BlueandBlackYJ’s BodyBlog

These pictures didn’t come out good at all (small & poor quality), but here is a side by side comparison from 7/17 165 lbs to 7/30 167 lbs. I’m not sure if there is really a noticeable difference or not. The picture on the left is the new picture. The one on the right was from 7/17 @ 165 lbs.

I have definitely gotten much stronger, as well as gained 7 lbs from the beginning, and I’m excited about finishing the ‘08 Rock Hard Challenge from Muscle & Fitness.

Don’t have a picture update yet, but check out how much better this week’s workout was compared to last week.

On BB Squat, I was able to start with 135 instead of 45, On Leg Press I was able to start with 140 instead of 90.

On Calf Raises I was able to start with 90 instead of 50.
Total workout volume for last week was 10,360 lbs. Total volume for this week was 18,450 lbs. Awesome, right!?

I am most excited because I truly believe the path to achieving my weight goals is going to be primarily through my legs. I am truly committed to completing this 90 day Rock Hard Challenge and having completed almost the first month, I can’t wait until the next month gets underway and I ramp up the cardio a bit and add in a few more exercises. Right now I am 167 lbs and hope to gain a few more by the end of next week. I am also going to take measurements tonight. Stay tuned for progress!

My morning routine is to weigh myself after I use the restroom first thing in the morning after waking up. Stepped onto the scale this morning…….and I’m up 2 more pounds - to 169! I’m up 9 lbs. & so excited. Can’t wait to hit 170 - maybe by the end of this week. I’m planning on taking another progress picture at the end of this week.

Tomorrow I start the third week in the first month of the ‘08 Rock Hard Challenge. I have followed the menu - almost perfectly, I have only missed 2 of 6 cardio workouts (only because in the first week I didn’t know I was supposed to go 3x’s), and I have lifted heavy & followed the workout strictly, and consistently taken my supplements. I lifted heavier in week 2 than in week 1 and I have gained 7 lbs. My bb bench press max also went up 15 lbs (from 185 to 200 lbs). So I feel like it is working great. My wife even commented that she thought she could tell a difference in my arms and that was nice….
For the upcoming week the plan has me adding an extra cardio day and I am excited about that. It feels so good to have been so consistent for these two weeks and I am looking forward to making it to the end of the 3 month program and seeing how much progress I’ve made.

It is going to get tougher though, because school starts back in two weeks and then I’ll have to be extra prepared on meals and stuff and working out after school will be an adjustment. But I will do it!!! Because it will be worth it.

Today’s shoulder workout was awesome. I was able to lift so much heavier than last week. I can’t wait for back/bi’s tomorrow. I’ll take another progress picture tomorrow.

Also, not sure if I already recorded this here, but I had my bodyfat measured at the gym using a handheld electronic device that is held out in front of you with both hands. You put in your sex, age, height, weight and it calculates it. It said mine was 5.9%. I thought that couldn’t be right so I did it again and got 6%. I still don’t think that is accurate. I think it is probably somewhere between 10% - 12%.

Well I finished supper just a bit ago and it was all I could do to finish the plate.

I still have one more meal to go before bed tonight. So far I have consumed 2799 calories, 245g protein, 392g carbs, and 17.5g fat. By the end of the day I should be around 3,244 calories, 280g protein, 450g carbs, & 31g fat. It has been tough to eat all this today, but I am adjusting to it.

This morning I was 166 when I woke up. After supper I was 171. I’ll be curious to see what the scale says tomorrow morning.

So I am halfway through the 2nd week of the 1st month of the RHC and I haven’t exactly been following the program exactly. Last week I only did 1 day of cardio instead of 3, and I have been using the high-calorie menu every day instead of every third day. I also discovered they want me eating about 800 calories for supper on the high-calorie day, and I have only been getting 400-500 calories for supper. I decided since the program was designed for a 180 lb guy, that I would follow the program exactly and that would be my goal weight.

Today I did 45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at 65% of my max. heartrate. To my surprise that ended up being just walking at 3.9 so it was pretty easy.

I also measured my bodyfat using the handheld calculator thing that the gym uses. You put in your age, height, weight, etc. and it calculated that my bodyfat was 6%. That sounds kind of low and I thought that maybe mine might actually be higher than that, but I’m not sure. I know those things aren’t perfect. So I tried it again and got the same thing, so I’ll use that as my baseline for improvement. I wish I had done it at the beginning of last week, though.

Anyway, I’m excited about where I am going to be at the end of this 3 months!

So this week I finished the leg workout that I could not finish last week. I’m doing the Muscle & Fitness 2008 Rock hard challenge. Today was Day 2, Week 2. Started w/ squats, then to leg presses, lunges, leg ext., leg curls, abs, calf raises. I was pumped that I finished the entire workout with heavier weight than I used last week. As I was walking to the water fountain I felt like I had towels wrapped around my thighs that made it hard to walk. When I was walking out & down the stairs (gym is on the 3rd floor), by the time I got to the 4th step my leg almost collapsed. That would’ve been embarrassing. So it was great - and I know that two days from now I’ll be even more sore! But that’s ok because I know I have so much room to grow in my legs and I think that will be a place where I can really add some pounds. Hopefully next week will go even better.

So tomorrow is leg day. Last week I couldn’t even finish the leg portion of the workout. I’m going to kill it tomorrow!

When I weigh myself I always do so first thing in the morning before breakfast. I’ve been holding steady for several days now and finally this morning I’m up another pound. This is the beginning of the 4th week of eating right and lifting, and I’m up to 166 from 160. Can’t wait to keep moving on up.