TC’s BodyBlog

I’m a bit late making this blog entry, as things have become TREMENDOUSLY busy for me here in Iraq.  Last week, I completed my first month in this new phase of training, and I’m overall VERY pleased with how things are shaping up.  Since kicking things off at the beginning of this month, I’ve managed to gain about 6 pounds, and all of my lifts have improved, as well.  I’m most pleased, because I’ve been able to do this while maintaining a fairly decent about of cardio.  I’m DEFINITELY NOT as lean as I was when I returned from my vacation at the end of July, but that’s the point of this bulking period.  However, unlike my previous bulking experience, I’m not going "all out" and just letting myself go.  I guess you could call it a "lean bulk" that I’m attempting to manage this time around. 

 I’ve updated my stats, and this is another area where I’m pleased with how things are going.  Will I reach the ever evasive 18" arm measurement?  I’m DEFINITELY pushin’ (and curlin’) for it!  Can I add another inch to my thighs?  How about my chest and shoulders?  Needless to say, I’m certainly aiiming to do just this! 

I finished my generic brand of BCAA, and I’ll NOT be going with this stuff, again!  Whoa!  It was HORRIBLE!  I’ll be placing my order for SciVation’s XTEND in another few days.  I’m gonna go for about a week without it, and then pick it up in my cycle, again.  Also, this will be my last week using Cellmass; I’ve got about 2 or 3 servings remaining.  Once I’ve used this up, I’m gonna rotate off of the creatine for a week or so, then I’ve got some generic Creatine that I’m going to try.  As for the NO Xplode, it’s still working for me.  The other supplement that I’m using that I think is having some positive effects is the XYIENCE XTEST.  I say that I "think" it’s having positive effects because I haven’t noticed any change in demeanor as is often described as a primary effect of supplementing with tribulus.  The other indicator is usually libido; however, I’m pretty naturally amped. 

The workouts continue to be challenging as evidenced by the SERIOUS soreness that I’ve been experiencing!  Whoa!  I’ve increased my water intake, but I REALLY need to get more sleep.  The current 4 or so hours that I’m getting is just not working.  I’ve also noticed that my muscle soreness is preventing me from sleeping as soundly as I usually do.  I’ll definitely be monitoring this development. 

That’s about it!

This past week was TREMENDOUSLY challenging! The workload here in Iraq has begun picking up, with me working some pretty long days, and as much as I’d like to keep a "schedule", doing so is all but impossible!  At any rate, I was determined to get in ALL of my workouts.  So, even after being awake for nearly 36-hours and only eating twice in that span of time, I forced myself to hit the gym and get my workout in (surprisingly, I had a pretty good lift).  Overall, I’m pleased with this week’s lifts.  I’ve been able to maintain, and in some cases increase, the intensity while MOST IMPORTANTLY remaining healthy!  The nagging aches and pains that I have experienced in the past (particularly in the shoulders and forearms), I’m not experiencing this time around, which suggests to me that my body is adapting well to the stress being placed upon it. 

My biggest challenge remains the diet!  Currently, my focus is just to consume as much as REASONABLY possible through healthy means.  In previous bulking sessions, I COMPLETELY abandoned ANY consideration for fatty foods and just focused on eating as much as humanly possible (pecan pie, ice cream, french fries, burgers, you name it!).  This time around, I’m definitely consuming large volumes of food; however, the composition of these servings tend to be much healthier (rice, potatoes, chicken, turkey, etc.).  Usually, once a week, I enjoy a slice of pecan pie with ice cream, and I LOVE the barbecue pulled pork served in the mess hall…YUM!!!  I seem to be stuck in the 215lbs to 225lbs weight range, which suggests to me that I’ll need to do something a bit drastic if I want to push up to 235lbs or more before November, but I’m just not certain that I’m ready to do that.  I’ve been able to remain, relatively lean thus far, and I’m not really interested in putting on a bunch of unattractive weight.  Oh well…just an internal dilemma that I’ll have to work through. 

That’s about it for this week’s review…by the way, things are shaping up TREMENDOUSLY well for this coming week!  I went after a 355lbs squat, today, and surprisingly, it felt comfortable…400lbs isn’t too far away!

I’ve been experimenting with the weights now for several years, and the one thing that usually pushes me away from the gym is the inability to witness results.  Well, I’m certainly glad to see that the hard work and effort being made at the gym is beginning to pay off!  This week’s round of workouts was nothing short of AMAZING!  I employed several different new (for me, at least) techniques and was able to get a full body pump like none other that I have witnessed.  Here’s a breakdown of the week:

 Monday (Chest) - I’ve been reading Big Cat’s I.C.E. program on Bodybuilding.com and decided to put to work some of the suggestions that he lists.  Specifically, I started this chest workout with DB Flyes and REALLY got a good burn in the pecs…and, for the first time in performing flyes, I felt the burn around the outer portion of my chest.  Needless to say, I was REALLY pumped after this exercise and ready for the rest of the workout.  My pressing exercises went well; however, I was BEAT and should have gone a bit lighter with the weight so as to really feel the pump.  At any rate, I was still able to maintain the intense pressure on my pecs.  I decided to finish things out with dips, and at this point, my pecs couldn’t take any more!  …great start to the week!

Tuesday (Back) - I’ve always felt that when doing deadlifts, one should go heavy or go home; however, as of late, I’ve been trying to keep the rep range relatively high (10 to 15) for this exercise, which CLEARLY will limit how heavy I go.  At any rate, I was REALLY pleased with my DL routine this week, being able to complete a set of 10 at 315lbs…it’s definitely time to ratchet things up a bit.  The remainder of my back workout was just INSANE!  Again, employing a technique espoused by Big Cat, for all of the remaining movements, I really focused on bringing the elbows back as far as possible and getting a good squeeze in.  I felt my lats work like NEVER BEFORE on the lat pull-downs, seated machine rows, and bentover BB rows.  …another GREAT workout!

Wednesday (Legs) - OK!  So, at this point, my chest is more sore than ever and my back is REALLY tight!  I contemplated changing the line-up and possibly taking the day off; however, I opted to drive on.  In my earlier training routine, I was hitting legs twice a week with one day primarily focused on hamstrings and the other primarily focused on quads.  With me moving to just 1x leg day a week, I’ve opted to focus that workout on either hams or quads for that week while still hitting both.  This week, the focuse was hamstrings, and I DEFINITELY hit this muscle group hard.  The stiff-legged DLs really worked well, and I felt them TREMENDOUSLY.  Going with the tri-set (Stiff-legged DLs, lying leg curls, and leg extensions) was exhausting, but really seemed to work well.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to Squats, I really didn’t have much in me.  My stomach was bothering as well, and I just couldn’t shake it.  I think in the future, when I perform this workout, I’ll use the leg press in lieu of the squats.  At any rate, I was happy with the overall workout….

Thursday (Shoulders) - I was REALLY worried about performing this workout, because my chest was still feeling VERY TIGHT, and when I woke up this morning, suddenly my shoulders were aching a bit.  I’ve had shoulder strains in the past, and I REALLY want to stay healthy during this round of heavy lifting.  I went forward with performing this workout, and I’m TREMENDOUSLY glad that I did.  Once again, Big Cat changed my lifting forever!  I’ve been unsuccessful and putting on any REAL size on my shoulders now for quite some time, so I’m ALWAYS open to new ideas/techniques for getting this bodypart to grow.  Well, I think I found it.  By performing my DB overhead presses first and REALLY focusing on contracting the shoulders at the top, I got a burn like none other!  I finished this workout with a series of isolation lifts and was REALLY impressed by what a difference this slight change made to my shoulder training.  At this point, I couldn’t wait to get in my last weight training day!

Friday (Arms) - My arms have been another sore point for me, because I’ve not been able to get them to grow as I would like.  I’ve decided to continue training both bi’s and tri’s on one day; however, just as I’m doing with my legs, I’ll change the focus from one week to the next.  This week, it was time for Tri’s to go first.  I was REALLY pleased with the pump that I got from my tri routine, so much so, that I worried that I might not have the energy to knock out bi’s…not so!  Hitting the barbell curl first, I got a pump in my bi’s like none other!  I was able to keep the pump going throughout the rest of the workout, and I was SMOKED! 

Sunday (Cardio) - I added a cardio routine today just because I was feeling good, and it was an opportunity to get some long slow distance work in. 

Well, that’s the recap for this week.  I completed my weekly photo shoot this morning and couldn’t believe how much size I’ve packed on in such a short period…and, I’m staying relatively lean.  Assuming I’m able to maintain these pumps and stay healthy, I’m excited about the prospects of my final physique.  The TRUE determining factor will be my diet and whether I’m able to continue "feeding the beast". 

I’ve been weight training for several years, now; however, only recently have I seriously begun applying myself.  Generally, I’ll go strong for several months before hitting a dry spell and not visiting the gym for an equally extended period of time.  Each time I step back into the gym after a dry spell, I see this as the beginning of a physique transformation.  So, my most recent transformation began in February of this year, after having spent approximately 6-months off.  During previous transformation episodes, I have developed all of my own training, diet, and supplementation routines; however, this time around, I wanted to try something a bit different.  I contemplated hiring a personal trainer, but being deployed in Iraq kinda stood in the way of doing this.  So, I found a website (www.gymamerica.com) that offered personalized training and diet routines tailored to individuals’ goals.  I found the site to be cost effective and legitimate, so I joined and began implementing my personalized training routine.  My training regimen consisted of a 6-day weight training w/cardio routine:

Monday - Chest

Tuesday - Hamstrings

Wednesday - Back

Thursday - Quads

Friday - Shoulders

Saturday - Arms

For supplements, I settled on the BSN Stack consisting of Cellmass, NOXplode, Axis-HT, and NITRIX.  I also used SCIVATION’s XTEND (BCAAs), Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey Protein, and Muscle Milk.

I could go on for pages detailing how I combined the training and supplement regimen with a high calorie diet, but suffice to say, that I’m very pleased with the outcome as depicted in the progress pics on my bodyspace page.  After going through a bulking regimen from February thru May, I implemented a cutting routine to get ready for my vacation in July.  I continued training while vacationing in Miami and actually took the opportunity of being back in the US to focus on my diet.  Well, as stated previously, the results are clearly documented in the pics posted on my bodyspace page. 

Upon returning to Iraq - following my vacation - I took a week off from training, and this week, I was back at it.  The focus of this blog will be to document my progress through the end of the year in preparation for my next vacation to South America!  With that said, this week’s training was rough!  I’m still battling a SERIOUS case of jetlag, so my internal clock is ALL OVER THE PLACE!  At any rate, I forced myself to get after it.  I’ve decided to initiate a light bulking regimen for the next 90 or so days, with my training focused on heavy weights, compound movements, and low reps.  I’m not using the gymamerica routine this time around; rather, I’ve decided to design my own.  I’ll be employing a 5-day weight-training split (Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, and Arms) with Cardio thrown in as often as possible (preferably 3 to 5 days a week).  Regarding supplements, I was really pleased with the CellMass and NOXplode, so I’ve decided to continue with these; however, I was not impressed with the NITRIX or AXIS-HT.  Instead of the AXIS-HT, I’ve decided to try XYIENCE’s XTEST.  I was TREMENDOUSLY impressed with SCIVATION’S XTEND; however, I’ve decided to use the remainder of a generic brand of BCAA powder that I purchased, before switching back to SCIVATION.  As for protein, I’m still using ON’s 100% Whey; however, in lieu of Muscle Milk, I’ve chosen to consume the remainder of the ON 100% Casein that I have (…can’t wait to finish this stuff and switch back to Muscle Milk!).  I’m also mixing ON’s Glyco-Maize with my post-workout protein shakes.

I’ve detailed this week’s workout routine in my workout tracker (04-09 AUG), and I’ll be conducting a complete update of my stats, weekly.  Overall, I’m pretty happy with this week’s workouts.  I’m REALLY sore, which is weird, because I only took a week off from training, but oh well!  The good news is that the minor aches and pains in my elbows and right knee seem to have gone away.  This week I took one of my days off early on, because I was just really tired; however, in future weeks, I intend to lift for 5-days straight, taking both Saturday and Sunday off.  Also, I’m going to experiment with rearranging the order of my training days.  This week I lifted Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, then Arms.  Next week, I’m going to try lifting Back, Chest, Legs, Shoulders, then Arms.  If I can stay healthy, I’m REALLY hopeful that I’ll reach my lifting goals by the end of the year (300 lbs or more on my bench; 500lbs or more on my deadlift; and 400lbs or more on my squat).  While I’m anxious to reach and exceed these goals, I’m much more aesthetically focused than I am performance focused.  (By this, I simply mean that I’m more concerned about having a nice looking physique than I am about being able to brag of my best bench, deadlift, or squat.)  The way I see it, I can care less how much I can actually lift, as long as I LOOK LIKE a BEAST!  (HaHaHa)    

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