KASR5277’s BodyBlog

OK, so the MO is still growing - I went the stylized handbar way. Stephen (co-worker) went for the straight ’70’s moustache…it’s pretty funny! You can’t really see it this picture, but it’s a growing. Sadly, I haven’t raised a dime…apparently, no one is interested in "saving the balls"!!!  LOL!

In fitness matters, I had been tinkering with the idea of joining a gym - having felt like I was being limited not only by the equipment and exercises that I could use and do (although, it was a decent setup) I’m prolly just not looking forward to the cold weather….that, and I’m tired of unreliable lifting partners…not that I’m gonna find one at the gym - but atleast this way, I can hollar: "Hey man, can you spot me real quick?" and actually get a response.

So with that said, I SOLD my weight bench, over 450lbs worth of my weight plates, both long bars, and rope attachment. I kept the lat-pullup/dip station, wrists wraps, punching bag and stand, medicine ball, dumbbells….you know the stuff that I can still benefit from. As soon as I sold them, I went gym hunting. All-American fitness and the YMCA are relatively the same distance and come to find out the prices are almost identically….however, I may be able to get a discount at the "Y", and they do have an indoor track and an indoor swimming pool (which I would love to get back into some cardio swimming). I’ve pretty much made up my mind - I just need to go check out the weight room…hopefully it’ll be up to snuff.

Ok, so I’m narrowing down the cause of the "twitchy arm"! I thought it might be caffeine and/or whey protein. So the last few days I cut both of those out of my diet and sure enough the twitching went away. So then yesterday and the day before, I downed two Redbulls….no twitchy.

Ok, so this morning at 7:30AM, I took my ritual 1-scoop of whey protein with BCAA’s and one tablet of L-Glutamine.
At about 10:30AM, my right arm started to twitch…what the hell?!?!? Lifting is gonna be pretty tough without my whey! So hopefully it’s the brand/type. But before I can single out the whey, I’ll need to take the L-Glute separately and see if the twitch continues/comes back. Weird, huh?

Ok, so it’s day three and I’m currently wearing sandpaper on my chin!!! It’s not so bad though and it’ll be fun to groom the MO (slang for moustache…or so I’m learning). Again, this in celebration of MOVEMBER, which is to raise awareness and monies for Prostate and Testicular Cancer (you know, the FUN ones…) If you would like to donate to me and/or my team, we’d greatly appreciate it!

I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men.  I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation.  The funds raised go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG).

What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18-35.  Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved.

To make a donation, you can either:

•    Click this link http://us.movember.com/mospace/180441/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or
•    Write a check payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 180441 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:

•    The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
•    Research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please go to http://us.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

OK, so I’ve narrowed down the diet culprits to two: Caffeine and/or whey protein.
As nuts as it sounds, I’m starting to think that it’s the type of whey and/or the BCAA’s that are in it that could be causing it…or I’ve got a tainted batch! D’oh!

So here in about 30 minutes, I’m gonna go get a red bull and see what happens….I heard those things have alittle caffeine in it. 

….it’s been having muscle twitching and spasms for the past two months and it’s driving me insane!!!!! At first, I thought it was just the nerves being compressed from the added muscle growth - but now I’m not so sure. It’s freaking me out…and lately, it’s been waking me up at night.

I mean, ok…once in a while for 5-15 minutes at a time: no problem. But this is CONSTANTLY, ALL DAY LONG, ALL NIGHT…it’s driving me absolutely batty!!! I did some reading on the net from medical sites…ranging from benign facilation (sp?) to ALS (Lou Gherigs Disease….not cool). But since I’m not showing any other symptoms of ALS, I began to look elsewhere, which yielded: caffeine, excessive exercise, stress, a diet deficiency.

Ok, that might be…I’ve been hitting the redbulls quite a bit lately, been under moderate stress, and just recently stopped taking any NO products (that typically have large doses of caffeine.

Anyone else have excessive muscle twitching? Mine is in my right arm between the triceps/biceps.

….it’s been having muscle twitching and spasms for the past two months and it’s driving me insane!!!!! At first, I thought it was just the nerves being compressed from the added muscle growth - but now I’m not so sure. It’s freaking me out…and lately, it’s been waking me up at night.

I mean, ok…once in a while for 5-15 minutes at a time: no problem. But this is CONSTANTLY, ALL DAY LONG, ALL NIGHT…it’s driving me absolutely batty!!! I did some reading on the net from medical sites…ranging from benign facilation (sp?) to ALS (Lou Gherigs Disease….not cool). But since I’m not showing any other symptoms of ALS, I began to look elsewhere, which yielded: caffeine, excessive exercise, stress, a diet deficiency.

Ok, that might be…I’ve been hitting the redbulls quite a bit lately, been under moderate stress, and just recently stopped taking any NO products (that typically have large doses of caffeine.

Anyone else have excessive muscle twitching? Mine is in my right arm between the triceps/biceps.

Yea, I hadn’t heard of it either…until yesterday when I friend asked me if I was going to participate…I was like: "Huh???"

You can check it out at www.movember.com - a group of guys in our marketing department (and hopefully beyond) are participating and with any luck, we’ll raise some awareness and possibly some monies for Prostate Cancer and Testicular Cancer research…things that are very relevant to us guys!!

This should be good, since I’m pretty certain that half of the guys participating couldn’t grow past peach fuzz - but it’s all in the spirit anyways!

What is Movember? I’m glad you asked!
The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia.  The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back.  In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health.

A Mo Bro starts Movember – the month formerly known as November – clean shaven, and grows a moustache all month long, garnering support from friends and family in the form of donations.  What’s more, a Mo Bro is a walking billboard for the cause as his new look opens the door for him to talk about cancers affecting men – making the moustache a symbol, much like the pink ribbon is for breast cancer.  Each Movember culminates in a Gala Partè in major cities around the globe where Mo Bros dress up to match their Mo, channeling the likes of Tom Selleck, Ghandi and Ron Burgandy, vying for the ultimate accolade:  Man of Movember.

While growing a Mo is left to the guys, Mo Sistas (women who support their guys) form an important part of Movember by recruiting Mo Bros, helping to raise funds and attending the highly anticipated Gala Partés.

This Movember, the money raised in the U.S. will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.  

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:
•    the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
•    research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

To date, Movember has raised $47 million globally making it the world’s largest charity event for men. Significantly, awareness of men’s health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread important health messages directly to millions of Mo Bros & Sistas around the world.

We challenge you to join us in changing the face of men’s health.

Ok, it wasn’t that glamorous - but it was lunch! LOL!

Yea…eating for fitness isn’t glamorous, but atleast during the winter i don’t have to be as strict on the carbs. Here is my chopped chicken over 1/2 penne pasta and mushrooms. I found a packet of crushed red peppers from Pizza Hut, so i threw that it too….hmmmmmm…..yea…not so much.

But menu aside, I didn’t have a lifting partner last night - so I was accountable unto myself to grind out a pretty gruelling workout. Perhaps having the vidcam setup helped - cuz I got record a few of the exercises…none more exhaustive than the plyo-pushups while wearing a 25lb weight-vest….that was tough! but worth it! So with that said, I added up my first round of videos on to my profile page! Woohoo!

So I missed Friday’s workout - and we’re making up for it bigtime tonight. But aside from that, I’m definitely kicking it up a notch in intensity.

Tonights modified 5 x 5 routine will consist of Full Squat/Lunge supersets (do a full squat, then go right into a lunge for both legs using the same weight, then do another squat, etc.).

For chest, we’ll be doing an incline bench warmup and then right into plyo-pushups wearing the weightvest (I’m gonna try to max the weight on this one) gonna try to take progress pics for this one as well as maybe some video…but if I fall on my face after set 4, don’t expect me to be posting that! LOL!!!

Shoulders will be heavy dumbbell half-presses

Superset pullups/chinups….maybe I should warn Jason about the workout tonight………………nahhhhh!!! Buwahahahahaha!!

So as I stated in my previous blog entry, I’m attacking weak/soft spots in my physique - which prompted "OPERATION: TrapsStopSuckingAss" 

Well, as I’m writing this, my traps are sooooo sore right now - which is proof that I have been neglecting them! Well, I’m not quitting - it’s on like donkey kong!

Progress Pic #1 - starting point: