Criminal Mind’s BodyBlog

Dear BodyBlog, so I finally learned how to squat, and Jesus I don’t know what the whole big deal was, but it’s not that bad.

So anyway, I found another use for the progress pictures today; they serve a great record of how fast your hair grows.

Dear BodyBlog, today we can all rest easy because I’ve hit a record weight of 77.44 kg or 107.37 lb! I still can’t believe I haven’t started Rippletoe’s program properly but I will … I promise.

Anyway, here’s a quick comparison photo of today and exactly one month ago.

Dear BodyBlog, so I’m looking at the photos back from April last year and more recently (thank the lord for progress pictures!) and honestly, I really can’t see that much difference (although my stat records would differ). Is it angle of photo taken, or could I be suffering from a mild case of bigorexia?

Dear BodyBlog, I think the day we realize that we actually have pectoral muscles has got to be one of the happiest days of our lives! Despite them growing throughout our gym workouts, there’s a day when it actually hits you smack-bam in the face, when you look in the mirror and go, "Aaaaaaahh!" and then when you wear that polo shirt and see the silhouettes of pectoral muscles! Yes, I am obsessed, but I don’t care! Bring on those pec muscles!!

Dear BodyBlog, so I was doing some stat measurements today when I came across something curious with 20% strange. There was an option to put in shoulder measurements. What is this shoulder measurement? Is it from one shoulder to the other, or is it around the shoulder, or is it simply a make-shift measurement of our desired shoulder width/length?

I ran across this online stat thing that measured you according to your wrist size, and based on what the Romans viewed as physical perfection, my ideal stats were: chest size (42.25); waist size (29.575); hip size (35.9125); bicep size (15.209); forearm size (12.2525); thigh size (22.393); calf size (14.365); and neck size (15.6325).

I don’t know about you but I see no shoulder measurements in there.

Dear BodyBlog, alright so I’ve been bad for the past two months. While exams happened and then I went hiking Tasmania for a week then I went to Asia for a month, I didn’t work out at all unless you count the one time touch up at the gym in Sofitel. Yeah I gotta admit, the biggest thing I missed most when I was away was the gym! Gym, it is so good to see you again and have you back! The first thing I did when I got back (three days ago) was head to the gym!

So now I’m doing a three-day split and going on Rippletoes. Diet went to buggery as buggery can get during the past two months but now I’m on it again. My resolutions for 2007? Get so buff that Abercrombie & Fitch will be knocking on my door going, "Damn! You look so fine! You come model for us!" to which I shall reply, "Hell no!"

So in the past three days, I’ve been to the gym twice and went rock climbing twice so I’m feeling real buff; watch out! The gym membership changed a little at my university as they combined all fitness classes with the gym membership, so now I have free access to pilates, yoga, bodypump, bodyjam and a million other excercise classes that start with ‘body’.

Anyway, good to write in you again BodyBlog and this time, I promise you, I will not leave you for another woman.

Dear BodyBlog, following up on the suggestion that workouts are actively more beneficial if you do it while pumped, I was walking around feeling like I had discovered fire for mankind. I was feeling good, as good as Niel Armstrong felt when he stepped on the moon although if I was the guy behind him, I would probably jumped down, skip the ladder and be the first man to land on the moon myself.

However, why is it that whenever I workout, all the ripped, tanky guys come out to play? Talk about insecurity complex.

Dear BodyBlog, ok so I’ve been really bad. Ever since my last post I haven’t been hitting the gym. I blame this on my final year exam finals, but I’m going to hit it today, I promise! I think the most frusturating thing is how slowly the gains seem to come, but someone gave me a comment in one of my blog posts that looks like it’s on the right track.

For what my word is worth, it is more effective towards building muscle when you get a pump. You should focus your first two exercises for the body part on going heavier (6-10 reps) then the last one or two exercises for the body part should focus on lighter and higher-rep sets (10-15). This will serve to help get a pump. Also, make sure you’re getting enough carbs, especially in your pre-workout meal. This also helps. Essentially, however, the pump works by filling your muscles with blood which helps remove wastes and deliver nutrients, thus aiding them in recovery. - davin333

So when I hit the gym today, I shall go nuts doing what is suggested above no?

Dear BodyBlog, so I missed out on leg day last week, so I combined leg and arm day again on Monday, and did chest yesterday, which means I did back on Tuesday; this could possibly be the most convoluted way of putting things. This means, I still have leg and arm day to catch up this week which I might just combine into one workout tomorrow.

Interestingly, the arms are getting pumped every session now; now that is way cool. They’re approaching the 15" mark whahey! Now all I really need to do is eat properly again. Somebody save me!

Dear BodyBlog, so it is Sunday and as I’ve missed the Thursday and Friday workouts, I’ve combined them into one workout on Sunday and man-o-man… I’ve never experienced such a pump in my arms before… they feel like they’re going to burst…

And yeah, whoa, they’re actually a lot bigger … what the? It’s got me thinking actually … maybe it is more effective to keep working out until there’s a pump? Maybe it makes more sense as the blood pushing helps break down cell walls so they can repair or is my science completely out of whack?

Funnily enough, my arms and back are the body parts that seem to have grown …. noooo.