The ChillOut Log
- Thread starter Chillen
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greetings Chillen, and everyone else.
Busy as can be at work. Trying to finish off the design for a new high school and renovation work at a middle school. I'm swamped but have been able to maintain my diet and exercise program even though I've been working about 60 hours a week.
My mother had a stroke yesterday she's only 58 thats tough to see someone so young and so close to you totally out of their mind. Docs say she'll pull through it and they are running more tests. So I'm praying everything works out for her and my dad. He's currently freaking out as well.
So now I know that runs in my family gonna have to make sure I do what I can to stay in shape to prevent that. Still making this thread a daily read even though I haven't been posting much.
Keep up the words of encouragement!!
Man do I need a day to go ice fishing before it gets too warm. LOL
Busy as can be at work. Trying to finish off the design for a new high school and renovation work at a middle school. I'm swamped but have been able to maintain my diet and exercise program even though I've been working about 60 hours a week.
My mother had a stroke yesterday she's only 58 thats tough to see someone so young and so close to you totally out of their mind. Docs say she'll pull through it and they are running more tests. So I'm praying everything works out for her and my dad. He's currently freaking out as well.
So now I know that runs in my family gonna have to make sure I do what I can to stay in shape to prevent that. Still making this thread a daily read even though I haven't been posting much.
Keep up the words of encouragement!!
Man do I need a day to go ice fishing before it gets too warm. LOL
Sorry to hear that......hope she has a speedy recovery.
Does she have any sort of significant motor skill impairment issues resulting from the stroke ?
yes she can't move either of her legs. They said it wasn't a typical stroke and had some name for it that started with an A. I can't remember what it was.
thanks for your well wishes. She's a fighter I'm sure she'll pull through it.
Maybe this will make her quit smoking at least get some positive out of it.
I wouldn't be a stroke related to an ' aneurysm ' would it ?
Hopefully, the impairment is only temporary.........I'm sure she'll pull through as well.
Have they given you any idea how long they ' think ' she'll have to stay in the hospital ?
no, something to do with the arteries. I would have remembered aneurysm.
It was a long technical term I've never heard before.
They haven't said anything about hospital duration yet.
Hopefully not too long. The care in the hospital is substandard at best. After having several issues with the nurse staff which I won't get into on here. She had to use the bathroom so 45 minutes later the orderly came in and said he can't lift her because his back hurt. I tore into him and called him a "fat out of shape bastard". then I asked what exactly what is was he got paid for.
My bro and I ended up hauling her to the bathroom and helping her on and off the can.
Needless to say none of us are very happy with the hospital care.
Only thing that comes to mind in terms of arteries would be ' arteriosclerosis ' .
You're in the right frame of mind ...you have to be your own advocate when it comes to hospital care.
Based on what I've heard, usually the first 48 hours or so post stroke seems to be a critical time to assess where things are headed.
Sorry to hear that the care is such an issue.
Too bad you couldn't arrange to have a family member(s) stay in room - or nearby down the hall in a lounge etc. 24/7 - at least until such time as there is some clear indication / confirmation of what your mom's status is.
I apologize for not posting the last few days. I have been out of town on recertification training and some business setups and this has taken a huge chunk of time. I hope everyone is well. I will review the COL and get cought up on it and make a "thoughts for the day" post real soon.
I hope everyone is internally happy and have much joy in life. Bring out the spirit within yourself and make it work for you in diet and fitness training everybody!
Wish all of you the best.
Chillen
I hope everyone is internally happy and have much joy in life. Bring out the spirit within yourself and make it work for you in diet and fitness training everybody!
Wish all of you the best.
Chillen
Man what a busy week this week, nearly not enough time to breathe baby! But I am off in the morning, and will begin to to get cought up, LOL! I couldnt weight train this week because of work, but I did manage to get cardio sessions in (2x daily) in our exercise facility here at the main business center, so all is GOOD! 
How is everyone! Hey! I posted a new Right Arm Bi Pic in my avatar. Come to think of it, I never showed a pic of my bi's lol. I may be only 160lbs to 161 lbs, but I carry a big stick. As promised, the 7ish pics are forthcoming......YES!
The bi's have undergone some major overhaul these last few months. I was mainly doing compounds for the bis (only 2 to 3 sets), and switched to Dumbbell (only) exercises (again only 2 to 3 sets) the last few weeks (the last 6) and they just took off like a rocket. I will explain more later this morning.
ROCK ON!
Chillen
How is everyone! Hey! I posted a new Right Arm Bi Pic in my avatar. Come to think of it, I never showed a pic of my bi's lol. I may be only 160lbs to 161 lbs, but I carry a big stick. As promised, the 7ish pics are forthcoming......YES!
The bi's have undergone some major overhaul these last few months. I was mainly doing compounds for the bis (only 2 to 3 sets), and switched to Dumbbell (only) exercises (again only 2 to 3 sets) the last few weeks (the last 6) and they just took off like a rocket. I will explain more later this morning.
ROCK ON!
Chillen
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Some new Bi Pics taken real quick while at work
Some new Bicep pics.......today....
I took these at work (after working 10 hours, lol), so bare with the poor quality, lol. The Bi's were once one of my weakest parts, until I wised up.
Some right arm bi pics
The first and second one are about 3/4ths the way up.
The first one is a close up, and the second one is just a different angle of the first pic. And, the 3rd, is nearly fully flexed but not quite. Dont ask why I didnt flex all the way, I was in a hurry, tired (set up like 10 pc's and networked all of them), and the boss was ribbing me at the same time, lol......Primarily I was messing around with the boss and having some fun...
Arms are 16" at 160 to 161 pounds.
Nearing 50 and going strong baby!
Off to bed.......to get some rest, will be on later. I finally get a day off, and this week should be more like normal and I will be posting in the COL today.......
Be happy everyone! Stay focused and tough and most importantly, be consistent with your diet and training brotha and sista's!
Some new Bicep pics.......today....
I took these at work (after working 10 hours, lol), so bare with the poor quality, lol. The Bi's were once one of my weakest parts, until I wised up.
Some right arm bi pics
The first and second one are about 3/4ths the way up.
The first one is a close up, and the second one is just a different angle of the first pic. And, the 3rd, is nearly fully flexed but not quite. Dont ask why I didnt flex all the way, I was in a hurry, tired (set up like 10 pc's and networked all of them), and the boss was ribbing me at the same time, lol......Primarily I was messing around with the boss and having some fun...
Arms are 16" at 160 to 161 pounds.
Nearing 50 and going strong baby!
Off to bed.......to get some rest, will be on later. I finally get a day off, and this week should be more like normal and I will be posting in the COL today.......
Be happy everyone! Stay focused and tough and most importantly, be consistent with your diet and training brotha and sista's!
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I look better, now, then any pic I have posted to the forum to date. However, I had two weaknesses that no fellow forum member called me on: The bi's and legs. If you look, I never posted pics of my bi's (until today) nor my legs. However, I got extremely determined and fixed this problem by figuring out my personal puzzle in what works for these two body parts that would get stronger but just wouldnt grow (as compared to the rest of the body).
My left bi is actually stronger then my right and I am right handed, and has a higher peak.
This coming Friday I am getting my Dexa test. I am reasonably certain I am under 8% BF, and if dexa agrees, I am posting an all out pic post to the COL. This will include full body and specific body parts as well (bis, tris, legs, chest, abs and my new pet the--serratus,etc).
How are things with you Def?
I meant to get to bed hours ago........Instead I did cardio about 30 minutes ago instead.......
Any hoot, I am tired. Worked all night, and need some rest. Be back in a few hours brotha and sista's!
Chillen
So you managed to get your muscles to grow while on a calorie defecit? How'd you do it??
4 things one needs to remember:
1. I gained a net 6 pounds when I bulked, 2. I am not in a deficit 7 days per week (and hence why lowering body fat has taken a bit longer -I am in no hurry: I have written many posts on how I approach my diet when trying to lose fat tissue, and this works, and needs no fixen'), and 3. I revamped my entire workout and threw out "the compounds" that were not giving me what I wanted, and 4. I lowered the set volume (as compared to before while in deficit). I tended not to change my routine switching from bulk to a cut, and with me this was a major mistake. A major mistake because my body can take more stress (volume, etc) when calories are plenty as compared to when calories are scarce (so-to-speak), and over-training (IMO) is much more risky as compared to a bulk (still exists of course, just odds go up in a deficit, IMO).
RWS (Refined Wisdom and Spirit):
I have learned alot about my body through trial an error. I was like most persons when first starting out, thinking large volume (more sets, reps, weight, was the key to increasing muscle size), when in fact the amount of volume needed can be more specific to the individual and how the body responds to various sets, rep ranges, volume, and frequency of training.
What I have learned (about myself) the past two years (being middle aged) is that my body will respond just to a few sets (2 to 3, dependent on the body part), mid range reps (6/8 to 10) again dependent on the body part, as long as I give appropriate rest to my tendon and joints (as my muscles were more than willing to rock, but the all important tendons/joints were not and needed more rest time). I easily put on weight and easily take it off with caloric adjustments (with the exception of last year going under 10%, with going under 10% this time--managed much easier than the last)
I have battled trying to find the correct volume of sets/reps, types of exercises, and frequency, for my bi's and legs for a very long time, and just now figured it out (the last few months).
Additionally, my body adjusts very fast to the sets/reps/volume/frequency, and can became bored (IMO) very quickly; therefore, I DO NOT stick with the same exercises (within the equipment this allows) for very long and change it up every 6 weeks (approx). After the bulk and entering into my cut (where I zig-zagged my calories and scheduled in over eating at certain periods), I set out to revamp my entire workout--even IF it broke traditional wisdom. Why? Because I am reacting to things my body is telling me, not what some else thinks (dependent).
I stuck primarily with compounds with the Triceps and Biceps (and this is important to remember because compounds have been the staple for just about the enitre time I have been training). I would perform FREEFORM exercises in-between sets of the bi and tris. The Tris always have responded well with mid-volume (my term) sets (and besides my abs, the tris are one of my strongest muscle parts), and the bi's while getting stronger and progressive with weights (even with FREEFORM--pullups in-between sets), heighth was not coming (they were flat and longated if you understand what I mean). This could be genetic or age (of course) or something in my training. While I cannot do anything about genetics or age, I can change things in my routine to see if it changes results.
I was looking for a COMPLETE shock and something my body never experienced before (and there are many ways to do this) but I chose to dump the BB in favor of the DB on certain body parts as a test case and see what developed. I was taking a educated risk based on my training history.
I could have done a combo (compound/ISO with DB and BB) but decided to take the obvious tradeoff and stick with DB for the bi's for example.
I decided to include the Arnold DB Curl and the traditional DB Concentration Curl (with full extenstion with elbow resting on outer knee when sitting). I only did one set (each arm) with the Arnold, and 2 sets (each arm) with CC (Concentration Curl) (no freefrom pullups). At first the rest periods between sets were 2m, and this reduced over time to under a minute but over 30 seconds, I have always timed my rest periods and varied them at certain intervals-dependent on progression, etc). Some say curls are useless, I do not agree as this depends on the individual person and body responses.
At the same time, it can be true that some dont respond well to ISO curls or with BB curls, and do rather well with Pull-ups, as an example. It just depends on what WILL bring results.....specific to the person.
Within 6 weeks, I gained more height/shape in the bi then ALL previous BB work in the past. Height isnt "necessarily" growth, RWS.
I lost a little strength (because I wasn't pushing the more heavy weight as with BB curls); however, I will take this trade off at the moment. I am going to move (soon) to a combo compound/Iso due to the recent response I have been getting. The main ingredient here is a complete change my body didnt expect, and a matter of fact, when I began complete ISO (moving from complete BB's, my bi's were extremely sore the following day when they havent been (appropriately) sore in many, many months previously). While soreness isnt an indication of a good workout, it is rather obvious that the change in routine caused it (remove it and soreness would not have occurred).
After the 6 week period experience with the bi's. I began to look at my chest routine. Which also hasnt experienced any DB work. I blended in 2 sets of DB Flat bench press (mid-high reps 8 to12), and kept the BB flat bench press (in the lower rep range 4 to 8). Within three weeks, (and I believe the use of the additional stabilizer muscles from the DB bench played a role), my progression on the BB bench "marginally" increased. I was increaseing +2 and +3 reps on the BB flat bench at a pretty good pace (as compared to the past), and increases in reps like this, are not a norm in most cases with someone in training for a long length of a period. Again, I was sore in the chest and around the shoulder erea, which normally isnt the case.
Remember I went on small bulk in the fall where I went from 152/154 to 174/175ish. During the bulk I reconstructed my entire training routine with some exercises I have never performed before. A few of them are: Bent Arm Pull Over (for improvement in the serratus mainly which if you look at the front ab pics before, I didnt have any, and now I do), T-Bar Row (just stuck the olympic bar in corner, and this replaced the bent over row), Lat Pull-down (self made).
Additionally, I changed my leg work. Finding the correct volume of reps/sets, frequency has been the most difficult. My upper body tends to grow "easily" as compared to my legs, and figuring out the difference has been frustrating and difficult, and one I will not give up on. However, I changed some things and got some results I was looking for. I never did GM's or Lunges. I primarily did Squats (various types) and calf raises for the calfs. At the time, I did 2 sets of squats, 2 sets of Lunges, and 2 sets of GM's, and my quads "finally" responded in growth rather then in strength (I can squat over 300lbs, but my legs surely didnt "look" as they could kick a cat across the yard). The GM's and the Lunges were involving different (and in some cases simuliar) portions of the legs which was "different" than the past history it was receiving and it responded (what choice did it have? It was either going to give me the same strength increases or strength and growth increase, and I had to wait it out to see what the body was going to give with what I was applying at the time).
In other words, the fruits of change in the bulk along with fruits of change in the leaning down period as brought some personal results I seek. I dont cut (or lean down) like most persons do, I have my own "self knowing" system that works. I do believe in the starvation response of the human body, and ALL my diet approaches surrounds this belief, and is the very reason, I DO NOT fat tissue loss plateau (other than last year in April, May, June. which was a learning experience for me).
Work (and my shoulder injury) has had an impact on my training, but you will not see me complaining. When life throws in some priority bones, and with diet and fitness being so glued to my lifestyle, I optimize the parts of diet and fitness I can when things in life become more enhanced (as compared to the norm). The past few weeks with work has been very demanding. I am making alot of money, but to a small degree my training has suffered. This past week, I was in Atlanta setting up networks, and couldnt possibly weight train if I wanted. The things to optimize in this situation to keep one on track with diet and fitness goals, is the KING: The Diet. This will hold me along with my 2 years extensive history of weight/cardio training. As I was moving from one facility to another, and exercise facility within them gave other oportunities in down time. I therefore, would peform cardio twice per day, all the while keeping my diet and doing what I can to "optimize" my sitution in a not so optimal environment. THIS ROCKS!
Best regards,
Chillen
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Chillen...if you have a min or 2...mind taking a look and commenting on my thread in the weight loss forum? Dealing with a plateau issue now and would appreciate some informed feedback or suggestions.
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