Jettisoned Ponderings

Last couple weeks I’ve been really frustrated with my numbers. The backslide on bench and overall lack of results from training changes, constant battle with the scale/caliper, just plain overall stuck in a rut. I realized today that I hadn’t updated the numbers for a couple weeks, so figured what the heck… My folks have a nice electric Omron BF% caliper (actually recommended on bb.com, I need my own…) and I always get my weight prior to using it to make sure my settings are current and accurate. I’ve been stuck right around ~176ish and it’s irritated me to no end. I knew I wasn’t eating enough or getting enough water, so I’ve been trying to up my intake as cleanly as possible. Namely, switching all my protein shakes to Pro Complex Gainer to get the extra calories and minimal sugar. I’ve still been bad about getting enough water, but I’ve never been dehydrated and I’ve backed off the coffee this past week. Anyhow… So I hop on the scale: 182.6lbs! This after the typical morning routine we all go through and before breakfast. Just to make sure, I reset the scale and tried again: 182.6lbs. Sweet! Wait, how much of that is good mass? So I change the calipers up, last time I’d used them I was 177.5 at 9.5% BF, so I upped it to 182.5. Result: 10.4% Skeptical, again I reset the caliper: 10.4% So, I’m up 5lbs and only 0.5% BF? Sure, I’ll take those numbers!

So then I hit the gym. It’s back/shoulders today. Since I have a goal for overhead press, I changed these out dumbell presses. Sure, I’m hitting more front delt, but eh, I’m hitting rear a lot in other exercises. Last set was 135×13. My projected goal is 200. None of the calculators here go higher than 12 reps, unfortunately, but even 12 reps puts the projected max at 195. I’d need to do 140×12 to hit a 200lb goal. So now knowing this I can’t wait to come back to this workout in a couple weeks and exceed that goal! Still leaves a few others to shoot for, but I’m still glad that I’m seeing these results. I feel a lot better training with sets of 12, and the results encourage me to stick with it. Still got a little over a month to hit the goals… Good to have a renewed sense of determination!

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 at 8:31 am and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.