# MonStar's Journal: Stopping the Madness!



## M.J.H. (Sep 26, 2004)

*WTF!?*  

It's time to stop this madness!  

I am so sick of feeling out of control. I am so sick of binging and feeling like nothing but total and awful sh*t. I am so tired of this G*DDAMN F*CKING CRAP. I don't need this ridiculous cycle over and over and over again in my life. It's getting out of control and I can't f*cking stand it anymore. I don't mean to sit here and b*tch and complain, but I am 20 years old, and in college, and I do NOT need to be feeling like total sh*t all the time.

I regularly over and over again go through this same eating and training cycle. I eat somewhat clean or low-carb or something along those lines for a couple of days. Maybe even a week if I am lucky. And then all of the sudden out of nowhere, I decide that I am going to go on an all-out binge and gorge myself for 6-8 hours with more food than anyone can possibly imagine. No joke, 15K+ calories easy. 

I am not sure what to do, I am going to try and hang in there and continue reading my book on binging. Hopefully I'll find the strength to stop this ridiculous painful cycle.


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## Mudge (Sep 26, 2004)

Thats crazy man, I have never personally counted more than 6500 or so myself, I'm sure I could do more but I'd feel so crappy I think that would be my limitation. I have binging issues also but nowhere near that bad, sadly for me though it hits me much worse than you apparently.

One way to avoid it for me, stay out of the grocery store unless you are stocking up, in other words dont go in there every couple days like I was from time to time, too easy to pickup impulse items. I have to be a bit negative towards myself to stay away from fast foods and the like.

Hey, read my sig


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## Cardinal (Sep 26, 2004)

What all have you tried in the past to combat the problem?  I remember from a really old thread at avant that you used NHE for a time.  Maybe try making a list of what worked and what didn't and also those things you have yet to try but should to combat the problem.  Then prioritize the list and stick to it.  Most likely you already have a good clue what needs to be done.  Just a matter of implementation.  

Echoing mudge, I must say, your problem binging seems to take the cake.  I can outbinge most in total food volume, but I haven't taken out 15,000 kcals straight over 6-8 hours though.  Wow, I am impressed!


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## Cold Iron (Sep 26, 2004)

Don't go to the grocery store when hungry.


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## Cold Iron (Sep 26, 2004)

Might help


http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=36931


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 27, 2004)

Stop making new journal. No more fucking excuses or bullshit Mike. STOP MAKING NEW JOURNALS. If you want a stop to the bullshit, stop making new journals. That's all I'm going to say.


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## Jenny (Sep 27, 2004)

Mike, I'm sorry you're going through such a hard time. PM me if you want to talk


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## Sapphire (Sep 27, 2004)

Hi Mike!

Do you think maybe you are going too low carb and that is what is making you binge?  Maybe you need more clean carbs everyday... and a controlled cheat on the weekend?

We all struggle with our diet Hun, it's OK , dont beat yourself up so badly.  You are probably being too hard on yourself.

Think about incorporating MORE carbs in everyday... Good luck


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## P-funk (Sep 27, 2004)

think about just getting some discipline......this is pathetic.


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## ncgirl21 (Sep 27, 2004)

I'm sorry your having such a hard time sweetie   .  I don't really think that binging is something that just goes away though.  It will probably always be there in the back of your mind, it's just something that you have to LEARN to avoid.  It reminds me of the whole Last Supper mentality.  Like we think we are never ever going to eat any of this shit again, so we have to eat it all right now and then start over tommorow.  But the thing you have to remember is ANY food can work into your diet so there's no need to binge on anything.  You can have it, whenever you want, just fit it in your calories.  That's just my take on it, you know I'm here if you want to talk hun!!


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## bulletproof1 (Sep 27, 2004)

P-funk said:
			
		

> think about just getting some discipline......this is pathetic.



this post has my vote.   

does this line sound familiar? 

"This is going to be my final journal here at IM. Moderators please delete any new journal that I start from this point on. Do not let me start another journal, no matter what." by monstar

since he wrote this line, i believe he has started 3 new journals.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

*Mudge:* Hey man, the thing is that I never go to the grocery store and binge, etc. It's always at work, since we get free food. Or it's on the way home from work or even at home. It's always like a decision type of thing. I'll decide to binge at 4:00 PM let's say and I won't stop until midnight or later. And trust me, I have spend $15-20 before at Taco Bell or McDonald's, I am easily eating 10K+ calories. 

The worst part about it as I was starting to binge and just stuff myself beyond a doubt. I was thinking about why. Why was I doing this, and I think because it was making me feel better? Eating and pigging out temporarily took my mind off of everything else. Almost like alcohol or something along those lines. 

*Cardinal:* I have tried and tried and tried to combat this problem. I don't know what the f*ck the problem is. I mean mentally its the hardest thing that I have ever tried to stop, and not been able to. It seems like no matter what I do, what I read, what I try and do to stop it, I can't gain control of it. I am going to pick up another book today on binging, and see if I can find any other ways to try and get in control of it. 

*Arnie's left nu:* I don't, bro, but thanks. Thanks for link as well, some helpful info in that thread. 

*SF:* You're absolutely right, and this is nothing but f*cking bullshit. I can't even stand typing out the first post to a new journal anymore. It just annoys me that I have to start all over again. I don't know why the F*CK I can't get in control of my eating. It's godd*mn f*cking pathetic. And it's godd*mn f*cking frustrating that I feel like I can have all the dedication or discipline in the world with my training or supplements, but for some reason I can't eat clean. WTF? 

*Jenny:* Thank you, I really appreciate that.  

*Cyndi:* Yeah I am starting to think that maybe I am a little too hard on myself. But there's still no excuse for pathetic binging over and over and over again. I mean going all out spend all kinds of $ on complete and total junkfood. Eating an entire pizza and 15 minutes later feeling like total sh*t. Speaking of me being hard on myself I am going to quote a PM from IM member, chris mason that really motivated me:




> Personally, I think you should look at the end result of what you perceive as your problem and see it is pretty darn good.  You are huge, strong, and lean.  You have a better physique than 95% of the trainees out there.
> 
> When you are so hard on yourself you need to take a step back and ask why.  Look at yourself, you look great.  It should be EVERYONE ELSE who is so stressed about what they ate etc.


This PM just really made me think about my priorities in life, and everything like that. I stress so much about binging and all that, etc. 

*P-funk:* I think if it was that simple bro, I would have done it a long time ago. It goes far beyond discipline, trust me. 

*Andrea:* Yeah even in the books and articles that I have read on binging it seems that it never full goes completely away. It's almost like you can put it aside and minimize it to the point where it's almost forgotten about. But people with BED (binge eating disorder) always have that desire to go all out and eat everything in sight. The problem with my case of BED is that I go all out and eat nothing but junk. Some people with BED binge on like carrots, or on salad, lol. 

*bulletproof1:* Thanks for stopping by.


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## bulletproof1 (Sep 27, 2004)

nobodys journals here are perfect. people dont always stay as strict as they want. people dont always see the results that they want. some may just have a bad day and temporarily lose focus. you gotta get back up though dude. dont start a new journal because you had a glazed donut or whatever the case may be. you have plenty of support in your journals backing you 100%. people may start questioning *why * they are supporting though. i mean the bottom line is, the effort has to come from you. dust off your britches and saddle back up bro. it aint over til you say its over.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

*bulletproof1:* Awesome post bro, thanks for taking the time to write it. I appreciate it a great deal and you're 100% right. I am not going to just say f*ck it and start a new journal because that's f*cking ridiculous. If everyone on this site started a new journal when they cheated/went overboard, we would have a million 2-3 page journals. One thing I wanted to add though, was that it's a lot more than a donut, lol. Try and entire box of donuts along with an entire pizza along with 4-5 king size candy bars, finishing that up with tons of soda and ice-cream, etc. It's beyond out of control. Trust me. But there's no reason I can't get in control.


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## P-funk (Sep 27, 2004)

yeah, and even if you fuck up quite startgin another damn journal....it is annoying the shit out of me.

go get blood work done.  maybe you have a hormone problem.  have you seen an endocrinologist before?


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## fantasma62 (Sep 27, 2004)

Mike, first thing is, you are 20 years old and in college.  What I wouldn't give right now to be where you are, binging or not.  Man, at 20 and up to 23 (when I met my current wife), I was out there partying, working out, meeting young ladies, studying and having the time of my life.

Have you thought that what you really need is to just distract yourself?  Do you know that one of the biggest causes of binging is boredom?  Another one is stress.  What you seem to be is stressed beyond belief.  Mike, I don't want to see you 10 years from now when you have a wife and a family and have to handle more stress, because I just think that you can't handle it.  In fact, I pray that you are alive then, because you are destroying yourself if you are already all stressed out and feeling like $hit all the time.
You need to take a pause and think of what makes you happy and do it.  You love working out right?  Keep working out.  You like to eat?  Then eat.  I mean, what are you going to do, your metabolism at 20 is at 100mph and you may not have to worry so much.  This will go contrary to everything that you have learned and what people have told you, in fact, I wouldn't do that myself, but I just think that you are, oh, so close to becoming depressed that I don't know what else to tell you.
Just think about what you love to do, as I said above, and do it.  Do you love starting new journals?  I have an idea, start journals to yourself.  Get on MS Word and type in crap, anything that comes to your mind and then read it to yourself.  That way you won't feel stressed, low and so down on yourself.....
I hope this helps....


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## bulletproof1 (Sep 27, 2004)

if stress is playing that big of a part in it pick up a book on meditating or something to help clear your mind.


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## Mudge (Sep 27, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> And trust me, I have spend $15-20 before at Taco Bell or McDonald's, I am easily eating 10K+ calories.



I never bought fries much unless I bought combos, but generally each item is going to put you 400-700 calories.

Burger King double cheeseburger 2 for 2 was my favorite, each double is 540 calories. So for $4 I had 2160 calories, then for another couple bucks I'd have a large shake. So you'd have to be eating all sale items really to be hitting 10k calories for $15-$20... Even supersizing my meals and replacing the soda with a large shake, I could never achieve that same bang for the buck ratio 

Learn how to tweak yourself. If you need to get pissed off even at the thought of cheating so badly, then do it. If you need to never look at the fast food joint as you drive by as you mutter under your breath, then do it. Find what works man.


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 27, 2004)

Do yourself one better, my friend. Drop this journal and go back to the other one and just pick up the pieces.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

*P-funk:* I have never gotten blood work done, actually. I am considering it though, a few people have told me to consider it. Maybe it is a horomonal problem, who knows. At this point I think that it could be anything. 

*Tony:* I think that stress plays a major role in my binging, but I am not sure why. I never really have anything major to get stressed out about, but somehow I just manage to freak out about every little thing. It drives me crazy, quite frankly. A lot of times believe it or not I end up stressing out like crazy about nothing at all. I mean for whatever reason if this makes any sense, I sometimes binge and stay home, alone, rather than go out and be social. As crazy as that sounds binging is almost more important to me (at the time). If someone asks to go out and I am in the middle of a binge, I'll tell them I am busy or something along those lines. First of all I feel fat, so that's a huge reason. Second of all I am starting to feel like sh*t from binging to begin with, etc. It's just an awful habit that has taken over my entire life. 

*bulletproof1:* Yeah stress, boredom, a number of factors play into it. Yet somehow during all this with my binging, etc. My workouts always manage to be very positive. 

*Mudge:* LOL, trust me bro, I am almost embarassed when I go to a fast food place and binge. That's when you know something is wrong. I'll spend $15 at Taco Bell and not even think twice. It's absolutely out of control, I mean there is no other way to better describe it. I am going to gain control though, no matter what it f*cking takes. I always feel sorry for myself and get pissed at myself, etc. F*ck that, not anymore. I am going to stop b*tching and complaining. I am the only one who can put the food in my mouth.

*SF:* I would man, but I mean this journal is exactly what I want to do. Stop the madness, stop the OCD, stop the binging, stop everything.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

Monday; 9-27-2004

*Shoulders*

Great workout today, really hit my shoulders hard. Pump was awesome, and my shoulders really felt exhausted afterwards. I am trying to bring up my shoulders, honestly. Put some more effort and intensity into my shoulder workouts. 

*Seated DB Presses*
3 sets of 5 with the 90's
2 sets of 10 with the 75's

*DB Front Raises* 
4 sets of 6 with the 50's

*Upright Rows*
2 sets of 8 with 145
2 sets of 3 with 195

*Nautilus Lateral Raises*
2 sets of 12 with 180

Overhead DB strength lately has been phenomenal. Not even that it's anything all that great but compared to what I was doing, I think that I have made a huge step in the right direction. Somehow a few months ago I couldn't handle more than the 70's on seated presses, and now I am throwing around the 90's or the 100's. Not sure what happened. Strength literally out of nowhere. Front raises were good, hit my front delts hard. Upright rows I hit a nice PR with 195. Used a little momentum to get the weight up but nothing too bad at all. Finished up today with some machine laterals. Good workout.

Diet:
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- apple
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- grilled chicken + cheese
- chicken salad wrap
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- cottage cheese + mixed fruit
- MRP + 1% milk
- peanut butter

Sleep: 8 hours.


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## Mudge (Sep 27, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I am going to gain control though, no matter what it f*cking takes. I always feel sorry for myself and get pissed at myself, etc. F*ck that, not anymore. I am going to stop b*tching and complaining. I am the only one who can put the food in my mouth.



Sounds good man, sometimes this works for me. Dont even mention the failure, just dont let it happen again, period. Right now this is what I'm going through, but in terms of too few calories. I had been bad about my diet for about 2 weeks running so instead of saying anything about it, I just started making sure to hit my caloric needs per meal and per day, no excuses because only I can hold myself accountable and only I can choose to succeed or not.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

*Mudge:* Thanks for the post, I think you're right on saying that it's best to not even think about failure. There is no question about it, I am going to stop this ridiculous cycle of eating. I mean no matter what, failure is not an option. I have been reading and reading in this new book I bought today on binging, and it's a 6-step process to stop, and I think I am really going to stick it out. No question about it.


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## Jenny (Sep 27, 2004)

Mudge said:
			
		

> Sounds good man, sometimes this works for me. Dont even mention the failure, just dont let it happen again, period. Right now this is what I'm going through, but in terms of too few calories. I had been bad about my diet for about 2 weeks running so instead of saying anything about it, I just started making sure to hit my caloric needs per meal and per day, no excuses *because only I can hold myself accountable and only I can choose to succeed or not. *



great post mudge


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## Rocco32 (Sep 27, 2004)

Hey Mike, got some great support in here. Doing good buddy, w/o's look great. That DB Overhead press is just incredible! Keep doing awesome


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## M.J.H. (Sep 27, 2004)

*Jenny:* Agreed, I am the only one who is responsible for my success, and for my failure. 

*rock4832:* Thanks for the support bud, I really appreciate it. I am going to try and really focus on my shoulders a lot more. I guess just because I never really have in the past. My shoulders always got thrown in with chest or another bodypart. Never really isolated them on their own day, and focused specifically on them. So hopefully I'll see some gains in future. We'll see what happens.


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## Rocco32 (Sep 27, 2004)

Crap man, that's just scary if your shoulders get STRONGER!!!!!! LOL


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## gr81 (Sep 27, 2004)

I don't really know you monstar, and I don't usually follow journals too closely either, but I thought it appropriate to say a few words. I am not sure what exactly you are going though, but I CAN tell you that being 20 and in college is like this for everyone bro. there is a reason the suicide rate is the highest amongst college students, this is an incredibly awkward and difficult time, full of stress an anxiety about the future. Probably more so than any other time in your life. We have all been there, its normal to feel lost and frustrated, believe that! I think that you need to stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself, you seem to expect perfection, and if you don't get it you get pissed and crumple up your paper to start again and this seems to be your cycle.. Instead of starting from the preverbial drawing board, you need to learn to build on what you have, both your mistakes and your achievements. Otherwise you will just end up repeating the mistakes, ya feel me? If I am wrong and way off base then feel free to say so. No one is perfect, not even the gr81..lol j/p, and to just wake up and announce that you are gonna change everything around starting now is unrealistic. Thats like an addict proclaiming to himself after he has his drink, that he is done, that was his last and from tommorrow on you shall be perfect. Another analogy is a person who is out of shape proclaiming they are done with this lifestyle and from now on everything in their diet will be spotless. Its important to want to better yourself and set high goals, but if you are unrealistic you are only setting yourself up for failure. a good definition of insanity could be doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, ya feel me? Instead of the out of shape person demanding perfection immediately, they need to be realistic and understand that change happens over time. Find someone you can talk to about things. Exlporing intreenal issues you may have with someone can open your eyes for sure. And just as important, take it one step at a time, one rep at a time, one meal at a time. an instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the past, use them to look to the future. Focus on the positive things you have accomplished instead, there are lots of things there bro. anyways, hoep I could help.. good luck playa


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 27, 2004)

> No one is perfect, not even the gr81..



You have Vogelpohl in your signature. You may not be perfect but that lands you damn close.


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## gr81 (Sep 27, 2004)




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## Jenny (Sep 28, 2004)

gr81 said:
			
		

> I don't really know you monstar, and I don't usually follow journals too closely either, but I thought it appropriate to say a few words. I am not sure what exactly you are going though, but I CAN tell you that being 20 and in college is like this for everyone bro. there is a reason the suicide rate is the highest amongst college students, this is an incredibly awkward and difficult time, full of stress an anxiety about the future. Probably more so than any other time in your life. We have all been there, its normal to feel lost and frustrated, believe that! I think that you need to stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself, you seem to expect perfection, and if you don't get it you get pissed and crumple up your paper to start again and this seems to be your cycle.. Instead of starting from the preverbial drawing board, you need to learn to build on what you have, both your mistakes and your achievements. Otherwise you will just end up repeating the mistakes, ya feel me? If I am wrong and way off base then feel free to say so. No one is perfect, not even the gr81..lol j/p, and to just wake up and announce that you are gonna change everything around starting now is unrealistic. Thats like an addict proclaiming to himself after he has his drink, that he is done, that was his last and from tommorrow on you shall be perfect. Another analogy is a person who is out of shape proclaiming they are done with this lifestyle and from now on everything in their diet will be spotless. Its important to want to better yourself and set high goals, but if you are unrealistic you are only setting yourself up for failure. a good definition of insanity could be doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, ya feel me? Instead of the out of shape person demanding perfection immediately, they need to be realistic and understand that change happens over time. Find someone you can talk to about things. Exlporing intreenal issues you may have with someone can open your eyes for sure. And just as important, take it one step at a time, one rep at a time, one meal at a time. an instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the past, use them to look to the future. Focus on the positive things you have accomplished instead, there are lots of things there bro. anyways, hoep I could help.. good luck playa



Wow gr8, I'm impressed, great post 

Mike, our man gr8 has a point here. You need to stop being so hard on yourself. I think we're all too hard on ourselves and it doesn't do us any good. Relax, realise that you *are* a wonderful person and just do the best you can


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## M.J.H. (Sep 28, 2004)

*rock4832:* LOL, I guess we'll see what happens bro. I really want to improve my shoulders. Not only my shoulder strength necessarily, but my shoulder development as well. I really want to bring up my front and side delts. And I have been trying to do some bentover DB lateral raises on my back day. So we'll see how this works.

*gr81:* Wow man, really awesome post, I am impressed! Thanks for taking the time to post it here in my journal man, means a lot. I agree that part of the point of having a journal at all is to make mistakes in learn from them and move forward. I have gotten into this awful habit of making a single mistake and starting a new journal. I am not sure why I do that at all. Not anymore though man, like I was saying, that's not going to happen anymore. I need to think about what triggers my binges, what makes me do them at all. Regardless of whether it's stress, boredom, etc. They're unacceptable and I just need to concentrate on success, not failure. Thanks again man, for the awesome post. 

*SF:* LOL, I had a feeling you would notice that. 

*Jenny:* I agree that I am way too hard on myself. It's funny because I don't think you would ever guess that I am this hard on myself, just talking to me. I mean I always act so carefree and confident and just don't act like I am concerned at all with little things. Thanks for the support, Jenny.


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## chris mason (Sep 28, 2004)

Ok Mike, as I already mentioned, you need to look at the results.  You freak out about your eating habits and yet you are bigger, stronger, and leaner than 99% of the people on this site.  Hmmm, maybe we should all have such problems...

Next, your age has a lot to do with it.  Your OCD tendencies will reduce as you mature and have bigger problems to deal with.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 28, 2004)

*Chris:* Hey man, thanks for the support my friend. You always know how to make me think twice about the things that I stress out about. I do think that you're right about my OCD lessening with age. Because right now there isn't all that much in my life to really stress about. I have a pretty layed back job, my college isn't all that difficult for me, etc. It's amazing to me that I have any kind of results at all repeatedly binging for years now. I guess like SF pointed out a huge surplus of calories every couple of days just shoots my horomone levels sky high. What makes me wonder if I stop binging, will my gains be the same? 

BTW, I still think you should start a journal here man! A lot of people here at IM would sh*t themselves at the kind of weight that you throw around. Especially since you have videos to back up every single one of your lifts. Also, I am all for taking videos as well. Are there any lifts in particular you want to see my form on?


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## M.J.H. (Sep 28, 2004)

Tuesday; 9-28-2004

*Arms*

Great arm workout today, damn I really really love training arms together. I get a better pump from this session than any of my other workouts I think. Definition in my arms is looking pretty good lately, I am trying to change things up and get them to grow some more. 

*Seated French Presses*
3 sets of 3 with 160
2 sets of 8 with 125

*Alternating DB Curls*
2 sets of 3 with the 80's
2 sets of 7 with the 60's

*Incline DB Extensions*
3 sets of 10 with the 45's

*Incline DB Curls*
3 sets of 10 with the 45's

*Rope Cable Pressdowns*
2 sets of 12 with 160

*Rope Cable Curls*
2 sets of 12 with 140

Hit 2 big PR's today in my arm workout, the first was on seated French presses. Hit 160 for 3 sets of 3. Not too shabby at all, IMO. I flare my elbows quite a bit on these, but I am still moving 160 lbs. behind my head, so no complaints. Moved onto another big PR in alternating DB curls. Used some momentum but curls the 80's for 2 sets of 3. Good slow negative on each rep. Did some incline DB extensions for my triceps, good sets. And then some incline curls. Nice deep aching in my biceps from the incline curls. Finished up with rope pressdowns and rope curls. Nice workout. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk 
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- peanuts
- MRP bar
- tuna salad sandwich
- 6" turkey & cheese sub
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, 1% milk
- 6" turkey & cheese sub

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## klmclean (Sep 28, 2004)

*Hey, MonStar, just got back from my trip and I thought I would check in on you. I'm sorry you're going through such a bad time. Have you thought about looking into support groups, like Overeaters Annonymus?  I don't know if they have them in your area, but maybe that would give you some additional support. I find I overeat when I'm stressed or lonely. I moved to a small town for a few months a few years and gained 20 pounds within eight months, I was just eating and eating and eating because I was homesick and bored. Have you ever had your thyroid checked?  Something to look into maybe also. Take Care and take it easy on yourself, judging by your posted photos, you would never know that you have a binging problem, you look awesome!  *


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## Mudge (Sep 28, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I flare my elbows quite a bit on these, but I am still moving 160 lbs. behind my head, so no complaints.



I wouldn't do them any other way, and even still if my elbows are bothering me at ALL that day I wont even do them period!


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## Mudge (Sep 28, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I have gotten into this awful habit of making a single mistake and starting a new journal. I am not sure why I do that at all.



I'm sure others have noticed how particular about perfectly quoting people with names in bold, your perfectly perfect signature  and so on. Definitely some OCD there, now you just need to turn it into regular dedication and not OCD+burnout=binging.


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## Jenny (Sep 28, 2004)

Real world tonight


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## Jill (Sep 28, 2004)

Have you ever seeked professional help? Just a suggestion. I know drugs are not the answer but its another suggestion .


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## M.J.H. (Sep 28, 2004)

*klmclean:* Hey there! Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it. Yeah things lately have been a little more stressful lately. Nothing too too bad I don't think, though. I have been reading a book lately on binging that I think is helping. It's has an entire 6-step self-help program which I really like so far. So we'll see how things go. 

*Mudge:* LOL, so far I am loving French presses. Really hit my triceps hard, and I can go pretty heavy on them. No complaints thus far. 

*angelpaws:* Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to post in my journal, it's always great to see new faces in here. Yeah I do have AIM, my screenname on there is 'MonStarDL' so feel free to chat with me! I really like talking to people with similar problems. 

*Jenny:* I know, I can't wait! 

*Jill:* No, I have not seeked professional help. I never felt like it was negatively affecting my health that badly. I mean honestly anymore I realize that I am gaining a large amount of fat from the binging. I just need to relax and take things one day at a time. And not let myself get out of control anymore.


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## PreMier (Sep 28, 2004)

Ahh.. so thats how you got so many cals in.  Taco Bell.


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## chris mason (Sep 28, 2004)

I would like to see some videos of you doing the arm movements Mike.  

I appreciate the prodding on the journal thing, but I am really not nearly as impressive as you are making me out to be.  Not that I don't like the compliments .


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## angelpaws (Sep 28, 2004)

Hey, what no comment for me? j/k im sure you just overlooked my comment.  

  Anyway therapy is good for people who use food to fill emotional needs. It can help you learn better ways of coping. You don't need to be affected physically by food. The emotional pain is enough, don't you think? Would you at least consider therapy? You would be surprised at the help that is currently available. I am going to start seeing a counsler in the next two weeks myself so I'll let you know how things go....


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## Jill (Sep 28, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Jill:* No, I have seeked professional help. I never felt like it was negatively affecting my health that badly. I mean honestly anymore I realize that I am gaining a large amount of fat from the binging. I just need to relax and take things one day at a time. And not let myself get out of control anymore.




You *have* or *havent* seeked  help?


----------



## Rocco32 (Sep 28, 2004)

Jill said:
			
		

> You *have* or *havent* seeked  help?


I think he means he has not.


----------



## M.J.H. (Sep 28, 2004)

*PreMier:* Yeah man, Taco Bell I absolutely love. I know it's pretty much the worst possible thing that you can eat. But I am addicted. 

*Chris:* C'mon man, you know that 185 lbs.+ curls and 225 lbs. skullcrushers is absolutely insane. I have never heard of anyone throwing around weights like that. Anyway, my next arm session I'll take some videos for ya' bud, not a problem at all. 

*angelpaws:* Hey there, I can't believe I did that! I just fixed my other post, sorry about that! Great to see a new face here in my journal. I added you on AIM so hopefully I'll catch you on there tonight or tomorrow maybe. It's great that you experience the same type of things that I do, though. Yeah I am all for therapy actually, I think that in certain situations it can work wonders. Let me know how you do with it. Have you considered starting a journal? I think it would be a great idea. 

*Jill:* Hey there, sorry. I have not seeked help for my eating problems.

*rock4832:* Thanks bud.


----------



## gr81 (Sep 29, 2004)

> Wow gr8, I'm impressed, great post
> Mike, our man gr8 has a point here. You need to stop being so hard on yourself. I think we're all too hard on ourselves and it doesn't do us any good. Relax, realise that you are a wonderful person and just do the best you can


Thanks Jen, I have been known to bring it..lol  great pics btw.. 



> gr81: Wow man, really awesome post, I am impressed! Thanks for taking the time to post it here in my journal man, means a lot. I agree that part of the point of having a journal at all is to make mistakes in learn from them and move forward. I have gotten into this awful habit of making a single mistake and starting a new journal. I am not sure why I do that at all. Not anymore though man, like I was saying, that's not going to happen anymore. I need to think about what triggers my binges, what makes me do them at all. Regardless of whether it's stress, boredom, etc. They're unacceptable and I just need to concentrate on success, not failure. Thanks again man, for the awesome post.


no prob bro. ya know they have a great saying in AA that I really like. "God give me the strength to accept the things I cannot change.." no hidden meaning there or anything like that, the saying just always stuck with me and it seems appropriate. Good luck maYn, and take it out on the iron, ain't no therapy better than that shit! ya feel me! ha .. peace


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## JerseyDevil (Sep 29, 2004)

PreMier said:
			
		

> Ahh.. so thats how you got so many cals in.  Taco Bell.





			
				monstar said:
			
		

> Yeah man, Taco Bell I absolutely love. I know it's pretty much the worst possible thing that you can eat. But I am addicted.


Drop the chapula  .  Yeah I'm a fan of Taco Bell myself, but I could see where it would be easy to binge on their food.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 29, 2004)

*gr81:* Yeah man, I am going to take out all of my aggression at the gym. There is no better place to do it like you said. Thanks again bro the inspiring words. I have so much support here at IM, I just need to man up and break this awful habits. 

*JerseyDevil:* Yeah man, trust me, it's easy to binge on Taco Bell. I have to stay as far from that place as possible! I used to love eating there as a kid and now I just crave it sometimes. It's the weirdest thing, but whatever. I can live without it.


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## Monolith (Sep 29, 2004)

...

Every time someone says anything, _anything_, you reply with "WOW AWESOME POST MAN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE IT WOWOWOW ITS SO COOL AND YOU ARE SO RIGHT.  THANKS FOR STOPPING BY BRO IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME."

Yet, oddly, you seem to ignore every single comment people post.  The least you could do is stop pandering everyone and just come out and say you don't give a fuck what advice the rest of us have for you.  It's getting annoying to see this exaggerated, dramatized reaction from you with each reply.

Honestly, i'm tired of seeing half a dozen of your journals all over the first page... each one reading the same:  "THIS IS IT GUYS, NO MORE BINGING!  NO MORE NEW JOURNALS!  IM HARDCORE!!!"

I'm finding it hard to believe that you can manage to accomplish anything in your real life with the kind of discipline and motivation you're displaying here.  Either use this forum as its intended - one thread per person - or get the fuck out.  Sorry to be so blunt, but youve had *months* of patience from everyone on this board.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 29, 2004)

*Monolith:* Okay, let me try to respond to this in quotes, I think that it will be a little easier. 




> Every time someone says anything, anything, you reply with "WOW AWESOME POST MAN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE IT WOWOWOW ITS SO COOL AND YOU ARE SO RIGHT. THANKS FOR STOPPING BY BRO IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME."


I reply with a post similar to this when someone has taken the time out of their day to offer inspiring words, support, and things of that nature. I do not reply with a post like to everyone's posts. I just like people to realize that I do appreciate their support, that's all. And that I take it to heart, I just don't blow it off without thinking twice about it.




> Yet, oddly, you seem to ignore every single comment people post. The least you could do is stop pandering everyone and just come out and say you don't give a fuck what advice the rest of us have for you. It's getting annoying to see this exaggerated, dramatized reaction from you with each reply.


I don't ignore them, at all. I have an OCD problem that I do not want to have, it's that simple. I am not asking you to feel sorry for me, so don't take it that way. But what makes you think that I ignore people's posts? Because person 1 says that I should try this and I don't immediately take their advice? If it's getting annoying don't read my journal. It's not too complicated, bud. 




> Honestly, i'm tired of seeing half a dozen of your journals all over the first page... each one reading the same: "THIS IS IT GUYS, NO MORE BINGING! NO MORE NEW JOURNALS! IM HARDCORE!!!"


If you're tired of seeing if, then stop reading! It's honestly not the most difficult thing in the world to do. I am not trying to an a*shole at all I am just saying that if you're so tired of it, then just stop reading. I mean it honestly does not matter much to me either way. 




> I'm finding it hard to believe that you can manage to accomplish anything in your real life with the kind of discipline and motivation you're displaying here.


Okay lets talk about this. The kind of discipline and motivation that I display here. I start journals often, so shoot me. I eat clean for a few days, and then binge. Lets look at my intensity level in the gym. Or my gym dedication, or supplement dedication, or sleep dedication, or my water intake. There are a lot of things that I am 100% disciplined on. When it comes to dieting I developed this binging problem. But don't talk to me about being disciplined or dedicated. 




> Either use this forum as its intended - one thread per person - or get the fuck out. Sorry to be so blunt, but youve had months of patience from everyone on this board.


You're in no position to make those calls. Like I said if you have such a problem, please stop reading or posting in my journals. I would appreciate it.


----------



## M.J.H. (Sep 29, 2004)

Wednesday; 9-29-2004

*Back*

Great back workout today, really hit my lats hard. No crazy PR's or anything like that. But overall workout was awesome. Really seemed to hit my lats hard, no complaints here today at all. 

*Bentover Rows*
3 sets of 3 with 385
2 sets of 8 with 320

*Support Rows*
2 sets of 10 with 235
2 sets of 3 with 290

*Nautilus Pullovers*
2 sets of 6 with 280
Dropset: 280x8, 240x7, 200x7

*Bentover DB Lateral Raises*
3 sets of 12 with the 30's 

Hit a nice PR today in bentover rows. Nothing really extraordinary honestly except for the fact that it was a total of 9 reps with 385. Not too bad at all. I do this double overhand Yates style. Support rows beat the f*ck outta' my lats, ouch. Really great sets with 290, I usually don't go that heavy on support rows. Pullovers were awesome, hit my lats hard. Really great dropset today with pullovers. Bentover laterals were good, too. I am trying hard to bring up my rear delts. 

Diet:
- cottage cheese + fruit 
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich, mixed fruit
- 3 dijon chicken breasts
- breaded chicken parmesan 
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
- MRP + 1% milk

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## angelpaws (Sep 29, 2004)

Hey Monolith, take it easy okay?
 Im new to the forums and I can see how it can get kind of annoying to see someone start new journals after seemingly every setback, but some folks just need to keep taking fresh starts or else they feel like it "doesnt count". 
 That said,  Monstar, even if you screw up (which we all do) don't trash this journal. Failures can make you stronger. Just keep trucking along and let this be the last journal.
  Beating an addiction like binge eating is VERY hard. Setbacks are common. Some of the comments made so far are a bit on the ignorant side. Psychological problems take more than willpower to fix. That is why you really need some therapy Monstar.


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 29, 2004)

Go for the ego. Hit the 405 row. 

Nice lifting, I like the current blending of high reps low reps in the same lift.


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## ncgirl21 (Sep 29, 2004)

Hey Mike     Just stopping by to see how you were doing   

I, personally, could give two shits how many journals you start- if it makes you feel better start one daily.  I think the thing that everyone fails to realize is that everyone is on this board because they want to improve themselves.  This is also the journal forum, yes it's open to the public, but in a way it's your personal journal.  I don't keep my own journal at home, so if I want to write something down I do so in MY journal on-line.  Yes, it does get frustrating not seeing you reach the goals you set forth in your journal, but I also think that you set your goals so high sometimes and fail to appreciate how much you already have and how good you already do look.  Oh well, just my $.02 for the day.  I'll send the bill in the mail


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## Rocco32 (Sep 29, 2004)

Great back w/o! Oh, and when I was 275 I had taco bell at least 2-3 times a day. And those were not meals, just snacks LOL! I loved the quesidillas. I haven't eaten there since I lost the weight, afraid I'd become hooked again LOL. Mmmmmm...Taco Bell


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## chris mason (Sep 29, 2004)

Mono, the guy is POLITE.  Would you rather he acts like an asshole like 99% of the people in the world?

I understand someone's frustration with his actions but he admits to having a problem.  Why kick a man who is down?

In the end, I would rather deal with a polite an like Mike than an asshole.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Sep 29, 2004)

Nice back workout there Mike.  I have a suggestion: why don't you fuck the diet and eat what you want, but not excessive (7500 calorie style) ?  I mean, you're pushing such goofy ass amounts of weight (that's a compliment) that you would probably look just as good at a weight of 240 or 250.  Then get some appetite suppresants and trim down.

From your avatar you look to be really lean anyway.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 29, 2004)

*angelpaws:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by. Overcoming binge eating is definitely the hardest thing that I have ever tried to do. Because its not like normal dieting. Normally when you eat clean and try and not eat junkfood, you allow yourself maybe a piece of cake or a scoop of ice-cream here and there. The problem with binge eating is that I can't eat just a single piece of pie. Or a single scoop of ice-cream. It's just not possible I want to stuff myself until I am uncomfortable. I have no idea why, at all. The first step in the binge book I am reading is to pay close attention to how I feel before a binge, my mood, etc. And also to weigh myself weekly. Rather than daily.

*SF:* Thanks man. I don't know about bumping it up to 405 just yet. The momentum that I using is more than I really like with 385. I am somewhat heaving the weight up rather than pulling it up in a controlled manner. I did take a video today, although its a bad angle, of me rowing 385 for 3. I'll have to e-mail you that. By the way, I really like low and high reps in the same exercise, too.

*Andrea:* Hey! Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it. Yeah I agree that it can be frustrating when someone starts a new journal on a regular basis. I mean frustrating, yes. Even annoying, yes. But honestly who cares? I mean what difference does it make what someone else is doing, you know? I just don't understand how some people can get so worked up over nothing at all. This is a message board. We're all after the same thing, like you said, improving ourselves. 

*rock4832:* Damn man, Taco Bell 2-3 times a day? That's gotta be out of control, man. Even when I binge I don't go more than once, lol. At least you lost the weight now. But Taco Bell can be addicting, I can testify to that. But I am trying to stay free of binging, completely. Even if that means going to Taco Bell and eating a thing or two if I absolutely must. I just want to eliminate the binges.

*Chris:* Thanks for the post, bud. I mean I am completely admitting to having a problem. OCD, binge eating, etc. I mean there is no doubt in my mind about having a problem. It's not like I am trying to create a new journal every few days, and just say 'hey I felt like starting something new.' It's 100% always because I binged the night before, like crazy. 

*Duncans Donuts:* I think my avatar is a little deceiving. Not that that's not me or anything, but when the pic was taken (a few months ago) I was a tad smaller and a tad leaner, as well. I am going to have to get up some more progress pics. The time the avatar was taken I am pretty sure that I was weighing 222-224 lbs. Now I am weighing closer to 230-232 lbs. 

Anyway, about bulking up. I have this fear of getting fat. I can't get any flabbier than I am now. I am not even happy at this point with my bodyfat %. Let alone if I was any worse. I think I have a fat complex, basically. When I am flabbier it really affects my confidence level, etc. I am hoping that just cutting out the binging alone will help me get a little more lean.


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## Jill (Sep 29, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Because its not like normal dieting. Normally when you eat clean and try and not eat junkfood, you allow yourself maybe a piece of cake or a scoop of ice-cream here and there. The problem with binge eating is that *I can't eat just a single piece of pie. Or a single scoop of ice-cream. It's just not possible * I want to stuff myself until I am uncomfortable.


_But it is possible._ Thats the #1 thing is that you think you can not change. So you never will. Its all about right thinking.


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## angelpaws (Sep 30, 2004)

Hey monstar, good morning! Today is going to be a great day and don't you forget it!!!!


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## M.J.H. (Sep 30, 2004)

*Jill:* Great point there. I can and will change, no question about it. I will get to the point where I can have a single slice of cake. And be done with it. And eat clean the rest of the day. It's not impossible for me to do, at all. 

*angelpaws:* Hey there, good morning! Thanks for stopping by. I think that today is going to be a great day as well. Even though the weather here in Delaware is pretty nasty.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 30, 2004)

Thursday; 9-30-2004

*Legs*

Eh, okay leg workout this morning. Hit a huge PR in squats, actually. But that was about it. I am going to force myself to take a rest day tomorrow, no matter what! I can just tell that my body is drained and even though I am addicted to the gym, I gotta' do it. 

*Box Squats*
135x3
225x3
315x3
405x2
500x1

*Platform Deadlifts*
4 sets of 4 with 405

*Smith-Machine Lunges*
4 sets of 6 with 195

*Nautilus Leg Extensions*
Dropset: 250x15, 210x13, 170x10

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises*
4 sets of 8 with 335

Nice squatting PR today! I was definitely pleased with finally hitting 500 in box squats. I squatted down, touched the box, didn't pause at all and came up. A few inches off the box I hit a hell of a sticking point though. Felt some aching in my lower back (nothing severe) and slowly came up with it. I am not going to shoot for any 1RM's for a while now. My training frequency lately has been so frequent I don't think my body will handle 1RM's that well. 

After the squat PR I did some platform deadlifts. Stood on a 4-5" Reebok box, great sets. These 4 sets kicked me on my a*s, by the way. Did some lunges, ouch. And then finished my legs up with a dropset on leg ext. Did some calves afterwards. Whatever, my calves just won't grow. I am almost sick of trying to force them. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich, pineapple
- filet mignon, loaded baked potato 
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich, melon
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 30, 2004)

May just need a tighter arch to your back. But that's a badass squat nonetheless.


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## Monolith (Sep 30, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I reply with a post similar to this when someone has taken the time out of their day to offer inspiring words, support, and things of that nature. I do not reply with a post like to everyone's posts. I just like people to realize that I do appreciate their support, that's all. And that I take it to heart, I just don't blow it off without thinking twice about it.


Well, thats the impression i get.  Even if you do take the time to read and digest everyones posts... then how can you continue to ignore them?  If you're truly taking them to heart, then you wouldn't need to hear the same things repeated over and over again.



			
				MonStar said:
			
		

> I don't ignore them, at all. I have an OCD problem that I do not want to have, it's that simple. I am not asking you to feel sorry for me, so don't take it that way. But what makes you think that I ignore people's posts? Because person 1 says that I should try this and I don't immediately take their advice? If it's getting annoying don't read my journal. It's not too complicated, bud.


I'm mildly OCD as well... so i understand where you're coming from.  But there comes a point where you can't keep using that as a crutch.  Yes, it's more difficult for you than most people, but don't hide behind that problem.  Don't keep attributing every step backwards to your OCD (or any disease/disorder/etc) or you'll be stuck in that "i'm stuck this way so why bother" attitude forever.  Your neurochemistry is mildly fucked (not a flame, im worse than you are), but you have to recognize the difference between your brains physical defects and your sentient mind.  The brain only influences your thought, it doesnt control it.




			
				MonStar said:
			
		

> If you're tired of seeing if, then stop reading! It's honestly not the most difficult thing in the world to do. I am not trying to an a*shole at all I am just saying that if you're so tired of it, then just stop reading. I mean it honestly does not matter much to me either way.


Might as well fess up at this point... while the threads _are_ annoying, it's not as bad as i portrayed.  I was trying out another "tough love" post, but it didn't work out quite so well when there were 10 posts in 5 minutes from other people telling me to back off.  lol  I enjoy your journal(s), but i think becoming confident in your decisions regardless of day to day attitudes is step one in your athletic career.  I think part of the apathy or resistance you have to that next "level" of discipline comes from your pretty remarkable results.  Most people strive for years to reach the level youre at - so for you, the drive to be so strict and repetetive with your diet and training isnt as strong.  I'm no psychologist, but it seems like that is the kind of unconscious attitude that could be sabotoging you.





			
				MonStar said:
			
		

> Okay lets talk about this. The kind of discipline and motivation that I display here. I start journals often, so shoot me. I eat clean for a few days, and then binge. Lets look at my intensity level in the gym. Or my gym dedication, or supplement dedication, or sleep dedication, or my water intake. There are a lot of things that I am 100% disciplined on. When it comes to dieting I developed this binging problem. But don't talk to me about being disciplined or dedicated.


Of the activities you listed, diet is the hardest one to maintain.  Going to the gym is fun.  Sleeping is something most people love.  And drinking water... well, that doesnt exactly require a lot of willpower.

Your discipline is your problem.  If it isnt, how else would you describe the weekly training change?  The weekly diet change?  The weekly journal change?  Is there any better way to describe those things than lack of discipline?  Lack of drive?  I wont go into it, since i already posted my thoughts on this up above.


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 30, 2004)

Mike Rowing 385x3


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## Monolith (Sep 30, 2004)

Is that a row or a shrug?


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## Jill (Sep 30, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> Mike Rowing 385x3


Who is that? Monstar?


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## Mudge (Sep 30, 2004)

Monstar = Mike Henley


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## Mudge (Sep 30, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> SF: Thanks man. I don't know about bumping it up to 405 just yet. The momentum that I using is more than I really like with 385.



True dat, for me even dropping down to 5/6 reps and I dont like it too much.


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## Jill (Sep 30, 2004)

Thats a great vid. Mike you are hugley ripped! Nice


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 30, 2004)

Did you just call MIke "hugley"? Like a hugley wugley teddy bear?


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## PreMier (Sep 30, 2004)




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## chris mason (Sep 30, 2004)

Looks good to me!  I think it is especially impressive you are not using straps.  The reps looked quite easy.  

You are looking MUCH thicker than before.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 30, 2004)

*SF:* Thanks man, appreciate it, I was pretty damn happy with 500. Even if it's not all that great compared to my deadlift. Thanks for posting the bentover row video as well, I'll have you upload all my videos from now on if you don't mind. Lately I have been training in late morning when the gym is slow, so it's a perfect time to take training videos. 

BTW, that's hilarious about me being a "hugley wugley teddy bear" because I am such a hopeless romantic. It's pathetic. I saw the movie "The Notebook" in the theather 3 times, and 2 nights in a row, lol. 

*Monolith:* I don't have much to say in response to your post bro. You seem to have a lot of negative to say, so just do me a favor and steer clear of my journal from here on out. I don't someone talking to me about how bad my discipline is, etc. It's honestly the last thing that I want to hear. So I am asking you, politely, to please keep your thoughts out of my journal, unless they're positive. 

BTW, that's a row. Look into Yates style bentover rows. They're done more upright and pulling to your waist rather than your sternum. I did use some momentum, there's no doubt about it---but who doesn't with 385? 

*Jill:* Yeah, MonStar, is my username and just under that I have my real name. In case there is any confusion. Thanks for the kind words about the video, even though I was almost ashamed to post it because my form was shabby. I'll get another bentover row video up soon, from a different angle so you can see the weight, etc. I am not as ripped as I would like to be, either. 

*PreMier:* LOL. 

*Chris:* Hey man, thanks for checking out the video. I am going to get some more training videos up in the next couple of days. Some arm movements, like you requested. And maybe some decline BB presses from tomorrow's chest session. 

About the bentover rows, no I never use straps on any exercises. And I used a double overhand grip, on the cambered-bar. The reps were honestly not too bad at all. That was my 2nd set of 3 (I did 3 sets of 3) so I am thinking my first set was probably the cleanest in terms of my form/momentum.  

BTW, thanks for the comment about me looking thicker. I am weighing a tad more now, closer to 230ish. I am thinking about hitting up another methyl-1-test cycle as well. Not quite sure just yet what I want to do. Just eat clean and avoid binging. That's my main concern at this point. 

One final thing I wanted to add, Chris, about my training. For a while I was doing low-volume low-frequency training, like 1 or 2 days on, and then 1 day off. Lately though I have been going to the gym 5 or 6 or 7 or even 2 full weeks without taking a rest day! My recuperation has been great. I feel great, no signs of overtraining at all, etc. Training to or close to failure. Low and high reps in my workouts, dropsets, etc. Any thoughts about this? I have been splitting up my bodyparts like this: chest/back/legs/shoulders/arms, and just rotating them.


----------



## Mudge (Sep 30, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I did use some momentum, there's no doubt about it---but who doesn't with 385?



Ronnie Coleman?   I do however think Gary Coleman does.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Sep 30, 2004)

I saw The Notebook with a lady friend. Good movie. It was particularly hilarious at the end when you heard all the synchronized sniffling.


----------



## Rocco32 (Sep 30, 2004)

Never saw the Notebook, but I saw a video of some guy doing BB rows with an insane amount of weight. Was pretty awesome


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## M.J.H. (Sep 30, 2004)

*Mudge:* Haha, I was just referring to everyday people like you and I. Not guys like Ronnie Coleman who deadlift 850 for reps, lol. 

*SF:* Wow, don't even get me started on the Notebook, I absolutely love it. I cried the first time I saw it (yes a 225 lbs. guy with muscles was crying, lol), and then saw it the next night again. I absolutely loved it, especially since I can somewhat relate to it with my ex-girlfriend. Then I saw it a 3rd time a week or so afterwards. I can't wait for it to come out on video! I am going to be the first to buy it.  

*rock4832:* Thanks for the kind words man, really appreciate it. Expect some more videos in few days. I am going to take my digital camera with me to the gym everyday.


----------



## chris mason (Sep 30, 2004)

Actually, just for clarity, Ronnie uses quite a bit of momentum when he rows.  I have seen him t-bar row (on video) and he is getting his swing on (albeit with a crapload of weight).


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## Mudge (Sep 30, 2004)

True, and he bends over way more than I do with bent overs, but with 385 I'm sure he could look very relaxed doing it.

I should have mine up tonight for your critique   I would be curious to see myself.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 1, 2004)

*Chris:* I think that I have seen the same video, actually. I should post a video of my t-bar rows as well. Even though they're ghetto style done with one side of a barbell. I use some momentum for them, as well. 

*Mudge:* Great to hear it man, I am looking forward to seeing your video. It's always nice to see people's form when it comes to their exercises. Because honestly you never really know what kind of form other people are using. I know that some people do bentover rows a little more bentover,  I guess it's all about personal preference. When I bend over more I don't feel them in my lats anymore.


----------



## chris mason (Oct 1, 2004)

Here is a video of me performing a heavy t-bar row from a few months back:

http://www.wannabebig.com/vids/Chris%20-%20TBar%20Row%20-%20305.mov


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## Mudge (Oct 1, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> I know that some people do bentover rows a little more bentover,  I guess it's all about personal preference. When I bend over more I don't feel them in my lats anymore.



Apparently me too! Because I am barely bent over at all but that is how it feels perfect, it becomes too arm heavy if I bend over more. Also noted you cant see me pulling it into my gut very well, I need to wear a lighter shirt for better detail...


----------



## fantasma62 (Oct 1, 2004)

What's up Mikey?


Yeah, I know, I know...I have disappeared.  Trust me, things have been rather rough in the past few days with the hurricanes and all, and I have not been able to get to everyone.  I see your training is still kicking ass and you are still here.  Without a mention of a "new journal" or an "old journal"....oh crap,now I said it...
Man, I am happy to see that you seem very upbeat about your workouts and your lifestyle.  Keep it up, I want to see you succeed kid.....


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## Monolith (Oct 1, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Monolith:* I don't have much to say in response to your post bro. You seem to have a lot of negative to say, so just do me a favor and steer clear of my journal from here on out. I don't someone talking to me about how bad my discipline is, etc. It's honestly the last thing that I want to hear. So I am asking you, politely, to please keep your thoughts out of my journal, unless they're positive.


Fair enough.  Good luck, Mike.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 1, 2004)

Mudge said:
			
		

> True, and he bends over way more than I do with bent overs, but with 385 I'm sure he could look very relaxed doing it.
> 
> I should have mine up tonight for your critique   I would be curious to see myself.



If you want to shoot it my way, I'll put it on webbtrain for you.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 1, 2004)

*Chris:* Great video man, that's a hell of a lotta' weight. Impressive. I am going to have to get up a t-bar video soon. I really like doing them a lot, as well. 

*Mudge:* Yeah honestly I think that most people respond better to Yates style rows. I don't see anyone in the gym doing rows completely bentover the way Arnold used to do them back in the day. Most people these days do them more upright pulling the bar to your waist, etc. 

*Tony:* Thanks for stopping by man, appreciate it. It's okay that you haven't posted lately, not a problem at all man. We all get busy with our own lives. Yeah my workouts have been pretty decent lately I guess. Nothing too great, but nothing too shabby either, I guess.

*Monolith:* Thanks bud. 

*SF:* I actually have 2 more videos for you to upload now, bro.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 1, 2004)

Friday; 10-1-2004

*Chest*

Pretty damn good chest workout today. Honestly at first I felt very weak and almost awkward in decline bench, but luckily that didn't last long. Hit a nice PR today, took some videos that I am going to have SF upload as well. 

*Decline BB Presses*
1 set of 6 with 335 
2 sets of 2 with 365
1 set of 9 with 285

*Incline DB Presses*
2 sets of 5 with the 120's
2 sets of 8 with the 105's

*Flat DB Flyes*
4 sets of 6 with the 75's

*Cable Crossovers*
2 sets of 12 with 60

Wow, declines today kicked my a*s. Started off with 335 for 6, which really was exhausting. I took a video clip of that, but its at a bad angle so it's not even worth uploading. Then I moved onto 365 for 2 sets of 2. I took a video of this, so that came out pretty good. I am going to have SF upload and post that as soon as possible. Moved onto some incline DB presses. 2 sets of 5 with the 120's was pretty good. Took another video clip of that. Flat flyes weren't bad, finished up with some cable crossovers. Chest was exhausted. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- tuna wrap, banana
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- breaded chicken parmasen
- cottage cheese
- peanuts
- chicken fettuccine alfredo 
- caribbean grilled chicken salad
- choclate milkshake 

Decided to cheat some tonight at Chili's with my ex-girlfriend and have a choclate milkshake. Damn, that hit the spot! 

I am going to try and eat a little more clean tomorrow and the next couple of days. Lately I have been feeling a little on the flabby side. 

Sleep: 6.5 hours.


----------



## Jill (Oct 1, 2004)

More movies.....


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 1, 2004)

Email them to me and they'll be in place as soon as you do. I'll also open a MonStar directory and have it just list all the videos you've got, if you want.


----------



## Jill (Oct 1, 2004)

Yaaaaaaaaa


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## naturaltan (Oct 1, 2004)

Mike ... like I told Preme ... I am starting to think I'm the smallest guy here.  I see these avs and think, he's right in my league, then you start this crazy video thing and I see you're much bigger than me.  I have no issue with that, I just find it interesting seeing others avs and then seeing an updated pic or video 

Keep up the good work.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 1, 2004)

chris mason said:
			
		

> Here is a video of me performing a heavy t-bar row from a few months back:
> 
> http://www.wannabebig.com/vids/Chris%20-%20TBar%20Row%20-%20305.mov




Arent you worried about having your back curved, and your head down like that?


----------



## chris mason (Oct 1, 2004)

No, my back is strong enough that the position is not placing undue stress on it.   I can tell when I am putting my body into a position which might be too much.  

If you are performing t-bars in that style and using a fair amount of weight there really is no other way.


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 1, 2004)

Won't play for me 

BTW great w/o Mike, looking forward to the vids!


----------



## PreMier (Oct 1, 2004)

chris mason said:
			
		

> If you are performing t-bars in that style and using a fair amount of weight there really is no other way.



I disagree.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 1, 2004)

rock4832 said:
			
		

> Won't play for me
> 
> BTW great w/o Mike, looking forward to the vids!




I had to right click and save as.  Damn quicktime.


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 1, 2004)

Thanks Jake!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

*Jill:* I am waiting for SF to upload them to Webbtrain, as soon as he does, him or I will post them. I have a video of me decline presses 365 for 2, and then incline DB pressing the 120's for 5. 

*naturaltan:* Yeah I know exactly what you mean, bud. Pictures rarely ever do justice I think. Videos are always the best way to tell someone's size. Because certain camera angles can be more ideal, etc. I am going to try and get a few more movies up in the next few days. Maybe a video from each workout. Thanks for stopping by. 

*PreMier:* I do mine, similar to that, and I have no problem at all. 

*rock4832:* Thanks bro, appreciate the support. I had to downsize the videos as usual so I am kind of curious how they came out. I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

BTW, that avatar is friggin' distracting!


----------



## chris mason (Oct 2, 2004)

PreMier said:
			
		

> I disagree.


Ok, explain your position.  In addition, please post a video.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

*Chris:* I am not sure what Jake is talking about, I think that your form looked really good. Very very similar to my form today on t-bar rows. I took a video clip of me rowing 405 (eight 45's) for 3, so I am going to have SF upload that and post it as soon as he gets a chance. That way you can take a look and see what you think of how much momentum I use, etc.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

Saturday; 10-2-2004

*Back*

Great back workout today, really impressed myself overall with ym strength. I was definitely happy. Took a video today of my t-bar rows, 405 for 3. Ghetto style t-bar rows, that is. Energy and focus and all that was right on today. 

*T-Bar Rows*
2 sets of 3 with 405
2 sets of 6 with 350
1 set of 10 with 305

*CG Cable Pulldowns*
5 sets of 5 with 245

*Stiff-Arm Cable Pullovers*
2 sets of 15 with 120

*Bentover DB Lateral Raises*
2 sets of 12 with the 30's

Hit a really good PR today on t-bar rows. Used 8 plates for 2 sets of 3 reps! Really pleased with my strength here today. I took a video clip of it that I am going to e-mail SF so hopefully he'll post the link soon. Anyway, after the 5 sets of t-bar rows that completely kicked my a*s by the way, I moved onto some close-grip pulldowns. Hit my lats hard with 5 sets of 5. Finished up with some high-rep cable pullovers, and finally some bentover DB raises for my rear delts. Overall workout was great, today. 

Must have been that chicken fettuccine alfredo I had last night, and that choclate milkshake!  

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- 6" turkey & cheese sub
- banana
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- chicken fried rice + vegetables
- MRP bar
- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes + gravy, green beans
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches 

Sleep: 7 hours.


----------



## Cardinal (Oct 2, 2004)

Just wanted to comment.  Your posted workouts provide really good motivation.  The enthusiasm with which you lift and work toward progression shows in every post.  It is obvious you really love lifting to the core.  It definitely serves as a good example for those of us that are far weaker and less experienced lifitng (which would be most reading, lol).  Keep it up!


----------



## angelpaws (Oct 2, 2004)

Man monstar you are the sh*t 
 You lift incredible amounts. What gym do you belong to?


----------



## chris mason (Oct 2, 2004)

Mike, are you using a 7' bar or an e-z curl bar?


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

*Cardinal:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Always great to see new faces here in my journal. I am glad that my journals (even though there are a lot of them) do provide motivation for people. That really makes me feel a lot better about keeping a journal. 

*angelpaws:* Hey there! Thanks so much for the support, it really means a lot. I belong to the YMCA actually. I used to train at a local fitness center a few years back, but then I switched to the Kennet Square YMCA, right over the PA border. I live in Delaware but my gym is actually in PA.

*Chris:* On the t-bar rows I am assuming you're talking about? I do them on one side of a standard Olympic barbell, with the v-bar attachment, used for cable exercises. It's a ghetto version, I know, lol. In the video you'll get a good idea of my apparatus. I have the side of the BB I am not rowing against the wall, and I set a 120 lbs. over it so it doesn't come off the floor. Definitely a ghetto setup, lol. But I find that this style rowing really hits my midback, hard. After each set of t-bar rows I get a deep aching in my mid-back area that I don't get from any other back movements. 

By the way, at least from what I can see in my t-bar video, my form looks VERY close to that in your t-bar video. And so does the apparatus, looks identical to me.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 2, 2004)

You like bent rows or tbar rows better for your lats, mike?


----------



## yellowmoomba (Oct 2, 2004)

Nice lifts MonStar!!   Big weights


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

*Duncans Donuts:* Damn man, now that's one hell of a tough call. I absolutely love both, and I think both serve a purpose in an effective upper back routine. When it comes to bentover rows I do them Yates style, as I am sure that you saw my video on page 3 of this journal. I really like them a lot for developing my lats---I think that they get the job done quite nicely. 

However, when it comes to midback thickness, mid and lower-trap thickness, and just overall back density (I sound like a Flex magazine, lol) I think t-bar rows are phenomenal. I haven't been doing t-bar rows long enough to really say how effective they are. I have been doing bentover rows for years now. Always Yates style, either with an overhand or underhand grip on the cambered-bar. Bentover rows have been the bread and butter of my back routine for a long time. So if I had to pick one, I would go with the bentover rows. 

You probably notice that I am not a huge fan at all of pullups. Flex magazine and a lot of the books like Arnold's book on bodybuilding all swear by pullups. I have never been a huge fan of them, personally. Lots of heavy rows and some CG pulldowns, and then of course Nautilus pullovers, and I am all set. 

*yellowmoomba:* Thanks man, appreciate it! Stay tuned I have a few videos that SF is going to upload for me. Decline pressing 365 for 2, incline DB pressing the 120's for 5, and then today my ghetto style t-bar rows using 8 plates for 3. The videos were downsized but still came out pretty decent quality, IMO. Just to give you guys an idea on my form.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 2, 2004)

I was thinking about buying a T-BAR row extension - I know a lot of people do them but I haven't ever (not once) done one.  I used to love bent rows but switched to pullups and have had such success with them that I almost completely forgot about the rows. 

I'm such a stickler for not doing overlapping work that I've probably not gotten the fullest benefits for my upperback.  I'm only going to do one or the other, so I have to figure out which offers the most benefit.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 2, 2004)

*Duncans Donuts:* Hmm.. I don't know man, I think that variety is key when it comes to weight-training. I mean obviously everyone favors certain exercises naturally. It depends on the person. But for the most part I would say that variety will make a world of difference. I don't think that one exercise offers more benefit than the other. I mean rowing is rowing, the only thing that really changes is your hand positioning, honestly. But I think overtraining your CNS is what is more important. Using the same exercise week to week over and over again is going to kill your CNS. That's where variety and changing things up comes into play.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 3, 2004)

Sunday; 10-3-2004

*Rest*

Nice to finally take a rest day, I am sore as hell! My rear delts, rotator cuffs, mid-traps, and lats are all killing me! Along with my pecs aching, and front delts. I am just aching all over today. This rest day was a must, no matter what. I am going to most likely hit arms tomorrow---and take a few new videos. So we'll see what happens. 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- tuna salad sandwich
- MRP bar, protein candy
- chicken salad sandwich, melon
- 1/2 tuna salad sandwich
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
- cottage cheese + mixed fruit 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

Sunday; 10-3-2004

*Legs*

Great leg workout today! Hit a couple of really nice PR's, IMO. Took 2 more videos, lol. So now I am going to have SF upload 5 total. I am sure he's getting sick of this by now. Maybe rest days are a good idea, since I took one yesterday I had a great workout today. 

*ATF Squats*
3 sets of 2 with 375
2 sets of 7 with 305

*Hyperextensions*
4 sets of 4 with 185

*Nautilus Leg Extensions*
3 sets of 12 with 260

*Seated Calf Raises*
3 sets of 12 with 315
CAT: 265x30, 265x20, 265x15, 265x13, 265x12, 265x10

Hit a nice PR today in ATF squats! 375 for 2 isn't a PR, but doing it 3 times definitely is! Great sets there today, and the 2 sets of 7 with 305 knocked me on my a*s! I was wiped the hell out from them. My depth was as far as I can comfortably go down, on the squatting. So you guys will get an idea how deep I am talking when I say ATF (a*s to the floor) squats. Moved onto a big PR on hyperextensions, 4 sets of 4 with 185! I took a video clip of this as well. So you can see how I hold the weight, when I do them. Finished up with some leg extensions, and some calf raises. CAT for my calves KILLED me, lol. My calves were fried.  

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- MRP bar
- tuna & cheese sandwich, apple
- cashews
- cottage cheese + pineapple 
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich

Sleep: 6.5 hours.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 4, 2004)

OK, sports fans. Here are the much anticipated links:

ATF Squats 375x2 

Decline Bench 365x2

Hypers 185x4

Incline DB 120x5

T-Bar Rows 405x3


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*SF:* Thanks a lot bud, I really appreciate it. 

BTW, any comments/suggestions about my form, etc.?


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 4, 2004)

Watch the boys doing those T-Bars. That's about it. 

I wouldn't mind seeing a decline video from a direct side view, just to see where you're bringing the bar down to, but that's just my curiousity. The lifts look great.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 4, 2004)

I myself go lower on a decline than on a flat, on flat I noticed there is definitely a limit to how low I can go without hurting myself/hurting the lift numbers.

I see you are using WinMedia v7 for the video codec, I noticed my file size went way down with that, but quality got yucky


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*SF:* Yeah, I am telling you man, you're not kidding about watching the boys on the t-bar rows, holy sh*t. I have had a few close, close calls. About the decline bench, I take the bar down to touch my upper abdomen/sternum area. Touch and go for the most part, I don't pause at all. For a while I was taking the bar to my lower pecs but I notice that if I bring the bar lower (on my body) I can handle more weight, even though it shortens my ROM some.

*Mudge:* Yeah I totally know what you're saying about the decline presses, it's all about your leverage, and what works best for you, etc. I think it varies a great deal from person to person, especially when you're doing your decline presses in the power rack---and not on a standard decline bench. Sorry if the videos were a little blurry.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 4, 2004)

Who cares about the ROM? You're bringing the bar low, to a position that puts your body in its functionally strongest position. And you scored a hell of a double.

I only asked because the video looked like you came down higher on the pecs, I was going to suggest going lower to the sternum, but you already are. Nice lifting.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 4, 2004)

Wow I dont even hit sternum, I hit my lower ribs/gut area on declines   I quit doing them because of wrist/arm pains but I may be in shape to do them again, maybe try today.

As for blurry vids its kind of a given, I'd be curious what your cam is though? Basically though your file size is impressive, I got my 5 megs down to about 3 using the Media 7 for video compression, I need to play a bit more to get quality up and size down... I may just split videos from now on.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*SF:* Thanks for the kind words about my videos, bud, I really appreciate it. I am really enjoying training the way that I have been. I know maybe it's not Westside, and maybe its not like an organized way to train, but I feel better than ever training this way. And I think that at this point that is what matters. 

I am probably going to have a few more videos for you tomorrow, lol. Either some arm movements or overhead DB presses. 

*Mudge:* Yeah for declines I take the bar down to my sternum area. Nothing too crazy. My digital camera can take 5-6 minute movies depending on my memory card. And it's a Sony 3.2 Megapixel camera. Nothing fancy, I think I payed around $200 for it about a year ago. It gets the job done, for the most part. The videos are much much better quality before I downsize them, but they're far too large.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 4, 2004)

Good deal. Send them whenever and I'll get them posted. I'm also going to change the MonStar space to allow file listing so you can link to the videos or whatever.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 4, 2004)

chris mason said:
			
		

> Ok, explain your position.  In addition, please post a video.



Sorry, I don't have access to video.  Also my gym does not allow it.  But I always keep my head back, and my back is always straight.
IMO your form isn't good.  But I'm not going to argue about something so trivial.  I was merely disagreeing with your statement.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*SF:* Okay man, sounds great. Looking forward to getting up a few more workout videos. Just basically like I said to give you guys an idea of what kind of form I am using. By the way, did you ever get that 8 or 9 picture sequence from the decline presses or whatever it was you said you camera took? 

*Jake:* I am honestly not sure if my gym allows it either. What I do is grab a free bench, put my gym back on the bench and set my camera in between my gym bag and a towel or something, so no one really even notices that it's there. Anyway, did you see my t-bar row video on the page before this? What did you think of my form, it's very similar to Chris's, actually.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 4, 2004)

Hey Mike.  All forms are similar.. but you notice Chris never looks away from the floor.  You keep your head back, and up.  That I'm sure, helps keep your back straighter(I think, cant really see.)  I dont really care to get into a form debate, because I dont care lol

Your really fuckin strong bro, good work.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 4, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> And it's a Sony 3.2 Megapixel camera. Nothing fancy, I think I payed around $200 for it about a year ago. It gets the job done, for the most part. The videos are much much better quality before I downsize them, but they're far too large.



Pretty nice that it does sound too, I considered getting a cam type digicam but went with the digicorder. My vid was 150 megs before compressing it and such, quality mostly in the color area was what got lost...

A lot of gyms have a no camera phone rule now, not sure about mine but I go late enough, and I'm low key as far as I'm not doing video all the time (obviously) that I think I'd be ok.


----------



## JerseyDevil (Oct 4, 2004)

Nice Mike... very nice.  Your form looks good to me too.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*Jake:* Agreed man, t-bar rows are t-bar rows no matter how you put it. I can see what you're saying though about different variations, for example I usually take somewhat of a wider stance with my feet, and arch my back a lot, sticking my chest out. Use some momentum too as you can see in the video clip. Thanks for the support by the way, bud. 

*Mudge:* My camera gets the job done nicely. It takes extremely clear pictures for the post part, which is good. And has a great feature for focusing which I like. I am surprised about the no camera rule in gyms, by the way. I have never even heard of that. I mean to me thats ridiculous, I don't see enough of a reason to not be able to use a camera, personally.

*JerseyDevil:* Thanks a lot bro, appreciate the kind words. Sorry if the videos were a little blurry.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 4, 2004)

The Camera phone rule in gyms came about because of abuse in the showers if you know what I mean.


----------



## chris mason (Oct 4, 2004)

Nice vids Mike!  You look very strong in all of them.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 4, 2004)

*Mudge:* Jeez, people are just out of control anymore. 

*Chris:* Thanks man! Appreciate the kind words and support, means a lot. Especially coming from you. I am going to try and get up a few videos tomorrow of my arm movements like you said so definitely stay tuned, bud.


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 4, 2004)

Links for vids arent working for me. Anyone else having this problem?


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 4, 2004)

They're not working now because the Webb Train is under construction. Don't sweat it.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 4, 2004)

Really impressive stuff Henley.  Nice squats.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 5, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Mudge:* Jeez, people are just out of control anymore.



Agreed!  oh well.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

*Arnie's left nu:* Like SF said, I was thinking the same thing. Should be working again shortly, though, bud. 

*SF:* Thanks for stopping by, and thanks again for uploading the videos for me. 

*Duncans Donuts:* Hey man, thanks for the support. My squats were pretty decent I guess. I basically just go down until I can't comfortably squat any lower without severe joint pain, etc. I think that I probably could have gone heavier on the squats, but oh well. They beat my legs up pretty good and by the time I got to the hyperextensions I was exhausted. Anyway man I started up M1T again today, 5mg 3x per day. I am going to run this for 2-3 weeks so hopefully I'll put on some decent size this time around. Keep my diet clean, etc. Maybe get to a solid 235 or so, we'll see. 

*Mudge:* Yeah, what can you do? Oh well.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

Okay, sorry about that guys SF and I were having some trouble getting the links to work. Not a big deal really, but I am going to repost the links here. 

*ATF Squats 375x2*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/ATF_Squats_375x2.WMV

*Bentover Rows 385x3*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Bentover_Rows_385x3.WMV

*Decline BB Presses 365x2*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Decline_Bench_365x2.WMV

*Hyperextensions 185x4*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Hypers_185x4.WMV

*Incline DB Presses 120x5*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Incline_DB_120x5.WMV

*T-Bar Rows 405x3*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/T-Bar_Rows_405x3.WMV

If there is any problem with these please let me know. 

Also added some old videos I am not sure if all of you guys have seen: 

*Sumo Deadlifts 605x1*
www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Monstar605x1DL.WMV

*Dips +160x2*
www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Monstar160x2Dips.WMV

*Flat DB Flyes 90x6*
www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Monstar90x6Flyes.WMV

The DB flyes and dips video clips are very dark, sorry.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

Tuesday; 10-5-2004

*Arms*

Great arm workout today in the gym! Really hit my biceps and triceps extremely hard. I wanted to take some videos of my workout today but unfortunately the gym was crowded when I went. Oh well, I'll try and get some up in the next week or so.

*Alternating DB Curls*
3 sets of 3 with the 80's
2 sets of 6 with the 65's

*Seated French Presses*
3 sets of 3 with 170
2 sets of 8 with 135

*Reverse Curls*
3 sets of 8 with 105

*Decline Skullcrushers*
3 sets of 8 with 115

*Incline DB Curls*
3 sets of 10 with the 40's

*Cable Pressdowns*
3 sets of 10 with 200

Hit a nice PR on alternating DB curls today. Hit 3 sets of 3 with the 80's, definitely some intense sets. My last arm session I hit 2 sets of 3, so this is a nice progression. Anyway, my French presses range of motion was a little shabby, nothing too bad. Took the bar to about ear level and came back up. Hit up some reverse curls with the cambered-bar, and then some decline skulls. Like both of those exercises a lot. Then some incline curls and pressdowns and I was all set, not a bad workout overall. 

BTW, I have been giving some thought to dropping my arm training, and seeing how my arms respond. Not that I don't enjoy training arms, but with all the heavy back and chest/shoulder work I have been doing---I question how much I really need direct arm work. Just a thought, anyone have any ideas on this? 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- tuna salad wrap
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- cottage cheese + peaches
- MRP bar
- grilled chicken quesadilla salad  
- grilled chicken & cheese soft taco

Sleep: 8 hours. 

Weight: 226 lbs. I weighed myself only to get a before weight for my M1T cycle. I am going to weigh myself again in a few weeks after I have almost completed the cycle. Doing 5mg, 3x per day, by the way. Then some Nolva.

I invited a guy today at my gym to check out IM, he actually just got Amateur Teen of the Week over at BB.com. So hopefully he'll check it out. Nice guy, he's 17, and he was trying to convince me I have 18-19" arms, lol. I wish!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

Took some random pics tonight, no reason, really.


----------



## BigDC (Oct 5, 2004)

*Mike's a beast*

Any man who's curling 80's should be put into a cage and locked up cuz that's just wrong. Anybody else agree with that?

-Dc


----------



## Jenny (Oct 5, 2004)

5 pages  good job mike! And pics look good


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## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

*Dave:* What's going on man? Great to see that you signed up here, bro. Great group of people you'll definitely really like it. Like I said man I think you should start a journal here, just post your workouts at least. Get some great feedback and support from other members here at IM. 

BTW, to anyone who doesn't know---Dave (BigDC) works out at the YMCA with me. He also just won Amateur Teen of the Week over on BB.com. 

*Jenny:* Thanks for the support! Yeah I am going to stick it out with this journal, stop changing things all the time. The pics were bad lighting, but oh well, thanks anyway.


----------



## dianas05 (Oct 5, 2004)

Looking smokin', Mike! Keep up the fabulous job!


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 5, 2004)

Greetings DC, glad to see you made it!

Are you guys training together or just friends? You guys could probably both benefit a lot from training together, even if the splits aren't the same.


----------



## BigDC (Oct 5, 2004)

*Hey Saturday Fever*

Hey,

Actually training with Mike would be awesome.  Right now we just offer each other spots here and there and talk between sets.  But hopefully we'll be able to spur each other on in the future.


----------



## Jill (Oct 5, 2004)

Nice pics. Black and white pics of you look hot


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 5, 2004)

hey man, I  still cant see the vids    j/p

MonSter - You move a helluvalotta weight. Especially liking the sumo
Going deep on the squats, love it   

lol...i thought your dip machine was gonna break


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 5, 2004)

DC, just my two cents on this...

As a bodybuilder, you can only benefit from working some powerlifting into your routine. And as a general lifter with strength in mind, Mike can only benefit from having you around.

So my advice or idea is simple, give it a shot. Agree on a 6 week routine, and bust ass. And if you don't both end up happy, I'll eat a sock on live TV.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 5, 2004)

*Diana:* Hey there, thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate the support, a lot. I am going to try and stop the binging entirely. I think that just stopping the binging alone I'll drop some bodyfat, simply because I am not taking in this huge influx of calories, etc.

*SF:* Yeah man, I definitely think a training partner maybe what I need to start growing again. I feel like lately my physique has hit somewhat of a standstill. Obviously you can't go on growing and growing forever, but I always like to see progress here and there. I am going to try and get to 235ish by the end of this M1T cycle. We'll see how things go. 

BTW, I completely agree that any bodybuilder can benefit by adding some very heavy lower rep training into their routine. No doubt about it. 

*Dave:* Hey man, as long as our schedules work out I definitely think training together is a good idea. Would probably help me get a little more pissed off in some of my workouts with a spotter. I think that would be a good idea, especially on my sets of squats, rows, etc. But so far you're doing awesome man, hang in there. Workouts are looking superb, and like I said I think starting a workout journal would be a great idea. 

*Jill:* Hey, thank you so much for the support! I appreciate it. 

*Arnie's left nu:* Hey man, glad that the videos finally worked for you! LOL, after sending them twice I thought you were never going to get them, haha. Yeah sumo style deadlifts I used to swear by. Not anymore, though. I am not so crazy about them. Conventional is pretty much all I do. Deep squats are an every now and then type of thing as well. I end up doing a lot of box squats, etc.


----------



## greekblondechic (Oct 5, 2004)

Yay! Finally got to see the videos!   You look really hot and whatnot, but I have to say those videos made me laugh, ESPECIALLY the sumo deadlift, it was cute how you were wiggling your butt


----------



## Jill (Oct 6, 2004)

The vidoes JUST worked for me-they didnt yesterday at work

Anywase, you are looking awesome. WOW you are incredibly strong! The decline almost made me pass out. 

Now..........lets get some close-ups of the cute face!!


----------



## Jenny (Oct 6, 2004)

greekblondechic said:
			
		

> but I have to say those videos made me laugh, ESPECIALLY the sumo deadlift, it was cute how you were wiggling your butt


----------



## angelpaws (Oct 6, 2004)

Things are going really good mike, keep up the excellent work. Im sorry that I dont know enough about the different exercises to give any decent advice.  But I know determination what I see it, and you've got plenty!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

*Vivian:* LOL, yeah I had a feeling you girls were going to comment about that. I don't even know why I do that when I am going to pull heavy sumo style, haha. I think it's just a habit---I am glad that the videos worked for you, though.

*Jill:* Hey, I think yesterday they were down for a little bit. But the ones that I posted should all be fine, I think. Let me know if you have anymore trouble. Thanks for the support! 

*Jenny:* LOL. 

*angelpaws:* No it's not a big deal at all that you didn't know enough about the exercises. We're all learning, no big deal. Thanks for stopping by though, appreciate you reading my journal. I have been a while now without binging and all that so hopefully if I hang in there everything will work out nicely.


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 6, 2004)

Hey Mike     Everythings looking great!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

*Andrea:* Hey there, thanks for the support!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

Wednesday; 10-6-2004

*Shoulders*

Eh, sh*tty shoulder workout today, honestly. I mean it was okay I guess---but for whatever reason my shoulders were sore. I think that it was from the t-bar rows, as crazy as that sounds. That damn exercise made my midback, traps, rear delts, rotator cuffs, everything sore! I am going to have to get back into doing them again. 

*Seated DB Presses*
4 sets of 5 with the 90's
1 set of 3 with the 90's 

*DB Front Raises*
4 sets of 8 with the 45's

*Nautilus Lateral Raises*
3 sets of 12 with 160
Dropset: 200x7, 170x6, 140x6, 110x6

I wanted 5 sets of 5 with the 90's on seated DB presses, damnit. Hit 4 sets of 5, which is still a PR, but I wanted 5x5 so f*ckin' bad. Whatever. For whatever reason my last set just wasn't happening. I don't know what happened. I took a video of my 4th set of 5, and it felt solid. I mean I didn't feel weak, etc. Then the 5th set my strength was just gone. Could barely get 3. Did some front raises, and some Nautilus lateral raises, and called it a day.

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich, pineapple
- MRP bar
- chicken salad sandwich, apple
- egg salad & cheese sandwich
- peanut butter
- chicken noodle soup

Sleep: 7 hours.

Day 2 now of M1T, taking 5mg first thing in the morning, 5mg postworkout, and then another 5mg before I go to bed, along with my ZMA and melatonin before bed.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

Here is another quick video I took today, it's my 4th set of the 90's:

*Seated DB Presses 90x5*
http://www.webbtrain.us/videos/MonStar/Seated_DB_Press_90x5.WMV

Thanks again to SF for uploading it.


----------



## Jill (Oct 6, 2004)

Mike the movie star!  I like the song playing in the background.


----------



## dianas05 (Oct 6, 2004)

Mike,

Stopping the binging completely would definitely give you great results, but you have to take things slow. You already look awesome, although this is something you need to work on. Do you feel hungry at the end of the day? If so, maybe up your calories a bit. With those kinds of weights, I wouldn't worry to much about calories...main focus is to eat clean.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

*Jill:* LOL, I am starting to feel that way now that I have posted so many damn videos. I am still going to get up some arm movements, and then take it easy on the videos for a while, lol.

*Diana:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by! Actually, honestly, lately I have been busy and just had no desire at all to binge. For whatever reason it really hasn't even crossed my mind at all. So that's definitely a good thing IMO. Tomorrow I have off from school and work so I definitely need to plan something out to occupy my time---otherwise I'll get bored and binge just for the hell of it. 

Also, I want to note that for whatever reason today my appetite is practically non-existant. I am practically force-feeding myself at every meal. I am not sure what this is all about. Usually I am starving all day.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 6, 2004)

Hormones man. They're all wacked out. That'll have a big effect on appetite.


----------



## chris mason (Oct 6, 2004)

Hey Mike, I got a couple of new vids up on wbb.  One with me performing a completelyRAW deadlift (no belt, no suit, nothing) in conventional style with 600.  The other is chins with body + 90 lbs.  Check them out if you get a chance.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 6, 2004)

*SF:* Hey bud, I honestly would have to agree with that to be honest. Simply because my appetite is never, and I mean NEVER lacking, lol. That's one part of my body that I can always count on. That along with my sex drive, lol. 

*Chris:* Great bro, I tried searching on WBB and couldn't find them. Do you have any links by any chance? 

I am really interesting in the chins especially. I'll have to get a conventional deadlift video up actually. I don't have a heavy 1RM video of me pulling conventional. I'll try and get one up in the next few days. I too, pull raw without a belt or straps, etc. Just chalk.


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 6, 2004)

Just got back. Great vids Mike, those are just unreal. All the guys here at work were watching them too wondering if it was for real, LOL (They knew it was). You might feel crappy about your shoulder w/o but it still kicked ass IMO.


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 6, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Chris:* Great bro, I tried searching on WBB and couldn't find them. Do you have any links by any chance?
> 
> I am really interesting in the chins especially. I'll have to get a conventional deadlift video up actually. I don't have a heavy 1RM video of me pulling conventional. I'll try and get one up in the next few days. I too, pull raw without a belt or straps, etc. Just chalk.



http://www.wannabebig.com/vids/Chris - Deadlift - 600.mov

http://www.wannabebig.com/vids/Chris - Chins - 90x3.mov

Helluva dead, chris


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 6, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Arnie's left nu:* Hey man, glad that the videos finally worked for you! LOL, after sending them twice I thought you were never going to get them, haha. Yeah sumo style deadlifts I used to swear by. Not anymore, though. I am not so crazy about them. Conventional is pretty much all I do. Deep squats are an every now and then type of thing as well. I end up doing a lot of box squats, etc.



Lol...i learned all about box squats today myself ...and im sure my legs wont be forgeting about them any time soon.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 7, 2004)

*rock4832:* Hey man, thanks for the post, appreciate it. Thanks for the kind words about the videos, bud. I did the videos for a few reasons. First of all to show everyone here that I am for real, because I know there's a lot of bullsh*tters on the internet. And second of all to show everyone what kind of form I am talking about when I post my workouts, etc. Thanks again for the support! 

*Arnie's left nu:* Thanks for posting the links man, I really appreciate it a lot. I am going to most definitely be getting a conventional deadlift video up tomorrow, most likely. Nothing crazy heavy, I might just try pulling 585 for 2. See what happens, we'll see how my warmup sets feel. 

About Chris's videos, they're absolutely SICK! Awesome physique, tons of just raw size and strength. I am completely impressed. Not flabby either, IMO, looks pretty damn solid. Lats are absolutely insane, look like friggin' wings, lol.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 7, 2004)

To those of you who are unfamliar with IM member, chris mason, I wanted to make this post especially for him. He doesn't brag about himself (which is a good thing) so it's hard to learn much about his training history, physique, etc. Especially since he doesn't keep an online journal here. 

Anyway, the guy is a beast, in every sense of the word. I am going to attach 5 pics that I just randomly found on WBB of his physique. Talk about tons of raw size! Lats are absolutely freaky---almost scary! You can see what kind of size and strength the guy has. It's really truly insane. 

And as most of you will guess, I almost always take his training/diet advice, along with his back training advice.


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 7, 2004)

Morning Mike   

Nice pics Chris


----------



## Mudge (Oct 7, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Lats are absolutely freaky---almost scary! You can see what kind of size and strength the guy has. It's really truly insane.



Damn, thats a back and a half!


----------



## chris mason (Oct 7, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> To those of you who are unfamliar with IM member, chris mason, I wanted to make this post especially for him. He doesn't brag about himself (which is a good thing) so it's hard to learn much about his training history, physique, etc. Especially since he doesn't keep an online journal here.
> 
> Anyway, the guy is a beast, in every sense of the word. I am going to attach 5 pics that I just randomly found on WBB of his physique. Talk about tons of raw size! Lats are absolutely freaky---almost scary! You can see what kind of size and strength the guy has. It's really truly insane.
> 
> And as most of you will guess, I almost always take his training/diet advice, along with his back training advice.


The first 3 pictures from the left are all very recent.  The 2 on the right are 1-2 years old.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 7, 2004)

*Andrea:* Hey there! Hope your day is going well so far. I just rolled out of bed, haha. 

*Mudge:* I am telling you bro, the guy has freak of nature lats, lol. I have never seen anything like them. I think the shape of his lats especially makes them look even larger, as well. 

*Chris:* Sorry I didn't included that. The 3 pics on the left look much leaner as well, have you been changing your diet at all? Increased training volume? I am just curious because being leaner definitely makes you look a bit larger.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 7, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Mudge:* I am telling you bro, the guy has freak of nature lats, lol. I have never seen anything like them. I think the shape of his lats especially makes them look even larger, as well.



Yeah they go all the way down to the waist line I see, like a Manta Ray or something


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## Arnold (Oct 7, 2004)

*BIG back!*


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## chris mason (Oct 7, 2004)

Thank you for the compliments guys.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 7, 2004)

*Mudge:* Yeah man, I agree. There's an Arnold pic that I saw a while back of his lats, I think it was relaxed, and they reminded me so much of the pic that Robert just posted! I'll see if I can find it. If I remember correctly the pose looks almost exactly the same. 

*Robert:* Agreed. Sick, sick lats. 

*Chris:* I know this isn't your journal bud, but I had to give everyone some background info on you.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 7, 2004)

Thursday; 10-7-2004

*Legs*

Okay, some thoughts about my current training.

I have been training extremely frequently, lately. Four, five, or even six days in a row without a rest day. I feel good doing this, but I need to break things up a little bit more I think. I am going to decrease the # of exercises per training session now, increase the # of sets just a tad, and try and add another training day. So far my training days are split up into chest/back/shoulders/arms/legs. I am going to add a calves/abs day I think. After legs I have no gas left to hit my calves, that's for sure. 

*Conventional Deadlifts*
135x3
225x3
315x3
405x2
495x2
605x1

*Leg Presses*
3 sets of 4 with 1,150
2 sets of 8 with 970

*Good Mornings*
5 sets of 5 with 225

Good workout today I guess. Like I said I am going to try and limit the # of exercises, since I am training so often. We'll see how this works. This also gives me more variety to do different exercises every workout. Anyway, pulled 605 today. Noticed that my lockout is very, very weak. I have to really rock the weight back after it's 85% complete. Ridiculous. Did some heavy leg presses, and then some good mornings, and called it a day. 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- chicken noodle soup
- 10" tuna & cheese sub
- 2 glasses of white wine

Diet f*cking sucked tonight. Appetite was just not there, whatever. I was pissed, honestly. 

Sleep: 6.5 hours. 

Day 3 now of M1T, taking 15mg a day.


----------



## Arnold (Oct 7, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Agreed. Sick, sick lats.



and traps!


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 7, 2004)

Anyone wanna see Mike pull 605?

605 raw conventional deadlift


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## fantasma62 (Oct 7, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> Anyone wanna see Mike pull 605?
> 
> 605 raw conventional deadlift


Damn Mike, that was wicked man.....
I know I have been out of the loop a bit, but I have been really busy and now that I am hurting, I am taking some time off to think and catch up with my buddies....
Man, congrats on the journal, you are doing great.....


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 7, 2004)

Awesome deadlift Mike.  Throwin around that much weight without straps is amazing.


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 7, 2004)

The ONLY thing I see that could use work is your lower back. Don't get me wrong, you pulled a raw 605, your lower back has obviously got strength. But your hips come up real quick. That's not bad, it just means your hams and glutes overpower your lower back.

I'm sure there's no Reverse Hyper at your gym, so maybe a good accessory lift to throw in for a couple weeks would be a high/low Good AM scheme. Maybe do 6-8 sets of 2-3 Good AMs once a week for 3 weeks and go back to normal. During these weeks you'd have to avoid deadlifting, however.

Hell of a lift.


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 7, 2004)

MonSter - Huge raw DL    

You, DD's and SF are ridiculously strong for your age.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 7, 2004)

Damn Mike, you're scary.  You throw around some big weights.  I hope I can reach that level of conditioning at any point in my life.  You're only 20 too!


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## Cardinal (Oct 7, 2004)

> [M1T]taking 5mg first thing in the morning, 5mg postworkout, and then another 5mg before I go to bed,





> Also, I want to note that for whatever reason today my appetite is practically non-existant. I am practically force-feeding myself at every meal. I am not sure what this is all about. Usually I am starving all day.



My educated guess (also have used M1T), not just hormones being out of whack, but rather the M1T specifically. I assume you have taken it before but didn't necessarily get the strong appetite suppression, hence the confused face.  It had a pleasant appetite suppressive effect on me also.  A lot of people have reported not only appetite suppression on M1T but also a very erratic and unpredictable appetite at times.  Enjoy it!  I sure do.  Somewhat liberating not to be chomping at the bit before every meal.  High dose bromo seems to work similarly for me, but obviously with different side effects to go with it.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 7, 2004)

M1T and anadrol both hit some people in a way that make them lose their appetite, become lethargic, and so on. I had some lethargy on M1T during week 2 but never had food issues, dunno why.


----------



## Luke9583 (Oct 7, 2004)

Monstar you're a beast.  I wanna be just like you


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## Rocco32 (Oct 7, 2004)

Awesome Dead! I love watching those videos, very inspiring!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

*Robert:* Agreed, sick traps as well. 

*SF:* Thanks for uploading the vid, bro, appreciate it. Yeah I would have to agree man that my lower back is probably what is holding me back. I mean I feel like my lower back is pretty strong, but it has to be what is holding my deadlift back. I am going to try and focus more on good mornings and hyperextensions maybe the next few weeks. 

*Tony:* Thanks for stopping by, bud. It's okay that you haven't been posting as much---I feel great man. Honestly I am not even sure why or how, but lately I am feeling better than ever. Haven't binged at all, and I haven't had a desire at all to binge. I think I almost got it out of my system or something, if that's even possible. 

*Duncans Donuts:* Hey man, thanks for the kind words. Honestly, I never deadlift or do any exercises with straps, or a belt for that matter. Every lift that I do is raw, with the exception of chalk. 

*Arnie's left nu:* Thanks man! I would have to agree that DD is definitely incredibly strong for his age. As for me, I am always trying to get stronger. Thanks for the kind words. 

*CowPimp:* Hey man, thanks for the support. I am trying to get some videos up just to give you guys an idea of what kind of weights I am actually moving in the gym. I think that it's one thing to see something listed in a journal entry and a completely different thing to actually see the exercise and motion performed. At least IMO. 

*Cardinal:* I am starting to think that it's the M1T as well that is screwing with my appetite. Whatever, I mean it's honestly not that big of a deal---I just need to work on reminding myself to eat almost. When usually I am starving 24 hours a day. I feel like I can never get enough food in me. I don't remember feeling this way in either of my other two M1T cycles. 

*Mudge:* So far I am experiencing no lethargy, really. Just basically been loss of appetite at this point. I am paying close attention though, this time around to my sex drive and all that---so we'll see what happens. 

*Luke9583:* Haha, thanks bro, I appreciate that. 

*rock4832:* Thanks a lot man.


----------



## tucker01 (Oct 8, 2004)

Fucking amazing lifts.  You are a MonStar,  God damn only 20 years old.  KEep at it


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

*IainDaniel:* Thanks so much bro, I really appreciate the support!


----------



## greekblondechic (Oct 8, 2004)

Awww feel better sweetheart.  Everybody has off days, and you are obviously very strong and dedicated! Don't think too much tho!   Maybe you need a trip to Jersey to refresh yourself


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 8, 2004)




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## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

*Vivian:* I think I might take you up on that trip to Jersey to refresh myself. I could use getting away from Delaware, that's for sure. And since Jersey is so damn close, I don't have a reason not to take some time to relieve some stress. I'll just have to find a good day when I can manage to get off from school and work. 

*SF:*


----------



## greekblondechic (Oct 8, 2004)

Not like that boys


----------



## Luke9583 (Oct 8, 2004)

I ran a cycle @ 20mg and one at 10mg.  HUGE difference in sides, but about the same gains.  What brands are you using?


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

*Vivian:* You know we're just busting your balls.  

*Luke9583:* Hey man, I am using Underground Labs M1T, from BulkNutrition.com. Here is what the bottle looks like: 







Each tablet is 5mg of the stuff. I am running 15mg per day. At 10mg I was honestly not noticing that much at all, and then with 20mg I was extremely lethargic and just felt like sh*t basically. So 15mg is somewhere in between. Although I do not have an appetite again today. Time to start force feeding myself.


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 8, 2004)

Hey Mike!! Have a great weekend!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

*Andrea:* Thanks so much, you do the same!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 8, 2004)

Friday; 10-8-2004

*Back*

Sh*tty, sh*tty, sh*tty back session today. I just felt weak as fuck, exhausted. Focus was pathetic, strength was pathetic, couldn't even get motivated to do each set. Decided rather than to have a sh*tty workout and just piss myself off I just left. 

*Support Rows* 
2 sets of 3 with 300
2 sets of 6 with 245
1 set of 10 with 210 

That was all I did today! I was in the gym about 15-20 minutes. Like I said my focus and intensity was just not there. So I called it a day. Whatever. My diet yesterday SUCKED, along with my sleep last night. So I mean this is not a big surprise to me at all. 

I am also tossing around some new ideas about my training, maybe alternating bouts of light and heavy sessions. Who knows. I am going to post a thread in the training forum. 

Decided, after getting some food in my system, etc. To go back and hit my lats again in my basement at 11:30 tonight. Late workout, that's for sure. And I absolutely HATE pullups, I have come to this conclusion. My strength has dropped like crazy in them! I have to concentrate so damn hard to feel them in my lats---I prefer rows or pullovers hands down. But it was all I had access to in my basement.

*Weighted Pullups*
2 sets of 2 with +90
3 sets of 5 with +45

*Cable Rows*
4 sets of 8 with 210

Eh, considering that it was so late, and my lats were already obviously at least kind of beaten up from the support rows 8 hours before this, I had a decent workout. No complaints, that's for sure. Like I said pullups I am just not a big fan of, but oh well. 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- breaded chicken salad + vinegarette dressing 
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich, mixed fruit
- cottage cheese + pineapple
- tuna salad sandwich
- MRP shake 

Sleep: 5 hours. 

Day 4 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## BritChick (Oct 8, 2004)

Hey Mike, 
As far as hitting the gym and then finding that you just have nothing to put into a workout and leaving I have been there and done it myself a number of times.
Lack of sleep definately doesn't help.
Good job getting back into a second workout later at home... I admire your efforts!
You're sounding pretty positive overall... keep up the hard work!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 9, 2004)

*BritChick:* Hey there, thanks for the support, I appreciate it. Yeah I reposted my journal entry yesterday since I trained a second time last night. I honestly did not have the greatest workout in my basement, but considering how late at night it was, and how little sleep I had the night before, etc. I wasn't complaining at all. Thanks again.


----------



## yellowmoomba (Oct 9, 2004)

Monstar 

I hope you don't think:

2 set of 2 reps doing pullups with 90 pounds on you is weak........ 
It sounds pretty good to me.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 9, 2004)

*yellowmoomba:* Eh, 2 sets of 2 with +90 is okay I guess. I could have had a little bit better of ROM, and I just felt weak overall in the pullups. I used to like doing them all the time, but anymore I prefer rows hands down. Rows, pullovers, and every now and then some CG pulldowns.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 9, 2004)

Saturday; 10-9-2004

*Chest*

Great workout today. My incline strength is weak as hell, as usual, that's nothing new. I am not even too concerned with it honestly. I am just trying to hang in there, and train my weakpoints. My decline is strong so rather than work on my strong lifts all the time I am trying hard to bring up my weaker lifts. 

*Incline BB Presses*
3 sets of 5 with 225
2 sets of 3 with 260
1 set of 15 with 195

*Swiss Ball DB Presses*
3 sets of 8 with the 80's
2 sets of 6 with the 95's

*Flat DB Flyes*
2 sets of 9 with the 70's

Like I said my incline BB strength has always been weak, trying to bring it up. Eventually I want to be able to hit 295 for 3 sets of 3. In the next few months or so. So we'll see how much work it takes for me to hit that. I know that I can hit 3 sets of with 260-265 I think. Who knows. Tried some Swiss ball presses that I absolutely LOVED! Great exercise, once you get the hang of it. Gave me a tremendous pump in my pecs, felt great. Hit 2 sets of 6 with the 95's. Getting started is the hardest part, but after that the feel of the exercise is awesome. Did some flyes and called it a day. Not a bad workout.

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- 6" tuna & cheese sub
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- chicken parmesan + spaghetti, garlic bread 
- chicken salad wrap
- cottage cheese + pineapple

Sleep: 7.5 hours. Then took a 15-minute nap before the gym.

Day 5 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Jill (Oct 9, 2004)

Page 7. Good job!


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 9, 2004)

Look at this journal go!! Good w/o on the chest Mike (and going back and doing more with back). I'll have to try the db press on a swiss ball. Using so much weight don't you just fall off, LOL.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 9, 2004)

*Jill:* Hey there, thanks for the support. Yeah, now onto page 8. So I think that I am heading in the right direction. I definitely want to see this journal get to 25+ pages, no question about it. Going to keep everything nice and simple. Not let anything get too complicated, etc. 

*rock4832:* Hey man, yeah yesterday I was thinking about my sh*tty workout all day at work. And I decided to do some more back when I got home. Definitely a late workout, but at least my lats got another beating, lol. Anyway, today my Swiss ball presses felt great! I recommend them 100%. They're tough at first because you have to balance and all that, but it's a nice new feeling. I am so used to doing DB and BB presses on a stable bench, on a Swiss ball it's a whole new feeling.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 10, 2004)

Sunday; 10-10-2004

*Arms*

Good arm workout today I think. Nothing too crazy, dropped 2 exercises from my arm session. Usually I do a total of 6 arm exercises, dropped it down to 4 from now on. Going to try and up my intensity and focus on less exercises. Arms were pumped as hell today, really looked massive in the mirror. 

*Incline DB Curls* 
4 sets of 6 with the 50's

*Decline Skullcrushers*
2 sets of 6 with 145
2 sets of 12 with 125

*Reverse Curls*
3 sets of 5 with 125

*Seated French Presses*
2 sets of 4 with 170
1 set of 8 with 145

Some great great sets for my arms today! Worked out with this older guy from my gym who really trains balls to the friggin' wall. He's 44 but trains harder than anyone my age. Really pushes himself to the limit. He spotted me on almost all of my sets for arms. Hit 2 sets of 6 with 145 with some fingertip assistance, blasted my triceps. And some good slow reverse curls for my arms, huge PR. I have never done cambered-bar reverse curls with 125! Then some French presses---I do these more press style by the way. Seated, behind-the-neck, but I flare my elbows a lot doing them. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- cheese tortellini + chicken 
- mixed fruit
- cottage cheese + peaches 
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- 2 marinated chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables 
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich

Sleep: 7 hours. Then took a 15-minute nap before the gym in the tanning bed, lol.

Day 6 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 10, 2004)

Had any issues bingin?


----------



## camarosuper6 (Oct 10, 2004)

You are definitely a strong mofo MonStar.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 10, 2004)

*DD:* None, thus far. Since I have started this journal I have not had one single binge. I am actually feeling better than ever. Some foggy-mindedness from the M1T, but other than that I feel great bud. Thanks for stopping by and reading, appreciate it.

*camarosuper6:* Thanks man, keep in mind a few of the reps today were done with some assistance. Nothing major of course, I just had a spotter today and I usually don't, that's all. Thanks for the kind words.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 11, 2004)

Monday; 10-11-2004

*Legs*

Good leg workout today! Ouch, really beat up my legs with today's workout. Thighs and glutes and lower back and all that were toasted. Trying to hit my lower back hard like SF said, really trying to bring up my deadlift one way or another. We'll see what happens. 

*Hack Squats*
2 sets of 8 with 520
3 sets of 4 with 660

*Good Mornings*
4 sets of 4 with 255

*DB Lunges*
4 sets of 6 with the 80's

*Seated Calf Raises*
2 sets of 12 with 335
2 sets of 25 with 265

Overall workout today was awesome, really hit my legs hard. Started off with some heavy hack squats today, blated my thighs and hips and all that. Great sets, I really like hack squats a lot. Moved onto some good mornings, lower back was completely wasted from them. And then finally some DB lunges and some calf raises and then I called it a day. Overall workout was good. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- mixed nuts
- turkey breast + gravy, mashed potatoes
- melon
- MRP shake, protein cookie
- chicken salad sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches
- chicken noodle soup 

Sleep: 7 hours. 

Day 7 of M1T, 15mg a day.


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## BigDC (Oct 11, 2004)

*sweet*

Sweet mike

Rock those legs! I hit my chest today and i was about 1 or 2 reps up on everything from last week (I think the creatine is kicking in already). I only got minimal sleep, though, after getting home at 5 am after being at the hospital all night. 

Keep pumping, we'll sync our workouts sometime soon.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 11, 2004)

Looks really solid. Next time around, wave up the intnesity on the Good AMs and wave down the reps. Your lower back will be blowing up.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 11, 2004)

*Dave:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, appreciate the post. Yeah I am going to be dropping the # of exercises that I perform per workout some, but I am going to try hard to up the intensity. Maybe do some more dropsets, go a bit heavier sometimes, etc. I am probably going to be doing 3 exercises on my chest/shoulder/back workouts, and then 4 exercises on my arms/legs sessions, so we'll see how this works. This way I am more likely to do completely different exercises each workout. 

Like I said Dave, keep a journal! I for one would love to see your workouts, and diet and all that. Sorry to hear about you being at the hospital, I hope that everything turned out okay. I should be at the Y tomorrow, by the way, in the afternoon so I am sure that I'll catch you then. I have been going around 10-11:00 AM lately and I'll tell you, there are some attractive older women who train in the late morning! Really some nice eye candy. 

*SF:* Okay, I'll do that my next legs session. Maybe go for 4-5 sets of 3 with 285 maybe? I am going to try and incorporate some hyperextensions into the scheme of things as well, just to toast my lower back from a different angle. I want to break 635 in deadlift so bad! Anymore though I feel so weak pulling sumo style, I am not sure what happened with that. Tomorrow I am going to hit back and the next day shoulders, most likely, or vice versa.


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 11, 2004)

Sure, just increase the weight a bit, drop the reps but try to do the same total reps. So if 4 sets of 4 is 16 reps, do 5 sets of 3 with an extra 10-20 pounds. And we'll wave up from there next time around. 3, maybe 4 sessions and then we'll see how the dead looks again.


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 11, 2004)

Awesome news with the no binging. Your doing awesome Mike!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 11, 2004)

*SF:* Okay man, sounds good. I am most likely going to use 285-295 my next leg workout for good mornings. Probably going to do high/low maybe, 6 sets of 3 or something along those lines. Maybe even 8 sets of 2. Good mornings are a great exercise, but they definitely toast my lower back. After a few sets I am wasted. 

*rock4832:* Thanks man, like I said I haven't even thought about binging in the past week or so. I mean I am really glad that I think I am finally overcoming this problem. I am going to try my best to hang in there!


----------



## angelpaws (Oct 12, 2004)

Hey mike, havent dropped in to see you in a while. Im glad that you are doing so well. Things are really balancing out for ya.


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## ncgirl21 (Oct 12, 2004)

Hey     Your doing awesome Mike!! I'm so proud of you


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## M.J.H. (Oct 12, 2004)

*angelpaws:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate the support. Yeah lately things have been going pretty well I have to admit. I mean its been over 2 weeks now with no binging at all, nor any real desire to binge at all. Every now and then late at night I'll get hungry or something and I'll just eat, but keep it clean. I mean I am honestly not struggling much with binging anymore at all at this point. 

*Andrea:* Hey there! Haven't heard from you lately, thanks for stopping by. Appreciate the kind words.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 12, 2004)

Tuesday; 10-12-2004

*Back*

Good back workout this afternoon, really hit my lats hard. I think that I can really start to feel the M1T kicking in, honestly. I can definitely tell in terms of my foggy-mindedness, that's for sure. Workout intensity has also been regularly good, too. I got a little irritable today, so I need to pay close attention to that. 

*Bentover Rows*
3 sets of 3 with 405
2 sets of 8 with 345
1 set of 12 with 275

*Nautilus Pullovers*
4 sets of 6 with 280

*CG Cable Rows*
2 sets of 5 with 290
2 sets of 12 with 245

Blasted my upper back hard today, great sets of bentover rows. Took a video clip of 405 for 3 that I am going to upload in a post after this. Anyway, hit 3x3 with 405! Great sets there! I was definitely pleased with my strength on these today. Did them Yates style, double overhand grip, etc. I can't honestly really fit anymore weight on the cambered, bar, lol. Anyway, did some pullovers after that---nice and slow. Really hit my serratus and lats hard. Finished up with some seated cable rows, nice and slow as well. 2 sets of 5 with the stack and then 2 sets of 12 with 245. Great workout. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- tuna & cheese sandwich, banana
- cottage cheese + peaches
- tuna salad sandwich
- peanut butter
- whey protein + 1% milk 

Sleep: 7.5 hours. 

Day 8 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 12, 2004)

Here is the video, uploaded thanks to SF's new Webb Train site, of me doing bentover rows today with 405 for a triple:

*Bentover Rows 405x3*
http://www.webbtrain.us/images/upload/MonStar_Bentover_Rows_405x3.WMV

Sorry if it didn't come out all that clear, let me know what you guys think.


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 12, 2004)

The angle for those rows is great. It really shows that even that upright, you're still pulling your elbows back to hit the lats.

For anyone who hasn't seen it or tried it, on my website you can upload your own video clips. I get a notification about it and as soon as I approve it, it's available for viewing in the Downloads section. Everyone is more than welcome to quickly register and post clips.


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## Duncans Donuts (Oct 12, 2004)

Really impressive Mike.  You should move out here and play football with me 

When you do Good AMs, what kind of form do you use?  I just started doing them to improve that lower back strength and don't know if I'm doing them as well as I should.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 12, 2004)

Mind if I answer on form?

Stance is up to you and should vary occassionally. Knees should have a very slight bend. And the motion should be "his back, hips forward."

Don't worry about standing up, as most do. Worry about keeping your back as stiff as possible and letting your hips move back, then forward. And keep your back in a static position. If it starts rounding, your set is done. You don't correct form mid-set with this lift. You stop and start over again after some rest.

There are 3 ways to lock your back. Arched like a powerlifter arches during a squat. Flat. Or rolled over. Rolled over is strictly for advanced lifters. I won't touch them. An arch will hit the lower back harder but has a smaller ROM. So the decision of arched vs flat is strictly personal.

Hope that answered the question.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 12, 2004)

Thanks SF.

I've started doing them, but I bend at the knee - not overtly.  I find that I can't keep the balance unless I do that.  I'd assume that is appropriate?  How much bend is appropriate at the knee?


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 12, 2004)

A very slight bend. If your ROM is hindered by flexibility, then just use the smaller ROM and work on flexibility. But keep the bend slight.

If you're having balance trouble, really focus on hips back, hips forward. Falling forward is a sign of weak spots in the abs and lower back. Obviously we're working on the lower back, so extra abs work may be in order to help as well.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 12, 2004)

Thanks SF.  What's the best for hip strength?


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 12, 2004)

The best? I used to do hanging leg raises for my abs and bring my legs up to parallel with the floor or a little higher. That does a good job on the hip flexors.

Also, you can lay on your back on the floor, push your lower back into the floor and raise your legs to point straight up. Both are excellent ways to strengthen your hip flexors. Although squatting with a wide stance is possibly the best way.


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 12, 2004)

Another great w/o Mike! So I guess your not taking 4-ad with the M1T. May I ask why? I took a 4 week cycle of M1T w/o 4-ad awhile ago and it was bad. I'd never do that again, LOL.


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 12, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> The best? I used to do hanging leg raises for my abs and bring my legs up to parallel with the floor or a little higher. That does a good job on the hip flexors.
> 
> Also, you can lay on your back on the floor, push your lower back into the floor and raise your legs to point straight up. Both are excellent ways to strengthen your hip flexors. Although squatting with a wide stance is possibly the best way.



Dammit. Too bad I didnt get a chance earlier, to look into mike's journal. I did back today and could have used the GM pointers. I, too, bend a little too much in the knees and probably dont use my hips enough.

SF or anyone for that matter, Do you use those pads for the bar? I like the feeling without it but I find the bar moving around more without it.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 12, 2004)

Pads fuck everything up.


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## sara (Oct 12, 2004)

Very proud of you Mike  keepin the same journal


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## M.J.H. (Oct 13, 2004)

*SF:* Thanks man, appreciate the support. That's part of the reason I decided to post a different angle of my bentover rows. Just to give an idea of my my form is like. Thanks for taking the time by the way to approve the videoes and all that bud, appreciate it. By the way, your form description for GM's sounds a lot like the way that I do them. I don't do a huge ROM on them, by the way. I go down until I am comfortable, and make sure I am not bending my knees much, and then come back up. I get a deep aching feeling in my lower back after the set so I am sure that I am doing something right. By the way you have inspired me to maybe start throwing in some ab work maybe at the end of my leg sessions. I am thinking about dropping my calf work and doing some ab stuff instead. 

*DD:* Hey man, I used to play football back in highschool actually. I was a tailback/fullback and an outside linebacker. I used to love it, but then I realized I was far more into working out than I was playing football or wrestling. The one thing that I try and focus on during GM's is instead of taking your chest/shoulders forward, think of it more as kicking back your hips and a*s, that helped me a lot. When you kick back your hips you naturally arch your back more, seems to work well for me. 

*rock4832:* I didn't like the 4-AD at all actually, and I got some side effects from it. Right away my nipples felt sore, for some reason. That just freaked me out so I dropped it alltogether. Honestly the sides of M1T are not that bad, IMO. They're very tolerable at 15mg per day. Thanks for stopping by, bro. 

*Arnie's left nu:* I actually use the pad or whatever it's called. The foam pad that goes underneath your neck/shoulders to prevent the bar from digging into your traps. I just put it extremely low when I do GM's, in my mid-trap area. 

*sara:* Hey there! Thanks so much for the support, it's great seeing a new face.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 13, 2004)

Wednesday; 10-13-2004

*Shoulders*

Pretty good shoulder workout today, kept it simple, got in the gym for 30-40 minutes and then got out. Nothing too long or extensive. Got some good shoulder sets in though, that's for sure. Really exhausted my delts completely with the sets, today. 

*Seated BTN Presses*
3 sets of 5 with 185
2 sets of 10 with 150

*Nautilus Lateral Raises*
4 sets of 10 with 180

*DB Front Raises*
3 sets of 6 with the 55's

No huge PR's or anything today, I changed my workout up a little bit. I usually started off with seated DB presses, so I decided to hit up some BTN presses. Good sets, hit 3 sets of 5 with 185, then 2 sets of 10 with 150. Shoulders were pretty beat. Now usually, I do my Nautilus lateral raises last so I decided to do them 2nd today---nice for a change of pace. Hit 4 sets of 10, not bad. Finished up with some heavy front raises, my shoulders were fried. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- tuna salad + crackers, pineapple
- chicken salad sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches
- peanut butter 

Sleep: 8 hours. 

Day 9 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 13, 2004)

I think it's funny that you didn't continue with athletics because you prefer weight training; I'm the complete opposite.  I hate lifting weights and want nothing but to crack people in football


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 13, 2004)

*DD:* Different strokes for different folks I guess, right? Back when I played football I absolutely loved it---but I just hated practice and I always preferred the preseason weight-training and all that. Then when wrestling reason rolled around I was always forced to drop weight, so that just pissed me off even more because my strength in the gym would drop. Oh well.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 13, 2004)

Yeah I believe it on the wrestling thing.  I had a lot of buds who had to drop so much water in a week that it was dangerous.  Maybe you should consider playing something again though, dude, I don't know many other people my age who are as ridiculously powerful as you


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 13, 2004)

*DD:* Hey man, I appreciate the kind words. And honestly, I am not sure how much my strength would transfer over to the playing field. I don't do many power type movements at all that most football coaches would recommend. So who knows? But honestly you're right about there not being as many strong guys as I would guess. I have trained at the UD (University of Delaware) gym before where the UD football team plays (who won the national conference last year)---and I expected some crazy weight to be thrown around. Needless to say I wasn't impressed at all with the weights they were throwing around.


----------



## sara (Oct 13, 2004)




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## Duncans Donuts (Oct 13, 2004)

What kind of weights were they using Mike?


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 13, 2004)

pink ones?


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## Duncans Donuts (Oct 13, 2004)

Only if they were at a PAC-10 school....


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*sara:* Hey there! Hope that all is going well.  

*DD:* I don't remember honestly, I think just 275-315 on bench, just nothing that I was really shocked to see. I expected honestly to see some insane weights being thrown around since they are a great football team, at least IMO. Oh well, I guess they don't put all that much emphasis on weight-training maybe? Or maybe I just expected too much out of them? Who knows. 

*Arnie's left nu:* Not pink ones, but close enough, lol.


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 14, 2004)

Heya bro...I hope this is the most current one...hard to keep track of ya sometimes heh.      Now that I found your journal again I'll visit it more often.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, yeah I have actually had this journal over 2 weeks now, believe it not---no binges in over 2 weeks either! So things have been looking up for me lately, I have been very pleased with everything. Great to see you posting in there though.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

Thursday; 10-14-2004

*Arms*

Wow, great great arm session today! Really hit my arms from a bunch of different angles, decided to change up my training some today. In my last arm session I did 2 exercises each for biceps and triceps, with 4-5 sets each. Today I did 4 exercises with 2 sets each! Really enjoy training this way better. At least based on my pump today! 

*Seated French Presses*
2 sets of 6 with 155

*Alternating DB Curls* 
2 sets of 5 with the 75's

*Skullcrushers*
2 sets of 8 with 130

*CG Peacher Curls*
2 sets of 8 with 105

*One-Arm DB French Presses*
2 sets of 10 with the 40's

*Reverse Curls* 
2 sets of 8 with 95

*Cable Pressdowns*
2 sets of 12 with 200

*Cable Curls*
2 sets of 12 with 160

Overall workout today was awesome! Really hit my arms hard, only 8 total sets for my biceps and triceps but honestly it felt like 20 total sets. Doing a variety of exercises is a completely different workout, IMO. Arms were jello after my workout today! Did a bunch of different exercises, and only went to failure on a few of them, honestly. Tried to keep my rest periods short, etc. Overall workout was great. 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- cottage cheese + peaches
- tuna salad sandwich, banana
- peanut butter
- MRP + 1% milk 
- 1/2 tuna salad sandwich

Sleep: 7.5 hours. 

Day 10 of M1T, 15mg a day.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

Okay, since I am becoming an official video junkie I decided to take few more small clips today at the Y, the first is my French presses, 155 for 6, and then 2nd two are both sets of 5 with the 75's. As you can see I definitely failed on my right arm with the 75's, lol. 

*Seated French Presses 155x6*
http://www.webbtrain.us/images/upload/MonStar_Seated_French_Presses_155x6.WMV

*Alternating DB Curls 75x5* (1st set)
http://www.webbtrain.us/images/upload/MonStar_Alt_DB_Curls_75x5.WMV

*Alternating DB Curls 75x5* (2nd set) 
http://www.webbtrain.us/images/upload/MonStar_Alt_DB_Curls_75x5_1.WMV

Let me know what you guys think, comments/suggestions/feedback welcome!


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *DeadBolt:* Hey man, yeah I have actually had this journal over 2 weeks now, believe it not---no binges in over 2 weeks either! So things have been looking up for me lately, I have been very pleased with everything. Great to see you posting in there though.


  Best of luck to ya!!  Mind of matter...if you keep those thoughts in your mind they will lead you in the right direction!


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## DeadBolt (Oct 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Let me know what you guys think, comments/suggestions/feedback welcome!


By the numbers your a damn monster!!      But the video clips aren't working for me...all I get is audio.  Finger Eleven-One Thing is a good song and all but I kinda wanted to see you lifting LOL.  Its only a black screen with audio my man.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*DeadBolt:* Hmm, that's interesting bro. They seem to be working for every else that I showed them to. They load in my computer on Winamp, but I know for some people they load as Windows Media Player files. Maybe restart and try again? Or try and go to Winamp.com and download the player, it's free of course. Good luck viewing them man, and thanks for the support.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

Couple of random pics I took this afternoon, also posted them in my gallery.


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 14, 2004)

What are the other 2 songs black eye peas-hey mama  and no doubt-its my life???


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 14, 2004)

Damn just got winamp and played the files!  Thats awsome bro, some crazy lifts!  Keep them videos comin....


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 14, 2004)

You've got to be sportin an 18" arm, or better. At my biggest, all flexed away, I can do around 17 and your arm dwarfs mine.


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Let me know what you guys think, comments/suggestions/feedback welcome!




........................ I think you should work out naked   


















Serious though- looking good!!!!! This journal is getting to be pretty long too


----------



## greekblondechic (Oct 14, 2004)

LMFAO! I second that!  

Do that butt wiggle and you can be making some $$$ stripping


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## Mudge (Oct 14, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> You've got to be sportin an 18" arm, or better.



You are also a lot taller though, I am just under 19 right now and they dont look all that big. Definitely use a cloth or flexible tape measure, none of the steel stuff. I am also not largest at the peak, just below where my brach flares out a little.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*Deadbolt:* LOL, the music can be pretty ridiculous at the Y sometimes, trust me. I actually had to argue with the guys who worked there to get them to put it on modern hits rather than classic rock. The classic rock stuff was killing me! Anyway, thanks for the support man, really appreciate it. 

*SF:* I don't know about that man, my arms are really nothing special. I always think that my arms look tiny on the rest of my physique for some reason. I guess it's just an illusion maybe? For whatever reason when I post in the mirror, unless I am training arms and they're pumped, I think my chest/shoulders/back make my arms like small. I am not sure why, I guess it's all in my head. 

*Andrea:* Hey there! Great to see you stopping by. Maybe I'll consider working out naked. I could only do it with just you watching though, I would be embarassed otherwise!  

*Vivian:* LOL, I don't know about that. I think I am a little too shy to get on stage in front of a bunch of strangers! I hear the money is great, though. 

*Mudge:* Wow, your arms are just under 19"? That's friggin' insane man, good work. I definitely agree that height plays a huge role in creating the illusion of large arms.


----------



## chris mason (Oct 14, 2004)

Nice job on the curls Monstar!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*Chris:* Hey man! Great to see you in here! I thought you dissapeared, lol. Yeah as you can see I definitely hit failure on my right arm in that second set, haha. At least now you have an idea of how much body English I am using on my alternating DB curl sets.


----------



## BritChick (Oct 14, 2004)

Great pics Mike, nice physique.


----------



## soxmuscle (Oct 14, 2004)

I have the same music problem at my place.  It's all the same kind of crap, except on sundays when this other guy is working.  Excellent videos nonetheless.  Your huge.


----------



## aggies1ut (Oct 14, 2004)

Duncans Donuts said:
			
		

> Only if they were at a PAC-10 school....


  Hey now. Cal kicks ass...USC can bite me though, so can Stanford.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*BritChick:* Hey there! Thanks for stopping by, appreciate the support. 

*soxmuscle:* Yeah man, the music can definitely be a problem, lol. Drives me crazy when it makes nearly impossible to get intense in the gym. Hard to get really intense and focused when you're listening to Eric Clapton or Michael Bolton, lol. 

*aggies1ut:* Haha, whatever floats your boat.


----------



## soxmuscle (Oct 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *soxmuscle:* Yeah man, the music can definitely be a problem, lol. Drives me crazy when it makes nearly impossible to get intense in the gym. Hard to get really intense and focused when you're listening to Eric Clapton or Michael Bolton, lol.


I got an Ipod for my birthday two weeks ago, and it's absolutely stunning how much better I seem to be lifting or so it seems.  Add Bonnie Raitt, and other crap like that to the mix.  God, I am glad I got an Ipod.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*soxmuscle:* I believe it bud, I used to swear by listening to my MP3 player, but anymore I would rather talk to the other guys in the gym actually. That way they don't think I am being a prick when I ask them for a spot, lol. But for whatever reason when I am listening to music I end up just getting in the "zone" and drain out whatever I am listening to.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

Another back pose I snapped tonight, I like this one better than the other, so I deleted the other one from my gallery.


----------



## BerryBlis (Oct 14, 2004)

damn....that's nice!   

Looks like things are going great!!

Shannon


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## M.J.H. (Oct 14, 2004)

*Shannon:* Hey there, it's really nice to see you in here! How are you? I haven't caught you on AIM lately, hope all is going well. Studying a lot for school and all that I guess huh? Good luck with school, and thanks for stopping by. You should start a journal!


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## GoalGetter (Oct 15, 2004)

Hey Monstar! Lookin' Good! Just saw the pics!


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## ncgirl21 (Oct 15, 2004)

MonStar
[b said:
			
		

> Andrea:[/b] Hey there! Great to see you stopping by. Maybe I'll consider working out naked. I could only do it with just you watching though, I would be embarassed otherwise!
> 
> [




Yeah, we can.................. workout together   .  Sounds good!! You still heading to VA for your birthday??


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 15, 2004)

Music is the #1 issue in my gym with me and my buds.  The time we go in there are the two girl that workout for like 4 hours.  All they listen to is like 80's club crap...not that I'm bashing it but its all slow songs and ya just can't lift to some of that stuff.  Drives me nuts.  And I feel ya about the headphones in the gym, I like to BS with the guys so they don't think I'm a total dick. Its hard enough gaining respect being the smallest guy there then if I ignore em I'm screwed lol.

Thats a killer pose my man, when I get home from class I check allt he others out.  Keep up the good work.


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## gopro (Oct 15, 2004)

Great job on those dumbell curls. Saw the video and your form is not bad at all. One day you may get up to 100s! I wish I could still curl like this, but my tendons can't take it anymore!

Awesome


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## naturaltan (Oct 15, 2004)

wow ... looking good Mon!  75lb curls - NICE!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 15, 2004)

*GoalGetter:* Hey there! Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. I am going to take some more progress pics at the end of this M1T cycle actually, just to give a really good gauge of my progress. 

*Andrea:* If all goes well with my school schedule and work I am pretty sure that I'll be heading to VA for my birthday. I guess we'll see what happens. I'll definitely let you know, though, beforehand. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support man, I appreciate it. Yeah, music is something that drives me crazy because no matter how worked up I get about it telling one of the guys who work there---they never do much about it. I mean I don't know how anyone can listen to Michael Bolton and try and workout, it just seems impossible to me, lol. 

*gopro:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Yeah my DB curls I wanted to give you guys an idea of what kind of momentum I was using, etc. Damn, curling the 100's would be out of control, lol. I can't even imagine! 

*naturaltan:* Hey, thanks for stopping by. Appreciate the support.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 15, 2004)

Good morning Monstar


----------



## Mudge (Oct 15, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Mudge:* Wow, your arms are just under 19"? That's friggin' insane man, good work. I definitely agree that height plays a huge role in creating the illusion of large arms.



18 15/16"   Small.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 15, 2004)

*Velvet:* Hey there! Nice to see a new face here in my journal. Avatar looks great! 

*Mudge:* LOL, I don't know what about 18 15/16" is small, but whatever you say bro!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 15, 2004)

Friday; 10-15-2004

*Chest*

Some good sets of chest today I think, overall workout was good. The gym was crowded tonight! I was very surprised how busy the gym was tonight, but anyway, great pec workout. Chest pump was absolutely phenomenal. Started taking Swole today, so maybe that has something to do with it. 

*Decline BB Presses*
2 sets of 4 with 335

*Incline DB Presses*
2 sets of 6 with the 120's

*Swiss Ball DB Presses*
2 sets of 10 with the 100's 

*Flat DB Flyes*
2 sets of 8 with the 70's

*Nautilus Pec-Deck Flyes*
2 sets of 10 with 180 

Started off with some decline BB presses today, hit my pecs very very hard. For whatever reason my strength today on declines was a little down, but whatever. Only hit 4 reps with 335, and that was close to failure, oh well. Did some incline DB presses, nice sets---squeezed my pecs hard. And then did some DB presses on the Swiss ball that I loved! I am really starting to love doing presses on the ball, even though they're a pain in the a*s to balance. Then I did some flyes and some finally some pec-deck flyes. Chest was pumped beyond belief! 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- 6" tuna & cheese sub 
- MRP bar 
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- cottage cheese + peaches
- pecan-crusted chicken salad 
- peanut butter

Sleep: 8 hours. 

Day 11 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 16, 2004)

Damn mudge those are some damn massive arms. I honestly never thought they were that big from watching your videos...I guess your back and upper body is just so massive lol.  

Looking good Mike, I can imagine those 100's must be tuff to get ready on a swiss ball lol.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 16, 2004)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, appreciate all of the support. Yeah I think that it's hard to see my physique in some of my videos that's why a lot of times I would prefer to take progress pictures. In the videos it's easy to see my form, and all of that but I think it's somewhat hard to see my actual size. Not like I am anything enormous but sometimes in the videos I look thinner than I really am. 

BTW, getting the 100's back onto the Swiss ball is a task in itself, and then trying to press them is just pure balance, lol.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 16, 2004)

Sunday; 10-17-2004

*Back*

Pretty good workout today I guess, pretty short and sweet got in the gym and got out quick. Nothing really all that crazy or intense. I was tired, sh*tty amount of sleep last night. And I also was a little foggy-minded from the M1T I think. 

*T-Bar Rows*
2 sets of 6 with 385

*CG Cable Pulldowns*
2 sets 9 with 260

*Support Rows*
2 sets of 4 with 300

*BTN Cable Pulldowns*
2 sets of 12 with 170

*Nautilus Pullovers* 
2 sets of 6 with 300 

Started off today with some HEAVY t-bar rows, had Dave (BigDC) pushing me throughout this back workout so that definitely helped out a lot. Just having someone there pushing you to go all out on each set really helps tremendously. After the t-bar rows I hit some pulldowns, and then some support rows. The support rows I had a little assistance from Dave, nothing too much at all, though. Decided to change things up after that and do some BTN pulldowns---which I actually really liked! As long as I go light on them, and focus on my lats, I can really squeeze my lats and serratus hard. Reminds me a lot of a back double-biceps pose. Finished up with some heavy pullovers. Overall workout was good. 

Taking a rest day tomorrow no matter what! I always tell myself that I am going to take a rest day and then end up talking myself out of it. 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- 2 chicken breasts, potatoes
- vegetable lasagna 
- strawberry banana smoothie, choclate banana smoothie 
- filet mignon steak, mashed potatoes, garden salad + vinegarette dressing, 4 dinner rolls 
- 3 pieces of birthday cake, ice-cream 

Cheat night tonight!  Wow, stuffed my face like crazy tonight. Not taking another cheat night for another week or two---really pigged out bad tonight, lol. Going to keep it clean the next couple of days, for sure. 

Sleep: 5.5 hours.  

Day 12 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 16, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, appreciate all of the support. Yeah I think that it's hard to see my physique in some of my videos that's why a lot of times I would prefer to take progress pictures. In the videos it's easy to see my form, and all of that but I think it's somewhat hard to see my actual size. Not like I am anything enormous but sometimes in the videos I look thinner than I really am.
> 
> BTW, getting the 100's back onto the Swiss ball is a task in itself, and then trying to press them is just pure balance, lol.



Yea sometimes videos do people no justice.  But hell once you start see'ing the weight they are using you just start to accept the fact that they are monsters!  Such as you and mudge lol.

Thats why I always say theres nothing like see'ing them in person...


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 16, 2004)

Damn bro, those are some heavy lifts!  Keep at it lookin good.

How ya diggin this cycle of M1T?  Treatin' ya good or not as helpfull as it ussually it?


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 17, 2004)

*DeadBolt:* I agree man, videos help, pictures can definitely help a lot as well, but there is nothing like seeing someone in person, at least IMO. But oh well, I do the best that I can to show my physique here at IM. The M1T is going really well so far. Honestly, the foggy-mindedness is affecting me, but nothing too bad at this point. I really don't mind it too much. I really like 15mg per day---I think it's a good mix between gains and side-effects. Thanks for stopping by DB. 

I have to make sure that I keep my diet clean the next few days. Last night was my ex-girlfriend's birthday and I pigged out on her birthday cake, lol. She had a homeade birthday cake that was DELICIOUS.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 17, 2004)

Sunday; 10-17-2004

*Rest*

Took a rest day basically because I hate ZERO time for the gym. Between work and a decent social life I had absolutely no time at all for anything else. So I am going to hit legs tomorrow in the gym, and I am probably going to do some heavy GM's.  

Diet:
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- MRP bar, protein candy
- MRP + 2% milk
- 3 scrambled eggs + cheese, hash browns, 2 pieces of toast + butter 

Diet sucked, sucked, sucked today. Whatever. Appetite was absolutely awful today---I mean it really, really sucked, bad. Other than the last meal I had to remind myself to eat all day. 

Sleep: 5.5 hours.  

Day 13 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Luke9583 (Oct 18, 2004)

Hey Monstar,  That sleep is what does me in.  I can't seem to get anymore than that myself.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 18, 2004)

Sleep and I dont have a great relationship, it sux.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 18, 2004)

*Luke:* Lately, bro, I have been having the same damn problem. It has been driving me crazy. I have been trying to get some kind of nap in later in the day---but nothing makes up for a lack of sleep, IMO.

*Mudge:* Damn, I didn't realize it was so common to not get enough sleep. I try and get a minimum of 7 hours each night. But the past few days I have been slacking.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 18, 2004)

Monday; 10-18-2004

*Legs*

Really good leg workout tonight! Even though I worked out later than usual, tonight from 8-9, instead of my usual late morning workout. Anyway hit some great PR's tonight. I almost always do deadlifts first in my workout, or maybe second---but today I did SLDL last. Changed things up like crazy. And went ALL OUT on the 2 sets of deadlifts. 

*Good Mornings*
3 sets of 3 with 285

*Smith-Machine Lunges* 
2 sets of 10 with 215

*Hyperextensions*
2 sets of 6 with 190

*Nautilus Leg Extensions*
2 sets of 20 with 260

*SLDL*
2 sets of 8 with 455 

Hit some nice PR's today in my workout. Started off today with 3x3 with 285 on GM's. These kicked my friggin' a*s. Smoked my lower back nicely. Next time I hit legs I am going to try 295 for 3x3 on GM's, see how my lower back handles it. I think my lower back responds best to just beating it down, lol. I mean GM's, then heavy hypers, and then heavy SLDL's. Nice PR on hypers and SLDL. Great leg session, overall. 

Diet:
- MRP + 2% milk
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- 2 tuna salad wraps
- apple 
- MRP bar 
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- ground beef + cheese taco salad 

Sleep: 5.5 hours.  I took a 90-minute nap before my workout, though. 

Day 14 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 18, 2004)

Very nice. I think next week we should really do something new on Good AMs. Something to really throw you for a loop. Instead of doing set reps and sets and whatever. Something really mixed up. We'll talk tomorrow.


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 18, 2004)

Damn man lookin solid...workouts look awsome.  Been workin' like an animal don't have the time to stop by.  Just poppin in to say whats up.  Keep at it my man!!


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 18, 2004)

ok this is kinda pissing me off. What are all these Nautilus exercises? Are they (Nautilus) just a line of equipement?

Sweet SLDL's bro. Don't you think its kinda weird you scored a PR for them on your last exercise? I mean, i'm usually gassed by my last sets


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 18, 2004)

Then again, maybe youre just getting warmed up thx to the M1t


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 18, 2004)

*SF:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, appreciate it. Sounds good but, I am up for anything on GM's. I would even give CAT a try, although I think it would kick my f*ckin' a*s to Sunday, LOL. But we'll figure something out. I really enjoy more hamstring/glute training lately. 

*DeadBolt:* Hey, thanks for the support bud. Don't worry about not being able to stop by all the time, I completely understand. I try to read as many journals as I can---even though it's tough with school and work and all that. Thanks again for the post. 

*Arnie's left nu:* Nautilus is just a line of equipment, lol. Sorry for the confusion. Here is what Nautilus leg extensions look like:







The only reason that I specify Nautilus is because if anyone else is using Nautilus equipment they can get an idea of what kind of weight I am using. And yes, I think that the M1T is definitely kicking in. My sets of SLDL at the end of my leg session were VERY intense.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 19, 2004)

Good morning hon 

Ya, we have a whole line of nautilus equip in the PT section of our gym..it's sooooooooooooooo smooth..altho I don't tend to use machines often..love free weights and cables personally

Impressive leg workout!


----------



## BritChick (Oct 19, 2004)

Good morning Mike


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## M.J.H. (Oct 19, 2004)

*Velvet:* Hey there! Thanks for stopping by, good morning to you. Yeah I really like the cables and freeweights a lot. The only Nautilus that I actually think is worth doing, personally, is the leg extensions, leg curls, pullovers, and seated lateral raises. Everything else I am not crazy about. Thanks for stopping by, though! 

*BritChick:* Good morning, hope that you have a great day.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 19, 2004)

Tuesday; 10-19-2004

*Shoulders*

Good workout today I think, hit my shoulders hard. On my seated DB presses I really did not use that great of a ROM, at the bottom of each rep I kept getting this popping in my shoulders, so I didn't want to risk anything. Overall workout was great though, hit my shoulders very hard. 

*Seated DB Presses*
2 sets of 10 with the 90's

*Smith-Machine Military Presses*
2 sets of 5 with 195

*Upright Rows*
2 sets of 8 with 155

*DB Lateral Raises*
2 sets of 8 with the 45's

*One-Arm Cable Front Raises*
2 sets of 12 with 50

Hit a nice PR on DB presses, not too bad. Really fried my shoulders to start with the seated DB presses. Then for the seated Smith presses my shoulders were just exhausted. Good set on both pressing exercises, though. Did some upright rows, and some DB laterals. The DB laterals I used a little momentum, but nothing extraordinary. Finished up with some one-arm cable front raises, good sets! I really like them a lot. 

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- breaded chicken sandwich
- grilled chicken sandwich
- MRP + 1% milk
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches 

Sleep: 8.5 hours. 

Day 15 of M1T, 15mg a day. 

Okay so far on the M1T I am just noticing being foggy-minded a lot. Other than that, I feel good. Little more drowsy I guess, but nothing that bad. One thing I think that I am noticing is water retention. I can tell that my midsection is tighter than it has been in a long time. I guess due to the fact that I have not binged in 3+ weeks. But anyway, my abs are looking very blurry. I am thinking that it has to be water retention from the M1T, right?


----------



## Rocco32 (Oct 19, 2004)

So do you like using the Smith Machine for your Military Presses? And great job on the PB!


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 19, 2004)

Very nice pressing. Your bench will be pleased.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 19, 2004)

Ditto, nice bench hon!  Do you have a history of shoulder problems (I just started poking around in your journal so I don't know your history!)...way to go tho, for listening to your body!


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 19, 2004)

Hey Mike     Impressive workouts babe!!


----------



## yellowmoomba (Oct 19, 2004)

ncgirl21 said:
			
		

> Hey Mike     Impressive workouts babe!!




Ditto !!  (minus the babe part)


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## M.J.H. (Oct 19, 2004)

*rock4832:* I do the military presses seated, in the Smith-machine. I like it I guess, I mean it's not as good as DB presses IMO. But I like the stability of the Smith-machine for seated presses. I am not crazy about seated military presses with a barbell. I either do BTN presses, Smith-machine military presses, DB or Arnold presses. 

*SF:* Thanks man, appreciate it. Yeah I haven't really benched heavy in a long long time. I really like decline and incline BB presses---but flat BB presses I have been shying away from lately. 

*Velvet:* Hey there! I really like seeing you posting in my journal, so stick around! 

About my shoulder history, I have never had any injury or anything of the sort at all. Basically my only concern is that when I go down to a certain point on shoulder presses, I end up getting some popping in my shoulders. Never any pain really, but it really causes me to limit my ROM on shoulder pressing. 

*Andrea:* Thanks for the support! I haven't had time to chat with you on MSN lately, but I'll try and get on soon! 

*yellowmoomba:* LOL, thanks bud.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Oct 19, 2004)

Eh, oh well. Decline, incline, flat, whatever. You're putting on a triceps display either way.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 19, 2004)

Why are you against the barbell military press seated?


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## M.J.H. (Oct 19, 2004)

*SF:* Good point man, that's definitely a good way of looking at it. I always forget how hard I am really blasting my triceps with all of the chest and shoulder pressing that I do. They seem to respond nicely to all of the volume, though. The only trouble I have with them is every now and then my elbows will crack some, nothing too extreme, though. 

*DD:* I am not necessarily against them, I am just not a big fan. I have done them in the past and I feel like they put my rotator cuffs in an awkward position. However, somehow BTN presses feel natural to me. I am not sure why. The groove of seated or even standing military presses I just do not care for. I might give them a shot again and maybe try and get the hang of them. We'll see.


----------



## BigDC (Oct 19, 2004)

good to hear you pushed hard.  90s x 10 is amazing...i got 90s x 6 yesterday and that was about as much as i could handle.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 19, 2004)

I used to do military presses on the smith - nothing wrong with them, but my shoulders have seemed to just expand much better since I started doing them free barbell.  Since you do the DBs, though, I don't see why you would need to switch.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 19, 2004)

Impressive pressing movements.  Hell, I'm not sure I DB bench press that.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 20, 2004)

Ya, I get that popping noise in my right shoulder whenever I do any type of lateral movements.  How are you on hump day?  Any big plans???


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

*Dave:* Damn man, 90's for 6 is great though. Especially considering the face that you're what 40-50 lbs. lighter than me? Really impressive stuff, bud. Keep it up. Like I said in a few years you're gonna be unstoppable! 

*DD:* Hmm, interesting point bro. I'll have to keep this in mind on my next shoulder day. Maybe I'll change things up and start off with seated military presses. I always see guys doing them I have just never been a big fan. My ROM is always limited on them because when I take any kind of overhead press down past my ears my shoulders end up popping, etc. 

*CowPimp:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I am working on strengthening my overhead pressing movements.  

*Velvet:* Really? That's interesting because I never get any kind of pain my lateral movements, only on my pressing movements. 

And you just completely confused me, lol. How am I on hump day? What's hump day? Big plans?


----------



## Velvet (Oct 20, 2004)

Hump day = Wednesday  (middle of the week, once you hit noon on wednesday you've gotten over the  'hump'  and the rest of the week is all down hill)  is this a canadian thing?  ha ha


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## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

*Velvet:* LOL, I think that it's definitely just a Canadian thing, unless I have just never heard of it before! I have never heard anyone say anything about hump day, lol. The only way that I have heard hump used is talking about someone's butt or a*s, haha. I actually thought you were talking about leg day, LOL!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

Wednesday; 10-20-2004

*Calves/Abs*

Eh, not so great of a workout today. Honestly I really didn't feel like training arms today, so I decided to b*tch out and do some calves and abs. Decent workout considering it's difficult for me to put a lot of intensity into these bodyparts. 

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises*
2 sets of 20 with 195
2 sets of 12 with 285
2 sets of 6 with 375

*Seated Calf Raises*
4 sets of 20 with 265 

*Swiss Ball Crunches*
3 sets of 15 with 25

*Vertical Leg Raises*
3 sets of 12

Overall workout today I would say was good. My calves for some reason really frustrate me though. For whatever reason on my first 3-4 sets of calves I really feel each set. I mean I get a nice burning in my calves, really decent pump, etc. Then all of the sudden my calves just go numb! I don't know what happens. Pisses me off, though. The seated calf raises I could barely feel in my calves. Did some Swiss ball crunches and then some vertical leg raises. Good sets. 

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich, mixed fruit
- mixed nuts
- 3 pieces of baked chicken, rice
- MRP bar
- chicken noodle soup
- MRP + 1% milk
- peanut butter 

Sleep: 6 hours. 

Day 16 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 20, 2004)

*Here ya go hun!!*

Choclate Bean Cake 

15 oz (1 can) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs, seperated
1- 1 1/2 cups splenda (depending on how sweet you like it)
3 TBSP baking cocoa
2 TBSP strong coffee-- (this is dry coffee, I think 1 tbsp. is enough
1 Tsp baking powder
2 TBSP smart spread or canola oil- I used applesauce
1 Tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP chopped walnuts or hazelnuts (optional)- I didn't use this

Preheat oven to 350 F
Prepare a 8x8 baking pan by spraying with PAM butter spray

Blend the egg yolks, splenda, baking powder, smart balance (or oil) vanilla, coffee & cocoa in a blender or with a stick blender.
Add the rinsed beans, puree until smooth.
Transfer bean mixture to a bowl if using the mixer.

In a sep. bowl whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the bean mixture to lighten the bean mix. Fold in the remaining egg whites in two portions. It's ok if some white streaks remain in the batter.
Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle top with chopped nuts if desired. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to release any air pockets. 
Bake at 350 F for 35-40 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing.


You can try this out for icing:

1 box SFFF white chocolate pudding
4 oz. FF cream cheese
1 cup LC milk
1/2 cup FF whip cream

Whip it up!! You could also add some PB into the batter and have a chocoalte PB cake


----------



## Velvet (Oct 20, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Velvet:* LOL, I think that it's definitely just a Canadian thing, unless I have just never heard of it before! I have never heard anyone say anything about hump day, lol. The only way that I have heard hump used is talking about someone's butt or a*s, haha. I actually thought you were talking about leg day, LOL!



ha ha, too funny..learn something new everyday!

Bean Cake NC??? Yer kidding me right?  I usually like your recipes but beans and chocolate..there must be a law against that!


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 20, 2004)

Velvet said:
			
		

> Bean Cake NC??? Yer kidding me right?  I usually like your recipes but beans and chocolate..there must be a law against that!



Try it Vel!! I didn't make this one up myself, I got it from someone else, I was SUPER skeptical and then I made it and it really does taste like a chocolate cake!!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

*Andrea:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by with the recipe. I'll definitely have to give it a shot. When are you heading back up to see your dad next, by the way? I was going to drive down to Virginia Beach this Saturday for my 21st birthday but I decided to stay here, oh well. 

*Velvet:* The sounds of it are a little out there, but who knows, it could turn out delicious! A lot of times when I expect something to turn out not so great it ends up being fantastic. You just never know.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 20, 2004)

Everyone I know, knows that Wed is hump day.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

*Jake:* LOL, I think I am just retarded! I asked a few people that I work with and they all said they knew that it was Wednesday. Who knows.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 20, 2004)

Maybe you should go hump something(preferably a hottie) today.  That way you wont forget


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 20, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Overall workout today I would say was good. My calves for some reason really frustrate me though. For whatever reason on my first 3-4 sets of calves I really feel each set. I mean I get a nice burning in my calves, really decent pump, etc. Then all of the sudden my calves just go numb! I don't know what happens. Pisses me off, though. The seated calf raises I could barely feel in my calves. Did some Swiss ball crunches and then some vertical leg raises. Good sets.



Aren't calves a bitch?  I always try to hold any calf movement at the peak of the contraction.  I do the same for any crunch and shrug variations.  For some reason, if I don't, I never can ensure full activation of the muscles.  I suggest you try it, if you don't already.


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 20, 2004)

ya i squezze at the top too. On raises I will go up halfway, pause for 2 seconds and explode up to top and hold again for another 2...then on the eccentric part i'll do a 5 second negative. LOL anything to make those bitches grow


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 20, 2004)

*Jake:* LOL, that was on the agenda last night, but not tonight.  

*CowPimp:* Yeah I would definitely say that calves are a b*tch. I hate working them, mine never grow, and it's just frustrating to even talk about them to be honest. My abs I am not sure about them, I rarely train them directly. You said something about shrugs, but I haven't done them on regular basis in years, literally. So who knows. About the peak contraction thing---I definitely do it for ab exercises, but I am not sure about calf exercises. I do it on my last rep but on my regular reps I don't do it too often. 

*Arnie's left nu:* I agree that a slow negative is a great technique for getting muscles to grow. For almost every exercise I prefer taking somewhat of a slow negative. A quicker more powerful positive part of each rep and then a slower more controlled negative.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 21, 2004)

I do my calf raises on a block to increase ROM, smith machine, typically 12-16 reps.  On each rep I hold in the maximized contracted position for 3 seconds.  On the last rep I hold it as long as I can (until I collapse)

I do of course one set and fall painfully afterwards.  It has been really really affective for me, so I thought I'd share it - my calves went from 15 to 17 inches after about 6 months of this, and my weight jumped up too .

I have, imo, genetically poor calf structure too, so 17 inches makes me very happy.  If you want to do something different, it's a pretty interesting workout.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 21, 2004)

*DD:* Yeah man, that sounds pretty good. I don't hold each rep at the top at all---maybe I should start doing that. I am thinking about backing off in weight in the next few weeks actually. I feel like I have been going so heavy and so close to failure lately, and my sleep isn't backing up my workouts at all. I know that this is my fault of course, but I need to make sure that my sleep and in my training go hand in hand. Thanks for stopping by, bud.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 21, 2004)

Thursday; 10-21-2004

*Back*

Decided to change things up a bit in this back workout, really switched everything around to be honest. I was doing a bunch of exercises with 2 sets each for my back for the past few sessions. And today I decided to totally do the opposite, and do GVT style. 

*Support Rows*
10 sets of 10 with 190

*Nautilus Pullovers*
2 sets of 8 with 280 

Wow, those sets of support rows kicked my friggin' a*s!  I had no idea at all how exhausting they were going to be. After 4-5 sets my back was fried. I was alternating underhand grip with a parallel hammer-style grip. Seemed to get the job done nicely. My rear delts took a beating, that's for sure. Finished up with some pullovers---that I absolutely loved. Pullovers are probably my all around favorite back exercise. They just hit my serratus so hard as well as my lats, and stretch and contraction I get from them in each rep is awesome.  

Wanted to add that today my calves are killing me! 

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- chicken steak + cheese, mashed potatoes
- MRP bar
- chicken salad wrap
- cottage cheese + pineapple
- 2 breaded chicken breasts

Sleep: 8.5 hours. 

Day 17 of M1T, 15mg a day.


----------



## Jeanie (Oct 21, 2004)

*Wow*

I just read through the first few pages of this journal. I am a former Bulimec and it sounds you need some help.  It sounds like a chemical imbalance to me. I have medication I take for that and it has really helped me . I still do some binging but only on planned days. I HAVE to set a SPECIFIC day or two to do this. 
I know it is hard to do, especially when people could never look at you and tell that you do this. Trust me....se my pics? I binge every weekend on some real crap like chocolate, pretzels...etc.... and I still look fine. So it is hard to stop. But I know what you mean. It is the feeling of having lost control and then the following depression that follows. Feel free to PM me on this. I know a lot about this stuff,.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 21, 2004)

*Jeanie:* You're absolutely right about the eating disorder. But honestly, I have not binged since I started this journal at all. I mean twice now I have cheated I believe. This past Saturday night it was my ex-girlfriend's 21st birthday and I had 3 slices of homeade cake and then some other junk I think. But other than that I really haven't had any sweets at all lately. When I am hungry, I eat. I just keep it clean for the most part. 

I am curious thoough, Jeanie, what kind of medication did you take that helped with the binging? Because even though I have not binged lately I still get the urge every now and again. I just resist it or take my mind off of it in one way or another. But I agree with you that you can binge and still keep a good physique. I mean if you look at my pics in my gallery you probably wouldn't guess that I suffered from BED (Binge Eating Disorder).


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## Cold Iron (Oct 21, 2004)

MonStar- guess what?...... I have another question  What is a support row?

thx


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## M.J.H. (Oct 21, 2004)

*Arnie's left nu:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, I never mind answering questions. Support rows are basically plate-loaded rows, and the reason that I call them "support" is because my chest is supported against the apparatus. I am going to attach a pic of the same apparatus that I use, however, mine has both the horizontal bar you can use or the parallel-grip.


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## Jeanie (Oct 22, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Jeanie:* You're absolutely right about the eating disorder. But honestly, I have not binged since I started this journal at all. I mean twice now I have cheated I believe. This past Saturday night it was my ex-girlfriend's 21st birthday and I had 3 slices of homeade cake and then some other junk I think. But other than that I really haven't had any sweets at all lately. When I am hungry, I eat. I just keep it clean for the most part.
> 
> I am curious thoough, Jeanie, what kind of medication did you take that helped with the binging? Because even though I have not binged lately I still get the urge every now and again. I just resist it or take my mind off of it in one way or another. But I agree with you that you can binge and still keep a good physique. *I mean if you look at my pics in my gallery you probably wouldn't guess that I suffered from BED (Binge Eating Disorder).[/*QUOTE]
> Good, I think that you are on the right track, when you are hungry try to keep it clean. Ditto on the nonone can tell if we are binge eaters......BUT!!! here is what I am going to try to do. If I (we) can look that good while binge eating (weekends) how good will I look if I stay in control and keep it clean? Now that is the question
> ...


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## ncgirl21 (Oct 22, 2004)

Morning!!! Have a good weekend!!


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## Velvet (Oct 22, 2004)

Good morning Hon!  Wassup this weekend?


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## DeadBolt (Oct 22, 2004)

Heya man how ya doin?  I can't wait to try those support rows.  My gym is getting all new equipment and that is one of them.  The owner says its really good but I will have to fight for the machine b/c everyone wants to use it lol.  Gonna have to pull some midnight back sessions just to get it in LOL.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 22, 2004)

*Jeanie:* That's exactly what I use as motivation all of the time actually, Jeanie. Whenever I think about binging and I get those kinds of urges in my head I always talk myself out of binging by thinking---I have binged for years now, and I have managed to attain a good/decent physique doing so. Now I want to see what kind of potential that I have eating clean. Stopping the binging has been tough I think, but honestly now that I have gone a few weeks I notice that I think about it less and less. I think it's just a negative habit that I have to force myself to keep minimized. Because honestly even now I feel like its nearly impossible for me to eat a single piece of cake. Or have a few cookies. I end up eating as much cake as I can, lol. 

About the Prozac, is 40mg a standard dose? Because I have heard good things about Prozac in general, actually. 

BTW, signature looks great. Really impressive chest development.  

*Andrea:* Hey there! Thanks, you too. I turn 21 tomorrow so I am a little stoked. Although I am feeling like an old man, lol.  

*Velvet:* Hey you, thanks for stopping by. Well now that I have made it past hump day, lol, tomorrow is my 21st birthday. So I am probably going out tomorrow night even though I have to work at 7:00 AM at my hotel on Sunday. I have had a fake ID since I was 17 or so so bars/clubs is nothing new for me. And I am not huge into drinking. So nothing too crazy! 

*DeadBolt:* I am doing great, bud. Thanks for asking. Yeah support rows are one of my favorite back exercises, hands down. I think they're extremely effective at hitting the lats without bringing in too much lower back. With bentover rows and t-bar rows it's kind of easy to throw a little momentum into each rep. Good luck with them, and let me know what you think.


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## Mudge (Oct 22, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Support rows are basically plate-loaded rows



How often do you do those? I never got into them much, when I did I had to roll down further because of my height somewhat, but still the pressing against my chest just bothered me and I didn't like them a bunch. I'll have to take a look at what kind of reps you do with them.


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 22, 2004)

I could never breathe when I did them.


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## Velvet (Oct 22, 2004)

MonStar
[b said:
			
		

> Velvet:[/b] Hey you, thanks for stopping by. Well now that I have made it past hump day, lol, tomorrow is my 21st birthday. So I am probably going out tomorrow night even though I have to work at 7:00 AM at my hotel on Sunday. I have had a fake ID since I was 17 or so so bars/clubs is nothing new for me. And I am not huge into drinking. So nothing too crazy!



*HAPPY EARLY 21st BIRTHDAY!!*​​
I won't be online tomorrow

Have a great time!  Wow, only 21 eh?  You sound older (or shall I say, more mature) than that!


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 22, 2004)

Just wanted to pop in and tell you Happy Birthday (early).  Have lots of fun, drink way too much and party hard!!! I wish I was there to go with ya hun   I had a blast last year on my 21st birthday, I even lost my shirt   !!  You should have come to VA- I was going to drive up there silly!!     Be Careful and have fun!


----------



## Cold Iron (Oct 22, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> I could never breathe when I did them.



ya me too. I forgot about that machine I guess b/c I ditched if from my routine(same reason) a while ago and havent looked back. 

MonStar- when you said support rows, I should have clued in, but I guess out of sight, outta mind applies here to that machine for me.


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## Duncans Donuts (Oct 22, 2004)

I just turned 21 too   Have a good time Henley


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## PreMier (Oct 22, 2004)

Looks like you will need to hit the bar up, and take 21 shots.  Good luck man


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## JerseyDevil (Oct 22, 2004)

Happy Birthday Mike!  Have fun.


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## CowPimp (Oct 23, 2004)

Uh oh, the big two one.  It's going to be a little while before we hear back from him.  It's hard to get out of bed with a nasty hangover.  Happy birthday!


----------



## DeadBolt (Oct 23, 2004)

Happy B Day Mike!  Yea we def wont hear from him for a while...hangovers suck.


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## chris mason (Oct 23, 2004)

Happy birthday!


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## gwcaton (Oct 23, 2004)

Happy Birthday Mike !


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## M.J.H. (Oct 23, 2004)

*Mudge:* Hey man, I actually do support rows all the time believe it or not. I absolutely love them. I attribute my recent back development to them, t-bar rows, and bentover rows---and of course Nautilus pullovers. Those 4 exercises are pretty much my back exercises in a nutshell. Different variations and all that, of course. 

*SF:* I hear people at my gym complaining about that too, but I have never had a problem. 

*Velvet:* Hey there! Thanks so much, yeah I am 21, now. I can't get over how fast the time passes. I am not getting too trashed tonight, I have work first thing tomorrow morning---and I don't want to slip on my diet too too much. 

*Andrea:* Hey, thank you. Yeah I do plan on going down to Virginia soon, hopefully. My grandfather down there just got a tumor removed from his kidney and he's recovering. I really want to pay him (and of course, you) a visit! Thanks again. 

*Arnie's left nu:* Yeah, I can't think of a better name for them than support rows, lol. I really like them a lot for hitting my lats without hitting my lower back hard at the same time, personally. 

*DD:* Wow, I didn't know that, happy birthday bud! You throw some crazy weight around in the gym being my age, keep it up. 

*Jake:* LOL, I very rarely drink. A couple of shots and I am feeling it hard, haha. 

*JerseyDevil:* Thanks man. 

*CowPimp:* Haha, I have been so busy lately because my brother came back from college for the weekend for my birthday and all that. So it's great to see him again---and he's been taking up a lot of my time. And I started seeing this new girl who I spent last night with. Late night. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks man. No hangover for me today! 

*Chris:* Thanks man, great to know that you're still reading my journal. Sometimes I think I lose you, lol. 

*gwcaton:* Thanks bud, appreciate it.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 23, 2004)

Friday; 10-22-2004

*Chest*

Good workout today I think, I was planning on doing GVT style 10 sets of 10 but I changed my mind after I got in the gym. I am still fighting my incline BB strength! I want to get it up so bad but for some reason it's not budging at all.  

*Incline BB Presses*
2 sets of 10 with 245

*Flat DB Presses*
2 sets of 8 with the 120's

*Decline Smith-Machine Presses*
2 sets of 6 with 265

*Decline DB Flyes*
2 sets of 8 with the 70's

*Swiss Ball DB Presses*
2 sets of 14 with the 90's

Overall workout was great today, the sets of Swiss ball presses with the 90's tore my pecs up! I had my brother working out with me so he spotted me on a lot of the sets, which was good. The only problem with that is he ends up making me laugh in the middle of the set.  

Diet:
- MRP + 1% milk
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- 2 breaded chicken breasts
- MRP bar
- garden salad + honey mustard salad, dinner rolls
- 9 oz. filet mignon, mashed potatoes 
- grilled chicken + cheese soft taco
- cottage cheese + pineapple

Sleep: 8 hours.

Day 18 of M1T, 15mg a day.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 23, 2004)

Saturday; 10-23-2004

Today is my 21st birthday!! 

*Arms*

Great, great, GREAT arm workout today with my brother! Really awesome to have an outstanding workout on my birthday, lol. Arms were pumped beyond belief! Afterwards I could barely move them at all, lol. The Swole IMO is far superior to SAN's V-12 creatine I was taking. At least from what I can tell thus far. 

*Standing BB Curls*
10 sets of 10 with 85

_Supersetted With_

*Seated French Presses*
10 sets of 10 with 95

*Reverse Cable Curls*
Dropset: 140x10, 110x8, 80x8

*Cable Pressdowns*
Dropset: 200x12, 170x10, 140x10

Decided to hit my arms today GVT (German Volume Training) style! Really blasted the hell out of them, that's for sure. Those last couple of sets really were balls to the wall! Arms were incredibly pumped, and I loved going back and forth between curls and French presses. Supersets are just awesome, IMO. Finished up with a cable exercise for my biceps and triceps, triple dropset style.  

Diet:
- banana, granola bar
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein postworkout 
- MRP bar
- whey protein + 2% milk
- grilled chicken pizza, choclate cake 

Alcohol: 
- long island iced tea
- 3 martinis
- strawberry daquiri 
- 3 Mike's Hard Lemonades 
- 4-5 shots of Barcardi 151 

I wasn't planning on drinking that much tonight, but then when I got to the restaurant and bar with my brother I just decided to get a little retarded. Got pretty trashed and then got into all of this drama with my ex-girlfriend, bla bla bla. I feel good this morning, though.  

Sleep: 7 hours.

Day 19 of M1T, 15mg a day.

Something else that I wanted to note, that it's almost been a full month since I started this journal! That means almost a full month with NO binging, and almost a full month of ONE journal!


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## Cold Iron (Oct 23, 2004)

HAPPY B-DAY!!!      Dance it up bud   

Big plans?


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## CowPimp (Oct 23, 2004)

I'm just curious, what sort of grip do you use for the bench press?  I've been thinking of trying a slightly more narrow grip.  I still go pretty wide from my days of incorrect form, and I don't think there's too much point.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 24, 2004)

*Arnie's left nu:* Hey man, thanks. Nothing too crazy, honestly. I was supposed to be at work this morning early, but I ended up sleeping in until 11:00 AM, hangovers are a b*tch! 

*CowPimp:* I use a grip where my pinky fingers are on the rings of the bar, if that makes any sense. It's honestly not all that wide of a grip at all, compared to what I see most guys doing in the gym. I prefer a closer grip and using more triceps.


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## yellowmoomba (Oct 24, 2004)

> ...........hangovers are a b*tch!




      Happy 21st!!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 24, 2004)

*yellowmoomba:* LOL, thanks bud.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 24, 2004)

Sunday; 10-24-2004

*Shoulders*

Good shoulder workout today. Really hit my shoulders hard, 10 sets of BTN presses definitely gave my rotator cuffs a beating as well. Overall I would say that my workout was definitely good. 

*Seated BTN Presses* 
10 sets of 10 with 135

*DB Lateral Raises*
2 sets of 8 with the 45's 

Not too much to say about my workout today, I felt good. Shoulders looked pretty damn good in the mirror, honestly. No complaints thus far. I can tell that I am holding a bit of water though, that's for sure. All of the carbs and alcohol from yesterday I guess. 

Diet:
- MRP bar, granola bar
- grilled chicken + cheese soft taco
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- wedding soup
- cottage cheese + pineapple
- chicken noodle soup
- chicken salad pita
- peanut butter

Sleep: 7 hours.

Day 20 of M1T, 15mg a day.


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## JerseyDevil (Oct 24, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Incline BB Presses*
> 2 sets of 10 with 245


Mike... you are too hard on yourself man.  Your BB incline is awesome.  245 x 10 is roughly equivalent to a 320 single.  Since you did back to back sets of 245 x 10, I suspect your true 1RM is more like 325-330.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 24, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *CowPimp:* I use a grip where my pinky fingers are on the rings of the bar, if that makes any sense. It's honestly not all that wide of a grip at all, compared to what I see most guys doing in the gym. I prefer a closer grip and using more triceps.



Cool, that is the other grip I have been playing around with.  Recently, my middle fingers have been hitting the rings, but I feel like I can maintain better form at pinky-to-ring width.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 25, 2004)

Good morning hon


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## M.J.H. (Oct 25, 2004)

*JerseyDevil:* Thanks for stopping by man, appreciate the support. I don't know, I guess my incline strength isn't THAT bad. I just feel so weak on that exercise for some reason. Incline DB presses I feel pretty strong on, but incline BB presses I just feel like I could really use some increasing. I highly doubt my 1RM is over 300, by the way. I have hit 295 for a single before, and that's about it. 

*CowPimp:* I change things up a lot. Yesterday on my 10 sets of 10 with BTN presses I was changing my grip up from pinky on the rings to middle finger on the rings. Really gives a different feel to be honest. I like the change of pace. 

*Velvet:* Hey there, good morning!


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 25, 2004)

Monday; 10-25-2004

*Back*

Really good back workout today! I was very pleased with how exhausted my lats were from the 2 exercises that I did today. Originally I was just doing GVT (10 sets of 10) to change things up, but lately I have really liked doing it a lot. I think that I am responding well to the change. 

*Bentover Rows*
10 sets of 10 with 225

*Nautilus Pullovers*
2 sets of 7 with 300

Lats took a hell of a beating on the 10 sets of 10 today. Alternated my grip on each set from overhand to underhand, basically just to change things up. Really nice to feel how changing the grip slightly really makes it a completely different exercise in a way. Beat the hell out of my lats with 10 sets of 10 and then I fried my lats completely with pullovers, great sets. Overall workout was great. 

Diet:
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- chicken quesadillas
- 6" tuna & cheese sub
- cottage cheese + pineapple
- peanut butter
- chicken noodle soup 
- whey protein + 1% milk 

Sleep: 6 hours.

Day 21 of M1T, 15mg a day.

And let me say, this is going to be my last and final day taking M1T for this cycle. Today I feel extremely foggy-minded. I can't concentrate at all. I just feel like I am in a complete and total daze. I am going to start tomorrow on 6-OXO. Most likely 3 caps 2x per day.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 25, 2004)

Yeah I dont know how steep the incline is that you work with, but at my gym its damn steep, and thats about what I press.


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## ncgirl21 (Oct 25, 2004)

Hey Mike    It looks like your birthday went pretty good   !! Diet and training is looking awesome too babe- keep it up


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## M.J.H. (Oct 25, 2004)

*Mudge:* I agree man, that has something to do with it. Because my incline BB press at my gym is very steep. Probably 45 degrees or so. It's a pain in the a*s, that's for sure. I really want to hit 315 for a single on incline BB bench. Or maybe even just hit 295 for some reps. I just feel like its my weakpoint in all my pressing exercises. 

*Andrea:* Hey there! Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. I am honestly going to try and get down to Virginia Beach as soon as possible. Are you always off on the weekends? I really need to pay my grandfather a visit so the sooner the better, honestly. Preferably before Thanksgiving. I'll figure something out. I have a Saturday class so it will probably be during the week, most likely.


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## CowPimp (Oct 25, 2004)

Damn, 45 degree incline?  I usually set my bench to somewhere in the 15-30 range when I do inclines.  I would think 45 degrees would hit the shoulders really hard.  Maybe I should try that for a shoulder exercise...


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## Mudge (Oct 25, 2004)

Thats why I do zero overhead pressing, the benches at my gym are fixed unless I pull one into a power rack.


----------



## JerseyDevil (Oct 26, 2004)

The incline bench's at my gym are 45 degrees also. Definitely hits the shoulders hard...


----------



## Velvet (Oct 26, 2004)

Good morning Mikey


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## CowPimp (Oct 26, 2004)

Mudge said:
			
		

> Thats why I do zero overhead pressing, the benches at my gym are fixed unless I pull one into a power rack.



Do you do any other anterior delt work?


----------



## ncgirl21 (Oct 26, 2004)

Morning hottie~~   !!

Yup, I work M-F.  I'm off every weekend though, just let me know a little ahead of time and I'll try to work something out.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 26, 2004)

CowPimp said:
			
		

> Do you do any other anterior delt work?



Pretty regularly up until the last 2 weeks, I do a set of side laterals and thats about it now along with a set of rotator work. Front raises were nice for awhile, but I can't seem to handle a lot of shoulder volume anymore.


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## BritChick (Oct 26, 2004)

Hey Mike


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## M.J.H. (Oct 26, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Yeah 45 degrees is really steep. When I do incline DB presses I always drop the incline down a bit because I do them on an adjustable bench. But for incline BB presses it's always very steep. It is like a shoulder press in a way, it drives me crazy. 

*Mudge:* I used to be the exact same way man, never did any overhead pressing at all. The only shoulder work that I did was lateral raises, upright rows, etc. But anymore I feel like my shoulders are responding nicely to all of the direct work they're getting. 

*JerseyDevil:* Yeah, I don't understand why, either. You would think that they would make them adjustable so you didn't have to go so steep if you didn't want to. Oh well. 

*Velvet:* Mikey huh, lol? Good morning! Well, afternoon, now. I didn't wake up until this afternoon, lol. 

*Andrea:* Hey there, I snapped a pic this morning for you, or afternoon I guess, before I went to the gym. This was pretty much me after I just rolled out of bed and was heading to the gym. I am still half asleep, lol. I'll let you know about me heading down to VA. I am hoping for sooner, rather than later. Probably before Thanksgiving, at least I am hoping. Are you heading up to NY anytime soon? 

*BritChick:* Hey there!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 26, 2004)

Tuesday; 10-26-2004

*Chest*

Great chest workout today, damn I am loving Swole! I just feel like my pumps are absolutely insane on this creatine product. My chest today felt like it was going to burst out of my shirt, lol. Great workout overall. I am loving GVT style training. 

*Decline BB Presses*
10 sets of 10 with 225 

*Flat DB Flyes*
2 sets of 8 with the 70's 

10 sets of 10 on declines absolutely toasted my pecs. By the 8th and 9th sets I was hitting failure on 10th rep. So I really feel like I picked a good weight to use. I did complete all 10 sets of 10 reps, though. Finished up with some DB flyes. Great sets, there. Chest was fried. 

Diet:
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- MRP bar
- 6" turkey & cheese sub 
- baked chicken, rice, corn
- grilled chicken & cheese soft taco 
- MRP + 2% milk
- 1/2 tuna sandwich
- chicken noodle soup 

Sleep: 9 hours. 

Day 1 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day. Great to be off the M1T, honestly. I like the gains that I get from it but the foggy-mindedness is never fun.

Weight: 231 lbs. I gained 5 lbs. from this M1T cycle. I am going to weigh myself again at the end of my 6-OXO cycle to see how much weight I actually end up maintaining. We'll see what happens.


----------



## Mudge (Oct 26, 2004)

You have eyes like my dad, sharpshooter eyes.

Is GVT not supposed to be high intensity? I've read a little about it before, but didn't really remember anything about using the same weight every set, I either wasn't paying much attention or I plain forgot.

I think its about time for me to spend 1-2 weeks doing something different, and tonight is day #1 for the week (chest/triceps...)


----------



## Velvet (Oct 26, 2004)

You just got up     That's so unfair lol

Nice pic, you have a beautiful smile!  So do you hate the name Mikey?  My son is a Michael and he hates being called that lol


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 26, 2004)

*Mudge:* Sharpshooter eyes huh? Never heard that before, thanks though. GVT is not all that intense really. It's just something that I have been doing to change things up. It's almost endurance training in way, honestly. 10 sets of 10 of the same exercise IMO is very energy draining. I mean maybe I am not in the greatest endurance shape, but that's killing me! I am not even sure if I am doing it right. I have just been using the same weight trying to hit 10 reps on all 10 sets. 

*Velvet:* LOL, yeah, I had off from school and work today actually. Today is my bum day, haha. Aww, thanks so much for the compliment on my smile. I rarely take smiling pics, lol. I don't hate the name Mikey! LOL, I just think it's funny it reminds me of a little kid.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 26, 2004)

MonStar I don't hate the name Mikey! LOL said:


> I don't think you are little at all     Got lots going on    I'm outta dis joint, have a great nite


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## shutupntra1n (Oct 26, 2004)

Good smile Mike!


----------



## klmclean (Oct 26, 2004)

Hey, Monstar

Thanks for dropping by my journal yesterday and for the encouragement. Looks like you're doing great. Glad to see you're back on track  Oh, yes, very nice pic! I wish I looked that good when I've just rolled out of bed


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## Mudge (Oct 26, 2004)

I hear that Mike, I'd bank on having very tired triceps at the end of that - and a pumped as hell chest.


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 26, 2004)

*Velvet:* Haha, that's good to know. Thanks for the support, again, I really do appreciate it. 

*shutupntra1n:* Hey there! Thanks so much.  

*klmclean:* Thanks for stopping by, lol, I would hardly say that I look good in that pic. I was trying to wake myself up to go to the gym. Yeah so far I have almost gone an entire month without binging. So everything is going pretty damn well at this point. I just need to hang in there and prevent any future binging from happening. I have almost completely gotten rid of the habit though, I think. Because I haven't even had a desire to binge at all. 

*Mudge:* Yeah man, definitely. At first I can really feel each rep in the intended bodypart. But after so many sets of 10 my muscles just get numb, and I end up just going through the motions.


----------



## soxmuscle (Oct 26, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Mudge:* Yeah man, definitely. At first I can really feel each rep in the intended bodypart. But after so many sets of 10 my muscles just get numb, and I end up just going through the motions.


One of the reasons why I was working out for so damn long, was because my arms, like you said, felt numb.  I hate that.

Are there some strong freakin' dudes on IM or what.  Im jealous.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 26, 2004)

Now that your m1t is done, what are you weighing in at?


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## M.J.H. (Oct 26, 2004)

*soxmuscle:* Yeah I always hate that feeling, after a while hitting the same bodypart it just goes numb. I always question whether or not this has anything to do with the effect of training. In other words is it honestly worth going through the motions of sets, and reps, when you can barely feel it. There are some strong guys here at IM, that's for sure. 

*DD:* Today I weighed in at the gym at 231 lbs. The first day of the M1T cycle I weighed in at 226 lbs. So a 5 lbs. gain overall, not too bad. I am going to weigh myself again at the end of this 6-OXO, just to see how much of this weight I actually keep.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 26, 2004)

GVT is yet another method of training I'll have to try at some point.  Sounds pretty intense.  I bet the pump is crazy.  I know it's just extra blood flow, but it still feels nice.  Nice workout by the way.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 26, 2004)

I like the way GVT looks.. When I get back, I will have to read up on it.


----------



## Jeanie (Oct 27, 2004)

Good morning   How is everything?  Sorry I didn't come back to answer you earlier.  It is 40mg.  Some need more some need less.


----------



## Velvet (Oct 27, 2004)

Good morning Handsome   Are you one of the lucky ones going to Vegas this weekend?


----------



## M.J.H. (Oct 27, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Hey man, thanks for chiming in. So far bud I have absolutely loved GVT. It's just great for a change of pace, etc. I mean 10 sets of 10 can get a little repetitive but as long as you're changing up the exercise, I don't think that it's bad at all. 

*Jake:* Yeah let me know what you think man, I would appreciate it. I have honestly never really read up on it. I just figured 2 sets of 5 exercises is one way, and then 10 sets of the same set is another way to do the same thing. I was basically just looking for variation, lol. 

*Jeanie:* That's okay, don't apologize. I have been very busy, too. So I haven't had all that much time to read anyone's journal. I am going to catch up tonight at work though hopefully. Thanks for stopping by! 

*Velvet:* Good morning! I just looked at your gallery and I must say that I really liked the 'heading to work' pose or whatever it was. Unfortunately no I am not one of the lucky ones that's heading to Vegas---but damn I would have loved to!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 27, 2004)

Wednesday; 10-27-2004

It has now officially been 1-month since I started this journal!  

No binges, just some random cheat meals, nothing too bad. I am looking forward to reaching November 27th with this journal as well!

*Arms*

Good arm workout today! Really pumped my biceps and triceps up nicely, entire workout only lasted me around 20-25 minutes as well. I am loving GVT! 

*CG Preacher Curls*
10 sets of 10 with 85

_Supersetted With_

*Skullcrushers*
10 sets of 10 with 85

I honestly should have gone a tad heavier on the skulls, but I didn't want to take up 2 cambered-bars, lol. My gym only has 3 and I think everyone else would have been a little pissed. Great sets, though. By the 8th set of 10 I was absolutely fried. Especially on the preacher curls, my biceps were exhausted!  

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- MRP bar
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- peanuts 
- chicken salad wrap
- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich 
- beef stew
- cottage cheese + peaches 

Sleep: 6 hours. 

Day 2 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## yellowmoomba (Oct 27, 2004)

Nice job keep a single journal for a month!   

GVT looks pretty intense!!!


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## Velvet (Oct 27, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Wednesday; 10-27-2004
> 
> It has now officially been 1-month since I started this journal!
> 
> ...



A WHOLE Month?  WOW, you got me beat   what's an OXO?  Is that like to beef bouillion cubes? lol


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## Velvet (Oct 27, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Velvet:* Good morning! I just looked at your gallery and I must say that I really liked the 'heading to work' pose or whatever it was. Unfortunately no I am not one of the lucky ones that's heading to Vegas---but damn I would have loved to!



Thanks!


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## DeadBolt (Oct 27, 2004)

Heya bro lookin good!  Yea 85 almost seems light for ya lol...it looks like you didn't even have to move after you set up the bar.  SS's with the same weights sounds like a hint of lazy in there...j/k

Congrats on the whole month man keep it up!


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 27, 2004)

Your arms are going to hate you tomorrow. 

You should throw a shock at your body next time around and hit each day with the mindset you're going to do 2 sets for each lift, but do 100 reps total again. You'll do a lot of lifts and your body will be quite screwed up about it.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 27, 2004)

*yellowmoomba:* Yeah man, an entire month with just one journal! I know that sounds crazy but I actually did it, lol. I am actually really proud of myself because I got in such a horrible habit of binging and starting a new journal---I thought that it was never going to stop. GVT so far I really like a lot. I was basically just doing it for a change of pace. Tomorrow I am doing back and I am probably going to do 5 sets of 5 with a few exercises, change things up again. 

*Velvet:* Yeah, an entire month, as hard as that is to believe! 6-OXO is just what I am taking as PCT (post cycle therapy). I did a M1T (methyl-1-test) cycle, which lasted 3 weeks. And then after you do PCT to help kickstart your natural hormone levels. 

*DeadBolt:* 85 lbs. would normally on skullcrushers and preacher curls been on the very light side. But keep in mind that to complete 10 reps for 10 sets---it's almost an endurance battle in a way. I mean it's a tough thing to do, trust me. I do think that I was going a little light on the skullcrushers. By the 10th set of 10 reps, I still wasn't at failure. 

*SF:* Yeah I am going to keep randomly changing things up. Trying to keep my body from getting used to anything. I might even start randomly doing some dropsets, and intensity techniques, high/low, 3 sets of 3, 5 sets of 5, etc. Just continually changing everything up to shock my body.


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## Jeanie (Oct 28, 2004)

Good morning and CONGRATULATIONS  That is awesome.  I am going to try to do the same starting November 1st.  So do you see a difference in your body?


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## Velvet (Oct 28, 2004)

MonStarprobably going to do 5 sets of 5 with a few exercises said:
			
		

> Velvet:[/b] Yeah, an entire month, as hard as that is to believe! 6-OXO is just what I am taking as PCT (post cycle therapy). I did a M1T (methyl-1-test) cycle, which lasted 3 weeks. And then after you do PCT to help kickstart your natural hormone levels.


ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ok, I'll pretend to understand what the hell you are talking about 

Good morning


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## ncgirl21 (Oct 28, 2004)

Morning Sweetie!!


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## M.J.H. (Oct 28, 2004)

*Jeanie:* Hey there! I feel a bit leaner overall, but no dramatic changes in my body just yet. As you can see my diet is overall on the clean side I would say, but it's still not all that great. I think once I tighten my diet up a little more I'll start seeing more obvious changes in my physique. 

*Velvet:* Hey there, lol, if you search for M1T or 6-OXO you'll get a lot more feedback. And other people can put it in much simpler terms than I can. But anyway, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

*Andrea:* Good afternoon! Thanks for stopping by.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 28, 2004)

Thursday; 10-28-2004

*Back*

Good workout today I think, I was starting to get sick of GVT that's for sure. But we'll see what happens. Today I had a good overall back workout. The t-bar rows kicked my a*s. 

*T-Bar Rows*
5 sets of 5 with 340 

*Nautilus Pullovers*
4 sets of 6 with 320

*Support Rows* 
2 sets of 12 with 210 

Started off with 5 sets of 5, great sets. Hit my midback very very hard. Moved onto pullovers, used the entire stack! I was very pleased with my strength here today. Finished up with some support rows. Not too much to say. Great back session, lats were pumped. 

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- 1/2 turkey sandwich, pineapple
- peanuts
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches
- 2 chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, vegetables, 1 glass of wine 
- grilled chicken & cheese soft taco
- whey protein + 2% milk 

Sleep: 8 hours. 

Day 3 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## klmclean (Oct 28, 2004)

Just dropping in to say hi


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## Duncans Donuts (Oct 28, 2004)

We should armwrestle


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## yellowmoomba (Oct 28, 2004)

Duncans Donuts said:
			
		

> We should armwrestle



That'd be fun to watch


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## Saturday Fever (Oct 28, 2004)

We still need to have IronMagCon where everyone gathers for festivities. Have a big eatfest, then a bigass gym session, followed by food and beverages and entertainment. Arm wrestling would count as entertainment as long as folks are allowed to wager on it.


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## Rocco32 (Oct 28, 2004)

Looks like your doing great in here Mike. Congrats on keeping the journal for so long. W/O's are looking good. I'm interested in how you'll like this later on down the road.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 28, 2004)

*klmclean:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by!  

*DD:* Nah, you wouldn't be any competition. LOL, I am just f*ckin' with you bud, honestly I am not all that strong in arm wrestling. For whatever reason.

*yellowmoomba:* Of course. 

*SF:* That would definitely be a lot of fun. But it's nearly impossible to find a time/place for everyone to be able to meet. It's hard enough to get everyone from the  East Coast to be able to meet somewhere, IMO. But that would definitely be a lot of fun, that's for sure! 

*rock4832:* Thanks for the support, bro. I appreciate it. Yeah I am really glad that I finally stuck it out with a journal for an entire month. I am going to try hard to stick it out for the following month. No matter what happens, I am going to post it in my journal.


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## Velvet (Oct 29, 2004)

Hi Mikey   Ready for halloween?  You gonna go out and cause some trouble??


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## DeadBolt (Oct 30, 2004)

Heya bro killer back workout!

All is well here I guess...congrats on keeping the journal for a month.  SF has a good idea, that would be pretty kewl if everyone could get together.  Just wanted to stop in to say HI off to work...again!!  LOL


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## M.J.H. (Oct 30, 2004)

*Velvet:* At this point I actually work until 9:00 PM, but I am going to try and get out early and go 'trick or treating' with my sister or my ex-girlfriend's sisters!  

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for support, bud. Really means a lot. I definitely think that it would be lots of fun if we could somehow organize an IM meet, but at the same time I think it would be tough to find a good location, time, etc. All of the details would just be a little difficult to coordinate.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 30, 2004)

Friday; 10-29-2004

*Shoulders*

Good workout today, overall. Really pleased with my strength on a few exercises. My shoulders most definitely took a beating for the most part. No complaints. 

*Seated DB Presses*
4 sets of 6 with the 90's

*Upright Rows* 
3 sets of 8 with 155

*Nautilus Lateral Raises* 
2 sets of 12 with 180 

*DB Front Raises*
3 sets of 6 with the 55's

Hit a PR today on seated DB presses, basically because I think that 4 sets of 6 is a PR compared to 3 sets of 5 with the same weight, etc. Moved onto some upright rows, and then some Nautilus lateral raises. Finished up with some DB front raises, and I was absolutely exhausted. 

Diet:
- cottage cheese + peaches 
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout 
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- 2 BBQ chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, green beans 
- 1 king size Fast Break, 1 pint of ice-cream, birthday cake  
- vegetable soup + crackers, iced tea 

Liquor:  
- 2 martinis 
- 1 long island iced tea
- 1 strawberry daquiri 

I am honestly pissed off at myself about my diet today. I let myself get out of control, and that's unacceptable. I went to Dave & Busters in Philadelphia tonight, and decided to have some drinks. I should have had a couple glasses of wine. Instead, I had mixed drinks and spent way too much money, and just got out of hand. 

I was starving afterwards so I decided to add to the problem and have a king size candy bar and an entire pint of choclate chip cookie dough ice-cream. 

Sleep: 7.5 hours. 

Day 4 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 30, 2004)

Saturday; 10-30-2004

*Arms*

Great arm workout today!  And considering that last night I had sh*tty awful sleep, a horrible diet, and too much liquor, I am pretty damn happy about today's workout. Really beat the sh*t out of my arms in the gym. 

*Standing BB Curls*
4 sets of 6 with 125

*Seated French Presses*
4 sets of 6 with 145 

*Crossbody Hammer Curls* 
3 sets of 7 with the 80's

*Decline DB Extensions* 
3 sets of with the 50's

*Cable Curls* 
Dropset: 160x12, 130x10, 100x10

*Cable Pressdowns* 
Dropset: 200x12, 170x10, 140x10 

Started off with some BB curls and some seated French presses, both exercises were great. Good form, great sets. Moved onto some crossbody hammer curls (taking the DB to my opposite pec). Hit 3 sets of 7 there, not bad. Did some decline DB ext. to finish off my triceps. Nice sets. Did a triple dropset for curls and pressdowns and that was it. Arms were pumped as hell!  

Diet:
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk postworkout 
- mixed nuts
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- whey protein + 2% milk 
- 2 grilled chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, broccoli + cheese
- cottage cheese + peaches
- peanut butter 

Sleep: 4 hours. Also took two 1-hour naps, lol. My sleep was all f*cked up last night, but I had to have a little bit of fun.  

Day 5 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## klmclean (Oct 30, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Friday; 10-29-2004
> 
> *Shoulders*
> 
> ...


 
Don't be soooooooooooooo hard on yourself. You've been doing so well, one day is not going to set you back  I always have good intentions too when I go out for "a couple" of drinks, the next thing you know a couple has turned into six or seven And there's no such thing as drinking without snacks afterwards, it just doesn't happen . Today is a new day, concentrate on that. You only live once, you still have to go out and enjoy yourself sometimes


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## Jeanie (Oct 30, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Friday; 10-29-2004
> 
> I was starving afterwards so I decided to add to the problem and have a king size candy bar and an entire pint of choclate chip cookie dough ice-cream.


.
You di fine, remember what you used to binge on?  It is okay every once in a while!


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## DeadBolt (Oct 31, 2004)

Heya bro good lifts!  What the hell is wrong with that diet?!?  Thats a diet of shamps my man...if you ate half the crap I did you'd be afraid to leave your house.  

A diet can't always be so strict, its good to cheat like that every so often.  I found that when I would go on a killer cheat I would have some great results the next few weeks.  And the lifts were awsome the next few days.  Hey don't sweat it man you'll do fine!


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## CowPimp (Oct 31, 2004)

You've been doing so great.  I think you deserved that cheat.  We all have to get loose on occasion.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 31, 2004)

*klmclean:* Hey there! Thanks for stopping by and I really appreciate the encouraging words. Yeah you're absolutely right about the whole situation. I slipped up---but honestly, who doesn't?  I just need to keep looking forward and not think twice about the other night. It's not the end of the world. 

*Jeanie:* Agreed, a cheat night is okay from time to time. I have to realize this and not get down on myself when it happens. I mean I really wasn't planning on letting myself slip, but that's okay. I am going to try and see if I can pick one day a week to go out and have some liquor and just not get out of control. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support! I really appreciate the feedback bud, means a lot. 

*CowPimp:* Exactly. Thanks for the post.


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## M.J.H. (Oct 31, 2004)

Sunday; 10-31-2004

*Rest*

Took a rest day today basically because I had no time at all to go to the gym. Today I worked from 11-9, which was just exhausting. By the time I finally got home I had zero desire to do anything other than relax. I was drained. On my feet all day long. 

Diet:
- breaded chicken parmesan 
- MRP bar
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- 2 pieces of baked chicken, potatoes
- potato soup, baked chicken 
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- cottage cheese + peaches 

Sleep: 7.5 hours. Thank goodness I slept through my alarm clock today, I needed it!  

Day 6 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## Duncans Donuts (Nov 1, 2004)

Hey Mike, what kind of form are you doing on the upright rows?  In the bottom position I have to bend my legs a good bit to get the weight moving.  How are you doing em?


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## Velvet (Nov 1, 2004)

Ex-girlfriend's sisters?    Splain lucy!

Oh and good morning Mikey


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## M.J.H. (Nov 1, 2004)

*DD:* Hey man, I usually don't bend my legs at all, but towards the end of a set I might stand up on the balls of my feet for the last rep or 2. I generally use a shoulder-width grip and pull the bar to my lower chest.  

*Velvet:* LOL, my ex-girlfriend's sisters are 9 and 12 years old, haha.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 1, 2004)

Monday; 11-1-2004

*Back*

Okay workout today I guess, I was so friggin' exhausted today at the gym. I had the worst sleep I have had in a long time last night. Kept waking up, feeling like sh*t, etc. I just somehow managed to get a really bad cold/flu. It's definitely killing my mood and my workouts lately. 

*Nautilus Pullovers*
5 sets of 10 with 240
3 sets of 5 with 310
Dropset: 260x8, 220x7, 180x5 

*CG Cable Rows*
2 sets of 8 with 260 

Decided to change things up and focus on pullovers for once. Ended up with 5 sets of 10, then 3 sets of 5, and finished up with a triple dropset. Afterwards I hit some CG cable rows, nice sets. Lats were trashed, I was exhausted, and I had a splitting headache from being sick.  

Also wanted to note that I felt extremely bloated today in the gym. I am not sure why, or what the problem was. But I just felt like I was going to vomit periodically throughout my workout. 

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk
- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
- peanut butter sandwich
- cottage cheese + mixed fruit
- whey protein + 2% milk 

I had zero appetite today because I am sick, I was literally force feeding myself all damn day.  

Sleep: 11 hours. Woke up a bunch of times because I am sick as hell with a cold/flu.  

Day 7 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## Saturday Fever (Nov 1, 2004)

Don't sweat the cheating, man. It's not negatively impacting your workouts at all, so just move on. Excellent workout sessions.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 1, 2004)

*SF:* Thanks for stopping by, bud, I really appreciate it. Yeah I agree I don't really think that cheating negatively affected my workouts all that much. I am just so damn sick right now it's killing me. No matter how many painkillers I take my head won't stop pounding.


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## Luke9583 (Nov 1, 2004)

Hey Monstar,

  Try a gram of Ginkgo a day for a week.  seriously


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## CowPimp (Nov 1, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *SF:* Thanks for stopping by, bud, I really appreciate it. Yeah I agree I don't really think that cheating negatively affected my workouts all that much. I am just so damn sick right now it's killing me. No matter how many painkillers I take my head won't stop pounding.



It is scientifically proven that there is a direct correlation between the amount of fun you had the night before and how much your head hurts the following day.


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## klmclean (Nov 1, 2004)




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## Saturday Fever (Nov 1, 2004)

CowPimp said:
			
		

> It is scientifically proven that there is a direct correlation between the amount of fun you had the night before and how much your head hurts the following day.



hahahaha

My favorite saying used to be, "Man, how can I drink so much last night and be sooo thirsty today."


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## DeadBolt (Nov 1, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> hahahaha
> 
> My favorite saying used to be, "Man, how can I drink so much last night and be sooo thirsty today."


lol


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## Velvet (Nov 2, 2004)

Morning Mikey


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## CowPimp (Nov 2, 2004)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> hahahaha
> 
> My favorite saying used to be, "Man, how can I drink so much last night and be sooo thirsty today."



Hahaha!


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## Rocco32 (Nov 2, 2004)

Hey, hope you feel better Mike! Your doing great in here. Everytime I catch up on your journal I get even more motivated to go to the gym!


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## M.J.H. (Nov 2, 2004)

*Luke9583:* Hmm, that's interesting, I might consider it. Today I feel much much better though so we'll see what happens. 

*CowPimp:* LOL! I believe it, especially after how I have been feeling lately. I always have a good time when I drink but I definitely have to keep it down to a minimum. I don't like feeling in the slightest bit out of control. 

*klmclean:* Hey there! Thanks for stopping by.  

*SF:* LOL, now that's just hilarious! 

*DeadBolt:* Haha, nice to see people are reading my journal. 

*Velvet:* Hey you, thanks for stopping by. I was running around like crazy today. I got up and tried going to the doctor but they didn't open until noon, so I voted, and then went to the gym. Now I have to run to the doctor and to DMV. 

*rock4832:* Thanks for stopping by, bud. I really appreciate the feedback. My workouts haven't really suffered at all lately. So that's definitely a good thing.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 2, 2004)

Tuesday; 11-2-2004

*Chest*

Good workout today! Even though I was sick as hell I felt absolutely awesome in the gym today. One thing that I changed is I didn't take ephedrine today preworkout! I have been taking ephedrine before every workout for years now. Time to take some time off, possibly for good. 

*Incline BB Presses* 
10 sets of 10 with 185

*Flat DB Flyes* 
2 sets of 8 with the 75's

Great workout today, beat the f*ck outta' my pecs! 10 sets of 10 on incline really kicked my a*s hard. By the 6th or 7th set I was absolutely exhausted. My pecs were screaming! Really great sets though today. Finished up with some DB flyes and called it a day. Overall workout was great, especially considering that I was sick. 

By the way, today I went to the doctor and got prescribed with an anti-biotic and a decongestant. Already after just a single dose I am feeling better. So that's a good thing. 

Diet:
- banana
- Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk
- tuna & cheese sandwich
- turkey & cheese sandwich
- ?

Sleep: 10.5 hours. Woke up and felt much better.  

Day 8 of 6-OXO, 3 caps 2x per day.


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## DeadBolt (Nov 3, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Tuesday; 11-2-2004
> 
> *Chest*
> 
> ...



Lookin good man.  Glad to hear the meds are working for ya.  Damn I did 2 sets of inclines @ 45 deg and they killed me.  I remember you had mentioned that was the angle of your incline so I checked mine at my gym and its the same.  Way to weird for me, hits the delts to much.


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