This Week So Far

Hey all,
Haven't been on, but I have still been training. Been doing Down and Up Mass by Jim Stoppani because I wanted to get some more volume in. Here are the logs from the last 3 workouts. I will be hitting the gym tonight to get legs in.

Tuesday - This was a great workout. I don't remember this being as hard the first time I went through it. I was sore that day which is not a norm for me. The volume felt great and each set was a rest-pause drop set. This is why it looks like 2 full sets and 2 partial sets.

 

Wednesday - Killed back this day. Hit it from so many angles that every time I had to pull myself up at work my back cramped up pretty good.

 

 Thursday - Shoulder Day. I was concerned about going to heavy with my one shoulder having some pain when pressing above my head but it went pretty well. Also, I didn't use the smith machine for my Barbell Shoulder Press.

 

I am really enjoying the extra volume so I am going to keep going at this. I have legs tonight and then starting on Sunday I will be using pre-exhaustion techniques instead of the rest-pause drop sets. As always feel free to contact me with questions and to find this program and many more go to www.jimstoppani.com 14 day free trial and free membership to military members who sign up with a .mil email address.

God Bless and Get Big

Travis

June 20 & 22, 2014 Training Logs

Hey all,
Here is the training logs for this past Friday and This morning. Great challenging workouts.

Friday was a heavy squat day. It felt good pushing heavier weight. I had set out to keep all rest periods to 60 seconds but due to allergy congestion it happened to be around 90 seconds on most sets. This workout includes me doing 8 reps with 315 lbs. The last two reps were grinders made me work for every inch. The last set of lunges I went until I couldn't continue and then dropped the weight to finish the set. Then the last set was supposed to be doing 50 reps with 135 lbs without racking the bar. I only made 45 reps and it took all that I had to make it there. Afterwards, I kicked myself because I missed it by 5 reps. This is something I will continue to try and improve on. I warmed up with squats and the bar and doing five 10 second pauses in the hole to stretch out. Followed by 135 lbs with two 5 second pauses and then repping out 8 reps. I went up quarter/plate until 225 lbs then I went up to 315 lbs for the start of my working sets.

This morning I got to the gym and decided that I wanted to do a higher volume overall than what I had been doing  so I modified what I was supposed to do by adding in 2 extra shoulder exercises, 1 extra biceps exercise, 1 extra triceps exercise. I warmed up with some bar weight shoulder presses and stretching. All rest periods were 60 seconds. The only thing not in my logs is at the end of the bench dips I dropped the weight and repped out with body weight until failure.

So after today's workout I have decided to stop the program I am on due to the fact that I don't feel like I am getting enough overall volume. I am still going for a power lifting goal of increasing my Bench, Squat, and Deadlift but I am going to use the program that I started the year off with and that is Down and Up Mass by Jim Stoppani. I saw great growth in my legs and overall strength during this program. Remember, feel free to ask me questions and let me know if you like the picture logs or when I type them out.

God Bless and Get Swole

Travis

Training Logs for June 17-19, 2014

Hey all,

Going to have three of these logs inside this post because I did not take the time to write them down. The past three days of training have been really good. Let us not beat around the bush and get to it.

Tuesday the 17th was heavy dead lift day. It felt really good and boosted my motivation towards the Cube Method that I am following.

Warm up
Stability Routine from my previous log here.

4" Block Pulls
135lbs X 10 Reps
185lbs X 7 Reps
225lbs X 5 Reps
275lbs X 5 Reps

Working Sets
4" Block Pulls (Approximately 90 secs rest)
385lbs X 2 Reps for 5 Sets

Snatch Grip Dead lifts(60 second rest the rest of the workout, These kicked my butt good)
285lbs X 8 Reps for 2 Sets

Dumbbell One Arm Rows
70lbs X 12 Reps
70lbs X 11 Reps
70lbs X 10 Reps

Dumbbell Shrug
70lbs X 20 Reps
70lbs X 20 Reps

Like I said it was a really good workout...short and sweet.

Wednesday the 18th was bench press repetition day. Another good day and on my accessory exercises I was trying to ensure to contract the muscle targeted before moving the weight

Warm up
Internal/External Rotation
20lbs dumbbells 15 reps for 2 sets

Floor Press
Bar only X 40 Reps
135lbs X 8 Reps
185lbs X 5 Reps

Working Sets
Floor Press
205lbs X 3 Reps for 8 sets

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
50lbs X 18 Reps
60lbs X 15 Reps
60lbx X 12 Reps

Cable Triceps Push-down
50lbs X 100 Reps

Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press
30lbs X 10 Reps for 3 sets

Machine Fly (Really focused on contracting the muscle here. Did much better on the second set)
13 X 16 Reps
13 X 12 Reps
13 X 15 Reps

I had a pretty good pump at the end of this workout in my chest and my triceps. The focused contractions help a lot with the pump.

Today was a new routine for me and isn't part of the Cube Method. This is a circuit style workout called a barbell complex that is designed to tax the entire body and to increase fat burning capabilities. I got this idea from Vince Del Monte. Try it out if you would like. It is a kick butt routine that will push you if you push yourself.

Warm up
From my stablility workout

Half lunge into a knee to chest stretch with toe raise 5 times each leg

Half lunge into a glute hip stretch optional toe raise 5 times each leg

Half lunge into a standing opposite arm quad stretch 5 times each leg

Half lunge with torso twist (twist both directions each lunge) 5 times each leg

Working Sets

20 Min AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible, No Rest) 

Start with 45lbs to 65lbs barbell (I did just the 45lbs barbell)

10 Reps Each in one Giant Set (repeat until time)

Standing Military Press

Front Squats

Bent Over Rows

Romanian Dead Lifts

Back Squats

I made 7 rounds even. After this workout, I was drenched in sweat, completely exhausted, but I felt really good. Next week I am going to try and beat 7 rounds and then the following week I will move the weight up to 55lbs or 65lbs.

Any questions hit me up!

God Bless and Get Big

Travis

Training Logs for June 12 & 13 2014

Hey all,

So I spaced off writing my logs for yesterday. I have been writing them on my lunch break and I was kinda busy and didn't do it. So here are the logs for yesterday and today.

Yesterday I did bench press repetition work. It was good and quick.

Warm up
Dumbbell Internal/External Rotation
3 sets of 15 reps with 20lbs

Incline Bench Press
bar only X 30 reps
95lbs X 12 reps
135lbs X 10 reps

Working Sets
Incline Bench Press
190lbs X 8 reps

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
40lbs X 20 reps
40lbs X 20 reps

Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
155lbs X 12 reps
155lbs X 12 reps
155lbs X 12 reps

Machine Fly (Machine doesn't have weight just numbered plates)
13 plates X 15 reps
13 plates X 15 reps
13 plates X 15 reps

Cable Triceps Push Down
50lbs X 100 reps

Smith Machine Shoulder Press (Still going light trying to rehab my shoulder)
50lbs X 12 reps
50lbs X 12 reps
50lbs X 12 reps

Today's Workout was Heavy Squat Day It felt good under the bar today. Looking forward to seeing some new growth with new exercises and pushing harder.

Warm Up
Barbell Squat
Bar only 5 10 second Pause reps for stretching
135lbs X 10 reps (first 2 5 second pause reps, last 8 repping it out)
185lbs X 5 reps
225lbs X 5 reps
315lbs X 3 reps

Working Sets
Barbell Squat
365lbs X 2 reps
365lbs X 2 reps
365lbs X 2 reps
365lbs X 2 reps
365lbs X 2 reps

Barbell Good Mornings (first time doing this one so weight is a little light)
95lbs X 10 reps
115lbs X 9 reps
115lbs X 9 reps

Leg Press
290lbs X 28 reps
380lbs X 21 reps
380lbs X 21 reps

Dumbbell Lunges (I hate these but that just means I am going to do them more, weight is dumbell each hand)
25lbs X 12 rps
25lbs X 12 reps
25lbs X 12 reps

Hyper-extensions- Back Extensions
1 set of 60 reps (still didn't make it straight through but getting better)

Seated Leg Curls
100lbs X 50 reps
100lbs X 50 reps

That was it but trust me it was a killer workout. I am loving pushing it hard and like I said I cannot wait to see the strength and muscle gains. Gotta keep pushing and striving to be better that I was yesterday.

I am also still seeing aesthetic improvements. My wife helped me take measurements last night which is something I haven't done since January. Not great changes but progress and I am happy with it. Like always you can send me questions if  you have any. Check out my body space Here if you want to. I still need to update my progress picture.

Training Logs for June 10, 2014

Hey all,

Yesterday was yet again a rest day until evening when I went to Taekwondo practice. It was a really good night and I am seeing great improvement in my mobility and flexibility. Still have a long ways to go though.

Today started week 2 of the Cube Method. Today's workout was explosive work for deadlifts. I enjoyed it immensely while getting my butt kicked. I did notice that while doing the explosive reps I was not focused on my form as well as I should have. I will make sure to correct that for future training sessions. On to today's workout.

Warmup
Deadlifts
135lbs x 10 reps
185lbs x 5 reps
225lbs x 3 reps

Working sets
Deadlifts (explosive 15 second rest periods)
285lbs x 3 reps x 8 sets

4" Block Pulls with Snatch Grip (These Kicked my butt!!)
245lbs x 12 reps
245lbs x 12 reps
245lbs x 12 reps

Safety Bar Squat
225lbs x 8 reps
225lbs x 8 reps
225lbs x 8 reps 

Barbell Shrug (Make sure to squeeze)
225lbs x 12 reps
225lbs x 12 reps
225lbs x 12 reps

Back Hypertensions (I cannot do a straight set so I do 10 second rests before continuing. I will make it through eventually)
1 set of 50 reps

Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs (Nice Slow Reps Under Complete Control)
150lbs x 15 reps
150lbs x 15 reps
150lbs x 15 reps
150lbs x 15 reps

At the end of this workout I was completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. Like I said I really enjoyed this workout because it was a challenge. It will make me stronger. Tomorrow is Rep work on Bench Press.....Exciting

God Bless and Rip It Off The Floor

Travis

Training Logs for June 8, 2014

Good Morning,

I would like to first tell you that Friday night at YUMMA (Yuma United Mixed Martial Arts) was awesome. Got to meet a couple really cool guys that have the same goal, to get as strong as possible! We spent most of the time talking and a little time deadlifting. I look forward to going to these meetings and working as a team with these guys. It's really cool that we have a guy who competed on the national scale who can help us with forms and techniques. We are also looking at competing in 20 to 22 weeks. Until then, bring on the pain and the gains.

Yesterday was a rest day and today was focused on weak point training. Today was just 7 exercises focused on different parts of the body to bring up those areas. All work done was using Bodybuilding styles reps.  Done with a hard contraction with a slow eccentric (lowering) portion trying to hit 4 secs.

Warm up
Dumbbell internal and external rotation
Couple sets of 15 reps with light weight

Smith Machine Military Press
Bar only for 20 reps

Working sets
Smith Machine Military Press
50lbs X 10 reps
60lbs X 8 reps
60lbs X 8 reps
60lbs X 8 reps

EZ Bar Barbell Curls
55lbs X 12 reps
55lbs X 12 reps
55lbs X 12 reps

Calf Press on Leg Press
200lbs X 15 reps
200lbs X 15 reps
200lbs X 15 reps
200lbs X 15 reps
200lbs X 15 reps

Seated Leg Curls
225lbs X 10 reps
225lbs X 10 reps
225lbs X 10 reps
225lbs X 10 reps

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
120lbs X 20 reps
120lbs X 20 reps
120lbs X 20 reps

Lying Barbell Triceps Extension
75lbs X 11 reps
75lbs X 10 reps
75lbs X 10 reps

Roman Chair Crunches
10 reps
15 second rest
10 reps
15 second rest
10 reps
15 second rest
10 reps
15 second rest
10 reps
15 second rest
Static hold 10 seconds
15 second rest
Static hold 10 seconds

That was today's workout and it was a good one. Hit me up if you're interested in powerlifting or if you have questions about what I am doing.

God Bless
Travis

Training Logs June 6, 2014

Good Morning ,


So yesterday I did not go to the gym because I stayed home to get a little extra rest. The program I am following is a 4 day a week program which I have scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I am going to be adding a 5th day for Thursday and it is going to be a barbell complex which I will discuss next Thursday. Let's get to this morning's workout which was a great time in the gym.


This morning's focus was on squatting with explosive power. To build explosive power you need to use 60% of your 1RM to allow your body to apply the maximum amount of force into the bar. In other words, you need to put the amount of force it takes you to put up your 1RM into the bar that ways 60% of your 1RM. So by doing this you should do many sets of low reps for the purpose of giving you more 1st lifts. So instead of doing 3 sets of 8 reps for a total of 24 reps you do 8 sets of 3 reps for the same amount of volume but like I said you have 8 first reps instead of 3. In power lifting you are only doing your first rep in competition so it is good to train for it. So here is what today's workout looks like.


Warm up
Squat
Bar only 8 pause reps (pause 5 to 10 seconds to stretch and loosen the muscles)
90lbs 5 pause reps
135lbs 10 reps
185lbs 8 reps
225lbs 3 reps


Working Sets
Squat - Power Squat Explosive reps with only 40 seconds rest between sets
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps
275 x 3 reps


High Bar Narrow Stance Olympic Squats
255lbs x 5 reps
255lbs x 5 reps
255lbs x 5 reps
255lbs x 5 reps
255lbs x 5 reps


Leg Press (By the time I got here the lactic acid build up was great, reps over 9 burned good)
315lbs x 15 reps
315lbs x 15 reps
315lbs x 15 reps


Stiff Leg Pull Through (Think of stiff leg deadlift but with cables to keep that constant tension)
90lbs x 12 reps
100lbs x 12 reps
100lbs x 12 reps


Kettlebell Swing (Went light on these 'cause I hadn't done them in a while. Increase weight next time)
18lbs x 15 reps
20lbs x 15 reps
20lbs x 15 reps


Like I said it felt really good pushing it this morning. Those explosive squats with only 40 seconds rest was a challenge. My next scheduled workout is on Sunday which is weakness training all done bodybuilding style. However, I will probably post tonight or tomorrow on the YUMMA Powerlifting team meeting/class tonight. I am excited about it because people getting together for the same goal is awesome and powerful.


God Bless and Get Big


Travis

Power Lifting

Hey All,

I am back again with another post from my workouts. I know that I haven't been keeping this up to date but I plan on it being more of a regular thing now that I am devoting myself to power lifting more. I have been following a few power lifters for a while now and I have been drawn to the work ethic of one Brandon Lilly. Brandon has been through a rough year and with his performance this last weekend, I have to say congratulations to him and to thank him for being an inspiration. It takes courage to get up on the platform in a power lifting meet and to call out 110lbs for your squat. He did post a 705.5lbs Deadlift and 501.7lbs Bench Press. To give a quick back story, Brandon collapsed under a squat in January and had to have multiple surgeries to repair his knees. Brandon is a beast and an inspiration.

That being said, I have decided to follow Brandon and his method for power lifting which is called the Cube Method. This program has been used by Brandon and his clients with great success. I hope to use it and increase my personal bests on all my lifts. The basic cube method is that you work your 3 main lifts each week but each week it is rotated to what type of training for that lift. Whether it be repetition work, explosive work, or heavy work. I don't want to go into too much detail because it is his method and his work.

Today, I did my first day of the cube method and here is what it looked like. Today was dead lift repetition work. Started off with a warm up and then into the working sets.

Warm Up
1" Deficit DeadLift
135lbs x 15 Reps
185lbs x 10 Reps
225lbs x 8 Reps
275lbs x 8 Reps

Working Sets
1" Deficit DeadLift
355lbs x 8 Reps

4" Block Pulls
405lbs x 3 Reps
405lbs x 3 Reps

Saftey Squat Bar Olympic Squats
225lbs x 8 Reps
225lbs x 8 Reps
225lbs x 8 Reps

Cable Squat Pull Throughs
70lbs x 10 Reps
90lbs x 10 Reps
110lbs x 10 Reps
130lbs x 10 Reps

Hyperextensions (Back Extensions)
1 Set of 50 Reps

I left the gym with a huge pump in my lower back and soreness in the glutes. I absolutely loved today's workout and cannot wait for future ones. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up.

God Bless and Lift Strong

Travis Miller

Squats and Leg Work

This morning was Leg day. The day many people dread and others love to hate. I always have mixed feelings about leg day because to tell you the truth it scares me a bit. But as Kris Gethin says "Do what you Fear!" My fear of leg day comes from letting my Squat form get loose and sloppy in the past and tweaking my back. Recently I started pushing myself on Squats to focus more on form and function. I now focus much more on increasing abdominal pressure to ensure my body is tight and protecting the spine. Keeping with my have fun with it theme, this morning I started with squats and keeping it heavy at 70% of my 1RM (rep max) for 4 Reps. Rest time for heavy squats is whatever it takes to recover. This is normally 2-5 minutes because you want you CNS (central nervous system) to recover. I followed up the squats with bodybuilding style accessory exercises keeping the rest periods down to a minimum I try and aim for 40 secs but make sure to keep it under 1 minute. This keeps the lactic acid and the blood pump in the muscle which ignites the growth response. Workout logs below

Squats
Warmup sets
135lbs X 3reps sitting and stretching pause reps to loosen up the hips and muscles.
2 sets 135lbs X 10 reps get blood flowing
1 set 225lbs X 8 reps
Working sets
6 sets 355lbs X 4 reps

Leg Extensions
2 sets 250lbs X 12 reps
2 sets 250lbs X 10 reps
1 set 250lbs X 8 reps

Narrow Stance Leg Press
3 sets 400lbs X 12 reps

Wide Stance Leg Press
3 sets 400lbs X 13 reps

Kneeling Leg Curls
4 sets 75lbs X 12 reps
1 set 75lbs X 10 reps

All my secondary work is reps to failure which is why there are different sets with the same weight for less reps. The more you push the more fatigued the muscles become and the less reps you can do unless you increase your rest periods.

As always if you have any questions feel free to ask.

God bless
Travis

Have fun with it!

Hey all,
Can't believe it has been this long since I posted. I guess that is what happens you're having fun. Real been busy this year with the kids Taekwondo. I started off the year after my powerlifting meet with a new program from Jim Stoppani called Down and Up Mass. I really enjoyed this program and saw great gains especially in my legs. I followed that program up with another one from Jim called 6 Weeks to Sick Arms which focuses on the arms. I saw great muscle definition increase as well as some thinning out of the fat in my arms. I then did the first 3 weeks of Jim's Superman program. This program focuses on supersets to decrease workout length and keeping similarly volumes per muscle group. This program I saw an increase on upper pec development.

This week I started my own thing and decided that I am going to do what feels like needs to be done for me in my body and my fitness goals. I enjoy following the programs that Jim puts out but I am having so much fun in the gym right now. This week I have been working on going heavy in the 3 main moves and then following it up with Bodybuilding accessory exercises. I am also adding what is called feeder exercises to each day for a specific body part. This week it is arms. This is just to get a pump and get that blood flow into the muscle. Light weight for 20-50 reps. The following is what I have done this week.

Tuesday
Biceps and Triceps
Don't remember exact workout
Wednesday
Chest
Bench Press
Warmup
2 sets 135 lbs X 20reps
1 set 225 lbs X 8 reps
6 sets 245 lbs X 4 reps
2 sets 155 lbs X 8 pause reps
2 sets 135 lbs X 10 reps super wide grips

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
5 sets 65lbs X 8 reps

Cable Biceps Curls
Superset
Cable Incline Triceps Extension
3 sets of 30 reps

Today
2" deficit Deadlift
Warmup
2 sets 135lbs X 8 reps
1 set 225 X 8 reps
1 set 315 X 6 reps
6 Sets 355 X 4 reps

T-Bar Rows
1 set 45 X 15 reps
1 set 90 X 11 reps
3 sets 115 X 11 reps
1 set 140 X 8 reps

Wide grip Lat Pulldowns
3 sets 200lbs X 10 reps
1 set 200lbs X 8 reps

Barbell Curls
Superset
Standing barbell Triceps extentions
3 sets 40 lbs 20 curl and 30 ext reps

So that is it for this week so far.  Tomorrow will be Squats and Legs. I haven't decided exactly what I am doing yet but plan on keeping a log of my workouts.

I also have started Taekwondo with the kids and now have moved into the adult classes. So I am doing it 3 nights a week which is really good because it makes me stretch which is something that has been lacking in my training.

If you all have any questions feel free to ask.

God bless
Travis

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi all,
Just wanted to take the time to say thank you for all your support. That on this day set aside to be thankful, I am thankful for all my family and friends. Remember this day isn't just about all the wonderful food. It is about reflecting on all aspects of our lives and giving thanks for everything whether it is a straight up blessing or it is a trial that forces you to be stronger in your life. Be thankful for it all.

A few things I am thankful for:
1. God - I am thankful for Jesus Christ being my Lord and my Savior. His grace and mercy are wonderful.
2. Wife - My beautiful and wonderful wife who supports me through it all. She is an awesome woman who bring sweet joy to my life.
3. Kids - My 3 wonderful kids who constantly bring me joy and challenge me daily.
4. Family - All my family who reminds that I have been loved for 36 years.
5. Friends - Friends bring laughter and inspiration, help and care, and many more things.
6. Leaders - My leaders in church and at work who are there to help me in my endeavors.
7. US Military - These men and women who selflessly sacrifice for a greater purpose. This includes their families who also give up so much.
8. The Iron - These items of various weights are always true to who they are...200 lbs is always 200 lbs.
9. Role Models - These are those people who have achieved what I am looking to achieve and they provide so many of us great information.
10. Thanksgiving food - Yes this is something I am thankful for....I call this Epic Cheat Meal Day.

God Bless.....remember to be thankful

Travis Miller

P.S. Oh Yea, Second week of my power lifting journey went well.....Tomorrow is deadlift Friday...getting together with friends and hitting the gym.....gonna be a blast.

Power Lifting Status and Goals

Hiya,
So last time I posted that I was shifting my focus from aesthetics to strength based goals. This was because I am not really an aesthetic kinda guy, but I really love the feeling I get lifting heavy weights. So, I also mentioned that I was going to be testing where my current lifting status is by performing a simulated power lifting meet and then I would reevaluate my goal for January 3, 2014.

Today I went to the gym feeling a little under the weather because of head congestion. but I wasn't going to let it stop me from getting the results I wanted. Yesterday, I did some research on the order of a power lifting meet and what a typical warm up progression for 1RM (rep max) would consist of. The meet would consist of the lifts in the order of Squats, Bench Press, and Deadlift. The typical warm up for testing 1RM is as follows:

50% 1RM for 8 reps followed by 2 minutes rest
60% 1RM for 5 reps followed by 2 minutes rest
70% 1RM for 3 reps followed by 3 minutes rest
80% 1RM for 1 rep followed by 3 minutes rest
90% 1RM for 1 rep followed by 5 minutes rest
100% 1RM for 1 rep followed by 5 - 15 minutes rest
+2~5% increase followed by 5 - 15 minutes rest
Continue until unable to complete rep

Today I went with my approximate 1RM and based my test off of those. In the order of Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. The only thing I didn't do that would have been allowed in a meet would be 3 attempts at a given weight. I decided that because of time that when I hit my first failure I was done. So where do I sit as a power lifter?

Squat at 355 lbs - I was estimating 400 lbs
Bench at 285 lbs - I was estimating 315 lbs
Deadlift at 475 lbs - Previous best was 455 lbs
Total at 1115 lbs

I was a little disappointed on the squat and bench but it is understandable because I had been focusing on aesthetics instead of strength. I am totally excited on breaking my personal best on deadlift and that makes up for the squat and bench.

So here is where I am at for my goals. Deadline is still January 3rd, 2014. I am still setting my eyes on the 1300 lbs total with Squat at 425 lbs, Bench at 350 lbs, and Deadlift at 525 lbs.

Many people will tell you that it is an unrealistic goal but The question isn't if their opinions are going to let me but rather who's going to stop me!

God Bless,

Travis

Bizzy Diet Day 14

Hi All,
This has been a pretty great week for me. I discovered something that I was missing from my life. Heavy weight training. I was really enjoying the results and the workouts from the Bizzy Diet but I was not feeling the rush of the weight training like I wanted to. So here is where I stand. I am not going to continue with the bizzy diet because I am only 4lbs away from my 21 day goal and it is only day 14. I did some research and I consulted with a trainer from BodyBuilding.com and he suggested trying his Rock Hard Challenge. I took his advice and gave workouts 1 and 2 a try on Friday and Saturday. I love them and I am feeling the affects.

So I didn't just randomly pick a trainer off the web to seek information from, I did my research and I found out that he is the Chief Science Editor for Muscle and Fitness magazine. He has a PHD in exercise physiology. I also started following him on twitter to see what information he was passing out and what other people were saying about him and his workout routines. I would have to say that I am impressed with the results that I am hearing about from his programs. Who is this guy? His name is Jim Stoppani and he is one of the video trainers on bodybuilding.com with his Shortcut to Size program. This is the program I was originally interested in but I wanted to drop weight before going into it. So this is what I did, I tweeted Jim and told him that I am still 50lbs overweight and I was wondering if Shortcut to Size would help me cut weight while building muscle or would the HIIT and Weight circuit training (ie bizzy diet) that I was currently doing best for me. His response to me was that I should look up the Rock Hard Challenge.

I looked into the RHC and found that is sounded like something I would be interested in. This program is an 8 week program designed to transform your body. It has listed the workouts, the recommended nutrition, and the recommended supplementation which of course is the official challenge sponsors. I am going to try and stick close to the nutrition and the supplementation with the exception that I will be using Muscle Pharm as my supplementation brand of choice.

So on Friday, I went to the gym to do workout 1 to judge overall gym time and to figure out where I am going to be starting on the weight ranges. A brief overview of work out 1 is as follows a chest shoulder and triceps workout where you are doing 2 sets of 10 reps and 1 set of 12-15 reps per workout or 2 sets of 12-15 and 1 set of 10, which seems pretty normal with 2 mins rest between sets. Here is the kicker, before you get to your 2 minutes of rest you do 1 minute of cardio, ie treadmill, stair climber, or calisthenics after each set before the rest period. This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to kicking your butt. I came out of the workout feeling great and ready to come back and do some more.

Saturday shows up and I decide to give workout number 2 a try. This is legs, calves and abs with the same workout schedule as workout 1 to include the cardio between sets. I can tell you now why I know they use the term "you been stoppani'd" on the twitter microblog when talking about Jim Stoppani's workout routines. Today I went to the gym to do slow steady cardio to loosen up the legs a little but I am still wincing in that wonderful pain of muscle growth as I sit up and down through out the day.

So here is where I stand currently I am down 16 lbs overall and down 2.5 inches around my waist. I am seeing slimming across my entire body and increased definition around muscles as the fat is burned away. Tomorrow, I am starting the RHC with workout 1 and I look forward to the amazing results that are going to come of this program and my dedicated hard work. I want to transform my body into a lean healthy machine.

My new favorite term Swoldier thanks to Steve Cook from bodybuilding.com for that one.

Also, keep an eye on FromTrialstoTriumphs as it is under construction but should be up soon. But to give you a sneek peek go there now and see what happens when you tell a conqueror that they will never walk again.

God Bless all,

Travis

Good Evening,
So after a week of shift change and coming down with something, I am back at my workouts. I tried something a little different on my Xbox game tonight. Instead of doing cardio-boxing, they have a work out or "class" that is called Boot Camp. I was expecting something pretty tough when I saw that it had 3 red bars for difficulty but I pressed start anyway. It was fun and it royally kicked my butt. It had me doing squats, double knee & double kick combos, running in place, what I would call hopping double knees (think of grabbing someone's head and delivering a jumping knee to the face). So I enjoyed it naturally. Then it had me do something I had not done in quite some while, push ups. This really put me back at to where I am physically. I need to work hard to get back into shape. I only could do at maximum half of the push ups that the work out was programmed for. This is not a bad thing because I am not taking it negatively. It is motivation! I will overcome, I will succeed, I will kick my butt back into shape. This motivation has got my brain working overtime on how to get things moving even faster. I have been given a bow-flex to work out with all I have to do is go and get it. This will add a great strength work out in between my cardio days on the Xbox. The other thing that I did tonight on the Xbox as a warm-up and cool down was something they label as Zen Energy, if you read the description it is a cross between Yoga and Tai Chi. It was great for getting my breathing started and it also allows you to work on your balance and focus.

Back into the game

Well It has been a while but I have not given up on my goal. I had a small hiatus but that has now been resolved. I just got done swimming laps in the pool. Right now it is warm enough to be swimming after work in the evenings. Soon it will be warm enough to swim both before and after work.

Right now I think in the mornings I am going to start with core exercises using plank work outs. The plank position, of course, is where you are in a push up position but instead of being on your hands you are resting on your elbows, with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Just holding that position with your back straight is a work out. Then you work on balance and strengthening your core muscles by lifting different limbs individually or together as opposite foot/hand combinations.

I plan on swimming after work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I should be in the pool quite a bit with the kids on Saturday and Sunday. This should give me plenty of rest and plenty of exercise.

Well, I will keep updating this as much as I can. I look forward to showing progress and sharing my story. Tomorrow I might post a before picture and some basic starting stats to give me and you a beginning base line.

Good Day to all

Quest Day # 10

So I have not been progressing. I haven't even been posting to tell you that I am sucking at this weight loss thing. Right now I am kinda off kilter because I have some sorta pain coming from the tubes that drain the ears. I am going to start going at it again tomorrow starting slow. I am going to get up and stretch and continue to stretch throughout the day. Tomorrow night I plan on riding the stationary bike for a little bit. Definitely need to cut my calorie intake, portion control. Sometimes can be harder than getting up and exercising.

Goodnight for now

See ya soon

Quest Day # 4

So today did not turn out to be what I wanted it to. I didn't get to bed as early as I had planned and so I did not get up early to run. The day was pretty busy. I drank lots of water and ended up this evening taking a quick, hard ride on the exercise bike. Food intake was not horribly bad but I did eat a little more than I should have.

I can see that I need to keep the motivation up or else I am going to slack off too much. But on ward and up ward. I will continue and I will not stop.

See Ya Later

Quest Day # 2

So how does day 2 start. Success! Alarm went off, I got up shut it off and dressed for the run. My original goal was to do a 15 min split. i.e. 15 min out and 15 min in. So after stretching and some jumping jacks to get my heart pumping a little. I was off.

Physically the run didn't feel too bad. Left knee was a little loose and the right one was a little tight. Ankles didn't feel bad. Breathing was ok but not very rhythmic (according to the pace of my feet.)

Mentally, I felt good during the run, I made it 10.5 minutes before I let myself take a short (20 sec) break, this was also where I decided my turn around should be.

So instead of 15 minutes I ran 10 then turned around. The return trip was 12 minutes but felt pretty good. I don't know the distance of the run as of yet but will measure it later this morning and post it this evening.

So the run ended 30 mins ago and I have showered so I can get ready for work. My lungs aren't happy, but part of that is the congestion that I have had recently. I will update on the rest of the body's reaction later this evening.

See ya soon

UPDATE: This mornings run was 1.4 Miles. It took me 23 minutes. I have had a better day with eating and with drinking water. (I actually did today). My legs are a little sore but not as bad as I had anticipated.

Tomorrow no running but maybe some exercise before prayer at the Church.

Thanks for the support Lance. Good to hear from you. Thank you for your service! Hurry Home.

Quest Day # 1

So how does day #1 start. FAIL. So I set the alarm for 4:45 and decide that it is the perfect time to get up and start my first day of running. Well at 6:00 when I woke up, I had the realization the 4:45 pm was going to do me no good. So the problem will be corrected and tomorrow will be the first day of running.

Well the rest of the day was pretty busy with work and leadership. I did manage to eat 3 meals: Breakfast = bowl of cereal (generic capt crunch) in 2%. Lunch = Chicken & Cheese enchiladas with bell pepper Dinner = BRCC (Bean, Rice, Chicken, Cheese) Burritos.

So I can definitely eat better but I think quantity here was a little much. i.e. 1 serving of cereal would have been better than 2, lunch ok, dinner was 3 should have been about 1.5

No soda today but I did have some raspberry tea, sweet tea and coffee. I know water belongs in there some where just didn't make it today.

So if you are out there, it is still early on in the quest. I will make it to the goal. Keep the faith.

Side note: I did take my daily vitamins because my lovely wife reminded me too. Thank you darling.

The Quest for 220

So I have gotten sick and tired of being tired. Tired of finding out my clothes are too snug and soon to be too small. I am at ends with buying bigger clothes and I do want to buy more clothes but I prefer them to be smaller than the current set. I have come to the realization that my lack of quality sleep, my daily motivation, and some of my self-image are caused by my weight. I am a 32 year old former Marine who currently weighs 280 lbs. My ideal Marine Corps weight was 196; however, I always fought with that weight when I was in the best shape of my life so I don't feel that as a realistic goal. I choose 220 lbs. this means 60 of my current lbs. has to disappear.

So What is my plan of attack? Well I was going to make a small blog about running. I loved to run back in the day, but my physical body did not. So I am going to go with a "Quest for 220" I am going to start running tomorrow. I am going to pay closer attention to what I am putting into my gut. I am going to do what I have to reach my goal.

So Why am I writing about it? Well I have been saying I am going to start running for about 3 weeks now. Have I? Nope. I have a co-worker who is trying to keep me to my want to run by asking me everyday if I went. So I feel that if He can do this, I can rely on you to do this too. This is part of my accountability to my Quest. I cannot guarantee a post everyday but I will keep up with this quest.

So one other note, if my running legs keep good on the ability to run. I also have a goal to run in a local half marathon in November.

So keep checking in, Comment if you want I welcome it.