ben_p’s BodyBlog

I was just looking at the calendar and realizing I’m only 13 wks away from a WHOLE NEW LIFE!  My son Cade is due on May 11th and I can’t wait!  I have felt like a lump on a log for quite some time now…  but it took the upcoming birth of my son to kick me into gear for my new body and my new life.  Lets hope I can maintain this motivation…  having babies is probably not the most practical form of motivation!

This journey has been great so far!  I feel more energized throughout my day (without the aid of coffee or energy drinks), I have more restful sleep at night, and I feel more positive about myself and my future.  I am growing as an individual…  oh and my muscles are growing too  

My girlfriend has even started joining me in the gym 3 nights a wk!  Keep in mind she’s 5 months pregnant!!!  I am so proud of her.  She likes to exercise, and I love for her to exercise with me!  If anyone is reading this please offer some input regarding how to lose the baby weight.  She is very motivated to lose the extra weight (although I don’t really think there will be any when our baby is born) and get herself into her best shape ever.  I feel I can help, but this is all very new to me!

 Thanks for the help everyone, I really appreciate all you have done so far!

-b

Wow!  I have been working out with barbells for the past month and a half and decided it was time to confuse my muscles.  Today I used primarily dumbells and let me just say there is definitely something to this muscle confusion thing!  In my past, I have set a routine and used the same one until I lost interest and tapered off from the gym.  I think because my exercising got stale, so too did my motivation. 

I began my workout today a little tenative.  I was somewhat unsure what weight I should begin at, and found myself wanting to use the barbell (it felt so much more comforting).  I resisted, and so did my muscles!  This was my best chest workout in weeks, and I owe it all to taking a step away from my comfort zone!  But a great pump was not the only benefit.

 I am begining to understand why muscle confusion, and exercise variety is so helpfull!  I have rejuvinated my motivation, and added a new spark to my training.  If you are reading this TRY SOMETHING NEW!  It may feel uncomfortable at first, but your phisique and your mind will thank you in the end!  GOOD LUCK!

 -b

I have been successful in the gym now for over a month, and it is motivating to see my results posted on this website!  I have increased my projected 1rm in every lift that I have done!  My weight really hasn’t fluctuated, and I’m hoping this is due to a loss in fat, and a gain in muscle but I am not quite sure.  For this reason I have began to pay extra attention to my diet.  I feel that diet is my most overlooked and yet most powerful factor in my quest for a healthy lifestyle and great body (I only wish I had realized this sooner).  I have done my best to eat a clean diet for the past two weeks (although it hasn’t been perfect) and I have felt much better!  I tried to drink a fresca while watching the superbowl (no cal, no sugar) as somewhat of a treat and thought the sweet taste was terrible after just a few weeks away from it.  I can feel a change in my body so far!  I just can’t wait until I can SEE a change!  To everyone who has helped me THANKS A MILLION!  You know who you are.

I had a great night last night!  I went out with most of my close friends to watch the latest UFC fight.  B.J. Penn vs Georges St. Pierre!  Wow, kind of a bummer of a fight, a lot less action packed then I expected.  St. Pierre won the fight convincingly by bulllying and manhandling Penn.  I think Penn weighed in at 168 and GSP was just over 170 but what a difference in their bodies!  Penn looked sloppy and round, while GSP was carved out of granite!  I really admire those men for their fighting skill, but also for the bodies that are forged from mixed martial arts! 

Anyway, I had my cheat meal last night, a chicken bacon ranch sandwich with french fries (amazingly I wished I had made dinner myself due to the taste).  Also I drank 4 beers and smoked a cigarette!  Today I am feeling a little ill.  I had gotten into the habit of drinking more than that and occassionally smoking a cigarette when I go out in the past.  It seems to me that my healthy lifestyle that I have been working so hard to attain was severly detoured last night and I felt guilty as well as sick this morning because of my carelessness. 

 There is a silver lining, I really am begining to understand the value of my lifestyle change!  This experience and the way I feel today has got me motivated to be strict and detailed.

I’ve been training a little over a month now and I have gotten a LOT stronger in what little time I’ve put in.  I hear a lot of talk about muscle memory, but after 3 years of absence from the gym???  I am eating healthier than I probably ever have in my life (although I know there is MUCH room for improvement) and my gains have given me plenty of motivation to continue this lifestyle!  I’m a little weary of a plateau effect soon.  I have been doing pretty much the same exercises every week because it’s so exciting to see what strength I have gained.  This is sort of a no no because my muscles could start to get used to this and become less responsive.  I think I’ll switch things up this next week, hopefully some higher reps, dumbells, reorganization of my exercises and such will trick my body out of plateauing (spelling?) I’ll write soon with the results!   b

I hate the word diet.  I hate it because it has such a negative feeling.  It doesn’t have to be a BAD thing!  In fact, I enjoy the food that I eat.  I feel like in general I eat fairly clean, and my portions are close to where they need to be.  However, I don’t eat enough veggies, and I rarely eat enough fruits.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

Getting back into the gym has always been hard for me.  I started lifting weights at a fairly young age so by the time weight lifting had really caught on with my friends, I was always stronger then they were.  I have been out of the gym now for about 3 years (no excuses here just a lack of motivation).  As I return it’s pretty difficult to see how weak I have become.  It’s also the best motivation I can imagine.  When I walk into the gym now I am at war with myself.  I have already broken some of my "new" personal bests and intend to eventually meet and exceed all of my previous personal bests.  The road will be long and hard but I am confident that I will make it happen.