Crossroads’s BodyBlog

So I’m sure I have complained about this on more than one ocassion, but I need more sleep. As most of you can tell from my late night posts that I am currently working nights (10 pm - 7 am) for Child Protective Services. I have been doing this for the past year and a half since my daughter was born. Working nights affords me the opportunity to be at home during the day with my baby. In the afternoon we go to the gym so she can play with other kids and I can get my workout in.

The only downside is I only get to sleep for about 4-5 hours a day (if I am lucky) which has been taking a huge toll on my body over the past few months. I have been trying to catch up on the weekends, but I spend most of my time cleaning the house and running the errands I didn’t have time for during the week. People keep telling me to go on vacation, but I can’t because we are planning trips this summer for a wedding and my sisters graduation from Law School (GO JAMI!!!). I can’t even take a sick day off because my wife and I are expecting another child in September and I want to take a few weeks off to help out at the house.

So I am taking out my frustrations here. I try to stay upbeat and optimistic, but damn I am sleepy. OH Well I need to just buck up and stop my whining. I have been having great workouts in the gym and I wouldn’t trade my time at home with my daughter for all the sleep in the world. I hope eveeryone has a great week and if you are getting a lot of sleep send some my way!!!!!

So today was finally the day. I took the last two days off from training and went in today to see what my max (2 rep) on Deadlifts and squats. Now I want everyone to remember that I have only been training seriously for about a year and when I started I weighed about 145lbs and my max bench was about 135.

Since then I have been afraid/embarassed to open the flood gates and see what how much I have inproved. I have gradually added weight in monthly cycles and have gotten myself to a point where I felt it was time to see what I could do.

So back to my story!!! With the deadlifts I figured it would be wise to start light and do a few warmup sets so I didn’t blow something out. I started with 225 for a warmup set of 12 then I decided to add a set of plates for 315 which I did for 8. Now was the time I decided to get serious. Now I know there are people out there who can deadlift 800 lbs and more, but I am a little guy and when I pulled 455 lbs off the floor and locked out, I felt like a million bucks. I almost went into shock. When I started this crazy weight lifting endevour I could barely, and I mean BARELY get 225 off the ground. So for the first time I am going to give myself a pat on the back and say "WAY TO GO". The coolest thing is I have rings around my arm from my straps and I totally bent the bar (Damn I’m tough)!!!!

After 455 I decided I would wait a few minutes and try for 475. A frined of mine was spotting me and said that I might want to wait untli next week so that I could give myself a rest and come back stronger (he’s a bit smatter than I am so I took his advice and called it a day). We also decided it would be better to do our squat max on Tuesday so I will update everyone then.

I feel like a kid at Christmas I am so excited. I know that I am not setting any kinds of records, but what a fantastic feeling!!! I hope that everyone on this sight is having the same kind of day that I am having!!!!!!!!!

How sad is it that the first thing that came into my mind on Easter morning was that I had eggs ready for the whole week. I took my daughter to an easter egg hunt just to get the extra eggs so i wouldn’t have to cook any in the morning for the rest of this week (Man I am pathetic).

So I was talking to the girl at the front desk of my gym today about the cost of my membership and wondering how long I have left until I can get out of my contract and go to another gym. I like the gym I am at, but they are the most expensive in town and is is the farthest drive for me to get there. I have been at this gym for over 8 months, but cannot get out of my one year contract until July. This really only upsets me because if I moved I would still have to pay another 4 months of dues. What if I got hit by a truck??? What if I was abducted by aliens?? Thats right I would still be paying out my @$$ for a membership I couldn’t use!

The workouts are still going well. I started using No-Explode last week and if you have never tried it, BUY SOME!!!! You will have the best workouts of your life (I guarantee). My weight is steadily going up as I attempt to keep some definition. I am going crazy due to the ridiculous rise in the cost of meat (is this going on all over the US???) and gas, the two things I need most in the world. Anyway I hope that everyone has a SUPER WEEK full of kick ass workouts! 

I had my second official weigh-in today at the doctors office. I am officially up 5 lbs from last month (186lbs) (I was hoping for 6, but that’s OK). We took some pics that I will be posting soon (can’t tonight too much work to do), but I am happy with the overall results so far. I am planning on adding a little more cardio in the next month even though I am trying to bulk, just to try to keep my midsection under control (bad genetics).

 My shoulder is officially out of commission for the next to weeks as I apparently need to let it heal. Hope everyone is haveing a great week at the gym!!!!!  

Oscar Wilde wrote "Two men look out a window. One sees mud, the other sees the stars". Lately i have felt the same way about myself looking in a mirror. I think, in my mind, that I have become somewhat obsessed with my workouts and eating to the point that I am no longer seeing the satrs (my inprovements), I am just seeing the mud (my flaws). This mind set has made my workouts harder to get through and with the additional problems that have taken place in the last week are pushing me over the edge.

Things have taken a turn for the worst in the last week. My shoulder is in agonizing pain and I am scheduled to see a doctor, one of my training partners has moved to another gym to become a trainer (no daycare so I can’t go), and my other training partner has started a high rep/low weight workout to lose weight (the opposite of what I am doing) so I am back on my own. I am becoming frustrated to the point that I am about to scrap the whole thing, buy a giant pizza, and live in my basement like a troll for the next few months (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH).   

OK now that I have vented I am going to look at the positives. They are opening a new gym in  town (Fuel Fitness), which, if it is as good as it looks, could be my new home. I spoke to one of the employees (Kasie Rae - take a look at her page, she is a model for bodybuilding.com (Gorgeous)) and it looks like it will easily be the best facility in town. I am still sticking to my diet eventhough I want call Domino’s everyday, and I have not missed a workout (I have gone really light on shoulders). So, any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I have my next weigh in, pictures, etc on Wednesday and i will be posting some new pics (look at the stars not the mud)!!!

Oscar Wilde wrote "Two men look out a window. One sees mud, the other sees the stars". Lately i have felt the same way about myself looking in a mirror. I think, in my mind, that I have become somewhat obsessed with my workouts and eating to the point that I am no longer seeing the satrs (my inprovements), I am just seeing the mud (my flaws). This mind set has made my workouts harder to get through and with the additional problems that have taken place in the last week are pushing me over the edge.

Things have taken a turn for the worst in the last week. My shoulder is in agonizing pain and I am scheduled to see a doctor, one of my training partners has moved to another gym to become a trainer (no daycare so I can’t go), and my other training partner has started a high rep/low weight workout to lose weight (the opposite of what I am doing) so I am back on my own. I am becoming frustrated to the point that I am about to scrap the whole thing, buy a giant pizza, and live in my basement like a troll for the next few months (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH).   

OK now that I have vented I am going to look at the positives. They are opening a new gym in  town (Fuel Fitness), which, if it is as good as it looks, could be my new home. I spoke to one of the employees (Kasie Rae - take a look at her page, she is a model for bodybuilding.com (Gorgeous)) and it looks like it will easily be the best facility in town. I am still sticking to my diet eventhough I want call Domino’s everyday, and I have not missed a workout (I have gone really light on shoulders). So, any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I have my next weigh in, pictures, etc on Wednesday and i will be posting some new pics (look at the stars not the mud)!!!

Oscar Wilde wrote "Two men look out a window. One sees mud, the other sees the stars". Lately i have felt the same way about myself looking in a mirror. I think, in my mind, that I have become somewhat obsessed with my workouts and eating to the point that I am no longer seeing the satrs (my inprovements), I am just seeing the mud (my flaws). This mind set has made my workouts harder to get through and with the additional problems that have taken place in the last week are pushing me over the edge.

Things have taken a turn for the worst in the last week. My shoulder is in agonizing pain and I am scheduled to see a doctor, one of my training partners has moved to another gym to become a trainer (no daycare so I can’t go), and my other training partner has started a high rep/low weight workout to lose weight (the opposite of what I am doing) so I am back on my own. I am becoming frustrated to the point that I am about to scrap the whole thing, buy a giant pizza, and live in my basement like a troll for the next few months (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH).   

OK now that I have vented I am going to look at the positives. They are opening a new gym in  town (Fuel Fitness), which, if it is as good as it looks, could be my new home. I spoke to one of the employees (Kasie Rae - take a look at her page, she is a model for bodybuilding.com (Gorgeous)) and it looks like it will easily be the best facility in town. I am still sticking to my diet eventhough I want call Domino’s everyday, and I have not missed a workout (I have gone really light on shoulders). So, any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I have my next weigh in, pictures, etc on Wednesday and i will be posting some new pics (look for the stars not the mud)!!!

Before I start this blog I have to confess that I have the worst set of bird legs in exhistance. I’m not even joking it looks like I am riding an Ostrich for Gods sake. It comes from being a former track runner and ultra skinny kid back in the day.

Anyway today was you guessed it leg day, which is slowly becoming my favorite day of the week. I always get a fantastic feeling in my legs after a tough day of training and I am slowly starting to see improvements (Now it looks like I’m riding a big Ostrich).

A few weeks ago I was making a joke with Janet (JJanet) about how skinny my legs were and she asked for a picture. Today my training partner was kind enough to bring his digital camera and take pictures of my  swizzle stick legs for everyone to enjoy (they should be on my site later today for all who need a laugh or a jolt of confidence). The funny part of all of this was when I looked at the pictures, yes my legs were skinny, but the amount of muscle on them was waaaaaaay better then it had been in the past. I am looking through my old oictures to try and find a good picture to make a comparison.

It feels good to know that all the hard work is paying off. Even if my legs are still skinny as a one pound chicken at least I know they are getting better!!!  

I know I just did a Blog like 20 minutes ago, but there was something I wanted to say and I just forgot. I work nights for Child Protective Services (I take all of the horrible calls in the middle of the night and have heard things that would make the toughest man in the world cry) which gives me the opportunity to spend my days with my daughter. I noticed in the past few months how working out has become an all day occurance in my life. I was sitting at my desk tonight and had an overwhelming urge to do sit ups and pushups. So I dropped on the ground and pounded out a quick set. No I am sitting here thinking about running to Wal-Mart to buy a set of dumbells so I can do some curls and other arm workouts when I have a break.

It is amazing to me how when the Iron Bug bites it can stay with you!!!

So I have stuck to my diet and my training routine religiously for the past month. I have been extremely proud of myself and decided to give myself a little treat tonight. I bought a package of Peanut Butter M&M’s (the greatest candy in the world) and I have been sitting here enjoying them for the past few minutes.

I will be going to my first official weigh in on Friday (03/14/2008) to see if the work I put in is actually paying off. My training partner was supposed to bring his camera in today (since mine is being a pain in the @$$) to take pictures, but he forgot so we will be doing them on Friday (hold your horses Janet!!!!). Anyway just looking in the mirror (where it really counts) I can see that my chest, back and arms are all looking bigger and my legs, which thanks to several injuries are thin as rails, are starting to develop more strength and size. Hopefully I can keep the positive momentum going.

I want to say thanks to the people who have taken the time to read my Blogs and have giveen me feedback and encouragement. This has been a tough change to make in my life and I really do appreciate the kind words.