Day 66: woot woot

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 66 of 68

Yesterday (Saturday)

Back

- lat pull (2 x 165lb x 6-8)
- seated row (3 x 225lb x 6-8)

Tricep

- skull crushers (3 x 20lb each end x 10)

Cardio:

yet another day where doing cardio is difficult

Life:

Although I haven't performed cardio in 4-5 days, roughly, I feel pretty good. I can't wait until I'm finally packed away and settled, because then I'll have more time to direct toward my fitness goals.

I'm heading to Boston and will return tomorrow afternoon.

Catch you later,

shred on !

--Jay

Day 64: horrible

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - poor

Day 64 of 68

Cardio:

UNABLE

Weight:

UNABLE

Life:

I feel like a slob - missed yet another day in the gym ! I leave tomorrow as already mentioned. I can't stand having to miss gym time, but getting things ready to move takes priority.

Just know that as soon as I step foot on campus it'll be in the gym, haha.

And with a full head of steam !!

Can't wait to back in a steady routine.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 63: Bussy bee

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - great



Day 63 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Chest

- incline (2 x 80lb x 8-10)(dumbbell)
- flat [(1 x 185 x 8-10) + (2 x 225lb x 5)]
- cable press (3 x 120 x max)

Biceps

- standing bar curl (2 x 150lb x 8-10)
**circuit with**
- hammer curl (2 x 30lb x max)

Life:

I leave for school on Saturday, and am most likely driving back. I canceled my gym membership in light of the obvious fact that I wont be home, at least for a while. Still, they are allowing me access for the remainder of the week (until Friday). Hopefully, this weekend, I'll have a chance to get one or two morning runs in so I can prepare for the big reveal on day 68.

Due to the events from this past week (packing, seeing family last minute, stealth missions etc), however, I feel that my day 68 pic will prove to be a little disappointing. In all honesty, I haven't finished as strongly as I would have liked. Of course the mission isn't over yet, but I doubt I'll have a chance to spend as much time in the gym and make as much progress as I would like to in only 5 days. We'll see how it goes ...

I know for sure, however, that mission two, like Michael's, will be devoted to getting as big and as strong as humanly possible. I've seen tremendous results in this area recently, and I want to continue that while at school, where I'll be able to take full advantage of what Brown's facilities have to offer. One exercise that I would really like to work into my routine is the clean and jerk. By my senior year in high school I was peeking out at 185lb. I was truly in love with this movement, which is difficult but also extremely beneficial -- primarily works the legs, but also the traps and shoulders if performed correctly.

I hope everyone is doing well and making huge strides in their respective fitness missions. Keep up the good work ! I'll be stopping by more frequently when I have more time. And I do apologize for being absent for a while. Life kicked in for a bit there, lol.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. it almost slipped my mind - everyone will understand what my stealth mission was all about on day 68. Stay tuned, lol

Day 60: Home stretch

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - excited !



Day 60 of 68

Short post for today as I'm preparing for tomorrow's stealth mission, lol

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Chest

- incline (dumbbell)(2 x 80lb x 10-12)(increased 5 lbs)
- flat (barbell)[3 x 185lb (8 reps), 205lb (7 reps), 225lb (5 reps)]

Was hesitant to try barbell seeing as I hurt myself last summer doing flat bench. But from today's results, I can see that I've made some gains in strength. Major note: I felt in complete control of the weight - lowering it slowly to about mid-sternum and blasting upward through the rep. I haven't felt like that in quite a while ! Will definitely try my hand at barbell bench next week. I want to move my max up to at least 100lb (using dumbell), and 260 (using barbell).

Back

- pull down (2 x 165lb x 8-10)
- seated row (2 x 140lb x 8-10)

Arms

- Biceps : standing bar curl
- Triceps : kickbacks, push down

Shoulders

attempted to rep with 80lb, but I was too spent from having done chest/back/etc.
Settled for the machine.

- seated press (2 x 190lb x 10-12)(heavy)
- circuit with seated press(2 x 70lb x 10-12)(light)

Life:

Just looking forward to tomorrow !
Very exciting stuff.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. I'll explain why such a lengthy workout tomorrow. There is a reason for this.

Day 58: Whoops

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - good



Day 58 of 68

Cardio:

4 laps on track
10, forty yard sprints

* I arrived at the gym after it had closed. Whoops. The track near my house sufficed

Weight:

REST

Life:

Anxiously waiting for Tuesday to arrive. Keep a look out !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 57: Decent

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - great



Day 57

Cardio:

- 2.2 miles HIIT (treadmill) in 15 minutes
- 10 minutes HIIT (elliptical)
- .9 miles warm-down (treadmill)

Weight:

REST

Life:

Stealth mission complete, haha

I'll make a final reveal on day 68. So for the time being, I'll post pictures with my shirt on.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHAEL. 300 DAYS IS NO JOKE !

Day 56: on second thought

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - energetic

Day 56

Life:

In preparation for three straight days of HIIT, I decided to take today off and designate it as a day of recovery. I've been training extremely hard the past two weeks - throwing around heavy weight becomes very taxing on the central nervous system. I feel strong though, but just want to ensure a safe entry into the last phase of mission 1: the burn. Therefore,

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

REST

I have a lot to do tomorrow:

- morning HIIT
- meeting with uncle
- stealth appt in the afternoon :-)

I'm very excited !!

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 55: Final lap

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - great



Day 55 of 68

Cardio:

REST - in preparation for 3 consecutive days of HIIT

Weight:

Shoulders

- seated press (2 x 75lb x 8-10)(dumbbell)
- seated press (3 x 190 x 6-8)(machine)(heavy)
- ditto (3 x 70 x 10-12)(machine)(light)
- lateral raises (4 x 70lb x 10-12)

Life:

Today was a very busy day for me. Lots of work in the house, a few errands around town. Walked the dog, he chased some squirrels. I did too, haha. Acting a fool always makes me feel better for some reason :-)

Diet:

5 small meals today. Started off with a few slices of turkey along side one or two chunks of cheese. Brunch consisted of an omelet and a bite of toast. Mid-afternoon: a large salad, which was very delicious. Finished the day off with a reasonable dinner of baked chicken and a cup of string beans and brown rice. Oh, and the mona.vie drink, of course.

Very balanced day overall. Now, I just need to keep it up. Shouldn't be too difficult considering that I haven't experienced many cravings lately (bag of hershey's kisses is gone !)

Until tomorrow (rounding the corner)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 54: Great day

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - check
Mood - wonderful



Day 54 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Back

- pull ups (30)
- lat pull down (2 MR)
- seated row (2 MR)
- one arm pull down (2 x 120lb x 10-15)

Triceps

- push down (3 x 150lb x 6-8)
- skull crushers (3 x 95lb x 6-8)
- one arm cable extension (2 x 55lb x 8-10)(each arm)

Life:

Had a chance to visit my uncle, who is doing quite well. He offered me two bottles of Mona.Vie acai juice as a gift. The berry itself is actually becoming increasingly well-known. It's packed with nutritional value, and is also very delicious and energizing.

I sound like one of their product development directors, haha

I'll experiment with it over the next few weeks (one is only supposed to consume 3 oz of this stuff per day, so it's going to last quite long)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 53: In the books

Status - return to form (B14)
Water - 2 bottles so far
Mood - great

Day 53 of 68



Cardio:

Morning HIIT session complete

- 15 minutes treadmill
- 15 minutes elliptical
- 5 minutes rowing

Afternoon steady-state

- tonight

Weight:

REST

Life:

Lots of writing to do !

Be back later to update further,

--Jay

Day 52: The Countdown Begins

Status - return to form
Water - 4 bottles
Mood - focused

Day 52 of 68



Cardio:

1.5 miles in 10 minutes

Weight:

Chest

- incline (2 x 80lb x 6-10)
- flat dumbbell (2 x 185lb x 8)
- cable press (5 x 80lb x 5-7)
- peck deck (2 x 65lb x 6-8)

Biceps

- standing bar curl (3 x 120lb x 10)
*circuit with
- standing hammer curl (3 x 30lb x 10)
- one arm cable curl (2 x 40lb x to failure)
- reverse curl (2 x 40lb x to failure)

Life:

I go back to school in exactly 14 days, which is when mission one is supposed to end. I didn't intend for things to work out this way, but it's great that it has. Arriving at school in better shape than when I left will be wonderful to experience. What's more is that I plan to visit my friend in Boston on the 31st, and she wants to visit the beach. Now if that isn't positive pressure then I'm not sure what is, haha.

Mini-mission B14 has begun !!

:-)

The next few weeks will be intense. I'll be taking daily photos now that I have a camera.

Sidenote:

I've found, in my experience, that taking pictures and blogging daily is absolutely necessary when attempting to document one's progress. Writing down weight increases and mileage just isn't enough. The visual feedback from photo-taking is an extremely powerful motivating factor, especially when you're working hard. Seeing improvements in your physique and literally watching your body take shape (on a weekly or even daily basis) is the most exciting thing in the world.

Diet:

To be honest, I need to clean up. If I expect to be shredded by the 31st then total dedication is needed. A killer workout is nullified by a poor meal plan.

Basic outlook:

vegetables, lean sources of prot (egg, chicken). Whey, when whole foods aren't available. Carbs, but only following workout.

That's it !

I've had great success with this template in the past. All that's needed is meticulous planning and relentless drive, which I have.

Thank you Larry, Juli and Rick for your kind comments. I've been following your guys' progress and you all are rocking out !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 50: Pictures !

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - excited

Day 50 of 68

Wednesday - 8 laps on track, no weight
Thursday - Back and triceps (intense)

TODAY (Friday)

shoulders

- seated press (2 x 75 lb x 5-8 reps)
- machine press (3 x 190 lb x 5-8 reps)
- lateral raise (2 x 80 lbs x 10-12 reps)(cable)
- front raise (2 x 70 lbs x 10-12 reps)(cable)

cardio (rest)

Life:

I am so psyched to finally post pictures. It's been far too long. Tell me what you think !

(Day 0)



(at my local gym, about 15 minutes after my workout today)



(perspective taken a little further away)



Personal notes:

I think I have made decent progress so far. Although I've only lost 6 lbs since the beginning of the summer, most of it has been in the form of pure fat. My current weight, according to a double-beam scale, is 168 lbs (taken this afternoon). I'm surprised by this because in my photos I look larger, especially in the chest / shoulder area. I guess I've put on a decent amount of muscle mass too, even though my primary goal has been fat lose (at least for the past few months). Overall, I'm feeling good.

And strong too: since I've returned home, many of my maxes have gone up by at least 5 lbs. Granted, I have been eating much more. In the morning I usually enjoy a protein shake with a few peanuts and a slice of cheese. Pre-workout nutrition consists of yet another protein shake: I try to eat lightly before the gym. Post workout is a different story, lol. Hands down, my favorite time of day.

Post workout meal - recently (past 2 weeks): 3-4 eggs with a slice of bread, small piece of chicken breast, handful of grapes, handful of peanuts, and finally a protein shake (only 1 scoop). Three hrs later, a large salad with green peppers, grated cheese and a few thin slices of turkey. Dressing is kept light and fat free (red wine vinegarette). Before bedtime I usually go with another shake, if not, then a handful of peanuts and a simple bite of chicken.

Man, talking about all this food is getting me hungry. And I just ate, haha !

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. Ricky, keep it up buddy. Only ten more lbs to go: a piece of cake (only an expression, lol)

Day 47: CONT

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - meh

Day 47 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Chest

- flat barbell (3 x 5-7), incline (3 x 5-7), decline (2 x 5-7)
- cable flies (3 x 5-7), dips (~ 30)

Biceps

- standing bar curl (3 x 6-8)
- concentration curl (3 x 8-10)

Life:

Finished some writing, discovered my new favorite drink at Starbucks, haha (cafe americano). Not sure if the latter is all that great, considering how much caffeine I already consume.

Tomorrow's Plan:

mid-morning HIIT, afternoon back / triceps

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to post an updated photo of myself. I might access to a camera tomorrow.

Day 47: on track

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 47 of 68

Yesterday's session:

The treadmill turned off again in the middle of my run (grr). I had to make an abrupt stop and almost lost my footing. Good thing I didn't get hurt.

They should really fix this problem.

Totals - since I had to change treadmills I'm not exactly sure as to how many miles I ran. If I had to make an estimate, I would say about 3.3 miles in 20 minutes. But again, this is only a rough approximation.

TODAY

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

I'm heading to the gym at 4. I just ate and am waiting for the food to digest, haha. Plan - Chest + Biceps

I need to take a break with the ABS today because I'm experiencing some serious DOMS. Reason being: variation on the ab rolling maneuver but with an exercise ball, followed by cable crunches. Serious !

Life:

I am so pleased to hear that Ricky is sticking hard to the program, even while on vacation ! To date, he's lost about 26 lbs. I can't wait until he reaches his goal of 190. I think he'll surprise himself

:-)

Keep it up buddy !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 45: Feeling good

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 45 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Biceps (5 x 10-12) (low intensity)

*very short workout

Life:

My night was amazing. My friend and I enjoyed coffee, dinner and a night of dancing. All high marks in my book. I was worried for a second: afraid she would turn out to be some type of online pedophile (with a thing for creative writers) haha.

:-)

No worries

Yesterday's session:

Back - pull-ups (50), lat pull down (5 x 5-8), Seated row (4 x 5-8)

Tris - push down (5 x 6-10), skull crushers (2 x 8-10)

Tomorrow's session:

Morning - HIIT
Afternoon - Chest + Biceps

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 43: CONT

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 43 of 68

Life:

Life is great: I saw my dog, mom and dad all on the same day ! haha

The ride home was pretty uneventful. Not long after I (partially) unpacked, I made my way to the local gym in my town. It felt great to have the weights back in my hand and a constant stream of sweat dripping from my chin.

:-)

Cardio:

about a mile at speed 9.

*the treadmill does not go faster than 10, which is going to be a problem*

(grr)

Weight:

Seated push press, front & lateral raise, upright rows, ABS

In and out in under an hr. Push press felt great - 75 felt light(need to increase)

Tomorrow's plan:

morning HIIT / afternoon lifting session before ...

Fun:

remember that girl I mentioned last week ? You know, the writer ? Well, I'm meeting her tomorrow for the first time. We'll see how it goes, haha. No expectations !!

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 43: Pause

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 43 of 68

Life:

I haven't been able to workout in the past couple of days in light of the fact that I'm in the process of moving back home. Tomorrow I'll be back in high gear at my local gym in Connecticut. Watch out !

Suggestion:

check out the following song by Chris Brown. I can't stop singing it, I'm peeved.
'Nice'

Be back soon !

I hope everyone is doing well

--Jay

Day 41: Feeling strong

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 41 of 68

Cardio:

8 laps @ the OMAC

Weight:

Back

- pull ups (2 sets x 45 lb plate x 5 reps)
- seated row (6 sets x 190 x 5 reps)

Tri

- Standing push-downs (7 sets x 70 x 5-7 reps)
- Weighted Dips (2 sets x 45 lb plate x 9 reps, 6 sets x body weight x 6 reps)

*felt good

Life:

Thank you all for showing concern for my wellbeing. I made sure to hydrate myself well today, haha. Even ate a bagel (for additional calories), which is highly unusual for me. The extra carbs from that and a little pasta (this afternoon) gave me plenty of energy to get through today's workout.

Tomorrow's plan:

Early rise to finish two final lab reports that are due in the afternoon. Then off to the gym for an intense cardio session: 20 laps on the track HIIT style ! Ricky is going to hate me afterward ... my own body might as well, lol.

Take care everyone and thanks again for the support. It means more than you know.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 40: URGENT

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - good, considering

Day 40 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

REST

Life:

I WAS HOSPITILIZED LAST NIGHT !

Story -

Following our lifting session, Ricky and I decided to sprint 12 times around the track at full speed, haha. Well, I ended up pushing myself too hard. When leaving the dining hall afterward, I started to feel quite horrible. I was completely dehydrated, slightly tachycardic, and noticed that my skin was cool and clammy(mild signs of shock). I didn't have the energy to walk back to my dorm and so called EMS for transport. When they arrived I was found lying on the ground (I began to feel lightheaded). They took my vitals etc, placed me on a stretcher. In the ambulance I was given an IV. They had trouble finding a good vein, which I didn't fully understand seeing as many of them were still quite distended from having just finished working out.

To make a long story short, I made it to and from the hospital and am still in one piece, lol. My right arm is a little sore from where the IV was placed, but aside from that I feel great. Definitely gave my mom a scare, haha.

Hence the day of rest.

Tomorrow back at full throttle !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 39: Feeling the heaeet

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 39 of 68

Cardio:

4pm session - HIIT (2.8 miles) (20 minutes)
10pm session - Steady State (2.84 miles) (25 minutes)

Total - 5.64 miles (45 minutes)

Yesterday was killer. I haven't performed a double cardio session in quite a while. My legs were screaming "help me" walking back from the gym last night, haha. Today I'm feeling much better. Though a little tired, I'm ready to continue on schedule.

Weight:

REST

Plan for today:

Chest/Bi ... 10pm Steady State

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 37: Continued

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 37 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Bi/Tri/Cable crunch circuit (5 RNDS)

Dumbbell snatch (5 RNDS)

WEEKLY PLAN:

Sun - DOUBLE CARDIO SESSION (4pm HIIT + pm steady state = 1.5 hrs)
Mon - Chest/Bic ... 10:30pm steady state (1hr)
Tue - DOUBLE CARDIO SESSION
Wed - Pull ups/tricep ... pm steady state
Thu - DOUBLE CARDIO SESSION
Fri - cable row/shoulder press ... pm steady state

Diet:

cheat meal tonight !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 37: Warming Up

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 37 of 68

Cardio:

last night - 30 minuted run (steady state) (3 miles) ; rope skipping (until exhausted)


*After yesterday's final exam I was tired enough to take a nap in the afternoon, which is highly unusual for me. I woke with a ton of energy and so ended up taking a mid-night run, lol.

Weight:

REST

Life:

Class is done !! Class is done !!

This week, before I go home, I want to really push myself in the gym. Ricky and I have a week. It would be wonderful if he could lose another lb or so before going back to Texas. Personally, I want to continue to lower my mile and do lots more cadio in general. I want to warm up in this way so as to arrive in CT with a full head of steam. Wish me luck !

Catch you later,

Shred on

--Jay