WhomperFit's Preparation for First Steps on Stage

[Whomper107]

Looking good Evan! Keep up the impressive work and bring it home!

Thanks very much Luke, I appreciate you stopping in! Now if I could just be carrying your amount of muscle at this leanness for my next prep, I think I'll be set

wow dude! WOW is all I have to say. Your SHREDDED! and 19! That's only a year older than I am. Your conditioning is just amazing dude. I know how hard it is to balance diet with school work and that's really impressive. I hope one day to come even close to that type of conditioning. Your and inspiration for teens man, at least for me. Awesome job, and another two weeks! I don't even know if you have any body fat left to lose haha.

I truly appreciate you saying that bro, it's really very encouraging. Glad to hear that about being an inspiration for teens. Let me assure you that at your age I was certainly not doing any contests, so you're already a step ahead of me there. I spent - maybe even wasted - the better part of the first month of this prep just trying to figure out exactly what my plan was, and then modifying it throughout the last few months to find what worked best for me. It's a good thing that you are doing a show now, and getting that phase over with. I would likely have been conditioned enough for the stage weeks ago had I not spent so much time learning the basics. Not sure if that would be such a good thing though... I can't imagine how unbearable it would be to maintain a greater degree of leanness than I have now for 3-4 weeks, so perhaps things worked out for the best.

[FATHER FLEX]

By the by...You are looking AMAZING!

[Whomper107]

By the by...You are looking AMAZING!

I won't lie - upon setting out on this prep, I had that SICK ass picture of your chest at contest time as my goal. I know I'm still a ways off from having that kind of conditioning or development, but it is still what I am working toward from here to the end. Whether I make it there or not, thanks for the inspiration and kind words - your input is always welcome here!

[FATHER FLEX]

You are not even close to done cooking

[Whomper107]

You are not even close to done cooking

True that, I intend to make us of every last day of this prep!

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Got a decent ~6-7 hours of sleep last night, and had a pretty good day. I didn't feel tired at all today, and was in a pretty good mood, but overall felt very weak, in spite of it being a refeed. The only way I can think to describe the feeling is by comparing it to the puniness you experience when you are sick, minus any of the other cold/flu symptoms.

It made today's workout immensely difficult - I tried every trick in the book to psych myself up and get my mind and body into it, but nothing was able to overcome the physical and mental barriers I was facing. I decided the best approach to the workout would be a low volume, semi-Yate's style type, with just one working set per exercise. There is no way I could have mustered the focus or strength for any more than that. I must say that in spite of feeling weak, I really think I gave it 100% in there today, and did the best I could.

MONDAY - 4/20/09
-1 serving Dialene 4X with breakfast, 1 with lunch

PREWORKOUT
-2 scoops Vasocharge, 2g beta-alanine taken 30 minutes prelifting
-30 minutes elliptical @ 131BPM (65% MHR)
-5 minutes stretching

LEGS
-2 scoops Xtend sipped intraworkout

Leg Extension
170 x 15
230 x 10
270 x 8

Front Squat
135 x 12
185 x 10
225 x 9.5 (dropped it at the bottom of 10th rep)

SLDL
225 x 12
315 x 10
365 x 5, RP (rest pause) +1

Leg Extension
200 x 10
250 x 6 --> 190 x 3 --> 110 x 2 (dropset)

POSTWORKOUT
-1 warmup lap at brisk walk
-16 HIIT interval sprints on track, 4 laps total
-1 cooldown lap at brisk walk
-3oz. chicken, 1 banana immediately post-HIIT

Strength was down by at least a few reps pretty much across the board, but given that I am now 2 weeks and 5 days out, I don't think there are any lifts to be ashamed of. It really took every ounce of concentration I could gather to bang out the working sets on each exercise... this was one of the hardest workouts I've ever had, simply because of how distant I felt from my usual strength and focus.

The HIIT was no easier - speed on the sprints was definitely down, and it was VERY tough to get through all 16 intervals. The only thing keeping me going throughout this workout was repeatedly saying to myself in my head "2 more weeks and 5 days," as well as thinking of the encouragement I can always count on from all of you guys - my brothers in iron I owe each and every person taking the time to read this a big thank you.

MISC STUFF
Vascularity was off the charts today... I had to do a double take in class when I looked down to see some veins in the teardrop/inside of my quads that were definitely not there a week or two ago. I'm assuming the refeed is the source, it gives me high hopes for what a full on carb up will do for me.

Finally got my PB2 in the mail this weekend. I am very impressed with it overall - it manages to capture most the flavor of real peanut butter, at only 1/4 the calories per serving. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who misses PB on their diet as much as I do... although keep in mind my opinion is that of a starving ectomorph who is less than 3 weeks out

Managed to keep hunger in check for most of today by sticking to the most filling carbs that I could, but I am still plagued by cravings for food from my body. It's a feeling I have never in my life experienced - almost like my mouth is watering for food nonstop, even immediately after my largest meals throughout the day. Not a feeling I intend to indulge in; the fact that I have only a few weeks left keeps my will strong. I am cutting out my use of supplements anywhere I can - no more Xtend between meals, I'd rather have some chicken Cut my dose of intraworkout Xtend to 2 scoops as well, and I will sub whey for a few ounces of chicken postworkout anytime it is possible. Satiety is king from here on out...

I plan to spend as much time as possible studying for finals over the next few weeks... it seems my mental state will continue to get worse before it gets better, so I really need to make use of every bit of time I can to ease some of the stress of my hellish finals/contest schedule coming up soon.

[bwelch1985]

stay strong brutha...you're almost there! NO REGRETS.

[The Solution]

Killer session bro. Id die to be able to squat 2 plates for 10 reps and then nail some intervals PWO

Big ups to you bro, finish this strong I have been lurking!

[Quelly]

question....you take a multi? or any b vitamins?

[Whomper107]

stay strong brutha...you're almost there! NO REGRETS.

Thanks bwelch! You've been a big encouragement since you came around the prep forum, and I really appreciate it. You're doing a phenomenal job with your own regimen - keep it up!

Killer session bro. Id die to be able to squat 2 plates for 10 reps and then nail some intervals PWO

Big ups to you bro, finish this strong I have been lurking!

Not sure what was harder about it... the mental decision to drag my ass up three flights of stairs to the track, or the intervals themselves haha! I appreciate you taking the time to post man, never any need to just lurk around here - I welcome any and all input!

EDIT And I can't accept credit for 10 reps, as much as I wish I could But you can bet I busted my butt trying for it!

question....you take a multi? or any b vitamins?

My everyday supplements include a multi, fish oil, and glucosamine. I use the AST Multipro 32X - I have this weird, OCD thing where I break the pill in two and do half with breakfast, half with dinner. I figure there is a chance it could help it get better absorbed, and it's not too much trouble to do.

B-Vitamins, not currently... I know Xtend/Vasocharge/Dialene are pretty rich in them, but I have also heard that oral absorption of b-vitamins is crap. Someone suggested I start using the injectable form to help with my focus in school, does anyone have any experience with these?

[Quelly]

Thanks bwelch! You've been a big encouragement since you came around the prep forum, and I really appreciate it. You're doing a phenomenal job with your own regimen - keep it up!



Not sure what was harder about it... the mental decision to drag my ass up three flights of stairs to the track, or the intervals themselves haha! I appreciate you taking the time to post man, never any need to just lurk around here - I welcome any and all input!

EDIT And I can't accept credit for 10 reps, as much as I wish I could But you can bet I busted my butt trying for it!



My everyday supplements include a multi, fish oil, and glucosamine. I use the AST Multipro 32X - I have this weird, OCD thing where I break the pill in two and do half with breakfast, half with dinner. I figure there is a chance it could help it get better absorbed, and it's not too much trouble to do.

B-Vitamins, not currently... I know Xtend/Vasocharge/Dialene are pretty rich in them, but I have also heard that oral absorption of b-vitamins is crap. Someone suggested I start using the injectable form to help with my focus in school, does anyone have any experience with these?

I don't have experience with them injected, but I was asking because myself and squizzzer were pale, and feeling like crap, and then started taking a b-complex and felt much better just days later, and we both all of a sudden got less pale...if you want to see how much of a diff look at my 3 vs 2 weeks out pics...anyway...I wasn't taking a sport multi though...so that might not be an issue for you

[Squizzzer]

yeah

[Whomper107]

Thank you both for the advice - I'm willing to do any little thing that will help, I will look into buying some this week. Is it worth investing in a certain recommended brand, or do you guys just use the generics?

[Squizzzer]

Thank you both for the advice - I'm willing to do any little thing that will help, I will look into buying some this week. Is it worth investing in a certain recommended brand, or do you guys just use the generics?

i just have a bottle of the cheap generic stuff i picked up at a grocery store when i heard b-vits were good for a hangover...lol

had em...and when eric started talking about em i figured i was probably deficient in all kinds of stuff...started up on my multi again and the b-vits and i feel better...and actually can tan now...

[Quelly]

Thank you both for the advice - I'm willing to do any little thing that will help, I will look into buying some this week. Is it worth investing in a certain recommended brand, or do you guys just use the generics?

i bought a generic b complex from vitamin shoppe....dont even know the brand off top

[The Solution]

I use the AST Multipro 32X - I have this weird, OCD thing where I break the pill in two and do half with breakfast, half with dinner. I figure there is a chance it could help it get better absorbed, and it's not too much trouble to do.

Derek Charlebois has something on this and i know Young9(Nick) does this as well. He has a purpose behind it.

[Whomper107]

Thanks for the tip guys, I will pick myself up a b-vitamin supplement at the store later today.

Derek Charlebois has something on this and i know Young9(Nick) does this as well. He has a purpose behind it.

Glad to hear it's not a waste of effort then. It makes sense to me that your body would get more out of 2 small doses rather than 1 large one, but then again I'm not scientist...

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Managed to overcome the insomnia and fall asleep at around midnight, but I woke up at 5:30AM for some reason and couldn't fall back asleep... grrr.... Decided to make the best of it and hit the gym before classes to free up my afternoon for studying and some other things I need to take care of.

Felt very weak again today, I could definitely think of a long list of things that would have been more fun than a brutal early morning workout in this state haha. It felt great to get it over with early though, this way I'll be able to rest up for some quality posing practice tonight. Strength has suffered noticeable drops, but I gave it everything I had. Took the low volume, 1-2 high intensity working set approach once again, I think it is the best way to handle my workouts while feeling this way.

TUESDAY - 4/21/09
-1 serving Dialene 4X with breakfast, 1 with lunch

PREWORKOUT
-2 scoops Vasocharge, 2g beta-alanine 30 minutes prelifting
-30 minutes elliptical @ 131BPM (65% MHR) - even this was a challenge today, every minute of it was torture
-5 minutes stretching

CHEST/TRIS
-2 scoops Xtend intraworkout

Incline DB Fly - tris are sore from arms on Sunday, decided to pre-exhaust with flys
30 x 15
30 x 15
45 x 12 --> 30 x 3.5 (dropset) - couldn't get that fourth rep up

Hammer Strength Flat Press
90 x 12
160 x 9, RP (rest pause) +2
160 x 7 --> 90 x 5

Cable Fly
20 x 12
30 x 7, RP +5
30 x 5, RP +2 --> 20 x 10

Overhead Rope Pulldown
6 x 12
10 x 6, RP +2

V-Bar Pressdown
12 x 7, RP +3

POSTWORKOUT
-1 warm up lap at brisk walk
-16 HIIT interval sprints on track (4 laps total)
-1 cool down lap at brisk walk
-5 minutes stretching
-1 banana, 3oz. chicken immediately post-HIIT

It really took everything I had mentally to push through this workout. I knew going into this whole thing that contest prep would be tough, but I NEVER could have imagined how hard this final stretch would be. It's completely indescribable - I feel so weak and depleted all the time - even things like climbing stairs and walking to class feel like huge chores. My energy levels, strength, and concentration are shot, and no amount of caffeine or supplements seem to be able to restore them.

HIIT certainly isn't getting any easier either - my legs, ankles, shins, and respiratory system were begging for mercy halfway through this one. Climbing the stairs up to the track feels absolutely ominous, all I can think about on the way is how hard a task I am setting out to do. Gave it everything I had regardless though.

The knowledge that fewer than 2 weeks remain until my first peak week is what keeps me going - I tell myself that I can do anything for just 2 weeks, no matter how hellish it is. With as much work as I've put in, I want to come out on top of these contests so bad that nothing is about to make me let up. What makes things truly challenging is the combination of contest prep and the rising difficulty of my coursework as finals approach - feels like an awful lot to have on my plate sometimes, but it's too late to back out of either at this point!

[RooRooTJ]

Damn dude. You are lookin shredded as hell. I am glad I am not going against you. Keep it up.

[Whomper107]

Damn dude. You are lookin shredded as hell. I am glad I am not going against you. Keep it up.

Haha thanks very much, but I'm sure you would give me a run for my money on stage - you look great bro. I am very much looking forward to seeing how your upcoming show goes for you, good luck with the rest of peak week man.

Rescheduled computer science test at 8AM this morning, and an hour of LISS at some point in the gym. I got a pretty good night's sleep, the most I can remember getting in quite a while... hopefully it will pay dividends to my focus and energy today. Also picked up a B-Vitamin Complex at Squizzer/Quelly's recommendation, will be giving that a shot. How often do you guys dose it? My plan was to do my multi and Dialene with breakfast, B-vitamin with Dialene at lunch, and the other half of my multi at dinner... but I am open to suggestions.

[The Solution]

With your attitude and drive bro, you are in the right place. Keep telling urself that nothing can stop you and continue to push forward!

Do work!

[Squizzzer]

Also picked up a B-Vitamin Complex at Squizzer/Quelly's recommendation, will be giving that a shot. How often do you guys dose it? My plan was to do my multi and Dialene with breakfast, B-vitamin with Dialene at lunch, and the other half of my multi at dinner... but I am open to suggestions.

looks good to me...

[Cronos1247]

Whomp do you dose Beta Alanine? I bought some in bulk and have been adding 1.5 grams to my Xtend and about a gram pre-workout.

[Whomper107]

Whomp do you dose Beta Alanine? I bought some in bulk and have been adding 1.5 grams to my Xtend and about a gram pre-workout.

I use 2g mixed into my preworkout Vasocharge, and 2g in my postworkout shake (but not lately since I've subbed chicken for whey) mostly out of habit haha. I bought a tub almost a year ago and it has really lasted forever, you get a ton of servings out of one. Not sure if I will invest in another when this runs out, I'll have to see how I feel without it to decide if it is worth it.

With your attitude and drive bro, you are in the right place. Keep telling urself that nothing can stop you and continue to push forward!

Do work!

Thanks a lot man. I have no doubts at this point that I will not be having any slip ups for the remainder of prep - but it's sure as hell going to be tough, this is getting harder with each day that goes by! I appreciate the encouragement.

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Hit the gym after my test today for my hour of LISS. I've enjoyed doing morning sessions the last couple of days - it's nice to get it over with, and allows me to use my time much more effectively, rather than going after classes in the evenings. Somehow when I do that, the workout has a way of taking up the majority of my night, leaving little time for studying. Now that I have it done and taken care of, I am free to come home, catch an hour or two of sun by the pool, and study at my leisure. I feel as though morning workouts will help me out both in and out of the gym, it's a habit I'm going to try and keep up.

WEDNESDAY - 4/22/09
-1 serving Dialene 4X with breakfast, 1 with lunch

CARDIO
-2 scoops Xtend sipped intracardio
-60 minutes elliptical @ 131BPM (65% MHR)
-5 minutes stretching

The hardest part of the workout definitely happened on the way there... my walk to the gym passes me right by the bus stop that could have me home in 10 minutes. Took some serious willpower to not procrastinate the gym for later, and go home to sit on my ass or take a nap, haha! Ordinarily that would never be a problem - it's not laziness I'm struggling with, it's the feelings of exhaustion and depletion. I feel a lot better having finished things up early today though.

Picked up 2 things yesterday at Target - a B-Vitamin complex, and a Valerian Root supplement. Tried the Valerian root last night and slept like a baby for around 6-7 hours, but that could very well be attributed to the my recent morning workout/more cautious use of stims. Will be taking the b-vitamin at lunch with my second serving of Dialene beginning today. I have heard that oral absorption of these is crappy, but I figure it can't hurt - it's worth giving it a shot before I result to an injectable b-vitamin supplement.

[Joe Go]

You look real good in the conditioning department. Your posing isn't horribly far off. You are in the right area when it comes to posing.

One thing that sticks out the most to me is your back shots. You are leaning forward giving the upper deck a great view, but giving the judges a poor view. Lean back. In your mind, separate your lower body at the waist. Right now you are posing like there is a board running from the ground up. Meaning you are too stiff. The board needs to break at the waist. Work on leaning back, at the waist, while your legs stay flexed and planted to the ground.

You are doing great!

[Whomper107]

You look real good in the conditioning department. Your posing isn't horribly far off. You are in the right area when it comes to posing.

One thing that sticks out the most to me is your back shots. You are leaning forward giving the upper deck a great view, but giving the judges a poor view. Lean back. In your mind, separate your lower body at the waist. Right now you are posing like there is a board running from the ground up. Meaning you are too stiff. The board needs to break at the waist. Work on leaning back, at the waist, while your legs stay flexed and planted to the ground.

You are doing great!

Thanks a lot Joe! I picked up my posing practice mirror last night, so I will be getting in at least one 10-20 minute session a day till the show, as well as the occasional 'walk-by' poses

I will do my best to take your advice on those back poses. So far those and the side tricep have definitely given me the most trouble, my posing coaches back home had many of the same things to say. I have a hard time finding exactly where to place my hips to best show the lower back - I have some decent definition there, but such a high degree of flexibility that it becomes very easy for me to mask it completely. With the side tricep, I have a hard time finding the best positioning for the judge-side shoulder, as well as how much to rotate my arm. Your input is always more than welcome here, I appreciate the encouragement. Showtime is coming fast, for both of us!

[Joe Go]

Thanks a lot Joe! I picked up my posing practice mirror last night, so I will be getting in at least one 10-20 minute session a day till the show, as well as the occasional 'walk-by' poses

I will do my best to take your advice on those back poses. So far those and the side tricep have definitely given me the most trouble, my posing coaches back home had many of the same things to say. I have a hard time finding exactly where to place my hips to best show the lower back - I have some decent definition there, but such a high degree of flexibility that it becomes very easy for me to mask it completely. With the side tricep, I have a hard time finding the best positioning for the judge-side shoulder, as well as how much to rotate my arm. Your input is always more than welcome here, I appreciate the encouragement. Showtime is coming fast, for both of us!

Showtime is coming fast!

Side tricep is a tough one. For the upper body, flair out your lats like you are hitting a rear lat spread. While keeping your lats flared, reach behind your back and grab the other hand. Then, roll your shoulder back while keeping your lats flared. Your will be real close for positioning if you do it this way. What people forget is to keep their lat's flared out while they hitting the pose. I also see a lot of people not bringing the rear shoulder forward. This will cause you to look narrow.

Hit the pose with your lats flared out as much as possible and take a picture. See what it looks like. Also, don't forget where the judges are. Tilt down at the waist slightly.

Last thing about the side tricep, don't pull on your arm hard. This will cause your shoulder to look messed up. Reach back and hold the other hand firmly, but not with force.

I just checked an old side tricep picture and you are cupping your hands wrong. Check my latest side tricep. You want to cup your hands the other way.

[Whomper107]

Showtime is coming fast!

Side tricep is a tough one. For the upper body, flair out your lats like you are hitting a rear lat spread. While keeping your lats flared, reach behind your back and grab the other hand. Then, roll your shoulder back while keeping your lats flared. Your will be real close for positioning if you do it this way. What people forget is to keep their lat's flared out while they hitting the pose. I also see a lot of people not bringing the rear shoulder forward. This will cause you to look narrow.

Hit the pose with your lats flared out as much as possible and take a picture. See what it looks like. Also, don't forget where the judges are. Tilt down at the waist slightly.

Last thing about the side tricep, don't pull on your arm hard. This will cause your shoulder to look messed up. Reach back and hold the other hand firmly, but not with force.

I just checked an old side tricep picture and you are cupping your hands wrong. Check my latest side tricep. You want to cup your hands the other way.

Thanks again Joe, it's comforting to have your advice on this. I will keep practicing, I'm sure in two weeks time I will be able to nail the pose.

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I'm really enjoying my rearranged, old man's schedule so far. I've been getting to bed at around 10-11PM (and actually sleeping!) and waking up at 6-7AM. I feel much more rested all day, though my mind is still foggy most the time from the diet. Got up at 6:30AM today and hit the gym at around 8 for LISS/Back+Bis/HIIT. I was able to approach the gym with a bit more enthusiasm then I have been earlier this week, but I was still dragging a bit, and strength is definitely not 100%. Hammered out a decent, albeit low volume, workout and gave it everything I had in there. Textbook form was used on every rep - pauses at the contraction, slow negatives, stretch at the end of the rep, and very full ROMs. Doing this definitely cuts down the weights used, but I think it is worth the increased effectiveness.

THURSDAY - 4/23/09
-1 serving Dialene 4X with breakfast

PREWORKOUT
-2 scoops Vasocharge, 2g beta-alanine 30 minutes prelifting
-30 minutes elliptical @ 131BPM (65% MHR)

BACK+BIS
-2 scoops Xtend sipped intraworkout

Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Row (decided to start with a machine to pre-exhaust and minimize risk of injury)
90 x 12
180 x 12
270 x 8
320 x 8, RP +2 --> 180 x 5 (RP = rest pause, --> = dropset)

W. Grip Chins (absolutely sucked on these today, no strength whatsoever)
BW x 7
BW x 5

DB Row
100 x 8, RP +3
90 x 9

Lat Pull
12 x 7, RP +3 --> 9 x 5

Seated DB Curl x 2 sets

POSTWORKOUT
-1 warmup lap at brisk walk
-16 HIIT interval sprints (4 laps total)
-1 cooldown lap at brisk walk
-5 minutes stretching
-1 scoop whey, 1 PB&J (2 slices light wheat bread, 2T Better N' Peanut Butter, 1T sugar-free jelly - mmmm...) immediately post-HIIT


A decent workout, I think I managed to hit my back pretty well despite the weakness. Not sure what the hell was wrong with me on those chins - theoretically I should be performing better than ever on any type of bodyweight lift, but I just could not get up there to save my life.

HIIT was completely unforgiving - I almost didn't follow through with it after I started my warmup lap because my right ankle felt a little tweaked, but it wasn't anything too bad so I decided to get it done anyways. Had to literally say outloud to myself - "Just effin get this done already!" - and the rest was history. I find once I get those first 10 done, it's not too bad... at that point I'm able to tell myself "Come on only 1.5 laps left!"

MISC STUFF
Fairly certain I got hit on at the gym today - Ordinarily that would be great news, except it happened in the locker room... which of courses implies it was a dude. I was at the sink shaving and the guy next to me is giving me these sidelong glances. Next thing I know he opens up a conversation with "So have you ever tried that AXE Chocolate stuff?" I was pretty floored, not least of all by such a lame way to open up conversation. Finished getting ready as fast as I could to escape what became an interrogation about my routine, history, and whether he should 'cut carbs' or not. Man was I glad to get out of there... He was looking at me like some piece of meat or something, I definitely didn't waste any time putting a shirt on.

[zmcdole]

Hey bro, I just wanna say that you are impressive. Not many people your age can achieve that level of leanness. Nice job!!! Also, seeing how lean you are and following your progress, it looks like you know a thing or two about diet. Not many people your age can say that and back it up with what you have shown. Quick question for you. I forgot to eat 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter yesterday. I know, how did I forget PB its awesome. Anyways, is it ok if I just eat it today since my macros for the week will be the same? Let me know and keep up the good work.

[Whomper107]

Hey bro, I just wanna say that you are impressive. Not many people your age can achieve that level of leanness. Nice job!!! Also, seeing how lean you are and following your progress, it looks like you know a thing or two about diet. Not many people your age can say that and back it up with what you have shown. Quick question for you. I forgot to eat 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter yesterday. I know, how did I forget PB its awesome. Anyways, is it ok if I just eat it today since my macros for the week will be the same? Let me know and keep up the good work.

Just put an answer up in your thread - but keep in mind, I am far from the most experienced guy around here, training or nutrition wise. This is only my first contest after all!

[zmcdole]

Just put an answer up in your thread - but keep in mind, I am far from the most experienced guy around here, training or nutrition wise. This is only my first contest after all!

Well the proof is in the pudding and the pudding looks good. NO homo. haha

[Whomper107]

Well the proof is in the pudding and the pudding looks good. NO homo. haha

Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate your words. It's encouragement like this that has helped keep me going through the increasingly difficult last few week of this prep.

Just a quick midday update - Feeling like absolute CRAP today. I've been saying this pretty frequently all week, but I think it really got taken to the next level today. Probably a combination of a tough LISS/Weights/HIIT session in the gym yesterday, an additional week of dieting under my belt, and a late night math tutoring session last night. Didn't finish there until midnight, so I wasn't in bed till after 1AM, and had to be up at 6:30AM this morning. Lack of sleep + Lack of carbs = BAD.

Didn't go to the gym between classes like I normally would this morning so that I could study for a math quiz I had at noon today. Pretty sure I bombed the damn thing - try as I might, I simply could not get my head into studying for it. My mind has been feeling feeling very cloudy lately, and my focus seems to drift away from what I'm doing easier than ever.

Scheduled for an hour of LISS today, but I'm wondering if my body is demanding a break - is it normal to feel THIS ****ty 2 weeks out? I have nothing to be in a bad mood about, and truly am not - I just feel very tired, worn down, and depleted. I am debating whether I should take today off from the gym, on the off chance that it will restore my focus a little for tomorrow's LISS/Shoulder/HIIT session, or just go grind it out and risk feeling worse. Honest to God, I'm not just being lazy - I just want to act in the best interest of my body, what is the answer here?

Right now I'm thinking if this dragging ass feeling continues into tonight, I will let it go and take the day off. But if things pick up after I get a few more meals in me - which they oftentimes do - I will get in there and do it.