Splattered Angst

Had a physical this past week. It had been a couple of years and I had my testosterone levels checked … curious about that … wondering if the Tribuliod and other supplements were doing what they advertised, and I have to give the product some major props. The scale used: 241-827 Nan’s per Deciliter is considered the normal range. My T level: 743 - high normal according to the Doc, so things are going  much better than expected for a guy in his mid 40s. The last time that I had seen the doctor I was 50 lbs heavier and my testosterone was in the 200s. We’ll see where this goes. The latest pics tell the story. Needless to say, the doc was most impressed and told me my risk for scary stuff like heart attack and the like is now half of normal. Figured such.
Over training has been a bit of an issue the last few weeks. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have had some issues with my bicep tendons at the elbow - soreness that would flare up. I went on a trip to Northern California with family for a few days and came back to find a very good friend in the gym I go to with a horrific injury: He detached his bicep tendon. Happened right at the dumb bell rack! His bicep was all balled up at the top and he is headed for surgery next week. After making a 5" incision, they are going to take the tendon, pull it into place, and then screw it into the inside of his elbow some how. Sounds like fun, eh?!! Yeikes …  OK, I can ‘t have that happen. Concerning myself with bicep tendon pain is critical mass now and taking plenty of time between working body parts for recuperation is no joking matter - no more training the same body part twice a week … that is over … except maybe for legs - they can take it if you vary things well. At any rate, I am going to back off completely the bicep and back movements until the soreness is gone –  and then wait a bit more. Perhaps some day he’ll let me take some pics to post so we can all be aware that it can and  does happen. Be afraid, very afraid.

During the family trip I was in some odd spots when it came to keeping the diet straight, but overall it all went quite well. Took my own food with me so I would not be eating out of someone else’s fridge, which I am sure some family thought strange, but I did have a few "cheat" meals and tried some of the famous macaroni salad to make sure there was no offense taken by the preparing party. Didn’t gain any weight, but the weight loss did slow just a tad.
OK … be relentless, but be safe! [new motto]

Something I never thought I would hear come from my workout partner, but it did. The guys is pretty amazing with the weight that he can put up when it comes to upper body movements … it provides me with  an excellent challenge to push harder, but I had to agree. This week was pretty intense. Did a heavy 5×5 workout [five reps for five sets on the moves like squats, bench press, etc.] and basically turned the effected body part daily into Jello each and every time.  It was cool to wake the following morning and be sore in all the right places!

OK … ready for something higher rep and lower weight this coming week.

Since the diet change in mid Aug, the weight just continues to come off. Another couple of lbs this week, however the increments are smaller and smaller … I’ll ride it till it takes me to a plateau and then I’ll think about changing horses.

Training is going well. The workout partner [Jerry] was out of town for a few days and I was surprised how motivated I was in his absence. With him in the back of my mind along with the BB.com challenge I recently joined in on with others here kept me focused.

Chipping away at the goals for the challenge … worked yesterday on squats. Loaded up the Smith machine with 6-45 lb plates. I have gotten to 285 on regular squats in the past … the goal: 315, 8 reps. It was a confidence boost working at the Smith Machine. Got 6 reps in. Could have done more, but thought I better proceed one step at a time here.
Doing the 5×5 workout this coming week. Five sets, five reps - heavy. Nice!