Consistency. It's not a pizza topping.

210.2 this morning.

Haha, thanks for dropping by, Greg. Keep in mind that the cardio I do is fairly low intensity, for me. I'm not sure why, but a 20mph pace is what I consider "moderately leisurely". Btw, rws, I checked, and it really is a 20mph pace. It's not my bikes being wrong.

But, uh, be afraid. :D Because it's been almost a month, and as per my deal with myself, it's "no more screwing around time". In a day or two I'm going keto, and I'm going hard. I'm not sure if I'll start the running... a lot of coaches say not to. They expressly forbid it, even, so I may just stick with leisurely cycling and fast walking (since I won't be having any glycogen to power a run). After the contest is over I'll work my way up to being able to run 3-5 miles continuously over the next two months (for the summer).

The reason I'm finally convinced for keto is that I told myself the bar thing was temporary and just to ease into it, and I am now "into it". It's halfway through week 3 (since I started, not since the contest began), and this is when the real testing begins. If I can survive until week 5 or 6 with my integrity and discipline intact, nothing will stop me. Reading a bunch of Shugart and Thibideau's physique clinic threads also had a lot to do with it. Anyway I'm getting sick of eating all these carbs. I don't like it. And a quick glance at the way fat is distributed on my physique reveals that I am very likely insulin resistant.

Felt real slim when I weighed myself this morning, though. Unless I'm imagining it, my "abdominal overhang" is receding. I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining it. Can't wait to measure again. :)

Edit: Forgot to add that I'm "seriously considering" doing the velocity diet for the last 30 days of the transformation contest. :SaiyanSmilie_anim:
 
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abdominal overhang! haha.
great!
 
02/08/08

90 mins stationary cycling, 30.6 miles, 1279 calories

Forgot to get this up earlier. Actually did do it fasted, in the morning. Just to be a little careful I had 20g of protein in a shake first. (By the way, Orange Metabolic Drive really does taste quite horrible by itself. But on the plus side, it's different from the horrible of whey shake. It's more like an overwhelming orange sucker taste. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But if I end up doing the velocity diet, I will most certainly be hating it before I'm done).

Thanks, Christi. :) Hehe, yeah. I like to make up silly names for things about my body I don't like. I find it makes them seem less dramatic and obsession-worthy.
 
Manifesto? :p

Also, I just wanted to give notice that unlike some of you others who signed up for the contest, this marks about the 3.5 week point for me. This is where it gets tricky. It's been almost a month, and my mind wants me to believe I'm not even making progress. This is the zone in which failure lives for most people (including me, in the past), and I think it's pretty stupid, because it's only a week or two until things begin to stick and success becomes nearly inevitable. I've done it before. Then I got sidetracked... and then I wasn't trying hard enough to reproduce what I had done.

Unlike last time, I have yet to cheat on my diet in any way, or my exercise. (Though yesterday's sleep experiment was pretty much a dismal failure. We'll see how soon I get to bed tonight). And I'm not going to; I don't believe it's necessary. I'm not trying to build a sturdy little cottage with a lovely white picket fence and maybe a vegetable garden. I will have a tower of iron will. Every time I feel like I could have given more I will make a note to myself to go in there next time and give 110%, until I'm so far above where I began laying the foundation that I can't even conceive of, let alone see, where I began.

No surrender. :SaiyanSmilie_anim:
 
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[Focus] said:
210.2 this morning.
But, uh, be afraid. :D Because it's been almost a month, and as per my deal with myself, it's "no more screwing around time". In a day or two I'm going keto, and I'm going hard. I'm not sure if I'll start the running... a lot of coaches say not to. They expressly forbid it, even, so I may just stick with leisurely cycling and fast walking (since I won't be having any glycogen to power a run). After the contest is over I'll work my way up to being able to run 3-5 miles continuously over the next two months (for the summer).

The reason I'm finally convinced for keto is that I told myself the bar thing was temporary and just to ease into it, and I am now "into it". It's halfway through week 3 (since I started, not since the contest began), and this is when the real testing begins. If I can survive until week 5 or 6 with my integrity and discipline intact, nothing will stop me. Reading a bunch of Shugart and Thibideau's physique clinic threads also had a lot to do with it. Anyway I'm getting sick of eating all these carbs. I don't like it. And a quick glance at the way fat is distributed on my physique reveals that I am very likely insulin resistant.
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Awesome man! That's great that you are going to try keto. Let me tell you, after a week of being on keto you will lose a ton of water weight and you will look and feel amazing! Plus I think the fat loss will increase a bunch.... looking forward to reading about it!
 
Yeah, yeah, you better keep bringin' it big boy cuz I'm not stopping until i disintegrate. Hell, I'll be shopping in the "petite" department before this thing is over, hehehe. I even talked to FF on the phone today so can you imagine what kind of team I've got going on here. INCREDIBLE!!!!! I honestly don't think I can be stopped. Enough of this babbling. Time to workout!!!
 
210.0 this morning. But I changed the way I weigh myself a bit, so I think I really did lose a couple lbs from all the hair my girlfriend removed. Kept the stuff on my head, though. I'm tired of talking about growing it out and never doing it. No surrender? :p

realworksuks said:
Awesome man! That's great that you are going to try keto. Let me tell you, after a week of being on keto you will lose a ton of water weight and you will look and feel amazing! Plus I think the fat loss will increase a bunch.... looking forward to reading about it!
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Thanks, rws. I'm really looking forward to keto, too. I think it'll work very well for me, especially after reading what Shugs and Berardi were saying about the way certain people store fat being a sign of insulin resistance. Don't worry, I'll be sure to give you some credit when I'm on Oprah. :D

You've been kinda quiet lately, but I'm still following.

GT2003 said:
Yeah, yeah, you better keep bringin' it big boy cuz I'm not stopping until i disintegrate. Hell, I'll be shopping in the "petite" department before this thing is over, hehehe. I even talked to FF on the phone today so can you imagine what kind of team I've got going on here. INCREDIBLE!!!!! I honestly don't think I can be stopped. Enough of this babbling. Time to workout!!!
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Haha, right on, Greg. Hey, hi. :) But once I get on keto, you won't be quite so smug. You're gonna need to run like Mark Allen. :SaiyanSmilie_anim:

Gotta go do some cardio now. Actually just woke up at 10:30. Went to bed at 4:30. I swear, every day I go to bed later and wake up earlier. I am becoming a robot. T_T
 
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02/09/08

90 mins stationary cycling, 30.2 miles, 1260 calories

It's great how every day some part of my mind tries to tell me that I'm tired or that I don't need to do this every day or whatever other bull**** and gets shouted down by 5 other parts. :D

It's still weird to me how I feel like I'm hardly trying at the 20mph pace but I sweat enough to drench my clothes. I mean, my lungs and my heart aren't any more taxed than they would if I was walking slowly (there's little if any discernible difference in my breathing), but I went and did it at the gym today (so I could get a better heart rate reading) and it is about 120-130 bpm -- at times, it drops down to 110 when my rpms are under 90-95 @ 30% resistance, which is more of a 22mph speed -- at this pace (and it is a 20mph pace) which is 50%'ish for me, right where I want to be. Not sure if this is a normal beginner speed or what, but one of my buddies tells me that it's definitely not normal. Not that it matters at all. Just a curiosity.

Hope everyone's doing well this weekend.
 
[Focus] said:
02/09/08

90 mins stationary cycling, 30.2 miles, 1260 calories

It's great how every day some part of my mind tries to tell me that I'm tired or that I don't need to do this every day or whatever other bull**** and gets shouted down by 5 other parts. :D

It's still weird to me how I feel like I'm hardly trying at the 20mph pace but I sweat enough to drench my clothes. I mean, my lungs and my heart aren't any more taxed than they would if I was walking slowly (there's little if any discernible difference in my breathing), but I went and did it at the gym today (so I could get a better heart rate reading) and it is about 120-130 bpm -- at times, it drops down to 110 when my rpms are under 90-95 @ 30% resistance, which is more of a 22mph speed -- at this pace (and it is a 20mph pace) which is 50%'ish for me, right where I want to be. Not sure if this is a normal beginner speed or what, but one of my buddies tells me that it's definitely not normal. Not that it matters at all. Just a curiosity.

Hope everyone's doing well this weekend.
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Yeah that's very odd for me. I don't have an exercise bike that shows how fast I am going.. but I have a speedometer on my real bike. To go 20MPH for 90 minutes would be.. well I've never done it...but 20 MPH on a bike is a pretty fast pace... I have a mountain bike, though, so that may have a bit to do with it.

But really, if I have a huge ass hill and pedal as fast as I possible can I might be able to go 45 MPH, but can't go much faster than that... (not really sure why I wrote this.. lol)

When I do my exercise bike I go really slow actually, I measured my heart rate once and it was like 65, lol. That's leisurly :p It's such a piece of crap, though it'd probably fall apart if I went 20 MPH heh. Someone was throwing it away and I swiped it.. ha.

Your determination is fueling your workout!
 
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A quote from FOCUS:

I've decided I'm going to win that Body Transformation contest. Just thought you should all know, so you don't waste your time.

Well, aren't we counting our chickens before they hatch, lol. If you're gonna win u better stay motivated. I just ran 5K after coaching from FF on Friday. Things get better and better daily. Good luck and take care, Greg
 
209.8 today. At least it's going in the right direction again, but I'm guessing it's just some sort of trick to get my hopes up. :p

From what I've read, rws, 22-25 mph is an Ironman pace. But that's real cycling, on real terrain, so I'm sure it's much, much harder than my fake cycling at a constant resistance.

I'm workin' on it, Greg. :p Hopefully keto will help me out. Today's my last round of weights before a week off. I'm expecting to drop some serious poundage while I'm resting. But, as you say, we'll see. :)
 
GT2003 said:
It's all about what works for you. Enjoy your week off and keep us updated on your progress. Take care, Greg
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Will do. It's only a week off of the weight training (still gonna do cardio every day), and honestly I don't think I'll enjoy it all that much, but Alwyn says I must. :bncry:
 
[Focus] said:
Will do. It's only a week off of the weight training (still gonna do cardio every day), and honestly I don't think I'll enjoy it all that much, but Alwyn says I must. :bncry:
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Who's Alwyn? Some Author I'm guessing... but why does he say you should do that? Is it only when cutting or? How often does he say you should take a week off? What should you do in the meantime?

Sorry for all the questions...:(
 
realworksuks said:
Who's Alwyn? Some Author I'm guessing... but why does he say you should do that? Is it only when cutting or? How often does he say you should take a week off? What should you do in the meantime?

Sorry for all the questions...:(
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Haha, don't be sorry. Let me see here... [This is an excerpt from his recommended sequence for 'The Eternal Beginner' - someone who has never weight trained for more than a couple of months continuously]

Alwyn Cosgrove - "The New Rules of Lifting" said:
Seriously, you'll take a breather this week. Your body has made some improvements in strength and muscle size. Even though those changes aren't dramatic [says you, Alwyn, I'm hella buff], your body is still going through a remodeling process. So here you'll give it a week to catch up. If your muscle strength is getting ahead of your tendon strength, we'll slow it down a bit and let everything recover completely. (Connective tissues have a smaller blood supply than muscle fibers, so their recovery is always compromised somewhat compared to your muscles'.)

There's also a psychological reason for taking that time off: Your body is probably just starting to "get" the routine. You're getting good at it. A couple more workouts and you'll hit a peak with these exercises, in this order. And we absolutely do not want you to peak on anything. We want you to leave a little in the tank. We want you to wish you were at the gym, finishing what you started, throughout the week you're not there. Believe me, wishing you could go to the gym when you can't is a hundred times better than wishing you weren't there when you could be.
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Based on my previous experience, I am taking Alwyn's suggestion to heart. For both physical and psychological reasons, as he says. On his year program you take a break roughly every 7 weeks or so, though more frequently [about every 5 weeks for the first 4 months] in the initial period.

Also, what I'm doing now is I think significantly harder than Alwyn's break-in program. I had another excellent training day today, it's true (details shortly), but I was starting to feel pretty damn ragged by the end of it.

And lastly, I want to see if a week off from weights causes my weight to drop significantly. I am almost certain it will based on my past results with cardio-only weight loss.

So, lots of reasons. Would it be a good idea for you? I'm not sure. But if you've been training without any kind of a rest for a long time, I would say yes. Periodization - functioning at peak performance in the same domain and range for prolonged periods will not give you optimal results.
 
02/10/2008

Today's weight training: [Number coloring: Improvement | Decline | No Change | Delta ] [Rest standardized to 60s between any two exercises]

Sumo Deadlift x15 @ 115 (+10) lbs
Bent-Over Row x15 @ 80 (+5) lbs
Sumo Deadlift x15 @ 115 (+10) lbs
Bent-Over Row x15 @ 80 (+5) lbs
Sumo Deadlift x15 @ 115 (+10) lbs
Bent-Over Row x13 @ 80 (+5) lbs

Dumbbell Squat x15 @ 120 (+10) lbs
Bench Press x15 @ 85lbs
Dumbbell Squat x15 @ 120 (+10) lbs
Bench Press x15 @ 85lbs
Dumbbell Squat x12@ 120 (+10) lbs
Bench Press x13 @ 85lbs

Straight-Legged Deadlift x15 @ 140 lbs
Military Press x15 @ 30 lbs
Straight-Legged Deadlift x15 (+1) @ 140 lbs
Military Press x15 @ 30 lbs
Straight-Legged Deadlift x13 (+1) @ 140 lbs
Military Press x15 (+4) @ 30 lbs

Total time: 70.0 (+5.0) mins​

Thoughts:

Pretty decent. Felt a little easier than last time, but sort of more difficult at the same time. I guess I mean I felt stronger, but got owned on the endurance side of things. I like when I finish and I feel like I'm going to puke but I don't actually do it. Feel like that's a good level of intensity.

That damned Bench Press vexes me. Oh well. At least I managed to hold my gain from last session. That's something. I'm also quite pleased about the squats. Noticed myself trying to talk myself out of being able to do it, as early as the second set, but I was like "bitch, please." Got a little wobbly, there, at one point, but I managed to crank it out anyway.

Week off now. Must say, not really looking forward to it. More like bearing with. Hopefully I'll come back and make gains similar to what I've got goin' now.​
 
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flyinfree said:
hey cool. Maybe you can calcualte keystrokes as part of cardio--- ahahahahhha
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Silence, youse.

I like the pretty colors, but having to edit in text is a huge waste. I spent a little while converting to html so I can pop into design mode on Dreamweaver and just change some numbers real fast (and utilize the very lovely copy and paste effectively), but then it no work.

Sucks to be me. Maybe if I convert it into an image...

Hahahahaha. My nerd is strong. :SaiyanSmilie_anim:
 
Traing-02-10-08.png


What now, "Hey you can't have no html" forum. What now. Later I'mma make it all pretty and ****, just to spite you. But right now I gotta go shoppin'.
 
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