Day 30 (Updated photos)

I've pretty much decided to make this a weekly blog because I've only been keeping up with it every few days. I feel like I've given a decent description of what the day-to-day procedures are like, so I don't need to continue describing how "chest and back" was for the 5th time, or exactly what I ate on a day-to-day basis. I will hit on the major points of the week, as well as struggles I had, or things that interested me.

Recap of the last week:

Finished up with the recovery week, which was core synergistics twice, yoga x twice, kenpo, and X stretch. The second time I did core synergistics, I got a lot more out of it because I really tried to intensify each move and "engage" my core (as Tony suggests we do). This week was a little boring for me however, and I had to resist doing push-ups or pull-ups (I did "cheat" a few days and do a some sets of pull-ups because I wanted to get the blood pumping through my veins a little, but I didn't over do it).

I was pretty on top of the diet, but found myself a little more hungry than usual, and craving some really crappy foods. I snuck in a bite of pizza, and a half slice of tuxedo truffle cake, along with a few other less than nutritious snacks, but only had tastings of each. Saturday was the big break from the diet, as I competed in a volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach. Entitled "LUSHNESS XII," it was more like a beach party with a little bit of volleyball, as there were beer chugging contests, jello shots, and challenges to skim points off the other team that usually involved eating whip cream off someone or drinking something. It was a costume event, and we went as 'Gangstas n' Paradise.' The guys dressed up as gansta's and the girls were our tropical "paradise." It was a good/early time (started at 8 am), and worth the calories, though I do wish there was a bit more physical activity. I had to delay my Yoga X workout until the following day.

I've started Phase Two, which is back to resistance training. The first day (Shoulders, Triceps, and Chest) is my favorite routine so far. It really pumps up my whole upper body, and isolates the muscles that are targeted. Plus, there is no repetition so its a new exercise every minute or two. I crushed ab ripper x, and even intensified some of the moves by raising my arms or legs when it wasn't required. I'm really happy with my improvement in this area after just one month because it used to be like torture.

An added bonus to Phase Two is the second phase of the diet: "Energy Booster." Slightly less protein, and vegetables, with the addition of two more Carb/Starch portions per day. I am super excited about this because I really missed bread, and can now have toast or pancakes with breakfast, a sandwhich for lunch, and rice or baked potato with my dinner (instead of just one of those options per day). I'm able to eat a little more like how I used to, though of course it's all still low fat, highly nutritious.

Photos! As seen above, there have been some minor improvements from my week 2 photos, and certainly from day one (click here to compare to day one "The Justification". I notice the biggest difference in the pictures of my shoulders and back. Biceps and Triceps have gained a little size, and my chest is starting to shape up, but my shouders show a lot of definition, and my lats are starting to form the much sought after "V" (admittedly the growth is slight). Also, my abs are starting to show a bit and I'm starting to get some definition around the pelvic, hip thruster area. Its really motivating to see these kinds of results after just one month of a program, and I am interested to see where I'll be after eight more weeks. 30 down 60 to go...