MonStar's Journal: Breaking Bad Habits! [Forum Archive]

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MonStar's Journal: Breaking Bad Habits!

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Posted by: M.J.H.

Yes, this is my 1,554,103rd journal.

It's time to stop though, with the immature crap. I want to break every bad habit that I currently have in my life. The binging, the changing of the programs, the ridiculous crap that I put myself through for absolutely no reason at all. It's not good for anyone go through these same redundant cycles again and again and again. They accomplish nothing.

I am going to KEEP this journal, godd*mnit, and no matter what I am not going to jump on some new training program or diet that comes along. Every time I start to think something else might work better than what I am currently doing, I want to change. It's absolutely ridiculous, because like most of you know, I don't give each program a chance to actually work.

I am going to keep things simple. And by simple I mean that I am going to follow a basic training split, push/pull/legs/rest, and keep things simple. My rep range from 3-12. Relatively higher volume because currently I feel like I am achieving good results training with higher volume.

My diet is going to be clean, PERIOD. No low-carb crap, refeeds, any of that complicated stuff. I am going to just keep things as simple as possible.

Please feel free to post feedback and support---and keep things positive. Thank you.

Posted by: Jill

Posted by: ncgirl21

Once again............................................. ............................................

GOOD LUCK

Posted by: Duncans Donuts

Good luck man. How much volume are you going to be doing? Also, how long have you been training? We're about the same age, so it's a point of curiousity for me. Make sure you keep up with this journal.

Posted by: fantasma62

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

Yes, this is my 1,554,103rd journal.

Hey Monstar, congratulations on your, as you say, 1,554,103rd journal. That number may be an all time record...

Ok, laugh a bit....you definitely need to relax. Ok, go look at my picture in my journal and think of what you can look like if you don't take things into your own hands like you are doing today. Yeah, I know, I am making an effort to look better. But I still look like shit....

You say that you have entertained many different diets and routines. I have to ask you and hope that I'm not prying...were you ever fat?
You are thinking exactly like a fat person, or a normal person who's been told that they are fat....
No, don't worry, I am not psichoanalyzing you, that would be insulting to you and everyone else here. I am just trying to think if you have the same mentality that I have with a much better physique.
You, like me have done many diets during your time. The truth is that I looked just like you at 20. I wasn't as ripped but was muscular. I then grew larger in the waist and started doing different diets where I lost, and gained twofold after, then lost again.
The one thing that you have to be aware of is that I made my decision to do what I am doing now to stop "the bad habits". All I can tell you is that you need to think of what you love in your life and what it would happen if you weren't there anymore. That's what happened to me. My motivator.
You need to find that motivator, that reason why you want to break the habits. Every time I want to eat a piece of cheesecake I say to myself, remember Aly, Anthony and Miriam (Daughter, Son, Wife). They are what drive me to better myself.
As you have been changing what has worked for you? What routine, what diet. Also, my suggestion regarding diet is ask questions. I can assure you that there is nobody in this world that knows about diets and plans than a fat person. At least that's what I thought, then I met Jodi (or talked to her thru here) and she guided me to better eating. Why don't you arm yourself with questions and post them in the Diet forum. She's the greatest, she knows where you are and she can give you the best possible suggestions.
Man, don't fret about people getting upset about you starting another journal. There will be one or two who will criticize, but the vast majority witll try to do nothing but help you. That's what I am trying to do.....
By the way, please don't misconstrue this long banter as me lecturing you. I am just trying to help you out in whatever I can...

Posted by: PreMier

Ok. I wasnt going to say it, but have to. Why dont you just stick to one journal? I mean, people READ it and if you want to change something then fucking do it.. type it in the same journal. I used to like following your workouts, because your strong, and provide motivation.. but when I have to keep looking for a new journal constantly it gets tireing, and I lose interest. I am begining to wonder how long I can kee this up..

Good luck man.

Posted by: BritChick

Good luck Monstar! This is the first journal of yours that I've come across

so I'll be checking in to see if you're as good as your word.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jill:

Andrea: Thanks for the support, it is very appreciated.

Duncans Donuts: Hey man, I am going to be doing around 12-16 total sets for larger bodyparts and 10-12 total sets for smaller bodyparts. Give or take a few sets obviously. And this is very high-volume for me, compared to what I am used to. I have been training for almost 9 years, consistently. I started when I was 12 believe it or not and never took a break, lol, I was obsessed.

fantasma62: Thanks a ton man for stopping by, I really really appreciate. It's great that you're always supportive and positive no matter what---really means a lot. I have been overweight in the past, that's for sure. When I was a kid age 10-12 I was definitely overweight, no question about it. I am not sure how I even got this way, or why, but I think that's part of the reason I became obsessed with working out, etc. For whatever reason in my entire experience training, I never got all that lean at all. I have no idea why. I mean I have gotten fairly lean where I can clearly see my abs but I never got to the point where I had a rockhard midsection. And I think that is always something that I strived for, yet never achieved. So now at this point I think if I can completely cut out the binging 100%, and focus on just eating clean and training hard and heavy, I think things will work out well. Of course time will tell.

PreMier: I have no idea man, that's one of the bad habits that I need to break. Basically when I start a new journal I feel like I am starting on a clean slate---if that makes any sense? I feel like I am starting completely over again on a new day, and a new life almost. And I basically force myself to forget that I just binged like crazy the day before. It's just a self-harmful cycle that I put myself through again and again.

BritChick: Hey, thanks so much for the support!

It's great to see a new face here in my journal. But yeah, I would appreciate you stopping by on a regular basis, if you don't mind.

Posted by: M.J.H.

8-27-2004

Push

Flat DB Presses
6 sets of 4 with the 120's

Decline BB Presses
2 sets of 12 with 225
2 sets of 5 with 285
2 sets of 8 with 250

Nautilus Pec-Deck Flyes
2 sets of 6 with 180
2 sets of 10 with 150

Upright Rows
4 sets of 6 with 135
1 set of 10 with 110

DB Lateral Raises
2 sets of 7 with the 40's
2 sets of 10 with the 30's

Nautilus Lateral Raises
2 sets of 8 with 200
1 set of 12 with 160

Seated French Presses
2 sets of 8 with 125
2 sets of 4 with 150
2 sets of 12 with 105

Cable Pressdowns
3 sets of 8 with 200
1 set of 12 with 160

Great workout today!

Focus and all that was pretty damn good, considering that it was after a long day at work and a not too much sleep at all. Started off with 6 sets of 4 on flat DB presses, not bad at all. Good sets. Moved onto some decline BB presses---which I really liked, hit my pecs hard. Nice sets there, today. Finished my pecs up with some pec-deck flyes, pecs were completely fried.

For my delts I did some upright rows, and then some DB and Nautilus laterals. Overall sets were pretty good I think. Not too bad at all. For triceps I did some French presses, where I ended up going pretty damn heavy. Used a CG on a cambered-bar for them, nice sets. Worked up to 150 for 2 sets of 4 which was definitely a PR for me. I can never really go that heavy on French presses. Pressdowns were pretty good, basically just a burnout.

Workout today lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes, and I finished with a total of 38 sets.

Diet:
- scrambled eggs, whole-wheat toast
- MRP bar
- grilled chicken sandwich
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- Gatorade + V-12 during workout
- whey protein postworkout
- grilled chicken & cheese soft taco
- MRP + 1% milk + peanut butter

Sleep: 6.5 hours. Damn, had to get up so friggin' early for work. I am currently in the process of finding a new job but it's honestly so damn hard for some reason. I really really need to start making more hourly though, so it's important.

Weight: 229.5 lbs. High of course, pigged out yesterday.

Day 8 today of 6-OXO, 3 capsules 2x per day.

Posted by: JerseyDevil

Mike... like Jake said, keep the same journal. So what if you change workouts or diet, just keep an ongoing journal and document the changes when they happen. Sheesh.

Posted by: Duncans Donuts

Nine years

That's a long time considering your age. Curious, what's your body fat percentage at? I started weight training about two weeks after my 18th birthday, when my dad bought me an olympic bench and some weights. I had done some ignorant pumping with a few dumbells I had had when I was 16 and 17, but it was time wasted.

Yeah man, keep one journal so I don't have to sift through webdata to find your journal.

I'm always fascinated to study the results of people doing things I don't do. Peace.

Posted by: M.J.H.

JerseyDevil: Yeah man I am definitely going to do that this time, around, for sure. I am not sure why I have such a problem keeping one journal, it gets really ridiculous honestly. Oh well.

Duncans Donuts: I have absolutely no idea at all what my bodyfat % is, I have never had it tested, ever. I'll attach my most recent progress pictures maybe you can get a rough estimate. Anyway, I appreciate you checking out my journal, it's always nice to see new faces in here.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by PreMier

Ok. I wasnt going to say it, but have to. Why dont you just stick to one journal? I mean, people READ it and if you want to change something then fucking do it.. type it in the same journal. I used to like following your workouts, because your strong, and provide motivation.. but when I have to keep looking for a new journal constantly it gets tireing, and I lose interest. I am begining to wonder how long I can kee this up..

Good luck man.

I think if you and I hang out in vegas we may end up killing someone in fits of rage.......other than that, great post!

Monstar- good luck

Posted by: OrbitalChime

Good luck to you man, I think 1,554,103 could be your lucky number. And remember to keep your eyes on the prize. Good things will come, look forward to reading your journal, your lifts always inspire me.

Posted by: atherjen

Quote:

My diet is going to be clean, PERIOD. No low-carb crap, refeeds, any of that complicated stuff. I am going to just keep things as simple as possible.

the little girl tends to be right a lot

Posted by: fantasma62

Hey Monstar....

How are you behaving today?

Enjoy your workout and have a good day....oh yeah, beware of binging. If you want to eat something don't stop yourself, because later what was a cheat will become a binge.....

Have a great day!!!!!!

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: LOL, thanks for stopping by man, appreciate it.

OrbitalChime: Hey man, thanks for the support---means a lot bro. I am going to hang in there with this one I think. I think it took a few thousand journals to find one that I will finally stick to, lol.

Jen: Whatever you say...

fantasma62: Hey man, so far today I feel really good. No complaints at all at this point, so that's a good thing. I am sore from yesterday's push session, but other than that, I feel pretty damn good. Thanks for the support.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Set two benches on either side of you when you do DB Press so that your elbows hit them before you get all the way down. It's similar to what a floor press does, but with DBs it's nuts. Nice session.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Wow, that sounds really really interesting. I might give them a shot in the near future. Probably a great exercise for hitting your triceps extra hard. Since it is more focusing on lockout strength. The problem is that my gym doesn't have DB's higher than the 120's---drives me crazy.

Posted by: M.J.H.

8-28-2004

Push

T-Bar Rows
2 sets of 8 with 270
2 sets of 4 with 335
2 sets of 12 with 250

Support Rows
3 sets of 5 with 255
3 sets of 10 with 190

Stiff-Arm Cable Pullovers
2 sets of 10 with 120
2 sets of 7 with 150

Bentover DB Lateral Raises
4 sets of 10 with the 25's

CG Preacher Curls
2 sets of 4 with 125
2 sets of 9 with 95

Concentration Curls
2 sets of 12 with a 35
2 sets of 7 with a 45

Zottman Curls
2 sets of 8 with the 30's
2 sets of 5 with the 40's

Seated Wrist Curls
4 sets of 10 with 85

Pretty good workout today! My rotator cuffs were a little bit beat up from yesterday's pressing session, but whatever. Overall today I would definitely say that I had a good workout. Started off with some ghetto style t-bar rows, nice sets. Hit my midback pretty hard. Support rows really tore up my upper back 100%. They always toast my lats, though. Afterwards I did some stiff-arm pullovers, nice sets there, no questions asked. Decided to hit up some bentover laterals today, for my rear delts, not too bad at all.

For my biceps I did some preacher curls, followed up by some concentration curls. Nothing too crazy there. Really hit my biceps hard, that's for sure. Moved onto some Zottman curls, really like them a lot. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Zottman curls I am going to attach a pic in a post after this journal entry. Finished up with some seated wrist curls, not too bad at all.

Workout lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes today, and I ended up with a total of 36 sets.

Diet:
- protein pancakes + peaches
- Gatorade + V-12 during workout
- whey protein postworkout
- MRP + 1% milk + peanut butter, dried fruit
- low-carb tuna & cheese sandwich
- 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
- MRP bar
- breaded chicken
- 1/2 low-carb peanut butter sandwich

Damn, for whatever reason today I was starving!

Sleep: 7 + 2 hours. Long story. Drove home and fell back asleep for 2 hours.

Day 9 today of 6-OXO, 3 capsules 2x per day.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Here is a pic of what Zottman curls are, to those of you who do not know.

Posted by: Jenny

Mike, I don't care how many journals you start! Whatever you feel you need to do in order to get what you want, you should do!

Though I think this seems like a good one, so I would stick with it if I was you

I know you can do this! Keep reading your books, write down your feelings and just let it all out! I'm rooting for ya

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Quote:

The problem is that my gym doesn't have DB's higher than the 120's---drives me crazy.

3 letters, man. CAT

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jenny: Hey, thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate the support so much. I really hope to stick it out with this journal, and not continue my rollercoaster lifestyle with binging, then doing a low-carb diet, etc. Thanks again for the kind words Jenny.

SF: Damn, didn't even think of that. Definitely something to consider, next time I feel like kicking my a*s, lol.

Posted by: sftwrngnr

Hey Monstar,
Keep up the good work and focus. Sometimes life can be a little frustrating, and I for one, can certainly relate to wanting a "clean slate"... Unfortunately, the reality is that a new journal doesn't necessarily mean that you've got a clean slate. Sometimes it is important to keep track of the past so that you can focus on the road ahead. I enjoy reading your journals, because you are strong as hell... can be a little like a petulant 2 or 3 year old (I have one of those... speak from experience), but I still enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work, and realize that this is life... it isn't perfect; it may not conform to exactly what you want it to be, and you very well may occasionally "fall off the horse" in terms of diet/exercise/whatever. The important thing, is to dust yourself off, pick your ass up, and get back on again. I don't currently journal my diet, because I know it sucks... (if I don't write it, it doesn't exist, right??) I suspect this may be why I'm not progressing as well as I'd like to. Obviously at the point that I'm ready to own my diet, I'll start journaling it as well.
Best of luck,

Dan

Posted by: Duncans Donuts

What does CAT mean?

Good work on your workout Monstar. How is the diet going?

Posted by: M.J.H.

sftwrngnr: Hey man, thanks for the post, appreciate it. I definitely am going to hang in there this time around, no question about it, there's absolutely no reason not to. Going back to the basics is exactly what I need to do---just eat clean and train hard and heavy. There's no reason I should be playing this bullsh*t rollercoaster game with my body all the time, it's so unhealthy. Thanks again for the post.

Duncans Donuts: CAT is basically a training principle that Saturday Fever came up with that is almost like a dropset from hell. You pick a weight that you can handle for 15-20 reps, roughy. And in 6 sets of less you do set after set with minimal rest periods trying to get to 100 reps. Lemme know if you have any problems understanding that.

BTW, my diet updated daily in my journal entry, so you can check my diet out yourself.

Posted by: Duncans Donuts

What constitutes minimal rest periods?

Posted by: sara

Monstar- keeping one journal will help you see your past mistakes and looking back to them so you don't fall behind again . does this make any sense?
I kept my July journal and just had to change the name since we not in the month of july anymore.. this will show people my progress
Just remember, to get to your goal, you may fall behind sometimes.. but thats the process of learning and success
Good Luck!!!

Posted by: M.J.H.

Duncans Donuts: Depends on how exhausted I am from the previous set, anywhere from 30-120 seconds for the most part---in my experience that is. I am sure that it varies from person to person.

sara: Hey, thanks for stopping by! But I totally see what you mean about keeping one journal and learning from my mistakes as time goes by. But this time around I have really let things get out hand honestly---I feel heavier and flabbier now than I ever have. So I definitely need to keep things under control. For whatever reason also my appetite lately has been through the damn roof! I don't know why but lately I have been starving, lol. I am thinking maybe because of the increased amount of volume in the gym? Who knows.

Posted by: Duncans Donuts

Judging from your pictures, I'd assume any feelings of your physique getting out of hand are probably paranoia. I understand wanting the best and achieving goals, etcetera; but don't be ridiculous. You're looking good dude, and if you added 5 pounds of fat or so, that can be removed in a couple of weeks easily. I'm shooting to achieve a body fat that you probably maintain at the moment, so don't get down on yourself.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Duncans Donuts: Hey man, thanks for the post, appreciate it. Yeah I do think that me feeling fat, and wanting to lose fat is a bit of a complex. I have this fear of being fat I have no idea why. It drives me crazy though---it is what makes me want to frequenty change up my diet, etc. Anyway, thanks for the support, bro.

Posted by: Jill

Those pics of you, once again are damb sexy!

You have a great physique.

I think you are wayyyyyyy to hard on yourself.

I think you need to love yourself just a weeeeeee bit more.

JMO

Oh, those zottman curls, Im gonna give em a try on arm day next week!

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jill: Hey there, thanks so much! I appreciate the kind words a lot---seriously. I know I am very very hard on myself. But I never complain much about my size or strength or anything it's basically just my bodyfat %. The Zottman curls are great, you'll definitely like them I think, be sure to do the negative part of each rep extra slow.

I think the main reason that I make such a big deal out of my bodyfat level is because if you think about it's not that difficult to eat like crazy and train hard and achieve some decent size. I mean I often see guys who have good size in the gym but are covered in flab so it's hard to see. That's not the look I am going for at all. I think leaner is much more appealing. For example a 150 lbs. physique well-defined with a tight midsection is more appealing to me than a 175 lbs. physique flabby. Maybe that varies from person to person, who knows.

Posted by: M.J.H.

8-29-2004

Legs

Hack Squats
2 sets of 8 with 410
3 sets of 5 with 500
2 sets of 12 with 370

Smith-Machine Lunges
2 sets of 8 with 195
2 sets of 4 with 265
1 set of 10 with 155

Nautilus Leg Extensions
3 sets of 8 with 260

SLDL
2 sets of 2 with 485
2 sets of 4 with 405

Hyperextensions
4 sets of 6 with 115

Nautilus Seated Leg Curls
2 sets of 8 with 180
2 sets of 12 with 150

Seated Calf Raises
6 sets of 15 with 270
2 sets of 10 with 320

Standing Cable Crunches
3 sets of 15 with 100
2 sets of 10 with 140
1 set of 20 with 90

One word to describe my session in the gym today = EXHAUSTING. Talk about beating the f*ck outta' my body. High-volume legs just drains me completely, I can't get over how much it wipes me out. Started with 7 sets of hack squats, ouch. Good sets. Moved onto some Smith lunges, which I loved. They beat my thighs up completely. They're 1000x better IMO than DB lunges. I don't have to worry about my grip giving out, or balancing, etc. Hit up some leg extensions after that and that point my quads were FRIED.

For my hamstrings I f*cked up on SLDL, didn't realize just how exhausted I was, so I tried to go heavy and that just wasn't happening. Got pissed and did some hypers, and then some seated leg curls. Hamstrings took a pretty good beating. For calves I did 8 sets of seated calf raises, calves were all cramped up afterwards. Good sets. I am going to force my calves to grow, lol. For my abs I did some standing cable crunches with the rope attachment---really like them a lot. Great abdominal contractions.

Workout lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes (for some reason I keep hitting that exact time in the gym, lol) and finished with a total of 40 sets. Not bad at all.

Diet:
- protein oatmeal + peanut butter
- Gatorade + V-12 during workout
- whey protein postworkout
- low-carb tuna & cheese sandwich, dried fruit
- MRP + 2% milk
- grilled chicken & cheese soft taco
- grilled chicken + rice, broccoli + cheese sauce
- low-carb cinnamon toast
- grilled chicken
- 1/2 low-carb peanut butter sandwich

One again today, I was STARVING! And the cinnamon toast was great! Mixed cinnamon with Splenda on low-carb toast.

Damn, I can't even imagine how many calories that I took in today! I ate and ate and ate and ate. Every time that I stopped eating I would feel like I wanted to eat again.

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

Day 10 today of 6-OXO, 3 capsules 2x per day. Tomorrow I am going to move to 2 caps 2x per day.

Posted by: atherjen

Quote:

I think you are wayyyyyyy to hard on yourself. I think you need to love yourself just a weeeeeee bit more. JMO

oui oui!!

damn thats one brutal leggie workout!

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jen: Haha, I don't think that I am TOO hard on myself. Well maybe sometimes I guess. Yeah I beat the sh*t outta' my legs today, really exhausting sets today. I was drenched in sweat by the end of my leg session today, lol. New avatar is great Jen, I like this much more than your last one.

Posted by: M.J.H.

8-30-2004

Rest

Damn I am aching all over the place today! Glutes are friggin' killing me, my thighs hurt some, calves are aching everytime I walk, lol. I am definitely feeling the effects of this high-volume training, that's for sure. My inner forearms are still sore from those damn wrist curls, lol.

Diet:
- grilled chicken, rice
- MRP + 2% milk
- grilled chicken sandwich
- dried fruit
- ground beef & cheese soft taco
- ?

Sleep: 7 hours.

Day 11 today of 6-OXO, 2 capsules 2x per day.

Posted by: CanaDan

Great work on the training so far man! I agree with you, eating low carb leaves me starving too! I never realized how much I craved carbs until I started cutting out a lot of them.

Keep up the good work!

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Food tastes way too good not to eat.

Posted by: BritChick

Sounds like you're doing great Monstar

Posted by: M.J.H.

CanaDan: Yeah man, it's the strangest thing. Because I feel like eating low-carb is definitely tough when it comes to cravings and all that, but at the same time I have lost more fat on a low-carb diet than I ever have on any other type of diet. But it's too much of a b*tch to deal with on a day-to-day basis, IMO.

SF: Agreed!

BritChick: Thanks for the support, I appreciate it. I am going to do some kind of cardio tonight, I am not sure at this point what type yet---I'll figure something out.

Posted by: BritChick

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

BritChick: Thanks for the support, I appreciate it. I am going to do some kind of cardio tonight, I am not sure at this point what type yet---I'll figure something out.

Me too... trying not to think about it too much though right now!

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