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

Weekend Training Logs

Hey all,

So this weekend was a good weekend. Friday night was the power-lifting team and it was only me and Dustin the guy who organized the team. It was a good time though going over mobility and stability work. I learned a short routine that I can use as a warmup or as a standalone mini workout. This is the stability routine

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

Worlds greatest stretch 3 times each leg

High knee walking stretch 20 steps

Frankenstein walking stretch 20 steps

Shuffle step with trailing leg explosion 10 iterations each leg

Cross step shuffle with trailing leg explosion 10 iterations each leg

Stabilization 12inch box jumps (Standing jump onto box with pause and step off the box)

1 leg forward stabilization 12inch box jumps (I couldn't do 12 inches so on level surface) 3 reps/leg

1 leg Side stabilization 12inch box jumps (I couldn't do 12 inches so on level surface) 3 reps/leg

Saturday was a rest day, so on Sunday morning it was repetition/weakness training. It was a really good workout and I added to it at the end to give me a little bit more work.

Warm up

The above Stability Routine

Dumbbell internal/external rotation 

15lbs X 10 reps X 2 sets

Smith Machine Military Press

Bar Weight x 30 Reps
20lbs x 20 reps


Working Sets
Smith Machine Military Press (Still working with shoulder)
70lbs X 12 reps
70lbs X 12 reps
70lbs X 13 reps

EZ Bar Curl
65lbs X 12 reps
70lbs X 10 reps
70lbs X 10 reps
70lbs X 10 reps

Calf Press On Leg Press
290lbs X 20 reps
360lbs X 20 reps
360lbs X 20 reps

Walking Lunges (These kick my butt so I am going to incorporate them more)
8 reps each leg
8 reps each leg
8 reps each leg
8 reps each leg

Dumbbell Lateral Raise
15lbs X 10 reps
20lbs X 10 reps
25lbs X 10 reps
20lbs X 10 reps
20lbs X 10 reps

Pullups (Assisted weight so at 240lbs of resistance)
6 reps
7 reps
6 reps

Farmer's Walk (Weight is per hand)
80lbs X 36 steps
80lbs X 36 steps
80lbs X 36 steps
80lbs X 36 steps

This day felt really good. Had a great relaxing and restful day that followed. Looking forward to seeing more growth and more results. Any questions feel free to ask.

God Bless and Pick Stuff Up

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 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

June 4, 2014 Training Logs

Today's workout was a heavy day for Bench Press training. It goes as follows.

Warmup
Floor Press
Bar Only 40 reps
135lbs x 15 reps
185lbs x 10 reps
225lbs x 8 reps

Working Sets
Floor Press
265lbs x 2 reps
265lbs x 2 reps
265lbs x 2 reps
265lbs x 2 reps
265lbs x 2 reps

Bench Press
165lbs x 15 reps
165lbs x 15 reps

WideGrip Lat Pulldowns
190lbs x 13 reps
190lbs x 12 reps
190lbs x 11 reps

Cable Tricep Pushdowns
90lbs x 25 reps
90lbs x 25 reps
90lbs x 25 reps
90lbs x 25 reps

Dumbell Shrug (2 second Sqeeze)
80lbs x 15 reps
80lbs x 15 reps
80lbs x 15 reps

Barbell Shoulder Press (Seated Smith Machine)
50lbs x 10 reps
50lbs x 12 reps
50lbs x 14 reps

It was a really good workout and the Shoulder presses were so light because I am still trying to rehab my right shoulder. I think I am going to have to get it looked at. This was also my first time doing floor presses and the working weights are based off of percentages. A whole new animal to me but like I said it was good.

God Bless and Get Swole

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

Update

Hey all,

Just wanted to give you an update on my power lifting. Today I got to lift with a couple friends as a fun day. We had a deadlift party. This was an idea I got from Metroflex Long Beach. They had posted earlier in the week that they were going to do one on Thursday morning. The gym I go to was closed on Thursday, so I decided to see if people wanted to do on on Friday. Another reason that I wanted to do this is that Jim Stoppani offered a challenge on his Facebook page for people to do 25 reps on deadlift with 250 lbs. Deadlift, of course, happens to be my favorite lift so I could not pass up the challenge. He also stated that if you recorded it and posted it on his Facebook page that he would give you a lifetime membership to his personal website www.jimstoppani.com. This was just more motivation for me to try it out. I also decided that if I made the 25 reps that I was going to go for a PR on the deadlift at 500 lbs. My previous best was 475 so it is a good jump up in the 3 weeks that I have been focusing on maximal strength. Below is both videos, I hope you enjoy them.

God Bless
Travis Miller

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

Update

So in the last post I had said that I was going to update you on my current stats and what kind of progress I have been making. I didn't do that as you know if you are a regular here. I did take the measurements and I am quite pleased with the results and a I had expected at that time I have actually started losing weight although it hasn't been a lot I am down 7 pounds. Other progress results that I am pleased with is that I am currently wearing a shirt that I haven't worn in about 1 1/2 years.

That is about all I am going to give you for updates on my progress for now because in 8 days I will be 6 weeks in to my 12 week challenge which means it is time for progress pictures and time to switch the exercise routine up. I have the routine I am going to do next already figured out. I need to finish doing some weight calculations for this program but I am doing that on Monday, which happens to be my rest day. So one final progress stat for today and then I am going to sign off until next weekend when I will re-post my before pictures along side my progress pictures. That stat is for the month of January I lost 1.5 inches off my waist and I am sure I have lost about another inch since then but we will find out next week at my half way update.

Stay Tuned

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

Tough Week

Hey all,
It has been a tough week. I did not hit he gym as much as I had planned and scheduled but I did make it a couple of days that provided me with some good workouts. This is more than what I had been doing before getting back into the gym. I also got to try the Muscle Pharm Assault, Recon, and Combat Powder. I also tried the Hybrid N. O. And the ZMA pills.
First off I would like to say that the Combat Powder, chocolate flavor was pretty good flavor and seemed to work well as a break fast protein before my morning workout. I haven't used a lot of it to give an idea of how well it builds lean muscle but I will update as I get into using it more.
The Assault powder seemed to provide a good pre workout endurance and when combined with the Hybrid N. O. Pills seemed to get me through my workout with pushing through the sets beyond where I feel I would have stopped without the supplements.
The Recon powder has a great taste and seemed to keep my muscles from teasing up too much after the workout. But without further use I cannot give a overall effect or review of the product.
The ZMA pills are supposed to be for recovery and to provide better rest. I did experience the better rest the past couple of nights but I don't know how much it is helping with the Muscle recovery and I will explain why here shortly.
Overall, I am excited and pleased with the Muscle Pharm products and I will continue to update you. And by the way I am still using the GNC Amp Ripped Vitapak right now and I think that it is a good multivitamin. I don't know about the CLA and the metabolic enhancers which I will also explain below.
Ok so the reason I am don't know about the recovery attributes of the ZMA pills is because I did a no no and I went to the gym and did not give my muscles a warmup period. This is also the day when I tried the Assault and the Hybrid N. O. Pills. Which allowed me to push hard and I believe that I over worked my muscles and it was too much for the recovery pills to help them. This has kept me out of the gym for the past 2 days. But I will be back in the gym tomorrow.
As far as the CLA and the metabolic enhancers from the GNC Amp Ripped Vitapak and not knowing what results have come from them is because I have not been controlling my diet. This is what I have been focusing on for the past couple of days and will continue to focus on for the next couple because I am working on an eating plan for me and my wife. I would like to put a plug in for www.bodybuilding.com and all the great information and products that they provide.
Until next time
God Bless
Travis