Back in the groove…
In the late summer and fall of 2008, I made more progress with working out and eating than I ever have. I was in the best shape I had ever been in and I was stronger than I ever had been. It was great. I basically did the 2008 Rock Hard Challenge twice (2 three month sessions). The first time I followed the diet EXACTLY (going from 160 to 173) and the second time I did a bulking diet (going from 173 to 196).
When the second time through was complete, I was pretty burnt out and really put on more fat than I had realized. But you’d expect that when you go up 23 lbs in 3 months. I decided to try Gaspari Mitotropin to shed the fat but ended up giving up a little less than halfway through the 30 day program. I think now the reason I was unable to maintain the will to finish the program is because I went from an extreme bulking diet to an extreme and strict fat loss bodybuilding diet - at the opposite end of the spectrum.
After that (around the end of January) I basically fell off the wagon. I got extremely busy and stopped going to the gym, became really tired neat the end of the day, and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I completely let my diet go, making up for depriving myself, if you want to call it that, of all the sweets and desserts that I had not been eating for the last 6 months (except for the occassional weekly cheat MEAL - not cheat day). I put on a lot of bodyfat and stayed that way up until the end of the school year (mid May).
When summer started I was determined to get back into the groove that I knew I needed to be in. My 30th birthday is June 25 and I wanted to get into really good shape for that. So for the last 3 weeks or so I have been doing AWESOME with my diet. I’ve dropped about 12 lbs since the end of April (hopefully all fat) and I am getting leaner than I have been in over 6 months. In the mornings I am weighing in at 169 undressed (as of 06.11.09) and by the time I make it to the gym I am averaging about 176 or so with my shoes & clothes on. I really want to develop my midsection and I feel like I am on my way to accomplishing that.
On another note, I’ve been basically following the Rock Hard Workout since Aug. 2008 so I needed a change. Here on bb.com I found a guy using a program called the "Life Lease Program" and I really liked the way his workouts were set up so I decided to give that a try. I started it on Monday 06.08.09 (weighing 179 @ the gym fully dressed). It basically has me doing 4 sets of 8 on three or four exercises per body part. Day 1 is chest, day 2 is shoulders/traps, day 3 is legs, day 4 is back, and day 5 is arms. Cardio is at least 20 mins. a day, everyday. I’ll do this for 3 months and then change it up for sets of 12 for the next 3 months, while also changing some of the exercises.
Regarding supplementation, I’ve been using no-xplode & cellmass on an off for a while, and I’m about ready to stop using them. They are expensive and I am considering just buying the basics - multivitamin, BCAA’s, L-Glutamine, & Creatine individually and trying to save a good bit of money. I have been and will continue to use ON 100% Whey, but I am going to add the ON Casein Protein powder to alternate with my cottage cheese at night.
So that’s an overview of the past year or so and I’m excited about progressing even further. I REALLY wish I could afford to pay Dave Vignasse to develop a diet program for me that would put me on the right track. I feel like I am doing ok, but I am worried I’m not eating enough to maintain and grow muscle, while limiting excess and being able to shed fat at the same time. But I can’t afford $400 for that right now….maybe later on sometime.
That’s it for now. Hopefully soon I’ll post up some progress pictures.
