tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54569396652877225512012-02-16T12:25:32.304-05:00Weight training and nutrition ideas from the perspective of an amateur health junkie.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-8907015898799100232009-02-13T21:04:00.007-05:002009-02-14T11:52:15.483-05:00

Out of the past four weeks on the Maximum Strength workout, the first three weeks have been excellent. I trained hard, increased weights every week and had energy to spare. It felt great. And when you feel good working out, especially at the crack of dawn before your day starts, it gives a sense of accomplishment that will carry you throughout the day.Scheduled on every fourth week is a monthly

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-41585902564310723902009-02-11T18:34:00.002-05:002009-02-11T22:43:39.632-05:00

Everybody can agree that a tasty snack is one of the best ways to keep you going while the day is beating down on you. Unless you do meth, in which case, you're all set for the next three days. Come back to this page when your body recognizes hunger again.The Non-Too Eggstravagant SandwichDr. Johnny Bowden just published his monthly Question of Nutrition column over at T-Nation with some great

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-20961725212607732292009-02-07T12:22:00.006-05:002009-02-09T21:57:30.345-05:00

Kate and I finished the third week of Maximum Strength, "Ultra-Heavy, Make Your Ass and Everything Else Hurt" week. The volume was high, the reps were high, the weight were high, and certainly the soreness was way high. Let's discuss while I lay on the stretcher.Very Heavy WeekMonday through Saturday brought on an onslaught of pain and soreness by way of heavy dumbbells after heavy barbells. 

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-90994137072720896152009-02-05T21:47:00.002-05:002009-02-05T22:13:48.867-05:00

My wife loves watching the Biggest Loser, and being the committed couple that we are, we try to watch shows the other person enjoys. I do NOT enjoy the Biggest Loser, but try to bear through it. I tear my hair out every time it's on t.v. The more pounds lost, the less hair on my noggin'. I love the parts when one of the trainers takes a team into the kitchen to teach them "proper nutritional

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-75639084396021266702009-02-02T19:33:00.002-05:002009-02-02T20:42:24.782-05:00

My wife and I love to try out new recipes in the kitchen. There's nothing like trying new flavor combinations to make your coworkers jealous and your satisfy your healthy palate. Because face it, the stereotype of healthy eating is that all food has to taste like a cardboard box that a littler of kittens has lived in for a few weeks. Well, it doesn't have to be that way, you just have to get a

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-28549952806121349882009-01-31T15:55:00.003-05:002009-02-01T22:09:03.514-05:00

On Saturday we finished up the second week of Phase I of the Maximum Strength Program. And to commemorate the end of a successful week, I decided to bring on the carbs.Carb LoadingOn the last day of the training week, Upper Body day, we ended the week with a killer workout and felt that we needed to give ourselves a reward: it was time for a cheat. Dinner and dessert for Kate, carb loading day

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-78393269075405448372009-01-28T19:20:00.003-05:002009-01-28T21:29:11.300-05:00

If you read my previous post on Xanthan Gum shakes, you can see how I was a bit hesitant to try this shake thickener again. Well, I went for it again, and voilà, found the right mix.What's the Right Mix of Xanthan Gum?So it seems like the right mix of Xanthan Gum is 1/8 of a teaspoon. Again, my ingredients were:12-16 0z waterCasein ProteinGirardelli 100% Chocolate barDash of cinammon and nutmeg1/

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-24688006905684732832009-01-27T13:01:00.010-05:002009-01-27T20:25:00.151-05:00

Who doesn't like an ultra-thick shake to fill up the tummy like a swarm of Dominicans overflowing a tiny boat sailing its way to Miami. Nothing like McDonald's-thick shake were they have to put a 1-inch in diameter straw that the paramedics can use after your stroke to pump the synthetic goo out of your stomach. The problem is that, sometimes, too much of a good thing can be a terrible thing.What

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-71197261108931093022009-01-25T10:30:00.003-05:002009-01-25T10:30:00.670-05:00

My wife got me a pair of Vibfam Five Fingers for Christmas at a local Frugal Backpacker for only $30 bucks! Typically you can find these online anywhere from $60 to $100 bucks. Check them out at Amazon. Vibram FiveFingers shoes are similar to those cutesy toe socks your girlfriend wore in college. The difference being that these shoes actually have a purpose (but still look ridiculous). According

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-83453140087413476932009-01-25T08:01:00.004-05:002009-01-25T09:07:23.737-05:00

In order to reach your goals, be it strength gains, mass gains, fat reduction, or ear wing-span reduction, you need to know what will work for your body. Here's a quick tip.Figuring Out What WorksFor a few weeks, I've changed the layout of my meals like so:Breafast - Protein, CarbsMid-Morning and Mid-Afternoon Snacks - Protein, FatsLunch and Dinner - Protein, FatsOf course, all meals after my

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-8018583882218030822009-01-23T17:10:00.007-05:002009-01-23T19:58:38.654-05:00

Today marks the end of the first week of phase I of Maximum Strength and my legs are toast! I'll get right down to it and just talk about a few quick points:Chris Shugart over at T-Nation has a new article called 7 Keys to Body Transformation. I've always been a fan of many of T-Nation's writers, but never really Chris Shugart. I always thought that his "psychological" angle to weight training

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-90180756382075772022009-01-21T21:13:00.002-05:002009-01-21T21:25:33.852-05:00

Just some quick updates from day 3 (Lower Body, originally day 1) of Maximum Strength...Having two people on only one rack doing box squats takes a reeeeeally long time. Our workout ended up being almost 1.5 hours and we didn't even get to do our energy workKate kept asking if I messed up in writing down only 50% 1RM weight for speed deadlifts. She took that comment back by the eighth setWalking

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-27508164545106870872009-01-21T20:32:00.003-05:002009-01-22T21:42:14.897-05:00

Taking on the Maximum Strength takes some time out of your schedule, that is, if you do the workouts plus all of the recommended energy workouts. So as to not get bogged down by the time requirements I had to make sure I got myself organized. Here's how it's going down, as well as some suggestions.Keep a Workout LogI decided that the old-school sheet on a clipboard log needed to stay old-school.

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-13221073948858549492009-01-20T08:10:00.005-05:002009-01-20T22:31:09.574-05:00

The second day of the Maximum Strength program came and went just like that, but the pain resides.Risking Life and Limb and Car Tire to Work OutThe problem in this town when it snows is not the snow itself. Because really, how much damage can 2 inches of snow make? No, the problem is that Asheville doesn't have enough resources to properly salt all of the roads, which is where all of the slippin'

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-32970459630482781852009-01-19T19:34:00.003-05:002009-01-19T21:14:40.059-05:00

Kate and I started our first day of the Maximum Strength program...or was it the third day? You see, during the weekend I pulled my left hamstring at my rec soccer game, and I didn't even score! The first day of each week of the Maximum Strength program starts with a heavy lower body day, so instead of aggravating the hamstring more, we started the week with the heavy upper body day. As long as

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-24482529319496136242009-01-18T21:03:00.003-05:002009-01-18T22:01:25.037-05:00

One of the requirements of the Maximum Strength program is to go through a pre-workout test day, called Packing Day. You take five performance tests which you will compare at the end of the four phases. I've never really done anything like this, but it seems to me like a great way to start any workout regimen. Otherwise, how are you going to know if your plan is helping you achieve your goals. 

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-84436640883171200162009-01-17T17:26:00.005-05:002009-01-18T20:52:48.260-05:00

So like I mentioned in the previous post, I'll be embarking on Eric Cressey's vessel of pain, the Maximum Strength program. Unless you've been stuck in a transatlantic cargo container for the past 10 months, you've certainly heard of this great training resource by now. If not, don't worry, because you can just come back here every now and again and take a look at some updates while I follow

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456939665287722551.post-19213410024549083992009-01-16T21:50:00.012-05:002009-01-17T00:00:30.338-05:00

A lot of my friends are constantly on my case because of my healthy lifestyle. When eating a healthy salad with protein: "What the hell are you eating?"  like they've never seen green vegetables. When drinking a shake when everybody else is drinking a soda: "Why are you drinking that??" as if I was downing a glass of acid. When I'm working out at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning when everybody else

Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16311240543380389651noreply@blogger.com0