blaine5’s BodyBlog

One of the biggest parts of trying to achieve a goal is motivation.  Many people make the mistake of waiting for motivation, and if it never comes then you are in big trouble.  Most times if you want something you have to create motivation.  To reach my new goal weight of approx 158lbs.  I have created motivation in my workplace with a few coworkers.  I have agreed to pay people at my office $5.00 each time they catch me eating unhealthy food.  I have set monthly body weight goals over the next three months and at each weigh in if I am over weight I have to pay $15.00 per pound over my goal!  If I meet my goal…then nothing.  My reward is I feel great, look great, have more energy, and use less fabric to make my clothes which saves the planet some valuable resources!  I have created motivation because I hate losing bets, I hate paying people money, and finally because I cant afford to pay, so I will be very much likely to stay on track!  Creating motivation can be done in so many ways.

Monday is coming and I can start lifting again!  I cant wait!  I have been taking a break to prevent overtraining and to really let everything heal.  They say that muscle is built by resting, so as difficult as it is, that is what I have been doing.  So I have got a head start with my cutting diet and some cardio.  Monday I will be officially starting my competition diet.  I have no competition that I am in, but I am competing with myself and I am going to win first place.  12 weeks out…lol.  The plan is to get down to anywhere from 152-158 lbs.  I should have greatly increased definition at that weight…probably a six pack.  I am aiming to lose a little under 2lbs a week and that should be attainable.  The diet plan is to reduce carbs while at the same time avoiding ketosis.  I am increasing my protein to prevent muscle loss and I am increasing my monounsaturated fats which seem to help me with hunger and weightloss.  My daily avg. calorie goal is going to be around 1600-1800.  Wish me luck.

So my new plan is to switch it all up to keep my body guessing and to prevent overtraining.  I have been doing some very intense power lifting for about a month.  I have greatly improved my strength and my bodyfat is up roughly 1.3%.  Recenlty, I have started to experience some of my typical overtraining signs including increased joint pain, a slight loss of strength, loss of energy, etc.  I have been working out for quite some time now and so I have decided to really let my body rest.  I am going to stop all lifting for a week to let all my joints, tendons, muscles, etc. heal completely from the constant strain of powerlifting.  Not lifting for a week is going to kill me.

After my week is up I am going to pretend that am in a competition and I will give myself 12 weeks to prepare for it…lol.  I am then going to really try to cut down on bodyfat with a very strict competition diet in addition to maintaining a lifting routine to maintain my current lean muscle mass.  I really want to look like a bodybuilder and as my man oldbutfit has demonstrated….the lowered bodyfat is by far more impressive than the soft bulk.  So thats my plan.

I have been working on bulking and powerlifting and I have been doing great with my workouts and I have loved my progress so far.  The downside is I am falling daily for the classic bulking diet trap of thinking I can eat any damn thing I want.  I am eating anything and everything including candy, pizza, pasta, and pretty much anything that is full of carbs and tons of fat.  I am barely getting enough protein and I have been going way over calories due to this ridiculous line of thinking.  I am going to try to reign it in as usual in the next few days.  Wish me luck!

Not impressive to most, but my bench has hit an all time high of 235lbs!  I think I am in love with powerlifting.  I have only been powerlifting for the last two weeks and my strength just keeps increasing….I am sure it will hit a wall pretty soon, but for now the gains are amazing.  Literally this is the strongest I have ever been.  I have been lifting for quite some time and my strength was barely moving and my tone was increasing but that was about it.  Ahhhh…the power, the feel, its addicting as hell!  Hopefully it keeps on…more to report later! 

I have only been powerlifting for a very short time and I am amazed at the strength gains already.  How much better is it going to be in two months???  Its not overly impressive for most men on here but for me it is a ton of progress.  My Bench is at 230, my squat 285, and my deadlift 231.  Thats a combined powerlifting total of 746lbs!!!  I will have that at 800 in less than a month!  I love the powerful feel of this and supposedly its still one of the best ways to gain some serious size.  Its amazing and I feel so much more solid!!!  More to report later!

Today was my 6th power lifting session and I am addicted.  I am getting twice the pump than from regular lifting and my muscles get huge and veiny as hell!!!  I love it.  It such a powerful feeling…like a drug really!  When I get going I have a hard time stopping and it is hard to leave the gym.  I know that I am ripping up my muscle fiber and I am sure that I am going to start seeing some great progress with size!  I am taking 1.5 multivitamins a day, L-glutamine, and have increased my protein intake.  All is going well.  Tomorrow is leg day and I cant wait. 

Second run through my new powerlifting routine went very well!  I am loving the heavy lifting with chest, shoulders, and triceps.  I have had a problem with finding good tricep power exercises.  I have bad elbows and it seems like every tricep exercise I do hurts too damn much!  Aside from that its is great!  Such a different feel from regular lifting…you really can feel the muscle fibers straining and tearing just trying to lift the weights!  I have increased my calories and so far I feel pretty good about it all!  The muscle soreness has been incredible!  I havent been this sore since the first time I lifted!  Cant wait to see the results long term!

I have completed my third power lifting day!  Every muscle in my body hurts and I love it!  It has been a welcome change to a tired routine and the feeling is great.  I have officially completed my full routine and tomorrow is a cardio only day.  If the soreness is still severe I may take two days off to let the tissue repair before tearing them apart again!  Diet has also been solid…plenty of protein, good fats, and light on the carbs.  Cant wait to see the change in size in the next two months!

Day 2 of powerlifting went well.  I lifted really heavy and only with compound exercises!  It was great and I could feel my muscles ripping apart!  The plan for now is to do (day 1- back, biceps, abs) (day 2-chest, shoulders, triceps) and (day 3-quads and calves!) then a day or two of rest.  Dietary plan it to eat tons of protein and to about 2000-2200 cals a day!  I am loving the switch so far.