My workout log for today:

Exercise	Weight/Reps
Front Squat	135 x 10 (Reduced weight to improve form) 135 x 10 135 x 10 135 x 10
Chin-ups (assisted)	(150) 10  (150) 10  (150) 10  (150) 10
Step ups	35 x 11 35 x 11 35 x 11 35 x 11
Dumbbell push press	45 x 10 45 x 10 45 x 10 45 x 10
Back Squat	75 x 20 No second set due to 1 hour limit being reached
Lat pulldown	75 x 20 No second set due to 1 hour limit being reached
Step ups	22.5 x 20 No second set due to 1 hour limit being reached
Dumbbell overhead press	35 x 20 No second set due to 1 hour limit being reached

I didn't feel particularly strong today. I was coming back from a week off that I took due to my need to recover from my office move.  I had to cut out the second set of the second giant set because I don't ever go for more than an hour when lifting weights.  It is something I learned from the Optimum Anabolics program by Jeff Anderson.  This time, the delays were not my fault.  I had a couple that was using the assisted chin up machine at the gym and they would not let me work in.  They must have been doing a million sets because every time it was my time to do that exercise, there they were monopolizing that machine.  Without that major delay, I would have finished everything today.  I feel like I did push myself on every single exercise today.

I did 30 minutes of steady cardio today as well.

My main post and my pictures for the day will follow later in the day.

Workout programs are a dime a dozen these days.  You can read through any bodybuilding magazine and get bombarded with the best chest routine, the best shoulder routine, etc.  Our spam folders get filled with offers for the best workout program ever.  But what happens when we jump from program to program?

Frankly, there are so many different workout programs out there because different things work for different people.  If you've done much reading on working out, you've no doubt encountered the idea that your body will adapt to any given training program over time.  The key is to find training programs that give you results.  What some people do is pick 4 programs that are 12 weeks in length.  They then cycle those programs in and out during the year.  This avoids the adaptation issue.  Each time they come back to the programs they get better and better results.

I've personally tried several workout programs.  Some have worked, others have not worked.  In the category of those that worked would go Optimum Anabolics by Jeff Anderson, Bodybuilding Secrets Revealed by Will Brink, The New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuyler, and the various levels of bodybuilding programs from http://www.global-fitness.com.  Others that fall in the category of not working include X-Size and Mass Results training.  I am keeping the good routines in my arsenal to be called upon when I need them.

Currently I am working through The New Rules of Lifting program.  I really like this program because it has a built in method for avoiding adaptation.  First, they vary the rest times in the workouts.  Second, they vary the repetitions, which then causes you to vary the weights you are using. Next, they vary the types of workouts:  fat burning, hypertrophy, etc.  I've been getting tremendous results with the fat burning workouts.

I think the most important thing anyone can do is find what works for them.  This includes nutritional issues as well as workout issues.  For some people, the carbohydrates/protein/fat ratio of 40/40/20 might be too restrictive and for others it might be too high in carbohydrates.  The only way to know is to make small changes.  Don't jump in and change everything at once.  I think the first thing to do is dial in your calories.  Find out what is the best number of calories for you (even if you don't crunch numbers, you can get a feel for how much food is right for you).  Once you have that dialed in, experiment with the ratios.  Add carbs, subtract carbs, do whatever it takes, but carefully examine the results you produce.  Find what works for you and then stick with it.  You will definitely need to vary your nutritional programs, so be prepared to readjust as needed.  Once the nutrition is dialed in, add cardio to the program.  Determine how much cardio is enough for you.  The objective should be to do as little cardio as possible with maximum results.  When you add cardio to your program, don't just do an hour a day and call it a success.  Start with 20 minutes and see what happens.  Increase it to 30 minutes and compare the results.  Go with the best results path for you.

As my regular readers know, I've recently started doing cardio twice a day on non-lifting days and once a day on lifting days, with one day off each week. I am carefully tracking my results and will make adjustments as needed.

My biggest tip for today is to stick with your program.  Don't just aimlessly jump around.  You have to give a program time to work.  This is why I'm sticking with The New Rules of Lifting for Mission 1 (and possibly even Mission 2).  I want to give it time to work properly.

Until tomorrow…

I spent alot of time driving again today and I came up with a plan for my goals.  I am not really sure if my goals are achieveable and I'd like to get everyone's opinions on my goals.

Ultimately, I want to reach 200 lbs of LBM and 13% body fat by the end of my 100 day mission.  I have set up the following plan to achieve this:

Date	11/17	11/24	12/1	12/8	12/15	12/22	12/29	1/5	1/12	1/19	1/26	2/3
Lbs.	234	232	231	231	230	229	228	227	228	229	230	230
LBM	190.71	190.24	190.58	191.73	192.05	192.36	192.66	192.95	194.94	196.94	198.95	200
BF %	18.5	18.0	17.5	17.0	16.5	16.0	15.5	15.0	14.5	14.0	13.5	13.0

First, I am travelling today and right now I'm in a hotel room in Las Vegas as I write this.  I brought my camera with me and have taken my pictures, but unfortunately, I forgot the cable that allows me to download the pictures to my computer.  Consequently, my pictures will be placed in the appropriate posts when I return home. (Note:  I have added the pictures to all posts (obviously).)

I drove here from Los Angeles today and it took over 7 hours due to traffic.  I used that time to start doing some planning for the next 85 days.  I know where my weaknesses are and I started planning to improve in those weak areas.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to do 2 cardio sessions daily when on a non-weightlifting day and 1 cardio session when it is a weightlifting day.  I am going to continue on my New Rules of Lifting program until the end of the first mission (100 days) because I've been seeing good results.  After that, I am likely to give Metabolic Surge a try.

I need to take the time to sit down and type up all of my plans so that I can execute on them properly.  Right now they are all just floating around in my head, having been formulated on the drive here tonight.  I have learned through my business training to get these things in writing.  By doing so, I increase the likelihood of being successful with my plans.

I plan to start blogging on specific topics as I move forward through this 100 day mission.  Whatever topic hits me as I sit down to blog will be the topic in the post that day.  I am even planning a weekly podcast to begin Saturday, December 1, 2007.  At first the podcast will just be me speaking my mind, but eventually I'd like to interview various people and put that up as a podcast.

Keep shredding hard everyone!

Until tomorrow…