Category: muscle

Big

A reader asked why I talk so much about being physically vs mentally fit. Good question. I’d dare say if you were a more regular reader *hint hint*, you’d know that I have used this blog over the last 8 or so years to try and work on my mental/emotional growth. From my perspective, it’s just the opposite. Lawd only knows I have my demons and have worked hard to exorcise them as best I can. Not an easy task but possible. I’m proud to say some I’ve killed off, others I’ve just beat into submission. And yes, even a few I still battle with. That is the nature of life.

I do spend time on a variety of subjects including religion, [1]Not so much anymore. It’s become a farce of greed and control IMO. physiology, and psychology. I’ve always had a very metaphysical slant in my beliefs. One such book that was truly a revelation was Eastern Body, Western Mind. [2]Available in hardback, paperback, or ebook! lol On the surface, it deals with Chakra development, but as you delve into the book it is clear the author has a strong knowledge of psychology. The combined outlook was a pivotal and truly life-changing read for me. It helped me identify and focus on healing fundamental parts of my psyche that were damaged and scarred from childhood. Seriously, I can’t even begin to tell you how much this book helped me.

Even if you don’t believe in chakras, I still highly recommend it. [3]The simplest way I can think of to describe a chakra is as a point of focus. If you think it’s all mumbo-jumbo, use my definition as a frame of reference. To this day, I can’t read the book w/o getting goose-bumps at some point. It was that profound for me.

As for the physical, having been very scrawny as a kid, I have struggled all my life to improve my size. Vanity certainly plays a role but I’ve mentioned here plenty of times the benefits of being physically fit. So yes, I do harp on my progress (or lack) in the gym from time to time. But, it is not the only focus in my life or even the most important. I wish more guys spent half as much time working on their inner demons as they did their pec muscles.

To this day, I still internally perk up when someone refers to me as big. While I was shoe shopping the other day, the sales clerk at Foot Locker referred to me as “a big guy such as yourself.” It was obvious he wasn’t trying to flatter me because he looked slightly embarrassed after he said it. I giggled inside because I still don’t exactly see myself that way. While my dysmorphia is not as pronounced as before, it still lurks in my id. I guess it is something you never truly get over. I don’t see myself as the scrawny kid I used to be but I also don’t think I see myself as I truly am.

As I always say, the important and often overlooked distinction is to find balance. Too much of anything can be bad for you. I don’t live for working out but I do spend the necessary time it takes to care for my body as well as my mind. I’m currently trying to see how lean I can get. It’s a slow process because I love to eat. lol

References

References
↑1 Not so much anymore. It’s become a farce of greed and control IMO.
↑2 Available in hardback, paperback, or ebook! lol
↑3 The simplest way I can think of to describe a chakra is as a point of focus. If you think it’s all mumbo-jumbo, use my definition as a frame of reference.

Lean

MoiHere I is looking mean and lean. lol  Ok, maybe not so mean. lol

Anyway, I’m back down to my “healthy” weight. By healthy I mean my regular range of weight ups/downs. If you look you see the little pooch right above my shorts line. Sadly, my brief stint over 200lbs was fat related. That said, I’m still bigger now muscle-wise than I ever have been in my entire life. I’m only 12 pounds away from my goal weight of 210. But, when I figure in the 15 or so pounds of fat I want to lose, I’m probably closer to 22 pounds in terms of muscle. *sigh*  So close and so far away. hehehe  And you can see from the pic I can clearly loose a little more fat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining just pointing out where I hope to be.

Right now, I’m 198 lbs, keep in mind 15 of that is fat I wanna ditch. And speaking of, the extra cardio from swimming has helped!  With the break up, debt, Spike dying, depression, etc I really dropped off on my workouts. I still hit the gym but it was pretty static and not consistent. As of this month I’ve rededicated myself to working out. I redesigned my workout routine as well. I have a horrible habit of neglecting certain muscle groups. To avoid that, I designed my new routine so that I work out a good and bad muscle every day [1]By good and bad, I mean muscles I like working vs the ones I don’t. lol  My new routine has me in the gym 4 days a week throwing weights and 2 days for cardio.  It’s off to a good start so far. I had the best dumbbell chest workout ever last week.

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
lbs x reps
85 x 12
85 x 12
85 x 12
80 x 8

Dumbbell Bench Press
95 x 10
95 x 10
95 x 9
90 x 8

Dumbbell Fly
50 x 10
50 x 10
55 x 10
55 x 8

Above is just my chest workout for one day. I usually do 4 sets but my pecs were totally baked after just those 3. Another twist, I switch between free weights and machines every other week. The one thing I wanna point out here is I do not focus on a set number of reps as my goal while working out. Four sets is the goal. Reps per exercise is usually a maximum of 12 reps and a minimum of 6. Once I can do a full set all the way thru to 12, it’s time to up the weight slightly. I find that progressive intensity works best for my muscle/body type. In two months, I’ll be switching to a reverse routine of supersets of the same exercises.

So far it’s working because I was so sore this week I could only do one day of cardio. Seriously, everything hurt! lol  Referring back to my goals, take 15 lbs (fat) from the 198 for a base figure of 183. My goal weight is 210 for a difference of 27 lbs. In optimal conditions for non-juicers, the best one can hope for is about 2 lbs per month of actual muscle synthesis. It may sound small but that is actually a good chunk of muscle. So in the best of conditions I could hope for 24 lbs in a year. This IMO is not a realistic goal because I have a life outside of the gym, including work and a child. Goals should be realistic in their reach so I won’t be shooting for 24 lbs. lol  However, half that would be a good goal IMO.  So my goal for 2013 is to put on at least 12 lbs of muscle.

Now I could get there faster by juicing but I can’t afford it. Done right, steroids can be beneficial. They’re called cycles for a reason. You’re supposed to go off them for at least the amount of time you’re on them. [2]My doc says you should double the time off  Sadly, most people get caught up in the quick gains and end up abusing them. Don’t even get me started on the libido issues.

As always, consistency is the key. I’m super motivated now but I know that will wane over time. I’ll try to post workout stats from time to time to have you guys help me with my motivation. I’ll throw in some pics too!

Wish me luck!

References

References
↑1 By good and bad, I mean muscles I like working vs the ones I don’t. lol
↑2 My doc says you should double the time off

Best

I hit a new personal best at the gym the other day! It felt so good too because it was my chest muscles. hehehe Being a weightlifting typical homo I work out my chest a lot. One, well the obvious and two, I have such a hard time getting my chest muscles to grow.

I’ve you been using the exhaustion method a lot lately and I’m feeling/seeing the results. Instead of doing a prescribed list of set/reps I push heavy on the first set to failure [1]failure is officially the number of reps you can do WITHOUT breaking form, second set lighter weights usually by about 20/40 lbs to failure again, and so on. This method often requires more time in the gym as you need more rest time and going to failure naturally goes slightly longer.

Having recovered fully from my shoulder injury, I’m also doing almost 100% free weights now. I usually alternate between benches and dumbbells. The only problem with dumbbells is I’ve reached a point where it’s hard maneuvering the weights w/o a spotter. lol  Once in position it’s easy but getting to that position can be a hassle and creates a higher risk of injury. Don’t even get me started on the hassle of trying to to decline bench press with dumbbells. Having been at the same gym for basically forever, I know enough guys to reach out and ask for help. Often there are at least a couple guys I know that will pop over and help me when needed. I certainly don’t want to injure myself again so better safe than sorry.

Anyway, it felt good to push past a plateau I’ve been battling for awhile now. I’m not expecting any huge jumps but just being able to say I did it feels great. I’ve also been really good about not blowing off my cardio or leg workouts. I’m not pushing for huge increases on my legs but I wanna make sure they stay in proportion with the rest of my body. I’ve dropped all the extra fat weight I’ve gained lately as well. I’m taking the opportunity to see if I can lean up a little bit more. Naturally, this is a battle against my love for eating good food. [2]The previous batch of homemade cookies and cakes didn’t help none either!  lol  Either way, I’m comfortable where I am but looking a little more trim never hurts.

References

References
↑1 failure is officially the number of reps you can do WITHOUT breaking form
↑2 The previous batch of homemade cookies and cakes didn’t help none either!  lol

Achey

I don’t know what it is about my upper back workouts but I always end up very achey afterwards. It is odd because it’s my only muscle group that makes me feel this way. I can bake my chest or arms until I can’t move and they don’t make me ache all over like my back does. lol

Part of it might be because I’m doing more back workouts lately. Like a typical bad homo I tend to ignore muscles I can’t see. lol I’ve always done my back but only in a very cursory way. After noticing my calves weren’t as even as the rest of my body, I started paying attention to my back. Naturally, It is a bit underdeveloped as well. Anyway back to my point, I get so damn achey afterwards. It isn’t good to take aspirin or ibuprofen after a workout so I avoid them. I drink lots of liquids, take my supplements/vitamins, etc but for the first 8 hours or so after I just get incredibly cranky. lol I’m hoping as I develop my back muscles more and they become conditioned to heavy weights, the aching will subside.

Neglect

dorky pic of me in the gym one day

In my previous ramble about fitness and the gym, I’ve gotten in the habit of neglecting my lower body. Cardio is all but non-existent these days. lol I don’t have bird legs or anything but I’ve been incorporating more lower body exercises into my routines again. This is good for obvious reasons but it also motivates me to get into the gym that extra day every week when I would normally tend to blow it off. You can only push your muscles so far so fast. They need time to recover. So now having more muscles to work means extra time in da gym while allowing other muscles to recover…a win win!

I’ve also been hitting my glutes over the last couple weeks. Let me tell you they are sore as hell! I worked’em on Monday and I’m still effin’ sore today. [1]One-leg lunges using the smith-machine are da bomb-diggity! Oy vey, they hurt! I feel like powerbottom brettcajun after an all night orgy.

Anyway, I’m seeing results. I’m sad to say I’d let my glutes get a little less than plump in the last couple years. But, they are bouncing back nice and proper now. hehehe Next on the agenda are my calves. I want 3″ on those bad boys! My calves used to be one of my best features [2]get your minds out of my gutter bitches back in the day. They haven’t shrunk, I just haven’t been keeping them in check with the rest of my growth.

If you see an updated on Twitter or Google+ with me yelling, “I’ve fallen and can’t get up”, you know I overdid it one day. lol

References

References
↑1 One-leg lunges using the smith-machine are da bomb-diggity!
↑2 get your minds out of my gutter bitches

Fit

Working out is such a huge part of my life. I’ve always tried to share motivation and tips w/others to encourage more folks to take their health seriously. That said, I usually don’t discuss much of my personal fitness here. Mainly because I don’t want to appear vain or shallow. I’m shifting away from that thought process. [1]Unlike another certain cajun blogger we all know and love. Now that I’m back in the habit of blogging again I’ve decided to include more of my personal physical progress here. There is no harm in my discussing how hard I work out and/or how much effort I put into taking care of myself. While obviously there is a narcissistic component, there is so much more to it. And if my sharing motivates others… all the better.

I’ve spent a good chunk of my life working out in a gym. In the beginning, I never really stuck with it. Mostly because my motivations were based on a need to please others. When I started working out for myself I found that I stuck with it. I can remember in the very beginning feeling inferior to the meat-heads who live for it. You know the ones, the collossal guys who are so massive they probably shit muscle turds. lol And don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging them. If that’s your thing and it brings you joy more power to ya. But I always felt like an outsider back then, like I was an alien on a strange planet. The weights were intimidating because I could barely bench press a barbell. Using the machines was a challenge because they were new and unfamiliar to me. Not to mention, trying to remember what the official names of them were. I felt so self-conscious of looking like a total idiot. The internet was still in its infancy so it wasn’t even something I could just google. [2]Ah, the joys of Google, how the hell did we ever survive before the internet? lol But, after awhile that strange feeling went away and was replaced by a sense of inclusion. I felt like I belonged even if I would never be the epitemy of a gym bunny.

I spend 3-5 days a week at the gym but I don’t live for it. Not every day is a killer workout. My goal isn’t constant growth and size anymore. I also break it up or spread it out based on my work schedule. Honestly, my biggest focus these days is consistently, just keeping myself on a decent schedule. And let’s face it, I don’t have the determination or drive it takes to look perfect. One, I like to eat too much and two, I’m pretty much happy with my current size/weight.

Originally, I just wanted to gain size because I was so god-awful skinny. [3]Except for my butt. I’ve always had a plump ba dunka-dunk I think I’ve mentioned here before in the beginning I was so so skinny and my chest actually sank in a bit. You could pour water on my chest while I was lying down and it would pull in the middle. I kid you not! Now that I’ve filled out, I still push for size but my goal is general fitness and taking care of myself. And at the end of the day, I enjoy working out. I feel better mentally and physically after a good workout. And for the record, while my fitness revolves around the gym there are plenty of other options for staying fit and healthy.

So back to the point of my ramble today, I plan to start talking about my gym workouts more here on le blog. I’ll throw in some nice pics from time to time as well for inspiration.

References

References
↑1 Unlike another certain cajun blogger we all know and love.
↑2 Ah, the joys of Google, how the hell did we ever survive before the internet? lol
↑3 Except for my butt. I’ve always had a plump ba dunka-dunk

Blah

I was supposed to work out my chest today but felt kinda blah. I’m either fighting off a cold/flu or my allergies are acting up. Either way, I switched to my lats/glutes since my concentration was off a bit. All I need is to injury myself in a moment of carelessness. I still managed to get my workout in but it was lackluster. I’m gonna grab one of the Odwalla Wellness drinks on the way to work. Nothing like a good lymphatic flush to get you feeling better again.

*

On a side note, I started a new tumblr blog focused on my self-portraits. No nothing x-rated but still not always something I want posted here. My blog is known by more than a few of my coworkers and there are just some things about me they don’t need to read about! lolol 

I wonder how many of you here can guess what the URL is? Don’t post it but if you find it post a comment there. heehee

Over

MeI’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard lately even with my crazy work schedule. I think I overdid it this last week though. Thursday, I started feeling achy and run down at work. I was afraid I was getting sick. That night I tossed and turned all night from achiness so ended up not getting much sleep. [1]Apple guy neglected to mention he’d taken the last of the Ambien. *ahem*

Friday rolls around, I’m feeling less achy but exhausted from lack of sleep and developed a lovely migraine. Joygasm! I got some stomach problems as well so maybe it was a combination of both. I called off from work and literally laid on the couch all day relaxing. I napped off/on until about dinner when I finally dragged my carcass out of the house for some dinner. Feeling a tiny bit better but still achy my stomach was demanding food. lol I ended up having sushi with my buddy Nikitas. Probably not the best choice considering but it hit the spot.

Saturday, I’m feeling almost like my old self again. The stomach is returning to normal and the achiness had abated. I didn’t have a sore throat or fever so I figure maybe I was just worn down.

Ironically, I feel totally guilty for not being in the gym. lol Lately, I’ve been trying to hit the smaller non-primary muscles that I often neglect. I think they decided to fight back. Anyway, if you’ve been following me on Google+, you’ve already seen my latest pics. I included one to show off my had work. How do ya think I’m doing?

 

References

References
↑1 Apple guy neglected to mention he’d taken the last of the Ambien. *ahem*

Better

I had originally planned to post this last week but considering things, it didn’t happen. I’m not quite back to my svelte self from about a year ago but I’m getting there. lol As much as I hate cardio, I’ve been trying to add it to my workout routine on a consistent basis. Not to mention, I’ve been hitting the gym pretty regular as well. It took me a while to recover from the last motorcycle accident. The bone healed up nicely but the rotator and surrounding soft tissues took months to completely heal up. It drove me nuts because I hated not being able to push myself during my workouts.

While I’m over the 200 lb mark, some of that being body-fat doesn’t count. lol I’d like to lean up by another 10-15lbs. I’m still hoping to put a couple inches on my chest, arms, and legs. Once I do that, I’ll have reached my life goal and just focus on maintaining.

Wish me luck!


Force

I’ve gotten several requests as of late to do different memes for blogging. I usually ignore such things. I’m not being rude or insensitive, I just don’t like forcing myself to blog. If you have to force yourself, it quickly becomes a chore instead of being fun. My time has been limited as of late but I still find time now and then to post stuff…like now! lol

*

And speaking of legs (from my last post), I’m off to a good start. I did legs  again a few days ago and I’m pushing 360 [1]4-45lb weights on each side on the sled press, which is more than I expected I’d be doing. Last time I did’em with Apple guy I was able to finish, but just barely. This time around I was able to push out all three sets and not feel like I’d over done it.

Lunges were a different story. I tried to do 3 sets of 10 carrying a 25lb weight on each side. I got 2 full sets and only 3 of the 3rd set before I had to give up. My poor glutes were like, “oh hell no!”  I guess the booty needs some work.

Last but not least are my regular squats. They were abysmal. *sigh* I can only do 45 on each side.  This was mostly because of my lower back. I clearly need to work on my core muscle group a bit more. I will say I didn’t notice the tightness that I have become accustomed to with my lower back. I was in a pretty severe vehicle accident when I was living in Colorado back in ‘95. I’ve had issues with my lower back ever since. [2]As my chiropractor can attest. Ever since then, I’ve always had a lingering tightness that signals a weakness in the region and I’m always super scurred of messing it up again. I’m hoping this means either its gone or I’ve just managed to strengthen it enough its no longer an issue. Only time will tell I guess but I’m a bit optimistic.

References

References
↑1 4-45lb weights on each side
↑2 As my chiropractor can attest.