torn8o’s BodyBlog

Been a while since I posted in here, so I figured it was time.  With the holidays and all, the routine/schedule have been all out of whack.  Proud to say that I haven’t missed a single workout, though … and that my nutrition has been dead on, down-the-middle perfect.

As of this weekend I’ve lost a total of 40 pounds.  Can’t believe I’ve hit that mark.  It’s crazy.  I met up with a bunch of people over the weekend who I haven’t seen in four months.  And it just happens that I’ve been transforming during those entire four months, so seeing their reactions was AWESOME.  I don’t know how many comments I got from different people, coming up to tell me how great I looked.  What a great boost!

Starting the fat loss competition on the first, being carried on in the fat loss forum.  On Team 1, which is a power team.  Can’t wait to get underway and continue watching my body change between now and April 1st.  The next six months are going to be amazing, that’s all I know.

Meeting up with trainer tonight … I’m starting to wonder if I might actually get addicted to doing the Olympic lifting stuff.  I really honestly love it.  I think I’ll make quick progress too.  My body seems like it’s totally made for it …

Had a great night tonight with my first workout under the supervision of the new trainer.  Wow, very cool.  I’m going to like it and really benefit from it.  You just don’t realize all the little bad things you might be doing with your form until someone works with you to point them out.

We worked with just four of the core lifts tonight … deadlifts, squats, bench press and standing military press.  Feel like I came away with some great information and inspiration to make this happen.  The military press was pretty substantial, and the squats ended up hitting my legs hard enough that I’m feeling it now.  I’ll be able to go heavier on the deadlifts I’m sure.  Actually kind of enjoyed doing them.

Lots to look forward to over the coming weeks.  Each little step is movement in the right direction and one step closer to reaching another goal.

So I booked a personal trainer last night for 12 sessions.  I’m excited.  It’s new and I’m hoping it will propel me into a whole new phase with things.  He seemed really great and responsive to what I’m looking to achieve.  He’s also the gym’s Crossfit instructor, and I will be looking into that by March.  Once I build a solid muscle base, I’m really going to want to strip fat and Crossfit looks like a great option to do it.

Started the new split routine last night with chest/triceps.  Being that several motions were new to me, it ended up being a light session.  My triceps feel it this morning, but it just seems like it takes an act of God to make my chest tighten up.  The trainer should be able to help get me where I need to be that way. 

I cannot wait for summer, 2009!

Alright, the time has finally come for a split. I’ve been mulling this over for weeks, and it’s time now to go into a new phase. I have about two years total lifting experience on an upper/lower split (12 weeks total on this particular round after a two year slacking phase), but I need more isolation and recovery. Also wanted to work in a few drop sets here and there. Here goes (starting tonight) - - - made some edits to this after discussing it in the forum.

Monday - Chest/Tri 

Chest 

Bench press 4×8-10

Incline DB press 4×8-10, superset with Incline DB flies 3×10

Cable crossovers 3×10 

Triceps 

Skull crushers 3×10

Rope pushdowns 3×10 

Lying DB extensions (dropset) 

Tuesday - Cardio only 

Wednesday - Legs 

Squats 4×12, 10, 8, 6 

Stiff leg dead lifts 3×6 

DB Lunges 3×12 

Seated calf raises 4×12 

Single leg DB calf raises 4×8 

Thursday - Shoulders/Cardio 

Machine shoulder press - 4×10 

DB front raises – 3×10 

DB rear lateral raises - 3×10 

Shrugs - 3×10 

Friday - Back/Biceps 

Back 

Deadlifts – 4×6 

Bent over DB rows - 4×10 

Seated cable rows - 4×10 

Cable front pulldown - 4×10 

Biceps 

Preacher curls - 3×8-10 

Hammer curls - 3×10 

Concentration curls - (dropset) 

Saturday - cardio only 

Sunday - rest

I really hammered myself this week.  My legs especially.  They are all kinda sore today.  Sunday is the rest day for me … and catch up day.  Much needed at this point.

For legs Friday night, I did four sets of squats, followed by four sets of leg press, then four of leg extensions, seated ham curls, lunges, machine calf raises and single leg calf raises.  Yesterday was 30 mins. of HIIT on an elliptical, which put the final nail in my legs’ coffin, I think.  They should be fairly well recovered by tomorrow, but I’m definitely planning on doing this again this week.  I’ve seriously been considering a split routine now.  Even though I’ve only been back on for three months this time, I really think I need to start concentrating on body parts individually to achieve the best results.  So tonight I might work on putting something together to start next week.  The 15th marks the official 12 week end.  Will get BF tested and take shots … hopefully see some progress.  We’ll see.  No weight loss scale-wise so far this week, but I’m not really disappointed.  I’m seeing a lot of good changes, so I’m assuming the muscle building is at work.  Plus, the supps are no doubt having an effect as well.  Speaking of supps, yesterday I was pretty out of it before cardio, so I decided to try some White Flood for the first time.  Ummm … WOW.  Had no idea it would kick start me the way it did.  Within 20 mins, my face and skin were tingling, it was the strangest feeling.  Then I had the urge to get up and run around the planet a time or two.  The workout kicked butt big time.  I had a much different response than I do with the SP250.  Once my SP250 runs out, I’m definitely doing a cycle on WF.

This morning I got up and had a 5 egg omelet … 3 whites and two whole.  Smothered in my favorite salsa (Italian Rose … MMM).  Such a good breakfast.  I am so not hungry right now, but need a shake in about 20 mins anyway.  To do list today includes getting a haircut and hitting up the supermarket.  Catching up on the laundry and dishes.  Dishes are totally a way of life these days.  Cooking all your own stuff has a way of piling them up in the sink much faster than the previous eating out days did.  It’s a small price to pay … but I still hate dishes.

OK, here’s the part where I reaffirm to myself that the week ahead is going to perfect in the workout department, and I will give myself all the nutrition I need to keep making gains while simultaneously spurring fat burnage.  It’s going to happen.  I feel another great week coming on.

All of my work pants are falling down.  I cinch up the belt, but then they look dorky because the material is all bunched up.  I’ve decided to wait for 15-20 additional pounds to come off before making some new purchases.  I just don’t want to end up buying clothes every time I turn around.

I have decided to get rid of all the fat clothes this time.  They will be gone forever.  I am going to leave myself NO chance of ever going back.

Today I had a big presentation at work in front of a bunch of attorneys.  I do these frequently, but they are still nerve-racking.  Today I felt more confident than ever before, though.  I was organized, and had everything together.  Was able to address every question they had with some strength behind my words.  It felt really, really good and I got compliments afterward.  I really feel like I owe this to the changes I’ve made as far as getting back on track with health and fitness.  Even my posture is better.  I can look people straight in the eye and not worry about them judging me.  There is no price a person can put on this, that’s all I know.

It’s only going to get better.

Because of my hobby now turned semi-profession in the spring, occasionally I show up on TV.  My video shows up more often than I do (thankfully … I hate being on camera).  But this weekend there’s a chance that I’ll be in a show on the Discovery Channel.  It’s my hope beyond hopes that they edit my scene out (please god), but if I show up, I am not looking forward to it a bit.  The episode of Storm Chasers was filmed when I was at the peak of my weight.  I’m sure I weighed at least 40 pounds of fat heavier than now, but I didn’t step on the scale out of fear at the time.  I just know I looked horrible.  Plus … in the episode, my partner and I had been tailing the storm of the year, which produced tornado after amazing tornado.  We had 30 minutes of solid twisters to show for it, some of which were spinning pretty close to the car!

Anyway, as we followed, my partner accidently took a wrong turn onto a dirt road.  In Kansas, this is a no-no after a storm.  We were instantly stuck.  We hitched a ride with a film crew out of KC to a hotel, and then came back the next day hoping that a farmer would pull us out.  Instead, here comes the Discovery Channel crew, cameras in hand.  They pull us out with the stipulation that we sign releases in case they use us on the show.  We’ve both been on before and don’t need it, particularly … it wouldn’t hurt our feelings a bit to get edited out.  Not a bit.  Especially since we’ll look like dingleberries for getting stuck.  Oh well.  If anyone catches it, just keep in mind that I’ve dropped a ton of weight since it was filmed last May.

I was offered a role in a mini-series about storm chasers a couple years back, which I turned down for several reasons.  But this spring I might go after something again since I’ll be back in peak form and won’t care about being seen in front of a nation of 300 million potential viewers. Last night’s episode had a storm that I was on as well (a terrifying one), and I’m sure you could see my car in a couple shots, since we were neck and neck with the crew most of the evening.  I was glad to see that they were as scared as I was at the time … that thing was a monster.