Splattered Angst

Kinda crazy … I submitted the information they asked for back a couple of months ago and low and behold, wow there I am:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_o4010.htm

Transformation of the week. Nice!

Coming off the sore throat from hell this past week. I had to even take a couple of weeks off from business which is highly unusual for me. I was out of the gym for about 3 days. The fever was impressive at 102 and the throat that felt like it had been grazed with a rust knife. Great! It was ugly, but I’m out of the woods and back at it now. The shoulder workout this morning was decent, not a scream, but worthy given the fact that some of the puniness is still slightly lingering. Progress pics at the end of the coming week.

I have been using the electronic device at the gym for some time to monitor my body fat. It is the one that you hold in both hands and it some how runs a charge through your body to detect where you are at. It always said I was in the 17% range and I always thought that was kinda odd. I have been noticing vascular circumstance with me coming to the surface of the skin and in my upper arms, lats and shoulders at certain times of day …  I’m even seeing veins in my lower abs. Bobby [bb1968] told me some time ago that I needed to get some calipers and I finally did. I was kinda shocked to discover that it is actually single digit - 8%. NO KIDDING! I did it three times because I didn’t believe it - took the three readings and averaged it out and, yep … that is right. Just to be sure this gizmo is on point, I took it to the gym and tried it out on a guy that I have worked out with and it was right on him. Told the gym that their fat tester was way off … it has probably been dropped on the floor a few times and no longer reads right. The calipers I bought are the AccuFitness FatTrack II Digital Body Fat Caliper.

With that discovery, I am fine with some modifications that I am kicking into gear today. Adding about 50g of protein to the diet for a total of about 3600 Calories daily. 292g of Protein, 436g Carbs, 70g Fats. The previous diet had about 3100 Calories in it. Here is the menu:

1st Meal [04:00]
1 Cup Low Fat Yogurt
Ezekiel Cereal
1 Scoop Protein Powder
Juice

Supps: Animal Pak, 4g Vitamin C

Prior to workout [05:00 or so]:
Liquid Aminos [Higher Power], Animal Pump

Post Workout [Frozen … mixed together to make a Protein Powder Ice Cream]
1 Cup Goat Milk Yogurt
½ Basmati White Rice
2 Scoop Protein Powder
1/8 Cup Honey

Daytime Meals:

#1
1 Cup Lentils
Thai Peanut Sauce
½ Cup Chicken

#2
1 Cup Pearl Barley
1 Can Tuna
1/8 Cup Rasby Vig Vidalia Dressing [for taste]
#3
1 Cup Brown Rice
½ Can Chicken
Goddess Dressing [for taste]
#4
2 Sweet Potatoes
Supp: Animal Flex, 2 more grams of Vitamin C
Before Bed
1 Cup 4% Cottage  Cheese;Supp: Gaba 2g, Testosterone Booster

I also swapped out my 8 day Split Workout. I had been through the previous workout twice, so it was time to switch it out. I started day one today and it was quite intense. The Gym employee that was giving me a spot was going for the towel and cleaner after I used some of the benches because I was sweating up a storm. I added in this time a Pyramid  set for each body part and it is intense… when I got into it for the first set I was asking myself what the hell I signed myself up for here, but it was great. The "vs." there means I do one set and then I do the other exercise for the next set and then go back to the first. In a push-pull format the pumps are quite amazing. Here is the new workout for the next 16 days:
Day 1
Push Pull: – Back/Chest:  HIT 2 Sets - 15 Reps [all]
Close Grip Chin Ups vs. Dips
Bench Press vs. Oly Bar Rows [w/ Wider Attachment -Pyramid: 3 Sets from  light to heavy, then 3 sets heavy to light]
DB Incline Press vs. Wider Grip D Ring Pull Downs
Day 2
Abs and Core/Major Aerobics
[3 Sets of each]
Decline Set Ups vs Ball Crunch
Floor Wipes
Hanging  Oblique Crunch vs Flat Plank
Day 3
Legs: Hit 2 Sets – 15 to 20 Reps
Leg Extensions [1 Warm up set]
Hack Squat Machine [Pyramid, 3 up; 3 Down]
Leg Press
DB Lunges
Calves [3 sets each]:
Seated Calves
Smith Machine Calve Raises
Day 4: Stretching/Major Cardio
Hanging pull for Back and Chest
Bicep stretch
Truck Hang Downs
Cats and Dogs
Dirty Dogs [Individual Leg Lifts]
Hip Extensions w/ Leg Lifts
Quad Stretch
No Weight Squats w/Hold
Rotator Cuff Stretch [Front of hand on Lat, Pull Elbow Forward]
Bird Dogs [opposing arm and leg – up]
Downward Facing Dog [Butt up; head down]
Day 5
Push Pull:
Bi/Tris: HIT 2 Sets – 15 Reps  [all]
Straight Bar Preacher Curls [2 warm up sets] vs. EZ Curl Bar French Press
Cable Push Down vs Run of the Rack DB Curls [Pyramid: 3  up; 3  down]
Day 6
Abs and Core/ Major  Cardio
[3 sets of each]
Oblique Plank vs Side Plank
Floor Wipes
Hanging crunch vs Ball Crunch
Day 7
Push Pull: Shoulders/Traps:
HIT 2 Sets - 15 Reps [all]
DB Clean ups  3 Sets [Warm up]
DB Military Press [Pyramid 3 up; 3 down]
Incline Rear Delt Cable
Shrugs: Side Held Bar
DB Seated Side to Front Laterals
Day 8: Stretching/Major Cardio
Hanging pull for Back and Chest
Bicep stretch
Truck Hang Downs
Cats and Dogs
Dirty Dogs [Individual Leg Lifts]
Hip Extensions w/ Leg Lifts
Quad Stretch
No Weight Squats w/Hold
Rotator Cuff Stretch [Front of hand on Lat, Pull Elbow Forward]
Bird Dogs [opposing arm and leg – up]
Downward Facing Dog [Butt up; head down]

Got up this morning after about 5 good hours of sleep … a few things going on around the house that were a bit stressful which I won’t go into regarding kids, neighbors and my wife’s out of town father who is not well, but I got up at pretty much the usual time, got my first meal in and conducted the usual routine before I took off for the gym at 05:00.

I was concerned it may be a crappy day to take on the intense super sets I had on the docket: back and chest, but I got into it and was surprised with the progress I had made from the workout prior. Maybe it was the song that came up on my iPod: Click, Click, Boom? I did mix it up a bit from the way that I had done it the time before, but using the same weight on the various exercises, the number of reps I was able to churn out were better. Previously I was engaging in a bit of "rest- pause" to get to the 15 reps in the 2×15 HIT scheme I am working now, but this morning - even with a less than great night of sleep, I was plowing through it with little need for the breaks I needed before.

Thought I was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction after the workout. Went to put on a dress shirt after I got out of the shower at the gym and my arms were so frick’n swollen I nearly split the seams in the sleeves! Gesh …

Change has brought progress. OK … I’m keeping at this!

There are lots of things that I have liked about High Intensity Training [HIT] training and there are some aspects of it that I obviously have to tweak or I am going to go insane. I have been engaged in a pretty straight HIT circumstance for about 6 weeks. I do like being fenced in to brief and intense workouts and getting out of the gym. I do like the tips I have gotten about keeping momentum out of the movements. But it has been growing a bit stale doing the same movements. And I wanted to bump up the reps and sets by one. OK… I’ll admit it. I am a pump junkie and that little tweak made that side of me very happy. Two purposeful sets instead of one. Another thing that I think has been a problem is trying to get every muscle group in during the course of one week… my experience tells me this past couple of weeks that is too compressed. I was thinking, who says you have to get through a training cycle in a week? So I am pushing it out to 8 days. In the 8 days I cover all the muscle groups: 4 days spent in weight training, and 4 days in cardio training. On the 4 cardio days [20-30 minutes of shirt soaking per day], 2 of them I do ab workouts and 2 I do a stretching routine that is in the video clips on my body space page. I have been noticing that I am getting more flexible as I have done the stretching movements. Very cool.  The workout is listed below. I do most movements in a push-pull, i.e. chest- back, bis and tris and alternating the exercises back and forth between the two which makes it very intense. I am still sore [this is Sunday] from the chest and back workout I did on Wednesday! One more thing, I am going to stay clear of squats and deads for a while and give my low back a bit of a break. Did strain it just a bit a couple weeks back, which was another motivator to rethink what I am doing here.
The diet is going quite well [thanks again Bobby!] and I think I am perhaps leveling off in regards to weight. I have noticed though each time that I have taken my body fat at the gym using the electronic gizmo that it is a tenth of a percentage point or two point lower each time, but my weight remains the same. That must be a good thing, eh? In a previous post I mention the diet, about 3000 calories a day, that I am currently on. It still leaves me feeling a tad hungry at certain times, but I am going to keep at it a couple of more weeks before I think about tweaking anything.

I did add "Higher Power’s" liquid amino supp to the list. been taking it the past week. Nothing I would describe as "tasty," but 23g of protein per gulp … that’s needed! I had been using Animal’s Nitro for aminos for a while and thought that perhaps a liquid amino  would be something good to try. Slam it just before the workout.
That’s all that is news … be relentless out there! Below is the 8 day workout:

============================================
Day 1
Push Pull: – Back/Chest:  HIT 2 Sets - 15 Reps [all]

Close Grip Pull Ups vs. Dips
DB Bench Press vs. Olympic Bar Rows
DB Incline Press vs. Row Machine

Day 2
Abs and Core/Major Aerobics
[2 Sets of each]
Hanging crunch vs Ball Crunch
Floor Wipes
Oblique Plank vs Side Plank

Day 3
Legs: Hit 2 Sets – 15 to 20 Reps
Leg Extensions [1 Warm up set]
Leg Press
Hack Squat Machine
DB Lunges
Calves [3 sets each]:
Seated Calves
Smith Machine Calve Raises

Day 4: Stretching/Major Cardio
Hanging pull for Back and Chest
Bicep stretch
Truck Hang Downs
Cats and Dogs
Dirty Dogs [Individual Leg Lifts]
Hip Extensions w/ Leg Lifts
Quad Stretch
No Weight Squats w/Hold
Rotator Cuff Stretch [Front of hand on Lat, Pull Elbow Forward]
Bird Dogs [opposing arm and leg – up]
Pigeon Pose [Heel under /in front of other leg; bear down]
Downward Facing Dog [Butt up; head down]

Day 5
Push Pull:
Bi/Tris: HIT 2 Sets – 15 Reps  [all]
EZ Bar Curls [2 warm up sets]
Bench Dips [WU set WO Weight]
Seated Incline DB Curls
Skullys

Day 6
Abs and Core/ Major  Cardio

Oblique Plank vs Side Plank
Floor Wipes
Hanging crunch vs Ball Crunch

Day 7
Push Pull: Shoulders/Traps:
HIT 2 Sets - 15 Reps [all]
DB Clean ups  3 Sets [Warm up]
Smith Military Press [1 warm up set]
DB Shrugs
Side Lateral Machine
Incline Rear Delt Cable

Day 8: Stretching/Major Cardio
Hanging pull for Back and Chest
Bicep stretch
Truck Hang Downs
Cats and Dogs
Dirty Dogs [Individual Leg Lifts]
Hip Extensions w/ Leg Lifts
Quad Stretch
No Weight Squats w/Hold
Rotator Cuff Stretch [Front of hand on Lat, Pull Elbow Forward]
Bird Dogs [opposing arm and leg – up]
Pigeon Pose [Heel under /in front of other leg; bear down]
Downward Facing Dog [Butt up; head down]

Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo’d Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
166 g sugar

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milk shake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than 2 pints of Ben and Jerry’s Butter Pecan ice cream.

Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)
1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves 2, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle’s menu is limited to football-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads — all of which contribute to a humongous waistline.

Worst Kids’ Meal
Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese
1,210 calories
62 g fat
3,450 mg sodium

It’s like feeding your kid 1½ boxes of Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese.

Worst Fish Entree
On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories
130 g fat
169 g carbs
4,750 mg sodium

Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.

The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

It’s the caloric equivalent of eating 14 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before your dinner arrives. Even if you split this "starter" with 3 friends, you’ll have downed a meal’s worth of calories.

From Men’s Health, by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding

Got my new goals up and they are strenght related… figure if I aim there, everything else will just fall into place. And below is the diet I am going to be hopping on in the next few days after about a month of Carb Cycling.
Leveling Off Diet

1st Meal
1 Cup Low Fat Yogurt
1/2 Cup Ezekiel Cereal
1 Scoop Protein Powder
Juice

2nd Meal [Protein Powder Ice Cream - post workout meal]
1 Cup Goat Milk Yogurt
½ Cup Basmati White Rice
1 Scoop Protein Powder
1/8 Cup Honey

3rd Meal
1 Cup Lentils
Thai Peanut Sauce

4th Meal
1 Cup Cooked Pearl Barley
1 Can Tuna
1/8 Cup Salad Dressing

5th Meal
1 Cup Brown Rice
½ Can Chicken
1/8 Cup Salad Dressing

6th Meal
2 Sweet Potatoes

Before Bed
1 Cup 4% Cottage  Cheese

Totals: Calories: 2975.5, Protein: 220g, Carbs: 399g, Fats: 55.5g
30% Protein, 54%    Carbs, 17% Fats

Got the new progress pics up and the carb cycling thing worked quite well. Thanks to Markus Reinhardt [mrhighintensity] for that tip. I am going to keep it up this week and then switch things around for next week and dial in a wee bit more protein and level things off. Took of 14+ lbs in about a month. Got all the excess off that my ill gotten "Bulking" attempt put on.
It has been a year this month since I started the journey to get the weight off and the support that I have gotten from folks on this site has been awesome. I also credit the couple of different workout partners that I have had too, Jess, Jerry and David at Club Paradise Fitness Club here in Fallbrook. The encouragement has been key to the success I have had.

Going to be taking this week off from weight training and focus on some ab routines and cardio. I try and take a week off every few weeks and I am due. My back was a tad locked up on Saturday anyway. Need to let that fade before I make a run at reaching for new numbers. I need to take some time getting the new diet dialed in [thanks for your help Bobby!] and think about goals for the new Challenge [C3] that I am in on with a group to great folks on a forum. I am really stocked to see many of those that I have had exchanges with over the last year or so in on it with me. This is a pretty cool community, I must say.

I have been enjoying the HIT workouts for a number of reasons. There is so much more mind challenge in the business of pushing yourself, but doing the same movements week after week is something that is going to have to change. I feel like I am running into a wall of sorts. This coming week is the week to hit the reset button. I have put together three different HIT workouts that I am going to cycle through. Each week the workout will vary in the movements. This will keep things from getting stale as well as leave me with an obvious way to track strenght gains, which is a critical aspect of HIT. I’ll post each of the workouts week by week - don’t want to fill the post with all three at this point. If are interested in getting them, as I know some that watch my blog have been, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send them in a Word file to you.

The carb cycling diet is really going well. The previous bulking weight has been shed and I am looking forward to the next set of progress pics because I think they are gonna be the best yet.

Here is HIT v2.1:

True HIT Training: Guidelines/Principles
1. Only perform one set per exercise [after warm-ups]
2. Warm ups: Do only that which is minimally required to limber muscles and get blood flowing to the area to be worked. On pre-exhaust cycles, do the second exercise as the warm up.
3. Exercises are to be done in strict form: No momentum. 4 seconds to lift, 2 second hold, 4 seconds to lower.
4. When there is a per-exhaust cycle go directly to the next exercise – no rest. When there is no pre-exhaust, rest as needed.
5. Sets must be taken to momentary muscular failure.
6. Each time you reach the upper end of allotted number of reps, increase weight by 10%.

7. The only way to gage the success of your workout is by the standard of strength increases. Keep a good record.  [Increases in size follow increases in strength.]
8. A lack of progress is almost never due to too little exercise, but too much.

Day 1.1 ~ Monday:  Pressing
Chest
DB Flys [6-10 Reps] –  pre-exhaust to DB Bench Press [3-5 Reps]
Pec Deck [6-10 Reps]
Shoulders
Machine Lateral Raises [6-10 Reps]
Incline Rear Delt Cable [6-10 Reps]
Smith Machine Press [6-10 Reps]
Triceps
Cable Press Downs [6-10 Reps] Pre-exhaust for Dips [3-5 Reps]

Day 2.1 ~ Wednesday

Legs
Leg Extensions [8-15 Reps] pre-exhaust to Squats [8-15 Reps]
Leg Press Naut Machine [8-15 Reps]
Standing Calve Raises [8-15 Reps]
Use Rest/Pause to get 15 in.

Day 3.1  ~  Friday:  Pulling
Back
DB Pull Over  [6-10 Reps]  pre exhaust to BB Row [6-10 Reps]
Close Grip Cable Pull Down [6-10 Reps]
Dead Lift [6-10 Reps]

Biceps
Straight Bar Curls [6-10 Reps]

Saturday’s 1.1
Abs/Core Strengthening [couple of sets of each]

Ball Crunches vs Planks
Side Planks vs Ab Roller

Aerobics Schedule: No Aerobics on weight training days, Tues/Thursday, Recumbent Bike or Elliptical - higher resistance setting, 20 to 30 minutes; Saturday Stair Mill, 20 minutes higher speed.

OK … went and got the iPod today. Very cool gizmo. There are lots of songs that I have heard in gyms over the years that were mighty cool when working out, but just never known what the names of the bands were. I like Linkin Park … loaded a few of their songs. Anybody got any ideas for others? What do you put on yours, eh?