Don’t Have a Keg…

So, I was surprised last night when my brother-in-law asked me to help him with his workout. Apparently his wife and daughter just can’t spot him effectively when he is bench pressing and since we used to work out together he thought maybe we could start again.

I’m not sure what has put him back on an exercise kick, but I’m not complaining. I find it easier when I have a partner and he is frankly one of my main motivators. Why? It’s because ever since I first met him in college I’ve always been trying to get as big as him! He’s a couple inches taller than me so he will always have that over me - but he has some impressive biceps and even when he was "small" I was smaller.

He does have an advantage over me that he puts on muscle very quickly and even now, though he hasn’t worked out consitently for several years (he started back up with some push-ups and light weights in November of this year) he still has arms that are nearly 18" flexed - solid, not fat- and can bench 225 for multiple reps and sets. I’ve always thought it was a shame he wasn’t more serious with his training as he has some real potential and would do well in competition.

I’m motivated to get my bench back up as I used to be stronger than him in that lift at least. And, who knows, maybe with a little friendly competition I will finally get my guns at least as large as his - historically, my best gains have always come when I was training with him so I have no reason to believe that this time will be any different.

I’m curious to hear if anyone else finds that a workout partner is motivating and if you prefer to have a partner at your same level, a little behind you, or ahead of you.

Later!

Not much to report, I actually got my full workout in today for the first time in quite a while. So I am back on track concerning my arm "blitz." I hope to see results soon, at least before spring which at this rate might not be until mid-July, will it ever stop snowing?

Minor problem yesterday - I actually had to stop at the local sporting goods store to by a couple more weights (somehow along the way I must of loaned out some of my 10, 5, and 2.5 lb weights to my nephew). I thought this would be easy, but apparently they were having a sale on the plates and almost all of the "Olympic" style plates were gone. I was able to replenish my 2.5 pounders but nothing else. Oh well, maybe next week or I could actually try another store…

So, at least I’m feeling pumped and tired after tonight’s workout- I should sleep well!

Well, about two weeks ago I got sick enough that I wasn’t able to work out for about a week. I don’t know if it was the flu, another virus, or my Crohn’s, but I felt like crap and I missed some work and even when I felt well enough to go in I didn’t feel very energetic. Then this week, I felt much better - but went out of town on a scheduled business trip. The days have been busy with meetings and such and there hasn’t been much time to get to the hotel gym (which only has a few free weights and mostly cardio equipment) but I did get a couple workouts in.

I return home tomorrow night and plan to get back to my "arm blitz" ASAP. Barring ill health I should be able to stay regular with my workouts for at least two more weeks before the next trip out of town. Wish me luck!

Well, took a couple measurements today - not much change in most, but my weight is up a little this week. But I think that may be okay as my waist is down. Chest is a little larger, too.

I’ve been thinking about goal setting - now long range I know what I want. But I haven’t figured out short range. I think I’ll have to keep at it for a while more to determine how reasonable it is to expect progress. For example, I know that I want to get my arms up to 18 inches - but I don’t think it’s reasonable to set the goal to be achieved by the end of February 2008. I’m not sure what a reasonable time is though. Weight loss is easier as I know I should be losing at least 1 - 2 lbs a week. But maybe my goal should really be to lose a bodyfat % point each week, which at my current weight is just under a pound (if my math is correct). So confusing…you’d think that for as long as I’ve been training I would have figured most of this out by now…

Suggestions welcome!

Okay - though I mentioned yesterday that I really liked my new workout, today it’s catching up to me. Just having a little trouble lifting my arms to scratch my shoulder and lifting my arms in general. It’s been a long time since I’ve had DOMS like this, but I kinda like it!

No workout today though - back at it tomorrow.

I just gotta say that I’m liking my new "Arm Blitz" workout. It’s tough, but delivers on the pump and I’m feeling good and strong. Granted it’s only day three - but still, the postive attitude sure helps.

Of course, what doesn’t help is that the gym I use only has two adjustable benches for inclines. Which I don’t mind so much except when someone is using one of them as a flat bench when other flat benches are available. Oh well, the joy of working out with others. Even though I have my own weight set and such at home, sometimes it’s good just to be around other guys all doing the same activity. It helps keep me motivated and not feeling alone in this endevour. Though since it’s a college gym I’m usually one of the oldest guys there (well, there’s usually a few other staff and faculty members around too - but we are the clear minority).

Until next time - lift hard!

Well, sorta a question. I heard an interesting comment today by Dr. Joy Browne (nationally syndicated radio psychologist) that half of the effectiveness of any medication is because of what the user thinks it will do. I understood this to mean that if a person believes the medicine will help it’s much more effective than if the person doesn’t think it will help. So I started to think, "gee, does this work for supplements, too?" My guess is yes it would.

I’ve not ever been a big fan of supplements and for the most part haven’t found them to be an effective part of my diet. Now to be fair, I do use protein and carb supplements after a workout - so I’m talking mostly about creatine and other workout "boosters." I find that they never seem to do for me what they claim to do - but meanwhile others are swearing by them. I wonder if part of this is because I have never actually believed that they would do me any good! Has this attitude actually slowed my progress? If I convinced myself that I would just "blow up" taking creatine, for example, would it be more effective? How do I go about tapping into this mental power? And furthermore, if I had more faith in the effectiveness of my lifting and workout in general would I make better gains?

No doubt, the mind is the most powerful "muscle" we have - and I think mine has been holding me back.

Any tips on how to change my deep rooted beliefs, workout wise at least,  are always appreciated.

Keep training hard everyone!

I’m starting a new workout this week (an arm "blitz") hopefully, I’m not making a mistake by trying to add some quality mass before getting rid of some low quality fat.

Actually, my fat may all be high-quality as far as fat goes regardless of how it appears on my waist and hips…

Yeah - I really didn’t have anything to blog about today - but now that I’m in the habit of doing it, if I don’t post at least once a day I go through withdrawal symptoms.

Okay - so maybe I’m denser than I thought (and I mean mentally, not physically). After all these years of eating oatmeal I finally noticed that you can use milk instead of water while cooking the stuff. So, I thought I’d give it a try and substituted 1 1/2 cups of skim - excuse me, "fat free" - milk for the water I usually add. I figured the extra calcium and vitamin D would be a good thing. But, guess what? I didn’t like it. So it’s back to water with just a splash or milk to cool it down and just a pinch of brown sugar for taste.

I wonder if Splenda has a brown sugar?

Okay - here’s a tip - if you want to stay on track with your diet and training avoid family functions at all costs! I went to visit my aunt’s family today for a gathering hosted by one of my cousins and, of course, ended up snacking on sweets, sausage, corn dogs, etc. for most of the afternoon. Add to this a three hour car trip (both ways) plus two stops for meals (unfortunately one stop was at McDonalds, but I made it most of the way and ended up stopping because I was traveling with other family members).

All in all, a good day in terms of personal relationships and seeing family that I don’t see nearly often enough, but not a good day in terms of meeting my goals.

I don’t know how some of you guys (and gals) do it! But, as they say, "tomorrow is another day!"

By the way, the above wasn’t a "whine" just a statment of how things went to day. I still fully realize that I have absolute control of what goes into my body - nobody forced me to eat the bad stuff!