Physique Pics

These were shot in April of 2005. I was dieting down for our cruise to the Bahamas. Still way too fat and I think down on muscle mass from the changes to my routine due to shoulder and back issues and the imbalances resulting from them. I was still working around it getting my tail in the company gym several times per week to lift weights and pound the treadmill.

I was reasonably happy with myself when we hit the port in Jackonsville a month later. I was in the low 160's and had a little bit more of a tan after hitting the tanning bed. My Scotch/Irish heritage doesn't allow much in that area either. I was probably 13-14% bodyfat at that point. I wouldn't mind seeing those numbers again but I'm  carrying less muscle mass now so the body weight would of course be lower.

The worse was yet to come. I got laid off in April of 2006 and stopped working out.

Physique Pics

Some claim that bodybuilders have a mental illness similar to anorexia called body dysmorphic disorder. They obsessively try to correct some perceived imperfection in their physique by lifting weights and taking performance enhancing drugs as well. I have been very dedicated at times to maintaining a strict diet and lifting religiously but not what I would consider obsessively yet I do see many imperfections.

Although I'm no bodybuilder, for years, I followed a traditional bodybuilder routine of bulking during the winter and leaning out for the summer. Of course, that plan has mostly been promoted by drug using professionals. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't work for me. Whether I just don' t have the genetics or have failed in the execution, I get too fat during the bulk and lose too much muscle trying to drop the fat.

I've taken some pics along the way but have never been thrilled with the results so never very many. I've never posted them for public consumption whether for fear of trolls or just my disappointment over the perceived imperfections. Maybe it's time? Maybe they will inspire me to discipline myself for more improvements. These two were shot in July of 2004. The flash wiped out what little definition that I had and body fat was pretty high.

Some Progress on the Fitness Front

I confess. I'm a yoyo fitness enthusiast. I've got the same excuses as everyone else: too busy at home, schedule at work, too damn lazy, etc. For four years, I did nothing but sat on my tail in front of a computer with only my fingers moving for the better part of my day. Athens was good for my state of mind but not for my physique.

Since returning to the Arsenal last July, I joined the MWR giving me access to the fitness centers on the base. I've worked out at all of them over the years but have been sticking to the Sparkman Center this time. My workouts are different now. I now start my sessions with thirty minutes on the elliptical. I've always been a cardio advocate but I just don't like it.

Cardio was a part of my workout between 1998 and 2006 but it was shoved to the end and just wasn't prioritized the way that it is now. If I didn't feel like it then oh well. My fathers early passing prompted a change in priorities. I'm sure that not smoking three packs a day gives me a decided advantage over my dad but the cardio sure couldn't hurt and, after four years of a very sedentary lifestyle, I feel a lot better!

The ego is being checked at the door and my shoulder and back thank me for it daily. I've given up the big three ego builders otherwise known as the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Let them rest in peace. It's Nautilus machines with some dumbbell work tossed in for smaller bodyparts. While I really like the chest and back machines, the arm machines just don't quite feel right. I have split my routine into back/biceps and chest/triceps with calf raises being done at each work. Leg presses were killing my back so the elliptical is the only real leg work that I'm getting. I inherited a set of chicken legs from my dad and I'm gonna have to live with it.

My goal of the three times per week lunch hour work out has only been fully realized a few times but progress has been made. I've dropped about five pounds on the scale. Approximately fifteen more would put me back solidly into high school range which might be a little light but we'll see ... that is... if I can actually get there.

Words of Our First President

"Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse."

George Washington

Remembering the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

"I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man." -- From a speech delivered in Memphis on April 3, 1968. King was assassinated the next day.

Certification Fun

Professional certifications have been on my dream list since graduating in 2008 but cash has not been plentiful. Unfortunately, the lack of certs was a deterrent to gainful employment. Luckily, I found someone that saw my potential and hired me anyway with the stipulation that I had six months to pass the required exams. I passed the CompTIA Network+ last month which gives me a lifetime cert in that area and now I'm studying furiously for the Microsoft 70-620 exam.

I thought I would have another month to study for an exam of my choice but my employer decided otherwise so everyone is taking this Vista test this week! Myself and four of my co-workers got the honors of going first so Tuesday morning at 8:30 it is. I've been studying online and failed my first practice exam by four points after going through half the material. Gotta keep studying! One more day. Definitely not the best way to spend a three day holiday weekend.