Today was a rest day for me.  I've moved my rest day around a little because of the double cardio I do on non-workout days.  By doing this, I get to do a double cardio on the weekend and that makes it easier for me.

I'm really proud of the members of the Shredder Council.  They all know what makes themselves tick and are ready to take action to amplify that.  Yesterday I posted about my goals needing to be my own.  It goes even deeper than that.  I can't do things just because someone else wants me to.  For instance, if someone else wanted me to lose weight, it isn't going to happen just because of that.  It only happens when I really want it badly.

I'm in a really good mood after the measurements I took yesterday.  I am continuing to focus on Metabolic Surge's nutritional program, avoiding the exercise routine completely.  I found that I have the same eBook Adam Waters must have because he is using the single exercise focus that I found in this eBook called Muscle Explosion.  I swear I've been addicted to eBooks on fitness.  I've finally decided to stop buying anything else on topics I already have. 

Speaking of eBooks, I am working on my own eBook right now.  I am also doing my planning for the next podcast.  I hope you enjoyed my last podcast on my favorite exercises.   I am trying to think of a way to link the podcasts to the eBook idea.  I'm learning right now (through a paperback I'm reading) that I have figured out a need, I've decided how my eBook should meet that need, but now I need to figure out how to offer value to the eventual customer.  I feel this is very important because I find that most fitness eBooks regurgitate the same information.  That is not value if you ask me.  I will continue to brainstorm on that issue and when the product is finally complete, I know my potential customers will be receiving an incredible value for their money.

I just finished reading an article in Muscle & Fitness about the recent Mr. Olympia contest.  It was very interesting to see the take of the author on what transpired.  Some say that Victor Martinez should have taken the Sandow instead of Jay Cutler.  I think Victor looked better on the first night, but Jay put it all together and fast.  He looked dominant on the final day and that's why he won.

In another article I read that Jay Cutler's gym had ordered him special 230 pound dumbbells to use when doing shrugs.  I am amazed at that.  He uses dumbbells that weigh more than me!  Simply incredible!

Until tomorrow…

(Something is wrong with the camera–can't get anything but fuzzy pics today.  I will fix that for tomorrow.)

Today was a pretty amazing day.  I had a major breakthrough on weightloss and fat loss.  I had an incredible workout as well.  I managed to observe some interesting things during the day as well.

The workout was a 5 x 5 strength builder.

Exercise	Weight/Reps
Squat	205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5
Deadlift Shrug	205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5
Bulgarian Split Squats	30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5
Step Ups	25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5
Reverse Crunches	15 15 10

It was interesting in that I could have lifted more on both squats and deadlifts, yet I had originally thought it would be difficult to hit the numbers I was aiming for.  I am starting to question whether The New Rules of Lifting does enough core exercises.  I may have to add a little myself to help flatten this stomach of mine.

Today I read through alot of the Shredder Council blogs.  The topic seems to be on accountability.  I couldn't understand why I didn't immediately feel compelled to join in with that topic.  I thought it through and came to several conclusions.

If you read Mission 1, Day 43: Fruit day is coming soon! you'd know I was not happy with the effort I put forth in that day's workout.  I posted publically that I was unhappy with that effort and stated that I would fix it the next trip to the gym.  If you look at today's workout log you will note that I definitely worked harder than the last time at the gym.  The weights felt light, yet challenging.  To me, this is part of accountability–posting my workout logs for everyone to see pushes me to higher levels of intensity.

In addition, I've been posting daily pictures since the start of the first Group Shred.  I've been one of the people who has been stating that the daily pictures are essential to our accountability factor.  I truly believe that when Adam wrote his article about accountability, the article where he mentions blogging and posting daily photos, he truly believed that the daily ritual of blogging and taking photos would make us more accountable to our goals.  I, for one, believe this to be the case and plan to blog daily into the foreseeable future and beyond.  I will continue to post pictures on a daily basis.  Does it matter to me whether we are in the middle of a 100 day cycle of shredding or an 84 day cycle of shedding?  Most certainly not!  The fact is that I am making a lifestyle change here.  I am planning to live this way for the rest of my life.  The timeline I'm currently involved in is less than important.

Now, with that said, if these things motivate you, by all means, jump in and have some fun.  For me, the motivation I gleen from knowing I have to take a photo every day is enough.  I am very focused on being held accountable.  I have even started to re-read a book about trust that I read several months ago and it has given me some new insights.

With that said, I am not going to be joining in any special 100 day missions, 84 day missions or any special missions of any length.  Will I participate and encourage others on a daily basis?  Yes, I will.  However, I need to be sure that my goals are my goals.  I have set a goal for a 100 day mission and I'm in Day 45 now.  To change that at this point would be changing my focus and to me, that is a dangerous thing. I am easily distracted.  I can't afford to let myself get distracted while crafting a new lifestyle.

Until tomorrow…

Today's podcast is the first in a series about my favorite exercises.  I hope you enjoy the content.

So the results are in from my first week of Metabolic Surge and they are astounding to me.  I will contrast the results this week to both my goals and my previous numbers from last week:

Item	Measurement
Current Weight (lbs)	227
Previous Weight (lbs)	232
Goal Weight (lbs)	231
Variance to previous (lbs)	-5
Variance to goal (lbs)	-4
Current Body Fat %	16.0%
Previous Body Fat %	17.0%
Goal Body Fat %	17.0%
Variance to previous	-1.0%
Variance to goal	-1.0%
Current LBM (lbs)	190.68
Previous LBM (lbs)	192.56
Goal LBM (lbs)	191.73
Variance to previous (lbs)	-1.88
Variance to goal (lbs)	-1.05

I did lose some lean body mass, but I'm not extremely concerned.  This first week of Metabolic Surge was all about burning fat and that clearly worked.  I dropped 5 pounds overall and 1% body fat.  This week begins more of the muscle building phase and I am sure I am going to pack on some muscle the next few weeks.  Today begins the protein, glutamine and creatine loading phase of the Metabolic Surge program and it talks specifically about packing on muscle.  I am well on my way to all my goals except lean body mass and I knew that would be a stretch while shredding fat.

Stay tuned for next week's measurements.

I am off to lift!

Until later…

Today I was browsing through some photos as I was organizing them and I came across a photo I took exactly 3 months ago.  At that point (3 months ago) I was completely unhappy with my progress.  I entered into the Group Shred about 6 weeks later and since then I've been extremely focused and very happy with my results. Take a look at the photo I found below:

I am amazed at the difference in these pictures.  I decided to take today's picture and compare the one from 3 months ago to show that while I was very unhappy with my previous progress, a few adjustments have made it possible for me to head on the right path.  Yes, the accountability factor of daily pictures has done wonders for my inspiration and focus.  Those of you reading this blog and wondering when you are finally going to get some positive results had better start blogging and posting daily pictures.  It was the impetus I needed to push me towards my goals.

Today while doing my cardio I was listening to a Jeff Anderson podcast. I  got about halfway through it, but something sticks in my mind.  His guest states that the #1 mistake people make when embarking on a fitness plan is not remaining committed to their goal!  That's right!  The biggest mistake people make is not doing everything they can to achieve their goal.  They don't make the daily decisions necessary for getting to the goal.  They continually think that tomorrow is another day.  They believe they have time to catch up.  That is the wrong way.  It is a huge mistake.

If you want to make progress with your fitness plan I encourage you to start a blog and post daily accoutability pictures.  Get others to link to your blog to increase the accountability pressure.  You won't regret it.  It will help you get past that #1 mistake most people make.

Stay tuned because the podcast is coming tomorrow!

Until tomorrow…