Work in Progress

..Was tonight and I still am not really convinced that I was really working out. The environment is strange. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts in my living room. Leg curls in my room. Lunges up an down the corridor. I mean it felt like a workout, I sweat like I was working out, but I just don’t feel like I will wake up feeling sore tomorrow. The weights are clumsy and I had to innovate to use enough weight to do leg curls. I guess I will have to wait and see. The convenience is nice though, I can wear whatever and eat immediately after I’m through just like before. Let’s hope I don’t make progress at the same rate, as before..

I am theoretically here in Saint Lucia, my home island, for vacation. I am supposed to be going back to Trinidad (second home now) for school in September but all of this may or may not happen. What has indeed happened is that my buddy finally got around to lending me that bench and weight set he promised since.. I came in July and now it is in my room! Now I can train on my own like I’m used to, on my own time, like 2 AM.. I theoretically have less than 2 weeks remaining in Saint Lucia though but.. I plan to make the most of every day, trust me. *** I’m really excited ***

Why am I blogging about a leg workout - because this is the first leg workout in a while which had my legs hurting me, the same night. I literally felt weakness and pain in my legs a couple hours after my workout and today, the pain is very present and I am not looking forward to tomorrow at all. So what did I do?

Routne: Quads

5 mins warm-up on exercise bike

5 drop sets barbell squats

5 increasing set leg press

5 squeeze and hold drop set leg extensions

And that was all it took, walked into the gym at 7pm, limped out at 8pm.

… I’m unstoppable!

That’s just how i feel right now.

I’ve cleaned up my eating, I’ve amped up my routine, I’m getting stronger, I’m reviewing my protein intake… and though I’m not gaining weight (lol), I am getting comments from people who haven’t seen me in over two weeks or thereabout saying that I’m getting bigger, I’m turning heads in the gym and people are asking why I’m working out so hard… These are the moments we look forward to, and work toward as body builders. Forget the fat days, these are the glory days and although they are few and fleeting, we ride the wave of motivation for as long as we can. For fall off our boards into the cold unforgiving and harsh sea we must, at some point.

I know this won’t last but for as long as it does, I’m going to use this drive to make as much progress as possible, after all its not all wine and roses, not everyone can see my progress including me, and I still don’t feel or look anywhere near what I want to, but with some promising prospects on the horizon and time on my hands, and of course the Father’s grace I will get there yet.

Figuring out where to start this blog entry is proving to be a bit difficult, although I already know everything that I want to say. This may be a bit premature, as with most things I set out to do, but I’m in the mood to write so might as well do so now, and then tell you if I change my mind about it later.

I have been trying to gain weight, (muscle mass), for what seems to be forever now, (A little while realistically) and it has now dawned on me in a very practical way that my mindset about the whole thing was erroneous. Maybe my mindset was not that erroneous but the practices I employed or failed to employ certainly were.
Fast forward all my bla-bla-ing to the point. Which is, the simple, and true, tried and tested way to getting bigger muscles.

1. Have a sensible work out program which you consistently adhere to for an extended period of time.

2. Rest sufficiently

3. Nutrition…

Eating Clean 

I want to speak a little about nutrition because I think that this has been an area that I have been giving insufficient attention.

Misconception 1: I’m training, and I have a high metabolism hence this is license to eat pretty much what I want.

This I have found is wrong as it will only make you fat. Fat you will have to waste time taking off (why put it on in the first place?) Whereas you could be busy putting on muscle.

The Truth: Eating clean. healthy food is actually essential to achieving your goals, monitor your fats, monitor you sodium, sugar and cholesterol. Get the needed calories from nutrient rich sources, eat 6 times a day.

The last is imperative and  proves to be much more difficult than I imagined at first. On a good day I get to 5, most days I eat 4 times a day.  Eating so often is a task, and I  have nothing on my account. Can’t imagine how I am going to pull this off when school starts back.

What inspired me to speak about this is the fact that I tried both ways, eating liberally and eating clean and the difference is, your body fat remains lower with the later and the gains are still present, if not greater than the former. Mountain man had something right when he coined the term "eating clean and lifing hard."

Lifting Hard

No cutting corners when it comes to this one for me. You absolutely have to push yourself each time for each exercise and each body part if you want to see any progress whatsoever, some people might have different experiences but this is mine. You have to work for every inch, ever half inch, every centimeter of muscle girth. I’ve noted that strength may come but size isn’t as willing to come as strength. You have to grab the bee-otch and take it by sheer force, or it will continue to elude and mock you.

I’ve read a few opinions on the subject from other people who are  either fat (automatic disqualification), trying to look smart or sell something, but those who are honest and have done it for themselves, will tell you that there is no magic formula to getting big the right way. On the issue of supplements, thats another story which I don’t care to tell - but for the all natural bodybuilder nothing beats the philosophy of eating clean and lifting hard.

- and for goodness sake get some sleep

I saw this poem on a video. Its cool, I think I like it.

The iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk. Get told that you’re a god or a total loser. The iron will always kick you the real deal. The iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.