Hey JSF

I'm back...again, but with a vengance. This past summer was a huge learning experience for me. I had some serious ups and downs (like usual it would seem with me) and again I had hung my lifting belts back on the wall. But as of November 1rst things have massively changed. I moved into the new house..FINALLY! with that massive hurdle behind me I was instantly fired back up. Needless to say I have RIPPED those lifting belts off the wall ripping down the walls I put them on so I can no longer put them back up there again...So since Nov 1rst I have been damn well spot on with my meals. One cheat a week, and I have stuck to it. With doing so I have dropped from 171-175lbs (yeah I gained some weight back) to 164.2 lbs as of 2 mornings ago. I am eating more than I EVER have. I'm slamming a consistant 5-6 meals a day. ALL whole food, no shakes. I'm roughly intaking 2500 cals daily holding a 32/32/36 (fat/carbs/protien) split. I look just as cut as I was back last October, But I'm 164 not 158. So I have been able to pack on a couple lbs over the year. Now only had I been serious about it all, I could have packed on so much more. BUT! I cannot change the past only the future. I just have to learn from my shortcomings so I don't fall in the same ruts I was falling into. I'm going to go through my daily diets for the month and add them here. Just so you all know I'm for real this time. The workout routine is alot different than it used to be. My Legs need some TLC so I am devoting alot more time for them. My Legs look alot better than they used to but they still need more work...mainly calves, lol!

Mon- Legs (heavy)
Tues- Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Wed- Off
Thurs- Back/Legs (light)
Fri- Bis/Tris
Sat- Off
Sun- Off

I can honestly say that Maya really keeps me on track when it comes to the diet. She cracks the whip on me, seriously. Her and I are looking into working out with her friend/trainer Poldek. Its looking to be a couple times a week once things pick up. I'm hoping to see him on the days I do my legs, I am really serious about catching them up. Infact somewhere along the way I developed a liking for legs now. Its wierd. Another thing, I am no longer holding that powerlifting mentality. I've racked my ego at the door. I'm concentrating on size, thats it. So I've dropped the weight and gained more reps. So no more 500 lbs bench and no more 720 lbs shrugs (if you don't believe me, I have the vids on youtube!! So feel free to ask for the link to 'em I'm MORE than happy to give it out). So with saying all that, pics will be added shortly.

I'm out, peace.
Ronn

u like skinless i take it, i saw ur heading and i had to say something lol

Can I see the 500lb bench video?

:gl:

u like skinless i take it, i saw ur heading and i had to say something lol

You know I seen that saying on a t-shirt somewhere over the years and it really stuck to me when it comes to a gym attitude.

Can I see the 500lb bench video?

:gl:

For sure! I will warn you it isn't free weight (BOO!) :o Its on a wierd ass machine. Actual free weight bench for me is 315 lbs. But lately I've been doing more 200-225 lbs trying to concentrate more on the chest squeeze and whatnot. Also in the vid I am using an inside grip...worked the chest better for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-QU7kYqduY
also the shrugs is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hb-6Jbq4T0

For sure! I will warn you it isn't free weight (BOO!) :o Its on a wierd ass machine. Actual free weight bench for me is 315 lbs. But lately I've been doing more 200-225 lbs trying to concentrate more on the chest squeeze and whatnot. Also in the vid I am using an inside grip...worked the chest better for me.


Whew I was really scared for a bit, and wondering why you weren't competing on the world level in powerlifting :lol:. 315 is huge too, though, nice work.

Whew I was really scared for a bit, and wondering why you weren't competing on the world level in powerlifting :lol:. 315 is huge too, though, nice work.


D!
I can't help but: :D.... I just love your avatar ;)
PS. Your legs look awesome, seriously

Whew I was really scared for a bit, and wondering why you weren't competing on the world level in powerlifting :lol:. 315 is huge too, though, nice work.

LOL, you know man. I have been floating around the 300 lbs mark for bench for the past couple years now. For some reason it seems as soon as I start to break past previous goals I go on these fucking undetermined Haitus'. Then once I get back in there I get pissy with myself that I cannot lift what I used to. Go figure? :rolleyes: Oh well whatever. Maya keeps my ass in line now.

I should warn everyone now. This journal isn't going to be as "pleasing" to read as the last journal I had in the media gallery. This is going to be a little more raw, a little more me. I mean the other journal had alot of me in there, but I held back on alot of things and tried to keep things "professional". Well not anymore. This one is ALOT more personal. I have to be straight up I have a POTTY mouth. I mean its not like I'm a sailor or anything (no offence to people in the navy). But I tend to have a liking for foul words, muh haw haw haw haw Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck! See?

Anyways. Maya and I hit the gym pretty hard today, it was a good workout. Today was Chest (we only did chest today..had to keep it short, damn gym closed at 10 or some shit and lots of people wasting time and in the way).

D-bell press 4x12

Incline D-bell press 2x10, 1x9, 1x10

This wierd machine d-bell press thingy...works AWESOME! 4x10, then did a drop set from 60 lbs per hand to 15 lbs per hand. I dropped in 10 lbs incriments. I would do 10 reps then drop, once I hit the 15 lbs I did 15 reps.

Finished everything off with 3 sets of ab work, yee haw.

Felt so good after, no pump but it felt like a had really wore the muscle out. I love that feeling. Even now I cannot flex my chest, the muscle just fails. So good.

Afterwards stopped by Starbucks for a coffee and a fucking mint brownie. I'm telling you, they are so damn good. I haven't had one for awhile (few weeks or so) So it was a nice treat. There was this greek pita place across the street so we stopped in. Got these chicken pitas. Damn it was so good, felt like I was eating McDonalds or something. But not so shitty. So there was the cheat meal for the week.

Including the cheat meal we had 5 meals today, Oh had a shake today. Just before the gym. Went to bulk barn for oatmeal and found they sell whey isolate, So grabbed some for shits. Got it home and wow it tasted like balls (what do you expect though? its bulk barn..oh well had to try right? with about 4 splenda it isn't too too bad. But bad enough to make you shudder).

Looking forward to tomorrow mornings oatmeal, blueberries, pressed cottage cheese and yogourt. So damn good. Aiight, I'm out..gonna grab 2 tbsp of pb before hitting the sack.

Night
Merk

I think there are some fucking sailors around here somewhere...:D

I think there are some fucking sailors around here somewhere...:D

LMFAO

Thank god today was a day off from the gym. Today had to be one of my more physical days outside of the gym. There is a SHITLOAD of yard work that needed to be done. Any of you that are living in the northern states and in Canada are most likely thinking "what the fuck son??? that shit should have been done a month ago" Well what can I say? I was too busy (and lazy) to go get the tools to do so. Well finally after a "friendly" reminder from the "friendly neighbours" :rolleyes: about how the yard and garden were looking unkept. Well Maya and I got pissy about it and bought the damn tools and did the front today. All the trimming and raking. I'm telling you I trimmed (hacked) all the damn daisys that were in the gardens around the house. Seriously I was pissed right the fuck off. Mainly I'm pissed that the neighbours give a damn and that I HATE FUCKING DAISIES!!! ...they were ugly redheaded stepchild daisies, you cannot love 'em. Its a rule! But seriously these daisies were EVERYWHERE. They invaded all the flowerbeds. BADLY! So trimming them all was a hay day. The raking was the usual...raking. But with all the crap I hacked out of the flowerbeds it made the job of raking so much harder...fuck. But thank god we hacked the flowers and THEN rake. I mean to do it the reverse. I would have been some pissed. Anywho, after that I cleaned up the garage..a mans haven. You you know I never understood the whole connection between men and there garages...its fucked. Anyways, after that I cleaned the car. Maya has been begging me to clean it so I FINALLY did. I actually had fun doing it. I cranked the tunes in the car to drown out the vac and cleaned a way!. After that got all the recycling and garbage together (I forgot to mention the woman that lived here before left AND dumped off a ton of crap for recycling...long story) So I rummaged through it all and sorted it. Got it out on the street for the morning. Sorry for the rant but fucking nieghbours calling that the yard is a mess erm "needs some trimming". Nosey bastards :mad: The nerve of these people. On top of it all the neighbours are a bunch of asses. I mean you pass them on the street and give a warm smile or hello and they are all "ooooooh look at me I'm Paris Hilton... I'm too good for you, thats hot" look. Uggh. People like that deserve some serious :spank:

"I'll crush you like a cracker over soup....mmmm thank you"

THATS what they need, muh haw haw haw :evil:

...Whew, I feel a little better.


So yeah the diet was solid today, oh I weighed in today 164.4. wOOt!

meal 1 - 1 cup of oatmeal, 0.3 cup of blueberries, 100 g of pressed cottage cheese, 2 tbsp of yogourt.

meal 2 - hamburger, saurkraut, bean salad (in vinegar), half a danish, half a french pastry, and a diet coke...yeah yeah semi cheat. eat me! :p

meal 3 - 1.5 chicken breast, 1.5 cup of veggies.

meal 4 - 1 chicken breast, 1 cup of veggies.

Thats been it so far, I'll have another meal before bed. Most likely 100g of pressed cottage cheese and a couple tbsp of PB or something.

Stay classy San Diego

Ronn

PS~ I was the one that mainly got pissy about it, not Maya...well she did a little but I personally got a little more uptight about the entire ordeal. Now usually I wouldn't be so GARRRRRRR! about it, seriously. I have no issue in doing this type of stuff. But we have been SUPER busy lately, rush, rush, rush. We've been trying to get it done and it was bothering us as well. But since when is it other neighbours business? furthermore it wasn't that bad. Yes there was leaves and yes there was some trimming that need doing. But oi!....oh and it wasn't a hamburger I had for meal 2 it was more like a big ass meatball. mmmmmm so good.

Sorry for going off like that, I was just so....I had some pent up frustration (and really tired, haven't been sleeping well for a few nights...stomach issues). But I'm good now.

D!
I can't help but: :D.... I just love your avatar ;)
PS. Your legs look awesome, seriously

Man the first time I seen his Avatar I laughed EDIT, but seriously D your legs are looking good bro, keep it up.

Well today was an amazing day! seriously. I had myself a solid 11 hours of sleep. I think my body did some serious catching up from the past week of broken sleep. I felt so solid today, really on the ball. Food intake was alot more than normal.

Meal 1 - 1 cup of oatmeal, .3 cup of blueberries, 2 tbsp of yogourt, 1 chicken breast

1 tbsp of PB

Meal 2 - 1 can o' tuna, 2 cups of broccoli, 1.5 tbsp of stinky foot cheese (parmasan cheese)

Then went to Popeyes to do some shoppin'. Picked up a tub of Cytosports MuscleMilk (Rocky Road). All I can suggest...pick the damn stuff up its like CRACK!! So damn good, and good for ya! Its like a cheat meal...but not. Also Neill from Popeyes gave me this taste tester of the new Oh Yeah bar (its chocolate, peanuts, toffee, fudge). For a protein bar...WOW! makes Detour bars look like...shit, seriously. So good. Maya wasn't impressed I didn't share any, lol.

so back to my meals...

1 taste tester of Oh yeah!

Meal 3 - .5 serving of MuscleMilk

Meal 4 - 1 chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli

Meal 5 - .5 serving of MuscleMilk

Meal 6 - 1 serving of Whey Isolate, .5 cup of white rice.

...thats it so far. I'll grab some PB before bed again like last night, a tbsp or so. Maybe some pressed Cottage cheese as well....mmmmmm.


Besides all that..uhhh. The days been good. Mom came over and chilled...cleaned a wee bit. Nothing special. Oh wait! there was a killer wind storm here AND it was garbage day. LMFAO. there was garbage cans, garbage, recycling bins EVERYWHERE!!!! I had to clean some garbage up today. But I laughed when I seen the chaos going on outside. I mean there were garbage bins in the middle of the road, rolling down the street! I grabbed a few and set them off to the side of the road since I didn't know where they belonged. I seen one that came down the street and went around a corner. Glad I'm not the person that owned that garbage can, lol. Anyways I'm off to lurk a bit on the site.

Stay fit and have fun!!

Ronn

(As you can see I started to use corny lines from saftey and health commercials for sheer amusement!)

PS~ Had a killer back workout today too! Almost forgot to mention. It was a heavier back day.

Deadlifts~ (135) 1x 20, (185) 1x10, (235) 1x6,(255) 1x5, (260) 1x5

Machine Rows~ (100 per hand) 1x1...too heavy I knew I could do more but with improper form...fuck that. Ok so....(80 per hand) 4x8-10

Pull ups~ 4 x until failure (my forearms were giving out before my back...I wasn't impressed)

I was shocked with my Deads, I thought it was 235 for some reason. I haven't done heavy deads for a long time so I was blown away when I came home and calculated it. So maybe next heavy back day I might add another 10 lbs to my deads wOOt!

PPS~ 164.0 this morning. Still droppin' Might add some cals..another 200-300 to the diet. See what happens from there.

D!
I can't help but: :D.... I just love your avatar ;)
PS. Your legs look awesome, seriously
Man the first time I seen his Avatar I laughed EDIT, but seriously D your legs are looking good bro, keep it up.

Hi Maya :whistle:

Haha, originally I didn't have it edited, but I got two complaints within 5 minutes so I edited it.

The lament of Big_D..:D

LOL, you know man. I have been floating around the 300 lbs mark for bench for the past couple years now. For some reason it seems as soon as I start to break past previous goals I go on these fucking undetermined Haitus'. Then once I get back in there I get pissy with myself that I cannot lift what I used to. Go figure? :rolleyes: Oh well whatever. Maya keeps my ass in line now.

Well don't let that shit happen again. I'll be watching! :cool:

Nice work Merk.

You've been making some great progress, Ronn! :)

It's a good thing you knocked all of that yard work out when you did. We just got buried by some snow and I know you guys are only a few hours away from here.

Hi Maya :whistle:

Haha, originally I didn't have it edited, but I got two complaints within 5 minutes so I edited it.

The lament of Big_D..:D



Well don't let that shit happen again. I'll be watching! :cool:

Nice work Merk.

Complaints, eh? people were just jealous I'm sure, lol. As for me, if I start to slip I give you full rights to slap me around like the bitch that I am :nod:

You've been making some great progress, Ronn! :)

It's a good thing you knocked all of that yard work out when you did. We just got buried by some snow and I know you guys are only a few hours away from here.

Oh fuck! It better not snow here. Seriously I want to have a green birthday and I only have a few more days to go. If it can hold out until then I will pumped!.

Yesterday was interesting. . . I could barely move! I am NOT kidding. I couldn't bend down to grab anything. If I so much as grabbed something standing straight I could feel it in my back. Note to self...do NOT be retarded and push that hard when not working back hard in a months....fuck I am serious this is nasty. It honestly reminds me of when I broke my back when I was 16. Needless to say I'm not too happy of a camper thats for sure...meh. Today, LMAO its even worse. I'm taking glutamine like stupid to aid in recovery time. Thank god for the creation of glutamine!:bow: Yesterday was to be arms day but my back the way it was...my day off was shifted. Instead of having today off..I know am working out in make up of yesterday. I'm going to be careful today...really careful. I might pop a couple advil before hitting the gym so I can have a half decent workout. Then after that BATH AHOY!!! So besides that. My meals were solid. I stuffed myself a bit more yesterday than normal.

meal 1- 1 cup of oatmeal, .5 cup of blueberries, 100g of pressed cottage cheese, 2 tbsp of yogourt.

meal 2- 1 chicken breast, 2 cups of mixed veggies

2 tbsp of almond butter
5 pickled carrots

meal 3- 4 oz of steak, 2 cups of mixed veggies, 2 tbsp of parmasan cheese, 4 tbsp of yogourt

meal 4- .5 serving of musclemilk

meal 5- 2 oz of steak, .5 cup of veggies, 3.5 tbsp of PB, and 2 tbsp of Almond butter.

I know I had ALOT of fats yesterday. But I made sure to have them with serious carbs. But I will admit I am paying for it today, lol. The last meal was at 12am. So when I got up..which was at 9 I think instead of being 164 like I have been...I was 165.8. I seen that and almost keeled over. But Maya reassured me it was because of eating JUST before bed and that the food was still sitting.

Today so far for diet has been good. I'll update my diet for today later. Also my arm workout. I fucking love arm days, I used to do bis and tris in the same day back in the day but then I changed doing the back and bi chest and tri shit. But I wasn't feeling my arms were getting a good enough workout. So I reverted back. We'll see where the progress lies. I'll shoulders today too...well maybe. We'll see how the back is doing. Leg day won't be on Monday as scheduled. Instead on Sunday and Monday off....beeeeccaaauuuusseeee ITS MA BIRFDAY!!! HEEYUUCCK!. The big ole' 2-3. Feels like last year I was 19. Shit. Maya tends to roll her eyes and tells me to be quiet when I prattle on about how I'm 23 and I'm getting old. Anyways I best be off, need to eat...again! WOO!

Stay alert, Stay safe!

Ronn

Just when I didn't think my back could feel any shitter...it has. It really sucks the pain has started to effect my attitude. I've been losing patience, irritable, down right being a bitch really. Hell I have been pissing myself off! Ahh well, As for the gym...work tied us up today and the gym closes at 6pm, figure that one out? 6pm...oi! So tomorrow is arm day and Monday is leg day. I'll be sure to say "happy birthday to me" as I am doing my squats and feeling like death WOO! I'm pumped now, lol. You know I actually laughed at that. How sad is that I laughed at one of my own little idiotic jokes. :dance:

Here are the meals for today

meal 1- 1 cup of oatmeal, 2 tbsp of yogourt, 0.3 cup of blueberries, 100g of pressed cottage cheese

meal 2- 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 2 tbsp of salsa, 2 tbsp of yogourt, 1 tbsp of ranch, 1 tsp of coconut oil.

meal 3- 3/4 cup of oatmeal, 0.3 cup of blueberries, 3 tbsp of yogourt, 0.5 serving of musclemilk

meal 4- 2 salmon filets, 2 red peppers, 1 tbsp of coconut oil (groceries are gettin low, we have to stock up tomorrow!)

Lastly I'll have my couple tbsp of PB and pressed cottage cheese, oh and word is I'm to eat the last salmon filet and I better listen! (I'll let you guess who that is and your first 2 guesses don't count). Aiight, I'm gonna jet, pop a couple advil for the back, grab that grub. Off to take a well FUCKIN deserved bath and then off to bed. Tomorrow is a busy day. 2 more days till my birthday....bah!

I can put my arm back on, you can't so play safe!

Ronn

(...) Lastly I'll have my couple tbsp of PB and pressed cottage cheese, oh and word is I'm to eat the last salmon filet

Good luck with that PB! :o I don't think there is anything left. :scared:

Good luck with that PB! :o I don't think there is anything left. :scared:

So you ate the rest of the Almond butter AND the rest of the PB. You just wait....:evil:

Good luck with that PB! :o I don't think there is anything left. :scared:

Fatso! :cool:

Fatso! :cool:

*licking her chops*

Oh, and BTW. There was only ONE tbsp of AB left that I shared with the dog.....and I had 1 tbsp of PB. There is still 1 tbsp left :neener:

Fatso! :cool:

*high fives* THANK YOU!!! I need some damn support around here *cop jumps behind the couch outside of Maya' reach*

*licking her chops*

Oh, and BTW. There was only ONE tbsp of AB left that I shared with the dog.....and I had 1 tbsp of PB. There is still 1 tbsp left :neener:

*pokes out from behind the couch* Well Phoebs deserved it considering she ripped off her poor nail..poor thing. If there is one more tbsp of PB its MINE!! I'll rock, paper, scissors ya for it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUDE. OH yeah your another year Older lol. Keep on pushing dude. Dude i do not know how you can stand the cold your a beast lol.

yeah, like happy birthday and all.

Thanks for the b-day greetings, I have a nice juicy update comin' I'm posting it tomorrow, you'll find out why I won't do it now.....:evil:

So heres the update for yesterday...

What was to be a nice day off with a cheat meal turned into a bloody nightmare. So heres the scoop. Maya being the doll she is, she took me out for our Monday's cheat meal. Well instead of having a healthier selection of our cheats...she took me to Montana's. Well I got a fucking Mountain burger with fries, drank 2.5 Massive diet pepsi's, ate half a fried cheesecake, and drank a coffee. This of course was the first food meal I had all day (I slept in and then was on the phone with sister forever and missed my morning meal :doh:). Well after the cheat meal of doom we did ran some errands and then made it back to the house JUST in time to get a phone call from her trainer Poldek saying that he had a spot open that evening. Seems Maya had a present in store for me :evil:. So we downed a musclemilk and took off. We got to Poldek and Magdas place...I did the worst thing ever at this point. He asked us what we were working that day...I said legs. I'm telling you BAD FUCKING MOVE!. So we then decended into the dungeon of pain and torture. We started with squats, this wasn't bad....or so I thought. We did 4 sets and we ended up loading up the bar with more weight than I am used to...plus we were doing 15 reps or so vs the 10 I was used to...oi. From there it was onto box lunges. I have NEVER done this before. Again it was 4 sets of 10 per leg. I can honestly tell you I fuckin hate lunges. I almost fell over a few times. The last set I had to do with no wieghts because my legs couldn't take it....this was ONLY the second exercise. Well I finished. I'm beat, I'm feeling pukey...but there was more. We then went over to the leg press machine were we did leg press and calves. It was back to back, so leg press then immediately calves then rest. So AGAIN 4 sets of 15 of the leg press, fuck I don't usually go so low. I was fuckin kissing my knees. My ass wasn't on the seat it was in the air because I was going so low...ask Maya. The calves were 4 sets of 20. I swear to god I had lactic acid build up in my feet! oi, a new experience I never wanted. Then as a finisher for legs we then did leg curl. 4 sets of 10-15. YES! WERE DONE! wOOt! :nono: we weren't done. We then had abs to do. No shit I fell off the ab machine I was shaking so bad. But I got up and finished that shit, I wasn't going to get schooled no fuckin way. I finished it all AND kept my food down. I had to crawl up the stairs into the livingroom where I laid down for I don't know how long. Well once Maya and I were ready we then went out AGAIN! went and had chicken and pasta, god damn so much shit food yesterday no kidding..it gets better. So then after that we came home to then eat a cake. Well half of it at least. Maya took some play by play action picks of me having my cake and eating it too! Check it out..... Now when I got up yesterday morning I was 162.2 My all time low this year fuckin eh! well by nightfall I was 169 lbs. I am sure I almost shot myself.


Last night my sleep was shit, my legs ached so fuckin bad. It sucked. When I tried to get out of bed I practically fell over they were trying to give out from under me. Well I wobbled to the bathroom did my thing and wieghed in. Well 166 lbs, it had slitting wrist potential but I was more concerned about eating. So todays diet rocked the casbah! no shit.

meal 1 - 1 serving of whey isolate

meal 2 - 1 cup of oatmeal, .3 cup of blueberries, 100 of pressed cottage cheese

meal 3 - 5 oz of steak, 2.5 cup of mixed veggies

meal 4 - full serving of musclemilk

meal 5 - 1 serving of whey isolate, half a serving of glycocarb

meal 6 - 120 g of chicken breast, 2 cups of veggies, 0.5 cup of whole wheat pasta.

So things are rockin hard. We had a killer chest workout, seriously. Did 15 min of cardio after while Maya did tris. Things are going good right.....well. There was this half of the fucking cake of doom sitting there. Well Maya grabbed it like it was the holy grail and...I jumped on it like a fat kid on a smartie as well...we POLISHED the other half off. I am so pissed off at myself for giving in. We were going to throw it out, but we talked ourselves INTO eating it somehow. GOD!:nope: ahh well its done and over with, right? We did bad :spank::bang: Have to do cardio and lower the carbs for a bit until things level slightly. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Well I'm off to take a bath it feels like Poldek rammed my guitar up my ass, my legs and glutes are dead.

Don't put it in your mouth, don't ya stuff it in your face....

Ronn

Why did you buy such a large cake?

Was throwing it out or eating it the only two options?

Was it delicious? :eat::eat::eat:

Why did you buy such a large cake?
That's Merk. Go big or go home.
or
OCD.
:whistle:

Was throwing it out or eating it the only two options?

yeah... :o

Was it delicious? :eat::eat::eat:
disgusting :evil:

Why did you buy such a large cake?

Well there were bigger ones but Maya wouldn't let me get a bigger one.

Was throwing it out or eating it the only two options?

Well those are the only options we were willing to look at, who wants to throw out half of a perfectly good cake?

Was it delicious? :eat::eat::eat:

That cake tasted pretty good, though I was a little unimpressed that the big ass flower was a hard chunk of icing not a nice soft piece...mmmmm. Dammit now I want cake again. BAH!

Yesterday turned out to be one killer day for more than one reason. The diet was spot fuckin on. No mistakes.

meal 1- 1 serving of whey isolate

meal 2- half of an egg and pressed cottage cheese omlet with .5 tbsp of PB

meal 3- 1 chicken breast, 1 cup of green beans

meal 4?- .5 chicken breast...

meal 5- 1 chicken breast, 1 cup of mixed veggies

meal 6- Full serving of Musclemilk

meal 7- 1.5 chicken breast, 1 cup of green beans

meal 8- 0.75 serving of Musclemilk, 1 tbsp of PB

I ate like a fiend yesterday and loved it. The other reason yesterday was killer was it was FUCKING KILLER TO WALK. . It was worse than the day prior. Fuckin rough. I never want to deal with this again, no shit. No more being a panzy ass in the gym... thank god we had the day off from the gym yesterday. I mean Maya and I were almost crawling up and down the stairs, seriously. Infact a couple times I did crawl up the stairs because it was easier. .....oi!

Your journal is making me laugh. You are extreemly dramatic, but funny. :D

Your journal is making me laugh. You are extreemly dramatic, but funny. :D

Well I'm glad ya like it, I tend to type whatever I'm thinking at the moment, never much serious though process is put into it. Though thats me in general. Actions and sheer randomness first think second.

Today turned out to be another stellar day for dieting.

meal 1- 1 serving of isolate whey

meal 2- 1 cup of oatmeal, .4 cup of blueberries, 2 tbsp of yogourt.

meal 3- 3 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 chicken breast.

meal 4- 1 serving of Musclemilk

meal 5- 140 g of chicken breast, 1.5 cup of mixed veggies...

This is it so far, I'll grab something before bed. As for the gym, today was shifted. I hate doing it but Maya has been ill the past couple of days. Today more so than yesterday. So I mean I would rather take care of her and shift a day off than go without her, screw up our workout schedule for the week, and it allowed me to keep an eye on her to ensure she wasn't doing too much today. Well its late, time for that last meal and off to bed.

Don't piss on electric fences...

Ronn

Sounds like you two had fun this week! :eat:

you gotta do that every once in a while. but the leg day...after all that food...!?! I think I, personally, would have declined the invitation :nope:

Well I'm glad ya like it, I tend to type whatever I'm thinking at the moment, never much serious though process is put into it. Though thats me in general. Actions and sheer randomness first think second.

Merk-
I too am definitely enjoying reading your journal! You are very candid in your approach, along with a healthy dose of humor. Keep it up!
Take care.

Sounds like you two had fun this week! :eat:

you gotta do that every once in a while. but the leg day...after all that food...!?! I think I, personally, would have declined the invitation :nope:

Oh man, I'm not sure which was worse, eating all that shit food or that nightmare of a workout( which I still have serious DOMS from. Maya and I got into a DOMS poke war yesterday, and one today as well in the gym). Either way this was a birthday I will never forget. Most people get pissed hammered drunk on there b-days...I on the otherhand decided on cheat meals and personal training...fuck I AM a wierdo.

Merk-
I too am definitely enjoying reading your journal! You are very candid in your approach, along with a healthy dose of humor. Keep it up!
Take care.

Thanks IROC

Glad your enjoyin' it here dude

Alrighty.....

So today went really well. There was alot of stress throughout the morning. Last minute shopping for this and that, bank run, etc. Though during the chaos of this morning I had enough time to watch something so fuckin stupid it was funny. Ok so here we go. I'm puttin some shit back into the garage when I glance over at the neighbours place across the way to see that our neighbour ...LOL, this is genius I'm telling you....the dude was blocked in his garage bay by a car behind him so he decided to turn around inside his garage to get out the other garage bay. Well everything started out well for 'em. Looked like he had it ALL covered. So I'm watching this and really impressed. Well I turned my back for a second to hang a shovel up on the wall when I hear this.... SCREEEEEEEEECH!. I looked back to see that the idiot somehow got stuck and totalled off his door on the center beam in between the garage doors. Well this is it for him, right? WRONG. This guy pulls an Austin Powers and back and forth back and forth back and forth (while he is doing this his door is still stuck on the beam and he's screeching away!). I felt so bad for watching I ran into the backyard and watched from behind the fence. He was at it for a solid 15 minutes!!! before he could free his car without taking the house down or killing his car too bad. Once everything was said and done he totalled ALL four of his doors getting out, fucked the framing of one of the garage doors, and looked like a COMPLETE JACKASS in the process...though I have to say he DID get his car out!....idiot. Can we say TAXI-MOTHERFUCKIN-CAB!! So that was the highlight of my day. I wish I had my camera I would have recorded it and put up on here and youtube. "How to get out of your garage when someone is parked behind you..."

So besides that, meals were perfect. ...Shit! I left the meal log book upstairs and I am too damn lazy to go get it. If your curious what I ate go look in Mayas journal and look at her diet for today, I ate the same thing just more. Had a decent back workout. Nothing special I guess.

pull ups 4x10
lat pulldowns 5x10-15
seated rows 4x10
back extensions 4x15
abs....4 x burnout

oh and calves too!

calf raises 6 stairs 10 reps on each (the last 2 stairs I did 20 reps)

Well its late, I'm tired and need to pee. So I'm outta here.

*I'm running out of safety quotes....*

Never argue with the wife, you'll never win! (there a good safety quote as far as I am concerned, best piece of advice my Dad ever gave me...it WORKS too!)

Night

Ronn

You are such an ASS. You ran behind the fence to have a better look instead of helping the poor idiot??

You are such an ASS. You ran behing the fence to have a better look instead of helping the poor idiot??

BAH HAW HAW HAW! I didn't see you rushing out there to help 'em. Though I must admit you were dealing with a couple idiots of your own at that time (myself excluded)

Oh I was talking to Dluc tonight. He wants to tell JSF he says "Hi!, and that he'll back when he can". He's in exams at the moment.

Ok so yesterdays update went out the window. I got a little side tracked with a few things and finally when I had the chance to do it, it was late and damn I was tired so I skipped it...:spank: Again the food log is upstairs but I ate perfect again. Everything clean! wOOt. Lots of work, missed the gym due to work...fuck. Seriously work was really hectic and the fucking gym closes early like 6 work wasn't all said and done until after 9. So there wasn't anything that could be done. So were (Maya and I) hitting the gym today. Get that well deserved arm workout in. I'm excited I love working Bis and tris together. wOOt!

Ok, so besides that today has been solid for food. Clean, clean, clean food. Also TODAY IS FRICKIN PICTURE DAY! I almost shit my draws when I seen my pics. My body has changed so much since this summer. I'm really impressed. So here are the long awaited pics.

PS~ I ACTUALLY show my legs in these pics, this took alot for more since my legs lag so bad...sad thing is that have grown so much since this summer. I LOVE squats now because of amount my legs have grown.

Ronn awesome progress you have had a inspiring transformation. Keep on pushing and thanks for helping me along the way

Ronn awesome progress you have had a inspiring transformation. Keep on pushing and thanks for helping me along the way


No man thank you! You've been a huge inspiration for me. The amount you have changed is awesome, remember that man. I'm excited to see your growth and maturity in fitness. You have serious potential to reach your goals! keep pushing hard man.

Looking good, apart from that green thing growing on your arm. ;)

Looking good, apart from that green thing growing on your arm. ;)

Thanks man. I see you aren't an avid fan of tattoo and body modification. I suddenly feel the need to explain my reasoning why I have chosen such a unique form of art and lifestyle. You see a picture is worth a thousand words, my tattoos tell my lifes story. Each tattoo represents memories and tell stories. I truly enjoy wearing my memories and lifes work on the outside :D If you think this is bad and unappealing wait until I am done!

quick update

Sunday ate perfect, no gym, car broke down FUCK! 166.4 on the scale.

Yesterday ate really well, went to Poldeks, trained arms (catching up from last week) went for Mondays cheat meal, got a chicken pita...mmmm then some pastry thing for dessert (it was a small thing no worries) was 164.4 on the scale

Today eating really clean. Doing legs today in the gym. 165 lbs today! wOOt. Arms are getting sore throughout the day, best get more glutamine in me or else I'll be gimp for tomorrow. Oh went grocery shopping last night...Finally! So now were stocked up again for another week. I still cannot believe I posted those pics, every time I look at them all I can see is...fat, skinny legs, no traps..blah, blah, blah. I have to get out of that mindset. Not cool.

Hey Ronn, sorry I'm a few days late but quads are looking good! :) Also, looks like you've moved down (up?) a few gauges with your plugs.

Hey Ronn, sorry I'm a few days late but quads are looking good! :) Also, looks like you've moved down (up?) a few gauges with your plugs.

Thanks G, I've been really hammering the legs hard lately. Squats have been my best friend lately. I've been hitting my calves twice a week. I'm going to start hitting my hams twice a week as well. I REALLY need to have them in good form with the rest of my body for competition. My quads seemed to have taken to good leg workouts like a duck to water, responded extremely quick...thank god!

As for the earrings...yeah they've gotten bigger for sure. I'm now at 14mm or 16mm. I cannot remember. I have one or two more sizes to go up and then I'm done. There is a specific set of flesh tunnels I have been eye ballin' for a bit but there only in 18mm's....soooooo :rolleyes:

Each tattoo represents memories and tell stories. I truly enjoy wearing my memories and lifes work on the outside
Good God! Your groin must be covered in the damn things! :D

Good God! Your groin must be covered in the damn things! :D

Oh Richard....where do you come up with these things? :doh:

Maybe from your outgoing dramatic exuberant blogging? :lol:

Maybe from your outgoing dramatic exuberant blogging? :lol:

...yeah that could do it, lol:lol:

Alrighty, Yesterday turned out to be pretty kick the fuck ass. Ate perfect (minus a diet pepsi in the evening but I drank enough water to make up for it). Worked legs and it went super well.

Leg curl 5x15
Leg extension 4x15

they were supersetted, slow and controlled as well. No explosive movements at all.

Leg press 4x15 (I was happy lately I do 3-4 45 lbs plates, yesterday I did 4 45 plates and 2 25s...next week I'm goin' on up to six I think!) Again the movements were slow and controlled. I'm pretty sure my knees were so far back I could almost kiss my ass.

Calf raises. 4 stairs, 20 each....oi!

We were rushed a bit...work, so I finished things off with one set of squats (just the bar) I went ASS to GRASS. I mean I was almost bounching my butt of the floor. At the bottom of the movement I would do partial movements..really tire out the legs. I did these until a personal trainer at the gym decided to stand RIGHT next to the bar. I mean had a shifting 6 inches to the left that guy would have been kissing that bar in the teeth and trust me....I was tempted to *ahem" "slip" :evil: Ahh well. After that I did a quick set of crunches and out the door we went.

I actually got some guitar riffs recorded last night. I haven't recording in ages it feels. Thouge I did do a bad thing. I stayed up late last night vs going to bed on time. :spank: But any of you that play guitar would understand when your pumping out good things on the guitar you can't just stop. You have to get your ideas recording before you lose them! which I have happen more than once. Good riffs too fuck. Anyways I'm going to take a listen to how good they really are and if I want to keep them.

Today woke up at about 7:30 this morning. I haven't been up that early in a long long time. I think its because Maya woke me up :p She's sooooooo loud in the mornings crashing about and whatnot, lol jokes, jokes. You know it was nice to wake up and watch the sunrise, haven't done that in a long, long time.

Its a no carb day today and no gym day today too. My arms are killing me from Monday so it will be nice to give the body a day to mend. The legs are feeling good, but I mean its still the morning. We'll see how things progress throughout the day.

...and kids never accept lemon snow cones, but always make sure to make your own and hand them out! :evil:

Ronn

Progress pics look amazing! Better in every category. :tucool:

Thanks G, I've been really hammering the legs hard lately. Squats have been my best friend lately. I've been hitting my calves twice a week. I'm going to start hitting my hams twice a week as well. I REALLY need to have them in good form with the rest of my body for competition. My quads seemed to have taken to good leg workouts like a duck to water, responded extremely quick...thank god!

Merk-
You made mention of competition. I'm just curious about your time frame. How far are you away from competing? The reason I ask is because I am currently training for a couple of bench press competitions that are coming up this Winter, and this will be the last time I do any type of competitive lifting. After that, I would like to switch gears and start training more like a bodybuilder. I'm wondering how long it took you to get to your current build?

Hey Ronn, are those leg curls the only exercise you're doing for your hams or did you just run out of time?

Progress pics look amazing! Better in every category. :tucool:

Thanks man! BTW I was commenting to Maya about your latest avatar....your looking HUGE...simply huge Carguy.

Merk-
You made mention of competition. I'm just curious about your time frame. How far are you away from competing? The reason I ask is because I am currently training for a couple of bench press competitions that are coming up this Winter, and this will be the last time I do any type of competitive lifting. After that, I would like to switch gears and start training more like a bodybuilder. I'm wondering how long it took you to get to your current build?


:confused: Well Maya and I were going to compete in May, but have decided to give ourselves a bit more time to catch up lagging bodyparts. So we will be competing in the fall with our friends Poldek and Magda...though I might do a show here in Toronto in August. See how that goes....as for how long it took me to get to my current build. :confused: good question my man. I started my transformation May 2005..dropped 55 lbs in 2 months from there I started to train for hypertrophy...did that for a few months. From there I turned to powerlifting..then...hmmm, I did that until the next summer, cut, started training for hypertrophy for a few months, then back to powerlifting. I did powerlifting for about a year on and off (was dealing with alot of personal issues...its all in my previous thread). Then I moved here got my diet under control (my diet was my achilles heel next to my legs...and the diet is THE STAPLE....I've been on and off with my diet since my transformation). I've been eating really well and proper since July. Maya and I cracked the el-whip-o on the diet once we moved into the house. So super serious diet and training started once we moved here which was the beginning of November. Now I will have to say I was a super jock in high school. I was into weightlifting and all that mumbo jumbo back then, so I had some muscle memory from back then. But all in all it took me a few years of pissing around with weights figuring out what I wanted to get to where I am. I regret messing up as bad as I have over the past couple years. But it was a good learning experience for me. A hard one, but a good one...wow you really made me sit down and think about that one. I hope that answered your question, lol.

Hey Ronn, are those leg curls the only exercise you're doing for your hams or did you just run out of time?

Well I PM'd Mastover about a critque about my physique and some ideas how to bring up lagging parts (ie HAMS, CALVES!!) He gave me quite a few suggestions on exercises to use. Stiff legged deads with D-bells was one of them. But thus far yes leg curls were the only DIRECT ham exercise:spank:. But there will be alot more variety on exercises and focus on my hams and calves.

Damn Merk, you're looking great! I hear you about the lagging hams and calves....those are the bane of my existence. Would love to hear more about what you are doing for those.

And like I tell my wife, you're a fuckin' potty mouth! Takes one to know one. :lol:

:confused: Well Maya and I were going to compete in May, but have decided to give ourselves a bit more time to catch up lagging bodyparts. So we will be competing in the fall with our friends Poldek and Magda...though I might do a show here in Toronto in August. See how that goes....as for how long it took me to get to my current build. :confused: good question my man. I started my transformation May 2005..dropped 55 lbs in 2 months from there I started to train for hypertrophy...did that for a few months. From there I turned to powerlifting..then...hmmm, I did that until the next summer, cut, started training for hypertrophy for a few months, then back to powerlifting. I did powerlifting for about a year on and off (was dealing with alot of personal issues...its all in my previous thread). Then I moved here got my diet under control (my diet was my achilles heel next to my legs...and the diet is THE STAPLE....I've been on and off with my diet since my transformation). I've been eating really well and proper since July. Maya and I cracked the el-whip-o on the diet once we moved into the house. So super serious diet and training started once we moved here which was the beginning of November. Now I will have to say I was a super jock in high school. I was into weightlifting and all that mumbo jumbo back then, so I had some muscle memory from back then. But all in all it took me a few years of pissing around with weights figuring out what I wanted to get to where I am. I regret messing up as bad as I have over the past couple years. But it was a good learning experience for me. I hard one, but a good one...wow you really made me sit down and think about that one. I hope that answered your question, lol.


Thanks for the honesty. I guess I'm mostly wondering about symmetry. Because of the training I've been doing for the last 20 years or so (I'm 38 years old), I have strong thighs, lats, chest, and shoulders. My biceps and calves, however, need a ton of work to catch up to the rest of my bodyparts. I'm hoping that I can make that happen before I turn 40. That gives me about a year and a half. We'll see what happens!

Damn Merk, you're looking great! I hear you about the lagging hams and calves....those are the bane of my existence. Would love to hear more about what you are doing for those.

And like I tell my wife, you're a fuckin' potty mouth! Takes one to know one. :lol:


Well I do leg curl, RDL's, I'm going to encorporate stiff legged deads with D-bell's to my leg days. For calves I do calf raises on stairs usually 4-6 stairs at 20 each (body weight), calf raises on the leg press machine, plus I'm adding calf raises with d-bells for the stairs :evil: I have a few things that Mastover had suggested as well (I cannot remember off the top of my head what they were, have to check PM :rolleyes: ) Also I'm going to be doing legs twice a week for a few weeks at a time. See if I can get my twigs to grow. I'm really wanting to take my legs and make them a strength to my physique.

PS I know what you mean about the potty mouth deal. You know I don't think I have heard anyone worse when it comes to being a potty mouth than my very own mother. . . . seriously

Ok...another quick update-o

Diet has been spot on, though the night prior I fucked up. I missed my post workout meal :bang::bang::bang: I was so pissed. I had a couple friends come over for a fitness consultation. Of course these are guys I havent seen in months and months. So we fuckin lost track of fitness and started to shoot the shit. I got a little too into it and forgot to eat. DAMMIT, I wasn't impressed. Yesterday things were good though. I jumped on the scale I was 162.6 I was impressed. I finally dumped all that fuckin weight from my b-day from hell cheat day.

Ok to wrap things up, worked out hard this past week. Things have been really good. I've enjoyed all the workouts. The workout schedule was shifted slightly since last week arms were missed so they were done monday. But the adjustment was made with no real issues. Thank god.

Last night went out to the movies with Maya, Poldek, and Magda. Went to see I am Legend with Will Smith. That movie started off so well, I was diggin it. Then it got a little wierd near the end. Its like taking 28 days later, resident evil, and battlefield earth mashing them up and BLAM! you have this movie. All in all it was good though. Didn't get to bed until 2 am, had to catch the late night movie since the early one was sold out...fuck. Ahh well it was worth it. Its funny Maya and I snuck some protein and a chicken breast into the movie to ensure we didn't miss a meal, lol. Were so rockstar, :cool:

Today there is a fuck of a snow storm here in Toronto. Its supposed to drop 20-25 cm over the next 2 days and trust me its given' 'er outside. Maya and I are looking at taking a cab to the gym. Diets been good today as well.


I have to head 'er have some work to do.

Penis' and pencilsharpeners don't mix people!

Ronn

Well I PM'd Mastover about a critque about my physique and some ideas how to bring up lagging parts (ie HAMS, CALVES!!) He gave me quite a few suggestions on exercises to use. Stiff legged deads with D-bells was one of them. But thus far yes leg curls were the only DIRECT ham exercise:spank:. But there will be alot more variety on exercises and focus on my hams and calves.
Heh, calves are bad for me, too. That's why I wear sweat pants to the gym. :whistle:
Hamstrings are my favorite muscle group to train. RDLs, Good Mornings, Oly Lifts :drool:

Thanks for the honesty. I guess I'm mostly wondering about symmetry. Because of the training I've been doing for the last 20 years or so (I'm 38 years old), I have strong thighs, lats, chest, and shoulders. My biceps and calves, however, need a ton of work to catch up to the rest of my bodyparts. I'm hoping that I can make that happen before I turn 40. That gives me about a year and a half. We'll see what happens!

I'm glad you asked me that question. It REALLY made me sit and think on how long it has taken me to get to this point. Thing that pisses me off is had I really focused on bodybuilding sooner and had the knowledge I have now...I'm sure I'd look an eff of alot better. But hindsight is 20/20, right? My best suggestion is take pics of yourself, send them to Mastover and get him to critique and ask for workouts that will help lagging bodyparts. I'd give you my opinion but man....I'd rather see you get off on the RIGHT foot...not the wrong one, lol.

Heh, calves are bad for me, too. That's why I wear sweat pants to the gym. :whistle:
Hamstrings are my favorite muscle group to train. RDLs, Good Mornings, Oly Lifts :drool:


Fuckin calves, eh? damn things. Ahh well with Mastover at the healm I'm sure my legs will catch up in no time. :tu:

I've been a little fearful of good mornings. I tried them once within a year of breaking my back (bad idea by the way) It didn't go over so well. I was using a light weight too. It fucked me over pretty hard. I haven't done them since. Maya sent me an article about different deads and what they work. So I might try a few of them...see what they do for me.

Thanks man! BTW I was commenting to Maya about your latest avatar....your looking HUGE...simply huge Carguy.

Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from someone as HUGE as yourself. Best wishes to you and Maya in your competitions.:nod:

Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from someone as HUGE as yourself. Best wishes to you and Maya in your competitions.:nod:

:o Thanks for the compliments big C. Your reaping what you sewed. You've come a long way with your journey in fitness. Your dedication and disipline is well respected and deserved praise :bow:

with Mastover at the healm I'm sure my legs will catch up in no time. :tu:

Yes that man takes legs seriously.

Yes that man takes legs seriously.

No doubt about it. When I seen his legs for the first time I think I almost shat myself just a tat, lol. But seriously I was in sheer awe. I remember thinking " I want a pair of those!"

No doubt about it. When I seen his legs for the first time I think I almost shat myself just a tat, lol. But seriously I was in sheer awe. I remember thinking " I want a pair of those!"

Takes a little while to get to his look. Since I just want the strength I haven't had to wait as long.

I'm glad you asked me that question. It REALLY made me sit and think on how long it has taken me to get to this point. Thing that pisses me off is had I really focused on bodybuilding sooner and had the knowledge I have now...I'm sure I'd look an eff of alot better. But hindsight is 20/20, right? My best suggestion is take pics of yourself, send them to Mastover and get him to critique and ask for workouts that will help lagging bodyparts. I'd give you my opinion but man....I'd rather see you get off on the RIGHT foot...not the wrong one, lol.

Thanks Merk-
After January I will most likely be looking for a lot of advice related to bodybuilding!

Takes a little while to get to his look. Since I just want the strength I haven't had to wait as long.

Oh for sure it will take time. I mean it all takes time...unless you take junk then it takes no time...and then your left with a small wee wee in return! :D

I personally would rather take my time and earn 'em!

Thanks Merk-
After January I will most likely be looking for a lot of advice related to bodybuilding!

Well bro I will do the best that I can to help you along. If there is something I am unsure of or think you can get better advice I'll most certainly lead you to all the right people. Mastover, Zen, Gordo, 1Fast, etc.

Today....today was today I guess you could say (wow that rhymes, I should become the next Dr. Seuss :cool:)

A quick breakdown of today...LOTS OF MOTHERFUCKIN SNOW!!!! BAHHHH!

I shoveled the driveway 3 fuckin times today. No shit, 3 times. It was nuts. Snow is from the fiery depths of hell.....straight from the devil himself. So many people think snow is so nice and christmasy...try shoveling over a foot of that crap thats all over your driveway...3 times!!!! I'd like nothing more than to punch mother nature a solid 3 times in the mouth for today. Guess what number I'm thinking of? 3! the number of how many hours it took me to do it all. OI!


Whew, Anyways...

Might I add today was a no carb day. Diet went really well, straight as an arrow. Today was a day off training thank god!...well sorta. Got some guitar recording done, that was pretty sweet. Haven't really done too much of that over the past 6-7 months. Nice relaxing bath, talked to some old friends, caught up on some reading, chilled and watched some guitar vids on youtube, minus the damn snow and stupid plow trucks of doom. It was a solid day, though it would have been nice to get some grocery shopping done. But hey you can't win 'em all, right? Well its midnight here in the grand TO. Time to hit the sack. I'm out.

Today was brought to you by number 3...

"Try not to use a plunger as a plug for the tub...you never know what can happen if you were to slip....:eek:"

Ronn

Well bro I will do the best that I can to help you along. If there is something I am unsure of or think you can get better advice I'll most certainly lead you to all the right people. Mastover, Zen, Gordo, 1Fast, etc.

Thanks man. I appreciate it!:tucool:

Thanks man. I appreciate it!:tucool:

No probs bro

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Today is cheat meal, hurray, hurray! Today is cheat meal hurray, hurray! :claphigh:

There be my song and dance for today, YAR!. As you can tell I am damn well pumped for our cheat meal in the Maya/Merk household. Chicken and whole wheat pasta AND diet pepsi WOOO! :jumping:

Today was a good day. Today was a higher carb day since it was leg day. Though it doesn't feel like a high carb day, sheesh. Feels like I haven't eaten enough. Maya and I went out earlier to starbucks and treated ourselves to a coffee and little dessert of our choice. She chose the oatmeal fudge bar (the "healthier" choice out of the bunch) I on the otherhand....:evil: I chose the mint brownie! muh haw haw haw. Damn rights, if I'm going to get something...its going to be something good! with that I matched it with the peppermint mocha something or other. Sooooo good. Other than that worked a bit, got some grocery shopping done (no frills has this huge sale on chicken breasts $2-$3 for 3 nice chicken breasts per pack. :evil: I grabbed as many as I could fit in one of those hand baskets, seriously Maya had to grab another one for whatever else we needed). Had an awesome workout! It was leg day.

Squats 4x10
Leg extensions 3x15
Leg curl 3x10-15, last set I did a drop sets from 80 to 30 each set was 10 each....whew my legs felt good.
calf raises (w/12 lbs ball) 4x20

FYI diet was clean all day minus the "cheat" meal (1 cup of whole wheat pasta, 130 g of chicken breast, and a lower fat alfredo sauce), coffee, and brownie :D

Almost forgot I weighed in this morning...162.6 lbs. I was expecting after all the cardio I did yesterday and it being a low/no carb day I would have dropped a pound or three....apparantly not. Ahh well, it was good for my fat ass to get out there and get some physical work done. I cannot forget my hard labour roots. For a "bulk" I seem to be cutting pretty damn well, lol. I keep adding cals and I still seem to be dropping....well I'll keep having to add until the dropping stops. I swear I have never eaten this much food in my entire life and yet I'm dropping weight like no ones business, no cardio either. So strange how the body works, eh? Well I'm off.

"An accident could be a one way ticket to disability retirement...quick hit me with a hammer!!"

Ronn

Maya and I went out earlier to starbucks and treated ourselves to a coffee and little dessert of our choice. She chose the oatmeal fudge bar (the "healthier" choice out of the bunch)

Hahahhaah.... are you kidding me? "healthy" and oat fudge bar shouldn't be put in the same sentence :lol:
I don't think there is any oats in there... just a crispy, delicious crust and fudge :drool:

Hahahhaah.... are you kidding me? "healthy" and oat fudge bar shouldn't be put in the same sentence :lol:
I don't think there is any oats in there... just a crispy, delicious crust and fudge :drool:

Hey it was healthier than mine thats for sure. You know I almost felt ill from all that sugar...but dammit it was so good.

Hey it was healthier than mine thats for sure. You know I almost felt ill from all that sugar...but dammit it was so good.

I really don't think so :nope:
Hey, your had mint... that's like... a herb... that's healthy!! :lol:

I really don't think so :nope:
Hey, your had mint... that's like... a herb... that's healthy!! :lol:

yeah mine had mint, but I mean yours had oatmeal, thats suppoesed to be such a clean carb :p

I cannot believe it, I woke up this morning...165.6 lbs. I am unimpressed :nope: . Damn cheat meals, even the cleaner ones are rough on the system. Fuckin' mint brownie...:lol: Well best get my ass movin' lots to do.

Sorry for not updating for a few days, been super busy.

Ok diet has been super good. Had a slight slip yesterday after the gym. Had to hurry off for a job interview. I've been in talks with goodlife fitness since the summer about personal training again. I've been on and off about the idea. But finally decided that I should jump for it (honestly, the money is the biggest key factor). I was supposed to have a few interviews but mine was all crammed into one. So I was in talking with the people for sometime (over 2 hours) and over shot my meal. It sucked but I mean I couldn't exactly leave, you know? Anyways I got the job. I start as of Jan.1. I have to go in on the 27th for some paperwork, should be interesting.

Besides that little bump in the road. Training has been good, feelin' strong. Diet has been good, going to give what Maya and I are going another month and then we might try a new approach maybe.

Been averaging about 165 lately this is good I'm stable, I'm not dropping. Going to add a bit of cals to that maybe see what happens.

The purple K I'm taking seems to be working really well. I benched 205 last week for 6, this week was 225 for 6 and then 245 for 3! It was nice to see some heavy weight again. Might push for 255 next week woo!

Uhhh, thats about it so far. I've been tossing around the idea of putting my diet and workouts up consistantly but....I don't know yet. Though for all you who read this if you were really wondering how I eat and what I do for workouts check out Mayas journal, lol. She posts EVERYTHING.

Well time to head to the gym, shoulders and whatnot.

Ronn

Sorry for not updating for a few days, been super busy.

Ok diet has been super good. Had a slight slip yesterday after the gym. Had to hurry off for a job interview. I've been in talks with goodlife fitness since the summer about personal training again. I've been on and off about the idea. But finally decided that I should jump for it (honestly, the money is the biggest key factor). I was supposed to have a few interviews but mine was all crammed into one. So I was in talking with the people for sometime (over 2 hours) and over shot my meal. It sucked but I mean I couldn't exactly leave, you know? Anyways I got the job. I start as of Jan.1. I have to go in on the 27th for some paperwork, should be interesting.

Besides that little bump in the road. Training has been good, feelin' strong. Diet has been good, going to give what Maya and I are going another month and then we might try a new approach maybe.

Been averaging about 165 lately this is good I'm stable, I'm not dropping. Going to add a bit of cals to that maybe see what happens.

The purple K I'm taking seems to be working really well. I benched 205 last week for 6, this week was 225 for 6 and then 245 for 3! It was nice to see some heavy weight again. Might push for 255 next week woo!

Uhhh, thats about it so far. I've been tossing around the idea of putting my diet and workouts up consistantly but....I don't know yet. Though for all you who read this if you were really wondering how I eat and what I do for workouts check out Mayas journal, lol. She posts EVERYTHING.

Well time to head to the gym, shoulders and whatnot.

Ronn


Congrats on the new job! That sounds like something you would be very good at. Nice job on the bench presses too!:tucool:

Congrats on the new job! That sounds like something you would be very good at. Nice job on the bench presses too!:tucool:

Thanks bro, I used to do it back in the day but took a break from it due to mental burnout. But after taking a massive break, talking to a few people, and seeing the fundage I can be making. I figured I'd give it another shot with a different approach...so we'll see what happens. Thanks about the bench, though its a hard pill to swallow seeing my bench go down as much as it has. My peak was 315 lbs free weight bench. On machine my peak was around the 600 lbs mark (funny how wieght can differ) Lately my bench has been a struggling 170-180 :cry: But I got pissy and decided enough was enough and really kicked it up a notch. :bb: So lets see if I can really do.

Today has been pretty mediocre. Woke up brutally late. 10:45 am! Had a ton to do, last minute christmas nightmare stuff. No carb day on top of it all.

Fuck me freddy people are insane this close to christmas! I don't know what it is about all this "christmas commercialization" that has people in such a damn uproar, seriously. People seem to drop about 40 points in IQ around this time of year, running, screaming, fighting, stress, debt! All this shit for what? one damn day of? mess, drama, and a headache. I'm not some scrooge asshole or anything. But christmas has really lost its truest meaning IMO. Its sad.

Anyways

Diet has been not bad, could have been better. I need to start eating more. My diet has been really good, clean, and spot on. But I seem to have this mental hump about eating more. Its strange. It must be this paranoia about gaining fat or some shit. I really need to get over this and push forward or else I'm going to look like shit for the upcoming comp(s). Right now the average is 2100 cals or so. I need to bump em up to a good 2300-2500 daily.

Alrighty, its late (1am). Cooking is done for tomorrow and the day after. So I think its time to hit the el-sack-o.

"Don't lick the frost off metal poles in the middle of winter, it could get you in a sticky situation!"

~Ronn

Thanks bro, I used to do it back in the day but took a break from it due to mental burnout. But after taking a massive break, talking to a few people, and seeing the fundage I can be making. I figured I'd give it another shot with a different approach...so we'll see what happens. Thanks about the bench, though its a hard pill to swallow seeing my bench go down as much as it has. My peak was 315 lbs free weight bench. On machine my peak was around the 600 lbs mark (funny how wieght can differ) Lately my bench has been a struggling 170-180 :cry: But I got pissy and decided enough was enough and really kicked it up a notch. :bb: So lets see if I can really do.

I've found my bench press to go up or down drastically with my bodyfat. I always drop down to 9 or 10% bodyfat for the summer, and all my lifts suffer for it, but my bench press is the worst. I'll typically lose a good 50 or 60 lbs. off my max bench during those times. This time of year when I'm getting prepared for bench press competitions I'll bump my bodyfat up to 13 - 14% and my max goes right back up to where it should be. It's funny what a little extra fat can do for strength gains! Happy holidays!:D

I've found my bench press to go up or down drastically with my bodyfat. I always drop down to 9 or 10% bodyfat for the summer, and all my lifts suffer for it, but my bench press is the worst. I'll typically lose a good 50 or 60 lbs. off my max bench during those times. This time of year when I'm getting prepared for bench press competitions I'll bump my bodyfat up to 13 - 14% and my max goes right back up to where it should be. It's funny what a little extra fat can do for strength gains! Happy holidays!:D

I completely understand man, totally. Hope you had a good christmas. Was santa good to ya?

Well the Holidays here were awesome. Nice and mellow. The 24th hit up the gym. That night Maya and I ate like fiends. We had perogies, yams, liverwurst, a bun (split between us both), red cabbage, and to end it all we had homemade cheesecake :eat:. It was so damn good. I was stuffed. After such I was so damn paranoid of having another b-day nightmare (10 lbs gain in a day). Thankfully I jumped on the scale in the am of the 25th...I was 165 whew! Well that morning we had homemade hashbrowns, fried perogies, turkey bacon, eggs, and ...cheesecake. I thought to myself I'm walking a FINE line eating like that. So in the afternoon I ate 380g of pumpernickle bread with spinach dip :evil:. I was asking for trouble...and I don't know why. Anyways, Santa was good to me santa got my a new graphics card for my pc I'm running a nvidia 6200 CT 128 mb..this thing is ANCIENT! in the world of technology. Anyways santa got me a nvidia 8600 GT XXX 256 MB (this thing is LIGHTYEARS ahead of what I have now). So now I can play all my nerdy games (like WoW) without any hangups, wOOt!

Back to the weight thing.

So the 26th shows up. I jump on the scale...I was 163 lbs. Apparantly I didn't gain anything from eating like an idiot. Nothing I wish to duplicate again thats for sure (well during the remainder of my bulk upcoming cut). Santa was good to me again, SWEET!

Besides that eating has been good. Went to the gym today after filling out some paperwork with goodlife fitness. I was as strong as an ox today. I was curling 40's (controlled and squeezed, I was funkin' out in the last couple on the sets I had to do, but...usually I calf with 30's within about 10...I was doing 40's for 10 heh heh) everything was solid. Also that waximaize Maya and I have works AMAZING WOW. I was looking so dry in the gym today I was checking myself out hard, lol. Infact Maya gave me a little ca ca for it.

All these carbs over the past week have really kicked me into gear. Yesterday was a higher carb day (we were going to hit the gym but the damn place was closed at 2 pm yesterday and we missed out) Today was another high carb because of training, Tomorrow is going to be another high carb day since we are training tomorrow. YEE HAW! my legs are all healed up and ready for tomorrows workout, muh haw haw haw. Time to butcher them with Mondays workout (if your curious about my workouts and diet...check out Mayas current journal...its all there).

Crap its almost 12 am, time to hit the sack, long day ahead.

Hope you all had good holidays, everyone, be sure to let me know how youy holidays went and the highlights. Even you lurkers out there, you know who you are :cool:

"Don't glue your bestfriends ass cheeks together with super glue, though it may be funny at first to see him in panic when he has to do #2..the doctors bill to get him "unstuck" isn't"

~Ronn

Congrats on the new job!

This journal is like the merk and maya show. :lol:

Congrats on the new job!

This journal is like the merk and maya show. :lol:


Thanks, should be interesting being a personal fitness trainer again. Lets just hope I don't mentally burnout again like last time. . . oi.

I completely understand man, totally. Hope you had a good christmas. Was santa good to ya?

Santa was pretty good to our family. He likes to spoil my wife and son!:whistle:
BTW - At the end of January I will be completely changing my training style. Your journal has definitely given me some good ideas!:tu: Thanks!

Santa was pretty good to our family. He likes to spoil my wife and son!:whistle:
BTW - At the end of January I will be completely changing my training style. Your journal has definitely given me some good ideas!:tu: Thanks!

Nice to see Santa was good to you guys, very cool. Glad my thread has sparked some good ideas for you. Might I seriously suggest going on the bulk routine I am on now. I'll be posting it up here shortly also a link in my signature to my daily diet on fitday.com. I'm a little backlogged there so I have to play some catch up, I'm a few weeks behind from mid Nov to mid Dec. I have it all written down, just not on fitday yet...fuck. Also I have my first week on this bulk to post up as well. You know sometimes it pays to not be a lazy bastard like myself and get everything done in a timely manner vs procrasinating and playing guitar or playing video games :o

Now I'm not sure where my diet book went but I need to log this mornings food before I forget.


meal 1~ 1 whey Iso. 1.5 tbsp of PB, 2.5 tbsp of cream

...then I sneaked a tsp of PB later

meal 2~ 2.5 cups of mixed veggies, 2 salmon filets.YUM!


Ok gotta jet, stuff to do.

~Ronn

Here is the program Maya and I are on....


Originally Posted by mastover
The following 3 day per week workout doesn't look like much, but it is extremely deceptive. If you plan on eating at maintenence or below. Don't even bother with this one. You'll easily overtain. EAT and EAT. Bump up the protein, put heavy cream in your shakes, eat your oatmeal and sweet potatoes.

Monday
Bench Press: warm up, then 2-3 sets x 12 reps
Bent Row: warm up, then 2-3 sets x 15 reps
Breathing Squat: warm up, then 1 set x 20 reps
Breathing Pullover or Rader Chest Pull: 1 set x 20 reps
Straight-leg Deadlift: warm up, then 2 sets x 15 reps

Wednesday
Shoulder Press (front, behind-neck or with dumbbells): warm up, then 2 x 10
Barbell Curl: warm up then 2 x 10 Parallel
Bar Dips: 1 x as many as possible, if you reach 30 reps, add weight.
Close-grip Chin with hands facing you: 1 set of as many reps as possible, if you can’t make fifteen reps on your first set, add a second set so that the cumulative reps equals fifteen. (“Cumulative reps” mean you add the reps that you got both sets together.) Add weight if you ever get to 30 reps on your first set.
Ab work
Calf Work

Friday
Repeat Monday’s workout, adding weight to any exercise that you reached the goal number of reps on the first set. Doesn’t look like much?



THE PROGRAM IN DETAIL

Monday and Friday

1. I started with the bench press (I now use the incline press.) Warm-up, but don’t wear out. Let’s say your working weight will be 245 pounds for your two sets. Start with some active stretching, then six to ten reps with 135, five reps with 185, and finally one rep with 225. Now add a ten-pound plate to each side and get psyched. The goal is twelve reps. Don’t hold back. This is the set that counts. If you reach twelve reps on your first set – stop! Rest three minutes then try to get twelve reps again. It doesn’t matter if you do or not, you made your goal so you add five pounds next workout (just a measly 2 1/2-pound plate to each side). If you do not reach twelve reps on either set, then stay with the same weight next workout.

2. The next exercise is the bent row. You follow the same basic procedure as you did for the bench press but your target is fifteen reps. This one will surprise you, especially if you have been doing sets of ten or fewer on this exercise. You can just about get fifteen reps with what you thought was your ten-rep limit. You will be breathing when you’re done though. If your working weight is going to be 185 pounds, you’d do a warm-up set with 95 (optional), 135 for six to eight, and then go to 185 and try for fifteen. Remember the warm-up set is just that – a warm-up and that the work sets are WORK! If you get fifteen reps on either set add five pounds for your next workout. If you think these five-pound jumps are silly or too easy just remember that you will do these same exercises for sixteen workouts over the next eight weeks and a fivepound jump per workout equates to a 75 pound increase over the length of the program. Just think about that!

3. Now comes the keystone of the program — the breathing squat. This exercise has been around longer than You may want to try the traditional approach to the breathing squat as your weight increases and your physical conditioning improves. In this approach you take five, full, deep breaths before each rep — even the first. On your sixth breath — hold it — squat to slightly below parallel — come up as you blow out the air — then five more breaths and repeat until you get twenty or even twenty-five reps. Whew!

Each workout add ten pounds to the bar if you successfully completed your twenty reps the previous workout. Since there are two squat workouts per week, you’ll be using your original ten-rep max for twenty reps by the end of the third week. After that add five pounds each workout for the final five weeks. Believe it or not, you’ll be squatting for twenty reps with fifty pounds more than your previous ten-rep max. No wonder this program works!

Let me warn you. This exercise is not easy. If it is you are not taking it seriously enough. You’ll want to stop before you hit twenty, maybe even feel dizzy, but don’t quit — get twenty!

4. After your set of twenty-rep squats, lie down lengthwise on a bench and do twenty reps of the straight-arm pullover with a very light weight (fifteen to twenty pounds is all you need). The purpose of this exercise is to inhale as much oxygen as possible so take the deepest breath as you can each rep.

5. The final exercise is the straight-leg deadlift. You will eventually work up to a pretty fair poundage in this exercise but start conservatively. Remember, you have sixteen workout sessions where your goal is to improve five pounds per session. Keep your back flat when performing this exercise. Warmup as on the other exercises, then two work sets striving for fifteen reps as your target on the first set. Same weight for as many reps as you can get on the second after a three-minute rest period. Add five pounds the next workout if you reach fifteen reps on your first (or second) work set.

I know this is a lot less sets than you are used to. But think about doing twenty reps in the squat with a weight fifty pounds more than your current ten-rep max eight weeks from now. Imagine how that will affect your metabolism, particularly your anabolic hormonal environment. There is nothing that will increase your natural growth hormone levels than a single set of twenty rep squats as described above. And, when you have completed this program and go back to a more traditional type of program, envision fi rst the increased strength and muscular endurance you will have developed, and second how you will respond to the varied stimulus of increased volume with the heavier weights you have achieved.

Wednesday
1. Shoulder Press — do one light warm-up set of eight to ten reps, a heavier warm up set for fi ve to six reps, then two all out work sets with a target of ten reps. Use the same weight for both work sets. If you get ten reps on your fi rst (or second) set that means you go up fi ve pounds next week (or after the fi rst couple of weeks 2 1/2 pounds, if possible). This workout is performed just once a week for a total of eight workouts over the course of the program. Still, it will be very diffi cult to increase fi ve pounds each week in the press and curl. I’d recommend getting some 1 1/4 pound plates or "platemates" and taking them to the gym with you so you can increase just 2 1/2 pounds per week on these exercises.

2. Barbell Curl — same procedure as shoulder press.

3. Parallel Bar Dips — no warm-up needed but do the fi rst few reps very slowly to avoid injury. Do as many reps as you can for one set. If you can do thirty or more reps, add a tenpound plate your next workout. Don’t neglect this exercise. It’s been called the "upper body squat" and will have some very positive effects on your triceps, chest, shoulders, and serratus.

4. Close Grip Chin — Hands should be six to twelve inches apart with your palms facing you. Do as many reps as possible. If you can’t make fi fteen reps on your fi rst set, rest sixty seconds and do another set. If you get nine reps the fi rst set and six the second — that’s your target, fi fteen reps. Try to add at least one rep each workout shooting for thirty. If you ever get to thirty reps on your first set, add a ten-pound plate.

5. Ab work is optional, you could do a couple sets of crunches or a couple sets on the ab machine. 6. Calf work is also optional; I recommend three sets of twenty reps on the standing calf raise. I found there are five keys to the success of this program.

1. The breathing squat — work hard, don’t quit until you reach twenty, and add weight every single workout.

2. On the exercises which you do just two sets — treat these like a “heavy duty” workout. That first set needs to be all-out, but if you reach the target rep number, and are feeling lazy that day, it’s OK to stop. You’ve reached your goal for that exercise, that’s your sign to add weight next workout. The second set should also be very difficult. It is probably unnecessary, but I do it in case I slacked even a little on the first set.

3. Add very small weight increments consistently throughout the entire program. If you make your target reps on a particular set, no matter how hard it is, add a small amount of weight to your work sets the next time.

4. Have a "one-set" mentality. Don’t think in terms of I have four sets of ten to do so I’ll hold back a little on the first set. The first set is the one that counts. The second set where indicated is just in case you left a couple of muscle fibers unscathed on the first set.

5. Recovery is important. Don’t add a bunch of exercises or sets.

*TIP: Just a note on the squats. Don't kill yourself the first few squat sessions. Pick a weight where you know you can complete 20 reps with. With every ensuing workout, make the 20 reps a little bit more challenging. But don't turn it into a near-death experience. LOL

Nice to see Santa was good to you guys, very cool. Glad my thread has sparked some good ideas for you. Might I seriously suggest going on the bulk routine I am on now.

~Ronn


Actually I am thinking more along the lines of tweaking my diet a little bit starting in February to get back down to the 9-10% bodyfat range. If I set a new personal best in the bench competition this month, I will have achieved the one major goal that I set out for myself a long time ago - and then I just want to forget about this kind of training. My joints are getting too beat up for this heavy stuff! I am going to start focusing on using weights that will allow me to hit 10-12 reps consistently, and I also want to start doing more isolation movements.
If you don't mind, one of these days I am going to PM you with the details of my new workout plans - and I would like to hear your opinion on them.

Best wishes to you and Maya for 2008!:tu:

Originally Posted by mastover
Just a note on the squats. .... don't turn it into a near-death experience. LOL

Oh he's no fun any more.

Actually I am thinking more along the lines of tweaking my diet a little bit starting in February to get back down to the 9-10% bodyfat range. If I set a new personal best in the bench competition this month, I will have achieved the one major goal that I set out for myself a long time ago - and then I just want to forget about this kind of training. My joints are getting too beat up for this heavy stuff! I am going to start focusing on using weights that will allow me to hit 10-12 reps consistently, and I also want to start doing more isolation movements.
If you don't mind, one of these days I am going to PM you with the details of my new workout plans - and I would like to hear your opinion on them.

Best wishes to you and Maya for 2008!:tu:

I understand were you are coming from. I mean I'm still quite youthful and my bones and joints tend to protest when I decide its a heavy bench or deadlift day. But I grill them regardless because I'm a damn wierdo and love the pain and have an ego about the size of the goodyear blimp when I am in the gym. The weight is going up regardless of the suffering.

Feel free to fire off your diet to me, Maya and I would be more than happy to check it over.

Thanks for the best wishes man, we both extend our best wishes to you and the rest of the IROC family for '08.

Oh he's no fun any more.

LOL, I know. Where's the excitement if it doesn't makes you feel like death is slowly warming over you??

*sighs*

Its been a few days since my last update as you all can see (points at date and time). I have to be straight up, I haven't been as dedicated to updating my journal as I should be. Instead I'd rather build an addiction to an online RPG. I think about it everyday and everyday I find other more important things to do than post my diet and training. Fuck I can be such a retard sometimes. Maybe I should have made a new years resolution to post regularly in my journal. Though if I know myself I would break that resolution faster than putting coke infront of a freshly recovered coke addict and telling him not to snort it....yeah right.

Diet has been good, still not eating enough. I seem to have this fucking mental block on eating more...Its hindering my bulk progress for sure. For example yesterday was the first time I failed on any workout this bulk. I was one rep short of completing the workout and...I had nothing left. Infact when I sat down to do my workout I felt so lethargic. I had no serious focus. Because I wasn't mentally prepared I fucked up. I soley blame this on my diet, I'm not eating enough. If I were I would have had the energy and the proper mental drive to get that fucking bar up and back on the rack....poor Maya, having to try and spot me while doing a 215 bench. She shocked me when she pulled that weight up and helped me rack it. That girl has some serious mojo. I hope I never piss her off enough that she pops me one. I think she might lay me out stone cold, seriously.

Its funny how earlier that day I sat and had a read about this article on t-nation about proper carb cycling and how effective it is. The guy who wrote it apparantly had such a hard time with eating more after getting ripped. Had a mental block and truly thought carbs were the enemy. No matter who he talked to nutritionists, pro bodybuilders, he couldn't get over this mental hump. It wasn't until watching his girlfriend eating lots and carb cycling could he really get over this mental hump. I feel I'm in the same boat...exact same boat infact. The endless discussions with experts and I still cannot get it through to myself to eat more out of fear of getting fat again and watching first hand how my girlfriend is eating a ton, carb cycling, and she's getting AMAZING results. I gotta fuckin pick up my motherfuckin' socks and start cramming more of the good grub down my throat. I'm going to be going back to t-nation and really taking another good read on that article and utilize these methods that this guy uses. (basically I'm just refining what I am doing, more food, and better structure as to when I am ingesting my carbs)

Feel free to check it out guys (and gals)
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=811783

I'm off

~Ronn

PS~ I dont have a stupid safety quote today, sorry

Just incase there are people that are too lazy to click on the link posted in my previous post here is the article I had read (and am reading again right now actually)

The Carb Cycling Codex
Gain muscle and lose fat optimally!
by Christian Thibaudeau


Life is funny sometimes. Over the course of my T-Nation career I went from a fat but strong guy to a lean and muscular one, despite having the worst "fat loss genetics" in the world. In the past, I made most of my transformations via a low-carb dietary approach, and as a result I became somewhat carb-phobic and truly believed that ingesting carbs would turn me into a fat slob.

What's humorous is that, as a strength coach, I have access to the top sports nutritionists in the world. I've read everything by everyone. Drs. Berardi and Lowery's work weren't able to convince me of reintroducing carbs to my diet. Even the work of bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto (who uses relatively high carbs even during the pre-contest period) didn't help. When it came to carbs, I lost all rational thought capacity!

But as of now, carbs are back in my own diet and the diets of my athletes and bodybuilders. What happened? A 135 pound girl made me change my outlook on building muscle and losing fat. She succeeded where all the best experts failed!

That girl is my girlfriend, Christiane, who happens to be an excellent natural bodybuilder and a trainer herself. She's always kept carbs in her diet; we even had several arguments over that. Since I was sure that carbs equalled fatness, I wouldn't listen to anything she said. That is, until I saw her get ripped, strong, and more muscular simultaneously, week by week.



That's when I realized that she must be doing something right! So together we developed a dieting template that would become the one I use with all my bodybuilders and the one I use myself. This approach allows the athlete to either gain maximum muscle mass without gaining too much fat (sometimes a slight fat loss is even possible) or to get into contest shape while maintaining (or even gaining) muscle mass. The strategy is actually not complicated and it's the most effective way to diet I've ever used... and I've used every diet imaginable! The approach is called carb cycling.



Another "product" of carb cycling is Sebastien "Da Freak" Cossette, a young bodybuilder I'm training for his first bodybuilding competition ("Before" pics on bottom; "after" pics on top).


The Logic Behind the System

There are two inevitable truths when it comes to building muscle or losing fat:

1) To increase body mass you need to consume more calories than you use.

2) To lose body fat you need to consume fewer calories than you use.

Obviously, the type of food you ingest will have an important impact on the end result. If the bulk of your calories come from junk food, chances are you'll end up gaining more fat than muscle. Similarly, if the quality of your food intake is low while dieting, chances are you'll end up losing more muscle tissue.

So, it's true that whatyou eat is just as important as how much you eat. However, total food intake still remains of paramount importance when trying to either gain muscle or lose fat.

Another thing to consider is the effect of nutrients on hormones and the effect of hormones on muscle gain and fat loss. For example, insulin is one of the most important anabolic hormones in the body. It directly influences the amount of amino acids and glucose transported into the muscle cells. This is the good stuff, and the more of it you have, the more you grow.

Basically, insulin is responsible for transporting the bricks to the construction site. Insulin also prevents the mobilization of the nutrients stored in the muscle either as intramuscular glycogen or muscle tissue. So in that regard, insulin favors muscle gain and diminishes muscle wasting. This is why insulin is widely used by professional bodybuilders.

However, since using exogenous insulin is out of the question for any natural individual remotely interested in avoiding diabetes and premature death, we must stimulate our body to produce its own insulin. Insulin is released from the pancreas in response to an increase in blood glucose level (which occurs when consuming carbs and certain amino acids). So if we want to increase endogenous insulin production, it becomes necessary to consume a mix of carbs and amino acids.

On the other hand, glucagon, which is insulin's antagonistic hormone, promotes the mobilization and utilization of stored nutrients, including glycogen and amino acids. When your diet is low in carbs, your glucagon levels skyrocket, putting you into mobilization/breakdown mode instead of building/anabolic mode.

We also have to mention that without ingesting carbs, it's harder to have intense strength training sessions. It's true that some amino acids can be "turned into" glucose via gluconeogenesis, and that ketone bodies can be used for fuel after proper adaptation has set in. But truth be told, a low/no carb diet makes you lose your capacity to train hard in the gym.

You also risk losing muscle mass because your body might very well decide to break up muscle tissue into amino acids to create new glucose! You could literally burn down the walls to heat the house!

Lastly, the conversion of T4/thyroxine (the relatively inactive thyroid hormone) to T3/triiodothyronine (the active thyroid hormone) is greatly impaired when insufficient carbs are consumed. A lower level of T3 leads to a drop in metabolism and this makes losing fat much harder.

For these reasons we can see that consuming carbohydrates is necessary if we want to develop a muscular body. However, insulin also has an ugly side: it can promote fat storage as well as reduce fat mobilization and usage.

A chronically elevated insulin level has a profound effect on the body's capacity to increase body fat. On a related subject, excess carbs can also be stored in fat cells. So always consuming large amounts of carbohydrates can lead to a physique reminiscent of the Michelin Man!


So What Can We Do?

To stimulate maximum muscle growth you need carbs, and a relatively high amount to boot. Without ample calories and carbohydrates, it'll be hard to gain heaps of muscle tissue, even with a high protein intake. However, eating too much too often can also make you fat. Head-splitting, isn't it?

The first method used by bodybuilders was to divide their training year into bulking and cutting phases: consuming tons of calories and carbohydrates during their bulking phase, then dropping their calories and carbs to sub-maintenance levels when entering a cutting phase. This worked...somewhat.

It did allow many people to gain a lot of size, but most of them lost quite a bit of their new muscle during the intense dieting period. Not to mention that those who were cursed with bad insulin sensitivity tended to gain a lot more fat than muscle during "bulking season." Also, gaining and then losing 20-30 pounds isn't exactly healthy. It puts a lot of stress on the body and can lead to some health problems.

Finally, from an aesthetic perspective, ballooning up by gaining 15-20 pounds of fat for the sake of gaining 10 pounds of muscle isn't the best thing to do. Ideally, we want to look good naked most of the time, not on a few selected months out of the year. "Sorry babe, not with the lights on this month. I'm bulking."

Then the cyclical ketogenic diets began to appear. These were based on a relatively long period of carb deprivation (normally five straight days) where less than 50 grams of carbohydrates were allowed, followed by one or two days of carbohydrate loading.

While very effective at stimulating fat loss, the long period without carbs isn't conducive to maximum muscle accumulation. In fact, by the second or third day you're pretty much in a severe catabolic state. Sure, there's an anabolic rebound during the loading days. But I'm not sure if this can be enough to compensate for the rest of the week. I do believe that it's enough to prevent muscle loss on a weekly basis, but not enough to promote maximum muscle gain.

To be fair, I've used this type of dieting several times in my life and did get great results as far as fat loss is concerned. I was even able to add a small amount of muscle, but I was never able to gain a lot of it on this type of diet.

Finally, a third approach championed by guys like Dr. John Berardi started to gain popularity. This dietary approach was based on not consuming many carbs and fats togetherand on consuming carbs mainly during periods of increased insulin sensitivity (in the morning and post-workout). So you basically had three meals with carbs and three meals without them every day.

This approach is darn near perfect for gaining mass with minimal fat accumulation. However, I found that it could still be improved to get the best body composition results.


The Solution

The solution that I'll (finally) explain to you is called carb cycling, but it could also be called calorie cycling. It sticks to the basic theory of ingesting carbs only in the morning and after workouts. The only difference is that the amount of calories and carbs consumed will vary each day. What will this accomplish?

• It'll allow you to include maximum fat burning days and maximum muscle accumulation days in each week.

• It'll prevent metabolic slowdown by providing frequent caloric spikes.

• It'll favor long term success because it's relatively easy to follow, especially compared to the more restrictive ketogenic diets.

Carb Cycling: The Basic Structure

Carb cycling is based on having three different carbohydrate intake levels during the week: high(er) carbs, moderate carbs, and low(er) carbs. Ideally these days are split according to your training schedule.

If you train 4 times per week:

• Select your two "priority workouts." These are the workouts where you're training the muscle groups you need to improve the most. On these days, you have a high(er) carbohydrate day.

• On the two other workout days, you consume a moderate amount of carbs.

• On the three "off days" you have a low(er) carb intake.

If you train 3 times per week:

• Select your two "priority workouts." On these days, you have a high(er) carbohydrate day.

• The other workout day has a moderate carbohydrate intake level.

• Among the four remaining days of the week, you have one more moderate carb day along with three low carb days.

If you train 5 times per week:

• Select your two "priority workouts" where you're training the muscle groups you want to improve the most. On these days, you have a higher(er) carbohydrate day.

• Select two "secondary workouts." On these days you have a moderate carb intake.

• On the remaining workout day and during your "off" days you consume a low(er) amount of carbohydrates.

Basically, one sentence could summarize the carb cycling philosophy: "Eat for what you did and have to do."


Calories and Carbohydrate Levels

When you've established your basic structure, you need to set the food intake appropriately. The first thing to do is calculate your daily energy expenditure: the amount of energy (in calories) you use each day. This baseline figure will be used to set caloric and nutrient intake during the various types of days.


First Step: Calculating Your Basal Metabolic Rate

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) simply means the amount of energy used by your body during a 24-hour period if no activity is performed. In other words, if you're inactive for 24-hours straight, you'd still "burn" the amount of calories equivalent to your BMR.

Your BMR is a function of your size, sex, and age. It's also influenced by your metabolic status (hypo or hyperthyroid state for example). We can calculate BMR with the following formulas (by Harris-Benedict):

For Men

BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age)

So for a 30 year old bodybuilder of 220lbs (100kg) at 5'11" (178cm) it comes up to:

BMR = 66 + (13.7 x 100kg) + (5 x 178cm) – (6.8 x 30)

BMR = 2122 calories per day

For Women

BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.7 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age)

So for a 28 year old figure girl of 132lbs (60kg) at 5'6" (165cm) it comes up to:

BMR = 655 + (9.6 x 60kg) + (1.7 x 165cm) – (4.7 x 28)

BMR = 1380 calories per day


Second Step: Factoring in activity level

The amount of calories found using the Harris-Benedict formula is what your body burns every day, even if you do nothing all day. Obviously, the more active you are the more you'll burn fuel. So, energy expenditure will be increased when your activity level goes up.

To get an adequate estimation you need to multiply your BMR by an activity level factor:

Activity level factor
Activity level

1.0
Sedentary

1.2
Very light activity

1.4
Light activity

1.6
Moderate activity

1.8
High activity

2.0
Extreme activity


By sedentary we mean doing nothing all day (sleeping and watching TV).

By very light activity we mean doing nothing physical. Working a desk job or on a computer and not performing any type of physical activity during your day.

By light activity we mean having a non-physical job (desk, computer, etc.) but performing some sort of physical activity during the day (e.g. above average walking) but no hard training.

By moderate activity we mean having a non-physical job, performing some sort of physical activity during the day, and including a daily workout session in your routine. This is where most of you are at.

By high activity we mean either training plus a physical job or non-physical job and twice-a-day training sessions.

By extreme activity we mean a very physical job and daily hard training.

So if our 220 pound bodybuilder with a BMR of 2122 calories/day is moderately active, his daily energy expenditure is bumped up to 2122 x 1.6 = 3395 calories per day. This is the amount of food to consume to maintain present body weight.


Third Step: Adjusting caloric intake to your goal

To gain muscle you should ingest more calories than you use up each day. To lose body fat you must do the opposite. A 20% increase or decrease seems to be ideal for most individuals. This isn't a drastic increase/decrease, so it shouldn't lead to excessive muscle loss or unwanted fat gain.

Our sample bodybuilder has a daily caloric expenditure of 3395kcals/day. If he wants to gain muscle mass he should bump his caloric intake up to 4074kcals/day. And if he wanted to lose fat he should decrease it to around 2716kcals/day on average.

Note that depending on your body type and metabolism, you may need to adjust these figures. Ectomorphs will need to increase caloric intake more than 20% to gain muscle maximally (around 30% is best for them) and they should decrease it less when trying to lose fat (by 10% instead of 20%). Endomorphs should only increase by 10% when trying to gain size, but lowering it by 20% is adequate for them when trying to lose fat.

For example, if our 220 pound bodybuilder is an endomorph he should ingest 3734kcals/day when trying to gain mass (instead of 4074kcals/day).


Fourth Step: Setting nutrient intake for the "moderate days"

Protein intake should remain stable during all three types of day. At least one gram per pound of bodyweight is necessary, but I recommend 1.5g/pound of bodyweight for better results (so 330g/day for a 220 pound individual).

When trying to gain mass, the carbohydrate level on the "moderate" days should be the equivalent to the protein intake. So in the case of our 220 pound bodybuilder, that comes up to 330 grams.

So he's now consuming 2640kcals/day (1320 from proteins and 1320 from carbs). Let's say that he's an endomorph. If he wants to gain muscle mass, his caloric intake should be around 3734kcals/day. So he has 1094kcals to consume in the form of fat, preferably good fats. Since fat has 9kcals/g, this comes up to 121g of fat per day.

So to recap, our endomorph bodybuilder of 220 pounds wanting to gain size should consume the following on "moderate" days:

330g of protein

330g of carbs

121g of fat

If he desires to lose fat, carb intake on the average days should be set at 1.25g per pound of bodyweight. For our sample guy that comes up to 275g per day.

Protein intake is kept at 1.5g/pound of bodyweight (330g in our example) and the rest of the calories are made up with fat.

In the case of our endomorphic bodybuilder who should consume 2716kcals/day to get ripped, we come up with 2420kcals from proteins and carbs, so he has around 300kcals to consume in the form of fat, or 33g/day.

To recap, our endomorph bodybuilder of 220 pounds wanting to get ripped should consume the following on "moderate" days:

330g of protein

275g of carbs

33g of fat


Fifth Step: Setting nutrient intake for the other days

Protein and fat intake remains constant during