John Hansens Training Diary Week of January 27th 2008
by: John Hansen - January 29th, 2008
John Hansen’s Training Diary – Week of Jan. 27, 2008 Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008
Today was my day off from the gym but I still stayed on my fat-loss diet. My bodyweight this morning was 218 pounds and the waist is still at 36 ½”.
I’ve been fighting a head cold all weekend so I just really took it easy today. This weather in Chicago has been pretty winter-like lately. I think I got my head cold from the change in temperature from when I was on vacation to coming back home to this sub-zero weather.
Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 4.23 oz lean ground turkey, 128 grams sweet potato, 3 oz broccoli
Meal 4 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein protein, 1 t. natural peanut butter
Meal 5 – 3.67 oz pepper steak, ½ cup green peas, Mini-Bag Popcorn
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s total calories were a mere 2139 calories with 247 grams of protein, 155 grams of carbs and 61.5 grams of fat. This breaks down to 46% protein, 29% carbs and 26% fats.
Monday, Jan. 28, 2008
My head cold is still hanging around but it was back to the gym today. I don’t want to take anytime off after just coming back from vacation. I’m not really that sick, it’s just some congestion in my head. It’s more of an inconvenience than anything else.
My bodyweight was about the same today as yesterday and the waist unfortunately was also the same. My weight was at 218.5 pounds and the waist was at 36 ½” again. It’s amazing how easy it is to put fat on as we (I) get older but it comes off so damn slowly! Even though I put on 12 pounds during my week off, it took less than a week for me to drop it. However, the fat that I accumulated is coming off very, very slowly. My waist has been the same for a full seven days now so the only thing I can do is stick with the diet day in and day out until the fat starts to disappear.
I met Matt at the gym in the afternoon to train the chest, triceps and calves. I went sort of moderate as I did last week. My bad elbow was not too bad and I was able to get through the workout. I kept the sets a little lower than normal but I’ll get back to my normal workout in the next week or two. Here is how it went today:
DB Bench Press 75x12, 100x10, 115x8
Incline Press 185x10, 225x8, 245x6
Incline Flyes 70x12, 75x10, 80x8
Close-Grip Bench Press 135x12, 185x8, 205x6
Lying Tricep Ext. 100x10, 120x8, 120x8
Bench Dips BWx15, 80x12 followed by 8 reps x 2 sets
Standing Calf Raises 300x15, 400x12, 500x10
Seated Calf Raises 100x15, 150x12, 150x10
My calories were up today because it was a training day. Hopefully, this will stimulate my metabolism after keeping the calories low over the weekend. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 2 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – (Pre-workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving creatine
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive-NO
Meal 5 – (Post-workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving creatine
Meal 6 – 4.06 oz lean ground turkey, 137 grams sweet potato, 3.34 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein protein
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2845 calories with 311 grams of protein, 229 grams of carbohydrates and 68 grams of fats. This breaks down to 44% protein, 32% carbs and 22% fats.
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008
Big drop today as my weight was down to 217 pounds and the waist FINALLY dropped down to 36 ¼”. It’s so weird how my weight and waist stay the same after a couple days of eating lower calories and carbs but then, after one day of eating higher calories and carbs (like yesterday), I lose some weight and the waist goes down.
I think the slight increase in calories and carbohydrates stimulates the metabolism and causes a change in the physique. That’s why I think it’s a good idea to not eat the exact same amount of calories and carbs each day. By changing it up (very slightly) ever few days, it helps to stimulate the metabolism and keeps the fat loss steady.
My head cold was still hanging around today and it was hard to get going in the workout today. I felt better after about a half hour of training and then, later that evening, I felt 100% so I guess the cold is gone now. Thank God! I HATE being sick!!
We did abs and legs today. It was the alternate workout for legs so we didn’t do squats and hack squats, we did leg presses, front squats and walking lunges instead. I kept the weights moderate because this is only our second week back. The weights will increase over the next few weeks. Here is how the workout went:
Hanging Knee Raises BWx35, BWx25
Crunches – Bench BWx25, BWx25
Leg Curls 100x12, 120x10, 130x7
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts 100x12, 120x8
Leg Extensions (Body Master) 120x20, 160x15, 190x10
Leg Press 450x12, 630x12, 720x10, 810x8
Front Squats 135x10, 185x8, 185x8
Walking Lunges 95x10, 115x10
My diet was right on target today. I included my workout drink again that combined 1 serving of Vassive-NO with Vassive EA8. I really do notice a difference when I sip this drink during my workout and it doesn’t really add a lot of carbs or calories to my diet so I’m going to keep it in. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive-NO, 1 serving Vassive EA8
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 5 – 3.88 oz lean ground turkey, 126 grams sweet potato, 3.10 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein
Meal 8 – 4.51 oz pepper steak, ½ cup green peas
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil, Mini-Bag Popcorn
Today’s diet came out to 2696 calories with 303 grams of protein, 238 grams of carbohydrates and 57 grams of fat. This breaks down to 45% protein, 35% carbs and 20% fats.
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
Today was my day off from the gym. My weight was at 217 pounds in the morning and the waist is still at 36 ¼”. I tried eating a little more fat today but I kept the carbs really low. I had two whole eggs with breakfast, I had salmon for dinner and I had some peanut butter with one of my meals. As a result, my calories were higher than normal for an off day because of the increased fat intake. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops of Whey Gold and 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 2 – 2 egg, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 4 – 4.13 oz lean ground turkey, 154 grams sweet potato, 2.93 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 6 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 7 – 8 egg whites, 1 t. natural peanut butter
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
My calories today came out to 2765 calories with 338 grams of protein, 149 grams of carbohydrates and 81 grams of fat. This breaks down to 50% protein, 23% carbs and 27% fats. Back to the gym tomorrow!
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
My weight and waist were steady again today. I was at 217.5 pounds in the morning and the waist was still at 36 ¼”. I trained shoulders, traps and calves today. I went pretty heavy on my second week back so it was a good workout. Here is how it went:
Seated DB Press 45x20, 75x12, 90x10, 95x8
Seated Side Laterals 35x12, 40x10, 45x8
Upright Rows 95x12, 115x10
Lying Side Laterals 25x12, 30x10, 30x10
DB Shrugs 100x12, 120x10, 130x8
Donkey Calf Raises 190 plus 45 lbs x 25, 190 plus 135 lbs x 20 reps x 2 sets
Face Down Calf Raises 260x10, 280x8
This was a pretty good workout today. My back was really tight this morning after doing legs on Tuesday. I’ve been going to a new chiropractor who seems pretty confident that he can correct the problems with my compressed discs in my spine so I can continue training heavy with no pain. Of course, he cannot decompress the discs but I can keep the spine more aligned with regular adjustments plus work on my core muscles and more stretching. We’ll see how it goes. I am going to see him three times a week for the first 12 weeks.
I went up to 95’s on Seated DB Presses today, which was pretty good. I might be able to go up to the 100’s on the next workout. I only did 3 sets of Seated Side Laterals and 2 sets of Upright Rows. I will step up the sets a little more on the next workouts plus increase the resistance.
For my diet today, I cheated a little by having a Snickers bar for lunch and I also had another Mini-Bag of Popcorn at night. As a result, my carbs were around 270 grams. I’ll see what changes this makes, if any, on my weight and waist tomorrow. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 scoop Vassive EA8, 1 scoop Vassive-NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 5 – 4.06 oz lean ground turkey, 140 grams sweet potato, Snickers Bar
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – 4.06 oz pepper steak, ½ cup green peas, Mini-Bag Popcorn
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 9 – 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet added up to 2952 calories with 304 grams of protein, 272 grams of carbs and 70 grams of fats. This breaks down to 41% protein, 37% carbs and 21% fats.
Friday, Feb 1, 2008
My weight and waist were exactly the same as yesterday. I weighed 217.5 pounds in the morning and the waist was at 36 ¼”. I’m glad the Snickers bar I had yesterday didn’t have any effect on the waist today.
I was supposed to train back and biceps with Matt this morning but my lower back was so tight, I didn’t enjoy the idea of banging out heavy barbell rows and deadlifts. I thought was a guaranteed recipe for disaster. I decided to postpone the workout until tomorrow when I was hoping my back would be a little less tight.
I think the reason my back is so tight is from those Walking Lunges I did on Tuesday. I haven’t done those lunges in over a month so my hips and upper glutes are still super sore. This tightness is affecting my lower back.
I did my yoga this morning and I did feel a little better afterwards. Hopefully, I can do the back and biceps workout tomorrow without injuring my lower back.
I kept the calories and carbs low today since I didn’t train. Here is exactly what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 2 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 4.27 oz lean ground turkey, 133 grams sweet potato, 3.14 oz broccoli
Meal 4 – 8 egg whites, 1 t. natural peanut butter
Meal 5 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil, Mini Bag Popcorn
I missed one protein drink today so my calories only came out to 2349 with 246 grams of protein, 154 grams of carbs and 77 grams of fat. This breaks down to 42% protein, 26% carbs and 30% fats.
Saturday, Feb 2, 2008
My weight was down even more today to 216.5 pounds and the waist is still at 36 ¼”. My weight has dropped considerably since I got back from Costa Rica. I am down almost 13 pounds since I got back but I am about the same weight that I was before I left. Now that I am on a consistent diet and am not cheating, my waist will continue to get smaller and the weight should stabilize meaning I will only see about a pound or two loss each week.
My back was still pretty tight in the morning so I thought I would wait until the afternoon to workout. I did the yoga again in the morning after I ate breakfast and it felt much better. I is way better today than it was yesterday so I really think it was just from the hips and glutes being so sore and tight from the Walking Lunges.
I went into the gym around 3pm and took it really easy. I wanted to do Barbell Rows and Deadlifts but I didn’t want to strain the lower back muscles. When I looked at my notebook, I realized that I hadn’t done this back and biceps workout since December 26, 2007. That’s over a month! I missed one of the workouts and then it was delayed another week because of the vacation.
The workout went surprisingly well today. I did my lower back stabilization exercises using the ball before I began my workout. When I did the barbell rows, I just took it easy and didn’t go that heavy. Because I haven’t done this exercise in more than five weeks, I was really out of condition. I kicked my butt as Gunter would say!
I only did two sets of Seated Cable Rows after the Barbell Rows. I usually warm up with 250 pounds on this exercise but today it felt like a ton. I only got about 8 reps with 250 when I normally can do an easy 12 reps before tacking on some additional weight to the stack. Time to get back in shape!
With the Deadlifts, I did three sets but only did 225, 315 and 345. This was enough for today! I’ll stay consistent with this workout and build up the poundages and reps for all three of these exercises before I take my next break.
With biceps, I was so wiped out after the back workout, I only did Incline Curls before calling it a day. I would normally do Incline Curls, Barbell Curls and Hammer Curls. I’ll get it in on the next workout. Here is how it went:
Close-Grip Pulldowns 130x15, 180x10
Barbell Rows 185x12, 225x10, 245x7, 255x6
Seated Cable Rows 250x8, 250x7
Deadlifts 225x11, 315x8, 345x6
Incline Curls 40x10, 45x8
I ate more calories and carbs today but I stayed on the diet. Here is what I ate:
Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – (Pre-workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive-NO
Meal 5 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving BCAA + Creatine
Meal 6 – 3.95 oz lean ground turkey, 121 grams sweet potato, 3.03 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 8 – 4.83 oz pepper steak, ½ cup green peas
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2589 calories with 302 grams of protein, 213 grams of carbs and 57 grams of fat. This breaks down to 47% protein, 33% carbohydrates and 20% fats.
Looking at the overall picture, here is how this week compares to last week. I will do this each week on every Saturday so you can see the progress I am making on the diet. I always tell my clients that, in addition to writing down their diet every day, they also need to track their progress every week to see if they are on the right track.
Beginning Week - 1/19/08 - Weight 229 - Waist 37"
Week One - 1/26 - Weight 218 - Waist 36 1/2" - Avg Cal. 2611 - Avg Carbs 213
Week Two - 2/2 - Weight 216.5 - Waist 36 1/4" - Avg Cal. 2619 - Avg Carbs 201
I am on the right track, losing about 1 ½ pounds and a quarter of an inch off the waist each week. My average calorie intake over the seven day period is around 2600 (including the training days and off days) and my average carb intake is around 200. I will keep track of these stats each week and if I am not making progress or my progress slows down, I can just look at the carbs or calories and make adjustments.
More next week!!
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