[mohorter]

I have been a member of the Dungeon for a while, and now decided to post a log to show my progress, and to get advice where it is needed.

A little about myself is that i'm returning to the gym after a surgery (hernia) that kept me in bed for a couple of weeks and out of the gym for a few months. Before that I had worked out seriously for 5 months and made pretty good gains, and am now where I was back when I was in the Marines. For a month now, I have been working on a full body workout three days a week, and cardio on all the other days, and have noticed some good progress, and a quick muscle memory.

My goal is to loose the excess bodyfat around my stomach, while at the same time keep the muscle that I have. I have a pretty good start, will have to post some pics later, but I have a tire around my waist that I need to get rid off. I'm 212 pounds, and there is probably 35 pounds off fat on my waist. This is why i'm doing so much cardio when I can. I just hate the cardio, and prefer to lift the weights.

This is what I have been doing, and on days that I do weights I try to get in a few minutes of cardio, but i'm usually wore out by the time i'm down with my workout.

Monday
Chest - Flat Bench Press
Back - Seated Cable Row
Shoulders - Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Biceps - Dumbbell Curls
Triceps - Tricep Pushdown
Legs - Squats
Calves - Standing Calf Raise

Tuesday
Cardio

Wednesday
Chest - Incline Dumbbell Press
Back - Standing T-Bar Row
Shoulders - Military Press
Biceps - Standing EZ-Bar Curls (Widegrip)
Triceps - Decline Skullcrushers
Legs - Leg Press
Calves - Seated Calf Raise

Thursday
Cardio

Friday
Chest - Flat Dumbbell Press
Back - Close Grip Front Pulldown
Shoulders - Arnold Press
Biceps - Preacher Curls
Triceps - Close Grip Bench Press
Legs - Leg Extension
Calves - Standing Calf Raise

Saturday
Cardio or Off

Sunday
Cardio or Off

As far as my diet goes, i'll be honest, i'm not that good, but i'm getting better at it. Its breaking the bad habits that are tough to do. I've got one good habit going, and that is going to the gym everyday.

Enjoy,

Adam

[mohorter]

Now with that, here is my first workout i'm going to post:

Friday 3-27-09
Flat Dumbbell Press
8-70; 10-90; 8-90; 5-90

Close Grip Front Pulldown
10-168; 8-180; 6-180; 6-168

Arnold Press
8-45; 8-50; 8-50; 6-50

Preacher Curls
8-85; 5-85; 6-85

Close Grip Bench Press
8-135; 8-185; 6-195; 9-135

*Didn't do legs today, was just wore out, I have to teach myself to drink more water, and didn't even do any cardio as well. I jumped on the eliptical, but got about a min into it, and had to stop, was wore out on that as well. Goal for tonight before my cardio workout tomorrow is to drink more water and less soda. I'm addicted to it. Prob why my gut is so big, lol.

A little more info about me is that I work as a night owl in a hotel, and sleep in the morning, going to the gym during the afternoon.

Adam

[prime52]

I would separate workouts more
for instance push then pull then legs

[mohorter]

Thanks Prime52

I thought of doing something like that, but I was told that a full body workout a few times a week would burn more calories and fat. Unless I'm wrong here? I'm not having any trouble recovering for the next workout, and its working, because I am seeing some pretty good gains. I just have to work on my diet, and be strict about it.

[Moro]

It will burn more calories yes leading to increased fat loss, not to mention the test and GH release your getting, sucks being sore for your next workout i agree just stick to the same routine and the soreness shouldnt be so extreme as the time passes,

Ill follow this log bro, any questions you have everyone is more than happy to help

[mohorter]

Thanks Moro,

I'm not really sore after the workout, but I know i'm making good progress since I keep a log of every workout, so I know its working. Just have to up my cardio, and watch my diet, and everything will come through. Today will be Cardio day as well as Sunday.

[prime52]

what type of cardio are u doing?

[mohorter]

Today I just did cardio.

3-28-09
Eliptical for 65 min and burned 950 calories. Felt good too.

I like the eliptical because of the less stress on my knees, and I think I burn more calories on that then the rest of the machines.

[islander]

gona be honest, not sure what body type you are but I love cooking and having friends over and thought 'Ill just work extra hard in the gym to even it out'....dosnt work...i duuno why..i know its all about calories going in and calories going out/burned but ever ones bodys work differently. theres fine lines and making it work isnt as easy as it sounds. So eat as clean as you can and your wo look great, havent done full body in awhile but I hear its good. cheers your on the right track (or should i say elliptical haha cheesy)

[n88tr]

What is your diet looking like on an average day?

Nice to see another Log.

[mohorter]

Thanks Islander
I love the eliptical, seems to make the calories burn faster, especially when you are watching tv at the same time.

N88tr,
As far as my diet, i'm keeping it strict to clean foods, and low in fat. This is my schedule during the day. I'm also a diabetic, so i have to watch my intake of sugary foods.

I work from 11pm to 7am. I'm a night owl.

Breakfast at 8am.
-usually Rice Krispies, with some milk, and thats it

Sleep from 8:30am till 2pm

Snack at 2pm
-just a granolla bar

Gym from 2:30pm to 4pm

Another snack
-usually a sandwhich, turkey

Dinner around 6pm
-i keep dinner clean, chicken, steak, seafood, or pork chops with some kind of pasta and vegetable, plus a glass of milk. I cook dinner every night, except for the weekends, wife takes over.

Bed again from 8pm to 10pm

Back to work at 10:30pm
During work I will have a turkey sandwhich around 3am

Went to the gym on Sunday 3-29-09 and did cardio
50 min on eliptical for 720 calories burned

As far as my body type, I would have to say that i'm a mesomorph, 5'6'' tall, and i tend to put on muscle easily, and can lose weight easily as well. I have a few pictures of me before the surgery at a couple pounds heavier than i am now, i will try to get those up.

Adam

[islander]

rice crispys and milk! you know milk as a ton of natural sugar in it and simple carbs like rice crispy turn to sugar as soon as they mix with your saliva. whoa if you want to lose weight you are going to need to eat more and better then a granola bar and rice crispys. Esp for diabetes you should be keeping your bloodsugar regulated threw small healthy snacks and meals. What type of diabetic are you?

[mohorter]

I'm a Type II Diabetic, and didn't know that about the cereal. I knew that about the milk, but its a healthy sugar that I can have. Plus my diabetes is very well managed. I'm on two different types of meds, and i'm always within a healthy range, as far as my blood sugar goes. I'm never over 120, I usually keep it around the 105 range. Plus I thought that I was eating too much during the day, trying to keep the calories low so that I can get rid of the excess fat that I have. I'm working to loose about 2 pounds a week.

[islander]

Carbohydrate and Blood Glucose

As we have seen, the human body is fuelled by glucose. Therefore all foods must be converted into glucose before they can be used as fuel. Carbohydrates are more easily converted into glucose than protein or fat, and are considered to be the body's "preferred" source of energy, and the brain's essential source of energy.

Simple Carbohydrate

Simple carbs (excepting fruit sugar) are more easily converted into glucose because their molecular structure breaks down faster in the stomach and small intestine. Therefore these carbs raise glucose levels in the bloodstream quite rapidly (less than 30 minutes). This explains why diabetics, who occasionally suffer from an excessively low blood-glucose level, can quickly restore their balance by eating simple carb-foods, like sweets.

Complex Carbohydrate

Complex carbs, like starches, take longer to be converted into glucose because their molecular structure is much more complicated and usually (not always) requires quite a bit more time to metabolize into glucose (up to 2 hours).

Fiber is Undigested and Affects Digestion of Other Carbohydrate

Very complex carbs (dietary fiber) also have a very complicated molecular structure, and also are resistant to most digestive enzymes produced by the human body. As a result, they cannot be broken down into glucose or other nutrients at all. This is why fiber transits the intestinal tract largely undigested. This has a knock-on effect on the speed of digestion of other carbs around them. For example, where certain starches are "protected" by indigestible fibrous wrapping, the enzymes cannot get to grips with the starch as fast as normal. Also, the presence of soluble fiber in the stomach and intestine typically creates a viscous mass of digesting-food in which carbs and enzymes take longer to mix. Result? Carb digestion slows down.

Use the Glycemic Index

For a quick and convenient way to find out how fast your blood-glucose levels rise after you eat different carbohydrate-containing foods, use the Glycemic Index (GI). This index classifies foods into high, intermediate or low GI foods, according to how fast their carbohydrate is converted into glucose and thus how quickly the particular food raises our blood-glucose levels. As we shall see, glycemic value is an important factor in determining insulin levels and sensitivity.

How Carbs Affect Blood Glucose

[mohorter]

The dreaded pics,

I hate looking at these ...

me-back01.jpg me-back02.jpg me-front01.jpg me-side01.jpg

Most of my fat is on my stomach area, my arms have very little to no fat at all, my chest has hardly any, and my legs are very lean as well. Once I get rid of that god awful gut, I may look have way decent. Go easy on me, lol.

Could you beleive that out of boot camp back in 1995 i weighed 140 pounds, lol. I was skinny slab of bones then, Now i'm just over 212.

[mohorter]

Thanks for the info Islander,

I have been a diabetic for some time now, about 4 years. I know pretty much what foods i'm allowed to eat, and what I should stay away from. I'm not concerned about my diabetes, and either is my doctor since I keep my sugars so low. The area that i'm trying to fix is my weight. If i can get it down, i can get off the medicine that i'm using entirely, and be able to manage my diabetes with just a healthy diet. I've done alot in the past year to correct that in eating better and healthier. I started workiing out seriously since about june of last year, and so far i have dropped about 5% bodyfat around my waist and lowered my colesterol (sorry for the spelling) back to a healthy level. Believe me, my doctor is impressed with what I have done. Since I had to have surgery in December - January time frame, it has taken me out of the gym for some time, and since the middle of February i have been able to go back and get into the swing of things. Believe me, i'm dedicated, and have created a habit of going almost everyday to the gym and either working out, or doing cardio. If i skip a day i feel guilty, and end up pushing myself harder on the next day. I have found that bodybuilding is a way for me to help improve myself, and gives me goals that i enjoy to work towards too. Even though i hate doing the cardio, i still do it, and i am seeing improvements. My goal is to lose about 8 to 10 pounds a month, and to be off one of the meds that i'm taking for the diabetes by my birthday in october.

[islander]

I would look at totally redoing your diet if you are serious about this. Medication is a last resort for Type II diabetics when they cannot correct it with diet and exercise. Just to be clear I dont mean come off it but I have clients who have been able to stabilize there bloodsugar and with exercise over time have come off meds and Ive had ones who have never had to go on them once being diagnosed with type 2. Sugar acts as sugar 'good' or 'bad' simple carbs the same thing. My otherhalf so totally nonsupportive when it comes to food and sabotages me all the time, I find this one of the hardest things to deal with. I hope you can get your wife will get on board since she does some of the cooking to you mentioned.

Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose
How carbs can affect your diabetes management



Foods are composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and other nutrients. Some foods are mixtures of these, while others are especially high in certain nutrients. Each kind of nutrient has a place in a healthy diet. But when you have diabetes, it’s crucial to pay particular attention to carbohydrates. That’s because “carbs” are the type of food most quickly converted to glucose. A key part of managing diabetes is managing the amount and timing of the carbohydrates you include in your diet.

Carbohydrates are essential

Some people might conclude it’s best to avoid carbohydrates if you’re managing diabetes. But, that’s not a safe assumption. The human body runs on the energy produced from carbohydrates. It’s natural to crave them. But because of carbohydrates’ impact on blood glucose, people with diabetes do have to manage their carbohydrates, looking at the amount eaten at each meal and the total eaten in a day. If you don’t get the amounts right, you may not feel your best.

Managing the carbohydrates you eat

If you are learning to manage diabetes, it’s important to find out how different foods affect your blood glucose level. And you want to pay special attention to those dishes that are high in carbohydrates. For example, you may want to experiment with different-size portions of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as bread, rice, pasta, fruit and milk. (Yes, milk and some milk products, like yogurt, do have a significant quantity of carbohydrates.) Then, you can balance these carb-based foods with other foods, like meats and vegetables. The goal is to have a healthy, balanced diet with a good variety of food choices—but without a big blood glucose “spike” after you eat. That spike could result if you eat a meal that is very high in carbs.

All people with diabetes should explore the amounts of carbohydrates they can include in their daily meals—and should also know where to find information on the carbohydrate content of various foods. These are essential meal planning skills.

What is the glycemic index?

The phrase “glycemic index” often appears in discussions of diabetes and food. Foods have been categorized by their “index”—that is, how quickly they tend to raise blood glucose levels. A food with a high glycemic index will tend to raise the blood glucose quickly; candies, breads, and potatoes are examples. A food with a low index will affect blood glucose more slowly.

Keep in mind, however, that there is not an exact science behind these guidelines. A reaction to a food can vary by individual, and a group of foods eaten in combination can impact blood glucose differently than if any of them were eaten alone. Charts of the glycemic index can be useful in helping you learn more about individual foods, but it’s important that you also learn your own reaction to the foods in your diabetes diet.

[islander]

Sorry I posted that before reading your last post. I was just making sure you realize 'sugary' dosnt nessacerily mean sweet food like chocolate or oranges but things made with white flour and white rice. These things will make your insulin spike. Sorry if you know! just making sure! My dad has type 2 and dosnt get it at all. Cheers

[mohorter]

No by all means, I appreciate all of the info that you have to offer Islander. Its great to have people on this site that are so imformative, and are willing to help people out. Even i forget at what some foods will do to me, and i know that i've gone over my limit by just what my body tells me. My wife is a great help as well, she constantly helps me with the diabetes, and we keep the sugary foods, bad foods, out of the house. Its a good team effort that we have, since we have a son that is due to be born in May, she wants me to be around, and is always concerned about my health, and so do i. Since she is pregnant, I want to be around for everything that we have to look forward to with the coming of our first child.

[mohorter]

Workout for 3-30-09
Bench Press
10-135; 8-205; 8-225; 5-240; 6-225; 7-185
*on the fifth set, i could have done probably two more, but my spotter was helping me too much i think, screwed up my train of thought, plus i told him that i was going for 6, and i think he just grabbed the bar thinking that i was done. oh well, i'll have to tell them to failure next time. i'm happy though with my bench.

Seated Cable Row - Wide Grip
8-216; 8-216; 8-204; 8-204

Dumbbell Shoulder Press
8-65; 7-65; 5-65; 6-60

Dumbbell Curls
8-45; 8-45; 8-45

Tricep Pushdown
10-140; 10-150; 6-150

Legs
*I started to do squats, but I was so worn out and tired, that I couldn't do it. I think my problem was that I was hungry when I went to the gym. I had slept from 8am till 2pm, and immediately went to the gym with nothing to eat. I won't do that again, next time i'll have a turkey sandwhich or something.

Also I had a terrible cramp in both of my legs just as I sat down on the bench press, and it was in my hamstrings all the way up to my butt. Damn it hurt like hell, my hamstrings are still sore. I have been drinking alot of water, don't know why this happened. Anyone have any suggestions? I stretched just before doing my bench, but not my legs.

All in all, i'm pretty happy with my bench, it has gone from 185 at the start of February, and now i'm doing 240. Gained back all of my muscle memory and then some from the surgery.

[n88tr]

Weights are looking good!

Going to gym hungry to lift big is not really a good plan. I sometimes go in hungry for cardio to feel it more intensely, but never for lifting. Need energy to lift!

For the cramps, how much water is "a lot" you're taking in? Around here, 1 gallon is minimum. I know lots of guys take in 2. Myself, 2.5 to 3, but minimum 2.5. Getting in the warmup for the particular bodypart you are going to work out is very helpful. If you don't know how to warm up with weights, do 5 minutes of cardio right off the bat to get all muscles loosened up, then start in on the weights.

Hope the diet is going better now! Good luck big guy.

[mohorter]

Originally Posted by n88tr

Weights are looking good!

Going to gym hungry to lift big is not really a good plan. I sometimes go in hungry for cardio to feel it more intensely, but never for lifting. Need energy to lift!

For the cramps, how much water is "a lot" you're taking in? Around here, 1 gallon is minimum. I know lots of guys take in 2. Myself, 2.5 to 3, but minimum 2.5. Getting in the warmup for the particular bodypart you are going to work out is very helpful. If you don't know how to warm up with weights, do 5 minutes of cardio right off the bat to get all muscles loosened up, then start in on the weights.

Hope the diet is going better now! Good luck big guy.

Thanks N88tr,

You are right, I will never go to the gym again for weight training and not eat something, it was just stupid, but a good learning part on my end. As far as the water, I don't know exactly how much i'm drinking, but I think its around 2 gallons. I will have to keep a water bottle with me to see exactly what i'm drinking everyday. I am a soda addict, and cutting that out of my diet has been helping tremedously.

[mohorter]

Workout for 4-1-09

Military Press
8-115; 8-125; 7-135; 4-145

Squats
8-135; 8-205; 7-225; 7-225; 8-205; 8-135
*these felt good today

Incline Dumbbell Press
9-80; 8-80; 4-85; 6-80

Standing T-Bar Row
8-135; 7-135; 7-135; 8-90
*note to self = don't do this after squats, my legs were so sore, and wobely, I could have fallen off from the machine, lol, plus I couldn't do as much as last week I think because of my legs. Next time i'm going to finish up the workout with legs

E-Z Bar Curls
10-95; 8-100; 5-100; 7-85
*left forearm hurts when curling

I skipped triceps and calfs today because of time constraints. Friday I will hit them hard.

Good workout today, and felt good. I had some cereal in the morning before i went. Didn't have to work the night before, so I was able to go early in the morning. Gym was quite crowded though. Next time i'll go during the afternoon. Less people. Weights are going up on everything, which is nice, and my bodyweight has dropped by 2 pounds this week. I'm happy with that. My goal for the end of April will be to be around 204. 212 at the moment.

Cardio tomorrow.

[mohorter]

Workout for 4-3-09

Flat Dumbbell Press
10-75; 10-90; 5-95; 6-90

Close Grip Front Pulldown
8-180; 8-180; 5-192; 6-180

Arnold Press
8-50; 8-50; 5-55; 6-50

Preacher Curls
8-65; 8-85; 5-90; 9-70
*forearms hurt, probably going to have to start doing some extra forearm work

Close Grip Bench Press
8-135; 8-185; 6-195; 8-155
*going to drop the weight next time and stay around 135 to 160 so that i can do these with more concentration on the triceps. i think the higher the weight that i'm going, the more that i'm using my chest in this exercise.

Leg Extension
*Didn't do because my legs are still pretty sore from squats on Wednesday

Standing Calf Raise
15-325; 15-325; 13-325; 13-325

Good workout, felt good and a good way to end the week. I just hope that my legs aren't too sore tomorrow so that I can do my weekend cardio.

[islander]

I see you talk about certain muscle fatigue there and there every day why not do a split and not do so much of everything on one day so you can really concentrate on one or two muscle groups each wo. Then start with your big compound movement then wo down the the isolation ones. Then you big muscles will be to tired and can really hit the little ones your trying to hit easyer with the isos . Looks like your already figuring this out with your notes to yourself.

[mohorter]

I may switch back to that, but i'm primarily interested in getting rid of the excess fat that I have, and I have read that the full body workout would help in the fat loss, quicker than a 5 day split. I've got this tire around my waist that needs to dissapear. And besides, the only sore area are my legs. I may only do them once a week so that I can focus on the cardio more.

[mohorter]

Cardio for 4-5-09

Eliptical for 65 min, 940 calories

Legs felt good, soreness almost completely gone, and I lost another pound, weighed in at 211. Goal for the end of April is 200.

[mohorter]

Workout for 4-6-09

Bench Press
8-135; 8-205; 8-225; 5-240; 6-225; 10-135

Seated Row
8-216; 6-228; 8-216; 8-216

Dumbbell Shoulder Press
8-65; 5-70; 5-65; 4-65

Dumbbell Curls
8-45; 8-45; 8-45

Tricep Pushdown
10-150; 10-150; 8-150

Cardio
Eliptical for 20 min, 277 calories

Workout felt good.

[mohorter]

Cardio for 4-7-09

Eliptical for 40 min, 590 calories

[mohorter]

Workout for 4-8-09

Incline Dumbbell Press
10-80; 6-85; 6-85; 5-85

Standing T-Bar Row
8-135; 8-145; 8-145; 8-145

Military Press
8-115; 7-135; 5-145; 4-150

E-Z Bar Curls
9-95; 6-105; 4-105; 8-85

Decline Skullcrushers
8-100; 8-100; 5-100

Cardio
Eliptical for 20 min, 292 calories

Workout felt good, making good progress.