Day 57 of 112, half way there...

so today is day 57... im officially half way there, well yesterday was technically half way, today is the down hill day, 56 was the peak, 57 starts the down hill cruise to the end... NOT REALLY. starting today it gets harder, im not exactly happy with my results so far, well i am, but i know i should have more results by now, so im upping the intensity a bit, more carbs, more cardio, more super sets and tri sets... the reason for more carbs is because ive been carb cycling for the past 4- 6 weeks and i dont think the results are any different from when i diet with high carbs, i actually think the results are worse. when my carbs are low then my body doesnt get the calories it needs to heal from the workload that i put it through, so the body goes into panic mode and thinks its being starved, and what happens then is it slows down the metabolism starts to store fat and feed on muscle, which is not what we want... so im putting the carbs back in my diet slowly, starting at around 225 grams a day, then depending on how i feel ill add another 25-50 grams a day... because im adding more carbs then im gonna have to add more cardio and more work out intensity to make sure i use the carbs or else ill store them, which is something else i dont want to happen...
so im going to join another gym, im gonna join anytime fitness so i can do some cardio at midnight after work before i go home and go to sleep, i might even do some 2 a days now... of course ill still be doing my day time weight training at nautilus... im a little excited about joining another gym and seeing what kind of equipment they have... wish me luck...

Day 53 of 112, Leg Day Refreshed...

so im almost half way into my diet, and im feeling a bit flat, so to combat the dullness of the routine ive enlisted the help of my trainer Tabetha... ive worked out with her off and on for over a year and a half now, she always does a good job of mixing up my routine and making me do things out of my norm that i dont particularly like to do (which is a good thing) like tri-sets and such... so today we did legs, with a bit of abs and lower back... abs and lower back are a bigger part of leg day than youd think, they aid in squats, dead lifts and so on a good deal... so we do them together to tie them all in...
today we started with a short jog on the treadmill to warm up, then went straight into a tri-set of squats, leg presses, and box jumps. we did 4 tri-sets of those. then did 4 super sets of lunges, and dead lifts, and then finished legs with another 3 super sets of hack squats and leg extensions... then i did 4 sets of 20 with 110 pounds on the big crunch machine (which i call the crunch master, cause when weighted enough it really puts a nice bit of stress on the entire core i think), and 4 sets of weighted low back extensions... so it turned out to be a really great, and a little over 90 minute workout... that i look forward to doing again next week...
today really put things in perspective for me, and refocused my focus... it was a workout that i needed, and im really glad i did it (although ill be limping till monday, thanks Tabetha :)
this is what bodybuilding is all about, you diet your ass off 24/7 regardless of whether or not your bulking or cutting weight, you workout till you wanna puke, then push further, and when things get rough and you feel like youve hit a wall, you go back to the drawing board change things up a little bit and bust through that wall with full force...

Day 52 of 112 The Fight/ The Dream...

The Fight...
The further into the diet you get, the more you start to feel like each day is a fight, a fight against yourself... after all this fight is my mind vs my body, and each days challenge is to keep going. you drowned out the emotions that are telling you to quit, or the thoughts that tell you youre not making enough progress, those thoughts come everyday. some days you feel like your doing great, some days you feel like you look like crap. those are the bumps and bruises of this fight, but really if you dont let them get to you, who or what can stop you from reaching your goal. who chooses your destiny, who determines whether or not you win this fight, you do... no one else can say start, stop, slow down, or maybe this is too much. no one else can tell you the weights too heavy, or your doin too much. so in short, its you vs you, or as i said before your mind vs your body. thats the fight of the next 8 1/2 weeks, as you dig deeper into your fight, your body says your tired, but your mind and heart say keep fighting... be that monster everyone thinks you are, show your mental strength, show the world where you stand, youve come to far to budge now.. thats what this fights all about...

The Dream...
i have this reoccuring dream, its me the very last day of my 16 weeks. im standing in the mirror evaluating my progress, in the distance i hear cheers, and boos, but i cant see any of my progress, the mirror is just dark smokey grey, then behind me a curtain raises, my name is called and i step onto a stage filled with smoke, blinding lights come on and i wake up... this is the dream that i have over and over, almost every night, kind of vain right... now this dream could mean a number of different things, good and bad.. to me im gonna say this dream is telling me to keep pushing, only at the end can i truly know the outcome... this far into the diet your mind starts wander, and you cant stop thinking about the end and whats its gonna be like. when actually im not really worried about the outcome, i just cant wait til this ones over so i can take my month and a half long rest and start another diet. during the rest ill still be lifting, ill just change my diet and eat maintenance calories instead of being at a deficit. ill reevaluate some, make some changes, and see what else i need to do... this is the never ending cycle of my dream... keep pushing, and never wake up...

"Youve got to save your own life, no one can save it for you." kai Greene...

Day 50 of 112: Pain...

another day of aches and pains, thats the bad thing about the weather change. the sore joints and muscles that we live with everyday get worse, more intense and not to mention stiff... the only thing you can really do is stretch more, warm up more, get sufficient rest, and push through the pain... youve got to remember that without pain there is no growth, you have to hurt the muscle to trigger the hormone release that tells the body to grow and get stronger... you work the muscle to complete failure, you force the body to grow and strengthen to adjust to the workload your forcing it to move everyday... then the rest comes into play, because the body needs the rest to heal... sleep, thats what we need the most, thats when our body works to heal all the damaged muscle cells...
although, good solid sleep has been avoiding me lately... towards the middle of the 16 weeks i start to get anxious, and it gets hard to sleep. i toss and turn all night, and come morning time when the clock goes off i dont want to budge, because i didnt get enough solid sleep... and i know if i could just get another hour of sleep, my knees and back probably wouldn't hurt so bad... plus my knuckles, this time of year some mornings, i cant close my fists, trust me its really lovely... but i still get up, make breakfast, get the boy ready and we head to the gym... gotta stay focused on the goal, no matter how bad the aches and pains are... hell some days i enjoy the pain, it lets me know im alive during this non stop routine. eat sleep train, thats how the week goes, but i cant complain i love this life style... i wouldnt trade it for anything, im living my dream, how about you?

Day 44 of 112... Diet tips.

its tuesday, and its back day...
ive been waiting for today for a week, its my favorite day... deadlifts, barbell and dumbbell rows, and plenty more... i try to do at least 30 sets sometimes 35, i like to make back day a long and painful day. after all its a large muscle group, gotta, make sure all the muscles get hit...
this weather sucks... a lot of people have trouble staying in a groove this time of year when the weather gets colder, it gets dark earlier, and we start to get close to winter... but what else is there really to do, might as well start gettin ready for next summer now people... its a depressing time of year, its cold, and theres not as much sun to keep you feeling good... might as well hit the gym and do work to make yourself feel better (trust me it works)...

now for some diet tips... im gonna give you a list of some foods that are a good source of the 3 macro-nutrients that will help you reach your goals, and fight off the winter time fat we all gain...

Protein (group 1)... (at this serving size youll usually stay under 4 grams of fat.) try to keep servings between 4- 6 oz...
6oz of lean steak...
6oz of 95% or better ground sirloin (wal mart has 96/4, pretty sure kroger does too)
6oz of ground turkey...
6oz of chicken breast (skinless)...
6oz of pork tenderloin...
6oz of tuna...
6oz of turkey breast...
2 whole eggs, and 2 egg whites (if going low fat egg whites are great, but moderately the fat in the yokes is not bad for you, just dont over do it)
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese...
20- 26 grams of protein powder in water...

good carbs (group 2)...
4oz of kidney beans...
small sweet potato...
4oz of brown rice cooked...
4oz of broccoli...
4oz of baked beans (low sugar)
4oz of black beans...
unlimited salad with a dash of oil and vinegar (dressing is what makes salad bad check the labels)
4oz of spinach...
6oz of green peppers...
12oz of cut celery...
6oz of cut asparagus...

snacks (group 3)...
2oz bag of peanuts...
2oz bag of cashews...
2oz of beef jerkey...
6oz of yogurt...
4oz of fat free cottage cheese...
hard boiled egg...

now try to build your daily meals from these lists... like so...
breakfast- 1 item from groups 1 2 and 3...
snack- 1 item from group 3...
lunch- 1 item from groups 1 and 2 plus a light salad...
snack- 1 item from group 3...
dinner- 1 item from groups 1 and 2 plus a salad...
bedtime snack- im always gonna stick with fat free cottage cheese or a good casein protein powder, before bed because they both break down slowly and will keep your muscles feeding while your body is at rest and normally in a fasting state...

listen to this and eat from these lists strictly, and have 1 cheat meal a week, plus GOOD exercise, and some cardio, and i promise youll lose weight, at a good pace, which is a slow pace 2-5 pounds a week... this is a real life healthy diet not a biggest loser diet where they lose 15 pounds a week, thats unhealthy... remember this is a lifestyle choice, losing a large amount of weight is not a 1 month trip... its a long journey that is WELL WORTH THE RIDE, trust me i lost 130 pounds... GOOD LUCK...

i feel i should add that this isnt the exact diet that i follow... when i cut weight due to my body weight, muscle mass, and level of exercise i eat more than this and cycle my carbs... but this is a good basis to start for the average person...

Day 43 of 112... 99's and Ones...

"there are 2 kinds of people in this world. the 99's and the 1's."

"the 99's... thats what i call em, 99 out of 100 people cant fathom what i do. they scratch their heads, cant believe my dedication to this great sport. many dont even think that this is a sport, or that i have a life. never let others define your life for you. this is what i have chosen, this is the road ive taken, with all the potholes, bumps and turns. the 99's they cant commit 100% to being their best, to step up one day and stand tall among the giants..."

thats an entry from the animal journey book...

an entry that pretty much says it all... people judge, and dont understand why we spend so much time focusing on our health... people think we're vain, and think we spend too much time looking in the mirror "admiring" ourselves... i look at it like this, im an artist, my body is my canvas, and the weight room and my diet are my brushes and paint... im not looking at myself in the mirror to admire myself, im checking the progress of my art...
everyone judges, and yea it gets annoying, but if i did everything to please everyone, when would i find time for me... ive come to the conclusion that the 99's or the judges just judge because they cant find the strength within themselves to stick to a plan, and work towards a goal to better themselves... so let em judge, cause inside theyre really just mad at themselves...
so to the 99's... im not mad at you, keep judging me... believe me i use it for strength...

Day 42 of 112... Beauty of Bodybuilding...

today is my rest day... wish i didnt have to work then id be able to rest. i just thought id get on here and leave a video, this video is one of my favorite videos, it always gets me motivated to hit the gym when im too tired or not feeling well...
tomorrow is shoulder and trap day, and i cant wait to get up in the morning and start my week, all weekend ive been visualizing my work out and what im gonna do tomorrow... im gonna do 4 or 5 sets of everything, except my last exercise, im gonna do 7 sets on that one... fst 7 style, to get the blood pumping and force growth...
ill start with rotator cuff warm ups, then front raises, arnold presses, wide grip barbell up right rows, seated smith machine presses (front and behind the neck), then ill finish shoulders with 7 sets of lateral raises... then ill move on to 5 sets of seated dumbbell shrugs, and 7 sets of barbell shrugs...
then on tuesday when i do my partial dead lifts, and bent over rear delt rows, my traps will also get hit pretty hard with those exercises... tuesday is back day this week, and i do rear delts on back day to tie them in... so im really looking forward to this week, im gonna try to up my intensity a lot this week... ill keep you posted and we'll see how it goes, im feeling really good about this weeks work outs...