Get Ripped or Die Trying

[esqinchi]

Hey,

 

So this is my first attempt at a journal, I'll try to keep up as best possible. As I mentioned in my introduction, in October 2011, I weighed 248lbs, 40% body fat, chest size probably around 48", hips probably around 38" - I was fat as hell. After about 18 months, I've come a long way...

 

Maybe some measurements are in order?

 

Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 164lbs

Body Fat%: 18% (going for 10%)

Chest: 39"

Waist: 31"

Hips: 33"

Arms: 13"

Thigh: 16"

Calves: 13"

 

My only goal right now is to train my body fat down to 10% or less. I would like to keep/add muscle, but I would prefer my overall frame to stay the same (I'm tired of buying new clothes all the time).

 

Hopefully I can see some more progress!

 

Chris

Edited January 25, 2014 by esqinchi

[esqinchi]

Tuesday, 8/6 Training

 

Heavy weights today, most sets consist of 8 - 12 reps; with one thing containing 15 reps.

 

DB Bench Press - 4 x 8 @ 140lbs (70lbs each hand)

Standing DB Row - 4 x 8 @ 80lbs (40lbs each hand)

Assisted Pullup - 3 x 12 w/ 40lbs assistance (I can do 3 sets of 10, close grip, if it is the FIRST thing I do - not after that above though!)

Incline DB Fly - 3 x 10 @ 40lbs (each hand)

Elevated Plyo Pushup (feet up on 18" box) - 3 x 15 - I love these!

Bruce Lee Curls (curl up, wax on, wax off, curl down) - 3 x 12

 

This was with my trainer, and we ran out of time but had maybe 4 other exercises to complete. I was sore as hell in the chest/rotator area, even with taking the HMB. However, it was my first day of supplementation, so maybe I will see better results down the line. Even more sore on Thursday than the day after. However, I really noticed it has dissipated by the end of the day today. I LOVED putting up those 70lb DB's!

[esqinchi]

Thursday 8/8

 

More heavy weights + some functional hypertrophy movements, focus on lower body.

 

1800 calorie day, got some good greens in from a badass salad thanks for theproteinbar.com - so thankful this place is across the street from the courthouse!

 

Today's 'Bring the Pain' - done in supersets:

 

1. Kettlebell Front Squat - 4 x 12 @ 70lbs (35 each hand)

2. DB Romanian Deadlift - 4 x 12 @ 120lbs (60 each hand)

 

3. Kettlebell Walking Lunge - 3 x 20 steps @ 50lbs (25 each hand)

4. DB Squats - 3 x 12 @ 120lbs (60 each hand)

 

5. Incline Bicep Curl - 3 x 12 @ 40lbs (20 each hand)

6. Standing Overhead Tricep Press - 3 x 12 @ 45lbs

 

It was a good workout, but I didn't feel that fatigued at the end. I wonder if I am lifting heavy enough (or ready to lift heavy enough) to make the lower rep training worthwhile. Anyone have thoughts? I'm sure I'll feel this tomorrow, but I have definitely left sessions far more taxed than I was tonight.

 

Tomorrow is rest day, which means lower calories - hopefully I won't sneak a cheat snack in - I want to be good!

[esqinchi]

Friday 8/9/13

 

Day of rest.

 

Really feeling it in my shoulders today. Probably from those front squats, or walking lunges from yesterday. Today is a low calorie day; 1600 total. I love going back to my old diet for a short spell. Here's what is on the menu:

 

Breakfast: 80g oatmeal, 3.5oz apple - 352.5 calories.

Snack 1: 6.4 oz apple - 94 calories

Lunch: Protein Bar Salad - 320 calories (I'm addicted to this place, and lazy because my tofu spoiled)

Snack 2: 2 slices cinnamon raisin ezekiel, 0.7oz peanut butter - 276.9 calories

Dinner: Something that's approximately 556.6 calories!

[esqinchi]

Saturday, 8/10

 

Full body, heavy weights type of day...

 

Also, a cheat day diet-wise

 

Badass breakfast of Beyond Meat "Chicken" strips, and pardina lentils:

 

5oz lentils + 6oz "chicken" = 365 calories, 46g protein, 38g carb, 2g fat. Also had half an apple for added carbs - 40cals?

 

Routine:

 

All giant sets...

 

Bb Bench: 4 x 12 @ 165lbs

Upright Row: 4 x 12 @ 70lbs

DB Overhead Press (on flat bench): 4 x 12 @ 55 lbs

 

Squat: 4 x 12 @ 225

Wide Leg Deadlift: 4 x 12 @ 80lbs (40 each hand)

Side Lunge: 4 x 12 @ 40lbs (ea leg)

 

Seated (on floor) Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 4 x 12 @ 102.5

Kneeling Wood Chopper (w/ rope attachment): 4 x 12 @ 55lbs

Ez Bar Curl: 4 x 12 @ 60lbs

 

Decline Medicine Ball Situp w/ Russian Twist: 2 x 12 @ 12lbs

Weighted Crunch: 2 x 12 @ 25lbs

 

I'm tired!

[esqinchi]

Monday, 8/12

 

Taking a couple days off after some bad news on Sunday. Sometimes I wish life weren't so complicated, but then would I be bored?

 

After my session on Saturday, which left me nicely sore, I had an awesome cheat day: beers (Half Acre Gossamer Ale; The Bruery Hottenroth - awesome; and Bell's Oarsman Ale), and a kickass Field Roast hazelnut burger, with some spicy sweet potato fries, and corn on the cob. Also, a ridiculously delicious vegan chocolate chip muffin from Whole Foods. Has anyone tried those? They are the bomb.

 

Sunday was a super low calorie day, as I had no appetite stemming from the bad news. I ate twice, probably around 4-500 calories each.

 

Today I had another protein bar salad, and finally made the trip to Do-Rite donuts for a vegan donut. Honestly, I was disappointed in that the donut was very small, and sort of unremarkable flavor-wise. Oh well, probably a good thing considering its proximity to my workplace.

 

Previously I posted about changing up my training routine to incorporate more heavy weight training. I'm not sure if I can see results yet, since it has only been a week, but I will say that I do find the training somewhat boring/sedentary. I definitely do not sweat as much as when I did more functional/hypertrophy/and HIT training stuff. Different strokes for different results? Overall I would like to rebuild some of the lean mass I lost when dieting down, and yet continue to cut a little at the same time. Ultimately I would like to lose another 5 pounds, and get down around the 160lb level (currently 165). I do see some of my abs coming in, which is exciting!

 

More tomorrow...

[esqinchi]

Return to heavy training today. I have to admit that I am still bored by training with heavier weights. Also, I notice that I feel it much more the next day when training with lighter weights/higher reps. I know that heavier weights spur growth, but can the same be said for the other style of training? We added some additional exercises this time around...

 

DB Bench Press - 4 x 8 @ 140lbs (70lbs each hand)

Standing DB Row - 4 x 8 @ 80lbs (40lbs each hand)

Assisted Pullup - 3 x 12 w/ 40lbs assistance

Incline DB Fly - 3 x 10 @ 40lbs (each hand)

 

The last four were performed in a circuit w/ 2 minutes rest between.

 

Elevated Plyo Pushup (feet up on 18" box) - 3 x 15

DB Lateral Raise - 3 x 12 @ 40lbs (20lbs each hand)

Inverted Row on TRX - 3 x 12 @ Body Weight

DB Front Shoulder Raise - 3 x 12 @ 40lbs (20lbs each hand)

[esqinchi]

Wednesday, August 14

 

Didn't feel like doing the core workout I had planned for today... So... I switched it up entirely and did some HIIT Cardio Funtimes.

 

Nothing special, really. I actually called upon my old Insanity Warmup, but a modified version. Pretty simple circuit just to get the blood flowing:

 

Five Minutes Jump Rope - mix between two foot hop and boxer step

Five Minutes HIIT (30 seconds of each):

- Jog in place

- Jumping jacks

- Heisman Jump

- 123 Heisman

- Buttkicks

- High knees

- Switch Kicks

- Burpee w/ jump

- Mountain Climbers

 

Rest 2 minutes, repeat twice.

 

Boxing: Beat the hell out of my heavy bag, two three minute rounds, six minutes total.

 

I feel great! After this I took my HMB for the evening, and made a badass spinach/seitan/broccoli/olives/pickles/lentils salad with a dressing I whipped up on my own - 1tbsp fancypants mustard, 2tbsp balsamic, ground black pepper - Boom!

 

I'll hit the core stuff tomorrow when I don't get such a late start - plus I was lazy today.

[esqinchi]

Thursday, August 15, 2013

 

Core Day! F YEAH!

 

Lower calorie day as well; 1600.

 

Had some delicious oatmeal + apple for breakfast; apple for a snack, salad w/ tofu, beans, avocado, mixed greens/veggies for lunch; ezekiel + peanut butter for snack; seitan + broccoli for dinner; fruit bowl for snack later.

 

Nice little circuit today for training: Warmup + Circuit (2x, rest 2 minutes between)

 

Warmup

Jump Rope - 3 minutes

 

First Round / Second Round

Sit Up - V Up x 20 / Sit Up - V Up x 20

Side Plank w/ Rotation x 20 each side / Side Plank w/ Rotation x 20 each side

Walking Lunge w/ Rotation x 24 steps @ 25lbs / Stability Ball Pikes x 15

DB Jacknife x 20 @ 25lbs / DB Jacknife x 20 @ 25lbs

Side Bends x 20 @ 35lbs (20 each side) / Side Bends x 20 @ 35lbs (20 each side)

Hanging Leg Raise x 15 / Hanging Leg Raise x 15

Reverse Crunch on Flat Bench x 15 / Reverse Crunch on Flat Bench x 15

Lo - Hi Woodchopper x 12 each side @ 25lbs / Lo - Hi Woodchopper x 12 each side @ 25lbs

Front Plank on 35lb DB 75 seconds / Front Plank on 35lb DB 75 seconds

 

I'm sure I'll feel this tomorrow. Wanted to mention that I woke up and noticed my shoulders were absolutely screaming. I wondered why, and then remembered that I did six minutes of boxing on the heavy bag - that really did me in!

[C.O.]

Great start, I love that you are including what you are eating too. Good motivation, I just use my journal as a journal but I see how others keep details and how it would be beneficial to track my progress better.

 

Thanks for sharing it with us,

 

-Dylan

[esqinchi]

Saturday, August 17, 2013

 

Slept in til 8 this morning, which felt nice; usually, I get up around 6 for work, and just say to hell with it and do that on the weekend.

 

Breakfast was lentils, and Beyond Meat with a little BBQ sauce, and sriracha. Really good stuff that Beyond Meat - 40g protein!

 

Training today was good - here goes:

 

All mega-sets...

 

1. BB Bench - 10 x 4 @ 155lbs

2. Upright Row - 12 x 4 @ 70lbs

3. Overhead Press - 12 x 4 @ 55lbs

 

4. Squat - 12 x 4 @ 225

5. Romanian Deadlift - 12 x 4 @ 165lbs

6. Incline Pushups - 12 x 4 @ bodyweight

 

7. Seated Close Grip Lat Pulldown - 12 x 4 @ 105lbs

8. BB "Around the World" - 10 x 4 @ 35lbs + bar

9. EZ Bar Curls - 12 x 4 @ 60lbs

 

My arms felt weak.. I'll write more later, but I'm about to run out the door.

[esqinchi]

Great start, I love that you are including what you are eating too. Good motivation, I just use my journal as a journal but I see how others keep details and how it would be beneficial to track my progress better.

 

Thanks for sharing it with us,

 

-Dylan

 

Thanks for the comment, man. I've been trying to move away from the tofu/processed "meats" and get more into raw/whole foods. I know my gut will thank me. How is your training going?

 

- Chris

[esqinchi]

Tuesday, August 20, 2013:

 

Trained with trainer tonight. Did a lot of bodyweight/movement exercises including the following, all for time (30sec - 60sec): Jump rope 2 min, HighKnees, Squat to Shoulder Press w/ Rotation, Reverse Lunge w/ Row, Burpee/pushup/deadlift combo, TRX Iron Cross, HighSide Plank, Mountain Climbers, Low Plan w/ Rotation + Leg Lift . . . the list goes on, and I can't remember them all.

 

It was good to break away from the heavier lifting, which I honestly found boring as all hell. I much prefer high intensity training with weights. It is much more in line with my goal to remain compact, lean, and cut.

 

Speaking of lean, let's talk about the awesome dinner I made when I got home!

 

4oz Chorizo seitan, 6 oz fresh greenbeans, 2 fresh peas, sprinkle of organic pea shoots on top - MAN was this tasty with some garlic powder and sriracha! Here's a pic, and a macro breakdown....

 

289.36 calories, 35.58g protein, 27.2g carb, 3.772g fat, YEAH!

[SunWarrior]

Hows it going. Nice journal! How are bodyfat levels moving on your cut?

[esqinchi]

Hows it going. Nice journal! How are bodyfat levels moving on your cut?

 

Hey, good! Thanks for the comment. I'm not really sure about my bf% as of late. I have a scale at home that apparently measures it, but I'm not sure how accurate it is... Compared to that read by the Omron, my home scale is usually abouty 2% off. About a month ago I checked on the Omron, which read 18%, but at home read 20%. Home still reads 20%, but the "water composition" reading is up to 59.6%. Long story short, do you have a bf% measuring tool you would suggest? There is the Warrior Digital one on Amazon for pretty cheap, but I wonder about its accuracy...

[SunWarrior]

Measuring bodyfat is pretty difficult. I dont really measure, I just go by what I see. The most accurate methods are pretty expensive. And most calipers are,rather inaccurate. Keep up the good work, youll get ripped in no time.

[esqinchi]

Measuring bodyfat is pretty difficult. I dont really measure, I just go by what I see. The most accurate methods are pretty expensive. And most calipers are,rather inaccurate. Keep up the good work, youll get ripped in no time.

 

Thanks for the tips. Maybe I should post a picture and have people guess?

[esqinchi]

Wednesday, August 21, 2013:

 

Did a quick workout today as I needed to clean this place up before company arrives tomorrow. Will be taking the next two days off to drink a bit, but will try really hard to eat properly (best laid plans...?).

 

Turned into sort of a full body circuit today, with the following:

 

Jump Rope 2 Minutes

 

Pull-Ups 3 x 12

Pushups on Stability Ball 3 x 15

 

Repeat the Following Twice

DB Press on Stability Ball x 20 @ 70lbs

DB Overhead Press on Stability Ball x 15 @ 50lbs

DB Fly on Stability Ball x 20 @ 70lbs

Side Lunge x 12 @ 35lbs (each leg)

Walking Lunge x 12 @ 50lbs (each leg)

Front Squat x 12 @ 70lbs

SitUp V-Up x 20

Jacknife x 15 @ 25lbs

 

Having company is fun, but also a bit of a pain in the ass; especially when you have such a strict routine. Maybe this is a good thing because I feel like I've been dragging ass lately. Nice dinner tonight though...

 

5oz Beyond Meat

2oz Peas

4.2oz Green Beans

Sriracha!

 

Macros: 303.86 cals, 39.9g protein, 5.72g fat, 9.24g carb.

 

Until Saturday! (or Sunday if I'm still hungover)

[esqinchi]

Sunday, August 25, 2013:

 

So I'm writing this on Sunday, not because I was too hungover to train yesterday, but because I trained like a badass (despite a hangover) yesterday, and forgot to make the entry Anyhow, yesterday I did kind of a mixed circuit of giant sets; some weights, some cardio, some bodyweight. I tried to focus on chest, core, shoulders, biceps and legs. Here's what I can remember:

 

Jump Rope 3 minutes

 

Situp V-Up - 1 x 20

Triple Situp - 1 x 10 (so, 30 total situps)

Stability Ball Pike - 1 x 20

 

Standing Arnold Press - 3 x 12 2 25lbs*

Bodyweight Pushups Three Ways (Standard, Diamond, Pistol Grip on Pushup Bar) - 3 x 20 (60 total, 20 of each)

Overhead Tricep Press - 3 x 15 @ 35lbs

 

Incline DB Press - 3 x 20 @ 35lbs*

Angled Lunge - 3 x 12 @ 25lbs*

Curls Three Ways (Bruce Lee Curls/Cross Curls/Seated Incline Curls) - 3 x 12 @ 25lbs*

 

Mountain Climbers - 30 Seconds

Burpees w/ Tuck Jump - 30 seconds

 

That finisher set really killed me, but I felt so much better afteward; especially considering all the junk food I ate over the last couple days... Saturday night included - a delicious spicy seitan sandwich, seasoned waffle fries, chips & guacamole. Man, it was awesome. No beer on Saturday, just Thursday and Friday of last week. I am actually looking forward to a dry spell.

 

Woke up this morning and had put on three pounds since Wednesday; probably all water weight. Good news is that my bodyfat % stayed put and I flexed in the mirror this afternoon and noticed the outline of my top two abs, AND that the outline of my serratus anterior was coming in! Really stoked to see that, especially when I'm feeling bloated. So, I had a great weekend with my wife, my friend, had some beer, cut loose a little.

 

I honestly think it was time to take a small break from the diet. I needed perspective, and to consume some extra calories for a bit. Also, I slept in today until almost 10:00am - something that hasn't happened in years, even when I was unemployed.

 

I hope you guys have a badass week!

[esqinchi]

Tuesday, August 27, 2013:

 

Hot as hell out today, and with humidity to make me think I'm stuck in Satan's nutpouch. Sorry for the vulgarity...

 

Did a killer set tonight with my trainer, came home to whip up a nice tempeh curry - see below...

 

Upper Body Circuit

 

Round 1: (fight!)

Stability Ball DB Press - 2 x 12 @ 60lbs*

Renegade Row w/ Rotation - 2 x 12 @ 20lbs*

Sumo Squat to Lateral Raise - 2 x 12 @ 20lbs*

212 Dips (a/k/a NY Dips, a/k/a East Coast Crab) - 2 x 15 (2 count down, 1 count hold, 2 count up)

TRX Curls - 2 x 15

 

Rest 90 Seconds

 

Round 2: (fight!)

TRX Pushup to Pike - 2 x 15

T-Bar Row - 2 x 12 @ 90lbs + Bar

Stability Ball Military Press - 2 x 12 @ 30lbs (started @ 40lbs for 10, but that was just too damn heavy)

TRX Overhead Tricep Extension - 2 x 15

Squat to Hammer Curl - 3 x 12 @ 30lbs*

 

(* indicates weight in each hand)

 

Arms were shaking like Jell-O at the end of those tricep extensions. It was good to get back to work after a couple days off. Still feeling really hungry all the time, despite eating a little bit more.

 

Dinner was great! (I ate while I typed this out) Here's the recipe + Macros

 

Tempeh Tumbler

6 oz flax tempeh from Trader Joe's - cubed

4.9 oz asparagus - chopped

2.3 oz orange bell pepper - chopped

Organic Pea Shoots - handful or less

Rooster Chili Garlic Sauce - a lot

Trader Joe's Red Curry Simmer Sauce

 

Directions: Chop it all up, toss it in a pan, simmer until cooked through, throw it in a bowl, garnish with pea shoots, scarf.

 

Calories - 381.5

Protein - 34.83

Fat - 19.92

Carbs - 25.73

[esqinchi]

Wednesday, August 28, 2013:

 

Core day. Did a nice circuit at home, as follows:

 

Warm Up - Jump Rope 3 minutes

 

Circuit -

(Round1 / Round2)

 

1. SitUp Vup x 20

2. Side Plank w/ Rotation x 15* / Stability Ball Pike x 15

3. Side Bends x 20 @ 35lbs*

4. Flutter Kicks x 15

5. Incline Leg Raise x 10

6. Jacknife x 15 @ 25lbs

7. Hanging Leg Raise x 15

8. DB Plank x 75 Seconds

 

Soup for dinner. Watched my coworker research how to "get fitter and thinner" online. No need to ask me for advice!

[esqinchi]

Thursday, August 29, 2013:

 

Another core day, this time with the trainer. Good circuit - some of it brutal.

 

1. Squat/Lift/Press x 20 @ 90lbs (basically a barbell with weights on one end, stand at the end w/ weights, other end wedged in corner. Holding the bar, squat, lift to the chest, flip the grip, press above head, lower, flip again, squat)

2. TRX Knee Drivers x 20 each side

3. Side Plank on Bosu x 60 seconds*

4. Stability Ball Pushup to Plank x 15

5. Resistance Band Log Lifts x 20

6. Straight Leg Jacknife x 20 @ 25lbs

7. Plank Walk on Floor Ladder (brutal) x 60 seconds (Plank, down on each elbow, spread each leg, return legs, return to plank on hands, shuffle to next rung, repeat)

8. Decline Medicine Ball Tosses x 20 @ 12lbs

 

Repeat twice.

 

Honestly, I hate floor exercises like the plank walk. They are just so taxing. On the other hand, I loved the resistance band log lifts - it's just brute strength from the whole body. After this I went home and had some more soup. Probably didn't eat enough yesterday, but I did snack on some of that vegan cake from the day before, so I probably made up for it. I would love to take Saturday off as I haven't been sleeping very well this week due to some weird cough I've had (with no other sickly symptoms), but I haven't done legs at all this week, and would feel remiss if I skipped the opportunity. We'll see though, because this morning I felt like I could sleep all day.

[esqinchi]

Friday, August 30, 2013:

 

Day of Rest! Judge said to go home early (I clerk for a judge in Chicago), so I took her advice and hit the bricks! Came home to take a nap, and to make this awesome salad below. Can you spot all of the ingredients?

 

Here's a hint: Spinach, broccoli, english peas, green olives, garlic, peppadew peppers, carrots, beets, pickles, soybeans, a shake of vegan parmesan, and a tablespoon of Trader Joe's soy sesame ginger dressing. Demolished in minutes!

 

Off to bed! (or maybe some video games )

[esqinchi]

Saturday, August 31, 2013

 

Upper Body Day

1. BB Bench - 3x12 @145lbs

2. Upright Row - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs

3. Overhead Press - 3 x 12 @ 55lbs

4. Seated Close Grip Angled Lat Pulldown - 3 x 12 @ 105lbs

5. Low Row - 3 x 10 @ 120lbs

6. Wood Choppers w/ Rope Attach - 3 x 12 @ 50lbs

7. Squat - 2 x 12 @ 225lbs

8. Deadlift - 2 x 12 @ 120lbs

 

Felt really tired after the first two lower body sets here, and kind of gave in to my body screaming at me for rest. Honestly feeling kind of burned out on training at the moment. Had some average vegan pizza for dinner, and a few beers. Cheat meals always make me focus more on my diet, to the point where even though I am straying, I feel like I am mentally scolding myself.

[esqinchi]

Monday, September 1, 2013

 

Lower Body Day

 

Drank all day on Sunday, which was nice. Got to spend some quality time with my wife - finally. We have tough schedules, and rarely see two days in a row together. Tried to do three sets of the routine below, but felt absolutely horrible in the middle, so I had to cut back to just two sets of each.

 

0. Jump Rope - 3 minutes

1. Front Squat - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs

2. Side Lunge - 3 x 12 @ 35lbs

3. Pullups - 2 x 10

4. Stability Ball Pushup to Pike - 2 x 12

5. Angled Lunge - 2 x 12* @ 50lbs

6. Burpee to Deadlift - 2 x 12 @ 70lbs

7. Stability Ball Leg Rollups - 2 x 20

8. Straight Leg Jacknife - 2 x 15 @ 25lbs

 

Really thinking about going raw vegan for a while. I hate straying from my diet for more than one day, or one meal really. It makes me gain a ton of water weight (4lbs since Friday night), digestion gets all messed up, heartburn today, and generally feeling terrible. I feel like I need a vacation - and to whine less.