a_welch503 WORKOUT JOURNAL

[rangers97]

I noticed you have been taking GABA pre workout for the past week or so. You probably got this idea from the AST website, am I right? I read about that stuff too, so I went ahead and ordered the cheapest gaba I could find just for an experiment. Well, I found it has not done a thing for me as far as a preworkout sup, BUT, if I take 1.5 to 2 grams of it about 2 hours before bedtime, I sleep like a baby through the night, and this is coming from someone who has had MAJOR sleeping problems for the past 3 years and have tried everything from OTC stuff like Simply Sleep, to Ambien, to melatonin. But this GABA stuff is great! I can feel myself getting sleepy and when I finally get into bed, I am more comfortable, with less tossing and turning, and I have found over the past week and a half that I have taken it before bed, that I have just slept BETTER than before. Still not great, but better than before.

Actually on the bottle I bought it says "Mood Enhancer" whatever the hell that means, and the back label says something to the effect of "promotes relaxation by inhibiting your brain from firing too much" in other words, relaxes your mind so you don't think about too much crap and can't fall asleep.

Is it helping your workouts at all? I will never take it pre workout anymore, after knowing it makes me sleepy, that would be counterproductive huh?

[.V.]

Rangers, I'm actually taking 3g preworkout and 3g before bed. I was looking for it for a different reason - in a much smaller dose. Then when Todd told me about it I checked the AST site, found what I was looking for and so far, I'm happy with it.

My workouts are going pretty good, improving a little ahead of schedule. My sleep is so restful - it doesn't actually make me sleepy...just makes the recovery and rest from the sleep better. Even like last night I only got 3 hours not nearly enough - but I woke up fully refreshed and full of energy this morning.

My wife hasn't slept more than 15 - 20 minutes at a time for several years. I've got her taking it 2 scoops before bed (going to increase to 3 soon) and she's getting 3-4 hours in a row now and is looking & feeling better, younger, and starting to get her health back...she's even working out now.

So far, we are pretty happy with it.

[gcs118]

If I couldn't sleep for more than 15-20 minutes for several YEARS I'd be taking some serious drugs to knock me out. : /

[.V.]

Originally Posted by gcs118

If I couldn't sleep for more than 15-20 minutes for several YEARS I'd be taking some serious drugs to knock me out. : /

That's 15 to 20 minutes at a time, then up for 30, then down for 10, then up for 20...

Drugs didn't work.

Something that occurs naturally in the body (but was deficient) did...go figure. Too bad docs don't generally think of the natural treatment - try some hormones - take some pills - best of luck to you. Her current doc hadn't thought of it, but when I presented the idea to him, he did some reading and said it was the best idea he'd heard for treatment of her condition.

Working for both of us for our own different reasons so far.

[rangers97]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Rangers, I'm actually taking 3g preworkout and 3g before bed. I was looking for it for a different reason - in a much smaller dose. Then when Todd told me about it I checked the AST site, found what I was looking for and so far, I'm happy with it.

My workouts are going pretty good, improving a little ahead of schedule. My sleep is so restful - it doesn't actually make me sleepy...just makes the recovery and rest from the sleep better. Even like last night I only got 3 hours not nearly enough - but I woke up fully refreshed and full of energy this morning.

My wife hasn't slept more than 15 - 20 minutes at a time for several years. I've got her taking it 2 scoops before bed (going to increase to 3 soon) and she's getting 3-4 hours in a row now and is looking & feeling better, younger, and starting to get her health back...she's even working out now.

So far, we are pretty happy with it.

wow 3 g at a time...the most I have taken before bed was 4 500mg capsules, so 2 g and that made me feel relaxed and sleepy, I wonder what even more might do?

what does it do for you pre workout??? It doesnt make you sleepy during your workouts?

[.V.]

No, not sleepy at all...but if I do lie down and rest afterwards - I really rest well.

Apparently some people get really sleepy from it especially in the lower dose range of 100-500mg (not grams) - it is actually used for insomnia treatment in that range.

Some people get REALLY focused from it. For example take 3g before bed, read something then lie awake all night completely dissecting and thinking about what you just read.

I seem to get really focused on the workout then rest really well at night. But thankfully that seems to be the extent of it. No insomnia - no somnolence.

One unexpected side effect has happened though - and then I found out later that this is also an expected benefit that I missed reading about - smoking cessation. Since I've started it, I've found that sometimes when it's time for a cigarette - I just don't want it. Especially that one between sets (just kidding).

I seriously have gone from 2+packs a day to 1 pack has lasted 3 days now - with ZERO effort - I just almost completely stopped wanting them. Tomorrow, I'm likely going to actually put some effort into it and see if I can just leave them completely alone. I've lit 6 of them today and tossed them all out unfinished.

The only unpleasant side effect is the tingling skin that happens about 10 minutes after taking 3grams and lasts for about 15 minutes. Heck for the benefit I seem to be getting, It's worth that. May even be worth the $50.00 a month it's going to cost to have 2 people on it too.

So far, so good. If it changes - I'll put that in my journal.

[rangers97]

ahh you're a smoker huh, I did not know that. I was a smoker as well, so I can't say anything. I did it the hard way, bought my unknowing last pack and just decided when there were like 3 left that this would be my last pack. My wife was a smoker as well...we did it together, somehow it worked. I don't reccomend cold turkey, I mean we had each other to beat the crap out of each other to stop from smoking more, but if you have to do it alone, I feel for ya. The good thing was one day about 6 months after, we bought a pack cause we were stressed from sitting in traffic, we lit up, took one drag each, coughed up a lung, and threw the cigs plus the rest of the pack right out the window. I truly never want another cig ever again. you can get there too if you put your mind to it. I honestly believe the "craving" is 90% mental, 10% physical...smoking becomes a habit, and once you break the "habit" you break smoking. To say that you "need" one, I feel is false. I think it is really mostly mental...

[.V.]

Yeah, the habit thing is what caused me to light those up today. I just don't want them anymore. I've tried quitting in the past, but the cravings just drove me nuts. Not man enough to do it. Last visit to the doc, I asked her, "aren't you going to get on my ass about smoking." She said, "if I had to put up with what you do - I'd smoke 4 packs a day. You get a break today".

Then suddenly, I just don't want them anymore. Caught me completely by suprise but I'll take it.

[.V.]

11-15-2005

Legs
Squats............210x3x4
SLDL..............210x3x4
Calf Raises......270x3x10

Arms
BB Curls..........100x3x6
Skull Crushers.....90x3x6
DB Curls...........40x3x6

Cardio
Split wood........2 hours
Burpees/Pushups......2x10

Diet
M1.....2 scoops whey
S1.....3g GABA
M2.....20g whey (preworkout)
M3.....20g whey (midworkout)
M4.....20g whey, 32g dextrose, 5g creatine, 6g glutamine(postworkout)
M5.....chicken breast (30 min postworkout)
M6.....20g whey (preworkout)
M7.....20g whey (postworkout)
M8.....chicken breast and mixed vegetables (30 min postworkout)
S2.....will have bedtime GABA 3g
Totals: P-220g, C-70.5, F0-41.5, Cal-1535.5
Water: almost 2 gallons.
If I get hungry later on, I may have a peanut butter sandwich or another whey shake. Lots of shakes, but it was convenient and did allow me to have more calories.

Comments
Leg increases better than planned. Supposed to do 205 but messed up and put 210 on the bar. Got them pretty good so I figured, "what the heck", and kept going with that weight. Next leg workout will be a repeat.

BB curls need one more repeat. Will be increasing weight next time on the rest of the arm exercises.

I thought I'd be able to do more burpees/pushups (10 burps/10 pushes repeat). I was only able to do 2 sets. 2 hours of splitting took more out of me than I thought.

[tim_mcf]

When you say

100x3x6

do you mean 3 sets of 6 or 6 sets of 3?

I bet you could squat heavier. Go for it!

Your diet seems so wierd to me. I know it works for you, so it's cool, but man that's funky. Looks kind of boring, too.

[.V.]

3 sets of 6. I could squat heavier - I was 2 months ago before the injury/illness/overtraining/MS attack that set me behind pretty far. I'm gaining my strength back, but concentrating on getting my 4-6 reps...absolutely OWNING the weight before increasing and going back up gradually and safely. My ill fated attempt at powerlifting was poorly planned, experimental, and not a good idea - and I kept pushing when I should not have.

Yes it is boring. I had to decide a couple of years ago that food was simply for nutrition - not enjoyment. I do improve on the taste a bit by using seasonings. Sometimes I make a sugar free sauce - like tonight I made my chicken breast with garlic and some other herbs with just enough white sauce to dip in for a taste with each bite - definitely not the full 1/4 cup serving that would be considered normal. I hate fish, I hate chicken, I hate protien shakes, I hate lean steak. I'd much rather have a big juicy ground chuck burger with extra fat added in on a bleached white flour bun or a rib eye with a yeast roll - chased with mashed potatoes and gravy...sadly - those things won't happen for me anymore.

It seems weird because instead of eating my 3 squares a day or having 4-8 (whatever) meals spread evenly throught the day, I time my food specifically to what I'm doing. The carbs are a little low for now, but that will change at the end of this month. I actually prefer the lower carbs because the higher amounts really tear my GI system up.

[gcs118]

Don't you think you repeat a lot of workouts? I mean you said you hit your squat reps "pretty good", so why not go for more reps/weight next time? I know you want to "own" the weight, but the heavier you get, it's not going to feel lighter/easier for a long time, even though you can do much more.

[.V.]

I do repeat. So far in the last month I've repeated each one at least once. But since I'm doing each body part every 4 days (instead of every 8 days like before), I'm still getting an increase every week. Either in reps or in weight. Even on the repeat days, I'm getting an increase in quality. My days of pushing for bigger numbers are temporarily over - just doing my 4-6 and when ready then increasing. And staying true (kind of) to the principles of max ot - I stopped when I realized I couldn't get another rep. I simply could not have done 210 for 3x5 today. Could I have done 235 or 240 for 1 or 2? Probably could have, but that would have taken me out of my 4-6 range. While checking it the other day for the "how about a little competition thread, I did 235 for 1. Felt like I could have done more weight or another rep, but didn't want to risk injury.

[.V.]

11-16-2005

Shoulders
Mil Press............105x3x4
Upright Row..........105x3x4
DB Shoulder Press.....45x3x4
Shrug................235x3x4

Back
CDL..................235x3x4
BOR..................155x3x4
Lat P/D..............155x3x6

Cardio - had to skip today. Got 3x10 burpees/pushups playing with my kid and her friend. Her friend came over and when it was Angela's time to workout, Angel wanted to join in. Cutest thing - 2 little blonde haired, blue eyed kids in the gym - lifting little weights, having fun, and being safe. They look almost alike and have almost the same name. And the camera batteries were dead - darn it.

Diet - same as usual. Some eggs, some pork, Chicken 2 times, steak once, 4 protein shakes, postworkout dextrose, usual supps. Green veggies.

Comments
I don't know what happened to me in the gym today - it was absolutely awesome. Today was weight increase day for all lifts. I am supposed to repeat today's workout in 4 days. Instead I'll be going for more reps. It just went too well to repeat. Looks like my plan of taking it slowly and not increasing until the weight is totally mine and under complete control is paying off with a good week.

[Firehawk]

Hey man how come you do shoulder presses after you do military presses?