Some of my goals
I’m writing this mainly for my own purposes - I feel that having goals written down where I will be reminded of them will help to keep me working toward them - but if any of you reading this have questions, advice, or comments I would love to hear it.
1. Continue bulking to 220 - In the last couple weeks, I have succeeded in not only achieving, but surpassing, my longtime goal of weighing 200. I now weigh approximately 205, and, just as I expected, still feel that I have far to go before I have the body I want. I am hoping to continue bulking until at least Christmas time, when I hope to weigh somewhere around 220. Given that I will be going on a two week vacation at the beginning of the summer where dieting will be difficult and training impossible, this will not be easy. I will be travelling to Northern California with my best friend and his dad to stay in a friend’s condo, situated right on Lake Tahoe. As nice of a vacation as it will be, I can’t help but be more consumed by my worries about my diet and training. It’s hard to even look at it as something enjoyable when I know it could take away months of hard work and progress that I’ve been busting my ass for all this year. I have absolutely no idea whether I will have access to the types or volumes of food it takes to support my 5,000 calorie a day diet, and the presence of any sort of gym is unlikely. Looks like I’ll be stuck scrounging for calories and time to do pushups, pullups, and situps. Also worth mentioning is a one week vacation with my own family to Cancun later in the summer, although I’m not too worried about that one - I will have access to a grocery store, and the hotel has a gym (though the quality is unknown - I’m sure some of you know hotel gyms can be a JOKE). Worst case scenario, I get stuck doing bodyweight exercises for another week, or see if I can get a one week pass to a local gym. The final obstacle to 220 will be my first year at college. I will be attending Texas A&M beginning this fall, something I am very much looking forward to. I know I’m capable of maintaining the bodybuilding lifestyle in college… it will just be a MAJOR adjustment, and possibly a minor setback for the first week or two. On a side note from all of this, I highly reccommend Gaspari Nutrition’s Size-On… I have yet to experiment much with supplements other than basic creatine mono, NO-Xplode, and some less than stellar BCAA tabs, so this stuff was, for lack of a better word, like magic. But only with a solid diet and consistent training routine, of course. I feel it really gave me a push toward my current 205.
2. Establish myself as a personal trainer - I am currently in the PFIT personal trainer certification program, a 45 hour course to prepare me for the PT exam. As soon as I get back from vacation this summer, I will hopefully be working at my current gym (LA Fitness) as a PT (and if not there, then the nearby 24 hour Fitness). My exam is the weekend of May 20, with Saturday being devoted to the written portion, while Sunday is the practical. I have taken a college level Anatomy/Physiology course, so much of what is hard for many students is just a review for me, and I have learned a lot of the other material just through my own studies learning about bodybuilding. Wish me luck everyone
3. Improve my cardiovascular condition - I have decided from here on out to perform 3-4 10-15 minute sessions of HIIT a week, beginning tommorrow. Although most people perceive me as being in great cardiovascular shape… appearances can be deceiving. I hope that by beginning this cardio regimen I will improve overall health, maintain leanness throughout my bulk, be able to play a game of basketball without feeling exhausted, and possibly help myself out with squats and other big lifts, which always leave me catching my breath (I am aware this is normal, but by increasing the efficiency that my body transports oxygen to my muscles, it could possibly help me squeeze out another rep or two).
4. Catch my calves up to the rest of my body - I made the common mistake of not putting enough effort into calves until they are miles behind the rest of the body. I am now left struggling to catch them up, working them two to three times a week with an extremely intense routine (Seated calf raises: 15 slow and full, 20 fast and full, 20 second rest, repeat, 20 seconds rest, 6-10 heavy reps, 20 seconds rest, 20 two foot up-one foot down reps, 10 each foot). Two to three of those make up my calf workout, and sometimes I change it up and just do basic calf raises or a few heavy sets. I’ve seen some definition come to them quickly, but they’re still lagging badly. They look very meager when compared to my quads, which are possibly the largest (proportionally) part of my body.
5. Get some pictures that are not a year old - My last pictures were taken in July of last year, nearly a year and 20 pounds ago… I think it’s about time for some new ones.
