High Fructose Corn Syrup= Body Sludge

After reading Dr. Lowery's article on HFCS (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/thank_you_for_guzzling_corn_syrup), or body sludge as I'm going to call it, doing a little of my own research, and talking with another educated individual... I will not buy another thing with that ingredient in it.

I feel like I eat pretty well most of the time, but after reading and researching and talking to some people I wanted to take a look at what I had in my apartment. I wanted to know if my fuel at home is contaminated with the body sludge.

I have a lot of stuff (I wouldn't even call it food now) to throw away. Breakfast stuff, what I used to call snacks, "health bars", etc all had body sludge in them. I am going to get rid off all that crap and find healthier alternatives that my body can use as fuel without the detrimental health affects.

I love knowing smart people, especially when their knowledge makes me healthier.

DO YOU HAVE PROGRAMMING A.D.D.?

I was talking to a member of one of the gyms I work at and he is constantly changing his program. I usually recommend that people change their program every 4-6 weeks to avoid plateauing and prevent boredom. He varies his program too often. He want to be huge one week... then he wants to be lean... then he wants to get stronger... then he wants to just do arms one day.. and so on. I am sure that most of you know some one that can't stick to a program for longer than a week and a half.

You can have the best program written down and if you aren't consistent and don't really focus on the goal you set (weight loss, hypertrophy, strength) you aren't going to improve. Not giving the program you are doing a chance is similar to not having a program at all. Would you get directions off mapquest and then throw them out the window once you started driving to your destination?

Pick a goal. One specific goal and focus on it. You can vary the periodization of your program to have a hypertrophy phase, then strength building, then back to hypertrophy... or you can stick with the same rep and set numbers, just pick different exercises. Sticking with a goal doesn't mean you have to do the exact same workout. You are just doing the workouts for the same purpose.

Incline Bench Press Needs improvment

I am ok with my bench max, the weight i work out with, etc. It is only going to increase and I would be pissed beyond measure if my numbers went down, but when compared to my incline... I look like two different people.
I will do four sets of 6 on flat bench with 270... and get all but one or two reps.
On incline I can only push 215 for all four sets of six. In my mind that is too big a difference. I started a new microcycle this week that includes incline barbell bench. I am hoping to be working out with closer to 240 on incline. I feel like I have the strength there, I just haven't spent enough time working on that particular exercise.

That is definitely going to change and in five weeks I'll let you know what my current workout weight on incline is. I'm all about self-improvement

Speaking of pushing weight...

A buddy of mine beat my max bench by 5 pounds the other day... and I couldn't be more pumped.

1...2....3 a couple of grunts and the bar moved down and then he pushed through his sticking point and reracked it. 340, done. I got 335 last December and I plan on reclaiming the title in May

Sacrifices for Results

A ton of people mean well by setting goals. Too many of those people don't fully apply themselves to achieving their goals. A good percentage of those people reach a short-term goal, become complacent and never achieve their long term weight loss, strength gain, marathon performance, etc.

My training partner (http://www.swonkdiesel.blogspot.com/) wants to gain weight. Being strong will be amplified with more weight as his base.... he is currently shooting for 190lbs. Some of you reading this might gauk, giggle, or some other g word about 190 lbs. Some of you want to get DOWN to 190.

He is a classic hard-gainer. Eats and eats, drinks liters of protein drinks. He wants to be healthy, gain good weight, and not trash his body so he is willing to try any educated way to gain weight. We read somewhere that taking shots of olive oil (that's right, read it again) three times a day would boost his daily total calorie consumption by around 900 calories. He tried it yesterday. He also gave it up yesterday.

Nay-sayers might call him a chump for giving it up after one day. Go take a shot of oil and get back to me. He did not give it up without adopting another clean way to gain weight. Eating two teaspoons of peanut butter three times a day will account for about as many extra caolories... and the big thing is IT IS DO ABLE. Adopts a method to get to a goal and will achieve his weight gain goal

Maybe some of you that are trying to lose weight should exhaust any and all possibilities to achieve your goal. How important is achieving your goal to you??? Adopting a healthier lifestyle so you live past 45 years old sounds worth it to me.

I had a buddy tell me he quit smoking 7 times, so it would be easy to do it again... I feel like people that set a weight loss goal without completely applying themselves to it are similar to my chainsmoker friend. They say things without being completely behind their goal.

Say what you mean, attain your goal.

Easy

Maxed Out

I set a goal of 415 to max out on squat by May and took another step toward my goal by getting 405 today. I took the worst way to get it though. I grabbed somebody to spot me that was out of the norm so that distracted me a little... mentally to get into the 400 pound club was more of a challenge than I thought it was going to be. I warrmed up with 135, 225, and 315. Since 315 was around 77% of my hopeful max of 405 I figured it was a solid last step before trying my max.

I tried 405 the first time and wasn't warm enough because I dropped it... pretty much called out by the people watching me... they didn't have to say a word, but when they looked away after I fell that was enough of an insult.... I waited around two minutes after putting the weight back on the rack. I felt much better getting under the weight.

I got under it and all I had to do was stand up. down and up. 405 without hitting a sticking point. it was heavy but I didn't slow down.
I glanced at my spotter and since I had already failed once and then got into the 400 pound club by getting 405, I figured I would go ahead and try 415, you know, get a feel for it. dropped with that weight as well. I got 405 today and have my sights on 415 for May.

my biggest competition is the bald guy looking back at me in the mirror.

Sleep Deprivation

This passed Sunday night I was watching Bigger, Stronger, Faster with my fiance and then I glanced at the clock... it was 12:40am! This usually would not be a problem, but since I open the gym Monday mornings at 6am I knew I was headed for a rough day. A little over four hours of sleep is going to be terrible.

In my mind I was thinking that it wouldn't be too bad, I would just go to bed a little earlier Monday night or take a nap... it's whatever, just sleep. I forgot to mention Monday is also squat day.

Last week I did the following workout on squat:
345 x 3
355 x 3
355 x 3
360 x 3
360 x 3
365 x 3

I was tired afterwards, but it felt good to get those weights for the reps I wanted.
After a four hour night of sleep I got the following on squat:

355 x 3
355 x 3
355 x 2
345 x 3
345 x 3
335 x 3

During sleep, aside from the physical rest a very important anabolic hormone- growth hormone- is released and screwing with your sleep schedule disrupts the cyclic pattern that this wonder hormone is released into your body.

I actually popped out of bed Monday morning and felt fine, but my legs had no push in them. My strength was pathetic... I dropped 30 pounds by my last set of squat and the lack of sleep is the only contributing factor that I can think of... lack of sleep is the only thingi that was different about my routine this week.

Take home message:

LIFT HARD
SLEEP WELL

The Arnold Classic 2009

I finally can say I have attended the Arnold Classic... I paid pennies to get into a fitness expo from 9am-6pm with a short supplement intoxication break in the middle to eat something not in a protein package.
This shows my intensity from 530am on when some buddies and I left Lexington to go to Columbus...

Tons of freaks of nature, both male and female just walking around. In their heads I know they were thinking the same thing I was... just a constant yelling of a one rep max oging through my brain.

Freak

One of the biggest backs there

The Arnold himself... taken with my terrible camera

Jay cutler

Any place that huge guys pick up women, literally, for fun is heaven

MR large arms

I don't know if this is my favorite picture or the one below... I took a shot with her right after some guy flexed next to her AND actually thought he was bigger than her.... what an ass

Animal pak had a cage in the middle of the convention center where they were lifting heavy weight and I just wanted to be a freak on display... I am about to send them my resume with my max out numbers and ask them what I need to do to be big enough to be in the cage

I was able to get some supplements, see plenty of freaks of nature, decide on probably never missing the arnold ever again, and take home some autographs and other free stuff shown below... well worth the $10 to be there for 9 hours

Lastly, what would the Arnold experience be without a girl painted like a cheetah

The Mecca of Meatheads

Recently several fellow push big weight enthusiast friends of mine made arrangements to go to the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. For those of you unfamiliar with The Classic listen to my incredible description of it below or check out the following website http://arnoldsportsfestival.com/

This is a three day body building, marathon thinking-absent weekend of tons of muscle piled upon the 700 fitness, health, "here try this supplement" booths that also has featured freaks of nature, figure competitions, strong man events, weight lifting, and just an overall supplement explosion

IF you had to read that paragraph multiple times just realize that it is pretty much the closest thing to heaven besides the real thing.

I had heard about this event during undergrad from a bunch of buddies from Ohio. Knowing my unnatural intensity level and ridiculous fascination with muscle, it blew their minds that I had never been. Here I sit three days from going to the event and I don't think I am going to sleep until the weekend is over.

Plan on seeing my picture with every ripped piece of human tagged on here after this weekend.

On a side note I take half of my exit exams next week... and the weekend before I am going to experience the Arnold Sports festival.... I have my priorities straight. I have been in the books, still in the gym, and now I have the opportunity to yell for no reason around of bunch of meatheads

I think I might just stay