Muscle building/Fitness Journal...... Musicguy

**Musicguy** · 01-28-2004, 08:10 PM

Today:

Another day of no "official" exercise.

Went to work and my M-W-F class did meet (2nd time this semester!!), so I probably did about a mile of walking all total, a lot of it at a pretty fast pace.

Another "success" for today: 3rd day in a row of no refined flour or sugar. My diet is pretty high in protien/fat with some complex carbs and veggies (mostly broccoli, green beans, purple cabbage and other salad stuff) thrown in.

Triceps and abs are still a bit sore... I may do a weight workout tomorrow, or wait one more day. I'm still thinking today that a complete break from cardio will be good, at least for a little while longer.

My next weight workout is dumbbell deadlifts (the exrxx site calls them dumbbell squats.... whatever. I go for heavy dumbbells with these, 85-95 pounders. I feel like it's good for grip, forearms, and back, as well as legs), shoulder dumbbell presses and raises, and some crunches on the exercise ball.

**Musicguy** · 01-29-2004, 01:31 PM

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Got a good night's sleep... so decided to hit the gym.

Dumbbell Deadlifts (or Squats)
10 with 85 lb dumbbells
10 with 85 lb dumbbells
10 with 85 lb dumbbells
7 with 85 lb dumbbells

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses
7 with 45 lb dumbbells
12 with 40 lb dumbbells
8 with 40 lb dumbbells

Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises
12 with 10 lb dumbbells
12 with 10 lb dumbbells
8 with 15 lb dumbbells

Hadn't done any exercises for hitting shoulders directly for months. Gotta start somewhere... though I was weaker on the shoulder exercises than I expected. Oh well.

So far today has been another day without refined sugar or flour.

Surprise of the day: morning bodyweight was 187 lbs. Wasn't expecting a drop in bodyweight. What a difference that sugar/flour change makes.

**rosa** · 01-29-2004, 01:50 PM

New journal MG. Best of luck with your challenge and hope that the weather is not to bad. Perhaps it's a sign? lol. Stay in and grow. Good to see you doing something different. This'll be interesting to watch.

**Musicguy** · 01-29-2004, 02:12 PM

Thanks rosa...
Yeah... this is different for me too, but I feel like it's the right thing for me at the present time. Today for instance, between work and going to class, I'd say I got another 1-2 miles of walking, mostly fast-paced. Since I'm already in pretty good shape cardio-vascularly speaking, I figure I don't need to "pile on" more in the mornings. Why not use the energy for concentrating on weightlifting and growth? I can tell that my strength levels have come up a bit already, and I was surprised this morning to see that my bodyweight had actually dropped a couple of pounds.

**supadave** · 01-29-2004, 02:48 PM

Nice workout MG. I like shoulders. I used to do them with chest, but didn't really like it. have you ever tried rear raises? They are pretty good IMO.

**Musicguy** · 01-29-2004, 04:04 PM

Thanks Dave....

I don't like doing shoulders. Probably my least favorite exercises. I've added the dumbbell press as a primary exercise for shoulders, along with a machine press. I figure the shoulders also come into play on incline bench pressing for chest and also the seated rows for back, and for that reason have not really considered adding more exercises for front and rear delts. For now I'm only doing the two pressing exercises and the lateral raises.

**Lilman** · 01-29-2004, 05:49 PM

Looks like a good solid workout MG

**TrishB** · 01-29-2004, 06:59 PM

I am proud of you for staying off the track.

Good workout. No problem with starting off with low weights on shoulders. You don't need any injuries now.

A friend of mine lost 80lbs just cutting out refined sugar and flour, but staying with the same calories.....and she did very little exercise.
You might see alot more weight come off unless you up the calories. Keep an eye on it.

**Hibiscus09** · 01-30-2004, 05:27 AM

I think chest is my least favorite. I can lift heavy on chest -- I just don't care to -- LOL. I've even been thinking of doing shoulders and chest together because if I do shoulders first, I definitely won't get a strong chest workout.

**Musicguy** · 01-30-2004, 08:11 PM

Thanks Lilman...

LOL Trish, hey, I've not done any cardio since a mere 2 mile walk last Saturday. I haven't decided about tomorrow yet. Since I don't have to work or go to school I may go to the gym and do a few miles. Or not.

Made some more cookies last night... sugarless, and whole grain only. Probably ate too many of them today.

Feeling some DOMS in the arms, shoulders, and legs today. Tomorrow will probably be worse.

Hib, I'll bet your strategy would work. I can remember when I first started lifting; I used to do light shoulder raises to warm up before doing chest... after a few months I discovered it was really sapping strength from the chest exercises.

**Hibiscus09** · 01-31-2004, 07:35 AM

Made some more cookies last night... sugarless, and whole grain only. Probably ate too many of them today.

Are they good? I want a recipe.

**TrishB** · 01-31-2004, 12:35 PM

I want the recipe too! Taste is not important. Just call something a cookie and I'll eat it.

**Bob45** · 01-31-2004, 06:12 PM

Good luck with the muscle building. With your dedication I'm sure you'll make great progress Ron. Your lookin good too.

**Musicguy** · 01-31-2004, 08:56 PM

Hi Bob, great to hear from you. Thanks! I feel "bigger" already. I just hope it's the right kind of "big." Like you, I much prefer to be lean.

Trish and Hib, here it is: (LOL at what you said, Trish)

Healthier Choice Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup peanut oil
2 sticks butter
24 packets "pink" sweetener (more or less)
24 packets stevia powder (more or less)
5 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons freshly ground whole flax seed
3 cups 100% whole wheat flour (I use stone ground whole wheat. It's coarser than most whole wheat flours.)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
6-7 cups old fashioned oats
3 cups rasins

Heat oven to 350°
Melt butter, and combine with peanut oil in large mixing bowl.
Add sweeteners and mix.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Then add to fat/egg mixture and mix well.
Stir together the ground flax seed, oats and raisins and add to the rest of the batter. Mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. I use a small ice cream scoop to shape them. Flatten them out and smooth edges.
Bake 10 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.

I'm still playing with the amounts of the sweeteners. You can probably get by with less.

Let me know if you make them, and how you like them. I'll warn you, they're heavier in texture than what you normally think of in a cookie, but I think they're pretty good.

Today:

No cardio. Good day of eating, except for a small piece of caramel nut cheesecake this evening. Went out twice today. Had blackened tilapia with 3 servings of vegetables at midday, and then carne asada with guacamole and pico de gallo this evening. Also had some chips and salsa. Other than the chips and cheescake the rest of the day was good stuff only.

Tomorrow: not sure at this point. I may try to do the next workout in my schedule, or I may put an extra day off in, or I may do a light cardio workout. Though I don't know about that last one.... I'm kind of enjoying the break! First break from cardio to last this long in about 6 years.

**rosa** · 02-01-2004, 02:17 AM

I'm wondering what that recipe would be like with just brown sugar or even honey added instead of the artificial sweetners. May try it at some point. I don't mind a bit of sugar. lol.

**Musicguy** · 02-01-2004, 05:01 AM

Hi rosa...

I can tell you that brown sugar is actually quite good in the recipe. Use 1-2 cups for the recipe listed above, and of course, eliminate the artificial sweetener. Sugar should be creamed together with the fat. Another modification you can make: you can use all peanut oil or all butter rather than half butter/half peanut oil. And here's a tip I learned ages ago from my grandmother: just about any recipe calling for sugar can be improved (taste-wise, we're not talking nutrition here! LOL) by using half brown sugar instead of all white.

I'm still experimenting with the sweeteness in this recipe. What is given above is what I used the last time I made them, and they turned out pretty good. I may try a batch sweetened only with stevia. I never use aspartame, rarely use splenda, but do use stevia and saccaharine pretty regularly (mostly in hot tea).

My goal with these cookies is to have something I can actually call a cookie (kind of like what Trish was saying) that would have a decent nutritional content (even if it's high calorie). These are great for me because I can take them to work and use them as a snack throughout the day.

My feeling is that they're pretty good in terms of:

glycemic index
complex carbs only
"good" fats for energy
omega-3s from the ground flaxseed and peanut oil
protein: not too sure about this one, but I know there's some protein in the ground flaxseed, the oats, and, of course, the eggs.

They're probably better classified as a meal replacement bar, due to the high calorie content and heavy texture.

**TrishB** · 02-01-2004, 08:48 AM

Thanks for the recipe Ron. I will experiment a bit with it myself.

**Hibiscus09** · 02-01-2004, 04:17 PM

Thanks, Ron!! Sounds good! I can figure out how to make that really bad for me. LOL I do like the honey & brown sugar idea. I suppose you could use molasses as a substitute also? (Not a healthy substitute, of course -

)

**Musicguy** · 02-01-2004, 04:39 PM

Be careful if you use honey or molasses, as it will change the consistency of the batter. It may be necessary to use a bit more flour if you use either of those.

C'mon, bite the bullet and go for the low or no sugar

I've made these with very little brown sugar and they're not too bad. Remember, you're getting some natural sweetness from the raisins.

**Musicguy** · 02-02-2004, 04:17 AM

Took yesterday off.

Today:

Incline Dumbbell Press:
10 with 50 lb dumbbells
10 with 50 lb dumbbells
9.5 with 50 lb dumbbells (failed just short of completing 10th rep)
7 with 50 lb dumbbells

Cybex Bicep Curl Machine, One Arm at a Time:
10 @ 35 lbs (up 5 lbs from last time)
10 @ 35 lbs
10 @ 35 lbs
10 @ 35 lbs

The bicep curl was done with the following as a super set:

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes:
10 with 25 lb dumbbells
10 with 25 lb dumbbells
10 with 25 lb dumbbells
10 with 25 lb dumbbells

Exercise Ball Ab Crunches:
3 sets of 10

I felt kind of "full" after no exercise on Saturday or Sunday. I was saying yesterday that for the first time since starting this phase I felt "fat." Morning bodyweight today was 190.5 lbs, so no big deal there.

I resisted the urge to get on the treadmill and walk/run 2-3 miles after the workout this morning...

I think I will get up tomorrow and do a few miles.

Off to school now..... take care everybody.

**Musicguy** · 02-03-2004, 05:55 PM

Didn't do cardio this morning. I said yesterday that I thought that I would, but when I got up this morning I decided to just put that energy into the mentality of good eating.

Went to school, and work. For now, that's the extent of cardio.

After all these years, I'm still learning things about myself. This business of keeping refined sugar and flour out of the diet has made a huge difference in the way I think about "muscle-building." If this is what a "bulk" is really supposed to feel like, then I think I can handle it. I've not done any exercise walking or running since Saturday, January, 24, and yet I feel great! It may sound funny, but it's like I can "feel" muscle growth occuring. At the same time, I've not noticed any drop in feeling "fit" as I walk across campus or go up multiple flights of stairs.

I'm currently eating a lot of protein, fat, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables.

I'm not eating ice cream.

If I wanted it I'd have it; but I'm enjoying feeling this way too much to want ice cream.

When I tried a "bulk" last year I got too fat. Now I know why: not enough recovery and too much of the wrong kinds of food... and I don't think I was eating terribly, even then. But brown sugar with the oats, and peanut butter with vanilla ice cream, and the occasional cookie, etc. all add up to FAT.

Today I'm feeling a very satisfying soreness from yesterday's workout. Looking forward to working out again on Thursday or Friday. I may yet put some cardio back into my routine, but for now I'm thinking I'll stick with the weightlifting and good eating.

**supadave** · 02-03-2004, 06:07 PM

Hey MG, good workout yesterday. Looks like you are really enjoying this, keep it up.

**Bob45** · 02-04-2004, 05:36 AM

The type of food does make a huge difference for me too. It takes a week or two to get into the mode but once you are it works. Generally being happy with life can make a world of difference too.

**Musicguy** · 02-06-2004, 10:58 AM

Thanks Dave.

You're right, Bob... all it takes is a few days of good eating and you don't even want the "bad" stuff anymore.

After a few days off...

Today:

Close-grip Chin-ups:
3
3
3
3

Done in supersets with...

Weighted Decline Sit-ups/Crunches:
25 holding a 25 pound plate
15 holding a 30 pound dumbbell
15 holding a 30 pound dumbbell
15 holding a 30 pound dumbbell

Seated Plate-Loaded Row:
10 @ 70 lbs
10 @ 75 lbs
10 @ 75 lbs
10 @ 75 lbs

Cybex Tricep Pushdown Machine:
5 @ 120 lbs
7 @ 110 lbs
7 @ 110 lbs
6 @ 110 lbs

Diet has been clean all week. Bodyweight is stable in the 189-191 lb range.

Not a bad workout considering what an awful morning I had. My plan was to get up early and hit the gym about 6:00. Everyone in the class I'm taking MWF at 9:00 was supposed to perform a song during the class time this morning and present some information about it (including me.) Everyone in the class is a music major, (4 graduates and 5 undergrads) but everyone besides me is primarily a singer. Since I'm the only pianist I agreed to accompany everybody else.

Well, I spent yesterday evening preparing my own song, and also practicing the stuff that everybody else is doing (mostly easy things, but one complex one: a movement from a solo cantata by J.S. Bach). By the time I'd done the laundry necessary for the day it was almost 10:30 before I got to bed.

3:00 in the morning my older daughter (12) is awake with a lot of sinus drainage and coughing. My mind immediately starts thinking about everything I need to get done for the day, so I'm wide awake.

I get up and eat a couple of pieces of whole grain toast. An hour later I go back to bed and sleep fitfully for a couple of hours. At 6:00 I decide to skip the workout and try to sleep a bit longer.

Up at 7:15 and get ready to go. Ice in the driveway. The kind of ice you only get when snow has compacted and partially melted, and then you get freezing rain on top of it. The car wouldn't move,

so I put rock salt down, and it does the trick, but by now my "safety cushion" of time is used up.

On the way to school..... flat tire. My spare is low, and the company that does my tire work has put the lug nuts on so darn tight I couldn't have changed it if I'd wanted to. They guy that came and fixed it for me had to fire up his impact wrench to get them off. By the time I call them and they get someone to drive out and get me going again... the class I'm supposed to attend is half over, and I'm still 20 minutes away.... so I return home.

The positive out of all of this: I used the unexpected time to go ahead and get my workout!

Sorry for the ramble/rant. What a frustrating morning. Oh well, that's life. At least the workout got done!

Hard to make this one today:

By the way..... "my name is Ron, and it's been almost 2 weeks since my last cardio workout"

**Bob45** · 02-06-2004, 11:38 AM

Sounds like my kind of day Ron. So I am not the only one? After the years go by you just say I will get through this sooner or later. I see the pullups are at 3 instead of one. Way to keep at them.

Are you dreaming cardio in your sleep Ron? Six miles tonight, lol.

**Musicguy** · 02-06-2004, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by Bob45
Sounds like my kind of day Ron. So I am not the only one? After the years go by you just say I will get through this sooner or later. I see the pullups are at 3 instead of one. Way to keep at them.

Are you dreaming cardio in your sleep Ron? Six miles tonight, lol.

LOL, thanks Bob.... you're right about the day. Sometimes they just happen. Seems like this whole week has been this way... we woke up to a cold house a couple of mornings ago; fortunately it was only $116.00 to fix the furnace. And then there are the perennial needs of aging parents, etc. etc.

About the cardio..... you know, I'm really not missing it much at all. I'm convinced it's all about keeping the diet clean. I know that I will eventually want to put some cardio back in, but for now I'm enjoying the break, and the feeling of getting bigger (in the right way). The weight workouts feel completely different now.

I'm thinking that I may walk a couple of miles tomorrow and/or Sunday, since I don't go in to work or school. The walking I do on weekdays (work/school) seems to be enough for right now. I noticed that last weekend, by the time Monday morning arrived I was starting to feel just a little "full" if you know what I mean. It seems that my level of activity through the week is high enough to keep excess calories burned up, but not so much that my body gets catabolic. We'll see; I may decide to just tweak the weekend diet a bit and skip the walking. However, weekends are when "treats" are likely to appear, like the piece of cheesecake last Saturday.

**phikappa** · 02-06-2004, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by Musicguy

By the way..... "my name is Ron, and it's been almost 2 weeks since my last cardio workout"

LOL! Great line! I didn't know we had a support group. Maybe we should call it LA (Lifters Anonymous). Or, we could just start a confessional thread...a place to go when you've been "bad".

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear about your crappy day. At least the weekend is here, right? Have a good one!

**supadave** · 02-06-2004, 02:07 PM

Tough day MG. The weekend will be better. Good workout.

**Musicguy** · 02-06-2004, 02:37 PM

Thanks guys.

phikappa, this has been a huge change for me to be doing no cardio whatsoever. At least I didn't go through withdrawal.

supadave, I never would have thought you could get such a great feeling from just lifting alone; well, lifting and diet. I know I keep saying it, but it's all about the diet. Doing no cardio I was afraid of feeling "fat" all the time, and not being hungry. Instead, my appetite is fine, and as long as I avoid the refined sugars/flours I feel great.

**Musicguy** · 02-08-2004, 07:24 AM

Took yesterday off.

Today:

Still not doing any exercise.... wanted to post morning bodyweight: 187 lbs.

I feel like I'm eating plenty of food, but I guess I'll just keep an eye on this and increase calories if necessary.

Took a 3 hour nap yesterday. I suppose it was catching up from the miserable night Thursday-Friday.

Abs are really sore; the weighted decline sit-ups kill 'em. Next workout will probably be Tuesday morning. 2-3 days in between seems to be working just fine for me.

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