NEW progress photos from Dec. 9, 2014

Keeping it going with the hard once a week workouts. Tuesday's upper body workout was very effective doing negative only pullups, all rest pause chest work, etc. Next is legs on Saturday.

NEW progress photos from Dec. 2nd, 2014

Continuing to improve through the holidays.

NEW progress photos from Nov. 24th, 2014

Staying lean into the holidays by working out hard and eating clean.

NEW progress photos from Nov. 17th, 2014

Staying motivated and working hard and being disciplined with the eating. It's just a matter of getting into the groove and seeing yourself as you envisioned motivates you that much more. It has a snowball effect.

High powered health dish just prepared

This very tasty high protein, carbohydrates, fiber and low fat meal has a lot of very healthy ingredients that will help build muscle and keep you very lean. It consists of baked chicken, tuna, raw spinach, slightly baked Idaho russet potato, black beans, raw garlic clove, red onion, calrose rice, shredded carrots, white distilled vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato sauce, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Also, very easy to prepare.

NEW progress photos from Nov. 10, 2014

Had a really good upper body workout on Monday. Did dips for triceps. Mike Mentzer said they're the best all around triceps builder. I believe it. Perhaps a tad leaner than last week. Plan to gradually keep getting leaner every week. It's a challenge. After having a cheat meal on Tuesday, it's time to get serious for the rest of the week with brown rice, veggies and tuna, etc til Monday again.

NEW progress photos from Nov. 3, 2014

A little leaner than last week. Total year round leanness is very hard to sustain because sometimes LIFE gets in the way but I'll do it when I can (especially to reach a goal) and try to stay there as long as my discipline will allow which is why I work out harder now but for shorter periods and never stray too far from total leanness which is mainly controlled from the food you consume.

Photo comparison of 31 years difference

These 2 photos demonstrate a lifetime of fitness in a span of 31 years and again it proves you can improve (naturally) with age like this comparison shows.

A typical health dish consumed daily

This is an excellent high anti-oxidant health dish prepared today (this meal is eaten every day or a variation with similar ingredients -  sometimes brown rice is substituted for whole wheat pasta, etc). The ingredients are 
fast cook brown rice (from Trader Joe's), tuna, black beans, shredded carrots, raw spinach, tomato sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, clove of raw garlic (natural penicillin and prevents lung cancer), red onion, teaspoon cayenne pepper (it's very good for your circulatory system, heart and joints), ceylon cinnamon (very good for joints). Eat a meal or 2 like this every day and it will keep the doctor AWAY providing no other unhealthy habits. Lots of water too. It's also very tasty and filling I might add. **NOTE** Regarding the spices, they are a goldmine for health like preventing cancer and healing joint pain. I take cayenne, cinnamon and turmeric (mixed with olive oil and black pepper for absorption) in abundance daily and have zero joint pain like I use to have. No more knee, shoulder or finger joint pain. Ginger is another really good one. They are very high in anti-oxidants as well to keep you from getting sick.

NEW progress photos from Oct. 27, 2014

Still maintaining a low body fat level through strict eating primarily of brown rice, vegetables and tuna. You can't NOT be lean eventually if that's your basic food intake along with other natural foods.

NEW progress photos from Oct. 20, 2014

Oct 20, 2014 - still progressing. The one time per week high intensity workouts are working. This allows more time for recovery which is vital for growth. In fact, I didn't even do biceps yesterday because they were still slightly sore from the 4 rep intense workout the Monday before (the weighted under grip pullups worked them too which is probably why they're still sore). Also, working out this infrequent makes it so you have to eat very clean (only one cheat meal per week). The diet is definitely what dictates the leanness. Not the very little cardio done or the weights.

Rest-pause really works!

Oct. 13, 2014 - this shows the high intensity 4 reps (per week) rest-pause concentration curls and 90 degree preacher curls (in separate workouts) are working. Never had this kind of peak before. Everything is put into 4 reps. The only other indirect biceps work is from back exercises. Use the heaviest weight possible (should be about 90% of single max). Curl the weight up, static hold at peak position (about 3/4 from top) for 10 sec., let down slowly about 5 sec. Rest 10-15 sec. repeat for 3 more reps. If the last rep is too hard, reduce the weight. That's what you call intensity. I learned this in my Mentzer training book.

Photos from the archives in peak condition at age 49

My rebuttal to a comment from a discussion forum re: Volume vs HIT and injury

mikespitz said:

As you guys know, I am in my 50s
Been interested in training since the 1970s
Had a chance to talk personally with Lou Ferrigno, Dorian Yates, Lee Haney and other big guys over the years.
I have also written a book about Fitness for people over age 40.
(although the information is applicable to people of all ages also)

The question of HIT -vs- volume training.

My observations based on my 35+ years of exposure and interest in this activity .....

BOTH can be effective for muscle building.
NO debating that fact.
But I will say I have seen more people who loved HIT when younger having serious joint pain, shoulder and spinal problems as they get older as compared to the standard old school "9-12 sets per bodypart" kind of volume training.

This makes sense when you think about it.
No real surprises.
We see the same thing with power lifters or anybody who pushes the limits of heavy poundage.

Of course with anything, people are individuals - so your results may vary.
But I have seen that trend.

 

bill_pruitt said:

That's funny, I haven't heard of one person or read about one person having those problems from doing TRUE HIT.  I've heard of Zane, Arnold, Coleman, Platz, Yates (Yates didn't do TRUE HIT either) and many others having joint problems or other injuries and they did NOT do HIT. One of the best things about HIT is IF you do it correctly (very slow strict controlled form with NO momentum) the chance of injury and joint pain is extremely low so whoever you're talking about must've been doing it wrong. Not that many people do TRUE HIT anyways, adhering strictly to the principles of HIT. It's hard to grasp correctly and people don't have the patience to learn it and appreciate it's value. It doesn't even compare to powerlifting or weightlifting because again, it's very slow. No bouncing, swinging or jerking that WILL cause injury and it's using heavy enough weight in STRICT form. NOT "pushing heavy poundages" just for the sake of using heavy weight. In HIT, "form" and "execution" is absolutely paramount to the amount of weight used.
Since I've been faithfully practicing HIT for about the past 8 months, my joint pain in shoulder and knee actually went away. Also, because you're doing such slow controlled movements, the weight isn't as heavy as if you were doing volume. Volume is done heavier, faster and less strict and therefore would cause more injuries than HIT. That's what makes sense if you think about it. "Intensity" is about the execution. Strict slow form with heaviest weight. Don't let the word "intensity" scare you. It's a very good thing in weight training. Novices hear "high intensity" or "heavy duty" and they automatically think injury. I get that all the time from people I bring up HIT to. Quite the contrary. You're actually sacrificing heavier weight for very strict slow form. 

Sometimes my cadence in one repetition for flyes are 4 seconds up, hold 3 seconds at near top, and then 8 seconds down. That defines intensity doing it that way. So naturally, you're gonna use lighter weight and it's actually a LOT safer that way.