Tallcall's journal

[Musclebeach]

Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy.

I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).

 

[tallcall]

Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy.

I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).

Alright, I'm going to get and learn how to use a caliper. The Sub scapular pinch must be a little difficult if there is no one there to help, but I'll give it a try (it'll be a good learning experience).

 

[Musclebeach]

To be most accurate you need to have someone do the skinfolds for you. I sometimes do my ab and chest just to see where Im at millimeter-wise. My chest is always 5mm, so if it goes up, I know Im getting fat.

 

[tallcall]

Good advice, thanks man!

 

[tallcall]

8/16/07

Thursday:

Chest

Flat Bench W/rope (light tension): RI - 60

75x12 PR (Reps)
95x10
120x6 PR - Tied previous record

Flat Bench Rest/Pause (2 seconds): RI - 60

95x8 (2 assisted)
95x8 (2 assisted)

Decline Bench Press: RI - 45

75x10
95x10
95x10
105x8 (2 assisted) PR

DB Incline Press: RI - 60

25x10
25x10
30x8
30x10 (3 assisted)

Cable Cross Over Flys: RI - 30

Machine #3x15
Machine #5x15
Machine #7x10
Machine #7x9

Cardio - 40 minutes HIIT

Rowing for 5 minutes. Starting hr - 85, max hr - 157, level 9, new max distance - 1249 meters @ 1:51/500 meters, new max rpm - 41 rpm.

15 minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting - 100, max hr - 165, level 10 and 14.
Minutes 0-9 - Level 10, hr's 155-160:
Minute 9-10 - level 14, hr - 160-165:
Minutes 10-15, levels - 6, 3, and 1, hr - 150-160

20 minutes on a Treadmill HIIT. Starting - 110, max hr - 175. Normal hr range - 140-150, interval hr range - 155-170, 2x175: 6 MPH @ 30 seconds - 1 foot incline, 5 MPH @ 30 seconds - 3 feet incline).

I had a lot of energy and aggression today to work on, so everything was great. Those Benches have actually improved, though not necessarily reflected in the weights I reported, they just feel so much easier to lift now, I need to go up a little. I liked the Decline Press, but it certainly was not any easier than the others. I think because of the positioning, it was more difficult for me (I had to place the bar on the top rack to get under it in the first place, then it was a really long way to go from the top of the move to my chest - at least it felt longer). I was told to take the shoulders out of the lift as much as possible, some people lift the weight on their shoulders and I think that makes it a lot easier on them. I totally disagree that Declines are any easier than Inclines (actually I think Inclines were easier).

Cardio was really fun today, I put more resistance on the elliptical that I ever have before. I also ran pretty much the entire 15 minutes at 150 bpm or higher. The Treadmill was a lot of fun too, I spent most of my time between 155 and 175 bpm.

 

[tallcall]

8/17/07

Friday:

Abs and Cardio:

Abs:
Superset:
Ab Rollout/Bird-Dog/Cat-Camel/Planks: RI - 30

BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60

Cardio - 55 Minutes SS

5 minute warmup on a stairmaster (starting hr - 75, max hr - 140, levels 5-7).

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155 bpm, Level - 1).

20 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 130-145, incline - 3.0-15.0, speed - 3.0-4.0).



Today was awesome, I met some cool people at my gym, who apparently live real close to me anyway.



Aside from the illiotibial band friction I get during my cardio workouts, everything ran smooooooth.

 

[DOMS]

That's some serious ab work and cardio!

Great job, man!

How's the body coming along?

 

[tallcall]

That's some serious ab work and cardio!

Great job, man!

How's the body coming along?

So far I'm down to 294 pounds from 325 pounds 5 months ago.

The computer has been doing wierd things when estimating my bodyfat, so I decided to get a caliper and learn how to use it to get better readings.

I can squeeze into size 38 shorts and pants, comfortably fit into size 40 (I started at size 52, down 12-14 inches in 5 months).

I def feel leaner, I can see some separation in my chest and tris/delts. I can feel my abs, they feel rock hard, I'll jab at them pretty hard and not feel much at all. Also, Quads and Glutes are coming in nicely!

This is all while my strength has continued to grow, I think I'll be hitting 305 on my deads soon (maybe 2 or 3 weeks), I hope to be able to do bodyweight Dips in a month or so as well. Squats are still around 230, 250 max, and bench has been improving quickly (I used to have a hard time with 115, now I can get sets of 8 or 10, so we're moving the weight up and adding in negatives, rest/pauses, and cables to change the amount of tension).

Summary: Pretty good

 

[soxmuscle]

55 minutes of cardio would kill me. Job well done.

 

[tallcall]

55 minutes of cardio would kill me. Job well done.

Thank you buddy. I have 90 minutes to go this week, so I'll probably get a 30 min HIIT session tomorrow and a 50-60 min SS session Sunday. To be honest, I like the hour long sessions, I get in "the zone" pretty easily and could stay on the elliptical for the entire time.

 

[Double D]

Almost 30bs in 5 months! Thats phenominal! Great work TC!

 

[Musclebeach]

Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).

 

[tallcall]

Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).

Yeah, my trainer and I are getting concerned that I'm not eating enough now (I get about 2950 calories on a normal day and about 3300 calories on a strength training day). I'm going to add about 200 calories so I get about 3100-3150 on regular days, and almost 3500 on strength days and see how it goes (mostly in the form of carbs pre and post workout on strength days and maybe just add 200 calories to my 4th meal on regular days - granola bar and a piece or two of fruit).

 

[goob]

Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards.

Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?

 

[MCx2]

Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.

 

[katt]

That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time! Does it seem that your strength is staying up? Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's? Are you losing too fast?

 

[tallcall]

That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time! Does it seem that your strength is staying up? Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's? Are you losing too fast?

I'm losing 2-2.5 pounds a week and maintaining my strength. I just feel so hungry all day and sort of tired even before the workout.

I know my basal is 2880/day, and I eat 2900-3300/day (~2950 on diet days and ~3300 on Strength training days). I guess that's just the price I pay for being a tall person (6 feet 10 inches).

 

[tallcall]

Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards.

Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?

Thanks man!

I don't like to drink, so no I don't do that. I have only made slight adjustments to my diet and workout routine (I ran all of them by my trainer first to get his input). So far I love eating 6-8 meals a day every 2-2.5 hours.

 

[tallcall]

Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.

Thank you, I love getting looks from everyone when the see me doing some of the things I do (those farmers walks really screw with some peoples minds - I wonder if they are wondering what I'm going to do with 60+ pound dumbbells and why I'm just walking around ).

 

[Witchblade]

Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.

 

[tallcall]

Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.

Thanks man. You know, I've been on Atkins before, also Weight watchers. I think they might have worked if I understood them better and actually had a weight lifting program. I think that's the only way those kinds of diets ever truly work.

Just a quick question, which country do you live in? I visited a couple Dutch speaking countries, and I absolutely loved them all. I've visited Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but I believe the rest are at least equally as beautiful (people and countryside, I felt more at home in those countries than anywhere else, the people were so nice to my friends and I).

 

[tallcall]

8/18/07

Saturday

Shoulders/Back:

Abs: RI - 30

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Weighted Supermans:

BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10 PR for Weight

Reverse Crunches:

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60

Bar + 50x11
Bar + 70x8
Bar + 90x6
Bar + 110x2 PRs for Weight

Smith Hises: RI - 60

Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20
Bar + 270x20 PR for Weight (3 plates on each side)

Cable Upright Rows: RI - 60

110x10
120x10
130x10
140x8 PR for Weight

DB Bent over Row: RI - 30

25x15
30x15
35x15 PR for Weight

Hyper-extensions: RI - 30

BW+25x12
BW+25x12
BW+25x12

Farmer's Walks: RI - 60

70'sx67 steps, 70 steps (PR for Weight) , and 58 steps

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 Minutes on a rowing machine (Starting hr - 97, max hr - 160, level 9, new max speed - 45 rpm)

15 Minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting hr - 124, max hr - 175.
Min 1-4, level 6
Min 4-8, Level 10
Min 8-9, level 15
Min 9-12, level 12
Min 12-13, level 6
Min 13-15, Level 3
HR - 155-165 for minutes 1-8 and 13-15
HR - 170-175 for minutes 9-13

10 Minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 107, max hr - 210, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.5-6.0 - I was on 6.0 mph for 1 minute at 210 bpm PR for Endurance . Functional hr range - 140-150.

 

[tallcall]

Looking back, that was awesome! I haven't done normal shoulder presses in a while, but I was able to shoot the weight up there pretty quickly.

The Hises are getting stronger, pretty soon, I'll be in the 300's.

I have to admit that I love those farmers walks. I'm trying to get to the point where I can carry my bodyweight (or just pick up the 110 pound dumbbells - the maximum my place has). I still enjoy seeing the look of utter confusion in everyone's face when they see me walking around with 70 pound weights like I'm going to do something real special (I guess it's just the unconventional nature of the exercise that gets them).

Cardio was fun, I was completely beaten up afterwards (210 bpm on the 6mph run - held for 1 minute was awesome - heart rate reacted very quickly too and shot up there right when I increased the speed, I guess that's a good thing).

 

[Witchblade]

Thanks man. You know, I've been on Atkins before, also Weight watchers. I think they might have worked if I understood them better and actually had a weight lifting program. I think that's the only way those kinds of diets ever truly work.

Just a quick question, which country do you live in? I visited a couple Dutch speaking countries, and I absolutely loved them all. I've visited Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but I believe the rest are at least equally as beautiful (people and countryside, I felt more at home in those countries than anywhere else, the people were so nice to my friends and I).

I live in Holland (The Netherlands). They don't speak Dutch in any of the countries you mentioned! That's German. They and Holland all have the same language as origin and a (slightly) similar culture though.

 

[tallcall]

I live in Holland (The Netherlands). They don't speak Dutch in any of the countries you mentioned! That's German. They and Holland all have the same language as origin and a (slightly) similar culture though.

Just shows that I still have so much to learn. Still, if the rest are like you, I'd say there are a lot of great people over there.

 

[MCx2]

Saturday

Shoulders/Back:

Abs: RI - 30

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Weighted Supermans:

BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10 PR for Weight

Reverse Crunches:

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60

Bar + 50x11
Bar + 70x8
Bar + 90x6
Bar + 110x2 PRs for Weight

Smith Hises: RI - 60

Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20
Bar + 270x20 PR for Weight (3 plates on each side)

Cable Upright Rows: RI - 60

110x10
120x10
130x10
140x8 PR for Weight

DB Bent over Row: RI - 30

25x15
30x15
35x15 PR for Weight

Hyper-extensions: RI - 30

BW+25x12
BW+25x12
BW+25x12

Farmer's Walks: RI - 60

70'sx67 steps, 70 steps (PR for Weight) , and 58 steps

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 Minutes on a rowing machine (Starting hr - 97, max hr - 160, level 9, new max speed - 45 rpm)

15 Minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting hr - 124, max hr - 175.
Min 1-4, level 6
Min 4-8, Level 10
Min 8-9, level 15
Min 9-12, level 12
Min 12-13, level 6
Min 13-15, Level 3
HR - 155-165 for minutes 1-8 and 13-15
HR - 170-175 for minutes 9-13

10 Minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 107, max hr - 210, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.5-6.0 - I was on 6.0 mph for 1 minute at 210 bpm PR for Endurance . Functional hr range - 140-150.

Holy shit that's a lot of PR's!!

 

[Musclebeach]

Nice PRs!!!

Holy shit... you are 6'10"?? Wow!

 

[tallcall]

8/19/07

Muscle Beach - Yeah man - 6'10" - people seem to get a little intimidated by me, but there is no reason to be.

Sunday

Arms/random stuff that I wanted to do or try:

Abs:
Reverse Crunches: RI - 30
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Bird-Dogs: RI - 30

25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15

Arms:
Assisted Dips: RI - 90

BW-70x10
BW-40x8
BW-34x7
BW-28x6 PR for Weight

Assisted CG Pullups: RI - 90

BW-112x8
(I reversed the grip so palms were facing me for set 2 and 3)BW-112x6
BW-112x6 - I haven't done these in about 3 months so I don't have any data to go on for these yet.

Smith CG Bench: RI 60

Bar+60x10
Bar+70x8
Bar+90x2,+1 PR for Weight- Not the greatest set, but I got kind of rushed by some other jackass who wanted the machine, I told him he could work in with me, but he said I should just finish my stuff so he can take it. So I only got about 30 seconds rest before the 90lb set. Jackass.

Superset:
CG Cable Curls/Cable Pressdown: RI - 60

150x10/130x10
170x8/150x8
180x6/160x7 PR Weight - It felt amazing to curl a good 3/4 of the stack and see people watching!

Farmers Walk: RI - 60

80'sx58 feet, 60 feet and 60 feet PR for Weight.

Cardio - 50 minutes HIIT/SS

Rowing for 5 minutes at level 9. Starting hr - 100, max hr - 171

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT . Starting hr - 126, max hr - 157.
Minutes 0-15, level 6
Minutes 15-20, Level 12
Minutes 20-30, Level 6
Minutes 1-15, HR - 130-145
Minutes 15-30, HR - 145-155

15 minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 110, max hr - 150, Speed - 3.0-3.5, Incline - 0-15.0, Functional Hr range - 130-150.

I'm having fun with those close grip benches, I think I'll keep this routine for a few weeks. The Dips were better than I expected, as I lose weight, I hope to be able to rely less and less on the assistance. Those pullups kicked my butt today, I haven't done them in months so I thought I'd need some time, but I also thought I had more strength than that.

Today those pressdowns and curls were awesome (I was really pushing everything I had into those curls, I must have been making some funny faces).

I can't believe I squeezed another HIIT session in this week, this must be like some sort of record or something.

I'm beat, time for food and bed.

 

[Musclebeach]

I love how you get SEVERAL new PRs for each workout!! AWESOME!!!

6'10" and 290ish... I see reason to be intimidated... although you seem like a very nice guy!

Nice CGs... and tell the jackass to fuck off, youll be done when you damn well please (keep in mind you are 6'10" and 290ish)

 

[soxmuscle]

While the weight your throwing around is excellent, that cardio is equally as impressive. I'd be cooked after that workout.

Looking good up in her.