Starting Out Small: A Lil' Guy's Struggle to Gain Weight!!

Rain means No.

2009-04-20T15:06:00.002-04:00

I got up at 6am today with every intennnntion of going to the gym, but the weather is just miserable. Steady downpour all day and the streets are slightly flooded. This is no kind of weather for working out. I could hurt myself. Or I could catch a cold. Or I could.. um... uhh..... hurt myself!

Definitely best to wait for a sunny day.

Stay tuned.

Packin' on the Pounds...

2009-04-16T10:05:00.002-04:00

I've been eating like a pig. I've only worked out 3 times since last Wednesday, twice with a trainer. Since last Wednesday, I went from 114 to 119 lbs. Yes, a masssssssive gain of 5 lbs. Ha!
Clearly, it's not muscle mass, just fat and water I guess? But it's a start. In fact, 119 is the most I've ever weighed, so hopefully it'll give me something to work with.

Yesterday was a good eating day. 6:00am: Protein shake and oatmeal, 7:00am: workout, 8:15am: protein shake, 9:30am: banana, 10:30 am: chicken salad sandwich, 1:30 pm: pasta and meatballs with greek salad, 4:00 pm: protein bar, 7:00pm: 1/2lb salmon, broccoli sprouts, garlic mushrooms and a sweet potato, 11:30 pm: glass of milk and 7 oreos. Mmmm... mmmm.... goooood.

I should probably start counting calories or something. Right?

I'm an ANIMAL!

2009-04-15T15:08:00.005-04:00

Started taking new vitamins: The Animal Pak by Universal. Aside from a multitude of good vitamins and minerals, the 11-pill daily packet includes a heaping portion of Ox Bile, Shark Cartilage, and something called Argentine Liver. I hope it's not the liver of an actual Argentine. (Full ingredient list available here.)

PS. Taking all this stuff reminds me of the ever-popular Vitameatavegamin.

And it's so tasty too, just like candy!

First Week

2009-04-15T13:03:00.002-04:00

So I joined a gym a few weeks ago, and as a result, got two free sessions with a trainer. Oh boy...

My first session was last Wednesday. It was brutal. Just to give you an idea...

Trainer: How often do you workout?
Me: Mm....haven't set foot in a gym in 2.5 years.
Trainer: Okayy...Well, how often do you exercise? Sports, running, etc?
Me: Mm....yeahhhh...don't really do that...
Trainer: Gotcha.. so do you walk a lot in the city?
Me: Mm....Notsomuch...
Trainer: Oooookay...enough questions. Why don't we just get started?

So we do some lunges and squats for a few minutes and he takes my pulse. Then he has me do some more exerting exercises like high-knee runs and butt kicks. After I am exhausted he takes my pulse again. I can't properly describe the look of befuddlement that came across his face as he said, "Hmm. Well, I've never had this happen... your pulse didn't change."

Apparently, my heart rate should've jumped from about 120 after the lunges to about 150/160 after the running. It didn't. The ol' ticker tops out at about 120 right now. Not so good.

We tried doing weights the first day..but after 5 minutes I was going to be sick, so we decided it'd be best to stop for the day.

Only one way to go from here.... ;)

Here we go agaiiiin.....

2009-04-15T12:52:00.002-04:00

After 2.5 years of not setting foot in a gym or engaging in any sort of physical activity whatsoever, I've joined a gym and set out to gain 10 lbs of lean mass by the end of July.

The goal is a lofty one. I've made several attempts at lifting, dieting, etc. all with less than desirable results. Basically, I'd work out 3-4 times a week, eat lots of food, take calorie and protein shakes for about 3 or 4 months and then quit after realizing I'd lost 4-5 lbs.

With the help of friends, and possibly a weekly trainer, I'm hoping to be able to tone up and shape up in the next 3-4 months. The blog idea (thanks RKM, JBM and CRD) is to provide some "accountability" so that I stay motivated to keep working hard. Enjoy the postings... I'm sure they'll be hilaaaarious. Please leave encouraging comments and any advice you have to share from your own experiences.

- C