May 30th, 2013 - Is he dead?! Life changes and Updates!

First off, I apologize for my incredibly LONG absence.  It has been about a month since I last wrote.  A lot has changed in such a short time span.  So allow me to be brief and summarize:

-New career with longer hours (this is the bulk of it as my well-being depends on this being a priority)
-Began a cut program to shred for Summer
-Completed a very successful training relationship with friend and client (net loss of over -120 lbs. since August '12 to date!)
-Developed another bad case of plantar fasciitis

"But first, let me give you a bicep shot."  - Icecreamfitness

Life is all about priorities and as I have stated before, bodybuilding/fitness/nutrition is just a hobbie to me.  Although it is a hobbie I am passionate about and will always define myself as being related to this lifestyle, it isn't everything to me.  My relationship, my family, and my career comes first as I cannot live without and every other facet exist because it supports and enriches my life.  All of my free time is invested to my relationship.  I work 10-12 hour days with my new job, but I enjoy it.  Those reasons explain my absence.

Since my last post, I decided to embark on a cut program to shred for Summer.  I still have no plans to compete, but it's never uncool to look shredded.  What better time to look your best than for the Summer, right?  I have hit a peak weight of 176 lbs during my bulk experiment and I was happy with the gains.  Now I have altered my diet to achieve this goal.  I began about 2-3 weeks ago.

Flexible Diet Plan - Eat anything whenever I want as long as it fits these numbers.  I track everything on MyFitnessPal.  And yes, I still often eat ice cream for dinner.  :)

Regular Days: 3000 calories, 230P / 350C / 75F
Load Days: 3400 calories, 230P / 450C / 75F
*I usually load on Saturdays because me and my girlfriend often eat out on this day.

I have since lost about 6 lbs.  Today's scale weight read 169.4 lbs.  I have been training the same way with my Pull-Push-Legs protocol 6 days a week with 1 day of rest.  I added 20 minutes of cardio on my leg days.  I will keep this up until weight loss stalls from week to week then I will drop calories by 200 in my regular days.

A few days ago, I went hiking in Malibu and I developed a bad case of plantar fasciitis.  Last time I got it was last year during my contest prep training.  My feet are probably not trained for cardio.  I learned how to treat it with mobility exercises that involve lacrosse balls, kneading, and stretching (thanks to MobilityWOD's KStar!), as well as, icing and taping.  I should be "heeled" in about a week or two (get it?  "Heeled."  Healed.  Nevermind.).  Nevertheless, the incredible pain did not keep me out of the gym!  I just tried to work around it and not aggravate it.  I will be back to heavy squating and deadlifting soon enough!

I hope to continue posting regularly, but my availability has been slim as of late.  If we are not friends on Facebook already, please add me!  Search: "Way Protein."  Thanks and I hope to continue my regular updates!