2015 New Year's Resolution and Goals

Today is December 30th, Everything will start January 1st, after i get Sh*t Faced for one last time lol

Follow me on Instagram (will be mostly fitness related and progress pics): KIDD_X10n6 (my last name has numbers: one, zero, and six)
Follow my dieting and macros. See what I eat and drink. Sometimes you'll even see alcohol logged:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/kidd_x10n6
I'll keep my morning weigh-ins logged on this blog and occasional updates will be made.


2015 is going to bring a lot of life changes and decision making:

1. Graduating in May 2015 with my Master of Occupational Therapy
2. Passing the NBCOT (National Board Certification in Occupational Therapy)
3. Figuring out what state I want to reside in.
4. Finding a job
5. AND REACHING A LEVEL OF CONDITIONING I HAVE NEVER ACHIEVED....LOOKING TO GET ON STAGE!!!! THAT'S RIGHT! FOLLOW MY JOURNEY!

Recap of 2014: 

• Dieted from Jan 2014 until May 2014.
• Stopped dieting in summer of 2014, reaching a low weight of 170, probably around 8% BF
• Maintained 170-175 pounds throughout the Summer. End of Summer weighed about 178.
• September through December 2014, decided to try to add some mass.
• From the beginning of 2014 until beginning of Summer 2014, I dieted pretty hard! Metabolism was all jacked up, and I honestly just broke my diet by indulging in everything that I had not eaten during my diet. Bulking from September-December was not the best bulk, I put on unnecessary fat that I shouldn't have if I was more disciplined and intelligent about gaining weight.   
• Mental toughness is the hardest part of the game. And the POST DIET WEIGHT GAIN is for real!!! LOL. But if you can be mentally strong and slowly increase calories, you should be fine. Unlike myself!!! lol
• Although I put more BF than I intended, I am happy that I am feeling great!!! No more cravings, hormones are definitely back to normal, metabolism is revving fine. 
• End weight of 2014, 182-185 pounds

Goal for 2015:

• Slowly diet down. 
• Losing 1 pound per week
• Diet from January through May or June
• Looking to weigh 160-165 lbs by the end of it.
• Wanting to try and compete, for kicks and giggles, and the experience of it all. Havent decided what show yet, but every month in the summer has a show. Also still debating on bodybuilding or physique.
• Starting my cutting calories around 2500-2600
• Macronutrients
• Fat = 60-65 grams
• Carbs = 300 grams
• Protein = 200 grams  
• Will try to maintain and eat as much calories as possible while cutting. This may require me to start doing cardio sooner and more often than I usually do. Dont want to drop under 2000 calories, but if I need to dig that deep, I will. 

Current Training Schedule:

• Simple
• Legs
• Push
• Pull
• Rest
• Repeat
• Incorporating 5-3-1 Strength program with my main lifts (Bench, OHP, Squat, Deads). 
• Working rep ranges between 8-12
• 3-4 sets per exercise. 

Current Physique:

• 5'8"
• 182-185 lbs
• 13-14% body fat
• LEFT PIC May 2014 (end of dieting): 170 lbs
• RIGHT PIC December 2014 (end of bulking): 185 lbs 
• what will MAY 2015 bring????

Now that I'm on springbreak...Update on progress

So basically I haven't really been making progress LOL, just been maintaining for the most part. Weighing anywhere from 171-174 lbs morning weight. Weight definitely depends on what time I go to bed and what time I wake up. As of lately, before spring break started, I've only been getting an average of about 5 hours of sleep. Therefore, waking up and weighing myself after just 5 hours, I do tend to weigh heavier, but on the other hand, it is vice versa. If I can get at least 7 hours of sleep, of course that gives my body more time to digest over night, and probably leads to a more accurate FASTED weigh-in in the mornings, so I do tend to weigh a lot lighter after 7 or more hours of sleep.

Basic update: Calories are around 2400/day

• 55-60 grams of fat
• 250 grams of carbs
• 225 grams of protein

Basic Cardio:

• Just whenever I feel like doing cardio, sometimes i dont even do cardio at all for the week.
• if i do do cardio, i try for typically at least 2 days a week, nothing hard and nothing long
• Low intensity steady state cardio, about 20-30 minutes on stair master (65 steps per minute)
• OR 8-10 minutes of High intensity interval training (TABATA Style, which is 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, whatever type of training machine you want to use)

Working out:

• Definitely been noticing strength loss!!! Which sucks and beats you down mentally, but Oh Well!!! Technically I have lost 8-10 pounds which is a big difference and therefore, is expected to lose strength!
• Endurance is also struggling but, I did take a de-load/rest week about a week ago, so I do feel it is helping me refocus and slowly helping me to be more effective in the gym again
• Biggest hit is Squats and Deadlifts!!! These definitely went down, but like i said, slowly trying to maintain strength as I lose weight, but very difficult!
• Upper Body Strength (I.E. bench press) is still pretty good. Naturally ive always been pretty decent at bench press, but for sure endurance has gone down.

 Nagging issues:

• I don't know what I've done but my left wrist and right shoulder has been killing me.
• Left Wrist: Definitely cant do supinated bicep curls at the moment, so been doing a lot of hammer curls. Using heat (such as the jucuzzi/hot tub) has increased extensibility in my wrist allowing for more range of motion and less pain, but only for the time being. Hoping this will heal soon
• Also my right shoulder has been hurting. I think it might even be a type of impingement problem. Probably because my internal rotators (Chest and Lats) are overpowering my external rotators (teres minor and infraspintatus) causing impingement of my biceps tendon. 
• So im trying to be careful but still lifting as heavy as possible! The less i think about it, the less it hurts, but that might not be a good thing.

FUN FACT: This past weekend, March 15 and 16, I went over my caloric intake on both days, drunk beer, and ate pizza on both days, and guess what??? WOKE UP WEIGHING MY LIGHTEST IN ABOUT A MONTH. 171!!!! Typically i have been weighing in around 174, crazy huh???   

Morning Weigh-Ins (March)

Every morning I weigh myself fasted and after I use the restroom. My weighing scale is pretty cheap so I think it weighs me less then I really am (by 4-5 pounds, because at my school gym, we have a huge hospital electronic scale that always weighs me heavier, and i think its more accurate!), but since it is my default scale, it makes it consistent for me cause I know it will read my body the exact same way every morning. Furthermore, the weight of my body is JUST A NUMBER! It however it does help me keep track of weight loss. Ultimately I judge myself on the way I feel and look, not by my weight!

I will update and log my weight everyday!

3/1 = 174.6 (a little carb-up day today, in a surplus of 400 calories)
3/2 = 176
3/3 = 175
3/4 = 175
3/5 = 176
3/6 = 175
3/7 = 175
3/8 = 173.5
3/9 = 174
havent been updating cause, due to being busy in school with midterms and everything but here is an approximate of what my weight has been looking like lately, its pretty much been the same, nothing has really changed in my routine or diet, so ive pretty much been maintaining
3/10 = 174
3/11 = 174
3/12 = 175
3/13 = 175
3/14 = 174
3/15 = 173
3/16 = 171.5
3/17 = 171.8

Mental Toughness/Motivation/Discipline/Goals

I had a rough/lazy day today, and it was hard for me to psych myself up for the gym. Nonetheless, I KILLED my workout and it was LEG DAY!!! Here's a little tip on what I do to refocus my attention on what is important to me and on what helps me accomplish what I need to do in the gym. Nonetheless, you can apply this to practically anything you want to accomplish in life. For instance: You want better grades: study harder, study more, and plan ahead and don't procrastinate. You want a promotion at work: don't miss work, work hard, don't be lazy, and try to be the best you can be. Remember what you want to do, why you're doing it, and how you're going to make yourself accomplish what it is that you're trying to do.

Mental Toughness:

• By far I think this is the key to success. Your brain is the computer to your body. Sure your heart keeps you alive by pumping blood throughout your body, but for the purpose of staying motivated and staying focused, your heart does nothing to help you in those aspects. Your brain is what you can alter, its what you can manipulate to shift your mood, refocus your attention, gain insight to push you over the hump. 
• Lifting weights in my opinion is 80-90% Mental. If you go in with the mindset that you can't lift heavy today, or you can't accomplish a new Personal Record, you've already FAILED before you even attempt to workout/lift.
• Have an agenda or routine before you tackle your workout.
• Mine is to listen to music, get on some kind of cardio machine for a warm-up, and meditate while doing my warm-up. I picture myself lifting the weights, mentally hyping myself up, telling myself "Yes I CAN, and Yes I WILL"
• Mobility work and foam rolling (still mentally refocusing my attention away from everything thats going on around me. When I workout, I'm in my own world)

Motivation:

• Find something that motivates you. When you are feeling crappy and drained of energy and you just want to half-ass your workout, think about why you're doing this in the first place. What purpose do you have? Is it to be more healthy? Is it for yourself? To impress someone? To look good on the beach? Whatever you end goal is, keep that in the back of your head and use that to push you to your limits. Use it to help alter your mood and change your state of mind to be more optimal for what you're about to do
• If you half-ass something, is it going to get you closer to you end goal any faster? More then likely it'll slow you down. Everybody hates procrastination, I'm sure that is probably one of everyone's New Year's resolution, is to not procrastinate. Half-assing leads to procrastinating yourself to reaching a long term goal, try not to do that  

Discipline:

• Be strict on yourself, at least until you feel that your lifestyle has changed. Before you know it, you'll be doing everything with great discipline without even trying because it simply becomes a routine. It's like driving a manual car or riding a bike, once you learn, you'll never forget.
• Resist the urge to do something that will set you back. But be flexible, tell yourself that if you give into temptation and mess up today, that you'll make it up tomorrow. But go through with the promise you make yourself. The last person you want to fail on is yourself.
• Pull your own weight: Rely on yourself, make yourself better. Don't wait for someone to push you, push yourself. In the end of the day "It's YOU vs. YOU!"    

Goals:

• Use short term goals to accomplish a long term goal
• If your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 3 months (12 weeks), awesome! Do it! But everyone knows it is easier said then done. Progression and results come slowly. Set up a plan to lose 1.8lbs a week, by the end of the 12 weeks, without even knowing you'll reach your long term goal.
• It is much easier to attain short term goals to help you reach a long term goal, than it is to straight out and jump the gun to shoot for a long term goal
• But as mentioned, progression and results come slowly. Just because you don't see results every week doesn't mean that your diet or workout has stopped working. Just because you stop losing 1.5lbs per week doesn't mean you failed or you didn't reach your short term goals. Stay consistent, cause as your body adapts and changes, wonderful things can happen. Your body can plateau while its adjusting itself, and although nothing has changed in your diet or workout routine, your body can adapt and out of nowhere, instead of losing 1.8 pounds, you end up losing 2.5 pounds the following week.
• Don't be in a rush to see results and just because you don't see results doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. Be patient, stay consistent!     

As you can see, all these relate to one another! Use it to your advantage. This is better then any kind of preworkout supplement, better then any kind of caffeine pill, any kind of adrenaline junk that is suppose to help pump you up and focus you on a certain task. Everything you do lies within yourself. Make a promise to yourself and keep it. Use it for determination, use it for discipline, and for the goals you set.

All in all, thanks for listening or reading my spill! Thought I share this for you guys so you can apply it to whatever you want if you feel that it'll help.

Current Macros/Typical day of eating!

My current Macros:

• Fat: 65-70 grams
• Carbs: 275-285 grams
• Protein: 200-210 grams

Total Caloric intake per day = 2500 calories

What I'm going to eat today 2/14/2014:

Meal 1:

1. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (1 cup)
2. Hormel Thick Cut Bacon (3 slices)
3. Original Fiber One Cereal (1 serving, 30g)
4. Homemade Protein Bar
5. Multivitamin (3 pills)
6. Fish Oil (3 pills)
7. Cup of Coffee with Walden Farms calorie free caramel syrup

Total calories for meal 1: 651 calories (fat = 35g ; carbs = 49g ; protein = 35g ; fiber = 21g) 

Meal 2: (pre-workout meal)

1. Chicken Breast (6 oz)
2. Baked Sweet Potato (6 oz)
3. Green Beans (2 servings, 162 grams)

Total Calories for meal 2: 417 calories (fat = 5g ; carbs = 49g ; protein = 44g ; fiber = 10g)

Meal 3: (post-workout meal)

1. Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs (6 oz)
2. Baked Sweet Potato (6 oz)
3. Green Beans (2 servings, 162 grams)
4. Van Camp's Pork and Beans 98% fat free (one can = 2 servings)

Total Calories for meal 3: 695 calories (fat = 11g ; carbs = 95g ; protein = 54g ; fiber = 22g)

Meal 4:

1. Quaker Caramel Rice Cakes (2 rice cakes)
2. Spinach (100g)
3. Kale (100 g)
4. Hard boiled egg whites only (4)
5. Blackberries (100g)

Total calories for meal 4: 285 calories (fat = 1g ; carbs = 46g ; protein = 23g ; fiber = 9g)

Meal 5:

1. La Tortilla Factory - Hand Made style corn tortilla (2 tortillas)
2. Chicken Breast (6oz)
3. Sharp Cheddar Cheese (1oz)
4. Hot Salsa (2 TBS)

Total calories for meal 5: 507 calories ( fat = 19g ; carbs = 31g ; protein = 53g ; fiber = 2g)

Miscellaneous:

1. ON AminoEnergy (1 serving) = 10 calories (carbs = 2g)

TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

1. Fat = 71 grams
2. Carbs = 272 grams
3. Protein = 209 grams
4. Fiber = 64 grams

TOTAL CALORIES = 2563 calories 

Update Pics/5-3-1 Program for Strength

Photo taken 2/8/2014: Starting to get a little more vascular! Dont mind my flabby rolls, still slowly cutting, and it wasn't a morning picture so I had food in my system. I easily put on 3 pounds during the day when eating! (It looks like im smiling, but im really not LOL)

Photos taken 2/6/2014: Morning pictures! I look a lot more lean in these then the picture above! But pictures always makes you look better than in real life, just to be honest =)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, 5-3-1 Program for strength:

As you all may know, my split routine is Legs, Push, Pull, (all 3HYPERTROPHY days), REST, Lower Body, Upper Body (Both POWER days), REST.

I am starting to incorporate the 5-3-1 program on my LOWER and UPPER POWER DAYS:

Here is the breakdown and what you need to know to start the 5-3-1 Program:

1. 1 REP MAX FOR:
1. Flat Barbell Bench
2. Squat
3. Deadlift
4. Standing Barbell Shoulder Overhead Press
5. (and if you want, not a part of the program, but I added it in to my routine) Power Pendlay Rows

After maxing out on these lifts and getting your 1 REP MAX (1RM) you will base the weights and lifts off of 90% of your 1RM.

So if your max bench is 100 pounds, you will use 90 pounds as your "working max".

• Week 1: Warm-up as you normally would for the exercise:
• Working sets: 3 sets of 5 at 65%, 75%, and 85% of your "working max" 
• On the 85% set of your working max, hit as many reps as possible, you should be able to hit more than 5
• Week 2: Warm-up
• Working sets: 3 sets of 3 at 70%, 80%, 90% of your "working max"
• same thing, on you 90% set of your working max, hit as many reps as possible, should be able to do more than 3
• Week 3: Warm up
• Working sets: 1 set of 5 at 75%, 1 set of 3 at 85%, and 1 set of as many reps as you can at 95% of your working max
• Week 4: Warm up 
• De-load week (work on form week)
• 3 sets of 5 at 40%, 50%, 60% of your working Max
• START ALL OVER AGAIN, except now a whole month has gone by. So what you want to do is add 10 pounds to your lower body lifts like SQUAT and DL and 5 pounds to the upper body lifts like the Bench and Shoulder Press. As mentioned earlier, if your working max was 90 pounds, now you start the cycle over with it being 95 pounds. 

here is an example chart for week 1:

Squat 1RMax:__385___ Training Max:__345___ Date:________

Bench 1RMax:__345__ Training Max:__310__ Date:________

Deadlift 1Rmax:__440__ Training Max:__400__ Date:________

Military Press 1RMax:__170___ Training Max:__150__ Date:________

Pendlay Rows 1RMax:__285___ Training Max:__255__ Date:________

Sets	Weights	Sets	Weight	Sets	Weight	Sets	Weight	Sets	Weight
65% x 5	225	65% x 5	200	65% x 5	260	65% x 5	100	65% x 5	165
75% x 5	260	75% x 5	230	75% x 5	300	75% x 5	110	75% x 5	190
85% x 5+	295	85% x 5+	265	85% x 5+	340	85% x 5+	130	85% x 5+	215