Jettisoned Ponderings

Morning Weigh In: 196.0lbs
Bodyfat: Too hungry, food came first!
Feeling: Cramped neck, bit weaker than usual

Legs today. Upped a couple things a bit, which really ran me down by the end when I got to leg press. Low back was tender so I didn’t do romanian deadlifts at the end. The seated calf raise was in use, so no supersets on those. Just did them separately with minimal rest between sets. Seated leg extensions are really burning, but I feel on the edge of a plateau. The last set always hurts and I have to rest-pause at 140. I’m keeping the weight there until I can get through all the reps without stopping and knock out a bonus rep at the end. On a happy note, I did get a bit of an unexpected surprise though for my last set…

Supersets as A/B
2-0-2, Standing Calf Raises - 4×12: 170/180/190/200
1-0-1, Seated Calf Raises - 4×12: 135/135/135/135
A: 3-0-3, Seated Leg Curls - 3×12: 150/165/180
B: 3-0-3, Seated Leg Extensions - 3×12: 120/130/140
A: 2-0-2, Smith Hack Squats - 2×12: 180/180
B: 1-0-1, Smith Hack Partials - 2xFail: ×11/x16 (No belt set 1)
A: Close Stance Leg Press - 2×12: 580
B: Close Stance Drop Set - 2×12: 490
Close Stance Partial Century Set: 1×100 (no rest pause!): 400

The initial cramp after the century set, which still was bringing the legs down to about 60 degrees each rep, was intense but ooooh when the second bloodrush kicked in man did it cramp me up! Felt good though, the pump was great. They were really burning during the last 12 reps. My intention wasn’t to go to 100, but after 20 I wasn’t done, then I hit 50 and thought, "Crap, I have to go for 100 now…" Wifey has been warned that she will be doing a century set next leg day, hee hee…

Two more weeks on the Tren. I need to be a bit more strict on my diet so I can break the 200lb mark while I’m still on it and hopefully retain the majority of the gains. Either way I’ve never felt better and am so happy to be done and out of the 170-180 range!

Morning Weigh-In: 194lbs
Bodyfat: Didn’t Check…
Feeling: Tired and "DOMSy"

Pushed plenty of fluids lately and I’m feeling a lot better. Legs are good and sore. Wednesday my knee started acting up again and thankfully Dearest Wifey got me an ice pack with straps I can wrap and leave on (which I’m sure I’ll need for my elbow, too, soon enough). It’s nice since the hard packs are more difficult to get right where I need the cold applied.

Delays yesterday morning put us on a time crunch, but we still got through the vast majority of things with a couple sets of abs at the end. Knocked all the following out within an hour:

2-0-2, Wide Grip Bench Press - 2×12: 155/165
A: 2-0-2, Hi Incline DB Hammers 2×12: 30/32.5
B: 1-0-1, Straight BB Curl Partials - Failure: 50×23/x13
A: 1-0-1, Low Cbl Front Raises - 2×12: 40/45
B: 1-0-1, Low Cbl FR Partials - 2xFail: x16/x15
A: 1-0-1, Hi Cbl Most Msc Curls - 2×12: 60/65
B: 1-0-1, Hi Cbl Most Msc Drop Set - 2×12: 50/55
A: 2-0-2, Dumbell Fly - 2×12: 22.5/25
B: 1-0-1, Dumbell Fly Partials - 2xFail: x15/x9
2-0-2, DB Seated Lateral Raises - 2×12: 12.5/12.5
1-0-1, Hi Cbl Bicep Curls - 2×12: 60/70
1-0-1, Kneeling Cable Crunches - 2×15: 120/150

Then for this morning, still bumped a couple numbers. Shoulders and triceps are feeling weaker than usual from yesterday’s workout hitting them indirectly. Dropped the weight down on the weighted dips and shot for more reps instead.

1-0-1, Kneeling Cable Crunches (To Side) - 4×20: 100/150/150/150
1-0-1, Serratus Crunches (DBs) : 40/40/40/40
2-0-2, Pec-Deck Rear Delt (Flat/Prone Grip) - 4×12: 70/70/70/70
1-0-1, Partial Dips (Weighted) - 3xFail: +25 x23/x19/x13
A: 2-0-2, BB Bent Rows (Supine Grip) - 2×12: 205/225
B: 1-0-1, BB Shrugs - 2xFail: 205×24/225×16
1-0-1, DB Shoulder Press (Palms In) 3×12: 55/55/55
A: 2-0-2, Seated Rows - 2×12: 140/140
B: 1-0-1, Drop Set/Partials - 2xFail: 120×16/120×12
A: 1-0-1, 1 Arm DB Overhead Tri Ext - 3×12: 32.5/32.5/32.5
B: 1-0-1, 1 DB Tri Kickback - 3xFail: 17.5 x18/x16/x14
A: 2-0-2, Supine Grip Lat Pulldowns - 2×12: 140/150
B: 1-0-1, Drop Set Partials - 2xFail: 120 x16/x12

I’m so gonna be feeling this by tomorrow…

Morning Weigh In: 189.5 (CRAP! But wait…)
Bodyfat: 11.8% / 8.6% (I’ll Explain Shortly…)
Feeling: Bit stiff/sore, but ready to go!

Finally back in the gym! It’s been a week since we went last. Granted, I’ve kept plenty busy in the meantime between moving, rearranging, work/massages, etc. I certainly have not been idle in that time. Diet has not been great, but has been pretty on track the last couple days. Made a few diet changes so I’m really getting the vast majority of my calories in earlier on in the day. Still hard to keep them up, yeesh. It’s a lotta food!

Training today was fantastic. My hams still suck and are a definite weak point for me. Isolation exercises show this the most, of course. They’re certainly coming along quicker than I expected, but I have a long way to go with them still. Quads are rockin’, well… relatively! I hit a new personal record today on the leg press…

Supersets as A/B
A: 2-0-2, Standing Calf Raises - 4×12: 160/170/180/190
B: 1-0-1, Seated Calf Raises - 4×12: 100/125/125/125
A: 3-0-3, Seated Leg Curls - 3×12: 150/150/165
B: 3-0-3, Seated Leg Extensions - 3×12: 120/120/130
A: 2-0-2, Smith Hack Squats - 2×12: 160/180
B: 1-0-1, Smith Hack Partials - 2xFail: 160×23/180×15
A: Close Stance Leg Press - 2×12: 540/630
B: Close Stance Drop Set - 2×12: 430/540
Full Romanian Deadlifts - 2×12: 205/225

Leg press was a record for volume today. 630×12 puts my projected max at 900lbs! Also learned today that the sled weight on the rake is 150lbs. The gym we were using last year had a lighter one, closer probably to 90-100lbs I would guess. It also made me happy that it was my second set after a drop set of all things. Just felt really good to slam them out! Cranky focus + Angry grunts = Woo Hoo! Plus it’s an ego boost to have 7 plates on each side and get some interesting looks from people. I know I have more work to do as I’d like to break doing 800lbs for 12 good reps by the end of the year. Got plenty of time to work on that one.

Now for the bodyfat explanation. I was initially upset with my weight this morning. Granted I have not been good about my water intake the last few days and I didn’t have a shake before bed last night. I felt kinda dry this morning, so I’m hoping that’s all the weight loss is… just being dried out. So I changed the weight on the caliper and got an 11.8% reading multiple times. Meh, it’s down from 12.5% so that’s good. Then as we were leaving I stuck my head in the trainer’s area and Jerry, a good friend/trainer who’s been at it for many years (one of the few senior citizens who can keep up with most people half his age) was free so I asked if he could caliper us. Most people use the 4 point pinch, but I’ve liked when people do a 7. Take the average of the 4 point and 3 point. The 4 point came to 10.2% and the 3 point came to 7%. So the average of these would be 8.6%. Dunno if that’s quite right, as it was a post workout measurement. Dunno how much was being drier from sweating, swollen from a little edema, etc. Still though, it’s lower! Made me feel really good that the gains I’ve been making are clean and dry. I’m sure it’s also what’s been contributing to the increased visual vascularity. So I guess I’ll just keep things up like they are and see what the remaining 19 days will yield! (Then how much I retain…)

Morning Weigh-In: 192.5lbs
Bodyfat: Where is my caliper?
Feeling: Are we done yet? No… No we’re not.

First, thank you to whoever’s wireless internet I’m bootlegging. It is appreciated. With that… Moved yesterday and oh how much fun that was. Basically we didn’t have nearly enough totes and boxes, so it was a lot of move, dump, reload, repeat. I also had the luxury of being the one to shuttle packages and such up the stairs in the chain of moving things. They were taken from the vehicle to the base of the 19 steps where I shuttled them up and returned for more. (Court then did her part, but that’s for her blog and spotlight moment) Didn’t help of course that the stair well is nearly 80 degrees and has no circulation. So I sweat out a good deal. Started early, ended late, back at it early today to finish up things and get some furniture from a friend, then off to work I went. Last few days nutrition has not been good. Pizza, quick food, missed meals, nowhere near enough water (until today). So I’m sure I’ve lost a little ground relatively but I’m sure we’ll be back at it come Monday or whenever. Still have a lot to unpack and sort through with the rest of this weekend. It’ll be nice to settle in and get back into routine. In the meantime, I’m just trying to get my low back to recover from hauling those things up the stairs (plus hauling the box spring from the neighboring complex to this one and up said stairs by myself since it wouldn’t fit in the van).

I am now going to eat leftover pizza now and perpetuate the backslide. Should I chase it with a beer, to? (Hey, I did drink all my water today). Ok, I’m so done and rambling now…

Morning Weigh In: 192.5lbs
Bodyfat: 12.4%
Feeling: Mellow

No rush this morning since I’m off and Court didn’t have to be to work till 11. Took our time and got through everything today versus last week when things were cut a bit short. Court’s not a fan of slow back day at all. It’s not my favorite either, but eh… Instead we jumped today into the drop/super style workout. No complaints as I really love this type of work. Plus with all the articles I’ve been reading lately about how a fuller pump and getting the good burn in the muscles can help to stimulate GH release, it’s got me curious to stick with it longer. I have to say I am very pleased with how this workout left me feeling at the end. All the muscles I wanted to hit felt good and worked. The pump was very full (Tren make veins go pop! ^_^) and made my upper back fill my shirt tighter than usual. Guess it’s time to get a new workout tank or something. Court felt really good, too. Looks like this style is here to stay for a while! I know we both liked the leg workout, too. Now all that’s left is arms. The longer tension time has certainly helped, so if need be a couple slow sets can be worked into the program. Anyhow… If anyone wants a good muscle shock, give this routine a try!

Supersets as A/B
1-0-1, Kneeling Cable Crunches - 4×15: 110/120/120/120
1-0-1, Serratus Crunches (DBs) : 35/35/35/35
1-0-1, Low Cable Side Crunches: 90/90/90/90
2-0-2, Pec-Deck Rear Delt (Flat/Prone Grip) - 4×12: 70/70/70/70
1-0-1, Partial Dips (Weighted) - 3xFail: +50 x14/x10/x8
A: 2-0-2, BB Bent Rows (Supine Grip) - 2×12: 185/205
B: 1-0-1, BB Shrugs - 2xFail: 185×26/205×17
1-0-1, DB Shoulder Press (Palms In) 3×12: 55s/55s/55s
A: 2-0-2, Seated Rows - 2×12: 130/130
B: 1-0-1, Drop Set/Partials - 2xFail: 110×22/110×17
A: 1-0-1, 1 Arm DB Overhead Tri Ext - 3×12: 30/30/32.5
B: 1-0-1, 1 DB Tri Kickback - 3xFail: 17.5 x18/x16/x14
A: 2-0-2, Supine Grip Lat Pulldowns - 2×12: 130/140
B: 1-0-1, Drop Set Partials - 2xFail: 120 x15/x12
2-0-2, 45 Degree Hyperextensions - 3×12: 45/45/45

I just completely floored myself with some math that I just did… I started working out consistently 2 years ago this month. I never realized just how far I’ve really come along!

When I started: 163lbs@31%BF = 37.5lbs of fat
Where I’m at now:192lbs@12%BF = 23lbs of fat
Total Fat Loss: 14.5lbs!

Let’s take it a step further though, shall we?

192-163=29lbs sum total gain
Sum Gain+Lean Mass Exchange: 29+14.5=43.5lb lean mass gain!

Sure, some of that weight is increased bone density and such, but still, it’s a huge gain for me! For a long time I wasn’t thinking straight and telling myself "Oh, hey, you’ve put on about 30lbs of muscle in 2 years" and didn’t consider the exchange of lean mass I was gaining while the fat was being burned off. My 2 year lifting anniversary… I think this is a great way to celebrate. Can’t wait to see what gains I can make this next year!

Morning Weigh-In: 192
Bodyfat: Lazy, didn’t check…
Feeling: BICEP DAY! YAY!

Have I mentioned yet how much I love this stuff? The new water bottle definitely is a huge help staying hydrated during the day. I feel so much better now that I’m not all dried out. First things first, here’s today’s workout:

Workout: Abs, Chest, Biceps, Shoulders/Slow
1-0-1, Hybrid Crunches: 5×10@10
4-0-4, Reverse EZ Bar Curls: 3×12@45
3-0-3, Wide Grip Decline Bench: 3×12, 150/155/165
3-0-3, Wide Grip High Rows: 3×12, 60/60/70
4-0-4, Straight Barbell Curls: 3×12, 50/50/50
4-0-4, Supine Grip Incline DB Front Raises: 3×12, 10/12.5/12.5
6-0-6, Pec Deck Flies: 2×12@80

Biceps did feel additionally sore from the rack drop set yesterday, but they weren’t weaker. Still bumped up the bicep curls to all be at 50lbs and the last set was just really burning since I didn’t allow myself to rest-pause and pushed through the burn. I could seriously feel the muscle fibers "popping" and vascularity was much fuller than usual. I feel really good, hopefully it’ll stimulate them to grow a bit more and start to balance out my arms. Chest still needs to grow more as my delts are really my biggest area and my back is starting to develop more. I should really say that everything is growing, just some areas faster than others. Urgh.

Gettin another massage today. Hopefully I can preemptively avoid any soreness at the attachment sites on my arms since they’re usually the first to tighten up.

Morning Weigh-In: 189.5lbs (Post-Workout 192lbs)
Bodyfat: (Post-Workout) 12%
Feeling: Severely Dehydrated

Went to tan again last night. Even using lotion it really dries me out. I woke up in the middle of the night and had to get some aloe for a few areas that were dry and starting to itch. On the upside, at least I know that my morning weigh-ins are all good mass. Still feeling dried out and gonna have to really push the fluids to keep hydrated. Got a new water bottle that’s 2.3 litres, so if I’m not drinking all of that at least by the end of the day I know I’m not getting enough water. Bodyfat probably thrown off a bit from having more in my stomach, so I’ll see if it’s back down a bit tomorrow. My goal is to finish below 12% at the end of March, so I don’t want to get much higher than that. It’s plenty for me to be able to bulk. Small changes to the diet here and there should keep it where I want it as long as I stay on top of it.

Back in the swing of things today. Just went straight for legs and no abs as it’s Court’s early day for work. Just gets hard to get through the slow tempo workouts in time since it takes a bit longer. For today though:

Workout: Legs/Slow
3-1-3, 45 Degree Calf Press: 4×12, 270/280/290/300
3-0-3, Prone Leg Curls: 3×12, 70/80/90
4-0-4, Abductor: 3×12, 70/80/80
3-0-3, Seated Leg Extensions: 3×12, 110/120/130
6-0-6, 45 Degree V Stance Leg Press: 2×12, 360×9-270×3/270×8 (Knees not happy today)

While Court did her kickbacks, I felt the need to shock my biceps a little before tomorrow…
1-0-2, EZ Curl Bar Warm-up: 1×20, 45
1-0-1, DB Hammer Rack Drop Set: 10 reps each, 5 sec between each weight: 30/27.5/25/22.5/20/17.5/15/12.5/10

Had to cheat a bit and get a little swing with the last few weights. The few seconds between each weight was just enough to let the toxins clear before grabbing the next lightest. Burned good and nice cramped pump shortly after finishing. Hopefully it’s just enough to stimulate them more by being worked 2 days in a row.

Morning Weigh-In: 190lbs
Bodyfat: Didn’t Check
Feeling: About 85%

Another off day, got up early and made breakfast, then rested for a while and killed some time on the good ‘ol 360 until I was drowzy enough to fall back asleep for a couple more hours. Work went well and I wasn’t overloaded, only 3 sessions to do. This weekend off was really what I needed. I know I always hate taking time off because part of me feels idle, but at the same time I’m still learning when to back off. I could workout, but I’d be lifting lighter and tire out too quick. Now I’m at least feeling ready to hit it again in the morning. I should be back at 100% after tonight’s rest.

Work today was actually very good. I always hope that I’ll get clients who like to have conversations during their sessions. It makes the time go faster, but also gives me a bit more insight into their lives and what caused them to come to my table in the first place. Do they work a desk job or spend a lot of the day driving? Do they have a chronic issue or injury? Is life just stressful and they need to unwind? Perhaps all of the above? I like to build a bit of a rapport with them and it just makes the whole experience more personal. That in turn allows better trust in me as the therapist so they can relax more and allow the massage a more beneficial yield. Today two of my clients’ conversations really made me happy!

The first was a repeat I had worked on last weekend. Once things got settled settled the first words out of her mouth were, "Well, you’ve officially inspired me." Oh? "Yeah, I started working out again last week." Fantastic! I always enjoy when conversations turn to fitness. Especially when it gets full blown talking about routines, training methods, nutrition, etc. We touched on the past week’s conversation and got into abs and how she could only get the mid and uppers to show. I told her she’d need to do more leg work, knee raises, etc. I guess her friend who’s had 4 kids wants to get back in shape more so they’ve been going together. It was great when we were talking about how workouts just become habit. She said, "Yeah, my friends all say ‘I hate working out, it’s so hard’ and I tried to explain to my co-workers how you just get in that zone and you feel worse when you don’t go… They just couldn’t get it." How true it is. I think back when I first started and how many excuses I made. Too busy with school, I need the afternoons to catch up on sleep (I took late night classes), I didn’t have a partner/spotter, I didn’t know what I was doing and had no routine, etc. Anything I can do now to help motivate others to not encounter these problems, I’m all for it! I’m looking forward to seeing her again in a couple weeks and finding out how the workouts are going.

My other client we ended up getting onto the fitness topic and I mentioned that one of my goals for this year was to also start personal training. I explained that I have a good idea what I’m doing, just don’t have the piece of paper that tells everyone else that. Multiple times I’ve been approached by gym management for "training" when it’s been nothing more than just logging my numbers (apparently a clipboard makes everyone else think I’m a trainer…) or showing someone how to perform an exercise better to avoid injury. I get the usual, "We have trainers that can show them that" to which I usually rebuttal, "Well, maybe if they weren’t all sitting drinking frappaccinos and texting in the sales area and actually doing something they’d be on top of things before I step in." Now, I’m not bashing all trainers by any means at all. Just happens that at a couple gyms I’ve been to it seems a chronic issue there. Anyhow… She happens to have a membership to the same gym as me and inquired if I’d be willing to have a "workout buddy" for cash under the table. We’ll see, if nothing else I have a good idea of a trainer I could send her in the direction of… (*wink*DK*wink*) We went on and come to find that she, Court, and I have so many things in common we could just as well easily workout as a trio if need be. Maybe a light session later in the day after we’ve had our workout in the morning? Court’s leaning out for a photo shoot and my client needs to do the same. (Hmm, wait, do I really wanna send the girls out to potentially conspire against me? >.<) Plus, she’s a gamer so that’s an immediate shoe-in with basically all my friends. Primarily, she likes WOW (I know better than to get an account for my own good…) and first person shooters. Fantastic! Not to mention she’s in the process of moving and most likely to the condos right across the street from where we’re moving this weekend. Small world, eh?

So overall, it was a really good day. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things tomorrow and getting back into the workouts. 200lbs, here I come!

Morning Weigh In: 189lbs
Bodyfat: Didn’t Check
Feeling: Bit better, still blah.

No workout again today. Court and I have both been going at it straight since after the wedding last year and I think it’s catching up with us. We’ve decided to take the weekend off just to recover a bit. I also need all the energy I have to get through my massages at work. The spare time will also help since we need to get things ready for when we move on Friday.

Weight is down a bit today, but seems it was all water weight. I didn’t get a lot of calories in yesterday afternoon like I’d hoped to. Spent most of the time sleeping and pushing fluids. I’m sure what I dropped was just flushed from this. Should be able to get that back on track today and hit things hard come Monday. After all, I’ve got new revised goals I have to meet!