Tallcall's journal

[tallcall]

how did that belt test turn out for you?

I think it was alright. He's making us wait until the end of the month to do a full graduation so we can have a little party and congratulate everyone. He's very good at keeping secrets, but from the vibe I'm getting, I think it all went fine.

We have another tournament tomorrow right here in Orlando, I think it's NAGA and I've heard it's a big one. He's selling t-shirts with our team name on them - all De La Riva logos and probably a "Team De La Riva" going across the back since that's who we're with. I also want to get another shirt from my friend who runs Dead-Game. You should check it out if you have time, very nice (kind of pricey) shirts and shorts. I'm also thinking of getting a patch for my gi. Anything to help a friend (heck, he's just like family right now).

 

[fufu]

I've heard that name, De La Riva, recently.

 

[tallcall]

7/09/08 - 7/11/08

Wednesday:
All Body Week 3 Day 2:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 215x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | 125x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 155 x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 75x8, 8, 8

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx7, 7, 7

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

I still hate those pull-ups, I had to pause and reset on each rep because of a slight pain in my right shoulder and left elbow. I think they're getting better.

BJJ: 2 Hours

Takedowns and standing collar chokes (Ezekiel Choke) - the one my friend used to win his first two matches this weekend!!

The takedowns were all Judo hip throws, just going through the motions, no actual slamming because he was trying to give all the guys a little rest time before the competition.

Rolled for about 20 minutes.

I saw my friend Poseidon at the gym again. We talked about a lot of things and I asked him if he was gay, he told me that he was and said that he thinks a lot of the guys there are (then I got a look from one of the other guys - we were all waiting outside so he was just arriving and started eying me). I was all giddy and tripping over myself a little. He's got me all tied in knots right now.

Friday:

All Body Week 3 Day 3:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 215x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (on 4 risers): RI - 60 | 125x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 155 x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 75x8, 8, 8

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 min abs
15 minutes stretching

Pull-ups still sucked - another day of reseting on each rep.

I was a little concerned that my form on my clean pulls and good mornings was a little off, but I verified the clean pulls and am doing fine. The good mornings are still an issue on the left side, I think I'm right because there should be a stretch in the hamstrings on the right leg, your back shouldn't be going through a extreme range of motion, and the left knee is bent throughout. I think the weight is just shifting a little and maybe putting a little extra stress in some areas, there is no pain just soreness, but enough to make me wonder (it is a complex movement anyways).

BJJ Thursday: 1 Hour

I just watched since I forgot some important things . I did get there early enough to watch the muay thai class go through some prep work for their tournament this week. One of the big guys there can't control his strength and is slamming everyone. My teacher knows some good standup and joined for one round with him to teach him a little lesson. He went in very tight and ended everything with an uppercut (broke the guy's nose) and kept pushing him (he kept back peddling ), eventually he pushed the guy into the wall and punched a hole in the drywall the size of his torso - caused by the big guy hitting the wall. Everyone quietly approved and we all signed insurance witness forms stating that it was all accidental (it was, but I was laughing as I signed it thinking that he finally got what he deserved).

Calories -
Wednesday: 4000
Thursday: 3400
Friday: 4000
Saturday: 4000
Sunday: 3400

I'm probably going to take this week off to take care of my parent's dog while they're away and take care of my grandfather (He's had some back problems), plus I get to spend some more time with him - so it'll be a nice break.

I might try to do some body weight work throughout the week and I have some empty 1 gallon jugs I can use, I can do cleans, snatches, shoulder press, weighted pushups, ab work, grip work, and some BJJ drills. I also have a large swiss ball, maybe use it for back extensions and bridges. I'm going to have fun. I think I'll do it all as a sort of circuit since I really don't want to run or bike in this heat or the afternoon thunderstorms.

 

[tallcall]

7/15/08

Tuesday:
All Body:

All of these were done with 2.5 gallon water jugs weighing about 21 pounds a piece (I used two of them for this workout)

Suitcase Deadlifts: RI - 60 | 42 lbs x 3 x 8

Squat Thrusters: RI - 60 | BW+21 lbs x 3 x 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | BW+21 x 3 x 10

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | BW+21 x 3 10

Bent Over Rows: RI - 30 | 21 lb x 3 x 10

Push Ups: RI - 60 | BW x 3 x 10

Rear Delt Rows: RI - 30 | 21 lb x 3 x 10

Back Bridges | 1 @ 20 sec, 1 @ 30 sec

Plank with weight transfer | 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 min

10 min on a treadmill
10 min abs
15 min stretching

That was kind of fun, all light weight, but higher reps than usual. I'll probably do this sort of thing all week until I can get back to my normal routine.

Calories - ~4000

 

[Double D]

You have a great variety of quality exercises!

 

[tallcall]

You have a great variety of quality exercises!

These are a nice change of pace for a little while. I was thinking of getting some sandbags and doing some of these with that kind of weight, but I really think it isn't a bad idea to use this week as a deloading week.

 

[tallcall]

7/19/08

Saturday:
All Body Week 4 Day 1:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 250x3, 2, 2

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 | 155x3, 3, 3

Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | 175 x3, 3, 3

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 95x3, 3, 3

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | 110x3, 120x3, 3

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

5 minutes on a bike
5 minutes on a treadmill
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

I felt pretty good today! I had no major problems with the pull ups and the heavier weight on everything else felt nice.


Calories -
7/16 - 4000
7/17 - 4000
7/18 - 4000
7/19 - 4300

 

[fufu]

you add another degree if difficulty on some exercises with those water jugs if you fill them up 3/4 the way, the movement of the water can make it harder if you do the movement quickly

 

[tallcall]

you add another degree if difficulty on some exercises with those water jugs if you fill them up 3/4 the way, the movement of the water can make it harder if you do the movement quickly

Yeah, I noticed that the movement of the water even when full made shoulder presses veeery tricky. I might incorporate workouts with the water jugs a little more, varying the ammount of water to change the difficulty. Maybe I'll even get around to adding sand or something evil:).

 

[fufu]

one movement that may be is torso rotations with them.

 

[tallcall]

7/21/08

Monday:
All Body Week 4 Day 2:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 250x3, 2, 2

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 | 155x3, 3, 3

Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | 175 x3, 3, 3

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 95x3, 3, 3

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | 120x3, 3, 3

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs - Torso rotations, reverse chops, and downward chops with a 2.5 gallon jug filled 4 with water, even added some swings and snatches with this uneven weight.
15 minutes stretching

I had some fun with all of this, still having a hard time with those pullups though.

Calories - 4300

 

[tallcall]

7/22/08

BJJ:
1 Hour

Went over two guard passes, I actually was able to use one of them in our rolling later on. You lock their wrist with your opposite hand and put pressure on their hip and opposite knee. Lean your weight into their knee to break it open, pull their hand between their legs and slide one leg out of the way as you move to their side. Slide your free hand under their head and you have them in a kind of cradle. You can take side control, back mount, knee on belly, mount, north-south, anything just don't release that arm!

Rolled for about 10 minutes

Calories - 3400

 

[tallcall]

7/25/08 Weigh in

Weight: 281â?????? Up 4 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 274.37 270.47â?????? Up 3.9 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.63 6.53â?????? Up 0.10 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Feelâ??????s good. I didnâ??????t get all fat from that off week!

 

[Rubes]

thats rite put on that muscle. show it whos boss.

 

[tallcall]

7/24/08

Thursday:
All Body Week 4 Day 3:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 250x3, 2, 2

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 | 155x3, 3, 3

Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | 175 x3, 3, 3

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 95x3, 3, 3

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | 120x3, 3, 3

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx3, 3, 3

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Turkish Getups | 12 lb db @ 5 reps each side (2 minutes each side)

Cardio - 30 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching
10 minutes on an elliptical - 6-10 mph (avg comfortable pace at 7.8 mph)

Felt great after this!

Calories - 4300

 

[tallcall]

Saturday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 1:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 225x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 | 135x10, 10, 10

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165 10, 10, 10

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 85x10, 10, 10

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10 (2nd and 3rd sets were all negatives - ~5 second negatives)

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 105x10, 10, 10

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

Legs felt wobbly later, nice (I really hate high reps, just two more days of this).

Calories - 4500 - Cheat Day

 

[Rubes]

you is a crazy man and it works for you keep up the good work big guy

 

[tallcall]

you is a crazy man and it works for you keep up the good work big guy

 

[tallcall]

7/28/08

Monday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 2:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 225x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 | 135x10, 10, 10

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165 10, 10, 10

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 85x10, 10, 10

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10 All negatives

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 105x10, 10, 10

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs:
Ab Wheel | 3xBWx10
Superset:
1 - Cable Chops | 22.5x10, 27.5x10, 10
2 - Reverse Cable Chops | 22.5x10, 27.5x10, 10
15 minutes stretching

I was so tired!

BJJ:
1 Hour:

Triangle -> Omo-plata -> Triangle flow. I was surprised at how quickly and accurately I was able to snap that triangle into place, then snap to the omo-plata, the last transition was easy and goes back to the same triangle.

We rolled for 10 minutes after all the drilling. I was so close to getting a triangle around my opponent while still int mount. I had it with about 10 seconds left and was just about to lock the other leg in place when time was called!

One of the other guys I started with about 7 months ago and I rolled together and kept reversing each other, I got the De La Riva hook in a few times and rolled him out of mount a couple times, nearly choked him from one of the guard passes we just learned, and escaped his mount once or twice out the back door. That was a lot of fun.

I'm going to watch three of my friends fight at UCF in August at:

Mikey Gomez Vs. Charley Blanchard (XWFC Welterweight Title)
Bruce Connors Vs. Mike Bruno (XWFC Featherweight Title)
Joel Garcia Vs. Glen Mincer - Joel (my old teacher) will win
Mark Serkez Vs. Gareth Joseph
TBC Vs. Jason Patino - The TBS is a friend of my teacher, I'm sure he'll do fine
Daniel Lovett Vs. Chris Boffil
Carlos Gonzalez Vs. Jason Carapelluci
Steve Mogerman Vs. Zach Knight
Justin Goodall Vs. Brian Eckstein
Jim Alers Vs. Brandon Ocasio
Corey Krebs Vs. Patrick Downs - Patrick (one of my guys) will win
Kevin Abrante Vs. Jeremy LaRochester

That'll be a lot of fun, I'm trying to get a camera from work to cover it. If I can get video, I'll post some of it.

Calories - 4300
Tuesday: 3700
Wednesday: 3400

 

[tallcall]

7/31/08 Weigh in

7/31/08 Weigh in
Weight: 284â?????? Up 3 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 277.30 â?????? Up 2.93 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.70 â?????? Up 0.07 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Weight keeps fluctuating. Yesterday morning was 284, last night was 270, and this morning is 284.

 

[tallcall]

7/31/08

Thursday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 3:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 225x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 | 135x10, 10, 10

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165 10, 10, 10

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 85x10, 10, 10

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10 All negatives

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 105x10, 10, 10

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx10, 10, 10

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

Calories - 4300

 

[tallcall]

8/2/08

Thursday BJJ:
1 Hour

Gi chokes including my teacher's special - gi choke with a flip over the opponent on the floor, rolling him up, and cranking it in much tighter! I haven't been able to get that flip yet, but it is a really interesting one (sucks being put in one though since I can't find a way out).

Friday:

Finally got my belt presentation! I'm now a Green Belt. 6 months in and I am promoted. I think at this rate, I might be testing for a Blue Belt in December. Now if only I could get time to do some competitions, that'd be fun!

We all got to walk through the "corridor" to get our beatings (I had to go twice, some had to go up to four times - I just walked through and enjoyed the pain - Masochistic).

I should have pictures soon, my camera died right before I got my belt, but the owners took pictures and offered to give me some prints.

Calories - 3700

Saturday

I decided to take a day off and rest....and apply for a new job (I'm getting screwed at the TV station - $26,000 for a college graduate with a Masters in Communication - so I need a new one).

My back has also been feeling a little tight lately so I just wanted to give a break.

Calories - 4500 - Cheat day

Also, Patrick isn't fighting this August because he was injured during training, my teacher didn't want to have him go into his debut pro MMA fight with that kind of injury (he dislocated his knee and took a beating on one of his thighs). He was pissed about the call but seemed to understand the logic and will be preparing for his next attempt in October. He is going to be good if he can stay healthy.

The guy that is the "TBC" is going to absolutely dominate if the fight goes to the ground, standing he is still weak, but he'll do fine (we got to beat him for fun Friday night - he had to walk 4 times - my teacher is one sadistic bastard sometimes but he gets away with it because he's Brazilian ).

I'm still working on getting a camera to shoot the event, but it is probably going to air on Sun Sports or something a few weeks later anyways. My friends in the Sports department of my station seem to be behind the idea of at least covering it!

 

[tallcall]

8/8/08 Weigh in

8/8/08 Weigh in
Weight: 283.5â?????? Down 0.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? Down 0.25 inches from last week
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 276.81 â?????? Down 0.49 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.69 â?????? Down 0.01 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Weight dropped a little.

 

[tallcall]

8/4/08-8/11/08

Cycle 2 Week 2 8/4/08 & 8/7/08:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 275x3, 3, 3

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 90 | 155x5, 5, 5

Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | 165 5, 5, 5

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 95x5, 5, 5

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 90 | BWx5, 5, 5

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | 115x5, 5, 5

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 90 | BWx5, 5, 5

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

Bike - 10 min
Abs - 10 min - Ab wheel - BWx3x10, Ball chops - 12lbsx3x10
Stretch - 15 min

8/9/08 - Week 3 Day 1:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 265x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | 145x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 6 (+2) - I started failing toward the end but was able to add 2 more before dropping the bar

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx5, 5, 5

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 110x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx5, 5, 5

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

Elliptical - 10 min
Abs - 10 min
Stretch - 15 min

I had to change those pull-ups to 5 reps because I was hitting technical failure very early on. I'm gearing up for an off week to rest coming up running 8/22 - 8/30.

8/11/08 - Week 3 Day 2:


Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 265x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | 145x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 8 - Failing towards the end

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 110x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes
Farmer's Walks - 8 minutes with 80 lb dumbbells in each hand while quickly walking all around the floor.

Treadmill - 3 minutes - incline = 9, speed = 5 mph

Abs - 10 minutes

Stretch - 15 minutes

I've been eating Roughly 4000-4500 calories on all workout days and 3400-3700 on all off days (not many this time because I've been pulling 18+ hour days and eating like a horse to keep my energy levels up, but I tried).

I've been keeping up with my Jiu-Jitsu. I've gotten much quicker and am starting to give some of the higher ranked guys a lot of trouble. I trained yesterday with one of the bigger guys who is trying to get ready for his fight in October and was definately giving him a hard time. I like working with him (I never really get the chance since he does mostly no-gi - he is doing gi to help him get ready and give him more mat time). He's a freaking beast and freakishly strong - he shrugs with 6 plates on each side (the bar was bending as he was pulling it!), he also shares my love for deadlifts and rows - a very solid person to work with.

Off for more fun today.

 

[tallcall]

8/16/08 Weigh in

8/16/08 Weigh in
Weight: 277.5 â?????? Down 6 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 57.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 271.34 276.81 â?????? Down 5.47 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.16 6.69 â?????? Down 0.50 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Weight dropped a bunch, unfortunately a lot seems to have been lean body weight. Iâ??????ll have to wait until next week to see if this is really true since my body tends to add a few pounds, then drop a bunch of weight and repeat. Iâ??????m eating the recommended calorie total for those who normally weigh around 260 pounds and have my activity level so I should be dropping weight anyways (itâ??????s just going slowly and basically re-comping as it goes).

 

[fufu]

how goes the BJJ?

 

[tallcall]

how goes the BJJ?

Awesome! Getting quicker and more technical every week!

 

[tallcall]

I've been doing good all week, kind of been eating like crap but I have also been slammed by that Tropical Storm and ended up pulling extra hours to do live 24 hour coverage of Fay and the level of destruction it ended up causing. I put in my 80 hours this week and still went in to train (just skipped the Jiu-Jitsu but will resume it this week).

I was so burned out by Friday that I started telling everyone to go to hell (those people want to blame me for making 1 or 2 mistakes in the 5 days we were covering this storm and conveniently ignore the dozen or so mistakes they made which I had to clean up - ).

I've been watching Generation Kill on HBO and I absolutely love it, it reminded me of how I felt right after high school when all those recruiters kept calling. I thought that if I had to choose I wanted 1-Marines, 2-Navy, 3-Army, 4-Airforce. I could not get into any because of the Tourettes Syndrome. I think that's crazy, because I can still deliver main, and do a lot of lower level work (god, I just wanted to do anything to help those guys out even a little bit - I have always loved the Marines ). Now that I am out of college I am thinking about approaching them again and maybe trying to go into their officer training school - I like the title "Communications Systems Officer!" I doubt they'll take me still . Either way I'm going to send them a very special care package (Porn, special brownies - maybe, caffeine pills, and maybe some chew tobacco all addressed to an embedded reporter with a letter instructing them to distribute this to the platoon they're with.

I love those guys and consider myself to be one of them at heart, so either way it goes, I'm proud of them!

I'm going to try to have last weeks workouts up in a little while. This week is going to be an off week and I hope to get back to normal by next Monday.

 

[tallcall]

New Marine Commercial

 

[tallcall]

8/28/08 Weigh in

8/28/08 Weigh in

Weight: 278.5 â?????? Up 1 pound from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 34 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 57.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 20 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 16 inches, Right 16 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 271.83â?????? Up 0.49 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.17â?????? Down 0.01 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

This is pretty good for having taken all of last week off from Jiu-Jitsu and this week off from lifting. Then add in consideration for my diet going to crap last week because of what the station was feeding us and I think I did very good!