Daily News Archives

October 2007

10/31/2007 - 7 years ago I stopped smoking--this is my story.
10/30/2007 - Going to do some HIIT today; Questions answered.
10/29/2007 - Why I'm ending my bulk early.
10/28/2007 - Decisions, decisions...
10/27/2007 - Thoughts of cutting my bulk short.
10/26/2007 - Horrible workout yesterday; Stress.
10/25/2007 - A bit on my upcoming mini-cut; Legs still very sore.
10/24/2007 - Yesterday's workout; Drop sets; How's your gym intensity?
10/23/2007 - Leg workout straight from hell; Chest & Triceps today.
10/22/2007 - Today's leg workout; November "100 Challenge" open for entry.
10/21/2007 - Fun Birthday celebration; "Transformers" movie sucked.
10/20/2007 - 3-week bulking stats; Saturday plans.
10/19/2007 - Want guns? Tips for working your biceps and triceps.
10/18/2007 - Yesterday's workout; Missed a meal.
10/17/2007 - Home gym flooring.
10/16/2007 - It sure has been an interesting morning around here...
10/15/2007 - Rested for my "core" week; Bulking weight gain more conrolled; AtLarge!
10/14/2007 - Fun day yesterday; First photo in my new gym (still under contruction).
10/13/2007 - Saturday plans.
10/12/2007 - INTENSITY WEEK - Delts & Calves.
10/11/2007 - INTENSITY WEEK - Back & biceps.
10/10/2007 - A much needed day of rest.
10/09/2007 - INTENSITY WEEK - Chest & triceps; Office rennovation pictures.
10/08/2007 - INTENSITY WEEK - Quads & hamstrings.
10/07/2007 - Weekend work: Day two.
10/06/2007 - Lots of work to do this weekend.
10/05/2007 - House is sold; Sleepless night.
10/04/2007 - My triceps hate me; Tomorrow's planned workout.
10/03/2007 - "How do you eat the same thing everyday?"
10/02/2007 - First day of bulking report; Tomorrow's planned workout.
10/01/2007 - BULK!

October 31, 2007

Today is a wonderful anniversary for me! This day will always remind me of one of my proudest and most difficult achievements: on October 31, 2000 I smoked the last cigarette of my life. I was a very heavy smoker for over 10 years, and the last three or four years of that time I was more of a chain smoker than a heavy smoker: I was going through more than two cartons of cigarettes per week--3 packs per day. It was ridiculous. I constantly had a cigarette lit, and sometimes I'd even accidentally light a second one while another one was still burning in the ash tray. I was horribly addicted, and for a long time I honestly thought there was no way I could ever quit, and so I never even tried...

When I finally decided that it was either quit or die, I went cold turkey. There was no winding down, no patches, no hypnotism and no tricks. My thought process was, "Hey it's better to quickly rip a bandage off rather than take it off slowly!" Just do it. I knew it was going to be hard, but it was even more difficult than I could have imagined. The desire to smoke was so strong that it consumed my thoughts constantly for a long, long time. I would catch myself trying to rationalize why it would be OK to "just have one", but somehow I was able to fight though all that.

I remember about three weeks after I quit smoking our air conditioning went out (it's still very hot in Florida this time of year) and things at work were going haywire. I actually got in my car and drove to the store with the purpose of buying a pack of cigarettes. I remember sitting in the parking lot of the store thinking, "If you do this, then all the suffering you went through over the past three weeks was for nothing." Even worse, I knew that I'd probably never have the guts to go through all that again. I honestly believe that if I'd gone in that store and purchased those cigarettes my life would be completely different right now: I'd probably still be a smoker, I'd still be smoking pot, and I doubt very seriously that I would have ever decided to undergo my transformation in 2003. Even though I was hot, irritable, irrational and frustrated, somehow I was still able to recognize the extreme importance of the choice I was about to make.

As I drove home from the store without the cigarettes, I knew that tough days were still ahead, but I also knew I'd just fought the battle that won the war.

October 30, 2007

I took yesterday off from training, and today I'm going to do some cardio for the first time in about a month. I was going to do some LISS cardio this morning, but instead I think I'm going to get my heart rate up and do some HIIT cardio this afternoon. My intensity workouts over the past month kept my heart rate elevated through pretty much the entire workout, so it will be interesting to see how I feel today while I'm doing tough cardio intervals.

I definitely put on some fat over the past month, but I should be able to get rid of it fairly quickly. I'm presently right around 10% body fat, and I'd like to get back down to 8% or so. I expect this will take 4-6 weeks, and will not be too difficult at all.

After yesterday's announcement some people have asked when I will bulk again, and if I will pick up where I left off and follow the same plan. I can't answer the first part of that question right now. I will probably wait until late summer or early fall before I go on another all-out bulk. After I move and get settled I may increase my calories slightly and continue to build my strength. I just don't know right now. As for the second part of the question, the answer is "yes": I do plan to use the same bulking program and diet that I was following. I think it's a very solid program, and I see a lot of potential in it.

Most of you have been very supportive of my choice to end this year's bulk early, but a few of you have expressed disappointment in me. If you visit this web site expecting 100% consistency, zero mistakes and absolute perfection out of me, then I guarantee that you are going to come away disapointed. I'm human, and I'm far from perfect. This web site is, and always has been, a journal of my ongoing fitness journey. I have triumphs and failures just like everyone else on the planet. I do some things right, and other times I make mistakes. When I make a mistake, I try to admit it, learn from it, pick up and move forward. I learned a long time ago that I can't please everyone; all I can do is stay true to myself and do what I think is best.

October 29, 2007

Those of you who are regular visitors to this site know that I never do anything unless I'm prepared to give a 100% effort. When I started bulking on October 1st, I knew full well that I'd have a tremendous amount of other things going on in my life at the same time, but I still thought I could handle it all. As it turns out, I was not being honest with myself. I started to realize this about a week ago, and it has been very difficult for me to admit that I'd bitten off more than I could chew.

I've been putting a lot of thought into the current priorities in my life. Working out and eating right are right up there at the top of the list. They always will be. Health and fitness form the foundation for everything I do. "Bulking" and packing on muscle is not the same thing as health and fitness. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love bulking, but it requires a great deal of time and energy to do it right: six big, strict meals at perfect intervals every single day, grueling workouts that leave me exhausted and perpetually sore, feeling like I can't miss a single workout, planning the workouts, strict sleeping schedules and so on...

Trying to balance all that with everything else that's going on in my life right now (and what is on the horizon) has left me feeling very stressed and very unhappy. I discussed the issue with my trainer, Mastover, and here's what he had to say:

"You've recognized the warning signs. You have a lot going on right now. What we are doing is just fun. On the totem pole of life's responsibilities, bodybuilding is all the way down on the bottom. Trust me on that one. We are not machines. Cutting/bulking/cutting/bulking all the time is not too healthy and not healthy for the mental state. It's time to take a break. Ease up on your dieting. Make training fun. Don't train too often. Once everything settles down and you feel the itch once more, you will know when its time to go on."

While I read Mastover's words of wisdom, it was as if a weight was being lifted from my shoulders. He articulated what I already knew in my heart, but was too proud to admit. He's right.

The sale of our existing home will be finalized this week and the completion and closing on our new home is coming up in the next 6-8 weeks. We've got a ton of packing to do, the actual physical move (and all the hassles that go with it) and we're going to need a few weeks to get unpacked and settled into our new home. Those are the things that need focus in my life right now--not putting on more muscle. This move is a huge change in our lives, and I think it would be foolish to not give it the focus it deserves.

So I'm cutting my bulk short, effective today. I'm going to go on a brief (4-6 weeks) very "non-formal" cut and get my body fat back down to a level I'm comfortable with (around 8% or so). Of course I'll still be eating clean foods and working out, but I'm not going to worry about missing a meal or a workout here and there. I'll also continue to update this site daily and run the forums, as those are things I enjoy a great deal. After we close on the new house in mid-to-late December I'm going to take a couple weeks off from everything and focus my energies 100% on the move and getting settled.

I appreciate all the support I've received over this decision. The competitive side of me feels a little bruised right now, but I know I've made the right choice.

October 28, 2007

I want to thank everyone for their emails, PMs and posts regarding yesterday's update. I'm going to take today to relax and make a final decision regarding this year's bulk. Actually, I slept on it last night and I've already reached the decision to cut my bulk short, but I'm going to give it another 24 hours before I make it "official". I'll go into more details tomorrow. Thanks again for all the support!

October 27, 2007

Yesterday's workout was better than Thursday's, but I was still far from the top of my game. I'm really glad it's the weekend and I have a couple of days to recharge. I think I went overboard with the volume for my leg workout last Monday, and that was a mistake. My legs and glutes are still quite sore today.

I went ahead and had my weekly cheat meal last night, and this morning I'm up to 200 pounds and looking pretty bloated. I have to admit that I'm having a tough time dealing with the fat and water weight gains after working so hard to cut down to 6% body fat. I'm glad that in a week I'll be going on a 2-week mini-cut. It's funny, because the past couple of bulks I didn't really care about the temporary fat gain, but for some reason this year it's really bugging me. I think it's because I worked very hard for six months to cut down to 6% body fat, and I'm most comfortable with my appearance at low body fat levels.

Frankly, thoughts of cutting this year's bulk short have been running through my mind: my stress levels are very high right now, Lisa and I will be picking up and moving right smack in the middle of my bulk (that alone is going to take a great deal of time and effort) and, with everything that's going on in my life right now, I've been feeling very distracted lately. I guess it boils down to this: I'm feeling like I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew. I'm certainly not going to make any rash decisions, but I'm going to continue to give it some thought and do what I think is best for me right now.

October 26, 2007

Yesterday's workout... well, it just plain sucked. I think that's about the best word for it. It was easily my worst workout of this year's bulk, and probably in the top 10 of my all-time worst workouts. I just couldn't seem to shake off the cobwebs. My whole body felt tired and sore, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to get fired up. My meals have been spot-on, I had Wednesday off from training and I've been sleeping like a baby at night, so I was a little puzzled as to what was wrong. I put some additional thought into it last night, and about the only thing I could come up with is that I've been training very hard, and this week's workouts have been especially brutal. Maybe my body just needed a little more rest (or maybe I was just being a wuss).

Another possible contributing factor is that I've been under a lot of stress lately. With just one week to go until the new owners close on our existing house, there has been a little uncertainty caused by something that the home inspection turned up: the inspector hired by the buyers says "roof hail damage!", but an independent roofing engineering firm that we had inspect the roof says "superficial/cosmetic hail damage that in no way compromises the integrity of the roof." Despite the fact that the engineer is infinitely more qualified to make this judgment, if the buyers want to they can simply walk away from the deal. That's very scary because we are out of time, and the pre-owned housing market is absolutely horrible right now. If the buyers bail out, we're probably going to lose our new home. No matter what happens, I'll never say that this experience has been boring!

I feel good this morning, and I'm going to try to put all that crap out of my mind when I walk into the gym later today. It's really hard to do that, though; this is major juncture in my life and everything is riding on the sale of our existing house. Hopefully the closing will happen as scheduled next Friday and then I can finally relax!

October 25, 2007

I haven't done any formal cardio in almost a month, but I think my "intensity" workouts are keeping me in very good cardiovascular condition. Those workouts really get my heart pumping hard! Plenty of cardio is coming very soon, however...

A week from this coming Monday I'll begin the first "mini-cut" of this year's bulk. This is something new that I'm trying this year in an effort to keep fat gains to a minimum while bulking. The first of my two brief cutting cycles will last two weeks, and I'll be doing a lot of HIIT cardio. My strength training workouts will remain the same during this cutting period, but my diet will change (complete food log is here). There will be no cheat meals during my 2-week mini cut, but what I'm going to miss most are the roasted red potatoes I've been eating for breakfast!

Today's workout is back and biceps. My legs are still sore from Monday's workout, so I'm going to try and minimize leg involvement by doing the power variants of the Olympic exercises I'll be doing for today's workout.

I'd better get to work--lots to do today. Train hard, and have a great day!

October 24, 2007

Yesterday's workout (pecs & triceps) was excellent: I increased the weights on all exercises over my last pecs & triceps "intensity" workout and, in some cases, even managed more reps using those heavier weights.

Some of the intensity techniques I've been using for this year's bulk (such as supersets and short rest intervals) are very familiar to me, but the "drop set" is a technique that I've only used very occasionally over the past five years. I've been doing drop sets regularly as part of this year's bulk, and I'm quickly becoming a big fan of them.

If you're not familiar with drop sets, it is a very simple technique: start off with a challenging weight for the initial target rep range (say 10-12 reps) and then do reps to failure. The moment you fail, quickly pick up a lighter set of dumbbells (or strip some weight off the barbell--plan your plates ahead so you can strip just 5 or 10 pounds at a time) and again do as many reps as you can until complete failure. Repeat. I've been doing triple drop sets as part of my chest workout, but you can continue and do 4, 5, 6 or even more. For example, you could go down the rack of dumbbells doing hammer curls until your biceps are so destroyed that you can't even eek out another rep with a light 5 or 10-pound dumbbell!

Be honest with yourself: are you hitting the gym but merely going through the motions of a workout? Are you doing the same exercises and rep ranges every week? Are you bored with your workouts? Do you come away from your workouts feeling like you've been to hell and back, or are you barely in need of a shower when you are done? My suggestion is to spice up your workouts with new exercises and techniques. Make your workouts as difficult and as uncomfortable as you possibly can. Push yourself past your limits every single time you pick up a weight. Enter the the gym with the same mindset that you'd have walking onto a battlefield. This advice is not over-the-top; this is how you maximize your effort, get real results and keep your desire to train consistent. If you support this kind of intense training with a sound nutritional program, you will grow.

October 23, 2007

Yesterday's leg workout was crazy. The extra volume was extremely tough, and the short rest intervals had me perpetually winded for pretty much the entire workout. Superseting the final set of single-leg leg extensions with a huge set of 50 (per leg) DB lunges was one heck of a challenge. By the time I finished I could not catch my breath, I was sweating so much it looked like I'd just climbed out of a lake and my legs felt like they were made of rubber. I took two minutes of rest and then did 2 sets of deep barbell squats with a 5-second pause bellow parallel. On the second set my legs completely gave out on the "pause" portion of the 5th rep; I collapsed in a heap on the floor and the safety spotters caught the bar. I took 1 minute of rest and happily switched gears and gave my hamstrings some direct attention.

After my workout my legs were shaking so badly that I had to sit down in the shower. I must have sat there for 10 minutes--I honestly don't think I could have got up even if the house was on fire. Later that afternoon I drove out to the new house, and I had one hell of a time climbing the stairs to the second floor. This morning the soreness in my quads, hams and glutes is already setting in, and it's going to get far worse over the next 24-36 hours.

Today's workout is chest & triceps, and it's going to be another high volume, high intensity training session: reverse pyramids, supersets, triple drop sets, sets to failure and short rest intervals. I really enjoyed this workout last week, and I intend to add weight and take the intensity level up another notch today.

Tomorrow is a day off from training, and I'm going to need it!

October 22, 2007

I'm now three weeks into this year's bulk, and on Saturday I decided that it would be a good time to evaluate my progress thus far. If you missed Saturday's update, I posted and discussed my current tape measurements, weight and body fat readings.

Today is leg day, and I'm going to completely roast my wheels. Mastover has suggested some additional volume for my intensity leg workouts, so I'll be adding in a few sets of high-rep (25) machine squats, some single-leg leg extensions with a 3-second contraction at the top of each rep and some barbell pause squats with a grueling 5-count deep in the hole. I'll also be doing some leg press work, lying leg curls and DB lunges. I think I'm going to need a wheelchair to get around for the rest of the week.

I've gone ahead and opened November's "100 Challenge" for entry. Details are immediately below!

Registration for the November 2007 "100 Challenge" is now underway! Your Official Challenge post must be made by 7:00 AM (EST) on November 1, 2007 if you plan to participate--NO EXCEPTIONS! To participate, you must be a member of the forum. If you are not a member, simply create a free account. It can take up to 24 hours for your account to be activated, so don't wait until the last minute to register! For all the details, official rules and sample entry data, just head over to the November 2007 "100 Challenge" thread on the forum. If you are ready to work hard and want to challenge yourself in a fun and competitive environment, then please take part!

October 21, 2007

We had a blast yesterday! I'm glad we waited until Saturday to celebrate my 39th birthday (which was Friday), because we had lots of time to hang out and enjoy the day. I made burgers on the grill, and enjoyed some cheesecake for dessert. Man, that cheesecake was good! It's been a long time since I've had cheesecake. There's still some left, so I'm going to make Lisa take it to work with her to share so I'm not tempted to eat anymore.

We also went out to the new house and checked on construction, and then watched "Transformers" in stunning HD. The movie looked incredible, but we all thought the film itself sucked. I wanted to like it, but Michael Bay films just seem to irritate the hell out of me. I know a lot of people enjoyed this movie, but I thought it was absolutely horrible. It was overly-long and filled with just about every annoying Michael Bay clich� in the book. I like a fun, brainless summer popcorn movie as much as anyone else, but "Transformers" was total crap.

Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. I feel better now.

I've got the day off from training today, and not much to do around the house except relax. Sounds good to me!

October 20, 2007

I've been bulking for almost three weeks, and so far I'm pretty happy with what I've been seeing. I've added some weight, added very little fat, several muscle groups have increased in size, my strength is up and my energy levels are up. Let's go over the raw data...

First, since October 1, 2007 I've added 4.8 pounds (I started my bulk at 191.2 pounds, today I'm at 196 pounds). My body fat has only increased slightly from 8.8% to 9.1% (as measured using a 7-site pinch test with the FatTrack PRO Digital Body Fat Calipers from the JSF Amazon Mall). That's only about one pound of added fat--not bad at all. That means the other 3.8 pounds I've added is lean mass. Of course lean mass includes water, and some of that weight is certainly water weight gain--not surprising considering my increased carbohydrate intake. Heck, if I've put on 2 pounds of muscle in just 3 weeks, that's quite good.

Moving on to my actual tape measurements, since the start of my bulk on October 1st I've added a quarter inch to my waist (the first place fat goes on my body), while my hip measurement has remained stable at 37.5 inches. My forearms, arms, calves and chest have all seen quarter inch gains. In fact, this morning my arms were very close to a half inch gain--that's muscle memory for you. You may recall that I did not directly work my arms all summer long (I was focusing on big compound moves and strength building), and by the end of the summer my arms had lost a bit of size (down to 16.5 inches, cold/unpumped). This morning they were just shy of 17 inches (cold/unpumped). I'm very surprised that my quads have not increased in size, as they normally grow if I even look at a squat rack. I'm sure after another week of "intensity" workouts they'll start to see some solid gains.

I've got a couple days off from training, and I'm going to need the rest: next week is an "intensity" week, and my workouts are going to be brutal. I can't wait!

Today is my weekly cheat meal, and we're also having some family over. It should be a very fun day: first we're all going to drive out to the new house and get some pictures. As always, I'll be updating my construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) when we return home. After that we're going to watch a movie (probably "Transformers", in HD!) and hang out. This evening I'll be making burgers on the grill for everyone, and I may even enjoy a little ice cream and cake for dessert.

Thanks for stopping by--enjoy your day!

October 19, 2007

Considering the low volume of this week's workouts, I'm surprised by how sore my triceps are this morning. I only did 4 working sets of ez-bar skullcrushers on Wednesday, and some indirect tricep work while doing incline barbell bench press.

The ez-bar skullcrushers that I do are a little different than traditional skullcrushers. I lay on the floor with the ez-bar resting just behind my head. I bring the bar up to the fully extended position (but still behind my head) without moving my elbows, then slowly return the bar all the way back until it rests on the floor. That's one complete rep. 1FastGTX told me about this modification to traditional skullcrushers last year and I've done them like that ever since. I think we were calling the exercise "rolling triceps extensions", but that's incorrect. I'm not sure what the correct name is, but I guess it doesn't matter; the point is they are much more effective than traditional skullcrushers. At the beginning of this year's bulk Mastover also suggested that I do skullcrushers this way without knowing that I already do. It was good to hear that he is a believer in this style, too. Give them a try--you'll like the results!

Today is the final core training workout of the week: back & biceps. Even though I'm training using very heavy weights, I do not break form. Sometimes it's tempting to use a little body english and momentum when curling, but curling is a biceps isolation exercise. I keep my elbows stationary and focus on the mind-muscle connection at all times. A lot of people tend to use way too much weight when curling, and they use so much english that they practically turn curling into a compound exercise! My biceps started improving BIG TIME once I stopped "ego lifting" and reduced the weight I was using. Once I starting using weights that allowed only my biceps to lift the weight, they grew. Plaster your back against a wall and curl if you are having trouble isolating. Doing so will help you get a feel for the correct movement.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great day.

October 18, 2007

Yesterday I worked out a little bit early, as I had a meeting at 3:30 PM. It was a fantastic workout (core training: pecs, delts & triceps), and I improved on all my lifts over the last core pecs/delts/triceps workout. The only lift I was not able to complete the prescribed reps was my triceps ez-bar skullcrushers: I added 5 pounds to each working set over my last workout, and hit 5/5/5/fail. So it was a good improvement, but that last set (which was 10 pounds more than the previous set) I could not get even one rep up. My rest between the previous set and that set was just 2 minutes, and I'm allowed to take up to 5 minutes between sets for my core workouts, so next time I'm going to rest a bit longer and get at least two reps at that weight.

I'm embarrassed to say that I got held up at the meeting for much longer than I had anticipated and I missed a meal. I really should have planned for the possibility that the meeting might run long and brought along an "emergency meal", but I didn't. While it's far from the end of the world, I consider it a personal challenge to never miss meals or workouts. I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again during this bulk!

Speaking of meals, my egg whites and roasted red potatoes are ready! I swear, I could eat this breakfast for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. I it so much!

Have a great day!

October 17, 2007

One of the most important aspects of creating a home gym is making sure you have proper flooring. I see questions come up all the time on the forum asking about home gym flooring.

In my current home gym I "cheaped" out and used inexpensive interlocking foam, and it's not worked out very well: the foam tiles are coming up, have badly warped and they mar easily. Here's a picture I took this morning:

Foam Gym Floor

I did a lot of research on home gym flooring for my new home gym. I wanted something very tough, something that was not permanent (did not have to be glued) and something that would look good for years to come. I finally settled on Humane's LokTuff interlocking rubber flooring. The floor is made from post-consumer recycled rubber and will stand up to many years of use and abuse. Each section measures 4 feet by 4 feet, is a half inch thick and weighs 45 pounds. It's going to cost about $800.00 to do my gym. The flooring is offered in several colors. I'm going with the "glacier" color, which should complement my Titan's grey upholstery nicely:

glacier

It's going to be very nice to not have my floor coming up on me anymore! I'm going to order the floor today, but I won't be installing it until we move into our new home (probably late December). I'll post my thoughts and get some new pictures of my gym then!

October 16, 2007

It's just too hectic around here on weekday mornings to get all my tape and body fat measurements done. I like to measure everything at least twice to ensure that I'm getting consistent readings. Lisa and I always seem very pressed for time during the work week these days, so I'm going to have to revert back to doing my measurements on the weekend when we both have more spare time.

Yesterday's "core" leg workout was excellent! I had no problem increasing the weights over my last core leg workout, and I felt like I could handle even more. My strength is definitely increasing, and with all the great food I've been eating my energy levels are extremely high. I'm thankful for the extra energy: in addition to my training, this is an exceptionally busy period in my life.

Heh, just as I was typing how busy things are, I spilt an entire cup of coffee all over my office desk area! After an initial "dang it!", I just started laughing at myself for being such a klutz. It doesn't do any good to get upset. Laughing about it helps put things in perspective: it happened, can't change it, deal with it, move forward.

Right after I finished cleaning up the coffee and typing the above paragraph, the kitchen timer went off letting me know that my roasted red potatoes were almost done and it was time to start my egg whites. I put the egg whites in the pan and opened the spice cabinet. Just as I opened the cabinet door, the front supports that hold the top shelf of the spice cabinet broke, and dozens of spices fell all over me, the kitchen and into my egg whites (which splashed everywhere). I swear, I'm not making this up!

I'm really running late now, so I'd better wrap this up. Before I go, Daniel with AtLarge wanted me to let you all know that AtLarge has tweaked their mass gain stack, and their fat loss guide and mass gain guide have both had complete overhauls. You can catch the details here.

October 15, 2007

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! I sure did. I feel totally rested and recharged, and ready for another week of heavy "core" training. Today I'll be performing the same leg routine that I did for my first bulking "core" leg workout (this year's bulking workouts can be found here), except I'll be adding weight on all the exercises. These core workouts are very low volume, but they are an important part of the overall training program Mastover has devised for my bulk.

I've put on 2.4 pounds over the past 2 weeks, and that's about what I was hoping for. Last year I'd put on almost double that amount of weight in the first two weeks, and that extra weight was pure fat. Lisa and I are both running behind this morning, so tomorrow I'll get a complete set of measurements and get Lisa to help with my 7-point body fat test.

AtLarge Nutrition is running a very cool and unprecedented "JSF Member Appreciation" special for the remainder of the month! When AtLarge Nutrition and JSF partnered up almost three years ago, I was impressed with the high quality of their products, their business philosophy and their outstanding customer service. Three years later and AtLarge has continued to up the bar in all three of those critical areas. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been even one negative comment about AtLarge's customer service or shipping times (which are measured in hours, not days). I use AtLarge's products every day, and my own experiences have always been 100% positive. I'm very proud to have my name associated with such a fine company. Details on the sale along with a special message from Chris and Daniel of AtLarge are immediately below. Enjoy!

AtLarge Nutrition - JSF Appreciation Sale--FREE PRODUCTS!

Wow! We can't believe it has been nearly 3 years since we first began our relationship with John Stone and JohnStoneFitness.com (JSF).

Daniel and I never dreamed that advertising on his site and working with John would have been such a true pleasure. From John himself to his myriad of site members, the experience has been wonderful from both a business and personal perspective. We look forward to many more years of working together with John.

To show our appreciation to John and his site members we have decided to make an exclusive offer good today through the end of October. All JSF members will be eligible for a FREE Multi-Plus or Fish Oil with any order! There is no minimum order, and this offer is valid with ALL other offers (our free Turbo Shaker or t-shirts, multi-unit discounts, and stack discounts).

To get your free product simply place your order on www.atlargenutriton.com and follow the normal checkout process. Note in the comments section your free product of choice and that you are a JSF member. It is that simple!

Thank you again, and we look forward to serving your supplement needs for many years to come!

- Chris Mason & Daniel Clough, AtLarge Nutrition

October 14, 2007

Lisa and I had a very fun day yesterday. After doing our weekly house cleaning (which was not so fun) we drove out to the new house to check out the place now that the drywall has been hung. We took hundreds of photos, and measured all the walls so that we can start planning out where everything will go.

I was most interested in the office and home gym measurements. The Titan weighs close to a ton (literally), so it is not something that I can just slide around and position--especially on rubber flooring. Where the Titan is put together is where the Titan stays, so I want to make sure I know exactly where I'm going to put it (along with my other gym equipment).

Speaking of my new home gym, yesterday I took my very first photo in it! Of course I'm acting like a complete goof, but that is pretty much how Lisa and I behaved all day yesterday. We were both in extremely playful and silly moods. Many more photos are in my construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required).

Today Lisa and I are going to do something that we've not had time to do in a long while: relax, hang out with the dogs and watch DVDs all day long!

Have a great Sunday--see you tomorrow.

October 13, 2007

Now that I've completed the first two weeks of my bulk (one week of "core" workouts and one week of "intensity" workouts), I'm starting to get a good feel for this new style of training. If you want to see what I've been doing in the gym, yesterday I compiled a single page with all my actual workouts from the past two weeks.

The intensity weight training workouts are pretty high volume and, thanks to the short/non-existent rest intervals, they are proving to be quite a cardiovascular challenge. The only muscle groups that seems fully recovered from this past week of training are my quads and hamstrings. Just about everything else is sore this morning. Even my pecs, which I worked on Tuesday, are still on fire. Mastover has given me strict orders to rest up this weekend in preparation for next week's "core" workouts, and I fully intend to follow his instruction. I'm actually looking forward to a couple days off to recoup.

Today should be a fun day: after our usual Saturday morning house cleaning, Lisa and I are going to head over to the new house. The drywall was hung yesterday, and I'm anxious to get some pictures! This is a big milestone in the construction process, so if you are following my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required), you won't want to miss today's update. Now that the walls and ceilings are drywalled, we finally have a real sense of the home's flow and "feel".

Enjoy your Saturday!

October 12, 2007

Yesterday's back & biceps workout was intense, relentless and brutal. Today is the final "intensity" workout of the week: delts & calves. Here's what Mastover, my diabolical trainer, has in store for me today:

DELTS
3x8-12 - Seated dumbbell press (no back support)

4x6-8 High pulls

2x10 Face pulls (GIANT SET)
2x10 Dumbbell laterals (GIANT SET)
2x10 Wide-grip barbell rows to the nose (GIANT SET)

CALVES
2x100 Standing calf raises

4x25 Seated calf raises w/ 30 seccond squeeze on toes after each set

3x15 Leg press "toe presses" (DROP SETS: 50% weight reduction after reaching failure)

Rest will be 45-60 seconds between each of the delt sets/giant sets, and 1-2 minutes between each of the calf sets.

That workout is going to be great way to complete my first bulking "intensity" week! It's certainly going to be intense.

Now that I've completed a full round of "core" and "intensity" workouts, I've assembled a single page with all of my actual workouts from the past two weeks. You can check it out here, and it's also linked on my training page.

October 11, 2007

I had a nice day off from training yesterday, but today it's back to business with a killer back and biceps "intensity" workout. Just look at what Mastover has cooked up for me. This is going to be insane!

BACK
4x5/4x6 - Power cleans/Bent-over barbell rows (SUPERSETS)

3x3-6 - Reverse-grip weighted chin-ups w/8-second negative

3x4-6 Close-grip "1-1/4**" low cable rows (**pull handle to waist, come forward 1/4 of the way, then pull handle back to waist and squeeze)

1x10-12 Straight arm dumbbell pullovers

1x20-30 1-arm dumbbell rows

1x10 Power cleans (using 30-40% less weight than the superset weight)

BICEPS
3x6-10 Straight bar preacher curls (GIANT SET)
3x6-10 Straight bar curls (GIANT SET)
3x6-10 Alternating DB curls (GIANT SET)

Rest intervals between sets will be around 45 seconds, and about a minute between exercises. The triple giant sets (no rest between each of the three exercises, 1 minute rest between each giant set) at the end of the workout are going to be outrageous.

I'm looking forward to this workout--it's going to be a real challenge on several different levels.

Thanks for stopping by--have a great day!

October 10, 2007

Ah, a day of rest. I love lifting, but I'd be lying if I said that I was not looking forward to a day off from training. Not only have this week's "intensity" workouts been extremely difficult and taxing, but I also spent nearly four days doing a lot of physical labor converting my office back into a bedroom for the new homeowners. I'm ready for a brief break!

Stress has also been a factor lately. I've become very good at keeping several balls in the air at once (that's pretty much my "normal" life), but there is so much extra stuff going on right now that it's been a real test of my self-discipline and time management skills to keep up with everything and not miss workouts and meals.

Before my transformation (which has been as much mental as it has been physical), I couldn't have handled 1/4 of what I'm dealing with now without completely falling apart. I've come such a long way over the past five years. I'm proud of myself for this.

My breakfast is almost ready, so I'm going to get going. Have a great day!

October 9, 2007

Yesterday's leg workout was very intense, but today's workout is going to be absolutely brutal. Mastover is evil. Check this out:

CHEST
3x10 - Cable cross-over/Flat bench DB flyes (SUPERSETS)

1x6 - Smith machine low incline bench press (REVERSE PYRAMID)
1x9 - Smith machine low incline bench press (REVERSE PYRAMID)
1x12 - Smith machine low incline bench press (REVERSE PYRAMID)
1x15 - Smith machine low incline bench press (REVERSE PYRAMID)

1x8-10 - Flat DB bench press (TRIPLE DROP SET)
1x6-10 - Flat DB bench press (TRIPLE DROP SET)
1x6-10 - Flat DB bench press (TRIPLE DROP SET)

1x20-30 Incline DB press (to failure)

TRICEPS
3x10-15/3xFailure - Straight bar tricep pressdowns/bodyweight tricep dips (SUPERSETS)

1x20-30 Reverse-close grip smith machine bench press

Drop sets, reverse pyramids, supersets, sets to failure--obviously this is going to be a very challenging workout. I love to work my chest and triceps, and I love volume, so I'm really looking forward to this. I have a feeling I will not be complaining about my day off from training tomorrow!

In other news, I took the day off from work yesterday and finally finished the massive office renovation project! The eye-sore that was once my home office has been converted back into a nice, freshly painted bedroom for the new owners of the house. Most of the new office furniture that I bought for the new house is in place to carry me though until we move. Before and after photos are here.

Finally, as part of the sales process, today is the day our house will be inspected. This is a critical part of the deal, and where things can easily fall apart. I hope there are no hidden problems with our home. If the inspections don't turn up anything major, we should be right on target to close the deal as scheduled on November 2.

Time to get some food going! I'm going to need all the energy I can get for today's workout.

October 8, 2007

This is the start of my first bulking "intensity" week! I move from a three-day split to a four-day split for my intensity week training, as follows:

INTENSITY
Monday: Quads & Hamstrings
Tuesday: Chest & Triceps
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back & Biceps
Friday: Delts, Traps & Calves
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

Here's what I have cooking for my quads and hams today. High volume, short rest intervals and intensity are what we're after here:

LEG PRESS
1x25 (light weight)
1x25 (weight added)
1x25 (more weight)
1x20 (heavier)
1x15 (more weight, harder)
1x10 (more weight, very tough)
1x10 (to failure)

LEG EXTENSIONS/LUNGES
1x15 - Leg extensions
1x10 - Leg extensions, superset with lunges (below)
1x50 - DB Lunges, 50 per leg, superset with final set of leg extensions

LYING LEG CURLS
1x20 (light weight)
1x15 (weight added)
1x12 (more weight)
1x8 (heavy, to failure)
1x5 (more weight, to failure)

That workout should leave me pretty well spent. Rest intervals will be very brief--about 45 seconds between sets, and 1-2 minutes between exercises.

Lisa and I worked on getting my office ready for the new owners from sun up until well into the night on Saturday and Sunday, and we're still not done. This turned out to be a massive undertaking. I think I'm going to take the day off from work so I can finish up. Thankfully I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel...

October 7, 2007

As I mentioned yesterday, Lisa and I have our hands full this weekend getting our house prepared for the inspection and the new owners. The office network has been completely torn down, all the permanent shelving has been removed, the drywall has been repaired and the walls have been painted. Because the permanent shelving was installed shortly after we moved in back in 1994, until yesterday the walls in my office had never been painted! Combine that with the fact that I chain smoked from 1994 until November 2000, and the walls in here were pretty nasty looking. The fresh paint looks great!

I also got some of my new office furniture assembled. Unfortunately they sent one of the file cabinets in light cherry instead of dark cherry, and that was the first piece I opened. When I uncrated the parts I thought, "Man, this is not as dark as I'd hoped for--the pictures on their web site made it look much darker!" So I stupidly assembled the whole thing (took about two hours) and then when I opened the next crate I realized their mistake. On one hand I was irritated because I'd just wasted two valuable hours, but on the other hand I was relived because the dark cherry looks way better than the light cherry. Thankfully that one file cabinet is the only thing they screwed up on, so hopefully today I'll get the rest of the stuff built.

Oh, I also got Lisa's computer workstation and my new 72" wide, 5-shelf wire server rack assembled. The server rack is awesome! Each shelf can support over 500 pounds, and I bought the caster kit so I can roll it around as needed. I'm going to put all my headless servers, switches, routers and some other miscellaneous equipment on it. My desk area will have my main computer, the security camera system's monitor & controls and my laptop. I'll get some pictures when I'm done.

Well, I'd better get started. This morning I'm going to steam clean the carpets, clean the kitchen and then start assembling furniture. I hope you have a fantastic day.

October 6, 2007

I feel very good about my training sessions this past week. Despite very heavy weights, I've had absolutely no problems with my shoulders. All those years of shoulder strengthening exercises, core strengthening exercises, working on my posture and paying careful attention to form seems to have paid off. There's no way my shoulders could have handled the weights I'm using now back in 2003 or 2004 (assuming I had the strength that I do now).

This is going to be an absolutely insane weekend. As part of the sales process our house must be inspected within 7 days of the contract. As specified in the contract, I have to remove all of the permanently installed desks and shelving that line my entire office and paint. There are currently three levels of shelving that line every wall. The sheer volume of equipment, books and wiring make this a daunting task. Here's just part of the office as it is now:

Office pre-destruction

I've already started, and right now I'm typing this update on a very "bare-bones" setup. Once everything is torn down I have to perform about a zillion drywall repairs, paint the room and then put together the 8-piece modular computer furniture setup that I just purchased. I also have a 72"-wide, 5-shelf wire server rack to assemble and populate, and a computer desk for Lisa. Once all that is done we've got to clean the house from top to bottom. I hope we can get it all done by Sunday night!

I'd better eat and get started. Have a great day!

October 5, 2007

Lisa and I have sold our house! We have a signed contract, and things are looking good at this point. The best part is the new owners have agreed to lease the home back to us until the end of the year. Our new home is expected to be completed sometime in December, so it looks like we'll be able to avoid the dreaded "double move". Selling our house in this market is a remarkable feat in and of itself, but not having to move twice is a huge bonus that we never thought would happen.

Lisa celebrated last night with a couple glasses of wine and some junk food, but I stuck to my planned diet and "no alcohol" mandate 100%. I'm bulking right now, and deviating from my plan is not an option. Believe me, I had a very pleasant buzz just from the news that our house had sold!

Unfortunately I woke up at 2:00 AM this morning and could not fall back asleep. My mind was racing with a barrage of thoughts centered around the countless tasks that we must accomplish before the move. For some reason everything seems amplified in the middle of the night. I'm sure just about all of you know what I'm talking about. I felt stressed and overwhelmed, and didn't drift back off to sleep until sometime after 4:30 AM. Of course the dogs woke me up at 6:00 AM sharp for their breakfast, so I'm feeling a little tired right now. Funny how all those things that kept me from falling back asleep seem far more manageable in the morning...

Anyway, despite being a little tired I'm in very good sprits this morning. I'm looking forward to today's "core" workout: back & biceps! Despite the low volume, I expect my biceps to get very sore from today's workout. Like my triceps (which feel like they've been mauled by a pack of wolves right now), I did no direct bicep work all summer long.

I need to go start roasting my red potatoes. Happy Friday!

October 4, 2007

Yesterday's workout was awesome! It felt great to directly work my triceps and front delts again after a summer of compound lifts. I won't lie: I love to work my arms and shoulders!

I think my triceps are in shock. Last night as I was getting ready for bed I reached down for something and my left tricep started cramping up. I relaxed my arm, and my tricep started spasming. It felt sort of like a worm was crawling around under my skin! This morning both triceps are extremely sore.

OK, tomorrow is my final "core" workout of the week: back & biceps. Remember, my core workouts will not have a lot of volume, but they will be extremely heavy. Here's what I have planned for Friday's workout:

BACK - Deadlifts
1x20 (warm-up, light weight)
1x20 (warm-up, weight added)
1x10 (warm-up, more weight)
1x5 (working set, heavy)
1x5 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x3 (working set, more weight, very tough)
1x1 (working set, max)
1x1 (working set, max)

BACK - Seated low rows
1x15 (warm-up, light weight)
1x8 (working set, heavy)
1x8 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x6 (working set, more weight, very tough)

BICEPS - Barbell curls
1x12 (warm-up, light weight)
4x5 (working sets, heavy, but with perfect form)

Rest between sets is 2-4 minutes, and up to 5 minutes between exercises. The goal for the core workouts is to lift heavy and increase my strength from one week to the next. For more information on my diet and training, please see my September 27, 2007 update.

October 3, 2007

I think I've already adapted to the higher volume of food I'm eating: yesterday I found myself watching the clock as most of my meal times approached, stomach growling in anticipation. The bloat I was feeling on Monday is also gone.

A couple of people who have emailed me this week wondered how on Earth I am going to eat the same meal plan day after day, week after week. I can honestly say that I enjoy each and every meal, and I doubt I will get sick of any of them over the next few months. I'm the type of person who never seems to tire of the foods I enjoy. Besides, I'm eating for function right now--not for pleasure. The fact that I'm enjoying my meals so much is a nice bonus, but taste is secondary. Case in point: EAA powder. That stuff tastes terrible. The pre-workout and during workout cocktails are manageable, but my post-workout cocktail (20g EAA powder/1 scoop Beverly Creatine Select) is hard to choke down, especially when I already feel like puking after a hard workout!

Speaking of hard workouts, today is my first "core" chest/delts/triceps workout (if you missed it, I posted it yesterday). I'm looking forward to this workout a great deal. I have not directly worked my front delts or triceps in 3 months, so the seated DB presses and EZ-bar skullcrushers will be a real treat.

I can hardly wait for next week's series of "intensity" workouts. I'm working on creating some of the most difficult and intense workouts I've ever come up with. If I'm not crawling out of the gym on my hands and knees after every workout next week, then I've not done my job. :evil:

October 2, 2007

The first day of my 2007 bulking phase went extremely well...

I enjoyed my new bulking meals a great deal, but there were a few times that I had to force myself to start eating or finish the entire plate. This is normal for me at the start of a bulk, though. It should only take my body a couple of days to adjust to the higher volume of food.

My leg workout was excellent: I had plenty of energy and I felt very strong. I'm glad that I worked on building my strength up over the summer and stuck to big compounds. I think my increased strength is going to really pay off during "intensity" weeks, and will ultimately lead to increased hypertrophy.

Today is a "rest" day. Whenever I'm bulking I don't really like days off. I mean, I know that rest days are important, but when I wake up and know I won't be training that day it's a bit of a downer. While I almost always look forward to my workouts, when I'm in bulking mode and eating big it's a whole new level of desire.

We'll see if I'm singing the same tune after next week's "intensity" workouts. Next week's training will be a nearly non-stop (only 1 day off between Monday and Friday) barrage of brutally intense high-volume workouts.

I'd like to go ahead and post tomorrow's "core" workout: chest, delts & triceps.

Remember, my core workouts will not have a lot of volume, but they will be extremely heavy and taxing. Here's what I have planned for Wednesday's workout:

CHEST - Barbell incline press
1x20 (warm-up, bar only)
1x20 (warm-up, weight added)
1x15 (warm-up, more weight)
1x10 (warm-up, more weight)
1x5 (working set, heavy)
1x5 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x5 (working set, more weight, very tough)
1x2 (working set, toughest)

DELTS - Seated DB press
1x15 (warm-up, light weight)
1x5 (working set, heavy)
1x5 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x5 (working set, more weight, very tough)
1x2 (working set, toughest)

TRICEPS - EZ-Bar skullcrushers
1x10 (warm-up, light weight)
1x5 (working set, heavy)
1x5 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x5 (working set, more weight, very tough)
1x2 (working set, toughest)

I'm off to prepare my roasted red potatoes and egg whites! :drool:

October 1, 2007

It's time to bulk!

Again, here is the article that discusses my diet and training for this bulk, and here is the actual "core" leg workout I'll be performing today.

Yesterday I posted my post-maintenance phase wrap-up, and I went over my current measurements.

As I mentioned yesterday, I went ahead and had an extra "goodbye summer" cheat meal. I'd planned to take Lisa out to eat for lunch, but a real estate agent called with a request for a house showing as we were about to leave. We gladly cancelled lunch for an opportunity to sell this house! Instead of a cheat lunch, we snacked on fresh-baked asiago cheese bread dipped in olive oil. For dinner I made hamburgers on the grill with ice cream for desert. Much vodka was consumed. Aside from a glass of wine with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, the vodka I had last night will be my last taste of alcohol for at least four months, as I never drink when I'm bulking.

Of course the extra cheat meal has left me looking fairly bloated in the mid-section for this morning's monthly pictures. Oh well, I'm bulking now so it's OK. :lol:

Now that all the groundwork has been completed, there's nothing left to do but eat big and train hard! Right now all I can think about are the heavy squats I'll be doing later today, and how good the red potatoes that I'm roasting for breakfast smell! The potatoes are very simple to make: wash and quarter, spray with Pam cooking spray, add salt and pepper to taste and roast at 450 for 25-30 minutes. Those are going to taste great with egg whites! Actually, it's time for me to start the egg whites...

...oh man, this is the best breakfast ever! The potatoes taste incredible with the egg whites and strong black coffee. This is a lot of food, though--and I've got to have a protein shake when I'm done!

I love bulking. :dreamy:

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