Working Out: A Response to Jonah

So, in response to Jonah's comment I decided to take a few minutes and vent. I think I will also post again today, but whatever, it's been a few days since I posted anything about gym stuffs. Usually I hit etiquette. I did a weight tracker for a while, which was a total bomb since I've been dieting now for two weeks solid and I've lost antiweight. Anyways, let's get to the gripes:

1. I went on a 40 /40 /20 to try and put on some mass. After about a year solid of being on a low carb diet, I decided it was probably a good time to take a break and see what adding some carbs did for me. I was also a little concerned that I was lifting 6 times a week at the gym and not really seeing the results I should. SO, I went off the diet for two solid months. I gained mad weight, and I think I put on about 10 - 15lbs of lean mass. The problem was my body fat (bf) spiked. I'd been relatively lean for a year, and I figured gaining mass will help keep the bf down. Well, it didn't.


2. Body fat normally around 12-14%. The frustrating part is that when I was on the diet it was this low. NOW I'm in the 15% range, which is not so great for my age. I'm pretty athletic, so I figure go back on the diet, add some cardio and see what your body does. Well, my body fat does not seem to be changing much. It's just frustrating. Hopefully I'll see some results before I head back to the states. I've never had abs or anything, so I'm not pining over that, but I am a little worried that my stomach won't be flat again without taking some kind of drastic measure, aka cosmetic surgery.


3. Weight changes. When I was on the diet I was keeping my weight down to about 165 - 170 range. Rockin, I know, at 5'9 165 is a great weight for someone who is active. The problem being, when I went off the diet I gained about 20 lbs. The heaviest I was in the two month period was 190, then I tapered to about 185. That is frustrating, since I'm not used to weighing that much. I actually think a good 12 - 15 of that is muscle. Having extra weight, muscle or fat, really makes a difference in terms of doing cardio and heat changes. I notice when I do cardio that it takes a bit to get into a steady pace, my body wants to keep short strides etc. I tend to sweat alot more, which is just not pleasant for anyone, even at teh gym. I want to get back down to 175, but after some serious deprivational dieting, I've not budged from 185. I hope that's not a bad sign. I'll stick to the sick notion that it's actually just a sign I'm packing on muscle while shedding de fat. Uh huh, in my dreams.


4. What's gone right then? Actually, several things have gone right. I'm definitely bigger than I was overall. My friend D swears she can't even put her arms all the way around me, a huge difference from this fall she tells me. I started working legs a bit harder when I went for the see-food diet, since my legs are easily my biggest muscle mass from playing soccer. I've not been very happy with the progress of my leg workouts since I can only squat(legs), comfortably, about 120 kg (120 x 2.2 = 264 lbs). I want to get up to about 130kg (286 lbs). I am FINALLY pressing(chest) my body weight, maybe a little more, and I can definitely pull(back) more than my body weight. I've also started to curl more than 30kg (66lbs), which was my pique for the longest time. My shoudlers are finally filling in some after really doubling up on shoulder exercises (probably my least impressive body part :( ). all in all though I think, in terms of moving weights around, I'm doing pretty good.


5. What's next? So, now I've added cardio to my work out in an attempt to shed pounds. It apparently is moving against me, probably because I'm only biking/running. The inherent problem herein is that I think my legs are gaining weight, which is great, a month from now when the testosterone helps me build the rest of the body to burn of some of the viceral fat on the stomach. The immediate frustration is the lack of results and the persistence of my weight at (84kg) 185 lbs. I am actually a TON of cardio, a good 45 minute bike at a heartrate over 150 4 - 6 tims a week ... My legs are definitely sore :) I kinda like that, reminds me of playing soccer, but something needs to change soon or I'm going to have to change it up again. When I'm in Dallas this summer I will probably join a gym for a month. It will be a nice body shock to go back to the english system -- I personally think the metric system in the gym forces you to go up in weight faster. Perhaps I'll get a couple session with a trainer to go over diet and a few set exercise routines.

What do you guys do? I know Grace goes to a gym like all the time. I assume Jonah does as well. Tell us about it :)

Have a good one people!

~Brian