Big_James’s BodyBlog

Well with my diet at full speed and my exercise routines down its time to tweak just a bit.  I notice that because I am trying to loose weight that I am just not getting enough vegetables.  My Diet right now is high in protein with low carbs tapering off around 2 pm to no carbs.  That in it self is not bad but when you throw in caloric restrictions to try and maximize the weight loss benefit it gets to be a bit much.  So I decided to supplement my veggie intake with Macro Greens.  You might have read about this in the recent Iron Man magazine but the articles have been around for while.

Macro Greens (also known as Miracle Greens) are a powder supplement that basically has 5 servings of veggies in one single scoop.  So this morning was the first time I added them into my diet all I can say is yum…NOT.  This stuff is hard to keep down I had to drink a little of the supplement and then a quick gulp from my coffee to keep it down.  It tastes nasty as all get out I mixed mine with straight water my wife (also working out) wants to add it to her diet as well so she did the half apple juice half water.  Needless to say this did improve the taste but only very slightly this is truly some bad tasting stuff.

One other side note is that they do create some gas so you might belch a few times I did and oh it was such an enjoyment to relive the wonderful taste.

Big James

I have heard this go both ways people say if its just a cold go for it but if it is more take it easy.  Well I think mine is just a cold but the problem I am having is that I keep coughing.  When I cough it is hurting my stomach I noticed this on Saturday but on Friday I hit my abs really hard so I didn’t think anything of it.  I feel exhausted right now and I didn’t get much sleep so I think if I can get a nap in this evening maybe I will do a late workout.  What do you think?

Big James

My throat is awful my sinuses plugged and the cough is deep.  So far I feel like crap and I was hoping to get more exercise into my day today.  Yesterday I did manual labor for exercise I did the gardening mowing the lawn trimming the hedges and bushes.  After that I went down and cleaned out our storage unit on my own.  That was all rather exhausting I did end up eating a bad dinner and I should have avoided it but I was just so out of it from being sick and all the work.  I hate this its like just when you start to make progress something has to bring you down.

Big James

Well yesterday I was sick today I felt much better still a little tickle in the throat but over all fine.  I did my high rep, low weight, short rest routine today and man was I hitting it good.  I felt like I was getting a cardio workout at the same time.  After I finished up my abs I took some protein and rested for about 20 minutes and then put on my running shoes and headed for the door.  My goal was to get 30 minutes in and to get some more jogging in so I walked to the corner and started the timer and began a modest 9 min mile pace.  I had to rest soon after as my shins were just not warmed up.  I walked about another mile at a 15 min pace and then took off again I did a half mile at 6 1/2 min pace and turned on the jets at the end of my run pushing below 6 min pace for maybe 100 yards.  Overall felt great to open up the jets and let my legs stretch out the new shoes feel good just need to warm up my shins a bit more before I take off again.

Diet is good and clean today; yesterday I added some extra carbs not too much trying to help fight that cold.

Big James

I got hampered with a very irritated throat so I passed on running and will still hit the gym tomorrow.  I am hoping my vitamins and tea will help out tonight and I will fee better in the morning.

Big James

I did a heavy weight low rep day I even did some video of me doing 135 lbs barbell curls for 5 reps I just have to figure out where the wife put the camera.   After I finished up heavy I did some Kettle Bell routines for leg work I only do legs once a week and I like to change it up last couple of weeks has been squats.  All I can say is ouch my inside of my thighs is like in total pain I can tell I will be hurting in the morning for sure.  After that I hit regular gym (24 Hr Fitness) and did 30 minutes elliptical with a minimum resistance of 8 and a max of 14.  After that I relaxed in the dry sauna!  I try and use my dry sauna time as a time for meditation.  I am focusing on what I want to look like seeing myself there its easy the first 5 minutes but then your mind gets total focused on how freaking hot it is.  I did 15 mins in 5 mins out and then another 10 mins in I was soaked from head to toe.

The dry sauna always seems to help me if I am sick and that’s why I hit it today been feeling a little cold coming on.  Might hit it again tomorrow depends on when I get my walk/jog done.

Big James

Everyone else seems to go into bulking phases when Winter comes I seem to be the opposite.  For me that never happens; the cool air it gets me going its like the world is renewing itself.  My weight is currently 300 lbs as of Sunday but that is off because I was eating heavy sodium over the weekend while in Vegas for a wedding (Beef Jerky).  It is still way high but I will have a more accurate reading this Sunday.  I know what I have to do and I have my plan written out so I just ask that you sit back give me some support and watch the show.

I am gradually reducing my carbs removing them from meals completely after 2 pm.  My focus is cardio I am aiming for at least 5 days a week but pushing for 6 days.  I am doing at least 30 minutes on days I weight train and 1+ hr on non weight training days.  My weight training is broken into three days currently with Monday/Friday - High Rep - Light Weight - Minimum rest and Wednesday - Low Rep - Heavy Weight.  I also only do my legs on Wednesday my abs are done on high rep days.

Big James

K.I.S.S. comes from my programming days it stands for Keep It Simple Stupid.  Most people including myself tend to over complicate their workouts.  I understand it when the person is already lean and is working on a specific body part but that’s not the average Joe/Jane.  Most of us could tend to drop a few pounds and we are hitting the gym for a workout not trying to get that 1 strand of the bicep a bit larger.  So I decided to take my computer software background and apply it to my workouts.  I do full body workouts granted I would get more gains if I did a day per muscle group but I am not shredded I am just a guy trying to get a workout.

So how does the K.I.S.S. principle work?  Well don’t over complicate your workout every fitness magazine today on the rack includes the most complicated routines.  They have to make them crazy and complicated so they can sell you the new workout next month.  This over complication can cause people to leave the gym and just makes the job of getting a workout that much harder.  What we are doing with the K.I.S.S. principle is taking the thinking and complication out of the workout.  So how is that done?  Stick to working the widest range of the muscle group and only do one exercise.  You can do three or four sets but you can really push it and get some good gains.  This also shortens your workouts leaving more time for cardio to get that shredded look.

Here is my workout from yesterday.

Chest - Dumbbell Press/Fly 4 sets

Triceps - Cable Press downs 4 sets

Back - Lat Pulls 4 sets

Biceps - Barbell curls 4 sets

Legs - Squats 4 sets (only done one day week)

I do my workouts with lifting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do cardio 6 days week so I do abdominal workouts on alternate lifting days and I just do crunches or whatever I feel like.  I normally use a gymboss on my abdominal workout so no counting just 1 min of crunches 30 seconds rest or something like that.   Now with a simpler workout I can find it easier to get the final piece of that fitness puzzle called consistency.

Have a great workout!

Well my biggest problem has always been my cardio work.  I never really felt good doing it and it just seem to never get me anywhere.  Well that was all before and for whatever reason my latest motivation has been cardio.  It might be that I now work from home but I just get out and love to go for long walks (6 mile walks) and fast bike rides.  I normally try to keep my walks to over an hour and my bike rides down to 30 mins.  My bike rides will extend once I can get some better padded shorts but right now about 30 mins is all I can handle in the saddle.  My wife calls my walks more like jogs because I use a Forerunner which tracks my pace etc and I am moving at sub 15 min miles for most of my walk which is a slow jog for her.

It feels good to be motivated and not by anything but me!

Big James

Well I hit my route today and not even half way the pain shot up my leg like I was stabbed.  I had to slow my pace and eventually finished the circuit with a slow walk I am going to ice my leg down and hit the circuit again tomorrow.  I have conflicting reports on the distance of the circuit one car says 3 miles one says 2.3 miles that’s a huge difference.  I do have a GPS unit but it is in storage I am heading over today to get it I might do another walk of the route tonight to use the GPS and see what it actually comes up as.  Hopefully it’s closer to 3 then 2 but even if it is not if I hit the circuit tomorrow I will still have my 15 miles which is all I asked for.

I hope everyone is having a great day I did a good forearm and bicep workout today.

Big James