a_welch503 WORKOUT JOURNAL

[.V.]

I didn't mean to lose any - it just kind of happened. I've been eating just as much, maybe more on my time off as I did last week - just to make sure that the recovery time has plenty of fuel. The loss might be because I gave the creatine time to get out of my system to see just what my max - on my own really was. This could mean some water loss. I started taking it again yesterday. Eating rice last night and today too. I haven't had that in a very long time - it, along with beans was the one of the culprits when I got so fat.

[gcs118]

Oh I forgot you dropped creatine for the max. That might explain it then...but I have faith you'll get back to the previous weight in no time (with less fat and more LBM too I bet).

[.V.]

Today, I'm at work. This is the last day of my off time. Looking forward with some excitement, some dread to hitting the weights again tomorrow. Would be just excitement except for yesterday, while fixing a mower, I was lying flat on the floor and turned to reach a bolt up under it and caught a SI spasm. It feels some better today. Of course a spasm in the SI isn't like a real injury and won't interfere with lifting, it may just make it a little less than pleasant. Anyway - I'm eating really good today to get ready for it.

[.V.]

Today I hit the weights again. It was supposed to be yesterday, but I woke up at work at 0300 with violent shivering, chills, fever, muscle aches, coughing, tons of phlegm in my chest, head - you get the idea. The SI pain was much worse - to the point that I had to take my baclofen (haven't had to take that for months). Also had to take tylenol (way to go liver). It was so bad, I needed to call someone in to work for me and couldn't get to the phone. Thank God nothing happened. Finally made it home around 0900 and slept all day and all night. No workout at all. I feel so much better today. I'm completely well - it's amazing how the body can heal itself with enough rest.

Today will be leg day. I've spent my time off re-evaluating my workout plan, doing some reading, checking on different approaches to form, things like that. I noticed that the MAX OT pics and videos aren't really like my form - they look pretty sloppy compared to what I do. I'm going to give the "looser" form a try on some exercises - I won't go nearly as sloppy as MAX OT reccomends though. They say loose not sloppy, but wow - look at the videos.

I've also done some re-calculating on my diet. It appears that I'm coming up about 1500 calories short on my diet and 200g short on protein - even on the days that I get over 2000 calories. I don't know how in the hell I'm going to get 3500 calories in a single day. More chicken I guess. I've foolishly let myself run out of whey powder and can't get anywhere to get any more until next week. Also based on my calculations, I can stand up to 55g of fat each day - I'm getting considerably less than that right now - that's what I was getting while doing my ketogenic 1.5 year cut.

I need to start my cardio back too - I'm not entirely sure how much to do - just my walking, try some running again (the weather is warm enough not to get hurt now), cardioglide, I don't know. I don't want to burn up too many calories which I need for growth and strength, but for the overall fitness and stamina, I'm going to have to do cardio - even just walking I burn over 500 calories according to the calculations.

[.V.]

This really stinks.

Workout delayed because I had to help my wife and her father with some BS that they needed done - it could have waited until the afternoon but noooo, got to do it now. Spent all day messing with them getting done what would have taken me 30 minutes if they had left me alone and let me do it without them in the way.

Finally got to lift about 16:30hrs. Made it through warmup and acclimation on my squats then the 1st rep at 220, I felt something pull pretty badly on the medial side of the hamstring muscle. Ended that workout pretty quickly. Oh well, the back isn't 100% yet anyway.

I'll try legs again tomorrow - 3 days late from when my time off was supposed to be over.

Workout will be early - anything that anyone else needs will have to wait. Everyone that comes with chores will be told "K M A".

[maverick]

Hey, at least you were smart enough to stop your workout when you pulled our muscle. Take it easy and don't push it. It sounds like you are getting a little frazzled without your workouts. I get the same xact way. Enjoy the guilt-free rest time, your body probably needs it anyway.

[.V.]

05-13-2005

Legs
Squats............210x3x4
SLDL..............240x3x4
Calf Raises.......330x3x4
Leg Extension.....175x3x4
Leg Curl...........85x3x4

Diet
M1.....Chicken & rice
M2.....Chicken & rice
M3.....Tuna on wheat
M4.....Protein shake
M5.....Taco salad
M6.....Will be protein shake at bedtime

Comments
Today was a pretty good leg workout. I was able to use the same weight as last workout, but lost some reps. I'll get them back though. Thanks be to firehawk and jaster for some squatting advice. I think my squat will be improving quite a bit now, once I get past this awful soreness in my legs - which should happen pretty quickly if I'm able to walk tomorrow.

I'm still working on the diet. I should be able to keep doing my lean bulk without getting too fat as long as I keep it pretty clean - I'm going to work on getting the calories up some more. I think I did pretty good at it today. I realized after the second meal of chicken and rice that I really needed to go to the store though. Shopping done, protein bought, workout done, grass cut, I'm happy.

Now I've got to go move some stuff out to the storage shed for my wife then iron some uniforms. After that it will be an early night to bed for me.

[gcs118]

Looks like a pretty solid workout Andy, especially for having been stressed over work and all that jazz.

[.V.]

05-16-2005

Arms
BB Curl........................135x3x4
Skull Crushers.....115x1x2, 110x 4,4,3
DB Curls........................60x3x4
Cable Pressdown................100x3x4

Diet
M1.....Steak, 4 egg whites, oatmeal, coffee
M2.....40g protein shake, 80g dextrose
M3.....Peanut butter on whole wheat
M4.....Chicken breast, salad
M4.5...Apple while waiting for supper to cook.
M5.....Trout, baked potato, salad
M6.....Will be a 40g protein shake
Water, I don't know - a lot.

Comments
Lost a bit on most everything except the alternating DB curl. I can still put up 60 in each hand for 4. Lost too much on crushers and tricep cable pressdown. I'll get it back though. I took off too much time I guess. Yesterday was supposed to be arm day, but went fishing instead. I don't know what kind of harm I did - I didn't eat all day until 8 pm. Too busy catching trout. I'm making up for the lack of diet from yesterday though. Tomorrow's shoulder workout should be decent.

[gcs118]

Not bad at all for taking time off. I'm sure numbers are down just to get back into things...the PRs should come rolling in the next week or 2

[.V.]

Thanks, I believe they will - whether they want to or not. We'll make them happen.

[.V.]

05-17-2005

Shoulders
Front Shrugs.....270x3x4
Rear Shrugs......270x3x4
Mil Press.....115x 4,4,2
Upright Row......130x3x4
DB Mil Press...60x 4,4,2

Cardio
None really just worked on form for burpees - to learn how to get them right (good warmup/conditioning - never heard them called that until recently) and worked on technique for my cardio kickboxing routine I'm starting in a couple of days. My weight training and weight loss has taken priority over my karate and ju-jitsu training and while doing my daily kicks and punches on the bag and the pad the other day (not even enough to count as cardio), I noticed that my technique is getting sloppy and weak. So I'm making a routine kind of like the old "kata-robics" that we used to do way back when for conditioning. Except I always hated the waste of time of doing kata so mine will be a bag and pad workout - real kicks, real punches, real ducking my head out of the way - done fast enough and with good enough technique to count for both kinds of training. Can't practice ju-jitsu though - no training partner - no school anywhere within 50 miles. I thought about inviting my daughter's boyfriend to join me - to keep him afraid of me - but I'm worried about hurting him.

Diet
M1.....Steak, oatmeal, 4 egg whites
M2.....40g protein shake
M3.....40g protein shake, 80g dextrose (PWO)
M4.....Chicken breast, salad
M5.....Chicken breast, salad, potato
M6.....Will be bedtime 40g protein snack
Water - About 6 liters today.

I don't know my totals for the day yet, I'll figure them up when I get home from teaching my class.

Comments:
Weights were good today, lost a bit on shoulders too, but It will come back. It is good to be back lifting. I'm looking forward to starting my new cardio routine when I get it worked out. Probably start day after tomorrow.
Still working on getting calories up a bit more - three meals and three protein shakes along with dextrose following workout is getting it closer to what I need. I don't really like eating this much though, eating is now a chore that I have to do. I am looking forward to my tomatoes and rice tomorrow though, I haven't eaten this in years. I went ahead and cooked it up today and had to sneak a taste - it was soooo good. Although being reluctant to switching from whole eggs to egg whites, I'm glad I did now 24g of protein instead of just 12. Also while separating the yolks from the whites, it is easier to get rid of the spooge from the egg white.

[Lift2Live]

LMAO @ spooge!

Great work today! I know it's tough eating man, really. This winter was hell. I got to the point that I had to force feed myself in order to continue getting my daily caloric needs. It's not fun but it has to be done for the purpose intended. You can obviously do quite a bit to make it less of a chore but at some point, it becomes as much of a pain to do as pulling weeds in the yard for 8 hours straight. That to me is torture. lol Hopefully you can find enough foods you like that you will get used to it. Keep up the dedication Andy!

Don't know your karate style but I believe kata training done with intensity (kime) is an outstanding cardio (anaerobic) workout. A good warm-up, then perform a kata with maximum intensity (45 to 60 seconds average), rest 15-30 seconds, then on the next one, etc. etc. Just another way to skin the "cardio cat".

[.V.]

Perinni, that is what we did without the breaks - one kata to the next - it was a great workout. My style is Shotokan - was shotokan I should say. Now it is a mix of what I found useful from that style and some other things that I learned from others (even a bit of gung fu what I could understand of it and make work for me). I just never cared for kata work - I like to actually strike something solid - not the air. That is why I always hated the three step sparring (no contact).