Entry #251
George and I did HIIT on the track today. My cardio level was far below his. Twice I had to stop and struggle not to lose my lunch.  I was hurting severely in my chest. It was also stormy and freezing. It kicked ass. I can't wait to start cutting so I can do this more often. Only downside is that I'll probably get pneumonia and die from wearing gym clothes in the storm. Long live spring break.

Entry #250
Taking a three day hiatus while I devise a new routine. As much as I want to keep benching 285 every week with my Westside routine, it just ain't happening with my shoulder. It doesn't prevent me from doing so (it hurt on warm-up, but I benched 275 last time with no issues); rather, I myself am choosing not to make the situation any worse by maxing out like that. Hopefully, after some therapy stuff for it, I'll be able to return to this routine in a few months. I still plan on gaining strength in all regards with whatever I come up with. It'll just be cutting my shoulder a little slack.

Also resumed creatine loading phase as of today.

Entry #249
Injured my hamstring on squats. It wasn't severe, but I stopped anyways to avoid worsening the situation. It's at 100% now. It did mess up my routine, however, because I couldn't train legs for the remaining session. Did an improvised bicep/tricep split instead. I tested out my bench prior to that, and my shoulder still gives me problems. Perhaps I should consult a sports doctor about it. There's an office for that right next to the high school.

Entry #248
In an unprecedented state of consistency (in terms of rest days, that is), I haven't slacked off on eating for a single day this week. I've also been off creatine since Tuesday. Due to the indefinitely delayed cutting session, I'll go ahead and get up bulk pictures sometime in the next several days.

Entry #247
I've decided to take a week-long hiatus from lifting to allow my body to recover. The aforementioned shoulder issue is a part of it, and I'm still feeling stress in my lower back from the deadlifts two weeks ago. I really am against switching routines at this point, as I was planning to. I've made better strength gains the last three months than I have in an entire year. Perhaps overloading my body like that is to blame, but this routine is awesome, and I look forward to resuming it next week. 'Sides, I always come back stronger after a long-term (1 or 2 week) break. The challenge is to keep my meal plan consistent. I also plan on regular muay thai training, as always.

Also, I recieved my Hori Real Arcade Pro stick in the mail today. I plan on entering some arcade tournaments near me. It set me back $130, but it rules for Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter.

Entry #246
Shoulder is as shitty as ever. Contemplating on switching to a bodybuilding-oriented routine next week to give heavy bench pressing a break. Perhaps isolating the problem area will resolve the issue. It only hurts on the first few sets, but that's enough for me. Today may have been only a speed bench day but I raised the weight on every assistance lift. Due to circumstances beyond my control my ride home was delayed, so I had extra time to waste. I concentration curled the hell out of my biceps. Fun-ness ensued.

I also jumped on the scale for a quick read, fully-clothed, and it read 214. Yeah fucking right. We'll see next week. Had to be broken (hope not). But it was a welcome number. I've been having mood swings all day for no particular reason, especially in the weight room. I kept myself in check in front of everyone, though. If nothing else angst is a good placebo effect on lifting.

Entry #245
Put up 275 lbs on bench press with no spotter for singles. Initially there was pain in my right rotator cuff (fairly confident that's the problem area) on warm-ups, but it got better. It's funny. I felt pressure at 135 lbs in my shoulder, but 275 lbs felt great. I'm still unsure as to whether I should actually be working through this thing, though. Someone jacked the lifting belt and I was driving myself crazy figuring out how to hang on to a 90 lb dumbbell between my feet - the head was too small. Opted for normal bodyweight dips with higher reps. Who the hell keeps taking that thing, anyways? It's there for a few days and then it disappears, only to return the next week.

Flexibility is awesome. I'm striving for perfect splits by the end of the year. This has actually transferred over to deeper squat form. I also have an easier time with higher kicks.

Entry #244
Worked the heavy bag in the rain. Practiced a "straight-kick", for lack
of a better term. The rain added a challenge because my foot would slip
off the bag unless it hit directly in the center. This forced me to aim
extremely specifically. Did a few bare-knuckle rounds as well. Very
extensive stretching session prior to this. It's good on my shoulders.

Meal-plan went extremely well. Need to work on getting more sleep. I often find myself staying up late to eat more.

Entry #243
Making great gains on the routine. Increased the weights on everything,
and I was actually able to do more reps than usual. Shoulders are
feeling better. I'm sticking with the jog warm-up.

Picked up some more weightgainer; I'm extending this bulking session. What can I say, I'm greedy. Mo' powa.

Entry #242
Back in training mode. I took a few days off due to some school stuff I
had to take care of. As of today I've resumed the five minute warm-up
jog that I decided to get rid of a few weeks ago. Ever since I stopped
doing it I've had shoulder pain during bench press. It's probably no
more than a coincidence, but this literally started up on the exact day
I got rid of the jogging. Consequently I want to see if this'll
actually help the problem. I've never had any sort of problems in the
past. Box squats felt good, but I had to fight the ego to go heavy.
Gotta stick to the routine.

I've got some money saved up for a car of my own. I long for the day
when I can attend muay thai as often as I'm able to lift (as the gym is
in walking distance).