The Price of Supps in China

As you may know, I did not get enough lifting done in China once I left Guangzhou, but when I did lift, I wasn't taking supplements. Here in the States, I usually take whey isolate after each workout, but in the Middle Kingdom I would just have a post workout meal. Whey protein supplements are not a necessity, especially for the average Joe that just wants to be fit and healthy, provided that they get all of their macros that they need to grow.

The primary deterrent that stopped me from using supplements when I was in China was the cost. In Hong Kong, GNC products were about twice as expensive as they are in the United States of America. In Mainland China, or at least in Guangzhou, the prices of supplements were about one-and-a-half times as expensive as they are in America, based on the assumption that whey protein with Yao Ming on the tub is the same quality as the stuff that I take in America. Since I couldn't read all of the ingredients, and didn't want to come out of pocket, I passed up on it. Sure, the American companies may be lying to us too, but I feel a bit more assured if I can at least read what should be in the product.

Having post-workout meals was a much cheaper alternative, and can be cheaper here in the States too, depending on the brand of supplements that one chooses to use, and the food that they choose to eat. The benefit of supplements for me is that they save time. Since I like to workout before work, it is a lot quicker for me to just make a protein shake and get going versus heating up or preparing a post-workout meal.

It is believed (at least in bro-science) that the human body can absorb whey protein quicker than it can absorb protein from foods. Personally, I have not noticed this, and I feel healthier eating food as compared to taking whey in powder form. I seem to make muscular gainz just as long as I lift, ingest some form of protein after I workout, make sure to eat throughout the day, and get proper rest. At the end of the day, just do what works best for your body and finances.

Will Masturbation Kill Your Gainz?

Masturbation has been known to cause blindness, hairy palms, and warts, but inquiring minds want to know if spanking the monkey will make you lose your muscular gains. There have been numerous studies on the subject, but to this date, there is no concrete evidence supporting the theory that firing off a few knuckle children will make you lose muscle. I am of the belief that beating your meat will not cause muscle tissue to break down.

Firstly, you cannot expect to lose your gainz overnight. Just like you won't get jacked after one day at the gym, you cannot expect to become a skeleton after jacking one time. Any theory that states this is preposterous. You would probably have to make a habit out of beating your meat dozens of times a day to see any visible changes (aside from a possible and small increase of forearm mass) that directly correlate to masturbation.

Secondly, let's break down the calories. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell were right: "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", since a half-hour of real sex would burn about a hundred or so calories on average. This is only half as many calories as one could expect jogging for the same duration of time. Now, if you are only burning around a hundred calories with all of the muscle groups that you are recruiting (especially if you're doing it correctly like the Admiral does), then you cannot expect to burn enough to go into a caloric deficit going solo.

Like many things in life, physiques are not built or destroyed in a vacuum. Masturbation alone will not effect your physique that much; it would likely be habits revolving around masturbation that would effect your gainz. For instance, if you stay up late to do the deed, you might not be getting adequate rest for your body to recover and grow. If you masturbate so much that you don't eat enough, or if it cuts into time that you should be getting real exercise hitting the gym, then your body isn't getting what it needs to grow (and you may want to seek help). The same things can apply to real sex too though, like the guy that spends all of his nights drinking in clubs to get that tang. The sex itself is not what is doing damage, but the habits around it.

Personally speaking, masturbation does not completely sap me of energy, but it would cause me to waste a lot of time trying to fire one off. This is time better spent exercising, or working on developing entrepreneurial skills. Real sex, on the other hand, is often invigorating. This is probably psychological in my case, since a conquest makes me want to conquer more, leapfrogging from victory to victory.

Gym Experiences in China Part 3

In my previous posts, I talked about some the things that I enjoyed about going to the gym in China, and some of the people that I encountered there. Of course, not everything was peachy keen. In this blog entry, I will talk about thing that I did not particularly care for.

The Music

If you thought that Top 40 or Justin Bieber are bad to lift to, you will thank whatever deity you worship for those musical choices should you choose to workout in China (at least at the gym that I went to). The music that they played did not get the blood pumping at all, and would be more suitable for a Chinese soap opera, or during a post-workout massage. To make matters worse, the bros working out often sang along off-key as they lifted. Although my stance on bringing a music player to the gym has not changed over the years, I was tempted to bring my phone just to play some Metallica, Disturbed, or Marvin Gaye (the latter of which would be appropriate in the presence of that hot PT from part two).

The Lack of Cleanliness

Compared to most places in the U.S.A. that I have been to, Japan, and Taiwan, Mainland China generally does not live up to the standards of cleanliness that I am accustomed to. When hitting the gym, especially in the hot, humid environment of Guangzhou, I expect there to be sweat. Unfortunately, there were no spray bottles of sanitizer to wipe down equipment after someone just left a puddle of sweat on them. Luckily for me, the gym provided towels, so I used theirs to wipe up sweat, and my own to wipe sweat from my body.

The Hours of Operation

I like to workout early in the morning before I go to work, so I usually hit the gym around five in the morning, come home, shower, get my protein, then head off to work. The gym that I went to, as well as most of the other gyms in the area, opened at 9:00 and closed at 22:00. I would be forced to go after work, but if I had found a job in Guangzhou with the same schedule that I worked in Xi'an, I would have been confined to hitting the gym on my days off. The upside to this was that the gym was pretty much empty when I went, allowing me to rotate around the equipment without having to wait for others.

If you want to read about my overall experience at my Chinese gym, then click here, and if you want to read about the denizens of the gym that I went to, then check out this post.

Gym Experiences in China Part 2

In the first part of my series about my gym experiences in China, I talked about the overall atmosphere in the gym. In this episode, I will talk about some of the people that I encountered there.

 Most foreigners that talk about working out in China claim that Chinese men only show up to save face and do not actually touch the weights much (similar to the overweight American she-cows that wonder why they stay fat despite spending hours yapping on their phones at the gym). My observations ran contrary to the anecdotes of other foreigners, however. The Chinese dudes that I met in the gym didn't have physiques like Arnold Schwarzenegger or CT Fletcher, but they were all about lifting and making gainz. Unlike many bros in the West, they weren't afraid of the squat rack either, and seemed to work legs more than upper body. Of course, I only hit a few gyms in one city, and one of the bros told me that Guangzhou has one of the best fitness cultures in all of China. He was probably just trying to "rep his city", but given what I saw in the few cities that I've been to and what I've read online, I can kind of believe him. Maybe the guys in Shanghai just sit around on the equipment all day waiting for results.

The ladies at the gym were especially tempting. In China, ladies want to remain feminine, so they usually don't lift heavy weights or do strenuous exercises like some women in America do; most of them didn't seem to need to either. One of my fondest memories from the Middle Kingdom was a delicious-looking female personal trainer that would flirt with me every time I saw her at the gym. Unfortunately, I only knew a few words in Chinese and couldn't converse, but that did not stop her from trying.

Being the only foreigner in a Chinese gym made me a pseudo-celebrity too. I would get stares and lots of thumbs up or comments about my "good muscle". Although I am likely half of his size, I felt like I was as big as Kali Muscle at the gym in China. This was a bit of an annoyance though because people would try to strike up conversations with me in the middle of sets. Meeting kind people in a foreign country is cool, but when I'm in the middle of a set I want to focus on putting up that weight. Oh well, I can't complain too much, or can I? In the next episode, I'll talk about things that I did not like about the gym in China.

Can Taking a Good Dump Alter Your Mind and Body?

When I was but a wee lad, I went to a petting zoo at the county fair. I recall that the goats, pigs, calves, (I don't quite remember all of the animals that they had, maybe seals or something) all came up to me, eager to be petted. There was only one animal in the bunch that did not seem to want to be bothered: a mallard duck.

Every time I tried to approach the duck, it would angrily quack and run away from me. This behavior continued until it released a huge pile of feces. The duck then ran up to me, wanting to be petted along with the rest of its cohorts. Of course, I didn't want to pet the duck anymore after it dropped a deuce, but this episode shows that having a clear digestive tract can alter mood (either that or the duck was trained well enough not to poo on customers).

Personally, I feel much better after voiding my bowels. Having lots of festering food stuck in my intestines causes me to feel sluggish, and in many cases, aggravated. After releasing, I am ready to take on the world once more with increased jubilation. This is why it is important to drink plenty of water and increase fiber intake to cleanse our colons. Not only will we improve our outlook and energy level, but we also decrease the risk of digestive disorders such as cancer or Crohn's disease.

Gym Experiences in China Part 1

I'm back in America, and one of the things that I missed about being in the States is my local gym. I've been back at it for about two weeks now, and I'm getting much of my strength and muscle mass back. For the time being, I am on a four-day split, but I hope to get back to a five-day split by the end of next month if my schedule allows it.

Of the three cities that I went to in China, Guangzhou probably has the best gym culture. I visited three different gyms in the Panyu District of Guangzhou, and they all had decent rates and equipment. Unfortunately, the names were all in Chinese or Chinglish, and I didn't note the addresses (I just memorized landmarks in the areas to walk there).

The first gym was about five minutes away from the hotel that I was staying at (assuming lulls in traffic which would allow me to cross the street). It was on the fifth floor of a shopping complex that included a grocery store, so one could effectively pick up their post-workout meals right after lifting. This facility was easily the best of the three, and had redundant weight machines, dumbbells up to 70 kg (that's a bit over 150 pounds), loads of treadmills and other cardio machines, heavy bags, and a boxing ring. This gym really appealed to me because I wanted to get into boxing overseas. Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only person into boxing when I was there, so that didn't become a reality. This gym was the most expensive to purchase a weekly membership at, but had I stayed for a year, I could have gotten in on a special which would have made it the cheapest.

The other two gyms that I visited were in the Panyu Friendship Square shopping center. Both of these gyms were smaller, but had an atmosphere that would appeal to people that are in the gym to do some serious lifting. Dumbbells went up to 100 kg (about 220 pounds; nobody touched these), and the machines, while old, were efficient. one of these gyms was about twice as expensive as the other, and all that they had on the cheaper gym was more treadmills and a single heavy bag. I opted for the cheaper gym at 200 RMB per week (yes, I know, your boy probably got cheated on that one).

This gym did not have air conditioning, so it was almost like working out in a sauna. The humid Guangzhou air made me sweat bullets after the first set. The atmosphere was almost like a dungeon as well due to the dim lights. Some people like dim lights at the gym, but I am used to having a brighter lighting scheme. This doesn't really bother me either way, as long as I can see what I'm doing, but it was a change.

Next time I will talk about some of the characters that I encountered and interacted with at the gym. Stay tuned!

Summertime Gainz and 6/19/2013 Leg Day

I finally have some time off during the summer, so I am going to try to utilize it to improve myself as a person. A large part of this self-improvement will be physical, as I try to increase the intensity of my workouts. This has already taken a bit of a toll on my body, but it is a fee worth paying as I have gained about two pounds of lean muscle mass in the past month (not a lot, I know, but it is something to write about for a hard-gainer like me).

Today was my fourth day in the gym this week, and it was leg day. I hurt my neck pretty badly yesterday when working my back and shoulders, so I couldn't squat too heavy. In order to make up for this, I hit the incline leg press a lot harder than I typically do. My workout went as follows:

4 sets, 8 - 12 reps back squats - 160 pounds
4 sets, 8 - 12 reps standing calf raises - 160 pounds
4 sets, 15 reps seated calf machine 150 pounds

I then moved on to the incline leg press machine. I started with ten plates (450 pounds) and did 8 reps. I remove two plates, then did ten reps. I repeated this until I was down to two plates on the machine. After a one minute rest, I repeated this process starting with four plates. I repeated this until I reached a two-plate start. This is much more activity for my quads and hams than I am used to, but I am sure that if I keep it up, I'll improve my strength and endurance (I'm also sure that it's going to burn a lot tomorrow).

To finish up, I did a few exercises for my abs:

4 sets, 12 - 15 reps decline bench crunches w/ 10 pound medicine ball for the obliques
2 supersets, "Captain's chair" leg raises

My workout wasn't very diverse today, but it was effective, and that is what matters. I hope to up the intensity in the coming weeks, and maybe add a few new exercises to my repertoire. Until next time.

Still At It

Life has been keeping me away from blogging. Work has been keeping me busy, and I have quite a few projects in various stages of development that I would like to see to completion.
I still want to let everyone know that I'm still at it and still making gainz though. I'm back to training for boxing, but I would like to gain a few more pounds before entering the ring. Naturally, I'm a small guy, and it has been difficult for me to put on weight, but I have increased my strength by at least 25% since the beginning of the year.

I'm also becoming a bit more arrogant, which is good for me as a person who has had low self esteem for most of my life. Despite Asian women pretty much hating Black men, I've been told that I am "delicious" by quite a few Chinese and Taiwanese ladies online; this is always a confidence boost and another reason to keep myself in the gym as long as time permits.

Keep making gainz ya'll.

It's Been a Long Time...

It's been almost three months since the last time I made a blog post. Since then, I have started a new job and I have been focusing on working there than online activities.

This doesn't mean that I haven't been hitting the gym regularly though. I've been keeping part of my New Year's promise (http://grandadmiralgainz.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-2013-physical-cliff.html) to myself by hitting the gym at least five days each week. I don't always hit two muscle groups though, as I've found that I am making better gains when a concentrate on one muscle group with a high volume of exercises. I might switch back and forth between the two workout plans every three months or so to keep things interesting.

As far as boxing is concerned, I probably won't be doing it this year. I did not keep my promise to hit my bag thirty minutes a day, but I do hit it at least twice a week for an hour. To be honest, I was thinking about boxing because I was unable to find employment, and wanted to take my aggression out on others legally and productively. Since I've found employment, a lot of the stress that plagued my life has lifted. I would still like to try at least one bout before I get too old, but it probably won't get happening this year. For now, I will just focus on making gains, staying healthy, and making ends meet.

I don't know if I'll be blogging much, but I hope to keep you updated a bit more in the future.

Staying True to My Resolutions (So Far)

I have been keeping up with my resolutions for 2013 so far, although I wish that I hadn't set my goals so high. I have been in the gym five days a week working two muscle groups as I proposed, and I have also been hitting my heavy bag. This is really taking its toll on me, especially my shoulders.

Some people in the fitness community say that there is no such thing as over-training, and that one should always bear through the pain. I am of the belief that one does have to workout through pain to reach their goals, but that over-training can occur. I'm going to keep it up, but I may have to break my promises and take a rest from the heavy bag on some days. I will say this though: hitting the heavy bag has been keeping me sane and keeping me lean!

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? I hope that you are fulfilling them and exceeding your expectations!

Sick Day Leg Day

Usually I don't hit the gym on Saturdays with my current split, but I had planned to work legs with my friend. Unfortunately, I woke up dreadfully sick in a puddle of my own drool this morning (I ended up sleeping with my mouth open since my nose was too clogged to breathe).

I was still determined, however, since I didn't want to break my promise and I have a personal goal of hitting the gym at least five times (four times remaining) before the end of the year. After breakfast, I went a couple of rounds on the heavy bag to try to clear my congestion. Although I was unable to give it my all, my plan worked, and I was able to clear myself up somewhat and loosen up my stiff joints. i gave my friend a call, but he was busy. That's understandable, and there is no love loss between him and I.

I came into this world alone, and I go to the gym alone most of the time, so I still worked the legs. My illness took some of my breath away, so I had to take longer rest periods, but I am still satisfied with today's workout. I even threw in a few pullups for good measure. I actually feel much better after my workout, but I know that I'm going to need plenty of bed rest and fluid.

Speaking of fluid, I've decided to start taking whey supplements again. Instead of using them to replace a post-workout meal, however, I'm going to be using them to increase my caloric intake. I'll take them post-workout, then an hour later, I'll have my post-workout meal. Depending on how my body (digestive tract, most importantly) reacts to them, I might stagger my intake of whey protein.

One day down, four to go. Making gainz into 2013 and beyond!

So They're Closing Fresh & Easy

According to a news article that I read the other day, Fresh & Easy stores are not doing so well in the United States and may be closing down. This is a surprise as the local Fresh & Easy market that I frequent is almost always packed, and the chain seems to have a sizable "fanbase" on Twitter and Facebook.

Despite these facts, the store seems to be tanking. From a consumer point of view (or at least my point of view), Fresh & Easy is grocery heaven. there are always weekly deals, the coupons are quite generous, and the rewards system is probably the most efficient and well, rewarding, that I've ever used. From a business point of view, however, I can see how these policies may put the firm in the red.

Well, it's been swell. Fresh & Easy has helped me to make some gainz over this past year without draining my wallet. It's going to be tough going back to lower-quality products with higher prices at other supermarkets. If anybody knows of a petition to help keep Fresh & Easy in business, please let me know.

Unintentional Intermittent Fasting

If you follow the Hodge Twins, then you know that they do intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is an eating plan where a period of the day is set aside with no caloric intake or low caloric intake. The same number of calories as usual is eaten, but they are eaten in a more condensed period of time. Typically, the period of fasting is in the morning, and the fast is broken at lunchtime or in the early afternoon.

Personally, I prefer to have at least a small breakfast and maybe a pre-workout before hitting the gym, since I find hunger pains distracting. Today was a bit different for me, however. I woke up with a terribly stomachache and found myself unable to eat. I still wanted to get my shoulder and arms workout in, however, so I hit the gym despite not eating much.

My workout went surprisingly well, and I was able to increase my weight and reps just as I had planned. About fifteen minutes into my workout, my hunger pains subsided, and I was in my zone with an even greater amount of energy. How could this be?

Some say that digesting food takes energy, so it is actually better to work out on an empty stomach than it is to work out when full. I don't really know about this theory, but it could have some truth to it. My personal theory is that I was just determined to go and that my body is used to working out in the early afternoon, so it wasn't a big deal that I was a bit hungry. At any rate, I am satisfied with today's routine.

In conclusion, I probably won't be switching to intermittent fasting anytime soon. I may start eating lighter breakfasts, however, and eating more for my post-workout meal or dinner.

Thanksgiving Day Report

I hope that everyone is having a great Thanksgiving, whether you're celebrating alone, with friends, or with family. If you are one of the heathens that does not celebrate the holiday, then I hope that you're enjoying your day nonetheless (just kidding about the "heathen" remark too).

I started out my day by hitting the gym. I hit my shoulders and triceps today, along with twenty minutes of cardio on the treadmill. I wasn't able to get as much done today as I'd have liked since the gym closed early, but at least I was able to do something, prove to myself that I have made strength gains in my shoulders, and help to alleviate the guilt of pigging out this evening.

Thanksgiving dinner starts in an hour for me. I "betrayed the law" so to speak by having a preliminary slice of apple pie.

I'm also cooking up some macaroni and cheese (well, it's actually penne with Omega 3, but I'm using it as macaroni).

 
Yup, I'm going to be making all kinds of gains this evening, all kinds.

Happy Thanksgiving again to you and yours, and please don't get trampled during the Black Friday madness tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving in Advance

I'm making this post a bit early because I'm probably going to be too busy stuffing my gullet tomorrow. I'd like to wish everyone a happy, safe, and fun Thanksgiving. You have the Grand Admiral's permission to pig out for the holiday; you have to treat yourself once in a while, after all.

For me, tomorrow is going to be an "alpha strike" of food. There's going to be ham, greens, corn, other veggies, macaroni, and various breads of all types. I might even make some nachos, just because I can. I'm also going to be looking forward to some peach cobbler at the end of the feast. I'm still going to be avoiding soda though; I'd rather wash it all down with water. I'm going to be making all kinds of gainz, all kinds.

Hopefully I'll be able to hit the gym before Thanksgiving dinner to alleviate some of the guilt (and more importantly make some gainz) since they'll be open for a half day.

Cheers everyone, and have yourself a great Thanksgiving!

Why Buy Expensive, Sugary Smoothies; Make Your Own!

Back when I was a university student, I'd often drink sugary smoothies marketed towards the "healthy lifestyle crowd". This is nothing more than marketing; having one of these smoothies everyday is not healthy for your body or for your finances either. Each 20 oz. drink at the smoothie shop on campus (I won't name names since I'm not trying to get sued here) cost about $5, had a whopping 500 calories, and contained loads of sugar!

Instead of taking in all of the sugar and draining my wallet, I decided to buy a blender and start making my own smoothies. At first, this may seem more expensive due to the costs of buying a blender and ingredients, but in the long run, you will save money and cut back on the calories and sugar. How much you save depends on what you like to put in your smoothies, but personally, I save at least $100 monthly, intake less than half of the calories with each homemade smoothie and under one fourth of the sugar!

If you love smoothies as much as I do, look into making them for yourself; you won't regret it! In the future, I may post some smoothie recipes that you might want to try for yourself.

Importance of Fitness in Prepping

I really hate politics. I really hate how politics has become a dog and pony show in the United States of America, and how politicians have become akin to reality TV "stars" in today's era. Unfortunately, me not liking something does not mean that it will stop. Yes, I have been exercising at least five days a week, trying to raise my power level, but I have not acquired any of the Dragon Balls, thus, I cannot wish these things away. What I can do, and what I suggest others to do, is to prepare.

There are a lot of people that are angry with the results of last night's election; there are also some what may be overexcited. Rather than focusing that excess energy on something productive, they might decide to take it out on "soft targets". I do not advocate violence, but history shows that violence is a part of the human experience, especially in times of duress. Violence cannot be wished away, but we can take steps to protect ourselves.

I advise law-abiding citizens to arm themselves. If something has to go down, at least you know that you can do something to protect yourselves and your loved ones. Aside from firearms, know that your body can be a weapon. Get into shape. If you can afford them, martial arts or combat sport classes may be good investments. If you are in the gym, remember that endurance and cardio are just as important as, or possibly more important than, size and strength in a SHTF/WROL scenario.

If you are in the school of thought that firearms alone is enough for your defense, then you're entitled to your opinion. That still doesn't mean that you shouldn't workout. Being in a firefight is different from putting holes in a stationary paper target (Disclaimer: I've never been in a firefight, but I'm speaking from what I've read and seen) and good cardio may help you to save your life and endure the heightened heart rate that may come under such a situation. Strengthening the forearms and shoulders can also help with stability of aim, especially with long guns (though I do advise working out all muscle groups since they can all help with stability).

Aside from the wrath of man, we also face potential danger from the wrath of nature. Another storm is approaching the Eastern Seaboard, and here on the West Coast we have earthquakes to worry about. It is important to stock up on healthy foods just in case there is a grocery shortage due to natural disaster or other occurrences. If you live a fitness lifestyle, you already know that it is important to eat healthy; if an emergency does happen, it will be even more important!

In conclusion, I urge you all to try to get into shape, not just to impress the girls or guys, but for your own good. In the event of catastrophe, those with fit bodies (and minds) will have a greater chance of surviving and helping others that are in need. If we avert disaster, well, then yeah, you'll have some extra food and supplies as well as a healthy physique.

Is There an Ideal Time for Working Out?

I was watching the news the other day, and they had a segment talking about the ideal time for exercising. According to their research, the best time to exercise is between 4 P.M. and 6 P.M. since our bodies have maximum lung capacity during these two hours of the day.

I'm no biologist, but personally, I call B.S.. As with most things dealing with fitness, the best time to exercise probably depends on the individual. For me, my energy peaks twice daily; once in the morning at about 10 AM, and once in the afternoon around 1 PM.. I generally hit the gym in the early afternoon to take advantage of my second energy peak and due to the sparse crowds at the gym. The time that works for you will depend on your own body, schedule, and other factors.

If there is any truth at all to what the news report said though, I wonder if this increased lung capacity is hard-wired into our biological clock or if it goes by local time. For example, if I were to move back to Japan, would my peak lung capacity be between the hours of 8 A.M. and 10 A.M.? When we "fall back" an hour for daylight saving's time tomorrow, will our lung capacity fall back an hour with us? Just a curiosity.

Workout Diary: Push and Biceps Day 10/26/2012

I haven't been able to blog lately due to my schedule. Hopefully I'll pick things back up again next week.

Yesterday was my pectoral and triceps day. I only got 15 sets done yesterday due to under-eating. This was totally unacceptable, so I decided to incorporate a few extra  push exercises to work my upper pecs, shoulders, and triceps. I also worked biceps today as planned. Today's workout went as follows:

4 sets, 12 reps wide grip dips - body weight
3 sets, 12 reps barbell curls - 50 pounds
3 sets, 10 reps barbell shoulder presses - 60 pounds
3 sets, 10 reps dumbbell shoulder presses - 35 pounds each in hand
2 sets, 10 reps preacher curl machine - 70 pounds
3 sets, 10 reps incline dumbbell presses - 35 pounds each hand
3 sets, 10 reps dumbbell shrugs - 65 pounds in each hand
4 sets, 10 reps hammer curls - 25 pounds in each hand

That's much better. I want to keep up this level of intensity if possible. this will require me to eat more in order to keep my body energized, and to provide building material for my muscles. Remember that when you lift at the gym, you're actually tearing your muscles. If you do not provide building material (protein and carbohydrates) to repair and build your muscles, you will actually lose muscle and your hard work will be in vain!

Workout Diary: Leg Day ft. Abs 10/22/2012

Typically, I start each week with a pectoral workout, but I decided to work the legs today since I missed working them on Friday. I made it a point to show myself no mercy. If I couldn't make it through this workout, then I was a wussy and a shame to all of my friends and family. This may sound childish, but it got me through the day, because I was still feeling down when I first started my workout. My leg workout went as follows:

3 sets, 12 reps incline leg press - 270 pounds for warmup
1 set, 12 reps incline leg press - 320 pounds
6 sets, 10 reps squats - 50 pounds on each side
5 sets, 20 reps standing calf raises - 50 pounds on each side
4 sets, 15 reps sitting calf raises - 90 pounds

After that leg workout, I still had a lot of energy to expend. My anger, disappointment, and rage gave me power. I felt as if I could beat a character from Dragon Ball Z, well, at least a low-tier one like Yamcha.

I decided to do some ab exercises to end my workout:

4 sets, 8 - 12 reps decline bench situps w/ medicine ball for obliques
2 sets, 10 reps ab machine - 70 pounds

I'm satisfied with this workout. I've made improvements and got a lot of of my mind. Time to get back on track.