History will remember me!

219 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 7 months and 5 days from today

There was a time in the beginning where I was being postive for postive's sake. That time has passed. I have reached a level where I can tell a difference and it's very exciting. All those times I thought I was stuck with a slender, skinny physique and could not gain, I was wrong. I was not being rational. The method is out there. Track food, don't workout so long that your body eats itself, and keep doing it. Over and over. I had a great week. I must bump up my caloric intake. Weighed in at 188 yesterday. I should get another killer workout in today. I feel strong. I am very excited about where this is going.

Bradley

Get Started My Friend!!

228 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 7 months and 14 days from today

Today's Workout -I can't flip this because aliens are invading my front yard (or I don't  know how)

Super hot day and full of Cici's Pizza! I'm getting really close to 190 lbs and I think I will start a 10 lb cut (or weight loss) when I get there. I gotta enjoy some pizza while I can. I'm getting really tired of the mid-section thickness that goes with bulking! Super good work out today. In case you just got here to my blog, my strategy right now is to gain weight while doing short, intense workouts every other day. I am trying to add as much lean muscle to my body as possible. I have gained 20 lbs in the last 3 months and it's almost time to shave off some of the fat that comes along with gaining. If you are thinking about getting in shape, then the best way to do it is start and stay positive. No matter how many days you miss or how bad you ate yesterday, your next workout and your next meal are whats important. You CAN change yourself. Look how many people do it! Everyone has doubts, throw the fear away and just move forward little by little. I am subject to doubt everyday and many times a day. I just feed the wolf of belief. I know I can. Thanks for your support and know that you have mine. Get started my friend!

Bradley

Leg Day, Gotta Do It!

231 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 7 months and 17 days from today

I woke up and very stiffly began a calisthenic leg day today. Squats and Lunges with some crunches thrown in. After a few sets, I was feeling good and proud to be after it. Sometimes it's difficult to get started and I hear that small voice telling me to skip it or do it later. Luckily I'm getting pretty good at squashing the "do it later" mentality. I did really well eating today and I believe I got in about 3500 calories with plenty of protein.  I'm working harder to not skip leg day. I always feel like the guy in the photo above after a few sets of squats!

Bradley

Alabama Heat!

233 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 7 months and 19 days from today

Weight: 186.8

Workout:  UpperBody-Dips, Chin-ups, Crunches, Forearm Roller

Just finished a killer workout and I'm feeling pretty motivated. It's super hot here in Alabama today and I was almost ready for a nap. I decided I'd better get my workout done first. I grabbed my music and my workout log and headed out for some progress. It only took me one set and one Franz Ferdinand song to feel good and pumped and I tore through five sets of most of my exercises. I have really grown to love my pull-up bar in the front yard. I spent about $200 bucks making it and I have already got enough use out of it to make it worth it. Came back in to cool off and had 40 grams of whey protein and a large handful of raisins. I got a very big compliment yesterday on my size. It makes me think something is working. One day at a time. I'm on the brink of something amazing! 

Hit it hard today! 

FEED THE WOLF

Bradley

Holy Moly, I'm struggling!

The last week or so has been characterized by a slow, steady drop in enthusiasm combined with a to do list at home of a million things. I have been letting my workouts slip to a lower priority on the list. I can see how detrimental this is to my progress. It gets into my mind that I'm falling. That I'm failing just like many times before. How can this be? I ask myself. I had so much motivation only a week ago. It's time that I spent some time feeding the wolf and really remembering why I want this. It's time to look over my progress and realize how far I've come. I have frequently remembered this quote lately, "If not now, then when?" and also " If you are tired of starting over, don't quit." I do not want to slack off on my goals. But, I am human and I must realize that I am susceptible to many diversions during the course of this year. There will continue to be many things that attempt to break my focus, things that will be momentarily more fun but will only result in the prevention of this serious goal I have set. I must reset my pattern of eating and working out and think often about the final results. Most recently I weighed 185.6. I would like to weigh 190 by the end of June. Thats only 1 pound per week roughly. In order to do that, I will have to track my food intake more accurately. I use the "MyFitnessPal" app on my phone but I've been slacking on the food entries.

So, in short here are my today goals.

1. Think about why I am doing this 
2. Think about the final results
3. Reprogram my brain with fitness thoughts and refocus on my target

Have a great day!

Bradley

Video of the muscle up progress! The quest for symmetry...

251 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 8 months and 6 days from today

Weight: 185

It's hard to believe I've gained almost 20 pounds now in the last two and a half months. I will soon be at the big 190 lb mark. I have never weighed 190 in my life! What else is strange is when I am talking to someone and they discover I am eating so much and TRYING to put on weight. With a world full of folks who would love nothing more than to lose a few pounds, here I stand trying to grow. It is difficult to explain but the fact is, I reduced my body fat percentage and realized that I had burned off a lot of muscle during this phase I went through trying to finish a 100 mile race. So I could not have the lean beefy body I wanted without first hanging some muscle back on my bones. Thus began the quest of building muscle and overeating.

Yesterday was terrible. I have a project going on at home and I worked all day and barely ate anything. It's the first time in awhile that I've actually let myself feel hunger and man, the food tastes so much better when you're starving yourself. I kinda tweaked my back working yesterday so maybe all will be well and I can get in a good workout today or tomorrow.

I promised a video of my muscle up progress and here it is. My lovely wife filmed it for me a couple days ago. I have a long way to go before it's perfect but I'm happy to get above the bar now. As mentioned before in the blog, you can see that the lawnmower tire and giant dog are present and ready for action. Maybe you can understand my son, he's good at cheering me on.

My Muscle Up

Don't allow yourself to miss a workout and focus on the negative. Forward movement, one step at a time. Whether you took a day off or two weeks, get back at it and move forward. We both know that it will be worth it in the end. Thanks for stopping in!

barbrothersdc.com


Feed the Wolf!!!
Bradley

Small results + time = large results.

254 days 

until Saturday January 25 2014

a Saturday 8 months and 9 days from today

Chipping away at the stone.

I'm up to 185 lbs.

Yesterday I started my work out and had to just push through it. I was still very sore from earlier in the week and didn't get much done. I forced through my planned sets anyway to avoid laziness. Today was a different story. Schedule was perfect and when it was time to get to work, the right song came on (Digitalism-Miami Showdown) and I tore the place down. When I left the gym I knew that I had made some serious headway today. I love the feeling of getting it done right. I'm really going to try and make a short clip of the best muscle-up I can muster for everyone soon. On a couple occasions I have done 3 in a row but usually I can only get one at a time. I have yet to stay symmetrical  when doing it. I'm seeing big gains in strength so it's just around the corner. Can't believe how far I've come in confidence and strength in 3.5 months. This feeling is addictive. Keep rocking!



The Wolf stay's hungry around here!
Bradley