Monday, June 11, 2007

Good news train keeps on rolling

I just got back from my first of two workouts today. I did another session of the BB complex and once again I have improved drastically. My previous record was getting to the Power Cleans in the third round but not attempting them. Today I completed the entire 3 rounds and I am sweating as much as usual but not breathing nearly as hard. The only thing I need to work on still is getting deeper in the hole on my squats. I have a suspicion that my stomach might be slightly preventing my ability to get deeper. Overall I can definitely tell that my hamstrings and glutes are getting much stronger, and I have finally started to get the feel for the RDLs and GMs which is a major plus since up to this point they have always felt a little awkward.

Weigh-In day

Still feeling great about yesterday, today is weigh-in/measurement day. Overall I am very happy with my progress but there was a couple spots I was hoping for bigger numbers. Oh well, that just gives me more motivation to work my ass off this week.

Here are my current stats:

Age: 24
Weight: 242 lbs. (-5.6lbs)
Chest: 45" (-1.5")
Waist: 48.5" (0")
Hips: 44.5" (-0.75")
Thighs: 26" (0")
Biceps: 15.5" (-0.75")
Calves: 16.5" (+1")
Wrists: 7" (0)
Forearms: 12" (0)

Overall I am very happy, 5lbs and 3" lost and 1" gained on my calves. I was pretty disappointed about the 0 change in my waist measurement. As for my thighs, I didn't expect them to grow or lose because I have very very little fat on them so the only change I expect on them is to grow, and at 26" I don't know if I want them to grow any larger. The same with my calves, very little fat so the only real change will most likely be them growing. The last measurement I am unsure of is my biceps, not sure if a loss is good or bad, I am just assuming it is losing fat on my arms so it's a good thing.

So thats my results, now its time to go eat and get ready for workout #1 of my two-a-day today.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Today is a great day!

Well, I did my FL-I B workout today and I am extremely pleased with some things I noticed. Of course, this could also be due to a good sleep, or eating or even placebo but I don't care, I see it as legit improvement and that is what I am sticking with :D.

First off, I had tonnes of energy which is great because the last couple days I have been really lethargic from the diet so to me that means that my body is adjusting and learning that it has to get my energy from fat rather then carbs (what can I say, my body is as stubborn as I am). Also I noticed some real positive changes in the gym. I haven't really upped the weights much at all but today I was able to stick to rest times much more accurately (currently at 3x12 @ 60s rest), previously I have been so winded that I had to take longer between supersets to get ready for the next. Also, when I was getting winded and my heart was racing I noticed that I got it back down and under control much faster then I used to, so my cardiovascular system must be improving. As I already said my weights aren't going up but I am able to hit all exercises for full reps now and I have been really focusing on my form which has improved by a lot. I think the thing I am most proud of however is that for the first time ever I have been able to do static lunges for full reps. Which is 3x12 reps for each leg at 250lbs. bodyweight. This is huge for me and is proof that all the posterior chain exercises (the lunges, squats, deadlifts etc) are paying off. Not only did I hit all the reps but they felt great, good form, and my quad on the supporting leg wasn't even remotely fatigued like previously. Before today my supporting quad would always be so sore that I would have to take a 30s break between legs or else when I switched legs I could barely do any. Speaking of fatiguing, my grip strength and forearms have improved leaps and bounds also. When I first started FL I my forearms were killing me after the first superset of workout B (Deadlifts and DB Incline Bench Press) and now my grip didn't even start to fail until the RDLs at the end and even then it was partially due to the callouses and not wanting them to tear.

These little improvements have my motivation levels through the roof. I can't wait for my next workout, which happens to be my BB complex tomorrow that I plan to do 2x. Once in the morning then once at night; I have workouts to make up for due to the foot problems last week. This also has me really excited for my weigh-in/measurements tomorrow. I feel great and I know that there will have been a change in some form or another.

So, have a good night everyone and I will post again tomorrow night with my weigh-in results!

Saturday, June 9, 2007

What a week.

This has been a very tiring week and a big test to my willpower and commitment to this challenge. Not only am I still in the beginnings of TNT, my hours at work have gone up almost double, and I am working out more then ever. The natural result of all this change is that I have been dog tired all week. I work 11 hour days (7am-6pm) and by the time I get home, make supper, get other chores and things done it is time to workout then go to bed. It gets very taxing when I don't have time to just relax and let my mind rest.

Thankfully I have been able to keep my eating on track, I'm looking forward to Monday and taking my measurements; though if they aren't improved or as improved as I am hoping for it is going to be a serious blow to my determination and dedication. Also my workouts have been suffering a little, the workouts I did get in this week were good overall, I tried to keep my rest periods exact and really worked on my form. I think overall I improved each time but I was kind of disappointed with the seeming backwards slide of my big lifts (Squat and Deadlift). I just didn't feel the energy for them I usually have. I am hoping it is just a side-effect of all the new crap that I mentioned above and that it will pass once my body adjusts.

On Thursday I did something to the soles of my feet. I am not sure what I did or what may have caused it but they are very sore and tender when I walk on them. It feels almost as if they are sunburned. To add onto it, the balls of my feet are very tender, and almost feel swollen when I put pressure on them, kind of like they are bruised. My uninformed opinion is that the cause is from the additional hours at work, and hence the added time on my feet and moving around combined with old worn shoes. I am going to scrounge up some money and pick up a new pair of shoes.

Now that the weekly wrap up is complete I need to vent a little. In case anyone didn't know I work as a Car Prep for a major car rental company. This is just a temporary job while I work through college. I just need something to pay the bills.

Basically my duties involve cleaning the vehicles, driving customers home, picking up vehicles at other branches. Basically I am on the move all day, the only time I stop moving all day (7am-6pm) is for 1 hour for my lunch break. First I want to say that I despise the general public, people overall are the so disgusting, ignorant, careless. Since starting this job I have come across some of the most disgusting vehicles I have ever seen. I am not talking about a little dirt on the floor, I mean imagine the most disgusting, filthy, dirty, your vehicle has EVER been and multiply that by 3. The ONLY way I can understand a vehicle becoming this dirty is that the person did it on purpose. There is no way it could happen by normal use. It's not even just the dirt, it's the smell, dear god the smells. I have literally thrown up after getting into a few cars and being hit with the odour. Imagine that, a car that smells so bad that it makes you throw up. It is even worse in the summer because people run the Air Conditioning and the odours get trapped in the air system. Then, because they are ignorant and don't think they leave the air on full blast when they turn the vehicle off. So what happens when I get in to bring it to the wash bay? I turn the car on and get a face full of your fucking stink. It's called soap, you stand in a shower, or barring that, under a running hose, wet the soap and rub it against the skin, it can remove that stink. Try it some time. As for the dirt, I don't expect you to vacuum the vehicles before you return it, I understand that is my job, but at least remove some of the major garbage like that bags, coffee cups, pop cans, etc. Oh and if you spill something just wipe it up, don't leave it to stain the entire inside of the car. Is that too much to ask?

Enough about the vehicles, time to vent about my manager. She is a putz. She is completely out of touch with what the preps actual do and deal with every day (A manager that is out of touch with the general workers, imagine that lol). Right now it is summer here, and the temperature is about 32 degrees Celsius (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit) and up with a general 80-90% humidity or higher since we are surrounded by water. When you are cleaning cars all day in the heat; and believe me cleaning cars is a lot more work then you would think; it tends to wear you out. I keep a 2.2L jug with me at work that I fill with water, I go through 2 a day usually and I rarely use the restroom which means I am sweating out nearly or even more then all the water I am drinking. Normally, a good manager would understand that it's hot and people can't work hard for long times in the heat without a rest but nope, not my manager. I tried to stop for 5 minutes just to eat an afternoon snack since it was 3pm and I hadn't eaten since noon. I got yelled at for stopping, and she watched me until I went back out and got back to work. On top of that she buys the supplies and parts (new hose, nozzle head etc) that she likes and thinks work well without asking us, the people that actually use it. She thinks that because her and the other office people help us occasionally when we need 4-5 cars cleaned quickly that she understands what we need. The truth is the shit she bought us is terrible. The hose kinks constantly and the nozzle head sucks, all it does is spray water everywhere and soaks us. Having wet pants/shoes/socks for an 11 hour day is NOT fun and incredibly uncomfortable.

OK, that is enough ranting, I need to go eat something. I always say this but I do honestly want to update this more often. Only time will tell though.

Keep up the great work fellow challengers only 7 weeks to go.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Quick Update

To tired to think of something meaningful to type so just going to say I today was another 2/2 day
eating wise and I just got home from my workout (Fat Loss I - B).

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Success is a Journey not a Destination!

It's three days into the journey, I still have tonnes of supplies, and I am having a blast. I am looking forward to my workouts, I am not having as difficult time with the new diet as I had predicted. Even my hours at work have picked up so my money issues are weighing less on my mind. All in all things are going great and I couldn't be happier.

Yesterday was a great workout, I did Fat Loss I - A from New Rules of Lifting. I decided to make 2 minor adjustments, I changed the Back Squat to a Front Squat. I find it helps me go much deeper which was evidenced by them kicking my ass and me not being able to hit all the reps. Also I changed the Rotational Lunge which is a walking lunge with an upper-body twist to a static lunge. I am still heavy so any lunge with just body weight is still a lot of weight and I don't think I should be doing more advanced lunges until I can complete simple static lunges for reps. Other then those 2 adjustments the workout was great and I was huffing and puffing by the end. A little word of advice to any readers. DO NOT do a workout that has a lot of heavy leg work then 45 minutes later go sit in a cold theatre for 3 hours. I went to stand up after the movie and my legs were completely stiff, it sucked big time.

After supper we went to Wendy's to eat so I had a Chicken BLT salad with Ranch dressing which is all protein+fat with the only carbs coming from veggies, completely within the structure of TNT. When we got home I was still a little hungry so I had a few slices of turkey breast and some unshelled peanuts.

As for today, eating has been perfect so far, gonna go lay down and let my back rest up then hopefully hit the gym for another complex. Curse you James for ever mentioning these :p ok well maybe not curse you, I do love them, at least before and after them. During them I have a slightly different opinion.

That is all for today, I will try to keep this a little better updated, maybe actual give the days report on the specific day rather then the day after, but we'll see.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Day 1 is in the books

Ok well technically I am on day 2 but gimme a break I was exhausted last night.

Day 1 was a great day, my only real complaint was the lack of sleep (only about 4 hours) the night before. Not only was this day the first day of the challenge but it was my first day of TNT and I am really excited to do this. My eating was spot-on all day, no cheats, and the only time I had a craving for any kind of carb was late at night just before bed but I am positive it was because I was tired and not because I was truly hungry. I think my hardest battle diet wise is going to be breaking free of my carb addiction and learning to recognize false hunger signals.

A workout wasn't planned and it was a good thing because I didn't get a chance to go to the gym before it closed at 9pm. Nice 24 hour gym eh? Closes at 9 on Fridays. Oh well.

Day 2 has started off well also, as I am typing this I am waiting for my protein shake to digest a little before I hit the gym for Fat Loss I - workout A from NROL. This is my second time doing this specific workout and I am looking forward to either hitting more reps or cutting the rest times down a little. I am not too concerned with raising the weights just yet, I need to get my conditioning higher.

Today is going to be a test as I am heading to the movies with a friend to check out Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and then after he will probably want to hit a fast food place for some food. Other then that I see no real hurdles to overcome today except maybe forgetting to eat since I have a hard time with that on weekends.

Lastly I want to say that everyone needs to order the LiftStrong cd. All the proceeds go to cancer research and it is definitely worth the money.