russell68’s BodyBlog

I have been meaning to update my situation and status on here for about a month now.  The last couple of months have been nothing short of a blur.  I had forgotten how much is involved in a PCS (permanent change of station).  Between trying to out process, the move and movers, seeing friends before leaving the area, leave and trying to see everyone in my family, and then 36 hours of travel time before getting to my new unit; I don’t know how I found the freaking time to workout.  I will be honest, it was sporadic at best…and it freaking showed!!  I probably gained between 5 and 10 pounds of pure fat.  The most consistent workouts I had was actually when I was home on leave.  It was 2 weeks of free workouts thanks to an ex-Air Force guy that manages the gym.  What can I say about my leave other than it was good to see my family and there was to much freaking food!!!

I have been with my new unit for a month now and have gotten into a pretty good routine of working out and for the most part watching my food intake.  One of the first things my new unit did was have me do a height/weight/body fat.  They like to do this so they have an idea of how fit someone is and if they are going to need some extra attention.  According to the Army, for my height and age I should weigh 186 pounds…yeah right!  Well, I weighed in at 189.  Not to bad considering what the month and half before that was like.  The day after arriving here I started my workouts again with only cardio the first day.  The next day I began hitting the weights and cardio…getting back on track.  Up until I got to my new unit, I had been going with low weights and high reps just to change things up and do a little muscle confusion.  I think I confused those bastards to well,  I saw little if no results from it!  Can you say WTF??  I had to change that and I did.  I went to my old fail safe training of doing 4 sets per exercise starting the first set with 60% of my 1 rep max and increasing the weight by 10% each set.  I am seeing some freaking results!!  If I had access to a mirror where there wasn’t the possibility of 200 guys walking in, I would update my progress pics, but that will come within the next month.  As far as the wieght training goes, I am very satisfied with what I’m seeing.  My cardio has been consistent over the past month, but am beginning to get depressed with it.  At my old gym I would be able to do 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer and burn 1,000 calories, here I’m lucky if I burn 500 in 45 minutes.  I keep telling myself the difference is because of the machines.  At least I hope thats what it is.

Now for the fun part, my food intake.  It sucked ass right before and during my PCS/leave.  It has gotten so much better that its not even funny.  I’m still not 100% in terms of eating clean but I’m doing pretty good.  One of the biggest changes I have made is to eat salad before ever starting the main meal, but I make sure to the best of my ability that I get the leanest protein source they have at any given meal.  Except fish, can’t stand it.  I have also gotten away from soda and have been drinking a lot of fruit juices with my meals…its better than soda but there is way to much sugar.  Starting tomorrow, no more juice for a couple of months.  Possibly the worst thing I have done with my food intake here in the last month is having dessert once in a while.  That also stops tomorrow!!  I need to freaking lean out a little over the next 2 months.  Another good thing I have been doing is drinking lots and lots and lots of water!!

Alright, so now y’all know what the heck has been going on over the last couple of months with me and my training and food intake.  Now what I would like to hear is any suggestions to drop 5-10 pounds in the next couple of months.  I would like to be somewhere around 180 by the end of January without losing any muscle.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

 Thanks for reading.   Russell

This blog is about what I saw recently at the gym and an update to my progress.  I workout at a military gym and most people wear respectable clothing and are properly covered.  There was this woman that has to be in here 40’s or maybe even 50’s at the gym.  She is a little overweight, no problem there, its obvious she is there to do something about it and I applaude her for it!  However, what she was wearing is another story.  She was wearing AF physical training (PT) shorts and a sports bra that barely covered her boobs!  In fact, I think at one point one of them popped out!! LOL  And in addition to her, there were these 2 old dudes that have never thought about pushing away from the table or beer tap.  Once again, I applaude the effort they are making to come to the gym!!  The problem I have is not only with what they were wearing but how they conducted themselves in the gym.  The one dude was wearing spandex biker shorts and a T-shirt that barely covered his belly and the other guy was wearing a T-shirt that was to small and a weight lifting belt that caused his belly to hang over so you couldn’t see about half of the belt. lol  And their attitudes…you would have thought they were Arnold or Ronnie Coleman the way they were talking!!  No problem with that if you actually follow through with what you are saying!  These guys would put a weight on the bar that was waaaay to heavy for either one of them, do 2 reps and say whew that felt good!!  I have seen these 2 guys in there for a few months now and I have finally reached a point that I had to share it. 

O.K. now for my progress.  I’m not doing to bad.  I haven’t dropped as much weight as I would have liked so far.  I have so much going on that it will be nearly impossible to lose what I wanted to.  We have so many people leaving our command that we are constanly having going away luncheons (mine is in 3 weeks!) that it makes it hard to control my weight.  Also, with my going overseas in a couple of months, we have been eating out more than I like and thats has also messed up my progress.  As far as actually training, it hasn’t been where I would like it to be either.  Because I am going overseas, I have had to get a number of vaccinations recently and I’m not done yet!  I have to be careful not to sweat to much because of the Smallpox for fear it spreads.  The Anthrax kicked my ass for at least 3 days and took all of my energy during that time.  I still have to go back for 2 more Anthrax shots which will be fun…NOT!!  I have kept training but have found that I just don’t have the same strength or energy level as before the shots, but I’m still going and making some progress!!!

Thanks for reading my little b!tch session.

Russell

All right sports fans, here is the latest on my training.  Over the last 2 and half months I have concentrated on building strength and hopefully some size.  I went from 180 lbs to an average weight of 190 during that time.  My diet wasn’t the greatest during that time but was better than it had been for the last 10 years!!  I was using approximately 90% of my 1 rep maximum for 8 reps and doing 3 sets per exercise and reduced cardio.

Now for the new phase in my training.  Its time to get ready for my next Army Physical Training Test.  The goal…drop between 5 and 15 pounds of blubber while maintaining the strength and size I have added over the last few months.  I will be doing three sets of each exercise for 15 reps.  To determine how much weight to use for each exercise, I’m using the simple formula of using 75% of the last weight per exercise I used during my phase of training.  Example, if I was using a 100 lbs for an exercise for 8 reps, I’m now using 75 lbs for 15 reps.  My diet will also see a big change.  No more soda and junk food.  That sh!t was somewhat limited before, but now its gone for a couple of months!!  I will try to limit my evening meals to being lite with heavier meals for breakfast and lunch.

It should be an interesting couple of months for me.  Wish me good luck!  Ooops, I forgot to mention my cardio plan.  I will be hitting the Elliptical and exercise bike 5-6 days a week for no less than 45 minutes a day.  And to prepare for my APFT, I will be walking at least 3 days a week since I don’t run anymore.  Thanks to those of you that take the time to read this.  Would like to hear what you guys think. Russell

Hey everyone.  I just wanted to take a few minutes to let some people know whats been going on.  I have been keeping myself pretty busy the last few months with work, school and working out.  Work is the same as has been the last 2 years, periods of extreme busyness and then rather short periods of nothing.  Lately its been busy as hell, especially now that I will PCS towards the end  of the year.  Now for school, it really has been crazy.  I finished my last class in March for my Bachelors Degree in International Relations.  A week after that I was accepted for a Masters Degree in National Security with a concentration on the Middle East.  Two weeks after being accepted, I started my first class.  I now have 2 weeks left in this class and will start my second class June 1.  Today is my graduation for my Bachelors Degree with honors thank you very much!!  Now for the important stuff.  I have managed to continue working out on a regular basis.  I am getting leaner and stronger.  The weight loss has stopped for the most part.  I am stuck in a range between 181 - 185.  I’m happy with that range, although my goal had been 175.  I figure that I have put on 1-2 pounds of muscle over the last 8 months so I can live with it.  I have had to cut back on my daily cardio from an hour to about a half hour to 45 minutes.  I think that has something to do with the slowing of my weight loss.  I have been hitting the weights pretty consistently and have made some good progress.  While I haven’t really been losing weight since March, I have gotten leaner.  I used the calipers about a week ago to check my bf% and it came in at 13.9%.  A week before that when I was 40, the freaking chart tells me I would have been at 12.8%!  How the heck does that work?  I have a birthday and it adds 1% to my bf?  Thats some birthday present!! lol  I will be adding a picture or two sometime in the next week that hopefully will show my leanness as it stands right now.  Thanks for reading this rant!! 

Hang on everyone…this could get interesting.  I am on my way to meeting the goals that I have set for myself.  I’m getting leaner and still losing weight.  I’m down to 189 pounds and just 14 pounds from my origional goal of 175.  I have been rethinking this one.  I’m now thinking that I should shoot for 180.  I think I’m down to the last 10 pounds of fat that needs to go away!

My workouts have been super intense this month.  Most of the month I have been working 12 plus hours on the night shift.  I would wake up around one in the afternoon and go hit the weights at the gym.  Once I got to work I would be able to take an hour and hit my cardio.  Almost every night I did my cardio I was burning at least 1,100 calories.  Is that insane or what?  The only bad thing about that schedule is that it was hard to maintain the kind of diet I would have liked.  I relied a lot on sandwiches and not nearly enough vegetables and fruits.  That changes now that I’m back on a normal schedule, at least for a couple of months.

I’m really pretty happy overall with the progress that I have made so far this year.  My weight is going down, my waist is shrinking and I’m getting leaner.  Just wondering, does everyone have trouble getting rid of that last 10 pounds?  I am so trying to get my waist back to a size 32.  Right now I’m wearing size 34 jeans and they are a little loose.  I know, I know; jean sizes for men run about 2 inches smaller than they really are.  I’m shooting for an actual 32 inch waist and it will be mine!!!  I would like to hear what everyone thinks about my goals and especially the last 10 pound thing.  Have a great one!!  Oh yeah, if anyone is going to the Arnold, let me know.  Me and my wife will be there enjoying the craziness of the weekend!!

My goals for 2009 are pretty simple.  I want to get my weight down to 175 pounds, meaning that I currently need to lose 23 pounds.  I want my waist to be 32 inches instead of my current measurement of 35.75.  I would like to get my body fat % down to somewhere around 10% instead of the 20% I estimate myself to be at now.  I also want to eat healthier and workout more, not being as lazy as I have been in the past.  I want to gain some size and shape in all muscle groups.  And my final fitness goal for 2009: get that 6 pack instead of having a keg!!!!

As you can see, my goals are pretty simple and should be attainable!!  Of my friends on here I have one simple request, encourage me.  Its always good for the soul to have someone encourage you and build you up.  I’m a pretty positive guy, but everyone needs picked up once in a while.  In return for your encouragement, I promise to work my ass off every time I’m at the gym.  Wish me luck!!!

Russell

I want to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas!!  I hope that everyone enjoys the time with family and friends!!  Thank you to everyone that has shown support to me on my way to getting healthier, stronger and fitter.  Merry Christmas

Russell

I had my Physical Therapy re-evaluation yesterday and got some good news.  I now have normal range of motion in my knee and will be starting the next phase of physical therapy today.  The next phase includes Aqua-Therapy and some weight training for my legs.  Aqua-Therapy is some good stuff.  It will allow me to get some much needed cardio without the pounding on my knee and will help to strengthen my quads and hamstrings.  I guess the best way to think of Aqua-Therapy is Aeorbics in the pool.  Anyway, I’m pretty excited to start the program even though it doesn’t start until the 16th of this month.  The weight training actually starts today!

 While the good news is that I start the next phase of my Physical Therapy today, the bad news is that I go back to work next week.  It was good to have the time off, but man was I bored most of the time.  I honestly can’t wait to be able to workout the way I was before the scope.  I actually miss being able to do cardio on the elliptical glider. 

I am also happy to say that I have not gained weight after the surgery.  That was a huge concern of mine going into this whole thing.  My weight has stayed at or below my pre-surgery weight even though I loosened up on my diet.  However, that will change next week when I will get back to regulating how and what I eat. 

Cruches, I hate those things.  I have 2 more weeks of being on them.  I can’t wait for the day that I am not using them!!!

I want to thank those of you have asked about my progress!  You guys have helped to keep me semi-focused and encouraged about what I can do.  I have been able to increase my upper body strength and have seen some development even though I have not seen much progress in my stomach.  That will come once I clean up my diet and with the increase in cardio the next few weeks.  I hope to post some progress pics over the weekend.  One thing I should have done was post some pics of my knee from start to present.  Oh well, hindsight is always 20-20.  Thanks again everyone for the support and encouragement!!!

Russell

I had my first post-op appointment with the doctor today.  He seemed really pleased with the progress that I have made so far.  As far as bending and straightening my knee goes, I have near normal range of motion (-3 to 120 degrees).  As mentioned in my last post, he had to perform a procedure that he was hoping wasn’t necessary.  Basically, the meniscus cartlidge had a rather large area that was almost non-existent.  In fact he referred to it as being a hole in the meniscus.  he drilled 3 hole in that area in order to build up scar tissue in the area and that would eliminate some to most of the grinding and pain in my knee.  For the world of me I can’t remember what he called the procedure. lol  The best new he gave me is that I can now begin training upper body again and next week I will be able to get on the exercise bike (no resistance for now) and start physical therapy.  The bad news, he wants me to stay on crutches for another 4 weeks.  I hate those stupid things!  Thanks everyone for listening to me rant over the last couple of weeks.  My mood should be much better now that I can work out!!!  Hope you all have a great day!

Good morning everyone!  Well, I finally had my knee scope yesterday.  Things were a little worse in there than the doc thought they would be.  Apparently he had to drill into the Meniscus cartlidge to remove the cyst that had formed.  All in all though, things went pretty well.  So far, I haven’t had to use any of the pain meds they perscribed.  I have been taking the anti-inflamatory meds though.  I am able to straighten my knee fully and bend it enough to sit in a chair.  Because of the procedure that was done I will be on crutches for 6 weeks and not allowed to do any cardio or weight training for at 2 weeks when I go back to see him.  He does seem to think that at that point I will be able to become more active because of good of shape I’m in.  Besides, I told him it would drive me crazy if I was only allowed to sit around and just do the perscribed stretches and exercises he gave me to do.  He couldn’t believe that at 40 years old that my resting heart rate was 49.  He said he is used to seeing people half my age with resting heart rates in the 80’s & 90’s.  I guess my hard work over the last 3 months has really paid off in more ways than losing weight!!  Anyway, I will come back from this better than before!!  Hope everyone is doing well!!