
gsop_3
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Everything posted by gsop_3
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Welcome Tim! Glad to have you on board.
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WOW! Blessings45, you really took some info and RAN with it! Good for you! I think you've got a pretty good start on things. Just remember that those calculations aren't gospel, but a really good reference point. Make adjustments and see how your body responds. Something else to consider: 1g carb. = 4 Calories, 1g protein = 4 Calories, 1g fat = 9 Calories. Note: increasing the number of calories from protein (decreasing the number from carbs) will help in burning more fat. We need good fats, higher protein and resistance training to prevent muscle loss and to prevent becoming "skinny fat." The more muscle mass you have, the more fat you can burn. What ever you do, be consistent and patient. Don't give up and keep on going! Hope this helps... Again, anybody else out there please chime in if anything I'm saying is way off or you have something to add.
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blessings45, what is your weight right now and your BMR? Perhaps it's not just the number of calories you are eating but as you mentioned, the TYPE of calories. What is the ratio of your macros? (carbs, protein, fats) Also, if the calories are TOO low, you won't lose weight (body protecting itself and lowering it's metabolism). There are anecdotal reports of individuals needing to up the calories before they could lose those last few pounds. Anybody else can chime in here to either confirm or refute this suggestion. But, basically, you want to not only be burning more calories than you are taking in but also boosting your metabolism (which can't happen if the calories are too low)...this can happen by adding some resistance training in addition to the spin classes...just my .02 p.s. I feel there is at least one other variable I' forgetting...can't think of what it is right now. NE body???
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gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today was the first day of classes for the new semester. I LOVE my students! I missed them so much. NE-ways, got to my workout around 3:30 with no afternoon nourishment. BIG mistake! I had maybe a handful of peanuts around 1:15 and a few more around 2:15 but that was it. I also didn't eat any rice (or any other form of carbs at lunch or breakfast), only stir-fry eggplant and green beans. Needless to say, I had a rough time fighting the weights today. I got through all of my squats just fine, but ran out of gyass on the second set of OHP. I crashed hard-core (blood sugar, not the weights) and had to phone my wife to bring me a protein drink ASAP - I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive wife! Once she arrived, I sipped on that until I felt better, then went back in there and cranked out the rest of the workout. I was very tempted to just call it a day and go home and go to bed, but I'm glad I stuck it out and finished strong! The sets were as follows: Squats: 1x5 - 85kg 1x5 - 95kg 5x5 - 107kg OHP 1x5 - 35kg 1x5 - 45kg 1x5 - 59kg 1x4 - 59kg (followed by about 30 minutes recovery) 3x5 - 59kg Deads: 1x5 - 105kg 1x5 - 125kg 1x5 - 140kg (used mixed grip and had to re-set my grip for the last rep) Chins: 3x5 - bodyweight (84.5kg - as of this morning) -
Yea, Buddy! now that's what I'm talking about! eat, eat, eat! ...Especially the burrito part - those are a staple for me and one of my all-time favorites! I like to make a ton in advance and throw them in the freezer to pull out whenever. Homemade re-fried beans and avocados! OH YEA!
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gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
So, today was my first day back in the teacher's office preparing for the new semester. no more playing all day every day Before listing the results of today's W/O I feel compelled to share a mistake I have continued making with the SL 5x5 up until now with the I can prevent others from making the same mistake. I just read the SL 5x5 report for the first time today and discovered that this whole time, I should have been doing warm-up sets before going to the working weight! It only took until I stalled for the first time to realize I needed more info. I feel so foolish for waiting until now to read the report. I like to call that behavior "zeal without knowledge," a common occurrence among humans, or so I hear... So, now I still have zeal with more then zero knowledge and just enough to (hopefully) keep me out of trouble for a while. SO, starting today, I'll be doing warm-up sets on ALL exercises before using the working weight. I hope this will enable me to get more gains and feel more prepared and confident going into the heavier sets. Sorry to be so long winded today! That said... Today's W/O: Usual warm-up on treadmill and stretch plus rolling out my glutes and back on a basketball (found some really tender spots that turned my grin into a grimace. Today is my first day of de-loading for the first time on squats and the first one since starting the SL 5x5 method. I figured rather than try again at 125kg 5x5 it would be better to go down now and get back up sooner...soooo... Squats: 1x5 - 85kg 1x5 - 95kg 5x5 - 105kg (a little more than 10% lower, but not going to sweat it) Bench: 1x5 - 65kg 1x5 - 75kg 5x5 - 91kg SO STOKED! BB Rows: 3x5 - 69kg (next time I'll plan to do some warm-up sets before the working weight...I sort of forgot) Those of you out there who have been keeping up-to-date on my log, feel free to share your thoughts on what I've written above. Thanks in advance, all! Peace (平安)! -
Ryan's "Hope to compete again in 2014" log
gsop_3 replied to VeganEssentials's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Hey, VE. Hoping to read good news about a healed knee very soon! Looking forward to seeing some more big numbers, man! Keep up the inspiring work! -
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Sounds like you've got a gr8 beginning with the right focus for now...dropping the fat. A gr8 way to help is add more protein...such as the pea protein you mentioned. Below is an excerpt from Flex magazine that pretty much sold me on making pea protein a staple in my diet. BIG DISCLAIMER:(Please disregard the non-vegan references in the article) The taste isn't the best but goes well with brown rice protein and/or hemp protein. Powerful protein: how pea protein can boost size and strength Flex, July, 2009 by Jordana Brown • 1 • 2 • Next We don't know about you, but when we think protein, we think about cuts of beef, chicken breasts on a grill or even dairy with its whey and casein. One thing we do not think of is peas. With 21 grams per cup, those green spheres are among the carbier of vegetables, and although we enjoy the way they add a little pop to dishes, we tend to avoid them. But science has shown us the error of our ways, and we have already introduced pea protein powder to the masses. Regular FLEX readers may remember that we discussed the unlikely protein powder made from peas in the October 2008 issue. Its main benefit is that it's loaded with arginine. In fact, per every 100 grams of pea protein, you get 9 g of arginine. An equivalent amount of whey contains less than 2 g. Now, science is proving the power of that arginine. A recent study, presented at the American Chemical Society's 2009 national meeting, found that rats fed pea protein experienced a 20% drop in blood pressure as compared to those fed a placebo. This was apparently an unexpected result, because scientists were positively stumped when it came time to explain it. They admitted that they didn't know why the pea protein worked to reduce blood pressure, and mused that perhaps a compound called cyclooxygenase-1 might be involved. We may spend more time in the gym than in the lab, but we can still explain what these scientists can't. Stop us if you've heard this before. In the body, arginine is converted into nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes blood vessels, thereby widening them. The wider the blood vessels, the easier it is for a greater volume of blood to pass through them and the lower the blood pressure. Ta-dah! Scientific conundrum solved. Because pea protein is so high in arginine (which also, of course increases the amount of protein and other nutrients getting tunneled to muscles), we recommend adding it to your supplement regimen. Try mixing a little into your prework-out whey protein shake. Reference: R. Aluko et al., "Effects of a novel pea protein hydrolysate on hypertension and chronic kidney disease," American Chemical Society's 2009 National Meeting.
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Training muscle groups more than once a week??
gsop_3 replied to growinglarger's topic in Bodybuilding/Strength Training
Agreed, bronco! great advice for beginners! Also, consider Stronglift's 5x5. Plenty of resources and support with plenty of success stories for beginners. Provides a method for establishing a solid base. The best way to begin, IMO. -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O: usual warm-up -treadmill and stretch So, I made some improvement on my squats since Monday, but still not what I want. I was going really good up to the heavy set. the first 4 reps at 125 felt great, but as I went for the 5th rep, I failed and had to dump the bar off my back down to the floor with a big crash! Boy, did I get some looks! Believe it or not, this was actually a confidence booster for me because I don't have a power rack or a spotter. So, to know that I can safely dump the bar behind me, lets me know it's OK to try that "one more rep." I'll try again at this weight on Friday. If I still can't get it, then, I'll back down the weight and start progressing again from there...hopefully blowing past 125kg 5x5. Squats: 1x5 - 95kg 1x5 - 105kg 1x5 - 115kg 1x4 - 125kg - (Dumped the bar for the first time -ever- on rep 5) 2x3 - 125kg OHP: 5x5 - 57kg Deads: 1x5 - 135kg - The skin on my hands felt like it was going to tear on the last rep - no chalk or anything...just good 'ol sweaty hands! Still don't have a belt or straps. That may limit me sometime in the future, but seems to be working fine for now. -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Hey guys, thanks for the encouraging words! Now I know there's more than three people out there checking in on my log! YAY! haha The last workout really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, I guess. After all, I took a week off worked out once and then had five more days off before this pathetic workout. Perhaps I just need to take a few steps back and start progressing from there...maintaining a new set of consistency. -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O First, I've not been to the gym in 5 days and I've been feeling anxious. Various circumstances and no excuses. Today was a bit of a humbling experience on squats. I did the usual warm-up of ten minutes on the treadmill and then stretching for ten. loaded the bar to 95kg and did my first set of 5. The weight was light and the reps felt strong and clean. Next I loaded it with 105kg for 5 reps. Still feeling really good. Next was 115kg for 5 reps which felt easier than the other two. So, at this point I am figuring today is going to be awesome. Loaded the bar to 125kg, got the weight up and stood there for ten seconds and re-racked the weight. It felt SO heavy! After a couple minutes I got back under the bar and started what should have been my first set of 5. I barely got the third rep up and thought I was going to hurl. Racked the weight and decided to try once more after a brief rest. Got under the weight and same thing...almost didn't get the 3rd rep up. Mind you, I don't have a power rack to dump the bar on and no spotter. (still no belt) So, for safety's sake I stopped there for the day and moved on to bench. I needed to redeem myself after that experience on squats. Loaded the bar up to 91kg and cranked out the first set. Now I have a spotter. the next three sets were great. but on the 4th rep of set 5, I lost it. couldn't get past the sticking point. Even though I failed to get all5x5 for today, I felt like I really beat my pecs. I'm looking forward to the next work out with Bench. I concluded the W/O with 3 sets of 5 reps with 67kg on BB Rows. In summary: Squats: 1x5 - 95kg (209lbs) 1x5 - 105kg (231lbs) 1x5 - 115kg (253lbs) 2x3 - 125kg (275lbs) Bench: 4x5 - 91kg (200.2lbs) 1x4 - 91kg BB Rows: 3x5 - 67kg (147.4lbs) I also did a set of dips for some reps in the middle of the rows...I don't know how many. My weight this morning was 83.5 kg (183.7lbs) -
Congrats Chewy on the phenomenal improvement this past year! Also, I noticed your blog just passed 10,000 views! pretty popular to boot! hey hey!
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In China they say jia yo (加油)which literally means "add oil." Said to encourage someone to keep going and persevere (坚持) - jian chir. You can do it Chewy! I hope all is well with your uncle! keep us posted!
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gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
W/O from yesterday - Wed. Feb. 9th, 2011 Usual warm-up on treadmill for 10 minutes, stretching for 10 minutes, then... Squats: 1x5 - 90kg (198lbs.) 1x5 - 100kg (220lbs.) 1x5 - 115kg (253lbs.) 5x5 - 123kg (271lbs.) OHP: These were SUPER HARD today...maybe all of the time my daughter was on my shoulders took it's toll. 1x5 - 67kg 1x4 - 67kg 3x5 - 55kg Deads: 2x5 - 130kg (286lbs.) Pull-ups: 3x5 - bodyweight (84kg that morning) Just wanted to mention that all of these lifts are still without a belt or straps. Hoping to go get a massage today, too! Oh Yeah! -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Well, here we are...back from Beijing and the Great Wall This is the MuTianYu section of the wall. Unfortunately, pictures really don't do it's grandeur much justice. It's really quite an overwhelming site. It was quite a hike up to the top...enough stairs to get the legs burning. The hike down was WAY harder and I got a sharp pain in the side of my right knee and my legs were shaking uncontrollably. Felt AWESOME! We also had a wheel barrow race on the Wall, did some kungfu , hand stands and general goofing off. Here's me and my youngest daughter Elizabeth on the Wall. She just turned three in January. I had her on my shoulders for a lot of the trip - her favorite ride. Other than the Great Wall we also went to the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen square, and the Temple of Heaven...quite a bit to pack into 3 day! Next post will be back to my workouts...sorry for the rabbit trail in my log! hope you all enjoy the pics! -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O: Short on time and focused on squats today. Before warming up I stepped under 85kg and squatted 3 reps with pretty strong pain in my left hip flexor. Then, I proceeded to the treadmill for about 400m and used the "shaker" attachment to loosen up the lower back and legs. Next, was an extra long stretch time - about 15 minutes! Then the work began...8 more sets of squats! nothing else...I'll probably go back to the gym tomorrow. Tonight it's the Chinese New Year and there are constant fireworks going off...they'll keep going all night till about 4am then a break until 6 am upon which they'll start again. Squats: 1x3 - 85kg (187lbs.) 1x5 - 85kg (187lbs.) 1x5 - 95kg (209lbs.) 1x5 - 105kg (231lbs.) 5x5 - 121kg (266.2lbs - Yea buddy!!) The legs really are capable of some amazing stuff when you tell them to do it! 9 total sets today on squats alone! The next week I'll be traveling and have no opportunity for weights. I plan to do a lot of stretching, push ups, pull ups and other body weight stuff, but mostly just taking it easy. We'll be going to the Great Wall on Saturday - PLENTY of hiking time! Hope to be able to post a pic or two after we get back! -
I'm so stoked to read about your comp prep and all that is happening for you right now, Chewy! It's an encouragement to me! Lookin' forward to reading about your experience and what you will have learned!
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gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Hey chewybaws! Thanks for checkin' in! I noticed you've done the stronglift's 5x5 program too! Actually, now that I think of it, your log is the one where I first read about the program. NEways! Thanks again for the encouragement! -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
yesterday's W/O: This marks the last day of the 7th week of my 5x5 program. workouts have been adjusted a day forward or back at times but none have been missed. Feels good to be developing a new habit that is so rewarding! Monday was NOT a good squat day at first. After the warm-up and stretch, I got under the bar for my usual first set of squats with the usual increase in weight. As I went down, it felt really difficult! Way more difficult that I thought it should be...especially after two days off from squats and plenty of rest and food! I got to the third rep and barely got the weight up. Something wasn't right! I quickly stripped the weight down to 85kg and did a set of 12 and re-racked. That felt MUCH better. I steadily increased the weight back up and got 6 sets total finishing back at the weight I should have been at for all 5 sets of the 5x5 program. Perhaps the weight is getting high enough that I need to start doing lower weight warm-up sets before diving in to the bigger weights...I'll try a couple warm-up sets on Wednesday and see how things go. The rest of the W/O was great and made planned increases in all the weights as follows: squats: 1x3 - 119kg (262lbs.) 1x12 - 85kg (187lbs.) 1x8 - 95kg (209lbs.) 1x6 - 105kg (231lbs.) 1x5 - 115kg (253lbs.) 1x5 - 119kg (262lbs) bench: 5x5 - 89 kg (196lbs.) (This has been the diamond in the rough for me. I have always felt weak in the chest area, so it's really encouraging to continue making regular increases and every W/O being a new PR) BB rows: 3x5 - 65kg (143lbs.) This still feels pretty easy, though I think it's a good weight to build from. seated leg extensions: (just because) 1x8 - 60kg pec deck: (just because) 1x10 - 60kg -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Yeah, one thing I didn't mention was that my W/O partner thought the rip was me blowing out my knee or something because the weight tipped on my shoulders - which happened because I almost LOST it trying not to laugh! He was pretty scared for a moment until I got the weight back up. On another note:Today is a rest day and I've got a horrible headache and sinus congestion. Hoping I can be better for lifting tomorrow. Will spend the day resting and eating. Looking forward to continuing PRs every W/O! I need to enjoy the progress while it lasts! woohoo! -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O was AWESOME! everything was on and great! ...though on a slightly more embarrassing note, I blew out my draws on the squats! OOPPS! thankfully I had boxers on underneath! HAHA! That, and my workout partner had an extra pair of shorts on I could wear...changes pants and finished the W/O. Usual warm-up - 10 min. treadmill, ten minutes stretching Squats: 5x5 - 117kg (257.4 lbs.) OHP: 5x5 - 65kg (143 lbs.) Dead: 1x5 - 125kg (275lbs.) Body weight is still at 82.5kg and holding -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O: Usual treadmill run followed by an extra long stretch of the quads, hams, back, neck, glutes, psoas to combat the soreness from Monday's fiasco. Also, diet and sleep have been right on since Monday and it feels great! - Yes, Lesson learned!! Squats: 5x5 - 115kg (253 lbs.) {I still upped the weight even though I failed last W/O with 113kg AND I smashed all 5 sets!} Felt SOOO AWESOME! I'm sitting here typing totally stoked right now! Bench: 5x5 - 87kg (191.4 lbs.) This also felt very strong and I completed all 5 with relative ease. Slow down and EXPLODE up with exhale as soon as the bar touched my chest. BB Rows: 5x5 - 55kg (first time doing these and didn't know where to start - relatively easy. So, I will add 2-3kg per W/O from there) -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Sorry Lean and Green! I just noticed that someone other than myself posted something here! Thanks for the encouraging words! They're always welcome! -
gsop_3's body transformation workout log
gsop_3 replied to gsop_3's topic in Online Training Journals & Blogs
Today's W/O usual warm-up (treadmill for 1.25km - 10:00, followed by stretching) squats: 4x5 - 113kg (248.6lbs) OHP: 4x5 - 63kg (138.6lbs.) DL: 1x5 - 120kg (264lbs.) Chins: 1x5 - bodyweight I nearly biffed it on the squats today. The last rep on the last set was nearly a good morning! No injury - just really sore/fatigued spinal erectors. We'll see how I'm doing tomorrow - with some massage and stretching. OHP was a bit rough too. Overall I just had low energy and not all with it today. I'm sure it's because I didn't get a lot of sleep this weekend and had a really poor diet. The only thing that felt good and right was the deadlifts. I felt like I could have done a lot more reps, but sticking to the program for now especially with how the other exercises felt. Diet is back on today and the next workout should be where it should be. I'll keep the weight the same on the squats and OHP the next time they come around.