Daily News Archives

March 2009

03/31/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/30/2009 - Update on the past few weeks.
03/29/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/28/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/27/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/26/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/25/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/24/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/23/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/22/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/21/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/20/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/19/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/18/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/17/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/16/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/15/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/14/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/13/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/12/2009 - No update - Turtle.
03/11/2009 - Taking some time off..
03/10/2009 - Turtle update.
03/09/2009 - Leg day!
03/08/2009 - I got drunk last night.
03/07/2009 - Turtle.
03/06/2009 - Enjoying my workouts so far; Sinus headache yesterday; Brief forum downtime.
03/05/2009 - Crazy days at work; Today's back/biceps workout.
03/04/2009 - First week of my cut going very well!
03/03/2009 - A couple of additional notes about my cut; First day report.
03/02/2009 - 2009 cut starts today: complete training program and diet.
03/01/2009 - No update - out of town.

March 31, 2009

No update - Turtle.

March 30, 2009

Over the past few weeks I've made a few updates to my photo journal on the forum, but I wanted to take a few minutes this morning to touch base with the readers of JSF...

When I went to bed on Thursday, March 19, Turtle seemed fine: she leaped up on the bed, rolled around while I scratched her belly and curled up next to me, just like she does every night. Around 2:30 AM on Friday morning I woke up to find Turtle at the very bottom the bed, which is extremely unusual. I called to her, and she seemed like she wanted to come, but could not stand. I got up, flipped on the light and called to her again. She struggled to her feet and, before I could stop her, she jumped off the bed and collapsed on the floor with a painful cry. Turtle was in agony: she was panting, her eyes were glazed with pain, she could barely walk and she cried out when she tried to move. She manged to limp out to the back yard, but at some point it became too much for her and she cried out from the darkness, refusing to take another step. I had to go out into the yard and help her in. We barely made it into the house. I manged to get her in one of the comfy doggie "day beds", and then dragged her into the bedroom. As we lay on the floor together, I was overwhelmed with grief because my friend of eleven years was in terrible pain, and there was nothing I could do. I knew we only had a few hours left together...

The next day our vet came out to the house to end Turtle's suffering. Turtle died in my arms around 12:45 PM on Friday, March 20, 2009.

After speaking with Turtle's cancer specialist, it seems that the most likely thing that happened was one of the tumors in her lungs burst open. This would explain the suddenness and severity of the pain.

Turtle was much more than "just a dog" to me. She was a family member who I loved like any other family member. For more than a quarter of my life she was part of everything I did. Even when I was away I'd think about her often, and wonder what she was doing. We shared a bond that was truly special.

These past few weeks have been extraordinarily difficult. I am healing, however, and slowly returning to normal....

I've not trained in weeks, my sleep has been terrible and my diet has been total crap. Today all that changes: I'm rebooting my 2009 cut, getting back to my regular diet and will resume my training.

I am going to resume my daily updates to this site within a week.

I want to again thank everyone for their unbelievable support during this difficult time.

Goodbye, old girl...

March 12, 2009 - March 29, 2009

No update - Turtle.

March 11, 2009

The news on Turtle is not good. The cancer has spread to her lungs, and her doctor was unable to remove the tumor regrowth on her tongue. The tumor is much wider than it was the last time it was removed, and so taking it out would cause her to lose a large part of her tongue. Both her regular veterinarian and her cancer specialist recommended against the operation because the recovery from such a procedure would be very painful and difficult.

There's no way to know for sure how much time she has left, but it's a matter of a couple weeks, or even a few days.

Last night Turtle coughed and hacked quite a lot, and I barely slept a wink. This morning I feel tired, weary, sad and defeated.

I know this is primarily a fitness blog, but right now talking about abs and pecs seems trite. I need some time to deal with all this, and so I've decided to take a break from updating this site for a while.

The outpouring of support from the JSF community has been overwhelming. Thank you all so much for understanding what I'm going through. Turtle has never been "just a dog" to me. Right now all I can do is shower her with my love, and ensure that her last remaining days are spent happy and comfortable.

March 10, 2009

I hit the weights yesterday like a man possessed. I think all the stress and emotion I've been feeling lately came pouring out in the gym. I have a feeling that today's chest workout is going to be equally as fierce...

I'm in a huge rush this morning because I have to have Turtle at her veterinarian's office in less than an hour. She's going in for surgery to remove the tumor regrowth that I found on the back of her tongue this past Saturday. She'll also have some xrays done to see if the cancer has spread. If the cancer has made its way into her lungs, then there's nothing more that can be done. The experimental malignent melanoma treatments she's been undergoing for the past seven months are only effective prior to metastasis. Once the cancer spreads, well, it's only a matter of time.

I want to thank everyone for all their support and kindness. It has meant a lot. Coming to grips with the grim reality of the situation has been extremely difficult for me. The prospect that I may only have a few weeks left with my beloved friend is devastating.

March 9, 2009

Today begins week #2 of my cut, and this week I'll be performing a whole new set of workouts. You can check out the actual workouts and all the details on my 2009 cut training page.

Normally when I'm cutting or bulking I take a complete set of measurements every Sunday morning and then report my progress here. I wasn't feeling like myself over this past weekend, and I didn't take any measurements or a body fat reading. Sorry about that. Next Sunday I will resume this practice.

Today is leg day, and I'm looking forward to getting in the gym and tearing things up. Can you believe that my glutes are still a little sore from last Monday's leg training?! That was one heck of a workout, but I have a feeling today's workout is going to be equally tough. The Smith squat/DB Step up/Leg extension tri-sets on tap for this afternoon are going to be insane!

I have to go get meal #1 cooking. I hope you have a wonderful day - train hard!

March 8, 2009

Well, I said that I was not going to consume any alcohol during my cut, but last night I really tied one on. I was upset about Turtle, and I guess I just wanted everything to go away for awhile. Thankfully a few drinks was the extent of my deviation from the cutting plan: I didn't drunkenly gorge myself on junk food or anything like that. Normally my willpower is as strong as steel, but I'm having a very difficult time accepting the fact that in all likelihood Turtle will not be with me much longer.

So of all the nights I decide to drink myself stupid, I had to do it the day before the clocks go forward an hour. I got up at my usual time of 6:00 AM this morning (which, of course, was 5:00 AM), and that wasn't much fun at all. I'll spare you all my yearly rant about the stupidity of changing the clocks twice per year. I just don't have the energy right now.

I do appreciate all the kind posts, PMs and emails many of you sent my way yesterday. They really helped. I'm going to take today to get re-centered and focused. Feeling sorry for myself is not helping matters at all.

March 7, 2009

A few moments ago I saw Turtle scratching at her face. I checked the back of her tongue (where the first cancerous tumor was discovered back in August), and there is a new tumor growing there. Turtle has been undergoing experimental malignant melanoma treatments for the past six months and, until this morning, the treatments seemed to be working. Seeing the new growth was like taking a knife to my heart. I feel numb and sick all at the same time.

I'd planned to talk about the first week of my cut this morning, but I just can't. I'm sorry.

March 5, 2009

Man, work has been kicking my butt lately. I've been so busy with my work that I've had little time (outside of training, of course!) to do much else. The projects that I've been working on are very mentally taxing and fairly stressful; by the end of the day I feel totally drained. Yesterday I got news that things are going to get even busier, which I find difficult to comprehend.

Please don't mistake what I just said as complaining, I'm merely talking about the reality of my situation. Actually, I feel extremely fortunate to be employed and busy - especially in our current economic climate.

Today is my back and biceps workout, and also a fairly high carb day (here's my current cutting diet). My workout calls for outdoor farmer's walks, so at some point today I've got to go out back and make sure the dogs haven't left any unpleasant land mines for me.

For my back power exercise I've decided to go with heavy bent-over barbell rows. I love those.

My breakfast is ready, so I'm going to sign off for the day. Thanks for stopping by!

March 4, 2009

Yesterday's chest workout may have been relatively low volume, but the entire workout consisted of supersets and tri-sets. My training session was over in less than 30 minutes, but when I walked out of the gym I was drenched in sweat, out of breath and very tired. I really enjoyed the workout.

This morning my legs are destroyed. Monday's leg workout was quite difficult, and I could tell as early as Monday evening that an especially painful bout of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) was in store. I thought my legs were hurting last night when I went to bed, but this morning they are at a whole new level of pain. I love it.

My aching, buckling legs are going to love the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio session I have scheduled for this afternoon. Today's workout will actually be the first formal cardio workout that I've done in like 5 or 6 months (I did not do any cardio while bulking).

My diet has been 100% on-point, and I'm starting to notice the caloric reduction. I'm not starving by any means (and my energy levels are excellent!), but I'm definitely more than ready to eat when each meal time rolls around. I know I'm still eating close to 3,000 calories on weight training days, but that represents a reduction of around 600 calories per day compared to what I'd grown used to. I'm sure by this time next week my body will have adapted. Also, feeling hungry is sort of motivating to me when I'm on a cut.

I have to eat and get to work - have a great day!

March 3, 2009

If you missed yesterday's update, I posted my complete 2009 cut diet and training plans.

Yesterday I forgot to mention a couple of things that relate to the general principles I'll be following on this cut...

First of all, there will be no cheat meals. I am going to stay 100% on my planned diet until I reach my goal of 6% body fat. As I've learned through trial and error over the past six years, the "all or nothing" approach is what works best for me. I'm definitely at my best when I'm single-minded in the pursuit of my goals, and so there will be no distractions or deviations from the plan.

As implied in the above paragraph (but worth a separate mention to be perfectly clear), I will not be consuming any alcohol at all for the entire duration of my cut. I didn't consume any alcohol on my past bulk, and I feel that my choice to abstain made a big overall difference. I realize that some people - many of whom are considerably more knowledgeable about the human body than I - feel that moderate use of alcohol is not a hindrance to fat loss and/or muscle building. Well, I disagree with those people. Alcohol is, in fact, a poison; I can't get my head around how a moderate amount of poison is "as good" as ZERO amounts of poison. I know I sleep better, feel better and train better when I'm completely abstaining from alcohol, so that's the end of the debate (at least for me).

Yesterday was the first day of my cut, and everything went perfectly to plan. My training session (legs) was awesome! My new diet is taking some getting used to (I have to keep my diet plan open all day to make sure I don't miss anything), but after a few days it will be second nature.

I need to go get breakfast started, so I'm going to sign off now. Later today I'll be training chest, and will be doing some difficult supersets and tri-sets. Should be fun. Train hard, and I hope you have a great day!

March 2, 2009

I enjoyed a fairly relaxed diet and somewhat lighter training regimen during the five weeks between my 2008 bulk and my 2009 cut. This brief period of time to sort of coast along helped me recharge my batteries and gave my body a chance to fully recover from my brutal 17-week bulk. Today marks the start of my cut back down to 6% body fat, and the fun and games are over. It's time to get serious with my diet and training again, and I'm feeling positive and fired up!

As most of you already know, this year I'll once again be working with my friend, forum sponsor and professional natural bodybuilder Aram "Mastover" Hamparian. Aram has designed a custom diet and training program for me (which will, of course, be modified as my cut progresses), and he has generously allowed me to post it here. For more information on Aram's customized diet and training programs, please check out his web site, www.mastover.com.

First, let's take a look at my diet plan. As you can see, I'll be eating three distinct meal plans each week: one plan for days when I train with weights, one plan for non-weight training days, and a specially modified higher carb diet on back day. Normally leg day would get the extra carbs, but since legs are not exactly a weak area for me and my traps continue to suck, back day gets the extra carbs.

I have chosen foods that I enjoy. In fact, most of the foods are the same foods as I ate during my bulk (including red potatoes, which are my favorite). On training days anywhere from 37% - 46% of my food intake will come from carbs. It's going to be so nice not to walk around in a low carb fog, and I should have plenty of energy in the gym - even in a caloric deficit.

Moving on to my training program, Mastover has designed some very exciting and challenging workouts for me. As I mentioned before I went out of town last week, I will be redesigning my jumbled training page as soon as I have time. In the meantime, I made a special new page just for this year's cut: 2009 cut training page. The information on that page covers my weight training and cardio, and should be fairly self-explanatory. For my leg workout I'll be choosing squats and romanian deadlifts as my two power exercises.

Well, it looks like another very busy work week lies ahead of me, but I you can bet that I will make the time to perform each and every workout. The only thing separating me from my shredded 6% body fat summer physique is a few months of hard work. No problem!

March 1, 2009

No update - out of town.

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