Week 3: Back

As with all back days, today was extremely satisfying, and another personal best was achieved. I have modified the workout to really focus on deadlifts, with some supplemental variations like the straight leg deadlift, good mornings (a first for me), and upright row. The good thing about today was that I felt solid, was definitely feeling the potential to add another 10 to 20lbs to the deadlift, and got to see another improvement on the program. The bad thing was that in order to accomplish our circuit training, the gym had to be essentially empty (which on a Saturday was as close as it gets), and I don't see that happening on a consistent basis. I really like the circuit training, though, so I'm hoping it doesn't become a problem.

I was able to compile the four separate exercises in After Effects to give an idea of what one rotation through the circuit looks like. Each exercise had about 90-120 seconds rest between them, with another three minutes or so of rest between rotations.  It was hard to gauge how much weight to lift, but by the last rotation I was pretty fatigued, so I'll just keep track of the weights on the blog and continue to add weight from there

Here is the breakdown:

Deadlift:

• 135 x 10
• 225 x 8
• 315 x 6
• 375 x 2 (new personal best)

• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 295 x 3 (each of these sets had about 90-120 seconds of rest)

Circuit (Straight leg deadlift/ Barbell upright row/ Machine reverse-grip lat pulldown/ Barbell good morning)

• 185 x 8/ 115 x 8/ 165 x 8/ 85 x 8
• 235 x 8/ 155 x 8/ 195 x 8/ 135 x 8
• 255 x 8/ 165 x 8/ 225 x 8/ 155 x 8

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts This routine should become a really rigorous one in the next couple weeks, since I am using the coan-phillipi schedule mentioned before. I am pretty sure the schedule is nothing more than a linear progression from my current max to my 'projected' max of 495, with no indication of whether the jumps in weight are feasible. Time will tell.

SCUBA

So I figured I'd write a short post about the latest advances in my underwater fitness: this past weekend, my brother and I both got open water SCUBA certified.  We went through Fill Express, a dive shop in Pompano Beach, and were instructed through Terri Coburn. She was awesome, and made the whole experience as easy and comfortable as ever.

I had been snorkeling several times before, but SCUBA will open up a whole new dynamic to underwater exploration, and I highly recommend it to anyone with a little expendable income who has any interest in it. Our first open water dive was under the worst possible circumstances, with six to ten foot swells, and I have no shame in admitting that all of my cookies were tossed overboard. The entire boat, captain included, had said that it was easily top five worst outings they had ever experienced, and I left the boat cursing myself for wasting my time on such an awful venture. The very next day, the water subsided, the sun came out, and we had the most fun in the best weather I had seen in years. The dives are completely different every time, so there is always something new to discover..

I'll leave it at that. If anyone has any questions, or personal stories to share, post about it! I'm excited to get down there again soon.

Week 3: Chest pt.2

As part of the adjusted workout, chest day happens twice a week, with alternating sets (incline > flat on Monday, flat > incline on Thursday). Today was an exception, since Fernando and I participated as grill masters at our company's cookout, which ran into our gym time slot.

I again was a little frustrated with our lifts, since I am not sure whether or not to count the barbell as 45 or 55lbs. In this recording, the barbell is listed as 45, but in the future I will just have to wait until I can grab the bar I know is 45lb. Anyways, here is the breakdown:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 4
• 275 x 4
• 285 x 4 (felt very good, nice and solid)
• 295 x 4 (only got it up twice, had help on the last 2)

Barbell incline bench:

• 155 x 10
• 175 x 10
• 205 x 10 (only got it up 6, had a brief rest, got help on the last 4)
• 185 x 10 (only got it up 8, had a brief rest, then got it up 2)

Machine peck fly:

• 150 x 10
• 180 x 10
• 180 x 10 (thought I'd keep it at 180 because I felt tired, but this set was strong)

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: As of now, I really like the idea of alternating between incline and flat bench as the main lift, and am noticing consistent gains. I will be fine continuing this routine until I plateau or until I feel like the second chest day is overkill and causing overtraining.

Week 3: Shoulders + Arms

To better suit my goals of 3/4/5 by the end of this program, I decided to adjust the workout to minimize extraneous lifting. Wednesday will combine shoulder and arm lifts in order to squeeze another chest day in (Friday's back workout has also been altered, but more on that then).  This workout felt much quicker, and I intend for it to be a shorter day, to give myself more rest, and also to mitigate any conflict with working the shoulder right before the second chest day (as was pointed out by GTS).

Here is the breakdown:

Standing dumbbell shoulder press:

• 55 x 12
• 60 x 12
• 65 x 12

Dumbbell front row:

• 60 x 12
• 65 x 12
• 70 x 12

Dumbbell side/ front/ rear delt raise:

• 35 x 10/10/10
• 25 x 10/10/10
• 25 x 10/10/10 This was brutal

Straight bar bicep curl:

• 75 x 12
• 85 x 12
• 95 x 12 +10lb from last week

Machine overhead triceps extension:

• 8 x 12
• 8 x 12
• 8 x 12

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: In regards to the bicep and triceps exercises, I will still play around with how much I want to target them. If I continue to do straight bar bicep curl, in lieu of trying to increase resistance, I will stay with a lower weight and focus on pacing.

Week 3: Legs

Today we decided to switch the routine a bit, in order to follow through with my decision to tailor the workout towards optimizing my 3 main lifts. Instead of leg press, we did 4 sets of exaggerated lunges, to add some hypertrophy work on my quads, but also work on my hamstrings. Additionally, we switched leg extension with leg curl, just to really fatigue the hamstrings.

We had really been slacking on core work, so yesterday and today we ended the workout with a quick, but painful, ab routine, totalling 75 crunches in 5 different positions of 15 each. I can already feel myself getting stronger there, so we should be able to mix up the ab routine soon enough. Here is the breakdown:

Barbell squats:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 275 x 4 (didn't realize I had increased this set last week, or I would have done 285)
• 305 x 4
• 325 x 4
• 335 x 4 +10lbs from last week
• 335 x 4 +10lbs from last week

Barbell lunges

• 70 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 70 x 10

Machine leg curl

• 120 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: At the rate I'm going with squats, at about a 10lb increase each week, I will be able to hit 405 for 1 rep with 20lb of buffer. Also, I am not accounting for the change of reps (I am hitting 4 reps, but only need to hit 1 of 405lb).  My chances are pretty good at this point. I love the stability I get with the weight belt. All in all, a great workout!

Week 3: Chest

It's always nice to see some progress, and in the case of this week, I took the mistakes I made last time and focused on hitting the expected rep count each time. I definitely felt stronger, but what I found out today could account for my somewhat fluctuating performance. Apparently, the bars at my gym are a mixture of 45 and 55lbs, with very subtle indications as to which is which. I was a little frustrated by that, but will have to be aware of which I'm using from here on out.

Incline barbell press:

• 95 x 10
• 95 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 185 x 4
• 225 x 4
• 235 x 4
• 235 x 4
• 225 x 4

Flat barbell press:

• 205 x 10
• 225 x 10
• 235 x 10
• 235 x 10
• 245 x 8 (2 more reps than last week)

Machine pec fly:

• 135 x 10
• 165 x 10
• 195 x 10 +15lb from last week

Abs:
75  crunches
2 x 60 second side pulls

Final thoughts: I am glad to go slow and steady, while maintaining steady increases. I look forward to possibly doubling up the chest work and having two chest days a week.

Workout Routine Update

After two weeks of this program, I am becoming a lot more aware of what is working, and more importantly, what is not.  Between the comments posted on this blog, and the comments I receive from other forums, there is a definite opinion across the board: I am not training my legs hard enough, and am wasting my time with some superfluous lifting days (most notably, arms).  I have taken as much feedback into account as I can, and am going to make the following changes to my weekly routine:

1. Monday: Chest, 5x4 incline, 3x10 flat, 2x15 flat, pec dec
2. Tuesday: Legs, 5x4 squats, 3x10 leg press, 2x15 leg press, 3x10 leg curl
3. Wednesday: Shoulder and Arms, some combination of these exercises
4. Thursday: Chest, 5x4 flat, 3x10 incline, 2 x 15 incline, pec dec
5. Friday: Back, follow the coan/phillipi deadlift routine to achieve the 5 plate lift by the 12th week

I am still not 100% committed to this regiment, so if this doesn't look sound, I'm open to suggestions.

Week 2: Back

Today was a very exciting day to say the least.. first of 3 days worth of SCUBA training, which ended a little early due to lightning. Just lugging around the gear and swimming around in the pool for a couple hours was exhausting, but I was determined to squeeze in the final day in this week's routine. I found an LA Fitness in my hometown's general area, and my brother kindly volunteered to act as workout buddy. Not quite as accommodating as Fernando, but I made do with what I had.

While I should in no way attribute the following disappointing lifts to the dehydration and weariness brought on by training earlier in the pool, I will anyways. I was really looking forward to a steady climb in my deadlift, but may have gotten a little too ambitious, and failed miserably.  Not too defeated by that loss though, since all other lifts were gains from last week. As far as my form is concerned, Chris made a great observation about the strain I put my arms under when pulling off the ground. Instead of jerking, I am now keeping my arms taut, to reduce the intensity of the pull.

Here is the breakdown, with a video of my last set of deadlifts. I found one of my old straps, that I used to give myself some grip. As an added bonus, watch Chris bench a new personal best of 285! Congrats bromo.

Deadlift:

• 45 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 225 x 4
• 275 x 4
• 315 x 4
• 365 x 1, break, x 2 very upsetting
• 335 x 4 per Chris' suggestion, I did each of these in succession with no rest in between

One arm dumbbell row:

• 75 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 85 x 10
• 85 x 10
• 90 x 10 +10lbs 

Pullups:

• Bodyweight x 8
• Bodyweight x 8
• Bodyweight x 10

Final thoughts: I realized that though there are a ton of sets of deadlifts, this didn't really feel like a comprehensive back workout. I am toying with the idea of adding some lower back extension to build my core strength, and maybe alternate between seated row, upright row, and one arm row to target different areas of the back.

Week 2: Arms

Sorry for the delay on this update (I worked arms on Thursday, but immediately left town to head home for the weekend in order to meet up with my brother Chris and get SCUBA certified). As I was under a slight deadline, we really hurried through this routine, which may have been for the best. I felt a huge pump afterwards, and oddly was able to increase my lifts when repeating exercises from last week.

A slight problem we came across when working on arms especially was the various weight demarcations across different machines. In these cases, I will tend to not focus on how much it says, but how good it feels while maintaining solid form.

The breakdowns have been pretty easy to read for me, so hopefully they are intuitive for the rest of you blog readers. One thing I think I will continue to do for the rest of the program is add a differential to each of the main lifts I'm tracking, to indicate progress/stalls compared to the week before:

Standing barbell curls:

• 75 x 12
• 85 x 12
• 85 x 12 +10lb on all sets

Preacher barbell curls:

• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12

Seated dumbbell concentration curls:

• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12

Skull crushers:

• 70 x 12
• 90 x 12
• 90 x 12
• 100 x 11 +10lb, failed on last rep

Triceps machine push down:

• 9 x 12
• 9 x 12
• 10 x 12

Overhead triceps extension:

• 5 x 12
• 8 x 12
• 8 x 12
• 8 x 12
• 8 x 12

Final thoughts: Arms day is nothing more than another rest day between squats and deadlifts to me. I would like to hear if anyone has any feedback as to whether training my biceps and triceps will help in my other full body lifts, or if it is solely for the aesthetics of bigger arms..

Week 2: Shoulders

Legs were feeling it throughout the day, glad to switch it up to upper body. Shoulders is probably my second least favorite day (first being arms), but we were able to get through it at probably two thirds the time of last week's routine. Keeping consistent with the -bell switch this week, the standing shoulder press was performed with dumbbells instead of barbells. Here's the breakdown:

Standing dumbbell shoulder press:

• 55 x 12 (thought we were doing 12 reps, going to kill Fernando for that mistake!)
• 65 x 8 (much better form than last week, but a little heavy, so I opted down for the last set)
• 60 x 8

Dumbbell upright rows:

• 55 x 8
• 60 x 8
• 60 x 8

Wide grip barbell upright rows:

• 95 x 8
• 145 x 8
• 165 x 8 +30lb from last week

Dumbbell lateral deltoids:

• 25 x 12
• 30 x 12
• 35 x 12
• 30 x 12 varied from last week, about the same

Machine reverse deltoids:

• 150 x 12
• 165 x 12
• 180 x 12
• 195 x 12 +15 from last week

Week 2: Legs

This workout felt a little stronger than last weeks, I think due in part to a lighter warm up. I usually start with one warm up set, one plate hanging each side to get the blood pumping. In an effort to conserve as much energy as possible for several short, heavy lifts, I have opted for a different routine. Three very light warm up sets of 10 reps (45lb bar > 85lb > 135lb). I can achieve a greater range of motion, get the blood pumping to my legs, and even if it's a placebo effect, it worked today.

Before I deliver the breakdown, I want to recall a conversation I had with a coworker last week. Mind you, I had only briefly interacted with him before this conversation. After some typical chit chat, the topic of lifting comes up. Turns out in his college glory days, this guy held his college's squat record, at 635lbs. I couldn't believe it (and Shemico, if you are reading this, I was and still am humbled by this achievement). I asked for as much advice as he was willing to give me, and here were his directions:

1. Plyometrics. Plyometrics. Plyometrics.
2. Protect your back with a strength belt.


That was the gist of it, and I have taken it to heart. I went out and bought a strength belt before today's lifts, and I credit it in part to my slight gains. I do have to incorporate a more rigorous plyo- circuit to my post workout, the gym is too crowded for the box jumps I was planning.

Breakdown and vid of my last 2 sets of squats follow:

Squats

• 45 x 10
• 85 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 285 x 4
• 305 x 4
• 325 x 4
• 325 x 4
• 325 x 4

Leg press

• 365 x 10
• 405 x 10
• 455 x 10
• 495 x 10
• 545 x 10

Leg extension

• 155 x 8
• 185 x 8
• 215 x 8

I really dislike the lack of hamstring work. I can tell my quads are much more strained and tense after these workouts. I may wait until week 5-8 to start incorporating leg curl, depends on how they feel. Seems strange to neglect them.

Week 2: Chest

Today, as opposed to last week, we stuck with all barbell. The main lifts were a little disappointing for me, mainly because my incline bench is weak and I was looking forward to destroying flat bench afterwards. So much so, that I loaded the bar with way too much, and could barely pump 6 reps of my intended 10. It was definitely a humbling moment, when I realized that maybe I should really stick with the 70% level of effort called for by the program. I guess I'll learn my lesson next week (even though I'll be using dumbbells, which are kind of hard to gauge).

In most cases today, I had to suck it up and deload to around 10lbs. less than what I believed I could complete. I chalk it up to over-ambition.. still have 10 more weeks to see improvement. The one lesson that really drove home was that it may be alright to intentionally lift less than I think I should. The 5/3/1 program, for instance, calls for you to replace your 90% as your 100% and work up from there. Counter-intuitive, but it apparently works. I'll keep it in mind from here on out. Here is today's breakdown:

Incline barbell press:

• 90 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 185 x 4
• 205 x 4
• 225 x 4 (with help on 4th)
• 225 x 4 (with help on 4th)
• 205 x 4 (deloaded after coming to terms with my overload)

Flat barbell press:

• 205 x 10
• 225 x 10
• 245 x 6
• 245 x 6
• 235 x 6 (deloaded after coming to terms with my overload)

I want to point out how my last 3 sets ended in failure at 6.. which is 4 reps lower than what I should have been lifting. I needed to pay closer attention to my program and not my pride, and choose the most weight I can lift for 10. Lesson learned.

Machine pec deck:

• 135 x 10
• 165 x 10
• 180 x 10 

One of the great things about logging my lifts here is that I can use them as reference for machine exercises like this. I simply kicked it down one peg heavier, and am improving that way..

I also would like to mention that I am currently at my heaviest yet, weighing in at 197 on the Publix scale, which we all can agree is the pinnacle of accuracy.

Week 1: Back

Concluding the first week of training, my workout partner Fernando and I attacked our backs with deadlifts, one armed rows, and pull ups. I am becoming more and more convinced that the high set low rep >> low set high rep outline of these workouts is a great approach, to enable your body the best opportunity for heavy lifts, and then fatigue and expend the rest of your energy later on.

The cardio workout was a relatively quick succession of box jumps, which should assist both my squat and deadlifts. Here is the breakdown:

Deadlift

• 45 x 10
• 95 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 275 x 4
• 285 x 4
• 315 x 4
• 345 x 4
• 365 x 3 (new PB, wish I had the energy to get the 4th rep, but we'll see next week)

One arm row

• 75 x 10
• 75 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10

Pull ups

• BW x 8
• BW x 8
• BW x 8 (may need to buy a weight belt, the gym doesn't have any after they kept getting stolen)

Week 1: Arms

• Switched things up and did cardio first (because I forgot to bring my gym clothes to work), and went for a 2 mile run an hour before the workout. Still breaking in my shoes, apparently, because I've noticed the bottom of my feet are getting blisters where the insole of the shoe ends.. hopefully it won't take much longer to adjust. They are special, gel-sole Asics for crying out loud!

Here is the breakdown for arms day:

Standing straight barbell curls

• 65 x 12
• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12

Preacher curls

• 25 x 12
• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12

Seated alternating dumbbell curl

• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12

Straight barbell skull crushers

• 70 x 12
• 80 x 12
• 90 x 12
• 90 x 12 (wimped out, but was able to keep good form which was more important)

Tricep push down machine

• 120 x 12
• 130 x 12
• 150 x 12
• 160 x 12

Overhead tricep extension machine

• 100 x 12
• 120 x 9, 100 x 3
• 110 x 12
• 110 x 12

Corporate 5k: Ouch

In my experience, the body benefits from exercising both anaerobically in the gym, as well as aerobically, via swimming, running, or cycling. In high school, swimming and water polo were my staple source of aerobic exercise, in addition to a 40 minute anaerobic weightlifting-for-beginners class held the first four months of the school year. Swimming is both aerobic and anaerobic in itself, but that's besides the point.

I made it no secret that I undervalued the importance of cardio throughout my years in college. Never ran, only swam for recreation, and obligingly cycled to and from class if I missed the bus. It was only after my brother Chris talked me into preparing for the Savage Race this past February that I was forced back into the world of aerobic training, 8 years since my last swim meet (man that makes me feel old).

There are several factors that make running an ideal supplemental workout, and I am beginning to see some results. Besides the obvious benefits such as increased endurance, improved breathing, and duller aches in my body, I have lower blood pressure, and better circulation in my extremities.

My first 5k was on February 11, followed shortly by the exhausting yet amazing Savage Race. Today I participated in the Corporate 5k, one of the biggest running event around. Tonight there was a ridiculous turnout of 13,848 participants!! Being among all those running freaks motivates me to continue conditioning, to give my body all the benefits cardio brings to the table while I continue my goal in the gym.

General Dynamics coworkers and I after finishing the 5k.

My brother behind me as we trudged through the 4.5 mile Savage Race.

Physiology Question

This is something I noticed as a result of my increased consumption of food, but especially water, throughout the day. I have begun to.. urinate upwards of five to six times a day. I'm not really worried about it, but is there any scientific evidence of that kind of cycle causing damage to my kidneys or pancreas?

Will google this in the meantime and post my findings soon..

Week 1: Shoulders

Part of the rigor of this program, as I am quickly finding out, is the deceptive way the set counts creep up on you. )n shoulder day, just as with legs and chest before that, I was gung-ho in my early "serious" sets of 4 heavy reps each.. assuming that was the bread and butter of the workout. What is closer to the truth, is that those lifts are meant to fatigue the muscle group, in preparation for the rest of the day.

I come from the ascending philosophy of gradually increasing weight for slightly fewer reps (think 3 sets of 10, 10, 8).  So when I am piling on a bunch of weight early on, my body expends a good amount of energy early on, and then gets burned with the following 12 or more sets. I could literally feel the burn for the last 20 minutes or so, and I am excited for more. Here's the breakdown for today:

Standing barbell shoulder press:

• 95 x 8
• 115 x 8
• 155 x 8 (really bad form, had to thrust with my legs. I should have stuck with lighter weight)

Wide grip barbell upright rows

• 95 x 8
• 115 x 8
• 135 x 8

Dumbell upright rows

• 45 x 8
• 40 x 8
• 40 x 8

Dumbell laterals

• 35 x 12 (big mistake, my shoulders were in serious pain the remaining THREE sets)
• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12
• 30 x 12

Machine seated reverse deltoids

• 135 x 12
• 150 x 12
• 165 x 12
• 180 x 12

Week 1: Legs

This workout was definitely a killer for my quads, as I am still trying to find the sweet spot for 5 sets of 4 reps each. The program seems to recommend a constant weight of 70% my 1rm, but I felt that only 4 reps of about 280 was not heavy enough.

The biggest debate I have right now with this program is the lack of leg work, and what steps I should take to amend this issue. Research into the Smolov routine seemed to reveal the opposite extreme:

• Weeks 1-2 - introduction cycle to prepare your legs. Week 1 you squat 3 day in a row working up towards heavy singles, rest of the week is stretching to speed up leg recovery. Week 2 you squat every other day.
• Week 3-6 - the base cycle where you'll squat 4x/week for 3 weeks. 4 sets of 9 reps Monday, 5x7 Wednesday, 7x5 Friday, and 10x3 reps Saturday. The weight increases each workout, each week. Week 4 is a rest week where you'll only squat once and attempt to break your PR.
• Week 7-8 - the switching cycle is a 2 week deload to give you a well deserved physical and mental break before the next cycle.
• Week 9-13 - the intensity cycle where you'll only squat 3x/week, but 44% of the time it will be using weights between 81 and 90% of your maximum... and for 4 weeks on. Most guys agree this is the hardest part of Smolov. Week 5 you attempt to break your previous Squat PR.

 Way too much leg work for me. I assume that after a couple more weeks of this program, I will have a much better idea of what constitutes my heaviest 4 rep lift. Here is the breakdown for today:

Squats

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10

• 275 x 4
• 285 x 4
• 295 x 4
• 315 x 4
• 315 x 4

Leg press machine

• 315 x 10
• 365 x 10
• 385 x 10
• 425 x 10
• 455 x 10

Leg extension machine

• 140 x 8
• 170 x 8
• 200 x 8

Week 1: Chest

So if you have ever worked out with me, you know that chest workouts are my bread and butter. Years of swimming, water polo conditioning, recreational lifting, and most importantly genetics descended from Zeus himself, have honed my form and muscle memory to translate into big lifts. I was a little nervous to start this new program, but after the warmups I was ready to dominate. And man does it feel like domination: the Big Daddy exercise of this workout day is a 5 set x 4 reps each, pushing an estimated 70% of my 1 rep max. Having gotten used to a typical 3 set x 10 reps each, only having to pump out 4 per meant I could really stack the weights each set. Here's how it went down:

Incline dumbbell press

• 90 x 4
• 95 x 4
• 100 x 4
• 105 x 4
• 110 x 4 (already the heaviest weights I've ever lifted, albeit for 4 reps...)

  Flat dumbbell press

• 80 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 95 x 10

Pectoral fly machine

• 135 x 10
• 150 x 10
• 165 x 10

Stationary bike

• 20 minutes (4.83 miles)

Some notes: It wasn't clear from the program description whether each one of the 5 sets should have been 70% intensity.. but I was able to ascend each set, so I chalk that up to trial and error. Next week I'll probably jump right into 100's and see if I can continue to jump at 5lb a set. If anybody has any clue how I should regard these sets, leave me some feedback.
-MB

Starting Stats

Hey all, so this should have been an obvious post to include before the start of my 12 week program, but here is a quick breakdown of my current lifts:

• Flat bench press: 315 lbs
• Squat: 345 lbs
• Deadlift: 355 lbs
• Overhead press: 185 lbs

The biggest goal I have with this program is to increase these 4 lifts, hopefully far beyond the 3-4-5, after 12 weeks. I am also going to be much more aware of what constitutes my diet, which is something I never monitored very closely.
-MB

Dealing with Diet

So one of the biggest issues I have with any goal I set in the gym, is the diet necessary to meet it. Just as important as what you leave on the weight room floor, is what you put back in your system throughout the day, and I have never been a big eater. And let's not even get started with the amount of willpower it usually takes me to eat a good breakfast..

So in an effort to combat this facet of the big-lift process, I've looked into some pretty nifty websites and apps out there. In the early days, my brother and I would always hear about the latest calorie counter from our sister Stacy, and I never thought I'd have to ask for her advice on the subject, but the world works in mysterious ways! Just as she was watching her figure, I hate to admit I am going to have to watch mine too, regardless of whether we are trying to shed or gain a few pounds.

She recommended a social-based calorie counter, found here.  'MyFitnessPal' uses the traditional tools found in most generic calorie counters (food diary, recipes, various BMI/BMR calculators) but with a twist: add friends to track and motivate each other's progress. Feel free to add me if you'd like more detail on what I eat throughout the next 12 weeks, email miamigator09 @ gmail . com

Another cool site I picked up from the r/Fitness subreddit is swole.me. This handy calorie counter uses a preselected food bank to fit your needs based on how many calories you are trying to eat, in your designated number of meals per day. I am really going to be stretching the lining of my stomach to meet the 4500 calorie mark for these next 4 weeks, but these tools should make it that much easier!
-MB

Weightlifting Program

Happy Easter to everyone out there! This weekend was relaxing, spent with the relatives out in St Pete, Florida. Got into a friendly competition with my brother Chris to see who could do the most reps with my uncle's rusty flat bench.. my 37 reps of 115 to his 41 :-/

So after the getaway, I returned to my computer for some research. After checking out the basic differences between some programs recommended on the front page of Bodybuilding.com, I settled on this plan, backed by the legend Mike O'Hearn. Aside from being a 12 week program approved by Bodybuilding, it has all of the fundamentals I was looking for:
- combines the big three lifts (bench, squats, deadlifts) to increase your power and make huge gains
- includes moderate to heavy cardio, which will help condition my muscles for aerobic events like the 5k, and the possibility of a sprint triathlon will become more appetizing down the road
- recommends massive caloric intake (4500 the first 4 weeks, 4000 the 2nd, and 3500 the last third)

Some nice perks are along with an active community to rely on for FAQ and support, the program comes with a nifty .pdf printout so I don't have to use my brain to figure out what % of my 1rm to push or pull! But in all seriousness, this is a huge amount of progress toward my goal. Can't wait to see how tomorrow's first workout goes. I'll have an update for you then.
-MB

Starting Weight

This is a really quick start to the blog (apologies for the terrible bathroom mirror photoshoot). Here are some quick stats:
- currently weigh in at 193lbs
- height of just about 5'10
- turning 26 1/2 in May

I wanted to post some pics for reference before I start a solid program. I will be looking into some recommended plans, but am basically looking for a blend of powerlifting, with some added cardio.

I have really jumped on the 5k bandwagon this year, having run one in February, and plan to run again this coming Thursday. More on all of that later. In the meantime, I will be researching weightlifting programs and nutrition plans.
-MB

First Step

So there I am, anxious to get out of work in order to meet my two workout partners on time for chest/triceps.  We had been working out regularly for a couple months, and were still seeing weekly to biweekly gains in our lifts, but I knew it wouldn't be long before the first plateau set in. I have been lifting on and off since high school (almost ten years now, hard to believe), so I have been through this cycle before. Motivated by gains, then frustrated by the decline.  I knew myself too well to believe that I would just keep the drive to continue (I have a hard enough time going without a reliable gym partner), but this time something was different.

See, earlier that day, I had been browsing the internet, following a few online communities for those interested in lifting (reddit has a great r/fitness group, as well as most of the bodybuilding.com threads) and realized something. All this time, I had been working out with no real goal in mind. Sure, I intended to lift until I felt the burn, and maybe I had some short sighted goals, but nothing to drive me over the plateau.

One of the threads was encouraging users to brag about their latest accomplishments, and one stood out to me in particular: the 345. I have never really taken leg workouts seriously until a couple years ago, and I openly think it is a little pathetic that I can only barely squat more than I bench, but this achievement sounded intriguing. And with that, a goal was born.

So, in order to solidify this goal (since like I said, I know myself), I have decided to document my life from this point on, in order to provide any of you curious folk out there, and more importantly myself, the drive to see this goal out.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this blog serves to teach others and myself a lot about fitness.
-MB