Transformation

Day 5

2008-11-01T15:40:00.001-04:00

Status - M14
Mood - good

Day 4 Picture

Day 5 Picture

Coming Soon !

Until,

-- Jay

Day 3

2008-10-30T19:59:00.002-04:00

Status - M14
Mood - Great

Day 3

Shoulders + HIIT

Thanks for the add Adam. I appreciate your support !

Until,

-- Jay

SHRED ON

Day 2

2008-10-29T20:06:00.003-04:00

Status - M14
Mood - good

Day 2

Back + Biceps

I'm glad to say that I haven't lost much strength. Tomorrows run will be the true test of my current fitness level :-)

until,

-- Jay

Day 1: 14 day mini-challenge

2008-10-28T21:20:00.002-04:00

Status - 14 day mini-challenge
Mood - excited

Day 1

I'd rather let my action speak for the next two weeks.

Day 2: Serious workout

2008-09-10T20:27:00.002-04:00

Status - hulk
Water - 4 liters
Mood - great

Day 2 of 50

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Shoulders

- standing push press (2 x 185lbs x 5)(3 x 135lbs x 8-10)
- seated military press (3 x 55lbs x 6-8) **very tired**
- lateral raise (cable - 2 x 40lbs x 10-12)(machine - 2 x 70lbs x 6-8)
- front raise (cable - 2 x 30lbs x 10-12)

I haven't performed standing push press in quite some time -- a little over 4 months. It really kicked my butt today.

At the end of my workout I even tried to run, but was unable to due to the severe pain felt in each of my shoulders -- the type of burn you get when doing lactic acid training, but much more persistent. I've never experienced anything like it before.

Won't be doing shoulders for another two days, at least, haha

Catch you later,

-- Jay

Day 1: Continued (post workout)

2008-09-09T20:39:00.004-04:00

Status - hulk
Water - 5 liters
Mood - excellent

Day 1 of 50

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Back

- pull-up (30 reps)

- lat pull-down (circuit x 2 RN x 150 lbs, 120, 90, 60)

- seated row (circuit x 2 RN x 150 lbs, 120, 90, 60)

Catch you tomorrow morning,

-- Jay

Day 1: You won't like when I'm angry

2008-09-09T17:03:00.005-04:00

Status - HULK
Water - 2 liters
Mood - great

Day 1 of 30

Life:

I've been absent a while, but it feels good to finally be back !

Organizing my schedule for school has proved more difficult than initially expected. I'm still unsure as to which classes I plan to take for this semester. Currently, the fall looks something the following -

BI48 (evolutionary biology)
CG9 (Quantitative methods in psychology)
ENG141 (History of American Poetry)
LITR (advanced poetry writing)

Due to a few scheduling conflicts, it seems as though I won't be able to take a senior seminar, at least not until next semester.

As you might have noticed above, I have entered into a new phase: HULK

haha

This will be the mission theme for the next 50 days, beginning tomorrow.

Near the end of 'return to form', which lasted for approximately 68 days, I noticed that my body responded very well to heavier weights. In fact, after having lost 6 lbs of fat this summer (while in summer school), I regained most of it back (in the form of muscle) when working out at my gym from home. The photo below is evidence of this fact:

Although I've lost a little definition in my abdominal region, I feel that my increased muscle tone more than makes up for it. Granted, I haven't been running as frequently as I would like, which, once started, will help in tightening me up some more.

Here's a promise I will make to all my fellow shredders out there:

Jeremy is waking up tomorrow at 7am, and completing a 20 minute HIIT session, followed by 10 minutes on the elliptical. There you go. I am committed now. No excuses.

The vision I have for myself in beginning this new mission is threefold:

1) GET BIG

2) GET BIGGER

3) BECOME THE HULK

haha

No, but seriously - I would like to put on some more size, without gaining an unneeded amount of fat. I've been trying to lower my body fat percentage for so long, and have done well in accomplishing that goal, to an extent. Now, however, I would like to learn more about my body's strength capacity.

There was a point, two years ago actually, that I felt my strongest. My lifts were through the roof. I would like to reach and even surpass that in the next 50 days, which means that my bench press needs to reach at least 110 lbs (dumbbell) / 275lbs barbell, shoulder press 100lbs (dumbbell) / 225lbs (barbell), and weighted pull-ups (repping with a 45lbs plate). I would also like to incorporate a form of squat and dead-lift into my regimen. My legs are severely underdeveloped from years of neglect.

I have such chicken legs, haha

I would definitely appreciate any feedback on this. Mike, Michael (!), Adam, Larry, Bob, ladies ? I know a few of you guys are pushing around some serious leg weight. How do you think I should start out ?

Note:

I do, in fact, have a decent foundation in squatting. In high school, our coach focused on clean and jerk mostly, but also required us to learn the basic technique and function of the squat movement, which was especially important for me to know since my primary position was at Middle Linebacker, and so had to use a lot of hip in making a variety of tackles. It's just that I haven't been hitting anyone recently, haha.

Any advice would be appreciated !

I'll be making blog rounds very soon. I haven't forgotten you guys !

Take care, and good luck !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 66: woot woot

2008-08-31T11:09:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-29T22:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-28T18:23:00.006-04:00

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

2008-08-25T23:49:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-23T23:24:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-22T21:26:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-21T23:02:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-20T21:48:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-19T22:04:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-18T13:21:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-17T16:07:00.004-04:00

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 !

2008-08-15T15:11:00.007-04:00

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

2008-08-12T21:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-12T14:38:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-10T23:23:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-08T22:55:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-08T09:41:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-06T23:15:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-02T18:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-02T13:55:00.004-04:00

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

Day 35: Great

2008-07-31T00:04:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - haha

Day 35 of 68

Cardio:

Another mile in under 7 minutes !! (6:40)

Weight:

Pull ups, push ups, flies (multi-angle), rows

Life:

I can only smile ... explain later ... need rest for a long day tomorrow

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 34: REST

2008-07-29T22:59:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - good

Day 34 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

REST

Life:

studying, ah !!!

Catch you all up when I have more time.

Hope everyone's doing well !

--Jay

Day 33: Intense

2008-07-28T19:54:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - check
Mood - great

Day 33 of 68

Workout:

Personal version of a crossfit workout

push press + knees-up crunches + burpees + lunges = 1 round
(done in succession with no rest)

Rest period consisted of time on the treadmill. So while Ricky was finishing his Round 1, I was running and vice versa. After five rounds were completed, we took a rest period of a minute. Then, we did an additional 10 minutes on the treadmill, alternating between speeds 7,7.5,8,6,6.5 etc.

I tried to add as much variety as possible. Never adapting.

It was a grueling workout to say the least.

Diet:

High day: stack of pancakes from a local diner this morning. Absolutely delicious. I couldn't finish it all though :-(

I have to get studying...lots of work due for this upcoming week !

Catch you later,

Shred on,
--Jay

Day 32: YES !

2008-07-27T21:16:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 120 oz and counting
Mood - pumped !

Cardio:

I accomplished my goal ! Mile ran in under 7 minutes (6:57)

Whoa, it was tough. I ran the last minute going speed 10.1

Brutal but rewarding at the same time.

My goal for the next coming week is to lower it even more - aiming for 6:30

Weight:

Another intense workout: Lactic Acid training - multi-angle dumbbell bench press (once down, and then up, lowering one notch and completing as many reps as possible); pull-ups (50 total - 5 / set), biceps (at least 20 on 1st set, as many as possible for last remaining 3 sets). Ricky felt nauseous near the end, so I think the workout was challenging enough, haha.

Abs:

check

Life:

crunch time: two lab reports due on Thursday, HW due as well. Final exam on Friday. Tomorrow I will get both reports done; Tuesday will be devoted to the homework. That way, I'll have at least two full days to study for the final. Let's get down to business !!

I hope everyone in the sphere is going their hardest. Let's look at this week as hump week together !

Go hard, push yourself further than you've ever thought possible. It's easier than you think - simple as making a choice.

Thanks for that advice Michael.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 30: Back !

2008-07-25T23:11:00.006-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 72 oz
Mood - great

Day 30 of 68

Cardio:

Just a mile on the treadmill. Increased my speed by about 10 seconds - current time of 7:20

I plan to go full throttle tomorrow during my cardio session. I'll be shooting for a 7 minute mile. We'll see how it goes !

Weights:

Beginning of 2nd round of HST. I devoted this week to high volume Muscle Round Training. This afternoon consisted of flat bench, cable cross-overs, seated row and pull-down. I've gotten much stronger. I'll have to start making visits to the OMAC (our larger gym) because I've maxed out the dumbells in the bears lair (local). Hopefully, my 5 rep max'll be somewhere around 90. It's been about a year since I've been in this weight range - ever since I hurt my shoulder last summer working with a flat barbell.

Diet:

Over the past few days I've been conducting an experiment of sorts. My intension was to evaluate my body's response to various levels of carbohydrate. Based on past experience, not well at all; I am definitely endomorphic. However, I've noticed something neat recently. See, I love peanuts (dry roasted, unsalted). They're what I consistently reach for when I am fiending for something more edible than chicken salad. In the past two days, I have literally gone through an entire jar, which is about 16 oz / 1 lb. Results : clearer skin ! + more full-looking muscle tone

Weird. I'm not sure what it is about peanuts, but there is something definitely at play here. I know my body well enough now that I can confidently say that I'm not seeing things. More research, on my part, needs to be done.

Any ideas ? Has anyone had this experience before ?

Life:

Also very interesting happenings recently. About 2 1/2 weeks ago I met someone online. It was quite spontaneous actually. Point being - she's really into poetry, even takes herself seriously as a writer of it. From the little I've read of her, it seems she has wonderful intuition. A sense of carelessness as well, which is something I believe a lot of inexperienced writers lack - the ability to see past the obvious. At that point you can reduce a tree to its narrative and prose structure. Or even see more in a moon than some lover's face, haha

Anyways ... all this is to say that I'm excited to hear what's on her mind. She's not only intelligent but also quite sassy haha

I'm going to call it quits for tonight. I would like to get up at a reasonable hour

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 28: REST

2008-07-23T03:13:00.002-04:00

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

Day 28 of 68

Weight:

REST

Cardio:

REST

Life:

Lots of reading done today. Began Anne Carson's Decreation (amazing).

In full gear tomorrow,

--Jay

Day 27: Great

2008-07-21T22:17:00.002-04:00

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

Day 27 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Muscle Rounds (baby!) - flat barbell bench, preacher curls and cable rows. What a workout. I felt so pumped !

Life:

I just learned that I have only 2 weeks left of class. How time flies

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 26: Continued (just for fun)

2008-07-20T21:10:00.012-04:00

I've been blogging for some time now but feel that many of you don't know me very well.

To remedy this I've posted a few fun pictures. *opening window

Enjoy !

I shall call this "the bare essentials" haha (that is cheese on the far left, which has been eaten already - a few minutes ago actually)

And this: "basketball" (I lost. He's taller than me !)

"try not to run at high speeds, especially through sharp narrow passages"

(when I broke my toe 3 years ago)

"where the magic happens" (the desk where most of my writing is done)

"blood and sweat" (my workout log - daily mileage and exact weight are tracked)

"criminal" (the person who actually broke my toe) (and he blames me since he was the one being chased) (I can't help but laugh at this picture now, haha)

That's it for tonight. Hope this was as fun for you as it was for me, haha

take care everyone, shred on !

--Jay

Day 26: Just in time

2008-07-20T19:27:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 3 liters
Mood - great

Day 26 of 68

Weights:

REST

Cardio:

HIIT run (15 minutes) (2 miles)
HIIT Elliptical (10 minutes)
HIIT run (10 minutes) (1.3 miles)

*Performed in that exact order*

My second attempt on the treadmill was obviously much slower than my first. I was pretty tired, and my legs were getting sore by that point.

Good thing tomorrow is a scheduled rest day for cardio. It could not have come at a better time !

Life:

I received a care package from my mom, which contained a number of essential items: dry roasted peanuts (unsalted), nioxin shampoo and peanut butter. It made my day !

Will post chart later on tonight, once I get my require amount of water.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 25: Sweet

2008-07-19T20:43:00.004-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 3 liters
Mood - great

Day 25 of 68

Cardio:

HIIT run (10 laps on track). Wow, it was a killer

Weight:

REST

Life:

I'm glad to find myself in a much better mood today. Last night was a different story. I can't even explain where the attitude came from. I really don't like being upset.

Getting out this afternoon definitely helped. I saw the new Dark Knight batman movie at the IMAX theatre. It was so good; very well done. Heath ledger gave an awesome performance. It's so sad he passed away.

Ok, I need to get some writing done. It's about that time.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. It's still so difficult to wake up ! Missing those early meals are killing my accountability score. Grrr

Day 24: TGIF

2008-07-18T22:39:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 4 liters
Mood - I'm in one of my moods

Day 24 of 68

Cardio:

REST

Weight:

Flat bench, Cable crossovers, 30 pull-ups, seated rows, preacher curls, push downs

Life:

I'm tired and need rest desperately.

gnight

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 23: Rocking out

2008-07-17T10:22:00.004-04:00

Status -return to form
Water - 0 !
Mood - spent, but great

Day 23 of 68

Life (most urgent):

I had my Exam today and based on how quickly I finished, I am fairly certain I did very well. Although I wasn't up for as long last night as I thought I'd be, I did spend a good portion of it studying. Bedtime was around 4am. I only slept for 3 hrs, since I wanted to get at least another hour of HIIT studying in, haha.

Diet:

*GROAN*

ok ok. I'll be honest. I seem to have fallen into the bad habit of eating horribly the night before any exam. I tend to lose all inhibition when it comes to choosing the foods I need for brain energy. You know, the usual: energy drinks, which are not only unnecessarily saturated with sugar (it's redic) but are also extremely unhealthy for you (for other reasons as well). I'll just lay all my cards on the table. Last night I consumed 1 energy drink (name I can't recall), what I thought to be one slice of BOXED (TV-dinner-type) pizza (not sure what it was, haha), and a cookie/brownie/miniature piece of cake !

Ahhhhh, just recapping the night makes me cringe. *hangs head very low*

But I did well on my test, I did well on my test ! hahaha

No, seriously - I shouldn't have been so lax in my diet. But nonetheless, today is another day. And cardio is scheduled. I'll make sure to kill myself on the treadmill to make up for last night !

Be back in ~ 2 hrs because I am leaving for the gym right now. Early morning (sorta) cardio to burn off that mess of a mess from studying.

To be cont,

--Jay

Here is the chart from yesterday

Here is the chart for today. The score is awful.

Tomorrow is another day.

Day 22: Crunch time

2008-07-16T16:19:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water ~ 96 oz so far
Mood - great, a little anxious though

Day 22 of 68

Weight:

HST - I increased my flat dumbbell press to 75lbs; smashed through the first set of 10, but only got 7 on the second. Also went harder on military press: 70 lbs, up from last weeks 65. Man, it was tough.

Cardio:

REST

Need it from yesterday's killer, hulk inspired workout.

Life:

I have an exam tomorrow ! I will undoubtedly be up all night studying for it

:-(

Tis ok, it'll be worth it when I receive an A, which is inevitable (positive mindset yields positive results).

I usually post my chart before I go to bed, but seeing as I'll be sleeping in the library tonight I will have to wait until tomorrow.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 21: Wow

2008-07-15T23:44:00.006-04:00

Status - return to form
Mood - ecstatic
Water - 120 oz.

Day 21 of 68

Cardio:

HIIT run (15 minutes) (2 miles)
(5 minutes) (.72 miles)
______________________

(total) 20 minutes, 2.72 miles

It took me only 5 minutes to run almost a mile, and furthermore, only 20 minutes to complete a little less than 3 miles. Just yesterday, 3 miles took me 25 minutes to finish. I lowered my time. Sweet !

Granted, I was running at a much fast pace today than ever before. I cycled between speed 7.5 and 10.5 ! My legs felt absolutely wonderful. It was strange even, because I thought they would be at least somewhat fatigued considering all the HIIT cardio I've been doing.

I'm not complaining or anything, lol

HIIT elliptical (10 minutes) (1.3 miles)

I used the elliptical as a warm down but decided afterward to jump back on the tread for an additional 5 minutes, cycling between 9 and 10.5 with Ricky. He was going at a slower pace (8), but I was more than impressed by his effort.

Other members of the gym were looking in our direction in a strange sorta way, lol. Two grown men hopping on an off a treadmill at 1 minute intervals at very very high speeds, haha. With me laughing out loud and hollering BOOM BOOM BOOM while Ricky smashes through 5 intense intervals at a blazing pace.

Whatever. We went hard today, and actually had a ton of fun punishing ourselves, haha.

Life:

I am liking the accountability chart. It has me thinking daily about what/when I eat, how much water I'm getting, and what work needs to be done etc. I feel much more focused, but not in the obsessive compulsive way (depends on who you ask, lol)

I have yet to score 100 % on on my chart. Getting up at 8 on days when I don't have class is tough. Not that I wake up much later anyway. I don't know. I'm sure I just need to get more into the habit of waking up at a certain, specified time EVERY day. And once my body becomes more accustomed to the routine, then I feel everything will be much easier. A matter of readjusting certain biological rhythms, which i won't even get started on. School is NOT in session now, haha.

Also -

I wanted to take some time to thank everyone (Mike, Michael, Juli and Lilla)
for leaving such wonderful comments on my blog recently. From the help with my chart to just dropping by to give a friendly hello has meant so much. I wouldn't be able to do this if not for your support !

Shred on guys. And gals !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 21: TEST 1 & 2

2008-07-15T01:02:00.003-04:00

Here's a test to see if I actually know what I'm doing. I will attempt to repost a the same chart but with random information input:

Can everyone see it ?

Now here's test 2

I think I have it down :-)

I'm so pleased with myself

*smile !

Day 21: Maybe/who knows

2008-07-14T23:28:00.005-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 5 liters
Mood - a bit frustrated

Day 21 of 68

Life:

*currently screaming at the top of my lungs out of frustration*

Formating my new accountability chart has proved more difficult than initially thought. It has officially taken me almost two hours to simply copy and paste a document from Excel onto my blog. You guys either oversimplified the process or I am just dumb.

asflkjw895 <-- that's my frustration in letter/numerical form

At least I now know what the problem was. See, apparently there wasn't enough space on my hard drive to open Adobe Photoshop, which I am supposed to use to convert the doc. to a JPEG file. I spent the majority of the past two hours trying to determine what I could delete from my C drive in order to facilitate the opening of the aforementioned program. Simple enough, right ? No. Not at all. I tried deleting veriface, but I wasn't allowed, since, for some reason, it is perpetually active, even in spite of my repeated efforts (lost count) to shut it down. I then tried to delete Limewire, to much success! Now, don't let that exclamation point mislead you. I'm not very excited about this, lol.

*sigh

The sacrifices I make to become a more organized/efficient person.

ok, so here goes. Let's see if all the effort resulted in something that actually appears on my blog ...

IT WORKS !!!!

hahahaha ... I am thrilled. Mmm, now let's see if I can duplicate the same process tomorrow. *crossing fingers

Cardio:

4 laps on the track

Weight:

HST

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 20: cont.

2008-07-13T21:40:00.002-04:00

Cardio:

My intension was to go into the gym today to finish a session on the elliptical. I'm disappointed to say that I not only did that, but also 2.52 miles on the treadmill !!

haha

HIIT run (20 minutes) (2.52 miles)
HIIT elliptical (10 minutes) (1.21 miles)

It was such a whimsical decision at the time, but in the end I'm glad I chose to push myself. Pain in my legs was less than expected. Tomorrow though I will have to take it easy. Based on past experience, I have a demonstrated tendency to develop shinsplints. I don't want that to hinder my progress. I've been on such a roll.

Still, it all depends on how good my legs feel.

Tomorrow:

morning HIIT (elliptical) + steady-state run (hopefully !)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 20: chart accomplished

2008-07-13T15:20:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 1 liter so far
Mood - great

Day 20 of 68

Weight:

REST

Cardio:

Making my way to the gym shortly for HIIT on the elliptical.

Life:

This morning I tried my hand at Excel in an attempt to develop some type of accountability chart. What I have so far is extremely basic, but I think it will work well for my purposes. I'm really excited to going with all this.

Question: how should I format my page so that others can view the spreadsheet? Would I just copy and paste the chart directly from Excel? And is there a way to reuse the same basic file so that I won't have to re-create one every week? Ahh, I am so useless when it comes to computer programs that I never use! I should have majored in computer science, haha

Be back later this afternoon to post mileage etc.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. I will launch the chart starting tomorrow. After I iron the kinks out.
pps. Weekly Monday pic will be posted as well !

Day 19: feeling good in the neighborhood

2008-07-12T20:00:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - x<2 liters
Mood - great

Day 19 of 68

Weights:

REST

Cardio:

HIIT run (25 minutes) (3.2 miles)
HIIT elliptical (15 minutes) (1.6 miles)

Usually, whenever I run or elliptisize (yes, it's not a real word) I generally like to keep my session under 30 minutes. Today, however, I wanted to push myself a little further because I've been feeling pretty good lately.

Running nearly 3 miles in 25 minutes isn't all that bad. Still, I want to carve it down by at least three more minutes in the next few weeks. I've always wanted to run a 7 minute mile. By keeping track of my mileage like this I hope I can reach that goal.

Idea: in order to better my speed I should probably tie Ricky's hedgehog to the back of my treadmill, and have it run after me. I'm sure that'll do it because his pet is truly scary. And mean too, lol. No offense little sonic !

Think about it, not only would we both get a great workout in the process, but we'll spend more time together, which in the end would benefit the entire family of three: myself, Ricky and sonic. Because as it is, the little guy doesn't care too much for me, haha. Is there such a thing as human rodent counseling ?

I feel really silly right now. Forgive the rambling, haha

Life:

I shared a portion of my manuscript with one of the professors in the graduate literary arts department here, Forrest Gander, and I am pleased to say that he had a few really nice/constructive things to say. He is such an amazing poet, whose opinion I value greatly. He gave me the impression that I actually have what it takes to write on a graduate level. It made me feel really good. Boosted my confidence a little too, which is something every young writer needs.

Tomorrow:

Another intense cardio session. No run though. Since the pool isn't open on the weekends I'll just be doing the elliptical.

ps. Ricky's performance today in the gym was one of true effort. I was pleasantly surprised when he was able to complete 10 minutes on the treadmill and another 30 on the elliptical. Like I've been saying, he doesn't realize his own potential. Keep it up buddy. BOOM BOOM BOOM !!! haha

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 18: pumped

2008-07-11T23:26:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 2 liters
Mood - excellent

day 18 of 68

Cardio:

NONE

Weights:

HST , and man did I feel great. My workout partner Ricky, who also has a new fitness blog (http://rick-transformed.blogspot.com/), thought I was crazed since I decided, again, to increase the weight in all my lifts. I felt very strong, and honestly, truly out of my mind. Too much adrenaline, I guess.

Like Mike says, go hard or go home !

Since I don't have an ipod yet, I find myself mentally rehearsing one of my favorite songs off of the old-school Rocky soundtrack. I'm surprised how pumped I get from it, even without a headset. Maybe this has something to do with my newfound intensity and focus.

I've realized that mental preparation is vitally important when stepping into any gym, before lifting any weight. Priming your mind, anchoring it to something that drives you nutts - gets your heart racing, your body physiologically active, is probably the most important step for me. As I said, I think of that Rocky song and join it with a mental image of the Hulk screaming or in the process of crushing some large, unbelievable heavy object. And sooner than later I'm doing the same, just with barbells.

Life:

Excited to write this weekend. I will finally have some free time. A few ideas brewing in my head.

Ricky hurt his calf. Not sure how. Nevertheless, he had took yesterday off in order to rest it up. But let me say, the kid came back today with a fury ! Seriously, he has no idea of his own potential. Although his cardio endurance needs a lot of work, he is unusually strong for a novice lifter. Seeing him in the gym working hard and making huge strides gets me excited. I can't imagine the shape he'll be in at the end of the summer. I just hope he'll continue with the program, and clean up his diet some more.

Don't say anything to him, but in the past week his flat barbell bench press has gone up almost 20 lbs ! I'm so jealous. As an experience resistance trainer (I wouldn't dare say bodybuilder), it's frustrating when you reach a strength plateau. Granted, I can lift 2 x my body weight in certain exercises, but my maxes haven't budged in over 4 months ! I was talking to a friend last week or so, who was experiencing the same problem. Now this dude is another story - 6'5 about 270 (although he swears 240). Max bench of god knows how much. Let me just say, he smashes through 20 reps at 315 lbs.

And he's complaining ! Pah !

This weekend:

tons of cardio !!! Even though I don't have a cool nike+ wristband, I'll still be tearing up the road (or rubber). Will post daily mileage. I hope others in the sphere are watching out, cause I'm hard on your heels, haha.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 17: cont

2008-07-10T22:18:00.006-04:00

Cardio:

Run - 20 minutes HIIT (6 - 9.5)(2.6 miles)

Elliptical - 10 minutes HIIT (7 - 13)(1.04 miles)

The run was amazing. Although my legs grew weak near the end there, I wasn't winded at all. I guess the swimming has improved my VOmax - seeing as I have to work harder to expand my lungs underwater.

Exciting stuff !

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. Listening to the theme song Stonebridge, on tea's transformation blog, makes me envious of other students (and runners) I see who own an ipod. I figure that every college student should or has one already. Seriously, there has not been one moment when I have entered a gym here and not seen some guy (or more usually, girl) with one blasting away (surely at some deafening tone) in their ears. I feel bad for their inner cochliar membranes, which, by the time they get into their fifties, will have become totally destroyed.

Still, I want my ears to be in poor shape too, haha. Clearly joking ...
Well, maybe. Suffice it to say, it's time for me to get with the program.

ALSO, big news big news big news

in the next few days I plan to put together an accountability system. Not as involved as others I've seen in the sphere, but something comparable. I want it to add/deduct points for meals, (missed) workouts (including cardio and weight sessions), hrs devoted to classwork (at least 2), and personal time spent writing.

My life needs to be more structured, which is not to say that I am unorganized (if i were, I would not be in my current life's position), just that I could spend my time more efficiently. You know, actually doing the things I want, and more importantly, NEED to do on a daily bases.

My mom stresses this all the time:

"do the things you HAVE to do so that one day you can do the things you WANT to do"

There is so much value in that statement.

Between class, my writing, and making sure to stay healthy and fit, I feel that my life is just now beginning to churn on all cylinders. How does one say ? ...

I'm in the groove, eh ?

Ok, I need to get to bed. I expect a long day tomorrow. Bring it on, baby !

Gnight, for real this time haha

--Jay

Day 17: late start

2008-07-10T20:53:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 2 liters (yuck)
Mood - great

Day 17 of 68

Long day, even longer night. School work of the worst kind - GEOPHYSICS. Sounds like a horror film, haha .. Well, it was in many ways (for me).

I really dislike working on anything past 1am if it isn't a poem of mine or at least literature related.

I wasn't the nicest person to talk to this morning, which is the understatement of the century ! lol

Anyways...enough complaining. I devote no more than 5 sentences to being negative.

Weight:

NONE

Nutrition:

Decent - I started the day off with a protein shake and banana. Before I went to bed, which was around 4 this morning, I had a small salad (delicious !). I count this because it was technically eaten earlier today. This afternoon I had another protein salad and (literally) a few fries (by few, I mean exactly 3). I need to have at least one more meal before I go to bed. I was thinking of something along the lines of 1) a protein shake + peanut butter, or 2) eh, there really is no other option. I didn't make it to the dining hall today ! Thinking back on it now, I realize that I should have saved the salad (from early this morning) for right now. Pah !

Pah, defined: darn(derived from Adam's "boom boom boom". Don't ask how or why, lol)

Cardio:

venturing out as I type. bbl to update !

Later,

in about 30 minutes,

--Jay

Day 16: cont.

2008-07-09T19:47:00.001-04:00

Weight:

HST - increased the weight in most of my lifts !

ABS - circuit

Cardio:

10 minute run

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 16: What have YOU done

2008-07-09T13:44:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 1 liter (so far)
Mood - great

Day 16 of 84

What have YOU done ?

The quote above is from a new movie in theaters called Wanted. It is nothing short of spectacular. I do not mean to exaggerate when I say that it is probably the best movie I have ever seen in my entire life. Aside from the ridiculous action sequences, I felt that there was a more important message embedded in the story line. At the end you walk out asking yourself "what have I done with my life. Have I actively taken control or simply slug about, living without purpose or intent"

I found these questions to be highly motivating.

Anyways.

Cardio:

30 minute swim

RUN THIS AFTERNOOON

Weight:

THIS AFTERNOON

Diet:

Basically, I need to eat more frequently. 3 meals is just not cutting it, I know better than that. Near the end of my first mission (around day 55) my eating habits were such that I made sure to eat at least 5 small meals / day. The results of which showed through in my physique. I'm on meal plan, and therefore have full access to as much protein salad and fruit as I could want. I just need to drag my little butt (according to mom, pshh) over to any of the three or so dining halls available to students over the summer. blahblah, JUST DO IT JAY !

And yes, I am officially talking to myself. Nothing new :-)

Life:

The writing is coming along well. I am working on another poem that belongs in a series of (X) (to be determined). It's really frustrating. I spent 7 hours with it yesterday. I'm not sure what it wants. Maybe if I threw it into the street someone would pick it up and tell me. Or just cut the darn thing into little pieces that I could use to paste on my window with leftover orange juice. But then that would be wasteful. I should use alcohol instead !

later,

--Jay

Day 14

2008-07-07T18:15:00.002-04:00

Weight:

HST full body

Cardio:

10 minute HIIT run, elliptical HIIT (10 minutes)

Life:

A friend of mine has just started an online fitness blog. His URL is -

http://rick-transformed.blogspot.com/

We'll be working out until the summer's end. I know how difficult it was for me and for every other shredder out there at the beginning of our fitness journeys. He'll be starting basically from square one, and could use as much encouragement as you all have showed me.

He would really appreciate it !

Until tomorrow,

--Jay

Day 14: Picture !

2008-07-07T15:27:00.001-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - X< 1 liter
Mood - excited !

Day 14 of 68

I head to the gym in less than an hr, but I wanted to post a picture I was able to take using a friend's computer earlier. It's below.

I'll be back later to include workout details.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. Hopefully, I'll be able to post weekly pictures (on Monday) so as to keep everyone up to date on my current progress. We'll see.

Day 13: Feeling good

2008-07-06T18:34:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 2 liters so far
Mood - feeling good

Day 13 of 68

I had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. Cheat day was timed perfectly again, I make myself so proud, haha. I enjoyed it by having a couple of drinks with friends. No worries, I took the additional calories into account.

Friday and Saturday were taken off. Today's schedule looked something like the following:

Cardio:
NoNE

Weight:
HST full body routine.

Diet:
Poor. I had only two meals so far today :-(

Life:

I've done some research into the HST program and it looks promising. It requires that I do resistance training three times per week (working the same muscle groups, but with additional frequency of course). I'll do HEAVY cardio on my days off (midday swim and night run). I'm excited to see the results at the end of 6 weeks (decent period of time).

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 10: Cranking up the heat

2008-07-03T19:03:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 3 liters
Mood - great

Day 10 of 68

Cardio:
30 minute swim, 20 minutes on the elliptical

Weight:
Back - seated pull (machine)

Life:

No class tomorrow ! The day would be perfect if only I could go home :-(

I'm really starting to get back into working out. My cardio hasn't fallen off much at all. I was surprised when I ripped through a 15 minute HIIT run session the other day without much difficulty. Unfortunately, I need to purchase a new pair of running shoes: the current set, which I've had for over 4 years now, is definitely showing serious signs of damage. The entire sole on my right shoe has been practically torn off. My running form hasn't been affected much, thankfully.

Tomorrow:
Biceps & Tris, midday swim, night run

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 9: solid

2008-07-03T00:25:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 3.5 liters
Mood- great

Day 9 of 68

Quick post for today since it's very late.

Cardio:
Swim (50 minutes), treadmill (15 min. HIIT)

Weight:
Chest: incline press
Shoulders: lat. raise, push press

Life:
I finished a few poems that satisfy me :-)

Catch you later,

--Jay

POEM :

Ant leftovers

The curved throats of half buried doves

sprout along the side of the road

at odd angles, you see

I’ve heard their foreheads

beating hard against the ground:

a sudden crush of ants

sticking to the creased corners of their eyes

like acid soaked watermelon seeds.

Pressed into darker substance by

the added pressure, a thick paste on their brow.

I’ve learned that the earth does not

accommodate well to a bird’s skull

crashing into the soil.

It preserves the sound well enough

though the tone has been depressed

stretching out among the roots

if you asked I would describe it

as two soldiers pounding

dead center at my breastbone,

perhaps not as mute –

there are always submerged stones.

I simply want to kiss and smooth them down

further, apply the battered

ant remains to my unhealed wounds

the insides of their beaten abdomens

snagged beneath my nail

blacker than a mulberry filthy underneath

Day 8: 8 down, sixty to go

2008-07-01T20:20:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Mood - great
Water - 3.5 liters

Day 8 of 68

Cardio:
Swim (HIIT for 25 minutes), post lift run (6 laps, 4 jog, 2 sprint)

Weight:
Back - pull ups (30), pull-downs (6 sets)

Life:
Good , everything is everything

Writing:
Almost done with a major piece that I've been working on for quite some time. I'm excited about it. I'll make sure to post it when I'm done.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 7: in the books

2008-06-30T23:42:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 4 liters
Mood - great

Day 7 of 68

Cardio:
Swim (30 minutes), post lift stair-stepper (10 minutes

Weight:
Chest - flat press, flies (standing)
Biceps - preacher curl, one arm cable curl

Diet:
On target

Catch you later,

have to get some rest !

--Jay

Day 6: feeling great

2008-06-29T19:21:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 4 liters
Mood - awesome !

Day 6 of 68

I'm surprised I feel so good today. There is some tightness in my lower back, but not much pain.

I'll be back tomorrow (wahoo !!)

Tylenol and Bengay actually work, lol

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 5: rest

2008-06-28T21:39:00.001-04:00

Status - return to form
Water ~ 3 liters
Mood - good

Day 5 of 68

Life:
I hurt my back doing bent over rows. I've been taking Tylenol and applying Bengay to relieve the pain. I'll be taking it easy for the next few days. That means no running and heavy leg exercises, which would require the use of stabilizer back muscles.

Weight:
NONE

Cardio:
NONE

Diet:
On point ... ok ok , I had one cookie :-)

Tomorrow:
Rest (injury)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 4: Feel the burn

2008-06-27T18:52:00.002-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 3 liters
Mood - great

Day 4 of 68

Life:
TGIF

Cardio:
midday swim (40 minutes), run (4 laps on the track)

Weight:
Back - lat pull, cable row, bent over barbell row (superset)

Abs

Tomorrow:
Afternoon elliptical
No weight

Diet:
On point

A great day overall !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 3: DOMS !

2008-06-26T23:38:00.004-04:00

Status - return to form
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 3 of 68

Yesterday's workout can be distilled down to three simple words: oh my God

It was a back and shoulder day, and it killed. I've definitely lost strength in many of my major lifts (down about 15 lbs in each one). I normally knock off 50 unassisted pull-ups, but for some reason could barely complete 30 just yesterday. Granted, it has almost been two months since I've visited a gym so ... there's room for much improvement.

Todays workout was a solid one:

Chest - incline press (light), incline flies (heavy)
Triceps - skull crusher x 3 x 7-10
Abs - circuit

Cardio:
swam for 40 minutes !
Again, no morning HIIT (gRRR) I wake up but turn lazy in wanting to walk to the gym :-(

any suggestions ? ? !!

Diet:
Solid ... could crank up the carbs a bit though, since I felt a little weak today. Otherwise, everything is falling back into place: protein salad, bananas, WATER WATER WATER, and an occasional treat (everything 12 day)

Life:
class is just beginning to heat up (I know, already!) We've covered some basic theoretical material (deriving equations and such). I can't wait to hit the problem sets HARD !

I like to study as hard as I train :-) if you couldn't tell, lol

Tomorrow:
Back - seated cable, lat pull, shrugs
Abs - circuit
SWIM, MORNING HIIT

Take care,

--Jay

Day 1: return to form

2008-06-24T13:54:00.003-04:00

Status - return to form
Water - 2 liters
Mood - a little disturbed

Day 1 of 68

Life:
I formulated a daily schedule that I plan to follow to the tee. So far, it looks like my days are going to be very busy. Between class, working out and getting some writing done, I won't have any free time until after 7 every night. There is a lot I want to accomplish this summer: earn an A in the classes that I'm taking, get back into shape and have my manuscript edited and finished.
No time to waste !

Cardio:
Although I got up at 6:30 I didn't make it to the gym for my morning cardio session. I was however, able to complete a lifting session this afternoon, which felt wonderful !

Weight:
Chest: Flat Bench (3 sets not including warm up), Standing Flies (ditto), Concentration Curls (3 sets)

ps. the craziest thing happened to me in the gym today: while finishing off my second set of curls, this random dude (much older) decided to interrupt me (I was on a 40 second rest period) and steal the weights I was in the middle of using. I couldn't believe it ! I approached him calmly and stated the obvious: that I was in the process of completing an exercise. Then he flipped out, saying that since everyone else did the same to him he didn't care how I felt. He used some other choice words that I won't even bother repeating, all the while raising his voice for no apparent reason. I seriously thought he was raging from steroid use, it was that ridiculous. In my four years at Brown I have never been met with such rudeness and blatant disrespect ! Point being: I kept calm (surprisingly) and communicated to him that I wasn't like those other "people", and that I would have gladly given him the weights if he had only asked nicely. I also said that if he kept up his unnecessary attitude I would make a complaint and have his membership canceled and money refunded because I knew the athletic director personally (I was employed at our gym as a student turf waterer, lol .. seriously). To make a long story short, he quickly handed the weights back and left. I felt good - he was obviously a bully (in his forties at that ! ).

Insane.

Tomorrow:
Morning HIIT, meal 1, class, meal 2, midday swim, meal 3, short 3 hr rest, weight session, meal 4, homework, 2 hrs of writing, then SLEEP !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 0.1

2008-06-23T22:23:00.003-04:00

Day 1
Mood - could be better
Water - 2 liters

Unfortunately I'm already back at school, taking summer courses and working. It never ends ! My previous semester ended strongly. Took a great deal out of me near the end though. For a while there I had to take a break from the gym, since I didn't have the energy to do anything more than study. It feels good to finally be back following my long absence. I haven't forgotten about my fellow shredders. I made sure to check up on your guys periodically. So many of you have blown my mind with the amount of progress you've made in the past few months. I'm so proud !!! Keep up the good work (not that I have to tell you, lol), but watch out: I'm making a comeback !! I'll be right on your tails soon enough haha

I have free access to my school's gym for the entire summer. The swim center here is also open for use, which I'm extremely excited about. My toes haven't touched the surface of a pool in too long. And with how hot it's been lately, I'll be taking full advantage :-)

I don't have a camera yet, but will be making daily posts. I plan to purchase one in the next week (hopefully). Not too excited about actually using it: I have a lot of work to do: physically, that is.

No worries

--Jay

Tomorrow: morning cardio (7am), mid-day swim (12), afternoon weight session (4pm)

Update everyone on my goals and outlook for the next 5 month mission.

Day 0

2008-06-06T01:25:00.002-04:00

Step 1: wake up tomorrow and go to the gym

Step 2: begin dieting tomorrow

Step 3: make 1 post workout blog entry, and post pictures

There will be no hiding from these three simple goals.

Picture a mirror image of yourself, and feel the pressure of your own hand on your back.
Hear your own voice. Listen closely.

News Update !

2008-05-04T14:35:00.002-04:00

The fact that my blog feels somewhat foreign to me isn't a good sign.

I've been gone for a while now. My only excuse can be given in one word: finals

Studying, studying, studying

I promise I'll be back once the semester is done. I still have a little over a week to go.

Have to get to the library now !!

In due time,

--Jay

Day 66: feels good to be back

2008-04-20T20:57:00.002-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - great
Water - 4 liters

Day 66 of 112

This past week I have been totally immersed in school. Read and work, that's what students do. Some of us major in physics or biology or engineering. Some make pieces of art. Some students smoke and drink, but those that do are not very successful, at least I don't think they are.

Talking to my roommate the other night I realized something that I would have probably never considered before. I was editing an old poem of mine, it was easier than reading about long term potentiation and memory formation. The Office was on. Jim almost proposed to Pam. I wasn't really paying attention. I was more interested in the line "little cold eyes/small birds fall to sleep". And when I wrote the last word down I jumped off my bed and started to dance in the middle of the room. When my roommate looked up at me I threw myself against him. He would later claim that this was the defining moment of my life. It's not that I never danced or even wrestled with him, but that he finally saw how I felt the world - in words. Who could be so obsessed with writing poems (he seemed to ask)? I suppose you would need some type of angry hard upbringing, or would have to be out of touch, some how, with common people. But really, I have never tried to understand why I love to write, or more surprisingly, how I have gone from producing poems to majoring in Human Biology. For so long it has been easy to just pull my bio textbooks from my book-bag, having spent countless nights dark eyed and upright, shivering on the 13th floor of the Sci-Li with secret hopes of becoming a doctor. It is well known that I won't let myself fail. I know there are high hopes for me too, and if I somehow fall short my life couldn't get any worst. But lately it has. It's not that my dreams of becoming a physician are gone, but that I have come to a place in my life where I need to accomplish something more. I've turned in on myself, to my own dreams, the nature of which eludes me. I realize that some people will become lawyers and engineers. Some will go on to medical school. And without a doubt, they will have their big houses, their landscaped yards and high city views. As for me, well, these days some of us want nothing more than the opportunity to start over. Maybe even go to graduate school to pursue my dream of becoming a published poet :-)

I need to do what makes me happy. I know my potential, now no more wasting time.

My roommate is looking at me, I can tell. I want to thank him for his insight.

--Jay

Day 65: Very proud

2008-04-14T00:21:00.002-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - wonderful
Water - 3 liters

Day 65 of 112

I am so proud of myself. First, for controlling the amount of alcohol I drank this weekend. My friends were a bit surprised, though, by the fact that I wanted to remember my birthday, as opposed to getting completely drunk and losing my mind. Really, what's the point ? I had a great time just going out and enjoying the company of some of my closest friends. It was very low-key, which is exactly how I would have preferred it.

On an even higher note, I am happy to say that I was able to complete 3 workouts on the weekend of my birthday !! I know, I can see the joy in your eyes as well , haha. But really, come on. That's dedication.

Let's recap the workouts:

Friday - serious back workout + squats
Saturday - great shoulder workout + 20 minutes HIIT
Sunday (B-DAY) - near-midnight steady state cardio, 40 minutes

I feel pretty damn good :-)

And the nutrition:

I'll break this down, first by drinks and then by B-day meals.

Drinks (total)(~2/hr) = 8

Meals = 2 (enchiladas on Saturday and a nice brunch at Louis Diner earlier this afternoon)

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + chest

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. I can't post pictures today. The camera needs new batteries. Back in action tomorrow though

Day 64: another great day

2008-04-12T01:58:00.004-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - good
Water - 3 liters

Day 64 of 112

A quick post for today because I have to wake up early tomorrow in order to get a good run in.

Weight:

Back = 40 weighted pull-ups (10 lbs) + seated row (180 lbs) (4 x 8-10)

Legs = 5 x 10 full length squats + dumbbell, 1-arm hang clean (10 x each arm)(3 sets total)

Core:

60 incline sit ups
50 knees up crunches
50 medicine ball rolls

Cardio:

Saved for tomorrow since legs were done today. Don't want to over-train and ware myself out.

Nutrition:

I didn't get more than 3 meals in today. I wasn't all that hungry, which is such a surprise for me.

And the goods:

This afternoon my diet collapsed, haha. I made lemon cheesecake and chocolate nut cookies.

I had such a craving !!

BUT, the recipes were very healthy, trust me :-)

The cookies contained a few scoops of protein powder and about 2 cups of unsalted nuts. And instead of using regular sugar I opted for splenda, which is the much better choice in terms of its caloric density. Yea, I knowww, empty calories are empty calories. But hey, this is the weekend of my B-day and I wanted a few cookies ! I don't feel guilty at all, haha. Well, maybe a little.

Whatever ! Both desserts came out great. According to my roommates the cookies were tasty. I haven't tried the cheesecake yet because the ramekins need to set and cool overnight. Sometime tomorrow afternoon I'll throw together some all-natural strawberry topping for them. There was a sale at the store, and so I have plenty to use, haha.

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + shoulders (YESSS)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 63: Through the storm

2008-04-10T17:55:00.003-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - good, but could be better
Water - almost 2

Day 63 of 112

Thank heavens I am finally through the middle of the week. I had a Physics exam yesterday that was brutal. I came back afterward and went absolutely nuts. Didn't get to bed until around 5 this morning. Yea ...

I woke up late and made my way to the gym for a chest workout, which went well.

Cardio:

10 minutes HIIT on the tread and 10 on the elliptical.

Weight:

Warm-up + 3 x 8-10 flat + 3 x 8-10 incline + incline flies to burnout

Nutrition:

Low day - but I feel I might have exceeded my carb intake limit ... I did eat most of them following my workout though.

Tomorrow:

I have to wake up early tomorrow morning to run because I am leaving in the afternoon and heading home for a night. My parents want to take me out for my B-day, it should be fun.

It's a little strange when I stop to think I'll be 21 in a few days. To me, it feels like any other B-day, just another year ... I guess I'll be able to "legally" buy alcohol now, yippee ! (not really considering I don't drink much).

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 62: Under Pressure

2008-04-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - good but could be better
Water - 2 liters (boo)

Day 62 112

I have an exam on Wednesday and am sorta freaking out. I hate physics with a passion. I accept the fact that it's difficult, I just wish it were more like orgo, which is to say more interesting.

I'll be doing the majority of studying tomorrow. I am supposed to meet a friend of mine at 6:30 am to begin the all-day journey. God, I am not looking forward to this :-(

On the fitness front:

Weight:

I did shoulders today and increased my resistance in seated push press, making my current max (of 10 reps) 70lbs. I feel good about the strength gains I've made so far. It'll definitely help when I begin Jiu-Jitsu training this summer. I want to compete in tournaments so I have to get into much better shape.

Cardio:

10 minutes HIIT on the tread and 10 on the elliptical

Nutrition:

Pretty good. I had two bananas pre-workout O:-)

Salads for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow: squats + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. I'm going to start posting daily pictures again because it is the only way I can most directly judge the progress I am making. In not posting pictures I fear that I might fall out of the habit of even taking them in the first place, and that is the last thing I want to happen.

Day 61: ohh snap son !

2008-04-06T14:45:00.005-04:00

(Miami)

(current)

Status - damage control
Mood - wonderful
Water - 2 liters

Day 61 of 112

Wow, I feel great right now. The endorphins are definitely flowing :-)

(me, high on endorphins, haha)

The posted picture of myself today was taken shortly after I returned from Miami, which was a little over a week ago. I want to give you all a baseline so that you will have a better understanding of where I started from just last week. Compared to todays photo, I think I've made some improvements so far. I still have a long way to go though, and honestly, in order to reach my goal I need to be more strict with my diet. The past two days I've been munching on more nuts than I'm supposed to O:-)

Granted, they have been high days. Still, I need to be more disciplined. In order to this I might start a daily accountability chart. I've seen other shredders use them with great success. Personally, I think keeping track of my daily actions with not only help me with my fitness goals but also with my schoolwork.

I just wish I was more proficient at Excel. I might be able to convince my roommate to give me a crash course in using it. Seems easy enough, just learning how to apply functions etc.

Sidenote:

I was up very late last night writing. I didn't get to sleep until about 5 am, so I stayed in later than I usually do on Sundays. This isn't abnormal for me at all, since I do most of my writing after midnight anyway when I can concentrate and be totally alone. But anyway, I remember yesterday I expressed some concern about the possibility that I might be catching another cold, but after todays strong workout I don't believe that is the case. Although I woke up this morning more tired than usual, I was able to finish strong in the gym in all my lifts.

Weight:

60 chin-ups
60 incline sit-ups
Muscle Rounds - 2 seated cable
Muscle Rounds - 2 full-length squat

Cardio:

While running a few days ago on the treadmill my right knee buckled awkwardly, and for the past two days it has felt a little unstable. I don't want to stress it any more than necessary and so have taken today off from HIIT cardio, which places a great deal of pressure on the joints.

Nutrition:

On target. First of 5 low carb/cal days ... I'll throw in a day of fasting as well for fun.

It's going to be tough to stay absolutely committed to my restricted plan considering that my B-day is coming up this weekend. My roommates have some mess planned for me involving God knows what, I'm a little scared, haha. But I am even more excited for my visit home. I haven't seen my family in a while and I miss them.

My train is scheduled to arrive in New Haven on Friday. My parents want to take me out to dinner to celebrate my 21st. I'm sure it'll be nice. I'm in the process of trying to convince my mom to accompany me in Brandford, where I plan to get my new tattoo. She is soo freaked out, haha. Hopefully by the end of the week she'll have already changed her mind. My fingers are crossed ! I think it'll be an "interesting" experience for her, haha

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + shoulders

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 60: Poor effort

2008-04-05T23:52:00.003-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - disappointed
Water ~ 3 liters

Day 60 of 112

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to make it to the gym today. I just couldn't muster up the energy to commit myself. I just hope this isn't a symptom of another cold, which wouldn't come as a surprise considering my roommate is sick.

Nutrition:

On target. Second high day

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + Muscle Rounds (back)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 59: DOMS

2008-04-04T19:35:00.003-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - great
Water - 2 1/2 liters

Day 59 of 112

Cardio:

10 minutes HIIT on treadmill (6.5-10) and elliptical (7-14).

I was some experiencing some serous DOMS today from my workout two days ago !

It felt good in a weird way though :-)

Weight training:

Muscle Rounds - chest (inline/flat, total reps = 92)

Nutrition:

High day - sorta. I started the day off thinking it was another low carb/cal. Didn't realize my mistake until much later this afternoon, whoops !

The only true carbs I ate all day came in the form of a decent sized bowl of oatmeal with sliced banana and applesauce in it. This was eaten post-workout.

So what ... that is about 40-60 carbs right there. A bunch of nuts (almonds are delicious btw) and some cheese. Yea, I'll round my intake for the day to around 100 ;-)

I'll have a better time remembering tomorrow, hopefully haha

Speaking of:

Tomorrow - Muscle Rounds - Back + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 58: Rest

2008-04-03T22:11:00.005-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - good
Water - 3 liters

Day 58 of 112

Today's fruit day was more bearable than most. In total I ate about 8 bananas, 2 kiwi and a great deal of apple sauce and rasberry juice. Although days like these are difficult to get through without the occasional slip up, there is benefit in eating nothing but fruit - it has a diuretic effect on the body and helps flush out impure elements and toxins.

I always feel much better on an all-fruit day, however, my energy level suffers. This was yet again the case today, and so I took a long nap this afternoon. I apparently needed the rest. Good thing too because I have a heavy weekend ahead of me in terms of the studying I have to do for an exam scheduled next week. I need all the energy I can get.

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + afternoon chest + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 57: Hump day

2008-04-02T21:29:00.004-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - good but fatigued
Water - 4 liters (yes !)

Day 57 of 112

Cardio:

This morning I completed 15 minutes HIIT on the treadmill at speed 6.5-10.5, a new high !!!

I did 10 minutes on the elliptical as well, which felt pretty good at resistance 14

Weight:

Today shoulders are on the schedule. I am heading out right now actually. I know, it's late and I probably will have a hard time getting to sleep from exercising this late. Oh well, better late than never !

Nutrition:

On target, though I had a late post-workout meal that was around 11 am.

Lunch came later than expected to. I had to wait until my Physics lab let out, at which point I almost ran to the dining hall to eat. I felt starved !

Tomorrow: Rest - all fruit day

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 56: Feeling much better

2008-04-01T14:40:00.006-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - great
Water - 2 1/2 liters

Day 56 of 112

I just returned from the gym and let me say that compound circuit training is extremely intense.

Recap:

chin-ups (60)
seated cable row(4 x 8-10)
incline crunches (60)
one arm clean (4 x 10 each arm)

*completed in rapid succession with no more than 30 seconds rest between each round*

Cardio: circuit training

Nutrition: on target

Sidenote:

My spring break gave me an opportunity to reflect on a few things that were cluttering my mind. And I can honestly say that now, after having had the chance to relax, both my mind and body feel very much in focus. In coming back to school I've been able to fall back into my defined routine, which basically revolves around going to the gym, and in the afternoon, visiting the library to finish schoolwork.

I feel clear, responsible and directed. I am fully aware of my capacity and am pushing slightly beyond it. Constantly now. And in doing so have realized I have become more alive and raw in the process, more awake than I have ever been in the past.

So even though I might have gained a pound or two, the entire weight of the experience allowed other aspects of my life to realign themselves.

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + afternoon shoulders

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 56: not feeling well

2008-03-31T09:16:00.005-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - not well
Water - 1 liter so far

Day 56 of 112

I'm glad I was able to get up this morning to workout.

I walked down to the gym and got in a good 15 minutes HIIT on the treadmill followed by 10 minutes on the elliptical. Overall, I felt pretty strong. My legs were a little weak but other than that I have no complaints, except that I am not feeling at all well right now.

I am currently writing while very light headed. Experiencing some serious nausea. I might go vomit actually so if this post stops abruptly you know where I am. No joke ...

I need to detoxify my body over the next two days. The way I am feeling is one of the side effect of that process. Also, I'm forcing my body to switch from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat. My energy level will suffer severely from this, as well as my mood. Everyone watch out because over the next few days there will be a carb restricted maniac on the loose, haha

Ok, I really need to lie down before I faint or something

This afternoon:

Multi-angle dumbbell bench press + steady state cardio (30 minutes)

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 56: A new beginning

2008-03-30T23:10:00.003-04:00

Status - damage control
Mood - great
Water - 1 liter

Day 56 of 112

I am finally home and it feels so good. We drove in at 7am and I immediately fell asleep. I didn't know how truly tired I was until I saw my comfortable bed, haha. Slept till 1 and chilled out the rest of the day. One thing is for sure though ...

I can not wait until my morning workout tomorrow, which will be my first in over a week !!!!!

Getting up at 7 shouldn't be a problem because I am so excited to finally get back into the gym. In fact, I already have the session written up - it looks something like the following:

Weight = multi-angled dumbbell bench press (new technique)

Cardio = a much needed HIIT session

Core = ease into my basic 7 x 25 routine. I'll add resistance later this week after giving my body a chance to properly adjust. Remember, I haven't trained in a while and don't want to suffer any type of silly injury.

Anyone who has followed my blog knows that I usually save resistance training for my afternoon session, when I have more energy and free circulating glucose to sustain such a workout. Well, those days are over. My new strategy incorporates more cardio and less resistance training. This is going to be accomplished by doing weights first thing in the morning, and in the afternoon, steady state cardio at a much lower intensity level, so as to prevent possible over-training that might stem from morning HIIT.

Following this plan I'll be back into pre-miami condition by weeks end. For now though, I need to get some rest.

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. At the end of last week I posted a link to this very blog on facebook. I waited this long to do so in order to make progress on my own, without the added pressure from outside sources. It'll be interesting to see how I respond now that there are even more people holding me accountable. Again, just as on day 1 ... I can't be stopped

Day 55: Miami damage control

2008-03-29T01:19:00.005-04:00

Status - mission 1 phase 2: Spring break damage control
Mood - disappointed but still optimistic
Water - >1 liter

Day 55 of 84

Wow

It has been far too long since I have made a post on this blog. I am currently writing from my personal computer, but at a friend's house in Virginia. We got in town this morning after having driven about 16 hours non-stop, and there is still another 10 hours to go until we make it back to Providence. We're not planning to leave until late tomorrow afternoon so I at least have another day to get some rest, which I need desperately because the trip definitely kicked my butt.

Speaking of the trip, it was a blast ! I'll have to fill in the details later. Let me say that I will never forget the experience.

I am disappointed to admit, however, that I did not hold strong to my diet - AT ALL

I did enjoy a small salad on the second day of driving, but that was it in terms of my vegetable intake for the duration of the entire trip. The rest of my time was spent going out to different restaurants each night, which, compounded with absolutely no exercise is a disaster waiting to happen.

And what a disaster it was ...

My lack of commitment and complete lose of all inhibition has surely resulted in an overall decline in fitness. Looking in the mirror at myself this morning was a rude eye-opener, and I have no one to blame but myself.

But hey, I enjoyed myself, even at the cost of a little less definition. What I don't plan to do is depress myself further by obsessing over the fact that I basically collapsed under pressure and failed in my mission for an entire week. Instead I am taking decisive action and moving immediately into another phase of mission 1, which will be termed "Miami damage control".

The first step in this phase will be to return to my previously conditioned state as seen on day 54, before leaving for Miami. The next 30 days will be devoted to reach this goal. I will still make daily updates, but will only post pictures at the end of each week (5 days) leading up to the final reveal on day 84.

Phase three will continue on for another 68 days, and will be primarily concerned with decreasing my body fat percentage to under 8 percent while putting on even more muscle.

Currently I weight 186 lbs, which is not to bad considering that most of it is in the form of lean muscle anyway. Still, at the end of 5 months I would like to at least get up to ~ 195lbs.

Generally, I don't concern myself with absolute weight because it is such an inaccurate measure of wellbeing. What most people fail to realize is that a low weight does not necessarily correlate well with fitness, if at all. A thin person might weigh very little in terms of his or her number on a scale, but this does not mean they are in shape or even look good. An example of this is offered by my own experience while wrestling in High school.

At one point during my freshman year I weighed little over 140 lbs. At the time I felt that I was in good physical shape, but wondered why I lacked definition and could never visibly see my abs. I would constantly compare my own physique to that of a fellow wrestler on my team who was extremely lean-looking. Needless to say he became an all-american competitor and went on to wrestle at the collegiate level, but that is neither here nor there. The point is that although our weight was almost identical our physiques could not have been more different. Where I lacked definition he had muscle. I never could understand this, until a few years ago when I learned of the difference between body weight and lean muscle "mass".

In high school I made sure my weight remained low, which was primarily out of necessity (weight class) but stemmed also from my own naive desire. In the process of "cutting" down I lost weight, but this weight took the form of mostly muscle with VERY LITTLE FAT LOSE. Looking back now, my goal should have been to preserve as much muscle (by eating properly) while burning the fat through cardiovascular exercise and weight training (yes, weight training burns fat too). This is the point of interest that I find most men and women ignore. I think if people put less emphasis on losing "weight" and instead focused more on how they look, for example, in a mirror, or with how they felt on a day to day basis, I think everyone would not only be so much healthier, but look better as well !

So let me rephrase: I do not want to gain weight. I want to gain lean muscle mass. There is an important distinction between the two.

Anyways ... I'm tired and need to get some rest for an early rise tomorrow.

My mission recommences

and with a jog

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. will post picture at the end of next week

Day 54: Hectic !

2008-03-22T03:13:00.005-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 2 1/2 liters

Day 54 of 84

Wow, what a crazy day.

And yes, at 4 am it has just ended

Recap:

At about mid-week I was really reaching critical limit. I had to ask for an extension on an exam that I was originally scheduled to take yesterday. My professor was kind enough to grant it to me, which I was more than grateful for. The exam itself went pretty well, there was nothing on it that I did not expect. What's more is that I finished in less than an hour, at the end of which I felt completely mentally exhausted.

On the recess front, my friends and I are leaving for Miami tomorrow afternoon. Before today however, none of us had time to do any of the research needed to plan a road trip to the southern part of the United States ! So as soon as I came back to my dorm from my mid-morning mental gymnastics session, I immediately jumped online and started to get things together. In the end, we took a short drive to the local AAA. They were so much help. We were provided with a trip tick, which is a personalized, detailed map that outlines the entire trip page by page, mile by mile. It's great. They also gave us free tour books of Florida and the Washington area in general, just in case we decide to stop and take a break from driving.

Since I have never been to Miami I plan to take full advantage of what the city has to offer. I have so many ideas as to what I want to do, namely:

get some sun, swim, explore south beach and surrounding local districts, visit Pier 5, see some animals at the zoo (haha), extreme rock mountain climbing, a little partying etc. And don't worry, I have not forgotten the mission. I made sure that my hotel had a gym included so I can at least get a sweat going. I still plan to stick to my eating plan as well, and will surely have to endure the nagging that will result from it. My roommates have already made it known that they plan to rub every bit of unhealthy food in my face. Everything ranging from beer to double cheese potato skins. This trip will be the true test of my will.

So if you need to find me I'll either be hiding in the gym or drowning myself in the local pool

:-)

I'm bringing the camera to of course take touristy pictures (who can resist), but will also use it to continue the daily process of taking photos of myself and making updates on my blog. Because of limited internet access however, I might not be able to post as frequently as I have been in the past. I'll try my best, which might have to be whenever time permits. Sure, I won't be busy every minute of every day. With Adam leading the way by continuing to make updates (and in some cases LIVE ones) while on "vacation", I really have no excuse but to follow suit. If he can do it, so can I. You might even expect to see a video cast from me one day soon ... oh, the anticipation ! I can't sense it in your eyes, haha

Weight:

Really changed it up today. Decided to throw a wrench into the mix by doing a variation on the cross-fit 300 , full body workout. Basically, it involves doing a total of 50 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, 50 deadlifts, 50 floor wipers and 25 dumbbell snatches for each arm. When I finished I felt pretty good. Yea, it was tough but I wish I had challenged myself more added weight. Since it was essentially my first time trying this type of workout I didn't want to go all-out. Next time will be another story.

Cardio:

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to complete my session. I simply could not spend the time running because I had an urgent assignment to complete before the end of the night that was due for my Physics Lab. Good thing now that it's finally done. Sucks though because I now have to wait until Monday until I can exercise again, booo !!

Nutrition:

I don't know what is wrong with me, or more specifically my memory, because I have failed to remember the date of my cheat day for the third time in a row ! According to my schedule, I was allowed a cheat meal two days ago. I just realized it today, while actually sitting at the table of cheelos, a TGIF type of restaurant, waiting for a cup of coffee with a friend. He ordered a sample platter appetizer and I complained/ drooled over how delicious everything looked, suddenly remembering it was two days past my cheat date. I quickly decided to order a piece of their banana cream pie, and even indulged a little in eating some of my friend's calamari. It was great.

Tomorrow: on the road. Maybe I can fit in a few hundred push-ups during our stops.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 53: Rabbit run !

2008-03-20T18:53:00.004-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 53 of 84

Time is passing by so quickly, I can't believe it is already day 53 !

Although there is still another 31 days until the end of mission one, which I have yet to complete, I have the feeling that I will continue on into mission 2. With more time I hope to fall into the habit of exercising so that it becomes second nature to me. That's the point right ? To lead a healthy lifestyle.

Weight training:

Chest (incline) + triceps (pushdowns) + dips

Cardio:

HIIT - 20 minutes total alternating between treadmill and elliptical at 5 minute intervals.

I felt like a rabbit hopping from one machine to the next. I laughed at myself while running at speed 9.5 and I almost lost focus and could have fallen on my face ! haha

Nutrition:

On target ... one piece of chocolate though (yes, I admit to it !)

Tomorrow: Back (lat pull, seated cable) + Biceps

Catch you later,

--Jaay

Day 52: eh

2008-03-19T19:43:00.004-04:00

Status - mission 1
Water - three liters
Mood - good

Day 52 of 84

Weight training:

60 pull ups supersetted with seated shoulder press

Cardio:

20 minutes HIIT on elliptical + core. I didn't run because my legs felt really weak !

Nutrition:

on target, only three meals so far though. I plan to have a small salad later tonight

Sidenote:

A few days ago, before I adjusted my calorie intake, I felt reaallly good about the pictures I was taking of myself. However, I've noticed a slight decrease in definition recently. I'm not sure if my diet is affecting anything - I hope not.

Granted, I've been really busy with school work and studying for exams, which has definitely had an impact on my stress level. It just might be the case that there is more cortisol circulating in my system, and is having some type of confounding, negative affect on my results.

But then again (as is oftentimes the case) I might be paranoid, or to someone who doesn't know me, too preoccupied with minor detail.

I just expect so much because I am putting in a tremendous amount of effort. It's hard to remember (or accept) that making a physique transformation the RIGHT way not only takes effort but a great deal of time. And more importantly, the willingness to stick to the program and follow through. Significant changes don't happen overnight, and nothing worth anything comes easy. This mission has definitely taught me that much, no doubt.

Tomorrow: I can't recall at the moment. I'll post the results tomorrow of course.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 51: Tough

2008-03-19T03:40:00.005-04:00

Status - mission 1
Water - 2 liters
Mood - tired but well

Day 51 of 84

Man oh man

It has been so difficult to find time to workout in the midst of all the studying I've been doing.

I have an exam tomorrow, or rather later today seeing that it is already 3:40 am.

I need to get to bed ASAP !

I did find time to get a workout in earlier tonight though:

Weight training: Chest (flat, increased the weight) supersetted with straight bar curls

Cardio: 17 minutes HIIT on treadmill, 4 minutes HIIT on elliptical and then came back and did another 4 minutes HIIT on the treadmill because I still had a little energy left in the tank !

Nutrition: on target, even though I might have gone over my calorie limit. Also, I wish I had been able to drink a bit more water. 2 liters doesn't feel right. I had a few extra pieces of chicken throughout the day. Studying so much definitely increases appetite !

Tomorrow: Back + triceps + afternoon HIIT (wayy too late to wake up in 4 hours for a morning session)

No matter how many exams I have in the next few days I will NOT miss a workout.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 50: Rest day

2008-03-17T13:26:00.003-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood- wonderful
Water - 2 liters

Day 50 of 84

As indicated above, today is a rest day !

After nearly 7 days of intense weight training and cardio I find myself in dire need of time to relax. And it could not have come at a more perfect time, since I have three exams to study for this week .

Seriously, I think Brown tries to stress its students out before freeing them for spring break, which for me appears promising this year. A few friends and I are planning a road trip to Florida. The idea of taking an adventure across the US is so exciting. Who knows what memories will be made haha

Anyways ...

I rose this morning and enjoyed another BFFM pancake.

This time it was truly perfect because I didn't break the darn thing in half when trying to flip it haha. It was delicious.

Second day of high cal/high carb, boo !!

It goes by so fast :-(

Tomorrow: Repeat 4 day cycle

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps. will update post-workout pictures tomorrow.

Day 49: long awaited

2008-03-16T15:33:00.005-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 49 of 84

Today's workout went extremely well. I finished at lightning speed !

Weight training + HIIT cardio in under an hour !

I joined lat. pull down and tricep kickbacks into one superset, doing a total of three. I felt extremely strong so I increased the weight on seated cable row and was able to maintain three sets at 10 reps.

Cardio: HIIT 15 minutes on treadmill (7-9.5) + HIIT 5 minutes on elliptical (7-13)

Nutrition: I am so excited that it's finally high day, wahoo !

Sidenote: By following the BFFM pancake recipe, which I borrowed from Lilla's profile (thank you by the way !) I was able to enjoy a great breakfast, the pancakes were awesome. Definitely kicked by day into high gear !

Tomorrow: a much needed rest day

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 48: Stronger than expected

2008-03-15T16:32:00.003-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - good
Water - 2 liters

Day 48 of 84

Workout was great - in and out in under an hour.

Blasted through incline bench and preacher curl.

Finished another HIIT session, but starting on the elliptical this time. I went for 15 minutes, it was awesome !

Afterward I ran for 10 minutes on the tread cycling between 7-9.5

Nutrition has been on target so far. Last day of low carbs, yes !

I can't really think of anything special to take note of today, just another workout for the books.

Tomorrow: Back (pull+seated cable) + HIIT

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 47: Feeling weak

2008-03-14T16:38:00.002-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - good
Water - 3 liters

Day 47 of 84

A couple of days ago I realized I was consuming too many calories. I quickly took action by aggressively lowering my intake. Who knew I would feel so sluggish.

Man, I definitely didn't think creating a larger deficit would have this much of an affect on me.

My workouts have suffered a little because of it too, which I am not at all happy about. Granted, I changed my lifting schedule and my weakness might just be a result of that, but getting used to a new program is one thing and struggling through it is another.

Good thing tomorrow is the last day of low cal/carb until my super-compensation phase.

Yes !

Tomorrow: Chest (incline) + Bicep (preacher) + abs

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 46: Changing it up !

2008-03-13T21:18:00.002-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 46 of 84

Nutrition has been spot on - third day of low cal/carbs and I feel wonderful.

After reading an article on bodybuilding.com that pertained to the topic of adaptation, and how our bodies are affected by frequent and repeated stimuli, I decided to modify my workout regime to include a different set of exercises.

So now:

instead of working one muscle group every 5 days, I'll be hitting each twice.

Additionally, I've changed the set and rep scheme with the aim of lifting the same weight, but with more repetitions.

My cardio routine is in flux as well. Due to increased leg soreness I have been forced to run at different speeds. I'm not too worried about it because anything out of the ordinary (ie. not my usual 6.5-9.5) will keep my body guessing and on the track to improving.

Tomorrow: Back + Triceps + shoulders + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 45: ohh yeaa !

2008-03-12T18:43:00.005-04:00

Status - mission
Mood - wonderful
Water - 4 liters

Day 45 of 84

After making the needed adjustments to my daily meal plan I must say that I can feel the difference. My energy level felt much lower than usual, which is exactly what I expected given my lower caloric intake. Overall though I felt pretty good.

In fact, I was able to rip through another HIIT session this afternoon. I did have to vary the speed a little though during the last 7 minutes because my legs started to hurt/cramp up. But what I couldn't maintain I replaced with a cycle through speeds 7 - 7.5 - 8 - 8.5 - 9 - in that order.

With prolonged work periods and a faster "resting" window, running at those speeds proved to be, in many ways, more difficult than jumping straight to 9.5.

I warmed down with 10 minutes HIIT on the elliptical.

Funny that I was "shredding" next to a good friend of mine and didn't even notice her until I was done with my session. Working out definitely has a focusing effect on me haha

Nutrition has been great. Second "true" day of low carbs/calories. Three more to go, whoa !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 44: whoops

2008-03-11T12:07:00.006-04:00

(post-run pic from today)

(yesterday's pics)

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 1 liter

Day 44 of 84

I didn't have a chance to post yesterday.

I've been really overwhelmed by work for school.

I did take pictures though and will post them with this entry.

To recap yesterday:

shoulders (increased weight in seated press)

Today:

After I make this post I am heading to the gym to get a 20 minute HIIT session in as well as 10 minutes on the elliptical. It's been far too long since my last cardio session. I'll come back later tonight to post the photos for today.

Nutrition:

I've recently discovered that I have been consuming too many calories on my low days, around 2500 to be exact. My measured limit is 1500 on low days and ~ 2550 maintenance. To remedy this I've decided to eat every 3 hours instead of every 2. This will knock out about 2 meals per day, which is roughly 1000 calories (with each meal being between 400-500 calories).

It's amazing how many calories can sneak in when you're not paying enough attention. In my case, the added calories were from peanuts. I basically had a handful every time I had a between-meal craving. What I failed to calculate is that every handful, which is about 39 pieces, contains approximately 170 calories ! Now multiply that by about 3-6 servings per day ...

and I thought it was the cottage cheese haha

Apparently, most of my progress before now has been derived from a calorie deficit created by exercising, as opposed to eating slightly less on a daily basis. Just imagine the changes in my body that will result from actually lowering my caloric intake below maintenance level.

The accelerated progress I've been anticipating (and expecting) is right around the corner.

I can feel it.

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 42: Good day

2008-03-09T21:17:00.004-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 4 liters

Day 42 of 84

Today's back workout went very well.

I increased the number of pull-ups I'm doing, which makes my current total 55 !

I also threw in a few lactic acid sets for seated cable row. The burn felt good.

But what really took the cake was an intense core workout:

- 60 incline crunches
- 25 leg raises
- 25 hip raises
- 25 oblique crunches (each side)
- 25 knees up crunches

With no rest in-between each exercise I was basically dead at the end

Nutrition has been on target. First high day of two.

Again, I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning's banana oatmeal, wahoo !

No cardio for today because I'm resting a sore, left hip.

I took a few motrin so I think I should be fine for tomorrow's HIIT session.

Come to think of it, today marks the exact midpoint in my 84 day fat loss journey. I must say that it has been a wild ride so far, with each day presenting its own unique set of challenges. Still, in looking back on my picture from day one I can honestly say that I have made a tremendous amount of progress. Progress that I feel good about.

I can't wait until day 84

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + afternoon shoulders + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 41: knocked out

2008-03-09T03:21:00.003-04:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - better
Water - 1 liter

Day 41 of 84

Today was interesting.

I slept in until 12pm and took the entire day off. I didn't eat much of anything because I wasn't feeling all that well. I barely got enough water to quench the thirst of a baby. And as you can tell by the extremely late posting time of this blog entry, tomorrow will be another long day. I have my alarm set for 10 so I'll at least get 8 hours.

All fruit day went horribly - I had only two bananas

Tomorrow: midmorning HIIT + Back + core

Nutrition for tomorrow: high day !

Can't wait for banana oatmeal in the morning

Catch you later,

--Jay

ps.

The reason I look somewhat emaciated in my photo for today is due to the fact that I ate and drank like an infant. But I must say that I look much leaner now as compared to yesterday's photo. You can even begin to see the second row of my abs !

I know now that my previous concerns about not making progress were of no value. I truly believe it was something I was eating.

I can finally go to sleep feeling good about the progress I am making.

Day 40: Cheat day

2008-03-07T20:35:00.003-05:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - eh
Water - 4 liters

Day 40 of 84

Let me start by saying that my chest workout went well today.

I increased the weight in all exercises and felt great about my newfound strength.

Nutrition has also been on target. The day was highlighted by a ham and cheese egg white omelet with pancakes. I couldn't have cheated in any better way haha

No HIIT today, only a little basketball this afternoon.

No for the not-so-good news:

I am extremely disappointed with the photos I took this morning of myself. After taking some time to look them over I noticed no change in my body composition. I know ... it is extremely difficult - if not impossible - to see a marked difference in one's body in one night, but still. I appear to have worsened ! The fears that I expressed yesterday about not making progress have been validated. I don't understand. I feel great, am stronger than ever before, running faster and with more intensity. What is the problem ? Uhhhhhh !!!!

Maybe it's something I am eating that is causing me to bloat. Although I have been strict with my carb intake, limiting myself to no more than 50/day, I have recently begun to eat cottage cheese. It's low in carbs and is a really healthy food, but maybe it is somehow impacting my body in a negative way. Maybe I'm just paranoid ...

Or my body is retaining an unnecessary amount of water or something. Who knows ...

I'm getting closer to the halfway point and I expect to see more improvement.

Given all the work I put in, the sweat ...

I just hope this is something that is only temporary, as I'm sure it is.

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + back + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 39: Another good day

2008-03-06T14:13:00.004-05:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 2 liters

Day 39 of 84

I slept in this morning because I was up late writing.

I got to the gym by 12 though, and completed 20 minutes on the tread - finishing the last two minutes at speed 9.5 .

I warmed down on the elliptical for 5 minutes as well.

I got back not to long ago and worked my abs.

Nutrition has been decent so far. I missed two meals this morning due to my late rise.

Post workout meal was great though:

Chicken salad, a small portion of low fat cottage cheese, a banana and a spoon of peanut butter.

Third day of low carbs, two more to go !

Tomorrow: Chest + core

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 38: Staying strong

2008-03-05T15:43:00.002-05:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 38 of 84

This morning's cardio session went very well.

I completed 20 minutes on the treadmill at speed 6.5 - 9.5

I also warmed down on the elliptical for 6 minutes, at the end of which I was sweating like a pig.

Nutrition has been on target. Second day of low carbs. For breakfast I had a can of tuna and a handful of nuts. Normally I have a protein shake and oatmeal, but I ran out of powder a couple of days ago and chose to exclude the oatmeal for the next 5 days.

Lunch was a small chicken salad, some more nutts and a small portion of cottage cheese.

Post workout was an egg white omelet and a small spoon of peanut butter.

This afternoon: another HIIT session !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 37: mmm

2008-03-04T17:31:00.004-05:00

Status - mission 1
Mood - good
Water - 3 liters

Day 37 of 84

Today's shoulder workout went well. Side lateral raises were brutal. I was able to really feel the burn this time.

After hitting all aspects of my shoulders I jumped on the tread and completed 21 minutes at a new speed 6.5/9.5

A new high !

It felt good, until I hit the last two minutes haha

Nutrition has been on target. First low day of 5.

Based on my pictures it seems that I'm beginning to reach a plateau. I'm just not making the same type of progress as was the case before I got sick. I'm confused to how this might be happening, considering the fact that I make a constant effort to challenge myself both on the treadmill (by increasing speed intensity) and during my weight sessions (with added weight) each time I go into the gym. I don't know what's going on. It might be my eyes, who knows ...

Hopefully I'll continue to see visible results. If not, I might have to alter my workout. Might be a good time too, since I've been researching crossfit. They're workout plan seems really intense. I'm definitely up for it though.

Tomorrow: double HIIT + core !

Catch you later,

--Jay

Day 36: feeling good

2008-03-03T17:53:00.002-05:00

(after eating)

Status - mission 1
Mood - great
Water - 3 liters

Day 36 of 84

Yesterday's chest workout was great, and today ended just as well.

I did another set of muscle rounds for Back, in addition to 50 pull-ups

My workout partner thought I was insane haha

No cardio for today, saving it for tomorrow morning will it will help most.

Nutrition has been on target. Second day of carb loading. Tomorrow I begin another 5 day low period. blah !

Tomorrow: morning HIIT + muscle rounds: shoulders

Catch you later,

--Jay