Countdown to the Arnold Pt II

[Blood&Iron]

January 6th, 2007

Ramblings
I look like a fat sloppy mess. I went through a bit of a minor depression due to personal issues, a ****load of stress at work, and ended up drinking myself into oblivion on a near nightly basis. I still worked out regularly, of course, and my most objective measures, I'm in good shape, but relative to what I expect of myself, I have a long way to go. I'm not terribly interested in being huge anymore, but I'd like to be lean and muscular. Starting Monday, I'm going to be dieting again, but rather than my more typical extreme approaches, it'll be the cliched bodybuilding diet you see in ads for MuscleTech and ****. Typically, I've not done well on these because I have no restraint unless the tiniest cheat means I've ruined the diet. We'll see how things play out. Part of this, of course, is that I've met up with folks from WBB for the last couple years for hte Arnold and would prefer not to look like **** and embarass myself this coming March. I haven't completed decided on the specifics of my dieting or training, but will do so tomorrow.

Diet
Starts Monday

Comments:
n/a

Training: 4:10pm - 5:30pm, Location: LifeTime Fitness
Sumo Deads (mixed grip) 135 x 5, 185 x 2, 225 x 1, 245 x 5, 245 x 5, 245 x 5
DB Overhead Press 35s x 5, 45s x 2, 60s x 1, 70s x 3, 70s x 4, 70s x 3
HammerStrength Seated Row140 x 5, 180 x 2, 270 x 5, 270 x 5, 270 x 5, 270 x 5, 270 x 5
HammerStrength Inclined Press140 x 5, 180 x 2, 270 x 3, 270 x 3
Chins bodyweight x 7, bodyweight x 4
Flat Bench 135 x 12, 135 x 8
Leg Press250 x 5, 370 x 12, 370 x 8
Leg Curl135 x 5, 180 x 2, 255 x 3, 240 x 3
Standing Calf Raise135 x 5, 225 x 2, 315 x 3, 315 x 3
Standing DB Curls25s x 5, 45s x 3, 45s x 3
Misc Curl/Tricep Jockeying

Comments
Meh. I am weak. Also, New Year's Resolution Time = teh suck

Weight 209lbs

[TTT]

Good luck with it, man. If you can get to where you were at the last Arnold, you definitely won't embarass yourself.

[Blood&Iron]

January 8th, 2007

Rambling
After a little bit of thinking (but not that much), current plans for my diet/training are:

Diet:
200g carbs
200g protein
60g fat
Focus on *real* food, whole grains, some fruits/vegetables, along with some very basic supplementation (fish oil, whey, multi)

Training:
Monday: High-volume upper-body, 15-30 min cardio
Tuesday: High volume lower body, 15-30 min cardio
Wednesday: 30 min cardio
Thursday: Moderate rep upper-body
Friday: 30 min cardio
Saturday: Full-body low reps

I'm also really, really, really going to try and cut out drinking (which has been the primary culprit in why I look like ****) on all days except Saturday or Friday (i.e. one day a week) and limit myself to no more than 6 drinks. As a point of reference, I've been drinking regularly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday for many months. As a barometer on New Year's I drank about 6-7 mixed drinks plus an entire bottle of Dom Perignon in just under 3 hours without getting particularly ****ed up. That's a bit scary. I will post pics of my fat ass in the next day or two, I promise.

Diet
m11 scoop whey, 5g creatine
m21/2 cup oatmeal, 1 scoop whey
m3turkey burger, whole wheat bun, apple
m4ZonePerfect Bar
m5turkey burger, whole wheat bun
m61 oz cashews, 2oz low-carb noodles, 1 cup marinara, 3oz tuna, 1 cup mixed greens, 2 tbsp light balsamic vinaigrette, 1 cup skim milk, ZonePerfect bar

Comments:
To come...

Training: 7:30pm - 8:30pm, Location: LifeTime Fitness

DB OHP 25s x 15, 25s x 12, 25s x 10
DB Laterals 12.5s x 10, 12.5s x 8
One-arm DB Row 45 x 15, 45 x 15, 45 x 15
DB Incline45s x 15, 45s x 10, 45s x 9
Assisted Chins-18 x 12, -18 x 10
HS Incline 110 x 10, 120 x 12, 110 x 10
Pulldown 100 x 12, 100 x 9
Shrugs 45s x 12, 45s x 12
BB Curl bar x 18, bar x 18
Pushdowns 6 plates x 15, 6 x 15
21s 1 set w/ 15s

+15 minutes on elliptical

Comments
Decent workout. Nice to do something other than a full-body workout. I may adjust this split and put the shoulder stuff on leg day.

Weight 208.5

[Blood&Iron]

January 9th, 2007

Rambling
Meh. Perhaps I'll update this later...

Diet
m11/2 scoop whey, 1/4 scoop dextrose, 5g creatine
m2ZonePerfect Bar
m32 turkey burgers, 2 whole wheat buns
m4
m5
m6

Comments:


Training: 7:30am - 8:30am, Location: LifeTime Fitness

Squats 135 x 15, 135 x 10, 135 x 8
Leg Press 270 x 15, 270 x 12
Seated Leg Curl 135 x 15, 135 x 10, 135 x 8
Leg Ext80 x 12, 80 x 10
Calf Raise80 x 15, 60 x 15
Hip Adduction90 x 15, 90 x 12

+5 minutes on elliptical

Comments
Was running late so I didn't have any time to do cardio. I have to go to some dumbass party for my company, so likely it won't happen today. Also, I left my ****ing log book at the gym because I was in a rush...this pisses me off to no end.

Weight 206.5

[Can'tstopnow]

A lot of progress can be made before March, good to see you are getting to it with no b.s. Keep hitting it.

[Blood&Iron]

A lot of progress can be made before March, good to see you are getting to it with no b.s. Keep hitting it.

Yes, indeed. Provided I can keep motivated. Thanks.

[DGabe24]

Every journey starts with a step...and in this case a serious jump-start Keep it up and make sure you keep that fire burnin brother.

[Blood&Iron]

January 10th, 2007

Rambling
I said on the first day of this blog that my biggest challenge would be to *not* drink. Well, yesterday I had my first challenge...and I failed. It was our company 2007 rollout. Now, we never had a holiday party. This was in place of that really. Don't ask me what ****** decided having the party in the middle of the week *after* the New Year thought that would be better than at the normal time, but someone did. So, anyway, they rented out an entire restaurant and there was an open bar. Needless to say, my willpower vanished in the face of the liqour (and subsequently the food). Within ten minutes of arriving I had had:
1 shot vodk
1 gin & tonic
1 red bull & vodka
1 Heineken

I only had about 3-4 more drinks over the subsequent 4 hours, but that was bad enough. So, needless to say yesterday was a ****ing failure. Today was not great either.

Diet
m11 cup Kashi Crunch, 1 scoop whey, 5g creatine, 1/2 cup skim milk
m2Turkey Pita sandwich, light mayo
m31 slice pizza, handful of candy
m43 eggs, 1 can peaches, 1oz cashews, 1 cup Kashi Crunch, 1 cup Rice Krispies, 1 cup skim milk.

Comments:
Crappily spaced out meals, too little protein, few crappy food choices. More protein to come...

Training: 8:00pm - 8:30pm, Location: LifeTime Fitness

+30 minutes on treadmill @ 15 degrees and 3.0mph

Comments
I ****ing hate cardio. But I did it..and after work, without stimulatns when all I felt like doing was going home, so good job me.

Weight 208.5lbs

[Blood&Iron]

Eh, since probably barely anyone knows me here anymore (although I was quite the prolific poster at one time) here are some pics of me from last May, when I was in reasonably okay shape (And, yes, I know the pictures are totally fag). I look fairly similar to this now, just a bit fatter and smaller. I'd like to get back to this within the next 1.5 months the improve:

[Blood&Iron]

Pictures taken after my workout about an hour ago. A cautionary tale of what 6 months of excessive drinking, stress at work, and depression will do to you:

[Blood&Iron]

January 11th, 2007

Rambling
A girl I know is having a birthday party. The group she runs with is a bunch of hot girls, so despite knowing I should NOT go, I will likely end up at the bar tonight. I am going to really try and restrain my drinking. Please yell at me btw...

Diet
m14g fish oil, multi, 2 Balance Bars
m21/2 scoop whey, 1/2 scoop dextrose, 5g creatine
m36oz Powerade
m4Turkey Pita sandwich
m5apple, 2 scoops whey
m6Wendy's grilled chicken club, small chili
bar2 shots vodka, 1 Gin & Tonic, 1 Red Bull & Vodka, 2 Heineken
Post-bar eating1 can soup, 1 cup Kashi Crunch, 1 can no sugar added pears

Comments:
The drinking was ****ing stupid, but I knew it was going to happne...at least I resisted the siren song of Taco Bell on the way home.

Training: 12:10pm - 1:50pm, Location: Gold's

DB OHP 35s x 5, 45s x 8, 45s x 6, 45s x 6
DB Laterals 15s x 8, 15s x 8
Chins bodyweight x 8, bodyweight x 5.5
Flat Bench 155 x 8, 155 x 8, 155 x 7
T-bar Row80 x 10, 90 x 8, 90 x 7
DB Incline Press 35s x 5, 55s x 8, 55s x 6
Rev Pec Deck 60 x 10, 70 x 8
Shrugs 50s x 10, 50s x 10
Standing DB Curls30s x 12, 30s x 8
5 min curl jocking

Comments
I quite enjoyed this workout...particularly the fact I didn't have to ****ing do legs. Had hoped to fit in some cardio, but I didn't have time.

Weight 207.5

[Blood&Iron]

Update: I drank last night. I suck. As I was walking into work this morning, I realized what a ****ty job I've been doing this week. So, next week I WILL do the following:
1) Plan and prepare all meals the night before and eat ONLY that
2) Do cardio at least 4 days of the week.
3) Absolutely no drinking during the week
4) Max 6 drinks on Friday and/or Saturday (per night)

So let it be written, so let it be done.

[Paul Stagg]

You still look damn solid. Don't get so down on yourself.

I find taking a month and just not drinking at all helps me. I drop bodyfat from the loss of calories, and I prove I can quit drinking for a month if I want to.

[Sidior]

You still do look really impressive bro. Good luck with your goals and rededication. Just sort out that drinking!

[Blood&Iron]

Every journey starts with a step...and in this case a serious jump-start Keep it up and make sure you keep that fire burnin brother.

Ha. Thanks. It's definitely burning right now. I may need to go to my Dr. for some ointment...

[Blood&Iron]

You still look damn solid. Don't get so down on yourself.

I find taking a month and just not drinking at all helps me. I drop bodyfat from the loss of calories, and I prove I can quit drinking for a month if I want to.

Thanks for the kind words.

I've gone extended periods without drinking. Right now it's difficult because I'm single and all I do is work...so the bar is my one decent place to meet people. Although, the girls I meet are usually not decent...so I should just skip it.

I just bought an Xbox 360 in the hopes that I can revert to my former state of nerdiness and just skip going out altogether, because then not drinking would be quite easy. I really do think my primary challenge in all of this will be the drinking. If I can just limit it to weekends and only do it midly excessively I think I'll be okay--although it'll still be far from ideal.

[Blood&Iron]

You still do look really impressive bro. Good luck with your goals and rededication. Just sort out that drinking!

Thanks, man.

I am trying...I say as I contemplate going to the bar tonight

[heathj]

who are you again?

drinking is too fun to quit, why can't it come calorie free? You could switch to diet soda + hard alcohol...

[Blood&Iron]

who are you again?

drinking is too fun to quit, why can't it come calorie free? You could switch to diet soda + hard alcohol...

Ha, I don't quite remember...I think the alcohol killed those brain cells.

I don't really drink beer too much. I mostly stick to hard liquour. I have given up on sugar free Red Bull and sugar free Tonic water b/c they taste like ****. I think it's more the hormonal effects of excessive drinking that **** me up anyway, not that. Plus late night Taco Bell.

[galileo]

I just saw your pictures. Haha, you're fat like me! Yesssssssss.

[Blood&Iron]

I just saw your pictures. Haha, you're fat like me! Yesssssssss.

Yes, yes I am.

But aren't you at like 10% bf now? I hope to **** you don't look like me. Even in my non-fat pictures I wasn't as low as 10%. Maybe 12-13%. Now I'm probably like 17-18%.

[Blood&Iron]

January 13th, 2007

Rambling
Little behind on this. Not happy with my performance last week. I went out drinking three nights (and not moderately). Friday was cool insofar as I found a $50 bill on the flooer of the bar. Plus, I did finish off strong by NOT going out on Saturday. I can't remember the last time I did that. It may have had something to do with the Xbox360 I bought on Saturday (along with Gears of War). I'm going to try and revert to a complete state of nerdiness (vs. my current partial state) and just stay in playing video games rather than drinking. At least until I get back in shape.

Diet

Comments:
Gonna skip this, since I didn't keep careful track. Not great. Next week, I will not miss a single entry, though.

Training: 12:20pm - 2:10pm, Location: LifeTime Fitness

Sumo Deads (mixed grip) 135 x 5, 185 x 3, 225 x 1, 255 x 5, 255 x 5, 255 x 5, 255 x 3
DB OHP 35s x 5, 45s x 2, 60s x 1, 70s x 3, 70s x 3, 70s x 3
HS Row140 x 5, 180 x 3, 290 x 5, 290 x 5, 290 x 5, 290 x 5
HS Incline Press140 x 5, 180 x 2, 270 x 4, 270 x 3, 270 x 3
Chins bdy x 3, +25 x 3, +25 x 3
DB Incline45s x 5, 65s x 2, 85s x 4, 85s x 4
Leg Press250 x 5, 310 x 2, 370 x 6, 370 x 5
Leg Ext120 x 5, 200 x 5, 200 x 5
Seated Leg Curl 135 x 5, 185 x 2, 240 x 3, 240 x 3, 240 x 3
Standing Calf Raise135 x 5, 180 x 2, 225 x 1, 315 x 4, 315 x 4
Standing DB Curls25s x 5, 40s x 4, 40s x 3
Curl/Tricep Jockeying @ 10min
Comments
Good workout. Increases on a number of exercises. Sumo deads are a bit problematic as my grip sucks.

Weight 209

[Blood&Iron]

January 15th, 2007

Rambling
The project I've been working on (and lead of software development) is launching tomorrow. Apparently, we're going to be in the Wall Street Journal (small business section) tomorrow as well as on CNBC (tentatively 11:50am). Should be interesting...ironically enough (if you know me) the project I've been working on is called "Caffeine". Ha.

Diet
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...r=Blood%26Iron

Comments:
So far, so good...

Training: 7:30pm - 8:30pm, Location: LifeTime Fitness

DB OHP 25s x 15, 25s x 12, 25s x 10
DB Laterals 10s x 12, 10s x 12
HS Row 180 x 16, 180 x 12, 180 x 10
HS Incline140 x 15, 140 x 12, 140 x 10
Assisted Chins-18 x 15, -18 x 10
Flat Bench 135 x 13, 135 x 8
Pulldown 100 x 12, 100 x 8
Incline Flyes25s x 12, 30s x 8
Shrugs 30s x 15, 30s x 15
DB Curls20s x 16, 20s x 13
Curl Jocking

Comments
I used the last of my supply of ephedrine on Saturday. Perhaps this is God telling me to stop using it. I may switch to only using caffeine. My first ephedrine free (but not caffeine free) workout in awhile. This wasn't bad, but I fear what this will do to my heavy days. I may do cardio later this evening.

Weight 209

[Shark]

Wow, you are a fatty!! I hope I can come in leaner then you at the Arnold... that would make me happy.

[TwiloMike]

This is the first time that I remember seeing pics of you. You're right- get yourself back into May shape.

How tall are you?