6/14/13 - 425 lb. Deadlift PR for a Double - sorry for the neck snap action to view this video.
6/14/13 - 365 lb. Deadlift Working Set
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
June 22nd, 2013
It's been a hell of a week! Here's a look at schedule the past week:
4:30a wake
5:45a - 7:30a train, stretch, shower
8:00a - 8:00p work
9:00p home, spend time with my lady & pup
10:00p sleep
4:30a wake and repeat...
The good news is that work keeps my mind off the diet. I still have not felt hungry during my day. I have a scoop of whey protein isolate when I wake and another scoop after I train accompanied by a banana. I usually eat 75% of my daily calories in one large meal at about noonish due to limited opportunities to eat throughout my work day. I had to be flexible to meet the demands of my new job schedule.
My weight loss has been slowly and steadily progressing. I am currently at 167.8 lbs. and I've been losing about a pound per week - just as planned. I'll report back next week! I am currently doing some retail cardio with my lady. Have a good day!
4:30a wake
5:45a - 7:30a train, stretch, shower
8:00a - 8:00p work
9:00p home, spend time with my lady & pup
10:00p sleep
4:30a wake and repeat...
The good news is that work keeps my mind off the diet. I still have not felt hungry during my day. I have a scoop of whey protein isolate when I wake and another scoop after I train accompanied by a banana. I usually eat 75% of my daily calories in one large meal at about noonish due to limited opportunities to eat throughout my work day. I had to be flexible to meet the demands of my new job schedule.
My weight loss has been slowly and steadily progressing. I am currently at 167.8 lbs. and I've been losing about a pound per week - just as planned. I'll report back next week! I am currently doing some retail cardio with my lady. Have a good day!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sodium Shmodium - It's not that big a deal!
...unless your doc recommend you avoiding salt due to pre-existing issues. But quite frankly, sodium is not all that important in relation to dieting and fat loss in normal healthy humans. Sure, it causes the bloats, but it's not that bad as it is temporary. Weight gain due to abnormally high sodium intake is due to water retention; thus I would consider this as temporary weight gain, or "who cares." Weight gain from fat is another story.
Let's say you are a normal healthy human being. Let's look at the general mechanics of your body. Your body is constantly adjusting itself in every way possible to seek homeostasis. In relation to sodium, if you consume the same amount of sodium every day, then your body has already sought homeostasis. Let's say you eat the same amount of sodium every day, then on Saturday, you go eat some sodium-laden deliciousness at Maggiano's or Panda Express. Your body will be shocked that your sodium intake skyrocketed. That increase in sodium levels is abrupt and your body cannot react fast enough at a moment's notice to regulate that spike in sodium. Therefore, your body will be affected by increased sodium and this causes water retention. Let's say you go back to eating that same amount of sodium the next day on. Your body, after a few days, will be able to go back to normal and alleviate the bloats.
For me, I've noticed that it takes 2-3 days for my body to return to normal. For example, I had some spaghetti leftovers from Maggiano's for lunch on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday I returned to eating my normal daily amount of sodium (all I did was prepare my own food and not add any spices or condiments with much sodium in it), my weight increased from 169.2 lbs. to 171.4 - 171.8 lbs. Today is Thursday and I now weigh 168.8 lbs.
Of course, this cannot be achieved without a healthy level of water intake. They say "8 cups a day," but if you are highly active like I am, then a gallon a day is more fitting. The natural cleansing diuretic effect of water is the best way to flush your body of unwanted nasties. It is not to say that sodium should be avoided at all costs! Sodium is essential to the mechanics of your body. I would suggest just not to ADD salt to flavor your food.
So what happens when you eat out ALL the time? Lunch at Taco Bell, dinner at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, breakfast at Denny's, brunch at CPK.... All dishes prepared by anyone else aside from yourself will have different sodium levels. Some will be higher than others, but most definitely, ALL will be higher than what you prepare yourself. You have total control over what enters your mouth and what your body digests because you prepared it yourself.
Let's say you are a normal healthy human being. Let's look at the general mechanics of your body. Your body is constantly adjusting itself in every way possible to seek homeostasis. In relation to sodium, if you consume the same amount of sodium every day, then your body has already sought homeostasis. Let's say you eat the same amount of sodium every day, then on Saturday, you go eat some sodium-laden deliciousness at Maggiano's or Panda Express. Your body will be shocked that your sodium intake skyrocketed. That increase in sodium levels is abrupt and your body cannot react fast enough at a moment's notice to regulate that spike in sodium. Therefore, your body will be affected by increased sodium and this causes water retention. Let's say you go back to eating that same amount of sodium the next day on. Your body, after a few days, will be able to go back to normal and alleviate the bloats.
For me, I've noticed that it takes 2-3 days for my body to return to normal. For example, I had some spaghetti leftovers from Maggiano's for lunch on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday I returned to eating my normal daily amount of sodium (all I did was prepare my own food and not add any spices or condiments with much sodium in it), my weight increased from 169.2 lbs. to 171.4 - 171.8 lbs. Today is Thursday and I now weigh 168.8 lbs.
Of course, this cannot be achieved without a healthy level of water intake. They say "8 cups a day," but if you are highly active like I am, then a gallon a day is more fitting. The natural cleansing diuretic effect of water is the best way to flush your body of unwanted nasties. It is not to say that sodium should be avoided at all costs! Sodium is essential to the mechanics of your body. I would suggest just not to ADD salt to flavor your food.
So what happens when you eat out ALL the time? Lunch at Taco Bell, dinner at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, breakfast at Denny's, brunch at CPK.... All dishes prepared by anyone else aside from yourself will have different sodium levels. Some will be higher than others, but most definitely, ALL will be higher than what you prepare yourself. You have total control over what enters your mouth and what your body digests because you prepared it yourself.
Monday, June 10, 2013
June 10th, 2013
I had a very tasty weekend! Today's the Love-of-My-Life's birthday and we celebrated all weekend! She loves sushi and Italian food, so that's what I treated her to! I've noticed that I have been getting a bit leaner and leaner as the weeks go by, but my weight has been steady for awhile now - hovering at or around 170 lbs.
So this is what I'm going to do...
- Keep my training consistent - PUSH / PULL / LEGS 6 days on, 1 day off with daily goals of progressive overload
- Continue performing 2 sessions of 20 min. cardio per week at the end of Leg Days (I have been doing a 5 min. warm-up, 10 min. HIIT, 5 min. warm-down on the elliptical lately because of my plantar fasciitis)
- Drop calories by about 200 calories from carbs, keeping proteins and fats the same
Current Daily Macros (~3000 calories)
230g P, 350g C, 75g F
New Daily Macros (~2800 calories)
230g P, 300g C, 75g F
Refeeds - Usually Sundays (~3400 calories)
230g P, 450g C, 75g F
My strength has been consistent and managed to perform a 405 lb. deadlift for 3 reps on my 7th set a few days ago. I just need to be patient and I will eventually get there. The goal, I must remember, is to get sub 10% bf lean, maintain strength, maintain LBM, and keep calories (specifically carbs) as high as possible. Last year was my first attempt at getting really shredded for a competition, but I did that with very low carbs and calories. I am convinced that with the knowledge of gained in nutrition, diet, and training, the same results can be achieved without drastic measures. Let's go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)