It took me 9 days to write this ;-)

Well well well… It’s almost been 10 days since my last post. I SUCK! But seriously, my bad. I’ve just been lazy about writing in this thing. No more excuses. At least for now.

So, today I figured I’d let you in on some fun stuff going on with me…

First, I’ve been studying the book of Revelation with some friends from church. Let me tell you – if you think Revelation is all about the end times and not much else, well, you don’t know the half of it. Did you know that the book of Revelation is the only book that specifically states you’ll be blessed when you read it? It’s true! Check this out:

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” – Revelation 1:3

Revelation has so many great passages about worship, the nature of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, and it very well may be the most convicting book in the entire Bible! Of course, with all the symbolism and metaphors, it also leads for great discussion time. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be jumping back and forth in my musings about scripture and what God is teaching me from both the book of Revelation and my daily study passages in my quiet times.

In the meantime, I read a passage of scripture that really hit me hard the other day. I’ll type it, then you just ponder it and let it soak in, as I did. Think about your entire day…

“… in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:18

Wow. Just wow.

Secondly, my workouts have been going great! Shane, my buddy from work and I have been hitting the iron hard, and after 6 weeks we’re seeing some results! Six weeks may sound like a long time already, but for most folks it takes years to build real, quality muscle. We’re both gaining lean mass and strength, which is basically the goal. I’ve been extremely happy with my progress.

Many of you have asked me a few questions about my fitness and training. I answer these with the understanding that I don’t have the body I desire… yet. Nor do I know everything about strength training and nutrition. I am novice at best, but I know people and trusted sources, and I know what’s worked for me. So, let me answer a few questions…

1. How did you lose all that weight?

The short answer is hard work. Plain and simple. Obviously there are many things that took place. For starters, I was convicted by how I was taking care of my temple, and I knew I needed to do something about it. I started with light strength training, better eating, and LOTS of cardio. As far as my diet changes, my first steps were cutting back on eating fast food, drinking roughly a gallon of water a day, and getting rid of the junk in the fridge and the pantry. A very wise friend told me, if it’s in your house, you will eat it. Don’t kid yourself. You probably wouldn’t drive to the store for a box of cheez-its, but if they’re around you’ll eventually rationalize it to yourself and chow down. I went pretty much cold-turkey and cut out soda – one of the best decisions you can make if you’re trying to lose weight. Sodas are empty calories. PERIOD. They have no nutritional value whatsoever. All they do is pack the pounds on in the form of fat from simple sugars. 

I mixed up my cardio with running and bike riding (both indoor and outdoor), and using the elliptical trainers at the gym. I think I started at around 15-20 minutes, and at the end of my heavy cardio time in the gym I was doing and hour or more in a single session. If you’re looking to straight up lose weight, crank up the intensity and do interval training. It’s the best for overall fat calorie burning over a short period of time. It’s also great for improving your heart health and O2 capability. 

With weights, I was more concerned with building a foundation of strength by learning some basic dumbbell and machine exercises. I used typical split training, usually working 1-2 muscle groups a day over 4-5 days, and doing cardio 6 days a week. While I was trying to lose weight I did cardio before weights. Now that I am training to gain muscle mass, I have reversed this. I have also lessened my cardio and altered the type. More on this some other time.

So, that’s obviously the long answer. Questions still?

2. What supplements do you take? 

Currently, I take GNC Mega Men multivitamins (though I will soon change bc I think I’m basically peeing it all out). I also take NaNO Vapor by Muscletech for my pre-workout supplement, and use Cellmass by BSN for my post workout creatine and recovery. As any good weight lifter knows, you have to suck down some form of quick digesting protein within the hour after your workout, as your muscles are primed for nutrient uptake, so I use Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein isolate (around 40g) with about 10-12oz of fresh pressed apple juice. That’s pretty much it! If you think you don’t need supplements… try it. Don’t cry to me when you don’t get the results you want. There are no magic pills to lose 50 pounds in a month or gain 20 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks, but the body needs help after it’s been broken down. Questions? Hahahaha…

3. What’s my diet like?

First, it’s fairly simple, but requires cooking ahead, and planning. Obviously everyone’s caloric intake needs are different. Mine are much higher due to my size and training. One thing is for certain – eating 5-7 smaller meals a day filled with lean protein, good carbohydrates and fats will crank up your metabolism and help you shed fat and add lean muscle. Maybe a sample day would help:

6am – Wakeup! 1:15 before workout – 2 servings of oatmeal, with ground cinnamon, skim milk, raisins, walnuts, and 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

7:15am – NaNO vapor pre-workout supplement

9am – Cellmass post-workout supplement

9:30am – 2 scoops ON whey protein with 12oz fresh pressed apple juice (protein shake)

12:30p – turkey sandwich, with double protein whole grain bread, baby spinach and mustard. Whole apple

3:00p – Protein shake with Cellmass – mmmmmm! Handful of natural almonds

5:30p – Grilled chicken breast, cooked broccoli, black beans

8:30p – 8oz lean ground beef burger (93/7), sweet potato with brummel and brown butter, splenda and ground cinnamoni, fresh pressed unsweetened apple sauce with ground cinnamon

10:30p – Bedtime! (or earlier) – 1 LARGE glass of skim milk directly before bed

So that’s it! It comes out to around 3000 calories… I know that sounds like a lot, but muscle don’t come from thin air. You have to grow it. And by eating clean and eating a lot, training hard and resting plenty, that’s what I plan on doing. 

I welcome any and all questions! Wow, this has been a wicked long post, but there you go. If you’ve made it this far, comment! People helped me reach my short term goals. Maybe we can work together and make 2009 your healthiest year too!

God bless and be fit!

Jarrod

Just a quick word

While waiting in line at Publix to check out, the man in front of me presented a rain check for a deal on $1.79 bags of ‘Cheez Doodles’ 

Yes, I spelled that correctly. And, he got 2 bags. This certainly is a sign of the times. First, I haven’t seen a rain check in years. PS – it was a hand written one. For all I know, he could have penned it himself. Second – FOR CHEEZ DOODLES?

That is all,

Jarrod

Been ill…

But I’m back at it now! Thanks to Nyquil and Dayquil and OJ (the juice, not the convict) I feel a little better. 🙂

Matthew 25:40

The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.

Whenever I read about passages where God referrs to the ‘least of these’, I can’t help but think back to my high school days. Did I ever have a high opinion of myself back then. High school was a strange time for most of us, wether good or bad. No one has it all together at that early stage in our lives, but sadly many of us thought we did! That’s where the problems begin, I believe. Ok, let me get on with it. 

Point 1: There were some people in high school that I didn’t treat with respect. Apparently, I was better than many folks back then, so that gave me the right to make fun of how people dressed, talked or acted. Maybe you’re reading this entry and thinking. “Hey! I was one of those people!” Well, if you still have ill will towards me, email me and we can clear the air. I now, in my old age and wisdom, see the error in my ways, not only in hurting people with my words and judgmental attitude, but also hurting myself in not getting to know and cultivate relationships with some amazing people that I so casually dismissed!

Point 2: I also think about the outcast, poor and downtrodden in our own land, and in our global neighborhood around the world. Christians, we are COMMANDED to care for the ‘least of these’! I admit that I am not the perfect example of this, but if everyone did a little something to help someone out, especially those with less resources and ability to help themselves, then imagine how first the name of Christ would be lifted up and His love would be magnified, and also how the entire world would be effected! 

The truth is, we are all NOBODIES! We have nothing apart from Christ. He not only gives us our gifts and resources, but also creates meaning and eternal significance in our lives through His coming Kingdom. When we begin to realize “I AM NOT, BUT I KNOW I AM” (Louie Giglio) then our hearts and minds can be opened up to not only all those around us that we might not deem worthy of our respect and time, but also the people of the world that God the Father has also created, just like you and I. 

God, continue to break down my walls of pride and arrogance, and being to love others as You loved, seeing and meeting the needs of the least of these. Amen.

 

Workout – 2/13/09 – Legs

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

SM Squats

Warmup – bodyweight x 12

135×10

145×10

160×10

185×8

Hamstring Curls 

100×10

105×9

110×8

115×10 ??? Not sure what got into me here, but I killed it!

125×6

Step-Ups (onto a bench, holding dumbbells along sides)

35x12x3

SM Calf Raises

225×10 neutral foot position

225×10 outer

225×9 inner

Leg Extensions (weight is per leg)

55×10

60×10 

65×12 – egggghhhhhhh! hurts so good

Comments: As this post is a full 2 days after legs, I can tell you I worked the CRAP out of them. I’m still pretty sore as I head up the stairs. Going to try and squeeze in some cardio and abs today (02.15) before I settle in with the guys and the NBA All-Star game. It makes me sad at how few people train legs. Especially guys. I say, before you tell me how much you bench, SHUT UP AND SQUAT.

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Good? Morning.

Romans 12:10-11

10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Ever notice how the littlest thing early in the morning can seemingly make or break your day? Maybe make or break is too harsh – what about… get it started off right, or get it started off the wrong foot. Maybe that’s more you, as is it me. Have you ever had those mornings where nothing seems to go right? Maybe you spilled breakfast on your clothes. Maybe your kid wouldn’t stop screaming. Maybe you got pulled over on the way to work. Maybe when you got to work, your boss started in with the griping? 

It’s because of moments like this that 1) we have gray hairs 2) high blood pressure, and 3) need encouragement!

Maybe you’ve had a crappy morning. Let’s face it, who hasn’t? For whatever the reason, God knew it was to happen, so do your best to keep a positive attitude, keep eternal and earthly perspective in place, and make the rest of your day great! But, on the other hand maybe you’ve had a GREAT morning – oatmeal tasted better than ever, found a $5 bill in your pocket, boss praises you in front of your co-workers in a meeting. Know what? God knew that was going to happen too! So, let’s do our parts by not only enjoying when life shows us favor, thanking God for His blessings in our lives, and doing our best to encourage and be kind to one another! We should be ready to lift others up when they are down. 

There are many ways to do this, so I don’t need to waste time listing different menthods. But, be creative! See what God calls to your mind. After all, He is LOVE. And if we try to emulate Him, I’d think that would be one of the most prominent characteristics that would come shining through.

So that’s all! You know what to do from here 🙂

 

Workout – 2/10/09 – Arms and Shoulders

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

EZ Barbell Curls

Warmup – 45×20

55×12

60×10

70×8

SM Close Grip Bench Press

Warmup – 50×20

90×10

100×8

110×6

DB Shoulder Presses

Warmup – 25×20

35×10

40×8

45×7

Alternating Supination DB Curls

25×12

30×9

35×6

Cable Straight Bar Pressdowns

42.5×12

50×10

57.5×8

EZ Bar Upright Rows

60×10

75×8

80×6

Cable Bicep Curls (lowest position)

20×12

25×8

20×10 (switched to a facing the weight versus facing away from it)

HS Dips

140×10

160×9

170×7

DB Side and Rear Delt Raises

10x10x2

Comments: Felt ridiculously good today – I should have aimed higher on my weights, but there’s always next time! I was making some terribly ugly faces when I lifted, but good form all around! Glad I snuck in for arms and shoulders. 

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Rise and Shine

Psalm 8:3-4 NASB

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

As I arrived at the gym Monday morning, I was witness to a lovely sunrise, or at least the ending of a beautiful one. The sky was pink, red and orange, sweeping across the sky in broad strokes. I was reminded at that moment how wonderful our Creator is – He chose the colors, arranged paint, and carefully make perfect strokes across the metro Atlanta sky… why? Maybe just because in His infinite nature that’s a part of who He is. Or maybe it’s because one of the many ways God makes Himself evident to us is in His creation. Either way, the sunrise was a beautiful and through provoking beginning to another manic Monday.

In conclusion, be cognizant of our Creator’s handiwork! It’s all around us. Take the time to soak it in and give Him thanks for His gift to us.

Workout – 2/9/09 – Chest and Abs

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

Incline DB Press

Warmup – 35×15

50×8

55×8

60×6

Weighted Decline Crunches

10x15x3

Flat Bench Press (don’t laugh – I struggle with these!)

Warmup Set – 95×15

125×10

135×9

155×6

Hanging Leg Raises (on roman chair with half stability ball)

12×3

Cable Crossovers

25×12 (attachment at top position)

25×11 (neutral position)

20×12 (low position)

Woodchoppers

10x15x2

Decline DB Press

45×10

50×8

50×6 (by this point I was pretty spent – there was no way I was swinging the 55; my ears were already ready to pop!)

Plate Pullovers

25×15 – took these nice and slow to completely wipe the chest out, plus get a good stretch in over the entire thoracic muscle range

Comments: Great chest workout – felt like I had good range of motion, power and endurance. Still need to keep pushing myself for bigger weights, but I understand it will come with time and hard work. I’ve seen the most muscle gains in my chest, so I must be doing something right! The cable crossovers are amazing, but seemingly always wipe me out before declines. Maybe I should switch the order there… Please feel free to add any comments, questions, or suggestions to my training regimen. Thanks in advance!

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Whoops! Should have posted yesterday!

Well, something happened with the servers or whatever, and I couldn’t post my content to the site. Strange! Anyway, here’s kinda what I was going to say (as best as I can remember!) I’ll also have a post later on today about the actual today… Confused yet?

Mark 1:16-18 NASB

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Our pastor, Bryant Wright, taught from this passage, and how Jesus’ call was heeded by His followers. Look at verse 18… at ONCE they left their nets and FOLLOWED Him. Geesh… At once! Not when it was good for them, or after the big fishing season was over. No, they followed Him at once! I sometimes wonder how truly immediate this was. I mean, surely they told their loved ones where they were going and what they were doing. I think Jesus, in all His infinite love would have desired that. But the point is that at the call of Christ for their lives, they dropped what THEY were doing to follow HIM. That’s pretty awesome to me! I remember when I felt called to do ministry. At first, I thought I was being led to become a youth pastor. Over time, God would reveal to me that those thoughts were not exactly what He had in mind for me. I currently work ( and serve! ) at a great church, handing most of the video production and other media related tasks. This is where God has me. CURRENTLY. 

I say that because I think that God is continually calling us to follow Him. Not because He gets bored, or is a nag, but as I’ve found in my life it’s probably due to the fact that we’re so easily pulled away from Him and His plan for us! So… He says, “Jarrod, follow me – not all that other temporary earthly crap. Follow ME!” I don’t know if Jesus would have actually said crap – no offense. But you get the point. This passage is not only a great story of true obedience, but a great reminder to keep a close watch on who’s shadow we’re following in. You know, the bigger you get, the larger your shadow theoretically becomes. But as the scripture says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” When that happens, His ways become more evident in our lives.

Workout – 2/8/09 – Back

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

Hyperextensions

Body weight x 15×3

Deadlifts (quickly becoming my FAVORITE exercise)

185×5

195×5

205×5

215×5 😀  (exciting, as this is my body weight! more on that in a sec…)

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

Warmup Set – 70×15

100×9

105×9

100×7 – dropped weight back to 100, and took it verrrryyyy slooooowwww

Close Grip Pulldowns (I do these with the cable machine at it’s highest point, while I sit on the ground about 4 ft away – I feel it more in my mid back better than seated rows)

95×8

95×9

100×9

105×10

(I need to find a different rack, because that cable pull only stacks to 100 Lbs)

Single Arm DB Rows

45s x 10×4

(these felt like a GREAT way to finish off my back, and with a tiled wrist grip, it lessened the usage of my biceps in the row)

Comments: I love training my back. Not only is it a HUGE muscle group, but it’s extremely exhausting after only a few exercises. I’m finding though as I increase in weight, my grip strength isn’t quite there yet. On sets 4 and 5 of deadlifts, I was struggling to keep my grip on the barbell. Looks like it’s time to bust out the hand grip tool again! I guess I could bring gloves, but I like my torn up hands too much 😉

Thanks for reading, whoever you are! I see views on my stats page, and that makes me smile!

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Everlasting Arms and Guns

Isaiah 40:26

Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

I love verses that tell us of the Almighty power of God. They are great for me because they not only reassure us that the tough stuff that we face each day are not going to overtake us! WE HAVE GOD ON OUR SIDE! I also love that, when appropriate, these verses can lift up our friends, loved ones, and even our enimies when Satan seems to drag them down. It sounds cliche’ to say, but just knowing that God wants to envelop us in His arms makes every day seem much more managable, doesn’t it? And maybe that’s part of the problem – we are teriffically good at managing, aren’t we? Maybe if we just gave it up to God in the first place, then all this crap that life seemingly throws at us wouldn’t be so hard. After all, I think I can handle things, but the Creator of the entire universe is probably just slightly better at lifting us up, and giving us the strength, flowing down from Heaven above.

Deuteronomy 33:27, the first part, adds to this in saying, “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms…”

The Lord reigns – take refuge and shelter in that truth. I certainly sleep easier at night knowing this!

 

Workout – 2/6/09 – Arms

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

EZ Barbell Curls (just past shoulder grip)

Warmup Set – 40×15

50×10

65×8

75×5

SM Close Grip Bench Press (weights are w/o bar – not sure what unloaded lbs are for SM)

Warmup Set – 80×15

90×12

110×10

120×10

HS (hammer strength) Preacher Curls

Warmup Set – 45×12

70×12

75×9

80×7

Rope Press Downs

30×15

35×12

40×9

42.5×7

Alternating DB Hammer Curls

25×12

30×9

35×7 (paused between 5 & 6 to get a few more in)

Superset DB Kickbacks and Concentration Curls

15x12x2

Comments: Arms were completely spent by the time we got to the final superset. I mean SPENT! In hindsight, probably should have done a little less with the hammer curls, and maybe subbed in a few forearm exercises. We’re gonna’ make a wrist roll thing for forearms next time and bring it in. Felt especially strong on the SM Close Grip Bench and HS Preacher… I could have gone more with preacher, but we’ll save that for next time!

We typically train majors and minors on the same day, like chest-tris, back-bis, but we switched it up today and it felt good!

 

I'm finally noticing some growth!

The pic is for both laughs, and for real! I’m proud of a little growth, and I had to make a goofball face. No way I could take a flexing photo seriously yet. Hahahaha… 

Sunday is back. Stay tuned

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Day 2!

Matthew 6:11

“…Give us this day our daily bread…”

Pretty simple, right? Yes, in sentence structure, but in practice this prayer becomes much more difficult. Notice that it says DAILY bread, not weekly, or when it feels good, or when I get around to it. Jesus, being both fully man and fully God, understood the importance of daily time with the Father. He knew that just like us, He would be confronted with temptation, compromise, and other ways that He could stumble and get off course. That’s why He acknowledges God the Father as His sustainer and provider. 

In Proverbs chapter 30, the relatively unknown man Agur says this in verse 8:

Keep falsehoods and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

No matter the situation, by relying on God the Father as our source for sustenance, and not the temporal pleasures of this world. For surely, as many of us are learning these days, things like money, jobs and financial security are fleeting. Thankfully, we serve and are loved by a God who desires to “meet all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Workout – 2/5/09 – Cardio and Legs

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

 

Cardio

Basketball – 2 on 2 – 70 minutes

SM Squats

135x10x2

155x10x2

SM Calf Raises

225x10x3 (neutral, toes-in and toes-out stance)

165×20

HS (hammer strength) Leg Extensions

(weight is per leg)

50×12

60×10

65×10

40×20

HS Hamstring Curls

85×12

95×10

100x10x2

Sled Leg Press (wide angled stance for inner quads)

Weight not including sled weight unloaded

Warmup Set – 90×12

180×10

270×10

Comments: Not going to make a habit of working large muscle groups on cardio days. Especially legs, as they were a little exhausted still from basketball this am. Still, it was a great leg day. Got to workout with Nug, finally. He’s pound for pound one strong dude. Great form on the squats. While I’m on the subject… I cringe when I see bad form, no matter what exercise. You’re just asking for an injury when you swing weights with momentum and improper form. We saw a kid with the most brutally bad deadlift form. Am I supposed to say something? Anyway… Good leg day. Many guys forget about legs, as they’re not necessarily showy muscles. Not us. 🙂 Man up to the weight you can lift properly.

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod

Something new…

This blog comes from the idea that I not only need to build up my physical body, in order to keep myself strong and healthy, but I also need to fortify my spiritual temple with scripture readings, study, prayer and meditation.

Each entry will feature a scripture passage, thoughts about it, and my workout journal. Comment, add to, and dialogue with me as I journal here about my spiritual and physical journey!

Matthew 22:36-38

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?

And He said to him, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

 38“This is the great and foremost commandment.

This is obviously the scripture that spawned the title of my blog. It tells me about the all encompassing passion we are to have for God, and the wholeness of His nature. In the immortal words of Bob Barker from Happy Gilmore, just seconds before he cold-cocks Adam Sandler, “I don’t want a piece, I want the whole thing!” God wants our entire lives. Man, is that hard or what? Honestly, sometimes it seems impossible. There are so many things to tear us away from him. Yet I’ve found, the closer I draw to Him, the less those other things seem to matter. Let’s pray and encourage one another as we try to Love him with more and more of our entire being!

Workout – 2/4/09 – Abs, Shoulders, Traps

Format is exercise followed by weight, reps, and sets – set # not listed = 1 set

Stability Ball Jackknife

# 15×2

Weighted Decline Crunch (10 lb plate)

15×2

Woodchoppers (8 lb medicine ball)

15×2 (per side)

Bicycle (both legs counting as 1 rep)

30×2

DB (Dumbbell) Seated Shoulder Press

Warmup – 30×12

35×10

40×9

45×7

50×4 !!!

DB Standing Lateral Raise

15x10x3 (I need to work on these – so tough!)

DB Rear Deltoid Raises (lying on side on bench)

10x15x2

EZ Bar Upright Rows

Warmup – 50×12

60×10

70×7

80×4

EZ Bar Reverse Bicep Curls (Shane wanted to squeeze in a forearm exercise – I obliged to give the delts a break!)

40x15x3

SM (Smith Machine) Shrugs (not sure what the unloaded weight is… anyone?)

90×12

110×10

120×8

70×20

Comments: Awesome workout today. Shoulders haven’t been this tired in a good while. Technically the taps are more back then shoulders, but it feels natural to me to throw them in with shoulders sometimes. We’ll see how shoulder day effects my basketball ability at 7:30 tomorrow a.m.

God Bless and Be Fit!

Jarrod B. Cecil