Winding Down

So if you couldn't figure out by the lack of posts recently, I should say that I wrapped this up after week 7. I realized that I had achieved all the results I wanted and that there was no point in blogging about "progress" anymore. Having said this, I want to make it known that I will continue to post here whenever I have a particularly creative idea, amazing workout, diet update, or just my thoughts. I think that a state of fitness isn't something that anyone should achieve and ever let go of. The idea of a lifestyle is more appealing and my goal is to continue striving for more within reason.

For all of the people who have been reading, thank you! It's been fun doing this. It was also a lot more work than I would have expected and I occasionally forgot to post workouts. Whatever. Here are before and after photos. They aren't the same exact type of photo so look at the general progress rather than the specific locations on the body.

These two pictures actually show the same side. The bottom one was taken with the phone's front-facing camera so you'll have to think about that when you mentally compare the two. I think I made great overall progress in shedding a good amount of body fat and building my abs back.
















The picture below shows the thick and blocky six pack that I developed. My abs do not look block in the picture to the right since I was flexing differently. I attribute this thickness to my incorporation of heavy cable crunches into every ab workout.

I'd say more here but there really isn't much else to say. It was fun maintaining a healthier lifestyle and tracking the progress was awesome. It ended up being more work than I thought it would be. I'll continue to post on this blog as I see fit so stay tuned!

 

Today's Ab workout

The hardest thing to do is get yourself in the right spot mentally when it comes to doing an ab workout. Most people put it at the end of the workout but some do it at the beginning. If you jump right into it you may feel lethargic and not squeeze the most out of the workout. If you do it at the end, you'll have the energy and bloodflow but may get bored (and maybe not have energy..) after having finished your main workout. These aren't the best arguments but everyone creates their own.

I think the best thing to do is to incorporate your ab workout into your main workout side by side. Rather than separating the chest workout and the ab workout, do a set of chest and then do abs. Irrespective of what main muscle group you do or if you're only focusing on abs, I suggest running at least half a mile at a fast pace to get the blood flowing and to set your mind right. I cannot stress this enough. RUN.

The ab workout below was fully incorporated into my back workout which I will not list here. For ease of understanding I will list everything as if I performed all of the exercises in exact order.

Workout:

1) L-Pullups
*Make sure that your hips do not sway back behind your shoulders. Always keep the hips forward and squeeze the entire core to maintain control. Pull up with your upper back. I grip a little narrower than shoulder width.

-4x8

2) Cable Crunches
*Use the straight bar attachment and let your arms hold it behind your head as you move down. If you feel this in your hip flexors adjust your body until you feel it in your abs. When you get tired you may start feeling the stress in your lower back. Stop the movement and rest before finishing your set. Form is key.

-6x12 w/ 80 lbs.

3) Toes to Bar
*Wide grip on the pull-up bar and do leg raises. Bring the toes up and over the bar. Try to keep the lower back out of this and use good core control.

-4x10

4) Dragonflags
*Build up to these slowly. There are plenty of resources on the web and youtube discussing various methods of building up to these. Again, form is key. If you feel the hip flexor or lower back coming in to compensate for an exhausted rectus abdominus, stop the movement and rest before finishing your set.

-4x10


---> The key is to do all of the reps in the exercise. You can divide the sets up however you want. For example, as long as you do 32 L-pullups you're done with that exercise. It doesn't matter if you do 32 sets of 1 or 1 set of 32. Anything in between is fine and satisfactory.

Update

Haven't posted in a while. I've been getting in small workouts here and there but nothing big lately. Just pulled myself out of a bit of a rut and I'm back on track now. Yesterday I did chest and managed to push out 275 for 4 reps. I also did some triceps.

Today was a bit different. I didn't really want to do arms, back, or legs, so I decided to work everything that is underdeveloped. This includes my traps, forearms, abs, and cardio ability. My workout was quick but effective.

Another thing I've noticed is that my bedtime really makes a huge difference in how the following day goes. I feel lethargic and foggy-brained for the entire next day if I go to sleep after 1 a.m. irrespective of how many hours I get total. I'm slowly dialing my bedtime back. My target time is 11:30 p.m.

Workout:

1) Cardio
-1 mile @ 7:00 pace

2) Abs
*L pullups superset w/ cable crunches (80 lbs.)
-7x8 on each exercise

3) Forearm Wrist Roller
-5 rolls up and down w/ 25 lb. plate

4) Shrugs
-6x10 w/ 155


Diet:
Meal 1:
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-4 egg whites + 1 whole egg
-Peach
-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 2:
-Strawberry, mango, and blueberry smoothie w/ vanilla protein powder (30g)

Meal 3:
-Chipotle salad: lettuce, brown rice, fajita veggies, chicken, 3 scoops corn

Meal 4:
-Grilled salmon w/ teriyaki marinade
-2 cups sautéed carrots
-1 cup sautéed red peppers and squash

Cheat Day and General Thoughts

     Had a cheat day today and went with Jordan F. to La Vic's to get some burritos. We made the obligatory stop at Yogurtland next door. I found myself not really wanting to eat the burrito I had ordered because I've mentally conditioned myself to have a distaste for fast-food and especially burritos. More importantly, I realized just how much my lifestyle has changed over the past six years. While in middle school I would frequent unhealthy foods. I ate dessert every night and often too much. Now I genuinely think refined sugar tastes worse than sugars from fruit. I'm so glad that I got on a path toward positive growth.

On conventional diets....

     People get upset and disappointed when their diets fail because they don't realize that every diet is bound to fail. The key to improvement is through gradual changes in lifestyle. One less cookie a day and then two tomorrow. Eventually you eliminate the negative and hold on to the positive. It's a process that takes months and potentially years. It definitely took me about two years to realize that I can't hope to improve physically by starving myself of carbs for an indefinite period of time. Learning processes are long and tough. Your diet fails because it is a short term crutch rather than a long term solution.

On cheat days...

     I do cheat days for a few main reasons: to get any urge out of my system, to realize that I truly dislike eating poorly, to see the sad reality that is the eating habits of Americans. Let me address the latter first. I find it very saddening that people choose to eat poorly when there are other options available, but I use it as encouragement and a fuel for my goals. When I sit in Yogurtland and eat my cookies n' cream yogurt with oreo crumbs on top I look around and realize how silly the very act is. Seeing the habits of many people who do not care for their physical health encourages me to work harder in order to maintain mine.
     Cheat days are a mental reset button for anybody maintaining a relatively new lifestyle. I intend for this health "phase" to last for the rest of my life but it is rather new, so I am still adjusting from my old lifestyle. I occasionally desire sweets and fast food. It's a good idea to get this out of your system every now and then to keep progress moving forward. One day of high carbs and high calories will not hurt your long term progress. The cheat day is best had after a good single achievement or after a series of positive progress has been noticed. For example, a cheat day can be had after a couple weeks of perfect dieting or after a series of grueling workouts. The important thing is to stretch cheat days apart as far as possible; they'll mean more to you and you'll get more out of them when they're not frequently occurring.

Week 7 Progress Pics...ABS

I have abs again. It feels pretty good. Consistency in ab workouts is absolutely essential. My abs have responded very well to consistent workouts (3 times a week.) The phone picture quality was especially crappy tonight. I'm convinced that my 10mp back camera is worse than my 2 mp front camera. I also forgot to turn on HDR, which really helps when taking low-light bathroom selfies. Anyway...

This is a shot from the right. The abs on this side appear to me more normal and well defined. It really depends on how I flex, but generally this side appears to be blockier and larger. It's not due to some imbalance since I'm fundamentally sound whenever the core comes into question. I think it's purely genetic.

 The above shot is of my left side. My abs are uneven and the top one has always been tiny. I find that explosive cardio (sprints and explosive jumps) and gradual overall core strengthening (side planks) develop the serratus very well.

Shoulders, Back, and Insanity

Came into the gym with a lot of things to get done. I wanted to knock out both a shoulder workout and a back workout within the timespan of about an hour and a half. This was completely do-able and keeping the tempo up also kept the energy up.

Workout (Back and Shoulders):

1) Military Press*

*I really like to do partial reps on these since they don't aggravate my rotator cuffs and tend to target my medial deltoids more effectively. I generally lower the weight down to my head and push back up. 

-2x15 w/ 115 lbs.

-4x15 w/ 135 lbs.

2) DB Shoulder Press

-1x10 w/ 60 lbs.

-2x10 w/ 70 lbs.

-2x8   w/ 80 lbs.

3) Lat Pulldowns

-1x20 w/ 120 lbs.

-1x10 w/ 160 lbs.

-1x10 w/ 180 lbs.

-3x5   w/ 210 lbs.

4) Seated Cable Rows

-4x10 w/ 160 lbs.

5) Shrugs

-3x10 w/ 90 lbs. on each hand

6) DB Rows*

*I did these very slowly with a tight contraction at the top. I placed all of the emphasis on my form rather than the weight.

-5x10 w/ 65 lbs. (for each side)

Workout (Insanity):

I did the pure cardio workout and went for a mile run after the workout. I spent an additional thirty minutes stretching my lower body after the run.

Note: I'm going to only post diet information when it changes. If I don't post anything that means that my diet was the same as the previous day or had one small alteration. In today's case, I had lamb instead of another meat.  I'm not the biggest fan of lamb for various reasons and I don't think I'll ever have it again.

Total Body

I spent most of today working on PCB dev. so I didn't have much time to workout. However I did decide to go to the gym in order to get in a quick total body workout rather than doing Insanity. I threw in some leg exercises, back exercises, ab exercises, and some quick cardio.

Workout:
1) Leg Press
-2x10 w/ 220 lb. (single-legged)
-2x10 w/ 320 lb.

2) L-Pullups
*Hold you legs up in the air perpendicular to the body for the entire pull-up.
-5x8

3) Cable crunches
-5x8 w/ 80 lbs.

4) Walking Lunges 
-3x25 steps w/ 110 lb. barbell

5) [superset] Calf Raises + Calf Walks
*Walk around with a 45 plate in each hand. Make sure to flex the calves at the top of each step.

(4 rounds)
-20 reps w/ 3 plates on calf raises
-20 or 30 steps

6) Sprints
-4x50m

Diet:

I'm finding it super hard as of late to continue eating the foods I like since my house's stock of food is very low. We have almost no lean meats available. It's very saddening. Anyway, today's meal plan was lower in calorie count since I didn't really do anything for the greater part of the day.  

Meal 1:
-7 egg whites
-4 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 2:
-Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 3:
-Lean ham.
-Apple
-Lemon quest bar

Meal 4:
-Three homemade burger patties (ground steak w/ tomatoes and shallots)
-2 cup sautéed carrots

Abs and Insanity

~This post is for yesterday (Sunday)~

Went to the gym to do a quick ab workout and then came back home for a round of Insanity pure cardio. I really like how quick the insanity workout is. I haven't checked out the other videos but I assume they won't fit very well into my schedule since they're targeted more toward people who work out solely in their homes. This generally means they are higher volume with much lighter weight.

Workout:

1) Superset

(5 rounds)
-10 hanging leg raises
-10 cable crunches w/ 80 lbs.
-5-8 L pullups*

*This is just a pull-up where you hold your legs up and in front like an L.

2) Dragon flags*
-4x10

*The superset really tired me out so I did these very carefully. It takes a lot of mind-muscle connection and control to be able to eliminate the extensive use of the hip flexors and lower back in this exercise but some involvement will be unavoidable. If you can't do the entire set then just stop and finish off the reps when you're ready to go again. You'll know when your abs have stopped working when you start feeling a lot of pressure in the hips and lower back.

3) Leg Raises*

*I do these the same way as in the video below. Go to 2:00...

-5x10

4) Insanity Pure Cardio

I really like this. Generally I'll change out a couple of the exercises for things that push my body a little harder, like burpees for example. I tend to run either before or after and these runs never exceed two miles.

Back Day

Hit back day with Jordan F. today. It's amazing what a full night's sleep will do. I felt a level of energy that was absolutely astounding. As I said, from this point on the gains and fat loss will be accelerated. I cannot wait to see the results.

It's hard for me to get an effective back workout using conventional methods (db rows, etc.) because of my herniated disc. If I twist excessively then it aggravates the disc and I'll feel it the next day. My solution is generally to isolate my mid and upper back entirely. I love hammer strength machines because they help me isolate the group in question perfectly. I truly miss doing exercises that require a stronger lower back, but T-bar rows and hammer strength rows will suffice.

Workout:

1) Lat Pulldowns
-1x20 w/ 120
-1x15 w/ 160
-3x10 w/ 180
-1x10 w/ 190
-5x5   w/ 200*

*Noticed that the lat pulldowns are getting easier and easier. I don't know what has caused it but my lat recovery and development continue to surpass my expectations. I'm going to up the weight on these next time to 210.

2) Hammer Strength High Row
-3x10 w/ 2 plates on each side

3) Hammer Strength Row
-2x15 w/ 2 plates on each side
-1x15 w/ 2 plates + 25 " "
-4x10 w/ 3 plates

4) EZ Curls*
*We performed these incredibly slowly and with absolute control.

-4x10 w/ 95 lbs.
+1 set of 21s to finish w/ 60 lbs.


I think I'm going to edit my diet a bit and start lowering my overall carbohydrate intake from grains. My diet was the same as yesterday except with the substitution of salmon for chicken. I'm going to try and space out my caloric intake over a longer period of time (eat more small meals) so that I don't get as hungry as often in the day.

Insanity and Update

One of the things that I used to do and discontinued doing until recently was using Insanity as a substitute for gym workouts. It's very useful and wonderful if you're in a crunch for time. Today I couldn't get into the gym so I chose to do the pure cardio workout. It felt great and I went for a mile jog after. Following the workout, I did a ten minute stretching session. I think my body is in need of a deep tissue massage.

Insanity is most effective when paired with another regimen. I find that on its own it is not enough to achieve my goals. It really shines when paired with an intense weight training program since it's HIIT cardio and thus more efficient (in terms of time and effectiveness.)

The goal is to do the pure cardio workout every two or three days either in the mornings or after my weight training session. Now that classes are over I'm also going to have some time to get back into mountain biking.

I'm most excited to see the effects of increased sleep on my fat loss. I've reached a plateau and even taken a few steps backward. This isn't good and I attribute it mostly to my sleep deficiency rather than my training methods and/or diet. Getting five to six hours per week night is not enough for the mind or the body.

Week 6 Progress Pics

Will be uploaded soon

Legs

     Decided that I didn't want to do another chest day just yet so I opted to do legs. I placed most of my emphasis on my calves and HIIT sprints. There have been small periods during my training "career" where I've been able to hit my calves very effectively, but these periods are always short-lived. Today I thought of imitating natural movement in my calf workout by walking with a 45 plate in each hand. Rather than performing a typical farmer's walk, I walked only on my toes and changed the positioning on each go around. I walked around the gym twice before going straight into my seated calf raises. I found that the weighted walking was very effective and it provided a wonderful pump. I've also found over the years that high volume is more effective for calf development than just pure weight.

Workout:
1) Squats
3x10 w/ 135
2x10 w/ 185
2x8   w/ 225

-0.25 mile jog

2) Front Squats
4x10 w/ 135

-15 second sprint @ 16 mph

3) Walking Lunges
4x24 w/ 110

-15 second sprint @ 16 mph

4) [superset] Seated Calf Raises and Weighted Calf Walking
(10 rounds)
-15 steps on each leg + 20 reps w/ 4 plates

-15 second sprint @ 16 mph

Diet:
Meal 1:
-5 egg whites
-4 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk

Meal 2:
-4 slices of tri-tip
-1 cup roasted mixed veggies

Meal 3:
-Quest bar (chocolate brownie)
-1.5 cup almond milk

Meal 4:
-7oz grilled New York steak (marinated in teriyaki sauce)
-2 cups mixed veggies
-2 cups sautéed celery

Update on What's Going On

It's absolutely astonishing how much work it takes to maintain a blog. I have been really busy with my three classes but they are coming to an end. I'm going to try and maintain my promise to update this frequently (everyday was/is the goal) and not become a once-a-week kind of guy. I will update the empty posts as soon as I can and fill in all the information.

As far as the progress goes, I think I've come pretty far. Despite this, I feel that I'd be farther along if I were getting more sleep. The maximum amount of sleep I can get in a night while still performing all of the tasks I need to do throughout the day is about 8 hours. Since it takes me a good thirty minutes to an hour to fall asleep, this number is generally closer to 7 and sometimes even 6. I take a nap after school but this isn't sufficient as it's not REM sleep. I'm quite confident that the progress will be accelerated when classes finish and I start sleeping between 9 and 10 hours per night. It'll be refreshing.

I've managed to get sick for the past two weekends. It takes me two to three days to get over these little colds but they negatively impact my workout and leave me fatigued for the larger portion of the day. I think I've narrowed the source of these sicknesses down to 24hr fitness, as they don't clean any of the machines and the entire place is a dump. I try to keep my hands away from my face but I'll occasionally slip and itch my nose or mouth, thereby giving myself a cold. I do not recommend going to the Hillsdale location. I will be ending my membership there in a couple weeks when my lifting buddy Jordan F. heads back to college.

Well, it wouldn't be a problem if I had a better immune system. I think my immune system has been on hiatus for the latter part of my life.

Oh, in recent news, I BENCHED 315 lbs. AT A BODYWEIGHT OF 155 LBS!

Chest and Cardio

Had yet another wonderful chest workout with Jordan F. I finally benched 315 (3 plates) on flat bench! Went into the gym to do a quick chest workout, felt a little stiff, and slowly eased into it. Upon entering the gym I had had no intention of maxing out. I'm not a very big fan of pushing my joints to their limits but my ego took over after I hit 275 for three reps. I took it easier on the subsequent exercises after my max to compensate.

I'm slightly frustrated with my lack of sufficient sleep. I tire quickly and have a general fatigue that sets in around 1 p.m. Napping does not help. I cannot wait until my summer classes are over. I predict that my metabolism will skyrocket when I start getting 8-10 hours a night once more. I'll also have more time and energy to put into my workouts. It's been way too long since I've been on a mountain bike.

Workout:
1) Flat bench
1x12 w/ 135
1x5 w/ 155
1x5 w/ 185
1x5 w/ 225
1x3 w/ 245
2x3 w/ 275
1x1 w/ 315   <----  ^_^

2) Hammer Strength Wide-Chest
3x10 w/ 3 plates
2x5 w/ 4 plates

3) [superset] Seated Machine Flyes + Cable Flyes *
*We performed these movements with single arms rather than both. In each rep we crossed the arm across the body. This superset yielded a fabulous pump and a wonderful stretch.

(5 rounds)
-10 reps on cable flye w/ 75 lbs.
-8 reps  on machine flye w/ 110 lbs. SLOW

4) Incline DB Press*
*Took it nice and slow on this movement. Tempo was ~4 seconds down, 1 second up

-2x10 w/ 60
-3x10 w/ 80


Diet:

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/ almond milk
-Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and banana smoothie
-5 egg whites
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs

Meal 2:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-2 cups sautéed carrots
-1 cup blueberries

Meal 3:
-5oz grilled chicken breast
-0.5 cup wild rice
-Lemon quest bar

Meal 4:
-8oz grilled steak
-2 cups sauteed green beans

Total Body

     Did a total body workout and started lowering carb intake as well as overall calorie intake. I am going to be eating less rice and more vegetables. My workout today included an intense cardio session that came before the other movements. When I feel groggy as I walk into the gym the first thing I do is run, irrespective of the muscle group that I will be training that day. The distance doesn't matter but the activity does. Running always clears my mind and gets my blood flowing. It prepares me for a great workout and sets my mind straight. One of the hardest decisions for anyone is getting off of their ass and getting to the gym. The second hardest decision is actually doing the work it takes to make physical progress. If you are not in the right mindset, just get on the treadmill and move. When your blood is flowing and your brain is oxygenated you will be in a better mindset to lift. Oh, the endorphins help too.

Workout:
1) Cardio
-2 miles at 7 min pace
-5 intervals consisting of 30 second sprint and 1 min jog

2) Pullups
-3x15 wide grip
-2x10 close grip

3) Cable Crunches
-5x10 w/ 75 lbs.

4) [superset] GHD situps + Atomic Pushups
-4x10 reps on each exercise
(total of 4 supersets)

5) Walking Lunges
-3x24 steps w/ 110 lbs.

6) Captain's Chair Leg Raises*
-5x15

*I do a variation of these where I support myself with my hands in line with my body. I create an "L" shape and concentrate on making sure my body doesn't rock back as I perform the motion. I prefer this position over resting on the back pad of the captain's chair as it requires more concentration and stabilization.


Diet:
1) Meal 1:
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-5 egg whites
-27g whey protein shake w/ almond milk
-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie w/ almond milk and OJ

2) Meal 2:
-5 oz grilled chicken sliced w/ 0.5 avocado
-2 cups squash

3) Meal 3:
-5 oz grilled chicken
-2 cups broccoli
-Raspberry smoothie w/ almond milk

4) Meal 4:
-Quest bar (chocolate)
-Cup of 2% milk

5) Meal 5:
-2 7oz grilled chicken breasts
-2 cups of sautéed green beans
-1 cup of zucchini

Week 5 Progress Pics

 This round of progress pics is going to showcase abdominal development. Again, for reference, here is the original picture on the left. The picture on the right was taken on Saturday evening. Progress is quite clear, but the lighting definitely helps (new bulbs!) Perhaps a better comparison would be between the last ab shot I took and this week's, but I think the contrast is much more stark when I put the original next to my current status. 


Also, I have no idea what is going on with my thumb in the picture on the right...

 My left bicep (shown on the right) has been developing so much more quickly than my right (left) for some reason. I perform my movements with good balance and do a lot of dumbbell exercises. I think the imbalance is purely genetic. My entire left side is just more developed. The upper trapezius, anterior deltoid, forearms, and bicep group are all more defined on the left side of the body.

My uneven leg development is absolutely hilarious. I have no idea where this came from or why it is. I tend to use both legs equally when I mountain bike and I alternate starting legs for sprints. Very strange indeed. The picture on the left looks like I don't even do legs and the picture on the right looks like I've been doing them twice a week.

   

Fun fact: My left side has a total of 5 "abs" and my right side has 4 for a total of 9. My abs are uneven and this is purely genetic. There is really no way to even them out since my tendinous intersections are organized straggly and cannot be moved through exercise.

Arms+Abs

     Hit arms and abs yesterday. Once again I placed the emphasis on my triceps rather than my biceps. I was hoping to get in some cardio but had too much work to do so I left the gym early. Lately I've been playing around with higher-intensity workouts. From what I've experienced, I really enjoy total body workouts and short rest breaks. I'm going to try out intermittent fasting and fasted cardio again when I begin the serious cut. These first five weeks were primarily back to get into athletic shape and add on a small amount of size. The cut comes next. Anyway, here is the workout:

Workout:
1) Close-Grip Bench
-1x20 w/ 135
-5x10 w/ 185

2) Single-Arm Overhead Cable Extensions
-5x12 w/ 35 lbs.

3) EZ-Curls
-4x6 w/ 115 lbs.

4) Skullcrushers
*I cannot perform this movement in the same way that most people do. I have to move the entire system (consisting of my arms) back in order to not feel pain in my elbows. By essentially performing the movement behind (or above, depending on how you look at it) my head, I feel no pain. Give it a try.
-3x10 w/ 85
-1x8 w/ 95

5) Tricep Pushdowns
-5x15 w/ 100 lbs.

6) Hanging Leg Raises
-4x10

7) Cable Crunchces
-2x10 w/ 62.5 lbs.
-4x10 w/ 75 lbs.

8) GHD situps
-3x12

Rest Day

Woke up super stiff this morning. I don't know what I ate or inhaled but I have been fighting this terrible cold all day. Didn't get a chance to get in the gym but abided by the same diet. Progress pics were taken yesterday and will be up tomorrow.

Diet:

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/ almond milk
-Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and celery smoothie
-5 egg whites
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs

Meal 2:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-2 cups sautéed carrots
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 3:
-5oz grilled chicken breast
-0.25 avocado
-0.5 cup wild rice
-Lemon quest bar

Meal 4:
-10oz grilled salmon
-2 cups sauteed carrots
-2 cups sauteed green beans

Back Day

     Had a long and busy day but still had the chance to workout! I ended up doing a lot of volume overall and thought doing abs at the end was a good idea. It really wasn't since I didn't have the energy left over to do a good ab routine.

Workout:

1) Lat Pulldowns (wide-grip)
-1x15 w/ 120 lbs.
-2x15 w/ 160 lbs.
-3x10 w/ 180 lbs.
-1x8 w/ 190 lbs.
-4x5 w/ 210 lbs.

2) Single-Arm Cable Rows
-5x15 w/ 60 lbs. (on each arm)

3) Hammer Strength Row Machine
-5x10 w/ 3 plates (on each side)

4) [superset] Wide-Grip Pullups + Lat Pulldowns
(5 supersets)
-10 reps + 12 reps w/ 70 lbs.

5) Dragonflags + Hanging Leg Raises
-5x (6 dragonflags and 10 leg raises)

6) Captain's Chair Leg Raises
-5x20

---------------------------------------------

Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-6 eggs' whites-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 2:-4 homemade meatballs (ground New York steak) + homemade tomato sauce w/garlic

Meal 3:
-27g whey protein shake w/ almond milk
-Chocolate quest bar

Meal 4:
-8oz grilled chicken breast sliced into..
-1 cup wild rice
-0.5 avocado
-2 tbsp homemade lemon and garlic sauce
-1 cup sautéed green beans
-1 cup carrots

Meal 5:
-1 cup blueberries
-Lemon quest bar

Chest+Tris Day

     Hit chest and tris today. I've been trying to develop my triceps more and so I threw in a few exercises after the chest workout.

Workout:
1) Incline DB Press
-3x10 w/ 60 lb.
-5x6   w/ 105 lb.

2) Flat Bench Press
-5x6 w/ 245 lbs.

3) [superset] Atomic Pushups + Cable Flyes
(6 supersets)
-15 on each exercise w/ 60 lbs. on cable flye machine

4) Close-Grip Bench Press
* I put my hands a little inside of shoulder width and not at the absolute center since it aggravates my wrists.

-1x10 w/ 135 lbs.
-5x10 w/ 185 lbs.

5) Tricep Pushdowns
-3x10 w/ 100 lbs.

6) Single Arm Overhead Tricep Cable Extensions
-4x12 w/ 30 lbs.

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Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-6 eggs' whites
-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk
-Raspberry, blueberry, and 2 banana smoothie

Meal 2:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-3 cups broccoli, carrots, cauliflower

Meal 3:
-27g whey protein shake w/ chocolate almond milk
-Banana slices w/ natural peanut butter, semisweet chocolate morsels, and honey
-Chocolate quest bar

Meal 4:
-6oz grilled chicken breast
-4 cups broccoli

Meal 5:
-4oz grilled chicken breast
-1 cup broccoli, carrots, cauliflower

Boxing

QUICK UPDATE: Progress pics will be delayed so I'll make them week 5 progress pics rather than week 4. I've been super busy with my three summer school classes, my satellite project for school, and trying to find the time to sleep and see friends. I have been making gains but don't have the extra time to go take bathroom mirror selfies at the moment.

   Today Jordan F. and I did another garage boxing workout. We're going to gradually incorporate more exercises into the rotation as we acquire more home gym equipment. We started with just heavy bag workouts and began to transition into heavy bag and explosive cardio hybrids. As of late we've been doing pushups and jumping rope in between rounds. Next time we're also going to integrate resistance bands. A homemade TRX is next.
     I broke down the workout numerically based on the order of things I did. Jordan's workout was slightly different since his HIIT ability is much greater than mine at the moment. He's able to go for longer rounds with more power. I can't sustain my speed and power for much longer than two minutes per round.

Workout:

1) 3 min. Power + Speed Round
2) 50 hops jump rope
3) 20 lateral raises
4) 50 pushups
6) 2 min. Speed Round
7) 30 hops jump rope
8) 50 pushups
9) Speed + Reaction Drill*
10) 20 lateral raises
11) 50 pushups
12) 30 hops jump rope

*We used each other's gloves as targets, creating and altering scenarios in which we picked a point of attack and performed the movements. We often started with jabs and worked our way into hooks. This drill also included the partner holding to attack every here and there to work on reaction time and improve reflexes.

Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-2 cup raspberry + blueberry smoothie
-5 egg whites
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs

Meal 2:
-5 homemade meatballs (Ground New York steak + homemade garlic tomato sauce)
-2 cups corn

Meal 3:
-Apple
-Lemon Quest bar

Meal 4:
-27g whey protein shake w/ dark chocolate almond milk
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 5*:
-12oz flank steak
-3 cups sautéed carrots
-1 cup brown rice

*I'm not the biggest fan of having large dinners but I was absolutely famished after the workout and needed food. I don't know what it is about steak but if I only eat a small amount I will not feel full. It is for this reason that I prefer chicken and salmon over steak. I added in a small amount of extra carbs with the brown rice.

Total Body

     Today (Saturday) I played around a bit with a total body workout. I added in a little arms, shoulders, chest, and core into the routine. I started off with a run and then went straight into the workout. I still prefer isolating specific groups on certain days but this was an effective workout and I could definitely feel it testing my athleticism. I'm going to start incorporating more of these into my split as I try to shed off more fat. The emphasis will be placed on practical movements that bring much more core and flexibility into play. I will not be doing anything with heavy olympic lifts and maxreps (crossfit.)
     For organization's sake, I've put the workout into sections. I performed the exercises in the same order as shown below. Rest breaks should be 25 seconds max in between sets. You'll notice that there is an emphasis on supersets. I love these and try to incorporate them as much as possible since I love pushing my respiratory system as far as I can. I have exercise induced asthma, but I've worked to virtually eliminate its presence in my life by slowly training my respiratory system using an integrated cardio and superset approach.

Workout
1) 1.5 mile run @ 6:45 pace

2) [superset] Cable Crunches + Lateral Raises
-5x10 (on each exercise) w/ 80 lbs. on cable crunches and 15 lb. DBs for raises

3) [superset] Hammer Curls + Wide-Grip Pullups
-5x10 (5 on each arm) curls w/ 65 lb. DBs
-5x10 pullups

4) [superset] Pushups on Exercise Ball* + Cable Crunches
-5x10 (on each exercise) w/ 80 lbs. on cable crunches

*For this, take a small or medium sized exercise ball and the lightest pre-weighted barbell available. Place the barbell on the point of the sphere closest to your body when leaning over it in pushup position. This movement requires a lot of shoulder and core stabilization so take the reps very slowly. The position would look like this but with a bar in place of the hands:

5) [superset] Atomic Pushups (TRX + perfect pushup grips) + Medicine Ball Slams*
-5x15 (on each exercise)

*Use the 18 lb. med ball for these. Below is a video of a guy performing this movement. I'd say it's a better idea to find a ball that bounces slightly as using a ball like the one shown will ruin the equipment. The goal of this movement is not immediately to slam the ball down as hard as possible but to engage primarily the core, hips, lats, and triceps in that order. Get your power from the core and not your arms.

6) Dragonflags*
-5x8

*This is an extremely advanced workout that requires a well-developed core. It's also my favorite ab exercise. It will push your core to its limit. The most important thing is to avoid activating too many stabilizers in the back and the hips. The emphasis should be on the rectus abdominis throughout the movement. If you feel the stress move toward your hips or back, stop immediately and rest before performing the movement again. If you have to go one rep per set, that's fine as long as the reps are controlled. Below is a tutorial on this exercise:

Diet of the Day

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk
-3 Aidell's chicken meatballs
-5 eggs worth of egg whites
-Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie w/ 2% milk and orange juice (2 cups total)

Meal 2:
-6oz grilled chicken breast
-0.5 cup brown rice
-0.25 avocado

Meal 3:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-1 cup brown rice

Meal 4 (post-workout):
-35g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-Banana with peanut butter
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 5:
-Two 6oz grilled chickens
-4oz grilled chicken chopped into rice and avocado bowl
-0.25 avocado
-0.75 cup brown rice

Rest and Recovery Day

I think I came down with a pretty nasty cold. I've been sneezing and blowing my nose all day. I stayed out of the gym today and got a lot done at home. I'm hoping to be able to make it into the gym tomorrow. Diet was a repeat of yesterday's but with two 8oz grilled salmons for dinner.

Shoulders + Boxing

     I had such high hopes for today; I was going to kill my midterm, kill my shoulder workout, and kill the cardio session. All of these goals were accomplished. Then I managed to slip onto a piece of gardening equipment and slice my shin open. The cut is about 0.4-0.5" deep and I was able to see my bone if I moved it around. I've since cleaned it out and glued it shut. Hopefully it heals quickly. I generally don't have a problem with infections since I do a thorough initial cleaning with isopropyl alcohol. I find that alcohol does a better job at preventing infection than peroxide. The two used in tandem do not seem to produce any noticeable benefits.
     Anyway, today's shoulder workout was fast-paced and intense. My shoulders have really had it as of late so I didn't want to stress the rotator cuff too much. I took it relatively easy on dumbbell press and did not go about 135 lbs. on military press. Today's workouts are separated into two chunks below.

Workout 1 (shoulders):
-Always warm up your rotator cuffs with either cable movements or light plates/dumbbells. I prefer to use 5 lb. plates in order to do rotational warmups.

1) DB Shoulder Press
-1x15 w/ 50 lb.
-1x10 w/ 65 lb.
-2x10 w/ 70 lb.
-3x8   w/ 80 lb.

2) Military Press
*I do not perform a full ROM on this exercise as it aggravates my entire shoulder group. Instead, I come down to a little below 90 and lift almost to lock out. I do not lock out on this movement.

-4x10 w/ 135 lbs.

3) Cable Raises
*Perform both a front raise set and a lateral raise set for each superset shown below

-2x12 w/ 20 lbs.
-2x10 w/ 30 lbs.
-3x10 w/ 20 lbs.

Workout 2 (boxing):
-My buddy Jordan F. and I did a boxing workout centered around the heavy bag (80 lbs.) We added in the ab wheel and jump rope in between rounds. We alternated between doing power rounds and speed rounds. For the latter, we used each other as moving targets and concentrated on speed, agility, and reaction time.

Round 1:
-1.5 min power combos
-1 min speed combos
-Ab wheel to failure

Round 2: 
-2 min power+speed combos
-25 reps ab wheel
-40 reps jump rope

Round 3:
-1.5 min speed and reaction drills
-1 min power combos

Round 4:
-3.5 min power combos

     Somehow Jordan had the energy to do the equivalent of two round 4's. I don't know where he mustered the energy to go at it, but it was impressive. Boxing is an incredible workout that involves the use of the entire body. I definitely felt some lactic acid buildup in the shoulders since we concentrated on that muscle group earlier. It was not too detrimental and the workout was still great. Toward the end I was really feeling it in my core as I tried to concentrate on bringing my legs and core into various movements.
     If you find some cool music and have the right environment boxing can be very entertaining. Despite the fact that I enjoy running, I find it boring on occasion and stop for this very reason. This is not so with boxing. I'm into it the whole time. Give it a try!

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Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-6 eggs' whites
-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk
-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 2:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-3 cups broccoli, carrots, cauliflower

Meal 3:
-27g whey protein shake w/ chocolate almond milk
-Banana slices w/ natural peanut butter, semisweet chocolate morsels, and honey
-Chocolate quest bar

Meal 4:
-6oz grilled chicken breast
-4 cups broccoli

Meal 5:
-4oz grilled chicken breast
-1 cup broccoli, carrots, cauliflower

Chest Day

Yet another chest day. My schedule constrains me to only a certain amount of workouts each week so lately it's been chest, back, chest, back, etc. Well, I promise that tomorrow will be something different! I'm going to go for a 5-6 mile uphill climb and then do some abs. I will upload the information for this day tomorrow.

Back Day

     Absolutely demolished back day today. I am not a big fan of supplements but I decided to try a couple samples that I got from the Fitness Expo. I used a combination of ON BCAA 5000 and EVP plus. I had clean energy and a phenomenal pump throughout the entire workout and enough energy left over to do a boxing workout after the gym. A single serving of EVP plus has 150mg of caffeine. One cup of coffee has 95 mg of caffeine. Check out the ingredient profile below to the right:

     I wanted to concentrate a bit more on lat development rather than overall back thickness. My absolute favorite exercise on back day is the lat pulldown, so I just upped the volume.

Workout 1 (weights):

1) Lat Pulldowns (wide-grip)
-1x15 w/ 100 lbs.
-1x15 w/ 160 lbs.
-1x10 w/ 180 lbs.
-1x8   w/ 190 lbs.
-5x5   w/ 210 lbs.

2) Hammer Strength Row
-1x15 w/ 2 plates
-1x15 w/ 2 plates + 25 plates
-5x8   w/ 3 plates
-1x5   w/ 4 plates

3) Lat Pulldowns (standard-grip)
*Use full range of motion and refrain from allowing the back to rest at the top of the movement. There should be no pause in the entire movement.

-5x10 w/ 180 lbs.

4) Single-Arm Cable Rows
*Alternate between right and left arms

-5x10 w/ 60 lbs.

5) Hammer Strength Shrugs
-5x15 w/ 3 plates


Workout 2 (cardio):
-I did three 2 minute rounds of boxing combined with a half mile jog in between each round for a total of 6 minutes of boxing and 1 mile. I also threw in 20 reps of the ab wheel in between each round.

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     I am quite positive that there is some validity to the studies regarding raspberry ketones. Ever since I started making raspberry smoothies I've started to notice more results from my cardio workouts. Studies have only been done on animals, but scientists concluded that raspberry ketone prevents and improves obesity and fatty liver in certain animals. The success appears to stem from the alteration of the metabolism (specifically lipids, specifically norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in fat cells.)

Diet of the Day:
Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-4 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 2:
-8 oz New York steak
-4 cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)

Meal 3:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-1.5 cups of blueberries

Meal 4:
-Rotisserie chicken (did not eat the skin)
-3 cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)
-1.5 cups of brown rice

Fit Expo and Rest Day

Took another rest day today and went to the Fitness Expo with Chad H. I've been super busy so I'll update this and the last two posts tomorrow.

     Took today off. My shoulders were really taking a beating from the last few workouts so they needed a rest. I started taking fish-oils again. I take 6 a day (2 with each major meal.) My diet was a little bit out of whack:

Diet of the Day:
Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-5 eggs worth of egg whites
-3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-1 plum and 1 peach
-Raspberry and blueberry smoothie (2 cups)

Meal 2:
-Chipotle burrito bowl: 50% rice, 50% lettuce, chicken, fajita vegetables, 4 scoops of corn

Meal 3:
-1 quest bar
-1 Apple

Meal 4:
-8oz New York steak
-4 cups of broccoli
-1 cup of carrots

Week 3 Progress Pics

Check out the gains. This week's set of progress pics will showcase strength and some size gains rather than progress in the area of definition. My abs have not improved because I haven't been doing cardio so I will not be showing them here today.

Note: The arrows above each text segment designate the picture that I am talking about with respect to the location of the text.

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To the right is a shot of my bicep and deltoids. I haven't been able to achieve total separation between my anterior and medial heads in the deltoid region but the definition is not bad.











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This one shows the peak development of my left bicep. I think it's purely genetic, but my left arm has this "baseball" peak whereas my right arm has nothing of the sort. Both arms are equal in strength. This is the best peak that I have ever had in my life. I attribute it mostly to a variety of bicep exercises rather than a select view. I've started to vary my bicep exercises as much as possible as of late.

This left arm measured in at 17" full pump. I do not think I could reproduce this number in a deflated state.



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These two images show my forearm development. I've managed to strengthen and define my forearms through very controlled hammer curl movements as well as very controlled movements on back day. I do not use wrist straps because I value the forearm development that comes along standard grips. My left (picture on the right) forearm is larger than my right since it is my dominant hand, however, my right hand's grip is stronger.


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I really like this image since it shows overall bicep, forearm, all deltoid groups, superior trapezius, chest, rhomboid, lat, and a tiny bit of tricep development.

My trap development isn't that great because I almost never do shrugs. I do not think that the next-day neck stiffness caused by shrugs is worth any sort of muscular development in that area. Genetically I have average traps and I'm ok with that. The areas that I want to develop more include the entire trapezius group and the rhomboid group.

Chest striations were achieved by reincorporating plyometric-based chest exercises such as the explosive bosu ball pushups as well as TRX-based exercises. Atomic pushups are magical.

Author's note: I think it's pretty artsy for a progress pic selfie considering the fact that the placement of my head with respect to the camera blocks the toilet perfectly. If only I were wearing a Gold's Gym tank...










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Ever since I started working out with my friend Jeremy W. at UCLA, I began to incorporate a wider range of lat exercises not limited to lat pulldown variations. Different types of bodyweight exercises are all fair game as well. I've started getting into obstacle courses and using climbing ropes as a method of lat training. In this image you can see I've developed good but not great lats.

For ease of comparison I will use the lat pulldown as a measurement tool to gauge progress. I was stuck at 160 lbs. (8-10 reps) on lat pulldown when I entered college. Since then I've probably done an average of 1 back day a week and managed to increase that weight by 50 lbs. I mean to say that I can now rep 210 lbs. for 8 reps on lat pulldowns. For me the key was intensity and a spotter. Just because an exercise uses mechanical assistance of some sort doesn't immediately designate it as one that would not benefit from a spotter. The only way that my back responds and grows is through heavy weight and high volume. I hit my lats hard and heavy for many sets, but what got me out of the plateau was changing my entire exercise scheme. I transitioned to incorporating T-Bar rows into my workout and broke through my plateau, despite the fact that T-Bar rows emphasize lower trapezius and rhomboid muscle groups.



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And for reference, here is the original pic:

Chest and Cardio

     Started with cardio again today and found that it once again supercharged my workout. I ran a 6:30 mile and did a total of 1.5 miles. I did not pause and went straight into my chest workout. I went heavy on this workout. The diet was a carbon copy of the diet from July 8, 2014.

Workout:

*1.5 miles @ 6:30 

1) Flat Bench Press

*Upped the weight for the working sets from 245 to 250. This wasn't hard either. I'm going to bump it to 255 next workout.

-1x15 w/ 135

-1x5   w/ 155

-1x5   w/ 185

-2x8   w/ 225

-3x5   w/ 250

2) [dropset] Incline Dumbbell Press 

*Incline was 40 degrees. 

(Repeat 3 times)

i) 8 reps w/ 100 lb. DBs

ii) 8-10 reps w/ 65 lb. DBs

iii) 10-15 reps w/ 40 lb. DBs

3) [superset] Decline Dumbbell Press + Single-Arm Flye

*End the flye movement by crossing your arm over your chest. The way to visualize this to think of moving your hand to your opposite shoulder. Concentrate on the squeeze and try to move the shoulder blade using the chest rather than the rotator cuff and anterior deltoids.

(Repeat 4 times)

i) 10 reps w/ 185 lbs.

ii) 8 reps on each arm w/ 110 lbs.

4) Atomic pushups

*Each set includes 10 reps of pushups and 10 reps of crunches. The video below shows you how to properly do the exercise. Skip to about 15-20 seconds in.

-4x10 

Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk
-3 Aidell's chicken meatballs
-5 eggs worth of egg whites
-Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie w/ 2% milk and orange juice (2 cups total)

Meal 2:
-6oz grilled chicken breast
-0.5 cup brown rice
-0.25 avocado

Meal 3:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-1 cup brown rice

Meal 4 (post-workout):
-35g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-Banana with peanut butter
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 5:
-Two 6oz grilled salmons
-4oz grilled chicken chopped into rice and avocado bowl
-0.25 avocado
-0.75 cup brown rice

Back Day

     Back day and back on track. Diet was on point today and I figured out how to have effective workouts after having slept 7 hours or less. The answer is the pre-workout nap. I napped for an hour before my workout and went to go lift. I felt as if I had slept 8 or more hours. The tiredness returned mid-way through my workout since this is an imperfect solution. It wasn't unbearable and I'd give the workout quality a B+.
     The workout consisted of primarily back with a little bit of deltoid work and some biceps. After the gym I boxed and ran for cardio. My row movements are my weakest and need a lot of work but I absolutely love lat pulldowns and do them for fun.

Workout (part 1-weights):

1) Hammer-Strength Rows
-Note: when I say 2 plates I mean 2 plates on each side

-1x15 w/ 2 plates
-5x10 w/ 3 plates

2) Lat Pulldowns
-1x10 w/ 160
-1x10 w/ 180
-2x10 w/ 190
-3x8   w/ 200
-2x5   w/ 210

3) [superset] Arnold Press + Lateral Raises
1) 6x10 w/ 60 lb. dumbbells
2) 6x15 w/ 15 lb. dumbbells

4) T-Bar Row
-3x10 w/ 2 plates
-2x5   w/ 3 plates

5) Seated Cable Row
Note: I used the straight bar attachment and held at the peak contraction of the movement. My tempo was very slow and controlled.

4x8 w/ 140 lbs.

6) Dumbbell Hammer Curls
-3x10 (5 on each arm) w/ 60 lb. dumbbells

7) Hammer Strength Shrugs
-3x15 w/ 3 plates on each side


Workout (part 2-cardio):
I did a total of three 2 minute rounds of free boxing and ran a total of 1.5 miles. After each round, I'd run 0.5 mile in my neighborhood.

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Diet of the Day:

Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/ 2% milk
-3 Aidell's chicken meatballs
-5 eggs worth of egg whites
-Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie w/ 2% milk and orange juice (2 cups total)

Meal 2:
-6oz grilled chicken breast
-0.5 cup brown rice
-0.25 avocado

Meal 3:
-8oz grilled chicken breast
-1 cup brown rice

Meal 4 (post-workout):
-35g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-Banana with peanut butter
-1 cup raspberries

Meal 5:
-Two 6oz grilled salmons
-4oz grilled chicken chopped into rice and avocado bowl
-0.25 avocado
-0.75 cup brown rice

Dessert:
-Quest bar, chocolate brownie flavor