Jettisoned Ponderings

I have a tendency to make the same mistake when I start new routines. Usually the first week I go too easy/light and make refinements to sets and reps, exercises done, etc. Then the next week I have an idea where I’m at and bump up the weights for a great week… or so it would seem. The problem is that I tend to over-do sometimes it the second week and then the third week suffers. That happened tonight with legs, topped off with just being stressed the last few days. DOMS a couple days after a new program, that’s good. DOMS for five days, however is not so good. My legs have still been a little stiff up until yesterday, so I know I way over-did it last week. Tonight my lifts went down a bit and I got tired much easier. The fatigue was still there for sure. I got about half way through and was spent. Lesson learned though.

The other detail is that I’ve made a variation week for this program. Considering the intensity from all the eccentric and slow tempo work, I figure every 3rd week just doing basic sets and reps with short rest times will be a good mix up and not tax the muscles or CNS as much to allow for better recovery. Its that, or taking more rest days, but I prefer to just take a week off every couple months instead. So, next week I’ll give that a spin and see if it doesn’t allow me to bounce back the week after.

Time and patience, that’s what it all comes down to. The neverending process of trying to find that magic formula to solve the problem.

Its been one of those days that starts out mediocre and just fizzles out early on. Perhaps its from not sleeping well or other stresses just piling up. I was looking forward to it earlier, but just can’t bring myself to have any drive tonight. Supposed to be abs, calves, and a little cardio, so I’m not missing out on too much as this workout is done 3x a week presently. Legs are tomorrow anyhow, so calves will get some stimulation again. I think tonight is one of those evenings to get out the epsom salt, soak everything loose, and try to get some better sleep to start fresh tomorrow. Since GJ has to be up early for school I may just split sessions tomorrow and go early in the morning. Who knows… Hopefully trying to unwind this evening and make a little more progress playing Mercenaries 2 will cheer me up.

I’ve had the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) home study course for half a year now and I’m not even half way through it. Too many little things with it have frustrated me and there has been zero enjoyment along the process that I’ve done thus far. If you’re thinking of getting a cert, don’t bother with NCSF and save yourself some headache.. go with ACE, NASM, or NSCA. Some studies quoted are out-dated. The study guide is vague with fill in the blanks or doesn’t really tell you what its looking for (which can be resolved by paying another $30 for the answer key…). The structure of the course is not user friendly or linear (Lab Manual for Chapter 1 referencing materials in Chapter 19…). Overall, I’ve been so frustrated and angry reading it that I’m bailing on this particular cert. I’ve decided that additionally I’m too much of a kinesthetic learner to really benefit from this program. I’m looking into going to the National Personal Training Institute here in CO, which happens to be the only NPTI campus that has 100 accredited hours of nutrition, which makes me eligible for the National Association of Sports Nutrition (NASN) cert as well. Its an additional exam, but students get a heavy discount on it and the school is a host site for the exam also. The program is going to take a year going every saturday and every other sunday. What I’m kicking myself for at the moment is not doing this earlier since tuition went up $1300 since the last time I looked into it. None the less, GJ and I both agree its more the route I need to go. I left a message with admissions and once I have a contact at the school I’ll inquire about financial aid (which should be easier now that I’m married and its not based on my parents taxes). Plus, this way there’s more accountability, pacing, structure, real people involved to answer specific questions, career placement, etc. The other downside is the 30 mile drive to the campus each weekend, but I suppose it could be worse.

I think I’ve found the magic number… My body really does not like it if I exceed 500g of carbs a day. Any day I get up around 600g I really start to crash and become lethargic. It gets annoying because I need to be remaining above 4000 calories a day to sustain my weight and bulk a little. So, I’m having to turn to good fats to ramp the calories up where I need them to be. Almonds to the rescue! I’m backing down the dairy sugars, making lunch a salad so the initial bulk of food from breakfast can digest and allow for more of an appetite the rest of the day. So, right now I’m looking at 4223 calories from 292g Protein, 448g Carbs (118g sugars), 138g fats (26.3g saturated), and 23.5g fiber. I know that’s not the ideal 30g/day, but a bit extra can easily be supplemented into my shakes if need be.

I’m cutting off my present PH cycle at 5 weeks. The plan was to go for the full bottle (Just over 6 weeks) but since it looks like I’ll be doing the product testing for EST after all, I want to give a little bit of time to get back to "normal" so I can give it a fair evaluation in the log I’ll be keeping. I have a good idea what the product is and it should work quite well if its dosed properly and the purity/potency is good. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. As for the current stack thus far (Tren, MMA-3, and HMG), it took a little longer to really kick in, but once it did the gains have been quite noticeable in strength, recovery, and weekly improvements. Weight has been holding solid at 203 in the mornings and now I know I need to up the calories a bit more to push past this. Not a fun thing to do on a clean bulk! I’m thinking that I’m gonna have to throw a bit of the clean-bulk idea to the wind in the future and just go for the sheer calories. Quite honestly, I’m getting tired of the pasta and potatoes route… The protein isn’t the problem, its trying to load myself up with the clean carbs. I haven’t deviated much from this diet since January, so its well over-due for some variety. I’ve gone to more rice and that’s appeasing me for the moment. I need to figure out more easy Asian dishes to make or something. Any suggestions, I’m more than open to.

Finished up today’s workout going all out for a new personal record. I’m really loving these rack pulls with the flared lats. Its a short range of motion, but the reason is that its targeting the upper back and lats more, not the full posterior chain like a deadlift or deeper rack pull. Last week I finished my last set at 405lbs. I’d say a 95lb jump in a week is some nice progress! Still takes a good amount of effort to get that much weight to even lift and move a few inches. I know its being done right, too, because there is zero strain anywhere on the back, legs, etc. All I feel is the muscles I’m targeting and holding the squeeze at the top. Feels great! In the future I’ll probably work toward pulling the weight from a bit deeper, too. Happened to bring the cam along today, too:

My mom forwarded this one to me. Enjoy!

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit too.

THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.

FRIDAY:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:
I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun — like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Yet more ways to not use one of these things. I seriously wonder where some people get these ideas…

The new leg workout is a keeper! For the record calves are worked Mon/Wed/Fri, so that’s why they’re not on this program. They get some stimulation though early on. Tackled it this week with much more of the intensity I lacked last time and now I’m feeling it. Hams are feeling it the most tonight and were the most dialed in with intensity. Quads will get exactly what they need next round, but they’re plenty stimulated for now. Here’s the self-abuse protocol with the weights I used:

Raised Heel V Stance Smith Squats*: 3×10, 2-0-2-0 (210, 230, 250×7)
Romanian Deadlift Partials**: 3×10, 2-0-2-0 (225, 235, 245)
Single Leg Extensions: 3×15 (per leg), 1-1-1-0 (50, 55, 60+)
Seated Single Leg Curls: 3×15 (per leg), 1-1-1-0 (50, 60, 65)
Eccentric Single Leg Press: 2×6, X-0-1-0 (230+, 320)
Milos Press on Leg Press***: 1×15/15/50, 5-0-3-0/5-0-3-0/1-0-1-0 (140)
*Unsupported; like the top of a standing calf raise
**Start knelt like a standard deadlift with the bar at ankle height, then raise hips until the hams feel a slight stretch. Keep the legs fixed in this position for all the reps
***Triple Set, same weight for all reps, no rest time. First 15 reps are neutral stance. Second 15 reps are wide stance. Last 50 reps are back to neutral.

Late workout tonight, only did calves. Really liking the stretch-pause tempo method I’ve been doing the last couple weeks. Initial gains jumped up just from shocking the calves last week (been months since I isolated them…) and now I’m getting a little more established. Tuesday was Smith standing calves, tonight was seated calves, Saturday will me standing machine with 10 second stretch pauses. Plus, all these sets being to failure… Yeah, something’s gonna grow sooner or later!

Was supposed to do cardio also, but being 11:30pm I didn’t wanna deal with the post-cardio thermogenic kick and have an even harder time sleeping. Meant to take a short nap this afternoon, but it turned into more like 3 hours, hence why I’m still awake. On my way out the door though I stopped and messed with the recumbant bike a bit. I like that it will auto adjust resistance to keep the heart rate in the target range and in the efforts of muscle conservation going with lower intensity for longer time. It goes off the imput age, so when I put in 24 I get a target BPM of 127. Not bad during bulking diets when I have plenty of carbs to spare. I was curious (I’m not one to crack out the target BPM formula for max heart rate then factor in percentage for a fat burn zone off the top of my head) what would put it somewhere around 110 or so. Reason being is that come spring, or should I ever work up to longer duration cardio with even a low carb diet, I will want to keep it under 120 to avoid using carbs up. Took a few tries, but putting in an age of 51 gave yielded a target BPM of 110. Down the road I’ll probably go with this or aim for a few BPM higher when that time comes.