...something about chin hair...I gotta get some...
4.29 in the 40-yard dash...250-pound bench press...395-pound squat...35-inch vertical jump... this dude is a physical freak, like my goal, and better yet (like Pitt) he is in my size range and ectomorphic build. I said in last week's post that Pitt's Durden physique was closest in my path, but I eventually want Jackson's numbers.
I'd say this was a A- week...Friday's workout being the key reason I bumped the grade from a B+. It's still the first week, so I guess things are still in the testing process, but then again, this thing is subjective so everything will be tested. I was happy with my diet and the incorporation of the Isopure but I still look to adding more Calories to the base and surge days soon (1-2 weeks) but gradually. The scale at the gym says I'm dropping weight (down to 134ish) so I'm worried substituting the chicken thighs/drumsticks with majority plain chicken breast (although 2.5 more ounces worth) may be the cause. I'm going to believe the scale is freaking out a little because it has been doing so for the last week (keep watch though!).
Workout Notes:
1. This week's shoulder workout was very solid. I was thinking about switching the Arnold Presses to Behind the Neck Smith Presses early, but I'll finish up the 3 week cycle in Week 2 first. Keep deadlifts on shoulder day though... but update the ab routine on Fridays. (Traps feel great too! Keep doing the BB Shrugs first...)
Deadlift
5x6
Seated DB Press
5x8-12
DB Arnold Press
4x8-12
DB Side Raises
4x15, 15, 12, 12
Seated DB Rear Delt Raise
5x8-10
Cable Side Raises
3x10
2. Still having a hard time getting past 175 on the BB Squats. Think about switching to reps of 8-10 instead of the 5x5? Also add a 3-set exercise for quads at the end of the leg workout for a total of 6 exercises.
3. Side Note: Never replace Bench Press with flat bench DB presses for more than 2 (maybe 3) weeks because it sucks trying to get it back on track after that long a break from benching.
Nutrition Notes:
1. Don't be afraid of adding another PBJ into the week (max 4).
2. Feeling backed up? Not sure, if that's “it” exactly, but DO NOT mistake for unwanted weight gain. I can feel the “end” of the cycle coming near. Just relax and keep doing what you're doing; confidence man.
Week 2:
tomorrow is Chest day and hopefully it'll be a smooth transition to my version of Branch Warren's routine:
Shoulder day today... after looking through Branch Warren's splits I decided to do my deadlifts before my shoulder workout. This and the conscience attention I focused on my form (flexing my back when puffing out my chest) made a huge difference. I felt pumped and thick when mid afternoon came around, and I mean all over, not just my shoulders and back.
Tomorrow’s leg day, which means surge eating, and since I moved deadlifting to Fridays I now have more time for purely quads and hams. I think I'm going to try and blueprint my leg days after this Jay Cutler vid I found...
I know Fight Club was this weeks motivation, but I'm watching this very Saturday morning before legs:
This week's motivational force (and a recurring one) is one of my favorite movies: Fight Club! It's a deeper film than what people give credit for but this blog's not for movie talk. I guess a big reason why I like this film so much is because of Pitt's character, Tyler Durden, pretty much one of the sickest bad asses ever created. Aside from that though, I guess I feel a connection with Pitt/Durden because we have that similar Ectomorphic body type.
Creating mini-goals along the way makes things easier and more rewarding, and I suppose, this will always be my first (and a pretty damn respectable) measuring point. I say my first because I think it's the closest physique I am to. I see this very reasonable and I'm sure by the beginning of summer I'll get it; we (Pitt/Durden and I) are very similar, physically speaking.
Bad Ass...Note: get some more tanks and some chin hair...
I remember his workout routine was my first one I ever followed (even though I messed up when reading it and did a shit load of supersets!):
Chest
3x 25 Push Ups
3x15 Chest Press
3x15 Incline Press
3x15 Pec Deck
Back (i used to never work back)
3x5 Pullups
3x15 Cable Rows
3x15 Lat Pulldowns
3x15 T-bar Rows
Shoulders
3x15 Arnold Press
3x15 Lateral Raises
3x15 Front Raises
Arms
3x15 Curl Machine
3x15 Hammr Curls
3x15 Pressdowns
His diet is also one I think I might switch to when I go home for summer...
Breakfast would be: 6 eggs, 6 whites, 7 yellow and 75g of oatmeal with raisins. Occasionally Pitt would replace the eggs with a Protein Shake if his schedule was tight.
Midmorning snack: Tinned Tuna in Wholewheat Pitta Breads
Lunch: 2 x Chicken Breasts, 75-100g Brown Rice or Pasta and green veggies
Felt gassy for the first 30 mins but it passed. Shit better be Iso!
I'm pretty juiced to incorporate this stuff into my diet. To get where I want, my workouts AND my nutrition's got to be on point EVERYDAY, man. That means I got to learn the science behind all this, but I'm down. I haven't used any Whey products up until this point, so I'm hoping that this is exactly what I need to get going again...
Taken in late Febuary of last winter. The only photo of myself that winter... kind of wish I took more to see the change from now and then....
It's spring, so I guess it took me half the year to finally set my mind on this health thing. This time last year, I never thought my physical condition would be where it is today, and I'm so proud AND GRATEFUL of how fast I bounced back. There's still a lot of the aftermath of my surgery that can be imprisoning, but the good truly outweigh the bad. I'm able to play sports and workout again, and I guess, this is where this thing is going to start.
At the end of summer I came in about a solid 140 pounds (a lot considering I dropped all the way into the 90's after surgery). I lost some weight after the trip to the ER during fall quarter, so I'm at 137 today. The thing is I've plateaued, and I've been subconsciously complacent, and starting today I'm going to get going and see just how far I can go; it's time to take off the kid gloves (again) and push myself. I'm not saying I want to be a bodybuilder or a pro athlete...
