First Day Fast

The first two weeks of dieting always suck.

The first day doesn’t, but it’ll never be perfect. Can’t let it get to me. Gotta stay loose.

At exactly the same time yesterday as I’m writing this, I took the photos for this:

I didn’t have all the data yet (weight and lifts were measured the same day, just five hours later) but I made a flattened version just to get an idea of what the final image might look like. Then my .psd got corrupted ¹ so I just filled in the information on top of it. That’s why there’s a discrepancy in the font even though the font is technically the same.

Cool story, I know.

My goal is to be doing daily fasts, from 9PM to 1PM the following day. This was fucked by a hypoglycemic episode (80mg/dL), so I had a bagel around 7:20AM and took 50mg/200mg ephedrine/caffeine at 8AM. Both pre-workout.

I tested immediately pre-workout at 219mg/dL, and I stayed pretty high (I’m talking 400 range) until just an hour before I began my fast.

Pre-workout: Bagel with peanut butter

Post-workout: Cup of tea at Teavana (Zingiber Ginger + Strawberry Lemonade + 4tsp German Rock Sugar); followed immediately by a Strawberry Hulk from Smoothie King (made skinny, sub ice cream with fat free yogurt.)

Dinner: Bowl of chicken with rice. It was crap. I was disappoint.

Last Meal: 238g 2% expired cottage cheese (I actually weigh everything I eat at home, but this was specific to make up my protein requirement for today); 5 Babe Ruth minis (just had a taste for it.)

After the fast started I took some psyllium husk fiber. I wanna poop.

A Workout

All sets are singles unless noted; I’m testing rough 1RM to set up the rest of the workout. Pretty much just adding 5lbs. to the top sets and calculating downward from there.

Body Weight: 169lbs.

Start: 9:08AM

Deadlift

1. 150lbs. (double-overhand)
2. 175 (d-o)
3. 195 (d-o)
4. 220 (d-o)
5. 245 (left hand-over; started using straps)
6. 250 (l-u)
7. 255 – FAILED, passed ankles (l-o)
8. 225 (l-u)

Time Check: 10AM

Incline Bench

1. 50lbs. x 3
2. 60 x 2
3. 75
4. 85
5. 100
6. 110
7. 115
8. 120
9. 105 x 3

Chin Assist (total weight: 180lbs.)

1. 30lbs. x 5
2. 40 x 3
3. 50 x 3
4. 60
5. 70
6. 80
7. 90
8. 95
9. 100
10. 105
11. 110
12. 125
13. 140
14. 155 – FAILED

Time Check: Noon

Lateral Raise

1. 20lbs. x 2
2. 25
3. 30
4. 35
5. 40
6. 45
7. 50
8. 55 (5 minute rest after this, started doing tri-sets)
9. 60
10. 65
11. 70 (rest)
12. 75
13. 80
14. 85 (rest)
15. 90
16. 95 – FAILED (about half-way)

Stop: 12:53PM

For the next ‘A Workout’:

Deadlift: estimate 3RM based on 1RM = 255lbs.
Incline Bench:  estimate 5RM based on 1RM = 125lbs.
Chin Assist: estimate 5RM based on 1RM = 145
Lateral Raise: estimate 8RM based on 1RM = 90

Rep ranges for each exercise, respectively: 1-3; 3-5; 3-5; 5-8

Just going to do a basic progressive overload style workout for the next eight weeks, at which point I’ll test 1RM based on estimates from the most recent relevant workout. I don’t know if I will include drop sets in future workouts, it might just be a feel thing: today it was easy to include them due to lack of fatigue and sufficient, em, “fed-ness,” having been eating at maintenance and such.

So I’m probably looking at, for next time:

Deadlift (1-3) @ 230lbs.
Incline Bench (3-5) @ 105lbs.
Chin Assist (3-5) @  125lbs.
Lateral Raise (5-8) @ 70lbs.

If I get to the top of the rep range, bump it five pounds next workout. Fairly basic.

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Almost-Fast Training

I have restructured my eating habits once again after an irritating set of circumstances led me to a wasted refeed.

Thursday I refed, Friday I missed my workout, Saturday I fasted, Sunday I worked out and refed again.

Refeeding before a workout has been my intention as I am always strongest the day after a refeed. Furthermore, since I spend most of the day not eating following a workout while I wait to be picked up, I just integrate that as the beginning of my fast. However, this has not proven to be the most flexible way of working things. If I miss a workout, I wind up in caloric excess, as I’ll wind up redoing the refeed. I could just pay better attention (thus solving a variety of problems at once) but I’m trying to condition responses so that I can automate/habitualize this nonsense so I don’t have to think about what I’m doing as often.

I think I’m just going to cut out refeeds from my plan, they are too much of a hassle.

I’ll just re-evaluate my maintenance needs and configure them so that they are more satisfying, and be more vigilant with my dedicated fasting days.

Workout for Sunday, February 7th, 2010

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It’s All In The Wrists

Well I just got home from lunch with pops, who picked me up from the gym.

I had an apple and a protein bar pre-workout. Probably close to 300kcal.

Getting Right to It:

This is the first time I've been sub-18% in over a year.

Body Weight: 159lbs.
Fat %: 17.7%

Fat Weight: 28.143lbs.
Lean Mass: 130.857

Deadlift:

1. 1×4 @ 200lbs. (LU)
2. 1×4 @ 180lbs. (LO)

Getting there. Next week should be my last at 200lbs, haha! Following this, a personal trainer I had never met before (Andy, in case I mention him in the future) seemed interested in my program. He wasn’t trying to shove a new program down my throat, so we were able to talk for a bit.

And then he taught me how to power clean. I have a new friend.

Chin Ass:

1. 1×2 @ 124lbs. lifted (35 off)
2. 1×5 @ 99lbs. lifted (60 off; going to increase this set next workout)

Horizontal Row:
3×5 @ 75lbs. ~ Getting increased again next workout.

Cable Crunch:
3×5 @ 50lbs. ~ Increasing next workout as well.

Big ol’ carby meal PWO: Bagel in the car (plain, just wanted some fast carbs because I was feeling light-headed… very glad I brought it with me); swiss steak with mashed potato and corn at the restaurant. Today’s maintenance day, though, and so I still have enough calories for dinner!

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