Supervic2007’s BodyBlog

Combo post here.  Getting a good pump!  Really focusing on rep volume and increasing weights each time.  Cable crossovers - for example - really starting to show engorged muscle but overall bodyfat levels still too high for good visibility.  Still  getting there.  after week 6 - taking a week off and then turning on the cardio.  In the meantime - just glad to feel like the past 5 weeks have delivered some solid strengh and endurance gains. 

I will post my workouts soon but for now - reminding myself to keep it up!  AND - I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to all the members of the community.  Folks new to lifting, long timers, photographers, trainers, competitors… you all ROCK! 

Good session - seeing progress.  Mostly trying to hit specific goals each set/ exercise/ week until I feel like I’ve reached an endurance level and toughness that will let me move to CORE training.  I always stuggled with bench/ squat/ deadlift etc so I want to be ready to recruit more muscle groups at once before diving in.

I will be ready in a few more weeks.  Legs have gone pretty far for the "Life" machines and, although I get an aerobic effect and feel nauseous, I am hammering more weight for more reps and focusing on contractions.  For the record - I REALLY HATE legs extensions.

Also - in prep for using calipers and myotape for measurements going forward, I got an update on my bodyfat based on the induction method.  Since my own measurement efforts have appeared erratic - I could not really tell a true difference.  Based on the induction readings - I lost 4.4% bodyfat (no weight change though) over a 4 week period.  I do not really believe that is accurate but if we assume it is - that means I lost 12 pounds of fat and gained 12 pounds of muscle.  OK - I have REALLY worked on my diet, calories, eating schedule, supplement (I am taking Hot Rocks Extreme for fat loss- really to crank up the engine)balance like taking Flax seed oil with protein shake immediately before and after sleeping, Branched Chain Aminos after the workout along with creatine and 70 grams of carbs, eating ever 3 hours come h$ll or high-water etc.   With all the recent progress in the gym - SOMETHING is going right but 12 lbs?  Oh well - the important thing is that no matter how you slice it - I can see a difference and that keeps me pumped and focused on my routine.

Also - Thanks for the regular feedback, it is very helpful in keeping "in the groove"!

I must be getting serious - I am now tracking all exercises in Excel and preplanning sets and reps as well as spending a few minutes at the end of my session testing new exercises I learned on videos here at bb.com.  Coooooolllll.  And I can see constant improvement here.  More reps, more weight, better pump etc.  I can hit my calorie targets consistently too (probably too much prepackaged stuff but the mix is right).  So week 4 ended strong.

 Fat calipers and myotape came today so I can start pinching and stop relying on my neck/waist ratio (still got a long way to go for sure but want a REAL measurement).  I am also trying to get more involved posting to the community - progress!

 Now - just gotta Keep it up!   

Pretty good session.  Really focused on contractions when I finished up chest with Cable Crossovers and hitting the bi’s on the Hammer machine.  Definitely felt the difference!  Only scare I had was when I noticed my incline press numbers were lower than last week but then I realized I switched the order of the routine (doing flat press first) and the muscles were already fatigued - lol.  Got to take some progress pics soon for my 1 month update. Of course - based on my weight fluctuations - I am not sure who will want to see them but this is for science   

All that said - pretty happy so far that I have stayed on track, relearned some old tricks as well as some new ones - Keep it up!

Good news - no pain and I almost threw up - good leg day!  Seriously - Upped the intensity some more, took some advice from Milos on the Fitshow and just went at it.  Soon I will be integrating squats with a solid machine based curriculum and transitioning to freeweights over the next 8 weeks.  Still a long journey as I learn how to properly measure and my weight/ diet fluctuate but getting better.  Heck - I finally realized the role flax seed oil plays in the diet!  Learned somnething new, at any rate.

Keep it up!

Before I get into the workout - I seem to have GAINED 3 MORE lbs!  Now - it is possible there is some water transport into muscle fibers - I definitely have more endurance.  I would also like to think that, even if fat is not melting away,that muscle is developing - but not THAT fast.  So now I am really anxious to see where this is headed.  Diet is pretty strict.  Workouts more focused.  Still need more cardio but upping intensity and weight each workout so I can really feel like I am making progress.  I have also rehabed the left shoulder so that I can do 12lb lateral raises instead of just 5lbs.  I am 50% towards my normal range.  Yeah!!!!

As for the workouts - I seem to have hit a good combination on the machines and I am slowing adding freeweights (lite weights) at the end to begin building up my supporting musculature.  Overall - very pleased.  Just anxious to lose fat and look lean.  3 years to get here so three weeks to change back - right?  LOL   Keep focused!

Good Workout today, the creatine is kicking in and I am finding more endurance on large muscle exercises escpecially.  I also seem to have gained back the 3.5 lbs I lost in the first 2 weeks!!!!   I am assuming that it is mostly water retention while I get saturated but still - I will be anxious to see the weight start going down (or at least the waist measurement go down).  

I have to say that after lifting for 22 years off and on - I have learned more as a result of my injury than ever before. It forced me to look at all aspects of my lifting, watch the great videos (Getting Cut with Glass series is excellent as well as Milos) available on BB.com, and realize why I got injured in the first place.

 Today is an excellent example.  I would normally struggle with the weight using what I thought was good technique but it turns out that the deep stretching and "full body" push actually tore my shoulders up on almost any upper body exercise I was doing.  the miracle is that my arms are still attached!   So I focused on pecs and their specific range of motion, arched my back, and went hard but not crazy.  Eureka - I finally started to get that burn/ pump I have had so much trouble seeing!

 I guess I will need to keep this up - I might actually get somewhere by learning from the pros…lol.  Keep it up!  

OK - got the bad news.  My pant’s size is not my waist measurement!!!  Wow!  Now I not only feel, well, BLOATED - but my actual bodyfat is rated higher by those darn military calc tables.  At least I have body part measurements on the profile now.  Progress has to start somewhere - I just did not realize how far behind enemy lines I really was.  More challenge - heh?  So now I have confirmed that I do not yet have 19inch guns - but I am only 3 inches away from that goal.  My biggest enemy appears to be body fat.  I have to make serius headway there while gaining ground on the lean muscle side so diet, rest, workouts, even supp timing is all pretty important if I want to see big results this year and stiill take care of work and family.  guess I will go start on that right now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Had a pretty good session today.  Endurance is up a little so I will be moving to more contiguous sets to take muscles to exhaustion with less weight.  I had been alternating first sets, then exercises between large and smaller-opposing muscles to allow for more recovery but I am feeling ready to go back to a more traditional routine now.  Still having trouble rehab-ing the left shoulder but made some progress there.  Still see a 25lb dumbell for right side lateral but have moved from a 5lb to 7lb on the left side.  Baby steps.  

Ordered some tape to start measurements - weight has been erratic around 2 lbs below my start but I can see minor definition changes even in 2 weeks so I want to get that "baseline" measured.  Next is calipers as the electronic reading has me at 29% body fat.  That may be accurate now but I know from past experience it will not STAY accurate as my metabolism lights up and I get leaner.  Any good recommendations on this process is appreciated.  I want to KNOW what the TRUTH is - good, bad or neutral - otherwise - How can I make effective corrections?

Left shoulder tested a little harder today. Went back to the regular barbell bench press to test it out and - well - not so good. Normally warmed up at 185 and lifted from 225-245 as a solid routine.  Today - went 135×10, 155×8, 175×4 and called it quits for free weights.  Went back to machines only.  Good news is that I could do full sets of 40 - 50 on the incline hammer and could lift a plate on my rotaor cuff exercise for my left arm.  So - slow and steady progress on the recovery.

Biceps were lifting pretty solid but not really getting a pump.  Definitely hitting fatigue but not sure if the lack of a "really ripped" feeling in the muscle is a good or bad thing.  At this point - I guess i am more focused on reps and volume than hard core weight.

Thanks for listening alll…..