Ponyboy's Competition Journal

[ponyboy]

Well, this will be a great way to get my ass in gear and back into training mode. I'm planning on still doing my triathlon training on a lesser scale over the winter while attempting to add some more lean mass onto my frame.

There is a FAME show in May next year I'm considering going into, but only if I can make enough improvement by then. Next year i also my first full season of triathlon and I will be attempting an Olympic distance race for the first time.

Goals:

1) Clean my diet up again and get it on track. That has always been my main problem. I am so busy it is hard to find time to eat properly, which is a total cop out.

2) Goal weight: 185 lbs. with roughly the same BF level as right now.

3) Maintain running speed and biking ability along with the weight training. I will also be swimming regularly if time permits.

My background is that I work full time in corporate fitness and then part time as a PT. Many days I work 6:30AM to 8PM between both jobs with little time in between. I get in workouts when I can but right now have no regular schedule for working out. This is another goal. Much of my workouts happen through group fitness classes I have to teach, so my cardio is no issue.

Will post measurements and pics by the deadline. I'm waiting for my digital camera to be returned (should be by the weekend).

 

[ponyboy]

Oh yeah, BTW...whore away! I can always use the support!

 

[ponyboy]

Okay, here are the stats:

Name: Ponyboy (Dave to my friends)
Age: 28
Weight: 174.5 lbs.
Approx. BF Level: Around 10-12%


Measurements:

Neck: 15.25 inches
Chest: 40 inches
Arms: 14.5 inches
Waist: 34.5 inches
Hips: 37.5 inches
Thigh: 22 inches

Pics to follow as soon as possible.

 

[J'Bo]

my whore starts with "HOLY SMOKES" my legs and hips are alot bigger than yours

 

[ponyboy]

Hmm...don't know how to react to that. Hips bigger...not bad. Legs bigger...that's definitely bad. I tend to have one of those classic ectomorph physiques...wider shoulders, thin waist. My goal has always been to look like Frank Zane...not huge, but just very well proportioned and balanced.

Did my first real weight workout tonight in a long time...and it is obvious I have some strength work to do. I stuck to the three basic compound movements: bench, deadlift and squat.

Didn't push myself hard...my strength is down probably about 20% so I'm not posting poundages yet because it would be far too embarassing.

Eating today:

5:15AM (yes, I get up this early): Whole grain cereal
8:30AM: Coffee and a bagel - this is usually healthier
11:30AM: Chicken Stir fry with brown rice and lots of veggies
4PM: Chicken breast and beans
8:30PM: Sausage and peppers (leftovers...these are gross but I got rid of them).

Meals will improve over time...I know my overall calories are WAY too low and need to boost those up as well as make better choices. I use time management as an excuse when it's really not.

 

[maniclion]

Didn't push myself hard...my strength is down probably about 20% so I'm not posting poundages yet because it would be far too embarassing.

Hey, I posted mine and I feel akward too. No one is here to judge your abilities. In fact a guy at work is always rubbing in my face that he can bench 400 and he doesn't lift often like I do. He weighs about 275 (fat), I weigh 195. I don't care cause I'm going for aesthetics not strength.

 

[J'Bo]

oh i did not mean that to sound bad hun.
i was just telling you that chicks like me have big baby carriers

 

[ponyboy]

I hear that....I told a girl once I was dating that she had "good child bearing hips". Needless to say that was the LAST date that we had together....whoops.

The cereal I'm eating in the morning (I cycle it with oatmeal every couple of weeks to prevent boredom) is called Kashi Go-Lean...it was recommended by a fitness model friend of mine.
Has 9g protein (mostly soy) and 10g fiber per 2/3 cup serving (I usually eat 1 cup), and almost no sugar content...do you guys think this is okay? I'm going to start adding a protein shake in the morning as well with some PB. Time to get my morning meals back on track.

Trying to get my ratios to 40/30/30. I have trouble with EFA's b/c I'm allergic to nuts and fish/seafood, so I always have to supplement.

 

[ponyboy]

Meals 09/25:

Meal One: Cereal with 1% Milk.

Meal Two: 3 egg omlette with peppers and mushrooms.

Meal Three: Chicken Stir Fry with lots of veggies.

Meal Four: Chicken breast and veggies.

Meal Five: Half a chicken and a potato

I'm starting to feel like clucking.

I had 5 litres of water.

Work until 3pm at one job, drive home, eat, head to another job until 7pm, work out and then home to eat and crash out. Still trying to figure out when the hell I'm actually going to lift weights. This week has been crazy...three 12 hour days in a row.

 

[ponyboy]

09/26

Meals so far:

Meal One: Cereal with skim milk

Meal Two: 3 egg omlette with veggies

Meal Three: 3 HB eggs and an apple

Planning on going to lift tonight after work and after I go to check out what is hopefully going to be MY NEW SUV!! I'm totally excited...plus the deal I'm going to get is fantastic if I can pull it off. Plus I may be getting a bit of a booty call tonight, got an email from an "old friend" who is flying into town tonight and has nowhere to stay...oh, gee...that's too bad...and me with an empty house!

 

[firestorm]

Welcome to the contest PB glad to have you aboard. When you post your pics, don't post them in here,,, post them in the "IM compitition...LET THE GAMES BEGIN" thread. this way we can keep track of who is actually in the contest. Good luck my man.

 

[ponyboy]

Thanks fire!

I have someone coming over tonight and hopefully will have pics up by tomorrow night. Damn digital camera and nobody to take pics of me .

Now back to the important stuff. Worked out Friday and had a really tough time getting my head around the workout. For the first few sets I was fine and then it just all went to hell as soon as I started to do arms. I think stress has something to do with it, I am finding I have very little time lately and I'm tired a lot because of funky hours at work.

Shoulders and Arms:

Military Press 4 sets: 12 reps, 10, 10, 8
I did the last set of these as a clean and press set because the seated military was hurting my rotator cuff.

Lateral Raise 4 sets: 10 reps per set

Superset: Skullcrushers/Barbell Curls: 3 sets of each.

This is when my motivation just totally left me. I'm working on putting together an actual schedule and will have it posted soon. That will greatly help with my motivation plus so will this contest!

Whole weekend was a bit of a writeoff because it was Homecoming at my old alma mater...although I did manage to get in some cardio on the dance floor! Damn these college girls are young looking now.

 

[ponyboy]

Monday 09/29: Improving diet this week.

Meal One (8:30AM): 1 1/2 cup oatmeal.

Meal Two (9:30AM): Protein shake w/ 250 ml milk, water and 1 tbsp. PB plus 5 g creatine. 25 grams protein in shake.

Meal Three (12:45PM): Chicken stir fry with rice noodles.

Meal Four (3:30pm): Steak in a whole wheat Pita with veggies.

Meal Five (10pm-crap!): Chicken and potato.

I had 6 litres of water.

Planning on a leg workout later and teaching kickboxing at 4:30pm (I think).

 

[firestorm]

Ponyboy,, (by the way I loved that movie), If military presses stress your shoulders like that, switch to Dumbells. I refuse to do straight bar anymore. They irritate my shoulders something aweful even before my shoulder injury last year. I'd do straight bars and wind up with this really dull aching sensation. It didn't matter if I went closer or wider with grip, front or rear, they just hurt too damn much. I feel no negative side effects from Dumbells.

 

[firestorm]

If you want to be sure not to get stagnant by tossing out the straight bar, I'll still stay with Dumbells but insead of seated or standing DB presses, every other week or so, I'll do Arnold presses in their place.

 

[ponyboy]

Thanks Fire! I have severe rotator cuff issues as well, so I tend to stay away from the straight bar stuff, which is one of the reasons I actually want to do some light movements like that. I want to help develop my stabilizers used with both hands rather than just one at a time. I often do Arnold presses and love doing them!

Workout yesterday:

Got a little interrupted, which is a common problem in my position.

Smith Machine Bench: warmup barx12, 115x10, 125x8, 125x7
Cable Crossovers: 3rd setting x10, 3rd setting x10, 4th setting x8

Close Grip Chins: Bodyweight x4, BWx5, BWx5
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 8th settingx10, 9th settingx8, 9th settingx7

My major problems are time. At my corporate gym (where I work full time) I can't be working out when there are other members present...so my window of working out is often very slim. I also work part time at another gym...however for example my typical day lasts from 7:30am to 8pm (like today). Some days I leave for one job at 5:45am, get home at 3:30pm for an hour, and then go back to the other gym from 4:45 to 8:15...which makes for a very long day. Therefore I fit my workouts in when I can. I'm still working on the organization.

 

[ponyboy]

Finally got my pics thanks to Butterfly...god it really makes you wonder when you realize that you suddenly look like crap. Amazing to think I was on stage only five months ago.


Getting resolved to improve this crap.

Meals today:

7AM: Oatmeal.

9:30AM: Protein shake with PB.

1PM: Steak Stir fry with brown rice and veggies.

4PM: Steak in a pita with veggies.

8PM: (post workout) Chicken and potato.

About 5-6 litres of water.

Going for a workout tonight since my client cancelled! Woo hoo! Free time is always a luxury for me!

 

[ponyboy]

Last night did my first real leg workout in a LONG time unless you count running and cycling. Totally different so I took it a little bit easy. I'm expecting all my weights to jump up fairly quickly once my muscle memory comes back.

Squats: Warmup with bar and stretch after 5 mins. elliptical

135x10
135x10
145x8
145x8
2 mins RE for all these sets

Felt okay, but my lower back and right knee were definitely asking what the hell was going on. I'm expecting this to be back up to 225 by November.

Leg Extension/Leg Curl Superset:

100LE/60LCx10 45s rest
100LE/60LCx10

Walking Lunges, 2 sets 10 reps w/ 20 lbs. each hand 30s RE

Stability Work: Squats standing on Swiss Ball 2 sets 4 reps

Damn these were hard because my legs were tired...the stability just wasn't there at all. These will improve over time as well.

 

[ponyboy]

Yesterday's meals: WOW WHAT A CRAPPY DAY

5:30AM (yes, I get up this early): Oatmeal 1 1/2 cups
Protein shake with PB (25 grams protein)

7AM: Coffee and a bagel

9AM: 3 egg omlette with veggies and cheese

1PM: Burger (fell off the wagon here because of a car apppointment and I needed something quick).

4PM: Chicken (about 5oz.)

8:30PM: Beef and two slices organic bread toasted.

Workout plan to be posted by the end of the day.

 

[ponyboy]

God my workout actually felt good tonight. My weights are starting to slowly creep back up as well.

Arm workout:

Barbell Curls supersetted with Skullcrushers:

Curls: 45x10, 55x10, 55x10 No RE
Crushers: 45x10, 55x10, 55x10 30s RE

Standing Dumbbell Curls: 30x10, 30x10 30s RE

Hammer Curls supersetted with SA Pressdowns

Curls: 20x10, 20x10 No RE
Pressdowns: 10th settingx10/arm, 10th settingx10/arm

Meals Today:

5:30AM: Cereal (Lean Fiber cereal)

9AM: 3 egg omlette with veggies, ham and rye bread

12:30PM: Chicken stir fry with veggies

3PM: 4 oz. ground sirloin with potato

8PM: Chicken and rye bread w/ soy PB.

Protein shake before bed and I'm good to go.

 

[ponyboy]

Shoulder workout today...although looking at my journal this should have been back day. Whoops.

I'll do back tomorrow morning after spinning.

Dumbbell Press: Trying to find my weight on these due to my bad rotator cuff. Therefore I did a lot of warmup sets:

15x10
20x10
25x12
30x10
35x10

Finally got a little tired on that final set. Good sign that my muscle memory is coming back.

Front Raises:

10x10/side
15x10/side
15x10/side

Lateral Raise:

10x10
15x8

Then I got interrupted by someone and had to take care of them.

Meals:

6AM: Oatmeal and protein shake w/ soy PB
9AM: Fruit and 3 HB eggs
12:30PM: Steak stir fry with rice noodles.

 

[ponyboy]

Weekend went well, although for lifting sake it didn't go too well. Spent most of Saturday driving my new car around and feeling fantastic. I managed to keep my meals mostly healthy, and even didn't succumb to drinking on Friday night because I knew I had to take a spinning class Saturday morning early.

So my physical activity on the weekend amounted to:

Saturday: 45 minute spin class. Kept my HR aroud 160-170 for most of the class and got a good burn in my legs.

Sunday: Played 2 hours of tennis (which I haven't played in a long time) against an opponent who should be better than me, but he wasn't (I think he was hung over). That was a really good cardio workout and my legs are definitely feeling it today as well.

Beat him 6-1, 6-4, 6-0, 6-3. I guess that means I kicked his ass. Basically I just kept returning shots and he kept making unforced errors.

Today is chest and back day, which I have planned for this afternoon.

 

[ponyboy]

Monday: Chest workout (30 minutes)

Smith Machine Bench: Warmup w/ bar

115x10 3 min RE
125x10
130x9
130x8

Cable Crossovers:

3rd settingx10 2 min RE
4th settingx10
4th settingx10

Then I'm teaching kickboxing in 2 hours.

 

[Jenny]

Originally posted by ponyboy
Spent most of Saturday driving my new car around and feeling fantastic.

Hey, you just found a way of socialising without being attacked by evil foods!

 

[ponyboy]

Yeah, except I need someone to ride along with me...and asking random women on the side of the road if they want a ride can get you arrested real quick .

Have no idea if anyone is going to show up for kickboxing tonight in five minutes...

 

[ponyboy]

Leg workout tonight...this was on zero food because I didn't have a regular meal in the afternoon.

Poundages still went up so I'm happy.

Squats: Warmup with bar

135x10 2 min RE
155x10
155x9

Leg Extension/Leg Curl Superset

110LEx10/60LCx10 1 min RE
110LEx10/70LCx9

Walking Lunges:

2 sets w/ 30lbs. per hand x 10 reps 60s RE.

Then came home and had some ground sirloin and a potato.

Checked my weight today and it's up to 178...good sign.

 

[ponyboy]

Here's the tentative workout plan based on my current schedule:

Monday: Chest and kickboxing 45 minutes (regular class I teach)
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Arms and Yoga (regular class I teach)
Thursday: Off (this is commonly a 15 hour work day)
Friday: Shoulders
Weekend: Back and Spinning or running or alternate cardio.

Hopefully I will be teaching a regular spin class on Tuesdays starting in the winter and can take that off of my weekend workout plan and sub in a run.

Meal plan: Keep getting my 5-6 meals per day with varied foods and try to gradually add a little more. I have been feeling very good physically with my current diet plan and will continue it.

Planning on starting a 1-AD cycle for 4-6 weeks in November to get rid of some I have had for a while (about a bottle and a half). Then finish a bulk until January and see how my progress is. If I'm up to 190-195 and solid I may consider cutting to compete in May. Told myself I wasn't going to...but the motivation of competition training is huge.

First goal weight: 190 lbs.

 

[J'Bo]

Originally posted by ponyboy
I hear that....I told a girl once I was dating that she had "good child bearing hips". Needless to say that was the LAST date that we had together....whoops.
well i think that my hips are an assest and will be once i decide to start having children...all the better home my sweeties will have and alot better for push'em out
The cereal I'm eating in the morning (I cycle it with oatmeal every couple of weeks to prevent boredom) is called Kashi Go-Lean...it was recommended by a fitness model friend of mine.
Has 9g protein (mostly soy) and 10g fiber per 2/3 cup serving (I usually eat 1 cup), and almost no sugar content...do you guys think this is okay? I'm going to start adding a protein shake in the morning as well with some PB. Time to get my morning meals back on track.
go lean is good, have you ever tried rice dream instead of soy milk? you might want to even try having a skim milk protein shake in your cereal...great way to get all your macros in....top the cereal with some nuts or grounf flax and your set
Trying to get my ratios to 40/30/30. I have trouble with EFA's b/c I'm allergic to nuts and fish/seafood, so I always have to supplement. well i have no problem getting my EFA's cause i am a hemp freak as Leslie calls me however some times i am a pb nut too

 

[ponyboy]

Hmm...ground flax...that's a good idea.

I'm also needing to buy some hemp oil I think...will look into that this week.

Arm Workout today:

EZ Bar Curls: Warmup with just bar

65x8
65x7
65x8

Incline Dumbbell Curls:

20x10
20x10
20x9

Pressdowns (straight bar):

9th setting x10
10th setting x10
10th setting x10

Single Arm French Press

15'sx10
20'sx10
20'sx7

Meals so far today:

6AM: Oatmeal and protein shake
9AM: 3 HB eggs and fruit (about 1.5 cups)
12:30PM: Chicken breast sandwich on foccacia with veggies

 

[caribstv]

Hmmm my 2 cents... u need to up the dosage in eggs, and red meat.. chicken doesn;t make u gain weight like red meat does trust me
I know..




<---260lbs up 20lbs and change from last yr