tryingforme

Last night I went to the gym for the second time in one day to get some cardio and abs.  I don’t at night that often so when I do I am like a kid in a candy store.  I love to people watch and at night in my gym you have all types.  I would like to tell you about one individual we’ll call Mr. Total Package.  Mr. Total Package is a fairly tall and somewhat lean man.  Mr. Total Package also has well tanned body with one to many tattoos or at least for me.  Mr Total Package is also equiped with a garden variety wife beatter.  Just clarify, if you don’t know, a wife beater is an under shirt that looks like a tank top worn as an outer shirt.  He is also sporting a pair of shorts that are just on the border line of spandex.  These shorts are about 1-2 sizes too small and as close as to being bike shorts without being bike shorts.  He was strutting around like the head cock in a hen house, if you understand what I mean.  Now Mr. Total Package did not stop there, no he furthers this workout attire with none other than……..a FANNY BELT.  Yes you heard it right, a FANNY BELT.  Can you get the visual.  Wife beater, skin tight shorts and a FANNY BELT.  Under no cercumstances should a man wear a fanny belt to the gym or any where for that matter.  I was floored.  People!  Do you not look in the mirror before you leave the house??  Please!  Don’t get me wrong, the gym is not about being fashionable but there should be a line that is not crossed.

To contiue with the attire of the gym I do not want to leave out the women.  When selecting your workout clothing choice, I would like to mention a couple of hits to you.  If you are going to wear tights or spandex of any type for support, do not wear granny panties underneath.  Yes ladies you heard it right, do not wear your FULL supporting underwear under your spandex.  Let the spandex hold it all in.  I think if this is your selection of clothing to workout in, it is perfectly ok to wear something more skimpier or go commando.  I only tell you this for your benifit, take it or leave it.  All in one night I saw Mr. Total Package and Mrs. Granny Support.  I was only there for a little over an hour, I wonder what I would have seen if I would have stayed longer?  Maybe I should go on a night with a full moon when all the crazy people come out.

For the past two weeks I have been doing what someone called the accumulation phase or power weeks (2 weeks).  I have been keeping a log book trying to do 5 sets 4-6 reps with being at muscle failure on the 6th rep.  Boy I have been really pushing some weight, especially this week.  The first week was more to figure out what I can do to reach failure by the 6th rep.  So far this week I have really felt strong, so it is motivating me to continue through the pain.  I am learning that the more I pursue the body of my dreams the MORE I have to learn.  I consider myself fortunate in the fact that I can stay motivated to workout and eat as clean as I know how to but nutritional knowledge is my weak link.  I will get there though, one way or another.

Legs this morning:  All 5 sets each

Elipticle: 5 minutes (to get my legs warmed up)

Incline Leg Press: 6 reps @ 540#’s

Seated Calf Raises: 6 reps @ 155#’s

Squats: 6 reps @ 185#’s  [if you are wondering why the drastic difference in incline leg vs. squat is that years of playing baseball as played heck on the knees and incline I do not have to balance myself like I do on squats]

Leg Extentions: 6 reps @ 180#’s

Hamstring Curls: 6 reps @ 110#’s

Needless to say I was spent after this.

I have a question if someone could answer for me.  Everything I read about eating and workingout is to eat a pre-workout meal and a post workout meal.  My question is: I am at the gym at 3:30 am and I use a pre workout suppliment, should I be eating something that early and do you eat and use a pre workout suppliment.

Thanks in advance for all the responses.

I am in Raleigh-Durham (on buisness) and visited a local gym. I asked one of the trainers if they had the capability to measure BF and she cheerfully said yes she could. Unfortunately she handed me this hand held unit that does not seem very accurate. I was hoping she would use calipers. To my regret it gave me a reading of 15.1%. The same thing a similar unit gave me last year and by looking at my progress pics I have dropped BF. Urggg!!  I really need to find some how to get an accurate reading because one of them have to be wrong. I hope it is the second reading.

Well I don’t need some dumb machine but it would be nice to know how much I have dropped.  Well this has been a glimpse into my life.

Yesterday morning at about 3:40 am I walk into the gym with the front doors wide open and the owner behind the counter.  The first thought is the AC is went out and they had to call the big boss in but to my amazement he was there because he was replacing all the strenght equipment with new stuff.  I am someone who welcomes change, it keeps life spicy but it was somewhat of a wasted day this morning trying to fugure out where everything moved to.  The whole gym, everyone as I was leaving because not to many in there at my time of the morning, was walking around like lost newbees.  You know the people who have never been in a gym before and do not want the person behind the counter to show them around, trying to act like they know what they are doing but obviously don’t.  Everyone looking at the new layout, new equipment and test driving everything.  It is nice to have new equipment but I most disappointed in the removal of one certain bench.  This bench had the ability to move to quite a number of notches for a wide variation for incline dumb bell work.  All the other benches will only move in a limited amount of positions.

Most of the equipment is machines, which does not interest me, except for the incline leg press.  It is able to hold more plates than the old one did.  If my upper body body was I strong as my lower body, I would not have any gripes.  This morning I was able to work up to 720 x 4.  In the next couple of weeks I hope to be ready for 900 x 8, which is my old workout weight.  It will take a few days to get use to the change but I guess he can say he is state of the art now.  The only draw back is that this is a franchise gym and their colors are that of LSU.  Not to affend the LSU fans on here but there is only so much purple and gold one Auburn fan can take.

I am the type of person who can gain a tolerance for things real easy and I am currently using NOX Xplode for a pre workout and Cell Mass for a post workout suppliment.  I think it is time to change it up so that I can get more out of my workouts.  Someone has recommended SuperPump250 for a pre but no recommendations on a post workout suppliment. 

If anyone could suggest some suppliments I would greatly apprieciate it.  I am looking for huge gains and if you seen any of my pics you will understand why. hahaha

Thanks in advance for all you suggestions.

Yesterday I had the munchies so bad with nothing in the house clean to eat so I caved in and went to Foosackly’s.  Can’t beat the Foo or at least that is what I used to think.  I have not cheated on my diet in about 3 weeks until yesterday and afterwards I can say that is was not worth it.  All I could think about was the amount of time and energy I spent at the gym just to eat that one meal.  Like I said, it’s not worth it.  I put in too much time and effort to allow this type of regret.  I would much rather eat something not quite as tasty and gain from it than to eat something tastier and loose 2-3 days worth of hard earned gym time.  Thats just me.

I need to find more creative ideas for my diet because eating a lot of the same things over and over is getting old.  If anyone knows of a website with lots of recipes for clean eating I would like to here from you.

Another insightful look into my life.  Enjoy your day.

Yesterday I was able to get some things off my chest and I am feeling pumped right now.  Some awsome individuals lifted me up and I’m ready to hit life head on again.  Thanks Everybody!

Last night up late with my daughter’s musical, woke up to the bottom falling out of the sky and almost layed back down.  But got up, got dressed and took my tired self to the gym anyway.  This was the best thing I could have done.  I did not do as an intense workout as usual but I still went.  NO EXCUSES  I am awake and ready to tackle the day.  Motivation is up. 

All week I have been reading blogs from a lot of people venting and getting things off their chest so I figure it is my turn, so here we go.

Due to things out of my control and if I am going to be honest things within my control my attitude and motivation is taking a huge hit this week.  With that said this is not keeping me out of the gym and hitting the weights as hard as I can.  I am determined to NOT get into the rut of not going to the gym.  I am working my butt off and quite frankly not seeing any change.  I am hoping this is due to my poor attitude and when I get out of this funk I will be able to see the man in the mirror.  haha

I do not take a lot of progress pics because if I don’t see change it might send me through the roof but I read someone’s blog about people using photo shop and I am appalled that there are individuals with so little self esteem using photo shop to make their pics better than they are in real life. (at least I know my limitations so I do not take to many pics of myself)  This is nothing more than someone thinking you can cheat life and calling all of us idiots and I take these actions personally.  I work my butt off at the gym to transform my body into a healthier me and for someone to purposely edit pictures for nothing more than to try to get into the "Top 6" is a personal attack to all of us doing the best we can and sharing it with others in the hope of helping others.  I have not read any blogs that puts others down for their work since I have been a member of this site so if you have to use photo shop please REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS SITE because you look like the idiot.  Some of this is a repeat of an earlier blog but it has really stirred something within me and needed to let it out.

Now I would like to speak on some positive things.  I consider myself a hard working individual and I admire so many people on this site for multiple reasons and I would like to list some of them in hopes that they are recognized within yourself without naming names. (I did not get prior approval by certain individuals but I hope they approve)

We have a superhero (Wonder Woman) on this site that can write from the heart and not matter the subject they can just draw you into their life.  There is another individual that shows so much compassion in their blogs that you just want to read everything they have to say and thinks the mind is sexier than anything else.  There are countless people who write something everyday from the important to the trivial things in their life and do not mind sharing with all of us.  These people keep the high levels of motivation and meaning flowing all throughout this site.  So many people who will reply to as many blogs as possible in hopes of helping someone and seems to always have just the right thing to say.  I really love looking at everyone’s pics from the progression of their workouts to life in general.

Thank you for your time during my vent session.  Have a great day and hit life hard everyday.

My motivation is way down this week.  I have some personal issues going on right now but it is not keeping me out of the gym and hitting it as hard as I can.  I am not seeing the fruits of my labor and it is quite frankly, pissing me off.  I don’t know if it is due to low morale or out right being impatient. 

Well anyway I would like to thank everyone on bodyspace that are reporting high motivation levels, blogs and awsome progress pics.  All this helps me keep going.  Everyone keep up the GREAT work because people are noticing the progress, so if you are using photo shop to make yourself feel better you are only cheating YOURSELF.  Go to the gym like everyone else.

To everyone doing the best they can, I would like to say you are heros in my book.

Today I am starting the 4th week of a 12 week heavy cycle.  I start the week with a weigh in each Monday morning on an empty stomach.  I use the same scale each Monday at the gym.  I have fluctuated weight from week to week.  Last week I weighed in at 175 lbs. and today I am 184 lbs.  I have been doing extremely well on my diet with zero cheating, even on the weekends.  The increase in weight does not bother me as long as it is lean muscle mass but I am fully aware that I did not gain 9-10 lbs. in a single week.  Does anyone else have these issues?

On a positive side of things, this morning was a great day in the gym.  I worked bi’s and tri’s together.  I know this is not what most people do but I get a huge pump when I work them together.  When I work them on seperate days I don’t feel that they get worked enough.

Well that is enough of me blabbing, if anyone has any comments on my weight issue I would love to hear about them.  Have a great day and hit it hard everyday.