Today was my first day using the No Nonsense Muscle Building program from Vince Del Monte.  It was a lower body and abdominals workout and I have not done just my lower body in a long time.  This workout was only an hour long and it was intense.  My calves were burning after being worked so hard!  My abs felt like they were going to rip apart.  I am now setting aside FYA for the time being just to see what results I get from this program's abdominal exercises.

I did end up letting my employee go today.  I will not go into detail, but suffice to say that I am comfortable with the decision.  The new person is coming on like gangbusters already and that's an awesome thing to see.

I did alot of thinking about the future today. I'm not sure why I was in such a reflective mood.  I also picked up a new headset with a microphone so that I can finally record my podcast.

I will let you know my “deep” thoughts once I've processed them.  I've been reading The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey and I think that's gotten me thinking.  I've spent alot of time in my journal lately (my handwritten one).  That, too, is getting me to think.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 5/4/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	LIFT
Cardio *	N/A	N/A	PM	AM	PM	AM	AM
Abs *	N/A	NNMB	NNMB	N/A	NNMB	N/A	NNMB
Water *	264 oz	264 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Target Cals		3000	3000	3000	3000	3000	3000
Cals
Ratios (C/P/F)	30/50/20	10/70/20
Target Ratios (C/P/F)	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30	60/30/10	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30
Total Completed	15	15
Total Possible	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	1339	1354	1354	1354	1354	1354	1354
Mission 2 Total Possible	1365	1380	1380	1380	1380	1380	1380
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Plan:

Workout Log:

Monday, 5/5/2008	Lower Body and Abs		Start: 4:30 a.m. End 5:30 a.m.
Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Rest	Reps
Seated Calf Raise	135 x 12	135 x 12	135 x 12	60	15
Standing Calf Raise	225 x 12	225 x 12	225 x 12	60	15
Supine Calf Raise	225 x 12	225 x 12	225 x 12	60	15
Standing Hamstring Curl	90 x 14	90 x 13	90 x 13	60	15
Single Leg Leg Extension	80 x 14	80 x 13	80 x 12	60	15
Single Leg Hip Extension	20	20	20	60	20
One Leg Box Step Up	20			60	20
Back Extension	15	15		60	15
Single Leg RDL with DB	25 x 15	25 x 15		60	15
DB Bulgarian Split Squat	35 x 8	35 x 8		60	8
Deadlift	350 x 8	350 x 8		60	8
Air Bike Crunches	15	15		60	15
Janda Sit Up	10	10		60	15
Full Sit Up	10	10		60	15
Lying Side Crunch	15	15		60	15
Supine Double Leg Raise	15	15		60	15
Alt. Toe Touch	15	15		60	15
Hip Thrusts	15	15		60	15

Training Notes:  The Single Leg Leg Extension, Single Leg Hip Extension, One Leg Box Step Up, Single Let RDL with DB and DB Bulgarian Split Squat are per leg (so when I have 90 x 14, that's for each leg, so I did that twice).

This was a pretty intense workout.  Back extensions and RDL before the regular Deadlift added a new dimension to the workout.

Thought for the Day:

Change is a good thing when applied in the right way.

Question of the Day:

What do you need to change immediately?  Comment this article with your answer.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today was a rest day.  I spent some time doing planning for Mission 3 and setting up my workout logs for next week.  Vince Delmonte will have me doing an lower body and upper body split.  I will hit lower body one day, upper body one day and then have two days of body weight conditioning work.  This will go on for four weeks and is called Upside Down Training.  If you are interested in putting on alot of muscle, this guy's program is the way to go.

Vince gives the following advice for building Muscle:

Step #1

Committ to lifting weights at least three to four times per week. Your goal is to stimulate your muscles with resistance (stress) which results in your muscles growing bigger to avoid the stress from occuring again. Once you go home, let the muscle heal through nutrition and rest, it will grow bigger and you will repeat this process again. Ideally you should hit your muscles once every 72 hours so you could perform 2 upper body workouts per week and 2 lower body workouts per week.

Step #2

Focus on eating at least 5-7x a day with balanced meals from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. If your goal is to build muscle than you should be eating at least 15-18 x your current body weight. Your carbohydrates should equate about 45% of your intake, your proteins should equate about 35% of your intake and your fat should be the remaining 20% of your intake. You should focus on over half of those meals being solid whole food meals and the remainder can be liquid meal replacment shakes.

Step #3

You should focus on stretching at least half the amount that you lift weights. One of the biggest mistkakes I see is people training, training and training with out any stretching. Stretching helps restore normal length to the tissue and if you are constantly training, your muscle tissues will shorten and big to perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injuries. So if you are lifting weights 4 hours in the week, at least an additional 2 hours should be dedicated to stretching. You must counteract the shortening of the muscle tissues that occurs with weights or else you are a injury screaming to happen.

Step #4

Avoid supplements that have not been around for longer than 3 years. I learned this phisophy from an Australian strength coach who recommended not trying any supplement until it has been around at least 3 years to pass the test of time. This will make your life much easier and help you avoid all the marketing hoopla in the latest fitness and bodybuilding magazine. If you follow this rule, you will discover only a small handful of supplements still standing. Here are the ones you should not go with out: a high quality multi-vitamin, fish oil capsules, powdered creatine and a protein powder. These products will cover your nutritional basis for health, healthy body composition, strength and muscle mass.

You really should check out Vince Delmonte if you're serious about building some serious muscle.

I spent the rest of the day working on my website.  It is just about ready for a preliminary launch!

For those of you looking for the podcast, my headset with microphone died, so I will be recording and posting it tomorrow.

What is PACE?

I have had several people ask what PACE cardio is.  I reviewed it previously, so please check out my review.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 5/4/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	N/A	PM	AM	PM	N/A	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	264 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Target Cals		3000	3000	3000	3000	3000	3000
Cals
Ratios (C/P/F)	30/50/20
Target Ratios (C/P/F)	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30	60/30/10	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30
Total Completed	15
Total Possible	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	1339	1339	1339	1339	1339	1339	1339
Mission 2 Total Possible	1365	1365	1365	1365	1365	1365	1365
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

Today was a rest day.

Thought for the Day:

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Week 3 of the nutritional experiment is complete and the stats are now in.  Things are looking excellent:

Experiment Stats
Date	Weight	BF%	LBM	Fat Lbs
20-Apr-08	213	17.60%	175.512	37.488
27-Apr-08	210	15.83%	176.757	33.243
4-May-08	207	14.63%	176.7159	30.2841
11-May-08
18-May-08
Experiment Total	-6	-2.97%	1.2039	-7.2039

Analysis:

In the past week I have lost 3 lbs, dropped 1.2% body fat, lost 0.0411 lbs of LBM (not bad during a cut) and lost 2.96 lbs of fat.  For the entire experiment I have lost 6 lbs, lost 2.97% body fat, gamined 1.2 lbs of LBM and lost 7.2 lbs of fat.  I believe I've found what works for me.  At this point my plan is to end my experiment at the same time my Mission 2 ends so that I can announce my new plans.  It is going to be awesome!

Until later…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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I woke up today with a severe case of DOMs, but it made me smile.  I've been working extra hard these days and the DOMs is a sign that I've been changing things up pretty well.

I came to a tough decision today.  I have terminated my personal training arrangement.  I was pretty conflicted about the trainer to begin with.  I did like the way my time with him was interfering with my own workouts.  Then i was looking through The Millionaire Workout by Ryan Lee and realized that every endurance exercise I was being taught was in this book I held in my hands.

With that in mind, if I want to add some endurance training to my plan, I can do so using this book.  I don't need to layout $350 a month to a trainer just yet.  I honestly believe that at some point (probably as I get close to entering a bodybuilding contest) that I will either need a trainer or a very advanced training partner, right now just isnt' the time.

Today was a cardio only day.  I'm sticking to my PACE workouts.  I did a good 24 minute treadmill session that had me dripping with sweat.

I am now planning my next workout phase and believe I will be using Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building program.

I highly recommend this system.  I've dabbled with some of the workouts and I've read through the plans.  He has some great support on his site and you can't go wrong with this guy's plan.  Let's see what it does for me.

Coming up tomorrow will be the first podcast in my Total Immersion series.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 4/27/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	N/A	PM	AM	PM	N/A	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	264 oz	264 oz	240 oz	264 oz	264 oz	240 oz	240 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Target Cals		3000	3000	3000	3000	3000	3000
Cals
Ratios (C/P/F)	10/70/20	10/70/20	30/50/20	10/70/20	10/70/20	10/70/20	10/70/20
Target Ratios (C/P/F)	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30	60/30/10	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30
Total Completed	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
Total Possible	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	1234	1249	1264	1279	1294	1309	1324
Mission 2 Total Possible	1260	1275	1290	1305	1320	1335	1350
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

24 minutes PACE workout on treadmill.

Thought for the Day:

Be decisive.  When making decisions it is essential to do it decisively and to not look back.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today I got in a discussion with another person as I was warming up for my personal training session.  I started telling this guy about my concept of total immersion and how that works.  He brought it to a different level for me, making the point that it is like an extreme focus.  You are so focused on the end result that you don't let anything else get in your way.

To me, total immersion is very much an extreme focus.  At the same time, it is important to note that I've reached this current level of total immersion over time.  It isn't something that happened over night.  It is alot like adding pounds to your lifts.  You don't do it over night, instead, you progressively add weight over time.  Total immersion is exactly the same.  You slowly amplify your focus over time.  This assists with your success because it isn't something you had to jump straight into.  It is the classic angled line on a line graph.  It goes progressively higher as time passes.  So it is with total immersion.

For me this has resulted in some amazing runs.  I've hit some amazing milestones through the use of this mindset.  Afterall, a big part of this game is mental.  If your mental game isn't strong you will not hit your goals no matter how hard you try.  It just isn't possible.

Take the time to figure this part out because it is going to help you immensely.  Don't underestimate the concept and don't dismiss it as being something that works for me and not for you.  Total immersion is completely personal and that means each person will handle it differently.  However, it will work for anyone who understands its purpose.  It isn't a quick fix.  It leads you to your destination.  It is the road map for your future success.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 4/27/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A	Lift	Lift	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	N/A	PM	AM	PM	N/A	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	264 oz	264 oz	240 oz	264 oz	264 oz	240 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Target Cals		3000	3000	3000	3000	3000	3000
Cals
Ratios (C/P/F)	10/70/20	10/70/20	30/50/20	10/70/20	10/70/20	10/70/20
Target Ratios (C/P/F)	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30	60/30/10	10/60/30	10/60/30	10/60/30
Total Completed	15	15	15	15	15	15
Total Possible	15	15	15	15	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	1234	1249	1264	1279	1294	1309	1309
Mission 2 Total Possible	1260	1275	1290	1305	1320	1335	1335
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

Friday, May 2, 2008	Start: 4:15 a.m.	End: 5:15 a.m.
Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
Squat rows	85 x 20	85 x 20	85 x 20
Wood chops	70 x 20	80 x 20	90 x 20
Negative Dips	(BW) 12	(BW) 12	(BW) 12
Tricep bench dips	(BW) 20	(BW) 20	(BW) 20
Body weight rows (unstablizied)	(BW) 20	(BW) 20	(BW) 20
One arm row and extension	(BW) 5	(BW) 5	(BW) 5

Some explanations are in order.  The squat rows and wood chops are supersetted.  A squat row involves two cable pulleys with weight stacks.  You sit into a squat and when you come up, you row the weight to your body.  Body weight rows (unstabilized) had me grabbing some handles that were suspended from the ceiling, laying back so that I was on my heels only and then rowing my body weight.  One arm row and extension had me doing the same thing, but with one arm and reaching out to a certain point on the supporting cable and then back to the floor.  All of this is what I call endurance training.  It is very difficult stuff, but it isn't my passion at all.

Thought for the Day:

Figure out what your limits are and then set out to hit those limits because doing less will be cheating yourself out of some great results.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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