June workouts thus far...

I have been SO bad at updating this blog with my workouts. That, however, does NOT mean that I haven't been in the gym. Well...I haven't this past week, but that's due to tonsillitis, fever, and my general philosophy that the gym is no place for me when my body is demanding energy to get better.

So, what's been happening? After the first three weeks of the workout and diet, I was noticing that I couldn't get up in the morning as well (and that I don't get nearly enough sleep), and that my muscles weren't repairing as quickly as I thought they should be. Also, the hour of running after each lifting session was simply too long, and I wasn't getting home in time to make dinner, repack for the next day, and have a moment for anything else.

So, I talked with TrainerDave™ about making some changes, primarily to the eating regimen. I did the math, and came to the conclusion that I was eating far too little. I was taking in roughly 1500 calories per day. Now, if I needed 3965 per day to maintain my weight (as seen in the last entry from the hydrostatic analysis), and my goal is to lose 4 pounds per week, I should be taking in roughly 2400 calories per day. Missing 900 calories per day is a LOT! So, we re-tooled the diet, and things started going much better after that.

I'm not weighing that much less on the scale; however everyone around me says that my face is much slimmer. I've also gone down four or five holes on my belt - to the point that I'm going to need a new belt soon. (WOOHOO!)

So, here's the list of workouts for the first half of June. As mentioned before, there will be a gap between June 14 and June 22, when I was sick and recovering. I'll start back to the full regimen on Monday morning at the beginning of a workout cycle.

Here are the numbers:

Chest and Triceps (6/1/2008)

• NO WORKOUT TODAY

Back and Biceps (6/2/2008)

• Assisted pullups: 16 (plates) x 15, 12 x 15|15


• BB row: 135 x 15|15, 155 x 10, 175 x 10


• Neutral pulldowns: 105 x 15, 120 x 10|10


• Cable rows: 100 x 15|12|15


• Reverse pec deck: 50 x 15|15|15


• Incline DB curl: 30_L/R x 15, 25 x 5+5, 20 x 10


• Machine preacher curl: 40 x 20|19|20

Legs (6/3/2008)

• Lying leg curl¹: 75 x 20|20|20|20


• Leg extension¹: 7 plates x 20|20|20|20


• Leg press: 440 x 25|25|25|25


• Walking lunges: 25_L/R x 12|12|12

Upper chest and shoulders (6/4/2008)

• High incline BB press: 135 x 15, 155 x 10|9|8


• Incline DB fly: 25 x 12, 30 x 12|12


• Military DB press: 40 x 12|10|9|8


• Shoulder Hammer™ machine: 50 x 15, 70 x 15, 90 x 15


• Upright BB rows¹: 55 x 15, 75 x 15|10


• Standing lateral DB raise¹: 15 x 15|15|15


• Front raise 4s: 10 x 2

Biceps and triceps (6/5/2008)

• French curls¹: 75 x 15|15|15|14


• Skullcrushers¹: 70 x 15|15|15|15


• Tricep pushdowns²: 110 x 20, 120 x 20, 130 x 14


• Alternating DB curls²: 20 x 20, 25 x 15|15


• Machine preacher curl³: 50 x 20, 60 x 20|16


• Overhead tricep extension³: 120 x 20|20, 130 x 15


• High curls: 75 x 20, 90 x 15|15
  
• Back dip⁴: Bodyweight x 20|20


• Concentration curls⁴: 20 x 20|20

Day off (6/6/2008)

Chest and Triceps (6/7/2008)

• High cable cross: 50 x 15, 70 x 15, 80 x 15


• Incline ISO press: 140 x 15|15|12


• Flat DB press: 50 x 15|15|15


• Assisted dips: 6 plates x 9|10|9


• Pushups¹: 15|15|15


• Lateral DB raise¹: 20 x 20|20|20


• Tricep pushdowns²: 120 x 20|20|15


• Front raise²: 60 x 20|20|20


• Pec deck: 70 x 20|15|15

Back and Biceps (6/8/2008)

• Assisted pullups: 12 plates x 15|15|10


• BB row: 175 x 15|15|15|15


• Neutral pulldowns: 100 x 15, 115 x 15|15


• Cable rows: 100 x 20|15|20


• Reverse pec deck: 50 x 20|20|20


• Incline DB curl: 20_L/R x 20|20|20


• Machine preacher curl: 50 x 20|20|10

Legs (6/9/2008)

• NO WORKOUT TODAY

Upper chest and shoulders (6/10/2008)

• ISO incline press: 160 x 15|15|15|15


• Incline DB fly: 30 x 15|15|15|15


• Military DB press: 40 x 12|12|12|12


• Shoulder Hammer™ machine: 110 x 15|15|15


• Upright BB rows¹: 75 x 15|15|15


• Standing lateral DB raise¹: 15 x 15|15|15


• Front raise 4s: 10 x 1, 12 x 1

Biceps and triceps (6/11/2008)

• Alternating DB curl¹: 30 x 15, 35 x 15|15


• Tricep pushdowns¹: 80 x 15, 120 x 15|15


• French curl²: 50 x 15|15|15


• Decline skullcrusher³: 60 x 15|15|15


• 1-arm standing preacher curl³: 20 x 15|15|15


• Behind head DB tricep extension³: 60 x 15|15|15


• Strive bicep curl machine: (1|5|9)[7|7|7], (9|5|1)[7|7|7], (5)[20]


• Back dip⁴: Bodyweight x 20|20|20

Chest and Triceps (6/12/2008)

• High cable cross: 80 x 20, 90 x 15|15|15


• Incline ISO press: 140 x 15, 150 x 15|15


• Flat DB press: 55 x 15|12|15


• Assisted dips: 6 plates x 15, 5 plates x 12|15


• Pushups¹: 15|15|15


• Lateral DB raise¹: 20 x 20|20|20


• Tricep pushdowns²: 120 x 20|20|20


• Front raise²: 70 x 20|20|20


• Pec deck: 50 x 20|20|10

Back and Biceps (6/13/2008)

• Assisted pullups: 12 plates x 15|12|10


• BB row: 185 x 15|15|15|15


• Neutral pulldowns: 110 x 15|15|15


• Cable rows: 120 x 20|20|15


• Reverse pec deck: 50 x 20|20|20


• Incline DB curl: 25_L/R x 15|15|15


• Machine preacher curl: 40 x 20, 50 x 20|20

Second week...

Done with the second week of the new routine. I'm getting more used to it. Some changes have been made. I'll talk a bit about those below. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going, and realize that this is a whole different level of commitment to the gym - being there twice a day and spending, more or less, 3+ hours per day actively working out.

It's been two weeks and I've lost 10 pounds.

I did take the opportunity yesterday to have my body fat tested by a full-body hydro-immersion method done by GetDunked. My understanding is that with the possible exception of testing by air displacement (which requires a lab and even more specific and calibrated equipment), that immersion is the most accurate way to test body composition. TrainerDave™ had used calipers to test my body fat when we started working out, and I think the results were somewhere around 18%-19%. I thought that wasn't too bad for a starting point. TrainerDave™ was off by just a bit. The result from the dunking? 24.5%

Je suis trés unhappy avec ça. Still, Aeron, the guy who did my test, assured me that the situation was not as bad as I had hoped and pulled me away from the dunk tank where I planned to then drown myself. He said that he does this kind of testing all day, every day, and that the common tables of target BF% aren't wholly accurate. Most male athletes in my age range, he said, are between 16% and 24% (but usually at the lower end of that scale). Going below into the low teens is where it gets into the bodybuilder look. (Aeron also made me feel better by telling me that the first time TrainerDave™ got his body fat tested, he was about 10% over where he thought he would be.)

The report that came with the dunk (and I'm supposed to get a more thorough one in my email inbox, though that has yet to arrive) gave the following as my "hydrostatic evaluation":

HYDROSTATIC EVALUATION

Body Fat %	24.5%	Fat Body Mass	54.0 lbs.
Lean Body Mass %	75.5%	Lean Body Mass	166.2 lbs.
Ideal Body Fat %	15.0%	Weight for Ideal	195.5 lbs.
Goal Body Fat %	3.0%	Weight for Goal	171.4 lbs.

HYDROSTATIC TEST DATA

Gender	Male	Age	36 years
Height	69.75 in.	Weight	220.3 lbs.
Ankle Circumference	9.00 in.	Resting Pulse	70 bpm
Water Temperature	34ºC	Water Weight	6520 grams

METABOLIC INFORMATION

Your Activity Level	Over 12 hours per week
Maximum Exercising Pulse	166 bpm
Daily Caloric Intake to Maintain Weight	3965 calories

All very interesting. Apparently the final report will have more detail and instead of giving results as absolute numbers, it will display ranges with standard deviations and variances. Being a stats nerd, I think I like that better.

As far as the changes to the workout and diet go, I had a talk with TrainerDave™ on Wednesday at our second session. A week and a half had passed since our first workout together, mostly because there was no meeting on Memorial Day, and the week before that he was prepping for a contest in Los Angeles. (He came in 2nd in the welterweight division, by the way.) I mentioned that the breakfast, shakes, and dinner weren't a problem and I was sticking to those just fine; however, carrying my lunch and having it be so repetitive was killing me. Since IBM Almaden has a huge cafeteria, there is plenty of selection. On top of that, lunch is a social event at IBM, and carrying my lunch means that I miss out on it. People in my group think I'm a bit strange for carrying lunch and staying so strict. (And...really...there's only so much you can do with chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli when you have to carry it around all day.) TrainerDave™ said that as long as I don't go nuts and eat a pile of fries every day, it doesn't much matter what I eat at lunch, since I'll be burning all of it off anyway with working out in the morning and evening. So, a big salad with a chicken breast and fat-free dressing will be just fine. He even said that I could have pasta if it's on the menu. This is good news and makes me feel like I can live like a bit of a normal person, especially at work.

I also mentioned that I felt like getting up that early to work out, and going so late...that I wasn't getting enough sleep to maintain this kind of activity level. We re-tooled the schedule (and more importantly, re-spaced out the eating) so that I could get more sleep. I think that's going to work out well. I've also started keeping a more reasonable schedule at work. I'm only being paid for 40 hours a week, so I'm not doing what I did for the first two weeks and putting in 55-60 hours. I get there around 8:15 and leave around 4:45. That seems to work much better and I get home at a reasonable hour. So, the new schedule is:

• 08:00am - Breakfast


• 10:30am - EAS Triple-protein shake


• 01:00pm - Lunch


• 03:30pm - EAS Triple-protein shake


• 06:30pm - Post-workout AST VP2 whey protein isolate shake


• 08:30pm - Dinner

The other change is that I'm really liking the cardio, so I've upped it. Before, I was doing 45 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening after I lift. I've raised both of those to be an hour apiece. Right now, according to the monitor on the elliptical machine, I'm burning around 850-900 calories per cardio session. That's 1700-1800 calories per day from running. If one pound of fat requires burning 2800 calories, then I should be shedding around 3.75 calories per week just from the cardio.

Okay...time to wrap this entry up. I'll leave off with the numbers from this past week. I start cycle three today, since I took my off day in the middle of the week.

Day 1: Chest and Triceps (5/25/2008)

• High cable cross: 70 x 20|20|20|20


• Incline iso press: 120 x 15, 140 x 15|10


• Flat DB press: 50 x 15|15|15


• Dips: 4|5|5


• Push-ups: 15|15|15


• Lateral raise (DB): 15 x 20|20, 20 x 20


• Tricep pushdown: 100 x 20, 120 x 15|12


• Front shoulder raise: 50 x 20|20|20

Day 2: Back, Delts, & Biceps (5/27/2008)

• Pullups: 28(assist) x 9|6|6|5


• BB row: 205 x 12|12|12|8


• Pulldowns: 90 x 15, 105 x 12|12|10


• Cable rows: 100 x 15, 120 x 15|15|15


• Reverse pec deck: 70 x 14|11|12


• Shrugs: 180 x 20|20|20


• High cable curl: 60 x 20, 75 x 20|20|20

Day 3: Legs (5/28/2008)

• Lying leg curl (SS): 50 x 20, 62.5 x 20, 75 x 15|15


• Leg extension (SS): 6 plates x 20, 7 plates x 20|15|15


• Leg press: 360 x 20|20|20|20|20


• Walking lunges: 20(L/R) x 12|12|12

Day 4: Upper chest & shoulders (5/29/2008)

• High incline iso press: 160 x 15|15|15|7


• Military press: 140 x 15|15|15|13


• Side DB raises: 20 x 20|20|20|20


• Front raises: 60 x 20|20|20|20


• Rear delt rows: 105 x 20|20|20|20


• Upright cable pulls: 80 x 20|20|20|20


• Shrugs: 180 x 20|20|20|20

Day 5: Biceps & Triceps (5/31/2008)

• French curls (SS1): 70 x 15|15|15|15


• Skullcrushers (SS1): 80 x 15|15|15|10


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


• Alternating DB curls (SS2): 25 x 15|15|15


• Preacher curl (SS3): 50 x 10, 40 x 10, 30 x 20|15


• Overhead tricep extension (SS3): 100 x 20, 110 x 20, 120 x 14|20


• Back dip (SS4): Bodyweight x 20|20


• Concentration curls (SS4): 20 x 20|20

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.

Chest

Tonight was the last workout at Gold's Ann Arbor before heading out for the summer in California. A friend commented today that I'm crazy for actually making gym time on the night before I leave. I dunno...I love chest days, and I figure that if I don't make the gym a priority all the time, I'll slide into making it a priority none of the time.

Good workout tonight. Afterward, Matt and I went for a good protein-filled dinner at Mongolian BBQ. As a birthday/going-away gift, the manager (who is also a new buddy) comped the entire meal. NICE!!

Without further ado...tonight's numbers:

Monday, April 28, 2008 - Chest

Exercise	Cory	Matt
DB flat press	90 x 10 x (L/R) : 90 x 7 x (L/R)	60 x 10 x (L/R) x 2
DB incline press	80 x 9 x (L/R) : 65 x 3 x (L/R)	60 x 10 x (L/R) x 2
Decline bench	225 x 9 : 225 x 7	155 x 10 x 2
Cable cross	40 x 20 x (L/R) : 42.5 x 15 x (L/R)	40 x 10 x (L/R) : 42.5 x 10 x (L/R)
Iso decline press	180 x 15 : 230 x 15	180 x 10 : 230 x 5
Pec deck	130 x 10 : 150 x 10	130 x 10 : 150 x 10
Incline fly	50 x 12 x (L/R) x 2	45 x 10 x (L/R) x 2
TOTAL	22,715	17,100

Back

Just in time before leaving, my replacement weight belt came from EliteFTS. This one fits MUCH better (XL instead of L). Before the fit put the prongs into the last two sets of holes, and a very short overhang to leverage in getting the belt on and off. On the new one, the prongs hit the belt right in the middle of the punched holes, so I can grow or shrink in the waist and still be able to use it just fine. Still, it's a very hard belt and takes a lot of work getting unbuckled. I don't want to look like a complete tool in the gym. (Okay...no more than I probably look already.) So, I think I'll hold off until I get with a trainer in San Jose and see where things are - and get some advice from someone much more experienced.

So, here are the numbers for today:

Sunday, April 27, 2008 - Back

Exercise	Cory	Matt
BackExt (M) / Deadlift	200 x 15 x 2	185 x 12 x 2
Assisted WG pull-up	45 x 10 : 45 x 7 @ wt=230	85 x 12 x 2 @ wt=230
Seated cable pull	180 x 15 x 2	140 x 12 x 2
Bent-over barbell row	225 x 12 : 225 x 10	185 x 10 : 135 x 12
Lateral raise	80 x 12 : 85 x 10 (M)	20 x 12 x 2 (DB)
Posterior deltoid deck	115 x 10 : 115 x 5	115 x 10 x 2
RCStackSet	7.5 pounds	5 pounds
TOTAL	24,320	18,530