After the first week...

I haven't been posting as much lately, mostly because between work at IBM and this new crazy gym schedule, I haven't had the time or the energy to do continual blogging of this experience. That's not to say that I don't want the information up there. I absolutely do.

I think, though, that since the workout regime is exactly the same every week, I'll post the whole week in one shot. I need to make some comments about what I think of this new style of training.

Oh, and I ended up not hiring Mark as a trainer. Too flaky. He kept canceling appointments at the last minute, and that just wasn't working. So, I ended up going with a guy named Dave Patellaro. Good guy, who will hence be known as TrainerDave™. (He also goes by his trainer persona, Mr. Impact, but I just can't bring myself to call him that. A little bit of me dies inside each time I see that at the end of a text message.)

The diet...is killer. That is turning out to be my biggest challenge.

The workouts...well....here's the past week.
Oh, and each day also includes 45 minutes of cardio in the morning, and 30 more minutes of cardio after lifting.

Day 1: Chest and Triceps (5/19/2008)

• High cable cross: 70 x 15|15|12|10


• Incline bench: 135 x 12|8|6


• Flat DB press: 60 x 4|6|5


• Dips: 3|3|4


• Push-ups: 15|8|6


• Lateral raise (DB): 15 x 20|20|15


• Front lift: 40 x 20|15|15

Day 2: Back, Delts, & Biceps (5/20/2008)

• Pullups: 0 x 3, 100 x 10, 90 x 6|4


• BB row: 135 x 12|12|12|8


• Pulldowns: 90 x 10, 105 x 8, 90 x 10|10


• Cable rows: 100 x 15|12|15|15


• Reverse pec deck: 70 x 10, 50 x 15|15|15


• Shrugs: 180 x 18|15, 90 x 20|20


• High cable curl: 45 x 20, 60 x 15|20, 75 x 18

Day 3: Legs (5/21/2008)

• Squats: 135 x 15, 205 x 15, 225 x 10


• Leg curl: 135 x 20|20|20|20


• Leg extension: 60 x 20|20|20|20


• Stiff leg deadlift: 115 x 15|15|15|15


• Standing calf raises (SS): 100 x 30|30|30|30


• Seated calf raises (SS): 50 x 30|30|30|30

Day 4: Upper chest & shoulders (5/22/2008)

• High incline BB press: 90 x 15|15|15|15


• Military press: 90 x 15|15|15|15


• Side DB raises: 15 x 20|20|20|20


• Front raises: 40 x 20|20|20|20


• Rear delt rows: 90 x 20|20|20|20


• Upright cable pulls: 40|50|60|70 x 20


• Shrugs: 140 x 15|15|15|15

Day 5: Biceps & Triceps (5/23/2008)

• French curls (SS1): 60 x 15|15|15|15


• Skullcrushers (SS1): 70 x 15|15|15|15


• Tricep pushdowns (SS2): 80|90|100 x 15


• Alternating DB curls (SS2): 30 x 15|15|15


• Preacher curl (SS3): 50 x 20, 40 x 15|8


• Overhead tricep extension (SS3): 100 x 20|20|20|20


• Back dip (SS4): Bodyweight x 19|16


• Concentration curls (SS4): 30 x 16|8

Day 6: OFF

And that's the 6-day cycle that will keep repeating. I need to ask TrainerDave™ whether I can relax the diet on the days off just a bit. I really do think that having some real food once per week will help maintain my sanity and push me to keep on track during the workout days.

Like™, Ugh....California arrival

I'm finally, like™, in California. This is, if you didn't already know, the land of militant body fascism. It's difficult not to think about body type here, since clothing is far more scarce, and everyone seems to be focused on physical appearance. (I know that everyone is, everywhere. It just seems so unapologetic here.)

I haven't worked out since leaving Ann Arbor, and the week of driving across the country takes a toll on the body. I've been aching in places I've never ached before. Most notably, I think that holding my back in a strange position for so long put strain on some of the musculature surrounding my larynx and in the general scalene region. It took a while to get over, assisted by plenty of anti-inflammatory OTCs. I love Motrin IB.

I need to find a new rolfer...and fast.

Yesterday, I sought out and joined the Gold's Gym that is closest to my current living situation in South San Jose. For anyone interested, it's at 121 Bernal Road, San Jose. My god, this place is massive. It's like Six Flags Great American Gold's Gym Adventure. It is funny, though, and says a bit about the culture and clientèle, that they have more equipment than an entire Olympic village, but no sauna, hot tub, or even private showers.

Oh...and the people working out are, on average, much larger than the people at the Gold's in Ann Arbor. This is a hard-core place.

Since I want to make some major changes over the summer, I decided to bite the bullet and hire a trainer for my time out here. I haven't trained with anyone since Mike Stack in the summer of 2003, so it's about time. I've mostly been following a loose powerlifting regimen, looking to increase strength. Over the summer, I'd like to transition more to a bodybuilding style of working out, and learn from someone experienced how to work on definition and a leaner body.

When I signed up at the gym, the woman behind the counter showed me a book of the trainers associated with the gym. Unlike the Gold's at home, where the trainers are employees of the gym itself, all of the SSJ trainers are independents. I was told that they never recommend any one trainer over another, but the nice woman flipped to a particular page and said, "Of course, I'm showing no favoritism, but given what you want to achieve, this is the trainer for you." Huge guy, current competitive bodybuilder, former San Francisco 49ers player. Sounds like a deal. His name is Mark, and we'll see how this turns out. We've played phone tag a bit, and chatted for a moment. Turns out he is prepping for a bodybuilding show in three weeks, and might not be able to start training until after that. I don't think I can wait that long to start anything at all. I suggested that we meet and talk about what I'm looking for, and if he can't meet for three weeks, just tell me what he'd like me to be doing and focusing on for that time to prepare for two solid months of kick-ass and grueling work. I haven't heard back from him on that yet.

I feel like the last two weeks, workout-wise, have just been completely lost. There's nothing I can do about it, though, so I'll keep the lamentation short. When I start at IBM next week, I think my life will fall into a much more manageable routine.

I have found some bike trails around my place, including one that follows the reservoirs from south to downtown San Jose. I'll definitely be exploring that, as soon as I find the right sunscreen for my shiny, bald head.

That's pretty much it for now. I hope the workouts with trainer Mark come about. He seems ideally suited to my summer goals.

More to come on the great California adventure.