mrdead’s BodyBlog

Last night, I hit back, chest, and shoulders. Man, what a PUMP! I was feeling kind of down, and wishy-washy about even going to the gym, when the "Coach/Torture Master/Dear Sweet Wife" told me, "Knock it off! I want to see a better attitude, and get in there and do what you’re supposed to be doing!" So, I managed a weak smile, took my NaNo-Vapor and some Gakic, and drug myself in. I grabbed my gloves, straps, towel, and trusty I-Pod out of my bag, locked it up, and moped my way to the weight room. I decided to alternate back with chest, and then finish off with shoulders. Well, I set my music to be the Lordi album, "The Arockolypse" and started with some close grip lat pull-downs. Then my blood started pumping, the music was hitting me, and I started "feeling it". All that nervousness, doubts, concerns, and negativity vanished. I had one goal in life, at that moment, and that was to make this workout count, more than any workout I’ve ever had. The pump I got was phenominal!! I probably trained a bit more, than I should have, but I had gone to the "point of no return". I grabbed weight after weight, hit machine after machine. I was a man with a mission, and thank God, nobody slowed me up, interrupted, or got in my way!! After I finished lifting, I hunted down my "Coach/Torture Master/ Dear Sweet Wife", critique my poses. When she saw me, and the pump I had her jaw nearly hit the floor. The look on her face was priceless! She told me that she had yet to see me look like that, before going to pose.   . So, after posing, 10×10’s, and some cardio, I returned home to get some much needed rest.

The workout went as follows:

Close grip pulldowns: 1 set of 20 and 3 sets of 15

Wide grip pulldowns: 5 sets of 15

Incline bench: 3 sets of 15

Decline bench: 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 2 sets of 10 (Increase the weight EACH set)

Hammer Strength rows: 5 sets of 15

Cable crossovers: 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 2 sets of 10 (Increase the weight EACH set)

Seated low rows: 5 sets of 15

Seated high rows: 5 sets of 15

Reverse cable cross-overs: 4 sets of 10

Shoulder press: 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, and 2 sets of 10

Lateral raises (machine): As above

Lateral raises (Dumbell): As above

Calf machine shrugs: 4 sets of 15 (Do the stack, on last set)

Repeat wide grip lat pull downs, and cable cross-overs.

The End!  

Well, I survived the weekend. Posing class went well, I thought. I finally got the nerve to do it minus the shirt, and wearing shorty-shorts (Sorry, the underoos won’t be worn until the day of the comp. That is to protect people from ruining their corneas). That was a HUGE step for me. And, we did some posedowns with some of our classmates, in front of the rest of the class, and I wasn’t really nervous. It was highly educational. I also got my instructions for "peak week", and an appointment for my polygraph.(Thanks Kevin and Denise James, as well as my very helpful classmates) (To make sure I haven’t been taking naughty stuff.) I also got to meet a couple of other people that have sites on here. Fighting40 and TQsmooth5, pgross147, and rayteresa4. (All very awesome people, especially Kevin and Denise)  I stopped at a Bally’s gym on the way, and nearly threw up from envy. That gym was like paradise compared to the Bally’s I workout at. Tons more room, tons more machines and weights, tanning beds, cardio machines stretched out forever. I’m obviously training in the dungeon.

Sunday was great! My wife (DD2INXS) and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. Nothing too wild, I took her to "Build A Bear Workshop" and we each made a stuffed animal. So, here it is, Monday. I’m going to be hitting my lagging chest and lats, as well as some serious cardio. So, all in all, a busy and fun weekend!

Well, tonight will be strictly cardio. And, a trip to the store to find a set of sweats that I can get tanning solution on. Then, tomorrow it’s off to Arlington for a posing class with Kevin and Denise James. It’s the last class before the big day. And, sunday is my "Coach/Torture Master/Dear Sweet Wife" (DD2INXS) and my 12th wedding anniversary. The itenerary for that day will not be posted here. *L*

Last night was a very grueling workout of chest, back, cardio, posing, and 10×10’s. Let’s just say that I was ready to go to bed, afterwards. But, I had to go home, and have some tilapia before bed. (Does anyone know a quick, easy, non-messy way to cook that?). Then off to beddy-bye. And, here I am at work, ready for the weekend.

Well, last night, I dedicated to nothing but posing. Talk about a full body and mind workout! Lift your carriage! Tighten your stomach! Flare your lats! Stand on your head and recite the Pledge of Allegiance! (Well, maybe not that last one. *L*) After an hour of that, it was time to work on the posing routine. Then I got a "brilliant" idea. Let’s change our posing music! Luckily, what I had chosen was interchangeable with the song I had originally planned to use. Originally it was going to be "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns-n-Roses, but I got a wild hair and decided to do a song more "me". "Could You Love a Monsterman?" by a group called Lordi. Very awesome song.

But tonight will be at the gym, hitting chest, back, and cardio. Happy happy joy joy.

I want to take timeout to thank everyone that has been behind me, on this surprisingly long journey. Thanks for the motivation, the advice, in some cases "brutal honesty", and those that have just listened to me whine. There are several of you out there, that are very near and dear to me, one even lives with me. And, there are those that don’t know me from "Adam", but continue to support me. So, a verrrrrry huuuuugggeeee THANK YOU, to you all!

I’ve started trying to be a lot more conscious about my attitude and irritability as of late. So, hopefully there will be some changes in that regard.

But on to less sappy things *L*. I’m getting extremely excited/nervous as the days pass. I’m taking more time to work on my posing, and trying to bring up my lagging areas (Lats, bis, abs, pecs, tris, quads, hams, delts, calves) The only thing I feel is where it should be is my traps. (I do so love to train them. Especially using the entire stack on the calf machine for shrugs, for reps) I’m kind of concerned about being able to cover up my tank top tan. I really hope the protan can hide it.

I’m still not sure how to best take advantage of the "pump-up room" before the show. Nor, do I know the exact itinerary of the contest, but I sure am looking forward to it.

I’ve got plans of goodies, that I’m going to have in my bag, for after the show, and what I am going to eat the day after. But the time leading up to the show from here on out, I am clueless. But, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Anyhow, tonight is a night of strictly posing and cardio. So, I hope you all have an awesome day!

Well, here I am, under 3 weeks. and now my body decides to REBEL. I’ve worked hard. VERY hard. And, now all of a sudden, I have one maybe two good rows of abs, and the rest of me is freakin’ flab!!! Geeze!!! What in the Hells happened? I was strolling right along. Busting my butt, eating right, drinking enough water…

Dang, that’s where it hit… Drinking enough water.. Well, when your body is used to "x" amount of water to begin with… And, all of a sudden you add a heck of a lot more…

Well, not all of a sudden. Let’s just say that we up next to nothing to oh, say a GALLON, there’s an increase… So, say we get used to a gallon, and the heat index increases quite a bit, say 20 degrees… Well, being a good boy, I decide, (On my own) to virtually double said water… "Houston… We Have A Problem…"

Now. evidently, I was supposed to increase my salt intake… Guesse What?… I need to start adding a heck of a lot of salt… Because I wa s stupid, and blindly tried to do things MY way… Did I ever mention that this is my first contest?

Well, 19 days left, and I will have worked 20 straight days, before getting a day off, this saturday. I’ve been training like crazy. Cardio twice a day, gym nearly everyday, except for the days set aside strictly for posing. The irritability factor is high. Nerves are frazzled.

But, on a good note, my "underoos" arrived EARLY, so I’m very happy with that.

The tiny town of Yelm, finally got a Wal-Mart. Now I can get groceries a bit cheaper, and it’s a lot closer to the even tinier town of Rainier, that I live in. So, I stocked up on tuna and tilapia. Also, finally, I can get DVD’s and music CD’s, without a half hour drive, just to get to a store. So, that was the BIG local news.

Workout-wise, I did something a little different, and it’s something that I’ll be incorporating at least 2 days out fo the week, until my contest. I’m spending an hour to an hour and a half, just posing. I say "just posing" but it takes a heck of a lot to do that, for that long of time. But like "Arnold" once said, "A guy came up to me once, and asked if I could win a contest with his physique." "I of course said, that I could." "And I could’ve won the contest with his physique, but I didn’t say that he could have won with it." "His posing and presentation were not good, so he didn’t place very well." So, I am still training the muscles, and lifting, but I’m setting aside time to improve my posing and presentation. Not to mention, that I could be up there quite some time, just in comparison, so I don’t want to give an inch, by being poorly conditioned and not being able to hold my poses.

Also, I just got an e-mail last night, and my "Underoos" have shipped, so they will be here in plenty of time. One less thing to worry about.

Wound up having an asthma attack, this morning. Not a fun way to start the day. So, morning cardio was put to the side. However, my intercostals and abs got an incredible workout from coughing, and straining to breathe. Tonight, I’ll be hitting legs, and getting in some cardio.

I stepped onto the scale today, and found that I’ve gained 6 pounds over the past week. Talked with Kevin James, and we have narrowed it down to my doubling my water intake over the past week. I figured that I would keep well hydrated during this stretch of hot days. Note to self: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And, you can’t fix stupid! So, hopefully I’ll be on my way back to where I should be.

Last night, I had a great workout. Got a killer pump, but the poundage I was lifting trailed off, towards the end. I did chest, tri’s, and front/side delts. Strength-wise, I was just off. By the weight equivilance of what I normally use for my last/heaviest set. Guess what was missing? My pre-workout shot of nano-vapor, and my pre-workout supplements. In my haste to get to the gym, and get my photos back from being developed, I forgot my pre-workout goodies. (Yes, I am a big dummy). Cardio was killer. I hit the treadmill after lifting, for 30 min. incline of 9, and speed of 4.3 . This was followed by 10×10’s, and posing.

Well, I got my pictures back. And, a flash should have been used. (I’ll shoot my "Photographer/Coach/Torture Master/Dear Sweet Wife" later. I still need her pushing me on, at least until this contest thing is over. *L*  Just kidding, Dear) But, I also posted my most horrible and emberassing pics, from Day one, of starting this journey. Just to give myself and others an idea of how far I’ve come. So, remember, when you give someone a bad rating on their pic, just how much guts it takes to put a pic of themselves up on here. They may have worked their butt off, just to get where they are. That could be the best shape they’ve ever been in. Or, it could be day one of their journey. I’ll get off my soap box for now, on that.