Build Me - An Ongoing Journey

Sunday 7/19/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
6:45am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
0.5cup 1% Fat Cottage Cheese
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
12:15pm:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~7oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:45pm:
1 cup Chicken, Rice, Vegetable Soup
Red Snapper [2 pound whole fish shared]with Rice, Whole Black Beans, Vegetables

That was my diet.



The Workout:

PUSHUPS:
1x40 [failure]
SIT-UPS:
1x91 [failure]


That was the workout.



The Day:

Yet again I seem to have overeaten at night. I can’t help myself! I have to change this attitude…

But, today was still a good day. I pumped out a good number of pull-ups and hit a nice rep count on my some excellently performed pushups later on. Quickly followed were some very impressive sit-ups where I easily made up for last week’s performance. I then proceeded to smash my nose against the top of my dorm frame as I pumped out a 7th rep on my last sporadic set of pull-ups for the night.

That was the day.


Oh and just on a quick side note, my YouTube videos are now synced towards near present day (I haven’t posted today’s maximum pushups yet).


This concludes Entry #227.
 
Monday 7/20/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:20pm:
1 plate Chicken Breast with Zucchini and Tomatoes
1 large bowl Mixed Grain and Vegetable Salad (Various Vinaigrettes)
That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.6mph
4:00min @ 8.7mph
2.0min @ 9.0mph
~1.5min @ 9.5mph
0.10 miles @ 10mph
0.10 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 11mph
-> 2.0 mile in 13:30
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11.5-12cpm, 2resistance
5min @ ~12+cpm, 4resistance
5min @ ~12.5-13cpm, 6resistance
4min @ ~13+cpm, 8resistance
1min @ ~15cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

Despite a good workout I am disgusted with myself. I grossly overate for dinner. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But, I definitely overeat. Yes, it was healthy, yet now I feel like ****. That’s it: no more.

On a slightly higher note, I had an amazing first set of pushups. My form was so perfect, my execution so fine tuned, that I wore myself out just from those first 20. By the last set it was like I was going for my maximum as I completed the final rep at near failure.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #228.
 
Your dinner doesn't seem to be that big. I am currently very strict with my diet, and noticed that you can eat TONS of vegetables without adding many calories (if you eat them clean). Just keep going with the diet and weigh your food for a few days so you get a reality check.
 
Tuesday 7/21/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:25pm:
0.5cup Dry Quinoa with Carrots, Celery, Onion, Pepper [Olive Oil]
1.5 Chicken Breast Halves

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~160-165spm

3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x150 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x170 BB Deadlift
1min rest
2x10x25 DB Shoulder Press
30sec rest
1x6x25 DB Shoulder Press [failure]
30sec rest
3x10x25 DB Bent-Over Rows
30sec rest
3x6 Dips (triceps version, straight)
1min rest
3x5 Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x7 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30sec Knee Raises
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

I failed fairly early today on my pushups. But that doesn’t bother me. I think these last few lifting sessions I have been sacrificing form and cadence for success. Today I did no such thing. And I feel good because of it.

On another note, I’m strongly considering upping the weight on some of my lifts. I’ll see how I feel on Friday, but I believe my squats and deadlifts are due for promotion.

That was the day.




This concludes Entry #229.
 
Dutchy said:
Your dinner doesn't seem to be that big. I am currently very strict with my diet, and noticed that you can eat TONS of vegetables without adding many calories (if you eat them clean). Just keep going with the diet and weigh your food for a few days so you get a reality check.
Click to expand...

Oh I know exactly what you mean by the vegetables. HUGE Salads have become my new best friends for getting full (watch the dressing though, oil adds up quickly). Sometimes I'll just munch on a cucumber.

As for dinner, I gave up on including exact measurements when posting here because I simply can't provide them. From more than a year now of closely monitoring my diet I know what is and what isn't too much. Even though the list may look small, the portions weren't so. Believe me when I say last night was too much.

Thanks for checking in. It's always nice to hear from a reader.

-Michael
 
Wednesday 7/22/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:45pm:
0.5+lb Ground Turkey Breast
3+oz “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Spaghetti
Tomato Sauce with Vegetables (Olive Oil)
1 bowl Lettuce Salad (Olive Oil)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

OUTSIDE [sloping incline/decline ground]
5min Run
10 Intervals of 30sec Sprint, 1min Jog
1min Walk
9min Run

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

I had a great workout today. I was feeling motivated for it, and this time that actually corresponded to a similar feeling in strength. I noticed by measure of relative distance that I was reaching areas during my run that I normally wouldn’t have reached in the same allotted time. Hence, I was running faster. And this time I’m sure of it. I finished off the 30 minutes knowing that, and it felt good.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #230.
 
Thursday 7/23/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~3oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~6oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:50am:
0.5cup Dry Quinoa with Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic [Olive Oil]
1.5 Chicken Breast Halves

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.6mph
4:00min @ 8.7mph
2.0min @ 9.0mph
~1.5min @ 9.5mph
0.10 miles @ 10mph
0.10 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 11mph
-> 2.0 mile in 13:30
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11.5-12cpm, 2resistance
5min @ ~12+pm, 4resistance
5min @ ~12.5-13cpm, 6resistance
4min @ ~13+cpm, 8resistance
1min @ ~15cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

The elliptical was the highlight of my gym session. I burned 253 calories in those 20 minutes today. That’s the most I’ve ever burned since starting these early morning workouts. It was glorious.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #231.
 
Friday 7/24/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:25pm:
0.5-lb Ground Turkey Breast (Olive Oil)
1 Egg White
2 small slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat (Olive Oil)
~0.5lb Raw Sweet Potato (Olive Oil)
Lettuce and Tomato Salad with a little 1% Fat Cottage Cheese (Olive Oil)
That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~160-165spm, 20resistance

3x5x155 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x170 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x35 DB Shoulder Press
1min rest
3x5x20 Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
3x6 Dips(chest version, leaning forward)
1min rest
3x5 Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x7 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Bicycle Crunches
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

I mentioned last Tuesday that I was considering an increase in weights. I am now thinking otherwise. I am not quite ready yet. Today as I pushed myself on the squats I noticed that another 5 pounds would probably break me. I am still bringing myself on that edge of failure by the 5th rep.

With that said I did have a great day at the gym today. My mind was in the right spot and my focus was tuned into the moment. I especially felt this towards the beginning of my lift session where I performed some awesome leg ripping squats.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #232.
 
Dutchy said:
What do you enjoy most: cardio or weights?
Click to expand...

'Tough to say, it really depends on the day. Annoyingly it works out in the opposite direction though. I tend to find myself wanting to run on lifting days and wanting to do weights on running days (and no switching the actual day doesn't matter).

Oh well, I do it all anyway :D.

Thanks for checking in,
Michael
 
Saturday 7/25/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measurements:

Body Weight: 145.0lb Change: +0.60lb
Lean Mass: 135.29lb Change: +0.71lb
Percent Fat: 6.70% Change: -0.01%
Body Fat: 9.72lb Change: -0.12lb

Progress Pictures:







Thoughts and Opinions:

Again my weight and body fat didn’t change much this week. This is OK though since I have been able to eat under complete control for all 3 of my daily meals I now have a good feeling for what my caloric needs to maintain body composition. In this coming week with some slight modifications I should be able to start heading down the right track again, that is towards a nice lean six pack.



This concludes Entry #233 Saturday Morning Edition.
 
Saturday 7/25/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
6:15pm:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
12:30pm:
1 plate Chicken Breast with Rice, Vegetables
1 bowl Vegetable Lentil Soup
7:00pm:
Various Raw Fish
1 small slice Wagyu Beef
1/2 plate Octopus (Olive Oil)
1 small plate Seaweed Salad (Vinaigrette)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

--


That was the workout.



The Day:

I may have splurged slightly with some fatty choices for dinner, but the fact that all the portion sizes were very small (it being sushi) probably made over it. Overall it was a pretty average time.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #233.
 
Sunday 7/26/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
8:15am:
1 bowl Oatmeal
1 Egg White Omelet with Ham, Vegetables
a little Turkey Cold Cuts
12:10pm:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:00pm:
1.5 Chicken Breast Halves
1 medium Yam
1 Tomato with Mint (Olive Oil)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

PUSHUPS:
1x40 [failure]
SIT-UPS:
1x91 [failure]


That was the workout.



The Day:

I could have done more pull-ups today, but didn’t take the opportunity. I wasn’t in the right mindset I guess. But that’s now fixed. I remembered my reasons for being here, for continuing.

Despite having a hot muggy room at night (no AC), I was still able to perform to expectations and in that way beyond with my pushups and sit-ups. Though my pushup form did suffer slightly as I hadn’t yet ridden myself of those negatives thoughts that plagued my pull-ups earlier in the day. Fashionably late though I was able to set my mind set straight and finish up with a great session of sit-ups.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #234.
 
Monday 7/27/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:15pm:
~0.66lb Grilled Chicken Breast
1 bowl Mixed Beans and Grain Salad with Vegetables (Vinaigrettes)
1 small bowl Zucchini and Tomatoes

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.6mph
4:00min @ 8.7mph
2.0min @ 9.0mph
~1.5min @ 9.5mph
0.10 miles @ 10mph
0.10 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 11mph
-> 2.0 mile in 13:32
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11.5-12cpm, 2resistance
5min @ ~12cpm, 4resistance
5min @ ~12-13cpm, 6resistance
4min @ ~13+cpm, 8resistance
1min @ ~14-15cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

I had a nice hard workout today. I ran on a different modeled treadmill that may have been calibrates such that an 8.6mph speed is actually slightly faster than my normal treadmill I use at the gym. It also could have been slight differences in default incline. Whatever it was it made my run extra hard and well worth the effort.

At night I had some nice contractions with my sit-ups and some great form with my pushups. I also did 10 pull-ups at once beforehand, a first. I thank some motivation I got from reading the forums and various quotes from famous bodybuilders and such. I feel good and ready to dominate tomorrow morning’s session.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #235.
 
Tuesday 7/28/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
7:15pm:
1.5 Chicken Breast Halves
0.5-cup Quinoa with Vegetables (Olive Oil)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~155-160spm

3x5x150 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x170 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
2x10x25 DB Shoulder Press
30sec rest
1x7x25 DB Shoulder Press [failure]
30sec rest
3x10x25 DB Bent-Over Rows
30sec rest
3x6 Dips (triceps version, straight)
1min rest
3x5 Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x7 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30sec Knee Raises
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

That motivation I spoke of yesterday carried through today and its wake was very clearly evident in my squats. I had some of the best squats today compared to anything of my past workouts that I can recall. It was amazing. The mind to muscle connection was perfect and my form was spot on. Similar results came about during the rest of my lifting session. May every workout be like today’s.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #236.
 
Wednesday 7/29/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:10pm:
0.5+lb Ground Turkey Breast
3+oz “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Spaghetti
Tomato Sauce with Vegetables (Olive Oil)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

OUTSIDE [sloping incline/decline ground]
5min Run
10 Intervals of 30sec Sprint, 1min Jog
1min Walk
9min Run

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

It was fuggy, mucky, humid and hot outside today. And I ran right through it.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #237.
 
Thursday 7/30/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~3oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~6oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:50pm:
0.5-cup Dry Quinoa with Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic , Mushrooms, Peppers[Olive Oil]
1.5 Chicken Breast Halves
a little Green Beans

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.6mph
4:00min @ 8.7mph
2.0min @ 9.0mph
~1.5min @ 9.5mph
0.10 miles @ 10mph
0.10 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 11mph
-> 2.0 mile in 13:30
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11-12cpm, 2resistance
5min @ ~12+pm, 4resistance
5min @ ~12.5-13cpm, 6resistance
4min @ ~13+cpm, 8resistance
1min @ ~15cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x20 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

My run was average, but my elliptical performance was superb. I tied my best from last week of hitting another 253 calories on it. I walked out proud.

It was another hot night and without AC in my bedroom upstairs, it was a hot pushup and sit-up workout. I could have chosen to hit the quick nightly routine downstairs where it was cool, but I didn’t. I figure why not get the extra condition in the mucky warmth. It’s worth it.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #238.
 
Friday 7/31/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
5:30am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
11:50am:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:00pm:
1 small bowl Black Beans
Lettuce Salad with 1 fillet Tuna Steak, Salsa, a little Guacamole (Vinaigrette)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~155-160spm, 20resistance

3x5x155 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x170 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x35 DB Shoulder Press
1min rest
3x5x20 Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
3x6 Dips(chest version, leaning forward)
1min rest
3x5 Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x7 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Bicycle Crunches
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

Next week I will be increasing my weights. That should give you a good idea of my workout this morning.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #239.
 
Saturday 8/01/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
6:45am:
1 medium Pear
0.5cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
~4oz Chicken Breast
1 cup Egg Beaters
Peppers and Onions
12:25pm:
1 medium Apple
Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber
1/2cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1tsp Olive Oil
~8oz Chicken Breast
2 slices “Vermont Bread Co.” Whole Wheat
1 “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Wrap
6:00pm:
0.5lb Ground Turkey Breast
Tomato Sauce with Celery, Onion, Carrot, Mushroom
~3oz “Ezekiel” Sprouted Grain Spaghetti

That was my diet.



The Workout:

--

That was the workout.



The Day:

Not much to report on today. I did my pull-ups in reps of 10 instead of 8. That felt good.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #240.
 
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