Posts written by Michael J. Mahony

10 days left in my first mission and I'm pumped and focused.  I have 3 more days of rest left and then I start another lifting phase.  I can't wait.  I miss it alot.

I did my cardio and Flatten Your Abs workout early this morning.  I am always very interested by what goes on around me at the gym.  Today I had my music on (Linkin Park) and just did my treadmill workout and observed people as they came into the gym.  I held back a little bit because I could feel a slight cramp in my right thigh and didn't want to push it too hard.  I spent some time tonight with The Stick to roll out the trigger points and it feels better already.

Today was a pretty intense work day.  I had alot of small things thrown at me and I had to really stay focused.  It reminded me of what we all deal with daily with regards to food and exercise.  We have all sorts of small challenges thrown at us and require alot of focus to overcome those challenges.  While not impossible, it is harder than alot of people want you to think. 

I am focused on burning fat the next 10 days.  The results I get will determine whether or not I go into a bulking phase.  I've been doing alot of thinking about it and it is a confusing issue. On the one hand, I've been cutting for a long time and it might be good for the body to do a short bulking phase.  One benefit of this is that I will gain muscle which can help burn the fat.  At the same time, I know I'm going to gain fat and I'm not sure I'm ok with that yet.  Stay tuned for my decision on that one.

I am preparing for my podcast interview.  The interview is scheduled for Friday and will be posted on Saturday.  Look for some big sidebar changes on the blog when that podcast is posted.

Accountability Log:

Stay tuned for my further adventures.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today I was at the gym for my cardio workout.  I used some machines at the very back of the gym. As I finished my cardio and was leaving the gym, I walked past the chin up bars.  I looked up at the chin up bar and thought about how badly I want to get in just one complete chin up.  I started to walk on, but I stopped short.  I set down my towel and water bottle and reached up for the chin up bar.  I pulled and suddenly I was moving up.  I could see the top of the bar approaching and just kept the pulling motion going.  Suddenly the bar was even with my eyes and I kept pulling.  My chin went over the top of the bar!  I had done 1 unassisted chin up.  I lowered myself down and then pulled again.  I began my ascent again.  I slowly inched towards the chin up bar.  I could see it come into view.  Again, my chin went over the top fo the bar!  I had done 2 unassisted chin ups!  I didn't have it in me to do a third, but I walked out of the gym like a proud peacock.  I finally accomplished a goal I've had for years!

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We all got into this shredding thing for various reasons.  Whatever our reasons, the one thing we all seem to agree on is the accountability factor.  It is the common theme throughout all the shredder blogs.

The interview I'm about to conduct for my podcast is going to ratchet up the accountability factor.  The person I am interviewing is going to publicize the blog interview to his mailing list.  Hopefully they will all visit my blog and listen to the podcast.  Many of them will hopefully return day after day and help to hold me accountable.  I'm excited!

Today was a good day in all areas.  I've managed to get my calories up thanks to Nick Nilsson's advice on increasing the fat (good fat of course) intake while on Metabolic Surge's low carb phase.  I've had more energy the past two days doing this than I've had the entire time on the plan.  It is odd, but it makes alot of sense when I dig in and think it through. 

I read a great book a few months back called Everything You Need to Know About Fat Loss by Chris Aceto.  It explains fat burning in great detail and with scientific explanations.  I got a good understanding of how the body burns fat.  I learned why carb cycling works.  I learned alot in general from this book.  When I apply what I've learned, Metabolic Surge makes sense.  I am now going to re-read the book by Chris Aceto and post my own review here.

I am in the process of building my website for my eBook launch.  While it definitely won't launch at the start of Mission 2 like I'd hoped, I think the delay  is a good thing.  I will be in much better shape and people will have more reason to listen to what I have to say.  I want to help others.  I want to give back what I've been given by people like Tom Venuto and Adam Waters.  Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but it needs to be shared to do any good.

The entire idea behind my eBook is to share my experience with others.  I want people to understand that they can lift weights regardless of their past history.  There are ways to accomplish the goals they have.  All they need is hard work, dedication and a source of motivation.  I want to be that source of motivation for them.  They will need to bring the other two criteria to the table on their own.

In doing research for the book, I was amazed at how many people truly think they can't lift weights because of a surgery they've had or an old injury they've experienced.  I want to teach them that they must just overcome their fear, lift with proper form and intensity, and get back to lifting!

Accountability Log:

Keep on the lookout for my podcast interview with a surprise guest.  This is coming very soon!

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Yay!  My lame attempt at humor is here in the form of this podcast called Gym Rats so please enjoy and try not to make too much fun of my humor. 

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Today I hit the gym at 4 a.m. to do my cardio and abs workout.  I was amazed at how empty it was.  Most of the regulars weren't around.  It was pretty strange.

I learned that it is important to pace yourself when doing cardio.  When trying to beat a distance in a set amount of time (ala Max-OT cardio) you end up at the same distance if you spend your energy all up front and have nothing left for the finish.

I learned that listening to your body is the only way to enjoy success in the fitness game.  My body has basically had 3 days of rest and it is already feeling better than it did at the start of the 10 week cycle I'm in the midst of.

I learned that it is important to pay attention to one's recovery cycle.  By knowing this type of information I was able to identify that my body was exhausted and in need of a rest.

I learned that doing cardio is fun with the right music.  I listened to Avenged Sevenfold as I ran my butt off this morning.  Somehow it was easier to hit the pace I wanted to hit while listening to that.

I learned that alot of older people go to the gym early in the morning.  After talking to one, I was told it is because they have trouble sleeping, so they come to the gym.  I like it.

I learned that timing is everything.  We can make whatever plans we want (ie. a shred mission carefully planned to end on a certain day) and yet our body will tell us whether or not it is realistic. 

I learned that running hard is alot of fun.  I used to run hard as a teenager.  I would do 6 miles a day every single day, 7 days a week.  I see why I enjoyed it so much.

I learned that the Flatten Your Abs workout Level 1 only looks easy.  The reality is that a pelvic tilt done correctly is alot harder than a basic crunch.  Don't believe me?  Give it a shot yourself!

I learned that accountability is who you are when nobody else is looking.  I was taken to lunch today by a client and was tempted to make a bad choice for lunch.  He didn't know a thing about my nutritional plan.  However, I stuck to plan and kept it very low carb and healthy.

I learned that you can make time for something if you really want to.  I managed to get a second cardio session in today because I wanted to.  It isn't about need, it is about want.  When you want it badly enough you can make it happen.

I learned that everything happens for a reason.  Just look at how we all met here online.  There's a reason we have all been brought together.

I learned that my accountability log had an error in the count of how many I've hit.  I corrected it.

I learned that my picture taking and editing takes less than 5 minutes now.  I have it down to a science.

Accountability Log:

I learned that if you've read this far, you are pretty interested in what I have to say.  Thanks for that!

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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