Tribulus Terrestris

When I see a supplement I've not tried before, on special offer, I think to myself - what's the worst that can happen? If I try it and it doesn't do anything then I haven't lost much money - if I try it and it has great benefits then I'll want to keep using it!

Such is the situation with tribulus terrestris, which is billed as a herbal product that will 'naturally' boost your testosterone levels. Benefits are alleged to be improved muscle gain and improved libido/erections, both consequences of the testosterone boost. Well, I don't really need any help with my erections but increasing muscle sounds good so I'm giving it a try.

Directions are no more than 3 capsules per day, preferably with a meal. I've had 2 so far, haven't noticed any effects yet though - but maybe it takes a while to kick in!

I've heard side effects can included increased spots, so if I notice that myself I will probably stop using them - but will keep an eye on things and form my own opinion as to whether it is any good. Apparently the jury's out as to whether they actually do anything, though I remember hearing from some people a while ago that they did have an effect.

So, will I become a testosterone-soaked, priapic hunk? Watch this space....

Spare Tyre

So this weekend starts with a quiet night in, followed tomorrow morning by me attempting to replace the inner tube in my rear bike tyre. I say 'attempting', in theory I should be fine as I've done it before a couple of times, but I do tend to get in a bit of a mess with it and lose my temper - I think the last time I did it I kicked the bike frame rather hard.

The bike didn't really care, but my foot wasn't best pleased.

Assuming that is done, I'll be heading to the gym for my 3rd and hence final session of the week, where (hopefully amongst other things) I will be doing some squats, some deadlifts, some shrugs and some dumbell flyes. Mainly because I haven't done them the rest of this week! What I have been doing is the usual round of hammer curls (3x8 @ 17.5kg), dumbbell benchpress (3x8 @ 30kg aimed for, in reality I think I probably did 8, 6, 6), one-arm bent over row (3x8 @ 30kg) skullcrushers (3x8 @ 30kg) and then various machines. Still not particularly happy that I have a tiny bit of extra lard on my tummy at the moment but I don't suppose much can be done about that in just over 2 weeks!

Rest of the day will be shopping and other mundane household stuff, then Sunday is a road trip - should be good.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to come up with my holiday reading shortlist. It's really hard to decide what to take. I can't take too many as my weight will be over the limit (5kg for hand luggage, 25 or 27kg I think for main luggage) but I equally don't want to zip through my books in the first week and then have nothing for the rest of the time (as this will only encourage me to drink far too many mojitos and that's no good for anyone).

Something factual might be a good idea as I mostly read fiction - perhaps the new one by the guy that wrote Blink, Malcolm Gladwell I think it is - we'll see.

Working Out

For a variety of reasons I haven't been to the gym for a week!

But, today I'm back on it - it's gonna hurt!

Planning on doing:

Dumb-bell bench press 3 x 8 @ 30kg each (will try for sets of 8 but have only just moved up to 30kg so we'll see)

Hammer curls 3 x 8 @ 17.5kg each

Single-arm bent over row 3 x 8 @ 30kg (should be ok with 30s for these)

Decline barbell bench press 3 x 8 @ 50kg (25kg each side plus whatever the bar weighs - 15kg? not sure, I should check that).

Shrugs - 3 x 8 with 25kg plates

Might...big might...do some deadlifts, depending on how energetic I feel. My deadlift weight is woeful because it's not something I have done much before (stupid I know) so I'm probably looking at 20kg each side of the bar, see how I go.

Then whatever machines I feel like - likely 3 x 8 @ 55kg seated chest press, 3 x 8 @ 55kg seated row, 2 x 8 dips and chins @ bodyweight -15kg, seated shoulder press 3 x 8 @ 35kg and possibly lat pull downs.

Will see how I get on - am planning on going again Saturday, when I'll be doing some more squats (don't fancy doing any today as I've been cycling quite a bit this week and still have to tomorrow as well).

Still hoping to build a bit of muscle for holiday but given we're 5 1/2 weeks away now, realistically I won't add much - I'm going to watch my diet a bit more though and really make an effort to eat cleanly, as I would like ideally to be a bit more cut than I am currently - not only to look HOT in my new Aussiebums, but also then I will be able to justify gorging myself on all inclusive food and cocktails :-)

Fit Weekend

Well the weather this weekend was hot and sunny throughout, and I managed to squeeze in plenty of exercise!

Saturday was the gym, where I did my usual plus 3 sets of 8 squats, and 3 sets of 8 deadlifts. Both were with pretty light weights - I think because I don't do them very often, I will start of light and make sure I've got the form dead right before adding more weight gradually. Felt really strong at the gym which is always nice!

Haven't yet ordered the Aussiebums, so will sort that out shortly!

Sunday I went for a long bike ride with the bf, although I cycle daily to and from work I haven't had a bike ride of this length for a long time! As a result, my quads are aching today but not horribly, and I feel like it was not only good exercise but also a good use of a Sunday afternoon!

Shame about my horrible hayfever at the moment, it's really bad and I'm suffering a lot. Roll on later in the summer when it fades away and I can enjoy the weather properly!

I'm also pleased that I've managed to drink a Hurricane shake every day, and am determined to keep that up now. I had one this morning, I think on a non-gym day I'll just have one and on a gym day have 2. I'm going to the gym tomorrow and Thursday - I don't think I'll get a chance to at the weekend though as I've got friends coming to stay!

Hurricane

In the never ending quest to get big 'n' ripped, I've ordered and now received a 2.5kg bag of chocolate flavour Hurricane XS powder from http://www.myprotein.co.uk/



I've had it before but never took it regularly enough to make a proper difference I don't think.

Going to do it properly this time and have one in the morning and one in the afternoon on non-gym days, and one in the morning, one post-workout on gym days.

Hurricane XS is good because it's whey protein, creatine, glutamine and HMB all in one - no muss, no fuss. It's basically the myprotein equivalent of the Maximuscle Cyclone product.

Anyway, I have probably a month's supply (maybe less, I dunno - it's 2 scoops per shake) and I'll see how I go with it and order more if I manage to stick to the plan this time!

Here's what they say about it:

Hurricane XS pushes the boundaries yet again and adds something new to the much loved Hurricane®. With slower digesting carbohydrates the formula is more suited for consumption as either a meal replacement or post workout (PWO) offering. The carbohydrate source is based around the slow digesting carbohydrate choice of our Ultra Fine Scottish Oats to give a sustained release in energy and aid muscle building over a period of time. The protein chosen is now a combination of Impact Whey Isolate® and Impact Whey Protein® which is high biological value whey to aid muscle growth and repair. Whey Protein Isolate is the gold standard in protein powders.

There is 5g of Creapure® creatine in each serving to aid strength and an increase in lean muscle mass. No other supplement in the industry has the reputation for increasing lean gains and strength that creatine does. Creapure® is the advanced formula of monohydrate powder. More reps, more strength equals more gains.

Combined with quality training Hurricane XS will yield great results in both strength and size, whilst providing a fresh tasting shake to have on the go. We have now added 1.5g's of HMB per serving to increase lean tissue and stave off catabolism (muscle break down) and the most abundant amino acid (L-Glutamine - 5g per serving) is also added to aid your gains.
The science behind this formula is unrivalled, the gains fantastic!

Active Ingredients (per serving):
Creapure® Creatine: 5g
L-Glutamine: 5g
HMB: 1.5g

P.s. I love the big pouch that the powder comes in, it's resealable so I'll pour half of it into my plastic lock-tight container and leave the other half in the pouch. Man, I sound really dull...

Squats

OMG I had not done any squats for a while due to a) lazyness and b) daily cycling but I thought it was time to get back into them this past friday...

OUCH! I wasn't even doing that much, 17.5kg on each side, plus the bar (I'm not totally sure but I think that weighs 5-10kg?) and I did 3 sets of 8 reps.

My quads have been sore ALL weekend, and being a Bank Holiday that's a long weekend to be sore! They have only just about recovered! Still a bit twingey!

Still, the new Aussiebums I'll be buying shortly (see Aussiebums post) will thank me for it when my legs are filling them out as nature intended.

Gymspiration 2

OK, OK so yes it's another porn star, but come on - Francois Sagat definitely has one of the best bodies in the business!

Slightly more bulky than my previous example but I'd love to look like Francois. He's also pretty cut and has a great six pack, I'm not that fussed about getting a six pack as I think it's more the cherry on top but it does complete the look I guess. I think one thing he has in his favour is being slightly on the short side (5'8 or thereabouts I believe, I'm 6') which I think is good for a bulky muscle look.

Definitely wouldn't want to be bigger than this though, I think this is the limit! What do you think? Whenever I can't be bothered to go to the gym I think "What would Francois do?" hehehe ;-)

Also good - again, he's gay (go team!) and he keeps his chest hairy, I wonder what he'd look like smooth?

Workout

Currently feeling like my workout is getting kinda stale, having done pretty much the same stuff for quite a while now.

Typically consists of 3 sets of 8 with heaviest weight manageable, (which is 17.5kg dumbbells for hammer curls and 27.5kg dumbbells for other free weights, currently)

Free Weights

3x8 @ 17.5kg hammer curls

superset with:

3x8 @ 27.5kg dumbbell bench press (flat)

then:

3x8 @ 27.5kg dumbbell single-arm bent over row (using bench - think that's the right name!)

superset with:

3x8 @ 27.5kg dumbbell pullover

After this I've e started to do some more shoulder/traps work, using a big weight plate, but I must admit I don't know what the name of the exercise is! Basically, I grip the weight plate at one end at the handle, using both hands, and I pull it up until my hands touch my chin, then lower. Repeat as needed. If anyone can tell me the name for this, please do!

That's with a 25kg plate, which I am also using 2 of to do shrugs.

That's all I'm currently doing regularly free weights-wise, although I sometimes squat and deadlift and want to do these a lot more (good for growth all over, I know).

Machine Weights

I tend to stick to a few machines and again do 3 sets of 8 reps with the heaviest weight I can adequately manage with good form. Machines are:

Chest Press - 55kg (sometimes 1 set of 55 and next two of 47.5kg if feeling weak)
Seated Row - 50kg
Shoulder Press - 35kg

Dipping Station - I am not yet dipping full bodyweight; I put the pin just below the main pin, so I think that's taking, what, 5kg off? Not sure. Will hopefully start full bodyweight dips later this summer.

Been doing - 2 sets of 8 reps of dips (leaning forward to target pecs, yeah!)
2 sets of 8 pull ups - not sure what the grip I use is called, my elbows are basically at right angles
Sometimes might then do some Lat Pull downs or Cable Flyes if I'm feeling energetic, but usually that's about it. Not sure where to go from here - apart from the aforementioned incorporating more squats and deadlifts into my routine. Will try and keep a more careful track on weights etc though and aim to go up to the next size dumbell by July...

Gymspiration

I work out a few times a week but need to be a bit more consistent! I would like to build a well-proportioned, lean muscled body. Therefore I'll post some pics that inspire me to keep working out!

Here's the first entry - Pedro Andreas/Daniel Carlos.




I like this guy's physique because he is well-proportioned and a decent size, but also looks athletic, though I could do without the big tattoo on the arm in the second pic personally (and the piercing).

What do you think? A good target for me to aim for? I also like the fact he's gay - go team!