Workouts are going great!
I have reduced my workouts to M/W/F. I have been doing my entire body each workout and only one set per body part. I have been getting stronger and continue to burn fat. I generally feel great after my workouts with a good pump that lasts for hours. I also feel a little sore somewhere pretty much after every workout. I consider that a good thing. I am not sure if I have actually mastered the idea of workout to failure, but usually after 30 minutes I am laying on the floor and feeling like I am about to puke. When I am able to get up, my body is shaking from fatigue. For some reason though, I always question whether or not I may have been able to do just one more rep somewhere. It would be good to have a workout partner. Someone to push you just a little more than you think you are capable of.
One of the exercises I have been doing in my routine currently is shoulder shrugs. I was originally doing it with a barbell, but never felt that it was hitting the traps the way I thought they should. So I switched to dumbbells and it is really hitting them well. They have been sore every workout since. On Wednesday they were sore and I was standing in front of the mirror before crashing for the night. I decided to flex them a few times since I was really aware of them. Big mistake. I could feel it happening. They started to tighten up on my left side and then wham! I got a knot or kink in my neck. It happens to me about twice a year, sometimes less. I tried to stop it with a muscle relaxer, then the next night a couple of prescription pain killers I had laying around from surgery last year. Neither seemed to supply any relief. I had been staying away from ibuprofen for almost 7-8 months, because I read somewhere that it has negative impact on muscle growth. I took some last night, and it made a big difference. I had worked out yesterday morning although I could barely turn my head. Interestingly it didn’t bother me except on crunches. Everything else was tolerable or didn’t bother me at all. So here it is Saturday, I would say my neck is about 50% better. Maybe tomorrow? 
