11/15/09 The Return

In the past when I returned to working out I went too hard, too soon, which left me too sore, and a few times hurt. Since I have not trained consistently in a long time, I am taking my time to gear up the intensity and to gear up my workouts. Given this approach, my workouts for the first 3 weeks will not be that intense, and the weight used will be light or somewhat moderate from what I use to do. Knowing my issue with my ego, I went to a gym which nobody knows me, so I will not feel pressured to kick it up a notch.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	6 to 8
Incline Flyes	2	10 to 12
Barbell Press (Seated, Rear)	3	8 to 10
Seated Laterals	2	10 to 12
Tricep Pressdowns	3	8 to 10
One Arm Tricep Extensions	2	12 to 15

My Diet Starting Point

OK, here is the largest cornerstone in this endeavor of mine. That is the bloody four letter word called DIET. Diet does not have to be something that is negative, and I need to find a word or a phrase to come up with that makes this not such a negative word. That is because when one uses the word diet, you get the feeling that you are doing something that is restricting you from something, and the word diet has somewhat a negative connotation to it. So while I do need to find a new word for it, this post more or less enters my starting point on how I plan to eat to start me on this journey.

Basically the eating plan I am going to start on it a moderate protein, moderate fat, lower carbohydrate diet. I have used lower carb diets in the past, and have done so with some success, but given that this is a long journey, and I am just begging I want to take this slowly, and when I get some steam, and possibly start seeing some results I will get stricter in what I do, and what I eat.

There are several principles of what I plan to do diet wise, or eating wise. These can be lasted as:

1. Eat a minimum of 5, and preferably 6 times a day.
2. Drink a minimum of 1/2 gallon of water a day.
3. Have something for breakfast.
4. Make sure I have something pre-workout.
5. After I get set in my diet, introduce re-feeds (will discuss later), and cheat meals.

Given that it has been a while since I trained and diet, I am planning on easing into this. I have no plans on dropping carbs too quickly, and I am not looking into shocking my body too fast into any eating pattern. My plan is to clean out the bad foods, and start eating healthier and in a more focused way. As I stated before I prefer to eat 6 meals a day, something every 3 to 4 hours, and I am going to start my caloric intake at 2800 calories. If I start to lose too much, or am not having energy to complete my workouts or cardio sessions I will adjust accordingly. For the first 3 weeks my diet will be comprised of 40% protein, 30 fat, 30% protein. For a 6 meal day my diet should look like the below:

MY DIET FOR FIRST 3 WEEKS

(based on 6 meals a day)

	CARBOHYDRATE	PROTEIN	FAT
GRAMS PER DAY	210g	280g	93g
GRAMS PER MEAL	35g	46.7g	15.5g
CALORIES PER DAY	840 cals	1120 cals	840 cals
CALORIES PER MEAL	140 cals	186.7 cals	140 cals

Goals

The one thing I am pretty famous for doing, is to go into the gym without a specific goal, and at times in the past without a particular workout in mind. Now, that is not to say that I have no ideal as to what muscle groups to work on, but many times, I have had no plan on how I would train them. So with that in mind, I am going to work on making sure I will have goals set to meet, and be more specific in what I do when I hit the gym. So with that in mind, let me list me goals that I want to accomplish.

Long-Term Goal

My long term goal, or ultimate goal, something that is really out there would be to enter and compete in the masters division in a natural body building show. I have no illusions of being some sort of pro or something, but I would love the opportunity to see how far I could take my body.

My 12 Month Goal

• Weight down to a minimum of 210.
• Get my waist down to a 34.
• Plot a plan to compete in summer of 2011.

3 Month Goals

• Weigh no more than 275 pounds.

Weekly Goals

• Workout a minimum of 3 times a week
• Get in at least 2 sessions of HIIT cardio, and one session of cardio
• Be consistent in the gym, and more importantly with my diet.

Daily goals

• Eat a minimum of 5 times a day
• Drink a minimum of half gallon of water a day
• Review goals once a day
• Prepare the next day food
• Stay focus on all my goals, and stay positive.