reniform
Tue, September 1st, 2009, 01:52 PM
After lurking here since 2004, I figured it was about time to start posting. I wanted to create a journal to hold myself more accountable to my goals and interact with some really cool, knowledgeable people that I see on here. Here's some background to give you an idea of where I came from. I was already fairly heavy when I discovered John's site in 2004, probably around 240 lbs or so. Although there was a ton of information, my own laziness and lack of willpower prevented me from putting anything into action. I ballooned up to 280 lbs in the fall of 2006 and had to get size 42 pants! After having irregular heartbeats (which turned out to be benign), I decided I had to make a change. Flash forward to summer 2007: I was now at 200 lbs after getting my diet and exercise in check. I partially fell off the wagon and went back up to 225 lbs in the fall of 2008. I started mountain biking at that time and got my diet back in order. May of this year, I hit 178 lbs and wore size 32 pants for the first time in over a decade. I honestly couldn't remember when I wore that size before, it was probably back in elementary or middle school :lol:. Although diet and biking took the weight off, I didn't start lifting again until March of this year. Needless to say, I really regret not lifting since I lost quite a bit of muscle, but I'm still very happy about the progress I made.
Although I still want to lean out some more, I think I need to put on some muscle for the time being. My friends and family have told me that I'm pretty skinny (and thinking objectively, I am aware of this), but I still feel like I have my old body, so it's hard to make that transition to gaining mass. I absolutely love mountain biking and usually get 3 to 4 rides in a week (I want to race in the sport class next year, so that's another goal I'm working toward). I'm lifting about 2 days a week now, but probably should transition to a 3 day schedule to facilitate muscle gain. As far as my diet while cutting went, I pretty much just ensured that my calories were around 2200 to 2500 and that I got over 120 grams of protein a day. I'm probably going to have to be a bit more strict with my diet for my new goals, but I found that I had better results on a sub-optimal plan I could stick with rather than a better one that I couldn't follow. While fast progress is always nice, I'm perfectly happy taking the scenic route. I got in shape to enjoy my life, and going out to eat/drink with friends, etc. is enjoyable to me. While I admire those that stick with a very clean diet, its not my cup of tea (although who knows what the future holds).
Here are my current stats:
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 188 lbs
Waist (relaxed around navel): 35"
Pants waist size: 32"
Arms: 14.5" (its so close to 14.75", way better than the 13.75" earlier this year)
BF%: 12% according to the Omron
Since the Omron is pretty inaccurate, but consistent, I only use it to observe trends. I'll post some pictures when I get home, although in the only before picture I have I'm at 245 lbs (I wish I had one at 280, but 245 is scary enough as it is!). My current lifting routine is as follows:
Upper Body:
Power cleans: 3x3-5
Overhead press: 4x8-10
Pullups: 3 or 4 sets to failure
Barbell or dumbbell bench press: 4x8-10
Barbell or cable rows: 4x8-10
I'll superset a bicep and tricep exercise for 3 sets to finish off, usually barbell/dumbbell curls and dips.
Lower Body:
Squat: 4x10-12
Deadlift: 5x6-8
Hack Squat: 3x8-10 (I sometimes drop this if I'm riding in the days around my workout)
Leg Curl: 3x8-10
Calf Raises: 4x8-10
I thought about splitting my upper body into push and pull days, but after seeing CA$ON's progress and reading The New HIT, I'm thinking about giving HIT a shot. I think it will work well with my biking, but I'll have to do it to find out. As far as diet goes, I'm going to go for 2750 to 3000 calories a day and at least 180 grams of protein a day. If I find that I need to be more strict with what/when I eat to keep my progress going, I'll make that change. That pretty much does it. Sorry for being long-winded, but I figure its easier to post all this info at the start. All comments and advice are appreciated!
Although I still want to lean out some more, I think I need to put on some muscle for the time being. My friends and family have told me that I'm pretty skinny (and thinking objectively, I am aware of this), but I still feel like I have my old body, so it's hard to make that transition to gaining mass. I absolutely love mountain biking and usually get 3 to 4 rides in a week (I want to race in the sport class next year, so that's another goal I'm working toward). I'm lifting about 2 days a week now, but probably should transition to a 3 day schedule to facilitate muscle gain. As far as my diet while cutting went, I pretty much just ensured that my calories were around 2200 to 2500 and that I got over 120 grams of protein a day. I'm probably going to have to be a bit more strict with my diet for my new goals, but I found that I had better results on a sub-optimal plan I could stick with rather than a better one that I couldn't follow. While fast progress is always nice, I'm perfectly happy taking the scenic route. I got in shape to enjoy my life, and going out to eat/drink with friends, etc. is enjoyable to me. While I admire those that stick with a very clean diet, its not my cup of tea (although who knows what the future holds).
Here are my current stats:
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 188 lbs
Waist (relaxed around navel): 35"
Pants waist size: 32"
Arms: 14.5" (its so close to 14.75", way better than the 13.75" earlier this year)
BF%: 12% according to the Omron
Since the Omron is pretty inaccurate, but consistent, I only use it to observe trends. I'll post some pictures when I get home, although in the only before picture I have I'm at 245 lbs (I wish I had one at 280, but 245 is scary enough as it is!). My current lifting routine is as follows:
Upper Body:
Power cleans: 3x3-5
Overhead press: 4x8-10
Pullups: 3 or 4 sets to failure
Barbell or dumbbell bench press: 4x8-10
Barbell or cable rows: 4x8-10
I'll superset a bicep and tricep exercise for 3 sets to finish off, usually barbell/dumbbell curls and dips.
Lower Body:
Squat: 4x10-12
Deadlift: 5x6-8
Hack Squat: 3x8-10 (I sometimes drop this if I'm riding in the days around my workout)
Leg Curl: 3x8-10
Calf Raises: 4x8-10
I thought about splitting my upper body into push and pull days, but after seeing CA$ON's progress and reading The New HIT, I'm thinking about giving HIT a shot. I think it will work well with my biking, but I'll have to do it to find out. As far as diet goes, I'm going to go for 2750 to 3000 calories a day and at least 180 grams of protein a day. If I find that I need to be more strict with what/when I eat to keep my progress going, I'll make that change. That pretty much does it. Sorry for being long-winded, but I figure its easier to post all this info at the start. All comments and advice are appreciated!