The Chronicles of “B”

Ahhhhhhhh rest day today and man do I need it!  I am just plain pooped!!  Still having sleepy time problems and my tossing and flopping is causing my wife sleepy time problems as well.

Even though I’ve had some great responses and made some awesome new friends the last couple of days I’ve also decided to take a day off from my bitching and preaching on my blogs to just kind of relax and reflect and maybe give some of you a little peek at my bodybuilding life such as it is.  The preaching will resume on Friday!!  LOL!! 

I have a lot of added soreness this week because I’ve changed up my lifting routine just a little.  I’m still doing the same exercises and split but this week I’m only resting 30 seconds in between sets.  Man let me tell ya if you really want to get some blood pumped into your muscles try that for a whole workout….it’s killer, believe me!!! 

I really feel my new diet is getting me results as far as burning fat and still being able to add muscle.  I can see my upper abs and obliques really starting to show through but I still have a disgusting layer of fat over the front wall of my abs especially around the belly button.  This is making me crazy!!  I really have to be conscientious of how I stand and walk or I look like I have a pot belly.  I have to remember to keep the shoulders back, chest out and abs tucked.  The last couple of days I’ve done cardio after my workout in addition to my morning cardio in hopes of getting rid of this stubborn fat.  

To complicate my sleeping problems even more I have had a couple of dreams (nightmares) lately about my up coming contest.  In one dream my suit dropped to my knees during my routine, YIKES!  Any Sienfeld fans remember the episode where they are talking about how shrinkage occurs when you get out of the shower???  Well in my dream there was no shower…but shrinkage still occured!!  Ohhhh the pain and humiliation!!!!  LOL!

  And in another I’m standing there as fat as can be flanked by some of the biggest ripped dudes you could ever imagine.  Both dreams contained pointing and laughing of course.  Guess I’m just insecure or something.

With that in mind though I did get a couple of ego boost this week.  Just to make a little extra money for supps and things I sometimes sub for motor route drivers at the local paper.  While waiting for the paper to roll off the press the drivers and the cute little circulation manager, her assistant and some of the girls that do the inserting all kind of gather outside the building and shoot the breeze.  They all get there much earlier than me so I usually miss out on the good conversations.  Well according to a couple of the drivers I was the hot topic of conversation the other day.  Seems the girls were all talking about how I had a pretty nice bod and were trying to guess my age with most of them guessing mid to late 30’s (I’m 50 by the way!) and talking about how good of shape I was in and bla, bla, bla!!  Well that made me feel pretty cool of course.  And then last night I did an extra cardio session by jogging down to the park with my 14 year old step son and then I lined up and ran some 40 yard sprints.  There were a couple of younger women there with their kids and while I ran my son sat on the picnic table and overheard the two women talking about how I was hot and trying to encourage the other to go run with me and a few other things I was a little sorry my 14 year old heard….although he probably says and knows things that would make me blush!!  LOL!!  Anyway on the way home he’s telling me these things and I’m freaking out.  I still see myself as being fat and then when you get a peek at how others see you ya find out that you’re not so bad after all.  At any rate it gave me a pretty good lift. 

Well I’ve rambled enough for one morning so I’m off to read some other blogs and leave a few comments for my friends.  Hope everyone who reads this has a great day!!      

Wow!!  I cannot believe the response to yesterday’s blog!  I was really surprised to see I’m not the only one who feels that way.  To be honest I was kind of stunned at the number of people who actually read my blog…I figured 5 or 6 tops!  Thanks to everyone who read it and to those that left positive comments.  Much appreciated!

Since yesterdays blog got such an overwhelming and positive  response I decided that I would kind of stick with that theme and post my top 6 womens profiles today. 

The criteria to be in my top six was simple….the profile had to contain actual bodybuilding info.  For instance, you had to have a current blog that was both entertaining and informative, you had to have pics, including progress pics so we can see where you’ve come from, that stressed physique not hootchie.  You also had to have stats posted, current supplement info, a workout program and it would also be a bonus if you had some video posted.  While looking for my top six I also looked for all natural….no artificial enhancements.  I won’t debate plastic surgery with anyone cause I believe it’s a matter of personal choice but I do strongly believe as a matter of personal choice for me……"respect is earned in the gym," as a wise friend once told me!

So, with those guidelines in mind here is my Top 6!!  In no particular order.

MsFitness68 & Katnap!!!  This was a no brainer for me.  Anyone who has ever visited their page or read their blogs knows how they feel about the sport and knows how hard they work.  That’s also why they almost always reside in the top 20 everyday.  Their physique is second to none and they are always willing to help neewbies if they are willing to ask for help.  For that reason alone they are at the top of my list.  Next is bull.dogz!!  Absolutely awesome attitude, physique and another gorgeous woman who works her ass off for what she has.  Plus her page is fun and informative if your new and looking for inspiration.  Nuff said!

  Two more that I have to include in my top 6 are Shankyw and GeminiJedi for all the reasons listed above…plus I think they’re cute!!  Ok, Ok I know that’s cheesy but I am still a guy after all!!  Sorry girls! 

So with that in mind I have a tie for number 6….jelita magic and Bronwyn!!  Even though they didn’t quit meet all the criteria I laid down for my top six such as a current blog I choose them because of the number of compititions they’ve had and their awesome physiques!!!  Plus I just like the way they look…..guy, remember??

Anyway, that is my top 6.  You may have a different opinion and that’s great.  I really didn’t have the time or energy to visit each and every members page so I based it on the pages I have visited in the past and on a regular basis but I think if you visit each one of these womens pages you’ll see why I chose them.  For bodybuilding reasons not for hootchiness….is that a word???  If you have a top 6 that is different from mine by all means let me know, ok?? 

I also have to give honorable mention to Ivy78, gymrat7777, BuffMother, and FitNFiesty.  They all have great profiles and are very gorgeous but were slightly lacking in just a couple of areas for me….but it was close believe me.  At any rate they are certainly in my top 10 pages to visit.   

Also, special honorable mention for a whole bunch of others that I don’t have time to list but it pretty much covers everyone on my friends list.  They are the girls out there that are busting their butts everyday and battle weight issue as well as self esteem issue but they are still out their trying….they are the special ones.  The ones who get excited about losing 2 lbs or about getting into a pair of size 10 shorts that they haven’t worn for years.  Or the women on here who once weighed in excess of 300 lbs and have managed to lose all that weight without lipo or stomach stapleing.  Miss4×4 comes to mind….check out her page.  Or how bout my friend Judi who battles with Lupus and is kicking it’s ass.  These women deserve all the praise they get and then some.

Like I said this is just my humble position so if you disagree let me know what you think.  Have a great Wednesday evening!!   

Love Me or Hate Me!!

I know I should just keep my big yap shut but there is something that I’ve noticed that is really getting on my nerves and since this is my blog and only about 5 people read the damn thing I’m going sound off.

There is a profile on the front page that has absolutely no bodybuilding info on it what so ever….no stats, no progress pics, no goals, nothing related to bodybuilding or physical fitness period!!  NADA!!!  And yet today alone it has recieved over 2000 hits and counting, over 3000 yesterday and 7,005 overall since they became a member 13 short days ago.  In those 13 days this person has recieved several hundred comments, has 115 friends and 147 others hoping to be their friend! 

There are 3 pics on the page which includes the avi and one of the pics alone has gotten 102 comments and counting.  So what’s the big attraction……how could this page stir up sooooo much interest on a bodybuilding site without containing any thing related to the sport?  Well how about 3 pics of big ole boobies bursting from a scimpy low cut top?? 

Yup!!  That’s the only thing of interest on the entire page!  Now don’t get me wrong….I love big ole boobies as much as the next guy….hell maybe more than the average guy…but if I want to see it I go to the many free porn sites on the web where I can see them in all their NAKED glory!!!  Not caged up in a skimpy halter top!! Where’s the fun in that??? 

The reason that this kind of pisses me off is that there is a boatload of beautiful women on here who are busting their ass to build a great body the right way and they might get 20 or 30 hits a day.  Their pages are filled with useful information as well as inspirational progress pics and stats and yet they are basically ignored because they don’t have huge store bought boobies or aren’t wearing thongs that are pulled down to the tops of their pubes!!!  Grow up people for Christ sakes!!!

I could almost understand if she had a ripped abdomen or was displaying a monster set of arms but 7000 hits in 13 days for 2 pics of clevage is bull crap!!! 

Like I said, hate me if you want…call me gay or whatever other name you haters want to use….I don’t really care b/c your opinions won’t alter my life one way or the other but while you’re hateing me why not show some of the other girls who are really trying to become something in the world of bodybuilding a little love once and awhile!!  Nuff said!!  

"Sleepy Time is Becoming a Pain!"

And I mean pain…literally!! 

My favorite position for sleeping has always been on my side.  Actually it’s been on my side snuggled up to my wife’s back while her fav is on her side snuggled up to my back.  Either way I spend most of my time in bed on one side or the other.  Well since I’ve been working out that has changed.  It seems the more I lose fat and the more muscular I become the harder it is to sleep on my side.  If I lie on either side for very long my hips and shoulders become so sore that it actually wakes me up and forces me to roll over to the other side.  I try to sleep on my back as I know that is the best position to sleep in but I’ve never been a back sleeper and it’s hard for me to dose off that way.  Once I get to sleep I can roll to my back for awhile but I always seem to end up on my side.  Sleeping on my stomach is not an option because it puts too much strain on the back.

I would like to know if others had this problem as they developed more muscle or am I just wierd or something??  Maybe I just got a shitty matress but I didn’t used to have this problem.  I’ve thought about checking into a Select Comfort bed but those bad babies don’t come cheap.  I know I have to find a solution soon though because it is really starting to affect my sleep and as you know sleepy time is when our muscles grow.  Any input here would be much appreciated.

Maybe I should start sleeping in my recliner in front of the TV!  I never seem to have a hard time falling asleep on my back that way!  LOL!! 

Yup it’s just one of those day’s when it just feels so good lying there that I just couldn’t get up this morning.  Well, at least not up and out of bed.  Right now I should be outside doing some type of cardio but instead I’m sitting on my ass typing this blog. 

It’s ok though….I had a really good week last week and have made good progress so sometimes you just gotta say f*#k it and kick back and take it easy.  I’ve earned a lazy day and besides….later I’ll be in the garage trashing my chest so it’s ok. 

I was ready to go when the alarm went off this morning but the wife rolled over and snuggled up to my chest and that was all she wrote!!!!  After a little adult activity…it felt so good just lying there together…..there was a cool breeze coming through the window and the birds were all chirpping (anoying little bastards) and the sun was shinning bright…perfect conditions for just lazing in bed. 

And speaking of adult activity….I don’t know if it’s the extra testosterone coarsing through my viens from all the heavy lifting or it’s all the protien I consume or the creatine or NO booster but man lately I am sex crazed in the morning!! 

I used to pretty much hate morning sex.  I mean let’s face it, no one is really that sexy in the morning except on TV or in the movies.  Your hair is all nasty, eyes all puffy and red and we have morning breath….UGH!!!  Not exactly the kind of stuff they write about in romance novels!  But inspite of that I’ve been waking up ready to get down and get funky!!!  LOL!!  Hell the wife is even questioning my motives for crying out loud!!!  She thinks I’m feeling guilty about something but the truth is I’m just freaking horny all the time…..is this normal for 50??? 

Don’t get me wrong though….I’m not bitching about it.  Actually I think it’s pretty damn cool.  I always thought that at 50 I’d be glad to be having sex once or twice a week but instead I’m doing it 2 or 3 times a day!!!  Guess that’s just another good reason to practice a healthy lifestyle, huh???

I’d be courious to know if there are others out there that have experienced this side effect from all the extra physical activity????  Who the hell needs viagra or any of that other crap when all you have to do to get your libido back is to start eating right and exercising.  What a concept, huh??  And as a bonus you get to live longer and so you get to enjoy more years of having sex.  Bet the big drug companies would hate to see that info spread around! 

One final thought for this morning……I wonder how many young boys would start smoking if the warning on the side of the smokes said "Smoking may cause your wee wee to stay…well…..wee!!!"  Just a thought!          

Ok, Ok, I know everyone has probably ran into this at one time or another but I just got in a bit of a tiff with a couple of family members and I’m still a little pissed.

Why!  Why!!  Why!!! can people not understand that I am not trying to offend them….I’m not putting them down for the way they eat….I still would like to spend special occasions with friends and familiy….I just don’t want to eat the shit that they eat!!!!  Why do people get so offensive when you tell them you’re on a special diet??? 

I guess it’s that they can’t understand that I want to be healthy and eating a meal that consist of some animal fried in lard with a huge pile of potatoes and gravy made from drippings from that fried animal meat doesn’t qualify as healthy.  Oh and I forget about the consuming of mass quantities of sugary deserts and adult beverage. 

It reminds me of when I was still a dumb ass kid smoking pot with all my stoner buddies.  I realized at a very young age that this was a waste of life so I stopped doing it and once I did all my so called "Friends" started acting like I was the anti-Christ or something or was a narc.  All because I wanted to leave the little boy ways behind and maybe make something of myself…..how dare I!!!!  IDIOTS!!!

Anyway that’s how people (family) make me feel when I tell them I’m eating clean!  The act like I’ve betrayed them somehow and actually get shitty with us (wife maggie & I) because we have to have "Special Food" as they smuggly call it!  What a crock of crap!!  You would think a family member would be happy for us for taklng control of our health.  Especially considering how many people on both sides of the family have died at a young age from heart disease and other lifestyle related diseases.  I stupidly thought that perhaps I could be an example to family members as to what can be acomplished through healthy living but instead I seem to be a source of irritation.

Oh well….so be it!!!  I’m not gonna die from a heart attack at 55 because it pisses them off that I eat wierd.  I’ll just go to all their funerals when they kick the bucket at an early age saddend by the fact that if they had eaten wierd like me they’d still be alive and would have saved themselves a lot of pain and suffering. 

Well let me start by saying thanks to Time Warner Cable.  Because of their excellent service and reliable equipment I didn’t have internet or phone service for 2 whole days this week.  That’s why I haven’t really left any comments for anyone or writen any blogs this week.  Way to go Time Warner!!  You kick ASS!!! 

Now for the important stuff….week 2 of my new diet.  Last week I lost 8 lbs and the fat loss was very noticable without no noticable muscle loss.  This week I actually gained 2 lbs on the scale but who cares because my clothes are literally falling off of me.  My midsection is much, much smaller and my mits (man tits) are down to about a "AA" cup!!  Cuts and striations are starting to appear and I’m lifting weights I never thought I would.  I cannot tell you how excited I am by these results.  I will be taking some progress pics soon and putting them up. 

One thing that is really freaking me out is the way I’ve been able to move around the tennis court this week.  My wife Maggie and I have been hitting the courts in the mornings since she has started on her quest for fitness and I’m moving around on the courts like I used to when I was still winning tournaments.  It’s blowing my mind!!!  I know losing weight is easier on my joints but it seems like my flexability is improved and my energy levels are up which amazes me because I thought they would be down while I was restricting carbs.  I’m able to explode to the ball and hit it on the way up like you’re suppose to do and I’ve even been able to move back on the ball when Maggie tries to lobs over me….something I totally hate!!  LOL!!!  Now if my arms were just a little longer and I was a tad bit faster moving side to side she wouldn’t be able to pass me either.  Well….at least not as often.  LOL!! 

Anyway I don’t know if it’s just the diet, the new supplements or a combination of both but I’m getting results and that’s all I care about.  I hope next week will be as stellar as this week with the exception of my cable service.  If Time Warner Cable continues to provide me with award winning service maybe I can squeeze in a few minutes between outages to actually post some pics or write in my blog.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Just got done working my chest and I really hit it hard tonight.  I put 175 on the bar and did 4 sets each of flat bench, incline, and decline.  The decline nearly killed me….it seems so strange pushing that bar up when it feels like I’m standing on my head!  Hit the pec deck but went light on it and flyes because they always kill my right shoulder.  I also did several variations of pushups and did 4 sets on the chest press with 195lbs. 

Just out of couriosity I weighed myself before I started and even though I downed an entire 32 oz Gatoraide during the hour I was lifting I lost 7lbs and I’m sure it was all in a puddle of sweat on my garage floor!!  Man it’s hot!!!!  Felt freakin’ good though!!

If not hell than right around the corner from it.  I have never seen it this hot and humid.  It rained yesterday and this morning at 8:00AM when my wife and I went out to play tennis the air was so heavy I swear you could cut a hole in it.  Stupid Ohio!!  When it’s this hot and humid the whole freakin state smells like corn!!!  UGGGGGH!

  Oh yeh….since wifey has started working out again we have started playing tennis in the mornings for cardio instead of my usual sprints.   Maggie is not much of a sprinter.  I get plenty of exercise though believe me.  Every short ball she hits I sprint to the net and make myself work really hard…she does the same.  She has this very annoying habit of being able to pass me or lob over me….drives me crazy so I practice hard at stopping it.    It’s a great workout and gives me tremendous satisfaction when I can smash one of her stupid lobs back at her.  LOL!!    We were both reduced to mere puddles this morning though thanks to the humidity.

I barely had time to recover and cool down when my mother-n-law called and asked if I could come down and fix a leak in their garage roof.  I had a roofing company for nine years so I’m the one the family calls for all their construction needs.  LOL!!  Sooooooo here I was in 100 degree heat and humidity on a freaking roof getting my ass burned off on hot shingles.  Awesome!!  Only took about a half an hour though and problem solved!!  Damn I’m good!  LOL!! 

Since then I’ve been sitting around the house waiting for it to cool down a little before I go out and lift.  Tonight is chest night…yeaaaaaaaaaaa!!  I love chest night cause it helps me get rid of my mits (man tits, get it?).    My favorite though is shoulders night even though I have a weak right shoulder.  I think as far as appearence goes you have to have strong delts or as the saying goes…you ain’t shit!  LOL!!

I’m thinking about going out and smacking around the heavy bag cause I feel like beating the shit out of something…the heat is making me grumpy!!!  It’s either that or I get naked and take an ice bath!!!  Ewwwwwwww!   LOL!!  Living in hell sucks!!!

Oh a quick answer to a question someone asked me…..they wanted to know how I mixed my protein during the carb restriction part of my diet since milk has a lot of carbs.  Simple…water my friend!  It might sound gross but it’s actually pretty good.  I throw about 3 or 4 ice cubes in the blender, a tablespoon of natty peanut butter, 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein and 8 ozs of water……ummmmm good! 

Woke up this morning to a downpour so no cardio out of doors today! We opted instead for some indoor cardio if you catch my drift.  LOL!! 

God I love starting my day like that and it’s healthy too.  I can’t quote the specific author or any of the scientific details but I once read an article in Mens Fitness magazine that talked about how good morning sex was for the prostate and how it helped to boost testosterone production…..I just know it’s a great eye opener and a pretty cool way to start the day.  Besides….what else is there to do on a soggy Sunday morning???

The carb load part of my new diet is nearly over so for breakfast I decided to have a super powered smoothie loaded with a bunch of fruit and everything but the kitchen sink…..ummmmmmm GOOD!!!  I’ll have one more high carb meal and then back to restricting the carbs. 

So far the new diet seems to be working great.  I dropped 8 lbs this week and my muscle mass doesn’t seem to have suffered for it.  Maggie my wife has dropped 10 lbs!!!  Pretty good first week.  The loss of fat is really noticeable around my midsection and under my arms….2 problem areas that have been giving me fits.  I am anxious to see what this week brings. 

Although I didn’t lose any muscle I can’t really say I added any either so I’m gonna bump up my calorie count this week and see what that does as far as maybe adding some mass and still lose the fat.  I was really surprised at my energy levels this week.  I figured they would be down due to the low carb but I actually had a boatload of energy.  I lifted really heavy this week even though at times the heat was unbearable in the garage. 

Actually I think I’ve just about outgrown the equipment I currently have.  I’m gonna have to invest in more plates for the free weights and I have to have a better flat bench since I’m working with 200lbs on the bench presses and that weight along with my body weight exceeds the weight limit of the bench.  I would hate to have it crumble on me while I’m pushing up 200lbs!!

We’ve thought about joining one of the area gyms but I really enjoy the convienence of working out at home.  I think I would rather spend my money on new equipment then pay dues at a gym.  Besides….I really enjoy the solitude when I work out.  If I want to grunt at the top of my lungs I don’t have to worry about someone, other than my kids, thinking I’m nuts.  And if my ass makes funny noises when I’m doing heavy squats…..so what!!!!!  The only one I would offend would be me.  If I drip sweat all over the equipment I wipe it up when I’m damn good and ready!! LOL!!  

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday morning!!