wlifter123’s BodyBlog

So I weighed myself this morning and was suprised to see 170.2 lbs on the scale.  I had just finished a morning run, and hadn’t drank any water yet, but that’s still really light…  Scary light.  I’m about as in good of shape as I’ve ever been, but considering that I’m normally about 10 lbs heavier I was a bit shocked.  To think about 5 years ago I was around 205 lbs…  I was significantly stronger back then, but I’m certainly much more fit and much more happy now.  Anyway, I really like how I feel, but I’m not sure if I want to stay this light.  I’ve got some thinking to do and figure out if it’s time to start adding some mass.  Ideally I’d like to keep doing what I’m doing, maybe push up my caloric intake slightly and hope that I can put on an additional 5 or 10 pounds of muscle over the next year while maintaining my current fitness level.  I think 180 to 185 lbs at my current bodyfat percentage (approximately 10%) would be a great longer term goal.  In fact, I’m going to create that goal in my bodyspace account to be achieved in 1.5 years as soon as I’m done here.  Should be able to achieve that without too much trouble ( I could stand to gain about 7 to 10 lbs of muscle just in my legs).

Finally went back to the gym for the first time in about 3 months.  I’d been doing my bodyweight workouts in that time frame and it’s about time I see how my strength has held up.  I’ve only done back so far, the one most likely to do well in bodyweight workouts, but I improved big time.  Infact, during my low rows I figured that I must have put the pin in the wrong place because I was moving the weight so easily (the same weight I was using prior to my 3 months away from the gym).  I didn’t do a single low row in my time away from the gym, but I’ve obviously gotten much stronger at the lift.  I’ll try chest and shoulders next, and hopefully have similar results.  Since I wasn’t doing much for legs 3 months ago, I don’t have much to compare to, but I’m planning on continuing some bodyweight workouts for my legs for another 4 weeks before I add weight.

Currently for legs I’m doing single leg squats, single leg deadlifts, lunges, and bodyweight squats while holding weight.  Hopefully this will be enough to get me started on a lower body program, which honestly I’ve been avoiding since my injury, but really should be concentrating on more than anything.  It’s time to be honest with myself and just accept that I’m avoiding it, because my legs are weak, and my pride is holding me back.  Avoiding it has just made me weaker.  My pride will keep me doing these workouts at home for about another month, but I’ve promised myself that in a month I’ll be hitting legs hard AT the gym.

My girlfriend and I ran in another 5K this weekend.  I didn’t break any barriers or get an impressive time, but I’ve now got a good starting point for my running.  I ran the 5K in 26:23.  I’ve got another run coming up this next weekend, and I’m hoping to beat 26:00.  By November I want to beat 24 minutes.  That’s a lot of improvement, but I’m basically a beginner, so I should see some fast improvement.

I’m down to 174.2 lbs at the moment, which is kind of scary.  I wanted to thin out, but getting this lean light is kind of weird.  I still feel strong, and I feel a lot more fit, but I’ve lost some significant mass and know I look a lot smaller.  Overall though, I’m really happy with my body composition and wouldn’t trade this body for the one I had three months ago.  I simply feel awesome right now.

I bought the book, "New Rules of Lifting" on Friday.  I’ve already read the entire book, and it’s just about the best book on lifting that I’ve ever read.  If you know somebody looking to get into lifting, this book is a good first step for them.  It’s not targeted to bodybuilders, so many of you may not find it helpful (the author even seems to have a negative view of bodybuilders), but for the average person getting into lifting, I don’t think I’ve ever read a better book for them.  It pushes compound lifts, avoids isolation, discusses cardio, and provides a solid nutritional background for the reader.  It also provides over a years worth of lifting routines, which seem to be getting pretty good reviews elsewhere on the internet.  I’ve yet to try them, but may start one as I ease my way back into the gym from the comfort of my home workouts (where I don’t have all the necessary equipment to perform his workouts).

The part about writing these blogs that I least like is coming up with a title  From now on, I think I’m just going to discribe the current weather conditions if I don’t have a singular subject for my blog.

I worked late last night, but still managed to get my run in.  However because I had worked late, I ate late too, which didn’t provide a lot of time between eating and running.  At about 2.5 miles I was at my puking point and decided it was probably best to just stop.  I only had a 6" sub from subway, a protien shake, yogurt, and some almonds.  I really think the almonds are what did me in.  They just sit in my stomach, which is great because it keeps me feeling full, but horrible if I’m trying to run.  Besides feeling like I was going to puke most of the run I felt awesome, like nothing could make me tired.  Anyway, I’ve got another 5K this Saturday, hopefully I’ll do well.  I won’t be eating almonds just before the race. 

First, we ran our 5K on Sunday.  My girlfriend did awesome for her first race, I’m very proud of her.  She’s never been an athlete, but she’s taking to running very well.  I stuck by her side the entire way and watched her push up hills with ease.  Over the next few months I expect her times will improve, and she’ll be quite a runner by the end of the year.

Did a chest/shoulder/tri workout last night at home.  It went very well.  I haven’t been tracking my calories like I have in the past, but I know I’m eating more right now, but very clean (with the exception of this last Saturday).  I guess I’m getting a bit nervous only being 175 lbs…  Although I like how I look, this is pretty light for me.  I’m going to just keep eating a lot of really good food, keep running, and keep lifting.  I’ll just see how my body responds, and then make adjustments as neccessary.  Ideally I think I’d like to be 180 lbs, 9% bodyfat.  That’s a bodyweight and bodyfat percentage I think I can maintain without killing myself in the gym or feeling deprieved of too much.

Went tubing and then to a Toby Keith concert on Saturday, had more than a few beers, and ate a slice of pizza, and two very large hot dogs.  Had a lot of empty calories, need to make up for this over the couple weeks.  This was my first binge in about 5 weeks though, and I usually don’t have cheat meals…  F*ck, I’m making excuses already…  Need to eat clean.

I’m really satisfied with the change in my body composition over the last month.  I’m down to 175, and pretty lean.  I’m going to keep with the home program for the next two weeks, and then it’s back to the gym…  Should be interesting to see where I am in terms of my strength.  Regardless of strength, I feel awesome.

I’ve been running regularly, and have a 5k with my girlfriend on Sunday.  I won’t be running for time, as I’ll just be sticking to her side.  It’s her first 5k.  I’ve got about 5 more planned through November, so I’ll have plenty of chances to get a good time this year.

Anyway, I spotted a challenge about a month ago on another website, and I’ve been thinking about it since.  In the next two weeks, while I’m still concentrating on bodyweight workouts, I think I’m going to try and achieve it.  Basically it’s straight sets of 40 dips, 20 pull ups, 50 push ups, and 5 muscle ups; all within 6 minutes.  Individually I know I can do all of these and more, but together in 6 minutes might be a challenge since I’ll be doing dips and push ups, and pull ups and muscle ups together within a quick time frame.  They use the same muscle groups, and there will be some massive lactic acid build up for sure during the second exercise.  I’ll post my results.  If you’re wondering where this came from, it’s from a group out of NY called the Bar-Barions (or something like that).  They have this whole bodyweight training thing, and from what’s posted on their site, they do some awesome stuff.  They’re built like tanks.  Makes me hope that I might have got stronger doing my bodyweight stuff, but I know that’s unlikely.  Anyway, these guys challenge people to do this workout and send in a video of them doing it.  Personally I don’t need their approval that I did the challenge, so I won’t be sending in a video, but I’m interested in the challenge itself.

Take care,

-Dan

I’ve haven’t written anything here since February, so I figured I’d write something to record my current status.  After hitting my goal weight of 176 lbs I just kind of took it easy and stopped counting calories.  I didn’t gain a lot of the weight back, but I’m about 2 lbs higher right now than I’d like at 178 lbs.  I’m still happy with that weight, and I’m still within a week or two range my own ideal bodyweight. 

Currently I’m running every evening, nothing long, just about 1.5 miles.  I’ll probably kick it up to 2 this week.  Fall is right around the corner and I really enjoy running in the Fall.  I’ve got about 6 5Ks I’m planning for as well.  I love the 5K, it’s easy enough that anybody can run it, but it’s enough distance to make you feel like you’re a runner.  I’ve done a lot of running in my past during the Fall, it’s so nice out it’s very easy for me to pick up and enjoy it.  I never seem to keep with it in the winter though after ice starts to appear on the roads.  My goal is going to be to average at least 7 miles each week until next Fall.  I’ve re-evaluate my milage at that point.  I don’t want to be a long distance runner, 1.5 to 2 miles/day is enough to keep me feeling fit and not eat muscle or take up a huge portion of my day.

I’ve pretty much stopped going to the gym.  This is probably a huge sin around here, but I’ve started doing my workouts at home, so I haven’t stopped everything.  Bascially after lifting for 15 years, I need a break from the gym.  I don’t want to stop working out, but I need a major change.  I decided to take the summer off from the gym and workout at home.  It’s worked really well to this point.  I had started to skip workouts prior to this decision, but recently I haven’t missed a single workout.  At this point I almost want to start going back to the gym again, but I won’t allow myself until the end of September.  I expect I’ll go down on all my lifts, but hopefully not too bad.  And with a renewed interest in the gym, I’m hoping I’ll make up what I’ve lost and keep gaining.  Looking in the mirror, my body composition looks about the same, but I have to assume I’ve lost some muscle. 

Monday and Thursdays I do weighted pushups (girlfriend sits on my back), BB shoulder presses, standing tri. extensions, front delt raises, lateral raises, close grip pushups.  Tuesday and Friday I do 10 to 12 sets of varous types of pullups and 3 sets of BB curls.  I’d like to add hanging rows (and cut back on the pullups), but haven’t found a good spot to do them.  Wednesday and Saturday I do bodyweight squats.  I know that’s not a lot for legs, and I plan to add more, but it seems I always mess up my knee doing anything more.  I’ll probably start doing lunges and light weighted squats now after writing this and feeling pathatic about how little I’m doing.  I also train core with multiple sets of hanging leg raises, but I don’t really plan these, I just do them whenever I feel like it.

So that’s were I stand at the moment.  I’m not at my best, but still within striking distance of my old self.  In a little over a month I’ll be back at the gym and know where I stand.  I’ll up date this blog once I’ve been back for a week or two to record my results.  Even if I’m significantly weaker, I can’t say I’ll be dissapointed, I needed this break. 

I’m inching closer to my goal weight, today I was 176.2, only 0.2 more pounds to go!  I’m off to S.F. this Sunday for work.  I plan to stay on track, but that can be hard on the road.  So close to my goal, I can’t let it slip. 

Getting to a gym regularly while I’m out in S.F. might also be a challange based on the amount of work I’ve got to do, but I’ll squeeze in my workouts some how.  On Sunday before I leave, I’m doing a full body workout, just in case I can only make it to the gym once while I’m out there.  I come back on a red eye on Thursday night and arrive back home on Friday morning.  If I can get one full body workout in while I’m out there, and then make sure to get to the gym on Friday, I should be fine.  Not my ideal situation, but not a bad worst case scenario.  Hopefully I’ll make it to the gym at least twice while I’m there.

My workout today was only back and bi’s, tried a few lunges, they just don’t feel right with my knee.  I might try them again later tonight, but I doubt anything will change.  I’ve got my MRI tonight at 9PM, so hopefully I’ll have the results mid-next week. 

I’m really dreading the surgery/recovery now.  Thinking about it is taking a toll on my sleep.  During my last knee injury when they were showing me my MRI and explaining it to me I fainted.  Yeah, I fainted over a black and white picture of things I could barely make out.  I’ll never forget the few seconds before that happened, the doc points to this little squiggling thing on the screen and say’s, "See that, that’s your ACL."  That was all she wrote, next thing I remember the doctor and his assistent were leaning over me on the table talking some medical talk that basically meant that I just fainted.  The day of my surgery was much worse, but I’ll save that story for another time.  This time, they’re going to have to give me a lot of pills to take the morning of the surgery before I show up.  Anyway, I don’t handle things like this very well, blood and injuries have also had this effect on me.  I’m just a wimp when it comes to these things.

Weighed in again at 176.4, that’s two days in a row.  I’m pretty happy with that.  Still eating 2,200 calories/day.  Feel like I’m force feeding myself in the morning.  I wonder what it will be like when I kick it up to 2,500 after I reach 176 lbs.

I spoke with my friend the other day.  He’s a weight lifter and probably the closest thing I know to a bodybuilder in my life.  He lifts hard, watches his diet, takes just about every supplement you ever heard of, and he’s a pretty big guy.  He told me that he’s having liver problems.  The doctor told him he couldn’t eat meat, take medication, drink, or take supplements for a month, then they’re going to run another blood test.  Apparently his liver is over worked, or something like that.  The doctor suspects it’s a combination of the supplements and the amount of red meat he eats.  I don’t understand why meat might cause this.  However my buddy apparently hasn’t been taking time off from the supplements like many of them suggest in their instructions, and he’s thinking they might be the cause as well.  Hopefully he’ll be fine in a month.  In the mean time he’s been on a vegaterian diet, and off the supplements.  He told me his bench jumped 30 lbs.  I don’t understand that, but this guy wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.  I’m not suggesting a vegaterian diet is better than a meat diet, or that everybody should stop taking supplements, I don’t believe either of those statements, but my buddy’s gains are interesting.  I do hope that everybody realizes that taking some of this stuff does take a toll on your body, and taking time off from supplements time to time is important.

Thanks,

-Dan

Weighed in at 176.4 today.  Getting real close to my goal weight.  It’s interesting to me how I dropped weight so fast after bumping up my caloric intake.  I won’t get too excited until I hit my number three days in a row, otherwise it could just be dehydration.  Regardless if I go up a bit, it looks like I’m on schedule to hit my goal weight before my deadline.  And once I do hit my goal weight, I’m really looking forward to increasing my calories by another 200/day.

The current increase in calories almost feels like I’m force feeding myself.  It’s only 200 calories, but I’m forcing myself to eat those extra 200 in the morning.  For the last two days it’s really made me feel full the entire day. 

Still upset about my knee, but there’s nothing I can do except suck it up and do what I have to do.  I’m going to do bodyweight squats until the surgery, then I’ll just follow the advice of my physical therapist for the rest of my recovery.  A small part of me is still holding out hope that the doctor’s first impression is wrong and that the MRI will show that there’s nothing seriously wrong and I’ll just have to go easy until some swelling goes down… 

-Dan

I seems like I just recovered from my ACL surgery.  It seemed like it took forever to get back to normal.  My legs were getting stronger, and I was really feeling like I could get back into sports again.  I was squating last week and I heard a pop, the next day the back of my leg was really tight.  I have trouble straightening my leg out, and it pops a lot now.  So I went to the doctor’s, the same guy who did my ACL surgery.  He thinks I may have torn my meniscus… 

I can’t tell you how bummed out I am over this.  This is the type of thing that kicks my ass.  I’m working out, trying to strengthen my legs so that I never have knee problems again, and the unfortunate happens!!!  The Doc’s not 100% it’s a meniscus tear, I still need a MRI, which I’ve scheduled for the 20th, but he seemed pretty sure.  It’s not nearly the same as an ACL replacement thank God, the recovery should be A LOT quicker.  It should only be 4 to 6 weeks out, so I’m happy about that, and that’s the only thing keeping me from going crazy right now.  It’s a minor set back, that’s how I have to view it.  I will have surgery, recover, and get on with an active healthy life.

When he was explaining the injury to me, I told him that I skipped squating today because of the injury, but thought I might be able to do it tonight if he didn’t think it would further injure my knee.  He looked at me like I was an idiot.  If it’s already torn, and they already have to do surgery, I figured if it didn’t hurt (right now it doesn’t hurt, just feels really weird) and wouldn’t do any damage, why not?  It looks like no lower body work for awhile.  It’ll probably be a month until the surgery, and then it’ll be a month until I can workout with weights again…

At least my time in the gym will be shorter for awhile, just upper body…