# Tallcall's journal



## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

This was everything I did yesterday (Legs):

Wall squats with ball: 3 sets of 15, 1 set of 12 and 1 set of 10

Walking Lunges (unweighted): All the around the gym and back twice. This was kind of supersetted with the previously mentioned wall squats and some kind of impromptu seated dips (still having trouble doing more than 2 or 3 unassisted).

Seated Dips: 3 sets of 10, followed by 1 set of 5 (with ball under legs) and 1 additional set of 10 (I had some trouble with the ball, getting used to it).

Leg presses (I can't believe I still had anything left): Dropsets starting at 180 pounds at 10 reps, then 360 pounds at 10 reps followed by 410 pounds at 6 reps, then the fun began. I swear I gave it about 25 reps while my trainer slowly moved the weights off, but I couldn't keep count. My legs were pretty much toasted.

Knee extensions: 2 sets of 10 at 90 pounds

Seated leg curls: 5 sets of 10 (90, 95, 105, 95, and 90 pounds respectively - pretty light for me but my legs were well done by the time I started this one).

Last was 30 minutes of cardio (steady state and kind of slow!)

Diet - I keep it the same almost every day and only add a MRS (300 cal) and a lot of carbs to meal 5 on my strength days.

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal - I'm not sure if this link will work, but it is 2850 calories on the normal days, and 3150 calories on the strength training days. They are broken down to approximately 20% fat, 42% carbs, and 38% protein. I also take two multivitamins and two fish oils.


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Today is just a cardio day, so I will be doing some HIIT (Each time, I either choose to go for 90 seconds up and 90 seconds down or about 15 minutes up and the remainder of the time - not more than 15 minutes - down).

If I go for the 90/90, I might decide to push for a 45 minute session (god I love those). But usually the 15 solid minutes of the high intensity kicks my butt so I don't go for much more than 30 minutes total. Leg day is strictly a 25 minute steady state day.

Today I am doing a 35 minute HIIT 90/90 session!


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Ok, that link didn't work, I really don't feel like typing it all in right now.


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## DOMS (Jun 13, 2007)

Good job on starting your journal!  Now you just need to keep at it. 

What sort of workout are you doing?  Is it based on some methodology?  Is that the only workout that you do, or are there more?


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Good job on starting your journal!  Now you just need to keep at it.
> 
> What sort of workout are you doing?  Is it based on some methodology?  Is that the only workout that you do, or are there more?



There are more, I'll add them as I do them. 

Currently I am using a body part split. I know they are not the best, but we have to squeeze everything into 30 minute sessions (Always do compound movements first, but sometimes it takes a while to get the equipment and can quickly burn up the time, so I get in 4 days and maybe 4 exercises per region).


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## DOMS (Jun 13, 2007)

I'm not going to suggest that you change anything (because you said it's working for you), but doing a full body routine (with short RIs) would allow you to get more done than a body part split.


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I'm not going to suggest that you change anything (because you said it's working for you), but doing a full body routine (with short RIs) would allow you to get more done than a body part split.



I totally agree. 

When I started there I was on a full body routine. The problem was that in order to do those over head presses I wanted, I would have to wait almost 20 minutes. So in the meantime I always ended up exhausting my arms and shoulders (to some extent) by using whatever else was left. So now My trainer and I are able to make sure that we get those compound exercises in. Maybe that'll be all we can do together, but then at least he can tell me what smaller (isolated movement) exercises he wants me to do after our time has expired. These are generally much easier for me and since I'm mostly exhausted from the compound movements I can just burn everything I have left on these isolated exercises.

I know, it's a bit of an excuse.


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## DOMS (Jun 13, 2007)

Speaking of time, how long is your average workout?


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

The strength portion is usually between 30 and 45 minutes. My trainer is really a great guy and will usually give up his break time to work with me (he says that there are only about 5 of us that really seem to care about this). I think it's awesome to get 45 minutes with him because he has taught me so much and has so much more to teach, but I usually get to do about 15 minutes on my own just to finish up everything.

Cardio varies from day to day, always keeping to a 25, 35, 45 minute rotation and alternating between the HIIT days and the regular days.


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## Double D (Jun 13, 2007)

You going to post some weights you are using?


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Double D said:


> You going to post some weights you are using?



Sure.

The seated Wall Squats were done using 10 and 15 pound weights (2 sets of 15 at 10 pounds, 1 set of 15 at 15 pounds, one set of 10 at 15 pounds, and one set of 10 at 10 pounds).

Sometimes I do some Hack squats on one of those sleds (I think it's at a 75 or 80 degree angle): 1 set of 95 pounds at 10 reps, 1 set of 145 pounds at 8 reps, and one set of 150 pounds at 8 reps.

Lunges were body weight

Seated Dips were body weight

My weighted dips are: One set of 10 at 145, 2 sets of 8 at 155, then I usually have to drop back down to 145 for the last set of about 8 reps.

Leg presses: 1 set of 15 (?) at 180 pounds, 1 set of 10 at 360 pounds, 1 set of 6 at 410 pounds. This was all off the top of my head. Afterwards I did one long set of about 20 or 25 reps, I didn't keep count while dropping the weight every 3 or 4 reps back to 90 pounds.

Knee Extentions: Just 2 sets of 10 at 90 pounds

Seated Leg Curls: One set of 10 at 90, one set of 10 at 95, one set of 10 at 105, one set of 10 at 95, then another set of 10 at 90.

I am also benching a maximum of 105 right now, but training at 60. I do 60 pound Incline flys. I get about 10 reps on the bench and about 8 on the flys

I am doing over head presses at 60 pounds, usually sets of 10 or 15.

I am rowing a maximum of 65 pounds at 8 reps.

I'm still pretty weak on the Skull Crushers, I am getting about 12 reps at 12 pounds single arm only.

I am doing my preacher curls at 30 pounds, and straight curls at 25 pounds.

Over head extentions: 2 sets of 12 at 30, one set of 10 at 35, one set of 10 at 40.

Pulldowns are at 95 for 12 reps, 125 for 8 reps, and137 for 6-8 reps.

Back extensions: one set of 12 at 145, one set of 12 at 155, one set of 12 at 165, and another set of 12 at 175.

Barbell shrugs: One set of 20 at 135, then 2 sets of 20 at 185.

When I do Hip Abductions I am maxing out at 210 pounds for 10 reps (I've been told to go for reps and drop the weight next time).

For Abs, I usually do body weight Planks at about 60 seconds, Crunches (3 sets of 10 at body weight), Leg raises (also 3 sets of 10 at body weight), and Side Bends (1 set of about 40 at body weight, sometimes I use a 10 or 25 pound plate over my head, but not often).

That's about it for my numbers, I attempt to add 5 pounds to everything each week (at least the compound movements, sometimes even 10 pounds).


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## Double D (Jun 13, 2007)

How much you weighing right now? I may have missed it and if so I am sorry.


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Right now I weigh 312 pounds at ~19% bf.


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## Double D (Jun 13, 2007)

Well thats not to bad. 19% isnt to bad at all! You are one big boy!


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Double D said:


> Well thats not to bad. 19% isnt to bad at all! You are one big boy!



Aw shucks (my face is turning red). That is what I keep hearing. My target weight is somewhere around 280 at ~10%. 

I just checked your pics, your looking pretty big yourself! What'd you say you were at, over 205? That's pretty impressive! Keep it up man!


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## MCx2 (Jun 13, 2007)

Glad to see ya making yourself at home here in journal-land. I'll be following along with the others. Good luck.


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## Double D (Jun 13, 2007)

Anytime a guy comes back to me with comments like that lets me know your a good guy. Thank you for the nice comments. You will do fine. This is a great place to write down what your doing and get positive feedback!


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2007)

Awesome! You guys are too cool!


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## tallcall (Jun 14, 2007)

Thursday 6/14/07

Alright, today was shoulder, traps, delts day.

*Superset*
*Shrugs*
135 x 12
205 x 12
*250 x 12*

*DB Side Raises*
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10

*DB Front Raises*
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10
20 x 10

*Non-Superset
Rear Delt Row*
30 x 15
30 x 15
30 x 15
30 x 15

*Superset
Shoulder Press (barbell on smith machine)*
50 x 10
60 x 8
60 x 10
*70 x 8*

*Military Press*
30 x 10
30 x 8
30 x 12
30 x 9

*Cardio (45 minute total, steady state)*
5 minute warm up on a rowing machine (done prior to all of the above)
20 minutes of jogging on an elliptical trainer
10 Minutes on a recumbent bike
10 minutes walking on a treadmill

I would have liked to go more for power, but today felt great. I really drained myself with that cardio session (I tend to keep my heart rate around 145 on the steady state days, but love to hit and exceed 170 on the HIIT days).


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## Double D (Jun 14, 2007)

My suggestion would be to do the shoulder and military presses first then do your iso's last. Nice workout though buddy!


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## DOMS (Jun 14, 2007)

Good job on the workout.

Are the items in red personal bests for you? If they are, it's the custom to put "PR" (Personal Record) after them.


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## tallcall (Jun 14, 2007)

Yeah, they are my personal bests.

This was a weird day, I think we (my trainer and I) were going for reps (maybe some combination of power and reps, a lot of weight to do at the end when exhausted, but I still felt great) on the presses because we really had no way of doing them earlier in the workout, so we went for a lighter weight than I am accustomed to for the Military presses (I also know that on any other day I could have done more weight on the shoulder presses).This kind of goes back to the reason for the split in the first place (I just wanted to be able to do the presses inside of 30 minutes, everything else was done while we were waiting!).

I can't complain though, I felt like we really tore into the shoulders today. You know, I always thought it was amazing how such a small amount of weight can feel like a ton when done at the end of the workout.

Next week we are going for power on the presses, so we will do everything in our power to do them as soon as possible.

My legs are killing me, mostly knees. It always happens after a walk on the treadmill, I'm not really sure why (shin splints?). Oh well, I just work through the pain.


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## Scarface30 (Jun 15, 2007)

hey man, good to see you started a journal! looks like your workout was a good one


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## tallcall (Jun 16, 2007)

Saturday:  Chest and Back

Boy today kind of sucked! I was able to hit 105 on my bench for all of 2 reps. But then I went back down to 90, I got 5 reps and couldn't re-rack the weights. It really was not that much weight, I sat up with it and was fine, but two other guys came over and gave me a hand (let's just say this is the worst day I think I've ever had there, I have never had to have any help re-racking weights, ever). But the plus side is that pretty much everything I did was a personal record (even the 105 for 2 reps was a record/tie with last week).

*CHEST:
SUPERSETS* - RI=60 seconds between each superset
*INCLINE BB Bench PRESS:*
90x7 
95x8 
105x2 PR
90x5 (failure, needed help re-racking, felt very depressed afterward)  
*
INCLINE DB FLY:*
30x6 PR
30x6 PR
30x7 PR
*
BACK:*

*LAT ROW:*
100x10 PR
110x10 PR
120x10 PR

*BACK EXTENSIONS:*
150x12 PR
160x12 PR
170x12 PR
180x12 PR

I also did a 35 minute HIT session (90 seconds up and 90 seconds down)
5 minutes on a rowing machine (warmup - hr @ 152!)
20 minutes on an elliptical trainer (max hr @170, Max level @10, Lowest level @ 5)
10 minutes on a treadmill (max hr @150 - kind of a cool down for me, Max level @ an incline of 5 and speed of 3.5, Lowest level @ an incline of 3 and a speed of 3)

I really need some help on that bench press, I don't know what I'm doing wrong, it'll take me a few days to get over this one (I feel really stupid!).

Please let me know what you think.

By the way, I did get about 8 hours sleep last night, so I don't think rest is a problem.


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## tallcall (Jun 17, 2007)

*6/17/07*

*Sunday*

*Arms and Abs*

*Super Sets:*
*Overhead Press: *(still not sure about the name, basically over head tricept extension)

40x10
40x10
45x8 PR
45x8 PR

*Straight DB Curls:*

20x10
20x10
20x10

*Non Super Sets:*

*Skull Crushers (single arm):*

15x10 PR
15x10 PR
15x10 PR

*Weighted Dips (Plate loaded machine):*

155x5
165x4 PR
165x4 PR
165x5 PR

*Preacher Curls (plate loaded machine):*

70x10
75x10
80x10 PR (Since this was a cable based machine, I did a mental down conversion to estimate the actual raw weight: 70lb = ~20lb DB, 75lb = ~25lb DB, and 80lb = ~30lb DB)

*Another Super Set*
*Side Bends:*

10x20
10x20
10x20

*Hammer Curls (a bit of overkill, but I had energy to burn and a 10lb weight in my hand)*

(each set was done on both arms of course)
10x10
10x10
10x10

*Non Super Set*
*Planks (regular, body weight)*

:60
:60
:60

*Cardio:*
35 minute steady state day.

5 minute warm up on a Stair master (max hr = 140 on level 8)

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer (max hr = 143 at level 5 for 15 minutes, max hr = 145 at level 8 for 5 minutes).

10 minutes on a treadmill (max hr = 140 at a speed of 4 and an incline of 4). This included a 2 minute cool down period.

All in all, today was a really good day! None of the blunders like what happened yesterday and I feel great! I set some new personal records and will continue to push them higher. I still plan to get some help on the bench press from my trainer, possibly on Thursday (I love my Tuesday leg day setup and will not touch that).

Again, all advice is welcome (some will probably be ignored  )!


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## tallcall (Jun 17, 2007)

Alright I got my diet up on FitDay, I don't change it much from day to day, but I do add in an extra 350 cal shake on my workout days. I think some of the information is a little off, but it is a good estimation.

My FitDay (not going to alter it much at all)


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## fufu (Jun 17, 2007)

gj buddy


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## tallcall (Jun 18, 2007)

Day off for me, yay! I might finally get to watch that UFC pay per view I wanted to see (I still don't like sitting for 3 hours, a little ADDish).


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## tallcall (Jun 18, 2007)

fufu said:


> gj buddy



Thanks man, yesterday was a lot of "fun."


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## DOMS (Jun 18, 2007)

Solid workout, Tallcall.


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## Double D (Jun 18, 2007)

You seem to be doing good!


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## tallcall (Jun 18, 2007)

Yeah, thanks man, I love the pain!


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## tallcall (Jun 19, 2007)

Alright, I just weighed in this morning at 308.5 lbs (down from 312 last week). When I check my body fat percentage, I use an online calculator to get an estimation: Body Fat Calculator.

My body fat is estimated at 17%, LBM is estimated at 258 lbs (up from 252 lbs last week), and my body fat is estimated at 50 lbs (down from 54 lbs last week, I still don't think there is that much fat there). Stomach is at 42 inches which is .5 inches less than last week, chest is a little bigger (about a half an inch) as well as the neck (half an inch).

Like I said all the numbers are really estimations, ballpark figures (good enough for me for now).

All in all a good way to start the day!


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## tallcall (Jun 19, 2007)

*6-19-07*

*Tuesday*
*
Leg Day:

RI=~60 seconds, 90 seconds on the squats* (god my legs were sore)

*
Dips: (I was told to alternate the days I do these to change things up a little, but generally not more than once a week)*

155x5
155x5
165x5

*Leg Extensions (Single Leg):*

35x10
50x10
70x10 PR
80x10 PR

*Squat (on Smith Machine):*

90x10
120x10
150x8
180x6 PR
90x3 (Negatives) PR (because they were negatives and we all know what that means)

*Straight Leg Deadlifts (SLDL):*

40x10
60x10
80x10 PR (all are pr's because I've never done these before)

*Superset
Hip Adduction/BW Lunges:*

90x20/ BWx10
90x20/ BWx10
90x20/ BWx10

*Calf Raises:*

60x15
100x15 PR
120x20 PR

Cardio:
25 minutes steady state.
5 minute warmup on a Starimaster (max hr = 155bpm).
20 minutes on a elliptical trainer (max hr = 153, I kept steady at 150 the entire time).

I loved it, lots of pain. I was whimpering a little on the last rep of the 180lb squats and all through the negatives (I thought I was going to cry). The SLDL's were pretty nice, my trainer wants to get me into more deadlifts next week. I guess he was waiting until I got to a certain point in our training before he thought I could do these, whatever (I begged him to crank up the volume all afternoon, so whe he said that I told hime I was game).


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## tallcall (Jun 19, 2007)

Double D said:


> You seem to be doing good!



Yeah I feel great, thanks!


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## MCx2 (Jun 19, 2007)

I'm seeing a lot of red!!! Awesome!!

Keep em coming!!


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## tallcall (Jun 19, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> I'm seeing a lot of red!!! Awesome!!
> 
> Keep em coming!!



Hell yeah!


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## fufu (Jun 19, 2007)

good jorb slappy


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## tallcall (Jun 20, 2007)

*6/20/07*

*Wednesday*

*Cardio:*

Was going to do a 35 minute steady state, but halfway through I decided to introduce some nice intervals, then I somehow decided to extend it from 35 to 55 minutes.

55 minute HIIT session:

25 minutes on an elliptical trainer (Max hr = 162 and max level was 4, intervals began at 18 minutes and ran 60 seconds up 30 seconds down - not going lower than 145 or higher than 162).

30 minutes on a treadmill (Max hr = 161 and max level was 10 max pace was 4.2). 

OK, first, I had a *lot *of fun on the treadmill today!

At first it was only going to be a 5 or 10 minute cool down for me. I normally use the last 2 minutes to slow everything down and do some high steps, modified lunges (just leaning into one knee and pushing back against the belt) and some calf stretches. 

I think my strange way of doing things caught a lot of people's eyes because I felt them all starring at me, so I decided to give them something to stare at. 

I started having some real fun with the incline (going all the way to 10, down to 4, up to 8, down to 3, etc) and pace (pace went from 2.0 to 4.2 and everything in between). I have to admit there were some very strange combinations of incline setting and pace (incline of 10 and pace of 4.2 down to pace of 3.5 for example, to force me to exert more energy walking slowly up a steep hill, then down to an incline of 3 and a pace of 4.2 to simulate running - for me - on a more flat surface). 

All in all just awesome, I think I really made a lot of people wonder what I was doing and stare in shock (that's the best word I can think of to describe it).


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## DOMS (Jun 20, 2007)

Someone having fun with training?  Nice!

"so I decided to give them something to stare at"

You flashed them?


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## tallcall (Jun 20, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Someone having fun with training?  Nice!
> 
> "so I decided to give them something to stare at"
> 
> You flashed them?



I certainly thought about it! Had a bit of a "boner" there ... oh yeah, wrong thread


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## DOMS (Jun 20, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I certainly thought about it! Had a bit of a "boner" there ... oh yeah, wrong thread



You're so gay.


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## MCx2 (Jun 20, 2007)

Nice! You're a step ahead of everyone, most people hate cardio. Well played.


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## tallcall (Jun 20, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> Nice! You're a step ahead of everyone, most people hate cardio. Well played.



Yeah, I had a lot of fun and my knees paid the tab (just a little sore)!


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## tallcall (Jun 20, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You're so gay.



This has sure been an interesting week for me!


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## Double D (Jun 20, 2007)

You have all kinds of PR's! Nice work!


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## tallcall (Jun 20, 2007)

Thanks man, I get to go in for even more punishment today!


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## tallcall (Jun 21, 2007)

*6/21/07*

*Thursday*

*Chest and Back*

*Supersets:
Lat Pulldown/Supermans:*

105x10/105x8
120x10/120x6
120x6/120x7

*BB Bench Press:*

75x15
95x10
115x6 PR
95x5 - Slow Negatives

*Incline Fly w/rotation:*

15x10
20x10
20x10
20x10

*Back Extensions/Hyper Extensions (lying flat on stomach while raising legs and arms): *

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Superset:
Leg Raises/Single Leg Raises - Wide:*

BWx10//BWx10
BWx10//BWx10
BWx10//BWx10


Cardio - 35 minute steady state (for real this time).
5 Min warmup on rowing machine, max hr = 150
30 Min on a treadmill (max hr = 162, max incline = 12.5, Min hr = 139, min incline = 1). This was another real nice session, I got to really push some things and up the intensity from last time (up to incline 12.5 from 10 yesterday) I also brought the max speed up to 4.5 from yesterday's max of 4. Legs still hurt a little afterwards but no big deal.

I was able to get another record due to the fact that I was with my trainer today, I love having him there to spot me, I also love the fact that he always kicks my but until I give him what he wants! Also, I have never done supermans before, so I think they all count as records for me! The incline flys were much more difficult because of the added twist today (horizontal on the y axis to horizontal on the z axis). Another good day.


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## fufu (Jun 21, 2007)

congrats on your PR big boy


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## DOMS (Jun 21, 2007)

Great job on the PR.  

Somewhere on this site is the formula for perfect for on the bench.  I read this and realized that I wasn't benching properly.  After I got my form down, my bench jumped from 120 to 140.  

Find it and read it!


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## fufu (Jun 21, 2007)

This?


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## DOMS (Jun 21, 2007)

That's the one.


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## fufu (Jun 21, 2007)

hooray!


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## DOMS (Jun 21, 2007)

Hugs for everyone!!!


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## Double D (Jun 21, 2007)

You gotcha a PR and on the best thing to set a PR on! Congrats big guy!


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## tallcall (Jun 22, 2007)

That was an interesting article. I've been told to keep my grip wider than normal to allow myself to better stabilize the bar. My right are is lagging behind my left in this exercise, as well as the skull crushers, but the left arm is having problems with Military and shoulder presses (Right arm has no problem with these, strange).


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## Double D (Jun 22, 2007)

Hum...everything ought to even itself out with time. I dont know if a primary goal of yours is to increase your bench, but I have always noticed a good amount of back work does wonders for your bench! Not to mention strengthening up that scap area is always a good thing!


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## tallcall (Jun 22, 2007)

Double D said:


> Hum...everything ought to even itself out with time. I dont know if a primary goal of yours is to increase your bench, but I have always noticed a good amount of back work does wonders for your bench! Not to mention strengthening up that scap area is always a good thing!



Thanks man, I'll try to throw in some more back work. I'm looking to increase everything, I try to go up 5 pounds a week and keep my rep range almost the same (8-10 seems to work well for me).

I still can't believe that I've lost almost 20 pounds, mostly fat, and gained about 10 pounds of muscle in about 4 months (is this that beginners luck thing?). Everyone at work is starting to notice, awesome!


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## Double D (Jun 22, 2007)

Na......thats an awesome accomplishment!


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## tallcall (Jun 22, 2007)

Double D said:


> Na......thats an awesome accomplishment!



Thanks for your kind words!


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2007)

*6/23/07*

*Saturday

Shoulders:*

*DB Military Press:*

25'sx10
30'sx10
35'sx8 PR
35'sx8 PR
25'sx8

*Rear Delt Row:*

25'sx10 PR
25'sx10 PR
25'sx10 PR
25'sx10 PR

*Single Side Raises (Cable):*

30x12
40x12 PR
40x12 PR

*Front Raises (Cable):*

40x10
50x10
60x10 PR

*Shrugs:*

140x12
210x12
260x10 PR
260x10 PR

Didn't get to do any normal shoulder presses, but I was kind of tired (I had to work 12 hours today  ).

*Cardio: 40 minute HIIT*

5 minute warm up on the rowing machine.
35 minutes on a treadmill (max incline was 12.5, max speed was 4.5, min incline was 3.0, min speed was 3.0, max hr = 165, min hr = 130). Intervals varied starting with (low intensity/high intensity) 60/60, then 90/90, 120/90, 60/60, repeating every few minutes.

All in all today was great. I got to take out a lot of anger on those weights, and that's always a good thing!

My diet suffered because of the long hours, but I insisted on keeping it as clean as possible (no quick fixes like fast food). I hate having to eat 4 meals at work (scrambling to find something comparable to my normal meal 5 on such short notice). Oh well, they will never understand why I'm doing what I'm doing, but I'm still trying to explain it to them.


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## DOMS (Jun 23, 2007)

Great job on the all those PRs, man!

Also some kudos on keeping the diet clean.  That's the part of my routine that sucks.


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Great job on the all those PRs, man!
> 
> Also some kudos on keeping the diet clean.  That's the part of my routine that sucks.



I just hate  the fact that I sometimes feel like I'm being blocked by everyone around me, and they think I'm the weird one.


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## DOMS (Jun 23, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I just hate  the fact that I sometimes feel like I'm being blocked by everyone around me, and they think I'm the weird one.



There are a lot of people out that hate success. Whether that success if fiscal or physical.  It challenges the validity of their decisions and even their very lives.

Get use to it.  It's not going to go away.

I'm working my way up to the upper class, and I catch a lot of negative input by people that want me to fail.  But I don't give a rat ass.  They aren't living my life, I am; so I get to call the shots.

The same applies to you.


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2007)

DOMS said:


> There are a lot of people out that hate success. Whether that success if fiscal or physical.  It challenges the validity of their decisions and even their very lives.
> 
> Get use to it.  It's not going to go away.
> 
> ...



Yeah, you're right, it's time for me to try some aspects of your new program. Where's the part about a shooting rampage due to the price of beef going up. I feel like having one now over complaints (and negative criticism) about my diet. It's my diet and it's working fine, so I wish they would just shut up!


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## DOMS (Jun 23, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, you're right, it's time for me to try some aspects of your new program. Where's the part about a shooting rampage due to the price of beef going up. I feel like having one now over complaints (and negative criticism) about my diet. It's my diet and it's working fine, so I wish they would just shut up!





It think there's a program that covers that activity.  It's called the "postman only rings once" program.


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## tallcall (Jun 24, 2007)

DOMS said:


> It think there's a program that covers that activity.  It's called the "postman only rings once" program.



I'm somewhere along these lines - "I'll give you to the count of 10 to get your no good, stinkin, yellow bellied carcass out of my sight. 1, 2, 10, (Tommy gun firing) merry christmas, and happy new year!" (not an exact quote, but all I could remember) I loved "Home Alone."


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## tallcall (Jun 24, 2007)

*6/24/07*

*Sunday

Arms and Abs,  RI=60 seconds, Total Time = 45 minutes*

*Supersets:

Overhead Extension/Straight Bicep Curls:*

45x10/25x10
45x10/25x10
50x10 PR /25x10
55x8 PR

*Skull crushers (Single arm):*

20x10
20x8
20x8
(Felt too heavy, I was pretty tired today)

*Weighted Dips:*

165x5
175x4 PR
175x4 PR
185x4 PR

*Preacher Curls:*

30x10
35x10 PR
35x10 PR

(Again, possibly too heavy, I had trouble extending my arms all the way down each time, but I got most of them done right)

*Superset:

Reverse Crunches/Leg Raises:*

BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10 (single leg raises for this set)
*
Back extension (Hyper extension? lying on stomach while raising arms and legs):*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10 (Separated to left arm right leg, and right arm left leg)

Cardio: 55 minute session
20 min steady state, 35 minute HIIT

Rowing machine for a 5 minute warmup
Elliptical for a 20 minute steady state session (Level 5, min hr = 130, max = 161).
Treadmill for a 35 minute HIIT session [Min incline = 3.0, min speed = 3.0, min hr = 130, max incline = 15.0 (machine limit), max speed = 4.7 (my limit), max hr = 170].

It was a lot of fun, I was pushing 170 for about 3 minutes at the height of the session, keeping above 160 for about 15 minutes. I'm happy with the speed and hitting the max incline  !

I was a little too tired today for some of the weights I chose, but I did a good job still. In addition, my brother joined me for my training session, I got to help him do everything listed above. He picked all of it right up. It was a lot of fun having someone else there to help for a little while.

I was very impressed with my dips today, slowly working to 280 pound dips (by the end of the summer I will be able to lift my own body weight at least once - ~300 pounds).


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## tallcall (Jun 26, 2007)

*6/26/07*

*Tuesday

Legs*

*Deadlifts:*

90x10
90x10
140x10
180x6 PR

To be fair, this is the first time I've ever done traditional Deadlifts. For my first day, my trainer commented and said that he thought my form was perfect! During he last set, a couple of the trainers came over to see me lift (my face was turning so red). Apparently I did better than most of the people there and it was my first day!  

*Squat (free weight):*

90x6
50x6

Really bad due to the fact that all my training for squats has been using a machine, we are in the process of transitioning to totally free weights for just about every move.

*Squat (Smith):*

90x10
100x10
140x8

I did these to finish out my squats, this was about 30 min into the session and I was told to avoid the free weight squats until I had time to learn them properly next week, but to get some work on my squats in right now.

*Squat Press (was supposed to be a leg press, but machine was taken - by a very nice and considerate person I might add ):*

180x12
270x10
360x8

*Standing Calf Raises:*

120x20
140x20
140x20

Nothing special, not going for super heavy on the calves or anything.

*Cardio:*

25 minute steady state session, ended up at 34 minutes.
12 minute warm-up on Stair master (min hr = 80, max = 155, max level was 7). I went so long because my trainer joined me half way into the warmup, that was very cool!
22 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr = 106, max hr = 155, max level was 0). This was 20 minutes followed by a 2 minute cool down.

Man those Deadlifts were cool, I'm going to be in pain tomorrow


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## DOMS (Jun 26, 2007)

Congrats on the well done Deads! 

As someone once asked me, do you do convention or sumo?


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## tallcall (Jun 26, 2007)

I weighed in this morning at 307.5 (-1 lb from last week). 41.5 inch waist and stomach (down 0.5 inches from last week). Chest measured at 48 inches (up 0.5 inches from last week). Shoulders measured at 55.5 inches (up 2.5 inches from last week). My body fat % is estimated now at 16.5% (down 0.5% from last week).

I'm starting to see some definition in my arms and legs and some vascularity in my neck. Awesome!

I cheated a little bit this afternoon, I had a right to have some fun. I tried the Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey (ohhh soooo good) and had some extra fruit (watermelon, haven't had any in a long time and I do love my watermelon).

Oh well, clean dieting tomorrow.


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## tallcall (Jun 26, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Congrats on the well done Deads!
> 
> As someone once asked me, do you do convention or sumo?



Looking at those pictures, I think I was doing Sumo. Legs wide and feet angled out near the little notch on the bar. But I don't know, my hands were in the conventional position. Is it possible to blend the two?


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## tallcall (Jun 28, 2007)

*6/28/07*

*Thursday

Chest and Back: RI=45 seconds (PR)
*

*Incline BB Bench Press:*

75x12
95x8 (assistance on the last rep)
95x8 (went for it again and had to have assistance on the last rep)

*Superset:
Incline DB Fly/Flat DB Close Grip Bench Press:*

15'sx10/15'sx10
20'sx10/(flat DB Fly - Trainer wanted to address a problem I was having so we changed it up a little) 20'sx10
20'sx10/(back to the flat DB CG Bench) 20'sx15 PR

*Cable Fly (using two stacks, I'm using the same naming scheme I would use for Dumbbells):*

40'sx6 (short set because the weight was way too light and the trainer was pleased that I demanded to go heavier)
60'sx10 PR
60'sx10 PR
60'sx10 PR

*Lat Pulldowns:*

120x10
150x5 PR
165x4 PR
120x10

Back was still in pain from the Deads, so we opted for less back work for now, I still decided to push for some strength work on the lat pulldowns though and got some PR's there. I feel much better training BB Bench Press at 95 pounds now and feel a lot stronger (it helps knowing that someone is there spotting you). 

Even though I did not do as well as I'd have liked to do on the incline flys, I still loved them. Until last week I wasn't doing them with the little twist in the middle, definitely much more difficult for me.

In addition, the 45 second RI was a first for me, reducing the rest time made everything seem a lot faster!

*Cardio:* 

35 minute Steady State day

5 min warmup on a rowing machine (min hr = 74, max = 150)
31 minutes on an elliptical (min hr = 136, max = 167, min level = 4, max level = 10). I did what I always do and threw in a couple 60 second intervals to keep things fresh for 30 minutes (I did 2 every 10 minutes for 6 intervals).

I had a lot of fun today with my trainer, he told me that he was interested in going for an hour long session with me at some point so that we could switch back and forth (he wanted to get some time in as well), I told him that I was game. We might discuss that in more detail next time I'm with him. To be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing his workouts, it should be a good learning experience for me, and it will most definitely be a lot of fun (for me anyways, but we get along very well).


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## Double D (Jun 29, 2007)

Your setting PR's all over the place! I am very proud of you.


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## fufu (Jun 29, 2007)

gj, what certifications does your trainer have?


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## tallcall (Jun 29, 2007)

fufu said:


> gj, what certifications does your trainer have?



Hey Master Fu,

To be honest, I'm not really sure. I think the gym has a kind of blanket cert. I'm not really sure, all I can say is that he knows what he is doing. Working on making improvements every time I'm with him.

He is just finishing college with a degree in Bio-mechanics. If the client list says anything, he has more regulars than all the other guys there! I think he is turning me into a project for himself. I love the fact that we are always on the same page about everything, I want to go heavier, he smiles and says that is what he was hoping I would say. Too cool!

Double D,

Thanks man, I'm trying hard to improve everything across the board!


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## Double D (Jun 29, 2007)

Well your doing a fine job!


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## tallcall (Jun 29, 2007)

*6/29/07*

*Friday

Cardio:*

23 minutes on an elliptical machine HIIT. Min hr = 79, max hr = 167, min level = 5, max level = 11. Each bout was 60 seconds and there were 5 bouts total.

25 mimutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr = 106, max hr = 160, min incline = 3.0, max incline = 10.5, min speed - 3.5, max speed = 4.5. Each bout was 60 seconds again and I got 3 bouts in.

This was supposed to be 45-55 minutes solid state, but I wanted to mix it up and add 2 intervals every 10 minutes. The problem was that I had to be up this morning at 1 am to work at 3 am, so I was only going at maybe 40 percent. By the time I got to the treadmill, I was almost completely gassed. I decided to take it easier and go for 35-45 minutes and reduce the intervals by half instead.

I am so tired now


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## MCx2 (Jun 29, 2007)

Double D said:


> Well your doing a fine job!



I concur. Looking good!


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## tallcall (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanks guys, the comments are much appreciated!


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## DOMS (Jun 29, 2007)

Nice workout, tallcall!

How's the weight coming along?


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## tallcall (Jun 30, 2007)

I only weigh myself, and take my other measurements, once a week. I'll know Tuesday morning. I haven't been able to sleep very well with these crazy work hours, so I'm not expecting much.


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## tallcall (Jun 30, 2007)

*6/30/07*

*Saturday

Delts, Traps (Shoulder day) - RI=60 for all elements*

*Supersets:
Military Press/Rear Delt Row:*

30'sx10/30'sx10 PR
35'sx10/30'sx10 PR
40'sx6 PR/30'sx10 PR
40'sx6 PR
30'sx8

*Shrugs:*

200x12
230x12
270x8 PR
300x8 PR
310x6 PR

***MAJOR MILESTONE REACHED   - 310 pounds, alright!!* Next to get to 300 pounds are the Dips, then Deadlifts!

*Supersets:
Cable Single Side Raises/Cable Front Raises:*

30x12/30x10
50x10/60x10
70x8 PR/70x8 PR
70x8 (8 on the right are, 5 on the left) PR/70x8 PR
70x3 (0 on the right arm, 3 on the left - Till it was impossible to complete full range of motion - not at failure though) PR

*Rear Delt (Cable):*

20'sx10
40'sx10 PR
60'sx10 PR
80'sx6 PR

*Cardio:*

60 minutes:

5 min warmup on the stairmaster (min hr = 89, max hr = 145, max level = 7, min level = 4)

25 min HIIT on the elliptical (min hr = 96, max hr = 170, min level = 5, max level = 10) - 2 minutes at 140 bpm, then alternated 60/60 on 160-170/135-145 for 8 bouts. Finished the rest of the time in solid state at 145 bpm.

30 minutes on a treadmill (min hr = 116, max hr = 160, min incline = 3.0, max incline = 15.0, min speed = 3.2, max speed = 4.0). Did about 3 minutes solid state then alternated 60/180 at 155-160/130-140 for just 2 bouts. Finished the rest of the time with a little _Groove _in my step at 144 bpm. 

Had a lot of fun again, the music selection had me almost dancing on the treadmill, it must have looked interesting to everyone else, but it was just so good and at just the right time!

Military press felt sloppy today, but otherwise good. God those shrugs were great, my goal is to be able to lift, push, or pull my own body weight by the end of the year (307 pounds). Next one up to make body weight is the Dips, followed by Deadlifts, Bench is going to take a whole lot longer (still by the end of the year). Wonderful day overall, everything is sore and I'm beat!


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## tallcall (Jun 30, 2007)

As a side note: Is it wrong for me to say this, I saw some good looking guys there today!! Sorry, I'm not rude and don't stare, but I _notice _them.


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## goob (Jul 1, 2007)

Hey man, thought i'd drop by.  Workouts are looking good.  310 shrugs rock.

Have you tried doing them as hise shrugs?  DOMS intoduced them to me and they are great.


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

goob said:


> Hey man, thought i'd drop by.  Workouts are looking good.  310 shrugs rock.
> 
> Have you tried doing them as hise shrugs?  DOMS intoduced them to me and they are great.



No, for now I'm just trying to establish a good base to go on. Same with the Deads and the Dips.


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

By the way, thanks for checking in. It's always nice to hear from you guys!


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## Witchblade (Jul 1, 2007)

Looks like you're doing great. 

Never let other people drag you down when it comes to training. Most people don't know shit. I get a lot of negative feedback from my environment too. Actually, this board is the only place where I get positive feedback (and my ex). Basically, what DOMS said a page back or so.


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## KelJu (Jul 1, 2007)

300 lb dips? You must be counting bodyweight with it. Eitherway, nice job man, you have made a ton of improvement in just a few pages of your journal.


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## fufu (Jul 1, 2007)

gj on your pr's


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

KelJu said:


> 300 lb dips? You must be counting bodyweight with it. Eitherway, nice job man, you have made a ton of improvement in just a few pages of your journal.



No, I'm using a plate loaded machine, so I'm just adding 300 pounds to the machine (not there quite yet, 190 today - just 1 rep, poor diet today ). I'm not sure how much of the weight is being transferred through the lever, but at this point I think it's not going to matter that much.


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> Looks like you're doing great.
> 
> Never let other people drag you down when it comes to training. Most people don't know shit. I get a lot of negative feedback from my environment too. Actually, this board is the only place where I get positive feedback (and my ex). Basically, what DOMS said a page back or so.



I swear, everybody has an opinion about my diet! At 6 feet 10 inches and with a weight of 307 pounds, I researched my daily caloric needs to maintain (4200 calories a day), I eat 2,847-3,150 per day depending on if it is a strength training day or not. I think that's a pretty good range. 

I wish they would stop quoting the damn   FDA on me telling me to limit myself to 2,000 a day. I told them that "average" does not apply to me anymore (adding muscle is not taken into consideration on those averages - BMI and the FDA recommendations). 

Oh well, they may never understand, and DOMS may have to restrain me for a little while until I can cool off, but thank you all for your support!


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

*7/1/07*

*Sunday

Arms - RI = about 60 seconds*

*Supersets:
Over Head DB Triceps Extension/Hammer Curls:*

50x10/35'sx8PR
55x10/35'sx8 PR
60x9 PR/35'sx8 PR
60x8 PR/35'sx8 PR

*Skull Crushers (Single arm):*

15x10
20x10 (right arm got 10, left only 9)
20x8 (that's it I'm done, not quite failure, but close)

*Dips:*

170x5
180x5
190x2 PR (really just one, could not complete full range of motion on the last rep)
180x1

*Cardio:*

5 min warmup on the rowing machine (min hr = 110, max hr = 145).

20 minutes on the elliptical (min hr = 101, max hr = 160, level = 5).

25 minutes on the treadmill (min hr = 109, max hr = 160, speed and inclines constantly changing, min pace = 3.0, min incline = 2.0, max pace = 4.0, max incline = 8.5).

Total time was 50 minutes solid state averaging 150 on the elliptical and 145 on the treadmill. It was a lot of fun, the music selection I had really made it awesome.

I was very disappointed in the skull crushers today, as well as with the dips. I overslept by an hour and was 10 minutes late to work. I had no time to prepare any meals (should've done that the night before) so I grabbed a few bananas, 2 portein bars, a couple granola bars, multi-vitamins and fish oil supplements with 4 bottles of water (I drink lots a water). This way I figured that I would get some good fruit, most of the carbs and protein I would've gotten on a normal day, and plenty of vitamins. 

On top of all that, at work, both of the MDC Master servers crashed and reverted back to 5/19/07 (which means we lost all the file connections to *everything* we recorded or ingested into the computers between 5/19/07 and 6/30/07). It brought production to a crawl for at least 4 hours while we had our chief engineer and a tech support person from Pinnacle on the phone, it was a huge mess [everything at my station runs through the data grid and the sharer servers - MDC Masters 1 and 2 went offline with their redundant systems (this was *Quadruple* redundancy failrue)]. I walked right into it first thing this morning (I only work master control, so I had to deal with the on air systems running into the wall every couple of minutes and eventually had to get off of the servers and go to taped backup - at one point we were airing ancient news clips that were taped last night). Just plain aweful!!


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## Double D (Jul 1, 2007)

I knew a guy your size would have no trouble knocking through weights! I give it about 6 months before you start to slow down! Nice work!


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2007)

Double D said:


> I knew a guy your size would have no trouble knocking through weights! I give it about 6 months before you start to slow down! Nice work!



Thanks, I hope I don't slow down too much.


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## tallcall (Jul 3, 2007)

*7/03/07*

*Tuesday

Leg Day: RI = 120*

*Leg Extensions (Double Leg):*

80x15
90x10
125x8 PR
Dropset starting at 125 pounds with 15 reps (125x4, 95x4, 80x5)

*Leg Extension (Single Leg):*

65x15
80x10
95x8 PR

*Deadlift (Conventional style):*

135x12
185x12
225x10 PR 

*Straight Legged Deadlift:*

155x8 PR (Just haven't done one in this style before)

*Side Lunges (almost tri-planar lunges - not quite there yet):*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10  

Just trying to get some balance problems fixed, then add weight if necessary

*Leg Press:*

180x12
280x10
360x10
450x10 PR 

Cardio: 31 Min SS

Stairmaster warmup for 5 minutes (min hr = 87, max hr = 145, min level = 4, max level = 7).

Elliptical trainer for 10 minutes (min hr = 130, max hr = 155, min level = 0, max level = 5).

Treadmill for 16 minutes (min hr = 117, max hr = 155, min incline = 1.5, max incline = 8.0, min speed = 2.8, max speed = 3.6).

Cardio was fun, got to do some with my trainer today, he was just on his break, and wanted to do some, so I joined him (not slowing him down any, he just made me run the same way he was running, not the same speed of course - which was very cool!).

I love the Deadlifts! I discovered that the bar weight was 45 pounds, I had 4 plates on it today (double what I got last week, coming up there fast). The Straight Legged Deadlifts were good also, never done them before, and since this was after the other Deads, I was tired, so only 155 pounds. I liked the side lunges, I've done them before, so this was really just to help me with some balancing problems I sometimes have. And then there were the leg presses, *450* pounds at 8 reps (at the end of the workout no less)! Just amazing for me!

Oh yeah, I found out that he is certified, I think he has the same one as Double D (I think?). He is going to the conference in Atlanta next week on Thursday, I told him to be sure to bring some business cards to hand out, and wished him well when he is over there (I hate the idea that I might lose him, he's a good one - and I've had some of the really bad ones so I know - but this would be great for him). Another great leg day, I got some of my favorite Ice Cream (Chunky Monkey - borrowed idea from MJH, good idea still).

** I weighed in today at 308 pounds (40.5 inch waist and stomach - loss of 1 inch!). Chest is still 48 inches, shoulders are 56 inches (up from 55.5 last week). My bf% is now estimated at 14.6 % (down from 16.5 % last week) and my Lean body mass is around 263 pounds (up from 259 last week. So a gain in muscle and a fat loss, very good way to start the week!


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## fufu (Jul 4, 2007)

gj


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## tallcall (Jul 4, 2007)

Thanks man, those deadlifts were great  . I hate these balance problems with my lunges and squats though  , trying to improve, maybe it'll just take time.


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## tallcall (Jul 5, 2007)

*7/5/07*

*Thursday

Chest and Back - RI = 120*

Back and shoulders were still sore from Tuesday's Deadlifts, so we went for lighter weights and higher reps.

*DB Fly (added shoulder rotation and wrist flex at the top of the movement):*

20'sx12 (form was suffering because of pain in my shoulders, almost completely gone by this time though)
20'sx12
25'sx12

*These felt great, though I wish I could have gone a lot heavier (darn that delayed onset).

*Supersets:
BW Pushups On Uneven Platform (12 with left hand on platform, then 12 with right hand on platform = 1 set)/BW Supermans:*

BWx12/BWx12
BWx12/BWx12
BWx12/BWx12

*Cable Bench Press:*

40x15
40x20
50x15

*Lat Pulldowns:*

120x10
120x10
135x8

*Cable Lateral Row:*

95x10
105x10
110x10

No records for today, but still a good day. I had some pain associated with the Deadlifts I did last time, but I was able to work through it for the most part (the only thing we did differently was to reduce the weight and increase the reps). Pain should be totally gone by tomorrow.

Cardio - Solid State for 25 minutes (due to existing pain in hips, see above).

I was trying to do HIT cardio, but after one bout my body decided that it just wasn't happening today.

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr = 98, max hr = 154, level 9 out of 10)

5 minutes on a stairmaster to pass some time while I waited for some guy to finally finish up on the cable rowing machine (he took forever, I stood by for a few minutes knowing he has been there for a good 10 or 15 minutes, but he was still going, so I just threw in some more cardio). My min hr = 109 and my max hr = 150. I was on level 7 the entire time.

15 minutes on a treadmill, I really wanted an elliptical because I needed a low impact exercise for today, but there were a thousand people there today (I guess there was some kind of holiday or something yesterday, huh). My min hr = 116, and my max hr = 150 (after the first bout at 150, my body told me not to do any more today). The incline stayed at 5.0 and the speed went from 3.0 to 4.0.

Not a bad day, I had fun working in with some guy doing lat pulldowns. He decided to tell me that I had to throw my back into it more, after watching him do it the "right" way, I decided to just ignore him and do it the way I've been trained. It was kind of funny, really. I was watching him try to pull the entire stack, but he had to have the help of one of his buddies to get it down (and he looked really built too, I wonder if he was more into power lifting, still funny to watch from my perspective). Then he just threw the weight up and down for a few seconds and about 10 reps and told me that was the right way. I've always been told that I have to control the weight in every phase of movement, not just let the weight fall, then jerk it back up, then let it fall again. There is really no control involved in that, just gravity and a lot of jerking roflmao: I know everyone's going to have fun with that one, so go on and have fun).


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## MCx2 (Jul 5, 2007)

PR's or not, still a great day!


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## KelJu (Jul 5, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Thanks man, those deadlifts were great  . I hate these balance problems with my lunges and squats though  , trying to improve, maybe it'll just take time.



What sort of problems are you having with squats? Do you have the feeling that you are falling backwards?


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## tallcall (Jul 5, 2007)

All the time. Plus the Tourettes syndrome makes it difficult to keep my head in one place, I constantly end up jerking down and all over (almost fell forward because of that one time)


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## KelJu (Jul 5, 2007)

tallcall said:


> All the time. Plus the Tourettes syndrome makes it difficult to keep my head in one place, I constantly end up jerking down and all over (almost fell forward because of that one time)



You have tourettes? 

I can't help with the tourettes, but I can help you squat with better balance. I had virtually no mobility when I first started squatting again a few years back. I had to place 25lb plates on the floor under the squat rack. Place the back of your foot on the edge of the plate with your toes on the floor. This will jack up your backside a few inches giving you the balance you need. After squatting this way for a few years, I rehabilitated my ankle and can now squat to parallel without the plates. Give it a try for a little while, and as your balance improves, so will your flexibility.


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## tallcall (Jul 5, 2007)

KelJu said:


> You have tourettes?
> 
> I can't help with the tourettes, but I can help you squat with better balance. I had virtually no mobility when I first started squatting again a few years back. I had to place 25lb plates on the floor under the squat rack. Place the back of your foot on the edge of the plate with your toes on the floor. This will jack up your backside a few inches giving you the balance you need. After squatting this way for a few years, I rehabilitated my ankle and can now squat to parallel without the plates. Give it a try for a little while, and as your balance improves, so will your flexibility.



That's a good idea, I'll try that next week (going in for an hour long leg session, should really be hurting for a few days). Thanks


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## Double D (Jul 6, 2007)

I was rather shocked not to see a PR, but still a good workout!


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## tallcall (Jul 6, 2007)

Double D said:


> I was rather shocked not to see a PR, but still a good workout!



 
Looking back, it was pretty good, I never usually do more than 10 reps on anything, but there were a lot of 12's, one 15, and a few 20's! Lower weight and higher reps, just for one day. I tend to go heavy on compound movements, still having problems with the bench press (I guess that will come in time and with practice  ).


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## tallcall (Jul 6, 2007)

*7/6/07*

*Friday

Abs and Cardio:*

I just supersetted all of the abs workouts to get them done fast (I don't really like dedicating that much time to them).

*Reverse Crunches/Leg Raises/ Modified Suppermans (no leg involvement, just arms being raised and swung around back in the motion of a lat pulldown - feels really good!):*

BWx10/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10 (skipped the last Superman to talk to my trainer - I was looking for a little advice and he had no clients, he's a cool guy!).

*Cardio *(heavily influenced by trainers input, hell it was everything he told me to do almost down to the letter!): - 

5 minutes on a rowing machine warm up (min hr = 100, max hr = 150, level 9 of 10). A new older lady was sitting right next to me and had no idea of what she was doing, so I helped her set the machine up and gave her some advice, the same thing my trainer told me, told her not to arch her back when pulling the cable but that it was a good idea to reach forward while sliding forward (to keep the resistance steady). It felt good to help her, I usually like to give advice to those who I know will listen.

10 minutes on a stairmaster HIT (Min hr = 110, max hr = 160, min level = 3, max level = 11). I went for 5 bouts at 60/60 - god I was tired, I also don't like the stairmaster too much, tried to go for 20 minutes, but couldn't handle it yet.

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer, first 10 minutes were HIT followed by 10 minutes of SS (min hr = 110, max hr = 160, min level = 5, max level = 10). The HIT round had 5 bouts at 60/60.

10 minutes on a recumbent Bike SS (min hr = 120, max hr = 155, min level = 9, max level = 13, held level 13 for about 7 minutes at about 145 bpm).

21 minutes on a treadmill SS (min hr = 120, max hr = 150, min level = 4.0, max level = 8.0, min speed = 2.5, max speed = 4.3). 

Total cardio time = 1 hour 6 minutes

This kicked my butt, it was awesome and I'm very tired right now. I consider all of this a personal best, so I forgive myself for yesterday!


----------



## Double D (Jul 6, 2007)

Sure would be nice if every client was as dedicated as you!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 6, 2007)

Double D said:


> Sure would be nice if every client was as dedicated as you!



Man if you were in Orlando, I'd gladly use your services in a few months (I think my trainer is leaving the company around the end of the summer)  !


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## Double D (Jul 6, 2007)

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will find someone who is equal to the guy you got now.


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## tallcall (Jul 6, 2007)

Double D said:


> Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will find someone who is equal to the guy you got now.



There are some pretty good people there, and he is planning to bring in a good friend of his (also certified I believe). I've had the misfortune of having the twwo worst trainers at one time. You know, the guys who'll have you do flat bench, then decline bench, then incline bench, followed by dumbbell flys incline flat and decline. And they do it the same way every week. They were both fired, so I have some faith in the new management at least. I think they got rid of most of the uncertified trainers or are putting them through the process of becoming certified.


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## Double D (Jul 6, 2007)

I know some trainers who are certified and stil train people like crap so just be careful.


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## goob (Jul 7, 2007)

Good work tallcall. 1 hour + cardio is pretty hardcore. I like the way you switched machines for it all, rather than stat on one thing.  gj.


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## tallcall (Jul 7, 2007)

goob said:


> Good work tallcall. 1 hour + cardio is pretty hardcore. I like the way you switched machines for it all, rather than stat on one thing.  gj.



Thanks, it really wore me out. I got to keep adding the stairmaster in and increasing the duration of the exercise to really be able to use it to its full potential (just 10 minutes on it is enough to gas me... for now... ).


----------



## tallcall (Jul 7, 2007)

*7/07/07 - lucky 7*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*

*RI = 60-120 seconds*

*DB Military Press:*

35'sx10
40'sx6
45'sx1 PR (not much, but I say it is the equivalent of pressing 90 pounds which is just about what I can bench right now, so it's all good really)
35'sx10

*Superset:
DB Front Raises/DB Side Raises:*

20'sx5/20'sx10
20'sx5/20'sx10
20'sx6/20'sx10 PR. I see this as a record because the other raises I've been doing were on a cable machine which was allievating 30% of the weight (that is what my trainer told me). 20 pounds is equal to about 60 on the machine, so I was raising 40 pounds in raw weight but the machine would have seen that as around 100 or 120 pounds total, and that is better than I have done in the past. 

*Shrugs:*

270x10
300x10
320x8 PR
330x8 PR 

*Rear Delt Cable Crossovers:*

60'sx10
80'sx10
100'sx4 PR
100'sx4 PR 

*Rear Delt Row (Machine):*

110x10 (= to two 30's)
120x10 (= to two 40's)
130x8 (= to two 45's) PR
130x8 (= to two 45's) PR 

*Cardio - 55 minutes SS*     

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr = 110, max hr = 150, level 9 of 10).

10 Minutes on a stairmaster (min hr = 106, max = 150, level 4-7 - mostly on level 4 though).

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr = 117, max hr = 155, level = 5). I kept my heart rate at 150 for the entire time only spiking once.

20 minutes on a treadmill (min hr = 126, max hr = 155, incline = 8.0, speed = 3.5 at all times).

I had a very good time, I'm a little upset about the presses, but I think they'll be better next time, still 90 pounds (total) is right about what I'm comfortable benching - isn't that wierd?).

Shrugs are just massive right now, time to put more emphasis on the Military press and Shoulder press. I almost opted to do some Supine rows, never done them before, but I was watching someone do them and they looked pretty good.

It's hard to compare machines to freeweights so I did my best in converting for my own records (I think I'm pretty close). Those front raises are always harder for me than the side raises (not sure why).

Oh well good day again, so tired...


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## goob (Jul 8, 2007)

Looking pretty good.  You keep on improving TC.  Sure ain't flinching - a weight session followed by 55 mins of various cardio.


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## tallcall (Jul 8, 2007)

goob said:


> Looking pretty good.  You keep on improving TC.  Sure ain't flinching - a weight session followed by 55 mins of various cardio.



Well, those first 5 minutes were before everything else as a warm-up. I always count my warm-up and cool-down as part of my over-all cardio time. 

Yeah it is tough to follow a weight session with an hour of cardio, but I like to do it, mostly to tire myself out and to have some fun. 

Anyways, thank you for the support and kind words man, it's really appreciated!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 8, 2007)

*7/08/07*

*Sunday:

Arms and Abs:*

*Dips: RI = 120*

180x5
190x5
200x4 PR (yay I got 200 finally )
I attempted 210, but failed on the first rep.


RI = 60 for everything else.

*Superset:
EZ Skull Crusher/EZ 21's:*

30x10/30x21
30x10/30x21
40x10/40x21 PR

*Superset:
Cable Pressdown forward,reverse/WG Cable Curls:*

60x10,10/100x10
80x10,10/110x10
100x10,10/120x10 PR
100x10,10/120x10 PR

*Planks:*

BWx:60
BWx:60

*Superset:
Cross Knee Crunch/Vertical Lying Leg Thrust:*

BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10

*Cardio: 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr = 100, max hr = 145 on level 9 of 10).

10 minutes on a Stairmaster HIIT (min hr = 100, max hr = 155, min level = 3, max level = 11, spent most time on 5-7, intervals were 60 up and 120 down - 3 bouts).

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT (min hr = 116, max = 165, min level = 6, max level = 12, intervals were 60 seconds up and 120 seconds down - 3 bouts).

5 Minutes on a treadmill (min hr = 120, max hr = 140, min level = 0, min speed = 1.5, max level = 0, max speed = 3.5 - This was just a cool down).

This was the best arms day I've had in a while, the old program was getting stale. My trainer recommended moving the Dips to the top spot and doing them first (I don't know why I didn't do this before, I always try to put the compound exercises first).

Everything worked really well, and I got the records I was after. I say about 10 more weeks until I put up 300 pounds on those dips (efforting to get to 300+ pounds - my body weight - even if it is just one rep, it is good enough).

I haven't done EZ Bar Skull Crushers in a while, these were refreshing, as were the 21's. Throwing in the cable superset was a nice addition as well, I made a lot of improvements since I last did them about a month and a half ago. I think I'll use this program for a little while.

The cardio felt fine, got gassed a little quicker than normal. I blame the stairmaster, I just have to give it time like I did the treadmill (that took a long time because my shins and knees always got sore halfway through the session, I still have sore knees afterward, but nothing as bad as before).


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## Double D (Jul 9, 2007)

Your doing really well. I believe with your size, you will be one of the strongest guys on here in the next 2 years!


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## tallcall (Jul 9, 2007)

Aww, thanks man! I hope everything goes well with everything you've got going on right now, Softball tourny, new baby, new job, and all!!


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## Double D (Jul 9, 2007)

Haha.....me to! Thanks buddy.


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## DOMS (Jul 9, 2007)

Double D said:


> Your doing really well. I believe with your size, you will be one of the strongest guys on here in the next 2 years!



I second this! 

Solid workout, man!


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## tallcall (Jul 9, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I second this!
> 
> Solid workout, man!



DOMS, your back! how has everything been?


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## DOMS (Jul 9, 2007)

tallcall said:


> DOMS, your back! how has everything been?



Great!

I had a shitload of fun in L.A.  I'm 100% relaxed and feeling great!

I so gonna move back to L.A.


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## tallcall (Jul 9, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Great!
> 
> I had a shitload of fun in L.A.  I'm 100% relaxed and feeling great!
> 
> I so gonna move back to L.A.



Going back to live with all the Mexicans?


----------



## DOMS (Jul 9, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Going back to live with all the Mexicans?



Going back to kill the Mexicans.  

No, I'm going to live in an affluent neighborhood.  The better the neighborhood, the less Mexicans there are.  For example, if you go into Santa Monica, less than 5% of the people that you see on the streets are Mexicans.  They can't afford to shop there, much less live there.

My home town of Burbank has less than 25% Mexicans.  That number drops when you go east of the 5 freeway.  I'd guess that it's as low as 5%.

If you're going to live in L.A., you just need to know where to live and be at least somewhat affluent.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 10, 2007)

*7/10/07 Weigh in*

It's that time again.

This weeks numbers: (Weighed each week on Tuesday and compared to previous weeks numbers)

*Weight = 305.5, down from 308 last week*
* 
Body Fat % = ~13.6, down from ~14.6* 

Stomach and waist stayed the same at 40.5 inches

Chest stayed the same at 48 inches

*Shoulders = 56.5 inches, up from 56 inches last week*  

*Neck = 21 inches, up from 20 inches* (to be honest, this one keeps fluctuating between the two so I don't count on this one too much)

*Biceps = 17.5 inches, up from 17 inches (stayed there for the longest time)*  

Calves have been at 19 inches forever now, I don't expect them to change in the near future

*Estimated Lean Body Mass = 263.76 pounds, up .78 pounds from last week (262.98 pounds)* 

*Estimated Body Fat weight = 41.76 pounds, down 3.24 pounds from last week (45 pounds)* 

 

Notes:

I feel great about these numbers, I gained about 3/4 pounds in muscle mass and lost 3 1/4 pounds of fat. I feel faster and stronger. As a side note I can feel my abdominal wall through only a moderate (as opposed to a very thick) layer of fat, I'm getting close!

I am most impressed with the gains I've been making around my shoulders lately, up about 0.5 inches every week so far. I am also happy that I have finally seem a gain in the biceps, I have been working at that for the better part of two months now (they are just coming along very slowly). 

Oh well, today's another leg day, I get to go in for an hour. I'll possibly do an all body workout today, but I think a vast majority of my time will be spent on legs, squats, deads, lunges, leg presses. I'm hoping for some upper body work as well since I will not have a trainer on Thursday (he's going out of town). I'd like to do some chest work with him, it seems to be the slowest to develop right now (still benching 125 max, I'd like to get that number up a lot, I'm aiming for something much closer to 150 within the month).


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## Double D (Jul 10, 2007)

I am impressed to say the least! You are one big guy! Our arms and chest are very close in size!


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## goob (Jul 10, 2007)

Double D said:


> I am impressed to say the least! You are one big guy! Our arms and chest are very close in size!


 
I know!  With that size, and the right training/ eating, your potential is mega.  Think Kelju, and DD.


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## tallcall (Jul 10, 2007)

I'm definitely  aiming for something near what Double D is able to accomplish, besides both of you guys are doing great as well.


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## tallcall (Jul 10, 2007)

*7/10/07*

*Tuesday*

*Legs: RI = 90-120*

Total weight time = 65 minutes (double training session because he has to be in Atlanta on Thursday - my other training day with him)

*Superset:
Leg Curls/Hip Adduction:*

55x15/75x20
80x15/95x20
110x12/110x15 PR 
- I accidentally used too much force lifting on that last set of leg curls, that I threw the weight  stack up - I had full control of it on the way down, but I guess I just didn't know my own strength  

*Deadlift: Traditional Style*

135x10
185x10
225x6
250x~8 PR - We kind of lost count and my form was a little off on the 225, so my trainer was talking me through this one so I would get it right the first time (he lets me get away with nothing!)  

*Smith Squat:* - I'm only listing the weight I put on the bar since the machine assists a lot.

90x12
140x10
180x10
230x8 PR - I know it is more like 200 pounds without the assistance, but great none the less  

*Leg Extension Single*

Left leg 50x10
Right leg 50x10
*Supersetted in a dropset style:*
Left leg 50x10/30x10
Right leg 50x10/30x10

*Leg Extension Dual:*

90x12
90x15

*Cardio: 21 minutes SS*

8 minutes warm up on a stairmaster (min hr = 120, max hr = 150, min level = 4, max level = 7). Done before training session to serve as warmup and strech for my legs - Double step with forward lunge, calf raises off of each step, and a lot of side steps at level 7 (My trainer and I were both warming up together, and I know he wasn't going to let me settle for anything less, so I decided to put everything I had into that machine and do well).

13 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr = 130, max hr = 150, level = 0). This was after the training session, so I didn't want to push my legs too far.

I had a awesome time today and I'm sure my body will be in some pain for the next 5 or 6 days because of it, I was loving every second of it. Got to watch some people nearly kill themselves squatting way too much weight, we saw these people struggling a little and suggested that they reduce the weight and try to come parallel but they ignored us (proof that rule 285 is always in effect - "no good deed goes unpunished" - Ferengi Rule of Acquisition # 285  ). I guess I generated a bit of a crowd doing my deadlifts, especially the 250's, because at least 5 or 6 people were starting to circle (thanks for the added pressure, I have to admit it felt awesome though)!

We decided to stick to using Smith machines for now and will probably squat with an empty free weight bar next week. I expressed my concerns and mentioned some of the issues I felt that I was having last time with the Tourettes, and he suggested that I just do most of my work with the assistance of the Smith but that we also make the attempt to add in the free weight bar (I'm always up for this kind of challenge, so it was just fine by me).

Cheated a little today, ben and jerrys - I deserve it for what I'm about to go through this week (I'm expecting the pain starting tomorrow and probably subsiding Sunday - it always seems to last about 5 days). Can't complain though, it will all be worth it in the end!


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## BigDyl (Jul 10, 2007)

Not to let your hopes down, but your arms are most definetly longer than mine, and I have long ass arms that makes my pressing movements suck.  The advantage is your should end up with a good deadlift like myself.


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## tallcall (Jul 11, 2007)

BigDyl said:


> Not to let your hopes down, but your arms are most definetly longer than mine, and I have long ass arms that makes my pressing movements suck.  The advantage is your should end up with a good deadlift like myself.



Yeah, cause we're awesome!

My goals are to Deadlift, Dip, and Squat (even if it's on a Smith machine) my own bodyweight, 300 pounds, by the end of the summer (end of August). As I said before, I'd also like to get my bench press to about 150 by the end of the month. I'm pretty close on those Deadlifts, and the Dips and Squats should be there in about 10 weeks or so. I keep getting that "I'm the king of the world" feeling!


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## Double D (Jul 11, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I'm definitely  aiming for something near what Double D is able to accomplish, besides both of you guys are doing great as well.



With your size your numbers will crush mine one day!


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## tallcall (Jul 11, 2007)

Double D said:


> With your size your numbers will crush mine one day!



See, this is why you need to come to Orlando, so we can train together!


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## Double D (Jul 11, 2007)

Haha.....if I didnt get the job that I am starting soon I was thinking about moving to Florida.


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## tallcall (Jul 11, 2007)

Double D said:


> Haha.....if I didnt get the job that I am starting soon I was thinking about moving to Florida.



LOL - Darn, it would've been fun. I hope you have fun at the new place!


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## DOMS (Jul 12, 2007)

How's it going, man?

And I have a video for you. 






YouTube Video


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## tallcall (Jul 12, 2007)

*7/12/07*

*Thursday:

Chest and Back:*

*Superset:
Incline DB Fly/ Incline DB Press:  RI - 120*

30'sx7/40'sx8
30'sx6/40'sx6
30'sx7/45'sx4 PR 

*Cable Rows: RI - 60*

105x10
115x10
165x6 PR 

*Lat Pulldown:*

120x8
120x8
150x5 PR 

*Back Extension (machine):*

170x12
190x12
230x8
Dropset 290x1, 250x6, 190x10 PR 

Cardio - 50 minutes

5 minute warmup on a Rowing machine (min hr = 100, max hr = 150, lv 9).

20 minutes on a stairmaster (min hr = 90, max hr = 159, min level = 4, max level = 7). I spent most of the time on level 6 or 7 at about 145-155 bpm.

12 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr = 110, max hr = 162, level 4). Most of the time I was at 155-160 bpm.

13 minutes on a Treadmill (min hr = 116, max hr = 160, inclines 10-15, speeds 2.0-3.5) Spend most time at incline 15 and 150-160 bpm.

Great day, my flys were a little out of form. I think it was all pretty good, my right shoulder was still a little sore from Tuesday, but nothing that was going to prevent me from doing most of these exercises (flys were a lot harder because of the shoulder though). I'm happy with the presses (DB presses are more interesting for me because of the need for complete control in each arm to stabilize them. My back extensions were awesome, I almost got the whole stack, I know they are not really used much for strength, but I thought I'd give it a try.


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## goob (Jul 12, 2007)

Cool workout TC!


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## DOMS (Jul 12, 2007)

Nice job on the PRs, man!

BTW, what are you RIs and tempo?


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## tallcall (Jul 12, 2007)

*Goob:* Thanks man, I'm always having fun with the cardio when my legs are feeling up to the task. Today was a good day.

*DOMS: *Thanks. I don't usually write all that down, but usually my rest intervals are 60 seconds, up to 120 seconds for what I consider tougher lifts   (benching is a lot harder for me, so I give myself about 90-120 seconds between sets). I usually shoot up for a second, hold for about a second and come down for 3-5 seconds on the bench. Most of the other lifts are about 3 seconds up, hold for 1 or 2 seconds, then 3 seconds down with a rest interval of 60 seconds.


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## tallcall (Jul 12, 2007)

DOMS said:


> How's it going, man?
> 
> And I have a video for you.
> 
> ...



Oh! Stupid cheapo upgrades I bought don't allow me to do those cool transformations. I want to mutate into a giant human eating slug alien!


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## tallcall (Jul 13, 2007)

*7/13/07*

*Friday the 13th*

*Abs and Cardio:*

First, I hate spending much time on abs, since they are worked in most of the compound lifts I do anyways - I just see no need to spend a day on them (calves are another thing I can't stand to work because they are too easy and are used in almost every leg exercise I do).

That being said all I did today was some Torso Rotations (Machine):

130x10
140x10
150x8
205 (the entire stack)x8 PR - not that I really care, it was too easy for me.
170x5
130x8
110x10


Cardio: 52 minutes

5 minute warmup on a rowing machine at level 9 (min hr = 87, max hr = 150).

20 minutes HIIT on a stairmaster (min hr = 103, max hr = 160, levels 3-10, for 60/60 for 5 bouts and 60/120 for 3 bouts). 

15 minutes SS on an Elliptical Trainer (min hr = 119, max hr = 155, levels 1-4, keeping heart rate between 140 and 150).

12 minutes on a treadmill (min hr = 110, max hr = 150, speed = 2.8-3.5 and incline = 5.0-15.0, keeping my heart rate between 135 and 145).

Great cardio day! I wanted to do a different ab workout, but all the mats were taken as were all the cable stations (no cable crunches). Also, does anyone know how to do a Downward Facing Dog? I've heard a lot about it and wanted to give it a try (I love planks and would like to add more of these Yoga exercises into my routine).


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## tallcall (Jul 14, 2007)

*7/14/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*

*DB Military Press: RI = 120*

40'sx6
40'sx5
40'sx6
40'sx4
 
**That sucked, I have to fix this somehow**

RI = 60
*Superset:
DB Front Raises/DB Lateral Raise:*

25'sx6/25'sx10 PR
25'sx5/25'sx10 PR
25'sx5/25'sx10 PR  

*Shrugs:*

310x10
330x10
360x8 PR
410x5 PR 

*Cable Row with trap grip attachment:*

135x10
155x10
180x5 PR
200x5 PR - Limited ROM 

*Rear Delt Cable Row:*

I couldn't really tell what the weights were on this machine, it only gave me numbers 1-15 (I think), I started at number 8 and ended on number 10 - so here is what I think I rowed converted to pounds:

~80x10
~110x9 
~110x9 Could be a record if I knew for sure what I was pulling  

*Upright Row:*

Because I was angry at the other machine, I moved to another that atleast listed the weights, but had a lighter-heavier setting that changed the tension on the pulleys so I'll list them as heavy and light.

Light setting:
90x10 - too easy, moving to heavy setting.

Heavy setting:
60x10
80x4 
80x4 These felt like records, another instance where if I had the exact weights I could be sure 
*
Cable Face Pulls with rope attachment:*

I've never done these before, so this was all a personal best.

100x10
120x10
150x9 PR  

*Cardio = 53 minutes SS/HIT*   

5 min warmup on row machine (min hr = 95, max hr = 160, level = 9).

15 minutes on a stairmaster (min hr - 96, max hr - 151, level - 4).

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 111, max hr - 165, level - 5). I just stayed between 160 and 165 for about 8 minutes straight, I think that qualifies as being at a high intensity for me.

13 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 118, max hr - 160, min incline - 7, max incline - 15, min speed - 2.8, max speed - 4.0)

All in all a very good day. I wish my presses would have been better, all of my pulling movements are great, all my presses suck (comparatively speaking).

I don't know why I love those shrugs so much, I caught a lot of people starring when I put 4 plates and a quarter on each side! God those rows all felt great too, unfortunately I don't really know what I was lifting (those companies really need to give actual weights and not random numbers or tension settings - ).

I feel like I really tore deep into myself today, definitely a good day.

Cardio was great as well, really let the animal out of the cage this time (love listening to Disturbed - Voices and Violence - made me just angry enough to push all my limits)!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 15, 2007)

*7/15/07*

*Sunday*

*Arms and Abs:*

*Machine Dips: RI = 120*

190x5
200x4
210x4 PR
220x3 PR


*Superset:
Skull Crusher (EZ Bar)/21's: RI = 60
*

50x8/50x21
50x8/50x21
50x8/50x21 PR

*Superset:
Cable Pressdown Forward/Reverse/Cable Crunch/Cable Curls - Rope Attachment: RI = 45 *

80x10/80x10/100x10/110x10
100x10/100x10/150x10/120x10
110x10/110x10/250 (Stack)x8/140x8
110x10/110x8/250 (Stack)x8/140x8 PRs

*Torso Rotations: RI = 60*

150x8
205 (Stack)x8
205 (Stack)x8

*Cardio = 33 minutes HIIT*

5 min warmup on Rowing machine - as usual - (min hr = 95, max hr = 155, level 9).

10 minutes HIT on a stairmaster (min hr = 100, max hr = 160, min level = 4, max level = 10, 3 bouts, 60/120).

10 minutes on a Elliptical Trainer HIT (min hr = 122, max hr = 168, min level = 5, max level = 11, 5 bouts, 60/60).

8 minutes on a Treadmill (min hr = 110, max hr = 170, min incline = 5.0, max incline = 15.0, min speed = 3.0 mph, max speed = *5.0 mph - held for 15 seconds PR*). 

Awesome day, I got two records on my Dips today, getting closer to 300 pounds on them! Everything was working pretty damn smooth today. Also, I got a huge superset on the cables today - which is also awesome!

Cardio was another personal best, the 5 mph sprint was the fastest I've ever gone on the treadmill (15 seconds isn't that much, but next time I'll try for a minute at a time)! 

Skull Crushers felt a little dodgey, but they were ok (couldn't get the 40 pound bar, so I just stuck with the 50 pounder for all my sets).

The cable crunches were cool, my first time doing them and I was able to lift the entire stack (The Animal Is Out-Of-The-Cage!!).


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## Double D (Jul 16, 2007)

I foresee pr's for the next year!


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## tallcall (Jul 16, 2007)

Double D said:


> I foresee pr's for the next year!



Oh I intend to be cranking out records for a long time. Just out of curiosity, how do you improve on shoulder/military presses? I think it is kind of interesting that all my lower pushes and pulls are great, all my upper pulls are fine, but my upper pushes are not so nice.


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## tallcall (Jul 17, 2007)

*Weigh in 7/17/07*

It's that time again.

Weight = 302 - down 3.5 pounds from last week.

Stomach is at 39.5 inches - down 1 inch from last week.

Chest is still at 48 inches.

Shoulders lost 0.5 inches from last week  .

Neck lost 0.5 inches from last week.

Biceps stayed at 17.5 inches and feel a lot harder now.

Calves stayed at 19 inches and also feel much harder.

My Estimated Body Fat percentage is 12.7% down 0.9% from last week.

Lean Body Mass - 263.65 which is down 0.11 pounds from last week (that's where my shoulder went).

Estimated body fat weight is 38.35 pounds, down 3.41 pounds from 41.76 last week.




 I lost a little LBM, but also lost 3.5 pounds of fat, so all in all, not too bad!


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## fufu (Jul 17, 2007)

^ good stuff


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## tallcall (Jul 17, 2007)

fufu said:


> ^ good stuff



Thanks for the support man! I was a little disappointed with the slight muscle loss, but my body tends to take from one place one week, then add to another place the next week.


----------



## fufu (Jul 17, 2007)

Yeah, that will often happen when on a cut, but you are doing great cutting and setting alot of PR's and maintaining most of your muscle.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 17, 2007)

fufu said:


> Yeah, that will often happen when on a cut, but you are doing great cutting and setting alot of PR's and maintaining most of your muscle.



The strange thing is that I'm actually adding muscle weight too. When I started I had a lbm of about 250 pounds, now I'm up to almost 264 while my fat levels have slid down about 20 pounds


----------



## tallcall (Jul 17, 2007)

*7/17/07*

*Tuesday

Legs: RI - about 120 seconds or whenever my hr dropped below 8 million  *

*Superset:
Hip Abduction/Adduction:*

80x30/80x30
90x30/90x30

I was asked to do these while an older woman finished her session, so I got them done quickly to warm up.

Superset:
Front Squat Smith Machine/DB Straight Legged Deadlift:

90x12/25'sx12
140x10/35'sx12
180x10/35'sx12
250x6/35'sx12 - reduced time between reps for the deadlifts. PR  

*Leg Press: Dropsets*

Drop set starting at a weight of 360 down to 180 for a total of 20 reps.

Drop set starting at a weight of 405 down to 225 for a total of 20 reps. PR  
* I consider this a record because of the 20 rep drop set accomplished *

Cardio - 23 minutes SS

13 minutes on the Stairmaster to warm up and bring my hr up (min hr - 75, max hr - 160 at level 7). I did two steps, side steps and calf raises off each step at a high speed to hit two birds with one stone (warm up legs and get in some cardio time).

10 minutes on the Stairmaster at the end of my leg session (min hr - 133, max hr - 151, level - 5, just did not want to push them that much today).

Today was awesome, I did much better on my SLDL's that last time (about 3 weeks ago I think) - more weight and a lot more reps. I was also pleased with the Squats, they were tied with last weeks record, but great none the less. When we were going on to the Leg press, my trainer wanted me to throw 3 plates on my side, I told him I did 4 last time I was on the machine and would like to start at 4 (I knew I could put up to 450 pounds on it and still be fine, should have gone for it, next time). Dropsets were awesome, very draining and difficult especially after the deadlifts and squats. 

The cardio was great, I'm def getting used to the Stairmaster for longer periods of time - feels more natural now, just took some time.

My legs are a little wobbly now. Going to have a little cheat meal tonight to treat my body nice (big bowl of Ice cream!)


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## Double D (Jul 18, 2007)

Thats the best thing you can do is try to shorten the time and see what you can do! I saw where you said you reduced rest time and knocked out a pr.....thats impressive!


----------



## DOMS (Jul 18, 2007)

Great workout!

Wait until you get to do a dropset of Back Squats.  It'll feel like you're about to throw-up your colon.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 18, 2007)

Can back squats be done on a smith machine? I think I know what you're talking about, but I can't remember for sure. I usually squat with feet together or just wider than shoulder width apart.


----------



## DOMS (Jul 18, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Can back squats be done on a smith machine? I think I know what you're talking about, but I can't remember for sure. I usually squat with feet together or just wider than shoulder width apart.


You're thinking of sumo vs. standard.  That's foot placement and grip.

Back Squats are where you rest the bar on your back, versus holding it in front of your during Front Squats.

And yes, you can do Back Squats on a Smith machine, but free weights are much better.


----------



## Double D (Jul 18, 2007)

Smith machine (depending on what you use) really can teach poor form. You have to go along the plane it sets for you and lots of times teaches bad things.


----------



## Double D (Jul 18, 2007)

If I was to do drop sets with squats I would use DB or something. Or a squat rack would work well.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 18, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You're thinking of sumo vs. standard.  That's foot placement and grip.
> 
> Back Squats are where you rest the bar on your back, versus holding it in front of your during Front Squats.
> 
> And yes, you can do Back Squats on a Smith machine, but free weights are much better.



I've been told to just use the Smith due to problems with my Tourette Syndrome and the possibility of jerking my neck everywhere during the lift (possibly falling face first with the bar. I have been doing back squats the whole time with the machine, I was told to call it a front squat even though the bar was behind me. Maybe he misspoke, either way, I like them and am looking forward to 275 within the month, getting to 300 pound deadlifts by then too I think!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 18, 2007)

Double D said:


> If I was to do drop sets with squats I would use DB or something. Or a squat rack would work well.



I tried the rack squats before, nearly did some damage, couldn't balance and nearly fell forward because of the tourettes syndrome (it's just something I have to deal with, and maybe I'll just have to rely on the smith for a while longer). I'm open to the idea of just doing the bar with no weight, and getting used to it, but I usually cannot stop twitching my neck (not a big problem with deadlifts for some reason, I guess I just have a lot better focus and control of my actions?).


----------



## Double D (Jul 18, 2007)

Awww yes I forgot about that. What about using DB's?


----------



## tallcall (Jul 18, 2007)

Double D said:


> Awww yes I forgot about that. What about using DB's?



I've done that before with no issues, 30 minutes isn't enough time with him on leg days, too much to do. At least I can say that those combinations we did yesterday were very solid, I think I could have had a little more weight on the squat and SLDL, but I'll save that for next time.


----------



## Double D (Jul 18, 2007)

I would do 2 leg days a week

One ham dominant and one quad dominant


----------



## tallcall (Jul 18, 2007)

Double D said:


> I would do 2 leg days a week
> 
> One ham dominant and one quad dominant



Maybe I'll do that later on, right now, I like the program, still need his help with both upper and lower body (both sessions used up already, for now, I like to rotate them every now and then).


----------



## tallcall (Jul 19, 2007)

*7/19/07*

*Thursday: RI - 45 seconds

Chest and Back

Incline BB Bench Press:*

75x10
95x10
115x8
115x6 PR (Reps increased and no assistance)   

*Incline Fly:*

15x12
20x12
25x12 PR (Same as above) 

*Serrates Pull - Cable (Lat Pull):*

40x12
50x10
60x9

*Lat Pulldown:*

135x10
150x7
150x7 PR (More reps)  
90x20 PR (Light weight, but more reps)

Cardio: 57 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 110, max hr - 167, level 9)

20 minutes on a Stairmaster (min hr - 114, max hr - 158, level 7)

20 minutes on an Elliptical (min hr - 134, max hr - 160, level 5)

12 minutes on a Treadmill (min hr - 127, max hr - 160, min incline - 6.0, max incline - 15.0, min speed - 2.8, max speed - 3.8).

Today was Awesome again. My recovery time has greatly improved, not in any pain from last Tuesday's leg workout, had a little stiffness though, but nothing major. I am very happy with the Bench press today, I was much more comfortable hitting 8 reps at 115 (usually that last rep has to be assisted, but today I was completely under my own power)! I'm throwing in a few back exercises on my shoulder day to help with the bench press as well (thanks DD!).

The Cardio went smooth as well, easily handeling 20 minutes on the stair machine (usually have a hard time with 15 minutes, now at a higher level and more time!). Another great day!


----------



## Double D (Jul 19, 2007)

PR's like normal. Ho hum.....nice work.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 19, 2007)

Double D said:


> PR's like normal. Ho hum.....nice work.



Thanks man, those back exercises really helped improve everything else.


----------



## goob (Jul 20, 2007)

Keep it up TC, Improving each workout, you'll be kicking our assess soon enough....


----------



## DOMS (Jul 20, 2007)

Solid workout, man!

You've earned an old advert:


----------



## goob (Jul 20, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Solid workout, man!
> 
> You've earned an old advert:


 

  So wrong....but,......


----------



## DOMS (Jul 20, 2007)

You want "wrong"?  Here's wrong:






YouTube Video


----------



## tallcall (Jul 20, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You want "wrong"?  Here's wrong:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The morale of the story is that we all must get AYDS!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 20, 2007)

*7/20/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Cardio:*

*Ab Roll out:*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Supermans:*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Planks:*

BW/ :60
BW/ :60
BW/ :60

*Leg Raises:*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Cardio - 60 minutes (20 minute HIIT, 40 minute SS)

5 minute warmup on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 110, max hr - 150, level 0).

20 minutes on elliptical trainer HIIT (starting hr - 116, min hr - 140, max hr - 168, min level - 5, max level - 11, 10 bouts at 60/60).

20 minutes on a recumbent bike SS (min hr - 112, max hr - 144, min level - 12, max level - 15).

15 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 113, max hr - 160, min incline - 4.0, max incline - 15.0, min speed - 2.5, max speed - 5.0 - at 30 seconds this time - PR)  

I had a little fun today, I still don't like devoting much time to ab training (I don't know why, just being quirky I guess).

I wanted a stairmaster for the HIIT session, but they were all being used. I am very happy with my personal speed/time record on the treadmill!!

I felt a little tired today, but I got through everything fine.

Someone here kept arguing with me about my diet and training program. I went over the diet with them and mathematically proved that my current diet is working fine, that 2 pounds cut a week is healthy and any more might not be so great for me. I eat between 2880 calories and 3200 calories a day depending on if it is a training day or not. They kept arguing abput my training program too saying I should not lift so much weight, that they worry about my knees carrying the added weight and my lower back (I have no back or knee problems at all). I tried to explain that Deadlifts and Squats help improve posture (lower back) and can possibly help the knees too. Everybody here keeps telling me that I need to scale back and not do so much, that I need to do a lot more cardio each week (I do about 3.5 hours a week, any more and I risk losing muscle and strength).  I told them all where to go (please bear in mind that there are members of my immediate family saying all of this, everyone I work with and all my friends say otherwise - and I work with a former Army guy!). 

    I can't believe that I just can't get anyone around me to just say something positive (so much negative criticism), or to tell me I'm doing a good job, or just give me some support. This is really driving me insane, I can't seem to do anything right for them, or maybe they just hate everything I do, maybe they just hate me (I don't know anymore, I don't think that is true, or I don't want to think that is true). It's not all bad though, at least I can talk to my friends about it and get some positive feedback from them, and of course you guys! Thank you all!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 21, 2007)

*7/21/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*

*DB Military Press: RI = 60*

20'sx10
25'sx10
30'sx10 PR - More reps than I've done before at a moderate weight.  

*Superset:
DB Front Raise/DB Lateral Raise: RI = 60*

25'sx7/25'sx10
25'sx7/25'sx10
25'sx7 PR - Again more reps/25'sx10  

*Machine Shrugs (Hammer Strength CAT 100): RI = 120*

360x10
410x7
450x4 PR   
450x1 - Failure

*Superset:
Rear Delt Cable Row/Cable Lateral Row: RI = 60*

100x10/155x10
125x8/185x8
125x8/200x8
125x8/225x8 (form was a little off) Big PR : 

*Superset:
Face Pulls/Upright Rows: RI = ~60*

120x10/60x10
150x10/100x10
160x10/150x10 PR  

Cardio - 55 minutes (20 min HIIT, 35 minutes SS)

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 90, max hr - 152, level 9)

20 minutes on a Stairmaster HIIT (min hr - 104, max hr - 162, min level - 4, max level - 11, ~6 bouts at 60/120)

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (min hr - 125, max hr - 155, level - 5)

10 minutes on a Treadmill (min hr - 115, max hr - 150, incline - 8.0, min speed - 3.0, max speed - 3.8)

Today was fine, I reduced the weight on the presses to allow me to get in at least 8-10 reps per set and was able to quickly progress up to 30 pound dumbbells. I should have done the front and side raises lighter (maybe around 20 pounds next time), but I still got more reps out of them.

I love my shrugs, I felt a little weak on them today, but I am a powerhouse with them, today I got the machine's max of 5 plates on each side (450 pounds) to failure (I didn't intend on going to failure, but you know stuff happens sometimes).

All the rows today were awesome for me especially the lateral rows (225 pounds for 6 reps is wonderful - almost did 250  ). I also did a lot better on the face pulls.

The cardio was ok, I was still a bit tired from yesterday's HIIT session, maybe I should have saved this one for tomorrow and just done some solid state stuff. Either was it was fine, I'm still getting used to the HIIT on the Stairmaster (I just keep telling myself that it takes time and that 60 seconds up/120 seconds down is not bad for starting out).

All in all, I feel great, I feel it all in my back and shoulders right where it should be!


----------



## fufu (Jul 21, 2007)

you just keep reeling those PRs and Ill keep sending you those buns of steel dvds.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 21, 2007)

fufu said:


> you just keep reeling those PRs and Ill keep sending you those buns of steel dvds.



That reminds me, I never got that first shipment. And by buns of steel, do you mean Andrew, BigDyl, or you? Any one is fine by me!


----------



## katt (Jul 21, 2007)

That's some serious weight on the shrugs!!  Nice!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 22, 2007)

katt said:


> That's some serious weight on the shrugs!!  Nice!



I love the fact that I hit the machines maximum limit!   

My body is letting me hear about it today though, abs are in a little pain from Friday (I think it was the roll outs), and I feel everything in my upper back tingling/burning.


----------



## goob (Jul 22, 2007)

Good job TC.  Could you also be fufu in disguise with all those PR's???

He gets around y'know.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 22, 2007)

goob said:


> He gets around y'know.



Tell me about it, first Andrew, then BigDyl, then Sean, now me.   

Just kidding Fufu! But you know I'll be here for you when Andrew and Sean leave. There's always room for BigDyl though!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 22, 2007)

*7/22/07*

*Sunday:

Arms and Abs:*

*Machine Dips: RI = 120*

210x5
220x4
230x4 PR  
240x0 - Miss

*Supersets:
EZ Bar Skull Crushers/21's: RI = 60*

50x8/50x21
50x10/50x21
60x6/60x21 PR  

*Superset:
Cable Pressdown/Cable Reverse Pressdown/Cable Curl: RI = 60*

100x10/100x10/130x10
110x10/110x10/140x10
120x10/120x10/150x8
120x10/120x8/150x8 PR  

*Cable Crunch: (I just like lifting the stack!) RI = 60*

200x10
250 (Stack)x10
250 (Stack)x10 PR - Record because of Reps  

*Superset:
Planks/Ab Rollout/Supermans: RI = 60*

BWx:60 s/BWx10/BWx10
BWx:60 s/BWx10/BWx10
BWx:60 s/BWx10/BWx10

Cardio - 25 Minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 87, max hr - 150, level 9)

20 minutes on a stairmaster (min hr - 100, max hr - 150, min level - 4, max level - 6).

Those Dips are improving each week, I decided to attempt 240, but couldn't budge it (next week) - I have to get myself up to lifting 300 pounds (my body weight).

I was impressed that I was able to get 6 reps on those Skull Crushers at 60 pounds,   they're def getting stronger. The cable superset ran smoothly, I still wish the gym would get another cable machine with all the weights labeled in pounds (not some weird number system).

My abs are really feeling a burn because of the work done today and Friday, I think those Ab rollouts are great, I easily held 60 second planks, I'm going to try to widen my feet next time.

Light cardio day because I was kind of tired from yesterday's HIIT session, legs felt kind of like lead weights today.

Tomorrow's off, going to probably head downtown for a little fun (getting to meet people in the community)! 

I'm thinking about a deep tissue massage for maybe Wednesday, what do you guys think? My legs and upper back could def use some tough love and care!


----------



## DOMS (Jul 22, 2007)

That's a nice, solid, workout!  Great job, man!


----------



## BigDyl (Jul 22, 2007)

Here's a secret tip:

Buy some Xtend or Bulk BCAA's, and sip 15 grams during your workout.  High to Mega dosing BCAA's is receiving virtually 100% positive feedback in regards to recovery and increasing strength.  I'd suggest doing this only during your workout (15-20 grams), maybe 5-10 grams on non-workout days.


This should last quite a while:

Xtend (1016 grams) By Scivation


----------



## tallcall (Jul 22, 2007)

BigDyl said:


> Here's a secret tip:
> 
> Buy some Xtend or Bulk BCAA's, and sip 15 grams during your workout.  High to Mega dosing BCAA's is receiving virtually 100% positive feedback in regards to recovery and increasing strength.  I'd suggest doing this only during your workout (15-20 grams), maybe 5-10 grams on non-workout days.
> 
> ...



See, Rapcat, I knew you liked me!  


Lol, anyways, thanks buddy!! I'll give it a try.


----------



## Double D (Jul 23, 2007)

Throwing around some serious pr's in here!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 23, 2007)

Double D said:


> Throwing around some serious pr's in here!



Yeah, I love those Rows!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 24, 2007)

*7/24/07 Weigh in*

Alright here are my numbers for this week:

Weight: 302.5 (up 0.5 from last week)  

Stomach: 38 inches (measured when sucked in and tightened, down 1.5 inches from last week)  

Waist: Same as Stomach

Chest: 48 (no change)

Shoulder: 57 (up 1 inch from last week)  

Neck: 20.5 (no change)

Biceps and Calves: 17.5 and 19 respectively (no change)

Estimated BF%: ~10% (down 2.7% from last week)  

Estimated LBM: 273.37 (up 9.72 pounds from last week)  

Estimated Body Fat Weight: 29.13 (down 9.22 pounds from last week)  

So I guess I gained a half pound of muscle and lost 1.5 inches around my waist. I kind of doubt the fat percentage is correct  , I still see a lot of room for improvement. I don't think I'm going to get much under 38 inches though. Oh well, I feel great and love these numbers!


----------



## Musclebeach (Jul 24, 2007)

Can you say fucking jacked... 10ish percent at 302. You make me feel like a scrawny little bitch!! 

Nice workouts bud and congrats on all the PRs!!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 24, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Can you say fucking jacked... 10ish percent at 302. You make me feel like a scrawny little bitch!!
> 
> Nice workouts bud and congrats on all the PRs!!



 
Thanks man!! I'm still not sure about the bf% (computer does an estimate, and it seems a bit low for how I look and feel  , either way it's all good).

By the way, you don't look like a "scrawny little bitch!" I don't think I could have done all this without the support of guys like you, BigDyl, Fufu, DD, Goob, DOMS, and on, and on, and on.......


----------



## tallcall (Jul 24, 2007)

*7/24/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs: RI - I don't remember (~120?) - we talked a lot*

*Leg Press:*

270x12
450x10
DropSet - 495x30 PR  

*Squat Jumps onto a raised step Forward/Side (L&R):*

BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BWx10 PR just because I haven't ever done these before  

*Lunges:*

BWx 10 steps

These were done between the 1st and 2nd sets of the Squat jumps. We would have done more sets, but he was much more interested in having me do those jumps.

*Back Squats*

100x10
150x8
160x8

These were done lighter since they were at the end of the session, today was press (Quad) heavy, so we didn't want to over do it. I'm going in early next Tuesday to do a slightly extended session with him (he felt bad because we ran into the 30 min deadline before we could do what we wanted to do, oh well, next week).

*Leg Curls:*

80x15
110x12
DropSet 140x15 PR  

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

10 minutes on a Stairmaster (Min hr - 80, max hr - 150, level - 6).

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 115, max hr - 148, level - 0). - I really wanted to finish the last 10 minutes on a Stairmaster, but none of them were open, oh well.

The strange thing is that I usually feel fine after leg workouts, it's just after the Cardio sessions that I get stiff sometimes, don't know why, but it all goes away within a day or so (not complaining though).

Today was great, I was very happy with the leg presses (god they were nice). Next week, we'll have more time, I expect to do mostly Deadlifts and Squats, probably throw some of those jumps in there as well.

I know he wants to have me there for an hour next week because he feels bad about today (he didn't do anything wrong, and I told him that). 30 minutes for legs and what we want to do with them, isn't enough time sometimes. 

We talked a lot, but it was good, because I like to ask him questions, and I can do some of this without help (I just like working with him to learn from him about what to do and how to do it).

By the way, he agrees that I should be taking those BCAA's, so thanks BigDyl  , he loves you for making that suggestion (he was kind of shocked when I brought that up and told me that they were absolutely a good idea)!


----------



## goob (Jul 25, 2007)

Kicking ass!!!!!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 25, 2007)

*7/25/07*

*Goob* - Hell yeah man, Kicking ass and taking names (the names are less important though)!

*Wednesday:*

*Abs and Cardio: RI = 15 seconds*

*Superset:
Ab Rollout/Supermans/Planks/Sidebends:*

BWx10/BWx10/BWx:60/BWx30
BWx15/BWx10/BWx:60/BWx30
BWx15/BWx10/BWx:60/BWx30
*
Cardio - 25 minutes SS*

5 Minutes on a Recumbent Bike (min hr - 119, max hr - 140, level 15)

20 Minutes on an Elliptical Trainer (min hr - 117, max hr - 155, level 5)

Did good today, it was a short session. I'm beginning to focus more on abs on days that I would otherwise only be doing cardio. Those roll outs (I think that's what they are called) really get me, I can really feel them stretching when I'm rolling out, feels good.


----------



## MCx2 (Jul 25, 2007)

Very nice last few workouts!!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 25, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> Very nice last few workouts!!



*Repro: *Thanks buddy! They sure felt great!

I just got back from the massage therapist today, and I feel great. He did a blend of Swedish massage and deep tissue massage. 

I asked him to focus the deep tissue massage on the legs and back, since that is where the stiffness usually is. I get some pain along the sides of my knees when I do my cardio (Illiotibial Band Friction). He knew exactly how to deal with that, I'm still a little sore there, but it feels so much better now!

Oh my god it was awesome, so nice and relaxing and still deep and hard (me likey the pain  !)

It turns out that he does a lot of strength training too, so we got to share ideas and even some meal ideas! Wow, today was great! Now it is off the the support group for gay men (my first time there, I hope it goes well).


----------



## tallcall (Jul 26, 2007)

*7/26/07*

*Thursday:

Abs/Chest/Back: RI - ~60 seconds*

*Reverse Crunch (on one of those decline benchs)/Push ups:*

BWx15/BWx6
BWx15/BWx10
BWx15/BWx10 PR (More reps than ever before) 

**During the crunches, we switched it up to be 5 crunches, followed by 5 single leg crunches (out on the side as wide as possible) per side.**

**Also, the first set of push ups was not all that great, I slipped on the 6th rep and felt a little weakness in my left arm (I sometimes get this, it is usually gone in about a week, but it really screws with the bench and flies - not nearly as much weight as I should have been doing and I still thought I was going to drop the weights).**

*Incline DB Press:*

20'sx12
25'sx10
25'sx10 PR (Reps)  

*Incline DB Flies:*

20'sx15
20'sx15
20'sx15 PR (Reps - I don't like the fact that I couldn't go heavier, but my body was telling me to go lighter)  

*Bent over Rows:*

20x15
25x15
25x15 PR (First time I've done these and the reps were high) 

*Lat Pulldowns:*

135x10
150x10
150x8
150x8 PR (Reps)  

Cardio - 62 minutes HIIT/SS   

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

20 minutes on a stairmaster HIIT [min hr - 104, max hr - 160, functional hr range - 135-160 (Intervals at ~155-160, rest at ~135-140), min level - 4, max level - 10, 5 bouts at 60 interval/120 rest - still getting used to the machine damn it].

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (min hr - 121, max hr - 152, level - 5, functional hr range - 145-152).

7 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 114, max hr - 150, incline - 8.0, speed - 3.0, functional hr - 140-150).

I'm still angry with myself about not going as heavy as I thought I should have gone. I did get PR's on everything because of increased rep ranges, but it feels hollow. I hope my arm feels better about things tomorrow, trying to go in for shoulder work tomorrow.

Cardio was awesome, I still cant work on the stairmaster without basically burning my legs out (it's funny that my hr doesn't get that high, but my legs want to give out, that's the reason for the 2 minute rests, just to recover just enough so that I can do another interval). 

I just felt very tired today, I'm thinking about skipping tomorrow, but that means going without either the arms day or the shoulder day (I don't want to skip the shoulders, so I'm going to make every effort to go tomorrow if my left arm is feeling up to it).


----------



## goob (Jul 27, 2007)

Top dog on the PR's TC. 

It's a pretty hardcore session you do - weights, then a balls out LONG cardio session.  Good stuff.


----------



## DOMS (Jul 27, 2007)

I second goob's assessment.  You do a shit-load of stuff!  You da' man!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 27, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I second goob's assessment.  You do a shit-load of stuff!  You da' man!



Aww Shucks, thanks everyone! My arm does feel better now.

I try to keep up about 3.5 hours a week of cardio and 4 hours of strength training. I've been losing about 2 pounds a week and feeling great.


----------



## Burner02 (Jul 27, 2007)

my hat's off to ya...I need toget onto that track of dropping two lbs per week...
now...if I cna capitolize on pimping out Fufu...I'd be golden!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 27, 2007)

Burner02 said:


> my hat's off to ya...I need toget onto that track of dropping two lbs per week...
> now...if I cna capitolize on pimping out Fufu...I'd be golden!



Watch it man, I heard his premium is pretty high.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 27, 2007)

*7/27/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Shoulders:*

*Superset:
Ab Rollouts/Planks/Leg Raises: RI - 15 seconds*

BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:90/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:90 PR  /BWx10

*DB Military Press: RI - 30 seconds*

20'sx10
30'sx10
35'sx9 PR (Reps)  

*Superset:
DB Front Raise/DB Side Raise: RI - 60 seconds*

15'sx15/15'sx12
15'sx15/15'sx12
20'sx10/20'sx10 PR (Reps)  

*Neutral Grip Machine Shrugs: RI - 120 seconds*

410x8 PR (Reps)  
410x7
450x4
450x4 - remember, this is the machine's maximum until I get creative and duct tape some plates and dumbbells on the ends (also known as the Fufu method)

*Superset:
Cable Rear Delt Row/Cable Trap Row: RI - 60 seconds*

120x8/180x8
135x8/150x8
150x8/195x6
150x8 PR (Reps and Weight)  /240x0 failed

*Superset:
Face Pulls/Upright Rows: RI - 60 seconds*

130x10/70x10
150x10/80x10
160x10/90x10
170x10/100x10 PR (Reps)  

Cardio - 60 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 110, max hr - 163, functional hr range was 140-150, levels 1-5).

25 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 106, max hr - 175, functional hr range was 135-145, min incline - 0.0, max incline - 12.0, min speed - 3.0, max speed - 5.5 held for 30 seconds at 0 incline PR).

Today was great, my arm felt so much better. I've been going for increased rep ranges because I've sort of stalled a bit on weight progression, especially on all the presses - getting better at the lower weights will improve my performance on higher weights anyways.

How about that record on the treadmill! That was a spur of the moment thing, I just decided to try for it while I was on the thing and I got it, might have been able to pull off 6.0, but heart rate was at 175 bpm, and I didn't want to go much higher.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 28, 2007)

*7/28/07*

*Saturday:

Abs and Arms - OK everyday is going to start with ab work.*

*Reverse Crunch on a Decline bench: RI - 20*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
*
Superset:
Planks/Supermans: RI - 60*

BWx90 seconds (wide stance)/BWx10
BWx45 seconds (narrow stance and tucked elbows close to chest)/BWx10
BWx45 seconds (same as above) PR (for difficulty)  /BWx10

*Machine Dips: RI - 120*

250x5 PR (Reps and Weight)   
260xFailed

*Superset:
Skull Crushers/21's: RI - 60*

60x8/60x21
60x8/60x21
60x8/60x21

*Superset:
Cable Pressdown Forward/Reverse/Cable Curls: RI - 60*

110x10/110x10/140x10
120x10/120x10/140x10
130x8/130x1(4)(3)/150x8
130x8/130x5(3)/160x8 PR (for weight)  

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

20 minutes on a stairmaster HIIT [Min hr - 86, max hr - 158, functional hr range was 150-155 on the intervals and 135-140 on the rests, 6 bouts at ~60/~120 (ran smoother today, so I was able to squeeze in one more interval and two intervals were 60/60!) PR  ].

7 minutes on a treadmill [min hr - 106, max hr - 175, min speed - 3.0, max speed - 5.8 held for 15 seconds (pr for speed)   , incline was set to 0.0].

Pretty good today, my right arm was bothering me a little, but nothing that would've stopped me. Kept the weight a little lighter for that reason though. I decided to just jump in and try the machine dips at 250 which is where I wanted to be today, it worked well - I'm 50 pounds away from my goal there!

I ran into my trainer today, well he ran into me when I was doing some planks, he told me to bring my legs together and drop my chest down to right above my elbows to add difficulty. I'm glad I did, because I felt that much more than the way I had been doing it 45 seconds is great for just trying it so I count it as a PR for difficulty involved)!

The cardio was fine today as well, I finally got more than 5 intervals on that damn stairmaster! I also decided to run a little max speed test on myself today to see where I stand, so I jumped on the treadmill and cranked it up to 5.8 mph and held it there for 15 seconds (doesn't say much, but it is my new maximum and it is better than any other time before).


----------



## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

*7/31/07*

Another Weigh in

Weight - 296 (down 6.5 pounds from last week) - I have no idea how that happened.

Estimated BF % - 11% (much closer to the truth and up 1% from last week).

Stomach and waist - 37.5 inches (down 0.5 inches from last week).  

Chest - Same as last week (48 inches).

Shoulder - 58 inches (+1 inch over last week).  

Neck - 19 inches (down 1.5 inches from last week).

Bi's - Same as last week (17.5 inches).

Calves - Same as last week (19 inches).

Estimated Lean Body Mass - 263.46 pounds (down 9.91 pounds from last week).  

Estimated Body Fat Weight - 32.56 (up 3.43 pounds over last week).  

I have no idea how this happened, probably a result of cutting weight. I don't trust the computer's estimations that much either. It is nice to be down a half an inch around the waist and stomach though.


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## katt (Jul 31, 2007)

Wow - all those supersets on the last workout! Those looked pretty brutal.


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## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

*7/31/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs: RI = ~60 seconds (I think)

Superset:
Lying Leg Curl/Hip Adduction:*

75x15/75x25
90x15/90x25
110x15/110x20
140x11/140x20

*Conventional Deadlift:*

135x10
225x8
285x5 PR (Weight - SO CLOSE TO 300 I CAN TASTE IT)   
*
High Steps (I don't really know the name, basically standing on a raised platform and stepping down only to lift back up before your foot hits the ground, if that helps):*

Each foot:
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Squat Press:

360x12
410x10
420x8 PR (Weight)  

*Seated Leg Curls - Single leg Only:*

50x12
70x10
80x8 PR (weight)  

*Calf Presses:*

360x12
410x10
460x10 PR (Weight and Reps)  

Cardio - 30 Min SS

6 min warmup on stairmaster before leg workout (min hr - 70, max hr - 148, level 5).

24 Min on stairmaster after leg workout (min hr - 100, max hr - 160, functional hr range was 145-155 bpm, levels 3-5).

I love those deadlifts, I am so close to body weight on those I can taste it. My trainer really liked my form on them, so he says he wants me to progress 10 pounds next week to 290-295 and possibly 305-315. I've never felt so powerful before, the thought of tearing hundreds of pounds off the floor and holding it in my hands is exhilarating!   

Everything else was great today as well, I am impressed with the weight and the reps I was able to throw around today. The cardio was fine, it's still not fair that my body wants to keep going, but my legs don't want anything to do with it, I guess that's the reason normal people generally do not do sprints on leg day (*Fufu*), I love them every other day, heck I'll probably do some Thursday as part of my interval training.


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## katt (Jul 31, 2007)

Way to PR it up there man!


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## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

katt said:


> Way to PR it up there man!



Oh yeah, I'm still trying to figure out if my weight is correct. I'll probably weigh in tomorrow morning and see if things changed much, then take an average of the two weights for this week (296 is a 6 pound loss in one week, I don't think I lost that much in a week).


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## fufu (Jul 31, 2007)

good stuff, I can remember DLing 300, great feeling. 400, even better!


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## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

fufu said:


> good stuff, I can remember DLing 300, great feeling. 400, even better!



Stop teasing me, I'm salivating for those numbers!


----------



## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

besides, didn't you forget to add a 0 to each of those (3000, and 4000)?


----------



## fufu (Jul 31, 2007)

hehehe


----------



## tallcall (Jul 31, 2007)

fufu said:


> hehehe



lol I said "Salivating."


----------



## AndrewSS (Jul 31, 2007)

bitch ass


----------



## tallcall (Aug 1, 2007)

AndrewSS said:


> bitch ass



You're just jealous!


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## tallcall (Aug 1, 2007)

I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 299 pounds, I'm going with that number for this week, it is a 3.5 pound difference from last week. I gained a half pound of muscle last week and lost about an inch on my stomach, this week I lost a half inch around my stomach and lost 3.5 pounds on the scale.

God I'm fat.


----------



## Double D (Aug 1, 2007)

You will probably hit 30 next week on that dead!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 1, 2007)

I think so too, but I know my trainer likes to be a little conservative at times.


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## DOMS (Aug 1, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 299 pounds, I'm going with that number for this week, it is a 3.5 pound difference from last week. I gained a half pound of muscle last week and lost about an inch on my stomach, this week I lost a half inch around my stomach and lost 3.5 pounds on the scale.
> 
> God I'm fat.



It's not so much where you are, it's where you're going.

You'll be dead sexy soon enough!


----------



## goob (Aug 1, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 299 pounds, I'm going with that number for this week, it is a 3.5 pound difference from last week. I gained a half pound of muscle last week and lost about an inch on my stomach, this week I lost a half inch around my stomach and lost 3.5 pounds on the scale.
> 
> God I'm fat.


 
That's some good shit.  You've gained muscle and cut the waist size.  A win win in my book.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 1, 2007)

Thanks guys. I guess I am doing well. 

I love how my body likes to add a half pound of muscle weight one week while cutting an inch, then drop 3.5 pounds the next week and cut .5 inches. 

My body just likes adding a little, then cutting a lot, so I end up averaging 4 pounds every 2 weeks, just not evenly distributed.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 2, 2007)

*8/2/07*

*Thursday:

Chest/Back: RI - ~120*

Started off with my usual Rotator Cuff warmup and stretch, we did there periodically throughout because I had a little pain in my right shoulder (slept on it wrong, oops, though I did ice it most of the morning to make most of it go away).

We didn't do much for back exercises, we really didn't do any today, but I'll get them in on Saturday.

*Superset:
Flat Bench BB Press/Flat Bench DB Press:*

75x15/15x15
85x12/15x15
95x12/20x8
115x10/20x8 PR (Reps)  
Dropset BB Flat Bench: 65X6 Slow Negatives PR (Weight on those Negatives)  
*
Machine Fly Single Arm (modified, elbow slightly below shoulder with forearm pointing straight down, motion across front of body - sort of like doing rear delt warmups and crossing arms in front, then hold for a second to stretch):*

Each arm independently:
20x12
40x12
40x12

*DB Serrates Pullovers and Pulses:*

30x12
40x12
40x12 - with pulses on each rep PR (weight and Reps)  

Cardio - 62 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

40 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 100, max hr - 165, functional hr range - 145-160 bpm, levels 1-6, ran about 3.5 miles).

17 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 115, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 130-140, incline - 0.0-10.0, speed - 1.4-3.5, most of the time on incline of 3.0, speed of 3.5, ran about .75 miles).

Great day, I had a lot of fun with my trainer today, he really kicked my butt. I told him about the mild shoulder pain right at the start. That is why he had me stretching constantly throughout, I have to admit that it actually feels much better now. I think I've had my best day on the bench in a long time, I really cranked out those reps at 115 with no assistance on the first 8 reps, just a little on 9 and 10 (much better than last weeks workout). The only thing is that we didn't have time for any back work, my back is a little tight from Tuesday's Deadlifts, but there is no pain. Oh well, I'll just have to do some on Shoulder day (I love those rows, probably just add in some hypers and ab work). We forgot to do any abs today (well, I forgot to do them, there's always tomorrow).

Cardio was fine, I really wanted to use a stairmaster, but the 5 that were working were also being used (there are 6 machines total). Still, 40 min on the elliptical was awesome.


----------



## Double D (Aug 2, 2007)

Nice workout.....you have to be feeling stronger everyday!


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 2, 2007)

Holy crap, that's a pretty tough looking workout! NIce!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 2, 2007)

Yeah, getting stronger each week, aside from a little pain, everything was wonderful.

But this was no DD or Repro workout, I could still move and breathe at the end.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 3, 2007)

*8/3/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Cardio:*

*Dips: RI = 60 seconds*
BW-112x8
BW-34x5 PR (Reps and Weight - First time doing normal Dips in a while)   
BW-58x4

*Superset:
Ab Roll/Plank/Superman: RI = 30 seconds*

BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10

*Reverse Crunches: RI - 45 seconds*
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10 - All single leg reverse crunches

Cardio: 57 minutes HIIT

5 min warmup on stairmaster (starting hr - 74, min hr - 130, max hr - 137, level 5).

20 minutes on the stairmaster HIIT (starting hr - 87, min hr - 140, max hr - 165, interval hr range - 155-160 bpm, resting hr range - 140-145 bpm, 6 intervals @ 60/120, levels 3-11 - most of the time on 5 and 11).

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (starting hr - 125, min hr - 140, max hr - 160, functional hr range - 140-150 bpm, level 6).

12 minutes on a treadmill SS [starting hr - 111, min hr - 140, max hr - 170, functional hr range - 140-150 bpm, incline 0.0-6.0, speed - 2.5-6.0, held 6.0 mph for 30 seconds PR (New Speed Record)  ].

Yay, I finally did some real dips, albeit assisted (up to 112 pounds of assistance  ), but it was awesome, the last time I did these about 2 months ago I could barely get 2 rep without going to failure (and that was with 112 pounds assistance). I think I'm going to be doing a lot more of them from now on to get myself up to bodyweight (~300 pounds)!

The cardio was great, I love doing these speed tests on myself every so often and 6 mph is great for me.


----------



## goob (Aug 4, 2007)

Nice going TC.
Have you tried doing a fast/ slow (HIIT style) treadmill workout?

1min @ 3mph, 1min @ 8mph (for example - fill in speeds as manageable.) x 8 

Incline @ 1%.

Kicks ass.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 4, 2007)

goob said:


> Nice going TC.
> Have you tried doing a fast/ slow (HIIT style) treadmill workout?
> 
> 1min @ 3mph, 1min @ 8mph (for example - fill in speeds as manageable.) x 8
> ...



I've def thought about that, but my trainer wants to see me tearing up the stairmaster. Even though I hate that machine right now, I will oblige.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 4, 2007)

*8/4/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*
*
Abs: RI - 30
Crunch/Plank/Leg Raises/Superman:* 

BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10

*Shoulders:
Superset:
DB Military Press/DB Rear Delt Row: RI - 90*

30'sx10/30'sx8
30'sx10/30'sx8
35'sx9 PR (Reps)/35'sx8 PR (Weight and Reps)   

*Shrugs: RI - 120*

410x8
430x6
450x6 PR (Reps)  

*Cable Delt Rows:  - 60*

120x10
135x10
150x9
165x8 PR  

*Seated Row: RI - 60*

165x8
180x8
210x8
240x5 PR  

*Lat Pulldown: RI - 60*

135x8
150x8
165x6 PR  

Cardio - 35 HIIT

5 min row (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9)

20 min on a stairmaster (starting hr - 88, min hr - 130, max hr - 165, level 3-11, interval hr range - 155-160, rest hr range - 145-150, 5 intervals @ 60/120).

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 124, min hr - 130, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 140-150, level 6).

Everything was fine today, I did better than I expected on almost everything, kept nearly perfect form and everything.

Cardio was also great, I realized that I had to cut it a little short because I already had 2.5 hours and can only really go for 3.5 hours a week and be able to get through all of it otherwise this would have been a 60 min session.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 5, 2007)

*8/5/07*

*Sunday:

Abs and Arms:*

*Abs (Stability): RI - 30*

*Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels/Planks*

BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60
BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60
BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60

*U-Bar Dips: RI - 120*

BW-40x5
BW-34x5
BW-70x8

*Arms:*

*Superset:
DB Over Head Extensions/Hammer Curls: RI - 60*

55x10/35'sx10
60x8/40'sx8 PR (Weight and Reps)  
65x8 PR (weight and Reps)  /40x7

*Superset:
Single Arm Skull Crusher/DB Curls: RI - 60*

20x8/25'sx8
20x8/30'sx8
25x6/35'sx8 PRs (Reps and Weight)  

*Cardio: 35 SS*

5 minutes on a rowing machine (starting hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 112, min hr - 130, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155, level 6).

15 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 109, min hr - 120, max hr - 165, functional hr range - 140-150, Incline 1.0-7.0, speed - 3.0-4.5, I ran at 4.5 mph and 1.0 incline for 2 minutes @ 165 bpm PR (Endurance)).

I decided to change some things up a little and bring back a workout I haven't done for about a month to see how much I've improved. OH extensions were increased by 5 pounds and I still got 8 reps, same for the Hammer curls, Single Arm Skull Crushers, and DB Curls, so everything improved by at least 5 pounds and I had very little trouble hitting 8 reps on all of them (yay for me).

I am having fun with those assisted dips, and I'm still making progress in reducing the assistance. I'm sure that I'll do some tomorrow with my trainer (I'm not sure how bad my form looks since I haven't done this style of dips with him in about a month - those other dips were using a machine that required the user to sit and dip the weight that was added to the machine in the form of plates).

Cardio felt fine to me, a little draining though. I was stoked to get a 2 minute run at 4.5 mph - a little spur of the moment endurance test for me (Fun Fun Fun)! I'm starting to feel a little overtrained on the cardio, but I still have to go for two more days (not recommended, but necessary due to scheduling complications later in the week). Oh well, no rest for the wicked!


----------



## DOMS (Aug 5, 2007)

You've got a great attitude towards your workouts!

Nice gains, too!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 5, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You've got a great attitude towards your workouts!
> 
> Nice gains, too!



And I feel better each week (no setbacks or plateaus yet)!


----------



## katt (Aug 6, 2007)

Great PR's there Tall!


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## goob (Aug 6, 2007)

Tallcall = A machine.  A relentless workout machine, marching inevitably towards the rising sun, the ever watchful herald of the new dawn.


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## tallcall (Aug 6, 2007)

goob said:


> Tallcall = A machine.  A relentless workout machine, marching inevitably towards the rising sun, the ever watchful herald of the new dawn.









Aww, tanks guys! :bounce:


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## Double D (Aug 6, 2007)

Thats an awesome workout TC! More pr's like always!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 6, 2007)

*8/6/04*

DD: You know it man!

*Monday:*

*Abs and Chest* - Couldn't do it on my normal day due to scheduling conflicts, so today was the BEST choice - Mondays at 6 pm absolutely suck (I've done this before and know that is a very bad time, but I had no real choice this time)!

**We had to fight with people for everything today, so things were very patchy**

*DB Incline Fly: RI - 45*

15'sx12
25'sx10
30'sx7
30'sx9 PR (weight and Reps)  

*Assisted Dips: RI - 60*

BW-60x7
BW-112x7
BW-112x9.5 PR (Reps)  (that is what my trainer said, 9.5 reps, we both got a kick out of that!)

*BB Flat Bench Press (3 sec negatives and exploding up): RI - ~120*, we were working in with another guy, so it may have been longer.

95x8
95x7
**These next two sets were 3 second negatives with a 3 second pause at the bottom and an explosion back up**
85x7
85x7 PR (I'm calling it a record because of all the negative work we were doing at the same time!)  
*
Superset:
Push Ups/Bird-Dogs: RI - 60*

BWx8/BWx10 (per side)
BWx8/BWx10
BWx10

Cardio - 29 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 161, level 9).

7 minutes on a Cross Trainer (min hr - 90, max hr - 143, functional hr range - 130-140, incline - 5, resistance - 5).

17 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 100, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 140-150, incline - 0.0-8.0, speed - 4.0).

Holy crap it gets busy in there Monday nights! I've been there at night before and really didn't want to do it again, but crap it was busy. We weren't sure if we would even be able to get any equipment, but one guy was nice enough to let us work in with him, that was very cool in my book!

So much stuff, I was very impressed with my presses, we did a lot of negatives with pauses at the bottom, damn the pain feels good!

I was told to go very easy on the cardio tonight because tomorrow is probably going to be a very heavy day for me, I'm planning to attempt a 305 or 315 deadlift. My trainer is really excited to see that I really want to do this, I'm sure it'll be hard as hell and I'm already starting to freak out a little (getting all giddy).

I was also told to carb up as much as possible tonight and tomorrow morning, and to take things easy for the next 24 hours. I'm so excited, I can't wait to see what I can do!


----------



## katt (Aug 6, 2007)

Nice going Tallcall!  I can feel you with the Monday nights! I try to avoid them always!!    The last thing I want to do after I get off work is try to fight for weights and/or machines...


----------



## tallcall (Aug 6, 2007)

katt said:


> Nice going Tallcall!  I can feel you with the Monday nights! I try to avoid them always!!    The last thing I want to do after I get off work is try to fight for weights and/or machines...



Yeah, but it was all good. I was able to get a sort of evaluation on my Bird-dogs (since I kind of learned them on my own but was never sure if I was doing them right). I also was interested in hearing about my form on those dips since it's been a while (I wasn't too far off, just had to go a little lower). 

I've still got to talk to him about the Cat-camels I've added in (again, just to check my form on a new exercise for me).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 7, 2007)

*8/7/07*

*Weigh in:*

Weight: 296.5 (for real this time, down 2.5 pounds from last week) 

Stomach/Waist: 37 inches (down 0.5 inches from last week) 

Chest: 49 inches (up 1 inch from last week)  

Shoulder: 58 inches (same as last week)

Biceps: 17.5 inches (same as last week)

Calves: 19 inches (same as last week)

Estimated Lean Body Mass: 267.75 (up 4.29 pounds from last week)

Estimated Body Fat Weight: 28.55 (down 4.01 pounds from last week)

Estimated BF %: 9.6% (down 1.4% from last week) - This is not correct, but it is the only estimate I have, probably closer to 12 or 13% still.

The good news is that my Biceps are becoming more defined, my chest is a lot harder and I can see a separation between my triceps and delts. Stomach size has definitely been reduced as well.


----------



## goob (Aug 7, 2007)

Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj G J Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gjg J


----------



## tallcall (Aug 7, 2007)

goob said:


> Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj G J Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gjg J



Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty


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## tallcall (Aug 7, 2007)

*8/7/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs*

*Seated Leg Curls: RI - 60*

90x12
115x10
130x8

*Wide Stance Conventional Deadlift: RI - 120*

135x12
185x10
225x8
285x4
295x Miss - I got maybe 5 or 6 inches off the ground, I just had a problem with the form (I had a very difficult time coordinating the squat motion and the pulling motion simultaneously, with a week to rest I'll come back next time and probably nail 295 and maybe more)   
225x10 PR - Tied with last week for reps and weight  

*Superset:
Hack Squat/DB Stiff Legged Deadlift: RI - 60*

70x12/30'sx10
90x12/30'sx10
140x12/30'sx10
180x10 PR (Reps and Weight on a Hack Squat Machine)  /30'sx10

*Hip Adduction: RI - 45*

110x15
110x15
130x15

*Superset:
Standing Calf Raises/Reverse Calf Raises (I think that's what they are called, heels on a platform, lower toes until almost at the ground then bring them back up and point toward the ceiling): RI - 60*

120x20/BWx20
120x20/BWx20
120x20/BWx20

*Reverse Hack Squat: RI - 60*

*I only did this because the Hip Abduction machine was broken and I was told to try to do some Abductions, so another trainer (my time was up with my guy and he had to get something to eat, he just had a workout of his own) advised me to try angling my toes outward on the hack squat machine to get the same effect, I think it worked very well, I felt it very nicely.*

20x10
50x15
100x15

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stairmaster (starting hr - 80, min hr - 130, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155, level 7).

12 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 90, min hr - 130, max hr - 158, functional hr range - 145-155, level 0).

Today was great considering I couldn't have my way with my deadlifts  ! Oh well, I made a good attempt on the 295, my trainer told me some of his stories about getting to 400, that it took him about a month of trying it every week, then after about 4 or 5 weeks of trying, he finally got a couple reps at that weight, but it sucked every time until then, so I am not going to worry about this and will keep trying until I get my weight!

It was very cool that my trainer let me work with him for an extra 15 minutes, just because he wants to see me do well and get the time that I need on these leg days (I really like that guy!)! I got help from a different trainer after my session was up (I had some homework to do that wouldn't fit in our normal time), he was cool, I could tell he was just trying to pick up some girl nearby, but as soon as she shot him down I was able to seize the opportunity to have him show me how to get some Hip Abductions without the normal machine, the Reverse Hack Squat. We went light at first because he just didn't know what kind of punishment I could take, I thanked him for his help and quickly added a lot more weight (I normally do them with about 110 pounds anyways).


----------



## goob (Aug 8, 2007)

GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ x 4.2mil^64,000

Nice deadlifting by the way 285, is way more than I could do.


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 8, 2007)

Nice, looks as though you are making some pretty solid progress. That's awesome.


----------



## katt (Aug 8, 2007)

I've never tried reverse calf raises....    maybe something to incorporate next time..


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## tallcall (Aug 8, 2007)

goob said:


> GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ x 4.2mil^64,000
> 
> Nice deadlifting by the way 285, is way more than I could do.



Yeah, I was a little disappointed about missing 295, but I'm going to keep at it! I've been checking your journal, but how's everything going with you? Keeping your spirits high as always?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 8, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> Nice, looks as though you are making some pretty solid progress. That's awesome.



Yeah, a lot of people are starting to notice (feels nice too). I was just wondering how you started lifting, was it as a cut or to bulk and add strength, just because I have been wondering if it was best to cut down the fat then try adding on muscle weight through a clean bulk. Also, how much time do you normally take between a cut and a bulk for maintenance (weeks, months, period of time between successfully completing a cut and then starting a bulk)?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 8, 2007)

katt said:


> I've never tried reverse calf raises....    maybe something to incorporate next time..



they were interesting, I'm not entirely sure if I was rocking too much back and forth, my first time doing them and everyone knows I don't like to spend too much time on them, I figure just do leg presses and superset some calf presses. But I also know that it is sometimes good to change things up a bit.


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## tallcall (Aug 10, 2007)

*8/10/07*

*Friday

Abs and Cardio:*

*Cardio: 50 minutes HIIT (20 minutes HIIT and 30 minutes SS)*
Warm up - 5 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 100, min hr - 130, max hr - 146, level 0).

*Abs: RI - 30 seconds*

*Superset:
Ab Rollouts/Bird-Dog/Cat-Camels/Planks:*

BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BWx:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx20/BWx:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx20/BWx:60

*Cardio (continued):*

20 Minutes HIIT on a stair mill (Starting hr - 84, min hr - 135, interval hr range - 150-160, rest hr range - 140-150, 6 intervals @ 60/120, levels 3-11, most of the time focused on 5 and 11).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 122, min hr - 135, functional hr range - 140-150, levels 0-6 @ ~84 RPM).

10 minutes on a Recumbent Bike (starting hr - 100, min hr - 130, functional hr range - 135-150, levels 10, 12, and 15, max speed - ~115 RPM).

Pretty simple today, I still can't stand that stair mill, I get very fatigued when I use it. Ab work was great, I think I got that Bird-Dog form nailed down (with the help of my trainer on Tuesday), it seemed much better today. I think I need to work on speed a little for the Cat-Camels. I feel better every time I do those planks, I hope to soon hit 90 seconds, then I may start adding a little weight. All in all it was a good day, I'm a little tired. 

Another thing, I've decided to re-arnge my meantimes a little and add one meal to my Friday routine. The reason is that I get up at 3 am and go to bed at about 9 pm, and it is a cardio day so I don't want to go too heavy. I think a piece of fruit (Grapefruit and Bananas are my favorites, but I could do Apples and Pears as well - I don't get much of them in my diet, so I think I'll have an apple as meal 5).

5 am - Meal 1
7:30 - Meal 2
10 - Meal 3
12:30 pm - Meal 4 
3 - Meal 5
5:30 - Meal 6
8 pm - Meal 7

Workout days:
5 am - Meal 1
7:30 - Meal 2
10 - Meal 3
12:30 pm - Meal 4 
3 - Pre-workout meal (meal 5, usually a Grapefruit, I don't know why, but it really helps me)
~5:30 or 6 pm - Post workout meal (meal 6, Muscle Milk with yogurt and oats added - really nice combination for me)
~7 pm - Meal 7 (what I would normally call Dinner)
~9 pm - Meal 8 (might be a little earlier so I can get to bed)


I think this will work pretty well for me, just allowing me to graze on healthy foods for a few hours on Friday, remember, my cheat day is Tuesday. I'm only doing this to have the energy to stay awake until 9 pm, most days are fine, Fridays just kill me (meal 4 @ 12 pm, then meal 5 @ 5 pm is 5 hours between meals, that is not acceptable anymore).


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 10, 2007)

Great job! Eww to the cardio! Haha! For real, nice work bud.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 11, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Great job! Eww to the cardio! Haha! For real, nice work bud.



Thanks man, but I have to say that I hate stair mills. But it probably will help me improve on everything else. 

I kind of wish my place had a UBE machine, I've always wanted to try those, it'd be a nice change of pace and probably a good alternate warm up activity for my upper body days. 

MB, Have you had any good or bad experiences on stair mills and UBE machines in the past?


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 11, 2007)

I noticed that my short RI's and high reps while weight training are helping my stairmill performance but not vice versa if that helps at all.  

To answer your other question: I started lifting in high school for a class and I realized a few years after high school that it was a good way to control my weight and still eat everything I wanted too.   It wasn't until recently (maybe the last 6 months or so) that I decided to really improve my appearance and my conditioning and that all the hard work that I have been putting in for over the last 2 years should count towards something. That was of course after my stint as a pizza delivery guy that ballooned me up to over 240lbs because I could eat whatever I wanted for free (The free soda is what really killed me I think). 

Time will tell how much time I'll take between bulks and cuts for this is really the first time in my life I've had a good grip on my diet. It was all "bulking" before.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 11, 2007)

Hey Repro, any advice you give is good to me. I think my solid state cardio is benefiting from the stairs, and I'm still waiting to see if anything else might improve (squat jumps and lunges, or maybe nothing at all).

It's nice to see that we'll be going through our first cut together (sort of), I hope yours goes well.


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## tallcall (Aug 11, 2007)

*8/11/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders and Back:*

*Superset:
DB Military Press/DB Rear Delt Row: RI - 120*

30x10/30x10
35x8/35x10
40x5/40x8
40x5/40x8 PR (Weight)  

*Smith Machine Hises: RI - 60*

Bar + 90x20
Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20 PR (weight and Reps)  

*DB Bent Rows: No Rest Between Sets*

25x15
30x15
30x15 PR (Weight)  

*Cable Upright Rows (used a different machine than usual): RI - 30*

60x10
65x9
70x8
75x7 PR (Weight and Reps)  

*Hyper-Extensions W/Plate: RI - 30*

25x12
25x12
25x12

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 45*

40'sx114 feet, 120 feet, and 117 feet

*Abs:
Reverse Crunches: RI - 30*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Superset:
Planks/Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels: RI - 30*

BWx:90/BWx15/BWx15
BWx:90/BWx15/BWx15
BWx:90 PR (Time)  /BWx15/BWx15

Cardio: 45 minutes HIIT (20 minutes HIIT, 25 minutes SS)

Row for 5 miutes at 150 bpm, level 9

Elliptical for 20 minutes HIIT. 0-3 minutes - 135-145 bpm, 3-7 minutes - 160-164 bpm, 7-10 minutes - 140 bpm, 10-12 minutes - 160 bpm, 12-20 minutes 140-150 bpm.

Treadmill for 20 minutes SS at 140 bpm. I ran at 4.5 mph for 2 minutes at 165 bpm (PR for Endurance  ). Incline - 0.0-10.0, speed 3.0-4.5 mph.

Today was great! I experimented with some things (Hises and Farmers Walks). I love both of them. Those walks were very difficult on that last set, my grip (hands) were starting to give way, and I def felt it in my forearms! Those Hises were awesome (Thank you Goob for recommending them), I think I'll be focusing on them a little more in the next couple weeks. My only problem today was the Military press, I got to 40 pound dumbbells and am stuck on 5 reps per set, I think I'll pull it out for a few weeks and see if I'm just trying too hard.

HIIT cardio all the way man, got to love that elliptical machine - 165 bpm is pretty close to "red-lining" it for me (I think my max, that I'm reasonable comfortable with is 180 bpm, so I came pretty close).


----------



## goob (Aug 12, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, I was a little disappointed about missing 295, but I'm going to keep at it! I've been checking your journal, but how's everything going with you? Keeping your spirits high as always?


 
Hell, yeah.  Spirits too high.  In fact I was so intoxicated with spirits, I've got a really bad hangover.

Bene Pr's!


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## tallcall (Aug 12, 2007)

*8/12/07*

*Sunday:
Arms and Abs:*

*Abs:
Side Bends/Planks/Supermans: RI - 30*

10x30/10x:45/BWx10
10x15/10x:45/BWx10
10x15/10x:45/BWx10

PR on the planks - Threw a 10 pound weight on my back and still held them easily for 45 seconds  

*Arms:
Assisted Dips: RI - 120*

BW-70x6
BW-40x4
BW-36x3
BW-106x10 PR for Reps  
BW-88x8

*Smith Machine CG Bench Press: RI - 30*

Bar+40x10
Bar+50x10
Bar+70x10
Bar+80x4 PR  

*Hammer Curls/Pressdown/Cable Curls: RI - 60*

40x6/120x10/150x8
40x3/130x10/160x6
40x8 - 5 sec Negatives/140x10/160x5 - Failure

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60*

60'sx50 feet, 78 feet (PR for Weight and Distance)  , and 60 feet

Cardio - 30 Minutes SS
5 minutes on a rowing machine (starting hr - 95, max hr - 150, level 9).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 95, max hr - 160, functional hr range - 140-155, level 0-6).

10 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 105, max hr - 145, functional hr range - 135-145, inclines - 0-8.0, speed - 2.5-4.0 mph).

Today was a Looooonng day, I was up at 2 am for work, and was pretty tired this afternoon. I'm using that as my excuse for the relatively poor performance today. I still found some diamonds in the rough, the CG Bench and the Farmers Walks. I haven't done those CG Bench Presses in a while, but I got a heck of a lot more weight on them this time, I think every set was a record over the last set in terms of weight and repetitions. I now love Farmer's Walks, I decided to just grab some 60's and drop them on the floor, deadlift them and walk around the gym with them (my grip was screaming at me by the end, I love the feeling in my forearms though). 

Cardio was fine, I was very tired and decided to cut it shorter than the 45 minutes I wanted to go. I'll just have to settle for 3 hours and 15 minutes of cardio this week, oh well, rest is good for the body, right!


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 12, 2007)

I am not familiar with UBE machines? 

I have never been a cardio fan. You will probably want to punch me in the face, but in HS I ate whatever I wanted (4000+ cals) and didnt gain fat. I just lifted and stayed around 7-8%. Now that I am doing BB shows I have to do cardio and I find that things that get you moving are superior to things that keep you stationary (its a boredom thing). In other words:

trail run > treadmill

EDIT... Or in my case:

wheelchair push > stationary arm bike


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## tallcall (Aug 13, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> I am not familiar with UBE machines?
> 
> I have never been a cardio fan. You will probably want to punch me in the face, but in HS I ate whatever I wanted (4000+ cals) and didnt gain fat. I just lifted and stayed around 7-8%. Now that I am doing BB shows I have to do cardio and I find that things that get you moving are superior to things that keep you stationary (its a boredom thing). In other words:
> 
> ...



I used to ride my bike down trails around here (most of them are paved with benches every 10 feet, not much in the nature department). It just gets so hot here (yesterday it was about 97 degrees with a lot of humidity, it felt like 106) that I have a hard time doing it for more than 4 months out of the year. 

To be honest, I eat almost 3000 calories a day on a diet day and close to 3300 on a training day, and I'm still losing weight. I did the calculations and have estimated my basal metabolic rate as about 2880 calories a day, to maintain at my current weight (296.5) with moderate activity requires almost 5000 calories a day, to maintain at 280 pounds with moderate activity requires about 4000 calories a day. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not eating enough, but we'll see.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 13, 2007)

Oh, I think the UBE is a stationary arm bike. I just figured that it might be a good warm up on days that I do upper body work, as an occasional alternative to rowing.


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## tallcall (Aug 14, 2007)

*8/14/07*

Weigh in:

Weight - 294.5 (down 2 pounds from last week)  

Stomach/Waist - 37 inches (no change from last week)

Chest - 48 inches (down 1 inch from last week, could be just fluctuating)

Shoulders - 58 inches (no change from last week)

Neck - 20 inches (up 0.5 inches from last week)

Bi's and Calves - 17.5 and 19 inches respectively (no change from last week)

Estimated Lean Body Mass - 269.33 pounds (up 1.38 pounds from last week)  

Body Fat Weight - 25.17 (down 3.38 pounds from last week)  

Computer estimated my bf % as 8.55%, but it can't be that low, maybe around 12 %. Once I see my upper abdominals, then I'll say 10%, and when I see the rest of them I'll say 8%.

Note:
I continue to lose 2 pounds a week (looks like most of it is still body fat, so that's good). I also continue to see better definition in my biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders. I also feel much stronger and can kind of feel the definition throughout my back. All-in-all, everything is going well.


----------



## katt (Aug 14, 2007)

Nice job on your numbers!!  How long do you have left on this program? Till you reach 8%?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 14, 2007)

Thanks, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be cutting. I'm just going to go with visual cues - once I can see them, then I think I'll be where I want to be for now.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 14, 2007)

*8/14/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs*

First off, today was Awesome, my trainer asked me if we could do this workout for an hour and if it would be alright if we both got a workout in. I, of course, agreed. It is really an honor for me to be asked to to that, help him load and unload his weight, watch him (since he was going very heavy today and may have been slightly weary of that) in case there was a problem, and be able to monitor his form on his deadlifts to try to improve mine (which really helped me this week).

*Deadlift (Wide Stance): RI - I lost track of time (we did it as a sort of ladder, so whenever he finished I went, maybe 3 minutes)*

135x12
185x10
225x15 PR (Reps at this weight)  
265x1 (just testing to see if I had my form right for my next lift, which I did)
295x4 PR (Weight and Reps)   
225 (Narrow Stance) for 3 sets of 3,3,8

*Walking Lunges: RI- 90 seconds*

BWx21 steps
BW+8 pound med ballx21 steps
BW+8 pound med ballx21 steps PR (Weight)

*Superset:
Leg Curls/Hip Abductions: No rest between sets*

95x12/90x25
100x10/115x20
110x10/125x25

Cardio: 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stairmaster (5 min warmup, then I went for 3 more minutes, starting hr - 100, max hr - 142, level 7).

12 minutes on a stairmaster (starting hr - 106, max hr - 145, functional range - 130-140, levels 3-5).

Holy Crap That Was Fun/Hard as Hell! I love the guy for letting me workout with him, that's quite an honor. I kept up with him on those Lunges all the way too. We crammed 2 workouts into a 55 minute period (we finished earlier than we expected to so we threw in some curls and abductions for thrills).

My legs just weren't having that cardio today though, anything more than 20 minutes on a day of deadlifts or squats is just plain madness! Madness I tell you, madness!


----------



## AKIRA (Aug 14, 2007)

Good deads!  I didnt know you had it in ya.


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## tallcall (Aug 14, 2007)

AKIRA said:


> Good deads!  I didnt know you had it in ya.



Hell yeah, and eventually I'm going to get 305+! I actually like to put myself through days of pain just to get my desired weight!


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## MCx2 (Aug 14, 2007)

Hell yeah, those are great deads! I think the lunges are just as impressive, they are so hard for me for some reason.

Way to go on the weight loss too!  Awesome shit man.


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## Musclebeach (Aug 14, 2007)

Nice workout with your trainer and congrats on your weight loss! 275 at 8% would be fucking sick!!! 

2880 basal?... You lucky bastard! Haha. 

What formula are you using to calculate bf%? I have tried MANY and I find the best to the one in the ACSM handbook. Its long, but I like it. The formulas are also somewhat specific based on age/gender/race. Here is the one for you (seven site):

1.112 - 0.00043499*(sum of seven skinfolds) + 0.00000055*(sum of seven skinfolds)*(sum of seven skinfolds) - 0.00028825*(age)

That will give you your "body density" number. Then you plug it into this short formula which is specific for age/race (is it wrong to assume you are white):

(4.95/body density) - 4.50

That number will give you your body fat %

Remember the seven site measurements are:
Chest
Tricep
Subscapular
Midauxillary
Suprailiac
Abdominal
Thigh


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## tallcall (Aug 15, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Nice workout with your trainer and congrats on your weight loss! 275 at 8% would be fucking sick!!!
> 
> 2880 basal?... You lucky bastard! Haha.
> 
> ...



I have just been using this site

Body Fat Calculator

I don't know how to use a fat caliper, so I've just been giving it a tape measurement. I'm going to see about getting one in the future and learning how to use it though.

And yes, it's correct to assume I'm white.


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 15, 2007)

Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy. 

I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 16, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy.
> 
> I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).



Alright, I'm going to get and learn how to use a caliper. The Sub scapular pinch must be a little difficult if there is no one there to help, but I'll give it a try (it'll be a good learning experience).


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 16, 2007)

To be most accurate you need to have someone do the skinfolds for you. I sometimes do my ab and chest just to see where Im at millimeter-wise. My chest is always 5mm, so if it goes up, I know Im getting fat.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 16, 2007)

Good advice, thanks man!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 16, 2007)

*8/16/07*

*Thursday:

Chest*

*Flat Bench W/rope (light tension): RI - 60*

75x12 PR (Reps)  
95x10
120x6 PR - Tied previous record  

*Flat Bench Rest/Pause (2 seconds): RI - 60*

95x8 (2 assisted)
95x8 (2 assisted)

*Decline Bench Press: RI - 45*

75x10
95x10
95x10
105x8 (2 assisted) PR  

*DB Incline Press: RI - 60*

25x10
25x10
30x8
30x10 (3 assisted)

*Cable Cross Over Flys: RI - 30*

Machine #3x15
Machine #5x15
Machine #7x10
Machine #7x9

Cardio - 40 minutes HIIT

Rowing for 5 minutes. Starting hr - 85, max hr - 157, level 9, new max distance - 1249 meters @ 1:51/500 meters, new max rpm - 41 rpm.

15 minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting - 100, max hr - 165, level 10 and 14.
Minutes 0-9 - Level 10, hr's 155-160:
Minute 9-10 - level 14, hr - 160-165:
Minutes 10-15, levels - 6, 3, and 1, hr - 150-160

20 minutes on a Treadmill HIIT. Starting - 110, max hr - 175. Normal hr range - 140-150, interval hr range - 155-170, 2x175: 6 MPH @ 30 seconds - 1 foot incline, 5 MPH @ 30 seconds - 3 feet incline).

I had a lot of energy and aggression today to work on, so everything was great. Those Benches have actually improved, though not necessarily reflected in the weights I reported, they just feel so much easier to lift now, I need to go up a little. I liked the Decline Press, but it certainly was not any easier than the others. I think because of the positioning, it was more difficult for me (I had to place the bar on the top rack to get under it in the first place, then it was a really long way to go from the top of the move to my chest - at least it felt longer). I was told to take the shoulders out of the lift as much as possible, some people lift the weight on their shoulders and I think that makes it a lot easier on them. I totally disagree that Declines are any easier than Inclines (actually I think Inclines were easier).

Cardio was really fun today, I put more resistance on the elliptical that I ever have before. I also ran pretty much the entire 15 minutes at 150 bpm or higher. The Treadmill was a lot of fun too, I spent most of my time between 155 and 175 bpm.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 17, 2007)

*8/17/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Cardio:*

*Abs: 
Superset:
Ab Rollout/Bird-Dog/Cat-Camel/Planks: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60

Cardio - 55 Minutes SS

5 minute warmup on a stairmaster (starting hr - 75, max hr - 140, levels 5-7).

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155 bpm, Level - 1).

20 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 130-145, incline - 3.0-15.0, speed - 3.0-4.0).



Today was awesome, I met some cool people at my gym, who apparently live real close to me anyway. 



Aside from the illiotibial band friction I get during my cardio workouts, everything ran smooooooth.


----------



## DOMS (Aug 17, 2007)

That's some serious ab work and cardio! 

Great job, man!

How's the body coming along?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 17, 2007)

DOMS said:


> That's some serious ab work and cardio!
> 
> Great job, man!
> 
> How's the body coming along?



So far I'm down to 294 pounds from 325 pounds 5 months ago.

The computer has been doing wierd things when estimating my bodyfat, so I decided to get a caliper and learn how to use it to get better readings.

I can squeeze into size 38 shorts and pants, comfortably fit into size 40 (I started at size 52, down 12-14 inches in 5 months).

I def feel leaner, I can see some separation in my chest and tris/delts. I can feel my abs, they feel rock hard, I'll jab at them pretty hard and not feel much at all. Also, Quads and Glutes are coming in nicely!

This is all while my strength has continued to grow, I think I'll be hitting 305 on my deads soon (maybe 2 or 3 weeks), I hope to be able to do bodyweight Dips in a month or so as well. Squats are still around 230, 250 max, and bench has been improving quickly (I used to have a hard time with 115, now I can get sets of 8 or 10, so we're moving the weight up and adding in negatives, rest/pauses, and cables to change the amount of tension).

Summary: Pretty good


----------



## soxmuscle (Aug 17, 2007)

55 minutes of cardio would kill me.  Job well done.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 17, 2007)

soxmuscle said:


> 55 minutes of cardio would kill me.  Job well done.



Thank you buddy. I have 90 minutes to go this week, so I'll probably get a 30 min HIIT session tomorrow and a 50-60 min SS session Sunday. To be honest, I like the hour long sessions, I get in "the zone" pretty easily and could stay on the elliptical for the entire time.


----------



## Double D (Aug 17, 2007)

Almost 30bs in 5 months! Thats phenominal! Great work TC!


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 17, 2007)

Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).



Yeah, my trainer and I are getting concerned that I'm not eating enough now (I get about 2950 calories on a normal day and about 3300 calories on a strength training day). I'm going to add about 200 calories so I get about 3100-3150 on regular days, and almost 3500 on strength days and see how it goes (mostly in the form of carbs pre and post workout on strength days and maybe just add 200 calories to my 4th meal on regular days - granola bar and a piece or two of fruit).


----------



## goob (Aug 18, 2007)

Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards. 

Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 18, 2007)

Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.


----------



## katt (Aug 18, 2007)

That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time!  Does it seem that your strength is staying up?  Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's?  Are you losing too fast?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

katt said:


> That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time!  Does it seem that your strength is staying up?  Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's?  Are you losing too fast?



I'm losing 2-2.5 pounds a week and maintaining my strength. I just feel so hungry all day and sort of tired even before the workout.

I know my basal is 2880/day, and I eat 2900-3300/day (~2950 on diet days and ~3300 on Strength training days). I guess that's just the price I pay for being a tall person (6 feet 10 inches).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

goob said:


> Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards.
> 
> Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?



Thanks man!

I don't like to drink, so no I don't do that. I have only made slight adjustments to my diet and workout routine (I ran all of them by my trainer first to get his input). So far I love eating 6-8 meals a day every 2-2.5 hours.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.



Thank you, I love getting looks from everyone when the see me doing some of the things I do (those farmers walks really screw with some peoples minds - I wonder if they are wondering what I'm going to do with 60+ pound dumbbells and why I'm just walking around  ).


----------



## Witchblade (Aug 18, 2007)

Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.



Thanks man. You know, I've been on Atkins before, also Weight watchers. I think they might have worked if I understood them better and actually had a weight lifting program. I think that's the only way those kinds of diets ever truly work.

Just a quick question, which country do you live in? I visited a couple Dutch speaking countries, and I absolutely loved them all. I've visited Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but I believe the rest are at least equally as beautiful (people and countryside, I felt more at home in those countries than anywhere else, the people were so nice to my friends and I).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

*8/18/07*

*Saturday

Shoulders/Back:*

*Abs: RI - 30*

*Superset:
Weighted Planks/Weighted Supermans:*

BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10 PR for Weight  

*Reverse Crunches:*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60*

Bar + 50x11
Bar + 70x8
Bar + 90x6
Bar + 110x2 PRs for Weight  

*Smith Hises: RI - 60*

Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20
Bar + 270x20 PR for Weight (3 plates on each side) 

*Cable Upright Rows: RI - 60*

110x10
120x10
130x10
140x8 PR for Weight  

*DB Bent over Row: RI - 30*

25x15
30x15
35x15 PR for Weight  

*Hyper-extensions: RI - 30*

BW+25x12
BW+25x12
BW+25x12

*Farmer's Walks: RI - 60*

70'sx67 steps, 70 steps (PR for Weight)  , and 58 steps

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 Minutes on a rowing machine (Starting hr - 97, max hr - 160, level 9, new max speed - 45 rpm)

15 Minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting hr - 124, max hr - 175. 
Min 1-4, level 6
Min 4-8, Level 10
Min 8-9, level 15
Min 9-12, level 12
Min 12-13, level 6
Min 13-15, Level 3
HR - 155-165 for minutes 1-8 and 13-15
HR - 170-175 for minutes 9-13

10 Minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 107, max hr - 210, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.5-6.0 - I was on 6.0 mph for 1 minute at 210 bpm PR for Endurance . Functional hr range - 140-150.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 18, 2007)

Looking back, that was awesome! I haven't done normal shoulder presses in a while, but I was able to shoot the weight up there pretty quickly.

The Hises are getting stronger, pretty soon, I'll be in the 300's.

I have to admit that I love those farmers walks. I'm trying to get to the point where I can carry my bodyweight (or just pick up the 110 pound dumbbells - the maximum my place has). I still enjoy seeing the look of utter confusion in everyone's face when they see me walking around with 70 pound weights like I'm going to do something real special (I guess it's just the unconventional nature of the exercise that gets them).

Cardio was fun, I was completely beaten up afterwards (210 bpm on the 6mph run - held for 1 minute was awesome - heart rate reacted very quickly too and shot up there right when I increased the speed, I guess that's a good thing).


----------



## Witchblade (Aug 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Thanks man. You know, I've been on Atkins before, also Weight watchers. I think they might have worked if I understood them better and actually had a weight lifting program. I think that's the only way those kinds of diets ever truly work.
> 
> Just a quick question, which country do you live in? I visited a couple Dutch speaking countries, and I absolutely loved them all. I've visited Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but I believe the rest are at least equally as beautiful (people and countryside, I felt more at home in those countries than anywhere else, the people were so nice to my friends and I).


I live in Holland (The Netherlands). They don't speak Dutch in any of the countries you mentioned! That's German. They and Holland all have the same language as origin and a (slightly) similar culture though.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 19, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> I live in Holland (The Netherlands). They don't speak Dutch in any of the countries you mentioned! That's German. They and Holland all have the same language as origin and a (slightly) similar culture though.



Just shows that I still have so much to learn. Still, if the rest are like you, I'd say there are a lot of great people over there.


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> *Saturday
> 
> Shoulders/Back:*
> 
> ...



Holy shit that's a lot of PR's!!


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 19, 2007)

Nice PRs!!! 

Holy shit... you are 6'10"?? Wow!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 19, 2007)

*8/19/07*

Muscle Beach - Yeah man - 6'10" - people seem to get a little intimidated by me, but there is no reason to be.

*Sunday*

*Arms/random stuff that I wanted to do or try:*

*Abs:
Reverse Crunches: RI - 30*
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Superset:
Weighted Planks/Bird-Dogs: RI - 30*

25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15

*Arms:
Assisted Dips: RI - 90*

BW-70x10
BW-40x8
BW-34x7
BW-28x6 PR for Weight

*Assisted CG Pullups: RI - 90*

BW-112x8
(I reversed the grip so palms were facing me for set 2 and 3)BW-112x6
BW-112x6 - I haven't done these in about 3 months so I don't have any data to go on for these yet.

*Smith CG Bench: RI  60*

Bar+60x10
Bar+70x8
Bar+90x2,+1 PR for Weight- Not the greatest set, but I got kind of rushed by some other jackass who wanted the machine, I told him he could work in with me, but he said I should just finish my stuff so he can take it. So I only got about 30 seconds rest before the 90lb set. Jackass.

*Superset:
CG Cable Curls/Cable Pressdown: RI - 60*

150x10/130x10
170x8/150x8
180x6/160x7 PR Weight - It felt amazing to curl a good 3/4 of the stack and see people watching!

*Farmers Walk: RI - 60*

80'sx58 feet, 60 feet and 60 feet PR for Weight.

Cardio - 50 minutes HIIT/SS

Rowing for 5 minutes at level 9. Starting hr - 100, max hr - 171

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT . Starting hr - 126, max hr - 157.
Minutes 0-15, level 6
Minutes 15-20, Level 12
Minutes 20-30, Level 6
Minutes 1-15, HR - 130-145
Minutes 15-30, HR - 145-155

15 minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 110, max hr - 150, Speed - 3.0-3.5, Incline - 0-15.0, Functional Hr range - 130-150.

I'm having fun with those close grip benches, I think I'll keep this routine for a few weeks. The Dips were better than I expected, as I lose weight, I hope to be able to rely less and less on the assistance. Those pullups kicked my butt today, I haven't done them in months so I thought I'd need some time, but I also thought I had more strength than that.

Today those pressdowns and curls were awesome (I was really pushing everything I had into those curls, I must have been making some funny faces).

I can't believe I squeezed another HIIT session in this week, this must be like some sort of record or something.

I'm beat, time for food and bed.


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 19, 2007)

I love how you get SEVERAL new PRs for each workout!! AWESOME!!!

6'10" and 290ish... I see reason to be intimidated... although you seem like a very nice guy! 

Nice CGs... and tell the jackass to fuck off, youll be done when you damn well please (keep in mind you are 6'10" and 290ish)


----------



## soxmuscle (Aug 19, 2007)

While the weight your throwing around is excellent, that cardio is equally as impressive.  I'd be cooked after that workout.

Looking good up in her.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 20, 2007)

soxmuscle said:


> While the weight your throwing around is excellent, that cardio is equally as impressive.  I'd be cooked after that workout.
> 
> Looking good up in her.



I was pretty fried after that! Plus I get up most mornings at 3 am to work at 5 am, get out at around 1 pm and still get all of that done before going home and just about passing out.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 20, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> I love how you get SEVERAL new PRs for each workout!! AWESOME!!!
> 
> 6'10" and 290ish... I see reason to be intimidated... although you seem like a very nice guy!
> 
> Nice CGs... and tell the jackass to fuck off, youll be done when you damn well please (keep in mind you are 6'10" and 290ish)



Yeah I just weighed myself this morning (just or fun) and weighed in at 294.5. 

This is really no gain or loss over last week, but I think it may be attributed to the heavy deadlifts last week. That sort of thing usually adds about a half pound on me and my body normally takes another week to drop weight on the scale. I'll have to see what the tape (until that caliper comes in the mail) sows me tomorrow to see if I still lost some inches around the stomach or gained mass in the shoulders or chest (since that's where I usually end up making gains for now).


----------



## soxmuscle (Aug 20, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I was pretty fried after that! Plus I get up most mornings at 3 am to work at 5 am, get out at around 1 pm and still get all of that done before going home and just about passing out.



From a workout standpoint, having a wideopen gym at 3AM is probably ideal.

What do you do for a living?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 20, 2007)

soxmuscle said:


> From a workout standpoint, having a wideopen gym at 3AM is probably ideal.
> 
> What do you do for a living?



I just work as a master control operator at a local news station, we operate 24 hours a day and I do the morning news.

The 3 am workout thing won't really work because I also use a trainer at the gym (I don't want to give him up for any of the other idiots he works with - there is one other one I respect and have talked to him a couple times though). My training appointments are generally at 4 pm, this gives me time to go home and take care of a few things.


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 20, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah I just weighed myself this morning (just or fun) and weighed in at 294.5.
> 
> This is really no gain or loss over last week, but I think it may be attributed to the heavy deadlifts last week. That sort of thing usually adds about a half pound on me and my body normally takes another week to drop weight on the scale. I'll have to see what the tape (until that caliper comes in the mail) sows me tomorrow to see if I still lost some inches around the stomach or gained mass in the shoulders or chest (since that's where I usually end up making gains for now).



There will be a point that you will start leveling out, but that doesn't mean your not still dropping bodyfat. A buddy of mine that hasn't seen me in over a year told me how skinny I look now. I weight just about the exact same as I did when he saw me last, just a lot leaner apparently. You're doing great making strength gains, the rest will continue to progress!


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 20, 2007)

What caliper did you end up getting?

I definitely agree with ReproMan... you will begin leveling out and eventually not lose much weight at all (if any) once you hit the point were your bf% gets down and maintain your muscle mass. Hell you might even start gaining weight (muscle). 

Keep up the GREAT work!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 20, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> What caliper did you end up getting?
> 
> I definitely agree with ReproMan... you will begin leveling out and eventually not lose much weight at all (if any) once you hit the point were your bf% gets down and maintain your muscle mass. Hell you might even start gaining weight (muscle).
> 
> Keep up the GREAT work!



I just got this one here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






Yeah, as long as things keep progressing, I'm happy. It seems like things just go from not quite working right to blazing speed in just a couple weeks. I think I've been doing ergometer rows (for cardio) at level 9 for the last month and until last week had a hard time keeping up with 35 rpm for 5 minutes. Now I hit anywhere from 40-46 rpm easily. Things just seem to be getting smoother and smoother.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 20, 2007)

ReproMan said:


> There will be a point that you will start leveling out, but that doesn't mean your not still dropping bodyfat. A buddy of mine that hasn't seen me in over a year told me how skinny I look now. I weight just about the exact same as I did when he saw me last, just a lot leaner apparently. You're doing great making strength gains, the rest will continue to progress!



Yeah, sometimes I gain a pound one week (probably muscle), then lose 3 the next week (I usually say this roughly equals a 5 pound fat loss, 3 pounds of fat plus a pound of gained muscle). My body just takes some time to adapt sometimes.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 21, 2007)

*8/21/07 Weigh in*

Here's another one:

Current weight 294.5 (no change from last week).

Stomach and Waist had no change - which is fine because I can feel my abdominal wall under maybe a half inch of fat (slightly covered).

Chest gained 2 inches (50 inches from 48 inches).  

Shoulders gained 1 inch (59 inches from 58).  

Neck gained 1 inch (21 inches from 20).   (sort of, it goes up and down each week)

Bi's actually gained 0.5 inches (18 inches from 17.5).   

Calves also actually gained 0.5 inches (19.5 inches from 19).  

Notes: Well I didn't lose any weight on the scale, but I seemed to have gained some muscle. The computer said my bf% (jokingly was 6.28%   - No way). It also says my estimated LBM and BF are 276.00 and 18.50 pounds roflmao: ).

I honestly don't think my stomach will lose to many more inches because I feel my ab wall under just a little fat.

All in all this was a very good week, I did those heavy deadlifts, they obviously added some good muscle on me this time (that always seems to happen when I go so much heavier than the week before  )!!


----------



## goob (Aug 21, 2007)

GJ on the progress TC, you just keep on improving.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 21, 2007)

Thanks man, it always means a lot coming from you guys!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 21, 2007)

*8/21/07*

*Tuesday:

Shoulders: Again - this time with the trainer working in with me (I got to learn a lot more from him this way, plus I think he likes to do this as well).*

*Superset:
BB Smith Shrugs/BB Upright rows: *
Bar+90x20/45x10
Bar+140x20/65x10
Bar+180x20 PR Weight  /65x5, 45x10

*Smith Shoulder Press:*

Bar+50x12
Bar+70x10
Bar+90x5,+4 PR Reps  

*Single Arm Lateral Raises:*

10'sx12
10'sx12
12'sx12
15'sx12 PR for Reps at a lower weight (good for my shoulders)  
Done with a 2 second pause at the top and bottom

*Cable Rear Delts/DB Rear Delts:*

4 sets x Machine #4x15/15x10

*BB Incline Front Raises:*
4 sets x Barx10

*DB Shrugs:*

3 sets x 50'sx25 (15 straight, then 5 on each side, then 5 straight) PR Reps  

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 86, max hr - 160, level 9 max rpm - 45)

20 minutes on an elliptical HIIT (starting hr - 117, max hr - 170, Min 1-10 hr - 160-170 level 12, min 10-20 hr - 135-145 level 3)

10 minutes on a normal bike (starting hr - 122, max hr - 150, level 15).

All in all a great day. I got some good PR's in there and really burned myself out. 

On the down side, I broke my computer chair and now need to try to super-glue it back together  .


----------



## soxmuscle (Aug 21, 2007)

a plate on each side of the smith machine for five reps is pretty solid.  nice work.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 21, 2007)

Thanks man! You know, that last set was rough, I almost didn't get it up (did I just say I couldn't get it up?  ).


----------



## katt (Aug 21, 2007)

Those incline BB raises,,, you're lying face down on an incline bench, right?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 21, 2007)

No we were going face up on an incline bench, very difficult, the bar by itself was very heavy to move in that position.


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 23, 2007)

Have you measured you bf% with the caliper?


----------



## goob (Aug 23, 2007)

Wow more PR's!! Are you sure you are not a distant relative of fu?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 23, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Have you measured you bf% with the caliper?



I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.


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## tallcall (Aug 23, 2007)

goob said:


> Wow more PR's!! Are you sure you are not a distant relative of fu?



So now were evil triplets? Tallcall, Goob, and Fufu - That's a scary combo! Now all we have to do is add BigDyl to the mix and we've got the whole evil family!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 23, 2007)

*8/23/07*

I was so tired today, these weights are down a little to allow me to get through some of the sets, but a great day none-the-less!

*Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:*

*Planks:*

BWx:90
BWx:60

*BB Incline Bench*

75x10
85x9
95x4 (+5 assisted)
95x6

*BB Decline Bench:*

85x8
95x10
95x9

*Cable Flys:*

20x20
30x20
40x15
40x15/Single Arm Presses - 40x15 each arm

*Rope Pressdown Dropsets:*

Machine #6x30
Machine #6x25
Machine #6x25 PR  

*EZ Bar Skull Crushers:*

40x10
40x10 PR Reps  
50x7

*Superset:
Single Arm Underhand Pressdown/Single Arm Overhand Pressdown:*

Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10
Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10
Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10

Cardio - 35 minutes HIIT

Rowing for 5 minutes on level 9 (starting hr - 90, max hr - 160, 45 rpm)

Treadmill for 23 minutes HIIT (Starting hr - 120, max hr - 200, incline - 0.0-15.0, speed - 3.1-6.5 mph). I held 6.5 mph for 30 seconds and held 6.0 mph for 60 seconds PR for Speed  

7 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (Starting hr - 110, max hr - 160, level 10).

Great day! I did a joint workout with my trainer again, we went on for 90 minutes, including the cardio session (60 minutes weights and 30 minutes cardio). It was awesome, I was able to help him (give him a spot for his heavier lifts and I feel like I really learn a lot from him when we do these - his years of experience really show when we're working almost side by side). I kept up with him again minus a few reps here and there.

The cardio was awesome, I hit 6.5 mph for speed on the treadmill, he was very impressed when I told him afterward and asked me to push myself even harder on the stairmills when I use them next to help improve my speed.

I finally got my caliper!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 24, 2007)

I finally did my caliper reading and I'm at about 13.2% bodyfat. I have about 255 pounds of lean mass and 39 pounds of fat. I used the Jackson/Pollack 4 Caliper method (Abdominal, Thigh, Tricep, Suprailliac) because it was easier to do without needing someone else to administer it. Yes I did measure each site twice and they were pretty much the same both times.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 24, 2007)

*8/24/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Cardio:*

*Reverse Crunch: RI - 30*

BW/10
BW/10
BW/10

*Superset:
Ab Rollout (with wheel)/Cat-Camel/Weighted Planks: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
**I have never been able to get the wheel before, that was great and I didn't do too bad on them either.

*Cardio: 52 minutes SS*

Stair mill - 5 minutes. Starting hr - 85, max hr - 145, level 5, 7, 10, and 12

Elliptical Trainer - 25 minutes Starting hr - 122, max hr - 150, functional hr - 140-150, Levels 1, 6, 7, 12

Treadmill - 17 minutes, Starting hr - 106, max hr - 145, functional hr - 130-140, Incline - 0.0-4.0, Speed - 2.0-4.0 mph.

Pretty good day! My trainer was there, we talked for about 15 minutes and he was able to show me the way to do an ab roll with the wheel, again I think he's awesome - none of the other ones cared enough to give me the time of day. 

Oh well, I'm burned out for today, got to go to sleep soon.

13% bf - I was close in saying 12%, so that's nice!


----------



## Double D (Aug 24, 2007)

All the way down to 12% bf is simply amazing. You have came a very long way!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 24, 2007)

Double D said:


> All the way down to 12% bf is simply amazing. You have came a very long way!



Yeah, that caliper was pretty simple to use actually, I think it's accurate to within 2 or 3 percent.

I got in a bunch of workouts with my trainer, I can only say that I love being able to give him a hand every now and then. Plus, for the price, you can't beat that kind of training. I basically get about an hour with him some days, yesterday I got 90 minutes because he wanted a workout and to do some cardio, so we just did it together (and I'm happy to say that I didn't slow him down one bit)!


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## Double D (Aug 24, 2007)

Well sounds like to me your trainer knows what hes doing. It is good to see this. Its funny because we have one guy who the head trainer always has to go over and take over his workouts. The guy doesnt have a clue, and I am pretty sure they are going to let him go. It really is reflecting badly on us.


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## goob (Aug 25, 2007)

That ab roller is a bitch.  A sadistic mistress of the damned.

Although, I feel that it dose'nt work the abs as much as other exersices.
i.e......the Dragon Flag....


----------



## tallcall (Aug 25, 2007)

goob said:


> That ab roller is a bitch.  A sadistic mistress of the damned.
> 
> Although, I feel that it dose'nt work the abs as much as other exersices.
> i.e......the Dragon Flag....



Yeah, the devils play toy!


----------



## MCx2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Holy shit!! 13%!?! That's amazing!! Awesome job, really awesome!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 25, 2007)

*8/25/07*

*Saturday:

Legs: Quad Dominant*

*Abs: RI - 30 seconds*

*Ab Rollout/Planks/Cat-Camels:*

BWx15/25x:60/BWx15
BWx15/25x:60/BWx15
BWx15/25x:60/BWx15

*Smith Back-Squats: RI - 60*

180x10
230x8
250x8
270x6 PR (Weight)  

*Leg Press/Calf Press: RI - 60*

270x12/270x12
450x10/450x10
495x8/495x8
535x6/535x12 PR's for Weight  

*Walking Lunges with 8 pound medicine ball: RI - 60*

BW+8x21 steps each way
BW+8x21 steps each way
BW+8x21 steps each way

*Seated Leg Extensions: RI - 30*

90x15
100x12
110x10
120x8 PR for Weight  

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

5 min on a stair mill (starting hr - 81, max hr - 140, level 5-7)

15 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 88, max hr - 151, Functional hr range - 140-150, incline - 0-8, speed - 2.5-4.0)

I had some fun today, I decided to get in two leg days this week, so today was Quad Dominant, and Tuesday will be dedicated to the Hams and Glutes.

I always catch a lot of stares doing those lunges, my trainer laughed and told me one day that you might never be able to find a bench to do any chest work, but you'll never have that problem with any leg exercises because no one here ever does leg work! They must just be wondering what I'm doing, but to me it's become second nature by now.


----------



## goob (Aug 26, 2007)

Holy shit! Good squats! That's way better than i could do.

And to follow it up with the stair mill.......  Are you a sado masochist?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 26, 2007)

goob said:


> Holy shit! Good squats! That's way better than i could do.
> 
> And to follow it up with the stair mill.......  Are you a sado masochist?



Actually the first 5 or 10 minutes of my cardio are done before the weight training session, the rest is after. So the Stairs were before, so it was stairs->Squats->Leg Presses one after the other.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 26, 2007)

*8/26/07*

*Sunday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Abs: RI - 30*

*Ab Roll/Bird-Dog:*

BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15

*RI - 60*
*Dips:*

BW-70x10
BW-40x8
BW-34x8
BWx5 PR - Yay I finally got a Body Weight Dip  
BW-22x4

*CG Assisted Pullups*

BW-112x8
BW-112x8 PR - Reps  
BW-112x7

*Seated Cable Rows:*

180x8
195x8
225x6
240x6 PR - Reps  

*Bent over rows*

30x15
35x15
35x15 PR Weight  

*Hyper extension:*

25x12
25x12
25x12

*Preacher Curls:*

30'sx10
30'sx10
30'sx10 PR  
*
Superset:
Cable Curls/Cable Crunches:*

160x8/200x10
170x5 (failed)/200x15
Crunches - 225x12 PR Reps  

*Farmers Walk:*

85'sx50, 52, 52 PR  

Cardio - 50 minutes SS

5 minute row (starting hr - 84, max hr - 169, level 9).

10 minutes on a Bike (Starting hr - 119, max hr - 137, functional range - 130-135, level 12).

5 minutes on an Arc Trainer (Starting hr - 103, max hr - 149, range of 135-145, incline - 4, resistance - 15).

25 minutes on a Treadmill (starting hr - 110, max hr - 156, range 145-150, incline 0-8, speed - 2.0-4.0)

5 minutes on an elliptical trainer (Starting hr - 140, max hr - 145, level 0).


I had a lot of fun today, I really burned out my arms and back!  I got to run a little with my trainer, he just showed up and I jumped on the treadmill next to him (we didn't say anything, but I think it was cool that we got on and off at the exact same time!).

I met one of my neighbors over there again today, he is a really nice guy, and I think he likes me D ), we spent about 10 minutes talking about random stuff!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 27, 2007)

*8/27/07*

Weigh in:

Weight: 293 - down 1.5 pounds from last week

Stomach and Waist are still 37 inches - no change from last time

Chest is still 50 inches - no change

Shoulders are 59 inches - up one inch from last week

Neck measured in at 20 inches - down one inch from last week - this one keeps going up and down an inch

Bi's are 18 inches - no change from last time

Calves are 19.5 inches - no change from last time

My estimated LBM is 263.36 pounds - I'm using caliper measurements, so I have no previous data to compare to

My estimated BF weight is 29.64 pounds, again same as above

My BF % is about 12.5% - down about 0.5% from last week, however, the last measurement was done late in the day, this was done in the early morning which is when I'll be doing all my future measurements from now on.

Note: The caliper is working great, I upped my caloric intake by 200 calories a day and am still losing 1.5-2 pounds a week, very good progress.


----------



## fufu (Aug 27, 2007)

good job


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 27, 2007)

Sorry, I havent been around lately. Nice WO!! Damn on the PRs!! 

I am glad you are liking that caliper. Who are you getting to measure for you? Whoever is doing it, do they know how to measure properly? It is nice to see the more accurate results from the caliper!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 27, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Sorry, I havent been around lately. Nice WO!! Damn on the PRs!!
> 
> I am glad you are liking that caliper. Who are you getting to measure for you? Whoever is doing it, do they know how to measure properly? It is nice to see the more accurate results from the caliper!



Unfortunately no one here is willing to help with that, so I'm just learning to do it by myself, the only thing is that I can only do the 4 point method and that the triceps are very difficult to get a measurement on. Everything else is working fine though. The calculations showed 10.3% bf, but I know it can be about 3% off, and since I'm doing my own measurements, I just bumped it up to 12.5% to be safe, it could be a little closer to 13% though.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 28, 2007)

*8/28/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs - Hamstring Dominant*

**Done with trainer, no PR's but a crapload of DL's
*Seated Leg Curl: RI - 30*

60x15
110x15
145x9

*Traditional stance DL's: RI - 60*

135x10 - Overhand/Underhand grip
135x10 - Underhand/Overhand grip
185x8 - Overhand/Underhand grip
185x8 - Underhand/Overhand grip

*Wide Stance DL's :RI - 60*

225x8
245x8

*Superset:
Hip Abductor/Reverse Chop: RI - 45*

90x15/6 pound med ballx12 (per side)
110x15/6 pound med ballx12 (per side)
190 (stack)x12/8 pound med ballx12 (per side)

Cardio - 20 min SS

5 min on a stair mill (starting hr - 96, max hr - 145, level 5-7)

15 min on a recumbent bike (starting hr - 90, max hr - 146, functional range - 130-140, level 10).

Oh my freaking god that was a lot of deadlifts. We purposly preloaded my legs on those curls so that I was already pre-exhausted and ran on nothing but anger and aggression for the last set. I think the Abductions were a PR because my trainer was really impressed with my control of the stack at 190 pounds for 12 reps. Just plain awesome!


----------



## goob (Aug 28, 2007)

Good job TC.  Your dedication is astounding.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 28, 2007)

goob said:


> Good job TC.  Your dedication is astounding.



As always I owe most of it to support from guys like you, DD, DOMS, fufu, and sometimes BigDyl! Thank you all for your support!


----------



## Musclebeach (Aug 30, 2007)

Nice WO!!!! Keep it up. 

Every March I do a BB show in FL. You should cut down and do it too! 

Anyway, on the calipers you can get an estimate of your bf%, but since someone else isnt measuring it, there will be more error (im guessing +/- 3%), whereas if someone else were doing it it would be +/- 1%. You can however keep track of your mm measurements and just track those. 

Way to keep at it bud!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 30, 2007)

I don't know about doing a show, but I'd like to attend, where is it usually?

Yeah, I still can't believe that my gym doesn't allow the trainers to do skin fold tests (I think it is because some of the women may have a problem with the guys pinching them and they wouldn't always like the results). My trainer really wanted to do a 9 point pinch test with me, but he can't do any of that on the clock (they can do tape measurements, and all that stuff).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 30, 2007)

*8/30/07*

*Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:*

**Had a little Medial Delt pain on the right side today, (this happens when I sleep on it wrong sometimes) it did interfere with some of the lifts so we took it light and easy (at first).

*Incline DB Fly: RI - 60*

20'sx15
30'sx10
30'sx10

**Had a lot of assistance on those especially the last 2 of each set

*Machine Fly/Push ups: RI - 45*

120x20/BWx10
135x15/BWx10
Dropset - 135x10,120x10/BWx8
Dropset - 150x10, 135x6, 120x8/BWx8

*Rope Pressdowns: RI - 45*

Dropsets:
Machine #6x12, #4x18
#6x10, #5x8, #4x12
#6x15, #5x10, #4x10

Cardio - 56 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing at level 9, starting hr - 115, max hr - 175.

35 minutes on a elliptical HIIT. Starting hr - 126, max hr - 165

Min 1-5 @135-145, Level 0
Min 5-10 @ 155-165, Level 10-15
Min 10-15 @135-145, Level 0
Min 15-20 @155-165, Level 10-15
Min 20-35 @135-145, Level 0

5 minutes on a recumbent bike (starting hr - 116, mx hr - 140, level 10-12). God I HATE bikes (only doing them because my trainer is asking me to switch everything up frequently with regard to cardio).

11 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Starting hr - 115, max hr - 175. Most of the time was 135-145, but I ran for 3 minutes at 5.0-6.5 mph at a hr of 175 (held for 3 minutes!).

Aside from the minor pain, everything was pretty good. Also, the pain is now completely gone (I know my body knows what day it is and makes phantom pains to make me think twice about everything and scare me away, but it doesn't work). I hated going this light  , but next week I'll probably be much stronger as a result.

Cardio was great as always. I didn't see my friend there  , maybe he'll be there tomorrow. I really enjoy talking to him, so I hope he shows (I know we both do the same schedule on Sunday, so if not tomorrow, I'll probably see him Sunday).


----------



## katt (Aug 30, 2007)

Drop sets are just painfull I tell you.. nice work.!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 31, 2007)

Oh yeah, I love Dropset pain! 

I'm not sure (too tired to look), but I think one of those Dropsets on the Fly machine was a record for me.


----------



## DOMS (Aug 31, 2007)

Yeah man, nice job on the dropsets!

So, is the friend just a friend, or a possible "friend friend".


----------



## tallcall (Aug 31, 2007)

You're instigating again...

Who knows, it would be nice to just have someone to be able to hang out with, but he does smile at me a lot (he looks right in my eyes when we talk - and does not turn away, I think that's a sign that he might be gay, just not comfortable enough to say anything).


----------



## tallcall (Aug 31, 2007)

*8/31/07*

*Friday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Reverse Crunches: RI - 60*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Dips: RI - 60*

-34x8
-64x4
-82x8

**Trainer was there and informed me that I wasn't using proper form, so I brought the weight back down to get everything in the right form

*Pulldowns: RI - 60*

150x8
165x8
180x5 PR - Weight

*Seated Cable Rows: RI - 45*

180x8
195x8
205x8
135x12 PR - Reps

*SLDL (just trying to give the lower back a workout too): RI - 30*

30'sx10
30'sx10
30'sx10

*Bent over Rows: RI - 30*

35x15
35x15
40x15 PR - Weight

*Farmers Walk: RI - 60*

90'sx69 feet, 55 feet, 50 feet, 25 feet - PR for Weight

Cardio - 25 minutes SS

5 Minutes rowing (starting hr - 85, max hr - 165, level 10 PR - Endurance)

20 Minutes on a treadmill (Starting hr - 91, max hr - 150, Speed - 3.0-5.0 mph, Incline - 0.0-5.0, Functional hr range - 135-145).

I was very tired today, so I kept it kind of short. I did everything I could to try to use more rows, dips, and pulldowns to hit my back and biceps at the same time (working smarter, not harder). I realize the effects on the arms may be negligible, but it should be enough.

Even though I had issues with the Dips, I was still very pleased, just 3 months ago I couldn't do one dip with 112 pounds of assistance, now I can do them with correct form at 82 pounds of assistance   .

I had a rough time at work today, lots of breaking news with a hostage situation and a bomb threat, so I left with a big headache that didn't go away before I got to the gym  . Also my friend didn't show up, I never usually see him there on Friday's anyways, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to.

I'm taking tomorrow off to rest a bit, back at it on Sunday.


----------



## DOMS (Aug 31, 2007)

tallcall said:


> You're instigating again...
> 
> Who knows, it would be nice to just have someone to be able to hang out with, but he does smile at me a lot (he looks right in my eyes when we talk - and does not turn away, I think that's a sign that he might be gay, just not comfortable enough to say anything).



Hey, I'm just trying see you get hooked up with a nice guy.

So...you're gaydar is broken?    Just give it some time, you'll figure it out.  You do sound like you like him.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 1, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Hey, I'm just trying see you get hooked up with a nice guy.
> 
> So...you're gaydar is broken?    Just give it some time, you'll figure it out.  You do sound like you like him.



I do, and I'm just trying to figure out if it is mutual. The non-verbal communication is definitely there, but it is a very public place, and I don't want to make anyone too uncomfortable. 

All I can think about is the eyes, constantly locked on mine, he stopped what he was doing to talk to me for about 15 minutes and his eyes never left mine (I don't even remember much of what we said). Do you think that qualifies?


----------



## TrojanMan60563 (Sep 1, 2007)

awww gay men in love....similar to hot girls in bikini's on a trampoline!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 1, 2007)

TrojanMan60563 said:


> awww gay men in love....similar to hot girls in bikini's on a trampoline!


----------



## TrojanMan60563 (Sep 1, 2007)

Hey TC how tall are you?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 1, 2007)

TrojanMan60563 said:


> Hey TC how tall are you?



About 6'10"


----------



## TrojanMan60563 (Sep 1, 2007)

tallcall said:


> About 6'10"



Ok that explains your weight/size to me. I am sure you mentioned it in this journal but I didn't see it skimming over it. 

You are one tall man.


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## tallcall (Sep 2, 2007)

TrojanMan60563 said:


> Ok that explains your weight/size to me. I am sure you mentioned it in this journal but I didn't see it skimming over it.
> 
> You are one tall man.



Yeah, my weight goal is somewhere around 275-280. If I keep losing the weight, maybe I'll be there in a few months. That is the weight where I am hoping to be able to see my abs @ ~8% bf.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 2, 2007)

*9/2/07*

*Sunday:

Shoulders:*

*Abs:
Ab rollout/Planks/Side Bends: RI - 30*

BWx10/25x:60/25x10 (per side)
BWx10/25x:60/25x10 (per side)
BWx10/BWx:2.5 minutes/25x10 (per side) - PR on the Planks for time

*Smith BB Shrugs/BB Upright Rows: RI - 60*

Bar+130x20/Barx10
Bar+150x20/Bar+10 (55 #) x10
Bar+190x20/Bar+10 (55 #) x10 PR for Weight  

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60*

Bar+70x12
Bar+80x10
Bar+100x5
Bar+100x5 (failure) PR for Weight  

*DB Single Arm Raise: RI - 30*

10x12
12x12
12x12
15x12

*Single Arm DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 30*

20x15
20x15
20x15 PR for Weight

*DB Shrugs: RI - 60*

50'sx20 (15 regular and 5 isolated on each side)
60'sx20 (15 regular and 5 isolated on each side) PR for Weight

*Farmers Walks: RI - 60*

70'sx60 feet, 70 feet, 98 feet (PR for Distance  ), 60 feet, and 18 feet

*Cardio - 50 Minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 80, max hr - 180, level 10).

Treadmill for 25 minutes. Starting hr - 130, max hr - 170, incline - 0.0, speed - 3.0-6.0.

Minutes 0-5: 130-140bpm, speed - 3.0
Minutes 5-8: 160-170bpm, speed - 5.5
Minutes 8-10: 130-140bpm, speed - 3
Minutes 10-12: 160-170bpm, speed - 6.0
Minutes 12-15: 130-140bpm, speed - 3.0
Minutes 15-17: 160-170bpm, speed - 6.0
Minutes 17-25: 130-140bpm, speed - 3.0, and 4.0

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 111, max hr - 150, functional range - 140-150, level 6)

10 minutes on a recumbent bike (hate them). Starting hr - 107, max hr - 138, level 13.

Very good day, I didn't get to do any incline barbell front raises (my body told me very quickly that it wasn't going to happen when I attempted it the first and only time today  ).

Man that was some crazy stuff today, 2.5 minute planks(!) and those shrugs, walks, and presses felt great! Then there was the 8 minutes of all out running on the treadmill for the HIIT session! Whew.


----------



## DOMS (Sep 2, 2007)

PRs galore!  Great job, tallcall!


----------



## goob (Sep 4, 2007)

PR explosion!

2.5 minute planks are a tough bastard.  Very good job.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 4, 2007)

*9/04/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*

*Double Leg Extensions/Walking Lunges: RI - ~45*

75x15/BW x one row (~18 steps)
140x15/BW x one row (~18 steps)
155x12/BW x one row (~18 steps) PR on the Extensions for weight  

*Leg Press/Step Ups: RI - 45*

270x10/BWx12(per leg)
DS - 360x10, 270x6/BWx12(per leg)
DS - 450x10, 315x10/BWx12(per leg)
540x8/BWx12(per leg) PR on the Leg Press for weight  

*Leg Curl/Stiff Legged DL: - 45*

90x12/35'sx12
100x12/35'sx12
110x12/35'sx12 PR for weight  

*Hip Abduction/Rotary Hip Machine: RI - 45*

110x15/62.5x10 (per leg)
150x15/62.5x10 (per leg)
190x15/75x10 (per leg) PR's for Reps (Abductions) and weight (Rotaries)  

*Farmer's Walk:*

Just one set of 35's (taking them back to the rack and walking all around the place before I set them down) - 145 steps PR for distance - although it was very light  .

Cardio - 22 minutes SS

5 minutes on a "Free Climber" stair machine. Starting hr - 75, max hr - 145, levels 5-7.

17 minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 112, max hr - 145, speed - 3.5-4.0, incline - 0.0, functional hr range - 135-145bpm.

Man, I thought I was going to puke during that last set of leg presses. We are starting to get much more advanced in setting up these superset and dropset combos. My trainer has two other clients who have apparently turned me into a sort of idol (they both keep asking how much weight I dropped - 31 pounds as of late). My legs are still tingling from that workout, god I feel good!


----------



## katt (Sep 4, 2007)

Look at all those PR's!!!  Nice workout!   So how long have you been with your trainer?  Do you think it's been beneficial for you?


----------



## soxmuscle (Sep 4, 2007)

You deserve to feel good after that workout.

While I don't use a trainer, I can see how one would be beneficial.  What are your thoughts on personal trainers?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 5, 2007)

I've had 3 trainers before the one I'm with. The first one wasn't too bad, but all the others seem to b idiots. I'd say I got very lucky with this one. There are good trainers out there, just ask Double D, P-Funk, or Duncan. I just say people need to use good judgment to determine if the person is really helping.

When my current trainer started with me, I got the feeling right away that he knew what he was doing because of the way he seemed to really care about everything I was doing, never looking away and always right there behind me if I needed any assistance. That is why I stayed with him, and yes I absolutely think it has been and will continue to be beneficial for me for at least the next couple months (I intend to finish out the year, then I might decide not to renew the contract and go on my own).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 5, 2007)

*9/5/07*

*Weigh in*

Weight: 292.5 - down .5 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change

Stomach: 39 inches - up 2 inches from the last time (I think this is muscle growth because I've been doing some weighted ab work and I lost some fat in the area - love that caliper)

Chest: 50 inches - no change

Shoulders: 60 inches - no change

Neck: 20 inches - no change

Bi's: 18 inches - no change

Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 265.85 - up from last week's 263.36 (+2.49 pounds)

Body Fat Weight: 26.65 pounds - down from last week's 29.64 (-2.99 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs - 8 mm - down 1 mm from last week

Suprailiac - 13 mm - down 2 mm from last week

Thigh - 11 mm - no change from last week

Triceps - 8 mm - no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is 12.11% (I raised it 3% to account for any errors I may have introduced since I'm still learning how to do it on myself - not as accurate as it would be if I could get an experienced person to do it)


----------



## tallcall (Sep 5, 2007)

katt said:


> Look at all those PR's!!!  Nice workout!   So how long have you been with your trainer?  Do you think it's been beneficial for you?



I really do think it's been beneficial to me, and I've been with him since the end of April (about 4 months). In that time, I've made vast improvements all across the board.


----------



## goob (Sep 5, 2007)

You've made astounding progress TC.   Also, if you keep this up, I can see some Kelju sized numbers eventually.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks, but I never pictured myself looking like a yeti!  

I'll settle for something along the lines of a fitness model or something (nothing less than perfection  )


----------



## tallcall (Sep 6, 2007)

*9/6/07*

*Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:*

I figured out that I've been experiencing doms in my shoulders (both medial Delts) from my Sunday Shoulder workouts - just going to lower the weights on the presses for now to see if that helps any.

*Dips:*

BW-112x10
BW-88x8
BW-88x5

*All with perfect form*  

*Tricep Extension (underhanded):*

Machine #5x12
#5x12

*DB Serrates Pullover (with Pulses)/BB Flat Bench Press:*

30x10 (2 pulses)/95x8
40x10 (2 Pulses)/75x10
50x10 (5 Pulses)/75x10 PR on the Pullovers for weight and reps  

*Reverse Fly (I called them Double Monkey Uppercuts - I think that's what they called the move in Muay Thai):*

Machine #4x8
#4x10
#4x10
#4x10

I wanted to use the Peck-Deck, but there was a line for it, so I took a rain check.

Cardio: 32 minutes SS

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 75, max hr - 165, level 10).

10 minutes on an Arch Trainer (starting hr - 118, max hr - 155, incline - 7-10, resistance - 20-30, functional range - 140-150bpm).

10 minutes on a recumbent bike (starting hr - 104, max hr - 145, level 11, functional range - 130-140bpm).

7 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 105, max hr - 150, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.0-3.5mph, functional range - 120-130bpm).

I had a few doms related issues today, but I got in some good stretching. unfortunately it translated into poor performance in my bench pressing. Next time I do shoulders, I'm def going to go light on those presses and try to avoid some of this delayed onset. 

Things ran pretty well otherwise, I did fine on those dips, and pullovers. I was just kind of angry that I couldn't get that Peck-Deck machine for my last would-be superset. Those reverse flys were pretty cool though, they kind of look like uppercuts (I keep thinking Muay Thai here).

Cardio was fine, nothing special, just doing better on the Arch Trainer than before - ran much smoother, decided to switch it up a little today.


----------



## Musclebeach (Sep 7, 2007)

tallcall said:
			
		

> I've been with him since the end of April



 

Nice workout and nice work on dropping mm week to week!!!!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 7, 2007)

Musclebeach said:


> Nice workout and nice work on dropping mm week to week!!!!



Yeah, thanks man! I still add in 3% to account for any error in my readings.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 7, 2007)

*9/7/07*

*Friday:

Abs and Cardio:*

*Superset:
Ab Rollouts/Planks/Side Bends/Supermans: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx:90/10x15/BWx10
BWx15/25x:90/25x15/BWx10
BWx15/25x:90/25x15/BWx10

Cardio - 56 min HIIT:

5 minutes on an arch trainer (starting hr - 100, max hr - 140, incline - 7, resistance - 20).

17 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Starting hr - 88, max hr - 160. 8 sets of 60/60. Intervals at 155-160bpm and rests at 139-145bpm. Levels - 3 (resting) and 12 (intervals) - PR on max level for the intervals!

10 minutes on an elliptical machine (starting hr - 109, max hr - 151, level - 1, 8, 6, 1, Functional range - 130-140bpm).

10 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 105, max hr - 169, incline - 0, speed - 3.0-6.0, 1 minute at 6.0mph @ 169bpm, functional range - 130-140bpm).

14 minutes on a recumbent bike (starting hr - 103, max hr - 140, level 13, functional range - 130-137bpm).

Wow, I did better than I have ever done on those stairs, I really felt like things have improved, too bad the machine broke down on me 3 minutes before I was finished! I heard a pop and then the stairs slowed and slipped down, I got off and asked the people up front to put a sign on it because it was broken again!

Other than that, everything ran amazingly smooth.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 8, 2007)

*9/8/07*

*Saturday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Reverse Crunch: RI - 30*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Superset:
Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15

*Dips: RI - 60*

BW-122x10
BW-122x10
BW-88x8

*Neutral Grip Pullups: RI - 60*

BW-112x8
BW-112x8
BW-112x8

*Seated Cable Row: RI - 60*

195x8
165x8
165x8
135x15 PR for Reps
** I dropped the weight because those pullups really drained my back and arms!

*Machine Hyper Ext: RI - 30*

150x12
210x12
250x12

*Superset:
Cable Curls/Cable Crunches: RI - 60*

160x8/225x15
170x6/225x15
Dropset - 190x3, 160x3, 130x4/250 (stack)x15 PR for weight on the curls

*Farmers Walk: RI - 0*

75'sx65 steps, 55 steps, 50 steps, and 65 steps

*Cardio - 50 minutes SS*

Rowing for 5 minutes (starting hr - 95, max hr - 184, level 10).

Treadmill for 25 minutes (Starting hr - 92, max hr - 159, functional hr - 140-150, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.0-4.2mph).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 102, max hr - 157, functional hr - 145-155, level 1-4).

10 minutes on an arch trainer (starting hr - 102, max hr - 145, functional hr - 135-145, incline - 7-10, resistance - 15-20).

Today was a lot of fun, I'm still working on those dips and pullups, but I think they're getting there, just can't quite handle my body weight on them yet.


----------



## katt (Sep 8, 2007)

Geez, great workout and cardio to boot!   I know I've asked this before somewhere... but the farmers walks.. are they an all over cardio/grip strengthener??  What exactly to they work again?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 8, 2007)

katt said:


> Geez, great workout and cardio to boot!   I know I've asked this before somewhere... but the farmers walks.. are they an all over cardio/grip strengthener??  What exactly to they work again?



I've been told that it is a partial neutral grip deadlift (to get the weight off the ground), the walk itself strengthens the forearms, grip, and also works the shoulders and legs a bit. I like to walk fast, so I get my heart rate up there pretty fast as well (I guess I wouldn't say it is a good cardio workout - of course my idea of a good cardio workout is running up stairs for 20 minutes followed by a 6mph run and then a 10 minute bike ride followed up with 5-10 minutes of anything else  ).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 9, 2007)

*9/9/07*

*Sunday:

Shoulders:*

*Ab Roll/Planks/Side Bends: RI - 30*

BWx15/BW+25x:60/25x15
BWx15/BW+45x:60/45x15
BWx15/BW+45x:60/45x15 PRs for Weight


*Rotator Cuff Warm-ups and Stretch*

*Smith Hise Shrugs: RI - 45*
Bar+150x20
Bar+170x20
Bar+200x20

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60*

Bar+70x10
Bar+75x8
Bar+80x6

*I should have been able to go higher, maybe the shrugs took something out of me, or maye it was just time to deload a little

*BB Upright Rows: RI - 30*

Barx10
55x10
65x10 PR Weight

*Superset:
DB Front Raises/DB Side Raises: RI - 60*

10x10/10x10
12x12/12x12
15x10/15x10

*was going for another set of 15x10, but my body started saying it didn't want any part of it.

*Rotator Cuff work and another Stretch*

*DB Rear Delts: RI - 30*

15x15
20x15
20x15

*DB Shrugs: R - 60*

75'sx15 (+5 isolated)
80'sx15 (+5 isolated) PR for Weight

*Rotator Cuff Warm-down and Stretch*

*Cardio: 25 minutes HIIT*

Rowing for 5 minutes (starting hr - 100, max hr - 160, level 10).

20 minutes on a stair mill. Starting hr - 86, max hr - 160. 5 sets of intervals @ 60/60 followed by 2 sets of 120/120. Level for the intervals was 12-14 for the first 5 sets and 7 for the last two. Levels for the rest time was 3-5.

I took a lot more time today to add in all those stretches and rotator cuff work in the hopes of lessening the effects of DOMS on Thursday. I felt very good during this workout, not much pain, just a little stiffness when I did the front/side raises, that's why I did more stretching afterwards. I am a little disapointed with my shoulder press for today, but I think that may be because I did it right after those heavy Hises. On the plus side, I got my BB uprights up a notch and everything else felt very strong.

The cardio was great again (took a week or two away from the stairs and I came back better than before). Look at those levels, and at times, I barely made it above 150bpm - my legs were just to fatigued to push much higher, but I know my heart rate could have been much higher for those intervals. Also, this time the machine didn't break on me in the middle of my set eek:  )!


----------



## Musclebeach (Sep 9, 2007)

You cardio routines are insane bro. Training for a marathon? 

EDIT - That BB show I was telling you about is in West Palm Beach, normally about the 2nd/3rd Saturday of March.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 10, 2007)

I love to move fast, I've been told that I tend to sneak up on people. Now I'm just completing my ninja training by learning to move so quick  

I'll have to check out the show next March!


----------



## goob (Sep 10, 2007)

Good HIIT TC.  25 minutes ain't  easy.

Have you tried doing 100% effort sprints (for 20 seconds) before?  Takes the heart rate to about 85+%.  Real tough.  You'd love it.....


----------



## tallcall (Sep 10, 2007)

goob said:


> Good HIIT TC.  25 minutes ain't  easy.
> 
> Have you tried doing 100% effort sprints (for 20 seconds) before?  Takes the heart rate to about 85+%.  Real tough.  You'd love it.....



I'll have to give them a try. It's funny that some of the machines don't read my heart rate up that high (180-190 range).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 11, 2007)

*9/12/07*

9/12/07 Weigh in
Weight: 290.5 - down 2 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 39 inches ??? no change (again, I've been doing some weighted ab work and I again lost some fat in the area)

Chest: 50 inches - no change
Shoulders: 60 inches - no change

Neck: 20.5 inches ??? up about .5 inches from last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 265.87 - up from last week's 265.85 (+.02 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 24.63 pounds - down from last week's 26.65 (-2.02 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7.5 mm - down .5 mm from last week
Suprailiac - 13 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? down 1.5 mm from last week
Triceps ??? 7.5 mm ??? down .5 mm from last week

Estimated body fat % is 11.48% (I raised it 3% to account for any errors I may have introduced)


----------



## Musclebeach (Sep 11, 2007)

Nice work man! Just a thought, but you should be able to take your chest measurement with the caliper. Since you are a guy it is 1/2 between yoru insertion point of your pectoral major (the fold where your shoulder and chest meet) and your nipple. I can do it on myself, in fact I am sitting on class trying it right now! LOL!


----------



## soxmuscle (Sep 11, 2007)

That's a lean body weight.  What was your goal from the get go?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 11, 2007)

soxmuscle said:


> That's a lean body weight.  What was your goal from the get go?



My trainer thinks I'm making a mistake with my measurements and that I'm probably closer to 18%, but I entered 6 months ago at 30+% bodyfat and 325 pounds. I'm down 35 pounds and more than 12% bodyfat. My goal weight is 275-280, so I figured that I have about another 2 months of cutting to do.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 11, 2007)

*9/11/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*

*Superset:
Leg Extension 2 leg/1 leg/Walking Lunges: RI - 60*

130x10/70x6/BWx10
150x10/70x6/BWx12
190x10/70x6/BWx12
Dropset on 2 leg extensions - 215x6, 170x9, 110x10
PRs for weight  

*Smith Back Squat: RI - 90*

90x15
140x10
140x10
180x8

*Leg Press with Drop Sets: RI - 90*

270x12
DS1: 420x8, 370x8, 320x4, 270x5
DS2: 420x10, 320x10, 270x5

*Superset:
Lying Leg Curls/Hip Adduction: RI - 30*

90x12/90x15
110x10/110x15
130x8/130x15 PR for weight  

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

Stairs for 5 minutes at level 5-7 - starting hr - 87, max hr - 133.

15 minutes on a treadmill - starting hr - 110, max hr - 149, functional hr - 130-140, incline - 0.0, speed - 3.0-4.0mph.

WOW, I was beaten up today, my heart rate hit 170 and stayed there for a long time today. We're really starting to get pretty intense with these, he wants to see me lifting the entire stack on those leg curls and extensions - I can do it, just not after being preloaded like that. My Squats have been heavier, but not lower (lower than parallel to the ground!  ). My trainer likes to have me warm up on stair mills and then do a few sets of lunges or extensions before doing any deadlifts/squats. We also do a warm up set on those major lifts, 90 pound squat from today for a warm up set.

Great day, God, I feel good!


----------



## katt (Sep 11, 2007)

Awesome workout!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 13, 2007)

*9/13/07*

*Thursday:

Chest:*

*BB Flat Bench Press: RI - 60*

95x10
105x10
125x6
135x4(+1 assisted) PR Weight  
95x4 (rest/pause)
105x6 (rest/pause)

*Incline BB Bench Press: RI - 60*

75x6
75x8
85x6 (+ 1 assisted)
85x7

*Dips/Pushups: RI - 45*

BW-100x8/BWx4
BW-100x6/BWx4

*Cardio - 32 minute SS*

5 minutes rowing, starting hr - 100, max hr - 170, level - 10.

27 minutes on a treadmill - starting hr - 100, max hr - 161, functional hr range - 140-150 with 2 30 second sprints, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.0-5.5).

Awesome, shoulders felt fine going in today, so we decided to try for a power lifting day. I'll just continue to go lighter on shoulder day to avoid much of that pain. I kind of felt like a million bucks when I caught people starring at me on my attempt to lift 135 pounds (not a huge weight, so I don't know why they were looking, but whatever).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 14, 2007)

*9/14/07*

*Abs and Cardio:

Ab Rollout/Crunches/Planks: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx15/BWx:90
BWx15/BWx15/BWx:120
BWx15/BWx15/BWx:120

*Cardio - 51 minutes HIIT:*

Elliptical for 10 minutes SS (starting hr - 109, max hr - 145, level 0-6, functional hr - 135-145).

Stairmill for 16 minutes HIIT. Starting hr - 88, max hr - 165, resting hr - 135-140 (level 3), Interval hr - 155-165 (level 12-14). 6 sets of 60/60, followed by 1 set of 120/120 (level 7).

Treadmill for 25 minutes HIIT. Starting hr - 128, max hr - 170. Incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.5-6.5mph. I did 3 30-second sprints @6.5mph and 170bpm, each separated by about 3 minutes of SS work.

I had fun today, but cut it a little shorter than I normally would have.

I saw my friend at the store the other day, he is very cool, I asked if he'd like to get something to drink sometime, he said absolutely. I got some conflicting information out of him, so I'm not quite sure about him, but it is nice to have a friend in the area (especially someone who likes to do all of this stuff too).


----------



## DOMS (Sep 14, 2007)

You've done more cardio in one workout than I've done in the past ten years.

16000 posts


----------



## tallcall (Sep 14, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You've done more cardio in one workout than I've done in the past ten years.
> 
> 16000 posts



Thank you, I try to keep up with 3.5 hours a week.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 15, 2007)

*9/15/07*

*Saturday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Superset:
Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels/Side Bends: RI - 30*

BWx15/BWx15/45x15
BWx15/BWx15/45x15
BWx15/BWx15/45x15

Rotator Cuff Warmup and Stretch

*Dips: RI - 30*

BW-100x8
BW-100x8
BW-88x4

*Neutral Grip Pullups: RI - 60*

BW-112x8
BW-112x8
BW-100x4 PR for Weight  

*Hyper-extensions: RI - 30*

25x12
25x12
25x12

*DB Bent Over Row: RI - 30*

40x15
45x15
45x15 PR for Weight

*Superset:
Cable Curls/Cable Crunches: RI - 60*

170x4 (Just a set of curls, I didn't do so well - just tired, so I lowered the weight)

110x10/220x15
110x10/250x10
120x10/220x15

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60*

90'sx60, 50, and 50 steps - PR for distance on the first set  

Rotator Cuff Work and Stretching

*Cardio - 25 minute SS*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 100, max hr - 210, Level 10).

20 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 130, max hr - 161, functional hr range - 140-150, incline - 0.0-15.0, speed - 3.5-6.0mph).

I had some more fun today. My back feels very strong after all of this. I'm very impressed with my dips and pullups right now (I've come a long way in not that much time). I think I've packed on some muscle after all of this because right now I think gained a little weight this week (maybe a half pound or so). Cardio was great as well.

I think it's funny that I sometimes catch a lot of stares from people when I'm doing my weighted ab work (side bends with a 45 pound plate). But it is even more funny when it is while I'm doing my walks and I walk real fast down the isle, then my grip starts giving up and I have to set the weights down (usually a thump on the floor). They seem amazed that I'm even lifting 180 pounds off the floor and then trying to walk very fast with them up and down the isles of machines (I like to walk by everyone in machine-land since most of them have never touched a free-weight before). Doing those walks always makes me feel like I've got something on everyone in that place. Of course even doing a leg day puts me one above everyone there. Except for this one guy I see every now and then - I think he's a power lifter (my trainer was very impressed and said that was the most weight he'd ever seen deadlifted successfully - I think it was about 500 pounds from the floor - absolutely inspiring  ).


----------



## DOMS (Sep 15, 2007)

You're coming along pretty damn well, man!

What ever happened with that cute guy you were talking about?  Was he on the market?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 16, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You're coming along pretty damn well, man!
> 
> What ever happened with that cute guy you were talking about?  Was he on the market?



Thanks.

That's still up in the air, but he did say he'd like to go for some coffee or something when he has some free time. If nothing else, at least I have a new friend in the area (that's still nice).


----------



## Double D (Sep 16, 2007)

Hi TC. How are things buddy?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 16, 2007)

Hey man, I missed you. I heard about the baby, congratulations!  

Not too much has been happening here, I lost a few more pounds and am doing a lot more work. I set a few new records in there too.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 16, 2007)

*9/16/07*

*Sunday:

Shoulders:*

*Superset:
Ab Rollout/Crunches*

BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15
BWx15/BWx15

*Rotator Cuff Warmup and Stretch*

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60*

Bar+50x12
Bar+60x10
Bar+70x8
Bar+80x6

*Superset:
Smith Shrugs/DB Front Raises: RI - 60*

Bar+150x20/10x12
Bar+190x20/10x12
Bar+200x12/10x12 PR for Weight  

*Superset:
Cable Upright Row/Cable Rear Delt Row (each arm separately)
: RI - 60*

90x10/50x15 
90x10/50x15 
100x10/60x12

*Side Raises: RI - 45*

12x12
12x12
12x12

*Cardio: 30 Minutes HIIT*

Rowing for 5 minutes (Starting HR - 60, max hr - 160, level 10).

6 minutes on the stair mill HIIT (3 sets of 60/60 at 145 bpm (intervals) and 135 bpm (rest)....kind of abysmal, but I was very tired from the last two days).

Treadmill for 20 minutes HIIT. Starting hr - 99, max hr - 160. 7 sets of 60/60 at 155-160 bpm (intervals) and 137 bpm (rest) followed by 6 minutes of SS cardio. Speed went from 3.5 mph to 6.5 mph and the incline was set to 0.0 the whole time.

There, I'm done! I was so tired from all of yesterday's fun with our live coverage of the new UCF Bright House Stadium. We had 3 live trucks out there and a live remote production truck with a full crew on site at the stadium - my god it was a massive undertaking - everyone was called to work on Saturday, and it was a long day for everyone. Then I just didn't get enough sleep last night, makes for a draining day today.

The cardio could have been longer (I cut 30 minutes out of it because I was just not able to do it today - that means only 3 hours for the week  ). On the other hand, the weight lifting session went pretty smooth.

I finally met my first true gym idiot today who kept approaching random people to give them his advice. He didn't come to me, but I still wanted to tell him how much I thought all of his advice was going to get someone seriously hurt (given that they are not on any performance enhancing drugs like he was on). This was all basically improper lifting regarding the rotator cuff and I could foresee many injuries coming to the new people he was "advising." Oh well, you can't shine shit, so no use in trying to improve guys like him (he was probably a really nice person, but he clearly didn't know what he was talking about).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

*9/18/07 Weigh In*

*9/18/07 Weigh In*

Weight: 291.5 - up 1 pound from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 38 inches ??? down 1 inch from last time
Chest: 50 inches - no change
Shoulders: 60.5 inches ??? up 0.5 inches from last time
Neck: 20.0 inches ??? down 0.5 inches from last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 267.53 - up from last week's 265.87 (+1.66 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 23.97 pounds - down from last week's 24.63 (-0.66 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7.5 mm ??? no change from last week
Suprailiac - 12 mm ??? down 1 mm from last week 
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 7.5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is 11.22% (I raised it 3% to account for any errors I may have introduced) down 0.26% from last week.

I am pretty sure that extra pound is added muscle, I was able to increase my maximum bench to 135 (+10 pounds) last Thursday and I'm guessing that may have added some mass. Not a bad week over all!


----------



## BoneCrusher (Sep 18, 2007)

How tall are you tallcall?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

BoneCrusher said:


> How tall are you tallcall?



Well, I'm about 6'9" - 6'10" (with shoes)

I also have about a 17" reach - makes it harder to do bench presses (a long way to press the weight).


----------



## DOMS (Sep 18, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Thanks.
> 
> That's still up in the air, but he did say he'd like to go for some coffee or something when he has some free time. If nothing else, at least I have a new friend in the area (that's still nice).



That, my friend, is a win-win.

Do keep me up to date!


----------



## BoneCrusher (Sep 18, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Well, I'm about 6'9" - 6'10" (with shoes)
> 
> I also have about a 17" reach - makes it harder to do bench presses (a long way to press the weight).



I was just reading back a few pages in your journal and saw you post that you're 6'10.  I was worried about the body stats 'til I saw that.  What calorie range do need to stay within to reach your goals?


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

Right now I'm cutting with between 3200 and 3600 calories a day to try to lose about another 20 pounds. 3200 on non strength training days (3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and 3600 on strength training days (the other 4 days, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday). 

After losing the next 20 pounds or so, I expect that my maintenance calories will be between 3500 and 4000 a day. 

Here is my routine:
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Trainer - Legs and 20 minutes cardio Solid State
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Trainer - Chest/Triceps and 30 minutes cardio solid state
Friday - Abs and 30-60 minutes cardio solid state or HIIT (my choice)
Saturday - Abs/Back/Biceps and 30-60 minutes cardio solid state or HIIT (again, my choice)
Sunday - Abs/Shoulders and 30-60 minutes cardio solid state or HIIT (you guessed it, my choice)

Cardio must equal 3-3.5 hours a week with 40-60 minutes of that being HIIT (usually with a 60 sec interval and 60 second rest rhythm)

Strength training will not exceed 1 hour except in very rare cases (some idiot won't get off the machine I just set up, is a good one)

I have one cheat day a week - usually Tuesday (I deserve it for going through some of those leg workouts, though they are very fun)

Every couple of weeks my trainer and I go all out for power on deadlifts, bench press, squats, leg press, and Dips.

My max bench is 135, squats are 200 pounds (just below parallel) and 240 pounds (to parallel), deadlifts are at 295 pounds, probably will go up soon, leg press is at 540 pounds (6 plates on each side of the sled), and my dips are still lagging at about BW (291.5 pounds)-64 (with decent form).

I hope that helps people understand what I'm going through a little better.

By the way, Joe Lauzon is my favorite up and coming MMA fighter. The 155 pound division will be very interesting with him around. Remember, he knocked out Jens Pulver and came so close to winning TUF5. Now he's training with BJ Penn in Hilo, Hawaii, this kid's great!


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## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

I should clarify, my arms are 17 inches from just below the shoulder to the wrist - full range of motion for the bench press.


----------



## wala (Sep 18, 2007)

Wow, strong arms

Nice plan Tallcall.

hows it going buddy.. you should get this going over at EB


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

*9/18/07*

*Tuesday:
Legs:*

*Superset 1:
Lying Leg Curl/Plyometric Squat Jumps: RI - 30*

70x15/BWx16
90x15/BWx20
135x10/BWx20

*Superset 2:
Smith Back Squat/Stiff Legged Deadlifts: RI - 60*

90x10/35'sx10
150x10/35'sx10
170x10/45'sx10
200x6/45'sx10

**Squats were with excellent form and just below parallel - those last 2 inches are freaking hard**

*Superset 3:
Hack Squats/Leg Press (with feet pointed into center): RI 45-60*

90x10/270x10
135x10/315x10
180x10/360x10

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stair mill before the workout (starting hr - 64, max hr - 150, level 7).

12 minutes on the stair mill after the workout (starting hr - 110, max hr - 145, level 5).

Wow, my heart rate stayed at about 170 bpm throughout this whole session. I felt like I was going to puke doing that last set of back squats. I don't know how I made it to the end, although that 3rd superset was a little easier than he led me to think it would be (he was warn out, I wasn't).

Legs feel great, just like jello (wouldn't have it any other way, DOMS and like the pain)! The cardio was nice today too, it really let me relax.

Does anyone else have a hard time not laughing at some of the fools around them, I'm really getting better at picking out the true dumb asses from the new guys who don't have a clue (can't argue, we were all there at some point, but those other dumb asses have no excuses).


----------



## wala (Sep 18, 2007)

Thats a good session dude. I can see why you wanted to puke with all those supersets! I was doing something similar to that about 2 months ago, leg day is hard enough without types of supersets and drop sets. good work mate


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

wala said:


> Thats a good session dude. I can see why you wanted to puke with all those supersets! I was doing something similar to that about 2 months ago, leg day is hard enough without types of supersets and drop sets. good work mate



Thanks man, it's always nice to hear from you. I've been over at EB a few times, I just think it's easier to keep this journal going in one place (more difficult to manage two journals at the same time).

Yeah, I think my arms are much stronger than they look, there's a lot of force involved in moving that weight up that high, oh well, bench is improving slowly but surely.


----------



## wala (Sep 18, 2007)

Thats right. My arms are a fair size in length, especially to some of the guys in my gym who are shorter. Its definately harder to shift heavy weight. I seem to be stuck on 225! I can get 10 reps out but once I start adding, it drops straight down to like 5 or 6 reps and then one or 2 if its a bit more!

I'm not too bothered - its not a race, more of a journey.. and i've constanty made progress no matter how small.

I see what you mean about keeping more that one journal i tried keeping 3 at one point and with me also having many vids to accomany the workouts, its was taking up much time and your is well kept too, i was just flicking through in now.. good lifting all round!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 18, 2007)

wala said:


> Thats right. My arms are a fair size in length, especially to some of the guys in my gym who are shorter. Its definately harder to shift heavy weight. I seem to be stuck on 225! I can get 10 reps out but once I start adding, it drops straight down to like 5 or 6 reps and then one or 2 if its a bit more!
> 
> I'm not too bothered - its not a race, more of a journey.. and i've constanty made progress no matter how small.
> 
> I see what you mean about keeping more that one journal i tried keeping 3 at one point and with me also having many vids to accomany the workouts, its was taking up much time and your is well kept too, i was just flicking through in now.. good lifting all round!




Aww geeze, thanks man  

Where are you posting those videos anyways?


----------



## goob (Sep 19, 2007)

What were those pylometric jumps like?  They sound trying!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 19, 2007)

goob said:


> What were those pylometric jumps like?  They sound trying!



Basically you squat down as far as you can and from there jump as hard/high as possible. I use a platform to jump onto and off of. Once you jump on the platform, let your legs act like springs and squat back down and jump back off the platform (squat - jump on, then squat - jump off in one fluid movement). or you can do the same thing side to side. I'm almost good enough to jump clear over the platform when doing it side to side (I just place one foot on the platform, then squat - jump and land with the other foot on the platform, then squat - jump back to the original position).

Mine are sort of like this:


----------



## wala (Sep 20, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Aww geeze, thanks man
> 
> Where are you posting those videos anyways?



In my journal on EB.net. not as many these days  (once you've seen one, you've seen em all I guess!) So I usually put in a vid or 2 when I hit a new PR - like last night, I did DB lunges with 112.5lb DBs.. not easy! But the vid is in my journal for anyone thats interested i guess 

Those plyo jumps look cool.. good for explosive power, I'll have to try em!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 20, 2007)

Well, those pictures are pretty close, I squat lower than he did though. It's supposed to be very spring like. Don't forget to let your legs coil back into a squat on the landing so you can rebound and spring right back to the starting position.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 20, 2007)

wala said:


> In my journal on EB.net. not as many these days  (once you've seen one, you've seen em all I guess!) So I usually put in a vid or 2 when I hit a new PR - like last night, I did DB lunges with 112.5lb DBs.. not easy! But the vid is in my journal for anyone thats interested i guess
> 
> Those plyo jumps look cool.. good for explosive power, I'll have to try em!



Awesome, I'll have to check your journal out later! And yeah, those jumps are very nice (they wore me out and that was before the heavy lifting).


----------



## wala (Sep 20, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Awesome, I'll have to check your journal out later! And yeah, those jumps are very nice (they wore me out and that was before the heavy lifting).



Great. So is that the recommeded time to do the plyos? before your workout?


----------



## BoneCrusher (Sep 20, 2007)

Plyo's are killer tallcall.  Good to see you include them.  With a big guy like you doing heavy impact box jumps I'd be very cautious about the slightest knee or shin pains.  Just a thought.


----------



## soxmuscle (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm having knee pains right now, they're not fun.

Rest up if you're feeling any sort of ache and pain as TT indicated.


----------



## goob (Sep 20, 2007)

Shit! Those box jumps look nuts.   Definately trying them.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 20, 2007)

*9/20/07*

*Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:*

*Rotator Cuff Warmup and Stretch*

*BB Flat Bench: RI - 30*

75x12
105x9
Dropset 1 - 125x3, 95x5
Dropset 2 - 125x4, 95x5

*Superset:
Cable Reverse Fly/Cable Incline Press: RI - 45*

30x15
35x10/35x10
45x10/45x10 PR for weight and reps  

*DB Decline Fly:*

20'sx20
**I could not continue - I get really freaked out on decline benches and always feel like I'm slipping off**

*Peck Deck: RI - 45*

Dropset 1 - 105x10, 90x8, 75x8
Dropset 2 - 120x8, 105x4, 90x4, 75x7
Dropset 3 - 120x8, 105x3, 90x3, 75x3 I think this is also a PR for weight anfd reps  

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 100, max hr - 185, level 10).

15 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 114, max hr - 150, functional range - 130-140bpm, speed - 3.0-5.5mph, inc0.-6.0).

Today was kind of fun. I got to go heavy (for me) on the bench presses again. I am in love with those reverse flys but those decline flys really freaked me out. I had to get used to the decline bench press, because I felt the same way, so I'm sure I'll get used to this one too, but it still made me nervous (I kept feeling like I was sliding off the bench).

I banged my head nicely on the Peck Deck machine when I was getting off it, got a little battle scar to prove it  .

My trainer wants me to go light on things for the next week. I was told to cut my cardio time in half and reduce my weight training to a very low level (starting a de-loading period for the next 7 days). I still intend to get some work in, but just go very light and probably get a lot more rest between sets.

Oh well, my weight's been coming down slowly and I've maintained and even increased my strength, so I think I can handle one light week! I still plan on my two HIIT cardio sessions, but I'll limit every cardio session for the next week to 15-20 minutes.


----------



## tallcall (Sep 22, 2007)

*9/22/07*

*Saturday:

Abs/Back/Biceps:*

*Abs:
Reverse Crunch: RI - 45*

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

*Cable Crunches: RI - 45*

Machine #10x15
#11x15
#11x15

*Dips: RI - 60*

BW-112x8
BW-112x8
BW-112x8

*Neutral Grip Pullups: RI - 60*

BW-112x8
BW-112x6
BW-112x6

*Machine Hyper-Extensions: No Rest*

90x12
130x12
200x12

*Seated Cable Row: RI - 30*

90x12
105x12
120x12

*Preacher Curls: RI - 45*

15'sx12
25'sx12
25'sx12

*Farmers Walk: RI - 45*

60'sx100 steps, 85 steps, 86 steps, 76 steps

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 100, max hr - 160, level 8).

15 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. 4 sets of 60/60, Intervals @170 bpm, rest @139bpm, interval speed - 6.5mph, rest speed - 3.5mph. Then 3 sets of 20/100 (all out sprints), Intervals @180 bpm, rest @140 bpm, Interval speed - 8.0mph (PR for Speed  ), rest speed - 3.5mph. Incline was set to 0.0 the whole time.

10 minutes of SS cardio on the same treadmill (began at 135 bpm, maxed at 156 bpm, speed was anywhere from 3.5-4.0 mph and incline was 10-15).

I skipped yesterday's cardio session so I'm making up for it today and tomorrow. This is my second de-loading day, and I feel great. I did everything with perfect form and don't feel as burned out as I sometimes do. My de-load week ends on Friday this week (Friday-Friday ~7 days).


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## goob (Sep 23, 2007)

Great work on the HIIT.  60/60 is usually what I do. 60 all out (12-14 mph), and 60 jogging (6-8 mph).  Incline at 2-3.  You only need 10-12 minutes at it because it's so hard.  Means that instead of 30 minutes cardio, you only do 10.  Less is more.  (in my lazy world anyway....)


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## tallcall (Sep 23, 2007)

goob said:


> Great work on the HIIT.  60/60 is usually what I do. 60 all out (12-14 mph), and 60 jogging (6-8 mph).  Incline at 2-3.  You only need 10-12 minutes at it because it's so hard.  Means that instead of 30 minutes cardio, you only do 10.  Less is more.  (in my lazy world anyway....)



I like your way of thinking!

My trainer likes to see me do 15-20 minute sessions 2 or 3 times a week. I feel very light on my feet after doing them.


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## tallcall (Sep 23, 2007)

*9/23/07*

*Sunday:

Abs/Shoulders:*

*Abs:
Superset:
Ab Rollout/Planks/Side Bends: No Rest Between Sets*

BWx10/BWx:120/25x15
BWx10/BWx:90/25x15
BWx10/BWx:60/25x15

*Superset 1:
Smith Hises/Front Raises: No Rest between sets*

70x20/10x12
90x20/10x12
100x20/10x12

*Superset 2:
Smith Shoulder Press/Side Raises: No Rest Between Sets*

50x12/10x12
55x10/10x12
60x10x10x12

*Superset 3: 
DB Rear Delt Row/Cable Upright Row: RI - 30*

10x15/Machine #4x10
10x15/#5x10
10x15/#5x10

*Superset 4:
DB Shrugs/Farmers Walk: RI - 45*

50'sx20/50'sx140 feet
50'sx20/50'sx140 feet
*I set it up so that I had to deadlift the weight, shrug it 20 times, then walk quickly up and down the length of the gym twice (140 steps total). If/when I did drop the weight, I waited 15 seconds and picked it back up and continued.

*Cardio - 15 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (level 8 starting at 95 bpm, maxing at 165 bpm).

10 minutes HIIT on a treadmill. 20/120 all out sprints @8.0-8/.1 mph (175bpm), rests at 3.5-4.0 mph (139bpm) - 4 sets total. The last two minutes were solid state with an incline of 5.0 and a speed of 3.5mph.

I had a lot of fun with those supersets and I got kind of creative at the end with a sort of deadlift/shrug/walk combo (didn't put those weights down until I returned to my starting position - unless I lost my grip, then I waited 15 sec and continued). I got that idea (of continuously holding the weights through as many exercises as possible) from one of Frank Shamrock's videos:

Frank Shamrock on Nutrition and Resistance Training

I decided to skip almost all the rests today and get things done as quickly as possible. I think I was done with the weights in about 30 minutes and cardio only took 15 more. Very good/light session.


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## tallcall (Sep 25, 2007)

*9/25/07 Weigh in*

9/25/07 Weigh in
Weight: 289.0 ??? down 2.5 pounds from last time  

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 38 inches ??? no change from last time
Chest: 51 inches ??? up 1 inch from last week  
Shoulders: 60.5 inches ??? no change from last time
Neck: 20.0 inches ??? no changefrom last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 265.98 - down from last week's 267.53 (-1.55 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 23.02 pounds - down from last week's 23.97 (-0.95 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7.5 mm ??? no change from last week
Suprailiac ??? 11.5 mm ??? down 0.5 mm from last week   
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 7 mm ??? down 0.5 mm from last week  

Estimated body fat % is ~15% (I raised it 8% to account for any errors I have introduced ??? my trainer will not accept much lower than this right now ??? there is no way I am as low as the computer is saying I am). I just use the caliper to track mm changes and will just add 8% to everything I see.


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## goob (Sep 25, 2007)

Great job TC. Your trainer: "Honey,...... I shrunk Tallcall".


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## tallcall (Sep 25, 2007)

goob said:


> Great job TC. Your trainer: "Honey,...... I shrunk Tallcall".



 

Someone called me "the shrinking man" at work last week. It was a lottle embarrassing, but I guess everyone has noticed.


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## tallcall (Sep 25, 2007)

Yay, I'm below 290 pounds!


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## fufu (Sep 25, 2007)

congrats


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## tallcall (Sep 25, 2007)

Thank you!


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## tallcall (Sep 25, 2007)

*9/25/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*

*Seated Leg Curls: RI - 30*

70x12
90x10
100x10

*Superset 1:
Deadlift/Burpees/pushups/crunches: RI - 15*

**We only did two or three, but we mixed them all up

(Deadlifts) 135x10/(burpees) BWx8
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(crunches) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(burpees) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(burpees) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(burpees) BWx10

*Took a 2 minute rest before starting the second set of supersets.

*Superset 2:
Same as above: RI - 15*
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(pushups) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(burpees) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(pushups) BWx10
(Deadlifts) 135x10/(air squats with over head extension) BW+25x12
(Deadlifts) 145x10/(air squats with over head extension) BW+25x12

*Walking Lunges: RI - 30*

12'sx10 steps forward and 10 steps back
12'sx10 steps forward and 10 steps back

*Superset:

Hip Rotations - outward (knee bar kicking knee in front)/Hip Rotations - Inward (knee bar under leg and kicking behind): RI - 30*

37.5x10 (per leg)/Same
50x10 (per leg)/Same
62.5x10 (per leg)/Same

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

8 minutes on a stair mill (starting hr - 70, max hr - 145, level 7).

12 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 123, max hr - 150, functional range - 140-145, 0 incline, 3.9mph speed).

Total time - 60 minutes including the cardio time (20 minutes for cardio, 30 minutes for strength training, 10 minutes screwing around  - not bad)!

Wow, now that was some fun! 5 sets of deadlifts/burpees/pushups/crunches/air squats X2! Hows that for adding in some volume  ! And remember, this is still a deloading week for me (that was a whole lot of stuff)

My trainer asked me to try to up my calories to 3800-4000 on my leg days and drop them 200 calories on my off days (to be in the 3200 calorie range). He'd also like to see me cancel the paid sessions and go on my own for a little while (he really doesn't want to, but he knows I know how to get everything done safely - besides, he's planning on opening his own place in a little while and I know I'll move over there with him for sure!). Oh well, It'll be sad to stop seeing him (I still have a little while with him yet).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 27, 2007)

*9/27/07*

*Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:*

*Superset 1:
Dips/Bench Dips: RI - 30*

BW-112x10/BWx6
BW-112x10/BWx5
BW-112x10/BWx4
**All the dips were with perfect form all the way!
*Superset 2:
BB Flat Bench Press/DB Serrates Pull (with pulses): Ri - 30*

75x10/30x8 (one pulse)
85x10/40x10 (3 pulses)
95x8/40x8 (1 pulse)
95x5/30x10

*Superset 3:
Cable Flys/Pushups/Pulses (Crossovers): RI - 30*

(Flys)25x15/(Pulses)30x4/(Pushups)BWx5 Perfect form!
(Flys)45x12/(Pulses)45x6 PR for weight and reps  

*EZ Bar Skull Crushers: RI - 30*

20x15
20x15
20x15 PR for Reps  

*Reverse Rope Pressdowns (Negatives): RI - 15*

Maxhine #4x10 (6 second negatives)
Maxhine #4x10 (6 second negatives)

*Cardio: 20 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 75, max hr - 200, level 8 - Kept it at 43 RPM the whole time!)

15 minutes on a Elliptical Trainer (starting hr - 72, max hr - 152, functional hr range - 140-150, level 5 the entire time).

Again, we upped the volume and lowered the intensity. I'm a little sore in my wrist flexors from all the pushups, dips, and benching, but all is well. We even took some time to get some new records and some things that were worth mention - like how I finally did a set of full pushups with perfect form and how all my dips were in perfect form! 

Cardio was fine too, My legs are still sore from last Tuesday's leg workout (holy crap those 10 sets of deadlifts were awesome!).


----------



## goob (Sep 28, 2007)

Fucking hell!  These superset workouts look evil.  I like it.

That's a bit like these non-stop no rest workouts i've been doing.  Killer stuff.

Great job TC.


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## tallcall (Sep 28, 2007)

Yeah, I'm probably going to up the weights starting tomorrow and get off this deload week (everything except for shoulders - they do not need to be heavy and they are feeling great).


----------



## tallcall (Sep 28, 2007)

*9/28/07*

*Friday:

Abs/Cardio*

*Superset:
Ab Rollout/Planks: RI - 30*

BWx10/BW+25x:90
BWx15/BW+25x:60
BWx15/BW+25x:60

*Side Bends: RI - 20*

3x45x20

*Cardio - 20 Minutes SS*

5 minutes on an Stair Mill (starting hr -78, max hr - 145, level 5-7-9).

15 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 78, max hr - 151, functional range - 140-145, Incline - 0.0-15.0, Speed - 3.0-4.0mph).

Abs were real good today - very tight, I really wanted to get back to the more intense ab workouts, they just good!

Cardio sucked  . I was going for a HIIT session, but my legs were still a little sore from Tuesday, and the belt on the treadmill slipped and nearly threw me off mad:  )! When that happened, I decided to just do a solid state session and try HIIT again tomorrow - legs just felt too weak and the stair mills are def out of the question when my legs feel sore (my cardiovascular system can handle it, my legs just burn out very quickly). 

Oh well, I got to talk to one of my trainer friends (a different trainer, not mine), he's always cool to talk to, so it wasn't all bad.


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## tallcall (Sep 29, 2007)

*9/29/07*

*Saturday:

Abs/Back/Biceps/Cardio:*

*Superset:
Crunches/Leg Raises: RI - 30*

BWx12/BWx10
BWx12/BWx10
BWx12/BWx10

*Pulldowns: RI - 45*

135x8
150x8
180x6
195x3 PR - Weight  

*Seated Cable Row: RI - 60*

165x8
195x8
210x6

*Machine Hyper Extensions: RI - 30*

130x12
170x12
250x10

*Hammer Strength High Rows: RI - 30*

40(per arm)x15 - way too easy, it's been a while since I've done these
90(per arm)x8(+2 forced reps) PR - Weight  
80(per arm)x8 - Negatives (6 sec negatives)

*Superset:
Cable Curls/Cable Crunches: RI - 60*

170x8/200x15
180x6/225x12
190x4/250x10
200x1 PR - Weight  

*Farmers Walk: RI - 60*

100 pound dumbbells @ 60 steps, 43 steps, 20 steps, 40 steps, and 30 steps - 193 steps total - PR for Weight  

*Cardio - 50 minutes HIIT*

Rowing for 5 minutes at level 10 (starting hr - 100, max hr - 160).

10 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Starting hr - 120, max hr - 160, 6 sets of 60/60 @ level 12-13 and hr = 160, rest hr = 139 at level 5.

10 minutes on an arch trainer HIIT. Starting hr - 141, max hr - 170, incline = 5-7, resistance = 15-20, 7 minutes straight @170bpm.

25 minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 144, max hr - 170, 1 interval at 6.5mph and 170bpm for 60 seconds, normal hr range - 130-140, incline = 0.0-5.0, speed = 3.0mph-6.5mph, most of the time spent on 4.0mph.

There, I feel better now!

After a week of relative rest, I came back for a few weight personal records! I'm happy I got those curls up to 200 pounds, I've been kind of stuck at 190@4-5 reps for a month or so now. 

I love how those high rows have improved so much, I can almost lift both of the stacks (I think they went up to 150 or 200 pounds - I'm half way there). 

The pulldowns were also awesome - got 195 pounds with good form for the first time today.

I still have a hard time on the stair mills - my legs burn out so fast on those, my heart can go on and on just fine, but my legs just won't have it (I just have to keep going at it, I'll get it someday!)

I kind of decided to go all out for power today and achieved all my goals - a very good (fun) day


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## tallcall (Sep 30, 2007)

*9/30/07*

*Sunday:

Shoulders: - Kept it lighter than normal (except for the shoulder presses  )*

*Superset 1:
Smith Shrugs/Front Raises: No Rest*

100x20/12x12
130x20/12x12
150x20/12x12

*Superset 2:
Smith Shoulder Press/Side Raises: No Rest*

50x10/12x12
60x10/12x12
70x7(+3 forced)/12x12

*Superset 3:
DB Rear Delt Row/Cable Upright Row: RI - 30*

20x15/Machine #4x10
20x15/#6x10
20x15/#7x10 PR for Weight  

*Superset 4:
DB Shrugs/Farmer Walk: RI - 30*

65'sx20 PR for Weight I think  /65'sx106 feet
65'sx20/65'sx115 feet
**Deadlifted, shrugged 20 times, then walked 106-115 steps and dropped the weight. Lather, rinse, repeat.

*Cardio - 35 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 85, max hr - 175, level 10).

30 minutes on a treadmill. The first 15 minutes were approx. 6 sets of 60/60@ 6.5mph - 170bpm, 2 sets of 40/60@8.0mph - 171bpm, and 2 sets of 60/60@3.5-4.0mph and an incline of 10-15. The rest of the time was solid state.

I wish I could have done my full hour of cardio like I normally do, but I really have a hard time doing two days of it back to back, so maybe next week when I can do one on Friday and one on Sunday it will all flow better.

The weights went pretty smooth, I did my normal warm-ups and rotator cuff work (it feels like I'm the only one doing that stuff, but I really don't want a shoulder injury). Anyways, I'm keeping the weights light on shoulder day for another week or two at the request of my trainer.

I'm still impressed with yesterday's workout, wow that felt good!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 2, 2007)

*10/2/07 Weigh in*

10/2/07 Weigh in
Weight: 288.5 ??? down .5 pounds from last time  

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 37 inches ??? down 1 inch from last time  
Chest: 51 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 60.5 inches ??? no change from last time
Neck: 20.0 inches ??? no changefrom last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 265.52 - down from last week's 265.98 (-0.46 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 22.98 pounds - down from last week's 23.02 (-0.04 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7.5 mm ??? no change from last week
Suprailiac ??? 11.5 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 7 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is still ~15%. Since last week was a rest week, I kind of expected to just hover in place like that, but I???m happy that I lost a half pound on the scale, and an inch on my stomach without much lean mass loss.


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## katt (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice workouts TC.. looks like you're making steady progress..   

I hear ya on the cardio.. I have a hard time doing that two days in a row also, along with our morning workouts.. it's just brutal!


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## tallcall (Oct 2, 2007)

katt said:


> Nice workouts TC.. looks like you're making steady progress..
> 
> I hear ya on the cardio.. I have a hard time doing that two days in a row also, along with our morning workouts.. it's just brutal!



Yeah, I hope to be back into the swing of things this week!


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## tallcall (Oct 2, 2007)

*10/2/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*

*Calorie total for today is 3974, bringing it down to 3000 for tomorrow, 3600 for Thursday, 3200 for Friday, 3400 for Saturday and Sunday, then 3000 plus a cheat meal for Monday - sort of a new arrangement of my diet to change things up some - still losing about 1.5-2 pounds a week on average, just trying to tighten down on it a little.*

*DB Static Lunges: RI - 30*

BWx10
20'sx10, BWx1 with a 10 sec hold
25'sx10, BWx1 with a 10 sec hold PR for Weight  

*Leg Press - Emphasizing Ham-Glute: RI - 45*
270x10
360x10
410x8

*Leg Press - Emphasizing Adductiors Dropset*

Starting at 360 - ending at 180
1st 2 plates off at 12 reps, 2nd 2 plates off at 20 reps, 25 reps total

*Wide Stance Deadlift with double overhand grip: RI - 60*

135x10
185x10
225x10
255x9 PR for Reps at this weight  

*Leg Raises - Dropsets: RI - 60*

Set 1 - 
Double Leg - 190x10
DS to Single Right Leg - 70x6
DS 2 to Single Left Leg - 70x6

Set 2 - 
Double Leg - 190x10
DS to Single Right Leg - 70x6
DS 2 to Single Left Leg - 70x6

Set 3 - 
Double Leg - 190x10
DS to Single Left Leg - 70x6
DS 2 to Single Right Leg - 70x6

*Cardio - 21 minutes SS*

Stairs for 6 minutes (starting hr - 84, max hr - 140, level 5-7).

Stairs for 15 minutes (starting hr - 106, max hr - 156, level 3-5).

That felt great. I really got that Deadlift form down, I can't wait to try for 305 pounds - I think I'm going for it next week. Starting to do weighted Lunges now - Awesome.

My trainer and I have decided to do some calorie cycling. I'm going to try to hit 4000-4200 on leg day, 3000 on my off days (except for my cheat day), 3400 on my cardio only day, and 3600 on my Chest/Tri, Back/Bi, and Shoulders days. We hope this will spur a greater caloric deficit.

My legs felt like jello, so the stairs were very challenging after the workout. It's nice to be back to more heavy lifting again (heavy for me at least).


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## DOMS (Oct 2, 2007)

A *very* worthy workout, man!

And you've done a _helluva_ job since you joined!


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## tallcall (Oct 2, 2007)

DOMS said:


> A *very* worthy workout, man!
> 
> And you've done a _helluva_ job since you joined!



It's nice that you guys think so, I wish I could convince myself of that sometimes.


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## goob (Oct 3, 2007)

DOMS said:


> A *very* worthy workout, man!
> 
> And you've done a _helluva_ job since you joined!


 
Agreed.  Your workolad just seems to get larger and larger..........

Damn good job.


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## tallcall (Oct 3, 2007)

Today is a calorie restricted day - 3000, I Hate These Days. But it does give me an excuse to be a total ass!


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## tallcall (Oct 4, 2007)

*10/04/07*

*Thursday:

Shoulders - Learning Day:*

*Superset A: RI - 30
A1 - Rear Delt Fly |* Machine #4x3 sets x10-12 reps

*A2 - Front Raise |* 15/10/10x5 reps

*A3 - Side Raise Hold |* 15 second, 20 second hold

*Power Press (Looked sort of like Arnolds): RI - 30 |* 20/20/25x8-10 reps

*Shoulder Press: RI - 30 |* 30x 2 sets x8 reps

*Superset B: RI - 30
B1 - Smith Upright Rows |* Bar + 50/20/30x 12 reps

*B2 - DB Shrugs |* 55's/80's/80'sx 15 reps (first set had 5 fast reps and 2 negatives - 5 seconds, the second and third sets only had the 2 negatives)

*Side Raises: RI - 15 |* 12x3 sets x12 reps

*Cardio - 27 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 71, max hr - 165, level 10, kept it above 41 rpms at all times).

22 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 102, max hr - 175-180, speed - 3-7mph, incline - 0-15. I couldn't hold a high speed for more than 20 seconds, so I decided to play with the incline today to keep my heart rate up there. I ended up with 5 minutes up and 2 minutes down for about 3 sets (~300/120   !) - This is a new PR for me. My average heart rate was between 165 and 175bpm the whole time.

I had some fun today, I got to learn a lot from my trainer, threw in something new for me - Power Presses (I think they are like Arnolds, all the rotation stayed near and above the shoulders).

He was impressed with the way I handled the 80 pound dumbbells with no straps (all those farmers walks I do to build grip strength). I told him I was just going to Deadlift them and do my thing without any straps or a back belt (I usually don't have one for anything under 200 pounds, but either way I just forgot to bring mine today - oops  ).

Todays calorie total was 3400. I'm so tired, going to bed soon!


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## katt (Oct 4, 2007)

Nice job on the PR on cardio!!   

Gawd,, 3400 calories.... how I wish I could have that right now.. todays could was barely 1500.... I'M STARVING!!!


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## tallcall (Oct 5, 2007)

katt said:


> Nice job on the PR on cardio!!
> 
> Gawd,, 3400 calories.... how I wish I could have that right now.. todays could was barely 1500.... I'M STARVING!!!



I really felt like I was going to start ripping people's heads off on Wednesday when I was on 3000 calories. 

It didn't help that we were also under a lot of pressure at work. They have my friend and I (we work on separate days) putting on a 4 hour long live show from Master Control. This is the first time in our history that my station has attempted this so both of us are a part of a huge experiment (everyone else bitches and complains, but none of them has any right to now - I can't leave the room for 5 minutes to use the bathroom unless it's pre-planned). 

Then, after the show, I get to work with another idiot (ranked higher than me) who comes in and complains about absolutely everything. I wonder if his constant complaining is a form of harassment?


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## tallcall (Oct 5, 2007)

*10/05/07*

*Friday:

Abs/Cardio:*

*Superset A: RI - 30*

*A1 - Ab Rollout |* 3 sets x12 reps

*A2 - Brid-Dogs |* 3 sets x10 reps

*A3 - Planks |* 3 x:60 seconds

*A4 - Side Bends |* 45x3 sets x15 reps

*Cardio - 50 minutes SS*

5 minutes on the Arch Trainer (starting hr - 100, max hr - 145, incline - 7-10, resistance - 15-25).

45 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 113, max hr - 165, functional hr range - 140-160, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.0-6.5mph).

Felt great. I'm trying to be able to do those ab rollouts standing up, but I think that's a while down the road. Definitely wore me out.

Today was a 3200 calorie day. Damn these restrictions!


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## fufu (Oct 5, 2007)

good job


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## DOMS (Oct 5, 2007)

Great workout, man!  That's a type of workout that many who do weight training will never be smart enough to do.

Which reminds me, I need to do something like that...


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## tallcall (Oct 5, 2007)

Yeah, it usually kills me because I have to try to do 3-3.5 hours of cardio a week. This week I'm at about 2 hours so far, probably 30 minutes tomorrow HIIT, and maybe an hour Sunday SS. My trainer definitely likes to see me doing these sessions, sometimes we run together, just depends on when his next client is scheduled to come in.


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## tallcall (Oct 6, 2007)

*10/06/07*

*Saturday:

Chest/Triceps: Power Day*

*BB Flat Bench: RI - 60 |* 105x10, 125x6, 135x4, 145xMiss, 95x10 

  Good attempt, I felt much more comfortable on the 135's than I did before.

*Superset A: RI - 45*

*A1 - Cable Reverse Fly |* 35x10, 45x10, 50x8 PR for Weight

*A2 - Cable Fly |* 35x10, 45x10, 50x8 PR for Weight

*A3 - Cable Incline Press* 35x10, 45x10, 50x8 PR for Weight
 

*Dips: RI - 60*

3 sets x BW-100 x 8 reps

*Superset B: RI - 45*

*B1 - Triceps Pressdown |* Machine #5x10, #5x10, #6x8 PR for Weight

*B2 - Reverse Triceps Pressdown |* Machine #5x10, #5x10, #6x8 PR for Weight
 

*Cardio - 23 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 75, max hr - 190  , level 10).

11 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. 5 sets of 60/60, min hr - 96, max hr - 160, interval hr - 150-160, rest hr - 135-145, interval level - 10, rest level - 3.

7 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT. Min hr - 112, max hr - 155, 3 minutes on level 10, 1 minute on level 5, 1 minute on level 10, 2 minutes on level 1.

There, I'm a little angry that I missed 145 on the bench, but it was my first time doing this without someone there to spot me and when I tried to lift the bar off the pins, I just could not budge it more than about an inch - no need to risk an injury for this. On the extreme plus side, I was very impressed with the way I was able to control that bar on my own, even at 135 pounds - felt easier than last time. I could have done a few more, but I didn't want to risk hitting my failure point and being stuck in a really bad place.


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## Double D (Oct 7, 2007)

Hey buddy how are ya? Are you still working with a trainer?


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## tallcall (Oct 7, 2007)

Double D said:


> Hey buddy how are ya? Are you still working with a trainer?



Hey man, I missed you! Yeah, I still use a trainer. 

I'm thinking of cutting one day with him. To save some money and try to do some of this on my own for a while (just to prove to myself and others that I can).

He told me that he is thinking of opening his own place around here. I will definitely go with him when that happens!


----------



## Double D (Oct 7, 2007)

What gym do you train at now? I think you probably know enough to be on your own. But sometimes its just the accountability to be there a trainer gives you.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 7, 2007)

Double D said:


> What gym do you train at now? I think you probably know enough to be on your own. But sometimes its just the accountability to be there a trainer gives you.



I go to a LA Fitness. I'm just thinking about canceling one day basically because I can't afford it. I think he has been invaluable so far and would like to continue for another couple months with him full time. I am very confident that I can get it all done on my own. 

The only areas that make me nervous (doing them without someone to spot me) is Deads/Squats and Bench - The areas where I could injure myself quickly if I make a mistake.

I just listen to my body and go with whatever it allows me to do for that day (some days are better than others). This week has been all about power, and I definitely feel like I've gained muscle (I cut calories, upped the intensity, and gained a pound on the scale!).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 7, 2007)

*10/07/07*

*Sunday:

Back/Biceps: Power Day*

  

*Pulldowns: RI - 60 |* 150x8, 180x8, 195x6 PR for reps at this weight

*MTS Highrow (New Machine - Different): RI - 45 |* 70'sx10, 80'sx10, 90'sx10, 100'sx5 PR for Weight

*DB Straight Legged Deadlift: RI - 60 |* 45'sx10, 45'sx10, 50'sx10 PR for Weight

*Preacher Curls: RI - 45 |* 20'sx8, 30'sx8 (because I couldn't FIND 25 pound dumbbells anywhere!), 35'sx6 PR for Weight

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 110 pound dumbbells x 20, 20, 20, 10, 10, 10 = 90 steps total PR for Weight

  

*Torso Rotations: RI - 15 |* 130x10, 150x10, 200x8

*Superset A: RI - 45*

*A1 - Supermans - Ab work |* 3 sets x BW x 10 reps

*A2 - Cat-Camels |* 3 sets x BW x 10 reps

*Cardio - 31 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 90, max hr - 165, level 10).

26 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - about 130, max hr - 168, functional hr - 140-160, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.0-3.5).

God I'm tired, that's why I didn't get my hour of cardio today and I know I went incredibly slow through the rest of it. But hey, I got my personal records now didn't I.

This was interesting, the place didn't have many people in today, but there were a whole lot of idiots there! This group of kids hogged the only good cable machine (both sides) and did nothing mut pressdowns and chatted for about 15 minutes while I was doing my SLDL's. I began and finished while they were just standing there talking - I had hoped that they would finish by the time I finished so I could get on it for my previously planned triple-set - curls/crunches/woodchoppers (sp?), but that would've been too nice, so I went to my plan B and finished everything (with that special twist). 

God I feel like I'm in a sea of morons when I'm there sometimes - where do all those dumbbells go anyways - they all just disappear from the racks. I enjoy finding about 20 or them piled up in the corner of the classroom on the wood floors - what if someone dropped them in there on that nice wooden floor, wouldn't that be fun? _Shockingly _the 100 pounders and above were still there because they are all positioned on the *TOP RACK!*  

But it was still a very good day!


----------



## katt (Oct 7, 2007)

Dang nice job with all the pr's!!

I know, isn't it funny how all the db's are "missing" or "being used" by people that just want to "chat"... gawd, it's really annoying when you're there to do your workout and you can't, or have to - regroup...


----------



## tallcall (Oct 8, 2007)

katt said:


> Dang nice job with all the pr's!!
> 
> I know, isn't it funny how all the db's are "missing" or "being used" by people that just want to "chat"... gawd, it's really annoying when you're there to do your workout and you can't, or have to - regroup...



Thanks!

I just really hated those kids standing in that cable machine wasting time (my time too!). Knowing that I tower over them, I probably could've just scared them all away.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 8, 2007)

*10/08/07 Weigh in*

10/8/07 Weigh in
Weight: 287 ??? down 1.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 37 inches ??? no change 
Chest: 51 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 61 inches ??? up 0.5 inches from last time
Neck: 19 inches ??? down 1 inch from last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 265.25 - down from last week's 265.52 (-0.27 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 21.75 - down from last week's 22.98 (-1.23 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7.5 mm ??? no change from last week
Suprailiac ??? 11 mm ??? down 0.5 mm from last week
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 6 mm ??? down 1 mm from last week

Estimated body fat % is still ~15%. I kind of expect to just hover in place like that for a while, but I???m happy that I lost a pound and a half on the scale, am making big strength increases, and progressing through the weights.


----------



## goob (Oct 8, 2007)

Great job TC.  It musyt be great to look in the mirror and notice a gradual but definite change.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 8, 2007)

goob said:


> Great job TC.  It musyt be great to look in the mirror and notice a gradual but definite change.



It's nice that I can feel the abs under a thin layer of fat and actually have a bit of a chest now!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 9, 2007)

*10/09/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*   

*Wide Stance Deadlifts With a Double Overhand Grip: RI - 120 |* 135x12, 205x12, 255x4 (stop, reset, back up again), 285x4, 300xMiss (would have been a PR but I just couldn't get my hips in place to carry the load, maybe next time).

*Superset A: RI - 45*

*A1 - Lying Leg Curls |* 90x15, 100x12, 110x12, 120x10

*A2 - Hip Abductors |* 100x20, 110x15, 120x15, 130x12

*Leg Press - Wide Stance: RI - 60 |* 360x10, 450x8, 540x8 PR tie for my previous weight record

*Leg Extensions (6 Second Negatives): RI - 45 |* 110x10, 150x10, 170x10

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

Stairs for 8 minutes (starting hr - 75, max hr - 140, level - 5).

Treadmill for 12 minutes (starting hr - 100, max hr - 147, incline - 5-7, speed - 3.5).

That was a whole lot of deadlifting today. I really thought I might be able to beat my old record of 295 today, but as soon as I tried to get it up, I just couldn't get it to budge. I know the problem is that I just didn't get my hips down - I grabbed the bar, slid my feet under into position, then propped my butt up and tried pulling from there. I really thought I was pulling like I had for all the other sets because they were all done correctly, but I know I have to get into a sort of squat as I'm pulling back, not just pull back. I think of it as down and back pushing through your heels and let the weight sort of ride up along your legs and thrust your hips forward right as the bar is just about on your knees, so everything gets into position.

Oh well, next time. Everything was great though. My cheap little heart rate monitor needs a new battery in the watch receiver unit, I'll see about getting that fixed.


----------



## goob (Oct 10, 2007)

Fuck, i just don't know how you can do cardio after deads, my back is always in bits after them, and I just can't face cardio.

Good job.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 10, 2007)

goob said:


> Fuck, i just don't know how you can do cardio after deads, my back is always in bits after them, and I just can't face cardio.
> 
> Good job.



 
I just figured that if I didn't do it then, I might not be able to do it for a few days (DOMS and all).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 10, 2007)

Saturday and Sunday - 3400 calories

Monday - 3000 + a cheat meal - ~3600 or so - the cheat meal makes Monday possible

Tuesday - 4200 calories  

Today - 3000 calories   

Thursday - ~3600 calories

Friday - ~3200 calories

Lather, Rinse, Repeat for now


It's so weird that I feel like I'm starving when I have only 3000 calories a day.

Time for a nap, going to see some friends tonight.


----------



## DOMS (Oct 10, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I just figured that if I didn't do it then, I might not be able to do it for a few days (DOMS and all).



What the fuck?  Are you saying that I'm holding you back? 

Try some hoodia gordonii on your low cal days.  It's an all natural appetite suppressant.  Just make sure it comes from Africa.  Otherwise, it's likely a crap product.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 10, 2007)

DOMS said:


> What the fuck?  Are you saying that I'm holding you back?
> 
> Try some hoodia gordonii on your low cal days.  It's an all natural appetite suppressant.  Just make sure it comes from Africa.  Otherwise, it's likely a crap product.



Yes DOMS, I used to think you were the wind beneath my wings, now I know that you're the broken emergency brake stuck in the on position! A little dry humor for you.  

Also, most of the stuff that comes from Africa is crap anyways.


----------



## goob (Oct 11, 2007)

DOMS said:


> What the fuck? Are you saying that I'm holding you back?
> 
> Try some hoodia gordonii on your low cal days. It's an all natural appetite suppressant. Just make sure it comes from Africa. Otherwise, it's likely a crap product.


 
Yohimbe is quit good too, although perhaps dangerous.  Very mild narcotic like effect.


----------



## vortrit (Oct 11, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Saturday and Sunday - 3400 calories
> 
> It's so weird that I feel like I'm starving when I have only 3000 calories a day.



I know what you mean. I need about 4000 calories just for maintenance.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 11, 2007)

vortrit said:


> I know what you mean. I need about 4000 calories just for maintenance.



It's our curse! Damn us for being so big!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 11, 2007)

goob said:


> Yohimbe is quit good too, although perhaps dangerous.  Very mild narcotic like effect.



Drugs _*are*_ good for you?!?


----------



## tallcall (Oct 11, 2007)

*10/11/07*

*Thursday:

Shoulders:*

*Side Raises (Marathon) - RI - 60*

Set 1 - 8x10, 12x10, 15x10, 12x10, 8x10
Set 2 - 10x10, 15x10, 20x10, 15x10, 10x10, 10x15 second hold
Set 3 - 10x10, 15x10, 20x8, 15x10, 10x15 second hold

*Superset A - RI - 60*

*A1 - Smith Behind the Neck Shoulder Press (down to ears, no farther) |* 50x10, 70x8, 70x8

*A2 - Front Raises with 3 second negatives (trainer kept moving the targeted end point up, down, left, and right to add to the punishment) |* 25 pound platex10, 25x8, 25x8

*Rows with a straight back (not bent over rows, there was more rear delt involvement - RI - 45 |* 25x10, 45x8, 30x10, 30x10

*Cable Upright Rows - RI - 45 |* Machine #5x10, #7x10, #10x10 PR for weight

*DB Shrugs - RI - 60 |* 60'sx20, 70'sx15, 70'sx15, 80'sx15

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 77, max hr - 175, level 10).

25 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Set 1 - Incline = 12, Speed = 3.5 - 60/60. Set 2, Incline = 15, Speed = 3.5 - 60/60. Set 3, Incline = 15, Speed = 3.0 - 120/60. Set 4, Incline = 5, Speed = 6.0 - 60/60. Set 5, Incline = 0, Speed = 7.0 - 60/60. Min hr - 85, max hr - 175.

Very good day. Some of the other trainers and I were talking about the amount of work I just did, and they thought I was a little crazy, until I said that I like it when I have a hard time walking or raising my arms for the next day or so after a workout (guess it's a little masochistic). One of the trainers was wearing one earring on his right ear (kind of nice to me too - they all are, but I think he's a little more sincere - might just be me though). 

I didn't think I was going to get that HIIT session today, but I pulled something out of nothing and made myself do it (so tired after that marathon).

Today's calorie total - 3600


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## tallcall (Oct 12, 2007)

*10/12/07*

*Friday:

Abs/Cardio:*

*Reverse Crunch - RI - 30 |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Torso Rotations (Kneeling with a Medicine Ball) - RI - 30 |* 8 pound ball x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Crunch (raising arms out in front to just above shoulders) - RI - 30* BW x 3 sets x 15 reps

*Cardio - 30 minutes SS*

5 minutes on an arch trainer (min hr - 75, max hr - 144, incline - 3-7, resistance - 20-25).

25 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 106, max hr - 172, incline - 6, 10, 15, speed - 2.5-4.5, spend 120 sec at level 15 at a speed of 2.5-3.5 !).

My heart rate monitor has been acting up lately, I don't think it's the battery anymore, I may just have to have it replaced, if I do that, I'll place the order on Monday (I've had this one for almost 8 months!).

Other than that everything was cool. I ran into my trainer there, he was re-earning Power-Clean & Jerks, it was interesting to see him doing those. He just hasn't done them in a while so he was a bit rusty, he had one of the other trainers there who is apparently training in MMA to help him get those done. They didn't mind if I observed, so I did. Afterwards, we got off talking about some of the latest UCF news - I'm going to miss Randy Couture!

Today's calorie total - 3200 (somehow I'm making this work with so many temptations from the upcoming holidays - I think I deserve a gold star!).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 13, 2007)

*10/13/07*

*Saturday:

Chest/Triceps:*

These next two weeks, I think I'm going to go for reps, then transition back to power.

*Ab Superset: RI - 30

1 - Ab Rollout |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps (record for distance - 4 feet)

*2 - Side Bends |* 45 x 3 sets x 15 reps

*Superset A: RI - 120*

*A1 - BB Flat Bench |* 75x12, 95x10, 105x10

*A2 - Serrates Pulls |* 25x10, 30x8 (with 3 pulses), 30x8 (with 5 pulses)

*A3 - CG Bench |* 55x10 (way too light), 65x10, 75x10

*Superset B: RI - 60*

*B1 - Flat DB Fly |* 20'sx10, 20'sx10, 30'sx10

*B2 - Flat DB Press |* 20'sx10, 20'sx10, 30'sx10

*B3 - DB Skullcrushers (both arms at the same time) |* 20'sx8, 20'sx8, 20'sx8

*Cardio - 32 minutes Solid State*

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 95, max hr - 97, level - 8).

21 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 75, max hr - 165, levels 1-14, functional hr - 140-150).

6 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 108, max hr - 140, incline - 0, speed - 3.0).

Those were two big supersets. It felt awesome doing flat and cg bench as part of the same unit! All I was missing was some dips (next time).

I was also impressed with my distance on the ab wheel, 4 feet is a lot longer than where I was when I started on this thing.

Sorry, only one record for today.

Calorie total - 3400 for today


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## goob (Oct 14, 2007)

That's a lot of work........!!!!

What's a serrates pull?


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## tallcall (Oct 14, 2007)

goob said:


> That's a lot of work........!!!!
> 
> What's a serrates pull?




Yeah, it was a lot of work!

Basically Lat Pulls done while lying across the bench (bench is supporting your shoulders). Using a dumbbell and holding it just above your stomach, move it up along your body (just an inch or so away from your body) past your head and drop down and stretch as far as you can, then come back. Pulses are done by repeating the drop and stretch for a desired number of times (I do mine once or twice on each rep).


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## tallcall (Oct 14, 2007)

*10/14/07*

*Sunday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Superset A: RI - 90*

*A1 - WG Pullups |* 3xBW-112x8 (last set had 7 second negatives)

*A2 - Cable Rows |* 3x135x12 - PR for Reps

*Superset B: RI - 60*

*B1 - Bent over Rows |* 40x10, 45x10, 45x10

*B2 - Hammer Curls (done simultaneously) |* 20'sx10, 20'sx12, 20'sx12 PR for Reps

*Superset C - RI - 60*

*C1 - Cable Curls |* 110x12, 110x12, 110x12

*C2 - Hyper-extensions |* 3x25x12

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 45-60* 75'sx318 steps (72 more than last time at this weight) PR for distance

*Cardio - 25 minutes SS*

Row for 5 minutes (min hr - 90, max hr - 150, level 10).

Stairs for 20 minutes (min hr - 108, max hr - 145, functional hr range - 135-145, level 5).

I decided against the second HIIT session this week because I incorporated some intervals into every other cardio workout anyways, and my legs were still a little sore from the last HIIT session.

Look at all those Supersets! They were fun.

I met someone as I was leaving. I saw him leg pressing about 720 pounds with good form! I just wanted to let him know that I thought what he was doing was amazing. It turns out that he is training for MMA and he opted to keep pushing his strength training. I asked what his deadlifts were like and he said about 600 pounds at a bodyweight of 198 pounds (about 3 times his bodyweight)! He does do occasional Power Cleans, but not usually. We talked for a while about some of the different ideas on whether or not to skip strength training to just focus on grappling or go the other way. I really enjoyed meeting him (guys like that are just cool to talk to anyway). 

I have met some really interesting people there lately, one powerlifter, one female bodybuilder, and at least 2 (not counting this new guy) guys training MMA (one was helping my trainer with his Power Cleans). This just might counterbalance the amount of dumb people I see there everyday (maybe...).

I saw someone training a friend and he put too much weight on the bar, the guy training him had him do limited ROM presses (the guy can barely hold the weight, so instead of removing some, lets just limit his movement - brilliant idea that'll probably take the guy nowhere).

Oh well, today was a good day!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 15, 2007)

*10/15/07 Weigh in*

10/15/07 Weigh in
Weight: 285.5 ??? down 1.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 37 inches ??? no change 
Chest: 51 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 61.5 inches ??? up 0.5 inches from last time
Neck: 19 inches ??? no change
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 264.24 - down from last week's 265.25 (-1.01 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 21.26 - down from last week's 21.75 (-0.49 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  down 0.5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 11 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 6 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is still ~15%. Once again, I???m happy that I lost a pound and a half on the scale. The body fat is slowly coming off and I???m still making nice strength increases, and progressing through the weights. So in the end all is good.


----------



## goob (Oct 15, 2007)

Awesome stuff TC.  You just keep on succeeding, if only everybody had the level of dedication you have.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 15, 2007)

goob said:


> Awesome stuff TC.  You just keep on succeeding, if only everybody had the level of dedication you have.



Aww, thanks man, I'm doing my best!


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## tallcall (Oct 15, 2007)

*10/15/07*

Cheat Day

Total calories - 3000 + whatever I wanted (I've been good all week and deserve something good today)


----------



## tallcall (Oct 16, 2007)

*10/16/07*

*Tuesday:

Legs:*

*Lying Leg Curl: RI - 30 |* 90x15, 130x12, 150x8, 170x3 PR for Weight  

*Straight Legged Deadlift (With Barbell On Raised Platform): RI - 45 |* 95x10, 115x12, 135x8 + 8 with a 3 second eccentric/concentric, 155x8, 155x6 + 2   with a 3 second eccentric/concentric PR for Weight  

*Lunges (Done in Place): RI - 20 |* 25'sx10 x 2 sets, 25'sx8 each rep done with a 3 second eccentric/concentric

*Leg Press (Abductor Emphasis): RI - 45 |* 270x10, 360x10, 450x10

*Superset: RI - 30*
*Hip Abductions |* 120x20, 130x15, 140x15, 150x12

*Hip Adductions |* 120x20, 130x15, 140x15, 150x12

*Cardio - 22 minutes SS*

8 minutes on a stair mill - before the leg workout - (min hr - 81, max hr - 145, level 5-7).

14 minutes on a treadmill - after the workout - (min hr - 132, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 135-150, incline - 0-7, speed - 3.0-3.5 mph)

Calories for today - 4200

Man that was awesome! I always feel so good after a leg workout, it feels good to not be able to walk correctly for at least a day. I'm impressed to see those Deadlift numbers going up all across the board (these SLDL's felt awesome today). Also, the leg curl machine only goes up to 205, so I'm awfully close to maxing out on that machine  .


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## tallcall (Oct 17, 2007)

*10/17/07*

Today's calorie total (projected into the future) - 3000


----------



## vortrit (Oct 18, 2007)

Looking good. Nice workouts and congrats on the PR for leg curls. I love lying leg curls. I haven't done them in awhile.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 18, 2007)

*10/18/07*

*Thursday:

Core Workout: Learning Day*

*Torso Rotations with Medicine Ball (Both Sides): RI - 30 |* 4 pound ballx12 reps, 8 pound ballx12, 8 pound ballx15

*Crunch with leg raises and 2 pound medicine ball (doing a kind of catch and release with my hands and legs): RI - 30 |* BWx8, BW+2x8, BW+2x6

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 30 |* BWx8, BWx5, BWx3 - Really just learning this and trying to get the form down.

*Dive Bombers: RI - 60 |* BWx5 - This is also very new and I just couldn't do it right so I attempted about a dozen times before I got it to work correctly. Maybe it'll be easier next time.

*Cardio - 24 minutes HIIT*

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT. Min hr - 80, max hr - 165, level - 1 and 10, 2 minutes @ level 10 and 160-165 bpm.

14 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 105, max hr - 171, incline 4.0, speed - 3.5-6.5. 5 sets of 60/60 at a speed of 6.5mph and hr - 165-171.

I'm kind of angry that I couldn't get a stair mill for the last half, because two of the six are still out of service (they've been that way for a week now, I'm going to file some kind of complaint about that stuff not being fixed and probably tack on something about not having a dip belt or weighted vest for us to use on occasion). 

On top of all that, the treadmill had belt problems and I kept feeling the belt stopping under me (it nearly threw me off a few times).

The main workout was a nice change of pace, my trainer was happy to see that I wanted to spend some time on my core. When we tried the hanging knee raises, I was already half way threw the workout, so I was a bit worn out. 

I never expected that to be so hard. I really have some work to do on those!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 18, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Looking good. Nice workouts and congrats on the PR for leg curls. I love lying leg curls. I haven't done them in awhile.



Yeah, I absolutely love my leg days. Those curls felt great too!


----------



## tallcall (Oct 18, 2007)

Today's calorie total - 3400 (+/- 100)


----------



## vortrit (Oct 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Cheat Day
> 
> Total calories - 3000 + whatever I wanted (I've been good all week and deserve something good today)



Yeah, I'm having one of those. I usually just have one cheat meal a week, but today I'm going to have a whole cheat day. It's been way too long. I'll probably pack down about 7000 calories today. I'm bulking anyway.


----------



## goob (Oct 19, 2007)

Ohhhh... 24 minutes of HIIT...


----------



## tallcall (Oct 19, 2007)

*10/19/07*

*Friday:

Cardio*
*
45 minutes HIIT*

20 minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Min hr - 70, max hr - 171. 5 sets of 120/90 @ level 12, 15, and 20 (max resistance - I was really just pushing 45 rpm on this one), hr - 160-165bpm and 70-75 rpm (except the level 20 interval - 45 rpm).

25 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 110, max hr - 172. 1 set of 6.5 mph @ 60/60, incline = 0. 1 set of 8.2 mph @ 20/90, incline = 0. 1 last set of 3.5 mph @ an incline of 15.0 for 30/60. Followed up with solid state cardio for 10 minutes or so. For the solid state segment, incline - 0.0-4.0-6.0-15.0, and speed - 2.5-3.0-3.5-4.0mph, these were mixed and matched randomly (I just won't do an incline of 15 and speed greater than 3.8 mph - too much for even me).

Everything felt great today. I skipped abs today because of all the work we did yesterday, I might get some in on Sunday (after I fully recover).

On the elliptical, when I hit level 20, I was really pushing it (I had to really put my arms into it as well to move the pedals, it felt like a glute-ham workout more than anything else  ).

I talked to the trainers about canceling one of the contracts, we decided to kill the shorter and more expensive one in November (this gives me a 1.5 month buyout instead of the 2 month buyout I would have to do if I canceled it now). I also complained to the management about them not having Dip belts or at least a vest available, I'll just have to buy them when I get to that level. Also, I got to yell at them for not having the stair machines fixed sooner (it's been about 2 damn weeks and 2 of the 6 machines are still out of service)!  

Todays calorie total -  3200+ a big cheat (I didn't plan on it, but what the hell, it doesn't happen often anyways).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 19, 2007)

goob said:


> Ohhhh... 24 minutes of HIIT...



I know! In reality, the first 8 minutes were just warming up. I normally end up with about 15 minutes of actual intervals (much more than that and my legs will start to cry).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 19, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Yeah, I'm having one of those. I usually just have one cheat meal a week, but today I'm going to have a whole cheat day. It's been way too long. I'll probably pack down about 7000 calories today. I'm bulking anyway.



Yeah, I'm burning so many calories with my workouts and trying to get by with only 3000 calories on some days, I know that this slip up will not hurt me in any way (heck, the added energy made things just that much easier to handle).


----------



## vortrit (Oct 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, I'm burning so many calories with my workouts and trying to get by with only 3000 calories on some days, I know that this slip up will not hurt me in any way (heck, the added energy made things just that much easier to handle).



Yeah, I hear you. I usually lose a couple of pounds at the end of every week and have to try to gain it back over the weekend. Right now I'm staying a bit more consistent.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 20, 2007)

*10/20/07*

*Saturday:

Chest/Tri/Shoulders (kind of):*

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-100 x 10, 2 x BW-88 x 8 PR (sort of) for Weight - Kept good form

*Superset A: RI - 60*

*A1: BB Flat Bench |* 95 x 10, 105 x 8, 115 x 7

*A2: BB CG Bench |* 75 x 10, 85 x 8, 95 x 8 PR for Weight

* DB Shrugs: RI - 45 |* 80's x 20, 2 x 85's x 15 PR for Weight

*Rope Pressdowns: RI - 30 |* Machine #5x12, #8x10, #10x8 (6 sec negatives) PR for Weight, #8x8 (7 sec negatives)

*Cardio - 40 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 70, mac hr - 170, level - 10).

15 minutes HIIT on a treadmill (a little pain along the side of my knee made it difficult to run on the stairs - It's that pain that comes from running, like some kind of friction or something). 3 sets of 180/90 @ an incline of 15.0 and a speed of 3.2mph. Min hr - 90, max hr - 165, incline - 4.0 and 15.0, speed - 3.0-3.5mph.

20 minutes SS on a stair mill (min hr - 105, max hr - 152, level 6).

I really wanted to do more of a shoulder workout as well, but I think I burned myself out too much on those dips - still felt pretty impressive to me though. Because of the dips, my bench was a little lack-luster and I decided to not even try any shoulder presses (shoulders started getting really tight - my body's way of telling me I might be pushing it a little today - so I backed off).

Damn, I got another HIIT session this week (that makes 3 so far), and maybe one more tomorrow (If I do it I'm going to keep it extremely short - I'm a little worried about burning myself out because 3 sessions is a lot for me, but I've never done 4).

Oh well, everything was pretty good today!

Today's calories - 3500


----------



## goob (Oct 21, 2007)

Looking at your workouts, I think they must be some of the most taxing on IM.  Always weights followed by HIIT or long cardio, most people just do weights, or cardio on seperate days.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 21, 2007)

goob said:


> Looking at your workouts, I think they must be some of the most taxing on IM.  Always weights followed by HIIT or long cardio, most people just do weights, or cardio on seperate days.



I just do it this way to save some time. Oh, and because it's "fun!"


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## vortrit (Oct 21, 2007)

Nice job on the PR's. Impressive numbers all around.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 21, 2007)

*10/21/07*

*Sunday:

Back/Biceps: I AM THE PPOWWERRR!*

*Superset A: RI - 60*
*A1: WG Pullups Alternating with NG Pullups |* (WG) BW-112x10, (NG) BW-100x8, (WG) BW-100x5 (+2, +1 with a 10 second hold) PR for Weight  
*A2: Seated Cable Row |* 165x10, 195x8, 225x5 PR for Weight  

*Machine Hyper-extensions: RI - 30 |* 130x12, 210x10, 305 (stack)x8 PR for Weight  

*MTS High Row: RI - 45 |* 60'sx10, 70'sx10, 90'sx8, 100'sx6 PR for Weight  

*Cable Curls: RI - 45 |* 150x6, 150x6, 160x4 (+2)

*Farmers Walk: RI - 60 |* 85'sx230 feet - beat my old record by 76 feet PR for Distance  

*Cardio - 31 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing SS/HIIT warm-up (min hr - 75, max hr - 165, level 10).

15 minutes on an Elliptical trainer HIIT. Min hr - 128, max hr - 175, level 4 and 12. 3 sets of 120/90 @170-175 and level 12.

11 minutes on a stair mill SS (min hr - 115, max hr - 152, level 5).

Everything was awesome! I really exhausted my biceps in the beginning, so when I got to the curls, I could barely get the 150 pounds off the floor for 6 reps (my record is 200 pounds for 1 rep). I'm just a little sore right now D ).

I can't believe I got FOUR (4) HIIT sessions in this week! I guess my body was ready to make up for some lost time over the last two weeks. Man, I'm so tired!


*Today's calorie total - 3400*


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## tallcall (Oct 21, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice job on the PR's. Impressive numbers all around.



Thanks man! 

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I based my diet off of your cutting diet. Well, sort of anyways. I added my own twist, but it is working very well. So thank you!


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## tallcall (Oct 22, 2007)

*10/22/07 Weigh In*

10/22/07 Weigh in
Weight: 286.0 ??? up 0.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 37 inches ??? no change 

Chest: 51 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 61.5 inches ??? no change from last time

Neck: 19 inches ??? no change

Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 266.56 - up from last week's 264.24 (+1.32 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 19.44 - down from last week's 21.26 (-1.82 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  no change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 9.5 mm ??? down 1.5 mm from last week
Thigh ??? 9.5 mm ??? no change from last week 
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? down 1 mm from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~14.5%. 
I think that half pound gain is due to the power leg day and the power back/biceps day I just went through. I feel very strong right now, so everything???s all good. The caliper measurements still show some fat loss, so there must have been a gain in lean body mass.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 22, 2007)

*10/22/07*

Todays calories - 3000 + a cheat meal


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## wala (Oct 23, 2007)

I'm liking these workouts tallcall!

Farmers walks? 40 min HIIT sessions?!

Your a machine dude! keep this up


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## tallcall (Oct 23, 2007)

wala said:


> I'm liking these workouts tallcall!
> 
> Farmers walks? 40 min HIIT sessions?!
> 
> Your a machine dude! keep this up



Thank you!

"Domo arigato Mr. Roboto...."


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## tallcall (Oct 24, 2007)

Yesterday's calorie total - 3200

Today will be about 4200


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## AKIRA (Oct 24, 2007)

Ok, thank god for reading huh?  I was going to immediately going to ask you what the hell you were thinking doing 40+ min of HIIT, but now I see theyre separated sessions.

I pay close attention to HR during HIIT sessions as they are the indicators if HIIT is being used correctly.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 24, 2007)

AKIRA said:


> Ok, thank god for reading huh?  I was going to immediately going to ask you what the hell you were thinking doing 40+ min of HIIT, but now I see theyre separated sessions.
> 
> I pay close attention to HR during HIIT sessions as they are the indicators if HIIT is being used correctly.



Yeah I generally only do 10-15 minutes of minute long intervals.I do them right after my regular workout and sometimes add on a solid state session after the HIIT session - maybe 10 minutes or so (a lot of work)!


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## goob (Oct 24, 2007)

10-15 minutes of pure torture is more than enough.......


I might have to get back into the old HIIT, instead of trying to tag a sprint section on the end of my runs...


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## vortrit (Oct 24, 2007)

Yeah, I'll agree with goob on that!


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## tallcall (Oct 24, 2007)

*10/24/07*

*Wednesday:

Legs:*

*Leg Extensions: RI - 90 |* 130x12, 170x10, 230x10, 250x8, 250x6 PR for Weight

*Smith Front Squats: RI - 60 |* 3 sets x Bar +50 (Plus added resistance from trainer - very cool) x 10

**This was my first time doing these for working sets (last time went pretty bad, I got the hang of them - sort of)

*Leg Press: RI - 90 |* 360x10, 450x8, 450x10

*Lunges (Static Left/Right): RI - 60 |* BWx5 (5 sec eccentric and 5 sec concentric) per leg, BWx5 (with 5 second holds at the bottom) per leg

*Single Leg Seated Leg Curls: RI - 60 |* 50x15, 60x12 (+3 with 5 sec holds and 5 sec negatives), 65x9 (+2 with 5 sec negatives) PR for Weight

*Cardio - 21 Minutes SS*

5 minutes on a treadmill - warming up for workout - (min hr - 60, max hr - 142, incline - 9, speed - 3.5)

16 minutes on a stair mill - after workout - (min hr - 105, max hr - 145, level 3 for 3 minutes, 5 for 3 minutes, 6 for 8 minutes, 3 for 2 minutes)

*Today's calorie total - 4200  *

I am burned out right now!

I ran into someone at the store today (apparently I have some kind of fan base at the gym I go to - everyone sees my progress and when they run into me they want advice or to just chat a whole lot - I love the attention  ) I ended up talking to some guy and his girlfriend for about 20 minutes. He just kept on asking how everything was going with the training (by this time I had told him I was with a trainer). It just went on and on (even the guy at the counter got in on some of it). We ended on a little discussion on diet and the huge mistakes some women are making (the trainers - the questionable ones - usually recommend their clients drink a muscle milk shake 3 times a day with milk), we kept joking about how people don't like to take the protein supplements because they taste bad, but they'll dump 3000+ calories into their bodies in the form of 3 shakes - absolutely hysterical, I loved that one (I've seen it happen a lot myself and when I see those magic weight loss commercials I always want to break something  ).

Oh well, enough of my ranting.

I'm going to try a traditional three day split this week because I currently have some plans for Saturday night (going out with my friend and his partner  ). Should be fun. I have no idea how much energy I'll have Sunday afternoon so I'm going to push to get everything done by Friday, if there is something left on Sunday I think I'll just do some abs and cardio.


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## PreMier (Oct 24, 2007)

how do you only eat that much an not lose weight?  man i would need to eat like 10k kcals to weigh 280


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## tallcall (Oct 25, 2007)

PreMier said:


> how do you only eat that much an not lose weight?  man i would need to eat like 10k kcals to weigh 280



Oh, I am sliding down on the scale, almost 2 pounds most weeks. My main goal is to cut another 15-20 pounds (to be sure I'm in a healthy weight range), then to begin a clean bulk. 

I used to eat about 3900-4000 four days a week and still lose that weight. At my height, projected weight, and current level of activity, I have to eat about 5200 calories a day (workout day) just to maintain. My normal maintenance calorie range for my size and weight is 3150 calories per day.

The only reason the weight loss slows down like that for me is because of my "power" days. Whenever I go for power, I always end up putting on a little weight, but also losing body fat in the process. I dropped from 15% bf to 14.8% and gained a half pound on the scale. Next week it'll probably show a 2.5 pound loss on the scale and a slight decrease in body fat. 

I know, my body works kind of weird like that sometimes - up a half pound and down in bf, then down 2-2.5 pounds and down slightly in bf.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 25, 2007)

hey everyone is different, thats why its important to figure out what works for you.  a lot of people have trouble doing a recomp (losing fat gaining muscle) but its possible.


----------



## PreMier (Oct 25, 2007)

oh and how are you having your bf measured? caliper? if so how many points?


----------



## tallcall (Oct 25, 2007)

Yeah, I'm using a caliper and using a 4 point method. It's really the only way I can do it myself. I add about 8 percent to whatever I get to account for the errors I'm sure I'm introducing.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 25, 2007)

PreMier said:


> hey everyone is different, thats why its important to figure out what works for you.  a lot of people have trouble doing a recomp (losing fat gaining muscle) but its possible.



I've found that my body seems to respond quite well to heavier lifting as opposed to higher reps. 

I keep telling people that the most difficult thing for me is getting the right food and enough of it. I think some people believe that it's so easy to eat everything you want to bulk up. I still have a very hard time eating 4000 calories a day (on my high cal days), and doing it cleanly. It's also funny to watch people's faces when I tell them that I eat more now than when I was fat, and that sometimes people have to eat more to lose weight (those who were on one of those diets and did no exercise - you know the millions of bad diets out there).

Anyways I'm having a lot of fun punishing myself every other day like this.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 25, 2007)

*10/25/07*

*Thursday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Superset A: RI - 45
A1 - Single Handle Double Row |* Machine #6x12, #8x12, #10x12, #12x10 PR for Weight

*A2 - Moving Bicep Curl |* #3x15, #4x15, #5x12, #6x12 (last 3 reps were 8 second negatives) PR for Weight

*1 Arm Row Supported on Bench: RI - 30 |* 25x12, 40x10, 60x10 PR for Weight

*Superset B: RI - 45
B1 - Reverse Curls |* 40 pound bar x 10, 40 pound bar x 10, 50 pound bar x 10, 50 pound bar x 10 PR for Weight

*B2 - Cable Curls (Arms to side curling to ears focusing on peaks) |* #3x12, #4x12, #5x12, #5x12 PR for Weight

*Lat Pulldowns (Reverse Grip): RI - 60 (working in with someone else) |* 3 sets x 105 pounds x 12 reps

*Back Extensions: RI - 30 |* 3 sets x BW x 10 reps

*Rope Hammer Curls: RI - 30 |* 90x10, 100x10, 110x8

*Cardio - 30 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 90, max hr - 165, level 10).

25 minutes on a stair mill [min hr - 86, max hr - 162, levels 3 (3 min)-5 (3 min)-7 (9 min)-4 (5 min)-2 (5 min)].

*Today's calories - 4000*

I felt good and worn out today.

The MMA guy I met a week or two ago came back in today, I didn't get to talk much to him, but it was cool that he remembered my name. I seem to be making a lot of friends there lately (especially among those guys who seem to actually know what they're doing - I could care less about the rest  ).

I was also very hungry today - we did a lot during that workout, it justified an extra meal!


----------



## PreMier (Oct 25, 2007)

so have you thought about doing mma? or stick with BB?

your pretty big, once you get stronger you could even be a huge force in strongman


----------



## tallcall (Oct 26, 2007)

PreMier said:


> so have you thought about doing mma? or stick with BB?
> 
> your pretty big, once you get stronger you could even be a huge force in strongman



I've always wanted to learn some different fighting styles. I'm not interested in actually fighting, but more in helping other fighters get better (I don't know exactly how that would work but it has been something I've been interested in for a long time).

Every time I'm with my trainer I joke about how I think he's going to have me throw some Atlas stones around into giant baskets or something as a warmup! He loves it when I ask him to make things harder (always willing to try new things)!


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## tallcall (Oct 26, 2007)

*10/26/07*

*Friday:

Chest/Triceps/Shoulders:
*
*Flat BB Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 115x10, 125x8, 135x4, 145x2 PR for Weight, 135x3

*Smith Behind the Neck Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* Bar +50x10, +70x8, +80x3 PR for Weight

*Smith Upright Rows: RI - 30 |* Bar +20x10 (too light), +50x8, +70x8 PR for Weight

*Press Downs (done with a wavy bar): RI - 30 |*  #6x10, #7x8 (all with 8 second negatives), #7x8 (all with 8 second negatives)

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-112x10, BW-112x9

*Farmers Walks: RI - 60 |* 90'sx230 steps (beat old record at this weight by 76 steps) PR for Distance

*Cardio - 32 minutes HIIT/SS*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 100, max hr - 200, level 10)

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT. Min hr - 120, max hr - 172. Min 1-8 @160bpm and level 2 and 4, minutes 10-12 @160bpm and level 14, minutes 13-15 @160bpm and level 8, minutes 18-19 @ 155bpm and level 6. Total of 4 sets.

5 minutes on a treadmill as a cooldown. Min hr - 110, max hr - 135 [I hit 200bpm when I did some knee raises on the treadmill moving at 1.5mph (I did about 80 knee raises in 60 seconds)], incline - 0-6.0, speed - 3.0-3.5.

Everything was ok today. I was really angry at everything and everyone (I pretty much hated everything today and really needed to throw some weight around to feel a little better - it worked). On top of all that, I'm very worn out (I just didn't think I'd get through it all).

*Today's calories - ~3600*

Damn I am  today!


----------



## vortrit (Oct 26, 2007)

Nice looking workout. Great job and congratulations on the PR's. Sorry to hear you were pissed though. I get like that a lot.


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## goob (Oct 27, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice looking workout. Great job and congratulations on the PR's. Sorry to hear you were pissed though. I get like that a lot.


 
2nd'ed.  Great job. Being angry sometimes throws lifts through the roof.  Controlled aggression - what a weapon.


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## tallcall (Oct 28, 2007)

*10/28/07*

*Sunday:

Abs/Cardio:*

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 30 |* BWx10, BWx9, BWx10 PR for reps

*Dive Bombers (Done on Knees): RI - 45 |* BWx8, BWx7

*Medicine Ball Wood Chops: RI - 30 |* 3 sets x 6 pounds x 10 reps

*Plate Pinches: RI - 30 |* 25 pound plates x 60 s, 45 pound plates x 30 s, 30 s, 30 s (never done these before, they were pretty good for my first time - there was about 30 seconds rest between all these attempts)

*Cardio - 50 minutes HIIT/SS*

10 minutes on an elliptical HIIT. Min hr - 110, max hr - 165, Levels 2-12. 2 sets @ 120/90 followed by a little solid state work.

40 minutes on a Treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 112, max hr - 180, inclines - 0-15, speeds - 3-8.5 mph. 5 sets @ 60/60 @ 6.5-7.0mph/160-170bpm, 1 set @ 20/120 @8.5mph/180bpm. All followed by about 20 minutes of solid state work.

Had some fun today. I ran into my trainer again. He thinks I should think about changing to a clean bulk cycle in about a month or so (once I hit about 275-280 pounds) to really help build some muscle. I think it'd be a good idea to change it up and kick start things.  

*Today's calories - ~3400*


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## tallcall (Oct 28, 2007)

goob said:


> 2nd'ed.  Great job. Being angry sometimes throws lifts through the roof.  Controlled aggression - what a weapon.



Hell yeah! =


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## tallcall (Oct 28, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice looking workout. Great job and congratulations on the PR's. Sorry to hear you were pissed though. I get like that a lot.



Thanks man, it felt good to get that weight, and I was technically asleep through most of it (so tired from dealing with everyone that day)!


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## tallcall (Oct 29, 2007)

*10/29/07*

*Monday:

Abs/Cardio*

*Superset: RI - 30

1 - Ab Rollout |* BWx3x15 - 2 PR's for distance on the third set (4.5 feet and 5 feet - hit 6 times)

*2 - Planks |* BWx60 s, BW+45x2x45 s

*3 - Side Bends |* 55 pounds x 3 sets x 15 reps PR for Weight

*Cardio - 52 minutes SS*

12 minutes on an treadmill. Min hr - 72, max hr - 165 (I did one interval @ 60 seconds and speed = 6.5mph), speed range - 3.0-6.5mph, incline range - 0.0-15.0.

20 minutes on a stair mill. Min hr - 90, max hr - 155, level 5.

10 minutes on a recumbent bike. Min hr - 120, max hr - 155, level 10.

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer. Min hr - 116, max hr - 155, level 6.

*Calorie goal for today (projecting) - ~3200*

That was fun! I was completely soaked from head to toe after this one!

I have to work tonight until about midnight and tomorrow is going to be an off day so I can visit my therapist (also working that night to midnight). So I'm back to the weights on Wednesday.

Currently my weight is 284.5 - down from 286 (not bad for cheating half of last week). Now it's back to the strict diet. 

I'm looking for some advice, do you guys think it'd be a good idea to cut for another month and then start a bulking cycle (I'm not sure if I should cut all the way down with not all that much to show)? My weight goal was about 275 pounds, so I might begin in about a month at this rate.


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## tallcall (Oct 30, 2007)

*10/30/07 Weigh In*

10/30/07 Weigh in
Weight: 285.5 ??? down 0.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 37 inches - no change
Stomach: 37 inches ??? no change 
Chest: 51 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 61.5 inches ??? no change from last time
Neck: 20 inches ??? up 0.5 inches from last time
Bi's: 18 inches - no change
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 267.97 - up from last week's 266.56 (+1.41 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 17.53 - down from last week's 19.44 (-1.91 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  no change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 9 mm ??? down 0.5 mm from last week
Thigh ??? 7.25 mm ??? down 2 mm from last week
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~14.14%. 

I just feel like crap after cheating almost every other day last week. 3000 calories a day feels like starvation. It also didn???t help that I had to cut out a few days here and there for work. On the plus side, I still feel very strong, so I guess everything???s all good. The caliper measurements still show fat loss, so I must have put on some lean mass.


----------



## vortrit (Oct 30, 2007)

Man, you're breaking PR's like crazy. Keep up the good work.


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## PreMier (Oct 30, 2007)

sometimes you need a cheat/refeed day.  especially if your constantly restricting calories.  as long as things are showing good, just keep on truckin bro


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## goob (Oct 30, 2007)

You've come a long, long way....






YouTube Video


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## AKIRA (Oct 30, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, I'm using a caliper and using a 4 point method. It's really the only way I can do it myself. I add about 8 percent to whatever I get to account for the errors I'm sure I'm introducing.



4 point method?  How do you do it yourself?


----------



## tallcall (Oct 31, 2007)

Body Fat Calculator

I just use this website and do the Jackson/Pollock 4 Caliper Method. I only do this because I can't get anyone to help with them. The trainers aren't allowed to do any of this even if both parties agree. It's stupid  !


----------



## DOMS (Oct 31, 2007)

Why the hell not?


----------



## soxmuscle (Oct 31, 2007)

14-15% bodyfat is slim, my friend.  Keep it up.


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## soxmuscle (Oct 31, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Why the hell not?



Yea, TC.  What the hell is their reasoning?


----------



## tallcall (Oct 31, 2007)

Thanks guys. I think they just don't want the possibility of some kind of sexual harassment suit. I just don't see how that applies if I'm the one asking them for it. Oh well.


----------



## tallcall (Oct 31, 2007)

*10/31/07*

*Wednesday:

Legs:*

*Lunges: RI - 45* Side Linges - BWx10, Tri-Planar Lunges - 2xBWx10

*Single Leg Deadlift: RI - 30 |* 5 pound weightx10 (per leg), 10x10 (per leg), 10x10 (per leg) - Just learning the movements.

*Superset A: RI - 45

A1 - Back Squats - NOT WITH THE SMITH |* Barx10, Barx12, Barx12 - Also just learning the movement (attempting to balance the bar and prevent all the problems I had last time I tried this).

*A2 - Ball Squats |* 3xBWx3 (with 5-20 second holds on each rep - done semi-randomly).

*Seated Leg Curl: RI - 45 |* 110x15, 150x10, 160x8 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

Treadmill for 10 minutes (min hr - 60, max hr - 157, incline - 6-15, speed - 3.0-3.5mph).

Stairs for 10 minutes (min hr - 90, max hr - 155, levels - 5, 7, 9, 5 - held level 9 for 60 seconds, all others for at least 2 minutes).

*Calories - ~4500*

I talked to my trainer about where we go from here, possibly slowing down the cutting to transition into a bulking cycle. He wants me to cut all carbs on one day during the week (an off day). Then go hard on them the night before I go in for a heavy lifting day. I'm going to start this next week. Soon we'll probably begin shortening the cardio time as well. 

It was very cool to finally get to do a full set of squats with a free-weight bar (and not nearly fall on my face this time). My balance and coordination has definitely improved. Those Single Leg Deadlifts required a lot more balance than I thought they would, I got a good string of 8 in a row (twice) before having to put my other foot down and re-balance. Everything was nice today. Also, my weight dropped to 283.5 (getting more than 5 hours of sleep at night really helps).


----------



## Rubes (Oct 31, 2007)

nice workout and crazy leg curls man keep up the good work


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## tallcall (Oct 31, 2007)

Rubes said:


> nice workout and crazy leg curls man keep up the good work



Thanks man, I don't think I hold much of a candle to most of the guys here though!


----------



## goob (Nov 1, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Thanks man, I don't think I hold much of a candle to most of the guys here though!


 
I fucking hope not, well not me personally, I'm not into those kinky S&M games. 

Doing fantastic TC, you really are dedicated.


----------



## PreMier (Nov 1, 2007)

yea, def stay away from the smith on squats.. take the time and learn the proper form of a BB


----------



## tallcall (Nov 1, 2007)

PreMier said:


> yea, def stay away from the smith on squats.. take the time and learn the proper form of a BB



It's not that I didn't want to do that, just that it became dangerous even with just the bar (this was a few months ago). I'd def like to stay with the free weights (far superior to the machine, I feel better doing them than I did with the Smith Machine). I'm sure my trainer and I will end up using the Smith some more for squats (from now on it is only an option in the rotation, not the only way to do it safely).


----------



## tallcall (Nov 1, 2007)

*11/1/07*

*Thursday:

Back/Biceps:*

*Superset A: RI - 90*

*A1 - Ghetto Rows |* 50x15, 75x12, 60x12, 60x12

*A2 - Squats With Overhead Extensions (kind of like Serrates Pulls) |* 25 pound plate x 15, 45 pound plate x 12 PR for Weight, 45 pound plate x 6 (then switched to 25 pound plate for 7 reps), 25 pound plate x 12

*Straight Legged Deadlift (No Platform): RI - 60 |* 135x15, 135x15, 185x12 PR for Weight

*Straight Arm Serrates Cable Pressdowns: RI - 45 |* 30x15, 40x15, 50x12 PR for Weight, 40x12

*Chin Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-112x7, BW-112x7, BW-112x5 (+1 with a 6 second hold), BW-112x5 (+1 with a 10 second hold)

*Cardio - 31 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 100, max hr - 165, level 8).

26 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, incline - 0.0-15.0, speed - 3.2-7.0mph, 2 sets of 60/60 intervals @ 6.5-7mph and 170-175bpm).

My abs hurt so much right now. Damn those over head extensions pulled them good and tight. This was a bit of an all body workout so I'm kind of sore all over.

*Calories for the day - 3600*


----------



## PreMier (Nov 1, 2007)

tallcall said:


> It's not that I didn't want to do that, just that it became dangerous even with just the bar (this was a few months ago). I'd def like to stay with the free weights (far superior to the machine, I feel better doing them than I did with the Smith Machine). I'm sure my trainer and I will end up using the Smith some more for squats (from now on it is only an option in the rotation, not the only way to do it safely).



are you saying bb squats were dangerous? and why?

smith squats are bad for you, there are some good debates why in the training section. it takes you out of your natural arc and its hard on the knees


----------



## vortrit (Nov 1, 2007)

Nice looking workout, but what the heck is a ghetto row?


----------



## tallcall (Nov 2, 2007)

PreMier said:


> are you saying bb squats were dangerous? and why?
> 
> smith squats are bad for you, there are some good debates why in the training section. it takes you out of your natural arc and its hard on the knees



With the nervous disorder I have, it is difficult to keep my neck straight. When I jerked my neck forward I almost planted myself in the floor, then I jerked it backward and almost lost balance - I know I could've just dropped the bar, but it was something that scared the hell out of me for another month or two. 

I use the machine to help by taking the balancing problem out of the equation. My balance has gotten a lot better, but it's not where it needs to be to do a lot of weighted barbell squats just yet. 

I know there would've been an injury if I didn't use the machine since before this week, I couldn't balance just the weight of the bar on my back. Now I'm just going to consider it as one option in my training (I don't know what my trainer is going to have me doing from now on, but I think he's going to throw it in there much more often).

I think my goal for now is to add 50 pounds to the bar and get 3 sets of 10 or so, after that, I want to add 90 and then 140 (that gets me up to about 185 pounds - right where I am now on the Smith).


----------



## tallcall (Nov 2, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice looking workout, but what the heck is a ghetto row?



Just a bent over row with a barbell on the floor. Load one side with weight and use something to weigh down the other side. Grab a v-shaped cable attachment and pull the weighted side up like a row.

Bent Over Row - aka Ghetto Row


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## PreMier (Nov 2, 2007)

yea, i love ghetto rows.. infact i think i will re incorporate them into my training.

oh yea, i forgot you have a slight form of terrets(sp) right? that makes sense then.. what about the leg press?


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## tallcall (Nov 2, 2007)

PreMier said:


> yea, i love ghetto rows.. infact i think i will re incorporate them into my training.
> 
> oh yea, i forgot you have a slight form of terrets(sp) right? that makes sense then.. what about the leg press?



Oh, I do all forms of leg exercises including Leg Presses (5 plates per side is my current max), Smith Squats (max is 200 pounds + the Bar), Deadlifts (still maxing at 295) and now the barbell squats (haven't added weight yet). Of course there are a lot of other things I do like Lunges, Abductors, Adductors, Leg Curls and Extensions.

I can't emphasize enough how much I love my leg days! They make me feel awesome! I love to beat them up until I start to walk funny.


----------



## vortrit (Nov 2, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Just a bent over row with a barbell on the floor. Load one side with weight and use something to weigh down the other side. Grab a v-shaped cable attachment and pull the weighted side up like a row.
> 
> Bent Over Row - aka Ghetto Row



Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I've seen people do those at my gym once in awhile. Actually I think a T-Bar row is one of the few things my gym don't have. It does have a supported T-Bar Row which I actually like a lot.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 3, 2007)

*11/3/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*

*Superset A: RI - 30

A1- Medicnine Ball Chops |* 3 sets x 8 pound ball x 12 reps per side

*A2- Planks |* 3 sets x BW x 60 seconds

*DB Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* 2 sets x 20 x 10 reps, 2 sets x 25 x 10 reps, 1 set x 25 x 8 reps

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* 3 sets x 30, 40, 50 pounds (respectively) x 10 reps

*Smith Behind the Neck Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* 1 set x 50 x 8, 1 set x 60 x 8

*Superset B: RI - 30

B1 - Upright Rows |* 3 sets x 60, 90, 120 pounds (respectively) x 10 reps

*B2- Face Pulls |* 3 sets x 60, 90, 120 pounds (respectively) x 10 reps

*B3 - Cable Crunches |* 3 sets x 230 pounds x 10 reps

*Superset C: RI - 60*

*C1- DB Front Raises |* 3 sets x 12's x 10, 10, 8

*C2- Side Raises |* 3 sets x 12's x 10

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 100 pounders x 200 steps PR for distance (previous record was 193 steps).

*Cardio - 45 minutes SS/HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 82, max hr - 188, level 10).

10 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 97, max hr - 165, level 5, 10, and 12. 4 sets @ 60/60, 1 @ level 10, the other 3 @ level 12, hr - 160-165 on all of them.

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (min hr - 125, max hr - 165, Level - 6). I guess it was kind of a HIIT workout, but my heart rate was high throughout the workout.

10 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 114, max hr - 172, incline - 0.0, 6.0, 12.0, 15.0, Speed - 3.0-6.5mph. 2 sets @ 60/60 @ 6.5mph.



10 sets of shoulder presses combined, I could barely move during the front raises they were so hammered! Everything went great.

*Today's Calorie Total:* 3900


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## DOMS (Nov 3, 2007)

I think I threw my back out from just _reading_ your workout. 

Really, really good, tallcall!


----------



## goob (Nov 5, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I think I threw my back out from just _reading_ your workout.
> 
> Really, really good, tallcall!


 
I know.  TC only has one speed - _Overdrive....._


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## DOMS (Nov 5, 2007)

goob said:


> I know.  TC only has one speed - _Overdrive....._


That reminds me of something my brother-in-law told me:

People come in two speeds, on and more on.


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## tallcall (Nov 5, 2007)

DOMS said:


> That reminds me of something my brother-in-law told me:
> 
> People come in two speeds, on and more on.



My settings are "on" and "off." Unfortunately the engineering team has yet to actually connect the "off" switch. Yes, I'm Kilroy!!!! (Props to Styx - Mr. Roboto)


----------



## tallcall (Nov 5, 2007)

*11/04/07*

*Sunday:

Chest/Tri*

*BB Incline Bench: RI - 60 |* 95x8, 105x7, 105x5, 85x10 - I don't know what happened here.

*EZ Bar Skull Crushers: RI - 60 |* 2 sets x 30 pounds x 10 reps, 2 sets x 50 pounds x 10 reps PR for Weight

*Superset A: RI - 60

A1 - Cable Incline Flies |* 40 pounds x 10 reps, 50 pounds x 10 reps, 60 pounds x 10 reps PR for Weight

*A2 - Cable Incline Press |* 40 pounds x 10 reps, 50 pounds x 10 reps, 60 pounds x 10 reps PR for Weight

*A3 - Cable Reverse Fly |* 40 pounds x 10 reps, 50 pounds x 10 reps, 60 pounds x 10 reps PR for Weight

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-100 x 6, BW-88 x 5

*Triceps Pulldown - Wavy Bar: RI - 30 |* Machine #5 x 10, #7 x 8 (8 sec negative on the last rep), #8 x 8 (8 sec negatives on the last 3 reps).

*Plate Pinches: RI - 30 |* 45 pounds x 32 s, 32 s, 10 pounds x 9 s, 25 pounds x 75 s. PR on holding the 45 pound plate for more than 30 seconds.

*Cardio - 26 Minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 89, max hr - 175, level 10).

15 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 80, max hr - 155, levels 3, 5, 10).

6 minutes on an elliptical (min hr - 113, max hr - 152, level 6).

Light Farmers Walks - Defending my title as the one who does the strangest combos for strength and cardio - 50's x 4 floors (up and down the stairs 4 times). WINNER!

I swear I have seen more and more people doing those farmers walks since I've begun doing them - I just had to defend my title when someone did it with 45's, I kind of out did him a little there.

I haven't done incline bench in a while, so I think that's why I didn't do as well as I thought I'd be able to do.

*Calories - ~3600*


----------



## tallcall (Nov 5, 2007)

*11/05/07*

*Monday:

Cardio - 45 minutes SS*

15 minutes on an elliptical (min hr - 75, max hr - 163, levels 1 and 7).

20 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 111, max hr - 155, level 3, 5, 7).

10 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 119, max hr - 150, incline - 0, speed - 3.0-3.5mph).

5.5 minutes walking with 40 pound dumbbells in my hands. Min hr - 130, max hr - 150, went up and down 1 flight of stairs with them as well.

Adding that weighted work at the end really helped to spice things up a little, so it was all nice.

*Calories - ~3000, but started a carb cycling diet today - Low carb day.*

I'm probably going to do low carb for 2 days followed by high carb for 2, then one day of low carb and 2 more days of high carb (at least until I get the no carb days hammered out). This should be interesting!


----------



## goob (Nov 6, 2007)

"all nice..."  what a way to describe that session!!!  Low carb did'nt effect me quite as much as i thought it would, although energy levels take a hit.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 6, 2007)

goob said:


> "all nice..."  what a way to describe that session!!!  Low carb did'nt effect me quite as much as i thought it would, although energy levels take a hit.



We single handedly support the stimulant industry! I'm thinking of getting something to help on days like that (coffee doesn't really do it for me).


----------



## goob (Nov 6, 2007)

tallcall said:


> We single handedly support the stimulant industry! I'm thinking of getting something to help on days like that (coffee doesn't really do it for me).


 
I found Lipo 6 quite good, but i'm sure there is better about.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 6, 2007)

goob said:


> I found Lipo 6 quite good, but i'm sure there is better about.



I'll have to look it up sometime today.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 6, 2007)

*Projecting ~3600 calories today. *

Low carb day with one high carb meal a few hours before bed (to help refill the glycogen stores).


----------



## vortrit (Nov 6, 2007)

Looks like an interesting experiment with the diet. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.


----------



## Witchblade (Nov 6, 2007)

Still PRs all over the place. Nice!


----------



## Gazhole (Nov 6, 2007)

Did i just see 6 PRs in a single session!?

Yoosa crazay.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 6, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> Did i just see 6 PRs in a single session!?
> 
> Yoosa crazay.



Yes, and I finally felt my chest start to burn, this is a first!


----------



## tallcall (Nov 6, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> Still PRs all over the place. Nice!



Kicking Ass and Taking Names (too bad I don't have anything to write with)!


----------



## tallcall (Nov 7, 2007)

*11/07/07*

*Wednesday:

Legs*

*Hip Adductors: RI - ~30 |* 130x20 - followed by a set of BW Abductions x 10 per leg, 170x12 reps, 170x8 reps - Kind of went for power there.

*Leg Press: RI - 90 |* 270x12, 360x10, 450x10, 540x25 Dropset to 270, 585x20 Dropset to 360 PR for Weight.

*Smith BB Lunges: RI - 60 |* Bar+50x10 (right leg) and 7 (left leg), Bar+20x10 (right leg) and 8 (left leg). My left knee was feeling kind of weak so I ended up stopping short on both sets. Also, it was a new thing for me to learn, so these were really to learn the form.

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 60 |* 80x15 (could have probably done 25 - too light), 100x12 (again, kind of light), 120x10, and 140x6 (slightly too heavy to get the 8 reps I wanted and I felt really toasted after that one).

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

8 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 67, max hr - 145, incline - 4.0, speed - 3.8-4.1mph).

12 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 98, max hr - 161, level 5, 7, 10, 3 - about 2-3 minutes or each level ).

*Calorie total - 4000+ Cheat day High Carb day*

We are going to go for a schedule like this - Mon & Tue - Low Carb, Wed & Thurs - Med to High+ carbs, Friday - Low Carb, Sat & Sun - Med to High Carb. I also ride the calories on the medium and high carb days, and don't care as much on the low carb days (just try to keep them high on the low carb days and keep them in check on the Med to High carb days).

Today was a lot of fun, it is the first time in a while that I can remember that I actually had a hard time walking out of the gym. My legs felt real nice and wobbly. I thought they were going to give out once or twice on my way home. 

Oh well, this carb cycling diet looks like it might be a little easier than I originally thought (I'm just practicing the doctrine of "keeping it simple stupid!") Some good news is that I went down one more notch on my belt, and my weight has so far stayed the same as last week - about 283.5 pounds, so good news all around.


----------



## Rubes (Nov 7, 2007)

585x20 insane. and how are you walkin after all of this?


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## Gazhole (Nov 7, 2007)

Jeez...phenomenal setup here, TC. Those leg presses were nuts!


----------



## tallcall (Nov 8, 2007)

*Rubes - *Those were dropsets starting at 585 (approx 6 reps), then we dropped to 540 for a few, and so on until we completed 20 reps.

My legs are still a little unstable!  

*Gazhole - *Thank you, although lunges tend to make me cry louder. The order of most painful is def (1) Lunges, (2) Squats, (3) Leg Presses, and (4) Deadlifts. I don't know why, but Lunges always push me a little over the edge.


----------



## goob (Nov 8, 2007)

Rubes said:


> 585x20 insane. and how are you walkin after all of this?


 
2nd'ed, I don't think I've ever seen that matched on IM!  That's amazingly impressive for someone who started working out under a year ago.


----------



## PreMier (Nov 8, 2007)

he is a big dude.. 

great numbers man


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## tallcall (Nov 8, 2007)

PreMier said:


> he is a big dude..
> 
> great numbers man



Thanks, that means a lot coming from another big guy and "happy Sumo!"


----------



## tallcall (Nov 8, 2007)

*11/08/07*

*Thursday:*

*Back/Biceps*

*Lat Pulldowns: RI - 60 |* 115x12, 135x10, 135x10, 155x8

*Traditional Deadlift (semi straight legged DL): RI - 90 |* 135x10 (5 negatives going down, 3 seconds, followed by 5 fast reps), 135x10 (5 neg down, 3 neg up, 2 fast, 3 sec on the negs), 185x10 (5 neg down, 5 neg up, 3 seconds neg), 185x10 (3 neg down, 5 neg up, 2 fast reps, 3 sec neg)

*Smith Bent Over Barbel Row: Ri - 45 |* Bar + 50x10, Bar + 50x15, Bar + 70x15 - First time doing these.

*Cardio - 25 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 100, max hr - 160, level 10).

20 minutes on an elliptical HIIT. Min hr - 130, max hr - 166, level 1 and 6, spent entire time at 150bpm or above and 15 minutes on level 6. It was like one long interval for me.

*Calories - 3600 - High Carb, Lower Calorie day*

My grip was kind of messed up today, yesterday it was my right hand, today it's my left. At least it's repairing pretty quickly. I had to strap up to just about everything today - it didn't feel great to be seen wearing them for EVERYTHING.

Everything worked pretty nicely, those deadlifts definitely worked well.


----------



## PreMier (Nov 8, 2007)

im a fuckin oompa loompa compared to you


----------



## DOMS (Nov 8, 2007)

tallcall _is_ a beast!


----------



## Rubes (Nov 8, 2007)

DOMS said:


> tallcall _is_ a beast!



fo sho


----------



## tallcall (Nov 10, 2007)

Awww jeez, tanks youse guys!






(I hope this pic works)


----------



## vortrit (Nov 10, 2007)

Nice looking workout. Simple and solid. Way to go.


----------



## JailHouse (Nov 10, 2007)

Wow thats some amazing leg pressing!  You lat pull downs are strong to, Ive always struggled with those.  What kind of bar did you use for the pull downs?


----------



## goob (Nov 10, 2007)

I'm amazed how strong you are in such a short time TC.  It took my 12 months to hit 155 on the lat puldowns.  Outstanding.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 10, 2007)

JailHouse said:


> Wow thats some amazing leg pressing!  You lat pull downs are strong to, Ive always struggled with those.  What kind of bar did you use for the pull downs?



Yeah, thanks, but that was only for 6 reps, not the whole 20 since I was doing a dropset.

For the pulldowns I just use the standard bar that's on the machine - usually a long bar bent at both ends.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 10, 2007)

goob said:


> I'm amazed how strong you are in such a short time TC.  It took my 12 months to hit 155 on the lat puldowns.  Outstanding.



Of course, you have to realize that I weight 283 pounds. If I do any pullups, I'll be pulling a whole lot of weight, so I really have to have some strong pulldowns to get colse to my body weight. My max pulldown is still about 195 pounds for 4-6 reps (partially because when I do assisted pullups, I set the assistance at about 88-100 pounds - making my body weigh about 195 pounds).


----------



## tallcall (Nov 10, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice looking workout. Simple and solid. Way to go.



I operate under the "Keep It Simple Stupid" philosophy. The harder you make things, the more likely you are to screw it up.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 11, 2007)

*11/10/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:*

*Superset A: RI - 45 |

A1 - Ab Roll Out |* 3xBWx10

*A2 - Side Bends |* 3x45x15

*A3 - Planks |* 3x45x:45

*Rotator Cuff Warmup*

*Smith BB Military Press: RI - 60 |* 1x50x10, 2x60x8, 1x70x4

*Superset B: RI - 60 |*
*B1 - Upright Rows |* #6x10, #8x10, #12x8 PR for Weight

*B2 - Face Pulls |* #8x10, #10x10, #12x10 PR for Weight

*B3 - DB Rear Delt Row |* 25x10, 30x10, 25x10

*Smith Hises: RI - 60 |* Bar + 150x20, +170x20, +200x20

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 60, max hr - 160, speed - 42RPM, Level 10).

15 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 90, max hr - 170, Incline - 0-15, Speed - 3.5-7.2mph. 4 sets of 60/60.

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 108, max hr - 170, levels 1-17).

Wasn't really in the mood for much today, my right arm was giving me some problems and I had a little problem with the Smith machine doing my Hises (never mind, I just laughed at it and am trying to forget).

I am very happy to hit those records, they felt pretty nice, it all just felt really jumbled and like chaos because I kept running into idiots everywhere I turned (there MUST be a holiday coming up where people usually eat a lot of food or something  ).

*Calories - High Carb, Med Calories - 3400-3600? (I can't remember)*


----------



## tallcall (Nov 11, 2007)

*11/11/07*

*Sunday:

Chest/Triceps:

Rotator Cuff Warmup

Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 60 |* 3xBWx10

*Crunch - using one of those machines for the first time in the last 5-6 months (it at least felt a little different -   ): Ri - 30 |* 4 x 110-115 pounds x 10 reps

*Dips: RI - 90 |* BW-100x8, BW-88x8, BW-64x6, BW-52x4

*Pushups: RI - 90 |* BW x 2 sets x 5 reps, BW x 1 set x 7 reps

*Superset: RI - 60 |*

*1 - Cable Flys |* 50x10, 60x4, 50x8

*2 - Cable Incline Press |* 50x10, 60x10, Dropset - 80x3 (PR for Weight), 70x3, 60x3

*Skull Crushers: RI - 60 |* 40x10, 60x7, 70x4 PR for Weight

*Triceps Pressdown: RI - 30 |* 2x90, 120x10 (8 second negatives), Dropset - 150, 140, 120, 100 x 20 reps total

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes Rowing (min hr - 75, max hr - 170, level 10, speed - 40-45RPM).

15 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 108, max hr - 192, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.2-8.0mph, 3 sets x 120/120 (some done on a steep incline as well).

10 minutes on the same treadmill SS (min hr - see above, max hr for this segment was 160, incline - 4, speed - 3.5-4mph).

I felt alright today, especially after I started the Incline Presses and got things really going. My pushups were hampered by the same problem as yesterday (although a whole lot better - still had some nagging pain in my arm, also my grip in my left hand is still kind of dodgey   - I'm going to give it some time to get better before I do any grip work again).

It is so weird to have these random people come up to me and tell me how good they think I'm doing, I apparently have a huge fan base there, but I don't know or even remember seeing any of these people ever (and I go there all the time). Oh well, it does feel nice to have people worship the ground I walk on so I can't complain  .

*Calories - High Carb, High Calorie + (I won't be able to have anything fun again until Friday, so I had a cheat today - felt niiiiiicccceeee!) ~4000+*


----------



## vortrit (Nov 11, 2007)

Looks like your getting some solid workouts in. So you do core stuff every workout?


----------



## tallcall (Nov 12, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Looks like your getting some solid workouts in. So you do core stuff every workout?



I only really do core work twice a week, on the weekends, so I can spend the other days with my trainer working completely on legs and whatever else we choose. I really don't like dedicating much time to abs at all.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 12, 2007)

*11/12/07 Weigh In*

*11/12/07 Weigh in*

Weight: 280.5 ??? down 3 pounds from last time  

Waist: 36.5 inches ??? down .5 inches from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches ??? down .5 inches from last time

Chest: 50 inches ??? down 1 inch from last week
Shoulders: 60 inches ??? down 1.5 inches from last time
Neck: 19 inches ??? down 1 inch from last time
Bi's: 17 inches ??? down 1 inch from last time
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change
   

Lean Body Mass: 265.52 ??? down from last week's 267.97 (-2.45 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 14.98  - down from last week's 17.53 (-2.55 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 6.5 mm ???  down .5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 9 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 5 mm ??? down 2.25 mm from last week
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? no change from last week
   

Estimated body fat % is ~14 %. 

I???m guessing that some of the inches lost around the chest and shoulders was fat loss, so I don???t really care all that much. This is 1 week after starting a low carb/high carb diet and I???m already down 3 pounds! In addition, it was pretty nice to bring my belt one notch lower this week!


----------



## JailHouse (Nov 12, 2007)

Congrats on the new numbers 17in bis, thats pretty nice!


----------



## goob (Nov 12, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Of course, you have to realize that I weight 283 pounds. If I do any pullups, I'll be pulling a whole lot of weight, so I really have to have some strong pulldowns to get colse to my body weight. My max pulldown is still about 195 pounds for 4-6 reps (partially because when I do assisted pullups, I set the assistance at about 88-100 pounds - making my body weigh about 195 pounds).


 

I don't care.  It's still really impressive in my book, you can't play it down.  Incredible progress.

195lb's!!!!!!!!!!  That's wayyy more than i can manage!


----------



## katt (Nov 12, 2007)

Gosh T,,  you've made such awesome progress!!!!   That's got to feel really great, doesn't it???

I need to get into that "mental mindframe" again... I've kinda lost it right now and I feel I'm just gliding along......


----------



## tallcall (Nov 12, 2007)

*11/12/07*

*Calories for today - Low Carb Day, ~3400 Calories*

Thanks Katt, yeah it does feel great to see results.

GHBoob - Just like Gazhole told his donkey last night, "just keep pushing, you'll get it there!"


----------



## tallcall (Nov 12, 2007)

JailHouse said:


> Congrats on the new numbers 17in bis, thats pretty nice!



Yeah, but there not as good as 18 inches or 19 inches or 20 inches...................


----------



## vortrit (Nov 12, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Looks like your getting some solid workouts in. So you do core stuff every workout?



Of course. I just noticed you had it two days in a row, so I was speculating. I actually do abs twice a week and I generally superset it, so I probably spend about 1/2 a week on abs.


----------



## JailHouse (Nov 12, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, but there not as good as 18 inches or 19 inches or 20 inches...................



For some one ur size maybe, for my frame (5'9) id look like Big Papa Pump with some 20s, lol.


----------



## Witchblade (Nov 13, 2007)

katt said:


> Gosh T,,  you've made such awesome progress!!!!   That's got to feel really great, doesn't it???


What musclegirl said.


----------



## goob (Nov 13, 2007)

tallcall said:


> GHBoob - Just like Gazhole told his donkey last night, "just keep pushing, you'll get it there!"


 
GHBoob - I like that. Eh, Rophynol-call..

I don't think Gaz likes us bringing Eeyore into these discussions. He's very sensative about their sex life.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 13, 2007)

goob said:


> GHBoob - I like that. Eh, Rophynol-call..
> 
> I don't think Gaz likes us bringing Eeyore into these discussions. He's very sensative about their sex life.



What about his adventures with Mr. Ed? Is that still fair game?


----------



## tallcall (Nov 13, 2007)

*Tuesday:

Cardio/Abs:*

*Reverse Crunches: RI - 30 |* 3xBWx12, 12, 10 PR for Reps

*Dive Bombers (On Knees): RI - 30 |* BWx10 (1st rep normal, the last 9 were on my knees), BWx10 (all on knees), BWx8 (1st 2 reps were normal, the last 6 were on my knees).

*Cardio - 50 minutes SS*

5 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 65, max hr - 150, level - 1 and 10).

35 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 90, max hr - 160, levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 8, 6, and 5 - each held for about 2 minutes then level 5 for the remainder of the time).

10 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 110, max hr - 140, incline - 0 -6.0, speed - 3.0-3.5).


----------



## katt (Nov 13, 2007)

Nice job -   35 minutes on the Stair Mill??????   I can only imagine the amount sweat pooling around the machine after that...


----------



## tallcall (Nov 13, 2007)

Yeah, it started looking kind of like a rain forest!


----------



## BigDyl (Nov 14, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Of course, you have to realize that I weight 283 pounds. If I do any pullups, I'll be pulling a whole lot of weight, so I really have to have some strong pulldowns to get colse to my body weight. My max pulldown is still about 195 pounds for 4-6 reps (partially because when I do assisted pullups, I set the assistance at about 88-100 pounds - making my body weigh about 195 pounds).



I was at that point once.  The thing that helped me do a bodyweight pullup was bent rows, and negatives with bodyweight.  Now @ 255 I can do about 14 bodyweight pullups, or BW + 50 LB's for 6-7.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 14, 2007)

BigDyl said:


> I was at that point once.  The thing that helped me do a bodyweight pullup was bent rows, and negatives with bodyweight.  Now @ 255 I can do about 14 bodyweight pullups, or BW + 50 LB's for 6-7.



Yeah, I had thought of that, I sometimes just go balls to the wall on my rows and push the my limit on all of them to get my strength up there.

So do you fight in a heavy weight category then? That always seems to be the category with the most fluctuation in the weight of the fighters. Is it unusual to see someone weighing 225 fight a guy your size or larger (it almost seems like an unfair fight)? What are your thoughts on it?


----------



## goob (Nov 14, 2007)

katt said:


> Nice job - 35 minutes on the Stair Mill?????? I can only imagine the amount sweat pooling around the machine after that...


 
Hell yeah, TC needed a snorkel and scuba gear to finish that workout......


----------



## tallcall (Nov 15, 2007)

^Lets just say that cleaning up the machine that day required a mop and a large bucket!


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## tallcall (Nov 15, 2007)

*11/15/07*

*Thursday:

Legs:

Superset A: RI - 90 |
A1 - Leg Press | * 270x12, 360x10 (3 second negatives), 410x18 - PR for reps

*A2 - Step Ups (Platform raised on 4 partitions) | * 25'sx10 PR for weight, 25'sx10, 10'sx10

*Deadlifts: RI - 90 |* 135x10, 225x10 (2 resets then every rep was much slower than ever before), 135x8

*Superset B: RI - 60 |*
*B1 - Hip Rotation |* 75 lbx12, 87.5 lbx10, 100 lbx10

*B2 - Seated Leg Curl |* 110x10, 130x10, 140x10

*Leg Extensions (Single Leg for power with 3 second on both eccentric and concentric portions of the lift): RI - 60 |* 90x10, 100x8, 110x7 PR for Weight (No Negatives, just decided to punch through these - my legs wanted to fall off)

*Cardio - 23 Min SS*

8 minutes on a stair mill warm up (min hr - 68, max hr - 160, levels 5-10).

15 minutes on a stair mill after the workout (min hr - 90, max hr - 150, levels 5-7).

Again, the stair machines looked like a rain forest, but in a good way!

According to my trainer, my form has improved a lot on the deadlifts. The last time I did this kind of weight, I was pulling fast and sloppy, now it is much slower, deliberate, and controlled all the way. It is lighter weight, but a lot more work for each set, especially after being pre-exhausted from the leg presses and step ups.


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## Gazhole (Nov 15, 2007)

Dude, killer PRs...410x18!

What are goals for this program? If you're not acheiving them with that sort of performance you set the fuckers far too high.


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## tallcall (Nov 15, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> Dude, killer PRs...410x18!
> 
> What are goals for this program? If you're not acheiving them with that sort of performance you set the fuckers far too high.



Thanks!

My goals are still fat loss and building and maintaining as much strength as I possibly can. Legs are by far my most powerful tools and I'm very proud of them! 

I guess that everything for me is more like a competition, I see someone doing better and I say I can do that, then they say it can't be done and I bust myself up and get it done to prove to others that I'm not just some other whiny guy trying to make excuses. I do everything I can to push myself above the others and make myself better all the time (no rest for the wicked). < --- That's my real goal.


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## tallcall (Nov 17, 2007)

*11/16/07*

*Friday:*

*Back/Biceps:*

*Superset A: RI - 90 |*
*A1 - Bent Over Trap Bar Rows AKA Ghetto Rows |* 50x15, 75x10, 85x10 PR for weight, 75x4 (slow and holding at the top for 3-5 seconds)

*A2 - Straight Legged Deadlifts |* 2 sets x 25 lb dbs x 15 reps, 35 lb dbs x 10 reps

*Superset B: RI - 60 |*

*B1 - Lat Pulls |* #4x15, #5x15, #7x15 PR for weight

*B2 - Air Squats with OH Extension |* 3 sets x 25 lb x 15 reps

*Superset C: RI - 45 |*

*C1 - Lat Pulldown |* 100x12, 125x12, Drop Set starting at 137.5 and ending at 100 for a total of 18 reps

*C2 - Side Bends |* 3 sets x 25 lb x 15 reps

*DB Shrugs: RI - 60 |* 40'sx20, 50'sx15, 50'sx20 (10 slow, 10 fast)

*Cardio - 35 minutes SS*

5 minutes Rowing (min hr - 71, max hr - 165, level 10).

30 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 90, max hr - 165, level 5, 7, 9, 10, 5).

Had a lot of fun doing this. My trainer wanted a workout too so we just worked together and went for a little over an hour. We didn't get to do much for Biceps because of time and the fact that we were really trying to get all the compound lifts in (the more muscle groups being used in conjunction with each other - and in more natural movements - the better)

*Calories - High Carb+, High Calorie (4000+) - Cheat Day*


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## vortrit (Nov 17, 2007)

Nice work out! Excellent job on the PR's! Enjoy your cheat day brother.


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## tallcall (Nov 17, 2007)

*11/17/07*

*Saturday:*

*Shoulders:*

*Rotator Cuff Warmup*

*Side Raises: RI - 60 |* 
Set 1 - 8 lb dbs x 10, 12 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10
Set 2 - 10 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10, 20 lb dbs x 8 (15 second hold with arms at a 45 degree angle from side)
Set 3 - 10 lb dbs x 10, 15 lb dbs x 10, 20 lb dbs x 8 (15 second hold with arms at a 45 degree angle from side)

*Superset A: RI - 60 |*

*A1 - Smith Behind the Neck Shoulder Presses |* Bar + 50x10, 70x10, 80x8 PR for Weight

*A2 - Decelerated Front Raises |* 3 sets x 25 lb plate x 10 (8 second negatives on the 2nd and 3rd set)

*Superset B: Ri - 60 |*

*B1 - Smith Upright Rows |* Bar + 40x8, 60x8, 80x6 PR for Weight

*B2 - DB Rear Delt Row |* 30 lb db x 10 35 lb db x 10, 35 lb db x 10 PR for Weight

*Farmers Walk: RI - 60 |* 110 pound db's for 125 steps, Beats my old record of 90 by 35 steps!

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes Rowing (min hr - 68, max hr - 200, level 10).

25 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 96, max hr - 175, incline - 0, speed - 3.2-9.0mph. 1 set of 6.5mph, 7mph, 7mph, 8mph, 8.5mph, and 9mph. The first four sets were 60/60, the last 2 were 20-30/90. New Speed Record - 9.0 MPH!

Felt great today. I talked to one of my friends there who trains down here with American Top Team. I'm thinking about checking it out sometime this week. I'm just interested in classes, not so much in actually fighting. He just won his first MMA fight about 1 min 30 sec in the first round by guillotine choke in the 155 pound weight class (he said his opponent looked really build - like Sean Sherk built). I would absolutely love to learn Jujitsu and Mui Tai. 

*Calories for today - Estimated at 3200 - High Carb, Low Calorie Day*


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## tallcall (Nov 17, 2007)

vortrit said:


> Nice work out! Excellent job on the PR's! Enjoy your cheat day brother.



Oh, I sure did, it was a great day indeed!


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## vortrit (Nov 17, 2007)

And with that said another great workout. You seem to be breaking PR's like crazy. Nice job.


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## tallcall (Nov 17, 2007)

vortrit said:


> And with that said another great workout. You seem to be breaking PR's like crazy. Nice job.



Thanks man! I still love it when people stare at me while I'm doing those farmer's walks - it's basically the same as deadlifting 220 pounds and walking all over the place with the weight! My grip feels great too, no soreness - yet!


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## Rubes (Nov 17, 2007)

keep up the good work.


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## tallcall (Nov 18, 2007)

*11/18/07*

*Sunday:*

*Chest/Triceps:*

*Rotator Cuff Warmups*

*Dips: RI - 90 |* BW-88x10, BW-64x8, BW-52x6

*Superset A: RI - 60 |*

*A1 - Flat BB Bench |* 75x10, 95x10, 105x8

*A2 - CG Bench |* 75x10, 85x10, 95x4 Failed (was able to re-rack though, those Dips took a lot out of me).

*Superset B: RI - 60 |*

*B1 - Pressdowns |* #6x8, Dropset from #8-#5 for a total of 25 reps, Dropset from #8-#5 for a total of 20 reps

*B2 - Reverse Grip Pressdowns |* #6x8, Dropset from #7 to #4 for a total of 25 reps, Dropset from #7-#4 for a total of 20 reps

*Plate Pinches: RI - 45 |* 2 10 lb plates for 40 seconds in each hand, 3 10 lb plates for 30 sec in each hand

*Plate Grabs |* 25 lb plates for 15 grabs

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

10 mihnutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 65, max hr - 155, level 1 and 6).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 95, max hr - 170, level 3 to 5 and 10, 12, and 14. 6 sets of 60/90 at level 10, 12, and 14 (some combination of the three).

I am very happy with those dips - getting much better, maybe another month or two and I'll be able to do them with bodyweight. The pressdowns were great and had my arms burning for a while today. Lots of nice work.

*Calories - High Carb, Medium Calorie Day (3400)*


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## BoneCrusher (Nov 18, 2007)

Have you tried doing the dips after your bench?  Prolly get more outta the bench that way ...


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## tallcall (Nov 18, 2007)

BoneCrusher said:


> Have you tried doing the dips after your bench?  Prolly get more outta the bench that way ...



Yeah, my goal for today was to kill myself on Dips and go kind of light on the bench. I think the reason my bench was kind of weak today is that I was supersetting two bench presses together (again, that was desired this time - go for complete fatigue and see what I can still accomplish). 

I always try to superset things like that to really exhaust myself. I'll usually drop the weight a lot in order to do it. When I go for power on the bench, I always start with bench press first and never superset, usually on those days I end with dips or anything kind of light with high reps.

By the way, those Dips felt great! I'm thinking about getting a dip belt in a little while so I can start adding some weight.


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## BoneCrusher (Nov 18, 2007)

Weighted dips are the shit.  There are several guys here that think they suck, but I love the results I have in how my upper body moves from doing weighted dips.


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

*11/19/07*

*Monday:*

*Abs/Cardio:*

*Superset: RI - 60 |

1 - Side Bends |* 3 sets x 25 lb x 10 reps

*2 - Planks |* 3 x BW+25 x 60, 60, 90 seconds

*Cardio - 45 miutes solid state with a few intervals just for fun*

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 65, max hr - 155, level 1 and 7).

35 minutes on a treadmill. Min hr - 106, max hr - 161, incline - 0-15, speed - 3.0-9.1 mph. Held 9.1 mph for 15 seconds.

I was wiped out today and wouldn't have gone in if I could have had time tomorrow, but I have to see my psychologist in the afternoon. Also, this was a low carb day and I did all this at the end of my day.

I really want to check out the American Top Team gym around here, I've heard that Thiago Alves is the MMA class instructor. I think it'd be awesome just to talk to him for a minute. My friend is a student of his so I'm going to ask him for more information on joining - according to him almost all the people here are beginners and I should fit right in, that'd make me so happy !

*Calories for today - Low Carb, Low Calorie (3200-3400 - I didn't really add it up because I was so hungry I figure it was very close to 3200)*


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## goob (Nov 19, 2007)

That's a torture chamber of a workout!

You'd be unstoppable at MMA.  That's male-on-male-action right?


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

goob said:


> That's a torture chamber of a workout!
> 
> You'd be unstoppable at MMA.  That's male-on-male-action right?



Oh Yeah!


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## goob (Nov 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Oh Yeah!


 
That's what fufu said it was.

He says he's really good at groping, and sucking and 'go' downs, whatever they are.  

I don't know what any of these mean, being a simple country boy.


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

goob said:


> That's what fufu said it was.
> 
> He says he's really good at groping, and sucking and 'go' downs, whatever they are.
> 
> I don't know what any of these mean, being a simple country boy.



Huh, I thought you said it was going to be hard. I have a black belt in all of that already! I'll gladly train you if you so desire, though fufu is the current grand master!


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## goob (Nov 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Huh, I thought you said it was going to be hard. I have a black belt in all of that already! I'll gladly train you if you so desire, though fufu is the current grand master!


 
No, as I'm just a simple country boy I don't have any interest except in simple country girls. 

Yes, fufu is the Bruce Lee of MMA.  He learned from the ledgendary Bonemuncher 9th dan grandmaster.


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

goob said:


> No, as I'm just a simple country boy I don't have any interest except in simple country girls.
> 
> Yes, fufu is the Bruce Lee of MMA.  He learned from the ledgendary Bonemuncher 9th dan grandmaster.



I know a few simple country boys that like to be with other simple country boys. Are you sure you're not one of them?


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## goob (Nov 19, 2007)

tallcall said:


> I know a few simple country boys that like to be with other simple country boys. Are you sure you're not one of them?


 
No, I is liken' em' boosoms to mooch, i aint liken' dem uder country boys.


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

goob said:


> No, I is liken' em' boosoms to mooch, i aint liken' dem uder country boys.



Well if I ever get to talk to Thiago, I'll just have to let him know that you're not really into that sort of thing.


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## tallcall (Nov 19, 2007)

*11/20/07 Weigh in*

*11/20/07 Weigh in*
Weight: 281.5 ??? up 1 pound from last time

Waist: 36.5 inches ??? no change from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches ??? no change from last time

Chest: 50 inches ??? no change from last week
Shoulders: 60 inches ??? no change from last time
Neck: 19 inches ??? no change from last time
Bi's: 17 inches ??? no change from last time
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 267.98 - up from last week's 265.52 (2.46 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 13.52 - down from last week's 14.98 (-1.46 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 6.5 mm ???  no change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 9 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 3 mm ??? down 1 mm from last week
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is still ~14 %. 

I???m kind of surprised I seemed to have gained weight, but it looks like none of it was in the form of fat, so it???s all good. This is my second week into a low carb/high carb diet. The belt has stayed down one notch.


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## tallcall (Nov 21, 2007)

*11/21/07*

*Wednesday:*

*Legs:*

Workout for about an hour with my trainer (alternating back and forth again  !)

*Walking Lunges: RI - ~90 |* 25 lb dumbbells walked up and down the long side of the gym 3 times. The last time we walked back without the weight and hands on our heads - made me concentrate much more on hip movement.

*Single Leg Leg Presses: RI - 60 |* 90x10, 100x12, 180x5 (Slow down all the way down to the machine's limit then explode up), 100x14

*Superset: RI - 60 |*

*1 - Lying Leg Curl |* 120x10, 130x10, 170x4 (PR for Weight) dropped to 130x4 

*2 - Hip Abduction |* 110x15, 130x15, 150x12

*3 - Hip Adduction |* 110x20, 130x15, 150x12

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

7 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 88, max hr - 160, level 7).

13 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 95, max hr - 174, level 5, 8, 10, 14, 10 - double steps on lev 10 for 2 minutes).

*Calories - High Carb, High Calorie (~3950)*

That was a lot of fun. My trainer and I have been talking about how I'd like to get into martial art training. I think he's really enjoying this. He used to be a wrestler and has already told me that when I change to that style of training, we will begin to focus much more on hip dominant movements and skip all the lunges and stuff. He proposed something like 5 minute sets of deadlifts and push ups (sort of Cross-fit style) with a minute rest between sets. I guess it's pretty much anything to keep me exhausted and still pushing. There will be more I'm sure, but he thinks it'd be great for me to learn jujitsus and tailor my training around it. 

I'm very excited to think that this might be happening and I am probably going to go by the American Top Team facility here next week to see what everything costs (Gi is about $135, but that's all I know right now). I have a few friends going through this who want me there too, they say the guys there are very good people that will pull me right in -    !


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## tallcall (Nov 22, 2007)

*11/22/07*

Nothing for today - every thing's closed

*Calories - High Carb, High Calories, Cheat Day - I have no idea  *


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## tallcall (Nov 23, 2007)

*11/23/07*

*Friday:

Back/Biceps: Going for Power*

I figure I should put all those extra calories I took in yesterday to some good use! Same will probably hold true for tomorrow.  

*Superset A: RI - 60 |

A1 - Pulldowns |* 165x8, 180x8, 195x1 -> 210x4 PR for Weight-> 150x4

*A2 - DB Straight Legged Deadlift |* 35'sx12, 35'sx12, 35'sx12

*Superset B: RI - 60 |*

*B1 - Bent Over Trap Bar Rows |* 50x15, 75x10, 85x8

*B2 - Air Squats with Over Head Extension |* 25x12, 25x15, 25x15

*Superset C: RI - 60 |*

*C1 - Serrates Pulls |* #5x15, #7x10, DS - #8x5 PR for Weight-> #6x4

*C2 - Hammer Curls |* 25'sx10, 25'sx10, 25'sx8

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 120 pound dumbbells for 82 feet. PR for Weight

*Cardio - 25 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 70, max hr - 160, level 10).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 90, max hr - 175, levels - 3, 5, 10, 14, 15, 16. 2 sets at level 14 for 20 seconds/90 seconds. 2 sets at level 15 for 20 seconds/90 seconds. 1 set at level 16 for 20 seconds. PR for Speed

I had to explain to someone why I walk with that kind of weight instead of just holding it there. I just said that I really like these simple lifts that work my entire posterior chan while strengthening my crushing grip at the same time. Walking around with 240 pounds isn't exactly easy but it sure is a lot of fun.

That stair mill has become my best friend, I am able to literally run on it for 20 seconds and not be thrown off like Goob was from the set of every major porno in the last five years!  

I for some reason kept getting evil stares from everyone today when I was on the stair mill . I wonder if they've never seen anyone moving that fast on one. It is the absolute best machine for conditioning in that place, nothing else can even compare. Still, no one will push themselves hard enough to see and feel the benefits. I must have climbed about 50 floors in 20 minutes. Oh well, I was there with a bunch of strange people today anyway.

*Calories - High Carb, High Calorie (~4000)*


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## tallcall (Nov 24, 2007)

*11/24/07*

*Saturday:

Chest/Triceps:

Smith Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 125x6, 145x5, 155x3 PR for Weight, 115x7, 105x8, 95x9

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-100x9, 7, 6, 6

*Skull Crushers with an EZ Curl Bar: RI - 45 |* 30x12, 40x8, 40x8

*Cable Incline Fly: RI - 45 |* 35x12, 50x10, 60x8, 70x6 PRs for Weight, 40x10

*Plate Pinches: RI - 30 |* Two 10 lb plates x 62 seconds/62 seconds (left/right), three 10 lb plates x 31 seconds/31 seconds (left/right) PR for Time


*Cardio - 25 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 60, max hr - 205, level 10. 5 sets of 30/30 RPM of 38 (rest)-45 (interval).

20 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 84, max hr - 176, levels 3, 5, 15, 17, 18. 3 sets @ level 15 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 3 sets @ level 18 @ 20/90. New Max speed on stair mill is level 18.

Today was a good day! My friend and I talked more about getting into the BJJ classes, I'm very excited because it sounds like it'd be very good for me and a lot of fun (painfully fun). He gave me some hints on what to concentrate on during my lifting days, so I'm probably going to go to a 3 day lifting/cardio schedule, and a 3 night BJJ schedule (trying to keep them on alternating days). He really likes to see me doing a lot of interval training (looking for short bursts of speed ~20 second bursts), so I'm thinking of cutting down my cardio to five 15-20 minute HIIT sessions (I really think this is right up my alley anyways and I usually feel so good after doing them).

*Calories - High Carb, High Calorie ~4000* 
Just getting rid of all the left overs (good excuse to carb up at night for another power day tomorrow), might as well make good use of the added calories/carbs!


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## tallcall (Nov 24, 2007)

YouTube Video










Thiago!


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## tallcall (Nov 28, 2007)

*11/25/07*

*Sunday Again:

Shoulders - POWER*

*Ab Wheel: RI - 30 |* BWx3x15

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 30 |* BWx30 reps (15, 9, 6, 5) PR for Reps

*Cable Crunches: RI - 30 |* 225x3x12

*Smith BB Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* 60x8, 80x6, 90x5, 105x1 PR for Weight, 50x10

*Smith BB Behind the Neck Press: RI - 60 |* 60x6, 80x4, 85x3 PR for Weight, 60x7, 50x9

*DB Military Press: RI - 60 |* 20'sx10, 25'sx10, 30'sx8, 35'sx5 PR for Weight, 35'sx1, 30'sx4

*DB Shrugs: RI - 30 |* 45'sx20, 50'sx15, 55'sx15

*Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing HIIT (min hr - 90, max hr - 185, level 10, 5 sets 30/30 @47 RPM).

15 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 100, max hr - 185, levels 3, 5, 10, 15, 17, 19. 2 sets @ level 15 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 17 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 19 @ 20/90. PR for Speed

I could've sworn I did this one before


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## tallcall (Nov 28, 2007)

*11/26/07*

*Monday:
Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT*

Treadmill for 10 minutes HIIT. Min hr - 80, max hr - 180, incline = 0, speed = 3.8-9.0mph. 3 sets @ 8.5 mph @ 20/90. 1 sets @ 9.0 mph @ 20/90.

Stair mill for 10 minutes HIIT. Min hr - 120, max hr - 175, levels 3, 5, 10, 15, 18. 1 set @ level 15 @ 20/90. 3 sets @ level 18 @ 20/90.

Again I think this happened to me before 

I got it, we must have been caught in the........






YouTube Video










TIME WARP​


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## tallcall (Nov 28, 2007)

*11/28/07*

*Wednesday:

Legs:

Seated Leg Curls: RI - 30 |* 90x15, 130x10, 170x8, 205xMiss, 190xMiss, 180x4 PR for Weight

*BB Back Squat: RI - 60 |* 95x12, 115x12, 135x12

*Straight Legged Deadlift: Ri - 60 |* 95x12, 115x12, 155x12

*Smith Front Squats: RI - 60 |* 90x12, 140x12, 180x10, 195x6

*Superset: RI - 30 |

1 - Hip Rotations |* 75x12, 87.5x10, 100x10

*2 - Hip Abductions |* 130x10, 150x10, 170x10

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

Stair Mill for 20 minutes. Min hr - 77, max hr - 160, levels 5 and 10.

Beat me up! Got it all done in near record time too.

I went down to the American Top Team place today and sat in on one of their classes. Those guys were so cool (very easy going and great personalities! ). It was cool watching them all go - so quick on their backs pulling submissions everywhere! The instructors were all great, I got to meet and talk to Renato Tavares (5th degree black belt in BJJ) and their Muy Thai instructor (currently ranked 3rd in the world). Just awesome people, I look forward to having my ass handed to me from all of them (at least for a while ). Plus, they were all kind of cute - and I think one of them likes me!

*Calories - Med Carb, Med Calories (3600)*

I'm so happy right now!!


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## DOMS (Nov 28, 2007)

Excellent cadio, man!  

And great song, too.


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## tallcall (Nov 28, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Excellent cadio, man!
> 
> And great song, too.



I'm having a lot of fun with the HIIT! And I feel like I kind of ran through a "time warp" today - so...hmphh....fast....hmphh (got to catch my breath)!


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## tallcall (Nov 30, 2007)

*11/29/07*

*Thursday:

Back:

1 Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 45 |* 75x12, 105x12, 135x12, 162x12 PR for Weight

*Superset: RI - 45 |
1 - Bilateral Lat Behind the Neck Pulldown |* 90x12, 90x12, 105x12, 120x10 PR for Weight

*2 - Unilateral Lat Pulldown |* 100x12, 100x12, 100x10, 100x4 dropped to 75x8

*Single Arm Lat Pressdown: RI - 30 |* #3x10, #3x10, #3x10

*Cardio - 15 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 70, max hr - 205, level 10. 5 sets @ 47 rpm @ 30/30.

10 Minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 113, max hr - 185, levels - 3, 5, 10, 17, 19, 20. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 19 @ 20/90. 2 set @ level 20 @ 20/90. PR for Speed

I got my gi and watched a few friends go at it again. I couldn't join because by the time the instructor and I were able to talk about everything he had already lead them through their warm-up. He said I could warm-up if I wanted and join without a gi. I told him that I didn't want to be any special exception and just opted to sit out that class, get my gi at the end and come back monday ready for everything.

He was very good though, and had them doing a lot of very unconventional exercises like shoulder rolls (I still don't know if I'll be able to get all those rolls down right away).

The gi is awesome, it has all the American Top Team insignias on it (I'm all about the labels )! I am so happy to be able to learn from a team that has trained more than 10 champions and to learn (possibly in the future) from one of the highest ranked Muy Thai fighter/instructors in the world! Everyone in that place makes me proud to be there and I want to show how much I care about it by bringing my best every time I'm there.


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## goob (Dec 1, 2007)

Holy fuck!  100lb unilateral pulldowns!!  That's awesome.


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## Witchblade (Dec 1, 2007)

12 rep 160lbs 1-arm seated cable rows?!  There's no way I could do that even with both hands.


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## tallcall (Dec 1, 2007)

goob said:


> Holy fuck!  100lb unilateral pulldowns!!  That's awesome.



Turns out I was wrong, they were bilateral, just done with normal single hand grips to allow for a wider range of motion.


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## tallcall (Dec 1, 2007)

*12/1/07*

*Saturday:

Shoulders:

Crunches - both legs up |* 1 set x 50 reps

*Crunches - Alternating sides (right elbow to left knee, etc..) |* 1 set x 50 on each side

*Bicycle Kicks |* 1 set x 50 per side

*Supinated Plank Variation |* 30 seconds

*Stretch and Rotator Cuff Warm-up*

*DB Military Press: RI - 60 |* 30'sx8, 35'sx8, 40'sx8, 45'sx3 PR for Weight, 30'sx12

*Smith BB Shoulder Presses: RI - 60 |* 80x6, 90x5, 100x4, 110x2 PR for Weight, 90x5

*Front Raises: RI - 30 |* 3x25x10 (negatives on the last 2 or 3 of each set).

*Superset: RI - 45 |
1 - Cable Upright Rows |* 3 sets x 90 lbs x 10 reps

*2 - DB Shrugs |* 50'sx20, 60'sx15, 70'sx15

*Farmers Walks: RI - 60 |* 90's x 240 feet - 10 feet farther than this time last month. PR for Distance

I got a COC gripper earlier this week and used it a few times so far. I closed it this morning for the first time in each hand - COC #1.

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

5 minutes rowing (min hr - 66, max hr - 165, level 7).

15 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 125, max hr - 150, incline - 0, speed - 3.0-5.0mph).

Nice day, I kept getting pestered by one of the new trainers today. He kept coming over to see if I was ok and ask if I needed help or a spot or something. I just told him that I don't need a spotter for anything I'm ever going to do on a Smith Machine because I always set the stopper if I'm doing upper body work on it - not so much for squats though. He was just kind of annoying. Another thing, I found out that they transferred my friend to the place in Oviedo, god damn it that sucks!

I'm kind of nervous about the BJJ because I have no idea how to roll or fall correctly, how did all you guys learn it. Our instructor uses them for warm-ups and I've been told that you just kind of learn as you go and get better at it every time. Sucks starting at the bottom - I feel like a blank page though so it is all up from here!

*Calories - High Carb, Almost 5000 calories (cheat meal, but a good one to add more carbs)*

I stopped this carb cycling diet because of the crazy amount of training I'll be doing soon so I think it is all going to be high carbs


----------



## katt (Dec 1, 2007)

Great WO T!  I honestly don't know how you can do negatives on front raises after doing so many reps    I would be fried by then!

Whats a BJJ?


----------



## tallcall (Dec 1, 2007)

katt said:


> Great WO T!  I honestly don't know how you can do negatives on front raises after doing so many reps    I would be fried by then!
> 
> Whats a BJJ?



Thanks. I was holding one 25 pound plate with both hands straight out in front of me, so it was easy - I wanted to keep it that way since my right medial delt does not like front raises at all. 

BJJ is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.


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## tallcall (Dec 2, 2007)

*12/2/07*

*Sunday:

Chest/Triceps:

Superset: RI - 30 - These are the warm-ups we're given to do each night in class! |
1 - Crunches (Both Legs Raised) |* 2 sets of 50

*2 - Crunches (Alternating Elbows to Knees) |* 2 sets of 50

*3 - Bicycle Kicks |* 2 sets of 50

*Supinated Plank Variation |* 60 second hold

*Stretches and Rotator Cuff Warm-up*

*Superset 2: RI - 30  - These are more of the warm-ups that are done each night in class! |*
*1 - Jumping Jacks |* 2 sets of 50

*2 - Push-ups |* 2 sets of 15 (wasn't able to go all the way down and was going for speed and reps). I have to get it to 20 reps for 2 sets, I think I can push it all out tomorrow night when it's asked for.

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-100x10, 8, 7, 6 - 31 reps total - PR for reps

*Superset 3: RI - 45 |
1 - Cable Incline Fly |* 3x40x10

*2 - Cable Incline Presses |* 3x40x10

*Press Downs: RI - 30 |* #4x10, #6x10, #7x8

*Plate Pinches |* 2 10's x 1:15 per hand PR for Time

3 10's x 40 seconds per hand PR for Time

*Plate Grabs |* 25 lb plate x 1:19 seconds (I was able to keep grabbing it off the floor and putting it back down for 1 minute 19 seconds before my grip began to fail) - PR for Time

*Cardio - 18 minutes HIIT*

5 minutes rowing HIIT. Min hr - 82, max hr - 175, level 10. 5 sets of 30/30

13 minutes on a stair mill HIIT. Min hr - 119, max hr - 185, levels 3, 5, 10, 17, 19, 20. 1 set @ level 17 @ 20/90. 1 set @ level 19 @ 20/90. 2 sets @ level 20 @ 20/90.

*Calories - ~3600-4000* (forgot to keep count, but I also went to a Perkins with some friends from work for lunch - I guess it was a good day to cheat

I'm still nervous about doing break-falls. I actually have done the forward break-fall before reversed when I used to fall off my bike I'd land hands first then stomach then legs - so I guess I got that one. The Forward roll is still something that's going to take me a while to do right.

I'm kind of angry that the stair machines don't go above level 20 - it's sad to think that I'm now running at the machines upper limit .

Other than all that I felt great and my shoulders aren't yelling at me after those push-ups (which is amazing in itself).


----------



## Rubes (Dec 2, 2007)

very nice tallcall


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## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

Those warm-ups were fun! My abs were burning, my heart was racing, and once again, people kept starring.


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## SamEaston (Dec 3, 2007)

Hey Tallcall - okay i admit, it's not the first time i've been in here but im really impressed with your workouts! You've actually given me an idea about using Plate Grabs in my own workouts, as my grip is starting to fail while doing Deadlifts and RackPulls 

I did Jiu Jitsu for about 4 months a couple years back and loved it. I don't know how different it is to BJJ but as for breakfalling, we just threw ourselves around like muppets! We did have mats on the floor though, so it wasn't too bad!


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## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

SamEaston said:


> Hey Tallcall - okay i admit, it's not the first time i've been in here but im really impressed with your workouts! You've actually given me an idea about using Plate Grabs in my own workouts, as my grip is starting to fail while doing Deadlifts and RackPulls
> 
> I did Jiu Jitsu for about 4 months a couple years back and loved it. I don't know how different it is to BJJ but as for breakfalling, we just threw ourselves around like muppets! We did have mats on the floor though, so it wasn't too bad!



Yeah, I just tried the backwards breakfall and it was kind of fun! Forwards is no big deal either. I haven't tried side breakfalling or any rolls yet though. First class is tonight.

I got the plate grab idea from fufu. My grip has certainly become much stronger since I've incorporated grabs and pinches in my routine. Sometimes I just do my deadlifts without straps to work my grip as well.


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## DOMS (Dec 3, 2007)

Incrediable workout, tallcall!  I really mean that.  Solid!

And I've watched that video over a dozen times.


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## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

DOMS said:


> Incrediable workout, tallcall!  I really mean that.  Solid!
> 
> And I've watched that video over a dozen times.



Thanks, I try. Which video are you talking about?


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## DOMS (Dec 3, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Thanks, I try. Which video are you talking about?



Time Warp.


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## goob (Dec 3, 2007)

How do you find time to do these monster sessions? If they keep getting longer, you'll have to devote whole days to them. Might as well sell up and move into the gym.


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## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

goob said:


> How do you find time to do these monster sessions? If they keep getting longer, you'll have to devote whole days to them. Might as well sell up and move into the gym.



I'm only in there for about 1 hour 15 minutes - 90 minutes. I keep the pace high during the ab workouts and warm-ups.


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## DOMS (Dec 3, 2007)

He's lying to you, goob.  At the beginning of every session, he cuts his arms and legs off and orders them to go workout to maximize his time.  Then, at the end, he sews them back on with a rusty nail and barbed wire.


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## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

DOMS said:


> He's lying to you, goob.  At the beginning of every session, he cuts his arms and legs off and orders them to go workout to maximize his time.  Then, at the end, he sews them back on with a rusty nail and barbed wire.



Ahh, "I see you've met my faithful handyman."

I take all my cues from The Rocky Horror Picture Show - cue transvestite!


----------



## tallcall (Dec 3, 2007)

*12/3/07*

*Monday:*

*First Day of Class*

Here's what we did:

1. 15 minutes sprinting/running (forwards, side to side, and backwards)/jumping jacks/pushups/crunches (regular and opposite sides). The crunches were in sets of 50 - did the regular crunches for 3 sets, the other crunches for 2 sets of 50. Jumping jacks at 3 sets of 50, 2 sets of 20 push-ups (I could not get anywhere near that, after all that running I was completely out of breath). The running and Sprinting took about 10 minutes straight!

2. 15 minutes learning one method of escape from butterfly guard and spider guard 

First from butterfly guard - slide hips, close distance, grab back of gi and opposite back of shoulder, tuck that shoulder in and roll in the direction of that shoulder, continue rolling until in a mounted position. 

Second from Spider guard - place feet on opponents thighs, grab the sleeves right near his wrists, slide your hips place one foot on opponent's elbow, then the other lies right next to their leg on the outside, pull on the arm on the same side as your flat leg and push with your foot against the elbow, allow to roll until in full mount.

3. 30 minutes of free form. For me (along with one other person who had their first day today as well) we were just told to practice what we just learned. We were then joined by my previous partner and began to roll with him. This was cool because he was able to really push me and I was actually able to reverse his first roll by continuing the roll with momentum until I was on top again. I also successfully blocked several roll attempts because he forgot to secure my elbow against him prior to the roll. He also showed me a few of his reversals which would lead to kimura (sp?) or armbar.

This was a lot of fun! My calves feel like bursting, my shoulders are burned out, and I got to practice rolling every time my partner flipped me onto my back - the first time my left shoulder took the brunt of the force, the second time, I moved it in a little to allow the roll to go smoother.

I'm definitely going back tomorrow for more fun - maybe I'll do better on the warm-up next time.

*Calories - ~3400*


----------



## tallcall (Dec 4, 2007)

*12/04/07 Weight In*

*12/4/07 Weigh In*

Weight: 284.5 ??? down 3 pounds from last time (technically up 1 pound since my weight fluctuated a lot last week) 

Waist: 36.0 inches ??? Down 0.5 inches from last week 
Stomach: 36.0 inches ??? Down 0.5 inches from last week 

Chest: 51 inches ??? No Change 
Shoulders: 62 inches ??? No Change

Neck: 19.5 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time
Bi's: 17 inches ??? Down 0.5 inches from last time
Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 270.83 - Down from last week's 273.69 (-2.86 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 13.67 ??? Down from last week's 13.81 (-.14 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 6.5 mm ???  no change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 9 mm ??? no change from last week
Thigh ??? 3 mm ??? no change last week
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.80 %. 

Lost some weight ??? finally. I saw no change in caliper readings ??? that???s also nice (no added fat from what I can tell. I???ve been going for power and strength for the last two weeks and have done very well, so I think I may be adding weight in the near future (all to help with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).


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## tallcall (Dec 5, 2007)

*12/04/07*

*Tuesday:*

My second day in class. Thiago (not the fighter) trained everyone (three of us showed up today - I think there's a holiday around here somewhere ). Here is how things went (what I remember from before I passed out ).

1. 15 minute warm-up/total beat-down. 8 minutes sprinting same as yesterday. 200 crunches (50 full, 50 on each side, and 50 bicycle kicks). Sat up and extended legs in front and pushed out 50 times. Sat up with legs extended in front and moved them over and under each other 50 times. Then there were shoulder pulls where you pull yourself across the mat using only the back of your forearms to grab the mat and your shoulders to pull your bodyweight. This was done three times followed by three where we were allowed to use our knees to kind of snake across the mat. He also had them doing rolls (I didn't know how to do them and told him that right away), I was just told to keep running for the time. Finally, we had to hold a supinated plank variation (supporting your body with only your hands positioned under your butt, chin tucked into your chest and legs elevated). We must have held this for 3-4 minutes while Thiago decided to walk around and stand on us (it felt fine, he evenly distributed his weight across my chest and as long as I kept everything in line I was fine). I was so out of breath!

2. 15 minutes learning new choke holds. They were both collar chokes from full guard. I think he called one of them the Axe Choke and said the other was just a variation of the Axe. There was only one student there with enough experience to be able to tell if the choke was in tight enough, so the rest of us worked on him. Thiago told both of us that he thought I was really a purple belt, and after successfully sinking the choke in the first time and making the guys face go a little purple he laughed and said that he was told that I was just a white belt but that everyone must have meant to say that I was an "American Top Team white belt (aka purple belt)" !

3. 30 minutes rolling. Thiago insisted that I watch and not participate until next time. Renato just had me do the same sweeps over and over during this period, but Thiago just wanted to see if I had any questions and to explain what each guy was trying to do (I knew they were fighting for a dominant position). The other guys just told me that all they're really trying to do is stop the more experienced guys from submitting them which doesn't usually work (this came from the student with the most experience, he rolled with Thiago first and explained it all afterward - he said we were really there to give the black belts a struggle then inevitably submit to them when they secure their submissions).

Another fun day, my calves are still in pain and my abs are feeling a little better. I had a very difficult time making it through the warm-ups, but working with those guys was great - they gave me a lot of encouragement. After those warm-ups, everything else felt like pure cake (not really easy, just easier by comparison).

*Calories - ~4500 (it was a cheat day - a very well deserved cheat day!)*


----------



## goob (Dec 5, 2007)

Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....


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## Witchblade (Dec 5, 2007)

goob said:


> Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....


Let me guess... My Massive Anus?


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## tallcall (Dec 5, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> Let me guess... My Massive Anus?





How did you know?


----------



## tallcall (Dec 5, 2007)

goob said:


> Ha., so your version of MMA actually was Mixed martial Arts, i thought it stood for something else.....



I shudder to even think about what you might have been thinking about.


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## tallcall (Dec 5, 2007)

No workout today, took a day to let my calves heal a little. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of work. We have a shuttle launch at 4:31:38 pm. I get to work the morning helping set things up for the afternoon guys to actually work the launch. I work at a tv station - we're going to cover NASA live like we usually do starting at 4 pm and running for about 45 minutes. I get to set up all the lives and try to ensure that everything is working correctly for the other guys (I do not want to work the launch itself - that is a lot of painful work).

Then I get to meet with my trainer at 4 pm followed by another BJJ session at 7 pm. Also, it is going to be a legs day nail: torture  fun)!

*Calories - 3400*


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## Gazhole (Dec 6, 2007)

MMA = Massaging My Ass?

I dread to think what your version of BJJ is


----------



## DOMS (Dec 6, 2007)

You're an animal! 

You've come a hell of a long way since you started here.


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## Witchblade (Dec 6, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> MMA = Massaging My Ass?
> 
> I dread to think what your version of BJJ is


It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.


----------



## katt (Dec 6, 2007)

So TC - what is the ultimate weight you are striving for??

Those classes you're taking sound pretty intense.. I honestly don't think I could do 200 reps for abs without  passing out


----------



## Gazhole (Dec 6, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.



Something traumatic has happened to both of us to cause this.

Were you ever sat on by a fat woman as a child?


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## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

katt said:


> So TC - what is the ultimate weight you are striving for??
> 
> Those classes you're taking sound pretty intense.. I honestly don't think I could do 200 reps for abs without  passing out



I'm going for 270, then I think I'm going to just try to maintain and work on building strength.

Yeah, they are pretty intense, but as long as you show that you are trying to keep up, they will respect you and won't say anything (except for the nice words of encouragement) because they all know you are just a beginner.


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## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

DOMS said:


> You're an animal!
> 
> You've come a hell of a long way since you started here.



Thanks.

It's kind of nice to see things all starting to come together (I said "come together" ).


----------



## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> MMA = Massaging My Ass?
> 
> I dread to think what your version of BJJ is



Some of them might let you try that if you want to...


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## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> It is disturbing to know we both associate the abbreviation MA with My Ass.



Yes, you're both very disturbing


----------



## goob (Dec 7, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> Something traumatic has happened to both of us to cause this.
> 
> Were you ever sat on by a fat woman as a child?


 
  That's what you meant by "going down the mines"


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## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

*12/6/07*

*Thursday:

Legs:

Warm up - Chops on Cable Machine: RI - 30 |* 2 sets x30 lbs x15 reps

*Lungeson Bosu Ball: RI - 30 |* 3 sets xBW x12 reps

*Single Leg Leg Press: RI - 60 |* 90lbs x 12, 140lbs x12 reps, 180lbs x10 reps, 180lbs x10 reps, 210lbs x7 reps PR for Weight

*Ball Squats: RI - 45 |* BW+30 x10, 15, 15 (going up to random positions for the last 5 reps of each set, the last 2 reps were 3 second negatives).

*Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Hip Abductions |* 130x15, 170x12, 205x10 (Entire Stack) PR for Weight

*2 - Hip Adductions |* 130x15, 170x12, 205x10 (Entire Stack) PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes SS*

8 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 80, max hr - 135, level 8).

12 minutes on a stair mill (min hr - 118, max hr - 180, level 5 & 15, 1 interval @ level 15 @ 180bpm for 20 seconds).

*Calories - 3700*

Had some fun with those leg presses! Everything went up a notch today.

I wanted to go in for another class but felt kind of sick. I might go in Friday night for one of their seminars (kind of a open night for anyone who wants to participate - they heavily suggest that I go in for some). I kind of felt bad, I told Thiago I'd be there but decided to stay home and wait until I felt better (besides, my calves were still in some pain - not complaining, just stating the facts).


----------



## tallcall (Dec 7, 2007)

*12/7/07*

*Friday:

Back/Abs:

Hyper Extensions: RI - 30 |* BWx12, BW+ 4 lb medicine ball (catch and throw style with partner) x 12, BW+6 lb medicine ball x 12

*Hyper Extensions with Cobra: RI  -30 |* BW+ 5lbs/hand x 12, BW+10lbs/handx12, 12 PR for Weight

*Balance on Bosu Ball |* BWx ~10 seconds (not great, but back was already a little tired) PR for time - last time was much worse

*Abs - Leg Lifts/Flutters/Knee Ins |* Each for 1 set of 8 reps just threw a bunch of random things like that in there to change things up a bit.

*BB Ab Roll:RI - 30 |* Bwx10, 10, 10 (straight and obliques alternated during each set with 2 or 3 reps done with 3 second holds at full extension)

*Cardio - 27 minutes SS/HIIT*

10 minutes on a stair machine SS (min hr - 63, max hr - 150, levels 5-12).

3 minutes on an elliptical SS (min hr - 88, max hr - 161, level 8 and 13).

14 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 88, max hr - 170, speed - 1.5-7.5mph, incline - 0.0-6.5. 3 sets @ 6, 6.5, and 7 mph respectively for 20 seconds. 1 set @ 6 mph and an Incline of 6.5. This was forward sprint, right side shuffle, backwards run (slow), left side shuffle, then forward sprint again each phase was about 45 seconds and repeated through the 14 minutes. The wind sprints were towards the end at 6-7.5 mph all others were 5-6 mph.

My trainer and I had fun with his one. We got to try a bunch of random things and do some balance exercises.

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## tallcall (Dec 8, 2007)

*12/8/07*

*Saturday:

Upper Push:

Warm-up:*
5 minutes on a stair master, 2 sets of 50 jumping jacks and 2 sets of 20 push-ups (20 and 15 really), 2 sets of 50 crunches with knees raised, 50 oblique crunches, and 50 bicycle kicks

*Smith Flat BB Bench: RI - 60 |* 135x6, 145x4, 165x2 PR for Weight, 125x6, 115x8

*Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60 |* 80x6, 100x3, 115x2 PR for Weight, 90x5, 80x7

*DB Flat Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 30'sx10, 40'sx8, 45'sx7 PR for Weight, 40'sx10, 30'sx10

*DB Military Press: RI - 60 |* 20'sx10, 25'sx8, 30'sx5, 25'sx6, 20'sx8

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 100 pounders x 210 feet PR for Distance (+10 feet)

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

Warm-up from before ~ 20 minutes total time - stairs had a min hr of 90, max of 135, and was at level 6, the others had a min hr of 125, and a max hr of 155.

10 minutes on a treadmill HIIT. Min hr - 96, max hr - 175, incline - 0, speed - 1.5 (backwards run), 2.4-2.8 (side shuffling), and 7.0-9.0 for forward sprints. There were a total of 5 rounds each lasting 2 minutes and each round contained one sprint @ 20 seconds @ speeds greater than 7 mph.

I had some fun today. The cardio was cool, I think I'll do this more often.

I ran out of gas on those DB Military Presses, but that was bound to happen. All-in-all, power across the board - Strength is really getting up there now!

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## Rubes (Dec 8, 2007)

been seein alot of red TC keep up the great work


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## tallcall (Dec 8, 2007)

Rubes said:


> been seein alot of red TC keep up the great work



Yeah, I like to see the red marks on there too. Thanks buddy!


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## goob (Dec 9, 2007)

Great work TC.  You keep going like a duracell bunny on uranium.


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## tallcall (Dec 10, 2007)

goob said:


> Great work TC.  You keep going like a duracell bunny on uranium.



It helps that I came equipped to make use of these battery upgrades. I just need one last upgrade to be able to process Plutonium and harness it's power.


----------



## tallcall (Dec 12, 2007)

*12/12/07 Weigh in*

*12/12/07 Weigh in*
Weight: 285 ??? Up 0.5 pounds from last time 

Waist: 35.5 inches ??? Down 0.5 inches from last week 
Stomach: 35.5 inches ??? Down 0.5 inches from last week 

Chest: 49 inches ??? Down 2 inches from last week 

Shoulders: 62 inches ??? No Change

Neck: 19.5 inches ??? No change from last time

Bi's: 17 inches ??? No change from last time

Calves: 19.5 inches - no change

Lean Body Mass: 272.08 ??? Up from last week's 270.83 (1.25 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 12.92 13.67 ??? Down from last week's 13.67 (-.75 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  up 0.5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 7.5 mm ??? down 1.5 mm from last week
Thigh ??? 3  mm ??? no change last week
Triceps ??? 5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.53 %. 

I seem to have added muscle. Caliper readings finally changed to show a fat loss in some areas, which is nice. I???ve been going for power and strength for the last couple of weeks and have done very well, so I think I may see muscle weight being added in the near future (all to help with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).


----------



## DOMS (Dec 12, 2007)

That's some incredible progress, man.  Are we going to be getting pics anytime soon?


----------



## tallcall (Dec 12, 2007)

DOMS said:


> That's some incredible progress, man.  Are we going to be getting pics anytime soon?



Thanks man!

As for the pictures question - I hate cameras, so probably not.


----------



## tallcall (Dec 15, 2007)

*12/14/07*

*Friday:

Upper Pull:

Straight Legged Deadlift: RI - 45 |* 50'sx12, 12, 12

*Pull-ups - Ladders: RI - 60 |* BW-100x5, 6, 7, 7, 1 (static hold for 5 seconds)

*1 Arm Seated Cable Rows: RI - 60 |* 105x12, 135x10, 165x8, 180x8 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes HIIT*

All on a treadmill:

10 minutes before my session, then 10 minutes after.

Before: Min hr - 102, max hr - 170, speed - 3.4-7.0 mph.

After: Min hr - 100, max hr - 167, speed - 3.4-6.5 mph.

It was all done in the same style as I do it in my Jiu-Jitsu class, so it was fairly intense.

I made a new friend yesterday at the gym. Nice guy, probably not available, but cool to talk to anyway. I think he was doing a MMA style cardio workout, it was nice to see someone doing something different. I think he saw the same in me when I started running backwards on the treadmill and doing those side to side skips (among other things).

*Calories - 3400*


----------



## tallcall (Dec 15, 2007)

*So Sad*

*Goodbye Paul...*​
I said goodbye to my best friend yesterday. We had a pretty large group at the club (Club Dolche - formerly Club Paris). The entertainment reporter I work with was on good terms with the owner and got us into the VIP lounge and the first round of drinks was gratis (I only had soda because I had to work early this morning). These were 100 something dollar bottles of Gin (maybe Vodka - I couldn't read the label, it was too dark), and all the mixers. Then we learned that there was a lingerie show at midnight (we figured out that they thought we were all there to give the club good press so they treated us to everything we asked for - oh well, their loss). I was told the show would only feature female models (Paul did promise to utilize the poles in the room after a few more drinks - so I poured him another).

     I had such a good time, Paul and his partner, their friend and his partner, the entertainment reporter and his partner, my executive producer and her partner and their gay friend from Louisville, Kentucky were all there. The guy from Louisville was kind of cute and had great taste (he wore a black suit with a dark purple shirt, a dark red tie, and a burgundy handkerchief - very nice!).

     I stayed with Paul and his partner for about for about 3.5 hours (I had almost an hour with them alone - I already miss them so much ).

     Before I left for the night I gave them all a hug and hoped that they would have a safe and fun trip (they're moving out of state). I just really didn't want to let Paul go, he kept telling me that he knows everything will be alright, that our job is not the end all experience in our lives, and that he cares and wants to keep in contact. I probably hugged him 4 or 5 times that night (his partner was also an awesome guy and good friend, I got to hug him a couple times too). Paul promised me he was going to leave me a couple signed copies of his head shot (photos usually given out to fans at special events). He had a bunch left over and signed them all with strange phrases (usually pretty funny), I really hope I get one of those! He's also passing out his e-mail and phone number.

     God I miss him so much! He's been there with me through very tough times and I don't know if I could have come this far without him. He and his partner are so sweet together, I can only hope to have that one day. They just randomly kissed each other when we were waiting to leave for the club (leaving from where I work - we all met there and walked down the road) without any fear or trepidation - it was so nice to see and feel that kind of confidence and love. I will not forget my time with Paul, he was a very special friend when I needed one most!





_*...Good friends are so hard to find...*_​


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## fUnc17 (Dec 18, 2007)

American Top Team?? Thats sick!! I wish I could train for them! If you think warmups were rough, just wait till you start rolling


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## tallcall (Dec 18, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> American Top Team?? Thats sick!! I wish I could train for them! If you think warmups were rough, just wait till you start rolling



Yeah, I had the chance last night to roll around with one of their  purple belts! I made him tap out twice - once from a wrist lock, the second was from a rear naked choke (not done very well, but I had both arms in and hooked and squeezed as tight as I could). He got the better of me a lot though when I just couldn't sweep him off me (I was so out of breath and tired from everything else). 

Our warm-ups consisted of lots of running, but then he had us do a sort of deadlift/pull with our partners lying between our legs. Then there were hip scoops and throws (one person is lying down the other goes under the legs and hooks the hips, hoists them in the air and throws them over the partner's head to form a roll). 

I still had a very hard time with these rolls, I guess I just got to take it slow (I have a lot of fears that need to be overcome - falling is one of them as is being upside down - I look forward to conquering them with these guys!).

How have things been going with your training? Which team are you with?


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## fUnc17 (Dec 18, 2007)

tallcall said:


> Yeah, I had the chance last night to roll around with one of their  purple belts! I made him tap out twice - once from a wrist lock, the second was from a rear naked choke (not done very well, but I had both arms in and hooked and squeezed as tight as I could). He got the better of me a lot though when I just couldn't sweep him off me (I was so out of breath and tired from everything else).
> 
> Our warm-ups consisted of lots of running, but then he had us do a sort of deadlift/pull with our partners lying between our legs. Then there were hip scoops and throws (one person is lying down the other goes under the legs and hooks the hips, hoists them in the air and throws them over the partner's head to form a roll).
> 
> ...



You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job 

The partner drills are always fun, I love them...until the last 2-3 reps. For instance the frog hop drill. Basically your jumping over everyones back in a row, then everyone else jumps and you keep going till the instructor stops. I cant count the number of times I got tea bagged on the back of the head because of that drill. Crab walks are fun too. Shrimping is NOT!

You have a great opportunity training with those guys! I train at New Jersey Shore Personal Fitness Training, Kettlebells, BJJ, Mixed Mafrtial Arts


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## DOMS (Dec 18, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job



I'll second this! 



fUnc17 said:


> The partner drills are always fun, I love them...until the last 2-3 reps. For instance the frog hop drill. Basically your jumping over everyones back in a row, then everyone else jumps and you keep going till the instructor stops. I cant count the number of times I got tea bagged on the back of the head because of that drill.


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## tallcall (Dec 18, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> You tapped a purple belt twice the first time you rolled? Thats unheard of, nice job
> 
> The partner drills are always fun, I love them...until the last 2-3 reps. For instance the frog hop drill. Basically your jumping over everyones back in a row, then everyone else jumps and you keep going till the instructor stops. I cant count the number of times I got tea bagged on the back of the head because of that drill. Crab walks are fun too. Shrimping is NOT!
> 
> You have a great opportunity training with those guys! I train at New Jersey Shore Personal Fitness Training, Kettlebells, BJJ, Mixed Mafrtial Arts



He may have just allowed me to get him, but it was a lot of fun either way. I really need to get those sweeps down better, I tapped a few times because I couldn't get out from under him (he just laid on me and constricted my breathing).

My instructor is introducing strange (for me at least) new warm-up routines every time I'm there. I'd say we spend about 20-30 minutes just doing that conditioning work, 15 minutes learning and practicing new positions, and about 20-30 minutes rolling.

I've been cut, choked, bruised, etc. Cut by way of mat burn on my feet and another form of burn on my elbows (the Gi is getting a nice blood coating ). But I look at them all as battle scars and love them all!


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## goob (Dec 18, 2007)

Holy shit TC, your going to be an MMA beast.  Unstoppable.


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## fUnc17 (Dec 18, 2007)

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

This is my instructor, he has alot of top notch vids, check 'em out


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## tallcall (Dec 18, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
> 
> This is my instructor, he has alot of top notch vids, check 'em out



Thanks man, I'll check them out later. I just got back from another training session. It's funny how I always seem to lock up in full mount and _forget_ what I can do to try to submit my partner, so I just end up transitioning to side mount and applying a wrist lock. I guess it's not a bad thing, I get to work on controlling the guys hips from a side mount. I really need to work on a lot (leverage is not great, sweeps need work - it's nice to roll with blue and purple belts who'll slow down and help me remember the positioning - still new with this anyways).

Today's training was insane but in a good way, I got all the way through the warm-ups without much of a problem, still trying to get the shoulder rolls (all rolls really) down - they were better than before (they still freak me out a little). I ended up rolling with three different people and learning a new combination sweep/rear naked choke (or armbar, or even collar choke depending on how it's locked in and whether or not you secured his arm during the roll). It took me several attempts to get it right, again with the leverage thing (I guess it'll come with time and practice).

Oh well, we all had a lot of fun and I never gave up once. I was barely breathing after my second round rolling and I still volunteered to roll for a third round. I got my butt handed to me by the smaller and faster blue belt (the guy I rolled with in the third round) but I learned a few things in the process so all is good!


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## fUnc17 (Dec 18, 2007)

lol... i remember when I first learned rolls, fun times. BTW when your in mount, any position really...always attack the neck first, when they try to defend decide whether to continue with the choke or transition to something else (like an armbar when he throws an arm up because your attacking his neck)


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## tallcall (Dec 19, 2007)

*12/19/07 Weigh in*

12/19/07 Weigh in
Weight: 285 283.5 ??? Down 1.5 pounds from last time 

Waist: 35.5 inches ??? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35.5 inches ??? No Change from last week 

Chest: 49 inches ??? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 62 inches ??? No Change
Neck: 19.5 inches ??? No change
Bi's: 17 inches ??? No change 
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change

Lean Body Mass: 271.41??? Down from last week's 272.08 (0.67 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 12.09??? Down from last week's 12.92 (-0.83 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  No change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 7 mm ??? down 0.5 mm from last week
Thigh ??? 3  mm ??? no change last week
Triceps ??? 4.5 mm ??? down 0.5 from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.26 %. 

This is great considering I ate a lot of stuff Sunday and Monday (fried turkey, corn pudding, stuffing, all the good stuff)! Caliper readings even dropped slightly! I have been adding strength and it shows through my BJJ performances.


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## tallcall (Dec 19, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> lol... i remember when I first learned rolls, fun times. BTW when your in mount, any position really...always attack the neck first, when they try to defend decide whether to continue with the choke or transition to something else (like an armbar when he throws an arm up because your attacking his neck)



Yeah, rolls are fun, thank god everyone's being patient!

Thanks for the advice! Do you think it'd be better to stay with simpler things at first? Maybe just fighting for the things you know how to do really well, or would you go out on a limb and try something you've only maybe done a handful of times?


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## fUnc17 (Dec 19, 2007)

Stick with what you know, but dont be afraid to try something different. Don't be predictable and always think a few moves ahead. Thats what my first trainer always taught me


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## tallcall (Dec 19, 2007)

fUnc17 said:


> Stick with what you know, but dont be afraid to try something different. Don't be predictable and always think a few moves ahead. Thats what my first trainer always taught me



Alright, I'll try that! I pretty much dominated everyone's hip movement, I just learned how to do that the day before by hooking the hips and sprawling on the side leaning all my weight on their hips, then transitioning into some kind of mount and going for a submission.


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## tallcall (Dec 19, 2007)

*12/19/07*

*Wednesday:
Legs:

Superset 1: RI - 45 |

1 - Lunges |* BWx10, 10

*2 - Single Leg Extensions |* 40x10, 10

*Double Leg Extensions & Walking Lunges down the hall |* 190x12, about 40 walking lunges

*Single Leg Press: RI - 60 |* 90x12, 140x10, 160x8

*Superset 2: Ri - 45 |*
*1 - Swans (sort of like one legged squats for balance) |* BWx10, BW+10x10, 10, 10

*2 - Calf Raises (Medial and Lateral) |* 4 sets x BW+25x15 (10 from big to little toe, 5 from little toe to big toe)

*Squats on Smith Machine: RI - 60 |* 110x10, 140x10, 160x8

*Superset 3: RI - 30 |*
*1 - Hip Adductors |* 110x15, 150x15, 190x12

*2 - Hip Rotations (each leg separately) |* 87.5x10, 100x10, 112.5x10 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 Minutes SS*

20 minutes on a stair mill SS. Min hr - 60 (then 95 after the workout), max hr - 135 (160 after workout), level 5-8 (5-17 after workout).

*Calories - 4500*

I feel so lethargic today! I think it is time for another deloading week. I'm just going to take next week off from lifting and focus on BJJ and cardio. After Friday, I'll be off until 1/2/08. Nice time to take a break  !

I figured out that doing BJJ for an hour each time I go in burns about 1000 calories, the strength training burns at least 700 for a half hour, and my body's basal metabolic rate is about 3200. So with that in mind, I need about 5000 calories on days like tomorrow just to get through everything. I love how this all goes completely against normal people's conventional thinking! I just have to find a way to shovel food down my throat without puking (I have to look at 750-1000 calorie meals for one or two days out of the week)!


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## tallcall (Dec 20, 2007)

*12/20/07*

*Thursday:

Back:

Superset 1: RI - 30 | 
1 - Bosu Ball Hip Extensions |* BWx12, 12, 12, 15

*2 - Seated Cable Rows |* 110x10, 125x10, 140x10, 165x5

*Superset 2: RI - 45 |
1 - Deadlift |* 135x20, 185x12, 135x10

*2 - Cobras |* BW+10 lb dumbbells per hand x 8, 8, 8

*Cardio - 6 minutes SS*

Treadmill for 6 minutes. Min hr - 80, max hr - 161, speed - 3.0-5.5 mph, incline - 0.

*Calories - ~5500 or so (I lost count)*

This was a fun session. I cut my cardio down a lot today because immediatly afterward I went to my BJJ class and trained with them for an hour or so. I figured I really didn't need the cardio from the gym because it'd be so much better to get it rolling around on the mat with these guys! This is also why the calories are so high for today. I burn 3200 just being alive, then about 600-700 during the strength training session, then about 1000 for an hour with the guys training. So I see it as I needed at least 4900-5000 just to break even, and I would like to encourage strength gains so I go a little over to hit about 5500. Lets just say that I had a hard time eating all that food, but if I didn't I'd probably have fallen asleep in the middle of the mat, so it's not all that bad.

*BJJ:*

We just learned how to take someone's back when they're on all fours or curled up like a turtle and apply a rear naked choke, collar choke, or flatten them out face down and do the same, or even roll them to the side and get all those chokes. My biggest problem is that I still can't flex my hips fast enough to make things smooth. I think I'm just afraid of hurting these guys (I must have about 80 pounds on all of them), oh well, I just have to get over that and push them all the way next time. 

Maybe next week I won't be so tired. My next class is Thursday night because of the Holidays, so I get to fit in a lot of cardio and skip all my weight lifting sessions after tomorrow (Thank God for deloading weeks, I really need a break)!

This weeks Cardio time total is 3.5 hours (counting each BJJ training session as an hour of cardio - because that's what I think it mostly amounts to for me), adding in tomorrow's session and I think I'll hit 4 hours this week. I'll try to get about 3 hours or more next week (it's really easy when I'm doing these classes, Renato and Thiago really keep us going - slave drivers )!


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## fufu (Dec 21, 2007)

good job on starting bjj, sounds like you like it.


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## goob (Dec 21, 2007)

A 'rear naked choke'......

..sounds like TC's signature move...


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## tallcall (Dec 21, 2007)

fufu said:


> good job on starting bjj, sounds like you like it.



I love rolling around with these guys! One of them is becoming a pretty good friend, we rolled together Thursday and kind of played around when the others were on break (of course they are all very cool and playful like that).


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## tallcall (Dec 21, 2007)

goob said:


> A 'rear naked choke'......
> 
> ..sounds like TC's signature move...





Something about getting the guys "back," sinking your "hooks" in, and performing a "rear naked" choke - Nah, nothing weird about that...


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## tallcall (Dec 21, 2007)

*12/21/07*

*Friday:

Upper Push:

Superset 1: RI - 60 |*
*1 - DB Flat Bench |* 25'sx10, 35'sx10, 35'sx10

*2 - DB Rear Delt Rows |* 25'sx8, 35'sx8, 35'sx8

*Superset 2: RI - 60 |*
*1 - Behind the Neck Smith Shoulder Press |* Bar + 50 x 10, + 70 x 8, + 70 x 8

*2 - Front Raises |* 25 lb plate x 8, 8, 8

*Plate Pinches: RI - 45 |* 25's @ 1 minute L/R, 3 10's @ 33 seconds R/40 seconds L

*Cardio - 30 minutes SS - with some sprints thrown in the mix there*

5 minutes on the treadmill.

10 minutes - abs (50, 50, 50), Jumping Jacks (50, 50), Push-ups (20, 10), Supinated Plank with hands under butt (about 30 seconds - allowing legs to be raised and lowered but never touching the floor keeping chin tucked in).

15 minutes on a treadmill. Min hr - 82, max hr - 165, speed - .0-6.5 ph, inline - 15.

Today was fine, I really felt weak, but kind of peppy (the cardio was great!).

Tomorrow starts a deloading period - no more weights until 1/2/08, lots of cardio though. I'm probably going to get 2 BJJ classes next week since there were enough of us that wanted to be there during the holidays to justify keeping the place open - so that'll be great!

All the bruises on my arms are healing up nicely. My right shoulder is still in some pain from one armbar I was in Tuesday - though it is feeling much better (I tapped pretty quickly, but probably not quick enough - oh well). My gi's right elbow is now splattered with blood from my elbow scrapping against it doing the shoulder rows and army rows on the mat. I showed Renato and he just kind of laughed. One of the other guys has his elbow completely soaked with blood - and it is a white gi (the instructors are very relaxed and don't care about the clothes or anything just respect for each other and learning the correct form).

I got to watch all my friends get their belt promotions tonight, most of the white belts got promoted straight to blue (pretty cool, I'm very happy for them, and I think I'll test next time it becomes available - 4-6 months I think)

*Calories - 3600*

Rest time.....


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## Double D (Dec 22, 2007)

HI TC, good to know your still chuggin along.


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## tallcall (Dec 22, 2007)

Double D said:


> HI TC, good to know your still chuggin along.



DD! It's been a while, what have you been up to? Having a nice holiday?

I've just been having fun!


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## tallcall (Dec 24, 2007)

*12/24/07*

*Monday:

1st Day of My Rest Week

Cardio: 30 Minutes*

*5 Minutes* on a treadmill doing some sprints.

~20 minutes doing the following:

1. *Crunches* - 50, 50, 50, 50 (normal, left side, right side, bicycle kicks)

2. *Leg Outs* - 25

3. *Flutters *- 20 Vertical, 20 Horizontal

4. *Back Extensions* - 25

5. *Stretches *(Hip Abductors, Adductors, Back, Hamstrings, Quads, and Glutes)

6. *Positional Drills* (I kind of fooled around with this one to try to mimic what we do in class for our warm-ups - it is done solo so that part was fine, but it required a bit of space) - ~25 of each:

     1st - Starting on back, Legs straight up rolling forward with the intent on landing with one knee bent, one foot firmly planted on the floor along with it's opposing hand and use the momentum to pop yourself up a little, then do the other side. 

     2nd - Same starting position with the intention of landing with both knees bent on the ground one ankle hooked under the opposite knee, opposing hand again on the ground and lean forward as if reaching for someone.

I did some of these so fast that I thought on my back roll I was going to just continue rolling which would've been a lot of fun (getting over that fear pretty quickly!).

*5 minutes *on a treadmill - cooldown.

Today is a cheat day so I'm sure my calorie intake is going to be about 4000 for the day.


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## tallcall (Dec 27, 2007)

*12/26/07*

*Wednesday:

Cardio - 60 Minutes*

*10 Minutes *on a Treadmill - Sprints, Backwards run, Side to Side.

*~40 minutes - *Crunches, Bike Kicks, Leg Outs, Flutters, Back Extensions, Positional Drills from the back emphasizing explosiveness.

*5 Minutes *on a stair mill HIIT. 3 sets @ 20/60 @ Level 15, 18, and 20 respectively.

*Calories - 4000*

No BJJ tonight. They were supposed to open but they weren't open when I got there. They probably just did some mat time from 10 a - 2 p (which won't help me at all since I don't get out of work early enough to get there before 2 pm). Maybe tomorrow night (12/27/07).

Lots of crazy people at the gym. All doing dumb things and looking at me like I'm crazy .


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## retailmuscle (Dec 27, 2007)

hey,
great workout..u get it from a trainer?


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## tallcall (Dec 27, 2007)

retailmuscle said:


> hey,
> great workout..u get it from a trainer?



Not really, I just did whatever I could think of that might carry over from class to the gym. I can't do everything, but some of the warm-up routines are easy to do anywhere.

I'm still kind of angry that they closed yesterday and today when they said they'd be open, I know they won't be open Monday or Tuesday because of the holiday, so I think the next time I get to go in and train is Jan 3rd! 

Oh well.

My weight was at 286 this morning (up 2.5 pounds) and the caliper readings haven't changed so maybe it is showing a strength (muscle) gain.

Deloading/Rest weeks are boring and I'm still a little nervous about gaining too much weight over this week.Oh well, at least I get to look forward to my cardio and I know I'm very good at changing things up at a moment's notice (easily adapting to changing situations is a requirement of most of us in news and operations anyways ), so I can easily switch out one aspect of my planned workout with another (treadmill not available, just use a stair machine, or an elliptical, it those aren't available, I grab 80+ pound dumbbells and walk all over the place for 5-10 minutes - good for my cardio as well as strength).


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## Double D (Dec 27, 2007)

Looks like you have learned alot since I have been around!


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## tallcall (Dec 27, 2007)

Double D said:


> Looks like you have learned alot since I have been around!





A lot of things that didn't seem possible months ago now seem easy, and I get very excited to try new things (like my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). I am basically weight training for a sport now so this should all play together real nice. 

My trainer is a former High School wrestler and is pushing me through a lot of hip dominant exercises. We pretty much only do compound lifts and lifts focused on flexibility or stability. Leg day is my absolute most favorite day (I get a lot of stares from everyone, even some of the MMA guys now I think!).

I eat a lot of calories most days and seem to still be losing body fat while maintaining weight (slightly increased the weight this week  - basically due to concentrating on power and strength instead of size - moving heavy loads more easily now!).


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## tallcall (Dec 27, 2007)

*12/27/07*

*Thursday:

Cardio: 60 Minutes*

*10 Minutes* - Treadmill - Sprints, etc.

*40 Minutes* - Crunches, Leg Outs, Flutters, Back Extentions, Positional Drills, Hip Abductor/Adductor stretches, Hamstring Stretch, Quad Stretch, Back Stretch.

*5 Minutes* - Farmer's Walks using 80 pound dumbbells and keeping a fast pace (had to reset 4 times).

*Calories - ~3600*

Decided to do somethings a little different today with those Farmer's Walks. I wish I had some other positional drill I can do at the gym that might help me with class, anything that can be done without a sparring partner. Oh well, I also got to practice back break-falls and got very comfortable with doing these drills and rolling from my back all the way up to a standing position while reaching out for and opponent very aggressively (as if I were to grab them and try to pull them down - nice, I like the aggression!).

Probably more off the same tomorrow because I want to get really good at these while I have time before class starts back up - I already feel more fluid with my hips!


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## Double D (Dec 27, 2007)

Sounds good to me....


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## tallcall (Dec 29, 2007)

*12/29/07*

*Saturday:

Cardio - 55 Minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill doing more sprints, etc...

45 minutes for jumping jacks (50, 50), push-ups (12, 10), crunches (50, 50, 50), flutters (20, 20), leg outs (25), back extensions (25), stretches, and positional drills. I also did some work on my sweeps (I did it kind of shadow style because I couldn't get a partner - no one at the gym I go to really does this anyways, just a few who were out watching the UCF game).

*Calories - 3600*

The American Top Team place that I train Jiu-Jitsu at has been closed for the holidays and I think it re-opens Wednesday so I might be able to have another class on Thursday.

I got screwed into working 11.5 hours yesterday because my replacement wouldn't think ahead to get his shit together and couldn't be in until 3.5 hours after his shift started (and he's a senior level operator - I'm going to be talking about this during my performance review next month for sure - so far I have 17.5 hours of overtime this week and another 8 by Friday)! I was so tired after that that I had to get some food and get to bed .

I start my strength training again on Wednesday. I feel like I've completely healed and can't wait to get back into it (going to set a whole bunch of new personal records this week!).


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## goob (Dec 30, 2007)

Oh fuck that.  That's brutal cardio TC, really brutal.  Good job.


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## tallcall (Dec 30, 2007)

*12/30/07*

*Sunday:

Cardio - 30 minutes*

*10 minutes* Treadmill - same as before.

*20 minutes *on crunches (50, 50, 50, 50), jumping jacks (100), leg outs (25), flutters (20 vertical, 20 horizontal), supinated plank for 60 seconds, positional drills, and sweeps (done without a partner).

*Calories - 4000 - cheat day*

Quick session. I'm probably going for 45+ minutes tomorrow, we'll see.


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## katt (Dec 31, 2007)

Hey TC - Happy New Year!!


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## tallcall (Dec 31, 2007)

katt said:


> Hey TC - Happy New Year!!



Happy New Year to you too !







YouTube Video


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## tallcall (Jan 1, 2008)

*01/01/08*

*Tuesday:

Cardio - 60 minutes*

*10 Minutes* on a treadmill for sprints.

*50 Minutes *doing various drills.

I did some shadow drills (sweeps from butterfly guard, spider guard, closed guard - I think that one's called the "Upa"). I grabbed a stability ball and practiced side control stepping through to north/south stepping through to scarf hold then to side control on the other side and finally to hip control, then the other way. Practiced shrimping and back breakfalls. Practiced going from a seated position to tripod. Practiced two leg and one leg pushes on back. Then I did the same recovery/lung thingie drills I have been doing all along with a whole bunch of crunches and back extensions.

I really think this is a better way for me to do my cardio because it turns into something much more valuable to me and what I'm trying to do.

*Calories - 4000*

I think I'm going to ask my trainer (who has a lot of experience wrestling) for some tips on different drills that can be done without a partner since some of them carry over pretty nicely.


Oh yeah, this was the last day of my rest period!! Back to the weights tomorrow!


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

*1/2/08 Weigh In*

*Weigh In:*

Weight: 282.5 ??? Down 1 pounds from last week???s 283.5

Waist: 35.5 inches ??? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35.5 inches ??? No Change from last week 
Chest: 49 inches ??? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 62 inches ??? No Change
Neck: 19.5 inches ??? No change
Bi's: 17 inches ??? No change 
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change

Lean Body Mass: 270.46 ??? Down from last week's 271.41 (-1.05 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 12.04 ??? Down from last week's 12.09 (-0.05 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 7 mm ???  No change from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 7 mm ???no change from last week
Thigh ??? 3  mm ??? no change last week
Triceps ??? 4.5 mm ??? no change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~12.26 %. 
I took the last week and a half off from weight lifting and BJJ practice so this is all good news. I should be back to setting personal records very soon and I???ll be getting back to classes starting Monday. I kept up with my cardio (3-4 hours each week) by doing a whole lot of BJJ drills and circuit style ab training.


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## katt (Jan 2, 2008)

Awesome TC! You kept your weight down in the hard holiday season!


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

katt said:


> Awesome TC! You kept your weight down in the hard holiday season!



Yeah, I just _feel_ bloated. I thank all the cardio for helping to keep the weight down even though I ate almost everything in sight most of the time .


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

*01/02/08*

*Wednesday:

Legs: - 45 minute session (as opposed to the normal 30 minute sessions I normally have)*

*Superset: RI - 30 |
Hip Adductors |* 170x12, 190x12, 205x10 PR for Reps at this Weight

*Hip Abductors |* 170x12, 190x12, 205x10 PR for Reps at this Weight

*Hip Rotations |* 100x12, 112.5x10, 125x8 PR for Weight

*Deadlift (Conventional for 2 sets and Sumo for 3 using switched grip): RI - 60-90 seconds |* 135x12, 185x10, 225x10, 265x2 PR for Weight - No Straps, 200x8

*Superset: RI - 30 |
Lunges |* BWx5 (right), 10 (left), BW+20 x 8 (left/right), BW+40 x 8 (left/right)

*Side Lunges Limbo Style |* BWx5 (left/right), BWx5 (left/right)

*Smith Squats: RI - 90 |* Bar+90x10, Bar+120x10, Bar+160x10 PR for Reps

*Single Leg Extension: RI - 45 |* 50x12, 90x6, 90x6

*Cardio - 15 minutes*

15 minutes on a stair mill. Nothing special, got in 3 sprints on it after my session (20 sec sprint, 60 sec recovery).

Wow, that was fun. Lets see....5 new records! We really cranked up the pace on some of this stuff too, especially the deadlifts and squats (each rep done correctly and at almost double my normal speed).




I've never been at a gym through new year's before. Man there were like a hundred new people there! Some of them even thought it would be great to just jump on equipment I was using (if I'm supersetting, I just leave some of my crap at the machine while I'm away and most people will wait a minute - I always let people work in with me). I actually had to ask to work in with them to get the machine back! 

Also, when I was deadlifting, someone came way too close, so during one of the sets my trainer told me to be sure I contacted the ground and to just let it bang a little, so I just about slammed it down (loud bang) - I smiled - and everyone *backed-the-fuck-up* !

Where's that thread about all the stupid people at the gym? This should be a fun month to watch that one grow.

*Calories - ~4000 - I made today a very high carb day*


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## fufu (Jan 2, 2008)

congrats on the PR's.


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

fufu said:


> congrats on the PR's.



Thanks man, same to you! These resting periods really help don't they.


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## fufu (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh yes they do. I love the days I used not record them and just chill out a while in between sets.


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

It feels like you're in competition with yourself to get better every time when you're keeping records like that. I like the feeling that I just did something I couldn't do a couple weeks ago!


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## fufu (Jan 2, 2008)

That's true, but I get more joy from lifting heavier weights than lifting the same weight at a lower rest interval.


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## tallcall (Jan 2, 2008)

fufu said:


> That's true, but I get more joy from lifting heavier weights than lifting the same weight at a lower rest interval.



Yeah, keep pushing to get better.


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## DOMS (Jan 2, 2008)

So, are you dating yet?  You've made a lot of progress.  I have to image that you're ready for it.


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## tallcall (Jan 3, 2008)

DOMS said:


> So, are you dating yet?  You've made a lot of progress.  I have to image that you're ready for it.



Not yet. It's amazing how many guys out there are complete creeps, and the rest seem to think I'm one of them. Oh well, I really want to find one someday. I'm definitely ready for it!

On the plus side I got to talk to Aaron again (it's been months). He said he'd like to eventually take me up on my offer for a drink and that school just got in the way a little (which I completely understand). Good for him focusing more on his education than anything else. There's a lesson in here somewhere (Soxmuscle - ignore the ladies and focus , it's only for a short period).


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## goob (Jan 3, 2008)

Hope you had great holidays TC!!


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## tallcall (Jan 3, 2008)

goob said:


> Hope you had great holidays TC!!



They were better than I thought they would be. I just really don't like most holidays and I just want to get back to normal.


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## tallcall (Jan 3, 2008)

*01/03/08*

*Thursday:

Upper Push:

Cross-Body Push: RI - 45 |* Machine #4x12 L/R, #5x12 L/R, #7x12 L/R PR for weight

*Superset 1: RI - 60 |*
*1a - Reverse Fly |* #4x10, 10, 10

*1b - Serratus Pulls |* 55x10, 10, 10

*Flat Bench Power Presses: RI - 60 |* 95x10 (3 second negatives on all reps), 95x8 (rest/pause at the bottom for 3 seconds on the last 2 reps)

*Superset 2: RI - 45 |
2a - Cross-Body Raise/Press |* 8lbx12 PR for Weight, 12, 12

*2b - Triceps Extension |* #5x12, #6x10, #7x10 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill. Did some sprints.

10 minutes abs (keeping pace high) back extensions and stretching.

5 minutes on an elliptical machine. Was going fine until I broke it by pushing it above 120 rpm (just grabbed the handles and pushed everything I had into my legs and powered straight to 120+ rpm when the machine had a checksum error ).

5 minutes on a treadmill. More sprints - this time I broke 9.5 mph for 15 seconds - new speed record - getting close to 10 mph!

It's kind of nice to break a machine in that fashion. I was channeling so much force through my legs I drove the machine to over it's limit and caused the computer to crash big time (a checksum 5598 error is what I think it said - I just smiled and got off while one other guy looked at the display then back at me with a look of shock on his face ). I credit this to all that squatting and deadlifting - lots of power there.

I absolutely love terrorizing the hell out of the people there (I've broken stair machines, treadmills, ellipticals, and of course did what I did last time and slammed 265 pounds on the floor while deadlifting). 

Man the gym idiots are out in full swing this month, I'm kind of having fun watching them. It's when they start lecturing me that I get a little angry *(you go use the only squat cage to do your upright rows there skippy   and leave the real work to me ).*


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## katt (Jan 4, 2008)

haha on the newbies....  I haven't seen that many so far, maybe a couple on the cardio machines..  but then again, I go at 5 in the morning also.  There could be more people at the 5 p.m. time frame.

Nice job on the tread!


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## tallcall (Jan 5, 2008)

*01/05/07*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull:

DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 45 |* 30x10, 35x10, 40x10, 45x10 PR's for Weight

*One Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 60-90 |* 135x10, 165x10, 180x8, 210x6 PR for Weight

*Back Extensions With Cobras: RI - 60 |* BW+20x12, BW+20x10, BW+30x10 PR for Weight

*Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-64x1 PR for Weight, -76x2, -88x4, -88x4

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 120 pound dbs for 102 feet - PR for Distance - Previous record was 82 feet.

*Cardio - 30 Minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill.

20 minutes for abs, positioning drills, Top Control drills on a stability ball (quickly switching between side a control, scarf, north/south, side b control, hips, and full mount - clockwise and counterclockwise randomly). I just kept going on the drills for about 10-15 minutes at as quick a pace as I could (keeping in mind that there were quite a few other people around me so I had to slow down for them quite a bit).

*Calories - 4500*

That was fun. My form on the Cobras kind of sucked, but my trainer was also there working out and stopped by to give me some advice. I helped him out a bit too where I could (really not much, but we had a nice chat among all the other idiots there - ).

I did Pull-Ups last this time and suffered a little. I really wanted to do it in a ladder fashion, but just couldn't find my right starting weight (took about 3-4 attempts to figure it out, so by then I was kind of tired and kept hitting technical failure - ). Oh well, I got my weight, still really working for body weight pull-ups (the last time I did them I wrote it down as bodyweight, but really I meant to write bw-____ and forgot what weight I had it set to when I was writing it up afterwards).


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## Witchblade (Jan 5, 2008)

Sick cable rows, man.


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## Rubes (Jan 6, 2008)

TC is a beast no doubt about that one


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## tallcall (Jan 6, 2008)

Witchblade said:


> Sick cable rows, man.





Rubes said:


> TC is a beast no doubt about that one



Thanks guys! Just doing what I can to set a good example for all the new people just starting out. Maybe some will stick with it. 

I was working in with a new guy when I was doing those one arm cable rows, he couldn't believe the kind of poundage I was hauling up and the speed at which I was doing it. So that was really the ultimate compliment (although it was from someone who didn't really know anything - still just being a nice guy without that ego is a great first step), maybe I'll tell him about this website if I see him there again.


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

Din Thomas trains at ATT right? I just remembered he had a grappling seminar at the mma gym I used to train at. A few of the guys here in MA were good buds with him I guess. Small world.


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## tallcall (Jan 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> Din Thomas trains at ATT right? I just remembered he had a grappling seminar at the mma gym I used to train at. A few of the guys here in MA were good buds with him I guess. Small world.



Yeah, I believe he is with ATT, if he trains here in Florida, then it's at the main campus in Coconut Creek, but I think he trains mostly out west.

I just got back from my class. I got the chance to spend an extra hour with a Purple belt after class to get some help on defensive positions and posturing. He was too cool. He gave me a lot of pointers about follow through and told me the one simple but perhaps most important rule of BJJ is that you have to think that it is never acceptable be on your back unless you're in closed guard. If you're in someone's side control, everything you do must be to put them in closed guard or get yourself into some kind of mount. That rule makes a lot of sense to me now after being constantly put in bad positions and never being able to think clearly about what I really want to do, now it's simple - ESCAPE and SWEEP - preferably in one fluid motion. We drilled this for almost 20 minutes. 

Then we went on to posturing (since I already rolled with him during the regular class he had some critiques about my lack of proper posture). Posturing to escape from another person's closed guard. I really have to work on my flexability (sitting on my heals is extremely difficult and still a little painful, but got easier as we went on - doing this correctly will help prevent injury if someone pushes you backward while you're posturing up - you can just roll back and slide a foot out instead of locking them in position or straining your ankle). 

Also, apparently my favorite submission is the Americana (Key Lock), I can also get most chockes in whenever I want, but I like going for the arms a little more !

We also discussed respect and honor. This is nothing that I have any issues with, just that we see people who sometimes come in and disrespect the mat, instructors, or the students - I just think it's not acceptable, you bow before you enter and exit, ask permission to get water, and if you arrive late, you give your reasons for being late to the instructor before you enter the mat.

All in all it was awesome bonding with these guys (two other friends stuck around for a while to watch and give some pointers)! Just all around great guys!

*Calories for today - ~4000*


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

cool!

I believe he trains in Florida, that is where he is from.


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

how often do you train with a gi? I can't imagine training in one, I would get way to hot.


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## tallcall (Jan 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> cool!
> 
> I believe he trains in Florida, that is where he is from.



Yeah, you're probably right. I'd really like to meet Thiago Alves and JZ Cavalcante (Although getting to meet Soneca was really cool too - a world class guy).


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

Yves Edwards is also with ATT if I am not mistaken.


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## tallcall (Jan 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> how often do you train with a gi? I can't imagine training in one, I would get way to hot.



I am only training in gi. Yeah, it does get very hot, but I like the gi, and I think it helps me focus on my technique (since we're all wearing the same clothes that give all of us equal opportunities to get submissions - plus sweat is not a factor so it can't help you get out of bad situations).


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## tallcall (Jan 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> Yves Edwards is also with ATT if I am not mistaken.



He probably is, it's been a while since I checked their roster. I know that most of them train under Ricardo Liborio in Coconut Creek.


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

tallcall said:


> I am only training in gi. Yeah, it does get very hot, but I like the gi, and I think it helps me focus on my technique (since we're all wearing the same clothes that give all of us equal opportunities to get submissions - plus sweat is not a factor so it can't help you get out of bad situations).



That is true, sweat was such a factor.


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## tallcall (Jan 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> That is true, sweat was such a factor.



Yeah, it can be a factor in gi training (only very slightly though - like when I'm going for his wrist and it's all sweaty, I might have a hard time getting the submission).

Oh well Fufu, it's been real nice chatting, but I've got to get to bed (long session remember). I'll get back on sometime tomorrow and talk to you then.


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## fufu (Jan 7, 2008)

ok ttyl


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## goob (Jan 8, 2008)

Have you had any proper fights yet TC?  How's your striking game, kicks punches etc....?


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## tallcall (Jan 8, 2008)

goob said:


> Have you had any proper fights yet TC?  How's your striking game, kicks punches etc....?



No fights (might not do them anyway - mostly doing this for fun and to learn). We are not allowed strikes of any kind because we are doing grappling/submissions only.

I love those guys! It feels so much like a brotherhood, I really like that feeling. I'd like to get closer to a few of them. One of them (the one I worked with most before the break) asked me one time if I was wearing a cup, I said no and he kind of smiled daydream - I really like him.


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## DOMS (Jan 8, 2008)

I think he just might like you.


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## tallcall (Jan 8, 2008)

DOMS said:


> I think he just might like you.



That would be nice.


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## tallcall (Jan 9, 2008)

*1/9/08 Weigh In*

*1/9/08 Weigh In*

Weight: 281.0 ??? Down 1.5 pounds from last week???s 282.5

Waist: 35.5 inches ??? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35.5 inches ??? No Change from last week 
Chest: 49 inches ??? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 62 inches ??? No Change
Neck: 19.5 inches ??? No change
Bi's: 17 inches ??? No change 
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change

Lean Body Mass: 270.17??? Down from last week's 270.46 (-.29 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 10.83??? Down from last week's 12.04 (-1.21 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 6.5 mm ???  Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac ??? 7 mm ???no change from last week
Thigh ??? 2.5 mm ??? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Triceps ??? 4 mm ??? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~11.86 %. 

One week back into BJJ training and weight training. One of my friends at ATT wants me to try to come in on the weekends for some conditioning work and weight training with him (work schedule doesn???t allow it ??? although if I could I???d probably drop all my contracts with the gym I go to and just do everything with ATT). They also think I???d do well if I threw in some Muay-Thai classes (I just don???t have a lot of time for this really ??? maybe one week I???ll go and check it out, but not right now ??? friends are trying to get me to try all the different flavors and I want to take them up on it!).


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## goob (Jan 9, 2008)

Jaysuuuuss... You've made some amount of progress in the last year.  Very inspiring TC.


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## tallcall (Jan 9, 2008)

goob said:


> Jaysuuuuss... You've made some amount of progress in the last year.  Very inspiring TC.



Some how the computer turned me into the Hulk for some unknown reason (801 pounds might make me the heaviest man alive).


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## tallcall (Jan 9, 2008)

*1/09/08*

*Wednesday:

Legs:

Superset: RI - just as long as it took to get from one machine to the next |
1 - Single Leg Extensions |* 50x12, 90x8, 90x8

*2 - Lying Leg Curl |* 110x10, 115x10, 130x10

*SLDL: RI - 60 |* 95x17, 115x12, 135x10, 185x5 (conventional DL) then 5 (SLDL)

*Smith Front Squats - done with bar across back and feet posted about 2 or 3 feet in front: RI - 60 |* FOR SPEED AND POWER - Bar+90x10, +140x10, +160x10 - All done with rapid deceleration and acceleration from parallel

*Single Leg Leg Press: RI - 60 |* 90x10, 140x8, 160x8, 210x8 PR for Weight

*Cardio:*

15 minutes on a treadmill with some sprints thrown in there.

*Yesterday's calorie total - somewhere in the neighborhood of 5000*

*Today's calorie total - ~4500*

*BJJ Practice:*

Yesterday we went over a sweep from half guard into Kimura. I rolled with another Blue belt who tried to lock me in a omo plata, but I took the advice of another friend there and rotated into him and ended up with my back on his chest and pushed all my weight into him, then hooked his head and pulled it close to my body while wiggling my arm free (he said he was trying to give it up because he couldn't stand the pressure but I told him I was purposefully refusing to pull it out at the time figuring he'd probably submit). I got some more critiques about working on my basing and not just floating over people - just drive all my weight into them (the only thing is that I worry that I'll hurt them - I am a big person after all).

Oh well it was a lot of fun again. I might start some Muay Thai shortly and mix it with the BJJ classes, maybe alternating weeks of something. I might also start some no-gi BJJ/grappling instead of the gi BJJ, but that is really all a scheduling issue right not (too many choices, not enough time ).

I'm nicely bruised up a little from the grappling. I love the full contact, the bruises and cuts are my badges of sorts. I've now rolled with Blue, Purple, and Black belts along with the White belts and can say I've certainly learned a lot and have a lot more to learn.


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## fufu (Jan 9, 2008)

awesome stuff man

Whenever I read your posts it makes me want to do BJJ even more. 

Are you trying to put on weight with those cals? I wouldn't be surpised if you were maintaing or cutting because you are so big.


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## tallcall (Jan 9, 2008)

fufu said:


> awesome stuff man
> 
> Whenever I read your posts it makes me want to do BJJ even more.
> 
> Are you trying to put on weight with those cals? I wouldn't be surpised if you were maintaing or cutting because you are so big.



I'm really just trying to eat to meet the needs of everything I'm doing while still losing about 1-2 pounds a week. I guess more strength requires more food. My goal is to end up at about 260-270 and just maintain for a while. That's a 60-70 pound drop from where I was a year ago (right now I'm at about 49 pounds)!

I'm probably going to have a talk with ATT's strength and conditioning coach here and see what he thinks I should try to add to what I'm already doing.


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## fufu (Jan 9, 2008)

cool

how tall are you again? 6' 7''?


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## katt (Jan 9, 2008)

That's just so amazing to me that you're able to drop that much weight, when I struggle with 10 pounds.  I can't even imagine it I had to drop more than 50 lbs....   gj!!!!!


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## tallcall (Jan 10, 2008)

fufu said:


> cool
> 
> how tall are you again? 6' 7''?



6' 10"


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## tallcall (Jan 10, 2008)

katt said:


> That's just so amazing to me that you're able to drop that much weight, when I struggle with 10 pounds.  I can't even imagine it I had to drop more than 50 lbs....   gj!!!!!



Thanks, I'm on a quest to really see my abs before I die. I know my caliper readings are off but to see the numbers going down is what it's all about.


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## tallcall (Jan 11, 2008)

*1/10/08*

*Thursday:

Upper Push:*

*Incline Bench Press: RI - 60-90 |* 85x12, 95x8, 105x4 - speed and power

*Cable Chest Flex (something new my trainer made up): RI - 45 |* 40x10, 40x10, 50x10

*Arnolds: RI - 60 |* 15'sx8, 15'sx8, 20'sx8 PR for Weight, 20'sx7

*Cardio - 10 minutes*

Treadmill - Sprints, etc.

*Calories - ~4500*

*BJJ:*

About 60 minutes:
15 for warm-ups and sprinting;
15 for learning each new technique (trying to learn and remember them), 2 of them;
15 for free rolling - done in 3 five minute rounds.

Worked on triangle choke with hip flexion and a variation with a transition into kimura.

Felt a little tired today, Thursday's are always extremely busy for me right now anyways.

I'm still thinking about doing the Muay Thai (sp?) classes on Tuesday/Thursday and BJJ on Monday/Friday (Friday is really a seminar where all are invited and is usually just 1-2 hours of free rolling).


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## tallcall (Jan 11, 2008)

*1/11/08*

*Friday:

BJJ/Seminar:*

70 minutes of somewhat structured free rolling. The instructor said it was "Gracie style no rules." I even got to roll with him for about 5 minutes. He was great and slowed things down a little to teach me some things I never knew (hell, I'm still new, I don't know all the tricks yet).

I was extremely tired when I got in there, but I kept chugging along and ended up losing all my strength and found out real quick that I really know nothing about anything there because once my strength was gone I had to rely on leverage and I just wasn't able to generate that much. I gassed out within about 45 minutes of this - it was just rolling for about 70 minutes straight - one of the best tiring workouts I've ever done !

I'm still a little depressed that I had such a hard time getting EVERYBODY out of my guard and could not get off my back at all unless we slowed it down. The instructor slowed down for me to kind of coach me along a little - I didn't expect that for anyone else but got a little help from the others which was very nice, but I'm still disappointed in myself. Again I was pretty much completely exhausted when I walked in there.


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## goob (Jan 12, 2008)

I still can't believe you do a kick ass workout, _then_ follow it up with sprints etc...  You must have awesome conditioning.


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## tallcall (Jan 12, 2008)

goob said:


> I still can't believe you do a kick ass workout, _then_ follow it up with sprints etc...  You must have awesome conditioning.



Aww thanks! I think I'm getting better at it because my legs aren't very sore after my leg workouts anymore and my knees aren't getting a lot of friction either. I think the only drawback has been the shin splints, but other than that I usually feel great.


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## tallcall (Jan 12, 2008)

*1/12/08*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull: Power Week 2

Lat Pulldowns: RI - 60 |* 150x10, 180x8, 210x4 PR for Weight

*Bent Over Trap Bar Rows (no trap bar grip attachment available so I just used my hands): RI - 60 |* 75x10, 85x10, 100x8 PR for Weight

*DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 30 |* 35x10, 40x10, 45x10, 50x10 PR for Weight

*Back Extensions W/Medicine Ball: RI - 30 |* 6lb ball x 12, 12, 12

*Plate Pinches: RI - 30 |* 2 10's x 1:20 (L/R) PR for Time, 3 10's x 40 sec (L/R), 25's x 1:25 (LR) PR for Time

*Cardio - 10 minutes*

Jumping Jacks (three variations @ 50, 50, 50), Abs @ 50, 50, 50, 40, Stretching

*Calories - 4000*

A lot of people there today really started pissing me off. Nobody puts things away, all the weights are thrown everywhere, people constantly walking way too close when I'm doing any lifts...the list goes on and on. 

Luckily I didn't have to do any cardio today due to the 5.5 hours I ended up with this past week. If I had to do any, I'd probably have to literally throw someone off a piece of equipment or just run laps somewhere (that'd be the easier of the two).

Oh well, soon most will quit and give up and only I will be left !


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## tallcall (Jan 15, 2008)

I'm doing this to show my friend/strength and conditioning coach at ATT, so I thought I'd also post all this here as well.

*My Current Routine â?????? Push/Pull/Legs â?????? Each Worked One Day a Week â?????? Also listing max weights​*
*Legs*
Single Leg Extensions 
Lying Leg Curl 
Deadlifts â?????? Conventional and Sumo Stance with DOH and Switch Grip â?????? 295x6 record for Weight
Straight Legged Deadlfits 
Front and Back Squats â?????? 200x8 (Back Squats) and 185x8 (Front Squats) records for Weight
Smith Front Squats 
Single Leg Leg Press - 210x8 current record for Weight
Double Leg Leg Press - ~600x8 record for Weight
Hip Adductors 205x10 record for Reps at this Weight
Hip Abductors  205x10 record for Reps at this Weight
Hip Rotations  125x8 record for Weight
Lunges  - BW+40 x 8 (left/right) record for Weight
Side Lunges Limbo Style

*Upper Push*
Incline Bench Press
Flat Bench â?????? 160x3 record for weight
Cable Chest Flex (something new my trainer made up) 
Arnolds - 20'sx8 current record for Weight
Cross-Body Push - Machine #7x12 L/R record for weight
Fly
Reverse Fly 
Serratus Pulls/ with or without pulses
Flat Bench Power Presses
Cross-Body Raise/Press  - 8lbx12 record for Weight
Triceps Extension #7x10 record for Weight

*Upper Pull*
Lat Pulldowns - 210x4 current record for Weight
Bent Over Trap Bar Rows (no trap bar grip attachment available so I just used my hands) -  100x8 current record for  Weight
DB Rear Delt Rows - 50x10 current record for Weight
Back Extensions W/Medicine Ball
Plate Pinches - 2 10's x 1:20 (L/R) record for Time, 25's x 1:25 (LR) record for Time
One Arm Seated Cable Row - 210x6 record for Weight
Back Extensions With Cobras - BW+30x10 record for Weight
Pull-Ups - BW-64x1 record for Weight â?????? Not quite up to body weight yet â?????? getting there
Farmer's Walk - 120 pound dbs for 102 feet â?????? record for Distance - Previous record was 82 feet.


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## Gazhole (Jan 15, 2008)

Dayum, are those all PRs!?

Either way these are amazing workouts


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## tallcall (Jan 15, 2008)

Gazhole said:


> Dayum, are those all PRs!?
> 
> Either way these are amazing workouts



Those are all my maximums for every exercise.

I'm giving this to my friend to see if he thinks I need to change anything. I'm going to cancel the contracts with my gym and do things on my own for a while (with the help of the guys at ATT of course).


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## tallcall (Jan 15, 2008)

I decided to start a Test booster called 6-OXO (started 1/13/08 and running until 2/10/08 - 4 weeks). So far I feel better than ever and have felt some very positive results - nothing quantifiable yet.

I'm doing this in conjunction with Stinging Nettle Root (I'll just let it run until I run out of them since it doesn't need to be cycled).

The 6-OXO comes highly recommended by a good friend with 18 years of experience in conditioning (he just came off a cut and used this as one of his core supplements). Since it is not a steroid in any way and only acts to limit the conversion of testosterone into estrogen thereby forcing the body to produce more testosterone to convert to the estrogen it needs (creating a larger pool of free testosterone for other uses - like what I'm doing), I see no problem giving it a cycle (plus I love the feeling of aggression ).


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## goob (Jan 15, 2008)

tallcall said:


> I decided to start a Test booster called 6-OXO (started 1/13/08 and running until 2/10/08 - 4 weeks). So far I feel better than ever and have felt some very positive results - nothing quantifiable yet.
> 
> I'm doing this in conjunction with Stinging Nettle Root (I'll just let it run until I run out of them since it doesn't need to be cycled).
> 
> The 6-OXO comes highly recommended by a good friend with 18 years of experience in conditioning (he just came off a cut and used this as one of his core supplements). Since it is not a steroid in any way and only acts to limit the conversion of testosterone into estrogen thereby forcing the body to produce more testosterone to convert to the estrogen it needs (creating a larger pool of free testosterone for other uses - like what I'm doing), I see no problem giving it a cycle (plus I love the feeling of aggression ).


 
Thats the oppositte effect I got.  I did'nt like 6oxo at all. Less aggression, it probably did help with lifting, but it sucked my libido right away.

Good that its working for you though.....


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## tallcall (Jan 15, 2008)

*1/14-15/08*

*Monday - Tuesday:

BJJ:

Monday:*

25 minutes cardio/warm-ups: Renato had us doing a few new things that kind of caught me off guard. I'm still getting used to this kind of workload (a treadmill can never prepare anyone for something like this - nothing quite like it).

Learned some techniques - Closed guard to partial triangle choke, hip escape, arm across, slight roll, then full triangle choke. Basically that was all we learned.

Rolled for about 15 minutes - I got to roll with a very good looking guy (thinking about dead puppies helped a lot). He was cool though, my toe cramped all the way up and he, being great with muay thai and MMA, showed me some stretches to take care of my feet (which was immediately implemented today - still sore from whatever I did to it).

I still have a lot of work to do on basing and controlling my own posture (still forcing with all my strength - Jiu-Jitsu is called the gentle art because you are not supposed to need to use much strength to cause damage).

Good Session all around.

*Calories - 4500 (cheat Day)*

*Tuesday:*

Only two of us showed up (besides Thiago the instructor) so no real cardio warm-up, just a lot of stretching, abs, about a minute of triangle drills, and 2-3 minutes of those arm control drills from guard (when you're rotating your legs around up and over the other guys head and pushing off their hips to start another rotation).

Practiced setting up for ankle locks from open guard and drilled it for about 5 minutes. Then worked on a scissor sweep (one I already knew from my time working with that purple belt - it payed off already).

Thiago and I drilled the sweeps, when he was sweeping me I started to try to pull back to give him a little trouble and he squeezed real tight on my ribs (man he has a tight guard). So I repaid the favor when he was using me to show the other girl - he had to stop talking to take a breath ! I demonstrated the sweep rolled into full mount and locked Thiago's arm for a Kimura in one fluid motion! That was cool!

Then I ended up rolling with him for about 5 or 10 minutes. He kept schooling me on being gentle because he just waited patiently while I tried like a fool to push my way through, then locked me in an armbar, choke, or whatever he had at the time. It was all in fun though and it really wore me out (they told me it would probably take about 6 months or so to make many connections and get things flowing smoothly).

*Calories - 4000 (trying to carb up for Wednesday)*


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## tallcall (Jan 15, 2008)

goob said:


> Thats the oppositte effect I got.  I did'nt like 6oxo at all. Less aggression, it probably did help with lifting, but it sucked my libido right away.
> 
> Good that its working for you though.....



Yeah, so far so good...


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## tallcall (Jan 16, 2008)

*1/16/08*

*Weigh in*

Weight: 283.0 â?????? up 2 pounds from last weekâ??????s  281.0

Waist: 35.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week 
Chest:  50 inchesâ?????? Up 1 inch from last week 
Shoulders: 63  inches â?????? Up 1 inch from last week 
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change
Bi's: 17 inches â?????? No change 
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change

Lean Body Mass: 273.25  â?????? Up  from last week's 270.17 (+3.08 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 9.75â?????? Down from last week's 10.83 (-1.66 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5.5 mm â??????  Down 1 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 7 mm â??????No change from last week
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~11.44 %. 

Howâ??????s that for a little re-composition? Iâ??????m a bit shocked. Well there was a lot of heavy lifting and a whole lot of BJJ and cardio, so I guess thatâ??????s it really, lets see what happens next week.


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## tallcall (Jan 16, 2008)

*1/16/07*

*Wednesday:

Legs POWER WEEK 3:

DB Swings: RI - 60 |* 20x10, 30x12, 30x12 PR for Weight

*Smith Front Squats: RI - 60 |* 90x10. 140x10, 180x10, 230x8 PR for Weight

*Sumo Stance Deadlift: RI - 60 |* 135x20 (10, 10 switching grip half way), 135x17 (9, 8 switching grip after rep 9), 185x12 (6, 6 switching grip after rep 6) - All done with no straps

*Single Leg Extensions: RI - 30 |* 50x12, 60x10, 70x8

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

Before workout:
5 minutes on a treadmill.

10 minutes for abs (50, 50, 50, 50), flutters (25, 25), leg outs (25), and a lot of leg stretches.

After Workout:
5 minutes on a stair mill.

*Calories - 4500*

I finally told my trainer that I was going to be terminating the training contracts, he thought it was a good idea (he can't stand that place anyway and this'll give him an extra half hour to do what he needs to do - good for both of us really). Now I get to fight with the company and pay half of the remaining term of the contracts (close to $500). This is a good thing really, I get to go out on my own and do things in my own time (no half hour limits), plus we're still friends and I'll most likely ask his advise in the future, also there's the fact that I'm working with a strength and conditioning coach at ATT.

I really liked those DB Swings a lot (now I just need to try them with Kettle Bells-).


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## PreMier (Jan 16, 2008)

great job so far on the recomp.  do you have before/current pics?


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## tallcall (Jan 17, 2008)

Not really, I'm pretty camera shy.


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## tallcall (Jan 17, 2008)

*1/17/07*

*Thursday:

Upper Push: Short Day Power Week 3

Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-64x8, -50x6, -50x4 PR for Weight

*Smith Flat Bench: RI - 60-90 |* 135x6, 155x2 (failed ), 90x10, 90x10

*Cardio - 15 minutes*

5 minutes on a treadmill.

10 minutes Abs, flutters, leg outs, and stretches.

That was it, the place was so crowded that I had to wait about 10 minutes for a bench to open up (one of the movable benches since I like to use the Smith machines when setting PR's). I swear it was a damn zoo. I'll have to go back this weekend to get the rest of it in (I'm thinking Sunday).

*Calories - 3900-4000*

*BJJ:*

Same basic setup as last time:

About 15 minutes cardio.

15 minutes learning position 1 (Variation of a Triangle choke from guard - securing the opp wrist).

15 minutes learning position 2 (same as above, but now the opp tries to secure his other hand under your butt, includes a bridge, then pull out their arm, slide and lock in choke).

15 minutes rolling. I was really focusing on improving my base and trying to keep from being swept (that happens to me a lot, I'm easy to get off balance - got to work on that). Thiago (instructor) complemented me on improving my baseing since Tuesday (I guess he saw that I was really focusing on that and was happy to see me not just jumping in for some submission and plowing through with my raw strength - throw all that out the window and learn leverage, but do use some of your natural talents - I can just sit on people and make them tap ).

I found out that our head instructor is planning on leaving (he lives 2.5 hours away anyways). We are still trying to figure out how this affects our affiliation with ATT (we think since Thiago is going to take over, that he will try to keep the affiliation since he said he was having trouble getting his patch design approved by them - I guess they have pretty strict standards).

We all stayed late to talk a little about the new changes we're going to go through with Renato's leaving. Apparently Seth Petruzelli and some of his guys  with his place down here are going to work with us and the local Gracie-Barra club to get some type of cross training. Our people have been notably better when grappling with a gi, whereas the Gracie-Barra guys are far superior to everyone no-gi, and Seth's guys have excellent stand up skills. I think it'll be great for everyone. Also, we might have the option to work with the other ATT gym in the area that Ben Saunders works and trains in (now that would be cool for me!).

Lots of stuff going on, sad to see Renato go, but Thiago is my favorite anyways (hence the reason I keep going Tuesday and Thursday with him).

BTW - for those who don't know, there's a lot of "bad blood" (at least around here) between my team (ATT) and Gracie-Barra - so this is pretty big to be put in a position where that has to be put aside and we have to work with them (I met one of them today - huge built and cut SOB, very strong - I think a wrestler, also a nice guy although very shy).


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## PreMier (Jan 17, 2008)

so.. just do wha ti do and put the guys face from 300 over yours. that way you can see the body composition changes, but you look like this:


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## tallcall (Jan 18, 2008)

PreMier said:


> so.. just do wha ti do and put the guys face from 300 over yours. that way you can see the body composition changes, but you look like this:


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## tallcall (Jan 19, 2008)

*1/18-19/08*

*1/18/08*

*Friday:

BJJ:*

90 minute session - all rolling and technique drills. I'm still having a hard time understanding all of them and just couldn't get 2 of them until the 5th or 6th try. Try being this big and jumping clear over a guy to roll him from the other side. Anyways, it took a little bit of me compromising and changing the move a little to fit with my size. Sometimes big guys have to power through or take extra steps, like me with my triangle chokes, I have to step on the guy's bicep before going over the arm because my legs are too long and I'd just get them caught in his arms if I tried to go clear over.

This session was all about different collar chokes starting from the turtle guard (I still like that name - probably not the best position to be in with an exposed back). Straight-forward shoulder roll and collar choke (also rear naked choke). Second, the guillotine choke. Third, a guillotine choke that fails (opp pulls arm out), either proceed with securing arm and choking again, or escape hips, scisor sweep and end up in side control or full mount. 

These were great but very complicated for a beginner (like I said, I never gave up and it took a lot of tries but I got them all in the end). I like the way all of these are strung together and even though I'll end up forgetting this by Monday, I hope to get the motions more fluid soon.

I got my ATT sticker for my car!!

Also wished Renato a happy birthday and realized the walls look awful bare with his stuff taken down .

*Calories - ~3900*

------

*1/19/07

Saturday:

Upper Pull Power Week 3:

Pull-ups: RI - 60 |* BW-64x5, 4, BW-58x1 (15 seconds hold) PR for Weight

*Bent Over Trap Bar Rows: RI - 60 |* 90x8, 115x8, 125x8 PR for Weight

*One Arm Seated Cable Rows: RI - 60 |* 180x8, 215x8, 225x7 PR for Weight

*Back Extensions W/Medicine Ball: RI - 30 |* 8 lb med ball x 3 sets x 8 reps (Tossing the ball at the top of the movement, then catching and decelerating it on the way back down - probably scared some people with that tossing around 8 pounds like a grain of rice).

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 125 lb dumbbells in each hand *(This is the MAXIMUM Weight Their Dumbbells Go To!)* @ 67 steps total - dropping 4 times and taking 60 seconds rest on every drop - PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

Before workout:
5 minutes on a treadmill.

10 minutes abs (50, 50, 50, 50 - reg crunch, left oblique crunch, right oblique crunch, alternating crunch), back extensions (25), and all the leg and back stretching (ab/ad-ductors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, feet, toes, back, neck, shoulders, chest, hands).

After workout:
5 minutes on a stair mill.

*Calories - 4200*

I am very impressed with today's numbers - especially on those rows!! The Farmer's Walks were kick ass too, I finally maxed out their weights (2 125's = 250 pounds - just like deadlifting 250 pounds and walking 67 feet with it with some rests in there and making sure not to drop the weight on your toes ).

The place was much less crowded today than Thursday - though many of the same idiots were there. One of them, who is new so I forgive him, was doing about 8-10 sets on the only seated cable rowing machine. Another was doing some ab work and started to watch me do my warm-ups (I sped through 200 crunches in less time than it took him to finish his second set - 8-10 reps tops), he ended up watching me go through some of my other warm-ups. I think he was kind of impressed, it is nice to show the new people what I have learned over the past year (I remember what it was like not knowing what I was doing) so they can at least try to copy the simpler stuff like warm-ups (not anything more complex like deadlifts or those swings - I don't want to take any responsibility for anyone getting injured because they saw me do it - I just tell them to talk to one of the trainers and have them show the proper form - so I'll never be liable).


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## goob (Jan 19, 2008)

Good work. Would you say being taller has it's advantages in BJJ?


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## tallcall (Jan 19, 2008)

goob said:


> Good work. Would you say being taller has it's advantages in BJJ?



Oh definitely, but maneuvering around in tight areas is not one of them. While I'm on top I think it is a big advantage, on the bottom, it isn't going to help much and makes getting my hips and feet where they need to be more difficult for now.


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## tallcall (Jan 20, 2008)

*1/20/08*

*Sunday:

Upper Push Day 2 - Because I couldn't finish everything Thursday :

DB Military Press: RI - 60 |* 35'sx8, 40'sx8, 45'sx8, 50'sx2 PR for Weight, 35'sx10

*Cross-Body Raises: RI - 60 |* 10 lb dumbbells x 3 sets of 12 PR for Weight

*Cross-Body Push: RI - 60 |* Maxhine # 4x12, #7x12, #8x12 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 15 minutes*

5 minutes on a treadmill.

10 minutes doing abs, same as yesterday really. Stretching everything - really nice warm-up routine.

Today was kind of a quickie. I got in and out in 40 minutes. I caught a few of the guys there eying me - . One was kind of cute, followed me around a little, didn't want to talk much though . 

*Calories - 5000 - Cheat Day*


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## katt (Jan 21, 2008)

Nice job on all those PR's!!!  

So did *you *talk to the guy that was following you around???


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## tallcall (Jan 21, 2008)

katt said:


> Nice job on all those PR's!!!
> 
> So did *you *talk to the guy that was following you around???



Thanks, and yes, I talked to the guy, he just kind of smiled and said hi.


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## tallcall (Jan 23, 2008)

*1/23/07 Weigh In*

1/23/08 Weigh in
Weight: 283.5 â?????? up 0.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 283.0

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 63 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.25  â?????? Up  from last week's 270.17 (+3.08 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 9.75â?????? Down from last week's 10.83 (-1.66 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 6 mm â??????Down 1 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm - No Change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~11.17 %. 
Gained weight and reduced fat! Feeling good!


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## fufu (Jan 23, 2008)

good job


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## soxmuscle (Jan 23, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Gained weight and reduced fat! Feeling good!



Nice.


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## tallcall (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks guys!

Did BJJ training Monday and Tuesday:

Went over getting a roll and rear naked choke from Turtle Guard (a few variations).

Tuesday - Went over getting an omo plata from closed guard (like if coming out of a failed Triangle Choke or faking a Triangle Choke - pretty good one for someone my size).

I'm going back down tonight but probably won't train (I just have to be there for the last day Renato is going to be teaching - show respect). I seem to have shin splints starting in both of my legs (left leg is sort of medial tibial, right leg is on right behind the big toe - from advancing on the balls of my feet all the time now). So I think it is a good time to take it light and see how I feel for tomorrow night. I still want to go anyways if only just to watch and try to learn - it's always good to go even if you can't participate.

Strength Training will resume Friday for legs. I'm probably going to do something like: 

Monday - Legs, BJJ

Tuesday - BJJ

Wednesday - Upper Push, BJJ (possibly)

Thursday - Upper Push (if I can't get it done Wednesday), BJJ

Friday - Upper Pull

Sat/Sun - Off

For Next week, I'll just keep the legs session really light so I can get into this new schedule.


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## goob (Jan 23, 2008)

Great work TC.


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## tallcall (Jan 23, 2008)

Just like I thought, I didn't do any training tonight. I'm going to let the legs have the night off and see if things feel better tomorrow. Renato likes to have us run for 25-30 minutes, my shins were not going to take that kind of punishment. I talked to him at the beginning of class about the problem and he told me that I was doing the right thing by resting it because if I worked with it and made it worse it'll take a lot longer to heal fully.

I have to admit, I'm going to miss working with him (from what I've been told, it's pretty rare to get a teacher that cares so much for their students well-being and progress). 

*Calories - 3400 (kept light because I really didn't think I'd be training tonight)*


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## katt (Jan 23, 2008)

Nice job on the fat loss!!  You seem to be consistant with it every week!


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## tallcall (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks Katt! I'm eating more and more or less maintaining the weight while losing some fat each week !


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## tallcall (Jan 25, 2008)

*1/24/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ Training:*

We went over another sweep from closed guard.

Lock opp's arms, foot on thigh, opposite foot across opp's back behind the neck, escape hips opposite of foot on thigh, reach under opp and grab their far knee (with the hand opposite of the foot on thier thigh), kick hips up and pull their knee and arm out from under them.

Pretty nice one, but I still have problems getting my hips to move fast enough to get it smoothly.

I still had some issues with the shin splints. I wore some wraps so it wasn't too bad. I got almost all the way through the warm-ups before I had to slow down. I let everyone, including Thiago, know way before class started. He just told me to do whatever I could and try to keep up (he understands what it feels like!).

All in all everything was good. Nice rolling session. I got tapped out by everyone. From what Thiago said, I showed a lot of improvement for just now going on my second month. I did a good job keeping my base and trying to posture up, I also stayed calm when I was in some bad situations (Kimuras, omo platas, and chokes - couldn't move fast enough and the injury ).

*Calories - 3700*


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## tallcall (Jan 25, 2008)

*1/25/08*

*Friday:

Legs - Going For Speed and Reps For the Next Three Weeks:

Superset 1: RI - 0 - Just Enough Time to Change Machines
1 - Double Leg Extension | * 80x15, 90x15, 100x15

*2 - Lying Leg Curl |* 90x15, 100x15, 110x15

*Superset 2: RI - 0 - Same As Above
1 - Hip Abductions |* 90x20, 130x20, 150x20

*2 - Hip Adductions |* 90x20, 130x20, 150x20

*DB Swings: RI - 0 Pretty Much Went Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Arm... |* 3 sets x 10 reps x 30 lbs

[*Single Leg Leg Press: RI - Just Enough Time to Change the Weights |* 90x15, 100x15, 110x15

*Cable Crunches: RI - 30 |* 95x20, 20, 20

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes doing abs, and all the stretches (not doing any running for now - waiting on the shins to heal more). Basic warm-up routine we practice in class.

10 minutes on a recumbent bike mad. I deliberetly drove the pedals down with my heal keeping my feet angled back to stretch the calves and all the tendons in the feet (One reason people get splints is because their feet aren't as flexible as they need to be, so I'm doing everything I can to improve their flexability - including stretches *EVERY* morning).

*Calories - 4250*

I got stuck waiting for a few people today. I swear I must be a magnet for idiots because they (there were three of them - oh and they loooove to talk) basically followed me from station to station and actually stole some of my machines during my supersets. That's just annoying, but they're just new and looked like they were just trying new things. I would've been happy to show them how all the machines worked (informing and impressing at the same time - very efficient).


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## katt (Jan 25, 2008)

So your shin splits are doing ok?


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## tallcall (Jan 25, 2008)

katt said:


> So your shin splits are doing ok?



They seem to be fine. It's been almost two weeks and they feel about 1000x better now (still a slight pain on my left tibia.


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## PreMier (Jan 26, 2008)

mine took months almost years to heal.. they are a bitch.  just try not to enflame them and they will go away


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## tallcall (Jan 26, 2008)

PreMier said:


> mine took months almost years to heal.. they are a bitch.  just try not to enflame them and they will go away



Good advice!

I'm watching how I walk and making sure to stretch pretty often.

I wonder if this is just because I'm now doing all the extra stuff with my BJJ class. During our warm-ups, we have rapid direction changes, sprints followed by backward running then side shuffles. I'm guessing my body is just really trying to get used to all of it (very much increased workload).


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## PreMier (Jan 26, 2008)

yea.. for sure.  i got mine from football.. running with people on my back


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## tallcall (Jan 26, 2008)

*1/26/07*

*Saturday:

Upper Push: Speed and Reps

DB Bench on a Stability Ball: RI - 30 |* 25'sx15, 30'sx15, 30'sx15, 30'sx15

*Arnolds: RI - 30 |* 3 sets x 15 lb dbs x 10 reps

*EZ Bar Skull Crushers: RI - 30 |* 30 lb bar x 3 sets x 15 reps, 40 lb bar x 2 sets x 12 reps

*Front/Lateral Raises: No Rest - Just Went From One Variation to Another and Back |* 3 sets x 10 lb dbs x 12 reps

*Cable Incline Flys: RI - 15 seconds |* 20 lbs x 15, 30 lbs x 15, 40 lbs x 15, 50 lbs x 15

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes abs, back, stretching, a couple triangle choke drills (just to scare people )

10 minutes on a Treadmill eek:). I got in a few sprints at 6-6.5 mph for about 45 seconds a piece. I changed my run style a little to try to sprint directly off the balls of my feet instead of letting my heal impact the belt. It actually felt really nice at the higher speeds, definitely something I want to get used to!

*Calories - 4250*

This is the end of week 2 of my 6-OXO cycle. I have only experienced tiredness, some aggression evil:) and definitely some strength gain lifter. I'm also hungry as ever (I feel like a garbage disposal that's just begging for more *ALL* the time).

No one was there today, I got everything I wanted and more. I even got to watch one of my trainer friends school someone on squats D). Man, I was so happy to see that (although he was only showing the guy because he was trying to work in with the guy - but a good job nonetheless!).

I didn't even run into the same idiots I usually do, I actually ran into some power lifters and one female power lifter (very rare for me to see that, but she was impressive with all her lifts).

Oh well, tomorrow I might be heading over to Red Lobster. It's a gift from the station I work fo, a $75 gift card to and Darden restaurant (I'm definitely getting some lobster or crab meat!).

TTFN


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## tallcall (Jan 27, 2008)

*1/27/07*

*Sunday:

Upper Pull - Speed and Reps:*

*Pull-ups:RI - 30 |* BW-112 x 3 sets x 10 reps PR for total reps

*One Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 30 |* 105, 120, 135, 120, 105 x 15 reps each

*Bent Over Trap Bar Row: RI - 30 |* 65, 75, 85 x 15 reps each

*Back Extensions With Cobras: RI - 30 |* BW+20 x 3 sets x 15 reps

*DB Shrugs: RI - 30 |* 50's x 3 sets x 20 reps

*Farmer's Walks: RI - 30-60 |* 60 lb dbs x 3 round trips, 456 feet - PR for Distance

*Cardio - 20 minutes-ish*

10 minutes doing abs, back extensions (supermans), stretching, and Triangle and momentum to advance drills.

~10 minutes doing some shin work - 4 sets of 20 reps with a plate sitting on an aerobic step which was placed on my feet. I sat on a bench and flexed my feet up as far as they would go (dorsiflexion), then drove them as far down as possible (plantarflexion??). I did this with both feet, and then with each foot separately.  I really felt the stretching there, felt kindo of nice.

*Calories - 4000*

Those Farmer's Walks gave me a nice burn and a bit of a pump in my forearms - not that it matters of course, but I've never had that happen to them. It felt very nice, I felt like I could crush anything evil!

I ran into one of the guys I work with in BJJ class. That was too cool, we didn't talk much since we were both pretty busy, but it was nice to see a familiar face among all the new crazy people.

Speaking of that, I overheard someone asking about arm exercises in one of the big expensive cable machines (the kind with the nice weight stacks and a second pulley on the other side). He was asking if the straight bar was for arms. I couldn't help but laugh a little, then I thought, damn, I wanted to do some upright rows with that attachment, now this moron's going to spend the next 25 minutes doing curls with it and talking with his friends (3 of them - why do they always travel in packs of 3?) for 5 or 6 minutes between sets.

Anyways, he was the only major idiot I saw today, so I guess all is pretty good.


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## fUnc17 (Jan 28, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Anyways, he was the only major idiot I saw today, so I guess all is pretty good.



You seem disappointed. 

Lots of cals burned there, good job


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## tallcall (Jan 28, 2008)

fUnc17 said:


> You seem disappointed.
> 
> Lots of cals burned there, good job



Oh that was the calories taken in.

I burn 3600 walking around (I get too tired if I eat much less), probably 600 or so from the workout = 4200 burned calories.


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## fUnc17 (Jan 28, 2008)

Thats great, thats about what I burn. I have no idea how I maintain weight.


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## tallcall (Jan 28, 2008)

fUnc17 said:


> Thats great, thats about what I burn. I have no idea how I maintain weight.



I know what you mean, it seems like the weight should be just falling off. I just want a general fat reduction.


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## Gazhole (Jan 28, 2008)

Congrats on the PRs, man  that was an awesome workout!


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## tallcall (Jan 28, 2008)

Gazhole said:


> Congrats on the PRs, man  that was an awesome workout!



Thanks man. I have 2 more weeks of this high rep stuff, then I think I'm going to take a week off (or do a deload - not sure yet) and start back up with 3 power weeks afterward. I like this cycle better than the one I was on before (some exercises were for power, now all will fit either power or reps - power weeks will have fewer exercises in general and fewer sets).


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## tallcall (Jan 28, 2008)

*1/28/08*

*Monday:

Legs: Reps and Speed Week 2

Superset: RI - Just enough time to get to the other machine and set the weight

1 - Leg Curl |* 90, 100, 110 x 15 reps

*2 - Hip Rotationa |* 62.5, 87.5, 100 x 15 reps

*BB Back Squats: RI - 60 |* 90, 100, 110x15

*Double Leg Leg Press: RI - ~15 |* 200, 210, 220 x 15 - It felt like I was throwing this weight up it was just a little too light.

*Seated Calf Raises: No rest, just enough time to change the weights |* 45, 90, 90 x 20

*Shin Work for about 10 minutes: RI - 15-20 |* Placed a aerobic step on my feet and 35 pounds of weight, extended my legs out so that the feet were still flat on the floor but my legs were stretched. I sat on another bench and did 3 sets of 20 reps. Starting with both feet, then alternating left and right, back to both feet, and finished by going through the entire range of motion from dorsiflexion to plantarflexion and back, really getting a nice stretch on each one.

*Cardio - 15 minutes*

5 minutes on a stair mill - going slow due to the splints and stretching on each step.

10 minutes abs, back, stretching (really I think I spend 15-20 minutes just stretching now that I know how to do it effectively and see - and feel - its importance).

I talked to ATT's strength and conditioning coach about them today. He showed me a few stretches I can do anytime to help them. I think it's all from the running we do here. I jumped in and went full speed. We do a lot of sprinting and rapid direction changes. Usually we're told to sprint down the mat, then side shuffle along the far side and run backwards the rest of the way back to the original starting position and do it again (lasts for about 5 minutes). That's a lot of quick direction changes. He agreed with that thought and said he definitely knows it is possible.

*BJJ:*

Practiced another variation of basically (from what I can tell) a failed triangle choke turned into a Kimura. Then I got to roll for about 15 minutes with everyone (there were only 4 of us). I did pretty good, I'm just focusing on keeping my balance and posture, also staying the *HELL* off of my back. One of the guys there is also a wrestling coach and he and I work one on one for about 30-40 minutes after class on Mondays. He's always demanding that I do anything I have to to stay off my back, I have to either immediately sweep or get on my side and limit the other guy's options.

All in all a great session, everyone commented on how they thought I have very much improved my balance and control, also staying calm on the ground and not tapping out so quickly when a reversal is right in front of me (although to be fair, I really didn't know how to get the reversals until after the match).

I think I was in class for about 1 hour 45 minutes (that last 45 minutes was all solo with my friend doing some techniques and a little rolling).


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## fUnc17 (Jan 29, 2008)

Good job, I like the kimura from triangle position, they never expect it.


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## tallcall (Jan 29, 2008)

fUnc17 said:


> Good job, I like the kimura from triangle position, they never expect it.



Yeah, it is fun to pull things like that on people. I kind of like working on my back, it allows me to be sneaky and try to catch people off guard.


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## fufu (Jan 29, 2008)

tallcall said:


> *Monday:
> 
> Legs: Reps and Speed Week 2
> 
> ...



Nice, sounds like you have a good bunch of people to train with.


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## tallcall (Jan 30, 2008)

fufu said:


> Nice, sounds like you have a good bunch of people to train with.



They are very good guys (on and off the mat). 

We are preparing for a tournament locally in February. From what I'm told, our school has always had a pretty good turnout. I plan on being there for them. 

We are training in every class now for that tournament, Thiago sure likes to punish everyone. Usually a 12 lb medicine ball gets slammed into everyone's abs during the warm-ups, then he stands on us and jumps on one foot twice - I thought I was going to puke. He does far worse to his MMA and no-gi classes!

For practice, we just went kind of down the line and cycled through everyone for 2 minutes each, one guy taking top, the other on the bottom (guy on top is trying to pass and submit, the guy on bottom is trying to sweep or get to a better position). I had a lot of fun and got my butt kicked a few times. I've definitely improved my balance over last week and all of the guys noticed it sob: I'm so happy, it's all paying off)!

After the initial beatings, we rolled for our customary 15 minutes. Again, I felt much more in control and calm during the first match. The second guy kept getting me and sweeping, on the plus side, I still gave him hell on my back as much as I could (made it very difficult for him to get me even though he had side control, I kept moving everywhere). He did frustrate the hell out of me but I didn't lose my patients (I still lost to him a bunch of times).


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## tallcall (Jan 30, 2008)

*1/30/08*

*Weigh In*
Weight: 285 â?????? up 1.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 283.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 63 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 276.75 â?????? Up  from last week's 273.25 (+3.50 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 8.25 â?????? Down from last week's 9.75 (-1.55 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm - Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.89 %. 

Once again, I gained weight while reducing fat! Iâ??????m still feeling great and hungrier than ever!


----------



## goob (Jan 30, 2008)

I am astonished that you have'nt slipped up once in this.  You always get results TC, I think you are the most commited person on this board.


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## tallcall (Jan 30, 2008)

goob said:


> I am astonished that you have'nt slipped up once in this.  You always get results TC, I think you are the most commited person on this board.



I've been eating like a horse, weight training for 3 hours a week, and training martial arts for 3-4 hours a week on average (some weeks are 5 hours). I could probably eat a cow and not gain much fat! 

.... that sounds pretty good.....


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## katt (Jan 30, 2008)

I agree w/Goob - you've been so consistant you're an inspiration to us all.

What is your final goal??


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## tallcall (Jan 30, 2008)

katt said:


> I agree w/Goob - you've been so consistant you're an inspiration to us all.
> 
> What is your final goal??



To be honest, I don't have a final goal. I just want an all around great level of fitness and to see my abs (I can see the top row right now if I flex), and do as much of this as I can without giving up strength.


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## tallcall (Jan 30, 2008)

*1/30/08*

*Wednesday:

Upper Push: Reps week 2

DB Bench on a Stability Ball: RI - 30 |* 25's, 30's, 30's, 35's x 15 reps each

*X Body Raises: RI - 30 |* 10 lb dbl x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Side Raises: RI - 30 |* 10 lb dbs x 3 sets x 15 reps

*Pushdowns: RI - 30 |* Machine #6 x 3 sets x 15 reps

*Shin work - DB Calf Raises: RI - 30 |* 4 sets x BW+50 x 20 reps

*Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion with Weights: No Rest |* 4 sets x 35 lbs x 20 reps

*Cardio - 25 minutes*

Before Workout:
5 minutes on a treadmill doing some sprinting.

10 minutes for abs, flutters, leg outs, back extensions
- 20 minutes for stretching

After Workout:
10 minutes on a treadmill sprinting on the balls of my feet (60 seconds sprint @ 3.0 mph/60 seconds active recovery). I know it's only 3 mph, but running on my toes is very different and I have to take it a little slower, plus the splints are still there - a LOT better than last week though (slow to heal).

*Calories - 4000*

I was working right next to one of the new trainers (kind of a moron). He was "training" a new person. I felt bad for the new person, the trainer told him his traps would be able to handle a lot of weight. I know they're a very strong muscle group and can handle a lot of weight, but the trainer just started saying things like "you can handle another 50 pounds, traps are very strong" - not a great idea to assume without any kind of strength test.

Anyways, it kind of felt like I was in a sea of idiots today. Everyone's looking at me strange when I'm pressing off a stability ball. I think this is a pretty decent workout when you consider that I'm moving weight across a moving center of gravity - as opposed to a fixed center when lying on a bench or on the floor!

A nice day all around though D... keeps smiling in the hopes that good things will come... ).


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## tallcall (Feb 1, 2008)

*1/31/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ:*

I had a good time in class, I got to work with some guys who haven't been there for a while. One of them had an amature fight about 2 months ago and has been out for the last month or so. He lost the fight but said it was something he did not regret. 

I have to admit I really missed talking to him. What a cool guy! I have to say, he was looking pretty lean too (which always nice to see )!

We did a lot of rolling, 2 minute rounds where one guy starts on top and another starts on the bottom. Generally speaking, the first one to better their position stays and goes to the bottom while the other one is replaced by another student on the top. I think we each had 3 rounds of this. Then 15 minutes of free rolling.

Our instructor likes to punish everyone during the warm-ups as much as possible. He usually has us lay flat, chin to chest and legs elevated with our hands under our butt. He walks around to everyone and will do pretty much anything - sometimes he drops a 12 pound ball on us (more like a forced drop) about 6 times, stomps on us with a flat foot, stomps on us with his heel, stands on us and hops on one foot 3 times, hops on two feet 3 times, stands on us and turns to give a little speech, kneels down and delivers punches straight to the abs, or he'll just start running and hop onto each of us as he runs the circle. He'll usually do two of them each day (you'd swear he thinks he's a lightweight when in reality he weighs about 190 pounds). 

Today he did the stand on us and stomp along wit the straight heel stomps, all while we're holding the position for almost 3 minutes. He's really pushing everyone hard for this tournament. From what I've been told, none of the other local places push their guys nearly as hard, so I can't wait to see everyone who enters win their matches!


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## tallcall (Feb 1, 2008)

*2/01/08*

*Friday:

Upper Pull: Reps Week 2:*

*Pull-Downs: RI - 30 |* 120x15, 150x12, 12

*DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 30 |* 40 lb dbl x 3 sets x 15 reps

*T-Bar Row: RI - 30 |* 75, 85, 95 x 15

*Back Extensions W/Medicine Ball: RI - 30 |* 10 lb med ball x 3 sets x 15 reps

*DB Shrugs: RI - 30 |* 60'sx3 sets x 20 reps

*Farmer's Walk: RI - 60 |* 70's x 2 round trips x 378 feet

*Shin Work - Calf Raises on Leg Press: RI - 30 |* 200, 250, 300, 250, 250 x 20

*Shin Work Dorsiflexion with aerobic step and plate weight: No rest between sets |* 45 lb plate x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill
20 minutes for abs, back, and some BJJ drills

20 minutes for stretching

*Calories - 4000*

Pretty good day today. I ran into a guy from another local ATT facility (the one that Ben Saunders from the Ultimate Fighter Season 6 trains at ). He was pretty cool, he came in wearing his ATT shirt so I just had to ask him and let him know I was on his team (his eyes lit up and we talked about it for a few minutes). I also met some other new people, I have to admit that the people in there today were less dumb than the usual crowd (except for a guy and his friend doing barbel curls in the squat rack - ).

Shins felt ok today, really I think they're doing much better than they were doing last week so I think things are looking up. I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing until they feel at 100% then I'll be able to bring my cardio back up slowly (Thaigo knows about the splints and has been very understanding in class even though he is still pushing everyone - including me - to their limits).


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## tallcall (Feb 4, 2008)

*2/04/08*

*Monday:

Legs: Reps Week 3

Suoerset: No Rest |
1 - Hip Adductions |* 90, 130, 170 x 20

*2 - Hip Rotations |* 75, 87.5, 100 x 15 - Felt like I was throwing the weight - nice way to mimic kneeing someone in the stomach!

*Romanian (the ones that do sumo stance) Deadlifts - Switched Grip No Straps: RI - 120 |* 185, 205, 225, 205, 185 x 12 switching grip on every set (that's 5 sets of 12, I think my new working weight is 225).

*Superset 2: RI - 45 |
1 - Single Leg Leg Press |* 90, 100, 110 x 15

*2 - Calf Presses -Single Leg - on the Leg Press Machine |* 90, 100, 110 x 20

*Shin Work - Same as before: No Rest |* 55 lbs x 20 (both feet), 55x20 (left foot solo), 55x20 (right foot solo), 55x20 (both feet with plantarflexion on all reps)

*BJJ:*

Trained with a different instructor today. He didn't have us sprinting, just doing some stretching and got right to the rolling (makes me happy). Today was all about the shoulder roll escape from a nearly mounted position. I still suck at rolls, but I got to work one-on-one with the instructor and he really helped clear a lot of things up for me (he is an awesome guy, I've worked with him before many times).

In other news, I was able to talk to the strength and conditioning coach today and found out that he has written a program for me to follow. It's an 8 week program, so this should be a lot of fun ! He's going to bring it in for me to look at tomorrow night (hopefully, he said he would, but you know how things just come up sometimes).

I got taken to my back a lot, but I'm getting very comfortable there (I like to show how I can defend against chokes and arm-bars from my back). Besides, I was taught to go with the flow and attempt to use my opponent's momentum against them, they want me down, I go down and escape to guard then omo-plata, triangle, arm-bar, kimura, or some sweep and take his back (I did this to the instructor and was able to sink my hooks in, rotate him, and get a rear collar choke - training with the Gi ).

Gym was fine, I got to talk to two other guys who also train MMA (one from my school, the other trains with Ben Saunders and Seth Petruzelli just a few miles away- AWESOME ). I swear there are at least 6 other guys there on a somewhat regular basis that train MMA!

*Calories - 4200 - I'm being a good boy*


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## fufu (Feb 4, 2008)

nice nice

I hate collar chokes with a passion! That will be frustrating when I start gi training this next monday. I don't like having to worry about that plus I am not interested in submitting people that way.


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## tallcall (Feb 4, 2008)

fufu said:


> nice nice
> 
> I hate collar chokes with a passion! That will be frustrating when I start gi training this next monday. I don't like having to worry about that plus I am not interested in submitting people that way.



All you really have to do to defend is to grab your own collar and hold it closed (no gaps for someone to slide their hands in) and get into a turtle guard, since you can roll out of that guard position with relative ease and put distance between you.


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## tallcall (Feb 4, 2008)

I don't know what I came down with, but it feels like my skin's on fire (it's was much worse a few hours ago). I have to work at 3 am, so maybe it's a good thing I can't sleep. I'm going to see if I can leave early at 10 am and use sick time for the rest of my shift (so I can get some meds, dinner, and try to sleep before class tonight). I may not participate but will be there to get my program, I've waited a long time for that program (not that I'm complaining).

Wish me luck!


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## DOMS (Feb 5, 2008)

Good luck, man.


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## goob (Feb 5, 2008)

Yeah, working at 3am blows goats, nevermind feeling ill.  Good luck.


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## fufu (Feb 5, 2008)

good luck


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## tallcall (Feb 5, 2008)

Today was all overtime at work, so I told them I felt sick and asked if I could leave when my replacement arrived (we overlapped by 4 hours). So I left at 8 am and got a few things done, now I'm planning on some sleep.

I hope to feel well enough to be in class tonight, I'm still not sure if I'm going to try to play with everyone or not, we'll see.


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## katt (Feb 5, 2008)

Hope you feel better soon TC - it seems this is the time people are getting sick..


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## tallcall (Feb 5, 2008)

katt said:


> Hope you feel better soon TC - it seems this is the time people are getting sick..



Yeah, it sucks. I think my immune system is in very good shape (I tend to expose it to everything), so I'm sure it'll be gone in a day or two.


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## katt (Feb 5, 2008)

Yeah, keep the positive attitude.. I was fighting "something" all last week,, I knew I just wasn't feeling up to par, then this week, BAM! head cold, congestion, coughing... it's the first time I've really been sick in a couple years..


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## tallcall (Feb 5, 2008)

*2/5/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

I went to class but did not participate and stayed away from everyone. I just wanted to talk to someone (he wasn't there), and see what they were learning.

They just went over getting an omo-plata from closed guard after the opponent blocks you from taking his other sleeve (by grabbing his Gi with that hand). It seemed really easy, I didn't miss too much. 

He tortured his no-Gi class again and had them drilling take-downs for about 30 minutes straight (hell of a cardio work-out).

The suggested that I get a Z-Pack (anti-biotic) and kill my fever right away. I have no idea if it would work but I know it can be given without a prescription, just get a sampler pack (I always have to take this stuff when I get sore throats because I'm allergic to Penicillin)

Oh well, it's off to bed, no work for tomorrow and no workout, unless, by some miracle, I'm feeling so much better (doubtful)..


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## fufu (Feb 5, 2008)

Should be careful with anti biotics unless you have an infection.


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## tallcall (Feb 5, 2008)

fufu said:


> Should be careful with anti biotics unless you have an infection.



Yeah, I think I'm just going to use the standard stuff.


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## tallcall (Feb 6, 2008)

*2/6/08 Weigh in*

2/6/08 Weigh in
Weight: 283.5 â?????? down 1.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 285

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 63 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 275.49 276.75 â?????? Down from last week's 276.75 (-1.26 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 8.01 8.25 â?????? Down from last week's 8.25 (-.25 pounds)


Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5.25 mm â?????? Down .25 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.82 %. 

This is pretty good for being sick. I havenâ??????t lost too much lean mass. I kind of feel like Iâ??????m retaining water (feeling bloated).


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## tallcall (Feb 8, 2008)

I was curious, so I weighed myself again today. Now I'm at 282 pounds, I lost another 1.5 pounds since Wednesday. I hate being sick! At least the worst part is over.


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## tallcall (Feb 8, 2008)

*2/7/08*

*BJJ:*

I was able to go and perform without incident. I felt very weak, but was able to actually do something and put forth an effort (this actually made my teacher happy - I think he likes to see us push ourselves to the limits like that).

We drilled take-downs for about 30 minutes. I had no idea what I was doing and it took me three tries to figure out that I can make things harder by dropping to my knees and grabbing my opponent's leg. I still have no idea how to take them down or even how to reverse quickly enough to avoid being mounted.

Oh well, I learned how to fall real nice doing them .

I rolled with one guy for about 5 minutes but had absolutely no energy, so I sat out the last 10 minutes of class. I was literally pouring sheets of sweat (I guess that is where that 1.5 pounds went, huh).

Monday should be a lot better, I hope.


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## tallcall (Feb 8, 2008)

*2/8/08*

*Friday:

Upper Pull: Reps Week 3

Pull-ups: RI - 40 |* BW-88 x 6, 6, 6, 6

*T-Bar Rows: Ri - 45 |* 75, 85 x 15, 150 x 10 PR for Weight

*Upright Row: RI - 30 |* Machine #6 x 3 sets x 15 reps

*Front/Side Raises: RI - 45 |* 10 lb dbs x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Farmer's Walk |* 80's x 2 round trips, 305 feet

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs on an aerobic step x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio*

10 minutes on a treadmill

10 minutes abs/back/legs

20 minutes stretching

10 minutes on a treadmill after the workout

I was still a bit tired today and there were more idiots that just kept making me angry there. It was nice to run into two friends, one is actually training at one of the other BJJ schools in the area, he was just doing some stretching and drills when I walked in (I wish I could've joined).

Aside from feeling a bit tired, I think everything was pretty normal.

*Calories: 5000 (cheat meal)*

Tuesday - Thursday (while I was sick) I kept my food intake up to about 3500-3600 calories (Tuesday I couldn't seem to stomach much bread for some reason). I think I did pretty well with the eating and am still wondering how I burned through 3 pounds in about 4 days (I'm again reminded of the Niagara Falls episode in my Jiu-Jitsu class from Thursday).


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## fufu (Feb 8, 2008)

tallcall said:


> *BJJ:*
> 
> I was able to go and perform without incident. I felt very weak, but was able to actually do something and put forth an effort (this actually made my teacher happy - I think he likes to see us push ourselves to the limits like that).
> 
> ...




Your dedication is good, but are you recovered enough to train?


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## tallcall (Feb 9, 2008)

fufu said:


> Your dedication is good, but are you recovered enough to train?



Probably not. I'll see how I feel Monday (I might just go and watch instead).


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## tallcall (Feb 9, 2008)

I decided not to do any strength training today (would've been an upper push day). I think I'm just going to try starting all over again on Monday for a bit of a deload, maybe I'll go for power, I'm not committing to anything right now.

It's strange that I feel like a total failure this week. I haven't really been able to do anything. Oh well, maybe Monday will be better.

That reminds me of a song....






YouTube Video










*Come Monday - Jimmy Buffett*


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## tallcall (Feb 9, 2008)

Here's one of my favorites:






YouTube Video











*Volcano - Jimmy Buffett*


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## tallcall (Feb 11, 2008)

*2/11/08*

*Monday:

Legs - Power Week 1:

Superset: RI - 30 | 
Hip Rotations |* 87.5x10, 100x10, 112.5x10

*Hip Abductions |* 185x12, 195x10, 205x8

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 30 |* 140x10, 150x8, 180x4 PR for Weight

*Deadlift - Sumo style with straps and DOH grip: RI - 120 |* 225x8, 275x6, 305x4 PR for Weight

*Leg Press: RI - 60 |* 450 (5 plates per side) x 10, 540 (6 plates per side) x 8, 630 (7 plates per side) x 8 PR for Weight

*Calf Presses: RI - 30 |* 450 x 3 sets x 20 reps

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill
10 minutes abs/back
20 minutes stretching

10 minutes on a treadmill post workout - sprinting for about 40 seconds/20 seconds on the balls of my feet at 3-6 mph.

*Calories - 4300*

Wow, I can't believe I finally broke 300 pounds on my deadlifts, that is awesome. Honestly, it didn't really feel like that much weight, and I know I had a few more in me but my left hand was starting to slip (even with the strap on) so I decided to just put the weight down and take it for what it's worth.

Heck, I even felt really good on those leg presses immediately after the deadlifts.

Amazingly my shins feel fine today, lets keep this up. It was nice to be able to do those sprints and have virtually no pain (I just noticed that they were feeling tight, so I'm going to continue what I've been doing to them with all the stretching and strength training.

I still have to go to my BJJ class, I feel pretty good, a little tired from all the lifting, but good enough and in high enough spirits to take part. I think it's going to be fun!


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## fufu (Feb 11, 2008)

congrats on the deadlift!


----------



## tallcall (Feb 11, 2008)

fufu said:


> congrats on the deadlift!



Thanks!


----------



## Rubes (Feb 11, 2008)

damn TC your one strong dude


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## goob (Feb 11, 2008)

Excellent Deadlifting TC.


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## tallcall (Feb 11, 2008)

Rubes said:


> damn TC your one strong dude



Thanks man, my leg days have always been my best days. I love feeling like a wet spaghetti noodle !



goob said:


> Excellent Deadlifting TC.



Thanks G, of course nothing matches the torture you go through with those rotational deads, RDLs, and Bulgarian Squats - Maybe you should think of adding leg presses in on top of all that, it would only be a natural progression from what you're doing now.


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## goob (Feb 12, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Thanks man, my leg days have always been my best days. I love feeling like a wet spaghetti noodle !
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks G, of course nothing matches the torture you go through with those rotational deads, RDLs, and Bulgarian Squats - Maybe you should think of adding leg presses in on top of all that, it would only be a natural progression from what you're doing now.


 
Leg pressing is already included. It goes RDL's, bulgarians, leg press.  TRy it, you might like it.


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## tallcall (Feb 12, 2008)

goob said:


> Leg pressing is already included. It goes RDL's, bulgarians, leg press.  TRy it, you might like it.



Is RDL short for Romanian Deadlift? Rack Deadlift? I guess I just get confused by some of the names.


----------



## goob (Feb 12, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Is RDL short for Romanian Deadlift? Rack Deadlift? I guess I just get confused by some of the names.


 
Romainian.  Bulgarian.  It's an Communist themed workout....


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## tallcall (Feb 12, 2008)

*2/11/08*

*Monday:

BJJ:*

We did an interesting warm-up. He supersetted everything with 10, 20, and 30 push-ups with progression. We did 50 crunches, 10 push-ups, 50 crunches, 20 push-ups, etc. Then moved on to leg raises with 10-30 second static holds about 3 inches from the bottom of the movement supersetted with the push-ups, again with the progression. I think we started losing count of all the push-ups after about 100.

We went over a variation of a clock-choke (aka North-South choke, and 6-9 choke - so many different names it makes my head spin). We must've spent about 15 minutes drilling this. 

Finally we rolled for 5 or 10 minutes. At the very end I locked in that new clock-choke right as the instructor called time - Damn! 

I stayed late to get some more training from my friend the wrestling coach. He's been concentrating on drilling take-downs. We started with some hip exercises designed to make our movements faster.

After about 15 minutes of those warm-ups, I was introduced to a head-arm take-down, he drilled that with us for the entire class (his goal is to make sure we learn one or two take-downs each week).

I thought this was pretty easy once I got over my own fears (it took being thrown once, then everything was fine). I got to the point by the end of the class where I didn't even have to drop to my knee to throw my opponent, I just performed the hip movements with a little more force and lifted him right off the mat (we were just drilling the first part of the movement at the time so I didn't really slam him - I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have forgiven me). 

He also showed us an arm-drag take-down, a Japanese take-down (that is what he called it), and a bear hug take-down (which is a great counter to the one we were doing). He said that Wednesday he'll be teaching the Fireman's Carry.

Oh, well, it was a fun night! I feel a little more flexible and confident.


----------



## tallcall (Feb 12, 2008)

*2/12/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

We worked on passing guard today. We all attempted to pass our instructor's guard. He made it hard as hell (he's a black belt you know), none of us succeeded.

He kept shifting his hips up and down, no one noticed that we were all focusing on pushing his legs and we all left his upper body and hips free, so he just relaxed and kept his knees resting on our hips and bridged slightly when he felt us pulling away, or squeezed in with his knees to bring us back to him - he had total control.

Then we switched positions and he passed very quickly and got in side control or full mount.

I only got to roll for about 5 minutes because he wanted to keep me out for a little while. I had a hard time during our warm-ups and had to stop every minute or two to breath (I had kept coughing - damn this cold just won't finish up - it's just a dry cough and is brought on by my heavy breathing and irritated throat). He went a little easier on me realizing that I'm still in the finishing stages (everyone there was sick all last week). He didn't push it when we were holding our supinated planks (not really planks, just keeping your legs, feet, and head off the ground with your hands under your butt - held for about 5 minutes), usually he walks over to you and stands on you for a few seconds each time you drop your head or feet, sometimes he resets it for everyone, and sometimes he'll start dropping 12 pound balls on everyone. He kind of allowed me to keep my legs up a little higher instead of straight out (he tends to very strictly enforce that), man my thighs were burning from yesterday's leg workout, my whole body is sore right now.

So far this week, we've learned a clock-choke, a head-arm take-down, and worked on guard passing, and I still have at least one more day there.

Also, one of my friends came back. I only really worked with him for about a week when I started in December, but he's back now. His wife just had their first baby. The funny thing is that this is his second day and he broke his nose rolling with the instructor (most likely on the mat), then afterwards, both instructors were treating him and one placed his belt in my friends mouth and grabbed the nose and forced the bone back in alignment. How's that for a nice welcome back, we're going to break your nose then yank it back into place - No Charge . It's probably awful of me to laugh at him, but it was pretty funny. He's a cool guy (native Brazilian whose English is OK at best, but I love him anyways), and he took it all in stride !

*Calories - 3900*


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## tallcall (Feb 13, 2008)

*2/13/08*

*Wednesday:

Upper Push: Power Week 1

Dips: RI - 60 |*  BW-52x6, BW-46x4, BW-46x6 PR for Weight

*DB Flat Bench on stability ball: RI - 60 |* 35'sx10, 40'sx9, 45'sx8 PR for Weight, 35'sx10

*X Body Raises: RI - 60 |* 15 lb dbs x 3 sets x 10 reps PR for Weight

*Peck Deck: RI - 60 |* 60x10, 90x10, 120x8

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs x 4 sets x 20

*Calf Raises off raised platform |* 3 sets x BW x 20

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill.
10 minutes for abs and back.
20 minutes stretching.
about 5 minutes for drills - I finally got myself into the position where you're sitting on your shoulders upside down with your toes on the floor. That was cool and kind of freaky at the same time, I held it for about 40 seconds.

*Calories - 5000 (cheat day)*

I am very happy that I finally got a chance to use that Peck Deck machine again (it's always busy when I'm there, so I snatched it right up).

Still have some pain in my shins, it may have come back, I guess I'll just keep treating it (using wraps, heat, and Tiger Balm with some massaging and certain weight training exercises).

I chatted with one of the trainers today (one of the good ones). We went on and on about the benefits of the type of training I'm doing as opposed to what most of the other guys there were doing (lots of bi-lateral movement and un-even platforms to increase balance). He said that he thinks with this kind of training I will probably avoid most of the common injuries because I'm focusing more on dumbbells than on barbells and doing it on that ball should actually help avoid any shoulder problems. This is because it forces each arm to act independently and creates the mindset that weight isn't everything and that maintaining proper balance really is very important. I thought that was pretty cool.

I also got a chance to talk to my old trainer again who was very happy to see me picking up new things from the other guys there (like the shin work) and implementing them properly. That, plus me keeping my workouts kind of basic and primitive (trying to make it all sport specific now with a focus on conditioning coming soon).

I also ran into a few friends and talked with them for a few minutes (one keeps complaining about not being able to break a sweat until his girlfriend "works" with him ).

All in all a very nice, though short, day.


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## tallcall (Feb 14, 2008)

*2/14/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ:*

Only two of us there today plus two guys training Muai-Thai and one instructor. I got to work with my friend from Tuesday on guard passes. We did two ground passes and two standing guard passes, one of the standing passes was picked up from a student of Rickson Gracie (I think his name was Saulo) which was very cool and simple - elbows never leave the knees and your holding one arm and waiting for the right time (it's all about timing - just be patient).

We talked about the differences in styles, like how Royce's style is much more derived from Helio's teachings and fine for straight Jiu-Jitsu matches, but really Carlson, Carlton and Renzo's style is for MMA. It's also very much a West coast versus East coast thing (most of our guys on the east coast seem to be of the Carlson or Carlton Gracie school while most of the guys on the West coast seem to be of the Helio Gracie school). My original instructor was a student of Carlton Gracie. My current instructors are products of Carlton Gracie Jr and his students, so we're all kind of related.

We didn't get to do any rolling but my friend did get a call from Cage Fighter and might get his first MMA match so that is awesome!

*Calories - ~4000*

Weight went down to about 281 - down 2 pounds from last week. I'll figure out all the other numbers in the morning.


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## tallcall (Feb 15, 2008)

*2/15/08 Weigh in*

2/15/08 Weigh in
Weight: 281.5 â?????? down 2 pounds from last weekâ??????s 283.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No Change from last week 
Shoulders: 63 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 274.52 â?????? Down from last week's 275.49 (-0.97 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 6.98 â?????? Down from last week's 8.01 (-1.03 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? Down .25 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? Down 1 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.48 %. 

Not too bad, havenâ??????t lost too much LBM. Iâ??????ve been sick for about the last week and a half so I really canâ??????t complain.


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## tallcall (Feb 17, 2008)

*2/15/08*

*Friday:

Upper Pull: Power Week 1

One Arm Seated Cable Rows: RI - 90 |* 210x8, 225x8, 240x8 PR for Weight

*T-Bar Rows: RI - 90 |* 125x8, 150x8, 175x8 PR for Weight

*Pull-Ups: RI - 120 |* BW-58 x 3, 2, 3 PR for Weight

*Back Extensions with Cobras: RI - 60 |* 10 lb dbs x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Plate Grabs |* 25 lb plate hold x 1:31 Left and Right
2 - 10 lb plates hold x 1:00 Left, 1:17 Right
3 - 10 lb plates hold x 0:25 Left, 0:32 Right

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Calf Raises |* BW x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill
10 minutes abs/back
20 minutes stretching

*Calories - 4000*

*Calories for Saturday - 4200*

Still having some soreness in my shins, it comes and goes so I'm just going to continue with the strengthening exercises I'm doing. This is the reason for me cutting my cardio sessions short - also, I hate bikes in general.

I couldn't get the assisted pull-up machine for the longest time Friday because some people kept hogging it - I still did pretty good.

Still recovering from my cold, I was coughing all over the place - all dry coughs but annoying either way.

My car windshield got cracked a few days ago . The crack is not running or anything but it is pretty long. I called the insurance company any got them to pay for a replacement, so I'm not going to be going anywhere Monday. I'll have to leave it alone and let it seal in a dry place for almost a day before I can take it back out on the road - in Florida where it rains almost every day, it means I have to keep it locked up in the garage for a while.

Anyways, I've just been generally pissed off for the last few days .


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## goob (Feb 17, 2008)

Holy shit!  225 one armed seated rows!!!???  That's fucking incredible.

Awesome, really is superb.


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## tallcall (Feb 17, 2008)

goob said:


> Holy shit!  225 one armed seated rows!!!???  That's fucking incredible.
> 
> Awesome, really is superb.



Yeah, they're fun, I put everything into those.

I also love those Trap Bar rows - just power that weight off the ground and squeeze it back a bunch of times, makes me feel all powerful all over


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## tallcall (Feb 18, 2008)

*2/17/08*

*Sunday:

Legs: Power Week 2

Single Leg Leg Extensions: RI - 60 |* 70x8, 80x8, 90x8

*Smith Squats: RI - 90-120 |* 180x10, 230x8, 280x5 PR for Weight - I basically had 2 more in me before I was going to fail so I stopped there, still it was awesome because I was squatting my own bodyweight.

*Side Lunges with a Smith Machine: RI - 60 |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*DB Snatches: RI - 90 |* 30x12, 40x8, 40x8 PR for Weight - I used to call these DB Swings but I realize that a swing only goes up to about shoulder height, I've been taking these up to my shoulders then throwing them up above my head in a single fluid motion so I think they are really DB Snatches.

*Calf Presses: RI - 60 |* 540 x 3 sets x 20 reps

*Shin Work |* 70 pounds x 20 (two feet), 20 (Left), 20 (right), 30 (two feet) with plantarflexion.

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a treadmill with some sprints
10 minutes for ab/back work
20 minutes for stretching
10 minutes for some BJJ drills (mostly sweeps and momentum to standing drills - almost got it)

*Calories - ~4500*

I felt great yesterday, I can squat my bodyweight, I'm sure I could deadlift about 380 pounds if I really pushed myself (not really interested though). I guess I'm more impressed with those DB Snatches I basically did right afterwards, I might have been able to hit 50 pounds even.

I saw someone walking around in a Gracie Barra shirt, I wanted to talk to him for a minute, but he was gone before I could say hello. It is so cool to see that so many people are doing the same thing I am - it sometimes feels like a giant family.

My shins felt fine, they seem to come and go. Overall, my legs felt like wet spaghetti after that squat/side lunge/snatch combo!

I'm not really sure if you would call them snatches or not, they were kind of swings that ended overhead with a quick deceleration and then thrown back to the floor and swung up overhead again (no stopping between reps, and all in one fluid motion).


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## tallcall (Feb 19, 2008)

*2/19/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

No Running for Warm-ups - just stretching. I informed Thiago (along with just about everyone else) and he totally understood about the whole waiting until the shin splints heal thing before doing any running again. So that was cool.

Now the fun stuff. Marcello Grosso's Brothers (can't remember their names right now) came here from Brazil to visit my teacher. My instructor trained under Marcelo for a while and is a Marcelo black belt (who was a Ricardo De La Riva black belt - De La Riva is a Carlson Gracie black belt - Thiago also trained with De La Riva to some extent). These guys were so cool. They taught class tonight. We learned a sweep out of turtle guard into side control (for the guy on top of the one turtled up). and a scissor sweep from closed guard into arm-bar (which was also very cool, I like it a lot).

We took a series of class photos with the brothers. I still can't get over how nice these guys were to donate their time to help us like that. Also there is some idea floating around that Marcelo himself might be coming here in a month or two to teach a class and that he might be convinced to stay on as a teacher !!!!D)!!!!

Man, that news has me so excited, plus we're getting a cage installed and getting a little more room for the mat (knocking down some walls)!

*Calories - ~3600*

*Calories for Monday - ~5000 (cheated a little)*

....So Excited....all my friends were there so was the strength and conditioning coach who totally re-affirmed what everyone (my family) has been telling me about the shin splints - to stop running until they heal and to probably just switch all my cardio to bike and just do stretching warm-ups for Jiu-Jitsu, Ice everything down (or cold wraps and of course elevate). He was cool and demanded that I tell Thiago (which I already had) then, before I could answer, he siad he was going to tell Thiago right then (it's very nice to see that all the guys there really cared about me as much as my family does - makes me feel like being in a big extended family while I'm there - absolutely no pressure to do anything you can't physically do).


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## fufu (Feb 20, 2008)

cool


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## tallcall (Feb 20, 2008)

*2/20/08*

*Wednesday:

BJJ:*

Warm-ups were the same for me. When the class started the abs session, I joined them. Thiago had us doing those supinated plank like things (stretching our legs out and holding them off the mat while keeping our heads off the mat). Usually it is held for about 5 minutes (fine, no big deal), but this time he punished the group everytime someone laid their feet or head down for a second.  He stopped us and restarted the timer and added one minute. It ended up being like this: 4:30 on the first try (someone dropped their legs); 5:30 on the second try (someone dropped their head); 6:30 on the third try (someone raised their legs over their hips one too many times and someone else's head hit the mat); 8 minutes on the final attempt (we all finally got through). That is 24:30 minutes holding that stretch (so he held us late).

He showed us another clock choke (piece of cake), and reviewed the moves that Marcelo's brothers showed us yesterday - the sweep from turtle guard into side control. That sweep was one of the most popular moves any of us have seen in a long time and it was very simple to pull off.

Everyone's preparing for this Saturday's tournament in Lakeland. I'm going over to watch, I expect a good showing. Thiago is going to put me (and one or two other guys who are not competing) through some kind of hell tomorrow to help get these guys ready!

Thiago didn't let me roll tonight, probably because I rolled a lot yesterday. He also stopped me 2 or 3 times to check on me and see if my shins were ok and if I needed a quick break - I felt fine on the ground, but it was nice of him to do that and I can understand his position and reasoning for not allowing me to roll, maybe tomorrow.


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## DOMS (Feb 20, 2008)

You teacher sounds like a nice guy.

I'm so jealous that you're doing a martial art.  I can't do mine until I get a job.


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## tallcall (Feb 21, 2008)

DOMS said:


> You teacher sounds like a nice guy.
> 
> I'm so jealous that you're doing a martial art.  I can't do mine until I get a job.



Get a job, slacker! 

but yeah, he is a pretty understanding guy.


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## tallcall (Feb 23, 2008)

*2/22/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push: Power 2

Dips: RI - 90 |* BW-46x6, BW-40x6, BW-40x5 PR for Weight

*DB Flat Bench on Ball: RI - 90 |* 45'sx8, 50'sx8, 55'sx5 (technical failure) PR for Weight, 45'sx8 (technical failure)

*DB Fly on Ball: RI - 90 |* 20's x 3 sets x 10

*Cross Body Raises: RI - 90 |* 15's x 3 sets x 8 - I tried to use 20 lb dbs but my shoulders just would not take it, maybe 15 is my limit on this?

*Superset: RI - 90 |
1 - Rope Pressdowns |* Maxhine #6 x 3 sets x 8

*2 - Cable Crunches |* Machine #10 x 12, #11 x 12, #12 x 12

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

Before Workout - 
10 minutes on a Bike
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching and BJJ drills (shadow sweeps, and momentum to standing drills)

After workout - 
10 minutes on a bike

*Calories - 4500*

Felt good today. my legs didn't hurt as much and I haven't been wearing those compression sleeves for about a week now - pain is still there a little bit, but much decreased from last week. I'm still doing a lot of stretching on my shins and trying to rehab them, maybe they'll feel even better next week.

Some guy was checking me out, I just looked over and smiled, and he kept doing it. I never did talk to him, he left before I could say anything, but it was kind of funny (never had that happen before).

Oh well, today I'm off to watch my friends go through their tournament - I just hope the school lets me bring some food in (trying to eat every 2-3 hours and I think I'm going to be there about 5 hours max - get through all the adult weight divisions, or at least the feather-, light-, welter-, middle-, and light heavy- weight divisions). I'm going to take pictures and maybe post some of them, but for the most part I'm going to put them on CD and either sell them (maybe 50 cents or a dollar) to the guys who want them, or I'll probably just burn 20 CD's and leave them at the school for anyone who wants a copy with one disk specifically for the school/Thiago and another just for my friend at work who has never seen one of these and is interested in taking a look.

*Thursday - 2/21/08

BJJ:*

Because of my shin splints, I did a stretching warm-up only. Thiago didn't let me do anything today besides run the stopwatch because they were practicing takedowns and drilling penetration steps (everything that would've had me placing a lot of extra pressure on my legs). I was a little angry that I couldn't do anything, but I was able to help in the background so I think that's all that matters. Thiago dislocated his shoulder and everything stopped, we all gathered around and helped him up as he told us to do. He walked over to the wall and bit down hard on his Gi collar and reset his shoulder himself (he had to push it in twice)! Talk about a high pain tolerance threshold. Then he did a complete arm circle and had no problems. He made his own sling out of his Gi and his belt and went on rolling with one arm and still beat everyone in the room. That was just amazing, there's no way I would've done that, I'd be crying in pain on the floor if I dislocated my shoulder then had someone reset it .


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## goob (Feb 23, 2008)

Awsome Dips TC.  Do you use an supps pre-workout to give you the energy for that madness?


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## tallcall (Feb 23, 2008)

goob said:


> Awsome Dips TC.  Do you use an supps pre-workout to give you the energy for that madness?



No, I just eat a grapefruit and a granola bar for some energy. I have some amino acids mixed in my water during the workout, and a meal replacement shake after.


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

*2/24/08*

*Sunday:

Upper Pull Power 2:

Pull-Ups: RI - 90 |* BW-52 x 3, BW x 0.5 (Failed), BW x 10 second hang to failure, BW-52 x 2 All of this is really a PR for Weight

*One Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 120 |* 225x8, 240x8, 255x8 PR for Weight

*T-Bar Rows: RI - 120 |* 150x8, 175x8, 200x8 (Barely) PR for Weight

*Back Extensions with Medicine Ball: RI - 90 |* 12 pound ball x 3 sets x 15 reps - bounce and catch at the bottom of the movement and toss and catch at the top of the movement.

*Superset: RI - 30 |* 
*1 - Ab Wheel |* 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - Crunches |* 3 sets x 20 reps

*Tablemakers: No Rest |* 15 reps total in abour 2 minutes - just trying these on for size and they seem pretty good.

*Cardio - 30 minutes SS*

10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching/BJJ shadow drills

10 minutes on a bike post workout

*Calories - ~4500*

I felt pretty good today for those pull-ups and just had to attempt a bodyweight pull-up, not quite there yet. I love my rows, those T-Bar rows were much more difficult to get into position this time with 200 pounds on the bar, and those one arm rows kick ass.

I tried Tablemakers for the first time and they seem to be a nice fit, I'll time myself better next time and shoot for as many as I can get in a 2 minute time period.


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## fufu (Feb 24, 2008)

nice, good job


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

I promised I'd upload some videos of the tournament I went to, so here are a few clips:

1. 




YouTube Video











The one in the blue gi is on my team and wins this match.

2. 




YouTube Video











Same guy as he after he wins his match.

3. 




YouTube Video











These two guys running up and down the mat, the one on the right is my strength and conditioning coach, the one on the left is the same as above and my instructor Thiago is there in the black shirt giving them advice. Another friend joins later in the blue and white gi.

4. 




YouTube Video











The three in the center of the shot are from my team.

5. 




YouTube Video











Random video of two guys doing a little rolling before they began.

6. 




YouTube Video











More guys rolling

7. 




YouTube Video











My strength and conditioning coach getting ready.

8. 




YouTube Video











My instructor serving as a official (that thought is kind of funny actually, oh the irony) refereeing a match of purple belts.

9. 




YouTube Video











My friend in the blue and whit gi has his match.

10. 




YouTube Video











More of my friend from the last video in the background.

It was pretty damn cool, two of my friends (the small guy you see in these videos, and another guy whose match I didn't get to record) placed in the top three in their respective weight classes. The other guy is the wrestler from Nebraska I've been training with a lot lately, he fought at about 200 pounds as a light heavyweight, the smaller guy was a feather weight I think at around 150 pounds.

I don't know how the rest of them did since the event ran until 5 pm and I could only stay until 3 pm (nearly a 2 hour drive each way and I had to get to sleep early for work on Sunday).

A sad note - my strength coach lost his match when he injured his arm. He was fighting in the ring right in front of me and I believe he hyper-extended his elbow in an arm-bar. Then some idiot right next to me pointed at him and said "that's pathetic," I just about smashed my camera over his head, then I paused and thought about how it might reflect on everyone else and decided to ignore him. 

Then my friend was wrapping his belt around his arm and tying it in place, this guy next to me started asking what he was doing and I along with another guy responded that he was making a sling and that it was BASIC FIRST AID (I really wanted to yell at him to let him know he had know idea what he was talking about), then out came the ice. 

I saw my friend later and he didn't look too bad, but you never can really tell by looking, he has literally gone through Hell before. I love working with him and for someone to insult him like that brought about a strange kind of rage I haven't felt many times before, I was really going to hurt that guy.


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

fufu said:


> nice, good job



Thanks man, I feel like I had a lot of useful aggression to work with today.


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

I weighed myself in a few days ago at 280.5 (lost 1 pound from the last check) but still haven't done any other measurements, I think I'll just wait and do them next week, or maybe tomorrow if I feel like it.


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## fufu (Feb 24, 2008)

It sucks when people throw around disrespect in competition like BJJ. It is easy to get angry in that kind of competition since it is so physical, fucking losers!


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

fufu said:


> It sucks when people throw around disrespect in competition like BJJ. It is easy to get angry in that kind of competition since it is so physical, fucking losers!



Yeah, I just hope he didn't hear any of that. I hope I see him tomorrow so I can talk to him about everything.


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## tallcall (Feb 24, 2008)

I apologize for the short videos, it was a digital still picture camera with a combined 256 MB of memory on 2 sticks. Maybe next time I'll have a real video camera (thinking about a nice Cannon - looking for one under $300 with decent battery life, decent mike, decent lens and aperture, and uses MiniDV format).


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## fufu (Feb 24, 2008)

Do you plan on competing at any of these events?


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## tallcall (Feb 25, 2008)

fufu said:


> Do you plan on competing at any of these events?



I would eventually like to, but right now I lack too much experience and really don't have a good handle on the takedowns. Plus the crowd size made me a little uncomfortable, I get really nervous in large groups sometimes - paranoia and/or anxiety, which I felt when I was there and is the reason I left about 30 minutes early, I must've seemed awfully weird to the other guys when I was saying goodbye and quickly heading for the door. I haven't had anxiety attacks like this for a long time, but it is usually when I'm around a lot of people.


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## tallcall (Feb 26, 2008)

*2/25/08*

*Monday:

Legs/Abs Power 3:*

*Leg Ext: RI - 90 |* 240x8, 250x8, 260x8 PR for Weight

*Cross Body Push: RI - 120 |* Machine #7 x 10, #9 x 8, #10 x 6 PR for Weight

*Superset: RI - 90 |*
*1 - Squat Thrusters |* 45 lbs x 3 sets x 8 reps

*2 - Side Bends |* 45 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Ball Chops: RI - 60 |* 8 lb ball x 3 sets x 10

*Plank |* 45 seconds

*Tablemakers |* 10 in 120 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 min on a bike
10 min abs/back
30 min stretching/BJJ drills

*Calories - 5000 (cheat day)*

I felt a little out of place since I could not do any better lifts like deadlifts, squats, leg presses, or lunges (well, maybe I could've done the lunges) because I have to avoid adding pressure like that to my shins while they're healing. What made things worse was that all the machines I was trying to get were being serviced and everyone was in the free-weights area. So I decided to add the cross body  and squat thrusters and just spend more time than I originally planned for doing ab work. Right now my abs are in a little pain (DOMS), so I think everything went fine considering.

*BJJ:*

I did my special warm-up with another guy (an injured purple belt - one of my friends), so he just led me through it while everyone else (all three of them) did their running.

We didn't learn anything new but we did get to learn a game that Joel (our instructor on Mondays and Wednesdays) played as a kid in Brazil that he called (translated roughly) get the belt. I couldn't play because of all the jumping and sprinting and he knew about it and understood. The game has everyone taking their belts and knotting them all up and throwing them on the other side of the mat. Then two stations are created, one guy runs this gauntlet at a time and is timed with the best completion time winning. The goal is to leap frog over the first guy, then immediately slide back between his legs and leap over again, then you must sprint to a belt and run it back to your side - do this for every belt on the mat. Once done, the person running the event resets all the belts and continues the timer. Now your task is to leap over and slide back under the first guy, then leap over him and run to the second guy where you lift him as if you were going to fireman's carry him on one side, then switch to the other, finally run and grab one belt and bring it back to your side, do this for every belt. We had two people tie for first place at 1:10 (4 belts to grab), no surprise that one was out instructor. It was an interesting game and made us all realize that Joel must not have had mush better to do as a kid and that he loved this one because he owned everyone (except the smaller fast guy).

I rolled with the instructor for a little bit, I messed a bunch of things up and he slowed down with me, I finally got the choke from side mount I was trying to go for (Neck Crank or Arm Triangle, not quite sure what it's called, I had his arm around his throat, one of mine under his head grabbing my other bicep, and I leaned into his shoulder then walked through and cranked until he tapped) with a little help and a few reminders. I did pretty well against everyone, I tapped a few times and got others to tape once or twice. I worked on balance after class with my purple belt friend and maintained my posture for about 10 straight minutes before he caught me and swept me on my back. I couldn't get out and was forced to tap to a Kimura from a high side mount (basically over my face).

I gave away CD's with the video I took at the tournament, and everyone thought it was such a cool gesture, I don't know if I can say enough how good these guys make me feel, they're all kind of like brothers in a way.

I get to go back tonight for more fun !


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## tallcall (Feb 26, 2008)

*2/26/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

Just two of us today. We did some clench drills (just swimming under each other's arms - then fighting for dominance when the instructor called for it, I won every time). Then we got to some new technique drills. 

The first was a bicep/bone crusher from a spider guard, then there was a sweep from spider guard to side mount (set up like the bicep crusher but grabbing between the guys legs and using the momentum of the initial pull to cause him to roll over you and you end up on top in side control with his arm trapped between your legs - could just raise your knee and get a bone crusher right there or let it go and take side control). We did these so many times both of us were in a little bit of pain. Thiago likes to play with me so when he was demonstrating the sweep on me for the other guy, he kept going for the crusher (put it on me 4 or 5 times), I got him back the next time he demonstrated some aspect of the sweep when I found myself in side control and just kept fighting with him - I lost, but I did get to push him a little.

I rolled with the other guy for 10 or 15 minutes and forced a submission via Americana. The second time, I slipped and he got my back, but I remembered to tuck my chin and grab high on both sides of my lapel to prevent the rear naked choke. Then I rolled onto my side where he was trying to pull me and kept turning to all fours so I could attack and take mount, but I was too slow and he jumped right back on and got me the second time. Thiago showed him the better way to do it where you're on his back and place both arms under his arms, grab the wrists and pull them in, then with your hooks in just extend your legs to flatten him out, grab his shoulders and pull up and push down with your butt (this extends his back and forces him to look up so you can start your choke), next just get your rear naked choke.

It was a very good session, and it's always awesome to work with Thiago mostly one-on-one.

The legs feel pretty good now, the right leg seems to have no more pain, the left leg was in pain much longer and is still having some pain. At least it's moving a bit and not always on the shin, it moves between the ankle and the tibia, I'm thinking it may have been a problem with the Achilles Tendon, but whatever it was/is, it is getting much better.







YouTube Video











God I can't believe I found something like this - This is my  place - it really is!

About 3:50 in is my friend Daniery who really convinced me to try BJJ. This video was done right around the time Renato left us and there have been some very nice renovations to the place. We still do pretty much everything seen in this video - Thiago really does walk around and stand on us for fun sometimes!

I wasn't there when they were shooting this - that'd be the reason I had no idea this existed - so no pictures of me . Still, I can't believe they got both Daniery and Kyle in the same class playing war like that, that's awesome and this video is going in my favorites list right now.


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## tallcall (Feb 26, 2008)

We also got some new shirts with the new school/team logo. So I'll have to pick a few up tomorrow if I can - the logo looks pretty nice (not an ATT logo, just the new school logo). Just go to Elite Fighting Academy and check out the logo on the top of the page - that's the new look, just on a black or gray t-shirt.


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## tallcall (Feb 27, 2008)

*2/27/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 281.5 â?????? Up 1 pound from last weekâ??????s 280.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Chest:  50.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 274.52 â?????? Up from last week's 273.55 (+0.97 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 6.98 â?????? Up from last week's 6.95 (+0.03 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.48 %. 

Last week I was at 280.5, this week Iâ??????m one pound heavier and added 0.5 inches to my chest and shoulders. My fat measurements didnâ??????t change so I take it as I must have added some muscle. Every thingâ??????s good.


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## tallcall (Feb 28, 2008)

*2/27/08*

*Wednesday:

BJJ:*

Great night! Only about 5 of us there, two stayed from the class before and were having a difficult time walking (he beats up his no-Gi class, so they were all physically broken by the time they got to my class). Our warm-ups consisted of those arm lock/hip escape moves and ankle lock set-ups (not sure how to name any of these).

We just drilled Kimura from guard with a person who posts with both hands - Grab wrists with a Monkey Paw grip, escape hips to break one hand loose, throw arm that was with the hand you broke away across their face and end with your elbow on their shoulder (tight), sit up slightly and begin pressing them down, loop under their trapped arm's elbow and grab your wrist with your free hand, escape your hips and throw them to the ground while pushing their trapped wrist to their ribs and immediately rotating and sliding it across their back (won't go very far at all before they tap). It is important to pull them to the ground, escape and twist the arm at the same time and fast to avoid giving them time to possibly counter.

I also went over some sweeps with my purple belt friend. Including a simple one from guard when your opponent is posting with both hands. Pull their elbows out and lift them toward you with your legs at the same time, as they are falling toward you, escape your hips and continue the pull and push them down to where you were, then come up on top and take mount.

Another thing from the Turtle with someone on your back is to drop your head to the mat, tripod up with your legs, grab their head or arms and pull in toward you, this causes them to flip in front of you so you can possibly mount. This is only really possible if the opponent doesn't have both hooks in (before they get any in is preferable, but with one it is still possible).

They all kept applauding me for improving my balance so much and told me that I need to be more aggressive on my attack and take-down, and not to worry so much about hurting the other person (I can't help but worry that I might cause someone to take time off to recover from a nasty injury, so if I know one exists, I'll go easy on that area if possible - avoid arm locks if they have problems with their elbows).

*Calories - 4000*


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## katt (Feb 28, 2008)

Hey TC - just stopping by to check out the journal...  Fantastic progress as always!!


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## tallcall (Feb 28, 2008)

katt said:


> Hey TC - just stopping by to check out the journal...  Fantastic progress as always!!



Thanks Kat, I'm just trying to keep up with everyone else.


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## tallcall (Feb 28, 2008)

*2/28/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ:*

Last day for this week - four days is a lot for me.

Only two of us showed so we drilled arm locks for our warm-up. That is a great way to do a warm-up since it warms up the hips, arms, back, abs, and legs. We traded on and off for 3 minutes each four times (two times per person), so we did those for about 12-15 minutes.

We learned how to get an arm-bar from the guard. Turn your opponents sleeves up a little to make a small cup, choose the arm to attack. Now using your arm on the same side as the arm to be attacked, grab his Gi sleeve (the cup you made) and using your other hand, reach under his arm and grab between his triceps and his elbow and pull it toward you so his elbow rests on your stomach, then lock your elbows firmly against your body. Release your grip on his cupped sleeve and reach across his face and grab his shoulder and pull hi to you some. Now place the leg that is on the same side as the arm to be attacked on his hip and escape your hips, slide the other leg up his back. Now turn his wrist so the thumb is pointing up or the palm is up and make sure his elbow is resting on your stomach. Now bridge your hips slowly and wait for the tap (or go fast and break his arm - your choice). I like to use my free leg on his back to push him to the floor and sit up then pull back down and bridge as I'm coming back down.

We rolled with each other for about 10 minutes and I just kept sweeping him and evading and reversing all his rear naked choke attempts. I even tried to reverse it in the turtle, but he threw both hooks in too fast for me, so I rolled to the side, guarded my neck, turned into him, got up on all fours and bull dozed him with my head back to the ground, then immediately passed into half gurad (smaller guy was too fast for me to get to full mount, but oh well). He tried to sweep and almost succeeded, but I scrambled and ended up back on top just as the buzzer sounded - I WIN!

I also had a slight impromptu roll with Thiago, he really likes to play, so I jumped right in and as he looked like he was going for a take down on me. I reached in and grabbed his exposed leg and tried to block it, but he still got me good. I really love that about him, he'll sometimes just randomly jump in there like that, and to be honest, I'd probably be angry if a black belt like him lost to a white belt like me in an impromptu match like that.

*Calories - 4000*

I got some of the new shirts with the school's new logo at a pretty nice discount. I also got to watch Thiago beat the hell out of some new people in his no-gi class. 

We all shared stories about the day he decided to turn the air conditioning off around 4 pm. He said that his first class at 4 started heating up the room, then the Muay Thai class started dropping gallons of sweat at 5 pm, by the time his no-gi class started at 6, the room temperature was about 97 degrees plus all the humidity. Then my class started at 7 pm wearing those 4 pound gi's so he turned the air on slightly (brought it down to 85 degrees) until the owner walked in and said something like "DAMN...... it's hot in here, what is the AC broken?" Then we all realized what he had done and the temperature was reset to something more normal. 

Thiago says that in Sao Paulo the only air they get is from an open door or window and that it is not uncommon to hit 105 with humidity. He really did this because one of the guys said that we could easily handle the Brazilian style workouts, the worst part is that he wasn't even there that day for class (little bastard) !


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## tallcall (Mar 1, 2008)

*2/29/08*

*Friday:

Upper Push Power Week 3:

DB Bench on Ball: RI - 90 |* 50'sx10, 55'sx8, 60'sx4 PR for Weight, 50'sx8

*Cross Body Raise: RI - 90 |* 20 lb dbs x 3 sets x 8 reps PR for Weight

*DB Fly on Ball: RI - 60 |* 25's x 3 sets x 8 reps PR for Weight

*DB Skull Crushers on Ball: RI - 90 |* 20x8, 25x8, 25x6 (technical failure) PR for Weight

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 60 |* BWx10, BW+25x8, BW+45x1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1 PR for Weight

*Bird Dogs: RI - 30 |* 3 sets x 10 reps

*Table-Makers |* 15 in 120 seconds

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching/BJJ shadow drills
10 minutes on a bike. 60 seconds at the following levels (50 sec low intensity, 10 seconds high intensity): Levels 13, 15, 17, 19, 13, 17, 19, 20, 12.

*Calories - ~4500*

I felt good today too. I ran into 4 other guys who train MMA at one of the local American Top Team places (not mine). We all talked for a little bit about how things were at our places with our teachers, etc. I still think it's amazing how many people I see at the gym that train MMA or BJJ like me, and 99% or us are American Top Team. I swear all my friends are involved in either Capoeira, Jeet Kun Do, MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or Muay Thai.

I don't think I said it before, but Thiago mentioned that he thinks my signature submission is going to be the Americana from side control. It is because of my size and ability to control from the side, not many people have escaped that one once I was in position to take it (I like to feel people tapping their hand on my side while I'm trying to dislocate their shoulder !).


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## tallcall (Mar 2, 2008)

*3/01/08*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull Power Week 3

Pull-ups: RI - 120 |* BW-46x2, 2, 2, 15 sec hang PR for Weight

*DB Serrates Pull: RI - 60 |* 45x6,8, 8

*DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 90 |* 50x10, 55x10, 60x8 PRs for Weight

*DB Straight Legged Deadlift On Platform: RI - 120 |* 60'sx8, 8, 8 PR for Weight

*Superset: No Rest |
1 - Cable Crunches |* Maxhine #10x12, #12x12, #14x8

*2 - Calf Raises leaning against a wall (more of a stretch) |* BWx3x20 per leg

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 60 |* BW+45x1, 2, 2, 3, BWx12

*Table Makers |* 15 in 120 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs/back
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills (triangle drills, momentum to standing, then some sweeps - like from guard to armbar, etc).

My total time for this week is about 5 hours and 10 minutes ( 4 one hour long BJJ classes, and 20-30 minutes each of the three days I went to the gym). Not as impressive as the 5.5 hours I did a while ago, but enough for me to be physically drained right now. 

*Calories - 4500*

I was really tired, but got through it with flying colors. I did skip the back extensions, due primarily to the deadlifts I was doing. I also skipped out on some of the rows to allow for some variety.

I'm still not very happy with my pull-ups, I just feel so weak on them.

Next week I start my high reps low weight cycle which will run for 2 weeks, then I have a 1 week deload, then my power cycle starts again for 3 weeks, and the cycle continues.

I think it's funny that before I did my deadlifts my shins were in a little pain (very slight pain), then after my deadlifts they felt fine (and are feeling pretty good even now -  very strange). Of course it might have something to do with the insane amount of stretches I did on them all day at work and at the gym, but either way it was pretty nice. Now it just feels like they are cramping up every now and then and when I stretch them the pain just goes away.


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## tallcall (Mar 4, 2008)

*3/04/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

Still no running warm-ups, waiting for ankles and tendons to heal. I figured out that all of this was most likely some kind of ankle or Achilles tendon issue that caused the problems in the shin, so they are still healing (everything else feels great though including the shins).

Worked on escaping side control by holding the hips, grabbing the back of the opponents gi collar and sweeping arm around the face, pushing up with the forearm (and shoulders or whatever you need) to get enough space to swim the arm under so you can grab the back of his gi. Grab the back of his gi, then bridge with your one flat foot and push him up enough so you can sweep around him and take his back while he's on all fours. This also allows a sweep to side control or mount if you keep pushing after you escape because you will still have control of him with both hands. This worked very well and I got to use it a few times during our rolling session. Really, just about everyone ended up trying this one on me, which was great because it forced me to adapt to something new. I did go a little lighter on one of the guys just because he was so light and I really wanted to give him a chance to use it. He did get it, but I certainly wasn't making it easy, just lifting my weight a little (I outweigh him by almost 90 pounds) so he could focus more on the hand positions and force me to roll and end up defending a RNC. 

This was a really good session, I was more in control and more aggressive than normal, I got almost all the positions I wanted and really only tapped twice (armbar and gi choke) and dominated everyone I was working with.

I'm kind of liking the stretching warm-ups better than the running warm-ups, but I don't want any special treatment, so as soon as these ankles feel like doing this, I'm getting back into it at about 50% and slowly working back to 100%.

*Calories - Sunday - 4500 (cheat day)
Monday - 4000
Tuesday - 4000*

Also, my total cardio time for all of last week was almost 5.5 hours (4 hours of BJJ, and about1.5 hours cardio in the gym).


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## tallcall (Mar 5, 2008)

*3/5/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 282.5 â?????? Up 1 pound from last weekâ??????s 281.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No Change from last week
Chest:  51 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 20 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 275.50 â?????? Up from last week's 274.52 (+0.98 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 7.00 â?????? Up from last week's 6.98 (+0.02 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.48 %. 

Again, I added about a pound of muscle and added 0.5 inches to my chest. I think thatâ??????s a good trade off. My fat measurements didnâ??????t change this week either, so thatâ??????s nice.


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## goob (Mar 5, 2008)

Excellent progress TC.  What would the comparison be with your starting off stats?   Pretty big difference I would think.


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## tallcall (Mar 6, 2008)

*3/05/08*

*Wednesday:

Legs Reps Week 1:

Seated Leg Curls: RI - 30 |* 100x15, 110x15, 130x11

*BB Back Squat: RI - 60 |* 100x12, 110x12, 120x12

*Superset: RI - 60 |
1 - DB Snatches |*  20 x 3 sets x 10 reps, 30 x 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - Single Legged Deadlift (to improve balance and stability of each leg emphasizing the ankles) |* 10 lb plate x 5 sets x 10 reps on each leg

*Shin Work |* 25 lb plate x 3 sets x 20

*Calf Raises |* BW x 3 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio: 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

*BJJ:*

Drilled armbars from the guard (same one we did earlier). Then we spent the rest of the class just rolling.

I loved it, I got to roll with a blue belt first, my instructor second, and a purple belt third (no rolling with any white belts today). Thiago made quick work of me as usual but I would probably not be very happy if I was able to win against a black belt like him, so I loved it. My purple belt friend was really cool as well, he showed me a few of my weaknesses real quick. I tapped out a whole bunch of times in 15 minutes! 

I stayed more than an hour late to work with a few guys on some rolls (I still can't do them right - just don't have the flexibility yet). We got to drill a few moves and discuss a bunch of things such as the fact that we can never remember everything that is taught, so he suggests that we don't try, just pick up the basics and try to add in one of the new techniques once we are ready and understand them. I like that way of thinking, it allows me to focus more of my rolling on sweeps, mounts, and staying balanced (frustrates the hell out of everyone).

Oh well, we get to look forward to a visit from De La Riva in April, no sure of the exact date, but we are his first stop (Thiago got his black belt from De La Riva and is the one picking him up from the airport). We are going to have students here from all over the state (especially central and south Florida) so it's going to get crowded quickly. I believe the seminar is going to be 3-4 hours long and it'll probably cost 45-55 dollars so I definitely plan to go for this one (going to be so much fun ).

*Calories - 4000*


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## tallcall (Mar 6, 2008)

goob said:


> Excellent progress TC.  What would the comparison be with your starting off stats?   Pretty big difference I would think.



I started out at 335 pounds and am now around 282. I can't remember the other numbers, but I know the 335 pounds was mostly fat and the 282 right now is a lot of muscle (still waiting for the definition in the abdominals - I know my fat measurements are off slightly but it is the best I can do).

I eat like a horse, an average of 4000-5000 calories a day (sometimes up to 6000) as opposed to when I started (2500-3200). I learned how to eat right real quick with the help of my brother's fiancee (gave very helpful nutritional advice) and my personal trainer. The rest is history.


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## tallcall (Mar 7, 2008)

*3/06/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ:*

No one else showed up for class so I got a nice private session with Thiago thumb:)! We spent the entire time talking about what's going on with me, I thought it was kind of funny because I ended up explaining Tourette Syndrome and some of the effects of it. I have a few balance problems which may be partially behind my strange walking pattern. I sometimes have a hard time landing evenly and land on one side or another on each foot, which I think is causing my shin problems now that I'm taking a closer look at how I move. He told me that now that he knows that that it is understandable if I choose to keep doing my warm-ups the way I'm doing them. I told him that I am going to get back to the point where I'll be doing the running because I like to keep my standards set high and the standard is that everybody runs. This may not be easy but I will get there at some point!

We went over positions concentrating on side control to full mount and side control with Americana (he is now convinced that this is my submission - I knid of own it now ).

The side control to full mount was very simple but very effective, just hug the guy with your hands clasped together, switch your hips and lean your shoulder and weight onto his neck and face to prevent him from turning, then slide your leg up and over him, shift yourself higher so you end up sitting on his ribs and squeeze your knees together. Now you can easily stay upright and go for quick arm-bars, Americanas, Kimuras, Arm Triangles, and all the chokes.

We went over another variation of this where you pin his belt to the ground and grab your own foot to slide it up and over faster so he can't even see what is happening and he ends up expecting an Americana until he realizes he is being mounted.

I rolled with him for about 15 minutes, and ended up tapping a lot, but I expect that from him. I did reverse one of his arm-bars though and nearly ended up in side control from it (couldn't move fast enough and he got me into his guard). It was a lot of fun, he made a comment about how I've improved so much and that I just need to keep the agression high and use my weight to my advantage more, but that he thinks I'm doing great D)!

Also, My strength and conditioning coach returned today to watch my class after about two weeks of recovering from a dislocated elbow! It was so nice to see him, he is such a nice person, everyone just kind of gravitates to him, and I usually just feel kind of protective of him. We all end up exchanging big hugs everytime he comes through, I probably ended up hugging him 3 or 4 times tonight (I really have missed him - and it is nice to see that he is doing fine after the beating he got - ).

In the end it was a very cool day and I hope to have more like it sometime.


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## DOMS (Mar 7, 2008)

That really does sound like a great night. 

And great job on the weight loss!


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## tallcall (Mar 7, 2008)

DOMS said:


> That really does sound like a great night.
> 
> And great job on the weight loss!



Oh it was a great night, everything was so simply explained that I think as long as I can get into the correct position with everyone else, I'll be fine.


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## tallcall (Mar 7, 2008)

*3/07/08*

*Friday:

Upper Push Reps Week 1:

Push-Ups: RI - 60 |* 3 sets of 10

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-70 x 3 sets x 8 reps

*Cross Body Push: RI - 30 |* Machine #5 x 10, #6 x 10, #7 x 10

*Cross Body Raises: RI - 30 |* 10 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps

*DB Skull Crushers on a Stability Ball: RI - 45 |* 10 lbs x 15, 15 lbs x 15, 15 lbs x 15

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs - this is always 200 crunches, 25 leg outs, 25 vertical flutters and 25 horizontal flutters, and possibly 25 back extensions.

30 minutes stretching/BJJ shadow drills (triangles, shrimping, and some sweeps just so I can remember the positioning) - nice flexibility in the arms today, I got my feet to touch my face and am almost laying flat back during that stretch where you lay one leg next to you and prop your other foot up on that knee then lean back as far as possible, I got almost all the way back.

10 minutes on a bike

*Calories - 4500*

I felt good, I ran into two friends from other BJJ places around here (no one from Gracie Barra - we're kind of cross town rivals - interesting story...). Once again, people just starred at me like I had the plague when I was doing my BJJ drills and watching me and my new found speed and flexibility!

Wednesday night at class some girl came in wearing a Gracie Barra shirt from the local club to but some shin guards. My teacher just laughed and sold her the guards and let her leave then turned and said how he thought it was funny to see one of the Gracie students coming here for her supplies and that he had absolutely no problem taking money from any of them (I loved it, maybe they'll send some more guys over to buy some stuff from us and make us some money off of Gracie Barra ).

Anyways the whole rivalry is basically because they generally have an attitude and think they're morally superior to everyone and one of our guys took on one of their guys in a competition which we won. We also started selling our t-shirts at some of their events and actually did pretty good. Ahhh...It's good to have some people who want to see you lose all the time, it keeps you motivated and makes you proud when you or your friends do well in competition.


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## lucifuge (Mar 7, 2008)

great work Tallcall, keep it up!


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## tallcall (Mar 7, 2008)

lucifuge said:


> great work Tallcall, keep it up!



Thank you, thank you!


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## tallcall (Mar 8, 2008)

*3/08/08*

*Saturday:

Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-70 x 6, 5, 4, 4, 4

*MTS High Row: RI - 60 |* 70's x 15, 15, 12

*Back Extensions With Medicine Tango: RI - 30 |* 6 lb ball x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Superset 1: RI - 60 |
1 - DB Straight Legged Deadlifts |* 30's x 12, 40'sx12, 50'sx12

*2 - DB Shrugs |* 30'sx20, 40'sx20, 50'sx20

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 60 |* BW+45 x 3, 2, 2, 2, BW x 12

*Tablemakers |* 17 reps in 120 seconds

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills
10 minutes on a bike

I was kind of tired today, but it was all good. Everything feels like it's getting easier.

*Calories - ~4200*


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## tallcall (Mar 9, 2008)

*3/09/08*

*Off Day:
Calories - ~5000 (cheat day)*

I went with family to Red Lobster! What a cheat meal, man that was a lot of food!

Back to *"normal"* tomorrow.


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## fufu (Mar 9, 2008)

Red Lobster...mmm. I haven't been there in ages.


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## tallcall (Mar 10, 2008)

*3/10/08*

Mmm yeah Lobster...

*Monday:
Legs Reps Week 2:

Superset 1: RI - 30 |*

*1 - Lying Leg Curls |* 130x12, 12, 10

*2 - Hip Rotations |* 112.5x12, 10, 10

*Superset 2: RI - 60 |*

*1 - Leg Press |* 270x12, 360x12, 450x10, 360x10, 270x10

*2 - Calf Presses |* 270x20, 360x20, 450x20, 360x20, 270x20

*Single Leg Deadlift: RI - 30 |* 10 lbs x 12, 25 lbs x 12, 12

*Side Lunges: RI - 30 |* 3xBWx10

*Ab Wheel: RI - 30 |* 3xBWx10

*Bird-Dogs: No Rest |* 3xBWx10

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

That felt nice, I finished the weightlifting portion in about 50 minutes. It seems that this week has been all about deadlifts I did the straight leg deadlifts on Saturday and before that did the single leg deadlifts on Wednesday. Next time I do legs I'm probably going to use sumo deadlifts as my main exercise (today's was the leg press).

Didn't do anything super special today - got a hair cut and am going to class tonight. I also finally had time to clean out my closet (I guess there's a pun in there somewhere ).

Hope everyone else is having a nice day.


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## tallcall (Mar 11, 2008)

*3/10/08*

*Monday:

BJJ:*

Class ran for about 2 hours so it was about 15 minutes for warm-ups, 30 minutes for technique drills, and 1 hour 15 minutes for rolling (taking a few breaks here and there). I have been told by my instructor to stop running (the Tourettes syndrome is causing some balance issues and I'm landing my feet on the sides and all over the place just when walking, so running just emphasizes this), so I think most all of my warm-ups there are going to be stretching and all the core work they do, anything as long as it does not involve running for long periods. This also means no more treadmill and I'm going to be using the bike and maybe an elliptical for now sob: My legs now feel fine, but I feel like crap - I hate being given any special treatment - Damn the Americans with Disabilities Act!!!!!!!!!!). Thiago knows how angry I am with this and said that it isn't worth it ruin my legs and that those runs aren't the only way to warm-up, I told him that I just wanted to be treated like everyone else, he reminded me that we're all different and that what works well for some doesn't necessarily work well for others and that stretching is just as good as those runs and not to worry about it (didn't really make me feel any better - still can't stand it).

We drilled arm-drag takedowns and transitions from that takedown to back mount and rear naked choke. Afterwards My purple belt friend and I rolled for a bit and he showed me how these moves can be applied in any situation where an arm presents itself and the momentum is going in that direction (so it is not just possible from butterfly guard).

I was so tired by the time I got there that I felt drained and had nothing to run on but I got through the entire class and rolled for at least 7 rounds. It was just a bad day all around, but it was nice to get to roll that much even though the other guys couldn't have gotten very much out of it. Oh well, Wednesday will be better.

*Calories - 4000*


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## fufu (Mar 11, 2008)

Hey, running is over-rated!

On the bright side, you have a guy who caters to his students and considers them.


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## tallcall (Mar 11, 2008)

fufu said:


> Hey, running is over-rated!
> 
> On the bright side, you have a guy who caters to his students and considers them.



This is all true....

I always hated running anyways, I think I'm going to boycott it


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## tallcall (Mar 12, 2008)

*3/12/08 Weigh in*

3/12/08 Weigh in
Weight: 281.5 â?????? Down 1 pound from last weekâ??????s 282.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? Down 0.5 No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 274.92 â?????? Up from last week's 275.50 (-0.58 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 6.58 â?????? Up from last week's 7.00 (-0.42 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:

Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4 mm â?????? Down 0.5 from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.34 %. 

Iâ??????m just about ready for a nice week off. I still feel a little flabby, but I wonder how much of it is loose skin? My fat measurements didnâ??????t go up or anything so Iâ??????m not sure.


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## fufu (Mar 12, 2008)

Don't let the fine tuning of weight loss bug you. For me I get alot more critical on my body when I am cutting. Sometimes I just have to stop looking at myself for a while or else I start making things up in my mind.

Anyway, looks good.


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## tallcall (Mar 12, 2008)

fufu said:


> Don't let the fine tuning of weight loss bug you. For me I get alot more critical on my body when I am cutting. Sometimes I just have to stop looking at myself for a while or else I start making things up in my mind.
> 
> Anyway, looks good.



Thanks man!

Some weeks I just forget about it all anyways, those are usually good weeks.


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## tallcall (Mar 13, 2008)

*3/12/08*

*Wednesday:

BJJ:*

We drilled a sweep from open guard to bicep crusher/side control. This is the same setup as if we were going for a one crusher or bicep crusher from open guard except I circle my leg outside the arm I'm attacking (circle inside to crank it good and lock it between your knee and calf to go for the crushers, then just sit up and push your knee into it a little - it takes almost no effort to really hurt their forearm or bicep).

I rolled with Thiago first and a blue belt the rest of the time. I ended up staying for 2 hours and working for at least 90 minutes of it - so far this week I have 4.5 hours of cardio (2 hours from Monday's BJJ class, 0.5 hours from Monday's workout, and 2 hours from today's BJJ class). 

Add in 1 hour tomorrow, plus an extra hour over the course of the rest of this week at the gym and I have a grand total of 6.5 hours (though I think I'm going to skip one of the regular cardio sessions to make sure it doesn't go above 6 hours).

Today was a much better day, I kept getting owned by the blue-belt (he is seriously one strong guy and kept me on my back most of the time ).

*Calories - 4000 (a little heavier than normal on the calories today )*


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## goob (Mar 13, 2008)

Hot damn. Do you have time to work with all this training????


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## fufu (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice.

How much time do you get to roll during class? Tops I get 15 minutes, it sucks. I could easily spend 30 minutes, it's the most enjoyable part of training.

I rolled with my instructor(high purple) last week. I think he did something like a bicep crusher but it was done on the back of the knee instead. He cranked it for a good 10 seconds, I was feeling blood loss to my foot. He gave up eventually, my leg was sore for a few days, heh.


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## tallcall (Mar 13, 2008)

goob said:


> Hot damn. Do you have time to work with all this training????



Oh yeah, sleep is what I don't have much time for.


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## tallcall (Mar 13, 2008)

fufu said:


> Nice.
> 
> How much time do you get to roll during class? Tops I get 15 minutes, it sucks. I could easily spend 30 minutes, it's the most enjoyable part of training.
> 
> I rolled with my instructor(high purple) last week. I think he did something like a bicep crusher but it was done on the back of the knee instead. He cranked it for a good 10 seconds, I was feeling blood loss to my foot. He gave up eventually, my leg was sore for a few days, heh.



We only get about 15 minutes in the regular classes, but if my purple belt friend shows up (Mondays and Wednesdays) he stays around for another hour and we usually roll for another 20 minutes, he also likes to go over things we learned in class in more detail. Sometimes he just helps myself and a few others out with mastering the basics (you can never learn them well enough and never underestimate their effectiveness). This usually means no flying arm-bars or any of that fancy stuff just the basic stuff that always works, he wants to see us get it down to the point where we're flawless with it.

One of my friends and I were rolling and he tried to get me in a triangle choke, so I looked up to the ceiling and began posturing up, pulled my arm back and pressed against his legs to open them up when I heard his knee pop twice. I dropped back onto him to help relieve the pressure and stopped everything. I guess that he had a hard time locking in and my posturing up put pressure on his right knee (he should have given it up when he started feeling pressure - I think this is kind of like a knee-bar - I've never performed one since only those with about 6 or so years of experience can even do one legally). He was alright and was able to continue on after a quick 2-3 minute break. I really felt bad about that though, but everything was alright.


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## tallcall (Mar 14, 2008)

*3/13/08*

*Thursday:

BJJ:*

About 20 minutes warming-up, 20 minutes learning techniques, and about 15 minutes rolling.

We drilled a transition from Spider guard to Triangle Choke. I rolled for about 4 minutes with my friend before his knee popped, then I finished my round with Thiago. For some reason I was moving a little quicker today than yesterday.

On Wednesday, when I rolled with Thiago, I got caught in a rear naked choke and started using the wall to help me escape. When I did this he laughed and said something about how I'm using the cage to get out of a bad situation (I've been lobbying them for a cage there and I think they're going to finally set one up). I kicked my feet up on the wall and used it to help me over his blocking leg, I almost got side control out of it.


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## tallcall (Mar 15, 2008)

*3/14/08*

*Friday:

Upper Push Reps Week 2:

Bench on Ball: RI - 60 |* 30'sx12, 35'sx12, 40'sx12, 35'sx12, 30'sx12

*Cross Body Raise: RI - 30 |* 10 lb db x 3 sets x 12 reps

*DB Fly on Ball: RI - 45 |* 15's x 3 sets x 12 reps

*DB Skull Crushers on Ball: RI - 60 |* 15x10, 20 x 2 sets x 10 reps

*Peck Deck: RI - 30 |* 60x12, 75x12, 90x12, 75x2, 75x12

*Shin Work |* 45 lb plate x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Superset: RI - 30 |*
*1 - Ball Chops |* 8 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - Bird-Dogs |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Table-Makers |* 35 in 5 minutes

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs - 325 crunches (50 normal, 50 left oblique, 50 right oblique, 50 bicycle, 25 legs lying to right facing ceiling oblique, 25 on the other side, 25 vertical flutters, 25 horizontal flutters, 25 leg outs)

30 minutes stretching and BJJ drills

*Calories - 4200*

I saw one of my friends over there again. He works there and was very interested in talking to me. I asked if he was working Sunday afternoon, he said yes, and I told him that I'd be in Sunday and that I really liked talking to him. He's such a cool guy - I have to admit he looks nice too.

All in all a great day.

Now Saturday (today) was a different story. I got stuck working a 12.5 hour shift because one of the senior operators decided to call in sick (he has family over this weekend, so I doubt he is sick - but whatever). SO i got screwed into working half of his shift and I'm going to be very angry if it happens again tomorrow. I hope they fire him soon and give me his position like I've been asking (it's a 6-10,000 dollar a year raise I believe). My new boss has teeth and really doesn't like this guy, but seems to love myself and one or two others in my department (all the good ones he trusts to make "executive" decisions - ). Only time will tell.

*Calories for today (Saturday) - I think it is close to 4200 but lost count because of the long day and had a few extra meals to give myself some extra energy (operating off of about 5.5 hours of sleep)*


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## tallcall (Mar 17, 2008)

*3/16/08*

*Sunday:

Upper Pull Reps Week 2:

Pull-Ups: RI - 30 |* BW-70 x 6, 6, 5, 4, 4

*Seated Cable One Arm Row: RI - 30 |* 120x12, 135x12, 150x12, 135x12, 120x12

*T-Bar Row: RI - 30 |* 100x12, 125x12, 150x10, 135x10, 100x10

*DB Shrugs: RI - 30 |* 70's x 3 sets x 20 reps

*Cable Crunches: RI - 30 |* Machine #10 x 12, #12 x 12, #16 (Stack) x 1 PR for Weight, #14 x 3

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike, 10 minutes abs/back - 325 for abs (250 crunches, 50 flutters - vert/horiz - 25 leg outs), 25 back extensions.

30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

Cardio time for this week - 6 hours or 51 minutes per day for 7 days

*Calories - 5500 (cheat Day - I deserved this one!)*

I didn't get to meet the guy today, but was able to leave him a note. The other people there told me he'd be in Monday afternoon, so I think I'll stop by and chat with him for a bit.


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## tallcall (Mar 19, 2008)

*3/19/08 Weigh in*

3/19/08 Weigh in
Weight: 285.5 â?????? Up 4 pounds from last weekâ??????s 281.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.0 inches â?????? Down 0.5 from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 278.82 â?????? Up from last week's 274.92 (+3.90 pounds)
Body Fat Weight: 6.68 â?????? Up from last week's 6.58 (+0.10 pounds)

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.34 %. 

Alright, I feel a lot better this week. I gained some muscle, probably from
constantly having to throw everyoneâ??????s bodyweight around. Weight gain is fine
with me as long as it is mostly lean mass (no fat please). Everyone at school told me that they thought I lost quite a bit of weight already, I told them that the numbers on the scale showed a weight gain, but I think Iâ??????m mainly losing fat.

The estimated bf % is not really correct, Iâ??????m just happy to see that Iâ??????m adding weight (albeit accidentally) and that my fat measurement numbers (also flawed) are not going up in the process. Iâ??????ll take the extra weight as long as it is mostly muscle.


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## tallcall (Mar 19, 2008)

*3/19/08*

*BJJ for Monday:*

We did some work from side control. Pulling out the Gi, wrapping the arm, feeding it to the other hand, going north-south, trapping the opposite hand and going for a choke from the side with just the wrist that is controlling the gi. Or switching hips, swimming your free hand under opponent's trapped arm and grabbing his far shoulder, then pulling him up onto your leg, releasing the gi and going for a modified rear naked choke (free foot on his thigh and not letting his head slip between your chest and arm - not easy to do, got to keep the arm tight to your body while trying to get into position).

I rolled with two white belts and dominated the first. I told him that I have noticed a big improvement in his speed and control (which is completely true and good since he and I started at the same time). The other guy has been there for a while and training mostly no-gi. He has never tested for a belt promotion so he is still a white belt (we usually laugh and say he is a Thiago white belt which usually translates to purple belt  - same for me). I got owned by him quite a bit, he is going to be great when he gets into MMA (I've seen his Muai Thai (spelling?) and I think he's doing fine).

I rolled with one of our purple belts after class. Well, another guy and I rolled with him, we even double teamed each other once or twice (I scared the hell out of that other guy a few times ).

*Tuesday:*

I got to meet Thiago's first black belt student - Renato something (he's going to do his first pro fight for Cage Fighters down here and came by for some training with us - that was quite an honor). He was drilling take-downs with the class before mine and kept driving the guys off the mat, once almost going through the large front window D), then landing on me (it was alright, I caught them, no damage).

In class we went over more sweeps from spider guard, one had us kicking the opponent's knee out. Both sweeps ended up landing with the foot still on the bicep, then pulling both arms us and sliding that foot under the guy's head blocking one arm, pull the other arm up and over his neck and lean all your weight into it for a nice choke. There, a quick sweep to choke to _tap tap tap_.

We found out the De la Riva is coming to town here on April 18 (Friday) and is going to be doing a 3 hour session. I am so going to this, I've already spoken to Thiago and apparently there are only 30 spots available - I'm getting one reserved tonight. Also, De la Riva likes to train with gi (he'll do no-gi if asked, but prefers to train people with gi - don't ask, I don't really understand). This will be fun!


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## nadirmg (Mar 19, 2008)

wow, awesome numbers on the one-armed seated rows, tallcall!

hey, what kind of calipers to you use?  been thinkin' about getting me a pair of them so i can track my progress more accurately.


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## tallcall (Mar 19, 2008)

nadirmg said:


> wow, awesome numbers on the one-armed seated rows, tallcall!
> 
> hey, what kind of calipers to you use?  been thinkin' about getting me a pair of them so i can track my progress more accurately.



Thanks man!

Mine are cheap ones from Body Tracker - Slim Guide Caliper.

I know my numbers are off, but I've been having fun with the calipers.


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## tallcall (Mar 20, 2008)

*3/19/08*

*Wednesday:
Legs Reps Week 3:*

*Hip Rotations: RI - 30 |* 112.5 x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Deadlifts: RI - 60 |* 155x12, 205x10, 225x8 - All of this with no straps and DOH grip - also, no back belt.

*Side Lunges: RI - 20 |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 30 |* 130 x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes bike

10 minutes abs/back

30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

*Calories - ~3600*

I was not in a great mood this day, and performed very poorly. I did get some good looking deadlifts without any equipment though.



*BJJ - Wednesday:*

More work from Spider guard - pulling a triangle. Using the higher positioned leg, dropping it and switching legs so that the other leg is across the back and locking down a triangle.

We rolled a few times, I frustrated everyone and stayed in their guard as much as possible - god I love that! 



*BJJ - Thursday:*

More work from sipder guard. This time we pulled the triangle with the higher mounted leg, escaped the hips and locked it down. Also, we drilled a omo-plata (I think that's how it's spelled) by pulling the higher mounted arm down and wrapping around the higher mounted leg, grap the guy's thigh, sit up, grab is back and the floor, escape hips to the side to force him to flaten out, lock the foot whose leg is controlling the arm under the opposite knee, place your hand on his back and lean forward - also you might have to bridge your hips a little (not much really, I didn't need to move anything much at all because I had it locked in so tight).

I rolled with just about everyone and dominated all (I didn't get anyone to tap and I tapped out only once). I got everybody at one point or another in side control and made several smooth transitions from side to full mount, I even almost got a north-south mount and a clock choke. 

I was most proud of escaping a rear naked choke that was in really tight, then having it converted to a guillotine and pushing in and pressing my head to the mat to breath. Then slipping out of that (he had me in it while he was directly in front of me). When I was able to breath, I started pulling out and ended up sliding out the back door nearly getting him in a back mount before time was called (he had tried to go from guillotine to either a rear naked again or a variation of a triangle - either way, I got out). 

I had a lot of fun rolling tonight - my only issue was keeping my hips down tight during side control (just can't always think while I'm trying to do this - so many things to consider - really like playing Chess ).

*Calories - Thursday - 4000*


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## tallcall (Mar 22, 2008)

*3/21/08*

*Friday:

Upper Push Reps Week 3:

Dips: RI - 30 |* BW-70 x 3 sets x 6, 6, 5 (+1)

*Bench on Ball: RI - 30 |* 30'sx12, 35'sx12, 40'sx12, 35'sx12, 30'sx12

*Cross Body Push: RI - 30 |* Machine #4 x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Rope Triceps Extension: RI - 30 |* Machine #6 x 3 sets x 12 reps

*Peck Deck: RI - 30 |* 150 x 3 sets x 10

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs/back
30 minutes stretching
10 minutes on an elliptical - didn't feel too bad on my legs, I think I'll keep it in.

*Calories - 3900*

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the Peck Deck can be counted as a push - I'm doing the reverse fly on it. I can easily see it as either a push or pull, pushing to the side or pulling to the side. I like it and am thinking of keeping it on my push days, if only to balance the normal pushes a little (feels nice to internally rotate my shoulders after all that external rotation).

All in all a good day - I'm getting a bit lethargic about everything and chose not to do any drills there, just to try and remember all the things we went over last week.

I saw my friend from Tuesday night. Apparently I caused some damage to that knee, he said he could walk on it fine, but running was out of the question for now. He was very cool about everything, we sat and talked for a little while. It's pretty cool to have friends that you can basically beat up and are still willing to come in and talk to you (I did not do anything to him intentionally and stopped immediately when I thought something may have been wrong - I heard his knee pop twice). I told him I felt really bad about all of it, that I thought he was a pretty cool guy and how it was a pleasure to train with him.


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## PreMier (Mar 22, 2008)

do you do the pec dec to hit the chest, or the rear delts?  former is push, latter is pull.. i always do a pull movement at the end of push day


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## tallcall (Mar 22, 2008)

PreMier said:


> do you do the pec dec to hit the chest, or the rear delts?  former is push, latter is pull.. i always do a pull movement at the end of push day



I'm doing it to hit the rear delts, so I guess it is really more of a pull. That's ok, after a day of pushing it feels nice to do a good pulling movement.


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## tallcall (Mar 22, 2008)

*3/22/08*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull Reps Week 3:

Superset 1: RI - 30 |
1 - Pull-ups |* BW-70 x 7, 6, 5, 5, 4 - Nice improvement over last week!

*2 - DB Rear Delt Row |* 30 lbs x 3 sets x 12

*Superset 2: RI - 30 |*
*1 - MTS High Row |* 80's x 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - Hammer Curls |* 25's x 3 sets x 8, 8, 7

*Superset 3: RI - 30 |*
*1 - Back Extensions With Medicine Ball |* BW+8 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - EZ Bar Curls (21's) |* 3o lbs x 3 sets x 21 reps (of course)

*Hanging Knee Raises: RI - 30 |* BW+25 x 7, 6, 6, 7, 7 - Also a nice improvement

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes for abs/back
30 minutes for stretching

10 minutes on an elliptical - I am getting back into doing some HIIT training on this machine (lower impact might not be so bad for my legs and it is a controlled movement so I can't accidentally have my feet land sideways or in the wrong place and get thrown off balance like on the treadmill ). I did six 20 second sprints each with 40 seconds active recovery between them, then finished is a steady state form.

*Calories - ~3700*
I'm trying to cut my calories back a little to get back to having days at ~3400, 3600, and 4000-4500 (depending on the level of anticipated activity)

Pretty good day, I saw a bunch of friends there, other than them, no one was there - probably due to the holiday. Very nice, I got everything I wanted without any hassle.

I feel very strong on those Pull-Ups, just got to keep working it up to body weight.

Shoulders feel fine. Shins feel great. I credit my shoulders to doing those bench presses off a stability ball. I think it allows me to get a little more of an internal rotation on the latter half of the movement which relieves pressure and makes me feel better. Also, I've noticed a size difference in my chest since I started doing these so I think I'm going to keep these in for a while.

Anyway, this is my last strength training workout for about a week so I can have some time to rest up for my next power cycle. I'm still going to go in for cardio and stretching 3 times and probably go to 2 BJJ classes. I have to make sure I have my spot for the De La Riva seminar . Plus I hope to see my poor injured friends there Monday or Tuesday (My strength/conditioning coach and the guy I accidentally injured this week - not really my fault but I still feel bad about it ).


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## tallcall (Mar 23, 2008)

*3/23/08*

*Happy Easter!*

Today was a nice cheat day, I don't think I went too far overboard. 

*Calories - ~4500-5000 (not really sure, just guessing)*


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## tallcall (Mar 24, 2008)

*3/24/08*

*Monday:
Rest Week:

Cardio: 20 Minutes*

5 minutes on a bike

5 minutes on a treadmill. I did this very slow (so as not to cause any problems) and at the highest elevation (to allow me to get the most bang for my buck).

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer. I did this as a strange mix of HIIT and SS, maxing out at level 20 of 20 (working around level 8-12).

Slight fatigue in my shins but nothing more.

*BJJ: 1.5 hours*

We just drilled arm-bars from full mount. I'm still having difficulty with the swing motion (mostly the speed). 

My purple belt friend described my strength and Thiago (my trainer's strength - since they have worked together since 1996) as "retard strength" - meaning I have a lot of untapped strength that I need to learn to use, Thiago used to have "retard strength" but he learned to use it so now he's just "retarded." 

I rolled with my friend, who was injured by me last week, a couple times. He was cool, we just kind of played for a little while, he pretended to rain down punches while I just kept trying to jump him any time he turned his back. He's a strong beast of a person too, he used to do a lot of boxing, now he does a lot of Muai-Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and Capoeira, so even those playful punches still kind of stung. It was all great, I got to have some fun with him and relieve some tension nail:).

I count my cardio time for today as about 2 hours.

*Calories - 3400*


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## fufu (Mar 24, 2008)

noice


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## tallcall (Mar 24, 2008)

fufu said:


> noice


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## goob (Mar 25, 2008)

Good job TC.


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## katt (Mar 25, 2008)

Do you feel any anxiety when you're about to go at it with someone that was injured by you??   I kinda think I would...


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## DOMS (Mar 25, 2008)

Great work on the BJJ!

How long have you been at it?

You're "retarded" comments reminded me a something I used to say: "You're not just tarded, you're retarded."


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## tallcall (Mar 25, 2008)

DOMS said:


> Great work on the BJJ!
> 
> How long have you been at it?
> 
> You're "retarded" comments reminded me a something I used to say: "You're not just tarded, you're retarded."



Only since December, so I'm going on 5 months now.


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## tallcall (Mar 25, 2008)

katt said:


> Do you feel any anxiety when you're about to go at it with someone that was injured by you??   I kinda think I would...



Just a little, but he likes to be rough. Like I said he is a strong guy with a great attitude.


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## nadirmg (Mar 25, 2008)

'bout 2 hours of cardio?  nice, man!

hey, what's 'BJJ'?


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## tallcall (Mar 25, 2008)

nadirmg said:


> 'bout 2 hours of cardio?  nice, man!
> 
> hey, what's 'BJJ'?



It stands for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's kind of like MMA (think of UFC), but we don't throw punches - that's done in another class there.


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## nadirmg (Mar 25, 2008)

must be nice to live in a place where you can get all kinds of stuff like that.
here in n.c. we have a plethora of BBQ and fried chicken shacks.  

'karate?  kung-who?  what yoo, talkin'bout boy?  s'at some kinda newfangled food?'

*sigh* i hate n.c.


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## tallcall (Mar 25, 2008)

*3/25/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ:*

Drilled some Gi chokes since there were a lot of new people. I did pretty good, but go owned by everyone for quite a while. I held my own against the blue belts I went against and the stronger one really gave me a nice workout by keeping the pressure on me and forcing me to keep shrimping out of his control. I kept reversing rear naked chokes all night - I think I'm getting pretty good at that, now if I could only keep people from getting my back in the first place. 

One other thing, I still can't generate that much power/speed with my hips. I have a really difficult time bridging out of everything, I can't bridge with my neck because of the Tourettes so it's not very fun.

Oh well, I might never be that good, but I am really just there to have fun and get a lot of cardio. Also, having all these great guys there really makes things so much nicer and easier (I still love rolling and just playing with Scott - rain down all the punches you want man, then I go for a rear naked chock while he's talking to one of his other friends ).

*Calories - ~3600

Time - 1 hour*


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## PreMier (Mar 26, 2008)

do they know you're gay?  if the do, does it bother them?  if they dont, do you think it would bother them?  im just curious


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## tallcall (Mar 26, 2008)

PreMier said:


> do they know you're gay?  if the do, does it bother them?  if they dont, do you think it would bother them?  im just curious



Most of them know, Scott knows as well as Thiago and a few others. They're all fine with it. I don't try to do anything inappropriate there.


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## tallcall (Mar 27, 2008)

*3/27/08 Weigh in*

3/27/08 Weigh in

Weight: 279.0 â?????? Down 6.5 from last weekâ??????s 285.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? Down 0.5 from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.25 â?????? Down 1.67 pounds from last week.
Body Fat Weight: 5.75 â?????? Down 0.83 pounds from last week.

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 3.5 â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2.5 â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.06 % - Really more like 15 %. 

The weight has dropped kind of quick and has been hovering around 279-281 for the last few days. I feel great for finally breaking into the 270â??????s.


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## goob (Mar 27, 2008)

Awsome job TC, i can't believe it's still coming down.  Good job on the body fat loss.


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## tallcall (Mar 27, 2008)

*3/27/08*

*Calories for3/26/08 - ~3400

BJJ:
1 hour*

Learned arm-bar from spider guard. Basically it can be used after a failed sweep attempt where the opponent bases up too much. Pretty cool move. 

I did alright rolling. My first time I was able to keep good control. I was able to keep stalemating my purple belt friend the second time. I kept getting choked and owned the third time by one of the blue belts (very strong guy - he's a bouncer for a local night club ). 

I hated the last roll with that guy, it pissed me off so much, I kept trying to get in on him and every take-down attempt I made ended up in either Americana or rear naked choke, sometimes a different typ of gi choke where you wrap the gi around the person's neck and crank it (my teacher's specialty choke for all his gi fights). That guy pissed me off in a good way, I'm going to come back Monday night ready for a rematch. 

On a side note, I watched Scott and Renato Sobral (sp) going at it in preparation for Renato's upcoming cage warrior fight this Saturday. Renato is a black belt in BJJ and does very well with Maui-Thai. They were drilling him on ground defense with Scott on top in guard throwing punches only to the side and abdomen (I think since this was the last hour Renato was there they must have already drilled him on a lot of other things - he did 3 hours last night). Renato was allowed only to sweep, mount, and throw light slaps and mimick elbows while blocking his elbow with his other hand (so as not to injure the other guys). While rolling with Scott, Renato accidentally hit Scott's nose. Man there was a lot of blood for a light tap - blood all over the mat, it was cool but gross. Scott got cleaned up and got back in there, that kind of thing is bound to happen sometimes when doing things like this (heck, we have people with injured knees, dislocated shoulders, broken noses, hyper extended elbows, rotator cuff problems, messed up hands, etc - and that's only from the Jiu-Jitsu Gi only class not any of the MMA classes  - we kill each other for fun)

*Calories for 3/287/08 - ~3600*

I'm trying to keep my calories fluctuating all week. 3200 is a little too low because I always end up feeling so tired. I took a nap yesterday and just wanted to pass out because I just didn't have enough to eat, which was the reason I didn't stay for my normal 2 hours of BJJ.

*Total Cardio time for this week - 4 hours (for a rest week it isn't bad)*


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## tallcall (Mar 30, 2008)

*Calories for 3/28/08 - ~4000

Calories for 3/29/08 - 3600*

Today may be a cheat day so I'm just aiming to keep it near 4500 for today.

Back to the weights tomorrow.


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## tallcall (Mar 31, 2008)

*3/31/08*

*Monday:
Legs Power Week 1:

Hip Abductions: RI - 30 |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x8

*Double Leg Extensions: RI - 60 |* 150x8, 160x8, 170x8 PR for Weight

*Sumo Deadlift: RI - 60 |* 225x8, 275x6, 325x1 (+1 - Failed) PR for Weight

*Squat Press: RI - 60 |* 270 (3 plates) x 10, 360 (4 plates) x 10, 450 (5 plates) x 10 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
30 minutes stretching and BJJ drills

*Calories - ~4600*

I had a good time on this one and got to see another friend at the gym today. Dave's a really nice guy, kind of oblivious but very down to earth and I think he has done Jiu-Jitsu before. He gave me a few bits of advice on my cardio and getting around doing the running while still keeping my endurance and stamina up (today I might be dead but that's because of the double workout), basically I just have to work very hard on the bike and keep everything running hot for a good 20 or 30 minutes every time I'm in the gym - which is what I do already so I guess I'm on the right track.

My deadlifts keep getting better! I got a little rushed on my last set and decided to really test myself by going up 20 pounds from last time instead of the 10 I was going to go for so I guess I got what I deserved and only got 1 rep (I did try to reset and get one more but I failed - all while the guy who was rushing me watched -  - ).

I also wanted to superset inner and outer thighs but could only get the machine for outer thighs because some girl was on the other one talking to her friend - !

All the mats were full today - !

Squat Press power went up -  - but only because I couldn't get a real leg press from this other girl who said she had another *15 (!!!!!)* sets to do before she would be done - !

Leg Extensions went up -  - but this may have been related to me not being able to do my original superset because of that girl - !

Yep, I had a lot of fun today! Also, I learned something very important - *"Rage is a lot of work!"* - Chris Leavins


----------



## fufu (Mar 31, 2008)

gj on the DL PR.

15 sets of a machine, wth is that chick thinking?


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## tallcall (Mar 31, 2008)

fufu said:


> gj on the DL PR.
> 
> 15 sets of a machine, wth is that chick thinking?



I know! You got to love it when people do stupid things like that. I really should have brought my camera - if only I could find the batteries.........


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## fufu (Mar 31, 2008)

true story


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## tallcall (Mar 31, 2008)

*3/31/08*

*Monday:

BJJ:
2 hours*

We had a lot of new people in today. We drilled guard passes and arm-bars. I rolled with one of the newer guys, he did pretty well and got me in a few chokes - he's about my weight and size so I think we are going to have some fun together!

After most of them left, I stayed with 3 others and we went over some standing take-downs and even learned some De La Riva moves like the De La Riva guard and hook with 2 or 3 of it's sweep variations. We were shown De La Riva's escape from triangle to full mount. I definitely had a full night and am looking forward to April 18th when De La Riva comes here.

Side note, another cool thing is that when everyone was doing their warm-ups and I was doing my stretching routine, Joel (our Monday night instructor) joined me in the middle of the mat and asked me to roll with him. That was one heck of a nice warm-up for me. He was doing it because he needs as much practice as he can get before his fight on April 19th in Oklahoma. I'm very happy for him, he's going to break somebody that night and that'll be cool!


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## tallcall (Apr 2, 2008)

*4/01/08*

*Tuesday:

BJJ: 1 hour*

We drilled a scissor sweep and a sort of momentum sweep (where the guy ends up pulling away to get away from you because he thinks you're going to sweep him so you just switch from a pull to a push and roll straight up into mount).

I rolled with everyone it seemed and got owned by them all (I was tired). One of the guys who has been the hardest for me to get through gave me one of the nicest compliments when he said that he felt a huge improvement when he was rolling with me and that I did very well. That is a big compliment coming from him . Even though I was kind of manhandled, I was honored to be beaten by him.

I was tired because I was called in to work to fill in for someone who was out sick for about 5 hours then went straight to class.

*Calories - ~4000*


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## tallcall (Apr 2, 2008)

*4/02/08*

*Wednesday:*

I wanted to do BJJ today but I ended up working 13 hours straight - 4:30 am to 5:30 pm - all because of the same guy who called in yesterday.

I was just too tired and didn't have my clothes for it today. I ate a lot because I was planning on doing a lot today so I am kind of pissed off right now and started snapping at everyone earlier - there were a lot of expletives coming out of my room at work this morning.

Tomorrow is my birthday, so this better not happen tomorrow. I'm going to do everything I can to get to class tomorrow night - Thiago is going to be angry that I missed a day with him paddle:). I've been trying to give one of my teachers some help training for his first fight in Oklahoma (mostly me just giving him a hard time getting out of side control and full mount due to my weight - at least he'll get something out of it ), I've also been trying to give all the new people as much help as I can and have been volunteering to be used by the teachers for demonstration purposes. All the guys there love to joke around so they always ask us to repeat the moves (arm-bars, bone-crushers, all the painful ones) about a dozen times over - the bastards! 

*Calories - ~4000 - Really Rough*
I planned on so much but didn't get to do any of it .


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## tallcall (Apr 3, 2008)

*4/3/08*

*4/3/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 277.5 â?????? Down 1.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 290.0

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 271.34â?????? Down 1.67 pounds from last weekâ??????s 273.25 (-1.91 pounds).
Body Fat Weight: 6.16â?????? Up 0.83 pounds from last weekâ??????s 5.75 (+0.41 pounds).

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 3.5 â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2.5 â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.22 % - Really more like 15 %. 

The weight is still dropping. My strength is still up there and I can feel the loose skin around my stomach and arms. Itâ??????s nice to see the weight dropping.


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## Rubes (Apr 3, 2008)

keep up the good work TC.


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## tallcall (Apr 3, 2008)

*4/03/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We drilled shoulder locks from open and closed gurad by first getting into a triangle position then, instead of keeping the arm under the guys neck, we just bridge the hips up push the arm in a little further, pull back down and twist forearm back to lock the shoulder - make sure the elbow passes the belly button and is being firmly squeezed between his neck and your stomach before you pull back onthe arm.

I rolled with the best of the guys that were there today. I got submitted by all of them many times (they're all very good and two of them are MMA fighters with actual experience in the ring - my friend Scott actually watched the guy before him fight and just about cave someone's eye socket in - interesting stories from these two). Everyone commented on how much improvement they've seen in me, I guess I just judge myself too harshly when saying that I don't really see that much of a noticeable improvement. I have a very hard time becoming aggressive, usually it takes most of the night to get there, but it sure feels good when I can get all that out - normally for the last match up (hey, why not save the best for last?).

*Calories - 3600*

I'm still angry about everything that has been going on this week. By tomorrow afternoon I'll have had 18.5 hours of overtime at work, all because we are down 3 people (we have only 3 left including myself and we have to man the station 24 hours - the only position that has to do that). Today was my birthday and I still haven't heard from my best friend in Virginia, Paul, that bastard should have e-mailed me if for nothing else than to say happy birthday !

Of course after class I felt *MUCH* better and much more confident.


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## Rubes (Apr 3, 2008)

happy birth day tallcall.


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## tallcall (Apr 4, 2008)

Rubes said:


> happy birth day tallcall.



Thanks man!


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## fufu (Apr 4, 2008)

happy birthday!


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## tallcall (Apr 4, 2008)

fufu said:


> happy birthday!



Thanks!


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## countryboy (Apr 4, 2008)

happy birthday..!!


----------



## tallcall (Apr 4, 2008)

YouTube Video











A little present for me.


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## goob (Apr 4, 2008)

Happy boithday!


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## tallcall (Apr 4, 2008)

goob said:


> Happy boithday!



Thank you, thank you


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## tallcall (Apr 4, 2008)

*4/04/08*

*Friday:

Upper Push Power Week 1:

DB Bench on Ball: RI - 60 |* 55'sx10, 60'sx8, 65'sx1 (failed on the second rep) PR for Weight - It sure is hard to get that kind of weight in place.

*Cross Body Raises: RI - 60 |* 25 lbs x 3 sets x 8 reps PR for Weight

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-40x6, BW-28x1, 1, 1, Fail PR for Weight - That is 18 pounds heavier than I have ever gone.

*Machine Flys: RI - 30 |* 120 x 3 sets x 8 reps

*Triceps Extensions: RI - 60 |* #7x8, #8x8, #9x5 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 28 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes for an abs circuit.
30 minutes for stretching.
8 minutes on an elliptical - levels 1 and 10

*Calories - 4500-5000 (don't know yet, it is going to be a cheat day since I am being treated to a birthday dinner! *

I'm not happy with failing on those two exercises, but I am happy that I hit all my weight goals! My dumbbell press and barbell press are now about the same, my dips have never been better, I am much quicker to push people off me in class and can create much more distance than I could when I started in December. 

I think I'll start my next Push session with the Dips for power again.


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## tallcall (Apr 6, 2008)

*4/06/08*

*Sunday:

Upper Pull Power Week 1:

Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-46x5, BW-34x3, 2, 2, 2 PR for Weight

*One Arm Rows: RI - 60 |* 240x8, 255x8, 270x5 PR for Weight

*Bent Over Trap Bar Rows: RI - 60 |* 175x8, 200x8, 225x3 PR for Weight

*Back Extensions W/Cobras: RI - 60 |* 15's x 3 sets x 8 reps

*Plate Holds |* 45 x 30 sec Left hand, 27 sec Right hand, 2-10's x 1:30 Left hand, 1:10 Right hand, 3-10's x 36 sec Left hand, 34 sec Right hand

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs (250 crunches, 25 kicks, 25 scissors, and 25 leg outs)
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

I was very happy with all of this. I turned a few heads with my bent over rows (really Ghetto rows), especially after I got that 4th plate on there and kept picking it up like nothing.

The machine I do the one arm rows on only goes up to 300 pounds, so I think I'm going to be at the machine maximum kind of soon.

I kind of wished Scott were there to see that, I think he'd be proud. I'll have to tell him if I see him Monday night.

I went down to a place down here called Parliament House, a gay nightclub. It was a lot of fun, they don't charge cover on Sundays so it was all free. I like to go in for their T-Dances, I get to see all the good looking guys and eventually I might gain the confidence to actually say something to one. One guy did come up and say hello early on, he was very nice, we talked for a little while, it really felt good to be with other people like me. I try to go Sunday nights because it is a slightly older crowd (mid 20's and 30's, especially when I go around 7-8 pm) - which is nice because I really don't like all the drama with the younger gay guys and anyone much over 30 is kind of too old for me (not really into that). It was nice to see guys my age there having a nice time, I hope to join them some time.


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## fufu (Apr 6, 2008)

just go say hi!

what is to lose?


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## tallcall (Apr 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> just go say hi!
> 
> what is to lose?



You're right. Most of them seem really nice, people were even willing to approach me and say hello.


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## tallcall (Apr 7, 2008)

*4/07/08*

*Monday:
Legs Power Week 2:

Single Leg Extensions: RI - 60 |* 80x8, 90x8, 100x8 - My right leg had a few problems so I assisted it a little with my left leg. Left leg was fine with the weight.

*Smith Squats: RI - 60 |* 190x8, 240x8, 290x6 PR for Weight

*Side Lunges: RI - 30 |* BW x 3 Sets x 10 Reps

*DB Snatches (Each Arm Separately): RI - 60 |* 35x8, 40x8, 45x6 PR for Weight

*DB Step-Ups: RI - 30 |* 50's x 3 Sets x 8 Reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs
30 minutes for stretching

Very good day. I had a slight problem with the DB Snatches on the last rep of my last set I overcompensated with the weight and nearly fell backwards - that's when I said to myself that I've had enough for one day and stopped there.

I saw one of my friends from the other ATT school there, he said he's moving to Vegas and hasn't been there in for a while to train. It's too bad, he was really good, good for him though, maybe I'll see him someday on the UFC or something.

*Calories - 4000*






YouTube Video











Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody 






YouTube Video











Whitney Houston - How Will I Know 

^I love those songs!


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## fufu (Apr 7, 2008)

tallcall said:


> You're right. Most of them seem really nice, people were even willing to approach me and say hello.



exactly!


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## fufu (Apr 7, 2008)

nice workout


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## tallcall (Apr 7, 2008)

*4/07/08*

*BJJ:
2 hours*

We had a lot of new people again (and people who hadn't been there for a loooooong time) so we drilled arm-bars from full mount. 

I got to roll with our newest guy - just going over the technique we did today (he was brand new). I think the teacher felt bad about that for some reason because after class the two of us rolled for about another 15 or so minutes, then went over some of my mistakes - I accidentally gave him an omo-plata by holding his gi collar too long and he pushed his free arm through and rolled to crank my arm and pull me down (he thinks he is the first to do that to someone, I think it'll be named the "Caballo" ).


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## tallcall (Apr 7, 2008)

fufu said:


> nice workout



Thank you


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## fufu (Apr 7, 2008)

tallcall said:


> *BJJ:
> 2 hours*
> 
> We had a lot of new people again (and people who hadn't been there for a loooooong time) so we drilled arm-bars from full mount.
> ...



Heh, that reminds me of a guy I rolled with last friday. I don't know how much experience he had grappling(he wrestled some) but he was pretty small and it was one of his first times rolling at our school. I decided to use no strength at all and just work my technique and go easy on him. This guy wanted to go all out, he was working alot. We got to a stand up position and I decided to go for a double leg(never actually done one besides drills) and I made the biggest mistake possible of leaving my neck exposed. He clamped onto me with a guillotine and I still wasn't taking it too seriously. I passed to side control and he still had it squeezing really tight, I was breathing fine but my right arm started going numb. The little guy had quite the squeeze.

Guillotining from being taken down from a double is something I do all the time because always make that mistake, can't believe I got caught in one myself.


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## tallcall (Apr 8, 2008)

fufu said:


> Heh, that reminds me of a guy I rolled with last friday. I don't know how much experience he had grappling(he wrestled some) but he was pretty small and it was one of his first times rolling at our school. I decided to use no strength at all and just work my technique and go easy on him. This guy wanted to go all out, he was working alot. We got to a stand up position and I decided to go for a double leg(never actually done one besides drills) and I made the biggest mistake possible of leaving my neck exposed. He clamped onto me with a guillotine and I still wasn't taking it too seriously. I passed to side control and he still had it squeezing really tight, I was breathing fine but my right arm started going numb. The little guy had quite the squeeze.
> 
> Guillotining from being taken down from a double is something I do all the time because always make that mistake, can't believe I got caught in one myself.



Yeah. I've never had a really hard time wiggling out of a Guillotine choke, I just tripod up and slide the elbow off usually have easy access to side control.

Do you wear a mouth guard while doing BJJ? I've been in situations where the chokes were locked down pretty tight and I felt a lot of pressure on my jaw and teeth (the guy locked the choke improperly and couldn't get under my chin because I was defending it very well).


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## fufu (Apr 8, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Yeah. I've never had a really hard time wiggling out of a Guillotine choke, I just tripod up and slide the elbow off usually have easy access to side control.
> 
> Do you wear a mouth guard while doing BJJ? I've been in situations where the chokes were locked down pretty tight and I felt a lot of pressure on my jaw and teeth (the guy locked the choke improperly and couldn't get under my chin because I was defending it very well).



Yeah I do. People often think they have chokes on me but I just let them waste energy. The squeeze on the jaw sucks though. I remember the last place I trained people would shove their elbows into my jaw when in side control. Sometimes a knee in some positions.


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## tallcall (Apr 9, 2008)

fufu said:


> Yeah I do. People often think they have chokes on me but I just let them waste energy. The squeeze on the jaw sucks though. I remember the last place I trained people would shove their elbows into my jaw when in side control. Sometimes a knee in some positions.



I hate it when people drive their knee into your stomach or ribs when they're trying to pass to full mount. Just to add that little bit of extra pain .


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## tallcall (Apr 9, 2008)

*4/08/08*

*Tuesday:
BJJ:
1 hour*

We had a bunch of new people in again so we went over two variations of a collar choke with the opponent in the turtle position. Man I sucked at them today. I just couldn't understand the roll I had to do to get into position (I knew what I had to do but just couldn't see how I was going to do it - even after I was shown it about a half-dozen times - this kind of thing always happens to me because I usually need to do things first hand to figure them out). I guess I was just too nervous to do it. I have had some mental blocks and fears like this pop up from time to time - I am very much afraid of some of the rolls that place weight on my neck like that especially when I can't stop it from twitching (I always think I could cause so much damage that it scares me out of doing them).

It just wasn't a good night, I went in all depressed and got submitted over and over by everyone. At least I got to roll with one of my wrestler friends (he came back ) - that made all the crap I was dealing with seem like it was worth it. I actually kept stalemating my second opponent and didn't do so bad against the wrestler. My first opponent took me to town - got a nice bloody nose against the mat (I guess it was a good roll but I was basically his rag doll - just not my day).

*Calories - 3600*


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## fufu (Apr 9, 2008)

Shitty days are bound to happen, sucks doesn't it.

ah well, just gives you something to compare to when you on top of your game.


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## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

*4/10/08 Weigh in*

*4/10/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 277.0 â?????? Down 0.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 277.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week

Chest:  51 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 63.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Bi's: 17.5 inches â?????? No Change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 270.85â?????? Down from last weekâ??????s 271.34 (-0.49 pounds).
Body Fat Weight: 6.15 â?????? Down from last weekâ??????s 6.16 (-0.01 pounds).

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 3.5 â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2.5 mm â?????? No Change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2.5 â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~10.22 % - Really more like 15 %. 

The weight has dropped again! I have added strength, speed, and flexibility while losing weight.


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## fufu (Apr 10, 2008)

very nice.


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## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

fufu said:


> very nice.


----------



## goob (Apr 10, 2008)

TC said:
			
		

> The weight has dropped again! I have added strength, speed, and flexibility while losing weight.


Hmm....we may have work for you.

You like travel?  Do not fear the customs man? Can run?


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## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

goob said:


> Hmm....we may have work for you.
> 
> You like travel?  Do not fear the customs man? Can run?



Hmmm.....well the competition made a very tempting offer...let me think about it.


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## goob (Apr 10, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Hmmm.....well the competition made a very tempting offer...let me think about it.


 
Competition?????


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## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

goob said:


> Competition?????



Yeah, the DRAA - The Drug Runners Association of America! Sorry, but you've got competition!


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## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

*4/09/08*

*BJJ:
1.5 hours*

Rolled with a guy who is head of security for a local night club and a former member of the Air force. He is well versed in Judo and is learning BJJ. We rolled for a good 30 minutes, he helped me better my base and control while passing guard.

We drilled some more chokes out of turtle guard, they all worked pretty well for me, but I can almost never catch anyone in a turtled up position, so I probably will not remember any of these after next week.

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## tallcall (Apr 10, 2008)

*4/10/08*

*BJJ:
1 hour*

More drills from turtle guard. I actually liked this one because it is the first time I was actually able to do it with the required shoulder roll (last time we did these was right when I began and I couldn't get any of the rolls)! It was one of Thiago's special moves using the underside of the knee and the grip on the guys gi to do a push and pull gi/arm and leg choke. Really the roll is enough to make most of the guys tap out, I didn't even have to put pressure on them with my leg, they just tapped during the roll (maybe I had the grip too tight and too far in on their lapel).

I rolled for about 15 minutes - 10 with the blue belt I worked everything on today - he tapped me out twice and I stalemated him the rest of the time. I also rolled 5 minutes with one of the new guys, he got me on my back, then I squeezed in with my guard and he couldn't break free, so I just kept him there and forced him to struggle from the top - good exercise for him! He did eventually get me to half guard, then I pulled a sweep and landed in his half guard right as time was called. I really had some fun with those guys.

My wrestler friend came back in today, I had a blast chatting with him after class - he's from Nebraska (real hardcore wrestlers there - I also know a wrestler from Illinois who trains here and he is solid and damn good). This guy is really one of my best friends, Not counting the teachers, I have 5 really good friends over there, two have fought before in MMA matches. Paul is still my best friend, but these guys come in very close to the top!

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (Apr 12, 2008)

*4/11/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push Power 2:

Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-40x7, BW-32x4, BW-34x4 PR for Weight

*DB Flat Bench on Ball: RI - 120 |* 55'sx8, 65'sx5, 65'sx1 (Fail) PR for Reps

*DB SkullCrushers: RI - 120 |* 25x8, 30x4, 30x6 (All Assisted) PR for Weight

*Cross Body Raises: RI - 120 |* 25 x 3 sets x 8 reps PR for Weight

*Rope Triceps Pulldown: RI - 30 |* Machine #6x8, #7x8, #8x8 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for an abs circuit
30 minutes stretching/BJJ shadow drills and sweeps

I was very tired when I went in, but I felt great by the end. That may explain why I had a hard time with the presses and had to self assist on those skullcrushers so much.

I met a guy there who has been working out for about 4 years. He was a very nice guy, we just talked for a minute as we were both getting ready to leave. He is not available in any way, but was a very nice guy.


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## tallcall (Apr 13, 2008)

*4/12/08*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull Power 2:

Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-34x5, BW-28x3, 2, 2, 2 PR for Weight

*Cable One Arm Rows: RI - 60 |* 255x8, 270x8, 285x4 PR for Weight

*DB Rear Delt Rows: RI - 60 |* 55x8, 60x8, 65x5 PR for Weight

*DB Straight Legged Deadlift: RI - 60 |* 65's x 3 sets x 8 reps PR for Weight

*EZ BAr Preacher Curls: RI - 30 |* 40x8, 50x8, 70x7 PR for Weight (I think)

*Hanging Knee Raises (performed in a Roman Chair): RI - 30 |* BW+25 x 9, BW+45 x 6, BW x 15, 15

*Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Bird Dogs |* 3 sets x 8 Reps

*2 - Planks |* BW x 30 sec, BW+25 x 30 Sec, BW+45 x 30 Sec

*Tablemakers |* 15 in 2 minutes

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for an ab circuit
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

That was kind of fun. I don't have real large Biceps or anything but I was certainly able to curl that 70 pound bar with ease. I'm almost at the machine max for those one arm rows!Next week I'm going to be hauling that entire stack!

Only 5 more days to the De La Riva seminar - I'm getting a bit excited! I wonder how many people are going to show up. Last time they said they packed the mat and the surrounding area, so I would expect the same this time.


----------



## goob (Apr 13, 2008)

5 x PR'?????  Great job TC.

285lb one armed rows????!!!!!!  Absolutely incredible....I'm speechless.


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## fufu (Apr 13, 2008)

good stuff


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## tallcall (Apr 15, 2008)

*4/14/08*

*Monday:
Legs Power 3:

Hip Rotations: RI - 30 |* 100x8, 112.5x8, 125x8 PR for Weight

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 30 |* 150x8, 180x4, 190x3 PR for Weight

*Superset: RI - 60 |
1 - Single Leg Leg Press |* 160x8, 270x8, 320x4 PR for Weight

*2 - Single Leg Calf Extension |* 160x10, 270x10, 320x10 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs circuit
30 minutes stretching

I was a little rushed today, but I got everything done and am happy.

*BJJ:
2 Hours*

We did two balance exercises for warm-ups today which were a lot of fun - push the other guy out of the circle while only allowing your butt to be in contact with them, the other one was kind of like a game of patty cake where you try to push the other guy off balance with the palms of your hands. My friend has a lot more he said he'll do more next time he teaches. 

We drilled more arm-bars, then worked positions for about 5 minutes. Following that we rolled for the rest of class. He let us stay and roll longer, so the guy I was with (another very big guy - about my size and weight actually) stayed to work with me. I absolutely dominated him! Even though I couldn't get all the submissions I wanted I kept him going. I would be in full mount, get into position for an arm-bar, it fails and he rolls out, we scramble I get him into my closed guard, he pushes away from me and I grab his collar and sleeve to pull him down, then I think why not help him back, so I push him and roll up straight into mount, grab an arm for an Americana, he taps. It went like that all night. We ended up rolling for about 35 minutes straight. I'm still exhausted. I only tapped out to collar and rear naked chokes - maybe two times in all. 

*Calories - 4300*


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## countryboy (Apr 15, 2008)

... and the PR's keep coming..

Great stuff!


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## tallcall (Apr 15, 2008)

countryboy said:


> ... and the PR's keep coming..
> 
> Great stuff!



Yeah, they're a lot of fun.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 15, 2008)

*4/15/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

We drilled a reverse Omo-Plata starting in turtle position. I did alright until the forward shoulder roll. I still can't get those down - I think it's all a mental block, but I have no idea how to get around it. I talked to the teacher, he said he was going to implement more rolls in the warm-ups so some of the new people and myself can get used to them again (I was never used to them in the first place). 

Anyways, I feel like crap for all of that, but I rolled fine with two people, one a experienced blue belt who kept me in spider guard and tangled up for 5 minutes (I hate it when that happens because I have no idea how to get out of that mess). The other was a new guy, I quickly dominated and forced a submission, then he tired and could not continue so I asked if he wanted to go over some positions and was teaching him a triangle choke from closed guard when time was called (he didn't quite get it, but was doing fine until the end).

Oh well, maybe next time will be better. I miss spending time and rolling with Scott (boxer, muai-tai, bjj) and Kyle (wrestler/sub grappler, bjj, mma). I had a lot of fun with those two, they always made me feel more than adequate and I never really felt disappointed in myself when I was around them.

*Calories - 4000*


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## fufu (Apr 15, 2008)

what is your favorite sub?


----------



## tallcall (Apr 15, 2008)

fufu said:


> what is your favorite sub?



My favorite is any kind of Americana. From side, full mount, north-south and reversed, they're all fun.

I say Omo-Plata's second, but really I usually end up going for a blood choke, or triangle choke, sometimes an arm-triangle. They're usually more available to me that an Omo-Plata and I know how to get them from most positions.


----------



## fufu (Apr 15, 2008)

I suck at shoulder locks.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 15, 2008)

fufu said:


> I suck at shoulder locks.



I like anything where I can weigh the guy down and endanger their limbs. 

Chokes are a lot of fun too and there is something psychological about them that seems to make people work so much harder to get out of them than any joint lock. Maybe it's the fact that if they're choked out there is no way for them to defend themselves against what you're going to do to them - death is a very real option at that point. I fight so much more when caught in a choke that I'd willingly offer an arm-bar to escape a choke.

I just have to remember this is all for fun for me and not so much for a title or belt promotion - otherwise I'll probably start going really crazy. I can't stand the added pressure I'm under right now, and I don't need any of that pressure. They're talking about belt promotions in the near future, I'm not sure if I'll be selected to test or not, but the prospect right now makes me cringe when I think about all the other things going on right now.


----------



## fufu (Apr 15, 2008)

true true


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## tallcall (Apr 16, 2008)

*4/16/08 Weigh In*

*4/16/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 283.5 â?????? Up 6.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 277.0

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? Left is up 0.5 inches from last week, Right has no change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 278.00 â?????? Up from last weekâ??????s 270.85 (+7.15 pounds).
Body Fat Weight: 5.50 â?????? Down from last weekâ??????s 6.15 (-0.65 pounds).

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 3.5 â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

This is after two weeks of power so I expect this to be added lean body weight. This was very nice to see and I feel lighter and more mobile. My body seems to like to gain and lose weight very fast sometimes, Iâ??????m not sure why.


----------



## goob (Apr 16, 2008)

Great work TC, you beast.


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## tallcall (Apr 17, 2008)

goob said:


> Great work TC, you beast.



Thank you!


----------



## tallcall (Apr 18, 2008)

*4/17/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

3 out of the 5 people that came in were new guys so we worked on the basics. My friend taught the class and apparently thought my legs were still healing so he split us up and went over standing take downs with 3 guys and had me go over omo-platas and guillotine chokes with a very new person (he had to have been 60 years old - props to him for even coming in to do this, got to respect that). I was fine with that, I was a little rusty on those drills so it was all good. 

Then we got to the rolling and, needless to say, I dominated everyone I went up against. The first one was the old man, I submitted him only one time by Americana from full mount (I didn't push the pace with him because I honestly didn't want to break his ribs). The second guy was much younger and more fun but still very new so I just held him in my closed guard. We both tried some submissions from that position, they all ultimately failed, his because he was not in position to pull them off and mine because I wasn't going full force so he could have a better chance. I corrected him on quite a few things and asked him to try breaking my guard. Right before time was called he broke it and even passed to side control (good job ). I think it was only his second week and we hadn't gone over any of the basics like that with him yet. 

Man I can really see just how far I've come in the last 5 months when I look at these guys and I just kept thinking to myself that they're all going to be fine because I made the same mistakes when I was in their shoes and asked the exact same questions (even got just as frustrated as they were after the rolling because I didn't know how to defend positions or get into some of the basic positions back then). It really felt like a .......TIME WARP!............






YouTube Video












Shake Your Groove Thing (good find)






YouTube Video












Thousand Foot Krutch - Move (one of my new favorites - *"Step into the circle and shake like we do"* )






YouTube Video











*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (Apr 19, 2008)

*4/19/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Push Power 3*

*DB Bench on Stability Ball: RI - 90 |* 60's x 7, 65's x 5, 70's x 3 - failed on the last rep - PR for Weight

*Seated Cable Shoulder Press: RI - 90 |* 60 lbs x 8, 70 lbs x 8, 80 lbs x 6 PR for Weight

*Peck Deck: RI - 90 |* 165x8, 180x6, 195x4 PR for Weight - I consider them a push because I always push people off the the side and end up mimicking the movement of the Peck Deck so I will add them in on push days from time to time.

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs
15 minutes for stretching

I was very tired after last night I only got 4 hours of sleep. I reduced my workload for this one and split it up pretty well.

*4/18/08:
BJJ:
3 hours*

Ricardo De La Riva, Moacir "Boca" Oliveira, and two other masters came to teach at the seminar. We went over so much I can't remember it all. De La Riva had us basically perfect our open guards and showed us variations on Kimura's and sweeps from there. We also learned the Americana from our own guard and a variation of that which gives you an armbar, then another variation that has the opponent defending the armbar and it you escape under them and roll them up for another Americana (I think that's how it ended). 

Then all the guard passes, all of them standing passes. One of the most complicated thing he went over was a standing guard pass straight to armbar. Basically you end up feeding the opponents gi to one of your hands which is hooked under their corresponding leg, stand up and prop their leg up on your shoulder, push it to your other side, release the other leg and grab their gi, wrap the exposed gi in the other hand around it's corresponding shoulder to lock it, drop one knee to his ribs and rotate him to the side, throw the other leg over his head and fall back squeezing and pull the arm. 

The other was a Americana defended turned into a Kimura from side control. I couldn't grasp this one and will have to have someone who knows better than I go through it again with me. This was at the end of the night and I was tired so I missed most of the details on that one.

There was so much stuff to learn that night! Boca and I worked together on a few things and that was awesome! Here is a excerpt from his website: 

*My name is Moacir Oliveira, better known as Boca. I am a 2nd Degree black belt under Ricardo de La Riva, former member of American Top Team. I Have practiced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 13 years and have Competed in various Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, submission grappling and MMA events. I have held titles in WVC, AFC, and I am also a six time superfight Naga Champion. I currently teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, submission grappling and MMA in my academy in Miami. My academy teaches self defense and personal training for men and women of all ages. Childrens Classes are also available for children ages 3 and up. I also have a professional MMA team.*

I even had a chance to talk to De La Riva and Boca after class. De La Riva thought I did excellent when I told him I had only been training for 5 months. He thought all of us (mostly white belts) showed a firm grasp of all the basics and were picking up his techniques very well. He and Boca had nothing but high praise for everyone.

When we all went up to take pictures Thiago, De La Riva, Boca, and I played around a little and I think the picture was snapped as I was going for a standing RNC on Thiago with De La Riva laughing on my right. That was a lot of fun and well worth staying there for something like 4 hours (they stayed so long because Thiago and Boca were both students together under De La Riva)!



*Calories - 4/18/08 - 5000
4/19/08 - 4000*


----------



## fufu (Apr 19, 2008)

sweet! sounds like a super experienced guy. Some guys are so good I'm just in awe.


----------



## goob (Apr 21, 2008)

Awesome benching- and on a stability ball must be super tough.  As always, great training TC.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 21, 2008)

goob said:


> Awesome benching- and on a stability ball must be super tough.  As always, great training TC.



Getting those dumbbells up there was the hard part, good lord they get more awkward the heavier they get.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 23, 2008)

*4/23/08 Weigh in*

4/23/08 Weigh in
Weight: 277.5â?????? Down 6 pounds from last weekâ??????s 283.5

Waist: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 264.10
Body Fat Weight: 13.40

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 8 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 8 â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I figured out what I was doing wrong with that caliper. I think this is a better reflection of what is really going on. I finished my last power week and am moving on to my high reps cycle. I feel lighter and more mobile, again. Again, my body seems to like to gain and lose weight very fast sometimes, Iâ??????m not sure why.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 23, 2008)

*4/21/08*

*BJJ
1 Hour*

We drilled guard passes. I already knew all of them, so they were pretty easy. I rolled with some people I haven't seen for a long time. They were surprised to see me dominating them everywhere.

*Calories - 3400*

*4/22/08:
Tuesday:
Upper Pull Power Week 3

Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-28 x 3, BW-22 x 2, 2, 2 PR for Weight

*Bent Over T-Bar Rows: RI - 90 |* 200x8, 225x4, 250x1 - Fail PR for Weight

*Back Extensions W/Medicine Ball: RI - 60 |* 12x10, 10, 10

*EZ Bar Preacher Curls: RI - 60 |* 75x8, 95x8, 105x1 - Fail PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*
10 min on a bike
10 min abs
10 min stretching

*Calories - 4500*

I messed up when I was figuring out the weights for the curls. I used an unweighted EZ bar, not one of the preweighted ones. I forgot to account for the bar's weight - 25 pounds. Everything else ran fine.

*BJJ
1 Hour*

We drilled more guard passes. The first was very basic, I have it down fine. The second was a standing pass, I still need work on it, but I love punching the other guy into the ground and hoping out of their guard.

I rolled with 2 guys who usually do better than I do. I was able to keep them away for the most part and only tapped out a few times, once to a choke, the others were to very awkward shoulder locks - like a kimura from north-south.

Thiago is going to have his belt tests soon. He is going to start selecting the students he wants to take the tests. Since we are affiliated with De La Riva, we are only allowed to test once selected by the instructor. They just don't want to see people take the test and fail horribly. I think I've got all the basics down and am hoping I will be asked to test for my Green or Blue belt in June. He'll start selecting in a week or two and handing out the curriculum for the test, then we have a few weeks to train for the test before he starts officially testing in June. I think he'll do graduation at the end of June, maybe he'll wait for Marcello Grosso to come in August and do the graduation ceremony with him.


----------



## fufu (Apr 23, 2008)

green belt? I didn't that know that existed in BJJ.

What belt is your instructor testing for?

gj on the pull ups


----------



## tallcall (Apr 23, 2008)

fufu said:


> green belt? I didn't that know that existed in BJJ.
> 
> What belt is your instructor testing for?
> 
> gj on the pull ups



I think he's going to issue the test for green, blue, and purple. Most end up getting promoted past green directly to blue.


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## goob (Apr 23, 2008)

Noice going for 250 on tbars!  incredible weight.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 23, 2008)

goob said:


> Noice going for 250 on tbars!  incredible weight.



Thanks! That was a massive load to haul. Yes, I said "massive" and "load" in the same sentence!


----------



## tallcall (Apr 23, 2008)

*4/23/08*

*Wednesday:

Legs Reps Week 1:

Superset 1: RI - No Rest |
1 - Lying Leg Curls |* 95x10, 105x10, 115x10

*2 - Hip Rotations |* 75x10, 87.5x10, 100x10

*Single Legged Deadlifts: RI - 60 |* 25 lb plate x 3 sets x 10 reps - I didn't nearly fall over one time doing these, good form

*Superset 2: RI - 30 |
1 - DB Swings |* 20x10, 25x10, 30x10 - Really swings this time, not snatches, my right arm still feels very tight from last night's roll with a powerful guy who attempted to submit me many times with that arm - I learned quickly that the shoulder rotates in many directions that will allow you to escape and boy did they come in handy! 

*2 - Step-Ups |* 25'sx10, 30'sx10, 35'sx10

*Calf Raises and Reverse Calf Raises: RI - No Rest |* Normal Raises - 2 sets x 2 35 lb dbls x 10 reps, Reverse Raises - 1 set x 2 35 lb dbs x 10 reps

*Cardio - 20 min*

10 min bike
10 min abs circuit
15 minutes stretching - I didn't have much time again due to outside factors

This was a very good session. I had some fun with the Deadlifts and forcing myself to balance on each ankle individually with a 25 lb counter balance in my hand. 

I keep seeing all these Gracie-Barra guys floating around. I wanted to talk to one of them, but he moved off too quickly, if only he knew....

I love doing these higher rep days with no or limited rests. I try to limit myself to 45-60 seconds for the bigger lifts and keep everything else to 0-30 seconds. I had my heart rate up to 150-180 the entire time, it felt great. Still not as nice as lifting a crap-ton of weight, but close.

*Calories - 4500*


----------



## tallcall (Apr 25, 2008)

*4/24/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We learned a sweep out of closed guard. It's one where you drop one leg and shift your hips toward that leg bringing the opposite leg up as high as possible on the guys back and posting up on you opposite elbow. Then grab his wrist, the one nearest your posted elbow, and pull it while kicking up with the posted leg and thrusting your hips forward.

The other move was an omo-plata from a similar position. After you plant your foot, shift your hips, and grab his wrist your opponent reverses the wrist grab and you end up losing the wrist and lying on your back again. You take you other leg and bring it up across their face, shift your hips out to force him down on his stomach and keep the arm tight and bent, lock the legs as you're getting into position, then just grab his hip and lean toward his opposite shoulder or use your free hand to grab it and pull it toward you.

I rolled with 2 guys and ended up getting choked out over and over by the first one. The second one was really just a stalemate for 5 minutes. I was pretty tired going into this anyways so I kind of expected to be slower than normal.

*Calories - 4800 Cheat Day*


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## tallcall (Apr 26, 2008)

*4/26/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push Reps Week 1:

Push-Ups: RI - 30 |* BWx10, 10, 10, 15, 10 = 55 PR for Reps

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-64 x 8, 8, 8

*Cross Body Raise: RI - 30 |* 15 lbs x 10, 10, 10

*Cable Flies: RI - 30 |* 50 lbs x 10, 10, 10

*Shin Work |* 50 lbs x 20, 20, 20, 20

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 min HIIT on a bike
10 min ab circuit
15 min stretch

I just did 55 push-ups followed immediately by 24 dips, my triceps were burning! All those push-ups were in really good form too, I'm impressed. 

Now I get to make fun of my friend's measly 20  reps, even though he's been doing this a lot longer and looks a whole lot better than I do. He's a short guy who loves to play basketball - he completely understood what I meant when I told him I would be more impressed if he did 20-30 squats with no break than 20 push-ups (I'm assuming there was a break), he said he does them all the time . I suggested he try going heavier than bodyweight and told him how much I lift (290 lbs) .

*Calories - 4500*


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## DOMS (Apr 26, 2008)

Before I started doing Krav, I don't think that I adequately appreciated a bodyweight routine.

That's a damn fine workout, tallcall!


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## tallcall (Apr 26, 2008)

DOMS said:


> Before I started doing Krav, I don't think that I adequately appreciated a bodyweight routine.
> 
> That's a damn fine workout, tallcall!



Yeah, bodyweight can be a lot of fun!


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## tallcall (Apr 26, 2008)

*4/26/08*

*Saturday:

Upper Pull Reps Week 1:

Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Pull-Ups |* BW-46 x 5, 4, 4, 3, 3

*2 - DB Rear Delt Rows |* 30 lbs x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

*One Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 30 |* 135x10, 195x8, 225x8

*MTS HighRow: RI - 30 |* 80/per hand x 10, 90 x 8, 100 x 8

*DB Shrugs: RI - 30 |* 60'sx20, 15, 15

*Shin Work |* 65 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 min bike HIIT
10 min abs circuit
15 minutes stretching (I look at it like this, I do this every single day, maybe 30 minutes isn't always necessary and I'd like to be in and out in under 2 hours)

I intended to do some back extensions with cobras, but these two fat girls were hogging up the equipment, so i changed plans and went with some shrugs - I never really do them anyway, so it was a nice change of scenery.

That was an awesome superset at the beginning, I'm completely burned out from it right now. I really flew through all of this and was through with the weightlifting in about 35 minutes - _*FLEW!*_

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## goob (Apr 27, 2008)

Nice pullups TC!!!!  Supersetting those is a real bitch.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 28, 2008)

goob said:


> Nice pullups TC!!!!  Supersetting those is a real bitch.



Thanks, they were a whole lot of fun!


----------



## tallcall (Apr 28, 2008)

*4/27/08*

*Sunday:

Legs Reps Week 2:

Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Leg Extensions |* 130x10, 180x10, 210x8

*2 - Walking Lunges |* BW x 3 sets x 15 steps up and back

*Leg Press: RI - 60 |* 180 (2 plates) x10, 270 (3 plates) x10, 320 (3 plates + 25) x10, 360 (4 plates) x10, 410 (4 plates + 25) x10, 450 (5 plates) x10

*Hip Adductions: RI - 30 |* 105x15, 145x15, 165x15

*Hip Abductions: RI - 30 |* 105x15, 145x15, 165x15

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike HIIT
10 min abs circuit
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

I really hate lunges. I love the side and tri-planar lunges, but normal ones make my legs hurt. I don't think I'm going to do regular lunges anymore. It's really just putting that much pressure on the toes that gets me. The other lunge types don't force my toes into that uncomfortable position, so I can do them with more ease.

I ran into my old trainer today. I told him how everything was going, that I've continued to slide down the weight scale and am doing pretty well in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I told him I go for about 5-6 hours a week and still get an hour of cardio at the gym here. He said he was impressed and that it was a lot of cardio (saying that it's a good thing). He couldn't talk for long, so I went on about my business.

I had to refrain from yelling at a few people who were hogging the leg press machine, other than that everything was fine. I felt really dumb for forgetting my back belt, I wanted to do a couple sets of squats, but I get really nervous doing them without the belt so I decided to just do more on the leg press since I waited so long for that machine anyways. It all worked out in the end.

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## countryboy (Apr 28, 2008)

Great workouts..!!


----------



## tallcall (Apr 28, 2008)

countryboy said:


> Great workouts..!!



Trying to keep them short and to the point.


----------



## tallcall (Apr 29, 2008)

*4/28-29/08*

*4/28/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We drilled some rolls - sort of a shoulder roll reversal of a guard pass from open/ butterfly guard to triangle choke or arm-bar. I am having a very hard time with the rolls in general, but I seem to be getting the hang of this, it's all about control with your free hand and pivoting across your shoulder blades. The roll is like rolling half way then coming back to the other side kind of (I can't really explain it because I still don't completely understand it - it's going to take a lot more practice to get these down).

I rolled with a good friend and we kept stalemating. It was a really good 10 minutes. I got to roll the entire time with him - we just kept reversing each other. He'd take me down, I'd slide out and take his back, he'd defend and roll me into my guard, I'd sweep him into mount and attempt one submission, he'd sweep me into mount or side control and the whole thing starts again. 

*Calories - 4500 (cheat day)*


*4/29/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We're getting our guys ready for another Copa America tournament in May (17th) so we just trained with one guy on the bottom with another in his guard. The objective was to prevent the other guy from passing your guard and holding for 3 seconds. We were given a 2 minute time limit. I was always in the top position paddle attempting to pass and I succeeded almost every time, of course I tend to kind of hop over the guys and take mount, but we're not really supposed to do that (it's about giving the guy on the bottom a chance to perfect their guard).

I rolled with 3 separate guys today, I was choked left and right by the first - he's a beast too. The second stalemated with me for 5 minutes. I completely dominated the third guy and forced him to submit to an Americana from mount - I attempted it 3 times and when I couldn't get it I kept the arm and went for an arm-bar which he defended nicely. Then, still holding that arm, I went for a triangle, he defended it but ended up back on his back so I quickly grabbed side control and cranked his arm into an Americana and got the tap, tap, tap .

*Calories - 3400*


----------



## tallcall (May 1, 2008)

*5/1/08 Weigh in*

*5/1/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 276.0 â?????? Down 1.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 277.5

Waist: 34.5 inchesâ?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week 

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 264.55 â?????? Up 0.45 pounds from last weekâ??????s 264.10
Body Fat Weight: 11.45 â?????? Down 1.95 pounds from last weekâ??????s 13.40

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 7 mm â?????? Down 1 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 7 mm â?????? Down 1 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices.

I lost some weight and gained some strength. I am in the second week of my high reps cycle and I feel fine. I feel lighter and more mobile.


----------



## tallcall (May 1, 2008)

*4/30/08*

*Wednesday:
BJJ:
2 Hours*

I worked with Thiago and about 7 other guys for 2 full hours. We decided to merge the no gi and gi classes since no one really showed up. We drilled take downs both hours. I did pretty well against everyone even though I really don't know any take downs. I can't remember them because we never usually train them. It all started to feel natural to me, keep my hips back and pushing forward with my head lunging in to try to grab their leg, drop to my knee and hoist their leg up and push them back and down. I only took one guy down successfully, but still made the others work very hard to get me down - even Thiago had to work a bit harder because I defended his advances pretty decently.

I got 2 submissions via arm-bar and 1 by way of Americana all from mount. I got tapped out by 2 guys repeatedly - both were strong guys one was 240 pounds the other was 179 - strong guys and more experienced. I stalemated with everyone else because I was so tired from all the work. I must have rolled with 6 guys - I submitted 2, got submitted by 2, and went in circles with 2 - all in all a good night.

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (May 1, 2008)

YouTube Video











Anyone remember this?


----------



## tallcall (May 2, 2008)

*5/01/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 hour*

Only three guys showed up for class, so we drilled take downs for about 30-40 minutes. Each guy resting just long enough to watch the other guy get taken down and then jump right back in. That was intense. I got to practice some penetration steps - I've never done these before, made my toes feel a bit uncomfortable. I got a few take downs but mostly defended take downs and rolled the other guy into a side control or mount. 

After the take down drills we did single matches starting on the feet with tournament rules. Our goal was to either win by submission or points at the end of 5 minutes. I lost all but one match and lost them all to points, the one I won was by submission.

I had a lot of fun with those take downs and am getting the hang of it pretty nicely. Also I got one or two guys down so far by way of a single leg take down, and one by way of a failed shrug arm drag take down attempt - hey, he did go down for me didn't he 

I'm going to get a copy of the De La Riva seminar on DVD sometime next week. It'll be good since I can only remember bits and pieces of what we went over (there was so much - a 3 hour long seminar).

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## fufu (May 2, 2008)

nice, only three guys showed up for my class today as well.

we did some takedown stuff too, some uechi mata!


----------



## tallcall (May 2, 2008)

fufu said:


> nice, only three guys showed up for my class today as well.
> 
> we did some takedown stuff too, some uechi mata!



Gotta love it. You never get a break when so few people show up


----------



## tallcall (May 4, 2008)

*5/03/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Push/Pull Reps Week 2:*

*Superset 1: RI - 60 |
1 - Pull-Ups |* BW-52 x 4, 4, 4

*2 - Dips |* BW-70 x 7, 8, 7

*Superset 2: RI - 60 |
1 - DB Bench on ball |* 35'sx10, 50'sx9, 55'sx8

*2 - Rear Delt Rows |* 35'sx10, 50'sx10, 55'sx8

*Superset 3: RI - 30 |
1 - Peck Deck Fly |* 150x10, 10, 8

*2 - Peck Deck Reverse Fly |* 150x10, 10, 8

*Superset 4: RI - 30 |
1 - Back Extensions with cobras |* 15'sx10, 10, 10

*2 - Cross Body Raises |* 15 lbs x 10, 8, 8

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 min on a bike.
10 min for an abs circuit.
30 minutes for stretching

That was one hell of a workout. I balanced everything with a push and then an opposite pull movement!

I worked in with a really nice guy for the first superset. I think he's training MMA around here because he was doing all the basic strength building workouts I would normally do and doing them with really good form. Plus, I know his friend from somewhere, but I can't remember where. Maybe I'm wrong (like that ever happens ).

I think the reason my first superset was so weak was that my elbows were really sore from all the work we did in class last week. My shins were also sore, but giving them Friday off was a great thing because the pain moved away from the shins to right above the ankles. I think that's where the pain is originating, I probably aggravated my previous injury. The good news is that they feel a lot better now. 

If I can just get through this week I'm scheduled for a rest week and will definitely take it. I'll probably go for every class that week and only participate in 2 of them. I don't think I want to do more because they're getting ready for a competition and will be drilling take downs, guard passes and control pretty much everyday, so it might be too intense for me while I'm recovering.


----------



## tallcall (May 7, 2008)

*5/5/08-5/7/08*

*5/5/08:
Monday - BJJ:
1 hour*

We went over 2 collar chokes and drilled positions. Then rolled a bit.

*5/6/08:
Tuesday - Legs Reps Week 3:

Superset 1: RI - 30 |
1 - Leg Curls |* 95x10, 115x10, 130x10

*2 - Hip Abductions |* 105x10, 145x10, 165x10

*Hip Adductions |* 105x10, 145x10, 165x10

*Back Squats: RI - 60 |* 135x10, 185x10, 225x8, 185x8, 135x8 = 44 total squats

*Superset 2: RI - 30 |
1 - DB Snatches |* 20x10, 25x10, 30x10

*2 - Side Lunges |* BWx10, 10, 10

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes riding a bike HIIT.
10 minute abs circuit.
15 minutes stretching

My whole body felt this workout - my thighs are still sore today. I think I did something wrong on those snatches, I aggravated my Medial Deltoid - it doesn't feel very bad, just a little painful right now.

I ran into my friend Vincent who does a lot of MMA training. He's a cool guy, we both know Thiago (my teacher) and his antics (cutting the air conditioner one day and just making everyone suffer ), he let me in on how things at his place were going and that he is going to try to participate in the upcoming Cage Warriors fight here in August. He is one hell of a strong guy, he was working traps with over 700 pounds in great form, his leg presses are around 800 pounds, and I think he deadlifts close to 450 pounds (2x his bodyweight) - I've actually watched him do all of this, all I can say is that I feel very privilaged to be able to hang out with such a nice and extremely strong guy.

*BJJ:
1 hour*

We started with some take down drills, then went into training with guard pass drills. After, we rolled for 15 minutes.

*5/07/08:
Wednesday:
BJJ:
1 hour*

More guard passing. I got to roll with one of the new guys. He is a former wrestler and it showed. He is one big guy and threw me a few times, I think he suplexed me once - that was kind of fun. I kept getting him on his stomach flat and taking control of his back, but them there was nothing I could get because he buried his hands and chin so I had to just let him back up - I think that's from his wrestling background because in BJJ that is probably going to cost you serious points and for MMA I'm in a very good position to rain down a lot of damaging blows even if they are illegal. It doesn't matter though, because I got him to tap to my Americana twice from full mount so I'm happy.

I also got to roll with Joel and Thiago. Joel likes to go slower and be very deliberate and point out all my mistakes (I really like training with him, he goes over the same thing Thiago does but does it slower with each individual who is having difficulty with the move). I caught him in a triangle choke, arm-bar, and kimura from mount.

Thiago was much more aggressive (like always), but I did pretty well and held my own for the first few minutes, then he started taking me to town when I exposed my right arm (the one with the pain) and he took it for an omo plata, then had the same arm in a reverse arm-bar.

I was going to go fo another class, but with my arm feeling like it was and the rest of my body screaming for some time off, I decided not to push it too far tonight and hopefully will be able to do better tomorrow.

One of my friends there has a bunch of pit bulls. He brings some of them to class with him. He showed me two of his females, I think both were 4-5 years old, they were such nice dogs. Their confidence was inspiring. They don't attack people intentionally and when they do hit a person they back off immediately. That sort of thing usually happens when the dogs are fighting and the person doesn't take care to break them up correctly. He has only been bitten once and laid down the law with that dog, it doesn't do that to him anymore.

I have to be more pit bull like in real life. I need to be more confident, and maybe a little angrier. I really want a pit bull!

*Caloreis - 5/5 - 3600
5/6 - 4500 - cheat day
5/7 - 3400*


----------



## tallcall (May 8, 2008)

*5/8/08 Weigh in*

*5/8/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 284.5 â?????? Up 8.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 276.0 

Waist: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.86 â?????? Up 9.31 pounds from last weekâ??????s 264.55
Body Fat Weight: 10.64 â?????? Down 0.81 pounds from last weekâ??????s 11.45

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 6 mm â?????? Down 1 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 6.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I gained 8.5 pounds and lost mmâ??????s on the caliper. A lot of it is probably water, but I think itâ??????s ok, itâ??????ll probably all be gone next week and Iâ??????ll probably be under 276. My goal is 260. I know my body like to gain and lose weight very fast sometimes, but I think itâ??????s all water weight.


----------



## fufu (May 9, 2008)

you really like that Americana eh?

a 34.5 inch waistline is pretty damn small for a guy your size.


----------



## DOMS (May 9, 2008)

fufu said:


> you really like that Americana eh?
> 
> a 34.5 inch waistline is pretty damn small for a guy your size.



Damn straight it is!  I want pics!


----------



## tallcall (May 10, 2008)

DOMS said:


> Damn straight it is!  I want pics!



I get that measurement by sucking it in all the way and seeing what I could fit into if I really had to. I walk around comfortably in a size 40.

I don't like to take pictures because I get a little camera shy and don't think I look all that great.


----------



## tallcall (May 10, 2008)

*5/09/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push Reps Week 3:

Push-ups: RI - 30 |* BWx10, 15, 14, 13, 10 = 62 push-ups PR for reps

*Dips: RI - 30 |* BW-64 x 8, 6, 6 - Technical Failure on the last set

*Superset: RI - 30 |
1 - Peck Deck Fly |* 150 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

*2 - Peck Deck Reverse Fly |* 150 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

*Shin Work |* 50 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs
30 minutes stretching - man my flexibility has gone through the roof, I can touch each foot to my ears (left foot can go a little beyond my ear), and lean all the way back while keeping my left knee bent and touching the ground (the one where you place the right foot on the left knee with the left leg bent so that the foot is near your waist and you press your knee to the ground with the right foot while leaning back), my right knee is lagging a little bit behind but is still doing great.

I didn't get a lot of shoulder work in there, but that's because my arms were fried after the push-ups and dips. I just couldn't see myself doing much else after hitting technical failure on those dips.

I saw a few friends there today. Vincent was there again, we talked for a little while. One of the ATT guys from the other MMA gym in town was there, he got a job as a personal trainer, I'm happy for him (sort of) because he's another good one who knows what he's doing and has a great attitude towards everything. Then I saw Aaron, I haven't seen him in a long time.

Some 70 year old guy gave me advice on stretching my lower legs when he saw me doing some stretches in the locker room. I am very grateful for the advice, but it wasn't anything I didn't already know and it is a little weird having a naked 70+ year old fat man standing in front of you showing you these stretches eek:). 

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## goob (May 10, 2008)

Outstanding PR pushup work TC.  62 pushups?  Are you fufu in disguise?


----------



## tallcall (May 11, 2008)

goob said:


> Outstanding PR pushup work TC.  62 pushups?  Are you fufu in disguise?



It's possible that every dog has a little kitty in them somewhere. 

I think there's a deep philosophical message in there somewhere .


----------



## tallcall (May 11, 2008)

YouTube Video


----------



## tallcall (May 11, 2008)

*5/10/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Pull Reps Week 3:

Superset 1: RI - 30 |
1 - Pull-Ups |* BW-46 x 4, 4, 4, 3, 3

*2 - DB Bent Over Rear Delt Row |* 30x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

*Superset 2: RI - 30 |
1 - MTS Highrow |*  80x10, 90x9, 100x8

*2 - DB Shrugs |* 60'sx20, 20, 15

*Rope Cable Crunches: RI - 30 |* Machine #12x10, #13x10, #14x10

*Superset 3: RI - 30 |
1 - Back Extensions With Medicine Ball With Bounce on Each Rep |* 12 lbs x 10, 10, 10

*2 - Ball Chops |* 12 lbs x 10, 10, 10

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills
20 minutes on an elliptical trainer

This was a lot of fun and I'm very tired. This is the end of my 6 week cycle so I am going to take the next week off from weight lifting and cut back a little on everything else to get a lot of rest so I can come back in about a week to start a new cycle and go for power. 

*Calories - 4800*


----------



## goob (May 11, 2008)

tallcall said:


> YouTube Video


 
THats the funniest bit of that movie.  Really good.

Did you spot Witchblade later on in it?  He's on rollerblades and in gold.

Solid workout TC.  THose ball chops sound.......er.......very painfall.


----------



## tallcall (May 11, 2008)

goob said:


> THats the funniest bit of that movie.  Really good.
> 
> Did you spot Witchblade later on in it?  He's on rollerblades and in gold.
> 
> Solid workout TC.  THose ball chops sound.......er.......very painfall.



I think I found him:






YouTube Video


----------



## tallcall (May 14, 2008)

I've been busy covering brushfires down here. Damn those arsonists - Goob, you weren't here anytime last week were you hot:)?

*5/12/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

"Omo-plata day" - that's what Joel (instructor) called it. We drilled 2 variations of the omo-plata. I still suck at shoulder rolls, but they're getting better. I rolled for about 10 minutes with Joel at the end of class - fun, but frustrating since he demands I go through everything step by step - good in a way since then I have to really learn all the details of all the moves I'm trying to pull.

*Calories - 3400*

*5/13/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

Drilled the guys who are participating in the upcoming tournament by forcing them to try and pass our guards. I gave my guys a slightly harder time than usual! We did these guard passing drills for about 40 minutes. 

I got to roll a bit with one of the heaviest guys (other than me I think he's the heaviest one there), he's also not that bad. We rolled for 5 or 10 minutes, I got submitted once, then he tried to get me again and I just kept reversing his chokes and tying up his legs in spider guard and slipping him back into my full guard. He's a big boy, but I had all the leverage I needed to control him with my feet.

*Calories - 4500*


----------



## tallcall (May 14, 2008)

YouTube Video
















YouTube Video
















YouTube Video











I want a Pit Bull!!


----------



## tallcall (May 15, 2008)

*5/14/08*

No BJJ, just went to bed early and got some rest (it is a rest week after all).

*Calories - 2900*- I ended up skipping my last meal, I don't like doing that, but I thought I could use a slight change since I wasn't really going to be needing all that much for the rest of the day.


----------



## tallcall (May 15, 2008)

*5/15/08 Weigh in*

*5/15/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 280.5 â?????? Down 4 pounds from last weekâ??????s 274.5

Waist: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week 

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 270.39 â?????? Down 3.47 pounds from last weekâ??????s 273.86
Body Fat Weight: 10.11 â?????? Down 0.53 pounds from last weekâ??????s 10.64

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 6 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 6.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 4 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I lost 4 of the 8.5 pounds I gained last time and still lost mmâ??????s on the caliper. I pretty much maintained, so it is neither good nor bad.


----------



## goob (May 15, 2008)

tallcall said:


> [
> I want a Pit Bull!!


 
Seriously???? I hate those fucking dogs.  Ugliest animal ever.  An alsation or a husky, thats where its at.


----------



## tallcall (May 15, 2008)

goob said:


> Seriously???? I hate those fucking dogs.  Ugliest animal ever.  An alsation or a husky, thats where its at.



A friend of mine raised 5 of them and brought 3 over to play with us at my BJJ school (in the parking lot). They were some of the nicest, most loyal and ugliest (cool looking) dogs I've ever been around. I just want to be able to walk down the street and watch the people stare.

We'll see what the future holds though, I'm moving in a couple months and I'd have to first see if the place I'll be in allows dogs and what kind of dogs. Maybe I'll just volunteer to do some work in an animal shelter or help train some pit bulls (or other dogs). I really just want to be able to be around the animals more and take care of them. I can't have kids, but I can have puppies !


----------



## tallcall (May 16, 2008)

*5/16/08*

*Friday:
Cardio - 45 minutes HIIT*

10 minutes on a bike - levels 14-20 - 30 seconds at level 20 - PR for endurance.

20 minutes Farmers Walks - 60 lb dbs - 500 paces - up and down stairs (25 total each way), rest for 1 minute and repeat 5 times. Then standard walks for 10 minutes averaging 60 paces followed by a 60 second rest repeated 5 times.

5 minutes on a rowing machine.

5 minutes on an elliptical trainer at levels 3 and 13. 1:10 at level 13.

5 minutes on a treadmill at a speed of 2.5-4.0 mph. I kept it kind of slow because of the problems I've had in the past.

I felt like I was flying after those farmers walks. Nothing like throwing on an extra 120 pounds and running around with it. Makes me feel like I'm floating when I put the weight down.

*Calories - 3400*


----------



## tallcall (May 18, 2008)

*5/17/08*

*Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT*

10 minutes on a bike.

20 minutes for farmer's walks - again. 65 lb dbs. I hauled them up and down 25 stairs resting for 60 seconds at the bottom = 8 minutes total time (4 runs). The I walked the floor (sort of race walking though) for 12 minutes. I ended up with a total of 645 steps taken, 200 steps on the stairs and 445 on the floor.

Total cardio time for this week is 3 hours 15 minutes

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (May 18, 2008)

*5/18/08*

*Sunday:
Legs Power Week 1:

Hip Abductions: RI - 30 |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*Hip Adductions: RI - 30 |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*Sumo Style Deadlift: RI - 90 |* 275x5, 325x1, 335x1 PR for Weight - not the best but I forgot to bring my straps so everything was done with a double overhand grip. I nearly lost my grip on the 325 set so I stopped after the first one. I blame the farmer's walks from the last two days for the weaker grip, but I still did very good considering!

*Superset: RI - 90 |
1 - Leg Press |* 540 (6 plates per side) x 10, 630 (7 plates) x 10, 720 (8 plates) x 5 PR for Weight

*2 - Calf Press - on Leg Press Sled |* 540x10, 630x10, 720x10 PR for Weight

*Shin Work |* 70 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*
10 minutes on a bike.
10 minutes ab circuit.
30 minutes stretching/BJJ drills

I'm happy to be back on the power cycle again! I feel pretty good about things, and even though I had problems with my deadlifts, everything ran pretty smooth. I met a new guy there, not available, but a nice guy anyways, he played baseball at UCF for the last 4 years and looks great daydream. We talked about things for a little while, he was really cool.

*Calories - ~5000 - Cheat Day*


----------



## fufu (May 18, 2008)

good job in the deadlift


----------



## tallcall (May 19, 2008)

fufu said:


> good job in the deadlift



My grip was a huge limiting factor in those. I know I had a few more in me. 

One of the guys there noticed me pushing 720 pounds on the leg press and looked kind of shocked - he's one of my trainer friends. He was there working out with a buddy, who also looked impressed. That made me feel better.


----------



## tallcall (May 20, 2008)

*5/19/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour:*

Learned a choke from the De La Riva guard. Sort of a variation on a guillotine choke. One hand grabs deep into the lapel with the wrist going across the neck, pull the head under that arm's elbow and push head down with other hand sliding that hand under your elbow as well and pull and twist your wrist while pushing down on the head. A nice simple collar choke. This can be used to iniate a sweep which can also end in mount with his head still trapped under your elbow, then just pull  with that arm and lift up with that elbow against the head slightly, tap tap tap. I love that one.

One of my friends went to last weekend's Copa America tournament. He beat his first opponent within 90 seconds. All sweeps were legal, so he did a sort of double under hip toss, the guy landed on his shoulder, complained to the ref and asked for a time out, the ref said no time outs and asked if the guy was forfeiting. Of course he said no and the fight was restarted on the feet. My friend again took him down the exact same way, they scrambled and the guy got in my friends guard, he switched up to De La Riva guard and pulled off that choke. The other guy didn't even see it coming. 

My friend lost the other matches to points, but was really a winner since now he knows what he must do next time to succeed.

My teacher fought as well and won due to points but incurred a leg injury, he nearly fractured his leg. I'm not sure how that all went down, but I know there was some bad blood between some of them including my teacher well after that match. My friend told me he thought there was going to be a brawl afterwards. The other guy was taking a lot of jabs at my teacher in Portuguese until he was shown the video of the fight and realized his fighter really did lose. My teacher had a hard time walking, but walked all the way over to the other guy then decided to just let it all go instead of creating a mess (that takes some guts ). I hope someone has some video of it all, I'd like to see it.

***Ninja Edit***

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (May 21, 2008)

*5/20/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour:*

We covered 2 escapes from side control.

I rolled with one of the strongest guys there and actually did very well against him.

The place I'm renting is going through foreclosure and I'm going to have to move within the next 30 days. I'm hoping to be able to find a small apartment for a few months until I can get into something more permanent. God I hope this all ends smoothly!

*Calories - Estimateing at 4000* - When I start going crazy like I have been for the last two or three days I tend to forget how much I'm eating and usually can't stand to see food. I think I'm near 4000, but I missed some food this morning and this afternoon. This all really just sucks!


----------



## tallcall (May 22, 2008)

*5/21/08*

*BJJ:
1.5 hours*

We drilled a lot of the things on our belt tests for Green and Blue. Mostly did some sweeps, transitions, reversals, and escapes (or as Thiago says "Scapes" - I guess it works). It was cool of those guys to go over those with a few of us since we all are going through it.

For the main class we covered more escapes from side control. Both of them allowed for the transition from being in someone's side control to either taking their back or taking half guard/mount. I loved these because of their simplicity.

*Calories - ~3700*


----------



## tallcall (May 23, 2008)

*5/22/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

We did more side control escapes and transitions. I got to roll with the teacher first and successfully rolled out of a clock choke of his twice and almost a third time before the timer went off. He rolled with me the last time and I was saved by the bell. Later he said that I flew twice that night and rolled smoothly from a very bad situation to a position where, if I had pushed a little more, I could have had mount.

I rolled with the other two guys as well and did pretty well against both of them. I think I tapped out only to the teacher and the last guy who is considered a pro fighter. His record is officially 1-0-0 and he is looking for his next sanctioned fight. He was going to fight this weekend in Costa Rica with Cage Warriors under Renato Tavares, but his opponent got injured and decided to give up his spot, so he had no one and no one would take it at such short notice. So I think he'll just wait until August or November and get back in there.

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## tallcall (May 23, 2008)

*5/24/08 Weigh in*

*5/24/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 282 â?????? Up 1.5 pounds from last weekâ??????s 280.5

Waist: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  51.5 inches â?????? No change from last week 
Shoulders: 64 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? No change from last week 

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 272.81 â?????? Up 2.42 pounds from last weekâ??????s 270.39
Body Fat Weight: 9.19 â?????? Down 0.92 pounds from last weekâ??????s 10.11

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 6 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.75 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices.

I Went up 2 pounds but lost quite a bit on the calipers so Iâ??????m really happy. I think I added weight nicely this time and am hoping to see a steady loss of fat regardless of weight loss on the scale.


----------



## tallcall (May 25, 2008)

*5/24/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Push and Pull Power Week 1:*

*Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-22x3, BW-16x2, 2 PR for Weight

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-34x4, BW-28x3, 3 PR for Weight

*DB Bench on Stability Ball: RI - 90 |* 65'sx5, 70'sx2, 75'sx Fail - 

*1 Arm Seated Cable Row: RI - 60 |* 270x8, 285x6, 300 (Entire Stack!) x4 PR for Weight

*Back Extension with Medicine Ball: RI - 60 |* BW+12 lb ball x 10, 10, 10 - 1 x With a bounce at the bottom, 2 x With a toss at the top and a bounce at the bottom

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minute ab circuit
30 minutes stretching

I'm angry that I didn't get my weight on those DB bench presses. My arms were a bit sore so I wonder if it was just because of that. I'll get it next week!

*Calories - 4300*


----------



## tallcall (May 29, 2008)

*5/26/08-5/28/08*

*5/26/08:
Monday
BJJ:
1 Hour*

Just my teacher and I today. We spent time going over the basics and rolled for 45 minutes. One of the best classes I've had in a while.

*Calories - 3600*

*5/27/08:
Tuesday:
Legs Power Week 2:

Single Leg Extensions: RI - 60 |* 80x8, 90x8, 100x8

*Hip Rotations: RI - 60 |* 112.5x8, 125x8, 137.5x8 PR for Weight

*Smith Squats: RI - 90|* 240x8, 290x6, 300x4 PR for Weight

*Side Lunges: RI - 60 |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Shin Work |* 55 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Superset: No Rest |
1 - Calf Raises |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*2 - Reverse Calf Raises |* BW x 3 sets x 10 reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*
10 minutes on a bike
10 minute ab circuit
30 minutes stretching

I felt really good today. Those squats were scarily good and easy.

*Calories - 4500*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

We learned two escapes from a side control. The first escapes from side control to an arm-bar. the second escapes to a gogo plata (choking the person with the top of your foot/tibia under their head and your hands on top pulling down while thrusting up with your leg and hips - doesn't take much and they pass out. I really like the gogo platas!

Rolled for 15 minutes.

*5/28/08:
Wednesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We learned two more escapes from side control. The first escapes from side control to omo plata. The second escape allows your to transition to a sweep to mount with your knee on his belly and his arm locked and ready for any arm or shoulder lock. I really like that sweep.

Rolled for 15 minutes

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## goob (May 29, 2008)

Holy shit.  Those squats are incredible.  I could only imagine doing 300.

Not even going to mention those absolutely insane one armed rows from the previous workout.  No.  I won't say anything about that INCREDIBLE effort.  Not a peep.


----------



## tallcall (May 30, 2008)

goob said:


> Holy shit.  Those squats are incredible.  I could only imagine doing 300.
> 
> Not even going to mention those absolutely insane one armed rows from the previous workout.  No.  I won't say anything about that INCREDIBLE effort.  Not a peep.



Aww thanks man! I'll be the first to admit that my row form is a bit whacked though! 






YouTube Video


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## tallcall (May 30, 2008)

*5/30/08 Weigh in*

*5/30/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 282 â?????? No Change from last week
Waist: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  52 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week 
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week 

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.59 â?????? Up 0.78 pounds from last weekâ??????s 272.81
Body Fat Weight: 8.41 â?????? Down 0.78 pounds from last weekâ??????s 9.19

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5.75 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I stayed at 282 but seem to have lost some fat while gaining muscle (pretty cool). People at school have been telling me how they think Iâ??????ve lost a lot of weight since two weeks ago when I saw dome of them last. I thought that was a nice compliment, but really havenâ??????t been doing anything all that different. Maybe Iâ??????m judging myself too harshly at times. Iâ??????ve been trying some 6-OXO Extreme, I think itâ??????s doing a nice job. One of my friends is using a T booster like 6-OXO and hydroxyl-cut along with some other things, maybe Iâ??????ll give hydroxy-cut a try someday.


----------



## tallcall (May 30, 2008)

*5/29/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We just went over a escape from side control to a upside-down arm-bar. Drilled that for about 15-20 minutes. We rolled for about 10-15 minutes.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 1, 2008)

*5/30/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push Power Week 2"

Dips: RI - 60 |* BW-28x4, BW-22x3, 2 PR for Weight

*DB Bench On Ball: RI - 90 |* 65'sx7, 75'sx2 (failed on 3rd rep), 75'sx0 (failure) PR for Weight

*Cross Body Raises: RI - 60 |* 30 lbs x 8, 8, 8 PR for Weight

*Superset: RI - 60 |
1 - Seated Cable Incline Flys |* 80x6, 90x4, 100x2 PR for Weight

*2 - Seated Cable Incline Reverse Flys |* 80x6, 90x4, 100x2 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
30 minutes stretching
10 minutes doing farmer's walks after the workout

I liked those flys! I also like how I was able to kind of push through that 70-75 lb weight barrier on my presses, I think next week will be standard bench presses and I'll see where I am there. I think I'll be able to get 150 pretty easily.

*Calories - 4500*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 1, 2008)

*5/31/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Pull Power Week 2:

Pull-Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-16 x 2, BW x 2, 1 (failed on 2nd rep) PR for Weight

*MTS High Row: RI - 60 |* 90'sx8, 125'sx5, 130'sx3 PR for Weight

*Two Handed Seated Cable Row: RI - 60 |* 150x10, 195x8, 210x4 PR for Weight

*DB SLDL: RI - 90 |* 70'sx7, 7, 7 PR for Weight

*Preacher EZ Bar Curls: RI - 60 |* 85x8, 95x5, 110x2 PR for Weight

*Cable Chops and Reverse Cable Chops: RI - 60 |* 25 lbs x 10 (downward chops), 10 (upward chops), 10 (downward chops) PR for Weight

*Turkish Getups: RI - 30 |* 10 lbs x 6 reps on each side - started failing on the fifth reps

*Cardio - 20 minutes*
10 minutes on a bike
30 minutes stretching
10 minutes for abs - I counted the ab section of my workout as cardio because I didn't take any breaks and it took me about 10 minutes to do those getups.

Yay I am at bodyweight on my pull-ups!

The High Row machine has a machine max of 155 pounds - I'm already at it's doorstep.

I had to try the two handed rows again and see where I stood with those so I kind of screwed myself by going for 10 reps on the first set, I think I could have had much more weight if I started at 195 - I'd probably have had almost 300 pounds today.

My left hand's grip is still messed up from the farmer's walks I did Friday, so it probably wasn't a good idea to do those straight legged deadlifts today, but I'll be fine - the finger just feels like I pulled something and is just a little swollen.

I haven't done cable chops in a while so I had to ask for some help on the form. The guy said that I was actually doing them right - it just took me a few tries to remember it. It felt good to use a little more weight than the balls would allow.

I really like the Turkish getups. I had never done them so I started with the 10 lb db for now and got 6 reps with it in each hand before I had to give up. I felt my arms shaking nicely by the fifth rep and couldn't fathom going past 6 - my left side almost didn't make it through the sixth rep.

*Calories - 5000 (cheat day)*


----------



## goob (Jun 1, 2008)

Good work on the DB SLDL's, thats a good weight.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 4, 2008)

goob said:


> Good work on the DB SLDL's, thats a good weight.



Thanks, that was a lot of weight to do with my grip feeling like it did.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 4, 2008)

*6/01/08*

*Cardio:
Sunday:
40 Minutes*

10 minutes on a bike.

10 minutes for an abs circuit which involved 200 crunches, 25 kicks, 25 scissors, 25 leg outs, 20 bird-dogs, and 2 planks at 30 seconds.

10 minutes on a stair master.

10 minutes on an elliptical.

*Calories - 3900*

I had to miss my Monday class so I decided to go for 40-60 minutes of cardio on Sunday morning to make up for it.


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## tallcall (Jun 4, 2008)

*6/02/08*

*Monday:
Legs Power Week 3:

Double Leg Leg Extension: RI - 60 |* 160x8, 170x8, 180x6 PR for Weight

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 60 |* 170x7, 190x4, 205x2 (entire stack) PR for Weight

*Hip Adductions: RI - 30 |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*Superset: RI - 90 |
1 - Leg Press |* 630x8, 720x8, 810x4 (machine max without adding without adding weight to the top of the sled - just using the bars provided) PR for Weight

*2 - Calf Presses |* 630x20, 720x20, I didn't do anything at 810 because I didn't have the time.

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

*Calories - 4500*

I felt great, grip still messed up so I couldn't get those snatches I wanted but at least I knew when to say no.

I have a new friend at the gym, a new trainer that they just hired. We traded stories and he witnessed me do those leg presses and offered a spot (I agreed happily). What a cool guy. I also say my other friend from the school nearby doing some upper body work. I mentioned to him that I always hate it when I have to use some equipment and someone else is hogging it all. I hate to push them off, but like he said, sometimes you have to  - I'm a big guy and can scare some people, he's a bit smaller but has a really messed up looking face (kind of looks like a victim of a chair shot or two - Mmmm pretty) . Oh well, that was a lot of fun, I'm glad I ran into those two, it really made my day a little bit better!


----------



## tallcall (Jun 4, 2008)

*6/03/08*

*Tuesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We covered 2 chokes from side control.

The first was an ax choke. The second one was a gi choke where you do a back bridge over the guy and crank it in even tighter. I couldn't get the bridge - mostly due to fear, but also because my toes don't like to support that kind of weight at that angle. I tried it twice with him helping and still couldn't get it, so he allowed me to use one of the other gi chokes that works at least as well. I was really nervous because I would have to come down on the guy with almost all my weight if something went wrong and I weight 280 pounds coming down on a guy weighing 180 or less - not a pleasant feeling.

I rolled for 15 minutes and spent the last 5 with the teacher who complimented me by saying my base had improved over the last month because he had a harder time moving me - high praise!

*Caloreis - 3900*


----------



## fufu (Jun 4, 2008)

what is an axe choke?


----------



## tallcall (Jun 5, 2008)

fufu said:


> what is an axe choke?



It's a collar choke (with gi) where you dig nice and deep on both sides and usually curl your wrists and drop your elbows to the floor (assuming your opponent is on his back like mine was doing this drill). The only difference was that I was using my gi to wrap the left side and back of his neck, then reaching deep on the right side of his neck with my other hand and curling the wrist and dropping that elbow to the floor (my left arm was in the air cranking my gi around his neck and my right arm was across his neck with the wrist curled and elbow on the ground near his opposite shoulder).

I'm not a big fan of gi chokes, but they do work nicely.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 5, 2008)

*6/04/08*

*Wednesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

2 more submissions from side control. First was an Americana - done by grabbing your opponents belt, switching your hips, reaching under his elbow, doing a figure four and cranking it back.

The second was mostly a set up to a myriad of other submissions and chokes. We start by grabbing the opponent's belt on the opposite side of the attack, then switch your hips, use the hand that secured his belt to loop under his far side armpit and run it across his chest to grab his other wrist, then figure four that wrist, now release your hand that controlled his far side belt and arm and grab the top layer of his near side belt and create a small loop, push his hand through the belt loop you just created, now using the hand that controlled his near side hand - keeping a half figure four, grab the belt loop (this way you have his hand locked in the belt and your arm sort of grapevined around his so you control him with just one arm). Now you can slide back and go up for a Kimura, Americana, most chokes, knee on belly and mount, roll him over and take back mount, block his head with your shin and choke him, or set up and go for an Armbar or straight arm Armbar, take any other mounted position you want, you have all the control in the world at this point.

I rolled for about 10-15 minutes and attempted but failed to incorporate some of the submissions we went over for the past two weeks. I'm definitely going to find a way to work these into my game because they were very well suited for me.

*Calories - 3900*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 5, 2008)

*6/05/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

More from side control.

First was another variation on an Americana. This was kind of cool since you use your entire body's weight against your opponent. Start in side control. I'm lying with my left hand across his face, I take that hand and swim under his armpit to lock that arm, then using my other hand I pop up slightly onto my knees to give myself room and swim the other hand under his elbow which is trapped under my hips closest to me, I reach under and grab his wrist, then switch my hips kicking my right leg back at an angle to allow for better balance and pull his wrist up and toward his ribs which bends his elbow back against me, then I just lean my bodyweight onto his torso and bridge my hips if I need and more leverage.

The second was another that gives you a myriad of submissions and chokes. basically it starts the same as the Americana above, but this time you don't shift your hips, you reach under and pin the trapped arm under your hips closest to you and lay your shin across it right above the elbow. Now you  have him trapped, just extend your other leg to give yourself a good base and you can get collar chokes, standard wrist chokes, opposite side Americanas and straight arm Armbars, mount, knee on belly or knee on side to help with the straight arm Armbar, then there's one of my personal favorites, the bicep cutter - not allowed in NAGA because it can cause nasty damage to the guy's biceps and take 3-6 months to heal up right (one of our guys who just fought a month or two ago had his bicep injured in the fight - that's when the ref stopped the fight- and is out for about 3 months). I think you can also get a Bone crusher from there but I didn't get a chance to ask or try.

I rolled for 10 minutes - there were only three of us so we just spent the majority of the time going over positions.

*Calories - 4300*


----------



## fufu (Jun 5, 2008)

tallcall said:


> It's a collar choke (with gi) where you dig nice and deep on both sides and usually curl your wrists and drop your elbows to the floor (assuming your opponent is on his back like mine was doing this drill). The only difference was that I was using my gi to wrap the left side and back of his neck, then reaching deep on the right side of his neck with my other hand and curling the wrist and dropping that elbow to the floor (my left arm was in the air cranking my gi around his neck and my right arm was across his neck with the wrist curled and elbow on the ground near his opposite shoulder).
> 
> I'm not a big fan of gi chokes, but they do work nicely.



ahh yes, I know what you are talking about, thanks.


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## tallcall (Jun 6, 2008)

fufu said:


> ahh yes, I know what you are talking about, thanks.



Yeah, they are a lot of fun.

He taught his no gi class some type of Crucifix. Trapping one arm in an Americana and the other in a straight arm Armbar. I thought that looked pretty cool.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 6, 2008)

*6/6/08 Weigh in*

*6/6/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 282 â?????? No Change from last week

Waist: 34 inchesâ?????? Down 0.5 inches from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  52 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.98  â?????? Up 0.39 pounds from last weekâ??????s 273.59
Body Fat Weight: 8.02â?????? Down 0.39 pounds from last weekâ??????s 8.41

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.75 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5.5 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Again, I stayed at 282 but lost some fat while gaining muscle. The 6-OXO Extreme has been working very nicely for me and I feel like it is actually doing what it advertised.


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## tallcall (Jun 7, 2008)

*6/6/08*

*Friday:
Upper Push Power Week 3:

Dips : RI - 60 |* BW-22 x 4, BW-16 x 2, 2 PR for Weight

*DB Bench on Ball: RI - 90 |* 70's x 5 PR for Reps, 80's x fail (I tried a second time and failed again)

*DB Skull Crushers: RI - 60 |* 25 x 8, 30 x 8 (all assisted), 25 x 10 PR for Reps

*Superset: RI - 60 |
1 - Seated Incline Cable Fly |* 90 x 7, 100 x 4, 110 x 2 PR for Weight

*2 - Reverse Seated Incline Cable Flys |* 90 x 7, 100 x 4, 110 x 2 PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs
15 minutes stretching

*Calories - 5000 (cheat day)*

I was so tired today. I know I could have had the 80 pound DB bench, I got the weight about half way up and failed each time. I was seriously burned out, I've been working for the last 15 days with only 2 days off in between and will work 2 more days before I get any time off (6 days, 1 day off, 6 days, 1 day off, 5 days, then 2 days off - sucks).

I was nice to see my rep range improve over last week with those 70 pounders through and on the Skull Crushers.


----------



## goob (Jun 7, 2008)

Thought this journal was getting too serious......


----------



## tallcall (Jun 7, 2008)

goob said:


> Thought this journal was getting too serious......



Are you jealous of her?


----------



## Double D (Jun 9, 2008)

Your bf has went way down since the last time I have been here! Very nice buddy!


----------



## tallcall (Jun 9, 2008)

Double D said:


> Your bf has went way down since the last time I have been here! Very nice buddy!



Hey buddy, it's been too long! What have you been up to?


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## Double D (Jun 10, 2008)

Working alot thats about it, see my journal for more!


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## tallcall (Jun 10, 2008)

*6/07/08*

*Saturday:
Upper Pull Power Week 3:

Pull-Up Ladder - 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 style: RI - 60 |* BW x 1, 2, 2, 1, 1- Fail

*MTS Highrow: RI - 60 |* 125x5, 135x4, 155x2 (Machine Max) PR for Weight

*2 Handed Seated Cable Row W/Stirrup Grips: RI - 60 |* 195x8, 210x6, 225x4 PR for Weight

*Hise Shrugs: RI - 60 |* 200 x 15, 250x15, 300x12 PR for Weight

*Ab Wheel |* BWx3x10

*Turkish Getups |* 20 lb db x 3 L, 3 R PR for Weight

*Tablemakers |* 20 @ 3 minutes

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for that ab session
30 minutes stretching

I felt great. I got 7 pull-ups at bodyweight and Maxed out the MTS row machine. Those Hise shrugs felt nice too.

*Calories - 4000*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 10, 2008)

*6/09/08*

*Monday:
Legs Reps Week 1:

Superset: No Rest |
1 - Lying Leg Curls |* 100x10, 110x10, 120x10

*2 - Hip Rotations |* 75x10, 100x10, 112.5x10

*Sumo Deadlift: RI - 60 |* 165x10, 245x8, 265x8, 245x8, 165x8

*DB Snatches: RI - 60 |* 20x8, 30x8, 35x8

*Hip Adductions: RI - 30 |* 150x10, 170x10, 190x10

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs circuit
15 minutes stretching

*Calories - 3900*

That was a lot of deadlifting! My hamstrings and lower back are burning and my traps are feeling it a bit as well - good times.

I had to work around some dumb-asses today. One of them decided to walk right in front of me when I was doing those snatches. I stopped and let him go by but I really wanted him to just walk into a good 35 lb dbl as it's flying through the air - after losing a few teeth I think he'd get the idea teeth:)!


----------



## tallcall (Jun 10, 2008)

*6/10/08*

*Monday 6/09/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

Worked with opponent in side control. Basically a spin out to North/South, then driving your leg up so their waist and stomach is resting on your shin, from there you can easily roll into mount.

Rolled for about 10 minutes.

*Tuesday 6/10/08:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

Worked from side control. Goal was to get a Americana and Armbar from side control by blocking his head, switching your hips, grabbing the arm you trapped by switching, then positioning the elbow on your lower knee and stepping on his wrist with your elevated leg (Americana is done by keeping the arm bent over your knee, stepping on his writs, then pulling up on the elbow). We also went from that position to full mount by keeping our foot very tight to our chest and sliding it over top of him so as not to tip him off on what's happening (he can't see because you're still blocking his head). From there we went to high mount and triangle choke, kimura, and armbar.

Then we practiced what to do if the guy blocks you. Basically it's all the same just that you swim the arm that was blocking the guy's head under his head and grab that wrist with your free wrist, then switch your hips, flatten out and walk around so your head is pretty much right next to his, drop your head to the ground, squeeze and drop the shoulder attached to the arm that is wrapping under his head. This is the Jeff Monson Choke and it works very nicely (this doesn't really utilize the gi much so it is perfect for MMA - I guess that's because Jeff started it).

There's a lot of talk lately about possibly getting BJ Penn, Rodger Gracie, Nog's MMA coach, Marcelo Grosso, and De La Riva to come over and do seminars with us by the end of the year. Thiago was in BJ's locker room at the last UFC - you can see him in the end credits giving BJ a hug and kiss on the forehead. He is going to be visiting Hawaii in September on vacation and is going to visit BJ for a little while. I am very excited about that possibility and getting Nog's current MMA coach over here.

Also, We're getting some of our guys ready for their debuts in "Cage Warriors" and had some of the fight coordinators over here tonight from England (they were talking about smoking some fags, then I realized they meant cigarettes and I stopped myself from over-reacting ). So in a little bit we're going to be bringing a bunch of their guys over here to train with us from England as they prepare for their fights as well. This could be interesting especially if one of them gets selected to fight one of our guys (There'd be a beatdown! ).

Too much excitement for me!


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## tallcall (Jun 11, 2008)

*6/11/08 Weigh in*

I'm doing this a bit early this week.

*6/11/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 281 282 â?????? Down 1 pound from last week
Waist: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  52 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.40  â?????? Down 0.58 pounds from last weekâ??????s 273.98
Body Fat Weight: 7.60 â?????? Down 0.42 pounds from last weekâ??????s 8.02

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.75 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I went down one pound. People at school are again complimenting me on how I look, something must be going well. The 6-OXO Extreme has been working great, I keep losing fat and am maintaining most of my lean mass.


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## Double D (Jun 11, 2008)

We use those handheld devices here, I personally dont like em cause they estimated someone who was like 8% bf at 17% the other day.....just hate em, but most of the time they give you a general idea. Keep up the good work buddy!


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## tallcall (Jun 13, 2008)

*6/11/08*

*Wednesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We just did the same things as we did on Tuesday and rolled for about 15 minutes.

I went to the early class with the hopes to stay through two classes, but these allergies have been giving me a hard time this week and I couldn't work through a second class, so I just watched.

*Calories - 4500*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 13, 2008)

*6/12/08*

*Thursday*

I just decided to sit out this BJJ class and watch. Nothing really happened, one guy showed up and the rest were doing Mauy-Thai training because there is a tournament coming up on July 12th over at the UCF arena.

I did get a chance to chat with my friend, our strength and conditioning coach. He gave me a new workout plan based loosely on the ideas of crossfit. He has been doing crossfit style workouts for all his career and is getting his certification soon. My new plan is as follows:

*4 weeks:
3 days/week - Tuesday, Friday, Sunday (for now)

Week 1:
3-4 sets of everything

Clean Pull - 5 reps/set, Rest = 90-120 seconds

Front Stepup, Split Good Mornings, Push Jerk, Mixed Grip Pullups, Reverse Grip Bench, and One Arm Horizontal Pullups - 10 reps/set of each, resting for 60 seconds

Plank with weight transfer - 30-60 seconds

Week 2:

Clean Pull - 3 reps/set

Front Stepup, Split Good Mornings, Push Jerk, Mixed Grip Pullups, Reverse Grip Bench, and One Arm Horizontal Pullups - 5 reps/set, rest = 90 seconds

Plank with weight transfer - 30-60 seconds

Week 3:

Clean Pull - 5 reps/set

Front Stepup, Split Good Mornings, Push Jerk, Mixed Grip Pullups, Reverse Grip Bench, and One Arm Horizontal Pullups - 8 reps/set, rest = 60

Plank with weight transfer - 30-60 seconds

Week 4:

Clean Pull - 2 reps/set

Front Stepup, Split Good Mornings, Push Jerk, Mixed Grip Pullups, Reverse Grip Bench, and One Arm Horizontal Pullups - 2 reps/set

Plank with weight transfer - 30-60 seconds*

Basically I'm alternating light and heavy weeks. Each time I go in I will perform 21-25 sets

*Calories - 3900*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 13, 2008)

*6/13/08*

*Friday:*

No workout, still getting over this cold (or whatever it is).

*Calories - 3900*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 17, 2008)

*6/16/08*

*Monday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

One of my favorite teachers is leaving us to move back to Brazil so his wife can have her baby around her family. She is really scared to have it here because of the treatment she got having the last one (she's a nurse herself and has been one for the last 10 years - so I guess she knows what she's talking about). He'll be back in a few months to do seminars in California, Arizona and of course Florida (he already has all of them lined up).

We learned a straight arm armbar started when the guy attempts to pass you and you start in butterfly guard. Basically just push his knee out and slide to your side with one knee on his back squeezing him, roll one arm up across his elbow and grasp your other hand and lift your head and squeeze your arms together.

A nice one, I attempted to use it on the instructor when we rolled (for the last time ), it failed but I got him to submit to an Americana from side control ). I rolled for about 10 minutes.

Another interesting thing, the warm ups (running, jumping jacks, rolls, etc) went fine, no real pain (well a little and I still suck hard at those rolls ). But I did complete them!

*Calories - 3600*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 17, 2008)

*6/17/08*

*Tuesday:
All Body Program Week 1 Day 1*

*Clean Pull: RI - 90 |* 135x5, 185x5, 185x5

*Front Step Ups: RI - 60 |* 95x10, 105x10, 115x10

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 |* 95x10, 105x10, 125x10

*Push Jerk: RI - 60 |* Barx10, 65x10, 65x10

*Mixed Grip Pull Ups: RI - 60 |* BW-46 x 10, 10, 10

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 65x10, 95x10, 95x10

*Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 |* 2 arms x BW x 10, 10, 10

*Plank W/ Weight Transfer: RI - 60 |* 10 lbs for 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*
10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes for abs
15 minutes stretching

I had a hard time with the mixed grip pullups because my wrists start hurting quickly, I had the same issue with the reverse grip bench. I still can't hold a bar in a front squat position, so I have to hold it with my arms crossed in front (this was fine really, just a minor change). Those push jerks were very difficult especially since I was already worn out, but I got through them. I had a very hard time with the planks, I have to have our coach show me these again, I don't understand how it is done (maybe it was just because I was so tired by the end). Those horizontal pullups (rows) had to be done two handed because I kept failing with one hand, then I also had to wear straps for them because my grip got too slippery and raw.

All in all, a good trial run, I think I'm going to mess around with the order and do the jerk press second and the stepups fourth. I have to do something with those mixed and reverse grip exercises though.

*Calories - 4500*


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## Double D (Jun 17, 2008)

Nice cleans buddy, thats pretty good!


----------



## tallcall (Jun 18, 2008)

Double D said:


> Nice cleans buddy, thats pretty good!



Yeah, they were kind of like a deadlift, but much faster (only going about waist high), with a calf raise and shrug before dropping it back to the floor.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 18, 2008)

*6/17/08*

*Tuesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We went over 2 standing takedowns. The first was easy, basically just pushing forward and sweeping the opponent with your back foot (my right foot, using my left as a base) and punching them to the ground in one fluid motion, followed quickly by a knee on the belly or full mount and armbar (going in for the kill).

The second was a lot more complicated. grab opponents gi near the wrist (he is locking onto you), run your elbow up, over, and then under that arm, duck under it with your head and go down to the opposite knee, then hug his nearest leg and roll towards your shoulder (the one corresponding to the arm that was used to lock his arm), the opponent ends up on his back and you can easily roll into mount (well it wasn't so easy for me, but anyways). It was a bit more complicated than I was ready for.

Rolled for about 5 or 10 minutes, spent most of our time throwing each other to the ground and making sure we were falling correctly (we don't normally have these hard falls), since we are really working on maybe 2 inches of zebra mats on top on very thin carpeting and no other padding (no wrestling mats or anything).


----------



## fufu (Jun 18, 2008)

you ever think about training no-gi?


----------



## tallcall (Jun 18, 2008)

fufu said:


> you ever think about training no-gi?



I thought about it and decided against it. I like training with a gi and I'm trying to cut some costs, so doing one discipline (with gi) is about $20 a month cheaper than doing multiple disciplines.


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## tallcall (Jun 19, 2008)

*6/19/08 Weigh in*

*6/19/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 281â?????? No Change from last week

Waist: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 35 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  52 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 273.40  â?????? No change from last week
Body Fat Weight: 7.60 â?????? No change from last week

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.75 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I was sick all week and seem to have been able to maintain everything, so I guess thatâ??????s good. Iâ??????ve been stressing out about everything and just canâ??????t wait until this damn month is finally over (what an awful month).


----------



## tallcall (Jun 19, 2008)

*6/18/08*

*Wednesday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We did nothing but drill standing takedowns and then did a little in class tournament for points and everything. I was out in the first round but I only lost by 1 point. These were 2 minute rounds starting on the feet (I still suck at takedowns). I did get called back in a few times when the other guys got too tired or even a little dazed, so I got my share of action. I was seeing some stars at one point. 

It was a lot of fun, Thiago promises that we'll be doing something like this Thursday as well to help get some of the guys ready for one of the tournaments coming up July 12th at FSU. UCF has an MMA event that same week, and there is a Muay Thai tournament somewhere that week. 

Thiago wants to split the class into teams with one of us as a coach on each team to help us get used to listening to our respective corners. I think this could be very nice.

I am going to be testing for a belt promotion next Tuesday. I am a bit nervous, but with all the other crap going on in my life, this could actually be a nice relief for me just to get this one item off my chest. I could be a real beatdown, but I want to give it a try.

*Calories - 3900*


----------



## tallcall (Jun 20, 2008)

*6/19/08*

*Thursday:
BJJ:
1 Hour*

We practiced taking each other down for the first half of class. The second half had us all paired up and sparring tournament style for points in a series of 3 minute rounds (for timing reasons). I lost both of my rounds because of nasty chokes (I thought I was seeing stars at one point. My second round was much better than my first and there was a nice epic scramble where I gained quite a few points, but I still lost to a choke from mount. I was applauded for that scramble though.

I like that way of training. We just went in and had everyone in class shouting at us and had to zero in on what one or two guys were saying, just like in a real tournament.

I think I pulled something in my upper back (it feels like my traps) during that last roll. I hope it feels better by tonight when I have to go back in for another one of those new workouts.

This belt test coming up makes me very nervous. I want to do well, but I really don't have any time to practice because of the moving. I told him that, and that I'll just do everything I can and try not to stress out about it, but that's proving to be easier said than done. Until recently I had no idea there was a difference between back mount and back control. Back mount  is easy, back control is where you're beside the opponent and controlling his hips or arms while he is on all fours. I don't remember anything about sweeps from that position. I'm going to try to get over there Monday, but I have to start moving into the storage unit, so I don't know how much time I'll have afterward. Oh well, I kind of wish I could curl up into a little ball and hide somewhere, it really does feel kind of debilitating. I may go out for an hour or so Sunday night downtown to one of the gay clubs and try to have a little fun (somewhat clean).

*calories - 3600*


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## tallcall (Jun 21, 2008)

*6/20/08*

*Friday:
All Body Program Week 1 Day 2:*

*Clean Pull: RI - 90 |* 185x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Up: RI - 60 |* 105x10, 115x10, 115x10

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 |* 105x10, 125x10, 125x10

*Push Jerk: RI - 60 |* 65x10, 10, 10

*Mixed Grip Pull-up: RI - 60 |* BW-46x10, 10, 10

*Reverse Grip Bench: RI - 60 |* 65x10, 95x10, 105x5 (drop to 95x5)

*2 Arm Horizontal Pull-up: RI - 60 |* BWx10, 10, 10

*Plank with Weight Xfer |* 8 pounds x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 min*
10 min bike
10 min abs
15 min stretching

Back was feeling much better, I think I pulled my traps. It is just slightly painful to bend my neck down and to the left. I felt no pain when I was doing everything here though.

I tried the Jerk Push at about 75 pounds as well and it was simply too heavy for me right now, my shoulders wouldn't handle the load.

I had to sit and wait for a bench today, I swear I wanted to yell at these assholes, one was just sitting there playing with his phone and the others were just talking. I decided it was better to just let them finish their sets and then I'd have it all to myself. It took me about 5 minutes to burn through that one anyways.

Those pull-ups do still hurt a bit, I started my third set with one grip and alternated when my hands started to feel the pain, I think that worked better.

I really like those planks, I got my strength trainer to show me how to do them and they are incredibly simple yet taxing on the whole body.

My arms and legs were shaking by the end. My total time was about 1 hour 15 minutes, but would have been less if I didn't have to wait 15 minutes for that damn bench.

*Calories - 4300*


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2008)

Saturday - 6/21/08 - cheated a bit (~5000) because it was one of my instrucor's last day so we had a little going away party. I'm going to miss him.

Sunday - 6/22/08 - (3400) Went over to Parliament House, had a great time! I love their T Dance shows. I'm still trying to figure out what song one of them was performing, it sounded so good to me.

I packed the car to start my move, a lot of crap is going out in the first load.

This week is going to be difficult when it comes to workouts and BJJ. I have my belt test Tuesday, and I'll probably be in class Wednesday night - maybe , maybe not. I will probably do another workout Wednesday morning when I have time, and possibly Thursday morning. If not, I'll just make up an entire week at the end of the 4 week program.

I still feel alot like crap about all of this, but I guess it'll all work out.


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## goob (Jun 23, 2008)

tallcall said:


> Saturday - 6/21/08 - cheated a bit (~5000) because it was one of my instrucor's last day so we had a little going away party. I'm going to miss him.
> 
> Sunday - 6/22/08 - (3400) Went over to Parliament House, had a great time! I love their T Dance shows. I'm still trying to figure out what song one of them was performing, it sounded so good to me.
> 
> ...


 
Where you moving?


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2008)

goob said:


> Where you moving?



Just moving 30 miles down the road to Mom and Dad's house until I can find a decent place and/or better job around Orlando (or anywhere nearby). The owner of the house I was renting is going into bankruptcy and I think it won't be too long before the bank takes this house, so I'm getting out of here before I come home one day and see a notice on the door, or the locks changed and the furniture missing.


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## tallcall (Jun 26, 2008)

*6/24/08
BJJ:
1.5 Hours*

I did my belt test! I think I passed, he won't tell us for a little while because he wants to get everyone together and do a graduation ceremony.

We went over two escapes from half guard and rolled for about 10 minutes. We had a bonus warmup with the Pilates instructor which was so much more difficult than I thought. I usually have a hard time understanding what people want me to do at first, but after multiple attempts I usually get it. I could not get some of the exercises she was having us do. I'm also still having a hard time with sprawling, my knees still hurt when doing them because I land on them a little bit, but when sprawling with a live person there I usually do fine!?! 

We played a game of WAR, my team won. Then we did a mini tournament. I won the first round, then lost to my former team captain, a couple ranks higher than me. We had some impressive fights that night. I was being cornered by my friend and pro MMA-er. I wasnt sure what he was trying to get me to do at first but once I got it I was able to quickly mount and tap my opponent out with his help (way to go Dan ).

When I was going up against my team captain (now he's a former state wrestling champion from Nebraska), I was able to take him down, I got caught in a guillotine choke, I tripoded up and escaped, but lost to an americana (I almost got the reversal for the americana, but my knees weren't feeling so good after taking him down - I landed kind of hard on them).

*Calories - ~3400*

*6/25/08
BJJ:
2 Hours*

More escapes from half guard. I rolled for 20 minutes.

*Calories - ~3700 - they got a little messed up because I had to stop at Subway for lunch and just had to have some of their cookies *

*6/26/08
Quick Weight In:*

Weight - 277 - Down 4 pounds from last week (don't know how, but whatever)

BF - Lost about 1 percent of body fat according to the hand held device I've been using.

I credit moving large objects all over the county, and rolling for almost 4 hours in 2 days for this large change.


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## Double D (Jun 26, 2008)

I still dont know the purpose of doing reverse grip bench, but some trainers swear by it. You like em?


----------



## fufu (Jun 26, 2008)

tallcall said:


> *6/24/08
> BJJ:
> 1.5 Hours*
> 
> ...



that mini tourney sounds fun, I wish my school would do things like that.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 26, 2008)

Double D said:


> I still dont know the purpose of doing reverse grip bench, but some trainers swear by it. You like em?



I don't mind them, but they are a real pain in the wrists once you try to pile on some weight.


----------



## tallcall (Jun 26, 2008)

fufu said:


> that mini tourney sounds fun, I wish my school would do things like that.



Yeah, I was exhausted after that.


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## Double D (Jun 26, 2008)

Ya I dont think I have ever done em b4. I just dont see a point. Besides I have zero mobility in my wrists....


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## tallcall (Jul 1, 2008)

Alright, I'm mostly settled after that move, stuff is still in boxes and I'm at my parents house.

*6/30/08:
Monday:
BJJ:
1 hour*

My friend was teaching (filling in for the other guy who moved back to Brazil so his wife could be with family while she has her baby), he did a great job!

We went over 3 sweeps from butterfly guard: One of the traditional ones, one where the guy posts a leg to block, and then an arm drag sweep.

I did very well on all of these.

I rolled with the other guy for only 5 minutes, but it was solid with nonstop scrambling and I almost got his back (I lost balance right before). He made me tap to a rear collar choke (I almost got out but just couldn't keep turning into his arm). I also defended myself very well on all fours and made it incredibly difficult for him to get me in that choke, so kudos to him for getting me.

I should find out about that promotion sometime next week (I think I got it though). The teacher is going to do a graduation ceremony, and usually there is a little party afterwards. He was talking about when he got his purple belt in Brazil, the guys would gang up on you, put you to sleep (this is after the test, so you're staggering and almost out by then anyway), then they'd remove your old belt and you'd wake up with the new one and a bunch of crazed looking guys standing over you . Unfortunately that's not really allowed here (my masochistic side again ).

*Calories - 3900*


----------



## tallcall (Jul 1, 2008)

*7/01/08*

*Tuesday:
All Body Program Week 2 Day 1:

Clean Pulls: RI - 120 |* 225x3 PR for Weight, 3, 3

*Front Step Ups: RI - 90 |* 135x5 PR for Weight, 5, 5

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 |* 155 x 5 PR for Weight, 5, 5

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 |* 75x5 PR for Weight, 5, 5

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 90 |* BWx5 PR for Weight, 5, 5

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 |* 100x5 PR for Weight, 5, 5

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 90 |* BWx5, 5, 5

*Plank W/Weight Xfer |* 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds - PR for Weight

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

I'm using a new gym under the same name as the old one, and I think this place kind of sucks. So many machines, and that assisted pullup machine is crap at best, so while I only need about 40 lbs of assistance, I am forced to take no less than 60 or greater and I cannot even use the bars solo because the thing in the middle that gives assistance is a knee pad that cannot be detached or lowered. At least I was only one of maybe 5 people using any free weights and the only one using both a power rack and squat cage correctly (I swear to god I'll knock the next guy I see doing either barbell curls or shrugs off the thing when they know someone else wants to use it for something like what I've been doing).

My pullups really do still stink, but I think they've gotten better. My bench has definitely improved a lot, I could have probably gotten ten at that weight today.

I'm making it a goal of mine to make some new friends at this place, so I started today by introducing myself to one of their personal trainers, apparently he knows about my academy and knows the kind of crazy and intense things we do there, I guess he goes or knows someone who goes there (what a small world!). Talking to him (very cool guy) and seeing all the other good looking guys was very nice, I think I might grow to like it here (you can kind of tell there are a bunch of colleges nearby when guys come in looking like these guys did - very well built ).

*Calories - 4000*

My diet has been all over the place for the last week or so, so I think I've pretty much got it all back on track now.


----------



## tallcall (Jul 2, 2008)

Where am I? 

I can see dead people!


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## Rubes (Jul 2, 2008)

your at that one place with dead people in it


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## tallcall (Jul 2, 2008)

Rubes said:


> your at that one place with dead people in it


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## tallcall (Jul 3, 2008)

*7/3/08 Weigh in*

*7/3/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 277.5 â?????? Down 4 pounds from last week
Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? Down 0.25 inches from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? Down 0.50 inches from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? Down 2 inches from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? Down 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 270.57 â?????? Down 2.83 pounds from last week
Body Fat Weight: 6.93 â?????? Down 0.67 pounds from last week

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.75 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.75 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? Down 0.50 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Iâ??????ve been moving for the past week and really havenâ??????t done as much as I should have done to keep up with things. I feel a lot lighter and a little quicker. It sucks that I lost all that LBM weight, like I said before, the diet has been all over the place the last week or so due to the move.


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## tallcall (Jul 3, 2008)

*7/02/08*

*Wednesday:
BJJ:
2 hours:*

We covered transition from full guard to open guard to ankle under chin for omo plata, gog plata, kimura, armbar, and a sort of crucifix with an armbar and leg choke.

Also did our mini tournys during the last hour, I made it to the second round and keep getting rounds of applause because I guess I'm getting better and quicker.

*Calories - ~3400*


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## tallcall (Jul 3, 2008)

*7/03/08*

*Thursday:
All Body Program Week 2 Day 2:
*
*Clean Pulls: RI - 120 | *225x3, 3, 3

*Front Step Ups: RI - 90 | *135x5, 5, 5

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | *155 x 5, 5, 5

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *75x5, 5, 5

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 90 | *BWx4, 5, 4

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | *100x5, 5, 5

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 90 | *BWx5, 5, 5

*Plank W/Weight Xfer |* 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

Those pullups were very sub par because my left elbow was in some slight pain and I didn't want to chance it.

Everything else ran pretty smooth today!

*Calories - 4000*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

More mini tournys. I was an early elimination to a one of my wrestling buddies (blue belt). I nearly had a single leg takedown on him but didn't push it enough, so I got taken to the ground and landed kind of hard so he took my arm into an Americana. I tried to reverse it, but it was the elbow from before and I heard a pop, so I tapped very quickly. It's perfectly fine (usually you're safe if it pops once, twice is pushing it, and three times is probably going to be a serious problem).

We rolled for 5 minutes at the end. All in all a good day.

I tried some ginseng one of my friends brought in, and man it was powerful, I am still WIDE awake and focused enough to write this essay! I'm gonna have to get some of of that for myself!


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## tallcall (Jul 5, 2008)

*7/05/08*

*Saturday:
All Body Program Week 2 Day 3:*

*Clean Pulls: RI - 120 |* 225x3, 3, 3

*Front Step Ups: RI - 90 | *135x5, 5, 5

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 |* 155 x 5, 5, 5

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *75x5, 5, 5

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 90 |* BWx4, 4, 4

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 |* 100x5, 5, 5

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 90 | *BWx5, 5, 5

*Plank W/Weight Xfer |* 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

Pullups sucked again, my elbows still hurt a little bit when doing them, I may have to stop doing them for a little while.

On the plus side, I met a very nice guy named Poseidon (cool name). Totally hot and I know he's gay (the way he talked with that empathy in his voice - super sweet - and his handshake, holding my hand between his thumb and fingers not quite completely grabbing my hand, very gently shaking). I got to watch him do some ghetto rows, he did pretty good and his arms slightly bulging looked great so I complimented him on his work and that's when we started talking and shaking hands. Then I saw him right before I left and looked into his eyes for a minute as I said good bye. I like him!

*Calories - 7/04/08 - ~4500 (cheat day)
7/05/08 - 4000*


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## Double D (Jul 7, 2008)

I love your workouts, plenty of oly lifts!


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## tallcall (Jul 8, 2008)

Double D said:


> I love your workouts, plenty of oly lifts!



I certainly feel the results. My legs aren't always stiff and sore, they just get a little bit wobbly and I end up sweating buckets.

I also feel like I'm quicker on the mat and have no problem popping up from a prone position in one or two very fluid movements (as opposed to the step by step pattern I was doing). 

I really like this one.


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## tallcall (Jul 8, 2008)

*7/07/08*

*Monday:
All Body Program Week 3 Day 1:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 |* 215x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (on 4 risers instead of 3 like before): RI - 60 |* 125x8, 8, 8

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 |* 155 x8, 8, 8
*
Push Jerks: RI - 60 | *75x8, 8, 8

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 |* BWx8, 6 (2 missed), 8

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | *95x8, 8, 8

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 |* BWx8, 8, 8
*
Plank W/Weight Xfer | *10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 10 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
15 minutes stretching

Front Step Ups were very nice today! Pull Ups were a little bit stronger, but still lacking. I hate not being able to get the assisted pull up machine to work right for me (can't get it to give me less that 60 lbs of assistance, I only need 40 at most, even less now I think).

*BJJ:
1 Hour:*

We drilled single leg takedowns, and sprawls (pummeling one arm under their leading arm to break the grip). The sprawl was then turned into a way to get back control and roll them into a position to set up for a rear naked choke, or any number of other chokes from there. Then we used it to get a blood choke while pushing the guy flat to the ground and driving our wrists into his throat (gi only, since we are using it to keep the grip tight - and man it works quick, I was tapping way before he finished locking it in - it took a couple seconds for it to work tops).

*Calories - 4500 (cheated)*


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## tallcall (Jul 11, 2008)

*7/11/08 Weigh in*

*7/11/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 277.0â?????? Down 0.5 pounds from last week

Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 270.47  â?????? Down 0.10 pounds from last week
Body Fat Weight: 6.53 â?????? Down 0.40 pounds from last week

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Feelâ??????s good. I feel a lot lighter and a little quicker. My diet is more stable right now, still need to fix a few things.


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## fufu (Jul 11, 2008)

how did that belt test turn out for you?


----------



## tallcall (Jul 11, 2008)

fufu said:


> how did that belt test turn out for you?



I think it was alright. He's making us wait until the end of the month to do a full graduation so we can have a little party and congratulate everyone. He's very good at keeping secrets, but from the vibe I'm getting, I think it all went fine.

We have another tournament tomorrow right here in Orlando, I think it's NAGA and I've heard it's a big one. He's selling t-shirts with our team name on them - all De La Riva logos and probably a "Team De La Riva" going across the back since that's who we're with. I also want to get another shirt from my friend who runs Dead-Game. You should check it out if you have time, very nice (kind of pricey) shirts and shorts. I'm also thinking of getting a patch for my gi. Anything to help a friend (heck, he's just like family right now).


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## fufu (Jul 11, 2008)

I've heard that name, De La Riva, recently.


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## tallcall (Jul 14, 2008)

*7/09/08 - 7/11/08

Wednesday:
All Body Week 3 Day 2:*

*Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *215x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | *125x8, 8, 8

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | *155 x8, 8, 8

*Push Jerks: RI - 60 |* 75x8, 8, 8

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx7, 7, 7

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 95x8, 8, 8

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup:* RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

*Plank W/Weight Xfer |* 10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

I still hate those pull-ups, I had to pause and reset on each rep because of a slight pain in my right shoulder and left elbow. I think they're getting better.

*BJJ: 2 Hours*

Takedowns and standing collar chokes (Ezekiel Choke) - the one my friend used to win his first two matches this weekend!!

The takedowns were all Judo hip throws, just going through the motions, no actual slamming because he was trying to give all the guys a little rest time before the competition.

Rolled for about 20 minutes.

I saw my friend Poseidon at the gym again. We talked about a lot of things and I asked him if he was gay, he told me that he was and said that he thinks a lot of the guys there are (then I got a look from one of the other guys - we were all waiting outside so he was just arriving and started eying me). I was all giddy and tripping over myself a little. He's got me all tied in knots right now.

*Friday:

All Body Week 3 Day 3:*

*Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *215x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (on 4 risers): RI - 60 | *125x8, 8, 8

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | *155 x8, 8, 8

*Push Jerks: RI - 60 |* 75x8, 8, 8

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 |* BWx8, 8, 8

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | *95x8, 8, 8

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx8, 8, 8

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *10 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 min abs
15 minutes stretching

Pull-ups still sucked - another day of reseting on each rep.

I was a little concerned that my form on my clean pulls and good mornings was a little off, but I verified the clean pulls and am doing fine. The good mornings are still an issue on the left side, I think I'm right because there should be a stretch in the hamstrings on the right leg, your back shouldn't be going through a extreme range of motion, and the left knee is bent throughout. I think the weight is just shifting a little and maybe putting a little extra stress in some areas, there is no pain just soreness, but enough to make me wonder (it is a complex movement anyways).

*BJJ Thursday: 1 Hour*

I just watched since I forgot some important things . I did get there early enough to watch the muay thai class go through some prep work for their tournament this week. One of the big guys there can't control his strength and is slamming everyone. My teacher knows some good standup and joined for one round with him to teach him a little lesson. He went in very tight and ended everything with an uppercut (broke the guy's nose) and kept pushing him (he kept back peddling ), eventually he pushed the guy into the wall and punched a hole in the drywall the size of his torso - caused by the big guy hitting the wall. Everyone quietly approved and we all signed insurance witness forms stating that it was all accidental (it was, but I was laughing as I signed it thinking that he finally got what he deserved).

*Calories - 
Wednesday: 4000
Thursday: 3400
Friday: 4000
Saturday: 4000
Sunday: 3400*

I'm probably going to take this week off to take care of my parent's dog while they're away and take care of my grandfather (He's had some back problems), plus I get to spend some more time with him - so it'll be a nice break.

I might try to do some body weight work throughout the week and I have some empty 1 gallon jugs I can use, I can do cleans, snatches, shoulder press, weighted pushups, ab work, grip work, and some BJJ drills. I also have a large swiss ball, maybe use it for back extensions and bridges. I'm going to have fun. I think I'll do it all as a sort of circuit since I really don't want to run or bike in this heat or the afternoon thunderstorms.


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## tallcall (Jul 15, 2008)

*7/15/08*

*Tuesday:
All Body:*

All of these were done with 2.5 gallon water jugs weighing about 21 pounds a piece (I used two of them for this workout)

*Suitcase Deadlifts: RI - 60 |* 42 lbs x 3 x 8

*Squat Thrusters: RI - 60 |* BW+21 lbs x 3 x 8

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 |* BW+21 x 3 x 10

*Push Jerks: RI - 60 |* BW+21 x 3 10

*Bent Over Rows: RI - 30 |* 21 lb x 3 x 10

*Push Ups: RI - 60 |* BW x 3 x 10

*Rear Delt Rows: RI - 30 |* 21 lb x 3 x 10

*Back Bridges |* 1 @ 20 sec, 1 @ 30 sec

*Plank with weight transfer |* 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 min*

10 min on a treadmill
10 min abs
15 min stretching

That was kind of fun, all light weight, but higher reps than usual. I'll probably do this sort of thing all week until I can get back to my normal routine.

*Calories - ~4000*


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## Double D (Jul 16, 2008)

You have a great variety of quality exercises!


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## tallcall (Jul 16, 2008)

Double D said:


> You have a great variety of quality exercises!



These are a nice change of pace for a little while. I was thinking of getting some sandbags and doing some of these with that kind of weight, but I really think it isn't a bad idea to use this week as a deloading week.


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## tallcall (Jul 19, 2008)

*7/19/08*

*Saturday:
All Body Week 4 Day 1:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *250x3, 2, 2

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 | *155x3, 3, 3

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | *175 x3, 3, 3

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *95x3, 3, 3

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | *110x3, 120x3, 3

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

5 minutes on a bike
5 minutes on a treadmill
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

I felt pretty good today! I had no major problems with the pull ups and the heavier weight on everything else felt nice.


*Calories - 
7/16 - 4000
7/17 - 4000
7/18 - 4000
7/19 - 4300*


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## fufu (Jul 20, 2008)

you add another degree if difficulty on some exercises with those water jugs if you fill them up 3/4 the way, the movement of the water can make it harder if you do the movement quickly


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## tallcall (Jul 20, 2008)

fufu said:


> you add another degree if difficulty on some exercises with those water jugs if you fill them up 3/4 the way, the movement of the water can make it harder if you do the movement quickly



Yeah, I noticed that the movement of the water even when full made shoulder presses veeery tricky. I might incorporate workouts with the water jugs a little more, varying the ammount of water to change the difficulty. Maybe I'll even get around to adding sand or something evil:).


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## fufu (Jul 20, 2008)

one movement that may be is torso rotations with them.


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## tallcall (Jul 23, 2008)

*7/21/08*

*Monday:
All Body Week 4 Day 2:*

*Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *250x3, 2, 2

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 | *155x3, 3, 3

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | *175 x3, 3, 3

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *95x3, 3, 3

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | *120x3, 3, 3

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs - Torso rotations, reverse chops, and downward chops with a 2.5 gallon jug filled 4 with water, even added some swings and snatches with this uneven weight.
15 minutes stretching

I had some fun with all of this, still having a hard time with those pullups though.

*Calories - 4300*


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## tallcall (Jul 23, 2008)

*7/22/08*

*BJJ:
1 Hour*

Went over two guard passes, I actually was able to use one of them in our rolling later on. You lock their wrist with your opposite hand and put pressure on their hip and opposite knee. Lean your weight into their knee to break it open, pull their hand between their legs and slide one leg out of the way as you move to their side. Slide your free hand under their head and you have them in a kind of cradle. You can take side control, back mount, knee on belly, mount, north-south, anything just don't release that arm!

Rolled for about 10 minutes

*Calories - 3400*


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## tallcall (Jul 25, 2008)

*7/25/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 281â?????? Up 4 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 18.5 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 274.37 270.47â?????? Up 3.9 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.63 6.53â?????? Up 0.10 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 15 % - Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Feelâ??????s good. I didnâ??????t get all fat from that off week!


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## Rubes (Jul 25, 2008)

thats rite put on that muscle. show it whos boss.


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## tallcall (Jul 27, 2008)

*7/24/08*

*Thursday:
All Body Week 4 Day 3:
*
*Clean Pull: RI - 120 |* 250x3, 2, 2

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 90 |* 155x3, 3, 3

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 |* 175 x3, 3, 3
*
Push Jerks: RI - 90 |* 95x3, 3, 3

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | *120x3, 3, 3

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx3, 3, 3

*Plank W/Weight Xfer |* 12 lb hex dbl x 30 seconds

*Turkish Getups |* 12 lb db @ 5 reps each side (2 minutes each side)

*Cardio - 30 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching
10 minutes on an elliptical - 6-10 mph (avg comfortable pace at 7.8 mph) 

Felt great after this!
*
Calories - 4300*


----------



## tallcall (Jul 27, 2008)

*Saturday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 1:
*
*Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *225x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 | *135x10, 10, 10

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | *165 10, 10, 10

*Push Jerks: RI - 60 | *85x10, 10, 10

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx10, 10, 10 (2nd and 3rd sets were all negatives - ~5 second negatives)

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 105x10, 10, 10

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx10, 10, 10

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs 
15 minutes stretching

Legs felt wobbly later, nice (I really hate high reps, just two more days of this).

*Calories - 4500 - Cheat Day*


----------



## Rubes (Jul 27, 2008)

you is a crazy man and it works for you keep up the good work big guy


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## tallcall (Jul 30, 2008)

Rubes said:


> you is a crazy man and it works for you keep up the good work big guy


----------



## tallcall (Jul 30, 2008)

*7/28/08*

*Monday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 2:*

*Clean Pull: RI - 120 |* 225x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 |* 135x10, 10, 10

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | *165 10, 10, 10

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *85x10, 10, 10

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 |* BWx10, 10, 10 All negatives

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 |* 105x10, 10, 10

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 |* BWx10, 10, 10

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs:
*Ab Wheel |* 3xBWx10
*Superset:*
*1 - Cable Chops |* 22.5x10, 27.5x10, 10
*2 - Reverse Cable Chops |* 22.5x10, 27.5x10, 10
15 minutes stretching

I was so tired! 

*BJJ: 
1 Hour:*

Triangle -> Omo-plata -> Triangle flow. I was surprised at how quickly and accurately I was able to snap that triangle into place, then snap to the omo-plata, the last transition was easy and goes back to the same triangle.

We rolled for 10 minutes after all the drilling. I was so close to getting a triangle around my opponent while still int mount. I had it with about 10 seconds left and was just about to lock the other leg in place when time was called! 

One of the other guys I started with about 7 months ago and I rolled together and kept reversing each other, I got the De La Riva hook in a few times and rolled him out of mount a couple times, nearly choked him from one of the guard passes we just learned, and escaped his mount once or twice out the back door. That was a lot of fun.

I'm going to watch three of my friends fight at UCF in August at:






Mikey Gomez Vs. *Charley Blanchard* (XWFC Welterweight Title)
Bruce Connors Vs. Mike Bruno (XWFC Featherweight Title)
*Joel Garcia* Vs. Glen Mincer - Joel (my old teacher) will win
Mark Serkez Vs. Gareth Joseph
*TBC* Vs. Jason Patino - The TBS is a friend of my teacher, I'm sure he'll do fine
Daniel Lovett Vs. Chris Boffil
Carlos Gonzalez Vs. Jason Carapelluci
Steve Mogerman Vs. Zach Knight
Justin Goodall Vs. Brian Eckstein
Jim Alers Vs. Brandon Ocasio
Corey Krebs Vs. *Patrick Downs* - Patrick (one of my guys) will win
Kevin Abrante Vs. Jeremy LaRochester

That'll be a lot of fun, I'm trying to get a camera from work to cover it. If I can get video, I'll post some of it.

*Calories - 4300
Tuesday: 3700
Wednesday: 3400*


----------



## tallcall (Jul 31, 2008)

*7/31/08 Weigh in*

*7/31/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 284â?????? Up 3 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.75 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 277.30 â?????? Up 2.93 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.70 â?????? Up 0.07 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Weight keeps fluctuating. Yesterday morning was 284, last night was 270, and this morning is 284.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 2, 2008)

*7/31/08*

*Thursday:
All Body Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 3:

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | *225x5, 5, 5

*Front Step Ups (3 risers): RI - 60 | *135x10, 10, 10

*Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | *165 10, 10, 10

*Push Jerks: RI - 90 | *85x10, 10, 10

*Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | *BWx10, 10, 10 All negatives

*Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | *105x10, 10, 10

*2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | *BWx10, 10, 10

*Plank W/Weight Xfer | *12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds - PR for time

*Cardio - 20 minutes*

10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs
15 minutes stretching

*Calories - 4300*


----------



## tallcall (Aug 2, 2008)

*8/2/08*

*Thursday BJJ:
1 Hour*

Gi chokes including my teacher's special - gi choke with a flip over the opponent on the floor, rolling him up, and cranking it in much tighter! I haven't been able to get that flip yet, but it is a really interesting one (sucks being put in one though since I can't find a way out).

*Friday:*

Finally got my belt presentation! I'm now a *Green Belt*. 6 months in and I am promoted. I think at this rate, I might be testing for a Blue Belt in December. Now if only I could get time to do some competitions, that'd be fun!

We all got to walk through the "corridor" to get our beatings (I had to go twice, some had to go up to four times - I just walked through and enjoyed the pain - Masochistic).

I should have pictures soon, my camera died right before I got my belt, but the owners took pictures and offered to give me some prints.

*Calories - 3700*

*Saturday*

I decided to take a day off and rest....and apply for a new job (I'm getting screwed at the TV station - $26,000 for a college graduate with a Masters in Communication  - so I need a new one).

My back has also been feeling a little tight lately so I just wanted to give a break.

*Calories - 4500 - Cheat day*

Also, Patrick isn't fighting this August because he was injured during training, my teacher didn't want to have him go into his debut pro MMA fight with that kind of injury (he dislocated his knee and took a beating on one of his thighs). He was pissed about the call but seemed to understand the logic and will be preparing for his next attempt in October. He is going to be good if he can stay healthy.

The guy that is the *"TBC"* is going to absolutely dominate if the fight goes to the ground, standing he is still weak, but he'll do fine (we got to beat him for fun Friday night - he had to walk 4 times - my teacher is one sadistic bastard sometimes but he gets away with it because he's Brazilian ).

I'm still working on getting a camera to shoot the event, but it is probably going to air on Sun Sports or something a few weeks later anyways. My friends in the Sports department of my station seem to be behind the idea of at least covering it!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 8, 2008)

*8/8/08 Weigh in*

*8/8/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 283.5â?????? Down 0.5 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? Down 0.25 inches from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 64.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 276.81 â?????? Down 0.49 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.69 â?????? Down 0.01 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.5 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Weight dropped a little.


----------



## tallcall (Aug 14, 2008)

*8/4/08-8/11/08*

*Cycle 2 Week 2 8/4/08 & 8/7/08:*

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 275x3, 3, 3

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 90 | 155x5, 5, 5

Split Good Mornings: RI - 90 | 165 5, 5, 5

Push Jerks: RI - 90 | 95x5, 5, 5

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 90 | BWx5, 5, 5

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 90 | 115x5, 5, 5

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 90 | BWx5, 5, 5

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

Bike - 10 min
Abs - 10 min - Ab wheel - BWx3x10, Ball chops - 12lbsx3x10
Stretch - 15 min

*8/9/08 - Week 3 Day 1:*

Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 265x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | 145x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 6 (+2) - I started failing toward the end but was able to add 2 more before dropping the bar

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx5, 5, 5

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 110x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx5, 5, 5

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes

Elliptical - 10 min
Abs - 10 min
Stretch - 15 min

*I had to change those pull-ups to 5 reps because I was hitting technical failure very early on. I'm gearing up for an off week to rest coming up running 8/22 - 8/30. *

*8/11/08 - Week 3 Day 2: *


Clean Pull: RI - 120 | 265x5, 5, 5

Front Step Ups (4 risers): RI - 60 | 145x8, 8, 8

Split Good Mornings: RI - 60 | 165x8, 8, 8

Push Jerks: RI - 60 | 95x8, 8, 8 - Failing towards the end

Mixed Grip Pullups: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Reverse Grip Bench Press: RI - 60 | 110x8, 8, 8

2 Arm Horizontal Pullup: RI - 60 | BWx8, 8, 8

Plank W/Weight Xfer | 12 lb hex dbl x 45 seconds

Cardio - 20 minutes
Farmer's Walks - 8 minutes with 80 lb dumbbells in each hand while quickly walking all around the floor.

Treadmill - 3 minutes - incline = 9, speed = 5 mph

Abs - 10 minutes

Stretch - 15 minutes

*I've been eating Roughly 4000-4500 calories on all workout days and 3400-3700 on all off days (not many this time because I've been pulling 18+ hour days and eating like a horse to keep my energy levels up, but I tried).*

I've been keeping up with my Jiu-Jitsu. I've gotten much quicker and am starting to give some of the higher ranked guys a lot of trouble. I trained yesterday with one of the bigger guys who is trying to get ready for his fight in October and was definately giving him a hard time. I like working with him (I never really get the chance since he does mostly no-gi - he is doing gi to help him get ready and give him more mat time). He's a freaking beast and freakishly strong - he shrugs with 6 plates on each side (the bar was bending as he was pulling it!), he also shares my love for deadlifts and rows - a very solid person to work with.

Off for more fun today.


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## tallcall (Aug 16, 2008)

*8/16/08 Weigh in*

*8/16/08 Weigh in*
Weight: 277.5 â?????? Down 6 pounds from last time

Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 57.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 19.5 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 18 inches, Right 17.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19.5 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 271.34 276.81 â?????? Down 5.47 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.16 6.69 â?????? Down 0.50 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Weight dropped a bunch, unfortunately a lot seems to have been lean body weight. Iâ??????ll have to wait until next week to see if this is really true since my body tends to add a few pounds, then drop a bunch of weight and repeat. Iâ??????m eating the recommended calorie total for those who normally weigh around 260 pounds and have my activity level so I should be dropping weight anyways (itâ??????s just going slowly and basically re-comping as it goes).


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## fufu (Aug 16, 2008)

how goes the BJJ?


----------



## tallcall (Aug 16, 2008)

fufu said:


> how goes the BJJ?



Awesome! Getting quicker and more technical every week!


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## tallcall (Aug 24, 2008)

I've been doing good all week, kind of been eating like crap but I have also been slammed by that Tropical Storm and ended up pulling extra hours to do live 24 hour coverage of Fay and the level of destruction it ended up causing. I put in my 80 hours this week and still went in to train (just skipped the Jiu-Jitsu but will resume it this week).

I was so burned out by Friday that I started telling everyone to go to hell (those people want to blame me for making 1 or 2 mistakes in the 5 days we were covering this storm and conveniently ignore the dozen or so mistakes they made which I had to clean up - ).

I've been watching Generation Kill on HBO and I absolutely love it, it reminded me of how I felt right after high school when all those recruiters kept calling. I thought that if I had to choose I wanted 1-Marines, 2-Navy, 3-Army, 4-Airforce. I could not get into any because of the Tourettes Syndrome. I think that's crazy, because I can still deliver main, and do a lot of lower level work (god, I just wanted to do anything to help those guys out even a little bit - *I have always loved the Marines* ). Now that I am out of college I am thinking about approaching them again and maybe trying to go into their officer training school - I like the title "Communications Systems Officer!" I doubt they'll take me still . Either way I'm going to send them a very special care package (Porn, special brownies - maybe, caffeine pills, and maybe some chew tobacco all addressed to an embedded reporter with a letter instructing them to distribute this to the platoon they're with. 

I love those guys and consider myself to be one of them at heart, so either way it goes, *I'm proud of them!*

I'm going to try to have last weeks workouts up in a little while. This week is going to be an off week and I hope to get back to normal by next Monday.


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## tallcall (Aug 24, 2008)

New Marine Commercial


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## tallcall (Aug 28, 2008)

*8/28/08 Weigh in*

*8/28/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 278.5 â?????? Up 1 pound from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34 34.5 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 57.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 20 inches â?????? Up 0.50 inches from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 16 inches, Right 16 inches â?????? No change from last week
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 271.83â?????? Up 0.49 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.17â?????? Down 0.01 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 3 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

This is pretty good for having taken all of last week off from Jiu-Jitsu and this week off from lifting. Then add in consideration for my diet going to crap last week because of what the station was feeding us and I think I did very good!


----------



## tallcall (Aug 31, 2008)

*8/30/08*

*Power Week 1 Day 1:

Single Leg Extension: RI - 30 |* 90x8, 105x8, 120x8 PR for Weight

*Superset 1: No Rest |
1 - Hip Abductors |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*2 - Hip Adductors |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*Smith Squats: RI - 60 |* 280x8, 300x5, 320x3 PR for Weight

*Side Lunges: RI - 60 |* BWx10, 10, 10

*DB Snatches: RI - 60 |* 40x8, 45x8, 50x8 PR for Weight

*Shin Work |* 50 lbs x 4 sets x 20 reps

*Cardio*

10 Minutes on a bike
10 minutes worth of ab work:
*Weighted crunches (machine) |* 80x25, 110x25, 210x5 Machine Max PR for Weight, 170x10

God I felt great after this! It's nice to have those spaghetti legs back. I missed not being able to stand up without wobbling (and I'm still wobbling today). Great workout!

BJJ is still going very strong. I think I made one of my blue belt friends finally go full speed with me! I surprised him by keeping up and almost catching him at nearly every turn so he had to go a lot harder and faster to stop me! I am Mr Incredible!


----------



## tallcall (Sep 10, 2008)

*9/10/08 Weigh in*

*9/10/08 Weigh in*

Weight: 287.0 â?????? Up 9.5 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest:  50.5 50 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Shoulders: 58 57.5 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last week
Neck: 20 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 16.5 inches, Right 16.5 inches â?????? Both up 0.5 inches from last week
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 280.83 â?????? Up 9 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.17 â?????? No change from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2.75 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I have no idea how I gained 9 pounds of lean body weight in 2 weeks. That was just cool. My diet has been basically crap and I still did great. These last two weeks have been spent doing a lot of power lifting.


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## tallcall (Sep 10, 2008)

*9/03/08:
Power Week 1 Day 2:
Upper Push:*

*Dips: RI - 60 |* BWx4 (couldn't control lower body swing - had to have some assistance), BW-124x6, BW-90x4 - this was difficult because the machine was so different from what I am used to using which is why I was trying so hard to them all at bodyweight to avoid that stupid machine (just not quite strong enough yet).

*Barbel Flat Bench in Power Cage: RI - 60 |* 115x8, 135x8, 155x3 (almost 4) PR for weight

*DB Skullcrushers: RI - 60 |* 30x6, 35x4 (left), 5 (right), 40x6 (all self-assisted with slow negatives unassisted) PR for weight

*DB Fly: RI - 60 |* 30'sx6, 35'sx6, 40'sx3 PR for weight

*Rope Pressdowns: RI - 30 |* 42.5x10, 57.5x8, 80x4 PR for weight

*Cardio - 30 min*

10 minutes on an elliptical
10 minutes for abs - machine: 145x20, 155x15, 210x6
10 minutes stretching

Everything was a little lower than I remember it, but muscle memory is a great thing.

*9/04/08:
Power Week 1 Day 3:
Upper Pull:

MTS Front Pulldown (strange new machine I wanted to try): RI - 60 |* 70'sx8, 100'sx6, 120'sx4 PR for weight I guess

*Seated one arm cable row: RI - 60 |* 120x8, 150x6, 165x3 - I should have been able to get a lot more than that.

*Bent over ghetto rows: RI - 60 |* 135x8, 160x5, 185x3

*EZ Bar Preacher curls: RI - 60 |* 70x7, 80x7, 110x3 PR for weight

*Back Extentions W/Cobras: RI - 60 | * 15's x 3 sets x 8 reps

*Cardio - 30 minutes*
10 minutes on a bike
10 minutes abs - ball chops: 10 lb ball x 3 x 10 reps, Turkish getups: 15 lb x 5 on each side
10 minutes stretching

I was broken after this.

*9/06/08:
Power Week 2 Day 1:
Legs:

Superset 1: No Rest |
1 - Hip Adductors | * 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*2 - Hip Abductors |* 185x10, 195x10, 205x10

*Lying Leg Curls: RI - 60 |* 170x8, 190x6, 210x4 PR for weight and Machine Max

*Sumo Deadlift: RI - 2 minutes |* 285x6, 335x4, 345x2 PR for weight (up 10 pounds)

*Superset 2: RI - 60 |
1 - Leg Press |* 540x8, 630x8, 720x2 (fail) -> 450x8

*2 - Calf Presses |* 540x20, 630x20, 450x20

*cardio - 30 minutes*
10 minutes on an elliptical
10 minutes abs cycle
10 minutes stretching

Very good day.

*9/08/08:
Power Week 2:
Upper Push:

X Body Raises: RI - 60 |* 25'sx8, 8, 8 - going light because shoulder wasn't feeling too good up until that morning

*Barbel Flat Bench in Power Cage: RI - 60 |* 135x7, 155x5, 175x2 PR for Weight

*Serrates Pull: RI - 60 |* 50 lbs x 8, 8, 8

*EZ Bar Skulllcrushers: RI - 60 |* 40x8, 50x8, 70x6 PR for weight

*Superset 1: RI - 60 |
1 - Seated Cable Fly |* 90x5, 100x3, 110x2

*2 - Reverse Cable Fly |* 90x5, 100x3, 110x2

*Cardio - 30 minutes*
10 minutes on an elliptical
10 minutes abs - machine: 140x12, 170x10, 210x8 Side Bends: 45 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps
10 minutes stretching

Everything was fried after this.

*Calories - basically stayed around 4000 everyday for the last two weeks and went as high as 4500 on a few of them (mostly on the power days themselves)*


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## tallcall (Sep 10, 2008)

The Jiu-Jitsu training has been going great, I'm getting better. We keep drilling the same basic things and I know I'm doing better because of it (keep it simple and effective).

I got to roll with a marine Monday (it was just the two of us). I loved it! He was extremely aggressive and a lot of fun! I think he was also *free-balling (actually I know he was )*. I was watching their no gi class, he was on his back and his board shorts (with the split down the sides) kind of flapped open, and there he was (He's kind of short in stature, but not where it counts apparently ). Of course I didn't mention it to him or anything but I did enjoy the show. When we rolled I actually looked him in the eyes at one time and he smiled back! I loved the sort of cold stare he gave most of the time, it was sort of freaky and hot at the same time (got to love that military training).

All I know is he is a very cool guy and I want to roll with him again soon. I even asked him where he was stationed, Hawaii - I'm guessing he was "Force-Protection." 

While we were rolling, he said something about his balls (I guess I might have been grabbing his pants a little too close, but he was still smiling) and I started laughing because I remembered the last class. It takes a real man to go without protection (like me) and he only went in with a thin layer of fabric (I had two thin layers )!

I can't wait to roll with him again - damn I love Marines!


----------



## goob (Sep 16, 2008)

Alright there you old Queen.  Still kicking ass.  Hows things?


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## tallcall (Sep 16, 2008)

goob said:


> Alright there you old Queen.  Still kicking ass.  Hows things?



Freakin awesome! ....Old crack mule


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## tallcall (Sep 18, 2008)

*9/18/2008 Weigh in:*

*9/18/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 284.0 287.0 â?????? Up 9.5 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last week 
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last week
Chest: 50.5 inches â?????? No change from last week
Shoulders: 58 inches â?????? No change from last week
Neck: 20 inches â?????? No change from last week

Bi's: Left â?????? 16.5 inches, Right 16.5 inches â?????? Both up 0.5 inches from last week
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last week

Lean Body Mass: 277.90 â?????? Down 2.93 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.10 â?????? Down 0.07 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Suprailiac â?????? 4.25 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last week 
Triceps â?????? 2.75 mm â?????? No change from last week 

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I have been sick for the last week and am starting to feel much better.


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## Double D (Sep 18, 2008)

Hope you get back to 100%....I just got over a 2 month sickness


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## tallcall (Sep 19, 2008)

I'm definitely feeling better now, I even went to the gym and my BJJ class yesterday. I did alright, I still need a bit more time (I failed a lot at the gym and was very slow in class).


----------



## AndrewSS (Sep 22, 2008)

lets PARTY!


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## fufu (Sep 22, 2008)

how is the BJJ going TC?


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## tallcall (Sep 23, 2008)

fufu said:


> how is the BJJ going TC?



It's going fine. I just had a 4 hour long seminar with De La Riva Sunday, I even got him to autograph my gi (I just hope it doesn't bleed when I wash it).

I got to work with one of my marine friends yesterday so that was cool.


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## tallcall (Oct 1, 2008)

*10/1/2008 Weigh in:*

*10/1/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 285.5 â?????? Up 1.5 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Chest: 50.5 inches â?????? No change from last time
Shoulders: 58 inches â?????? No change from last time
Neck: 21.5 inches â?????? Up 1.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left â?????? 16.5 inches, Right 16.5 inches â?????? no change from last time
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 279.76 â?????? Up 1.86 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 5.74 â?????? Down 0.36 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last time
Suprailiac â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? Down 0.25 mm from last time 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last time
Triceps â?????? 2.75 mm â?????? No change from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 % - Down 0.30%. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I just finished up 4 weeks of power lifting and am taking this week off from everything.


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## tallcall (Oct 1, 2008)

Alright, here's where I stand after the last 4 weeks of power lifting.

New maxâ??????s:
Lges - 
Squat: 340x4
Leg Press:  Single Leg: 410x4, Double Leg: 720x2
Calf Presses â?????? Same as Leg Presses
Deadlift: 345x2
Dumbbell Snatches: 55â??????sx4
Lying Leg Curls: 210x4
Leg Extensions: 190x8

Chest/Pulling Motions-
Dips: BW-60x1 (part of a superset and already pre-exhausted)
Bench: 190x1
Skull Crushers: 70x6
X Body Pushes: 42.5x4
Shoulder Press: 110x3
RG Bench: 135x1

Back/Pulling Motions-
MTS Front Pulldown: 155â??????sx1
Rear Delt Row: 60â??????sx8
Upright Row: 87.5x6
Pull-Ups: BW-60x1 (done as part of a superset and after being pre-exhausted)
Straight Legged Deadlift: 75â??????sx7

Iâ??????ve also started doing some Pilates every Thursday and might start to do some wrestling on Fridays. This is all in addition to everything Iâ??????m already doing.

I had a class with Ricardo De La Riva again about a week ago. I got him to sign the back of my gi. I think Iâ??????m going to have all the people who come over for special seminars sign something for me (I also suggested that my friend work with me on that and try to get some Dead-Game gear signed to try to sell it, or at least for display). I hope BJ Penn will be able to come before the end of the year. He and Dan Henderson are supposed to be making a visit sometime in the next few months (I want their autographs - _E-Bay is calling me_!! ).


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## tallcall (Oct 15, 2008)

10/15/08:

Update - 
Here's where I stand after two weeks of my all body program.

Clean Pulls - 335x3x15 - PR

Front Step-up - 175x3x5 - PR for reps

Split Good Mornings - 195x3x5 - PR for reps

Push Jerks - 110x3x5

Mixed-Grip Pull-Ups - BWx3x10 - still having problems doing more than 3 in a row and will keep going at them until they improve (I self-assist on these every time)

Reverse Grip Bench Press - 135x3x5 - PR for weight and reps

Horizontal (supinated) Pull-Ups - BWx3x10 - these feel awesome

Planks - 45 sec with 12 lb weight transfer.

I'm also doing Pilates regularly. That is a killer workout too, my body feels torn apart every night from that.

BJJ is going well. I miss my friend Scott who went up to New Jersey to visit his brother and work out some of the problems their company is having. I miss talking to him.

I also went to the PRIDE celebration last Sunday here in Orlando. Man, that was fun. I have never been protested against until then. I walked right into the protesters and turned to the cop standing there and asked if I can get in on the other side of the crowd or if I needed to go around (I wasn't afraid of these people, but I was kind of shocked that they started yelling at me, I just smiled and kept on going). I saw another friend there (I really like him), he was a model on one of the floats. I caught up with him afterward and talked with him and some of his friends. Then he kissed me right before he left, I gave him a big bear-hug and he said "god you're strong"  !

So yeah, I had a really nice and memorable time.

In BJJ, I keep getting to roll with my Marine friend, which is cool since he NEVER backs down or gives up (he never goes easy on me and I love him for that). I kept stalemating with him, but that's good considering that he's much faster and much more aggressive (he's also kind of crazy, says weird things when we're rolling in a freaky voice, but it's so freaky it's funny so I love that too).

I got to roll with one of our new MMA fighters. He decided to kick me in the face and then knee me in the nose (all accidental). I forgave him by dropping the blade of my wrist on his throat while leaning up trying to pass his guard (which I did into half guard) driving all my bodyweight onto his neck and chest (payback's a bitch).


----------



## tallcall (Oct 16, 2008)

*10/16/2008 Weigh in*

*10/16/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 287.5 â?????? Up 2 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Chest: 50.5 inches â?????? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches â?????? Up 2 inches from last time
Neck: 21.0 inches â?????? Down 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left â?????? 16.5 inches, Right 16.5 inches â?????? no change from last time
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 281.72 â?????? Up 1.96 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 5.78 â?????? Up 0.04 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time
Suprailiac â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last time
Triceps â?????? 2.75 mm â?????? No change from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 %. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Two weeks back into all body cycle. Staying with Mom who likes to cook a lot, so since Iâ??????m eating a lot, I figure I might as well try and add some muscle.


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## MCx2 (Oct 16, 2008)

Wow, it's been a while since I've been in here. You're doing some great stuff TC!! Very impressive, keep it up!


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## fufu (Oct 16, 2008)

ReproMan said:


> Wow, it's been a while since I've been in here. You're doing some great stuff TC!! Very impressive, keep it up!




x2

Nice squattage!


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## tallcall (Oct 16, 2008)

Thanks everyone, I'm actually more impressed with the Olympic lifts I've been doing.


----------



## tallcall (Nov 4, 2008)

*11/4/2008 Weigh in*

*11/4/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 292.5 - Up 5 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inches - No change from last time
Stomach: 34 inches - No change from last time
Chest: 51 inches - Up 0.5 inches from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches - No change from last time 
Neck: 21.5 inches - Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left â€“ 16.5 inches, Right 16.5 inches â€“ no change from last time
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 286.62 â€“ Up 4.9 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 5.88 â€“ Up 0.1 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â€“ 4.0 mm â€“ No change from last time
Suprailiac â€“ 4.0 mm â€“ No change from last time 
Thigh â€“ 2 mm â€“ No change from last time
Triceps â€“ 2.75 mm â€“ No change from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 %. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

Last week on 3rd power cycle. Still staying with mom who likes to cook a lot, so since Iâ€™m eating a lot, I figure I might as well try and add some muscle.


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## tallcall (Nov 4, 2008)

New max deadlift is 370 for 3 sets of 2

I doubled the range of motion on my step-ups to 7 partitions high

I brought my jerks up to 135 pounds for 3 sets of 3 (finally cracked into the 45's)

My reverse grip bench is 150 for 3 sets of 3

I just got back form a nice deep tissue massage (whole body). I think he fixed the problem in my right forearm and shoulder and has done a good job with my hip. I hope his work on my shins helps them too. It was the best $70 I ever spent.


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## PreMier (Nov 4, 2008)

if there is a massage school(college) near you, they usually do hour long sessions for 25$.  just make sure you ask for someone that can do deep tissue.


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## tallcall (Nov 4, 2008)

PreMier said:


> if there is a massage school(college) near you, they usually do hour long sessions for 25$.  just make sure you ask for someone that can do deep tissue.



It's not that, I just really like the guy that did it.


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## tallcall (Nov 26, 2008)

*11/26/2008 Weigh in:*

*11/26/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 289 292.5 â?????? Down 3.5 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Chest: 51 inches â?????? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches â?????? No change from last time 
Neck: 21 inches â?????? Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left â?????? 17 up 0.5 inches from last time , Right 17 up 0.5 inches from last time 
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 283.80 â?????? Down 2.82 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 5.20 â?????? Down 0.68 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time
Suprailiac â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time 
Thigh â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last time
Triceps â?????? 2 mm â?????? Down 0.75 mm from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 %. Coming from one of those handheld devices. 

I need to try to keep my weight to near 290 until March (for my brotherâ??????s wedding), so *270-310* is my acceptable weight range. Iâ??????m going to be just fine!


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## tallcall (Dec 10, 2008)

*12/10/2008 Weigh in*

*12/10/2008 Weigh in:*
Weight: 296 â?????? Up 7 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Stomach: 34 inchesâ?????? No change from last time
Chest: 51 inches â?????? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches â?????? No change from last time 
Neck: 23 inches â?????? Up 2 inches from last time

Bi's: Left â?????? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 291.09 â?????? Up 7.29 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 4.91 â?????? Down 0.29 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time
Suprailiac â?????? 4.0 mm â?????? No change from last time 
Thigh â?????? 1.5 mm â?????? Down 0.5 mm from last time
Triceps â?????? 2 mm â?????? No change from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 %. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

Iâ??????ve been having more fun with 6-OXO and doing pretty well.

I brought my deadlifts to 405 pounds â?????? Iâ??????m a member of the 400 club and I feel very powerful.


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## tallcall (Jan 16, 2009)

*1/16/2009 Weigh in:*

*1/16/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 292 ??? Down 4 pounds from last time
Waist: 33.50 inches??? No change from last time
Stomach: 35 inches??? Up 1 inch from last time
Chest: 51 inches ??? No change from last time
Shoulders: 61.5 inches ??? Up 1.5 inches from last time 
Neck: 23 inches ??? No change from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 287.57 ??? Down 3.52 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 4.43??? Down 0.48 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 1.5 mm ??? No change from last time
Triceps ??? 1.5 ??? Down 0.5 mm from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.6% - Down 0.1% from last time. 

I brought my deadlifts to 425 pounds ??? I???m a member of the 400 club and I feel very powerful.

My step-ups are at 85 pounds with 8 raisers for a total of 9 partitions (just under waist level for me - going for range of motion increases here).

Split Good Mornings are at 225 pounds.

Push Jerks are at 95 (my right shoulder doesn't like handling too much weight so I keep the weight low and just try to get through the reps - I can go as high as 135 though).

Pull-ups are doing well, I can pretty comfortably get 3-5 completely unassisted pull-ups in a row, I go for 3 sets of 3-10 reps and do fine on the first set, then assist on the other two. My goal is 10 reps straight and assisting on the other two sets.

Reverse Grip Bench is at 160 pounds. This feels like it is continuing to get much stronger. I see no need to make any changes and am just trying to get up to 200 pounds.

Horizontal Pull-ups are fine as well. I am aiming at doing them one armed with the opposite arm punching in the air at the top of the motion. Also possible raising one leg and keeping it elevated throughout (get the abs in there).

Then I finish up with planks, they are fine, all are at 45 seconds with at least a 12 pound weight to switch back and forth.

I also do Pilates once or twice a week. This has really helped improve my abdominal strength. A lot of the guys I train with also do the Pilates class, it is a wonderful warm-up for our BJJ class and forces you into strange new positions (it's really a workout in its own right - VERY difficult at times and not to be taken lightly).

I've been helping my friend get ready for his fight on Jan 30th at UCF. I never have done an MMA class before, but jumped in and put on some thick and heavy padding and helped put my friend throug a gauntlet. 7 or 8 of us put him through 3 11.5 minute rounds with a 1 minute break in between for a total of 35 minutes of pain and torture. I wore the heavy padding and gave him 8 pound dumbbells to punch me with (I also forced him to go for low leg kicks and side kicks), then he switched to another guy. Each of us had him for 30 seconds then stopped the timer until he got to the next guy (not a long time I can assure you). We beat the hell out of him and he gave us everything he had. His cardio is supurb, he will NOT be gassing out. His fight will be for 3 five minute rounds (15 minutes tops) and we are pushing him four days a week at 35-40 minutes (and he keeps coming back - he's such a Masochist ).

Here's a link to the fight card, his name is Danny Gurzenda at the bottom of the list - he'll fight first - and win first!

CageWarriors USA: Destruction Fight Card


----------



## Rubes11 (Jan 16, 2009)

holy crap long time no see how have you been doin?


----------



## tallcall (Jan 16, 2009)

Rubes11 said:


> holy crap long time no see how have you been doin?



I've been around, just a bit busy. How was your holiday?


----------



## DOMS (Jan 16, 2009)

I just want to say that, based on your stats, if I we're gay, I'd hit it. 

You have come a long way, my friend.


----------



## tallcall (Jan 16, 2009)

DOMS said:


> I just want to say that, based on your stats, if I we're gay, I'd hit it.
> 
> You have come a long way, my friend.



Aww...

My best friend (an amateur bodybuilder, boxer, kick boxer, and grappler) just came back from New Jersey. He'd been gone for 8 weeks. When he came back I saw him and jumped up to give him a big hug, he hugged me back. He really is an awesome friend.

I'm probably going to be hanging out with my Marine friend tomorrow afternoon. He wanted to do something, so I suggested a movie (he and his girlfriend wanted a friend to do things with so I said I'd love to go). We might also watch the UFC fight tomorrow night. 

We went out for subs after class last night and he sort of opened up to me about all the crazy bad things he had gone through with his drug addictions, his time in the corps, and his somewhat rocky relationship with his girlfriend (It's strange how so many relationships end over stupid arguments - like over what to have for dinner). He said I was the only person who didn't judge him because of that and showed some faith in him. I told him that I thought he was a really good guy and that I thought he'd do just fine. I also told him not to get rid of the girl just because of one dumb argument or misunderstanding. He really is a good kid, a good friend, and he'll do great in MMA.


----------



## Rubes11 (Jan 16, 2009)

tallcall said:


> I've been around, just a bit busy. How was your holiday?



it was good for the most part. how was yours?


----------



## PreMier (Jan 16, 2009)

post some pics


----------



## tallcall (Jan 16, 2009)

Rubes11 said:


> it was good for the most part. how was yours?



It was fine, I got to be around the crazy family, but it was alright.


----------



## FishOrCutBait (Jan 16, 2009)

tallcall said:


> *9/10/08 Weigh in*
> 
> Weight: 287.0 â?????? Up 9.5 pounds from last time



holy crap man,


----------



## tallcall (Jan 17, 2009)

FishOrCutBait said:


> holy crap man,



Yeah, that was a pretty cool month!


----------



## PreMier (Jan 17, 2009)

PreMier said:


> post some pics



supposedly im invisible


----------



## tallcall (Jan 17, 2009)

PreMier said:


> supposedly im invisible



Sorry, I just don't like cameras that much and get very shy. Hell, I don't even like mirrors very much. I've only got a handful of pictures of myself, most are of me a few years ago when I was really fat and I don't like to think back on that too much - I was really depressed back then (suicidal a few times). I just go by what other people say about me and most of the responses have very positive. I *might ** *put up a photo from a few months ago I had taken with De la Riva and my master at one of our seminars. I think that is one of the best pictures of me so far.

Here's my picture:







I'm the one in the middle, De La Riva is on the left and Thiago is on the right.



** Ok, so I meant to say I am... Boy do I feel dumb .


----------



## PreMier (Jan 17, 2009)

you work very hard, you started this journal over a year ago.. and have made huge improvements in your physique, and confidence.  you dont have to be a pompous ass or anything, but you deserve to feel good about showing off what you have accomplished.


----------



## tallcall (Jan 17, 2009)

PreMier said:


> you work very hard, you started this journal over a year ago.. and have made huge improvements in your physique, and confidence.  you dont have to be a pompous ass or anything, but you deserve to feel good about showing off what you have accomplished.




Awww....But I enjoy being a pompous ass !

Yeah, I probably should take more pictures at some time. Then I can plaster them all over here and make people appreciate the *WONDER THAT IS ME, Bwuhaha Bwuhaha 




*


----------



## PreMier (Jan 17, 2009)




----------



## tallcall (Jan 17, 2009)

PreMier said:


>









Matrix Style:


----------



## PreMier (Jan 17, 2009)

tallcall said:


> Matrix Style:


----------



## tallcall (Jan 17, 2009)

PreMier said:


>



That poor kitty !


----------



## fufu (Jan 17, 2009)

how's bjj going?


----------



## FishOrCutBait (Jan 17, 2009)

PHYSIQUE PICTURES FOO!!

And yeah, are you enjoying the bjj?


----------



## tallcall (Mar 11, 2009)

*3/11/2009 Weigh in:*

*3/11/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 299 ??? Up 3 pounds from last time
Waist: 34 inches??? Up 0.5 inches from last time
Stomach: 35.5 inches??? Up 1.5 inches from last time
Chest: 52 inches ??? Up 1 inch from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches ??? No change from last time 
Neck: 24 inches ??? Up 1 inch from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 19 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 294.04 ??? Up 2.95 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 4.96 ??? Up 0.05 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 1.5 mm ??? No change from last time
Triceps ??? 1.5 mm ??? Down 0.5 mm from last time

Estimated body fat % is ~ 14.7 %. Coming from one of those handheld devices.

I plan on putting on the weight as long as the food is available. Doing a nice job so far!


----------



## tallcall (Mar 11, 2009)

New Maximums - 

Deadlifts - 450 lbs

Good Mornings - 230 lbs

Push/Jerk - 135 lbs

Reverse Grip Bench - 165 lbs - Normal incline bench is about 200 lbs, Decline bench is 180x10. Those reverse grip presses are doing nice things for me.

Horizontal Pullup @ bodyweight with both feet elevated on bench

Planks with weight exchange @45 seconds - 20-25 lbs

Step up - Ankle injury - dropped to 95 lbs stepping up to lower platform until ankle gets better.

Leg Press - 460x10 - not really a max, but it's the first time I've done any in 8-9 months so I thought it was pretty darn good.

Running time - on Elliptical machine:

1 Mile - 5.30 - min.sec
2 Miles - 11.25
3 Miles - 17.55

Doing these runs every time I go in. Just trying to keep up with my friends. My Marine buddy runs 2 miles in 7.5 minutes or about 11.3 with ~100 pounds on his back - we have him race everybody with a 20+ pound vest on and he still usually wins.


----------



## Rubes11 (Mar 11, 2009)

hey long time no post there big guy. looks like your still pretty strong. how did you hurt the ankle?


----------



## tallcall (Mar 11, 2009)

Rubes11 said:


> hey long time no post there big guy. looks like your still pretty strong. how did you hurt the ankle?



I think I just over did it on the step ups. Those things and lunges hurt like a mother now. It started when the weather down here snapped just below freezing - joints and tendons were all frozen and I probably didn't warm up enough.

For the most part, they feel ok. I can still run on them, but when I try to lift my toes up too much (to the point I used to be able to lift them) they really hurt.


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## tallcall (Jun 9, 2009)

*6/9/2009 Weigh in*

*6/9/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 303 ??? Up 11 pounds from last time
Waist: 36 inches??? Up 2.5 inches from last time
Stomach: 37 inches??? Up 2 inches from last time
Chest: 51 inches ??? No change from last time
Shoulders: 59 inches ??? No change from last time 
Neck: 23.5 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 17 inches - No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 296.22 ??? Up 8.65 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.78 ??? Up 2.35 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 3 mm ??? No change from last time
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time
Estimated body fat % is ~ 13.8% - Down 0.8% from last time. 

I???m trying a cycle of Methyl 1-D. My current Maximums:
DL- 425x3x2
Back Squat ??? 375x3x2
DB Swings ??? 40x3x6 (not close to a maximum, but I am very comfortable with it)
DB Bench ??? 75???sx3x4
BB Bench ??? 175x1x2
Pull-up ??? BWx3x4
Ghetto Row ??? 205x1x2
Seated Cable Row ??? 225x3x4 
Upright Rows ??? 50x3x4 (Shoulders have issues with these so I do them light)


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## Gazhole (Jun 9, 2009)

Damn, thats an impressive lean mass increase! Good job


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## tallcall (Jun 9, 2009)

Gazhole said:


> Damn, thats an impressive lean mass increase! Good job



Thanks buddy!
That was done over the course of about 5 months - about 1.7 pounds a month.


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## tallcall (Jun 16, 2009)

*6/16/2009 Weigh in*

*6/16/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 304 ??? Up 1 pound from last time
Waist: 35 inches??? Down 1 inche from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches??? Down 0.5 inches from last time
Chest: 51.5 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches ??? Up 1 inch from last time 
Neck: 23.5 inches ??? No change from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 18 inches ??? Up 1 inch from last time

Lean Body Mass: 297.20 ??? Up 0.98 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.80 ??? Up 0.02 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 3 mm ??? No change from last time
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time
Estimated body fat % is ~ 13.8% - No significant change from last time. 

I???m 1 week into my cycle of Methyl 1-D. My current Maximums:
DL- 425x3x2 (Going to test next week)
Back Squat ??? 375x3x2 (brought up to 3 sets of 4)
DB Swings ??? 40x3x6 (brought up to 50 lbs at 3 sets of 4)
DB Bench ??? 75???sx3x4 (maintained ??? slightly injured my right shoulder, but it repaired within 36 hours ??? a new record time for me!)
BB Bench ??? 175x1x2 (going to test soon)
Pull-up ??? BWx3x4 (going to test next week)
Ghetto Row ??? 205x1x2 (will test soon)
Seated Cable Row ??? 225x3x4 (now 275 at 3 sets of 4)
Upright Rows ??? 50x3x4 (will test soon)

I've really been feeling very good all week, a little tired, but very good and strong! This week is pretty much a resting week but I might go in tomorrow for a little strength and conditioning work, maybe some cardio, and Jiu-Jitsu training.


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## tallcall (Jun 23, 2009)

*6/23/2009 Weigh in*

*6/23/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 308 ??? Up 4 pounds from last time
Waist:  35 inches??? No change from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches??? No change from last time
Chest: 52 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time
Shoulders: 60 inches ??? No change from last time 
Neck: 24 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 18 inches ??? No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 301.11 ??? Up 3.91 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.89 ??? Up 0.09 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 3 mm ??? No change from last time
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time
Estimated body fat % is ~ 13.8% - No significant change from last time. 

I???m 2 weeks into my cycle of Methyl 1-D. My current Maximums:
DL- 425x3x2 (Maintained, will continue to test ??? trying for 450) 
Back Squat ???375x3x2 (brought up to 410x1x2) 
DB Swings ??? 40x3x6 (brought up to 60 lbs at 3 sets of 4) 
DB Bench ??? 75???sx3x4 (brought up to 80???s at 2 sets of 3) 
BB Bench ??? 175x1x2 (brought up to 200 at 1 set of 1) 
Pull-up ??? BWx3x4 (maintained)
Ghetto Row ??? 205x1x2 (brought up to 250 at 1 set of 1) 
Seated Cable Row ??? 225x3x4 (maintained at 275 at 3 sets of 4)
Upright Rows ??? 50x3x4 (brought up to 82.5 lbs at 1 set of 3)


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## tallcall (Jun 30, 2009)

*6/30/2009 Weigh in*

*6/30/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 309.5 ??? Up 1.50 pounds from last time
Waist:  35 inches??? No change from last time
Stomach: 36.5 inches??? No change from last time
Chest: 52 inches ??? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60.50 inches ??? Up 0.50 inches from last time 
Neck: 24 inches ??? No change from last time

Bi's: Left ??? 17 no change from last time , Right 17 no change from last time 
Calves: 18 inches ??? No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 303.44 ??? Up 2.33 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 6.06 ??? Down 0.83 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 2 mm ??? Down 1 mm from last time 
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time
Estimated body fat % is ~ 13.8% - No significant change from last time. 

I???m 3 weeks into my cycle of Methyl 1-D. My current Maximums:
DL- 425x3x2 (450 pounds ??? All I could do was hold it in a hang, I got about half a rep) 
Back Squat ???375x3x2 (brought up to 450 at 1 set of 2)
DB Swings ??? 40x3x6 (brought up to 65 lbs at 3 sets of 4)
DB Bench ??? 75???sx3x4 (maintained at 80???s at 2 sets of 3)
BB Bench ??? 175x1x2 (brought up to 205 at 1 set of 2)
Pull-up ??? BWx3x4 (maintained)
Ghetto Row ??? 205x1x2 (maintained at 250 at 1 set of 1)
Seated Cable Row ??? 225x3x4 (brought up to 275 at 3 sets of 4)
Upright Rows ??? 50x3x4 (brought up to 97.5 lbs at 1 set of 4)

There are other things I have done as well such as an incline cable bench press at 150 pounds (I think that???s 150 pounds to each handle so really 300 pounds) ??? I could only hold it for 30 seconds half-way through and slowly release it.

Squat Presses ??? a modified leg press with a steeper angle ??? 600 pounds at 4 reps. I can definitely go much higher.

And Rear Deltoid flys ??? 265 at 3 sets of 3-4


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## tallcall (Jul 8, 2009)

*7/8/2009 Weigh in:*

*7/8/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 307.5 ??? Down 3 pounds from last time
Waist:  35 inches??? No change from last time
Stomach: 36 inches??? Down 0.5 inches from last time
Chest: 52 inches ??? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60.50 inches ??? No change from last time 
Neck: 24.5 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: 17.5 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time 
Calves: 18 inches ??? No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 302.35 ??? Down 1.09 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 5.15 ??? Down 0.91 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 3.0 mm ??? Down 1 mm from last time
Suprailiac ??? 4.0 mm ??? No change from last time 
Thigh ??? 2 mm ??? No change from last time 
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time
Estimated body fat % is ~ 13.8% - No significant change from last time. 

I???m 4 weeks into my cycle of Methyl 1-D. My current Maximums:
DL- 425x3x2 (450 pounds at 1 full rep!!)
Back Squat ???375x3x2 (maintained at 450 at 1 set of 2)
DB Swings ??? 40x3x6 (maintained at 65 lbs at 3 sets of 4)
DB Bench ??? 75???sx3x4 (maintained at 80???s at 2 sets of 3)
BB Bench ??? 175x1x2 (maintained at 205 at 1 set of 2 ??? I got nervous so I failed a lot without any spotter, will try to do better next time)
I???ve been doing Decline Presses too and have a max of 280 pounds at 1 set of 2
Pull-up ??? BWx3x4 (maintained)
Ghetto Row ??? 205x1x2 (maintained at 250 at 1 set of 1)
Seated Cable Row ??? 225x3x4 (brought up to 285 at 3 sets of 4)
Upright Rows ??? 50x3x4 (brought up to 97.5 lbs at 3 sets of 4)

There are other things I have done as well such as an incline cable bench press at 150 pounds (I think that???s 150 pounds to each handle so really 300 pounds) ??? I could only hold it for 30 seconds half-way through and slowly release it.

Squat Presses ??? a modified leg press with a steeper angle ??? 650 pounds at 4 reps. I can still get it higher. I bet I can go to 750!

And Rear Deltoid flys ??? 285 at 2 sets of 2


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## Triple Threat (Jul 8, 2009)

tallcall said:


> Lean Body Mass: 302.35 ??? Down 1.09 pounds from last time
> Body Fat Weight: 5.15 ??? Down 0.91 pounds from last time
> 
> Caliper readings - 4 point test:
> ...



I'm confused as to how you are calculating lean body mass at 302 and fat weight at 5 if the calipers are giving you an estimate of 13.8%.  

13.8% of 307.5 is about 42 lbs, quite a bit different than the 5 you have calculated.


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## tallcall (Jul 8, 2009)

Triple Threat said:


> I'm confused as to how you are calculating lean body mass at 302 and fat weight at 5 if the calipers are giving you an estimate of 13.8%.
> 
> 13.8% of 307.5 is about 42 lbs, quite a bit different than the 5 you have calculated.



Because there is no way that my body fat is that low. I know it is much closer to 42 pounds, but going by the caliper and my computer, it shows my percentage being about 2% and my body fat being 5 pounds. Something is screwed up somewhere so I just report both sets of numbers. I get the 13.8% by using one of those hand held devices about once a month and making my own adjustment (it only allows me to be 6'6" - I'm 6'10") for an additional 4 inches of height (I usually end up dropping the number by 0.5% to make it more realistic).


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## tallcall (Aug 12, 2009)

*8/12/2009 Weigh in:*
Weight: 310 ??? Up 2.5 pounds from last time
Waist:  35 inches??? No change from last time
Stomach: 36 inches??? No change from last time
Chest: 52 inches ??? No change from last time
Shoulders: 60.50 inches ??? No change from last time 
Neck: 25 inches ??? Up 0.5 inches from last time

Bi's: 17.5 inches ??? No change from last time 
Calves: 18 inches ??? No change from last time

Lean Body Mass: 305.83??? Up 3.33 pounds from last time
Body Fat Weight: 4.32 ??? Down 0.83 pounds from last time

Caliper readings - 4 point test:
Abs ??? 3.0 mm ??? No change from last time
Suprailiac ??? 3.0 mm ??? Down 1 mm from last time 
Thigh ??? 2 mm ??? No change from last time 
Triceps ??? 2 ??? No change from last time

This is almost 1 month after I stopped taking the Methyl 1-D and I'm still doing fine. I can't wait to try it again, I felt very good on it. Maybe the end of this month I'll go again.


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## Double D (Aug 13, 2009)

I remember checking your journal out when you first started. In case you dont remember me I was Double D, now got the name switched. But dude your getting a ton stronger. Proud of you buddy!


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## tallcall (Aug 14, 2009)

Malley said:


> I remember checking your journal out when you first started. In case you dont remember me I was Double D, now got the name switched. But dude your getting a ton stronger. Proud of you buddy!



Aww...Thanks buddy, it's definately been a fun ride!


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