Caneda’s BodyBlog

This was a good week for me. I hit a bunch of PRs in the gym and reached 173 on my quest to 180 - more than I’ve ever weighed before. Period. (You can follow along here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115992221)
I also got some really good comments this week. I’ve been getting them from all quarters, so I’m going to do my best to not talk about them so much, but, hey, they keep me going, so I have to share! It all started with the roommates joking at the gym that I had burritos in my arms, and now they’re kind of calling me "Burrito Man." Odd. Then, last night, when we were throwing a party at my place, I got some random ones. One guy who I haven’t seen for a while came up and said, "I was just commenting that the last time I saw you I don’t think you were this jacked. Good job, my man!" Another time, after giving a girl a goodbye hug, she turns to her boyfriend and goes, "Oh, I like hugging him! His back is ripped." Her boyfriend just replied, "Like cement!"

The real funny part about it, though, is I was just telling one of my roommates that I was embarrassed by all the comments, although I did like them. (His comment: "Yeah. Everyone in the house has a crush on your body.") I don’t know why. Part of it, for sure, is that I’m just not used to it. When I graduated high school, I weighed 135 soaking wet. Now it’s seven years later and I’m almost 40 pounds heavier… and trying to get to 50. Somewhere in there, I probably still think like the college freshman. And then I spend all this time on this site and know that I don’t weigh that much, but compared to the average guy - who’s not hanging out on this site - I’ve got a leg up. So another part of it is focusing so much on where I want to be as opposed to how far I’ve come. Finally, my roommate had an insight: he thinks I just don’t like attention. Which is true! That’s just my personality.

All this to say… I think I’ve crossed some kind of line. I wouldn’t say I’m a bodybuilder, because I’m not doing it for the attention - and definitely not for competition. I started doing it for lacrosse, and then kept it up for the mental health benefits and the discipline I was learning. And that’s why I’m going to keep going. There has to be something to work for. But I think it’s time for me to step up and accept it. I guess I’m a bodybuilder.

Funny enough, T-Nation had a related article the other day. Just thought I’d share: http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=3085840

Any advice on navigating this mental mix-up?

My seemingly never-ending goal has been to gain weight. I’ve been working at it for a while, and just a few weeks ago started a serious bulk. You can follow along here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115992221. So far I’ve managed to gain almost five pounds, going from 167 lbs. to a current 171.8, so it’s going well.
This week, I’ve had two weird experiences that I have to share. First, my roommate made an odd comment… "Are you getting ready for a bodybuilding competition or something?"

"No," I replied, "Why would you even ask that?"

His answer was, "I don’t know. You’re just drinking protein everytime I see you now."

The really weird part was that for one thing, that’s not true, and for another, I was just reading before bed. I told another one of my roommates about this (one of the ones who actually goes to the gym every now and then), he decided to mess with me when we got back by walking up to Roomie 1 and a bunch of others and saying, "Hey, guys! Did you know Ian is preparing for a bodybuilding competition?" I squashed that one pretty quick, but Roomie 1 kept up the conversation by pointing out that he was completely serious.

"Well, how was I supposed to know? You work out all the time and you’re definitely getting bigger." I sort of demurred, but he insisted. "Really? You don’t see yourself getting bigger? You’ve definitely gotten bigger since I moved in." I mean, I know I’ve gained some weight since the beginning of the year (clearly… I’m tracking it), but I wouldn’t have thought it was noticeable. This is why I take the progress photos.

The second weird/cool experience seems like it was almost tailored (no pun intended) to prove his point to me. I have this one shirt from H&M that’s a pretty fantastic button-up summery shirt. I haven’t worn it in a few months because it hasn’t been warm enough, but it was almost 80 yesterday, so I pulled it out of the closet to wear… and it didn’t fit. It’s always had a weird fit and been a little tight because it’s from H&M, but it’s a medium and has always fit before. This time, though, there was no missing it… I somehow managed to get it on, but it very obviously was too small, and it was starting to cut off circulation to my arms. After a little struggle, I managed to get out of it, and then gave it away.

So… yeah. I’m a little disappointed, because it was a cool shirt, but still, it’s kind of cool. Tangible evidence of progress. I mean, has this ever happened to anyone?

I reached 170 last week, and now I’m starting the long trek to the mythic 180 mark. I’ve got my diet, routine, and supps all in order and am taking this far more seriously than I possibly ever have. You can follow along on my log here: Journey to 180

Ladies and Gents,

I have a very important announcement to make - well, important to me, anyway: as of last night, I officially weigh over 165 pounds. Wo0t! This is a goal that I’ve been trying to reach since… good grief, I don’t have any idea when. I kept trying and flopping and starting over. This year, though, I had the Bodyspace community behind me. At the beginning of the year I weighed 155. I tried to make 165 by my birthday in August, and came so very close - a pound and a half short. So I upped my goal and pressed on. Finally, I made it!

That’s a long road travelled in one year. It’s an even longer road from the 135 pound college freshman six years ago.

Now, I know I could gain weight a lot faster if I learned to eat, but I find it way too difficult. I have a really high metabolism and can eat basically anything, but not gain anything. And my life is too scattered and I am too undisciplined to eat mountains of food. It was tough, so I decided to ease into it, and this year I’ve been concentrating on just eating something fairly substantial every couple of hours - meal, sandwich, clif bar, whatever. It’s given me the best results so far. (I’d start doing weight gain shakes, but I split protein shakes with my roommate, and he doesn’t have the same goals as I do.)

Why am I thanking you guys? I just wanted to make sure that you knew that just by being there, you are an encouragement. It’s awesome to see all the success stories and the comments and the advice. It’s also a good thing to just have a place to talk about this stuff and really cool to have such good tracking tools. So, thank you!

Also, I’ve got a story I’d like to share. I went to a church meeting the other day, and I was talking with some friends, when this conversation happened:

Kenny: Ian, have you been working out? Me: Yep.
Kenny: I can tell.
Tom: Yeah, it shows.
Me: Well, thanks.
Kenny: Could you please not sit next to me? You’re making me look small.
Tom: And me look chubby.

And then we started talking about gyms in the city. They were joking, but I do like getting the attention. =)

Finally, I’ll leave you with a picture I took about a week ago…

Yeah, I’m happy. Thanks again, guys!

Have a happy election day,

- ian

Just a quick note in case anyone ever looks at this thing… It’s not that I’ve been taking days off, but I’ve been taking days off from inputing exercises. And why don’t the charts show up anymore? Those were the best part!

Things are going pretty well… PJ and I have started switching between low reps and high weight and high reps and low weight, changing every month. The exercises we do kind of depend on whether we workout at the Rec Center near our house or head downtown. Just trying to change things up.

On a different note, the compliments keep on coming. It’s great. =)

And if anyone reading this has ever tried an NO supplement, let me know how it worked out for you. I’m still a little skeptical that it actually does anything, but I could see why it might and would be willing to give it a try.

Money’s a bit short, because I just lost my job, and the job search is painful - as usual. But life goes on, and I can’t complain about having free time.

I just don’t get enough of it. Not hardly.

Normally I can function pretty decently on about six hours a night. It’s really far from ideal, I know, but life in NYC is pretty hectic and I’ve adapted somewhat. Recently, though, later hours at work and earlier hours in the gym have been catching up with me. Plus my roommate’s out of town, so he’s not here to make sure I actually get out of bed and go downtown to the gym instead of resetting my alarm.

Since I started to get a cough, I figured… best take the week off.

This is, I think, why I could never be a professional bodybuilder or model or anything like that. I don’t have the discipline and my interests are too varied. I want to stay up late playing guitar or go out of town on the weekends to do photography. Things like that. The real question is how do I integrate a regular workout regimen into my life and make drastic changes to my physique, yet still be able to devote a lot of time to the rest of my life?

Any advice?

Just a note to mark the occasion…

I went on a little post-birthday goal re-evaluating today. Part one of that is always taking stock of what you’ve got to work with, so I whipped out the tape measure. The good news? I just learned that I’ve gained an inch on my arms. Rock! Plus, neck’s a little bigger and waist is a little smaller.

Just thought I’d share.

- ian

I turned 25 yesterday. Hoo-ray!

I’m not really sure what to think about it. You know, I’m not old or anything, but it kind of puts me in a different age bracket. I overheard someone in the elevator telling someone else that 25 was a good year, so I guess I’m looking forward to it.

As far as reaching my goal of weighing 165 lbs by my birthday… Well, no luck there.

But it’s not as though I could possibly complain! I made 162 - the most I’ve ever weighed - and my body seems to be convinced that is it’s normal weight now. So rock on. It’s all uphill from here.  If I wasn’t hooked before, I’m hooked now. (I did mention getting antsy because of my week off in my last entry, didn’t I?) And I think I’m hooked on the five days a week thing, too.

Plus, there’s no way to complain about the compliments… A couple of my friends have randomly taken to calling me "Muscles" or something close to it, and I’ve had a few appreciative arm rubs from girls at bars. =)

Oh, and here’s a picture for you:

So, for a new goal… how about 170 lbs by my 26th birthday? That’s 8 pounds in a year. Should be doable.

Now, if only I could figure out how to be disciplined about my diet…

Late!
- ian

There is one pretty big motivating factor to working out that I haven’t ever really paid attention to before: compliments. I guess I never really paid attention to them because I’m too busy beating myself up mentally, but you know what? Damn, do they feel good!

I bring this up because I’ve received some pretty good ones recently.

First, I went to the beach with a bunch of friends. At one point, when four of us were playing some volleyball, one of the guys who came with us said, "Damn, maybe I should start working out with you guys!"  PJ (my roommate) asked him why and he replied, "Well, I don’t exactly fit in, do I? I mean, look at the three of you, and then look at me." And I’ll be kind of honest… Yeah, we looked good. Not that he looked bad, but it kind of pointed out to me that, while I’m not exactly huge or show-stopping or anything, I’ve probably crossed the line into "buffer than most normal guys." Feels good. Especially at the beach.

Then, the other day, one of my roommates’ friends came over who I hadn’t seen in a while. He saw me and said, "Have you been working out? Or are you just built that way?"

I think that one speaks for itself…

Here we get into the mental game of working out. Yeah, my health is a pretty big motivating factor, but vanity has its place. I like to look good, and this is making me look better. =) It’s just weird for me because I’m still learning how to take a compliment. I’ve only just learned how to be ok with the way I look and, what’s more, accept that I actually look good. (Yeah, ladies, guys have body image issues too.)

And it’s really nice to know that this is only just the beginning… What’s it going to be like when I finally reach that 165? 170? 180?

So, yeah, as for working out so far… I just finished Week 2 of working out with PJ. He’s out of town this week, so I’m going to have to do this one on my own, then he says we change it up when he gets back - alternating routines each month. It’s been REALLY good having a workout partner again, especially one who will push me pretty hard. It’s a nice change of pace. Normally I’m the one pushing Dan (but not that hard), and he’s the one trying to convince me to take a break. This has given me a whole new perspective on what pushing yourself at the gym really means.

And it’s got me addicted in a whole new way, too… I can’t stop thinking about working out! If I felt off when I didn’t go before, I don’t even want to know what it’d be like now. I told PJ that I thought I was addicted and he said, "GOOD! That’s what you want!" Don’t know about that, but I agree so far.

Wish me luck working out like a madman this week. Also, wish me many more compliments. I wish the same to you.

EDIT (06/30/08): Is there a critical mass on these things or something? (Pun not really intended, but I’ll take it.) Today I had coffee with a friend who I haven’t seen in ten years. The first words out of his mouth were, "Wow, you got jacked." That’s the best one yet.
- ian

The past few weeks have been busy as hell. I was having a lot of trouble getting to the gym because my evenings were so packed and I was exhausted from constantly running around. Then one day I thought to myself, "Man, if only you could wake up and go to the gym in the morning."

And, much to my surprise, I did.

So for the past two and a half weeks I’ve been waking up by 630 and heading downtown to workout. It has to be downtown because the Jackie Robinson Rec Center, the one closest to me, doesn’t even open until 9am, when I’m (theoretically) supposed to be at work. Luckily, the Chelsea one is a ten minute walk from my office. Ironically enough, these have been the most consistent workouts I’ve had in months. Seriously. I don’t remember being quite as dedicated. It also starts my day off right and frees up my evenings. I think I may stick with it.

I mentioned this to my roommate, PJ, who had noticed that I was up and gone really early every morning. He is used to going to the gym in the morning, every day, but kind of fell out of the habit after graduating. So I suggested he come with. Today was the first day we went together, and I decided I’d follow his plan just to change things up. I’ve been doing nearly the same routine since January anyhow. All I can say is, "Ow." Dude is intense

But this is good. I need a workout partner who’s going to challenge me; one who will make sure I get up on time to get to the gym every morning is better. So I’m going to work in with him for at least a week, and we’ll see what happens after that. I think it may be just what I need to give me (another) kickstart, and I may hit on the perfect routine somewhere in there.

- ian