Laid to Rest No More!--The Big Sleep's Path to New Life

[The Big Sleep]

Laid to Rest No More!--The Big Sleep's Path to New Life

I recently started a log with two other forum members and have decided its best to log solo in here to keep the convolution to a minimum. I would like to give a quick shout out to the members who inspired me to start a log (you know who you are) and have helped me in recovering over the past few months, thank you for your support

This will cover my daily pursuit to a HEALTHIER, STRONGER, and BETTER Life.

I welcome and appreciate any CONSTRUCTIVE comments

A Brief History of Myself:

First off, my name is Elliot (call me that or The Big Sleep, doesnt matter). I grew up in a family that adored food; my parents and siblings all have issues with being overweight as does my extended family. Needless to say, I found myself a fat kid growing up and was always hassled by kids. I got the usual grief from friends and peers about being overweight, even earned the nickname "Hungry Old Elliot" which I wasnt so proud of.

Everybody said I was destined to be like my bro, a big O-lineman for the varsity football squad, but it was around 10th grade I realized that wasn't my calling in life. This is where things took a turn for the worse. I always wanted to know what it was like to be "normal" and not have to worry about people calling me "fatty" or knowing I never had a shot with any girl I had a crush on, etc. So I took the initiative and asked one of my close friends who ran cross country how to lose weight (BIG MISTAKE).

I literally lived with my cross country friend for the entire summer; I went from a sedentary 6'0" 210lbs fat kid who ate like none other to eating ONE MEAL a day (before bed) and doing upwards of 2 hours of cardio PER DAY! Long story short, 3 months later I was 140lbs! On the outside, people couldnt believe it was me when school started back up. Teachers, parents, friends, family, everybody was stunned. I got compliments and people started coming to me asking how to lose weight, but deep down I knew I had a problem. I was afraid to eat. I even went so far as to purge myself if I felt like I overate, or I would go run a couple miles after eating to make sure I didnt gain weight.

I was never hospitalized, but thats likely due to the fact that I kept everything to myself. Im a pretty reserved person, never been a party guy or liked being in a big crowd. I had nobody to confide in so I would basically just look at myself in the mirror and insist I was still fat at 6'1" 140lbs. I would spend nights crying, wondering if it was even worth it to try anymore, but I kept my faith with the Lord and He has guided me since. That was about 7 years ago...

So whats happened since then? Well I eventually found the BB.com forums and started reading about lifting and gaining weight. My brother showed me various workouts and even gave me all his old Flex magazines and Ronnie Coleman DVDs and it was like a switch went off...I became hooked on lifting! I read a lot about eating more and slowly started to add food back in. I put on about 25lbs of "newbie" gains in the first 5 months of lifting, my friends asked me if I was taking steroids lol. But then I hit a plateau that has stuck me at the 165lbs I still to this day cant get passed (mentally and physically). I still have recurring issues with putting on fat because I feel like I already am too fat...even though Im fairly lean around 10-11% BF. I just have this dang skinny-fat look from all the muscle loss from the anorexia and over exercising. I tend to hold most of my fat right on the lower abdomen and in my glutes so its a struggle but it will be overcome.

Theres a lot more to the story, but it would run for pages to go into all the details .

Currently:
As of now Im following Intermittent Fasting and loving it. I started about 3 weeks ago and am really adapting well. For about the past year I had been slipping back into another "phase" where I was over doing the cardio and eating around 1500 calories a day and my body was shutting down. Ive since had to go see several specialists because my hormones were all out of whack and my pituitary gland was failing. I knew the issues were because of my undereating and the stress I put on my body, so it had to stop! Ive started to up my calories each week, cardio has been cut back (NO MORE HIIT), and I lift 4 times a week.

I tend to eat the same foods everyday, but I enjoy what I eat. I do weigh out everything on a scale and I log it on an iPod app. Im meticulous about those kind of things but I am a bit more lax about it now that Im trying to eat more. Ill make an effort to get food pics up in here as well...you can always check the M.E.N thread in the nutrition section as well, Im in there quite a bit now

I know this was long (and its the short short version of it lol) but this log isnt about my past, but about the road ahead! I have some before pics stored away, but I want to keep them concealed until I can post some solid after pictures because its a work in progress

Ill do my best to update every morning on the daily agenda/plan and I look forward to hearing from anyone who's following!

Its not where you start, its where you finish that counts. Lets Roll!
-Ell

[The Big Sleep]

Monday, October 4, 2010
Song of the Day:

Tom Araya's vocals get me rolling like none other for a lower body workout!
PS-I listen to anything from smooth jazz to rap to metal, so dont be surprised to see some eclectic mixes in here

Bodyweight (upon waking)=165.2lbs

This Week's Workout Split (90%):
Mon-Lower Body A
Tues-Upper Body A
Wed-LISS Cardio
Thurs-Lower Body B
Fri-Upper Body B
Sat-LISS Cardio
Sun-Rest Day

Goal Macros Today: 240g protein/70g fat/280g carbs ~2700 calories (Weekly Cheat meal today so may be over)
Supplements: Multi-V, Feosol (Iron), Calcium+D, Vit.C, USP Labs Jack3D/White Flood/Quake 10.0 (take whatever I feel like that day for PreWO), 10g BCAAs (Scivation Xtend) Pre/During WO

Weekly Goals: Keep hitting my macros, stay active inside and outside of gym
Short-Term Goals (Aiming for Mid-January 2011): Gain 6-8lbs LBM, Bench 200lbs, Squat 275lbs, BB Row 215lbs, Military Press 145lbs

Today's Agenda

Today is week 3 of 4 of my current "wave" of upper/lower so all compound lifts are done at 90% of my beginning 5 rep max. This is simply to focus on form, time-under-tension, and mind-muscle connection. The goal is TO NOT burnout, as next week is when I will be hitting PRs and then a new "wave" will begin again. Ill post a sample of what I did ASAP.


One day closer,
-Ell

[DTrulez616]

Subbed to this one as well.

[Saintly]

In on this! Now I'll follow both :O

[Scooter4]

Subbed. Weren'tt you already in on that three-some log in the Nutrition section?

[determined4000]

In
Man I have a lot of subscriptions now
O well, more reading and inspiration.

[dustinh6719]

in again

[The Big Sleep]

Subbed to this one as well.

In on this! Now I'll follow both :O

Subbed. Weren'tt you already in on that three-some log in the Nutrition section?

In
Man I have a lot of subscriptions now
O well, more reading and inspiration.

in again

Thanks guys, glad to have the support still

Scooter: Read the first post

[Scooter4]

Thanks guys, glad to have the support still

Scooter: Read the first post

Lmao, I skimmed through it but completely missed the first couple sentences.

[The Big Sleep]

Lmao, I skimmed through it but completely missed the first couple sentences.

It happens to the best of us lol

[Webber91]

In on this bro

[The Big Sleep]

In on this bro

Glad to have you man

For some reason I just wasnt in the mood to eat after my lower workout, so I did the best I could to eat my post workout meal and then hit my Cheat Meal as well. I had some goodies leftover and still hadnt tried the Phish Food from B&Js so I made my own Cheat Meal at home.

B&J's Phish Food


Spoon shot

Pretty good, was hoping for a more "marshmallowy" taste, good mix-ins though

Reheated some stuffed-pizza using a skillet, nice n' crispy


My attempt at a Chipotle Burrito


The Whole Shebang


Time for much needed sleep, will update workouts tomorrow
-Ell

[watermelon_2001]

Got your link; count me in!!

[Flyin Ryan]

Sounds like a plan, brother.
Count me in for the long haul.

[JValjean724]

Back in

[bonkerzzz]

Im in

[The Big Sleep]

Im in

Back in

Sounds like a plan, brother.
Count me in for the long haul.

Got your link; count me in!!

Glad you're all in dudettes

[The Big Sleep]

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Song of the Day:

I've been listening to Shadows Fall for years and Retribution may be their best album to date. Lyrically, this song tops the album by far; A lot of passion/fury in this tune.

Bodyweight (upon waking)=still 165.2lbs POST-CHEAT DAY (i.e. I NEED TO EAT!)

This Week's Workout Split (90%):
Mon-Lower Body A
Tues-Upper Body A
Wed-LISS Cardio
Thurs-Lower Body B
Fri-Upper Body B
Sat-LISS Cardio
Sun-Rest Day

Goal Macros Today: 240g protein/70g fat/280g carbs ~2700 calories
Supplements: Multi-V, Feosol (Iron), Calcium+D, Vit.C, USP Labs Jack3D/White Flood/Quake 10.0 (take whatever I feel like that day for PreWO), 10g BCAAs (Scivation Xtend) Pre/During WO

Weekly Goals: Keep hitting my macros, stay active inside and outside of gym
Short-Term Goals (Aiming for Mid-January 2011): Gain 6-8lbs LBM, Bench 200lbs, Squat 275lbs, BB Row 215lbs, Military Press 145lbs

Today's Agenda

Going to lift shortly, today is upper A workout. Ill get the specific exercises up from yesterday and today's workouts tonight. Still at 90% for major lifts so nothing I cant handle

"I'd rather let you down, then ever let you go!"-Shadows Fall
-Ell

[ian0789]

Mhh so now when I'm done spanking it to D's and Ryan's food porn I got a 3rd one!!!

Savage eats brother! In for sure!

Phish Food BnJ is my <3 best thing in the world

[DTrulez616]

Slayer followed by some Shadows Fall, Im loving the music selection man.

[Saintly]

Supplements: Multi-V, Feosol (Iron), Calcium+D, Vit.C, USP Labs Jack3D/White Flood/Quake 10.0 (take whatever I feel like that day for PreWO), 10g BCAAs (Scivation Xtend) Pre/During WO

Does alternating the usage like that keep you from becoming tolerant to 1,3 in Jack3d? How often do you take stim breaks and do you notice any reduced effectiveness by alternating pre-workouts?

It seems like a really awesome idea and I'm wanting to alternate as well.

[The Big Sleep]

Mhh so now when I'm done spanking it to D's and Ryan's food porn I got a 3rd one!!!

Savage eats brother! In for sure!

Phish Food BnJ is my <3 best thing in the world

Glad to have you Ian, Phish Food was pretty darn good Ill admit

Slayer followed by some Shadows Fall, Im loving the music selection man.

Tough to beat some thrash metal and heavy rock music when you need that extra boost for the day

Does alternating the usage like that keep you from becoming tolerant to 1,3 in Jack3d? How often do you take stim breaks and do you notice any reduced effectiveness by alternating pre-workouts?

Definitely yes. I love having options when I am getting ready to workout; some days I just want more focus and Ill go for Quake or Jack3d because they both have 1,3 in them. White Flood is great for pumps, but it does make me a bit dizzy and doesnt taste as good as Quake or Jack3d. Sometimes Ill mix em all together as well . I also do NOT take stims on cardio/off days and every few months I take 1-2 weeks off all together.

[The Big Sleep]

Mon-Lower Workout A (90%)

Note: All movements are done SLOW AND CONTROLLED TO REALLY MAXIMIZE TIME UNDER TENSION AND MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION

BB Squat (Just below parallel)-165 x 8, 3 Sets
Stiff Leg Deadlift (10lb Plate under toes for deep stretch)-170 x 8, 3 sets
BB Lunges (Very long stride for deep stretch)-75 x 12 (per leg), 2 sets
supersetw/Single Leg DB Stiff-legged Deadlift-40 x 12, 2 sets
Leg Extensions (Static Hold each rep at top for 3 seconds...THESE BURN!)-70 x 20, 2 sets
super w/Leg Curls-70 x 15, 2 sets
Finished w/3 sets of Weighted Crunches and Various Calf Work

I only record WORK sets, but I do do warmup sets as well

Tuesday-Upper Workout A (90%)

BB Bench Press-135 x 8, 3 sets
super w/Rack Chins-10lb plate in lap x 10, 3 sets
Incline DB Bench-50 x 10, 3 sets (these felt very light so I held each rep at bottom)
super w/BB Row-135 x 8, 3 sets (Loving these right now, really feel the lats)
Military Press (standing)-90 x 8, 95 x 6-2sets (My worst lift BY FAR)
Standing BB Curl75 x 10, 2 sets (Zero cheating, Slow eccentric)
super w/Tricep Pressdown-45 x 12, 2 sets
Fat Grip DB Curl-30 x 12, 2 sets
super w/Floor Skull Crushers-60 x 12, 2 sets

Note:I warmup with a few minutes of biking and finish with 10-15 minutes of LISS cardio as well; nothing to strenuous

Oh and I also work out at home FWIW, Ill post pics of my gym sometime, its my little sanctuary

[Saintly]

Definitely yes. I love having options when I am getting ready to workout; some days I just want more focus and Ill go for Quake or Jack3d because they both have 1,3 in them. White Flood is great for pumps, but it does make me a bit dizzy and doesnt taste as good as Quake or Jack3d. Sometimes Ill mix em all together as well . I also do NOT take stims on cardio/off days and every few months I take 1-2 weeks off all together.

Awesome!

How many days of a week do you typically have a 1,3 containing pre?

[The Big Sleep]

Awesome!

How many days of a week do you typically have a 1,3 containing pre?

Usually just 2-Mondays and Thursdays because those are my toughest workouts (legs), but it varies like I said. The way my workouts are split its not really an issue of overuse of 1,3.

[The Big Sleep]

Baked this bad boy up, pretty tasty for how simple it is: Banana Oatmeal Pudding Cake


Plain Slice


With Chocolate Syrup


With Strawberry Jam and Cool Whip


Turkey, Ham and Swiss Roll Ups with Beef and Chicken on side

w/Pasta Salad


Spinach Salad w/Pita Chips, Chicken and Beef

[The Big Sleep]

Coco Wheats "The King of Hot Cereals"


Egg Scramble w/Cheesy English Muffin


Sludge w/ Cinnamon Toast Crunch


Not pictured Cottage Cheese+PB+Yogurt (like it hasnt been done before )

[ian0789]

Banana Oatmeal Pudding Cake!!!! Sharing is caring!! How did you make it, I must have it!

Really nice eats for Tuesday!

[JValjean724]

Mon-Lower Workout A (90%)

Note: All movements are done SLOW AND CONTROLLED TO REALLY MAXIMIZE TIME UNDER TENSION AND MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION

BB Squat (Just below parallel)-165 x 8, 3 Sets
Stiff Leg Deadlift (10lb Plate under toes for deep stretch)-170 x 8, 3 sets
BB Lunges (Very long stride for deep stretch)-75 x 12 (per leg), 2 sets
supersetw/Single Leg DB Stiff-legged Deadlift-40 x 12, 2 sets
Leg Extensions (Static Hold each rep at top for 3 seconds...THESE BURN!)-70 x 20, 2 sets
super w/Leg Curls-70 x 15, 2 sets
Finished w/3 sets of Weighted Crunches and Various Calf Work

I only record WORK sets, but I do do warmup sets as well

Tuesday-Upper Workout A (90%)

BB Bench Press-135 x 8, 3 sets
super w/Rack Chins-10lb plate in lap x 10, 3 sets
Incline DB Bench-50 x 10, 3 sets (these felt very light so I held each rep at bottom)
super w/BB Row-135 x 8, 3 sets (Loving these right now, really feel the lats)
Military Press (standing)-90 x 8, 95 x 6-2sets (My worst lift BY FAR)
Standing BB Curl75 x 10, 2 sets (Zero cheating, Slow eccentric)
super w/Tricep Pressdown-45 x 12, 2 sets
Fat Grip DB Curl-30 x 12, 2 sets
super w/Floor Skull Crushers-60 x 12, 2 sets

Note:I warmup with a few minutes of biking and finish with 10-15 minutes of LISS cardio as well; nothing to strenuous

Oh and I also work out at home FWIW, Ill post pics of my gym sometime, its my little sanctuary

Looks like a solid workout! Just curious, how do you do one legged stiff legged deadlifts? I'm trying to imagine it but it's not working out in my mind lol.

I have a gym at my parents house but I absolutely hate working out there. I don't know what it is, but it's depressing and unmotivating down there. Like a cave. I much prefer the school gym or the Y because of that and the fact that they have more equipment. Though I do work out pretty early so I don't have to worry about crowds.

That pasta salad you keep posting looks really good by the way, what's in it?
The oatmeal cake sounds delicious too.

[watermelon_2001]

Man, I've just realised I never officially subscribed! No wonder I've been missing updates...
Things looking great here, and I'm glad to see it. So happy to see you're intake is now at that level, 1500 calories a day was just scary... How do you feel since increasing your food (both in terms of energy/strength and with how comfortable you feel having done so)?

Dig the music too I'm a total metal-head, so I look forward to trading song suggestions Last Shadows Fall album I have was 'Threads of Life' and that was from years ago, but liking the sound of the latest album; his voice sounds much more mature, and they've definitely upped the intensity of their music.

Keep it going Elliott, you're on your way now!