11/12/09

Lower Body

• Barbell Squats 4x5 (185lbs), 2x3 (205lbs), 2x1 (225, 235)

Kept the weight lower and I did 8 sets instead of 10 to start out. It was probably still too much, and I'm sure I'll feel it the next 2-3 days :D

Diet will definitely be spot on Primal today

11/11/09

Upper Body (PULL)

• Weighted Pull-ups 5x5
• Hanging Rows 5x5
• T-bar Rows 2x5
• Lat Pull Downs 2x5
• Low Row (Machine) 2x5
• Low Row (cable) 2x5

Diet was spot on all day, BUT I did have 2 beers at the end of the evening

11/09/0/ - 11/10/09

Light Cardio Days - got a 40 minute walk in both days. Diet was very clean both days, but I did indulge in 2 Lion Stouts as my Steelers crushed the Broncos Monday night - heehee

11/08/09

Started off with a 50 min walk.

Ate a very nice Primal Breakfast: Omelet, veggies and bacon!

Went to the gym and stepped it up yet again. I am starting a new 13 week program. I will elaborate in an upcoming post. This was today's routine:

Total Body Day

• 500 Row
• Burgener Warm-up
• The Snatch - 2 sets
  
• Overhead Squats - 2 sets
• Cleans - 2 sets
• Burpees - 2 sets
• Manmakers - 3 sets
• 500 Row
• Cool Down/Stretch
  

Although I'll be watching the games today, there will be no drinking and I expect to be 90-95 Primal regarding diet

11/06/09 - 11/07/09

Activity:
Friday's activity was a 45 min walk. Saturday is a REST Day.

Diet:
Both days were about 60-70% Primal, and alcohol was consumed. Despite the small setback, I needed it!

Back on track tomorrow...

11/05/09

Much to my surprise, and it started out unintentionally, my dietary consumption yesterday was nearly 100% Primal. Aside from my my morning indulgence in High Quality Coffee with a small amount of sugar and coffeemate, everything else was spot on! It was about as close to perfection as I get.

The beauty of The Primal Blueprint is that perfection is not the goal. As it's creator always points out, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." If 80% of my dietary intake is "Primal" and I'm maintaining the a low carb intake, it's all good! Last year I was close to 90% on a pretty consistent basis, and it showed!!!

Also, what I take in on any given day is not important, so long as my weekly/monthly intake is in the range. This allows for occasional indulgences in I would not normally eat, or overindulgence's in things I already enjoy, such as Quality Craft Brew.

So in addition to intake yesterday, the timing was also perfect. My last meal was at 5pm, I consumed no evening alcohol, nor did I snack - I went all the way until 8:30am this morning without a food (aside from my coffee @ 8am), so my body was in full-blown fat burning mode for 12-15 hours. Intermittent Fasting can work wonders!

I expect my food intake today to be very similar to yesterday.

No gym today, but I did get a 40 minute walk in this morning

11/01/09 - 11/04/09

I finally got back to the gym on Sunday the 1st. I did a light Total Body Workout so that I would not be crippled for 4 days. I was only crippled for 2 :D

I went for 30-40 minute walks on Mon, Tues and today.

I also went back to the gym for another Total Body Workout today. I increased the intensity by about 33%

I have not been consuming as much alcohol as I did during the Summer, but I still have 1-2 Quality Craft Brews per day.

Started incorporating Primal Meals into my diet, but it will be a few weeks before I dive back in like I did last year. I still have a ton of non-primal garbage food to get rid of, and I'm not going to let it go to waste.

My wife is going Primal with me this time, so it should be even better than last time! :D

The graph below show the weight change over the last year. Click on the image to enlarge:

It does not show the loss in strength and muscle mass, nor does it show the increase in bodyfat, which was substantial.

The steep drop in weight (mostly bodyfat) was due to The Primal Blueprint primarily, and due to proper training.

The sharp increase in weight thru June was due to an amazing workout routine with a substantial increase in calories to support it. Strength and mass gains were impressive.

Inactivity, poor diet and "excessive" drinking was responsible for everything from July- Oct

I DO expect to have similar results as I did the last time I went Primal. See the Chart on March 31 2009

I am not sure how active I will be with my posts on this blog, but I WILL stay active in the gym and I will get my diet lifestyle back where it needs to be

Ciao for now

Squat Record - PICS

Click on the Pics to see the full image

265lbs

07/05/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PUSH)

Upper Body Movement - Weighted Dips:

• 5x5: 35, 40, 45, 50, 55
• 2x3: 65, 65
• 3x1: 75, 80, 85 - NEW PR!!! (Plus I weigh 5lbs more, so it's a 10lb increase!)

Total Body Movement(s) - Push Press:

• 95x5, 135x3 - bicep was not liking it on the 3rd rep so I set it down

Thrusters:

• 3x5: 95, 115, 120 (did not press the 5th rep)
  

Ancillary Work:
Burpees: 2 sets of 15
Manmakers: 2 sets of 5

07/02/09

Max Effort Lower Body

Lower Body Movement - Back Squats:

• Warm-up Sets: BWx15, BWx15, 45x5, 95x5, 135x5
  
• 5x5: 185, 190, 195, 200, 200
• 2x3: 215, 225 (failed 3rd rep)
• 3x1: 240, 240, 245
• Bonus set: 255 - tied PR
• Pause Squats: 155x5, 135x5
• Cool Down Set: 45x10

Total Body Movement - none

I skipped Deadlifts because I wanted to make sure my back stays ok. As you can see, I did some extra squats to make up for it.

Again, my back held up, so I am officially back in, maybe not at 110%, but enough to do the heavy lifting. I'll probably lay off the Metcon for another week, and ease back into it