MonStar's Journal: Time to Get Serious

[atherjen]

Originally posted by MonStar
atherjen: Thanks so much for the support Jen, appreciate it! Yeah setting PR's is a great feeling, I absolutely love it. I am going to try some either echinacia (sp.) or goldenseal root for my cold. I might have just been sniffly this morning, now I feel fine. Your legs and back are brutally sore? Sounds like you need the hot bath...

stop thanking me! er else!! I wont say it again!
glad your feeling better. lay the vitamins too you! and get plenty of rest tonight just in case..
ohh yes my back is SOO sore tonite. traps too.. DOMS is really kicking in now 36 hours later. defintly going to take a hot bath in a few.
Hope works going good tonite!

 

[PreMier]

Just curious, but you never listed your goals. From the way your eating, im guessing trying to lean down a bit Just doesnt seem like a lot of cals.

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Eh, whatever, work is work for me. Not the greatest or the worst to be completely honest. That sucks that you have DOMS so bad, I definitely think that it's because youre cutting carbs down for the contest.

PreMier: Hey man, yeah, my goals at this point are pretty much to slowly lean out. Just a gradual thing now though to be honest. Maybe eat anywhere from 3.5K - 4K calories on training days and around 3K - 3.5K on rest days. Thanks for chiming in.

 

[M.J.H.]

1-30-2004 | Rest

DIET.

• ----------High-Calorie Day----------
  
  Meal 1: whole-wheat toast + peanut butter, skim milk
  Meal 2: chicken noodle soup
  Meal 3: MRP + 1% milk + yogurt
  Meal 4: 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
  Meal 5: 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
  Meal 6: 4 chicken breasts + dijon sauce
  Meal 7: tuna cassarole
  Meal 8: Frosted Mini-Wheats + skim milk
  
  Estimated Calories: ~4,500
  
  Came up with a new way of calorie cycling. Well, I didnt really come up with it, lol. I had a few people recommend it though and I am most definitely going to give it a fair shot. I think that I will probably get some good results, simply because it allows me to have more pig-out days like today, etc. I am going to be doing a 3-day cycle. Going to look like this:
  
  Day 1---2.5K calories
  Day 2---3.5K calories
  Day 3---4.5K calories
  
  As you can see, obviously today was day 3, lol. So tomorrow I am going to drastically cut my calories down low. Going to stay as close to 2,500 total calories tomorrow as possible. Hopefully I won't have too much of a problem. Day 3 is going to be simliar to a refeed day I think, with a good amount of carbs, and not overdoing it on the fat.

MISCELLANEOUS.

• Sleep: 8 hours
  Pain/Soreness: Ouch, I am hurtin' all over today. This is a much deserved rest day I think. Chest and delts are both really sore. Upper back is kind of sore, legs are stiff. Calves are still aching. I am just hurtin' all over!
  Water: So far so good.
  
  After thinking about my training and such, I am most likely going to try a subtle version of periodization. Basically I am going to try and overload for 3-cycles, and then the 4th cycle, deload. A cycle is going to be however many days it takes to train my entire body. For example this time it took 5, Tuesday I did legs, Wednesday I did back, yesterday chest/delts, and then tomorrow arms. So thats the first cycle, of overloading. Make sense?

 

[Triple Threat]

Re: 1-27-2004 | Legs / Abs

Originally posted by MonStar

Hyperextensions:

Used a cambered-bar to do these here today. Held the bar Zercher style, in the crease of my elbow.

Another way to do these is with a dumbbell. Just hold it with both hands.

 

[M.J.H.]

CaptainDeadlift: LOL, you have no idea how much I would rather do them with DB's. But my hyperextension bench is literally like in a completely different room of my gym. It's so much easier to just use the cambered-bar. Even though it really f*cks up my arms.

 

[atherjen]

Re: 1-30-2004 | Rest

Originally posted by MonStar
DIET.

• Meal 1: whole-wheat toast + peanut butter, skim milk
  Meal 2: chicken noodle soup
  Meal 3: MRP + 1% milk + yogurt
  Meal 4: ?
  
  Estimated Calories: ?

MISCELLANEOUS.

• Sleep: 8 hours
  Pain/Soreness: Ouch, I am hurtin' all over today. This is a much deserved rest day I think. Chest and delts are both really sore. Upper back is kind of sore, legs are stiff. Calves are still aching. I am just hurtin' all over!
  Water: So far so good.
  
  After thinking about my training and such, I am most likely going to try a subtle version of periodization. Basically I am going to try and overload for 3-cycles, and then the 4th cycle, deload. A cycle is going to be however many days it takes to train my entire body. For example this time it took 5, Tuesday I did legs, Wednesday I did back, yesterday chest/delts, and then tomorrow arms. So thats the first cycle, of overloading. Make sense?

I think that I can make sense of that new training idea... Ill just follow along. Sounds like a good plan (I think), stick with it!
Defintly deserve a day off then hun! smart move. I was still pretty darn sore today but worked out nevertheless.. not exactly the smartess move but it works with my schedule eh.
what kind of chicken noodle soup is it? Mmm Im craving homestyle cooking now. :shh:

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Haha, yeah, I definitely needed today off from the gym. As much as I absolutely hate rest days I can't be risking overtraining. I am going to try and do everything in my power to prevent overtraining. It's Campbell's 'Chunky' roasted chicked and garlic soup. It's 18g of protein and 220 calories in the can, not too bad at all for soup.

 

[atherjen]

I hate being out of the gym too. Its addicting eh. I remember that some days I would just go and do abs and calves or something.. gets my mind off things. Im weird.
hmmm Ok not bad for a soup! Im glad its not some condensed kinda. rest of the diet looks great too btw!

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Yeah I definitely know the feeling! I hate being out of the gym, drives me nuts! I am always hungrier on days that I dont train too, for some reason. Really weird if you ask me. Maybe my body is just trying to recuperate, who knows.

My diet has been decent, just ate a big bowl of tuna cassrole though, so damn good! But I know its high-calorie...

 

[M.J.H.]

1-31-2004 | Arms

DIET.

• ----------Low-Calorie Day----------
  
  Meal 1: banana
  During Workout: 20 oz. Gatorade
  Postworkout: whey protein
  Meal 4: chicken noodle soup
  Meal 5: 2 Balance bars
  Meal 6: vegetarian ham & cheese wrap
  Meal 7: low-carb chips
  Meal 8: 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
  Meal 9: salad + vinegarette dressing
  Meal 10: chicken & vegetable stirfry
  
  Estimated Calories: ~2,700
  
  Little bit other my calories, oh well, I was close.

TRAINING.

• Lying Cambered-Bar Extensions: (to neck)
  
  75 x 8
  125 x 8
  145 x 8
  175 x 6
  125 x 12
  
  Damn, some GREAT sets today of skulls. Talk about beating my f*cking triceps up hard. I absolutely LOVE training my arms, talk about a great feeling. Really good pump and everything like that here today. All 5 sets were definitely excellent.
  
  Standing Cambered-Bar Curls:
  
  75 x 8
  95 x 8
  115 x 6
  135 x 5
  95 x 12
  
  Some really really good sets here today. Form and ROM were absolutely excellent. Didn't use any excessive body English like I know some people do. Great biceps contractions, etc.
  
  1-Arm Dumbbell Extensions:
  
  35 x 10/10
  40 x 7/7
  40 x 6 /6
  
  Damn, at this point my triceps were really beat up. Exhausted, pumped, and fatigued. And these 3 sets just hit them even harder. Definitely 3 good sets here today.
  
  1-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls:
  
  30 x 10/10
  35 x 9/9
  40 x 7/7
  
  Some damn good sets here today of preachers. I am trying to decide which I like better preacher curls or concentration curls for hitting my biceps. Both seem good, the only problem with concentration curls is that it's easier to slip up and use a little momentum to get the DB up.
  
  Cable Pressdowns:
  
  Dropset
  Stack x 8
  160 x 8
  120 x 8
  
  OUCH! These finished off my triceps completely, holy sh*t. Lactic acid buildup was incredible, feeling of exhaustion was good, pump was very very nice.
  
  Reverse Cable Curls:
  
  Dropset
  140 x 8
  100 x 8
  60 x 8
  
  Again, exhausted my friggin' arms today. Brachialis and brachioradialis both took a hell of a beating. Arms were pumped up and my vascularity in my forearms / biceps was really looking good.
  
  Overall workout today was EXCELLENT.

MISCELLANEOUS.

• Sleep: 7 hours
  Pain/Soreness: Still pretty sore honestly. Calves are still hurting, legs feel good though. Chest and delts are still pretty damn stiff.
  Water: Eh, not so good so far today. Woke up late, had to rush around, etc.
  
  Today at work, on a very exact scale, I weighed myself. Weighed 213 lbs. which wasnt too bad I dont think. Would like to get down to and maintain maybe 205ish?

 

[atherjen]

looks like an intense workout there Mike! very impressive lifts as always! those are some crazy weights on the Lying Cambered-Bar Extensions! gosh! must have had an awesome pump going on!
Stay focused with the diet today hun.. I know you can do it. (I would have had a lil protein in that first meal too.. just a suggestion).
Hope your having a good day!

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Hey Jen, yeah definitely an intense workout this morning. I was extremely pleased with my workout. No complaints at all here today. Yeah, I am trying hard to stay focused, so far I am at 2,000 calories. Need to eat sparingly the rest of the night. I dont think it should be TOO much of a problem.

Not the greatest day, got into a minor car accident. Luckily though my car is not at all damaged.

 

[atherjen]

Originally posted by MonStar
atherjen: Hey Jen, yeah definitely an intense workout this morning. I was extremely pleased with my workout. No complaints at all here today. Yeah, I am trying hard to stay focused, so far I am at 2,000 calories. Need to eat sparingly the rest of the night. I dont think it should be TOO much of a problem.

Not the greatest day, got into a minor car accident. Luckily though my car is not at all damaged.

ohhh noo!! youll have to tell me about it later!
not bad so far then today with the cals. Im sure that you can swing only 500 more!

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Yeah, it wasn't too big of a deal, nothing major really I dont think. Yeah it was tough today trying to cut back my calories, lol, trust me. Not something that I am at all used to.

 

[Rixmon]

2500 calories is low calories? you lucky man hehe.

Anyways Good luck with your journal

 

[M.J.H.]

trailrix: LOL, hell yeah man. 2.5K calories is pretty much nothing at all. Sitting here typing this I am absolutely starving. About to go to bed because if I stay up much longer I am going to go nuts and pig out! 3.5K is a moderate amount, 4.5K is what I am talking about!

 

[Arnold]

MonStar I still say your diet is too low in protein, meal 1 should always have 30-40 grams of protein, your first meal is nothing but sugar.

Low carb chips and a salad are not meals.

 

[M.J.H.]

Prince: Yeah, I agree, I should definitely up my protein intake some. I am not a big believer at all in a huge protein intake, but I think 1g per pound of bodyweight is a necessity. No doubt. Yesterday I had to eat then go straight to the gym, so it really wasn't a meal, just a snack. Most of my meals that are extremely small are snacks, for the most part. Not really trying to get a lot of protein in them. Usually just 100 - 200 calories to hold me over until my next meal.

 

[M.J.H.]

2-1-2004 | Back / Calves

DIET.

• Meal 1: whole-wheat toast + peanut butter, skim milk
  Meal 2: apple
  Meal 3: 5??? Italian sub
  Meal 4: non-fat yogurt
  Meal 5: Frosted Mini-Wheats + skim milk
  During Workout: 20 oz. Gatorade
  Postworkout: whey protein
  Meal 8: tortilla chips + ground beef + cheese + salsa
  Meal 9: MRP + 1% milk + yogurt
  Meal 10: chicken noodle soup
  
  Estimated Calories: ~4,200

TRAINING.

• Bentover Underhand Smith-Machine Rows:
  
  90 x 8
  140 x 8
  180 x 8
  230 x 8
  270 x 6!
  320 x 1.5
  180 x 17
  
  Damn good sets today of bent rows!! Really hit my lats extremely hard here today I think. Nice new PR with 3 plates on each side. Tried 320 but only got a rep and a half with it, lol. Not too much left after set with 270. Overall sets were good. Burnout set with 180 was just plain painful.
  
  Parallel-Grip Cable Pulldowns:
  
  185 x 11
  200 x 8
  215 x 4.5
  
  Damn good sets today of pulldowns! Really hit my lats extremely hard with these 3 sets. Talk about really hitting my lats hard. Good slow reps really squeezing my lats at the bottom of each rep. All 3 sets today were excellent. Moved up on all 3 sets from last back session.
  
  Nautilus Pullovers:
  
  170 x 12
  200 x 8
  220 x 6.5
  
  Some good sets here today of pullovers. Triceps were KILLING me from my arm workout yesterday and for some reason I felt this exercise a little in my triceps. I am not sure how, really. Whatever.
  
  Seated Calf Raises:
  
  270 x 10
  270 x 10
  270 x 10
  270 x 10
  270 x 10
  180 x 20
  180 x 20
  180 x 20
  
  Some damn hard sets today of seated calf raises. Really trying to increase my volume some and pound away at my calves. Really would love to see them grow a little, drives me crazy when they???re so f*cking stubborn.

MISCELLANEOUS.

• Sleep: 7 hours
  Pain/Soreness: Hmm, triceps are killing me. Other than that I really don???t have much pain/soreness.
  Water: Good amount today, really took in a hell of a lot of water today. Nice.

 

[Jill]

Re: 2-1-2004 | Back / Calves

Originally posted by MonStar
DIET.

Meal 8: tortilla chips + ground beef + cheese + salsa

Would this happen to be nachos mister?? Yum! But you forgot the olives

 

[atherjen]

Nice lifts as always hun! continue to impress me.

....hmm where did those frosted mini wheats and chips come in?

 

[M.J.H.]

Jill: LOL, yeah that would most definitely have to be nachos. Not the best move in the world, but hey, definitely some good protein in that meal.

atherjen: Haha, the cereal and skim milk was just basically a carb-up before my workout. I am thinking that I should start having a real big carb meal 1-2 hours before my workouts. What do you think about this? Can't decide if its a good idea or not.

 

[atherjen]

Originally posted by MonStar
atherjen: Haha, the cereal and skim milk was just basically a carb-up before my workout. I am thinking that I should start having a real big carb meal 1-2 hours before my workouts. What do you think about this? Can't decide if its a good idea or not.

good excuse! jk hun. I wouldnt make it a huge carb meal but defintly a meal with a significant amount.. and try to make it something more complex.. that sugary cereal is only going to spike your insulin levels and make your energy plumet by having glucose levels raise too fast then drop too fast.. and you want sustained energy flow during workouts!

 

[Arnold]

Originally posted by MonStar
Prince:
but I think 1g per pound of bodyweight is a necessity. No doubt.

Yes, it's extremely important to get a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight....where are you at?

Most of my meals that are extremely small are snacks, for the most part. Not really trying to get a lot of protein in them. Usually just 100 - 200 calories to hold me over until my next meal.

Okay, but are you getting in 30-40 grams of protein per meal?

It seems like you put much more focus and planning into your training rather than your diet/nutrition. Without proper nutrition the training will not do a whole lot of good.

 

[Monolith]

Originally posted by Prince
Yes, it's extremely important to get a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight....where are you at?



Okay, but are you getting in 30-40 grams of protein per meal?

It seems like you put much more focus and planning into your training rather than your diet/nutrition. Without proper nutrition the training will not do a whole lot of good.

he seems to be doing pretty good as he is... why mess with a good thing?

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Yeah, funny you say that, because I think that's exactly what happened! I think I got into the gym feeling strong, and then all the sudden my energy just plummeted. Not sure why. I guess my insulin levels, who knows. Frosted Mini-Wheats are really not THAT bad. Like 46g of carbs a serving, I think 10-12g of sugar, and 5g of protein. Then 2 cups of skim milk yields 24g milk sugar. Who knows, I am not sure what I think about a large preworkout carb meal at this point. I have read from Lyle McDonald that a piece of fruit preworkout is excellent for partially refilling liver glycogen. Thus causing you deplete your liver glycogen even more than usual.

Prince: At this point man, honestly, I am not trying to be really anal about my diet. I am at this point just trying to get over an extremely negative binging habit. It seems that no matter what I cannot stop binging. So if I can stop binging (15K+ calories in one night) I think that I will be better off. About my protein intake, I most likely do not get a steady intake in every meal. I spread it out a bit more.

Monolith: I think I have been doing well lately, knowing my history of binges.

 

[atherjen]

Originally posted by MonStar
atherjen: Yeah, funny you say that, because I think that's exactly what happened! I think I got into the gym feeling strong, and then all the sudden my energy just plummeted. Not sure why. I guess my insulin levels, who knows. Frosted Mini-Wheats are really not THAT bad. Like 46g of carbs a serving, I think 10-12g of sugar, and 5g of protein. Then 2 cups of skim milk yields 24g milk sugar. Who knows, I am not sure what I think about a large preworkout carb meal at this point. I have read from Lyle McDonald that a piece of fruit preworkout is excellent for partially refilling liver glycogen. Thus causing you deplete your liver glycogen even more than usual.

ah ha! I think that you figured it out as well that no more frosted cereals before training. def try a of fruit and something more complex and then see how you feel.

 

[M.J.H.]

atherjen: Yeah Jen, I am going to cut out the big preworkout carb meal. No reason to spike insulin so high preworkout, doesn't make much sense. Going to try a piece of fruit and see how I like that. Generally when I eat a piece of fruit preworkout I have a good workout, somehow.

 

[Monolith]

Originally posted by MonStar
Monolith: I think I have been doing well lately, knowing my history of binges.

If binging got you to a 600+ deadlift, i might give that type of "diet" a try.