Soul Splint

This. It sucks. Your name also carries the hidden meaning of ectomorph, right? Or was that just a (un)happy coincidence? But at least you already blazed that 30-pound trail, hopefully you can get back up there without as much sweat and tears as before. On a sidenote, I consumed about 3,000 good calories yesterday between noon and 8 p.m. Once my stomach stretches out a bit I'll be adding to that. And you're right, it's not as much fun as it sounds.

The 2013-14 winter bulk. It has begun. My goal for the spring is to have the ability to walk around carrying Mjolnir and have nobody dare to laugh at me.

Happy late B-Day bro! Now put the cake down and go deadlift

Yessss. Return of the calluses. There is no better feeling. That deserves a DOUBLE :nicework:.

Gainz Cat agrees with this statement.

Yep, been there. Skinny fat sucks. It's the worst of both worlds.

Dude, that sucks so bad. I hate to hear that, especially cause I know how much effort goes into gaining that kind of weight. Hope your recovery speeds up! HAHAHA, I'm listening to the OCR radio, and when I read this, guess what was playing? http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00160/ No joke. Whatchu eatin man? Sounds like there are some extra carbs or simple sugars in your diet, or maybe just not enough fat-burning exercise. I'm skinny by nature too, but I have to get down below ten for my abs to start peeking. And how sure are you that you're around 10? My last self-estimate was off by about 2 percent in the wrong (fat) direction.

Ah, ten-four. That's really, really sad. Really.

Hey guys, quick point-out: I just clicked on Mega Man X to see his bio and it took me to Terra's page...

My schedule's about to shift to allow me to workout an extra day a week, which rules so hard. I'm working on a new regimen to destroy myself That schedule shift, my desire to start an intermittent fasting bulk, and moving into a new house are all coinciding right now; I'm hoping to be in the new house, then start the new diet and weight regimen week after next. Last time I did a solid diet/workout change at the same time I got a small 'noob gain' which is pretty awesome when you have been working out steadily for a couple of years.

Ahhh! I was wondering when Dream Land 2 would hit. I know what I'm doing tonight:) Nostaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllgia. Now release Super Mario Bros. 3 already.

The debt is officially wiped: http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/bioshock-infinite-heads-rapture-upcoming-dlc-180341138.html

Ermagerd, kale + bacon sounds like a win. I'll have to try that. I've been trying to track down a semi-convenient location to purchase grass-fed products from, but the pickings are pretty slim. So far it looks like the closest option for me is about an hour away. I may be buying in super-bulk for a while. Yeah, measuring food is typically worthless unless you're looking to win bodybuilding contests. I definitely don't measure when I'm bulking, and I typically only measure for the first week or so of a cut until I get used to what the portions look and feel like. I think I'm gonna try intermittent fasting when I start bulking next month. Thanks for the food list

Cool, I'll do some research on pubmed soon. I got from 155 to 180 without too much trouble, now I want to see if I can get to a clean 200 then back down to a super-clean 190 or so next spring. Would you mind sharing your average daily food log? Just what you're eating and how much, etc. I'm curious.

So let's talk intermittent fasting, please. I'm planning on doing it for my next cut in January, but I was also considering the possibility of starting it for my bulk next month. I'm just a little wary of consuming so many calories in such a short amount of time; I'm afraid I'll feel like crap during most of my eight hours of eating. Ecto, I think you said you had some experience with this. Has anyone else tried it? Also, if someone could point to some good research about how intermittent fasting affects hormones, that would be most welcome.

^New incentive to go to Magfest, if only for the pictures it would provide. In other fitness news, my wife and I are close to moving into our first home (closed last month!), which has a basement that I will be able to convert to my very own boxing gym of dreams. I have the equipment, but haven't had a place to put it in a couple of years. Heavy bag, speed bag, jump rope, resistance bands...oh yeah. Complete with a poster of Rocky on the wall. "No pain! No pain!"

I hate it for you, that you feel that way. That must suck. Not to be overly-elementary, but what kinds of things are you doing to get yourself 'ready' to workout? Bear with me while I give you a rundown of what I do to prep: 1) About an hour beforehand, I start listening to some kind of energetic music that gets my mind and blood flowing. 2) Half an hour beforehand, I take a pre-workout on a mostly empty stomach. (These are not for everyone, but I love a good pre-workout supplement. You may want to consider trying one. They come in varying degrees of simplicity in regard to their ingredients). This lets my body know what's coming, and gets me primed for the workout in several ways mentally and physically. 3) On my way to the gym, I think about what I am going there to accomplish. My motivation is pretty simple: I got very tired of being a tall walking stick. I know that for me to feel fit and strong (a feeling I have grown to love), it's going to require some sweat and dedication. I would MUCH rather spend that free time playing video games or reading etc., but this is where the music comes in again. 4) As soon as I start stretching, I am listening to music that gets me pumped. Not just energetic, but something that makes the Alpha Male come tearing out of you, where you are wanting to see just how far you can make your veins pop out of your skin. This is key for me. No music, no (good) workout. Once you start seeing results in your musculature, this gets even better, as you can start to appreciate the changes in your body as you're working out (the mirrors are meant for form correction, but they can be pretty useful for motivation too ). tl;dr Make certain you are doing everything leading up to and during your workout to help yourself succeed. If you are already doing these things and you're still miserable at the gym, then you really do need to find another exercise outlet. If you can't find a way to be happy doing it, it's probably not worth it.

I love platform jumping/rope swinging into water, but I grew up around lakes where you could always find these. It's got to be very intimidating to people who aren't used to it, so kudos for giving it a shot! It's definitely a rush. Random vent from today's workout: To the guy who never went more than 15 seconds without coughing, sometimes spastically; you are obviously SICK. Go. Home. No one wants to breathe in your nasty-ass germs while we are trying to focus on our workouts. Worst of all, I think he was trying to train every single muscle in his body today, meaning he was ALL OVER the gym (except the power racks of course). Some people.

Can't post a link where I am right now, but YouTube Banjo-Tooie's Glittergulch Mine. Very lazy, hillbilly tune.

Also, though it's a bit more atmospheric than melodic, from Spyro 2 always made me drift away...

from Dark Cloud for the PS2. The link is to the extended (looped) version--enjoy:)

20% is plenty low enough (for me). I don't think I've ever gone below 20% for more than a week at a time, and even then I've only done that a handful of times. I just start feeling like crap no matter what I do if it gets that low for any decent amount of time.

While immobile, I would describe it as a 'barely there' pressure, as I'm just barely aware that it doesn't feel normal. Then, when I do a flat press, it's a dull pain at about 1 out of 10 on the pain scale. As the lift elevation goes up, so does the pain. Vertical presses are about a 2 or 3 out of 10 (still a dull ache). The epicenter of the pain is in my rotator cuff (precisely: put your finger in the center of your left deltoid, then move it up toward your head about half an inch, then forward toward your chest a little less than one inch. Bingo). The ache will persist for at least an hour after shoulder/chest workouts. The test my wife performed on me (she's an RN) made her think it was a rotator cuff issue as well. If you do a lateral raise with no weight, it will probably feel slightly uncomfortable. If you have someone assist you and lift your arm for you, and then you don't feel any pain, that is indicative of a rotator cuff issue. The test was dead-on for me; I didn't feel any discomfort when she lifted my arm for me. I'm not sure how you would do a similar test for the elbow...

Good point. Way to find that silver lining for me. "The only good thing about getting shot in the buttocks, is the ice cream."

Hope you're feeling better now, TC. And I'm in agreement with Ecto; that doesn't sound like a low-carb related problem. Dehydration is much more likely (and all of your symptoms match; I've been hospitalized twice for dehydration). Topic switch: I've just been banned from weightlifting for 10-14 days. My shoulder has been on/off aching for a couple of months now, and after talking to my best friend from high school (who is a Physical Therapist's Assistant), he has concluded I am one bad lift away from injuring my left rotator cuff. So, no weights, lots of ice, lots of ibuprofen, lots of rest, and lots of calories. Damn it.