Day 4: Bring it on

Status - mission 1
Mood - energetic
water - on my 4th liter

Day 4 of 84


I had the intention of going for a run this morning, but unfortunately overslept and had to rush to make it to class. I did get a sound breakfast under my belt though, and a liter of water in my system by 10am. The new protein powder I recently purchased tasted great, especially with low-fat milk. The lady at GNC who sold it to me was really sweet too, even though she tried to swindle me into buying another product that I was not only unfamiliar with, but which was also far too expensive. I'm being tangential, sorry.

So ~ 10:30 I had a chicken salad. A friend who sat next to me in class seemed to enjoy watching me eat as much as I enjoyed the salad myself ! I couldn't help but notice her constant glances toward in my direction. Thinking back on it now, the sound of my jaw crunching might have been distracting. Whoops

My workout consisted of simple chest and back exercises at very high reps. I forced out ~30 reps on each of my first sets. The number of repetitions I was able to do naturally declined from there. This type of training is not very difficult alone. However, with only 30 second rest intervals between sets it can become very exhausting. Today I was able to tolerate the required volume fairly easily. I'll make sure to increase the resistance for the next session, which is in a week or so.

Cardio was enjoyable. Completing 5 minutes of interval cycling and 4 sprints + 4 jogs around our school's track made me smile, temporarily masking the pain I felt in my lungs and quads. I set the goal at the beginning of this program of being able to run 5 miles in one cardio session. I intend to meet that mark, in which case I have many more laps to run and much more pain to endure. Based on past experience, I am fully confident in my body's abilities.

After my workout I ran back to the apartment to continue my reading of Adam Water's blog. In case you haven't heard of this guy, well, let's just say he is nothing short of inspirational. Consider a person who, for six years of his life, had been depressed and disappointed with life and what it had to offer. Fast forward a mere 3 months and he has completely transformed his body, and from the look on his face his self-confidence shot through the roof. At the end of his 84 day mission he had learned the power inherent in goal setting. He took massive, if not drastic action and listened to his heart. His mind and body couldn't help but follow. Check out his blog. Trust me, it is truly eye-opening.

He's the real reason why I decided to begin this project in daily accountability. After reading his story and witnessing his physical transformation through daily pictures, I believe - no, I know I will be able to do the same. Given my outstanding work ethic, slightly obsessive nature and personal stubbornness, I know I'll have a six-pack at the end of 84 days.

Bring it on baby !

Catch you tomorrow

--Jay

ps. the link to Adam Water's blog ... www.rtp-blog.com

Day 3: Rested

Day 3 of 84

Status: mission 1
Mood: Rested
Water: 4 liters
Meal: 5th meal in 1 hr ... missed 6th (make up for it with perfect performance tomorrow)

According to my schedule, today was a rest day. Tomorrow afternoon I will make my way back to the gym for "Lactic Acid Training". This style of training is designed to force my body into producing lactic acid, which research has shown to cause increases in both growth hormone and testosterone secretion by the body. These two hormones are extremely anabolic and lipolytic. The results of my workout should include complete muscle failure, the burning of a lot of calories, and the stimulation of Type 1 muscle fibers, which are endurance oriented. Do I sound excited, because I am !

I am going to be shattered tomorrow night, lol

Catch you tomorrow,

--Jay

Day 2: Pretty sweet

Day 2 of 84

Status - Mission 1
Mood - energetic

Wow. Today was great. I started with an edge - my 1st meal was at 8:30am. It definitely gave me the energy I need to blast through my two classes for the day. At 10:30 I had a snack (protein shake) in class. I used a new powerade bottle that I was able to get for free. It's pretty sweet.

A friend and I were planning to shop a playwriting course in the afternoon so we decided to get to the gym earlier than usual. But beforehand I visited the dining hall and made the most delicious turkey/ham/veggie concoction ever! A few tomatoes, some roasted pepper and mushroom and cheese. Throw it in the mic and out comes beauty. I was surprised it didn't upset my stomach, considering the fact that I had it only an hour before my workout. All the water (4 LITERS !!) I had been drinking contributed to faster digestion time, surely. Very essential in a bodybuilding program.

Arrived gym: 2pm

Weight

• Shoulders (12)
• Triceps (6)
  

Cardio

• HIIT (Jump rope/knee raises)

Abdominal

• Leg raises x 40
  
• crossovers x 20
• knees up crunches x 25
• frogs x 20

Today was great. I can definitely feel it. I targeted all aspects of my shoulder using standing (145) and seated (55) push press, followed by two sets of both lat/front raise. I was surprised to find that my partner and I finished the workout in much less than an hour.

Above are the pics for today (really today - Jan 29th). See you tomorrow.

--Jay

Day 1: Long way to go

Day 1 of 84

Status - Mission 1

I must admit that Day 1 is actually Day 4, since I technically started working out and have finished up to 4 workouts prior. But for simplicities sake, let's just say that my "first" day in the gym was pretty successful. My pre-workout meal consisted of only a protein shake, which was less than I would have liked. I usually drop by the dining hall near my dorm to pick up something more substantial. But I must say, I still had plenty of energy during my entire workout, which is broken down below.


Weights

• Back (16)
• Biceps (4)
  

Cardio

• Fat Loss Circuit Training (FLC)

I was unable to sustain the FLC with the added set scheme I have chosen to follow, so instead I replaced it with 15 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training) on the elliptical immediately following my workout. I successfully completed 5 minutes of strict intervals and finished up the remaining 10 minutes at a moderate pace.

The lifting session was killer. At the end of 16 Back sets I could feel my lats exploding. I haven't done close grip pulldowns in quite some time, but the pump at the end felt amazing! I can't wait until the next back day, lol. I was slightly disappointed with my performance on seated rows, with a weight of only 175 :-( I remember at my peak last year I was maxing out at ~250. It's amazing how much strength one can lose over time.

It was a standard day for Biceps except that we couldn't find the proper curling bar that was used for preacher curls, so instead we simply did standing bar curls with a much shorter bar for two sets, and followed it up (after a couple minutes rest) with concentration curls. I've decided that my workout buddy is going to get huge if he maintains his current high level of commitment. It's nice having a workout partner. He keeps me motivated and accountable. Can't laze out on a workout when someone is breathing down your neck!

And now the part that I have been dreading ...

First weeks pictures - the truth hurts. There is nothing that is more embarrassing than seeing your out of shape body in a picture. And it's even worst seeing myself for the first time on a computer screen, let alone on a blog that exposes me.

But in my own interest I have decided to place myself before a countless number of eyes. The shame of it has already had its effect. I can't be stopped.