b631’s BodyBlog

courage is when you do something you fear,

cowardness is when you fear something you have done 

Not anything to do with weight lifting, or even body building at all. 

It is now two days before we go home for a much needed visit, been in Europe for over a year, and the children really need to see their cousins and grandparents. 

We are going to drop the dog off with a friend, to look after him while we are home. 

So we decided to take the dog for a walk, tire him out before he meets the temporary family. We went to the beach- absolutely gorgeous, cliffs and a forest on one side, the beach on the other, very historic, and the beach is huge, plenty of room to run. 

It is to cold to swim, so my daughter – 9 and my son 6 ask if they can take their shoes off and run along the waves. 

“Sure- be careful as the tide is coming in” 

They sprint to the edge, about 4 football fields away, and I start walking that way. 

I notice that they are getting in deeper and deeper water, almost up to their knees, and the surf is rough- tide coming in and all. 

So I call to them- but they are to far away, can’t hear. 

My son gets knocked over, and carried out to the ocean about 25 feet- still pretty shallow, but at this point I am sprinting- still about 2 football fields away. 

He regains his legs- they both see me, and start walking hopping toward me. I slow down to a jog. 

My son gets knocked over again- this time I hear “Daddy” 

Start moving faster than full speed- in water that is now at my knees- 

My nine year old daughter turns around- and all 46 pounds of her runs BACK into the ocean and GRABS her brother. 

I am about 3 seconds behind, they both get knocked over, and before anything else happens I have them both.. 

I start with “Daddy said just your feet….” And ended with “E**** (daughter) that was absolutely one of the bravest things I have ever seen— ever” 

She said “Daddy you tell me to never panic- so I didn’t” and I almost lost my composure on the beach. 

A couple of weeks before after seeing a movie called Iron Man she asked me why there weren’t more female heroes. 

A nine year old girl didn’t need a catalytic event to turn her into superhero, she just is. 

- Anyway proud dad- telling the world 

This week I learned a newfound respect for personal trainers. And even though many get ridiculed on this site, especially in the forums, they are ok with me. 

Now it starts out with friends asking about lifting, to the question- “Can you put me on a program?”, and so you’re flattered that someone would believe you know what you’re doing, so of cause the answer is “sure”. 

Now this happened to me three times this week, although I only had to help out twice as two of them doubled up. 

So we have coffee, go through a program, ok that’s not so bad. Then it comes to will you show me how to do the exercises- again the answer is “Sure”. 

Now here is the learning curve for me. 

First I’m at a gym, and not lifting, but I like to lift, but still I’m not lifting as I am going to help. So I’m restless and all I can think is as soon as I get these exercises shown I can start- so I start to motivate ( a positive word for hurry up) the exercises. 

Then boredom sets in- I actually have to watch another person lift weights, as I said I enjoy lifting- but watching others lift is boring–really boring. 

Then I had to watch myself, they are absolutely new, so I was trying not to be discouraging. Now understand that I lift alone for the most part, in my gym there are a group friends that will spot each other when needed, and usually they very politely tell you to, in a very positive and helpful manner, to get the M*F*, Stupid Ass F** weight off your F** Pathetic –insert body part here. But I can’t do that, these are friends who are new and the last thing I want to do is discourage them. 

Finally- the questions, “so what do I do if I cant put this much weight up?”, “why cant this be easier?” or the best I heard was and while holding a pin they had just taken out of a weight stack for pull downs was “where do I stick this?”

So anyway, for what you do, and have to put up with, You’re Alright.

So today was excellent 

First I put together a nutritional database all based on research I acquired from this site. Used the 40/40/20 principal, now have a database of food, calories, protein, fat and carbs that calculates recipes and all. So first I found I was way under in everything,— and I have been eating six meals a day for years. Second I found that basically I needed to add a high fat high protein meal, thinking RIBS, but I settled for peanuts and chicken, when I get to the store Ill pick up almonds. Third I needed to increase my carbs substantially- oatmeal did the trick… 

Workout was excellent- Chest and Tri 

The pre and post especially the post shakes than meals seem to be working fantastic, all learned on this site. 

It’s really impressive some of the stuff I have altered by doing the research here to produce some excellent results, so now the nutrition. 

Although the thought of walking around for the rest of my life logging meals doesn’t sound too appealing I figure when I’m able to deadlift 660 pounds Ill stop- right Jack. 

And you, yes you little fearless one, it’s a good thing you’re cute, because sometimes you say some crazy stuff. 

Had an interesting day yesterday, and ended up having to sleep on one of the discussions I had. 

Started out with a sign on my back saying ‘I want to listen’, or maybe ‘talk to this guy’- who knows, but in the one place I try to have zero conversations, and pay attention to nobody it was be friendly to me day- fantastic. 

So anyway on maybe the third interruption of legs day, by the way if you do the leg press try knees to nose 

1. reduce the weight 

2. get the padded toilet seat out 

Dropped the weight to about 500, knees to nose, full stop then press- saw stars, and could barley walk-awesome 

Anyway back to the discussion. –One guy, the biggest guy in the gym, comes up and starts talking, for the most part I have a lot of time for him as he’s a great guy, we usually shoot the shit for a couple min after our workouts- changing the subject again- here we go. 

Steroids- now for me, it’s not as easy as just take them, i’m pretty anti- drug to begin with, however. Most guys I know have at the very least considered them, and I have, a number of times in my life considered. I’ve done the research, which is all over the place, read studies, etc. came close a few times, but never took the plunge. 

Supplements do very little for me, other than creatine and protein, I am reasonably strong, and have some size, but that next level is like the proverbial carrot just out of reach. 

It would seem simple, moving an inch takes about .05 of a second. It is one twelfth of a foot, compared to the shortest of distances in a football game, the size of a tab key.  “gave an inch took a mile.” All in all- it is really an almost insignificant small, tiny, little measurement.
So an inch would be easy, and all I want is one more, at least for now.
But like most guys I know it is never quite big enough, and I want mine bigger.
Now compared to most I am a pretty good size, covered in veins, and can be rock hard when properly stimulated, but still- I would like to be known as “just huge.” Any guy that isn’t saying bigger is better is lying, and any girl that says size doesn’t matter is just being “nice”

I have read all sorts of theories, from destroy with constant attention to leave alone, all of which claim will make growth happen. And I have tried them all, and for even the smallest amount of growth it takes a lot of hard, intensive, hard (I think I said that twice) work.  From stimulating every day of the week, all the way to the one theory of one day a month; except you need to engorge every half hour on that one day. There are even theories that squats produce hormones that produce size so you never have to directly touch- although I enjoy the process way to much for that one. And then there is the concept of feeding, although I’m not sure how.
So if anyone has any good bicep tips I,m listening.

A workout fuelled by anger, biologically impossible, cognitively conceptual, but described by many people as their driving motivation.
I read a blog this AM about a gentleman whose child was being bullied, and the kids that were doing it did some pretty nasty stuff. And to top it off when the gentleman ran into one of the bully’s father the father started to tell him about it.
I could understand that anger as a father.
Anger, the emotion can present biologically as the flight or fight reflex, i.e. increased, heart rate, the release of adrenaline etc. but those are immediate responses. And although there are tons of studies on basically why its bad to suppress your emotions we do live in a predominately civilized society. It is not usually ok to lash out. Theoretically it would be impossible to harness anger, as it is an immediate and basic emotion. But there would be a frustration at not being able to exhibit that anger that could possibly be harnessed, as the emotion of frustration is not basic, it usually presents, and the responses could be trying to solve-or the other one (complaining, whining hate even going there)

So to control our anger and frustration at life we, or at least some of us civilized people, have resorted to putting our bodies under unnatural stressors, extreme diets, and supplementation. We have pull our hats over our eyes, turn the ipods to max with our choice of songs and throw as much weight around as possible.
Maybe its frustrated at not being able to do something, maybe a suppression, or maybe its that you feel better after you lift (biologically proven) by the release of endorphins.
But what ever the reason, that guy this morning told on how he channelled, he told the story, then he said he had a better workout for it. And how he feels like some of his frustration is gone,  and although frustration is not my motivating factor I did feel, when reading his story, an urge to make a forward move. Also got an old song that plays in my head.
Im the pinnacle that means I reign supreme
And Im notorious Ill crush you like a jellybean,
 (LL COOL J) —–theme music
 And had a strong urge to destroy a bully.
 And if you, yes you read this, I am sorry. Maybe a hothead New Yorker should learn to channel.

Every now and then I find some of the questions/concepts funny to the point that I get the crazy look from people walking in on me laughing at a computer screen.
 

 So the question was something to the point of would gloves make you lift better.
 

Started laughing again.
 

So do your muscles speak to you, sure in a round about way they can tell you if they need better nutrition, more sleep, are being taxed to hard, or not enough. They can tell you if their warm and ready to go, or cold. They might even appreciate a new supplement or stack you are providing them.
 

But-Gloves?
 

Started laughing again
 

Figure-muscles care about what you’re wearing; do they consider what other people are wearing? Do they care if you have a pink dumbbell, do they consider who is looking at you, whats on the TV, what the other guy is doing?
 

Are they concerned about your latest blunder, your newest partner, if you fed the dog?
 

Do they think about “that guy”, “the minion”, the confidence of age, the misc. section, about me writing a story?
 

I wonder if they have feelings.

so I have become completly addicted to this workout tracker, not for the records, or the postings but for those line charts. my dorky life now is about making sure those little dots get a little higher each time.

I posted a question about hormone manipulation in the workout section, not much of a response so far but it is a pretty advanced question. The concept is something called a Big Day- Squats, Bench and Deads all 5×5 all in one day, the reason is that doing pretty high weight with these three exercises produces hormones which are condusive to growth.

But no matter the response, I will probably still do my Big Day, because the coolest thing is watching that little dot raise, mind you have to still have to lift the weight, and if you want the dot to raise you have to do more than last time, so you do, and the dot raises.

No life, not the coolest thing?, maybe, I can also go on about how much I like nuts, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazlenuts, beechnuts, peacans, pistachio, and I can go on. But I wont.