China or Bust
Going to China tomorrow, so this is the first time the updates may not be as regular. I should have internet access though. Wish me luck! I should have one more post tomorrow morning before I leave 
! I'll try to do a final year reflection after I come back.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Day 359
DIET
Pretty terrible. Only TWO meals. Woke up had a huge bowl of oatmeal. I digested for two hours like always and then hit the weights hard. Spent about two hours in the basement just fooling around and playing with my new chains 
. When I finished I had to immediately shovel the snow in the lawn and deck. By the time I was finished with that (hour and a half later), I barely had any energy. Pretty much consumed half the fridge after my shower. Was pretty bloated and full till this morning.
EXERCISES
Hardcore/fun leg day.
- Back Squats - 45 x 20, 135 x 7, 185 x 7, 225 x 7, 255 x 5, 275 x 3, 280 x 2
- Chain Back Squats - 260 x 5 x 5 x 5
- DB Lunges - 100 Pounds Total x 10 Steps x 2, 115 Pounds Total x 10 Steps x 2, 125 Pounds Total x 10 Steps x 1
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
Right after above workout... Shoveled snow for an hour and a half... Most painful/tiring thing after a leg workout.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
COMMENTS
I feel RIDICULOUSLY sore right now from the workout I did yesterday. I can't even bend my head because my muscles are so tight. The DOMS is driving me insane. I woke up and poped in some Blue Gene, ate a big bowl of oatmeal and took my Orange TRIad and fish oil... Now my body is starting to loosen up. I can move my head around without pain and everything is recovering nicely. Blue Gene is one of the most underated supplements from Controlled Labs and it is by far my favorite. The recovery factors and health benefits make this my #1 choice.
Day 358
DIET
Finally bumped it up to 4 good meals.
EXERCISES
Jump Rope/Abdominal interval training.
Also trying to teach myself Power Cleans...
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
None.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
COMMENTS
Busy day... getting ready to go to CHINA. Final year reflection coming soon!
Day 357
DIET
3 meals... But big meals 
EXERCISES
Had another hardcore workout back. I feel INSANELY sore [I write my posts the next morning] right now. My entire upper back region is on FIRE. Took some Blue Gene and hopefully that will help a bit.
- Deadlifts - 135 x 7, 205 x 7, 255 x 7, 300 x 7 x 7 x 5 x 7 [Lost my grip on the second to last one... so chalked up for the last one]
- Fingertip Pull Ups - BW x 5 x 5 x 5
- Power Cleans - 45 x 5, 115 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 3 x 3 x 3
- Two Arm DB Rows - 60 x 10 x 10 x 10
- Zercher Squats - 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5 x 5
Please correct my DL/PC form.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
Went shopping for my chains... About 3 hours of random walking.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
COMMENTS
My chance of going to China just shot up to 90% during Christmas! On another note, I am really pleased with my leg growth.
How to Make Homemade Weightlifting Chains
Been doing some research and I wanted to make my own weightlifting chains. They cost a ridiculous amount online and I don't have that kind of money to spare.
The ideal chains IMO are 5/8 inch thick links. Two of these running at 5 feet each would be about 40 pounds. Unfortunatly it is nearly impossible to find this thickness. Lowe's, Menard's, and Home Depot, the common hardware stores carry only up to 3/8 inch thick links. People suggest going to a trucking store or a junk yard but I do not have any of these in suburban Illinois.
I made a compromise with 3/8 inch thick links that can be found in any common hardware store. These are still pretty thick and I can tie some small weights to the end of it to make it even heavier if needed. Here is how to make your own weightlifting chains.
UPDATE - 9:17 PM
The chains weighed in at 14.5 pounds... I might be buying another set, but I'm thinking of just attaching some plates to the end of them. Will report back.
BUY [CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]
- 2 x 3/16'' Quick Link ($1.68 each... $3.36 Total)
- 2 x 5 Feet of 3/8'' High Test Shot Peened Chains ($2.46 per Feet... $24.60 Total)
- 2 x 1.5 Feet of 3/16'' SYS3 Proof Chains ($1.00 per Feet... $3.00 Total) [Used as Collars]
Putting Them Together
*I put the "collar" on the 10th chain in, so the chains just barely touch the ground on the rack.
Video
Here is me trying this rig out for the first time. It felt pretty light using 135 + pounds... I'll have to try it with over 300, and if it still feels light, possibly attach some weights to the end of the chain to increase the difficulty. It felt balanced and really stable.
Day 356
DIET
Only 3 meals, but the 3 meals were huge!
EXERCISES
Finally was able to lift after 8-10 days off. It felt AMAZING!
- Flat BB - 45 x 10, 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 5 x 5 x 4 x 4
- Flat BB Rest Pause - 185 x 5 x 5
- Flat BB Quick Reps - 135 x 20
- Military Press - 95 x 5, 115 x 5 x 5
- CGBP - 135 x 10, 155 x 7 x 7
- Rear Raises superset Upright Rows - 20 x 10 x 10 x 10, 95 x 7, 115 x 5, 95 x 7
- BB Curls superset Overhead Triceps [No rest between sets] - 45 Pounds BB Curls x 10 Sets x 10 Reps per Set with 30 Pound DB x 10 Sets x 10 Reps per Set... Totaling 100 reps of BB curls and 100 reps of over head triceps alternating and non stop. Was aiming for 30 sets each but was beat! [Serge Nubret Style]
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
None.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
COMMENTS
Got some new lifting shoes that I stole from my dad .
Also took lots of pictures of my turtle!
Working on a new routine right now, I am really excited!