College Fitness Program

[John_Clark]

Hey guys! As of three days ago I'm a college freshman. I plan to make the best possible use of my unlimited food plan and the workout facilities. So, brief rundown of my past and what I'm going to do:

History
I've always been an athletic guy, although putting on mass was never something I excelled at. I'm a "hard gainer" who does well at the endurance sports (cycling, kayaking, swimming, etc.). I've had several operations on my arms and have a mild collagen disorder which can mess up my joints.

Program
I'm planning on roughly following this periodization sequence:

September-February Strength/Mass Building
March-June Endurance
July-August Speed

Since I'm in the strength phase and still a relative beginner to weightlifting, I'll be starting on the Rippetoe's program (MWF) along with some recreational sports (TR).

Rippetoe's
Workout A: 3x5 Squats-3x5 Bench-1x5 Deadlift-2x8 Dips
Workout B: 3x5 Squats-3x5 Military Press-3x5 Bent Over Rows-2x8 Chinups

I won't be increasing the weight as described by the program, since the last time I did that I ended up with joint injuries. Putting up the weight up by about 5-10 lb. a week is going to be my goal. I'm also planning on doing some core/ab work as well starting in the third or fourth week of the program.

Aerobics/Sports
I'm not going to kill myself when it comes to cardiovascular work (by doing HIIT) since I'm getting about two hours a day of cycling and walking in during my travels around campus. I will be doing some swimming, racquetball, and possibly tennis for fun, though.

Stretching
I'll be working on my flexibility during this time as well, so stretching will be happening once a day after workouts.

Nutrition
Like I said, I have an unlimited meal plan so getting the calories I need will no longer be a problem. Here are the numbers I came up with using a bodybuilding.com calculator:

Daily Requirements
Calories: 3,233 (I'm bumping this up to 3,500)
Protein Grams: 148
Protein Calories: 592
Fat Grams: 54
Fat Calories: 485
Carbohydrate Grams: 539
Carbohydrate Calories: 2156

Supplements
ON Whey Protein
Creatine
Animal Flex

Since I'm at school I was unable to bring my fish and flax oils, so I need to pick up a bottle of each. I won't be taking any meal replacements since I can basically eat as much as I want, whenever I want. The nice thing is there are plenty of healthy and nutritious options, so I'm not going to totally go nuts on trash food here.

[John_Clark]

I've been going to the gym in the morning before classes, but the college is short of staff so it's been closed. The hours probably won't be consistent until Monday, so it's not too bad. The last couple days I've been biking and walking alot, but I can't wait until Monday comes. Until then!

[/JV/]

Good luck with the program.

If you've read the book, great. If not, I highly recommend it. Well worth the investment. Especially if you're concerned about your joints, you want to make sure you're doing the lifts right.

Have fun in school.

[John_Clark]

Well, today was interesting. I got up early, got to the gym and... The weight area was flooded. I managed to go in the afternoon, though! It's a very nice gym with a bunch of aerobic equipment, about four squat racks, eight deadlift/squat/olympic lift areas (rubber on side for weights hitting, wood for feet), a bunch of benches and other equipment... Makes me happy! Anyways, on to the what I did.

Weightlifting
Squat
45lb x8
65lb x6
95 x5
115lb x5
115lb x5
115lb x5

Bench Press
45lb x10
95lb x5
95lb x5
95lb x5

Deadlift
135lb x5

Dips
165lb x4
165lb x2

Aerobics/Sports
I biked all over the place today... Nothing too intense, but I definitely got enough exercise to maintain my aerobic threshold.

Stretching
Took about ten minutes to stretch everything out at the end of the day. Back is a little stiff... Nothing too bad, though.

Nutrition
Here's the breakdown...

Calories: 4,491

Carbohydrates: 434 g
Protein: 183 g
Fats: 228 g

Supplements: Animal Flex, Creatine, Whey Protein, Powerade, Flax Seed Oil, Multivitamin, Vitamin A.

Notes
I'm quite pleased with my weight numbers. It's nothing great, but considering I haven't gone to the gym since July and had a knee injury in August... Better than I thought, even though dips were terrible. I couldn't figure out the machine to get assistance. Definitely going to work to get them up! I did notice my left knee was a little stiff/sore after squatting, but it went away after deadlifts. I sort of expected that considering I only stopped wearing a knee brace a week ago. What interested me was that my muscles wouldn't stop shaking after I finished, they were totally stressed. More sugars/liquid before...? Now, the thing I'm not too happy with is the nutrition... Fat is way too high and carbs too low. I'll have to watch that from now on. All right, time to study and get some serious sleeping in!

[John_Clark]

Notes
I played a little basketball in the morning, ate a massive amount of food, and walked around campus a bit. Couple important things... My muscles are still incredibly sore. Also, my left leg is bother me a little bit, in the knee and with some tingling in the big toe... Makes me worry. If there are still problems tomorrow, I'm going to put off lifting until they settle down. I'm going to then start off just using the bar for lower body lifts. So, here's to healing!

[John_Clark]

Notes
No weightlifting today. My leg muscles were so sore that I could barely walk to class. I think it's because my sleep was seriously disturbed last night... Definitely not due to lack of nutrients. It might be partially due to not enough water as well. I'm only drinking about half a gallon per day right now, going to bump that up to one gallon per day and see what happens. Good thing is, my left knee/leg is much improved, been stretching throughout the day. I'm interested to see how I feel by Friday!

[John_Clark]

Aerobics/Sports
I went swimming for twenty minutes at the gym this morning. It was very refreshing. Didn't keep track of laps or anything, though...

Notes
My left knee is feeling great, but I'm noticing my left big toe starts tingling a bit when I sit down. This reminds me of a less severe version of a symptom I had previously. I must be doing something wrong with the squats... Anyways, since I managed to injure myself (very slightly) the first workout, I'm going to do two things. First, I'm going to swim daily and not lift weights until I get ahold of Rippetoe's Starting Strength book, like AnotherSet recommended. Second, I'm going to find a lifting partner who can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.

[John_Clark]

Aerobics/Sports
Swimming

Warmup
1x Breast Stroke
1x Side Stroke

Workout
18x Crawl

Cooldown
2x Breast Stroke

Total: 22 laps
Distance: 3,300 ft.
Time: 29:35.28 (Minutes:Seconds.10ths of second)

Notes
Really good workout. Like I said, I'm good at aerobics so this was quite easy for me. I'm going to work up to a mile every other day. Now, I'm going to see if I can request the Starting Strength book through the library network... Failing that I'll purchase it, seems like a good buy.

[/JV/]

One other thing I'd recommend (it's helped me): If you have a digital camera that shoots video, consider using it once in a while to film yourself. I think there's value in being able to see what you're doing or not doing from different angles. You might recognize the parts of an exercise that need more of your attention.

Great job swimming!

[John_Clark]

Note
I can't find Starting Strength anywhere in the library networks, so I'll purchase it as soon as I deposit my paycheck. I like the idea of using the camera's video. Anyways, taking it easy for the weekend! Be back on Monday.

[John_Clark]

Week 2, Day 8
Aerobics/Sports
Swimming

Warmup
1x Breast Stroke
1x Side Stroke

Workout
21x Crawl

Cooldown
2x Breast Stroke

Total: 25 laps
Distance: 3,750 ft.
Time: 31:23.02

Notes
Just got back from swimming and chowing down a big breakfast, feeling good. I think I'm going to stay at 25 laps until I can bring the time down to 28 minutes. On the weightlifting injury front, my back is feeling better, and my left foot only tingles a little bit at the end of the day after sitting in classes for hours. Going to keep stretching things out.

[/JV/]

Hey John, just checking in. How's everything going?

[John_Clark]

Not so good. I came down with a cold and having a hard enough time just getting to classes, forget exercising. I'll be back and updating once I'm better.

[John_Clark]

All right, my cold settled down to just sniffles with mild fatigue and I was bored as hell. Modified workout for today...

Weightlifting
Bench Press
45x12
95x5
95x5

Cable Rows
50x10
90x5
90x5

Dumbbell Shrugs
90x8
100x5
100x5

Wide Grip Pulldowns
80x8
90x5
100x5

Back Extensions
BWx10

Nutrition
I'm having a hard time getting my exact daily calories each day since the menu changes pretty much daily and the school nutrition website doesn't keep up to date with the changes. I'll have to carry around a sheet of paper to write everything down for each meal.

Notes
Instead of Rippetoe's, I think I'm going to stick with an alternating upper body - lower body program. The reason for this is I notice my lower back takes a very long time to recover, and I believe Rippetoe's is too much. I haven't been able to get the book yet, either... I'm going to still focus on the main lifts (bench, military press, deadlift, squat), with a little accessory work thrown in (crunches, extensions). Just a rough idea for my workouts...

Upper
Bench Press
Bent Over Rows
Military Press
Chinups
Dips
Back Extensions

Lower
Squats
Deadlifts
Leg Press (As a finisher.)
Calf Raises
Crunches



Also, I think the reason my back is problematic on squats and deadlifts is due to tension and lack of flexibility in the lower back and hamstrings. I need to find more effective stretches for those areas and do them more than once a day.

[John_Clark]

This damned cold took a turn for the worst... So congested I can barely breathe. I don't think weightlifting would be a good thing to do right now, don't want to push it. : /

[John_Clark]

Weightlifting
Squats
45lbx12

Deadlifts
45lbx12

Leg Press
50lbx12

Calf Raises
70lbx12

Crunches
NA

Aerobics
I've walked/biked about three miles today. Not too much, but it'll do.

Nutrition
Breakfast
1xBoiled Egg
2xBiscuit
1xOatmeal
2x Kielbasa
3xMilk 2%
1xOrange Juice
1x Apple

Lunch
2xCheese and Chili Nachos
2xChicken Breast
2xFries (Not salted)
3xMilk 2%

Snack
1xCoffee Cake Muffin
1xApple
1x Liter of Water

Dinner
1xLarge Beef Burrito w/ Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato
1xSnickers
1xLiter of Water


Notes
Like I said earlier, I'm going to take things easy, staying at 45 lb. and 12 reps, increasing my sets by 1 per workout until I get to 45blx12x3. Once I hit that point, I'm going to stay there for a week and work on flexibility/form. I'm no longer going to get the exact caloric/macronutrient numbers for my diet, it's practically impossible to find out what anything has in it right now. Instead, I'll just be listing my meals.

[John_Clark]

I haven't been updating this log as I haven't lifted weights since my last posted workout. I have done some swimming, but only a little. My back has been in a lot of pain since my last workout... I think my lower back muscles are ridiculously tight, causing general pain as well as the sensations in my left leg. I'm stretching but it's not doing much... I'm calling a local massage therapist tomorrow to schedule an appointment, I'm hoping it will help. Since I'm having these back problems, I'm going to try a strictly machine-upper body workout tomorrow. I'll post how it goes.

[John_Clark]

Weights
Bench Press
45lb x12
95lb x5
95lb x5

Cable Rows
70lb x10
100lb x5
100lb x5

Barbell Standing Military Press
45lb x10
45lb x7
45lb x4

Cable Pulldowns
80lb x8
80lb x6
80lb x4

Triceps Extensions
30lb x7
30lb x4

Seated Curls
20lb x5
20lb x4

Hand Crunches
x10

Stretching routine after the workout.

Nutrition
Breakfast
2x 2% Milk
2x Green Tea
1x OJ
1x Cheese, Tomato, Onion, and Three Egg Omelet
2x Oatmeal
1x Apple
1x Plum

Lunch
4x 2% Milk
1x Green Tea
2x Steak Fajitas
1x Apple

Snack
1x Raisin Bran Muffin
1x Power Bar
1x OJ

Dinner
TBA

Notes
Even though my numbers were really bad, I'm just glad to get back in the gym again. I'm going to read up on bench press technique since my right shoulder was feeling a little iffy afterwards. I need to also drop my higher numbers down so I can do high reps instead of high weight/low reps, I'm concerned about my shoulder joint integrity. Also, I have a massage session scheduled for Wednesday so my back should start feeling better this week.

[John_Clark]

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Soy Milk
2x Water
3x Boiled Egg
2x Cream of Wheat
4x Cranberry Orange Bread
1x Apple
1x Orange
2x Piece of Chocolate

Lunch
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Apple
1x Water
1x Green Tea
1x Granola Bar
1x Orange Juice
2x Piece of Chocolate

Dinner
2x Water
1x Soy Milk
1x Hot Cocoa
3x Baked Cod Fillet
1x Chicken Breast
3x 1 Cup Brown Rice
1x 1/2 Cup Carrots
1x 1/2 Cup String Beans
1x 1/2 Cup Brocolli
4x Italian Bread

Notes
I'm revamping my diet by dropping dairy products for a while. I want to see if doing so helps improve my acne. I'm also trying to limit my sodium intake. As far as exercising goes, I didn't workout today since I'm still pretty sore. I also can't do massage at this current point in time... Too expensive and not enough time. So, I'm just going to focus on core strengthening and stretching instead. Tomorrow morning I'll be swimming, and Friday I'll do another upper body weight workout.

[John_Clark]

Aerobics
Swimming
10x Freestyle
1x Sidestroke
10x Freestyle
1x Sidestroke

Total Laps: 22
Total Distance: .625 mi.
Time: 0:26.22

Core Training
Pelvic Tilts
x10

Bridge
5x20

Plank
5x20

Bicycle Crunches
1x10

Followed up with a stretching routine.

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Soy Milk
1x Water
1x OJ
1x 3 Egg, Tomato, Onion, and (small amount) Cheese Omelet
2x Cinnamon Bread
1x Banana
1x Apple
1x Cream of Wheat

Lunch
2x Soy Milk
1x Water
2x Green Tea
2x Chicken Breast
1x 1 Cup Brown Rice
2x 1 Cup Pasta w/ Meat Sauce
1x Salad
2x Italian Bread

Notes

[John_Clark]

Weightlifting
Bench Press
45lb x12
45lb x10
45lb x10

Cable Rows
45lb x12
45lb x10
45lb x10

Military Press
45lb x12
45lb x8
45lb x5

Cable Pulldowns
45lb x12
45lb x12
45lb x12

Followed up with stretching.

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Water
1x Soy Milk
2x OJ
1x Egg, Cheese, Tomato, Onion Omelet
2x Sausage Link
1x Bagel w/ Cream Cheese
1x Home Fries
1x Apple
2x Hershey Mini-Chocolate
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flaxseed Oil

Lunch
1x Green Tea
1x OJ
1x Water
1x Ham Sandwich
1x Baked Potato Chips
1x Banana
1x Apple
1x Granola Bar

Dinner
1x Beef Burrito
1x Water
1x Snicker's Bar

Notes
I've dropped curls and triceps extensions so I can focus on the primary lifts. Also, I'm doing low weight for high reps now. I know I said my diet would no longer contain any dairy products, but I'm finding this impossible to actually do. The better goal to have is drastically reduce my dairy product intake. I won't be drinking milk or eating ice cream, but having a little cheese in an omelet or cream cheese on a bagel should be fine. It's such a small amount that I can't see it having that much effect when compared to the 16+ glasses of milk I was drinking a day.

Will be updated tonight...

[John_Clark]

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Breakfast Sandwich
2x OJ
1x Banana
2x Bacon

Lunch
1x Water
1x Green Tea
1x OJ
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Baked Chips
1x Apple
1x Granola Bar
1x Chocolate

Dinner One
1x Beef Burrito (Beef, Tomato, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream, Flour Tortilla)
1x Greek Yogurt (Bought it before I remembered the no dairy thing... Really good. I highly recommend Chobani Yogurt)
1x Dark Chocolate
2x Water

Dinner Two
2x Water
1x OJ
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Baked Chips
1x Apple
1x Granola Bar

[John_Clark]

Weightlifting
Bench Press
45lb x12
45lb x12
45lb x12

Cable Rows
45lb x12
45lb x12
45lb x12

Military Press
45lb x12
45lb x10
45lb x6

Cable Pulldowns
45lb x12
45lb x12
45lb x12

Followed up with stretching..

Core Training
Pelvic Tilts
x10x10 sec.

Bridge
5x10x10 sec.

Plank
5x10x10sec.

Bicycle Crunches
1x10

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Soy Milk
2x Water
1x Green Tea
1x Omelet (Egg, Cheese, Tomato, Onion)
1x Home Fries
2x Ham
1x Bagel
1x Apple
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Oil

Lunch
2x Water
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Banana
1x Appla
1x Granola
2x Mini Chocolate

Notes
I'm happy that all of my lifts are at 12 repetitions now. The military press is definitely still weak, not sure why. I'll be staying with 45 lb. for Friday as well and hopefully the press will be up to 3x12 reps by then.

To be updated tonight...

[John_Clark]

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Breakfast Sandwich (Egg, Slice of Cheese, English Muffin)
1x Sausage
1x Raisin Bran Muffin
1x Chocolate Croissant
1x Water

Snack
1x Banana
1x Raisin Bran Muffin

Lunch
2x Water
2x Green Tea
1x Baby Back Ribs
1x Sweet and Sour Pork
1x Wild Rice
1x Carrots
1x Salad
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil

Dinner
2x Water
2x Italian Sausage
2x Onion and Pepper
2x Whole Gran Artisan Bread
1X Apple
2x Carrot Cake

Notes
Didn't workout today, had to get to lab since I didn't get up early enough. I'm very tired... So I won't be getting up early and doing weights. Not sure why I'm so exhausted...

[John_Clark]

Exercise
Today was an easy day since it was a break and everything was closed. I just did a half hour of basketball in the morning.

Nutrition
Breakfast
3x OJ
2x Boiled Egg
3x Pancakes
1x Lemon Danish

Lunch
1x OJ
1x Water
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Apple
1x Granola Bar

Dinner
1x Raspberry Tea
2x Water
1x Chicken Breast Pita (honey mustard, lettuce, onion, tomato, spinach)
1x Baked Potato Chips
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil

Notes
I'll be heading to the gym first thing in the morning! Looking forward to it...

[John_Clark]

Weightlifting
Bench Press
50lb x12
50lb x12
50lb x12

Cable Rows
50lb x12
50lb x12
50lb x12

Military Press
45lb x12
45lb x12
45lb x8

Cable Pulldowns
50lb x12
50lb x12
50lb x12

Followed by stretching routine.

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Water
1x Cranberry Juice
2x Hard Boiled Egg
1x Kielbasa
1x Cranberry Bagel w/ Cream Cheese
1x Banana
1x Apple
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil

Dinner
2x Water
1x Burrito (Flour Wrap, Beef, Black Beans, Tomato, Black Olives, Tomato, Lettuce, Cheese, small amount of Sour Cream)
1x Baby Ruth Bar

Notes
For some reason my right wrist was pretty stiff/sore this morning... Noticed it on the bench press. I took some motrin to reduce any inflammation. I'm happy to have increased the weights, I'll be keeping them where they are for Friday's workout as well. Military press is still lower than the rest but my reps are coming up. I've decided to stop eating chocolate as well as milk since I'm still trying ot lower my overall sugar intake. I barely ate today since I was running around so much, but I'm not that worried about it. Planning on swimming tomorrow morning!

[John_Clark]

Aerobics
Swimming
3x Sidestroke
33x Crawl

Total Laps: 36
Total Distance: 5400 ft., 1.022 mi.
Time: 0:46.29

Core Training
Pelvic Tilts
1x10 sec.

Bridge
5x10 sec.

Plank
5x10 sec.

Air Bike
3x10

Cross Body Crunch
2x10

Followed up by stretching routine.

Nutrition
Pre-Swim
2x Water
1x Granola Bar
1x Almonds
1x Mini-Chocolate

Breakfast
2x OJ
1x Water
2x Green Tea
1x Omelet
1x Bagel w/ Cream Cheese
2x Zucchini Bread
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil

Lunch
2x Chocolate Soy Milk
1x Water
1x Veal
2x Pasta
1x Apple

Lunch II
1x Soy Milk
1x Water
1x Veal
1x Pasta
3x Garlic Bread

Notes
I'm pumped, this is the first time I've gone a mile swimming since last winter. It feels really good. I'll be staying at a mile and working to improve my time. I've also decided that one of my goals is to complete the 26 week Navy SEAL prep program starting next fall, it covers running, swimming, and lifting so it appeals to me. Just need to get my back and core in line before then...

[/JV/]

That's impressive. I can't imagine swimming a mile. I don't think I'd make it.

Looks like things are going OK. Good job on selecting a goal. Sounds like a pretty well-rounded one.

[John_Clark]

Notes
I didn't exercise today, swimming took so much out of me. My shoulders and upper back are very stiff. My wrists are also very still from the bench press, need to look at proper technique. Looking forward to weights and swimming some more next week!

[John_Clark]

I realize I haven't kept this updated. It's weird, like I mentioned in my last post my wrists were a little stiff. I took a little time to let them rest, but instead of getting better they got worse. I can finally bend my left wrist, but I can barely move my right one when I wake up in the morning. It also hurts alot, especially when I put any pressure on it. It can't be from bench-pressing... I think it's probably a combination of all the writing and typing I'm doing for school. I've been cycling alot, though, so it's not like I'm being an inactive sob. I'll be back once things heal...

Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving!

[John_Clark]

Nutrition
Breakfast
3x OJ
1x Green Tea
1x Sausage
1x Onion, Green Pepper, and Cheese Omelet
1x Apple
1x Banana
3x Biscuits
1x Oatmeal
1x Flax Oil
1x Cod Liver Oil
Animal Flex, Multivitamin, Vitamin A

Lunch
1x OJ
2x Water
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Banana
1x Apple
1x Craisin Trail Mix

Lunch II
1x OJ
1x Soy Milk
1x Water
1x Green Tea
1x Pasta w/ Sausage Sauce
4x Italian Bread
1x Brownie

Dinner
2x Water
1x OJ
1x Roast Beef Sandwich
1x Craisin Trail Mix
1x Banana
1x Apple

Calisthenics
Squats
12x Bodyweight
12x Bodyweight
12x Bodyweight

Notes
My wrists are feeling much better now. I am such a dumbass, though... I misread a Rippetoe's writeup on here and I thought you were supposed to lock your wrists at 90 degrees from your forearm when doing the bench press... This didn't make sense to me, but I went with it! I think this explains why my wrists got all screwed up. Next week, wrists will be in alignment with my forearm! Might help!

This week I'm swimming and doing calisthenics. I skipped swimming today since I felt like I was getting sick yesterday, didn't want to push it. I'm hoping the squats will improve my lower back flexibility to help me get going next week. I'll start with swimming, pushups, chinups, and get back into the core exercises on Wednesday.

[/JV/]

One thing I've learned about Rippetoe since I first read Starting Strength is that the training he promotes is all about using body structure and movements in a way that is natural. If something doesn't make sense or feels awkward, it's probably not what Rippetoe intended.

[John_Clark]

True, I misunderstood what "locking in the wrists" meant. As soon as I can afford it I'll be buying that book. I'm getting frustrated with the injuries I'm getting, some of which are entirely preventable. Others... I'll just have to see what happens. My left leg is tingling a little bit just from the bodyweight squats. I'm hoping to see a doctor and PT over winter break.

[John_Clark]

College-Years Goal List
I'm getting discouraged with all these setbacks so I felt like going through my goals and updating them to stay focused. I realized I hadn't done this on my first post, so I'll fix that problem here. Goals I'm currently focusing on are highlighted.

Strength
1) Deadlift 250 lb. x 5
2) Squat 200 lb. x 5
3) Bench Press 200 lb. x 5
4) Military Press 150 lb. x 10
5) Row 200 lb. x 5
6) Dip 200 lb. x 5
7) Chinup 200 lb. x 10

Mass/Body Composition
1) Increase overall muscle mass and definition.
2) Weigh 180 lb. with 9% bodyfat.

Endurance
1) Swim one mile in 40 min.
2) Cycle a century.
3) Run one mile in 5 min.

Flexibility
1) Improve overall mobility and flexibility through stretching and yoga.


Plan
Since I'm having such a hard time with things, I need to have some method to tackle the problems with. So, here it is, my rough year plan...

12/2/08 - 12/19/08
Swimming, stretching, and light calisthenics.

12/20/08-1/30/09
Physical therapy, massage, stretching, swimming.

1/31/09-5/30/09
Century training, light weightlifting, stretching.

5/09
Century training, ride a century.

6/09-8/09
Sports and endurance training, light weights, and flexibility training.

9/09-12/09
Rippetoe's III

Nutrition
Breakfast
2x Water
1x Scrambled Eggs
1x Sausage
2x Home Fries
1x Danish
1x Banana
1x Apple

Snack
1x Water
1x Green Tea
2x Raisin Bran Muffin
1x Apple
1x Banana
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil

Lunch
2x OJ
3x Water
1.5x Philly Cheese-Steak Sub (Minus Cheese)
3x French Bread
2x Raisin Bran Muffin
1x Banana
1x Apple

Dinner
2x Raspberry Iced Tea
3x Water
1x Hot Cocoa
.5x Chicken Fajita
1x Beef Fajita
4x Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (Very Small)
1x Apple

Notes
Very happy with my diet today, over 4,000 calories definitely. I went from 162 lb to 156 lb in the last two weeks, damned ectomorphic tendencies. Hands still improving, they're noticeably stiff when I wake up in the morning but they hurt less through the day. Still taking aspirin throughout the day. I'm tailoring my diet towards swimming. I've noticed that if I eat a lot of carbs the day before and a light breakfast before swimming, things go alot better than when I only eat a small meal before getting in the pool. I'm hoping to complete one of my goals by swimming a mile in under 40 min this week, so I'll be carb loading... I just need to take 6 minutes off of my last time. Also, my girlfriend is into yoga so she suggested I try some of that to help with my back tightness issues. Small detail too, I need to find someplace to store my racing bike in my room... Should be interesting! I have a head cold so I'll just be doing calisthenics and stretching tomorrow.

[John_Clark]

Aerobics
Swimming
18x Crawl

Total Laps: 18
Total Distance: 2700., .5114mi.
Time: 0.23:32

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Coffee
1x Water
1x OJ
2x Scrambled Eggs
1x Sausage
2x Raisin Bran Muffin
1x Apple
1x Cod Liver Oil
1x Flax Seed Oil
Multivitamins

Notes
My wrists are much better now, I can put them through a full range of motion without cracking and stabbing pain. They're still stiff when I wake up, but I'm stretching them out through the day. I forgot to put this down on Saturday, but a couple of my friends and I went hiking for several hours. Not too much of a workout but a good time. I got one of my buddies interested in working out so we'll be swimming until break and going to the gym together in the spring semester. It'll be good to have a spotter.

[John_Clark]

Aerobics
Swimming
36x Crawl
2x Sidestroke

Total Laps: 38
Total Distance: 5700 ft., 1.08 mi.
Time (Mile): 0:38.17
Time (Total): 0:42.55

Run/Walk
Distance: 2.82 mi.
Time: 0:36.11

Resistance Training
Light Calisthenics
Pushup x 15
Squats x 15
Bicycle Crunch x 10

Followed by stretching routine.

Nutrition
Pre-Swim
2x Water
1x Cashews
1x Banana
1x Apple

Breakfast
2x OJ
2x Water
1x Soy Milk
1x Green Tea
1x Omelet
1x Bagel w/ Cream Cheese
1x Home Fries
1x Banana
1x Apple
1x Flax Seed Oil
Multivitamins

Snack
2x Water
2x Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Lunch
2x Water
2x OJ
1x Green Tea
2x Baked Haddock
2x Mashed Potatoes
1x Corn
1.5x Steak and Cheese Subs
1x Apple

Dinner
2x Water
1x OJ
2x Green Tea
1x Turkey
1x Stuffing
2x Mashed Potatoes
1x Squash
3x French Bread
2x Cranberry Bread
1x Apple


Notes
I'm really pumped, swimming a mile in 40 minutes was a goal I set last January, and I got it by two minutes! I was really going at it this morning, no breathers and really pushing myself. My butt and legs are actually sore. Later in the day I was feeling really antsy so I tried running... I might have been overambitious trying to do 2.82 mi. but it went fairly well. I ran until I felt like I had to vomit then walked, repeat this process to the end.

[John_Clark]

Nutrition
Breakfast
1x Green Tea
2x OJ
1x Water
1x Scrambled Eggs
6x Raisin Bread
1x Apple
1x Banana

Snack
1x Coffee
4x Pumpkin Bread
1x Apple

Dinner
1x Water
1x OJ
1x Iced Tea
1x Green Tea
1x Chicken
1x Atlantic Salmon
1x Baby Back Ribs
2x Rice
1x String Beans
1x Zucchini

Notes
Muscles are really sore from my workouts yesterday, it makes me happy. My nutrition was pretty poor, but it couldn't be helped. I was too busy running around on my last day of classes.

[John_Clark]

Happy New Year!!!

Aerobics

Running
Distance: 1 mi.
Time: 8 min.
Average Speed: 7.5 mph

Weightlifting
DB Bench Press
50lb x 15

DB One Arm Rows
25lb x 15

Chinups
BW x 4

Improvised Dips
BW x 15

DB Military Press
50lb x 10

Bicycle Crunch
x30

Superman
10 sec x 3

Followed up by stretching...

Notes
I've been home on break for two weeks now, didn't get to post since something was messed up with my internet... I was swimming through finals week and now that I'm home I'm running and doing some light weights. The next goal I'm working on is running a mile in five minutes, I'm expecting it'll take me about a month to nail. My wrists are feeling completely fine now. My muscles were getting really crampy and joint integrity was pretty bad, but then I started drinking milk again. Everything's better! Anyways, until Monday... .

[John_Clark]

Weightlifting
DB Bench Press
50lb x 12
50lb x 12

DB One Arm Rows
25lb x 12
25lb x 10

Chinups
BW x 4
BW x 3

Improvised Dips
BW x 12
BW x 12

DB Military Press
50lb x 10
50lb x 8

Followed up with stretching...