Today was my second day of work and my second day at LA fitness. I devoted Monday to chest - so following suit, I devoted today to Back. I had a good workout - still trying to be patient with the clientele at LA - I guess it will come with time. I'm still not sold on the gym though. I think I'm gonna try a few others before I make a final decision. I've been asking around about any solid gyms, but I haven't really talked to anyone who would know of a good one (all the surgeons I work w/ go to a "raquet ball club" and I don't think my nose will go that high). I have definitely been eating super clean - but definitely not getting enough due to work. As a result, I've lost some weight - but also have lost some fat. Well, wish me luck during this transition

I don't know about other areas but in Lancaster this place is filled with a bunch of homers that spend more time grunting with 65 lb BB bench and flexing flab in the mirror than working out. I have three choices here. One - build tolerance; two - workout at 5 am; three - go somewhere else. I plan on testing almost every gym in the area to find the right one. LA has alot of amenities (pool, jacuzzi/hot tub/sauna/bb courts) but lacks grit. The gyms that i've belonged to prior was rarely crowded and always had hardcore powerlifters and bodybuilders in it. I guess I'm just not acustomed to "new age" "normal" health clubs.
Also, it was my first day at work and it went well. I like most of the MD's that i work w/.

I made the move to Lancaster today. So tomorrow is the venture to find a new gym. I've tossed around a few potential candidates. None will probably be able to replace the hardcore gym that I'm coming from (as Lancaster seems to be filled with a bunch of yuppies...like me - haha), but I'll continue to search for a solid one. I'll probably end up at a chain like LA fitness or Planet Fitness. There's a Golds not too far away which probably wouldn't be too bad. We'll see. Also, tomorrow is my first day at Lancaster Orthopedic Group as the groups newest PA. Most likely will be a meet and greet. Well, wish me luck during this transition.

The past week has been insane for me. I took my board certification exam for licensure as a physician assistant --- and passed. During that time - I didn't even miss a workout (somehow) and still managed to get stronger and grow. My flat bench max went from 341 to 354, my waist has shrunk 0.5 inches, and my arms have grown 0.5 inches. The only thing I haven't been doing right this week has been staying on top of my diet. While it definitely hasn't been terrible, I have felt pretty exhausted at the ends of my workouts and I feel I'm not getting enough quality food. I work arms today - and i plan on treating myself tonight with some quality debauchery.

Yesterday I felt like garbage halfway through my workout. I attribute it to a few things - 1.) I didn't eat enough - 2.) I may have been overtraining - 3.) Not sleeping enough. Regardless, I shortened my workout - went home ate, and slept. Today I felt great. Not only was it Mother's day (i got my mom some flowers), I got a great shoulders and light leg workout in. I'm starting to get busy now though. I take my state licensure exam on Tuesday (5/13) so i've been studying quite a bit. Tomorrow is my arm workout which will be a nice break from the studying. Wish me luck.

Had a great arm workout today - lot's of intensity and volume. Pretty short in duration (~45 mins). Missed a day of blogging due to working out away from home on wednesday - and then missing a day thursday - so i'm technically a day behind which i'll make up by working out through my rest day. Diet has been tight - and i think my weight is still going up. I'd be interested in my body fat - but the gym I currently go to does not have that capability.

I went out last night to celebrate cinco de mayo - and got hammered. A minor lapse I suppose. Anyway - I woke up late today - and took some ibuprofen and felt fine. I defintely didn't have sufficient energy during my workout. My weight is up to 193 today. My new max on flat bench is estimated to be 341. So overall making huge strides in little more than a week. I feel great.

Today I was all over the state of PA. I now have my Master's degree (MPAS). A long day all in all - but still felt great during my workout later in the day. I definitely am more vascular this workout versus the last arm workout. Whether it's my diet or my workout, it's hard to say. Even though I was on the road - my diet was super tight. I had 0 beers all weekend...which is ridiculous for me. Let's see if i can keep this clean diet up! Oh yeah...feeling really strong and godt a great pump!

I limped into the gym today to do legs/shoulders - even though i was still a tad sore from Tuesday. I felt strong again - and more aggressive. I forgot how hard snatches were - but an awesome pump. Using the band resistance to hit rear delts worked well when supersetting w/ upright rows. Diet has been pretty good today - I feel like i can't get enough - so i'm trying to eat only quality meals/snacks. I have my graduation ceremony tomorrow so that might throw off my routine a little - but nothing too serious.

Today is the 2nd go around in my split - not much to report. Had a pretty solid workout - felt stronger and i think I look more lean. I am up to 191 already. Not sure how much of that weight is water weight. Most likely my baseline weight is right around 187.5 now, but i'll post my weight as 191. My diet has been awesome the last 48 hours - and it's amazing how evident that can be from day to day. Hopefully i can get my digital camera to work so i can post a week 2 picture. Tomorrow is legs and shoulders again and my legs are still sore from wednesday.

Since today marks the beginning of the weekend, I'm gonna try to not drink any beer. I think i'll limit myself to some nasty bacardi and diets...bleh - or just take one for the team and be the DD.

Today is a rest day for me (the rest day). I slept 9 hours last night - which felt great and then i got up this morning, and realized how sore I was from legs on tuesday. Needless to say I'll be limping around all day - and i have a bball game tonight. Not really much to report today - diet has still been in check - only had two beers last night. Having some frontal headaches - tension type and i'm wondering if it's from eliminating caffeine from my morning. Tomorrow is chest/back/abs + 10 cardio.

Today (day three in my split) I dedicated to arms. While all of my workouts are pretty intense, arms is the shortest (in time) but probably the toughest (this week). My first week I aimed to get full pump, full muscle exhaustion and 100% muscle recruitment. I do this by doing all exercises to 15 reps (exception of close grip pushups) to failure each set with only 30 seconds of rest between sets and exercises. I did some light cardio today too only because i was sore from legs (and bball) yesterday. Overall I had a pretty solid workout and feel great. I finally caught up on the sleep that I lost yesterday too.

On the darker side of the moon - tonight is mug night at a local waterhole. I'm gonna try to avoid the bar completely, but if I do go, I'm limiting myself to 3 light beers (a total of $1.50)

I finally finished grad school and now i am able to focus on my body.

I've been training off and on the past year but physician assistant school has had me moving from location to location the past 24 months. My background in medicine and ~11 years of strength training have helped me maintain what muscle/strength I have/had during that 24 month stretch. Over the years junior high, high school, college, graduate school - i've worked out in 8 different gyms. I don't try to vary my workout loc, but it was lift where i could or veg on the couch.

Tomorrow I restart - or should i say begin to change and sculpt my body. I'll be working 6 days/week using a chest/back/abs; shoulders/legs; arms/abs; day off; repeat.

I'll have a start picture for tomorrow - and i'll repost a follow-up picture once monthly