More Jamie

Another shameless photo of Jamie Bamber, this time from People magazine.

I worked out tonight and passed a milestone on my bench. I'm now benching my bodyweight + 30 lbs! I feel like I am really starting to fall behind on squats though, as I am only at bodyweight + 70 lbs there. But I think the new routine will help me progress faster, as I'm already up 10 lbs.

New Toy!

I'm the proud new parent of a black MacBook! I bought it on Amazon last Friday when they had their Black Friday sale. I normally wouldn't have paid a premium for black, but the extra hard drive space and the fact that my partner has the white one is what pushed me over the top.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving wasn't too bad this year. The only indulgence I've had is a few slices of pumpkin pie with lite cool whip, but I didn't eat the crust. I decided today to switch up a few of the exercises I'm doing on my 5x5 routine. I removed a shoulder exercise and replaced it with an extra arm exercise. I've posted the routine below.

In other news, I bought the pictured swimsuit, made by Aussiebum, which I hope to look good in by next summer. Wish me luck. LOL.

Day 1
Shoulders: BB Military Press
Shoulders: DB Lateral Raises
Calves: Donkey Raises
Calves: BB Raises
Biceps: Chin-ups
Triceps: Lying EZ Extensions
Biceps: EZ Curls

Day 2
Back: Pull-ups
Chest: BB Flat Bench
Traps: BB Shrugs
Chest: Dips
Hams: Lying Leg Curls
Quads: BB Squats

Day 3
Triceps: Standing Kickbacks
Biceps: EZ Curls
Triceps: Lying EZ Extensions
Calves: BB Raises
Calves: Donkey Raises
Shoulders: DB Front Delt Raise
Shoulders: BB Rear Delt Row

Day 4
Back: BB Bent-over Rows
Traps: BB Shrugs
Chest: BB Incline Bench
Chest: DB Flat Flyes
Hams: BB Deadlifts
Quads: DB Lunges

Injury!

Last weekend I guess I suffered my first "injury" since I started lifting. Basically I strained something in my neck-shoulder area that made doing any upper body push exercises a pain. So I rested until today, and it seems to have corrected itself. I believe the cause was doing front-delt raises with too much weight. I'm also seriously wondering if that 5x5 routine is over-training my shoulders. I think I will have to drop one of the exercises, as three is a bit much compared to how many I do for other body parts.

Thanksgiving is here, which means too much food to eat. I'm not going to go overboard like I did last year, but I'm also not going to be mean to myself. ;-)

Sore

The new 5x5 routine has made me sore. I guess that's how I know it is working. They say it is good to change up your routine every few months, so hopefully I will see some progress.

Since I missed last Friday, here's someone else who has the body-type I'm going for. Chris Evans was in Fantastic Four, and I believe this is from some interview regarding his workout routine.

5x5

I went to do my leg workout yesterday and thought twice about it. For the past few days I've felt like I twisted my left knee somehow. I really noticed it on Friday when going up the stairs at work. So I decided to play it safe and postpone my leg workout, doing a chest workout instead.

Today I was reading bodybuilding.com, and came across this article on 5x5 workouts. A 5x5 workout means 5 sets of 5 reps. They are supposedly good for a bulking phase. I think I am going to try out that routine, modifying it slightly for the equipment I have here at home.

I took photos of myself yesterday and wasn't too happy with them. I've gained some fat since I stopped doing cardio. The good thing is that I've gained muscle, you just can't see it as easily as before. :( Since I have no illusions of being on a strict diet during Nov-Dec because of the holidays, I've decided to make the most of it and really concentrate on bulking. I imagine I will give myself three good months of this (12 weeks), so that means I will start a cutting routine around Feb. I also want to start documenting my diet in order to be more scientific about the process.

My "Countdown to Thirty" is just about complete. Overall, I'm very happy with the progress I've made since the beginning of the year. Turning 30 doesn't seem as hard as I thought it would be. I think getting in shape has improved my outlook on life and helped me realize my 30s will probably be better than my 20s!

Tired

This week hasn't been a very good one, goal wise. I think the change to cold weather has got me down. I've had little energy this week, and have really slacked off. I plan on sleeping in tomorrow, and waking up with hopefully enough energy to do leg day. I really don't like leg day. It's the hardest workout of the week for me, and least interesting.

Here's another inspirational picture of Jamie Bamber, who plays Apollo in Battlestar Galactica. If you haven't seen this show, I encourage you to watch it. You may want to rent the previous seasons to understand the story so far...