We are at the half way point of the group shred and Adam has asked us to comment on four topics.  Before I get to those, I wanted to mention that I did my cardio workout today and it left me feeling incredible.  I could feel the metabolic boost for hours afterwards.

I just got back from the gym and I must say, I left everything there and brought nothing home with me.  I feel awesome but exhausted at the same time!  The stress I was feeling has melted away.  At one point, prior to my fourth deadlift set, I felt defeated, like there was no way I'd get through it.  Prior to grabbing the bar and starting the set I decided to visualize myself completing 10 reps.  I then proceeded to complete the set!

The workout:

Exercise	Results (Weight/Sets/Reps)
Deadlift	185 x 4 x 10 *[PB]
Explosive Pushups	BW x 4 x 11
Bulgarian Split Squats	25 x 4 x 11
2 Point Bent Row	35 x 4 x 11 *[PB]
Deadlift from a box	65 x 2 x 20
Dumbbell Bench Press	35 x 2 x 20
Walking lunges	25 x 2 x 20
Seated Cable Row	75 x 2 x 20
*PB=Personal Best

OK, for once I can actually see a difference in my physique and I find that very exciting.  Honestly, I have some older pictures and can see huge differences between those and my latest photos. What stands out to me the most is that my chest seems tighter and my “love handles” have shrunk.  My posture has also improved so much and that's from the confidence these other changes are giving me.  I even had someone tease me today about getting in shape and then he patted my stomach.  Upon doing that, he looked at me and said “You're really getting there!”  It made me feel great.

As I reflected upon these changes I realized that it isn't just the physical that has changed, it is the mental as well.  For instance, this week I was forced (due to the job responsibilities I have) to move my workout schedule around a bit.  Normally I'd be lifting Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, but this week I'm lifting Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.  Usually, when I do this, I have a hard time getting up for the workout.  Today the plan was simple:  fasted cardio in the morning, weight workout in the evening.  I woke up at 3:30 a.m. for my fasted cardio workout before work and thought “I could just do this with my weight workout tonight and get some extra sleep right now” but I knew that the fasted cardio would be better, so I got up and headed out to the gym.  I had an awesome cardio session and enjoyed listening to music with my new Shure e2c ear buds that arrived yesteday from amazon.com.  That decision set the stage for the rest of the day.  Today is high carb day and I've been enjoying the carbs, but I've also managed, for the first time in weeks, to really maintain my macronutrient ratios.  I honestly believe this is due to the good decision I made when I first opened my eyes this morning.

I will be heading out to the gym later to do my weight workout.  It is my favorite workout in the Fat Loss III series because it involves deadlifts. I absolutely love doing deadlifts.  I feel so powerful when  I can lift that heavy bar off the floor for repetitions.  This particular workout also works my chest and I've missed my chest workouts.  I'm pumped to get back into the gym for my weight workout tonight.  I need the time by myself to just focus on all the things going through my mind these days and to absorb what is happening via this group shred. 

Today I'm not shy to say that I'm proud of my accomplishments.  I am proud of the fact that I will be at the gym twice today.  I am proud of the fact that I've gone 6 days straight eating clean.  I am proud of the fact that I haven't missed a single day of getting my accoutability photos up.  Most of all, I am proud of my change in mental attitude that is accompanying the change in my physique.

Before I sign off, I wanted to mention that I spent some time reading older posts on Christy's blog.  I love the attitude about gratitude.  It is definitely true that when we focus on ourselves and the changes we can make on our own, great things happen.  Even in a relationship with someone else, the tendency is to point the finger at the other person, but if we focus on the changes we can make in ourselves, the other person generally makes the changes in themselves that we want to see and everyone is happy.  It is just smarter to focus on changing the things we are in control of rather than trying to change the things we are not in control of.  The attitude of gratitude takes us right down that path.  Goals, focus and gratitude for what we accomplish is definitely a recipe for success.

Until tomorrow…

Today was a stressful day for me.  I am in the middle of helping with an office move and one of the key vendors (the one that handles the main data connection for the office) is dragging their feet.  Yes, good old AT&T seems to have dropped the ball.  The one thing they are supposed to do well, data connections, is failing them.  They've known about the move for 2 months and even gave an install date of October 19, 2007 and now they say they might not make it by the move-in date of November 2, 2007 (this Friday).

As I did my cardio workout today, I realized that I tend to lose focus on my nutrition when I'm stressed.  Consequently, I tried extra hard today to focus on that part of my regimen.  I am really trying to learn this carb cycling process.  It is a very interesting (to me) topic.  I spent part of the day crunching numbers in a spreadsheet that I created.  I think I've come up with some ratios I can test with.  It will be interesting to see if the fat comes off the way they say it will when I eat the way I am planning to eat.

I normally get my pictures up much earlier, but I was in a rush to get to work today, so that didn't happen at the usual time.  Overall, I'm motivated, but I feel a little down today.  I don't believe it has anything to do with the shred, but it is definitely there.  I am already feeling a bit better as I sit here and write this entry.

My focus was slightly off today, but I managed to eat correctly.  I am excited to get busy with the new way of carb cycling and will definitely detail the results here.  I will post my “stats” on Sunday and then every Sunday thereafter. 

Thank you everyone who has commented.  Your comments mean alot to me and they help me stay motivated.  When faced with food temptations, I always remember that I'm going to have to post a picture and that keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I don't have alot more to say today.  I've got some things going through my mind that I need to get a grip on before I can comment.  Perhaps tomorrow?

Until then…

Even when life continues to happen, the journey towards a leaner body must happen as well.  This past weekend was proof of that and the coming week, even more so.  With the temptations faced and overcome during the weekend, I am feeling confident about the week ahead of me.  I will continue to plan and then stick to that plan and it will workout the way I want.

Today was a cardio only day for me.  I did 40 minutes of cardio in ten 3 minute intervals.  My approach is taken from the New Rules of Lifting metabolic overdrive idea.  I warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill at a pace of 3.5 mph.  I then up it to 6.5 mph for one minute, followed by 5.5 for two minutes and I repeat that for 10 intervals and follow it all with a 5 minute cool down. 

Today I felt good as I did my cardio workout.  The gym wasn't very crowded so my mind didn't wander. I thought about the people joining me in this RTP Group Shred and the challenges they face. 

I thought about…

…Christy, who is using a walker due to several injuries she's sustained.  Christy seems to have a strong will and great determination to succeed.  She uses visualization to her benefit.  Chrsty is on the right path and I'm very proud of what she's accomplished so far.

…Suzette and how hard she's worked the past year to drop 60 pounds.  Even with some roadblocks in her way, Suzette has managed to overcome them and is just getting stronger and stronger as a result. 

…Dougal and how supportive he's been of everyone in the Group Shred.  Dougal seems like an awesome guy and someone I'd enjoy hanging out with.

…Diane and how touched she was by all the comments the group had left for her.  Diane is absolutely right when she says the support means so much.  It is the fuel that gets you to the next day!

…Debbie and how far she has come. By reading her blog, you can see the determination to change.  It is incredible!

…Miriam and how she's managed to motivate her husband into joining her in getting in better shape.  Obviously her drive is incredible and her husband saw that and couldn't wait to start making gains like his wife!

…Samuel and how I'd like to look like him.  I love how Samuel plans his meals–simple yet effective.

…Katie and how I hope she gets going on this Group Shred.  She's busy moving, but as I stated in my opening, even when life continues to happen, the journey towards a leaner body must continue to happen as well.

…Marbella and how she's seemed to have found that point in her life where she's determined to change.  She reminds me of me and how I felt a few months ago. 

…Joni and how she put herself out there by wearing a bikini in her pictures even thought it seems to have made her uncomfortable.  She looks awesome and I think she should be proud of herself.  I'm sure her husband is very proud of her right now.

…Massimiliano and how dedicated he is to a physical transformation.  He has admitted that being macho in the gym cost him some gym time due to injury and he is not going to let that happen again. 

…Alex and how close he is to a six pack.  This guy has obviously done some hard shredding!

…Andrew, Bec and Josh, who I wish I knew better.  I have not seen their blogs, but they have joined us in this Group Shred.  I wish them all success!

All this thinking about the group shredders made me realize that if I don't succeed, I have not only let myself down, but I've let them all down too.  That's why even when life continues to happen, this journey towards a leaner body must continue to happen as well.

Until next time…