Enough is enough...

[playa99]

I've been up and down with fitness for a long time due to injury & the mental effects of the injuries that I've had.

I've had several logs & this time I am determined to succeed, set some goals & hit them.

I am doing a marathon next April, which I want to do in under 4 hours. I also want to be able to do 3/4/5 in the gym & start playing basketball (never played before, went to a nets game in NYC and loved it!)

Currently, I am stiff as sh!t, can bench about 80kg as 1 RM, no idea on how much i can squat & can run about 3 miles comfortably. I have a loooooong way to go, but this time I am dedicated to the cause. I have just bought a dog, who is going to be joining me jogging I am 180lbs and around 15-18% bf. I want to be the same weight, maybe a bit less and 10-12%.

I have benched over 200lbs before at 150lbs at 17 years old. So the goals I'm looking at are not unacheivable.

I am going to jog 3/4 times a week initially around 2-3 miles.
I am going to do yoga once a week to loosen my muscles.

I am going to cut refined sugar and junk food out of my diet as much as I can. I am going to eat mainly fresh meat, veg & carbs, but I am not going to take my diet so seriously that it isnt sustainable.

I am going to start off doing a basic 3x5 routine in the gym with simple lifts alongside a lot of core and stretching to get my back and knee into shape. I am not fit at the minute so I want to keep it simple. I need to see a chiropractor to work on a trapezius weakness as well which has been a constant niggle.

 

[playa99]

I'm less than 24 hours in to having changed my diet and I already feel better. It may be just psychological however I feel a tonne better through just eating fruit and not having copious amounts of caffeine.

A good nights sleep always helps. I will be going on a run later and to the gym tomorrow. The key for me is consistency rather than doing the best workouts initially. I am going to book onto a 10k run this week around august time as well as doing parkruns on a saturday morning, I can mix running with meeting a few new people by doing the parkruns!

 

[playa99]

Ok so my first workout..

I did flat Bench 70kg x 5. I then had to take a call and ended up on decline bench press. I did 70kg x 5 and 75kg x 5 on this. Felt weak but not surprising for the first workout back.

I did 40kg 2x5 at overhead press as well as 3 sets of dips, I did 5,9 & 8.

It's a good start at getting back into it, I'm gonna go the park and play some basketball tomorrow. I weighed my self and I'm 170lbs. Think I've lost weight due to family ill health.

Leg day Sunday... Cant wait!

 

[playa99]

LEG DAY.

First leg day In a long, long time.

I started with squats, I did 2 sets of 7 at 70kg after doing a helluva lot of sets at lighter weights focusing on technique. I'm going to use 75kg as a starting points for 3 sets of 5 and focus on my lower half more than my chest.

I then move on to Romanian deadlifts and did 2 sets of 10 at 40kg.

Then onto back and biceps. I did 3 sets of military grip pull-ups. I did 16, 11 & 13 going all out. I did 3 sets of machines rows at 65kg another exercise im going to focus on due to weakness in my traps.

Did 3 sets of curls with 14kg Dumbbells, some sit-ups and then called it a day.

I am taking it slow initially to build up intensity without pulling anything. My initial goal is to comfortably get my main lifts above my bodyweight

I have still cut out refined sugar give or take the odd bit of chocolate and feel much better. I think I can cut my weight to 165 and improve my lifts a helluva lot. In 2013 I could bench 48kg Dumbbells at 165.

I'm gonna be dumbbell benching tomorrow which will be fun. Family stuff is back to normal so I can begin to focus on running and building my fitness up.

 

[playa99]

Another chest day..

I did dumbbells this time. I did 35kg x 5 & 37.5kg x 4, x 3
I then did military shoulder press, 40kg x 6 x 6 & 42.5kg x 5.
Dips were a lot better, I did 16, 13 & 11.

I also did 15 mins on the punchbag. Already feel better in myself, need to do more cardio & keep on kicking with the weights.

Diet has been ok, still cut out sugar & having more naturally occuring sugars. Just need to apply more time to food prep throughout the day. I am having meal deals for my dinner which are not healthy.

 

[playa99]

Another leg day.

This one felt much better.. I started off with squats and did 70kg x 5 and then 80kg for 2 sets of 5.

I then super settled lowerback rope pulls with weighted lunges. I did 3x12 on both exercises at 25kg.

Pull-ups were better, I did 18, 13 & 11.

3 sets of rear delt flyes were good at 27.5kg.

Curls were better at 16kg.

Weight is constant and so is bf. My diet needs work but so far I am happy, I can see signs of progress.

 

[playa99]

Bench day:

Flat bench:
70kg x 5, 75kg x 5, 77.5kg x 5. Felt stronger, did not fail. 75kg is going to be my starting point next time.

Military press:
42.5kg x 5, 45kg x 3, 45kg x 5.
Again feeling stronger. Going to Aim for 45kg for 3 sets next time.

Dips:
12,11 & 8. Not sure why these suffered slightly, still better than my starting point though.

I am still not going full throttle on my workouts to build my back & knees back up to full strength.

Having a bit of strength in my legs seemed to help my bench today. I felt like I could balance better. I am focusing on big muscle groups to build a solid base to work from. Legs tomorrow.. Should be fun.

Legs aren't that sore, neither is my chest. As the intensity goes up I know this will change.

I have decided to do a solid month of strength work before pursuing a lot of cardio.

Diet has improved this week. I have been eating wholegrains/pasta and a lot of meat.

I am forgetting all of my last gym endeavours and focusing on where I am now!

 

[playa99]

Leg day today...

I was wary of not pushing myself to much due to the previous injuries. Workouts will be much better when I can really let loose and begin getting to failure.

Squats: 70kg x5, 80kg x 5 & 85kg x 5.
I am going to have a good few days rest & go for 85kg for 3 sets next time at least.

Pull-ups: 16,11 & 10

Rear delt flyes (scarecrows) 3.75kg each arm. 3 x10

Preacher curl: 27.5kg 3x10

Again keeping it simple.. I am out for a few drinks tomorrow so I'm gonna keep as sober as possible. I'm gonna blast cardio on Saturday and my chest on Sunday so I should be fresh to do another solid legs workout on Monday/Tuesday.

I used to focus to much on mirror muscles. I am finding that already my body feels better working on the big lifts and not burning my system out with excessive sets. I have energy in the gym at that's been gone a long time. I can't wait to get in there again.

My gf has joined slimming world so I'm gonna incorporate the good aspects of that into my diet.

 

[Tenacity]

I am going to cut refined sugar and junk food out of my diet as much as I can. I am going to eat mainly fresh meat, veg & carbs, but I am not going to take my diet so seriously that it isnt sustainable.

Don't create a "diet"....create a new healthy eating lifestyle.

You will NEVER be able to sustain the "act" of not eating junk food going forward for the rest of your life. Diets are these temporary fads where people cut out all processed and junk food for let's say 1 - 2 months, so they can lose XYZ pounds. Then they put the pounds right back on because after the 1 - 2 months, they are back in the Wendy's drive thru every night.

Focus on eating healthy sources at least 70% - 75% of the month, and eating "whatever you like" 25% - 30% of the month. Should translate into about 2 cheat days a week where you don't PIG OUT, but you have a meal or two (of small/moderate size) of the junk/processed garbage.

This is what I follow. The moment I STOPPED reading fitness magazines, fitness blogs, and listening to dumb a.sses on fitness discussion forums....that's when I really I started to get toned and see my 6 pack.

I remember about TWO YEARS AGO, on this very forum.....idiots were telling me that to get a 6 pack you had to never (and I mean absolutely never) eat another god damn french fry, cookie, etc. again. Don't take my word on it, here are the posts: http://www.sosuave.net/forum/index.php?threads/question-on-whats-going-on.219104/page-2#post-2182745

Lol. You are eating the cleanest you can? People like you shouldn't even get into this if you aren't committed to making a change. Baked chips, cookies, Subway? Really? If you are content with lying to yourself, keep doing what you are doing. It is CLEARLY working for you.

Cheat days are not good. You can set yourself back a whole weeks worth of calories if you let yourself slip.

If I would have listened to that DUMB A.SS SHYT, I would not have the body I have right now because it's literally unsustainable to never have another "cheat day". Urghh....I get so fvcking frustrated with the high amount of DUMB A.SSES in the Fitness Community. I really do believe it's why America is so obese, the mass amount of bad information out there keeps people thinking it's way too HARD to get fit...and it's not.

 

[playa99]

@Tenacity I'm all about sustainability and what you say is on point. I am still having the odd takeaway. I still have chocolate. I had a good few drinks this weekend. For the majority however, I am living healthily!

I am putting no pressure on myself to live an unsustainable diet. You see these fad diets where people lose 30lbs then put it alllll back on as soon as they stop the diet.

This is what I like about the slimming world my GF has just signed up to. It educates you on how to cook food healthily and make your own sauces, which are simple & easy to do. We had spaghetti bolognese the other night & it was unreal! It only took a couple of minutes longer than a bought off the shelf sauce.

Most people aren't training for a major event.. They need practical livable advice, thats what is missing in the fitness community. It is always all or nothing.

I see PT's in the gym and more often than not, you see a skinny guy trying to bulk up doing complicated exercises when he should be focussing on getting his squat/bench through the roof.

 

[playa99]

Chest day yesterday.

Bench press:

75kg 2 x 5
77.5kg x 3
70kg x 7

I am p!ssed off cause I easily could have got 5 at 77.5kg and 10 at 70kg. Irritated myself in not going for it.

Military press:

45kg 2x5
50kg x 3

This was much better, felt much stronger. I am surprised how quickly I am gaining on this exercise, it's always been a weak one.

Tricep kickbacks:

8kg 3 x 10

I haven't done this exercise in years, i focused on technique more than getting loads of reps/weight out.

I did 20 mins boxing, I was much fitter and more mobile. In a week or two I am going to really kick up the cardio. Starting with short outdoor runs & the crosstrainer.

 

[Tenacity]

@Tenacity I'm all about sustainability and what you say is on point. I am still having the odd takeaway. I still have chocolate. I had a good few drinks this weekend. For the majority however, I am living healthily!

Here's my eating plan right here:

Meal One - Protein Shake Meal: ON Protein Shake with side of Mott's light apple juice (cut with a lot of water) and a side of nuts (almonds/pecans). The apple juice on the side is because I hate the taste of protein shakes by themselves.

3-4 hours pass

Meal Two - Baked Meat Meal: Baked Meat small portion (options are thin pork chop and grilled shrimp, or two chicken wings and 1 leg) along with a Veggie small portion (options include either corn or very green green beans), then I would have a side of nuts and about 40 oz of water. With this meal I will also take my supplements which are just ON Opti-Men Multi-Vitamins and Omega 3 Fish Oil.

6-8 hours pass

Meal Three: Either repeat Protein Shake Meal or Repeat Baked Meat Meal

6-8 hours pass but this is usually sleep time give or take, so the next meal is "skipped" creating about a 12 hour duration until the next meal

* That's usually an entire 24 hour cycle. As you can see I incorporate fasting within the meal plans.

* This is how I eat 22 to 23 days of the month (depending on if it's 30 or 31 days of the month) and the other 8 days are Cheat Days. Cheat Days are not pig out days, but they are days where I will do one to two meals spread out over the day of whatever I want in "moderation". Translates to having 2 Cheat Days a week.

* Also note, everything that I'm eating on my healthy eating days are foods I PERSONALLY LIKE TO EAT. For example, broccoli and spinach are healthy as hell, but I DON'T LIKE TO EAT THEM, so they aren't included. Tuna and oatmeal are also healthy as hell, but I don't like them, so they aren't included.

* When you build your healthy food list, you can use this list here as a starting guide http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php and go through there and pick out what you personally LIKE to eat. Fvck what somebody else likes to eat, pick what YOU personally like to eat off that list. From there, you will use that to build your healthy eating lifestyle.

* My plan is something you can live on....forever.

 

[playa99]

@Tenacity it looks good man, very similar to how I have been eating actually! I need to quit meal deals! I had McDonald's yesterday and ate out for tea!

I drove a lot yesterday and now have back pain. This is an ongoing issue. It happens exclusively when I drive alongside going to the gym.

It is leg day today, so I will power through and see how I feel tomorrow. I am going to start a class called body balance to assist with core strength & flexibility.

I am considering taking collagen & omega3 tablets to help with my joints. Does anyone have experience with collagen?

Weight is 174 & body fat was 17%. I can feel my body changing, which is great.

 

[playa99]

Leg day:

I need to stop weighing myself so much... I know that weight varies from day to day based on a variety of factors.

I'm going to weigh myself once a week with the same amount of water/food in my body. My base weight is going to be 170lbs as that is what I have averaged.

Body fat is realistically 18%.

Squat: 80kg x 5
90kg x 3, x 4

Not happy with missing reps, didn't fail so I could have gotten the 2x5. It is becoming frustrating taking it easy and working on the weak parts of my body to prevent injury on the knees/back. I know I am improving and it is necessary. I can't wait to be going hell for leather!

Military grip pull-up: 16,10,8. Had a nightmare here, need to be at least getting double figures in all sets.

Bent over row: 35kg 3 x 15.the traps and mid back are an area that has been weak for a long time. Strengthening this will improve my other lifts and decrease the risk of injury.

Kettle bell curls: 16kg x 5, 12kg x 7, x 6

These were hard as fvck. Mainly due to grip, i think!

im going doing a Parkrun on Saturday and chest over the weekend, looking forward to it!

Going to purchase a Fitbit surge as well, intrigued to find out what there like.

 

[playa99]

Parkrun yesterday morning. Really enjoyed it, there was over 300 people!

I did in 26:00 dead. Happy with that for a first time out in dire weather conditions. I'm going to do one every week in different locations.

 

[playa99]

Chest day yesterday:

DB bench press: 40kg x 2, 37.5kg 2 x 5. This is progress. I didn't think it was until I looked on this log.

Seated DB shoulder press: 20kg x 8, 22.5kg x 4, 2 x 5.

Close grip barbell bench press: 40kg x 8, x 10, x 9.

Tri push down: 25kg x 8.

I am happy with how I'm progressing. My tris feel weak when I'm pressing which I hope will level itself out. My diet is improving and I have begun cardio towards the marathon which is great.

i like mixing up exercises to keep it fun, I'm staying away from being to rigid with a workout, getting bored and then not going to the gym.

 

[Sho-No-Luv]

Here's my eating plan right here:

Meal One - Protein Shake Meal: ON Protein Shake with side of Mott's light apple juice (cut with a lot of water) and a side of nuts (almonds/pecans). The apple juice on the side is because I hate the taste of protein shakes by themselves.

3-4 hours pass

Meal Two - Baked Meat Meal: Baked Meat small portion (options are thin pork chop and grilled shrimp, or two chicken wings and 1 leg) along with a Veggie small portion (options include either corn or very green green beans), then I would have a side of nuts and about 40 oz of water. With this meal I will also take my supplements which are just ON Opti-Men Multi-Vitamins and Omega 3 Fish Oil.

6-8 hours pass

Meal Three: Either repeat Protein Shake Meal or Repeat Baked Meat Meal

6-8 hours pass but this is usually sleep time give or take, so the next meal is "skipped" creating about a 12 hour duration until the next meal

* That's usually an entire 24 hour cycle. As you can see I incorporate fasting within the meal plans.

* This is how I eat 22 to 23 days of the month (depending on if it's 30 or 31 days of the month) and the other 8 days are Cheat Days. Cheat Days are not pig out days, but they are days where I will do one to two meals spread out over the day of whatever I want in "moderation". Translates to having 2 Cheat Days a week.

* Also note, everything that I'm eating on my healthy eating days are foods I PERSONALLY LIKE TO EAT. For example, broccoli and spinach are healthy as hell, but I DON'T LIKE TO EAT THEM, so they aren't included. Tuna and oatmeal are also healthy as hell, but I don't like them, so they aren't included.

* When you build your healthy food list, you can use this list here as a starting guide http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php and go through there and pick out what you personally LIKE to eat. Fvck what somebody else likes to eat, pick what YOU personally like to eat off that list. From there, you will use that to build your healthy eating lifestyle.

* My plan is something you can live on....forever.

So how many calories a day is that?

 

[Tenacity]

So how many calories a day is that?

I don't count calories so I couldn't tell you. That's not a long term strategy (counting calories). But I know overall the caloric intake is very low though.

 

[playa99]

@Espi Agreed, I am not weighing in for a fight and I dont need to keep my weight to a certain level for anything. It is pointless for me & I have thought that the past couple of times in the gym.

Results in the gym & mirror are the true test of how you are doing. I will know I have lost fat when my face slims down & a 6 pack is coming through.

 

[playa99]

I did a mini leg Day today. After Parkrun I couldn't walk without my left knee hurting like Fvck. I am going investing in some good running shoes this week. I wore some old Nike Roshes which have no support. I should know better considering my history with ankle/knee injuries.

I also have a stinking case of man-flu! Which led to me doing a set of squats at 70kg and then 80kg and calling it a day!!

I'll be back later this week!!!