Some Guy You Don't Know Runs Animal Cuts for 21 Days.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 1 (7/4/2011).



Last day of my mini-holiday with the gf.

Woke up and did my normal warm-up routine* before taking the first serving of Animal Cuts.

Best way to describe the initial dose was a warm, tingling sensation. Immediately fired up for my run. Taking advantage of the fact that I'm in a different city, I set off to try and complete a two-mile mini-course in under 20 minutes.

...

I am able to beat the 20-minute time, and find myself motivated to do short bursts of all-out sprints, instead of the stereotypical steady-state early morning cardio session. I take this to be a very good sign of things to come because I wasn't feeling that energy in either of the previous two days I'd completed the course.

...

Roughly six hours later, back at home, I decide that I'd like to continue my deadlifting program** today. This is also an excellent sign, because the day before I wasn't sure that I'd have the energy to complete such a draining session.

...

Second dose of Animal Cuts isn't quite as potent as the first, but a similar feeling inside me has carried over from the morning (i.e. pushing to all-out sprint instead of a steady pace).

I start every workout with five minutes of core work. With Cuts, it's like having a voice inside my head telling me to squeeze my ass harder, to keep my head from popping up, and to quit doing any of the things my body wants to do to make the exercises easier. Very happy to experience that, as that voice usually isn't as loud as it was on this day.

Here's the full workout...

Plank Hold: (BW) x 3 x 60sec
Side Plank Hold: (BW) x 2 x 25sec each
Deadlift: (225) x 3, (255) x 3, (280) x 10

My grip failed me on the last set - I very easily could have gotten another 5-7 more. This is something I keep meaning to address, yet never get around to. With the heavy emphasis I've placed on core strength, my grip will have to take a backseat until the winter.

All of my weight training sessions are 25 minutes, or less, in duration. I am someone who can't maintain 100% effort during long workouts, with multiple sets, so instead of half-assing eight sets - I give everything during my main lifts and get the eff out. I've also found that this helps me train 6-7 days a week, as opposed to 3-4.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with Day One.




*Normal Warm-Up Routine consists of...
A) Self-Myofascial Release (http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com...l-release.html) with a golf ball on the 'hot spots', and then general rolling to get the body looser.
B) Z-Health Mobilty Warm-Ups (http://www.zhealth.net/) Cured my knee, hip and shoulder problems within a month. I cannot recommend seeking out a Z Professional, in your area, if you have the means.

**I follow Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 deadlifting and bench programs. Everything else is done on the fly.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 2 (7/5/2011).



Returning to work sucks. Returning to work after a three-day holiday is such a cruel prank. Since the last post was too long for bb.com standards (i.e. anything longer than three sentences finds its way into tl;dr territory), I won't go too in-depth about my work situation. Instead, I'll sum it up in one paragraph...

I was a high-level executive last year. I got extremely burnt out due to 3+ years of overworking myself (and only taking one week off during that time period). My girlfriend, sensing my misery, supported my decision to walk away from that CEO'ing salary/miserable existence and instead find something I'd actually enjoy doing with my life. I took the next three months off (save for the odd jobs and 2-3 week freelance stints at certain companies) before ultimately deciding what I'd like to do for a living. I've set the plan in motion, but since I'm stuck in a housing lease until October - I decided to take a mid-level office job to kill the time between then and now.

The one good thing about the job, save for all the free time it allows me on company time, is that I can go for a 50-minute walk every day.

I purchased Vibram Five Finger shoes (yes, I'm one of *those* ****s) a few months ago, but shelved them after a few uses - due to the extreme pain they would cause my calves (i.e. I couldn't walk for a week after I first ran in them). During my lunchtime walks, I always change into my Vibrams. Which, along with my warm-ups, have really helped to alleviate the nagging knee pain I've had for the last three years. I always feel so much better after I walk around in those things.

I leave work around 4pm every day, and I try to take my break around the 2-2:30pm area. I took the day's first dose of Animal Cuts at 12pm, due to the bottle's recommendation that "the first serving be taken with an empty stomach," and that "the second serving should come 4-6 hours later." I specifically remember shaking my legs under my desk and feeling extremely "jacked up" for the 15-20 minutes after consuming the pills. Gawd, I missed stimulants.

After work, I completed the following...

Various Cable Ab Holds, Low-Pulley: (20) x 5mins*
Power Cleans + Front Squat:
(115) x 1
(135) x 1
(145) x 1
(155) x 1
(165) x 1
(175) x 1

Today was the first time I have done Power Cleans in a couple months. 175 is the most weight I've ever used on that exercise. I attribute that to the Cuts, and the fact that I work way harder than I should on Olympic lifts (i.e. my form isn't anything near elite-level).

The second dose of Cuts was great, because I was so zeroed in on the lift (keep your head from 'popping up', don't break at the elbows, fill your belly with air prior to the push-off). Haven't felt that way since my college days, pre-injury.


*Basically, I threw two 10-pound plates on my cable station and I held the cable out in various different positions for five minutes total. I'm big on anti-rotational core movements, as opposed to endless crunches and weighted ab exercises.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 3 (7/6/2011).



This day's first dose of Animal Cuts unfortunately did not come with the 20-minute leg trembling, which accompanied yesterday's ingestion.

If I may digress for a moment...

I was a fat kid all through high school and up until I was a Freshmen in college.


225 lbs. was where I topped out at.


-My parents, after nearly ten-straight years of fighting, mercifully got divorced in 2000, but my father's second wife was unfortunately a worse relationship than the one he had with my mother.
-I started dating my first girlfriend at the age of 17 - She dumped me in August of 2002.
-I graduated high school in May of 2002, and by that fall my entire circle of friends had moved away.
-I had suffered from a deep depression, going back to age 14, which caused me to not even attempt any sort of effort in school. I went from straight A's to only working hard enough not to fail.

The culmination of all those horrible life events, all at once, led to me feeling a total lack of control over my life. Fortunately for me, I turned to exercise to regain the structure and discipline I was so dearly lacking.

From November of 2002-May of 2003, I ran the treadmill every single day. I did not miss one single day (including the day I ran in a legit 2-feet of snow, because my car couldn't get out of the driveway that morning). I would run the treadmill for 65+ minutes, until the LCD screen read that I had burned 1,000 calories. Combine that with the fact that I was eating less than 1,500 calories and you can probably see how I managed to go from 225+ to 145 lbs. in less than seven months.


No amount of weight loss makes that necklace okay.


Since that time, I blew up to nearly 200 lbs. (apparently, all PWO insulin spikes did for me was make me fat) before I blew out nearly every muscle in my body.

From 2005-2008, I suffered Shoulder Impingement, a sore knee, hip flexor pain and a lower back that caused me more grief than I care to remember. So, I basically lost three years of my lifting career, and spent the next two relearning how to train. Fortunately, I'm feeling better than ever and due to my current diet and knowledge of how my body responds - I'm the leanest I've been since that May when I was 145 lbs.

My goal, with Animal Cuts, is to lean out for a couple of trips I'm taking in the next two weeks. One involves a day shirtless at a water park, and the other involves two days shirtless at a lake house.

The workout completed was as follows...

Various Cable Ab Holds, High-Pulley: (20) x 5mins
Speed (Low) Box Squat:
(135) x 1
(155) x 1
(205) x 1
(225) x 1
(245) x 1
(265) x 1

Cable Rope Pushdowns: (35, 35, 45) x 15 (2-sec neg; 2-sec concentric)
EZ Curl Bar Curl: (57.5, 67.5, 67.5) x 10 (same as Pushdowns)

Today was my first day squatting in nearly three months, so I was just working my way back up in weight.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 4 (7/7/2011).



I started dieting around March of 2003, which is when I started lifting. The first program I ever followed was the Atkins Diet, which still to this day kills me - due to all the "noob gainz" I short-changed myself on. If you couldn't tell from my last post, I have an 'All or Nothing' personality. So when I start something, I throw myself into it completely.

The Atkins Diet advocates different phases of eating, wherein you gradually reintroduce carbs and calories into your diet. Lacking the base of knowledge, and fearing a relapse into fatness, I stuck with the two-week "induction" phase for roughly four or so months. This basically amounted to sub-1,500 calories during the peak of my body's muscle-building period.

/takes a moment to punch the nearest wall

From there I followed every gimmick that made sense to me. From the late SwoleCat's "separate Carbs and Fat" diets (which, as previously stated - basically made me "fat" again), to 40-40-20, to all carbs and less protein before I finally discovered 'The Anabolic Diet'. I followed that diet for the better part of two years before stumbling across Lean Gains in late 2010.

I started dating my gf in September of 2010, and the Anabolic Diet suddenly became far more restrictive (protein and fat during the week; carbs and protein on the weekend) than it was during my single days. Lean Gains was a welcome approach to my outlook on eating, but it also caused me to gain some excess body fat.

I remember reading about 'The Warrior Diet'* when I was researching Lean Gains. At the time, I thought one single large meal couldn't possibly work for me. But, around February-March of this year, I decided to take the plunge and I haven't looked back since.

Much like the Anabolic Diet and Lean Gains (though, not as much the latter for me) - the Warrior Diet allows a person to maintain a lower body fat % without having to do endless amounts of cardio, bulk/cuts or extended calorie restriction. It also allows you to eat a ton of food at night, which was always something I fought against during my periods of caloric deficits.

As I touched on in my last dissertation, I want to get lean on Animal Cuts. Of course, while Animal Cuts has already helped me in that goal - it is only a supplemental part of the picture. In order for the Cuts to work to its fullest potential, you need to have everything else dialed in - to create an environment that will foster the full power of Cuts.

With my injuries finally healed, a lack of stress due to leaving a bad work environment, my diet in check and my training on-point - I have primed my body to achieve the look I desire for myself, and the Cuts will take care of the rest.

This day's workout, was as follows...

Various Core Moves: x 5mins total
Power Cleans + Front Squat:
(135) x 1
(155) x 1
(165) x 1
(175) x 1
(155) x 1
(135) x 1

"Bat Wings"**: (10's) x 40sec, 40sec holds

Rear Delt Raise: (5's, 5's) x 25 each

Lateral Delt Raise: (15's) x 20 each, (20's) x 15 each [drop] (10's) x 15 each

Not an increase in weight on Power Cleans, but that had a lot more to do with the fact that I was super-setting shoulder work with them. The Cuts really pushed me on the shoulder work - I kept lifting the weights until I could feel a deep burning in my delts.


*http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler49.htm
**Take a weight, and while holding it, pull your thumbs into contact with your armpits

[Reggie20x6]

Day 5 (7/8/2011).



I walked outside during lunch, in my Vibrams, all five days this week. I started my current job three weeks ago and I've walked 50 minutes outside every day since then. Walking doesn't seem like much, but it's another valuable tool to roll out when your goal is leanness. Especially when it's 90+ degrees out (and you look like a total tool in Vibrams and dress clothes). On top of that, I'm happy to report that the Warrior Diet syncs up perfectly with Animal Cuts. The Cuts works best on an empty stomach, and the Warrior Diet advocates fasting for 20-hour periods.

A side-effect of the Cuts, which I have experienced since Tuesday, is a polar opposite of a lot of what I read. A lot of people complained that Cuts kept them awake at night, but for me it has led to the deepest sleep I've experienced in about a year. So, along with the diet, stress-free environment and focused lifting - I'm also experiencing great sleep. I'm going to give a lot of credit to Cuts for the success I am experiencing on it, but I think Cuts owes just as much credit to me for setting it up as well as I have. Speaking of...

Core Hold: (BW) x 75sec
Side Core Hold: (BW) x 45sec each
Speed (Low) Box Squat:
(165) x 3
(185) x 3
(225) x 3
(245) x 1
(265) x 1
(275) x 1

Wide-Grip Pull-Up: (BW, +10, +20, +25, +25) x 3

Probably my best workout so far. I squeezed my butt extremely hard on all of the core holds (and added time to each). I powered through the Speed Squat/Pull-Up super-sets and I was very happy with each lift.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...uats_every_day

I know T-Nation is not a website that is 100% backed on these boards, but I think they have a pretty decent success rate for articles (so long as you avoid the diet or Thibaudeau ones, since they're going to just turn into a Biotest infomercial at some point). The above-linked column contains some things that even I shook my head at, but the overall theme of the article is what really has been pushing my training during these 21 days: Work out more, not less.

Even prior to starting Cuts, I had already started experimenting with two-a-day sessions (I believe I even started a Two-a-Day log on these boards, before abandoning it just as quickly). The idea of pushing your body to the brink, before backing off and recovering made sense to me. Mainly because you've got to force your body past a certain point to force it to improve itself.

Unfortunately for me, I went about the two-a-day thing a little haphazardly - combining Jim Wendler's heavy 5-3-1 program with cardio and workouts for smaller muscle groups. I simply didn't have the conditioning (or the thermogenics) to sustain my ambitious project. I even remember writing in that old log that I simply didn't have the energy to update it.

Since my goal is leanness in a hurry, I sat down and thought about what exercises make me look the leanest? I came up with heavy Squats, deads and Power Cleans. The T-Nation article fed into that thinking, and let me know that "hey, it's okay to Squat and Clean more than once a week." So, I've basically built my Cuts program around the following...

-Core
-Squat/Dead/Power Clean
-Assistance/'Show' Muscle

Of course, Cuts (along with Self-Myofascial Release twice a day) has supported me in the sense that taking it has allowed me to power through five consecutive workouts this week (I also worked out for the three days prior to starting Cuts).

You really can't give a product higher praise than that of, "It's Day Five, I'm leaning out and I'm still blowing through my workouts like a madman."

[Reggie20x6]

Day 6 (7/9/2011).



Finally, I've reached present-day.

As previously stated, working out twice was often more a mental exercise than a physical one. Psyching myself up to work out once was often hard enough - let alone twice in one day. But, this morning I woke up and it was less a question of *if* I was going to work out twice - so much as "when?"

Upon waking, I went right downstairs and started rolling my muscles over a golf ball - in preparation for a morning run*. This is a big deal for me, because prior to Cuts - I would have spent the first two hours of my morning actively avoiding the warm-up process.

The run was decent, or as decent as a run can be when you go six days between running, but this isn't a VO2 Max log - so I won't complain too much about that. The Cuts helped me power through it again, and motivated me to finish off the last 0.5 mile with a sprint-rest-repeat routine.

The second dose of Cuts led to a few interesting developments. The first being my lifting session...

1-Legged Hypers: (15) x 13each
Ab Wheel: (BW) x 20
Power Cleans + Front Squat:
(115) x 1
(135) x 1
(155) x 1
(175) x 1
(115) x 1
(165) x 1

Jumping Shrugs: (185) x 10

Straight-Bar Pushdowns: (40, 50) x 15 (2-sec neg, 2-sec concentric)
Lying Cable Rope Curls: (40) x 15, (50) x 12 (same as Pushdowns)

The first thing, of interest, to note is the Ab Rollouts. I rarely could ever push myself hard on ab work, but today I attacked that ab wheel. From there I continued to grind out Power Cleans, and I had an arm workout that reminded me of my college days (prior to injury). Which, basically, means that I was giving it everything I had and was swearing so much that my girlfriend decided to leave the house until I was finished.

The next thing of interest to note is that my functional strength feels like it's gone through the roof. This isn't a Cuts-related happenstance per se, but something I've noticed since Z Health fixed my body and I started doing core work every day. Basically, things I've always picked up with caution feel so much lighter now. I have an IronMaster SuperBench and that thing is a beast. I always used to pick that thing up with two hands, but today I was throwing it around, and carrying it with one arm like it was nothing. Also, while wrestling with my gf (who's nearly 6' and roughly 150 lbs.) I threw her over my shoulder; stood up and proceeded to carry her up the stairs without any issue. Having the confidence in my body, and the energy, to be able to do stuff that I could do when I was 20 is such a great feeling.

Which leads me to my next point, and will also veer into TMI territory.

I don't know what's in Cuts that increases libido, but I would invest money in such a product. Every time I've done the Power Clean workout (which is another reason why I've done it three times this week), I've basically turned back into the 16-year old version of myself PWO.

All things considered - it's been a great first week, and it's not even over yet.


*I'm only doing cardio on the weekends - since I don't have that much body fat to shed, and I don't want to get up at 5am during the week.

[OneSwoleBro]

Fellow STL brother checking in, subbed!

[Reggie20x6]

Day 7 (7/10/2011).



Today was an off-day, in the sense that I didn't lift tonight. I still did cardio this morning, which culminated in a 7-minute ice bath. The fact that I needed an ice bath said to me that it was time to take a break.

When I first started working out, I was very rigid about my programming. Much like how I would follow any diet to the letter, I would follow the fitness/cardio programs exactly as they were laid out. This was good for me first starting out, because I had no base of knowledge to work with, but it eventually led to problems. Certain muscles were ignored, while others grew bigger and stronger than their antagonists. This, naturally, led to injuries. But, at the same time, I was missing out on the ability to listen to my body.

Since the early part of this year, I've followed a lot less programming and just listened to what my body was feeling that day. This is an approach that doesn't work for everyone, but after eight years of doing what other people thought was best - I've decided to work on what I think is best for me.

So far, it's worked out for me and if the last two days at the pool are any indication - I'm definitely doing something right. So, instead of doing a workout at 75% tonight, I'm going to take the rest of the night to relax and I know that I'm going to come out firing tomorrow night.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 8 (7/11/2011).



The day off from lifting did wonders for me as I got a terrific night of sleep. I was dragging all day yesterday, and today it felt like the 'reset' button had been hit.

Plank Hold: (BW) x 75sec
Split Stance Cable Push: (10) x 10each
Split Stance Cable Pull: (10) x 10each
Split Stance Cable Lift: (10) x 10each*

Deadlift: (245) x 5, (270) x 3, (300) x 7

Once again, my grip failed me before the rest of my body did. In consulting my records, my previous Deadlift PR was 315 x 1. According to the BB.com 1-RM calculator, 300 x 7 = 360 lbs. Just based off of how I feel today, I'm confident that I could easily get to 400 lbs. once the summer "beach" months pass.

The increased emphasis in core training (even as little as 5 minutes per workout) has gone a long way in helping my overall strength. Of course, that is just one part - as focusing on my body's imbalances has also played a huge role, and the Cuts has given me a level of energy that I can't ever recall having. Regardless, I haven't felt this confident in my body in years and I'm extremely pumped about that fact.


*http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_..._core_training

[Reggie20x6]

Day 9 (7/12/2011).



I had originally planned to go with an Abs/Squat/Back workout, but when it came time to lift I went with the 5-3-1 Bench program instead.

Split Stance Cable Push: (20) x 10each
Split Stance Cable Pull: (20) x 10each
Split Stance Cable Lift: (20) x 10each
Cable Core Holders: (40) x various movements

Bench: (175) x 5, (200) x 5, (225) x 8

Wide Grip Pull-Up: (BW) x 10
Shoulder Grip Pull-Up: (BW) x 5
Chins: (BW) x 5

Other than one benching session, over two weeks ago, I haven't done any sort of overhead/pushing lifts in about a month. My Z-Health trainer recommended I avoid the movements for a few weeks, while my upper body imbalances correct themselves, and I have done that ever since.

My current Bench PR is 275 x 1. 225 x 8 = 279 lbs. Thus, despite not doing any sort of Bench assistance work, or much overhead pushing in the last two months, my strength is still holding on the Bench. A lot of this has to do with the correction of my imbalances/core work - so I can only imagine what I'll hit when I focus on my Bench more in the future.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 10 (7/13/2011).



Today was the last day before my first trip. Tomorrow I'll be boarding a flight to the hotbed of social activity that is Sandusky, Ohio. I'll be spending Friday at Cedar Point, and Saturday at the water park. Saturday is going to be a shirtless day, and I'm really hoping that my body will be peak this Saturday, much like it did last Saturday.

Of the ten days I've been on Animal Cuts, I would say that last Saturday (Day 6) was the best shape I was in. My abs were really popping that day at the pool, and it filled me with a ton of confidence. I have a couple of theories for why that was (cardio in the morning, followed by an energy drink a couple hours before the pool; or the fact that a day off from work + more rest = less stress & abs). I'm going to try to replicate that this Saturday, and I definitely will be set up for success with all the walking I'll be doing at the park on Friday.

Hyperextensions: (35) x 25, (45) x 16
"Stir the Pot": (BW) x 10each, 10each (plank position, arms on stability ball - make circles in each direction)
Plank: (BW) x 30sec, 30sec (Feet on bench, arms on stability ball)

Power Clean: (115, 135) x 5, (155) x 2, (175, 180) x 1, (185) - Miss

I had planned on doing a lot more today, because I can't guarantee that I'll be able to lift at all Thursday-Saturday, but I scrapped those plans after the first set of Hypers. I put forth a great effort on all the ab exercises, and the Power Cleans were feeling great - so I decided to just focus on that movement. Unfortunately, I lacked confidence in my form after the 180 lb. set, which screwed me on 185.

Tomorrow should be an easy day, since I've only got about 5-6 hours at work before I head to the airport, so I'll be doing my best to relax in preparation for Saturday.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 11 (7/14/2011).



Today was probably my favorite workday ever. Sure, I purposely slept in. Then, I spent the morning dropping my luggage off at my dad's (who was driving there), getting a haircut and then showing up about three hours late... before leaving an hour early for my flight. But, that is neither here nor there when it comes to crowning the day a 5-star work experience.

Continuing that good fortune - my flight into Cleveland arrived on-time. My ride, unfortunately, and all my food, did not.

My dad, driving his wife's SUV from St. Louis, stopped to get a rock chip fixed around noon. 15 minutes after leaving the facility, he paid the price for following a trailer too closely and got another crack in the freshly repaired window.

My plane arrived into Cleveland at 8pm, and my dad/sister were due to arrive in the city around 8:30pm. Due to the rock trouble, their ETA got pushed back to midnight. This left me in a foreign city with none of my pre-packed food, a shirtless water park trip to prepare for and about 2,000 calories to play with.

The Warrior Diet is a fasting diet. It's similar to Lean Gains in the sense that you eat all of your calories at night, but differs in that you eat about 95% of your calories in one meal (as opposed to the pre-post-post-workout meal arrangement in Lean Gains). Before leaving St. Louis, I had measured out exactly enough food to supplement the restaurant dining we would be doing each night. I had my oatmeal, protein powders, chicken breasts, ground turkey, cottage cheese, spinach salads and almonds all packed in a cooler, and I even had some workout powders (in case there was a gym near the hotel). Without any of that, I asked my front desk which way their Walmart was located and I started my walk.

Fortunately for me, there was a Subway right across the street from Walmart. During my four days in Sacramento, back in June, I discovered that Subway sells their pre-cooked chicken breasts for dirt cheap prices. So I made my way in, and for $3.45 I had three chicken breasts in my possession.

Next, I made my way over to Walmart. I knew it wasn't looking good when I walked in, as this Walmart is not one of the updated Super Walmarts (with full groceries), but instead a regular one with a couple aisles of food. While there, I picked up a 'Protein Shot' (protein drink in a test tube), a bag of almonds and some single-serving air-popped popcorn.

I then made my way over to IHOP; where I ordered a side salad, turkey sandwich, fruit, an omelet and turkey bacon. On the way back up to the room I also grabbed an apple, banana and a packet of peanut butter from the dining area. All totaled, I ended up just about hitting my macros - without having to break the bank or risk blowing my diet.

Eating on the road is not impossible to navigate - you just have to be willing to walk a couple miles to get what you're looking for.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 12 (7/15/2011).



I woke up on Friday morning and immediately got ready for some cardio. I had brought a golf ball with me, to simulate foam rolling, and after a quick mobility warm-up I made my way down to the hotel gym with my sister. This gym, unfortunately, did not have any weight equipment but that would later end up being a good thing. So, without a specific plan for what I wanted to accomplish, I ended up doing a modified HIIT program on the stationary bike. I then hopped off the bike and weighed myself (about 182 lbs) and after a stretching session we got ready for breakfast.

The hotel we were staying at served breakfast each morning, but unfortunately for me - the only thing I wanted (eggs) were covered in cheese. So, instead of opting for the choice I knew wouldn't compute with my physique goal, I opted for some protein powder/almonds/carrots back at the room. A decision which, of course, was met with eye rolls and head shakes from my dad and sister.

I had taken my first serving of Animal Cuts before my cardio session (at about 7am), and before arriving at Cedar Point at 11am - I took a serving of Redline. I then followed that up with my second Cuts serving around 2pm. I would follow this routine the next day to great results, but would not recommend a person actually try it.

The park was not very busy on Friday, which worked out great since we hit every major ride in the park that day, except for one. In between rides we also rediscovered my body's keen ability to beat people at the 'Guess Your Weight' game (a talent I've had since adolescence). Call it thick bones, or maybe point to all the junk hiding in my proverbial trunk - whatever the case may be, my weight cannot be guessed (especially by someone who doesn't work out).

First Person's Guess: 160 / Actual Weight: 185
Next Person's Guess: 165 / Actual Weight: 183
Next Person's Guess: 172 / Actual Weight: 180 (this girl was the most athletic-looking of the bunch)

As you can see from the weight fluctuation - we did a lot of walking that day. And I, being the typical MISC'r, trolled every single girl who incorrectly guessed my weight every single time we saw them - for the rest of the day.

We returned to the hotel later that night and it was there, while in the hot tub, that I discovered just how well my body had responded to Animal Cuts.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 13 (7/16/2011).



Today was the big day.

Similar to the previous day, I popped right out of bed and made my way downstairs for some cardio. Not looking to repeat what I did yesterday (likely due to feelings of dehydration/excess sun), I instead opted to run outside. I did a couple of full-out sprints, but it was mostly a jog/run session.

We made our way to Cedar Point close to noon, and after hitting the one ride we missed yesterday, we headed over to the water park. This was one of the main reasons why I decided to try Animal Cuts, and the dreaded (to some) "take your shirt off" moment was about to happen. But, before I get to that part - a quick digression.

---

As we were about to leave Cedar Point, I made my way over to the bathroom/water fountain. Animal Cuts come in packs, and after washing my hands in the bathroom, I made my way over to the water fountain to ingest the 8-9 pills. I got the first bunch out, but two pills got stuck in the packaging. I then went to push the remaining two into my hand, but instead dropped one of them on the ground. I am a recovering germaphobe, so had this happened a year ago - it'd be a totally different story.

In fact, had it been any of the pills besides the blue one - this wouldn't have even been a story. Animal Cuts has two key pills (in my opinion) - the red stimulant pill, and the blue diuretic pill. There was no chance in hell that I was going to let anything stop me from taking that blue pill.

So, I bent over, picked up the pill and made my way back into the bathroom. Once there, I washed the pill with soap (garnering an interesting look from the small child watching me do it), went back outside and swallowed that diuretic like my life depended on it. Beauty is sacrifice.

---


Fortunately for me, my hard work and sacrifice led to a set of abs that were very visible (also visible, on this day, was the farmer's tan I had acquired the day before). A statement that not many people in the park that day could make. In all, there were probably less than ten people who had a decent-to-good physique, and I was firmly entrenched in that minority. In retrospect, it's kind of sad that a park with 1,000+ people could produce so few people without a beer belly (or the freaky-looking 120 lb. teenaged boys), but when I reflect on all the work that went into my body - the multiple workouts, the walks in 95+ degree heat in dress clothes at work, the avoiding processed food, the ramping down of calories*, the purposely trying to dehydrate myself the day of/before, the risk of heart issues due to adding extra stimulants to my stimulant-filled supplement, the eating of pills off of the concrete ground.

Making a body 'peak' is very hard to do. The only other time, in my life, that I had ever seen my abs before this day was back when I was 145 lbs. (in 2003). 40 lbs., and eight years later, and I can honestly say that I can point to this day as the best I've ever looked. It was definitely a physique that I will not be maintaining in the long-run (eventually, I would like to walk around with that look and take it to the next level for the next cut), but I will fight to keep it for as long as I can - the confidence I felt that day was amazing, and it's great when hard work pays off.



*Fortunately, the Warrior Diet works so well that "ramping down calories" means cutting out 100-200 calories at the most. In fact, up until Thursday (when I ran out of food) I was eating the same amount or more calories than usual. Cuts + Warrior Diet + Heavy Lifting = Success.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 14 (7/17/2011).



If yesterday was the peak, then today was the valley.

I don't know if it was the dehydration, the extra stimulants, the sun, the lack of sleep (due to it being my night on the crappy cot), the eight-hour car ride or ingesting a pill that had fallen on the ground, but I felt like crap toward the end of the day.

I'm sure it was a combination of those things, but my body felt like it had crashed. Enough so that I didn't even take my second serving of Animal Cuts. I just felt so out of it that I didn't think taking the second serving would lead to anything good.

Today ended up being only my second day off from everything (cardio included) in over two weeks, and days like today are why 'peak' physiques shouldn't be maintained for the long-term.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 15 (7/18/2011).



My recovery from Saturday continued today. I called (e-mailed) out of work, and slept until about 9am this morning. I had a ton of stuff to get done and the thought of sitting around at work all day didn't sit too well with me.* Even despite the free morning, I still couldn't bring myself to do any cardio.

Ball Core Hold (hands on ball; feet on bench): (BW) x 40sec
Side-to-Side Ab/Ball: (7) x 15each
Ball Core Hold (feet on bench; hands on ball): (BW) x 40sec

Deadlift: (225, 255) x 5, (280) x 11

This was a weird workout. On the one hand, my muscles felt awesome from the four days off from lifting. Yet, at the same time, I felt exhausted. This led to situations where I was pounding out great sets, but afterward I would be breathing extremely heavily - very strange for me.

Still, 280 x 10 = 373 lbs., according to the BB.com 1-RM calculator (which only goes up to 10 reps), shows a big improvement since last week's deadlifting session. Sure, it's tough to compare multi-rep sets to singles, but it's still an indicator of forward progress. Very happy with the result there.



*If you couldn't tell, I've already secured another position and I am sort of waiting my time out at my current job. Which is precisely why I spent the last couple of hours typing up all of these updates at my desk and e-mailing them to myself for posting later. Good times.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 16 (7/19/2011).




I'm making a conscious decision to rehydrate myself, as I had a 30oz PowerAde Zero during my daily walk at work (as opposed to something with caffeine in it, when I was purposely drying to dehydrate myself) and then pounded some more during my workout. It appears to be working, as my body recovered incredibly well, since Sunday/Monday, and I would have to admit to looking fantastic after today's workout. My leanness is still sticking around, and my energy level is starting to get better.

Various Ab Movements

Bench: (185, 210) x 3, (235 x 6)

Wide-Grip Pull-Ups: (BW) x 8, 6, 6

Cable Rows: (40) x 13each

I think I wore my upper body out from doing the Ab Wheel. I wasn't thinking with that exercise choice, but I'm happy with how hard I was able to hit my abs tonight. Despite working Bench with an energy deficit, I still did a decent final set. All things considered - Bench is doing well, considering the fact that I am doing no assistance exercises for it.

[Reggie20x6]

Day 17 (7/20/2011).



Not really much of a workout to write home about tonight. I've been fighting a weird thought, since I passed the weekend - I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do, and now I'm not really sure what to do here. Call it "the championship hangover," to borrow a sports phrase that refers to what happens to athletes once they win the title in their sport.

I reached my goal, I did it a week early, and I didn't have a follow-up plan in place.

Since I've got so little to do, during my last few days of working at my current job, I'm probably going to dedicate all of tomorrow to figuring out my next plan of attack.

Of course, what I do next might hinge completely on my upcoming job, but that is a conversation for another time. Hopefully, I'll come out firing tomorrow night.