Lonsdale's Real Deal Log

Lonsdale · 09-09-2006, 05:29 PM

Sat 9th Sept: Weight 84.5kg

Biceps/Forearms/Legs

This Wk Last Wk

DB Curls
18kg * 8r5r4 18kg * 8r4r3

Cybex Reverse Forearm Curls
Setting 3 * 15 " "

Reverse EZ Bar Preacher Curls
17.5kg * 8r5r5 15kg * 9r6r6

Calf Toe Press
245lb * 27 245lb * 25

Squat
40kg * 8 40kg * 7

Leg Press
260 * 13 240 * 20

Overall an ok workout, seemed to make modest progress. I think i will change my workout days to Mon, Wed, Sat, because I seem alot more focused and intense today, prob cos i've not been at work all day.

I felt alot better on the squat today - prob cos i did alot of warming up with the bar, then 20kg * 8 then 30kg * 6. I guess the trick is to warm up sufficiently without taxing your muscles to the extent that your working sets suffer.

Will stay at the same weight for DB curls next workout. I got them for 8 today, so will shoot for at least 10 before i go up to the next set of dumbells, as my gym does them in 2kg increments. Ditto with the reverse preachers.

Happy with my squat - hopefully now i'm more comfortable with it (both physically and psychologically) i can make slow but steady progress in the poundages.

Don't know if i made progress in the leg press really, but i took a very short rest after the squats, so maybe that's part of the reason.

Annoyed at my loss of weight, as i don't "feel" like it's fat loss - but maybe that's just my frame of mind. My diet this week has been more or less:

1. 100 grams oats, 500 ml soya milk, 2 scoops whey
2. Half of above
3. Sandwich and some rubbish
4. Half shake
5. 250 grams lean minced beef grilled burgers (in the George Foreman) with basmati
6. (if workout, 2 scoops whey, tablespoon dextrose, teaspoon leucine and glutamine)
250 grams lean minced beef as above with no rice if no workout
7. 3 scoops whey

Didn't have access to olive oil which i've normally had, but will buy some tomorrow and will start using my flax powder in my morning and night shakes to get some Omega 3's and to slow the absorption of the whey. Aiming for 85+ kg next sat.

Decided to do progress pics two monthly so that i can see a proper difference (hopefully) and keep motivated. Think i'll make a spreadsheet of my workouts so i can see at a glance any progress in poundages.

Squatty · 09-09-2006, 06:42 PM

I love your log mate - it perfectly charts the ups and downs in trying to go for a bodybuilding goal.

Great stuff that you've perservered with the squats - I'm sure now that you've got over your initial hurdle, you'll be piling the plates on the bar. I agree with you about the warm up beforehand. Try some leg extensions before you start squatting- they'll warm you up good style

crazycal1 · 09-09-2006, 07:34 PM

for your squats keep the increments small (5lb`s a week max)-
your body will adapt and cope with the weekly increase in weight and you should keep going for a long time!

Lonsdale · 12-09-2006, 12:30 PM

Cheers for the comments / advice guys.

Mon 11th Workout: Chest Shoulders Triceps Back

This Wk Last Wk

Incline Bench
45 * 7 r3 r5 r4 42.5 * 8 r4 r4

Seated Military Press
30 * 7 r5 r4 27.5 * 7 r6 r4

Dips
8 r5 r2 10 r6 r6

Rows
none done 42.5*8

Pulldowns
57.5 * 9 r5 r5 54 * 9 r5 r5

Quite happy with that workout. People were hogging the power racks so I had to do the incline bench just normal without support bars or a spotter, so quite happy i made progresss. The reason i did an extra "set" of rest pauses for the incline bench was because they felt really light, as if i wasn't taxing my chest muscles. Looking forward to making progress with that, especially as next time i should have the security of a power rack, which will enable me to go more all out.

Military press felt nice and light as well - I would like to reach 40 kg plus bar by Xmas time. We'll see.

Dunno what went wrong with dips - I either got my angle wrong (as i felt sore at the elbows), or I just pre exhausted them too much by powering through the previous two exercises, which obviously incorporate a fair bit of triceps.

As usual cos i'm a dumb*ss i didn't pace myself so missed out on my barbell rows due to time constraints. Think next time this workout cycles round, I might substitute them for dumbell rows, since i tend to cheat for normal rows.

Pulldowns this week isnt really comparable becuase i used a nautilus machine, rather than the more old school one.

I have decided to do a cut, because my love handles are just ridiculous. I started yesterday, (Monday). Since I'm eating so high above maintenance at the moment, I've decided to decrease cals gradually, so my body doesn't go into shock. At the moment i'm still eating the same stuff, but decreasing portion size.

I normally add 100 grams oats into each of my big shakes in the morning - now i've reduced that to 75 grams for breakfast and 50 grams for midmorning. Will reduce it to 50 grams in both, tomorrow, and stay at that probably til friday. Over the weekend I will half my soya milk so that instead of using 500 ml in each shake, it will just be 250 ml, topped up with water. Then next week it will be just water. Will keep carb cut offs at 6 - 7 pm.

It took a long time for me to decide whether to cut or not - I remember how I got really down during my last cut, feeling skinny and weak. However, I can't really go on like this - I look rubbish in my work shirts, and even my tighter casual t shirts aren't looking so good now cos although my shoulders are wider than they used to be, the V taper if offset by my ever increasing love handles. Also my face is getting too round. Just hope I don't lose much muscle mass - for that reason I'll be mega dosing cissus (supposedly anti catabolic properties), keeping protein 1.5 -2* bodyweight and doing steady rate cardio. In the past I've tried to create too much of a calorie defecit - this time i'll be relying more on cardio to burn the fat.

Ordered Nutrex Lipo 6 fatburner - got it fairly cheap from the US, £20 incl. postage. I know diet and cardio are most important during cutting though. If I do end up feeling too skinny (psychologically) I might take MD2 which I hear is quite good during a cut. I still have SD and PP, but SD would kill my cardio due to the shin pains i get from it, and I read that PP retains alot of water, so MD2 would be the best bet. However, I imagine I'm a good few weeks away from that hurdle, as I have a significant amount of flab that should be easy to burn off before my body thinks about going for the muscle.

I keep on reminding me of a quote that someone has in their sig, either here or over at Muscletalk. "Bodybuilding is a journey, not a destination." Who cares if I dont make 14 stone this year. Regardless, I'll be alot more cut up, healthier, better looking and feeling better about myself. No point being 14 stone with 4 stone of that being fat. All I need to do now is convince myself to go back to grilled f*ckin chicken! LOL

crazycal1 · 12-09-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Who cares if I dont make 14 stone this year. Regardless, I'll be alot more cut up, healthier, better looking and feeling better about myself. No point being 14 stone with 4 stone of that being fat.

too true mate-go by a mirror rather than scales 8)

Lonsdale · 19-09-2006, 06:59 PM

Monday 18th Workout:
Chest?Shoulders/Triceps/Dips

- well this workout didnt really happen cos i went to the gym only to find it was closed for the University/Bank holiday! Drove to another one because was determined to get a workout, as i only got twice last week.

the other gym is very "hardcore" as soon as i go in, i'm completely dwarfed by all the guys there. It's alot more serious, but at the same time it's really hot with no air con and you can't read the dumbells because the paint has come off long ago, and the seats etc are missing stuffing, etc.

I know it's generally recommended to train where serious bodybuilders train, but I really found all this to be more of a hindrence to my workout. Couldnt really concentrate as i was slipping or sinking into the seats, didn't know what bloody dumbells i was using, and it was too hot to get my intensity up. Still, alot better than no workout at all, and has given me a bit of motivation long term for my bb goals, just looking at some of the guys there lol.

Not counting this workout really as my weights were down, but I put that down to the above factors, so next time this workout comes around, i'll just go from the one before.

Seem to have misplaced my weights sheet from my biceps/legs workout before this one, hope i find it as i want to be able to compare it when that next workout cycles around...

Diet:
2 scoops whey, 500 ml water, 50 grams oats

apple, banana

300 grams chicken, salad, little olive oil dressing, tomato

2 scoops whey, 500 ml water, 50 grams oats

400 gram tin low fat chilli con carne with basmati rice

3 scoops whey, flax oil

Supplements:
Multivit
1000mg Super Strength Fish Oil
Cod Liver Oil Caps
Mega doses of Cissus (tastes foul but libido definitely boosted and may help anti catabolism and retaining my strenght - we will see as i've barely started my cut).

I really need to get off my a'se and take some pics so i can guage my cutting progress, otherwise i may just cut it short thinking i've not lost anything etc...

Trying to increase my water intake to 4 litres a day now, and wanting to start using my green tea extract for fat loss properties. Bought it in powder form and it's a hassle tho! Think i will invest in a capping kit when i get my salary this fri. My Nutrex Lipo 6 should be arriving soon, looking forward to it!

Bought a Labrada Lean Body Caramel Cookie Bar from H+B yesterday - it's the first time i've been there and it's cool seeing the range of bb stuff (i'm used to just buying online). I have to say it is BY FAR the best tasting protein bar i've ever tasted - i prefer the taste to many over the counter chocolates! (apart from Lindt - that stuff rules :P )

Wanting to buy some Quark with Options powders, as it's meant to be a very good combo and i do feel like "eating" something after my last solid meal before my whey and flax, so may add that in there and take out two scoops of the whey, so the calories stay the same, dunno.

Lonsdale · 24-09-2006, 11:19 AM

Workout 13th September

Biceps Forearms Legs

This Week Last

Incline Curl
16kg * 10 r6 r6 16kg * 8 r4 r6

Pinwheel
14kg * 8 r6 r6 12kg *10 r8 r5

Calf Raise
117.5 * 30 102.5 * 26

Seated Leg Curl
36kg * 15 36kg * 6

Hack Squat
NA

Leg Ext
30kg * 12 r6 r6

Didn't do the hack squat because we only have a Nautilus machine version and it plays havoc with my legs. Will see if i make decent progress on leg extensions - i like how my legs feel destroyed after a proper session on them, but appreciate they're not amazing mass growers - may sub for front squat down the line.

Lonsdale · 24-09-2006, 11:21 AM

Workout 22nd Sept

Biceps Forearms Legs

This week Last week

EZ Curl
25kg * 7 r4 r4

Incline Hammer Curls
16kg * 6 r4 r3

Calf Raise
117.5 plus weights * 27

Leg Curl
35kg * 8

Leg Press
340 * 8

Lonsdale · 24-09-2006, 11:38 AM

My diet is going ok for the cut at the moment - dropped calories. I don't have much of an appetite - lucky that my breakfast is always liquid, otherwise i'd probably skip it completely.

Getting pretty sick of taking cissus and am missing doses because it's such a chore to take - it may well be the most vile substance known to man. Ordered a cap machine off MP so will cap the remaining supply. Might also cap leucine powder and glutamine powder that i add to my PWO shake, as they make it taste vile - although i neck it within ten secs any way so probably more trouble than it's worth!

Making a deliberate effort not to look in the mirror shirtless etc so i dont feel down about losing "mass" (although it is probably fat/water) in my shoulders - i'll just track my progress monthly, and hopefully i'll be more upbeat when i see a better looking, more streamlined version of me. I really shouldnt complain as i'm still adding weight to my exercises!

Bought a tub of Methyl Rage for seven quid - didnt realise it was a pro hormone version of DHT! Meant to be good for cuts when combined with another thing - but dont really have any good cutting supps, as SD would cripple my cardio, and PP is meant to cause alot of water retention, although the DHT is meant to combat that quite a bit - something to look into maybe.

Have a follow up procedure in few weeks at hospital after my illness i wrote about a few months ago. Don't want to take anything dubious before then, since i will no doubt have my bloods done. Who knows, it could interfere with an anaesthetic or something, don't want to risk it.

Things not going so well with gf lately now i've moved in with her, seem to argue alot more and i resent how she is now trying to control my life in my own house! on the upside, i realised that going to the gym is highly therapeutic for me - i feel really good there, and happy afterwards too. gonna have a big talk tonight, definitely not do anything rash after only 3 weeks of living together LMAO.

Joints have started to hurt - i've been baad and not done my extreme stretches as prescribed by DC training. I thought cissus should help but it's not healed it - although who knows, maybe it would be alot more sore without me taking the cissus.

Started doing steady rate cardio 3 times a week - i find it hard to stay in the 60% range that i'm meant to for fat loss. I calculated it as 220 - 23 (my age) = 200 (round about) * .6 = 132.

I break a sweat eventually, but dont find it taxing. Luckily i've got a very well equipped gym so will just time my workouts so i can do it to Eastenders or something to take my mind off the monotony lol. Or i could be hi tech and download fresh podcasts and listen to a new show each day on my ipod...hmmm, the options!

I do cardio after each of my workouts, after two weeks i will add it in on an extra day - probably looking like a sunday since the gf is at work and i have alot of free time on my hands. Each session is 30 mins, will graduate up to 45 mins when i need to, ie when i stop getting results.

09-09-2006, 07:34 PM	#43 (permalink)
crazycal1 Illuminati Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Nowhere Posts: 2,834 Rep Power:	for your squats keep the increments small (5lb`s a week max)- your body will adapt and cope with the weekly increase in weight and you should keep going for a long time! ______________________ einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know. www.englishmuscle.co.uk www.extremenutrition.co.uk

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09-09-2006, 05:29 PM	#41 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	Sat 9th Sept: Weight 84.5kg Biceps/Forearms/Legs This Wk Last Wk DB Curls 18kg * 8r5r4 18kg * 8r4r3 Cybex Reverse Forearm Curls Setting 3 * 15 " " Reverse EZ Bar Preacher Curls 17.5kg * 8r5r5 15kg * 9r6r6 Calf Toe Press 245lb * 27 245lb * 25 Squat 40kg * 8 40kg * 7 Leg Press 260 * 13 240 * 20 Overall an ok workout, seemed to make modest progress. I think i will change my workout days to Mon, Wed, Sat, because I seem alot more focused and intense today, prob cos i've not been at work all day. I felt alot better on the squat today - prob cos i did alot of warming up with the bar, then 20kg * 8 then 30kg * 6. I guess the trick is to warm up sufficiently without taxing your muscles to the extent that your working sets suffer. Will stay at the same weight for DB curls next workout. I got them for 8 today, so will shoot for at least 10 before i go up to the next set of dumbells, as my gym does them in 2kg increments. Ditto with the reverse preachers. Happy with my squat - hopefully now i'm more comfortable with it (both physically and psychologically) i can make slow but steady progress in the poundages. Don't know if i made progress in the leg press really, but i took a very short rest after the squats, so maybe that's part of the reason. Annoyed at my loss of weight, as i don't "feel" like it's fat loss - but maybe that's just my frame of mind. My diet this week has been more or less: 1. 100 grams oats, 500 ml soya milk, 2 scoops whey 2. Half of above 3. Sandwich and some rubbish 4. Half shake 5. 250 grams lean minced beef grilled burgers (in the George Foreman) with basmati 6. (if workout, 2 scoops whey, tablespoon dextrose, teaspoon leucine and glutamine) 250 grams lean minced beef as above with no rice if no workout 7. 3 scoops whey Didn't have access to olive oil which i've normally had, but will buy some tomorrow and will start using my flax powder in my morning and night shakes to get some Omega 3's and to slow the absorption of the whey. Aiming for 85+ kg next sat. Decided to do progress pics two monthly so that i can see a proper difference (hopefully) and keep motivated. Think i'll make a spreadsheet of my workouts so i can see at a glance any progress in poundages.

09-09-2006, 06:42 PM	#42 (permalink)
Squatty Legend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: www.counselling-for-men.co.uk Posts: 651 Rep Power:	I love your log mate - it perfectly charts the ups and downs in trying to go for a bodybuilding goal. Great stuff that you've perservered with the squats - I'm sure now that you've got over your initial hurdle, you'll be piling the plates on the bar. I agree with you about the warm up beforehand. Try some leg extensions before you start squatting- they'll warm you up good style

12-09-2006, 12:30 PM	#44 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	Cheers for the comments / advice guys. Mon 11th Workout: Chest Shoulders Triceps Back This Wk Last Wk Incline Bench 45 * 7 r3 r5 r4 42.5 * 8 r4 r4 Seated Military Press 30 * 7 r5 r4 27.5 * 7 r6 r4 Dips 8 r5 r2 10 r6 r6 Rows none done 42.58 Pulldowns 57.5 9 r5 r5 54 * 9 r5 r5 Quite happy with that workout. People were hogging the power racks so I had to do the incline bench just normal without support bars or a spotter, so quite happy i made progresss. The reason i did an extra "set" of rest pauses for the incline bench was because they felt really light, as if i wasn't taxing my chest muscles. Looking forward to making progress with that, especially as next time i should have the security of a power rack, which will enable me to go more all out. Military press felt nice and light as well - I would like to reach 40 kg plus bar by Xmas time. We'll see. Dunno what went wrong with dips - I either got my angle wrong (as i felt sore at the elbows), or I just pre exhausted them too much by powering through the previous two exercises, which obviously incorporate a fair bit of triceps. As usual cos i'm a dumbss i didn't pace myself so missed out on my barbell rows due to time constraints. Think next time this workout cycles round, I might substitute them for dumbell rows, since i tend to cheat for normal rows. Pulldowns this week isnt really comparable becuase i used a nautilus machine, rather than the more old school one. I have decided to do a cut, because my love handles are just ridiculous. I started yesterday, (Monday). Since I'm eating so high above maintenance at the moment, I've decided to decrease cals gradually, so my body doesn't go into shock. At the moment i'm still eating the same stuff, but decreasing portion size. I normally add 100 grams oats into each of my big shakes in the morning - now i've reduced that to 75 grams for breakfast and 50 grams for midmorning. Will reduce it to 50 grams in both, tomorrow, and stay at that probably til friday. Over the weekend I will half my soya milk so that instead of using 500 ml in each shake, it will just be 250 ml, topped up with water. Then next week it will be just water. Will keep carb cut offs at 6 - 7 pm. It took a long time for me to decide whether to cut or not - I remember how I got really down during my last cut, feeling skinny and weak. However, I can't really go on like this - I look rubbish in my work shirts, and even my tighter casual t shirts aren't looking so good now cos although my shoulders are wider than they used to be, the V taper if offset by my ever increasing love handles. Also my face is getting too round. Just hope I don't lose much muscle mass - for that reason I'll be mega dosing cissus (supposedly anti catabolic properties), keeping protein 1.5 -2 bodyweight and doing steady rate cardio. In the past I've tried to create too much of a calorie defecit - this time i'll be relying more on cardio to burn the fat. Ordered Nutrex Lipo 6 fatburner - got it fairly cheap from the US, £20 incl. postage. I know diet and cardio are most important during cutting though. If I do end up feeling too skinny (psychologically) I might take MD2 which I hear is quite good during a cut. I still have SD and PP, but SD would kill my cardio due to the shin pains i get from it, and I read that PP retains alot of water, so MD2 would be the best bet. However, I imagine I'm a good few weeks away from that hurdle, as I have a significant amount of flab that should be easy to burn off before my body thinks about going for the muscle. I keep on reminding me of a quote that someone has in their sig, either here or over at Muscletalk. "Bodybuilding is a journey, not a destination." Who cares if I dont make 14 stone this year. Regardless, I'll be alot more cut up, healthier, better looking and feeling better about myself. No point being 14 stone with 4 stone of that being fat. All I need to do now is convince myself to go back to grilled f*ckin chicken! LOL

19-09-2006, 06:59 PM	#46 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	Monday 18th Workout: Chest?Shoulders/Triceps/Dips - well this workout didnt really happen cos i went to the gym only to find it was closed for the University/Bank holiday! Drove to another one because was determined to get a workout, as i only got twice last week. the other gym is very "hardcore" as soon as i go in, i'm completely dwarfed by all the guys there. It's alot more serious, but at the same time it's really hot with no air con and you can't read the dumbells because the paint has come off long ago, and the seats etc are missing stuffing, etc. I know it's generally recommended to train where serious bodybuilders train, but I really found all this to be more of a hindrence to my workout. Couldnt really concentrate as i was slipping or sinking into the seats, didn't know what bloody dumbells i was using, and it was too hot to get my intensity up. Still, alot better than no workout at all, and has given me a bit of motivation long term for my bb goals, just looking at some of the guys there lol. Not counting this workout really as my weights were down, but I put that down to the above factors, so next time this workout comes around, i'll just go from the one before. Seem to have misplaced my weights sheet from my biceps/legs workout before this one, hope i find it as i want to be able to compare it when that next workout cycles around... Diet: 2 scoops whey, 500 ml water, 50 grams oats apple, banana 300 grams chicken, salad, little olive oil dressing, tomato 2 scoops whey, 500 ml water, 50 grams oats 400 gram tin low fat chilli con carne with basmati rice 3 scoops whey, flax oil Supplements: Multivit 1000mg Super Strength Fish Oil Cod Liver Oil Caps Mega doses of Cissus (tastes foul but libido definitely boosted and may help anti catabolism and retaining my strenght - we will see as i've barely started my cut). I really need to get off my a'se and take some pics so i can guage my cutting progress, otherwise i may just cut it short thinking i've not lost anything etc... Trying to increase my water intake to 4 litres a day now, and wanting to start using my green tea extract for fat loss properties. Bought it in powder form and it's a hassle tho! Think i will invest in a capping kit when i get my salary this fri. My Nutrex Lipo 6 should be arriving soon, looking forward to it! Bought a Labrada Lean Body Caramel Cookie Bar from H+B yesterday - it's the first time i've been there and it's cool seeing the range of bb stuff (i'm used to just buying online). I have to say it is BY FAR the best tasting protein bar i've ever tasted - i prefer the taste to many over the counter chocolates! (apart from Lindt - that stuff rules :P ) Wanting to buy some Quark with Options powders, as it's meant to be a very good combo and i do feel like "eating" something after my last solid meal before my whey and flax, so may add that in there and take out two scoops of the whey, so the calories stay the same, dunno.

24-09-2006, 11:19 AM	#47 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	Workout 13th September Biceps Forearms Legs This Week Last Incline Curl 16kg * 10 r6 r6 16kg * 8 r4 r6 Pinwheel 14kg * 8 r6 r6 12kg 10 r8 r5 Calf Raise 117.5 30 102.5 * 26 Seated Leg Curl 36kg * 15 36kg * 6 Hack Squat NA Leg Ext 30kg * 12 r6 r6 Didn't do the hack squat because we only have a Nautilus machine version and it plays havoc with my legs. Will see if i make decent progress on leg extensions - i like how my legs feel destroyed after a proper session on them, but appreciate they're not amazing mass growers - may sub for front squat down the line.

24-09-2006, 11:21 AM	#48 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	Workout 22nd Sept Biceps Forearms Legs This week Last week EZ Curl 25kg * 7 r4 r4 Incline Hammer Curls 16kg * 6 r4 r3 Calf Raise 117.5 plus weights * 27 Leg Curl 35kg * 8 Leg Press 340 * 8

24-09-2006, 11:38 AM	#49 (permalink)
Lonsdale Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 121 Rep Power:	My diet is going ok for the cut at the moment - dropped calories. I don't have much of an appetite - lucky that my breakfast is always liquid, otherwise i'd probably skip it completely. Getting pretty sick of taking cissus and am missing doses because it's such a chore to take - it may well be the most vile substance known to man. Ordered a cap machine off MP so will cap the remaining supply. Might also cap leucine powder and glutamine powder that i add to my PWO shake, as they make it taste vile - although i neck it within ten secs any way so probably more trouble than it's worth! Making a deliberate effort not to look in the mirror shirtless etc so i dont feel down about losing "mass" (although it is probably fat/water) in my shoulders - i'll just track my progress monthly, and hopefully i'll be more upbeat when i see a better looking, more streamlined version of me. I really shouldnt complain as i'm still adding weight to my exercises! Bought a tub of Methyl Rage for seven quid - didnt realise it was a pro hormone version of DHT! Meant to be good for cuts when combined with another thing - but dont really have any good cutting supps, as SD would cripple my cardio, and PP is meant to cause alot of water retention, although the DHT is meant to combat that quite a bit - something to look into maybe. Have a follow up procedure in few weeks at hospital after my illness i wrote about a few months ago. Don't want to take anything dubious before then, since i will no doubt have my bloods done. Who knows, it could interfere with an anaesthetic or something, don't want to risk it. Things not going so well with gf lately now i've moved in with her, seem to argue alot more and i resent how she is now trying to control my life in my own house! on the upside, i realised that going to the gym is highly therapeutic for me - i feel really good there, and happy afterwards too. gonna have a big talk tonight, definitely not do anything rash after only 3 weeks of living together LMAO. Joints have started to hurt - i've been baad and not done my extreme stretches as prescribed by DC training. I thought cissus should help but it's not healed it - although who knows, maybe it would be alot more sore without me taking the cissus. Started doing steady rate cardio 3 times a week - i find it hard to stay in the 60% range that i'm meant to for fat loss. I calculated it as 220 - 23 (my age) = 200 (round about) * .6 = 132. I break a sweat eventually, but dont find it taxing. Luckily i've got a very well equipped gym so will just time my workouts so i can do it to Eastenders or something to take my mind off the monotony lol. Or i could be hi tech and download fresh podcasts and listen to a new show each day on my ipod...hmmm, the options! I do cardio after each of my workouts, after two weeks i will add it in on an extra day - probably looking like a sunday since the gf is at work and i have alot of free time on my hands. Each session is 30 mins, will graduate up to 45 mins when i need to, ie when i stop getting results.