<![CDATA[Mind's Blog]]> Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:16:37 -0400 support@imminst.org (ImmInst Forums) IP.Blog 60 Muscle development
I didn't reach 200 lbs, but I am still satisfied. For those of you who read the blog at the beginning, you know I started at 164.5 lbs on December 15th. On April 16th I weighed 194.0 lbs. So almost 30 lbs. I took before and after pics and this was the only part that was slightly disappointing. The difference is noticeable but not "eye-popping". I think it is because I gained muscle over my entire body. Torso, arms, back, legs, neck. Spread 30 lbs over an entire body and it isn't as noticeable as if it was all upper body.

I could have reached 200 lbs with a slightly different life situation. Imminst was the reason I was able to gain 30 lbs, but also the reason I couldn't quite gain 40lbs. I used all the info Shepard, Zoolander, Karomesis, and others have posted in the forums to perfect my diet and workout. However, once you reach a plateau (or your genetic limit) you really need to focus even more to bust through to an elite level (professional body building type level). Given that I have 2 jobs (Day-job and Imminst) that doesn't leave a lot of time to focus on muscle development. I needed to be getting 8 hours of sleep per night and I usually was only getting two 8 hour nights a week. The rest were in the 5.5 to 7 hour range. When you are really trying to push growth, 5.5 to 7 hours does not cut it. Something else that limited me was 3 colds. One was moderate, and the other two were light. Even though 2 of them were light they made me tired and limited my workouts. The last one occurred at the beginning of April and lasted about a week. I was nearly 194 April 1st and that cold really sucked the energy out of me. I think I was pushing it too hard, with Imminst and my regular job. Not getting enough sleep. My body just couldn't keep up. So the tail end of my program was kind-of whimpy. I just couldn't increase the weight or intensity of my workout. If bodybuilding was my career and I got 8 hours of sleep a night and started 2 work-outs a day, I could have easily pushed through 200 lbs.

Another thing that limited me from the last week of March through about April 10th, about 2 weeks, was an error in my protein measurement. This was a real boneheaded move. I switched to a different brand of protein and for some strange reason there was not a scoop inside the container. So I just used a scoop from one of the other brands I had. I didn't realize that the scoop was much smaller. So when I had my post work-out shake I was only getting about 40 to 45 grams of protein when I needed (or was planning for) 60 to 65 grams. This went on for 2 weeks. How stupid.

I didn't gain much body fat, but enough that it is noticeable. I am going on a cutting program over the next couple weeks to see if I can enhance my look and then take pics again. Will share them at some point. Be sure to cajole me into sharing because I am usually not one to show pics like that.

There are probably some supplements that would've helped me along as well. Maybe next time I will dive in to the supps a bit more to see if there is a big effect. During the last 2.5 months I started using a caffeinated creatine product (NO explode). I slowly increased the amount week after week. I took it about 15 minutes before my work-out. I also took l-carnitine and l-arginine tabs before workout. I used a variety of protein mixtures. For a while I took l-arginine in the middle of the night (because it is supposed to slightly enhance your natural GH production on an empty stomach), but then when I would only get 5 or 6 hours of sleep it was too short of a time to wake up and take a tab, so that went down the tubes. I took ortho-core for a multi-vitamin.

My food intake increased dramatically (of course). I found I was getting to the point where it was hard to jam all the calories and protein into my body that I needed in a day. I think because I am a naturally slim person my stomach is a little smaller or something.

I will try to post more detailed workout and diet info soon.]]> Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:56:56 -0400 Personal Development Experiment
Every year I go through a cycle of gaining and losing weight. I lose it all in the summer when I am busy with outdoor activities and then I gain it back (muscle) in the winter/spring when I have more time for the gym. I have a pretty high metabolism so it is tough to gain weight and easy to lose it. The most I have ever weighed was about 200, but I really didn't look all that great. It was before I joined Imminst and learned a lot more about health, nutrition, and muscle development. This time I plan to eclipse that mark with lean ripped muscle. Yeehaa! Don't know what weight I will be able to reach on free weights since my joints are showing the wear and tear and soreness of my age. Any tips would be welcome. I hope to get some bloodwork done to see how my aging bio-markers change (or not). All this to promote Imminst and its great knowledge base.

My wife took pictures of my skinny self. I am amazed at how ripped, yet super thin I am. I hope to have some "after" pictures around April or so. Wish me luck.

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Here is a picture of the shoulder injury I sustained (described in the comment section). 8 days later and you can still see the bruise ring. It is still sore but it hasn't prevented me from lifting. Maybe because I am stubborn. Maybe because i have a high pain tolerance. I just hope it isn't a long term disability. At my age things don't heal up too fast.[attachment=2363:shoulder1.jpg]
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]]> Tue, 25 Dec 2007 04:19:24 -0500 Helping Research Saw this story today (pretty cool video by the way), and it made me think about ideas...ideas as to how Imminst can contribute to life extension research. In the back of my mind, thoughts have always been rumbling around as to how Imminst members could leverage their collective talent to help research along. Activism and outreach is our strong point, but maybe we can help with new medical/scientific discoveries. Sure we donated dirt samples to John and the lysoSENS project and many of us donate CPU cycles to folding@home or other relevant distributed computing projects, but it seems like there is something else, something unique, something beneficial to society (and to Imminst) that could be done. Could we help crunch data for specific projects? Could we help write and edit white papers? Could we use new web 3.0 applications and narrow AI in unforeseen new ways? I registered to beta test Twine with the thought that we could use it as an Imminst data tool. Not sure how we could integrate it with the site, but it looked useful. (still waiting for Radar Networks to set me up with a test version).

Anyway, in my previous blog entry I said don't be shy when you have an idea. Throw it out into the forums for everyone to look at. Maybe you have 20 ideas and 19 get shot down. Not to worry, its that 1 golden idea everyone will remember.]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:05:53 -0500 A Tribute
Special thanks goes out to all the volunteers that have made it all happen. Numero uno being Bruce Klein, who is currently spending many hours behind the scenes implementing the new forum software and has also been responsible for most of the big achievements of this organization. Caliban was also a key figure early in the organization, nearly single handedly publishing the first book and writing the constitution. He has also provided timely and valuable legal advice throughout the years. I should also mention numerous other leaders, members, and volunteers who were key players in the success of Imminst... but that would take all night. You know who you are and your contributions do not go unnoticed.

Which brings me to the future success of the Immortality Institute. Donations are great but ideas are even more powerful! At times there has been a general attitude that ideas and projects should flow from the top down. However, the constitution of Imminst was set-up to give all members a voice in these matters. I want to remind everyone that any member can start a referendum at any time. All ideas are welcome. Imminst can affect change just by being present on the web but there is much the organization can do. Members hail from all over the world and that should mean a wealth of ideas whether it is media exposure, conferences, research, or other projects. Keep up the good work and we should all live a bit longer...than currently expected.

Justin]]> Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:21:03 -0500