Life in 2009

Going to be logging the first 4 weeks on the forums, courtesy of Neogenix whom set me up with the GTR Stack.  Afterwards, I’ll continue logging back here.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=119920651

Good lifting everyone!

Wow, I haven’t updated this in a while!  Anyway, the past month has been pretty good workout-wise.  Currently lifting/training with injuries to the knee, hip, quad, elbows, and neck… but not complaining.
I’ve been going into each workout knowing what I want to do for my core lifts, and the weights which I’m at.  Hit 305 deadlift max recently without straps or a belt, which isn’t a lot compared to the BB.com lifters but I’m pretty excited about it.

Oh!  And I’m trying to do 50-100 pullups every workout.  Maybe that’ll help with my scrawniness!

When I realize it’s August already, and it’s been 7 months since the impetus to begin my 2009 transformation.  I recognize that it’s a long journey, and there are inevitable setbacks — injuries, gyms where I couldn’t lift to the maximum, lazy and bad diet days, etc. — but still it’s a little disappointing that I’m not further along.

This is turning into a whine post, lol.  And me without a port salud to go with it.
Oh well.  I’ll only really consider it a failure if I don’t see visible changes by next January… because that’ll be a full year.  I’ve stepped up my diet and exercise game the past few weeks and I plan on keeping the intensity going!  Plus a friend at the GNC I stop by sometimes on the way to work said I was looking bigger.  Yay, compliments.

WAR ME!

Huge workout on the weekend!  Thanks a lot to my good friend and training partner who dropped in to lift with me.  Set personal bests almost across the board and had a very relaxing time besides.

(Didn’t rage at all except for afterwards because of the rain and the jammed parking lots at Costco but that’s another story.)

Don’t really remember all the lifts we did, a lot of supplementary stuff, isolation workouts and stabilizing the core but this is important stuff:

• Deadlift: Set 1-5: 1-2-3-4-5 reps (with 30-45 sec break in between each set) @ 225
• Deadlift: Set 6-8: 1-2-3-4 reps @ 265
• Deadlift: Set 7: 1 rep @ 300 (I tried for another set and just gassed)
• Squat: Set 1-2: 10-12 reps @ 135 (warmup)
• Squat: Set 3-4: 5-6 reps @ 185
• Squat: Set 5: 4 reps @ 205
• Squat: Set 6: 3 reps @ 225
• Squat: Set 7: 2 reps @ 245 (and I felt like I could’ve done more but my breathing wasn’t great, was getting used to a belt again on squats and we did this almost back-to-back with deadlifts — didn’t want to cross the injury threshold!)
• Barbell bench: Set 1-2: 10-12 reps @ 155 (Easy!)
• Barbell bench: Set 3-4: 6-8 reps @ 185 (Easy!)
• Barbell bench: Set 5: 4 reps @ 225 (not so easy!)

This week is going to be more high reps during the week.

WAR ME!

Trying to one day crack 1,000lbs combined on bench-deadlift-squat (1-rep max).

As of today I’m firmly entrenched at 700+.  Next will be shooting for 800+! (All weights tested below +/- 5 lbs)

• Bench: 225
• Squat: 235
• Deadlift: 285

Actually, only one of the above is completely true but I wanted something catchier for a title.  I just signed up for a new gym, nothing against Planet Fitness but I got yelled at for "dropping weights" and that really, really sucked.

Soo… new gym with dumbbells up to 150, barbells, squat racks, no no-deadlifting rules, and a sauna/steam room + pool/jacuzzi!  I’m super-excited, and definitely going to take advantage of some of these amenities… but if you asked me what I was MOST excited about, that’s easy: DEADLIFTS!  I love, love, love deadlifts!

Progress pictures up soon, a 2-month cycle of pretty good eating and lifting finished, but now that I have a full gym again it’s going to be time to really step it up!

WAR ME!

One more week to go in my 2 month plan… still working out, still eating right (mostly).  Just been a bit lazy about writing posts — bad, I know.

I’m not sure how much progress I actually made, probably about 10 pounds heavier but I won’t know how much of that is good weight until I do my measurements later this week.  Going to take next week off from lifting to recover, and then back on another 2 month plan!

Motivation is still strong, if I’m disappointed at all it’s because I haven’t made a contest winning transformation.  But then again, I didn’t really expect to.

Two more weeks to go on the 8-week plan I set for myself.  Had a pretty good start on Sunday, after getting pumped up and motivated from the UFC100 fights.

Looking forward to finishing up these next two weeks, taking a week to rest, then getting right back into it!

• Dumbbell Flat Bench: Warmups, 1 set of 6 reps @ 95 lbs, 1 set of 3 reps @ 105 lbs (failed to get more)
• Incline Dumbbell Bench: 1 set of 6 reps @ 80 lbs
• Deadlift: Warmups, 1 set of 1-2-3-4-5 pyramid reps @ 205 lbs, 1 set of 1-2-3-4-5 reps @ 225 lbs, 1 set of 1-2-3 reps @ 245 lbs
• Superset Arms: Tricep pressdowns + Cable curls
• Pullups: 1 set of mid-grip pullups to failure with 25-lb dumbbell

I’m glad I have a workout partner on the weekends, even if I have to drive an hour out of the way to workout.  Anyway!  I still don’t know if I LOOK any different/better, but the weights are climbing and the waistline is keeping about the same, and all that jazz.

WAR GSP!

So 10 lbs heavier than when I started, abs all but gone but the love handles are still smaller than before which is odd but… good?  Love handles suck.  I don’t mind a thin layer of fat covering up the abs right now but I’d dread a thick chunk of fat on the sides, lol.

Anyway, did a pretty heavy workout on Sunday with my friend, and then did shoulders late last night.  I need to find a rear delt machine before I end up neglecting that part completely.

4 more weeks to go!

Sunday:

• Barbell Bench: Warmup sets –> 2 x 4-6 work sets –> 1 x 4-6 work set on the machine press
• Barbell Squats: Warmup sets –> 3 x 4-6 work sets
• Deadlift: 3 sets of 1-2-3-4-5 reps (start over from 1 rep at the next set, etc.)

Monday:

• Dumbbell shoulder presses
• Machine shoulder presses
• Dumbbell shoulder raises
• Bent-over rear delt dumbbell raises
• Cable bicep curls

Did all three as a guest at my friend’s gym, rwar.