Couple things today.
First off, I'm going to be missing my next monthly result update because I'm going to be out of town at the Nateva Music Festival (check Stuff That I Like for a full report when I return).
Secondly, I do believe I'm starting to plateau. This means that my body is getting too used to my workout routine, so it's not really improving. Normally, this would mean I should move up my weight, but the dilemma with plateauing is that because you're not really getting stronger, you can't move up in weight without a degree of difficulty. Still, it seems like that's the only way to get out of this rut. Any tips?
Lastly, how do you increase the intensity of your workout for things that only use body weight (crunches, tricep dips, etc.)? Do you just increase the reps? That's what I've been doing, but it doesn't seem to be helping all that much.
Alrighty, that's all for now. Probably won't update for another week or so. See you then!
-Daniel
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day 77: Regularity
Hi everyone who's still around! I don't have anything to say about my workout really, but I wanted to hammer out a new schedule for updates. I'm going to do one update per week. I'm going to start on the 5th of every month, because that's when each Operation: Get Jacked month begins. So for this month, it's going to be every Saturday. So, be back with a new post this Saturday.
Peace y'all.
-Daniel
Peace y'all.
-Daniel
Monday, June 7, 2010
Day 62 continued
Just worked out, it was good. Not much else to say. Onto the comparisons!
Day 1 - Beginning of Month Two
- Bicep Curls - 3 X 6 - 35 lbs.
- Hammer Curls - 3 X 8 - 30 lbs.
- Bicep Superset Thingy - 2 X 10 (for each exercise) - 15 lbs
- Tricep Extensions - 3 X 10 - 45 lbs.
- Tricep Dips - 3 X 15
Day 1 - Current
-Bicep Curls - 3 X 6 - 35 lbs.
- Hammer Curls - 3 X 8 - 30 lbs.
- Bicep Superset Thingy - 2 X 10 (for each exercise) - 17.5 lbs
- Tricep Extensions - 3 X 10 - 50 lbs.
- Tricep Dips - 3 X 15 - no weight
- Diamond Push-ups - 3 X 10 - no weight
Notes: Alright, so you can see a slight improvement here. This is what I did today, so it is the most current. At one point, I was doing Tricep Kickbacks but it wasn't really doing anything for me, so I started doing Diamond Pushups instead; I like 'em. At one point, I could do 3 sets of 7 Bicep Curls, and I could do 3 sets of the Bicep Superset, but that week-long hiatus sort of put a damper on that. I should be able to do 'em soon. Overall, not a huge improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.
Day 2 - Beginning of Month Two
- Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 30 lbs
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 30 lbs.
- Dumbbell Fly - 3 X 10 - 20 lbs.
- Crunches - 3 X 25
- Bicycle Exercise - 3 X 12
- Leg Lifts - 3 X 12
Day 2 - Current
- Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 35 lbs
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 35 lbs.
- Dumbbell Fly - 3 X 10 - 20 lbs.
- Crunches - 3 X 25
- Bicycle Exercise - 3 X 15
Notes: I moved up 5 lbs for most of my chest stuff, so that's nice. Halfway through the month, I decided to stop doing Leg Lifts, because they also feel....weird. Sometimes, I would get this pain in my thighs when lifting them, like my body was just telling me not to do it. And even when I could do them, my legs would click when they lowered. The whole thing just gave me a bad vibe, so I stopped doing the exercise. I need another ab workout to fill that in though. Suggestions?
Day 3 - Beginning of Month Two
- Shoulder Shrugs - 3 X 15 - 35 lbs.
- Dumbbell Overhead Press - 3 X 12 - lbs.
- TVOs - 2 X 10 - 7.5 lbs.
- Ref Calls - 2 X 10 of each section - 7.5 lbs.
- One-Armed Rows - 3 X 15 (each arm) - 15 lbs.
- Dumbbell Lying Rows - 3 X 15 - 15 lbs.
Day 3 - Current
- Shoulder Shrugs - 3 X 10 - 45 lbs.
- Dumbbell Overhead Press - 3 X 10 - 25 lbs.
- TVOs - 3 X 8 - 10 lbs.
- Ref Calls - 3 X 10 of each exercise - 10 lbs.
- One-Armed Rows - 3 X 15 (each arm) - 25 lbs.
- Dumbbell Lying Rows - 3 X 15 - 25 lbs.
- Pull-Up Negatives - As many sets as possible (up to 10) X 8 (I can do 5 as of right now) - no weight
Notes: Looks like I've seen the most improvement here. It's not quite as much as it looks like - I amped up the weight for the two rows pretty early on in the month - but it's still quite good. Note the extra TVO and Ref Call sets. I haven't been able to try the pull-up negatives along with the other back stuff in the same day yet, so I've gotta do that. I've flirted with the idea of switching the order of workouts a bit, making Day 2 Back and Shoulders and Day 3 Chest and Abs, so that I can use my rest day as "pull-up day" instead. Thoughts? Help me out!
Soooo, that's it! If you've got any suggestions for me, please comment! Any and all advice will be much appreciated!
-Daniel
P.S: in regards to Cardio.....well, I've basically stopped doing it. My bike ride to and from work's got me covered, for the most part. I do it when I can, but it's not too often.
P.P.S: according to my scale, I'm anywhere from 182.5 to 186.5 lbs. So I haven't really lost any weight, but I'm working on it. My girlfriend and my mom both think I've gotten thinner, so that's gotta count for something......right?
Day 1 - Beginning of Month Two
- Bicep Curls - 3 X 6 - 35 lbs.
- Hammer Curls - 3 X 8 - 30 lbs.
- Bicep Superset Thingy - 2 X 10 (for each exercise) - 15 lbs
- Tricep Extensions - 3 X 10 - 45 lbs.
- Tricep Dips - 3 X 15
Day 1 - Current
-Bicep Curls - 3 X 6 - 35 lbs.
- Hammer Curls - 3 X 8 - 30 lbs.
- Bicep Superset Thingy - 2 X 10 (for each exercise) - 17.5 lbs
- Tricep Extensions - 3 X 10 - 50 lbs.
- Tricep Dips - 3 X 15 - no weight
- Diamond Push-ups - 3 X 10 - no weight
Notes: Alright, so you can see a slight improvement here. This is what I did today, so it is the most current. At one point, I was doing Tricep Kickbacks but it wasn't really doing anything for me, so I started doing Diamond Pushups instead; I like 'em. At one point, I could do 3 sets of 7 Bicep Curls, and I could do 3 sets of the Bicep Superset, but that week-long hiatus sort of put a damper on that. I should be able to do 'em soon. Overall, not a huge improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.
Day 2 - Beginning of Month Two
- Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 30 lbs
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 30 lbs.
- Dumbbell Fly - 3 X 10 - 20 lbs.
- Crunches - 3 X 25
- Bicycle Exercise - 3 X 12
- Leg Lifts - 3 X 12
Day 2 - Current
- Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 35 lbs
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 X 10 - 35 lbs.
- Dumbbell Fly - 3 X 10 - 20 lbs.
- Crunches - 3 X 25
- Bicycle Exercise - 3 X 15
Notes: I moved up 5 lbs for most of my chest stuff, so that's nice. Halfway through the month, I decided to stop doing Leg Lifts, because they also feel....weird. Sometimes, I would get this pain in my thighs when lifting them, like my body was just telling me not to do it. And even when I could do them, my legs would click when they lowered. The whole thing just gave me a bad vibe, so I stopped doing the exercise. I need another ab workout to fill that in though. Suggestions?
Day 3 - Beginning of Month Two
- Shoulder Shrugs - 3 X 15 - 35 lbs.
- Dumbbell Overhead Press - 3 X 12 - lbs.
- TVOs - 2 X 10 - 7.5 lbs.
- Ref Calls - 2 X 10 of each section - 7.5 lbs.
- One-Armed Rows - 3 X 15 (each arm) - 15 lbs.
- Dumbbell Lying Rows - 3 X 15 - 15 lbs.
Day 3 - Current
- Shoulder Shrugs - 3 X 10 - 45 lbs.
- Dumbbell Overhead Press - 3 X 10 - 25 lbs.
- TVOs - 3 X 8 - 10 lbs.
- Ref Calls - 3 X 10 of each exercise - 10 lbs.
- One-Armed Rows - 3 X 15 (each arm) - 25 lbs.
- Dumbbell Lying Rows - 3 X 15 - 25 lbs.
- Pull-Up Negatives - As many sets as possible (up to 10) X 8 (I can do 5 as of right now) - no weight
Notes: Looks like I've seen the most improvement here. It's not quite as much as it looks like - I amped up the weight for the two rows pretty early on in the month - but it's still quite good. Note the extra TVO and Ref Call sets. I haven't been able to try the pull-up negatives along with the other back stuff in the same day yet, so I've gotta do that. I've flirted with the idea of switching the order of workouts a bit, making Day 2 Back and Shoulders and Day 3 Chest and Abs, so that I can use my rest day as "pull-up day" instead. Thoughts? Help me out!
Soooo, that's it! If you've got any suggestions for me, please comment! Any and all advice will be much appreciated!
-Daniel
P.S: in regards to Cardio.....well, I've basically stopped doing it. My bike ride to and from work's got me covered, for the most part. I do it when I can, but it's not too often.
P.P.S: according to my scale, I'm anywhere from 182.5 to 186.5 lbs. So I haven't really lost any weight, but I'm working on it. My girlfriend and my mom both think I've gotten thinner, so that's gotta count for something......right?
Day 62: Happy Two Month Anniversary¡
Hi all,
It has now been two months of Operation: Get Jacked! I haven't looked at all the results yet, but I definitely didn't improve nearly as much this month, due largely to the fact that I missed quite a few days because of things like work getting busy and me having to work full-time for reals, trips out of town, and band recording. So, prediction: disappointment. Like most sequels, Month Two is probably going to be the really depressing one where all the heroes get screwed over - but that means that Month Three should be a lot more fun and triumphant! Yay! Check back around 10 or 11 tonight for more results.
-Daniel
It has now been two months of Operation: Get Jacked! I haven't looked at all the results yet, but I definitely didn't improve nearly as much this month, due largely to the fact that I missed quite a few days because of things like work getting busy and me having to work full-time for reals, trips out of town, and band recording. So, prediction: disappointment. Like most sequels, Month Two is probably going to be the really depressing one where all the heroes get screwed over - but that means that Month Three should be a lot more fun and triumphant! Yay! Check back around 10 or 11 tonight for more results.
-Daniel
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 55: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe
Yes, it's been a week since I've updated. And this time it's actually because I hadn't worked out in a week. Due to pull-up negatives raping my ass and being in Ottawa for four days, I just couldn't work out. But I watched my eating in Ottawa to make up for the lack of cardio (though I find I'm watching my diet a lot more these days anyways), and now I'm back in action. Workout was good today; I could only do 2 sets of my Bicep Superset (instead of the usual 3), but otherwise everything is hunky-dorey. Actually, my triceps haven't seen any sort of degradation at all, which is pretty surprising. Anyways, biceps should be back to normal soon. Shame that I had to take the step backwards, but what can ya do? Sometimes, things are just beyond your control. That's all for today. Update soon.
-Daniel
-Daniel
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 48: Elementary, Dear Watson!
Hi! I haven't worked out yet today (more on that later), but I felt the need to update, because it's been a while since I've updated on either of my blogs. Busy busy busy!
Okay, so first off, yesterday I upped my shoulder weights a little bit. Now I'm at 50 lbs for shrugs, 8 for TVOs, 10 for Ref Calls and 25 for Overhead Presses. I also increased my back weights a bit to 25 lbs for both One-Armed Rows and Lying Rows. I've also mustered up the courage to try my hand at Bent-Over Rows; I'm not quite sure about them yet, but they felt good yesterday overall. I'm doing it with a barbell at 50 lbs (I think; I don't know how heavy my actual barbell is, but I'm preeetttyyyy sure it's 20 lbs). And I was able to get to a park and do some Pull-Up negatives. Nice, fulfilling workout.
In other news, I'm still biking every day to and from work, and thanks to the splendiferous weather here in Toronto, it's been a pleasure. I've noticed that while my bike ride isn't necessarily EASIER, I'm able to do it FASTER - it used to take me half an hour to get to and from work, but now it only takes me about 20 minutes. Not too shabby.
Now I'm at a bit of a dilemma. I got a bit lazy over the long weekend (though to be fair, I was quite busy - on Saturday my band The Stems (www.myspace.com/stemsnoseeds) started recording, so that ate up my whole day), so I shouldn't have a break day today, as I would normally. However, due to the negatives yesterday, most of my muscles are in a slight bit of pain; my chest and abs still hurt from two days ago, and my biceps, back and shoulders hurt from yesterday. So I'm not sure whether I should work out today. Unfortunately, I'm also going to Ottawa on Friday until Monday, so that means I'm going to miss an entire cycle this weekend. My intuition says that if I'm still in pain, I should probably refrain from working out, but my determination tells me suck it up and stop being such a pussy. I suppose I'll try it, and if it hurts too much, I'll just stop.
That's all for now. Update soon!
-Daniel
Okay, so first off, yesterday I upped my shoulder weights a little bit. Now I'm at 50 lbs for shrugs, 8 for TVOs, 10 for Ref Calls and 25 for Overhead Presses. I also increased my back weights a bit to 25 lbs for both One-Armed Rows and Lying Rows. I've also mustered up the courage to try my hand at Bent-Over Rows; I'm not quite sure about them yet, but they felt good yesterday overall. I'm doing it with a barbell at 50 lbs (I think; I don't know how heavy my actual barbell is, but I'm preeetttyyyy sure it's 20 lbs). And I was able to get to a park and do some Pull-Up negatives. Nice, fulfilling workout.
In other news, I'm still biking every day to and from work, and thanks to the splendiferous weather here in Toronto, it's been a pleasure. I've noticed that while my bike ride isn't necessarily EASIER, I'm able to do it FASTER - it used to take me half an hour to get to and from work, but now it only takes me about 20 minutes. Not too shabby.
Now I'm at a bit of a dilemma. I got a bit lazy over the long weekend (though to be fair, I was quite busy - on Saturday my band The Stems (www.myspace.com/stemsnoseeds) started recording, so that ate up my whole day), so I shouldn't have a break day today, as I would normally. However, due to the negatives yesterday, most of my muscles are in a slight bit of pain; my chest and abs still hurt from two days ago, and my biceps, back and shoulders hurt from yesterday. So I'm not sure whether I should work out today. Unfortunately, I'm also going to Ottawa on Friday until Monday, so that means I'm going to miss an entire cycle this weekend. My intuition says that if I'm still in pain, I should probably refrain from working out, but my determination tells me suck it up and stop being such a pussy. I suppose I'll try it, and if it hurts too much, I'll just stop.
That's all for now. Update soon!
-Daniel
Thursday, May 20, 2010
A Couple Changes
Hey all.
So, I've decided to not update this blog unless something has actually happened; I feel like everytime i update, its just like "Cardio was good, shoulders were good, abs were good...." etc. So I'll still be updating when I, say, move up in weight, need help with something, or finish a month, but I won't be doing daily updates anymore. I think you can still expect roughly 2 or 3 updates a week regardless.
That's all for now. Working out in 45 minutes.
-Daniel
So, I've decided to not update this blog unless something has actually happened; I feel like everytime i update, its just like "Cardio was good, shoulders were good, abs were good...." etc. So I'll still be updating when I, say, move up in weight, need help with something, or finish a month, but I won't be doing daily updates anymore. I think you can still expect roughly 2 or 3 updates a week regardless.
That's all for now. Working out in 45 minutes.
-Daniel
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