Forging the Physique
Saturday, July 17, 2004
On Friday: It did the trick
Major meal of the day was at Romano's. After munching on half the wonderful herb bread, I ate half the chicken portobello mushroom entree. I could have eaten more but I wanted to save room for their delicious lemon passion dessert.
But...damn! The diet I have been on the last three weeks has finally shrunk my stomach enough that I stopped eating halfway through the dessert. The leftovers became dinner that evening.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Thursday Table Talk
Since Thursday's my last day at work (for the week, not the assignment), I indulged in food intake as my habit. Ate at the nearby Japanese sitdown restaurant and had:
vegetable roll
California roll
salad
tempura
rice
iced tea
water
couple of slices of oranges
Note that the meal was all American-size portions. I felt quite full as one can image. Well, it made up for the coffee and pop tarts that morning.
Evening, of course, was Ramen soup and cookies. Oh! And lots of water.
Plans to swim went by the wayside. Friday will have to be my salvation.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Cheat day
Planned first weight-training session got sidetracked by evening nap. Ugh!
Enjoyed a small bowl of chicken tortilla soup, meatloaf sandwich, and peach pie (all pressured by friends, of course). Yum!
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Back to The Grind*
After dropping off clothes at the drycleaners, I drove home and took a ten minute break before driving out to the gym. Fortunately I had already prepped my workout clothes.
Instructor started a new routine. Moves were easy but she and the rest of the class were less than enthusiastic. Weather-related. (Hot and humid amplified in the crowded gym.) So the instructor switched to last month's routine. Ouch! Though we were over that nightmare (in a good sense.) It's a fairly difficult one and I stopped a couple of times to catch my breath and reserve enough energy for ab work later.
Instructor will start the new routine next week.
Oh, yeah. Lost six pounds in three weeks. Should break the 200 pound barrier by next week. Yeah!
*So to speak. I don't actually do the video.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Direction
Because it's been a while, I feel I'm starting over again in my weight training. But I have done training in the past and know enough to determine what direction I wish to go with it. (I'm classed as "intermediate" experienced.) Specifically, what is the purpose of weight-training to me.
Appearance or utilitarian
Do I want to lift weights primarily for looks (appearance) or health/strength reasons (utilitarian)? While there's some overlap (e.g., pull ups for back), both goals require different techniques, weight used, reps, and sets. High intensity push ups and chest press exercises really don't make sense for the latter, especially if one's job is primarily sitting in a chair.
Diet plays a far bigger role when working out for appearance versus utility.
Size or tone
Closely associated with the above question is whether I want to focus on large muscle growth or more "cut" muscles. The former requires heavier weight, low sets and reps, and longer rest periods between sets. The latter requires low weights, high reps, greater sets with little rest. I've always found the former far easier than the latter.
