Dan, glad you had a good dinner and are continuing progress with your routine.
JW, yeah, I’m still doing good. This weekend was absolutely gorgeous and I’m a bit upset to have to go to work tonight. Such is life.
Hey everyone,
If there are any spelling errors, I apologize in advance. I can’t see that well, as my eyes were dilated today at the eye doctor. Was tough driving home, but thankfully I didn’t have far to go.
Today did a home boxing workout for 30 minutes, taking only 2 brief (45-60 seconds) rests.
2 rounds
Jumping Jacks
Medicine Ball sit-ups
Push-ups
2 rounds
Jab
Jab-Straight
2 rounds
Shadowboxing
2 rounds
Jab
Jab-Straight
2 rounds
Shadowboxing
2 rounds
Jumping Jacks
Push-ups
Finished with some light DB work for biceps and shoulders.
Tomorrow it’s Day 3, Week 8 of TBT. Only 2 workouts to go and I’m done with TBT!
Take care,
Dan
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
Dan, glad you had a good dinner and are continuing progress with your routine.
JW, yeah, I’m still doing good. This weekend was absolutely gorgeous and I’m a bit upset to have to go to work tonight. Such is life.[/quote]
True very true. Just think of all that character your building… LOL.
Good to here your doing good.
Keep up with the progress Dan. You are doing fine my friend.
JW
Hey everyone,
Just got back from the gym. Had a good workout today, even though I’ve got either a muscle strain/pull in left oblique. And no, I don’t believe it’s anything to do with my appendix. The pain would be much more severe. It doesn’t bother me too much, just once in a while I’ll notice a kind of dull pain in the area. Doesn’t hurt at all when I walk, bend over or anything like that. I’m taking the tomorrow off and the weekend as well, so hopefully things will heal up by then.
Here’s the stats from today’s workout:
Sets: 3
Reps: 8
Rest: 60
BB Bench Press: 190 (up 2.5 lbs. from last week)
Romanian Deadlift: 165 (+10 lbs.)
Standing BB Military Press: 105, 110 110 (up 2.5 lbs. on last 2 sets)
Seated Calf Raises: 150 (+10 lbs.)
Leg Curls: 110
Lateral Raises: 30, 32.5, 32.5 (up 2.5 lbs. on last 2 sets).
Friday will be my final TBT workout as well as my weekly weigh-in.
Later,
Dan
Hey everyone,
I took today off from the gym. It felt good to get the rest…I needed it. I didn’t have the best of days today, but nothing that I couldn’t deal with.
Last night for the first time in a long time I noticed my heart “skipping” a beat as I tried to fall asleep. This hasn’t happened in months and I’m pretty sure it’s because I was thinking negative thoughts about the pain in my abdomen (thinking it was perhaps my appendix and not a muscle strain or digestive problems). My heart then began to race a bit, but after a few deep breaths things returned to normal and I dozed off a few minutes later.
Today when I awoke I felt pretty good. I went to the therapist and things seemed fine. I went to store to pick up a few items and returned home, ate some food then sat down to do some deep breathing exercises. Again, I noticed my heart “skipping” a beat. Not sure why this is happening again all of a sudden but like I said, I think it has to do with negative thoughts that creep into my mind.
I’m feeling better now than I did a few hours ago. Again, nothing to be alarmed about but just thought I’d share my bad days along with my good ones.
I know this is a long process and I’m going to have days similar to today. The good thing was that I didn’t feel the need to take a pill and I didn’t have a full-blown anxiety attack.
Tomorrow is another day and I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym. Oh, and the abdominal pain has subsided some, so that’s good news.
-Dan
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Hey everyone,
I took today off from the gym. It felt good to get the rest…I needed it. I didn’t have the best of days today, but nothing that I couldn’t deal with.
Last night for the first time in a long time I noticed my heart “skipping” a beat as I tried to fall asleep. This hasn’t happened in months and I’m pretty sure it’s because I was thinking negative thoughts about the pain in my abdomen (thinking it was perhaps my appendix and not a muscle strain or digestive problems). My heart then began to race a bit, but after a few deep breaths things returned to normal and I dozed off a few minutes later.
Today when I awoke I felt pretty good. I went to the therapist and things seemed fine. I went to store to pick up a few items and returned home, ate some food then sat down to do some deep breathing exercises. Again, I noticed my heart “skipping” a beat. Not sure why this is happening again all of a sudden but like I said, I think it has to do with negative thoughts that creep into my mind.
I’m feeling better now than I did a few hours ago. Again, nothing to be alarmed about but just thought I’d share my bad days along with my good ones.
I know this is a long process and I’m going to have days similar to today. The good thing was that I didn’t feel the need to take a pill and I didn’t have a full-blown anxiety attack.
Tomorrow is another day and I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym. Oh, and the abdominal pain has subsided some, so that’s good news.
-Dan[/quote]
I’ve experienced the same, usually when laying in bed about to go to sleep. I’ve often wondered if it is the signs of pent up anxiety. I suppose I could attribute negative thoughts to it or say worrying about some issue of some sort but one thing is for certain the breathing always gets me through it - always. And no pills? You’re way ahead of this Dan, good job!
Tracey,
Thanks for the encouragement. I talked with my wife for a while last night about how I was feeling and afterwards I felt a lot better. In the past I would’ve just bottled up my emotions and not told her what was bothering me and I would’ve felt worse.
Hey everyone,
Well, I’m done with TBT! Man, those 8 weeks really flew by. I made some great gains, both in terms of strength and size. I’m sure the 2 month layoff I had prior to starting TBT helped accelerate my gains to an extent, but I still believe that this program really works for me (especially with my work schedule) and the gains came as a result of my hard work and decent diet.
I’ve still got 10 more pounds to go to hit my target weight (205), so I’ll continue to keep working towards that. Hopefully I’ll reach that mark by the end of May beginning of June.
I’m still undecided as to what routine I’ll do next. Either another round of TBT or Art of Waterbury. I’ll take the weekend to decide.
Here’s the final stats from today:
Sets: 3
Reps: 12
Rest: 90
Chins: BW
DB Lunges: 35 (+5 lbs.
BB Seated Military Press: 115, 120, 120 (+2.5 lbs. on last 2 sets)
Sumo Deadlift: 215 (+10 lbs.)
Close-grip bench press: 175
Did my weekly weigh-in afterwards and checked in at 195, same as last week. I still need to order that Biotest Creatine before it sells out.
Take care everyone,
Dan
Hey everyone,
Well, my body definitely appreciated the extra day’s rest I gave it this weekend. After 2.5 months of training 5-6 days a week, it felt good to take 2 full days off and do nothing but relax.
I’ve decided to go ahead and do another round of TBT. It really is the best program for me right now with my work schedule being as crazy as it is. After this next round of TBT I’ll take a week off to recover, then will move on to the Waterbury Method and Art of Waterbury, as per CW’s recommendation. This should take me through the summer in terms of my exercise planning.
Today was a home boxing workout, although I focused more on conditioning drills than actually hitting the bag. I did several rounds of shadowboxing and a whole lot of jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups and burpees. Finishing up with some stretching and some shoulder and biceps exercises.
Tomorrow I’ll hit the gym for my first workout in TBT.
Oh, and my pain in my stomach is still hanging around. It’s either something with my digestive system or some sort of muscle strain/pull. It doesn’t bother me much, but once in a while I’ll get a slight “pinch” in my stomach area.
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.
-Dan
Hey everyone,
Got in an early workout this morning. Definitely enjoy getting up and going to the gym first thing when I get a chance.
Here’s the stats from Day 1, Week 1 of TBT round 2.
Sets: 3
Reps: 5
Rest: 60
BB Bench Press: 200 (felt strong on these and will increase weight next time)
Seated Rows: 190
Squats: 205
Sumo Deadlift: 255
Standing Calf Raises: 180
DB Hammer Curls: 45
Tomorrow I’m going to do some energy systems work, either sprints or riding a stationary bike.
Take care,
Dan
DJ, have you ever been tested for White-Parkinson-Wolfe Syndrome? It can lead to rapidly increased heartrate in some people under stressful conditions. My wife and her sister have it, though my wife’s never had a problem with it – it’s stayed dormant her whole life, even during labour.
Anxiety can trigger an attack, and then, of course, once people feel their heart racing uncontrollably, they get more anxious… you see where that’s going. Have your doctor check it out. You probably don’t have it, but it can’t hurt to look, and if it is then you have a moderately harmless explaination to your problem. 
[quote]Northcott wrote:
DJ, have you ever been tested for White-Parkinson-Wolfe Syndrome? It can lead to rapidly increased heartrate in some people under stressful conditions. My wife and her sister have it, though my wife’s never had a problem with it – it’s stayed dormant her whole life, even during labour.
Anxiety can trigger an attack, and then, of course, once people feel their heart racing uncontrollably, they get more anxious… you see where that’s going. Have your doctor check it out. You probably don’t have it, but it can’t hurt to look, and if it is then you have a moderately harmless explaination to your problem. :)[/quote]
Never heard of that, although I’m pretty sure I don’t have it, it can’t hurt to do some research on it.
-Dan
Hey everyone,
Just finished another home boxing workout. Went 20 minutes straight with no rest, except for to grab a couple sips of water. My endurance has really improved in the last three months, as before I could only do this type of workout for 3-5 minutes before getting tired.
Today was a lot of medicine ball squats and sit-ups; jumping jacks and push-ups, combined with boxing drills (shadow boxing) and some Muay Thai kicks and knees added on for good measure.
Tomorrow it’s off to the gym for Day 2, Week 1 of TBT part II and I’ll also do my weekly weigh-in.
Take care,
Dan
Hey everyone,
Just returned from the gym and had another great workout. Here’s the stats:
Sets: 3
Reps: 8
Rest: 90
DB Incline Bench: 75
BB Upright Rows: 90
Front Squats: 175
Good Mornings: 135
BB Biceps Curl: 70
Dips: BW + 25lbs.
Did my weekly weigh-in and checked in at 195 pounds, same as last week. Still 10 more pounds to go to hit my target.
Taking tomorrow completely off, then it’s back to the gym Saturday for my final TBT workout for week 1.
Take care,
Dan
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to check in and let you all know I won’t be on here much this week. I’ve got a really busy work week ahead and have also schedule to take a week off from lifting. After three months of 5-6 days a week of training, my body is ready for a break.
I’ll reutrn next week, picking up TBT Part II with Week 2.
Take care,
Dan
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to check in and let you all know I won’t be on here much this week. I’ve got a really busy work week ahead and have also schedule to take a week off from lifting. After three months of 5-6 days a week of training, my body is ready for a break.
I’ll reutrn next week, picking up TBT Part II with Week 2.
Take care,
Dan[/quote]
Have a great week and enjoy your time off!
Hey nice to see things are going good. I also suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and i am only 16. I got dyscalculia which is a learning disability and well it really makes life hard especially when people don?t understand. I remember when i first got my first panic attack, i was in math and the teacher asked me a question basically what?s 174-36=, yea i know i know most of you are thinking: wow that?s so easy", but to tell you the truth it could be considered the hardest thing in the world for me. Although i can do math, i just have problems with the basics and it ties to other things too. Anyway he asked me and i felt my heart rushing, my whole body began to sweat, i felt light headed and began to get tunnel vision. I was holding up the class which made it even worse, i tell l you i almost passed out and well after it was over class was really quiet, I felt like i should just die because i would rather die that go through another one that was so intense like that panic attack. Well it actually did feel like i was dieing.
Anyway that is also one of the reasons i lift, i feel it just makes me better both mentally and physically. A healthy body gives you a healthy mind. I love seeing my body developed new levels of strength, when i know i can never achieve a great mathematic level, i know that if i train hard i will be able to achieve something great with my body. Basically its what keeps me going.
[quote]mrl179 wrote:
Hey nice to see things are going good. I also suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and i am only 16. I got dyscalculia which is a learning disability and well it really makes life hard especially when people don?t understand. I remember when i first got my first panic attack, i was in math and the teacher asked me a question basically what?s 174-36=, yea i know i know most of you are thinking: wow that?s so easy", but to tell you the truth it could be considered the hardest thing in the world for me. Although i can do math, i just have problems with the basics and it ties to other things too. Anyway he asked me and i felt my heart rushing, my whole body began to sweat, i felt light headed and began to get tunnel vision. I was holding up the class which made it even worse, i tell l you i almost passed out and well after it was over class was really quiet, I felt like i should just die because i would rather die that go through another one that was so intense like that panic attack. Well it actually did feel like i was dieing.
Anyway that is also one of the reasons i lift, i feel it just makes me better both mentally and physically. A healthy body gives you a healthy mind. I love seeing my body developed new levels of strength, when i know i can never achieve a great mathematic level, i know that if i train hard i will be able to achieve something great with my body. Basically its what keeps me going.[/quote]
Thanks for sharing your story and glad you found this thread. I’m sure being in high school and having a learning disability is tough, especially knowing how much HS kids love to tease one another, things like this are an easy target if the kids aren’t educated about the disability.
Hopefully things have improved for you some at school. I know it’s easy to say but don’t let the negativity of others bring you down. Focus on staying strong and you should be able to get through most days.
Lifting weights definitely helps relieve stress so I’m glad to hear you’ve found solace in the gym.
-Dan
Hey everyone,
Well my week off has been very refreshing. It’s weird, I actually feel like I’ve grown this week even though I haven’t exercised. I know for some people don’t like to take breaks for exercising but I always seem to respond well to the rest.
Tomorrow I’m getting back to my routine and will do a home boxing workout, followed by Day 1, Week 2 of TBT part II.
Oh, and while watching the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 3 last night there was a commercial for a local Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym in my area and they are offering a free week of classes. I think I’m going to check it out and see what it’s like. From what I hear the instructors are really good…only thing is money is kind of tight right now so hopefully a membership (at least short term) isn’t too expensive.
As far as mental health goes, I’m doing fine. There will be times when I’m more “on edge” than others but they happen infrequently and only last a few minutes, noting to be overly concerned about. I need to get back to doing more relaxation techniques during the day, as I’ve let them slide a bit because of work.
Talk to you soon,
Dan
I’m baaack!
I decided to take one more day off yesterday (Saturday), so I returned to my exercise program today.
Did a nice 30-minute boxing routine that consisted of a lot of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, knee raises w/ medicine ball and of course, punches thrown on the heavy bag.
Also did a good 10-minute stretching routine afterwards…flexibility is one of the things I still need to improve.
Don’t know if I mentioned this before but my downstairs neighbor (who is a shut-in and never leaves the house) has been a pain in the ass recently. She’s called and complained on us twice for loud noise and trying to say we’ve knocked a couple of her pictures off the wall.
I know she’s complaining about the noise from the portable heavy bag, which does move a bit when I use it, but no way is is THAT loud or does it have the ability to knock down pictures on a wall that’s BELOW us. I have a fish bowl, several pictures and a 500-cd CD rack in my office where the bag is and none of those items have fallen, so how can something of hers? And, I only hit the bag for a maximum of 10 minutes a workout, which is 2x a week, so it’s not like the noise is constant or excessive. Plus, we’ve been more than nice not to call the office on her for her vaccuming at 11 p.m. almost nightly and blaring the TV at all hours of the night.
I’ve talked to management and they’ve agreed to stop paying attention to her complaints, since she never calls when the noise takes place. The only way they will believe her is if she calls immediately and someone from the office comes by and hears the noise themselves. Too bad they’ll never hear any as by the time the neighbor called and someone came over, I’d be done hitting the bag by then.
Okay, enough of my rant. This situation just really stressed me out this past week so I wanted to get it off my chest.
Take care,
Dan