Daily News Archives

September 2007

 

09/30/2007 - Maintenance phase wrap-up; Time to bulk!
09/29/2007 - My first bulking workout: Monday's "core" leg training.
09/28/2007 - More on my upcoming bulk.
09/27/2007 - My complete 2007 bulking program--from diet to training.
09/26/2007 - Bulking workout principles progress; Traps are killing me.
09/25/2007 - Another excellent "Olympic" workout!
09/24/2007 - Cilantro shrimp sauce is good on salmon, too; Today's workout.
09/23/2007 - My Sunday plans.
09/22/2007 - I might join a gym; House update; Saturday plans.
09/21/2007 - House showing this morning; October 2007 "100 Challege" is open for entry.
09/20/2007 - Are you lazy, unmotivated and unhappy?
09/19/2007 - I'm very sore!
09/18/2007 - Detailed report on my first Olympic weight training workout.
09/17/2007 - Something new for tonight's workout: Olympic lifting.
09/16/2007 - Finally, nothing to do!
09/15/2007 - Saturday plans.
09/14/2007 - General overview of this year's bulking training principles.
09/13/2007 - 2007 bulk training splits.
09/12/2007 - 2007 bulking food logs are up!
09/11/2007 - Bulking food logs will be posted tomorrow, but here's a preview.
09/10/2007 - Information on my upcoming bulk.
09/09/2007 - Feedback on yesterday's update; Combating the obesity epidemic.
09/08/2007 - Feeling great; What is a "clean" diet?; House construction time-lapse.
09/07/2007 - Short update!
09/06/2007 - Not sick, and fighting to stay that way; I'll be working with Mastover again!
09/05/2007 - The Mother of all headaches!
09/04/2007 - Time to start planning my bulk!
09/03/2007 - Day off from work; House projects and yard work; Today's workout.
09/02/2007 - Macaroni Grill last night; Yard work; New house construction progress.
09/01/2007 - New monthly photos.

 

September 30, 2007

I just took a set of post-maintenance/pre-bulk measurements and I also took my body fat reading, so this morning I'd like to do a sort of "maintenance phase" wrap-up.

First of all, I had a lot of fun this summer: I ate a somewhat relaxed diet, had drinks a couple times per week, trained hard with compounds and significantly increased my strength. I gained a few pounds of fat and I lost a little muscle, but that's OK. I think I managed to strike a nice balance this summer without going crazy. No regrets.

My body fat is presently 8.8% (as measured using a 7-site pinch test with the FatTrack PRO Digital Body Fat Calipers from the JSF Amazon Mall). This is a little higher than I'd hoped for going into my bulk, but the difference between 8% and 8.8% body fat is splitting hairs. Again, I had fun this summer and enjoyed myself a great deal, so I'm not going to beat myself up over a couple extra pounds of body fat.

I gained a significant amount of strength over the past three months, however I actually lost some muscle size. My arms are down to 16.5" (cold/unpumped), but this is because I have not directly trained my arms in three months. My focus all summer has been on big, compound lifts and not hypertrophy. This will pay off big time for me in the months to come, and my arms will quickly bounce back. My chest, calves and forearm measurements have also seen small reductions in size over the past three months. Thanks to muscle memory, an increased caloric intake and intense training geared towards hypertrophy, I think all of these muscle groups will show very fast improvements over the next 4 or 5 weeks.

I made a typo when I posted my first "core" bulking workout, and I also misinterpreted something Mastover said with regards to squats. I revised yesterday's update to correct these two mistakes.

As most long-time visitors to this site know, I take my bulks very seriously. Starting tomorrow all the summer fun and games are over; it's time for four months of intensity, hard work and extreme dedication to my training and diet.

This is the final day of my summer maintenance, so I'm going to go ahead and have an extra cheat meal (I had my regularly scheduled cheat meal last night). I'm going to take Lisa out to eat this afternoon and enjoy the last bit of calm before the storm. After our lunch we're going to take a drive out to the new house and check on construction. The drywall is about to go in, and we're about halfway through the construction process. As always, I'll update my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) when we return.

I'll be back tomorrow in full-on bulking mode! See you then...

 

September 29, 2007

My summer training split has my leg workouts on Friday, but I decided to give myself the day off from training yesterday. The reason is because my bulk starts on Monday with a brand new training split, and Monday is leg day. Not just any leg day, but a very heavy "core" training leg day. It would have been foolish to pummel my legs 2 days before Monday's heavy leg workout.

Again, 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 Monday's workout:

SQUATS
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)

Stiff Leg Deadlifts
1x10 (warm-up, light weight)
1x10 (warm-up, more weight)
1x8 (warm-up, more weight)
1x5 (working set, heavy)
1x5 (working set, more weight, harder)
1x5 (working set, more weight, toughest)

That's the whole workout. Rest between sets is 2-4 minutes, and up to 5 minutes between exercises. The goal for the core workouts is to move a lot of weight around and increase my strength from one week to the next. The "intensity" weeks will be much higher in volume. For more information on my diet and training, please see my September 27, 2007 update.

Speaking of strength,APT Pro Gear just released their brand new CONVICT PROTM Wrist Wraps in 12", 20", 24" and 36" lengths. These are the absolute heaviest wraps in the pro weight lifting industry.

 

September 28, 2007

If you missed yesterday's lengthy update, I posted and discussed my complete 2007 bulking program--everything from diet to training. The bulk starts this Monday, and I can't wait! This weekend I'll be going shopping and stocking up on my proteins: chicken breasts, codfish and 96% lean ground beef. I'll also be purchasing a big supply of natural peanut butter, brown rice, oatmeal and olive oil. My fresh foods (red potatoes, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole eggs, egg whites, salad greens, broccoli and grapefruit) will be purchased weekly. With the exception of my weekly "cheat meal" (bulking weeks only!), those foods I just listed (along with Nitrean protein powder) are the only foods I'll be eating for the next four months. People often wonder what it means to "eat clean". Stick to a diet like the one I'll be eating this winter and you can't get much cleaner than that!

While the above foods may sound boring to some, I enjoy them all. Right now I'm mentally preparing myself to switch into, well, I guess you could call it "machine mode". I do this whenever I start eating and training for a specific purpose. When I'm in this mode, missing a workout is not an option and I must consume foods that provide my body with premium fuel. I will not be eating for pleasure on this bulk. The foods I'll be eating make me feel healthy and energetic, and that leads to awesome workouts and fast recovery.

I've got to wrap this up, as I've got a pre-drywall meeting with my builder at 9:00 AM this morning. This is my last chance to verify everything that is in the walls (wiring, fixture placement, wall jack placements, etc.) before the interior walls are drywalled in. This is an exciting milestone in the building process!

 

September 27, 2007

I have completed most of the preparations for my 2007 bulk! Today I'd like to review everything: diet, split, core/intensity weeks and training principles.

Before I get started, I'd like to again thank my trainer--natural professional bodybuilder "Mastover"--for all his hard work, support and invaluable assistance in helping me prepare for what is going to be my most challenging bulk yet.

Let's start by reposting my bulking diet. I've already discussed my diet and supplement intake, so check out my September 12, 2007 update if you missed it.

Now, let's talk about my 2007 bulk training split...

I am doing something different for this year's bulk, and will be alternating 1 week of "core" training with one week of "intensity" training. I'll also be doing several weeks of bulking followed by short periods of cutting. This will be done in order to keep my fat gains to an absolute minimum. The plan is to bulk/cut for a total of 16 weeks, as follows: 5 weeks of bulking (October 1, 2007 - November 4, 2007), 2 weeks of cutting (November 5, 2007 - November 18, 2007), 3 weeks of bulking (November 19, 2007 - December 9, 2007), 1 week of cutting (December 10, 2007 - December 16, 2007) and, finally, 5 weeks of bulking (December 17, 2007 - January 20, 2008). Again, I will alternate "core" and "intensity" weeks the entire time, but will also be performing HIIT cardio during the cutting weeks.

BULKING WEEKS
(October 1, 2007 - November 4, 2007; November 19, 2007 - December 9, 2007; December 17, 2007 - January 20, 2008)

CORE
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Chest, Delts & Triceps
Thursday: Off
Friday: Back & Biceps
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

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

 

CUTTING WEEKS
(November 5, 2007 - November 18, 2007; December 10, 2007 - December 16, 2007)

CORE
Monday: Legs; 9 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Tuesday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Wednesday: Chest, Delts & Triceps
Thursday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Friday: Back & Biceps; 9 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Saturday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Sunday: Off

INTENSITY
Monday: Quads & Hamstrings; 9 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Tuesday: Chest & Triceps
Wednesday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Thursday: Back & Biceps
Friday: Delts, Traps & Calves; 9 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Saturday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)
Sunday: 16 Minutes HIIT Cardio (PM)

 

Finally, here are the general principles I'll be following for my training this fall and winter...

I'll be alternating between fairly structured "core" training weeks, which are designed to increase strength, and free-form "intensity" training weeks, which are geared towards hypertrophy.

CORE

 

INTENSITY

 

As you can see, this is a fairly advanced workout program. The "core" workouts are going to require a lot of focus and will be very demanding. Also, aside from some very general guidelines, the workouts on "intensity" weeks are mostly left to the imagination of the trainee.

I'll post at least one "core" and one "intensity" workout in the coming weeks so you'll have an idea of what I'm actually doing in the gym.

As always, I've placed all this information on my Training Page for future reference.

Whew--that was a lot of ground to cover! I've got to wrap this up and get to work now. Train hard!

 

September 26, 2007

I'm making good progress with my bulking workout plans, but I'm having a tough time putting the training principles into a neat little bulleted package for my training page (as I've done in years past). The reason I'm having trouble is because my training program for this bulk will vary quite a lot from one workout to the next. I think I'm going to outline the basic guidelines, link to more information on the program and then post a couple of my sample workouts. The weight training program I'll be using on this bulk is definitely not for beginners.

I thought my traps were sore yesterday, but apparently that was just a preview of what was to come. This morning the soreness is twice as intense as it was yesterday. I'm one of those guys who loves the feeling of sore muscles, but this is pushing it--especially because it's in my neck area. I think I'd better learn to deal with it, because I'm not even out of second gear yet with my Olympic training!

My neighbor has a fungus problem with her lawn, and I promised I'd be out there by 8:00 AM this morning to treat it. I'd better get this update uploaded and get some breakfast. I hope you have a great day!

 

September 25, 2007

Yesterday someone whacked me just below the back of my neck with a baseball bat! Well, maybe not--but my traps sure feel that way after yesterday's workout:

4x10 Jump shrugs
4x10 Hang cleans
4x8 High pulls

3x6 Deadlifts
3x6 Weighted wide-grip pull-ups

For the Olympic portion of my workout I wanted to continue to focus on form, but I decided to up the weight from last week's "test" workout to 135 pounds. This is not a lot of weight, but I kept my rest intervals very short--just 45 seconds. Even using a relatively light weight, the short rest intervals made for a fairly intense workout.

After the Olympic portion of my workout I loaded up the barbell and did 3 sets of 6 very heavy deadlifts. After pre-exhausting with the Olympic lifts, the deadlifts felt extra heavy. It was nice to give my legs and lower back a bit of a break and finish off my training with some weighted wide-grip pull-ups.

In all the years I've been training and trying to get my traps to grow using traditional methods (deads, shrugs), they have never felt so brutalized as they have after my first two Olympic training workouts. I'm very glad that Mastover suggested I incorporate some Olympic lifts into my weight training regimen. Once my bulk starts and I'm eating a caloric surplus, I just *know* my traps are finally going to see some solid improvements!

 

September 24, 2007

Saturday night I skipped my cheat meal (well, truth be told I didn't skip this week's cheat meal--I had one on Friday night) and prepared Spicy Grilled Cilantro Shrimp. I love that sauce so much, and it goes great with almost any seafood. In fact, I made double the amount of sauce and saved half of it for Sunday's night's meal. Last night I spread the sauce over salmon and cooked the salmon fillets at 400 degrees (F) for 15 minutes. I served the salmon with some fresh chopped cilantro and mixed vegetables, and it was an unbelievably good meal. If you like spicy and you like cilantro, you've got to try this recipe!

Bittersweet Monday. The "bitter" is going back to work, and the "sweet" is that today is my favorite workout of the week: back day! You may recall that last week I did something a little different and performed an Olympic-style workout (and I really enjoyed it!) Today I'm going to do a couple of Olympic lifts, but I also want to get some wide-grip weighted pull-ups and some heavy deads in there.

Speaking of workouts, yesterday I started planning my first few bulking workouts. I'll continue to work on these as I have time and will post everything as soon as it's done.

Time for me to get to work!

 

September 23, 2007

No training today, but I'm going to get some mild outdoor physical activity in: I'm about to wash the car and take care a few minor things in the yard. After those tasks are done, Lisa and I are going to do a little shopping and then check on the new house. There's a pretty good chance the roofers will be on the job today, and I'm looking forward to seeing the roof completed.

Later today I'm going to take some time and get some sample bulking workouts planned and start working on updating my training page with the new information. I don't think I'll finish today, but I should have that stuff up by the middle of next week. Just one week to go and I'll be bulking! I'm very excited about this bulk because it's unlike anything I've done before. Keeping things fresh is a great way to keep your motivation high. If you are finding yourself bored doing the same old thing, don't be afraid to shake things up a bit and try something new!

I'm going to wrap this up and get outside before it gets too hot. Have a great day!

 

September 22, 2007

I'm very pleased with the strength gains I've made over the past few months. I feel that I've done a good job of preparing myself for my upcoming bulk, which starts a week from Monday.

If things go as planned Lisa and I will be moving at least once during my bulk, and probably twice! If our house sells and the new owners don't want to let us stay here and rent from them until our new home is completed, then we'll have to move to a rental house for a short time. I don't think I'm going to bother to set up the Titan in the temporary place, and will probably just join a gym for a couple months. That should be interesting, as I've always worked out at home. At least if I join a gym I can finally trade war stories with everyone about all the guys with twigs for legs doing curls in the squat rack. :)

Speaking of selling this house, the couple who came for a showing yesterday loved it! In fact, after touring the house they came back an hour later with their contractor to discuss some changes they want to make if they go forward with the purchase. They were a nice older couple, probably "empty nesters", and are exactly the type of people I thought would be attracted to this house. I think they are into gardening, and they seemed to love our landscaping. Needless to say, we're very hopeful.

Speaking of "hopeful", I've probably heard "Don't get your hopes up!" at least a half-dozen times in the past 24 hours. Huh? Of course I'm hopeful! How could I not be? It's not like I can turn off my natural reaction to having someone in this crappy housing market take a keen interest in our home. Heck yeah my hopes are up, and if they don't proceed with an offer I'll be mighty disappointed. It's not like I can suppress my natural feelings. What's so wrong with being hopeful about something?

It's been a long and extremely busy work week, so I'm very glad the weekend is finally here. I don't have a whole lot planned, and that's a good feeling. I'm going to be making a couple of trips with Lisa out to the new house to check on things. The HVAC, electrical and plumbing "rough-ins" were all completed over this past week, so yesterday I made a big update to my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) with a bunch of new pictures and a 13-minute video that I made. I think the roofers will be on the job this weekend, and they will get the roof tiled and trimmed out in a single day. Next week the low voltage wiring will go in, and that will be followed by the insulation. After those tasks have been completed and inspected the drywall will be installed. The drywall phase is a very big job and a quite a milestone in the construction process. I can't wait!

 

September 21, 2007

This is going to be a quick update: I've got a real estate agent coming with her client to look at our house this morning. I've got to do a little dusting and polishing before they get here. With the housing market in Florida the way it is, any potential buyer that wants to see our house is very good news! Selling this house is the final hurdle that stands between us and our new home. Lisa and I are still about 3 months away from closing on the new place, so we've still got some time. Still, the sooner we get this house sold the sooner we can relax.

I've opened the October 2007 "100 Challenge" for entry. Details are immediately below this update.

I'd better get some breakfast in me and get the ball rolling. Wish me luck!

Registration for the October 2007 "100 Challenge" is now underway! Your Official Challenge post must be made by 7:00 AM (EST) on October 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 October 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!

 

September 20, 2007

My biceps are still a little sore this morning, but my triceps and shoulders feel fully recovered from Monday's workout so I'm going to proceed with my chest workout this evening. My legs are also recovered, so I'll be performing my leg workout tomorrow as scheduled.

I've been so busy lately that I've had very little free time to sit down and get my bulking workouts planned out. I've still got 10 days, but I don't like putting things off to the last minute.

You know, I remember a time when I was the worst procrastinator in the world; I'd put just about everything off until the last possible moment. While I'm still guilty of procrastinating on occasion, that's now the exception rather than the rule. The discipline required to adhere to a strict training and diet regimen has certainly helped me in quite a few other areas of my life. I seem to do best with structure. I'm definitely happier now than I was when I procrastinated all the time and lived from minute to minute with no real plan. I used to tell myself that I was happy living with no direction, but in reality that was just an excuse to stay stoned and be lazy.

I think in order to be truly happy you have to be 100% honest with yourself about the way you live. If you are sitting around high all the time and putting off things that need to be done, then you're not happy. You may think you are, but trust me--one day you'll wake up and realize that you aren't. You'll probably waste a lot of years before that day comes, too. I know I did. Perhaps getting off your lazy, stoned butt and introducing some structure and self-discipline in your life is just what you need. Start with diet and exercise. Those two things completely changed my life. Eating right and exercising will help you begin to feel positive and healthy again. Slowly you'll find yourself eliminating negativity from your life. These changes take time, but if you take it one step at a time you'll change your whole life. I'm not spewing a bunch of crap from a self-help book; I'm telling you because I did it, and I believe you can, too.

 

September 19, 2007

I think I'm going to have to push today's workout (chest/side delts) off until tomorrow. The new workout I did on Monday (details here) hit my muscles in all kinds of new ways, and right now pretty much my entire body is sore. My triceps and traps are especially sore, but my biceps, forearms and legs are quite sore, too. Even my delts are experiencing DOMS, and my delts never get sore!

I think I'm going to do a HIIT cardio workout this afternoon in place of my weight training, and tomorrow I'll do my chest workout. I'm going to play Friday ear: if my legs are still sore, I'll wait until Saturday to work them. I know there's a lot of debate on this topic, but personally I don't like working a muscle group that's still sore. To me soreness indicates the muscles are still recovering, and working them before they are recovered seems counterproductive. Again, that's just me following my gut instinct. Some people don't think it's a big deal to work a sore muscle group, and that's fine, too!

I've got to get to work now. See you tomorrow!

 

September 18, 2007

The trial Olympic-style workout that I did yesterday went extremely well. As I said to Mastover when I finished my workout, I feel like an entire new world of weight lifting has just been opened up to me! Some of the lifts are relatively technical, but I felt like I got the hang of them fairly quickly. I used very light weight--just 95 pounds--on all the exercises except the leaning DB shrugs, which is not an Olympic lift. Using light weight allowed me to put 100% of my focus on form. Next week I'll increase the amount of weight, but I still want to focus on getting my form and timing down before I go too heavy.

Here's the workout I did:

4 x 12 Hang jump shrugs
4 x 10 Hang power cleans
3 x 8 Power cleans
3 x 8 Hang pulls

3 x 12 Chest-braced leaning DB shrugs

The Hang jump shrugs were not too technically demanding, and I felt like I got the timing down pretty quickly.

For the next exercise I tried Hang power cleans. The video I linked to shows an example of a traditional Hang clean. The "power" version of this exercise does away with the full front squat portion of the lift. Because I'll be working my legs separately and I want to focus on building my traps and shoulders with these exercises, the power family of cleans are the right exercises for my particular application. This exercise came surprisingly easy to me. I had very little problem getting the jump and elbow rotation feeling smooth and coordinated. I'm sure my form is far from perfect, and I will continue to work on that next week.

The next exercise was the Power clean. Again, the video I linked to shows an example of a traditional Clean. As I mentioned above, the "power" version of this exercise does away with the front squat at the end of the lift. I felt like this exercise was the most technically demanding of the bunch, but I really liked it. By the time I finished my last set of these, my traps and delts had massive pumps, and I was quite winded (I kept my rest intervals between sets to less than 1 minute).

For my final Olympic lift, I did Hang pulls. This looks harder than it is, and I felt like it really hit my traps and shoulders hard.

After all that, I decided to completely toast my traps with another new exercise that Mastover recommended I try. The exercise is like regular shrugs, only the shrugs are performed leaning forward with the chest braced against a high incline bench. I used two 105-pound dumbbells (which are the heaviest DBs that I own). Now 2x105 pounds is not a lot of weight for shrugs, but after the workout I had just completed it was not exactly easy, either. I think I can set up my Titan in such a way that will allow me to do the same lift with a barbell. That will let me really pile on the weight!

So this morning my traps are absolutely destroyed. I woke up thinking I'd slept on my neck wrong, but quickly realized what was really going on. My arms, legs and glutes are also starting to get sore. These Olympic lifts truly emphasize functional strength and will enhance overall athleticism. After just one workout I can see while so many athletes train using these lifts.

I'm definitely hooked. Of course I'll continue to do traditional weight training exercises, but I'm going to makes sure that Olympic lifts are part of my training program from here on out!

 

September 17, 2007

Today's planned workout is back and rear delts, but I think I'm going to do something a little different. As I mentioned last week, I'm going to take Mastover's suggestion and incorporate a number of Olympic lifts into my upcoming bulk. Other than "standard" stuff, such as the back squat and the front squat, I have practically no experience with Olympic lifts. I've never done cleans, hang jump shrugs, jump shrugs, hang pulls, snatches, high pulls and hang cleans before. I need to get the feel for these exercises before my bulk starts, and that's what I'm going to do starting with today's workout. I've got to get the mechanics of these exercises down pat using fairly light weights before I go heavy.

I face two additional obstacles with many of the Olympic lifts: I have limited space, and I don't own bumper plates. With many of these lifts, dropping the loaded bar from a height is the correct way to complete the exercise. I can't do that in my gym with traditional plates or I'll crack the slab (and scare the crap out of my dogs!) I'm seriously thinking about doing today's workout in the backyard so I can drop the plates and have plenty of room.

Several forum members are really big on Olympic-style lifting: Mastover, Chicanerous, George and Zenpharos immediately come to mind. These guys are all very experienced with Olympic-style weight training, and over the years have contributed many helpful posts and videos to the forum. Stalk them if you want to learn more about Olympic lifting. :)

ExRx also has a series of Olympic lifts videos here.

Who knows? Maybe someday soon I'll be purchasing bumper plates and talking about my lifts in kilograms!

AtLarge's Chris Mason wrote an article that chronicles powerlifter Mike Wolfe’s loss of 76 pounds of body fat and subsequent increase of his competition best bench press from 835 lbs to 859.8 lbs at the 2007 WPO Bench Bash at the Arnold Classic. The article goes into great detail about his diet, supplementation, and also his Westside training methods. There are full descriptions of many Westside exercises along with pictures. I think many of you will find it to be an interesting read.

I think that about wraps it up for this morning's update. I'm looking forward to my first real foray into Olympic-style lifting later today, and will let you all know how it went tomorrow!

 

September 16, 2007

I've been really busy lately, so it feels good to not have anything to do today. I'm probably going to hang around the house and watch some movies with Lisa and the dogs. I'm also going to take some time this afternoon to start planning out some of my upcoming bulking workouts. I'm very excited about the new training techniques I'll be utilizing for this year's bulking phase, so planning the workouts should be a lot of fun.

As I mentioned in yesterday's update, I had a heck of a lot to do in the morning, and I simply didn't have enough time to get it all done. I had to skip my 45-minute LISS cardio session, but I'm going to go make it up right now. Have a nice Sunday--see you tomorrow!

 

September 15, 2007

If you are a "weekend reader" of this site and are interested in what I'll be doing for this year's bulk, you'll want to browse the past few Daily News updates. I've posted my meal plans, my training splits and a general overview of the weight training programs I'll be following. More details on my training programs will be posted in the near future.

I've got another busy Saturday ahead of me. This morning I have to do my cardio, clean the house and then get a haircut. After that Lisa and I need to meet with the builder of our new home to go over where the ceiling-mounted glass-break sensors will be installed and then sign off on the desired locations. After that meeting we'll make the short trip over to the new house and check on construction. The interior framing was completed a few days ago, so the HVAC, electrical, low-voltage and plumbing "rough-ins" are now underway. I'll update my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) when we get back home this afternoon.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

 

September 14, 2007

I've already posted my complete bulking diet (see my September 12, 2007 update) and yesterday I posted my training splits for this year's bulk. The last piece of the puzzle is to go over the training principles and workouts I'll be using. I'm going to need some additional time to get all that material together and posted, but this morning I'd like to give a broad overview of what I'll be doing.

I'll be using two very different styles of workouts, and they will alternate weekly: one week of "core" workouts followed by a week of "intensity" workouts.

The core workouts will focus on very heavy, low volume compound lifts and are designed to increase my strength. I'm only going to be doing one or two exercises per muscle group during the core weeks. I'll do approximately 4 warm-up sets followed by 4 increasingly difficult working sets--the last of which will be close to my 1RM and will end in failure.

The intensity workouts are designed for hypertrophy, and will be considerably higher in volume compared to the core workouts. The intensity workouts are also designed to provide functional rest from the very heavy core training. I'm going to be doing all kinds of things to shock my body into growth and up the intensity: supersets, drop sets, rest-pause sets, giant sets.... I'm also going to be using exercises that I've either never done before, or use infrequently. This morning Mastover suggested that I incorporate some Olympic lifts (such as hang cleans, high pulls, jump shrugs and so on...) into my routine, and I'll definitely be taking his advice. I've got to get some height to my traps, and deads and shrugs are just not doing the trick for me!

Again, that was just a quick overview. I'll go into much more detail as soon as I have time to put it all together.

Yesterday I placed a huge order with AtLarge Nutrition. Even after using Nitrean daily for several years, I still crave the taste. Nitrean is truly the best tasting protein powder I've ever had, and the high-quality blend of proteins has definitely played a part in the improvements I've made to my physique over the past couple of years. I work way too hard in the gym to put anything less than the absolute best in my body. I always take advantage of AtLarge's multi-unit discounts, and that puts the price per 30g serving at around 64 cents. That's a bargain. One of my favorite meals is two scoops of Nitrean along with a 3/4 cup of raw oats (here's the simple recipe). For around a buck fifty you've got a delicious high protein (55.5g) and healthy carbohydrate meal that can be prepared in about 30 seconds.

Happy Friday everyone!

 

September 13, 2007

I don't have much time this morning (work issues), but I thought I'd go ahead and post my training splits for my upcoming bulk. As I briefly mentioned yesterday when I posted my new bulking diet, I'll be alternating "core" training weeks (geared towards increasing strength) with "intensity" training weeks (designed for hypertrophy) for the entire 16 weeks of my bulk.

For the "core" training weeks I'll be using a 3-day split, as follows:

CORE WEEKS
MONDAY: Legs
TUESDAY: Off
WEDNESDAY: Chest, Delts & Triceps
THURSDAY: Off
FRIDAY: Back & Biceps
SATURDAY: Off
SUNDAY: Off

I'll be using a 4-day split for the "intensity" weeks:

INTENSITY WEEKS
MONDAY: Quads & Hamstrings
TUESDAY: Chest & Triceps
WEDNESDAY: Off
THURSDAY: Back & Biceps
FRIDAY: Delts, Traps & Calves
SATURDAY: Off
SUNDAY: Off

I'll be posting the training principles that I'll be following along with some sample workouts and links to further reading sometime soon. These workouts will not be anything like I've done before (no "4 sets of 10-12 reps" this time around), and should be quite interesting.

I've got to run, have a great day!

 

September 12, 2007

My 2007 bulking meal plan is up! There have been a few adjustments since the general overview I posted yesterday, so I'd like to go over those changes and talk about the plan in more detail now...

As you can see, I'll be interspersing relatively brief periods of cutting (1-2 weeks) with my bulking weeks. This is a new technique for me, and I'm hopeful that it will allow me to add muscle while keeping my fat gains to absolute minimum. I put on way too much fat during last year's bulk (ultimately reaching 236 pounds and 19% body fat), and that made for a long and difficult cutting phase to get my body fat back down to 6%. I don't want a repeat of that, so my goal this year is to keep my body fat at or below 12% at all times.

My daily caloric intake during "bulking" weeks is a little over 3,100 calories. No surprises here: the diet is high in carbs and high in protein. As you can see, aside from protein powder there are absolutely no processed foods in my diet. This bulking diet is the very definition of "clean" and "all-natural". If you want to grow, you've got to give your body the proper raw materials. You truly are what you eat, so if your diet is crap, well...

I know I bring up diet a lot (for a recent example, check out my September 8, 2007 update), but that's because I feel that a proper diet is the most important component of overall health, fat loss and adding muscle. Unfortunately diet is also the number one thing that people get wrong, and I want to help change that.

I digress--let's get back to my 2007 bulking meal plan. :)

Looking at the cutting weeks of the meal plan, the most obvious change is a reduction in my daily caloric intake: I'll be taking in a little over 2,700 calories. Notice also that my carbohydrate intake will be greatly reduced, and my fat intake will be increased substantially. This switch will force my body to use fats as an energy source, but without entering ketosis.

I will be allowed 1 "cheat" meal per week during my bulking weeks, and no "cheat" meals during my cutting weeks. It was a happy accident, but I'm pleased that I'll be on a bulking week during Thanksgiving and on Christmas. I'll be taking my weekly cheat meals those two days for sure!

As I mentioned yesterday, my supplement intake is very basic: A multi-vitamin, an oil blend, joint support, creatine, glutamine and amino acids.

Other than a glass of wine with my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, I will be consuming no alcohol.

Something you may have noticed is that my weight training schedule (noted in my food logs) reads as follows: CORE: [M-W-F]   INTENSITY: [M-T-T-F]. I'll be alternating a week of "core" strength training with a week of "intensity" hypertrophy training for the duration of my bulk. My "core" training weeks will have a 3-day split, while my "intensity" training weeks will have a 4-day split. This is a new style of training for me. I will post my complete training schedule and go into much more detail sometime before my bulk starts.

I think that about covers my diet!

Finally, it is an honor and privilege to once again be working with my good friend Mastover, who is a natural professional bodybuilder. Mastover brings many years wisdom and experience to the table. As you may know, I worked with Mastover during my last cut, and saw excellent results. I expect this bulk to be no different!

 

September 11, 2007

I wanted to get this year's bulking meal plans entered into my spreadsheet and posted this morning, but yesterday was an exceptionally busy day and I didn't have any time to work on it. I started working on the plans this morning, and I'm about 75% done. So, I'll post the meal plans tomorrow morning for sure. In the meantime, here's a preview...

I'll be eating a little over 2,800 calories per day during my bulking weeks. Food choices during the bulking weeks include egg whites, whole eggs, red potatoes, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, codfish, chicken breast, 96% lean ground beef, oats, Nitrean, natural peanut butter, salad greens and broccoli.

My daily supplement intake will be very basic: UDO's Oil Blend caps, joint support (Glucosamine/Chrondroitin/MSM) and Beverly's Super Pak Multivitamin.

Pre, during and post-workout supplements are also pretty straightforward: Beverly's Creatine Select and Glutamine Select, bulk EAA (Essential Amino Acids) powder and Xtend.

Mastover also just sent me my "Core week" training program, and it's going to be a killer. The core weeks are designed to increase core strength, and they will be mixed in with "Intensity weeks", which are geared towards hypertrophy. Time permitting, I hope to have the complete training program up this week.

Thanks for stopping by--have a great day!

 

September 10, 2007

I heard from Mastover a few minutes ago, and he sent me the meal plans for my upcoming bulk! I'm going to get those meal plans entered into my spreadsheet today or tomorrow, and will post them this week.

As you may recall, I mentioned a short while ago that we're trying something new on this bulk: several weeks of bulking followed by short periods of cutting. This will be done in order to keep my fat gains to an absolute minimum. The plan is to bulk/cut for a total of 16 weeks, as follows: 5 weeks of bulking (October 1, 2007 - November 4, 2007), 2 weeks of cutting (November 5, 2007 - November 18, 2007), 3 weeks of bulking (November 19, 2007 - December 9, 2007), 1 week of cutting (December 10, 2007 - December 16, 2007) and, finally, 5 weeks of bulking (December 17, 2007 - January 20, 2008). I will begin my "real" cutting phase on Monday, January 21, 2008.

The plan is to be at or around 12% body fat when I start cutting. This should make a relatively brief cutting phase (my guess is around 3 months). I plan to cut down to at least 6% body fat--maybe even lower. :)

My upcoming training split and workouts are still being hashed out. I will post all that information in the very near future.

I can't wait to start bulking!

 

September 9, 2007

In yesterday's update I talked about the importance of eating a healthy diet (if you missed it, you may want to give it a quick read). I received a fair amount of email in response to that article. The comments ranged from (I'm paraphrasing) "Duh! Everyone knows that!", to "Wow, no wonder I'm having trouble making any progress!" :)

Those of us who are knowledgeable about the importance of a healthy diet may have lost some perspective. Familiar dietary concepts that are almost second nature to you and me are totally alien to many. The level of ignorance (I assure you that I'm not using that term pejoratively) displayed by the average person when it comes to what constitutes a healthy diet is unfortunate. When I think back to the time prior to my transformation (and even the early days of my transformation) I had absolutely no clue. I, like many others, once thought a healthy fat loss diet was a huge caloric deficit, skipping meals, abdominal crunches, low fat foods, blah blah blah...

The aim of this site and the JSF Forum is to dispel misinformation and provide free information that will not only get you looking good, but will also allow you to be more healthy and energetic than you may have thought possible. I want you bodybuilding and fat loss vets out there to take a step back and remember that we all had to start somewhere.

I appreciate that so many of you on the forum show patience and understanding with newcomers; by doing so you are providing people with the knowledge that will enable them to quite literally change their lives. Further, every person who becomes educated about proper diet and fat loss techniques is one less person out there spewing nonsense and bad information. Obesity is an epidemic in many parts of the world, and I believe that education is the first step in combating this growing problem. Get educated and then spread the word!

 

September 8, 2007

I managed to fight off whatever it was that was making me feel sort of run down and headachy last week. I feel 100% fine this morning! A lot of people around here are really sick, so I'm very glad my body managed to deal with it before it could take hold. I feel that my diet is the #1 reason that my body is so adept at fighting off illness.

I can't stress it enough: Diet is the most important component of any healthy lifestyle. I don't care if you are trying to lose fat, put on muscle or are simply maintaining: if your diet is not "clean" and healthy, you are making a huge mistake. I know people who go to the gym, lift weights and do lots of cardio, but their diets stink. Those people make little, if any, progress, they get frustrated and then they quit. My advice to everyone is the same: get your diet dialed in before you even think about picking up a weight or getting on the cardio machines. There is a lot of excellent information in the Beginner's Forum that can help you learn how to create a meal plan that is healthy and tasty. Read the "sticky" threads (the threads "stuck" to the very top of the Beginner's Forum) and get educated!

With the exception of my weekly "cheat meal", almost everything I eat and drink is all-natural: Eye of round steak, 96% lean ground beef, skinless chicken breast, cod, salmon, shrimp, egg whites, broccoli, natural peanut butter, nuts, yams, pineapple, grapefruit, brown rice, oats and water. The only processed foods I eat are protein powder and whole grain (not whole wheat--whole grain) bread. It's no coincidence that once I adopted an all-natural diet I started looking healthier and feeling better than at any other time in my life. The best part is I really enjoy the foods I eat. There are countless ways to prepare these and many other all-natural foods. I strongly encourage each of you to begin eliminating all the processed garbage from your diet. Trust me, you'll be glad that you did.

I've got a pretty busy day ahead: House cleaning, a trip to Home Depot (they love me and my credit card there), some projects around the house and a trip over to the new house to check on construction. I'll be making another big update to my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) when I return. It's amazing how much progress has been made in just five weeks. Here's a quick time lapse animation of the progress so far. Of course each step of the process is being documented with lots of photos, videos and text in my journal, so if you are interested in learning more go give it a read.

 

September 7, 2007

I'm running very behind this morning. I have to get one of my dogs, Turtle, to the vet for a little minor surgery and I'm late! Sorry for the short update. Have a great Friday!!

 

September 6, 2007

Even though my headache never came back, I definitely felt run down all day yesterday. My throat even felt a little scratchy late in the day, so it seems clear that my body is trying to fight something off. I decided the smart thing to do was to skip my workout and give my body full resources to fight. I was in bed by 9:00 PM last night, and I slept until 6:15 AM this morning without waking up. I still feel a little "off" this morning, but I'm functional and I feel a little more energetic than I did yesterday. I'll probably play it safe and skip tomorrow's workout, too. I can't afford to get sick right now, I have way too much going on!

It's official: I'll be working with Mastover for my upcoming bulk! After the success we had together on my last cutting phase, I'm confident that this year's bulk is going to be fresh, exciting, very challenging and will produce excellent results. Many aspects of this bulk will be different than anything I've done before, and that's something I'm looking forward to a great deal. We've already gone over the basic framework, and the details will soon follow. I'll be posting my complete diet, supplement and training schedules very soon!

 

September 5, 2007

I woke up at 2:30 AM this morning with one of the worst headaches I've ever had. The pain was so intense that I thought I was going to get sick. I very rarely get headaches, and I have no clue what brought that one on. I did feel a little run-down yesterday afternoon, so I wonder if it's a bug or something? I've not been sick in well over a year--in fact maybe even closer to two years. I hope my streak is not going to end! :)

Anyway, with my head pounding I managed to get out of bed and take some Tylenol. I was hoping to fall back asleep right away, but the pain kept me awake for over an hour. I slept in an extra 30 minutes this morning, which really upset the dogs because they like to be fed at 6:00 AM sharp! Thankfully when I woke up at 6:30 AM my headache was nearly gone. Right now it's just a very dull ache. Other than that I feel just fine... well, perhaps a little tired.

Right now the plan is to go ahead and work out this afternoon (chest & side delts), but I'll skip it if my headache returns or I start feeling poorly. My training has been going very well, and I can't even remember the last time I missed a workout. Maybe a couple of days off wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially with a grueling bulk on the horizon. I'll let my body decide for me a little later today.

That extra 30 minutes of sleep felt great, but now I'm running late. I'd better sign off and get to work. I hope you have a great day!

 

September 4, 2007

The Labor Day weekend is over, and it's time for me to start putting some thought into my upcoming bulk. I mentioned a few days ago that I may try 3 weeks of bulking followed by 1 week of cutting (repeated for several months), and that's still something I'm very interested in pursuing. I've always said that focusing 100% on bulking seems to work well for me, but this year I really want to keep the fat off. It will be interesting to see how I respond to something like this.

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting much more information on my bulk, including my detailed menus, supplement intake, training split and the training principles I'll be following. I really enjoyed working with Mastover during my last cut, so I hope to work with him again for this bulk if he has the time!

I'd better get to work, I've got an insane amount of things that I need to accomplish today. Take care!

 

September 3, 2007

Today is Labor Day, so Lisa and I both have the day off! Yesterday we'd planned to work in the yard, but Lisa didn't feel like it and she talked me into waiting until this morning to trim all the plants. Instead of working in the yard, we hopped in the car and went driving around. We went by the new house (Lisa has not been inside since the second floor was completed), and then explored the roads around our new subdivision. On the way back to our house I saw a Home Depot come into view. As we approached Home Depot I muttered something about Pavlovian conditioning and found myself pulling into the parking lot.

I actually did need a few things from Home Depot, but I can never simply get what I need and then leave. Oh, no. Instead I have to wander around finding all kinds of other things that I just didn't realize I need, but apparently do. Whenever I go into Home Depot I sort of black out for awhile, and about an hour later I find myself sitting in my car wondering what the hell just happened.

I did get a lot of little projects done yesterday, and I have some bigger projects lined up for today. One of the projects is right on the edge of my handyman abilities, so if things go awry I may have to call in the pros. Unfortunately I discovered that I need something else from Home Depot to complete one of my projects. Uh-oh...

Of course I'll be working out today, too! Today is my back/rear delts/traps workout, and I've got some very heavy deadlifts, weighted pull-ups, bent-over barbell rows, bent-over dumbbell laterals and behind-the-back barbell shrugs lined up. I can't wait!

What's labor day without a cookout? I'll be having an extra cheat meal tonight, and that's going to be burgers on the grill! After today I'll not be having any more cheat meals until I start my bulk on October 1st. I want to head into my bulk fairly lean at about 8% body fat.

I'm going to finish my coffee and get out in the yard. Have a great day!

 

September 2, 2007

I went out to eat yesterday afternoon with Lisa and her parents. We had a great time, but the food and service were both horrible. It's been years since we've gone to Macaroni Grill, and I don't think I'll be back again. The chicken was dry and very salty, and my lasagna was lukewarm and dry, and it just didn't taste very good. I suggested a little family-owned Italian place that's always good, but I was out-voted. I don't think I'll get much argument next time. Excellent focaccia bread doesn't make up for terrible food.

I think this morning before it gets too hot Lisa and I are going to get some yard work done. All the plants need trimming, and that's a pretty big job.

Having our house on the market is such a pain. I mean, we keep the yard and house well-maintained under normal conditions, but keeping it in "show condition" at all times is a whole new ball game. I just wish someone would hurry up and buy it so we can relax!

They broke ground on our new home one month ago, and construction has been coming along quite well. The outer walls, the load bearing interior walls, the second story, the stairs and the and roof have all been built, so the house is really starting to take form! I've been updating my new home construction journal (an upgraded forum membership is required) almost every day with tons of pictures, videos and descriptions. Keeping this journal has been fun and educational experience so far, and I'm glad I decided to do it. There are still 3 or 4 more months of work ahead, and with the number of pictures and video I'm taking I think I'm going to need another external hard drive before we're done!

OK, I need to get out in the yard and get to work. The longer I put it off, the hotter it gets. Have a great day!

 

September 1, 2007

In the two months since my last set of monthly pictures (my monthly pictures were not taken on August 1st because I was on vacation), my body fat has increased from 6% to around 8%. This body fat increase was expected and planned for, as maintaining 6% is not something I'm interested in doing. I've been having a lot of fun this summer, and have been able to indulge in some extra cheat meals and snacks while still maintaining fairly lean physique. I feel like I've managed to strike a pretty nice balance: I'm happy with my physique, and I certainly don't feel deprived in any way.

My new monthly pictures are up on the pictures page. As you can see, the fat I added mostly went to my mid-section. My abs are still showing, but the cuts are not as deep as they were when I was at 6% body fat. I want to maintain my present body fat level for the next month, and on October 1st I'll start bulking!

 

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