esqinchi

Wednesday, April 29, 2015: Day of Rest Was up very early in the morning with my pup who was having seizures because of the shifting weather. Couldn't really get back to sleep from 1am on, got up at 6:30, had a very busy day. So, I needed to take today off. Sucks because now I'm just bored Back in action tomorrow.

I made one for myself using Excel (nerd alert!). I don't have that varied of a diet, but I think there's about 30-40 foods in there that I consume on a regular basis. I'd be happy to send you a copy, but it sounds like you might have an alternative.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015: Circuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Incline Chest Fly x 15 @ 70lbs 2. Single Leg Squat x 12* @ 70lbs 3. Single Arm Row x 12* @ 95lbs 4. Reverse Lunge x 12* @ 70lbs 5. Shoulder PressUps x 12* @ 95lbs 6. Side Squat x 12* @ 95lbs Bonus Round - Tricep Extension x 100 @ 15lb band Tried the Vega Pre-W/O drink today once more, and, after getting over the godawful taste I felt a little kick of energy just before hitting the weights. It's nice, honestly, and I found supportive. However, I did find myself hungry about mid-point but I was able to focus my mind over my physical feeling. Proud of the numbers for my rows and shoulder press-ups. I remember when I could barely pull 40lb dbs up to my chest just a couple years ago. The side squat is a fun exercise, and really gets the heart racing. It's more of a finisher though, and obviously no substitute for actual squats. That being said, I need to get on getting a squat pad and mirror so I can go back to traditional squats. In all though, I'm amazed at how much I've managed in the past year, especially after acquiring all of these weights and such for $250.00. Last thing: Man were my arms throbbing after the bonus round. I'm sure I'll feel that tomorrow. Speaking of, going to do some cardio HIIT tomorrow and give lifting a short break until Thursday.

Saturday, April 25, 2015: Circuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Close Grip Bench Press x 12 @ 135lbs 2. Front Squat x 12 @ 120lbs 3. Front Raise x 12 @ 35lbs 4. Side Lunge x 12* @ 70lbs 5. Renegade Row x 12* @ 25lbs* 6. Calf Raise x 20 @ 70lbs Bonus Round: 3 Way Curls x 100 @ 15lb Band Woke up really sore from Thursday's deadlifts. So, I tried to take it easy on the lower back today, and hamstrings (though the side lunges definitely work those along with the glutes). Found the bench nice to work in today; haven't done that in quite a while. Not going to lie though I was winded after the front squats. That really set the tone for the rest of the circuit, and I was dreading the renegade rows coming up. My mind was telling me to cut out after just two rounds, but I wanted to see it through, so I gave myself some extra rest before the third round. Still love working with the bands. The constant resistance really allows for a nice pump. It's not even about how much weight you can put up with those, obviously, but more about focusing on the squeeze and maintaining constant tension. Bought a boatload of berries last night and fell into a snack spiral. Makes me really want to do a raw month sometime during the summer. I did start incorporating more tofu/seitan/tvp into my diet, and noticed an instant decrease in bloat as well as more energy. Just like training style, I think it's important to change up your diet every now and then unless you are constantly consuming a wide variety of foods. Now I'm pooped but I have a bunch of housework to do today so I'd better get cracking before I cave and take a nap. Have a great weekend!

Holy shit man! He should move to the States and play professional football. Probably make a killing.

I was asserting that in order to easily meet the macros exactly, one would need foods comprised of purely fat, purely protein, and purely carbs. Impossible, yeah. Also, dude you're 6'4"? 240lbs? You should be on the rugby field!

Thursday, April 23, 2015: Circuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Deadlift x 12 x 190lbs 2. Incline Shoulder Press x 15 @ 70lbs 3. Reverse Lunge x 12* @ 70lbs 4. Pullups x 15 5. Hamstring Bridge x 12* @ 35lbs 6. Hammer Curls x 12* @ 35lbs* Bonus Round: Tricep Extension x 100 @ 15lb band Killer training today. Arms are nice and shaky, and having a hard time typing this out. Gave myself a nice two count pause after every 3rd deadlift rep. Wanted to work in the traps as well as everything else. Enjoyed doing the shoulder press on an incline. Good to work in a bit of chest as well as shoulders. Pullups were tough as hell, but do they ever get easy? Hammer curls were tough also, and I won't lie I may have given myself some assistance there. The tricep extensions I did a bit differently today. Instead of having my hands by my hears on the finishing movement, my palms were clasped together, and I pressed up over my head, as if I were congratulating myself. Man... I'm pooped. Off til Saturday. Time to eat!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015: HIIT Cardio Day (2 Rounds, Rest 60 Seconds) 1. Stair Climb x 3 @ 70lbs (12 Flights Total) 2. Football Drills x 5 3. Pushup Jacks x 20 4. Long Jumps x 16 5. High Knees x 60 6. DB Swing x 12 @ 35lbs Only two rounds today, and no bonus round because after Round 2 I felt just tired and hungry. Didn't sleep much last night, so I'm guessing that's the cause for the low energy. Nevertheless, I did manage a good sweat from this session, even if a little short. Was going to do lateral raise for the bonus round today, so I guess I'll hit up some lats tomorrow. Giving some more thought to incorporating calisthenics into my training, as opposed to just weights. Perhaps I could do 2 weight days, 1 cardio, and 1 calisthenics day. Anyhow, like I said, I'm freakin starving. Time for dinner.

Interesting stuff. And yeah, it sounds possible. If calories per gram of protein, carb, and fat are 4, 4, and 9, respectively, the number of each you mention would result in 1995 calories per day. But, woulnd't this be based upon foods that are either purely one macronutrient, or a combination thereof. Seems like it would take some serious consideration to meet the formula exactly. But maybe that's overkill - leave it to me to over-think things.

Is that all you're eating?!?! Not to sound alarmed, but I think you should definitely increase your caloric load - by a significant amount. Also, you're aware that 80/10/10 is based upon a raw food approach, which would necessarily exclude your white rice, baked potatoes, most of the dried fruit, and certainly that grape jelly, right? Plus, you admit you're not hitting the macros. Your body needs fat to regulate a lot of things other than weight loss (like your brain, protein synthesis, etc.), and protein for... other stuff. Getting only 3% of one or both is REALLY low on an already extreme diet. I think you should do a lil more research into the 80/10/10 diet prior to moving forward. If you really are training 2 hours per session, 4-5 times per week, you should probably be consume somewhere in the realm of 3500+ calories per day. When I did 80/10/10, I was training 4-5 times per week, about an hour per session, and I could barely survive on approximately 3000 calories per day. It got to the point where I didn't even care about calories any longer, and just ate to my heart's content. I could tell I was under-eating because I immediately dropped ten pounds. But, thereafter, I gained about 14 back over the following six months. I gave it up because, well, I got sick of eating bananas. Plus, when it's winter here, there's no good produce. Plus, I got tired of feeling hungry all the time, no matter how much I consumed. There's no real sustainable energy on that nutrition plan (i.e. energy from fat), because it's all quickly utilized by the body (i.e. fruit sugars). Sure, you have a ton of energy, and because you're constantly eating there's no real crash... but if you miss a meal, or workout harder than what you've consumed, I bet you find yourself in what my doctor friend calls a "snack spiral," and out comes the peanut butter and dates.

Hey mate, do you know anything about macronutrient calculations? For example, I calculated what I believe is my lean body mass at 139lbs. Am currently 170lbs, approx 18% body fat. I'd like to drop that number to 10% over the next 16 weeks, and plan to consume approx 2000 calories per day (maintenance is about 2400). The macros for what I ate today were as follows: Calories - 1980; Fat - 45g; Protein - 87g; Carb - 243. I went to his If It Fits Your Macros website, which has a calculator that says I should be consuming the following amounts: Calories - 2097 Protein - 111g Fat - 49g Carb - 303 As it stands now I am fairly close to these numbers. But, how the hell am I supposed to consume 24g more protein, and 60g more carbs in under 117 calories???? 5.2oz of this tofu I have makes 24g protein, but it's 217 calories alone. 9oz of bananas (the highest carb fruit I have right now) is 58.5g carb, and 225 calories. So, to meet the figure I've described above, I'd have to consume an overage of 325 calories, which would still be under maintenance, but not low enough to result in adequate fat loss. Is this horse-shit? What gives?

Tuesday, April 22, 2015: GBCircuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Incline Bench x 12 @ 180lbs 2. Squat & Press x 12 @ 70lbs 3. Delt Fly x 15 @ 70lbs 4. Single Leg StepUp x 12* @ 70lbs 5. Tricep Extension x 12* @ 25lbs 6. Hamstring Curls x 12 @ 35lbs Bonus Round: Bicep Curl Trio x 100 @ 15lb Band I love the bonus round, especially on bicep curls where I can really pump the fuck out of my arms. It's a great finisher, and I love to constant resistance of the band over simple weights. The squat/press-ups were challenging, and require a lot of breath focus. Found myself winded after the first set. Changed up my diet a bit and exchanged beans for other protein sources. I found myself really bloated and gassy when eating too many beans. I feel like if I eat the same thing for an extended period of time I develop sort of an allergic reaction. So, I am incorporating some non-whole food proteins like tofu and Beyond Meat crumbles. Not really a fan of tempeh, though I know it's a better choice than tofu. Don't worry, it won't last forever, and I'm still getting a ton of other good stuff. I'll just eat this until I'm sick of it, and then probably switch to a raw diet for June. Anyhow, today was a good session, and I had a bit of fun. Back tomorrow with some HIIT cardio and lower body focus.

You had me at faster fat cell content oxidizing. Great info man. I'll incorporate these in on Tuesday. I've been doing some finisher sets on specific parts, so static holds and negatives would be an excellent choice to change up. Hope you're having a good weekend mate!

Saturday, April 18, 2015: GBCircuit (2 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Chest Pressups x 15 @ 50lbs 2. Front Squat x 15 @ 120lbs 3. Row x 15 @ 140lbs 4. Walking Lunge x 15* @ 70lbs 5. Neutral Grip Pullups x 15 6. Single Leg Deadlift x 15* @ 70lbs Down and dirty in under 30. I have a ton of stuff to do around the house today since I lost most of that kind of time last night due to a work party. Plus, I had a couple beers last night and didn't sleep very well as a result. So, I was a bit tired today, but managed to at least get this in. I think it was adequate considering the circumstances. Anyhow, not going to waste any more time in front of this stupid computer since the sun it out. Have a good weekend!

Hey mate, at first I noticed the negative dips with the weight and thought damn man! Then I saw the comment about the tub and had a nice chuckle. That's really solid training up there buddy. I might give some of those negatives a try. Nice work man.

Thursday, April 16, 2015: GBC Circuit + HIIT (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Deadlift x 12 @ 190lbs 2. Pushup Jacks x 20 3. Reverse Lunge x 12* @ 70lbs 4. Renegade Row x 12* @ 25lbs 5. Hamstring Bridge x 12* @ 35lbs 6. Calf Raise x 20 @ 70lbs Bonus Round: 100 Front Raise w/ 10lb band. Solid training today. Really happy to put up that deadlift number. Stoked to see my strength improving. I love the intensity that circuit training inspires. Plus, finishing the training with the band work is great because it really allows me to focus on a single muscle group and get it to burn as much as possible. Speaking of, my biceps and triceps are still screaming from this week's work. Changed up my diet a bit and put down the beans. Switched to some Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles, which offer about 20g protein per serving (just put down 3 servings at dinner). I know I'm supposed to avoid the faux meats, but I really want to lean out so I'm increasing protein, and consequently decreasing some carbs by setting the beans aside for a bit. Plus, I ate this way today for lunch and noticed I was far less . . . gassy. Anyhow, taking tomorrow off and then back in action on Saturday.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 HIIT GBC: UpperBody + HIIT Circuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Shoulder PressUps x 12* @ 95lbs; 2020 2. Squat Jumps x 15 3. Incline Row x 12 @ 70lbs; 4040 4. Hurdle Jumps x 12 5. DB Snatch x 12* @ 35lbs 6. High Knees x 75 Bonus Set: Standing Skullcrushers x 100 on 10lb Band Fun session tonight. Really loved putting up the heavier numbers on the shoulder press. Fast pace with the HIIT stuff really kicked my ass. Felt good about this session. Trying to pay more attention to the squeeze and flex of the muscles as opposed to just throwing the weights up like an animal. This really got my heart rate up as well. Need some good sleep tonight, as I stayed up well past my bedtime last night ( 1am! ) Going to do mostly legs tomorrow as my chest and arms are pretty much toast from yesterday. Speaking of, the added set at the end with the band yesterday left my biceps totally screaming all day today. Can't imagine the one from today will be any different.

Ahahahaa! Of course she did lol. Like I said, I found increasing intensity made the workout more fun, and went by much faster. Less time lugging around in the gym, and more time doing other stuff.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015: GBC Circuit (3 Rounds, Rest 90 Seconds) 1. Flat Bench x 12 @ 195lbs; 1010 2. Single Leg Squat x 12* @ 70lbs; 2020 3. Decline Aussie Pullups x 12; 3030 4. Single Leg Deadlift x 12* @ 70lbs; 2020 5. Delt Fly x 12 @ 70lbs; 1010 6. Hamstring Curl x 12 @ 35lbs; 3030 Bonus Set: Bicep Curl Trio on 15lb Band x 150 This was a fun set, and went by quickly. I really need that lately to keep intensity and focus up. Seems like the longer I stay in the gym, the less interested I am in training day by day. Anyhow, I got on here later than usual, so I can't spend much time posting. Had kind of a shitty day work-wise. Am slowly realizing how unhappy I am professionally speaking. I'm in a very frustrating spot in my career, and my boss doesn't really make it any easier. Anyway, I don't want to whine, just had to get that out. Considering breaking out the Insanity DVDs again and doing them maybe once or twice per week; combined with strength training, of course. I'd like to burn off some of the weight that's seemed to creep up on me over the last year or so. Ok that's it for me today... Back tomorrow with something new.

Thursday, April 9, 2015: Upper/Lower Circuit - Rest 2-3 Minutes/Round 1. Standing Press Ups - 3 x 15 @ 50lbs 2. Side Lunge - 3 x 12* @ 90lbs 3. Dips - 3 x 15 4. Hamstring Bridge - 3 x 12* @ 35lbs 5. Curls - 3 x 20 @ 55lbs 6. Lateral Squat - 3 x 12* @ 90lbs This was a fun circuit, and worked much better than trying to do giant sets. I found I could plow through everything at a pretty good pace, and without the start/stop resting it seemed to go by much faster than with normal sets. I might keep this for a bit, add in some bodyweight stuff. I think the tempo stuff is great, but it's clearly time for a change. Also, I need some new dumbbells. Ate an insane amount of vegetables and greens today. Have company coming in this weekend, so I'll probably have a terrible diet for a couple days. But, after that, it's crunch time. I did things a little differently today for a pre-w/o. While I had a huge banana, and probably an ounce of brown rice, I made myself a cup of Earl Grey tea about 20 minutes prior to training. I think the bit of caffeine did me well, as I went in with a little more motivation than usual. However, I did find myself hungry at mid-point, which immediately affected my focus. Resulted in me taking more like 5 minutes between the second and third round as opposed to 2-3. I'm also toying with the notion of the raw diet again, but only for a few weeks. It seemed to help me drop some pounds fairly quickly, and I'd like to slim down just a bit. It's been a year since I've really tried hard to cut, and I think I might have the mass underneath to make it worthwhile. Maybe I'll set that up for the month of June, or the second half of May/first half of June. I really did enjoy eating as much fruit as I wanted. I'll be off tomorrow as per usual, and then back in action Saturday morning. Don't really care if we have company, I'm going to get up early and get some work in; before anyone else gets up.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015: GBC + HIIT 1. ChinUps - 3 x 12; 2020 2. Walking Lunge - 3 x 12* @ 70lbs; 3030 3. Sprint Lunges - 3 x 12 - 4. Single Arm Row - 3 x 12* @ 90lbs; 2020 5. Single Leg StepUp - 3 x 12* @ 70lbs; 2020 6. Hurdle Sprints - 3 x 12 Typing this up the day after, as I waited too long to post last night and the site logged me out and erased the data; that's annoying. Anyhow, I need a change. I'm feeling super bloated lately, or at least I feel fatter than I was a few months ago. My shirts fit the same way, and my leg muscles make my pants fit tight. However, my belt/waist seems much tighter, which I don't understand. A friend said it might be due to enlarged glute size from lifting, which might be true. But, I just feel gross and fat. I really wish I could lose the belly, but it seems like no matter what I do, the flab prevails. I'd really appreciate some suggestions. I'm taking in around 2000 - 2200 calories per day; maybe a little carb heavy, but I find I have little to no energy for my workouts, as mentioned many times before. Should I look into a pre-workout drink? I've never needed one of these before, and my workouts are relatively similar to those in the past; albeit with heavier weights. Is that the difference? I'm frustrated.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015: GBC + HIIT 1. Incline Chest Fly - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs; 2020 2. Sumo Squat - 3 x 12 @ 200lbs; 2020 3. High Knees - 3 x 50 - 4. Military Press - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs; 3030 5. Deadlift - 3 x 12 @ 185lbs; 1010 6. Belt Kicks - 3 x 24 Well new PR on deadlifts today, and they didn't seem all that tough, so I bet I could add some more next time. I did have another gian t set scheduled, but I was honestly tired as fuck at the end of the second round there. Felt like I could crawl in bed and be asleep in five minutes. Timing military press that way is absolutely killer, so even with a lazier pace today my shoulders still feel shredded. Happy with my squats as well. Really need to get myself a squat pad and mirror so I can start doing them with the bar again. It's been well over a year. Otherwise, things are going pretty well. Had a nice big bowl of beans and lentils, and now I'm stuffed. Back tomorrow with back/bis/quads.

Saturday, April 4, 2015: GBC+ 1. Incline Bench - 3 x 12 @ 180lbs 2. Single Leg Deadlift - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs 3. Front Raise - 3 x 12 @ 35lbs - 4. Shoulder Press Ups - 3 x 12* @ 90lbs 5. Lateral Squat - 3 x 12* @ 90lbs 6. Delt Fly - 3 x 12 @ 70lbs Didn't really focus on timing today, but more intensity and short rest. Got in and out on this in about 30 minutes, which is good as I have some stuff to do outside today... Finally. Next to walking the dog a couple of times over the last week or so I haven't spent any significant time outdoors since last October. Well, that is, time that wasn't spent shoveling snow. Anyhow, spring is upon us, and there's a few things I'd like to do before the rainy season begins and I have to spent the next month indoors Spaghetti tonight, and re-thinking being on a cut diet. Let's get huge? Have a good weekend!

Thursday, April 2, 2015 Cardio/Core 0. Warmup - 4 Minutes HIIT 1. Hanging Knee Raise x 20 2. Leg Raise x 20 3. Side Plank w/ Rotation x 15* 4. Russian Twist x 25 @ 25lbs 5. Jacknife x 20 @ 25lbs 6. Oblique Crunch x 15* And that's it for today. Didn't really feel like training today, and my nutrition was off as I didn't pack a lunch/got caught up with work before I came home early to a cupcake lunch. Just kind of focused on other stuff today, so I managed to squeeze out a single set and then made up some dinner. Still sore from Tuesday, especially in the chest. Must have really ripped into those decline flys. Going to hit up some GBC tomorrow, time-willing. Otherwise, feeling pretty introspective today, and hoping for a positive change to come my way soon.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015: GBC + HIIT 1. PullUp Trio - 3 x 12; 2020 2. Front Squat - 3 x 12 @ 115lbs; 3030 3. Sprint Lunges - 3 x 6 - 4. Bent Over Row - 3 x 12 @ 145lbs; 2020 5. Front Lunge - 3 x 12* @ 70lbs; 2020 6. High Knees - 3 x 50 - 7. Curls - 3 x 12 @ 75lbs; 2020 8. Front StepUp - 3 x 12* @ 70lbs; 2020 9. Football Drills - 3 x 4 No joke - solid training today. No nausea either, which was very welcome. Getting warmer here today, which is fucking awesome. Even got to take the dog to the park for nearly an hour-long walk. Need to start focusing on all the spring/summer projects I have planned for the house before the time gets away. Otherwise, hamstrings are sore as hell from the deadlifts yesterday, and I'm feeling pretty good!