All the way…
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)
