BT2k9

So change of plans - I got home Friday night and wasn’t feeling well at all. I was exhausted, and my shoulder was bothering me a bit. I went ahead and decided to rest this whole weekend. I’m 4 days behind now, but I feel that the rest was well worth it. My shoulder still feels a bit tweaked, but I think I can work through it.

So tonight will be the 2nd day of the first 5 set week.

Measurements went ok - I lost on waist, but everything else stayed around the same, including the scale. So at least I maintained and didn’t gain.

I wasn’t feeling well last night when I got home so I ended up moving my workouts by a day.

Tonight was leg night and the first 5-set workout. It’s definitely more grueling than I remember it being, but it feels good to be back in the gym after my rest days.

That’s pretty much it. Diet’s been going good. I’m expecting good results on measuring day Sunday. I may try to get 2 workouts done on the same day in order to get my 2 consecutive rest days, but we’ll see how it goes.

Had a great weekend for workouts and yesterday was really nice because I went early and got it out of the way. It was nice not to have my workout hanging over my head for the whole day. I got to relax at home and went to be really early. 9pm early - I don’t ever get to bed that early, but the extra rest has been great. I actually didn’t fall asleep on the train in to work this morning, which is what was happening every day last week. I don’t mean a light snooze - I mean OUT, asleep; like you wake up and aren’t sure where you’re at for a minute, out; like you hope you haven’t drooled on yourself, out. You get the picture.

Anyhow - measurements were interesting. The scale actually went up, but both hips and waist measurements went down by about an inch… good progress, I’d say. I’m noticing a bit more separation between my shoulders and my traps, and I’m seeing more of my collarbones now. (Funny what you end up noticing.) But these are encouraging signs that I’m on my way. Now the real dedication begins, but I’ve made it through at least 2 cycles before, so we’ll see how long I’m able to keep it up.

This week is the first 5-set week. I have to be honest and say I’m not really looking forward to them at all. They are grueling. They test my limits. But they are necessary for progress and I’m determined to stay on track. This week I’m gonna be really focused on making sure I get to the gym earlier - these are long workouts and I need to ensure that I’ve got enough time after my weights to do my cardio. This past week I’ve been swapping stretches for cardio on some nights, and that’s working out well, even if the stretch program is an extra hour.

Diet was good, as evidenced by the measuring this week. I’m gonna keep it up because I want to keep seeing results.

Ok, had great workouts the past couple nights. Yesterday I went early in the day and got it done and out of the way, then I came home and basically relaxed for the rest of the day which was great.

Today I feel energized and ready to hit the gym. I’m gonna go early again so I can come home and relax as much as possible for the next few nights. Tomorrow and Tuesday are full nights off, which I’m very much looking forward to.

Ok, back night wasn’t quite as harrowing as I thought it was going to be, and it was a good workout. I didn’t get to the gym quite as early as I wanted to, so I was only able to get in a 15 minute cardio session.

One thing is that my hips haven’t been bothering me much at all this past 1-1.5 months or so, which is really great. I’m hoping that their issue has finally been resolved permanently, though I will be monitoring them both closely. Also, leg nights are still when I take it very deliberately with my form, paying close attention to what my legs are doing as I’m lifting. So far that has been working great - I’ve been able to really feel like I’m pushing my legs without aggravating past injuries.

Speaking of leg night - that’s tonight, and I’m actually very much looking forward to it. One thing I’m looking forward to more, however, are my 2 nights off. I think this time change has done something to my resting schedule because I’ve been really tired lately. Maybe this weekend, I’ll try and get some extra rest in.

Ok, not too bad for the first day of the 4-set week. I was a little off on my rep estimates for a couple of the sets on my Flat Bench, but otherwise it was a great workout. Cardio was good tonight - felt like the time flew by.

Diet’s been ok. I’ve been really watching how much I’ve been eating at each meal but I think I’m gonna just have to start tracking exactly how many calories I’m actually taking in instead of ‘eyeballing’ it. I got really good at eyeballing it, but obviously that just isn’t working anymore, as evidenced by Sunday’s measurements.

Ugh… back night tonight. I’ve gotta get to the gym a bit earlier tonight because back night always takes the longest out of my three different workouts and I need to make sure I’ve got enough time for cardio.

Ok - last week’s in the bag, and it’s my night off. Tomorrow I start up the 4-set week… ugh. Tonight I’ve got a bunch of errands to run.

Ok, had a good workout last night, despite it being back night and my least favorite workout.

The gym was pretty empty when I got there, but apparently a lot more people work out on Sunday nights than have in the past because a bunch of folks showed up in the middle of my workout. I guess I’m gonna have to survey the workers there to see what times are the least populated because I’ve had a few times recently where a station I need has been taken up by someone. It really kills my momentum when I have to wait for a station to free up.

Other than that, I’m gonna have to be extra diligent with my diet this week since my measurements weren’t so hot. Leg night tonight, and it’s the last workout from the previous week. I’m really looking forward to the night off tomorrow and getting back on schedule with 2 consecutive days off.

Ok, those measurements are obviously distressing, and this tells me that even though I’m not necessarily eating ‘bad’ stuff, I’m eating too much.

This week I’ve gotta cut back.

Just a quick blurb before bed.

Had a good workout tonight, very brisk. I opted to skip cardio in favor of stretches - my back’s been bugging me a bit and the stretches really help out with that.

Ok - bedtime.