Blogging about Fat Loss, Muscle Growth, and Nutrition.
Last weeks picture:
After the end of week 2 here is my newest picture:
About 3 pounds of fat loss, strength has been fairly stable. My photography skills are improving too which may throw the results of this picture off a bit. Stay tuned for next week though! I went snowboarding on saturday and did 30 minutes of cardio on sunday.
Weight is 171lbs
Calorie intake at aprox 2000 calories
with a ratio of carbs/protein/fat @ 40/40/20
No cardio today, started a new job where i’m pretty active I spent all thursday napping and recovering.
Bench Press
135lbs x 8, 155 x 3, 175 x 3, 185 x 6-, 175 x 8-, 175 x 7-
B1 Dips
15 reps, 11 reps, 10 reps
B2 Incline cable flies
30lbs x 8, 30lbs x 8 20lbs x 10
Closegrip smith machine bench press
115 x 10, 115 x 10, 115 x 7
DB Tri ext
15lbs x 11, 15 x 7, 15 x 7
Hanging leg raise
10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
Weighted Crunch Superset:20lbs, 10lbs, 0lbs,
10/10/10, 10/10/10, 10/10/10
Weighed in at 172lbs in the afternoon instead of the morning today. Skipped cardio but endurance was through the roof I was hardly resting between sets so I added abs in there which i missed on thursday because of my new job. Good pump noticable difference in the mirror afterwards. My dips were up 4 reps and I feel stronger and look leaner and weighed in the afternoon so I feel like I’m still making progress despite holding still on the scale.
Testosterone, responsible for turning boys into men.
Testosterone is a steroid hormone, from the androgen group. In humans it’s secreted in the testes of the male and ovaries of females. Small amounts of testosterone are also secreted by the adrenal glands.
In men it plays a key role in health and well being. On average an adult male produces 40 to 60 times more testosterone than an adult female. In men it’s responsible for everything that makes us a man. Increased libido, facial hair, chest hair, increase in height, growth of the adams apple, jaw, chin, nose, shoulders, bone density and muscle.
In females, when the ovaries shut down at menopause, the amount of testosterone they produce is reduced by half, resulting, for many women, in diminished sexual desire, flatness of mood, dry skin and decreased mental sharpness.
Looking over this we can see it plays a big role in our lives whether male or female. Wait a second that last one there for men caught my eye, muscle growth. Yep it increases lean muscle mass. You can see why we might want to maximize our testosterone then.
Natural factors we can control that affect testosterone levels include
Okay so getting enough sleep, that’s important and easy enough. Weight training, if you’re reading here chances are you’re already doing that. However if you don’t have the 3 core exercises: Squat, Deadlift and Bench press in your routine you may want to consider it. These three exercises have been shown to increase total testosterone levels much more than any other exercise.
Getting enough fat again isn’t something most of us are deficient in, a whole egg in the morning, flax oil or some olives is all it takes.
How about zinc? Well eating excess amounts of zinc isn’t going to boost your testosterone levels to new heights unfortunately. But making sure you’re not deficient could have a huge impact. 11mg/a day is our target for zinc intake with our upper tolerable level being 40mg/day. Let’s focus on some quality sources of zinc:
Zinc, from plant sources is minimal and harder for your body to absorb. So after looking at these foods, do you get enough zinc in your diet? If not it might be worth considering supplementing with an additional 5mg a day.
If you‘ve been reading a lot about testosterone you might be saying well what about cholesterol? That affects testosterone levels. Well I’m here to argue that eating more or less cholesterol will not have an effect on your testosterone levels because the liver is able to produce more if you don’t eat it. And the liver will produce less if you do eat more. However not taking in enough fats can lead to a deficiency.
20 minutes on the elliptical target HR=145 today. Upped the intensity a little bit.
Seated DB press
45lbs x 5, 50 x 5, 55 x 5, 60 x 7-, 55 x 7, 55 x 6
A1 Upright Row
65lbs x 12, 65 x 12, 65 x 10-
A2 Side Raise
10lbs x 12, 10 x 12, 10 x 12
Barbell Shrug
135 x 12, 225 x 12, 225 x 12
Weighed in just a little under 172lbs which is perfect. Sholder strength seemed to keep fairly steady this week, although the 55’s seemed really heavy, could be because i was using a different pair. Good workout overall.
The benefits of using correct form when lifting weights can be numerous. The best reason being to put the tension on the right muscle and ensure it receives 100% of the muscle growth stimulation. Small changes in grip or angles can put pressure on your joint or even different muscles. A common example of bad form is swinging the weights or swinging your body backwards when you are doing dumbbell curls. You’ve now just turned the exercise into a lower back and shoulder workout. But aren’t movements which use more than one body part better? Yes compound exercises are better however dumbbell curls are an isolation exercise; we do them to focus on one body part and using another muscle group defeats the purpose of this exercise.
Secondly, or some may argue more importantly, is Injury Prevention. When doing a set of seated dumbbell shoulder press most people start with the dumbbells at shoulder height, extend their arms and raise the dumbbells, then lower the weights again even with their shoulders. Shoulder press should be done with your arms only going to a 90 degree angle. Going below 90 degrees starts to turn the movement into a tricep exercise. The rotator cuff is a very complex joint and lifting with it improperly can put alot of unneeded stress on the joint.
If you have to use the momentum of your body, chances are your using incorrect form, so choose a lighter weight. If you are using improper form try a lighter weight and use proper form, you might find your muscle will be really sore the next day. That’s the feeling of success.
Tip #1: Make sure your wrists and directly over your elbows when performing bench press and shoulder press.
Tip #2: Do not lock your elbows out and rest for a second before performing another rep. This puts excess strain on the joints and takes the weight off of your muscles which is where it should be.
Youtube is a great place to start for learning proper form.