Is Working at Night Hurting MyProgress?

I had a bonus workout last night and hit my arms but the main thought on my mind was is my being a third shift vampire helpful or harmful to gaining progress. The issues are numerous.

1. Sleep - The main issue I have is sleep.  it is not just about getting enough as I am always a little short on it but sleep pattern too.  Sometimes I get to sleep in the beginning of the day sometimes because of schedule later and there really is no pattern but dealing with the week ahead.

2. Nutrition - Now given schedule what do you think nutrition is like.  Try getting regular nutrition with that schedule.  Sometimes consistency and flexibility are not good companions.

3. The Job itself:  My employer used to have regular scheduling so you knew when you were going to work and what days you had off -- no more.  Now you never know what days you are going to work or how much.  So how does one compute job calorie burn when nothing is truly consistent.

The only real solution I might have is to move back to days.

Workout 3.2.5 was a bonus workout involving arms.  It was good and tough.   

Workout Log 3.2.1 - Chest/Biceps - First Workout of Year Three

After a week off to rest and recover, I hit my first workout of the year with real enthusiasm.  My split is about focus and putting my week areas first to make them stronger.  Chest and Arms tops my list so Chest and Biceps day.

Motivation: 10

Focus: 9.5

Goals: Establish One Rep Max (1RM) for All Exercises, Pyramid Established, Complete Workout.

Preparation: Meditation - 5 min.; Cardio -10 min.; Visualization/Stretching

Weight Training: (90 to 120 sec rest between sets)
Chest
Bench Press: 135x5; 150x5; 160x5; 170x5; 180x3
Incline Bench Press: 135x5; 140x5; 150x5; 160x5; 170x2
Dumbbell Flyes: 20x5;26x5; 30x 5; 40x 5; 46x3
Biceps:
Barbell Curl: 75x5; 85x5; 100x5; 120x5; 130x3
Preacher Curl: 50x5; 60x4; 70x5; 76x5; 80x2
Standing Concentration Curls: 20x5; 26x5; 30x5; 40x5; 50x6

Flexing: Chest and Biceps

Cardio: 20min Stationary Bike -Preset 1

Training Notes: I did this one all on feel for the most part and I didn't guess to badly.  The fourth set was the 5 rep max target and the fifth set was a failure set. I wanted to get my starting 1RM for the year for all of these and I got them pretty well.  Not to much loss of strength during the cut as my 1RM for Bench, for instance, only fell about 10 lbs.
 
Nutrition this week has been a free for all but mostly my body has been craving carbs and I have obliged.  Goal is to get a carb cycling plan in place for weeks 3-6 and keep the calorie count between 5000 and 4500.  See what happens when we get there.   

Two Years of Bodybuilding

 

You know, Jack LaLanne looked really good back in the day.  What am I saying, the guy looked good probably to right up before his death for his age at any age he was.

Two years ago I got back from a vacation and realized I was a fat boy.  I was suddenly very motivated to do something about it,  I didn't want one of those 12 week and your done programs either.  There is nothing wrong with a 12 week program to get you started but to make a long term choice requires a long term approach.  After 12 weeks then what?   I was looking for more of a lifestyle transformation. 

Bodybuilding fit the bill.  I added the idea of health and flexibility and I got a program that in the first year helped me drop from 337lbs. to 262lbs. That year I also watched my body fat drop from 28% to about 7% based on the three site method on myself.

This year has not been as dramatic but it still has been a great ride.  The heaviest I ever was this year was 285lbs. and I got down to 265lbs. and could not break through that barrier no matter how hard I tried.  Indicates some muscle gain but not a lot.  Bodyfat % hung out at 7% form most of the year until my recent cut dropped it to 5.5% the last few weeks, 5.25% today.

Lessons this year:

1. Nutrition is as important as training - missing meals and too many cheats and all that work in the gym goes bye bye.  You will hear some people say nutrition is 80% but all they are doing emphasizing the point.  Simply put training damages the body, nutrition builds it.  Good Training will get you some results but nutrition puts it into overdrive and gets stuff done.

2. Patience.  Not my daughter, the virtue itself.

3. Relax.  Anxiousness and nervousness shortcut your gains.  Learn to chill.

4. Vary everything.  My training was more effective when things changed and challenged my muscles more often in different ways.

5. Volume is what works for me.  More sets with low reps did gain me some strength and I need that but what gave me growth was more reps at the right weight.  I beginning to think that the nature of my body may have more slow twitch fibers because every time I do more reps it works.  20-24 sets on a body part, yeah that's a lot but it works.  Along with pushing to failure on the last set or even adding an exercise if I don't feel that my muscles have been challenged takes it that much farther.

If one thing had changed I am not a fat boy anymore.  I am back to being what I was a long time ago -- an athlete.  My skin does not fit anymore, but what is underneath has good endurance, strength and muscle tone.  I feel great and I have the goal of competing sometime in 2014.  Year three is coming up and I am ready to change and grow the way I need to grow and change.             

Three Weeks Out, Next Year and Other Random Thoughts.

A Young Bill Pearl.

Well, I am three weeks out from the end of year two of my bodybuilding journey and If I have learned one thing it is to trust my instincts more than trainers in magazines.  This year was not as successful as I had hoped and it is probably because I thought too far ahead.  The problem with long range planning is that you can sometimes feel obligated to follow it even when it is not working so well.

The other thing I have learned is the value of consistent nutrition and nutrition planning.  Skipping a meal or not eating clean can be more detrimental than missing a workout.  Right now, I have three weeks of an extreme cut diet of 2000 calories a day with no, I repeat NO cheating.  This going to be tough.   Life has a way of throwing temptations in your face as fast as or faster than you can manage. 

I now am aware that my body reacts far better to high volume than high weight but having the weight be as high as possible for that volume is very important.  I also am very aware of my goal to look good year round.  That has cause me to look around and see if there is way to change things up constantly and have a diet that gives both growth and keeps the fat monster at bay at the same time. I think I have an answer.

1) My training is going to be constantly changing from week to week.  There is a little pattern to it but the idea is to be different every time I hit the body shop.  I am following a six week cycle. 

a) Week 1 - Strength and Power 5x5
b) Week 2 - Mass Building 4x8
c) Week 3 - Mass Building 4x10
d) Week 4 - Mass Building 4x12
e) Week 5 - Mass Building 4x15
f) Week 6 - Cutting - 3x25: Double Cardio

I want to repeat this two time and then have a reset week.  There is also the fact I want about 20 sets each workout.  That means four to six exercises per body part depending on the week.  The sole exception will be Strength Weeks where there will be one exercise for building strength and another based on building power.  After going through this cycle twice -- reset week.  I think with this I can have consistency but variety as well as flexibility when I sense something is not working.

2) Nutrition will be another matter, Week 1 and the reset weeks will be a free for all.  Clean but eat a lot.  Weeks 2-5 I am going to carb cycle.  On high carb day which will coincide with leg day, one medium carb day which is also back day and the rest low carb with everything else.  Cut week will be all low carb.

3) Other things include a simple but changing training split, a commitment to regular cardio with double during cut week.  Changing exercises and exercise order every cycle will help too.   During mass building I want to pyramid up as well and use other advanced techniques when I can like partial reps, failure, and rest pause.

4) Supplements - simple, basic but effective.  If it does not work in a couple cycles -- it gets dumped.

The focus for this year is to gain mass but stay lean.  I am not going to focus on a particular body part this year.  I want mass all over and then next year I can see what needs fixing.

5) I am going to try to do something with this loose skin of mine and get more acquainted with the skin care side of this business next year.  Tanning and all that. 

Three more weeks.  August 15th is coming soon.

Workout Log - 2.47.1 - Legs (with Nutrition Notes)

I decided to make my first workout of my second cut this year to be legs.  I have been not doing much for three week so I wanted to hit it hard and make my Legs cry for mercy.  Upped the reps range to 15-20 and did not increase the weight too much.  I have a new stationary bike so I wanted to try it out by using one of its preset routines -- 20 minutes with resistance range from 1-5.

Motivation: 10 - wanted to start off right.

Focus: 9.5 - really no problem with only one or two lapses in concentration.

Goals: Complete Workout with Good Preparation and Mind-Muscle Connection

Preparation: Meditation - 5 min.; Cardio - 5 min.; Stretching / Visualization.

Weight Training: (30 sec. rest between sets / 90 sec. rest between exercises)
Quads:
Leg Extensions: 100lbs. 20-20-20
Squats: 135lbs. 20-20-20
Hamstrings:
Good Mornings: 115lbs. 20-15-15
Leg Curls: 60lbs. 20-15-15
Calves
Calf Raises 135lbs. 25-25-20

Cardio: 20 minutes - Preset 1 - Heart rate was solid but this was fairly easy.

Training Notes:
Going to raise the weight levels for Quads, it was too easy.  Everything else was tight though and I love my new bike.  It has 7 more preset routines that I will try over the next couple weeks.  after three weeks the rep ranges will shift to 15-25. 

Nutrition Notes:
Day One of Cut #2 for the year. Calorie Range will be 3000-2800 for the next three weeks with minimal cheating.  The last three weeks I will drop it to 2200-2000 calories and no cheating.  Salt as a seasoning is OK until the last week.   

Body Building for Christ: My History, My Vision and My Blog

For over a year and a half, I have been engaged in the pursuit of a bodybuilders body.  Mostly my motivation has come from a desire to make what I see in the mirror better each day.  In large part this has been successful, but I acknowledge that there is still a long way to go.  In the past I have seen some good results but I want more.

So far I have for the most part followed other people's plans that I find in the magazines and websites. Most of this I have viewed as an experiment to see what works for me.  There are still a lot of things to try and so that will probably continue for at least another year.  When I started I weighed 327lbs. and was almost 30% body fat.  Now I am roughly 275lbs. and under 10% body fat for the most part.  I have been cutting the last six weeks so that last number is lower still. 

My ultimate goal for the future is to compete, but I also understand I have  long way to go.  In need more muscle size for sure, my loose skin to tighten up and my training and nutrition to be more and more disciplined and intense.  In the meantime, I am going to focus my sights on learning the bodybuilding cycle and techniques for training and nutrition.  Ultimately I have learned that this is a game of knowledge and applying that knowledge.

This blog is more about accountability and that learning process than anything else.  It is my desire to post on my person quest, my supplements, my magazine reviews, my nutrition, my training and bodybuilding in general as far as news, opinion, issues and contests.  In so doing I hope to have journal of sorts to help me sort things out.  If it also happens to make a little money because people are interested in what I have to say, even better.  If I also inspire someone else to take up the journey as well, then even better than that.

My main passage of scripture that guides me is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own.  For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.  The ultimate thing being to create a temple of the Holy Spirit that he will be proud to dwell in.  May God grant my the knowledge and wisdom I need to succeed.

Welcome to The Temple Builder for Christ

This Blog is spin off from the Rabyd Theologian 2.0. and contains my posts from that site involving bodybuilding, nutrition, motivation, magazine reviews, etc. The point being to have a unique home for those type of posts.

In addition, I want this to be a place of accountability for myself as I continue on my a lifelong journey of being a bodybuilding Christian pastor.

I also hope to write on the issues of the health and fitness world and how I think they affect Christians who both train and compete.

Blessings and Enjoy!

The Naked Truth: The Secret to Motivation in Health and Fitness

Most people struggle to stay motivated in any fitness endeavor. When people visit Bodybuilding.com or other sites like it there is always a thing called a motivation gage and people can input what their motivation level is on a scale of 1-10. Mine very rarely drops below 8. It hovers at 9 and hits a regular 10 all the time. I have been asked by some how do I do that.

I wish it could be some psyche-out thing I learned or some mental trick there is I do, but the real truth is I get naked on a regular basis in front of the bathroom mirror. For a while I even thought I was nuts, until I read Jack LaLanne's book called Live Young Forever and guess what he considered to be the number one motivation technique he had ever heard of and knew that it worked? That's right, go to the bathroom, lock the door, take off all your clothes and take a long look in the mirror and then get mad at what you see. Ever time you even feel your motivation slipping, go to the bathroom, lock the door...well you get the idea.

Ultimately the best tool in fitness motivation is not a bathroom scale or body fat calipers, but a mirror. Accountability helps but our human perception has an instinctive understanding when we look at the human body whether it is healthy or not and that includes our own. Ultimately, motivation comes from facing the truth in a mirror and not as James says we do so often:"forgetting what we see". It is facing the truth of what we see that ultimately motivates us to change anything and our bodies are no different.

Now body image is a big concern here as most women and some men still see themselves as fatter than they are and people can a very twisted fun house mirror image of themselves. That aside though, the quest to make your body look good in that mirror motivates like nothing else and that is why it still remains a potent part of any person's focus and motivation in reaching their fitness goals.

That is the naked truth.

My Cut Diet and Why I Started Early

A little old school Steve Reeves for you. They really don't build 'em like that anymore and it's a crying shame. Classic lines always look better and healthier than the big muscle freaks.

A cut diet or a cutting diet is about one thing for the most part - loosing body fat and getting that 'ripped' look. To do this it has to get rid of fat but the muscle has to stay. That means you have to feed the muscle and starve the fat. This is the second cut diet I have done. The first one did not really get me ripped per say but I learned a lot about me and how my body reacts to nutrition. In that cut I dropped from 285lbs. to 262lbs. More importantly, my body fat dropped from 10% to 6% and the great thing is that mass building this winter never caused that to get above 7% and my weight did go up. That means muscle growth and the fat I lost last year has left for good.

The idea of a cut diet ultimately is about carbohydrate(carbs) manipulation and reduction. Because you are trying to save your muscle you keep your protein level high and because fats really help in keeping the nervous system and testosterone levels high (important for men) that means it really is all about carbs. During mass building carbs are high to make sure all the protein goes to the muscle, but during a cut they drop, so the body start draining the fat cells for energy.

Water and salt are also important as muscle need both to maintain itself, but at the very end of a cut you start lowering both to get the fat cells to give up the last of their water to get them to shrink even more.

A cut diet cannot be maintained forever because after a certain amount of time the body will start to cannibalize the muscle tissue. For competing bodybuilder timing is everything so their muscles stay large and they get ripped because their fat is gone. Cut too early and you will shrink too much, too late and you will not have the ripped appearance.

For me, I am trying an experiment because this cut is only eight weeks instead of twelve like last year. The experiment is basically carb rotation. I have a three day cycle: high carb, then medium carb, and then low. It is an experiment for me and being I have only been doing this a short time it is OK because I am trying to find what works for me. I have a few year to do just that, find what works so I am doing what I can.

I started early ( I originally had my cut planned for twelve weeks out of August 15th) because of my trip to Romania (June 14th to June 27th) with my daughter. That's going to be hard because I have no idea what we will be eating every day although what is provided is three meals a day and bottled water. I am used to six smaller meals a day so this may not be good. I am putting a body weight only workout together in case their is no equipment of any kind (very possible). So for now, I am in a cut diet that will end on June 4th and give me a week to get my energy level back up and then off to Romania and back.

I am thinking, if I don't completely like the results of this cut, when I get back I will do another four week one (after doing what I need to do to recover from Romania) that takes me to August 15, 2001 my second anniversary of being a bodybuilder.

After the first two weeks, I lost only eight pounds, but the bodyfat dropped a whole point and a half. So far so good.