My Powerlifting Regeme

I'm a big guy. I always have been and have dealt w/ this fact my entire life. I attribute it mainly to genetics (big frame) but also to my HS lifting days (mad stretch marks around the shoulder to prove it...)

Lately I have been driven to start lifting once again. I have been at it for about 3-4 weeks now and already feel stronger, slimmer and overall better in health. Its great.

I wanted to share w/ everyone (like anyone actually reads this anyway) my regiment for lifting. Its simple, quick and from every1 that has tried it... very effective at growing muscle and strength.

Powerlifting. It consists of 3 exercises:

• Squat
• Bench
• Deadlift

These 3 exercises work the majority of your body and will grow muscle and make you feel strong.

I work a 2 day split. 

1st Day (Monday or Tuesday):

• Bench Press
• Squat
• Pull Ups

2nd Day(Thursday or Friday):

• Deadlift
• Bent Row
• Dips

Its simple and quite fast.

My workout reps & sets look as follows:

4 sets w/ one warm-up and 3 work sets. Choose a weight where you will be exhausted and pushing failure on the last work set.

The breakdown for the sets is as follows:

1. 8 reps - Warmup set at 1/2 working set weight
2. 8 reps - First Working Set
3. 6 reps - Second Working Set
4. 4 reps (or more to failure) - Last Working Set 

The working sets add up to a total of 18 reps. If you get 16 of those 18 reps, move the weight up for next time. If not then use the same weight for next time. Simple and easy to follow. If you see a plateau in your lifting records (and record every workout so you can actually see your progress and not 'estimate' it) such as 2-3 weeks at the same weight w/o improvement, move the weight up next workout and you'll pass it.

The glory of this system is that you're always pushing for 18 reps but will be increasing weight at 16 reps. If you focus on the 18 reps, you will almost always be moving up in weight and more weight means more muscle.

I have used this system to increase my 1 rep maxes like crazy and others (including hard gainers) have used this system to build immense strength quickly as well.

Give it a shot.

As always, comments are always welcome!

Decipher: First Code

At the following link is a keyfile. Use it to decode the following encoded message. I will give $20 through paypal if someone can decipher it before Sat 9/11 0001.

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

Check it out and we'll talk.

Program : FlashCards

So here is a program that I have made lately. I don't have much time to discuss it now but it basically is a standalone flashcard program.

Pretty simple to use and have fun with. Feel free to comment. (Actually... Please comment as much as possible! I'm always trying to get better!!!)


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6U75UOOE

Been a long time and so much has happened

Well...

semi sequential prolly doesnt cut it at this point

i've been busy beyond imagination and things just seem to never get prioritized correctly...

a lot of things have happened since the last time i've posted but heres a lil of whats happened since then

in 2 days... I am finished with college!
i have a job lined up w/ NAVAIR down at pax river, MD and its gonna be exciting!!!
the plans for my wedding are going at a rate that would kill some but its working real well

so things are a little hectic!
i'm going to try to make an effort to post more often as well as bring some REAL content to the blog itself.... sssanity really has been all over the place and it will become more focused soon

until next time
Try Ikariam.com .... join alpha server and msg G19-fanatic
for all of those rts web browser fans... this will be a fun time

Recipe: Perfect Basic Rice

Making PERFECT rice can be somewhat of a daunting task to many. Me being a college student, I've attempted MANY different ways to cook rice for many reasons, but mostly because its cheap and can be healthy. What I describe below is known as the "absorption method" and it will cook the rice almost perfectly every time(with a little fiddling at first)

1. Measure out 1 cup of rice
2. Measure out 2 cups of water
3. Measure 1-2 tablespoons of oil(olive oil preferably but anything will work)
4. Bring it to a boil then lower it till a slight simmer
5. Cook for 12 mins WHILE keeping it covered (must be a tight fitting lid)
6. Remove from the heat and let it stand off of the heat between 10-20 mins
7. Fluff w/ a fork gently as to not make it into a mush.

Thats about it. There is one CARDINAL rule, DO NOT LIFT OFF the lid ANYTIME during the cooking. The rice is cooked by steaming then it absorbs the liquid while it stands. If you like your rice a little softer, add a little bit more water. If you like it a little more al dente, then add a little less water. This recipe is scalable, so you can scale up the quantity of rice depending on how much you need.

Of course you can add spices/broth/flavorings to this basic recipe to your hearts content. My personal favorite additions are garlic powder, sesame seed oil instead of olive oil, Ms. Dash Southwest Chipotle, Red Pepper flakes and soy sauce.

Enjoy :)