LOG: Hibernation

[BrennANIMAL]

Hey Everyone,
I received my can of PM today and am quite excited to get started taking it and keeping this log. I'll give a quick intro into myself and my goals so they can better help understand the effects of PM on my specific lifestyle. (Not like I'm any different from any other musclehead)

I'm a full-time graduate student and Biology Lab Instructor, so my schedule is conducive to getting in quality training sessions, numerous feedings, and a restful night sleep. Problem is, getting to sleep has always been a problem...that's where PM comes in.

I am currently cutting body fat for the first time in my life and have been doing so since the beginning of January with good results. I began this cut at about 228 and am currently about 208. (Weight fluctuates at least 7-8 lbs a day depending on water/food). My diet isn't very calculated. Protein at every meal which comes from turkey, fish, chicken, once in a while lean beef, eggs, whey or casein. I eat my complex carbs at breakfast and another meal before my workout. Some days will be higher carb days, others will be very low carb days. Every other meal has healthy fats from natural peanut butter/peanuts, olive/fish oil, or eggs, as well as a multitude of veggies. I'll add/subtract more fats and veggies to keep my caloric intake somewhat even. Supplements include another brand's multivitamin, glucosamine/chondroitin, Natural Sterol Complex, Animal Cuts, and glutamine.

Finally, I will be including my daily workout regimen as well as my reactions to Animal PM.

Comments and criticism on anything I do are welcome and considered constructive feedback. NOW LET'S GET TO SLEEP!!

[BrennANIMAL]

Today, I begin my first run of Animal PM. I'm hoping for good things, but I don't see why there wouldn't be. I don't have any reaction to the product yet as I will be taking my initial dose shortly before I go to sleep, but this post will serve to show my day's workout.


8:20 AM: Cardio upon waking
20 minute jog

3:00 PM: Shoulders/Triceps

DB Shoulder Press
WU: 30x 12, 45 x 12
60 x 12
70 x 8
70 x 8
80 x 6
35 x 10, 20 x 8, 10 x 10 (drop set with very slow negative)

Rear Delt DB
WU: 25 x 18
35 x 12
35 x 12
45 x 10

Sitting Front DB Raise
25 x 12
30 x 10
35 x 9, 20x 6

DB Laterals ( 30 second rest)
50 x 7
45 x 8
40 x 8
35 x 12
30 x 12
25 x 12
20 x 12

Smith CGBP
WU: 135 x 12
185 x 10
185 x 10
185 x 6, 135 x 5

V Pushdowns
WU: 150 x 12
180 x 12
200 x 10
225 x 9

One Arm DB Overhead Raise superset w/ One Arm Supinated Pushdowns
25 x 8--> 30 x 10
25 x 6 --> 30 x 8
20 x 8 --> 20 x 18 (6 full ROM, 6 lower half, 6 upper half)

Cardio: Stationary Bike
5 min warmup
35 min workout


It's getting close to bedtime, so my next post will come tomorrow with my reactions. Hopefully I'll be posting at noon when I wake up after 12 hours of sleep. (It's spring break this week, so I have no reason to actually get up!)

[BrennANIMAL]

Well, I didn't have to winter long hibernation I was hoping for. I actually had a pretty restless night sleep. Upon downing the purple and blues I began to try and relax (even though I was watching my NCAA bracket fall apart on the first day). I felt quite relaxed, but this could have been just a placebo effect. Half an hour later, at about 10:30PM I had a casein shake and then hit the sack. Laying in bed, I still felt relaxed, but was unable to actually turn off the lights in my brain. Some time went by, I got up to urinate and saw the clock said 1:30 AM...Ugh. I finally fell asleep, on and off throughout the night, and woke up to my girlfriends alarm at 6:19AM. Interestingly enough, I feel incredibly refreshed after not such a high-quality night's sleep.

Not sure how much Animal PM affected my amount/quality of sleep and my refreshed feeling. I am a realist though, and am not expecting to consume 10 little capsules out of a plastic bag that I found in a weird smelling can and instantaneously pass out and wake up 12 hours later and see Conan the Barbarian in the mirror. Things take time and I'm expecting Animal PM to get better with time.

Today is Back and Forearms, so no morning cardio today. I'll post my weight destruction later.

[C.Coronato]

Good to see you have a log going. It will take a few days for sure. Where in NJ are you?

[J-Dawg]

Definitely in for this jp.

[BrennANIMAL]

Good to see you have a log going. It will take a few days for sure. Where in NJ are you?

I've been living in Linden for going on two years now. My girlfriend lives in Matawan and it's nicer down there, so I spend a majority of my time there. What about you?



Definitely in for this jp.

Thanks!

[BrennANIMAL]

The refreshed feeling I had lasted throughout the morning. Usually I awake and am ready to go back to sleep, but today I was up and ready to attack the day. Last night was the year's first night I slept with the window open since the weather is starting to get nice. The unfamiliar sound of cars driving by contributed to my restless night, so I bought new earplugs at CVS. That should hep out in terms of relaxing and settling down.

Today's workout was Back and Forearms and it went a little something like this:

Deadlifts
WU: 135 x 12, 225 x 8, 315 x 7
405 x 10
425 x 8
455 x 5

Pronated BB Rows
WU: 45 x 15, 135 x 12
185 x 12
205 x 10
225 x 8
245 x 5

Close Grip Supinated Pullups
bodyweight + 50 x 8
bodyweight + 35 x 10
bodyweight + 20 x 10
bodyweight x 12

Close Cable Rows
220 x 7
190 x 7
150 x 10 (extra slow negative)
100 x 16 (extra slow negative)

Behind Back Smith Shrugs
225 x 15
225 x 15
225 x 15
225 x 15

Wide Pronated Pulldowns (20 second rest)
150 x 8
130 x 8
100 x 13

Reverse Grip BB Curls
65 x 12
85 x 7
105 x 5, 45 x 12, 25 x 15

EZ Bar Wrist curls(with forearms on flat bench)
115 x 22
115 x 19
115 x 14
115 x 12, 25 x 25

Cardio: Stationary Bike
5 min warmup
35 minute workout


I had a pretty robust dinner about an hour ago and since I am trying to cut weight, I decided to pass on the 25 gram casein shake I usually have in the late evening. I'm curious to see if I notice a significant difference in absorption of PM without a gelatinous clot of casein protein coating my stomach. Until the morning.....

[BrennANIMAL]

So I can safely say last night was a much better sleep than my first night. I'd say the combo of Animal PM and ear plugs worked great. I was significantly more relaxed much quicker than usual. Usually, I'm intently thinking about random stuff while trying to fall asleep which keeps me wired and awake. Last night, I found myself zoned OUT, not thinking about anything...It was awesome! I woke up a few times, to pee and just because I'm a light sleeper, but I was easily able to fall back to sleep. Again, I woke up refreshed and ready to do my horrible morning cardio.

In terms of recovery, I am not as sore as would be expected. My chest, back and legs get the most sore out of all my body parts; my lower back especially. I hit my back fairly hard yesterday and usually after days like that, my lower back is bumping (in a good way). There is definite soreness down there, but it feels like I'm more then half a day removed from the workout.

[BrennANIMAL]

Yesterday's workout:
Abs and Cardio:

8:30AM – Cardio upon waking
20 min jog

3:30PM - Abs and Cardio
Kneeling Rope Crunches
WU: 50 x 25
100 x 25
150 x 25
200 x 15

Hanging Leg Lifts (Straight legs, bent legs, laying on bench-straight leg)
9, 9, 9
8, 10, 9
8, 10, 9

Sitting Plate Twists with Legs Raised
10 x 50
25 x 40
45 x 30, 0 x 25

Standing DB Oblique Crunch
40 x 15 each side
(no rest)
60 x 15 each side
(15 sec rest)
80 x 15 each side

Cardio: Stationary Bike
5 min warmup
35 min workout

[BrennANIMAL]

The sleeps just gradually get better. Last night, I fell asleep quickly and again woke up feeling rested. I'm usually pretty quick to get out of bed when I need to, but I never WANT to. The past few days I've actually felt rested enough that I wanted to get up out of bed. So far, after 3 days, my verdict on PM is that it might be helpful for individuals who do cardio in the morning and have a hard time dragging themselves out of bed. I only do morning cardio on certain days, but so far actually getting up to do it has been far less soul crushing.

Recovery wise, my lower back is still moderately sore, but my middle, and upper back feels fully recovered. Lower back always takes several days for soreness to subside so the fact that it's still just moderate is a good sign.

Today is my day off from everything. I just went for a 40 minute walk upon waking just to get the juices flowing, but I hardly consider that cardio.

Today is also the last day of spring break, so back to school and teaching tomorrow. We'll see how I feel when I actually have to wake up to an alarm instead of sleeping until the bear(me) says it's time to wake up. If I think of anything else that I have noticed regarding PM, I'll come back here and post something. If not, I'll be out grazing in the glorious New Jersey sun!

[BrennANIMAL]

After grading 50 lab reports last night my mind was racing yet exhausted. I popped my PM about 30 minutes before bed and then hopped into my pile of pillows and blankets. I felt as if I was going to be up for a while trying to relax. Next thing I know, my bladder is about to explode at 5 AM. I can safely say that I've slept straight through the night twice in my entire life and last night was the closest I've come in a looooong time. I went back to sleep for about an hour, and then woke up at 6 AM feeling totally refreshed. Within 6 minutes I was outside running through the lovely streets of Linden, NJ.

I am definitely feeling though Animal PM is making a significant difference in my patterns and quality of sleep.

Today's workout was Chest and Biceps

6:06 AM Cardio upon waking:
25 minute jog

12:00 PM Chest and Biceps

Incline BB Bench
WU: 45 x 15, 135 x 12
185 x 11
205 x 8
225 x 6
245 x 4, 135 x 7 (extra slow negative)

Flat DB Bench
110 x 7
95 x 8
80 x 9
65 x 10 (explode up, extra slow negative)

Incline Fly (all slow reps)
55 x 5
45 9
35 x 10, 25 8

Fly Machine
150 x 12
170 x 10
200 x 5, 140 x 4, 80 x 6, 40 x 10

Close Grip BB Curls
WU: 45 x 12
85 x 11
95 x 9
105 x 6

Alternating DB Curls
55 x 6
45 x 9
35 x 12

Concentration Curls superset w/ One Arm Carble Curls
25 x 9 --> 40 x 6
25 x 8 --> 30 x 10
25 x 8 --> 20 x 18 (6 full ROM, 6 bottom half, 6 top half)


I only have 2 hours to get some food down, workout, shower and get back to the labs so I don't do cardio after lifting on Mondays.

I'm looking to get a nice long sleep tonight...

[BrennANIMAL]

...And that I did. Not sure exactly how long I slept, but it was well more then 8 hours. I woke up to pee thinking it was between 4 or 5 AM, but it was only 1 something; and then again when my girlfriend left for work at 6AM, but was back to sleep for another 2 hours without a problem. Morning cardio, which usually consists of battling sleepiness while trying to run on empty which is miserable, is now consistent with just running on empty. As soon as I awake I'm ready for life.

I have the first of hopefully several job interviews today, so the though of potential questions and scenarios that I would need to discuss was on my mind as I was going to sleep, but it didn't get in the way of my ability to zone out and get relaxed...Definitely a good thing

Yesterday's chest workout was pretty intense. I'm feeling a good amount of soreness and tightness in my outer pecs. Inner, not so much. Anterior delts have no soreness and they usually feel it after a good blasting of the boobs. My biceps rarely ever get sore, so I wasn't expecting them to feel much different. We'll see how my soreness progresses.

I like to workout using the following schedule:
Mon: Chest/Biceps
Tue: Legs
Wed: Abs
Thurs: Shoulders/Triceps
Fri: Back/Forearms

Once in a while I have to manipulate my lifting schedule based on "other stuff" going on. I'm in a basketball league with a few friends and we have a game tonight. This league is way below weight training on my list of priorities, but anyone who's ever played sports knows that training legs (hard!) before any sport is not only far from enjoyable, but almost impossible. During situations like this, I'll just switch Tue (Legs) with Wed (Abs), and then playing basketball will act as Cardio: Round Two.

Time to consume...

[BrennANIMAL]

Got home a few minutes ago and as I lick the rest of the tilapia an spinach off my plate I am trying to contemplate the best time for me to take my PM tonight. I'm not planning on staying up much later, but I want to get a casein shake in before bed. PM's ingredients are best absorbed when the are in slim company in the belly so I'm thinking I'll let my fish and leaves swim around my gut for about an hour, cram down my purple, blue and white candies and then guzzle a glorious casein beverage. I'm sure the GH boosters, recovery and immunity complexes will eventually do their job even if I were to eat 90 lbs of food before bed, but the relaxation complex definitely needs to be taken at a point when there will be minimal chyme.

I did cardio in the morning. Sometimes, I workout with a friend of mine, when our schedules are in sync. We did abs together today, but we started a little late and needed to get to the gym for our basketball game so we had to cut it a little short (lame). As seen by my previous ab workout, I like to get the entire rectus abdominus, then focus on the lower, try to incorporate a twisting movement and then target the obliques. I only got to do half of that today. It went like this:

8:15 Cardio upon waking
20 minute jog

6:30 Abs
Kneeling Rope Crunches(different machine than last week, different gym)
WU: 27.5 x 25
57.5 x 25
77.5 x 25
97.5 x 15

Hanging Leg Lifts (straight leg, bent leg, lying on ground-straight leg...all slow)
9. 9, 9
8, 10, 9
8, 10, 9

That's it... Not very voluminous, but the intensity was there. Played basketball for about 50 minutes, I'll count that as my cardio.

Tomorrow's leg day, so I am looking forward to see how sore my legs feel in the days following the workout and if I notice a significant difference as I haven't had a leg workout since starting PM. Maybe I'll be able to walk normally after leg day...

[BrennANIMAL]

I commented on a post by another FORVM member regarding sleeping for a shorter duration, while still feeling rested. It took me a while to get to sleep last night, eventually did, and then was up for about an hour before I had to actually get out of bed. Chest soreness from Monday was non-existent all day. My recovery definitely seems to be improving which is especially noteworthy since I am not eating to grow right now. I killed my legs today so I'm interested to see how I feel in the days to come.

Since I have been cutting weight, I have significantly reduced my carbohydrate intake. I've noticed that my strength out of the gate hasn't been affected, but my ability to put up heavy weight later in my workouts is decreasing. Obviously, this is in largely due to the glycogen saturation. I've been recently focusing a lot on really slowing down the negative portion of my lifts and it's been making my workouts more intense, regardless of the lack of stamina towards the end of the workout. This trend was seen today during my leg workout. While squatting I came to muscular failure while in the hole slamming out my last set of squats. I had to drop the weight off my back while I was pushing out. It was intense. I have always pushed myself extremely hard and felt that my workouts are ALWAYS intense. Having a supplement that aids in recovery when it's most needed especially during a period of caloric deficit is critical.

Today's Workout:

Legs:
Squats (all focusing on keeping reps slow and controlled)
WU: 45 x 15, 135 x 10, 135 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 10
315 x 8
275 x 8
225 x 16 (17th rep was dropped)

Leg Press superset with Quad Extension (emphasized negatives)
8 plates x 10 --> 50 x 10
10 plates x 10 --> 90 x 10
12 plates x 8 --> 110 x 10

Raised Smith Calf Raises
225 x 25
315 x 20
315 x 20
405 x 12

Lying Hamstring Curls
110 x 13
90 x 15
70 x 17
50 x 19
(took these guys really slow...hamstrings were PUMPED)

Sitting Calf Raises
50 x 20, 20, 16 (toes In, Out, Neutral)
90 x 16, 14, 12 (O, N, I)
140 x 10, 90 x 9, 50 x 12, 0 x 20 (neutral)

Power was really getting low towards the end, but the amount of weight isn't what's important, right?

I wonder how sore I'll be tomorrow...
,

[BrennANIMAL]

Last night was a great night sleep. I went to sleep feeling tired from a long day, woke up a few times to drain some liquid, fell asleep quickly and was up before my girlfriend which rarely happens. I feel extremely rested. My legs are only slightly sore, but I feel like they may be a little worse tomorrow. If not, then PM is really kicking my recovery up more than a few notches.

Maybe I'm just becoming aware of it, but it seems like there are more people who are starting to watch the PM Logs and the PM section of the FORVM. Fascinating....

Today is Shoulders and Triceps. I'll report back later. I'm out of eggs (NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!) I've got to run to the store like NOW!

[mritter3]

log looks solid man...looks llike so far it seems to be doing the trick for ya.

[BrennANIMAL]

DAMN, I am beat. Looking forward to a good sleep tonight. The legs have been getting gradually more sore as the progresses, as expected. I was a little sleepy this afternoon, which doesn't usually happen.

I've been smelling French fries for the past two days and it's killing me. I don't even like fast food, but since I've been so strict with what goes down, any type of crap food has just been so enticing. I know it's all been worth it though, as more and more recently, people have been commenting on how my face looks thinner, I am visibly noticing a significant increase in striations and vascularity. What's more important, my strength hasn't suffered all that much and I don't feel to have lost much muscle either. I'm not planning on competing in the near future, but I plan on it one day. I just want to see what I've been sculpting the past few years...and to be honest after almost 4 years of what some would call "bulking", I put on a little chub in the mid region. It's been just under 12 weeks and for my first "cut" ever, I'd have to say it's working out OK. (minus the not eating whatever I want and having to do cardio thing)

This is supposed to be a log responding to my reactions on PM, but I've kind of turned it into a "Journey + PM". I've never kept track of my days like this, besides keeping a workout log, but this "Hardcore Diary" has been pretty cool so far.

AND I JUST REALIZED I LEFT MY LOGBOOK IN THE GYM.....SHIT!!!

[BrennANIMAL]

Haha, ok after realizing my log book is only a crappy pile of paper bound together with a spiral shaped piece of plastic which will more than likely still be at the gym tomorrow when I go, I figure I'll make it through this one...I can also probably recall my day's workout.

Did cardio when I woke up at around 7AM:
20 minute jog

~5:00PM: Shoulders/Triceps
BB Shoulder Press (definitely a weak point of mine)
WU: 45 x 15, 95 x 12
135 x 9
135 x 8
135 x 7
165 x 4, 115 x 8

Rear Delt DB
30 x 16
35 x 14
40 x 12
45 x 10

DB Laterals (20 seconds rest)
45 x 9
40 x 10
35 x 10
30 x 12
25 x 12
20 x 12
12 x 15 (all the 15's were being used..strange)

Smith CGBP
WU: 135 x 10
225 x 10
245 x 8
275 x 5

Bench Dips
45 x 15
90 x 12
135 x 9

V Pushdowns
87.5 x 13
97.5 x 10
97.5 + 25 x 9

One Arm DB overhead superset w/ One Arm Supinated Pushdowns
25 x 8 --> 17.5 x 6
25 x 6 --> 12.5 x 10
25 x 6 --> 10.5 x 21 (7 Full ROM, 7 bottom half, 7 top half)

Cardio: Treadmill
30 mins

A lot of volume on the triceps today, but I wanted to do bench dips and not get rid of anything else I've been doing in my recent workouts. So instead of substituting the dips for something, I just added them.

Sleep soon, back day tomorrow.

[BrennANIMAL]

Slept great last night, but my legs are destroyed. So ridiculously sore. I guess that's what happens after the body is in a fully squatted position, at muscular failure with more weight pressing down on it than can physically be moved at the time. Makes sense, haha. I'm going to take one of my two weekend off days, and use it today. Therefore doing back and forearms tomorrow. I don't want to deadlift with hamstrings made of beef jerky.

PM is supposed to help with recovery and I know some people (those who expect supplements to have a substantially noticeable effect in a matter of days, i.e. gaining 20 lbs of muscle in a week, gaining 50 lbs on their bench press in one workout) may think that the recovery aspect of PM isn't doing it's thing since I am progressively more sore than yesterday. Don't worry everyone, I have noticed slight recovery improvements, it's just not the type of thing where you can kill a large muscle group and then be ready to work them out the next day.

Realism is key. If you stay realistic, you may be able to stick around long enough to make quality gains.

[BrennANIMAL]

log looks solid man...looks like so far it seems to be doing the trick for ya.

Thanks for reading it! Yeah, I'd have to say I am liking PM so far.

[BrennANIMAL]

Slept like a log last night, fell asleep in a matter of minutes. I did go to sleep a little later than usual though. Got up once only to go pee, but other than that, I don't even remember waking up in the middle of the night. Felt good when I woke up bright and early and did my cardio.

My legs are still quite sore from Wednesday, but today is back day and that means deadlifts, so I had better get over it soon. I'll post my workout later. I found my log book in the gym yesterday, thankfully.

[BrennANIMAL]

Back workout...intense. I feel like I'm already sore. I did the workout I have been doing for the past few months, plus a few extras at the end to hit my upper traps/neck a little more. I also decided to do higher reps on my deadlifts. I usually always keep deadlift reps between 4 and 10, but I figured I'd drop some weight and really get a pump in my lower/mid back.

7:30 AM Cardio upon waking
25 minute jog

Back and Forarms
Deadlifts:
WU: 135 x 12, 225 x 10
315 x 16
315 x 15
315 x 15

Pronated BB Rows
WU: 135 x 10
185 x 12
205 x 10
225 x 8
245 x 5

Close Supinated Pullups
bodyweight + 50 x 8
bodyweight + 35 x 9
bodyweight + 20 x 10
bodyweight x 10

Close Cable Rows
220 x 8
190 x 8
150 x 10 (slow neg)
100 x 16 (slow neg)

Face Pulls (hold contraction)
50 x 16
90 x 14
110 x 11
110 x 11

Behind Back Smith Shrugs
225 x 15
225 x 15
225 x 15

Behind Back Smith Rows superset w/ DB rows dragging weight up obliques (not sure what they're called in real life)
bar x 12 --> 25 x 12
bar x 12 --> 25 x 10
bar x 12 --> 20 x 12

Inc Hammer Curls
25 x 12
35 x 8
45 x 5

Rev BB Curls
65 x 10, 45 x 12

I finished up my forearms by holding different DBs and rolling my wrists in for reps superset w/ out for reps.
In Out
60 x 12 30 x 15
50 x 12 30 x 15
40 x 12 30 x 15

Cardio: Stationary Bike
40 Minutes

This workout went pretty long. I don't usually lift for more than an hour and 15 minutes, but I was really feeling like I needed to go hard. I am dead tired now, took PM about 50 minutes ago, just finishing my casein shake, watching Arnold destroy the T-1000 in T2. Time for bed!

[BrennANIMAL]

After waking up rested this morning, I dragged my girlfriend out of bed to go for a run with me. I am really enjoying this energized feeling in the mornings. We did the usual 20 minute loop around town. I just finished off my day's workout with abs and cardio about 20 minutes ago.

8:00AM Cardio upon waking
20 minute jog

1:45PM Abs
Decline Sit ups
bodyweight x 20
bodyweight +25 x 20 (moderate pace)
bodyweight +25 x 13 (very slow and painful)
bodyweight +45 x 8, bodyweight x just 2 (very slow and also painful)

Hanging Leg Lifts (straight leg, bent leg, laying on bench straight leg)
8, 10, 10
8, 10, 10
8, 10, 10

Plate Twists
10 x 50
25 x 40
45 x 30, 0 x 20

DB Oblique Crunch (15 second rest)
40 x 15 each side
60 x 15 each side
80 x 15 each side

Cardio: Stationary Bike
50 minutes

>
>
>

My log has been saying the same stuff for the past few days regarding my reactions to PM. It's just been quality sleep, feeling well rested and recovered.

[BrennANIMAL]

Woke up a little tired today. I didn't get into bed until a little after 11 and woke up at 5:50, giving myself less than 8 hours IN my bed, let alone asleep. I layed in bed until 6:00, and needless to say, I was on the road running at 6:05. By that time I forgot all about being sleepy tired and was thinking about the lack of energy I had due to my fast during the night.

I did chest and biceps today and I don't have time to do cardio after my workout on Mondays, so I went for a nice long run in the rain when I got home tonight. I've been doing my morning cardio on the streets, but all of my post workout cardio has been coming either on the treadmill or stationary bike. Running on the road after the whole day of consuming food, regardless of how low my carbs may be, is significantly easier then compared to the morning. This has nothing to do with PM, it was just an interesting observation.

My workouts for the day:

6:05 AM Cardio upon waking:
25 minute jog

12:00PM Chest and Biceps
Inc BB Bench Press
WU: 45 x 15, 135 x 12
185 x 110
205 x 8
225 x 5
245 x 4, 135 x 7 (slow neg)

Flat DB Press
110 x 5
95 x 8
80 x 9
65 x 9 (slow neg, explode up)

Inc Fly
55 x 6
45 x 7
35 x 8

Hi Cable Cross
50 x 15
70 x 8
70 x 8, 40 x 10

Close Grip BB Curls
WU: 45 x 10
85 x 11
95 x 8
105 x 5

DB Curls
55 x 5
45 x 8
35 x 11

Standing Concentration curls superset w/ One Arm Supinated Pushdowns
25 x 10 --> 40 x 6
25 x 10 --> 30 x 10
25 x 10 --> 20 x 15 (5 Full ROM, 5 lower half, 5 upper half)

8:30PM Cardio
25 minute medium-high paced run

I'm not going to have a casein shake after I take PM tonight. I ate some eggs with green peppers about 30 minutes ago and I plan on going to bed in about 30minutes to an hour. I've only taken PM as the last thing consumed once since starting it and it was Day 2. Maybe I'll notice something different this time. We'll see. Tuesday is my day off, as well as leg day, so I am skipping morning cardio and looking to SLEEP IN. BAM

[BrennANIMAL]

Great night sleep last night. I went into bed feeling relaxed and fell asleep quick. This is great for me because sleep usually takes an hour on average to happen. I was sleeping so deeply that I had to pee and it hurt during my dreams, but I didn't actually wake up until I was about to bathe myself in urine. It was weird, but I fell asleep quickly again once I drained the beast.

I don't think I ever mentioned this before but I have tendinitis in my right knee. It gets more aggravated after I run with some intensity on hard surface. My morning jogs don't really affect it, but playing sports and running through the streets a fast pace (like I did last night) seem to increase inflammation. It's hurting now, so whether or not I squat today will depend on the tendon. AIGHT?!

[BrennANIMAL]

Whoa, just thought of this...

In one of my dreams, not sure if it was last night or the night before, but someone told me I lost all of the muscle in my back.

I was devastated.

[BrennANIMAL]

Didn't get to post yesterday's workout. The knee was hurting, so I decided to start of legs with a fix range of motion on the hack squat. I've used the hack squat only a few times before, mainly because it makes one 45 lb plate on each side feel like I'm carrying a walrus on my back. A big walrus.

~3:00PM Legs

Did 10 minutes on the stationary bike to try and loosen up.

Hack Squat
WU: 0 x 12, 45 per side x 10
70 per side x 10
90 per side x 10
115 per side x 10
135 per side x 10
115 per side x 12
90 per side x 14

Leg Press superset w/ Quad Extension
9 plates x 12 --> 70 x 9
11 plates x 10 --> 60 x 11
13 plates x 6 --> 50 x 13

Leg Press Calf Raises
13 plates x 14
13 plates x 14
13 plates x 13
13 plates x 12

Sitting Calf Raises
50 x 15, 15, 15 (toes in, toes out, toes neutral)
90 x 15, 12, 12 (toes out, toes neutral, toes in)
140 x 15, 50 x 20 (toes neutral)

Lying Hamstring Curls (all very slow reps)
90 x 11
70 x13
50 x 14
50 x 14

Cardio: Stationary Bike
30 mins

The fact that my knee is bothering me is disheartening, but I haven't taken a week off in quite a while. I'm thinking I may take a good full week off from training once I finish this PM log. We'll see how everything feels though.

[BrennANIMAL]

Took a little while to fall asleep last night, but that's ok because once I fell asleep I was OUT. It's interesting that several times throughout my keeping of this PM log, I've notice people posting things in other threads which are synonymously happening with me. A few days ago someone posts how they are feeling noticeably more refreshed upon waking and I notice that as well. That's not that strange, but today someone posted about how their dreams are extra weird recently. I always have crazy dreams. If I could somehow record my dreams they would be the wildest movies ever, but as of recently, they have been even crazier. Like last night, dreams so wild, I don't even want to mention their happenings (which didn't really happen since they were dreams).

Regardless, I slept great and felt awesome when I got up.

Today is Abs and cardio. I'm training with my friend with whom I train random days with. We did abs together last week, only got through half the workout and he told me the next day that it hurt to laugh. Haha, he's in for a surprise today. We're going to do the whole workout!

I'll post my belly blast later.

[BrennANIMAL]

3:10PM Abs
Decline Sit ups
bodyweight x 20
bodyweight +25 x 20
bodyweight +45 x 15
bodyweight +45 x 12

Hanging Leg Lifts (straight leg, bent leg, laying on bench straight leg)
9, 9, 10
8, 10, 10
8, 10, 10

Plate Twists
10 x 50
25 x 40
45 x 30, 0 x 20

DB Oblique Crunch (15 second rest)
40 x 15 each side
60 x 15 each side
80 x 15 each side

Cardio: Stationary Bike
30 minutes

I somehow have absolutely no soreness in my legs after leg day yesterday. The workout was no different from every other one in terms of intensity. I'll probably not be able to walk tomorrow..

[BrennANIMAL]

It's been a busy past few days. I haven't had the time to get here and record stuff. I also noticed that I have two posts titled "Day 8", which is why I skipped from Day 13 to Day 15. Thursdays workout was shoulders and triceps. I didn't do morning cardio as my patellar tendon was still in pain.

~4:00PM Shoulders and Triceps
DB Shoulder Press (slow negatives)
WU: 40 x 12, 50 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 6
70 x 6
70 x 6
50 x 9, 25 x 9

Rear Delt DB Raise
30 x 16
35 x 14
40 x 12
45 x 10

Lateral Raise (25 sec rest)
45 x 9
40 x 9
35 x 10
30 x 12
25 x 12
20 x 12
15 x 15

CGBP (slow negs)
185 x 11
205 x 7
225 x 4, 135 x 5

Straight Bar Pushdowns
87.5 x 12
97.5 x 10
97.5 x 25 x 9

One Arm DB Overhead Raise superset w/ One Arm SUpinated Pushdowns
25 x 10 --> 40 x 6
25 x 8 --> 30 x 8
25 x 8 --> 30 x 8

[BrennANIMAL]

Woke up earlier than usual on Fridays to lift in the morning as opposed to the afternoons like I usually do. I set my alarm for 7, but was awake and ready for action at 6:45. I felt great and felt no grogginess or sleepiness one I was out of bed. Training at 8:00AM is a little unusual for me, but by the time I was training, I didn't even think about it being early. I did back and forearms yesterday. It went like so:

8:00AM Back and Forearms
Deadlifts
WU: 135 x 12, 225 x 10, 315 x 8
405 x 10
425 x 7
455 x 3 (wasn't feeling right on these)

Pronated BB Rows (I decided to lower the weight and really feel the contraction)
135 x 10
165 x 10
185 x 8
205 x 7

Close Pullups
bodyweight + 50 x 9
bodyweight + 35 x 8
bodyweight + 20 x 7, bodyweight x 6

Close Cable Rows (slow negs)
210 x 7
180 x 9
150 x 11
130 x 13

FAce Pulls
95 x 15
110 x 10
110 x 10
125 x 7, 70 x 12

Reverse BB Curls
65 x 8
75 x 7
85 x 7

Incline Hammer Curls
35 x 8
35 x 8

Standing Hammer Curls
55 x 6, 25 x 8

I hate being rushed at the end of a workout. The combination of having to be somewhere and being physically drained really contributes to a crappy forearm workout.

[BrennANIMAL]

Fell asleep really quick last night. I took PM, about 15 minutes later, made my casein shake and brought it to bed with the intentions of drinking it as I lay in bed allowing ample time for PM to absorb. 1:49 AM I wake up with a bladder on the verge of explosion and a stomach..just the opposite. I wolfed my casein shake, urinated, and was asleep in about 0.8 seconds.

Woke up at 6:45AM and was outside running in no time. The weather is awesome out in NJ. Just are breakfast part 2, ran to the store to grab a few things and I picked up the Muscle and Fitness "2010 Ultimate Supplement Handbook". I'm curious to see what they have to say about things. I doubt it's publication was recent enough to include PM, but it would be interesting to see what an they'd have to say about it.

[BrennANIMAL]

I've been super busy recently. Tons of papers to grade, papers to write and jobs to apply for. I've been sleeping great every night, last night was especially noteworthy as I felt myself dozing off about 5 minutes after I got into bed. I have no idea how long it actually took to fall asleep, but it was quick.

I feel like my urges to go to the bathroom have been stronger since starting PM, possibly because I'm more relaxed in a deeper sleep, it takes more of a stimulus to make me realize I need to go.

[BrennANIMAL]

I've got a second interview today and I was busy all night preparing. Also, being anxious has always made it hard to fall asleep. Last night, no problems. Fell asleep reasonably quickly, woke up to pee like usual. Got out of bed feeling refreshed. Nothing new. I am wondering if I'll notice a difference at the end of my can of PM. Will there be a noticeable difference in sleep? I wonder....

[BrennANIMAL]

Slept really well last night. I was a little tired this afternoon though, but as soon as I walked into the gym I entered beast mode and I was immediately rejuvenated. My soreness overall the past few weeks has been noticeably less, except my legs and lower back. My hamstrings are still bumping from Wednesday, but I would have to say the recovery factor has been a plus.

[BrennANIMAL]

So the frequency in which I have been updating my log has obviously decreased. This time of the year is crazy with all of the job applications I'm filling out, papers grading and papers writing. School district budgets are being voted on next week which means schools will know what they'll have to work with for the upcoming year and I need to get my applications to those who want me to teach their kids science.

Tonight will be the last night of my promo can of PM. I wonder how I'll feel the next night without it. I want to go at least a few nights without it to notice if I feel any significant decrease in quality of sleep. I am not super excited about spending $30 a month on a sleep supplement, but I have really felt great while taking it. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

[J-Dawg]

So the frequency in which I have been updating my log has obviously decreased. This time of the year is crazy with all of the job applications I'm filling out, papers grading and papers writing. School district budgets are being voted on next week which means schools will know what they'll have to work with for the upcoming year and I need to get my applications to those who want me to teach their kids science.

Tonight will be the last night of my promo can of PM. I wonder how I'll feel the next night without it. I want to go at least a few nights without it to notice if I feel any significant decrease in quality of sleep. I am not super excited about spending $30 a month on a sleep supplement, but I have really felt great while taking it. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

Thanks for keeping us updating jp. Hope the job applications go well for ya. School budgets are never a fun issue to deal with. In the end, hopefully the school boards do right by the teachers and kids.

I'm curious to hear how you'll feel sans PM and what the difference in quality of sleep is.

[BrennANIMAL]

I went about a week without taking anything before bed and I began to notice I was feeling like it did before taking PM again. I wasn't excited to wake up in the morning. I wanted to just hit snooze on the alarm and on weekends I could have lay in bed an extra few hours just because I was still sleepy.

I started taking 3grams of GABA before bed to see if it had similar effects of PM. I've been feeling rested and my dreams have been absolutely wild, but I'm still a little "groggy" in the mornings, contrary to when I was taking PM.

So overall, I would have to say that Animal PM is a very solid supplement that I will definitely be using again in the future. I would like to thank everyone at Animal and Universal for supplying me with a free can. It's awesome that you get real life testimonials from real life people. I really enjoyed keeping this log and the free stuff!!

Thanks again.