Moving to http://brandonstrainingjournal.blogspot.com/

Sunday, July 18th

Weight - 276
Body Fat - 30%
Lean Mass - 193
Fat Mass - 83
Neck - 18.5
Chest - 48
Waist (naval) - 45.5
Bicep - 18.5
Forearm - 14
Thigh - 26
Calf - 18.75

So, need some help

One of my goals after I lose weight, and am capable of looking like I know what I am talking about, is to be a personal trainer. Not at like a gym, but to work for myself, going to clients houses, meeting them in the park; wherever works for the client, my schedule, and my clients goals.

However, while I actually do have a good amount of exercise and diet knowledge, it doesn't show. I lack good motivation and routinely fail at my attempts to lose weight, or keep it off. I fail to apply all that knowledge. I'm hoping that this blog will help to correct that problem.

In the meantime, I know to become a personal trainer, I need three things:
1. I need to lose the weight and look the part since a stranger more than likely wont believe that I know what I am talking about.

2. I need to get certified as a personal trainer. Not sure if this is required by CA state law to work as a personal trainer in the state, but regardless, not to many people are going to trust me to train them unless A, I look the part and B, am certified.

3. I need experience in training people. That's where you come in.

I'm turning to my friends, if any of you actually read this. I will offer anyone free training. Whether your goals be fat loss or muscle gain, such as body building, general health, etc. Laying out a plan for you to follow on your own. Meeting say once a week or less to walk you through exercises etc and then leaving you to your own devices the rest of the time. Or meeting multiple times a week to give you more hands on training and motivation.

What have you got to lose? Give me a try. Already have on person interested in training, starting Monday. Let me help you towards your goals. Give me a few weeks. If you don't like it or think I'm the equivalent to a quack, then 'fire' me and go out and shell out tons of money at a gym or personal trainer, but why not try the free option first :)

Note. I have a few pieces of equipment that are easily transferable and can be taken to sessions, but for when you are training alone, you have to have your own equipment or a membership. Those aren't required though. I will design your program based on the equipment you readily have available; whether it be your own body weight to the biggest, most advanced gym in the world.

So come on, what have you got to lose? It's free, that will never change. If your not doing anything, what your doing isn't working, or are already thinking of shelling out for an expensive trainer, why not give your friend a chance to gain experience and get yourself some free training?

So shoot me an e-mail, text, or call (first two preferred since I hate being on the phone more than necessary haha) and lets see what we can workout (no pun intended).

Alrighty then

So, haven't posted in a while. Been a shitty week, don't feel like going into details. But yeah, didn't do full workouts, but used the week to get starting weights (for the lifting) and band strengths.

Also, got this weeks weigh in and pictures. Took all the picture angles that the P90X program says to take at the beginning (had to take them myself in the mirror though, so not 100% correct, but eh). Also, decided to make another rule, I will only cut my hair every ten pounds lost until I reach my goal of 220 or less.

Weight - 274
Body Fat - 32%
Fat Mass - 88
Lean Mass - 186
Neck - 18"
Chest - 48"
Waist (naval) - 46.5"
Bicep - 18.5"
Forearm - 14"
Thigh - 28.5"
Calf - 18"

First P90X Day

Let me just say, I definitely understand why so many people are swearing by this program and seeing results. Def an intense program. Will it pan out in the long run? Who knows. But def see potential.

Late Night

So, posting long after I should be in bed. Another depressing, sleepless night. So, going to post tonight what I was going to post tomorrow. Maybe it will take my mind off of things and help me sleep some tonight.

So recap of what is going to happen Monday. I am going to start a modified P90X program with the the Chest and Back DVD. I am going to follow the original program, minus the Ab Ripper X, with the strength workouts, modifying the 'cardios' though. I am going to cycle through sprinting, Plyometrics (or Cardio X if pylo proves to hard), Kenpo X, and maybe a kettlebell snatch, clean, and swing workout or a weight carry workout, explained tomorrow (not 100% sure yet).

P90X goes against some of my fundemental beliefs with training. Body part workouts versus intense, full body lifting sessions. Use of the term 'cardio'....but I have modified it to fit my beliefs where I could. I know people who have seen amazing results with P90X, so I can at least try it. It's 90 days. Its a crash course. Than I can go back to what I like when I am at a new and improved level of fitness. And I feel like, right now, at this starting point, I need the extra motivation and help to get going.

I will also start retaking my supplements. A tablespoon of cod liver oil a day. ProBiotics. Maybe digestive enzymes. And a high quality protein shake. And I feel like Im missing something...but my mind is jambled.

My diet will be the same as previously listed.

I will also start a gratitude journal on Monday. And retakeup (is that a word?) meditation. My life feels like its in the shits right now. I really hate parts of my life right now, feel very lost and alone. And I really miss someone who means a lot to me. While there isnt much I can really do to fix some of the situations, and while part of me deeply fears that I may have lost the most important person in my life, I need to do something to settle my mind and spirit, otherwise this whole thing will never work. It cant work if Im not getting sleep, depressed, and unmotivated.

So yeah, time to attempt to sleep now. Probably post some more tomorrow when more lucid. Or...later today technically.

Bad News and an Idea

So...first, the bad news. Freckles died today. Well, four days...longest I've had a fish before it perished...luckily, my unnamed Betta still lives, so I have now officially kept a fish alive longer than ever before..and going strong...I think.

And, now, idea time. I had been toying with the idea of trying P90X for a little while, but don't have or want to shell out the money for it. Well, recently (yesterday) was given the DVDs for free. So now, I'm thinking that I should use the primal fitness laws and apply them to the P90X DVDs and use those for my workouts. What would this look like?

Well, first of all, the Ab Ripper X workout is thrown out the window. I'm sorry, but I believe that direct ab work is useless and pointless. Six packs come from diet, not crunches (and yes, I know there's more to Ab Ripper than crunches). And I am already doing something I don't believe 100% in by trading in my full body, compound lifts for isolated movements.

Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays would be strength training days. Just like the P90X program. Tuesdays and Saturdays will be 'cardio' days. Alternating between sprint sessions, the programs plyometrics and Kenpo X. Thursdays, in the program, are the day for the Yoga X. This is supposed to be harder than doing a regular yoga session. For this reason, I am going to do that DVD tonight or tomorrow and see how intense it is. If is that hard, I will drop it for a regular yoga session or just a plain rest day. I want two rest/easy/low level aerobic activity days a week versus the programs prescribed one. And of course, Sunday will be a rest/easy day. This will result in the X Stretch, Core Synergistics, and the Cardio X DVDs being dropped too, maybe.

What other changes will I make? Well, for starters, the DVDs are way to long. The strength training days are almost an hour long, including warmup. I dont want intense workouts to go past 30 minutes. Easy fix though. With the exception of the Shoulders and Arms DVD, all workouts are repeated. So, you do an entire workout, then you repeat the same workout. So, edit time, drop the second workout and turn up the intensity of the first.

I also wont be following their eating or supplement plans. Already going to be eating primally, and already got good, quality supplements. So yeah.

Only other thing to figure out is whether to follow their week by week plan or make a custom one. Any ideas out there?

And before any one gives me gripe about modifying a program, as Tony Horton says, 'Modify, modify, modify.'