Andy’s BodyBlog

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and that you managed to relax a little.  I got to the gym on Saturday and bombed my legs.  I’m still feeling it this morning.  I got to work and had to lift myself out of the car with my arms, sort of hooking my arm around the side of the car with the door open and flinging myself to my feet.   I did a set of 20 squats.  It felt awesome.  I didn’t pass out like I thought I would and I’m excited about increasing the weight and trying again next week.  I read this article on twenty rep sets where you load the bar with around your ten rep max, do ten, breathe, do another, breathe, and continue until you get to twenty.  It’s amazing how you can go from not sweating to the wave of heat hitting you to dying in one set.

I did some good-mornings and I am really feeling it in my hamstrings today.  I hit calves too.  I’m really going to try to work them in the next eight weeks.  We’ll see if I get any results.
I’m up a pound from my last weigh-in, but since I weighed myself an extra time this past week I shouldn’t get discouraged.  I lost 5.4 lbs in a week and look a lot leaner.  Also, it seems like I’m always heavier for two days after a tough leg workout.  No idea why…

Well, it’s back to the grind for another week.  I have to really concentrate on my nutrition goals for the week (and manage not to upset my family).

I’ve been doing an upper/lower body split routine for the past few weeks.  I started it to change things up and because I’m pressed for time.  I’m juggling a full time job, a family and I’m enrolled and actively doing tons of homework, etc. for the weekend MBA program at Michigan State University.   This makes my schedule very busy lately, but skipping a workout is not an option.  So, I had to design something that would work for me for the time being.  And, since I haven’t done this type of split in awhile, I am seeing nice progress.

Today was an upper body day.  I usually focus on one body part and really nail it and then do something for the rest of them.  Today was heavier on triceps and somewhat on chest.  Some barbell curls, a few chins and some ab roll-outs at the end made me feel good walking out of the place.

I was very happy with my weigh-in on Thursday (I wasn’t supposed to weigh myself until Monday, but felt light and wanted to see where I was at).  I was down 6.4 lbs.  I guess that’s what happens when you get nice and fat before your initial weigh-in on Taco Bell and popcorn (while watching a movie).  That fell off immediately.  My calories are around 1600 on non-workout days and as high as 1900 on lifting days due to a little Accelerade post-workout.  If you’re wondering, I’m getting a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight right now.  This diet should have me very lean if I can stick with it.

Enjoy your Friday night!

It’s nice to be half way through the week.  I really enjoy Wednesdays.  I work at home most every Wednesday so that usually gets me into the gym during the lunch hour.  It’s usually an exhausting leg workout.  Today, as has been usual for the past several weeks, I did dead lifts.  I was going to do this workout where I lift 85-90% of my one rep max for five reps (but taking 15 seconds between reps to rest before going again - and doing 3-5 sets).  I usually lift without any straps or other aides.  I only got three at 385 before I was toast.  The gym was too humid and the bar I had was really slippery.  The weight kept slipping out of my hands before I could lift it all the way up.  I think next time I will use straps.  I’d rather lift the weight then have to worry about grip.  I dropped the weight a little and banged our some more reps to get some exercise in.  I did a few more things and got a sweat going by doing some 20:10 second (Tabata) sprints on the rowing machine before I left.  I hate it when I leave the gym disappointed.