Copperdog’s BodyBlog

Ok, ok, I’m not one to belly ache and complain. I’m 25 years old, in great shape, healthy and haven’t been the slightest sick in 5 years. No colds, no flues, no nothing. I’ve smashed all of my goals and the only thing I can truly complain about is that I can’t take it to hard cause I’m one bad lift away from a hernia popping out of my left testical. Thats right, I said it. Besides that, I’ have been trainning 5 days a week for 3 years now, resting plenty, taking time off, sleeping well, eating well and getting as much protein as my wallet can allow me. Shakes, chicken, tuna, cottage cheese, eggs, bars, carbs, cals and anything I cna eat while still trying to stay healthy. Now, I know that there is a fine line between eating well and eating well to gain weight, and most likely I am not eating enough, despite my efforts. In fact, I bet that that is the reason. But after all I’ve tried, light weights, heavy weights, low set, high sets, mixing it up, slow fast…..one would assume….that in 2 years I would have put on at least..AT LEAST a couple of pounds of muscle. Despite the water weight and the differecne between a couple scales, I have been a consistent 163 lbs for close to 3 years now. I mean….COME ON!!!!! I do under 10 minutes of cardio a day. Thats not a lot.

I’m not going to say I’m a hardgainer cause I might as well shoot myself in the foot for calling myself that. I know I’m not eating enough, what else could it be. But that said, don’t you think I would have gained at least 1 pound. Have I hit a plateua so big that nothing short of eating McDonalds every day would break. Is giving up on a healthy, yet large, protien, calorie filled diet the sacrafice for putting on 5 pounds. If so, then no thanks but if you have another idea, then I’m all ears.

I once called myself a hardgainer here on BodySpace and got heckled for it due to not sharing my routine and diet to back-up this forsaken curse. I’ve been told that my diet obviously doesn’t contain enough protein, cals and carbs to put on the mass I claim to want. I’ve been told that I go to the gym to much, not enough, should run more, run less and in the end, even asked a nutritionist to look at my diet and tell me what I need. So since I don’t want to argue with anyone, nor do I feel like typing out my day to day, meal to meal diet and workout plan I will simply say this. Over the past 2 years, I’ve consistently went to the gym 5 days a week. I mix my routine up all the time, keeping my muscle guessing. Lifting heavy, lifting light, compound, isolation, core, Olympic. I did cardio, and I didn’t do cardio. I rest well, take weekends off and generally am in great shape. I’ve eaten lots, protein loaded, calorie loaded, shakes, glutamine, eggs, cottage cheese and all there friends. Regardless what I’ve done and whether I didn’t eat enough or worked out too much, don’t you think I should have at least gained a pound. Just one. Regardless of what my BodySpace Weight chart may say, I have stayed a lean 164 for 2 years now. Gaining size isn’t a priority to me anymore, but this has gotten me curious. Is this normal? One pound. Just one. One would assume that something should have happened over the past 2 years. So sort of weight would have been added. 

What are your reasons?

To be healthy, to run that 10k, doctors orders, for a loved one. Perhaps it’s to bench press 300lbs, or simply 185 lbs. Maybe it’s to get bigger, to look stronger, to get lean or to stay skinny. Some of you want to fit in that tight black dress, that old suit you paid so much for but can’t wear anymore. To fit in your wedding dress or look good in that t-shirt you like to wear to the bars. Maybe it is to live a better life, or to be the best you only you can be. But every day our eyes get caught on those infamous magazine rack articles that spout the same beginner tips every month. Beach Body in 12 easy steps. Bigger guns in 6 weeks, rippling abs in minutes and Lean and Lovin’ it in weeks. With this overwhelming surplus of tips and tricks one would assume that society would be a living breathing walking cover model for there favorite subscription. But it’s those goals that keep us going, and once one is done, we find another to replace it. And although our main goals vary, bind us in a fellowship or even separate uniquely from the pack, there is always a secret underlining goal we all share and that is to look good naked.

Cheers

So, I’ve been forced to take it easy lately. I went to the doctor and he told me that I have the beginings of a hernia and that I should lay low for a bit. Of course, a summer of deadlifting and squats was probably the culprit in this case. Over the summer I dropped a few pounds then put em back on after upping my protien. As for now, I’m keeping it pretty easy in the gym trying not to strain too much. Infact, it seems that the only thing I can do it work my arms and a little bit of chest. Everything else seems to make it start to hurt again. I’m looking at it as a chance to beef up my arms and cut my chest. We’ll see I guess.

So, I stopped trying to gain weight and started eating regularly. It was abit of of a decision but I’m happier this way and am in better shape. Of course, I’m under 165 now, but thats fine. I’m a fast 165 and I like that. I just enjoy the running and the not eating all the time. And I know that some of you will tell me that there are ways to do it other then stuffing your face. Fortunatelty, I just don’t have the money, time nor the desire to do so. I like being ripped and all my attemps to gain didn’t work. So I put 2 and 2 together and found a happier, healthyer and better me. Lovin it.

I would write more but I am currently to busy in the gym kicking my own A$$. See ya when I see ya.

The past few days I’ve been hitting the gym alot. I’m not sure whats gotten into me but I’ve been beeating the sh$t out of myslef and it feels great. Before I would make sure not to get too much cardio and to stick to the routines for optimum growth, but now…now it’s balls to the wall, do what ya can and full speed ahead and I’m loving every bit of it. Now before anyone thinks that I’m over trainning for mass…..your probably right, but I’m not shooting for mass. I’m shooting for being in amazing shape. I love that I can run again, I love that can still lift heavy (for my standards) and I love that I feel better now then I did when I was trying to bulk. Yesterday I had a sick leg workout that left me hobleling to the changing room and today, I plan killing my arms in ways I never did before. The intensity and freequency, paired with this "bring it" attitude is keeping pumped and thoroughly enjoying my rest time. So heres to a summer of being in the best shape of my life. To being able, and capable and to kickin my ass like never before. Lovin it.

Well, my wisdom teeth are pulled and the experience was a testiment to the benifits of living a healthy life. In fact, it went so well and I healed so quickly that it even surprised the dentist a bit. "You must be doing something right he said" and I took that as a huge compliment. Because…isn’t that why we do it. Isn’t that why we kick our butts dailly. Sure, I’m as bad as the next guy, I want rippling abs and a huge chest, thick legs and massive shoulders. I train those body part to get big and strong, but in the end, I’m trainning my body. I eat to feed my body, not my stocmache. Thats not saying I don’t enjoy my meals, but sometimes, I’d much rather be eating a bag of Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips instead of chicken and vegetables. But this past week showed me something I think I was denying for so long. So what if I’ll never be built like the Hulk, I don’t think I want to. And I’m not saying that you can’t get big and be healthy, but I’d rather not take the road it would take for me to be big and sacrafice a life style I enjoy. So here is to turning a new leaf. Here is to running again, eating lots, eating healthy and being in the best shape of my life. I look at life and say, "Bring it"

Well, it took me a year and a half to gain 5 pounds, and it one week of high cardio, and high reps, I lost it. Surprisingly, I’m not as disapointed as I thought I would be, but still. Of, course, it makes me wonder where I gained that 5 and was it muscle or fat. My guess, it was fat, cause after the week, I was more ripped. Regardless, thats in the pass. This week is a 2 day week for me cause on wednesday I’m getting my wisdom teeth out and then it’s no gym for atleast a week, give or take how fast I heal. I’m just hoping, that being on a liquid diet all week wont a cause for loosing more weight. Either way, I’m sure I’ll be fine.

Well, today, instead of doing a lot of ballancing workouts, I kicked it old school and did em heavy and hard. It was nice to grab a bigger weight off the rack and giver. It made me realise how much I love lifting. But, over the past week, my lesson was learned about mixing it up. I never had my legs and ass hurt more then it did this week from all those balancing lunges on the swiss ball. It also reminded me how much I love to run, and although I’m happy this week is over, I may have to re-look at my goals and where I’m going with my fitness. A change may or may not be on the horrizon and lifting heavy, basic movements, little cardio and trying to gain wieght may become a thing of the past for me. But who knows. I’m gonan spend the next bit of time thinking about it and we’ll see.

Next week will be rough to anything. I’m getting my wisdom teeth out and I pretty much have to right the entire week off.

Cheers yal