xChrisZx

January 31, 2012

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

January 31, 2012

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January 30, 2012

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

10x20

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

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

12x50

Notes: Nothing exciting here.

Calf Raises (on leg press)

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.

January 30, 2012

Omg xtend is vegan? That is what my trainer wants me to drink!!

Yes it is!

Blue Raspberry is the best. Using it on a regular basis has really helped my recovery. And it tastes delicious.

Right now I am doing 3 scoops on a gallon jug and drink that while I lift and sip on any leftover throughout the day and if I get tired of plain water I will have another scoop with 32 ounces of water.

January 30, 2012

Day 42/84 - Week 6, Day 7

Rest/Cardio

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

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyl574Svbj1qb8ozqo1_1280.jpg

Shoulders, calves and abs tomorrow!

January 30, 2012

Blue raspberry Xtend rules.

Get a tub of that.

January 29, 2012

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

January 28, 2012

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

12x40

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

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.

January 28, 2012

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

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

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

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.

January 27, 2012

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

Final Notes: My neck hurts like hell.

January 26, 2012

70% pea

30% rice

January 26, 2012

What are three healthy things you do every day?

Take my multivitamins

Spend quality family time with my wife and son

Lift weights like an animal

January 26, 2012

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.

January 25, 2012

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

10x20, 10x15, 10x10

Front Plate Raise

10x25

SUPERSET

Dumbbell Military Press

10x20

8x30, 8x25

8x40, 8x35

8x50, 8x45

Bent Over Delt Raise

10x15

12x25

Dumbbell Shrugs

20x60

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.

January 23, 2012

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.

January 23, 2012

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.

January 22, 2012

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

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

Overhead Cable Curl

8x40, 8x30

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

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.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/xChrisZx/20120121_120206.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/xChrisZx/20120121_120340.jpg

January 22, 2012

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.

January 22, 2012

Getting shredded! Your delts are killing it!

January 21, 2012

Triceps

It's one of the muscles I am the most proud of and I love tearing them up at the gym to where I can barely put a shirt on

January 21, 2012

Day 33/84 - Week 5, Day 5

Chest / Triceps

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting

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

Lying Leg Curl

10x45

10x60, 10x45

Romanian Deads

10x65

18x95

18x115

Notes: Wish I had my straps with me. Grip started crapping out at the end of those last two sets.

Leg Press (narrow stance)

10x90

20x180

Notes: Did these on the regular leg press instead of the leg press machine. Felt great.

Leg Extensions

10x60

10x75

20x90, 20x75, 20x60

16x105, 16x75, 16x60

16x120, 10x90, 10x60

Calf Press (on leg press machine)

10x180

16x225, 16x195

16x255, 16x225

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.

January 21, 2012

Day 32/84 - Week 5, Day 4

Chest / Triceps

25 Minute Cardio before and after lifting

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

DB Bench

10x35

10x45

8x55

8x60

6x70

Notes: very pleased to put up 70 pounds

Incline DB Bench

10x25

10x30

10x40

10x45

10x45, 8x35, 8x25

Fly Machine

10x75

8x90, 8x75

8x105, 8x90

8x120, 8x105

Tri Pushdown V Bar

10x70

10x80

12x90, 12x80

12x100, 12x90

Notes: Struggled hard with that last set. Really starting to love the V Bar more than the rope.

Overhead Cable Extension

10x50

10x60

12x70, 10x60

10x80, 10x70

10x90, 10x80

Close Grip Bench (ez curl bar)

12x40

12x50

12x60

Notes: I had two more sets to do but I had my bench stolen from me when I went to get a drink.

Final notes: Very stoked to have my Xtend back in my regular rotation.

January 20, 2012

Got in a solid lift today. will have a proper update in the morning. Had a very busy day today.

January 20, 2012

Awesome progress!

Creatine: I highly recommend kre alkalyn. It won't make you bloat like monohydrate will. Aaefx and sci fit brands of kre alkalyn powder are vegan.

January 19, 2012

What motivates me to exercise regularly?

This little guy right here

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxz79bHKGR1qb8ozqo1_1280.jpg

I always want to be a positive influence on him and never be a typical "fat dad".

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