Why the walking? Sprinting is too hard on the joints especially after you've been taxing your body with heavy squats and deadlifts. Also jogging and long durations of torturous cardiovascular activity induce cortisol production in the body. Cortisol is basically a catabolic hormone that breaks down muscle tissue from what little I've read about it.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Good way to lose fat: walk on an empty stomach
Anywhere from forty five minutes to an hour should be enough walking. The best times to walk are right after you work out when you're body is in fat burning mode and in the morning after eight hours of sleep.
Why the walking? Sprinting is too hard on the joints especially after you've been taxing your body with heavy squats and deadlifts. Also jogging and long durations of torturous cardiovascular activity induce cortisol production in the body. Cortisol is basically a catabolic hormone that breaks down muscle tissue from what little I've read about it.
This guy recommends burst training as a way to lose fat.
Why the walking? Sprinting is too hard on the joints especially after you've been taxing your body with heavy squats and deadlifts. Also jogging and long durations of torturous cardiovascular activity induce cortisol production in the body. Cortisol is basically a catabolic hormone that breaks down muscle tissue from what little I've read about it.
Why you should deadlift on solid ground
Here's me attempting a 475 lbs conventional deadlift with straps no belt. I could only get it halfway up my shin. The main reason for not being able to pull it higher was the floor I was deadlifting on was semi-hard rubberized foam. You can clearly see in the video my feet shifting and wobbling. That kind of lack of stability lends itself to loss of power, and if I hadn't switched to stiff legged deadlifting on two forty five lb plates immediately after this attempt I would have probably experienced a minor vertebra disc slippage and would have to stop working out due to a spine injury.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Progress report: mid-afternoon vs. midnight training session
What the workout numbers mean:
First off I only record my 1 rep max out set, so I list the weight I attempted in lbs. and then I list the rating I gave to the lift. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is barely lifting the weight off the ground or barely getting the bar away from my chest. 5 means I completed the lift with perfect form. 4 means I completed the lift but with terrible form and a lot of shakiness. 3 means I finished the lift about 3/4 of the way. 2 means I completed the lift about half way up.
Here's my numbers:
Gym Friday 1:15 pm 4/4/14
Seated shoulder press 165-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt 425-1
Pec fly life fitness machine 295-1
Tricep extension seated icarian machine 150-3
Leg press seated icarian machine 320-4, 340-1
Cybex machine lat row seated 230-1
Home Tuesday 4/8/14 12:45 pm
Cambered bar bench press 215-1
Cambered bar bench press feet in the air 195-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 425-1
Rack pull no belt 505-3
Pause squat no belt 270-3, 295-3
Tricep extension on floor 105-1
Gym Friday 4/11/14 11:15 am
Seated shoulder press life fitness machine 170-2
Pec fly free motion machine 200-4
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 445-1
Leg press seated life fitness machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
One legged leg press life fitness machine
Right 80-4
Left 80-4
Seated row cable machine 230-1
Tricep extension seated life fitness free motion machine
200-1
Gym Tuesday 12 am 4/15/14
Leverage machine handles set 3" behind vertical plane of chest 270-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 445-1
Rack pull 515-0
Leg press life fitness machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
Chest press seated free motion cables 180-1
Tricep extension free motion machine 200-3
Seated bicep curl free motion machine 200-3
Gym Friday 4/18/14 3 pm
Shoulder press hoist machine 160-2, 170-1
Stiff legged deadlift 465-1
Pause squat wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 310-3
Lat row cable life fitness machine 260-2
Lat row life fitness machine 210-3, 230-1
Pec fly life fitness machine 265-1
Rope Tricep extension machine 100-2, 100-4, 115-1
Gym Tuesday 4/22/14 210 pm
Leverage chest press machine handles set 3" behind vertical plane of chest 280-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 465-1
Rack pull 505-1
Free motion chest press cable 180-1
Free motion bicep curl cables seated 110-1, 110-3
Life fitness leg press machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
Free motion Tricep extension machine 200-4
What we learn from the numbers:
If you're going to learn anything about yourself, you have to notice the overall generalized trend of your strength gains. The basic pattern for my advancing in strength is that I'm stronger during the afternoon than at night and I'm stronger when taking 72 hours rest between workouts compared to a 96 hour rest between training sessions.
For example, on Tuesday 12 am 4/15/14, I was expecting some kind of gain in my stiff legged deadlift but I stayed the same at 445 lb. when compared to my Friday 4/11/14 11:15 am workout. Then on , Friday 4/18/14 3 pm, I lifted off the ground 465lbs. for a couple inches. That's a successful gain to me and the fact that I let 96+ hours elapse between training sessions proves to me that I'm stronger during the day than at night.
Daytime workouts are probably not possible for a great many of you as you have to work during the day, but if you can plan to work out one time during the night on a weekday and then one time in the afternoon on the weekend you might see some strength gains.
But for me there is a window of if I had to guess between 11am and around 5pm that I'm definitely stronger. All I can say is experiment with your workout times and find what's best for you.
As for taking 96 hours rest between workouts, it's something which I don't want to do but because of economic reasons I am forced to do. I'm kind of broke and when it comes down my bank account vs. my muscles, my bank account will always win. But still even though I'm not making all the strength gains I want to make, I still see strength gains albeit in a limited fashion when taking 96 hours rest.
Here's some of my nutrition numbers:
As a side note I only drink whey protein while I workout and any high glycemic foods I eat will only be in a post workout meal. The rest of the time I'm eating beef mostly and clif oatmeal bars. Also for my meals when I eat a lot animal protein excluding my post workout meals, I'll eat about a cup and a half of vegetables or salad. It helps to raise the alkalinity of the body because eating huge amounts of protein causes elevated levels of acidity in the body's digestive system and can lead to heartburn and put severe stress on your digestive organs like the kidneys. The salad helps level out the acidity caused by the protein and prevents heartburn. But don't eat too much salad because it will slow down the process of your body digesting the proteins, and definitely don't eat salad after you workout because you need to have your body digest the protein and carbohydrates as quick as possible and high fiber foods like vegetables or salad will only delay the nutrient recovery process. Also don't drink any sugary sodas or juices post workout. These tend to have acids, carbonic acid for the soda and ascorbic acid aka vitamin C for the juices, and they react violently with any leftover protein shake you have in your body and will cause extreme stomach discomfort and flatulence. Also if you find yourself on the toilet after eating huge amounts of protein and watching all your expensive protein go down the drain, stop eating protein and switch to oatmeal and low glycemic carbohydrate sources.
First off I only record my 1 rep max out set, so I list the weight I attempted in lbs. and then I list the rating I gave to the lift. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is barely lifting the weight off the ground or barely getting the bar away from my chest. 5 means I completed the lift with perfect form. 4 means I completed the lift but with terrible form and a lot of shakiness. 3 means I finished the lift about 3/4 of the way. 2 means I completed the lift about half way up.
Here's my numbers:
Gym Friday 1:15 pm 4/4/14
Seated shoulder press 165-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt 425-1
Pec fly life fitness machine 295-1
Tricep extension seated icarian machine 150-3
Leg press seated icarian machine 320-4, 340-1
Cybex machine lat row seated 230-1
Home Tuesday 4/8/14 12:45 pm
Cambered bar bench press 215-1
Cambered bar bench press feet in the air 195-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 425-1
Rack pull no belt 505-3
Pause squat no belt 270-3, 295-3
Tricep extension on floor 105-1
Gym Friday 4/11/14 11:15 am
Seated shoulder press life fitness machine 170-2
Pec fly free motion machine 200-4
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 445-1
Leg press seated life fitness machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
One legged leg press life fitness machine
Right 80-4
Left 80-4
Seated row cable machine 230-1
Tricep extension seated life fitness free motion machine
200-1
Gym Tuesday 12 am 4/15/14
Leverage machine handles set 3" behind vertical plane of chest 270-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 445-1
Rack pull 515-0
Leg press life fitness machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
Chest press seated free motion cables 180-1
Tricep extension free motion machine 200-3
Seated bicep curl free motion machine 200-3
Gym Friday 4/18/14 3 pm
Shoulder press hoist machine 160-2, 170-1
Stiff legged deadlift 465-1
Pause squat wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 310-3
Lat row cable life fitness machine 260-2
Lat row life fitness machine 210-3, 230-1
Pec fly life fitness machine 265-1
Rope Tricep extension machine 100-2, 100-4, 115-1
Gym Tuesday 4/22/14 210 pm
Leverage chest press machine handles set 3" behind vertical plane of chest 280-1
Stiff legged deadlift no belt with straps from 1" deficit by standing on 45lb. plates 465-1
Rack pull 505-1
Free motion chest press cable 180-1
Free motion bicep curl cables seated 110-1, 110-3
Life fitness leg press machine while wearing inzer strongman knee sleeves 350-2
Free motion Tricep extension machine 200-4
What we learn from the numbers:
If you're going to learn anything about yourself, you have to notice the overall generalized trend of your strength gains. The basic pattern for my advancing in strength is that I'm stronger during the afternoon than at night and I'm stronger when taking 72 hours rest between workouts compared to a 96 hour rest between training sessions.
For example, on Tuesday 12 am 4/15/14, I was expecting some kind of gain in my stiff legged deadlift but I stayed the same at 445 lb. when compared to my Friday 4/11/14 11:15 am workout. Then on , Friday 4/18/14 3 pm, I lifted off the ground 465lbs. for a couple inches. That's a successful gain to me and the fact that I let 96+ hours elapse between training sessions proves to me that I'm stronger during the day than at night.
Daytime workouts are probably not possible for a great many of you as you have to work during the day, but if you can plan to work out one time during the night on a weekday and then one time in the afternoon on the weekend you might see some strength gains.
But for me there is a window of if I had to guess between 11am and around 5pm that I'm definitely stronger. All I can say is experiment with your workout times and find what's best for you.
As for taking 96 hours rest between workouts, it's something which I don't want to do but because of economic reasons I am forced to do. I'm kind of broke and when it comes down my bank account vs. my muscles, my bank account will always win. But still even though I'm not making all the strength gains I want to make, I still see strength gains albeit in a limited fashion when taking 96 hours rest.
Here's some of my nutrition numbers:
As a side note I only drink whey protein while I workout and any high glycemic foods I eat will only be in a post workout meal. The rest of the time I'm eating beef mostly and clif oatmeal bars. Also for my meals when I eat a lot animal protein excluding my post workout meals, I'll eat about a cup and a half of vegetables or salad. It helps to raise the alkalinity of the body because eating huge amounts of protein causes elevated levels of acidity in the body's digestive system and can lead to heartburn and put severe stress on your digestive organs like the kidneys. The salad helps level out the acidity caused by the protein and prevents heartburn. But don't eat too much salad because it will slow down the process of your body digesting the proteins, and definitely don't eat salad after you workout because you need to have your body digest the protein and carbohydrates as quick as possible and high fiber foods like vegetables or salad will only delay the nutrient recovery process. Also don't drink any sugary sodas or juices post workout. These tend to have acids, carbonic acid for the soda and ascorbic acid aka vitamin C for the juices, and they react violently with any leftover protein shake you have in your body and will cause extreme stomach discomfort and flatulence. Also if you find yourself on the toilet after eating huge amounts of protein and watching all your expensive protein go down the drain, stop eating protein and switch to oatmeal and low glycemic carbohydrate sources.
Your Food Diary For:
| Breakfast | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | |
| Steak - Tbone , 0.9 oz | 71 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
| Clif Bar - Chocolate Brownie Energy Bar, 68 g | 240 | 44 | 5 | 9 | 160 | 22 | |
| Clif Bar - Peanut Toffee Buzz, 68 g (1 bar) | 250 | 42 | 6 | 10 | 200 | 21 | |
| Chicken Breast - Chicken Breast, Boneless, Skinless, 9.6 oz | 314 | 0 | 8 | 56 | 0 | 0 | |
| Add Food | 875 | 86 | 23 | 92 | 362 | 43 | |
| Lunch | |||||||
| Clif Bar - Crunchy Peanut Butter, 1 bar pre-workout | 250 | 41 | 6 | 11 | 240 | 21 | |
| Optimal Nutrition, Gold Standard - 100% Whey - Double Rich Chocolate, 5 rounded scoop (30.4g) | 600 | 15 | 5 | 120 | 650 | 5 | |
| Add Food | 850 | 56 | 11 | 131 | 890 | 26 | |
| Dinner | |||||||
| Steak - Tbone , 8.4 oz | 659 | 0 | 39 | 157 | 14 | 0 | |
| Ihop (Crg) - Hash Browns, 1 Portion | 320 | 31 | 20 | 3 | 590 | 1 | |
| Eggs - Scrambled Eggs, 3 eggs medium | 180 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 180 | 2 | |
| Ihop - Buttermilk Pancakes, 1 Pancake | 110 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ihop - Strawberry Syrup, 1 Fl. Oz. | 100 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 19 | |
| Add Food | 1,369 | 74 | 74 | 181 | 794 | 22 | |
| Snacks | |||||||
| Add Food | |||||||
| Totals | 3,094 | 216 | 108 | 404 | 2,046 | 91 | |
| Your Daily Goal | 3,280 | 410 | 109 | 164 | 2,300 | 123 | |
| Remaining | 186 | 194 | 1 | -240 | 254 | 32 | |
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | ||
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Saturday, April 12, 2014
The fundamental nature of gains: when should you add more weight?
Gains are measured in fractions not whole numbers. What I mean is if you move the bar a couple inches one week and then move the bar half way up or three quarters of the way up for your next training session, that's a gain.
Even though you didn't get a full on picture perfect graceful lift with complete joint lockout, you still gained, and you shouldn't negate your gain just because you failed to achieve lockout.
Moreover I'm going to go so far as to say that joint lockout is not your primary goal when lifting.
Your primary goal when working out is to damage muscle fibers so you can set forth the damage/repair cycle. You damage your muscles when you strain them and bring them to total failure to a point where you're sore for a couple days, and the only way you're going to do that is by putting maximum weight on the bar.
So when do you put more weight on? When you can achieve half to three quarters the full range of motion of the lift is when you should put more weight on the bar your next training session. The amount of weight is totally subjective. It could be ten pounds or twenty or thirty. It's all up to you for you to decide what you can lift a couple inches.
Case in point. I was stuck on a 415 lb. stiff legged deadlift for a couple workouts. Finally I just said to hell with it I'm going up in weight even though I couldn't achieve full lockout and could only go half the way up. Fast forward to my last workout which was yesterday. I moved 445 lbs a couple inches off the ground in a stiff legged deadlift. But I used 415 lbs as a warm up set and blasted it up to full knee lockout like it was nothing. I gained without achieving full lockout.
Gains are measured in fractions not whole numbers. Keep repeating that to yourself while on your journey to getting strong. That mantra is the only thing to keep you motivated because you don't have the luxury of cheating with steroids otherwise why would you be reading this blog.
Even though you didn't get a full on picture perfect graceful lift with complete joint lockout, you still gained, and you shouldn't negate your gain just because you failed to achieve lockout.
Moreover I'm going to go so far as to say that joint lockout is not your primary goal when lifting.
Your primary goal when working out is to damage muscle fibers so you can set forth the damage/repair cycle. You damage your muscles when you strain them and bring them to total failure to a point where you're sore for a couple days, and the only way you're going to do that is by putting maximum weight on the bar.
So when do you put more weight on? When you can achieve half to three quarters the full range of motion of the lift is when you should put more weight on the bar your next training session. The amount of weight is totally subjective. It could be ten pounds or twenty or thirty. It's all up to you for you to decide what you can lift a couple inches.
Case in point. I was stuck on a 415 lb. stiff legged deadlift for a couple workouts. Finally I just said to hell with it I'm going up in weight even though I couldn't achieve full lockout and could only go half the way up. Fast forward to my last workout which was yesterday. I moved 445 lbs a couple inches off the ground in a stiff legged deadlift. But I used 415 lbs as a warm up set and blasted it up to full knee lockout like it was nothing. I gained without achieving full lockout.
Gains are measured in fractions not whole numbers. Keep repeating that to yourself while on your journey to getting strong. That mantra is the only thing to keep you motivated because you don't have the luxury of cheating with steroids otherwise why would you be reading this blog.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Progress Report: what happens when you rest for 96 hours?
So here I am pulling a 505 lb. rack pull no belt with straps which is up from 485 lb. my last workout. I think the crossbars might have been set two or three inches higher than at my gym and that may explain the gain. But I'll take anything I can get after I missed a workout and let 96 hours elapse between training sessions.
Here goes an ugly pause squat for 295 lbs. no belt. I barely paused at the bottom, and midway it turns into a good morning. Would I rate it at a 4 which means honestly using only leg strength? Definitely not. Am I gonna try for 305 lbs the next time I work pause squats? Heck yeah. You ain't gaining if you ain't pushing yourself each and every workout. Besides I normally give myself 72 hours rest between workouts so I have no excuses for not pushing myself to my limits.
Here I am stuck at a stiff legged deadlift plateau 425 lbs. no belt. I guess this is the kind of stuff that happens when you rest too long. Other excuses I made up include the plates at my house are smaller in diameter than at my gym so that puts my torso lower to the ground and thus makes me work harder. Who knows?
Here's my nutritional information:
If you've read this blog any length of time, you know how I eat but here's a typical day:
This is the day after I workout. My cravings for beef are especially high the day after my training session.
Here's my workout numbers:
These are all ratings system numbers on a scale of 1-5. 5 is perfect form. 1 is barely lifting the bar a couple inches.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Progress Report. Q: Are all proteins created equal? A: Garbage in. Garbage out
Here's a breakdown of my workouts and my nutrition.
What the workout numbers mean:
First off I only record my 1 rep max out set, so I list the weight I attempted in lbs. and then I list the rating I gave to the lift. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is barely lifting the weight off the ground or barely getting the bar away from my chest. 5 means I completed the lift with perfect form. 4 means I completed the lift but with terrible form and a lot of shakiness. 3 means I finished the lift about 3/4 of the way. 2 means I completed the lift about half way up.
Home 3/26/14 Wednesday 12:15 pm
Cambered bar pause bench press with legs raised off the floor 195-1
Cambered bar pause bench press 185-4
Stiff legged deadlift 415-1
Rack pull 485-1
Tricep extension laying flat on floor 65-4, 75-1
High bar back squat with pause at the bottom 280-4, 290-4
Bicep curl standing 115-1
Gym Saturday 12:45 pm 3/29/14
Shoulder press life fitness machine 160-2
Stiff legged deadlift 415-4
Leg press life fitness 350-1
Seated row life fitness machine 240-3
Pec fly free motion machine 200-2
Tricep extension standing straight bar life fitness machine 130-1
Gym 4/1/14 11:20 am
Seated bench press leverage chest press machine handles set back approximately 3" behind plane of chest 250-4, 260-2
Stiff legged deadlift 425-1
Rack pull 485-1
Leg press life fitness machine one leg at a time
Left 50-4, 60-4
Right 50-4, 60-4
Free motion chest press machine seated with hand pulleys 180-0
Free motion Tricep extension machine 180-3
Free motion bicep curl machine seated 180-2
Analysis:
Garbage in/Garbage out. On 3/29/14 I cleared a 415 lb. stiff legged deadlift albeit with terrible form and a lot of shakiness and jerking motion as I approached the top of the lift. On 4/1/14, I was predicting a successful stiff legged deadlift at 425 lbs. But nope. As you can see from the nutrients I was taking prior to my 4/1/14 workout, I shifted my protein source from beef to be heavily reliant on whey protein shakes on 3/30/14 and 3/31/14. The result: crap.
I felt weaker during my workout on 4/1/14, and my lifts were definitely suffering. I was predicting to clear a 485 lb. rack pull on 4/1/14, but I could barely get the bar an inch off the crossbars of the power rack. On the tricep machine I was predicting another gain but again I was stuck on 180 and I've been there for a couple workouts. So I'm pretty sure it was the whey protein shakes that made me weaker.
Of course, I'm not saying abandon all whey protein. You'll need it while you workout, but don't be like me and start replacing your beef and chicken during your meals with whey protein. Your strength will definitely suffer.
Side notes:
I stopped drinking Muscle Milk in the ready to drink bottles. They contain toxic levels of heavy metals. You can check that out here.
Then I switched to Optimal Nutrition whey protein gold standard. This protein is supposed to be of a higher quality than others because it's 100% pure whey. That's good but I have been experiencing a high level of flatulence because I'm not use to its purity and I had to level off on consuming so much while I workout. On 3/29/14, I consumed 9 scoops while I worked out. After my workout, I spent a lot of time expelling the excess protein which is just like watching money being flushed down the toilet drain. On 4/1/14 I consumed about six scoops. Even with the six scoops I was experiencing stomach discomfort because I was taking in too much at a time in 2 or 3 gulps in between sets. But I switched to tiny sips later in the workout.
I also added a second exercise when I'm doing exclusively chest presses. As you can see on 3/26/14 and on 4/1/14, I incorporated an unsupported chest press movement exercise to work on those stabilizer muscles that don't get hit on the chest press machines. On 3/26/14 at my home, I bench pressed with a cambered bar with my feet raised in the air. The bench I workout on has about 3 inches of foam padding on it, so that coupled with my feet in the air provides absolutely no stability when I'm bench pressing and it's forced to work on the stabilizer muscles around the torso that keep you steady while chest pressing that you don't even think about while bench pressing while your feet on the ground providing leg drive and support.
Also my posts are going to become less frequent from now on. I've posted enough on the strength training theory. If you don't get it by now, you'll never get it. Besides without practical application of my theories, they remain just that: unfounded theories with no analytical data to back it up. So the majority of my posts from now on are going to be just like this one. I'll list my nutrient intake and my workout numbers and I'll occasionally try to post videos of me lifting weights. Although I really don't see the point of the videos. They could be faked for all you know. How do you know I don't have somebody out of frame on the other end of the bar helping me? I guess you'll just have to take my word for it when I post a video that it's only me lifting that weight.
I also would like to add my two cents about protein sources. I eat McDonald's food. I eat Burger King. I eat at restaurants a lot to get my sirloin steaks. All those people saying just eat grass fed beef from Whole Foods or just eat tilapia are absolutely full of it.
What the workout numbers mean:
First off I only record my 1 rep max out set, so I list the weight I attempted in lbs. and then I list the rating I gave to the lift. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is barely lifting the weight off the ground or barely getting the bar away from my chest. 5 means I completed the lift with perfect form. 4 means I completed the lift but with terrible form and a lot of shakiness. 3 means I finished the lift about 3/4 of the way. 2 means I completed the lift about half way up.
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
| Breakfast | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | |
| Steak - Tbone , 6.6 oz | 518 | 0 | 31 | 123 | 11 | 0 | |
| Ihop - Scrambled Eggs, 3 eggs | 390 | 3 | 30 | 27 | 480 | 0 | |
| Ihop - Oatmeal, 1 bowl | 160 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 250 | 1 | |
| 1,068 | 32 | 64 | 156 | 741 | 1 | ||
| Lunch | |||||||
| Dinner | |||||||
| Snacks | |||||||
| Totals | 1,068 | 32 | 64 | 156 | 741 | 1 | |
| Your Daily Goal | 2,280 | 285 | 76 | 114 | 2,300 | 86 | |
| Remaining | 1,212 | 253 | 12 | -42 | 1,559 | 85 | |
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | ||
Home 3/26/14 Wednesday 12:15 pm
Cambered bar pause bench press with legs raised off the floor 195-1
Cambered bar pause bench press 185-4
Stiff legged deadlift 415-1
Rack pull 485-1
Tricep extension laying flat on floor 65-4, 75-1
High bar back squat with pause at the bottom 280-4, 290-4
Bicep curl standing 115-1
Your Food Diary For:
| Breakfast | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | |
| Clif Bar - Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, 1 Bar (68 g) | 240 | 43 | 5 | 10 | 150 | 21 | |
| Clif Bar - Chocolate Chip, 2 bar (68g) | 480 | 88 | 10 | 20 | 300 | 46 | |
| Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein - Vanilla - Whey Protein - Vanilla, 3.3 scoop (41g) | 561 | 23 | 8 | 99 | 231 | 7 | |
| 1,281 | 154 | 23 | 129 | 681 | 74 | ||
| Lunch | |||||||
| Clif Bar - Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, 2 Bar (68 g) | 480 | 86 | 10 | 20 | 300 | 42 | |
| Panda Express - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, 6 oz | 300 | 8 | 13 | 36 | 530 | 8 | |
| Panda Express - Shanghai Angus Steak (From Website), 1 side | 220 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 830 | 11 | |
| Panda Express - Steamed Vegetables (Side), 8.6 oz. | 70 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 530 | 4 | |
| Clif Bar - Chocolate Chip, 1 bar (68g) | 240 | 44 | 5 | 10 | 150 | 23 | |
| Mcdonald's - Quarter Pounder-Patty Only, 1 pound | 880 | 4 | 64 | 76 | 720 | 0 | |
| 2,190 | 171 | 112 | 168 | 3,060 | 88 | ||
| Dinner | |||||||
| Snacks | |||||||
| Totals | 3,471 | 325 | 135 | 297 | 3,741 | 162 | |
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | ||
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Gym Saturday 12:45 pm 3/29/14
Shoulder press life fitness machine 160-2
Stiff legged deadlift 415-4
Leg press life fitness 350-1
Seated row life fitness machine 240-3
Pec fly free motion machine 200-2
Tricep extension standing straight bar life fitness machine 130-1
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
Your Food Diary For:
| Breakfast | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | |
| Mcdonald's - Egg Mcmuffin (No Cheese), 4.4 oz | 250 | 29 | 8 | 15 | 580 | 2 | |
| Clif - Energy Bar, White Chocolate Macademia Nut, 3 bar | 780 | 123 | 21 | 27 | 720 | 63 | |
| Mcdonald's - Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, 1 Container | 290 | 58 | 4 | 5 | 160 | 32 | |
| Add Food | 1,320 | 210 | 33 | 47 | 1,460 | 97 | |
| Lunch (nutrients consumed while working out) | |||||||
| Optimal Nutrition, Gold Standard - 100% Whey - Double Rich Chocolate, 6 rounded scoop (30.4g) | 720 | 18 | 6 | 144 | 780 | 6 | |
| Add Food | 720 | 18 | 6 | 144 | 780 | 6 | |
| Dinner | |||||||
| Burger King - Double Whopper (No Cheese and No Mayo), 1 hamburger (353 grams) | 770 | 50 | 41 | 35 | 860 | 12 | |
| Burger King - Double Whopper (Low Cal) No Bun, No Cheese, No Mayo, 1 Sandwich | 270 | 7 | 19 | 15 | 420 | 0 | |
| Burger King - Dutch Apple Pie, 1 Slice | 320 | 46 | 14 | 2 | 300 | 23 | |
| Add Food | 1,360 | 103 | 74 | 52 | 1,580 | 35 | |
| Snacks | |||||||
| Totals | 3,400 | 331 | 113 | 243 | 3,820 | 138 | |
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sodium | Sugar | ||
Gym 4/1/14 11:20 am
Seated bench press leverage chest press machine handles set back approximately 3" behind plane of chest 250-4, 260-2
Stiff legged deadlift 425-1
Rack pull 485-1
Leg press life fitness machine one leg at a time
Left 50-4, 60-4
Right 50-4, 60-4
Free motion chest press machine seated with hand pulleys 180-0
Free motion Tricep extension machine 180-3
Free motion bicep curl machine seated 180-2
Analysis:
Garbage in/Garbage out. On 3/29/14 I cleared a 415 lb. stiff legged deadlift albeit with terrible form and a lot of shakiness and jerking motion as I approached the top of the lift. On 4/1/14, I was predicting a successful stiff legged deadlift at 425 lbs. But nope. As you can see from the nutrients I was taking prior to my 4/1/14 workout, I shifted my protein source from beef to be heavily reliant on whey protein shakes on 3/30/14 and 3/31/14. The result: crap.
I felt weaker during my workout on 4/1/14, and my lifts were definitely suffering. I was predicting to clear a 485 lb. rack pull on 4/1/14, but I could barely get the bar an inch off the crossbars of the power rack. On the tricep machine I was predicting another gain but again I was stuck on 180 and I've been there for a couple workouts. So I'm pretty sure it was the whey protein shakes that made me weaker.
Of course, I'm not saying abandon all whey protein. You'll need it while you workout, but don't be like me and start replacing your beef and chicken during your meals with whey protein. Your strength will definitely suffer.
Side notes:
I stopped drinking Muscle Milk in the ready to drink bottles. They contain toxic levels of heavy metals. You can check that out here.
Then I switched to Optimal Nutrition whey protein gold standard. This protein is supposed to be of a higher quality than others because it's 100% pure whey. That's good but I have been experiencing a high level of flatulence because I'm not use to its purity and I had to level off on consuming so much while I workout. On 3/29/14, I consumed 9 scoops while I worked out. After my workout, I spent a lot of time expelling the excess protein which is just like watching money being flushed down the toilet drain. On 4/1/14 I consumed about six scoops. Even with the six scoops I was experiencing stomach discomfort because I was taking in too much at a time in 2 or 3 gulps in between sets. But I switched to tiny sips later in the workout.
I also added a second exercise when I'm doing exclusively chest presses. As you can see on 3/26/14 and on 4/1/14, I incorporated an unsupported chest press movement exercise to work on those stabilizer muscles that don't get hit on the chest press machines. On 3/26/14 at my home, I bench pressed with a cambered bar with my feet raised in the air. The bench I workout on has about 3 inches of foam padding on it, so that coupled with my feet in the air provides absolutely no stability when I'm bench pressing and it's forced to work on the stabilizer muscles around the torso that keep you steady while chest pressing that you don't even think about while bench pressing while your feet on the ground providing leg drive and support.
Also my posts are going to become less frequent from now on. I've posted enough on the strength training theory. If you don't get it by now, you'll never get it. Besides without practical application of my theories, they remain just that: unfounded theories with no analytical data to back it up. So the majority of my posts from now on are going to be just like this one. I'll list my nutrient intake and my workout numbers and I'll occasionally try to post videos of me lifting weights. Although I really don't see the point of the videos. They could be faked for all you know. How do you know I don't have somebody out of frame on the other end of the bar helping me? I guess you'll just have to take my word for it when I post a video that it's only me lifting that weight.
I also would like to add my two cents about protein sources. I eat McDonald's food. I eat Burger King. I eat at restaurants a lot to get my sirloin steaks. All those people saying just eat grass fed beef from Whole Foods or just eat tilapia are absolutely full of it.