Today was all off. I managed to sleep through my alarm and ended up rolling out of bed at around 12 noon. I was planning on doing arms today but my forearms were outrageously tight and sore from back yesterday so I opted to do cardio and a light leg workout (light in anticipation of mountain biking on Tuesday.)
    I also tend to go lighter rather than heavier on squats because of my herniated disc. I actually find that if I keep a tight core and go lower than 90 degrees my back feels better than if I were to go to 90 and come back up. Getting into the gym to do a leg workout is one of the hardest things mentally, but doing the actual workout is a challenge as well. I love working out my legs but the amount of energy I need to expend in order to get a good lift is astounding. I'm sure other people feel the same way. Make sure you eat an adequate amount of carbs in the morning/afternoon before your workout. You'll need the energy. My rice bowl was not enough.

Exercise List:
1) Back squat
3 warmup sets of 20 reps w/ 135
3x10 185
2x8 225

2) Walking lunges (~30-40 reps in one walk)
5 sets w/ 90 lb. barbell on back

3) Box jumps & pistol squats
5 sets of 10 superset w/ 10 pistol squats on each leg

4) Calf circuit
(repeat 5 times)
i) Seated calf raise (15 reps w/ 4 plates)
ii) Standing single calf raise (20 reps both legs)
iii) Standing calf raise w/ both legs on 45 lb. plate (10 reps toe on plate, 10 reps heel on plate)
   *with the heel on plate, concentrate on the contraction

5) 1 mile run, 1 mile jog

Diet of the Day:
I found my diet was pretty messed up today. Since I woke up late and dislike eating eggs after 12 (personal preference...) I opted to have a protein shake and a rice bowl for my first meal. I chopped grilled chicken into the rice bowl and included three Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs. Making these rice bowls is a new thing of mine. I blame the fact that I'm half Asian.

Meal 1:
35g whey protein shake w/2% milk
1 cup jasmine brown rice w/
Grilled chicken breast
3 Aidell's chicken meatballs

Very proud of my rice bowl creation ability (or lack thereof.)

Meal 2 (snack):
Plum
Peach
Strawberries
Blueberries
Oatmeal (steel cut)

Meal 3 (pre-workout):
Apple
Deli Sliced Chicken

Meal 4:
Flank steak
Sautéed carrots and green beans
1/2 avocado

Dessert:
Strawberries w/ homemade dark chocolate sauce (literally only dark chocolate and some red wine)


I felt really loopy all day as well. I think I slept way too long. I'm going to work out earlier rather than later since I find that I have a stronger will to lift at earlier times of the day.

On a sidenote, here is a shot of my legs after I got home from the gym. I've lost a lot of size in my calves and quads. Most of the definition is gone but it's coming back. I'm hoping to improve this through frequent biking and weightlifting.