General strength update – pre supplement cycle

July 2nd, 2009

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Well it’s about 8 months now until I turn 30 – so as of next week the hard work really kicks in. It’s back on the supplements once more. Since my last cycle I have increased my strength to what it was when I was hard on the creatine beforehand, so hopefully another cycle should really start to see some better results this time around.

I will probably focus on 2 big cycles between now and December, then work on cutting up totally to really try and get in tip top conditioning. Additionally I have been asked if someone can actually sculpt me nude lol – so I have even greater incentive to get in peak conditioning, just in case I am immortalised in clay.

Anyway – right now a few strength updates:

Chest: Bench Pressing 100 for 10 reps – struggling a bit, I think its coz I haven’t recovered from my Saturday Spartan workouts and I train chest on a Monday. Incline Dumbbell Pressing 35 kg, Dumbbell Flyes 20kg. Normally following this up with some dips, emphasis on chest during dipping action.

Legs: Backsquatting 130 for 5 reps, single rep at 150kg, could have gone heavier, some people cannot spot lol. Deadlift 140kg for 5 reps, 160 for single rep, could have gone heavier, may try 170 next week, would like to be deadlifting 200 before the year is out.

Back: Bent over rows: 100kg at 8 reps, Lat pulldowns, 9 plates (no idea what weight is), single arm rows 30kg for 8 reps, shockingly I can finally now start to do chins! I can only manage 3-5 good reps, but I am chuffed with this, as I haven’t been able to do these ever!

Shoulders: Dumbbell pressing 30kg for 8-9 reps, strict side laterals with 9 kg dumbbells, front raises 9 kg, rear delts 8kg, shrugs 40kg dumbbells 7 reps. Have pressed more before, but my shoulders were hurting before UK trip, so training at 30 without pain is all good at the moment, if I could press 40 before the year is out, I would be happy with that.

Biceps and Triceps… No idea lol – normally throw them in after a session, so all depends how I am feeling. Generally I like to hit a lot of slow, controlled dips for triceps. My biceps are normally shredded after training back, but sometimes I throw in some preacher curls with an ez bar – probably only curling about 35kg, but they burn!

Apart from having a dead front right delt at the moment, my shoulders have been trained relatively pain free the past few weeks. I think dumbbell pressing is helping, its allowing a free-er range of movement. I need to get back into the bodybalance classes and continue chest stretching. At some point some more deep muscle massage would go well too.

It’s a testing time right now. The financial separation from the wife is in full effect, and that has given me extra stress, and recent problems at work haven’t helped. So my diet has been well off – eating absolute shit! Protein levels are way down too – so next week, its back on it. My energy levels have suffered majorly – chest has been weaker especially, everything else seems stronger. However I haven’t had a spot for chest the past few weeks, and that is probably causing me to take less risks.

Hopefully by the end of July I can get back on track. Progress is still being made, however its weeks like this that make you realize just how important your diet actually is. This week I have felt drained, tired, unmotivated and generally despondant where the gym is concerned. I force myself to go, and once there I try to get in the zone. But it is hard trying to balance what is a stressful period of my life with good eating and good training. That being said, training hard does reduce stress, and hopefully better eating for the rest of the month will give my body a major power surge, especially when I start cycling the creatine and glutamine again as of next week.

That’s it for now guys!

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Pre UK Picture, following tuna and water diet

June 28th, 2009

I was meant to get this online some weeks back, but unfortunately sometimes life just gets in the way. So I will keep this pretty short and sweet. It was a picture taken quickly whilst getting ready for a night out, after the tuna and water diet, but before I hit the UK. At this point I was probably weighing about 85kgs, the lowest I had been in years.

As of now I have been and returned from the UK, and the weights are going back up. I am going to try and hit the supplements again this week, really try and drive on for the next 6 months before cutting up for the final 2 months of the journey!

So just a quick pic!

pre-uk

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Final Day, Tuna and Water Diet

May 13th, 2009

Well this mini journey has come to an end, and thank f**k for that :)

I dominated my last can of tuna about 40mins ago – and whilst I can’t eat anything else today, I am just glad that is over with. It has been a different sort of adventure, and has pushed my willpower to new levels. Not helped by my colleagues at all, especially when they all tucked into Subway for Lunch – but on the whole it can only be considered a success!

3 days on the Tuna and Water diet has resulted in a total of 3kg fat loss. Before I started this on Monday I was weighing around 88kg, today after my body balance class I weighed an astonishingly lighter 85kg. On the whole it looks as though most of the weight loss has occured through fat loss. No doubt some of the weight loss is also attributed to less food weighing me down, not to mention only drinking water (no calories) compared to normal daily liquid intakes.

Tomorrow sees me getting onto a more healthy rounded eating plan. There will be one treat – a nice big fat subway for lunch tomorrow – but the day will be started with a nice couple of poached eggs, placed on some smoked salmon and then placed on toast. Having a glass of orange juice to wash it down will seem heavenly!

At the moment, the diet can only be considered a success for me. However I guess a lot will depend on how the body now adapts to regular food again. I will aim to keep carbs and fats slightly lower, whilst ensuring I am getting a wider range of nutrients through fruit and vegetables.

I won’t post any pics yet, because I want to give it until just before I depart for the UK – which is about 9 days away – before I snap any. If I can get down to 84kg by 22 May – I will be a happy chappy. The last time I was down to this sort of weight would have been in June 2005. The comparison below is a picture taken from that time, compared to a recent picture. The ideal benchmark for success has been to look better than I did back then – I have given myself until Feb 27 2010 – the day I turn 30 – however I think it is fair to say I am well on the road to success already!

comparison

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Day 2, Tuna and Water Diet

May 12th, 2009

Well its Day 2 in the Tuna and Water house, and I am feeling surprising not too bad! I wouldn’t go as far as to say I am feeling like the best ever, but I do believe the body is starting to adapt to the change just a little bit.

I am treating myself to nicer tuna first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Those 2 slices of love have been served with a little bit of olive oil, ground pepper, small amount of vinegar and some chilli powder! It’s amazing how much better it tastes and how much easier it is to eat. There are no real calories in the extra ingredients, so I know it shouldn’t effect anything at all, if anything the addition of the chilli powder might slightly increase my metabolism, just a bit. :)

Tuna tin 5 has been replaced with a large scoop of whey protein though – yesterday it was because I left the bloody can opener at work, but after reviewing it yesterday it made sense. Meal 5 is my pre-workout meal, so it felt easier to have a shake rather than another tin of tuna.

I am missing other drinks (rather than just sticking to water), and tomorrow morning will be a major test as the coffee lady will be coming round, however if I managed to survive my colleague munching through a gorgeous looking foot long, double meat, meatball subway at lunch today, then anything is possible!

Tonight at the gym felt better than last night. I was still pretty wiped out all up, but I had a bit more energy and focus. Crazily I even managed to increase some weights I was lifting. Lat Pull Downs went from the average of 7 plates, up to 9 for a good 8 reps! However I had to really mentally prepare for it, and half the gym was screamed down – but I think it was worth it hehe.

However the highlight of the gym came at the end when I was barely propping myself up at reception! I asked if they had some scales, and knowing I weighed in at 88kg only 6 days ago (which has been a steady weight for some time now) I was absolutely shocked to see my weight down to only 85.9kg – with 1 more day to go! I can see that the abs are showing a little more, and hopefully when I move onto a slightly more normal diet :) they will continue to show even more still.

I have had to really focus on this diet, and super focus during training to get to the sort of intensity needed to feel the weights working. But it has been an interesting couple of days. I know I will be very relieved by Thurs morning when I can go back onto some level of normality. Check back then for my final update! And remember to check back in about 10 days time when I update the final pics before heading over to the UK.

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Day 1, Tuna and Water Diet

May 11th, 2009

Well its been a pretty crazy day, managed 5 tins of tuna, but had to sneak a whey protein into the mix! Was gutted to have to do it, but like a complete spanner I left the can opener at work, and only had 1 can left with a ring pull on it!

It has certainly been a testing day, energy levels have seemed a little zapped, so had to pop in a couple of thermogenic fat burners to keep me mentally alert. Day 1 is over though, surprised I kept it going this long, but heck only 2 more to go now. I am enjoying the challenge of it all, both mentally and physically.

At the gym tonight it was chest, shoulders and triceps, we hit flat bench to begin with. warm-up set at 50kg, followed by an easing in set at 80kg and followed this up with just 2 sets at 100kg! My god I was done for and it was only the first exercise! I followed this up with some incline dumbbell flyes, only hit 17.5kg dumbbells rather than the normal 20 or 22.5, 3 deep sets and chest was nicely cooked!

My shoulders have been suffering recently, so I decided to give any presses a miss, and just focus on a pump, plus I was all pressed out after bench lol. So instead I hit side laterals for 3 sets on 7kg dumbbells and then blasted front and rear delts for 2 reps a piece on the same weight. Ended the session with some dips – 2 sets to 10 reps, and then blasted out 2 sets of tricep extensions on the crossover – no idea what the weight was, just pushed until they were fried!

Was pretty buggered after the workout, was benching close to my best bench, but had to really get in the zone mentally – still amazing what willpower will do for you! I think tomorrow will be considerably harder than today. I have had less than 20gm of carbs today, so tomorrow I will be very depleted – but I am hoping by Wednesday (3rd day) I will start feeling/seeing the benefits of this crazy stuff.

It has been about 6 months now since I have been back training, and I have made some major progress. I have been lucky that my muscle memory has kicked right back – I am as strong now as I have ever been I think – altho legs probably not quite so much.

It has been a good journey, especially as my old job and marriage went to shit – but the old saying, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger is absolutely true! I have been through all sorts of emotions the past 6 months, but the gym and training has remained constant. It has stayed true, never failed me, only enabled me the platform to take it to the next level. It has been my friend, my enemy, my counsellor and my solace. I have rekindled a love affair which disappeared, and now the love is stronger than ever!

In celebration of 6months of hard work I will add a little progress pic, taken about a week or more ago:

total_progress

This is just 6 months of renewed faith, and hard work. There have been good weeks and bad weeks, better eating and shit eating. Good training, bad training and bloody awesome training, but the journey and the total goals are what is important, not 1 bad session or 1 great session. Anyone having a bad week in the gym, don’t lose your motivation or throw in the towel – instead refocus and consider the total progress made!

I am less than 50% through my training program – with a deadline of 27 Feb 2009 – but already the results are speaking for themselves. It will be interesting to see how much leaner I can look before I head to the UK in 12 days!

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