DEATH to this Challenge! Zachary is one pissy little puppy with how the digital pics turned out. I'm so used to seeing my 2001 after pictures where i'm at 6% body fat and can see every rippling muscle in my body. The only thing I can say is that i'm much bigger muscle wise than i've ever been naturally. My biceps and legs are definitely the largest they have ever been in my life. I've truly got to remember that this isn't just a 12 week project i've taken on. It's a whole year project to bulk up and THEN cut up.

WHOA! Okay, I just did the final numbers on my 12 weeks and i'm actually impressed and a MILLION times more happy about my results. The facts and stats:

• I reached my goals of 300lbs on bench press (actually did 305lbs) and 500lbs on squats (actually did 500lbs)


• Nearly eliminated a very bad habit that i've had for a long time. It will take another challenge to make it come to pass.


• My punctuality has increased by about 80%. Now that i'm more aware of it, when I am considerably late I will call well in advance. This still needs to be worked on.


• Total fat lost: roughly 4lbs


• Total lean muscle gain: 22 WHOPPING LBS!!! YES!!! (21.98lbs to be more precise)


• Starting/Ending lean muscle mass: 140.45lbs / 162.43lbs


• Starting/Ending fat in lbs: 19.55lbs / 15.57lbs


• This was all done for His glory and will continue to be for God. This was a major humbling accomplishment

Not too shabby, eh? Well, the next posts you read from me will be from the alpha test of the BodyBlog software. STAY TUNED because we will have an all new Dream Team starting up next monday!
posted by zach m at 8:42 AM

What? Did Zach fall off the face of the planet for 4 days? Pretty much so! Since pictures, measurements, and goals had been reached it was time for me to take a well deserved vacation. I went to see Sanieh in Austin this weekend who promptly made ME feel like crap by showing how well she is keeping up with her diet and program going for the Mrs. Figure competition. FYI: Sanieh's got muscle's popping out where she didn't know she had them and her clothes that were once tight are now having to be cinched up at the waist or else they would fall off of her.

Tonight I will type up a "post mortem" on this 4th challenge. Basically I will give the stats, facts, high points and points to work on. During the flight home from Austin I worked up my new workout routine. I need to work on my goals for this next challenge as well as purchase the appropriate supplements. Since I'm going to break down this last challenge tonight I figure I should work on my 5th challenge goals tonight as well.

Like all software i'm going to have to push the opening of Body Blog off until NEXT monday. Corby and I will work ALL WEEK LONG making sure we are putting up something that makes sense to the users that we can offer to the public in the near future. Expect a sneak preview from the NEW Dream Team starting next monday. I will be contacting a few others tonight and tomorrow inviting them to join the next team. STAY TUNED!
posted by zach m at 6:28 AM

Well, today was pretty much my last day worry about pictures. How did they turn out? Well, i'm not quite sure... i'm loading the drivers to my digital camera right now. Luckily i've got a family that has been doing professional pictures for years. We did both digital and 35mm pictures.

I've got to say that I screwed up with a little trick to get my vascularity popping out. My body is a little too fat for me to gulp a glass of red wine to get my veins sticking out like no one has ever seen. Oh, did I mention that I did 305lbs on bench press today? It was fairly easy. The big problem was when I tried 315 and could only get it up halfway. Oh well... 305lbs tops my goal by 5lbs!

I celebrated my pictures being taken by taking my parents out to eat Mexican food. What did I order? A big, fat chicken quesadilla then flan for desert.

Tomorrow i'm off to Austin to see Sanieh. It's time for me to finally hit the bed. Blessed wishes everyone... NOTE: Body Blog should be open to beta testers by next wednesday!
posted by zach m at 11:47 PM

Holy 500lbs of wagon wheels on that bar Squat Man! YES!!! I hit my goal of 500lbs!!! Was it easy... Not Even Close. Honestly, I didn't have much confidence on the first try. The assistant manager of the gym was spotting me because I wasn't comfortable with anyone else spotting me. Little did I know he let me fail and almost compress my spine like an accordian the first try around. Those legs were quivering and they attempted to push the weight up, but the weight won the first round.

That was when I realized that I needed to get my head together and really go for MY GOAL FOR THIS CHALLENGE. It really was a disappointment at first that I could have let it be and just said, ah, i'll get'em next time. Mark, the gym's assistant manager, said "you need to go for it again, you had it!" By this time a stinking crowd of a few guys that I know were hooting and hollering. This was a pretty cool feeling considering not many people do heavy squats at my gym.

I was remembering days of watching some guys trying to go pro bodybuilding and pro weight lifting doing reps with 600lbs and no one making a big deal of it. My gym is a little less fanatic and serious, very laid back, but incredibly supportive. Someone that is a little more fanatic sticks out like a sore thumb in this place. Back in the day when I was doing some personal training in a serious gym most of the guys would have scoffed at me squatting 500lbs. Heck, two of the guys I worked out with could rep 550 a couple of times. In fact, one of the guys was putting up around 485lbs on BENCH PRESS!

Does that take away from what I accomplished today? No Way, because this was done in a Christian Warrior style. I did it to show that a normal, regularly built, average white guy from a lower middle class family could do it. A guy who was eating fast food hog fat, staying awake off of caffienated and sugary carbonated kidney killers (Jolt or Mountain Dew), and too busy doing everything to workout could change his ways. Just a year and a half ago I took on my 2nd BFL Challenge after a 6 month leave of absense from the gym and reached goals that I couldn't have ever done before. Today marked a different phase in my life. Today I realized that all of the focus and the incremental steps that I have taken towards my goals, all of the ways God has blessed me over time to bring me to this point right now, all of the people that have both supported me and doubted me, and the habits that i've built into my everyday lifestyle are really starting to pay dividends. Beyond anything else I can say, my fitness accomplishements have just reaffirmed that with a well focused plan that focuses on the goals your heart truly desires, doing it for a higher reason other than your own personal glory, and keeping yourself accountable to yourself on a daily basis you truly can accomplish everything you've ever wanted... AND MORE!
posted by zach m at 7:19 PM

Coming down to the wire. I'm sorry but it's still difficult to accept that i'm taking pictures for a BFL Challenge holding around 8.5% body fat. I've still got the infamous lower back fat that is so hard to get rid of for me (love handles). It's weird because my abs are ripped and big UNDER a little bit of chunk. The important thing for me to do is remind myself that i'm still in a bulking phase for the next few months. The cutting will come in December or January when I have reached for the 185 to 188lbs mark. I've also got to do this while not going over the 9% BF mark. So I need to maintain around 8.5% while gaining more weight.

Tonight i'm going to do a circuit training along with abs. I'm going to get my body fat composition done tonight as well.

A little more headway was made on Body Blog last night. We are shooting for a friday deadline to get a basic beta version of the software up. More on this later...
posted by zach m at 9:04 AM

300 lbs on bench press. Target goal for bench: complete! I was shocked yesterday when I did 275lbs 3 times without a spot and 4 with very little help. Knowing that 275 was that easy it was time to test my skillz and strength. It was time to go for the 3 double 0.

Today was a little different. I'm focusing on pumped muscles and ripped abs. I did a circuit training where I worked out pretty much every body part and then KILLED the abs. I'm going to continue to do this up to thursday when I take pictures.

I'm very hacked off at myself for not completing a lot of my other personal goals. I've been doing them a little, but not at the rate that I had set. It's very feasible to get right back on track I just can't let anything deter me. Speaking of, i'm off to work on the body blog software...
posted by zach m at 9:52 PM

It's kind of cool to type in that i've got 7 days left in my 4th Challenge! The odd thing is going to be typing in Day 1 of 84 not but a few days later. Man, i'm going to have start statistics that are equal to my previous end statistics. Just like everything else in my life, it's another challenge to conquer that can only make me a better and stronger person. CHARGE!

Tonight will be my last full workout for the week. Since it's picture day on Thursday i'm going to spend most of my time posing, doing a few "keep the pump" full body workout routines, and tanning. Next week, before I start another challenge i'm going to:
1. Get the body blog software done to where a few more people can be added to the Dream Team and we can start testing/posting using the software.
2. Doing my one rep maxes to see how I did in reaching my workout weight goals for this challenge.
3. Planning for Challenge 5.
posted by zach m at 7:48 AM

Since Jon and I had so many properties to look and I did a workout yesterday I've pushed today's workout off until tomorrow. The rest of the week I will take it a little bit easy doing some circuit training to keep the pump in my muscle and snap photos on wednesday or thursday evening. It's REALLY important to get rid of a little bit of water weight with some natural herbs and to retain a nice pump. I'm going to tan a little bit more too. These photos will be to submit for the BFL Challenge, but don't represent a peak. I'm going to be in a mass building phase for at least two more challenges and 3/4 of the challenge after that. This gives me until the December 2002 / January 2003 time to pack on some serious weight. My goal is to do challenges for this entire year, get up to an all time incredible shape, while continuing to jump by leaps and bounds in my personal goals with my businesses and investements, to begin to give back to the community that may need assistance and to do it all as God guides me too.

Wow, that got deep and I didn't even intend it too. Well, more Body Blog to work on tonight! Everything is looking right in line with releasing the beta test starting on wednesday in two weeks.

Week 11 of 12, Day 75 of 84

Legs, legs, we love'em and we hate'em. It's very difficult for me to workout in the early (early for me that is) AM. My poor little bones are achy and it takes me a bit more time to become loose. I've gotta say it's my fault for not eating before working out and for trying to rush my workout.

It was a pretty good workout though. I did go alittle on the lighter side, but got a great pump. *Guilty admission:* I didn't do calves. There could be a million excuses in the world for what, why, when and where. The fact is I should have gotten to the gym earlier, given myself more time to workout, and prioritized my day a little better.
posted by zach m at 5:30 PM

My allergies are HORRIBLE right now. My body seems to be putting forth a lot of energy to fight them over the last few days. They make me irritable, cranky, and less focused. This is WHILE taking allergy medicine. The only thing that will get my by these next few days, or weeks, will be pure desire and drive to push through it. The one way to stay focused while i'm not feeling 100% is to remind myself of my goals and to refuse to let them get the best of me.

Yesterday I did an ab workout. Today I shirked my leg workout. Admittedly I let the allergies get the best of me. My mistake was to stop by my house after the house closing. Tomorrow morning will be leg day. I've got a ton planned this weekend and I need to be on top of it all. The storm will be rough for quite sometime for my life. Once again, I need to remember that "focus" is my watchword.
posted by zach m at 8:38 PM

Well, well, well the next to the last design documents have been turned over to the Body Blog programming team to work on. This has me SUPER excited, but it also means I need to start working on getting deliverable models of each page to the team every night. That means starting tonight my evenings are going to be doubly occupied. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings will be spent behind the computer working like a fool on a mission.

It sure is different DOING the things you have dreamed about your whole life. Consistently working out and living a healthy lifestyle, persuing investments and deals in real estate, running every facet of a technology company, being a humble servant of God, all while working a full time job. There are so many bumps and bruises along the way. I've noticed one of the keys is to never let the destiny of any one of your dreams fall outside of youself. Having a team behind you to help you is one thing (and essential), but to put so much weight on another person that may or may not share your dream with you can make it crumble very fast. I guess I mean to always have a plan sitting in front of you that can use others to facilitate and help you, but not to completely take over for you.

Right now my parents are facing a similar situation in their lives and it's a very stressful subject. This is one of the main reasons i've made the decision to be financially free from having to depend on a boss. Not that I don't enjoy my job, or that I don't see myself staying here for quite sometime, but ultimately I don't plan on being an employee the rest of my life. It's time to take the blessings of talent and opportunity God has given me to make my dreams come true and be the deciding person in those dreams turned reality.
posted by zach m at 11:30 AM

What a weird workout. At the start I was completely ROCK and ROLL! We are talking no holds barred, completely on, dial turned to "11", with focus and strength like never before. So much strength that I managed to crank out 12 slow pull ups on 3 sets. So strong that I set highs on reverse pull downs and seated row pulls.

Then came the bi's where I waited for 10 minutes before doing them because I just felt lethargic like I didn't want to workout. During this time I weighed myself. For the first time in over 8 weeks I weighed less than 178lbs. Today the scale tipped at 177lbs. This started my mind on fire. My thought is that the thermogenics need to go COMPLETELY!

After fighting with myself about going home or staying at the gym I started to get VERY hacked off at myself. Once I got hacked off it was a no brainer, i'm here to train and nothing will stop me.

Guess what, I hit all time highs on standing barbell curls doing 110lbs 6 times today. Then it was off to seated dumb bell curls where I used 40lbs for a short set of 4 then dropped to 30's to finish off with 6 reps. It wound up being a decent workout WHEN I got my head on straight. Now it's off to work on Body Blog!!!
posted by zach m at 7:45 PM

This is a VERY different feeling being less than two weeks away from the end of this challenge than I have felt before. Previously, it was at this time that I would start doing crazy drop the fat, cut the water, carb deplete kind of things getting ready for pictures. There would be pressure and stress all over the place trying to make everything line up for my PEAK to be displayed in an "after" picture.

Now my focus is more long term muscle gain and i'm using each new challenge as incremental steps to put together the whole picture. Instead of just using 12 weeks to be in the shape of my life i've truly adopted the lifestyle, set my goals, and I plan to be a MONSTER by the end of the year. Originally I set out to do two challenges in a row. Now i'm set to do 4 in a row, all the way up to the end of the year. ONLY in the last one will I cut down for photos. I'm going to maintain around 7-8.5% BF during that time while trying to get to be around 185 - 187lbs.

In fact, there really isn't a need for me to cut down for any photos UNLESS someone wants me to do photo ads for them. I'm going to be modeling a little for Body Blog along the way. I'm not all that interested in obsessing and getting to unmaintainable levels of shape. Besides, i've got so many other things to focus on I believe that one should use weight training, diet and fitness training as a "compliment" to life. Cutting to 5% body fat or putting on 225lbs of muscle can be very unhealthy.

Besides, if someone comes along that is in better shape and makes better gains than I have I don't mind stepping down and letting them model for Body Blog. Heck, in fact I set the challenge to those who may be reading this. Once Body Blog is open to the public I will run contests for models and spokes people, but that is getting ahead of myself. For now I have to work on the software on a nightly basis AFTER working out.
posted by zach m at 9:47 AM

I'm kicking some serious tail today at work! Ever since i've worked on getting super organized and staying on top of things my work life has streamline considerably. Now i'm looking to hire an assistant for Zike, DM2 and Gideon Enterprises. I've got a friend that needs to make some extra money working nights so i'm going to pay her to do some things that i'm behind on in my businesses. It's a complete win-win because she is raising the money to help out her family and I get to support that while getting more organized on this side of things.

14 Days left until I start another 84 days! How am I doing? Well, my body weight has plateaued from the rapid gains it was making, but my strength has sky rocketed through the roof! My diet has become much more clean, but my water intake has been very inconsistent. I've got a few things that I can work on, but all in all I would say that this challenge and my life are going very well. God continues to bless me daily.

Well, I close on my first house this friday at 5pm. Who would have ever thought a law firm would be open at 5 pm on a friday? I'm now a landlord. It wasn't my original plan, but the deal was way too good. Now it's time to go after doing wholeselling of houses for some additional cash flow.

Today i'm going to do some abs. I'm cutting back down to one day of cardio per week. Since my weight gains have fallen off, but my body fat seems to be diminishing I want to keep making weight gains. No dropping too much fat until the end of my 5th challenge. Even then I might wait until my 7th!
posted by zach m at 12:37 PM

The summer weather has hit and usually I would be spending my sundays after church playing volleyball at a local park. Instead, i've focused my life towards staying in the gym, working on my businesses, organizing my life up to the current moment and for the week ahead, and (most importantly) getting the little things done that I can't do during the week.

About Chest, Shoulder and Tri day... This was a pretty good workout that ran long. Another past injury surfaced today while doing bench press. My wrist has been considerably weak due to breaking it twice as a youth, spraining it a dozen or more times in various situations (mainly aggressive inline skating as you see in the X-games on ESPN), and aggrivating it doing various different sports. Now i've discovered that really heavy bench press for multiple reps kills my wrist.

Just some highlights:
- 265lbs 4 times on bench 3 without a spot. I could have done more had my wrist not been a factor. My weight on bench has gone up like CRAZY!
- 80lbs dumbs 6 times on incline dumb press.
- 20lbs on tri kickbacks. MAN these things are hard to do with correct form. I'm so pumped by the time I get to my triceps after doing chest and shoulders that incorporate tri's. It's a burn, but i'm going to have to be happy with the amount of weight i'm doing, or lack of, because they are being worked on all of the exercises.

So what has happened over the last few days?

Week 10 of 12, Day 68 of 84

I squatted 425lbs with great form without a spot, while going up on all of my other sets. I'm going to go back up to my high of 455lbs for my next workout. Since i've backed off of the weight and focused more on form I believe that I can do 455 with very good form. I've found a leg extension machine at my closests gym that can support the weight that i've gone up to. If I wasn't doing them as slow and intense as i am I wouldn't be so concerned with increasing my weight. Yet, i've been coming up fairly slow, holding the weight for a "2" count, and going down 2 times slower than the rate in which the weight was raised. My calves are starting to get some really good shape to them for the FIRST time in my life! This has me ecstatic because i've worked for years trying to get these little chicken calves to grow in proportion with the rest of my body.

Week 10 of 12, Day 67 of 84

Saturday I took off from working out, but only took one free meal. That makes two free meals for the week. Because I was at an all day seminar it became a little hard to have my meals at their appropriate times.
posted by zach m at 4:14 PM

Today I worked 14 hours at my day job. I changed my workouts up a bit today because I didn't leave the office until 9:30pm. Then I headed to the school near my house for a quick 9 minute round of HIIT 30 second sprint/30 second jog/walk training. Since I was about 3 1/2 to 4 hours since my last meal I figured instead of doing a super catabolic workout, I could just do some empty stomach calorie and fat burning cardio. Usually, tomorrow is my free day from workouts. Instead, I will do legs promptly after my self imposed SHORT day at work.

THANK YOU MARIE for cheering me up today! Talking to my 2nd mom really made a HUGE difference. I'm feeling super energized again about being on the right path with what I am doing.

Right now I want to thank some of my personal heros that tend to get overlooked in my life because i'm so busy:
MOST IMPORTANT = GOD - My friend, my father, my savior, my life!
1. Sanieh - you truly are amazing in everything that you have accomplished. Keep flying baby!
2. Jon Mobley - my best friend and business partner that has come a long way WITH ME. The sky is the limit for us, my man!
3. My parents - my two strongest supporters and cheerleaders. I love you both.
4. Marie aka Mom II - my inspiration and hero. It doesn't matter what the neigh-sayers tell you... keep going with what you believe in!
5. Gabrielle Filmer - an incredibly positive person who brings joy and positive flow to my life. Keep witnessing God's love and words to the world, it's helped me in my life.
6. Summer Smith - a person I owe a lot too for holding me accountable to my faith in the Lord.
7. Jade aka Pee-Pee - although you are my dog, you bring me so much joy and love UNCONDITIONALLY. Why can't humans be less complicated and give in the same way?
8. Michal Wallace - you are ALMOST as driven as I am (wink). Your entreprenuerial ways and skills as a programmer are unparralleled. I know you will be one of my wealthy friends in the very near future. Hopefully, we can get there together.
9. Corby Davis - i'm still amazed at your ability to learn things as rapidly as you can. In all of your "infinite wisdom" I know that I couldn't have a better business partner. Your Da Man Now, Dog!
10. Bob Doyle - to step from the position that you have in life to going after dreams that are nothing short of amazing is a quality that only the most inspirational people of the world have. Guess where that leaves you! You're not just my inspiration, you have motivated and moved people world wide! Thank you for being you!
11. Alicia Moncur and my beautiful nieces - spiritual, beautiful, in shape and striving for success. I have a feeling that i'm going to have to spend some time fending off the guys in the near future for my nieces. Ali, i miss you and i'm moved to tears every time I hear about your successes as a mother, a personal trainer, and a Christian woman.
posted by zach m at 10:18 PM

Tension breaker, had to do it, sorry!
posted by zach m at 1:33 PM

Success isn't always the easiet formula to calculate. In studying numerous people that I consider successful there are some common things they did:
A. They assessed their current situation and knew exactly where they were starting from.
B. They detailed out exactly where they wanted to be and figured out HOW they would know when they got to a certain goal they were aiming for.
C. In recognizing A and B they then charted the points in between creating incremental goals while still focusing on the big picture.
D. This one is key, no matter the situation "focus" was their watch word. Michal Dell had his college buddies asking him to go party, while Bill Gates had his girlfriend trying to get him to take her out all of the time, and Robert Kiyosaki took the ridicule about he and his wife having to live out of his car for a while.
E. Tracking their progress allowed them to tweak their programs as they went. This also allowed them to go in a different direction if one approach wasn't working.
F. Once they started approaching their big picture goal they IMMEDIATELY started this whole process over again to tackle their next big challenge.

My good friend Michal wrote a really long post today on the different ways people think. He and I are very different in our approaches to things. He tends to lean towards the complete focus on one thing side of the equation while I lean towards the multi-task a bunch of things with multiple goals in mind. At times I have to drop somethings just so I can keep going with the core ideas that I don't want to stray from. He has a tendancy to get focused on the wrong thing and has to move himself back to the core idea that he should have been working on.

I can say that since the start of this 4th challenge i've been focusing on a very limited amount of core ideas. There haven't been many digressions or tangent ideas that i've wandered off too. I've had to figure some areas of focus out with my real estate investing business and i've had to fine tune my focus with Zike. Yet, as a whole i've been less fragmented and I owe a lot of it to good planning, getting organized and keeping track of my progress along the way. A lot of this is due to including my personal goals in with my planning for my fitness goals and vice versa. Instead of just making individual plans for everything i'm doing I will create the individual plan and place it into a big plan. I've got to get back to work so I will write a little more on this if I have time later.

Let's talk briefly about my workout last night. Since I wanted to have some personal time without any distractions I went to a branch of my gym that I don't normally go to. It turned out pretty great. Each exercise on back and bi's was hit with incredible intensity. I didn't go up in weight on everything, but I managed to completely focus while I was in the gym. There are a few tweaks I need to take because I started WAY too high last week on a few exercises. Mainly on standing barbell curls. Because form and intensity is my main focus I am pretty content in sticking with the same weight three weeks in a row ONLY IF I see an increase by the fourth. Only time will tell.

Tonight I have a Real Estate seminar so i'm off from cardio. I still should hit abs, which I may do the MINUTE I get home.
posted by zach m at 1:40 PM

I'm going to count that Chinese food I ate today as a free meal for the week. It wouldn't have counted had I not ate that silly egg roll and the fried crispy things that they put on the table before your food comes. Okay, free meal one out of the way.

Back and Bi's are listed for tonight. Work will run a little longer than usual today. There was a call with a client I had to make around 5pm. Now I have to get to a stopping point on this crazy project that i'm doing. Hopefully I can get it done by tomorrow.

While we are on tomorrow, i've got an investment seminar tomorrow evening. It's named OPM3 (other people's minds, money and muscle). Basically it's about leveraging others and their resources to provide a win-win situation for everyone while delegating most of the work away from yourself. This leaves you more time to do more resourceful things like figuring out the best features and how to deliver them to the client for the Body Blog software.

FYI: i'm scheduled to close on my new house on April 26th! YEAH!!! More about my workout later tonight...
posted by zach m at 2:23 PM

Okay, Sanieh and Sue have me SUPER JUICED in making my results and workouts count. Seeing the changes that Sanieh has made only reinforces everything she has been telling me over the phone, the changes i've seen in her pictures, and the regimen she has documented for Body Blog. Actually, I believe that after our little vain strip down posing session in the gym that seeing Sanieh (in person) blows her pictures away.

Today was good and bad. Bad on the cardio side of things where I tried to switch from a 40 second jog/20 second sprint to a 30 second jog/30 second sprint HIIT training. My first two minutes I thought I could run forever.. then the third minute hit (or should I say HIIT) me like a ton of bricks. My asthma starting making me weeze, but I was DETERMINED to keep going. I got to the 7 minute mark and finally stopped running, because I was that my lung was about to rupture or that I would be spitting up blood in a second. The new HIIT format is going to take a little getting used to, but i'm up for the challenge. I'd like to get to the 11 or 12 minute mark with this format by the end of my training. On the first 4 weeks my fifth challenge i'm going to run combo 50's and 100's.

Abs were GREAT. I did some seriously slow and intense abs. On the agenda were chair leg lifts, first with a crooked knee and next with straight legs, on each lift I would hold it for a 2 count, and that was one rep. I wound up doing between 10 to 12 on each set. Then I would jump straight to SLOW crunch ball crunches, hold at the top for a 2 count and back down. That was done for 12 to 15 reps on each. Between each set I would do an active rest for 2 minutes of ab stretches and 30 second stomach pumps. Then I would start all over again. I went through this 4 times.

Time to work more on programming Body Blog!
posted by zach m at 8:22 PM

Wow, right at 21 days left in this BFL Challenge. How am I doing so far? Well, i'm kind of scared that I hit a stalling point. Yes, my weight is right above my goal, my body fat keeps dropping as I maintain this weight, and I keep improving in strength. Yet, the gains have slowed considerably from the begining and i'm worried about hitting my bench press mark. My supplement routine needs to be varied and it's time to start thinking about the goals for the next challenge. I'm going to change my ab routine and HIIT routine starting today and i've got a whole new cardio workout planned for the next challenge. I want to get STACKED!

One thing I didn't mention yesterday was Sanieh introducing me to the protein pancake! They are really simple to make, packed with protein and carbs, and taste better than most of the pancakes I have ever had. In a phone conversation last night with Sanieh she mentioned that the pancakes have a very similar taste to french toast. My mind was searching for that very thing when I first tasted them. I'm in love with this receipe... THANKS GIRL! My first attempt at them last night went pretty well. I'll get them perfected.
posted by zach m at 12:49 PM

What an incredible weekend! It went by WAY too fast for my taste.

Friday was a day off. Today was changed to a cardio day, but I had to get Sanieh to the airport and finish up on some work. My cardio was sacrificed for some priorities.

Saturday was pretty cool. Sanieh and I hit the gym on my now Chest, Shoulder and Tri day. Here was the workout:
Chest:
- Bench: 10 reps 205lbs, 8 reps 225lbs, 5 reps 255lbs drop 4 reps 185lbs
- Incline Dumbbells: 10 reps 65lbs, 8 reps 70lbs, 6 reps 75lbs drop 4 reps 65lbs
Shoulders:
- Seated Dumbbell Press: 10 reps 35lbs, 8 reps 40lbs, 6 reps 50lbs drop 4 reps 35lbs
Tri's:
- Kick Backs: 10 reps 12lbs, 8 reps 12lbs, 6 reps 15lbs
- Dips: 20 reps, 16 reps, 12 reps

It's time to work on more of my business plans with a new focus in mind. I pray that all parties involved are willing to come along for the ride. The future sure looks lucrative, but the journey to get there is a little rough. The path is in God's hands.
posted by zach m at 6:10 PM

Could I possibly go any higher on squats from the 425lbs of last week? Try 455lbs for 5 reps on for size! I'm actually going to raise my lower reps and stick with the same max weight for the next workout...
Here is my leg workout for this 4 weeks and how I performed today:
Quads:
- Squats: 10 reps 225lbs, 8 reps 315lbs, 5 reps 455lbs
- Leg Extensions: 10 reps 225lbs, 8 reps 240lbs, 6 reps 255lbs drop 4 reps 225lbs
Hams:10 reps 225lbs, 8 reps 240lbs, 6 reps 255lbs drop 4 reps 225lbs
- Laying Leg Curls: 10 reps 130lbs, 8 reps 140lbs, 6 reps 150lbs drop 4 reps 130lbs
Calves:
- Hack Squat Toe Press: 12 reps 2 x 45lbs, 10 reps 3 x 45lbs, 8 reps 3 x 45 + 25lbs drop 4 reps 2 x 25lbs
- Angled Flat Ground Toe Press: 12 reps 225lbs, 10 reps 275lbs, 8 reps 275lbs
posted by zach m at 10:37 PM

It was my first day working out my back and bi's on this new workout. I flipped my cardio day of today with my workout day yesterday. Here is how I faired on my workout:
Back:
- Regular Pullups: 12 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps (These were a lot easier to do than the wide grip pull ups of the last 4 weeks)
- Seated Close Grip Rows: 12 reps 120lbs, 10 reps 130lbs, 8 reps 140lbs drop to 4 reps 120lbs
- Reverse Grip Pulldowns: 12 reps 120lbs, 10 reps 130lbs, 8 reps 140lbs drop to 4 reps 120lbs

Bi's:
- Standing Barbell Curls: 10 reps 65lbs, 8 reps 85lbs, 6 reps 95lbs drop 4 reps 75lbs
- Seated Dumbbell Curls: 10 reps 25lbs, 8 reps 30lbs, 6 reps 35lbs drop 4 reps 25lbs

Pretty decent weights on all of my exercises. It's looking like I will increase each of my weights on back by 10lbs and on bi's by 5lbs. The good old pulls will have an increase in reps up to 14, 12, 10.

I've finally made the commitment to tweak my diet. The free meals will equal a total of two per week. A full day of gorging has been eliminated! Ciao free day, it was nice knowing you. On that note I had a free meal tonight, while the next one will be saved for this weekend when Sanieh comes into town.

Speaking of Sanieh, just wait until you see her pics!!! Can you say, "SMOKIN!" She is incredibly ripped in the stomach/ab area, her legs are showing a lot more shape and muscle, and her traps and bi's are getting pretty big. The copy that she emailed me would have to have been cut off in order to fit on her page. We are going to wait until the weekend when she flies in (YES!) to scan and cut it to the appropriate size. Keep holding your breath ladies and gentlemen, you won't believe the incredible progress this lady is making.
posted by zach m at 9:51 PM

I wanted to share this real quick. My friend Sgt. Pete Borklund emailed it to me this morning:

The best competitors are those who do not focus on the competition, but rather who go beyond it. The winner of a race does not look back at the rest of the field, but focuses instead on the path that lies ahead, where there is no competition.The most successful businesses are those that define the market, rather than those which attempt to dominate it. They forge ahead into territory where there is no competition, and thus leave all the competitors in the dust.The way to win is not by getting someone else to lose, for that is never a sustainable strategy. The way to win big, over and over again, is to set the highest standards you can possibly imagine and then live each moment true to them.When you fight against other people, they'll fight back. Yet when you innovate and follow a higher vision, when you boldly go where no one else has been, then others will gladly follow and support you along the way.Rise above the competition, go beyond it, and you'll be the most positively competitive runner in the race.
-- Ralph Marston

posted by zach m at 5:51 AM

How odd is it that each time I take my pictures and post them i'm moderately happy with my current state of fitness? The reason why this is so odd is because i look BACK at my before and 4 week pictures and scratch my head wondering why I was happy with my shape. As i've thought about it I came to the conclusion that my mind always plays tricks on me. I will see myself not where I want to be on a daily basis in the mirror. Once I get the pictures back I become pleasantly surprised, but not content. After looking at the pictures it gives me relief to see i'm not in as bad of shape as I thought I was. Truth be told, i'm happy that i'm not in as bad of shape as I thought I was, BUT i'm still not where I would like to be. So the happiness is a relief, but not being content with my shape keeps me going.

The house I am purchasing got appraised today. Preparing the house for the appraisal has messed with my weekly goals quite a bit. I'm slightly behind on a lot of things, but the house is ready for Sanieh to come visit this weekend. These next couple of nights I need to play catch up to get things in order. Especially with the Body Blog programming. Body Blog and my DM2 Properties goals are my main focus over these next few days until Sanieh gets into town.

The next 4 weeks workout is complete. Tonight is Back and Bis. I'm excited to be doing reverse grip pulldowns for the first time in my life. More later...
posted by zach m at 12:12 PM

I'm doing backflips over my bench workout today. I did 275lbs twice on my own and 5 times with a spot! Could I already be max'ing out at 300lbs? I've got 4 weeks to hit that 300lb club.

Tomorrow starts my new workout schedule! I've changed everything but squats and bench press. The next thing I'm most excited about is that i've only got 4 weeks left in this challenge!

That picture compared to the others sure tells alot. It's very odd that my body weight hasn't changed much at all, but it's obvious that i'm considerably bigger than my last pictures. My body fat has dropped , but not too much to sacrifice muscle. It's important for me to continue to be delicate with trying not to lose weight and to keep packing on the pounds.
posted by zach m at 10:44 PM

you are a true champion! Sue has won her category in the contest she had this weekend!!! It's all thanks to Body Blog, right Sue? Seriously, super congrats to you. I will post your contest pictures online later this week.
posted by zach m at 7:13 AM

Today was a busy day, but it was one where I skipped my workout. We spent most of the day preparing the house for an appraiser to come out and ... well appraise it. I'm purchasing the house right now. It's my first house and we are due to close on it April 22nd! I was going to make an offer on another home today, but I need to talk to my business partner about it. This land I will probably pass onto another investor. So far we've got a few more deals than I know what to do with. I truly thought that finding good deals would be harder than this, but with the economy being where it is and everyone being downsized the "get rid of my house quick" market is booming. In other words, it's prime time for investors to accumulate rental houses at good prices.

Wait, this blog is about working out and fitness. Well it's about reaching your dreams and goals as well.
Speaking of, i'm writing up the new workout for this next 4 weeks as we speak. It's being tweaked from my original plan. Cutting isn't an option, i'm still going through a bulking phase for the next 3 months. My ultimate goal is to be around 182-185lbs while maintaining 7-8% body fat by the end of the year. These are very modest goals considering that i'm at about 178-179lbs and 9.57% body fat right now.

I will make up today's workout that I missed tomorrow evening.

Week 8 of 12, Day 55 of 84

You can say I did 13 minutes of HIIT. I walked for 3 or 4 40 second periods and sprinted after that. I never didn't sprint, but I didn't keep up with all of the jogging. I'm a little worried about doing this much more. I really believe that I should get that tape made that i've been talking about. That will get my mental attitude in shape and keep me out of my own head by being able to concentrate on something other than how much my calves, quads or lungs are burning.

My abs are coming right along, but my flabs are hiding them. I've got to understand that i'm going to carry a little bit of weight without cutting down. OH YEAH, I start doing ab bootcamp this week. That should make a difference in being able to see more of my abs.
posted by zach m at 8:23 PM

You are reading the journal of a happy and smiling man. This morning proved to be a very difficult one. I've got a million reasons that I could be down, negative and throwing a pity party for myself. Instead, i've made the choice to have a great day no matter what! Besides, with my Heavenly Father as my Lord and savior who couldn't have a good day?

Today is my day off from working out. My body needs the rest too. After going so heavy on legs yesterday my lower body is feeling that INCREDIBLE burn that only a good workout can give you. Did you know that Mr. Georgia hasn't been able to hang with me on legs? He has disappeared the last 3 times we were suppose to meet and do a lower body workout together. It's funny that a lot of guys that I talk to in the gym think i'm crazy for pushing my body to the limit almost every time I workout. God has given me this mentality to strive for only the best if I do something.

Saniehs post for today was beautiful. I'm really glad that she continues to share her spiritual and mental learnings with the world. It's becoming obvious that you are more focused and serious than you ever have been about your Ms. Figure Comp. This new trainer seems to have pumped a lot more life into your workouts. Pretty soon we will be scampering around trying to keep up with you. You are a shining light, little mama! Spread those wings and "flylikeiknowyoucan."

Sue is in prep for her contest. I've got the benefit of being able to read her posts that she hasn't released to the public yet. She seems to be MORE than ready for her contest! Doing the tanning, doing and redoing and redoing again her nails, and cutting out water completely. It appears that she has her routine down, her mind is clear, focused and confident in herself and her body, now she just needs to kick some butt on stage. You are in our prayers, Little Mrs. Austrailian Dynamite!
posted by zach m at 9:51 AM

As the momentum keeps going... Something happened yesterday during my HIIT run that has fueled my motivation for EVERYTHING! It's funny how something that could be considered a small victory can generalize into other areas in your life. When I say everything I MEAN everything. My learning, my career, my two businesses, my relationships with friends and family, EVERYTHING!

After last weeks episode with 405 and feeling like I was doing the weight with bad form this week was scheduled for a decrease in squats. So what happened? Well, I did 225lbs for 10 reps, 315lbs for 8 reps and topped it all off with, oopps I will tell you later.

I did manage to go up on all of my other exercises. My hammies were worked to DEATH, but saw an increase of 15lbs on each set. The last set of seatted curls was completed at a 6 reps clip curling 225lbs.

Those squats sure felt explosive and powerful. Just like my other exercises I started to feel really confident that I was getting stronger as I warmed up. But first let's talk about calves.

Just last week my calf workout took a very tender turn for the worse due to a strain in my ankle. A little pain wasn't going to stop me. This day saw all time highs, very slow, holding at the peak, and slow on the way down calf raises and calf presses. This is the first time in a while that I've been happy with my calf workout.

Can I thank Sanieh right now for helping me out with squats? I've been doing squats the way I was taught back about 11 years ago by a personal trainer. Sanieh made a recommendation to me: instead of putting the weight on my back and looking directly up at the celling I should focus my head in it's natural position. So head straight forward I would glance up at the celling in order to concentrate on keeping my back straight. Well, let's just say my last set was 425lbs for 6 reps and excellent form! YEAH! What's next?

Week 8 of 12, Day 51 of 84

13 minutes of HIIT and no puking. That doesn't mean that it wasn't close to happening. Right around the 9 minutes mark I thought for sure that I would never get to 13. We are talking complete self doubt where I slowed down to walk for 3 or 4 seconds. Then like a switch being flicked on in my head I decided it was time to push it out and PROVE to myself that I could do it.

My abs are starting to feel like bricks. It's really funny that my body has turned so much harder and stronger than it's ever been. In continuing my ab work on this 51st day the abs are really showing a lot of separation. Personally seeing results in your workouts sure does motivate you to work harder!
posted by zach m at 10:21 PM

Great on back, but weak on bi's. This was a weird workout. My mental mindset was very focused on my workout, but for some reason my body was "GO" on back and "NO" on bi's.

Back saw two sets of 10 wide grip pull ups, 80lbs for 6 reps on dumb shrugs, and on one arm pulls. Bi's didn't change from my last workout. In fact, I couldn't do the same weight on preacher curls as I did in my last workout. This was very peculiar considering I was so much stronger on back.

Cardio tomorrow, i'm going to attempt to knock out 13 minutes of HIIT!
posted by zach m at 9:08 PM

Doing 245lbs for 6 reps ain't too shabby. The increase may not have been as dramatic as they previously have been, but it's still pretty good progress. Especially when I dropped down to 185lbs immediately after doing the 245 and repped out 4 reps.

I've really hit a stalled point on doing overhead tricep extensions. I don't know if I started off WAY too heavy initially, if i'm not advancing or if my tri's are getting burned out from doing the chest exercises.

Okay, this has to be said in the public blog... where is my Dream Team? I need to read you guys posts to get amped up and be held accountable. I hope all is well with you guys! Let the world know how you guys are doing. Especially you Joe, aren't you guys in your last week of your challenge?

Tomorrow i'm going to plan out my workout for the next 4 weeks. I've got a little bit of an idea as to what I am going to do. Previously I was going to do the BFL format of working out. Since i'm still concentrating on packing on that mass i'm going to hold off on doing that format until the last 4 weeks of my 5th challenge which I do consecutively after this 4th challenge. More tomorrow, it's time to work on the Body Blog software!
posted by zach m at 7:45 PM

The start of week 8 and things are going pretty well. My goals for weight might be a little off by a pound or two. That is going to be my main focal point for these last few weeks. My weight dropped so dramatically when I started doing that silly Ultimate Orange thermogenic that it's got me a little concerned about making my goal of 175lbs at 6% body fat. Basically, I want to throw that body fat goal out the window so my body will retain the muscle i've gained and keep building on it.

Yesterday I missed my workout entirely! It looks like i'm not going to try to make up my cardio session that I miss today because of playing catch up with my workout from yesterday. It was a quiet day for me yesterday. Not much phone, except to talk to Sanieh, a movie with my family, no work except for about 30 minutes of loose ends, and a TON of time catching up on sleep and alone time with God. Yesterday really gave me this reenergized feeling today. So far, it's been an INCREDIBLE day that can ONLY get better!

Tonight I'm going to go home and rewrite my 5 year plan out on a HUGE sheet of paper and tack it onto my wall. My goal: work daily on reaching for those things that I have stated as wanting to be done with at the end of 5 years.

FYI: the Braves start their first game today in about 10 minutes. This has me JUICED!

More about tonights workout later...
posted by zach m at 9:46 AM

Boy were my legs sore this morning. I was kind of down this morning when I stepped on the scale and it read 174lbs! I don't think i've lost 5lbs over the last week!!! That really hacked me off. It made me think I needed to do less cardio and start eating more.

I cut my HIIT down to 10 minutes today. Yes, I slacked a bit, but I think that if I keep doing 12 minutes and up I will burn WAY TOO much muscle. I'm thinking that I will do HIIT one day per week, stay on the thermogenics and do a stepper/tread mill/nordic track/health rider type of exercise on my other day of cardio. Maybe i'll do 2 days of HIIT and the third will be the later mentioned.

Halfway through abs I realized I was still down from weighing myself. That was when I remembered my songs to pump me up. With "My Sacrifice" and "Alive" pumping in my head I cranked out one of my best ab workouts in a long time.
posted by zach m at 3:32 PM

Is it Ultimate Orange or Agent Orange? Those silly fat burners WERE making me feel sick! I cut them out today and I feel just fine. It's frustrating to know that i've been putting myself into this funk because of a supplement I was taking. Instead of taking two of them I tried taking my other supplements and cut myself from those all together. It sure fixed the problem real quick. I've got 3 full bottles of the stuff too! Maybe my bestfriends body can handle them better than I can. I'm going back on Betalean.

Today i'm going to take off from cardio, as well. I don't want to get stuck doing cardio on consecutive days. Staying with 2 days of cardio per week is just fine considering that i'm going to continue to try an gain muscle mass. I've seen a big difference in the last few days with my loss of fat. Hopefully I can keep it going while I'm coming off of the Ultimate Orange caps.
posted by zach m at 10:53 AM

Looking back at my workouts... I DID 375lbs last week on squats. So what did I decide to do today? Well I attempted to do 405lbs (4 plates on each side). What did I do? Oh just 405lbs for 4 reps!!! One of the problems I had was that I started using too much of my back. Instead of pumping the rest of the reps out with sloppy form I stopped at 4. Now that I know I can do 405lbs for a set of 4 i'm going to drop down to around 380ish for my next workout just to make sure I don't hurt my back.

I went light on calves because I believe that they were the problem with my ankle NOT my running. I was incredibly strong hams going up around 15lbs on each exercise. My hammies are actually catching up with my quads.

I also think that this crappy Ultimate Orange fat burner is contributing to me feeling sick. I'm going to drop down to taking 2 of them per dose. IF I keep feeling sick then i'm going to give them away and start back on the Betalean. I figure being a spokesperson in the EAS ads for the product it might be best to support the supplement as well. So far it has been the best thermogenic i've taken.

Time for bed...
posted by zach m at 10:32 PM

Zachary Marcy knows better than to immediately think something is wrong if he feels drained and tired even after getting a lot of sleep. Do the math: it's spring time, i've got horrible allergies, i feel drained, tired and can't think straight .... HRMMMM!

*SmAcK in da back of Zach's head!*

HEY, i know, i'll take allergy medicine and see how that works. My eyes are still a little runny, but I don't feel like I need to go take a 10 hour nap. Taking allergy medicine when my allergies are bothering me really can lift my spirits too. When I feel sick my mind can't think clearly and I start to get down on myself. Pop a few antihistamines and BANG back in action with my positive juices flowin.

That reminds me... it's leg day!!! Today I have to decide between:
A. Killing myself by trying 400lbs 6 times or
B. Remain conservative by going up about 25lbs from last week and doing 375lbs.

I'm leaning towards 375 because it will tell me whether or not I can go up to 400lbs next week. I'll tell you guys what happens later tonight...
posted by zach m at 1:13 PM

45lbs on standing dumbbell curls, nice STRONG pull-ups that were significantly up in reps from last time, 60lbs on one arm back pulls, and 100lbs on machine preacher curls. This was the formula for a GREAT workout.

Earlier in the day I was WIPED OUT again. This morning I got to work very early. I headed home early from work and took a 1 1/2 hour nap. That might have had a lot to do with me doing well in the gym.

Tomorrow i've got a real estate seminar to go to. I'm going to do cardio on friday of this week. Hope everyone else reading this has the good Lord blessing them as He is me.
posted by zach m at 6:08 AM

I was bound to have at least one bad day in the gym. Not that this was very bad, but my heart wasn't there for the first time in a long time. My ankle was a non-factor in my running, but my asthmatic lungs were. I started doing walk-sprints from the 8 minute to the 10 minute mark on HIIT. The first 7 minutes and the last 2 minutes were fine. That time in between I was pretty slack by walking and then sprinting. Those sprints were hard!

On abs my mind was wandering. There was a lack of focused concentration and determination. I've got no real explaination for it EXCEPT that it better not happen again. My blood is boiling right now. Yes, I finished the workout all the way through, but it wasn't as intense and as full-on as I would have liked it.

Overall it wasn't a bad workout, but it wasn't one of my best either. Hey, on the good side of things my ankle is just fine! I literally felt NOTHING! In fact, i've been very blessed to remain relatively injury free for the last few years. This old body of mine has been through some serious trauma and, in the past, was very prone to injury. By the grace of God alone i've managed to stay pretty healthy and functional in my last 3 BFL Challenges.

PROMISE TO SELF: The remainder of this week will make up for my slackness today in the gym.
posted by zach m at 5:54 PM

Each time that the week gets incremented on the blog counter I get a warm motivated feeling in my body. Hopefully i'm not speaking too soon, but this Challenge has been a lot more easy to maintain than any of my past Challenges. There are a NUMBER of reasons for it. Mainly, because this is my 4th challenge and I know what to expect. Having a team to be accountable with helps too. Sanieh and I can talk on a daily basis about our challenge results. Life is so less chaotic right now than it was when I was in school. Even with starting a second business piled on top of work full time and running Zike Interactive my life is more structured and focused. FYI: Zike's main project right now is Body Blog.

More on my workout later. Hopefully my ankle holds up well for a good 12 minutes of HIIT.
posted by zach m at 2:02 PM

I'm at 179lbs at the halfway point!

What in the world happened to my bench press advancing? My workout was GREAT on everything except bench which was exactly the same as the last workout.

The decline dumbbells were strong ending with 70lbs dumbs. Wearing a tank top today you can tell that my chest and shoulders are getting a lot bigger. From watching the muscles work on cable crossovers and on military press gave me some real inspiration that overshadowed my meager performance on bench. Topping it all off with a strong finish on overhead dumbs and bench dips made this an pretty good workout.

At the end of my workout I tested out my ankle, while stretching it out and jogging on it. Once I got into my trot my ankle popped everytime I pushed off of it. After about a minute of jogging the pain seemed to go away. About 3 more minutes of jogging and then into a nice stretch session. With this promising test of my ankle I might do HIIT tomorrow. Pray for me!
posted by zach m at 5:56 PM

My ankle is a wreck. It's going to be very hard for me to continue running. I'm going to have to do low impact cardio from this point until my ankle heals properly. Originally I was thinking that my heel was bruised, but now I feel it in the tendons in my ankle. Hopefully an airbrace and doing cardio on the bike will allow it to heal. If not, it's off to the doctor, if so... AWESOME!

Well, i'm still rock and roll with this challenge. It's funny that of all of the nagging injuries i've had that this is the one that strikes me. Guess what... Chest, Shoulders, and Tri's tomorrow will be destroyed! More tomorrow after I workout.
posted by zach m at 8:27 PM

375lbs for 6 reps on squat and plenty left in the tank. Seriously, I believe I can rep in the 400's right now.

Other highlights:
-8 45lb plates for 6 reps on hack squats
-3 45lb plates for 10 reps on seated toe press
-195lbs for 8 reps on seated leg curls

Time for me to eat and work on Body Blog! Everyone else reading this HAVE A GREAT WORKOUT!!!

Week 6 of 12, Day 39 of 84

LEGS TODAY! Back in high school if you would have told me that I would one day look forward to doing squats I would think you a fool, roll my eyes and act like you didn't really say something that silly. Today, i'm sitting here in anxious anticipation just wanting to hit some squats! Today's goal: 375lbs for a set of 6. More later...
posted by zach m at 2:59 PM

11 minutes of HIIT complete! What a GREAT round of cardio. Now, I didn't say easy because there were several times that I thought I should quit. In fact, there was a point where I thought I would pass out. The guys at the gym got the bright idea to turn the heat up since it was raining outside. That sure made running a sweatfest.

My abs are really starting to come out. In fact, you can see my obliques when I flex. There is still that STUBBORN fat around the lower front of my abs and lower part of my back (love handles). Those are the next to go. Betalean was should give me a little help in this area. So should getting up to 15 or so minutes of HIIT. I'm not going to over do the cardio or diet, but I will pick up and extra day at 4 weeks left.

Tomorrow is leg day! Rashad is saying he is ready for my squat session! I highly doubt he is going to be able to walk after I put him through the ringer.

Joe: You are in my prayers. Things happen that take us away from our goals and our dreams. I choose to say, "life happens, no matter what." Put it in Christ's hands and he will lead you in the direction of your best blessing.
posted by zach m at 8:47 PM

This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. <-- One of the few Bible verses that I remember from memory, but very applicable to today and the rest of my life. I'm enjoying the journey, EVERYDAY!

Week 6 of 12, Day 37 of 84 cont...

So Rashad walks into the gym with a big smile on his face. He grabs a "Flex" magazine and promptly turns it to page 170 or so. Flipping the magazine around so it's facing me he says, "there is your ad." Now it's all over the gym that i'm in magazines. One of the trainers looks at the ad and says, "that's not you." I smiled and said, "okay."

Once again I went up 5lbs on pretty much EVERY exercise I did. This is simply awesome that my body is growing consistently with my workouts. Keeping records, pushing myself on, and having fun along the way has made a big difference in my workouts and my life.

Back and Bi's were on the agenda. Here are some highlights:
- Standing dumbbell curls 6 reps with 40lbs dumbs and it's time to go up in weight again.
- One arm back pulls with dumbs got up to 55lbs on 6 reps and it's time to go up on the next workout.
- 90lbs on machine preacher curls for 6 reps and, you guessed it, increase that weight next time around.
- It's also time to increase the reps I do for widegrip pull-ups. I did 10, 8, 6 reps, I will go up to 10, 10, 8 reps.
posted by zach m at 8:09 AM

It's great to see Joe materialize from the dead! We were and are still a little concerned about you my man. Life is a struggle, yet the faithful in Him are rewarded! Instead of worrying about the struggles, count your blessings because through Him we are headed to streets of gold! Pastor Steve from the Benny Hinn ministries came to speak at my church two weekends ago. He talked about how people always focus on how much struggle they have to overcome to get to church, how the Devil was working against them to do things, and other basic Christian complaints. His point was one that really made sense, why do we always focus on our struggles and pain that we had to overcome? Wouldn't it be better to focus on the good and positive that God is doing for us in our lives?

He went on to talk about how he would look forward to being in church because he got a chance to be with God's people and learn something new from them. He would remember the struggle he went through to get to the point of the joy, and he would celebrate in the joy not grovel in the misery. To paraphrase Lynn Ligenfelter, we are delivered into the storm, it's our job to do something with it. Through HIM it's pretty easy to overcome each step of that storm. Once we reach calm waters we should REJOICE and move into the next storm to allow ourselves to be ever growing.

I will post how my workout went a little bit later tonight...

Week 6 of 12, Day 36 of 84 cont...

Checkout my workout! I changed my bench press from the last time. I'm doing more reps and staying at
roughly the same weight. Talk about a difficult task to take on. It worked out really well, but I over
estimated myself just a little bit, but not much. I'm going to stick with the same weights for this
sunday. I'm pretty PUMPED about how challenging this workout is! My body is SO sore (this is being
written the day after the workout) right now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've never done decline bench before. NOTE TO SELF: when you are done doing your set, drop the weights,
and do NOT try to sit up with them as if you are doing a weighed sit-up. My back is SCREAMING bloody
murder at me today because of it. Still, it sure feels good to hurt so bad.

Shoulders were very rough. I WAY overestimated myself on military press. Back in the day I could put up
about 185 to 205 about 10 times. I struggled to get 135 up more than 6 times on my last two sets. I
didn't realize it, but it's been LONGER than a year since I last did military press! Guess that is why
i'm doing it now.

Tris were pretty difficult too. Once again, overestimation! These weights will remain the same for the
next workout too. Once I got up to 35lbs on each arm my left one did it with a huge struggle, but my
right tricep couldn't even do one! I had to drop down to a 30lbs dumb to complete the workout on my
right arm. Here are the stats:

Chest:
-Bench: 10 reps at 205lbs, 8 reps 225lbs (two needed a spot), and 4 reps 245lbs (2 needed a spot) down
to 6 reps 185lbs
-Decline Dumbbells: 10 reps at 55lbs, 8 reps 60lbs, and 6 reps 65lbs down to 4 reps 55lbs
-Cable Cross Overs: 12 reps 40lbs, 10 reps 50lbs, 8 reps 60lbs down to 4 reps 55lbs

Shoulders:
-Military Press: 10 reps 115lbs, 8 reps 135lbs, 6 reps 135lbs

Tri's:
-Overhead One Arm Extensions: 10 reps 25lbs, 8 reps 30lbs, 6 reps 35lbs down to 4 reps 25lbs
-Bench Dips: 3 sets of 15 reps, body weight only

Week 6 of 12, Day 36 of 84

Week six marks my start of taking Betalean again. I've got 2 weeks to gain around 2 or 3 pounds to get
up to the 180 mark. After reading Sanieh's blog about her trainers advice to her (keeping weight for 8
months for it to STICK) I have decided not to cut as much weight as I originally said I would. I'm
going to try to keep my muscle on my body and not sacrifice much at all. Then I will slowly shed the
fat over this and the next BFL challenge. What a good idea... thanks Sanieh for sharing what you
learned from your trainer.

Speaking of Sanieh, it looks like things are going AWESOME with her and her challenge. Keep it up
"little Momma!"

I'm pretty worried about Joe and Sue. Joe hasn't posted in a whole week and Sue is facing that 2 or 3
week out burnout. I'll say that i've faced BOTH of their situations. It really comes down to how bad
you want it and what you will do to complete it. Come on guys, it's ONLY 3 weeks left. What is 3 weeks
in your life? Consider how much you have done to get to this point and you ONLY have 3 weeks left to
PROVE to yourself that you can do ANYTHING!

God bless you guys!
posted by zach m at 9:31 AM

I'm back from the Real Estate Bootcamp. Can I say I got MORE out of it than I paid for!

I stuck very rigidly and closely with my diet. I even supplemented on my free day. However I didn't do any workouts. This means I will do Chest, Shoulders and Tris tomorrow while doing HIIT 3 days this week. No big deal! That is what my floater days are for. Since I put those workouts back to back to back last week I can play catch up with a little bit of diligence. It is VERY easy to modify a well laid out plan. SO PLAN YOUR BODY FOR LIFE!

Tomorrow you will get more meat. Right now i am wiped out and need to go to bed. I need to do some alone time with God to sort out His will being exerted very heavily in my life right now.
posted by zach m at 9:19 PM

Today I had to prepare for my three day seminar. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get things prepared for a long hiatus in the world of real estate investing. It's pretty exciting and i'm ready to get started. You can check out the Real Estate Bootcamp that I am doing.

Since my days are so packed i'm going to workout tomorrow BEFORE the seminar and then Sunday before the seminar. I figure I would do my chest, tris and shoulder workout tomorrow and my HIIT session on sunday. Saturday will be my free day from workingout AND from eating. It's going to be hard eating at this seminar anyway. I'm going to bring some RTD's and some bars. Hopefully, I will get a chance to post during this weekend.
posted by zach m at 7:34 PM

Remember the last time I did squats I wimped out on 350lbs for a set of 6? Well, i KILLED 350 like it was NOTHING today. One of my goals for this challenge was to squat 450lbs. This is very much a reality. Here is the rest of my workout...

Quads:
-Squats: 10 reps 225lbs, 8 reps 275lbs, and 6 reps 350lbs down to 4 reps 275lbs
-Hack Squats: 12 reps 2 x 45lbs on each side, 10 reps 3 x 45lbs on each side, and 8 reps 4 x 45lbs on each side down to 4 reps 3 x 45lbs on each side.

Hams:
-Seated Leg Curls: 10 reps 135lbs, 8 reps 165lbs, 6 reps 180lbs down to 4 reps 150lbs

Calves:
-Angled Toe Press: 12 reps 200lbs, 10 reps 220lbs, 8 reps 240lbs down to 4 reps 200lbs
-Seated Toe Press: 12 reps 1x 45lbs + 1 x 35lbs, 10 reps 2 x 45lbs, 8 reps 2 x 45lbs + 25lbs down to 4 reps 2 x 45lbs
posted by zach m at 11:05 PM

It's hard to believe i've only been doing this challenge for a month now. I feel in really great shape right now, probably the most strong i've ever been. Can you believe i've got 2 months of this left! It only gets better!

Here is my new Back and Bi workout:
Back:
-Wide-grip Pull Ups: 10 reps, 8 reps, and 6 reps
-One Arm Dumbbell Pulls: 12 reps at 40lbs, 10 reps 45lbs, and 8 reps 50lbs down to 4 reps 40lbs
-Dumbbell Shrugs: 12 reps 65lbs, 10 reps 70lbs, 8 reps 75lbs

Bi's:
-Standing Dumbbells: 10 reps 25lbs, 8 reps 30lbs, 6 reps 35lbs down to 4 reps 25lbs
-Machine Preacher Curls: 10 reps 60lbs, 8 reps 70lbs, 6 reps 90lbs down to 4 reps 70lbs

I need to go up in weight on EVERY exercise except for Wide-grip Pulls. Those pulls are difficult, very difficult. This is the first time that I have ever done pull ups consistently without any assisted weight. When i first started doing them I could barely do 6 or 7 without getting help. The second set of them I couldn't do more than 3 or 4 without getting help.

I expected to do less weight than I could do. No more underestimate, it's time to compensate. In other words, watch me fly when I go up in weight.

My workouts are going to be put back to back to back this week. Then I will do one day of cardio sometime this weekend. I've got a Real Estate investment seminar that runs all day friday, all day saturday and all day sunday (from 7:30 am to 11:00 pm). I'm thinking that saturday morning will see another 10 minutes of HIIT and I will do abs on friday and sunday prior to bed. I'm going to use my RTD Myoplex drinks and protein bars ALL weekend long!
posted by zach m at 6:58 PM

HIIT for 10 minutes! Yet another week and another minute added to my run.

I tried to find every excuse not to go to the gym and not to run today. The minute I started to sense the negativity infecting me it was time to eliminate, motivate and positrate (hahahaha, no such word, but it now means to make positive) my thoughts and feelings. Basically I noticed I was being a cry baby. There wasn't an exact moment that I realized it, but I do know that as soon as I consciously noticed I immediately focused on my goals. Visuals of me smiling in pictures weighing 177lbs at 6% body fat and those feelings of being on top of the world popped into my mind. WIth thoughts like this and a sound track of Alive by POD and My Sacrifice by Creed playing in the background it was only natural for me to go to the gym.

Today I changed my ab workout as well. Here is my new ab workout:
-15 reps on each side of side crunches, no rest and immediately onto
-20 reps of laying leg lifts, and immediately onto
-2 minute active rest period of stomach vacuums and stretchs.
BANG! From mental negativity to one of my best cardio runs and ab workouts yet. It's the power of positive thinking matched with a strong future focused visualization. Watch out BFL Challenge... God has created a warrior! Thank you God for blessing me yet again.

Time to read my Dream Team posts...
posted by zach m at 7:05 PM

This workout was great! So, the very sets on bench that were difficult for me to do last week became moderately easy this week. Just the highlights:

I hit 235lbs 6 times (only one of them required a slight spot) and then I dropped to 185 for a set of 4. On incline bench my last set of 6 was using 80lb dumbs. The set was supposed to be 75, yet they were no where to be seen. Shoulders saw all time highs on both front and side cable raises. Tri's weren't highs, but I did do an 8 set of 100lbs rope pushdowns.

What could top off a workout like that? Try stepping onto the scale and finding out that I weigh 178lbs! As you can see by my 4 week pictures i'm obviously a little leaner than my first pictures. This means that most of the 8lbs that I have gained is in lean muscle mass. I'm RIGHT in line with my goals, in fact I might exceed them. I wasn't suppose to weigh 180lbs until the end of 8 weeks, then I would cut that doing more cardio. Let me say this, if I get up to 188lbs I can't see myself losing more than 13lbs of fat.

It was a heck-uv-a workout!

Week 4 of 12, Day 27 of 84

It took me FOREVER to warm up to run. Usually I do about 2 minutes worth of light jog to warm up. It took me 4 or 5 minutes worth of warmups and I still wasn't warmed up to where my body felt like it could sprint. No matter, it didn't stop me from starting. I just had to do a little more cardio than normal.

My legs were not recovered from the heavy leg session that I did on thursday. I'm definitely overtraining my legs, once again. When I woke up with sore legs I contemplated NOT doing HIIT. That passed pretty quickly and I pumped out 9 minutes of HIIT! One of these days I will figure out what to do. Til then, I just need to take it as it comes.

This was a very difficult day of HIIT. My legs were burning and felt like lead. Unfortunantely I walked at the 7 minute mark when I should have been jogging. I got VERY fed up with myself and disappointed I was walking, so I did my sprint at 7 minutes and 40 seconds, jogged from 8 to 8m 40s, and then sprinted from 8m 40s to 9m 40s. Can you say... I was about to DIE!
posted by zach m at 6:54 PM

To hire a personal trainer or not to hire a personal trainer, that is the question. I'm seriously considering hiring a trainer to help me design the optimal workout routine and diet for a 12 week period that will help me stack on some serious pounds. No more of this put on the weight and fat and then cut. The 5th Challenge that I go into in the couples category needs to be one that i'm overly proud of.

I've got ideas to use myself as a model on the Body Blog site, but if I'm not satisfied with my physique and transformation then I don't deserve to serve as a Body Blog model. Yes, i'm seeing very positive and obvious results, but not at the rate that I expected them to come. Maybe, just maybe it's time to bring in a pro!

Tonight i'm free, but tomorrow it's back to sprints as usual. Look for me to post my new and improved workout schedule and 4 week pictures some time this weekend as well.
posted by zach m at 12:28 PM

My weights were increased on EVERY exercise! Can you believe that I actually went UP on lunges? Today was my best leg day i've had since starting this program.

On my last set of leg press I actually did 16 plates for 6 reps! On leg extensions I managed to lift 250lbs for 6 reps. Lunges saw 55lb dumbells for my last set of 8. Toe press on the leg press machine was stacked with 5 plates for a set of SLOW and agonizing 6, while 55lbs for 10reps on one leg toe press finished off the workout.

So what was the HUGE difference that ONE day made? I wasn't in any better or any less of a mood. My day wasn't any better nor any worse. There were nothing outstanding that really separated the days from one another! Sometimes it just happens where you can't pinpoint the good from the bad days and it bothers me. Usually I can locate a significant thought, attitude or factor (little sleep, didn't eat before working out, etc...) that would have changed the workout. Anyone else have any feedback?
Week 4 of 12, Day 24 of 84 cont...

Now it's time for me to change my workout up. My back routine started out very strong. I did 3 sets of pull ups with 14, 12, and 12 reps, fairly slow, very concentrated with no herky jerky motion helping myself up. About a year and a few months ago I could hardly do more than 3 or 4 without assisted weight help.

Once I moved to incline rows I started to lose focus. My back was pretty much just going through the motions after pullups. My shrugs were just kind of so-so. The big problem for me was when I started going through the motions and started talking to my buddies around the gym.

When it was time to hit biceps I buckled down and hit the concentration curls pretty hard. Then I slacked up on the preacher curls. Needless to say, i'm going to switch my workout up and get refocused like I was last week.

The remainder of the week needs to be taken more seriously. Tonight is leg night and Rashad (which I mistook his name as Rashawn) is looking forward to killing his legs again. It's great having a workout partner two days a week. This will keep us both rockin.
posted by zach m at 8:45 AM

I wanted to say that Sanieh's hard drive CRASHED on her computer. Her program is going well and she is still going full steam. Hopefully she will be able to start sharing with us again this weekend once it's fixed. Not that she can read this, but she is helping keep me in check with everything. Since her and I talk multiple times per day she always asks me how workouts are going, what exercises did I do, is your diet holding up, etc... This type of accountability has been of extreme help to me.

Right now she is trying to find the supplements that compliment her body best. Creatine appears to not do much for her body. The one thing I can tell is that whatever she is doing sure seems to be working! Keep up the great job Sanieh. That Mrs. Figure competition will be blessed to have you as a contestant.

Joe is proud of himself! That is SO hard for me to do sometimes. I don't know where I learned to not be satisfied with lifes little victories that can add up to a whole bunch of happiness. Reading Joes honesty and victories that he accomplishes daily has really changed the way I view things. He reminds me of how I've always wanted to view the world, but got messed up along the way. Joe, you aren't the only person proud of you... so is your Dream Team!

What about our friend from Down Under? It looks like Sue is partaking in the joys of contest preparation. I remember watching many of my bodybuilder friends before contests and I recall my frantic weeks before my challenge after pictures. I know what you're going through, girl! Keep up the good work and remember what your doing it all for. We believe in you.

Now it's time for me to work. Today's workout agenda is Back and Bi's.

OH, GUYS (Sue and Joe) the 8 week point was on your Day 56. I need 8 week pictures from you guys along with your body fat and body weight. Only 4 weeks left in your challenge! Keep your eyes on those goals and now is the time to take all you have learned and GO FOR IT!
posted by zach m at 9:30 AM

This is pretty cool. I was nominated by the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University to be a featured student in "The National Dean's List". It honors America's outstanding college students in their respective fields of academia, mine being Psychology, Communication, and Marketing. My personal profile and information will be published. They requested that I submit a picture, should I send them an after picture from my BFL contest (wink!)

9 minutes of HIIT today! Boy, it doesn't get any easier either. From minute 5 on I started to really feel it. Once I got to minute 7 I really started having self doubt. Then I remembered my motto, "If I think I can't do it, then I must do it." This is how I PROVE to myself that no mountain is insurmountable. Once that infectious disease known as self doubt starts to set in, it's time to inject yourself with the antidote, named success. It was a small, but very satisfying victory. With a constant stream of daily victories it adds up to amazing results in your life. Let's just see how many our Dream Team can add up to make us the elite mentally, physically and spiritually.

I went super intense on my abs today. It was thoughts of my pictures in this months issue of Muscle Media that fueled my motivation machine. Since I went SO slow and SO intense my abs were screaming for me to stop. Basically I ignored the weakness and my thoughts went to success. Reaching down within I pulled out a heck of a ab workout.

I sure am glad that i've got two floating free days from working out. Tomorrow I have a real estate investment seminar. I'm going to put my workout off until wednesday.

I've really gotta thank God, my family and this team for supporting me through so much. God keeps blessing me everyday and NONE of my success would be of any worth if it weren't for Him blessing me. A super special thanks to Sanieh for dealing with me through the last 10 trying months of my life. Things really seem to be going GREAT right now and I can't take all of the credit

Week 3 of 12, Day 21 of 84 cont..

Pardon me while I rant about people in the gym. The last two weeks I haven't been able to finish my workouts in the amount of time that I wish. Is it because of lack of intensity? No, it's because people migrate between three specific areas and won't deviate at all. What are the three? The bench press, the cables, and the dumb bell bench. Please go do different machines and don't stay on the same ones the ENTIRE time you workout. 8 sets of the same weight incorrectly done on tricep pushdowns isn't going to get you anywhere. Then don't move the adjustment piece down to the floor and start on biceps doing 8 sets of the same weight incorrectly. Okay, my rant is over, but don't do it!

My workout was okay. 235lbs was in order for 4 reps, 6 with a spot. That's ten pounds heavier than last week. The weight for next week will be the same. Incline dumbs were pretty easy even going up 5lbs heavier than last week. I'm contemplating a full 10lbs more for next week. My machine flyes haven't improved much so i will stick with the same weight.

Talk about CRAZY improvement, my shoulders are getting impressively strong. I'm up to doing 35lbs on front raises for a set of 6 then drop to 25lbs for a set of 4. Not too shabby, eh?

My pushdowns are what I had to wait around to do. Since both of the sides of the cables were being used for curls at that 8 set clip by three guys on one side and two on another I had to wait. Well, enough whining... my pushdowns were very strong. I managed to go up 10 lbs on each set from the last workout.
posted by zach m at 5:45 PM

I pulled up my first challenge start pictures (late 1997- early 1998) when i was 187lbs at about 20% body fat. HAHAHAHA, I had a double chin, beer belly, but I was moderately strong. Oh okay, there is no rationalizing because I was in horrid shape and I thank the LORD for giving me the genetic makeup to not be happy with being a flab master.

Boy did I have to drag myself out of my middle of the day nap. That bed and those covers felt SO GOOD! I've finally worked myself up to get up, put down a protein shake, some creatine and some ZMA. Next, it's over to the gym to do chest, shoulders, and bis. Time to hit it!
posted by zach m at 2:23 PM

This will be short, but informative. Today I did my Health Rider row machine for cardio and skipped abs.
The rest of the night will be quiet time between myself and God. After a real estate investment seminar today i've gotten a lot better of an idea of what it will take to start my real estate holding company. Now it's time to seek His guidance.
posted by zach m at 6:45 PM

Today is an easy post. It's PSYCHO at work. Thank goodness for RTD Myoplex shakes and bringing my food.

It looks like Sanieh is a wanted woman! Boy if EAS could see what she looks like right now they would have no problems signing her to a contract to represent them.

Well, i've got way too much to do at work for me to be typing away on here. Oh, tomorrow i'm going to have to put off my cardio until midday because I have a seminar for the Georgia Real Estate Investors Association to attend in the AM. I'm going to have to cut my night plans short tonight to ensure I get up in the morning and out the door. It's going to be a hat and t-shirt day for me tomorrow.
posted by zach m at 2:25 PM

Tonight I talked to Joe on the phone for the first time. He is nicer on the phone than I ever thought he was and I thought he was one of the nicest guys i've ever met online. We went through how to do your body fat measurements. Come to find out the little calipers that we use try to get you to do a 3 point measurement. It tried to tell me that my body fat is 4.8%. That is a joke!

Using a 5 point site found my body fat at 6.7%. I could ONLY WISH! I'm going to stick with doing a 7 point site, having someone else do it, and have it done before I workout and not after.

Speaking of workouts, I have a new workout partner. Mr. Atlanta is now training with me. I've been trying to get him to talk to Jeremy and have J set Rashawn (Mr. Atlanta) up on a diet and a workout. It looks like it's going to be me doing that now. He is training for the Nationals in Dallas, TX in the month of October. It's going to be great to have someone to workout with. This guy does 315lbs on bench press for reps. His weak point are his legs. He's going to help push me on my upper body to increase it's strength while I help him on lower which he has been very inconsistent in training.

Today's leg day was HUGE! We did a set of 14 45's and two 35's for six reps of FULL and DEEP leg presses. We went onto leg extensions and did 240lbs for a set of 6. I'm at all time highs on both of those exercises. I went weakly on my lunges where I stuck with the same weight as I have over the last two exercise sessions. In the first session I started off WAY too high and didn't get all the way done. Calves were all time highs as well.

I'm beat, but I sure came close to wanting to workout more. It's odd because I usually just want to leave the gym the second I am done. I've been taking the Durathon that I bought from Sue. I'm thinking it's helped me considerably with my mental clarity and focus on what I want to achieve. I've been more focused in ALL areas of my life like work, real estate, investing, accounting, business and body building. It really started when i first started taking the supplement.

Time to go do a Bible study and talk a little with the big G-O-D!
posted by zach m at 9:40 PM

There is a distinct psychological issue between perception and reality of one's self. As of late i've been feeling very FAT because i'm not at my usual 8% body fat. In fact, I took a ribbing at the gym from a few of the trainers and a professional bodybuilder because I was talking about it. They understood what I was saying, but they also know most of it is just in my head. Being in a bulk phase of my program i'm carrying more weight and fat than i'm used to.

So how do we overcome this issue? I've always used this perception to my advantage. I confront it head on and work harder in the gym. A lot of it is knowing that there are good days and bad days. When those bad days come around it's time to step out of yourself and REALLY evaluate the situation. Are you really being fair to yourself? Half the time i'm not. When those bad days come it's a matter of picking yourself up and doing something about it so you can be productive with it. As they say, when given lemons, make lemonaide. If you feel like you aren't in the best of shape it's time for you to change it by working harder in the gym. Then be satisfied after being in the gym knowing you are doing something about it.

One of the best techniques around to overcome this type of thinking is to anticipate it and create a plan to overcome it. In the Body-For-LIFE book it talks about self defeating thought patterns that might hold you back. It then goes into depth on creating a solution on how to fix this pattern when it arises. Once you have really given it thought and written out how to overcome it the trick is to remember and refer back to your written solution when the problem arises. If you didn't find a solution that was powerful enough to help, it's time to do that as soon as you find the problem.

Well, that post was therapuetic for me. Now I want to go hit the gym again! Hope all you other Body Blog'ers have a great and blessed day!
posted by zach m at 7:12 AM

I thank God everyday for putting you in my life. Today i get to thank Him for putting you on this earth.

Week 3 of 12, Day 17 of 84

8 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and a MONSTER ab workout. My obliques are showing, my obliques are showing! Okay, no more random outbursts like that.

That was a great cardio run. No puke feeling at all. I did have to dig down deep to sprint those last 2 minutes (notice a trend here?) I believe that goal of 15 minutes of HIIT by 6 weeks is in sight. Once I get to the 15 minutes I will continue to do HIIT one day per week and pick up two days of the 20 minute solution. Since that will during my cuttin