. It's Spring, and there hasn't been any rain to speak of in something like a month, so that make sense. I'm glad it was nothing to worry about. He didn't even prescribe anything--he just told me to get some OTC meds (if I wanted), and to purchase a humidifier for the bedroom. He also told me that the two early morning stomach issues I experienced this week were just a common bug. He told me I'm probably already over it (maybe he's right: last night was, thankfully, uneventful). Anyway, he said there's nothing to worry about and gave me the "all clear" to continue to train as hard as I want!
Speaking of training, my doctor said, "Every time you come in here you weigh more than you did at your last visit, but you always look very lean!" He also said that my blood pressure has gone down since my last visit, even though I weigh more now. I have to admit that it feels pretty good when my doctor compliments me how healthy I am. He sent me on my way and told me to keep doing what I'm doing, because "it's working!" My doctor always seems genuinely impressed with my health and general fitness level. Actually, that's really kind of sad; I'll bet most people around my age that he sees are, by comparison, in very poor health.
I can't believe that March is over already! Tomorrow I'll be posting my monthly photos. I still don't have my new MyoTape, but objectively I still think I'm right at 10% body fat. My abs are showing very fairly nicely in the morning, and they are a bit blurry later in the day. The other areas of my body are all totally lean. I've probably got another 5-6 pounds to lose before I hit 8%, and I'm actually going to see if I can get down to 6% for the summer.
Cardio time for me, and later today I've got my delts and arms workout. Happy Friday!
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March 30, 2006
I'm going to see my doctor this morning. This morning around 2:30 AM I was sick again, just like I was early Tuesday morning. I suppose I can rule out the chicken, because I've not had any chicken since Monday. Also, this sore throat I've been dealing with on and off for the past month keeps coming back. It's probably strep, and shame on me for not going to the doctor sooner. I don't like going to the doctor unless I'm really in bad shape, but I need to get over that bad habit and start going as soon as I notice something is wrong.
I'm feeling fairly weak this morning from lack of sleep and whatever this is that's making me sick. The hard-assed side of me is telling me to get my butt in the gym and do my cardio, but my practical side knows that doing cardio this morning may not be such a good idea. I'm going to do the smart thing and skip my cardio this morning. One missed day isn't going to kill me. Tonight's leg workout depends on what the good doctor says.
On a positive note, I'm down to 203.4 this morning and right around 9% body fat! It's been a productive month of fat loss. I'm going to wait until my new MyoTape gets here (my old one broke this week) until I "officially" change my body fat stat.
Have a great day!
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March 29, 2006
I had a great workout last night! I hit my back & traps, and I felt strong and energetic through the entire workout. I made a short post-workout entry in my journal.
My MyoTape finally broke last night. I've got to order another one today.
My pecs are so sore from Monday's chest workout that it feels like I have weights tied to them. My abs are very sore, too, and by tomorrow my back and lats should be killing me. The first series of workouts after a week off always have this effect. The worst is yet to come: I work legs tomorrow, and I'll be reminded of that all weekend long (and early next week, no doubt).
After my workout yesterday I went outside and took a new picture of the house with the finally completed landscape lighting. It was not fully dark yet, and the sky was the most amazing shade of blue. I've replaced the old night picture in our 2006 Garden Photo Album--it's the 5th one down from the top. You can't miss that incredible shade of blue, it really jumps out at you!
No workout tonight, but this morning it's cardio as usual. I'm off!
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March 28, 2006
Last night was my first workout after my week off from training. The workout started off a little slow, but once I had a couple of sets under my belt I felt great! I worked my pecs and abs, and I seemed to have lost a small amount of strength: The number of reps I was able to do went down using the same weight that I used for my last pecs workout two weeks ago. The reduction was only the last set or two and only 1 or 2 reps, so I'm not worried about it. I'm sure by next week I'll be back to full strength.
Early this morning around 3:00 AM I woke up and my stomach was cramped so bad I wanted to die. I felt like I was going to throw-up, and I started sweating buckets. I got up, but I didn't throw-up. I continued to sweat for about 20 minutes and felt really, really weak. My first thought was food poisoning, but I'm such a freak about cross-contamination, kitchen cleanliness and proper temperature of cooked meat that I don't see how that could have happened. In the three years that I've been eating meat I've never once had a problem; still, I don't know what else it could have been. I'm still thinking about throwing out the rest of the chicken I made yesterday - I don't want to take any chances and go through that again! This morning I feel just fine, if a little weak. I also lost 2.6 pounds of water weight from all the sweating.
You didn't think I'd sign off without an update on the landscape lighting project, did you? 
I completed the
second phase yesterday, and now the front gardens are totally done! I installed some additional 35-watt spotlights, along with a row of eight smaller (10-watt)
halogen accent lights behind the Viburnums. I also finished trimming out the wiring on the porch with PVC conduit painted to match the house. I wish I
didn't have to have the transformer on the front porch, but now that it's all trimmed out I guess it doesn't look too bad. Lisa's cool with it, and that's the real test! I put a picture of
the trimmed out porch and the new accent lights here.
Now that we are happy with the placement of all the fixtures, today at lunch I'm going to go out there and bury the wire.
I'm running a little late - I slept in for an extra half hour due to my unscheduled sweat session in the middle of the night. I'd better go get my cardio done before it gets too late. Have a great day!
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March 27, 2006
What an incredible weekend! The weather was absolutely perfect, and I spent most of my time outside with Lisa enjoying the sunshine and cool air.
In yesterday's update, I mentioned that I had the urge to work on some projects around the house. Of course projects around the house usually involve at least a couple of expensive trips to Home Depot, and yesterday was no different. One of the bigger projects I managed to complete was the design and installation of a low-voltage landscape lighting system. We're really happy with how it came out, and are already planning Phase II; thankfully I pre-wired for the next phase, so installing the actually fixtures will be a snap! I've updated our ongoing 2006 Garden Photo Album with a night shot of the house all lit up (it's the 5th picture down from the top).
I was a bad boy this weekend, and had a "free" day. I didn't go nuts all day, but I had Burger King for lunch and pizza for dinner. Now that I have that out of my system it's back to my usual hardcore training and cutting diet! Tonight is chest and abs, and I can't wait!
Right now I need to wrap this up and go get on the bike; I've got 45 minutes of cardio followed by a very long day of work. Have a great Monday!
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March 26, 2006
Today is the final day of my week off from weight training, and all I can say is "FINALLY!" I'm sure my body enjoyed the rest, but I'm dying to get back in the weight room and start moving some iron.
Lisa and I had a great day yesterday. I dropped the top on the car and we drove around, went shopping and looked at houses. We saw some homes that we liked a lot, but none were "perfect". While we had a lot of fun looking, at the end of the day we both seemed to feel that the timing for a move is not quite right at this point. We're going to continue to keep our eyes open, but I have a feeling we'll be in our current home for at least another 3-5 years. When we "trade up", so to speak, we don't want there to be any compromises: We want our next home to be our last home.
Today is going to be another stellar day weather-wise! I'm actually a little disappointed that there is absolutely nothing left to do in the yard, although I have been toying with the idea of putting in a pathway along the side of the house. Hrm. I'm also thinking about putting in some landscape lighting and using a few of the open low voltage connections on our automatic irrigation system to control the lights. Why can't I stay away from Home Depot? I'm dangerous in that place. Actually, that reminds me: Yesterday I bought matching wooden blinds for the entire house, and I need to finish installing those today (I only got about half of them installed yesterday). Looks like it's going to be a good day to put on my work jeans and a T-shirt and get a few things done!
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March 25, 2006
The weather in Orlando is picture-perfect right now: beautiful, clear skies as far as the eye can see, there's a gentle breeze blowing and it's a crisp 52 degrees. The high temperature today will be a perfect 67 degrees. I honestly could not have designed a more perfect day! These are the kind of days that make me happy to be alive and drug-free. Sadly, just a few years ago I wouldn't have noticed or cared about weather like this; I'd already be stoned, and parked in front of the television for the day.
Even if the weather is not quite so incredible in your area this morning, don't let that get you down. Warmer days are coming, and that body you've been working so hard on all Winter long will be ready to go!
A lot of people think having a positive mental attitude is a cliché, and that it really doesn't mean much. Nothing could be further from the truth. Having a good attitude is critical when dealing with life's problems, and a very important part of any real transformation. People who are negative and who constantly complain are not happy people. Sure, if you let them talk they all have excuses and reasons that "justify" their negativity and hostility towards others, but don't be fooled--it's just a smokescreen. When you surround yourself with positive people and you make an effort to be a positive person, you'll soon find that it becomes a habit. It's amazing what a difference this one change has made in my life. Sure, I get in bad moods now and then just like everyone else, but on most days I wake up and feel like I can accomplish anything... and you know what? I can.
Right now I'm going to go accomplish breakfast--I'm starving!
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March 24, 2006
It's looking like the weather this weekend is going to be incredible here in Orlando: 40 degrees overnight and ~65 degrees with clear skies all day long. Lisa
and I may go house hunting. We're still in the embryonic stage of a possible move--we don't anticipate moving for at least a year
or two (if at all)--but who knows. We've heard about some very nice homes that are being built on one acre lots not too far from here. The homes
are a little further out in the country than our current home, but still a relatively short drive to Orlando; that's actually an ideal situation for us. We like the country, but
are admittedly slaves to modern convenience. If we do move, I think we'll hang on to our current property and rent it out. Any JSF'ers who want to move to Central Florida can
have first crack at renting our existing, newly renovated home: it's got a dedicated gym, but the Titan is not included!
I'm going to go jump on the bike and then get to work. Happy Friday everyone!
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March 23, 2006
Hrm, there's not much going on this morning. I'm enjoying the planned week off from weight training, but I'm eager to get back to business on Monday.
I must have been holding a little water, because this morning I'm suddenly down two pounds to a 2006 cutting low of 203.8 pounds! My abs are really starting to show quite well now. I must be close to 9% body fat at this point.
Maybe I lost that water yesterday afternoon: I worked up a nice sweat breaking in my new Porter-Cable 2500 PSI Pressure Washer. I ordered the Pressure Washer on Wednesday afternoon, and had it shipped overnight air for just $3.99, thanks to the awesome Amazon Prime program (free 2-day air shipping and $3.99 for next day air shipping--even on my 82-pound pressure washer!) I started off with the intention of cleaning the back patio, but I was so amazed with the results that I wound up doing all the walkways, the driveway, the sidewalks, the patio furniture and the exterior of the house! Everything looks great, and I'm very happy with my purchase.
I'd better go do my cardio now. Have a great day and I'll see ya tomorrow!
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March 22, 2006
Cool, I'm down another quarter of an inch from my waist! I also noticed that my abs are really starting to pop out when I checked my physique in the mirror right after my weigh-in. That brought a smile to my face!
I'm very happy at how well my cut is going this year. It hasn't been easy to stay dedicated, but I'm doing it. This month I've dealt with several "bad" food temptations, a horrible sore throat (which I'm still getting over), a fractured thumb, unscheduled meetings, problems at work, general stress and a number of physically draining early Spring obligations in the yard and in the home. Number of missed meals? Zero. Number of missed workouts? Zero. You know why I haven't missed a meal or a workout? Because I know what it takes to reach my goal, and I want it badly enough to do what needs to be done.
Summer is coming, and it's time for a little "tough love" from your old pal JDS.
Do you know people who say they want to make progress, but then they never seem to go anywhere (and they always have an excuse explaining why that is)? Are you one of those people? I draw a lot of inspiration from people who have incredible hardships, yet they don't allow those hardships to stand in the way of their goals. How I am I going to justify missing a workout because I'm tired or have a headache when there are men and women out there missing a leg (or two) and running marathons?
Simply put, excuses are for people who lack the courage and discipline to reach their goals. If you are always finding ways to justify your failures, then maybe it's time for you to step back out of your own B.S. and get some perspective.
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March 21, 2006
Yesterday I felt tired and drained all day long. I think all the work we did over the weekend finally caught up to me. I wanted to take a nap yesterday afternoon, but I had so much work to do that I could not. I went to bed last night at 9:00 PM and slept until 6:30 this morning! I'm still feeling a bit tired this morning, but nothing like yesterday.
I'm going to go bang out my cardio before I can talk myself out of it. I'll probably feel better when I'm done anyway. Enjoy your day!
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March 20, 2006
The entire weekend was spent moving 20 yards of mulch to our gardens. I'm now told that a yard of dense mulch like the stuff we were using weighs around 800 pounds. That's 8 tons of mulch, moved one shovelful at a time to the wheelbarrow and then carted off various distances. All I can say is I'm glad I'm in such good shape, because that was two seriously grueling, back-to-back all-day workouts. Check the March 18, 2006 and the March 19, 2006 daily news updates if you want the blow-by-blow account.
I started a new photo album with some pictures as we worked on the two day project. There are pictures of the front and back yards, along with plant identifications and descriptive text. Of course a couple pictures of Mulch Mountain are there, too. I'm calling this gallery "Moving Mulch Mountain".
None of my muscles are sore, but I'm very stiff and achy. Both of my shoulders are hurting, which is not much of a surprise considering how much I used them over the past two days. Today is chest day, and that presents a dilemma. I really want to work out, but the way my shoulders feel I think further stressing them would be a big mistake. In fact, it's been almost 10 weeks since I've taken any time off from weight training, so I think I'm going to take a week off from weight training and just do cardio this week. I think my body could use a break, and will enjoy the recovery time.
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March 19, 2006
What a day yesterday! Lisa and I worked all day spreading the mulch, and I'd say we're around 75% done. We're probably going to have some extra mulch--20 yards was too much. Oh well, I'd rather have too much than too little. My neighbors will take care of moving what's left to their own yards, but one neighbor in particular is going to get first pick...
... this neighbor I'm talking about is a family that lives on another street in my subdivision. I can see their house from my house, but in the twelve years that we've been neighbors, we've never met. So yesterday morning Lisa and I were just getting underway when our wheelbarrow disintegrated; the wood handles and support beams just came apart--there was no fixing it. Of course our cars were completely blocked in by all the mulch, and even if I could get Lisa's car out I'm not sure a wheelbarrow would fit in it. All of the neighbors that I'm friendly with were gone for the day--I know because they each waved cheerfully to me from their cars as I stood with my feeble little shovel next to the 8 tons of shredded wood in my driveway. So I'm standing there trying to think of what MacGyver would do in a situation like this, when a pickup truck pulled up to my driveway:
"Hey, looks like you could use a wheelbarrow!"
"I sure could, mine just broke!"
"Grab the one from the back of our truck. Keep it as long as you need it."
Wow. Seriously. That guy ("Mark", as I found when I walked over to his house to thank him at the end of the day) and his wife may have literally saved my life. I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to do the job using buckets. They get first crack at whatever mulch is left, and I'm going to help them load it. They'll probably get a couple of yards, at least.
Lisa and I are feeling pretty beat up this morning. We both got too much sun, and we've got lots of blisters and aches. My thumb has not been an issue at all,
thankfully. Poor Lisa's muscles are sore, especially her calves. None of my muscles are sore in the least bit, not even my back. All that hard work
in the weight room has practical applications, too! 
I didn't miss any meals yesterday, and last night I decided that I'd earned a free meal. I gorged on pizza and buffalo wings, guilt-free. Despite the cheat meal and ingesting 3 or 4 gallons of water, I'm weighing in at a cutting cycle low of 205.4 pounds this morning! I hope I didn't lose any muscle...
It's time to get back to work. Below is a picture of our completed front yard. If you want to see more, I put some more pictures up in my photo journal. Here's a direct link to the photos.
March 18, 2006
Well, the 20 yards of mulch I ordered is being dumped into our driveway as I type this. Man, that's a heck of a lot of mulch. This is going to be a long, hot day! I have a security cameras, one of which keeps an eye on the driveway, and it looks like he's done dumping the mulch. That's one huge pile out there. I'm going to go take a picture of it. Be right back.
Gulp. I think I'd better get started!
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March 17, 2006
I believe that as of this morning I've reached 10% body fat. The fat continues to fly off me at a very nice pace, and there are no signs of abatement. I've been losing a quarter of an inch from my waist every 4-5 days for the past couple of weeks. Just this past Tuesday I was at 32.75 inches, and this morning I'm already closing in on 32.5 inches. I'm also starting to see some very nice abdominal definition, even later in the day after several meals. With two weeks still left in March, I think my pictures at the end of the month will be a very nice improvement over last month's pictures.
My thumb is still a bit stiff and sore, but it's not going to affect my arm workout tonight. I forgot to mention that on Tuesday I did my regular back workout, including deadlifts, and I had no trouble gripping the barbell, even with my aching thumb. Last night's leg workout also went very well. I'm probably going to regret working my legs so hard because tomorrow morning I'm having 20 yards of mulch delivered to my driveway. I have no choice but to get all the mulch spread, because I won't be able to remove either car from the garage until the job is done. I know I could move a car out into the street before the mulch is delivered, but I like the added incentive of having the cars trapped behind a mountain of wood. There are plenty of neighbors who can rush me to the emergency room if I happen to have another boneheaded mishap, such as the hammer incident last weekend (which, thankfully, didn't require a trip to the hospital). I'll try to be more careful this weekend.
Ah, I see it's once again time for my cardio. Happy Friday everyone, have a great day!
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March 16, 2006
When I started my cutting phase on February 1st, I changed my training split from a 5-day split to a 4-day split. I also moved the days that I workout around so that all my strength training workouts (which I do after work at 6:00 PM) are on weekdays (M-T-T-F). I'm really glad that I made those changes, because it's been very nice having my weekend evenings free again. Generally on training days I start staging the gym and getting ready for my workout around 5:30 PM. I workout from 6:00 PM until about 6:45 PM. After my workout I shower, and at 7:00 PM I have my first post-workout meal. I have to start preparing my second post-workout meal about an hour later, and I eat again at 8:30 PM. While only a small portion of the 3.5 hours from 5:30 - 9:00 are spent actually working out and eating, the prep work and meal timings pretty much require me to stay near the gym and the kitchen during that window. I don't mind this one bit--in fact, I love it--but having the weekend evenings 100% free again has been awesome. Another reason moving to an "all weekday" split made sense is because in the summer months Lisa and I have to do a lot of yard work. Getting up, doing my cardio and then busting my butt in the yard for half the day under the hot Florida sun is very draining, and would certainly detract from the quality of my strength training workouts.
Some people make excuses about why they can't do this or that, or that they don't have the time or energy to workout and eat healthy meals. That's bull. The time is there, you just have to make exercise and nutrition a high enough priority to make room for it in your life. If you make excuses and complain that you don't have time to take care of yourself, then sit down and reorganize your priorities. Excuses get you nowhere, and no one cares about your excuses but you! At the end of the day all those excuses go right out the window: you've either succeeded or you failed--end of story! If you are not willing to get up a little earlier and/or change your schedule around so that you can take care of yourself, then at least admit that it's because you don't want it bad enough to make the effort.
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March 15, 2006
After I do my morning weigh-in, I always check my physique in the mirror. I love how lean I look first thing in the morning before I've had any food; I wish I could look that lean all day! This morning all six of my abs were showing very clearly and, best of all, I noticed that my "V" taper has improved considerably. My lats and chest are broader than ever and, while I have fairly wide hips, they are looking smaller each day as my body fat burns away.
While I'm happy about the progress I've made in reducing the apparent size of my big ol' hips by increasing my upper body's thickness (take that, genetics!), I still have a long way to go before I'll be satisfied with my hip-to-chest ratio. right now my chest is just shy of 44 inches, but it really needs to be around 50 inches in order to obtain the dramatic "V" taper look I'm after. Of course my chest measurement (as measured at the nipple level) is not just a chest measurement: it's also lats and back. I think that within in a year or two I can hit that 50 inch mark. One of the best ways to improve upper body width is to do effective lat exercises. I say "effective" because a lot of people do lat pull-downs, wide-grip pull-ups and other back exercises, but they use way too much bicep to perform the exercise. I discussed latissimus dorsi training in my March 8, 2006 Daily News Update.
Man, I am in a fantastic mood this morning! The days are getting longer, the sun is shining, the gardens are growing, I feel strong and healthy and it feels awesome to slowly see my "summer" body emerge after all the hard work I put in this past winter. Years ago I thought drugs provided the best high, but no drug can compare to how I feel on mornings like this one. It's going to be a great day!
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March 14, 2006
Despite my painfully smashed thumb, I was able to perform last night's chest and abs workout. I had to switch my exercises around a bit, but other than that it was business as usual. You can check out last night's post-workout log along with a couple of new pictures right here.
Tonight's workout is back and delts. I should be able to do everything I normally do, with the possible exception of deads. I'll try to do the deads with lifting straps, but even with the straps the pressure on my thumb still might be too great.
Wednesday I don't train, and Thursday is leg day, so hopefully by Friday my thumb will be feeling good enough to do my delt and arm workout. It's actually feeling a little less stiff this morning - a very good sign!
I'm down to 207 pounds this morning, and have lost another quarter inch off my waist. I'm right around 10% body fat now, probably another pound of
fat loss will put me firmly in 10% territory. As I continue to diet down to 8% body fat and below, my abs are going to really start popping out. By the
end of April I should have a very nice, deeply etched six-pack. It's going to be a long, fun summer...
March 13, 2006
Yesterday was another amazing day here in sunny Florida. Lisa and I did what we said we were going to do, and spent the day busting our butts doing yardwork. We got the front yard 100% squared away, and made a nice dent in the back. I got a little too much sun, and a little too much hammer to the thumb. When will I learn to do things like hammering nails before I'm sweaty, exhausted and ready to call it a day? We were all but done with our work, but I noticed a couple of spots on the fence that needed a nail or two. Midway through driving one of the nails, I brought the hammer down full force directly on my thumb, just below where the thumb meets the hand. I don't think it's broken: The swelling is not too bad and I can sort of move it around... but lord is it ever stiff and painful this morning. I hope I don't have any trouble working out tonight. Tonight is chest and abs, so I don't think the thumb should give me too much difficulty. I'll wrap it if I need to. Deadlifts (tomorrow) might be a bit of a problem, however. Double-dumbass on me.
On a more positive note, Lisa and I did get a heck of a lot of very difficult and painstaking work done yesterday. The hard freeze we had a few weeks ago really took its toll on our grass and many of the plants. Even though we had to cut away a lot of dead foliage, I think all of the plants survived. The grass is also starting to green back up nicely. Unfortunately the jury is still out on my favorite tree, the Sapphire Duranta ("Sapphire Showers"); I cut it back yesterday, and it still seems to be alive. If it doesn't make it I'm getting another one: I love that tree.
Next weekend we're going to tackle the weeds in the back, finish up the trimming and I'm going to mulch the front and the back yard. Spreading 35 yards of mulch is going to be a workout in and of itself!
Speaking of workouts, it's time for my cardio. Enjoy your Monday!
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March 12, 2006
Lisa and I have been putting today off for a few weeks, but we can't wait any longer: Today our long, hot and grueling yard work season begins. The first few weeks are always the worst because we have a ton of weeding and trimming to do. Next weekend, or the weekend after next, I'll have 30 yards of mulch delivered. Once we get the mulch down then we'll finally be in our regular "maintenance mode". Of course the house needs a thorough spring cleaning, too... Our weekends for the rest of this month are not going to be very relaxing!
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March 11, 2006
Last night's workout was rather "forced", and I wasn't feeling my usual gung-ho self, but I did manage to have a good workout and increase the weight on every exercise except lateral raises (but I did go up in reps on that one). So, while it was not my best workout, it was a good one. I'm down to 207.8 pounds this morning and somewhere between 10% and 11% body fat. I put a new post-workout picture up last night in my journal on the forum. I'm noticing more cuts, vascularity and my bicep peak seems to be improving as I trim away the fat. Here's a link to the picture and my post-workout musings. Scroll down a bit for a picture of how I looked less than two years ago. It's quite a contrast!
It's been almost a month since I've had anything even remotely resembling a "cheat meal", and the cravings hit me hard last night; so hard, in fact, that I came very close to blowing off my cutting diet for PWO meal #2. After I finished my workout, I was sipping on my protein shake and thinking about the chicken, rice and broccoli I knew I'd be eating a little later. The thought of pizza and BBQ pork entered my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking about it! I quickly stripped off my shirt and looked in the mirror. When I saw the progress I'd made, the instant gratification side of my personality said, "Dude,you deserve it - look how far you've come in just 6 weeks of cutting!" Then the disciplined part of my brain piped in, "Yep, you are doing great, but look how far you have to go. Think about how you'll feel in the morning before you give in." That did the trick. I hate how I feel when I wake up the day after a cheat meal. So, I stuck to my cutting protocol, and this morning I feel great and I'm looking more cut than I have in months. Another 6-8 weeks of this and THEN I'll relax my diet. Right now, there's work to be done.
I've got a VERY busy weekend ahead. Right now I've got to get my cardio done and eat so I can be on time for my haircut. After that, I'm off to Costco to stock up on protein foods. Have a great Saturday!
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March 10, 2006
I think I need a new scale. I stepped on mine this morning and it read 206.8 pounds. I was like, "No way, that's too low". So I stepped on it again and it read 208.2, which is the same as yesterday's weight and probably correct. Just for grins I stepped on it again: 207.4 pounds. Sigh. I'm going to stick with 208.2 for today's "official" weight and do a little research on a new scale. I bought the scale I have now back in 2003 so I could use its BIA body fat functionality, but that feature became useless once I started putting on muscle (right now my scale says I have 18% body fat! 18% body fat and a six-pack, yeah...) I don't care about body fat functions, I just want a scale that gives very accurate weights.
Speaking of new equipment, I'm going to have to get a new MyoTape and digital body fat caliper set. My old tape is about to break, and my calipers died on me a week ago. They served me well for many years, so I'm not complaining.
I'd better go get on the bike - I've got lots to get done before my delts/biceps/triceps workout at 6:00 this evening. Happy Friday!
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March 9, 2006
The fat is finally starting to come off my mid-section a little faster. My genetics force me to wait until the "last minute" to start trimming the lower abdominal area. At this point in my cutting cycle I'm pretty lean in all the other areas of my body, so my body doesn't have many choices left when it needs to burn fat. On Monday my waist (measured at my widest point--just below my belly button) was 33.25 inches, and this morning it's already down another 1/4 inch. Normally when I'm cutting it takes a full week to lose a quarter inch from that area, so this is very encouraging for me. All my muscle measurements have not gone down at all since the initial water loss; SwoleGenix is very, very effective when it comes to lean mass preservation while losing fat as quickly as possible.
I still see a lot of posts and emails from guys who want to know how to "get rid of their belly and get a six-pack". There's only one way to do it: lower your body fat until your abs are showing. Most men lose body fat in the abdominal area last, so that means most of us guys need to be in the single digits (below 10%) before our abs will show. You can not spot reduce your belly fat or any other areas. Crunches will not make your six-pack show (but they will strengthen your abdominals, and that's a good thing). The best way to get your six-pack showing is with a very clean diet (meaning you need to stay away from processed foods and eat wholesome natural foods), weight training and cardio. This, of course, is an oversimplification. For more information, check out the "sticky" threads (always at the top) in the beginner's forum, and/or hire SwoleCat.
Cardio time! Today is my 37th straight day of cardio (45 minutes per session, LISS-style), and the results are keeping me highly motivated to continue. Today is also leg day, so I should sleep pretty darn good tonight.
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March 8, 2006
I had a fantastic back & traps workout last night! It was time to switch things around again, and I decided to add deads back into the mix since my back has been feeling very good lately.
I started off with 4 sets of wide-grip lat pull-downs. Even though I can physically do wide-grip pull-ups, I've found that by lightening the load (doing lat pull-downs instead of body weight pull-ups) I am better able to isolate my lats. Sure, I can do wide-grip pull-ups, but to do them I recruit too much bicep; that is not what I want! By putting my ego aside and focusing on just my lats to perform the lift, I've seen much better development in that area. Another trick that's helped me with my lat development is the incorporation of lifting straps into my lat pull-down sets. When you perform a wide-grip pull-up or pull-down, you want to just hook the bar with your fingers, and focus on using your lats to pull the weight down--not your arms. With lifting straps, getting the proper "hook" grip is much easier. My final bit of advice on pull-downs is to really squeeze the shoulder blades together for a second or two between the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement.
My second exercise was bent over barbell rows. This is a great mid-back exercise, and I love doing it. Next I was going to do T-Bar rows, but instead I decided to do close-grip low cable rows. After that, I did 4 sets of deads using moderate weight. This morning my back feels fine, so next week I'll be bumping the weight up on my deads quite a bit.
I've got to get moving - cardio, then meetings downtown. Have a great day!
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March 7, 2006
For last night's chest workout I went back to an all-dumbbell workout I did back in December with very good results. I love that dumbbells allow for freer movement than a barbell, but there is also the danger of overextending the shoulders. I was very careful about that, but I still seemed to have tweaked my bad shoulder (right) a bit. I'm not going to worry about it too much: this has happened a few times since my shoulder rehab and it's always turned out to be nothing more than a strain.
I'm down to about 11% body fat right now. See if you agree - I put some new shirtless picture up in my photo journal last night. Here's a direct link to my post-workout log and the pictures. The main areas in which I am still carrying some fat are my face, my inner thighs and just below my belly button. The lower abdominal fat has always been a source of frustration for me, and this year I may continue to cut until I'm around 6% body fat. I've never taken my body fat that low before, but thanks to SwoleGenix muscle loss should not be an issue.
Cardio time! Today is my 35th day in a row of 45-minute LISS cardio. This is the longest unbroken cardio streak I've had since my original fat loss back in 2003!
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March 6, 2006
Whenever I bring up the subject of substance abuse and addiction in general (see yesterday's update), I'm always overwhelmed by the massive response. I think the reason the subject of addiction elicits such incredible feedback is because it's something many people have struggled with at some time in their lives. I'm not just talking about drugs, either: food, tobacco, gambling and alcohol addictions are also very common--and many of us have suffered from (or are currently suffering from) several of these addictions at the same time. I know I did. That's a lot to deal with, and sometimes it seems like there is no way out. I felt like there was no hope for a very long time, but I was wrong: there was an answer to my problems, and for me the solution was fitness.
Some people wonder why I'm so passionate about fitness, health and exercise. It's simple: those things changed my life forever and gave me the strength to overcome my addictions. After well over a decade of constant drug abuse (and not just chronic/daily pot use), today I celebrate 3 years without drugs. After 13 years and a 3-pack a day habit, I've not had a cigarette since October 31, 2000. I used to get drunk every night, now I drink maybe once a month, sometimes less. I used to drink far more alcohol in a month than I've had in the past 3 years combined.
I remember there were days when I would look at my reflection the mirror and think to myself "you are going to be a loser for the rest of your life". I was so numb from drugs, depression and alcohol that I didn't even care--admitting that I was giving up gave me the freedom to continue my downward spiral free of guilt. Thankfully there was still a spark of life somewhere in me, and exercise was the fuel that turned that spark back into a raging fire. Now I live life with passion--healthy, and free of the demons that almost killed me.
I talk about these things because I want people who are suffering from addiction to know that the fat lady has not sung; your life is not over--you can fix things, because there is always hope. There is a solution to your problems, but you've got to really want to change. Because you are reading a health and fitness web site, I suspect that you do want to change. For me the answer was exercise and improving my health, maybe it is for you, too. Today every single one of us is one day closer to the end of our lives than we were yesterday. Make this one count.
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March 5, 2006
Three years ago today was the last day I ever smoked marijuana. As some of you already know, I was a chronic pot smoker from the late 1980s up until March 6, 2003. During those years, marijuana was in complete control my life: everything I did revolved around my ability to be stoned during most of my waking hours. On the rare occasion that I ran out of weed and couldn't get more--even for just a day, or, for that matter, a few hours--I was completely miserable. I know there are a lot of chronics and former chronics out there who know exactly what I'm talking about. Non-smokers and people who are able to use marijuana recreationally (once a week or so), often can't understand just how powerful the mental addiction can be in some people. When I was a pot smoker I knew lots and lots of people who were just like me: weed was the sun around which the rest of our lives revolved. I knew pot was ruining my life, but there were times that I truly thought I'd never be able to quit smoking it. Exercise and nutrition changed all that: Just two months after dedicating myself to health and fitness, I successfully quit this 13+ year habit that was destroying my life.
This is a slightly modified post that I made yesterday in reply to a forum member who is battling some addictions of his own:
We all have the power to change, but many people fall back on excuses instead of mustering the courage and discipline required to really make change happen. If you really want to change, then you need to follow through ... and eliminate the things that are killing you and making you unhappy with how your life is going.
It's not easy to do these things, and there's no shame in seeking outside help if you need it. For me it was a matter of deciding what I wanted to change in my life, and then forcing myself to follow through until those changes were my reality.
I had to overcome a lot: I was overweight and out of shape, I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes every day, I smoked pot constantly, I drank alcohol daily, I was lazy, I didn't exercise, I lacked self-confidence, I was antisocial and I was bitter. For me, the key to my success was diet and exercise. Once I started to get healthy, all those vices became less important to me. One by one, I beat those demons: I refused to give in to my cravings no matter what, and before I knew it I was a changed man.
Not many people know that I smoked pot for the first two months of my transformation. Once I began to lose weight, exercise, eat right and feel better about myself, I realized that I no longer wanted to be hidden away in a stoned shell. I threw away all my paraphernalia and smoked my last bowl on March 5, 2003. I smoked pot daily for almost 15 years; back when I was a pot smoker I never thought I could last 3 days without smoking weed, let alone three years. Once I got past the first couple of weeks it was pretty easy. These days when I think back to how I used to live, it's like looking at another person.
My daily update from November 20, 2004 might be of interest.
Responding to that post on the forum yesterday and writing this update this morning has stirred a lot of emotion. As a reformed drug and alcohol abuser, I can relate to and empathize with the feelings that many of you reading this are experiencing right now. When I decided to change, the emotion I remember most clearly is fear: Fear of facing life without drugs and alcohol, fear of failure and fear of the cravings I knew would consume my thoughts. Are you sitting in your chair right now and thinking, "He just described my life!"? Listen, I want you to know three things that I believe with all my heart:
1) You are not alone.
2) You CAN overcome your addictions and start living the life you deserve. I did it, others have done it, and so can you.
3) Start now. Get help if you need it, but don't let another day of your life slip away. Life is an uncertain and fleeting gift: Today could be your last day on Earth - make it count!
March 4, 2006
I overslept by almost 2 hours this morning. One of my dogs, Loki, was sick to his stomach and he kept me and Lisa up all night. Thank goodness he's fine now, so no worries, but we're both dead tired. It's 3 minutes until 9:00 and I still have to do my cardio. I'm going to cut this update short and go do what needs to be done. I'm making greet progress this week, and I don't want to break my streak of 32 days of cardio in a row! See ya tomorrow...
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March 3, 2006
Last night was my leg workout, and I almost decided to give squats a try for the first time since I messed up my back in January. I kept thinking about how well my deadlifts went a couple of weeks ago, but then I reminded myself of the slight (but definite) pain I can still feel in that area. I decided to stick with "safe" leg presses, leg curls and leg lifts instead, and I'm glad that I did: this morning there's a small increase in the pain level, and it's probably from the leg curls. The pain is not bad at all, but I'm hyper-sensitive to what's going on with my back because I don't want to re-injure myself.
Even though I have not been able to perform the "King of all exercises", I have been making the most of leg day with very high rep, fairly heavy substitute exercises. My rest intervals have been very short, so the cardio aspect and intensity level of the workout are both very high. This morning my legs are feeling that pre-DOMS heaviness that I love so much. By this time tomorrow I'll be walking funny.
My quads grew a tremendous amount over this past bulk: I added 4 inches to them (26.5 inches). Now, I do tend to store fat and water in my thighs, so I knew that number would be reduced as I cut. Right now my quads are 25.5 inches (cold/flexed), which still represents a respectable 3 inch gain. They will probably still shrink a bit more, but there's not a whole lot of fat on them at this point. It's been awhile since I took pictures of my legs and calves. I need to shave them and take some pictures - all the hair really obscures the definition. Some people (especially those who are new to bodybuilding) think shaving is weird. Get over it - it's not! It's difficult to see muscle development through a tangle of hair, end of story.
By the way, everyone always asks me how I shave. For my arms and chest I just use a razor and shaving gel once per week or so. I don't keep my legs shaved constantly like my upper body, so when they are really hairy I use Nair for men (stinks BAD, but very quick and effective). I use an electric clipper with a guard to keep my underarm hair very short, but I don't shave it off completely.
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March 2, 2006
What the hell? I woke up with a splitting headache this morning. I rarely get headaches, and I have no idea why I have one right now. I'm still fighting this bug that has been trying to take me down (my throat is killing me), so maybe this headache is related to that. I really don't feel like doing my cardio right now, but one thing I've learned over the past three years is that if I do my cardio when I'm not feeling too great, I almost always feel better when I'm done. Besides, with the changes Chris made to my diet earlier this week, I've busted through my plateau and I am losing fat again. I don't want to let up now!
In case you missed yesterday's update, I've updated my monthly photos and added a new pre/post-bulk comparison shot of my back, delts, arms and lats. I feel like all the hard work I put in this past winter is being rewarded as I slowly strip away the fat to reveal the new muscle I've added. The fat is melting away along with the winter days. Soon it will be "shirtless" season, and I can't wait!
I'm making good progress, but I'm not quite ready to rip off my shirt just yet! Time for my cardio - today marks 30 daily 45-minute sessions in a row.
March 1, 2006
It's already monthly picture day again! February was a short month, but I think I've made the most of it. I'm very pleased with my cutting progress thus far: I've lost 15 pounds, and I'm maintaining my size and strength.
While my monthly pictures give a good overall idea of how my body is changing from month-to-month, it's tough to get a real sense of how different my individual muscle groups look without close-ups. For example, in the monthly pictures my delts, arms and traps look a little fuller now than they did before my bulk, but check out this back double-bicep comparison I posted last night: My delts, lats, arms and traps are considerably bigger than they were before I started my bulk, and my overall upper body width has increased my "V" taper. Thanks to my large hips, I still have a lot of work to do before my V-taper is where I want it to be, but I feel like I'm making real progress now.
Cardio time. I hope your day is a good one, see you tomorrow!
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