Well, today is a special day, because it marks the first day of being well and truely back on the fitness wagon. If anyone actually reads this, and if anyone reading knows my username, they will know i have been around the forums for a good few years, and have enjoyed a great transformation, and embarked on many cuts and bulks over the years. My thinking is always life comes first, and so i never beat myself up over a cheat meal here and there, and the odd night out drinking, but by and large i am strict with what i eat, make concious and informed healthy choices at weekends, and try not to do too much damage of a saturday night (this is usually easier said then done!).

3 months ago i bought a house, which, in the current climate, is pretty good going. It needed a lot of decorating and re-working, and being of the mentallity that i am, i threw myself into this 100%, literally getting up, going to work, coming home, working on the house, going to bed. Whereas most people would do things a step at a time, god did not give me the patience nor the ability to not finish something which i start, as soon as is humanly possible. I dedicated my life to it and now, short of a few minor jobs, the house is done, beautiful, and i am very proud to be owning my own place.

The upshot is that for the first time in 5 years of training, i had more then 4 weeks off. I did NO training at all, i havent stepped into a gym in those 3 months, and the less said about my diet the better. Takeaways, sweets, candy, deserts, more takeaways, convenience food etc etc took over my life. While the gym missing was acceptable to me, really, there is no excuse for the poor diet i have had. None at all. My training went, and therefore, my diet decided to follow.

Ah well, whats done is done.

So i set myself the date of November 1st to get the house done and in the words of Aerosmith, get back on the saddle. So thats what i am doing now. My freezer is stocked, my meals are planned, my mind is ready, and i know what i need to do. Nothing i havent done before.

So here it is, the comeback trial Day 1.

Wish me luck.

People like us never seem to drift too far from the fitness bandwagon. We drift off the beaten path a bit, but we know that eventually, before too much damage is done, we will find our way back. If you're anything like me, you'll see a little progress in the next week or two and it'll be more than enough to launch you back into dieting and exercise with a vengeance.

Welcome back, buddy. I'll be watchin'.

-R

Well, day 1 of this journey is over and done with, and i got through it 100%.

Getting up while it was dark, and driving in the cold to the gym for a cardio session wasnt easy, nor was it fun, but i guess thats what sets apart the men from the boys. I did it, and thats what matters. I only managed 20 mins LISS, but thats what i planned on doing, and today my legs are sore from it, so probably best i didnt do any more. This week and next is all about routine and finding my feet. Where am I at? What effect has this lay off had?

The evening was spent back in the gym, and it felt good. Just being back amoungst the iron made a big impact, and though my lifts were less then stellar and, if i am honest, even though i aimed to lift light, it was still pretty tough, it was just good to be back where i belong. I missed it.

I trained back, with light deads to start (man, i can see a long haul to get back to where i was on those), then rows, pulldowns, close pulldowns and shrugs. Got some early DOMS already.

Food wise, i was spot on. I feel my body craving sugar and junk. I trust this will pass in a week or so. Its such an addiction, you dont even realise. Last night was tough, but some mandarines from a tin did the trick, and i made it through to bed, where i slept like a baby.

I am trying a new suppliment, which is a creatine/dex mix to aid energy transport. Its orange flavour, and tastes pretty good. I will run it for a while and see if it makes a difference.

Tonight i have to take some clients to a football match (soccer for the US amoung us). This could be an early stumble because i am the only person from our firm going, and it is a set meal. I guess if i avoid desert and try and make the right choices, thats all i can do. I cannot whip out the fish and veggies in the middle of a formal pre match dinner. Nor can i avoid eating. Tune in tomorrow to see how that goes. Also means no gym tonight, but meeting my training buddy Wed and thursday, and planning CV again in the morning, so fingers crossed.

In the words of James Brown, i feel good. However, i also feel pretty tired.

The first week is always the toughest. I dont sweat it.

People like us never seem to drift too far from the fitness bandwagon. We drift off the beaten path a bit, but we know that eventually, before too much damage is done, we will find our way back. If you're anything like me, you'll see a little progress in the next week or two and it'll be more than enough to launch you back into dieting and exercise with a vengeance.

Welcome back, buddy. I'll be watchin'.

-R


Cheers my man, good to be back! The class of '04 seems to have dwindled a bit these last few years, gotta keep flying the flag and showing the new blood how we roll !

Good to hear from you again. Do you still blog here?

***reminder to self, must pay JSF subscription again!****

Good to see you back Reno! Certainly sounds like a good reason to have taken some time off! Life dictates different priorities to us at different times and it sounds like you have made good decisions to make a good investment and now that it is complete to make the decision to re-work your fitness on the priority list. :tu:

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Cheap Tuna. Cheap ass, horrible tuna.

The week before i started this (which would be last week come to think of it), i went to Bookers (kinda like a wholesale costco for the catering trade) and stocked up on food. I found Tuna for like 30p per tin, "Awesome" i thought, "Ill take 24 tins". I now know why its 30p per tin. Normal tuna is meaty and flaky and dry. This is wet mush. I cant help but think with each spoonful, is this eyeballs and gills in this?

Still, its 23g of protien, whatever it is. Note to self though. Dont skimp on Tuna.

So i went to watch Liverpool FC play "soccer" last night, took 2 clients for the first time for work, which was cool. Its nice to be trusted with these things, and driving the companies brand spanking new 2008 Merc was a nice added twist.

So, i hear you ask, what was the outcome of the meal. Well, i turned down a desert having eaten a pork salad and some meat and veggies with potatoes. The clients went off to get their desert, and came back and with them they had bought me a cake "in case i changed my mind".

I caved. :(

Day 2, and i have slipped up. Hey, i wont beat myself up over it. The feeling i had when i finished it was not pleasant, and i think this is a lesson i needed to re-learn, and in a way i am glad it was so early on. Today work has supplied cakes for the staff and i am not tempted, because i know i will feel down about it afterwards. So lesson learned, if you fall, you learn from it, take from it, pick yo self up n get back goin !!

Man this Tuna tastes bad.

Following my cake evening, i ensured i got up and hit the gym for Morning CV. It was tough again, but easier then Monday. I will aim to go again, nay, i WILL go again Friday. Mon, Wed Fri morning CV works well for me, giving me the other days to get an extra hours sleep. I need my sleep. Weights again tonight, and my workout partner has cancelled, so for the first time in three months its just me and the iron. I cant wait !!!! :spaz: I love working out alone, and pushing myself by myself, and so this will prove to be a great evening. I am looking forward to it. Shoulders here i come.

Must remember to take it easy though. The next 2 weeks are warm ups, the next 2 weeks are warm ups, the next 2 weeks.....

Laters peeps.

Good to see you back Reno! Certainly sounds like a good reason to have taken some time off! Life dictates different priorities to us at different times and it sounds like you have made good decisions to make a good investment and now that it is complete to make the decision to re-work your fitness on the priority list. :tu:

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Thanks bud. Aye, i know 100% it was the right decision. And i am 100% ready to hit this and get back to my best. Thanks for the support, and for checking in ! Good to see the Old School coming out ! :)

Good to see you back. Your progress was among the best on this forum and you're totally dedicated, so aside from putting in the effort you know where this road will lead you. Congratulations on the house. That's a great feeling on the one hand and a whole new set of hassles on the other, but it's totally worth it. :nod:

Well, will have to be a quick update today because the forums were down and i have to get back to work shortly. Lunch time is never long enough (especially when its chowing down cheap ass minced tuna eyes).

Got everything right yesterday, the soccer pudding has got me nailed right onto it. Trained shoulders last night, which hurt. I felt good afterwards. No gym scheduled this morning, but tomorrow i will be up with the lark and down the gym weary eyed but determined.

Saturday is a friends birthday and will involve drinks and food. I need to ensure that while i am going to have fun, i make the best choices i can, and dont let it wipe out the week that follows. I dont mind cheating on a saturday if something comes up like this, but what i cant let happen, which i usually do, is let it write off my whole week thereafter.

More on this and more tomorrow.

Good to see you back. Your progress was among the best on this forum and you're totally dedicated, so aside from putting in the effort you know where this road will lead you. Congratulations on the house. That's a great feeling on the one hand and a whole new set of hassles on the other, but it's totally worth it. :nod:

Thanks !

Aye, owning my own house is a great feeling, also looking back on all the work i have done and what i have acheived in the last 3 months is just the best feeling ever. Its the bills i dislike ! :lol:

Thanks for stopping by!

Today is a great day. I found a tin of decent tuna in the back of the cupboard, and so my lunch today was like a cheat meal. I have mixed emotions though, because i know its prolonged the day that i finish the shit tuna. Ah well, its the little things in life. Stopped me having the bacon sandwich i used to have every friday mid morning. The whole of work orders from the cafe down the road on a friday. Was tough watching them chow a fried food sandwich while i ate cottage cheese. The world of fitness is a cruel one. But i feel better for it. Every challege that i overcome makes me stronger. Its like star wars. Kill me and i will become more powerful then you could possibly imagine.

Yesterday i worked legs, and i went so light i could have been mistaken for a small girl. Im glad i checked my ego in at the door when i started back at the gym, as i doubt it would have withstood the beating. I know i can lift more, but i want to ease back into this, especially with legs, as leg DOMS is always bad just from looking at the squat rack.

So i went the gym, got through it, it was ok. Looking forward to ramping the weights up a notch next week, then starting to really push myself the week after that.

I also got up and made morning cardio. I have found placing my alarm on the other side of the bedroom is a great tactic. Never tried it before, but the temptation to fall back asleep is much less when i am vertical. 3 from 3 morning session in week 1. Ill take that. Worked 10 mins CV and then 15 mins abs. Nice. Gym again tonight for light chest, and a swim, spa and steam.

This weekend i have already started to reduce the damage i spoke about in previous posts. The plan is to hit Manchester (a local city) about midday, eat, then watch the England Rugby match at a sports bar, then back to an apartment we rented, eat again, then back into town for a gig (Airbourne for anyone into rock and interested), then a night out on the town. I have opted to drive for the afternoon section, which means i wont be drinking, this is a good move by me. I will then have some beers during and after the gig. Hey, it isnt perfect, but its a good step towards damage limitation, and for me, thats good enough. So long as i pick my ass up Monday morning, i am all gravy.

I wont be checking back in till Monday, ill keep you posted on how it goes. :)

Laters have fun !

Well, that was a weekend and a half.

What a superb day and night Saturday was. We hit this awesome Brazilian meat resturant, the concept of which was that you help yourself to the side dishes, and the chef / man on the grill brings to your table one type of meat after another, cuts you off a portion, which you eat, and then comes back again, and again, with all sorts of great meats. Chicken, sweet sticky beef, salted beef, garlic and rosemary lamb, beef rack of ribs, pork ribs, chicken wrapped in bacon. Man, it was a veritable feast. By the end, i simply could not move. Protien overload. Hey, at least it was all grilled. :lol:

After that, we watched England walk to victory over the Pacific Islands. I think the new coach is doing well. Some good new players.

We then hit the town, and painted it so red that the rest of the rainbow fell out with us. I consumed a frankly ridiculous amount of booze, and have the headache 2 days later to prove it.

Suffice to say, my diet deserted me, but, it was a much needed blow out, and i wouldnt change it for the world. Fitness and training isnt my life, it is a part of my life, and the important thing to me is and always will be ensuring that i make progress from one week to the next. Im not going to sweat it if something slows that progress, so long as i dont let it mean a backward step. So this week, i have to ensure i hit it like i did last week, and then its all good. What a weekend. :)

So, as planned, no gym this morning, but i will still get my three sessions in for the AM. Tonight marks the start of week 2 of the gym comeback, and i will be hitting back again for the 2nd time. This week will see a continuation of last weeks warm up, play it safe attitude. Next week, although i wont start throwing out PB's, i will up the weight considerably and start to really push myself.

I am not doing direct arm work at this stage, they will get enough of the compound stuff for now. That may change next week.

Catch you tomorrow. Train hard !

Yesterday was 100% back on track. My back workout was actually very good, i can feel myself getting back into the rhythm. My back today is pretty sore already. I am really looking forward to the gym again tonight.

I also got my ass out of bed for the first CV session of the week. After the cardio, i stretched out my back and man, have i lost flexibility! I really need to work on that, ive never been a Jean Claude Van Damme like, but i couldnt even roll my legs over my head. I used to be able to do that fairly easily.

Johns update was interesting yesterday. You sometimes have to pinch yourself to remember he isnt a professional body builder. The guys dedication is second to none. Personally, i would hit the work event, but thats me. I dont mind a late night, i can usually struggle through and catch back up. But i cant do it like i used to, and i guess with age thats only going to get harder. I cant relate to the all or nothing thing, but thats me, and its probably because i do not have the will power to do it, if i am honest. What works for me works. In the past all or nothing has led to more nothings then all's, and i know that now. Better to acheive something at a slower rate then nothing at all. So long as you make the destination, thats all that matters. At least to me. Not that i think i will ever reach Johns destination. His physique will look awesome after this next cut. :tu:

Speaking of work events...

Next Monday and Tuesday i have a training course, and i plan on bringing some meals with me, but the lunch is free and at a great little restuarant, so fuck it, i aint turning down a free lunch. My challenge is to eat something decent.

I think i am done with the cheap tuna. I am just dreading lunch every day because its so bad, and the only reason i am sticking it out is because its cheap and hey, i just bought 24 cans of the stuff. Oh well. I will grab some more decent stuff later.

Someone at work is eating spagetti hoops from a tin, on toast. It smells great. Its weird what you crave when you are dieting.

Till tomorrow.

:wave:

Nice to see you here again. Always a pleasure to read your journal. :)

What's with the cheap tuna?

Is it light instead of white, is that the problem? I know albacore is more mild tasting, and if that's what you're used to then, the skipjack might taste kind of nasty. But there's less mercury in the light, so I include both of them in my diet.

Have you tried mixing it with salsa, or a nice rich tomato sauce with black olives. :drool:

Today is not the best of days. I didnt plan the gym this morning and therefore today was my extra sleep day, so i stayed up to watch a 2 hour documentary on the Thriller in Mannila, which was awesome, but didnt get to bed till 12. I therefore slept in much longer then i planned, and as a result, didnt get my shit together this morning AT ALL. So i missed meal 2 of the day, and had to improvise meal 3. Fortunately, it isnt a gym day today, so if i was going to royally screw up, this is the day to do it.

If i hadnt been so hungover Sunday, I would have prepped my pasta etc then, so this wouldnt be an issue. Its the things you dont think about when you say a saturday night on the tiles wont effect my week... ah well.

On a positive note, the chest workout last night was excellent. I think my strength will come back pretty quickly, and it was nice to feel that feeling of progress, even though i am a far cry from my best. I am looking forward to my next workout, although i am glad i am off today, as my body needs the break.

I need to get some new clothes. I think that will be my focus or xmas presents. Ive spent so much money and time on the house, i kind of neglected myself in ways other then just fitness and diet. I also need a haircut. Im going to book one in this weekend.

More paiting on the house tonight. I havent done any for a while and this is the last job and its bugging me. So i am going to get it boxed off this week and weekend.

Gym tomorrow morning. Best get an early night.

:wave:

Nice to see you here again. Always a pleasure to read your journal. :)

What's with the cheap tuna?

Is it light instead of white, is that the problem? I know albacore is more mild tasting, and if that's what you're used to then, the skipjack might taste kind of nasty. But there's less mercury in the light, so I include both of them in my diet.

Have you tried mixing it with salsa, or a nice rich tomato sauce with black olives. :drool:

:wave:

Hi, nice to see you to. :)

Seriously, this tuna is bad. It isnt just a different kind of tuna, its just really really horrible. No matter how much you drain it, its still mush. Its not like flakes, its like someone has put all the gills, guts and eyes in a blender with some cheap cuts of fish and minced it all into a pulp and canned it.

I can eat most things and get used to it. But it seems 30p tins of tuna is my match. :nope:

:wave:

Hi, nice to see you to. :)

Seriously, this tuna is bad. It isnt just a different kind of tuna, its just really really horrible. No matter how much you drain it, its still mush. Its not like flakes, its like someone has put all the gills, guts and eyes in a blender with some cheap cuts of fish and minced it all into a pulp and canned it.

I can eat most things and get used to it. But it seems 30p tins of tuna is my match. :nope:
I had Sainsbury's own brand tuna for about 2 days and that stuff was the worst thing I've ever eaten. Sounds like the same stuff you've had... :confused:

My shoulders are a little sore today, i think from the chest session the other day, and also i did 4 hours of painting last night, which probably made them worse then they would have been. Its a shame, as i was really up for a shoulders session tonight. I will warm them up at the gym tonight, see if the loosen off, and if not, i will hit legs.

I am liking the DOMS feeling. When you train regular, you forget how badass the DOMS of doom can be. My chest hurt to the touch yesterday, and my back wasnt far behind. :cool:

I got up for the gym today, hit the crosstrainer for a bit (what do you US peeps call those again, an Eliptical?). I then did an Abs circuit, which i did last week and intend to do every week, building as time goes on.

I struggle with long term cardio. Even with the TV in front of me, i lose interest and start clock watching after like 5 mins. I wonder if this is boredom or being unfit. I have never enjoyed cardio. I much preferred the Abs session. I might scope out the web for a 30 mins cardio circuit. I think lots of different things would be better for me personally then 30 mins on one thing. Speaking of which, i need to up my CV to 30 mins next week.

Plan to get up again tomorrow morning, making it another 3/3 and will hit the gym for final weights session on Saturday.

Steak for tea tonight. Woo hoo. More painting after that as well. Not so Woo Hoo.

I missed Heros last night, but i recorded it. I am liking the new series.

Well, enough random ramblings, here is to a good gym session for all this evening, and i will catch you tomorrow.

I had Sainsbury's own brand tuna for about 2 days and that stuff was the worst thing I've ever eaten. Sounds like the same stuff you've had... :confused:

Aye, i have had that before now, it isnt the best. Got to be Princess or John West from now on.

Seriously, this stuff was appalling. I got it from Bookers Cash & Carry, at £3.50 for 12 tins. The brand name is "Euroshopper". Which i think says it all ! :p

I am now a member of JSF again. Well worth the $25. Thanks John for all you do and have done.

Now, lets see whats going on downstairs....

Laters.

Well, this week has been a strange one. Forgive me father, for i have sinned.

2 days out of the office at the start of the week, and the first day i left my lunch pack at home by accident, so ended up eating the buffet they put on for us, which wasnt good. I also ate 2000 biscuits. Which wasnt good.

Tuesday i was also on the course, and this time, i bought my pack lunch, but ended up eating loads of shit anyway. Which wasnt good.

What i have learnt is that i have great resolve not to eat shit when it isnt placed in front of me. I am never really tempted to go out of my way for junk, but if i am placed in a situation where i am sat at a table with a pile of sandwiches and some biscuits, i will crack. I need to work on this.

Excersize wise, another good week. Fortunatly, my lack lustre diet hasnt led to lack lustre workouts, and my strength and confidence under the weights is returning. I did legs last night, and i am not ready to squat yet. Still had a major tough workout though. Hopefully get a session in this evening, and tomorrow morning, and i can call this another top week for training.

Whenever i start back on the fitness road, i am reminded why so many people start with all the best intentions in the world, then give up after a couple of weeks.

Thats kind of where i am now, right in the middle of that moment, except, of course, i wont be giving up. The initial weeks of momentum have dropped off, and the inital kick started get up and go mentality has dwindled, and i am now in that cloudy area between inital entusiasm and routine, which i guess is where most people falter.

I see a lot of journals get 1 page in, then drop slowly to the bottom of the pond. I guess this is why.

Twice now i have thought about skipping workouts for reasons and excuses that arent even worth putting down on this blog. Needless to say, i slapped myself around the face, and hit the gym, and as always, after some soul searching, both workouts were stella, and marked improvements on the last one.

Its funny, i often see a lot of the more experienced people kick off with a new routine and then slip back. When you aint that out of shape, its less motivating i guess to hit the strict life, when you know you can maintain a pretty decent spec on the normal life.

My diet could be better. It isnt "horrible" but it isnt perfect. And the weekends are a calorie surplus dream. I visited family this weekend, and went to watch England vs South Africa at Twickenham (worst ever defeat there for England, DOH!), drank guiness all day, and ate so much food over the whole weekend, i looked pregnant. :lol:

Ah well, i am training hard, and consistently, and sooner or later, i will cross the gap into Routine, and missing workouts wont even enter my head.

Fun and games.

great chest session last night, my pecs feel toasted this morning.

No gym this morning, got to got to got to get up for it tomorrow.

Need to dig my Ipod out of the boxes of stuff still waiting to be unpacked.

Good to see you back. We both always seem to be on similar paths with the whole fitness thing. For years now I have been utilizing the "two steps forward, one step backward" approach you suggested way back when. Although, admittedly oftentimes over the past year or two it's been "two steps forward, three steps back." haha But I too have just gotten back into the swing of things after a couple month hiatus. What kind of routine are you working with these days?

Good luck and I'll be checking in to see how things go and perhaps to help keep myself on track.

Couple of really good workouts so far this week, my strength is really coming back and i am feeling pretty strong again. I am enjoying the fact that week on week the weight i am lifting is increasing. I was at the top end of my strength before my hietus, and so this is actually quite cool to be pushing it again. Maybe the momentum will keep going and i will break through my PB's. Who knows. I am also being more dillegent with form as well, making sure it remains on as i progress, another bonus of "starting again" so to speak.

I will not be able to get another gym session in now, save for in the AM, which if i am honest Mr. Blog, I havent been doing all that well with. Its so cold, i just dont want to get out of bed ! I have a plumber friend coming over after work to fit a radiator in my lounge (as we havent got one, and its damn cold !) and then meeting up to discuss plans for this weekend (more on that later). So no gym tonight.

Tomorrow and Friday, i have out of town gigs (i play lead guitar in a rock band) which means means we have to set off more or less after work, so again so gym. Tomorrows gig is the semi final of a North West battle of the bands. We stormed the heats and should have a good chance of going through to the final, though you never know what your up against. Wish me luck !

Then Saturday morning we drive up to Scotland for the weekend, me and 6 friends, to celebrate the passing of a friend who died in college, and was very close to us all. We get together every year for a meal and drinks, and this year, as its 10 years (i feel so old), we are going to visit his grave and make a weekend of it to celebrate his life.

So that means nothing Saturday, defo nothing Sunday, and then back in business on Monday.

Guys, i am a month in and i think i have done well, i am back into the swing of lifting weights again, and i have decided i am just going to build up my strength, eat well, get going and add some muscle ready to cut down for the summer. :tu:

I sometimes wonder whether once you have made your inital transformation, you can ever return to that level of hunger and desire. Sure, i dont want to be unhealthy, and i make enough healthy choices and lift often enough to avoid that, but still, having the dedication to get ripped up seems light years away sometimes.

So the weekend before last, i went to Scotland, got hammered, and due to the busy schedule of gigs and travelling, i got a nasty bug which wiped out my entire week last week. I dont get ill often, and i know deep down i probably would have avoided the bug had i not drank 70 litres of jack daniels and burned the candel at both ends. But hey, what can ya do.

So this weekend, i was a good boy, and despite a poor nights sleep last night (just one of those nights i guess), i feel ok today, and am back in the saddle once again. Last 2 weeks have been particulaly poor but if i can make it back between now and the new year with some decent sessions, i can put myself into the next gear in the new year. Christmas is never the best time to be worrying about diet, but there is no excuses for not lifting (except when i was ill, i never lift ill) or for some of the poor food choices i have made of late. It seems if one area of my training lapses, others follow suit. Cant let that happen.

Shoulders tonight. Time to tear it up big style.

I sometimes wonder whether once you have made your inital transformation, you can ever return to that level of hunger and desire. Sure, i dont want to be unhealthy, and i make enough healthy choices and lift often enough to avoid that, but still, having the dedication to get ripped up seems light years away sometimes. :)

I feel that way a lot too. I think it's because in the beginning you're taking it as far as you can go; a voyage of discovery and a journey of new victories. Now, so often I tell myself "Well, I could do that if I wanted to" and somehow that seems enough :spank:

I find that I need much stronger reward systems now to relight that fire.

So, it was 2 months ago today that i started this journal. And its also a new year. Seemed a good time to decribe what i am feeling right now.

Pros

I think i got back to hitting the gym again pretty well
I got back some of my lost strength
I rekindled the desire to workout again
I stocked up on clean food bought on bulk

Cons

I didnt set a specific goal
I didnt get to grips with my new clean diet
I drank way too much
I made excuses that were not enough to warrent what i was making excuses for
I didnt stick to my cardio


I saw in the new year at an all time high weight (12 stone 8 lbs (176lbs) ). I felt bloated from all the food and hungover from the days of drinking. And i felt fat. Which is something i can say i have never felt before. I have always been a bit skinny if anything, skinny fat so to speak. But i felt my clothes werent fitting as they should, my middle was large and i wasnt happy. I felt unhealthy to.

I think this is motivation enough to sort this out now. Big time. I have had enough. The last two months have been building up to something which i need to "light the fire" as Guava put it so well in her post. This is it.

I took some before pics yesterday morning and weighed in at 12'8. I want to lose 14 lbs, i know i am happy with my weight at 11 1/2 stone. 161 lbs for those Americans watching. When i get to that weight, i will see where i am at, but my guess is i will add some more muscle during that time, so will strip off a bit more fat then the figures let on. i think underneath this flab is some pretty decent muscle. I know my pecs have come on leaps and bounds since my last set of pics some 2 or so years ago.

Dont get me wrong, i do not think i am obese. Just ready to get ripped again.

I noticed how John always gets ideas and things from looking through past stats. Well, i havent got any past stats really, but looking through my logs, i noted that everytime i hit the booze of a saturday, like heavy drinking, the week that follows is where i slip up, i eat shit, i miss workouts etc. So i have done something i have never done before, and assured myself that i will not drink heavy until i reach my goals. Also, the calories cant help either.

Again, i am not an alcholic. I dont drink in the week, and not every weekend, but when i do go out with my friends, probably like many 20 somethings, we drink A LOT.

This already has caused problems in that my drummer from my band hits 40 this weekend, and we are good drinking buddies. So i will be having a few beers for this, but no shorts, no shots, and i will limit the beers i drink. After that, no drinking is planned.

Yesterday I started what is officially the first day of my first cut in a very long time. And it felt good. :)

I know i can do this, i want to do this, i dont want to feel bloated and chubby anymore. 10 weeks, 1.5 lbs per week.

Some quick info:

Diet

Meal 1: Protien Shake, Oats, Bannana (blended with 1/2 scoop EAS Phosphogen)
Meal 2: Cottage Cheese
Meal 3: Tuna, Brown Pasta, Low fat Dressing
Meal 4: Pink Grapefruit (pre gym)
Meal 5: Protien shake with 1/2 scoop EAS Phosphogen)
Meal 6: Lean Meat, Decent Carb, Veggies

Training:

4 weight sessions per week, changing routine each month
3 cardio sessions per week (Fasted AM LISS)


So yesterday i did legs, and for the sake of recording it:

Warmup Rountine
4 x Seated Leg Press (8 reps)
3 x Leg Extentions (8)
4 x Seated Ham String Curls
4 x Vertical Calf Extentions

Simple and a good basis for the first 4 weeks. I like to keep things honest and simple in the gym, but i hope that by changing things up (like John does) it will inspire me to keep moving.

Cardio will start from next week, as this week i need to adjust to the mornings again and work, plus i dont want to get a blow out so early on.

It feels good to be back people. I will get my before pic loaded this week (urgh!). Wish me luck. :tucool:

Good luck. You've done this before so you can do it again.

Yesterday was another really good day. Hit all my meals, and had a really good shoulders workout.

Warmup routine
3 x Standing Military Press (8 reps)
3 x Rear Machine Flys (7-9 reps)
3 x Bench Dumbell Rear Shoulder Rows
2 x Standing Rows / Close Grip Face Pulls
3 x Superset DB Front Raises / DB Side Raises

This will be my workout for the next month. The supersets were something new, and they worked well. Was dead by the end.

I also tried King Prawns last night, as i am trying to add some variety to chicken and salmon only. I did them with some finely chopped garlic, peppers and chilli, fried, added some light soy sauce, then some thai mixed spice. Then shelled the prawns, and threw them in, dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper, served with Basmati Rice and some Thai chilli dip. Turned out very well given i made the receipe up. I would maybe mince the Garlic etc next time, so its a paste.

Got a nice steak tonight. :drool:

Spoke to our drummer last night, he is mad keen on a big night for his 40th this weekend. As per yesterdays update, there is no getting out of this, and even if there was, i wouldnt want to. He is a great friend, and there is something like being a band of brothers when you are in a group together playing music. I said from the outset i would drink this weekend, and then that it is till i hit my goal. So i am not too concearned, i just need to make sure i dont go OTT. How many times in the past have i said that ?!?! :rolleyes: Hopefully this time, it will be different.

I also failed to mention i have a trip to Amsterdam coming up in a few weeks for another mates birthday, to see Oasis and generally chill out. I have sort of gone back and forth as to whether i will go on this, financially it isnt the best timing, but also it will surely hinder my health kick here. There are many pro's and cons to going and not going.

On the one hand, i love Oasis, its a small venue compared to those they play over here in the UK, i have already paid for the ticket for the gig (£50), i initally suggested the idea last year, there is only 3 of us going, and the other 2 have booked flights etc. I would certainly be letting them down if i cried off.

The cons are that i will miss 3 days of potential workouts, my diet will struggle while i am over there, its more expense to add on to the xmas bills, my car is due to go in for its MOT (legal check up over here in UK that you have to have every year) and a service which will all cost, and its more time off work having been off for 2 weeks over xmas (though i believe work would be ok with it).

Its a tough call, but i think i have to try and go. I will wait until the car is seen before i make my mind up officially. One thing i always bear in mind is that i am not going to avoid such trips the rest of my life, or give up my life for a 6 pack, but by the same token, its a potential stumbling block to my goals so very early on in the challenge.

Anyway, no gym tonight, planning on working late, and then heading home for a steak, baked spud, salad and some much needed chillin in front of the TV. Feels weird not going to the gym. :)

All in all, im

Just a quick post as got to head to a meeting.

Yesterday was spot on food wise. No biggie, it always is the first week. But i am pleased non the less. Feeling good.

No training yesterday, and still struggling to get out of bed, never mind an hour earlier. Maybe i am just adjusting from xmas, when i didnt get up at all !! :lol:

I am leaning more towards going to Amsterdam. I think it would be a shame to miss such a trip, which i would remember for the rest of my life. And financially, unless my car is completely fucked, i will be ok. So havent got that excuse now. Will book the time off work now, check what happens with my car, and decide then.

Chest tonight, training with my friend from work, hopefully get some decent lifts in. I could bench 100kg pre layoff in the summer, no where near that now, but hopefully muscle memory will lead to those days once again. :madpimp:

Later

So, quite a lot to update here. I dont have the internet at home yet, so updates can only be made when i am in work.

Starting at the top then, my chest workout last week went very well. I decided that i am going to train triceps with chest and biceps with back, like i did during my inital transformation. Why? Well i had good results doing that, i think my arms like being torn apart by the big lifts for back and chest, and then finished off into submission by a few isolation excersizes. Also, since i started trying to do a seperate arm day, it has become the one i want to miss. 4 weights workouts a week, aint no place for arms.

So for chest and tri's i did:

Warmup routine
3 x flat bench press
3 x incline DB press
3 x Decline bench press

2 x Close grip decline bench
2 x Rope pulls
2 x sets to failure on tricep bench dips (weighted)

Friday i was pretty beat up but pushed on and hit the gym, wound up having a good back and Bi session of:

Warmup routine
3 x Deadlifts
3 x Close Grip Seated rows (machine)
3 x Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

2 x close grip chins (6 reps each - just!)
2 x DB Hammer curls
2 x Cable Curls (EZ bar attachment).


Both workouts were really good, and i enjoyed them, as i did with all of them last week.

Friday night i was asked to come out for some drinks, but declined, and watched TV with the missus.

SOOOOooooo the weekend. Well, it had many good points. A few bad points. As mentioned, it was my drummers 40th and this meant a 200 mile trip to his hometown. I woke Saturday, got my usual shake in for breakfast, then after running a few errands, picked up a tuna on wholemeal bread, no crisps etc. No problems. Then my friend who was driving stopped off at a service station, and i had to sit in Burger King watching everyone eat massive burgers and chips. I would be lying if i said it wasnt tough, but i didnt really come close to breaking point. I stayed strong, drank my Americano, and was pleased to leave and hit the road again. :nod:

As the band was playing the party, and as i didnt get a burger king, i had planned to have a cheat meal Saturday night, with the buffet that was on at the party, but because the band took so long to set up, and the buffet wasnt until later, i picked up some chips (fries to those in the US). So i guess thats one cheat, but then when the buffett came around, i had some chicken (grilled) and a couple of very small sandwiches (probably one slice of bread max!). So really, if anything, i probably underate.

I did drink a fair amount, but stuck to my rule and didnt have any shots. Later in the night however, i was thinking the beer was probably not the best calories wise, so switched to vodka and lemonade. Whether that was better, i dont know. Although a pint of beer has a fair few cals! Got to bed 3am, woke at 10am, felt a bit rough and tired, but not as bad as i would have had i really gone to town on the ale, which a week ago, i would have. I probably halved what i would drink normally. I am very pleased with how the whole day went.

So onto Sunday. To be honest, a couple of slip ups here. Because i didnt have a cheat meal "as such" and i was feeling hungover a bit, i had a burger and fries from a local bar for breakfast / lunch. Then i had 2 pieces of cheese on toast (not a lot of cheese and granary toast) mid afternoon, then finished the day with egg and chips (fries), which again, could have been worse. I very nearly ordered a massive chinese takeaway, but at the last minute got a grip and just had eggs.

So all in all, this weekend went probably as i thought it would. I was pleased i managed to limit my drink levels and resist several bits of temptation. Most of all, i am glad that my goals were always at the forefront of my mind, and that i did what i could to keep my decisons in line with those. Sunday could have been better, but it also could have been worse. :)

Today i am a little tired, but not feeling rough. Ready to hit legs and improve my numbers from last week. Thats another thing i am doing this time around, keeping a record of my lifts.

All meals so far today have been fine, i didnt let my hangover let me down and prepared all my meals, nipped to the shop before work to get cottage cheese and grapefruit. In the past, i would have just missed those meals, or eaten something else (worse no doubt).

Amsterdam is the next big challenge, and i have some thoughts on how i can get through that, and how to best limit damage. Suffice to say, i need to ensure my car doesnt run into the big bucks when its due in the garage this week!

Tonight i weigh in. Maybe the numbers will be wacked from the weekend. But i sure hope i made some progres, i defo feel lighter !!

Have a good week, train hard.

So i weighed in yesterday evening after my Monday workout, as planned. I was actually pretty nervous, first time that has been the case for some time! I wasnt sure whether i spunked it at the weekend and let myself down, even though deep down i knew i was on track.

I lost 2lbs. :D

I started Creatine and obviously didnt eat the best Sunday, so that was a good result! I would point out that i am not someone who retains water much from cheat food or Creatine, maybe i would have been 3lbs lighter, but i guess the minimal water weight loss from starting the diet is made up for by this.

So I am calling it 2lbs, and i am calling week 1 a success. :)

Every pound i lose, brings me one step closer.

I have decided not to start the morning cardio just yet. I want to save it for any stalls as a weapon to have as back up, and also, i am really busy at work, and the extra sleep helps. It just feels right this week to stick to the weights and keep resting up. I will consider again next week. Or maybe later this week, i will just play it by ear.

I have considered the option of going for a run, or renting a bike for a couple of hours when i am in Amsterdam. Not really traditional for me to do anything other then party, but i really want to get something in that day. I am not much of a runner, but it might be nice to do 40 mins around the canals with my Ipod for company. Just thinking out loud.

Last night i did legs again, i added 4 x Lying Hamstring Curls to my routine, as i wanted to hit them hard and i was feeling good. I am also following my decision to add triceps to chest and biceps to back, with adding Abs to legs and Traps to shoulders. That way, nothing is missed. No soldier left behind.

So i did a small abs circuit. I dont usually train abs directly, so it was maybe 10 mins of various situps, rollers and hangs. I will increase this week on week, and rather then concentrate on reps etc, just do a solid time based circuit.

Shoulders tonight. Writing weight down rules, i know i can beat last weeks numbers, and knowing what last weeks numbers were really helps !!! :lol: If anyone reading doesnt write down what they lift, i recommend it, i find i was just lifting the same thing week in week out. This writing down lark drives you to push forward.

See you tomorrow, train hard.

Alex "2lbs lighter then last week" Kenny aka Reno_1ted

i wonder what i will look like when this cut is over? I think with muscle memory, i will gain some pretty decent size back, i was pretty big at the start of last summer. Fat to, but i was lifting some pretty tough numbers. My strength is coming back, and if i can get to even near what i was at then, and be cut up, i would be very happy. Id like my after pics to win me member of the month. :D

Shoulders last night was awesome. For the first time in a long time, i threw every little thing i had into it. I pushed out the extra reps, i lifted my supersets at the end with such vigour i had to sit on the gym floor after my 2nd set. I upped the numbers on everything i lifted, and i am so pleased i am writing the numbers down. Why didnt i do this before ?!?! DOH !

Food is all spot on. Having a stressful day in work, and started to think about sandwiches and what nice sandwich i would have had in days gone by when i was stressed. I love sandwiches. Funny how one shift of the mind produces such differences. I did, of course, have my tuna and brown pasta.

Got a working lunch tomorrow, and we always order great sandwiches for those. Its going to be VERY hard not to dig into those with everyone else. But i will not falter.

Day off from training today, and i need it. Two brutal workouts this week, and my body was in bits when i woke up this morning. I may actually head down the gym for some light cardio, and a swim and jacuzzi, relax a bit. I will be working late though, so we shall see what mood takes me. Probably just head home and chill in front of the TV with some chicken and potato.

Amsterdam is approaching. My car is going into the garage tomorrow, and lets see what happens. More then £200 of work, and i may have to seriously consider dropping out of the trip.

Have fun y'all, thanks for stopping by !

So much to update on.

Workouts first.

Shoulder workout was excellent, chest workout was also excellent. Back up to 80kg bench, and felt good, didnt need assistance. 20kg to go till i am back at 100! Broke most of my weights from last week. Very very pleased with how my training is going.

Diet wise for the rest of last week, again, spot on. I did have to have sandwiches at the meeting, as otherwise i wouldnt have had any lunch, so it was the lesser of two evils. I limited it to one sandwich (2 slice bread) of chicken on brown bread, it did have some mayo on, but it was the best they had. Usually i would dig into loads of them, was very hard to stop myself after one. But i did.

So the weekend. How did i do? Well, it went ok, I avoided the booze in the main, 1.5 cans at a friends house Saturday not withstanding. Then i switched to water, much abuse from my friends followed, as usual (whats wrong, why you not drinking etc etc). I am used to it. :rolleyes:. I also drove friday night to a meal and drinks for a friends birthday, so again, avoided the drink. That’s got to be a lot of calories saved, and it was cool not to feel rough all weekend! :) Also had usual shake for breakfast both days, a good healthy lunch option, and last nights tea was soy bread toast and 2 boiled eggs. So pretty good.

On the flip side, had my cheat meal Friday night which was at a mexican resturant for my friends birthday. Had chicken fajitas, which isnt so bad, but the starter of nachos with cheese wasnt the best, but it was my cheat meal to be fair. I also had "chippy chips" with my lamb Saturday night, and yesterday ate quite a few crisps, jelly sweets and popcorn while watching a film with my brother. Probably still less cals then a Saturday night drinking beer, but still, wasn’t the best option.

So i am pleased, my weekends are improving, and i dont ever strive to make the weekends as strict as the week, just better then they have been. The main thing is not to drink, which writes off my week ahead. And i did that. Although this week is going to be different....

So my car. It went to the garage. A bit of background, last year the ABS light came on, which means my ABS isnt working. No real problem, as the brakes still work. I took it to the garage and the computer said it was a pump fault, and a new pump (if thats what it was) would cost £700. So i didnt bother taking it further as the car was still fine, i could live without ABS and wasnt about to pay £700.

So back to last week, i take my car in for its MOT, which is an annual test required by law in order to drive for the coming 12 months. They check the car is road safe basically. My mechanic then informs me that due to the warning light being on, it will fail the test (he doesnt do the test, he takes it to a special test centre, he then does any work that is needed for it to pass). So now i am looking at a possible £700 bill. Amsterdam, at this stage, is very much off, and i am thinking where the hell i am going to get £700 from! So we decide to send it for the test, and see what happens.

And it passed. Apparently the light was on when it arrived at the test centre, then they put it on the ramp to start the test, span the wheels, checked the exhuast etc, then put it back down, turned the ignition on to check that side of things, and the light... was off ?!?! So he drove it back and forth and pressed the brake, no light, so if there is no light, its a pass! On the drive back from the test centre, it came back on.

And that, is pure luck.

So it all passed, and the sign is to go to Amsterdam. Its weird when stuff like that happens. My mum died a few years ago, and i like to think of things like this being her looking out for me, and pulling a few strings with the man upstairs. :)

So, gym tonight as usual, legs, push it hard, then keep diet on track all day tomorrow, then i can only try to do my best in Amsterdam, back Thursday night, and hopefully back on the diet, and the gym, Friday. i will get a session in Saturday, and call that a successful week given the circumstances. This was always a potential pitfall, and so, i will do my best, and then hit it again come my return.

I weigh in tonight. Dont feel much lighter, but certainly feel healthy, happy, and strong.

Catch you tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by !

So much to update on again. What a week.

Got my legs workout in again last Monday, hit it hard, and pushed all my numbers up again. 15 mins of ab work at the end.

Weighed in at a respectable 12 stone 5, so another 1lb lost over the week, very pleased, 3lbs in 2 weeks, pretty good going, especially with the strength gains coming back.

Then Amsterdam. Well, i knew it would mess up my week from there, and it did. Looking at the plus points, i didnt eat shit, avoided McDonalds and Burger King, had a nice Steak Wednesday evening, and eggs and bread for breakfast both mornings. Did have a few less then stellar meals like cheese and ham toasted sandwich, white bread etc, but by and large, i did make an effort to avoid the fatty convenience food.

I did however drink beer, and of course, smoked a little weed, coz when in Rome.... :madpimp: Didnt go overboard on the booze though, but probably drank more then i should. The weak pound vs the Euro probably helped, beer was expensive!!!

The gig itself was awesome, Oasis were on form and rocked us all the way. Was well worth the trip and well worth the decision to go, had a great time with my friends, and will remember the trip always.

I got back late thursday and worked friday, it was a tough day and i am disappointed that i didnt get to the gym. I recovered over the weekend, couple of cheat meals if i am honest, and am back in full swing from today, with no major hurdles for a while.

This is it now, 100% focus on it. Seeing what John has done really hits it home. I can get back what i lost last year, and more, and cut. I know i can. I feel good. I remind myself that i knew from the start that this would be a problem, and the main thing is to not get down about it, and to just make up for lost time.

One thing to note again is how drinking really effected me afterwards. For me, it isnt even the calories that are the problem, its the 2 days of being hungover, tired and feeling like shit, i dont workout, i struggle to eat clean... if anyone reads this journal and is having problems, i strongly recommend turning to that and having a look.

So, i have band practice at 7, which means i will swop my usual legs workout for shoulders as legs and abs is a longer session. Got to rush to get my dinner made before practice to take with me. Its too early and too soon after my PWO shake to eat before practice, and too late to eat after. So while the other band members have a smoke break, I will have a salmon and potato break. :)

Also going to weigh in tonight. See what damage has been done last week, although calories wise, i wasnt too bad. Break even is my guess, i did weigh in yesterday, and was still 12 stone 5, but was earlier in the day and not at my usual time, with 4 meals eaten etc.

Laters.

I have entered into a personal battle with a friend of mine who is pretty lazy and overweight, but keen to try and get in shape and make a positive change. He is 216lbs at the moment, was 182 a few years back when he went on a health kick.

His current goal is 14 stone, 196lbs.

I am racing him to our goals, mine being 11 stone 7, 161lbs. I realise my weight loss is less, but, i am already eating clean and training, he is coming off a terrible diet and regime. For me to get to 161, i will be pretty cut up i think.

I should whoop his ass, as he always makes these promises of losing weight and never does. Maybe beating me will spur him on. £50 riding on this, and i certainly dont want to lose !!!!

Yesterday i weighed in, 12 stone 6, 174lbs. So gained 1lb back in my week off last week. To be expected i guess. I need to hammer it this week, try and hit 172lbs next monday, a good 2 lbs week will put me right back in contention.

I think i may be gaining back some decent muscle on this cut, for sure. Band practice was cancelled, so i did my usual Monday legs and abs routine, I added 10lbs to nearly all the execersizes, and wound up having a great legs workout. I hit abs hard to, and turning over in bed was a struggle they were that sore! Today my legs are defo feeling some nice DOMS. :tucool:

Diet was spot on yeserday, and i am feeling like my pre amsterdam self again. Shoulders and traps tonight, looking for some more "Seasons Best" weights again.

Cant wait to be cut up again. Seems like so long ago. I want this to be the best cut since my inital cut, and i have a feeling i will see it out this time. :tu:

Have a good day!

Great day yesterday, hit 6 reps at 60kg on the military press, which is a real landmark on my way back to my PB of 75kg. Added weight to every other lift, except rear delt rows. I added weight on the rear fly machine, but the reps weren't there and the form was poor, so i didnt record that as a new weight. I will go for it again next week.

Other then that, very pleased. I also had a cheeky weigh-in after my session, 12 stone 5, so maybe i will see that 2lb drop to 12 stone 4. :D

I think its time to add some cardio. I dont feel ready to be getting out of bed for a session in the morning, but i can fit in 40-50 mins after work on a wednesday (tonight) and with me not drinking i can now go get a session in on Saturdays. That still gives me Sunday off training all together, and 3 days off the weights. So i have my gym gear with me, and will hit the gym again after work. It actually feels right to be going the gym, no part of me wants a day off right now (dont worry, i wont overdo it).

I have a friend who is very un-supportive of all this. You know the one, i know everyone has such a friend. Yesterday he was telling me that weight lifting isnt really excersize, it doesnt burn calories, 10 mins of light cardio is just as beneficial... :rolleyes: What can you do. He keeps asking me why i am trying to lose weight, and said this challenge with my friend is basically diet vs exersize, coz he will do cardio, and all i do is diet. Yeah, 4 sessions of pushing as heavy weight as i can for an hour isnt excersize. And adding muscle doesnt burn more calories, in so far as the energy to repair and rebuild the muscle long after i have left the gym, and the added energy just burned off naturally just by having more muscle mass. *sigh*. He also takes every oppotunity to comment on my stomach being bigger. Like i say, what can you do. It actually really spurs me on to get in really really good shape, just to piss him off. He is a top friend, i cant help but feel its something to do with how bad he feels about his own health and physique. He drinks heavy and eats terrible, and gets very little excersize, cardio or otherwise.

Anyway, glad i got that rant out. Sorry for the negative vibes.

I feel good, i am on this now, lets hit it, lets do it. I fear failure, so i must not fail.

Although i must admit, i am not looking forward to running about, i HATE cardio. :evil:

Laters.

So yesterday i hit my first CV session of the cut. I am still an avid believer that you can cut without any CV with the right combo of diet and weight training, however, i think it will quicken this process, and also i should really be working on getting a bit more "fit", in the cardio vascular sense of the word.

Was a pretty good work out, not too intense, but not easy by any means. Did solid 30 mins, hope to increase that after a while to 40 mins, then to 50. Work late on a Wednesday, so didnt get there till 7pm, home for 8pm, by the time i ate, i was more or less ready for bed.

It should be noted i am getting a solid 8 hours minimum at the moment. Although i have had trouble falling asleep recently. Got a lot going on, and when i am thinking, i aint sleeping. Nothing to write home about, still sleeping ok, but worth mentioning.

Sleep is vital.

Back and biceps tonight, then band practice. Depending on time constraints, i may just do back, and do chest and arms tomorrow. I would prefer biceps tonight, but, if it means rushing it to get done in time, i will swop it. I will play it by ear. Need to get home, grab a shake, whip up a quick tea (thinking chicken and brown pasta, quick, easy and can be heated up at practice), and be ready to go for 7. Should be ok.

On a side note, my Metallica tickets arrived today. :evil: That gig isnt far off now thinking about it, got Judas Priest w/ Megadeth to come before then. Thats only a few weeks off actually. Weird to think i am nearly one month into this cut already. Johns update was right, time does fly these days.

Thinking about it, i was stuck in a meeting all morning and therefore missed by cottage cheese at 11am. I am not overly sweating about it, i will add it to this afternoon and chalk it up. But it made me think, thats the first glith midweek since i started (save for Amsterdam, which was planned). I have hit every meal, no unplanned cheats midweek, and no missed workouts. Pretty pleased. When i hit the gym last night, i felt ready for it, usually when i leave work at 7pm, i feel like shit, no way i would have hit the gym for CV. I would have gone home, been too tired to make anything, so got takeaway etc. Funny, you eat well, you train, you feel well, you have more energy, you eat better, train better, feel even better. Its a real Domino.

Anyway, catch you tomorrow, where i will ponder the challeges that my weekend faces. Ah the weekend. Such an evil mistress.

On a side note, my Metallica tickets arrived today. :evil: That gig isnt far off now thinking about it, got Judas Priest w/ Megadeth to come before then. Thats only a few weeks off actually. Weird to think i am nearly one month into this cut already. Johns update was right, time does fly these days. :guitar:
Awesome. I had tickets to a Metallica concert once. With Tesla as an opener. :dreamy: Someone in one of the bands got sick or something, and they cancelled the concert so I didn't get to see them. 17 years ago. :doh: I should have made a point to buy tickets to see them again, but the timing has never seemed right. I'm counting on you to have the fun I didn't have. :evil: I expect a detailed report.

:guitar:
Awesome. I had tickets to a Metallica concert once. With Tesla as an opener. :dreamy: Someone in one of the bands got sick or something, and they cancelled the concert so I didn't get to see them. 17 years ago. :doh: I should have made a point to buy tickets to see them again, but the timing has never seemed right. I'm counting on you to have the fun I didn't have. :evil: I expect a detailed report.

17 years ago would have been around 1992, could have been cancelled due to James Hetfield burning his arm at a gig when a pyro explosion went badly wrong. They missed a few gigs due to that.

Would have been one of the coolest times to have seen them, the No where else to roam tour. Great days.

The support this time is Sword and Machine Head. Telsa would be nice. Testament are supporting Priest and Megadeth, another good thrash band.

Metallica are my number 1 band. I love everything about them. I was first due to see them in 1995, but, as a young lad i had an exam the next day and the gig was too far to make it and back, so i couldnt go. I was due to see them again in 2006, but again, something came up. I saw them last year, at Leeds Festival, and they were everything i thought they would be and more. I had built them up over the 20 years of being a fan, and they didnt let me down. If you get the chance, go seem em. Also down to see my other number 1 band (yes, i can have 2), ACDC, in April and again in June. :madpimp:

Yesterday was a tough day. i would say the toughest so far. Cravings came for sweet stuff, and all sorts of savory goodness, guy at work bought in cookies, cakes etc as it was his birthday. With my long meeting in the morning, i missed my cottage cheese and my water intake was low. I was feeling pretty tired, and my body hurt from some heavy weights this week.

However, i pushed on through, got my cottage cheese in the afternoon instead, hit the gym, pushed through a forced but effective workout (increased all weights again, but just didnt enjoy it as much!), had my planned evening meal, and all was well. I didnt crumble, or fail. And i am proud of that.

Speaking of being sore, i think next week i might just hit the weights i have achieved this week, concentrate on form etc, i am really pushing to get back to the weights i was at, and so far so good, but i feel beat up today. I dont need a week off, no way, but i have gone up in weight every week, and this is a cut. The workouts this week have been hard, and maybe at the threshold of what i can do for now. I think a week just concentrating on form will be good, still a challenge, and will still push me on this cut. I will see how i feel Monday.

Chest and triceps tonight. And its friday !!! Got a good weekend of relaxing and films, a night out saturday will be a contender to keep me on track, but i am confident i wont drink too much at all, and got some nice but heathly meals to cook to steer me away from junk.

Catch you monday. Keep rockin !!!!

So, back in action after another weekend, another week behind me and a new one in front.

So how did the weekend go? Well, it went ok.

Looking at the positives first. Hit a tough chest and triceps session, added 5kg to my bench, which was cool. Didnt feel the tiredness of Thursday, which i was pleased about. Didnt feel forced. Watched a film friday night, everyone tucked into popcorn and sweets except me, i had one of two bits of popcorn, that was it. I didnt have any takeaway food, and my diet was excellent for the weekend, still not as structured or strict as the week, but for me, one of the best thus far. Oh, and i got 30 mins cardio in on Saturday afternoon. :cool:

The negative was that i went to a bar for a close friends birthday, and did drink some beers. I didnt go all out, i could of believe me, but i stuck to bottled beers, and headed home when the others hit a club, but still, i did drink more then i would have liked, and probably should have, and yesterday i felt fairly rough and tired. The worst part is that today i feel pretty tired and stressed, and ok, work is pretty stressful today, but i think a large part of how i feel compared to other weeks gone by where i havent drunk, is because i was drinking.

So a positive weekend i think, i drank, but it could have been worse, much worse, and i am ready to hit it this week as well. I do not think i will look to increase weight this week, but i will up the intensity and really go for it during the workouts. Looking forward to it.

Few thoughts...

Weigh in tonight... come on 12 stone 4 !!!! Please, please please.

No main site updates for a while. That blows. What will i read ?!?

I think its been 1 month into this cut, best take some pics to check progress. I wont post my before pics till i post my after pics when i am done. Maximum impact then. :p

Band practice tonight. So i may have to shift abs to wednesday with my cardio, although, if i am being intense, then it might go quicker. :bb::flex:

Best mate and fellow band members birthday tomorrow. Going to a mexican resturant. Could be tricky... i like a challenge.

So i hit the gym, workout, legs and abs as usual, added another 5kg to my leg press, but kept the other numbers the same as planned (the leg press just needed to go up).

Hit the scales, and... 12 stone 6 again, 174lbs. :confused:

That is basically my start weight. I jumped on the scales again (the set at the gym). This time 12 stone 5, 173lbs. Weird.

My friend has been alleging these scales are wrong for a while now. My GF who is also on a cut, hasnt lost any weight either on those scales, but she has lost a few inches from her middle measurements since she started. :confused::confused:

I was pretty pissed off let me tell you. I worked my ass off last week, had the best weekend food wise, and bam, 1lb gain. I know i have some muscle coming on, mainly from muscle memory, and i am upping the lifts every week, but shit, no weight loss at all in a month?!?!

I had to remind myself that scales dont mean shit, and then i went hom and took a long look in the mirror. I have defo lost fat. No question. My stomach is flatty and less protuding, my abs are getting clearer, my arms are getting more shape, all the signs i know from the past that i am doing things right. But it hurt not to see it on the scales.

I guess the scales must be broke. I tried my set at home, but, the battery had run out ! :mad: Typical. :cry:

So anyway, I look to the positives, i look better, feel better, am gaining strength with every workout, i am losing fat and building muscle, i am positive. The scales are fucked, and i am going to start my weigh ins on a new set.

I really should measure body fat. What do i care what i weigh, so long as i look like i want? Ah, its just so nice to see the scale tell you you made some progress. *sigh*

So shoulders tonight, then the mexican stand off. I figure Chicken wraps should be ok, no cheese or sour cream, and avoid all cheesy, fried, nacho starter, cream type evils !!!

Catch you tomorrow. Stay positive with me.

The other thing to bear in mind is that you're weighing yourself after exercise and in the evening, after a day of eating. Your evening & post-training weight will vary hugely day to day. If you want a consistent, semi-accurate reading you should weigh yourself first thing in the morning, wearing exactly the same thing (preferably naked) having evacuated your bladder and bowels.

Also, get a tape measure and do your waist measurement - that's a great marker for fat loss progress.

The other thing to bear in mind is that you're weighing yourself after exercise and in the evening, after a day of eating. Your evening & post-training weight will vary hugely day to day. If you want a consistent, semi-accurate reading you should weigh yourself first thing in the morning, wearing exactly the same thing (preferably naked) having evacuated your bladder and bowels.

Also, get a tape measure and do your waist measurement - that's a great marker for fat loss progress.

Cheers bud. Aye, i am going to switch around my weigh in's, to the AM, at home, and naked as you say. Once i get a battery for my scales, i will get a new reading, and then go from there.

I already do the waist measurement, lost 1/2 inch so far as of early last week BUT most fat always comes off my arms, then shoulders and chest, then back, then stomach, so i figure i will start to see more inch loss in the coming weeks. Also i have been doing this at night, i will switch to the morning as well. Need to do measurements again and take progress pic (i do pics in the morning anyway). Thanks for the words of wisdom dude. :tu:


So i hit shoulders last night, another good session. Stuck to the weights i hit last week, and it was a really tough workout! On the reverse flys, i really had to push to keep form and hit the 8 reps, by the end of my front / side raise superset, i was goosed. But i knew i had traps left to go, and felt that i needed to increase the weight on those, so i added 2.5kg per dumbell and hit three sets of 10 no problems. Well, i say no problems, thats not to say it wasnt hard! I wonder why your traps are linked to your lips. You cant help but move your lip when you shrug. You always look a moron. :lol:

After that, i went to the mexican (I showered first of course). Managed to resist all that is bad, including beer, and tucked into my chicken wraps with literally a pinch of grated cheese, while most other people ate Chimmichangas, fried buretos etc etc. The fajitas were actually awesome, and to others i looked like i was sacrificing a nice meal, to me it was like a cheat meal ! Funny how it works. I guess if you eat junk 24/7, you have to increase the junk to feel like its a treat. To me, some spiced chicken breast wrapped in a flour tortilla, with salsa, lettuce and a smidgen of cheese, was like a meal fit for a king.

I think people are starting to come round to the Healthy Alex being back. The girlfriend has always been 100% supportive, and she also joins me at the gym etc so thats always cool, but work collegues always take a while to get used to it "Same thing again, not having breakfast, why dont you want a cake etc". And my friends are starting to make less of a deal of it.

I think i am well and truely back into this now, but that can lead to slip ups and complacency, as i know. The old devil on the shoulder "Hey, look how ripped you are, you can have 1 pizza on a weekday, you deserve it etc etc" is common place when you get to this stage. Must stay strong.

This has also been my most consistent journal to. I am enjoying keeping this blog. :)

As an aside, been watching Twin Peaks recently, as i was 9 when it first came out, it passed me by, but being a fan of Lost, Heros etc, i decided to give it a try. Finished series 1, pretty impressed, some terrible acting but a good story and plot, very keen to get series 2.

Apologies for the number of "etc"'s used in this post.

Working late, then everyones favourite cardio tonight, just added Metallica's Death Magnetic to my Ipod, so should be a good session !!

Have a good day peeps !

Quick one today.

Good hard cardio session yesterday, 30 mins on treadmill with various inclines, and then the middle 10 mins was interval training between power walk up hill, and running. All meals spot on. Another good day.

Swopping chest with back as going with a friend to spot me on bench and he can only make tonight.

Had a long meeting today, stopped half way through and came back with a tub of cottage cheese. :lol:

Forgot my tin of tuna, someone is nipping the shop for me, so lunch will still happen as planned. The temptation to get a sandwich was strong, but i resisted.

Steak for tea. :drool:

Catch you all tomorrow.

So, not the greatest of weekends i am afraid.

Friday i played some poker with some guys from work, i actually won, which was cool, but i ate a lot of crisps, which wasnt so cool. Didnt drink though, and my dinner was chicken and rice, and I had a great back and bi session, increasing the weight again on the deadlifts, so, a mixed bag of a day really.

Travelled to London via Oxford with my old man to meet my uncle, then head to watch England vs Italy in the 6 nations rugby. This meant being up at 5.30am. Then all that travelling, watching the game, back to Oxford, then stayed there (my uncles) the night, then back up north the day after (9am). So breakfast both days was bacon and eggs, with white toast. Lunch Saturday was a burger, and for tea when i got back Sunday, i had some pizza, as my other half ordered some, and i had no energy left to cook. The only positives was that i ordered a very small pizza, and that dinner saturday was pretty healthy, although actually i ended the meal with half a block of cheese and crackers, so scratch that ! :lol:

It was actually pretty cool to spend some time with my dad, we used to go the rugby a lot when i was younger, and so i got him these tickets for xmas, and it was a really good time. I have no regrets about the weekend, i enjoyed it, i did great last week and last weekend, and will do great again this weekend. I could have used more sleep, but, such is life.

So today, back on the diet, back on the wagon, need to make 2 steps forward for the step back i took at the weekend. I will be heading away friday night to see Judas Priest straight after work as the show is out of town, so no gym. I need to decide whether to hit the weights Wednesday to make up for it, or avoid the drink Friday and hit it Saturday. I think i will go for Wednesday as things stand, coz i think Saturday is not guaranteed and i cannot miss a weight session. But 4 days of heavy lifting in a row will take its toll. Bring it on! :flex:

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Legs and abs again tonight, then fixing a leaking toilet with my brother. Should be fun !

Just checking in.

Good legs and abs session Monday, good shoulders and traps session Yesterday, I feel pretty sore and this is normally my day off, but going to hit the gym and go for back and bi's, as Friday wont be a gym day. I think it might be pushing it to get 4 heavy sessions in in a row, but i would rather try and fail then, well, just fail.

The weekend is catching up with me, been really tired. Also, cravings are kicking in a bit, but they are managable.

Laters

I am feeling very run down and tired at the moment. I keep reminding myself of the weekend i just had, which led to little sleep and a lot of travelling. Also, this is week 6 of what has been a very intense period of working out for me.

I didnt go to the gym last night, so i guess by my own rationale yesterday i failed. :( My reasoning was that i was so tired it would have been a poor workout, and it would have led to another poor workout tonight. The rest did do me some good, but time will tell tonight in the gym whether i made the right choice. I can make up a workout at the weekend, thus bringing me back on track.

I really crave junk when i am tired, usually sugar, probably because my energy levels are low, as is my blood sugar. I didnt waive or give in, but it was tough last night, it wasnt a nice evening, and i ended up snapping at my other half, as is often the way when one is tired. :rolleyes: We rarely fight or argue, but we have had a few scrapes this week, pretty much because i am tired, and because i am craving some sugary junk food, and because i missed a workout (although it was planned to be a day off). These are the weeks that are not fun when cutting, these are the weeks that i guess a lot of people drop out, but i also guess these are the weeks that matter. So i push on through.

I will have to make it up to the GF on Valantines. :dreamy:

So back and bi's tonight, then i will hit the gym with my mate at the weekend for chest and tri, then the week is back on track. Busy one tonight though, gym then band practice. Boy am i looking forward to the weekend. Its good to be busy and do stuff, but sometimes, you just need to chill. Gig friday night, then watch the rugby and then cook the missus a meal saturday, then all day film session Sunday i feel.

Should be back to my normal self Monday.

Bit late checking in.

Well, the less said about the weekend the better really. Didnt make the gym, so that makes it 1 missed workout since i started. :(

I think it was just such a busy 2 weeks with no break or real relaxing weekend between, that i was just burned out. I chilled this weekend, ate some nice food, relaxed with the GF, and this week i feel much better. I think previously, i would have got a bit sick last week, being so run down is usually the way to get ill for me. However, i am 100% sure that my clean diet meant i got away with it. :tu:

So, no point crying over spilt protien powder. Back on it this week, no excuses. I have some fairly quiet weekends coming up, so should be able to make good progress.

Shoulders last night was excellent, added 5k to my military press, which is now only another 5kg off my PB for 6-8 reps. Its weird, my muscle progress is like i am bulking, but i am sure that apart from the weekends (and a weekend refeed system always seems to be good for me, even if it isnt always clean), i am defo eating cutting calories. Arent I? I guess this muscle memory thing is real. I am losing BF alright, last measurment showed 1 inch loss around my waist, and the cut in my chest is much more noticable, and i am getting some decent low BF on my arms now. So i am gaining muscle, losing fat, and eating a relaxed diet at the weekend? Ill take it! :cool:

There is a nagging voice in the back of my mind saying i need to start some morning CV sessions.

Also, i think i am losing the weight loss battle with my mate, he is doing very well. Last friday, on the way to the gig (which, BTW, was awesome!), we stopped for a burger, which i had. He then pulls out a Smoked Salmon salad and proceeds to eat that infront of me. Showed me. :o

I make myself feel better by reminding myself that he is doing limited weights and too much CV and most of his weight loss is muscle loss. :doh: But he is still winning....

Legs tonight, cant wait, that reminds me, better charge my Ipod.

Have fun people.

Anyone heard of Phosphatidylserine? Apparently its good for reducing or blocking cortisol levels, stress hormone basically. Which is a good thing as it will reduce feeling of stress, and benefit muscle growth.

I might give it a try, but its quite expensive.

Anyway, i hit legs and abs, legs i managed the same weight as last week, didnt feel the need to increase on that because the session was hard and the weight heavy as it is. For abs, i hit it really hard, and trying to sit up in bed last night was impossible. :lol:

My band is playing this friday, so will be hitting the gym tonight for weights instead. This time last week, that was also the plan, and i didnt make it. Its amazing how different i feel this week, no way will i not make the gym, and i cant wait! Its purely because i am not over tired. Sleep people. Its the key.

Looking at booking a holiday soon. Thinking Mexico, all this talk of the JSF get together made me look into the resorts, and a friend just got back from there and loved it. It wont be at the same time as JSF (and isnt that hurricane season anyway?), probably may or something. I really need a break, work is very stressful, and life is busy. Mind you, i would chose busy over bored any day. But it will be nice to take a week of nothing, chilling, sunshine (i have seen sunshine for so long, damn English weather!).

Anyway, chest and triceps tonight, all food spot on, lets rock !

So i hit the gym as planned yesterday, didnt add to my bench press but did add 2.5kg per DB to my incline presses. So that was cool. Torched my triceps afterwards as well. Had nothing more to give. It was a bit of a slow workout coz there was 3 of us (which is rare). 2 is a good number, but its true, 3 is a crowd.

Back and Bi tonight, think its just me and my Ipod. Best way in some respects. Got to look to pull some extra weight on the deadlifts.

I miss my day off (usually wednesday), but its better to get all 4 workouts in then miss one. 4 in a row will be a challege, but tonight Matthew, i will do it.

Got band practice after the gym, which is always a rush to fit everything in, got to get home, changed, eat, get stuff together etc.

Anyway, weekend should be good, playing with the band friday, chilling the rest of the weekend. Didnt get to watch too many films last weekend, so plan to catch up on a few DVD's i bought in the old Cinema room. And then some decorating, not too much though.

Have a good day y'all!

Wow, what a week.

My back is sore, my arms are sore, my chest is sore. It hurts to shurg, lean, twist and walk. In fact, the only thing that doesnt hurt is me sayin how much everything else does. :lol:

4 workouts in a row was pretty tough, yesterday i spent all of my back session thinking i would skip arms, a mental tool i use to ensure i give the first part of the workout everything i have. The thought of biceps after that was mean, so i said i would just do back, then when it came to it, i pushed through and hit the arms as well.

After an up and down week last week, it felt good to be back this week, hit all my weight sessions, and really have some very good workouts. My diet has been good, and last night i weighed in a 12 stone 3 (on the gym scales, which do weigh heavy as i have previously mentioned), which is a good 5lbs weight loss in 6 weeks, over an inch lost on my waist, which considering i have gained a LOT of strength and am feeling good, full of energy (usually), not had the cleanest of weekends, and hitting the weights hard, is all pretty good going! I looked the leanest i have looked in many years this week, and that is incentive enough to keep going and make this cut work.

One thing to note is that if i had cleaned up my weekends, i probably could have been an extra few lbs lighter right now. But, i wouldnt have had the fun weekends i have had. Its important to me to balance this cutting lark. I want this to be how it was before, a life long, day in thing, which 7 days a week wouldnt work for me. I make enough decent progress in the 5 days, to allow some wrong steps on the other 2. 5 days progress is tough to undo in 2 days, if you are careful and honest, and dont go OTT. Always been my thinking, always will be. My results seems to speak for themselves thus far.

Although, i do need to think about some cardio soon.

The next few weeks are vital. I will probably train another 2 weeks on the weights, and then consider a break for a week. In this time, i need to focus hard, as often i get to this stage and let it go, coz i feel i can be more lax now i am leaner, like i "deserve it".

Tonight i am playing with the band, preceeded by some drinks and nibbles with work at the office due to so many new starts coming on board. Probably a cheat meal tonight due to time constraints, and then a relaxing weekend about the house to follow, should rest up the aches and pains so i am back with a bang next week !!!:bb: I hope i get the rest day in the middle of the week this time!!

Have fun!

Not much to report really. A decent weekend. Had a few drinks at our gig Friday, played well, pretty late night, but nothing too bad. Then caught up on some sleep, tidy round the house, watched some films, messed about on the computer and went to a friends house saturday for some food. I drove. :tu:

I didnt sleep the best Sunday night, as usual. I wish i could place why. Is it because i have a couple of late nights, sleep in, and then try and get a nights sleep at the normal time. Or coz my mind is racing about the next working week? Who knows.

I hit legs and abs yesterday, good session, increased weight by 10kg on the leg press, was feeling strong. Same weight on everything else. Shoulders and traps tonight.

I also got my BF calipers through and did a test this morning, came out at 11.9. Perhaps a tad higher then i thought, but i need some practice. I got 8% out of it last night, but then realised i did legs and abs and 2 of the 3 pinch sites are legs and abs. :lol: I actually dont think this 3 point system is very good, i carry a lot of fat on my back, and it doesnt measure that. I may find a 7 site test, and calulation, and do it myself.

Looking forward to the week ahead. Will be 3 weight sessions in a row again, to allow for Thursday off to see the mighty Metallica! :bow: Need to stay sober so i can lift some weights friday after work. Failing that, i need to hit it Saturday. Either way, i cannot miss a workout for the week, thats the main thing.

I've been trying Phosphatidylserine and it really seems to help with stress. I've been experimenting with the timing of dosage and taking it at night seems to improve my sleep. I don't have to wait as long to fall asleep while my mind wanders through what I did, what I have to do, what could happen to prevent me from doing what I have to do, etc. :rolleyes: I feel much calmer overall as well. I've found it here in the US for $12.50 for 30 100 mg capsules.

Kudos on your workouts, it seems that you are back to your normal level of consistency.

Cheers for the info k3vb0, i may give that suppliment a try on my next run out. I couldnt afford it this shop, as i am trying a new suppliment which is pretty expensive...

So, its been a while. Truth is, i havent had much to write about. I hit the gym Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th Feb. By wednesday, i was again feeling beat up and sore, and tired, so i decided to skip the gym and rest up at home. This decision was helped by the purchase of my new PS3, which i had to get home and unboxed of course. :o Given i would miss thursdays workout for Metallica (who, by the way Lisa, ROCKED!), i decided i should take a week off from lifting. I feel the last 6.5 weeks had been intense, busy, and hard work, and i always believe in listening to my body (so long as it aint making excuses), and so i did just that. That shoulder workout on the tuesday was terrible, i did it, but it was tough in a bad way, and i felt weak and sore.

As usual, when i am not 100% on it, i go off it. Little by little, my diet slipped, until at the end of last week i was on sandwiches for lunch, and the weekend just gone i went all out on Takeaways and beer. :( I also came down with a cold last week, so ended up not going back to the gym Wednesday as planned. However, looking at the plus side, i did a lot of work in the garden both weekend, very heavy and back breaking digging etc, and i didnt deviate too badly in the week. I NEEDED the time off from the gym, and i got it, and today i feel ready for war once again. So thats cool. In an ideal world i would have stuck to my diet during my time off from weights, and hit the CV, but it isnt an ideal world i live in, so fuck it.

So i am calling this Phase 2. Lets make it official. 6.5 weeks of phase one bought 1.5 inches lost around my waist, my body fat down to between 11-12%, i probably lost about 7lbs in weight, but added tons of weight to all my lifts. I will take some pics tomorrow AM (didnt today as didnt want the bloat of the weekend to effect my pics).

So Phase 2 goal is simple. Sub 10% body fat, lose no strength and gain some more if possible, try and avoid beer, and increase the CV. Yup, morning cardio !!

So the plan for phase 2 is morning CV for 30mins 3x per week, and weights 4 x per week as planned. Diet will remain the same, as it was working well. Weekends to be on track and as clean as possible, and beer to be avoided, either by a slimline drink or preferably no drink. Finally, i will be trying METRX's AMPED before and during my workout with Creatine post workout to bring up the total amount to 5g (get 3g from the AMPED, will take 5g creatine on non training days)

I am really, really ready for this. I must succeed. I dont feel like the time off was failure, I feel it was necessary to get to this stage. I guess i am 171lbs right now, so thats 20lbs of fat at 12%. To lose 2% would be about 4lbs, defo doable in 6 weeks, while retaining my strength.

Lets go !!!!

Phase 2, Day 2.

So yesterday was great. Fell right back into the swing of it. Clean diet and increased water + caffine suppliment = most of the day in the bathroom !

Speaking of the suppliment, i really felt some benefit from the AMPED. It contains Caffine, which i have never taken around training (i drink black coffee 2/3 times a day, but not really around my workout). I think this gave me a real push for the gym, although i sweated a lot more then i usually do. It also contains the BCAA's i need, as well as some creatine. I am topping up the creatine in the AMPED with pure creatine, to get my 8g a day to load, and will use on days not training and when i switch to 5g a day next week (the AMPED has 3g per serving). Obviously the creatine wont really have kicked in properly yet, but so far, so good. I cant wait to get in the gym tonight!

I took some measurements and photos this morning. Waist is down to 33inch biggest and 32 1/4 smallest. This is some decent stats !! i think my biggest waist was 35 when i started, and smallest 34.5, so really really pleased. I do allow for some bloat when i took my start readings though, i was FAT! Although i havent compared my pics, i know i look leaner. The lighting wasnt great though this morning, and i couldnt remember the position i was in for pics 1, but hey, lets see what they look like. Ran out of time to do body fat, but i will do this tomorrow AM, shouldnt matter.

No AM cardio today, but will be doing it tomorrow.

My girlfriend has been out of town these last 5 days, she is back today. Funny how lonely it is when you are used to living with someone. Only the cat for company.

I made some really nice pork burgers last night using 90% lean pork, with some shallots and fennel seed, just the patties of course, no bread, but had some roasted potatoes with them, and salad. Superb!

Sometimes i wonder if the world is run by retards.

Seriously, all i have had all day at work is phone calls and emails with people who do not seem to grasp the basics of, well, anything! Such a stressful day! Ah well. I remind myself that i am working, progressing and enjoy the job (most of the time), when others are not so fortunate right now. Doesnt make life any less of a ballache though.

So i was up for AM cardio. And hit the gym super hard again last night. All eats have been spot on, and i am feeling good. No gym tonight, and i am looking forward to the rest, even though i could do with letting all this stress out on the iron after work. My mind is telling me yes, but my body, my body is telling me no. Like a reverse bump and grind lyric.

Another good push from the AMPED. So far, i am quite impressed, although i didnt sleep as well as i have been, maybe the caffine, or maybe because i havent got the bed to myself now my other half is back!

Laters

Man, i hit the gym very hard last night. Was back and biceps, and was done by the time i left the gym. This new workout routine is really hard work, very cardio in its approach. I have never really done supersets before, and its an eye opening. I defo feel a change was the right thing here.

I checked back through some old pics from 05, when i was probably at my peak of this whole bodybuilding thing, at least in terms of low BF. Man, i thought i was lean now, but i have a long way to go before i get back to those levels. I didnt know whether to be motivated by those pics, or to cry. Weird feeling. That was 4 years ago, i had hardly any stress, easy job, no house etc. Guess it figures. 8% BF is not easy to maintain when you have so much going on. I measured in at 11.2% BF the other morning, which i feel is accurate. So by no means am i fat, or indeed, do i have far to go to get below 10 (which is phase 2 goal). But a reminder of what i have looked like was a bit of a blow.

Although the saving grace is i KNOW i am bigger muscle wise now, especially my chest and rear delts. I am thicker, so to speak, on a side profile. So i guess when i hit the <10% levels, it will be worth it. Its not like i havent been in the gym almost all the time since 2005. Its just that i havent kept the body fat down. Considering where i was not long ago body fat wise, i have come a long way.... i will get there again.

Oh, and i got up for cardio this morning, making 3 from 3. Cant say i am looking forward to shoulders tonight, as i am sore from being back in the gym and doing a new routine, but i will go, and i will give it my all. Then i will hit the hot tub, and wind down for the weekend. Which consists of erecting a fence. So not really that relaxing! Oh, to be 2005 me again.... :p

Oh, to be 2005 me again.... :p
:lol:I think it's actually better to have been in shape and to be trying to re-achieve that goal than to have never been in shape. But I totally understand as I want the 2000 me and wonder how I ever let that body get away from me. :blank: Oh yeah, life happened.

I checked back through some old pics from 05, when i was probably at my peak of this whole bodybuilding thing, at least in terms of low BF. Man, i thought i was lean now, but i have a long way to go before i get back to those levels.
You're supposed to post them in your journal when you do that. :whistle: Then put a current picture beside it, and outline the steps that you're going to take to get yourself there. :tucool:

When is your avatar pic from?

Oh yeah, life happened.

Amen. Thats exactly it.

And i need to take some more comparative pics before truely comparing them, as the 05 pics i have had great lighting etc, it isnt the reason they look better, the reason is the 3% body fat difference, but it doesnt make for a fair check. I will take some better pics when i find a good spot in my new house, and then post a goal vs actual.

And i can tell you exactly when my avatar was, 22nd September 2006. Probably around the 10% BF in those days, that was my maintainance BF level really until about mid 2007, and then i probably kept at 12% until i bought my new house and cut the gym for 6 months or so. When i started back at the gym, i would estimate about 15% Body fat. So to be back at 11.2% is cool.

Right, time to finish my coffee and get started on the fence!

Whoops, has it really been a week since i checked in?

Pleased to say though guys, that i have not been absent in spirit this week. Had 3 solid weight sessions and 2 AM cardio sessions. I will defo be hitting the gym again tonight and although last week i wasnt feeling the love for weights, this week i feel a lot less sore, maybe because last weekend was less physically intensive in the garden? Either way, a friend of mine is available to workout tomorrow, so i may hit the gym with him as well if we can time it right.

Food has been fine this week as well. Had a business meal Monday which required two courses, which could have been better, but i shunned the desert, so thats cool. I also had a handful of candy wednesday night, but no biggie. Down to 11 stone 11 more or less now 165lbs, which means only another 4 lbs to hit my target and beat my friend!! :D Although, it seems to me i have more then that to lose, but maybe its surprising how much 4lbs actually is when talking pure fat (which i want it to be). I guess its a couple of percent body fat. Which sounds right.

So another good week, feeling good, and still very much on the JSF wagon after nearly 3 months. Feels good to be back.

Have a good weekend.

Whoops, has it really been a week since i checked in?

Pleased to say though guys, that i have not been absent in spirit this week. Had 3 solid weight sessions and 2 AM cardio sessions. I will defo be hitting the gym again tonight and although last week i wasnt feeling the love for weights, this week i feel a lot less sore, maybe because last weekend was less physically intensive in the garden? Either way, a friend of mine is available to workout tomorrow, so i may hit the gym with him as well if we can time it right.

Food has been fine this week as well. Had a business meal Monday which required two courses, which could have been better, but i shunned the desert, so thats cool. I also had a handful of candy wednesday night, but no biggie. Down to 11 stone 11 more or less now 165lbs, which means only another 4 lbs to hit my target and beat my friend!! :D Although, it seems to me i have more then that to lose, but maybe its surprising how much 4lbs actually is when talking pure fat (which i want it to be). I guess its a couple of percent body fat. Which sounds right.

So another good week, feeling good, and still very much on the JSF wagon after nearly 3 months. Feels good to be back.

Have a good weekend.
Great job Reno. That last weight will come off in no time.

I must confess, i took it old school this weekend, and hit the town saturday night and drank far too much of everything i shouldnt have. As a result, not only did i probably add a few lbs of calories in beer, but i felt pretty rough sunday and yesterday.

It was a mens dinner for the local rugby club, and the meal itself was ok, and i enjoyed it. Do you know what though, a funny thing, i actually found it pretty boring being out in town afterwards. I felt like i was sort of just drinking for no reason. Now, i know there isnt much reason to drink, but i dont know, it was like, i was just stood about in a few bars, drinking more and more, and i just felt like doing so was pointless. When i go to watch a band, or am sat about with my mates or whatever, i enjoy a drink, and i enjoy getting drunk. But it just seemed like it wasnt worth it to be stood in a lame ass bar, with lame ass music, in a suit, generally feeling like to drink any more would serve no purpose.

I hope this isnt me getting old! :eek:

Nah, i think it was just a summary of the reason i dont tend to go out in town much anymore. Its crap. I would much rather buy a concert ticket and go get drunk at a gig, or sit down the pub and chill with my friends. Bars and clubs, just aint for me. I also think not being single is a factor to. Its defo a single mans domain, the nightclub.

Anyway, this has nowt to do with owt, so back to topic.

Despite the drinking, i got a lot done in the garden Sunday (i am currently landscaping the garden myself having done the inside of the house last year, although i am taking it slower then i did the house, and not putting my whole life on hold like i did with the interior!). I didnt eat too badly either, which is cool. And yesterdays back and bi session was steller, i increased weight on everything, including 10kg to my deadlift, making me only another 10kg of my PB for reps. :) I did go out for a meal for my dads birthday last night, which wasnt the best choice, but could have been worse, i skipped desert and had no starter. I am not about to start avoiding meals out, or not making the most of the meals out with something i enjoy, it aint worth it to me, but just eating smart and being sensible is usually enough, at least for me.

Last week i didnt get weight session 4 or CV session 3 in. :mad: I remind myself that i still worked out 5 times in one week, but sadly i need more from myself.

Alas, i havent got any CV in so far this week. This is the effect of Saturday night more then anything, i am bloody tired now!

I will be hitting legs tonight, cant say i am looking forward to it, legs is hard graft, but i hope for a good session.

I am really liking the AMPED suppliment by the way. It definitly has a good effect, and i dont find it has effected my sleep at all. Hopefully the caffine isnt killing me slowly from the inside out ! :doh:

Laters.

PS Guava, i am attending a festival over here called Download at Donnington Park (quite famous rock festival over the years). Tesla have been added to the line up, and I thought of you. I think you might like the line up, you can check it out (in envy) at their website Downloadfestival.co.uk. :cool:

PS Guava, i am attending a festival over here called Download at Donnington Park (quite famous rock festival over the years). Tesla have been added to the line up, and I thought of you. I think you might like the line up, you can check it out (in envy) at their website Downloadfestival.co.uk. :cool::curses:

Tesla is my absolute complete favourite. There are not many bands in the same genre, with the same feel-good lyrics. (Though I've never really figured out how Journey fits in there.) Tesla played somewhere near here a couple of years ago, but I didn't end up going to see them because I didn't have anyone to go with. The next chance I get, to see Tesla, or Alice Cooper, I will go alone or drag my now-teenaged daughter. :nod:
I think you might like the line up, you can check it out (in envy) at their website Downloadfestival.co.uk. :cool::eek: It's a good thing I won't be there, cuz i would probably just pass out from all of the intensity. :ohnoes: I don't recall ever before seeing anything quite so wickedly awesome. The website itself is a super piece of work. :tucool: Sweet photo gallery they have on that site. I wonder if the RIP Park Farm Camping is as scary as it sounds. :scared:

I am not about to start avoiding meals out, or not making the most of the meals out with something i enjoy, it aint worth it to me, but just eating smart and being sensible is usually enough, at least for me.

Last week i didnt get weight session 4 or CV session 3 in. :mad: I remind myself that i still worked out 5 times in one week, but sadly i need more from myself.Whenever you write CV, I always think Curriculum Vitae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum_vitae), and just about begin to ask if you're looking for a job. :doh:

Anyway, you're going to need to bump it up a notch if you're not going to give up those meals out. :spank: :D

Lol.

Yeah, its an intense 3 days all right, by the end you just lie in your tent dreaming of a comfy bed and a proper flushing toilet... :lol: . I have been the last 2 years, and though last year was a bit of a non starter as they struggled to get a lot of decent bands, this year is looking awesome and a good cross section. Motley Crue for me are the ones i am really excited about, i love them and saw them there in 2007 and they stole the whole weekend, its was awesome. You should defo get your daughter down to some shows, before its too late and she develops a poor taste in music and you lie awake at night blaming yourself :D. Rock is where its at!

Lol at the CV thing, i do of course mean Cardio Vascular, and am not trying hard to apply for a job 3 mornings a week. :lol:

Speaking of which, this week, not a great one. :o

Got no cardio in, and food hasnt been too bad, but a few meals out meant a few too many poor choices, which isnt good. Mainly fries with a healthy option, like chicken on brown bread, or grilled chicken burger, but all with fries. On the plus side i got in 2 excellent weight sessions, with the third a DEFO for tonight, as i am going straight from work with a friend from here who i train chest with every week (so we have a spotter).

Once again i can pinpoint the relative failings of this week to Saturday night. The booze and the late night killed it, i have been dragging my ass all week, and am now very tired indeed. The worst thing was, it wasnt even worth it. If i had been to a great gig and had a wail of a time, i wouldnt mind so much, but it was drinking for drinkings sake, something i did most weekends and something on this cut i have done well to stave off, for the most part. This weekend, i will be much better, and then i hit next week and dont look back, except only to learn. I doubt this week has been a backwards step, but i also doubt i have moved forward much (except in terms of weights), and i cant afford to waste a week.

Onwards and upwards, here is to a great weekend all round (and a mean old chest and tris tonight). :cool:

Another late night saturday and the lost hour as the clocks changed, coupled with 2 8 hour days of hard graft in the garden, means i am once again walking around like a zombie. On the plus side the two days spent digging out my pond, and carting barrows of earth across the garden and deadlifting them into the skip more then made up for the missed cardio the week before. Whether it made up for that AND the takeaways i scoffed over the weekend, i dont know. It probably did, it was really tough those 2 days. For the most part i didnt eat too bad to be fair, but i did consume a few beers again Saturday night. Ah well.

So no gym yesterday in part due to having to finish off the pond (which now looks pretty good, but on sunday night was basically a big black piece of plastic in a hole with some water in it) and partly because i could hardly move after the weekend of work! I am still sore (and very tired) today but will be hitting the gym tonight, we will see what happens. I cant see any PB's getting broken, but better to be there and try then simply not bother. Actually, i often have a good workout when i feel like this. However, i have never needed the AMPED so badly. :lol:

Good solid shoulders session last night, was hard going but i got in there and did it, no PB's but at the same time no drop in weights either.

As you know i am working in 6 week chunks and trying to keep changing things up, something i have never really done before, sticking to the one workout over and over. I started off focusing on big lifts, strength and getting the weight back up to where it should be. Then took a week off, and then this six week period i have been doing 1 power lift, and then supersets. I think this is week 4/6, so after this i have 2 weeks left. I hope to be at my goal by then. However, i think after this, i will try some german volume stuff, starting with 10 sets of 10 reps on the power move, with a minute between, then finishing off on some iscolation stuff. Ive never tried this before, got to be worth a bash for 6 weeks.

My new subwoofer arrived today, looking forward to adding it to my home cinema and watching a film this weekend. The new James Bond I think is on the cards.

Do you know, this week i have felt really good.

I feel the most toned i have felt in a long time, and certainly since i started this cut. I feel i have packed on some decent muscle with this new lifting and suppliment plan, i felt strong and energetic in the gym, and hit my three weights workouts in a row, which normally is a killer, but i feel good. Bit sore, but good.

I have eaten very well this week, i had a meal out last night and had steak and fries (oven baked i believe), with no sauce, and defo no desert, and it wasnt even difficult.

I am still around the 165 mark weight wise, but i am about 10.3% BF, and i am sure i have put on some LBM this past fortnight. :)

At the meal, i was asked if i workout. Always nice when someone says that, i used to get it all the time. I guess i now look like i lift weights seriously again. :)

I wish every week felt like this. I would be quite happy to look like i look now and maintain this. I feel i have a good life/lift balance.

Funny how i have switched back to my "2 steps forward, 1 back" program and doing very little cardio. Some things never change (except my weight program, which i think switching up was one of the wisest moves i have made).

Have a good weekend peeps!

I wish every week felt like this. I would be quite happy to look like i look now and maintain this. I feel i have a good life/lift balance. :)
Bookmark it, and come back and read it every so often.

Or maybe next week will feel even better! :spaz:

Six weeks and then a change sounds like a good plan. :tu: I think I'll try and do something more similar to that from this point on. I'm starting to stagnate a bit.

I hope this week feels even better Guava. :D

Changing things up for me was a good decision. After years of the same old same old, more or less, the shock of a new routine has kept the muscle coming while allowing me to cut. I am looking forward to another change. For me 6 weeks always felt right, its not long, but i can hit it hard then, and i feel beat and ready for a break by then, and after a week off, i always come back better.

I started phase 2 Monday March 9th (god bless this blog), which means this is week 5, so this week and next to go.

Weekend was ok, not as tough in the garden as times gone by, but still busy, and i managed to limit the beers and junk pretty well. Cooked some burgers on the BBQ for the first time in this house, was pretty cool actually to be outside, and cook, in my garden, even if it is still a building site!

So no real damage felt from this weekend, but it counts for nothing if my 3 weight sessions and diet this week are not on target.

This weekend is Easter, which means in the UK we get a long weekend, with Friday and Monday both public holidays !! :spaz: Most of that time will be spent in the garden working hard, but i need to keep an eye on the booze and junk, 2 days i can do, 4 days might be more difficult.

Back & bi tonight, should be fun.

I say it every week, but i need to get some cardio done. :whistle:

Good old back session last night, pulled a 140kg deadlift for 6 good reps on my last set. My PB is 3 sets of 140kg at 8 reps per set, so i am touching on my old strength once again. Except i am about 5% body fat lighter. :D

Starting to feel the usual beat up and sore feeling i get towards the end of a few weeks training. I dont know how people like John hit it top level week in week out for like 13 weeks. Meeting a friend from work at the gym after work, i may try and get in there earlier and have a good warm up and stretch, and do the same afterwards. Might book myself in for some sort of massage, or possibly wait another 2 weeks and go when i have the week of weights. Shoulders tonight anyway, should be nice and intense.

I have been thinking more of my posture since i started back training, with a sharp focus on pulling my stomach in, and my shoulders back. So far, i think its all making a real difference. I also like the brugger technique for being at a desk all day:

Brügger is a manual medicine expert in Europe who studies how repetitive strain movements (such as sitting) can affect your body. Research has determined that 30 minutes of sitting in a fully flexed position can lead to ligamentous deformation in the back. Therefore, he came up with his relief position to help restore the body’s natural alignment and make workers healthier and more effective. To perform the Brügger exercise, follow the instructions given below:
1) Perch at the end of your chair (e.g. move to the edge of your chair and sit up straight).
2) Spread your legs slightly and turn your feet out.
3) Relax the traps and extend your arms down.
4) Turn your palms out so they're facing away from you and spread the fingers apart.
5) Push the chest up and out while keeping the chin tucked in.
6) Take in three deep breaths: take 10 seconds to inhale and 10 seconds to exhale, but don't hold your breath! Think about blowing the tension out of your body as you exhale.
The Brügger position should be used every 20 to 30 minutes when sitting. By adding this in, you’ll not only feel better during and after long sitting spells, but you’ll also be more productive as well!


I do this quickly every hour or so. Works well, you can literally feel things move and click, which is always nice.

Anyway, catch you peeps later.

How did it all go so wrong this month? I look back and see i havent posted for 3 weeks, and in that time, i have done very little to further my goals. While i havent completly fucked it, i have tried at times. I decided to shift my week off forward a week, because i had a lot on, so it made sense. Problem then was that i had a lot on the week after 2, and suddenly i hadnt been to the gym again. So that makes for 2.5 weeks of no training. :mad:. As usual, this meant my diet slipped, not to the point of complete meltdown, i always had one eye on the prize, but unfortunatly i did woop a few take outs, a few ice creams, and a lot of booze. Fuck.

So anyway, feeling like crap after a poor night sleep, mainly due to a late night drink session saturday night, i must this week force myself to get back on track. The only saving grace is that i am only a couple of weeks behind, and i have made the decision to hit it again this week, full on. So far i am fine with my diet, got all my meals planned out for the evenings, and i am sure once i get back under the iron, i will be back to my usual mindset.

Life got busy, but its no excuse.

I am pleased to be back, and heading in the right direction. Lifes a journey right?

I will also be changing up my workouts. More to follow..

Laters.

i am only a couple of weeks behind, and i have made the decision to hit it again this week, full on. Giddy up! :jumping: :gl:

Giddy up! :jumping: :gl:

Thanks Lisa. :)


So yesterday was 100% perfect, back on track. However, it was NOT easy. By the time the end of work came around, i was tired from a combo of a busy day, a late night saturday and poor sleep sunday, stressed out from work in general, hungry from the reduction in calories again, and pretty much ready to go home, eat, and sleep.

However, i just got into the car, drove to the gym, got changed, and hit the cross trainer for a warm up. I struggled. I felt sore and tired, almost like i was coming down with something. I pushed through, and started my lifting. My new system is to aim for 10 sets of 10 reps for the power move, then finish up with whatever iscolation stuff takes my fancy. So yesterday was shoudlers, so it hit 10 sets of military presses. The idea is that in the last 5, your reps start to fall off, so by set 10 your are actually on 6 or 7 reps, not 10. Its a derivitive of German Volume Training, coupled with iscolation at the end, which is a free choice, so long as i get a few more sets in. So anyway, i get 3 sets into the 10, and suddenly i felt like i was coming round. I pushed out all 10 sets, then hit side raises for 4 sets (2 variations), then face pulls and rear delt rows on the free weight machine (2 sets on each).

I wound up feeling good, went home, had some grilled kebabs on wholemeal wraps with extra light mayo, a touch of coleslaw and some cucumber, and then chilled out with the PS3 knowing i had done good. I overcame day 1, and that feels good.

So far today i am on track, but no gym tonight because i need to drive up to Liverpool to pick up some firebricks for an outdoor oven i am building! Got them off ebay from 2 old storage heaters, bargain at £2 for 29 bricks! I will try 100% to hit some cardio for 30 mins when i get back home. Watch this space.

I still feel sore and tired today, but i am sticking with it. I know come the weekend, i will feel so much better. This weekend is another long weekend as we all get Monday off as a public holiday (one of 3 long weekends in April / May in the UK), so will have to be good and resist the urge to lose sight over the weekend.

Laters

Just checking in to say i am sick. Been feeling under the weather since the end of the weekend (which was a long and "unclean" one to say the least). My throat is such that with every swallow its like eating razor blades, and i feel like i need to sleep for 72 hours, but i am still in work because i have a lot to get done. I had to cancel several meetings with my team today for fear of infecting them. I went to the doctors yesterday, got some antibiotics as a precaution, but they believe its probably a virus above an infection, so its just a case of riding it out. I will rest up this week, and then HOPEFULLy return to my former glory from next Monday. I plan a quiet and booze free weekend (although i have a corporate function this friday, free food, free bar... bollocks! :doh: )

Laters

Well, last week officially sucked ass.

I was pretty ill over the whole week, but thankfully it didnt really get past being a really really sore throat, and being tired, run down etc. It was also a very stressfull week at work.

Friday was a nice day out of the office, great grade A hospitality, with everything included, including a 5 course gormet meal, afternoon tea, and all the booze a man can ask for. And you know me, i asked, and i received.

I did though avoid any further booze after that, and allowed myself to relax and recover over the weekend for the first time in a long time, i got early nights both nights, and so yesterday, felt ready to get back to work.

I have just over 4 weeks until Download festival, and intend to make each and every one of those weeks count. I hit shoulders yesterday, with my new workout system:

Warmups then:
10x10 miltary press (@60% 1 RM) with 60-90 seconds rest between
2x8 Rear shoulder DB flys (rest / pause sets)
2x10 facepulls (i do these more for posture and to improve my scapula movement, then anything else, so dont count as a working set really, although they hurt after the DB shoulder flys!)
2x8 DB side raises (seated, with a negative hold to failure at the end of each set).

2x10 heavy shrugs.

I was all done in about 40 mins. It was HARD.

I intend to replicate this with every session, so 10x10 power move, 2x8 rest pause sets, and 2x8 negative hold sets for each body part (not arms)

So back and biceps tonight. 10x10 deadlifts. Yikes! :eek:

Glad to hear that you are over the crud. The same virus is hitting people here in the states, and really knocks you on your arse. Way to get back to your workouts even after the duress of work and life got in the way. BTW, you should post photos of the results of your workouts both in the gym and the garden. :nod:

Glad to hear that you are over the crud. The same virus is hitting people here in the states, and really knocks you on your arse. Way to get back to your workouts even after the duress of work and life got in the way. BTW, you should post photos of the results of your workouts both in the gym and the garden. :nod:

I dont want to post pictures until i reach my goal. Ive always been very proud of the pics i have had on here, and i dont want anything less then my best to be on here. :)

i will defo post some pics of the garden when that is done. I actually dont have that much left to do, apart from planting and getting some furnature, oh, and building my brick pizza oven. I have before and after pics of all the rooms in my house, so will post some before and afters of the garden when i can. What will come first, before and afters of me, or the garden... :lol:



So i think i overdid the gym a bit last night. Easy the toughest workout i have ever devised. I probably should have eased in this week, but nevermind. I went all guns blazin', and today my back is paying the price with some heavy ass stiffness and DOMS. No gym tonight, thank god.

Workout was warmups then:

10x10 deadlifts (60% 1RM 1 min rest between) NB This was so tough.
2x8 lat pulldowns (rest / pause sets - basically 8 reps, 10 second rest, then as many as i can to failure. Twice.)
2x8 seated cable rows (held negative, basically pulling the bar in on the last rep and holding it under tension for as long as i can. Twice.)

Then i moved onto arms, did 2 sets of hammer curls, and 2 sets on the curl machine. By that time, my arms were already fried.


As i say, a very hard workout, which is good. I had to switch on the mental game, as i started to consider only doing 8 sets of deads, and not 10. But i made it through.

I think i will see some good results these next few weeks.

Interestingly, my weight this morning was 11 stone 9.5, which is 163.5lbs, only 2.5 off my original target. I certainly put on a little fat while i was off, maybe i lost a touch of muscle mass to. I dont mind, i know i will gain the muscle back very quickly, it wasnt a long layoff and i havent lost strength. I am sure i will put on a few lbs, or stay at this weight for a while at least, while my body re-balances. I need to do my BF and waist measurements when i can.

Laters.

Well, there is no maybe about it, i DEFO overdid the gym. It isnt going to stop me going tonight, as i can still move, so i can still train, but what i wind up doing is another matter. My delts are recovering, so i think i can hit chest. I will be bringing back the squat (as this workout calls for 60% 1RM which wont be too bad), right now how my back and hams feel, i cant picture me doing 10x10 squats. The good thing about the 10x10 at 60% is that i can train chest alone, as i dont think i will struggle with getting the bar off the rack. Still, when i get to the end sets, its more like 7 or 8 reps (which is the idea of the system), so that could be interesting. I suppose if i am not feeling it, i can ask someone to spot me. My recent training partner is off the scene again. I do wish sometimes i had someone consistent to train with, though other times i do like to train alone.

I will update tomorrow on how it goes.

Went to the cinema last night to watch Star Trek, awesome film (especially if, like me, your a fan of the original films). I must confess to a few mouthfuls of sprite, and a selection of pick n mix, but hey, life is too short and it was done with no guilt. I know what lets me down, and the odd treat when i am out is not it. Booze fueled weekends, that wipe me out for the whole week thereafter is what does me damage. :lol:

I see Abguy is back on the formums. Always nice when a forum member from yesteryear returns to the fray. Here is to him sticking around and making the cut. :tu:

Laters

Decided against the weights yesterday, and today i think that was a smart move, my back is much looser, and my shoulders have all but recovered, and i think tonights chest and tri's session will be good. I did however get a cardio session in after work, just 25 mins on the bike, but still, it all counts.

Another weekend is upon us, and its time to make sure i dont let myself down. I have Download in 4 weeks or so, and i will party hard then, but until then, i need to chill it, and make sure i am on top form come Monday.

Wish me luck!

Another weekend is upon us, and its time to make sure i dont let myself down. I have Download in 4 weeks or so, and i will party hard then, but until then, i need to chill it, and make sure i am on top form come Monday.

Wish me luck!
Good luck man. :cool: Don't disappoint.

Fear ye not people, i did not fail myself. :)

Yes, my overall diet could have been better, but it was by no meals god awful. And the main thing is that i steered of the dark ale completely saturday night, and Sunday i felt great, got loads done around the house, got my decking finished, did about 4 loads of washing, man, the things you can do without a hangover. :lol:

Had a great chest session at the end of last week, as planned.

As i recall:

10x10 BB bench press.
2x8 Chest press machine (rest pause)
2x8 incline smith press (with held neg.)

2x body weight dips to failure
2x8 Cable Pressdowns

I am loving this workout, and i think i will see good results over the next few weeks. I really feel like its hitting me hard, the session itself is really tough and a mental challenge, and i feel its very cardio intensive. Then afterwards i have had manic DOMS and thats always a good sign. I recommend it to anyone looking to change things up. And because you hit 60% of your 1RM, its handy to do if you have outgrown your weights (if you train at home).

Last week then 3 sessions on the iron, and 1 cardio. Not bad for a first week back. A good all round diet to, and not a beer filled weekend. Ill take it!

Band practice tonight and i still have some songs to learn, so will hit the cardio when i get, then hit the guitar.

Last night was Legs and abs, and i didnt really realise until i got in the gym that the new regime calls for 10x10 squats. :eek: With the DOMS i have had off last week, and this my first leg session a) on the new system and b) in a few weeks, i decided to take it a bit easier then i would normally.

I havent squatted all year, because i found the amount of weight resting on my shoulders pretty uncomfortable, i was getting a sore back, and generally I didnt enjoy them. I dont buy this "squat or die" thing, and have been fine on leg press. It isnt that squats are too hard, i didnt and dont mind things being hard. I did 100 deadlifts last week FFS! However, given you go with 60% of your 1RM, I did gun for 10 sets of squats, but my chest was so sore from last friday (still) that when i took the bar, it was really sore (as your chest stretches out). So i managed 5, and then went back to leg press. I will give it another go next week as it was more the chest and shoulder pain then anything else, which should get better as i get more into the weights again. Still,
5x10 squat and then 5x10 seated leg press,
2x8 ham curls (rest pause) and
2x10 seated calf raises (held negative)

Plus an ab circuit, was pretty tough going!

The leanness is returning, and i am pleased with where I am and where i am going.

I got a lesson in procrastination today, as the Download camping tickets sold out. :( Why i put off buying it, i dont know, stupid really and not at all like me. I still got a weekend ticket so will be going, but it just means we will have to stay somewhere else, rather then at the festival campsite.

Do NOT put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.

Solid shoulder work out yesterday, and the DOMS in my chest has eased off, and basically just took up residence in my legs. I am glad i took it slightly easier then planned in my leg session, they are stiff now but i think i would be crippled if i had gone all out.

No gym tonight, but chest and triceps tomorrow. Then its another long weekend with Monday a public holiday (last one now until August!), so going to be a real struggle not to wipe myself out again. Planning on being good to myself and focussing on Download, i dont need to party until then, i dont need to party until then..... :p

So starting at the beggining and working forward, I did get to the gym friday for an excellent chest and tri workout. I got my occasional training partner onto the new system for one day only, he reports mega DOMS the following day. Good good. For me, i was sore after all the workouts but nothing compared to last week, which is good.

The weekend itself wasnt too bad. Sunday was a beautiful day, and in England, we dont get many of them to the pound, so i held a BBQ, the first in my new garden / house, and invited several good friends around. We drank many beers, and ate many burgers and chicken legs, before heading to a local bar for a few. I didnt stay up too late, which was a saving grace, and yesterday was a public holiday, so spent the day chilling around the house. Today, i feel a bit rough, but not too bad. I managed to steer off the booze the other days, and got a fair bit of sleep, so i can consider it a success of sorts. The party was brilliant, all the hard work was so worth it to have all my friends around paying it compliments and enjoying a superb day. My GF and i were very proud (and pretty drunk).

So, to the week ahead, i should be able to fit in my 3 weight workouts, and this weekend i am going to see Lynard Skynard in Manchester, and its my turn to drive, which means a forced stay off the drink, so that should mean i can get a good week in next week to.

Some good news about download and the failure to get camping tickets in time. Our drummers dad lives a 15 min drive from the festival site and is away on holiday for 2 weeks, over that weekend, so has let us use his house for the weekend! So were going "executive" this year, with a flushable toilet and a shower ! :lol:

I hope the weather is as a good as it was on Sunday. Lots of shirt off oppotunities. :tucool:

Good workout last night, which surprised me, because i was pretty tired from the weekend by the end of the day. However, i didnt really consider not going, such is my frame of mind right now, and i wound up going all out and having a great back and bi session. 10x10 deadlifts sucks, but it has to be done.

The only think i dont like about this new system is the fact that increasing the weight isnt the same as usual. For example, the last 3-4 sets of deadlifts, my reps dropped to between 9 and 8. Which is the idea. But i dont know if i up the weight next week, or wait until 10x10 in full is easy. I guess so long as i am having a tough old workout each time, and feel it is pushing me 100%, then thats cool. In a few more weeks, i will switch up anyway. I am thinking 6 weeks of heavy sets, low reps in the 3-4 range.

June might be a tough month anyway, as i have soooo much on. Might be a month to maintain what i have as best i can, and take time to smell the roses. But NOT before download, and not before i end this period of workouts.

Onwards and upwards.

Not the best end to a day ever yesterday. Decided to swop the gym to tonight, because my back was really sore with some meaty DOMS. So i DID jump on the stationary bike and get some CV in when i got home.

For tea, i had a slice of a pork pie (do you have those across the pond?), with a rocket and watercress salad with a drizzle of honey dressing, and some bread and cheese on the side. Not really a cutting meal, but it was really nice and fresh, and i have been craving this for weeks, and finally gave in. To be honest, i might well have the same again tonight. Its not a lean grilled chicken breast and brown rice, but i am not really that kind of guy... :D

If i had left it at that, probably consider it an ok day, but then i slipped an got my sweet jar (candy supply) out and tucked into all manner of fruity, jelly based treats. :o Ah well, shit happens.

Will be at the gym tonight for legs and abs, and tomorrow for chest, and i feel pretty good, which to me is the main thing. I am about 10.5% body fat now, give or take, and to be honest, maintaining that is pretty sweet.

I did some reading and some thinking following yesterdays post about increasing the weight. I dont know whether on a "cut" its matters too much that i make forward progress on weights, so long as i am gaining some strength and not losing it. I think i will continue to treat these next few weeks as intense cardio style weight sessions, and be happy at that. I have always focussed on lifts for weight and getting heavier with my lifts, its kind of cool to switch that focus up to intensity. These are the toughest workouts i have done (i dred them, but at the same time, enjoy them), so that must count for something.

Anyway, catch you later.

Now I'm curious. We don't have pork pies over here--at least not in my part of the states. Is it something like what we would call a pot pie??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_pie

Now I'm curious. We don't have pork pies over here--at least not in my part of the states. Is it something like what we would call a pot pie??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_pie

No sir, that is what we over here would simply call "a pie". :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie

Is the bad boy I am referring to. Its a distinctly british pie, personally i prefer the common version over the Melton, as i am not a fan of meat jelly. With salad, some cheese, some branston pickle (another UK classic) and wholemeal rolls, it makes for a great summer meal, although not the healthiest, its hardly a McDonalds!! Infact, most british classics are not the healthiest. Then again, i guess the US ones arent either. In fact, its probably the pastry, fat, sugar etc that makes things classics in our nations !!:lol:

And i am going to have the rest tonight (note the slice in the photo on that link is massive, my portion is a tiny bit of that size!) :eat:

I present, my dinner this evening, pie and all !

Never had anything like that in my life. I must say it looks really tasty!

I present, my dinner this evening, pie and all !

That looks amazing. But it's surely one of the worst cutting meals in the history of the world :lol:

That looks amazing. But it's surely one of the worst cutting meals in the history of the world :lol:

What, what, what? WHOLEMEAL BREAD is that sunshine, fresh green salad.... er, pastry, porkfat, creamy blue chee... oh aye. See your point. :D

Yeah, while I stand by my statement that it could be much worse, it isnt the best cutting meal i grant you. But it was bloody nice! And i have that craving out of my system now.

I just cant do grilled chicken and rice every day. I have done before, and now i just cannot live like that. No 6 pack is worth such a lame diet, at least not for me (to each their own of course). However, i am around 10% body fat, and feel i am still moving in the right direction. I check myself when i slide, and spend more time then not being good. I just finished eating plain tuna out of a bowl for meal 2, while everyone else in my office tucked into bacon sandwichs. I have to do that every friday, and the smell kills me. I also have to watch the daily cakes and muffins be devoured by my collegues, and turn them down. So i do eat clean and make good choices, but every now and then, i will take a little of what i fancy. The problems arise when i take too much !! :lol:

In actual fact, its quite a pertenant point really, because i was considering last night that from next monday up to my holiday on 11th June (so basically next week and a half or so), which is when i go to Download, i might knuckle down to some strict cutting. Download will be debortous (sp?), no doubt, and i am bound to gain a few lbs from beer and burgers for 4 days, so why not build up to that point with some daily CV and a more strict approach to my diet (ie no pies!).

Its only 10 days or so, should be a doddle really (although Saturday 6th i have a party to attend for a friends birthday), and i think it will make a big difference to my physique. I believe i am 2-3 lbs off a pretty decent mid section.

Another cool point is that i took my waist measurement last night, and biggest waist is 32'', smallest 31.5'' !!!!! It hasnt been that for many years actually, so kudos to me. What was it when i started this in Jan, 34.5 or something? 3 inches in 6 months may not seem like much, but it is to me, especially considering it hasnt been 100% strict at all.

And thats my point. You may not get to your goals with 50% committment. However, you can get to your goals at 80% committement. It will just take you longer.

I will let you know Monday what i decide. I would like to hit that 11 stone 7 mark before Download, as my overall goal would be reached. And i am 3lbs of making that happen (and i ate a pie last night, which probably chucked a pound on. ;) ) We shall see.

Overall guys, me is happy. Think i will celebrate this weekend and let myself go... :doh:

Have a good weekend.

What, what, what? WHOLEMEAL BREAD is that sunshine, fresh green salad.... er, pastry, porkfat, creamy blue chee... oh aye. See your point. :D

Download will be debortous (sp?), no doubt, and i am bound to gain a few lbs from beer and burgers for 4 days, so why not build up to that point with some daily CV and a more strict approach to my diet (ie no pies!).

Another cool point is that i took my waist measurement last night, and biggest waist is 32'', smallest 31.5'' !!!!! It hasnt been that for many years actually, so kudos to me.

you can get to your goals at 80% committement. It will just take you longer.

Overall guys, me is happy. Think i will celebrate this weekend and let myself go... :doh:

Have a good weekend.
:p

kudos to you. Happy Friday. :tucool:

Pork pie sounds nasty to me, thank goodness. ;)

I'd never heard of debortous. I googled, it and it suggested "debortuous" and pointed me to "Keith Urban Show in Canada" :lol: But it's not in dictionary.com, so I still don't know its exact definition, except I'm gathering it has something to do with vast quantities of alcohol. :gl:

Damn, that's gonna be amazing. :spaz:

Glad to hear that you are over the crud. The same virus is hitting people here in the states, and really knocks you on your arse. Way to get back to your workouts even after the duress of work and life got in the way. BTW, you should post photos of the results of your workouts both in the gym and the garden. :nod:

Reno

While your at it, throw a few pics in from your previous journals! :D Sounds like you're making some good progress even while not feeling 100%. :tucool:

heh 10%BF and 31.5inch waist, I think you can allow yourself the odd pork pie :lol:

:p

I'd never heard of debortous. I googled, it and it suggested "debortuous" and pointed me to "Keith Urban Show in Canada" :lol: But it's not in dictionary.com, so I still don't know its exact definition, except I'm gathering it has something to do with vast quantities of alcohol. :gl:



I made it up based on the word "debortuary" which today I have also discovered is not in the dictionary, but i was sure it would be... :confused: Its basically as you say, all the 7 deadly sins in one, except for lust of course, coz I am happily partnered up. :p

You always have to bear in mind when reading my posts that a) I cant spell and b) I tend to use British slang words a lot, which i think is because as a lawyer i have to write so formally all day, so this is my release. And I also have automatic spell check at work to! ;)

While your at it, throw a few pics in from your previous journals!

:nono: My previous journals are in the past, and I must only look to the future. :D Having said that, i will get some progress pics up soon. Just not after 2 days of pork pie scoffing.

And Jedi, my sentiments exactly !! And i only just realised you are based in France. Lovely country, been there many times, to Normandy, Brittany, Paris, and Perpignan. I actually started smoking when i first went to France on a school exchange. Interesting fact for you there. Anyway, I quit 5 years ago, so no harm done. ;)

I am pleased my pork pie bought out some posts from people, at least I know people are checking in on me, and I am not writing to myself. :p

Just got back from Chest and Tri session, the weather here is amazing, so I am off to enjoy. See y'all Monday :tu:

I think the word you were looking for was 'debauched' :)

I think the word you were looking for was 'debauched' :)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, thats the one. Thanks mate, i knew it was a word!! :tu:

So Monday is here.

Weekend went ok actually, i avoided the dreaded beer and for the most part ate alright, did pig a bit last night and have Pizza and some ice cream. Bummer. Oh well.

Today i was going to hit a strict cutting week, but in all honestly, nothing has been done differently to any other weekday.

I did attempt to switch my usual sandwich for the old pasta and tuna, but i forgot my dressing, and couldnt eat it all dry, and the sun is baking down and i fancied getting out the office for a bit. So usual brown sub with tuna it was.

I will attempt to get some cardio done every day that i am not doing weights. Which would mean tonight (no weights due to band practice). And from tomorrow i will switch to my pasta lunches. And i will ensure that i do not eat any pies this week, and will attempt to be clean over the next weekend. All in all though, i am happy with my results thus far. I took some pics for fun at the weekend, and even with the weekend bloat i was pretty pleased with the pics. I may post em up if i can get chance (i would have at the weekend only my USB port busted on my lap top :( )

My lap top is actually pretty knackered up now. The enter key doesnt work, which makes for fun, and the "A" key only works after i took the square with the "A" on it off. The headphone socket is dodgy, and now the USB port doesnt work. Plus its slow, overloaded with crap, and crashes all the time. If it was an animal, it would be put down.

So i was good yesterday, i got some cardio in when i got home from work, and then had lean steaks, new potatos and salad for tea. Grilled the steaks out on the BBQ as the weather here is incredible right now (in the UK, the sun is news, as in the newspapers and news broadcasts actually comment when it is nice. :lol:). I hope this weather holds or at least pisses of and comes back for download. That beer will taste that bit better with sun stroke.

So i also made a concious reduction of my carbs, same timing and items, just less of them. What i couldnt do was avoid my lunch time sandwich, which was healthy enough and indeed something i have cut on many times, even in my cutting prime. I know pasta and tuna would be better, but a nice walk in the sun to the sandwich shop is just what I need after a stressful morning stuck in an office. :p

Grilled chicken tonight, again on the BBQ, with some salad and spuds.

Gym tonight, actually cant wait, shoulders and traps is the plan, got to make it count as Download deadline gets ever more near.

Have fun peeps !

So i weighed in 11 stone 8 this morning, 1 lb off my target weight. I took my BF twice and it came out at 9.7%. I think i am a little off on that, but certainly around 10% feels right.

So what do i do? Hit a lunch meeting that ends up being at the chinese. Three of us in total, and the other two ordered loads of spring rolls, ribs and soup. Then a main course. And when i didnt eat many spring rolls, i was pushed into eating more. I dont want to be that guy who is awkward at these meals, i dont go on many and i am trying to encourage work to let me do more business development stuff, so i played along. So what was a great start to the day, has been undone by this. :bang::bang::bang:

I feel pretty shit about it, because so far this week i have tweaked my diet right down, been 100% on it, sub 10% and 1lb off what i set out to achieve on this cut. And as always, i go and do this. Ah well, it wasnt like i chose it, i just dont have it in me to stand up and say "sorry, i dont want fried food". I dont know how John does it at meetings.

So tonight is the gym, and i am going to work 10x as hard to ensure i wake up tomorrow with the same readings as i did today. I will also drink loads of water this afternoon. If i am not 11 stone 8 and 9.7% BF again tomorrow, i will be pissed off !!! :mad:

Back and bi tonight, and i may throw in some cardio. My body is going to pay for my minds mistakes !!!

Wow, last nights workout was intense and really really tough, but in the good way, not in the "no energy cant be bothered with this struggle way". I tore into the weights like i tore into those spring rolls, and managed to hit a full 10 reps on every set of my 10 deadlifts, with 60-90 second between each set. By set 7, i felt very sick! Cool. Then lat pull downs with a rest pause set after each working set, then seated rows with a held negative at the end. I then ploughed through biceps like a mad man, with back to the wall BB curls, then incline face to the floor DB curls (I am liking these hardcore names here!), finished with a new one i saw on T-nation, where you load a smith machine up with weight so its very heavy, then take the bar and "curl" it 1-2 inches max (basically just taking the load on your arms) and holding it for 10 seconds or as long as possible. Then you drop it, and hit as many " Vince's perfect curls" as you can with a BB. Killer.

I ended that with 30 mins on the stationary bike, then i went home, chugged my protien shake, had a grilled chicken wrap (wholewheat) and this morning.

11 stone 8. :cool:

Getting my barnet trimmed tonight, so not sure what to do about the gym. I have my stuff with me, so i might get some CV done at the gym, or i may go home for some stationary bike. I think i will do chest tomorrow, which means no legs this week (i always do 3 of the 4 sessions every week). So i would like to get some abs done tonight as well, and maybe some calves (as i want to see they grow !).

I really feel like this is the best cut i have ever done, because although we are 6 months in, i have made excellent progress and am where i wanted to be for so long when i was out of shape last year, but this time it hasnt been on a hardcore all or nothing routine where i have missed out on so much of life. It has been on my terms in my own style and i have proved to myself that i can actually balance the life i want to live and the healthy body i want to have. I can and will live like this and when i fall from the wagon i dont feel like i am falling too far to get back on.

That said, 1 week today untill download and i want to be in tip top shape for it, so this week will continue to be as hardcore as i can make it!! :)

Pics will be posted when i hit my 11 stone 7 (161) lbs target.

So, another fine mess i got myself into this weekend. All plans to make this weekend 100% went out the window. It started with my missing the gym friday to meet a friend for a drink. Then my cheat meal of pizza friday night, which was planned. Saturday day i had 12 members of the family round and therefore was running about stressing, when my first set of grandparents turned up we had hot butter rolls, coffee, fresh orange juice etc for brunch, then later on when the other grandparents showed up with 2 aunties, my dad, his wife, my brother... we had further white bread sandwiches, crisps and cakes. I then went out to my best mates girlfriends party, followed by another friends wedding reception, and while i did curtail my drinking, i did not abstain, and stayed out well past 3am, and so Sunday was a day of doing nothing, bad food, etc.

I took myself to bed early last night, and today i actually feel pretty on the ball. I think thats the only good thing, because i didnt drink as much as usual and stuck to beer over spirits, the hangover hasnt dragged into this week, which is cool. I only have three days left before i head off to Download, so gym every night and perfect eating for the last time for a while!

i should add that Thursday was another great day and i hit the gym for a good cardio session followed by my abs circuit.

3 days left of work, and 3 days left until download, 4 days until Dr Feelgood, 5 days until firestarter and 6 days until rock of ages rings out in the still of the night. :D:D:D:D:D

Back to work.

Hey all,

Just thought I would check in as it has been a while.

Currently on holiday (vacation) from work, and its a good job because i need the recovery time after the Download weekend which was AWESOME. The weather every day was roasting hot, which really made the weekend, and not camping was superb, we didnt have any problems with the taxi to and from the festival site back to our drummers dads house where we stayed (unless you count singing Take That and Boys to Men at the top of our lungs while stuck in a traffic jam, to the point where it got so bad the taxi driver switched his radio off, but thats another story :lol: ). All the bands we saw were superb, Motley Crue put on their usual rock n roll performance and were excellent as always. Opeth were on before them and i would certainly go see them again. The prodigy on Saturday night were a highlight, anyone who believes they are just a dance act needs to think again. They are a band in their own rite and totally rocked the place on the second stage. Dragonforce were good fun on the Saturday as well, stupid how fast those guys can play. Then classic rock Sunday, what can I say. Journey were brilliant, their new singer is an unlikely character but what a voice (plus he is less weird then Steve Perry, who always troubled me a bit!), Skin were great to, and Def Leppard (what i can remember anyway) justified their headline slot and showed why they have sold 80 million albums. Just great songs.

So it was a weekend of sun, beer and rock and roll, and just what i needed. The weather meant it was top off time and so i was soooo glad i had put in the hard work, and was very pleased with how i looked and felt about myself. As people who have been reading this will know, Download was always a landmark in the journey and an aim of mine to get to my goal before then. I didnt quite reach the set goal, but i did pretty well. While they are not posed progress shots, i have a couple of pics from the festival. They were taken on the saturday, after thursday night, friday and friday night drinking and eating pretty bad. So not quite as "tight" as i was the week before, but still a good representation of where i was at: :)

Right, i am off to band practice, and then going to chill for the rest of the week. Will be back Monday, and back on the wagon once again. See you then. :tu:

PS The guy next to me on the second pic is our drummer, whose dads house we stayed at. He burned so badly by the end of the weekend he was totally red!!

So I am back.

Back in work, back on the healthy bandwagon and back in the gym.

Feels good, but i really did enjoy the break from it all. Just what the doctor ordered. I havent weighed in as there seems little point. I will give it this week to adjust to it all, then get back serious next week.

Its never fun to be back in work after time off is it, although my team had covered a lot of my work while i was off, bless them.

So for the gym this time around, i want to go back to strength training and lifting to increase my numbers. This means a low volume, heavy style of training, low reps, about 4-6, 3 sets per excersize, 3 excersizes per body part. Kind of MAX-OT style, which i havent done for years but which i had a lot of fun and success on. I will stick to the split i was doing before. I feel with all the high volume supersets and 10x10's of the past 10 weeks or so, its time to get less and get heavy.

I hit the gym last night for shoulders and traps and took it a little easier in terms of what i could have lifted vs what i did lift. If i know myself, it takes me a week to get back into it, and i dont want to destroy myself early doors with DOMS, or an injury, which is a risk when lifting big.

My diet was ok yesterday, although i did finish of a little bit of trifle from the weekend, well, it would have been a waste otherwise! :D But its done and gone now, out of sight, out of mind.

I am pleased with my Download pictures, a lot of people saw them on Facebook from work etc, so I am glad i wasnt the 176lb, 35 inch waist heffer that i was. Still room for improvement, but isnt there always. I am pleased with how the first half of 09 has gone. I dont ever see me specifically bulking again or letting myself get fatter again. I like to lift and diet 90% of the time and enjoy myself and be happy in how I am and how I look.

This is another short week for me as i am off to my nations capital, LONDON BABY, on friday to see AC/DC live at Wembley Stadium (our national stadium, which Amercians dont have, coz they dont play the world in any national sports. ;) ). They have recently rebuilt the stadium at 100's of billions of pounds, so I am excited to see it now its done, and also, to see my fav band in such surroundings will be awesome. The old Wembley was such an Icon, with Queen reforming to play there, and Live Aid back in the 80's etc.

Ive seen some bands this year !!

Anyway, enjoy your week. Ill leave you with a quote I heard last night. "If its possible, you can do it".

Well, I guess i must have lied last week when i said i was back. Because i only hit the gym 2 days, and my diet was probably 70% of what it should have been.

Where the benefit of the journal comes is reading back and seeing what you set out to do and what your feelings were in times gone. It has always been clear that June was going to be a real washout, as I had Download, then a week off work, then the annual local Rugby club ball, which i attended and played at with my band, then the weekend just gone was ACDC at Wembley on the Friday, which turned into a 2 day booze up as we hit the pub Saturday as well, followed by a friends house warming party.

Looking back, it has been a superb month. ACDC were out of this world, with 80,000 packed into the stadium to see them perform an outstanding set. Download was brilliant as well, and the ball was a lot of fun to. I have no regrets about the month, and i will always remember it as a cracker. However, this is now the time to really get things back on track, get back to where i was, and finish what i started back in January. Its time to get back on it.

With so much alchohol this last month, i have decided to try and quit drinking for July, to give my body a chance to recover, to save some pennies, and to allow myself the energy and strength to get back in business with the gym. I know as you probably know by now that the booze is always my number 1 downfall. I dont mind drinking, I very much enjoy it, but its all about balance, and i think this next month needs for me to be 100%. I also went and got my pushbike from my Dads house, and pumped up the tyres, and will try and ride at least once a day. Im going to head home after work, and then ride to the gym and back. And weights wise, same plan as last week, heavy, 4-6 reps, get the strength back up. Push bike and MAX-OT got my best results back in the day. I think its time to bring that Combo back.

I am already back on the diet as of today, and drinking loads of water. I actually feel pretty rough, because of the weekend of poor diet and beer, but that will pass, and i know when i dont drink next weekend, i will feel great by this time next week, and beyond. It will be tough this week (especially as we are in the middle of a heat wave), but i feel like i will be ok.

So here is to a great June of living life, and here is to a great July getting under 10% body fat and lifting some heavy ass weights !!! Cheers !

Some bad work news today, the directors of our law firm announced a round of redundancies. The office today is filled with tears, worries and heartache at the news, not a good place to be. Fucking bankers shafting us all. On a personal level, I believe my position to be ok, but I run a team here and that team will be cut down, and I will be consulted in that process, which is not something I revel in or am happy about. Needless to say, the temptation to stray from my diet is there, but after only a day back on it, i cannot let that happen. I believe I need to be 100% over these next few weeks in myself, over what will surely be a stressful, horrible time. I dont need to be dealing with hangovers and feeling unhealthy. I need to be letting the stress out in the right way, in the weights room stood over and under heavily laden olympic bars. I need focus in all areas.

Yesterday was spot on, food was clean and i cycled to the gym and back, and got in an excellent back and bi session (first one of those on the new system, so didnt push 100% with the weight, but kept it intense and felt it was a productive first session). Its raining right now, so i may have to drive to the gym, but I am going regardless for Shoulders and Traps, and the plan is to let the stress of the day out, and take nothing home with me.

Is anyone safe from this credit nightmare? Today is not a good day.

Great to see some pics. . Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. Would've liked to have been there for Def Leppard. Good luck with your cuts, or "redundancies" as you call 'em :eek:

Great to see some pics. . Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. Would've liked to have been there for Def Leppard. Good luck with your cuts, or "redundancies" as you call 'em :eek:

Thanks mate. :) Its always nice to hear from someone in here, sometimes with a journal you feel your writing to yourself, which actually I guess is what a journal is all about. Still, nice to think I have company. Redundancies is the UK term for job cuts, and a term that has been around all year in all sectors over here, and of course, something you guys are living with on a massive scale to over the pond. This truely is an epic credit crunch.

So that aside, i had a great workout yesterday, i went up in weight on all my lifts and still managed 6 reps per set, so will be going up again for shoulders next week. I think i will make swift progress back up to my PB lifts. I also cycled to the gym and back again, so cardio is still happening (not like me!). And thus far I am LOVING the MaxOT style workouts, its like getting back together with your first love. :spaz:

No weights today, but I will still go for a bike ride as its super hot and sunny here, too hot really to be sat in an office, the kind of weather when you want to hit a beer garden in a pub and sink a few ice cold.. whoops, forgot I am not drinking! :D

Diet is going well, eating pretty clean in the evening, and no snacking before bed on sweets and / or puddings. I am keeping my carbs a little lower then usual, but i dont feel i am suffering in the gym. To be honest, i still eat quite a few carbs, so thats probably why. I am just concious of it a bit more thats all.

I feel at a loss with no more bands to see. I see Aerosmith are touring the states right now, I hope when their new album is complete they will come over here for some shows, they are one of the few bands left that I really want to see that I havent seen already.

Laters people, have a good day.

Another good day yesterday on the diet and fitness bandwagon. All meals spot on, and a good bike ride in the sun up to town and around the prom. MASSIVE cravings for all things sweet in the evening, but i resisted. A combo of the heatwave, stress at work, and lower carbs is making me a bit spaced out today. Nothing a good gym session wont resolve.

Going for Legs tonight, then will go hit chest tomorrow or saturday, depending on when i can get someone to go with me to spot me. For legs, I am going to re-introduce the squat and see how i get on. Hey, its MAX-OT, its old school, time to bring them back !

I need to find some energy from somewhere, and it wont be from the sandwich i just ate, worlds most stale bread. Considering that is my biggest carb hit of the day, i think i need to switch to another shop! :eek:

Work isnt getting any better. I pretty much know I will be ok, but that just makes me feel guilty and sorry for those who are not. I just have to keep my mind focussed on the company and not make things personal, and treat it as business experience. Its not a great place to be though.

Well, yesterday didnt go as planned, but it was still a great day.

The weather here was amazing, and it was set to be a really nice, warm summers evening. After the stess of this week, i decided to spend the evening with the missus, and we took a stroll around the local park for an hour, then went to a nice bar in the village, sat outside and chilled, then went for an amazing meal at a great little resturant.

Now, to set a few things straight, I did still hit the gym, I didnt do legs because I cannot usually walk after legs, never mind an hour around the park! And i had no partner for Chest, so I could have just sacked it off, but instead, I went and did some cardio, then a great Abs circuit, and then some free weight cardio with a barbell, just doing 10 reps of different excersizes with light weight, back to back. Got a good 40 mins in, and feel it was a good session.

I also didnt have any booze, though tempting when sat out in the sun watching my other half have a nice cold beer. I stuck to diet coke all night. And i avoided the desert menu as well, so while the meal wasnt 100% clean, it could have been worse. Actually there was again very little carbs in the main course, and non in the starter. I woke this morning 1/2lb heavier and that was probably just food weight. I think the gym session and the walk will have countered the extra food. And i stuck to my guns with the drink and the pudding. And it was a great evening.

See, this is why I could never been an all or nothing guy and why I am glad I can strike a good balance with this thing these days. I would have missed a beautiful evening out with my other half, just for the sake of slightly quicker progress. Today I am back on it, and will hit the gym tonight (although I am walking asleep today !), and all will be well. Slow progress is better then no progress, and actually I think my progress this week has been pretty good.

I am going to try and hit the gym tomorrow as well, but i need someone to come with me to help me bench !!!!!! Damn my lazy friends.

Anyways, have a good weekend, stay well, stay clean, stay happy.

Reno your photos show that your workouts and diet are having the effect you want. I'm impressed that you can do the 80% approach and strike a balance between fitness and still enjoying life. It's a tough balancing act but your obviously manaing it.

Hang in there with the reductions. This is a crazy time and it's hitting everyone around the world. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you won't be impacted.

Your journal is one of the few that I like to check up on. Your strategy is in line with maximum rewards spread over a diverse range of delightful pleasures, which is my favorite way. As long as you cycle your immediate gratification needs with your health and fitness aspirations, you will win at this game of life. :D

When I feel guilty about something I have that other people might not have as much of as me, the best way to relieve that guilt is to find a way to share it. :)

download sounds awesome. :dreamy:

(unless you count singing Take That and Boys to Men at the top of our lungs while stuck in a traffic jam, to the point where it got so bad the taxi driver switched his radio off, but thats another story :lol: ).

:lol:


The weather here was amazing, and it was set to be a really nice, warm summers evening. After the stess of this week, i decided to spend the evening with the missus, and we took a stroll around the local park for an hour, then went to a nice bar in the village, sat outside and chilled, then went for an amazing meal at a great little resturant.

Now, to set a few things straight, I did still hit the gym

I also didnt have any booze, though tempting when sat out in the sun watching my other half have a nice cold beer. I stuck to diet coke all night. And i avoided the desert menu as well,

See, this is why I could never been an all or nothing guy and why I am glad I can strike a good balance with this thing these days. I would have missed a beautiful evening out with my other half, just for the sake of slightly quicker progress.



i think you did marvelous in that situation. and more importantly, ya had a good time. you worked out, didn't drink, and skipped dessert. big ass win! :tucool:

Hey everyone ! Thanks for the comments and posts !! Nice to see people stopping by this little part of the forums. :):):)

So the weekend was a good one, i stayed off the drink and got loads down in the house and the garden, my girlfriend was away at her mum and dads (her grandmother is not too well so she is back there every other weekend or so), so I just chilled out saturday night, played some playstation, watched some TV, played some guitar and relaxed. It was very tempting to hit the beer after the week I had, but now looking back, this weekend was exactly what i needed. I feel ready for this week (which will be tough), and I feel very ready to hit the gym and beat last weeks numbers.

I also took some progress pics saturday with decent lighting and posing, i will try and post them up this week. They are a good indicator of where I am at, and I am very pleased with how my back is shaping up (lots of deadlifts paying off!). I still have some way to go to get to my ultimate goal, but I am in no rush. I really think going back to MAX-OT (with a few tweaks based on what i have learned over the years) is the right thing for me. I LOVE lifting heavy. I think all the cardio I did last week, and the lower carbs, really paid off, and i made some good leaps. A lot of the bloat and "junk weight" from June has been shed.

Here is to a great week of fitness, and the strength to cope with stress.

Thanks again for the comments guys n gals. :tucool:

I still have some way to go to get to my ultimate goal, but I am in no rush.

I think when you aren't in a rush it allows for a bit of room to eat with family or coworkers and not kill progress. It's a good attitude to have. I'm sure you'll get there in no time.

Good workout last night, up in numbers on every lift, and i can see me being back to my PB level on overhead press over the next month or so.

Going to hit it again tonight for Back and Bi. Need to get chest in, but still havent got someone to come with me to spot. :(

How sad is that sad smiley?!?! I feel like crying. :cry: Hahahaha.

Got a very big presentation this afternoon with a new source of work, that while not having the power to save everyones ass, may save a couple of jobs if we can win the contract. NO PRESSURE !!! :doh:

I also have a business dinner with some people from work and an accountants firm, thats tonight, and so again I will need to make good choices and avoid the drink (free drink I might add, totally FREE BOOZE, and I AM NOT DRINKING). It doesnt get any worse. :lol:

Wish me luck, today could go either way right now.

Good workout last night, up in numbers on every lift, and i can see me being back to my PB level on overhead press over the next month or so.

Going to hit it again tonight for Back and Bi. Need to get chest in, but still havent got someone to come with me to spot. :(

How sad is that sad smiley?!?! I feel like crying. :cry: Hahahaha.

Got a very big presentation this afternoon with a new source of work, that while not having the power to save everyones ass, may save a couple of jobs if we can win the contract. NO PRESSURE !!! :doh:

I also have a business dinner with some people from work and an accountants firm, thats tonight, and so again I will need to make good choices and avoid the drink (free drink I might add, totally FREE BOOZE, and I AM NOT DRINKING). It doesnt get any worse. :lol:

Wish me luck, today could go either way right now.

Nah, you'll say no to the booze. You're in the zone.

So yesterday blew. Big time. I took to the floor for my presentation, and it went ok, they were not all that interested truth be told but that wasnt my fault, and we quickly picked up on that, and cut my demo short, and i was then involved in the general meeting (for the first time), which was cool, but very stressful. There was no further news on the cuts, but everyone is still focussed on them of course, and its really starting to get to me a bit now, which is stressing me out even further. By the time i got back to my desk, returned my clients calls and caught up with things, it was time to go.

In addition, I am getting really fed up with my band. We are not going to get signed or anything, we play for fun and beer money, we write tunes and play around the rock bar circuit, at least, we did. These days, we dont do hardly anything, and I am fed up with it, so that all came to a head yesterday. I dont want the band to break up (sounds so dramatic), but its my release from stress along with the gym, and i am sick of not having that, and sitting here feeling like a wasted talent.

I can say that the meal I had that evening was the second to last thing i wanted to do, the last thing being going to the gym. I felt like going home, curling into a ball on the couch and staying there. On the drive home, i came very close to making that call. However, i used a John Stone trick which i find helpful, and i got mad, and i thought about how i would feel so much worse if i didnt go, and how i would take all the stress and anger (i felt pretty angry at the world), and add 20lbs to my deadlift and smash myself into the ground. And that got me more worked up. To be honest, it just wasnt an option to not go.

So i did that, and it worked. I tore into my deadlifts, added 20lbs and got 3 sets of 6 out, amazing for such a big increase. I didnt add weight to my pulldowns, because i was done for by then after the deads, but i did get 6 reps on each set, so will go up next week. I then added weight to my curls. It was a superb workout. Sometimes when i am stressed, and try and take it out in the gym, it sucks, but yesterday I really hit it. Ipod on (with some Greek Power Metal!), and hit it hard.

So then came the meal, and test number 2, not drinking. While i felt good after the workout, i still felt like a drink or 7 would help the stress. And even though I drove to the meal to stave off temptation (I am 100% T-total when i drive), the meal was right by work, so I could have left my car and got a taxi (not far). And i got loads of abuse from co-workers and the guys who were taking us out for the evening (who are big drinkers), for ordering the first drink as a diet coke. I did nearly cave, but you know what stopped me, 100% serious? This journal. And the above post, i kept thinking, I am in the zone, I dont need to ruin it. I dont want to let the people here down. It was actually pretty powerful to me, and pretty cool. So diet cokes all night, no pudding again, a seafood starter with no carbs and a lean steak with fries (not a lot), all in all, a successful trip. And I have the forum to thank, especially k3vb0's post and simply put words. :)

I am amazed I got through yesterday still on track, because it was one of the hardest days I have had. I think it is testement to how far I have come now, and also to the power of the JSF crew.

The reward is no workout tonight, while I take a long deserved rest in front of the TV (eating a clean dinner of course!), but I know the night off is planned, and on my terms, and not because I let the stress get to me.

Have a good one peeps! :tu:

EDIT: Time for a new avatar as well me thinks, its long overdue. A few more lbs should see the end of the lower back fat :lol:, the rest of my back is looking pretty good. It feels good to have an up to date avatar at long last. :)

It was nice to have the evening off yesterday, my back was pretty beat up from the workout Tuesday night. However, back into it tonight, and chest and triceps is on the cards. I am trying to pin down my friend to meet at the gym, but he is such a dodger its untrue. You may remember a while back I set a weight loss challenge with a friend, well, thats the same guy. Trouble is, he takes no advice on board, instead preffering to "do his own thing", which has resulted in him remaining the same weight he always has. For some reason he has developed an aversion to lifting weights, even though he used to lift when he went to the gym, instead believing that 2 hours of steady state cardio every day is the magical tool that will see him hit his goals. Its no wonder he gives up after 2 weeks. :rolleyes: Why is help and assistance always seen as having a go at someone?

So anyway, I am getting my hair cut after work, then will head home, get changed, and hit the gym. If he is there, which really he has no excuse not to be, he can spot me on the bench, if not, I will just have to make do with a workout on my own. Either way, I didnt do chest last week, so i need to make sure its done this week.

Another friend on mine took my bike to fix a few bits on it last week. So far, I havent seen it since. I really need it back even if it isnt fixed, coz i think despite good progress so far this week (down another lb already), i would be doing even better if i was riding, though the weather isnt as nice as it was.

Take it easy.

Back avatar :dreamy: That's a SOLID looking back. :bow:

Good job on the deadlifts. :bb:

Greek Power Metal sounds dangerous. Is it as crazy as Norwegian Deathpunk?

You are in the zone. :cool:

You're looking solid Reno, and that's because you have pushed yourself where your mate has not. Your comment about staying in the zone for the sake of your journal followers made my day. It's amazing how easy it is to disappoint ourselves, but not others.

Thanks for the comments guys. :o Most of my fat remains around the midsection, but that should start to shift soon enough. And K3, very true statement that, it is easier to let ones self down. :nod:

For greek power metal, see the band Firewind. Excellent workout music, if you like that type of thing when you workout. Their last album was excellent. :evil:

damn ur back is lookin hyuge!! :nod: :tucool:

bummer the band isn't scheduling anything. what do you guys play??

damn ur back is lookin hyuge!! :nod: :tucool:

bummer the band isn't scheduling anything. what do you guys play??

Thanks ! I am pleased with my back because i carry a lot of fat there, and so the fact my upper and mid back is pretty defined makes me see how far i have come. I will have to find my before back pic for comparision, though it was taken in a different part of the house.

As a band we play a split of our own songs, and some classic rock / classic metal covers. ACDC, whitesnake, Metallica, Megadeth, Kiss, that sort of thing. Our own stuff is very similar.

Though its a little out of date due to lack of updates due to lack of action, you can check us out at myspace.com/dirtylittletricks, if interested. I play Gee-tar.


So today is friday, and they announced the cut numbers at work this morning, 2 go from my team, and various other cuts in the other teams. 2 is better then expected, but its still never good. Monday I have to score my team and see who will go. No fun. As I have band practice tonight, i dont think i will see the gym, but thats ok, i have got my 3 sessions in on the weights, and i hope to have my bike back this weekend to get my cardio going again next week. I expect to be another lb down this week, which is cool.

Have a good weekend y'all.

A great weekend for the diet ! :)

Had practice friday, so ended up not having any dinner, and didnt want to eat a big meal afterwards as it was late, so had my breakfast shake of protien powder, oats and a bannana. Saturday I ate pretty clean, and for dinner had a couple of lean burgers on the BBQ, on wholemeal bread. Yesterday I ate clean again, and for dinner had steak and potatoes. So no alchohol again, keeping my run intact, no real "cheat meal" (like Pizza or chinese), and the reward is being back at 11 stone 8.5lbs as at this morning. No weight gain over the weekend, and i feel i can make real progress to my goal of 11 stone 7lbs. I got my bike back from my friend as well, so i can hit the CV again to.

It would be nice to see 11 7lbs (thats 161lbs in USA talk) this week, but as always, there is no rush. It will happen. I feel really good physically.

One negative of this weekend though is I stayed up till 4.30am to watch Bisping fight in the UFC live. And he lost, so it wasnt even worth it. :doh: However, with no drink in me, the late night doesnt feel too bad. I expect to be tired around the middle of the week, but at least not recovering from a hangover. :nope: I will survive.

I am half way into July more or less, with no booze. Pretty cool. Although I do miss the beer !!!

Gym tonight, if the weather holds i will cycle there and back to. Although legs is planned. Yikes !

Laters !

Weather was poo last night, big massive rain drops the size of fists (well, maybe a slight over statement), so couldnt cycle to the gym, but still went and had a great leg session, adding 10kg to my leg press and 20kg to my squat (my squat started low remember coz I hadnt squatted for such a long time, so its just at 100kg right now, for 3x6 reps). Also went up on seated ham curls. By the end, i was too done in for abs, but i will get them in later in the week, as most nights are free this week and so should get a good few sessions in.

Back and bi tonight, should be tough. Hope to add some more weight to my deads, i will soon be back at my PB for that. All this high rep stuff didnt seem to lose me much strength, or at least, what i did lose is coming back fast. Wont rush it though.

I saw another 1/2 lb drop this morning, making me 11 stone 8, 162lbs. 1lb off my original goal, its only taken me 7 months. :lol: I feel I will drop lower then this overall, but I hope some of that will be countered with some muscle gain from the heavy lifting. I cannot see a formal bulk being done again, I think i will just continue to do what I do, and enjoy it, and I think I will make some gains. Certainly I feel full of energy when i hit the gym, despite being on a cut. I suppose because my deficit is not massive, hence the 7 months its taken !!

Catch you tomorrow, enjoy your day !!

Weather was poo last night, big massive rain drops the size of fists (well, maybe a slight over statement), so couldnt cycle to the gym, but still went and had a great leg session, adding 10kg to my leg press and 20kg to my squat (my squat started low remember coz I hadnt squatted for such a long time, so its just at 100kg right now, for 3x6 reps). Also went up on seated ham curls. By the end, i was too done in for abs, but i will get them in later in the week, as most nights are free this week and so should get a good few sessions in.
Way to keep in the groove even with the crappy weather. :tu:
Back and bi tonight, should be tough. Hope to add some more weight to my deads, i will soon be back at my PB for that. All this high rep stuff didnt seem to lose me much strength, or at least, what i did lose is coming back fast. Wont rush it though.

I saw another 1/2 lb drop this morning, making me 11 stone 8, 162lbs. 1lb off my original goal, its only taken me 7 months. :lol: I feel I will drop lower then this overall, but I hope some of that will be countered with some muscle gain from the heavy lifting. I cannot see a formal bulk being done again, I think i will just continue to do what I do, and enjoy it, and I think I will make some gains. Certainly I feel full of energy when i hit the gym, despite being on a cut. I suppose because my deficit is not massive, hence the 7 months its taken !!

Catch you tomorrow, enjoy your day !!
Excellent job Reno. You are almost there! Enjoying your current program seems like a great approach to me. If it's working and you're enjoying it and energetic, I say stick with it.

Thanks for the comments, K3. :)

Last night i hit the weights again, but the planned back and bi was replaced with Shoulders and traps, mainly because my legs were pretty beat up after Mondays session, and heavy deads just werent appealing. I plan to add some decent weight to my deads this week, so wanted to be focussed on the lifts and not my aching legs! So i hit shoulders and had a great session, added 5kg to my military press, and am now at my PB for reps. I have lifted 5kg more for 2 reps, but that was a while ago. I only managed 3 sets of 4 reps, but on my MAX OT style thats ok. I will stick at this weight the next few weeks to get 3x6. Stuck with the same weight for rear delt rows, but managed 3x6, same with side raises. I added 5kg per DB on my shrugs, again back to my PB. Traps are VERY sore today.

No workout tonight, but plan to get some cardio in if possible. Hope the weather holds out this evening, last couple of nights have been storms. If its nice, i will take the pushbike out. Otherwise, i will try and hit the gym for some cardio and maybe abs. However, i have a sore thigh / hip from Monday, nothing bad or major, but still might be worth a rest up. My left big toe is very sore to walk on to, why, i dont know. A random unexplained injury! Ah well, i will play it by ear. Its not the end of the world if i have the evening off.

So the cuts in work have been announced and despite it not really being anything to do with me, I seem to have taken a lot of flak. I think because a lot of the managers have shyed away and not been present much, I on the other hand have been (I am below management, as a team leader), and so I guess I have been the nearest person. Its pretty shitty, but at the same time i guess part of my job. Its not nice being disliked for something you have no control over. Ah well. :rolleyes: I am pretty tired today, maybe its the late night catching up. Although I tell you what, I often thought that my midweek suffering was due to the lack of sleep as much as the booze, but despite a 4.30am bed time sunday morning, I dont feel half as bad as I do when i get to bed that late after a night on the beer.

By the way, if I come across as talking like I have or had a drink problem, I really dont and didnt. I never drank midweek, never drank alone, and as per this month, I can do without if I choose to. I enjoy beer, enjoy the buzz, and enjoy the socialising that goes with it. I chose not to drink this month for a short term gain in how I look, to counter act the abuse of June, and because I felt pretty rough, knew I had a tough month all round, and need to keep clear and remain positive in the gym. I can handle work right now. But if I had all this and missed workouts, felt crappy and out of shape, then I think life would seem a lot worse. Its all about assesing the situation and doing what is best for that time frame. I sure cant wait to have a couple of beers when this is done. But it has made me assess the drink vs feeling a lot more with it afterwards. I guess its age, coz when i was younger i could drink 3 nights running and still be fine. Now I drink for one night and the hangover lasts a week. :lol:

Catch you tomorrow, take it easy.

So the weather held last night for the first time this week, so i got out on my bike and cycled to and around a local park, was good fun.

Rain forecast again though for this coming days. :rolleyes:

Tonight I think I will hit chest, because my traps are STILL killing me from the increased weight of the shrugs. I hope to still get a back session in this week though, we shall have to see. I have asked my friend to come spot me, he didnt turn up last week but I managed alone. I want to increase the weight this week, so really need him there. Otherwise its trying to find a gym instructor, who are all knob heads, and basically just stand about chatting to each other, or chatting to the fully made up women walking on a slight incline reading a magazine.

People are still on one about the job cuts that happened this week. I just wish the dust would settle on it all now. And someone in our work has been diagnosed with swine flu and been sent home. I will always look back on this week fondly. :cry:

Weighed in at 11 stone 8.5 again this morning, 1/2lb up from yesterday. Doesnt really bother me, you crap more then that. Took my bodyfat this morning, 9.8%, which sounds like it might be about right. All my lifts have gone up (thanks muscle memory), and so scale weight is likely not to be much of a factor these coming weeks, as i lift heavy and continue to cut.

Train hard, have fun !

:morning: under 10%....way to go !

Congrats on the low BF. Nice one!!

Thanks guys, I am currently only doing the pre programmed 3 point test on my digital calipers, which if i remember can read a little low. In good light i feel under 10%, in normal light, i feel maybe a touch over. Who knows. Its all moot. I may try and get a calculation and try a 7 point test, and work it out manually. See what it comes out with.

So i ended up stuck in work till late, then went home and chilled out, so didnt make the gym. Instead, I got out of bed early and went this morning, which is unheard of for me. I like my bed. :D Pretty impressed with myself, if I do say so. Cant see it being a regular thing though. Still not much cardio because of the weather, and i cant bring myself to do stationary bike. I may get some in over the weekend. I didnt do chest this morning as it requires quite a bit of strength and first thing in the AM isnt the time for that. I dont know how people do it! So i decided to train arms, pretty good session, not the same as training them after the big excersizes, but still worth doing. I will genuinly still try to get in for chest this evening, but will have to see how things pan out. I NEED A TRAINING PARTNER !!! :mad:

Anyways, the weekend approaches, more challenges to overcome. Its funny how you sometimes thing of rewarding yourself with self destruction. Woo hoo, sub 10% body fat, lets celebrate with a case of beer and a bowl of custard. Ive earned it !! :p

Hope you all have a good weekend, I will be glad to see the back of this week, about the only good thing to have come out of it is my progress in the gym. Which is why i said before, its important to be a bit more strict during this time, to give me a sense of something going well and right in a world that is pretty fucked up at the moment.

Take it easy !!! :cool:

You're doing great Reno. Getting back to 10% body fat is awesome and took a lot of hard work. I'm just like you and when I reach a goal like this I want to celebrate and then I start to backslide. I've found if I focus on how good I fell at 10% and how crappy I feel when I'm fat, it makes it easier to avoid the bad food and drinks.

Hang in there with work as well. It sounds like since you are the most visible to your peers and suboordinates, you are the easiest target. People are reacting to the situation and not to you per se. A situation like this is never easy and I always lose sleep over having to let people go like this. The only thing that helps is to remind yourself and others that this is a result of the economy and not a reflection on the worth of an individual. Positions have to be eliminated and if done right it will make the company healthier so it can grow and employ more people. It's not much in the way of advice, but it helps if you can think about it that way.

So I have had better weekends on the good ship fitness then the one I just had, but I have also had much much worse, so its probably not too bad. I just seemed to be hungry all of the time. Took in a meal with my other half friday night, and deciding this would be my cheat meal, stopped for an icecream on the way home. No big deal. Saturday I ate clean, but in the evening I rang in for chinese food, and even drank 2 beers, which I did more for the taste then anything else. I could have continued all night and got drunk, believe me, but I didnt. I could have legally driven, such was the amount I drank. So that wasnt good, but then it wasnt too bad either.

Then Sunday, I just kept eating, and not all clean.

This morning, my punishment is that I am 1lb heavier then i was this time last week, which means negative progress for the week in terms of the scales. However, I think for bloat and food weight, I am probably just where i was. Not forward, not back. Looking back i could have worked harder last week, though i did workout 4 times, 3 weights and 1 cardio. The weather is ok today, so heavy back and bi, cycling there and back, and I think I will undo the damage in no time from the weekend. The main thing is, I didnt get wasted, and so dont feel like shit today. Although I am pretty tired for some reason? :confused:

I am determined to make this a good week. Got band practice Thurs and friday, so need to factor that in as well.

I don't know how I've missed this journal. Great reading Reno. I haven't read the whole thing but you seem to be doing great over the last few pages. (Except for this weekend...:spank:)

I don't know how I've missed this journal. Great reading Reno. I haven't read the whole thing but you seem to be doing great over the last few pages. (Except for this weekend...:spank:)

Welcome ! :)

Hey, if you read the whole thing, you would know the last weekend is mild and could be considered a success compared to others this year !!! :lol:

Good couple of days under my belt, and weight is now 11 stone 8 and 3/4. Like i said though, the scales will tell a funny tail, as i do feel leaner then last week, and am certainly stronger. Trained back and Bi Monday and upped the weight on all lifts, including another 10kg to my deads, meaning I am now 10kg off my PB for reps. I trained chest tuesday and added 5kg to my bench, am still someway off my PB for that (10kg off, which is a lot for bench, for me). But added weight to all the other lifts as well. Feeling good in the gym right now. I also cycled there and back Monday.

Going for a meal after work with some people from work, as its been a tough couple of weeks, going to show my face and get together with everyone. Wont be drinking, even though everyone else will, and will pick a decent meal from the menu, so should be ok. I may even go home and cycle down there and back. We shall see. I should be able to train before band practice on Thursday in some capacity, and practice friday is cancelled, so can get in the gym then as well. Looking at Legs as the third session, and giving shoulders the week off (as they are ahead in sessions).

So, back to where I was more or less, no harm done from the weekend except a few days added to the cut, which given its a 7 monther so far, isnt all that much. I am making progress with my lifts, and feeling good. I am thinking of calling my diet and training system the "Paula Abdul" plan. 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Now i just need a cartoon cat. :cool:

Word up.

So i cycled to my work meal and cycled home, which isnt far at all, but every little helps as they say. I need the help, because I ended up ordering a burger and fries, when quite honestly there were much healthier options. The place we went to had pizzas on specials, and pizza is my weakness, and one of the things I am trying to avoid this month. Literally everyone else had a pizza. I couldnt bring myself to be the guy who ordered the swordfish and new potatoes, while everyone else ate pizza. Call it weak, peer pressure, whatever. I didnt want to be that guy, especially as I am trying not to alienate myself from work people, some of whom are in my team and may already have feelings of pure hate towards me. ;) So I tucked into my burger, which was actually very nice, then felt that rising sense of guilt that one feels after such a cheat. Ah well, I didnt drink when everyone else was drinking, and got the 1001 questions about it, but I saw it through. I just didnt want to be Mr Doesnt Drink and Mr Doesnt Eat in the same night.

Speaking of questions, whats pretty cool is that people are once again starting to ask me questions about lifting and the gym and working out etc, which is usually a sign that at last I once again look like someone who lifts and works out. I used to get asked questions about it all the time, then not so much, but i didnt really notice they had stopped until they started again, if that makes sense. Last week someone asked me what I lift to get "those arms". It was a female to. Always kind of cool, especially to an arrogant SOB like me. :D Its those little things that keep you going, you know?

So band practice tonight, but I have my gym stuff with me so I can head out straight from work and get a session in before hand. Not sure what to train yet, the plan is to do legs, but i COULD do that tomorrow as I am free, though last week i didnt end up going on the friday. However, if i do attempt legs, it will be a rush tonight for sure, and legs is a long and tough session, not one to rush. I could do shoulders, and train all bodyparts this week. Or I could do a bit of shoulders and some abs. Really the main thing is that i get in there, work hard, and train.

Got a guitar in the workshop getting fixed up, been something I have been meaning to do for ages but for some reason havent got round to it. Now the band is HOPEFULLY back to playing, I need to get my favourite guitar back in action! :guitar:

I am pretty sleepy today, work is working me hard, like everyone these days I think. One always reminds ones self that one is lucky to be able to be worked like a bitch.

Take it easy.

Good news readers.

This mornings scale weight was 11 stone 7 3/4.

To see my goal weight on the scales was totally awesome. I hit the gym as planned last night and ended up having a great shoulders and traps session. I didnt go up in weight on anything because I made a massive jump last week and wasnt hitting my 6 reps per set (which i need to do on all 3 sets before I increase the weight). Still, I managed a 6/5/6 on the Military press (bearing in mind that this weight is my PB, I have never lifted more for reps). At the end of the session, I was wiped out, but it felt good, especially as i now know I have my 3 weight sessions in for this week, so anything more is a bonus. I do still want to hit legs though, and 1 more cardio session.

So, man, 11 stone 7 at long last (ok, ok, so its +3/4 lbs, but still). Feels good 7 months after i started. I knew last night I had dropped some weight, you know when you can just see it. What this now means is I need some after pics, and to try and dig out my befores.

The journey doesnt stop now mind. I want to get all my lifts up and return to my best strength, and maybe even surpass it and break some personal records. I also need to note that this month sober has allowed me to go that extra mile. August will likely be less sober as I have a few things going on, and have no desire to remain T-total forever. That said, the challenge is to embrace what I learn this month, and take that forward. I have known from day 1 (and posted it) that booze is always what lets me down, in terms of calories yes but also in terms of writing off the week that follows. I need to remember what progress I made when I wasnt getting drunk. :nod:

The weekend is almost here, and hopefully it will be a little cleaner then the last one, although I still made progress this week from last week, so its all good. I have worked very hard and been very good this week, bar the wednesday burger, but again, that was a calculated decision, and in hindsight, the right one.

I look forward to the coming weeks, as i build on muscle and improve my body fat that bit more, and see if I can maintain the 11 stone 7-8 range for August!

Enjoy your weekend !

Well another typical weekend.

Word of the weekend seemed to be bread. I ate so much bread its untrue. Now, I dont steer clear of bread, infact, I have decent quality wholemeal bread for lunch every day. However, this was a LOT of bread, and some of it white shite, which i never normally have. I went to a local music festival yesterday, and so the choice of food was not great. I also went to see a local band friday night in a pub, and it was soooo tempting to get pretty hammered!

What is cool though is that i managed to remain sober again all weekend, which means unless I slip up between now and Friday, which given I dont drink midweek ever, is unlikely, I will have staved off being drunk for the whole month, which is pretty cool actually. It has definitly given me the chance to evaluate drinking and the part it plays in my life, and while as I have always said, I will return to drinking come August, I will certainly consider drinking less, and always bear in mind that it is the biggest killer of my progress. Waking up at a weekend feeling fresh is nice, and not something I will forget in a hurry. That said, I sure am looking forward to a few guilt free pints of beer! :cool:

So this week its back to business. I dont bother to weigh in post weekend, as its pointless, but if i can get that 3/4 lb off this week to make it a flat 11 stone 7, i will be pleased. I also hope to increase my lifts this week to. Starting with legs tonight!

I am pretty sure John doesnt read this thread, but regardless, I await his news with baited breath, and hope and pray that he gets good news. These are bad times we are all pulling through, no doubt.

Enjoy your week everyone !

Note to self. When training legs at the gym, think twice about cycling there!

A good leg session, and cardio in the form of the bike ride to and from the gym. Upped my squat to a now respectable level, and increased weight on the leg press as well. I bumped into the guy I used to train chest with (long story short, he worked with me, now he doesnt, so hasnt been the gym with me since). Meeting him tonight for chest, so hopefully I can really hammer it and have a top session.

Nothing much else to report really. Only a 4 day week for me due to a wedding on Friday, so looking forward to a long weekend and the first weekend when I can drink more then 2 beers without a sense of guilt.

A little unplanned deviation last night in the form of a couple of beers. :mad: As you know, I dont sweat the odd lapse or indulgence when it is planned, needed or necessary, however, last night was none of the above, and I let a situation get the better of my emotions and a few beers was the answer. When that is the case, I must bare my arse in the mirror and :spank:

The plus side, if there is one, is that I only had 2 beers, and wasnt at all drunk or anything, thus remaining on my sober challenge. Still, unnecessay midweek calories, i cannot afford slip ups like that with the weekend living that I do.

Tonight will be back and bi's, and I intend to tear it up. Ive had great workouts these last few weeks, and this will mark the last of my 4 sessions back on MAX-OT meaning i have trained everything 4 times in the last 5 weeks. I would usually look to take a week off training in the next week or 2, but at the moment I am on a good run and feel like a break is not needed, so I will push on until my body begs me to stop. Me love heavy weights.

This will be my last workout this week, as I have the day off work Friday to attend a wedding for someone I dont know (friend of my other half from uni), and will be indulging in some cold beer based beverages I am sure. Will probably also pop out for a drink on Saturday night to catch up with friends. Having spent so long sober this weekend will be an interesting comparison. I shall report back Monday.

Train hard !

Well, its been a while since i have been here, and that is reflective of how often I have been to the gym. Its been 2 weeks, and man, 2 weeks just comes and goes and suddently you are looking at things going "shit, how did that happen". I wont dwell too much because it isnt my style, but suffice to say some heavy weekends are as much to blame as anything else. I did pick up a little virus which wiped me out for a few days last week, but that was due to getting run down over a weekend, and really I just got lazy, felt bad and generally went off the tracks.

The only thing you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on the wagon. So thats what I will do. I didnt eat too badly these last few weeks, in the main sticking to my diet, but the weekends as always, really did me in. The weekend just gone was no exception, as it was my birthday and I had a big party at my house, which was really cool, but did involve a lot of beer and shots, and today as i sit here in work at my computer, i feel like shit. However, I have no choice other then to drag myself to the gym and get this train rolling again. I dont think I have fallen far back, and by the end of this week, with the right approach, i will be feeling myself again. Onwards and upwards.

Training I will pick up where i left off, but give this week to go a little lighter and not kill myself. I also want to consider playing with carbs a little more, something i have never tried before but something i have done some reading on, and i think may help. This may mean adding some PWO carbs, and dropping the carbs from my evening meal, and increasing the fat intake. Weekends can act as re-loading, and any non training days I can ensure carb intake remains low. Workout days will be the middle ground. Its something I am going to experiment with, and see what happens. I am not going to get all rigid though. :nope:

Here is to the next phase, and to hitting some new ground in the coming weeks. :tucool:

EDIT: Reading my previous post from before this break, I realise I said i would compare notes between drinking at the weekend and not. I can say 100% that I feel much much worse throughout the week after I have been drinking, that is the only real difference these last 2 weeks to July, and I can 100% say that it is due to drinking, and more specifically, drinking to excess. On the occasions I had one or two beers, I was fine.

I do not regret drinking on my birthday etc, however, I have to give real thought to how I approach this drinking style in the future. Work was very stressful in July but I felt great and had some great workouts and made some great progress. 6 pack aside, I just felt better, more healthy, less stressed, less tired and all together more human. I intend to not get drunk for the next 4 weeks. I will see how I get on.

Damn Reno, I forgot to says congrats on making it to your target weight. So cheers there mate. And with your recent backwards step, it's only been two weeks and you caught yourself. So well done there as well. My guess is you have not lost that much ground and in a couple of weeks time you will be ahead of the curve again.

Damn Reno, I forgot to says congrats on making it to your target weight. So cheers there mate. And with your recent backwards step, it's only been two weeks and you caught yourself. So well done there as well. My guess is you have not lost that much ground and in a couple of weeks time you will be ahead of the curve again.

Cheers buddy! :)

You are right, I dont think I have made backwards progress, at least in the weights room. Yesterday I trained shoulders and although my final set of military presses were 5kg lighter then what I was doing before these last 2 weeks off, I could easy have lifted what I was before, and had to check myself before I over did it. I lifted the same on all the other lifts as I did before this break. Goes to show.

I am sure fatloss wise though, I have taken a step back. A little more blur on the midsection, but nothing a few weeks of getting back into it wont resolve. I havent took a weigh in yet, dont see any point. I will give it a week to rid the bloat etc, then jump back on my scales.

Got a meal out for a friends birthday at a local bar, shouldnt be hard to make decent choices, and I can say 100% NO DRINK.

I have also made the first change in my carb experiment, and added some carbs PWO with my shake (oats for now), and for my evening meal (which is basically PWO meal 2), I am removing the carbs. This will be for the weekdays only. I did this last night, and it was ok, I should add the meal was probably about the same calories as when I have carbs in it, i just added extra meat to change the macros to fat and protien only. I was a little hungry when I went to bed, but apart from that, not too bad. Will see how it goes, if it makes me feel like shit, I will give it up. Its just something I would like to try, as I have never taken carbs seriously. I may also swop my lunch meal to my pre workout meal, and throw a meat salad in for lunch, thus all my carbs will be breakfast (meal 1), Pre and post workout. We shall see.

Good back session last night, but energy levels were low. I think thats more due to the weekend then anything, but i skipped Biceps all the same. I will be doing at least 4 if not 5 sessions in the gym this week with any luck, as I want to train everything so I can really hit it from next week. So i will do an arms and abs session at some point.

So last nights session was good, and again, no feeling of lost strength, just lost stamina. I went 20kg lighter on deads then my best from before the break, but as with the shoulders Monday night, i felt I had more in me, and TBH my deadlifts before the break were very heavy for me, and I probably pushed it a bit far. No doubt I will be back there soon. Ive swoped back to doing seated cable rows as I believe they are great for arm growth as well as back, and on pull downs I lifted what I was before the break. All good.

Work is settling a bit after all the stuff that has been going on with redundancies etc. My job is still very busy, and out of all this may come further responsibility which is nice, but who knows what will materialise. I will just keep working hard and learning and what will be will be. I do know that I really need a holiday, the weather here has been mixed (as always in the UK), rarely do we get really nice hot days to enjoy over a weekend, and when we do the weekend is over to quickly, and we dont have air con in rooms etc (due to it not being worth it for the one week heat wave we have each year!), so when it is hot, its not that enjoyable unless you are out. We (me and the GF) didnt go away last year either, because we bought the house and that took up all our funds witht he decorating etc, so I am going to take a look at breaks for the end of September and see whats about. Cyprus I quite fancy, or Turkey maybe. Further afield there is Cuba, which is 10 hours by plane, but looks like it might be worth it. I dont know whether to go all inclusive, or just bed and breakfast. I like the idea of eating and drinking for free in the resort, and basically not worrying about spends. However, me and the missus love to explore and see things etc, we may feel a bit trapped if we do go all in. :confused:

Word up guys!

So new phase week 1 is behind me, it was all about getting back into the swing of things, and while it wasnt a perfect week, and did fizzle a bit at the end, it did its job and from today its all about getting big heavy lifts, eating my clean diet and getting back into some cardio.

This is all focussed now on a 16th October deadline because as discussed, I have now booked my holiday and thats when I go !! We decided to go all inclusive, because the £ vs the Euro is poor, so its better to have everything paid for, we are going to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, spanish owned but off the coast of West Africa, beautiful looking 4 star hotel, great pool, nice beach etc. Cant wait !

So now I have a reason to cut and get myself sorted. Not that I am feeling fat or anything, but I want to get into better shape for this trip, and I have more then enough time to do it. The plan is to go as I was, MAX-OT lifting, cycling to the gym whenever possible, eat my usual cutting diet during the week, but crucially, tighten up those weekends! I see this as a real chance to make some good progress, I want the holiday pics to look good and make me proud, and I hope I get to where I want to be.

It starts today, so far all clean (of course), and tonight I will be lifting shoulders and Traps and pushing myself very hard. I am going to start taking the AMPED again for this cut, and will start the no carb meal for PWO 2 (basically my evening meal).

I will take all my "before" stuff tomorrow AM. I will also take a before pic and post it up.

I also bought a foam roller which I intend to use, tried it at the weekend, and its a painful process!

Wish me luck, this should be a fun ride. :tu:

EDIT: PS I am also going to use this 8 week period to try and gain some size to my calves. I have always felt they are lacking, and I do suffer poor genetics with long tendons and in addition, I have no seated calf machine at my gym, so have really only developed one side (the inner portion). So having done some reading, I feel I can stuff the genetics somewhat and make some progress. Plan is to add a high volume seated day (need to work out how to do these without the machine, balance weights on my thigh?), and in addition some low volume standing work on Leg day, ensuring it isnt just an afterthought to everything else. Watch this space.

we are going to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, spanish owned but off the coast of West Africa, beautiful looking 4 star hotel, great pool, nice beach etc. Cant wait !Good choice.

I don't know if I commented earlier on your vacation options; I always get confused when people from Europe talk about coming to Mexico or Cuba for holiday. Because they're really quite bland and uninspired places, in my opinion; fine places for North Americans to visit, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. I really get the feeling when I'm doing an all-inclusive that I'd like it to be as close to home as possible. Because one resort on one side of the world is pretty similar to another resort on the other side of the world.

I've never been to the Canary Islands, but when we were in Romania, my daughter went on a school field trip with her teachers who have a home there. She was so lucky to have those opportunities.

Have fun!

I always get confused when people from Europe talk about coming to Mexico or Cuba for holiday. Because they're really quite bland and uninspired places, in my opinion; fine places for North Americans to visit, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. I really get the feeling when I'm doing an all-inclusive that I'd like it to be as close to home as possible. Because one resort on one side of the world is pretty similar to another resort on the other side of the world.


This is very true and what swayed our decision. Its only 4 hours by plane rather then 8-10 hours, and as you say, sitting by a pool in an all inclusive resort is the same more or less where-ever you go. The weather is a nice 26-27, which is decent compared to what we have in the UK. I think 30+ can be too hot anyway.

People from Europe go to the Carribean for that tropical paradise feeling, something you dont get in Spain, Portugal, Greece or any of those other mainland Europe resorts that we Brits flok to each year. I can see the appeal, but I think I agree with you, its a long way just to sit by a pool.

Europe is great for places to visit if you want to sight-see on holiday. In 2007 we spent 2.5 weeks travelling by train around Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Bruge. This time around, we need more of a rest. I think the Canarys are the best of both worlds. We shall see.

Awesome shoulder workout yesterday! Managed 3x6 on military press with my PB for reps, next week i try for 3x4 reps on my PB for 1 rep ! :eek:

Up in weight on rear delt rows and facepulls, remained the same for side raises and shrugs, both can go up next week (maybe not shrugs, I might try more of a squeeze and focus on cheating less).

Bags of energy compared to last week, a combo of not being hungover, being well rested, and the AMPED, which always kicks my ass first time of taking...

I woke up at stupid o'clock this morning, and couldnt get back to sleep for ages. I was just wide awake. I dont know what time it was, as i dont look at the clock at night (a trick I have to stave off lying there awake, it does work). But it was just getting light, I would guess 5am maybe. Anyway, I usually sleep very well, but last 2 nights havent been great. I would blame the AMPED, and indeed I am sure that much caffine when i havent had it for a while will not be the best thing for sleep, but it didnt effect it last time, and I slept bad sunday to.

I think maybe I have had too much sleep. I get 9 hours or so most weeknights, usually I drain it at the weekend. However, even though friday was a mega late night, I didnt get up till late, and then got an early night saturday, then slept till late again Sunday. Then early to bed sunday, and last night, with 9+ hours planned. Maybe my body is just not that tired. Today, I dont feel dazed like I would expect without a good nights sleep. Hell, if it was 5am, thats still 6 hours solid sleep, what most people expect as normal !!

We shall see what tonight brings.

In the meantime, gym again tonight, and I am feeling in a Legs and Abs mood, but my legs will be very sore after this as it will be my first leg session back, so may leave that till before the weekend when i will have some time off. So back and Bi seems to make sense.

I went Carb free (exept Veg) last night for dinner, and it was ok. I realised I need to replace the carb cals with others, so added some low fat mozzerala, and a spicy pepper sauce, and increased the amount of steak, and found myself not as hungry and when i tried it last week. need to remember it isnt lower cals that i am gunning for, i know I can cut on what was I was on. Its the macros. Macros baby !

Laters.
All i know is

Another outstanding workout yesterday. I was on fire the whole time. I felt beat up, tired and sore but i pushed through every set and gave it my all. I just kept pushing, and it was one of those were you feel pretty sick by the time you are done, but at the same time elated.

I slept better last night to. I did wake up early again, but I got back to sleep ok, and I think it was the cat what woke me, as my other half left the door open and he crept in after his night time adventures and feel asleep under the bed.

This morning my hip area is very sore, especially at the top front of my thigh. I pulled my PB for reps deadlift and managed 6/6/5, which is cool, but my body is paying for it this morning. I dont think I have damaged myself, but its just the usual post gym pain after a brutal 2 sessions. I bought a foam roller last week, and last night I used it on my ass and hip areas, and it has worked quite well, I will repeat again tonight. It is VERY sore when you hit the spots that are tight, so much so that I did yelp out loud quite a lot. But no one was in the house, so it doesnt matter too much.

I really should take tonight off from a heavy session, but I have a gig thursday night, out of town, so wont be able to make the gym then. Fridays are always full of the best intentions, but with thursday being a late one.., i dont have any spotter again for chest this week, but I need to do Legs anyway. I dont know what to do really. I WILL be at the gym, but whether I go for legs, chest and tris, or just do some calf and ab work, and promise myself I will go for it Friday, I dont know.

Off to see the new Tarrantino film tonight, looks good. I watched Con Air last night on the home cinema, forgot what a classic that is. Some great lines. "I trust two people in this world. One is me. The other isnt you.". And of course, "Put the bunny back in the box". Nic Cage looks pretty ripped in that film, he must have had a decent workout regime. Wonder if he ate Carbs in his evening meal?

Word up guys!

So new phase week 1 is behind me, it was all about getting back into the swing of things, and while it wasnt a perfect week, and did fizzle a bit at the end, it did its job and from today its all about getting big heavy lifts, eating my clean diet and getting back into some cardio.

This is all focussed now on a 16th October deadline because as discussed, I have now booked my holiday and thats when I go !! We decided to go all inclusive, because the £ vs the Euro is poor, so its better to have everything paid for, we are going to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, spanish owned but off the coast of West Africa, beautiful looking 4 star hotel, great pool, nice beach etc. Cant wait !
Beach holidays have a way of focusing a workout program. Sounds like a fun trip.

So now I have a reason to cut and get myself sorted. Not that I am feeling fat or anything, but I want to get into better shape for this trip, and I have more then enough time to do it. The plan is to go as I was, MAX-OT lifting, cycling to the gym whenever possible, eat my usual cutting diet during the week, but crucially, tighten up those weekends! I see this as a real chance to make some good progress, I want the holiday pics to look good and make me proud, and I hope I get to where I want to be.

It starts today, so far all clean (of course), and tonight I will be lifting shoulders and Traps and pushing myself very hard. I am going to start taking the AMPED again for this cut, and will start the no carb meal for PWO 2 (basically my evening meal).

I will take all my "before" stuff tomorrow AM. I will also take a before pic and post it up.

I also bought a foam roller which I intend to use, tried it at the weekend, and its a painful process!

Wish me luck, this should be a fun ride. :tu:
Foam rollers are the bomb. Since you cycle a lot, try using them on the side of your legs for IT band stretches. Painful but they really help.
EDIT: PS I am also going to use this 8 week period to try and gain some size to my calves. I have always felt they are lacking, and I do suffer poor genetics with long tendons and in addition, I have no seated calf machine at my gym, so have really only developed one side (the inner portion). So having done some reading, I feel I can stuff the genetics somewhat and make some progress. Plan is to add a high volume seated day (need to work out how to do these without the machine, balance weights on my thigh?), and in addition some low volume standing work on Leg day, ensuring it isnt just an afterthought to everything else. Watch this space.
Please post whatever articles you may have found as I may know someone else with poor calves. Mine look like bloody pipe cleaners. :(
Another outstanding workout yesterday. I was on fire the whole time. I felt beat up, tired and sore but i pushed through every set and gave it my all. I just kept pushing, and it was one of those were you feel pretty sick by the time you are done, but at the same time elated.

I slept better last night to. I did wake up early again, but I got back to sleep ok, and I think it was the cat what woke me, as my other half left the door open and he crept in after his night time adventures and feel asleep under the bed.

This morning my hip area is very sore, especially at the top front of my thigh. I pulled my PB for reps deadlift and managed 6/6/5, which is cool, but my body is paying for it this morning. I dont think I have damaged myself, but its just the usual post gym pain after a brutal 2 sessions. I bought a foam roller last week, and last night I used it on my ass and hip areas, and it has worked quite well, I will repeat again tonight. It is VERY sore when you hit the spots that are tight, so much so that I did yelp out loud quite a lot. But no one was in the house, so it doesnt matter too much.
I cry like a little girl when I roll my IT band after a long bike ride. :cry:

I really should take tonight off from a heavy session, but I have a gig thursday night, out of town, so wont be able to make the gym then. Fridays are always full of the best intentions, but with thursday being a late one.., i dont have any spotter again for chest this week, but I need to do Legs anyway. I dont know what to do really. I WILL be at the gym, but whether I go for legs, chest and tris, or just do some calf and ab work, and promise myself I will go for it Friday, I dont know.
Great dedication there Reno. :tu:
Off to see the new Tarrantino film tonight, looks good. I watched Con Air last night on the home cinema, forgot what a classic that is. Some great lines. "I trust two people in this world. One is me. The other isnt you.". And of course, "Put the bunny back in the box". Nic Cage looks pretty ripped in that film, he must have had a decent workout regime. Wonder if he ate Carbs in his evening meal?
I love that movie. Nic Cage has always kept himself in pretty good shape, but in that movie, the Rock, and Ghost Rider he looks totally cut.

K3, I know what you mean about the side of the legs. I used the roller again last night, and it was painful, but then, painful on everything it touched! It did work wonders though, I went to the gym feeling much looser. :nod:

The Rock is another classic, I watched that the other week, which is kind of the reason I then had to rent Con Air. Saw Inglorious at the cinema last night, very good film, excellent acting all round. Its very much in his style, so if you dont like his style of films (Tarrantino) then it probably wont be enjoyed as much.

Calves wise, I am following most of the principles in this:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/best_of_calves

However, only following the principles, not necessarily the workouts. Basically high rep for the seated stuff, low rep for the standing stuff, seated = outside of muscle, standing = inside of muscle. I have never done any seated stuff, because our gym has no seated calf machine. I believe the seated position does the outside of the calves not because your sat down, but because your knee is bent.

My outer calves are the biggest let down of the area, and so this ties in with no seated work being the cause. I also stick calves at the end of my leg workout as an afterthought when I am pretty beat already. This is also true of Abs, which i do at the end of Legs. I also want to work on my midsection over the next 8 weeks.

So the aim is:

Do seated stuff for calves
Try and do an additional sesssion on Calves each week when I am fresh
Continue to train calves after legs
Do weighted abs stuff on its own, focussing on hypertrophy and increasing the weight.
Continue to do body weight crunches etc after legs.

I decided against an all out attack session on legs or chest last night, due to being mega sore. However, i still hit the gym as planned, and did a calf workout, and then an abs workout, as a chance to get the ball rolling on the above. I had to improvise with the seated stuff, so i sat on a bench, and put my toes on a step aerobic step, then piled 3x25kg plates on my thighs, and then lifted. As it was high rep, I just did as many as I could. It could do with being heavier, but it was ok. Better then nothing, and being high rep, it wasnt too bad. I also did the suggested standing calf raise with a 2 second pause in the downward stretch, then supersetted with a barbell in the squat position, jumping up and down. Got some looks from the treadmill brigade, which I always enjoy :D. Then did an abs circuit, not too heavy or anything, and some ab roll outs, which to me are THE best ab excersize you can do.

It was a good workout, and the right decision. I also managed to stave off the cravings for candy at the cinema (first time ever), actually it wasnt too hard. I have decided to allow carbs in my evening meal on Wednesdays as a "medium" day, so i had chicken and rice, not bad at all. No fats. This is another article which I have stolen some ideas from. Again, I dont follow these things to the letter, but you can take principles which make sense to you. This is one of the best articles I have read on BB diets for a long time.

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/how_bodybuilders_should_eat

T nation can push products on you sometimes, without you knowing often, but they have some great free stuff on there, and some great experts.

Tonight is a night off the gym, I will be playing a gig with my band in a "battle of the bands" first round. Should be fun. We got through to round 2 last year, but its all just for fun.

I got some good news from work today as well. I wont say anything further for now, but watch this space.

See ya tomorrow !!

What a week this has been. A good week, but a hell of week, if that makes sense. We have a three day weekend in the UK this weekend, and boy do I feel like I need it. 7 weeks today, I am on holiday !!! Reminder to self, book the time off work !!!

So we won our heat of the battle of the bands last night, and we went down really well. The other bands were pretty week bar one who were cool, though not as "rock" as us, which is probably why we won over them (it is a rock/metal venue). :guitar: Pretty cool, but though I managed to resist getting drunk, I didnt get home until 1am, and then couldnt sleep because it was one of those situations where my body wasnt relaxed at all. Usually I need a good hour of nothing before bed to wind down, and I didnt get that, so I spent an hour winding down in bed, before I eventually nodded off.

Today I am the walking dead, but I think the lack of alchohol makes it much better, i feel tired more then anything, not ill. However, 5 O'Clock can not come quick enough, and from there I dont know whether I have it in me to get to the gym. That said, I HAVE to get legs in before next week. I do have the weekend, and dont plan a rough one tonight by any means, in fact, my girlfriend is away until Sunday now, so I am thinking cheat meal and a bloke film (no beer) is just the ticket. That being the case, I could probably get in there tomorrow lunchtime for a session. I will play by ear. I might well hit the gym anyway and do something, always better then nothing, but when i lift I want it to be all out, and "all out" isnt feeling me today.

Speaking of which, My abs and calves are roasted from that supplimental session. I havent trained either for a while, but even so, I think I did a good job. If I go tonight, I may do my 2nd Ab circuit, a touch of CV and then hit the pool and jacuzzi for a chill. We shall see.

In the words of John Stone, Happy Friday !!

So the weekend didnt go very well.

Poor food, beer and a lack of sleep, coupled with this being a 3 day weekend, meant that no forward progress was made, and in actual fact I have probably done enough to hinder my fatloss for last week. :mad:

I have been offered and accepted promotion at work, basically taking over another team as well as the one I run now, which is a LOT of extra work as the other team has been leaderless for a good while, meaning operationally its messy (though performance wise they are ok). So its up to me to sort it out. More money of course, which is cool, and a new challenge which is always good. I am happy with this news.

Issue is, I am now working till late to get things going. I dont forsee living in the office style working, but at least for the first few weeks while I get things up and running, this will be the norm. So I need to ensure my diet and training does NOT suffer at the hands of this promotion. I will NOT go on holiday and have pics of me on Facebook being out of shape. :nope::nope::nope::nope:

I have however, needed to change around my plan. So last week I did back and Bi, shoulders and traps, and then my Abs and Calves workout. I think what I will do this week is Chest and Tri, Legs, and then Abs and Calves, and then keep swopping between those 2 weeks. This will allow me to maintain strength over the coming weeks, trim up with 3 intense workouts (and good diet!), and allow me to develop the mid section and calves that for a long time have been an after thought. So from now till my holiday, thats the plan, and if i find time for other workouts, I will make them cardio or fun based free sessions.

I was very close to skipping the gym last night, due as always to the poor weekend, being tired etc, but in the end I went for my Abs and Calves session and it turned out to be brutal. I met up with a guy I used to play rugby with who had this new Ab session he picked up in South Africa (he went to play rugby there over the summer). It kicked my ass, but it was great. I also smoked my calves big time. Very productive session. I will aim for Chest tonight, might need a spotter though, and then legs tomorrow.

I am away this weekend, but it is a family gathering, so shouldnt be a rough one, and I shouldnt be eating junk food. I cant afford to have any more weekends like last weekend. I need to make progress. :nod:

The gods are with me this week.

I went to the gym again last night feeling tired and not into it, only to bump into another friend, who I usually train chest with, and wound up having a really good chest and tri session, and i lifted my PB for reps for the first time in a long time (though was with a slight decline which always helps, so wont count it until I do it flat). Threw in some close grip incline smith presses, which were killer, and then killed off what was left of my triceps.

This morning my arms up 1/4 inch to 14.25 inches. My calves though are DOWN 1/4 inch ?!?! :eek: Thats what you get for 2 weeks solid focus!! :doh: Ah well, I shall persist. Because this is a culk, its to be expected I guess. Just so long as I end up leaner. 1/4 inch of my biggest waist and 1/2 off my smallest is good progress since last week to, especially with the weekend I had. Will be cool to see what I can do after this weekend, which should be cleaner, though my Aunty is a great cook, so I WILL be eating, but it will be all good, clean homecooked food, not the pizza beer burger sweets icecream etc of last weekend. :mad:

Legs tonight, again I expect to be tired, especially as I will be going later after my haircut. However, I must remember these last 2 days, both times i felt bad, but wound up having good workouts.

The hardest part of training is the drive to the gym.

Well, the weekend was a mixed bag, I ate mainly pretty clean save one or two cheats, but in terms of sheer quantity of food, I ate like a horse. A hungry horse. I also had a couple of beers over the course of the weekend, but nothing to write home about, and nothing to mean that yesterday I wasnt feeling 100%.

The family gathering was a lot of fun, I saw cousins i havent seen in a while, and some of them have kids who I havent seen for a while to. Very nice to meet up and catch up, you always think with family you wont leave it so long next time, but time does just fly away.

So yesterday I was feeling good, no hangover, no lack of sleep. I tore up the gym, with a delts and traps session to remember, I pushed my previous PB for 1 lift, into 3 sets of 4 reps, for the first time ever. It is the first time I have loaded up the bar with that much weight, but it felt good. Last time I tried that much, I got one rep, and that was over a year ago. So very pleased. :) Rest of the workout went good to.

Tonight I will be working a little late, so will do my abs and calves session, and then tomorrow I am meeting my workout friend for chest. I would also like to get another session in this week, but I will see how it goes. No reason I shouldnt be able to.

I have a few things coming up which could potentially de-rail me, mainly gigs (off to see Steel Panther, a superb Thin Lizzy tribute act called "Limehouse Lizzy" and Opeth/Dream Theatre before the holiday). I need to stay strong and focus as I dont have time to be writing off whole weeks due to too much weekend ale.

On a rather more weird note, I am debating getting a chest wax for the holiday. My electric hair trimmer doesnt get close enough for it to look like you havent just shaved your chest. When I use a razor, it leaves a rash every time. At the moment it is not shaved, and I could just be less arrogant and go on the trip with chest hair, but part of me knows I will look better without it. Its whether I can take the pain, and whether I have the balls to go in and book a male wax session! :lol:

Following my promotion, work is buggering me pretty hard. Nothing comes for free I guess. For more pay, comes more work. I think it will settle once I get things layed down and up and running with the new role.

I also need to consider some cardio in the last 4 weeks before the holiday. I HATE getting up in the morning earlier then I need to, but I think if I did for 4 weeks plus what I am doing now, it would make a big difference.

Enjoy your day people, laters !!

T Saw Inglorious at the cinema last night, very good film, excellent acting all round. Its very much in his style, so if you dont like his style of films (Tarrantino) then it probably wont be enjoyed as much.
We saw it over the weekend and I liked it. My wife was a bit squeamish during certain hair raising scenes.
Calves wise, I am following most of the principles in this:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/best_of_calves
Been doing this for a week now. F@(4ing hurts it does.

We saw it over the weekend and I liked it. My wife was a bit squeamish during certain hair raising scenes.

Been doing this for a week now. F@(4ing hurts it does.

My other half didnt like those scenes either. Before she met me she would dismiss these types of film in favour of the lion king and pretty woman. Now she has a more open mind, and I think despite looking away during those scenes, she enjoyed it overall.

Calves wise, please keep me updated with how you get on. Do you realise just how much you neglected them now you are doing them as a focus. I just did 3 sets at the end of my leg session, and that was it. Now I am doing this, I realise just how little that did. Plus I can really feel the seated stuff working the other side of them. I have been toasting them for 2 weeks, and you are right it hurts. I went to take a piss half way through my workout last night, post calves, and it was difficult because my lower legs were shaking pretty bad. :lol:

I think I took a poor first reading on my calves. If i can get them to 16'', then I will be happy. currently at 15.25inches, and i think thats progress.

K, do you have a seated calf machine? Last night I walked about the gym looking for something I can use, because piling 3 large plates on my knees isnt going to cut it. I needed more weight, and its not possible to balance it all ! I came up with a brilliant idea using the lying ham curl machine. Basically sit on the back edge of the bit you normally lie on, and put your knees under the pad which usually goes under your ankles when lying on your front (you need to slide the pad all the way as near to the "seat" as you can). Then put a raised aerobic step under where your feet now are, and place your feet on the edge. Then raise your calves, lifting the pad, which is weighted of course. Works a dream, excellent. Hope that makes sense.

So a good calves and abs session last night, I worked very hard, and all meals this week have been bob on. Tonight was supposed to be chest with my friend, but he has dropped out again, so I may do back and bi, which was the plan anyway really.

Still doing the no carbs in the evening thing, but I think I may be overdoing the quantities and fat content of the things I do have. I need to be careful of that little devil on my shoulder. I think I am doing ok though. Last night I made a 4 egg ommlette, 2 yolks, 4 whites, with onion, choritzo, salami and ham. Plenty of protien, some fat (not healthy fat though I guess), no carbs. I seem to have lost all the weekend bloat and am feeling good due to the fact I didnt get pissed at the weekend.

Time is ticking to the holiday. I must improve my game.

My other half didnt like those scenes either. Before she met me she would dismiss these types of film in favour of the lion king and pretty woman. Now she has a more open mind, and I think despite looking away during those scenes, she enjoyed it overall.

Calves wise, please keep me updated with how you get on. Do you realise just how much you neglected them now you are doing them as a focus. I just did 3 sets at the end of my leg session, and that was it. Now I am doing this, I realise just how little that did. Plus I can really feel the seated stuff working the other side of them. I have been toasting them for 2 weeks, and you are right it hurts. I went to take a piss half way through my workout last night, post calves, and it was difficult because my lower legs were shaking pretty bad. :lol:

I think I took a poor first reading on my calves. If i can get them to 16'', then I will be happy. currently at 15.25inches, and i think thats progress.

K, do you have a seated calf machine? Last night I walked about the gym looking for something I can use, because piling 3 large plates on my knees isnt going to cut it. I needed more weight, and its not possible to balance it all ! I came up with a brilliant idea using the lying ham curl machine. Basically sit on the back edge of the bit you normally lie on, and put your knees under the pad which usually goes under your ankles when lying on your front (you need to slide the pad all the way as near to the "seat" as you can). Then put a raised aerobic step under where your feet now are, and place your feet on the edge. Then raise your calves, lifting the pad, which is weighted of course. Works a dream, excellent. Hope that makes sense.

So a good calves and abs session last night, I worked very hard, and all meals this week have been bob on. Tonight was supposed to be chest with my friend, but he has dropped out again, so I may do back and bi, which was the plan anyway really.

Still doing the no carbs in the evening thing, but I think I may be overdoing the quantities and fat content of the things I do have. I need to be careful of that little devil on my shoulder. I think I am doing ok though. Last night I made a 4 egg ommlette, 2 yolks, 4 whites, with onion, choritzo, salami and ham. Plenty of protien, some fat (not healthy fat though I guess), no carbs. I seem to have lost all the weekend bloat and am feeling good due to the fact I didnt get pissed at the weekend.

Time is ticking to the holiday. I must improve my game.

Reno you're kicking buttocks in the gym. You'll be in awesome shape for your holiday.

I have really noticed how little calf work I have done now that I working them 3 times a week. Amazingly, my weights are increasing. I do have a seated calf machine at the gym, but I've used your trick with both the leg curl and leg extension machines. I hop eto get my calves up to 15"...they are still skinny after all the surgeries. :o

Reno you're kicking buttocks in the gym. You'll be in awesome shape for your holiday.

I have really noticed how little calf work I have done now that I working them 3 times a week. Amazingly, my weights are increasing. I do have a seated calf machine at the gym, but I've used your trick with both the leg curl and leg extension machines. I hop eto get my calves up to 15"...they are still skinny after all the surgeries. :o

We shall build those damn calves my friend !! :flex:


Yesterday the weather was sunny, and that is the first time it has been sunny for any given 24 period for about 3 weeks now (got to love the UK summer). I couldnt skip the oppotunity to do some gardening, my lawn was very long due to the rain / sun, and it needed cutting, and also a lot of the flowers needed dead heading (not taking to a Greatful Dead concert, having the dead heads cut off). So I couldnt take the chance of skipping that yardwork and then having more rain for the next 3 weeks +. So i got it done, and that meant I couldnt get to the gym, but by way of compromise, I took the pushbike out for a quick ride, it was no Tour de France let me tell ya, but it was better then nothing.

So tonight, defo in the gym, hitting some back and bi. Last time I was at my PB for reps, and this week, I plan to go for 5kg more (whats that, 10lbs or so to you imperial troops?), which will be a new PB for reps. My 1 rep PB is about 20kg higher overall then what i did for reps last time. I think I can get to that for reps over the next few weeks.

Tonight will be interesting because I am trying a low carb day. This is in conjunction with my medium carb days, and a new twist. I really feel carb cycling is important going forward, its something I have never done and something I have never mastered. Why not give it a try? As you know, I have been taking in no evening carbs, and last night, i switched to a "high" day and consumed some rice with my chicken. So today, I have dropped the oats from breakfast, and the bread from lunch, and will have no carbs with dinner either. I still had my bannana in my shake this morning, and will have my apple with lunch (now), and will still have my grapfruit pre workout. Another tweak is that I will add a small amount of carbs to my post workout shake, because by having no evening carbs, I am not refueling my body / glyucogen post workout, which isnt good. So i have bought some glucose (old school baby!), and will consume a minimal amount of that with my PWO shake. I will start that from today. On the low carb days I will train with the AMPED, to give me the caffine / creatine, BCAA boost I will need.

I will let you know how the workout goes with no starchy carbs tomorrow.

I also got some fish oil caps, because all i keep reading about them is that they are 100% essential.

Last nights workout and indeed the entire day was nothing short of awesome. I didnt hit the gym feeling particualy fired up, but I was far from tired, and by the time I had hit my warmups I was ready to go, 3 sets, at a PB weight, and I nailed it with 5 reps per set. That then fired me up to hit the rest of my session, increasing weight on the seated cable row, and blasting my arms with a really intense and tiring bicep session, finishing with a run down the DB rack as John did (sought inspiration from him).

Considering the fact I had no carbs other then what came from fruit and my PWO glucose (20g only), I felt good, and I am sure the AMPED played its part. I can easily say I will do more low carb days, as well as the medium days (no evening carbs) and refeed days at the weekend, with a "high" day (some carbs in the evening) in the middle of the week.

It seems to have worked, this morning I was down to 11 stone 8 3/4 which is cool, havent been that since my mega clean days of July, and I am 100% sure I have packed on some muscle since then, as my numbers are looking pretty good in the weights room.

I just got back from lunch with work, and I had the chicken salad, opting again for no carbs. Just didnt feel like them, plus I am having mega lean homemade burgers tonight on a toasted wholemeal bun, so decided it would balance it out. I am pleased I chose the salad, I have struggled in the past, but it just seemed natural to make that choice. Nothing like a holiday and the thought of those holiday pics going on FB to all my friends to make me motivated to be the leanest I can possibly be.

The weekend as always brings a challenge, but with no massive nights out planned, I should be ok. As you know readers, the main thing is not to drink to the point of hangover. My success this week, and how I am feeling is 100% down to the fact I didnt get drunk last weekend. When I do, I do less then my best and that is not good enough right now. Sure I will have a beer perhaps, probably a cheat meal saturday night, maybe a snack or 2, and increase carbs over the 2 days, but I just cannot drink for hours saturday night, wake Sunday feeling a mess and not recovering until the weekend after. I have some nights out approaching, and some challenges ahead. Wish me luck.

I have booked some awesome gigs, it seems a lot of people are touring these days, probably because they are not making money out of the albums anymore with downloading etc. Just booked tickets for Auzzie Rock outfit "Airbourne", who are sensational live. Also seeing the wizard "Dio" in November for the first time ever, I have tickets for Henry Rollins spoken word in the new year, Machine Head in February and Dream Theatre next month. Got to love rock gigs.

Have a good weekend, catch you all monday where I will be 100% and ready to make another week long step towards being ripped for holiday time.

T minus 5 weeks today !!

The weekend was pretty good, I kept everything in moderation and this morning I feel fine, and should have a decent week of progress. I am heavy this morning, but I put that down to water and food weight. No hangover, thats the main thing.

I think the carb manipulation worked well for me last week, but it made me very hungry come the weekend, and although 90% of it was clean, I ate a LOT of food.

It could all go wrong tonight though, as I am off to Manchester to watch LA Glam band "Steel Panther". Rock and beer go hand in hand, but I cannot be getting pissed up on a school night, much less a Monday, when I am trying to be good, and also when I have just had a decent weekend. Pray for me JSF. Pray for me hard. Either way, it will be a late night, and I will be tired.

So meeting my workout guy Wednesday for Chest, I should be able to get Calves and abs in tomorrow, which is the "easiest" of my workouts, which will counter the late night. I need to start some morning cardio. I say that every week. Had some great weight sessions last week, here is to more of the same, and then some !

Saturday is another gig in Manchester, and that will be mega hard to stay sober for. Meh, I will see what happens.

Not much to say today. I stayed of the drink last night, didnt get to bed too late either, maybe midnight? So all good. Will be at the gym tonight, I am a little tired, but will blast through calves and abs, and then head home to chill.

Steel Panther were really good, very funny and their guitarist is one of the best I have ever seen.

Laters.

Decent workout last night. I toasted my calves, and got the lower leg shakes once again. Then i went to the abs section of the gym, and there was an abs "master class" about to start. There was one slightly tubby young lad, and 4 middle aged women waiting for it to start. "How hard can this be" i thought as I sat down... I was the worst one there. It was 20 brutal minutes, of crunches, weighted sit ups, planks... I was literally nearly sick while dough boy and the ladies ate me for breakfast. I will defo do this again, it was great to be in part of the group and be pushed a little. I was sure taught a thing or two by the regulars !!! :lol:

I almost dont need to say my eating is spot on. I havent slipped up midweek for ages now. Even before the gig Monday, when I was tempted to just pick something up, and ended up making some tuna pasta and munching that down before my lift arrived. Today is low carb day, and I have made my own chicken salad for lunch; i havent made my own lunch in a long time. I am going to take low carb through to the end of the week. Monday was higher carb (carb with dinner), yesterday was medium (no carbs with dinner), so for the next 3 days i will do low carbs (no carbs with lunch or dinner). I wonder if the apple I have at lunch hinders me slightly? Would it be worth giving up fruit though, i dont think so, surely the benefits outweigh the fructose? :confused: I could swop it for veggies, but I am not too big on those (plus I get some in my salad of course). Plus, i need something sweet, better an apple then ripping into a muffin or bag of Haribo !

I will be popping the AMPED tonight pre gym, and then hammering my pecs and triceps into submission. I hope my training buddy shows up.

I took some readings this morning, and the numbers made me happy. Largest waist is 32 inch, smallest 30.25. These are I think the lowest numbers of the year, yet my weight is 11 stone 8.5 as at this morning, which is 1lb more then my lightest. This must mean my muscle mass has increased I think. My arms are now 14.5inch, which is 1/2 an inch since i stated pushing the arms more. I am sure my shoulders, chest and back all have gained some size.

Bulking while cutting, who would have thought. :p

I am surprised just how small my waist may need to be. :eek:

So its 4.5 weeks till D-day, its going well, but today I feel the need to step it up. Slightly more low carb days, good weekends when possible, and the dreaded morning cardio should really get a look in. I have set my alarm a couple of times, but thus far, i have just snoozed it until my normal time.

Laters.

Another good day down yesterday, as my friend cancelled the chest session, and then re-instated it, and it went ahead.

Lifted my old PB for reps on the bench, which is cool, and now means apart from squats, I am at my PB or more for everything now. That represents another 5kg to last chest session, which is a nice improvement. Triceps followed, and i tore through them, and today both body parts feel nicely worked.

I also woke up to be 11 stone 7.5lbs, which is the lightest I have been in 2009 (by .25 of an lb, but still!), a 1lb drop from yesterday, and I am also the lowest waist I have been for a very very long time, and the strongest I have been for 18 months or so. Its nice. I would take some new pictures, but I am supporting a dead squirrel on my chest and abs right now, and so I will carry on and take some pre holiday, when the chest rug is gone. Still dont know if I am going to have the guts to go for a wax, but I believe its the only option, other then to parade the pool like the Yeti man. No way.

Another low carb day today, no problem thus far after yesterday. Was nice to quaff some oats with my breakfast, and the fruit helps keep the blood sugar up a bit.

Got band practice tonight, but have my gym gear with me to ensure I can nip there before practice. Ill probably do shoulders tomorrow evening, so may do biceps and abs again tonight. I want to work my arms every week, and my abs twice a week. If i am going to strip the rest of this fat off me, i need to ensure the abs that are revealed look good.

Going to be a challenge this weekend. Going for a meal friday with my other half, to celebrate my promotion. Will probably be more quantity then being "unclean" that is the issue. Avoiding their wonderful deserts will be tough to. I doubt I will drink though. Saturday is a night in Manchester watching a couple of bands, there is 5 of us going, all lads, all friends, and a mini bus picking us up afterwards. The concept of not having a drink at this is really unrealistic. So its damage limitation really. I dont know what will go down until it does, all I can say is that having a carb rota, and working my ass of in the gym, will certainly make me not want to undo it all, and have it all for nothing.

I just have to think of the holiday snaps !

On a final note, I nearly made myself cry with the foam roller last night, such is its evil ability to cause extreme pain. Rolled out my calves, and my hips, my god, its inhuman!

Did Biceps and abs last night. I did quite a lot on the old biceps, but for some reason they didnt feel very pumped. :confused: Still, did the work, upped the weights, all good.

For abs, 1 session is all body weight volume work, and the other (which was last nights), is weighted.

Feeling a little run down today, glad its the end of the week. Felt quite hungry and tired last night, and slept in this morning. So today I will be making a high carb day, after 2 days straight of no carbs after a sprinke of oats in my breakfast shake, and fruit. Will still be clean though of course, and will be trying to be clean when i head for my meal tonight.

Tomorrow will be the challenge. I leave for my holiday 4 weeks today, and the last 2 weeks I have made real headway fatloss wise. I need to keep that up and build on it. Time will tell.

I do have my gym stuff with me, but am in 2 minds about whether to go. On the one hand, I feel I should, but on the other, I am really pretty beat up and tired after a tough week. I got my 3 sessions in, although only 1 main bodypart session. Tomorrow day is an option, but when does that ever happen when I say it will? That said, I make a habit of listening to my body, and as you know I am pretty open with my reasons for skipping sessions, I will admit if it is lazyness or the hangover, but my body is crying for a rest and refuel after 3 heavy hard weight sessions in a row, and a new low carb system. So i may well listen to my body.

I might head the gym anyway, and soak in the hottub, and see how I feel.

Very good week this week. No cheats, not a single deviation from my diet, good progress with my new diet, back to PB for bench press, new high in arm inches, new low in waist inches, and new low in weight.

May next week be better again.

Have a good weekend.

Reno you've been ultra consistent the past few weeks, and I think you are wise in listening to your body when it says it's worn out. Rest and recovery are when your body rebuilds itself, and if you push too hard it doesn't get that chance. It also increases your risk of injury, and you don't want to get injured right before going on holiday. Fantastic effort by the way. :tu:

Reno you've been ultra consistent the past few weeks, and I think you are wise in listening to your body when it says it's worn out. Rest and recovery are when your body rebuilds itself, and if you push too hard it doesn't get that chance. It also increases your risk of injury, and you don't want to get injured right before going on holiday. Fantastic effort by the way. :tu:

Cheers dude ! :tucool:


So the weekend went pretty much as expected. Friday I went for the meal, avoided the booze, and avoided the pudding. I did have a small amount of sweets when I got home, while watching a film, but not too bad.

Saturday day, foodwise was fine, and if anything I under ate. I made up for that with enough beer saturday night to kill a small horse, if said horse was a drinker. Which most horses, are not. Yesterday was therefore a bit of a write off, and today I am my usual semi hungover and tired self. *sigh*. Ah well.

I dont think I did too much damage to my progress, so long as I stick to the plan this week. So far, so good, with an early rise to prepare my meal etc. I will be going low carb today and tomorrow, medium carb wednesday, then low again thurs and fri. I am so tired but will hit the gym for calves and abs and do my best, then get an early night and fire up the machine for a good shoulders and back and bi session this week. I want to see 11 stone 6.

I made the gym yesterday, and considering my sorry state, actually wound up working very hard. It wasnt a fun workout, but I grinded it out, and pushed myself, more as punishment then anything else. My abs this morning are killing me. It was one of those morning where i couldnt sit up in bed.

Today I still feel a bit run down, but, I intend to hit that gym and give 100% to my shoulders. All food has been spot on, last night was calling for me to eat some sugar, probably sweets (candy), but I did prevail.

Last nights pre bed mirror check ritual (is that just me?) gave me the impression that I am now at the leanest I have been for a very long time. Certainly this new diet / focus is working to strip away the fat. I certainly need to make a decision re the old chest bear. I think it will be like the big reveal when I sort it, kind of like the end of one of those makeover programs. Ta da !!! :lol:

Today is pay day, and I am going to treatmyself to a couple of pairs of Tapout shorts for my holiday, to go with my new slim self. :flex:

Work is going well since the promotion, I had a tricky position to recruit for, and have got someone in just in time, which was cool, hopefully its the right person for the job. You just never know till someone starts. Its one thing to look good on paper. Fingers crossed. Ive felt like a plate spinner these last few weeks, especially in work, but also getting bits done at home, my relationship, friends, band and of course the world of weight lifting. To be honest, the way my personality is, I wouldnt want it any other way. :tu:

Enjoy your tuesday.

Quality workout last night, hit the same weight as last time (which as you know was a new PB), but managed 5/5/4 in reps this time, up from the 4/4/4 of last time. This is pleasing given its been a while since shoulders was on the agenda, goes to show you build the strength out of the gym. I got a weird shooting pain down the thumb side of my left hand when i cleaned the bar up for the final set, and it hurt through the set (I carried on, and actually, probably would have made 5/5/5 if it wasnt for that! :lol:). When I put the bar down it hurt for a bit, then went away. I was fine to carry on lifting. This has happened before. I dont know if I am popping something out with the clean motion. It seems to be when I take the weight onto my palms pre push press. Weird. I may try a wrist support next time. I could take the bar from the rack rather then clean it up, but I enjoy that part, and it gives me a rush for the rest of the presses. We shall see.

Today is medium carb day, so had a chicken sandwich on wholemeal bread, and it was like a cheat meal. Weird how it works. Tonight is supposed to be a rest day from the gym, but I feel good and with the carbs at lunch, maybe I will hit the gym again. I will play it by ear. If I go, I will probably throw an arm set in. Its all about the show off muscles from here on in. :bb::p

Weight this morning is back to 11 stone 7.5, the low of last week. So if I play my cards right, come the weekend I may see a 6 at the end of that. :spaz: With a decent weekend, I can make some great progress between now and the holiday. I think next week will see a stall, and I will probably have to bite the bullet and start the AM cardio again. :mad: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Bought my TapouT shorts last night from an Ebay MMA store. They look pretty cool, hopefully they will fit ok. I need to go out and get some more clothes for the trip, should be fun, always good to shop for clothes (unless accompanied by an indecisive woman).

Train hard, thanks for stopping by !

Due to a meeting that i have been thrown into this afternoon by management, located in Liverpool meaning a 45 minute drive, and also meaning a 45 min drive back again, being that it finishes at 5.30pm, its unlikely I will be hitting the gym tonight. I knew this yesterday, and therefore, I decided that I needed to go last night. That I had been the previous 2 nights and worked my ass off really showed with how I was feeling, it was not a great session and I didnt feel very good. I did the arm workout and nailed every excersize as best I good, I didnt sell myself short, but, I didnt push it to the limit either. The main thing is, I went, got it done, and I did feel better once I left the gym.

Back on Low carb day again today. Getting to me a bit now, but, I will continue to push this on for the next 3 weeks and 1 day. Come the weekend, I will be able to relax again, but hopefully not too much.

So no gym tonight, thank the lord, will get back from shitty meeting and rest up, and hopefully be ready for a final session tomorrow, probably back and some weighted abs I think. Though I have been 3 times this week now, which is cool.

I had a little crack last night, nothing major, but at the meeting sat in the middle of the boardroom table was a platter of sandwiches. My weakness. I had 4 little triangles, which is basically 2 pieces of bread with some cheese and pickle in the middle. I felt pretty guilty till I thought, "Get a frickin grip lad, its 2 bits of wholemeal bread!!!". Its not a case of beer and 14 bags of Haribo ! Still, its good to check myself, before I wreck myself. Can I pull off saying that as a white middle class English guy? Probably not.

So I have my gym stuff with me today. I need to get in there for back. However, I am not feeling the love. Its so clear to me why I have weeks like this, yet I allow the beer to flow even still. Not that this has been a bad week, far from it. It has though been a tough week, and a tired week. Still, balance is key. Life is for living. I am though ready for the weekend, and I know if I go and pull some Deadlifts etc, I will enjoy it that little bit more.

This weekend, I have a party tomorrow for a friends 30th, and my brother is coming over for a movie and some food Sunday. Tonight, I will probably just chill, maybe take a film in, and get some takeout food. I would love a Pizza, but it has to be the worst cheat meal, so I wont.

I didnt manage to hit my 11 stone 6 this week, probably due to last weekend and also the fact that with the gains I am making in the gym, it is possible I am balancing fat loss with muscle gain a bit. However, 3 weeks today until the holiday, I need to consider either a reduction in cals (which I am against really, as I like the progress in the gym), or an increase in expenditure, IE...... cardio !! Booooooooooooooo!

3 weeks until my holiday. Looking good, progress is coming. Its coming.

Have a good weekend y'all.

So another weekend over. Lets look at the good points.

...

And over to the bad points.

Nah, it wasnt all bad, but as always, i could have done more that was better then more then was worse. I did hit the gym friday after work, for a superb back session. Deadlifted a new PB for reps, 5/5/4, then went on to pulldowns and rows, before a little abs to finish things off.

The weekend was marred by a poor choice of food in the evenings, which didnt include a pizza thank god, but did involve indian food friday and chinese food saturday. I did have a roast dinner yesterday, but that was main veg and meat, nothing too bad. I avoided a desert but did have some sweets while watching films yesterday. And yes, i went out sat night and yes, drank beer. It was a late one, but it could have been worse, because most people hit town after the party, and I went to a friends house for a bit, then home. Was still pretty late though.

So I am my usual tired Monday self, and i think the new job, coupled with extra stress and the need for this holiday, is making me even more tired. However, I remain confident that my progress was good last week. With the right aims this week, I should be able to move on in these next 3 weeks.

I am torn with what to do tonight though. I could hit the gym and try for something, but I cant see a heavy PB breaking session on the cards, and I have band practice at 7. Maybe its better to head home, rest up, practice and get an early night, and then hit it tomorrow. The issue with that is that I COULD workout tonight. Maybe I just go and do abs, maybe calves, and then at least something is better then nothing. Who knows. I shall let you know tomorrow.

People are starting to comment on my level of muscle again, which is super cool. Its always nice that people can tell you work out from looking at you, and testment to how I have been doing recently. I am still no where near as cut as i want to be, but its going in the right direction.

I cant wait for my holiday. :cool:

Today is a good day. I have been to the gym twice, and done a 30 min cardio session. :D

For the first time ever I tried a lunch time gym session. Mornings just wont happen for me, and I need to just accept that. However, I can take up to 2 hours lunch so long as I make up the time (we have a flexi system which as a manager I cannot use fully, but can still use a bit). So I am thinking 2-3 cardio based sessions at Lunch time is the way forward. I seemed to have enough time to get a decent amount in, but man, am I unfit !!! I was really struggling, just goes to show. Its been a very long time since I did CV work. Ah well, only one way to improve.

I was a little warm and uncomfortable for a good hour post workout, but had a shower etc before heading back to work, so wasnt too bad. That will improve as I get fitter I think as well.

Went back this evening, and hammered out a chest and tri session, good lift on the bench, matching my PB last week, but with better reps. I may try another 5kg next week. All good.

Just about to chow down some Gammon and a couple of eggs. Would be nice to have some potatoes or better still chips (fries) with it, ah, the old low carb swing of life. Rubbish yet effective.

I think my weekends are hindering me fatloss wise now, as well as the usual issues of being tired etc. My body fat has reached that point where I need to step it up a bit. I have 2 weekends left before the holiday, and I need them to be good, no fuckin about now really. I have a gig both fridays, this weekend is my own band playing, and the one after is Dream Theatre and Opeth in Manchester. I will probably drive to our own gig this weekend, then stop in Saturday and chill. I can see me doing ok this weekend. However, the weekend after will be tricky, and thats probably the most important. With 2 good weekends, and this extra CV for the next 2.5 weeks, I should be in with a shout of looking half decent for the trip.

Speaking of which, someone posted a really old picture of me on facebook, probably circa 2003, 04 at a push. Certainly pre John Stone Fitness. To say I look unhealthy and skinny is an understatement. It is the "best" pic I have seen to show what I was like before this journey. Some people have their 300lb giant before pics, but I have never been fat. However, I was very thin, probably 145lbs at one point, and skinny fat with it. Very gaunt, partying way to much and not taking any care of myself whatsoever. I am not dramatic enough to say I wouldnt be here now etc if I hadnt got into this fitness thing (actually quitting smoking tobacco started all of this really), but I am very glad I look like I do now, rather then how I looked then. I did however look younger, which would be nice (he says at 28).

Anyways, I will get a copy of the picture uploaded, and put it side by side with my after pics from the holiday. Its nice to finally have a before pic.

Enjoy your evening (or afternoon if your in the USA!)

Laters

Last night I had a friends leaving do from work, she is off to have a baby, so we all went to a mexican place for food and drinks.

First thing of note is that I didnt have any drinks (of course). Being in the company of 2 pregnant ladies, this meant I wasnt the only one. Still tough though. The meal itself was far from the plain steak, no sides, that I will be having tonight. However, I did what I could to make it as clean as possible. I am not, as you know, a person who will shirk a public meal with friends, or sit there not eating because I have a grilled chicken on standby at home. I started with a handful of plain natchos, with a fresh salsa, while others delved into spicy meatballs, sweet chilli mushrooms, and Nachos covered in sour cream, spicy sausage, guacamole, chilli and tons of cheese. Then for main I had chicken wraps, with so little cheese I would almost say no cheese, a small spread of sour cream, and some guacamole. Others delved into very cheesy, meaty, creamy main courses. So I did well.

I felt kind of guilty afterwards, which I hate, and which isnt like me at all. Sometimes I wonder if this is worth it, but I remind myself I dont live like this all the time, but I have a goal, and this is what I need to do to get there. For me, after the holiday, I will probably increase the carbs and calories a bit, and likely float back to about 12% bodyfat. It is where I am happiest; I am still far from fat, I can lift, have more energy, and more then anything I have the freedom to do what I like without being guilty. I wont go above 12 because I train, and I eat clean 80% of the time, and I keep myself checked. Fuck 3. 12 is the magic number.

For now though, its onwards and downwards to the single digits. I am starting to get all the "your obsessed", "its not normal", "why do you need to diet" etc etc, :rolleyes: I just take it to mean I am doing things right for a cut to single figures. :tu:

Weights wise, I could sure use a week off, my body is in bits right now. Got a bum hip, bum pec / shoulder joint, and sore neck. Ah well, 2 weeks tomorrow... I hit the gym yesterday lunch time again for a cardio session, couldnt go last night due to the meal, or this lunch time due to a meeting. I will be going tonight, for weights, but I will do biceps and back, because thats about all that isnt sore. I wont do deads though for the first time in years, because my hip and lower back is pretty sore. Some rows, pulldowns, close grip chins and maybe BB rows, then some arms, should see me through.

I have a gig tomorrow night, and will be driving back for sure, so that saves the worry of the booze. I doubt I will get to the gym tomorrow after work, but should be able to get a lunch time in. That will mean 3 weights, 3 cardio. Which is cool, shows I have upped my game this week. Never count your workouts before they have hatched mind, its a deadly game.

Its all going to come down to the next 2 weekends. It wont be easy, but, it will be the difference maker for sure. My scale weight isnt moving, and while I put little focus on that per se, I do feel it needs to show me 11 stone 6 now. I think by the time I get to 11 stone 7, I blow out at the weekend, and put myself back that little bit. When your going under 10%, one cannot afford that "Little bit". Each percentage point is but mere lbs of weight, and so thats a bit difference. When you think 22% down to 21% BF can be a large number of lbs, you can afford to backslide a little and still make progress. At this level, one doesnt have that luxary.

Its the reason I would never maintain a <10% body fat for long, and the reason I feel sorry for anyone who feels the need to.

12 is the magic number.

Hit the gym last night, good solid back and bi session. It was a slight "going through the motions" and lacked a touch on intensity, but I still got it going. I didnt deadlift, which is usually where I start my workout (I start them all with the big lift), and because I shift a decent amount of weight, and am pushing the numbers every week, that usually gets me fired up. I guess i missed that. However, my shoulder and hip feels a lot better today, so right decision. I still got a good workout in. I ended up stuck in work till late, and as I got to the gym and was getting changed, I thought "I would so have skipped this workout a few months back" due to being at work late, tired and sore. The thought didnt even occur to me to skip it, I just left work and drove down. Pretty cool. :)

Slight change of plan today. No gym. Weighed it up last night. Gig tonight = 2 hours of me pracing about the stage under lights showing off, usually a pretty tiring experience in itself. Didnt want to do myself in before the show with a lunch time session, and as I am NOT drinking tonight, I will go tomorrow, and, yes, really, hit a weekend session! Probably abs and calves, as I havent done my calves this week. Shouldnt be a problem.

I may even check in here over the weekend, to keep me on course. This weekend HAS to be good. Fingers crossed.

PS Weighed back at 11 stone 7.5 this morning, so am at the low weight that I get to every week but never beat. With a decent weekend, I know I can see 11 stone 6 next week. Come on !!!

I may even check in here over the weekend, to keep me on course. This weekend HAS to be good. Fingers crossed.

PS Weighed back at 11 stone 7.5 this morning, so am at the low weight that I get to every week but never beat. With a decent weekend, I know I can see 11 stone 6 next week. Come on !!!I agree. This weekend has to be good. :nod:

http://www.theofficeexperts.com/forum/images/smilies/ole.gif

Well, friday night done, and all is well. No cheat meal for tea, no carbs, no mars bar on the trip to the venue (I usually "fuel up" with a mars, I love mars bars), and no beer at the venue, even though it turned out I didnt need to drive back anyway. And no fast food stop on the way home.

I feel good. Gig went well to. However, its now 1.10am here, and I am done in. So goodnight. Here is to Day 2 being just as good.

So its now Wednesday and I havent posted since the weekend. Does that mean I had such a fall from grace that I couldnt face the music? Well, no it doesnt. I had a superb weekend diet wise, no beer whatsoever, no late nights, no nights out on the booze, no takeaways or junk food of any note. For my cheat meal I had a sunday dinner of roast venison, potatos, parsnip puree, turned glazed carrots and sweet red cabbage. :drool:. And I had a small handful of sweets and a small bag of crisps while watching a couple of films. I avoided snacks, and had no carbs in the evening. Saturday night i was sat in and got a craving for something sweet, so I had a protein shake, with ice and a bannana blended in. :cool: Quite possibly the best dietary weekend for as long as I can recall.

So why the delay?

Well, I woke on Monday feeling pretty sick, and by the end of work Monday I had eaten next to nothing and felt terrible. It seems my good weekend was ruined by a stomach bug, and I left work early, and was done for until this morning. I was off work yesterday, and ate very little yet again. I was wiped out.

Today I feel much better, but still a little delicate. Thats what happens when you have the perfect weekend! My body rebelled !! :lol:

With less then 2 weeks to go till my holiday I was a little pissed off, because this week will not be as planned now, no way. But I have to think at least this was before my holiday, and also maybe the low carb and 2 per day gym sessions were a bit OTT. My body does like a weekend refeed, and while that doesnt mean beer, it should mean a bit more to eat them normal.

I may chance a gym session tonight, but I wont be breaking PB's with heavy sessions, far from it. I would still like to workout in some capacity though, but believe me, I wont overdo it or even go if I feel bad come 5pm. At the moment I have eaten my diet as planned today (carbs for lunch, not going low day this week), and so far I feel ok. While I wont push it, I also wont use it as an excuse either.

What a week ! Things will get thrown at you in life, and you have to roll with the punches.

So i did go to the gym, but it wasnt very good. I was very tired and felt weak, and in the end, I did a small shoulders routine then went home. I think it probably did more harm then good, though no relapse today. So I will write this week off and get a few sessions in next week before I pack and leave. Its a shame my cut ends this way, this week should have been my crucial and effective week, but hey, at least I am feeling better in time for the holiday, that would suck more. I have that feeling of my abs blurring away into nothingness, which is pure bullshit and all in the head, but its weird how you feel fatter just from not training. Reality is that I am not, and will likely just maintain what I have by this time next week, with another clean weekend, which I will have (though I am half tempted not to after whats just happened !).

I know a few of your hardcore fans might be wondering what I am going to do re chest rug removal? Well, decision is that I will go for a trimmed look, like a 3 on the clippers. I have tried this, and am pleased with the results. I think to shave will leave a rash, to wax is a lot of hassle and pain and may still leave a rash, this way some rug remains, but is trimmed enough to show definition. Plus I can keep it like that. And I still retain a certain amount of manliness. :lol:

So sleep easy now folks, you are in the picture on this hot topic.

a few of your hardcore fans :whistle: :o

Keep rollin' with those punches. Not every week is going to be perfect, and there are a lot of different angles of perfection.

Parsnips have been coming up a lot in conversation lately. I might have to give them a try again. :drool:

Well, I woke on Monday feeling pretty sick, and by the end of work Monday I had eaten next to nothing and felt terrible. It seems my good weekend was ruined by a stomach bug, and I left work early, and was done for until this morning. I was off work yesterday, and ate very little yet again. I was wiped out.

Exactly the same thing happened at the end of my cut earlier this year. I hardly managed to eat anything or lift anything for 4 or 5 days but I managed to loose an extra 3lbs in the process and my end of cut photos looked ripped.

I didn't last of course. :(

All the best!

Thanks for the comments guys. I have this all in perspective. :)

Next week will be tough as I tie things up at work ready for a week off. But hopefully i will eat clean and get a couple of sessions in.

Last night I had to really push not to eat crap. It seems as usual when I dont train, my diet goes to shit, weird thing really. It seems I need to do one to get the other, diet and training need to be together, if one falls, the other falls, or at least makes me want it to fall. Its like they fuel and motivate each other. Anyway, my resolve held off, which is cool. :nope:

This morning, weigh in was 11 stone 7.5 lbs. Again. It seems that even 2.5 days of starvation isnt enough to get past this weight. I did drop to 11 stone 7.25lbs when i wasnt eating, but I dont count that, as it was food weight. Starvation isnt the answer kids, remember that.

To be fair, even if i just maintain what I have now, I would be happy enough. I feel pretty cut at the moment. A clean weekend this weekend will be well tough, because I know me, and my brain will be saying "It wont matter, your there now, your going next week anyway" etc etc, plus the problem i mentioned before of not training. I need to have one last pull, one last push to get through this weekend, and I will be on the home straight.

Off to see Dream Theatre tonight. I am driving, so no booze. Should be a cool gig anyway.

Have a good friday !

Good weekend, could have been a bit better, I ate a fair bit yesterday. We drove out to a really good pub for some food, so had a big meal and a couple of drinks, but nothing to worry about, certainly I got a heck of a lot of sleep and resisted getting pissed, which is always a bonus.

Probably a bit of bloat to get out this week, but all in all, I think I have done ok.

So 4 days left, and work is going to be taking up a lot of time, but I should be able to get some last minute sessions in this week. I fancy arms tonight, probably get an abs session in at some point as well. With all I have to do these next 4 days, I will keep the carbs up in the day, but will avoid in the evening.

I cant wait for my holiday. :tucool:

3 days left.

Ended up doing a "jack of all trades" workout last night, as i bumped into a lad I know who trains upper body and lower body, and was doing upper body. So did lat pulldowns, decline bench, BB curls, tricep cable pushdowns, bent over BB rows, face pulls. Was a good workout, probably what i needed this week. I wont be able to go tonight, because I will be working late then have a quiz with a team from work that i need to attend. There will be free buffett food there, god damn this late in the day temptation. I will see whats on the there, and weigh it up. Usually the problem isnt what I eat at these things, its the amount I eat, because its all just there in front of me. Damn you buffett!!!!!!!

Otherwise, food has been spot on. :nod:

I got all my clothes out last night, did some washing and drying, and my other pair of Tapout shorts arrived this morning, which are equally as jazzy and cool as the others. I also hit the sunbed (tanning booth) after the gym session, dont usually use them but want to have a base before I go away, as we got so little sunshine in the UK this summer, I am like a human milk bottle. My legs are like "Ching Ching, 2 pints please milkman." :lol:

All in all though, I think I will be happy with how I look going away. I cant wait to hit a beer poolside and kick back and all this hard work (and at times it has been hard) be worthwhile.

Knowing my missus, I expect she will take loads of pictures as she loves to take pics for facebook (hence the need to look good with 100's of friends and family seeing them !). So will pick out a few and post here. I should also really take some formal pre holiday pics, which I will do if I get time. The next few days should be very busy.

I finally had to google, because I was curious.

and my other pair of Tapout shorts arrived this morning, which are equally as jazzy and cool as the others. Are they these ones? :whistle:

http://www.tapout.com/images/2009/store/products/2351-list.jpg?cb=4

Because those are the jazziest. :nod:

I hope you also bought the matching complement for your girlfriend:
http://img.cageringstreet.com/method=get&rs=100&q=100&x=0&y=0&w=280&h=402&ro=0&s=F351A0EC-19B9-EECA-288E4198DC6C1469.jpg

I hope you also bought the matching complement for your girlfriend:

For his gf? I think it would look stunning on him. :nod:

For his gf? I think it would look stunning on him. :nod:

I do have the pecs for it, I must admit. I think I could pull that outfit off ;)

Lisa, no, sorry to disappoint but it isnt those shorts. I think if i wore those, the pool might make them a little see through. :eek:

For the sake of clarity girls, these are the shorts:

http://www.cagedog.tv/IMAGES/trunk58.jpg

http://www.fightshop.com/d9egj4g9j/images/products1/1244_1_large.jpg


In other news, I woke up to a new low weight this morning of.... 11 stone 7.25lbs ! Wow, I lost a 1/4 lbs. Maybe I farted before I stood on the scales? At least it hasnt gone up anyway.

So today will be my last day to hit the gym, which I should be able to do. I think I will again do a jack of all trades type workout. Tomorrow is my last day of work (thank god), and I will need to pack etc. We fly out 7am Friday, meaning I have to be up 4am to get to the airport etc. Nice !!

For the sake of clarity girls, these are the shorts::cool:
Maybe I farted before I stood on the scales?:lol:

Have you tried holding your breath? My husband is convinced it makes him lighter, but I can't figure out the physics of that one. :confused:

So this morning is my last morning before the holiday and, guess what, I weighed in at 11 stone 6lbs !!!!! :D 1.25lbs gone since yesterday, fatloss is a funny thing. Nothing for ages, then boom.

So feeling trim, I decided to get some before pics, only to discover the batteries had gone on my camera, and I didnt have time then before leaving for work to get my GF's camera. :( Oh well, I am sure some natural setting action pool shots will suffice. Think I can hit a back double bi poolside and get away with it? :p

I suppose as this is it, T - 1 day, I should take some time to reflect, but honestly, looking back doesnt really work for me. Its been tough, Ive had illness, battled with the booze and fought the Pizza of death many weekends over. I havent been strict, but, I have been more strict then usual, I have played with Carbs and didnt get burned, I have worked very hard in the gym, and hit a few cardio sessions as well. I have taken myself down to 30.5 inch waist, probably 9-9.5% BF, 160 lbs, and beaten several PB's in the gym. And now i am going to fly out to a hot sunny spanish Island with my other half and do what the fuck I like for 7 days.

Miss me. :cool:

Hope you're having a great holiday.

HELLO !

Well, my holiday actually ended over a week ago, but I havent had chance to really post until now because I have been settling back into things, and catching up at work etc all of last week.

The holiday was superb, very relaxing, great weather, excellent food and drink, and a wonderful hotel. I am not sure I could do the inclusive resort thing for longer then the 7 days we did, because it is a bit repetative after a while, but for 7 days, it was perfect. I can assure you I ate whatever and whenever, drank lots of ice cold beer, and I think the only saving grace was the walking we did, as the island we stayed on is basically a volcano, meaning from the sea starts a hill that doesnt ever really end. To get from the sea level part of the hotel, to the main entrace and lobby was up 7 floors, so it was a heck of a trek from one to the other. Kept me trim though.

Speaking of which, i can say 100% that I was truely happy with how I looked this holiday. I felt and looked lean, healthy, and like I lift weights on a regular basis. All the hard work was worth it, and I felt really really good and super happy.

I also felt amazed at the number of people out of shape there. Now, it is a slightly odd group to assess, given that it was a mainly older crowd, and also the type of person looking for 1-2 weeks of nothing but eating, but even still, I did feel kind of like the odd one out in a way. Its hard to explain. I dont want it to sound arrogant, but I think because I had worked so hard, I was kind of checking out physiques more, and it really hit home how out of shape most people are. I am inspired by the older dudes on these forums who are in shape, because it seems at a certain age, it becomes less important to look after yourself. And it seems with every passing year, that age gets younger. Or am I just getting older?

I will get some pics up when I have time, there is one of me and my other half outside the hotel, which I am really pleased with (she made a lot of effort to cut pre holiday as well, and did very well).

So whats next? I dont know. I have a few options, I could bulk a bit, maintain a bit? In the last 2 weeks, I have done nothing and eaten a lot of shit, as of today, I will go back to eating clean, but have no intention of eating low carbs again at this time.

Ideally I would like to just relax the diet a bit, keep hitting the gym each week and maintain. However, like so so many on JSF, i seem to be better with a goal. I have some work to do on the house again which I have started, and the temptation is again to relax the gym, and focus on that. However, when I did that last year, it was when I lost my "he lifts weights" look and gained the 35'' waist. I dont really want to take myself back there.

I will mull it over this week, while hitting the gym, and take it from there.

Good to be back anyway, pics to follow. Thanks for all your support in getting me to my goal. :tu:

Speaking of which, i can say 100% that I was truely happy with how I looked this holiday. I felt and looked lean, healthy, and like I lift weights on a regular basis. All the hard work was worth it, and I felt really really good and super happy.
Ain't it grand when all that hard work pays off? :tu:
I also felt amazed at the number of people out of shape there. Now, it is a slightly odd group to assess, given that it was a mainly older crowd, and also the type of person looking for 1-2 weeks of nothing but eating, but even still, I did feel kind of like the odd one out in a way. Its hard to explain. I dont want it to sound arrogant, but I think because I had worked so hard, I was kind of checking out physiques more, and it really hit home how out of shape most people are. I am inspired by the older dudes on these forums who are in shape, because it seems at a certain age, it becomes less important to look after yourself. And it seems with every passing year, that age gets younger. Or am I just getting older?
Based on my travels through Europe, I think it's way worse here in the US. Going to a beach, pool or water park is for the most part not a visually appealing site. And the number of overweight teens here is alarming.
Ideally I would like to just relax the diet a bit, keep hitting the gym each week and maintain. However, like so so many on JSF, i seem to be better with a goal. I have some work to do on the house again which I have started, and the temptation is again to relax the gym, and focus on that. However, when I did that last year, it was when I lost my "he lifts weights" look and gained the 35'' waist. I dont really want to take myself back there.
I agree about having a goal. You seem to have the same mental makeup as me, and when I have a goal, I am more in control and my body looks better.. When there's no goal, it's too easy for crap to sneak back into the diet. I think it's a good time for a nice slow bulk. You've cut down, had a recovery period, and the winter is a great time to have more carbs and add muscle. Follow that up with a slow cut in the Spring and you are ready for the two days of sunny weather in the British summer. :nod:

Based on my travels through Europe, I think it's way worse here in the US. Going to a beach, pool or water park is for the most part not a visually appealing site. And the number of overweight teens here is alarming.


K3, yeah, its probably an issue developed world wide. Although a lady in my team at work just got back from Disneyland and said nearly everyone was getting about the park on mobility scooters, young and old!!! :eek::eek: I read the same thing on T-Nation recently to, so was weird to hear it first hand.

I was thinking slow bulk, but honestly, I dont know if I am ready for pushing myself right now, I have a lot coming up with work, trips away, gigs, then xmas and new year before you know it. I dont make excuses, but I am realistic. I really fancy a bulk, really hitting it with a dedication and diet and suppliment plan that will see gains to a new level, but for that I want to really invest the time and energy to give it my all. I feel by the time I get up to my old PB's from pre holiday, probably a couple weeks, and with the disruption I will have etc, it wont be possible to make the gains I want to make, and what will happen is the extra food I eat will go to the waist. If i bulk I want to keep fat down, and that will mean more workouts and more time.

What I am leaning towards is keeping the diet clean during the week, but with evening carbs as part of just a standard, decent meal (pasta, potatoes, rice etc). Hit the gym a few times a week and keep my strength up and the BF down, so I dont start from square one, and then come the new year, design a diet and program during the holidays and then hit a vicious bulk in the new year. 3 months or so of that, then switch to a cut for a couple of months, then enjoy the summer.

I am thinking out loud here more then anything. Apologies readers for the ramble. This place does help me get my shit together in my head.

and you are ready for the two days of sunny weather in the British summer.

:lol::lol: Be glad you dont have to live with it !!

Oy mate. Where ya be? No posting....no holiday photos? Catch us up man.

Well, I am back ! :)

Last few months, well, where do I start. Not much of a dweller of things that have been done, and for the most part, I dont really mind.

I came back from my holiday, and never really got my Mojo back. I lacked any sort of motivation, no drive to lift and eat clean and frankly fancied a bit of a blow out. It was a concious decision, and thats what I did. I havent been to the gym for 2 months, and while I havent eaten pizza 4 times a day, I havent watched what I ate at all. And, if I am being honest, by and large I enjoyed it. :nod:

However, you know when that light comes back on, and you wake up ready to make a change and "come home". I hit that over xmas, like I knew I would. I woke up with that feeling that more then anything I want to lift weights, eat clean, drink lots of water and get trim and strong, and I have come into 2010 with a new focus, a new drive, ready to hit it off again, just like I was before. Sometimes you gotta take a break. I honestly dont feel negative, annoyed at myself or depressed that I have made some backwards progress. I feel ready once again, and so here I am. Back in the saddle. Feels good.

So there is nothing really to go into in any detail. Just back to the gym, back to how I was, and ready to pack on some serious muscle while dropping a few inches from the waist. Unlike most I know I will not end up being part of what I call the "January sales", come Feb, come March and so forth, I will be there.

Only slight changes from before (for those who follow closely) is that I will not be dropping carbs for now, and will be taking in extra protein pre workout, and using glucose with my shake post workout. Will be using AMPED again. My focus first and foremost is to get my muscle and strength back asap, which with muscle memory shouldnt take long, but dont want to rush and injure myself.

So meals will be:

1) Usual shake of Whey Protien, Raw Oats and Banana
2) Cottage Cheese and Fish Oil Caps
3) Chicken & Brown Pasta Salad, healthy fat dressing
4) Tin Tuna and 1/2 AMPED (1 hour pre workout)
5) Rest of AMPED drink during workout
6) Post workout shake of Whey and Glucose
7) Lean meat, good Carbs, low fat evening meal.

For meal 7, tonight I plan spanish egg white ommlette with lean ham. You get the idea.

Usual splits on the weights. Tonight is back and bi's. Got 2 new people coming training with me tonight which is cool, though 3 people can make for a slow session. Hopefully they will both stick with it.

I promise now I am back I will get the holiday pictures up, I dont feel I ever properly closed off that chapter of my ongoing journey.

Some out of fitness updates, I now play Rhythm guitar in an ACDC tribute band, played first gig last week and it was excellent. Better venues, better money etc. Still with the other band, but got a bit tired of wasting time going no where with it. Life is too short to sit about because other people lack motivation for something. I am also engaged to my other half, as of xmas morning. Very pleased, I am finally growing up !! :D Got a few bits done on the house while I was not going to the gym, which is cool, and ready to sort out the front garden / driveway once it gets a little warmer! Saving for some refurb stuff for the kitchen. Then, its time to save for a wedding ! YIKES !

I hope everyone reading has made their 2010 goals, and is ready to kick some ass !!!!

I now play Rhythm guitar in an ACDC tribute band, played first gig last week and it was excellent.:)
I am also engaged to my other half, as of xmas morning. Very pleased, I am finally growing up !! :D

Congratulations. All the best to you in the new year!

Congratulations on the engagement Reno. :tu: And best wishes on 2010 and meeting all of your goals.

Well, Day 3 into the new start, things are 100% diet wise. I hit the weights for back and bi's Monday night, was a good session. I had to hold back a bit because I didnt want to damage anything, but I felt strong and like it wouldnt be long till i was back to my best. My joints were sore afterwards, but thats to be expected with the shock of lifting again, and I didnt lift properly light weights either. Today I have some great DOMS in my back and arms. Ah Doms. How I have missed you old friend. :cool:

I couldnt train last night because, get this, we are in the middle of the coldest weather for years, and snow is causing real problems. Its a joke really, when you consider Canada etc, we have a few inches of snow at most, and by cold, its -1C to some places -8 or so, cold yes for people in warmer climbs, but probably quite mild for those people used to taking a snow plough to work. England tends to break with any temperature above or below about 17oC. Too hot, and things melt, people moan, offices swelter and people rush out to buy the last desk fan, train tracks get too hot, trains are cancelled etc. Too cold, and everyone freezes, moans, cant drive, trains cancelled etc. Anyway, where was I *reads back*.. ah yes, so the gym was closed as staff couldnt get in! At the moment as I type its lunch time and it is open, but cannot be sure it will be after 5, so need to call and check again. Crazy. Not a good time for a gym to be closed, imagine how many people will fall of the wagon in this time. What an excuse! "I wanted to train, but it was shut, and Maccy D's is right next door.. ah fuck it". Mind you, those fuckers make money no matter what, they have everyone signed up so what do they care. What a joke, I made it to work, its such an excuse.

Well, I havent let it be an excuse for going off plan, but I cant get out and run or anything instead. I may get the stationary bike out if its closed tonight, but i really want to get a weights session in again. Shoulders are feeling neglected!

Guava, I see that Airbourne are confirmed support for Crue in Canada. I have tickets to see them in April and have seen them 3 times before, including when they first came to the UK and were playing to 300 or so people. You will not be disappointed, proper old school rock n roll. :madpimp:

The line up for this years rock festivals in the UK is looking tasty. Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden and Ramstein confirmed for Sonisphere, and strong rumours of ACDC and Metallica for Donnington (though no official annoucements yet). Fingers crossed, it would be a top summer!! :guitar:

Laters everyone !!!

Gym was open again yesterday, so got in a good 1st shoulder and trap session in the new year. Should be back again tonight for chest and tris. All meals spot on. Its tough in the evenings not to dig into a bag of haribos. Helps that I dont have any in the house. I always seem to crave sweet things in the evening. It will pass.

Will sort the holiday pics etc tonight.

Its tough in the evenings not to dig into a bag of haribos. I always seem to crave sweet things in the evening. It will pass.

Reno, I find this to be the case with me a lot (cravings in the evening--expecially carbs). I'm not really hungry. I just start craving a bag of chips or some other junk. Are these cravings pretty regular with you? Do they come and go? Only come with diet changes?

I eat pretty low carbs, so I usually have a piece of cheese or something. That helps but not always.

Reno, I find this to be the case with me a lot (cravings in the evening--expecially carbs). I'm not really hungry. I just start craving a bag of chips or some other junk. Are these cravings pretty regular with you? Do they come and go? Only come with diet changes?

I eat pretty low carbs, so I usually have a piece of cheese or something. That helps but not always.

I can only speak for myself, but what you describe is what I get, not hunger, just a craving, except for me its more sweet then savoury carbs that I crave. I am not on low carbs, so I think its more just because most evenings I would eat a lot of sweets the last few months, and my body has got used to that sugar kick, and now it craves it, like it would with nicotene. You would be surprised what your body misses once its used to something. I usually find if I stick to avoiding sweets in the evening, eventually the cravings die down, again just like with any "addiction". Even at weekends, when I do relax my diet somewhat, I will avoid late night snacking where possible, otherwise the cravings start all over again the next week.

In the past I have used tinned pears or fruit to get over that craving. Yes, its calories that could be used for a pre bed protein or something, but, if it stops you eating 2 bags of chips or a large bag of Haribo, then its worth it. Fruit is always a good option, and the fructose does kill the craving quite a bit. Even an apple will help.



So gym again last night, good chest and tri session, and that rounds off my first week back. I am VERY sore right now, everything aches all over. Its good to be back. I have noted down all my lifts this week and will add to them week on week until I am back where I was.

As everyone who reads this knows, weekends can be tricky for me. However, with no money in the bank following a rather expensive ring purchase, I will be staying in, and while I may have a glass of wine, I wont be going OTT. Should be in good shape for week 2. :tu:

The goal right now isnt so much a cut, as it is just regaining my strength. I intend on losing some fat while that happens, with the workouts and clean diet, but once I am where I want to be strength wise, I will re-assess. I would like to continue to lift hard without an agressive cut, and then cut a bit pre summer, but it all depends on timescales. As always, one goal and step at a time. Once I am back to my best on Deads, Leg Press, Mil Press and Bench, then I will be happy, and goal 1 will be done.

Have a good weekend.

So I have dug out the pictures from my holiday. Rather then post the posed pictures, which to be fair can always be tinkered with a little, I will continue the theme of this thread and just post some everyday shots from the holiday, which do give a very true and real picture of how I looked and how my cut and training went prior to it.

In looking at these, I went back and had a look at my 2004 pictures as well, when I was 6-8% body fat, following my first ever cut when I first came to JSF and made the change. Man, I was cut to pieces back then. 6 years ago nearly. When you look back at those old pictures, its hard to know what to feel really. Back then I had nothing in my life except training and eating. Now I have a house, with the mortgage and bills that brings, a serious and stressful desk job, and all the fun and late nights that can bring, a fiance, 2 bands... life is very different now. Its kind of easy to see why many people post that they were pretty althletic during their 20's, and then as the 30's approach and kids and houses and life gets busy, they get fat. I am 28 now, 29 this year, and I could quite easily get fat if I let myself.

So I have to ask what is the bigger achievement. Back then when I cut in 2004, and man, I looked bloody good if I do say so, or this last cut, where I didnt reach much below 10%, but I did what I did with everything else in life carrying on. I managed to cut without making that cut my life. I added strength and muscle without making that the sole purpose of getting out of bed every day. I kept trim where others would have given up and slobbed out on the couch every night after a stressful day, with a glass of red and a bag of chips. One day perhaps, I will get the time and the drive to dedicate every day to training, never drink, never cheat, eat sleep and breath weight lifting and diet. I may get that 7% BF body again, but for now, I have to give myself credit for where I am. Everyone who reads this blog knows that I havent really abstained from life, but I have kept the balance spot on (IMO) for the first time ever, and that to me is somewhat harder to acheive in a way.

Anyway, enough ramble. I should point out the last pic is my favourite from the whole holiday and the good lady on my arm is my wife to be. :)

...I went back and had a look at my 2004 pictures as well, when I was 6-8% body fat, following my first ever cut when I first came to JSF and made the change. Man, I was cut to pieces back then. 6 years ago nearly.

What a great thing to do--reflect on where you have been and where you are now.

I managed to cut without making that cut my life. I added strength and muscle without making that the sole purpose of getting out of bed every day. I kept trim where others would have given up and slobbed out on the couch every night after a stressful day, with a glass of red and a bag of chips.

Reno, that's some real maturity (physically and otherwise) right there. Your shots look great. You wear the last six years well.

What a beautiful young lady who has consented to spend the rest of her life with you!:tucool:

I can only speak for myself, but what you describe is what I get, not hunger, just a craving, except for me its more sweet then savory carbs that I crave.

In the past I have used tinned pears or fruit to get over that craving. Fruit is always a good option, and the fructose does kill the craving quite a bit. Even an apple will help.

Reno, thanks for your help. I've made a couple of diet tweaks (more aggressive) and they are working. Now I have to see if I can get my weight to where I'd like it.

Awesome photos Reno. I think you are spot on with your view that it's harder in many ways to strike a balance you can maintain than to go hard core and be totally shredded. Well done there mate. :tu:

Thanks for the comments guys! :D

The more I see those photos the better I feel about the progress I made last year, coming back from 35 inch waist and about 15-16% body fat (or something like that), pretty good going. I like the fact those photos arent "staged" as well, no trick of the light, basically capturing how I looked in "real life".

Ive got to say, the weekend was the most boring time ever. I ended up sorting through paperwork, bills and documents yesterday, putting them into a concertina file in the correct sections. That. Is. Dull. I really need a bit of excitement. I sat about a lot over christmas, and that was cool, but now I am feeling more active, and there was just nothing to do.

Was really sore over the weekend, but now am back feeling not so tight, so back to the gym again to start week 2! Back and Bi's, step it up a notch in the quest to get back to where I was.

Yesterday was not the greatest.

Went out for lunch, could have made better choices truth be told. Then felt too full and bloated all afternoon, and didnt hit the gym. I would say in defence that I wasnt planning to hit the gym, so I didnt miss a planned workout, but, I could have gone. Ah well, hey ho.

Gym tonight for sure, shoulders and traps. Had a good session Monday with back and bis, adding weight to everything except the deadlifts, which was wise as I felt it was heavy enough to be getting on with. Hope to add some weight to everything tonight.

I may then hit the cinema to see this Avatar 3D I have heard so much about. Its right next to the gym, so i can probably work out something that means I am there without having to go home for tea. Will mean a hot dog and cheesy natchos for dinner though... ;) Nah, Nandos is next door, so probably just grab a chicken pitta or something like that, no dressing. Remember folks, size and strength is the focus right now, with any fatloss a bonus. I certainly do not want to get fatter, but, I will switch to a more focussed cut later in the spring.

Found this article which has a part relating to the late night carb cravings. Interesting that stimulants play a part, as that make sense for me.

Anyway, thought I would post it:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/nutritional_leverage_with_shelby_starnes_1

Last week was another good week, I actually managed to get 4 sessions in, all were good solid efforts as well. I broke my 2010 leg virginity with a light leg session (defo didnt want to overdo it and not be able to walk!), and so I can continue to work those now as well. All diet was spot on last week, and while the weekend was far from perfect, it wasnt too bad, and I aint sweating it.

I think I am a little over calories in the week at the moment, I need to start monitoring stats again, which I will start tomorrow morning. Especially interested in waist measurement. Not too fussed on weight, though would be interested to know what my morning natural weight is right now, as I have no idea.

Training chest last week, I bumped into a lad I trained with a good few times last year, he is a big strong dude, and so competative nature took over and I ended up on the decline bench pumping out very near to my PB, and with relative ease. While it wasnt smart, and I was lucky not to be very sore the next day, it does show that a few months lay off isnt the end of the world for muscle growth. In fact, I doubt I lost any to be honest, and its just a case of getting myself and my joints used to the lifting again. If anything, its probably been a good thing to have the time off, after 10 months of solid progress and lifting. Not so good for the waistline mind.

Gym again tonight for week 3.

I am really pushing the pace with my compound lifts. After the motivation of the decline bench press thing i mentioned from last week, this week I have increased my standing military press by 5kg and added 10kg to my deadlift, and the numbers being lifted are now not far off where I was. Probably another 10-20kg for my deads, and 10kg for my standing press. The deadlifts wiped me out, and the rest of the session was hard going to push myself, but I did. I felt though that I didnt give my bi's 100%, so i may try and fit in another arm session. I would really like bigger arms for this summer. Wouldnt we all ?!

Sooooo I weighed in this morning for the first time, at 12 stone 2lbs. So about 8-9lbs up from my holiday weight. Meh, Ill deal with that. Probably a couple months hardcore will see me back down, but I really want more mass on me at the moment. Having a covering of fat isnt that bad right now, while its cold, and I am enjoying lifting very much. I will keep an eye on it though, so it doesnt go up any further (the scales), because half a stone I can handle, but more is going to make it harder later on. That said, I dont see my weight going up too much, as I should burn some fat and increase some muscle, so will probably not sweat it too much.

No gym tonight, I am off to see Henry Rollins give a spoken word gig in Liverpool. I have seen him speak before and he is one of the most interesting cool people I have listened to. Very insightful, and just, well, interesting. I hope he talks about weight lifting and working out.

Laters !

Henry Rollins was awesome. The dude spoke for 2.5 hours, man thats value for money. To be able to hold an audience for that length of time, just telling stories about your life interjected with his views, is pretty amazing.

Gym tonight. Work is pissing me off so much today, seem to be getting shit from all angles. A good weights session should help!





"Iron and the Soul" – Henry Rollins.

I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like you parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me "garbage can" and telling me I'd be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn't run home crying, wondering why. I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time. As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn't going to get pounded in the hallway between classes.

Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you'll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn't think much of them either.

Then came Mr. Pepperman, my adviser. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard.

Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no. He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn't even drag them to my mom's car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.

Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.'s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn't looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing.

In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn't want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in. Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn't know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn't say **** to me.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything. That's the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.

It wasn't until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a ceratin amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can't be as bad as that workout.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn't ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you're not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr. Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.

Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body. Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn't see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.

I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you're made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live.

Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole. I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind. The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

thanks for sharing that. awesome!

Pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness.

There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength.

Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

:dreamy:

thanks for sharing that. awesome!



:dreamy:

The "200lbs is always 200lbs" is my favourite bit of that. Its quite an oldish quote that I actually first read here on JSF, and that is what got me into him. I have seen him speak twice, both times very cool. I can highly recommend his gigs.


So gym last night, great chest and tris workout, fueled by a crappy day at work. Really feel back into it now, think I might go and do another extra session tonight. Just had chinese food for lunch for someones last day in work. Whoops. Defo better workout!!

This weekend will be a crazy one. Got an all day session planned with the lads in Birmingham (Midlands, UK....not Alabama :p ), which should be great fun, meeting up with my good friends, just the lads, and letting of some manly steam. Then back to my hometown, quick pack of the car with my band gear, and then off to Manchester (North West, UK... oh, you get it, you nicked all our town name!!!) for band practice. By the time i get back and sit down, it will be late Sunday night. So ive booked Monday morning off work to catch up on sleep, so hopefully it wont wipe out my week!

Henry Rollins was awesome. The dude spoke for 2.5 hours, man thats value for money. To be able to hold an audience for that length of time, just telling stories about your life interjected with his views, is pretty amazing.

Did he do the Bun-Bun story? :lol: Some friends of mine and I used to watch his spoken word over and over and over. Awesome.


I read Now Watch Him Die a few times in high school. Great book. Cheerful and all.

Did he do the Bun-Bun story? :lol: Some friends of mine and I used to watch his spoken word over and over and over. Awesome.


I read Now Watch Him Die a few times in high school. Great book. Cheerful and all.


It was all brand new material based on the last 18 months of his life. I last saw him at Leeds Music Festival where he did an hour or so, so was cool because it was like what he had been up to since i last saw him.



So the weekend was as hectic and draining as I thought it would be. I am so glad I had the foresight to book Monday morning off work, Monday afternoon was a struggle as it was, never mind if I had had to get up and do the morning to. Slept until 11 (had 3.5 hours of "sleep" on a wooden floor Saturday night, then had band practice Sunday night from which I didnt get home until midnight), the sleep was essential, and I dont feel to bad today. I DID make the gym and pushed myself hard, went up in weight again on the military press and my side / front raise superset, so thats cool. I nearly wussed out of my shrugs though, the devil on my shoulder telling me I can just do them on Back day. But I did them anyway. Fuck you shoulder devil.

I have a feeling I may get stuck in work tonight, but hopefully not. Back and Bi is the order of the day, my back is still tender from last week, so will keep all the weights the same tonight and focus on form I think. Was a tough session last week which left me battered, so I dont feel too much of a pussy focussing on rep increase and form instead for this week.

Keep it real. Laters.

Not much posting this week, but its been a good one. Back and Bis was very solid, and chest was at another level, as I hit my PB for bench with some venom. Plus two people this week have commented on my frame, in a good way, one of whom was my hairdresser who I last saw pre xmas (so like right before I started back), the other a girl in work. Both said I looked like I had gained muscle, with no prompt from me. :) Always good. I think Month 1 has been superb, and here it to pushing it in Feb and March, hitting some new PB's, adding unheard of mass (for me) and then cutting down a bit for summer to reveal all the hard work.

As an aside, I went to see a Chiropractor yesterday, for a niggle I have in my back, where my lat meets my ribs meets my spine sort of place. Man. That was a painful 20 minutes of my life! After assessing me and finding the spot, he then cracked my spine in 3 places, then went to town on the sore spot, and I cant tell you how much that hurt (the cracking however was wonderfully nice!). Its still sore now, but I go back on Monday for another session (should only need that), if it works great! I will keep ya posted.

I finish work at 3pm today, and then drive 3 hours to my gig tonight with DC79, my AC/DC tribute band. Then after the gig, 3 hour drive back. Hope I dont fall asleep at the wheel ! :eek:

Have a good weekend everyone ! Say hi to your smile for me.

chest was at another level, as I hit my PB for bench with some venom. :evil: :claplow:

Plus two people this week have commented on my frame, in a good way, one of whom was my hairdresser who I last saw pre xmas (so like right before I started back), the other a girl in work. Both said I looked like I had gained muscle, with no prompt from me. :) :eek: What do you wear to work? One of my coworkers could lose or gain 20 pounds and I doubt I would notice. :o

I finish work at 3pm today, and then drive 3 hours to my gig tonight with DC79, my AC/DC tribute band. Then after the gig, 3 hour drive back. Hope I dont fall asleep at the wheel ! :eek:

Have a good weekend everyone ! Say hi to your smile for me.Have a great weekend. :guitar: :)

Henry Rollins was awesome.

Reno, thanks for posting this. Great Stuff. What rock have I been under? This is the first I've seen of Rollins' material.

Kudo's on the comments from others. You must be doing great work. :tucool:

:eek: What do you wear to work? One of my coworkers could lose or gain 20 pounds and I doubt I would notice. :o

The reason for the comments is that I have been wearing my own clothes to work these past 2 weeks as a way to generate money for this Hati Earthquake appeal. Everyone in work has. So the comments I got were in T shirt and jeans, and I agree, short of a belly hanging over the waistline, its tough to tell under shirts and suits what a persons physique is like. Ned Flanders is of course the best example of this.

I got another comment on my arms before the gig friday. So I must be doing something right!

Weekend was ok, food was not the best, but didnt get drunk which is always a blessing. Friday was very late home from the gig, didnt get in till 3.40am! Yikes! Made up for the sleep over the weekend and dont feel too bad today (for a Monday).

Back to the gym this week, week 5 already. Shit man, it will be christmas again soon! Oi, Life, SLOW THE F%^K DOWN !!

Off to see Ramstein tomorrow night, should be a great show. Not seen them before, but apparently their live show is amazing. Music isnt bad either.

Oh yeah, been to the chiropractor twice now, my GOD what a painful experience! He cracked all my spine which wasnt too bad, but then he went to town on my left scapula (the area of pain), pressing, pushing, rubbing, twanging, OW OW OW OW !! Time will tell if it helped, but to be honest before I went i felt like that was the sort of thing it needed. Been twice, and he does want me to go again next week, but as I am paying privatly, I will see how I go. As a body builder, I prefer a plaster, not a cure. ;)


Think I will hit legs tonight.

Ended up hitting shoulders and traps Monday, and then of course no gym yesterday as i went to see Rammstein. They were very impressive, not a band I would go out of my way to see again (especially for the £50 the ticket cost me!), but, a band I am very glad I saw if that makes sense. They sing in German, which sounds pretty cool and fits well but TBH does mean that as a UK crowd you do lack a bit of interaction, there wasnt that sing along moment that makes a gig very special and that is usually one of the memories I take home with me from concerts. That said, they did set a roadie on fire which was pretty cool! The stage show is unprecidented.

Lisa, did you go see Crue yet? How was it ??? :spaz::spaz:

Have to confess i had a couple of beers last night.... Would you say "couple beers" in America, with no "of"? Why dont you like the little in between words? Like "write me". Isnt that "write TO me"? Weird. ;)

Anyway, yeah so a couple of beers, not mega loads, just 3 or 4, but feeling a litle tired as it was coupled with a 12.30am bedtime. I need to hit the gym tonight, but, I have no car as its in the garage (dont ask, I am praying for a cheap one). So I need to find someone else who is going, to give me a lift. Not feeling the love for a session but I need to get down, usually I wind up having an ok session when I make the effort. I fancy legs.

Lisa, did you go see Crue yet? Tomorrow! :spaz: :spaz: :spaz:

Canadian beer grammar (http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2005/06/beer_or_beers.html): I say a couple of beer. :crazy: I won't be having any beer, but I'm going to see if somehow I could have just cake for supper :drool:

It's gonna be tight getting in there from work. Last time I was at that venue, I ended up having a box of caramel corn for supper because we didn't have any time to stop anywhere, and popcorn sounded like at least as healthy a dinner option as pizza. :p

How far away is your gym? I've always thought it would be ideal if I could walk to a gym, but so far that hasn't been a possibility.

Tomorrow! :spaz: :spaz: :spaz:

Canadian beer grammar (http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2005/06/beer_or_beers.html): I say a couple of beer. :crazy: I won't be having any beer, but I'm going to see if somehow I could have just cake for supper :drool:

It's gonna be tight getting in there from work. Last time I was at that venue, I ended up having a box of caramel corn for supper because we didn't have any time to stop anywhere, and popcorn sounded like at least as healthy a dinner option as pizza. :p

How far away is your gym? I've always thought it would be ideal if I could walk to a gym, but so far that hasn't been a possibility.


So in Canada you include the 'of', but dont bother to make beer a plural, despite the fact the sentence confirms a "couple"? :confused: :p

Lisa, every time I have a midweek gig, my diet goes to shit. As you say, its always a rush to get home, get changed, and hit the road in time to wind up at the show on time. I think you can justify some popcorn, hey, its what Motley Crue would want! So jealous, make sure to sing along to Home sweet home for me. :tucool:

I can walk to work from home, and in theory I could walk to the gym from work, but, its probably about 3 miles back from the gym to home, and the weather here is terrible, the last thing I want to do after a tough weights session is walk 3 miles in heavy rain. In the summer I do often cycle to the gym.

So last night, no gym. :mad: I use the mad smiley (is that possible to have, a mad 'smiley'?), because even though I had no car, I could have got a lift and gone later on, but chose to listen to the fat devil on my shoulder and instead stayed in watching Seinfeld eating curry. Not a smart move. I was really tired and stressed, shouldnt let that dictate when I work out. That said, I do believe my workout would have been demotivating and poor. That said again, I should have tried and failed then not tried at all.

Defo going tonight, with guy from work who to be fair to him has stuck at this gym thing since new year. Its good to have someone to go with consistently. Kudos.

I am tempted to skip arms this week as I have a gig this weekend and last weekend my arms got really weak and sore half way through the set, and it was a struggle to get through it, not good. I may switch arms to the start of the week going forward, but for now I may just skip them. I hope to be able to go to the gym tomorrow to make the 3 for the week (the magic number right?), but I have a phone conference with a client at 5pm (on a friday, worst time ever!), so will have to really push myself to go after that.

---------------------------------

You Know I'm A Dreamer
But My Heart's Of Gold
I Had To Run Away High
So I Wouldn't Come Home Low

Just When Things Went Right
It Doesn't Mean They Were
Always Wrong
Just Take This Song And You'll
Never Feel
Left All Alone

Take Me To Your Heart
Feel Me In Your Bones
Just One More Night
And I'm Comin' Off This
Long & Winding Road

I'm On My Way
Well, I'm On My Way
Home Sweet Home
Tonight Tonight
I'm On My Way
I'm On My Way
Home Sweet Home

You Know That I Seem
To Make Romantic Dreams
Up In Lights, Fallin' Off
The Silver Screen

My Hearts Like An Open Book
For The Whole World To Read
Sometimes Nothing-
Keeps Me Together
At The Seams

I'm On My Way
Well, I'm On My Way
Home Sweet Home
Tonight Tonight
I'm On My Way
Just Set Me Free
Home Sweet Home

Have to confess i had a couple of beers last night.... Would you say "couple beers" in America, with no "of"? Why dont you like the little in between words? Like "write me". Isnt that "write TO me"? Weird. ;)


I think it's variable. I hear people say both. I think when people are being extremely casual with one another, they drop articles. Some people. Some of the time. It's hard to make any big generalizations; there's so much regional language variation. :lol:

So nevermind then.

Have to confess i had a couple of beers last night.... Would you say "couple beers" in America, with no "of"? Why dont you like the little in between words? Like "write me". Isnt that "write TO me"? Weird. ;)
Like Choppie said, it depends on the person and the situation. In casual conversation I would say "a coupla beers." After a coupla beers, I would say "more pleashe." Once again, we are nations separated by a common language. My favorite riff on this is from Eddie Izzard, who says " you pronounce it 'erb, we pronounce it herb...because there's a fucking H in it."

Anyway, yeah so a couple of beers, not mega loads, just 3 or 4, but feeling a litle tired as it was coupled with a 12.30am bedtime. I need to hit the gym tonight, but, I have no car as its in the garage (dont ask, I am praying for a cheap one). So I need to find someone else who is going, to give me a lift. Not feeling the love for a session but I need to get down, usually I wind up having an ok session when I make the effort. I fancy legs.
Dude, you look great and have been super consistent for a long time now. Maybe you just need a wee break for a coupla weeks and then back at it.

Yeah, I love that Eddie Izzard piece. Very funny guy.

K3, I dont think a break is in order just yet. Remember, I had 2+ months off before new year. I think I just need to knuckle down.

Lisa, how were Motley Crue????

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/sex-shocker-at-crue-gig/#more-29574

I am hopeful this wasnt you. ;) :eek::eek::eek:

Sleep is becoming an issue at the moment for some reason? Usually give or take the odd time, I sleep very well, but these last couple of weeks I have been waking at like 4am and taking a while to get back to sleep, and its VERY annoying. I go to bed midweek like 10pm, so not mega late, and dont need to rise till 7-8am, maybe my body just doesnt need that much right now? Or is it stuff on my mind? I got nothing on it more then usual. I always have something to think about! I do have an Iphone App that you put on your matress and it documents your sleep patterns by how much you move, maybe I am concious of that and thinking about it? That seems to be all thats changed. I am going to put some fresh sheets on tonight, scrap the Iphone thing, and see how it goes tonight.

Gym last night was awesome, I am not up to my PB for military presses, so thats chest and shoulders back to their strongest, with back not far behind. Legs I still have some way to go. I had a really good session last night, one of those everything clicks days.

Got another busy weekend ahead. I should have mentioned about last weekend, the gig I played on Saturday was amazing. We went down an absolute storm, it was packed out and jumping, easy the best gig I have ever played. www.dc79.co.uk is our website, and check out some of the comments in the guestbook! It makes you very pleased to get that sort of feedback, even if you are playing the music of someone else, you are working a crowd and doing your very best to be the best at what you do.

The gig was so late I didnt get in until 4.30am, rock n roll. Thats the second weekend running where I have had a gig from which I havent returned till late. Maybe thats not helping the sleep? :confused:

So yeah, this weekend I am not playing, but as you have probably gathered, I dont like to go too long without a music fix, so via a rather cool uncle I have tickets to see Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck at the 02 arena in London. London baby!! I dont get to our capital much, and I have never been to the world famous O2 (where Jacko was to play his "This is it" residency of course, as well as where Prince did the same thing, and Bon Jovi are due to do it to very soon). Really looking forward to that, as I have never seen Clapton live even though he is one of the main reasons I picked up the guitar long term (and why my first proper guitar was a black and white strat). Jumping the train down there, and then getting a lift with my uncle to Oxford (home of the University!) where my uncle lives, crashing there, and then back up north Sunday. Should be another busy one, but a good one!

Weekend after that, my ACDC band is off to Glasgow in Scotland, to play a gig for the 30th anniversary of ACDC singer Bon Scotts death. As he and 2 other members of the band are / were from Glasgow, and given the relavance of the weekend, I expect that to be a great show as well. Having said that, were driving up to Scotland and back the same night, so I dont see me getting home until 6am or so !!

Lifes to short to sit around. :tu:

For now though, its all business, and back in the gym tonight for a session with the bench.

Have a good day !

Word up.

So I scrapped the Iphone sleep-o-meter, and last night I slept much much better. I did wake up as always but got back to sleep fine.

Now, one of my rules of sleep is not to engage with the concious when you wake up; for this reason I have no visable clock in my room and never check my phone when I wake up. I believe this is fundemental to good sleep, because it avoids conciously being aware of being awake too much, or what time it is, or how much more sleep you have left to go. If you wake at 2am, you check the time, you think how much sleep have I got left, great loads, then lie awake, check the time, 2.30, 3am etc, panic now, need to get back to sleep. Also you wake and its 5.30, shit only got 1 more hour, must get back to sleep, great now I am awake, what do I have to do in work today... etc. No time, no problem with that. Could be midnight, could be 6am. All I care about is getting back to sleep and not thinking about it, not putting my mind into the concept of a time. Its sleep time, bed time, time I should be asleep. If my alarm goes off in 15 minutes, fuck it.

So my theory could be that by having this thing measuring my sleep, in my head I wake and then think, that will be on the log, then I am thinking about the fact that I am awake, and its being recorded, so then I need to get back to sleep again. And your into that mindset.

Now, does this mean that I slept better because of that? Not necessarily. My missus slept well to, which probably helped because she is not a great sleeper (she checks the time every time she wakes up.. yes, I have told her my theory. No, she doesnt listen. :p). Also, I had a rough weekend sleep wise, and it could have taken until now to reset my body clock. I also went to bed a little later. And for the past 3 days I have been getting up 45 mins - 1 hour earlier (early meetings 2 days, then today just kept to the routine). So it could be a lot of things. But suffice to say, no more Iphone sleep monitor.

Chest and tris last night was good. Energy level dropped a bit midway though. I am back to where I was for chest, shoulders and hopefully back after tonights session. Legs need focus, but it will be a while till they are back, given I gave up squats and am now bringing them back.

New territory means more tweaks. Weight this morning was 12 stone 2.5 lbs, which is 9 lbs heavier then I was before my holiday. Most of that is water and fat, but I feel bigger, and am not too fussed. Its 1-2 months cutting. What I want to do is set some new mass building goals, now I am back to where I was. I want to increase things like arm size which hasnt gone up for years. Increase my lifts 10-20kg more then I ever have. That will need me to tweak my diet and focus a bit more on it. Watch this space.

:doh: You aren't a supporter so you can't read my journal. I moved it shortly after I started talking about more interesting things.Lisa, how were Motley Crue????

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/sex-shocker-at-crue-gig/#more-29574

I am hopeful this wasnt you. ;) :eek::eek::eek:Not me. But that is my home town. :madpimp: She may have been one of the women I met in a bar 15 years ago who was wearing only duct tape.

Crue was cool. They didn't play Home Sweet Home until the encore. Airborne, who opened for them were in a way cooler.

I still have the concert bug. I have plans to go in a few weeks to see Helix, "The biggest heavy metal band in Canadian history!" (http://www.planethelix.com/) They are playing just a few miles from our home in a tiny little club and will be selling a maximum of 500 tickets. Given my impulse control disorder resulting from crowd anxiety, that's probably a wiser option for me than tempting the large venues where I keep getting in fights. :o

I think I just need to knuckle down. :flex:

Lifes to short to sit around.:bb:

:doh: You aren't a supporter so you can't read my journal. I moved it shortly after I started talking about more interesting things.Not me. But that is my home town. :madpimp: She may have been one of the women I met in a bar 15 years ago who was wearing only duct tape.

Crue was cool. They didn't play Home Sweet Home until the encore. Airborne, who opened for them were in a way cooler.

I still have the concert bug. I have plans to go in a few weeks to see Helix, "The biggest heavy metal band in Canadian history!" (http://www.planethelix.com/) They are playing just a few miles from our home in a tiny little club and will be selling a maximum of 500 tickets. Given my impulse control disorder resulting from crowd anxiety, that's probably a wiser option for me than tempting the large venues where I keep getting in fights. :o


Yeah, I have seen Airbourne 3 times, and will be seeing them again in April. They are a cool rock n roll outfit.

Glad you enjoyed the gig anyway. They did Home Sweet Home for the encore last time I saw them, they rolled out a really cool painted Grand Piano for Tommy to play the intro on. Then he runs to hit kit for when the drums come in.



So, good but busy weekend. Jeff Beck and Clapton were both on top form, great show. The O2 arena in London is also a very cool venue. Weirdly I ended up back at the home of a guy who managed the "Brothers in Arms" world tour for Dire Straits in the mid 80's. Needless to say, his house was pretty nice! I dont think he has needed to work since. Imagine running a tour like that, it was on the road for 2 years, 100 cities. 12 consecutive nights at Wembley Arena plus Live Aid. Man. Cool guy anyway by all accounts.

So I am really looking forward to another good week of workouts. Though my back is still really sore, the Chiro didnt seem to help although I did end the treatment early. I got the impression he was dragging out whatever he was going to do, so fuck that. At £40 a session, of my own money, he needed to do better quicker. Then I might have felt like I should stay. I did some very heavy lifts last week, back up to my PB all round now, so no wonder I am a bit sore. I may try a sports massage. I think if it isnt the spine, Chiro seems to not have the answer.

So I did say when I hit my PBs again I would evaluate my position. Stay tuned!

Sleep is becoming an issue at the moment for some reason? Usually give or take the odd time, I sleep very well, but these last couple of weeks I have been waking at like 4am and taking a while to get back to sleep, and its VERY annoying. I go to bed midweek like 10pm, so not mega late, and dont need to rise till 7-8am, maybe my body just doesnt need that much right now? Or is it stuff on my mind? I got nothing on it more then usual. I always have something to think about! I do have an Iphone App that you put on your matress and it documents your sleep patterns by how much you move, maybe I am concious of that and thinking about it? That seems to be all thats changed. I am going to put some fresh sheets on tonight, scrap the Iphone thing, and see how it goes tonight.
New position at work....coworkers bugging you because of layoffs.....getting engaged...naw, can't think of what would be occupying your mind. :confused:

Gym last night was awesome, I am not up to my PB for military presses, so thats chest and shoulders back to their strongest, with back not far behind. Legs I still have some way to go. I had a really good session last night, one of those everything clicks days.
:claplow:
Got another busy weekend ahead. I should have mentioned about last weekend, the gig I played on Saturday was amazing. We went down an absolute storm, it was packed out and jumping, easy the best gig I have ever played. www.dc79.co.uk is our website, and check out some of the comments in the guestbook! It makes you very pleased to get that sort of feedback, even if you are playing the music of someone else, you are working a crowd and doing your very best to be the best at what you do.
I really envy your rock-n-roll lifestyle Reno. That sounds incredible.

Now, one of my rules of sleep is not to engage with the concious when you wake up; for this reason I have no visable clock in my room and never check my phone when I wake up. I believe this is fundemental to good sleep, because it avoids conciously being aware of being awake too much, or what time it is, or how much more sleep you have left to go. If you wake at 2am, you check the time, you think how much sleep have I got left, great loads, then lie awake, check the time, 2.30, 3am etc, panic now, need to get back to sleep. Also you wake and its 5.30, shit only got 1 more hour, must get back to sleep, great now I am awake, what do I have to do in work today... etc. No time, no problem with that. Could be midnight, could be 6am. All I care about is getting back to sleep and not thinking about it, not putting my mind into the concept of a time. Its sleep time, bed time, time I should be asleep. If my alarm goes off in 15 minutes, fuck it.

So my theory could be that by having this thing measuring my sleep, in my head I wake and then think, that will be on the log, then I am thinking about the fact that I am awake, and its being recorded, so then I need to get back to sleep again. And your into that mindset.
I agree with this theory. And I read in another journal that if you wake up and your mind is racing, close your eyes and relax and start moving them back and forth like you do in REM sleep and you will fall asleep in short order. Works for me.
My missus slept well to, which probably helped because she is not a great sleeper (she checks the time every time she wakes up.. yes, I have told her my theory. No, she doesnt listen. :p).
Get used to that my friend.... you have a penis so you clearly don't know what you're talking about. And when the ring goes on the finger, your IQ will automatically drop 50 points. :)

:doh: You aren't a supporter so you can't read my journal. I moved it shortly after I started talking about more interesting things.Not me. But that is my home town. :madpimp: She may have been one of the women I met in a bar 15 years ago who was wearing only duct tape.
Holy crap. That must have been quite the visual. And if she wasn't clean shaven before, she certainly was after removing the duct tape.
:eek:

Awesome workouts and work ethic there Reno. :tu:

K3, you make some good points.

My sleep has much improved since that spell, whatever it was seems to have passed thank god; I do think the Iphone sleep monitor was the most likely, perhaps coupled with other things. I have tried that roll the eyes thing, but it doesnt seem to do anything for me except make me feel a bit dizzy. :lol:

As for Rock n Roll lifestyle, last night I went to the gym, did legs and abs, came home and changed into comfy pants and dressing gown, watched TV and some Seinfeld, then went to bed at 9.50pm. Somehow I cant see Diamond Dave Lee Roth doing the same ! :p I know what u mean though, it is cool to have so much to do. I dont tend to pass on an oppotunity when it presents itself. I regret what I dont do more then what I do. My mum died at 50 from Cancer, and prior to that was very severely disabled, so you get an appreciation that what you have in life is a gift and it should be used to the max at all time. So long as your well, you should push every area of your life and cram as much good experience in as possible. Also makes you realise life is to short, sometimes you dont get the chance to do the things you put off until your older. I say, do em now while you can.

I could however, use a weekend to chill. And also need to start working on my front garden (yard). However, the weather here is still shitty. Hopefully come March, i will have a few weekends free to get it started.

So, legs last night, for only the second time in 2010. :o I started a log with the weights that I did, and pushed myself, and feel like I proved a point to myself. Legs has its place in my workout week from now on. As does squat, which I made a return to last night. Did a decent squat actually. All good.

Shoulders tonight.

I have purchased some creatine and BCAA powder, and am revamping my workout nutrition. The AMPED had too much caffine to make it viable, so thats out, but I want to try this combo

Pre: 1 scoop Whey, 1/2 scoop Glucose, 1 portion Creatine, 1 portion BCAA powder.

During: 1 portion BCAA powder

Post: 1 scoop whey, 1/2 scoop glucose, 1 portion Creatine

From here on in, its all about my workouts. I hope this attention will allow me to push new boundaries in the gym. We shall see.

I also wish to tweak my nutrition, but will leave that for now and see how I get on with this new supplimentation. Dont want to change too many things, see improvement, and not know what has caused it.

Laters!

Good chest workout last night. Solid increase in weight on most lifts.

I am thinking of spanking my arms tonight. I did some triceps on the back of yesterdays chest, but feel like doing a session purely on them.

Then again, I may do shoulders. I am though pretty sore from head to toe. Will see how I feel when I get there. I will though train, thats the main thing.

I may soon see 13 stone on the scales. Now, whether thats good or bad I dont know. In the mirror this morning, I could still see some abs, although blurry. Sometimes I feel fat, other times just a bit bloated, and other times pretty trim. I guess when your bulking, this is common. Havent done it for so long. I really need to keep track on my waist. I dont want to cut until I am notably more strong on all my lifts then I am now, which will be more then I ever have been. I want new muscle this summer.

My bro has lost a heck of a lot of weight this last year, he posted some progress pics on Facebook, very good job. I will have to get him to post them on here. He has done it properly, with a lot of mistakes along the way as does everyone, but all with weights and diet, and he has avoided looking skinny, as he has retained and added some muscle. He says I was a big help, with giving tips and advice, so thats really cool.

Also the guy I have been training with since Jan has lost 1.5 stone (21lbs) since he started. Again, I have helped him with his diet and given him pointers and of course the gym program. Very little cardio to.

Its really cool to see people listen and make the effort and get results. If only everyone did. :D

I am quite happy with the increased muscle mass I have developed. Just a shame I seem to be putting on some middle fat as well. Ah well, a few more weeks of lifting and eating big (and whatever I want! :lol:), and then the "fun" cut will start. I think once I am done, I will have some good new muscle. Since April last year, I have added quite a bit of size. :nod:

Apologies for the stupid faces. I was half tempted to blank them out, except I thought fuck it, I am amoung friends here now. :cool::lol:

Whoa, you're a solid looking young man. :whistle: :o

Since April last year, I have added quite a bit of size.:eek: Yer hyooge!!!

Have "fun" on your cut :crazy:

Wow Reno you're looking great. You've definitely put on some size. Nice work. :tu:

Thanks guys. I intend to gain a little more before the cut begins. I know mentally this is going to be a tough cut to crack. See what I did there?

I do feel a little fat around the middle. Other times, not so bad.

This week is not the most productive I have ever had. Probably in the main the effect of a whole night of missed sleep. I am a man who loves his sleep. I am no Margaret Thatcher thats for sure. I took Monday off to recover, then hit a good but perhaps over specific arm session Tuesday. Yesterday was an out of town late meeting for work, tonight I plan to hit back and traps (as already done arms). Tomorrow I have a gig in Manchester with DC79, so thats Friday out.

Next week is my fiances 30th Birthday, so I am taking her to the Lake Disrict, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We are going to stay in a little village and for the first time ever, I will be eating at a Michellen starred restaurant, where the chef has agreed to adapt his 8 course taster menu for veggies (which she is, I will be having meat still!). Its always been a life goal of mine to do this, and so I am really excited. We are staying in the hotel for B&B which is joined with the restuarant. Plus 2 days away in the quiet landscape of the lakes sounds pretty good right now ! I will be sure to feedback on the food and the experience. I have always wondered, when I eat a really good meal out, "What can be so much better then this to warrent an award". I cant wait to find out.

Also on the cards is starting to clear out my front yard, which has been a shit tip since we bought the house. Overgrown, in need of a clean, plus I need to get a metal shed put in for my motorbike, which I didnt get out to ride last year, and remains in my old mans garage. The fun of this project starts Saturday. I am off work Monday, but we dont go to the lakes till Tuesday, so will do some more then as well, weather permitting (which is still shitty in the UK).

Next week will also be difficult to get any serious weight lifting done. I am due a week off, as you know I always drop off every 8 weeks or so, but I am reluctant to do so and lose my lifting momentum. Maybe if I get 2 sessions in this week, same next week, then that will do, and I can pick it up again the week after. I also need to think when I need to start my cut. I would like to be where I should be by download this year, which is June 11th. Last year I wasnt quite as cut as I would have liked. We shall see.

Have fun y'all and thanks again for the comments on the pics, makes this old fatty feel good ! :tu:

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49942

This is my brothers progress pics and first post on JSF, he was nervous to put them on here, but I have pursuaded him! You will see he has done very well !!! Very pleased and proud of him, especially his progress in the last year.

Post your comments for him guys. :D

Its cutting time guys.

Yes I have put on some decent muscle, but man, I have put on some tubby lard as well. Especially in the last 2 weeks.

I took last week off due to going away with my other half for her birthday, and then being in work training at the end of the week. Plus it felt right to take a week off as well.

While I would love to carry on eating lots of food, I just cant seem to keep it clean anymore. I have got the point where I am not comfortable with my mid section, so time to put a plan into action.

To give you some idea, I took my starting measurements this morning, at 15.7% body fat, 34.5inch average waist and 12 stone 6.5lbs fully fasted, as you can see, boy got fat.

So today is Day 1 of my cut. Plan is to start off by cleaning up my act completely. I am going to keep up with min 3 weight training sessions per week, and add 2 morning cardio sessions per week. This is delayed until my car gets fixed (as it broke down the other night). I know what your thinking, me and morning cardio (or any cardio) doesnt work right? Well, my workout partner has hit a stall on his fatloss, so he is going to join me, and I think having someone there to meet and relying on me to turn up will be a big help.

I also want to continue to build strength on this cut, so my diet will be tweaked to ensure I have max energy for my workouts. I will take in glucose and whey post workout, then my final meal of the day will be carbs and fat only. I will continue with my BCAA powder. I may not keep up with the creatine though, I didnt notice much difference when taking it, and its a pain to remember to take.

My goal is to get below 10% body fat and to a 31inch waist. This actually came about because a friend gave me some 32inch classic Levi jeans to wear in my band, fitted style blue denim from 1979, and I cant even button them up. Yes they are tight fitted anyway, but still.

I dont care what I weigh, my goal is based mostly on waist and also body fat, which have always been great measures for me. If i get to 31 inch waist, I know I am on the right lines. Goals in the gym remain increasing weight and reps weekly. Tough on a cut, but watch me rock it. I have the great base that I have built along with my new belly, I am stronger all round then I have ever been, and I am sure I can build on that while cutting, if I do it right.

I will also be attempting to limit what I drink, though that is always a struggle for me as you know.

I would LOVE to cut up to 8% body fat again, just once. Seeing some pictures around the forums has really inspired me. We shall see. For now sub 10% and 31inch waist is the aim of the game, while adding strength.



Anyway, thats fitness. Normal world wise, things are good. I had a shitty cold which I havent quite dropped, but no gym tonight as I am off to see Skynard in Manchester. No booze though !! And need to get a healthy tea in before we leave.

Band is going well, I got fitted out for a wig recently to wear on stage. It was a very weird experience, walking into the wig shop and being surrounded by bodyless, faceless, manakin heads. There was no one in the shop until the lady appeared from the back. Just me and the heads. It was pretty scary !! Lots of gigs coming up, all quite far afield. I am actually quite looking forward to a few weekends off which I have coming up, but alas, I do need the extra money because my car broke down on the way back from a gig 2 weekends ago. Its going into the garage to be checked today. Fingers crossed its nothing major.

My other half (her name is Rachel) and I had a wicked birthday. We attended the Michelin starred restaurant as planned, and it was like nothing I have ever experienced before. You cant compare it to going for a normal, nice meal. While I have had equally as pleasent a meal elsewhere, this was just at another level of cleverness and finesse. Smoke, mirrors, the works. Very very clever dishes, all individual and all with their own concept. Some had scented smoke under the plate cover that whisped up as it was uncovered, so you could smell wood burning fires as you tucked in. One dish was presented as a rock pool, and the memories of the beach as a child and going "rock pooling" with my brother, amazing stuff. Another was presented to look like a little garden, with edible soil and little herb flowers pocking out. Just like nothing I have ever eaten and experienced. All with excellent service, attention to detail, and the worlds best cheese board!

Its little wonder I am a fat fuck these days !!!

Not much else to report. Wish me luck on this cut, here is to pushing it further then I did last year, and really making a real cut happen. I want to uncover this new muscle. :)

Fair bit of waffle in my last post.

So, I am officially cutting. Day 1 done, no probs. Went to see Skynyd who totally rocked, avoided all junk food, soft drinks and beer. Got back fairly early, so avoided a lack of sleep. And ate an 4 egg 50/50 ommlette with 2 slices of granary toast before I left for my dinner. :)

That said, Day 1 is always a piece of piss.

Skynyd did their new song "God and Guns". If you could capture a stereotype in one song, that would be it. ;)

I need to step up my water intake, as I still feel very bloated. Didnt drink too much yesterday.

Back to the gym tonight, shoulders and traps, woooooo hooooo cant wait. I dont feel up for it at all, still playing with this cold, but I will be there, and I am looking forward to pushing it hard, and seeing what happens.

The avoidance of Carbs in the evening is going to be fun. I didnt last night but I was pretty beat up and needed the energy. Tonight after the gym I will have my shake with glucose, then for dinner I plan a lean steak with a portebello mushroom, baked with a little red pesto and low fat cheese. If I am going to do this, I gotta get back to proper cooking, and proper food.

I am going to go now and drink some water.

Good day yesterday, as I got back in the gym. Was a little off the pace with my military presses, struggling to shift the same weight I was up to, but confident that by next week I will be ok. Also introduced single arm DB clean and presses. 6 a side per set, man these are HARD. They really take the wind out of you. I am also going to do more stretching, which I did 5 mins off at the end. So a good day back. Ate 100% clean. Feel a little less bloated. Water level was better. Could be better still. Cold improving, hopefullly will be fine by next week.

Back and Bi's tonight, bring it on !!!

Day 3, so far so good. I returned to back with brutal force, hitting up 2 sets of 6 deads at the weight I was lifting prior to last weeks break, and on my last set of deads, notched up 4 reps on what was previously my 2 rep best ever (probably from around 2008). So I am officially into new strength territory. :) I dont like to use numbers to have a who can piss higher on the wall contest, but the weight was 160kg, and that I THINK breaks the 350lb mark, so its a real landmark I wanted to have noted in here. For 4 reps to. Next week I will do all my working sets at that weight and see how it goes.

Its amazing what a difference 3 days of being 100% clean and back on it feels. I just feel slimmer, less bloated and if it wasnt for this stubborn cold making my nose run every 5 minutes, a lot more healthy. The lack of carbs in the evening isnt too bad, the glucose in my post gym shake probably helps, but I do finish my tea and get a 30 min craving for sugar, but that is just because its what my body got used to the last few weeks, and coupled with the lack of starch in the evening, its a little worse, but I am over it.

Back to the gym tonight for chest, and then the weekend ahead sees me with out of town gigs friday and saturday. I need to make a real effort here not to just eat service station rubbish. Friday I will be driving back after the gig, Saturday though I may not be, so may have a little drink then. I shall see.

Although I love playing with this band, I am looking forward to a couple of weekends to myself which I have coming up.

Also need to look at starting Cardio next week. I have my car back fixed, so no excuse. 2 morning sessions should do to start off with.

Have a good day people !:tu:

i think your new found strength could be down to your new training partner putting you through your paces :flex:

i think your new found strength could be down to your new training partner putting you through your paces

Dream on Richard, Dream on (for those reading, that is my current training partner posting for the first time).

So weekend, wasnt great, but that was to be expected given I was on the road for the vast majority of it. The two gigs were awesome, and I made some extra pocket money, and no doubt 2 sets of 2 hours on stage burned a few calories off as well. Sunday was a day of rest in the strictest sense of the word; I was physically exhausted! Did nothing but sleep and lay about, and by yesterday, I was fine again. I didnt take my stats, as I am moving it to Thursday, because Monday is never a good day for me after the weekend, so will just give me bollocks stats all the time. I always end up doing this, starting on a Monday, moving to a Thursday. When will I learn?

So last night, great arms session to ease back into the week. Heavy BB curls with the Olympic bar, over to assisted and then weighted dips, back to hammer curls, then follwed by skull crushers, close grip curls then followed, with single arm cable reverse curls finishing it all off nicely. Up in weight on most things, with a new PB for hammer curls.

I actually got up and did some cardio in the gym this morning. Didnt feel too bad! Need to get 2 sessions in per week, but I may well try for a few more. Watched an episode of Peep Show while on the bike, which helped pass the time and the boredom. I hate cardio.

Tonight is shoulders, and last week we changed up the system a bit, still starting with the usual military press, which last week was slightly off pace reps wise, so hopefully that will be back to where it should be again.

Diet so far this week has been spot on, and was 100% last week, save for the weekend, which wasnt too bad considering my travelling.

I dont know if I am losing fat, but I sure feel strong and well and am enjoying my training again.


Laters