First Training Day

Well, I got on the scale today and was very discouraged… I’m not anywhere near my goal weight yet. No, I’m kidding. Obviously, I’m not discouraged — it’s been one day.

In fact, today should be a lot of fun because I have my first “Challenge workout” today. My plan is to work my triceps today. For every exercise I’m looking to struggle (preferably reach failure) by the last two reps.

Below is my workout plan for today (Monday, Dec. 31, 2012):

*Tricep Pushdowns (3-4 sets of 15 repetitions)

*Push-ups focusing on the triceps (3-4 sets, 20 reps)

*Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension (3-4 sets, 15 reps)

*Cable One-Arm Tricep Extensions (3-4 sets, 8-10 reps)

*30 Minutes of Hell (half an hour on the treadmill)

Let the Challenge Begin!

Tomorrow I start the Bodybuilding.com 2013 Transformation Challenge, so today I met with a personal trainer.

I wanted to discuss my diet and get some suggestions as to how I should structure my workouts. Even though I’ve lifted weights off and on since high school, I personally believe that it never hurts to get a second opinion from someone who knows what they’re doing and the guy I consulted has worked with competitive bodybuilders.

On the plus side, I learned that my current diet is not horrible. On the negative side, I’m going to have to be much more careful with portion control and, even worse (although I suspected as much), I need to add more cardio to my workout routines.

Still, as we talked, I found myself getting more and more excited about the next three months. The plan is to get together every week and assess my progress, tweak my diet, exercise program, etc.

On a related note, my brother, who is also taking the Challenge, and I took our “before” photos yesterday and we both agreed that we nailed them!

While I wasn’t exactly seeking to look good in these pictures — it is after all the Transformation Challenge — I truly didn’t expect to look as bad as I did. Naturally, I will post the egregious images at some point, but I’m afraid they will need to be accompanied by a warning — I’d hate to be responsible for some poor soul gouging their own eyeballs out.
 
Anyway, I’d better end this post now… I’ve got some rice and broccoli to eat.