Training Day Sixty Six

With yesterday's workout in my mind I had a pretty good feeling as I went to the gym today. The day has been relaxed and I've not stressed in any way - which is something that was reflected in my performance.

Today's hamstrings and triceps workout:
- 5x8 Horizontal leg curls
- 3x12 Stiff-legged deadlifts
- 3x8 Stiff-legged cable deadlifts
- 3x8 Seated leg curl machine
- 5x8 Triceps cable pushdowns (Horizontal bar)
- 3x12 Incline bench french press (EZ-bar)
- 3x8 Dips machine

Triceps pic taken prior to heading to my workout.

Can't say anything was wrong with today's workout, but it wasn't perfect either. The hamstrings part was a bit dodgy, but the triceps part worked out pretty neatly. Tomorrow I'm heading to Gothenburg to attend some festivities. Hence, all training related entries will be postponed until I arrive back home on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone!

Training Day Sixty Five

I've been completely exhausted all day. At work I struggled to keep myself focused and things didn't look all too bright as I was about to head to the gym afterwards. However, things turned out to be quite the opposite of what was expected.

Today's back, trapz and forearms workout:
- 5x6 Cable row machine
- 6x8 Row machine
- 5x12 Good-mornings
- 5x8 Standing dumbbell shrugs
- 5x12 Standing supinated barbell wrist curls
- 3x12 Standing reverse barbell biceps curl

Back double biceps pic taken this morning.

I've been struggling with the cold the last couple of workouts, and, as I've just previously described, today's energy supply was at rock bottom. Needless to say I was rather surprised when the workout turned out to be pretty intense. The weights were pretty heavy and the focus was definitely there. Muscles were targeted perfectly and intensity lasted throughout the workout. Seems like I might be heading back on track.

Training Day Sixty Four

Yet another day at the gym and the first one since cheat day number seven. You'd think a bag of potato chips would set the biceps on fire. But, with my current cold adding to the equation the situation got a bit more complicated.

Today's chest and biceps workout:
- 4x8 1x5 3x12 Incline dumbbell chest press
- 1x12 1x9 1x8 Seated chest press machine
- 3x12 Chest fly machine
- 4x8 Standing bent over cable biceps concentration curl
- 6x8 Seated concentration curl
- 3x12 Standing biceps curl with EZ-bar (Partial reps)

Side chest pic taken at the gym after my workout.

I was hoping for a slightly better workout today since I've just had a cheat day and a resting day prior to this workout. However, the cold is still making it's mark, so this was yet again more about having fun rather than performing. I'll have to keep holding back until I'm good and healthy again. That's life.

Training Day Sixty Three

Hopefully this was last workout where I have to hold back and not focusing on performing. The cold is still lingering, but I'm getting better and better by each day.

Today's quads and abs workout:
- 5x8 3x12 Squats (Using a bench to sit down on)
- 5x12 Leg extensions
- 5x12 Cable crunches

Leg pic taken after my workout.

I'd say that quads is definitely one of those workouts where you want to perform. Heavy weights and few reps is usually the way to go. Today was more about control and just getting a fairly alright feeling throughout the workout. The abs part was still carefully laid out due to the operation, so there was no performance issues there. Can't wait to be back in business again.

Cheat Day Seven

Two cheat days ago I went to the store and got some goodies. I did, however, never take advantage of these goodies and ended up at McDonalds instead. The next cheat day the goodies were still there, but instead of devouring them, I took a tour to Burger King. Fast-forward a bit and we're at cheat day number seven. Today, the goodies are about to go on a trip down to bellyland. And what kind of goodies am I talking about, you ask? Potato Chips! More specifically, sour cream and black pepper flavored potato chips. Adding to that I'll also indulge in some fresh island dip (paprika and garlic flavored powder mixed with some quark).

Sour cream/black pepper flavored potato chips accompanied by a fresh island
dip, which consists of garlic and paprika, mixed down in a bowl of quark.

Since I'm preparing the dip myself, and just bought the seasoning powder, I can control the calories there. Hence, I've used Quark instead of sour cream when mixing down the dipping powder. Here's a complete list of the calories contained in this little festivity. 180g Potato Chips (882 kcal), 150g Quark (105 kcal) and 6g Fresh Island Dipping Powder (16 kcal). That brings me to a total of 1003 calories. Yet again I'm living on the edge and breaking my limit by 3 calories!

Due to the fact that my girlfriend is working this evening I'm using the opportunity to watch some old action movies that she'd probably not enjoy. Potato chips and a bowl of dip is a good complement to 80's action... at least in my book.

Training Day Sixty Two

The adventures of the runny nose continues and so does my series of low intensity workouts. Right now it's all about having a bit of fun and just getting the psychological benefit of being at the gym.

Today's calves and delts workout:
- 10x8 Standing calf raises (Squat machine)
- 5x25 Standing calf raises (Plain floor)
- 6x8 Seated dumbbell shoulder press
- 6x8 Standing dumbbell lateral delt raises
- 6x8 Seated bent over rear delt raises

Calves pic taken at home this afternoon (prior to hitting the gym).

Had a fun time at the gym yet again. There are no performance issues due to the simple fact that I'm not trying to perform. As long as this cold is hanging on, so are my low intensity workouts. Got a good pump though!

Training Day Sixty One

Just as the previous entry suspected I was indeed coming down with something. I'm currently writing with a runny nose and a slightly sore throat. Hence, today's workout was more about having fun than actually performing.

Today's hamstrings and triceps workout:
- 5x8 Horizontal leg curls
- 6x8 Seated leg curls
- 5x8 Triceps cable pushdowns (V-bar)
- 3x12 Seated french press (EZ-bar)
- 3x8 Triceps cable pushdowns (Rope)

Triceps pic taken at home after my workout.

Due to my current condition I decided to proceed with great caution today. The exercises was merely about getting a little bit of pump and enjoying myself. I didn't want to risk a major set-back by trying to push myself in any way. A relaxed day at the gym.

Training Day Sixty

The incredible weather continues and so does my need for water. I've been drinking loads of water the last couple of days in order to keep the body satisfied. As much as the warmth is welcome, it also takes a toll on ones energy.

Today's back, trapz and forearms workout:
- 4x5 Lat pulldowns
- 1x4 Chins
- 3x8 Row machine
- 4x12 Good-mornings
- 3x12 Vertical barbell rows
- 3x12 Reverse biceps curl
- 5x10 Pronated barbell wrist curls (10 second rest between sets)

Back double biceps taken at home after my workout.

I'm breaking a lot of sweat training in the heat, and on top of that it seems as if I'm coming down with something. My girlfriend has been sick for a while and I think it's my turn now. Therefore, today's workout was all about playing it safe. That means few sets, easy reps and not pushing myself too much. I'll save the power outlet for later.

Training Day Fifty Nine

The warm weather continues, and so does my good mood. A nice change from yesterday, which pretty much consisted of me trying to make the best out of a huge headache that wouldn't go away.

Today's chest and biceps workout:
- 6x8 Bench press
- 2x12 1x8 Incline chest press machine
- 3x12 Butterfly machine
- 3x8 Lying biceps cable curls
- 3x8 Standing one arm dumbbell concentration curl
- 3x8 Standing one arm cable concentration curl

Side chest pic taken post workout (at home).

Today's workout started out with some pretty decent bench presses that targeted the pecs perfectly. That feeling stayed with me and even lingered on way into the biceps workout. I don't know if it's the good weather, or me actually getting a good night's sleep that's contributing to today's turn of events. But I am liking how things are going right now.

Cheat Day Six

For those of you who've been following the site today, you know I just took away 91 calories from the diet. I'm celebrating that by adding about a 1000 calories on a single day. Good for me! Now, as you might know, the previous cheat day I visited my good ol' friend McDonalds. Therefore, all in the name of fairness, today's cheat day was spent at Burger King.

Burger King Tag Team: Piñata Tendergrill, Hot Cheese Dip & Hot Brownie

For those of you who haven't heard about the Internet (which is weird considering you're reading this), you can find some pretty useful stuff there. In the case of my cheat day, I've found all the nitty gritty details about the content of my burger and stuff. So, here's what today's cheat meal will contain: Piñata Tendergrill Burger (554 kcal), Hot cheese dip (85 kcal) and a Hot Brownie (325,7 kcal). That brings us to a total of 964,7 calories. That's 35,3 less than my 1000 calorie limit! I'm sure someone out there, reading this, is really proud of me right now!

In the usual cheat day manner, tonight's entertainment will be a movie of sort. What genre of movie that will be is yet a mystery. However, one thing is certain; it won't be a drama movie (male readers can start clapping their hands now).

Training Day Fifty Eight

It's been 3 months since I had my operation and they removed 1,3 kilos (2,8 lbs) of excess skin (read more about it here and here). Due to that very fact I've not trained abs during a single workout. Today, however, I decided it was time to introduce the abs to some moderate stress.

Today's quads and abs workout:
- 3x8 Step-ups on bench
- 5x8 3x12 Leg extensions
- 3x8 Squats (Smith machine with a bench beneath my ass)
- 6x16 Cable crunches

Quad pic taken this morning.

God I love cheat day! And that's exactly what awaits me tonight. With the thought of numerous calorie rich choices circling my head, there was no issues with motivation this day. The quad session was absolutely amazing and the abs part was decent. Opposite to what I normally do I started out some isolations exercises (leg extensions) before I finally did my squats. Due to exhaustion I carried out my squats in the smith machine with a bench beneath my ass - just in case I'd drop down all of a sudden. Afterwards I did my first ab workout (post operation). I didn't push myself any way - just some pretty easy 12 rep sets..

My current diet: Update Three

It's that time again. Time to cut away a few calories from the diet in order to do some further fat loss. Last update I was at 82 kilos and I've been pretty stable ever since. Today's morning weight was 81,9 kilos, which means I've only had a loss of 0,1 kilos (0,2 lbs) since 14th of April. There is good reason for this though, and it comes from lessons learned during my previous diet. It's been a very hectic time lately, and last year I had about the same situation. The rough dieting and constant decrease in calorie intake took a toll on my school performance. I'm playing a smarter game this time, not just methodically changing the diet, but also thinking strategically. Therefore it's now a good time to remove a few calories in the form of the morning toast - which brings me down 91 calories.

NOTE: Since most of you who visit my website are from Sweden, each item is clickable and will direct you to the Swedish Wikipedia site - which will explain that particular item.

MY STATS:
Age: 29
Length: 184 cm (6' ½")
Morning weight: 81,9 kg (180,5 lbs)

MY DIETARY PLAN: MAY 20 - 2012

MEAL 1	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Peanut butter (Organic)	50 (1,7)	12,8	24,45	8	281,5
Egg	100 (3,5)	12,3	9,7	0	136
Cottage cheese	100 (3,5)	12	4	2,2	92
Frozen Strawberries	65 (2,3)	0,52	0,26	4,2	24,5
Skip Omega 3	2 Tabs	0	2	0	20
Skip Mega-Pak	1 Bag	0	0	0	0
TOTAL:		37,62	40,41	14,4	554

MEAL 2	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Cutlet	200 (7)	43,2	3,4	0	206
Egg	100 (3,5)	12,3	9,7	0	136
Cottage cheese	100 (3,5)	12	4	2,2	92
Broccoli	200 (7)	6	0	4	40
Margarine	8 (0,28)	0	6,4	0	57
Sriracha Sauce	40 (1,4)	0	0	4	20
TOTAL:		73,5	23,5	10,2	551

PRE-WO	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
MRI Black Powder	20 (0,7)	0	0	11	45
Skip BCAA No Limit	10 (0,35)	0	0	0	7,7
TOTAL:		0	0	11	52,7

POST-WO	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Skip Big Whey	30 (1)	24	1,9	2,6	117
Skip Kreatin 100%	5 (0,17)	0	0	0	0
TOTAL:		24	1,9	2,6	117

MEAL 3	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Cutlet	200 (7)	43,2	3,4	0	206
Egg	100 (3,5)	12,3	9,7	0	136
Cottage cheese	100 (3,5)	12	4	2,2	92
Broccoli	200 (7)	6	0	4	40
Margarine	8 (0,28)	0	6,4	0	57
Sriracha Sauce	40 (1,4)	0	0	4	20
TOTAL:		73,5	23,5	10,2	551

MEAL 4	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Skip Big Whey	30 (1)	24	1,9	2,6	117
TOTAL:		24	1,9	2,6	117

MEAL 5	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Quark	100 (3,5)	12,2	0,3	3,9	67
Cottage cheese	100 (3,5)	12	4	2,2	92
FUN Light Strawberry	- (-)	0	0	0,1	0,8
TOTAL:		24,2	4,3	6,2	159,8

MEAL 6	GRAMS (OZ)	PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
Quark	100 (3,5)	12,2	0,3	3,9	67
Skip Magnesium	1 Tab	0	0	0	0
Skip Zink	1 Tab	0	0	0	0
TOTAL:		12,2	0,3	3,9	67

SUM		PROTEIN	FAT	CARBOHYDRATES	CALORIES
TOTAL:		269	96	61	2170

||PROTEIN||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 63%

||FAT||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 23%
| CARBS|||||||| 14%

Training Day Fifty Seven

Yesterday I posted my 100th entry on the website. At that time I didn't know how to celebrate that fact. So, today, I've taken some time and put some effort into it. As a token of my appreciation for all of your interest in me I've filmed parts of today's workout. The clip gives you a peek into my routines and what my current strategy is. Hope you enjoy!

Today's calves and delts workout:
- 3x20 Horizontal calf raises
- 4x12 Horizontal calf raises (Squat machine)
- 4x12 Leg press calf raises
- 5x5 Shoulder press (Smith machine)
- 3x8 Dumbbell front delt raise
- 3x8 Dumbbell lateral delt raise
- 3x12 Cable lateral delt raise
- 3x8 Reverse fly machine
- 3x12 Cable one arm reverse flyes

Just as the video reveals, today's workout was pretty good. The calves workout started out a bit slow, not really enabling me to properly targeting my calves. The delt workout, on the other hand, was strong and steady. All in all, a good day to get a good pump.

Training Day Fifty Six

This is officially the 100th entry on the website! I'm not entirely sure how to celebrate that. But, I did hand in my first draft of my b-level essay today and got some well-deserved rest as a result of that. Adding to that I also had an awesome workout. I'd say that's a pretty good start!

Today's triceps and hamstrings workout:
- 5x12 Seated leg curl
- 6x8 Horizontal leg curl
- 5x8 Seated french press (Triceps bar)
- 3x12 Triceps cable pushdowns (horizontal bar)
- 3x8 Triceps cable one arm pushdowns (One hand handle)

Posing pic taken at work prior to heading to the gym.

Most excellent triceps workout today. For once I used the triceps bar in order to do some french presses. I was continuously controlling the weight on the eccentric phase while exploding on the concentric phase. The hamstrings part was pretty decent as well, but I'm still trying to fiddle around with different angles.

Training Day Fifty Five

I've increased the sets lately on a fair few exercises and today was no different. I'm primarily focusing on back and the trapz, while I tend to somewhat neglect the forearms. I am, however, doing the best I can in that area - trying to keep myself motivated. Here's how that turned out today!

Today's back, trapz and forearms workout:
- 4x5 Lat pulldowns (Horizontal bar)
- 1x5 Chins (Wide supinated grip)
- 3x8 Lat pulldowns (Close grip)
- 3x8 Bent over rows (Used the multi-press machine and leaned against the incline bench)
- 3x12 Barbell good-mornings
- 4x12 Shrugs (Used the multi-press machine)
- 5x8 Standing behind back barbell wristcurls
- 3x8 Reverse barbell biceps curl

Lat spread pic taken prior to heading to the gym.

Through the increase of sets and the decrease in calories I'm leaning towards lowering the reps. I don't want to burn myself out from doing far too long workouts. I'll keep checking my daily form and try to adjust my rep count towards that. The way I see it, I'd rather decrease the reps and train heavier the further I get into my diet.

Training Day Fifty Four

It's been yet another long day of studying, working and training. I really shouldn't be complaining though, because a) I'm studying something that I thoroughly enjoy and b) today's workout was biceps and chest!

Today's bichest workout:
- 5x12 Bench press
- 2x12 1x9 Incline chest press machine
- 2x12 1x10 Incline bench cable flyes
- 3x12 1x10 Bent over dumbbell concentration curl
- 2x8 1x12 Dumbbell biceps curl
- 3x12 Overhead biceps cable curl

Side chest pic taken at work just before heading off to the gym.

A long time ago I said to myself that I would train light as far as biceps are concerned. Adding to that I also said that I'd keep the reps at about 12. I said this because I felt that it was the way for me to get the most out of my biceps workout. Now, why I'm not able to stick to that very simple concept I'm not sure. Today, I actually did stick to this concept and I had myself an amazing workout as a result of it - just as I did back when I had my first epiphany. What I need to do from now on is to to keep convincing myself that sticking to this awesome biceps plan is worthwhile.

Cheat Day Five

The diet is going well and I'm currently in an extremely hectic period of my life. Aside from the usual work, training and studies, I'm also right now doing my b-level essay. This means one month of delving deep into a subject and writing something worthwhile. For me, the subject of choice has been the human memory. Approximately one year ago I designed an experiment where I want to study the retrieval process in relation to memory cues. As of this month my long-planned project was finally a go, and the previous Friday I had my final experiment group do the test - which concluded all the experiments. From now on, there's a huge amount of work to be done as far analysis goes. Adding to that, there's an equal amount of work to be done on the theoretical part. And so far I've not even mentioned making the text look neat and tidy, which takes several of hours in itself. Needless to say, I'm in much need of a reward from all the work I'm putting in. That's why I'm visiting my good old buddy, McDonalds!

McDonalds Dream Team: Big Mac, Cheeseburger, Onion rings, Curry Dip!

Thanks to the invention of Internet and the database over at McDonald's website I've put together a nice little list of calorie rich items. According to the website, each item contains as follows: Big Mac 495 kcal, Cheeseburger 300 kcal, Onion rings 170 kcal, Curry dip sauce 45 kcal. That brings me to a total of 1010 calories - only breaking my calorie limit by 10. And to all of you who thinks that's cheating, I'll walk up and down the stairs two times just to burn the extra 10 calories for you guys (...not).

As far as entertainment goes, I'll probably end up watching a movie with my girlfriend while munching down on all the naughty list items. What movie that'll be I'm not sure of. What I am sure of, however, is that I'll do absolutely zero studying tonight after I engage in my "McDonalds marathon". Take it easy everyone!