Training and Self Assesment

Damn, it’s been eight weeks since my last Training and Self Assessment post. I am indeed due for some changes. So what happened? Well, the work out I designed was awesome and I truly feel that I continually made progress on it. Even Sherry commented on the awesomeness of the routine and requested that our next routine be similar. I upped calories to maintenance level about four weeks ago. I had a weeklong, planned nutritional vacation (i.e., dinner out ever night) two weeks ago when the mother-in-law was visiting. And, this past week I took a planned vacation from the gym. Usually I try to combine my nutrition and gym vacation in to one week of lazy gorge-fest, but life conspired otherwise this time around.

Work Out
Looking back, my main goal was to focus on my lats. I did indeed achieve this. The work out routine was kick-ass; I loved it. In fact, the last two programs that I designed have amazed me. I rock like Robert Plant! My gym attendance and intensity was near perfect. I did occasionally kinda skip the scheduled interval training, though.
Grade: A

Nutrition
Originally, my goal was to trim fat for two weeks. This I did, and then I bumped calories up to maintenance levels (2,500-kcal) and started eating cottage cheese. The low-fat cottage cheese is a deviation from my anti-dairy proclamation, but I want to see if a little co-chz would really hurt me. If my body can handle small amounts of dairy without puffing up then I might try reintroducing yogurt also. Prior to reintroducing dairy, my body composition reach 8.2% body fat. Way cool! I’ve gained a bit back, with my dietary and gym vacations and I currently sit at an even 9.0% body fat, which is still a vast improvement from my starting point in July of 10.2%. Current body weight is 160.8 pounds. Anyway, I stuck to my meal template and averaged about two cheat meals a week. I’m also deducting points for my dietary vacation. Even though it was planned, I still feel dirty.
Grade: C

Sleep
My goal was 8-hours a night, but I regularly got 7-hours… less while the mother-in-law was in town. I need a way to track sleep. Maybe through my fitday log.
Grade: C

New Plan
My primary goal in the gym is to increase my Clean&Jerk. I’m gunning for 200-pounds. I’ve achieved a 175-lbs lift and I can Clean 185-lbs but that’s too much for me to Jerk. So I’m shooting to add about 25-lbs to my Clean&Jerk. My secondary goal is to be fucking consistent with my interval training. A while back I fell in love with the punching bags at the gym so maybe I can use this newfound love to inspire me.

Monday
(Pushing muscles that directly affect the Clean&Jerk. I’m keeping The Bear because Sherry likes it. And, I’m doing Squats because I will already be in the Squat Rack.)
1. Jerk: 1X10, 1X5, 1X3, 1X1
2. The Bear: 3X6
3. Squats: 3X10
4. Arnold Press: 3X10
5. Bench Press: 3X10
15-20 minutes of interval training

Wednesday
(Pulling muscles that will keep my body balanced)
1. Dead Lift: 3X10
2. Sternum Chin-Ups: 3X10
3. Wide-Grip Cable Pull-Downs:3X10
4. Seated Cable Rows: 3X10
5a. Reverse Crunches 5X5
5b. Crunches 5X5

Friday
(Clean&Jerk day. Friday looks a bit light.)
1. Clean&Jerk: 1X10, 1X5, 1X3, 1X1
2. One-Armed Dumbbell Snatches: 3X10
3. Dips: 3X10
15-20 minutes of interval training

My main nutritional goal is to regularly log my foods in my fitday account. I used to do this religiously, but at some point or another I figured that I had outgrown a food journal. Not so! Thank you, Rach, for being a role model. You’ve reminded me that it’s not that difficult to do and the self-accountability is worth it. I’m going to experiment with fluctuating caloric intakes, which I’ve never tried. My diet will be much like the Delta 1250 Diet (a.k.a. Anabolic Burst Cycling of Diet and Exercise). One week I will ingest 1,900-kcal and the following week I will ingest 3,150-kcal. 1,900 then 3,150 and repeat. (Note: 3,150 – 1,900 = 1,250 … hence, Delta 1250) This means I require two meal templates. Currently, I am 161-lbs at 9.0% bodyfat. My secondary goals are to not exceed 10.5% bodyfat and possibly hit 165-lbs. But without any experience with this type of dieting, I have no idea what to expect.

Meal template for 1,900-kcal weeks
6:30AM: 1-cup cottage cheese, 0.5-cup fruit
8:30AM: 5-oz chicken breast, 0.5-cup rice, 0.5-cup vegetables
10:30AM: 4-oz ground beef, 1-cup vegetables
12:30PM: 0.6-serv whey protein, 0.3-tsp flaxseed oil
2:30PM: 0.6-serv whey protein, 0.3-tsp flaxseed oil
5:30PM: 1-serv whey protein, 1-tbs honey
7:30PM: 1-can tuna, 0.5-cup rice, 0.5-cup corn
9:30PM: 0.6-serv whey protein, 0.3-tsp flaxseed oil
(on non-workout days the 5:30PM and 7:30PM meals will be switched with the 10:30AM and 12:30PM meals. Stats: 1,903-kcal, 52-grams fat, 132-grams carbohydrates, 221-grams protein. )

Meal template for 3,150-kcal weeks
6:30AM: 1-serv whey protein, 0.5-cups oats
8:30AM: 1-cup cottage cheese, 0.5-cup fruit
10:30AM: 5-oz chicken breast, 0.5-cup rice, 0.5-cup vegetables
12:30PM: 4-oz ground beef, 1-cup vegetables
2:30PM: 2-serv whey protein, 2-tsp flaxseed oil
5:30PM: 2-serv whey protein, 1-tbs honey, 0.25-cup oats
7:30PM: 1-can tuna, 1-cup rice, 1-cup corn
9:30PM: 2-serv whey protein, 2-tsp flaxseed oil
(on non-workout days the 5:30PM and 7:30PM meals will be switched with the 12:30AM and 2:30PM meals. Stats: 3,151-kcal, 104-grams fat, 231-grams carbohydrates, 323-grams protein. I may allow two cheat meals a week on this hypercaloric subcycle.)

Once again, I'm going to try to work on sleep. I'm gunning for 8-hours a night, minimum. Sleep usually is the first thing to suffer when life starts to get overwhelming, so for the next four-weeks I'm going to plan on hitting the ol' bed at 10:00PM and waking up at 6:00AM.

I have a new facet of health I want to work on, so I’m adding yet another goal. I want to lather myself in lotion after every shower. I’ve never paid much attention to my skin. As a result of my pompholyx post, I want to improve my skin care habits. I’m starting easy though with the lotion goal.

In a month or so I shall look back and see how this all pans out.
...and so it was written, shenry at 10/10/2003 01:17:00 PM.
...and so it was appended with .