Confession time: I've been bad lately. On Friday I ate two maple bars for breakfast (yes they were delicious) and had five slices of pizza for lunch. It just sounded so much better than cottage cheese and microwaved chicken breasts... again. Oh yeah, and today I ate four cheeseburgers at McD - no fries though. And no exercise for a couple of days either. Feelin the guilt!

Shoulders, Arms, Abs (tricep and forearm blasting session)

Lateral raises: 20x10,8 15x10
Front dumbell raises: 20x10,10 15x10
Bent over lateral raises: 20x10,10 15x10
Barbell upright rows: 110x8 90x10,10
Arnold Presses: 20x10,10 15x10

Curls: 60x10,5 50x5,10
Hammer Curls: 20x10,4 15x6,9,failure
Reverse Curl (bare olympic bar) 10,10,10
Concentration Curl: 20x8, 15x8,8
Finish: set of 21s at 30lb

Wrist curl: 60x10 50x10,10
Reverse wrist curl:30x10,10,10
Forearm Twists: 15x10,10,10
Plate pinching: 25lbx30sec,30,30

Cross Face extensions: 20x10,10 15x10,10,10,10
Skull Crushers: 50x10,10,7 40x10,10
Bench Press (mid grip) 160x2 (too much weight and no spotter!) 130x10,8 110x10 90x 10,10,10,10

Crunches: 20,20,20
Bicycle Crunches: 20,20,20
Oblique sit-ups: 20,20,20
Ab Roller extensions: 15,15,15

Took a long time to get all that done (and I probably went catabolic), but I needed to get back in the groove.

Motivational therapy today...

Bought a sweet curling bar. It's hollow and hardly weighs anything - plus it uses clips instead of screw-on knobs. Also picked up a couple of 25 lb plates for it. I hate doing arm work, and maybe that'll help motivate me a bit

Hee hee hee hee! What DOESN'T?

Looking good! Thanks for the nice comments in my gallery photos.. I appreciate the support!

Last night - Cardio... Triceps were *still* sore from the blasting I gave them on the 25th, otherwise I would have done chest exercises. But doing dips and bench presses with sore tri's didn't sound very productive.

2.5 miles, 19 minutes. Lots of walking, but I still got it in under 20 minutes. Guess I started out at too fast a pace

Tonight we went to the county fair, where I pigged out on a corn dog, a hot dog, and a cinnamon roll dripping with cream cheese frosting.

At that, I wasn't as bad as I *intended* to be. I simply ran out of room to continue with a philly cheesesteak sandwich, nachos, and a chocolate covered banana

Alrighty then... Chest, Upper Back & Abs tonight. Only two sets of abs tonight.

Dips: 10,8,10, rest,10
Flyes: 40x10 (new max), 30x10,10,8,rest,10
Decline Pushups: 10,9,8
Bench Press wide grip: 140x4, 110x6, 90x10

One Arm Dumbell Row: 90x8,8,8, rest, 70x10
T Bar Row: 120x10, 145x10,10
Shrugs: 160x12,12,10

Dumbell external rotation 10x10,10,10
Dumbell internal rotation 20x10,10,10

Crunch 20,20
Reverse Crunch w/10lb ankle weights: 30,30
Crossover Crunch: 20,20
Side Bridges: 90sec, 90 sec
Ab roller extensions: 15,15

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Legs, Butt & Low Back (hit the glutes tonight):

Squats: 230x10,10,10
Lunges: 80x8,8,8

Barbell Calf raises: 160x12,12,15

Good mornings: 160x10,10,10

Pelvic Lifts, knees together w/80lbs: 15,15,15
Pelvic Lifts, knees apart w/80lbs: 15,15,15
Side leg lift with 10 lb plate: 10,10,10

Dead lifts: 230x10,10,10 180x10,10,10

Arms, shoulders, abs.

Had a really really good workout tonight!!! Feeling good!
I also tried a new shocking technique. In this case you superset opposing muscle groups and do 20 sets. I tried that out tonight on arms, using light weights. If I'd gone heavy, I'd never have been able to complete all the sets.

Lateral Raises: 20x10,7 15x7(failure)
Front Raises: 20x10,10 15x10
Bent over lateral raises: 20x10,10,10
Barbell upright row: 110x8 90x10,10
Arnold Presses: 20x10,10 15x10
The shoulders were simply on fire toward the end of this. They continued to burn for quite a while afterwards... not nice, but hopefully they'll grow!

Wrist curls: 60x10,10,10
Reverse wrist curls: 60x8 40x10,10

Shocking set:
Curls: 40x10,9,8,7,6,5,4,5,6,8,10,10,11,12,13,14,15,14,13,12
Skull Crushers: 60x10,9,8,7,6,5,4 40x5,6,8,10,10,11,12,13,14,15,14,13 60x12
Because the weights were light, this wasn't too difficult, except for the last few sets. Had a massive pump going at the end of this! No doubt it'll hurt tomorrow

Crunches: 20,20,20
Bicycle Crunches, 20,20,20
Oblique sit-up: 20,20,20
Ab roller: 15,15,15

Did a really nice slow set on the abs. Got a good burn and a mild runner's high from it.

Oh yeah - I managed to smash my finger tonight at work. Changed some brushes out on the generator, and when I was closing the panel, the fan sucked it shut on my middle finger. Now it's purple and swollen at the last knuckle... and about useless for holding weights.

Today is a rest day.

I'm very close to the one year anniversary of the day I decided to change my life. That's when I gave up my daily (!!!) 3-6 beers, sweets, and starchy food habit.

It seems appropriate to acknowledge that one year of change, and the past 6 months of hard exercise. I want to show others that it *can* be done, and also to acknowledge what has been possible with everyone's continuous and good-natured support.

In the next week, I'll post a pic of what I look like today in gym shorts only. I'm a little self conscious about posting these things Also, I'm not *quite* where I'd like to be BF-wise for a half-nekkid photo, but hey - it's an anniversary, right?

On a less pleasant note, the middle finger I smashed yesterday is a mess... I've been writing in the control room logbook and trying to hold it straight, which looks like I'm flipping someone the bird . Earlier tonight blood started oozing out from the back part of the fingernail. I highly recommend avoiding smashed fingers, on your dominant hand anyway

Sorry to hear about your finger... hope it gets better soon!

Hiya Carol,
Thanks for the kind thoughts! It'll either get better or fall off

Chest and upper back tonight. Skipped Abs, as I hit everything pretty hard and went kinda long.

Forward-leaning Dips: 10,10,10,8,rest,10
Wide grip decline push-ups: 10,10,10,6(failure), rest,10
Non-Peak Flyes: 40x10,6(failure),rest, 30x10,10,10

One-Arm Dumbell Rows: 90x10,8,8 70x10,8,8
T-Bar Rows: 145x10,155x10,10 (new max)

Shrugs: 160x12, 180x10,10 (new max)

Upright External Rotation: 10x10,10,10
Dumbell Lying external Rotation: 10x10,10,10
Dumbell Lying internal Rotation: 20x10,10,10

Went ahead and took a photo after working the chest for my one-year anniversary of being healthy photo. Not in gym shorts, I'm afraid. I'll post it in the 'progress' photo section, because I'm not quite there yet Maybe never will get there, right? Life is a journey, not a destination...

Legs, butt, lower back. Added a couple new squat exercises.

OMG I'm sore already, and I just finished up. Where's the 'delayed' part of delayed onset muscle soreness?

Full Squat: 110x10,10,10
Half Squat:210x10,10,10
Wide Stance Squat: 110x10 160x10,10
Lunges: 80x10,10,8

Barbell Standing Calf Raises on 2x4: 160x15,15,15

Pelvic Lift knees together w/80lb plate: 15,15,15
Pelvic Lift knees apart w/80lb plate: 15,15,15
Deadlift: 230x10,10,10
Straight leg Deadlift: 230x10,10,10
Side leg lift w/10lb plate: 10,10,10

Good Mornings 160x10,10 180x10 (new max)

Thank you very much for the nice compliments in my gallery
I hope you have a great goal reaching day

Muahhhhhh!!!!