Entry #147
Today was the last lifting session before the throwdown on Sunday. The
plan is to take it easy tomorrow and Saturday. Relaxing is going to
suck, but I'll do the best I can.

Today, I did deadlifts at 295 lbs for 6 reps. Was pretty tough.
We'll go for 315 lbs next time. I was going insane. I was talking to
the weights and insulting them, and then laughing. Trust me, it works.

"My workouts finished after seven, so I would ride my bike home
after every training session. Because my arms would be so numb from the
training, I often couldn't control the bike, and I'd fall into a
wayside ditch.
It was a fantastic feeling, lying in the ditch with my arms aching." -Arnold Schwarzenegger

Entry #146
DEATH Chest Day (haha, © by Bradley - the man is a genius)

Bench press: 5 sets; 12, 10, 2, 2, 2 reps (135 lbs, 155 lbs warm-up, 225 lbs last 3 reps)
Doesn't
sound like much, but I did it without a spotter. It's kinda weird - the
first rep is getting easier and easier, but the second stays the same,
and nothing beyond that.

Plus the other ones that don't really matter in a powerlifting routine.

This was the most painful training I've ever done. My lip
started bleeding because I was biting it so hard. I couldn't raise my
arms afterwards to wash my face.

It's the times like these, when you keep pushing your body, and
you keep lifting while ignoring the pain, and ignoring your muscles
when they're screaming at you to stop...those are the good times,
friends. Let us cherish these moments. Like the monkey in the pinata,
hiding amongst the candy, waiting for the kids. 

 The training session also left me insane.

Entry #145
Tore open the skin on my knuckles doing heavy-bag training. Was on my
knees trying to keep my dinner down 'cuz I ate too much. Can barely
walk from doing squats yesterday.

All in all, a terrific day.

Entry #144
I lost 2 lbs. Weighing in at 181 lbs now. Damn. Gonna have to maintain my diet better. Eat eat eat more more more.

Did squats at 275 lbs for 3 reps. Got in an argument with this guy
who was watching me. He told me I should be using a belt when I go that
heavy. I think belts are crutches that should only be used during
competition. If you're going so heavy that you need a belt to maintain
proper form, then it's too heavy for you. He told me I wouldn't be
saying that once I got a hernia, but as long as I do the exercise
right, I'll be fine.

I also bought the Pumping Iron DVD. It's good. I have to say I like
World's Strongest Man competitions better than bodybuilding shows,
though.

My powerlifting routine is almost over. I got good gains off it,
considering I was doing squats at 185 lbs at the start of it. After the
thowdown I'm doing something different. Speaking of the throwdown, it's
in a week.

Entry #143
Ultimate Fight Night got me really pumped up. You better have watched
it tonight. It's 1:30 in the morning and I just want to fight. Hmm,
come to think of it, that's how it is for every night! Haha oh well. I
think it got me even more hyper than Dragonball Z does. They didn't
show Dragonball Z tonight, though...if they did, I would be punching
through the walls probably.

I'm taking a new approach to endurance training. Gonna start at a
low 25 reps for the first week, and increase that by 1 every
consecutive week. The idea is to allow my body to gradually adjust to
the numbers rather than training 'till failure everytime. My current
max is 40 push-ups, by the way. So you can see right there why I'm
trying to improve that.

Gonna resume powerlifting tomorrow.

Entry #142
I've been taking a couple-day hiatus from lifting due to extreme muscle
fatigue. It felt like my body was being torn apart. After a couple days
of recuperation, however, I feel even stronger than before. Haha I
think I watched too much Dragonball Z the past few days.

Throwdown is coming up on the 14th (not 16th). I'm eager to see how
much the powerlifting routine has helped. Will post results and
pictures accordingly.

Entry #141
Benched 225 lbs for four reps. Needed a little help from the
spotter on the last two reps. But I'm improving. A few weeks ago I was
only doing it for one rep.

Entry #140
Did squats at 265 lbs today. Gonna go for 275 lbs and stick with that
for a little next time, until I'm stronger. My spotter commented that I
went really deep. I've been going down as far as possible.

Meals have been going very well the past few weeks. Haven't slacked off at all.

Check out Alex Fedorov. He trains in a cemetary in Russia. His
comment on Gold's Gym: "Everyone flexes, but nobody lifts." His article
was awesome. Wow, now my profile picture looks puny with this guy on
here. Haha, cool.

                         
            
   

Entry #139J
ust did endurance training today with push-ups. Also practiced
thai kicks on the heavy bag. Gonna work on these for the August
16th throwdown.

I'm changing my schedule to go bed earlier. I need more sleep to
keep down cortisol levels. Buddies on AIM, go to bed already.
Cortisol will break down muscle tissue and lower testosterone
levels. Cortisol is like the girly-man chemical, as Arnold
would probably put
it.          

Entry #138
Did deadlifts at 275 lbs today for 7 reps. It really didn't feel any
different than 245 lbs (the highest I've been doing prior to today). No
doubt it's due to all the Dragonball Z I watched the night before. I
think I'm going to raise it to 300+ lbs next time.

Entry #137
Benched 225 lbs for 3 reps. Ryan (my spotter) did 350 lbs. I'll get him soon.

Also got a pair of 12 oz. boxing gloves. George and I can practice headshots now with these.

 

                       

Entry #136
Weighed in at 184 lbs. No fat gain.

Squats: 5 sets; 12, 10, 5, 5, 5 reps (135 lbs warm-up, 185 lbs
warm-up, 255 lbs last 3 sets) Concentrated on going down as far as
possible.

Leg press: 4 sets; 12, 8, 8, 6 reps (400 lbs warm-up, 610 lbs last three sets)

Wide-stance smith squat: 3 sets; 8, 8, 6 reps (225 lbs)

Leg extension: 4 sets; 8 reps (195 lbs)

Lying leg curl: 4 sets; 8 reps (120 lbs)

I've been doing calves on a seperate day from the rest of my legs in
order to devote better attention to them. They were still sore today
from Friday, but luckily it doesn't affect squat performance.

This was kinda funny, I was arguing with my cousin afterwards while
we were at the park having a barbeque with some other relatives. He
seemed insulted when I refused his offer to have a beer. He asked why,
it's just something to enjoy, and I told him it's nothing but junk.
"All this boy cares about is his nutrients..." he muttered. Funny
guy.

 

Entry #135
Did endurance training at the high school.

Chin-ups: 4 sets; 17, 10, 8, 8 reps

Biceps were sore from deadlift day. Might have been able to do more than 17 if I was at full strength.

Entry #134
Light chest day from the powerlifting routine with abs and calves afterwards:

Weighted crunches: 5 sets; 25, 20, 15, 12, 12 reps (2 25 lb plates on chest)

Reverse crunches: 4 sets; 12 reps

Standing calf raises: 5 sets; 15, 12, 10, 10, 10 reps (150 lbs, 210 lbs warm-up sets, 320 lbs last three sets)

Seated calf raises: 3 sets; 15, 15, 12, 12 reps (185 lbs)

Lying calf raises: 3 sets; 15 reps (400 lbs)

Also note-worthy: benching 185 lbs on light chest day now. Seems
like yesterday that I could barely bench this. Now it's used on
the light day of my program.

I was doing weighted crunches in the ab room when one of the
raquetball-player guys came in and started rolling on one of the
balls. I knew this was trouble. The guys at my gym are like sharks in a
feeding frenzy -- when one of them appears, the vibrations they
create attracts other nearby creatures. Sure enough, the room was
soon filled with old people rolling on balls. Two of them were blocking
the exit. I was surrounded, but luckily managed to escape without
conflict.

Entry #133
Deadlifts up to 245 lbs. Wanted to go more but I've never gone this high. I'll raise it slowly but surely.

Also weighed in at 181 lbs. Gained 2 lbs, none is fat.

There's a throwdown coming up on August 16 in Berkeley. George and I
will be fighting in it. George isn't having much training time
right now, but the trade-off is he's a counselor at summer camp yelling
(in Russian) at little kids. Hehe he reads them military books.

Entry #132
Benched at 225lbs for 3 reps without the aid of a spotter. He had to
help me on the fourth one, but that's 1 more than last time. Really
concentrating on using more explosive power.

I'm also thankful for the time when my spotter, Ryan,
clued me in and made me lower the bar all the way down to my chest. Up
until a few months ago I was stopping about an inch off. Yeah, he told
me by slamming the bar back down on me when I was in the middle of a
rep, but it's nice he's looking out for me. I think he just
wants me to get stronger so I don't bounce off his back all the time
when we play basketball.

Endurance training: managed only 35 push-ups on the first set. No
doubt a result of a heavy chest day. My arms felt shaky from rep 1.

Also, I am sick of fish.

Entry #131
Trained at the beach today. I punched and kicked the waves.

I'm a monkey trying to do muay thai.

Entry #130
The tae kwon do testing wasn't that great. Turns out it wasn't even the
testing. As the instructor said, it was just a "graduation". Fun to
watch, but not worth describing.

Endurance training at the high school field with George today. I managed 16 pull-ups.

I need to go to GNC to get something different than N-Large for a post-workout shake. N-Large doesn't have dextrose in it.
List:
100% pure whey protein isolate (not concentrate).
Pure dextrose
Maltodextrin

Haven't been eating enough the past few days.

Entry #129
My friend and I traded videos of us shadow-boxing so we could compare
techniques. I never realized how stiff and poor my stance is. Blame it
on being self-taught. My punches were fast and hard, but I still need
to work on more fluid combinations. I also need to work on faster
kicks. Before I kick I instinctively prepare by switching into a tae
kwon do stance. The attack can be seen coming a mile away. I need
to work on snapping a decent kick from a better stance.

I also figured while I was filming I might as well take a picture:

Entry #128
Raised the weight on several sets for squat day today.

Squats: 5 sets; 12, 10, 5, 5, 5 reps (135 lbs warm-up, 155 lbs warm-up, 245 lbs, 245 lbs, 255 lbs)

Leg Press: 4 sets; 12, 8, 8, 8 reps (400 lbs warm-up, 620 lbs remaining sets)

Wide-stance smith machine squats: 3 sets; 5 reps (225 lbs)

Leg extension: 4 sets; 8 reps (195 lbs)

Lying leg curls: 4 sets; 8 reps (120 lbs)

Flexibility stretches at home. I got much closer to the ground
in practicing splits. Heavy bag practice afterwards.. I was kind of
dizzy and my legs were feeling shaky, so I worked on conditioning my
shins and knuckles rather than practice bad form by doing
several poor rounds on it.

George invited me to come to his testing for his 3rd
degree black-belt in tae kwon do, Friday night. Gonna check it out and
perhaps post pictures of it. His tae kwon do school is
awesome. Last black-belt testing he had to spar his teacher
and two other instructors all at the same time, full contact, 3
against one. That was after the 500 push-ups they had to do in the rain
while they were waiting for their bus. If he's up to it maybe we
can do some sparring the next day. We'll see.

Entry #127
Light chest day on the powerlifting program, and added abdominals and calf exercises.

Weighted crunches: 5 sets; 25, 20, 15, 12, 12 reps (2 25 lb plates on chest)

Reverse crunches: 4 sets; 12 reps

Standing calf raises: 5 sets; 15, 12, 10, 10, 10 reps (150 lbs, 200 lbs warm-up sets, 300 lbs last three sets)

Seated calf raises: 4 sets; 15, 15, 12, 12 reps (185 lbs)

Lying calf raises: 3 sets; 15 reps (400 lbs)

At home: drills on the heavy bag. Several rounds of both punching
and kicking. Went bare-knuckle. Working on snapping my kicks harder. I
noticed while watching K-1 on ESPN, Michael McDonald never lost power
in his kicks, while his opponents legs looked slow compared to his
powerful and lightning fast snaps. Impressive. Flexibility stretches
and push-ups afterwards. Managed 40 in one set. Very low but compared
to my standards for endurance, it's an improvement considering my
muscles are fatigued from bench pressing.

Watched Dragonball Z afterwards. Seriously. It counts.

Entry #126
Deadlift day: 235 lbs at 7 reps. Dead-lifts are kinda weird. For me
they hurt at first and I'm thinking "ARGHHHHH this hurts, am I gonna be
able to do this 7 times?" But that first rep is the hardest. Afterwards
they all feel the same. So I thought it might be too much at first, but
at the end I wasn't having much trouble. I think I can go much more
than 235 lbs for 7 reps.

Currently not doing the pull-ups/chin-ups portion of my endurance
training. Need to get access to a bar. Maybe I can install one in my
garage this weekend. At least that's an area I'm fairly strong in,
compared to my push-ups.

Worked on conditioning my shins on the bag with low-kicking drills.
This will definitely help next sparring session with George, my mortal
enemy.

Entry #125
Weighed in at 177 lbs today. It seems that I'm having difficulty
getting past 180. I'm getting a lot stronger, however, and that's what
really matters to me.

Bench pressed 215 lbs today. 3 reps. I can do 235 lbs for
1 rep so it would seem I should be able to do more than just 3 with 215
lbs. Perhaps endurance work with push-ups can help in this area.

Entry #124
Squat day. Turns out I counted wrong last time: my squats were at 245
lbs, not 255. So today I raised the weight to 255 lbs. Didn't feel any
different.

Squats: 5 sets; 12, 10, 5, 5, 5 reps (135 lbs for warm-up sets, 255 lbs for last three sets)

Leg press: 4 sets; 10, 8, 8, 8 reps (300 lbs warm-up, 600 lbs last three sets)

Horizontal wide-stance leg press (smith machine was taken, couldn't
do squats on it): 2 sets; 8 reps (400 lbs -- the highest the machine
could go)

Leg extensions: 4 sets; 8 reps (180 lbs)

Leg curls: 4 sets; 8 reps (120 lbs)

In between sets I used the speed-bag. I find it helps loosens up
muscles and helps with lactic acid build-up. Hmm, that was
my excuse for practicing nunchaku, too. Hey, it's a valid
reason. I'm getting much much faster with the speed bag also,
for what it's worth (nothing). Seriously, a few weeks ago I couldn't do
more than a few hits with it; now I'm pounding it like Rocky. No wonder
Em called it "boxing mastUrbation" [edited].Ended with a short speed bag session.

Home: flexibility stretches, light kicking drills, and three rounds of shadow boxing.

Entry #123
Light chest day, but also added calves and abs at the end.

Standing calf-raises: 260 lbs, 10 reps 6 sets

Seated calf-raises: 155 lbs, 15 reps 4 sets

Leg press calf raises: 400 lbs, 15 reps 4 sets

Weighted crunches: two 25 lb plates on chest, 20 reps 5 sets

Weighted sit-ups: 25 lb plate, 25 reps, 2 sets (abs were fatigued and started using my back too much -- cut it short)

Reverse crunches: 12 reps, 4 sets

Might get to go sparring with George tomorrow, when he gets home
from camp. Will definitely check out Cung Le's school;
there's more time on the weekend.

Entry #122
Deadlift day: dead-lifts at 225 lbs for 8 reps. Should have done more
weight. First time going that high so next time it'll be much
higher. Also tried out a wider grip
on pulldowns. Flexibility stretches at home.

Entry #121
Full body soreness. My legs got worse and worse, too. Push-ups
definitely suffered; I opted for 20 one-handed push-ups on each arm
instead. They're easier on my pecs and harder on my shoulders
(chest is completely blasted). Attempted to do boxing drills on the
heavy bag but my form was lagging because of early muscle
fatigue. I went bare-knuckle for conditioning my fists so at least
I got something out of it. Instead of combinations I worked on power
shots. Had to make do with what I was capable of doing. 

Rene actually suggested I should visit a massage therapist once
a week for muscle soreness. But I'm immature and told him "NO WAY."

Looks like I have to wait a day longer to check out Cung Le's school.

Entry #120
Bench day: Benched 205 for 4 reps. Ryan messed up my powerlifting
program last time and had me bench 225 for 2 reps. It's all mixed up
now. Trying to get everything back on track, and next time Ryan is my
spotter I'll punch him in the face.

Checking out Cung Le's place tomorrow.

Entry #119
Calories today = 4,864
Current weight = 176 lbs

I need to eat more so I intake about 6,000 a day. Glad I calculated this tonight.

Today consisted of 8 rounds of boxing on the heavy bag.
Afterwards, 10 minutes of kicks on the same bag (would be nice if I had
a banana one for kicks). Stretching after squats did a lot
yesterday; last time I couldn't walk the next day, today I'm a little
sore but am able to run and kick fine. Working on conditioning my
shins. I've primarily been practicing side-kicks in the air, but I
should work on the bag more for kicking. Afterwards practiced
flexibility exercises and stretching.

Wednesday I'm going to check Cung Le's school in San Jose (http://www.cungle.com/cungle/class_descriptions.htm).
If that doesn't turn out good I'll go with Rey's Muay Thai
place. But I have to say it would be cool to train with the famous Cung
Le.

                                      

Entry #118
Squat day:

Squats -- 5 sets; 12, 10, 6, 5, 5 reps (135 lbs for warm-ups, 255 lbs on last three sets)

Leg press -- 4 sets; 10, 6, 8, 8 reps (225 lbs warm-up, 600 lbs last three sets)

Leg extension -- 4 sets; 8 reps (180 lbs)

Leg curls -- 4 sets; 8 reps (120 lbs)

Powerlifting protocol does not condone such isolation
exercises, yet I would like to train calves individually on a
seperate day, perhaps with abs. Should not conflict with the schedule.
Also adding endurance training on my off days with push-ups and
pull-ups, respectively (thanks for this, Jared). Including that with
martial arts training (muay thai, hopefully soon) and boxing
drills on the heavy bag, and there's my summer. And skating.

Water intake is at a good level. Drank half a gallon during the session.

On leg press I was disappointed with how I was only able to do 6
reps, and I thought about dropping the weight a little bit, since I had
just done squats. Instead I pointed my finger at the plates, told them
to "Go to Hell", and then did 8 reps. Terminated. But they'll be back.
Went on to the speed bag for cooling down at the end.

Light shadow boxing and flexibility stretches at home. My speed is picking up a little bit. 

Entry #117
Primarily went back to practicing high kicks today. There was no
sparring match. Once I get in a class that should change. Reconsidering
my summer plans. I don't think I'll wait until I move; I'm going to
check out the muay thai place near here for this summer. In the
meantime, all I have is the gym and my punching bag. Hmm. Not as bad as
I thought, actually.

I'm thinking about taking creatine. Rene actually said it didn't do
much for him. Maybe I should see how far I can go without it. I'm
making great gains in lifting as it is.

Entry #116
Heavy bag work today. Then endurance training with push-ups. As I gain
muscle-weight it's getting harder and harder to do push-ups.
Sunday is powerlifting again. So no more going barefeet. Also, possible
sparring session with George tomorrow (when he gets home from camp -
he's a counselor). THIS time I'll kill him for good.

Entry #115
Los Angeles was productive at least. The weightroom left me with little
variety, however, so I just did bodybuilding exercises. There were no
barbells and the heaviest dumbbells were 50 lbs. I taped two dumbbells
together for each hand for compensation. Also, I went barefoot, like
Arnold.

I think I drove my relatives insane with my obsession for food, but
I was able to pick up appropriate meals at a supermarket near the
hotel. To my luck, there was also a Vitamin Shoppe near it, and I
picked up some protein shakes. I also had my aunt and uncle read my
Arnold magazine. They don't speak english so they couldn't read the
articles, but I could tell they were motivated enough to take up
lifting. I think. Off-topic: I went to Vans skatepark on Tuesday over
there and it was great.

Today I had no method of transportation to the gym; had to make do
with what I had in the backyard, and do a bodybuilding workout for
traps and biceps.

Entry #114
Internet has been down for the last few days.

Leaving for Los Angeles today. I'll be back Wednesday. The hotel has a weightroom so don't think I'm taking it easy.

George is leaving for camp the same day. He's pretty lucky because
he's a counselor. When we come back, we'll see who got stronger.

"I'll be back."

Entry #113
Benched 225 lbs today. At lift-off I thought "Hmm this isn't that
heavy". I lower it until about an inch above my pecs and bring it
back up. I'm thinking I'll get at least 4 reps by myself. Then my
spotter, Ryan, roars "ALL THE FUCKING WAY DOWN!" Then he smacks it onto
my chest and I gasp for air. Bastard. I manage two reps with it
touching my chest everytime.

This means war.

Just did shadow boxing afterwards. Worked on some flexibility
stretches for kicks, also. My meal plan has been consistent the last
few weeks. Expect to gain a lot of muscle weight soon. 

Haha I bench the same weight as Arnold.

Entry #112
Weigh in at 178 lbs today.

Been bulking for about a year now. Still no visible fat development. Bulk pictures for my arms:

September 2004:

June 2005:

Abs have remained the same, and I don't have any leg ones.

Entry #111
Glad that summer is here so I can train by myself without distractions.

I guess I'll allow one cheat day on my training log for today. Went
to a party with George. I ate like a savage. Good bulking meals. Meat
meat and meat. And then for dessert, meat. George and I were talking
about something cool, probably Warhammer or Arnold Schwarzenegger or
something, when "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" comes on the speakers.
George smacks his forehead and says "Argh I hate this."
J.C.: "What, girls just wanna have fun, George."
George: "Well we should convert girls to usable fuel, then."
J.C.: "Why don't you like girls...you two need to get laid."
George: "No."
J.C.: "Well, you can kick ass and get laid at the same time, you know."
Me: "Hey, yeah. Except for the getting laid part."
George:
"Yeah, I'm fine with kicking ass, of course. That sounds like a good
idea right now." Then he grabs my throat and I punch him back in the
chest.

Then we go on the driveway and spar. It was dark so I don't know
what happened. I believe it ended in a draw. I mostly just did boxing.
I was full of meat and didn't have the patience to attempt sidekicks.

He dropped me off and I told I'll see him in Hell. He said he'll be there first. But we'll see.

Listen, next week is summer vacation. Nothing but training, nothing
but getting stronger. So this was off-topic. But don't think I'm gonna
go soft on you guys.

Entry #110
Trained with George at Vasona Park. Utilized kicks exclusively in three
sparring sessions. George is much better in this area than me.
Afterwards practiced alternating sidekicks all the way across the park.
Really tired me out.

Entry #109
Legs are a little better. Still having trouble with stairs. Chest and
tris are sore now from yesterday as well. Will just be doing some
stretching and then nunchaku practice for rehabilitation today, and
then go back tomorrow. I seriously can't even shadow box productively
tonight.

Entry #108
Legs have been sore since Sunday. Having trouble walking, and when I
try a staircase I resemble a cancerous old man. George's first comment
to me this morning at school: "God dammit, you and your squat workouts,
I couldn't go to Tae Kwon Do yesterday because I'm so sore." You're
welcome, George.

I did chest and tris today. I managed 195 pounds with 8 reps pretty
easily on flat bench press. Giant Ryan was spotting me again. He
commented that I'm lifting stronger than last time. Well, he roared it
in my face.

Bench press: 195 pounds, 8, 8, 6, 5, 5 reps

Dumbbell flys: 40 pound dumbbells, 4 sets 8 reps

Incline bench press: 135 pounds,  3 sets 5 reps (Was so tired I
was only able to do 5 reps on what I usually use for warm-up)

Tricep pushdowns: 70 pounds, 4 sets 8 reps

Dips: 3 sets 6 reps

Overhead dumbbell extension: 55 pound dumbbell, 3 sets 8 reps

 

 

Entry #107
Legs are dead today. Took it easy. Did some shadow boxing in my room. I couldn't help myself.

I'll hit the weightroom again tomorrow. Until then, stay tough.

Oh, today was George's 18th birthday. We did some sparring but it
was too casual to list as a real fight. Well here you go George, happy
birthday:

I hope you like bullets.

Entry #106
George and I lifted together today, for the first time. According to
him J.C. never makes him train legs, and today just happened to be leg
day on my program, so I decided to introduce George the torture of leg
day.

Squats: 255 pounds, 6 reps

Leg press: 700 pounds, 6-8 reps

Leg extensions: 180 pounds, 6-8 reps

Leg curls: 120 pounds, 8 reps

Calf raises: 270 pounds, 12 reps

Seated calf raises: 205 pounds, 12 reps

I raised the weights on squats, and next time I think I'll go for
265. Having a spotter helped a lot. George didn't go as high as I did,
but that was his first time on squats and I commend him. Had the gym to
ourselves so we didn't hesitate to make some noise. George was having
trouble for his last rep on the leg press machine and he was leaning
forward, so I grabbed his shoulders and slammed him back into the seat,
and called him a wimp. He yelled and then completed it perfectly. The
only way to spot someone, I say.

"Civilize the mind, make savage the body."

Entry #105
At the beach George and I fought a war. As I am writing this I'm
covered in cuts and red marks, along with disjointed fingers and an
injured ankle.

Hmm, let me get some stuff out of the way first. The arcade was
awesome. We played Samurai Shodown (the best), Terminator 2, Metal
Slug 3, Virtua Fighter 4, and some awesome war game where you shoot
things. Then we went on this Haunted House walkthrough. I was hoping
for once I would get scared or something, just to see what it's like,
but no. We walked through a graveyard and all of a sudden a rubber
zombie pops out in front of us and starts screaming. George punched it
in the face. It probably died. The end.

Essentially senior beach day was all-day training for us. We started
out in the morning with a sprint to a group of rocky outcrops over in
the west. I won by a significant margin. After that we jogged over to
the pier and back. Everyone from our class was asking why we weren't
relaxing. A lot of them were smoking, too. This one guy, James, is
someone I thought of as a serious bodybuilder, but not only did he look
tiny, he was smoking with everyone.
George goes up to him: "James, what the hell is this."
Me: "James, if you drink and smoke you'll shrivel up and get weak."
James hangs his head down in shame: "Well, uhhh just something to do, ahh, for fun..."
George: "Well
James, we are disappointed in you guys. And pull up your pants for
God's sake or we'll have to send you home. Young delinquents."

Harsh, but they'll all thank us later.

We fought by a group of cliffs shrouded in fog. Was pretty
cool. Regrettably I am unable to give detailed reports of what
happened because I honestly remember nothing about it. I got kicked in
the head so that might be a contributing factor. It started out
with us on opposite sides of the beach and then charging towards one
another. That was awesome. We always do full-contact bare-knuckle, but
I do know that those were the hardest hits I've ever thrown. Actually
utilized combos, as well. One highlight I can remember was George
backfisting me and I countered it with hook after hook in his
side. I could feel his body crumple and he was yelling. His stand-out
part was when he side-kicked me directly in the head and I stumbled
forward. Fought pretty dizzy the rest of the round. I'm fighting too
much like a brute, taking shots and not bothering to dodge while
powering forward. Maybe it works, but there's probably a better way.
I've really developed a lot more power, maybe due to switching from
bodybuilding to powerlifting?

The first two rounds ended in a tie but the in the third
George hurt his shin on my elbow and he had to stop because he couldn't
stand properly. We ended there. We walked back to where our class was
hanging out, and this girl says "George, were you fighting Hormuz?" She was sunbathing. George replies "Yeah, what are you doing? Lying down and being lazy?" Everyone knows not to get offended at what George says, of course, because that's just how he is, and she laughs.
George: "Let's go practice some kicks, Taylor, you need to do something so you don't get fat."
Her: "Oh my gosh you called me fat?!"
George: "I said you'll get fat if you just lie around doing that all day."
When she gets up George tells her to kick as high as she can, and she goes "HAH you just want to see my underwear!!!"
George: "....... uh Taylor, shut up, now face to the side and kick. Just do it waist-high, if you want." She can't stop giggling so George goes "Okay we're done, you're a terrible student." She just giggles harder and we run away.

We had a one armed push-up contest afterwards but my thumb was
feeling demented after fighting and my knuckles were bloody. I could
only manage 15. George got 18.

Forgot to bring a camera to take pictures. But trust me, it ruled.

Entry #104
Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger was in town a few days ago, I wanted
to go meet him. I wanted to arm wrestle him. Or at least compare our
arms. Who would you guys think would have more muscle? On Friday I'll
hit the weights again.

Tomorrow is beach day and George and I plan to fight on the cliffs. Loser falls off and dies.

Entry #103
At school, George kicked a guy in the chest and sent him to the ground.
The guy was mocking him about being a "tough guy" or something like
that. I believe his exact words were "Ohhh you think you're so tough,
George? Some big tough guy? Oooooh what a macho-man nyeeeehhh", and
then George kicked him. The vice principal took him in his office and
said "So the other guy told me what you did to him, now let's hear YOUR
side of the story."
And George goes "Uh I kicked him in the chest."
Then
the vice-principal laughed and told George his punishment is hard
labour of some sort. To which George replied "Whoa, cool." He invited
me to go, too. Should be fun.

Thursday is Senior Beach Day at school. We have to go to Santa Cruz
and hang out at the beach all day. George and I are going to take this
opportunity to train. Definitely expect a fight then.

Stay strong like Rambo

Entry #102
This is a pointless post. In fact, as I write this I am going insane.
I've been doing homework all day. I'm never going to take a day off
training ever ever ever again. I have so much energy right now I'm
going to break Jared's record of 400 push-ups in a few minutes. I've
just been sitting here doing a comic for homework. It's pretty cool.
Maybe I'll scan it. It's about a guy who goes to work but his office
gets attacked by zombies so he rips off his suit and fights the zombies
with heavy artillery. That includes his fists. One day that will be me.
I'm looking at my arm in the mirror and the entire thing is covered
with huge veins. They're like a roadmap on my arm. I'm going to bench
300 tomorrow, too. BANG BANG BANG

Entry #101
Fight today at school. Was walking to my locker during lunch when all
of a sudden George comes out of nowhere and jump kicks me in the back.
I stumble forward and my backpack was flattened from the impact. This
can only mean war. I rush forward and smash my fist into his solar
plexus. We trade punch combinations and then he side-kicks me in the
chest and we both fall back. Then we go out to lunch.

In PE we were supposed to go swimming but I just sat with Rene on
the bleachers by the pool and talked about training. It turns out that
at the beginning of the school year he only weighed 150 pounds. Now
he's 195. Is he on steroids or something? Wow. We were bored so we
measured our arms and my biceps are 15 inches in diamater. His are
16. This could be a good way to record progress.

I went skateboarding a little after school and then practiced on the
heavy bag. Doing endurance training along with strength program. Did 40
consecutive push-ups. By the end of summer I must reach at least 80.

Not a bad Friday.

Entry #100
Today at school George and I went to the front lawn to check out what
the Marines had set up. There was a giant helium-filled training course
along with a pull-up bar. Everyone was giggling and laughing and
jumping around on the training course, so we immediately went to the
bar. But we couldn't decide who should go first. We settled on a
punching contest: who ever punches the other in the stomach first wins.
We grabbed a random kid to be the judge, and at the count of five
we smashed our fists into each other. I won. George wanted two out of
three so we tried again and I won a second time. Thing is, we hadn't
settled on what that meant. So George just decided to go first. He got
to 14. When it was my turn the Marine told me if I get
to 20 he'll give me a shirt. I tried after and got to
15, but on one I didn't go down all the way so it got counted as 14. I
was kind of disappointed; I asked how many he could do and he said 20.
I held my fist at the Marine and told him I will come back next time
and destroy him in this. Then he shook my hand. I regret not taking any
pictures of this. Wasn't thinking of it at the time. But it was
awesome. Should have them over everyday.

One day I will be the strongest in the world.

Entry #99
Yesterday was a well-spent recuperation day. Today was supposed to be
bench day but I have to post-pone it until tomorrow; it's for a good
cause, though. Taking a driving test. I've never needed to drive
anywhere because this town is so small, I just skateboard everywhere.
But now I can go to the gym and not burn any calories when I'm trying
to bulk. Also, GNC is kind of far so I need a car to pick up N-LARGE
every week. Yes, those are the only reasons I'm getting a license. Heh
not really. But I will lift extra heavy tomorrow. Will try
225 pounds on the bench-press.

George let me drive his car on Saturday. This is us going to the store to pick up some groceries.

Entry #98
Worked with heavier weights today. Squats = 225 pounds. Leg press = 600
pounds. I have to admit I made a lot of noise today. It was a Sunday
night and there wasn't anyone there, anyways. Leg day is the most
painful, I think; I couldn't help but shout a little. It helped me get
the weight up, though. I'm getting closer and closer to Fred "Dr.
Squat" Hatfield and his 1,014 pound squat. Just a matter of time. In
between sets I used the speedbag.

Yesterday I hung out with George but we didn't fight. We did see
Star Wars Ep 3 and after we practiced pull-ups for the pull-up
competition at school next week. Each got to 15. Will practice up more.
It probably isn't a good idea to enter a pull-up contest in the middle
of gaining weight but oh well. Just for fun.