Stewart’s Blog

I revised my workout routine (see my main page).  I’m moving to 3X/week and 3 sets/exercise.  As I plan to be adding weight to the bar, I’m decreasing my goal reps on sets 2 & 3.  I’m excited about this.  I’m ready to get started.  My first W/O with the new plan will be next Wednesday or Thursday.  Until then the cardio continues–that’s getting stepped up (pun intended) along with my strength training.

I am delighted to write here that I’ve quit smoking.  Today was day 4 w/o the smokes.  I miss ‘em.  I’ll always miss ‘em.  I quit the first time ~16 years ago.  Started back 2 years ago.  I’m done with those things.  I had several opportunites to pick up a pack in the last couple of days and didn’t.  I made a deliberate choice.  I’m glad.  I expect in a week or so I’ll be able to step up my cardio.  I pushed it a little tonight and was surprised at how well I did.  

I keep a personal Journal.  This (see following) is the sort of stuff I sometimes explore there.  I saw the following quote on a BodySpace.  It’s haunting to me.  Is the quote haunting or just haunting me?  What in the world does it mean?  I guess it is so esoteric that it could mean a lot of things given different contexts ("context is everything" a friend of mine says).

“Some things are worth fightin for…Some feelings never die…I’m not asking for another chance…I just wanna know why…”

The quote sounds sort of like song lyrics.  It’s a puzzle.  It’s effect on me is a puzzle too.  I put it here only because I don’t have my journal with me and I didn’t want to loose the quote.

Today I entered by baseline body statistics in preparation for increasing the frequency, weight lifted, and intensity of my training.  I feel good about my first month back on the weights.  I’m ready to get started.  I will record my body stats monthly although I will take them bi-weekly and make adjustments based on those.  Next body statistics update will be November 1.
 
My body stats look pretty poor.  That would be expected given how little I have done physically in the last 6-7 years. 

I’m looking forward to the demands of the workouts and the freedom that more strength will give me to do the things I enjoy doing–hiking, riding my motorcycle, getting stuff done around the house, getting wild with my wife (I love her and want to express that love in all the ways God gave a man for as long as He allows–I hope I’m still wearing myself out when I’m 80).  I’d like to try my hand at rock climbing, repelling, and skydiving before I get too old to enjoy those things. 
 
I’ll create some goals for my body stats in a couple of months when I see what the possibilities are.  By then I’ll be over those easy gains that come when starting out or returning to lifting. 

I have the same plan for my lifting stats and goals for those.  I should have some lifting stats in sometime in November.  The goals will come later, probably with the body statistics goals. 
Whew! There is a good climb ahead and I am READY to get started.
 
I have my baseline photo and expect that I’ll have a first progress picture in January or February. 

…the scale don’t lie, the BF calipers MAY lie.  I’ve got a couple of things to consider.  If my BF measures are correct then how did I gain 2 lbs this week, loose 1.8% in body fat, and have NO change in waist size.  This seems like a whole new way of BF reduction–just keep the same amount of absolute fat and grow enough muscle to get to the percentage you want!  Actually, I do see what’s going on. 

 I’m going to keep my program about the same but rearrange a couple of my short-term goals.  I’m not going to focus on EXACTLY how many calories I’m consuming–just keep the eating in check and keep it clean.  I’m getting my routine down, getting the weight up, and will be stepping things up a bit more in about a week (part of my original plan).

 I’m pleased so far with my return-to-lifting adventure.  I do not have a lot of visible results–I would not have expected any yet.  I’m remembering a lot of what I used to know and putting it to use.  We’ll see what the next few weeks bring. 

Today I started loading on the weight.  I’ve been using some light weights while getting back into my program.  I added weight to several of my exercises and increased the weight on others.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow (hehehe).

Wednesday (2 days) is weight/waist day.  If I haven’t made any progress on the BF, I’m changing some things up.  I’m going to flip my plan–lean gain first, BF second.  I was thinking during my cardio yesterday that it’s the increase in lean mass that enables easier BF reduction.  My current plan doesn’t make sense in light of that.  I’ll know more on Wednesday.

Back in the day, as they say, I made some hay movin’ heavy weights my own way…
OK…cracker can’t rap. 
I’ve been thinking about rep speed and how it affects the weight I use.  I used to use a slow rep routine (3 sometimes four seconds–2 or 3 up and 1 down).  A slow rep reduced the weight I could use if I planned to meet my rep goal for each set.  At a faster rep speed, I could use more weight and still meet rep goals. 

Since then, I’ve been advised/read that research is mixed on rep speed (time under load—TUL, etc).  The research is mixed at least as it relates to building muscle or strength.  I’ve decided to take a little faster rep routine (2 seconds–1 up/1 down).  That’s not so fast that I’ll be benefiting from momentum or risking injury.  Plus my stats will look SO much more impressive (don’t you think?).
Now I’m wondering about the weights listed in the BodySpaces I track.  With a higher rep speed the weight can be higher.  I guess the useful measure is the one (1) rep max (actual or estimated).  That’ll tell the tale over hill, valley, and dale.  No lies to bring up the bowels of Hell.  No fakin’ that you’re makin’ it….

Cracker can’t rap.
 

Diet and nutrituion used to be the part of my training that I didn’t think much about.  It was easy.  I knew what to do to move in the direction where I wanted to go.  Now?  I can’t seem to get that right.  Paitence.  Paitence. 

 In spite of my own thoughts and the recommendations of others, I’m going back to a 1500 cal/day routine.  That just can’t be but the data shows it.  I ain’t budging on 2000 cal/day.  I’m also going to take measurements and weigh every two weeks.  If I don’t get this figured out soon, I ain’t gonna make my weight goal.

The equipment I use for my training includes a power rack, an insufficient variety of dumbbells, a ski trainer (for cardio), and a few other things like a clock, desk, reference books, my workout file, etc.  I feel very fortunate to have these things AND a space to use them.  Working out at home is great for me.  When I read some of the situations board members have, I see I am blessed.  Just Dave and 82_Fister are two I know who are on military assignment.  Those training areas aren’t the greatest.  Fastdraw is in South Africa and he has to MAKE his own equipment.  From his pictures I take it he also has to do his workout OUTSIDE.  What I have ain’t the hottest hippest thing but it works good for me.  What would I like to add?   Hmmm….  I would like a little more space.  I would like a rack for my dumbbells.  I would like a lat/cable attachment for my power rack (pull downs and leg curls).   If I had the space I’d like to have a calf machine.  Calves are a bit of a pain in the rack–lots of weights high up, balancing the bar while I work those pups, and of course breaking all that down for the next exercise.    I like what I have.  I’m satisfied with my gym. 

After being completely off my nutrituion plan AND my WO during the holiday weekend, I’m ready to get back at it.  As I was getting started last week, I saw that my calories will HAVE to come up.  I knew that 1500 was low.  The day I worked out I knew it.  The next day I was STARVING all day.  I’m still in fat reducing mode so I want to see if 2000 calories will do what I need or if I’ll need to bump it up a little more. My stats show the effects of the weekend.  Everything is pretty much flat–no change.