Early Sunday Lift

Started my day off well with a strong lift this morning. The gym was completely empty, except for a somewhat older couple doing circuit training on the machines and making out between sets of their circuits, which was somewhat awkward for me during leg curls. Still, felt strong, and the early morning (8AM on a Sunday is pretty early for me) lift was surprisingly pleasant. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's power day, particularly Power Cleans, which I'm going to try to rep at my body weight, instead of maxing at that weight.

First Week of 2013

Just finished my last training day for week 1 of 2013. It's been a good week, as I finished strong with my deadlifts, and set new personal bests for squats, power cleans, and chin-ups. Last week was also good from a nutrition standpoint, as only one non-healthy item was eaten, a sad consequence of living next door to an amazing cafe. I also upgraded my dumbbells, purchasing 4 additional 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) plates, which raised my 2 dumbbell max weight to 21.5 kg (47 lbs) and my 1 dumbbell max weight to 28.5 kg (63 lbs). I'll get started with those on Monday the 7th, and although the total weight increase is only 4 and 5 lbs, respectively, I think that even the slightly higher weight will definitely add to the challenge of those lifts. The one area that the single weight feels inadequate for are overhead triceps extensions, but I'm probably going to switch those to single-arm overhead or kickbacks to better accommodate my equipment's ability to give me a challenge. Our dumbbell sets were definitely a good investment, considering the difficulty of getting away to a gym without childcare and a baby at home.

Training and "Before" Pics

Had a fantastic workout today, and took my "Before" pictures for the BB.com Transformation competition. Getting a Newspaper at 11 PM was certainly an interesting challenge, but thanks to a nearby bar, I was able to get that taken care of. Here are the pics!

Bodybuilding.com Transformation Challenge

Challenge ACCEPTED!

I'll be posting lots of updates to this blog, which will then be reposted on my body space at BB.com

Looking forward to making lots of gains!

Training Methodology

Just wanted to put down a few words about my training philosophy to kick off 2013. I think that it's completely pointless to have a blog about working out without talking about what it is you're doing, why you're doing it, and what you expect to achieve by doing so.

First, what am I doing? I'm currently training a 2-day split twice a week with a focus on compound movements. My primary lifts are the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Power Clean, Shoulder Press, Pull-up and Row. My current training includes two variants of the Deadlift, and three of the Bench Press to focus on different aspects of the lifts. I also do some limited isolation work, specifically with dumbbells, and I don't spend my training time on cardio. I try to eat clean (minimally or non-processed) foods, and I follow these intake guidelines. I am currently supplementing with Creatine Monohydrate, NO-Xplode, a multivitamin, and flaxseed oil, and use 100% Whey and Syntha-6 protein shakes for post-workout and meal replacement, respectively. I get a lot of my meal recipes from this Facebook group.

Second, why is this my plan? I focus on compound movements, because they activate the greatest amount of muscle mass, which contributes to higher testosterone levels, and therefore muscle growth. I lift heavy, (as in, I use weights which are at the edge of my ability) and progress as soon as a weight becomes too easy or routine, because my goal is to grow muscle and strength while maintaining a low body fat. I do not "bulk", because staying relatively lean is more important to me than large hypertrophy gains, and I'm able to make strength gains regardless. I have one workout (or half of one of my 2 days) which is exclusively done with dumbbells to allow me to work out at home, while I watch my soon-to-be one year old daughter.

Third, what are my expectations? I expect to continue to increase my strength and muscularity, while keeping a lean body (low body fat percentage). I expect to make strength gains, and to better my overall physical well-being. Lastly, I expect to be capable of keeping up with my daughter, looking good for my wife, and feeling good about how I look.

New Year's Day Lifting

Was pleasantly surprised during my workout today that there was no horde of new gym-goers doing bicep curls in the squat rack, or sit-ups on the bench press. Hopefully my focus on free weights will keep me out of harms way, as most people at my gym spend their time on machines and cardio equipment.

Great workout today, as I really felt strong throughout and was very efficient getting through my regimen. Perfect start to the New Year.

January 1st, 2013 Progress Pic

I'm always really torn about flexing. I didn't flex my arms or shoulders in this shot, and the one from 1 December looks a lot better.