Awesome deadlifting! I’m not surprised you got lightheaded considering you’ve been eating a can of tuna for a meal. What is amazing is that you were able to pull 231 lbs on that diet. Imagine what you could do with some carbs 
sometimes the mind takes over as well.
Mind over matter and diet! 
Great work Cal!!
Too right it does!
Tuesday 16th August
7.15am - Swim, 64 lengths (1600m, approx 1 mile). 10 lengths breaststroke; 54 lengths alternating crawl and breaststroke
Either I’m getting better at swimming or there were a lot of old and fat people in my lane this morning because I had to keep overtaking. I’m not really fast enough to hang in the middle lanes but I seem to be too fast for the slow lane, at least today.
Lot of sneezing again. I think it’s worse when I do crawl - more water goes in my nose and mouth.
3pm - Gym
I felt bone tired at midday so I decided to take a nap and ended up sleeping for 90 minutes. I woke up feeling spaced out and floppy (sleep muscle paralysis took time to wear off, I guess) but had a cuppa and some nicotine gum and made myself go to the gym.
Legs
Usual warm-up:
20 hypers
20 reverse hypers with V at top
20 clams (per leg)
20 single leg hip thrusters (foot on high bench) (per leg)
20 overhead split squats using a 5kg body bar (per leg)
20 bosu ball squat/sit up combo
Some Aussie guy was just starting his five sets of squats when I got into the weights room so I started with step-ups:
100 step-ups (8 risers + step), 50 per leg alternating
Box Squats
Bar x 20
30kg x 15
40kg x 12
These felt suspiciously easy. Then I realised I’d used 7 risers for the box instead of 6. Dozy twat!
Took one riser away.
3 x 50kg x 5
Fuck, these were a lot harder. I was using a lot of back on the last reps. And then I developed a twinge on the outside of my right thigh (TFL, maybe) but I toughed it out. I’m guessing the sumos I did yesterday irritated it somewhat. Did a fair bit of stretching between sets.
Squats
(Used the guide bar again)
Bar x 10
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
Didn’t want to push it more so just did the three sets.
Leg Extensions
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 10
Last set was hard. All things considered, I didn’t think today was the day to add weight, so I moved on.
Leg Curls
2 x 35kg x 8
I got my small plates confused - last time I went up to 32.5kg so I’ve actually added weight. My left leg is a bit stronger, which I guess is because my right leg is a bit dysfunctional in the way it moves. Good news is that there was no sign of sciatic pain on the left. The sciatica seems to come from running, which I’m not doing right now.
Decided against doing leg press so as not to irritate my leg further.
Precor Cross Trainer: 20 minutes (yawn!)
A fuck ton of stretching. My split is getting closer - it’s much easier with the left leg forward. I definitely seem to have more issues with the left hip.
Strapped my TENS on my thigh when I got home (after foam rolling it). I don’t think it’s a serious issue but I am doing what I can to make sure that’s the case.
Eats
8.30am 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
11.45am 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
6.15pm 2 chicken breasts with 3 rashers of bacon; kale fried in coconut oil (haven’t eaten this yet; chicken is in the oven).
I was planning on just having the one chicken breast but realised it was getting past its use by date and needed to be eaten. I figure after all the work I’ve done today, I’ve earned it in any case.
yes ma’am, you’ve earned two boobies!!
jealous. I want a tens machine!
It’s not a big one like the physios have - it’s just a little pocket-sized gadget. Nice to use, though - it has seven different modes.
Mmm, I love my TENS machine. 1 mile of swimming, sounds great, better get my act together for tonight. But I do get bored swimming and swimming in the pool, once I have the money I’m getting one of those underwater mp3 players.
I used to long for one of the waterproof mp3 players when i was swimming competitively (a decade ago, almost).
Then i got to the point where i loved the silence in the water… the white noise kinda environment. just me and my thoughts… or no thoughts, if i wanted it that way. Pain in the ass to keep track of laps/sets, but oh well.
Yes, I think I’d lose count if I listened to music. All I’m thinking about in the water is breathing and counting (and whether someone’s in my way, or I’m in someone’s way).
Wednesday 17th August
7am Swim: 50 lengths (1250m)
1-10 Breaststroke
11-20 Crawl up, breaststroke back
21-20 Backstroke up, breaststroke back
31-40 Crawl up (fast - for me anyway), breaststroke back
41-50 Backstroke up (fast), breaststroke back
Didn’t go for the mile today - I don’t want to put pressure on myself to swim a mile every time, plus my right shoulder was getting slightly cranky and I needed to pee (damn you, second mug of tea).
Decided to push myself harder on the second set of crawls and also try some backstroke. I figure crawl stressed the anterior musculature so I needed some backstroke to balance it out. The pool was less busy so I didn’t have to worry about swimming in to anyone.
11.30am Gym
Warm-up:
20 hypers
20 reverse hypers with V at top
20 clams (per leg)
20 lateral raises (2kg dumbells for all below)
20 front raises
20 overhead presses
20 curls
20 hammer curls
20 L raises
20 bent over raises
3 x the following circuit:
500m row (2:06.1, 2:06.6, 2:08.2)
12 push-ups (shoulder-width, elbows tucked)
20 kettlebell swings (16kg)
12 assisted pull-ups on machine (-30kg, shoulder width neutral grip)
The only rest between circuits was for a swig of water and to reset the rower. In retrospect, I should have used more assistance on the pull-ups because I had to pause twice on sets 2 and 3.
The whole thing was pretty gruelling.
Arms:
Superset:
Skullcrushers: Bar +5kg x 20, Bar +7.5g x 15, Bar +10kg x 12, Bar +12.5kg x 8 (failure)
Hammer Curls: 4kg x 20, 6kg x 15, 8kg x 12, 10kg x 8
Dips:
10 (fuck YEAH!), 7, 6
Superset:
Rope pushdowns: 10kg x 15, 12.5kg x 12, 15kg x 8 (failure - again)
Dumbell curls: 6kg x 15, 8kg x 12, 10kg x 8 (also to failure)
Did a few handstands against the wall. Tried one without the wall and fell on my back. Ouch. Good job I was on a mat.
Did a little stretching but was hungry and decided I’d had enough.
Eats:
8.20am: 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
2pm: Big salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, broccoli florets, minced beef in tomato sauce, parmesan shavings (from the salad)
I’ll have another shake this evening.
Tired. Really fucking tired.
you been training harder since you’ve been dieting then ever before!
I can’t seem to do anything without music, I used to sleep and even study with it on. But then again I have a fierce time losing count of my lengths in the pool anyway.
One of the gals in the pool told me to make sure I scrub myself with anti chlorine shampoo/body wash and to use a plain old saline nasal spray after the pool to see if that helps lessen irritation. Not sure if its still bothering you. But actually CBear if you have any suggestions from your experience in the pool environment I’d be all ears (Cal…I’m sure you won’t mind me hijacking your log for this). Damn chlorine IS irritating.
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
you been training harder since you’ve been dieting then ever before![/quote]
Cal’s a gal on a mission fo sure.
I’m a no poo girl - I’ve been washing my hair with water and then an apple cider vinegar rinse after swimming. I’ve been no poo for several months now and my hair is so much better for it.
A salt water snort after might not be a bad idea, though.
And yeah, I’m on a mission. I’ve definitely lost some fat but I am concerned about what will happen when I ease off training in September (once I am back teaching and have less time to train) and start eating more normally.
I had a very thorough foam/hockey ball roll this afternoon. It seemed to help some. I’m feeling rather beaten up at the moment, which is not surprising!
Huh-huh, huh-huh, Cal said poo. Hmm, I must start using some of the apple cider vinegar myself, I heard its also great for the skin.
Cal: You’re killing the training and the dieting. Very nice. NO poo huh? How is your hair better…
Hey Cal-
I was just thinking about you and your foot situation. Do your ankles also roll in? I was told by my PT that that is what is also causing the pressure/pain on the inside of and ball of foot. Not sure why I haven’t ever thought of it that way before, but it makes sense. And all the time I spent in boots with no support and toes all boxed in only made it worse.
I think we even ran in boots a few times while in bootcamp, sheesh.
And I was also told bad knees start at the feet as you might have read in my log.
Nadia - my hair is fine and used to get really greasy - I’d have to wash it every 2-3 days. When I did, it’d be flyaway and unmanageable. Now it feels as though it has a lot more body, doesn’t get greasy nearly as quickly (I may need to use bicarb on it maybe once a fortnight) and looks healthy. Doesn’t tangle at all either. It took a while to get it to this stage but it’s so worth it.
Betty - my right leg is dysfunctional. The lower leg sticks out at an angle and the foot is rotated outwards. I have a dodgy right ankle (multiple sprains = overstretched ligaments) and I tend to walk on the outside of my foot. I tried an orthotic several years back but all it did was make a giant blister under the ball of my foot. There’s a significant callus there so I know it takes a hammering when I run.
Currently it’s not hurting (probably because I’m not running) but the issue is the lump that moves around which I think is a rogue sesamoid. That’s what concerns me more than anything.
Thursday 18th August
Rest day! I felt like a wet noodle when I woke up, despite a pretty good night’s sleep. I wasn’t planning on doing anything which is just as well. I suppose I got some NEPA because I did some cleaning - vigorous hoovering and scrubbing down dirty ledges and shelves and so forth. My flat is a dust trap - the dust bunnies could eat you for breakfast.
I also did some foam rolling in the evening. No walk though (other than to the shops to buy food) because it was grey and rainy. In fact, it still is grey and rainy.
Decided to have a carb up of sorts.
Eats:
7.45am 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
1.30pm 2 carrots (raw) while preparing lunch. Lunch was 1 chicken breast, diced and fried in coconut oil with kale, red cabbage and broccoli. White rice. Soy sauce and a splash of sesame oil for flavour. 2g fish oils (to balance the omega 6 in the sesame oil).
4.30pm 2 scoops whey, mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, golden raspberries)
6.30pm Another carrot.
My body is starting to change. I am beginning to see definition in my arms and shoulders. Below the waist is still a flabby nightmare but I actually have a quad sweep now. My fatty hip handles are a bit smaller, too. Main thing, though, is that I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin.
[quote]minimaltechno wrote:
I can’t seem to do anything without music, I used to sleep and even study with it on. But then again I have a fierce time losing count of my lengths in the pool anyway.
One of the gals in the pool told me to make sure I scrub myself with anti chlorine shampoo/body wash and to use a plain old saline nasal spray after the pool to see if that helps lessen irritation. Not sure if its still bothering you. But actually CBear if you have any suggestions from your experience in the pool environment I’d be all ears (Cal…I’m sure you won’t mind me hijacking your log for this). Damn chlorine IS irritating.[/quote]
there’s really only so much you can do, if you sweat while youre swimming (working hard, you prolly do.).
Matrix makes a shampoo and a leave in conditioner that saved my hair from damage the last year i swam (3ish hours a night)- quick search didnt find me a link and it’ll be awhile before i get back home to look at the bottles… its white with light blue/grey lettering an such on it, the conditioner is instacure.
i’d shampoo and wash with the shampoo, use whatever regular heavy duty conditioner i had picked up from the store, rinse, wrap my hair in a towel, and spray the leave in then fingercomb.
i’ll note that i have curly hair and reg peeps might not need that much conditioner.
also, aveda makes a shampoo meant to neutralize pool chemicals- detoxifier- that is supposed to be pretty gud.
Thanks CBear, yeah I have curly hair myself, although mostly knotty.
Cal, way to go!
Friday 19th August
7am Swim - 64 Lengths (1600m, approx 1 mile)
1-10 Breaststroke
11-20 Crawl up, breaststroke back
21-20 Backstroke up, breaststroke back
31-40 Crawl up (fast - for me anyway), breaststroke back
41-50 Backstroke up (fast), breaststroke back
51-60 Crawl up, breaststroke back
61-64 Breaststroke
My right shoulder is being pissy. I guess I’ve gone into swimming hard and it’s not used to it. Plus, there’s a lot of internal rotation on the breaststroke and to a certain extent, the crawl. I’m going to have to be careful with this.
12pm Gym - Legs
20 hypers
20 reverse hypers with V at top
20 clams (per leg)
20 single leg hip thrusters (foot on high bench) (per leg)
20 overhead split squats using a 5kg body bar (per leg)
20 good mornings (body bar)
20 bosu ball squat/sit up combo
In the free weights room:
20 step-ups (per leg, alternating; 8 risers plus step)
10 step overs, pin 7
10 step overs, pin 9
Box Squats
Bar x 20
30kg x 15
40kg x 12
45kg x 8
Fear my squashy butt!
50kg x 5
55kg x 1
57.5kg x 1 (PR…for the moment)
60kg x 1 (new PR!)
The 60kg was a bit good morningy but I got it up. I did videos of most of these but my upload speed is so shite I only managed to upload the one vid. Pity.
Squats
(Used the guide bar again)
Bar x 10
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
Oddly, these looked a bit high on the video even though I touched the bar on each rep. I am not happy about putting the bar lower at this point due to the hips. Baby steps, I suppose. Also, left ITB was grumbling so I didn’t push it.
Leg Extensions
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 10
Last set was still hard. I don’t think my legs are 100% recovered from last time so I stopped there.
Leg Curls
2 x 35kg x 8
Same again but these were a new weight last time.
Leg Press
120kg x 10
160kg x 10
180kg x 8 (PR)
Lot of stretching. Split (left leg forward) is almost there. Right leg forward, not so much - my left hip is not as flexible.
Eats
8pm 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
3pm 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
4-6pm 3 skinny carrots, cocktail beetroots
6.30pm Bacon wrapped chicken breast, red cabbage and broccoli sitr fried in coconut oil, pea shoots
Tea and skimmed milk throughout the day.
Feel bloated today. I’m not going to blame it on the rice I had yesterday - it’s just good old fashioned constipation. Bleh.