Workout things.

147.4 lbs

Deadlift 235/6
Pullover 130/5
Incline Press 50s/5

Actually played basketball before I went to workout. Although I did not feel any weaker or more fatigued, I'm still not sure if that may have affected my efforts in the weight room that day. I was able to increase my deadlift by 10 pounds while doing one more rep since my last deadlift workout which was great. My pullover went up by 5 pounds but I was still only able to pull out 5 reps which was the same as last time. Hopefully next time I can do at least 6 reps. However I was feeling it that day and I am still feeling the effects today. Same goes with my incline press which did not go up in reps or weight even though my pecs are extremely sore today. As Mike Mentzer said, progress is not measured through pump or soreness but by the results recorded in your training journal. So I will see how the next pullover/incline press workout goes. One more workout of no progress and I might increase rest days or scale back the weight to aim for more reps.

Something that has been bothering me about the Pullover is that a I lower on the negative, I feel my left shoulder almost pop out of its socket, then sort of pop back into place on the positive phase. There is no pain or difficulty in movement in any direction so I do not know exactly if I should be concerned. I really like the Nautilus Pullover and I would like to keep it in my routine for as long as possible.

Random Trash-talkery

147 lbs

Squat 120s/8
Pulldown 135/6
Dips 35/6

So glad I was able to find a weight belt at the gym today to use. Apparantly, straps support belts and weight belts are provided which is really cool. From here on out I will be pushing it hard on my dips. Getting close to finally doing pulldowns with close matching my actual bodyweight. At the point perhaps I'll move to free weight chin ups. The squat was great today as I was able to push out 8 good reps without pause while doing additional reps after taking a few seconds for rest. In contrast, the last time I squatted I was able to do 8 reps which were separated with more than 2 seconds of rest in between. The last rep on the squat was one of those last difficult almos impossibly reps that Mike Mentzer really loved.

I am extremely addicted to Restaurant City, which is a game on Facebook.

Got a video message from EB Babe Mae the other day which made me YEAR ROFL. Unfortunately it was posted on the Facebook profile of a friend who puts her videos on private. Hopefully she sends me a copy REAL soon.

Workout Tings

148 lbs

Squat 120s/8
Pullover 125/5
Incline Press 50s/5

Had a bit of a problem with allergies today. I think that may have sapped some of my strength. Everything seemed hard today but it still felt good. Just found out that the gym actually has weight belts which will help greatly with my dips next workout. Next time I do this series of exercises I'm going to try and increase the reps and go for at least one more on each exercise.

Go Rockets, Lakers, Nuggets, and Cavs!!

Done for the year!

Mercifully the school year has come to an end. One more year to go. Now, its time to find me a job......

147.4 lbs

Squat 115s/9
Pulldown 130/7
Dips 30/7
Calf Raises 180/15

Squats are starting to get really heavy now. I don't know whether I should maintain the weight for next time and shoot for 15 reps. Doing some calf raises today was fun. No feelings of cramp explosions in my legs and I was able to do a high number of reps. I was quite surprised and thrilled to have been able to do one more rep on both upper body exercises while increasing the weight on both.

Random Shenanegans

148 lbs

Deadlift 90s/5
Pullover 120/6
Incline Press 135/6

All time high in bodyweight on a semi empty stomach. Things definately look promising. Increased weight for every exercise. Everything was done in perfect form and I felt great afterward. Perfect workout today.



I swore a good streak after this........but out of the entire group of Celtic jerks, Ray Allen and Leon Powe are players I a big fan of. Sucks that Leon is now out due to injuries.



I'm really hoping the Cavs make the finals and this video furthers my sentiment LOL.

Post Week Yackery

146 lbs

Squat 110s/10
Pulldown 125/6
Dips 25/6

Hot as hell at the gym today. I suppose that coincides with the weather outside getting warmer. Finally, summer is almost upon us. The great weather is definitely going to be a demotivating factor with regards to working out as I definitely enjoy outdoor activities.

The settles it, at least 2-3 days of rest in between workouts. Today's efforts felt so much better. I was able to complete my routine with little of the shitiness I felt the last time on too little rest. Today's workout was a little more annoying because it was just so damn hot in the weight training area. I suppose this is that time of the year when the temperature is getting really hot but the establishment is not yet inclined to turn up the AC. I suppose there will be plenty of time for that in the coming months. Again rather difficult after heavy squats to go for more reps on any of the upper body exercises. However, as I think about it, with my cadence of 4 seconds on the positive phase, 2 on the static, and 4 on the negative, 6 reps equals a whole minute of exposing my muscles to stress which is longer than the combined amount of time many people go through in 3 sets of an exercise.

Anyone who says it will be a rematch of last year's championship round between the Lakers and the Celtics better tune in to this series first. The loss of Keven Garnett going to be a HUGE factor. Remember, no one had picked the Celtics to achieve anything in that period when they had traded for Ray Allen but before having acquired KG from Minnesota.

The EB Babes are straight FIRE as far as dancing groups go. Here's proof

When I Could be Studying...

Have a whole week before my next exam....I guess I won't be doing any meaningful studying for a long time.

145.6 lbs

Squat 105s/8
Pullover 155/7
Incline Press 40s/6

I could not resist it. With only one day of rest and with significant soreness, I decided to workout anyway, and boy was it a HUGE mistake. Nothing felt right today. I had added more weight on the squat but with a decrease in reps. I was only able to do one more repetition on the pullover than last time. And I had to decrease weight on the incline press to do six meaningful HIT reps. My biggest worry at this point is that since my shoulders were sore from the dips from last times workout, the pullover and incline press have placed even more stressed on my shoulders this time around. Knowing how a strained rotator cuff feels like, I'm hoping nothing of the sort will be creeping up on me this time. I will definately be taking at least 3-4 days off this time around no ifs, ands, or buts.

This has got to be the BEST video I've ever seen. So eye opening and inspirational. I'll be honest, I really doubted this woman and I'm called she proved me wrong.

Post Weekend Yackery

146.6 lbs

Squat 100s/12

Pulldown 120/6

Dips 20/ 6

Standing Crunch 40/6

I've decided on alternating upper body exercises every other workout. So it will be a incline press/pullover and dips/pulldown split. I think that I will leave it at these exercises for now but I might throw in the occasional calf raise and dumbbell shrug in there every once in a while. The standing crunch/plank combo will be done every three workouts. Today was the first time in a long time that I attempted free body dips and boy was it a killer. I literally sweat my glasses of my head. Of minor concern was holding a 20 lb between my feet but I'm definately glad to have included this exercise in there. Very difficult when done at a normal cadence, weighted dips become some demon sodomy shit when done at a slow, momentum free cadence. Something that I noticed today was how much my forearms and grip will get tested with this consolidated plan. Between holding 145 lbs on the Hammer ground squat, the pulldowns, and the dips, I forearms felt the biggest pump I've ever felt in my forearms. I noted this problem with the Hammer squat before, saying that at the heavy weights required to work the legs, holding the weights may cause your grip to fail before your legs do. I nearly dropped the weight when my left arm nearly exploded. Unlike the deadlift, I can't use a mixed grip to reinforce my handle on the weight. This was also problem was compounded by my set on the pulldown. I plan to take a little more rest between exercises next time around.

Pretty good weekend. Nice relaxing Easter weekend filled with a lot of church going :P . It has been a couple of days and I'm still pumped about that Sarah Connor Chronicles finale.

I can't wait for the NBA playoffs to begin. My favourite to win it all is Kobe but I'm also rooting for the Spurs and the Rockets. Consequently, I could care less about the rest of the regular season.

Thoughts on The Sarah Connor Chronicles season finale

Man, after that finale, I would be extremely upset if Fox goes on to cancel the series like the rumours have indicated. Perhaps it is due to this pressure that the stroylines have been superb these last episodes. If this is indeed that las episode, there was enough closure on certain issues concerning the show with a small opening for fan fiction enthusiasts to write 'tl there fingers fall off. I certaintly became a big fan of the premise, the characters, and the actors. A lot of people, myself included, did not give this show a chance the first time I heard of it. However the show has done a great job of pulling me in every week.

A couple of nerdish thoughts at the conclusion of the finale...

I suppose the semi loss of the Cameron character and the re-appearance of Allison opens up a proper, non-creepy romance situation between John and a character played by Summer Glau. Hopefully, should the series remain, Cameron is not forever a chip to hold the John Henry program but is later returned as she originally was, a hot and dangerous fembot who is discovering what it means to be human. Plus, fembots rock!! LOVED that shoot out with the prison guards. BADASS cyborg bitch indeed.

OK, so we have been told since Terminator I that the world absolutely rests in the hands of John Connor. Yet we see now that having passed over the initial phases of the war on Skynet, a resistance has formed without John's involvement. Crazyer still is the fact that he is not known at all to any of the resistence fighters. Of course this doesn't take away from the notion of Connor the leader. Perhaps he can still lead them, all while using the knowledge he has gained as a result of his future self sending resistence fighters, as well as Skynet sending back their fighters, and I guess now my head hurts a little....... Maybe John Connor is now at a time to just before Kyle and later Derek were sent back, possibly by himself. Maybe he is now in the seat that the mythical Future John Connor once held. That would mean that his cultivation as a leader took not a couple of decades but rather the duration of the show.

What are Weaver and John Henry's role in all of this. It is nice to see sick, high tech killers kill on the side of good. Loved that scene where Weaver pulls a Terminator move on a Terminator sent by Skynet. What is SAvanah's role in all this and we was she still a target. Perhaps she was made known to her when John Henry was infiltrated. But that would mean that the water-jug cyborg was sent by a present day Calibo/Skynet meaning that bad terminators already existy in the present. Of course if the water-jug guy was from the future, that just leads to more questions surrounding Savanah and the Weavers.

Perhaps Sarah Connor and/or Elison and/or Savanah initiate the creation of the resistence in the present with John, John, and Weaver leading it in the future.

GOD I just adore this show. I would like nothing more than at least 2 more seasons. PLEASE FOX, the OC got four seasons and it remains the biggest piece of DOUCHbaggery on TV EVER.

Trying something New

I have decided to switch up my workouts from something that is body part focused to something that is total body focused. I will still keep the HIT principles which have been good to me so far (modest gains, no injuries :)). I am going to base my new consolidated routine on Dr. Elington Darden's 5 minute workout.



I really like the idea of using 3 very large compound movements every workout. He advocated 1 lower boy exercise, a pull exercise and a push exercise. I modify this by starting out with either a squat or deadlift rather than just a lower body exercise. Right now I am thinking about going three squat days for everyone deadlift day but this may change. This ratio actually remains the same as my original workout plan, doing a deadlift once in every four workouts.

For the upper body exercises I will use the pullover on a Nautilus machine and a smith machine incline press. I absolutely adore the pullover exercise and will probably right a blog about it later. As far as the smith incline press goes, I chose the incline press movement because of all the pressing movements it has the most range of motion. Like all presses its good for the triceps and the anterior deltoids. I also chose the incline press to target the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, an area I'm currently weak in. The incline press also places the shoulder joint in a very vulnerable position, which is one of the reasons why I chose to do it on a smith machine. Another reason is that on a machine, you are no longer needing to concentrate on balance so you are able to work on contractions of muscles you are looking to target. Free weight presses are great to but for now I'm going to stick to the machine to build my pressing strength first. I'm a fan of free weights but if there are machines available to you that will make your workout more efficient than why not use it. As far as the exercises go, I plan to alternate the incline press with dips, a pushing movement I'm very strong with, every four workouts or so. I'm still tentative about whether I would switch up the pullovers for anything considering its an exercise that is so good at what it does. If I do alternate, it would be with narrow palms up pulldowns.

In addtion to three big compound movements I will do 1-2 isloation movements for smaller body parts in an alternating fashion. This workout I included a set of biceps curl. The other exercises for the upper body are triceps pushdown, lateral shoulder raise, and reverse deltoid fly on the pec deck. For the lower body I will alternate between leg curls and calf raises. I may also do an ab workout of planks, standing crunches, and the plank again every 2-3 workouts.

145.8 lbs

Deadlift 215/6
Pullover 115/6
Incline Press 45s/4
Biceps Curl 65/5

I did not do a leg isolation exercise. I again attempted another set of calf raises but whether they are still fatigued from the last leg workout or whether the deadlift set put them through to much strain, I felt them cramping after two reps. Deadlift set was great with an increase of weight and reps. The pullover set came with an increase of weight. Since this was the first time I've done incline presses, I had no base number of weight or reps to start with, I played around with quite a bit of warmup sets. I eventually settled on 45 lbs on both sides to failure at 4 reps. Next workout I plan to keep the weight the same and aim to get within the 6-10 rep range.

Post Weekend Yackery.

145 lbs

Leg Extension 115/10
Squat 100s/6

Leg Curl 85/8

Some stupid shit happened today. After my warm up squat sets I set the weight for my work set before heading of to the leg extension to begin the superset. Then when I finish my work set I realized that someone had taken one 45 off the Hammer Strength machine. So I had done my workset with 100 lbs on one side and only 50 on the other. When I corrected this, I was able to pull out 6 reps before totally giving out. Not only was my left leg entirely cooked, but my overall energy levels were so depleted due to the effort required in maintaining balance even as I wasn't even aware of this problem. I suppose many people view smith machines and Hammer Strength machines as additional weight stacks so they just pull weights off them thinking those machines are not in use. I had not realized to what extent my legs were fatigued until I attempted my calf raises. My left leg, which was the leg which took the heaviest side of the imbalance, could not sat fully extended on the standing calf raise. What is worse is that my left calf was on the verge of cramping after only one rep. Realizing the douchebagery that occurred earlier had significantly fatigued my entire lower body, I decided to cut my workout short. Even my lower back feels a little off, no doubt from the unbalanced squats from earlier. Next leg workout I plan on increasing weights on the leg extension and curls while attempt for 10+ reps on the Hammer ground squat at 100s on each side.

Kazimierz has already laid her eggs and I missed it, again. I still plan on taking some video clips and posting them somewhere. I've cleaned up the nesting area and returned the pebbles but it looks like shes digging another hole. Gustav seems to be in rough shape. Those two have finally formed a breeding pair so he was defending the nest. However, as know has parts of his lips bitten off because of skirmishes with the yellow lab. Hopefully, no infection occurs. I plan on performing a water change and maybe adding in some aquarium salt.

Post Week Yackery

146.2 lbs

Lateral Raise 17.5/5

Reverse Fly 95/8

Biceps Curl 65/5

Triceps Pushdown 65/4
Dips 175/7

Shrugs 55/8

My shoulder and arm workout is my least favourite because most of the exercises are isolation movements made difficult becuase going HIT style with many of these exercises are difficult without good machines. Felt great with the progress in my exercises, especially with my dips. The biceps curl was very difficult today. Every time I finish my shoulder/arm workout, I am always tempted to go to my next leg workout with only one day of rest. Todays workout was done with only one day of rest from my previous leg workout. My thinking was that because the proceeding and following workouts are for the lower body with no overlap, (the chest/back workout features deadlifts, making it essential I take more than one day off) that it is ok to go at it with only a days rest. I think I'm starting to pay for it. The legs don't seem to be suffering at all but because my shoulders and arms are proportionally smaller muscles, I should probably be giving my body enough for the energy to perform the workout before and enough recovery time after.

Waiting for the start of the NCAA Final Four with my hopes placed on UNC. I can still grab some points should they make it to the championship game. Speaking of college basketball, SlamOnline ran a great article about the original leaders of the new school, the Fab Five.

Kazimierz is pregnant AGAIN. Hopefully I can take some pictures when I get home. Maybe even a video.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles Episode Blog

Crazy episode. Don't like the way Derek died so suddenly.

I love the way John Henry has become more and more human.

Ohh boy Weaver and Connor are gonna meet.

John finds out about John Henry? Ohh boy Savana you snitch LOL.

Whose side is Weaver on why would Skynet want Savana dead?

Will Weaver kill the Connors?

Peoples lives will depend on John Henry?!

LOL Cameron: I only want to kill him.....

With the sudden killing of main characters I'm starting to feel like the series is not going to last too long

John Henry threatening Weaver :)

Sarah might still have cancer. So much for all her plans though. I'm still curious yet confused about what to classify Cameron and John's relationship as..

Ohh no double cross......damn Johns pissed

And one of the cops is metal?

John Henry is a pretty good singer LOL

Derek's ashes in that box being buried?

Ellison's probably going to died in the finale

Finale has the stage set for John Connor to be a major league hero. Can't wait for the finale.

When I could be Studying

I absolutely love the comedy behind this. I'll admit Gimmie More is a pretty catchy song. Its cool these guys don't take themselves too seriously.



I agree with this to a certain point. I mean bros before ALL hoes...I dunno lol

Leg Workout

145.4 lbs

Leg Extension 115/7
Squat 95's/11

Leg Curl 85/8

Claf Raises 180/12

Stand Crunches 35/11

Great Workout today. Increases of weight, reps, or both for every exercise. Can't seem to increase my bodyweight. Probably need to eat more....... However the improvements leave me optimistic for the future. Look to finally increase the weight on my standing crunches. For some reason its been very difficult to get heavier. Maybe I was just loading up too much weight initially. I use to have the same problem with calf raises but that has long since passed.

Almost lost my iPod today.....I thought some had taken it right out of my pocket at the library when I went for a bathroom break. Turns out I had left it underneath the keyboard :P

When I could be Studying....

Tuned into WWE Raw last night. I haven't watched wrestling in the longest time. However three things certainly intrigued me: Stone Cold Steve Austin is being honoured for the Hall of Fame (take that for what its worth), Christian is back, and Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker are in the midst of a feud. The HBK-Undertaker and the Stone Cold HOF takes me back to the good old days of the Attitude era :)

Speaking of pointless nostalgia, Nike seems to be re-releasing Vince Carter's original shox shoes. You know, the shoes he was wearing when this happened.

When I could be Studying

145.6 lbs

Pec Deck 115/7
Chest Press 55/4

Pullover 110/6
Pulldown 115/6

Deadlift 205/5

Increased my pec deck but I got totally owned on the bench press. Got absolutely no power on the push......probably should be resting more. My head hurts as I type. Did deadlift 205lbs using a barbell. I'll probably keep it that way and use the hammer strength squat for squats only. Increase in the pulldown which I like. So long Louisville, thanks for messing up my brackets LOL

Post Week Yackery.

146.8 lbs

Leg Extension 110/10
Squat 90's/7

Leg Curl 85/6

Calf Raises 160/ 15*2

Stand Crunch 35/8*2

First time in the longest time I failed before 12 reps on squats. Good, because I'm really hoping the added stress will stimulate my body's growth mechanism that much more. Bad, because I'm worried about a possible snag in my squats which is the last exercise I want to be plateaued on.

Went to a University of Toronto talent show Friday night. Great talent. Bad Organization. Even Worse judging scheme. The use of a popularity vote definitely meant that a few great acts were snubbed right out of the top 6......I have to say that my brother is really coming along nicely at dancing. Hard to believe he's really only been breaking for 2 years. I don't really go to a lot of the events at my school. After last nights show i want to check out a few more events, especially before I graduate.

DeJuan Blair is an animal. That is all.

After his performances in the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments, I think highly of Demar Derozan once more. Blair and Derozan are two of the prospects I think would fit nicely with what the Raptors are doing.

Tried feeding the blood parrots peas the other day and they were not feeling those at all. The Yellow Lab on the other hand was all over that stuff. The parrots were fans of the carrots and corn I threw in after. At this point I'm just experimenting with different kinds of food around the house just to give them a more varied diet. While on the subject of fish food, I have to say that Hikari Gold Cichlid pellets are the absolute elite. I've fed my fish some different brands before. The pellets are clean, they seem to keep my fish healthy, they've enhanced their colour, and above all, the fish really seem to enjoy them.

When I could be Studying...

146.2 lbs

Lateral Raise 12.5/8

Reverse Fly 90/7

Biceps Curl 65/5

Triceps Pushdown 60/7
Dips 170/5

Shurgs 55/6

Increases all around except for the triceps pushdown although I did one more rep than last time, and the lateral raise which i went down in weight. I just wasn't getting any lift at all from my lateral deltoids so I decided not to push it. I lowered the weight and went for 8 solid reps after warm ups. I will work my way back up to 20 lbs in time. Dips have got to be the best push exercise ever. Absolutely kills the triceps, anterior deltoids, and chest.

Zach Randolph better than Chris Bosh? I dunno about that....Some days I do feel like I'd rather have Z-Bo at power forward considering the absolute power and girth he posses. I've watched enough of Chris Bosh to know he's not a monster inside. If I had another star player, I'd take Z-Bo. If I needed a class act player to build a franchise around, then its Bosh all the way.



From freshnessmag.com What can I say. I'm a Nike head.

k1x is a basketball and basketball inspired apparel line which gets an A for style, aura, and uniqueness in my opinion. I've gradually moved away from baller clothing a little bit but I definately wouldn't mind filling my closet with some k1x gear. From what I've read, their shoes are the epitome of ballin at a budget. High quality kins which look good and are relatively cheap. I've already picked up some pieces and have marveled at the relative cheapness of the products despite having the feel of a more expensive basketball or hip-hop clothing brand. Their lifestyle products are everything companies like Nike wished their lines were.

When I could be studying....

Its that time of the school year again. Naturally I feel like I can go ape-shit.


HAHAHA wow...

I've always been interested in ancient things: civilizations, organisms etc. My human origins terms test is this Monday. If anything I'll be enjoying studying for this test a little bit.

Post Weekend Yackery

145.8 lbs

Leg Extension 110/6
Squat 80's/10

Leg Curl 80/8

Calf Raises 160/15*2

Standing Crunches 35/8

Increased the weight on both the leg extension and the Hammer squat. Leg Curls have it a snag so I plan to maintain the weight for the other exercises and increase the weight for the leg curl. Hopefully I can manage a minimum 6 repititions next week. I increased the amount of reps on my calf raises. I plan to take it to 20 reps next workout before I increase the weight to 180 lbs.

My March Madness brackets took a huge hit over the weekend when Wake Forrest was eliminated. I had them going to the elite 8......I actually trail my brother in points who picked his teams based purly on seed...maybe not such a bad idea.


Hmmmm...play in the tourney or become a barber LOL



The lose of Wake Forrest may have buried my hopes of winning in my bracket pool. I'm in a pretty deep hole...

The Yellow Cichlid in my tank has begun to chase Gustav around. Hopefully it is nothing long lasting or serious. Gustav would then retreat to the lighthouse and from there, he would attack the Yellow Lab from the safety of his hideout.

Finally tried out Street Fighter 4. The graphics on this game is amazing. The controls are simple and the overall experience is very similar to the old SF games. Usually, this may be a negative, but in this case, the familiarity helped in the overall gameplay. Not much replay value from a single player standpoint but great for multiplayer.

Post Week Yackery

145.4 lbs

Pec Deck 110/6
Hammer Strength Chest 60s/3
Pullover 110/5
Pulldown 110/6
Deadlift 80's/5

My isolation exercises here seem to have stagnated today. It doesn't matter as much because the money exercises are the compound exercises. Plus all the exercises were done to failure whichc is the most important part. Deadlifts were done on the Hammer Strength Ground based squat machine. More emphasis was placed on hip flexion and extension this time, and true to Hammer Strength, and form was never an issue for me which in turned allowed for more weight. I also remembered that the machine come with 45 lbs of resistance when unloaded on each side. This may mean I've actually increased in weight which is cool to think about. The Hammer chest was an increase in weight and was accompanied by a few static holds after the set. I wonder though if I should continue with Mike Mentzer's recommendation of having do only 1-3 reps for a chest press exercise. Really do wish I could ask him a couple of questions....

Friday night means Summer Glau and Eliza Dushku night :).

March madness is well under way and I I've already suffered a few losses :(. Who knew Western Kentucky had that in them....

If you've joined a forum for something, does that mean you've crossed the line from casual fan to crazy fanatic? In fairness, I've joined quite a number of forums and stuff this week because I've speant so much time "working and studying" in front of a computer.

I want a Red Mammon parrot. I wonder how Kazimierz or Gustav react to one of their bigger bodied brethren...


http://www.happybreed.com/
Happy Breed farms seems to be the premier breeders for Blood Parrot Cichlids. A 23cm Mammon will cost you $700 and comes with a certificate of authenticity......... So is your standard Blood Parrot an original version of the hybrid with the mammon and others being more advanced version thanks to breeding techniques or is it merely a version of a hybrid creature who acquired characteristics from its parents which differ from the mammon. having come from two different species, any hybrid will have that much more in the way of a pool of traits to have themselves manifested. Mammons do look like the parrots ancestor the red devil. Maybe Red mammons are actually Blood Parrots mixed with another fish like the flowerhorn, red devil or some other cichlid. The english version of the site is riddled with broken English and does lack some information concerning the fish themselves in my opinion.

When I could be Studying....

145 lbs

Leg Ext. 105/9
Squat 70s/9

Leg Curl 80/9

Calf Raise 160/12*2

Standing Crunch 35/8

My leg workout has become my favourite workout these days. A lot of increases this time around.

I hate Stats. I hate studying for Stats. And I hate Stats tests.....


Iggy ftw.

When I could be Studying.......

My biceps, upper back, and pectoral area is really sore from yesterday. Good sign I suppose. This usually means, however, that I may have to take longer than usual to get back into the gym.

Just finished about 3 hours of observation for a project on cell phone behaviour. That brings me to 5 hours total. Still need 3 more hours. It is extremely hard to pretend you are doing work when you are suppose to be watching the area around you.

While I was doing this Sociology project, I had my anthropology textbook and papers out as cover. Glenn Conroy's Reconstructing Human Origins as a great read as far as textbooks go. I love the topic of human evolution and the subject has inspired a lot of questions and other things that I'm always thinking about.

With regards to my deltoid lateral raise rant from yesterday, apparently the laws of physics as it relates to levers and distance away from the body shows that more force and therefore more stress would be placed on the pivot point (the deltoid) the further away the lever(arm)is away from the body. I'll just have to keep working on it.

Probably one of the more exciting highlights from an otherwise dismal season from the Raptors. The Matrix is reloaded.

Notice Bargnani's skill has he runs the fast break.

Post Weekend Yackery

145.4 lbs

Lateral Raises 20/5

Reverse Peck Deck fly 85/7

Biceps Curl 60/8

Triceps Pushdown 60/5
Dips 165/5

Shrugs 50/8

I really hate lateral raises. REALLY hate them. I find that they just place so much stress on my arms, stress which is not productive or meaningful in anyway. Yet if I flex my elbows too much, then too much stress is taken of of the lateral head of the deltoids. As far as isolation exercises go, I do wish my gym had a Nautilus lateral raise or a machine like it so I can stop using dumbbells. I would also prefer a high quality biceps machine which supinates the forearm completely. But a barbell is alright for now. I feel that isolation with these smaller muscles are better done on machines where smaller weight increases are possible. Those two exercises are my weakest simply because I'm stuck in a no mans land of not being able to do enough reps on a higher weight and doing too much on a lower one. Unconventional Mike Mentzer wisdom would say rest more but I feel I can't stay away from the gym for more than 3 days.

Finally got to shopping for new shit today. Didn't buy anything too expensive.

Here comes the most hellish period for any student. Projects, papers, and finals galore.....................

Post Week Yackery

Kinda cool but kinda wtf all at the same time. My friend has told me several of these things have been created already.

March Madness is coming and I am foaming at the mouth.


Marko Jaric's sexual assault case reminds me of Kobe's case years back. Random encounter away from home city and a feeling of what were you thinking, your wife is so hot. Except that Marko is not Kobe, and will probably lose a whole lot more.

Hammer Strength machines are awesome.

Don't watch much wrestling anymore, but this had me at the edge of my seat back in the day. Check the enormous pop for Triple H


Ang Babaeng Hinugot sa aking Tadyang is starting to look like a really great show. Homer has since upped his modus apparandi from pushover momma's boy to gun slinging bad ass looking to take down a crime mob for the sake of a hot girl. Paulo Contis' ability to make me hate him in this show stems from his great ability to portray a jerk we want dead. His ability to make me hate him in real life stems from his ability to wife extremely attractive girls without effort......


Credit to OrientalExpress

Hate on Chris Bosh now if you want, guaranteed you will miss him when he leaves. Involved in the community, sense of how to entertain people, humble, and a pretty damn good ball player

My Hammer Strength Ground-based Squat Review

Unloaded, the machine provides 45 lbs of resistance on each side. Contrast this to an unloaded barbell providing 45 lbs of resistance across the entire body. However, because the body may work a little more to stabilize a free weight, this difference may be offset by the fact that machines tend take some pressure off stabilizing. The warm up set I did on the squat machine was very similar in resistance to a barbell squat. Naturally, I was able to dump more weight on the machine and go to failure as oppose to if I'd squat using free weights. There is, however, an issue with regards to comfort and where weights are in relation to your body.

With the ground based squat, the weights are placed at your sides and are held by your hands which makes the squat deadlift like. I noticed that my grip was definately being tested as opposed to a regular squat which you place on your shoulders and pretty much forget about it for the duration of the set. In terms of overall comfort, the ground based squat keeps the form strict but the movement is not rigid whatsoever, like squats on a Smith machine may be. The arc motion characteristic in all Hammer Strength machines is great for accommodating natural body movements and I felt no discomfort whatsoever. And like a machine, setup is quicker and safer than a barbell squats, where you might have to set up the hooks, clips, and safety latches on the power rack.

The machine is definitely a great tool for working out your legs. Since it maintains perfect form for you, your are definitely able to target the quad muscles with great efficiency. When I am nearing failure on the barbell squat, my tendency is to utilize more hip flexion than I would like to finish the last few reps. No such short cut is possible here. The exercise is ground base which provides a very natural and functional movement with applicable strength gains outside of the gym. It also provides a few deadlift-like stresses like the additional pressure on your arms and grip to hold on to the weight. For those who like to place the weight on the ground after the negative phase, there is the additional benefit of having to lift a dead weight off the floor which requires a little more effort on every rep you do.

The positioning of the weight with relation to your body and the position of the weight when it is dead provides a few negatives in my opinion. The abdominal muscles have evolved to become stabilizers of the body when you are standing and fully erect and prevents you from falling backwards. On a barbell squat, the weight is placed slightly behind your centre of gravity which forces your abdominals to contract in the effort to prevent you from falling backwards. Because the main task of your abs is to prevent you from falling back, it is in this situation when you are fully erect and in danger of falling backwards that your abs are fully activated and worked, not when doing sit ups or leg raises. On a ground based squat machine, this is no longer possible. The weight is now closer to your centre of gravity and the weight actually falls forward on the negative phase which now puts stress on your spinal erectors to keep yourself from falling forward, again very similar to a deadlift movement. So instead of isometrically working your abs, it isometrically works your lower back. This is a shame as a barbell squat is actually a very good exercise for strengthening your abs.

Overall, the machine proved to be very useful in targeting my legs while providing maximum comfort. And while the benefit of core work in barbell squats is lost in the ground based squat, it also maintains a motion that's closer to a more naturally movement outside the gym. In actions like jumping or lifting weight of the ground using your legs, the weight is probably closer to or a little forward of your centre of gravity, not behind as in the case of barbell squats. It's no wonder that athletes are more likely to do their squat work on a machine like the ground based squat machine. Not so much because an exercise improves a movement directly, but because the exercise utilizes the muscles involved in the movement in a way that is closest to how they are used when the action is performed.

When I could be Studying...

Pretty pumped about the NCAA tourny. My smart pick goes to the North Carolina Tar Heels but I'm really routing for Wake Forest.

Sad article about former NBA star Rodney Rogers. Hope everything turns out for the better.

Paul Pierce owns some kid. ROFL-cakes ensues.



Leg workout

144lbs
Leg Extension 106/8
Hammer strength Squat 60's/10

Leg Curl 80/8

Calf Raise 140/1 x 2

Crunches 3/6

My weight seems to fluctuate about 2 lbs everytime i weigh myself. I see very encouraging improvements so I think it's a case of shedding fat while gaining muscle. Hopefully I'll reach an equilibrium where I'll be gaining some more weight. I've switched over to doing my squats on a Hammerstrength ground based squat machine. My thoughts on my machine later.

Pat Riley says Michael Beasley can lead the league in scoring. Unfortunately, he'll be playing most of his career with Kevin Durant and some of it with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant. Hell, he probably couldn't lead his team in scoring as long as he plays for the Heat. His laissez-faire demeanor may also prevent him to be the type of killer who scores 28 plus points per game.

When I could be Studying.....

About to include Dwyane Wade in the MVP picture after this virtuoso performance.



I always believed that excess strength and muscle is not the be all, end all in basketball which is a game which requires a lots of skill in many different areas. However, this article makes a lot of interesting points, many of which I never thought of before. The rejuvenation of players in Phoenix almost seems too good to be true. The comparisons between Karl Malone and Lebron James really got me thinking. I do think that Lebron seems to "gain" weight everytime I watch a Cavs game. One monet he's billed as 250. The following week he's 270. In about a few months he'll be way over 300 lbs. (...) I wonder, should a HGH controversy erupt in basketball, how will public reactions be. Baseball, despite many instances of abuse seems to always get the benefit of the doubt from the fans, media, and its players. It's just people always have an axe to grind when they speak of basketball when compared to the other major sports.

An article about the history of my favourite fish, the Blood Parrot cichlid.

When I could be studying.......

Chest/Back 146.6 lbs

Pec Deck 110/6
Hammer Strength Chest 55s/3

Nautilus PullOver 110/6
Pulldown 110/6

Deadlift 195/6

Two articles from slamonline.com caught my attention today. One was concerning the whole Greg Oden injury situation. Another focused on a more interesting issue in my opinion. Major debates in the NBA revolve around Stephon Marbury, Lebron vs Wade vs Kobe, Shaq and his comedic jabs and New York circa 2010. This article spoitlights a rather understated debate, at least now a days.

Up until recently, the question of who the better point guard is between Deron Williams of Utah and Chris Paul of New Orleans seemed lopsided in favour of CP3. He is more exciting, dynamic, charismatic, and fantasy team friendly. It seemed as though he would routinely carry the Hornets on his back.

Deron Williams, in contrast, is more of tortoise to Paul's hare. He is rather quick, but Deron is more of a power oriented guard. His game is predicated more on pick and rolls and a more effective outside jumpshot. As a point guard, Deron prefers the ol' "coach runs the team through me" paradigm. Chris Paul would routinely wave off Coach Byron Scott to do his own thing weaving, passing, and scoring at will. To both their credits, both styles have worked and both players are to be considered the top point guards in the league.

My point of contention lies in who will have a more accomplished career down the line and a lot of it really has much to do with their respective styles both as point guards and as overall players. The line between who is considered a fine floor general and who is considered a overly free wheeling ball hog can be easily crossed by point guards with Chris Paul's style. As the teams best player, the Hornets' offensive schemes centre around CP3's abilities. Its often been said that no team has had its best player as it point guard since Isiah Thomas was running things as a bad boy. Players like Thomas and Paul are tasked not only with running the machine, but being the teams best weapon at the same time. While this can lead to championship rings in the case of Thomas, this could also lead to a Stephon Marbury type of situation. The flaw about having your best offensive threat being your point guard is that more often then not, they will be the smallest players on the floor. They would not be able to physically impose their will on games in the same way that wings or bigs would.

Deron Williams strikes some as a system point guard but I prefer to call him a systems point guard. The key difference being that he is not a great point guard because of a coach implemented system. He is a great point guard because he implements a coach's system flawlessly. One only look at the Jazz's current winning streak despite the absence of Carlos Boozer. I wouldn't say D-Will is the teams best player, he is however responsible for the team's success.

At the end of the day, should the structure and philosophy of both teams remain the same, I believe Deron Williams may accomplish more in his career than Chris Paul. Teams considered dynasties would contain more than one piece considered to be an elite team in the league. If either the Jazz or the Hornets go on to become championship contenders, they may need a few more high caliber players. With that said, a point guard like Williams would be more effective in bringing together a team and managing their collective focus. Chris Paul would always be the focus of any team he is apart of that doesn't contain Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Howard, or Duncan. I just believe that a team can't win championships when their floor general is also responsible for and probably wants to score his teams points. I may be missing something about Chris Paul's game but Deron Willims just screams elite floor general to me. Coupled with another player who can be his teams primary scorer and built around a team of good role players, a Deron Williams lead team is more balanced and more efficient.


I find this to be a very appropriate nickname for Kevin Durant. Apart from the obvious, lengthy reasons, Durant is probably as deadly as a tarantula. When the debate between Oden or Durant was going on, people always fell back on the fact that Greg Oden was the big man that a team can build a dynasty around. Kevin Durant is 6'10" with an armspan that is around 8'10". When he fills out in a few years he can be anywhere from 220 to 240 lbs. (Big If). I think that would place him within "big man" territory especially if compared to the likes of Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki. Sure is has a perimeter oriented game now but back in Texas, he showed flashes of brilliance in the post with his moves and insane rebounding ability. We all know about his incredible outside game. I'm sure added weight would only encourage him to bang a little more. Kevin Durant has the potential to be a very dangerous inside/ outside player and would be the catharsis in the evolution of the combo forward that Kevin Garnett started all those years ago. Ironically, Kevin Durant has stated he feels that he can affect the game on the boards and on rebounds the way Kevin Garnett does. Combine this with an elite offensive game that is head and shoulders above Garnett's and you have a player who I picked to have gone first over all in the NBA draft. All of his problems aside; I still believe he will become a world class player, Greg Oden is still a guy who fits an existing archetype in basketball, even if its a rapidly vanishing one. Durant on the other hand, can become a player who breaks the mould the way Wilt, Oscar, Magic, Michael, Lebron, and Dwight have done before him. He is once in a lifetime. He is the DURANTULA.

*Credit for picture goes to J.E. Skeets who posted this on slamonline.com

Post Weekend Yackery

New week and just when I feel I don't get enough sleep I lose one more hour to daylight savings. Warm weather although my friend tells me its hailing in Kingston. That's CAnadian weather for you.

Yeeeeeeeah


Ang Babaeng Tumitigas sa akin........


Things I need to buy:
Street Fighter IV
NBA 09
Clothes: Roots, K1X, Bench, Hudson North, Old Navy Jeans, Zeroedge joke Tees, Whatever the fuck else I can find

Things I need to do:
Play some Basketball
Finish Observations for Sociology Project, I need 8 hours of watching cell phone behaviour.......

March 6, 2009

Leg Workout 144.2 lbs

Leg Ext. 105/6
Squat 165/10

Leg Curl 80/6

Calf Raise 140/12*2

Crunches 32.5/8*2




These are my two Blood Parrots, Kazimierz (orange) and Gustav (red). Although I am quite aware of the douchebaggery concerning the creation of these fish, I couldn't help but grow very attached to them. I bought my first one, Kazimierz, uniformed and looking for the most weird looking fish I can get at Walmart. My buddies were walking through the fish section when the Blood parrots immediately caught my eye. Since then, we at home have set up a tank containing the two parrots, two severums and a yellow cichlid.

What I find most endearing about cichlids in general is the attention they pay to the environment outside of the tank. The common perception is that fish are more like ornamental furniture. The behaviour of my cichlids have caused me to look upon them as pets in every sense of the word. Kazimierz and I go "way" back (lol)and others who have seen them quickly remark how she seems to respond differently towards me. On a related note, the reason I know that Kazimierz is a female is that she had layed eggs a while back.




I've been on several fish forums, both for and against these fish and all I can say is that while the practice can get quite appalling; heart shaped parrots are created by having their tales removed at birth, I don't believe that necessarily makes the owners of fish immoral low lives. The common argument is that these do not occur naturally in the wild. While that may be true, the same can be said about domestic cats and dogs. But that doesn't stop both owners and pets from establishing and maintaining a unique connection with each other. Questionable practices do occur in the breeding of all pets. But a lot of breeders do engage in ethical practices and many owners are very caring of their pets. Even if the breeding of these fish are outlawed the fact remains that a market for these fish exist and that illegal breeding would still occur. Without regulation, the opportunity for more questionable behaviour will arise. As for me, I will continue to maintain these fish and in the future I hope to grab myself a larger tank. Apparently, these things can grow into a full 10 inches of fish.

March 5, 09

Mike Taylor is a 6'2 guard playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. If anything else, he looks like quite the athlete who can give Nate Robinson a run for his money in next years dunk contest, that is if he can secure himself an NBA contract. He has scored 15, 13, and 13 in his last three games and I'm definitely rooting for him.

Mike Taylor has now placed himself on a list of notable players to come out of the 2008 NBA draft. That draft has acted like a stimulus package for the NBA and the future looks extremely bright for the Association.

I would love to have Stan van Gundy as a coach. He's a fiery motivator, he sports a pornstache, and he'' defend you in the face of a 7'1" 350+ lbs verbal onslaught.

March 4, 2009

Shoulders/ Arms workout 144.4 lbs

Lateral deltoid raise 20/4

Reverse fly 60/11

Bicep curl 60/6

Tricep pushdown 60/4
Dips 160/5

Shrugs 50/6

Random Blog: Chris Webber

Studying in between classes usually goes like this: two to three hours of youtube followed by about half an hour of actual studying. It gets even worse when something really grabs my attention and I feel compelled to dig through a pile of related links. Today the topic of interest was former NBA player and current analyst Chris Webber.

Chris would always be one of my favourite players because of the entertainment value he brought to the game. While he was only third or fourth best power forwards during an era when the proliferation of all types of power forwards was underway, he was by far the most entertaining. Not as intense as Garnett, as revolutionary as Nowitzki, as crazy as Rasheed Wallace, nor as dominant as Tim Duncan, Chris Webber's combination of physical gifts, unique skills, and engaging personality made him a player I also wanted to watch on TV. Subsequently, that the Sacramento Kings one of my favourite teams to watch at the time.

Injuries had cut his career short. Issues earlier in his career as well as a reputation of being a player you might neccessarily build your team around may dampen his basketball legacy. His dominant displays of athleticism and entertainment which stretch all the way back to his college days are hopefully what ball fans will remember most about him.

These days he extends that legacy of entertaining fans by way of his current occupation as studio analyst for NBA TV. He's certainly not as humorously honest as Charles Barkley but he has definitely projected his fun personality into his work.He seems to mesh brilliantly with Gary Payton and Ahmad Rashad. The entire group is ver entertaining and their chemistry brings a little extra to their segments. When combined with highlight reels, the result is a resounding GG for all other basketball wrap up shows.

My favourite thus far. Honorary mention goes to RONDOOOOOO. Shoutouts go to Lebron23I, DigGameTime, nbadictos2008, and NBA for the links.

March 2, 2009

Leg/ab workout
145 lbs
Leg extension 100lbs/8
Squat 155/10
Leg curl 80/8
Calf raises 140/8 2 sets
Standing crunches 32.5/8
Leg raises 22.5/8

I've started using High intensity training since the beggining of February and I really believe it's working for me. I've gained 5 lbs so far and I've seen improvments in both my squat and deadlift. While I value Mike Mentzer's training tips, it's his wisdom that has really spoken to me and I find he's the most intelligent in bodybuilding if not the field anatomy/kinesieology. After watching his last workout tape I was saddened to learn he had already passed away. From what I've read he's inspired many in his lifetime and he continues to do so today.

As far as my workout goes, this my first time incorporating leg extensions and squat. My previous combination was the leg press after pre-exhaustion using one legged squats. I have recently hit a wall with my calves. HIT would dictate I lay of the calf raises for a while so I may consider it. It's weird; I have large calves but they are quite weak at times.

After watching both raptor games against the suns and mavericks it was good to see two future hall of famers, Shaq and J-Kidd play like it's 5 years ago. Both are 2 of my favourite players and both will go down as two of the greatest. Seeing Kidd notch his 10000th assist was nice. He truly is one of the most uniquely dominant players as he can take hold of a game without scoring a basket. He's also made so many other players a lot of money. I hope he'll grab himself a championship ring soon. He's too good to be placed on any "best to never win it" lists.

Feb 28, 09

This week's episode of Sarah Connor Chronicles was a little underwhemling. The show is about Sarah and its nice that a few of the recent episodes have been dedicated to her. However the whole is it all just a dream theme did little to advance the plot. We all knew she is going a little crazy. Great to see Cameron for the 5 minutes she was in there.

Dollhouse is a show that is really growing on me. I've always been an Eliza Dushku fan since her Buffy days. I love the shows focus on manipulation of the mind and the growing issue of Echo's sentinence.

Raptors lose to the Suns 133-113. Marion with 27 for the Raps. Shaq with 45 for the Suns. Can't say I'm not surprised. Bargnani can definatley become an offensive nightmare at the 5 but will probably a walking defensive liability at the same time. The Raptors lack a burly, traditional power forward type or a true big bodied centre to handle the likes of Shaq especially with JO gone. Moot point since 1)JO may not have fared much better, 2)Shaq, even at this stage of his career can stomp on anyone and 3)Stopping any offensive player shouldn't have to fall on the shoulders of one player. Didn't see the game because it was on TS f'ing N 2......but will try to catch it on Raptors Tv.

On to GMA 7. Umaga is reaching its climax and eventual end. Has been a solid show this entire time. Same goes with Luna Mystika. Totoy Bato still hasn't caught my attention. Manny Pacqiuo is extremely awkward as an actor. Tadyang is a show I'm still on the fence about. Proserphena is an intriguing character. Homer is not. Its hard to root for a pushover like that.

I would start cycling again with this as my ride.

February 27, 09

It seems like Kobe Bryant should be around middle age considering the amount of time he has spent in the NBA. Yet at the ripe ol' age of 30 he is still producing highlight film material.



Sports Illustrated online has just published an article on the other megastar in the NBA, Lebron James, detailing among other things the magnificence of his body. While everything about the piece rings true, it does come across as a bit....too glorifying?

Raptors @ Phoenix tonight. In the place where he become a key piece of one of the most entertaining basketball teams in recent memory, Shawn Marion will play the Suns as part of a Raptors team which seems to now be using a very similar run and gun style offense. Steve Nash is listed as day to day which can only help the Raptors.

First Post

School can cause you to do stupid things. And because looking at porn in the library is not the most accepted activity and since social networking sites have begun to bore me, I started a blog. I still don't have any idea about what I'll be posting; most likely this blog will be a collection of random stuff.