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The Quest for Abs

Mavs

Tuna's Boys to the Bowl
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Hello all!

I'm going to give this journal thing a shot! My main goal in all of this is to find my abs again as soon as possible (reduction of bodyfat with no loss in LBM or even a slight gain) and say adios to the love handles.

I'm 26, 5'5", 157 lbs at present. I've lifted off and on for the past few years and have a decent amount of LBM leftover from that. I don't know what happened (probably finding IM!) but something in my head just "clicked" that it's time to get serious and I won't find those abs without CONSISTENCY!

As far as weight training, I plan to hit each body part once a week, 3 exercises for major muscle groups, 2 for minor muscle groups, 3-4 sets per exercise, 6-12 reps per set. 3 weight training sessions per week. PS - Please don't laugh when I list the amount of weight I'll be lifting! lol I'm a rookie, have mercy...

On the cardio front, I just started sprinting today. WOW! Learning to run fast again believe it or not is going to take some work! Today for instance, I did 8 all out sprints of 10 seconds each with 2 minutes of walking/jogging between sprints. I was going to do 10 sprints but my hammies started tightening up so I'm going to ease my way into this one! ;o) I'll do some kind of HIIT at least 3x a week (bike or running).

Nutrition: I recently read a book called The Leanness Lifestyle and really liked what I read. Two weeks ago I was at 160 so I've lost about 3 lbs since implementing it's suggestions. I'm sure some of it may have been water weight though. To lose a consistent 1.5 lbs per week with 240 min of training per week at my current bodyweight, I will need to consume about 11440 calories per week. This will create a 5250 weekly calorie deficit. I'm going to stagger the calorie totals for each day to keep my body more or less guessing. Sundays will be my day to kind of "let go" but I will still be sure to keep the overall calorie deficit in effect! I'll do my best to divide it into 5-6 meals per day considering I'm going to school and working full-time right now!! Oh, and I'll be consuming around 1 gallon of water daily and taking multi-vitamins and extra Vitamin C to speed recovery from the weight training. If I'm missing anything, let me know. Fitday.com is the shizzy by the way!

If anyone has any suggestions or input (or most of all - ENGOURAGEMENT!) please feel free!! This is an awesome forum and I can't wait to get even more insight from you guys!

Take care everyone,

Eric
 
5/24/04

Today's diet was so-so as I was on the go most of the day. I made sure to stay in my calorie range though and the macronutrient ratios weren't THAT bad...almost a 40/40/20

1603 calories
39% carbs
36% protein
25% fat

Meal 1:
1 cup skim milk
1/2 Grape Nuts

Meal 2:
1 cup skim milk
1 packet Myoplex Lite

Meal 3:
Steak Soft Taco from Taco Smell...I mean Bell

Meal 4:
Extra Lean Ground Beef (3.5 oz) on a wheat bun
Lettuce
Pickle
1 tbsp light mayo

Meal 5:
2 cups skim milk
1.5 servings protein powder

Workout:
8 all out sprints of 10 seconds each with 2 minutes of walking/jogging between each

Note: Was shooting for 10 sprints but as mentioned before, the hammies were tightening up...came home and did some stretching. Weights tomorrow!! :lifter:
 
Hi Mav's best of luck with your goals! :thumbs:

I LOVE sprinting!!! :cool2: Glad to see that your doing them!

diet doesnt look too too bad, minus meal 1 and 3. however I know you did mention youwere busy. Have you considered packing meals the night before for the next day?
one thing that I see missing-veggies and healthy fats.
 
Good luck!! Listen to Jenny Muscles... check out HER ABS!! :thumb:
 
Hey Jen! Thanks so much for the support and suggestions!! You're 100% right on the veggies and healthy fats. Meals 1 and 3 were out of whack too. What would you suggest as far as "Jennifying" meal 1?? Like my new word? :thumb: Maybe some oatmeal with Protein Powder and natural PB? Meal 3 was definitely out of the norm for me. I was trying to figure out a way to get in a protein, carb, and veggie while on the road. (If you can call iceberg lettuce a veggie, I've heard it basically has the nutritional value of Saran Wrap). It was just a way crazy day! It'll definitely be better as far as preparation on that end!! What do you think of my sprinting routine? I was thinking about converting to a sprint for 10 seconds, walk/jog back to the start, sprint again, repeat cycle 10 times. This would lessen the amount of times between sprints!

Hey there Sapphire! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the good luck wishes! Please feel free to throw in any input you might have as well! Yes, I have definitely seen Jenny Muscles' abs...so her word is gospel to me! lol I've seen your sleek physique too though Cowgirl ;) Be sure you throw in your advice too!!

Take care everyone...back to work for me.

Eric
 
grinning-smiley-020.gif
you 2 are silly!!

Jennifying meal 1 :lol: - oaties, eggwhites(1-2yolks) or some nat. pb too. just not boatloads of it. the protein powder is fine too.

where are you doing your sprints? is it possible to measure them. I rarely time mine, but rather do various distances, etc.
for example:
10X100m . these are all out, then walk back and repeat. slight rest after 5th sprint if needed.
5X200m . same outline as above.

you could also do shorter sprint distances but increase the trips. ie. 16X40-50m.
switching it up keeps things fresh and more challenging all the time.
 
Hey Mav! I will be glad to pop in to check on you... do the same for me!

I eat Fiber One cereal with skim milk and chocolate protein powder with 1 tblsp Nat PB. It's yummy. Oatmeal sometimes too, more in the winter though.
have a good night... :kiss:
 
Mavs,
Now you did it , you posted in my journal that you have learned a lot from my journal so now I have to keep an eye on ya to see if it works ! LOL

Good luck !

don't forget to post your starting stats.
 
Hey all! Thanks for your feedback!

Jenninator - I'm currently just doing my sprints in the neighborhood but I think I'll walk off a 100 yard distance and run that over and over for my sprints! I'll walk off a 40, a 150, etc...for variety! (ie. this mailbox to that mailbox = roughly 40 yards ;) ) I'll definitely start leaning towards adding some protein in that first meal like you suggested!

Sapphire - That breakfast sounds like a great way to get the macronutrients balanced! Thanks for popping in here and checking up on me! I need all I can get!! I'll be more than happy to do the same for you!

GW - THanks for the good luck wishes, man! I'm definitely feeling good about this go-round! This may be a stupid question but what starting stats would you suggest I list? Are you referring to measurements? Once again, thanks for checking up on me, brotha! I'll check in on you now and again too!

Next post...today's nutrition/training...
 
5/25/04

Courtesy of the great fitday.com:
1712 calories (3315 for the week so far)
52% Carbs
32% protein
17% Fat
(Wow, 101%! I must really be doing something good..lol) I'm planning on bringing those carbs down, inch the fat up, and bring the protein up. Is this a good idea or am I fine where I'm at?

Meal 1:
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup Grape Nuts
(I am going to work on this one a little more as suggested)

Meal 2:
1 cup skim milk
1 Myoplex Lite

Meal 3:
2 slices 100% whole wheat bread
2 slices lean turkey
1 slice FF American cheese
1 tsp mustard
1/2 cup lettuce

Meal 4:
1/2 cup chicken, white meat
2 cups steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, beans, cabbage)
1.25 cups rice
1 tbsp olive oil
.25 cup ff garlic sauce

Meal 5:
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop protein powder

Training:

Ok, the system went down at work today so guess who got to stay until 9:30 to get it back...oh yeah, yours truly! :help: So since the gym was closed, I'm switching today and tomorrow's training. I did 30 min of interval training on the bike where I go at a pretty fast pace and on every 5th minute, I pedal ALL OUT for 30 seconds. I was POURING sweat and the heartrate was way up! I was going to do sprints again but my hamstrings were still pretty sore!!

I also did crunches 4 sets of 25 reps, nice and slow with deep muscle contraction!! Oh the burn!!! :hot:

Tomorrow morning I'm going before work to work chest, tri's, and calves!!

I'll have to weight train 3 days in a row but this isn't going to be the norm by any means!!

Everyone take care and sleep tight!

Eric
 
IML Gear Cream!
Jenninator :rofl: tooo funny!

right on for the sprints!! good plan! :thumb:

hope you dont mind my picking at your diet? :hehe: :)

we already know how we feel about meal 1.
meal 2 could use some EFA's.
check the ingredient onthe ww bread. white flour? corn syrup or glucose? :finger: if so baddd. I wouldnt eat the bread everday either.
more chicken in meal 3 and 4.
is it brown or wild rice in meal 5?
need some EFA's in that last meal.
and overall, dear man, EAT!! :hog: cals are too low!

Have a super day Eric
 
Originally posted by Mavs
Hey all! Thanks for your feedback!

Jenninator - I'm currently just doing my sprints in the neighborhood but I think I'll walk off a 100 yard distance and run that over and over for my sprints! I'll walk off a 40, a 150, etc...for variety! (ie. this mailbox to that mailbox = roughly 40 yards ;) ) I'll definitely start leaning towards adding some protein in that first meal like you suggested!

Sapphire - That breakfast sounds like a great way to get the macronutrients balanced! Thanks for popping in here and checking up on me! I need all I can get!! I'll be more than happy to do the same for you!

GW - THanks for the good luck wishes, man! I'm definitely feeling good about this go-round! This may be a stupid question but what starting stats would you suggest I list? Are you referring to measurements? Once again, thanks for checking up on me, brotha! I'll check in on you now and again too!

Next post...today's nutrition/training...

Mavs,

Yes, like chest , waist , thigh , etc etc Body fat % anythinf you use to gauge changes/progress.


:thumb:
 
Hey guys!

Jen - by all means! Feel free to pick away at my diet! How's your day going by the way? You know, I checked the ingredients on the whole wheat bread and wow, you were right on the money! I'll definitely be phasing that out. I'm planning on stopping by the store on my way home today and loading up on some EFA's and some lean protein sources. I'm going to check Jodi's posts for info on some good EFA's. Oh, and the rice...it was white...I KNOW, I know :rolleyes: Very bad! hehe

On the cals, I'm not 100% sure on what to do because in order to maintain a 5250/wk calorie deficit, a book that I read said that I should be consuming about 1634 cals/day. Is this off? I know it seems pretty low but I just figured it's because I'm not exactly Lou Ferrigno over here!! :lol: Whatcha think?

gw - Thanks for the idea on the stats! I checked your cutting journal last night after I posted my question and saw all of the measurements. I took them this morning before going to workout! I'll post them now!

Again, thanks for all of the advice and support!! I'm always open to your knowledge and ideas!

5/26/04 stats:

5'5" 156 lbs

Bodyfat: 18.1% - (bad news: well, it's 18.1%, good news: it was 19.6% two and a half weeks ago!)

Neck: 14 3/4"

Shoulders: 45 1/2"

Chest: 39 1/2"

Waist: 36" (this is where my body seems to store almost everything)

Arm: 13 1/2"

Thigh: 23 3/4"

Calf: 14 1/4"

I'll check these again in two weeks!
 
Originally posted by Mavs

Bodyfat: 18.1% - (bad news: well, it's 18.1%, good news: it was 19.6% two and a half weeks ago!)


nice:thumb:
 
Hi Eric!

Congrats on BF drop! :thumb: Great job!

Being so strict with your diet can be hard... requires planning. But you can do it!!!! :D

Night' Hun
 
Rock - Thanks for the compliment and stopping by, man! Please feel free to drop in whenever!

Cyndi - Thank you on the congrats! It definitely is tough at times to stick on the diet, but I'm ready. I've spent too much time living without the physique I want!! I saw you mentioned that you have a free day, how do you incorporate that? Do you just set aside one day a week to eat whatever you want? Do you set any caloric restraints on that day or anything? Wanna play 20 questions??? :lol: Sorry! I hope you have a nice evening!

Next post...today's workout and nutrition!
 
5/26/04

gwcaton - I hope you don't have a patent pending or some copyright goodness on your set/rep scheme!! :lifter:

Dumbbell Bench Press:
35x12
40x10
45x8
50x5
35x12

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
25x12
30x10
35x8
40x5.5
25x12

Smith Machine Calf Raises:
115x12
135x10
155x8
175x6
115x12

Seated Calf Raises:
45x12
55x10
65x8
75x6
45x12

Close Grip Bench Press:
65x12
75x10
85x8
95x6
65x12

Standing Dumbbell Tricep Extension:
20x12
25x10
30x8
35x6
20x12

Nutrition:

1741 calories
34% Carbs
39% Protein
27% Fat

Meal 1:
2/3 cups Oatmeal
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 tbsp reduced fat Peanut Butter

Meal 2:
1 packet Myoplex Lite
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Meal 3:
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 cup Skim Milk
.5 tbsp Olive Oil

Meal 4:
1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1.25 cups Turnip Greens
2 tbsp Barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp Low-fat Mayo

Meal 5:
1/2 cup white meat Chicken
1.5 cup mixed Veggies
0.25 cup rice
8 tbsp Spicy Garlic Sauce

Odds and ends:
120 oz. water
B-Complex vitamin
Multivitamin
Vitamin C

Good? Bad? What does everyone think of this? It's definitely an approvement over when I first started I think!

Take care all!

Eric
 
Hey Jen (or anyone else who could provide feedback on this)...I know you mentioned that my cals are too low, so I've been studying the Guide to Cutting, Bulking, and Maintenance. Would I be best advised to consume daily calories around my bodyweight x 14 (2184) to speed up my metabolism? Maybe 6 weeks like this and then 6 weeks of slight calorie reduction? I'm still trying to figure out how to achieve my goals of the ever-elusive six-pack from a caloric standpoint! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Take care guys! :thumb:

PS. I'm going to order a more complete EFA source instead of always using just Olive Oil! ;)
 
Eric,
good looking wo. I don't have much to say in re: your calories except that when i was cutting I followed the Burn the Fat Feed the muscle ebook suggestions, I will watch and offer my opinion as you go but I also listened to Jen a lot. She is smart as she is pretty
 
Gw - Thanks, man! I'll check the BFFM e-book. I've actually got it all printed out, bound in a notebook, etc...! :lol: Jen's definitely on the money though, my cals are probably way too low. I'm finding that I'm quite a bit weaker in the gym on this caloric level. I'll definitely do some more research on it. Take care guys! I'll post today's workout and nutrition tonight.
 
IML Gear Cream!
5/27/04

Workout: Back and Bi's

T-Bar Rows:
25x12
35x10
45x8
45x6
25x12

Wide Grip Pulldowns to the Front:
70x12
85x10
100x8
115x6
70x12

Dumbbell Shrugs:
35x12
40x10
45x8
50x6
35x12

Barbell Curls: (My biceps are WEAK!)
35x12
45x10
55x7
55x6
35x12

Alt. Dumbbell Curls:
10x10
15x8
20x6
20x6

Nutrition:

2095 cals
Carbs: 37%
Protein: 36%
Fat: 27%

Meal 1:
2/3 cup Oatmeal
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 tbsp reduced fat Peanut Butter

Meal 2:
1 packet Myoplex Lite
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Meal 3:
1 cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese
.75 tbsp Olive Oil

Meal 4:
0.75 cup Lean Ground Beef
1 cup Whole Wheat Pasta
1/2 cup Pinto Beans

Meal 5:
2 cups Skim Milk
1.5 scoops Protein Powder
1/2 cups Grape Nuts

Notes:
Had 120oz of water, Vitamin C, B-Complex, Calcium and Magnesium supplementation. Will definitely implement more veggies!!
 
In case you guys wanted to put a name with a face! Here I is...

Just look at that pencil-neck...Man, I've gotta work on that! :lifter:
 
Here's (at present) the only really decent part of my physique! Behold, the bicep...lol
 
Nice biceps! :) glad to put a face to the name too! :cool:

diet looked good yestarday! although the one thing I question is the grapenuts in your last meal..... did u just train prior to that meal? if not, then they are a no no then ;)
and good work on the oatmeal at breakfast!! :thumbs:
 
:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: on that bicep!!

I flocked in here didn't I??? :laugh:

Have you psoted a pic of your face yet??? Hmmmm??? ;)
 
I'm flocking in here too! ;) Nice bicep shot!! Diet looks good too!! Keep it up :thumb:
 
Hey guys! Thanks for the compliments! I still have a looong way to go though!!

Jen - You're right on with the Grape Nuts...I was at the point where I was just trying to get my cals up, but at night, not a good thing! Today I mixed those in with the oatmeal...it was post-workout too so it felt great! Overall everything else seems to be falling in place though! I ordered some REGULAR Myoplex today instead of the Myoplex Lite and also ordered some Total EFA :)

Cyndi - You know you're more than welcome to "flock in" here any time you please! You ready for the weekend?? I posted a picture of my face too...I'm the goofy looking character in the post before the bicep post! :lol:

Ncgirl - Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the kind words! Please do so more often!! I'll swing by and check your journal out too!

Gw - My brotha! You're too funny man...LOL You got any big plans this weekend??

Well, I'm going out tonight and tomorrow night but I'm going to do my absolute best to stay strict on my diet...even if it means taking a protein shake with me!! I'll post today's workout and nutrition soon! You all take care!!
 
5/28/04

Workout: Upper legs and shoulders

Squats:
115x10
135x8
155x6
155x6
(Definitely need to go up next time)

SLDL:
95x8
115x6
115x6
(Up by 10 lbs next time)

Leg Press: (not including sled weight)
90x8
180x8
180x6
(Up next time)

Dumbbell Press:
20x10
25x8
30x6
30x6
(Up next time)

Front Raises:
10x8
15x6
15x6

Upright Rows:
45x8
65x6
65x6

Nutrition:

2022 calories
30% Carbs
37% Protein
33% Fat

Meal 1:
2/3 cups Oatmeal
1/2 cup Grape Nuts
1 scoop Protein Powder

Meal 2:
1 cup skim Milk
1 packet Myoplex Lite
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Meal 3:
1 cup lowfat Cottage Cheese
0.75 cups Olive Oil

Meal 4/Snack:
3 chicken wing "drummettes" (no batter)
.25 cups carrots

Meal 5:
1 Chicken Breast
1.25 cups mixed Veggies
1 cup Mushrooms
1 tbsp Olive oil
5 tbsp Spicy Garlic Sauce

Meal 6:
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 cup skim Milk

Notes:
120 oz water
Vitamin C, Multivitamin, B-Complex
 
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