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
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Day 56: A new beginning
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
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
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Day 55: Miami damage control
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
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
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Day 54: Hectic !
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
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Day 53: Rabbit run !
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
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Day 52: eh
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
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
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