The College Athlete

SocialThumbs.com

2008-04-16T02:42:00.000-07:00

I just started a new site with some friends called SocialThumbs.com

Basically, the site aims to help you solve your problems (dilemmas)...with the help of your friends and peers on the internet...

Check it out and tell me what you think .... socialthumbs.com

You Know Your in College When...

2008-01-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

You Know Youre In College When...

..> ..> ..>..>

1. High school started before 8am, but now anything before noon is considered "early."

2. You have more beer than food in your fridge.

3. Weekends start on Thursday. No... Wednesday.

4. 6am is when you go to sleep, not when you wake up.

5. You know many different ways to cook ramen noodles or macaroni and cheese.

6. The health center gives out free condoms, and people take them… just in case.

7. Instead of falling asleep in class, you stay in bed.

8. You know how late McDonald's, Taco Bell, Qdoba, etc. are open.

9. You think it's the weekend on a Wednesday and you don't know what month it is.

10. You can't remember the last time you washed your car.

11. Your underwear/sock supply dictates your laundry schedule.

12. You check Facebook/Myspace more than once a day.

13. You get drunk dialed on any night of the week.

14. You wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

15. You've fallen off a loft bed.

16. You talk about beer pong like it's a sport.

17. Finding random people in your house is perfectly normal, and you even sympathize with them... sometimes when you wake up you have no idea where you are.

18. Your primary news sources are the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

19. You open a beer at 10 am and your roommate asks you if there's more.

20. The standard of meals per day falls to two, sometimes just one.

21. Your trash is overflowing and your bank account isn't.

22. You go to Target or WalMart more than 3 times a week.

23. You wear the same jeans for 13 days without washing them.

24. Your breakfast consists of a coke or cereal bar on the way to class... anything with caffeine will do.

25. Quarters are like gold.

26. Your idea of feeding the poor is buying yourself some ramen noodles.

27. You live in a house with three couches, none of which match.

28. You try to study but seem to procrastinate by eating, going to study breaks, talking to people, etc...

29. You talk to your roommate on instant messenger when you're both home.

30. You ask people what YOU did last night.

31. Certain things are now deemed "facebook worthy." When friends take pictures of you, you wonder how long it will take them to post them.

32. You've seen a hit and run involving a bicyclist/pedestrian.

33. You see people you know you've met but can never remember their names or how you know them.

34. You sleep more in class than in your room

35. Your idea of a square meal is a box of Pop-Tarts.

36. You've traveled with bags of dirty clothes.

37. You go home to do your laundry because you're too poor to pay the $2... or too lazy to go to a change machine.

38. You pay $100 for a book you don't read once, return it four months later, and get $7.

39. More than 20% of your household furnishings are made from milk crates.

40. You recognize the meat in the dorm soup as yesterday's meatloaf, and thus decide to eat a nice bowl of cereal - a safe bet for any meal.

41. You use words like "thus" (see 40).

42. You throw out bowls and plates because you don't feel like washing them.

43. Your beer pong table is nicer than all your other tables.

44. It takes preparation... and 3 people... to take out your garbage.

45. Going to the library is a social event.

46. You wear flip flops in the shower your freshman year... you know why.

47. You start joining clubs because of the free food.

48. Visits home depend on how much money you have for gas.

49. You skip one class to write a paper for another.

50. You have no idea where your tuition money is going... technology fees? I think not.

51. Bicycles don't seem as lame as they did in high school.

52. You stay up late to finish homework then sleep through the class in which it was due.

53. Girls: You've balanced your foot on a shampoo bottle to shave.

54. Your backpack is giving you scoliosis.

55. You've written a check for 45 cents or stopped to get $2.00 of gas.

56. Your bill in the bookstore will be comparable to tuition.

57. Going to the mailbox becomes an ego booster/breaker.

58. Most of your T.A.s are foreign...what's the deal?

59. You never realized so many people are smarter than you.

60. You never realized so many people are more dumb (aka "dumber") than you.

61. Western Europe could be wiped out by a terrible plague and you'd never know, but you can recite the last episode of your favorite show verbatim.

62. Care packages rank right up there with birthdays.

63. You craft ways to make any game into a drinking/stripping game.

64. You meet the type of people you thought only existed in movies.

65. Printers break down only when you desperately need them.

66. Anything can be cooked in a microwave.

67. Two words: bike cops.

68. You have Safe Ride programmed into your phone.

69. Old school Nintendo... and guitar hero... are pretty much the best things ever.

70. Going to the grocery at midnight is completely normal.

71. You call restaurants that deliver more than you call your own family.

72. You've paid bills over $5... in coins.

73. You can't imagine life without your computer/cell phone/ ipod.

74. Hoodies and sweatpants become the norm - jeans are considered "dressy" at certain occasions... like school.

75. A canceled class is almost as exciting as Christmas.

76. Taking a nap in the library is perfectly acceptable.

77. Your professors speak English... as a second language.

78. Your teachers swear in class and no one cares.

79. Candles in your dorm room are considered contraband, but cigarettes are ok.

80. You take condiment packets and napkins from fast food restaurants - hey, they're free.

81. Betta fish are like your family.

82. You bring back socks from the laundry room that may or may not be yours.

83. You know what people carrying suspiciously heavy backpacks after dark are doing...

84. The elevators take forever but you'll wait 10 minutes just so you don't have to climb stairs.

85. Your roommate asks you to check the weather on your computer when they're standing 5 feet away from the door.

86. Showers become more of an issue.

87. You press the automatic door opener instead of simply grabbing the handle when you approach a door.

88. Christmas lights seem to be acceptable all year round.

89. Class size doubles on exam days.

90. You donate plasma even though you know it's pretty sketchy.

91. You are no longer thankful that fire alarms are here to protect you.

92. You've bought Christmas presents from the book store and charged it to your student account so your parents pay for the gifts because you're too broke.

93. You begin to include ketchup on your list of acceptable vegetables.

94. You stay on campus for hours in between classes when it's too cold to walk home.

95. People have to help you kick the vending machine just so you can get your 50 cent bag of chips.

96. There's always a "question kid" in at least one of your classes, and you really wish someone would just tell him/her to shut the hell up.

97. You steal dishes from the cafeteria so you don't have to wash your own.

98. Laundry is an all-day event.

99. You no longer find it uncool to take naps. In fact, you quite enjoy them.

100. It's illegal to drink in the dorms yet they sell an assortment of shot glasses, beer mugs, tankards, etc. in the bookstore.

101. You find your list of acceptable napping places expanding daily to increasingly uncomfortable locations.

102. You fill out credit card applications for the free food.

103. You've eaten cereal out of a cup... with a fork.

104. Dressing up for Halloween becomes cool again.

105. You know at least one person who has dropped his/her cell phone into a toilet.

106. You hang multiple shirts on the same hanger to save space/money.

107. You become increasingly annoyed with the "old" people in class - props to them for going back to college but they generally ask really, really annoying questions.

108. You admire people's alcohol bottle shrines.

109. You set your clock 5-10 minutes ahead so you can potentially make it to class on time.

110. You eventually realize that setting your clock ahead makes no difference to you and you're still late.

111. You check ratemyprofessor.com (or something of the like) before choosing your class schedule.

112. You text faster than you type.

113. You only find out a class is cancelled after you get there and sit for about ten minutes.

114. You actually start using coupons, especially those school coupon books.

115. You open canned food and eat it... out of the can.

116. You run out of black ink and, instead of buying a new ink cartridge, decide blue is a nice substitute... adds a little flair.

117. You have numbers in your phone with labels like "Sketchy Steve" and "Alcohol Guy."

118. The food in your fridge may or may not be older than your little brother.

119. The words "google" and "wikipedia" have become verbs. And you use them... quite often.

120. The names Morgan, Jim, Jack, and Jose could aptly describe either who you were with last night or what you had to drink.

121. You fill your empty two-liter bottles with pop from the school cafeteria.

122. You have a drinking buddy who can hold the most intellectual, deep conversations when drunk. Unfortunately, neither he/she nor you can remember most of it later.

123. Your floor has been dirty to the point that you've had to brush your feet off before putting on socks or getting into bed.

124. You're all for the free samples at grocery stores.

125. Energy drinks become your new best friends.

126. You realize that taking summer classes pretty much negates the fun connotation of "summer."

127. You know exactly how much food will fit into a mini-fridge.

128. You realize that said mini-fridge does NOT freeze ice cream.

129. You've made a sandwich on or eaten food off of your $1500 laptop.

130. Your scar stories involve alcohol and/or hearing what happened to you from your more sober friends.

131. It is completely acceptable... and encouraged... to party on weeknights. What would life be without Wasted Wednesdays or Thirsty Thursdays?

132. Most of your textbooks remain unopened (possibly still shrink-wrapped) the entire semester.

133. Waking up in the morning and driving somewhere to get a friend's (or your) car becomes a norm.

134. The local supermarket sells ping pong balls... right next to solo red cups. Coincidence?

135. You go home for winter/summer break and suddenly your life back at college seems so exciting...

136. You smell the clear liquid in your water bottle before you drink it... just to make sure it's actually water.

137. You discover new bruises on your body and wonder where the hell they came from.

138. You find alternate routes to class in order to avoid annoying organization booths and/or the preacher on campus.

139. Two (more) words: Power Hour.

140. You finish reading this and wonder how you can procrastinate next.

Training Negatives Can be Positive!

2008-01-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

Taken From Bodybuilding.com-

When we're talking about gym training, the negative phase of a range of motion can be very positive. Learn the terms, the benefits, and the proper way to execute negatives right now!

By: Matt Danielsson

When we're talking about gym training, the negative phase of a range of motion can be very positive. Let's start by defining negative, positive and static, which are the three phases a muscle can currently be in.

Definitions

Positive: Contracting the muscle, as in curling a dumbbell up.

Static: Not moving, bracing yourself against the weight.

Negative: Extending the muscle, as in lowering the dumbbell.

Effects

Now, the interesting thing is how these phases affect our strength differently, and also what effect you can expect, growthwise. (There's been different studies regarding this, with slightly different results, so I'll generalize a little - but the main point still holds true)

From what I've read, the major effect of positives is increase of brute strength. Volume, on the other hand, is where negatives come into play. This is supposed to be related to the difference of increased Motoric Unit effiency (in the muscle fibers) vs. when the muscle fibers are being torn apart most effectively, to put it bluntly.

1 Rep Max

Frankly, I'm not too sure any of this really matters in real life. Strength does, though!

Assume that you can do a 1 rep maximum, 1RM, of bicep curling a 100 lb barbell. That 1RM is 100% power output. Now for the interesting part - if you stop and hold is statically, you're stronger! And if you resist on the way down instead of just holding the weight still, you're even STRONGER! If the positive 1RM was 100%, then Static is approx. 120% and Negative approx. 140%.

Explanation

Why is this? The most credible explanation I've heard is that it's a defense mechanism of the body. I mean, if it was the other way around we'd be in trouble. We'd be able to pick up a huge rock and hold it above our heads, but once we're there we realize that we're too weak to hold it there. Ouch.

Seriously though, it's mostly common sense. It's like a safety buffer to ensure that we can't pick up something we can't handle, and in a worst-case scenario we always have the power to give the item a controlled descent back down.

This is the key to WHY negative training works! And this is also why you have to be both disciplined and experienced to do it safely. If you focus on making the most of the negatives, as in having a partner spot you and assist you in pressing the weight down to make it harder, you trick your body.

Simply put, you override the safety by filling the buffer with extra weight, thereby forcing your muscles to work harder than elsewise possible. The downside of this is exactly that - you override the safety limit! You must be VERY sure of what you're doing, and if you have previous joint problems in the area - forget it.

However, if you're able to successfully pull it off you can reap the rewards of increased muscle mass. Take note though, that this kind of training is not for everyone, nor can be done for weeks on end as it is very taxing on your body. Avoid overtraining - mix ordinary workouts with negatives ... And why not try alternating with other ways of raising intensity?

Last Thoughts

Soon there'll be an article on Partials on here, and I've found switching between partials and negatives as intensity-boosters to be a good way to keep the training challanging, productive and fun!

But once again: Beware of overtraining!

Good Luck,

mattdanielsson@hotmail.com

A New Begginning...

2008-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

After spending a semester in Boise (and failing), it became pretty clear that Boise was not the place for me. Even though I will probably never run track for Boise State again, I am not done with track. I am more motivated than ever to do my best. I am competing unattached in several meets this spring, and I'm hoping to do pretty well. I'm going to go to community college next year, and then hopefully get back into a university the year after to run track.

Keep you posted...

How to Get Away With a DUI

2007-10-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

This was told to me by a good State Trooper friend I know.

Alright, you were out clubbing all night and you had a few drinks....

Now, you should be a good boy/girl and call a cab, but you decide that you really haven't had THAT much to drink. So, you're in your car, minding your own business when you see those dreaded flashing lights behind you. Shit! You realize you've already had a DUI when you were a lot younger (or you just don't want to get caught). You cannot afford a DUI! You know you should just pull over and take the punishment. You will probably become the so called “alcoholic” in your family, your spouse will probably leave you and you will spend years in rehab with real alcoholics, but that's O.K. Because you are doing the right thing. No! You have another choice, and it won't end up like an episode of cops.

Maintain the speed limit! Use your turn signals on every turn! Drive like its your license test when you were 16! The cop behind isn't going to call backup or anything, it's not like this is a high speed dangerous pursuit. This is just a nice drive through your residential neighborhood. Pretend the cop isn't even there! Pull into your garage, lock all your doors, and crack open the booze.

Now, that may seem retarded, but in actuality, it's extremely smart (and better than that DUI that will ruin your life). You leave the officer with three choices...

This is probably the most likely, since officers have better things to do---The officer just leaves your house and goes on to fight real crime. You got off scotch free (no pun intended)! Believe it or not this often works...even though this is the best case scenario, the other two are much better than that dreaded DUI.
The officer jots down your license plate number for later investigation. Once again, no DUI! You just deny that you ever saw anything behind you! The most they can give you is misdemeanor evasion, which will be a fine of $1000 at the most, which is a lot better than that DUI.
Officer hard ass decides that he is going to get into your house and bust your ass no matter what! The thing is though, you're inside drinking, and by the time he manages to get inside you are already hammered. When he asks if you were drinking and driving you say “No, but I am now, are you thirsty?” There is no way to prove that you were drinking and driving, since theres obviously nothing illegal about drinking in your own home. Once again, NO DUI! Officer hard ass is either going to take you downtown, or join you for a little bourbon fest. Even if you get taken downtown, just deny you ever saw anything, and the most they can give you is misdemeanor evasion.

Try it out tonight!

Dan Burcham

P.S. --make sure you subscribe to my blog to get some of the great prizes (weightlifting gear) I will be giving away soon!

New Site Location

2007-10-21T01:43:00.001-07:00

I'm on a different server now, because I need more control over everythang.....check it outsss

acollegeathlete.com

peace!

Pulling an All-Nighter

2007-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason (probably napping too much), I could not get to sleep last night to save my life! So, I just stayed up the entire night. This probably wasn't the healthiest thing to do considering the I have a pretty full day today, but at least I'm up, so I'm going to make it to my classes on time. I also got to eat some McDonalds for free which is always good. I know I'm trying to lose weight, but I figured I could eat some extra calories since I was up burning extra calories. There is only one bad part. I tried to play Madden 08 on Xbox Live and lost 71-7. That's really bad. I still kick the crap out of my roommates, so it's all good.

Danny Boi

Free Supplement Friday (sponsors wanted)

2007-10-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

Okay, maybe I'm kind off ripping off the Shoemoney (over at shoemoney.com) with his free T-Shirt Friday. But, I thought it would be cool to do a free supplement Friday...

Believe it or not, this blog has a couple hundred readers, which means that stuff featured on this site gets some exposure. So, anyways, I've written to the manufacturers of some of my favorite supplements, and they have expressed interest in giving me free supplements to give to you! All you have to do is be a loyal reader.

The idea is, that I feature a supplement every week (Friday) and I pick one of the people who has commented in the last week, and I ship them the supplement. (for free). This is a fun way to get people involved in the blog, and hey, who doesn't like free stuff. Oh, and it won't just be supplements, I already have some other fun stuff companies have sent!

If you want to be a sponsor, just drop a comment...

I'll try to get this going in a month or so.

Get Flexible in the Sauna

2007-10-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Being flexible is something that's important to almost every athlete. It's also something that's important for anyone young or old that wants to have their body in good shape. That being said, I am the most inflexible person I know.

Sauna! My coach has been telling me forever to go to the sauna and stretch. He says it loosens up the muscles and allows you to get more flexible. He was right...after a few minutes in the sauna, I was bending over backwards. The sauna here at Boise State is ridiculously hot -200 degrees plus. I was burning up. But, after about ten minutes of stretching, and 10 pounds of sweat lost, I felt at least a little more flexible.

This is What's Up...

2007-10-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have been extremely eventful. First, full track practices have started, which means lifting early in the morning and running in the afternoon. This has made it really tough not to be the equivalent of a zombie roaming around the campus of Boise State. Probably the hardest part is the fact that my roommates are up to all hours of the night making as much noise as possible. A couple of them don't have class on Tuesday and Thursday, which means they are up the entire night. I have class at 7:40 a.m. Plus lifting on those days, so it doesn't work out too well. It's not just that they are noisy either, I often get tempted to go over and play video games and talk trash to people on the Internet.

Also, I'm not sure how much decathlon that I'm going to be doing (at least initially) here at Boise State. Right now, I'm just long jumping because I can't hurdle and have some trouble in the pole vault. It's not really a bad thing though, because long jump should be a really good event for me. I went 23'5 in high school, but I think that I will be able to go at least 25' by the end of the indoor season. This is mainly because with the help of my coach, I have discovered some flaws which could literally be taking feet off my jump. Also, I'm finally starting to get a lot more flexible, which will give my muscles more elasticity. The biggest reason why I think that I will be able to jump far is that I just feel really good. I hardly ever feel really sluggish anymore. In high school, I could never jump more than 15' in practice. But now, I feel like I'm jumping on out of the pit on some of my jumps. This is probably because I'm in better shape and am eating better than I was in high school. The most important thing for my success is probably for me to just stay patient. I wouldn't be surprised if I only go 21' feet or something in the first meet. Once I get a couple meets in me, I'll be fine.

Oh, I got up to 200lbs, but now, since I'm focusing on jumping, I'm going to try and get down to about 180 or 185 for the indoor track season which should be a pretty good weight for me. This should also help me in the 60m dash and anything else I might do. ;)

New Post!

2007-10-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't really written anything in a while. . . this is mainly due to my hits, and feed counter being really messed up. I was having a lot of fun seeing how well people where responding to the articles that I was writing. When all of that stuff got messed up, I wasn't having as much fun writing. It was funny, because on the day Halo 3 launched, I put the word Halo in one of my blog posts a bunch of times and my traffic for that day went up probably 5 times what I was usually receiving.

Also, I have been REALLY busy, the actual track season finally started! This means that I have been lifting in the mornings and running in the evenings on most days. I also started learning techniques for all of the events I'm going to be doing. So far, I think that the two events that are going to be the hardest technique wise are definitely the 110 High-Hurdles and the Pole-Vault. I think that I can be a very good pole vaulter, but It's just going to take some time getting used to it. The problem with the hurdles, is that right now I am not nearly flexible enough to get my legs over the hurdles. I am cutting back on the weights and stretching a ton to try and get more flexible.

I'm not that great at the throws yet, but I think I will be able to throw the disc and javelin a long ways. The college disc is heavier (I'm told) than the high school one, but you can't really tell. It seems to fly just as well or better than the high school one. I should be able to do all right in the shot put but it will be the hardest throw for me because it requires the most brute strength which I don't have a ton of.

Fortunately, I will do plenty well in the sprints and jumps. My long jump can be really good and my 100m should be good. The 400m, and high jump should be decent events for me also. I'm not really great at the 1500m, but I should be able to gut-it-out.

I have really been putting on the pounds for some reason, but I like it. A couple times weighing myself I have been over 200 pounds. This probably isn't the best for the sprints and jumps, but it should be good for the throws. I'm going to try and be a solid 200 pounds come November. As long as I don't start seeing fat, and I'm running a lot, I should be fine.

I'll try to write more. . .

USC vs Washington

2007-09-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

It is pretty clear to people who follow college football that USC has a ton of depth on their roster. Obviously, this is best illustrated by the running back situation. They have at least four backs who would be the feature back in most other programs- Chauncey Washington, C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson, and Allen Bradford. They aren't the most experienced group, but running back is a position that doesn't require much experience. Blocking is really the only job a running back has that may require experience. Other than that, running comes pretty naturally, especially for USC's talented runners.

The receiving corps for the Trojans isn't the most experienced in the world, but they have as much talent as anyone. Junior Patrick Turner hasn't been extremely productive, and they can definitely expect more from him. After all, coming out of high school, he was the #1 ranked receiver in the nation (not that that means a whole lot). Other talented athletes include the young group of David Ausberry, Ron Johnson, and Vidal Hazelton. Even though they are young and inexperienced, they posses a ton of speed, explosiveness, and are a threat on every play. Probably the most impressive receiver, in my opinion, is emerging leader Fred Davis. Davis is a monster former wide-receiver who can run around defenders, or simply run them over. Look for the Trojans to get the ball to hyped freshman Joe Mcknight. Mcknight is capable of big plays, but he may not be ready for the big time yet. I don't know many names, but I do know that the O-line is also capable of dominating the game for the Trojans.

Defense may be the biggest strength for the Trojans, as they have ten returning starters. Every one of their eleven defenders is a star and capable of taking off someones head at any time. However, I have yet to see them truly strike fear into their opponents and take over a game. They will play well for sure, but they are capable of playing amazing.

As good as USC is, don't be sure that Washington is out of it. Washington has a very exciting quarterback in Jake Locker, who is pretty much the Tim Tebow of the west. They definitely don't have the athletes that USC has on their offense, but they are capable of putting some points on the board. Look for Jake Locker's running ability to be a key for the Huskies. It could also help them convert on crucial third downs. It will be very important for ther offense to avoid turnovers so they don't give the already potent Trojan offense a short field.

As with Washington's offense, their defense isn't star-studded. They are however, a good defense, that plays well together. To be successful, they must make sure tackles and avoid big plays. USC has looked surgical this year in driving the ball down the field, so it may not be enough just avoiding big plays. Washington will also need to create big plays, and maybe score some points on defense.

Washington is over matched in just about every category, and they should be. USC is the #1 team in the nation, and they have been called one of the best, if not the best team ever. Washington is playing at home though, and the weather will probably help them and maybe slow down USC a little. Washington could play very well in this game, but I don't think that they will be able to last 4 quarters. USC just has too much talent. Pete Carroll also has his team extremely focused, and I doubt they will let anything get in their way of another national title. An upset wouldn't have me terribly surprised, and I think Washington could do very well, but I just don't really see how.

USC 37 Washington 17

Sitting in the Boise Airport

2007-09-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Boise airport now waiting on a flight to Seattle-this gives me some time to finally write a little. It's been a real pain trying to write down everything that I eat for an entire day. It also stinks looking up the nutrition values of everything. I'll try my best to do it in the future though. I've also had some late-night fast food binges that I haven't accounted for. Sitting in the airport also gives my computer some time to download movies over a faster connection, because the connection in my room is horrible. I'm downloading Donnie Darko. I've honestly never even heard of it, but it was on the list of the top 250 movies on IMDB. Flying is definitely not something I love doing, so I hope the movie will entertain me for at least an hour. I'm going to go sit over by the outlet now----

db

I don't Feel Like Writing

2007-09-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished writing an analysis on Lou Gehrig's "Farewell Speech" for three hours and I'm dead tired of writing. So I'm sorry to say that I will not be writing anything at all about what I did today (so sad).

bye bye

;)

What Did I Eat Today?

2007-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

After my 7:40 psychology class, I was exhausted (after trying to go to sleep while my room mates were playing Halo 3). So, I went to my room and passed out for several hours. Naturally, this didn't leave me time to eat anything (duh). Before I could grab a bite to eat, it was time to lift weights-no time to eat. Next thing I knew, it was time for study hall. Three hours of study hall-only enough time to buy a protein bar. After study hall, I actually got to go to dinner. ---

Met-Rx Protein Bar- 360 calories, 32g of protein.

2 servings mixed fruit-300 calories, 2g of protein

Soft Serve Ice Cream-350 calories 8g of protein.

2 Servings of Powerade-150 calories

Grilled Chicken Burger-500 calories 40g of protein

Potato Salad- 350 calories 7g of protein

French Fries- 450 calories 5g of protein

This is pretty damn unhealthy but I don't really care right now, and I was hungry. Maybe I'll try and be a little healthier and see how it effects my weight down the road.

Calories 2460 Protein 94g

Halo 3

2007-09-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone knows that Halo 3 came out today, and it's pretty awesome. The only down side is that my room mates were playing it the ENTIRE night. It took me forever to get to sleep. I hung out with them for awhile and played it, but when it was bedtime, I couldn't get the gunfire out of my head. Halo 3 is a great game, but it's not conducive to sleep. I was tired today.

Halo 3= No rest

latr hatrs

Tough Workout

2007-09-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the hardest workouts I've had here so far at Boise State. We did a series of cleans, snatches, and some ab/flexibility work. As hard as the weight was the outside part was definitely harder. We ran up the bleachers a few times and did some other stuff. . .. . it was hard. My legs were serious shaking for an hour after the workout. As hard as it was, it was worth it. You feel so good and pumped up after a long workout, I almost want to work out again----maybe tomorrow. -I also weighed 195 at the beginning of my workout. I usually gain weight during it because I drink so much water.

This reminds me of another CLASSIC video....

What Did I Eat Today?

2007-09-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first day that I've really kept track of the stuff that I eat in one day, so here it is.

1. Slim Fast-180 calories, 10g of protein.

2. Met-Rx Protein Bar- 360 calories, 32g of protein.

That's all I ate until dinner and up until my 5 p.m. workout. (not very much, I was a little hungry)

Dinner

2 servings mixed fruit-300 calories, 2g of protein

Spinach Salad, No Dressing-30 calories 2g of protein

Grilled Chicken Burger-500 calories 40g of protein

Pasta Salad-Healthy-No Mayo or anything-200 calories 5g of protein

Mozzarella Balls-200 calories 15g of protein.

Soft Serve Ice Cream-350 calories 8g of protein.

2 Servings of Powerade-150 calories

Totals------

2270 Calories 114 Grams of Proteing

These numbers are only estimates of course, but I think that they are pretty close. I think I definitely need to eat more, because I'm starting to feel a little hungry now. Someone might order a pizza, and then my calories for the day are going to go through the roof. I'll definitely eat more tomorrow, and maybe cut out the ice cream.

latr

One of My Favorite Videos

2007-09-24T05:20:00.001-07:00

This guy is only 5'11 and he is amazing, 50" inch plus vertical. He can kick the rim! Kadour Ziani-

It's Time To Start Counting Calories

2007-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

For the next couple weeks I'm going to write down everything that I eat. I will also weigh myself everyday that I lift. This should give me a pretty god idea of the things I need to eliminate from my diet, and the things I need to add (it should be pretty obvious). I also hope to put some pics up to show how my tan is coming along.

It's time for Sunday Night Football, and maybe a little homework. . .

latr

My Poor Shins

2007-09-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a good day in the weight room, but the running outside didn't go too well. We were running up the metal bleachers in Bronco Stadium. On the very first one, I slipped and nailed both of my shins on the metal bleachers. One of them got cut so deep you could actually see the bone, it was awesome! I wanted to keep practicing, but I couldn't. I'm fine, but it was funny because it was the first time I've ever seen my coach kind of scared. I would have put up a pic, but I can't because I don't have a digital camera. ;( I'm going to go eat dinner and play some basketball now. (Something just blew up in my room, and I'm the only one here, I seriously almost pissed my pants).

db

You Never Know Who You'll Meet

2007-09-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is a pic of me running the 100m (bad form I know). I was just looking at this the other day when I realized that the kid on the left of me is in the same dorm as me. How crazy is that?

db

Amazing Highlight Reels

2007-09-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things you can do is tape yourself playing your sport. Football is obviously the sport most synonymous with highlight reels, but it doesn't what sport you play! Do you think a coach is more interested in you telling him you long jumped 23'5 or actually watching you jump 23'5? It doesn't matter what sport you are in, college coaches want to see with their own eyes what you are capable of. Plus, with the advent of modern technology you can just post your videos to youtube. No more troublesome VHS tapes to send around.

Here are a couple classic football examples of athletes who had their stock shoot through the roof after their highlight tapes debuted.

Demarco Murray -

He is probably my favorite college running back, just because he is from my home state of Nevada (Ian Johnson, I love you too). He was relatively unknown until this tape was released. Soon after it was released he was a five-star running back and the number 1 multi- purpose back in the nation (although he dropped to 4-stars after a poor performance in his last game). He received offers from every major school in the nation and now attends Oklahoma. He scored 5 touchdowns in his first game as a red-shirt freshman. Would he have ended up in the same position had this highlight reel not created so much hype? Probably. However, needless to say, it didn't hurt things.

Sam Mcguffie -

Sam has been called the "Great White Hope" by many football analysts and it all stems from this one play.

His video has received hundreds of thousands of views on youtube, and has vaulted him into the top 100 player rankings in high school football. Regardless of the video, he is also a great athlete who has run a 4.3 40, a 3.8 shuttle run, and long jumped 23'9 as a sophmore in high school. As good as his numbers were, he didn't really get looked at until this video came out. He now holds offers from major schools like USC and Notre Dame, not bad.

Maybe your video won't get thousands of views on youtube, hell, maybe it will. Regardless, coaches don't want to read about your achievements, they want to watch your achievements. So, make sure you get some good footage.

db

The Decathlon of Wisdom

2007-09-19T20:19:00.001-07:00

This was written by my coach here at Boise State, Petros Kyprianou. The profile for him on our website is down so here is another article he has written. (I couldn't get the hyperlinking to work) ;) http://www.decathlon2000.ee/eng/10athlon.php?art=1153&hi=petros

1. You only achieve what you believe. (Ironically, I say that jokingly all the time, but I think that it's true).

2. Have a smart ego and keep a low profile.

3. Be patient.

4. Don't ever quit.

5. Be a learner. Ask for everything you don't understand.

6. Set high goals, be the owner of them, and don't stop until you succeed them.

7. I know I know nothing. (Socrates)

8. Be positive.

9. Listen before you establish a decision.

10. Fight to a finish. . .

Definitely some good stuff to think about.

I'm going to go play some ping-pong now, and hopefully get some rest for my three hours of study hall tomorrow. . .

Wrestling Coach

2007-09-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

I got in a big fight a couple days ago with one of the wrestling coaches in the weight room cuz he wouldn't give me a chocolate milk after my workout. I was gonna make a big fuss about it with the athletic admin, but I decided not to. If I see the guy again, I'm just gonna tell him to leave me alone. I did a little write up on it that goes something like this.

"

I am here on a 20 percent scholarship, which isn't bad for an incoming freshman when you consider there are only ten scholarships to divide up between the boys cross country and track teams. I chose Boise State over schools like Idaho State that offered me larger scholarship opportunities. I also chose Boise State over Pac-10 schools like Washington State and Arizona State that offered me scholarships similar to the one offered by Boise State. I dare you to find many people in this school, or area that have ran a faster 40 yd dash than I have (4.41). I am probably the best eligible long jumper at this school (23'5). I am also potentially the best decathlete. I say all this not to brag, but as more of an attempt to give myself some credibility (as I have yet to compete for Boise State). For lack of a better term, I did not come here to screw around, or argue about whether or not I should receive a chocolate milk. I also did not come to this school to be called a “little smart ass” multiple times, and be told to “get the hell out of here”, for doing absolutely nothing wrong. I am a focused athlete and I want to do as well as I possibly can. As well as I can do for myself, and Boise State. I know it may seem silly to be so offended over something as not receiving a chocolate milk, but I feel like he was intentionally trying to intimidate me and be a “big, bad, hard ass wrestling coach” for no reason. I have received chocolate milk and power bars multiple times post workout without a problem.

Scenario-

I asked for a chocolate milk (after an hour and a half workout)...

I was told by a wrestling coach and snack bar manager that chocolate milk was only for athletes who had completed a workout or were on the “weight gain list”.

I responded “I just finished working out and I am also specifically trying to gain weight.” (I had never heard of a “weight gain list”).

He responded “I don't like your attitude, if your not on the 'weight gain list', no chocolate milk”.

I responded “You're kidding me right? (I felt like he was just joking around, but was confused) I just finished working out, and I am specifically trying to gain weight.” I this point I was looking at a sign that says “Chocolate milk and power bars for post-workout athletes. . .” I had just asked for a chocolate milk and he “didn't like my attitude”, I was completely confused.

He responded “You're being a little smart ass and you can just get the hell out of here.”

At this same time two other track athletes who clearly were not on any weight gain list (weight gain would probably be severely detrimental to anything these two athletes want to accomplish, as they are strictly jumpers) bellied up to the snack bar and received their chocolate milks. I swear that the wrestling coach gave me a little nod when he gave the other athletes their milks. At this point, I was furious and on the brink of exploding.

I said one more time, rather sternly, “I have just finished working out, and I am also specifically trying to gain weight.”

He replied “Stop being a little smart ass and just get out of here”.

I paced around for a few seconds contemplating smashing weights on the ground. Fortunately, I decided just to get his name and told him I would find a way to solve the problem. He said he didn't have a problem with that.

I am not trying to go behind anyones back. I tried talking to him and he wasn't listening. I would just like to know why a professional coach was trying to intimidate me and make a scene, when he doesn't even now who I am. I would love to talk to him. I honestly don't think he could come up with a good excuse. I haven't heard of any other track athlete having a problem receiving a chocolate milk (maybe the whole track team is on the weight gain list. If they are, put me on the list).

I am very excited about the opportunities that Boise State has offered me, and I am ready to make the most of them. I just don't want to be pushed around and have anything get in the way of my goals."

I don't know, I just got really super pissed off and I was about to throw weights through the windows.

latr hatrs