Bammernhell 
"I want to Compete."
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Archive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
I have always considered myself an instinctive trainer. I have had pretty good results in the past and could move fast through the gym. Lately though I really feel like I have hit somewhat of a plateau.
Since joining bodybuilding.com I have read a lot more, looked at supplements etc. and even listed some friends and checked out different blogs. I looked at someone who was around my age, her sign on is pbolton1. I really liked her blog and was impressed by the way she seemed to write everything down about her training and diet.
I wanted to hit a good back workout yesterday, so I went online, found a pretty good back workout, downloaded it into an excel file and made some modifications. I printed it out and looked at it, and thought to myself that I would breeze through it. It almost looked on paper like I needed to add either sets or exercises. I refrained but I had on paper a good back routine that I felt would hit everything I wanted to hit.
I got to the gym and started through my workout. I am not sure if it was having laser like focus or writing down my progress but I was smoked about half-way through my workout. It seems like I moved at a faster pace as well which kept my intensity high throughout the workout. It was a lot easier writing things down than I thought too.
I finished up with about 30:00 minutes of cardio and I can honestly say it was one of the best work outs I have had in three months. Later that night I went back and hit about an hour of cardio and I slept well last night. I was somewhat sore this morning but my back feels great!
I have already printed out today’s workout for legs and it will be interesting to see if I can the same kind of results. I also used my log last night to write down my diet and I actually did a very good job with my protein and carbs.
Thanks to pbolton for helping provide me with a nudge in the right direction. Had it not been for this site and reading her blog I might still well be sitting at my plateau, wondering what to do next.
Posted in Other
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
I think if this is a clinical term it would fit me. I am sure I would not be alone. Sunday I worked my legs hard. It was the first time in months I really hit a hard leg day. Sure, I pretty much do cardio everyday in some form but I was really going to gun it on Sunday.
I got into the gym fairly early and knew I was not going to be pushed for time. I started and warmed up. I then hit my squats and I realized just why I have such a love/hate relationship with this particular exercise.
I learned squats at an early age because it is a power movement but mostly because I played football and there is nothing better for developing lower body power than the squat. I did several sets and actually had to bend over because I thought I was going to puke.
I can’t explain it but there is something that is almost pleasurable in the pain. I am sure the Fitness Masochist will understand what I am talking about. My legs were shocked almost asking “What the hell are you doing? We were not ready for these! When are we going to do cardio?”
Although in a weakened state I moved on to leg presses. If there is a leg exercise that I somewhat look forward to it is these. I did a bunch of sets increasing in weight while decreasing in reps. I also mixed in between sets, sets of weighted abdominal machine crunches. When I was through I think I could have called it a day and had a pretty good work out, but no I really wanted to experience some burn.
I hit the leg extensions hard. Lifting more weight than I had in a long time because of knee surgeries on both my knees and worked in super sets of hamstring curls. When I was finished I literally had to roll off the bench.
All of this took about 45 minutes because I move at a rapid pace but then I ended with 1 hour of cardio on the elliptical machine. When the clocked struck 60:00 I was smoked. I was drenched with sweat and when I stepped off the machine I was not sure what was going to happen.
When I walked outside I looked like a toddler just learning how to walk. I actually almost busted my tail when I stepped down off the curb and I felt like my legs were going to collapse.
I drove home and again had to roll out of the car. I knew I was going to be in trouble. Soreness for me usually does not set in until two days after a workout. Yesterday my legs were sore but nothing like today.
I have already had three workouts since blasting my legs, all of them including cardio but I am still walking like Franknstein and you know what? I love it. I do not expect the common person to understand it but most on this board will know what I am talking about.
It is strange but there is a certain satisfaction that I have that my body is shocked. I threw it a curve ball and it is reacting in the way it has for years. Total disbelief. I feel satisfied because it means good things to come in terms of growth and strength and as I do my stretching and cardio and more around a little more the soreness subsides.
I spend a lot of time in the gym and only rarely do I see folks hitting legs as hard as I hit mine. I see some guys who do nothing but upper body and usually they have on sweat pants to cover their legs. I wonder what they are hiding.
The fact is to get big you have to lift big. You have to hit your total body and sometimes even go through pain to get there. Which do I hate more? Cardio or leg workouts? Lets just say I hate them both when I start and I love them and the feeling they give me when I am finished.
Is there such a thing as Fitness/Masochist with a bi polar disorder? If so I think I may qualify.
Posted in Other
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
How many of you have friends that are on the fringe fitness experts? You know, you bust your tail in the gym and these friends give you diet and exercise advice knowing how hard you work in the gym but they do not nessicarily follow their own advice. They might actually take some of the credit for your gains as well.
It has happened to me in the past and the following is a funny story about one such friend of mine.
I had been lifting heavy a couple years back and had added some pretty serious size. This friend of mine asked me to go to a gym he was working out at and we could lift together. I agreed and when I arrived I realized that a female friend of ours was also there. I had not seen her in years and she was still in very good shape. She had done a lot of gymnastics growing up and still taught locally so she was still fit.
He had told her we were going to be there and she came in the gym about halfway through our workout. I got into a conversation with her and she started asking me about some exercises and what I thought she needed work on in regards to her body.
Take into consideration that at the time I was single, she was single and my friend was single. I am not sure why my friend took exception to her asking me training questions but about halfway through our conversation he chimed in. “Well I do not know why you are asking Mike about what to do and what not to do. I know all the exercises too!”
She did not miss a beat and replied “Yes, that may be true but Mike actually DOES THEM!”
Spontaneously, I laughed out loud. Of course he did not think it was too funny but the lesson was learned.
Knowing the exercises, the diet etc. does not mean a thing unless YOU DO THEM. To this day when I speak with him, if diet or fitness ever comes into our conversation, sometimes I like to chide him and say “Well you do know all the exercises!”
Posted in Other
Monday, January 28th, 2008
This is always a tough day for me. My brother died 8 years ago today from a heart attack at the age of 39. He was not only my older brother but also my father figure. My father died at the age of 32 when I was only 2 months old, so my brother Curt, 6 years my senior took on the role of father figure along with older brother.
He as out of shape and had become an alcoholic at the age of 39 and was a shell of his former self. In high school he was in excellent physical shape and worked out all the time.
That is why I mention him today here in this forum. He took me under his wing at an early age and I would often go to the gym with him spending hours watching him work out and working out with him too. He would read articles about bodybuilding, he would watch his diet and I can remember one summer where we had a bet that we would not drink any carbonated water for the entire summer. This was in the 1970’s before there were as many drink options like today.
He was spotting me the first time I benched pressed with a 45 pound plate on either side of the bar. I was thrilled because I had worked hard and he was there. The weight room was tiny, no cardio equipment of today and it was old school lifting, dead lifts, squats, bench-press. Very few other pieces of equipment, most of it was just cold hard steel. The room was not air-conditioned and being located in south Alabama did not lend itself to very many breezes during a workout session. It was the kind of place where you took a workout towel not only to dry yourself off but to dry off the weights from where you dripped sweat on them. The fact is in an environment like that you did not need to concentrate on cardio because you got it working out. It was akin to doing 2-3 hour workouts in a sauna.
He is the reason I got into this crazy infatuation probably mainly because I wanted to be like him.
For whatever reason, be it his addiction, apathy or whatever he was going through (I had lost my dad at age 2 months, he was 6 so it had much more of an impact on him) he, at sometime stopped working out.
A couple of years before he died he came to see me while I was still in the military. We went to work out and he was shocked. He again spotted me but this time because of the huge amount of weight I lifted and his decrease in strength he struggled to spot me. I could however see in his eye a sense of satisfaction in me, the finished or dare I say ongoing work in process. He said, “Mike, you are massive.” In that moment all of my hard work, all the sweat and pain was worth it. My brother and mentor was impressed.
I am 41 now and have lived past the age my brother passed away. I still think about him daily and miss him everyday. He was a good man, with a good heart, extremely intelligent and talented. Like most complex people however he had his demons, some of which I will never fully understand.
I will continue to honor him, however in the sanctuary where we once bonded as brothers…the weight room. I think of him everyday but some days and some times I think of him more often. I will bust my ass today in the gym and I will think of him. I will lift for him, in honor of him and ……I will……sweat on the weights.
I love you Curt and miss you every day.
Posted in Other
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
I stopped Friday to get a protein drink at a local vitamin store for a quick lunch. I noticed that they had the 25th anniversary video of the movie Pumping Iron. I had seen it years ago but they had included a behind the scenes section along with interviews with the cast 25 years later.
I dropped the additional 15 dollars and watched the movie again later that night. I guess because I was so young when I saw the movie the first time, I had forgotten a lot of the movie. I just sat back and laughed and it was great to watch everything again through adult eyes.
Looking at how the guy trained and the availability of the equipment they had was very inspiring. I mean the gyms they trained in would be considered dumps by today’s standards. Later that night when I went to my gym and trained, I thought about what those guys would have thought about today’s gyms and the variety of equipment available today. It also mad me think about how they looked in the 1970’s and they got results without all of today’s exotic equipment.
The behind the scene is well worth the purchase price and if you can find it I would recommend it. It will inspire you and give you a lot of insight into the early ages of what is now a multi–billion dollar business plus it is a must for any Arnold fan.
Posted in Other
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
Ok I have to admit it; I have officially hit another plateau in my training. Just like any other addiction, admitting it is the first step in recovery, right?
I have hit plateaus in the past and pushed through them. It is the nature of these things right? You train long enough or set enough goals and you will eventually hit them. The difference is the ability to push through them. We will all hit them sooner or later if you continue to train or you continue to lose weight.
I have figured out how mine hit though. They are usually in 10 pound increments. No matter if I am trying to gain weight (which has been a long time ago) or lose weight and cut my body fat.
About a month ago I was stuck at 261 pounds and no matter what I did I could not move my weight lower. I stayed there for about 3 weeks but I did notice I continued to lose body fat percentage and inches. Therefore using logic I was most likely building some muscle. Good thing muscle weighs more than fat huh.
Then almost suddenly another 10 pound loss down to 251 and I am holding there again almost right on cue. So I do what I always do and check my body fat (still losing) and I can tell you that my workout intensity and strength has increased over the last month so I can live with that for now.
There is the realization in all of this as well that the body is going to do what the body is going to do and you have to just maintain your focus and push through what appears to be a lull in your training. Although this is sometimes frustrating I have used other measures like body fat percentage and measuring to get a clearer picture of what is going on with my body.
Another measure I have found that is useful is my clothes. Lets face it when your body changes from training you change all over. I have a pair of old jeans that I have had for about 10 years. Four months ago I could not fit in them. I finally got into them about 2 months ago, last night I tried them on and they are baggy in the waist and in the seat of the pants. Like old jeans they are prone to shrink when washed and I stood and looked at them on me and they felt old and comfortable. Maybe they felt even more comfortable knowing that I was wearing something that I fit into 10 years ago. They are a great measuring stick when the scale plays mind tricks on me.
As for advice for new folks, do not let plateaus discourage you. It is a natural way for your body to adjust, either adding mass or losing fat. Your body is much better off and you are as well if your body is taking the momentary pauses to adjust to growth or fat lost. Your body is settling in to its new size, its new skin and the chances that you will keep the gains or losses for the long haul are much better from entering into a plateau from time to time.
Posted in Other
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Many times before going to work out or do anything that will require intense focus, I will start to get myself mentally ready. Most hardcore trainers understand this completely. So much of training hard is getting in the right mindset before even starting.
Where does the focus come from? Is it nature or nurture? My son is 7 years old and in the first grade. A couple of weeks ago his class was going to be part of a presentation for the kindergarten class at his school.
His teacher told my ex-wife that she noticed that he was sitting in the corner, by himself and had a serious look on his face. Concerned she asked him if he felt well. He said he was fine and she asked him why he had a serious look on his face. He responded, “I getting focused for the performance.”
The teacher said she had to turn away from him and walk away so she could smile about his response.
As a parent, it made me swell up with pride. Although his performance was in a group setting, he was doing what it was going to take to do his part well! This weekend I plan on showing him how to do concentration curls. I have no doubt he is already mentally ready to handle them!
Posted in Training
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
My wife Pam has started working out and working on her diet. She has much more discipline than I do in regards to eating. I have absolutely no will power when it comes to late night, sugar or chocolate eating. She can really buckle down.
She is only about 5′1 and does not have to do much based on her frame. She kicked around what kind of diet she should use and chose weight watchers. The only thing I have ever used with success is the South Beach. I checked out her weight watchers and essentially the foods she can eat are those listed in the South Beach, so go figure.
We were riding to work the other morning, as we often due, based on the fact that we both work about an hour from home. We were talking about meals etc. (she really hates to work out a lot) and she paused and said, “well it really is a total lifestyle change.”
In that moment I realized that she FINALLY got it. Lets face it there are really three things that matter when trying to achieve your physical best. Exercise, diet and rest. Everything else is window dressing.
I have trained extremely hard in the past but was not as stringent, hell who am I am kidding, I was not stringent at all with what I ate. Especially when I was single, I would work out then go out clubbing it, staying out till 3 AM and not getting ample rest. The working out was good but I never reached my full potential because I was a slack ass on what I was eating and how much rest I got.
Pam’s statement showed me that she is now geared up for success. Much like self actualization, the process is ALWAYS ongoing. It never stops until they put you in the ground. I also had a sigh of relief because secretly it is a lot easier to stay on the straight an narrow when your significant other is also involved in the process. Also realizing it is a process and lifestyle change helps too. The process continues for us both!
Posted in Training
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
Cheap Diet Secret
It never fails that in January the media bombards us with the next great weight loss product. As I started my journey back, I realized that I needed to read as much as I could and get my diet in order.
Most fitness folks know that you can spend hours in the gym but if you do not have a handle on your diet and you do not get enough rest, you are fighting an uphill battle.
It is important to know the three body types:
Endomorphs: tend to have bigger bones that the other body types. These men and women usually have round faces with larger thighs and hips. Endomorphs have arms and legs that tend to be short and tapering, giving them a stocky appearance. Most endomorphs have comparatively small hands and feet and a high waist. Additionally, endomorphs have higher levels of body fat than the other body types, but they can also build muscle and lean mass easily. Weight loss is most difficult for the endomorph body type.
Mesomorphs: are usually described as having an athletic build. They often have an hourglass or ruler shape, and gain muscle mass easily. The majority of mesomorphs have broad shoulders and a narrow waist. They have a fast metabolism and can lose weight more easily than endomorphs.
Ectomorphs: Ectomorphs have a thin, linear appearance. Most ectomorphs look like rulers, with narrow waists, hips, and shoulders. Ectomorphs can lose weight easily and tend to have low levels of body fat. However, they also have a harder time gaining lean muscle mass.
Few people actually fall distinctly into one category. Instead, it is much more likely that you will be a combination of the body types. Common combinations include ecto-mesomorph and endo-mesomorph.
I really feel like I am a classic endomorph and after countless hours of trying to find the perfect fat burner/weight loss supplement I stumbled upon a good supplement.
You might laugh but it is pretty simple. It is V8 Vegetable juice. I started drinking it when I got on the South Beach Diet and it floored me. It calls for a V8 first thing in the morning. I have had great results simply by drinking a V8 first thing in the morning. I know it sounds odd but something about getting a high fiber, low carb, and high vitamin drink in my stomach has really cut my appetite. This is also good to start your metabolism burning first thing in the morning. I also use a V8 in the afternoon if I get hungry and want a snack prior to working out. Give it a try. The only downside is that my son told me one morning that my breath smelled like pizza sauce!
Posted in Training
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
I had planned on working out yesterday. I had it all set up and was going to be taking my son back to his mother. I was ready to go and had not worked out on Sunday because it was so cold and the weather was bad. I was going to be off on Monday for MLK day so I thought I would have plenty of time and could get in a good work out.
I packed my gym bag and was looking forward to my cardio and was going to do some leg work. My best laid plans started to change Sunday night when my son became sick. He was coughing and said his throat was sore. I gave him several doses of medicine hoping he just had a mild cold.
After a very sleepless night I called his Mom and she recommended that I make a doctor’s appointment. I did and early in the afternoon we headed to the doctor. I had pretty much made up my mind that I would take him to the doctor and then hit my work out on the way home.
After about a two hour wait, the doctor confirmed he had the flu. As we sat in the doctor’s office my son laid his head on my lap and I rubbed his back and his head. We had to get his prescription filled and he was hurting so bad in the store that he wanted me to hold him. I walked around the store holding him (he is 7 so he is not real big but not real small) waiting for them to fill the prescription.
I finally got him to his house around 5:00 PM. His step dad was there and he was off for MLK day as well. We got him his first dose of medicine and got him comfortable on the couch so he could rest. His mom would be home soon so I had done my best to get him home with his medicine and resting.
I was exhausted. I headed on home not to the gym as I had planned. I was disappointed that I had not just gone to the gym but as I rode home I figured I could make up the workout the next day.
I did however think about what I had gained. Some people will get this and some will not. During my time taking care of my son I felt like I had emotionally bonded with him a little more. It was just us together and he was depending on me to get him to the doctor’s office and get him his medicine. As I comforted him by rubbing his head and back, I came to the realization that being a good Dad was not just about the good times, it was about the bad times as well. Even though my son was sick, it will, one day, not seem as a bad time. He knows that as a man his Dad comforted him and took care of him and nurtured him, a trait not seen as commonly in men these days as they are in women.
So in a way I did train yesterday. Not in the sense that I spent hours sweating in the gym but that I showed my son how to be a true man and a true Dad. I must say it was the best time I have spent training in a long time.
Posted in Training
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