Entry #190
Attended the capoeira demo. Yeah, that's what it turned out to be -- a
demonstration. Didn't actually get to do anything myself. Nevertheless,
it was a cool watch. It was like part dancing, part martial arts. Sorry
to say there wasn't any sparring. But I talked to the head guy, and it
turns out they're gonna
start having free lessons at the gym once a month; I'm looking forward
to it.

Crappy picture of the capo done in the studio. It was off my cell, and it was set
to the smallest possible picture size, unfortunately. Gotta
remember to fix that next time I take a picture. You really can't see
anything, but I'll post it anyways. It's two guys doing forms with one
another to a drum in the background. Rest of the team is waiting their
turn.

Entry #189
Just got word of a free Capoeira class at the gym tomorrow. Definitely
gonna check it out; there's gonna be sparring according to the paper.

Speaking of the gym, I managed 325 lbs for 5 reps on deadlifts. My
water intake has been through the roof, as well. Chugged an entire
gallon jug in an hour and a half while I was there.

Entry #188
Never got to train with Mike (the wrestler). On the other hand I might
get to meet up with George for some Halloween sparring. Debts will be
paid. After we kill each other, maybe he'll be able to go to the
throwdown (November 6). Kind of a long drive, but it should be worth it.

Was able to put up 215 lbs for 5 reps on bench press, no spotter. Still
have not settled on an organized strength program, however.

Entry #187
Today was unorthodox and very bodybuilderish. I underestimated my
ability and found myself able to complete 8 reps of a weight I was only
supposed to do 5 in. I'll be more organized once I settle on a proper
strength program. Already have a number of good options to choose from.

Crushed my fingers with a 105lb dumbbell, but it seems to be alright
now. It was bleeding everywhere over there, though. To anyone who goes
to Pinnacle gym: I cleaned up after myself.

Entry #186
Deadlifted 315lbs for 5 reps. Felt strong, maybe could have done more,
but I want to be safe going into a weight I've never done before. Back
injuries are the worst. Deadlift seems to be my best lift since I seem
to adapt to new weight relatively fast compared to bench and squat. I
expect to break 400lbs in no time.

Getting more sleep time in. Hell, I gotta go bed right now.

Entry #185
Just did stretches. No report for today. I watched the Olympia on pay per view, so here's what I thought of it:

"I actually payed $30 for it on pay per view. It sucked. It was
unorganized as hell, microphones weren't working, judges pressed wrong
buttons during scoring, bodybuilders posed against the wrong guy, and
Jay Cutler was being a gigantic crybaby for not winning against Ronnie.
I mean, I could understand disappointment, but damn. This is how the
interview went:

Interviewer: "Jay, what are your feelings on Ronnie winning?"

Jay: "Unbelievable. This is a joke. It's unbelievable."

Interviewer: "Well, I know we'll see more of you next year, better than ever!"

Jay: "I don't know. I want to go home. I just don't feel like doing anything."

Interviewer: "Uh, but surely your fans and everything from tonight inspires you to train harder for next year, right?"

Jay: "No. Tonight was supposed to be it. Just because he's Mr. Olympia, they gave him first place again."

On
and on like that. And then Gene Rychlak attempted to break the world
record for bench press at 1,015 lbs. The bar fell on his chest after
lift-off. The announcer asked "So is Gene gonna try that again?" Triple
H said "Uh, no, he's not in bench-press mode right now because he just
had 1,015 lbs crush his spleen."

All in all, it was a disaster.
During all the interviews the bodybuilders had jack to say, too. "So
Jay, how do you think you did on your performance out there?" "I don't
know." The interviewer is waiting for him to say some more, and the
entire thing was awkward like this. They had some Ultimate Fighting at
the beginning, so I thought I would be treated to some martial arts
afterwards, but no."

Entry #184
No response yet from the wrestler. We'll see what happens. Any world
champion Jiu-Jitsu fighter wanna take his place in the meantime for
some sparring?

Pumped out 205lbs on bench press for 6 reps. Could have gone more on my
first set, but I don't go to failure that early. I'll rep out 215 lbs
next time. I'm not sure whether an improvement like this would be
because of the creatine, or the dumbbell sub I've been doing. I'll keep
up this cycle of couple weeks of dumbbell press and one week of bench
press, and see if the numbers rise. I guess experimenting with my own
method is worth a shot before I opt for another pre-made program, since
it seems to be working.

Entry #183
Making plans to meet up with a champion varsity wrestler to go over
some groundfighting before the November throwdown. Problem is he has an
injured knee and can't bend it at all. He says he can get the job done,
though. I'll take anything I can get. I should be a more well-rounded
fighter this time.

Entry #182
Have been taking a few days off from the gym to freshen up, and search
for a new routine. I'm looking to add some Olympic lifts for more
power. There's an upcoming throwdown on November 6. To
train accordingly I will be doing more cardio on my off-days. Taking in
larger weight-gainer servings to compensate for this so I can continue
to put on weight. I'm recruitting sparring partners through online means to help train for the throwdown,

Entry #181
Deadlifts are back on track. Was able to go heavy with no problem. I'm
hoping I can start cutting soon. Gaining weight fast, but no noticeable
fat. Should be just a matter of time. Anxious to start cardio sessions,
get my endurance back up, and go longer in sparring matches.

Entry #180
Upgraded a lot of weights. Also saw Ryan for the first time in a while
at the gym. Bastard didn't show up when I bought him the Jamba Juice
last time. It's a long story. He didn't punch me today or anything, but
he yelled at me and told me to work harder. They should install a Ryan
at every gym.

Need to do more martial arts practice, though.

Entry #179
Begin loading phase. Water intake has increased by a lot. To be
truthful this is the amount I should be drinking even without creatine.
Felt strong in squats today. Didn't need a spotter for any set.
Tomorrow I expect to get a lot of striking drills in (break day from
lifting).

Entry #178
I'm actually making decent strength gains off the bodybuilding routine
I've been doing. Maybe it's a change my muscles needed to break
stagnation. More likely it's just a result of consistency in my meal
plan. It's been going strong for several weeks now, and consequently
I'm getting close to 190. Will post bulk pictures up soon. Today I went
heavier on several different exercises while increasing the number of
reps at the same time. Few weeks ago I was doing lesser work to failure. Looks I can go heavier on a lot next week. Maybe
I should save starting on creatine for when I'm stuck in a plateau or
something? Oh well, I'll try it out tomorrow. Wanted to take an extra
day to read up on the stuff.

Felt sore during shadow boxing. Combinations felt impossible. Good stretching work I've been doing, though.

Entry #177
Quick entry before bed. Internet's been down all day, and now it just decides to get back up.
Break day from lifting. Just did martial art forms along with
stretching. Also picked up creatine monohydrate to add to my supplement
list. Will start 5 day loading phase tomorrow, and see how this stuff
works.

Entry #176
Stacked 315 lbs on the bar for deadlifts before I had to stop at just 2 reps. Notes:

> These were standard deadlifts rather than box ones, which I always
do. I figured they would be easier since they don't go as deep, but it
was actually much harder. Muscles are under constant pressure, rather
than getting a break at the bottom the way a platform allows.

> First time doing this lift in more than a month due to strained back.

> Heaviest I've ever done and I'm trying to raise the weight too fast.

> Concentrated on keeping arched back and driving up with my legs (this was a problem for me before).

Had to settle for 275 lbs at 7 reps. This got significantly easier the
more I did it. I suspect the strength is there, I just need to get used
to the form. Definitely ditching the box next time, unless I want to do
stiff-legged ones on leg day to work hamstrings.

Worked the heavy bag, but was having trouble generating decent power in
my strikes. My arms are gassed out. Moved on to kicks instead.
Sometimes I have trouble deciding whether I should push past fatigue
and continue boxing drills, or to stop so I don't practice bad form. I
guess it depends on the situation and to whether or not I can maintain
it. I don't think I've picked up bad habits, though. I've learned to
throw a punch from friends with martial art backgrounds, and through sparring, but my foot-work is pretty
sloppy, as mentioned earlier. Then again I've never payed attention to
it, so the least I can say is I won't have to unlearn anything when I
take classes.