mmm calories

     Well my legs have just about recovered from the backpacking mountain adventure from last weekend.  I guess that means its almost time to start my new routine Mass Made Simple by Dan John.  First however we need to make sure the diet is in order.  So lets go over what my diet will be like the next 6 weeks.  Since the nutritional aspect of Dan's book was nil, I am going to be bulking on 4,300 calories a day.  I seem to have made pretty good gains on my recent 4k bulk.  I *MAY* reduce it to 3800 as on the 4k bulk I did seem to get a bit of a belly, however thats usually expected while bulking and not something I'm too concerned about as my body can burn calories and lean out at an alarming rate. We'll see how it goes.

Continuing; for optimal gains you can't just consume 4k calories and expect to gain muscle mass.  You can and will gain weight of course, however you want this weight to be in the form of muscle mass and not fat stores. That being said of these 4k calories the right macro nutrient percentages are essential for optimal body composition. So let's delve a little deeper into the lovely world of macro nutrients:

Protein - Everyone's favorite macro.  A magic nutrient that muscles need and everyone thinks there are no ill effects from consuming too much. If a little is a good, a lot is better right??  Truth be told there is an upper limit of protein intake your body can handle. Your body will extract exactly what it needs and any excess will be converted and stored for fat for a later use.  So there is no need to go overboard.  We want enough protein to achieve positive nitrogen balance and protein synthesis and not a whole lot more.  A positive nitrogen balance means the body is retaining protein and using it to build new tissue. Recent research I've read on protein intake showed that increasing intake from the RDA of .8 gram per kilogram of body weight to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight increased protein synthesis significantly.  At 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight there was no significant increase.  So the group consuming 2.4g seemed to plateau; meaning they were taking in more protein than was necessary.  Based on this study I've decided to meet in the middle at 1.9, but to make life easier I'll just use 2.  So we divide 182 (my current body weight in lbs) by 2.2 to give us what I would weigh in kilograms, then multiply that number by 2 to get my daily protein allowance.  So I should be consuming around 165g of protein per day.  And since 1g of protein = 4 calories that means 660 of my 4300 calories will be coming from protein.  That was easy.

Next; Carbs! Fuel for the muscle. They supply you with energy to push harder and longer resulting in better work outs.  We love better workouts.  Therefore we love carbs!  We are active, we hit the gym 4-5 days a week; we play sports 3-4 days a weeks, our body needs energy to build muscle and to perform these activities and its preferred  source for this energy comes from carbs. However;  just like I mentioned in the protein explanation; excess carbs will be stored and converted to fat for later use. Sedentary people who don't work out, don't play sports or don't do anything but sit on the couch all day will suffer from excess carbohydrates.  They can become insulin resistant; which causes the body to release too much insulin to regulate blood glucose levels, this then theoretically leads to fat gain.  However an active individual who has a healthy insulin response needs not to worry about this. All the more reason to hit the gym.!  Anyways, Lyle McDonald one of the leading authors on exercise physiology and Susan Kleiner; author of one of my favorite books Power Eating both recommend around 3g per lb of body weight for carb intake. Using their recommendations I'll be eating 546 g of carbs.  And since 1g of carb = 4 calories that means 2184 of my calories will be from carbs.


That means I have 1456 calories left.  These will be for fats.  That seems like a lot. Divide that number by 9 and you get your daily allowance of fat in grams (1g of fat = 9 calories) 161g. It turns out to be 33% of my daily calories.  Which is just a bit more than the 30% recommended for bulking.  Close enough.  Understand that fats are essential for the release of certain hormones.  Especially everyone's favorite: testosterone; the biggest hormone responsible for manufacturing muscle.  More fat = more testosterone. Yes!!




Anyways, that's enough for tonight.  I will go into more detail on the types of foods I'll be eating during this bulk and the supplements, tools and resources I'll be using to help me over the next six weeks a bit later.

Dog Lover Digs Deep

    I thought I was in shape.  I thought I was fit and conditioned.  This was until I attempted to climb some mountains with a 40lb back pack strapped to my back.  I have a new found respect for avid back country hikers now.  That was not easy.  For starters there were mechanical issues with my backpack right off the start.  I'm not sure how those packs are supposed to work but for the first mile or so the weight of the pack was completely on my shoulders.   We pulled over for a minute and made some adjustments.  I was told the majority of the weight was supposed to be on my hips.  I adjusted it; much better.  However it didn't last long.  I couldn't tighten the strap around my waist any tighter and it kept slipping down so the weight kept shifting to my shoulders.  Fighting with my pack the whole way up 5.5 miles @ 4,000 feet was not fun.  Again, I think the lack of strength in my legs came into play as we hiked.  My quads and hamstrings burnt like fire.  By the time I reached the first campsite they were complete jelly. 

   Day 2 sounded like it was going to be better.  It was only 2.6 miles to our half way point. We would rest, get some lunch at Galehead hut and continue on another 3.2 miles to the next campsite.  On paper that sounded easy.  However the first leg was downhill to a valley.  It was a tough downhill.  Boulders, rocks and an 80lb dog that's afraid to jump more than 2 feet.  I had to stop often and help Fenway at spots.



   All the resisting on the rocks, combined with me trying to push her to motivate her in some spots resulted in Fenway tearing her rear pads on her paws.  She began limping about 1/2 way to Galehead and we stopped and tried to tape her up.  The bandage lasted all of 2 minutes, but the limp went away eventually and we continued up.  It took us around 4 hours, maybe more, to go the 2.6 to Galehead.  It seemed like forever but we finally had made it.   That's when things got a bit scary.

     Our friends, Megan and Nathan Staples have two huskies; Ember and Marley.  Upon reaching the hut at Galehead we noticed Ember was not acting right.  She was twitching uncontrollably, was vomiting had a loss of vision and was very lethargic.  It didn't look good. And as an avid dog lover I was scared, probably not nearly as scared as Megan and Nathan must have been. The last thing you want is to lose a dog at 3800 feet, 5 miles away from anything.  We didn't know if she was dehydrated or if maybe she ate something she wasn't supposed to.  Luckily my wife had cell phone reception at the hut and we were able to call the vet. The vet told us to get her down the mountain as soon as possible, however Ember couldn't move on her own.  Now if ever asked if I've ever been a part of or witnessed something heroic this is most likely what I'll refer to.  

     We emptied and divided most of Nathan's pack between me, my wife and Megan.  Nathan found a trail that was 4.6 miles to the trail head and from there about 1.6 miles to the car.  Then we started our journey down the mountain.  I watched in amazement as Nathan took his husky up over his shoulders and started down the mountain.   He had a 50lb husky draped around his shoulders, along with what was probably a 25lb backpack. He hauled that dog down the 4.6 miles in 85 degree weather at a pace that I could barely keep up with.   We stopped 3 or 4 times to get water and rest.  When Nathan set Ember down when we stopped you could see the fur she left on him, sweat covering every ounce of his body. Just imagine wearing a 50lb fur coat while almost running down a mountain.  He didn't complain one word.  We eventually reached a creek towards the end of the trail where we stopped.  To everyone's relief (especially Megan and Nathan's) Ember was able to stand on her own and drink.  That was a great moment:




 From there it was about another 1.5 miles to the trail head.  We made it.  Ember was starting to look more alert, able to hold her head up.  It was such a good feeling.  Then I saw Nathan do one more heroic thing that should not go unnoticed.  It was still another mile or two to the car. Megan was about to go as we GPS'd the best way to get there.  Sweaty, tired, sore, beat up... He stood up and told his wife to stay and he'd walk the last leg to the car.   I told him I'd go too.  There was no way I could let him go the last few steps by himself after what he had just done.  We walked.  It was an easy walk compared to what we had just been through.  No backpacks, no pulling dogs, no steep inclines... flat road.  We saw the cars, we pushed the unlock button on the keys to hear that sweet sweet "beep beep" and we raised our hands in victory.   This is something I will not soon forget. Thanks Nathan for showing me how deep one can go for the love of their dog...   And for all those wondering Ember is doing just fine now.   Fenway's paws are a little beat up but she'll be back to herself in no time... And we are all a little sore, but so very happy all the dogs are okay.

A Simple Review

I recently finished my latest indulgence in the fitness world; Mass Made Simple by Dan John.  Needless to say I'm excited to start this program.  It will be a lot different of a routine then what I'm used to.  Currently I'm running a full body heavy weight, rest, full body light weight routine.  Dan's routine consists of a full body every two days, with a warm up or stay loose day thrown in on one of the two rest days.    So it looks like I'll be doing a lot of heavy lifting as Dan bans any weight plate thats not real.  Real weight plates in his book consist of a 45lb plate or a 25lb plate.  Also a lot of squatting.  Too much squatting.   I hate squatting.  If I was a short stalky dude I would love it.  But I'm tall, tall and lengthy.  Tall guys get the short end of the stick (hah) when it comes to moving weights.  We have to move the bar a lot further then you vertically challenged folk.  Moving the bar further requires more energy, more muscle activation, we have to go lower when we squat down and higher when we come back up.  It's not fair.

Other than the high rep squats, the brunt of the routine is done with what Dan coined as a "complex";  He defines a complex as a series of lifts back to back to back where you finish the reps of one lift before moving on to the next, the barbell only leaving your hands once all the lifts are completed.  For example day one I will be doing the following complex:

Barbell row x 3
Clean x 3
Front Squat x 3
Military Press x 3
Back Squat x 3
Good Morning's x 3

I will do all these exercises for 3 reps back to back with out dropping the bar.  I will do 3 sets of this.  followed by one set of 30 rep squats.  Yikes!  As the training progresses, more sets and heavier weights are added also some variations to the above complex... You people may see me walking funny for a few weeks.

As far as the nutritional portion of this book goes, I was pretty disappointed.   Dan basically recommends taking supplements I've already been taking (Fish oil & creatine)  followed by eating more fiber and eating more protein.  He doesn't give a ratio or macro nutrient guide or caloric goal. He basically just says to eat more peanut butter & jelly sandwhiches and add an apple to your meals   Not the most in depth nutritional advice if you ask me... However I am fairly excited to start the workout regimen.    My results may be skewed as I am going against Dan's advice in one area.  He recommends to quit any sports or endurance activities that maybe consuming too many calories.  Currently I'm playing softball 3 times a week and basketball once a week.  I've been able to maintain my current body weight so far while adding in these sports this spring, so I don't think thats an issue.  If worse comes to worse I'll add more calories to my already absurd amount.  Maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or two..

Just Push Start

It's only fitting that my second post back in the blog o sphere be about starting a routine.  I myself will be starting a new one after my vacation next week. It's called Mass Made Simple by Dan John.  Recommended by Lyle Mcdonald.  If you don't know who Lyle Mcdonald is check out his website www.bodyrecomposition.com.  His is one of the most informative-cut-through-the-crap websites about nutrition, muscle gain, fat loss and general training that I've found. I could get lost on that site for hours.  But don't go there yet...

Anyways, back to Mass Made Simple.  I'm not looking forward to it.  It involves a lot of squatting and a lot of eating.  The eating I can handle; the 50 rep squats.. well, we'll just have to see.  It's only a six week program so if its terrible its only for a little while.   This is my third year into lifting.  My second year of some what eating properly and my first year of almost knowing what the heck I'm doing.   It's a process.  A long learning process. And it will continue to be on going.  And I will continue to experiment and see what works and what doesn't.   As much as the supplement companies and the Dr. Oz's of the world and the fat-loss diet books or lean muscle gainer books (many of which I've read) want to tell you how easy it is; its not. It's difficult.  It's stab me in the eyeball difficult.  It takes time, dedication, commitment.  You have to make it a priority.  You have to make it a habit. But first you have to start...

 Google is magic.  I love it, use it and embrace it.  However there is a problem with google and the fitness world (and probably any other world for that matter).  Google has given us information overload.  It has given us the power to pour over details; to research anything and everything that we have a question about in regards to our body within seconds.  Too often we get lost in the details and so overwhelmed by the information that we forget to start.   Stop researching.  Stop trying to find the new fad diet or the new weight loss plan or the new magic pill that will make you super fit.  Just start.

Let's touch on my nerdy side a little bit and put into perspective.  Imagine if you will, a new video game.  Excitement fills the air as you watch the opening cut-scene, you are ripe with anticipation, you just want to play!!.  Then you push start.   You play.  You progress.  You learn to dodge enemies and kill bad guys but eventually you get stuck...  You always get stuck. And it's only at this time you decide to pick up the disregarded case, pull out the manual and learn how to play more efficiently. Or you go online and read the forums and strategies to get past the boss.  You get un-stuck and you progress some more.  The point is progression comes after the game has started.  The details and tricks and tips are learned as you go.  In order to go, you just gotta start.   Just push start.  Get a gym membership.  Get a calorie counter.  Make it a priority to go take a walk every day.  Just do something and figure out the rest as the game goes on...

They call me chicken legs..

They call me chicken legs.  This is something I've come to accept.  My legs are skinny. They are twigs.  I will never have diamond shaped calve muscles or tree trunk like quads.  I embrace the name now.  Before; it offended me.  I hated wearing shorts.  I hated the comments...

Times have changed. I use it as a type of fuel now.  Motivation. I look at these little twigs and it gives me all the more reason to hit the gym.  Leg day.  My arch enemy.  It's difficult putting up weight with these little things, it hurts. Squatting your body weight with chicken legs is not fun.  But through the pain comes progress.  When I first started my journey one of my friends gave me some great advice. He told me the things we don't want to do are often the things we need to do the most.  It's stuck with me ever since. And I've worked hard at doing the things I don't want to do.  Squats, leg extensions, calf raises.  They suck, leg day really really sucks.   But these chicken legs, they're a little bigger now... still laughable, but progress has been made.  My wife now tells me I have a nice butt and you know what... I'm darn proud of it.  Which leads me to this blog. To brag about my new found butt muscles.  Not really. The reality is I want to share progress.  I want to share ideas and thoughts and studies that I've read pertaining to my training and progress in hopes of helping and motivating others.  I realized the other day how much my goals have improved since I started logging everything (calories, nutrients, weights) and I thought to myself if logging is good blogging must be even better.  And thus; Chicken Legs was born.

I'm not too sure where all this is headed.  I can tell you this; Chicken Legs will be a place to motivate and to learn.  A place where I post thoughts on diets, weight lifting routines and a general progress from being skinny to being some-what-less-skinny (6'1 150lbs to the current 182lbs)   Follow along if you want, maybe you'll find some good information, maybe you'll find some decent advice. Hopefully through this blog you'll be able to find your own motivation, your own personal "chicken legs"