kurtjs

Dude this gym looks so cool! I'm looking at it like a kid looks at a big playground! Josh . . . IT IS A PLAYGROUND!! With a little bit of the circus thrown in . . . there are a couple of freaks here and there

So this is what I said last weekend. ^^^^ And I didn't follow a word of it. I've actually gone to the gym 4 of the last 5 days and killed it!! I've been working out with my friend (NPC bodybuilder) at Gold's Gym in New Haven aka "The Supergym" http://www.thesupergym.com/ That place is so awesome. They have everything you could even want and then some. I can't wait until this summer when I join and can workout there everyday. My friend has been doing some interesting workouts. He's been having some issues with his triceps and hamstrings (keeps pulling/tearing them). So he's been going lighter, but very high volume!! These workouts have been taking us 2+ hours. They involve some stability stuff (swiss balls, foam pads, . . .), pre-exhaust, and lots of supersets! (INSANE) The goal is to really fatigue and exhaust the muscle . . . and it works. We actually hit quads twice this week. Lets just say I'm glad to be sitting right now. Okay . . . So I'll prob. take the next three days off (Sat, Sun, and Mon) and then kill it on Tues. I've been playing with my calories a bit this week. I've still been taking in 3300-3400 cals per day but I switched up the macros a bit. Before I was taking in between 400-500 grams of carbs per day. Since Mon (and until next mon) I've lowered the carbs to 250-300 grams per day. Once next Tues comes around I'm going to jack the carbs up to 600-650 for three days and then settle baack at 450-500. Where did i get this idea. I'll admit, I read muscle and fitness. I've read it for years and I still enjoy looking through it. This past month they had a huge nutrition special (most of the info I can't use . . . take a guess why) but one "tip" they said was to "flush the system" where you take your current carb intake and cut it in half for 10 days and then when you bring the carbs back up go above what you took in before. They give the example of eating 400g per day, then cutting back to 200-250 per day, then going up to 500 for a couple of days before leveling back at 400. I always try before I make comments. So I'm trying. I let you know how it turns out.

Too funny Josh!! I'm sad to say that I'm still a member of the vegan singles club, although I've never posted about that. In other words, I'm getting some zzzzz's.

This was a great last week of lifting on the split that I was on. Here is a quick recap of last week. Mon. DEADLIFT 305lbs 10 sets of 3 reps (check) Weds. BENCH 175 lbs 10 sets of 3 reps (check) Fri. SQUAT 255 lbs 10 sets of 3 reps. (check) It feels good to nail what you set out to do. I'm on spring break now (SB 08'). There will be lots of sleeping going on!! I'm taking this week off from the gym . . . sort of. . . i'm going to have a deload type week. My body feels a bit run down. I've been lifting 6 days a week for the past 8 weeks. I'll post some more info about what i plan to do once i get back to school. Until then.

JOSH IS A BEAST!! NPC BABY!

One more week to get through and then spring break . . . almost half way through the semester. Training has been going great. This will be my last week on the current split/program that I've been doing. This week I hope to hit Mon. DEADLIFT 305lbs 10 sets of 3 reps Weds. BENCH 175 lbs 10 sets of 3 reps Fri. SQUAT 255 lbs 10 sets of 3 reps. Hey, if I could increase each lift by 100lbs (405 dead, 275 bench, 355 squat = 1035 lbs) and still keep my current bodyweight . . . I bet I could be a national powerlifting champion

Last week I said I might cut back cals for a bit to give my stomach a break. That didn't work. I increased them this week. i'm up to 3300 cals / day. Man, that's a lot of food for this little body! But it won't be little for too much longer

Today (mon) was deadlift day again. I decided to go up even after last weeks workout. I got it!! 295 lbs for 10 sets of three reps (with belt and chalk for grip). The first 5 sets felt great. The last five sets sucked! But who cares, next week I hit my goal. It's a goal I've had in my head for way too long. 300 + lbs deadlift. Hey, I know to some people this is warm-up weight, but to me this is quite a bit. My weight is hovering around 143-146 lbs (depends on time of day). (Next week I might just put 315 lbs on the bar and see if I can get a rep or two )

Thanks Rob, those comments mean a lot to me. Back to the training. I got the 10 sets of 3 reps with 285 lbs today (straight bar deadlift). I had to use some chalk for the grip. The weight felt pretty heavy. I used more back and less leg than I would have liked. We'll see how I feel next week, regarding if I go up to 295 lbs or stay at 285 lbs and try and get some cleaner reps in.

WOW . . . this semester is one hell of a busy semester. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. Real quick, today is my deadlift day. I'm going for 10 sets of 3 reps with 285 lbs. Hopefully (if I stay on track) I'm going to be deadlifting 305 lbs for 10 sets of 3 in two weeks time. This has been a goal of mine for awhile. Stay tuned. Also, my weight is up to 145 lbs! I'm more than likely going to cut back on calories for 2-3 weeks to give my stomach a break and then I'm going to bulk again. I've been taking in 3200 cals per day consistently. Next time, I'll be sure to hit 150 lbs and beyond.

The Vega Smoothie Sandwich 1 serving of vega smoothie 1/4 cup water (just enough to make a protein pudding) 2 slices of favorite bread (I like Ezekiel) Mix water and vega into smoothie (the thicker the better), then smear onto the bread and eat!

One more note, I started to lift at school since I have really early and really late classes. The weight room is so bare-bones . . . I love it. They have dumbells up to 100 lbs. For machines they have a smith machine, lat pulldown, glute ham raises, and most of the hammer strength stuff (leg press, leg extension, chest presse, row machine, standing shoulder press, preach curl). Here is the best part . . . 4 squat racks, 4 flat benchs, 2 incline benchs, and 3 padded areas with bumper plates for cleans and such. This ain't your planet fitness!!

1/26/08 SQUAT ASSISTANCE DAY SQUAT PRESS MACHINE 2 PLATES ea. side X 15 3 X 10 4 X 6 warm ups ^^^ 5 x 12 5 x 12 5 x 12 LEG EXTENSIONS 80 x 12 100 x 12 (3 sets) BARBELL LUNGES 95 x 6 reps each leg (2 sets) 95 x 8 reps each leg SEATED CALF RAISES 70 x 15 95 x 15 120 x 15 145 x 15 DROP-SET 145 X 12;120 X 12; 95 X 12; 70 X 12; 45 X 12 (60 REPS TOTAL) MACHINE CRUNCHES 35 X 15 40 X 15 45 X 15 50 X 15 ADBuctor 6 X 12 7 X 8 7 X 10-12 I must say I'm going to have to get used to working legs after . . . legs. I did squats friday and then did all this yesterday (Sat.). My legs were already a bit sore going into this workout. I wasn't too happy with the weights used (and how heavy they felt) but I like how pumped and shot my legs felt at the end. Today (Sun.) my legs are fried. The quads and glutes (thanks lunges) are nice and tight. Today is my one day of the week off. I plan to eat and get some good studying in today.

this has been my breakfast all week and its pretty good . . . not too weird. ROLLED OATS - 0.5 CUP WHEAT GERM RAW - 0.5 CUP RICE PROTEIN - 2 TBS ALMONDS OR PEANUT BUTTER - ABOUT 10 GRAMS LOTS OF CINNAMON MIX ALL INGREDIENTS IN A LARGE BOWL AND ADD MAYBE 0.5-1 CUP OF WATER. YOU NEED JUST ENOUGH WATER TO GET EVERYTHING WET AND MIXED. STORE IN THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT AND DEVOUR WHEN YOU WAKE UP. Nutritionally: it has tons of calories, low GI carbs, fiber, iron, healthy fats, protein, and good chewyness.

I love to lick nut butter off of a nice long spoon and wash it down with some "milk" of course by milk I mean the kind with hemp, rice, or almonds

This was my first week back at school. This is going to be one hell of a semester. I have 19 credits (5 classes + finishing an undergraduate thesis) and I'm wokring about 20 hours per week. The workouts were great. This was my first time trying this program. We'll see what happens. We started a bit light on the major lifts because the goal is to keep progressing each week. Also, since I took a week off before this week I wasn't sure how sore I would be and how strong I would be. Next week all the major lifts will go up by 10 pounds (deads, bench, and squat). Diet was solid this week. I've acutally reduce the protein a bit and increased the carbs more, which I like. I just bought 25 lbs of rolled oats so I have plenty of carbs to eat

1/22/08 RACK CHINS 3 SETS; 12 REPS; BW HAMMER STENGTH HIGH PULL ROW 70 X 12 75 X 12 75 X 12 STRAIGHT ARM PULLDOWN 60 X 12 (3 SETS) GLUTE HAM RAISE BW X 12 (3 SETS) OLYMPIC BAR CURLS 65 X 10 65 X 9 65 X 8 HANGING LEG RAISES 2 X 12 STANDING CALF RAISES 210 X 12 210 X 12 260 X 60 1/23/08 FLAT BB BENCH PRESS 135 X 3 (10 SETS) 1/24/08 SEATED DB MILITARY PRESS 40 X 10 40 X 9 40 X 8 CLOSE GRIP BENCH 95 X 12 95 X 10 95 X 8 DIPS (BRANCH WARREN STYLE) BW X 12 BW + CHAIN AROUND NECK X 2; DROP CHAIN X 6 BW + CHAIN AROUND NECK X 3; DROP CHAIN X 6 PRESSDOWNS 60 X 10 60 X 9 60 X 8 SMITH MAHCINE DONKEY CALF RAISES 135 X 12 185 X 12 205 X 12 225 X 12 SOME AB STUFF 1/25/08 SQUATS 185 X 3 (10 SETS)

1/21/08 Today was my first day back in the gym after taking my week off. My last real workout was last Tues. I feel refreshed and felt strong today. My new program is one that I found laid out on BB.com. I've also seen it on T-nat. com. It's based on the 10 x 3. 10 sets of 3 reps with the big three. Day one is deadlift day - all you do is 10 x 3 dealifts. Day two is deadlift assist day (more bodybuilding type rep ranges and movement). Day three is bench day (10 x 3) and the pattern repeats with bench assit day, then squat, then squat assist day. So I'm going to be lifting 6 days per week but the workouts are pretty short. I did the 10 x 3 deadlifts today and it only took 40 mins and that was with a lot of warm-ups sets. We'll see how it goes. I've always wanted to do more of a powerlifting type split. This combines the best of powerlifting and bodybuilding. Since today was MLK day I had no school, but tomm. my winter break is over and classes start. I'm actually going to be working out at school during this semester so that I can have a partner to help me on the bench day and such. I'm starting to like to lift with people. I like the motivation. Today's workout: DEADLIFTS 135 x 10 135 x 8 185 x 6 205 x 3 225 x 1 warm-ups ^^^ 235 x 3 (10 sets) I'm also trying some new things with my diet. Basically I'm trying to reduce the number of meals I eat per day. So I'm still trying to take in the same cals I took in over the course of 7-8 meals per day and putting them in 4-6 meals per day. I just don't have time during the day to eat that often. This past break was great with my work sched. and when I went to school. I just always had time to eat, but I don't see that happening this semester. We'll see how it goes. You never know what works until you try it. On that note (regarding school) since classes start tomm. I prob won't post as much. I'll prob post a couple times per week but just know that I'm still working out, it's just I'm also working on the books and in the labs.

it wasn't straight. I did like 15, then I jumped off to strip of the 25 lbs or strip off a 45lbs and put on a 25 lbs. Then did another 10-15 and just kept going. Trust me, a lot of those reps where not very high (more like bounces). But the burn was there!

1/15/08 BICEPS/FOREARMS/CALVES/ABS (IN THAT EXACT ORDER) OLYMPIC BAR CURLS 45 X 15 65 X 10 70 X 8 75 X 6 INCLINE TWO ARM DUMB CURL (AT SAME TIME) 20 X 10 22.5 X 8 25 X 6 27.5 X 6 STANDING DB HAMMER CURL 30 X 10 35 X 10 40 X 10 STANDING BEHIND THE BACK WRIST CURL (OLYMPIC BAR) 65 X 15 75 X 12 85 X 8 95 X 5 SEATED CALF RAISES (REPS 10-15) 45 LBS 70 LBS 95 LBS 120 LBS 145 LBS 170 LBS (DROP SET- KEPT RIPPING OFF ONE QUARTER) WEIRD SLED CALF RAISES (ONE OF MY FAVS) [REPS 10-15] 1 PLATE EACH SIDE 2 PLATES EACH SIDE 3 PLATES EACH SIDE 3.5 PLATES EACH SIDE (DROP SET - PROB AROUND 100 REPS) CABLE CRUNCHES 47.5 X 15 57.5 X 15 67.5 X 15 77.5 X 15 (THIS WAS HEAVY) HANGING LEG RAISES (AB STRAPS UNDER PITS) 12 REPS 3-4 SETS [FOR THE ABS EXERCISES I ALTERNATED BETWEEN SETS (NOT SUPERSET). I DID 1 SET OF CABLE CRUNCHES, THEN RESTED, THEN HANGING LEG RAISES, RESTED, THEN BACK TO CABLE CRUNCHES) This was my last workout until next mon. My semester starts next Tues so I'll use the time off from the gym to get everything ready for next week. I'll post later on what my new workouts will be like soon. It's a program I found outlined online. It's a mix between powerlifting and bodybuilding. Some people call it "power-building". Should be fun. Also, I said how yesterday I didn't think how the stiff leg deads were hitting my hammys. Well they did. The backs of my legs are stiff today!

1/14/08 LEGS SQUATS (NO BELT FOR ANY SETS) 95 X 15 135 X 12 185 X 10 225 X 6 225 X 6 225 X 6 LYING HAMSTRING CURL 65 X 15 80 X 12 95 X 7 95 X 7-2-1 (REST PAUSE) 45 LEG PRESS (FEET LOW ON PLATFORM TO NAIL QUADS) 2 X 15 3 X 12 4 X 3 (LEGS WERE SHOT) 4 X 5-1 (REST PAUSE WITH FEET A BIT HIGHER) STIFF LEG DEADS (ON HIGH STEP= BIG STRETCH) 95 X 15 115 X 15 135 X 15 135 X 16 HACK SQUAT 135 X 10 155 X 8 185 X 6 205 X 3 225 X 3 ABDUCTOR 70 X 15 100 X 10 100 X 8 100 X 8 LEG EXTENSIONS 80 X 15 100 X 12 120 X 12 (LAST COUPLE OF REPS WERE HALF ONLY HALF REPS) I have a lot of thoughts on this workout. This was my first leg workout in over three weeks at my usual gym since I've trained legs at another gym for the past two weeks. It really blows my mind how two machines - that go by the same name - can feel so different. For example, the hack squat. The one at my gym kills me if I put 2 plates per side on. I got 3 reps with it today. At the other gym, I can get like 10 reps with two plates. Same with the leg leg press at my gym. We have one mahcine called a squat press and I can load up the plates (like 6-7 each side) but the leg press I struggle with 4 per side. AMAZING!! On other note, stiff-legged deadlifts. I've been watching a lot of videos online of bodybuilders doing this exercise and everyone does it different but I've been hearing a lot of people say to go light, get a good stretch, and squeeze the hams and glutes. I usually go pretty heavy on these (up to 225). So today I went light on them and tried to squeeze but I still just felt it in my back. I'll get it eventually. Last note - I think Zack will love this - I've been living off of garbanzos the past couple of days. I found a bag (dried) over the weekend and cooked them up. I cooked way too much. I've seriously had like 4-5 cups per day the last couple of days. Every meal (including breakfast) I've been having them. Believe me, I'm not complaining! I've been too lazy to make hummus but I might make a big batch with the last bit that I have.

thanks for the info on the buckwheat guys . . . i've been looking at it but the cost has kept me at bay. We'll see. I bought a huge load of gemma while ago that I'm still working on

Has anyone tried the buckwheat protein powder? I really recall hearing anyone talk about it on this forum. Curious if anyone liked it, got good results, worth the money, taste? Any info is helpful http://www.getkemistry.com/products_procore.html

Hey Josh, shoot that PM over this way as well

PATS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!