Rot's rippin' it down for Disney diary!

[rotlex]

Howdy all! As this is my first journal in the sacred section of journaling here, allow me to lay out my plan, and reasons for doing this.

1. I’m heading to Disney World the last week of April, First week of May.
2. I’ve gotten a bit “too heavy” over the past holiday season.
3. I wanna look good not only for my wife and daughter, but the mouse!!!!
4. Last but not least, I wanna make sure I actually remember how to “cut” ;)

Little background. I’ve spent the past 6 months or so building strength, size and just generally trying to get bigger. I was successful, at least IMO as I set a few new PR’s, managed to get my weight up to around 220, and kept my BF kind of in check at around 15%. My workouts for this time period revolved around 3 day per week, full body, 5x5 style routines. Big compound movements for low reps, with some accessory work thrown in for good measure. Recently, as I noted in a post a few days ago, I have sustained a bit of an arm injury, that is preventing me from “going heavy” in a lot of movements. It’s getting better, although I still need to be careful, but I figured, what the hell, it’s time to change things up anyway, and start working on dropping the extra baggage. The planned trip to Disney is only more incentive to do so, hehe.

Nutrition wise, I always “eat clean” and simply “eat more or less” depending on what I want to do. For this, I’m going back to what I know works for me. Low carb\CKD. (For those that don’t know me, I used to be a 300lb lard ass that lost just over 100lbs on Atkins). So yeah, I know how to eat low carb properly, and maintain strength that way. As maintenance for me is somewhere around 2500K, I’m going to be dipping into the 2000-2200 cal range for the first few weeks to see how it goes. While I will be following a low carb plan, I will also be doing refeeds when I feel the need. They will usually consist of oats, more oats, Ezekiel breads and the occasional fruits. (Usually berries of some sort).

Training wise, I’m moving back to a body part split for a while. While I prefer to stay full body, I also feel the need for change, and to give my arm a break. I’m going to run a 4 day per week split that will look something like this:

Monday’s – Legs and core
Tuesday – Chest and Bi’s
Wednesday – Abs, cardio
Thursday – Back and calves
Friday – Shoulders and Tri’s
Saturday – Abs, cardio
Sunday – Rest\refeed

For weight training, I’ll be going a bit lighter, higher rep, 6-8 is high for me but I may move into the 10-12 range as well. Cardio will be low intensity only. I do NOT do well with weight loss or muscle retention with anything more than 45 minutes on a treadmill at a decent incline.

Oh yeah….current stats:

Height – 5’11”
Weight – 220 (Roughly, I can go up and down 5 pounds overnight at times)
BF – around 15% using calipers (I use it more for measure of change than accuracy as I prefer the mirror)
Waist – 34” at naval

Goal – To look good for Disney as stated above! :D Seriously though, I would like to drop back down to around 200 and\or get my BF back to around 10%. I also want my size 30 pants to fit “comfortably” again, and not make me muffin top, LOL.

I’m going to try and post daily. This week is a little scewed as I’m transitioning from my 5x5 to the split while at the same time, trying to give my are another week’s break.

Last note; as far as pics, I hate taking them of myself. I pretty much look like I do in my avatar\gallery pics. I know, only two of them, but they get the point across. I will post more at the end of this, or midway if I think the change is visible.

[rotlex]

Might as well add this here as it's my "first day" of journaling. As this is my transition week, today was cardio. 45 minutes incline walking on the treadmill at 3.5-4mph 12.0 grade.

Today is a VLC day for me. Pre-cardio was a tablespoon of coconut oil. Rest of the day will look something like this. I won't bore anyone, or myself, by posting meals everyday, but I figured I'd put this up here to give an idea of what I'm eating on low and higher carb days.

Pre-cardio - Coconut oil as noted above
Breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled in butter;1 ounce swiss cheese;4 strips bacon
Lunch - 4oz chicken breast w\1Tbsp Mayo, 1oz swiss cheese;1oz almonds
Mid after - probably nuts for a snack or something similar
Dinner - Home made Low carb beef stew;large salad with full fat dressing;home made low carb dessert
Pre-bed - casein shake w\peanut butter

Overall day will be roughly 2000 cals, coming in, according to Fit Day, around 60% fat;30% protein, 10% carbs

Until next time.........

[Hibiscus09]

It took me a minute, but VLC means very low carb -- yippee -- that's my hard brain work for the day. ;)

I'll say what you've done has worked! You look awesome in your photos. Good luck to you as you trim down for Mickey (or did you mean, Minnie?). :p I'm sure your wife and daughter already think you look good. :)

Here's wishing you success as you trim up for Disney fun!

Oh, and yum -- I love Ezekiel bread and berries!

[rotlex]

Thanks for the kind words Hibby! Oh and eh, sorry about the VLC thingy, I don't usually go for all those little odd acronyms, but I think my brain did that on on it's own! :)

Thanks again. I'm looking forward to this, and I'm figuring this will keep me accountable not only to myself, but others as well!

[joed]

A pat on the back
A kick in the butt
We can handle that.

Welcome to journaling.

[rotlex]

First day truly loggin' :)

As I'm still nursing the right arm, I stayed a little lighter today, and veered away from anything that was irritating it. Anywho, back and some calf work today:

10 minute warm up on the cycle

5 Sets of deads ending at 315x5
4 Sets Dumbell rows ending at 115x8
4 sets Hammer Strength pulldowns ending at 280x8
Nautilus Pullovers - 4 sets - ending at 175x8 (I have not done these in a LONG time and realized I kind of miss them - I think this is the only Nautilus machine I ever used, and liked).
Standing calf work on Smith ending at 315x12

Also did some ab work for maybe 10-15 minutes and called it a morning.

As I noted earlier, I won't bore anyone with a daily diet unless I make some drastic change, but today will be a high carb, for me at least, low fat day. Menu as follows:

Pre-workout - Bowl of Ezekiel cereal in skim milk + a whey shake
PWO meal - 2 whole eggs, 6 whites, 2 servings oats
Lunchtime - 4oz chicken breast, large salad, yogurt
Mid afternoon - whey shake or protein bar
Dinner - Tonight's pork medallions in a special sauce along with brussel sprouts, a large salad, and some home made low carb\low fat brownies for dessert
Pre-bed - some type of protein source with fats.

Should wind up around 2200 cals for the day

Oh, for reference, I think I've dropped some water weight the past two days. I'm down to 213 from 218-220 just two days ago. :eek:

That's all folks.

[rotlex]

Well, today was supposed to be early am cardio, but uh, the snooze button just felt like a better workout than the treadmill, LOL.

Just a note or two. Today will be a low carb day. Cals around 2000. I'm also surprised to see I am down yet another pound as of this morning to 212. I'm sure I'm dropping water like mad, but it's still fun to see the scale move this quickly!

[rotlex]

Shoulders, tri's and a little post cardio today. Looking forward to the weekend, and doing legs on Monday as my arm is acting up a bit. Going to ice it over the next few days, and take it easy on it. Today's workout:

4 sets standing military press ending at 155x5
3 sets dbell press ending at 55x8
3 sets lateral raise w/35x8
3 sets reverse fly's w/55x8
3 sets Dbell shrugs w/105x12
4 sets weighted dips ending 90x8
3 sets tricep press downs ending 200x8
3 sets close grip bench ending 225x8 (Used a Smith to offset balance issues with arm)

Spent 20 minutes on the bike post at a REALLY moderate pace.

Weight wise, down yet another pound to 212. At this rate, I'll shrivel away by Monday, LOL.

Don't know if I will post tomorrow, but I'm planning on a 60 minute AM cardio session before coming home and hitting up some home made low carb pancakes smothered in butter. :D

[rotlex]

Early AM cardio today on a few tablespoons of coconut oil. :) (Man that stuff can give you more energry than 12 cups of coffee, LOL).

Weight down another pound to 211. Hell, if this keeps up, I'll be down to 200 in no time, hehe. Actually, I may need to increase cals a bit if it DOES keep up, as I appear to be dropping more than a pound a day. Of course, I'm guessing once all initial water weight is gone, this will slow down as usual. If I can hold a steady 1-2 pounds per week, I'll be a happy camper.

[Hibiscus09]

Men suck. LOL Just kidding! ;) You guys sure seem to drop weight a lot quicker than gals.

You're doing great!

[mom24boys]

Welcome to journaling :) How old is your daughter?

[rotlex]

Welcome to journaling :) How old is your daughter?

Thanks for the welcome! Daughter is 4 will be 5 in July so I'm hoping she's ready for the trip by April. :) Actually, I'm fearing she is going to wear us out as she really is like the energizer bunny when it comes to being places like amusement parks!

[elzool]

Great job on the weight loss!

If you want to keep it off while at wdw, stay away from the mickey head ice cream bars. Damned addictive

Also, your daughter might love you more if you took her to a breakfast with the princesses. :)

Coconut Oil? WTH? Gonna have to look that one up

[rotlex]

Great job on the weight loss!

If you want to keep it off while at wdw, stay away from the mickey head ice cream bars. Damned addictive

Also, your daughter might love you more if you took her to a breakfast with the princesses. :)

Coconut Oil? WTH? Gonna have to look that one up
Thanks!

Oh, as far as the coconut oil. In a nutshell, it is a medium chain triglyceride. (Fatty acid). It is unique in that it is able to easily pass the digestive track, and go straight to the liver where it can be used as an instant energy source. Do a little Googling on it, and you will find it is perhaps, at least IMO, and that of many others, one of the healthiest fats\oils you can consume. And for me, eating generally a Keto diet, provides more energy and stamina than even the best simple\starchy carb combo's. ;)

[rotlex]

Legs and a little core work today:

Leg Extensions - 3x12 w/175lbs
Leg curls - 3x12 w/145
Squats - 6 sets ramping to 265x5
Hack Squats - 3x8 ramping to 250
Seated calf work - 3x8 w/320lbs
Weighted ab work - situps, crunches etc.
Weighted hypers - 2x10 w/55lbs

That was it for today. Not that I'm not feeling it in the legs, but I was kind of out of it this morning. Not very focused etc. Not really sure why, as I had a decent weekend, plenty of rest, sleep all that. Could just be the Monday morning blues, and the fact they are now calling for 8-12 inches of the white stuff in my area starting tomorrow afternoon!

Ah well, we'll see.

[rotlex]

Good day today, even if 6-12 inches of snow is on the way! (Hell, might actually have a good cardio workout tomorrow without leaving the driveway)!

Today was Chest and Bi's. Still nursing the right arm, but I am able to do a bit more than the past two weeks. Seems the healing process is slow, but frankly, it's been feeling better since I read Baldsnakes post a while back about working it rather than totally resting it. Seems as though getting the blood flowing in the area is helping rather than hurting it, so I'll just keep at it for a while.

Anywho, today's workout consisted of the following:

Incliine DB Bench - 4 Sets ramping to 90x8
HS Chest press - 4 sets ramping to 320x8
Pec dec work - 3x8 w/125
Through in some cable crossovers just as I was feeling a little vain ;)
3x8 bicep work with dumbells and preacher bench
20 minutes PWO cardio on treadmill, incline walking.

Weight wise, I'm currently holding steady at 211. This is not a bad thing, as I appear to be leaning out in the mid section a bit every day. I'm sure it's the fact that I'm running on less than 30 carbs for 4 days now, and I think I'm hitting ketosis pretty good now. Diet is holding at 22-2500 cals, roughly 60% of that from fat, 30 of it from protein and the rest carbs. I'm getting really used to having an AM omellette with swiss and bacon again. :)

[rotlex]

Wow, rough morning today. Spent a good portion of last night digging out from the big snow\ice thing. It's amazing how you can spend so much time in the gym, and something like shoveling snow still beats you up and kills your back!

Anywho....Back and calf work today. Left out deads as there was no way I was going to be able to to them with the stiffness and soreness I'm feeling. Also feeling like crap in general, including fighting an annoying cold\flu thing.

Workout:

Wide grip lat pulldowns - 4x10 w/155lb
Dbell rows - 4x8-10 ramping to 115lb
Hammer Strength pulldowns - 4x8-10 ramping to 280lb
Pullovers - 4x8-10 ramping to 180lb
Seated rows - 3x8-10 w/125lb
Standing calf work up to 405 for 15

Finished with 20 minutes on the cycle. Normally do ab work today as well, but the lower back was killing me!

Had enough snow now. Ready for spring.

[rotlex]

Ah, the magic of Keto and high fat. :) Upped cals yesterday to just over 3500 as I was feeling the need to refeed, LOL. I kept fat cals just over 65%, and finished the evening off with a LARGE slice of how made low carb cheesecake with a sugar free chocolate topping. :D Scales dropped this morning another pound to 210, hehe. As a side note to this, the wife and I used to joke when we were doing Atkins that we were going to get a few t-shirts that said "eat more fat" on the back of them, as everytime we went nuts and loaded up on things like bunless bacon cheeseburgers, we would be guaranteed to have a "whoosh".

Anywho, good workout today. Shoulders, triceps and a little cardio. Arm is feeling a bit better, but I'm still a little stiff.

4 Sets DBell shoulder press ending at 65x8
3x8 side laterals w/35lbs
3x8 reverse fly's w/55lbs
3x8 DBell shrugs w/115
4 sets weighted dips ending at 90x8
3 sets rope pressdowns ending at 200x8
3 sets close grip bench ending at 235x8

20 minutes incline on the treadmill.

That's all!

[joed]

Wow, rough morning today. Spent a good portion of last night digging out from the big snow\ice thing. It's amazing how you can spend so much time in the gym, and something like shoveling snow still beats you up and kills your back!...

Man that is so true. The one time this winter when I REALLY paid attention to how I was shoveling I made sure I kept my back straight & bent my knees to get a shovel full then pushed up with my legs - afterward & the next day my back was not sore at all but my thighs were killing me.

Workouts looking good.

[rotlex]

Leg day - Body weight holding at 210. Right arm still not back to 100%.

Workout:

Leg Ext. - 3x12 w/175
Leg Curls - 3x12 w/145
Squats - 6 sets ramping to 265x8
Hack squats - 3x8 ramping to 250
Seated calf work - 3x8 w/360
Weighted hypers
Weighted ab work

Off work today so I hit the gym much later than normal. Feeling like crap in general for some reason, and the arm issue is really starting to wear on me. Still contemplating what I'm going to do for tommorrow's workout if it's still bothering me.

[rotlex]

Killer morning. Loaded with energy. Probably due to 3 day weekend and deep ketosis at the moment. :)

Woke at 4am, had preworkout shake consisting of Hood Calorie Countdown skim milk and a scoop of ON.

Chest and bi's today

DBell incline press - 6 sets ending at 90x8
Hammer Strength chest - 4 sets ending at 320x8
Hammer Strength decline chest 4 sets ending at 270x8
Pec dec work - 3x8 w/125

Note on bi's - arm is STILL not near 100%, however, I am feeling better. This morning I had a stiffness and slight pain in the inner elbow, but I was able to knock out some 35DB curls, along with 100lb preachers and two sets of concentration curls w/30lbs for good measure. I'll see how this feels by tomorrow morning, LOL.

Finished with 20 minutes on the treadmill at 12%grade, 3.8mph.

Food wise, posting today's menu for a weekly reference. My weight is still at 210, for a few days now, but no complaints. Feeling leaner, and pants, size 32, are definitely looser.

Breakfast - 3 eggs scrambled in bacon grease, ah, bacon grease - picked up some farm fresh hickory smoked bacon at the farmers market this weekend, and there is NOTHING like making you omellete in the grease of 6 strips of bacon knowing it's going to help you LOSE weight. :D

Lunch - 4oz steak, roasted veggies, two hard boiled eggs
Mid afternoon - Nuts for a snack
Dinner - Home made chili, no beans of course, large salad, home made low carb brownies.
Pre-bed - casein shake in Hood Cal Countdown milk.

All in all, I'm taking cals back down for a few days. The above will be roughly 2200 cals, 60% fat, roughly 35%protein rest carbs.

Shooting to maintain a steady 2lb per week loss now that the initial "whoosh" is gone. Also want to keep strength up if possible.

[rotlex]

Cardio and abs today. 20 minutes of abdominal torture followed by 40 minutes on the treadmill - 3.5-4mph@12% grade.

Body weight still holding at 210.

[rotlex]

Back, calves and a little cardio today. Body weight still holding at 210, although I swear I'm leaning out in the mid section. Need to measure this weekend. :)

10 minute warm up on bike followed by:

Deads - 6 sets ramping to 315 for 5
HS Pull downs - 4 sets ramping to 280x8
Dumbell Rows - 4 sets ramping to 115x8
Seated cable low rows - 3 sets ramping to 120x8
Nautilus Pullovers - 3 sets ramping to 185x8
Standing calf work w/300lbs on Cybex machine
3 sets of situps to failure

20 minutes incline walking on treadmill at 3.5mph 8% grade.

While I've been running on nearly zero carbs for almost two weeks now, my strength is very stable. (Made a few increases in some lifts actually). I'm beginning to believe I may actually be re-comping a bit here, as since I have hit 210 lbs, been there for almost a week, I'm feeling leaner, and again, strength is staying with me. I was thinking of a carb up this weekend, but now I'm not so sure. I really don't see the need at this point, and I'm definitely in deep ketosis as I'm NEVER hungry, and pretty much have to force meals down which is pretty rare for me.

Until tomorrow........

[Hibiscus09]

You're doing great! :) Nice job on the workouts! I'm glad you're feeling good on the ketogenic diet. I would definitely need a carb up, but I think some do better than others on those types of diets.

As long as you're leaning up and feeling good. . . :D

[rotlex]

Ah Friday. No matter how things actally go, it CAN'T be bad! :)

Today was shoulders and triceps. Body weight holding at 210 again. After some thinking, I decided I'm going to do a mini carb up on Sunday, maybe 12 hours worth, as it has been over two weeks since I've gone over 40 a day or so. I figure that even if I'm feeling good, the load can't hurt. Going to try and keep it around 400 carbs for the day, leaving protein fall where it will, and fat as close to zero as possible. I'll post Monday how that went, hehe.

Anyway, today's workout, pain in arm and all:

Dumbell Shoulder press - 5 sets ending at 70lbx8
Side lateral - 3x8 w/35lbs
Reverse flys - 3x8 w/60lbs
Dbell shrugs - 3x8 w/115
Dips - 4 sets ending at 90x8
Tri pressdowns - 3x8 w/200 - drop setted down to 95x12
Was feeling all pump like so I threw in some tricep kickbacks with 35lbs for 3x8 :D (I'm tellin' ya, these will really pack on the mass)! ;)

That was it, other than some treadmill walking. Arm\shoulder were burning a bit today, so I want to give it a rest, and took it a little easier than normal.

Ah, tiime for the weekend!!!!

[stachedwalker]

Steve, what did you do to injure your arm? I did something to my right bicep at the inside of the elbow (who knows how) and it took about 3 months to finally heal. But back to 100%. As your about 1/2 to your vacation, how are you doing with meeting your goals?

[rotlex]

Steve, what did you do to injure your arm? I did something to my right bicep at the inside of the elbow (who knows how) and it took about 3 months to finally heal. But back to 100%. As your about 1/2 to your vacation, how are you doing with meeting your goals?

As much as I hate to admit it, the arm injury happened while carrying a water heater down a set of stairs. Figures eh? The injury is healing, slowly, and is more of an annoyance at this point than anything, but it's been just over a month already, and there is still pain in the tendon area around the inner elbow.

As far as my goal for the trip? I'm down a total of 8 pounds and I'd love to chop another 10 off, but I'm not complaining at this point. My combo of routine, and Keto diet, seem to be leaning me out quite a bit, regardless of the scale number. Waist is down maybe an inch to inch and a half, and frankly, if I can fit "loosely" into my size 30 shorts I"ll be a happy camper. :)

[stachedwalker]

As much as I hate to admit it, the arm injury happened while carrying a water heater down a set of stairs. Figures eh? T

Carrying a water heater down a set of stairs?? Good Grief man, you must be strong as a bull! The thing about the bicep issue with me was that suddenly one day it was just gone. Only felt it during some biceps exercises, no problems at all other wise. I hope yours is well on it's way to complete recovery.

[rotlex]

Sunday morning - day of rest and a carb up. Weight is down a pound to 209, the lowest it has been, although I'm pretty sure after the carb load today, I'll bounce up 3-5 pounds unitl at least mid week. :)

My plan for today is to hit 400 carbs, and let the other macro's fall where they will, with fat being as close to zero as possible.

Leg day tomorrow, barring another large snow fall they are calling for, so I'm hoping to hit it hard, and get back into ketosis by evening. Heck, even if I get snowed in, I figure shoveling is as good a workout as any!

[rotlex]

The thing about the bicep issue with me was that suddenly one day it was just gone. Only felt it during some biceps exercises, no problems at all other wise. I hope yours is well on it's way to complete recovery.

Funny you mention this actually. As much as thing thing hurt a month ago, unable to even curl say a coffee pot, LOL, the intense pain went away rather quickly. For example, as of this morning, I'm feeling no pain at all, other than a minor "soreness" from Friday's workout. I'm still going to take it easy this week, barring the shoveling I referred to in my earlier post.

Thanks for the well wishes!

[rotlex]

Decided I would add today's menu here as it's my first major carb up. Keeping it simple., yet filling, hehe.

Breakfast: 1 cup non fat yogurt;80grams oats;2 slices ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread;banana
Lunch: 80 grams oats;2 slices ezekiel cinnamon raisin;apple;1 cup non fat yogurt
Dinner: 2 servings barilla pasta with tomato sauce;larg salad ff dressing;2 slices 7 sprouted grrain bread, or a sprouted grain english muffin;1 cup non fat yogurt
Pre-bed: 1 cup yogurt; Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin.

That's the day, give or take a few snacks. The macro's workout, according to Fit Day with custom entries to:

2367 cals;30 fat;404 carbs and 115 protein, pretty much exaclty where I want to be. Tomorrow morning? Load up on coconut oil, bacon, sausage and flaxmeal to get back into ketosis again and get a little fiber, LOL.

[stachedwalker]

Steve,
Kudos on your journal. You put out a fairly detailed account of your activies and there's lots of stuff to review and ponder.

richard

[rotlex]

The morning after........carb up that is. Not as bad as I thought - the scale is up 3 pounds t 213, which is far lower than I figured after yesterday's carb load.

Workout went well this morning. Leg day. Followed what I have been doing for the past few weeks:

Leg ext. 3x12 w/175lb
Leg curls 3x12 w/140
Squats - 6 sets ramping to 275x5
Seated calf work - 4x8 ramping to 360lb
Hack squats - 3x8 ramping to 250lb
Weighted hypers - 2x12
Weighted situps - 4x10

I was feeling pretty burned after this, and nixed any cardio. Surprising really as I thought I'd have tons of energy after the carb load. I did intitially, but it waned quickly.

Ah well, back to keto and fat for fuel. Kick started myself this morning with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 2 flaxmeal cookies, 4 eggs, 1oz swiss cheese and 6 strips of bacon. (Yes, of course I fried the eggs in the bacon grease)! :D

[rotlex]

Ah, back to normal diet. Also back down to 210 - hopefully hitting 209 again tomorrow. Good day today - workout went as follows:

Chest and bi's with a little cardio at the end:

Incline dumbell press - 5 sets ramping to 95x8
Hammer Strength press - 4 sets ramping to 320x8
Hammer Strength decline - 4 sets ramping to 230x8
Incline dumbell flys - 3x8 w/45lb
Cable bicep curls - 3x8 w/45lbs
Preacher culrs - 3x8 w/95lbs

Worked biceps a little harder than I have been today and while I still have a bit of pain in the area, it's definitely getting better. Here's hoping it stays this way and I don't get stupid and push to hard!

[rotlex]

Back on calves today, followed up by a little cardio.

Started off with a small warm up on the cycle for 5 minutes, followed by:

Deads - 6 sets ramping to 315x5
Dumbell rows - 4 sets ramping to 115x8
HS Pulldowns - 4 sets ramping to 280x8
Nautilus pullovers - 4 sets ramping to 185x8
Seated cable rows - 3x8 w/120lbs
Standing calf work with 300 on cybex for 12-20 repsx3 sets

Body weight currently maintaining around 210. No complaints on that as I normally go up quite a bit more from carb ups, and I had one on Sunday.

That's all!

[stachedwalker]

Steve,
How did your weekend go? Get your extra helping of carbs today? ;) BTW, do you do any cardio of any type on the weekends. I don't mean necessarily hitting the gym and getting on the treadmill, but weekends may be hiking and skiing with the family, etc.

richard

[rotlex]

Steve,
How did your weekend go? Get your extra helping of carbs today? ;) BTW, do you do any cardio of any type on the weekends. I don't mean necessarily hitting the gym and getting on the treadmill, but weekends may be hiking and skiing with the family, etc.

richard

Good weekend, and thanks Richard. No carbs this weekend. :D I'm shooting for every two weeks at this point, and as I'll be away next week altogether, meaning no gym, I won't be carbing up until I return. Yeah, as far as weekend, I usually get some type of cardio\exercise in although it's generally outside the gym. Having a 4 year old can keep you hopping whether you want to or not, LOL. This past weekend, is was snow tubing at a local hill\field - LOTS of cardio running up and down the hill!!!! ;)

As it's Monday, here's today's workout. Body weight is holding solid at 210. No measurements taken, or BF readings as I was not even thinking about it with everything we did the past two days. Still feeling "lean" in the mid section, and seeming more vascular in the upper body\calves etc.

Leg day:

Leg ext. - 3x12 w/175lb
Leg curls - 3x12 w/140lb
Squats - 6 sets ramping to 275x5
Seated calf - 6 sets ramping to 370x8
Hack squats - 4 sets ramping to 250x6
Weighted hypers - 3x10 w/50lbs
Weighted incline situps - 4x10 w/45lbs

That's it. I don't expect to break any records this week as my arm feels as though it is nearly fully recovered and I don't want to screw with it. Also, I will be out of the gym next week completely as I'll be living in a hotel room, and on call for my job. I think it's going to be a much needed week of rest, and I hope to grow a bit, and fully recover my arm. I'll be keeping cals around 2500 and carbs very, very low.

Till tomorrow....

[Hibiscus09]

Great workouts! :) Feeling lean in the midsection is a wonderful thing. :p

[rotlex]

Great workouts! :) Feeling lean in the midsection is a wonderful thing. :p

LOL, thanks, and yes, it is!

Problem is, I'm one of those scale addicts as well, and even after all these years, if I don't see the number going down, I have to watch out that I don't start doing stupid things like running 10+ miles a day and starving myself, LOL. (It all comes from being a former fat you know what and having issues with upward number movements) :D

[Hibiscus09]

LOL, thanks, and yes, it is!

Problem is, I'm one of those scale addicts as well, and even after all these years, if I don't see the number going down, I have to watch out that I don't start doing stupid things like running 10+ miles a day and starving myself, LOL. (It all comes from being a former fat you know what and having issues with upward number movements) :D

Tis okay -- I wear a size 2 and feel fat. :D I can relate!! LOL

[stachedwalker]

Tis okay -- I wear a size 2 and feel fat. :D I can relate!! LOL

I didn't think they made sizes that small???

[Hibiscus09]

I didn't think they made sizes that small???

:D They make size O also. I don't know what happens if you drop below that -- a disappearing act, I suppose. LOL

[stachedwalker]

275 in the squats. Does that bother your back at all? How low do you go doing them?

richard

[rotlex]

275 in the squats. Does that bother your back at all? How low do you go doing them?

richard

No problems in the back area when squatting at all. Unless of course I screw up on my form, LOL. I always squat as close to ATG as I can, and always break parallel. If I can't get that low, I lower the weight. :)

I used to have issues a few years back, but spent some serious time practicing squats and deads as I was determined to be able to do them without injury, and as heavy as I could with perfect form. I also ran quite a few months of a pretty popular 5x5 routine on these forums, that has you squatting 3 days per week, light, heavy and medium days, and that helped a LOT.

[rotlex]

Wow, almost forgot my update from yesterday. :) I'm out of town until tomorrow, but do have internet access, but no gym. :(

Anywho, yesterday was chest and biceps. Routine went as follows:

Incline dumbell press - 6 sets ramping to 95x8
HS chest press - 4 sets ramping to 380x6
HS Decline press - 3 sets ramping to 230x8
Incline fly's - 3x8 w/55lbs

The arm is ALMOST 100%, at least I think, so I worked bi's a bit harder today:

Alternating cable curls - 3x8 w/55lbs
EZ Preacher curls - 3x8 w/95lbs
Dumbell curls 3x8 w/45lbs - It seems that dumbells affect my arm more than anything, and I started to get a little pain near the end of this, but nothing bad. Just need to be careful.

[rotlex]

Back from my trip, and back from the gym. Back and calf work today; I pretty much duplicated last week, didn't move up in anything in anticipation of taking next week off. I'll be out on business again, and figure I can use a full week off to let my arm fully recoup anyway.

Without further ado - today's workout:

Deads - 6 sets ramping to 315x5
Dumbell rows - 4 sets ramping to 115x8
HS Pulldowns - 4 sets ramping to 280x8
Nautilus pullovers - 4 sets ramping to 185x8
Seated cable rows - 3x8 w/120lbs
Standing calf work with 300 on cybex for 12-20 repsx3 sets

That was it. I was pretty beat actually from spending 4+ hours in the car, and I'm REAL glad tomorrow is Friday. :D

Until then........

[stachedwalker]

Like tomorrow's gonna be any easier! LOL 6-7 more weeks until your trip. How are you feeling about your progress. Ready to go shirtless and show off your accomplishements everywhere Disney will let you? ;)

[rotlex]

Friday!!!!!!!!

Final workout update for the next 9 days as after today, I'm taking my week off due to work related issues. (A business trip, being on call, and a few other things). Like I said earlier, I'm figuring this will be the break my arm really needs, and considering it's feeling much better, 9 days out of the gym SHOULD make it right again. :)

Weight update- down to 209 this morning. That's the lowest I have seen in two weeks. As I'm going to be out of the gym, I'm going to go really hard core Keto for the next 9 days. Going to try and push fat intake to 70-75%, keep protein at a bare minimum, and eat trace amounts of carbs, LOL.

Anyway, today's workout was shoulders and tri's, followed by moderate cardio:

DBell shoulder press - 4 sets to 75x8
HS Shoulder press - 3 sets to 240x8
Side lats - 3x8 w/35lbs
Reverse fly's - 3x8 w/60lbs
Dips - 4 sets ramping to 90x8
Cable pressdowns - 4 sets ramping to 200x8
Through in some tricep Kickbacks for good measure - 3x8 w/40lbs. These things will make you HHYYOOGGEE!!!!! :D

That's all. I'll post some body weight progress\changes over the course of next week, but no workouts.

Good weekend too all

[rotlex]

First update in a week due to being out of the gym, out of town etc.

Had a great week work\business wise, and remained true to my diet. :D The arm is feeling 100% better, which I'm hoping remains the case next week when I get back to the gym.

I'm feeling rested, strong, and most importantly, have dropped to a solid 208lbs. :) In the past 5 weeks, I'm down roughly 12 pounds, so it looks like my goal of hitting 200 by the end of April may be within reach. Ah hell, I think I'll set a new goal of 195 just for good measure, and to assure I can eat like a pig during all those character breakfasts and dinner's I have scheduled, LOL.

Be back on Monday!

[Hibiscus09]

First update in a week due to being out of the gym, out of town etc.

Had a great week work\business wise, and remained true to my diet. :D The arm is feeling 100% better, which I'm hoping remains the case next week when I get back to the gym.

I'm feeling rested, strong, and most importantly, have dropped to a solid 208lbs. :) In the past 5 weeks, I'm down roughly 12 pounds, so it looks like my goal of hitting 200 by the end of April may be within reach. Ah hell, I think I'll set a new goal of 195 just for good measure, and to assure I can eat like a pig during all those character breakfasts and dinner's I have scheduled, LOL.

Be back on Monday!

Great!! You'll be well ready to dine with all the characters!! :D

[stachedwalker]

Glad to hear you had a good time and feel better. Looking forward to your jumping back into the saddle again. :)

[rotlex]

Didn't have time yesterday to make an entry, so this is for yesterday and today.

Now that I'm back from the business trip and had my week off, I'm ready to get things going again. I've decided to change my workout from the split I had been doing for 6 weeks, back to a 3 day per week 5x5 with cardio on off days. I've lowered the weights for the 5x5 and will begin ramping them up over the next 5-6 weeks before I head out on vacation. Body weight is holding since the weekend at 208, which, as I said in a post over th weekend, I'm VERY happy with! :D

Yesterdays workout - first day back in the gym:

10 minute warm up on cycle

Squats - 5x5 w/195lb
Bench - 5x5 - Ramping 135-185
Barbell rows - 5x5 Ramping 115-150
Side laterals - 3x8 w/30lbs
Weighted hypers - 2x12 w/45lbs
Weighted situps - 4x12 w/45lbs


Today's cardio - 40 minutes on treadmill@6mph including warm up and cool down - covered 3.5 miles.

That's all folks!

[stachedwalker]

Steve,
Great to see you back hitting the weights with renewed vigor (as if you were lacking in the first place :) Taking a planned week off can actually help you enjoy your workouts even more. Best of all, no backsliding in your case. Now, how did THAT not happen ...especially on a business trip!!?? :D

[rotlex]

Steve,
Great to see you back hitting the weights with renewed vigor (as if you were lacking in the first place :) Taking a planned week off can actually help you enjoy your workouts even more. Best of all, no backsliding in your case. Now, how did THAT not happen ...especially on a business trip!!?? :D

Hehe, thanks.

As far as the trip....I was lucky enough to have a steak house in the parking lot of the hotel, LOL. Can you say steak, salad and buttered broccoli every night for dinner? A keto\low carb dream. :D

[rotlex]

Good day today. 2nd day back at the weights:

Warmup - 10 minutes in the cycle
Squats - 175x5x5
Deads - 235x5x5
Standing military - 115x5x5
Wide grip chins - bodyweightx5x5
Seated calf raise - 270x5x5
AB crunches - 3x12 w/180lbs

Finished with some stretching as the squats and deads really hit me hard, even at these weights, after Monday's squats and having a week off, LOL. Felt good to pull though, but I look forward to the next few weeks of slightly lighter weights. :)

[joed]

That's a nice lookin' WO. I'm curious how you do those ab crunches w 180 lbs?

[rotlex]

That's a nice lookin' WO. I'm curious how you do those ab crunches w 180 lbs?

Thanks on that. :)

The ab crunches are rope\pulley crunches\kneeling etc. (Never quite sure what to call them as I do a few different variations).

[rotlex]

Cardio only today - 40 minutes on the treadmill @6mph.

Bodyweight holding at 208. As I'm coming into the weekend, I have one day of weights and one day of cardio remaining. Sunday will be another carb up, the first in 3 weeks due to being off for a week.

[rotlex]

Friday's workout:

Squats - 5x5 ramping to 210lbs
Bench - 175x5x5
Barbell rows - 135x5x5
Weighted dips - 3x8 ramping to 75lbs
Preacher curls - 3x8 w/100lbs
Tricep pressdowns - 3x8 180-200lbs

That's all. Tomorrow is AM cardio, followed by a day of low carbing, followed by a BIG carbup on Sunday.......Here's hoping I don't gain 10lbs from it, LOL.

[rotlex]

Monday, morning after carb up. Went a little nuts yesterday with the carb up as I attended one of my daughter's friends birthday parties, and couldn't resist the cake. :D Other than that, I stayed on my oats, ezekiel and other good quality carb routine. Broke around 500 grams and kept cals under 3000. I was up 4 pounds this morning to 212, but I'm used to that. Hoping to hit ketosis again by tomorrow am. Started off my morning with a few tablespoons of coconut oil, 4 eggs scrambled in bacon grease, 4 strips of bacon, and an ounce of swiss for good measure. :)

Workout went well, and the arm is still feeling solid. Today's routine:

Minor warm ups\stretching followed by:

Squats - 215x5x5
Bench - 160-210x5x5
Bent over rows - 130-170x5x5
Weighted hypers - 45x2x12
Weighted situps - 45x4x10

[Hibiscus09]

You're doing great! :)

So, my Ezekiel bread pisses me off. I keep it in the freezer and it gets so frozen that I have trouble breaking apart the slices and a lot of times only a piece of a slice breaks off. Just thought I'd share. :p

[rotlex]

You're doing great! :)

So, my Ezekiel bread pisses me off. I keep it in the freezer and it gets so frozen that I have trouble breaking apart the slices and a lot of times only a piece of a slice breaks off. Just thought I'd share. :p

i HATE when that happens, and know exactly what you mean, LOL. I usually wind up either breaking a slice in half, or, at best, grabbing a brick of 4, hehe. I'll usually nuke em' for a few seconds just to be able to seperate properly. :D

I also have a new found love for their english muffins now that I found a place locally that carries them all the time. :)

[stachedwalker]

Somewheres along the line I think I missed something (and that isn't too unusual! ;) ). At the beginning, if Feb, you seemed to be doing more 'typical' workouts. That is 8-10 reps per exercise, focusing on a certain bodyarea (more or less). Today was squats, bench, rows ... doing 5x5. When did you change the workout routine?

[rotlex]

Somewheres along the line I think I missed something (and that isn't too unusual! ;) ). At the beginning, if Feb, you seemed to be doing more 'typical' workouts. That is 8-10 reps per exercise, focusing on a certain bodyarea (more or less). Today was squats, bench, rows ... doing 5x5. When did you change the workout routine?

I decided to move back to a 5x5 after my week off. It's my favorite style routine, concentrating on the compounds, and when I'm "dieting", I truly believe it helps maintain strength and muscle over more conventional "splits".

I also cut things back to 3 days per week when doing this, which allows me to get at least 3 days of cardio in on "off" days without affecting my workouts too much.

[rotlex]

Cardio only today - 40 minutes running on the treadmill @ 6mph. Happily, my weight is back down to 208 again...Now, I just need to be able to hit at least 207! :)

[rotlex]

Wednesday - pretty solid morning although I'm feeling a little under the weather for some reason. Probably the damn carbs I consumed on Sunday, LOL.

Workout:

Squats - 190x5x5
Deads - 275x5x5
Standing Military - 135x5x5
Wide grip chins - 5x5
Weighted AB crunches - 180x3x12
Seated calf raise - 270-320x8

Headed home afterwards and had my usual breakfast of 4 eggs, swiss cheese, 4 strips of bacon and coffee with some coconut oil.

[rotlex]

AM cardio today - 40 minutes on the treadmill@6mph. I have seen under 208 for the first time on the digi scale....OK, OK, it was only 207.8, but hey, it's movement!!!!! :D

[stachedwalker]

AM cardio today - 40 minutes on the treadmill@6mph. I have seen under 208 for the first time on the digi scale....OK, OK, it was only 207.8, but hey, it's movement!!!!! :D

Accept those 0.2 lbs with pride! :D

[rotlex]

Ah, Friday.........No weigh in this morning, but I'm feeling thin, LOL. Good workout though. The arm appears at least to be back to 100%, although I'm trying not to push it and wind up screwed for another 6 weeks.

Squats - 175 to 235 5x5
Bench - 195x5x5
Barbell rows - 155x5x5
Dips - 45 to 75 3x8
EZ Curls - 70-100 3x8
Tricep pressdowns - 180-200 3x8

That's it. Tomorrow morning will be cardio work only.

[stachedwalker]

One month to go, Steve! When it's Big Mouse time you need to update us with the results of all your efforts ... and I mean a pictorially :) (says the person who only has a profile shot ... and I'm wearing a shirt in that one! LOL)

[rotlex]

Monday morning. I've decided to mix things up a bit with diet, as I seem to be "stuck" at 208lbs. I'm staying with low carb, but moving to TKD rather than CKD. I don't think the carb ups are helping, so I'm going to surround my workouts with carbs, then back to LC for the balance of the day, as well as off days. Sample new menu\day below today's workout:

Squats - 240x5x5
Bench - 175 - 230x5x5
Bent over rows - 140-185x5x5
Weighted situps - 50lbsx4x10
Weighted hypers- 50lbsx2x12

Today's TKD meal plan

Preworkout:
60grams oats in water with 1/4 cup of hood 2%
30 grams whey
PWO - Shake - 30grams whey, 25grams dex

Breakfast - 4 egg omellete w/veggies
Lunch - Large salad with full fat dressing, 2 hard boiled eggs
Mid afternoon - Home made protein bar (Mainly whey and peanut butter)
Dinner - Home made hamburger pie (Beef, cheese veggies baked in pie pan), large salad w/full fat dressing, low carb brownie dessert
Pre bed - Casein shake in 2% Hood milk w/peanut butter.

I'm going to run with this type of meal plan on workout days for a week. Off days will be close to the same, but dropping the oats and dex obvilously. Just about 4 weeks to go to drop another 8lbs.......Here's hoping!

[stachedwalker]

"TKD rather than CKD" Can you explain the TLAs? (Three Letter Acronyms ... so darn common at work that we actually have an on-line dictionary to decipher them)

[rotlex]

Hehe, I know what you mean on the acronyms. In simple terms, CKD is cyclical ketogenic diet. Eat low carb x amount of days, do a carb up every one to two weeks. TKD refers to a timed ketogenic diet. Still low carb, but no carb ups. Carbs are generally eaten around your workout, then it's back to high fat, low carb. In general, for either, the ratios you are looking for with macro's is 65% fat, 30% protein, and the rest carbs.

I find that switching between the two of them from time to time helps keep my system moving.

[stachedwalker]

BTW, Steve, if your 208 looks anything like your avatar photographs, you don't have anything to worry about ... being that weight. It fits your fine. :D

[rotlex]

Good one today - felt very motivated in the am. Weight has also moved to a solid 207 :D (That was even pre eh, bathroom break, LOL).

Today's routine:

Squats - 205x5x5
Deads - 290x5x5
Standing military - 140x5x5
Widegrip chins - 5x5 (Will begin adding weight to these next week)
Weighted crunches
Standing calf work - 300x3x8

[stachedwalker]

congratulations on the weight loss. Just think ... it could have been more!

[rotlex]

What a weekend. I did NOT weigh in at all as between the Easter festivities, and a trip to Chocolate World at Hershey Park, well, I went a little nuts, LOL. Looking at it as a major refeed. As a side note to that, had a great workout this morning, once I actually woke up:

Squats - 245x5x5
Bench - 185 to 245x5x5
Bent over rows - 150 to 195x5x5
Weighted hypers - 50x2x12
Weighted situps - 50x4x10

Until next time.....

[rotlex]

Cardio day. 40 minutes on treadmill@6mph.

Side note: First time I have stepped on the scale since my Hershey adventure :D Much to my surprise, I am still 207, LOL. Coming down the home stretch here with 21 days to go. I'm shooting for 200 by then so roughly 2lbs per week. We'll see!!!!

[stachedwalker]

Steve,
Don't fear last weekend ... everyone did something like that. I had breakfast with my mom. She brought out coffee cake ....that's it. I got out the bacon! I'm not on a low-carb/high fat diet ... but neither am I on the 'carb only' diet! Gotta have some protein somewhere!!

Richard

[rotlex]

Today's workout - good day, but the past 4 weeks of squats and deads are starting to wear me out, LOL. Will be moving to 3x3 next week for the big stuff, along with some assistance work:

Squats - 205x5x5
Deads - 305x5x5
Standing Military - 150x5x5
Wide grip chins - 5x5w/25lb on belt
Seated calf work - 270-320x3x10
AB work

[rotlex]

Ah, Friday. Last week for 5x5 - moving to a deload and 3x3 for the next two weeks, leaving for Disney on the 27th! :D :D :D :D

Today's workout:

Squats - 200-265x5x5
Bench - 225x5x5
Bent over rows - 180x5x5
Weighted dips - 75x5x5
Ez Curls - 100x3x8
Tricep pressdowns - 200x3x8

That's it. The weekend is packed with activities relating to family, so no workouts, running etc. Fine by me as I'm beat from the past 4 weeks of squatting 3 days a week, with the Wednesday deads thrown in for good measure, LOL. I'm ready for a deload.

I have not weighed for the past two days, but I'm feeling thinner than normal. I think at this point, I'll be happy if I stay in the 205 zone, and can fit into my 30 inch shorts, LOL.

[rotlex]

First week of 3x3\deload. Had a nice restful weekend. Weight is still holding at 207. Can't seem to break that right now, but I have seen this before when running this 5x5. It's hard at times not to gain even while dieting, as I truly believe all the squatting, deadlifting etc. causes some serious test production, thus, even in a near 40 year old like me, some muscle growth. :D

Anywho, today's workout:

Warmup - 10 minutes on cycle
Squats - 245x3x3 (Worked up to after a few sets with 135x8)
Bench - 195-245x3x3
Bent Over Rows - 155-195x3x3
Side laterals - 3x8 w/35lbs
Weighted hypers 2x10 w/50lbs
Weighted situps 4x10 w/50lbs

[rotlex]

Wednesday, and down a pound - 206 on the scale this am. Workout went well; short, yet pleasing :)

Deads - 225x8x2 for warmups - 315x3x3 for finish
Standing military - 135x12 for warmup - 155x3x3 for finish
Weighted chins - 3x3 w/50lbs
Dumbell fly's - 3x8 w/50lbs
Seated calf - 3x8 w/320lb
Rope crunches - 4x10 w/180

I can't believe it's less than two weeks to my trip. I am REALLY starting to look forward to it. I'm also wondering what broke the 207 barrier, but I'm not complaining.

Until next time!

[rotlex]

Down to the wire here - holding firm at 206, so I'm guessing it's a real loss :) Good workout, quick, efficient:

Squats - 2 warmup sets - 135x12 - 3x3 w/265
Bench - 2 warmups with 185x8 -3x3 w/225
Rows - 2 warmups - 135x8 - 3x3 w/180
Weighted dips - 5x5 w/75lbs
EzCurls - 3x8 w/90lb
Pressdowns - 3x8 w/200lb

Taking it easy this weekend and doing a photo shoot for my daughters T-ball team - should be fun - first game for a bunch of 4-5 year olds - might give me more of a workout than the gym, LOL.

[stachedwalker]

Mere days until Disney! Hope your daughter's team did well.
Are you a photographer?

[rotlex]

Mere days until Disney! Hope your daughter's team did well.
Are you a photographer?

Hehe, yeah, 4 days and counting! Daughter had a BLAST and the weather was great over the weekend. Of course, all 4 year old T-ball games end in a tie. :)

As far as photography, I'm not a pro, but I am a very serious amateur. If I could, I'd love to make a living at it, but then, it probably would not be fun anymore!

Down to the wire, so without further ado, today's workout:

Squats - Warmup, then 250x3x3
Bench - Warmup, then 245x3x3
Bent over Rows - Warmup, then 200x3x3
Weighted hypers
Weighted situps
Aux shoulder work for good measure.

I'm really starting to burn out at this point, and frankly, my last workout will be this Wednesday. Then, it's off to one last day of work, and vacation on Friday!

For reference, body weight still at 206 - I will attempt to measure and get a BF reading before I leave. Pics wise, I think I'll wait to see if I get a tan while I'm gone, LOL.

[rotlex]

Woot! Only cardio today, but weight is at an all time low for this at 205.5. (Yeah, I even stepped on the scale 3 times to make sure, LOL. Two days to go - final workout tomorrow. Here I come Mickey!!!!!!!!

[stachedwalker]

Woot! Only cardio today, but weight is at an all time low for this at 205.5. (Yeah, I even stepped on the scale 3 times to make sure, LOL. Two days to go - final workout tomorrow. Here I come Mickey!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Steve! Now just think about all those deserts you can wolf down w/o having any guilty feelings ....Ok, maybe just a 'little' bit of guilt. ;)

[rotlex]

Final workout before I leave is done....Weight this morning was an even 205, so I'm pretty happy with that. (Total of around a 15 pound loss). I'm sure after I come back from vacation, that number is going to go back up, but hey, at least I know how to take it off, hehe.

Anywho, Today's workout:

Deads - 135x8 and 225x8 for warmup - then 325x3x3
Standing military - 135x8 for warmup - then 155x3x3
Weighted chins - 3x3 w/45lbs
Incline dumbell fly's - 3x8 w/55lbs

Also threw in some bicep and tricep work. It think at this point, I am really ready for the week off. I'm sore, tired and hungry, LOL. I'm surprised I was able to keep up with the 5x5 3 day per week squatting on reduced cals, but I guess I was eating enough fat and protein to keep me going.

I'm going to try and measure tomorrow morning and see what types of changes I have made. I have not done that yet but have been pretty happy with being able to at least comfortably wear my size 30 pants.

That's all folks!

[stachedwalker]

Congratulations, Steve .... and looking forward to the vacation photos :)

[rotlex]

Well, I made it back from my trip, and hence, this will most likely be my last entry here. No photo's yet, LOL, as I have not had the time, or eh, the tan, hehe.

Anywho, we had a great time in Disney, as always. They REALLY know how to treat guests right, and yeah, feed them VERY well. :D I wound up gaining maybe 2 pounds while there, and it's back off already. But MAN, to be honest, I couldn't believe I didn't gain more. We took the dining plan, which means we ate, and ate, and ate some more. Everything from prime rib to every dessert imaginable, hehe. (And beers around the world at Epcot were GREAT)!!!!

That's pretty much all folks, thanks for reading, and until next time!

[stachedwalker]

Glad to hear you had a good time .... and ate & drank to your heart's delight! that's the way vacations should be! :)