Optimum Anabolics - Day 1/Back At It

Hello there again, fans! My blogging hiatus has ended! Additionally, the Wife and I are back from a 5-day bed & breakfast vacation up at Lake Erie.

You know what that means? Time to get back after it! Ok, perhaps we'll just ease into it...

Over the course of the next 24 weeks (maybe more??), I'll be reviewing and tracking my progress as I follow Jeff Anderson's (aka The Muscle Nerd) build and burn workout routine known as Optimum Anabolics. The added bonus should be that I am focused and accountable as I go along. I'm going to need that since The Muscle Nerd's first program provides some interesting challenges.

The week or so before our vacation, I took the time to read through the manual and found it to be quite thorough. Jeff really gets into detail on everything from hormones, to exercise frequency and rest periods, to diet and supplementation. I won't be giving away any of the secrets but hopefully you'll get the feel for how this program keeps you on your toes both at the gym (home gym for me!) and in the kitchen. While we were on vacation, I spent some time putting together my personalized diet and exercise regimens that I would be following for the next few weeks. Optimum Anabolics takes you step by step through this process. Very, very simple! The rest, the implementation, is up to you!

WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

Superset 1: DB Front Lateral Raises, Standing Arnold Presses
Superset 2: DB Rear Raises, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: Dip Bar Shrugs (awesome!), Twisting DB Presses

Total Time => 41:00

Comments: My shoulders have never been worked over like that!

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN

Admittedly, I'm still in vacation mode in this category. I have my meal plan all set for the week so I'll be tapering back on the "vacation food" as I go along (hopefully). For me, this is butter with pancakes (yes you read that right!), pizza, ice cream, and alcohol...not necessarily in that order.

I did get things started right today with what's known in the blog world as a Green Monster. Cram all the ingredients you see below into a blender, crank it up, pour it out, and enjoy!

• 1 C Almond Milk
• 1 banana (frozen...there is no other way!)
• 1/2 C blueberries
• 4 tsp chia seeds (ground flax seed is also outstanding)
• Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach (the green in the monster!)

Lunch was a post-workout feast of kiszka (a Polish sausage), tomatoes, sour oat bread, some fruit, and my favorite...pancakes with maple syrup and loads of butter! Yum!

Dinner started off with a Bombay Sapphire martini paired with Spanish olives. :~) After that, I settled in to some chicken salad with veggies, tortilla chips with homemade salsa, and an apple. Then came the ice cream! I loaded up a bowl and topped it with many layers of nuts and almond butter. Outstanding! Thankfully, there was no whipped cream in the house or it would've been toast! :-)

On a positive note, I definitely got my protein in for the day.