Another day older and deeper in debt . . .
Actually, I'm not. Well, the second part really.
With commentary on if I changed size (+ or -)
Chest - 101cm (-1cm)
Biceps
Relaxed
L - 29.5cm (-1cm)
R - 29.5cm (-.5cm)
Flexed
L - 31cm (-1cm)
R - 31cm (-1cm)
Waist - 86cm (-1cm)
Hips - 97.75cm (+1.75cm)
Thighs
L - 58cm (0)
R - 59.5cm (+.5cm)
Calf
L - 37.5cm (+.5)
R - 38.5cm (0)
WtH - .879765
BMI - 24.2
Again, mostly negatives because I've been under my maintenance level calorie intake. However this week should see either little change or less of a negative shift. I'm at 2750 calories a day now for two weeks. This is approximately my maintenance level.
I've also started taking Atro-phex today. This stuff is quite interesting. I've tried the trial packs and the effects are almost instantaneous. Within less than an hour, the main energy boosters kick in and within two hours the mood enhancers and other complexes start working. I do have to increase my water intake to over 120 fluid ounces a day to help control the diuretic effects, but I've already been drinking close to that anyway, so no big change. In using the samples for one week in the past, I saw a change in my bodies fat content and a decrease in sub-cutaneous fat. So after eight weeks of this stuff, I'm hoping to really attain a lower body fat content.
The increase in focus and energy is also mucho appreciado . I love the fact that this stuff increase my attention span. If it weren't for the fact than it would totally destroy my kidneys if I took it longer than I'm supposed to, or in larger doses, I could easily use this for writing or just getting stuff done. I guess that's the lure of boosters. Have to watch myself with this stuff.
Speaking of boosts, here's the numbers in weight for last week:
Legs:
Leg Press: 145kg/240kg
(I have something to say about this later.)
Arms:
Bicep curl: 12kg/25kg
Preacher curl: 35kg/50kg
Chest:
Bench Press: 40kg/75kg
Shoulders/Upper Back:
Lat pull-down: 50kg/120kg
Okay, everything is about on track. The lat pull-down is a lot harder than I thought it was. Or maybe the fact that I strained one shoulder last week didn't help. I can do more reps now at the current weight, so maybe next week I can increase the weight. It's going to get to the point where I'll be doing pull ups instead of pull downs soon.
As for the leg press, there are two at the gym I go to. One is positioned like the usual leg press I've always used. You sit in a reclined position with your back at an oblique angle to the floor and push up with your legs against the weight.
Then there's the second machine, where you sit as you would in a normal chair and put your feet in front of you and push the seat back.
The second machine is much harder than the first, as I found out today.
I've been using the second machine for the past four or five weeks, slowly building up the weight and realizing that I can't break it free after a certain point. This is mostly because I lose the advantage of a strong moment arm. Once I can get the weight moving, I can keep it moving. However breaking it off the starting position is almost impossible for me at 155kg. So I decided to do something I normally wouldn't because I dislike using even semi-free weights without a spot. Especially when they're potentially three times my body weight.
So I set up the normal leg press at 120kg. I figure if I can do that without breaking a sweat on the other machine, it can't be much harder on this new one. So I position myself and prepare to really give it a good shove.
I moved it with one foot.
So, after getting over the shock, I go find more weight, and crank it up to 140kg. No problem. 150kg: still no problem. And on and on. Eventually I max out the machine. Actually, I could have pressed more, but I couldn't find any more 20kg weights. At 230kg I did three sets of ten and barely felt it.
So after finishing my last set, I went over to see the manager of the gym. Or spotter guy, or coach, or whatever. I explained or tried my best (luckily the guy's not to terrible with English) about the two machines and my confusion. Apparently the one I had been using he called the "Lumbar Leg Press" and the one I'd totally blown myself away on the "Power Press". One is meant for lower weight, Lumbar Press, and the other is for short reps of high weight, Power Press. Gee, I'm glad I got that cleared up.
I'm still going to try to max out the Lumbar Press at 175kg before I finish, but I'm not going to feel as much pressure to do so. I will also work at increasing my squat, as I definitely feel the weight while doing that, and I'm only at 60kg right now. If I can get that up to 1.5x my body weight (110kg) I will be totally rocking it. As for the Power Press, well, I'll just use that to boost my ego.
Okay, what else am I up to?
purplehaze9 was up on Sunday to pick up a game he'd ordered from this guy I know. (Shady, ain't it.) We chilled, found out how much fun Wario Ware is, and talked about just about everything. I'm glad to see how he's holding up.
I've been putting some more thinking into what motivates me in general, and I think I have an answer or sorts. It explains a lot, but really hasn't been terribly clear until recently. One of the things I'm realizing as I get older is how things really do just become more clear in time if I can avoid the luxuriousness of self-delusion.
On a semi-related note: Paul who commented on the poll I placed recently, who are you? I know a few Pauls and I think I know who this is, but I'm not sure. You can email if you want. I'd like to talk regardless.
Anyway . . . I'm mainly motivated by two things. One is that I want to do the best I can some day to be a good father. The other is fear of failure in general.
I will address both of these in their own posts, but not tonight. Right now I'm going to check the oven fries I'm making and grab something to eat before I go to sleep. Tomorrow is a hike solo and then a run with Jill, so I need to sleep as much as I can.
Til another day.
With commentary on if I changed size (+ or -)
Chest - 101cm (-1cm)
Biceps
Relaxed
L - 29.5cm (-1cm)
R - 29.5cm (-.5cm)
Flexed
L - 31cm (-1cm)
R - 31cm (-1cm)
Waist - 86cm (-1cm)
Hips - 97.75cm (+1.75cm)
Thighs
L - 58cm (0)
R - 59.5cm (+.5cm)
Calf
L - 37.5cm (+.5)
R - 38.5cm (0)
WtH - .879765
BMI - 24.2
Again, mostly negatives because I've been under my maintenance level calorie intake. However this week should see either little change or less of a negative shift. I'm at 2750 calories a day now for two weeks. This is approximately my maintenance level.
I've also started taking Atro-phex today. This stuff is quite interesting. I've tried the trial packs and the effects are almost instantaneous. Within less than an hour, the main energy boosters kick in and within two hours the mood enhancers and other complexes start working. I do have to increase my water intake to over 120 fluid ounces a day to help control the diuretic effects, but I've already been drinking close to that anyway, so no big change. In using the samples for one week in the past, I saw a change in my bodies fat content and a decrease in sub-cutaneous fat. So after eight weeks of this stuff, I'm hoping to really attain a lower body fat content.
The increase in focus and energy is also mucho appreciado . I love the fact that this stuff increase my attention span. If it weren't for the fact than it would totally destroy my kidneys if I took it longer than I'm supposed to, or in larger doses, I could easily use this for writing or just getting stuff done. I guess that's the lure of boosters. Have to watch myself with this stuff.
Speaking of boosts, here's the numbers in weight for last week:
Legs:
Leg Press: 145kg/240kg
(I have something to say about this later.)
Arms:
Bicep curl: 12kg/25kg
Preacher curl: 35kg/50kg
Chest:
Bench Press: 40kg/75kg
Shoulders/Upper Back:
Lat pull-down: 50kg/120kg
Okay, everything is about on track. The lat pull-down is a lot harder than I thought it was. Or maybe the fact that I strained one shoulder last week didn't help. I can do more reps now at the current weight, so maybe next week I can increase the weight. It's going to get to the point where I'll be doing pull ups instead of pull downs soon.
As for the leg press, there are two at the gym I go to. One is positioned like the usual leg press I've always used. You sit in a reclined position with your back at an oblique angle to the floor and push up with your legs against the weight.
Then there's the second machine, where you sit as you would in a normal chair and put your feet in front of you and push the seat back.
The second machine is much harder than the first, as I found out today.
I've been using the second machine for the past four or five weeks, slowly building up the weight and realizing that I can't break it free after a certain point. This is mostly because I lose the advantage of a strong moment arm. Once I can get the weight moving, I can keep it moving. However breaking it off the starting position is almost impossible for me at 155kg. So I decided to do something I normally wouldn't because I dislike using even semi-free weights without a spot. Especially when they're potentially three times my body weight.
So I set up the normal leg press at 120kg. I figure if I can do that without breaking a sweat on the other machine, it can't be much harder on this new one. So I position myself and prepare to really give it a good shove.
I moved it with one foot.
So, after getting over the shock, I go find more weight, and crank it up to 140kg. No problem. 150kg: still no problem. And on and on. Eventually I max out the machine. Actually, I could have pressed more, but I couldn't find any more 20kg weights. At 230kg I did three sets of ten and barely felt it.
So after finishing my last set, I went over to see the manager of the gym. Or spotter guy, or coach, or whatever. I explained or tried my best (luckily the guy's not to terrible with English) about the two machines and my confusion. Apparently the one I had been using he called the "Lumbar Leg Press" and the one I'd totally blown myself away on the "Power Press". One is meant for lower weight, Lumbar Press, and the other is for short reps of high weight, Power Press. Gee, I'm glad I got that cleared up.
I'm still going to try to max out the Lumbar Press at 175kg before I finish, but I'm not going to feel as much pressure to do so. I will also work at increasing my squat, as I definitely feel the weight while doing that, and I'm only at 60kg right now. If I can get that up to 1.5x my body weight (110kg) I will be totally rocking it. As for the Power Press, well, I'll just use that to boost my ego.
Okay, what else am I up to?
purplehaze9 was up on Sunday to pick up a game he'd ordered from this guy I know. (Shady, ain't it.) We chilled, found out how much fun Wario Ware is, and talked about just about everything. I'm glad to see how he's holding up.
I've been putting some more thinking into what motivates me in general, and I think I have an answer or sorts. It explains a lot, but really hasn't been terribly clear until recently. One of the things I'm realizing as I get older is how things really do just become more clear in time if I can avoid the luxuriousness of self-delusion.
On a semi-related note: Paul who commented on the poll I placed recently, who are you? I know a few Pauls and I think I know who this is, but I'm not sure. You can email if you want. I'd like to talk regardless.
Anyway . . . I'm mainly motivated by two things. One is that I want to do the best I can some day to be a good father. The other is fear of failure in general.
I will address both of these in their own posts, but not tonight. Right now I'm going to check the oven fries I'm making and grab something to eat before I go to sleep. Tomorrow is a hike solo and then a run with Jill, so I need to sleep as much as I can.
Til another day.