Day 5 - two hiccoughs

Well, didn't quite manage to stay on the wagon today.

Will get set to go for Monday - and am working on changing mine to a 5-day schedule.

That said, I ran into a spot of trouble today. Toothache. Serious toothache. I have a wisdom tooth that just pushed up a little further than comfortable and just a little beyond the level of its neighbour which means that my bite no longer matches up. Pain. Ugh. Teeth are a real pain in the neck. Tiara and I are working on a dentist for ASAP (as in, the coming week) but don't know quite how it's all going to go down. Usually emergencies take precedence, but he's not our dentist yet. Sigh.

Anyhow, it's making it difficult for me to eat enough. grr. I still think that I've gained a little this week, but only time will truly tell.

Day 4 - a little late

Even though the post's a little late, I *did* get through a workout yesterday. It was kind of a fast work-out, but one nonetheless.

Did Chest and Back:
Machine Press Drop Sets from 170lbs through 90lbs (15-30 second rests) 5 sets, 8-10 reps
Lat Pulldown - Also drop sets but from 150lbs and twice at 90lbs, heavy on negatives. 5 sets, 8-10 reps

That was it, but I'm feeling it today so something must have worked!

Cancer from processed meats?

This article from CBC suggests that there is a link between stomach cancer and consumption of processed meat. This doesn't really have anything to do with my challenge, except that one of the difficulties I run into is eating enough protein. Processed meat is always a nice option, because it's faster and tastier than eggs or protein powder.

Hmm - food for thought. I suppose I could just sit pretty and consume less than 30 grams each day for several years in a row (that's part of a big fat sausage or, well, 30 grams of sliced meat). That and give my gut a break every now and then with fresh fish, protein powder, rice and beans, and, ugh, eggs.

Still, I'd be curious to know a few more of the factors involved in the actual study...

Thoughts?

Day 3

First, the work-out report:

Incline Leg Press, 320lbs, 2 sets, 10 reps
Calf Extension (on Leg Press Machine - same weight, set, and reps)
Back Extension, Body Weight, 2 sets, 15 reps
Leg Extension, 115lbs, 2 sets, 10 reps
1-Leg Curl, 45lbs, 2 sets, 8 reps

As before, we'll see how this all works out. I'm starting to feel a little tenderness in my arms from yesterday, while my chest and back are mostly (but not entirely) recovered.

The body is a most incredible mechanism. Really. Now I just hope that it'll be able to pack a few extra pounds on :-)

I'll chat more a little later today, I think. I'm at work (a fitness studio) so I can't take too long here.

Will waking up (too) early help?

This past week I've been getting up at 5am and going to work for 6:30...

On the plus side, that means that I'm practically adding in a whole nother meal. For a hardgainer, the extra eats are a good thing. However, this likely isn't going to last as the boss comes back into town tomorrow and likes the crazy-early shifts. Plus, I'm in the first week. This is the week where I get to figure out what works, and fix all that stuff that doesn't.

I'll think on that a little more later.

Day 2 and counting

Great day today - got to spend lots of it with my lovely pregnant wife. But I digress.

Today I worked arms:
Barbell Curl - 75 lbs - 2 sets - 8 reps
Lying Tricep Extension - 85 lbs - 2 sets - 8 reps
Concentration Curl - 25 lbs - 2 sets - 8 reps
Arnie Shoulder Press* - 40 lbs - 2 sets - 10 reps
Standing Tricep Dumbell Extension - 30 lbs - 2 sets - 8 reps
Bent-Over Lateral Dumbell Raises - 12 lbs - 2 sets - 8 reps
*Have no idea what these are actually called. (Went and did a check - they call it the Arnold Press too! I do it a little differently, but the basic concept is there.)

That pretty much toasted me. And it appears that my work-out of yesterday did a pretty good number on me too. Chest and Back both reminding me where they are - as if I were about to forget.

Onwards and... hmm. Outwards? Big-wards? Onwards? Not really sure what would be the appropriate response.

First day so far...

Well, the details of the process are:

Rests between sets were between 30 seconds and 1 min 30 seconds.

Started off with a little Bench Pressing. 3 sets - 8, 6, and 10 reps with 200lbs, 200lbs, and 155lbs respectively.

Then I tried to do two sets of ten chin-ups - wide-grip first, and classic second. The second set was more like a sequence of 6 (15 second rest) 2 (15 second rest) final 2. Tough.

And finally, two sets of 30 knee-elbow alternating crunches on a bosu ball.

And that's all for today folks. I know it sounds like a pretty tiny workout, but it was hard. Plus, if it turns out that I don't feel that day-after burn I can always do more next time.

Thing is, as a hardgainer, fast and hard work-outs seem to work a little better than long calorie-sucking workouts.

I'll look into the research out there, see if there's any information I can drum up to support these choices in getting me where I want to go. I know I've read something to the effect, but I'll see if I can find a real study to back up my thoughts.

Funny Thing About the Internet

You know, today I thought I'd have a little look around the internet
to see what I could see. Like maybe there were other hardgainers like
me blogging or lots of sites to point me in good directions...
Couldn't find one good blog (if you've got one, comment with the
link!). Found a few decent sites, but nothing to really get me going.

There's an adage about the internet that says something about
information being no substitute for knowledge. Seriously. Lots of
info and lots of people selling stuff - most of it not targeted to
actual hardgainers like myself.

BTW - Hardgainer means that I can eat like crazy and not build muscle
mass. It seems to be the case, although I'm going to see if I can
turn that all around :-)

Top Blogs that I run into when I type "weight training" as search criterium

Bodybuilding-supplement-guide
Mostly advertisment to try and milk my dollars. Plus there's the picture of a big muscly guy grinning with that staged smile... Not really sure that I like it much. The only thing is that there seems to be a decent amount of semi-info on the site.
Do you have any thoughts on it?

Weight Training Blog
Another fellow on blogspot. That's kind of a nice thing to see.
Too bad it wasn't particularly interesting - just some guy yakking about how his day is going... That and all the details of his particular work-out. Oh well...

Dave Draper's Site
Well, here's a guy with serious bodybuilding pedigree. Does that mean that his site's great? Such was the question to answer...
Actually, it's not a bad site. He's got loads of information and a weekly column that appears to actually be updated. Sure he's trying to sell all sorts of stuff - but he was a bodybuilder by profession. And to be fair, he did pretty damned well at it, so why not?

'Weight Training Info'
Or so it states. Actually, this is the most irritating of the sites so far. Blantantly trying to sell stuff with no interactivity and with articles pilfered from elsewhere. A pass, if ever I've seen one.

Strength Training Woman
Okay, so I'm not a woman, but the site looked okay. More looking confirms the original look. It's definitely trying to sell stuff - actually, I haven't run into a site yet that isn't, but it offers some good content on top of that.

Just my two bits, and that's all for the moment, and back to the real world I go!

T minus 1 day...

Well,

Here goes, I suppose.

Currently 165lbs, aiming for another twenty in ten to twenty weeks.

I suppose that'll mean planning my meals now... ugh.

Key goals for this week (weigh-in Monday)
eat lots of protein (I'll try to track that)
eat lots of other stuff too (crazy-hungry metabolism)
two lower-body, two chest/back, two arms/shoulders work-outs. - Short and sharp, aiming between six and ten reps, 2 to 3 sets. I found that last time shorter sets worked better, assuming high-intensity.

I guess I'll see what all this brings about!