b.spencer’s BodyBlog

This weekend marks one year since I started my weight loss journey.  The time has gone by so fast and so slow at the same time.  I would have never imagined as I sat, at this very moment last year, eating my last uber-greasy fast food burger and fries as my last binge meal, that I’d be where I am now.  I measured my stats and BF% this morning.  I’m down to 12.6%, off another tenth since last month, while gaining 3 pounds.  

I just wanted to publicly thank all you guys.  I’ve learned so much from you, been inspired myself from your experiences, and from the PMs and emails I’ve gotten, I’ve been able to inspire some of you.   We are all in this journey toward the body of our dreams together.  If there is anything I can do for you, just ask 

And as for the celebration? 

I’m gonna participate in a little "contest" with Jim and a few others.  The rules are pretty simple.  We post our current complete stats, pics, and a goal we want to achive in three months.  30 November we’ll update everything and see of we made it.  The reason is so that we can help, motivate, push — whatever you want to call it — into breaking into new ground for each other.  My goal goes along with my bulk.  Since I want to be +20 pounds from my low by Feb 1, I want to gain 10 quality pounds between now and then.  That would be 15 pounds of muscle gained since June  The stats as of this morning on the board are unpumped.  I’ll do some pumped stats later today (upper body) and tomorrow (lower body) at the gym.  (It’s been a while since I’ve done those.)   I’ll put all the results on the blog too.

Last Labor Day weekend, I had greasy fast food at a fireworks display.  This one — I’m eating clean on my diet and going to the gym .  I’ll enjoy this one more.   I’m gonna drive every rep to the full, eat big and clean.  Everything I need to do.  Look out J, here I come :D

It’s the end of the month again, so time for an update.  I’ve posted new pics rather than go through measurements (want to save that for next month.)  I didn’t feel like I gained that much — what with being distracted by moving,changing gyms, all that– but my first day a Gold’s, I maxed flat bench with a trainer spotting me, and I even surprised myself.  240.  Thats 80 pounds improvement in the six months that I’ve been doing them.  Hooray for noobie gains.  Wish it could last.  I’m getting serious about bulking now, so maybe it will.  I can hope at least.

I’ve started a new workout that jimif sent me.  It’s really kiling me but thats what I asked for.  I was just playing around for the first two, finding my new base weights with exercises I haven’t done before (like the sumos deads).  Wednesday, I decided to sub single leg machine squats for the walking lunges, since there is no where to do them with leagues on the bball court.  Wound up doing 4 sets, 10 reps, 200 pounds on each leg. After that, I was stumbling around like i was drunk.  Huge pump.  One of the other trainers noticed the variant I was doing, and he must have never tried it before, becasue he wandered over to try it after I was finished.  Two sets in, he was sweating, and doing 1/2 the weight I was (Smaller guy, but ripped beyond belief).  I think it surprized him how hard they were.  Anyway, getting out of bed the next morning was an adventure in sore, but it’s been a while since I felt growing soreness in my legs.  I keep saying it, but thanks Jim.

I’m really pumped up about the next few months.  I’m determined to make good gains before my next pics in Nov. (My birthday)

I know I usually don’t post this often, but I just had to put this up.  Yesterday, I was feeling really good.  I’d added real hyerextensions back into my workout for the first time, and I couldn’t believe how much easier they were than they used to be.  I’ll have to be adding a neck plate before long.  Anyway, I was so pumped (leg day) I went to the squat machine and cranked it up to maximum.  400 pounds.  I got 6 reps without any real strain.  Granted, they were not deep reps, only to parallel, and still on the full back support machine, but I felt so good afterward.  And my back felt so much better today.

Tomorrow, one of the trainers at my gym is going to help me with some sumo deadlifts.  It will most likely be the only deadlift I’ll ever be able to do, and I want to make sure I have the form down before I move to Denver.  So, no weights, but just to be able to do it again with a real bar.  I’m psyched.

I had my BF% measured again today, and was stunned to find that it’s dropped again, down to 12.7%.  It makes sense with how visible my abs are now, and I’ve added a plyometrics workout on one day a week, which I’m sure is helping.  But I still have trouble believing it.  It’s not that I’m unhappy at all; I just didn’t think dropping bodyfat while gaining muscle was possible.  This can’t last forever, but I’m gonna enjoy it while I can.

It’s the end of the month, and that means updated stats for me.  I’m making descent progress on the measurements front.  Slow and small gains everywhere, but I honestly didn’t expect the BF% to drop more.  I can see the difference though in my waist, though.  My abs seem to become more clear by the day, while the skin is slowly, slowly disappearing.  My goal over the next few months is to continue to regain size and strength in my legs, but I want to change major focus to upper body for a while.  Arms and chest in particular, before I start a lower body focus again in late fall.  I’ll start all of this once the move to Colorado is complete in the middle of next month.

I also entered new lifting stats.  I’ve made good gains in strength in chest and espcially bi’s which gives me hope that I can add size if I focus on them (and tri’s) more.  The squat, back, and overhead lifts are either machine based in the case of squat and back and seated in the case of the overhead press.  I’m still not allowed to do them standing free with the bar, except with no weight just to start adjusting my body to proper technique again.  My horozontal leg press is up to 590 lbs for 8 solid reps, again a massive increase over last month.   By January, I hope that I can do bar squats freely again, at least on a limited basis, will full resumption next spring.  That was the doctor’s orders, and as I take things slowly and carefully, I think his plan is a good one.  

With the back injury continuing to improve, I’m getting a bit more agressive in lower body movements again.  At least I’m able to get some real power from my right side again.  Two months ago I could barely stand on that leg and bear any weight.  Climbing stairs was impossible.  Things are a lot better now.  As of my last Leg workout on Thursday, my weights/reps are as follows for the basic exercises:

Leg Press - 600 for 10 reps, Leg Extensions - 210 for 8 reps, Hamstring Curls - 130 for 10 reps, Calf Raises - 260 for 10 reps. (Most of these are double what I could do at the end of May.)

I’m still not up to maxing, mostly becasue I do not have a partner just in case.  I still have to wait several more months before I can try even a machine squat again, but I don’t know if I can last that long.  I jsut have to keep telling myself, heal first.  I can still make gains without squats. 

On the advise of a friend, I’m shaking up my supplements as of tomorrow.  I’m really hoping to see some good gains from them. 

It’s been a pretty good month all things considered. 

I was on vacation for about 10 days.  Even so, I still cut my BF% a few tenths, while gaining some muscle.  While my actual size additions have been barely noticable (1/8" or so on everything in the last month), almost everyone in the gym noticed that my vascularity is much more pronounced since I changed to my current set of workouts.  I’ve also noticed that I tend to use more weight with the same number of reps that most guys my size at my gym, in most lifts.  And they’ve been doing this for a very long time.  (Well, everything except for chest, which seems to be my nemesis.  I’m focusing in on it for the next month.  Gonna work it hard and see what happens.)  I’m gonna up my calories a but too and see if I can gain more.

I just got back from the ortho docs office who reviewed my lumbar scans.  In short, they are confident that this will heal completely without intervention beyond an NSAID.  I may even be able to add above chest presses, standing shoulder sets, and squats back to my routines in 6 mo-1 year if I work hard on abs and lower back strength in the mean time.  It’s a big, big relief.

Well . . . I got some bad news yesterday. My GP sent the MRI of my L-Spine off for a second reading when she saw something the radiologist missed. I have been diagnosed with a disc herniation at L5/S1 with some mild extruded disc. That’s a big miss in my book. While the doctor is hopeful that this will heal without surgery (My symptoms have improved greatly and continue to do so), I’m gonna have to rework my workouts for a long time to give this a chance to properly heal. Starting today, no squats, angled leg presses, deadlifts, bent over rows, overhead lifts, and , for at least one workout cycle, no barbell curls or standing shrugs. I feel like my legs have been cut out from under me, pardon the pun. But, I don’t want to end up needing surgery for sure (still a chance of that) nor being permanently crippled. So, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. I’m meeting my new PT today and will start creating a new workout for the cycle. it will most likely be more machine heavy than I like, but it may be helpful for growth, since I use machines so rarely. Hoping for the best.

I did measurements this morning.  Although to my eyes it seems like I’ve made little progress, I’ve gained an 1/8" on my bi’s, and 1/4" on my quads and calves over last month.  With the disc herniation (yes, on reinspection of the MRI, I have a moderate  L5/S1 herniation) symptoms getting better with the stretching, and being able to get back to biking on a limited basis, I’m showing some regrowth in my right leg.