Bossman explained how in Post Your Picture Forum but I still can't figure it out.
Make me Bionic!
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
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fitoverforty
- VETERAN
- Posts: 3543
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:47 pm
Hello, just started following your journal as I am contemplating starting own fitness/diet journal for all the world to see...(figured it would help keep me on the straight and narrow) and hopefully I could get some great tips and advice from the fine folks & friends I have found here.
To upload photos: On your home page there is a toolbar with:
Account | Photos | Profile | Body Stats | Calendar | Invite Friends
Click on "Photos" it will take you to a page for uploading. In the middle of the page there is a box with a tab that says "Browse". click on that and it will take you to your computers folders where you can easily search and find the photos you want to upload. click on your choice then (you will see the file name in the box) then click upload. Scroll down and you should see your photo and a place to choose whether you want it available for only you or for everyone to view. Just below your photo will be tabs you can select (set as primary photo / add comment / add date / delete
Continue this process for each photo then return to your profile page and you should see "View users photos" with the number of photos you have. Click on that and it will show you (and other members if you chose "everyone") your photo page.
Hope this helps! Good luck
To upload photos: On your home page there is a toolbar with:
Account | Photos | Profile | Body Stats | Calendar | Invite Friends
Click on "Photos" it will take you to a page for uploading. In the middle of the page there is a box with a tab that says "Browse". click on that and it will take you to your computers folders where you can easily search and find the photos you want to upload. click on your choice then (you will see the file name in the box) then click upload. Scroll down and you should see your photo and a place to choose whether you want it available for only you or for everyone to view. Just below your photo will be tabs you can select (set as primary photo / add comment / add date / delete
Continue this process for each photo then return to your profile page and you should see "View users photos" with the number of photos you have. Click on that and it will show you (and other members if you chose "everyone") your photo page.
Hope this helps! Good luck
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oscarmadison
- ESTABLISHED MEMBER
- Posts: 170
- Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:27 pm
Thanks for the help. I've managed to upload the pic taken of myself last Friday!
Todays Journal
Weight: 125lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1700 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 125lbs
I caved in yesterday! I was absolutely starving all day and I just couldn't face training without some more energy. So I increased pre-training meal by 100 cals!
Unfortunately I woke up starving as well this morning and increased breakfast by another 100 cals. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to convince myself that I need to be constantly hungry when cut is over. low cal diet has clearly done nothing to damage metabolism, as some people suggested it would, else I wouldn't be feeling hungry all the time. This was the only reason I was increasing calorie intake so gradually. However I haven't completely given up this plan, I just have a desperate mental need for some extra cals to get me through the day AND training without feeling like I'm still cutting.
So I'm now on 1700 which, according to BMR calculation (http://www.bionicfiles.com/easy_calorie_calculators) is officially what I should be on to cut! I'll try hard to maintain this until Monday and then up by 200 again to 1900. I'll be having some cheat food over the weekend (I already have opened packet of peanuts from last weekend ready to go) so this shouldn't be too difficult.
This is just such a mental game for me. If thinking follows a justifiable action then I don't seem to have a problem, but if the action doesn't seem to be justifiable, to me at least, then I do really struggle. I think this is why I find doing things other people tell me to do so difficult, especially when I don't agree with them. But if I agree with the train of thought I find it very easy to convince myself to go along with it. For example; I do believe that if I reduce calorie intake below maintenance then I'll loose weight. Unfortunately I'm not so convinced that gradually increasing calorie levels over a long period of time will help to do anything, which is why I'm struggling so much at the moment.
Still, I said I would do this so I'll try to keep myself on track. Hopefully the 400 additional calories I'm now having each day will keep the physical sensation of hunger at bay.
Until tomorrow.
Todays Journal
Weight: 125lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1700 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 125lbs
I caved in yesterday! I was absolutely starving all day and I just couldn't face training without some more energy. So I increased pre-training meal by 100 cals!
Unfortunately I woke up starving as well this morning and increased breakfast by another 100 cals. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to convince myself that I need to be constantly hungry when cut is over. low cal diet has clearly done nothing to damage metabolism, as some people suggested it would, else I wouldn't be feeling hungry all the time. This was the only reason I was increasing calorie intake so gradually. However I haven't completely given up this plan, I just have a desperate mental need for some extra cals to get me through the day AND training without feeling like I'm still cutting.
So I'm now on 1700 which, according to BMR calculation (http://www.bionicfiles.com/easy_calorie_calculators) is officially what I should be on to cut! I'll try hard to maintain this until Monday and then up by 200 again to 1900. I'll be having some cheat food over the weekend (I already have opened packet of peanuts from last weekend ready to go) so this shouldn't be too difficult.
This is just such a mental game for me. If thinking follows a justifiable action then I don't seem to have a problem, but if the action doesn't seem to be justifiable, to me at least, then I do really struggle. I think this is why I find doing things other people tell me to do so difficult, especially when I don't agree with them. But if I agree with the train of thought I find it very easy to convince myself to go along with it. For example; I do believe that if I reduce calorie intake below maintenance then I'll loose weight. Unfortunately I'm not so convinced that gradually increasing calorie levels over a long period of time will help to do anything, which is why I'm struggling so much at the moment.
Still, I said I would do this so I'll try to keep myself on track. Hopefully the 400 additional calories I'm now having each day will keep the physical sensation of hunger at bay.
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 127lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 127lbs
I felt back in some sort of control yesterday. I'm going to have to accept that it is going to take me a while to make the mental adjustment to eating on a bulking diet. Having become so used to a calorie deficit it certainly is difficult to control eating now that I'm taking in so much more. Half brain keeps telling me that the objective now is to put on weight whilst the more controlled half has to immediately counter that. Yes, I am looking to put on weight, but only 0.5lbs a week! There is so much temptation to keep eating once I start. I can see this is going to be the challenge of bulking.
Saying that I've feel a little more confident this morning. Yesterday I spent the whole day feeling full but, knowing I always had room for more food, I was at least able to stick to the planned diet. Today scale weight was up again by 0.5lbs so, although I'm sure this is only retained water weight from the carb increase, I'm hoping to reduce today's calorie intake by 200. This is also new weekly day off from training, so I'm certainly keen to keep those calories down a little today.
As I gradually get used to this new eating regime I'm hoping to be able to knock off or add on calories as I see fit, so keeping myself in full control. I knocked off 100 cals from breakfast this morning and am sitting here feeling confident that I'll be OK. I just need to allow myself some time to get used to this new regime and regain normal mental control. Unfortunately I can see that "hot drink immediately after eating" method is still going to be needed. It's the only way I know of to completely take away the craving to keep eating, especially in the evenings. Now the bulking diet is in full swing I had hoped that all cravings would have abated. Bizzarely enough it seems the opposite is the case.
On a more upbeat note I was surprised at how quickly strength began to return during yesterday's workout. Suddenly I'm feeling I can lift more and will be increasing most sets by 0.5kg. I can see this trend continuing throughout weight routine and am becoming more confident that I really will be able to make some good gains in muscle mass over the next 8 months. I'm going to give abs special focus as they are weakest point, so whenever I have to miss a training set, for whatever reason, I'll make sure I never miss weekly ab set.
I guess we all have the weekend coming up and we'll all have the normal temptations to deal with. I'll definitely be cheating on Sunday, I know that for a fact, but hopefully I'll be able to stick to planned diet until then. Oh, I may have a beer tonight - first in many, many months!
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 127lbs
I felt back in some sort of control yesterday. I'm going to have to accept that it is going to take me a while to make the mental adjustment to eating on a bulking diet. Having become so used to a calorie deficit it certainly is difficult to control eating now that I'm taking in so much more. Half brain keeps telling me that the objective now is to put on weight whilst the more controlled half has to immediately counter that. Yes, I am looking to put on weight, but only 0.5lbs a week! There is so much temptation to keep eating once I start. I can see this is going to be the challenge of bulking.
Saying that I've feel a little more confident this morning. Yesterday I spent the whole day feeling full but, knowing I always had room for more food, I was at least able to stick to the planned diet. Today scale weight was up again by 0.5lbs so, although I'm sure this is only retained water weight from the carb increase, I'm hoping to reduce today's calorie intake by 200. This is also new weekly day off from training, so I'm certainly keen to keep those calories down a little today.
As I gradually get used to this new eating regime I'm hoping to be able to knock off or add on calories as I see fit, so keeping myself in full control. I knocked off 100 cals from breakfast this morning and am sitting here feeling confident that I'll be OK. I just need to allow myself some time to get used to this new regime and regain normal mental control. Unfortunately I can see that "hot drink immediately after eating" method is still going to be needed. It's the only way I know of to completely take away the craving to keep eating, especially in the evenings. Now the bulking diet is in full swing I had hoped that all cravings would have abated. Bizzarely enough it seems the opposite is the case.
On a more upbeat note I was surprised at how quickly strength began to return during yesterday's workout. Suddenly I'm feeling I can lift more and will be increasing most sets by 0.5kg. I can see this trend continuing throughout weight routine and am becoming more confident that I really will be able to make some good gains in muscle mass over the next 8 months. I'm going to give abs special focus as they are weakest point, so whenever I have to miss a training set, for whatever reason, I'll make sure I never miss weekly ab set.
I guess we all have the weekend coming up and we'll all have the normal temptations to deal with. I'll definitely be cheating on Sunday, I know that for a fact, but hopefully I'll be able to stick to planned diet until then. Oh, I may have a beer tonight - first in many, many months!
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 127.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 127.5lbs
legs were still sore from Wednesday's leg set this morning. I know why. Because I skipped the previous week's leg set due to illness. I'm still surprised at how long they're taking to recover. So this morning's run was a little painful and I only went for 3 miles instead of intended 4.
To prevent this from happening again I'm bringing leg set forward by one day to Tuesday. Hopefully an extra day's rest will help ensure that sore legs won't hold weekend running back in the future. You would have thought that after training for the best part of a year now I would have ironed out such a small problem a long time ago. But I guess this is all part of the process as we constantly look to make incremental improvements to our training and diet.
A little off subject now; I forgot to buy some yoghurt for the children yesterday. They normally have this along with their porridge and fruit for breakfast. So I thought I'd treat them by making them their first ever Chocolate Milkshake. They refused to even try it and I got a little cross with them. I went upstairs to have a shower and quickly realised that I was trying to force them to drink something they shouldn't be drinking anyway. So I came back downstairs, told them they didn't have to drink it and drank the lot myself. It was the first chocolate milkshake I'd had in many, many years. Delicious. Definitely their loss... or maybe their gain!?! They've never been too keen on chocolate, demonstrable by the presence of an Easter Egg still sitting on the sideboard.
I'm not going to push them to eat chocolate again. I now realise that to do this would be insanity! I wonder how many parents have pushed junk food onto their children allowing them to become addicted, just because they themselves are addicted?
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 127.5lbs
legs were still sore from Wednesday's leg set this morning. I know why. Because I skipped the previous week's leg set due to illness. I'm still surprised at how long they're taking to recover. So this morning's run was a little painful and I only went for 3 miles instead of intended 4.
To prevent this from happening again I'm bringing leg set forward by one day to Tuesday. Hopefully an extra day's rest will help ensure that sore legs won't hold weekend running back in the future. You would have thought that after training for the best part of a year now I would have ironed out such a small problem a long time ago. But I guess this is all part of the process as we constantly look to make incremental improvements to our training and diet.
A little off subject now; I forgot to buy some yoghurt for the children yesterday. They normally have this along with their porridge and fruit for breakfast. So I thought I'd treat them by making them their first ever Chocolate Milkshake. They refused to even try it and I got a little cross with them. I went upstairs to have a shower and quickly realised that I was trying to force them to drink something they shouldn't be drinking anyway. So I came back downstairs, told them they didn't have to drink it and drank the lot myself. It was the first chocolate milkshake I'd had in many, many years. Delicious. Definitely their loss... or maybe their gain!?! They've never been too keen on chocolate, demonstrable by the presence of an Easter Egg still sitting on the sideboard.
I'm not going to push them to eat chocolate again. I now realise that to do this would be insanity! I wonder how many parents have pushed junk food onto their children allowing them to become addicted, just because they themselves are addicted?
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 128.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2600 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 128.5lbs
I couldn't update journal yesterday as the internet was down all day so a quick update. I cheated on Saturday night with some evening toast with home made raspberry jam and cheated big time on Sunday with Jam and Scones. The good news is that, for the first time during this bulk, I felt really full on Saturday afternoon and had to force myself to have lunch. This was mainly because I got up 2 hours later than normal as it was Saturday and so all meals were a little rushed, but even so it was how I had hoped to feel when bulking - having to force down food when I really didn't feel like eating.
I'm hoping that, as this is first full week of bulking and now that I've had every type of food I was craving during cut, I'll be better able to stick to planned diet between now and Sunday. I've got weight training planned for the next four days so I'm looking to stick to 2600 calories and no more! If I can't get some more control into this bulk then I'll have no choice but to change game plan; I mean I've put on 0.5 pounds A DAY so far, and that simply can't continue. I'm hoping that if I can at least stick to diet plan this gain will begin to even itself out but if it doesn't and I'm unable to maintain any control, I'll have no choice but to change plans.
I can see performance this week being critical. If I can't maintain a correct diet for the duration I can't see how I'm going to be able to maintain this bulk until Feb 2010. I simply have to regain full control of eating!!!
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2600 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 128.5lbs
I couldn't update journal yesterday as the internet was down all day so a quick update. I cheated on Saturday night with some evening toast with home made raspberry jam and cheated big time on Sunday with Jam and Scones. The good news is that, for the first time during this bulk, I felt really full on Saturday afternoon and had to force myself to have lunch. This was mainly because I got up 2 hours later than normal as it was Saturday and so all meals were a little rushed, but even so it was how I had hoped to feel when bulking - having to force down food when I really didn't feel like eating.
I'm hoping that, as this is first full week of bulking and now that I've had every type of food I was craving during cut, I'll be better able to stick to planned diet between now and Sunday. I've got weight training planned for the next four days so I'm looking to stick to 2600 calories and no more! If I can't get some more control into this bulk then I'll have no choice but to change game plan; I mean I've put on 0.5 pounds A DAY so far, and that simply can't continue. I'm hoping that if I can at least stick to diet plan this gain will begin to even itself out but if it doesn't and I'm unable to maintain any control, I'll have no choice but to change plans.
I can see performance this week being critical. If I can't maintain a correct diet for the duration I can't see how I'm going to be able to maintain this bulk until Feb 2010. I simply have to regain full control of eating!!!
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 129lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 129lbs
I'm reducing calorie intake by 200 a day starting from today. I'm putting on far too much weight far too quickly and, although most of it will be retained water, it is still way too much for liking.
I also now have the old problem of "I'm addicted to making desserts" wife. Having announced that cut is over I have, without realising it, once again given her carte blanche to cook whatever she likes, and what she most likes to cook or course is dessert. Yesterday was a good example. As I went to the kitchen to prepare final meal before bed she said, "Aren't you going to eat that sponge pudding with ice cream I left out for you?" She'd made this earlier in the day with the children and I had completely forgotten about it.
I'm not prepared to refuse wife's food when I'm bulking, it's hard enough to do when I'm cutting, but I have to make sure I can incorporate it into the daily calorie intake. I also have the weekends to cope with which inevitably seem to get completely out of hand. So I'll try things on 200 less a day and see if that helps to slow things down a little.
I can see this bulk being very much trial and error but at least I cut enough before starting to allow for some early mistakes. If things continue to go wrong I'm always prepared to use the opposite tactic to cutting, i.e. to have a Cut Down week where I go back to a cutting diet for a week to help correct some of the errors I'm currently making. Then I can come back to a less severe bulk having learnt some more lessons about myself and eating habits. I need to have a long and controlled bulk but I'll ultimately fail if I continue as I am now.
I can't say that the weather is helping much either. I ended cut at the beginning of what is turning out to be a long overdue British heat wave and body is getting more exposure than at any point so far this year, so I'm obviously a little bit upset to be seeing definition disappear behind a layer of bloat within only two weeks since starting!
One thing I am going to have to accept is that if I want to do this properly I'm going to have to contend with still having the same old sensations of hunger immediately after eating - especially in the evenings. This simply does not go away no matter how much I eat! So having an apple after all planned food followed by a herbal tea is probably going to be reintroduce.
So far controlled bulking is proving to be a Dessert Too Far for me. I feel like I've let cravings out to stretch their legs and they're now running loose in the kitchen. The Incredible Bulk is giving me a bloody good thrashing and a large half of me doesn't mind a bit!
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 129lbs
I'm reducing calorie intake by 200 a day starting from today. I'm putting on far too much weight far too quickly and, although most of it will be retained water, it is still way too much for liking.
I also now have the old problem of "I'm addicted to making desserts" wife. Having announced that cut is over I have, without realising it, once again given her carte blanche to cook whatever she likes, and what she most likes to cook or course is dessert. Yesterday was a good example. As I went to the kitchen to prepare final meal before bed she said, "Aren't you going to eat that sponge pudding with ice cream I left out for you?" She'd made this earlier in the day with the children and I had completely forgotten about it.
I'm not prepared to refuse wife's food when I'm bulking, it's hard enough to do when I'm cutting, but I have to make sure I can incorporate it into the daily calorie intake. I also have the weekends to cope with which inevitably seem to get completely out of hand. So I'll try things on 200 less a day and see if that helps to slow things down a little.
I can see this bulk being very much trial and error but at least I cut enough before starting to allow for some early mistakes. If things continue to go wrong I'm always prepared to use the opposite tactic to cutting, i.e. to have a Cut Down week where I go back to a cutting diet for a week to help correct some of the errors I'm currently making. Then I can come back to a less severe bulk having learnt some more lessons about myself and eating habits. I need to have a long and controlled bulk but I'll ultimately fail if I continue as I am now.
I can't say that the weather is helping much either. I ended cut at the beginning of what is turning out to be a long overdue British heat wave and body is getting more exposure than at any point so far this year, so I'm obviously a little bit upset to be seeing definition disappear behind a layer of bloat within only two weeks since starting!
One thing I am going to have to accept is that if I want to do this properly I'm going to have to contend with still having the same old sensations of hunger immediately after eating - especially in the evenings. This simply does not go away no matter how much I eat! So having an apple after all planned food followed by a herbal tea is probably going to be reintroduce.
So far controlled bulking is proving to be a Dessert Too Far for me. I feel like I've let cravings out to stretch their legs and they're now running loose in the kitchen. The Incredible Bulk is giving me a bloody good thrashing and a large half of me doesn't mind a bit!
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 131lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 131lbs
internet has been down since Tuesday hence the lack of updates. It finally seems to be working now so it's business as usual.
I'm now back in control of diet, from Monday to Friday at least. We've had a friend over this weekend and things inevitably got out of hand but I still went running Saturday and Sunday plus we all went swimming yesterday and I spent some of Saturday doing some heavy work in the garden. I think this all goes towards helping weight to have only gone up by 0.5lbs since Friday despite the weekend calorie overload. Last week weight seemed to plateaux at 129.5lbs. If I do start to hover around 130lbs for the next couple of weeks I'll make a slight increase to calories but in the meantime I'm going to try and stick to 2400 and see what happens.
Last week I started to make some good gains in strength and have now increased all weight settings on all exercises. I've subsequently bought an additional 2 x 10kg plates that I'm hoping will see me through for the duration of bulk. weight bench can't take any more weight but careful planning in training plan should allow me to continue without upgrading bench. I really have no idea where I'd put a new bench if I did have to buy one.
Having our friend over for the last few days has meant that I've been sleeping in a tent in the garden. There's simply not been enough room in the house for all of us but with the great weather we've been having I haven't minded a bit. I've really felt like I've been on holiday, especially as the internet has been down making any work virtually impossible. I feel like I spent the majority of last week watching the Wimbledon tennis, reading with feet up and playing with the children. Who says you need to go away to have a holiday!
I've got chest and triceps this afternoon. It's favourite workout as I can do most of it lying down - who said I'm not lazy!
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 131lbs
internet has been down since Tuesday hence the lack of updates. It finally seems to be working now so it's business as usual.
I'm now back in control of diet, from Monday to Friday at least. We've had a friend over this weekend and things inevitably got out of hand but I still went running Saturday and Sunday plus we all went swimming yesterday and I spent some of Saturday doing some heavy work in the garden. I think this all goes towards helping weight to have only gone up by 0.5lbs since Friday despite the weekend calorie overload. Last week weight seemed to plateaux at 129.5lbs. If I do start to hover around 130lbs for the next couple of weeks I'll make a slight increase to calories but in the meantime I'm going to try and stick to 2400 and see what happens.
Last week I started to make some good gains in strength and have now increased all weight settings on all exercises. I've subsequently bought an additional 2 x 10kg plates that I'm hoping will see me through for the duration of bulk. weight bench can't take any more weight but careful planning in training plan should allow me to continue without upgrading bench. I really have no idea where I'd put a new bench if I did have to buy one.
Having our friend over for the last few days has meant that I've been sleeping in a tent in the garden. There's simply not been enough room in the house for all of us but with the great weather we've been having I haven't minded a bit. I've really felt like I've been on holiday, especially as the internet has been down making any work virtually impossible. I feel like I spent the majority of last week watching the Wimbledon tennis, reading with feet up and playing with the children. Who says you need to go away to have a holiday!
I've got chest and triceps this afternoon. It's favourite workout as I can do most of it lying down - who said I'm not lazy!
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 130lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs
With weight coming in 1lb less than yesterday and with diet remaining strong after the weekends hiatus I'm feeling good!
I had a great chest and tricep workout yesterday, despite a couple of interruptions, and am already beginning to see some noticeable improvements in both areas. I reckon I've got around 32 weeks of bulking to go; that's around 128 weight training sessions between now and February, so I'm beginning to get a little excited at the potential progress I can make. All I have to do is stick to the plan! Easier said than done as always but at least I survived the post cut cravings surge and feel as if I'm on track for the long haul ahead.
I forgot to mention yesterday how difficult I'm finding aerobic running routines these days. I personally like to run when stomach is completely empty, so first thing in the morning suits me best. This works very well when I'm cutting, however I'm finding that stomach and digestive system in general feels "bulky" (for want of a better word) pretty much all the time now and I've been struggling with the first couple of miles. It's difficult to describe exactly how I'm feeling. A little more sluggish I guess, with a general feeling of heaviness. I'm not intending to stop this part of training, although it isn't necessary for a successful bulk, as I'm keen to keep it in as part of general health and well being. I may well get used to it but I certainly miss that feeling of being light of foot and "bouncy".
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs
With weight coming in 1lb less than yesterday and with diet remaining strong after the weekends hiatus I'm feeling good!
I had a great chest and tricep workout yesterday, despite a couple of interruptions, and am already beginning to see some noticeable improvements in both areas. I reckon I've got around 32 weeks of bulking to go; that's around 128 weight training sessions between now and February, so I'm beginning to get a little excited at the potential progress I can make. All I have to do is stick to the plan! Easier said than done as always but at least I survived the post cut cravings surge and feel as if I'm on track for the long haul ahead.
I forgot to mention yesterday how difficult I'm finding aerobic running routines these days. I personally like to run when stomach is completely empty, so first thing in the morning suits me best. This works very well when I'm cutting, however I'm finding that stomach and digestive system in general feels "bulky" (for want of a better word) pretty much all the time now and I've been struggling with the first couple of miles. It's difficult to describe exactly how I'm feeling. A little more sluggish I guess, with a general feeling of heaviness. I'm not intending to stop this part of training, although it isn't necessary for a successful bulk, as I'm keen to keep it in as part of general health and well being. I may well get used to it but I certainly miss that feeling of being light of foot and "bouncy".
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 130lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs
Well it makes a nice change for weight to remain the same since yesterday... for a change.
Each day I'm finding newly adjusted bulking diet easier to maintain. I'm still surprised that I don't feel more sated during the day and I'm always surprised just how hungry I am leading up to each meal, but in fairness I'm only eating just above maintenance so I guess this is to be expected. The key for me is to keep eating little and often whilst avoiding favourite high sugar foods. It's just like cutting really only without the low energy levels and constant hunger! Also, because I'm aiming to eat 200 calories less than recommended 2600, I have a reserve capacity that I can call on should I get particularly hungry or should wife spring a tasty treat on me.
I skipped leg workout yesterday but plan to do it this afternoon instead. I spent most of yesterday rushing around and was on feet so much that legs were worn out before I even looked at the weights, so I thought it better to shift it to today. I find leg day to be the toughest of the week and I subsequently need to make sure I have enough rest before hand to prepare for it. It's good to have Wednesday as a free day for this reason. I can use it to fill in gaps in training when I have to miss a day for some reason.
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs
Well it makes a nice change for weight to remain the same since yesterday... for a change.
Each day I'm finding newly adjusted bulking diet easier to maintain. I'm still surprised that I don't feel more sated during the day and I'm always surprised just how hungry I am leading up to each meal, but in fairness I'm only eating just above maintenance so I guess this is to be expected. The key for me is to keep eating little and often whilst avoiding favourite high sugar foods. It's just like cutting really only without the low energy levels and constant hunger! Also, because I'm aiming to eat 200 calories less than recommended 2600, I have a reserve capacity that I can call on should I get particularly hungry or should wife spring a tasty treat on me.
I skipped leg workout yesterday but plan to do it this afternoon instead. I spent most of yesterday rushing around and was on feet so much that legs were worn out before I even looked at the weights, so I thought it better to shift it to today. I find leg day to be the toughest of the week and I subsequently need to make sure I have enough rest before hand to prepare for it. It's good to have Wednesday as a free day for this reason. I can use it to fill in gaps in training when I have to miss a day for some reason.
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 130lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
130lbs again today. Nice! And I looked quite cut in the mirror this morning - relatively speaking of course.
Our heatwave has now dissipated so it's back to normal temperatures again. I'm also out of the tent as our friend has now left which is a shame. I really enjoy sleeping outside when it's hot. Anything to help align oneself more with nature is always a good thing in book.
I'm really enjoying two additional 10kg plates that I bought last week. They're allowing me to rack up the weight I've been using quite significantly. For example standing leg raises have increased from 55kg up to 77.5kg, a weight I can hardly hold in hands for the duration!, deadlifts by 2.5kg, squats by 1kg and leg extensions by 5kg. It subsequently wasn't really surprising that I had an excellent leg workout yesterday.
I've got shoulders and back to do later this afternoon when I'll be able to increase dumbbell shrugs from 37kg up to 40kg. I think everything else will remain the same as I've been struggling to lift what's currently on weight chart for quite some time.
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
130lbs again today. Nice! And I looked quite cut in the mirror this morning - relatively speaking of course.
Our heatwave has now dissipated so it's back to normal temperatures again. I'm also out of the tent as our friend has now left which is a shame. I really enjoy sleeping outside when it's hot. Anything to help align oneself more with nature is always a good thing in book.
I'm really enjoying two additional 10kg plates that I bought last week. They're allowing me to rack up the weight I've been using quite significantly. For example standing leg raises have increased from 55kg up to 77.5kg, a weight I can hardly hold in hands for the duration!, deadlifts by 2.5kg, squats by 1kg and leg extensions by 5kg. It subsequently wasn't really surprising that I had an excellent leg workout yesterday.
I've got shoulders and back to do later this afternoon when I'll be able to increase dumbbell shrugs from 37kg up to 40kg. I think everything else will remain the same as I've been struggling to lift what's currently on weight chart for quite some time.
Until tomorrow.
Ah... You're the one whose been reading it!ironwill wrote:Hello, I have been studying through your journal, and though I haven't completed it, as of yet, I at least wanted to say how much I admire your discipline, and attention to detail.
Thanks for the compliment!
Today's Journal
Weight: 129.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
129.5lbs today and I weigh exactly 1lb less than last friday. I suspect this to be mostly retained water loss from post-cutting accesses so I'm not changing diet for the forthcoming week.
It certainly is proving to be difficult to manage diet when I'm only looking to increase weight by 0.5lbs a week. It's not a lot when you take into account the constant weight fluctuations the body has during the course of an average day. So I've decided to use Friday morning's weigh in as the benchmark for the week and make any changes to diet based on that reading. On that basis I plan to weight 130lbs this time next week. If I weigh less then I'll increase calories by 100 and if I weigh more I'll decrease by 100.
Just by having written that I can see own dilemma. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week I weighed in at 130lbs but today it fell by 0.5lbs. Tomorrow it could easily be 130.5lbs depending on what I eat tonight which would make the goal I just set obsolete!
I've changed mind...
On Friday I'm going to take an average reading for the week and make decision based on that.
average reading for last week was 130lbs. Next Friday I therefore plan to have an average weight for the week of 130.5lbs and will adjust diet accordingly should I fall either side. I think that should work out quite well.
I decided not to do Shoulders & Back workout yesterday. I didn't make this decision until I had changed into gym kit, warmed up and had done the first rep of the first set. At that point I stopped. I'd been feeling a very slight pain toward the top of vertebrae all day from the previous day's deadlifts and squats. The first rep I did magnified the pain so I immediately stopped. I usually have a day off after squats and deadlifts as I find them to be so intense, so I thought it would be wise to continue this routine. I can't feel any pain this morning so hopefully I'll be OK to continue this afternoon.
Unfortunately I'm now a day behind with this week's training so, in order to catch up, on Saturday I'll do morning run combined with an afternoon weight session. We don't have any social commitments on Saturday, that I'm aware of, so this should be OK. I normally have some extra cheat food on Saturday so this could help counteract additional calories quite nicely.
Until tomorrow.
Weight: 130lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs again. I am very pleased with this continued measurement as it means diet is at least allowing me to maintain current weight. If you're a regular reader of this journal you'll know that maintenance has proved somewhat elusive for me in the past, so even if I fail to put 0.5lbs in the forthcoming week I'll at least have fulfilled an ambition, albeit a minor one, that of maintenance. This breeds more confidence in myself and ability to have complete control of diet. Such control will allow me to maintain a weight and look once I have reached the point of desired and expected muscle gain over the coming months.
Yesterday I again decided against doing Shoulders & Back weight routine. back was still a little tender and I felt it would be safer to give it another day's rest. This morning I abandoned planned run in order to complete this postponed workout and experienced neither pain nor discomfort. I'll do Arms & Abs tomorrow morning and will, in doing so, have completed weight training for the week.
I've subsequently decided to completely forego aerobic training for the week. It is, after all, the least important aspect of bulk and I'll look to pick it up again next weekend.
Until tomorrow.
Daily calorie intake approx: 2400 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 10%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking
Weighed in today at 130lbs again. I am very pleased with this continued measurement as it means diet is at least allowing me to maintain current weight. If you're a regular reader of this journal you'll know that maintenance has proved somewhat elusive for me in the past, so even if I fail to put 0.5lbs in the forthcoming week I'll at least have fulfilled an ambition, albeit a minor one, that of maintenance. This breeds more confidence in myself and ability to have complete control of diet. Such control will allow me to maintain a weight and look once I have reached the point of desired and expected muscle gain over the coming months.
Yesterday I again decided against doing Shoulders & Back weight routine. back was still a little tender and I felt it would be safer to give it another day's rest. This morning I abandoned planned run in order to complete this postponed workout and experienced neither pain nor discomfort. I'll do Arms & Abs tomorrow morning and will, in doing so, have completed weight training for the week.
I've subsequently decided to completely forego aerobic training for the week. It is, after all, the least important aspect of bulk and I'll look to pick it up again next weekend.
Until tomorrow.