Aragon's Health Log (For accountability)

[Aragon034]

Hey all, i'm going to be posting my progress with my... don't really know what to call it. But basically i'm trying to burn the fat i've got on me.

I used to bodybuild when i was younger, and my body is still pretty muscled for my size. but i've got a layer of fat on top that just won't leave.

Even so, i'm in the best shape of my life right now.

Stats at the start of this year:

Weight: 230 lbs
Height: 5'6''
BF%: 28%
Waist: size 38 pants.
Arms: 14'' (a little fatty but definate hard muscle underneath)

Now in January i got a half year gym membership as a present for my birthday, i started going religiously and my brother led me to a great information site.
I'm betting you've all heard of it. Www.t-nation.net.

Learned alot, started implementing, and my stats reflect that.

Stats since July:

Weight: 180 lbs
BF:17%
Waist: Size 34 pants (Snug)
Arms: 15 inch and mostly muscle

Here's a picture i took of me a few days ago.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/Aragon101/Sampose.jpg

Yeah yeah i'm wearing pink, a girl bought it for me Oh and yes, i know my forearms are pretty big, i've heard all the jokes... My calfs are the real prize, 18 inches and rock solid without actually training them.

Now, due to some medical reasons (Tendonitis) i had to and have to continue to lay off the weights for a few months. i'm betting i've lost most of my pump in the gym but the muscle is still there. (i still eat lots of protein) So what i'm thinking of doing is using this time productively and doing some extreme cutting.

I've researched alot, and from prior experience, a ketogenic diet seems to be the best thing for me. I cut the carbs seriously during my initial dieting and i dropped weight like nothing else.

Now without the gym, i seem to be stagnating, and i don't like this. So what i'd like to acheive in the next few months is A: Shred the fat off, get to a low body fat% (Something like 8% should be fine.) and rest enough so my tendons can heal.

As far as weight training, before i got hurt i did bodybuilding, so 8-12 reps with a medium high weight.

As far as my long term goals, maintaining a single digit BF% and getting to something like this

Goal Stats:
Weight: 160-190 (depends how much my muscle weighs and how i look)
BF: 6%-10%
Waist: Size 32 pants
Arms: 16 inch with very little or no fat.
And obviously some good definition

I stopped "dieting" in late June once i hit 180 and have stayed there since(that's when my joints started hurting) i'm not incredibly active right now due to school but i walk/climb/other physical activities whenever i can.

As far as right now, i feel like restarting my cutting with "the velocity diet" i've read about. it's low carb and high protein appeals to me since i really don't want to lose this muscle i've gotten. Althogh i do realise i will lose some of it since i can't be in the gym.


Thanks for reading this and hopefully i can get back in teh gym sooner rather than later.

EDIT: OH and i'm not adverse to supplements, but i'd rather keep it somewhat simple. My brother also bought a bottle of hydroxycut a few weeks ago that he regretted buying. i'm not using but it's tempting, any experience with it?

 

[Quagmire911]

Good luck.

If you can afford them, BCAA's or EAA's will help you keep more muscle whilst on an aggresive diet.

What area of your body is it you are having trouble with? What exercises? Maybe you could still do some stuff...

 

[Aragon034]

Good luck.

If you can afford them, BCAA's or EAA's will help you keep more muscle whilst on an aggresive diet.

What area of your body is it you are having trouble with? What exercises? Maybe you could still do some stuff...

Tendonitis in my shoulders, and i've got an old knee injury from highschool that keeps me from squatting heavy. (i can squat maybe 200 pounds 3-5 times once warmed up) So basically, i'm only cleared for beach workouts :|

it'll be another 2-3 months before i can start lifting again, but once it comes i'll definately hit it hard. it wasn't the weights that actually hurt me, i got hurt on the job Don't work there anymore.

i dunno about BCAAs, i've heard alot of stories one way and the other. If i do end up getting them where do you recommend? Bio-test? i've gotten their stuff before and it's worth the price.

 

[Warboss Alex]

? Bio-test? i've gotten their stuff before and it's worth the price.

not at their prices it isn't :|

I don't see a need for BCAAs or EAAs while cutting down in your case. too many guys on this board are taking statements from ADVANCED guys who carry a LOT of muscle (so losing some would be a real possibility on a cut) and think everyone should be doing it .. I'm looking at you Quaggie

 

[simon]

Try the exercise described here for your shoulder tendonitis.

Biotest stuff is way overpriced, get any supplements you want from bulknutrition.com or trueprotein.com instead.

 

[Quagmire911]

not at their prices it isn't :|

I don't see a need for BCAAs or EAAs while cutting down in your case. too many guys on this board are taking statements from ADVANCED guys who carry a LOT of muscle (so losing some would be a real possibility on a cut) and think everyone should be doing it .. I'm looking at you Quaggie

:kick:

You always ruin my fun in my little world off overanalysation. Bully.

 

[Aragon034]

:kick:

You always ruin my fun in my little world off overanalysation. Bully.

Hahaha, lovely...

Well i'm starting the velocity diet today, i've got plenty of myoplex originals and 2 giant jugs of protein. as far as supplementation i'm going to take teh following

MultiVitamin
Creatine Monohydrate
Metamucil
ridiculous amounts of water and crystal light (not a supplement but helps alot)
And probably hydroxicut.

I'm in school too so i might take some brain supplements as well, L-Tyrosine and Gaba for instance.

These are actually all things that are in my medicine cabinet :nervous: having a brother that's a powerlifter in training helps

once i start lifting again i'll up my zinc and magnesium. that helped alot with recovery

Any suggestions? i actually buy most of my stuff from supplementscanada as they are alot cheaper than retail. I mentioned Bio-Test cuz i bought Surge off them once while bulking and it rocked my socks

So wish me good hunting boyos, and i really do appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques, whatever

 

[Aragon034]

well it's been a week and there's been slim improvement, mainly due to the fact that i cheated my diet hard cuz i had a graduation party at manderin 2 days ago. I just measured again and i'm at 179 (measurements are being taken in the morning after bathroom use) so i've lost 1 pound, probably mostly water and a little fat.

i'm easing into the velocity diet, it's hard having only liquids but i must admit i like the not bloated feeling.

 

[Aragon034]

Sigh, went to the doctor. did some physio tests and an MRI. my tendons are healing nicely and i've regained most of my mobility, but it's still not safe to be heavy lifting yet. Another month at the low end, 2-3 at the worst.

I'm down to 177, but i'm almost sure it's mostly water weight from ketogenic diet, i don't "feel" any leaner.

it's starting to depress me, since i haven't lifted alot i can actually start to feel my arm muscles get softer, specifically my biceps though, my tris are still much more solid.

i'm seriously getting antsy about getting back into the gym and hittin it hard. Average sized sucks balls.

 

[Quiksilver]

I find injuries of every kind heal faster when you are more active. That's why pro athletes are back on the field after minimal time off from injuries, because their lives are so active.

--

If I were you I'd lift as heavy as is safely possible. Obviously do it with some common sense so you don't aggravate your injury, but your body needs a stimulus to heal sometimes, a reason to get healthy and stronger.

You can also use this 4-6 weeks to lift weights at a reasonable weight AND get in fantastic shape with lots of conditioning work.

There's always something you can do. The more you do, the faster you heal.

 

[Aragon034]

I find injuries of every kind heal faster when you are more active. That's why pro athletes are back on the field after minimal time off from injuries, because their lives are so active.

--

If I were you I'd lift as heavy as is safely possible. Obviously do it with some common sense so you don't aggravate your injury, but your body needs a stimulus to heal sometimes, a reason to get healthy and stronger.

You can also use this 4-6 weeks to lift weights at a reasonable weight AND get in fantastic shape with lots of conditioning work.

There's always something you can do. The more you do, the faster you heal.

Took this advice, lifted at 60% (i'm guessing) of what i could lift, basically not enough to hurt but enough to get a burn through fast reps.

3x20 Hammer Curls
5x15 Pushups (feet elevated on bench)
5x15 Dumbbell Squats (don't have olympic bar at home)
4x10 Lateral shoulder raises

Since it's not heavy weight, i did the reps fast but still with the best form i could. 30 second rest for curls, 1 minute for pushups, 1.5 mins for squats, and 1 minute for shoulder raises.

My biceps are on fire now (haven't worked them in awhile) while my chest and tris are feeling fine. My shoulders feel a little sore but nothing serious.

My legs are sore, but nothing i'm not used to.

I will say, while doing the exercises i felt better. the blood flow felt great and i worked up a sweat.

I'm going to plan a better routine for the next few weeks with the goal of raising my conditioning. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks Quik. It's nice to feel the burn again