Monday, 30 March 2009

Step-ups:
Bodyweight 5 x 10

Single leg press:
140 lbs. (64 kg) 4 x 10

Single leg curls:
40 lbs. (18 kg) 4 x 7

Straight-arm pulldowns:
100 lbs. (45 kg) 4 x 10

Cable… twist…? (can’t find a visual description, but it’s essentially like swinging a baseball bat):
100 lbs. (45 kg) 4 x 6 (might need to lower the weight a little next time – my ab is sore as FUCK)

Single-leg calf raise:
Bodyweight 4 x 10

Comments: Plus 10 minutes HIIT biking. The plan for the next couple of months is to to some unilateral stuff to try and balance myself out. I knew my left leg was weaker than my right, but this workout humbled me and showed me just how much I was compensating with the right. The step-ups, press, and curls were difficult as fuck for the left leg, but almost nothing for the right. So I’m going to be kind of limited in the amount of weight I can use for the next while. Awesome. Time to do some bodybuilding!

Speaking of bodybuilding and awesome, my calves are looking it. Not to brag or anything.

Last week during a family health scare (not me, but I was pretty shaken and didn’t eat/sleep much), my weight dropped to 222 lbs. (101 kg), but I’m back up to 228 lbs. (103 kg) now.

03272009

Apparently not even family health problems will impede science.

Week 40, front:

Week 40, left:

Week 40, right:

03232009

Lifting some heavy stuff sure would be nice and mind-numbing right about now.

03212009

Week 39, front:

Week 39, left:

Week 39, right:

03192009

117 this morning.

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

DB bench:
40s (18 kg) 3 x 10

BB bench:
185 lbs. (84 kg) 3 x 5
225 lbs. (102 kg) 2 x 1

Lat pulldowns:
150 lbs. (68 kg) overhand grip 1 x 9
150 lbs. (68 kg) underhand grip 1 x 10
160 lbs. (73 kg) overhand grip 1 x 6
160 lbs. (73 kg) underhand grip 1 x 7

Lateral raises:
20s (9 kg) 1 x 10
25s (11 kg) 1 x 7, 1 x 6

Lawnmowers:
70 lbs. (32kg) 3 x 6

Rope triceps pressdowns:
100 lbs. (45 kg) 1 x 15

Comments: Plus 20 minutes HIIT biking. After the poor performance on the bench, I decided to do everything with maybe 45 seconds of rest between sets (we were finished with the lifting in almost 40 minutes!), so that almost explains the lower weights, but I really should have been able to do more. Blood sugar was shockingly high before the gym. Shocking because the highest GI thing I’ve had to eat today is fucking hummus. Maybe the week (now extended to 10 days forfeiting tomorrow’s workout due to conflicting schedules and general sickness/injury) will do me some good. I certainly fucking hope so.

03182009

A few things:

1) First and foremost at the moment, I’m worried about my dad. He’s not in any immediate danger, as far as we know, but he’s 65 (66 in July), fat, diabetic, and with pretty bad cholesterol/tryglicerides/etc. Partins aren’t known for being very long-lived anyway, so surely you can understand my worry. Right now he’s chugging along seemingly just fine, but I’m terrified of getting a call while at work or something that he’s kicked it. What makes it worse is that he COULD be a lot healthier despite the beetus by changing his diet, but he refuses to or “can’t,” even after seeing how quickly I got my shit under control. So worry and frustration, I guess. I know he’s going to die (and probably soon-ish), but I’d like to delay that as much as possible.

2) Onto a much lighter note, MY blood sugar yesterday an hour after eating two slices of pizza was 169. Last time I did that it was 208 after two hours. It would rock ass if I were… getting better.

3) Speaking of getting better, I had to adjust my guitar strap earlier. The last time I used it, I was 320 lbs. (145 kg), so it looks like 90 lbs. (41 kg) takes up a bit of space.

4) I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I got a new phone roughly a month ago, and the only thing I can find to complain about are the keys being too flat. I’d say that’s pretty good.

Monday, 16 March 2009

Cambered bar squats:
95 lbs. (43 kg) 3 x 10
225 lbs. (102 kg) 3 x 3
275 lbs. (125 kg) 1 x 2
300 lbs. (136 kg) 1 x 1

Leg press:
410 lbs. (186 kg) 2 x 10
500 lbs. (227 kg) 1 x 8

Leg curls:
100 lbs. (45 kg) 1 x 10
110 lbs. (50 kg) 2 x 6

Standing Smith Machine calf raises:
“135 lbs. (61 kg)” 1 x 20
“185 lbs. (84 kg)” 1 x 13
“225 lbs. (102 kg)” 1 x 15

I thought all the weight would show up in the foreground and not just the mirror. Eh. Anyway, that’s 300 lbs. (136 kg) on the cambered bar (that I proceeded to squat most triumphantly) and a nice little picture of how fat I’m not getting.

Comments: Plus 10 minutes HIIT biking. Feeling pretty good about those lifts, and in general, save for the lingering phlegmy cough and resulting hoarseness (though more “sultry” than before ). Related to the coughing, no ab work tonight because they’re still FUCKING SORE from all of said coughing. WOO NEXT WEEK (officially – this past week was unofficial sickness/injury) OFF FROM LIFTING WOO.

03142009

Well shit. Just found out that 1) Eluveitie won’t be playing Paganfest USA this year, but that’s ultimately okay for me, because 2) Paganfest USA won’t be coming to Atlanta this year. The closest it’s swinging by is northern Virginia, and while I would LOVE to see Korpiklaani and Primordial and pay an excessive amount of money to do so, not that much. Lame. At least Eluveitie will be coming back sometime later this year, and I’ve heard rumours of Korpiklaani doing the same. I can hope.

In other news, according to the mirror, I’m developing some nice upper back and chest musculature (or finally losing the covering fat, or a combination of both) AND MY UPPER ABS ARE VISIBLE (granted, my abs are pretty big, so they’re hard not to see)?!. Not as lame.

03132009

Lifted neither Wednesday nor Thursday due to a fever, sore throat, MAD coughing, and general feeling-like-shit. The fever appears to be gone now, and the coughing seems to be subsiding, so let’s hope this thing is finally on the way out. All that remains is a sore gut (abs have gotten a HELL of a workout!) and throat FROM the coughs.

On a pleasant note, blood sugar was 128 upon waking today, Which confused me, since it was 160 yesterday – presumably from the stress from the fever, etc.?

EDIT: Maybe TMI; don’t really care. I haven’t “abused myself” in… *counts*… four days. I hope the libido returns when this thing is over and done with.

Project Beard pictures to come shortly.

EDIT EDIT:

Not in a good mood, can you tell?

Week 38, front:

Week 38, left:

Week 38, right:

ANOTHER EDIT: Just checked, and I’m down to a 37 in. (94 cm) waist and 230 lbs. (104 kg). Badass.