It's time for me to start a journal. I write online at http://www.justonepen.org, but that forum isn't really for this sort of thing. I find that the people in my life don't generally get this dedication to fitness and nutrition, and the JSF community is the place where I go to feel "normal". With guys like zenpharaohs, 1fastGTX, and chicanerous around, I don't know that "normal" is the right word, but
you know. :lol:

I have chronicled some of my story (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=38131) in the Media Gallery, including an update today. But here's a quick consolidation of progress pictures. (Sorry for the inconsistent lighting.)

Relaxed profile pictures:

May 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/1side05202007.jpg

July 2007:
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/1side07212007.jpg

September 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/090920079

November 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress11032007i.jpg



Relaxed front shots:

March 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/032920071.jpg

May 2007
http://justonepen.org/progress/1front05202007.jpg

July 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/1front07212007.jpg

Sept 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/090920078.jpg

November 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress11032007a.jpg


And flexed front shots:

May 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/2front05202007.jpg

July 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/2front07212007.jpg

Sept 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress/090920072.jpg

November 2007
http://www.justonepen.org/progress11032007b.jpg

That'll be fine for now. There are more pictures in the thread linked above, but this will give me a decent benchmark to check back against.

So here I am. I've been at this hard for what? Seven or eight months? I've lost about 30lbs. of fat and put on a few pounds of muscle. I am ready for a new workout plan and a new nutrition plan. I'll divide those up into two other posts, to shorten this a bit.

I've been doing splits since I started back at this game. I really like lifting nearly everyday, and having a three day split (arms/shoulders, legs, back/chest) allowed me to pretty well do that with one day off out of every four. The last few weeks, I've been doing 4x6es of working sets, and that's been a decent, middle of the road sort of approach.

For the next 6-8 weeks, I am thinking that I am going to go a little higher in volume, to 3x10s. I feel like I do a bit better with higher volume, and for this next cycle, I am going to move more toward that end.

And rather than a split, I'm going to do three full body workouts a week. Actually, that's a bit misleading. I box several days a week, depending on how my body feels, and so I will actually be working out at least 5 or 6 days a week, doing two-a-days most days. On non lifting days, I tend to do conditioning workouts. I try to take one entire day off every week, generally Sunday.

Now, I have some injuries and special considerations at work here. The biggest thing is that there is something wrong with my right hip. I've been in physical therapy for two months, and the doctors all disagree what exactly is going on, but I have a severe clicking in my right hip, caused by the IT band, whenever I come over the top of my hip bearing weight (this is most noticeable walking and, especially, running, which I am no longer allowed to do). I was thinking that squats were aggravating this injury, but I am now less certain. I have strengthened the abductors of my hips, increased my flexibility, and on the whole, I think I am ready to start working squats and deadlift variants back into my workouts. This may have to change as I listen to my body, but for now, I am trying it.

My main goal for this cycle is to put on some muscle, to build strength, to improve on some of my weaker lifts (bench, squats), and continue to fill out my base.

With that said, my workout schedule is looking, rather loosely, like the following. Note that the first two or three exercises form the core of each of those days, with oddments following on each day.

Monday
Bench (BB press)
Squats (with time and practice, I want to work on front squats)
Standing EZ Bar curls (I have a weak and sprained wrist from boxing, and these are the only comfortable bicep work I can do)
Hammer curls (low weight, several times to failure - this is rehabbing my sprained wrist, which has resulted in shitty grip strength in my left arm)

Wednesday
Romanian deadlifts
Pullups (bodyweight - 3x10 won't work, but I'll do 3 sets of as many as I can)
Hamstring curls
Military press/DB shoulder press
Tricep extensions (maybe learn skullcrushers)


Friday
Leg press
Rows (low cable rows, working on bentover BB rows)
Dips (focusing on pectorals, not triceps)
Donkey calf raises (my calves are tiny but growing, I hit them hard)
Pushups (focusing on endurance)

That's the basic shape of the week. I'll be adjusting as to balance out the days and time consumed for each workout. If things don't work, they'll change. Abs get a focused workout a few times a week, whenever I feel like it, and at boxing practice.

I have pretty severe tendonitis in both forearms, and it's been bothering me lately. I am hoping that having more off days from lifting will help with that. Unfortunately, I think the boxing is actually the thing that's causing the most trouble there. I'll give it time and see if it clears up a bit - I may have to reevaluate my combat sports yet again. Sigh. :bang:

I'll be starting these workouts Monday. I am looking forward to it.

And so there's diet. Now, diet has always been my weak point, and this time around, I finally feel I have a grasp on it.

Some notes: I have trouble with veggies. Seriously. I wasn't raised eating many. I was raised with terrible eating habits, actually. I've never seen a carb I didn't like, and I've never left food on my plate. Or in the pan. What's a leftover?

I've been setting mini goals, working to break this down. I eat more fruit now. I have been working my way up with veggies. I started with one definite serving a day - a bit over a cup of broccoli eaten every evening. Then the next week I made it two servings - eating half a green pepper during the day, as well. This week, it's broccoli, green pepper, and a serving of carrots somewhere during the day. The point is that I set a goal for myself to reach, and I do it no matter what. I hope that in time this just becomes a natural affinity for vegetables.

So I've been eating at a caloric deficit for months now (with a couple of cheat weeks thrown in during vacations, which have done much to help me maintain my sanity and brought me back stronger each time). Now it's time for me to move to a regular caloric surplus. I am taking it slowly and watching the mirror and the scale. So here is a rough plan for one day of eating, as I envision it for the next few weeks:

Number are total calories, then f/c/p

Breakfast (5:40am):
Protein cookie (Oats, FF/SF pudding, Nitrean, soy milk) 210 5f/12c/31p
Vegetarian sausage patties 159 6f/7c/20p
Whole grain wheat toast 79 1f/15c/3p
with natural PB 105 9f/3c/4p
and raisins 42 0f/11c/0p


Workout (7-8am)

PWO meal (8:15am)
Muscle Milk (45g) 210 11f/7c/19p
2c soy milk 200 8f/16c/14p

Green tea

10:00am meal
Brown rice (1/4c) 171 1c/36f/4p (rough numbers)
Chicken breast (1 large) 300 6f/0c/56p (also rough)
Carrots negligible, just eat the damned things

12:30pm meal
Brown rice (1/4c) 171 1f/36c/4p
5oz lean ground turkey 200 10f/0c/27p
Green pepper see carrots

3:30pm meal
Brown rice (1/4c) 171 1f/36c/4p
Chicken breast (1 large) 300 6f/0c/56p

6pm
1/4c raisins 109 0f/29c/1p
Broccoli see green pepper and carrots and ugh I hate veggies

6:30-8pm boxing practice

8:30pm
2c soy milk 200 8f/16c/14p
60g Nitrean 220 2f/4c/48p

Sleep 9:30pm-5:40am

Totals: 2921 calories (roughly) 78f/242c/310p


I'll need to adjust. My budget is really tight right now, so Nitrean is kind of breaking the bank. I have the Muscle Milk leftover from a while back when I had no idea what I was doing. It makes a bit more sense now. Basically, I think I'm going to have to watch my budget and see what I can manage. According to the formulas, this is barely maintenance for me, but according to what my body says, this is at least maintenance. We'll see.

I am relatively satisfied with this menu - and it would be 6 days a week this way. Sunday will likely be a bit different, just to change it up for my body, but I mostly eat the same foods in heavy rotation, so this will be almost the same everyday for weeks.

I am open to any thoughts or ideas here. I think 310g of protein is an assload, but I want to get bigger, and I am very active outside of lifting with the whole martial arts thing.

So that's the plan. The people around me think I'm crazy, but they can't deny the results! :bb:

I find that the people in my life don't generally get this dedication to fitness and nutrition, and the JSF community is the place where I go to feel "normal". With guys like zenpharaohs, 1fastGTX, and chicanerous around, I don't know that "normal" is the right word, but
you know. :lol:
:lol:

Judging by your pictures up top, you've made some phenomenal progress! :tucool: Keep up the good work. :tu:

You don't need to take in 310 g of protein per day. According to a few reputatable studies, an athlete needs at minimum 1.4-1.6x their bodyweight in kilograms of grams of protein per day. So, while I'd recommend a bit more than that, I wouldn't go too crazy. 310 g is probably a good amount more than you need. Make up the difference in carbs and some fats.

Edit: According to Christian Thibaudeau, you should be getting 2.75-3.3 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (1.25-1.5 g per lb): http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1793585

"This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality.
Embrace this moment. Remember. we are eternal.
all this pain is an illusion."

Thanks, chicanerous. I am pretty proud of my progress so far. Especially given how injury laden I've been.

I am leaning toward cutting out the Muscle Milk shake in there. Or one of the meals (getting three solid meals in at work can be difficult - they already complain that it always smells like chicken :lol:). We'll see.

Like I said, I'll make adjustments. I'm only concerned with getting enough because of the boxing. But if I find 2600-2700 cals a day to be enough, I'll move down to that eventually. Adjustment, adjustment.

And yeah, I love that Tool song. It's the lyric in the tattoo on my back.

My forearms read, "And following our will and wind... we may just go where no one's been." That tattoo gives me no end of amusement, watching people try to read it without trying to look like they are reading it.

Note to self, or to the world: current pictures are 5'11", 170lbs.

Hey, fantastic progress!

I noticed in your pics that your stomach seems to be distended. How often do you work your abs? It might just be the temporary posture while you were taking the photos.

Broccoli is really nice if you steam it for a bit and then toss it in a pan with a tiny bit of oil (canola, olive, or peanut) lots of garlic, and a bit of soy sauce until slightly scorched. :eat: Most vegetables are also really good with nuts. Green beans with almonds, spinach with pecans, brussels sprouts with walnuts. Some vegetables are also really good with fruits or other sweet things, like broccoli, apples, and raisins, or spinach with raisins, strawberries, or pickled beets. Give it a try.

I don't think you need a lot of protein to be able to bulk. Try it out with the amount chicanerous suggested, and increase it from there if you're not getting the results you like. I don't know anything about muscle milk or nitrean, but I know that egg whites and tofu are pretty good cheap sources of protein, and that beans and cottage cheese are good protein/carb sources.

Your writing leaves quite an impression.

Hey, fantastic progress!

Thanks!


I noticed in your pics that your stomach seems to be distended. How often do you work your abs? It might just be the temporary posture while you were taking the photos.

In that first profile shot, I'm not pushing my stomach out. That was how it would be if I took a breath in and then just relaxed. It has shrunk considerably. My abs are very strong, as they have to be, as I normally take a lot of punches and kicks to them. But they weren't in that first picture. All my fat seems to go to my midsection, same as my father. It's how I could weigh as much as I have at times without people noticing. Visceral fat. Not awesome.

I am working on finding ways to enjoy veggies. I generally don't like steamed or lightly cooked vegetables like broccoli, but my sister suggested preparing it in exactly the way you did, so maybe I'll give it a shot.


I don't think you need a lot of protein to be able to bulk. Try it out with the amount chicanerous suggested, and increase it from there if you're not getting the results you like. I don't know anything about muscle milk or nitrean, but I know that egg whites and tofu are pretty good cheap sources of protein, and that beans and cottage cheese are good protein/carb sources.

Yeah, I'm going to bring that down a bit. My bank account will be glad. I should work some more tofu back into my diet. I was vegan for 5 years, and love the stuff (there are other leftovers from that, like the vegetarian sausage patties that I love). And I don't buy the soy fear hype. I don't do cheese, cottage or otherwise. Just can't. Instant vomiting. Bleh. I am trying to find ways to prepare egg whites that I like, too. I hate cleaning the pan afterward.


Your writing leaves quite an impression.


Haha. This is one of those statements that I definitely take as a compliment because I want my words to make an impression, but which also makes me nervous, because terrible writing leaves quite an impression on me. Haha. I'll choose to take it in a good way :confused: :)

Hey man, I'm not one to write long responses, but you've made some solid progress.

Hey man, I'm not one to write long responses, but you've made some solid progress.



Thanks a lot! I needed some encouragement today, which is why I wrote this today. I am glad for the nod. And besides, someone has to balance out us long-winded folks.

I was vegan for 5 years, and love the stuff (there are other leftovers from that, like the vegetarian sausage patties that I love).

I am trying to find ways to prepare egg whites that I like, too. I hate cleaning the pan afterward.

I choose a low(ish) protein diet partly because of the costs to me, but also because of the environmental cost. The lower you go on the food chain, the lower the cost to the planet, so I try to choose eggs and fish as my most frequent animal proteins, followed by increasingly larger animals in steadily declining frequency. I didn't used to like fish, but I'm starting to really enjoy salmon, cod, shrimp, and crab, and even to tolerate canned tuna once in a while.

I've never had a problem cleaning the pan after eggs, so I'm not sure what to suggest, unless you don't already have a nonstick pan. I have this microwave egg poacher (http://easycookin.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=565)that I found at the grocery store. I spray it with a bit of nonstick spray, break the egg into it (throw out the yolk if it's a conventional egg, leave the yolk in if it's an omega-3 egg) and microwave it for about 60 seconds. It washes out pretty easily. You could add some seasonings and a bit of broccoli or spinach right into the egg cups before cooking.

I needed some encouragement today, Okay, so I'll admit I didn't dislike your writing. Has any of it ever been published? Maybe you should give it a shot.

That clicking in your hip....


Have you tried the ITB stretch?

Stand upright. Cross one over the other so that edges of feet are touching.

Whichever foot you're standing on, bend slowly over and work your way down to that foot , slowly stretching, with your crossed-over "free" foot touching the ground but not bodyweight wholely upon it.

I would substitute the soy products with water, fish oil, olive oil, nuts, egg whites and chicken breast. If you don't like cleaning the pan after preparing eggs, what I like to do is hard boil about 36 eggs and when it's time for egg whites, just peel off the shell, discard the yolk, and you're all set. If I want to eat the whole egg, I hard boil a few of the brown omega-3 eggs with them and I'm all set.

Good luck with meeting your goals. :tucool:

Ah... so I just had my first workout of the new rotation. I feel fantastic! I love working out in the morning, before work. I couldn't figure out why there were so many people in the gym, then I realized that they are the Daylight Saving Time people, and that their bodies will adjust in a few days and I won't have to see them again until New Years...

My should feel blasted. I didn't even do any direct shoulder work today, although I feel them engage pretty heavily on incline DB presses. The big thing, I think, is all the boxing. My body is adjusting, though, and I won't likely notice too much anymore after a couple of weeks.

I am so glad to be back to squatting. I only even started squatting this past summer, and the muscles were so unused to it that I was constantly hurting. I thought something was wrong because I'm not used to those particular muscles (particularly my glutes) feeling torn and stretched, but I've been doing a lot to strengthen my legs the last few weeks, and today the squats felt much better. My flexibility and strength have improved, and I was happy to find that I could get a decently deep squat (especially considering that my legs are very, very long).

I feel fantastic. What a great way to start the week! And I'm less freaked out about turning 25 tomorrow. Slightly less. It helps that all my grad school apps are in the mail (heading back for my Ph.D. in History next fall, hopefully) and I have A Plan(tm).

Now, I guess I have to focus on broken hard drives and new start phones... yay...

That clicking in your hip....


Yeah, I've been in Physical Therapy for two months. We do every stretch you can imagine, and I do foam rollers, etc. My flexibility is better than most normal healthy people, and probably better than a lot of athletes in general. They just can't figure me out. But I keep stretching it like crazy and mostly doing what they say.

I'm very happy with my workout plan at this point, but felt like I was missing something in figuring out my diet moving forward. Actually, the two recent nutrition pieces written by Thibaudeau over at t-nation have sort of kicked me in the butt a little bit about figuring this out right.

Basically, I think I need to get over my irrational fear of (good) fat. When I am logging my food and I see that percentage tick up near or over 25%, I freak out. I need to stop that. I need a fairly high caloric intake just not to keep losing weight, given my tendency to workout twice a day many days and my desire to put on some mass. I need to feed my muscles, but not kill it with the protein intake.

So I am going to aim for around 3200 calories a day, for now. I'm going to split it to roughly 32/32/34 (or basically, just split it three ways at 33%). The breakdown will go like so:

255g protein (1020 calories, 1.5 x my body weight in pounds)
275g carbs (1100 calories)
122g fat (1100 calories)

I tend to think my body is probably middle of the road, as far as metabolism. It's hard to tell, because my eating habits have always been so terrible. I've never given my body a chance to be normal. So I am going to give this a shot for at least the next 4 weeks and see where I stand.

It means adding in more good fats - almonds and natural peanut butter, other nuts, and maybe some more tofu (sorry Mastover), which is actually almost equal in protein and fat content. I'll keep poking around for things that I like. I might try some hard boiled eggs, but I have my doubts. Being a picky eater is not easy. I wish I could stomach cottage cheese at all.

So that's the plan. My body still feels good from yesterdays change in workouts. Tomorrow I'll be working on RDLs for pretty much the first time, so low weight and perfect form. Should be fun!

Today was my first day doing lifting routine number 2. It felt fantastic! I'm a little annoyed that I forgot to pack my PWO shake stuff, but I grabbed some fresh fruit, and since I am going to have a big Thai lunch to celebrate yesterday's birthday (http://www.justonepen.org/article/174/upbeat), I'll move my second meal up to 9:30 or so, probably.

The RDLs were fun, and I think my form was decent. I didn't have much weight on the bar, but my grip and forearms (so basically, my grip) were giving out on me anyway. It's going to take time to get my grip strength back up to where I need it to be, but I'll be patient. It's probably good that it's keeping me from the possibility of using loads that might injury me if my form slips.

I also spent five minutes throw Thai kicks at the bag in my gym's boxing room. My shins are covered in welts and bruises - it's great! As long as I keep working the kicks regularly, I think I'll be fine when I can go back from boxing to Muay Thai - though adjusting to the Thai stance again will probably be as much of a pain as adjusting to the boxing stance is now.

Anyway, feeling good, looking good, one year older, and making progress. It's hard to ask for more.

Oh I am feeling it today. Yesterday after work, I wanted to get some boxing in. I've been having some bloating/gas lately, I am wondering if it's my body adjusting to the Muscle Milk again or something. It seems to be cleared out now, but last night, boxing, it felt pretty bad. I did get through a few rounds, but my right hand is pretty bruised and my stomach was killing me, so I ducked out sooner than normal.

But this morning I had my first third day of lifting, and it was fantastic! I am so happy with this whole full body thing. Today I blew myself out on leg presses, which just felt really great. I am still taking it slow on squats and deadlifts and things, but leg presses are much safer for me and I've got a stronger base for them, so i really nailed them today. My legs are so shaky now, and the stairs look terribly unattractive.

I'm eating big today. It's easier for me to do this on lifting days, obviously. I need to be more consistent about getting my clean calories in on off days.

Off to CT tonight. Tomorrow is a rest day, and my poor hand needs it, and I am sure my legs are happy with me now.