alm21’s BodyBlog

Well, I’m a week+ into working out 2x a day.  I think my morning cardio sessions are giving me greater intensity in my lifts during the evening.  I went up in weight on some of the exercises (80lb dumbbell shoulder presses, 90lb bentover dumbbell rows and others) which felt great.  I had some diet indiscretions over the weekend but I’m not feeling too guilty over it - not too serious and somewhat warranted considering the occassions.

I haven’t shed any lbs yet but I’m working my ass off.  I can feel it.  However, I weigh myself before cardio and I’m at 220lbs, post cardio I’m 217/218lbs.  During the day, I’m rehydrating myself pretty well.  I hope I’m adding muscle and burning BF% thus explaing why I haven’t dropped weight.  Time will tell.  I may look at reducing calories if I don’t see progress.  I’m on a reduced carb diet and can’t be taking in more the 3K of calories a day but I’m not really counting either so maybe I should - always hated doing that.

Monday Morning - Cardio 20 minutes on eliptical, 25 minutes on treadmill and 20 minutes on StairMaster.   

Monday Evening - Met with a trainer and hit core/abs for 30minutes and followed up with medium chest workout for 60minutes

Tuesday Morning - Cardio, 15 minutes on eliptical, 20 minutes on treadmill and 15 minutes on StairMaster

Tuesday Evening - This will be a leg workout…

I have one pec that is noticeably larger than the other.  Any ideas for building up the other to match?

I think it’s due to barbell presses - one side working harder than the other.

Thursday cont.- got into the gym and hit the chest (twice a week).  I’m pushing myself to get to 315lb on bench press.  Total ego thing - I can’t wait until I can load six 45lb plates and push out some reps.  At my gym, the heaviest dumbbells are 120lb each.  I can handle up to 110lbs but I looking forward to making those 120lbers my byatch!  I find that I can press heavier dumbbells on incline bench than I do.  The reason why I’m lifting lighter is that I have a hard time getting them from resting on my legs to the starting position.  I don’t train with a partner so I’m waiting for my arm strength to catch up so I can lift those 100lb dumbbells up easier.  Right now, it puts too much strain on my forearms and elbow joints.

I have a hard time developing chest size.  It seems that some guys just have a natural propensity for large pecs.  Sometimes I wonder if it’s because my triceps are doing all of the work.  I’ve been focusing on flye excercises so I can focus on squeezing the pecs.  Hopefully that will help.

Friday - Slept like crap even though I was in bed by 10:00p.  My strained trap muscle is making difficult to sleep well.  It’s difficult to position my head/neck on my pillows without pain.  None the less, I got up and hit the cardio for 50 minutes.  I’ve been working out twice a day this week (except Wed) with cardio in the am and lift in the pm.  To my surprise, my weight has not moved at all.  I’m stuck on 220lbs like a f***ing brick wall in that scale.  Since I’m only a week into two work outs a day, I’m trying not to get discouraged.  I know that I need to focus on the results that I should have a month down the road.  Tonight is my shoulder w/o.  With my trap issue, I may not get this done.  I’ll go in and try a couple lifts and see how I feel.  If it hurts then I’ll find something else to do.

My wife thinks I’ve become obsessed (or is that posessed?).  I keep telling her that it’s better to be married to a gym rat vs. a bar fly.

Wednesday Cont. - Work was very busy so I was unable to go to the gym right afterwards as expected.  On top of that, I was exhausted and just wanted to hit the sack.  My body was screaming to sleep.  However, I did rally myself, took a shot of NOXplode and hit the gym around 9:00.  I don’t know ifit was the combination of fatigue and NOXplode or what but I was fired me up!

It was arm day and I was hitting the heavy weights.  I was doing 105lb EZ bar curls, 55lb dumbell curls and 200lb tricep cable press downs (all are heavy weights for me).  It was awesome, until I tweaked a muscle in my traps doing the 200lb press downs - dumb ass. 

Although I had the NOXplode I was able to get myself to bed by 11:00-11:30p.  I didn’t get cardio in today but did get my lift, not bad considering my schedule.

Thursday - The muscle I stained is stiff and really sore - dumb ass.  I got up early feeling better than I did this time yesterday morning.  I’m off to hit the cardio again.  Work shouldn’t be an issue today so I should get my lift in tonight.

Well, over the last week I decided to make some changes to my diet and increase my workouts.  To date, I have been lifting fairly regulary with some modest gains but the fat was gaining too.  My current goal is to get get 45-60minutes of cardio done in the morning before heading to work and then lift in the evening for 1-1.5hrs.  It is my hope that with changes in my diet and the added cardio sessions, I’ll drop some pounds but more importantly, lower the BF % (23.5% BF when started B-Space).

I started on Sunday, my rest day, by getting up early and doing cardio only.  This was to help adjust for getting in the gym earlier on Monday.  The cardio session on Sunday was great, I felt really good that day.

Monday - got in and did my cardio for 45minutes, sweating like mad.  Felt great!  Went in that evening and had an intense chest workout.  I’m liking this change.

Tuesday - Work had some demands that made me concerned about going to the gym in the morning but I did it anyway.  Cardio was a little tougher but I got a good 45 minutes in.  I was at work until about 6:00p which made it difficult to go lift.  I have kids and my wife wanted to workout too.  Determined to make this work, we negotiated.  I went in the gym and cranked out a good leg workout, got home by 8:00p and my wife went in for her workout.  Now, this is were it gets more challenging.  I had to stay up late (11:00p - late for me) working on my computer (job related).  I knew this was going to mess with my Wednesday cardio since I had to be at a customer site by 8:30a.  However, I was feeling good about the workouts so far.

Wednesday - Got up around 5:30a and I’m feeling whipped, but it’s a good kind of whipped.  Having unfinished work to do on my computer, going into the gym for cardio wasn’t going to work.  So I missed my cardio this morning - aarrgghh!  I also have a client meeting that will run late today potentially messing with getting in to lift - arm day - aarrgghh!  I’m writing this blog to remind myself of my commitment to make change and not to let these obstacles throw me off.  I figure that I will go to the gym after the kids go to bed to workout if that’s what it takes.  I just need to be flexible and adapt to the daily challenges that seem to be determined to prevent us from reaching our goals. 

So far, with the stepped-up workouts and major diet change my weight hasn’t changed, still hanging around 219-220lbs.  Now, I don’t expect immediate changes so this doesn’t bother me, not now at least.  I do feel different, almost "tighter" if that makes any sense.  I’m eating a high protein and reduced carb diet, timing when I eat them and eating "good carbs".  Of course, after lifting, I consume fast-digesting carbs.  I’m drinking a measured 60oz of water daily which doesn’t include the water I get from my shakes/drinks,random cups (pill popping) or drinking from the fountain.  I feel that I’m hydrating well.

So, we’ll see how today goes and whether or not I get my workouts done.  I have too though, rest day isn’t until Sunday!

Not sure if anyone will read this but one quetion I have is what a post cardio supplement should be?  I get up and have a cup of coffee, some water to wash down my creatine pills and 20grams of protein in a shake.  This seems to get me going.  After the cardio, I eat a high protein breakfast but I’m wondering if there is anything I should do different.  Open to suggestions…

As a subscriber to fitness magazines, when I received a new issue, I often found myself jumping to the section which highlighted reader’s fitness success stories.  I’ve always found inspiration in the success that "people like me" have attained.  The downside was that beyond the short articles, I didn’t have much insight to their journeys.  When I stumbled across BodySpace last week, I was taken by the multitude of people working towards common goals and interacting as community to encourage and assist each other to achieve their fitness goals.  Now, I can ask that person who made it happen for themself "How did you….?" 

I’ve been a gym member for years but lacked the laser focus and consistency to make the "Transformation" I’ve desired.  However, after only a few days of being a BodySpace member, I have made immediate and profound changes to my diet and fitness regimen.  I haven’t been this committed to changing my fitness for a long time.  The members of this site remind me that I’m not alone in my challenge to improve my fitness.  The encouragement offered by complete strangers blows my mind.  I’ve immediately have gained more support from people I’ve never met over the people that are in my everyday life.  I’m looking forward to being a member of this driven community as I know it will continue to inspire and motivate me. 

Welcome to the Bodybuilding.com BodyBlogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!