Tallcall's journal [Forum Archive]

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Tallcall's journal

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Posted by: katt

Nice job - 35 minutes on the Stair Mill?????? I can only imagine the amount sweat pooling around the machine after that...

Posted by: tallcall

Yeah, it started looking kind of like a rain forest!

Posted by: BigDyl

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Of course, you have to realize that I weight 283 pounds. If I do any pullups, I'll be pulling a whole lot of weight, so I really have to have some strong pulldowns to get colse to my body weight. My max pulldown is still about 195 pounds for 4-6 reps (partially because when I do assisted pullups, I set the assistance at about 88-100 pounds - making my body weigh about 195 pounds).

I was at that point once. The thing that helped me do a bodyweight pullup was bent rows, and negatives with bodyweight. Now @ 255 I can do about 14 bodyweight pullups, or BW + 50 LB's for 6-7.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDyl

I was at that point once. The thing that helped me do a bodyweight pullup was bent rows, and negatives with bodyweight. Now @ 255 I can do about 14 bodyweight pullups, or BW + 50 LB's for 6-7.

Yeah, I had thought of that, I sometimes just go balls to the wall on my rows and push the my limit on all of them to get my strength up there.

So do you fight in a heavy weight category then? That always seems to be the category with the most fluctuation in the weight of the fighters. Is it unusual to see someone weighing 225 fight a guy your size or larger (it almost seems like an unfair fight)? What are your thoughts on it?

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

Nice job - 35 minutes on the Stair Mill?????? I can only imagine the amount sweat pooling around the machine after that...

Hell yeah, TC needed a snorkel and scuba gear to finish that workout......

Posted by: tallcall

^Lets just say that cleaning up the machine that day required a mop and a large bucket!

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Legs:

Superset A: RI - 90 |
A1 - Leg Press | 270x12, 360x10 (3 second negatives), 410x18 - PR for reps

A2 - Step Ups (Platform raised on 4 partitions) | 25'sx10 PR for weight, 25'sx10, 10'sx10

Deadlifts: RI - 90 | 135x10, 225x10 (2 resets then every rep was much slower than ever before), 135x8

Superset B: RI - 60 |
B1 - Hip Rotation | 75 lbx12, 87.5 lbx10, 100 lbx10

B2 - Seated Leg Curl | 110x10, 130x10, 140x10

Leg Extensions (Single Leg for power with 3 second on both eccentric and concentric portions of the lift): RI - 60 | 90x10, 100x8, 110x7 PR for Weight (No Negatives, just decided to punch through these - my legs wanted to fall off)

Cardio - 23 Min SS

8 minutes on a stair mill warm up (min hr - 68, max hr - 160, levels 5-10).

15 minutes on a stair mill after the workout (min hr - 90, max hr - 150, levels 5-7).

Again, the stair machines looked like a rain forest, but in a good way!

According to my trainer, my form has improved a lot on the deadlifts. The last time I did this kind of weight, I was pulling fast and sloppy, now it is much slower, deliberate, and controlled all the way. It is lighter weight, but a lot more work for each set, especially after being pre-exhausted from the leg presses and step ups.

Posted by: Gazhole

Dude, killer PRs...410x18!

What are goals for this program? If you're not acheiving them with that sort of performance you set the fuckers far too high.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Dude, killer PRs...410x18!

What are goals for this program? If you're not acheiving them with that sort of performance you set the fuckers far too high.

Thanks!

My goals are still fat loss and building and maintaining as much strength as I possibly can. Legs are by far my most powerful tools and I'm very proud of them!

I guess that everything for me is more like a competition, I see someone doing better and I say I can do that, then they say it can't be done and I bust myself up and get it done to prove to others that I'm not just some other whiny guy trying to make excuses. I do everything I can to push myself above the others and make myself better all the time (no rest for the wicked). < --- That's my real goal.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Back/Biceps:

Superset A: RI - 90 |
A1 - Bent Over Trap Bar Rows AKA Ghetto Rows | 50x15, 75x10, 85x10 PR for weight, 75x4 (slow and holding at the top for 3-5 seconds)

A2 - Straight Legged Deadlifts | 2 sets x 25 lb dbs x 15 reps, 35 lb dbs x 10 reps

Superset B: RI - 60 |

B1 - Lat Pulls | #4x15, #5x15, #7x15 PR for weight

B2 - Air Squats with OH Extension | 3 sets x 25 lb x 15 reps

Superset C: RI - 45 |

C1 - Lat Pulldown | 100x12, 125x12, Drop Set starting at 137.5 and ending at 100 for a total of 18 reps

C2 - Side Bends | 3 sets x 25 lb x 15 reps

DB Shrugs: RI - 60 | 40'sx20, 50'sx15, 50'sx20 (10 slow, 10 fast)

Cardio - 35 minutes SS

5 minutes Rowing (min hr - 71, max hr - 165, level 10).

30 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 90, max hr - 165, level 5, 7, 9, 10, 5).

Had a lot of fun doing this. My trainer wanted a workout too so we just worked together and went for a little over an hour. We didn't get to do much for Biceps because of time and the fact that we were really trying to get all the compound lifts in (the more muscle groups being used in conjunction with each other - and in more natural movements - the better)

Calories - High Carb+, High Calorie (4000+) - Cheat Day

Posted by: vortrit

Nice work out! Excellent job on the PR's! Enjoy your cheat day brother.

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Shoulders:

Rotator Cuff Warmup

Side Raises: RI - 60 |
Set 1 - 8 lb dbs x 10, 12 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10
Set 2 - 10 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10, 20 lb dbs x 8 (15 second hold with arms at a 45 degree angle from side)
Set 3 - 10 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10, 20 lb dbs x 8 (15 second hold with arms at a 45 degree angle from side)

Superset A: RI - 60 |

A1 - Smith Behind the Neck Shoulder Presses | Bar + 50x10, 70x10, 80x8 PR for Weight

A2 - Decelerated Front Raises | 3 sets x 25 lb plate x 10 (8 second negatives on the 2nd and 3rd set)

Superset B: Ri - 60 |

B1 - Smith Upright Rows | Bar + 40x8, 60x8, 80x6 PR for Weight

B2 - DB Rear Delt Row | 30 lb db x 10 35 lb db x 10, 35 lb db x 10 PR for Weight

Farmers Walk: RI - 60 | 110 pound db's for 125 steps, Beats my old record of 90 by 35 steps!

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 minutes Rowing (min hr - 68, max hr - 200, level 10).

25 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 96, max hr - 175, incline - 0, speed - 3.2-9.0mph. 1 set of 6.5mph, 7mph, 7mph, 8mph, 8.5mph, and 9mph. The first four sets were 60/60, the last 2 were 20-30/90. New Speed Record - 9.0 MPH!

Felt great today. I talked to one of my friends there who trains down here with American Top Team. I'm thinking about checking it out sometime this week. I'm just interested in classes, not so much in actually fighting. He just won his first MMA fight about 1 min 30 sec in the first round by guillotine choke in the 155 pound weight class (he said his opponent looked really build - like Sean Sherk built). I would absolutely love to learn Jujitsu and Mui Tai.

Calories for today - Estimated at 3200 - High Carb, Low Calorie Day

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by vortrit

Nice work out! Excellent job on the PR's! Enjoy your cheat day brother.

Oh, I sure did, it was a great day indeed!

Posted by: vortrit

And with that said another great workout. You seem to be breaking PR's like crazy. Nice job.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by vortrit

And with that said another great workout. You seem to be breaking PR's like crazy. Nice job.

Thanks man! I still love it when people stare at me while I'm doing those farmer's walks - it's basically the same as deadlifting 220 pounds and walking all over the place with the weight! My grip feels great too, no soreness - yet!

Posted by: Rubes

keep up the good work.

Posted by: tallcall

Sunday:

Chest/Triceps:

Rotator Cuff Warmups

Dips: RI - 90 | BW-88x10, BW-64x8, BW-52x6

Superset A: RI - 60 |

A1 - Flat BB Bench | 75x10, 95x10, 105x8

A2 - CG Bench | 75x10, 85x10, 95x4 Failed (was able to re-rack though, those Dips took a lot out of me).

Superset B: RI - 60 |

B1 - Pressdowns | #6x8, Dropset from #8-#5 for a total of 25 reps, Dropset from #8-#5 for a total of 20 reps

B2 - Reverse Grip Pressdowns | #6x8, Dropset from #7 to #4 for a total of 25 reps, Dropset from #7-#4 for a total of 20 reps

Plate Pinches: RI - 45 | 2 10 lb plates for 40 seconds in each hand, 3 10 lb plates for 30 sec in each hand

Plate Grabs | 25 lb plates for 15 grabs

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

10 mihnutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 65, max hr - 155, level 1 and 6).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 95, max hr - 170, level 3 to 5 and 10, 12, and 14. 6 sets of 60/90 at level 10, 12, and 14 (some combination of the three).

I am very happy with those dips - getting much better, maybe another month or two and I'll be able to do them with bodyweight. The pressdowns were great and had my arms burning for a while today. Lots of nice work.

Calories - High Carb, Medium Calorie Day (3400)

Posted by: BoneCrusher

Have you tried doing the dips after your bench? Prolly get more outta the bench that way ...

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoneCrusher

Have you tried doing the dips after your bench? Prolly get more outta the bench that way ...

Yeah, my goal for today was to kill myself on Dips and go kind of light on the bench. I think the reason my bench was kind of weak today is that I was supersetting two bench presses together (again, that was desired this time - go for complete fatigue and see what I can still accomplish).

I always try to superset things like that to really exhaust myself. I'll usually drop the weight a lot in order to do it. When I go for power on the bench, I always start with bench press first and never superset, usually on those days I end with dips or anything kind of light with high reps.

By the way, those Dips felt great! I'm thinking about getting a dip belt in a little while so I can start adding some weight.

Posted by: BoneCrusher

Weighted dips are the shit. There are several guys here that think they suck, but I love the results I have in how my upper body moves from doing weighted dips.

Posted by: tallcall

Monday:

Abs/Cardio:

Superset: RI - 60 |

1 - Side Bends | 3 sets x 25 lb x 10 reps

2 - Planks | 3 x BW+25 x 60, 60, 90 seconds

Cardio - 45 miutes solid state with a few intervals just for fun

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 65, max hr - 155, level 1 and 7).

35 minutes on a treadmill. Min hr - 106, max hr - 161, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.0-9.1 mph. Held 9.1 mph for 15 seconds.

I was wiped out today and wouldn't have gone in if I could have had time tomorrow, but I have to see my psychologist in the afternoon. Also, this was a low carb day and I did all this at the end of my day.

I really want to check out the American Top Team gym around here, I've heard that Thiago Alves is the MMA class instructor. I think it'd be awesome just to talk to him for a minute. My friend is a student of his so I'm going to ask him for more information on joining - according to him almost all the people here are beginners and I should fit right in, that'd make me so happy

!

Calories for today - Low Carb, Low Calorie (3200-3400 - I didn't really add it up because I was so hungry I figure it was very close to 3200)

Posted by: goob

That's a torture chamber of a workout!

You'd be unstoppable at MMA. That's male-on-male-action right?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

That's a torture chamber of a workout!

You'd be unstoppable at MMA. That's male-on-male-action right?

Oh Yeah!

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Oh Yeah!

That's what fufu said it was.

He says he's really good at groping, and sucking and 'go' downs, whatever they are.

I don't know what any of these mean, being a simple country boy.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

That's what fufu said it was.

He says he's really good at groping, and sucking and 'go' downs, whatever they are.

I don't know what any of these mean, being a simple country boy.

Huh, I thought you said it was going to be hard. I have a black belt in all of that already! I'll gladly train you if you so desire, though fufu is the current grand master!

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Huh, I thought you said it was going to be hard. I have a black belt in all of that already! I'll gladly train you if you so desire, though fufu is the current grand master!

No, as I'm just a simple country boy I don't have any interest except in simple country girls.

Yes, fufu is the Bruce Lee of MMA. He learned from the ledgendary Bonemuncher 9th dan grandmaster.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

No, as I'm just a simple country boy I don't have any interest except in simple country girls.

Yes, fufu is the Bruce Lee of MMA. He learned from the ledgendary Bonemuncher 9th dan grandmaster.

I know a few simple country boys that like to be with other simple country boys. Are you sure you're not one of them?

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

I know a few simple country boys that like to be with other simple country boys. Are you sure you're not one of them?

No, I is liken' em' boosoms to mooch, i aint liken' dem uder country boys.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

No, I is liken' em' boosoms to mooch, i aint liken' dem uder country boys.

Well if I ever get to talk to Thiago, I'll just have to let him know that you're not really into that sort of thing.

Posted by: tallcall

11/20/07 Weigh in
Weight: 281.5 – up 1 pound from last time

Waist: 36.5 inches – no change from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches – no change from last time

Chest: 50 inches – no change from last week
Shoulders: 60 inches – no change from last time
Neck: 19 inches – no change from last time
Bi's: 17 inches – no change from last time
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 267.98 - up from last week's 265.52 (2.46 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 13.52 - down from last week's 14.98 (-1.46 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs – 6.5 mm – no change from last week
Suprailiac – 9 mm – no change from last week
Thigh – 3 mm – down 1 mm from last week
Triceps – 5 mm – no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is still ~14 %.

I’m kind of surprised I seemed to have gained weight, but it looks like none of it was in the form of fat, so it’s all good. This is my second week into a low carb/high carb diet. The belt has stayed down one notch.

Posted by: tallcall

Wednesday:

Legs:

Workout for about an hour with my trainer (alternating back and forth again

!)

Walking Lunges: RI - ~90 | 25 lb dumbbells walked up and down the long side of the gym 3 times. The last time we walked back without the weight and hands on our heads - made me concentrate much more on hip movement.

Single Leg Leg Presses: RI - 60 | 90x10, 100x12, 180x5 (Slow down all the way down to the machine's limit then explode up), 100x14

Superset: RI - 60 |

1 - Lying Leg Curl | 120x10, 130x10, 170x4 (PR for Weight) dropped to 130x4

2 - Hip Abduction | 110x15, 130x15, 150x12

3 - Hip Adduction | 110x20, 130x15, 150x12

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

7 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 88, max hr - 160, level 7).

13 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 95, max hr - 174, level 5, 8, 10, 14, 10 - double steps on lev 10 for 2 minutes).

Calories - High Carb, High Calorie (~3950)

That was a lot of fun. My trainer and I have been talking about how I'd like to get into martial art training. I think he's really enjoying this. He used to be a wrestler and has already told me that when I change to that style of training, we will begin to focus much more on hip dominant movements and skip all the lunges and stuff. He proposed something like 5 minute sets of deadlifts and push ups (sort of Cross-fit style) with a minute rest between sets. I guess it's pretty much anything to keep me exhausted and still pushing. There will be more I'm sure, but he thinks it'd be great for me to learn jujitsus and tailor my training around it.

I'm very excited to think that this might be happening and I am probably going to go by the American Top Team facility here next week to see what everything costs (Gi is about $135, but that's all I know right now). I have a few friends going through this who want me there too, they say the guys there are very good people that will pull me right in -

Posted by: tallcall

Nothing for today - every thing's closed

Calories - High Carb, High Calories, Cheat Day - I have no idea

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Back/Biceps: Going for Power

I figure I should put all those extra calories I took in yesterday to some good use! Same will probably hold true for tomorrow.

Superset A: RI - 60 |

A1 - Pulldowns | 165x8, 180x8, 195x1 -> 210x4 PR for Weight-> 150x4

A2 - DB Straight Legged Deadlift | 35'sx12, 35'sx12, 35'sx12

Superset B: RI - 60 |

B1 - Bent Over Trap Bar Rows | 50x15, 75x10, 85x8

B2 - Air Squats with Over Head Extension | 25x12, 25x15, 25x15

Superset C: RI - 60 |

C1 - Serrates Pulls | #5x15, #7x10, DS - #8x5 PR for Weight-> #6x4

C2 - Hammer Curls | 25'sx10, 25'sx10, 25'sx8

Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 | 120 pound dumbbells for 82 feet. PR for Weight

Cardio - 25 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 70, max hr - 160, level 10).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 90, max hr - 175, levels - 3, 5, 10, 14, 15, 16. 2 sets at level 14 for 20 seconds/90 seconds. 2 sets at level 15 for 20 seconds/90 seconds. 1 set at level 16 for 20 seconds. PR for Speed

I had to explain to someone why I walk with that kind of weight instead of just holding it there. I just said that I really like these simple lifts that work my entire posterior chan while strengthening my crushing grip at the same time. Walking around with 240 pounds isn't exactly easy but it sure is a lot of fun.

That stair mill has become my best friend, I am able to literally run on it for 20 seconds and not be thrown off like Goob was from the set of every major porno in the last five years!

I for some reason kept getting evil stares from everyone today when I was on the stair mill

. I wonder if they've never seen anyone moving that fast on one. It is the absolute best machine for conditioning in that place, nothing else can even compare. Still, no one will push themselves hard enough to see and feel the benefits. I must have climbed about 50 floors in 20 minutes. Oh well, I was there with a bunch of strange people today anyway.

Calories - High Carb, High Calorie (~4000)

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Chest/Triceps:

Smith Bench Press: RI - 60 | 125x6, 145x5, 155x3 PR for Weight, 115x7, 105x8, 95x9

Dips: RI - 60 | BW-100x9, 7, 6, 6

Skull Crushers with an EZ Curl Bar: RI - 45 | 30x12, 40x8, 40x8

Cable Incline Fly: RI - 45 | 35x12, 50x10, 60x8, 70x6 PRs for Weight, 40x10

Plate Pinches: RI - 30 | Two 10 lb plates x 62 seconds/62 seconds (left/right), three 10 lb plates x 31 seconds/31 seconds (left/right) PR for Time

Cardio - 25 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 60, max hr - 205, level 10. 5 sets of 30/30 RPM of 38 (rest)-45 (interval).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 84, max hr - 176, levels 3, 5, 15, 17, 18. 3 sets @ level 15 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 3 sets @ level 18 @ 20/90. New Max speed on stair mill is level 18.

Today was a good day! My friend and I talked more about getting into the BJJ classes, I'm very excited because it sounds like it'd be very good for me and a lot of fun (painfully fun). He gave me some hints on what to concentrate on during my lifting days, so I'm probably going to go to a 3 day lifting/cardio schedule, and a 3 night BJJ schedule (trying to keep them on alternating days). He really likes to see me doing a lot of interval training (looking for short bursts of speed ~20 second bursts), so I'm thinking of cutting down my cardio to five 15-20 minute HIIT sessions (I really think this is right up my alley anyways and I usually feel so good after doing them).

Calories - High Carb, High Calorie ~4000
Just getting rid of all the left overs (good excuse to carb up at night for another power day tomorrow), might as well make good use of the added calories/carbs!

Posted by: tallcall

YouTube Video

Thiago!

Posted by: tallcall

Sunday Again:

Shoulders - POWER

Ab Wheel: RI - 30 | BWx3x15

Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 30 | BWx30 reps (15, 9, 6, 5) PR for Reps

Cable Crunches: RI - 30 | 225x3x12

Smith BB Shoulder Press: RI - 60 | 60x8, 80x6, 90x5, 105x1 PR for Weight, 50x10

Smith BB Behind the Neck Press: RI - 60 | 60x6, 80x4, 85x3 PR for Weight, 60x7, 50x9

DB Military Press: RI - 60 | 20'sx10, 25'sx10, 30'sx8, 35'sx5 PR for Weight, 35'sx1, 30'sx4

DB Shrugs: RI - 30 | 45'sx20, 50'sx15, 55'sx15

Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing HIIT (min hr - 90, max hr - 185, level 10, 5 sets 30/30 @47 RPM).

15 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 100, max hr - 185, levels 3, 5, 10, 15, 17, 19. 2 sets @ level 15 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 17 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 19 @ 20/90. PR for Speed

I could've sworn I did this one before

Posted by: tallcall

Monday:
Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT

Treadmill for 10 minutes HIIT. Min hr - 80, max hr - 180, incline = 0, speed = 3.8-9.0mph. 3 sets @ 8.5 mph @ 20/90. 1 sets @ 9.0 mph @ 20/90.

Stair mill for 10 minutes HIIT. Min hr - 120, max hr - 175, levels 3, 5, 10, 15, 18. 1 set @ level 15 @ 20/90. 3 sets @ level 18 @ 20/90.

Again I think this happened to me before

I got it, we must have been caught in the........

YouTube Video

TIME WARP

Posted by: tallcall

Wednesday:

Legs:

Seated Leg Curls: RI - 30 | 90x15, 130x10, 170x8, 205xMiss, 190xMiss, 180x4 PR for Weight

BB Back Squat: RI - 60 | 95x12, 115x12, 135x12

Straight Legged Deadlift: Ri - 60 | 95x12, 115x12, 155x12

Smith Front Squats: RI - 60 | 90x12, 140x12, 180x10, 195x6

Superset: RI - 30 |

1 - Hip Rotations | 75x12, 87.5x10, 100x10

2 - Hip Abductions | 130x10, 150x10, 170x10

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

Stair Mill for 20 minutes. Min hr - 77, max hr - 160, levels 5 and 10.

Beat me up! Got it all done in near record time too.

I went down to the American Top Team place today and sat in on one of their classes. Those guys were so cool (very easy going and great personalities!

). It was cool watching them all go - so quick on their backs pulling submissions everywhere! The instructors were all great, I got to meet and talk to Renato Tavares (5th degree black belt in BJJ) and their Muy Thai instructor (currently ranked 3rd in the world). Just awesome people, I look forward to having my ass handed to me from all of them (at least for a while

). Plus, they were all kind of cute - and I think one of them likes me!

Calories - Med Carb, Med Calories (3600)

I'm so happy right now!!

Posted by: DOMS

Excellent cadio, man!

And great song, too.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

Excellent cadio, man!

And great song, too.

I'm having a lot of fun with the HIIT! And I feel like I kind of ran through a "time warp" today - so...hmphh....fast....hmphh (got to catch my breath)!

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Back:

1 Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 45 | 75x12, 105x12, 135x12, 162x12 PR for Weight

Superset: RI - 45 |
1 - Bilateral Lat Behind the Neck Pulldown | 90x12, 90x12, 105x12, 120x10 PR for Weight

2 - Unilateral Lat Pulldown | 100x12, 100x12, 100x10, 100x4 dropped to 75x8

Single Arm Lat Pressdown: RI - 30 | #3x10, #3x10, #3x10

Cardio - 15 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 70, max hr - 205, level 10. 5 sets @ 47 rpm @ 30/30.

10 Minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 113, max hr - 185, levels - 3, 5, 10, 17, 19, 20. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 19 @ 20/90. 2 set @ level 20 @ 20/90. PR for Speed

I got my gi and watched a few friends go at it again. I couldn't join because by the time the instructor and I were able to talk about everything he had already lead them through their warm-up. He said I could warm-up if I wanted and join without a gi. I told him that I didn't want to be any special exception and just opted to sit out that class, get my gi at the end and come back monday ready for everything.

He was very good though, and had them doing a lot of very unconventional exercises like shoulder rolls (I still don't know if I'll be able to get all those rolls down right away).

The gi is awesome, it has all the American Top Team insignias on it (I'm all about the labels

)! I am so happy to be able to learn from a team that has trained more than 10 champions and to learn (possibly in the future) from one of the highest ranked Muy Thai fighter/instructors in the world! Everyone in that place makes me proud to be there and I want to show how much I care about it by bringing my best every time I'm there.

Posted by: goob

Holy fuck! 100lb unilateral pulldowns!! That's awesome.

Posted by: Witchblade

12 rep 160lbs 1-arm seated cable rows?!

There's no way I could do that even with both hands.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Holy fuck! 100lb unilateral pulldowns!! That's awesome.

Turns out I was wrong, they were bilateral, just done with normal single hand grips to allow for a wider range of motion.

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Shoulders:

Crunches - both legs up | 1 set x 50 reps

Crunches - Alternating sides (right elbow to left knee, etc..) | 1 set x 50 on each side

Bicycle Kicks | 1 set x 50 per side

Supinated Plank Variation | 30 seconds

Stretch and Rotator Cuff Warm-up

DB Military Press: RI - 60 | 30'sx8, 35'sx8, 40'sx8, 45'sx3 PR for Weight, 30'sx12

Smith BB Shoulder Presses: RI - 60 | 80x6, 90x5, 100x4, 110x2 PR for Weight, 90x5

Front Raises: RI - 30 | 3x25x10 (negatives on the last 2 or 3 of each set).

Superset: RI - 45 |
1 - Cable Upright Rows | 3 sets x 90 lbs x 10 reps

2 - DB Shrugs | 50'sx20, 60'sx15, 70'sx15

Farmers Walks: RI - 60 | 90's x 240 feet - 10 feet farther than this time last month. PR for Distance

I got a COC gripper earlier this week and used it a few times so far. I closed it this morning for the first time in each hand - COC #1.

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 66, max hr - 165, level 7).

15 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 125, max hr - 150, incline - 0, speed - 3.0-5.0mph).

Nice day, I kept getting pestered by one of the new trainers today. He kept coming over to see if I was ok and ask if I needed help or a spot or something. I just told him that I don't need a spotter for anything I'm ever going to do on a Smith Machine because I always set the stopper if I'm doing upper body work on it - not so much for squats though. He was just kind of annoying. Another thing, I found out that they transferred my friend to the place in Oviedo, god damn it that sucks!

I'm kind of nervous about the BJJ because I have no idea how to roll or fall correctly, how did all you guys learn it. Our instructor uses them for warm-ups and I've been told that you just kind of learn as you go and get better at it every time. Sucks starting at the bottom - I feel like a blank page though so it is all up from here!

Calories - High Carb, Almost 5000 calories (cheat meal, but a good one to add more carbs)

I stopped this carb cycling diet because of the crazy amount of training I'll be doing soon so I think it is all going to be high carbs

Posted by: katt

Great WO T! I honestly don't know how you can do negatives on front raises after doing so many reps

I would be fried by then!

Whats a BJJ?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

Great WO T! I honestly don't know how you can do negatives on front raises after doing so many reps

I would be fried by then!

Whats a BJJ?

Thanks. I was holding one 25 pound plate with both hands straight out in front of me, so it was easy - I wanted to keep it that way since my right medial delt does not like front raises at all.

BJJ is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Posted by: tallcall

Sunday:

Chest/Triceps:

Superset: RI - 30 - These are the warm-ups we're given to do each night in class! |
1 - Crunches (Both Legs Raised) | 2 sets of 50

2 - Crunches (Alternating Elbows to Knees) | 2 sets of 50

3 - Bicycle Kicks | 2 sets of 50

Supinated Plank Variation | 60 second hold

Stretches and Rotator Cuff Warm-up

Superset 2: RI - 30 - These are more of the warm-ups that are done each night in class! |
1 - Jumping Jacks | 2 sets of 50

2 - Push-ups | 2 sets of 15 (wasn't able to go all the way down and was going for speed and reps). I have to get it to 20 reps for 2 sets, I think I can push it all out tomorrow night when it's asked for.

Dips: RI - 60 | BW-100x10, 8, 7, 6 - 31 reps total - PR for reps

Superset 3: RI - 45 |
1 - Cable Incline Fly | 3x40x10

2 - Cable Incline Presses | 3x40x10

Press Downs: RI - 30 | #4x10, #6x10, #7x8

Plate Pinches | 2 10's x 1:15 per hand PR for Time

3 10's x 40 seconds per hand PR for Time

Plate Grabs | 25 lb plate x 1:19 seconds (I was able to keep grabbing it off the floor and putting it back down for 1 minute 19 seconds before my grip began to fail) - PR for Time

Cardio - 18 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 82, max hr - 175, level 10. 5 sets of 30/30

13 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 119, max hr - 185, levels 3, 5, 10, 17, 19, 20. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 19 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 20 @ 20/90.

Calories - ~3600-4000 (forgot to keep count, but I also went to a Perkins with some friends from work for lunch - I guess it was a good day to cheat

I'm still nervous about doing break-falls. I actually have done the forward break-fall before reversed when I used to fall off my bike I'd land hands first then stomach then legs - so I guess I got that one. The Forward roll is still something that's going to take me a while to do right.

I'm kind of angry that the stair machines don't go above level 20 - it's sad to think that I'm now running at the machines upper limit

.

Other than all that I felt great and my shoulders aren't yelling at me after those push-ups (which is amazing in itself).

Posted by: Rubes

very nice tallcall

Posted by: tallcall

Those warm-ups were fun! My abs were burning, my heart was racing, and once again, people kept starring.

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey Tallcall - okay i admit, it's not the first time i've been in here but im really impressed with your workouts! You've actually given me an idea about using Plate Grabs in my own workouts, as my grip is starting to fail while doing Deadlifts and RackPulls

I did Jiu Jitsu for about 4 months a couple years back and loved it. I don't know how different it is to BJJ but as for breakfalling, we just threw ourselves around like muppets! We did have mats on the floor though, so it wasn't too bad!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Hey Tallcall - okay i admit, it's not the first time i've been in here but im really impressed with your workouts! You've actually given me an idea about using Plate Grabs in my own workouts, as my grip is starting to fail while doing Deadlifts and RackPulls

Yeah, I just tried the backwards breakfall and it was kind of fun! Forwards is no big deal either. I haven't tried side breakfalling or any rolls yet though. First class is tonight.

I got the plate grab idea from fufu. My grip has certainly become much stronger since I've incorporated grabs and pinches in my routine. Sometimes I just do my deadlifts without straps to work my grip as well.

Posted by: DOMS

Incrediable workout, tallcall! I really mean that. Solid!

And I've watched that video over a dozen times.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

Incrediable workout, tallcall! I really mean that. Solid!

And I've watched that video over a dozen times.

Thanks, I try. Which video are you talking about?

Posted by: DOMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Thanks, I try. Which video are you talking about?

Time Warp.

Posted by: goob

How do you find time to do these monster sessions? If they keep getting longer, you'll have to devote whole days to them. Might as well sell up and move into the gym.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

How do you find time to do these monster sessions? If they keep getting longer, you'll have to devote whole days to them. Might as well sell up and move into the gym.

I'm only in there for about 1 hour 15 minutes - 90 minutes. I keep the pace high during the ab workouts and warm-ups.

Posted by: DOMS

He's lying to you, goob. At the beginning of every session, he cuts his arms and legs off and orders them to go workout to maximize his time. Then, at the end, he sews them back on with a rusty nail and barbed wire.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

He's lying to you, goob. At the beginning of every session, he cuts his arms and legs off and orders them to go workout to maximize his time. Then, at the end, he sews them back on with a rusty nail and barbed wire.

Ahh, "I see you've met my faithful handyman."

I take all my cues from The Rocky Horror Picture Show - cue transvestite!

Posted by: tallcall

Monday:

First Day of Class

Here's what we did:

1. 15 minutes sprinting/running (forwards, side to side, and backwards)/jumping jacks/pushups/crunches (regular and opposite sides). The crunches were in sets of 50 - did the regular crunches for 3 sets, the other crunches for 2 sets of 50. Jumping jacks at 3 sets of 50, 2 sets of 20 push-ups (I could not get anywhere near that, after all that running I was completely out of breath). The running and Sprinting took about 10 minutes straight!

2. 15 minutes learning one method of escape from butterfly guard and spider guard

First from butterfly guard - slide hips, close distance, grab back of gi and opposite back of shoulder, tuck that shoulder in and roll in the direction of that shoulder, continue rolling until in a mounted position.

Second from Spider guard - place feet on opponents thighs, grab the sleeves right near his wrists, slide your hips place one foot on opponent's elbow, then the other lies right next to their leg on the outside, pull on the arm on the same side as your flat leg and push with your foot against the elbow, allow to roll until in full mount.

3. 30 minutes of free form. For me (along with one other person who had their first day today as well) we were just told to practice what we just learned. We were then joined by my previous partner and began to roll with him. This was cool because he was able to really push me and I was actually able to reverse his first roll by continuing the roll with momentum until I was on top again. I also successfully blocked several roll attempts because he forgot to secure my elbow against him prior to the roll. He also showed me a few of his reversals which would lead to kimura (sp?) or armbar.

This was a lot of fun! My calves feel like bursting, my shoulders are burned out, and I got to practice rolling every time my partner flipped me onto my back - the first time my left shoulder took the brunt of the force, the second time, I moved it in a little to allow the roll to go smoother.

I'm definitely going back tomorrow for more fun - maybe I'll do better on the warm-up next time.

Calories - ~3400

Posted by: tallcall

12/4/07 Weigh In

Weight: 284.5 – down 3 pounds from last time (technically up 1 pound since my weight fluctuated a lot last week)

Waist: 36.0 inches – Down 0.5 inches from last week
Stomach: 36.0 inches – Down 0.5 inches from last week

Chest: 51 inches – No Change
Shoulders: 62 inches – No Change

Neck: 19.5 inches – Up 0.5 inches from last time
Bi's: 17 inches – Down 0.5 inches from last time
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 270.83 - Down from last week's 273.69 (-2.86 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 13.67 – Down from last week's 13.81 (-.14 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs – 6.5 mm – no change from last week
Suprailiac – 9 mm – no change from last week
Thigh – 3 mm – no change last week
Triceps – 5 mm – no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.80 %.

Lost some weight – finally. I saw no change in caliper readings – that’s also nice (no added fat from what I can tell. I’ve been going for power and strength for the last two weeks and have done very well, so I think I may be adding weight in the near future (all to help with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

Posted by: tallcall

Tuesday:

My second day in class. Thiago (not the fighter) trained everyone (three of us showed up today - I think there's a holiday around here somewhere

). Here is how things went (what I remember from before I passed out

).

1. 15 minute warm-up/total beat-down. 8 minutes sprinting same as yesterday. 200 crunches (50 full, 50 on each side, and 50 bicycle kicks). Sat up and extended legs in front and pushed out 50 times. Sat up with legs extended in front and moved them over and under each other 50 times. Then there were shoulder pulls where you pull yourself across the mat using only the back of your forearms to grab the mat and your shoulders to pull your bodyweight. This was done three times followed by three where we were allowed to use our knees to kind of snake across the mat. He also had them doing rolls (I didn't know how to do them and told him that right away), I was just told to keep running for the time. Finally, we had to hold a supinated plank variation (supporting your body with only your hands positioned under your butt, chin tucked into your chest and legs elevated). We must have held this for 3-4 minutes while Thiago decided to walk around and stand on us (it felt fine, he evenly distributed his weight across my chest and as long as I kept everything in line I was fine). I was so out of breath!

2. 15 minutes learning new choke holds. They were both collar chokes from full guard. I think he called one of them the Axe Choke and said the other was just a variation of the Axe. There was only one student there with enough experience to be able to tell if the choke was in tight enough, so the rest of us worked on him. Thiago told both of us that he thought I was really a purple belt, and after successfully sinking the choke in the first time and making the guys face go a little purple he laughed and said that he was told that I was just a white belt but that everyone must have meant to say that I was an "American Top Team white belt (aka purple belt)"

!

3. 30 minutes rolling. Thiago insisted that I watch and not participate until next time. Renato just had me do the same sweeps over and over during this period, but Thiago just wanted to see if I had any questions and to explain what each guy was trying to do (I knew they were fighting for a dominant position). The other guys just told me that all they're really trying to do is stop the more experienced guys from submitting them which doesn't usually work (this came from the student with the most experience, he rolled with Thiago first and explained it all afterward - he said we were really there to give the black belts a struggle then inevitably submit to them when they secure their submissions).

Another fun day, my calves are still in pain and my abs are feeling a little better. I had a very difficult time making it through the warm-ups, but working with those guys was great - they gave me a lot of encouragement. After those warm-ups, everything else felt like pure cake (not really easy, just easier by comparison).

Calories - ~4500 (it was a cheat day - a very well deserved cheat day!)

Posted by: goob

Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....

Posted by: Witchblade

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....

Let me guess... My Massive Anus?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

Let me guess... My Massive Anus?

How did you know?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....

I shudder to even think about what you might have been thinking about.

Posted by: tallcall

No workout today, took a day to let my calves heal a little. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of work. We have a shuttle launch at 4:31:38 pm. I get to work the morning helping set things up for the afternoon guys to actually work the launch. I work at a tv station - we're going to cover NASA live like we usually do starting at 4 pm and running for about 45 minutes. I get to set up all the lives and try to ensure that everything is working correctly for the other guys (I do not want to work the launch itself - that is a lot of painful work).

Then I get to meet with my trainer at 4 pm followed by another BJJ session at 7 pm. Also, it is going to be a legs day (

torture

fun)!

Calories - 3400

Posted by: Gazhole

MMA = Massaging My Ass?

I dread to think what your version of BJJ is

Posted by: DOMS

You're an animal!

You've come a hell of a long way since you started here.

Posted by: Witchblade

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

MMA = Massaging My Ass?

I dread to think what your version of BJJ is

It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.

Posted by: katt

So TC - what is the ultimate weight you are striving for??

Those classes you're taking sound pretty intense.. I honestly don't think I could do 200 reps for abs without passing out

Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.

Something traumatic has happened to both of us to cause this.

Were you ever sat on by a fat woman as a child?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

So TC - what is the ultimate weight you are striving for??

Those classes you're taking sound pretty intense.. I honestly don't think I could do 200 reps for abs without passing out

I'm going for 270, then I think I'm going to just try to maintain and work on building strength.

Yeah, they are pretty intense, but as long as you show that you are trying to keep up, they will respect you and won't say anything (except for the nice words of encouragement) because they all know you are just a beginner.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

You're an animal!

You've come a hell of a long way since you started here.

Thanks.

It's kind of nice to see things all starting to come together (I said "come together"

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

MMA = Massaging My Ass?

I dread to think what your version of BJJ is

Some of them might let you try that if you want to...

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.

Yes, you're both very disturbing

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Something traumatic has happened to both of us to cause this.

Were you ever sat on by a fat woman as a child?

That's what you meant by "going down the mines"

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Legs:

Warm up - Chops on Cable Machine: RI - 30 | 2 sets x30 lbs x15 reps

Lungeson Bosu Ball: RI - 30 | 3 sets xBW x12 reps

Single Leg Leg Press: RI - 60 | 90lbs x 12, 140lbs x12 reps, 180lbs x10 reps, 180lbs x10 reps, 210lbs x7 reps PR for Weight

Ball Squats: RI - 45 | BW+30 x10, 15, 15 (going up to random positions for the last 5 reps of each set, the last 2 reps were 3 second negatives).

Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Hip Abductions | 130x15, 170x12, 205x10 (Entire Stack) PR for Weight

2 - Hip Adductions | 130x15, 170x12, 205x10 (Entire Stack) PR for Weight

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 80, max hr - 135, level 8).

12 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 118, max hr - 180, level 5 & 15, 1 interval @ level 15 @ 180bpm for 20 seconds).

Calories - 3700

Had some fun with those leg presses! Everything went up a notch today.

I wanted to go in for another class but felt kind of sick. I might go in Friday night for one of their seminars (kind of a open night for anyone who wants to participate - they heavily suggest that I go in for some). I kind of felt bad, I told Thiago I'd be there but decided to stay home and wait until I felt better (besides, my calves were still in some pain - not complaining, just stating the facts).

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Back/Abs:

Hyper Extensions: RI - 30 | BWx12, BW+ 4 lb medicine ball (catch and throw style with partner) x 12, BW+6 lb medicine ball x 12

Hyper Extensions with Cobra: RI -30 | BW+ 5lbs/hand x 12, BW+10lbs/handx12, 12 PR for Weight

Balance on Bosu Ball | BWx ~10 seconds (not great, but back was already a little tired) PR for time - last time was much worse

Abs - Leg Lifts/Flutters/Knee Ins | Each for 1 set of 8 reps just threw a bunch of random things like that in there to change things up a bit.

BB Ab Roll:RI - 30 | Bwx10, 10, 10 (straight and obliques alternated during each set with 2 or 3 reps done with 3 second holds at full extension)

Cardio - 27 minutes SS/HIIT

10 minutes on a stair machine SS (min hr - 63, max hr - 150, levels 5-12).

3 minutes on an elliptical SS (min hr - 88, max hr - 161, level 8 and 13).

14 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 88, max hr - 170, speed - 1.5-7.5mph, incline - 0.0-6.5. 3 sets @ 6, 6.5, and 7 mph respectively for 20 seconds. 1 set @ 6 mph and an Incline of 6.5. This was forward sprint, right side shuffle, backwards run (slow), left side shuffle, then forward sprint again each phase was about 45 seconds and repeated through the 14 minutes. The wind sprints were towards the end at 6-7.5 mph all others were 5-6 mph.

My trainer and I had fun with his one. We got to try a bunch of random things and do some balance exercises.

Calories - 3600

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Upper Push:

Warm-up:
5 minutes on a stair master, 2 sets of 50 jumping jacks and 2 sets of 20 push-ups (20 and 15 really), 2 sets of 50 crunches with knees raised, 50 oblique crunches, and 50 bicycle kicks

Smith Flat BB Bench: RI - 60 | 135x6, 145x4, 165x2 PR for Weight, 125x6, 115x8

Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60 | 80x6, 100x3, 115x2 PR for Weight, 90x5, 80x7

DB Flat Bench Press: RI - 60 | 30'sx10, 40'sx8, 45'sx7 PR for Weight, 40'sx10, 30'sx10

DB Military Press: RI - 60 | 20'sx10, 25'sx8, 30'sx5, 25'sx6, 20'sx8

Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 | 100 pounders x 210 feet PR for Distance (+10 feet)

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

Warm-up from before ~ 20 minutes total time - stairs had a min hr of 90, max of 135, and was at level 6, the others had a min hr of 125, and a max hr of 155.

10 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 96, max hr - 175, incline - 0, speed - 1.5 (backwards run), 2.4-2.8 (side shuffling), and 7.0-9.0 for forward sprints. There were a total of 5 rounds each lasting 2 minutes and each round contained one sprint @ 20 seconds @ speeds greater than 7 mph.

I had some fun today. The cardio was cool, I think I'll do this more often.

I ran out of gas on those DB Military Presses, but that was bound to happen. All-in-all, power across the board - Strength is really getting up there now!

Calories - 3600

Posted by: Rubes

been seein alot of red TC keep up the great work

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rubes

been seein alot of red TC keep up the great work

Yeah, I like to see the red marks on there too. Thanks buddy!

Posted by: goob

Great work TC. You keep going like a duracell bunny on uranium.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Great work TC. You keep going like a duracell bunny on uranium.

It helps that I came equipped to make use of these battery upgrades. I just need one last upgrade to be able to process Plutonium and harness it's power.

Posted by: tallcall

12/12/07 Weigh in
Weight: 285 – Up 0.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 35.5 inches – Down 0.5 inches from last week
Stomach: 35.5 inches – Down 0.5 inches from last week

Chest: 49 inches – Down 2 inches from last week

Shoulders: 62 inches – No Change

Neck: 19.5 inches – No change from last time

Bi's: 17 inches – No change from last time

Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 272.08 – Up from last week's 270.83 (1.25 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 12.92 13.67 – Down from last week's 13.67 (-.75 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs – 7 mm – up 0.5 mm from last week
Suprailiac – 7.5 mm – down 1.5 mm from last week
Thigh – 3 mm – no change last week
Triceps – 5 mm – no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.53 %.

I seem to have added muscle. Caliper readings finally changed to show a fat loss in some areas, which is nice. I’ve been going for power and strength for the last couple of weeks and have done very well, so I think I may see muscle weight being added in the near future (all to help with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

Posted by: DOMS

That's some incredible progress, man. Are we going to be getting pics anytime soon?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

That's some incredible progress, man. Are we going to be getting pics anytime soon?

Thanks man!

As for the pictures question - I hate cameras, so probably not.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Upper Pull:

Straight Legged Deadlift: RI - 45 | 50'sx12, 12, 12

Pull-ups - Ladders: RI - 60 | BW-100x5, 6, 7, 7, 1 (static hold for 5 seconds)

1 Arm Seated Cable Rows: RI - 60 | 105x12, 135x10, 165x8, 180x8 PR for Weight

Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT

All on a treadmill:

10 minutes before my session, then 10 minutes after.

Before: Min hr - 102, max hr - 170, speed - 3.4-7.0 mph.

After: Min hr - 100, max hr - 167, speed - 3.4-6.5 mph.

It was all done in the same style as I do it in my Jiu-Jitsu class, so it was fairly intense.

I made a new friend yesterday at the gym. Nice guy, probably not available, but cool to talk to anyway. I think he was doing a MMA style cardio workout, it was nice to see someone doing something different. I think he saw the same in me when I started running backwards on the treadmill and doing those side to side skips (among other things).

Calories - 3400

Posted by: tallcall

Goodbye Paul...

I said goodbye to my best friend yesterday. We had a pretty large group at the club (Club Dolche - formerly Club Paris). The entertainment reporter I work with was on good terms with the owner and got us into the VIP lounge and the first round of drinks was gratis (I only had soda because I had to work early this morning). These were 100 something dollar bottles of Gin (maybe Vodka - I couldn't read the label, it was too dark), and all the mixers. Then we learned that there was a lingerie show at midnight (we figured out that they thought we were all there to give the club good press so they treated us to everything we asked for - oh well, their loss). I was told the show would only feature female models (Paul did promise to utilize the poles in the room after a few more drinks - so I poured him another).

I had such a good time, Paul and his partner, their friend and his partner, the entertainment reporter and his partner, my executive producer and her partner and their gay friend from Louisville, Kentucky were all there. The guy from Louisville was kind of cute and had great taste (he wore a black suit with a dark purple shirt, a dark red tie, and a burgundy handkerchief - very nice!).

I stayed with Paul and his partner for about for about 3.5 hours (I had almost an hour with them alone - I already miss them so much

).

Before I left for the night I gave them all a hug and hoped that they would have a safe and fun trip (they're moving out of state). I just really didn't want to let Paul go, he kept telling me that he knows everything will be alright, that our job is not the end all experience in our lives, and that he cares and wants to keep in contact. I probably hugged him 4 or 5 times that night (his partner was also an awesome guy and good friend, I got to hug him a couple times too). Paul promised me he was going to leave me a couple signed copies of his head shot (photos usually given out to fans at special events). He had a bunch left over and signed them all with strange phrases (usually pretty funny), I really hope I get one of those! He's also passing out his e-mail and phone number.

God I miss him so much! He's been there with me through very tough times and I don't know if I could have come this far without him. He and his partner are so sweet together, I can only hope to have that one day. They just randomly kissed each other when we were waiting to leave for the club (leaving from where I work - we all met there and walked down the road) without any fear or trepidation - it was so nice to see and feel that kind of confidence and love. I will not forget my time with Paul, he was a very special friend when I needed one most!

...Good friends are so hard to find...

Posted by: fUnc17

American Top Team?? Thats sick!! I wish I could train for them! If you think warmups were rough, just wait till you start rolling

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

American Top Team?? Thats sick!! I wish I could train for them! If you think warmups were rough, just wait till you start rolling

Yeah, I had the chance last night to roll around with one of their purple belts! I made him tap out twice - once from a wrist lock, the second was from a rear naked choke (not done very well, but I had both arms in and hooked and squeezed as tight as I could). He got the better of me a lot though when I just couldn't sweep him off me (I was so out of breath and tired from everything else).

Our warm-ups consisted of lots of running, but then he had us do a sort of deadlift/pull with our partners lying between our legs. Then there were hip scoops and throws (one person is lying down the other goes under the legs and hooks the hips, hoists them in the air and throws them over the partner's head to form a roll).

I still had a very hard time with these rolls, I guess I just got to take it slow (I have a lot of fears that need to be overcome - falling is one of them as is being upside down - I look forward to conquering them with these guys!).

How have things been going with your training? Which team are you with?

Posted by: fUnc17

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job

The partner drills are always fun, I love them...until the last 2-3 reps. For instance the frog hop drill. Basically your jumping over everyones back in a row, then everyone else jumps and you keep going till the instructor stops. I cant count the number of times I got tea bagged on the back of the head because of that drill. Crab walks are fun too. Shrimping is NOT!

You have a great opportunity training with those guys! I train at New Jersey Shore Personal Fitness Training, Kettlebells, BJJ, Mixed Mafrtial Arts

Posted by: DOMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job

I'll second this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job

He may have just allowed me to get him, but it was a lot of fun either way. I really need to get those sweeps down better, I tapped a few times because I couldn't get out from under him (he just laid on me and constricted my breathing).

My instructor is introducing strange (for me at least) new warm-up routines every time I'm there. I'd say we spend about 20-30 minutes just doing that conditioning work, 15 minutes learning and practicing new positions, and about 20-30 minutes rolling.

I've been cut, choked, bruised, etc. Cut by way of mat burn on my feet and another form of burn on my elbows (the Gi is getting a nice blood coating

). But I look at them all as battle scars and love them all!

Posted by: goob

Holy shit TC, your going to be an MMA beast. Unstoppable.

Posted by: fUnc17

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

This is my instructor, he has alot of top notch vids, check 'em out

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

This is my instructor, he has alot of top notch vids, check 'em out

Thanks man, I'll check them out later. I just got back from another training session. It's funny how I always seem to lock up in full mount and forget what I can do to try to submit my partner, so I just end up transitioning to side mount and applying a wrist lock. I guess it's not a bad thing, I get to work on controlling the guys hips from a side mount. I really need to work on a lot (leverage is not great, sweeps need work - it's nice to roll with blue and purple belts who'll slow down and help me remember the positioning - still new with this anyways).

Today's training was insane but in a good way, I got all the way through the warm-ups without much of a problem, still trying to get the shoulder rolls (all rolls really) down - they were better than before (they still freak me out a little). I ended up rolling with three different people and learning a new combination sweep/rear naked choke (or armbar, or even collar choke depending on how it's locked in and whether or not you secured his arm during the roll). It took me several attempts to get it right, again with the leverage thing (I guess it'll come with time and practice).

Oh well, we all had a lot of fun and I never gave up once. I was barely breathing after my second round rolling and I still volunteered to roll for a third round. I got my butt handed to me by the smaller and faster blue belt (the guy I rolled with in the third round) but I learned a few things in the process so all is good!

Posted by: fUnc17

lol... i remember when I first learned rolls, fun times. BTW when your in mount, any position really...always attack the neck first, when they try to defend decide whether to continue with the choke or transition to something else (like an armbar when he throws an arm up because your attacking his neck)

Posted by: tallcall

12/19/07 Weigh in
Weight: 285 283.5 – Down 1.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 35.5 inches – No change from last week
Stomach: 35.5 inches – No Change from last week

Chest: 49 inches – No Change from last week
Shoulders: 62 inches – No Change
Neck: 19.5 inches – No change
Bi's: 17 inches – No change
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change

Lean Body Mass: 271.41– Down from last week's 272.08 (0.67 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 12.09– Down from last week's 12.92 (-0.83 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs – 7 mm – No change from last week
Suprailiac – 7 mm – down 0.5 mm from last week
Thigh – 3 mm – no change last week
Triceps – 4.5 mm – down 0.5 from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.26 %.

This is great considering I ate a lot of stuff Sunday and Monday (fried turkey, corn pudding, stuffing, all the good stuff)! Caliper readings even dropped slightly! I have been adding strength and it shows through my BJJ performances.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

lol... i remember when I first learned rolls, fun times. BTW when your in mount, any position really...always attack the neck first, when they try to defend decide whether to continue with the choke or transition to something else (like an armbar when he throws an arm up because your attacking his neck)

Yeah, rolls are fun, thank god everyone's being patient!

Thanks for the advice! Do you think it'd be better to stay with simpler things at first? Maybe just fighting for the things you know how to do really well, or would you go out on a limb and try something you've only maybe done a handful of times?

Posted by: fUnc17

Stick with what you know, but dont be afraid to try something different. Don't be predictable and always think a few moves ahead. Thats what my first trainer always taught me

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fUnc17

Stick with what you know, but dont be afraid to try something different. Don't be predictable and always think a few moves ahead. Thats what my first trainer always taught me

Alright, I'll try that! I pretty much dominated everyone's hip movement, I just learned how to do that the day before by hooking the hips and sprawling on the side leaning all my weight on their hips, then transitioning into some kind of mount and going for a submission.

Posted by: tallcall

Wednesday:
Legs:

Superset 1: RI - 45 |

1 - Lunges | BWx10, 10

2 - Single Leg Extensions | 40x10, 10

Double Leg Extensions & Walking Lunges down the hall | 190x12, about 40 walking lunges

Single Leg Press: RI - 60 | 90x12, 140x10, 160x8

Superset 2: Ri - 45 |
1 - Swans (sort of like one legged squats for balance) | BWx10, BW+10x10, 10, 10

2 - Calf Raises (Medial and Lateral) | 4 sets x BW+25x15 (10 from big to little toe, 5 from little toe to big toe)

Squats on Smith Machine: RI - 60 | 110x10, 140x10, 160x8

Superset 3: RI - 30 |
1 - Hip Adductors | 110x15, 150x15, 190x12

2 - Hip Rotations (each leg separately) | 87.5x10, 100x10, 112.5x10 PR for Weight

Cardio - 20 Minutes SS

20 minutes on a stair mill SS. Min hr - 60 (then 95 after the workout), max hr - 135 (160 after workout), level 5-8 (5-17 after workout).

Calories - 4500

I feel so lethargic today! I think it is time for another deloading week. I'm just going to take next week off from lifting and focus on BJJ and cardio. After Friday, I'll be off until 1/2/08. Nice time to take a break

!

I figured out that doing BJJ for an hour each time I go in burns about 1000 calories, the strength training burns at least 700 for a half hour, and my body's basal metabolic rate is about 3200. So with that in mind, I need about 5000 calories on days like tomorrow just to get through everything. I love how this all goes completely against normal people's conventional thinking! I just have to find a way to shovel food down my throat without puking (I have to look at 750-1000 calorie meals for one or two days out of the week)!

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Back:

Superset 1: RI - 30 |
1 - Bosu Ball Hip Extensions | BWx12, 12, 12, 15

2 - Seated Cable Rows | 110x10, 125x10, 140x10, 165x5

Superset 2: RI - 45 |
1 - Deadlift | 135x20, 185x12, 135x10

2 - Cobras | BW+10 lb dumbbells per hand x 8, 8, 8

Cardio - 6 minutes SS

Treadmill for 6 minutes. Min hr - 80, max hr - 161, speed - 3.0-5.5 mph, incline - 0.

Calories - ~5500 or so (I lost count)

This was a fun session. I cut my cardio down a lot today because immediatly afterward I went to my BJJ class and trained with them for an hour or so. I figured I really didn't need the cardio from the gym because it'd be so much better to get it rolling around on the mat with these guys! This is also why the calories are so high for today. I burn 3200 just being alive, then about 600-700 during the strength training session, then about 1000 for an hour with the guys training. So I see it as I needed at least 4900-5000 just to break even, and I would like to encourage strength gains so I go a little over to hit about 5500. Lets just say that I had a hard time eating all that food, but if I didn't I'd probably have fallen asleep in the middle of the mat, so it's not all that bad.

BJJ:

We just learned how to take someone's back when they're on all fours or curled up like a turtle and apply a rear naked choke, collar choke, or flatten them out face down and do the same, or even roll them to the side and get all those chokes. My biggest problem is that I still can't flex my hips fast enough to make things smooth. I think I'm just afraid of hurting these guys (I must have about 80 pounds on all of them), oh well, I just have to get over that and push them all the way next time.

Maybe next week I won't be so tired. My next class is Thursday night because of the Holidays, so I get to fit in a lot of cardio and skip all my weight lifting sessions after tomorrow (Thank God for deloading weeks, I really need a break)!

This weeks Cardio time total is 3.5 hours (counting each BJJ training session as an hour of cardio - because that's what I think it mostly amounts to for me), adding in tomorrow's session and I think I'll hit 4 hours this week. I'll try to get about 3 hours or more next week (it's really easy when I'm doing these classes, Renato and Thiago really keep us going - slave drivers

Posted by: fufu

good job on starting bjj, sounds like you like it.

Posted by: goob

A 'rear naked choke'......

..sounds like TC's signature move...

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fufu

good job on starting bjj, sounds like you like it.

I love rolling around with these guys! One of them is becoming a pretty good friend, we rolled together Thursday and kind of played around when the others were on break (of course they are all very cool and playful like that).

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

A 'rear naked choke'......

..sounds like TC's signature move...

Something about getting the guys "back," sinking your "hooks" in, and performing a "rear naked" choke - Nah, nothing weird about that...

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Upper Push:

Superset 1: RI - 60 |
1 - DB Flat Bench | 25'sx10, 35'sx10, 35'sx10

2 - DB Rear Delt Rows | 25'sx8, 35'sx8, 35'sx8

Superset 2: RI - 60 |
1 - Behind the Neck Smith Shoulder Press | Bar + 50 x 10, + 70 x 8, + 70 x 8

2 - Front Raises | 25 lb plate x 8, 8, 8

Plate Pinches: RI - 45 | 25's @ 1 minute L/R, 3 10's @ 33 seconds R/40 seconds L

Cardio - 30 minutes SS - with some sprints thrown in the mix there

5 minutes on the treadmill.

10 minutes - abs (50, 50, 50), Jumping Jacks (50, 50), Push-ups (20, 10), Supinated Plank with hands under butt (about 30 seconds - allowing legs to be raised and lowered but never touching the floor keeping chin tucked in).

15 minutes on a treadmill. Min hr - 82, max hr - 165, speed - .0-6.5 ph, inline - 15.

Today was fine, I really felt weak, but kind of peppy (the cardio was great!).

Tomorrow starts a deloading period - no more weights until 1/2/08, lots of cardio though. I'm probably going to get 2 BJJ classes next week since there were enough of us that wanted to be there during the holidays to justify keeping the place open - so that'll be great!

All the bruises on my arms are healing up nicely. My right shoulder is still in some pain from one armbar I was in Tuesday - though it is feeling much better (I tapped pretty quickly, but probably not quick enough - oh well). My gi's right elbow is now splattered with blood from my elbow scrapping against it doing the shoulder rows and army rows on the mat. I showed Renato and he just kind of laughed. One of the other guys has his elbow completely soaked with blood - and it is a white gi (the instructors are very relaxed and don't care about the clothes or anything just respect for each other and learning the correct form).

I got to watch all my friends get their belt promotions tonight, most of the white belts got promoted straight to blue (pretty cool, I'm very happy for them, and I think I'll test next time it becomes available - 4-6 months I think)

Calories - 3600

Rest time.....

Posted by: Malley

HI TC, good to know your still chuggin along.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

HI TC, good to know your still chuggin along.

DD! It's been a while, what have you been up to? Having a nice holiday?

I've just been having fun!

Posted by: tallcall

Monday:

1st Day of My Rest Week

Cardio: 30 Minutes

5 Minutes on a treadmill doing some sprints.

~20 minutes doing the following:

1. Crunches - 50, 50, 50, 50 (normal, left side, right side, bicycle kicks)

2. Leg Outs - 25

3. Flutters - 20 Vertical, 20 Horizontal

4. Back Extensions - 25

5. Stretches (Hip Abductors, Adductors, Back, Hamstrings, Quads, and Glutes)

6. Positional Drills (I kind of fooled around with this one to try to mimic what we do in class for our warm-ups - it is done solo so that part was fine, but it required a bit of space) - ~25 of each:

1st - Starting on back, Legs straight up rolling forward with the intent on landing with one knee bent, one foot firmly planted on the floor along with it's opposing hand and use the momentum to pop yourself up a little, then do the other side.

2nd - Same starting position with the intention of landing with both knees bent on the ground one ankle hooked under the opposite knee, opposing hand again on the ground and lean forward as if reaching for someone.

I did some of these so fast that I thought on my back roll I was going to just continue rolling which would've been a lot of fun (getting over that fear pretty quickly!).

5 minutes on a treadmill - cooldown.

Today is a cheat day so I'm sure my calorie intake is going to be about 4000 for the day.

Posted by: tallcall

Wednesday:

Cardio - 60 Minutes

10 Minutes on a Treadmill - Sprints, Backwards run, Side to Side.

~40 minutes - Crunches, Bike Kicks, Leg Outs, Flutters, Back Extensions, Positional Drills from the back emphasizing explosiveness.

5 Minutes on a stair mill HIIT. 3 sets @ 20/60 @ Level 15, 18, and 20 respectively.

Calories - 4000

No BJJ tonight. They were supposed to open but they weren't open when I got there. They probably just did some mat time from 10 a - 2 p (which won't help me at all since I don't get out of work early enough to get there before 2 pm). Maybe tomorrow night (12/27/07).

Lots of crazy people at the gym. All doing dumb things and looking at me like I'm crazy

Posted by: retailmuscle

hey,
great workout..u get it from a trainer?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by retailmuscle

hey,
great workout..u get it from a trainer?

Not really, I just did whatever I could think of that might carry over from class to the gym. I can't do everything, but some of the warm-up routines are easy to do anywhere.

I'm still kind of angry that they closed yesterday and today when they said they'd be open, I know they won't be open Monday or Tuesday because of the holiday, so I think the next time I get to go in and train is Jan 3rd!

Oh well.

My weight was at 286 this morning (up 2.5 pounds) and the caliper readings haven't changed so maybe it is showing a strength (muscle) gain.

Deloading/Rest weeks are boring and I'm still a little nervous about gaining too much weight over this week.Oh well, at least I get to look forward to my cardio and I know I'm very good at changing things up at a moment's notice (easily adapting to changing situations is a requirement of most of us in news and operations anyways

), so I can easily switch out one aspect of my planned workout with another (treadmill not available, just use a stair machine, or an elliptical, it those aren't available, I grab 80+ pound dumbbells and walk all over the place for 5-10 minutes - good for my cardio as well as strength).

Posted by: Malley

Looks like you have learned alot since I have been around!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Looks like you have learned alot since I have been around!

A lot of things that didn't seem possible months ago now seem easy, and I get very excited to try new things (like my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). I am basically weight training for a sport now so this should all play together real nice.

My trainer is a former High School wrestler and is pushing me through a lot of hip dominant exercises. We pretty much only do compound lifts and lifts focused on flexibility or stability. Leg day is my absolute most favorite day (I get a lot of stares from everyone, even some of the MMA guys now I think!).

I eat a lot of calories most days and seem to still be losing body fat while maintaining weight (slightly increased the weight this week

- basically due to concentrating on power and strength instead of size - moving heavy loads more easily now!).

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Cardio: 60 Minutes

10 Minutes</