Jettisoned Ponderings

Despite still not being 100%, GJ and I have both been antsy to get a workout in, so we did. Yeah, had to cough a couple times after sets catching my breath, but that didn’t stop me from going all out on it! Just took plenty of time to recover between sets. I was getting really tired before my last 2 sets so instead I went for a max attempt on my last set. Despite starting to lose my edge I still got a new PR!

Deadlifts (Warm-Ups, 8-10 reps)    3-4 Sets: 95/135/185/225
Deadlifts (Heavy)    4×5-8: 275/295/315/400×1 (Max Attempt)
Military Press (*2 Warm-Ups)    3×10: 95/105/115
Squats    3×12: I don’t think so…
Side Laterals    3×8-12: 17.5/22.5/27.5×9
Dumbell Front Raises    3×8: 22.5/27.5/27.5
Upright Rows    3×12: 60/70/80

Squats on the same day as Deadlifts… Hmmm. Plus they’d typically be done the day before. Yeaaaaaah, thinkin’ no. I won’t plan on doing those with this workout. It takes long enough to get through the deads with adequate rest times. Anyhow…

Hopefully the last of this crap clears out of my system soon. GJ is getting the aid of antibiotics and still trailing my progress to wellness by a couple days. I just hope I can get a good night’s sleep this evening.

I’m finally starting to get over this crap I’ve had for a while. Seems its the same thing my parents had not too long ago as well as one of our friends we went out with last week. Been a miserable time, lemme tell ya. GJ is where I was about 2 days ago, so hopefully it clears up for her soon, too. Its been an unexpected "vacation" from work since its just not the type of job I can go in even half-sick to. Tomorrow’s my usual off day anyhow so ideally I’ll be back and able at work for the weekend. Diet’s been off, training non-existent, etc. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind for running the Xtreme Stack, but its not something I can just switch off and on as I please. Bah. My weights only gone down a little from being flushed out. If all goes well we’ll both feel up to a workout on Saturday, but we’ll see. It would be a full body, so that could be beneficial to help work out any of this junk that may have settled in anywhere else, flush it out Sunday, then hit it hard Monday. Who knows…

Sore throat fri/sat, then sat evening I can’t swallow anything. Sunday I felt like crap and called out sick for yesterday, where I thought I was feeling better. Not the case. I woke up around midnight hacking up a lung and other crud. Yay for hot showers and shower soother tablets. Still wasn’t able to get back to sleep until 3am and I’m back up doing more of the same now. I think I’m close to depleting China of all its tea I’m drinking so much of it… Gonna call out of work again today and possibly tomorrow since Weds is always the slowest day of the week at work. Even if I’m physically able to get through the massages, I don’t want to spread this stuff in a small room others use and on to clients no matter how much I wash my hands and such. Its just really getting annoying and I wanna be over this stuff and functional again.

I seriously hate the structure of the NCSF manual. If I didn’t already have my diploma in Massage Therapy I’d be so absolutely lost with their verbage. Its correct and detailed, but right off the bat it hits you with anatomical terms that it seems to assume you already know. For example, in Chapter 2 it goes right into:

"[The Inner Unit] has a large attachment to the middle layer of the deep lamina of the posterior layer of the thoraco-dorsal fascia and is recruited prior to any upper or lower etxtremedy movements. When the [transverse abdominus] contracts, tension increases in the throraco-dorsal fascial called thoraco-lumber fascia gain, and intra-abdominal pressure increases as the relatively non-compressible viscera pushes against the structures of the diaphram and pelvic floor."

So while its certainly correct, the manual has not once defined things like the lamina groove or "dorsal", so its giving the benefit of the doubt that the person reading it has a fair amount of anatomy under their belt. Its not hard to define, just seems to like using terms that most people wouldn’t have heard before. The questions in the study guide are very much not worded well. I’m getting through it and as a result its forcing me to delve into it deeper since I need to learn their definitions for terms so that come exam time I’ll recognize them better. Like so many thing with jobs, school, etc. you’re always told that you’ll need to know all this and that. Then you get into the real world and the vast majority of it is never touched again. Well, not having dealt with specific definitions and such like this since back when I graduated in October ‘06 is certainly catching up with me now as I’m having to re-learn a lot. I think it’ll get better, I just don’t like the formatting of the information. Its solid info, just a pain to sift through and make decent sense of. Maybe that’s just their strategy to scare off people who may just want to get certified on a whim. I dunno…

Had a FANTASTIC leg workout tonight! Very much a fan of this routine. A friend came tonight, so we rotated the trio which allowed for more appropriate rest periods. I was worried that having not done legs for nearly two weeks was gonna be a problem, but instead it turned out to be a very good thing. Set a new PR for squats tonight and I absolutely plan to break it next week. I stopped at 5 reps since it was the goal range. I know where I’m at now, so next week its on! So here are the numbers:

Leg Extensions (Warm-Ups)    2×100: 40/40
Squats (*2 Light, 2 Heavy)    2×10, 2xFail (2-5 Reps): 95/155/275×5/325×5!
Hack Squats    3×10-15: 90/140/230×15
Leg Press    3×30: 490/490/490 (Friggin Oww!)
Seated Leg Curls    3×15: 180/210/240
Standing Leg Curls    3×10: 50/60/80
Lying Leg Curls    3×12: 90/100/120
*45 Degree Calf Press    3×30: 300/300/300

Branch’s workout doesn’t have any exercises for calves, so we thew in one tonight. I max out the stack on the machine, so we’ll probably do something different next week, whether that’s seated raises, leg press raises, I dunno. Court and I both need to keep those worked though.

The VNS-9 is definitely giving a strength and recovery kick. Not so much the pure mass like the Tren (which will completely be gone June 30 at the DEA has put it on the banned steroid list, which is stupid but that’s another technical argument for some other time…) but certainly a strength booster which will in turn lead to mass through the increased weights.

Diet will also be changed up again. I forgot how un-accommodating my work can be to my meal schedule, so I’ll need to go back to 6 meals instead of 7. I’m also changing up my gainer to the Max Muscle "Big Max" versus the "Big Max 50". About the same calories, just the Big Max has 22g less protein and 30g more carbs. It works out well since when I mix it with milk I’m around 58g of protein per serving. This should help me make up for some of the other carbs I won’t get otherwise from cutting out one meal and cripe I can’t take eating a pound of potatoes at breakfast when its not a post-workout meal. I just don’t have the appetite for it that early on after a gainer shake 2-3 hours before. I’ll re-total the numbers and post that some other time.

For now, I’m getting sick. My lymph nodes in my throat are swollen and I’ve been gradually losing my voice the last two days. Time for some warm throat coat tea this evening and plenty of rest tomorrow.

The pasta is killing me. I’ve lost an appetite for it and somehow I’m getting tired of the ground beef… Yes, I know, something’s wrong with me. Still addicted to the moo juice, just not the moo meat. Also, I know that pasta causes a more full/bloated appearance. The occasional pasta meal is good, but I need to find something else for a while. The other good option is brown rice or sweet potatoes. Now, I’ve got a fantastic recipe for sweet potato casserole that is easy to portion out and best yet I find its good served cold so in a rush I don’t have to find something to heat it first. Unfortunately, it takes over an hour from start to finish by the time the potatoes are cut, boiled, etc. So its nice once in a while, but just takes some work. As for the rice, I don’t have a lot of good recipes with it. Especially since brown rice doesn’t keep as well. So, I have another idea. I’m contracting the services of a chef. His name Joe. Tokyo Joe.

Yes, I’m cheating and bringing in some "fast food" and resorting to stocking up on Tokyo Joe’s Oyako Bowl. Its nutritional profile actually isn’t bad at all in terms of macronutrient ratios. If I really need extra for bulk, like on a Leg day, I can go Big Size. Plus, at least I can fill up the punch cards for free ones quicker, too. So this will replace my beef/pasta meals on lifting days. Everything else will stay the same.

I’m really liking Branch’s workout. Its hitting all the basics, which I like. Not going as high on the rep volume I’m finding I can push a lot harder. My body is definitely confused with what I’m trying to throw at it and responding nicely. The new stack is beginning to kick in a bit more noticeably, too. The biggest difference being on any PH product is the difference in pumps. With an NO product, its more of the temporary increase in the levels in the blood stream. In my present case, its an increase in the volume of red blood cells on top of that, which is more sustained and constantly in effect as long as I’m taking the stuff. So my muscles are looking much fuller from this, but functionally its better to shuttle more nutrients to and toxins away from the muscles.

Anyhow… Today’s workout was arms:
Standing Dumbell Curls    3×8: 35/40/45
Standing Barbell Curls    3×12: 70/80/80
Seated Preacher Curls (EZ Bar)    3×12: 75/85/95
Tricep Pushdowns (Not X-Cable)    3×15: 80/90/100
Seated Dip Machine    3×15: 150/160/180
Rope Pushdowns (X-Cable)    4×12: 120/130/140/150

For the dip machine, it was the same one used for the Chest workout, but the handles were adjusted to be about 3" further forward so it put more of the work on the triceps instead of the pec and "teres twins". Didn’t have to use the seat belt this time, but I foresee that I’ll need to in the near future…

Legs tomorrow and they’re in for a very mean workout… Walking this weekend should be, err… interesting.

Last night was Chest and a dang good workout it was! Dunno how much of it is the new stack starting to kick in or what, but I was a lot more focussed and cranky when I needed to be. (Helps I changed up my iPod for a bit more of an angsty playlist…)

Incline Bench    3×8-12: 90/120/160
Flat Dumbell Press    3×10,  1xDrop: 70/80/85-70×7
Hammer Incline Press    3×10: 140/160/180
Tricep Pushdown (Seatbelted! ^_^)    3xFail: 200×10/x9/x8
Cable Crossovers    3×15: 50/60/65

Yes, you’re reading that right… Being that I only weigh in at 193 right now and that this particular tricep pushdown gives very minimal mechanical advantage, I have to use a seat belt with it to keep me down. I could be doing body weight dips, but this makes it easier for GJ and I to take turns since she’s not up to doing full range dips presently. Going back a bit, I know that the Smith machine makes the inclines easier, but quite frankly I prefer if at the moment since it makes me feel the weight more where I should in the pec primarily instead of the anterior delt. This routine calls for a bit more leeway in form as well, so not as much of the lighter weights and full range of motion. A lot of muscle belly emphasis, which is a welcomed ease to my joints. After this routine it’ll be good to lighten up a bit again to let the tendons catch up.

Today’s a off day. Grrr… I know they’re needed, but I still don’t like them. Tomorrow is Arms though, so I’ll be very happy to hit the weights hard!

Ok, so I can’t read my own workout sheets right… Last night was not legs, obviously. I think I was so caught up in Legs since that’s the last workout we had to make up from missing/being way too sore last week. Oh well. So now we’re on to Branch Warren’s workout. Had to modify a couple lifts since our gym lacks a couple machines he uses, but it worked out ok. Left shoulder is a little tweaked, but still got through everything. I think its just overused from work combined with sleeping on it wrong. As for the numbers:

Incline T-Bar Rows    3×10: 180/190/205
One Arm Dumbell Rows    3×8: 100/110/120
Bent-Over Barbell Rows    3×8: 135/185/195
Lat Pulldowns    3×15: 150/160/170
Upright Row    3×15: 60/70/80
Supine V Grip Pulldowns    3×15: 120/130/150
Seated Cable Low Row    3×20: 150/160/170
Rear Delts on Fly Machine    4×10: 70/70/70/80
Bent-Over Dumbell Laterals    4×10: 30/25/25/20

GJ’s comment last night, "Why are your routines always so long!?" Um, because they work? Honestly though, we’ve tried the shorter and heavier before. Doesn’t work, we actually both lost strength and a little size in the process. I hear the "But [insert name] does it that way…" *sigh* Yes, understood, however neither of us have that body type to respond well to it. Sure, I’d be thrilled if I could get results with half the work that I do, but its not gonna happen. I came to terms with that a long time ago. My first workouts ever were 3-4 exercises per body part for 12 reps each. Anything less I ended up backsliding. Volume trainer for life I suppose.

Starting up the cycle today. The primary products are American Cellular Labs’ VNS-9 and Mass Xtreme (Will be pulled off the market in about 5 weeks). All the other support supps and diet can be found in my previous entries. First workout is tonight hitting legs! I doubt I’ll see much difference in the first few days of the cycle, but who knows…