xChrisZx Training Journal - Back On Track

[vegansludge]

Final Notes: Still stoked to have my Xtend back. My meals were off again today. I ate the right foods but between getting up late, getting into my first ever fender bender on the drive home from the gym, having to run errands to beat the snow and then getting tattooed last minute things were just off.

Glad that you're okay after the fender bender - hope the car faired just as well. Jealous of you getting tattooed - I haven't had the money for it in so long. And, in the grand scheme of things, what really matters is that you met your calories/macros so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I'm impressed with how heavy you go after doing cardio and that you do even more after lifting. My legs would probably fall off.

[xChrisZx]

Final Notes: Still stoked to have my Xtend back. My meals were off again today. I ate the right foods but between getting up late, getting into my first ever fender bender on the drive home from the gym, having to run errands to beat the snow and then getting tattooed last minute things were just off.

Glad that you're okay after the fender bender - hope the car faired just as well. Jealous of you getting tattooed - I haven't had the money for it in so long. And, in the grand scheme of things, what really matters is that you met your calories/macros so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I'm impressed with how heavy you go after doing cardio and that you do even more after lifting. My legs would probably fall off.

The car is bent up some. Mostly broken plastic. Sadly it won't be cheap to fix.
The guy who tattooed me is my best friend so that helps.
I technically fell a meal short but I doubled up on my evening shake and added oats just for good measure. Even though I usually don't eat carbs like that after 6 I said fuck it. I needed something more than just my protein shake.

The cardio is pretty much just walking at 2..9-3.2 mph. So it's nothing like running a couple of miles. There are times that I have to force myself to do it after a heavy legs day though.

[xChrisZx]

Day 34/84 - Week 5, Day 6
Back/Biceps/Abs

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

Lat Pulldown Machine
12x105, 12x90
12x120, 12x105
12x135, 10x120
Notes: Had my straps with me today so I used them on the last drop set. I wish my gym had a proper Cable Lat Pulldown.

Cable Rows
12x90, 12x70
12x100, 12x80
12x120, 12x100
Notes: Could have one a bit heavier. Another thing I wish my gym had was a seated cable row set up. I make it work though.

SUPERSET
Bent Over Barbell Rows
12x95
12x115
12x135

Hyperextensions
12x10lb medicine ball, 12xBodyweight
12x10lb medicine ball, 12xBodyweight
12x10lb medicine ball, 12xBodyweight
Notes: Interesting superset but I enjoyed it. I play it safe on hyperextensions since I pulled something in my back last year and it made it very difficult to do anything for about a month.

SUPERSET
DB Bicep Curl
10x25
8x35
8x35

Overhead Cable Curl
8x40, 8x30
8x50, 8x40
8x50, 8x40
Notes: Awesome superset! Should have started lower on the overhead cable curls but oh well. I had to do a couple of rest pauses to power through but I made it happen.

Cable Bicep Curl
12x50, 12x40
12x60, 12x50
12x70, 12x60
Notes: Biceps were burning up at this point. Struggled but powered through like a champ.

Weighted Sit Up Machine
15x45
15x60
15x60
Notes: Easy/basic stuff. I prefer hanging leg raises but this is what the plan called for today. Plus it's good to change things up as we all know.

FINAL NOTES: Man I love back and biceps day. It's right up there with triceps as one of my favorites.
Tomorrow is going to be a hectic day. We are throwing a "baby welcoming party" for our son. We didn't do a traditional baby shower because we think they are lame and we didn't know what we were having so we didn't want a bunch of neutral clothes.
We are having a friend who owns a Mediterranean joint in town cater so I will be surrounded by hummus, falafel and all that tahini and olive oil. We are also having 3 different types of cake, a carrot with Bavarian cream filling/frosting, a white cake with cream cheese frosting and blueberry filling and finally a yellow cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and strawberry filling.
I plan on preparing all of my meals first thing in the morning and bringing a cooler so I can stay on track. I will also bring my gallon jug of Xtend (I am sure the family will look at me like I am crazy) to stay hydrated / sane.
I might allow myself to have a small piece of cake though. It is a celebration after all.
Monday starts week 6 of 12. I am going to continue killing this thing and keep working to get in the best shape of my life.

It's lame but here are some pictures I took right after my workout and before my final cardio. Pretty pleased with my arms right now. And please ignore the stupid faces I am making. Trying to flex and take a picture with your left hand is tricky business.

[xChrisZx]

Day 35/84 - Week 5, Day 7
Cardio/Rest

Today was the party for my son. So I did not hit the gym for cardio. All of the running around and setting up and tearing down wore me out enough.
Decided not to have a piece of cake at the party.

[xChrisZx]

Day 36/84 - Week 6, Day 1
Cardio/Rest

Woke up feeling under the weather today. Still kind of feeling that way. Going to pump myself full of vitamin c to hopefully kick this out of my system.

Went to the gym and knocked out only 30 minutes of cardio today. Wanted to do more but this cold is taking it out of me.

We have a bunch of leftover cake and food (falafel, hummus and lentil soup) from yesterday. It is kind of driving me crazy that it is all in my fridge and I can't eat any of it. 5 weeks without a single cheat meal so far sometimes really wears on me. Oh well.

Shoulders and calves tomorrow. Should be a good day assuming I kick this cold.

[xChrisZx]

Day 37/84 - Week 6, Day 2
Shoulders / Calves

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

SUPERSET
Side Lat Raise
10x15
10x15
10x20, 10x15, 10x10
10x20, 10x15, 10x10
10x20, 10x15, 10x10

Front Plate Raise
10x25
10x25
10x25
10x25

SUPERSET
Dumbbell Military Press
10x20
10x20
8x30, 8x25
8x40, 8x35
8x50, 8x45

Bent Over Delt Raise
10x15
10x15
12x25
12x25
12x25

Dumbbell Shrugs
20x60
20x70
20x70

SUPERSET
Seated Calf Raise (on leg press machine)
12x225, 12x195, 12x165
12x255, 12x225, 12x195

Standing Calf Raise
2 sets of body weight till failure

Final Notes: Weighed in at 217 today! Stoked as hell on that
Switched tomorrow and today so I would not have three days off in a row.
Felt really fatigued today. Especially on the lat raises. It's interesting that I really felt this today but on the videos that go along with the program that was covered today. As much as it sucks the video stated that it is a positive sign. Using stored fat as energy for the workouts is good because it is burning the fat but sucks because it is a poor energy source (hence the fatigue). Either way I powered through. Pretty pleased with my last set of military presses. Felt like I could have gone up another 5-10 pounds.

[xChrisZx]

Day 38/84 - Week 6, Day 3
Cardio/Rest

Between driving all over the place today, dealing with stupid family drama and being sick I only put in 30 minutes of cardio today.

Sick or not I am getting pumped for a good chest, triceps and abs day in the morning.

[xChrisZx]

Day 39/84 - Week 6, Day 4
Chest/Triceps/Abs

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

DB Bench
10x25
10x40
8x65
5x75
Notes: First two sets were really light just to get the muscles warmed up. Some bouncing the weight to get things loose also.

Decline DB Bench
10x25
10x40
8x55, 8x45, 8x35
Notes: Haven't done this one in awhile. Could have gone up another 5 pounds on each drop set.

Incline DB Fly
10x25
10x30
10x40, 10x35
Notes: Felt awesome after that last drop set.

Cable Crossover
10x40
12x50
10x70, 10x60

SUPERSET
Skull crushers
10x30
10x40
10x50
Bent Arm Pullovers
10x30
10x40
10x50

Seated Tri Press
10x30 (standing)
10x35 (standing)
10x45
10x55
Notes: I had one more set to do but on the last set @ 55lbs I pinched a nerve at the base of my neck again. Same thing happened a week or two ago. This time it hurts more. Hopefully I can get rid of this soon.

Machine Dips
10x60
10x90
10x105
Notes: Was supposed to be bench dips but I couldn't pull it off with this pain in my neck.

Crunch Machine
15x45
12x60
12x60

Final Notes: My neck hurts like hell.

[xChrisZx]

Day 40/84 - Week 6, Day 5
LEGS

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

Squats
10x95
10x135
8x155
8x155
Notes: At the point was neck was still very sore so I played it safe. I probably could have gone heavier but my quads were burning up either way.

Lying Ham Curls
10x45
10x60
10x75
Notes: Nice and slow reps. Good Burn.

Leg Press
12x90
15x180
15x180
15x180
Notes: Need to work on this and get my weight up higher.

One Leg Leg Extensions
20x45
10x55
5x70
Notes: I switched my legs with almost zero rest. Felt awesome.

Leg Press Machine
25x165
25x190
25x190
Notes: Burn burn burn.

Final Notes: I spent the night before nursing my neck. Lots of switching back and forth between heating pads and ice packs. Helped for sure but not as much as the Tiger Balm I bought at CVS. That stuff works wonders.

[xChrisZx]

Day 41/84 - Week 6, Day 6
Back & Biceps

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

Lat Pull Down
10x90
10x105
12x130
12x135
10x150
Notes: Went up 15 pounds on this. Very stoked. Focused on good slow reps and my form since I have gotten sloppy with this recently.

One Arm DB Row
10x20
10x25
12x35
12x40
10x45
Notes: Another workout where my weight went up.

Bent Over BB Row
10x65
10x85
12x105
12x125
12x155
Notes: Went up on this one also. Had to use straps on my last set. Grip still sucks.

EZ Bar Curl
10x40
10x60
10x70
7x80
Notes: Haven't done 80 on this in a long time. Felt awesome.

EZ Bar Concentration Curls
15x30
15x30
15x30
15x30
12x40
10x40
10x40
Notes: Was supposed to do machine preacher curls but I hate the machine we have at the gym.

DB Bicep Curls
10x20
12x25
10x30
10x30
Notes: Last set was rough. Had to do a quick rest (a couple of seconds) halfway through in order to finish.

Final notes: VERY pleased with my performance today. Put on some more tiger balm after my shower today.

Food notes: I am dying for some sort of cheat meal during the middle of the day lately but I haven't broke. Started eating some Worthington Jumbo Franks as my protein here and there. Just to change things up. I am drinking 1.5-2 gallons of water a day so I am not really too worried about the sodium content and the fat content is only slightly higher than tofu. It's a good way for me to "cheat" without really cheating.

Tomorrow is a rest/cardio day. Won't be able to do my cardio till later in the day because the wife, boy and myself are going to SOXFEST (Chicago White Sox) in the morning. I want to get there nice and early in order to get certain autographs (total baseball nerd). I plan on prepping my meals here in the next couple of hours and try to be in bed early.

WEEK 7 starts Monday. So goddamn stoked. Just need to stay focused and keep the diet in check. Weigh in and probably some progress pictures coming on Monday.

[xChrisZx]

Just had a small conversation with myself (sounds crazy but I swear it's not) while prepping meals for tomorrow and doing dishes and I came to this conclusion...

I need to treat the next 6 weeks like contest prep. No more of the jumbo franks. Very limited salt. Proper sleep. Extra intensity at the gym. Keep the minimal chit chat even tighter than it is already.
I didn't lose 15 pounds by doing all of those things.
Kicking these last 6 weeks into a higher gear.
Not sure if I actually lost any weight this past week but we shall see what the scale says on Monday.

I need to keep a "warrior" mindset for the next 6 weeks. Un-fucking-stoppable

[xChrisZx]

Day 42/84 - Week 6, Day 7
Rest/Cardio

Spent the day at SoxFest! No cardio but the meals were on point.


Shoulders, calves and abs tomorrow!

[xChrisZx]

Day 43/84 - Week 7, Day 1
Shoulders / Calves / Abs

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

DB Shoulder Press
10x30
10x35
10x50
7x60
Notes: Pushed hard as hell on that last set. 60 might be a PR.

Side Lat Raises
10x15
10x15
10x20
10x30
10x30
Notes: Someone was using the 25's so I had to two do sets of 30. Struggled but knocked it out.

Front DB Raise
10x15
10x20
10x20
10x25

Standing Cable Delt Raise
10x20
10x30
10x30, 10x20
Notes: Can't remember the last time I did this one. Pulled hard as hell but couldn't break 30 pounds.

Wide Upright Rows
15x40
15x40
15x40
12x50
12x50
12x50
12x50
Notes: Nothing exciting here.

Calf Raises (on leg press)
20x270
20x270
20x270

Leg Raise Crunches
3x20xBW

Final Notes: Felt awesome after todays workout. My progress pictures are going up today. The difference from when I started to now is incredible. Can't wait to see what the next 6 weeks brings.

[xChrisZx]

Progress pictures are posted here - viewtopic.php?f=48&t=27610

[xChrisZx]

Day 44/84 - Week 7, Day 2
Chest / Triceps

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting
Twists (before and after lifting) - 150 Each Side (300 total) with a 18lb medicine ball

Inclince Fly
10x20
10x25
12x35
12x40
Notes: 40 is a new PR on this lift. Probably could have gone higher if I was doing lower reps. Felt good as hell.

Machine Bench (not a cable machine)
10x90
10x90
12x140
11x140
Notes: This machine starts at a normal width and brings the hands close to really work the inner chest. Felt a good burn on this one.

Fly Machine
12x105
12x120
12x135
Notes: Basic stuff

Dip Machine
12x90
10x120
9x135

Overhead Cable Extension
10x60
15x80
15x90
15x100

Cable VBar Pushdown
15x80
12x90
12x110



Final Notes: Switched yesterday and todays workouts (today was supposed to be an off day) but I decided to take tomorrow off before a heavy legs day on Thursday.