# Uthinkso's Journal:The Journey Back to Health and Fitness



## Uthinkso (Jan 9, 2007)

Did my favorite yesterday back and biceps with some cardio.

My conclusion, I'm a total weakling and have no stamina what-so-ever. 

My motivation lantern is burning overtime....


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## ccr_bballer33 (Jan 9, 2007)

stay strong brother, just keep pushing. Once you get past these next two weeks, you'll be hooked.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 9, 2007)

ccr_bballer33 said:


> stay strong brother, just keep pushing. Once you get past these next two weeks, you'll be hooked.




I keep telling myself the same thing. Between diet and being back in the gym its the first two weeks that you really need to develop a pattern.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

Oh man did back and biceps yesterday. I have that can't straighten arms all the way thing going on. Haven't felt sore in these places in a long time.

Can a mod move this to the journal section please, Thanks


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## P-funk (Jan 10, 2007)

moved to journals for ya.

do you want me to change the name to something like "Uthinkso's Journal"??


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

P-funk said:


> moved to journals for ya.
> 
> do you want me to change the name to something like "Uthinkso's Journal"??




That would be great, thanks funk.


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## P-funk (Jan 10, 2007)

done.


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

So, what are your goals?  What type of workout are you going to do?  How often will you work out?  What does your diet look like?  What level of experience do you have?

If you want to succeed, you're going to have to answer all of these questions, and more!


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## Triple Threat (Jan 10, 2007)

DOMS said:


> If you want to succeed, you're going to have to answer all of these questions, and more!



Because if you don't, DOMS will say mean, nasty things about you.  

Good luck getting back in the game.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

DOMS said:


> So, what are your goals?  What type of workout are you going to do?  How often will you work out?  What does your diet look like?  What level of experience do you have?
> 
> If you want to succeed, you're going to have to answer all of these questions, and more!




Well I can't handle nasty things being said so I better start talking.........

Goal is to lose 55lb of body fat. My goal is to be at 200lb but at closer to 10%BMI where as now I am at 32%BMI.

I train on Tuesday, Thruday, Firday, and Sunday.

Using a combinatiion of weights and cardio.

Body groups are together as follows

Day 1
Legs, shoulders, abs
Day2
back and bi's
Day3
chest and tris
day 4 
repeat of day 1

all days have a 20-30 minute cardio session.

In the past I have eaten anything I wanted and whenver. No diet control.

So now I am cutting out all of the fast food and other junk. Eating every 2-3 hours, and eatching carbs especially past 7pm. Trying to hit around 2000-2500 calories a day for 6-7 meals.

In 2000 I weighed 173lb, 7%BMI and ran 5 miles a day six days a week. Experience is there, I just got married lazy, and theres no excuses.


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

Triple Threat said:


> Because if you don't, DOMS will say mean, nasty things about you.



You gave away the ending.


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

I don't know how experienced you are, so if I say anything that you already know or that's obvious, please take no offense. 



Uthinkso said:


> I train on Tuesday, Thruday, Firday, and Sunday.



Just a tip, but think of your workout days as day 1, day 2, etc.  Don't try to tie your workouts to days of the week.  Inevitably, you're going to miss a day.  If that happens, don't skip a day, simply wait until your next workout day then do the workout that you missed.



Uthinkso said:


> Body groups are together as follows
> 
> Day 1
> Legs, shoulders, abs
> ...



Do you really plan to do legs and shoulders twice a week?  Or is this really a three day split?  It appears that you've decided to do a body part split and not a push/pull/legs routine. Is there a reason for this?  I'm not saying that a body part split isn't the thing to do (Heh, I do it), but have you _chosen _to do it, or are you not aware of the push/pull/legs split?



Uthinkso said:


> all days have a 20-30 minute cardio session.



What type of cardio are you going to do?  Because you really shouldn't run before a leg day (you'll end up cheating yourself out of a good leg workout).



Uthinkso said:


> In the past I have eaten anything I wanted and whenver. No diet control.


  Good Lord, I've never done that. 



Uthinkso said:


> So now I am cutting out all of the fast food and other junk. Eating every 2-3 hours, and eatching carbs especially past 7pm. Trying to hit around 2000-2500 calories a day for 6-7 meals.



Don't try to do too much, too soon. Take it slow and easy.  But yeah, cutting fast food out of your diet is a great place to start.  About the "no carbs after 7PM" thing, go read the stickies Diet & Nutrition.  Make sure you don't fall for any dieting myths.



Uthinkso said:


> In 2000 I weighed 173lb, 7%BMI and ran 5 miles a day six days a week. Experience is there, I just got married lazy, and theres no excuses.



How much to you weigh now?  What body type are you?

So, you lured your wife in with a hot bod and let it go to shit?


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I don't know how experienced you are, so if I say anything that you already know or that's obvious, please take no offense.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thats how I think of my days for sure. Not going to cry over a missed day in the schedule just make it up. Glad to see I'm not the only oen that thinks this way.

Three day split is the way I have always worked out. No idea about this pulling thing.

Cardio goes between stepper, bike and treadmill. I do my cardio at the end of the workout before I leave.

My body type I would say FAT, I'm 6' 255lb. My gallery pic is me 30lbs ago at 225lb.

Yes lured the wife in and then after the hook was set I sat down at Taco Bell and ordered everything on the menu and a the keg of beer from the corner store to wash it down. Just I forgot to get up from the glutton fest until now.


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

This is what I mean by body type.

If you haven't heard of push/pull/split, then I suggest you read the stickies at the top of the training forum.

"Yes lured the wife in and then after the hook was set I sat down at Taco Bell and ordered everything on the menu and a the keg of beer from the corner store to wash it down. Just I forgot to get up from the glutton fest until now."

Remind me never to marry you.


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## fufu (Jan 10, 2007)

lawl, DOMS, have you read all the descriptions on that site? Some of them are strange...and funny.

"_The extreme ectomorph may have long fingers, toes and neck are long. A pencil neck you could say. The features of the face are sharp, and the shape of the face is triangular. The lower jaw is somewhat receding. The skin tends to burn easily."_


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

fufu said:


> lawl, DOMS, have you read all the descriptions on that site? Some of them are strange...and funny.
> 
> "_The extreme ectomorph may have long fingers, toes and neck are long. A pencil neck you could say. The features of the face are sharp, and the shape of the face is triangular. The lower jaw is somewhat receding. The skin tends to burn easily."_



It does sound funny, but pretty spot on.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

what site? There can't be inside comments in my own journal. I haven't read the above link yet because I'm still at work. So if its about that I'll catch it later.


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## DOMS (Jan 10, 2007)

Uthinkso said:


> what site? There can't be inside comments in my own journal. I haven't read the above link yet because I'm still at work. So if its about that I'll catch it later.


 
 We were talking about the body type web page I liked to.  Go read it!


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

DOMS said:


> This is what I mean by body type.
> 
> If you haven't heard of push/pull/split, then I suggest you read the stickies at the top of the training forum.
> 
> ...



I'm an endo for sure. as I said check out the gallery pic and that was 30lbs ago.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 10, 2007)

No training today, came home and made some breaded chicken breast and corn. Pretty simple and tasty, I have to say most of all I miss taco bell. I need to try and find some healthy mexican recipes to remedy my cravings in a good way.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 11, 2007)

Getting a bit frustrated trying to learn more about nutrition and how to eat clean. Foods I thought were good are not, and such. Its becoming frustrating, man the weights are going to feel my wrath later. I have some good frustration to get rid of. Chest and tris today too.


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## fufu (Jan 11, 2007)

It can be overwhelming a bit confusing at first, but once get get a basic understanding of nutrition and what to eat, it is really easy. Just keep at it, good luck. Just keep learning and improving.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 11, 2007)

Ok HUGE DAY. I weighed myself at the gym the day I walked through which was Sunday 1-7 and on their scale I weighed 257lb. I hung my head as I walked away from that scale, but vowed that I'd be back. So today 1-11 I weigh myself before my workout and I'm 249lb. It was so cool I set the big weight to 250lb like I always do, but it didn't register. Its a small milestone, but a great one. 200lb is eventual goal so I get to watch the slider work from 49 down to 0. A real life graduate I can see right in front of me. 

Most importantly, is it bad to lose that much that fast. Between working out and my diet change I'm sure my system is just in a shock and dumping weight fast initially but I'm sure it will taper.

Then finally I get to working out chest and tris today. Getting a good deel for the gym, and doing declines I got a feeling I hadn't fealt in a long time. That 180lb gym rat that used to reside in my now grotesque 249lb frame came out. I was having fun at the gym and really got in the zone. My tris got a great pump and fealt like bricks. It burned to straighten my arms and I knew I had muscles again and I could feel them. The race is far from over, but it was a good day.

Legs and shoulders tommorrow. Look out squat rack. Now the hard part is going to be staying the course and holding myself back. I need to remind myself that I'm not 21 anymore and that I don't want to get hurt and derail this process.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 12, 2007)

Legs and shoulder today, big achievment is that I actually was able to complete a full twenty minutes of cardio on the bike. I know its not an earth shattering performance, but it is for me.

Good week time to rest tommorrow and hit it again tuesday.


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## fufu (Jan 12, 2007)

congrats!


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## DOMS (Jan 12, 2007)

Uthinkso said:


> Legs and shoulder today, big achievment is that I actually was able to complete a full twenty minutes of cardio on the bike. I know its not an earth shattering performance, but it is for me.




That's more than I've ever done.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 14, 2007)

DOMS said:


> That's more than I've ever done.



Yeah doing long duration low intensity cardio to burn the pounds not really training the cardio at this point. What to work up to 30 minute and keeping the heart rate around 130-140BPM is happy land for me.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 16, 2007)

Time to get angry now. I went out to eat for breakfast and had one I swear just one meal where I cheated. Went to the scale today and I am at 253lb, put weight on. Now I'm telling myself that its the cheating breakfast but I know it is probably my body trapping water and a little muscle that may have piled on. The first month is going to be all over and I need to tell myself that. This diet and workout plan are proven and work, I just need to get through the tough start here.

Confidence unwavered.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 17, 2007)

Ok so chest and tris ws last night (tuesday), wighed myself at 247lb so the weight loss maintained over the weekend. That was good, guess my scale on home has been smokin the left handed cigarettes. 

I've learned that I have plenty of nerve in the gym, I 've known some to get intimidated but not me. I'll grab my bench around all the big lads and go grab my sissy 45's and proceed with the dumbell press. Its what I feel good doing, I have good form, and I'm in my second week back in four years. If somebody has a problem with it, bite me. At least that my attitude towards it. 

I'm struggling however to get myself over the mental hurdle that free weights are where I do my best work. I keep wandering over to the cable machines and I know I'm still getting a work out, but I'm using them as a crutch. By far chest and tris is my toughest day, I feel very scattered and run out of steam easily. I'm at the point where I'm tired and don't feel even the slightest pump. Chest on the other hand started out well with dumbell presses and then I went into the Iso decline chest press which was good but fealt incomplete. I didn't like the range it had. So I think its time to pretend like I'm in the main yard at Folsom, all I have is free weights and I best use them.

Legs and shoulders thursday, I love that day.


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## Uthinkso (Jan 18, 2007)

Was with my daughter today, wife had to work late and I missed on work out today. Though I still got seven meals in.

I'm going tommorrow and sunday so I'll get all my days in.


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## Uthinkso (Feb 19, 2007)

Ok I had too many threads going this is going, this will be the journal thread I keep alive and posting too.


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## Uthinkso (Feb 19, 2007)

I'm at the end of my second month here and living a much cleaner life and also a healthier life. It has been reccomended to me that I need more balance in my diet, and that I'm not getting enough calories or protein for that matter. I was told to check out fitday.com and design 10-15 options for each meal of the day that are balanced, that way I have many choices for food. 

I've also learned that I can in fact lose weight by diet control, and that there is no sch thing as target fat loss. I was always under the mind that in order to lose the gut I had to do piles of crunches and while crunches and ab work are helpful. That will not make the gut go away. 

So all that being said. I have gotten stronger in my excercises and really am pleased with my progress thus far. I'm still a long way from the ideal body I'm after but I'm well on my way and I feel ready to tackle the diet further.


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## Uthinkso (Feb 22, 2007)

Huge day at the gym today. Chest workout was killer. I actually feel like I got every part of the muscle and a full range of motion. Also moved some pretty good weight for me. I remind myself that I am back after four years and its going to take time.

Chest
DB press
45x12-55x8-60x6
Cable x-over
40x12-45x8-50x6 (weights per side of course)
Incline bench
115x12-120x8-130x6 (my weakest movement, but again I'm just getting back)

Biceps
Preacher curl w/ez curl bar
75x12-85x8-100x6 (all clean)
Straight bar curl
65x6-65x6-75x5
Pull downs (palms facing me)
100x12-110x8-120x6

20 minutes of HIIT on treadmill (wow this stuff really works)

I noticed I seemed to have more strength today, not sure if it has to do with the fact that I took in 160g of protein in my meals before my workout where I normally would have 90-100g. Any thoughts on this, can diet make you physically stronger and able to push more weight?


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## Uthinkso (Feb 26, 2007)

Well I have to say that the last week has been real eye opener. I've come to the conclusion that I lost the first 20lb so fast because my body was shocked from the change in diet and any excercise v.s. no excercise. I have gained 12lb of the 20lb back according to the scale but haven't taken any measurements. I have calipers en route so I can calculate what my LBM is and what my total body fat is. I've been combing through the stickies and developing a new training routine that works best for me instead of the split I've been doing.

I'm also trying to get my caloric intake up near 3000kcal and 300g of protein.


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## Uthinkso (Mar 2, 2007)

Good week and really feeling like I have a handle on the diet. Tons of compliments lately when people, see me so I know I'm not dreaming things up.

This week has been hectic and I'm learning how incorporate my healthy lifestyle with my fast paced world. Down 3lb this week, not a triumph but its in the right direction.


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## Uthinkso (Mar 5, 2007)

Well Friday evening through Sunday evening my father and I worked on remodeling my bathroom. What a chore, I truly underestimated how physically demanding construction/remodeling work can be. I haven't worked for my father since I was 18yrs old, but man back then I used to think nothing of it. Its pretty taxing now, but I sure am glad that I've been working out the past two months. Otherwise this weekend could have very well leveled me.

I didn't get to eat as often as I would have liked over the weekend for obvious reasons, but I made sure that I ate correctly when I did eat. 

Once everything is moved back into place and cleaned up, I'll take my monthly update pics. Not expecting much visual progress but a comparision is always good.


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## Uthinkso (Mar 8, 2007)

Well the bathroom is done and Ic an resume normal living. Thank god. I miss the gym, but a least I got to eat well adn didn't put any weight back on. I still feel like I am wandering blindly into this whole thing.

I really need to figure out what my current BMI is and what my true mantainance level is.


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## Uthinkso (Mar 11, 2007)

Well week one of the push/pull/legs routine is behind me. In fact I'm starting with legs on day one of next week. I've introduced a lot of new movements to my body today. Never once did I feel in a rythm or any pattern to my workouts. I know theres a lot going on right now and that I will settle into a routine that I can tweak to work for me.

I have a set of calipers on the way so I can figure out what my BMI is and how much lean body mass I actually have. From there I can get a better idea about my caloric intake and where my ideal intake level is.


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## Uthinkso (Mar 13, 2007)

Good leg workout, still taking my time with weight but after today I know I can full well take on more than I'm doing.

I did my squats as follows
135x12
185x8
205x6

Plan next week is to push up to 225lb on the last set. I want to hit 315lb x8 as the goal. From there I'll push on of course but thats the first goal.

Deadlifts also went well, again could have easily done more but not wanting to push myself too far. Deads went as follows.
135x12
225x8
275x6

Really paid close attention that I was looking in the mirror at all times so that my face and chest were as vertical as possible. Still felt it in my lower back, but it was clearly a burn and not a strain. No pain what so ever. Grip was also rock solid. Pretty happy with this, considering I haven't been in the gym in an easy four years and deads and squats were never part of my routine.

I have spent the last several years working with engines, and moving engine blocks around that weigh in access of 200lb and they don't come with handles like a bar does. 

One thing I noticed is that I wasn't sweating after deads, I was raining. I couldn't believe it, I've never sweat like this. Perhaps the cleaner diet or drinking more fluids through-out the day.

Push day on thursday.


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