The Locker Room

No, I haven’t given up working out! I know I haven’t posted much, but with football season underway I’ve been very busy.

I figured if I had to cut something out of my day I thought it would be best to cut out my blogging instead of my workouts.

I have been working out just as hard as ever–in fact, a bit harder since I started a new four-week workout on July 23. It’s really kicking my butt. I can’t wait until it’s over so I can check my progress.

My weight is about the same–between 203 and 206 on any given day. And, that’s with an up and down diet. I really have to get that aspect back under control. Ever since my vacation my eating habits haven’t been as good as they were when I dropped from 246 to the 205 range. I’ll get there–I’m confident.

My progress is going well–even though I don’t see it on the scale. I’m getting stronger and more defined and if you squint your eyes, you can almost see ABS!!! ;0)

The progress is there, despite the trouble with my shoulder and my newest injury–to my neck, thanks to a surfing injury. I’ve been battling through the injuries and icing whenever possible, but it’s tough and limiting me somewhat in how heavy I can go. Safety first, I guess.

Anyway, just wanted to check in and say hello. Good luck to the rest of you in your journey.

So, this week I started a new workout…something I read about and wanted to try. I’m not much for change, but I figured the worst that could happen is I change up my routine and add some motivation for a couple of weeks.

Sunday was the first day–it called for chest and ab work.

Basically, I’m working out a bit heavier and definitely with more intensity. The workout calls for five sets of 8-10 reps, some to failure. The kicker is that I only get 15 seconds of rest in between reps and 90 seconds between exercises.

After my chest workout on Sunday, I was pretty much useless the rest of the afternoon. I had one of those burns that you’d pay money for. It was pretty awesome.

Today was leg day and after yesterday, I was pretty scared of what was going to happen. My fears didn’t even come close to the reality! It’s probably my fault for going a bit out of order, but the Smith Machine was being used and I didn’t want to wait.

So, instead of starting with the heavy exercies like the squat and leg press, I did some calves and then some one-leg extensions then I hit the squat…heavy!!!

All I can say is "Ouch."

By the time I left the gym an hour after I started, I could barely walk and when I did, my legs trembled. Today was by far the best workout I’ve ever had. I can hardly wait for tomorrow (that’s sarcasm as I know I’m going to be in pain!).

Well, my last post was to say I was back after mssing a couple of days due to being sick.

About a day after that post, the flu got me again and a few days after that we left on vacation.

The good news is that I didn’t miss a workout! Even at the hotel, I used the fitness center (if you want to call it that–what would I have given for a set of adjustable dumbbells!).

My eating over vacation wasn’t great, but I still focused on eating small meals every couple of hours (lots of fruit and granola bars–stuff that was easy to tote around). My biggest meals were dinner, and at times, unfortunately my choices weren’t the best–but, hey, it was vacation!

Today I’m at 205.4, so not too much damage was done. I’ll credit that to managing my eating better than I have in the past and continuing to hit the workouts.

My goal is still to get to 200 pounds by the end of the month, so I’ll be working hard to get there.

Well, this weekend I got hit by some sort of bug that really sapped the life out of me.

Saturday was a scheduled off day so I didn’t lift. Sunday, I had planned to lift but that’s when the bug started to hit. By the time I got home from the football camp I was covering, I had nothing in the tank.

Monday, I felt a bit better so I did get in a workout, though it wasn’t a very good one. Tuesday and Wednesday, there was no way I was doing anything. Not only could I not stray far from the bathroom, but I could barely keep my head up let alone attempt to lift weights.

Today I felt about 75-percent and made it in to the gym. It was arms day, normally one of my most intense workouts. That didn’t happen today, though I did get through it and felt pretty solid afterwards.

I was going to do my cardio circuit but after about a minute on the elliptical I decided to slow myself down and not push myself until I’m back to 100-percent.

Surprisingly, through three to four days of an illness and poor eating (I didn’t cheat; I just didn’t eat much and didn’t consume enough water), my weight maintained at about 204 pounds before my workout. This afternoon I was down to 203 and that’s after a normal day of eating and hydration.

Boy, being down for a couple of days really let me know how motivated I really am. I was dying to get in a workout and a couple of times I was ready to give it a go…that was until duty called in the bathroom!

Hopefully it’s past me now and I’ll be able to get down to 200 before long.

OK, so as you all know, I’ve lost about 40 pounds. On March 24 I was 246, today I am at 205.

Losing that much weight sure puts a smile on my face, but all of my clothes are too big!

Today, I went to the store to purchase a pair of cargo shorts (love the pockets for work days when I carry a pocket recorder, notebook, etc.). Anyway, the shorts I have been wearing were a pair of old 34-waist shorts that I repaired–I was much fatter and literally ripped the seam out of the butt!

They were my favorites, so I sewed the seam (using black thread–duh!) and even replaced the button on the front…adding more room to squeeze into.

The rest of my shorts/pants are 36-inch waists. Before March I had to wear them a bit lower than normal because I couldn’t fit them around my "waist." But, I was never going to buy 38-inch pants.

Well, today I go for the 34’s…tried them on and they were LOOSE!!! So, I grab a pair of 32’s and they fit, but they weren’t as comfortable as the 34’s. The 32’s were a bit too tight in a sensitive area so I opted for the 34’s, but it’s nice to know that I could wear 32’s if I wanted to!

I also bought a shirt that I’ll likely never wear, but I wanted to try it on…and wow does it accentuate some parts! I told my wife I’d try it on for her tonight and see where it gets me!

Where are those little smileys when you need them?

Yesterday I weighed a touch over 207. I ate twice as much fruit in the morning at 9:30, a lean cuisine about 11:30, a MRP/protein shake around 2 and I had chicken and rice for dinner.

Not bad, about a typical days worth of calories. But, at night, when I normally have fruit or a protein bar for a snack, I had a bag of microwaveable popcorn (I know, bad me)…I was still craving so I went for a protein bar but got sidetracked by a chocolate/peanut butter wafer…290 calories!

I expected to be heavy today…instead, I wake up and weight myself at 205.2.

I ate a normal breakfast, consumed plenty of water and had a Lean Cuisine for lunch. 30 minutes before my workout I had a protein bar. When I got home from my workout I went to weight myself and expected to be around 207. Again, 205.2.

Now, if only I could do the same after eating a Mariachi Chicken Pizza!

Oh well, it’s a cheat day…looking to come in on Sunday at about 207.

Almost forgot about my workout…it was chest day and while I think it went fine I’m still having some pain in the shoulder and it’s affecting the way I go about things. I’ve had to reduce some weights so I can get the reps out with as little pain as possible. Other than that, I was able to add a couple of different exercises now that I’m at the gym. All in all, I’ll take it…this was a terrific week and I’m ready for my day off tomorrow!

I don’t know if it was the energy bar I had before going to workout or the return to the gym, but my workout was intense!

It was leg day and I was excited because at home I haven’t been able to do the leg press. Today, at the gym, I added that exercise and it really kicked off the intensity. My leg extension and leg curl weights went up, with explosive reps. My legs were on fire after completing the workout…and let me tell you, doing squats last is a freaking killer!

It wasn’t by choice, but the man and the woman who monopolized the Smith Machine throughout my leg press, extension, curl, two calf exercises and assisted pull-ups, really pissed me off!

Plus, at the end of the workout, I did a horizontal calf machine with just 70 pounds loaded, but I did 50 reps. I looked like an old man walking away from the machine, but it feels good now.

Whatever it was, I wasn’t done. I didn’t plan on doing cardio today because leg days usually leave me throbbing downstairs…but today my legs were asking for more. So, I obliged and did my own little cardio circuit–15 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike and five on the treadmill.

When I was done, I did some stretching and I think I could have touched my head on the floor with both legs extended…thats how hot my muscles were!

To top things off…I weighed in this morning at 207.6 and after my workout I’m at 207.2…so I think I might be breaking through another plateau–I’ve been bouncing back and forth between 208-210.

Yesterday, I got my new Bodybuilding.com gray t-shirt (an XL…the last two years or so I’ve only worn XXL) and it looks good. It clings to my arms and actually slims down toward my waist, so I’m excited about that.

It’s hard to put into words how good I feel about myself right now. I remember March 24 like it was yesterday. I knew my weight was climbing, but getting on the scale and seeing it tip at 246 pounds…I couldn’t believe that I let myself go like that.

Today, I feel better than I have in a long time. I have a lot more energy, I’m eating right and I’m starting to feel very good about how I look. I still have some "chubby" around my belly and chest, but at this point I can’t wait for the family vacation to the beach in July! I’m actually going to take my shirt off and play in the water with the kids…something I didn’t do the last time we were at the beach.

Tomorrow is chest day and I’m really looking forward to hitting it hard before I take the day off on Saturday. There are a lot of things I want to do with the chest that I’ve been limited on in my home gym. The Hammer Strength machine is calling my name…I can’t wait.

Well, the day finally came where I pretty much outgrew my basement setup. I had it all…just not enough of it. I needed more weight (so I didn’t have to constantly move plates around) and a lat pulldown station (my ceiling was too low for the one I have).

Anyway, I went back to the gym today (actually, started last week using the cardio pieces) and had a terrific arms workout. It’s funny how my adjustable dumbbells weren’t very accurate in their poundage. I was doing 45-pound alternate biceps curls but had to drop down to 40 for the first couple of sets. I then hit 45 for six reps and 50 for three. Even my warm-up set of 30-pounds for 15 reps was much more difficult.

I added a couple of things today…I used the rope for my triceps pressdowns and I was able to use the dip machine to do a super-set of dips and triceps extensions. Also, I added the preacher curl…something I’ve really wanted to add for a few weeks.

The gym really will help me more on back day when I can add different angles of rowing and the lat pulldown (currently I’m using bands for both).

Anyway, great workout…felt real good and even now, almost two hours later, my arms are throbbing.

Last week I added a bit more cardio than I’ve been doing. I had been hitting my home treadmill about twice a week, but that gets boring in a hurry.

So, on Thursday I hit the gym and climbed aboard the elliptical for 15 minutes at a good pace. After that it was the bike for 10 minutes and then the treadmill for a three-minute run (five minutes total). I hate running…but breaking my cardio up like that makes the time pass quickly and I feel great afterward.

My "cross-training" will change up each time…I might do the bike for 15 minutes, then the elliptical for 10, etc.

Today, my legs were a bit sore, so I just hit the treadmill for a light jog (10 minutes…1-minute of walking at 3.5 miles per hour, three minutes of jogging at 5.0 miles per hour, two minutes of walking at 3.5, three minutes of jogging at 5.0 miles per hour and I ended it with a 1-minute walk at 3.5. As I said, I hate running, so I’m really trying to work my way into it.

Eventually, I’d like to time myself each week in a two-minute run and get back into the times I was running 15 years ago when I was in the Army.

OK, I admit, this milestone is a lot like a 25th birthday. You turn a quarter of a century old, but there really is no meaning to that birthday–at least not like a 13th, 16th, 18th or 21st.

Well, today I hit a similar type of milestone–except this one was in my weight loss. I started this journey at 246 pounds on March 24. Today, after my workout I weighed in at 206.6! I’m so close to 200…that’s pretty much all I think of.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the secrets of my success.

Each day, I simply concentrate on eating better than I have before. I begin the morning with water, my multi-vitamin (no brand-name plug here!) and fruit. A couple hours later I’m eating more fruit along with a protein bar.

For lunch, I have a frozen meal…usually some sort of chicken and vegetable. After my workout I go with the protein shake mixed in with a MRP (although I’ve been without my MRP for a few days). Then, it’s dinner with the family…but I eat just a portion of what I used to. Not that I was a pig at the table, but I certainly ate more than I needed to.

A couple hours after dinner I usually end the night with some fruit or on good nights, a small tub of pudding (160-170 calories). It’s a great way to end a succesfful day!

Eating regularly helps keep me from getting hungry and bored–which leads to unhealthy snacking; especially when you work from home and have little kids in the house. Some times it’s hard to avoid those fruit chews and pop tarts!

My workouts have been going great, especially with the increased health of my shoulders. I’m really becoming confident with the way I look and I know I’m going to hit my goals!

This site really has helped me…not necessarily with the comments on my blog (or lack thereof), but in the moral support department. Posting my progress and following others in their individual journey’s really has helped keep me going.

Well, it’s been a while since I posted…but judging on the number of views/comments I receive, I’m sure nobody noticed! Nah, I’m not feeling sorry for myself! lol

Anyway, I’ve been seeing a Kinesiologist/Chiropractor for the pain in my neck/shoulders. What a difference it’s made. I’ve increased my range of motion and I have a lot less pain. Last week I started seeing a physical therapist and that has helped even more.

The PT introduced me to flex bands and now I’m making up for lost time for not using them previously. I spend so much time with my flex bands now…I love them. Everything from stretching to triceps and back exercises…they sure do come in handy.

My weight continues to go down as I’m at 209 now and after maintaining a weight around 215 for a couple of weeks, I’m in the 209-211 range now. I’m hoping to get down to 200-205 by the end of the month.

I’m at the point now where I’m not as self-conscious and I’m ready to take some progress pictures.