Hard work paying off!

[Blown F-150]

At least it is shoveling that side-tracked you. At least you are getting some exercise.

[Kitzy]

True, I wasn't exactly just sitting around but I also wasn't pushing myself.  I prefer heavy resistance and elevated heart rate, intense cardio.  Battle ropes are my weapon of choice with the heavy bag mixed in between rope sets.

Pockets, its great working out with someone.  That's what got me started.  The only thing that keeps you going though is yourself.  You can only rely on yourself.  There's times where your partner can't make it or just doesn't feel like it.  My original partner bailed after a few months.  But it was enough to get me started and in the right direction.  Sometimes I do better on my own now.  It is nice having company though.

[Kitzy]

Pockets, come get some!  We'll get you looking like Mr Hyde from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen!  It'd be fun to have your body type.  You have a fast metabolism.  You could eat and eat all day and just get bigger with little fear of getting fat.  Just packing on muscle.  Granted, you would have to eat far more than your body is going to want you too. 

[Kitzy]

Mr Hyde.  Do you see the resemblance?

[Too Stroked]

Mr Hyde.  Do you see the resemblance?

Looks like one of my Great Stuff Foam snards.

[Kitzy]

So part of my diet has me taking casein protein mixed in milk right before bed.  For the past couple of weeks I've been having pretty vivid dreams.  It dawned on me last night what changed in my life and a little research confirmed the combo of kill and casein to be the culprit.

[Kitzy]

257 this morning.

[Too Stroked]

257 this morning.

Keep up the good work Mike!

I almost hate to say it, but my scale showed 193 this morning.

[Kitzy]

I'm guessing thats bad?  Haha.  I hope my scale never says that.  At least not when I step on it.  I'm thinking 220... maybe.  We will see.  Last time my call 240 down from 300 and when I hit that, while happy I hit my goal, it wasn't enough.  Then I just fell off, injuries and whatnot.  I'm making gains now though.  I had a great day at the gym today.  I managed to dumbbell press 140lb in each hand for 4 reps.  Not bad for being in a calorie deficit.  And I had a guy today who is known and respected at the gym tell me I looked like I was getting serious.  A little more motivation to knockout that extra rep or two. 

[Too Stroked]

Nah, 193 is pretty good. I'm down from 218 about a year ago. I'd kind of like to see maybe 190 or a little less someday.

[Kitzy]

That's great, Tom!  25lbs is awesome.

[sscully]

...<snip>....  I managed to dumbbell press 140lb in each hand for 4 reps.  Not bad for being in a calorie deficit.  A...<snip>...

I just got done working out at lunch and realized I need to go to CVS, they are having a sale on napkins and I am not talking about the diner kind.

I am on a 3x5 program right now and after the 1st cycle I have incline dumbbell press with 45# on each side.  I thought WOW 140# each side, ship the bed !!!

That is awesome !!
- I don't think at my peak at 39 I was even close to 140# each side on incline dumbbell press, slightly over both side combined is more like it..

[Kitzy]

I appreciate it.  My incline numbers are a little lower.  I've actually stopped using dumbbells for incline after a shoulder injury.  I'm not sure if it was the reason or not.  I actually think it was poor form on all of my presses that caused it but I never really went back to it.  I tried DB pressing once on the incline bench since which was a couple months ago..  It was for reps though.  I think I knocked out 8 with 110 lb DBs.  My shoulder felt a little tweaked so i went back to the barbell.  My barbell numbers seem low to me for incline.  I managed 5 reps at 235 lbs.  This was after my flat bench DB press and Chest flies on the pec dec.  The pec dec I am maxing out the machine at 295 for 10-12 reps depending on how I feel that day.  I might try incline db press first next week just to see where I stand realizing that this will negatively affect my flat bench numbers. 

Today was shoulder day.  It was an ok day.  Upright rows at 145 lbs for 5 reps.  Shrugs at 585 lbs for 12 reps.  That's down 50 lbs from last week.  I just didn't have it in me today.  Overhead press done on the Smith machine 200 lbs loaded on to the bar.  I figure the bar somewhere around 15 lbs.  The guy next to me yesterday was shoulder pressing with dbs, another thing I stopped when I injured my shoulder, and I watched him press 130 lb dbs like they were nothing.  He didn't even drop them at the end of his set.  He just stood up and put them back.

Tomorrow is leg day where all of my numbers are unusually low for someone my size.  That's definitely a work in progress.

[sscully]

Those are very impressive number.

For the shoulder press, don't know if it fits into your sets, I do Cuban Presses.  It is a combo shoulder / trap exercise.

BB.com in the exercise database has the motion in case you call it something else.

[Kitzy]

That's interesting.  Its a combination of a few things.  But I feel like I'd be limited on the weight of the overhead press if I did that.  And its be adding an additional similar movement.  I already have side and front laterals as well as face pulls to go with the previous mentioned exercises.