3300 Calories and 30 min Workouts- Ectomorph

302 days

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 9 months and 27 days from today

Wow, time flies. I've been at this for two months already. I feel like I'm making progress but March was rough with the injury, but that is in the past. Now, I am strong and rolling along. Limiting my workouts to 30 mins right now and very heavy weights. I try to choose a weight that I can only lift 6-8 reps and I'm only doing 3 sets. Hopefully this will limit the amount of muscle I burn for energy and help me to gain some mass. I've been eating 3300 calories a day now for several days. I seem to recover faster from the workouts now and I honestly feel a change. I think not bulking has been my problem for years. I workout hard and burn up any new muscle I had gained. I am limiting cardio right now for the same reason. Although I really enjoy running and look forward to cutting when I can do more of it. I don't know how much weight I should try to gain before I switch back to cutting. I was 175 when I started initially, lost down to 168 which made an amazing difference in my abs and definition, and yesterday the scale was around 180. I think this is good progress. Right now its time to go get after it for a bit. Think I'll do some legs, shoulders, and biceps today. 

You don't wait for motivation, you go out looking for it with a club. 

Thanks for checking in on my progress. 

Hope your training is rocking along. If not, what are you waiting for? Start.

Feed The Wolf,

Bradley

Great Workout!

308 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 10 months and 2 days from today

Just finished a short but great workout at home! I even did many pull ups with no problems. I'm inside now eating like a horse! No, not corn and oats but close. Protein pancakes with my son with lots of syrup. Let the growing begin. I'm gonna weigh tomorrow and see where I am. Third day of bulking again, eating too much is tough. It is so great to be able to make progress. I'm very content today.

Maybe.....

      I had a short workout this morning and miraculously did not injure anything. Learned a few things in my research. I am an ectomorph. The body type that refuses to grow and burns all calories that enter. I am lucky in that I can cut fat quickly as noted by February's success and quick retrieval of my abs. But, this means I will have to eat like my life depended on it in order to grow out of this slender body. I have set the daily caloric goal at 3000 calories again starting today. Additionally, I learned that my two hour workouts are most likely burning up any new muscle that my body has built. My new focus will be short workouts with weight that will only permit 6-8 reps and only 3-4 sets. I'm really fascinated with how much science has learned about building muscle. I realize I have a world of stuff to learn and I'm actively seeking a more rigid plan to mimic. Reflecting more on my recent injuries, I have also noted that both of them were in the morning before my body truly woke up and became limber. I should be able to combat or prevent to some degree any future maladies by waiting until later in the morning for my workout so that I am adequately flexible and by doing several minutes of warm-up stretches and light exercises. Feels great to be back. (Fingers crossed) I'll weigh soon and post it. I'm curious of what my weigh is doing. I expect it to be about where it's always been around 175.

Bradley

Whoops!

313 days

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 10 months and 7 days from today

No sooner than I wrote the last post, I got in the floor and did 4 push-ups and re-injured the same spot. Another two days of not being able to turn my head and the same old story of days of ice. I decided to not do anything again until Thursday. It seems that I could easily say that this working out daily is not for me and just go back to living the way I did before. But this time is different. I will wait the injury out. If it was easy, everyone would do it. I am trying to eat decent the last few days but I have eaten a few brownies. It is the truth and I won't run from it. Yesterday was the first day that I felt like I held up my end of the bargain on nutrition. Today is off to a good start and I am looking to see it through. These are the true daily trials on my way to achieving excellence in my body. I will persevere. Train hard today my friends. FTW, Bradley

I think it's time

Great workout yesterday! Back injury almost gone. Full workout schedule to resume. Blog back in business. Gotta get some momentum back. It's killer taking time off. It allows too much negativity and laziness to creep up. Makes me feel like I did before I started training. Momentum is indescribably important. Momentum makes you believe it yourself.

Some days it's our brain that needs the workout

I knew this time would come. A obstacle that just won't back down. I am still unable to workout due to a back injury. I have not lost focus but I must say I have some difficult times with it. There is not much momentum when you haven't had a workout for several days and I'm not sure when I will be able to start again. I'm hoping within the next week, I will be able to ease back in. Nutrition is also difficult when not working out. If I'm not careful during the day, I catch myself trying to eat poorly or pretend it doesn't matter right now. Well, it does matter. I must do all I can everyday. Since I cannot build muscle, I will cut any fat that's left. Yesterday I did really well. I set my planned caloric intake at 2500 and ended up eating only 1900 calories. This is great progress for me. With another weeks worth of that, I could cut melt another pound of fat away and have great definition. That will be the goal until I am fit to get after it. I heard a clip of Rocky on Youtube yesterday that said Life will always throw the biggest punches. This is just another of those punches that is supposed to knock me back. One designed to keep me from my goal. Well.... It will take more than this. This may slow me down, but in a few more days, I will be charging full forward again with almost no ground lost. This is mine.

Bradley

No Excuses, Staying Focused

325 days

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 10 months and 19 days from today

Recovery Day....again....unfortunately

Great Freaking Morning! Just checking in. I am still down for an injury to my back. Saw my Doc yesterday and he says I will live. I believe I tore a spot on the medial border of my scapula. (Left shoulder blade) This has caused triangle of tension across my whole upper back and elongated my upper cervical vertebrae making it impossible to turn my head very much or look up or down.  It's very tough to be unable to workout and maintain mental toughness. It's like I really need the momentum of the constant workouts to keep the dietary motivation.The problem is that March was a bulking month and without a workout, there is no bulking to be done. I cannot overeat without muscles that are worked and in need of repair. This would seem to me just to add fat. I have done a couple of leg workouts but since my back is still healing, I am forcing a hiatus to jumping around until it is well. I am hoping that in a few more days, it will be as good as new and I can ease back into training. It is so very frustrating because I do not have a lack of motivation, actually quite the contrary, I am just itching to go outside and get that feeling that I am working and making it happen. I have grown to love it and crave it. So with the discipline I have been using to workout hard, I will refocus it onto repairing my back. Lots of ice and heat all day today.

Looking over the last week of lost progress I want to remember what it has taught me and avoid it to the best of my ability from here forward. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS start slow and warm up the entire body before getting intense.

One or two weeks out of the year will be nothing overall. The Wolf is still here.  I am halting the bulking until workouts resume. I will eat minimal calories today just to stave off hunger and exaggerate the cut.

Thanks for dropping by friends. This is but a single test of many that I must overcome. My goal is real. My thirst unquenchable. I will move forward. Do the same for yourself. Don't forget how many times it has crossed you mind and you have wanted it. Take it. TAKE IT. No one will give it to you. No excuses.

Burn the Ships,
FEED THE WOLF!
Bradley

Down and Out

I injured my back doing a pullup on March the 1st. I was very motivated and started my workout at quite literally a break neck pace. 5 minutes after starting, I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder blade. I dropped from the bar immediately and gave it a brief rest. I then moved to the next exercise and did a few handstand pushups. Bad idea. The pain quickly spread through my back, up and down my spine and into the base of my neck. I had to lay on ice packs all day to no avail.  I can hardly turn my head. It is very frustrating to be injured. Especially when I am making such huge progress. Now I am sitting on the sidelines for a few days and wait this problem out. I did a leg workout yesterday but it might have made it worse. My plan today is to lay low and hope some of the movement returns to my neck.

What I have learned from this?
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS warm up easy and start the workout slow before going Chuck Norris on  the intensity.


Have a great one,
Bradley

Super Underwear!!!

330 days

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 10 months and 24 days from today

Weight: 177 
Workout today-Full Body

3/1/13

I have new underwear and I'm gonna do 10 Pullups today! I haven't tried my max consecutive pullups in a week or two. I have a goal of doing ten all at once. Today might be that day. With my new superman drawers how could I go wrong?

SUPER motivated this morning. Woke up at 4:00 am eager to make some serious progress today. With my March training program, yesterday was a recovery day. I will be off every other day for a few weeks. I think I will do cardio on my off days. I have ate 3200 calories for the last couple of days and it's as hard or harder than trying to cut weight. I think I will reduce to 3000 calories. I'm pretty sure this is still a surplus and it will probably feel a lot better. My weight has shot back up just from the heavy eating. I'm ready to tear down the house this morning! I have already drawn up my workout grids and I'm itching to get into my zone. I no longer feel like a slob. I have been training hard for a month and I feel like an animal. The way I am supposed to feel. Strong, confident, and focused. I could not be happier with my results or my initial decision to engage this head on.

Time to get after it. Review your goals for today. If they are not clear, write them down. Review all the reasons you want this and make your move! If not today, then when my friend? Life is short. Be about it.

Live Excellently,
Burn the Ships,
FEED THE WOLF!
Bradley

Goals- Here are a few short-term goals. I will re-post everyday and add dates to them as they are accomplished.

10 Consecutive Pull-ups (Up to 8 on 17 Feb)

1 month of Excellence in Training (Feb 27 2013)

1 Month of Excellence in Diet (Feb 27 2013)

10 Good Handstand push-ups (At 3 against a wall 17 Feb)

1 behind the neck pull-up

1 muscle-up

Explosive Pull-up/ Toe Touch

Body Fat 10% (Scale says 13.9% Feb 19, Reliable?)

Human Flag

Pull-up with behind the back clap

Kuki Push-up

Body Fat 6%

One-arm pull up

One-arm leg raises on bar
Increase to 180 lbs