G's Log. [Forum Archive]

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G's Log.

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Posted by: Big G

I've been keeping a log of my workouts and food intake on Fitday.com for almost six months now. It's worked well for me. I've completely changed my life. I've lost 30lb. I have a for-real six pack (plain as day). You can see the striations of my muscles (all over the place) plus clear definition between my upper and lower chest. I've been reading nutrition and/or bodybuilding books every night (I never knew any of this stuff before). I've gained loads of muscle. I feel completely different. My lats, traps and chest have all popped out and I've developed a canyon down the middle of my back! I've been skinny my whole life. But not any more! It's awesome! I love it!

Now... On the offchance that someone actually has something useful, intelligent or beneficial to say on this board (Sorry. I can be a little cynical at times), I'm going to try to remember to copy and paste my meal timing and workout info into here too (along with other notes and BS I plug in to reference for the following week's workout). If you want to check what I've eaten today (or any day) click the link at the base of any of my posts. NOTE: You'll find the same text at the top of my food-log journal as you will on this board, but my food is there too (just scroll down and you'll see it; meal 1, meal 2...).

OK... So here goes...

I'll go back to the start of the week (nine days after my 34th birthday, 5/5/07) to get us started.

Oh, yeah... And don't start whining about alcohol intake. I'm watching it. I'm learning (about alcohol, and me). I'm getting better, but I'm not Superman. At least I'm honest enough to lay it all out in the open. And "Yes", I really do weigh, count, measure and write down everything I eat, always.

Yours,
G.

Posted by: Big G

MODAY.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:45pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 9:30pm (late. wife cooked dinner. had to wait)
Meal 6 - 11:45pm

LUNCHTIME (GYM) WORKOUT NOTES (Chest. START 1:05pm):
1.(S.Set w/#2)Decline DB Press - w/35lb:20(warmup), w/50lb:15,15,11F,11F,8F.
2.(S.Set w/#2)Decline sit-ups (four holes visible +twist elbow to oposite knee +crunch on top):25,25,25,25,17F.
3.Incline DB Press - w/45lb:10F,5½F, w/35lb:7½F,8½F,7½F.
4.DB Fly Press (on slight decline) - w/30lb:15,15,15,12½F,10F..
**END 1:45pm**

NOTE: MISSED #5&6 (FROM LAST WEEK). NO TIME.
5.Knee Lifts (abs) w/2x10lb strapped to feet!:15,15,15,10F(10-15 of 3rd set only half reps. 5-10 of final set partial reps. 4sets only).
6.Bench Press (on smith machine) - w/90lb:8½F,5½F, w/70lb:9F,6½F (4sets).

WEIGHT (after shower & pee. no sauna) 168½lb.

WORKOUT MEMO: I plan for 5 workouts weekly; (1)Chest/Abs, (2)Shoulders/Traps, (3)Back, (4)Arms, (5)Legs. Last week I missed 3-5 (no workout Mon & Tues, then nothing but yardwork/construction Fri-Sun)!! Resuming workout regimen with Chest today. Should get remaining 4 workouts in during the week so that Trav & I can do Chest again either Saturday or Sunday (without beer, or at least less beer!) next weekend.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:25am (late. busy at work)
Meal 3 - 3:00pm (after lunchtime workout)
Meal 4 - 7:00pm
Meal 5 - 10:45pm (after building shed roof)
Meal 6 - no meal 6 really. snacked until midnight.

WORKOUT NOTES (Shoulders):
LUNCHTIME GYM WORKOUT NOTES (Shoulders/traps):
1.(s/set w/#2) Seated Military Press (free wieghts) w/50lb(for 1st time):13½F,6F, 40lb:8F,7F,5F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Forward DB raise w/20lb:12F,8F,7F, w/17½lb:7F,6F.
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine) w/90lb:20, w/110lb:20, w/130lb:15,15, w/150lb:15.
4.(s/set w/#5)Rear delt machine (near "reverse fly" machine) - w/90lb:15,14F,12F,11F,10F (starting-off as far back as possible and continuing until only partial reps(e.g. ¼-reps) are possible.
5.(s/set w/#4)Lateral Raise w/20lb:9F,7F, w/17½lb:8F,8F,7F.
6.Upwards row w/bar (to chin): 15,15,15,15,15 (full reps & good form throughout. took 2 min break between set 3&4 while talking w/Tom(Trainer:378.2195) who was deadlifting 505lb!!

NOTE: I did the exact same Trapezius workout last Wednesday and was damned-near crippled from it (even within an hour or two of being back in the office). I had to go for a swim to help recover. I did the same workout this week without any increase to reps or weight just in case it would f&^% me up again! It didn't. I feel fine (as of 4:30pm anyway).

) Getting tougher!

EVENING: Spent 5 hours cutting plywood, installing and screwing shed roof in place. Tar paper and shingles not yet done. May need to order shingles to match garage roof.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY.

WEIGHT (naked, after poop/pee, before breakfast):165lb (Still!).

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:00am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (after workout).
Meal 4 - 4:30pm (early. hungry).
Meal 5 - 12:10am (fell asleep 6:30pm-midnight).
Meal 6 - 2:45am (back to bed at 3am).

WATER-Forgot gallon jug this morning. Drank 3-4 12oz glasses at work plus 24oz in gym then slept all evening.

LUNCHTIME (GYM) WORKOUT NOTES (Back & Obliques!):
START 12:40pm
1.Wide grip pull-ups - Me-100lb:10 (warmup), Me-0lb(unassisted. 2nd time ever.):7F,6F,4F, Me-50lb:7F,6½F.
2.Deadlifts (2nd time ever!) w/bar+70lb(warmup):20, w/bar+90lb:15,15, w/bar+110lb:10(hands hurt), w/bar+130lb:10 (changed grip to one-over-one-under. It worked better.)
3.Straight-armed Lat Pulldown (on adjustable cable Xover w/long bar) - w/110lb:11F,8F,7F,6F,5F.
4.Seated row w/100lb:15,15,15,15. (reps 10-15 of last three sets 6" from chest i.e. partial reps.)
5.Oblique Raises;R25,L25,R25,L25 .
6.Close-grip Lat Pulldown (on machine) w/100lb:15,15,15. (only 3sets. short on time).
End 1:40pm (i.e. 1hr 15min lunchbreak incl. shower/walk).

WEIGHT after shower/pee 168.7lb

WORKOUT MEMO (FOR NEXT TIME!!!)
1. May want to increase the weight on seated row & close-grip lat pulldown (not straight-armed) next time. Run the rack if necessary.
2.I would've liked to have done bent over rows too, but ran out of time. Maybe do less sets of each exercise and add other exercises. Or, do 30sec breaks between sets instead of the typical 1 minute breaks.

Posted by: kinkery

nice journal

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 7:00am (early. had to take wife to work)
Meal 2 - 10:25am (2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 2:05pm (after workout)
Meal 4 - 5:00pm
Meal 5 - 7:40pm
Meal 6 - 11:00pm
WATER: Forgot to take gallon jug to work again! It sucks drinking out of little glasses! I never get enough water in!

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Arms, 12:50pm-1:40pm):
1.(s/set w/#2) BB bicep curl (straight bar)- w/40lb:15(warmup), w/60lb:11½F,7F,6½F,5½F,5F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Tricep Rope/Cable Pulldown - w/50lb:15(easy warmup), w/70lb:20, w/80lb:12F,8½F,8F,10F(7-10partial).
3.(s/set w/#4) Wrist DB curls (palm up, both hands w/DB) - w/30lb:20,12F,12F,10F,11F(fight that burn!)
4.(s/set w/#3)Wrist DB curls (palm down, arms @90º, both hands w/DB) - w/15lb:15,15,13F,15F,12F (good burn!)
5.(s/set w/#6)Alternating DB curls R,L,R,L... w/30lb:14F,8F, w/25lb:12F,13F,16F.
6.(s/set w/#5)Skull Crushers - w/25lb:9F,7F,4½F, w/20lb:13½F,16 (really struggling!)

WORKOUT NOTES (FOR NEXT TIME):
Nice workout. Beat last week's #s on everything. Arms definitely pumped! Last week's workout memo recommended s/sets becuase it didn't feel intense enough. This week was better. My arms feel sore already (as of 2:30pm!). Do same again next week. Ran out of creatine at work, so couldn't take any after workout.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

WEIGHT (on bathroom scale, naked, before breakfast, after poop/pee!) 163½lb. i.e. Going down! WTF!? Do I really need to eat even more!?

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 11:00am (late. busy at work)
Meal 3 - 2:25pm (late. after workout)
Meal 4 - 4:55pm (hungry!)
Meal 5 - 10:00pm (late. craigslist deals. pickup Travis)
Meal 6 - 2:00am

WORKOUT NOTES (Legs! Aargh!):
START: 1:10pm
1.Smith Machine Squats w/70lb:20, w/80lb:15, w/90lb:15,12F,8F.
2.Rotary Calf Machine Press - w/250lb:20, w/290lb:20, w/330lb:20, w/390lb:17F(B-U-R-N!!)
3.Leg Curl w/90lb:15,15,15 (3sets - short of time)
END:1:50pm

WEIGHT (after workout, sauna, shower & pee):166.7lb.

MEMO - Someone needs to find a way to make leg workouts fun! While I'm working out I feel like I'm going to throw up and when I'm done I can barely walk out of the gym and back to my office! This workout wasn't as bad as 5/3/07 where I literally couldn't walk from the garage to the house or even lift my leg over the benchpress bench! I used more weight this week, but hopefully I won't be as sore tomorrow becuase there's more yardwork to be done.

WRONG!! Legs were totally fucked on Saturday and Sunday.Calves completely seized up. Quads were killing me. It got worse on Sunday until I was eventually unable to move my feet upor down at all. They finally broke free Sunday afetrnoon, but even on Monday they were still very very sore!

ALCOHOL - Dammit! I swear. Get Travis and me together, working on a big project (building the shed this weekend) and cravings for beer increase ten-fold! 12 beers slipped down like it was nothing between 10pm and 2am. Sheesh!

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

Meal 1 - 10:30am
Meal 2 - 1:00pm (2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 4:30pm
Meal 4 - 8:50pm (late. lost time building shed.)
Meal 5 - 11:30pm
Meal 6 - 1:00am

ALCOHOL - Made it all day from 10am-8pm with no beer while working on the shed, then at 8pm I resigned to cravings and 8 beers had slipped down by midnight! Dammit. The plan was to get the shed built with minimal beers. So much for that!

WORKOUT - None. We talked about doing chest or shoulders all day, but Travis said he was still sore from working out mid-week and my legs were completely and utterly fucked from Friday's leg workout. Plus, we wrestled lumber and plywood all day while building the shed. 14hours of construction was workout enough for us both!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 10:30am
Meal 2 - 2:30am
Meal 3 - 8:00pm (late. lost track of time building shed)
Meal 4 - 11:00
Meal 5 - too late. missed it. sleeping.
Meal 6 - too late. missed it. sleeping.

ALCOHOL - Yet again, another day with beers pouring in constantly all day long!

Why do I do this shit to myself!? This time we had four or six beers left in the fridge from last night, so after breakfast it all started again. I did well stopping for food throughout the day, but still... 12 Miller Lite and 3 Stella Artois! WTF!?

WATER - Miserable performance. All beer and almost no water. Stupid! After almost dying from dehydration-related kidney failure last month you'd think I'd be a bit smarter! Again, why do I do this shit to myself?

WORKOUT - None (other than another 12hours outside in the sun wresting lumber and plywood, builing the shed!). We wre both exhausted by the end of day (not to mention buzzed!).

Monday tomorrow. Back to normality. Enough with the damn beers already! Maybe it's time to go back to AA but I don't think I could handle all the God This, God That...

I don't know.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:15am (late. busy at work)
Meal 3 - 1:45pm
Meal 4 - 5:15pm (3rd breakfast! no other food at work)
Meal 5 - missed it. beer w/Trav. Time flew!
Meal 6 - 11:00pm

MEMO - When I poured the shed foundation there was approx lots of excess concrete which we poured into 8 garbage cans (so we could get the rental trailer back on time). Tonight I spent approx 3 hours sledge-hammering these garbage can-sized lumps of concrete into tiny peices so it could be loaded in bags and disposed of. It killed me! Talk about cardio! Sheesh! No other workout.

TRAVIS stayed last night. Beer preceeded bed. We both need to be able to hang out without drinking!

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 1:45pm
Meal 4 - 4:45pm
Meal 5 - 7:45pm
Meal 6 - 11:00pm

WORKOUT NOTES: None. Intended to do it at home but had to pick-up a pressure washer (Craigslist). When I got home I was all lethargic & melancholy. I read up on S-Drol (to do, or not to do!?), cooked dinner and went to bed. That's all.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 3:00pm (late. had to get truck from dealership)
Meal 4 - 7:30pm (late. after workout)
Meal 5 - 10:30pm
Meal 6 - out of time. in bed sleeping.

AFTER-WORK GYM WORKOUT (Chest & Abs):
1.(s/set w/#2) Decline DB Press - w/30lb(warmup):20, w/50lb:15,15,15,12F,10F.
2.(s/set w/#2) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):25,25,25,25,25.
3.Incline BB Press (1st time - normally do DBs) w/bar+50lb:14½F,9F,6½F,6F (4sets only).
4.Knee Raises w/20lb DB between feet:15,11F,10F (3sets only).
5.Fly Press w/30lb: 15,15 - BAD MIGRAINE SET IN! Couldn't see for flashing colors etc...

WORKOUT MEMO: Condensed workout. Short on time. Had to drive to pick-up a Power Tower (for pullups, dips & knee raises) found on Craigslist. Still, reps and/or weight is improving week after week!

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:00am
Meal 3 - 2:30pm (after workout)
Meal 4 - 6:00pm
Meal 5 - 9:00pm
Meal 6 - 12:00am

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Shoulders & Traps):
1.(s/set w/#2) Seated Military Press (free wieghts) w/50lb:14F,6½F, w/40lb:9½F,7F,4F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Forward DB raise w/20lb:.9F,8F,5F, w/15lb:12F,10F (NOTE: 17½lb DBs weren't available)
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine) w/110lb:20, w/130lb:20,20, w/150lb:15,20 (Hella-Strong!! Should've done 20 both times & maybe tried 170lb too!!).
4.(s/set w/#5)Rear delt machine (near "reverse fly" machine) - w/90lb:15,14F,11F,9F,9F,9F (incl some partial reps).
5.(s/set w/#4)Lateral Raise w/17½lb:13F,7½F,7½F,5F,4½F (NOTE; Raised arms upwards past shoulders, near upright, to involve traps).
6.Upwards row w/bar+2x2½lb(first time w/more than just the bar):15,15,13F,11F,11F (Considered "Fail" if >6-8" from chin at rep top. NOTE: Discovered through trial & error that hands s/b just wider than shoulders to avoid wrists popping).

Posted by: Big G

REGARDING WORKOUTS:

My plan is to bulk up but not gain my fat back (I'm down 31lb from 194lb [25%bf] to 163lb [8%bf] i.e. 4½lb LBM gains in 5mo, incl. 3mo cutting @2000kcal/day). If you have any thoughts regarding my workouts please let me know.

As far as I can tell I have mostly mass-building stuff at the start of the workouts and sculpting/definition(type) execises near the end of the workouts. I recently heard that there is, scientifically, no way to develop your upper pecs in isolation of your lower, inner or outer pecs, so I now don't really know for sure if there really are such things as definition-enhancing exercises compared to mass-building exercises. Arnold's Bodybuilder's Encyclopedia is apparently full of outdated B.S. that science has now proven wrong. But whatever! I live and learn. Little by little.

REGARDING FOOD

I started going to the gym in late November '06 (I'd never seen inside a gym before that, let-alone actually work out!). I dropped my calories to 2,000 in Nov'06 and started running 3-4x/wk (20-30miles, total). Weight started falling off! I upped my intake to 2,600 in April '07 but my weight was still plummeting. I upped it again at the start of May to 3,100-3,200 but I am still losing weight (3lb so far in May. That's 1lb/wk!). I've definitely gained muscle throughout the whole process (I never had any before! I'm "huge" now by comparison! Seriously!).

So what's the deal? I would've thought 3,200 calories daily would be plenty to bulk up on (without getting fat) but, like I said, I'm still losing weight. In June I guess I'll up it again to 3,600 but, if anyone's got any other ideas, please let me know. I'd rather eat real food than sugar-laced, powdered food (like weight gainer) so please don't suggest that. And, if you check my food log, don't start whining on about alcohol at the weekends. I know! I know! I'm working on it! In my whole life I rarely made a day without drinking before (but I never had a reason not to drink before). It's better these days. Nowadays I can happily not drink at all unless my damned alcoholic buddies show up to help me with whatever project I'm working on (currently building a totally-pimped-out, little-house-looking shed. It's cool!) and are all drinking around me, offering me beers left and right. Still... Whatever. I'm getting there, like I said, little by little.

Any thoughts?

Posted by: Big G

No workouts while on camping vacation, but I did come whome with 30lb of fresh mountain-stream trout! Mmm! I ate fairly well while on vacation too. Calories were kind-of up and down, but I didn't have a computer with me. I was going to download some software to keep everything recorded in my palm pilot but never got around to it before we left. Instead I carried my "little book" around with me and just made notes of what I ate. All in all it was a good trip, but when I came home my old crappy scale said 170lb (whereas it'd been on 163lb almost every day prior to going camping). On 6/5 it said 168lb and on 6/6 it said 165lb. Weird! Must've been retaining water. Why though, I don't know.

Anyway... my new TANITA scale arrived on 6/7 so all weight readings from 6/8 onwards will be from my new scale (which is reading 168.6 compared to my old scale which still sayd 165lb. Whatever!)

So... Please see below for Monday, 6/4/07 onwards. As always, any input regarding workouts & diet is very welcome (although no-one's said shit so far!).

Here goes...

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY 6/4/07.

10 DAY CAMPING TRIP IS OFFICIALLY OVER. BACK TO WORK TODAY.

WEIGHT (after poop/pee, before breakfast, on our old scale): 170lb!!! WTF!!! It was 163lb before going camping!How the f&^% did that happen!? I didn't eat/drink that much!

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 1:40pm
Meal 4 - 4:45pm
Meal 5 - 7:45pm
Meal 6 - 11:00pm

WORKOUT: None. We got home from camping at 3am and at 7am I was up getting ready for work (tired!). Work was busy, catching up so there was no workout at lunch. After work I worked on bulding my shed (relocating siding, cutting lumber, measuring etc Re: front wall w/door). Got to get it finished before the City busts me! I would've done a workout afterwards but the garage is such a mess (w/wood & tools) I can barely walk around in there, let alone actually workout! I've gotta tidy up, bad!

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 11:10am
Meal 3 - 2:45pm
Meal 4 - missed it. beer!

Meal 5 - missed it. beer!

Meal 6 - 10:00pm

WORKOUT - None. Planned to at 5:15pm (and even took creatine etc) but when 5:30pm rolled around I changed my mind, went home, drank beer and worked on building the shed instead. Why? I dunno. Stupid really. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be feeling more like resuming workout schedule. I think 10 days of camping knocked the wind out of my workout sails! Still... Tomorrow is another day.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

WEIGHT (before breakfast, after poop/pee)=168lb. This is still really high! It was 163lb before camping. Must be water.

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 10:35am
Meal 3 - 2:15pm (after workout)
Meal 4 - 5:55pm (after work!)
Meal 5 - 10:20pm (late. time flies building sheds!)
Meal 6 - 1:15am

NOTE Re: SUPPLEMENTS: Lost vitamins while camping. Located them this morning. Also ordered more Animal products (Pump, Flex, Nitro, Pak, Stak2 & M-Stack!). Supplementation schedule restarts today (although there is only one dose of creatine left until the newly ordered Animal supplies are received - hopefully Friday, in time to workout w/Trav this weekend.).

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Chest & Abs):
1.(s/set w/#2) Decline DB Press - w/30lb(warmup):20, w/50lb:20, w/55lb:14½F,7F, w/50lb:6½F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):25,25,25,25,20F.
3.(s/set w/#4) Incline BB Press (2nd time - normally do DBs) w/bar+50lb:12F,9F,9F,6F (4sets only - short on time)
4.(s/set w/#3) Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises):25,25,12F (3sets only short on time)
5.Fly Press (laying flat) w/30lb: 12F,10½F,9½F,9½F (4sets only - short on time).

Man, it feels good to have worked out again!

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

NOTE: Chest is good'n'sore from yesterday's workout! It feels good to be sore again. I'm glad to be back from camping. It was fun'n'all, but kicking my own ass in the gym is good too!

WEIGHT (before breakfast, after poop/pee) 165lb (on old crappy scale - New $120 Tanita scale arrived today. It said 170.3lb and 12.7%bf at 6pm (after meal 4). The old scale has me down 3lb from yesterday and 5lb from Monday. Must've got bloated w/water whilst camping. How? I dunno. But, whatever!

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 2:15am
Meal 4 - 5:15pm
Meal 5 - 9:45pm (late. Pickup hyperext' bench. ate@Trav's)
Meal 6 - 12:45am

SUPPLEMENT NOTES: Out of creatine. Animal Pump (from FitnessONE.com) arrived this afternoon (after work).

WORKOUT NOTES (Shoulders & traps):
1.(s/set w/#2) Seated Military Press (free weights) w/bar+50lb:13½F,4½F, w/bar+40lb:7½F,5F,5F All sets failed at less reps that before going camping

2.(s/set w/#1) Forward DB raise w/20lb DBs:.9F,7F,7F, w/17½lb DBs:9F,8F. (NOTE: Getting them up OK, but can't hold them there. Arms just drop)
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine) w/110lb:20, w/130lb:20, w/150lb:20, w/160lb:20 (Hella-Strong!! Should've tried 170lb too!! WTG Traps!).
4.(s/set w/#5)Rear delt machine (near "reverse fly" machine) - w/100lb(was 90lb):11F,9F,9F,8F (incl some partial reps. Only 4sets - running short on time).
5.(s/set w/#4)Lateral Raise w/17½lb:10F,5½F,4½F,4F,3½F NOTE; Raised arms upwards past shoulders, near upright, to involve traps. Left arm kept failing. All sets failed at less reprs than two weeks ago, before camping. WTF

.
6.Upwards row w/bar+2x5lb(was 2x2½lb):14F,10F,8F,7F,7F (Considered "Fail" if >6-8" from chin at rep top. NOTE: Hands just wider than shoulders to avoid wrists popping).

MEMO: Picked up Hyper-extension bench for $50 from Craigslist after work (woohoo!) Then drove to Trav's to pick him up for the weekend. Trav's Mum had cooked dinner but I had to wait until 9:45pm to eat meal 5. Beer followed! Why is it when Trav and I are togather we ALWAYS drink!? Damned alcoholic disposition.

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey G!

How you doing? Hope you had a great trip camping, sounds like fun!

You say you're eating alot of food, but still losing weight, right? It sounds like you're a pretty busy guy, so it may just be that your body is busy burning through them cals as you go about your day to day life, especially while you're doing hard physical work like building a shed!

Perhaps increase portion sizes, or eat more high cal snacks like nuts and seeds?

And good on you for going back to the gym after a holiday! I think that's the hardest part, then once you get going again, it seems like you were never away!

Your workouts look okay, although i prefer a movement-orientated setup rather than bodyparts, like what you're doing. I use push/pull/legs, and i gotta say, i love it! If it's working for you though, there's no reason to change!

Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Big G

Thanks Sam. I appreciate the input.

I try to keep my diet at approx' 45%carbs:35%protein:20%fat. I only eat very lean protein so I'll use nuts and seeds with meals, like a supplement almost, to keep the meal ratio right. I eat six meals a day, three hours apart, 550cal each with nothing white (bread, potatoes, pasta) except after a workout. I don't eat any processed food at all; whole food only. And, in the past six months I've lost 30lb (now approx 8-10%bf) and literally sprouted muscles everywhere for the first time in my life. It's awesome.

I do have a question/concern though...

There's a guy I met at the gym. He's straight-up an all-natural body-builder. He hasn't been in competitions yet but that's his goal. He's 6'2" (like me) 235lb and probably around 6-8%bf. When I last spoke to him he said he'd been eating 6,000cal daily but has not gained a pound in a month and was thinking of upping his calories.

Now... Clearly, at some point between being 170lb (like me, for example) and 235lb his calories increased up to their current 6,000 mark. I'm taking in 3,200cal daily at the moment and I am growing. I'm not gaining any body fat and I haven't done any cardio (treadmill) for about a month now. I don't want to start gaining fat back but I'd like to eat the maximum my body is able to use. What if, for example, my 170lb frame actually needs 3,700cal or 4,000 even to get to 180lb? There's no way to know without doing it for a month and seeing if I start getting fat, I guess. Still... If 3,200 is maintaining me with no cardio I should probably increase it to 3,600 (perhaps) and do two or three days of cardio too.

It's tough gauging how many calories I can potentially utilize without gaining fat.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

TANITA SAYS (AFTER breakfast, poop & pee): Weight:167.2lb, bf:14.6%, H2O:56.7%, Muscle:135.6lb, BVR:1872, Bone:7.0lb, Age:20. The body fat reading is whack, I'm sure.

Meal 1 - 2:45pm (Bed at 5am last night!)
Meal 2 - 6:00pm
Meal 3 - 10:45pm (after cirque de soliel)
Meal 4 - missed it. drank beer & time flew!
Meal 5 - 4:15am
Meal 6 - missed it. short day. sleeping.

WORKOUT: None. Almost 100º outside and very humid (maybe hotter in my garage!). Travis & I worked on building the shed 4pm-7pm then I left for Cirque De Soleil until 10:30pm. We were both sluggish the remainder of the day. Plus, my back feels like it was run over by a tractor following yesteday's workout!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 11:30am
Meal 2 - 5:00pm (after delivering pool table & workout!)
Meal 3 - 8:00pm
Meal 4 - missed it. beer w/Trav, printing workouts etc...
Meal 5 - 2:30am
Meal 6 - in bed. sleeping!

WORKOUT - Arms!
1.(s/set w/#2) BB bicep curl (EZ-bar)- w/bar+30lb:15(warmup), w/bar+50lb:15,8½F6F,4F,5F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Dips - 15,8F,6F,5F,4F.(15reps w/rope-pulldown w/30lb for warmup).
3.(s/set w/#4) Wrist DB curls (palm up, both hands w/DB) - w/30lb:20,14F,11F,13F,11F(better than last week!)
4.(s/set w/#3)Wrist DB curls (palm down, arms @90º, both hands w/DB) - w/15lb:19½F,15F,10½F,11½F,11½F(up too!)
5.(s/set w/#6)Alternating DB curls R,L,R,L... w/30lb:12F, w/25lb:10½F,8½F,8½F, w/20lb:12.
6.(s/set w/#5)Skull Crushers - w/25lb:7½F, w/20lb:13F,7½F,7½F,10½F.

Fucked-up food timing but great workout. It hurt to straighten my arms the next day, plus my forearm is still sore from gripping during deadlifts.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 11:15pm
Meal 3 - 2:15pm
Meal 4 - 5:15pm
Meal 5 - 8:15pm
Meal 6 - 11:15pm

WORKOUT - None. Rest day. Sore everywhere except legs and knee is too f&^%ed up from 4.5m run last week to do a leg workout (Plus, my back still feels like it's been driven over by a tractor, due to Friday's workout!).

NOTES: Shed-building from 7pm-11pm with Travis: Built door frame, cut door to size and installed (ready for last remaining window, then painting, siding and shingles). Yet again, Trav' and I still need to learn to hang out without popping beer caps! 5 slid down with ease while building the shed in the hot summer sun. He's on the same program as me though, so why do we do this shit to ourselves!?

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 2:15pm (after workout)
Meal 4 - 6:45pm (late. busy at work)
Meal 5 - 9:45pm
Meal 6 - 1:00am

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Chest & abs):
1.(s/set w/#2) Incline BB Press w/bar+20lb(warmup):20, w/bar+50lb:15,15,15F,11F,11F
2.(s/set w/#1) Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises):25,25,25,25,25.
3.(s/set w/#4) Decline DB Press - w/30lb(warmup):20, w/55lb:10½F,9F,5½F, w/45lb:12F,9F.
4.(s/set w/#3) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):25,25,13F,8F,10F.
5.Fly Press (laying flat) w/30lb:15,11½F,9½F (3sets only - out of time).

NOTE FOR NEXT WEEK'S WORKOUT:
Use more weight for Incline BB Presses next time! 50lb is OK after 5 sets of Decline55lbDB presses - like last week - but not if you're doing the incline presses first! ALSO... DO ONE LESS SET OF EACH EXERCISE. Walking to the gym, working out, showering, walking back, preparing food and getting to my desk took and hour and 45minutes! The boss commented on it. Woops!

MEMO: I rearranged this workout this time. I usually do 3&4 first then 1&2. Incline BB press is apparently better than decline DB press for mass-building, so I'm going to do it first. Also, since I've been doing 5sets of 25 sit-ups (w/crunches on top) without too much problem recently (but not many knee-raises/hip-pushups/whadjamacallits!) I thought I'd shake it up a bit and try this for a while. I certainly couldn't do 5 sets of 25 situps/crunches after 125 of those whatever-they're-calleds (#2).

Posted by: Big G

MEMO - I'll try to keep this updated daily. All I need to do is copy and paste it from my notes in fitday.com so there's no excuse really. All comments are welcome. The plan is to bulk up without getting fat. \

Use the food link at the bottom of all my posts to see my diet (which is currently 6meals, 550cal each,45C:35P:20F) if you want to. Just scroll past the text at the top, down to the food listing. I've broken it all down into meal 1, meal 2 etc. If you have anything on nutrition to say, go for it. My ears are wide open.

L8rs.

Posted by: SamEaston

Yeah, i can see why you would be worried about putting on fat, i am too, but to be honest, i would increase your cals by 2-300 per week until you start gaining weight over the course of a week. If you're only gaining a small amount, its more likely to be lean muscle than fat, especially with solid workouts, and im sure that up to a pound and a half per month is the maximum muscle weight a guy can put on anyway.

You might wanna check that info, its probably in the stickies (somewhere!), but if you're eating clean, you won't put on that much fat anyway!
You seem to be on top of checking your weight (like me), so i can't see it being an issue for you at all! The only advice i can give you on that is the same that has been given to me, don't focus on the numbers! I swear to God, the number on that scale in the morning would govern my mood for the rest of the day!

I honestly couldn't imagine having to eat 6000kcal per day just to maintain! that is amazing, i maintain on 1800kcal, and 6000kcal is like heaven to me!!

BTW - why do you have a separate day for arms?

Looks like you're making progress with this shed though!!

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

...i would increase your cals by 2-300 per week until you start gaining weight over the course of a week. ... don't focus on the numbers... on that scale!

I think you're right. I jumped on my old scale this morning (to see how it compared to my new Tanita scale) and it said 161lb. That's the lowest reading I've ever had on that scale. It seemed to be set correctly, so I honestly think I must still be losing. I'm definitely bigger (more muscular) than I've ever been in the mirror, but I'm getting lighter. No doubt about it. I don't know where it's coming from becuase I look crazy-ripped already if you ask me!

I'm upping my calories to 3,600/daily from today onwards. With my workouts, my busy days, my increasingly muscular frame and my DIY projects (evenings and weekends) I must be burning some serious calories. God knows, two and a half hours after I eat (even 600cal meals) I'm starting to get weak, shaky and in desperate need of more food. Presumably that's becuase there's next-to-no body-fat on me and when my meal wears off I'm just plum out of energy.

Over the past six/seven months I've upped my calories several times. My initial goal was fat loss so I put myself on a 2,000cal/daily diet and ran 20-30 miles every week (until I'd lost about 20lb and my abs were plainly visible). Each time I've upped my calories I've waited a month to see what's happening. I think this works fairly well becuase on a day by day basis (or even week by week) my weight seems to fluctuate quite a lot (even when I weigh myself at the same time of day every day - morning; before breakfast). Since my 2,000/cal days I've lost another 14lb while trying to make the weight loss stop. I was worried initially that I may be losing muscle mass, but one look in the mirror these days confirms that that is not the case at all. Once my abs showed up I figured I was probably close to 10-12% body fat. These days I must be closer to 8-10% and it's probably healthy to try and stay around there. I'm not trying to be Mr Universe (well.. not yet anyway

).

I haven't done much in the way of cardio over the past month in an effort to stop the weight loss, but apparently that still hasn't worked. I'd like to do cardio at least a couple of times a week (just to keep fit) but, like I said, I was concerned that I just kept getting lighter and lighter. Maybe it's nothing to worry about. My muscles are DEFINITELY bigger than they've ever been in my life, and they are still growing. I can tell, just from looking in the mirror. If I'm getting lighter and lighter and it's still just bodyfat falling off, that's fine. Although I don;t want to look like an Ethiopian kid on steroids by the time I'm done!

I'll try 3,600cal/daily for a month and see how that goes. I'll start doing a couple of 30minute cardio sessions every week too. That way I'll know whether 3,600 will maintain everything I'm currently doing, plus what I've been wanting to do too. Maybe I'll assess the situation again in a just two weeks to make sure that the additional cardio isn't causing yet more weight loss. Even if it is, as long as it's not muscle, I guess I don't care. But, being 6'2", wide shouldered, muscular, and weighing in at 150-something is pretty wierd, isn't it? Pretty damned lean anyway!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

why do you have a separate day for arms?

Simple. My arms need work. When I started going to the gym I was going with some of the guys from my office. It struck me that they were obsessed with their arms. They were wearing sleeveless Tshirts and parading their arms around around like they thought they were Rambo or something. In the changing room it was more than apparent that they had scrawny chests, boney shoulders and stick-like legs. Still, every time they went to the gym they worked their arms out! WTF!? I refused to join them in their efforts and instead I spent my time reading about nutrition, learning about the different exercises and incorporating the stuff I was learning into my daily life. Where they kept hitting their arms I started doing whole workouts of nothing but Back, or nothing but Chest & Abs, or nothing but Shoulders & Traps. After a while I was seeing significant results all over my body and the Office "Arm-y" guys had all quit working out due to lack of results (Not leaving time to heal between arm workouts, IMO).

My calves are 1" bigger than my arms at the moment, and I hear that they're "supposed to be" about the same size (Who invents these things, huh?). So, I'm going to blast the f&^% out of my arms for a few months to see what happens. Also, my shoulders & traps have grown a LOT in the past six months and my arms look like they should be bigger now, to match.

Even after my arms are the same size as my calves (and they match my shoulders a little better) I may still keep a day for an arm workout. The pump feels good and the next day I'm generally crazy-sore. It feels good. Like after a hard day digging the ground, or something.

I have to say, I was suprised to be asked that question though. Don't most people have Arm Day?

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:45pm
Meal 4 - 6:15pm
Meal 5 - missed it. in bed, sleeping.
Meal 6 - missed it. in bed, sleeping.

WORKOUT - None.

MEMO - What a day! I got to work to find out that the $350,000 AEP check was returned by UPS (because they were trying to deliver it to a different address than we had written on the envelope!) and we were liable for a $35,000 late fee!! Holy cow! That's more than enough to get me fired, even if it wasn't my fault.

I spent the morning discussing same w/AEP and our local rep. Eventually all fees were waived, the check was hand delivered and everything was OK, but my adrenalin levels never went down. I was slammed-slammed-slammed at work all day. Everything was due immediately. I left at 5:30pm (waaaay stressed) but should have stayed until 9pm or 10pm to get everything caught up. I got home at 6pm and by 7pm had fallen asleep on the couch. Wife got me to bed and I slept like a log until 5:00am Thursday.

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 5:15am
Meal 2 - 8:15am (after workout)
Meal 3 - 11:45am
Meal 4 - 2:45pm
Meal 5 - 6:00pm
Meal 6 - missed it. fell asleep 7pm-5am (tired!)

MORNING WORKOUT! (Shoulders):
1.(s/set w/#2) Seated Military Press (free weights) w/bar+50lb:14½F,4½F, w/bar+40lb:6F,6½F,5½F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Forward DB raise w/20lb DBs:.10F,10F,7F, w/17½lb DBs:6F,6F.
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine) w/110lb:20(too easy!), w/130lb:20, w/150lb:20, w/160lb:20, w/170lb(1st time):13F. 4.(s/set w/#5)Rear delt machine (near "reverse fly" machine) - w/100lb:15,12F,8F,10½F (incl some partial reps. Only 4sets - running short on time).
5.(s/set w/#4)Lateral Raise w/17½lb:10F,7F,5F,6F. NOTE; Raised arms upwards past shoulders, near upright, to involve traps. Left arm kept failing. All sets failed at more reps than last week. WTG!

6.Upwards row w/bar+2x5lb:15F,11F,9F,9F.(Considered "Fail" if >6-8" from chin at rep top. NOTE: Hands just wider than shoulders to avoid wrists popping). 4 sets only - out of time.

WORKOUT NOTE: I forgot to add **WORKOUT** into my food log (after meal 1), but I did it, honest!

I just couldn't be bothered to delete all my food to add it in after I realized I'd missed it.

MEMO: I woke up so early today (after falling asleep yesterday at 7pm) that I decided to fit a workout in before work. Loaded with Animal Pump, M-Pack, Flex and Pak I hit the gym at 7am!

) I am man. Hear me roar (quietly of course, becuase it's early and I don't want to wake everyone up!)

Anyway... it was a wierd day for food timing becuase I was up so early. Plus, I fell asleep again at 7pm, missing meal 6 and the (garage) leg workout I had planned.

Posted by: Big G

It's 7/1 now and I've been a bad boy about keeping this updated. All the data is still in FitDay.com All I need to do is copy and paste it here. I'm adding 6/15-6/30 notes now and making a little promise to myself to copy this data over more regularly. All comments are welcome, always.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

TANITA says - Weight:

OLD SCALE says 161lb which is the lowest weight I've ever had on that scale. How can I still be losing when I'm eating around 3,200cal daily!? Clearly it's time to add more food! All meals are changing to 600cal+ effective immediately. Cal intake will be 3,600+ from now onwards.

Meal 1 - 6:00am (fell asleep yesterday @ 7pm. up early)
Meal 2 - 9:00am
Meal 3 - 1:45pm (late. after workout)
Meal 4 - 4:45pm
Meal 5 - fell asleep after work. up early. tired.
Meal 6 - fell asleep after work. up early. tired.

WORKOUT (Legs - Aaargh!):
1.Smith Machine Squats w/bar+70lb:20, w/bar+80lb:20, w/bar+90lb:7F.
2.Leg Press Machine w/90lb:20, w/110lb:20, w/140lb:12½F (True fail. No quitting here. I honestly couldn't get it back up. Despite my best effort the weight just buckled my legs and came back down, bottomed out, semi-squashing me!).
2.Rotary Calf Machine Press - w/250lb:20, w/290lb:18F(burn!),16F,15F,14F.
3.Hamstring Curl w/90lb:20, w/110lb:10F(last rep ½way up),10F(last rep ¼way up). 3 SETS ONLY. OUT OF TIME.

WORKOUT MEMO:

1.QUADS: Prior to going camping I did 5 sets of squats w/last 3 sets at bar+90lb (It was awful, but I did it!). This time I got to 7 on the first set at 90lb and already felt terrible; my head ached (it reminded me of the head pain I had when in renal-failure - scary shit! - but surely I can't be dehydrated this time), my legs were shaking, my stomach was churning and I honestly felt like I could throw up! I switched to Leg Press for three more sets so that I could sit down while still working my quads. After the leg press my knees were buckling so badly I could barely walk to the rotary calf machine.

2.CALVES: Prior to camping I did my last set at 390lb. This time I did it with my knees locked straight and 290lb was giving a great burn. I think I must've been using my quads (at least a little bit) to help my calves out last time. Anyway... 290lb worked just fine, so I'll stick to that for next time too.

3.HAMSTRINGS: 90lb felt too easy so I switched it up to 110lb. This actually felt a bit too hard, but I battled it anyway. Next time, maybe, try adding the small round weights (5lb?) to increase the 90lb to 100lb and see if I can get closer to 15reps each set. Also, try drinking less water. While laying face down I was burping up nasty vitamin/creatine-tasting crap and re-swallowing! Urgh!

SUMMARY:
I don't enjoy my current leg workouts at all! There has to be some way to make them fun! After my leg workouts I can barely walk, I'm weak, I feel ill and I can barly make it down the stairs and back to the changing rooms, let alone walk back to the office! Maybe I should do half as many sets and do legs twice a week instead. Maybe I should go for bigger weight and less reps. I don't know. But pushing my legs to breaking point every time is certainly no damned fun. I do it anyway, but still... there has to be a better way (doesn't there!?)

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

Meal 1 - 10:30am
Meal 2 - 2:00pm
Meal 3 - 6:00pm
Meal 4 - 9:30pm
Meal 5 - beer! doh!
Meal 6 - 4:15am

NOTE Re:LEGS - Legs are fucked! Quads and glutes are both fried. It hurts to stand up and it hurts to sit down! Who knew the toilet bowl could be so uncomfortable!? Yesterday I honestly thought there was a chance that there would be minimal pain today but no such luck! Legs are completely fried. I can barely walk.

NOTES Re:SHED - Finished framing and covering shed in underlay/plywood. All windows are installed and I even started on the facia boards (wood trim for around windows and door). Looking good. Need to cover all nail & screw holes tomorrow, then sand smooth. i.e. Getting there!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 8:00am
Meal 2 - beer! stupid, but legs r dead & i'm shed bldg.
Meal 3 - 1:00pm
Meal 4 - 5:00pm
Meal 5 - 9:00pm
Meal 6 - missed it. in bed. sleeping.

NOTE Re:LEGS - Legs are too fucked to walk! Calves have completely seized up and I can barely move my feet! WTF happened on Friday!?

NOTE Re: SHED - Worked on wood facia boards 10am-4:30pm (while hobbling around on v.painful legs!). Ripped fancy detail into all custom-made window/door frames (prior to install). Layered three pieces of wood to create extremely detailed window/door frames, plus added wooden scroll-work to door. All screw & nail holes were filled with wood filler and sanded smooth (should now be invisible after painting). V.happy w/progress. Looking sharp! Can't wait to paint and install vinyl siding. It'll look like a mini Mary Poppins house when I'm done!

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 8:00am
Meal 2 - 11:00am
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (hungry already)
Meal 4 - 5:35pm
Meal 5 - 8:30pm
Meal 6 - 12:00pm

NOTE Re: Food. Away from PC all day (couldn't go upstairs!) so guestimated food. Ended-up 300cal over, but it was all good clean food w/plenty of water.

NOTE Re:LEGS - Called off work today. Legs are too fucked to walk! Calves have completely seized up and I can barely move my feet! WTF happened on Friday!?

READING - Read Nutrient Timing (cover to cover) today while resting in LA-Z Boy with legs fucked. Learned about minimizing muscle damage and improving recovery time by drinking protein/carb drink during and after workout. Will implement new info with next workout (If I can find a suitable PWO drink - or ingredients to make my own).

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm
Meal 4 - 5:00pm
Meal 5 - missed it. slept 6:30pm-7am!!
Meal 6 - missed it. slept 6:30pm-7am!!

MEMO: In an all day training meeting today. Managed to eat some PB sandwiches with some protein shake during the meeting (and avoided ghastly white bread / lunch meat food offered at lunchtime). Skipped 5:00pm dinner w/co-workers at Champps (fried crap!) and went home (v.tired) for a short nap. Woke at 7am next morning! Must've been exhausted!

WORKOUT: None. Planned to do chest but head was overloaded by end of 8hours training. Went home to paint shed, but fell asleep and woke up tomorrow!

NOTE Re: LEGS - Legs are STILL fucked from Friday's workout. Calves are very sore and although I'm walking, I'm moving slowly and still groan from the pain of going up and down stairs.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am (while in all-day training mtg)
Meal 3 - 2:25pm (after "all-day training" mtg ended)
Meal 4 - 6:00pm
Meal 5 - 10:00pm
Meal 6 - 12:45am

NOTE: Wife landed new job today. Cancelled workout plans (at her request) to hang out together & celebrate. Spoke to Trav re: workout plans for weekend. We'll do (i) Chest & (ii) Shoulders (by ourselves, on Thurs & Fri) then do (i) Back and (ii) Arms (together, on Sat & Sun) this weekend (like two weekends ago).

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:30am (late. busy at work. time flew)
Meal 3 - 2:20pm (PWO shake, per Nutrient-Timing book)
Meal 4 - 5:10pm (1.25srvng = last of protein at work)
Meal 5 -
Meal 6 -

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Chest & Abs, 1:17pm-1:57pm):
1.(s/set w/#2) Incline BB Press w/bar+50lb:15,14½F,11F,9F,10F (worse than last workout.WTF?)

2.(s/set w/#1) Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises):20,20,20,20,20.
3.(s/set w/#4) Decline DB Press - w/50lb:15,9F,8½F,8F,7F.
4.(s/set w/#3) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):20,20,20,20,20.

OUT OF TIME before I could get to...
5.Fly Press (laying flat) w/30lb (per last workout).

PWO WEIGHT: 167.5lb.

WORKOUT MEMO: I forgot to take last week's workout notes with me so I had to do it from memory. I didn't do badly, but I only did sets of 20 for lower & upper abs (instead of 25 per usual - I just forgot!). Incline BB results were a little worse than last WO, but Decline DB presses were a little better than last WO.

PWO MEAL NOTES:
After completely fucking my legs up last Friday I read Nutrient Timing (cover to cover) while imobilized in my LA-Z-Boy over the weekend. It talked a lot about minimizing damage during WO and reducing recovery times PWO. Recommendations included a carb/protein drink during and immmdiately after WO. I skipped the white bread & tuna PWO today and bought CytoGainer (Approx $20) instead. It's 98% lactose free and has 54g protein, 79g carbs (6g sugar), 3g creatine, 2g glutamine with no fructose, sucrose or aspartame. It says it's a unique combination of branching & long linear chain maltodextrins (which were mentioned in Nutrient Timing) and contains 100% whey protein sources (concentrate) with "partially digested whey peptides" (partially digested!? eww!). Anyway... It sounds like a good match to what Nutrient Timing recommended (as far as I know!). It tasted crazy sweet to me, but then I haven't had anything sweeter than an apple in 7 months (at least).

AFTER WORK: 2hrs priming/sealing wood trim on shed. All that's left now is paint, siding and shingles. Woohoo!

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:45am (late. v.busy at work).
Meal 3 - 2:15pm (580cal PWO shake)
Meal 4 - 5:15pm
Meal 5 - 8:30pm
Meal 6 - 11:30pm

WORKOUT NOTES (Shoulders & Traps):
1.(s/set w/#2) Seated Military Press (free weights) w/bar+50lb:15F,5½F, w/bar+40lb:9F,5F,3½F.
2.(s/set w/#1) Forward DB raise w/20lb DBs:9F,6½F, w/17½lb DBs:7F,7F,5F.
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine) w/130lb:20, w/140lb:20, w/150lb:20, w/160lb:15F, w/170lb:11F.
4.(s/set w/#5)Rear delt machine (near "reverse fly" machine) - w/100lb:15,15,11F,10½F (Only 4sets - running short on time).
5.(s/set w/#4)Lateral Raise w/17½lb:10F,8F,5F,3½F. NOTE; Raised arms upwards past shoulders, near upright, to involve traps. Left arm kept failing.
6.Upwards row w/bar+2x5lb:12F,9F,9F,7F.(Considered "Fail" if >6-8" from chin at rep top. NOTE: Hands just wider than shoulders to avoid wrists popping). 4 sets only - out of time. Less reps than last week, but did smith shrugs differently this week (usually start at 110lb, but this week I went straight on to 130lb - Seems to have affected #6 & #5 reps. Oh well... It was still a good pump!

WORKOUT NOTES (FOR NEXT TIME):
Re:#2
- Go back to 15lb DBs and see if you can hit 15 reps. 20lb is too heavy for good workout. Weights are going up OK but they just fall back down. Even 17½lb (after the 20lb reps) seems too heavy. It'd be better to get a decent amount of good-quality light-weight reps in rather than only a few heavy reps with some of them utilizing momentum!
Re:#4
- Start on 110lb. 100lb was a little too easy. Run the rack down to 100lb (or even 90lb) after sets 1&2 if needed.

AFTER WORK: 2hrs painting wood trim on shed. All that's left now is siding and shingles (and I can finish that w/Travis over the weekend). Woohoo! Almost finished.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm +beerbeerbeerX12!! WTF!?

Meal 4 - 8:00pm
Meal 5 - 11:30pm
Meal 6 - 12:30pm treat.

NOTE: What can I say? I got up. Trav was here. We tidied the house w/wife for a couple of hours (camping stuff into basement) and headed outside to work on the shed. We took the (very) nearby fence down, installed the siding, rebuilt the fence, installed ½ the siding on the front of the shed AND KILLED 12 BEERS EACH WHILE WE DID IT!

Why do I do this shit to myself? I'm fine with the whole program all week, it seems, then the weekend arrives. If Travis comes over to help with a construction project too, it's ON! Why is that? I completely abandon my previous goals in exchange for that old, familar, fuzzy numbness from a string of cold beers in the heat of the sun?

I'm going to get this diet cleaner. Watch this space. I'm changing my ways!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 9:15am
Meal 2 - 1:30am (setup tents for party)
Meal 3 - 5:00pm (small party w/friends. ate like a horse!)
Meal 4 - 7:00pm (eating again, like it's thanksgiving!)
Meal 5 - missed it. stuffed!
Meal 6 - sleeping!

Ended pig-out day with 3beer while playing poker. Not the best day for body-building but it was fun.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 8:15am (RH killed eggs. Made more & ate driving).
Meal 2 - 11:15pm
Meal 3 - 3:45pm (Late. Dental surgery. Ouch!)
Meal 4 - 6:45pm
Meal 5 - 9:45pm
Meal 6 - 12:20am

NOTES: Wisdom teeth extraction (2mo ago) left a bone spur in one of the holes. Today he reopened the extraction site and used a file to file my jawbone bone-spur off! Urgh! It was awful! Acetaminaphin (Hydrocodone a.k.a Vicadin) painkiller left me groggy, sleepy and stupid. Left work 1hr early (feeling crappy). Workout cancelled. Chilled in my LA-Z-Boy, popped pain-pills and read Extreme Muscle Enhancement instead.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 4:15pm
Meal 5 - 7:15pm (PWO Shake)
Meal 6 - 9:30pm
Meal 7 - 12:00pm

NOTE: Sore from oral surgery yesterday, but not too bad. Didn't take any hydrocodone today because they just make me too numb/sleepy.

WORKOUT (Back & Obliques - Start 6:10pm):
1.Wide grip pull-ups - Me-100lb:10 (warmup), Me-0lb(unassisted):7F,4½F,3½F, Me-50lb:4½F,4½F. [WTF!? This is worse than a month ago! See note below re:weight]
2.Deadlifts w/bar+70lb(warmup):15, w/bar+90lb:15, w/bar+110lb:15(hands hurt), w/bar+130lb:12F, w/bar+140lb(heaviest ever):9F (Excellent! 130lb maxed at 10reps last time. Lower back & hand-grip both definitely stronger than ever).
3.Straight-armed Lat Pulldown (on adjustable cable Xover w/long bar) - w/110lb:14½F,10F,8½F,7½F,7F (Big improvement. All sets w/more reps than ever).
4.Seated row w/120lb:10F, w/110lb:10F, w/100lb:15,9F,9F. (I couldn't find the handle I usually use. It felt weird using a different kind. Comment from last WO recommended increasing weight above 100lb, but with different/wider handle it just didn't feel right. 100lb was better).
5.Oblique Raises;R25,L25,R25,L25,R25,L25.

Skipped #6 (already been there 1¼hours!).
6.Close-grip Lat Pulldown (on machine) w/100lb:none.
End 7:20pm

NOTES: I don't know why, but I've gained 7-10lb in the past two or three weeks. The gym scale said 175.5lb after WO which is my highest weight in several months (It was 168.5 just last week, I think). My old bathroom scale says 170lb whereas it was 161lb a couple of weeks ago. My pants still fit well, and my abs still show, so I don't know what's going on, but it certainly knocked a few reps off my pull-ups! Why would I balloon up like this? I haven't changed anything in particular.

WORKOUT NOTES: OK workout, but not the best pump ever. The gym was so busy I had to sit and wait for the lat pulldown and row machine. Plus, the deadlift spot was occupied so I had to pinch a bar from an incline BB set-up and do my deadlifts in the middle of the floor. Not bad, but it wasted time. Need more intensity next time.

PWO NOTES: Next day my back was only a little bit sore. Could be the PWO shake I'm drinking nowadays helping recovery, or it could just've been a whimpy workout. I lifted more weght than ever before, and did more reps too (mostly, anyway). I sweat pretty good, but waiting for machines to become available took some of the intensity out of it.

NEXT TIME: Start deadlifts at Bar+90lb, then go 110lb, 130lb, 140lb and finish up with bar+150lb(i.e. 195lb). I think I could do it (it'd certainly help improve my wrist grip anyway, which is often a problem in the last couple sets of deadlifts and heavy BB shoulder shrugs).

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:20am
Meal 3 - 1:50pm (PWO shake)
Meal 4 - 3:50pm
Meal 5 - 7:00pm
Meal 6 - 10:30pm

WORKOUT (Arms):
1.(s/set w/#2) Dips (unassisted) - 14F,8F,5F,4½F,3½F.(10reps w/rope-pulldown w/100lb for warmup).
2.(s/set w/#1) BB bicep curl - w/60lbBB:14F,8F,5F,4½F,5½F.
3.(s/set w/#4) Wrist DB curls (palm up, both hands w/DB) - w/30lb:15,11F,11F,8F,9½F.
4.(s/set w/#3)Wrist DB curls (palm down, arms @90º, both hands w/DB) - w/15lb:15,14½F,12F,11F,10F.
5.(s/set w/#6)Alternating DB curls R,L,R,L... (supinating wrist) w/25lb:24F,14F,14F,9F,8F.
6.(s/set w/#5)Skull Crushers - w/20lb:15,12F,9½F,6½F,4½F.

WORKOUT NOTE: Nice workout. Good arm pump. No stopping for breaks. Sweat like a pig! Too weak to pull T-shirt off at the end! Some sets higher than last week. Some slightly less. Overall improvement though (I think). I forgot to take last week's workout notes with me so I did it from memory, mostly pushing to failure each time. Weights s/b good for next time. Plenty of resistance at these weights.

WEIGHT (after WO, shower, pee & 2x12oz PWO shakes): 171.1lb (Down 4½lb from yesterday! But, yesterday's reading was disturbingly high. Still up 3-4lb on a few weeks ago. Hopefully a LBM gain!).

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 11:00am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (PWO shake)
Meal 4 - 5:15pm
Meal 5 - 8:25pm (worked late. met w/wife, got home 8:15)
Meal 6 - 11:15pm
Meal 7 - 1:30am (whey shake. up late updating this!)

WORKOUT (Legs... And, for once, not so bad. See below.):
1.Smith Machine Squats w/bar+70lb:20, w/bar+80lb:20, w/bar+90lb:10, w/bar+100lb(heaviest ever):10. [I am MAN. Hear me ROAR!!

Wa-a-a-ayyy better than ever - see notes below].
2.Leg Press Machine w/90lb:20, w/110lb:20, w/140lb:15. 2.Rotary Calf Machine Press - w/250lb:20, w/290lb:18F(burn!),13F(machine catching on something. Did 16F last week),15F,14F(machine fixed itself - same reps as last week. Don't want to go further. Couldn't walk for three days last time!).
3.Hamstring Curl w/90lb:20, w/110lb:10F(last rep ½way up),10F(last rep ¼way up). 3 SETS ONLY. OUT OF TIME.

WORKOUT NOTES:
Last week (actually Fri' 6/15) my legs were so fucked after this same workout that I had to call-off work on Monday because I still couldn't walk! While laying around the house (crippled!) I read Nutrient Timing (see 6/15-6/18 log). It took the author 300 pages to basically recommend a high-carb protein shake immediate after workout (to spike insulin and improve recovery speed). I ate white bread and tuna after the 6/15 workout and then drank 6 beers 6or7 hours later (Probably not too smart!). This week I wanted to see if my legs would be equally as fucked if I did the same workout, with 580cal of CytoGainer (79g complex carbs - only 6g sugar - and 54g protein) afterwards (And no beer. Duh!).

Another interesting thing I learned (just last night, reading Extreme Muscle Enhancement) is that I should be careful with my water intake before and during a workout that involves bending at the waste (deadlifts, *squats*, etc...) becuase it squashes the abdomen and can cause nausea. I'm ALWAYS nausious after doing squats, but then I always drink a lot of water. Since my kidneys failed due to dehydration (about 3mo ago) I've been just paranoid about that.

This week was THE GREATEST LEG WORKOUT EVER!!! No nausea (that REALLY helps!) plus I was stronger than ever. I stuck, pretty much, to the same weights and reps as last time except I did 10 squats at 90lb+bar (after 20w/70lb+bar & 20more w/80lb+bar) and still felt fine (I failed on 7 last time). So... I added more weight!!

I knocked out 10more reps with 100lb+bar (my best so far) and still felt fine. I didn't want to completely fuck myself up (like last time) so I stopped there and went on to do the same reps/weight as last time on the leg press, rotary calf and leg-bend (for glutes).

I walked to the changing room, still kind-of wobbly (knees buckling), but after chugging that 580cal shake and taking a shower I managed to walk back to my office without too much problem. As of 6pm (the time now) I'm feeling confident that tomorrow will be much better than 6/16-6/18! And, like I said, I did more weight and more reps at squats than on 6/15.

For the first time ever, I'm going to say "that leg workout ROCKED!", instead of "that leg workout SUCKED!" The lack of nausea definitely helped the most. I always hated feeling like I was about to barf while my legs are shaking and I'm trying to stand up with all that weight on my shoulders.

Note to self:
NEXT TIME - Try some free-weight squats. Maybe do the 70lb reps with free weights, then continue on the smith machine. Maybe just try some 60lb+bar squats to be extra careful. Maybe just use the damn bar! Whatever! Just try it!

WEIGHT - after workout, pee, shower & 2x12oz shakes = 174lb (Up 3lb on yesterday lunch, but down 1½lb compared to Tuesday after work. WTF!? How am I supposed to know if I'm growing with the fucking scale going waaaay up and waaaay down all the freaking time!? Whatever. The mirror doesn't lie. If you ask me I've gained a little body fat (I'm not too worried about that - I'm still ripped) but I've also gained a shit-load of muscle. My jeans catch on my calves when I pull them off nowadays. Plus, I have upper leg definition now.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am (damn! forgot shake. drank it 11:45am)
Meal 3 - 1:55pm (Oops! dropped 1/3rd pc toast w/PB)
Meal 4 - missed it. drinking.

(
Meal 5 - 10:00pm (small meal. couldn't eat).
Meal 6 - missed it. passed out!

NOTE: Here we go again!

At 4:30pm the office closed early and the boss opened half a dozen bottles of wine (left over from a charity function) for the staff to share. I joined them for a glass of wine, that soon turned into 3 glasses. Afterwards we relocated to a nearby bar to smoke some cigars. 3 beers flowed down. I munched on a chicken-breast snadwich, but didn't feel hungry and only ate a little bit of it. I went home at about 10pm and just passed out in my LA-Z Boy. Stupid.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

Meal 1 - 8:45am
Meal 2 - 12:00pm
Meal 3 - 3:30pm (slept 12:30-3:00pm)
Meal 4 - 8:15pm (slept 4:00pm-8:00pm)
Meal 5 - 11:30pm
Meal 6 - 3:15am

NOTE: Woke up today with a horrible head-ache. I guess beer & red wine (see yesterday's notes) is a deadly concoction! I got up at 8am, made 4pc toast w/PB & eggs, but couldn't eat two of the slices of toast. I drove to work with wife (to pickup my truck which I'd left at work yesterday after drinking). I did a quick grocery shop (dog food & detergent) and went home to eat. After that I fell asleep and woke up at 3pm. I ate again, still felt crappy, so went back to bed again, waking up again at 8pm. i.e. Slept all day!

Damn alcohol, fucking up my weekend. I wanted to do the last wall of siding on the shed today, and instead I'm sleeping off a hangover.

Posted by: Big G

I wanted to add that I'm more than open for comments. I'm a complete lightweight compared to many of you on this board. I have no doubt that you are all a wealth of information compared to my measly 8months of progress.

I may have been a bit snotty in a few of my posts on here. And if I've trodden on anyone's toes, I apologise. Sometimes I can be a bit of an asshole I think. I don't mean to be. I was using this board in a kind-of chaotic way sometimes, just spouting any ol' crap, like it didn't matter. But I've since met some really nice, caring people on here and wanted to say a quick "Sorry!" if I've been a bit dick-ish to any of you that happen to be reading this.

I'm a nice, easy-going guy by nature. Honest. I don't normally bark or bite.

With that said, I'm competely done losing body fat. I dropped from 194lb to 161lb in about 4months then, since about April, it's all been about muscle growth. I'm growing too. It's cool. I like it. And my wife definitely likes it!

I weigh about 168lb now. I'm eating about 3,600cal daily and I feel big. Muscular. It's funny. I want more-bigger-faster!

If you'd care to share something that might help, I'd be more than grateful.

So that's the lowdown, in a rambling, apologetic, summarized, kind-of synopsis

I just wanna grow! Oh! And not loose sight of my abs while I grow. I love my abs. I'd never seen 'em before. Now I love 'em.

I weigh about 168lb now. I'm eating about 3,600cal daily and I feel big. Muscular. It's funny. I want more-bigger-faster!

If you'd care to share something that might help, I'd be more than grateful.

So that's the lowdown, in a rambling, apologetic, summarized, kind-of synopsis

I just wanna grow! Oh! And not loose sight of my abs while I grow. I love my abs. I'd never seen 'em before. Now I love 'em.

I weigh about 168lb now. I'm eating about 3,600cal daily and I feel big. Muscular. It's funny. I want more-bigger-faster!

If you'd care to share something that might help, I'd be more than grateful.

So that's the lowdown, in a rambling, apologetic, summarized, kind-of synopsis

I just wanna grow! Oh! And not loose sight of my abs while I grow. I love my abs. I'd never seen 'em before. Now I love 'em.

Posted by: Double D

I think the first thing you should do is take a look at other journals and notice how they setup their journals. Yours is very tough to read.

Write out your entire program and I will take a look at it. For a guy who hasnt been into it very long I would use some type off upper/lower split.

Maybe something like:
Upper Vertical Plus Biceps
Lower
Upper Horizontal Plus Triceps
Lower

Posted by: P-funk

It is really hard to read your workouts. I can't tell what the hell is going on.

Simplify them so that we can understand the program. Like this:

Bench press
95/3 sets x 10 reps

It is a lot easier to read. I honestly looked at this last page and I just see a whole bunch of jumble. Be specific about what you are doing and get a plan together.

Posted by: Big G

FYI.. I disn't mean to post that "Your thoughts" post three times. I don;t even know how that happened.

Anyway... DD & Funk... Let me see what I can do. Maybe that's why no-ones offered any advice, they don't understanding what I'm writing.

When I get off work tonight I'll do some work on it. Thanks for lookin' anyway.

Posted by: Double D

I post in most journals so it is the reason I havent posted here.

Posted by: Big G

Looking back, I can't believe it's not understandable. The leg workout shown above says

WORKOUT (Legs... And, for once, not so bad. See below.):
1.Smith Machine Squats w/bar+70lb:20, w/bar+80lb:20, w/bar+90lb:10, w/bar+100lb(heaviest ever):10. [I am MAN. Hear me ROAR!! Wa-a-a-ayyy better than ever - see notes below].
2.Leg Press Machine w/90lb:20, w/110lb:20, w/140lb:15.
3.Rotary Calf Machine Press - w/250lb:20, w/290lb:18F(burn!),13F(machine catching on something. Did 16F last week),15F,14F(machine fixed itself - same reps as last week. Don't want to go further. Couldn't walk for three days last time!).
4.Hamstring Curl w/90lb:20, w/110lb:10F(last rep ½way up),10F(last rep ¼way up). 3 SETS ONLY. OUT OF TIME.

Is that honestly confusing?

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

Looking back, I can't believe it's not understandable. The leg workout shown above says

WORKOUT (Legs... And, for once, not so bad. See below.):
1.Smith Machine Squats w/bar+70lb:20, w/bar+80lb:20, w/bar+90lb:10, w/bar+100lb(heaviest ever):10. [I am MAN. Hear me ROAR!! Wa-a-a-ayyy better than ever - see notes below].
2.Leg Press Machine w/90lb:20, w/110lb:20, w/140lb:15.
3.Rotary Calf Machine Press - w/250lb:20, w/290lb:18F(burn!),13F(machine catching on something. Did 16F last week),15F,14F(machine fixed itself - same reps as last week. Don't want to go further. Couldn't walk for three days last time!).
4.Hamstring Curl w/90lb:20, w/110lb:10F(last rep ½way up),10F(last rep ¼way up). 3 SETS ONLY. OUT OF TIME.

Is that honestly confusing?

It just looks like a mess all bunched together. w/250lbs....what the hell is the w/ there for?

WHy are you doing 20 reps on everything? What is the overall program here?

what is the goal?

why is every single one of your leg exercises performed on a machine? Get off the damn machines and start training in 3D.

Posted by: Big G

I do five workouts. I try to get all five in every week, but I have been known to do all five, take one rest day and start again on day 7. Or, if I miss a couple of days it may take me 8days to compete all five. Either way, this is what I've been doing for the past couple of months...

1. Chest & Abs
2. Shoulders & traps
3. Back
4. Arms
5. Legs

The exercises I've included in each workout are as follows:

Chest & Shoulders:
1.Incline BB Press (s/set w/#2)
2.Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises) (s/set w/#1)
3.Decline DB Press (s/set w/#4)
4.Decline sit-ups (s/set w/#3)
5.DB Flies.

Shoulders & Traps:
1.Seated Military BB Press (s/set w/#2)
2.Forward DB raise (s/set w/#1)
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine)
4.Rear delt machine (s/set w/#5)
5.Lateral Raise (s/set w/#4)
6.Upwards BB row

Back & Obliques
1.Wide grip pull-ups
2.BB Deadlifts
3.Straight-armed Lat Pulldown (on ½ of cable Xover)
4.Seated row
5.Oblique Raises;
6.Close-grip Lat Pulldown

Arms:
1.Dips (s/set w/#2)
2.BB bicep curl (s/set w/#1)
3.Wrist DB curls (palm up, both hands w/DB) (s/set w/#4)
4.Wrist DB curls (palm down, arms @90º, both hands w/DB) (s/set w/#3)
5.Alternating DB curls R,L,R,L... (supinating wrist) (s/set w/#6)
6.Skull Crushers (s/set w/#5)

Legs
1.Smith Machine Squats (I plan to switch to free-weights soon. I'm just new to all this and have been a little nervous of free-weight squats).
2.Leg Press Machine
3.Rotary Calf Machine Press
4.Hamstring Curl (face down, bending knee to pull my heel up to my butt).

I generally try to do five sets of each, failing almost all sets (except 1st or 2nd sets perhaps) in the 5-15 range. If I don't think I'll get at least 5reps I'll drop the weight. If I do 15 and it doesn't hurt I'll continue to 20 then increase the weight for the next set so I do fail between 5&15.

I often go to the gym at lunch, so I have to be in and out in an hour. I s/set a lot of exercises to save time and add intensity.

My legs always hurt for damned-near a whole week after my leg workout. I can't imagine doing legs twice a week (like DD said above). Also, I kind-of enjoy anihilating my back, one day, then my legs (for example) on another. I don't really want to do lats & calves one day, then quads & lower back the next (i.e. all mixed up) but I guess I will if I have to.

Thoughts?

w/thx,
G.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

I do five workouts:

1. Chest & Abs
2. Shoulders & traps
3. Back
4. Arms
5. Legs

The exercises I've included in each workout are as follows:

Chest & Shoulders:
1.Incline BB Press (s/set w/#2)
2.Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises) (s/set w/#1)
3.Decline DB Press (s/set w/#4)
4.Decline sit-ups (s/set w/#3)
5.DB Flies.

Shoulders & Traps:
1.Seated Military BB Press (s/set w/#2)
2.Forward DB raise (s/set w/#1)
3.Shoulder Shrug (on smith machine)
4.Rear delt machine (s/set w/#5)
5.Lateral Raise (s/set w/#4)
6.Upwards BB row

Back & Obliques
1.Wide grip pull-ups
2.BB Deadlifts
3.Straight-armed Lat Pulldown (on ½ of cable Xover)
4.Seated row
5.Oblique Raises;
6.Close-grip Lat Pulldown

Arms:
1.Dips (s/set w/#2)
2.BB bicep curl (s/set w/#1)
3.Wrist DB curls (palm up, both hands w/DB) (s/set w/#4)
4.Wrist DB curls (palm down, arms @90º, both hands w/DB) (s/set w/#3)
5.Alternating DB curls R,L,R,L... (supinating wrist) (s/set w/#6)
6.Skull Crushers (s/set w/#5)

WORKOUT (Legs... And, for once, not so bad. See below.):
1.Smith Machine Squats (I'll plan to switch to free-weights soon. I'm just new and have been a little nervous of free-weight squats).
2.Leg Press Machine
3.Rotary Calf Machine Press
4.Hamstring Curl (face down, bending knee to pull my heel up to my butt).

I generally try to do five sets of each, failing almost all sets (except 1st or 2nd sets perhaps) in the 5-15 range. If I don't think I'll get at least 5reps I'll drop the weight. If I do 15 and it doesn't hurt I'll continue to 20 then increase the weight for the next set so I do fail between 5&15.

I often go to the gym at lunch, so I have to be in and out in an hour. I s/set a lot of exercises to save time and add intensity.

My legs always hurt for damned-near a whole week after my leg workout. I can;t imagine doing legs twice a week (like DD said above).

Thoughts?

w/thx,
G.

5 sets is a lot per execise for that rep range.

stop going to failure all the time.

be more specific with rep ranges and loading.

just because your legs hurt that bad, doesn't mean it is a good thing. In fact, it is stupid as hell. Lower the volume and train more frequently.

Ditch all wasted day.....if you are short on time, go into the gym with a plan. Use exercises that give you the biggest bang for your buck. Spending 45min. training arms is a waste of time.

Posted by: Big G

But it takes damned-near an hour to do two bi-cep exercises, two tri-cep exercises and two forearm exercises.

Posted by: Double D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

But it takes damned-near an hour to do two bi-cep exercises, two tri-cep exercises and two forearm exercises.

Which in the long run is a waste of time. You would get more out of doing 2 back exercises, 2 chest exercises and maybe a few sets of curls.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

5 sets is a lot per execise for that rep range. OK. I'll do 3sets then and just add some different exercises to fill the remaining time. Sound better?

stop going to failure all the time. OK, although I am really surpised to read that. What happened to increasing intensity with partial reps, forced reps, etc? That's all beyond-failure, right?

be more specific with rep ranges and loading. You mean specifically how many I did last workout, or...? See, I normally just pick a weight where I know I'll fail between 5&15. For example, I'll get 15 (set1) then fail on maybe 10 (2nd set), then fail on 5 (3rd set) then drop the weight for set four and get maybe 10 again (at failure) then maybe 5 on the last set.

just because your legs hurt that bad, doesn't mean it is a good thing. In fact, it is stupid as hell. Lower the volume and train more frequently. Really? OK. That sounds good to me. I can barely walk whenever I leave the gym after leg day and last weekend, for example, my calves seized up so badly (after a Friday workout) that I had to call-off on Monday because I couldn't move my feet up or down at all!

Ditch all wasted day.....Huh? You mean don't post anything on here if I didn't workout that day?

if you are short on time, go into the gym with a plan. I always go to the gym with a plan. The plan is always to do whichever workout is next on the list.

Use exercises that give you the biggest bang for your buck. I thought my workouts were providing good bang for my buck. That's why I asked for your help.

Posted by: Bakerboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

But it takes damned-near an hour to do two bi-cep exercises, two tri-cep exercises and two forearm exercises.

If you are doing big compound lifts you don't need to do much if any isolation work for your arms.
You are thinking about bodyparts instead of movements.

Posted by: Double D

Wasted day to P means something like an arm day.

Posted by: DOMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bakerboy

If you are doing big compound lifts you don't need to do much if any isolation work for your arms.
You are thinking about bodyparts instead of movements.

All of that shouldn't take more than 12 minutes total.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Which in the long run is a waste of time. You would get more out of doing 2 back exercises, 2 chest exercises and maybe a few sets of curls.

Geez. I am confused. How would my triceps and forearms be getting a good workout by not doing any triceps and forearms exercises!?

Posted by: Double D

Bench, Incline, OH press, Pushups, etc.....really hits your triceps

Pullups, Chins, Any rows, etc.....really hits your biceps

You could do a pull day and add in 3-4 sets of bicep curls at the end of it. Its not like you have to get rid of the curls all together.

Same goes for the triceps. Push day add in some tri work at the end.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Wasted day to P means something like an arm day.

OK. I'm seriously mind-boggled here.

I started doing leg-presses and my quads got bigger. I started doing bench presses and my chest got bigger. But if I do tri-cep pulldowns and wrist curls then that's a waste of time!? Why wouldn't they grow if I exercise them? They seem to be growing to me.

This is wierd. I must be missing some crucial information here. I've done a lot of reading over the past eight months. I can't believe I feel, and probably sound, like such a dumbfuck right now.

Posted by: DOMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

Geez. I am confused. How would my triceps and forearms be getting a good workout by not doing any triceps and forearms exercises!?

You'd be working them "indirectly". I use that term loosely. When you do benching, for example, you require a lot from your triceps. Don't worry too much about isolation work (curls, extensions) at first. Just stick to the big compounds and your body will grow.

Posted by: Big G

OK. I need a list of big compounds then.

I posted a thread a couple of days ago asking for good exercise books. There were lots of hits and lots of recommendations. I guess I just need to get on Amazon and buckle down for some major reading.

It's disappointing to realize I've basically been mislead all this time. I distinctly remember in Arnold's encyclopedia (for example) it says your forearms are a muscle just like any other and they need to be worked out too. He lists suitable exercises afterwards. So that's what I did.

This is all a little frustrating.

Posted by: Double D

Legs
Squat Variants
Deadlift Variants
Good Mornings
Lunges

Chest
Bench
Incline
Decline
Pushups

Shoulders
OH Press
(Keep in mind working the chest also works the shoulders)

Back
Pullups/Chins
Row Variants

Posted by: Triple Threat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Legs
Squat Variants
Deadlift Variants
Good Mornings
Lunges

Chest
Bench
Incline
Decline
Pushups

Shoulders
OH Press
(Keep in mind working the chest also works the shoulders)

Back
Pullups/Chins
Row Variants

Hey, that's my workout routine (except for the OH press).

Posted by: Double D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple Threat

Hey, that's my workout routine (except for the OH press).

Yeah it pretty much is.

Posted by: Big G

DD - Thx.

I've read that there is a lot of argument as to which body parts to combine. I stuck shoulders and traps together becuase I like the pump I get off it (I just feel huge afterwards). I stuck back & obliques together becuase they're all in the same kind-of area. And I stuck chest and abs together for the same kind-of reason.

I don't mind doing away with my arm day if it's just a waste of time (that still sounds pretty wierd to me... but I trust y'all so steer me right) but can we have a look at my next planned workout, for example?

Chest & Abs. (Asumming it's still OK to do these together, of course).
I've been doing Chest incline BB press as the first exercise (I hear it's better than decline for mass-bldg, so I put it first) s/set with leg raises (for extra intensity, and also to save time). Is that combo still OK?

I do decline DB press (which is also on the Big Comound list) s/set decline sit-ups (so I don't have to get off the decline bench and, again, to save some time). Is that still OK?

I do DB flies last becuase I heard it's not much of a mass-bldr, but I've had some time left after 5sets of each of above (although now I guess I'll have loads of time left because i'm only supposed to do 3sets of each instead) and I figured it was another angle to hit my chest from.

Since the incline BB press and decline DB press are both on the Big Compund list (above) does my chest workout actually seem so bad? If so, how? And what should I do to change it?

I was planning to do Chest tonight, so any thoughts would be very very welcome.

Thanks everyone anyway for all your advice. I really do appreciate it.

Posted by: Double D

Hum...why not just put exercises together like this:

Upper Vertical:
Pullups
Incline presses
Chins
Dips
Curls

Legs:
Squats
Deadlift
Lunges
Good mornings or glute ham raises
Calve work

Upper Horizontal:
Bench
DB Row
Weight pushups or Decline Press
Cable row or supine row
Skull Crushers

Loading:
Wks1-2:3x12 with a 60 second ri
Wks3-4:3x6-8 with a 90 second ri
Wks5-6:3x3-5 with a full recovery ri
Wk7

eload or take off

Posted by: Big G

I guess I'm not wondering why not just put exercises together like this, but why put exercises together like this. When I ask people in the gym (even huge dudes) what they're working today they'll say Chest, Back or whatever. I've never had someone reply "Lats, Chest, Biceps and Triceps" as would be the case doing Pullups, Incline presses, Chins, Dips and Curls, wouldn't it?

Has the Group-By-Movement-Type (e.g. Vertical, Horizontal, etc) methodology been found to be considerably more successful for hypertrophy than a Group-By-Body-Part (e.g. Chest, Back, etc) methodology? And, if so, which rock has seemingly everyone in my gym been hiding under!? Joking (but genuinely interested).

Posted by: Double D

Think of it as movements. Your joints and muscles move one way so you train all of them in that motion. And then the next day its a totally different motion. Not to mention doing things this way is the easiest way to keep from overtraining, imo. I have done bodypart splits, but I will tell you I have never been as strong as I am now with the upper lower split. I actually do this:

Mon-Upper
Tues-Lower
Fri-Total

Posted by: Big G

Wait a minute. That's split by bodypart then, right? What happened to all the Upper Vertical and Upper Horizontal separation? Or, are you doing all of that on Monday and Friday?

Isn't this all just a matter of personal preference? Everyone seems to have a different opinion.

Posted by: Double D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

Wait a minute. That's split by bodypart then, right? What happened to all the Upper Vertical and Upper Horizontal separation? Or, are you doing all of that on Monday and Friday?

Isn't this all just a matter of personal preference? Everyone seems to have a different opinion.

Depends on who you ask. I am a certified training, P funk is a certified trainer. And I would like to say hes one of the smartest damn guys I have ever talked to! Realize this: There are tons of big guys in this world. But to get there they may have done more damage to themselves than they shouldve. Things like muscle imbalances.....which effect posture and can actually lead to things like diseases! They put uneeded stresses on the human body that dont need to be there. A good based program of movements and not muscles in my honest opinion is the best way to go! Atleast starting out anyways until you get to learn your body.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

A good based program of movements and not muscles in my honest opinion is the best way to go!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

I actually do this:

Mon-Upper
Tues-Lower
Fri-Total

So "Upper" would be:

Upper Vertical:
Pullups
Incline presses
Chins
Dips
Curls

AND

Upper Horizontal:
Bench
DB Row
Weight pushups or Decline Press
Cable row or supine row
Skull Crushers

?????

Posted by: Double D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

Haha....good point. Like I have said knowing your body and how it works in the best way to go. I think I may have said to much and not stayed basic enough. Sorry about that. Just ask around a bit more. I dont deny stewart's success hes a big guy and has had great success. His training is a bit suspect at times because he changes it up so much, but hes a big guy so its tough to argue it. However keep in mind just because someone is big doesnt mean they are doing everything right (I dont mean stew on this, just big guys in general).

Posted by: Double D

A simple upper can go like this:

Push horizontal-Bench
Pull Vertical-Pullups
Push Vertical-Dips
Pull Horizontal-DB Rows

Aux work-Biceps, triceps, etc....(normally 3 sets of X amount of reps)

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Just ask around a bit more.

Thanks. It's all much clearer now.

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 10:45am (missed eggs. added to bottom of list)
Meal 2 - 2:00pm
Snack - 3:30pm
Meal 3 - 5:30pm
Meal 4 - 9:45pm
Meal 5 - 12:15pm
Meal 6 - sleeping.

Shed building today for approx 10hours. Almost finshed. Covered last wall with siding. Painting the door and installing shingles is all that remains. It looks awesome.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 11:00am-12:00am (busy. bite here, bite there)
Meal 3 - 3:40pm (late. time just flew by)
Meal 4 - 7:30pm (PWO shake)
Meal 5 - 9:30pm
Meal 6 - 12:30am

WORKOUT NOTES (Chest & Abs)
1.(s/set w/#2) Incline BB Press w/bar+60lb:15, w/bar+70lb:12½F,7F, w/bar+60lb:10F,9F. (waaaay better than ever!)

2.(s/set w/#1) Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises):20,20,20,20,20.
3.(s/set w/#4) Decline DB Press - w/50lb:12½F,10F,9F,7F,6F.
4.(s/set w/#3) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):25,25,20F,11½F (4sets only. quads still hurt from Friday).
5.Fly Press (laying flat) w/30lb:15,10F,7½F, w/25lb:8½F,9½F.

PWO WEIGHT (after shower, sauna, pee): 172.1lb (going up!)

NOTES: Posted a whole bunch on ironmag forums today. Sought advice from familiar names. Conclusions... My workouts suck. I have no idea what I'm doing. And everything needs changed! Doh!

Went home and read Extreme Muscle Enhancement's ChapterII (Training). Learned going to failure all the time is dumb... As an ecto/endomorph(80/20) I should stay away from cardio (QUOTE: "Cardio is a bad idea for an ectomorph with weak legs that wants to build body mass"), plus...

Reps s/b in 6-8 range (no failing & no burn! so it says!).
Sets s/b 5-8 per body part
Recovery s/b 3-5 days

NOTE "s/b" = Should Be.

Additionally, there should be NO PAUSES or stalling at the top of the movement (unless it's to squeeze/contract). The sets s/b getting heavier with decreasing reps (or not). I should "keep the pace steady & go for broke on the last set"

Also, regarding reps:
Lrg body parts (e.g. Chest, Shoulders & Ham Strings) respond well to sets as low as 6.
Small body parts (Triceps, Biceps, Traps) respond well to sets comprised of around 8 reps.
Complex body parts (Back, Quads) like sets of approx 10reps.
Dense body parts (abs, calves) do best with 15 or more reps.

Emailed feedback, posts on this journal, posts from other threads and feedback from private messages (on ironmag forum) confirmed much of this. EVERYTHING I do needs revised.

Back to the drawing board! So much to learn! Still... hypertrophy is worth it!

Posted by: SamEaston

G, Im not here to give you advice - cos i don't know squat - but don't be hard on yourself! You're doing really well. You said yourself you used to be skinny and now your packing on the muscle plus lowering your BF%. And that doesn't happen without major effort!

The main thing is to make sure you're covering all your bases in terms of training. Listen to what everyone has to say and take it all into consideration. Putting on muscle in the safest and most balanced way is everyone's priority on this board - no-one wants to find out what they've been doing is going to cause them an injury!

You made it here at the end of the day - and that's all that matters! (And finishing the shed, of course

)

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

You made it here at the end of the day - and that's all that matters! (And finishing the shed, of course

)

And finishing the shed, of course

Hey, Sam! Nice to hear from you again. Thanks for stopping by!

I'm quite literally all-ears at the moment. I don't feel too bad about clearly being so uneducated about all this. I never knew jack about squat before. Hell, I'd never even seen inside a gym until December last year and I just look f*&^in' incredible compared to then. Traps, lats, chest, biceps, legs... everything... has changed. I'm ripped and I've grown so much I feel weird in my own skin. It's a significant difference. I love it.

Yesterday my wife peered over my shoulder while I was looking at a few of the pictures in the middle of Extreme Muscle Enhancement (my latest read) and she was getting all grossed out looking at some of their legs. When I went to bed that night she started going "Eeewww!" and "Uurrggh!" looking at my legs. It caused me to take a moment and look for myself. I have veins everywhere. Thick ones, rolling like mountain rivers all over my legs. They've grown so much, it's crazy. There's all kinds of definition there now. Plus, my jeans are hard to pull off these days becuase my calves have grown so much!

I clearly have a lot yet to learn. I definitely want to revise my workouts so that I'm gettng the most out of all this effort. Hopefully P-Funk, Double D, Witch and others will steer me right. Some of the info I get seems to conflict. Like last night, Extreme Muscle Enhancement says No Cardio For Ectomorphs but today I got a private message (from one of the ol' boys on this site) that tells me run 3 times a week. Big difference! IMO I'm not convinced that running 3x wk is a good idea for me. I lost 4lb in May eating 3,200cal daily with no cadio. I upped it to 3,600-4,000 (depending on how long the day is) in June (again w/no cardio) and finally saw a few pounds growth. If I start burning 300-600cal on a treadmill 3x week I'm not sure iot will help growth. Maybe with a lot more food it would, but then my legs are often sore from workouts and I think, if they're sore, they should be rested.

I guess, in the end, it alls come down to the old addage... Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.

How've you been?

Posted by: Stewart14

You simply are going to get different advice from everyone you talk to. What I would do with that, is to take the bits and pieces of all the info people give you that APPEALS to you and your goals, and put something together on your own.

You really don't want to follow a workout split that someone writes up for you here (unless you specifically ask for one that addresses your goals) cause that split might not be in your best interests.

None of the info is bad info, there is just too much info and it is very easy to get lost in it, so to speak.

Decide what YOU want to do, and figure out the best way to get there based on all the info people have given you. I won't even give you a split or a sample because that would just be my opinion, and it might not be what you want.

Look at what you wrote about your rep ranges for your bodyparts that you feel works for you. Start with that and build your program around that. I will tell you that I think you should work out as frequently as possible, while still allowing some recovery time. Training a bodypart once per week will work, but there are more efficient ways to get from A to B.

Posted by: SamEaston

By the sounds of things, you're doing great! When you stop putting on slabs of muscle, thats when you start looking for other options!

I agree with you that adding cardio to your program probably won't do you any favours. You sound as if its difficult enough to eat enough calories at the moment without the added stress of cardio. Plus your a busy guy - when would you fit it in, and would your weights sessions suffer because of it? Maybe you will add it in in the future, for the sake of your health, but thats for you to decide.

Im very well, thank you! Taking a couple of weeks off rowing, just enjoying my sessions and trying to keep the fat off! I can't wait till i start bulking in September - im hoping i'll start shifting crazy weights (for a girl, obviously!).

Im feeling an affinity with your shed - as if i've followed its progress as you've built it! I hope your going to post a pic of it once its done?

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Im feeling an affinity with your shed - as if i've followed its progress as you've built it! I hope your going to post a pic of it once its done?

DEFINITELY! It's looking so good already that I was actually thinking of
doing that last weekend, but I haven't airbrushed the front door yet. I use an automotive airbruish for most of my household painting (not walls, but cupboards, doors etc) becuase it lays flay and shiny like a car body, free of any brush marks and imperfections. You'll see.

Glad you've been well. Cutting until September sounds like a pain the pah-toot! How much do you need to lose?

Posted by: P-funk

all I have to say is:

a) what is extreme muscle enhancement?

b) anyone who says that you should do no cardio at all is a fucking moron. even as an ectomorph, you need to enhance work capacity.....check out the last entry in my blog.

c) it sounds like that site is riddled in bodybuilding myth.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart20

...take the bits and pieces of all the info people give you that APPEALS to you and your goals, and put something together on your own.

Look at what you wrote about your rep ranges for your bodyparts that you feel works for you. Start with that and build your program around that. I will tell you that I think you should work out as frequently as possible, while still allowing some recovery time. Training a bodypart once per week will work, but there are more efficient ways to get from A to B.

Yeah! More efficient from A to B. I like the sound of that! It fits right into my goal of Bigger Faster!

This is all new to me and it's like an adventure. I never knew I even had the self control to monitor/control my food intake like I do. If it wasn't for my annoying inner-alcoholic (inherited from yesteryear) I swear I'd be perfect! Well... not perfect-perfect... but you know.

The have-a-beer voice in my head is quietening-down though. I'm gradually strangling it out!

I'm going to carry on reading chapter II of Extreme Muscle throughout this week and print a bunch of the info that's been posted or emailed to me from this site. I'll make a new revised plan of attack and see if I can't see some crazy gains in the not to distant future.

I just still think it's awsome that I can basically just change shape at will. A little bit of learning, a little bit of work and a whole bunch of sweat and I'll be a whole new me.

I think I'd look awesome around 200lb, plus I like that nice round number. I'm an accountant by day. Don't hold it against me!

Anyway... Thanks again for the info. I'll get this program sorted out and repost it on here this weekend. Hopefully then any subsequent feedback will feel more like nudges in the right direction, rather than kicks in the ol' wedding tackle!

I'm a walking dumbass right now (who'd've thunkit!?), but I'm a fast study

, so Bigger Faster can't be toooo far away.

Hypertrophy will be mine... Wah-Ha-Haa!

Oh yeah... And THANKS for stopping by!

Posted by: SamEaston

I'd like to get to 140lb. Im 147 at the moment with a few wobbly bits still to come off. Doing well though - i started off at 154lb so at least its getting there!

Good for you for reading those books - do post some stuff up, i'll be interested to read it! I wouldn't mind reading some of that info myself but i've got enough to read for my PhD, i feel like im sinking under it all!!

Take it easy!

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

all I have to say is:

a) what is extreme muscle enhancement?

b) anyone who says that you should do no cardio at all is a fucking moron. even as an ectomorph, you need to enhance work capacity.....check out the last entry in my blog.

c) it sounds like that site is riddled in bodybuilding myth.

Geez! Why not tell me what you really think!? lol.

No. Seriously. I appreciate your thoughts.

Extreme Muscle Enhancement is just a book. It's by some doctor who apparently advises some of the top pros on their diet and training. In short it's just another source of information. I have to get info from somewhere! It won't be the only book I ever read and I'm not going to base my whole life on it! As soon as I turn the last page I'll be on to another, and hopefully learning more stuff. I'm just trying to learn here.

Pretty much everything I've read thus far has been nutrition/fat-loss based, but I'm done losing body fat already. I'm hunting for bulk-related info and Extreme Muscle Enhancement just found it's way on the list. I don't know how or why. It just did. I've got more books to get (thanks, in part, to your posts on my recent Need Exercise Books! thread).

I do have a question though... If my legs hurt I'm supposed to rest them, right? How does running fit into that? My legs hurt almost all the time at the moment (although that may change once I'm done revamping my current bumblefuck workout program - I use the term "program" loosely in your presence, or course!) When my legs quit hurting and the muscles fill out again I work 'em out again. Should I be planning cardio for the day before leg day or something?

Posted by: P-funk

1) you need to learn to manage volume and intensity better.

2) some easy cardio following leg day helps with the recovery process.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

I'd like to get to 140lb. Im 147 at the moment with a few wobbly bits still to come off. Doing well though - i started off at 154lb so at least its getting there!

Good for you for reading those books - do post some stuff up, i'll be interested to read it! I wouldn't mind reading some of that info myself but i've got enough to read for my PhD, i feel like im sinking under it all!!

Take it easy!

Ooo! PhD. Now that's gotta be costing a pretty penny! I can't afford to look at colleges, let alone walk by, or... horror of debts... actually take a class!

Who said that!? Aren't there fees involved in using words like College and Class in sentences!? I should be fined! Then beaten. Until morale improves, no less!

...

TRUE STORY... In May of 2005 my wife had a gastric bypass. She's since lost 310lb. Yup! Three hundred and ten pounds! Damned-near two of me! It's been a wild ride, and I'm very proud of her, but it left us about $20k in the hole and, even after that's paid off, we need another $20k to have all her excess skin cut off (Picture a deflated Michelin Man made of orange peel!).

On my wages I figure I'm lucky to afford eggs and whey. It'll be a good few yers before we get out of the mess we're in (although I did just get the refinanced from 24.9% to 1.9%, for a year anyway, thank God - and my anal/timely bill-paying over the past few years!), let alone save up for the skin removal surgery.

She's 160lb now and has clear upper body muscle striations all over the place. She's thin, in a fat girl's skin. I think she'll be about 130lb when they're done. She was 469lb at her heaviest. It took us six years, three job changes and one long never-ending battle against three insurance companies to get it semi-covered. At least she isn't going to die from excess skin. She was given 1-3years to live six years ago when she had 310lb of fat hanging off her ass! She's my resident super-hero.

Anyway... If she can lose 300+ you can definitely shake off 7!!

I have a sneeky suspicion that the 33lb I lost recently was done via osmosis just sittin gbeside her.

I'm kidding, of course, but it is seriously nice to be lean.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

1) you need to learn to manage volume and intensity better. agreed.

2) some easy cardio following leg day helps with the recovery process.
Following!? BIG GIANT OUCH!! There's no way it could be "following" my current leg workout. Not last week, but the week before (for example) my calves seized up so tight (3days after my WO) that my foot wouldn't go up or down at all. I couldn't WALK, let alone RUN. Even the next day after my WO my quads hurt so badly standing up (and my glutes/hamstrings hurt so bad sitting down) I'd whimper like a dog-being-beat just trying to get on and off the toilet! I had to call off work on Monday and just sit in my LA-Z Boy all day. My revised workout program is gonna have to be a bit easier on my legs if I'm going to be doing anything "following", that's for damned sure.

Posted by: Witchblade

Cramped, tight and overactive muscles are not good, they're bad. Extreme muscle soreness on a daily basis is bad too.

I suggested you get back to basics.
Well here's Rule #1: P-Funk is always right, even if he's wrong.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Following!? BIG GIANT OUCH!! There's no way it could be "following" my current leg workout. Not last week, but the week before (for example) my calves seized up so tight (3days after my WO) that my foot wouldn't go up or down at all. I couldn't WALK, let alone RUN. Even the next day after my WO my quads hurt so badly standing up (and my glutes/hamstrings hurt so bad sitting down) I'd whimper like a dog-being-beat just trying to get on and off the toilet! I had to call off work on Monday and just sit in my LA-Z Boy all day. My revised workout program is gonna have to be a bit easier on my legs if I'm going to be doing anything "following", that's for damned sure.

Read that quote again.

a second time.

a third...

Now ask yourself....

HOW THE FUCK IS THAT HEALTHY?

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

Well here's Rule #1: P-Funk is always right, even if he's wrong.

Not always. I don't like to speak in absolutes. I don't even know if I am right, as much as i have some concrete beliefs formed by a lot of experience. Whether that makes them right are wrong is another story.

Posted by: Witchblade

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

That's right, big guy.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

I suggested you get back to basics.

I'm at a X-roads and there are no signs pointing to The Basics!

I'm buying books, even books written by doctors that are allegedly helping out America's Top Bodybuilding Pro's, I'm posting what I'm learning on here and I'm still getting bitched at.

I know all of you mean well, but telling me to "get back to basics" doesn't help at all. If I don't know where The Basics are, how the hell am I supposed to get back there!?

I'm not stupid, I just lack education in this field. I've been doing squats for maybe six weeks! On the fourth or fifth week I did too much and really fucked my legs up. Big whoop! There's no This Is The Basics sign on the smith machine at the gym! And, I know, I know, I shouldn't use the smith machine for squats, but I only just recently learned that too.

Just point me to the information I need and I'll learn. And please, no hyperlinks to stickies. I'd rather have a good book, any day.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

Read that quote again.

a second time.

a third...

Now ask yourself....

HOW THE FUCK IS THAT HEALTHY?

Read the whole damned journal again.

A second time.

a third...

Now ask yourself...

HOW THE FUCK IS YOUR COMMENT HELPING!??

...

Sorry. But sometimes I feel more like I'm being kicked in the balls on this site than actually directed somewhere useful/beneficial.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

the comment is making you think about what you are doing.

you are working out like that and you keep working out like that, thinking that it may be beneficial. Now, read it and really think about it....is that healthy?

As far as things not pointing to the basics.....I am not buying that at all.

Have you read the stickies? What about my blog? Especially the first posts I ever made in feb.....all I did was talk about how to set up a training program.

You want something basic?

Here:

Workout A
Squat
DB bench press
cable row
DB curl

Workout 2
RDL
chin up
BB overhead press
triceps press down

Perform that 3x's a week in this fashion:

A
rest
B
rest
A
rest
rest

then week two:

B
rest
A
rest
B
rest
rest

On the inbetween days you can do cardio

For reps and sets:

make day 1- 3x5, day 2- 4x8, day 3- 2x12

So now, if we looked at it on a weekly basis:

mon
3x5; RI= 120sec
workout A

wed
4x8; RI= 60sec
workout B

fri
2x12; RI= 30sec
workout A

Week 2:

mon
3x5; RI= 120sec
workout B

wed
4x8; RI= 60sec
workout A

fri
2x12; RI= 30sec
workout B

Now we add cardio.

monday is the heavy workout (the insity day), wed is your volume workout (hypertrophy day) and fri is your easier workout (back off day).

So, we put in our interval work:

tues- cardio intervals: 60sec hard:90sec moderate to light x 30min.

thurs- moderate intensity cardio, no interval work- 45min. straight.

sat- hard interval work- 30sec work:30sec of total rest x 15-20min.

Does that help make it more basic?

Posted by: Big G

In a way. Bare with me.

When people looked at my current workouts they said "I don't see any pattern in it... It's all over the place..." Stuff like that. And it wasn't just one person. All kinds of people said the same kind-of thing.

Some people actually emailed me specific workouts with instructions... "Do This"

To me though, this is a fish. It's nice to have a fish, but it's infinitely better to know how to fish.

I honestly want to know what it is that others saw when they looked at my workout. i.e. Why it sucks.

I see your suggestion above and I think "OK". That's all. I don't know what else to think because I have no knowledge of what I'm looking for. i.e. The why's behind it.

I haven't read your blog yet. I think you only recommended I do that yesterday and I just haven't got to it yet. I will. I'm reading everything and anything to make some more sense out of all of this. It IS facinating.

Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the help. Whether I should spend the next few weeks living off the fish you just threw me, or learning how to fish, is another matter entirely.

Am I making any sense? If not, plese tell me. I feel a little like a blind man walking at the moment.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

In a way. Bare with me.

When people looked at my current workouts they said "I don't see any pattern in it... It's all over the place..." Stuff like that. And it wasn't just one person. All kinds of people said the same kind-of thing.

Some people actually emailed me specific workouts with instructions... "Do This"

To me though, this is a fish. It's nice to have a fish, but it's infinitely better to know how to fish.

I honestly want to know what it is that others saw when they looked at my workout. i.e. Why it sucks.

I see your suggestion above and I think "OK". That's all. I don't know what else to think because I have no knowledge of what I'm looking for. i.e. The why's behind it.

I haven't read your blog yet. I think you only recommended I do that yesterday and I just haven't got to it yet. I will. I'm reading everything and anything to make some more sense out of all of this. It IS facinating.

Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the help. Whether I should spend the next few weeks living off the fish you just threw me, or learning how to fish, is another matter entirely.

Am I making any sense? If not, plese tell me. I feel a little like a blind man walking at the moment.

"give a man a fish and feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

When you get a chance read my blog posts from feb. (the first ones I made). They explain the "why's" pertaining to what I just did above.

Posted by: Big G

Awesome! I'll definitely get right on that. Again, very much appreciated.

Will I find similar (if not more detailed) info in most of the books that recently got recommended in the Need Exercise Books thread that you posted in recently too?

A book is nice, especially when laying in bed.

Posted by: Double D

I have read extreme muscle enhancement. Prosource sells it. The book isnt very good. I agree with 20% of it. I agree with very little training. The nutrition is ok. But he thinks there really isnt a need for carbs! I say thats absurd.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

I have read extreme muscle enhancement. Prosource sells it. The book isnt very good. I agree with 20% of it. I agree with very little training. The nutrition is ok. But he thinks there really isnt a need for carbs! I say thats absurd.

Yeah. Now you come to mention it, I did think the nutrition portion was a little off. I hope the training part isn't too goofy (although, from your post, it sounds like it is too).

I had a number of other books recommnded recently (on this board). Hopefully they'll be a bit more on the money. Funk's log sounds like it will make a good read too.

I'll get there.

Thanks though DD.

Good to see you again.

2.(s/set w/#1) Leg Raises w/hip push-up (NOT Knee Raises):20,20,20,20,20.
3.(s/set w/#4) Decline DB Press - w/50lb:12½F,10F,9F,7F,6F.
4.(s/set w/#3) Decline sit-ups (w/crunch on top):25,25,20F,11½F (4sets only. quads still hurt from Friday).
5.Fly Press (laying flat) w/30lb:15,10F,7½F, w/25lb:8½F,9½F.

PWO WEIGHT (after shower, sauna, pee): 172.1lb (going up!)

NOTES: Posted a whole bunch on ironmag forums today. Sought advice from familiar names. Conclusions... My workouts suck. I have no idea what I'm doing. And everything needs changed! Doh!

Went home and read Extreme Muscle Enhancement's ChapterII (Training). Learned going to failure all the time is dumb... As an ecto/endomorph(80/20) I should stay away from cardio (QUOTE: "Cardio is a bad idea for an ectomorph with weak legs that wants to build body mass"), plus...

Reps s/b in 6-8 range (no failing & no burn! so it says!).
Sets s/b 5-8 per body part
Recovery s/b 3-5 days

Additionally, there should be NO PAUSES or stalling at the top of the movement (unless it's to squeeze/contract). The sets s/b getting heavier with decreasing reps (or not). I should "keep the pace steady & go for broke on the last set"

Also, regarding reps:
Lrg body parts (e.g. Chest, Shoulders & Ham Strings) respond well to sets as low as 6.
Small body parts (Triceps, Biceps, Traps) respond well to sets comprised of around 8 reps.
Complex body parts (Back, Quads) like sets of approx 10reps.
Dense body parts (abs, calves) do best with 15 or more reps.

Emailed feedback, posts on this journal, posts from other threads and feedback from private messages (on ironmag forum) confirmed much of this. EVERYTHING I do needs revised.

Back to the drawing board! So much to learn! Still... hypertrophy is worth it!

NOTE "s/b" = Should Be.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:15am (2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 2:15pm
Meal 4 - 5:15pm
Meal 5 - 9:00pm (PWO Shake)
Meal 6 - 12:30pm (late. after grocery shop. weak/hungry)

WORKOUT (Shoulders & Traps)- 8-9pm:
1.Overhead BB press - w/bar+60lb:1x6, w/bar+70lb(new max):2x6, 1x4F.
2.Front DB raise - w/20lb:3x6.
3.Shoulder shrug (on smith machine) - w/bar+140lb:1x8, w/bar+160lb:1x8, w/bar+180lb(new max):1x8.
4.Bent over DB raise (rear delts) - w/20lb:3x8 (maybe a little heavy. couldn't hold all reps on top)
5.Arnold DB Press - w/40lb:2x6, 1x4F.
6.Upwards BB row - w/bar+20lb:1x8(couldn't hold at top), w/bar+10lb:2x8.
7.Rear delt machine (sitting backwards on fly machine) - w/120lb:3x6.
8.Straight-arm cable lift (proper name?) - w/60lb:2x6, 1x4F.

WORKOUT NOTES: I changed from "the norm" today. It's still all shoulders/traps (for now) but I adjusted the weight, reps & sets per Extreme Muscle Enhancement recommendations. I added more exercises so each part is hit an appropriate amount of times. I also lowered each rep v.slowly (approx 4-0-X-0, i.e. no stop on top or bottom, 4second lower, ASAP lift). New max weights obtained on shoulder shrug & bench press (pleased to be able to grip and hold 225lb for shrugs). Still nervous of v.heavy weights and I still have no idea of my 1rep max #s, but I'm getting there. There's still lots to learn, but this is good for now. Better, at least, than 5sets of 15reps, like I'd been doing.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY - Happy Independence Day!

Meal 1 - 9:15am
Meal 2 - 12:15pm
Meal 3 - 3:30pm
Meal 4 - 7:00pm
Meal 5 - 11:00pm
Meal 6 - missed it. sleeping.

NOTES: Day off from work. Planned to install shed's shingles & spray shed door. H.Depot didn't have shingles to match house/garage, so have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, tore siding off of garage, just in time for a monsterous thunderstorm! Worked on approx 25'x8' tringular area above the doors. Installed new ply-wood (took a while to cut, plus holding 4'x8' sheets of wood up in the air one-handed while nailing with the other hand wasn't easy either!), drip-edges, j-channel, starter strips and the first row of siding. It's gonna match the shed, all brand new lookin'.

Long day though! 10hours up and down ladders. Drank lots of water. Ate pretty well. Didn't want a beer. Much better than not wanting to want one!

It's getting easier.

VITAMINS - I took them between meals 3 & 4. I forgot to add them to the food log so I added them last.

WORKOUT NOTES: Printed IronMag stickies tonight (re:Building a workout) and stayed up a little late reading. It was interesting stuff! Clearly I need to abandon my predominately isolation-based WO program (if you can call it a program!) and go to compound exercises with some periodization (Oooo! New word! Must be learning something!)

New workout program yet to be determined. Got some homework to do!

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:00am (late. time flew at work)
Meal 3 - 3:15pm (v.late. SLAMMED w/budget. no breaks)

Meal 4 - 7:00pm (late. Shake. See MEMO below).
Meal 5 - 8:45pm
Meal 6 - 11:55pm

NOTE: Back is aching from 10hours up and down ladders yesterday (replacing garage siding & MDF underlay).

MEMO: Today sucked! Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The budget prep' deadline moved from the 13th to the 6th (i.e. tomorrow. i.e. impossible!). Stess at work was a nightmare. Even after work things continued to suck. Wife called at 5:25pm and said she wanted to go to the gym in 5-10minutes. I took animal pump, but she wasn't available to go until 5:55pm. I met her at work but had to go back to the car to get her gym stuff. Then to GNC for a protein shaker. We finally got to the gym at about 6:45pm (I was buzzing from the animal pump) but I had no clean T-shirt. I decided to go to Macy's to get one, but got weak and hungry while walking there (Food timing was all messed up due to madness at work). I eventually abandoned the idea of working out, went back to the gym and had ½ CytoGainer shake to stop feeling so weak. I settled on a hot-tub and a sauna, then went home for an argument!

READING: Read Extreme Muscle Enhancement for new workout program design; Upper body compound movements: BB press, incline DB press, pullovers, pullups & rows. I'm learning!

Posted by: katt

Gawd, dotcha just hate it when work get's in the way...

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey G!

Your wife must be an amazing lady to have come down to 160lb from 310lb. That truly is incredible! You must be so proud of her! And i've no doubt she will keep her weight under control now with you around gaining all this knowledge left right and centre!!

Yeah, doing a PhD is ok, i did it cos i couldn't get a job after finishing my Honours Degree! I do get a grant to do it though, so in terms of money, its not too bad. The grant money doesn't go far in London though - paying £600 per month for rent (whats that - $1100?) means the funds run out pretty fast!

How are you doing anyway? the shed must be nearly done by now? Do you have your new shiny program ready after reading Extreme Muscle Enhancement?

Posted by: Big G

Sam,

My wife lost 310lb. She was 470lb in March 2005. She's 160lb now. And, yeah, she's awesome.

I know how rent is in London. I lived there from 18-25. I was broke as could be back then and lived in shared accomodation. For a year I lived with 4 Portugese girls and a Welshman. Did you know Portugese girls can talk and listen at the same time!? Four of 'em! All at once!

Even one crappy room in that madhouse was £250/mo!

God Bless America!

I kicked Shed and Garage butt this weekend. I'll let my next couple of posts fill in the blanks...

And, yeah, The Program has been buzzing around my head. I've been asking questions, reading and thinking. I've been taking some notes from the stuff I've been reading and focusing on compound exercises in the workouts I've done recently. I've come to realize I don;t know what a lot of exercises are. I see 'em referenced in other people's journals but I don't know what they are! I posted a thread asking for good books recently and got a bunch of responses. Money's a bit tight right now, but I'm gonna get some more reading here soon, to try and fill in some blanks. It'd be nice if there was some kind of online reference manual for different exercise, what they're good for, the correct form etc etc. That'd be dead handy. Maybe I should post a thread and see if anyone knows of such a thing. Hmm...

Anyway... good to hear from you again...

onwards with the journal...

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

Meal 1 - 7:20am (nice early start)
Meal 2 - 10:20am (2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 4:45pm
Meal 5 - 7:15pm (PWO Shake. Shown at base of food log.)
Meal 6 - 12:30am (home exhausted, slept 8pm-12:15am!)
Meal 7 - 3:45am (can't go back to sleep!)

WORKOUT (Legs) 60sec RIs:
1. Squats (Free weights. 1st time ever! Used Smith Machine up until now): 95lbx1x8, 115lbx1x8, 135lbx1x8, 155lbx1x8.
2. Rotary Calf Machine (4-0-X-0): 210lbx1x15, 210lbx2x10 (burning!).
3.Walking Lunges(1st time ever): w/2x25lbDBs 4x15.
4.Prone Leg Curl Machine: 70lbx1x10, 90lbx1x10, 110lbx1x10.

NOTE: Would've done more, but wife came to workout too today (1st time ever!) and we ended up fighting. She left mad. I left early. Still... Lunges and Free Weight Squats for the first time today. Pretty cool.

MEMO Re:CALVES - Calves have developed some major striations. Deep ones. They never looked anything like they do now before. It's really noticable.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:00am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm
Meal 4 - 6:00pm
Meal 5 - missed it. damned beers again!

Meal 6 - 1:45am! WTF? Where did the time go!?

VITAMINS - I forgot to add them between meal 2 & 3. I added them to the end of the day's food log instead.

NOTES: Long, hot day. Picked Travis up at 9:00am. Spent 10am-12:30am (Yup! 14hours straight) installing siding on garage (incl. 2 lights, sensor, siding-mounting back-plates, elec boxes etc...). It looks brand new. Better than brand new, I bet! It has a real real class look now, especially offset by the diamond aluminum door frames (last year's project).

ALCOHOL - Last night I told Robin "I haven't drank anything all week and I don't want to drink this weekend either". I also told her "I don't want a beer now and I don't want to drink this weekend now either. But, just watch. A time will come when I'm just sitting round wanting a beer later this weekend." Now, that may sound like a self-fulfilling prophecy but if I hadn't have said it I doubt things would've gone much differently. It's me versus me and it's like I'm not winning, kind-of.

Anyway... I told Travis we weren't drinking and he was fine with that. I didn't want a beer all day. Water flowed and I felt fine. After 11 hours up and down ladders, just as the sun rolled down and the hallagen lights came out, everything changed. My mind started rambling "Have a beer. Go on. Just a few...". I worked like that until approx 10pm and then just gave in. 8 beers flowed in (might've only been 6 or 7 (Trav drank more than I did, for sure) in the next few hours while we finished the siding. I should've eaten at 9 or 10pm, but just kept on working. We finally got the siding finished at about 12:30am (14½ after starting!). Long day. Slept like a log! My back got f-r-i-e-d in the sun!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

Meal 1 - 10:30am
Meal 2 - 1:00pm
Meal 3 - 5:15pm (PWO shake)
Meal 4 - 8:00pm (at theatre/caberet.no meat/fish available)
Meal 5 - 11:00pm
Meal 6 - 12:30 (whey shake only. then bed).

NOTES: Another long and very very hot day baking in the sun. Installed shingles on shed 11am-4pm (looks awesome - matches garage & house, but it was HOT-HOT-HOT! Even the bottles of cold water we took up on the roof were hot enough to make coffee with within a couple of hours! The shingles were, like, 100º - or felt like it anyway! They were certainly too hot to hold, as were the hammers, puches, knives, level etc... It was HOT!!).

Trav' and I worked out 4pm-5pm (Back/Pull/Compound exercises). Watched Rocky Horror Picture Show (DVD) w/2x friends (& Trav') that had never seen it before, then took them all to see it, live, at the local thetre/caberet. It was fun. $162 for everyone's tab, but got promised a free night at Funnybone Commedy Club before night was over (fair enough). All in all a very busy day but it was productive, fun and I got a workout in too. Nice!

Alcohol free, and not "jones-ing". Also good.

WORKOUT (Back/Pull/Compound exercises):
1.WG Pullups: BWx3x6 (WG cable pulldowns:30lbx1x20 warmup)
2.Bent Over BB Rows: 45lb(bar)x1x15, 65lbx1x12, 85lbx1x8.
3.WG Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown: 30lbx3x15.
4.Cable Rows: 40lbx1x15, 50lbx1x12, 60lbx1x10, 70lbx1x8.
5.One-Arm One-Leg DB Rows: 35lbx3x8 (R&L).

WORKOUT NOTES: Nice workout. Nice to have Trav' to workout with too. 85lb BB row was a bit too heavy. 5-6 were only ½ way, but still... not too shabby.

NOTE Re: LATS - My right lat seems bigger than my left. I've never done any right-only lat work but it just seems to have grown faster. I can't decide, when I look in the mirror, whether I can just flex my right side better, or whether the left side really is smaller. I might do some left-only straight-arm lat pulldown work in future and see if it helps.

Posted by: P-funk

it is pretty much impossible to be totally symetrical. unless it is really off, i wouldn't worry so much about it. did you have an injury?

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 10:20am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (after cardio workout)
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO shake)
Meal 6 - 10:00pm (late. weak. shaking)
Meal 7 - 12:30am (up late)

LUNCHTIME CARDIO: 30mins @4.3mph w/6ºincline - jog for 1½min, fast walk for 1½min (X10). Kept heart rate @140 +/-5.

AFTER-WORK WORKOUT (Upper Body Press):
1.Incline BB Press: 105lbx1x14, 105lbx1x12, 105lbx1x8 (Did 115lb last week for 15reps, but struggled today with 15@105lb. Hmm...)
2.Military BB Press: 95lbx1x8, 105lbx1x7, 115lbx1x6.
3.DB Press (flat): 50lbx1x8, 55lbx1x7, 60lb(1st time)x1x6. Kewl!

4.Arnold DB Press (seated): 30lbx1x12, 35lbx2x6.
5.Decline situps. BWx1x15, BW +4lb ball behind head (1st time)x2x25 (actually failed second set w/ball on 22).

WORKOUT NOTES: Would've added tri-cep press or skull-crushers at the end but wife came to workout today (no fighting this time) and she was dead by #5. It was funny though. I don't know shit about female training so I'm just dragging her around with me, giving her crazy light weights and having her do the same shit as me! At one point I gave her just the barbell (no weights), she lowered it gently to her chest, slowly turned red and eventually choked out "It's crushing me!". I couldn't help but laugh. The 10lb DB presses she did made me laugh too, arms all kind-of flailing around, wobbling this way then that way trying to get those tiny little weights up. Funny shit!

Bless her. 1st day at the gym.
...

NOTES Re: The Program! - Printed Cowpimps How To Design (a) Workouts (b)Split Routine and (c) Full Body Program. I think I like the sound of the split routine best, but I still have some reading to do. It's gonna be mostly compound stuff though. I'm learning.

P-FUNK: If you're reading this, I'd still like to take you up on the offer of a few minutes on the phone. I don't want to sound like a complete dumbass though. It'll probably be a couple of weeks until I graduate to a plain ol', every day, run-of-the-mill dumbass so I'll just hold your number for a bit if that's OK. Much appreciated though. <<EDIT - Shoot! Funk's already replied to my last post while I'm typing this one. WTG!)

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

it is pretty much impossible to be totally symetrical. unless it is really off, i wouldn't worry so much about it. did you have an injury?

Nope. Injury free.

I don't know if it counts as "really off". I never had lats before. OK... I'd never even heard of lats until about 6 months ago

... but hey... I have them now. Not like monster lats of course, but pretty monsterish for me. I feel big.

Anyway... If you say don't worry about it I'm not gonna worry about it.

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey G!

I take it back - your wife is supercalifragelisticexpealidotious!

Good work with the free squats BTW! I just put squats into my program a couple weeks ago, along with split squats, and i've got to admit they kick my arse, but i love them!

I know what you mean about the light weights you've been giving your wife and them wobbling about all over the place. Tell her its like that for a week or two until you can handle the weight, then progression is pretty quick from there. I started out with DB's cos the bar was too difficult for me to control, but now i'm able to put small plates on the bar and it's not too much of a big deal! She'll get there, i've no doubt!

Posted by: Big G

What are split squats?

Posted by: SamEaston

They are like lunges, but without bringing your feet back together to complete the exercise. Making sure the front thigh goes to parallel or below hits those glutes good and proper!

Posted by: Big G

Hmm... I'd've thought that'd be more of a quad exercise. The glutes get involved on the way down, I presume?

Posted by: SamEaston

Yeah, i feel it most in my glutes when i've gone below parallel and im on the way back up. Ouchie! Yeah, it hurts my quads too, but i really feel it in my butt and the inside of my thighs - Whoa!!

Posted by: Big G

Hmm... Compound exercises are really interesting in that they involve so many muscles. My new workout program is going to be compound exercise based, that's for sure.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 10:40am (use up last of chicken)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 8:00pm (worked until 7:30pm)
Meal 6 - 11:00pm

WORKOUT - None. Planned rest day.

NOTE Re:WATER - Couldn't find gallon container this morning. Drank from little glasses at work, but can never get enough water in drinking this way. Located gallon container by end of day. Tomorrow will be back to normal (i.e. 1gal+).

NOTE Re:SLEEP - I'm definitely not sleeping enough. I typically get 5-6hours a night and I know that's not doing me any good at all. I read recently that lack of sleep is a major contributor to lack of libido becuase the body doesn't have opportunity to produce the hormones it otherwise would've. This has definitely been an issue for me in recent months. It's like something's just kind-of died inside. I just have no interest. The doc said my test' scrore was "normal" but I can tell something's different. I'm going to try and remember to keep track of how much sleep I'm getting and make an effort to get my butt in bed much earlier than I presently do.

SLEPT: 1am-6:30am

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

Meal 1 - 6:45am (early. 8:00am mtg at work)
Meal 2 - 10:25am (after mtg. 2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 1:40pm (PWO Shake)
Meal 4 - 3:50pm
Meal 5 - 6:45pm
Meal 6 - 9:45pm

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (lower):
5mins cardio 3½-5½mph w/5-10º incline (warmup) + 1-2 mins stretching Would've liked to have done more but lunch is only an hour (actually more like 1¼hr for me on gym days incl walk there and back). Anyway...

1.Squats(w/free-weights, 2nd time ever - previously on smith machine) - 115lb:1x10, 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x10, 175lb(new max):1x10 [Could've handled more weight! Awesome!]
2.Rotary Calf Machine 4-0-X-0 - w/210lb:1x10, w/230lb:1x10, w/250lb:1x10 [no burn. felt strong!]
3.Walking Lunges (2nd time ever) w/2x25lb DBs: 3x15.
4.Prone Leg Curl - 90lb:1x10, 110lb:1x10, w/130lb(new max):1x5 [130lb was too heavy. Partial reps only. Try 120lb next time].
5.Dead Lifts - 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x10, 175lb:1x10. Grip holding fairly well. Started slipping just a bit on last 2-3 reps w/175lb. Back was power-house strong though.

NOTES: 1st time putting deadlifts with lower body exercises. It's definitely better like this.

WEIGHT (after workout, pee and shake): 173.5lb. Record PWO high!

THE PLAN

I'm still reading and contemplating a more well thought-out workout plan (instead of the bumblefuck collection of exercises I'd previously assembled!

) . I've been doing a bunch of reading. Almost everywhere is recommending a total body approach for beginners, (I'm surely still a beginner, 8 months in) but the thought of a total body workout just doesn't excite me. No chest pump? No shoulder pump? Now come on! I've gotta have some fun!

Kinkery's IM Official FAQ took me to a miriad of excellent links including an analysis of Total Body Training Vs Splits. I really think I like the idea of a split much better. Being sore may be no idication of a good workout or hypertrophy but, I don't know.... I'd miss it. Kind-of. And, from the sounds of it, a total body routine done every couple of days isn't exactly going to leave me particularly sore.

My wife's just got home so I'm going to go and spend some time with her, but I do have a question (if anyone's reading along)... Is periodization necessary for optimal hypertrophy in the beginner? I mean, do I need to plan for 8x3 sets one week then 3x15 the next in order to reach more muscle fibers? Or, given that I'm relatively new to all this (8mo), but have been at it fairly seriously, am I still likely to show similar gains by sticking to particular rep ranges like I commented on on 7/1/07...

...regarding reps:
Lrg body parts (e.g. Chest, Shoulders & Ham Strings) respond well to sets as low as 6.
Small body parts (Triceps, Biceps, Traps) respond well to sets comprised of around 8 reps.
Complex body parts (Back, Quads) like sets of approx 10reps.
Dense body parts (abs, calves) do best with 15 or more reps.

Thoughts?

Kudos goes to PFunk, Cowpimp, Kinkery, Juggernaut, Akira and Double D for their PMs over the past few days. Thanks!

Posted by: Double D

Thats not Kinkery's official FAQ's page....its actually Witchblades.

Posted by: SamEaston

Nice squats G! And deadlifts too!! Fantastic! Im glad your using the free weights - dont' they feel so good?

I have been recommended to start periodising my workouts too, and i've been weight training for about 8 months. However, i have seen a major change in my body composition so far without any sort of periodisation at all.

I've no doubt before the newb gains begin to tail off, you'll want to introduce some sort of periodisation into your program.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Thats not Kinkery's official FAQ's page....its actually Witchblades.

Oops! My bad.

Anyway... Any thoughts on whether a peridization plan is necessary for optimal hypertrophy in the beginner?

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Nice squats G! And deadlifts too!! Fantastic! Im glad your using the free weights - dont' they feel so good?

I have been recommended to start periodising my workouts too, and i've been weight training for about 8 months. However, i have seen a major change in my body composition so far without any sort of periodisation at all.

I've no doubt before the newb gains begin to tail off, you'll want to introduce some sort of periodisation into your program.

The free weights do feel good. I like 'em.

And my legs feel much more resiliant than they used to too, although I'm not doing 20rep sets nowadays too though.

I'm looking to put together a workout plan for the next 10-12 weeks. Since I have only made limited use of compound exercises thus far I'm guessing that I'll continue to see gains without periodizing the plan. After this initial 12week deal maybe I'll try a periodized plan then for a few months and compare results.

I treated myself to an 8week cycle of NHA Stack (well, actually ActivaTe & Nolvedex [AI], becuase I couldn't find Rebound, but still... same thing). Hopefully this, run alongside a nice clean diet and compound-exercise-based workout plan will pack a few pounds on. My weight is already waaaay up. I hit 161lb on the scale back in March. I'm 171½lb this morning and Tanita is reading my lowest body fat reading also. It still says 14% which I believe is still waaay off the mark, but anyway... it's still lower than it's been saying (if the reading is even worth anything).

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

Oops! My bad.

Anyway... Any thoughts on whether a peridization plan is necessary for optimal hypertrophy in the beginner?

just do progressive overload until you no longer make progress.

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:30pm-6:50am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):171.4lb

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 11:30am (late. in budget mtgs all morning).
Meal 3 - 2:00 (before 2hr mtg)
Meal 4 - 4:30pm (hungry)
Meal 5 - exhausted. fell asleep 6:30pm
Meal 6 - see tomorrow's notes. woke at 1:30am

WORKOUT: None. Brain-ache from budget meetings. Too tired.

Posted by: juggernaut

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-funk

just do progressive overload until you no longer make progress.

That's my thinking exactly. I really dont think he'd benefit from advanced techniques just yet.
Compounds and progressive overload have always worked for me and it seems that this is the predominant way to train as a new trainer.

Posted by: katt

I would have been starving by 11:30

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

I would have been starving by 11:30

Yeah. Rough day. Fell asleep 6:30pm, exhausted. Head-frying budget meetings most of the day.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY (the 13th!)

SLEPT (last night): 6:30pm-1:20am (mtgs yesterday. fell asleep early, exhausted. wife woke me up coming to bed. couldn't go back to sleep).

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 1:30am
Meal 2 - 5:00am
Meal 3 - 7:30am
Meal 4 - 10:50am
Meal 5 - 1:50pm (cardio 12:50-1:30)
Meal 6 - 4:40pm
Meal 7 - 7:00pm (PWO shake)
Meal 8 - 9:15pm

NOTE: Spent 1:30am onwards putting on paper a plan for the next twleve weeks. It's lookin' pretty good, I think. I might just have to start a new journal especially for the occassion. This raggedy ol' journal's been knocking around since back in my embryonic days. At least nowadays I know that I don't know! But I'm learning.

CARDIO: 1.25miles on treadmill (5.5mph / 15 minutes). I didn't break a sweat until over a mile, then at 1.2miles my left knee started hurting, like it always did.

I switched to the elliptical machine for another 15 minutes (pain free). Ran 5½-7½mph for 30minutes total. As of 4:45pm I'm limping and my knee is really sore. Why did I get back on the blasted treadmill?

NEW: Added a ***CARDIO*** line-item to my food log. Previously recorded as a ***WORKOUT***.

WORKOUT (after wk w/wife):
It was lame. I'm not even going to write it in here (although I did do 3sets of 6 wide-grip pullups without too much fuss. not bad. for me.). My right lat still seems way bigger to me than the left one. I wish they were the same size. I'd really be pretty V shaped then (in my little 168lb way). It's wierd. It bugs me.

Posted by: Big G

OK, look! I'm jumping ship. The new journal "From Beginner to Big Gainer" can be found here.

Posted by: Big G

Ah, fuck it. I've changed my mind. If I'm going to have a journal I may as well have one that just goes on and on and on and...

If I switch to a new one now, this one will probably get deleted in time. Surely the server doesn't remember all threads forever. After a certain period of time surely they're "archived" at best.

So anyway... what follows is/was the first post of the new journal that I'm not actually going to be using afterall....

Posted by: Big G

THE PLAN

I've made some decisions regarding my workout plans for the next 12weeks. After reading about total body Vs splits (Thanks to Witchblade's . - Nice work Witch!) I've decided to do a push&bis-pull&tris-legs split, as recommended (or at least referenced)in eitherCowPimp's Guide to or .. I'm going to focus on compound exercises with some isolation stuff thrown in at the end of the workouts.

Now at this point, I've got to add that I don't know if it'd be more beneficial to do push/bi-pull/tri or push/tri-pull/bi. The biceps obviously pull, but Compimps guide recommended (or at least referenced) push/bi-pull/tri. I've written and rewritten the Frequency and Exercise Selection parts of this text twice already and I'm still not sure. I don't want my triceps sore from a previous workout and not be able to bench-press, but then if I do dips between incline and flat DB/BB bench presses will I be over-exhausting myself. I don't know. Comments are welcome. Either way, if it's to change, just swap the chip-ups and dips (below). And the skullcrushers and BB curls (also below). Everything else would be the same.

Frequency

I'd like to get more than three workouts in weekly, but obviously I'm not going to be able to get all three workouts in twice a week, otherwise 6 out of 7 days would be workout days. To compromise, I've decided to do 4workouts weekly (i.e. cycle 1.33x per week): Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sat or Sun (depending on the weekend's plans).

i.e.

Week 1:
Tuesday - push&bis
Thursday - pull&tris
Friday - legs&abs
Sat/Sun - push&bis

Week 2:
Tuesday - pull&tris
Thursday - legs&abs
Friday - push&bis
Sat/Sun - pull&tris

Week 3:
Tuesday - legs&abs
Thursday - push&bis
Friday - pull&tris
Sat/Sun - legs&abs

REPEAT x4 for a total of 12weeks.

Exercise Selection

Reading up on the options available I've come to realize that there are a lot of execises that I either don't know or just don't know the names of. I'm going to focus on compound exercises that I've either (a) already been doing or, (b) know of, from reading or watching others. I'll read up on alternate exercises during the 12 week program so I can include some new stuff in the follwing 12 weeks (which I might periodize, linearly, strength-focused) after a week off. I'm planning a 2-3month cut after that to get more ripped than I've ever been for another shirt-off, working-on-my-house/yard, sweating-in-the-sun spring-time (with my lovin'-the-new-G wife by my side

). I'll have never looked/felt better!

That's the plan, anyway. And I'm pretty good about sticking to shit. We'll see how it goes.

So here's what I'm thinking of including...

Push & Bis: (1) Incline BB Press <45º, (2) CG Chin-ups, (3) Seated Military BB Press, (4) DB Press, (5) Arnold Press, (6) Smith-machine shrugs [see NOTE1 below] (+ EZ-Bar Curls, if there's time.).

Pull & Tris: (1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW), (2) Dips, (3) Bent-over BB rows, (4) DB Pullover, (5) Cable Row, (6) DB Rear Lateral Raise, (+ Skull-Crushers, if there's time).

Legs&Abs: (1) Weighted Incline Twisting Situp, [see NOTE2 below], (2) Squats, (3) Deadlifts, (4)Dumbbell Walking Lunge, (5) Lever Lying Leg Curl, (6) Lever Seated Calf Extension (+ Weighted Incline Leg-Hip Raise if there's time).

NOTE1: I recognize that shrugs are not a "push" exercise, but I've included them with Push&Bis because (a) I don't want 7 exercises on Pull&Tris day, and (b) because I love the pump I get when I workout shoulders and traps on the same day.

Like I've said before, I've got to have some fun!

NOTE2: I've got situps in front of squats becuase I've found I can't get a good ab workout if my quads are already fried. Also, since there is some quad involvement, I thought it may get the blood flowing (i.e. be a nice warmup) before doing squats. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Intensity & Method of Training - Repeated Effort.

I have yet to establish my one-rep-max (1RM) for any exercises, so I'm not able to say I'll be at 65%-85% of my 1RM (for example) on any of the exercises above. However, I will be picking a weight (or progression of weights) that puts me at or near failure on the final set. My guess is that this'll be somewhere in the 65%-85% of my 1RM range (or a progression through this range as I increase the weight from set 1 to set 3). If I'm not at or near failure by the end of the set, I'll increase the weight on the next session.

Rest Intervals

60sec throughtout. I'll include some periodization in the following 12 weeks. I just want to get a good base going for now. If anyone feels strongly otherwise speak now or forever hold your peace!

Tempo

For most exercises I plan to execute a controlled negative and explosive positive portion to the movement. This'll probably be something like 3-0-X-½ (i.e. lower for 3sec, no pause, lift ASAP, small pause for squeeze/extra-contraction on top).

Volume...

... will be what it will be. I'm going to focus on good form with the weights sufficient to bring me close to, or at, failure on the final rep/s of the last set of each exercise in every session. As my strength increases, I'll add weight. Volume should increase by default.

Duration

Sometimes I like to work-out during my lunch-breaks, especially if I have plans for that night at home (e.g. get some painting done or fence-posts dug before it gets dark). For me to fit these work-outs into a lunch-time I've got to walk to the gym, change, workout, chug CytoGainer (or oats, whey, bananas and yogurt - haven't decided yet), shower, dress and walk back to my office in no more than an hour and 15 minutes (at the very latest!). This means I can't spend more than an hour with weights. And, ideally, I'd like to get some kind of warmup and PWO stretching in there too. Only time will tell how viable this all is. Most of the workouts will be evenings and/or weekends anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Still though, I'd like the weight-lifting portion of the workout to be an hour or less.

Diet
My diet is going to be nice and clean. Nothing processed. Meals balance approx 45%carbs:35%protein:20%fat. I'll be taking in 3,600-3,800 calories daily, so it works aout as about 2g of protein per pound of me. I'm phasing the starchy carbs out at least for meal 6, but maybe meal 5 too (as long as I've got a decent amount of green veg cooked up in my fridge at all times).

You're welcome to see what I've eaten on any day over the past 9months (or so) by clicking the food-log link at the base of any of my posts. You may find much of the same text on that page as there is in these posts, but if you scroll down you'll see it... Meal 1, Meal 2 etc.

I've had a tendency to rely on Ezekiel 4:9 bread with tuna, eggs, PB, whey or whetever while at work. It's quick and easy, the boss doesn't mind me having three very quick lunch-breaks and no-one complains about the smell of sweetpotatoes (or whatever) wafting through the office when it's not officially lunchtime (There's, apparently, and official lunchtime my body is not aware of.

).

I'm ectomorphic, so even a 12-16 slices of whole-grain, sprouted, fatfree sugar-free bread during the day don't seem to convert to fat. Still though... I'm going to do better about taking brown rice, sweetpotatoes or oats with me for alternate carbs to go with my alternating protein sources.

For breakfast I've been eating 4slices of Ezekiel4:9 bread, 8 egg whites and 1 3/4 tblsp of PB. Fitday clocks it at 600cal and about 40:40:20 carb: prot:fat. I love my breakfast. People have recommended oats with whey (presumably becuase it's more quickly absorbed) and I do have a little meal I make with oats, almonds, dried cherries and peaches (i.e. a muesli) which I pour milk over and eat like cereal with a glass of protein shake. But, I'd really miss my egg & toast breakfast if I didn't have it. I'm pleased to wake up so I can eat it! Maybe I'll change in time, but for now, as long has no-one has any mind-blowing or disturbing news as to why I shouldn't eat it, I'm gonna carry on eatin' it!

Water

The goal is a gallon, to a gallon and a half, every day.

Supplements
For some extra kicks and giggles (and hopefully a couple more pounds) I'm going to run an eight week cycle of NHA Stack alongside this little program. It'll probably be weeks 2-10 because my damned credit card company figured someone had stolen my card when I went camping out of state and they shut it off. I have to get that straightened out and then get my F'd-up supplement orders straightened out afterwards. Anyway... I digress. I couldn't find Rebound Reloaded so I'm using Novedex XT with ActivaTe instead.

I'll be using Aminal Pump before workouts (for creatine etc.) and either (a) 600cal worth of CytoGainer or (b) a blend of oats/bananas/whey/yogurt post workout (currently still under discussion!)

I take Animal Pak as a multi-vitamin and recently swapped my 3X glucosamin/chondroitin for once-daily Animal Flex (although my knees still won't let me run on a treadmill too far without complaining).

I recently discovered that I like green tea so I'll probably be drinking a glass at work and another glass or two in the evening when I get home. I have some green tea pills too, but who needs 'em?

I've got some Omega 3 caps coming to balance the Omega 6's I'm taking in every day through peanut butter etc.

Beyond that lot, I'm taking 5Htp, Milk Thistle and Cacium/Magnesium.

And that's it.

So...

Anyone care to comment?

Posted by: Big G

The only response received (and my reply) from new, already abandoned journal is/was...

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

Way better than before.

Posted by: Big G

So anyway... I better catch up. Last post was Friday the 13th (Ooo!) so...

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

SLEPT (last night): 10:15pm-7:15am, then also 9am-1pm.

WEIGHT (before breakfast):167.8lb (Down 4.2lb from Thurs!).

Meal 1 - 7:45am (up w/wife, then back to bed)
Meal 2 - 1:30pm (slept 9am-1pm)
Meal 3 - 4:30pm (then went shopping: grocery, etc)
Meal 4 - 10:00pm (survived on cherries 7:30pm-9:30pm!)
Meal 5 - 1:30pm (shake. planned to sleep but couldn't)
Meal 6 - 4:30pm (final protein before bed)

NOTE: Crappy day. Woke w/wife, got in a fight as she was leaving for work, went back to bed, slept half the day, did a $200 grocery shop, came home, wife went to bed. I stayed up working on workout program ("The Plan!", above) unable to sleep.

Posted by: juggernaut

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

I recently discovered that I like green tea so I'll probably be drinking a glass at work and another glass or two in the evening when I get home. I have some green tea pills too, but who needs 'em?

for what reason are you using the green tea?

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

SLEPT (last night): 6am-10am

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 10:15am
Meal 2 - 1:10pm
Meal 3 - 3:45pm (+snack; 4:45pm, 6:00pm; working outside)
Meal 4 - 9:00pm (starving! needed food quick!)
Meal 5 - 12:15pm (finally cooked some groceries.)
Meal 6 - sleeping.

NOTE: Busy day. Sanded & primed shed door (w/automotive airbrush - looks nice!), built two 2'x2'x6' raised veggie-patch boxes, leveled and installed them beside shed (ready to move more of the dirt left over from building/excavating the new driveway by hand!). The back yard's taking shape!

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by juggernaut

for what reason are you using the green tea?

From what I hear it contains some beneficial anti-oxidants.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

SLEPT (last night): 1:30am-7:00am (up later cooking beef, veggies & chicken for the week, plus doing laundry).

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured, couldn't poop!

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 10:25am
Meal 3 - 1:15pm
Meal 4 - 4:15pm
Meal 5 - 7:30pm
Meal 6 - 10:30pm

NOTE: Busy day at work. Month-end GL close (incl. review and journals) plus budget data-entry and reporting. 12hrs work in an 8hr day. Got it done in 9hrs (left 6:45pm) with help from bookkeeper. Not too shabby, but I am tired. No workout. No cardio. Day 1 of new plan tomorrow.

Oh! Also, ActivaTe arrived and fitnessone.com confirmed shipment of Novedex XT, Pump, Whey Gourmet etc.

Cya tomorrow. Going to get some Zzz's tonight!

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:15am-7:15am (finally, 7hrs sleep! still tired at work though.)

WEIGHT (before breakfast):170.0lb

Meal 1 - 7:40am
Meal 2 - 10:20am
Meal 3 - 1:15pm (after cardio)
Meal 4 - 4:15pm
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO shake - use up cytogainer. homemade in future.)
Meal 6 - 9:15pm (& early to bed!

)

LUNCHTIME CARDIO: 4.5miles in 30 minutes +2½min warm-down, on elliptical machine (10min fwd & 5min bckwrd, X2).

WORKOUT (Day 1 of new "push-bi/pull-tri/legs" program

see above.):
(1) Incline BB Press - w/bar:20(warmup), 95lb:1x15, 105lb:1x12, 115lb:1x7F.
(2) CG Chin-ups - 3x8 (failed last rep).
(3) Seated Military BB Press - w/bar:15(warmup), 95lb:3x8 (failed rep6, set3).
(4) DB Press - 45lb:1x12, 50lb:1x10, 55lb:1x5 (going for 8, failed on 5½).
(5) Arnold Press - 25lb:3x10(failed rep8, set3).
(6) Smith-machine shrugs (different machine than normal)- 145lb:1x12, 165lb:1x12, 185lb(new max):12 (grip good throughout

)
(7) EZ-Bar Curls - bar+40lb:3x10 (failed rep6, set3).

COMMENTS: Nice workout. I enjoyed it. Good pump. I'm going to do that again!

Maybe try some crazy weight for shrugs next time. Gripped 185lb no problem

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 11:30-7:00am (still woke up v.tired & eventually used a ½day vacation to get some more sleep 1:30pm-6:00pm).

WEIGHT (before breakfast):169.2lb

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:00pm (then slept 1:30pm-6pm)
Meal 4 - 6:30pm (breakfast again)
Meal 5 - 10:00pm
Meal 6 - 12:30am

WORKOUT:None. Too tired to function at work. Took ½day vacation & slept 1:30pm-6:00pm. Workout rescheduled for tomorrow.

CARDIO: 3½hours (6:30pm-10:00pm) pick-axing, digging and wheelbarrowing leftover driveway dirt into raised veggie patches by new shed. Sweaty evening!

Posted by: katt

So you did a little "dirt therapy"? That's what I call it!

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

So you did a little "dirt therapy"? That's what I call it!

Yup! Diggin' a hole, is good for the soul!

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

SLEPT (last night): 1:30am-6:20am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):171.2lb

Meal 1 - 6:40am
Meal 2 - 10:30am (ate late to help get through 11-1pm mtg)
Meal 3 - 1:15pm (hungry!)
Meal 4 - 4:00pm (hungry!)
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO Shake. Add 2x bananas @ 8:45pm - hungry).
Meal 6 - 10:00pm

WORKOUT (Push & Tris) - Workout#2 of new 3mo program:
Pull & Tris:
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW) - 3x6 (struggled last rep, all sets

WTF?) [Me-52lb:1x10 warmup]
(2) Bent-over BB rows (knees bent, back straight) - w/bar:1x10(warmup), 65lb:1x12, 75lb:1x12, 85lb:1x10 (can't hold 85lb at peak - maybe too heavy)
(3) Dips (BW) - 3x8
(4) DB Rear Lateral Raise - 17½lb:1x12, 20lb:1x10, 22½lb:1x8.
(5) Cable Row - 80lb:1x12, 90lb:1x10, 100lb:1x8.
(6) DB Pullover (1st time ever) - 30lb:3x10
(7) Skull-Crushers - 25lb:1x8, 2x4(failing on 4 - weak!).

MEMO: Forgot to take workout notes with me. Couldn't remember the order I'd planned to do everything. See IM journal ("The Plan" entry) for intended exercise order for next time.

WORKOUT NOTES: Nice workout. Good pump. Strangely my chest and traps were pumped when got back to the changing room. Am I doing something wrong, or are these getting involved because I'm doing almost entirely compound exercises? Still though... good workout...Arms (tris) were shaky/jittery next morning, otherwise fine.

NEXT TIME: Check body-part rep recommendations (per one of my previous IM posts) and pick weights that fail in appropriate range. Didn't know how many reps to do (and, consequently which weights to pick) for optimal hypertrophy this time.

SUPPLEMENTS: Novedex XT should be here tomorrow. Start NHA Stack (ActivaTe & Novedex) this weekend. Hopefully libido holds out over the next 2mo.

READ: Extreme Muscle Enhancement 7:30pm-11:30pm. Almost done with it. (maybe 20pages left). Should've taken some notes as I went through each body-part section re:rep recommendations, form, exercise choices etc. I'll re-review for design of next 12wk program in a couple of months.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:15am-7:00am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):169.2lb

Meal 1 - 7:40am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 4:20pm
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (½ PWO shake) Add:Banana@8:30pm
Meal 6 - 9:30pm
Meal 7 - 11:30pm (shake before bed)

WORKOUT (Legs - Workout#3 of new 3mo program

):
5mins cardio on elliptical to warm-up... then...
1. Incline sit-ups: 3x25 (throwing and catching 4lb ball while doing situps - abs burned!).
2. Full Squats: 135lb:1x12, 155lb:1x8, 1x6, 1x4. (MUCH harder than regular squats - last week I did 185lb w/legs parallel to floor. Today, w/10lb weight under each foot [lift], squatting until my butt touched my heels, I failed rep4, set4 w/155lb. Good though. I'm going to do these again.
3.Deadlifts - None. Workout terminated - pissed! See note...

NOTE; Went to gym w/wife again today. She did some situps then 2sets of BB squats w/35lb bar (while complaining) then went to the restroom. I waited for her, and waited, and waited. I looked around for my water bottle but it was missing too. I didn't know if my wife had taken it or if I had left it somewhere. I wandered around looking for it, getting increasingly pissed, then eventually sent someone into the rest room to see if they could find her. No luck. I eventually found her near the canteen snacking on a protein bar (she got weak, she said). I was pissed. It was already 7pm (I took Animal Pupm at 5:20pm) and I had pickup a $200 (craigslist) power rack at 7:30pm. I abandoned the workout, pissed, picked up the power rack and went home, still pissed. I wanted a beer, but didn't buy any.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:45pm-7:15am, then 8:30am-12:30pm.

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 12:30pm (slept 8:30am-12:15am)
Meal 3 - 4:30pm (after 3 "medicinal" beers - rage!)
Meal 4 - 7:00pm
Meal 5 - 11:30pm (hungry! - after grocery shop)
Meal 6 - 2:30am

NOTE: Woke up still pissed. What's wrong with me? I couldn't seem to shake a general feeling of annoyance at absolutely everything. Everything just pissed me off. By 8:30am I'd already had more than enough of everything so went back to bed. After 4 more hours sleep I was feeling a bit better, but after failing to break up lrg concrete blocks (excess concrete left over from pouring shed foundation) using small hand-held air-hammer, I was pissed-off again. Unable to shake off rage I resorted to a beer (or 3!) mid afternoon (medicinal purposes - yeah, right... whatever!).

"DIRT THERAPY" (Thx, Katt!

) - From 1pm-8pm I excavated area infront of new shed (for brick patio) with a pick-axe and shovel. The dirt was loaded into one of the new 2'x2'x6' raised veggie patches. After that, I excavated a 15'x3' area (which was buried in mud left over from the driveway excavation) to start installing a 15'x3½' fence dividing the back yard in two (to keep dogs out of veggie area). I got 2½ of the 7 post holes dug (slow work! - very rocky soil) and finally quit to go grocery shopping w/wife at approx 8pm. $200 groceries later (I must stop spending money!) we watched a movie, drank 4 more beers (I didn't need!) and finally fell asleep. All in all a productive day, although disappointing to have needed a beer to escape enraged mindset.

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

SLEPT (last night): 3am-10:15am

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 8:00am
Meal 2 - 11:30am
Meal 3 - 3:00pm
Meal 4 - 6:00pm
Meal 5 - 10:30pm (late. finishing fence posts)
Meal 6 - missed it. sleeping.

WORKOUT - None. Wanted to, but garage looks like a war-zone! I need to get my old multi-gym sold, the shed door painted and installed, the security system added to the shed, and the roto-tiller, lawn-mover, garden tools, weed-whacker, wheel-barrow (etc) out of the garage and into the shed. I can barely move around the garage at the moment, it's so full. Plus, I have to find room to setup the power rack I picked up from craigslist on Friday. I'll get there. One thing at a time. Baby steps.

DIRT THERAPY - 11hours excavating area for fence (dividing back yard in two, to keep dogs out of veggie area), digging post holes, visiting H.Depot for more concrete, handrail, spindles etc... Long, hard, sweaty day!

ALCOHOL - It's a funny ol' world. I've been fine for weeks (no cravings) but today (possibly after yesterday's rage-driven beers) I practically woke up craving a beer. I finally gave into cravings at noon (having just one made me feel better). But then had another "just one" at about 3pm, after lunch. Nearing the end of the day I somehow justified buying a 6pack and drank 5 of them in the blink of an eye (while concreting-in fence/handrail-posts)! I don't know. I'm wierd. I spend 95% of my life not wanting a beer (and actually wanting to not ever want a beer) and then, ocassionally, all I want is a beer. Hopefully time will ease the pain.

SPENDING - Am I crazy!? I know I'm broke (and feeling deeper in debt every month) but I still spent $200 for a power rack, $300 for fence-building materials, $200 on groceries, $350 for supplements (Pak, Pump, Flex, NO, Novedex RX, whey gourmet, etc...). WTF? The back of my head drives me to do things that the front of my head rationally doesn't want to do. I need to get a bunch of shit sold. And, I need to not spend money like this. If I ever lost my job I'd be totally fucked! We have $20k of credit card debt (incl. wife's gastric bypass surgery) and I just have to find a way to get out of it.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:30pm-7am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (PWO shake. Using up Cytogainer)
Meal 4 - 3:55pm (hungry)
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO shake. Using up Cytogainer)
Meal 6 - 10:00pm (after snack 8:30pm)

WORKOUT MEMO - "The Plan" calls for cardio today. However, with Friday's and Sat/Sunday's workouts either being cancelled or cut short, I decided to play catch-up today. 2 workouts (a)1pm:Legs (minus squats, done last Friday) and (2)5:30pm:Press/Bi. I'll do some cardio at lunch tomorrow (active recovery for legs). Next workout is tomorrow (Push/tri), then legs on Thursday i.e. I should be OK.

LUNCH WORKOUT 1:10pm-1:50pm (Legs).
1.Incline situps: 3x20 (while throwing/catching 4lb ball)
2.Squats - None. Did them on Friday.
3.Deadlifts: 135lb:1x12, 155lb:1x10, 175lb:1x8, 185lb:1x6, 195lb(new max):1x4, 205lb(new max):1x2, 215lb(new max):1x2, 225lb(new max):1x2 (SEE NOTE BELOW).
4.Lunges w/2x30lb DBs: 3x10 (two steps = one rep)
5.Laying leg curls: 90lb:1x12, 110lb:1x10, 120lb:1x8(struggling - 120lb may be too heavy - ½reps only).
6.Seated Rotary Calf Press: 190lb:1x15, 210lb:1x15, 230lb:1x12F(calves on fire!)
7. Laying weighted leg raises (for abs) - None. Out of time.

NOTES Re: DEADLIFTS

This is insane! I struggled to get 185lb off the floor a few weeks ago. Now I'm lifting 225lb! I could definitely have done more than 2 reps too. I lifted 185lb so easily I thought I'd try more. Then more. Then more! Then even more! I found myself looking at the weights wondering if I'd used 35lb plates instead of 45lb ones. I may have only done 2reps of each of the higher weights, but I could definitely have done more. I was just curious to see when it'd start to feel heavy. It never really did! WTF!? Awesome!

AFTER-WORK WORKOUT:Press/Bi.
WORKOUT (Day 1 of new "push-bi/pull-tri/legs" program

):
(1) Incline BB Press - w/bar:1x20(warmup), 95lb:1x15, 115lb:10, 125lb:6, 135lb(new max):4.
(2) CG Chin-ups - 3x8 (failed last rep)
(3) Seated Military BB Press - 95lb:3x8 (failed rep6, set3)
(4) DB Press - 45lb:1x12, 50lb:10(just!), 55lb:7(fail), 60lb(new max):4.
(5) Arnold Press - 25lb:3x10 (left struggled w/rep9&10 set3).
(6) Smith-machine shrugs - 145lb:1x12, 165lb:1x12, 185lb:1x12, 195lb(new max):1x8.
(7) EZ-Bar Curls - bar+40lb:3x10 (failed rep7, set3).

STUPIDITY ALERT!: I forgot pants, T-Shirt and even my training shoes today! Basically I carried a damned-near empty bag to work! I bought new Tshirt & pants but I still worked-out in socks! Black, office socks, no less!

Oh the shame... the shame...

ALCOHOL - None. No cravings. All is well with the world.

Posted by: Big G

How cool! I just figured out that each little post has it's own hyperlink available, so I can, for example, make a link that goes directly to The Plan (one of the previous posts in this journal). Cool.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:30pm-7am (not enough!)

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:30pm
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (weak/hungry after cardio!)
Meal 4 - 4:40pm (before 5:45pm workout)
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO shake - use remainder of cytogainer)
Meal 6 - 9:30pm
Meal 7 - 1:00am (couldn't sleep. got back up for PP shake)

LUNCHTIME CARDIO - 30mins on elliptical machine. 4.03miles, resistance #8. 10mins fwd, 5mins bckwrd (X2).

AFTER-WORK WORKOUT (Pull/Tri):
NOTE: I forgot to take workout notes with me. Messed up the order (again!). Take workout-order notes next time!

(1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW) - 3x6 (full extension all reps. Failed rep5 set3) [Me-52lb:1x10 warmup]
(2) Bent-over BB rows (knees bent, back straight) - w/bar:1x10(warmup), 65lb:1x12, 75lb:1x12, 85lb:1x12 (85lb not fully pulled to abs, but not far off)
(3) Dips (BW) - 3x8 (easy - maybe add 10lb DB next time)
(4) Cable Row w/12" width handle - 80lb:1x12(too easy), 90lb:1x12, 100lb:1x12 (7-12 partial).
(4) Reverse Pec Dec / Machine Rear Lateral (NOTE: Gym crowded. No DBs available. Chose not to wait) - w/100lblb:1x10, 110lb:1x10 (NOTE: 5-10 not fully contracted - a little too heavy), w/100lb:1x10.
(6) DB Pullover (2nd time ever) - 30lb:1x10, 35lb:1x10, 40lb(new max):1x8.
(7) Skull-Crushers - 25lb:1x6(fail), 20lb:2x8 (failed rep6 set3).

MEMO: Nice enough workout. Left me shaky feeling, like last week (not food/weak shaky but kind-of muscle-spasm shaky. wierd).

Rest day tomorrow.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 1:45am-7:15am (not enough. couldn't fall alseep!)

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:15pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 7:20pm
Meal 6 - 10:15pm

WORKOUT: None. Planned/scheduled rest day.

SUPPLEMENTS: Arrived today from FitnessOne.com (incl. Novedex Rx)!

NHA Stack starts tomorrow. I'll document weight, mood, libido & other perceived effects over next 8wks.

READING: Psycho-cybernetics. Hopefully will help w/debt mgt & more!

Posted by: SamEaston

Some of your entries make me laugh so much!

You write as if you're actually having a conversation with someone - its tremendous reading im telling you!

Oh, and fantastic work on the deadlifts. You really are getting strong huh

Posted by: Big G

Thanks, Sam. That's nice of you to say.

I kept a journal as a kid basically from the time I could write (even with really terrible handwriting) right up to about 18 years old. That was 16 years ago now, and I have no idea now why I ever stopped doing it. Still though, the daily ritual of writing notes on whatever the hell went on and/or how I felt about it is strangely cathartic. I kind-of like it.

I do enjoy writing, I have to say. I'm a comic at heart, even in day to day conversations. I've been told thousands of times that I should do Stand-Up, but I've never had the courage to try. Maybe one day.

Life is a funny place though. It's all in how you look at it. Some people just aren't happy unless they aren't happy!

Check out the placenta (yes, placenta!) story below. I can gaurantee that'll bring a smile to your face. Other people's bad luck is almost always funny!

Stay tuned...

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:45am-7:25am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):172.2lb (heaviest so far!)

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am (pre 11-2 mtg)
Meal 3 - 2:20pm (after mtg)
Meal 4 - 4:50pm (pre 5:45pm workout)
Meal 5 - 7:00pm (PWO Cytogainer +¼ozWalnuts w/activaTe)
Meal 6 - 10:00pm

AFTER WORK WORKOUT (Legs):
1.Incline situps: 1x25, 1x20, 1x15 (while throwing/catching 4lb ball) Burning!
2.Full Squats - 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x10, 165lb(new max for full squat):1x4(fail) then 135lb:1x6.
3.Deadlifts - 155lb:1x12(easy!), 175lb:1x10, 195lb:1x8, 225lb(new max):1x6. Awesome!

4.Lunges w/2x30lb DBs - 3x10 (2steps=1rep).
5.Laying leg curls - 90lb:1x10, 100lb:1x10, 110lb:1x10 (just right)
6.Seated Rotary Calf Press - skipped it. still sore from Monday.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY - What a day!

SLEPT (last night): 12:45am-7:15am. Again, not enough.

NOTE:I went to bed at 11:15pm to try and finally get 8hours (I want my libido back!), but Vera ("Lady Guenevere" - my little Border Collie girl) went into labor and wouldn't leave my side. I tried to get her to stay in her whelping box, but she wouldn't. She was huffing and puffing, wincing and whining, so I stayed up with her hoping that she'd have one and I could relocate her and the pup to the whelping box (she'd stay there if she had one of her pups there) but eventually I fell asleep cuddling her at about 12:45pm.

Vera ended up having 2 (of a litter of 5) pups in bed with me (Placenta stained sheets! Eww!) before my wife reaized what was happening and relocated her to her whelping box. Incidentally my wife slept downstairs because the sheets were nasty, but apparently "couldn't" (didn't!) wake me up to tell me about it, so I slept like that all night and woke up wondering WTF all the mess was. Big Giant Eww!

To top it all (after a extra-long shower!) I couldn't find my office keys this morning. I tore the house completely to peices in 30minutes then eventually gave up and drove to work completely pissed off, still keyless, to be told I am [quote] "A Disaster" by my boss! Great! Meanwhile, my wife had written down the wrong schedule and was pottering around the house doing laundry at 10am when her boss phoned and told her she was supposed to be at work at 9am!

What a day!

Anyway... where was I?.... Oh yeah!... This is supposed to be a workout journal... I remember now...

WEIGHT (before breakfast): 171.0lb

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 3:10pm (late! busy until 1:30pm, then ran 4miles)
Meal 4 - 7:00pm
Meal 5 - 10:00pm
Meal 6 - missed it. exhausted. asleep early.

MEMO: Fucked-up food timing today. I wanted to run from 12:30pm-1:30pm (eating again at 1:45pm) but couldn't get out of the office until 1:40pm (urgent budget mtgs, urgent check run, urgent invoice processing, urgent pettycash reconciliation, dot dot dot!). By that time it was already time to eat, but I went to the gym anyway. After 30 mins on the elliptical machine I got back to the office at 2:50pm, finally eating toast & tuna between 3:10pm-3:30pm (i.e. Too late to justify eating again before working out at 5:40pm). Meal 4 was then after my workout rather than an hour before, which meant everything else was then behind.

Yet again... what a day!

WORKOUT (Push/Bi):
(1) Incline BB Press - w/bar(warmup):1x20, 95lb:1x10, 115lb:10, 135lb:3x6 (failed rep5,set3)
(2) CG Chin-ups - 3x8 (failed rep7,set3)
(3) Seated Military BB Press - 95lb:1x8 (easy!), 105lb:1x6, 115lb:1x6.
(4) DB Press - 50lb:1x10, 55lb:1x8, 60lb:1x6, 65lb(new max):1x4.
(5) Arnold Press - 25lb:1x8(too easy!), 30lb:1x8(still too easy), 40lb:1x6(better weight.NOTE: 35lb DBs not available)
(6) Smith-machine shrugs - 185lb:1x10(easy!), 205lb(new max):1x10, 215lb(new max):1x10.
(7) EZ-Bar Curls - 75lb EZ-bar BB:1x10, 1x5fail, 1x4fail.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
NOTE: Amidst the placenta-laced morning I fogot to take 1st ActivaTe cap. I took it w/meal 2 instead. Plus, I was eating meal 4 when I would normally have been eating meal 5, so I took ActivaTe #3 with meal 4 instead. The timing for ActivaTe was right, but becuase my meals got behind schedule ActivaTe was taken with different meal #s. I got them all in though, reasonably spaced too.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

SLEPT (last night): 11:00pm-7:30am (Finally! 8hours+!)

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 8:00am
Meal 2 - 10:45am
Meal 3 - 1:20pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 7:30pm (+6 miller lite, 10-11:30pm

)
Meal 6 - 11:30pm

MEMO: Man, oh man, did the wife wake up bitchin' this morning! I went to bed early and woke up at 7:30pm. I knew she wasn't planning on getting up until after 10am so I let her sleep in. Arthur (the dog) woke her up when I went back into the bedroom at 8am to get my workboots. After that all hell broke loose! My non-existant libido was directly in the line of fire! And man, did it get gunned down! By the time she was done with me I was wishing I was dead. I tried to leave, but she jumped in the truck with me (like a pitbull, with it's jaws clamped around.. well.. nevermind).

I tried to get into working outside (building a fence to chop back yard in two, but I was just too pissed off and bummed out to concentrate. The two Miller Lite in the fridge were calling for me! I drank 1½ before feeling the relief of the first one, then pitched the remainder of the second. Shortly after that the wife left for work and I got my head back into gear. I spent until 2pm tidying the garage to get to the multi-stn gym (no small task!), cleaning, selling and then delivering the multi-stn gym (20miles away?). Then, from approx 4pm onwards, I got to work on the backyard fence. I got one section completed, the gate built and installed. The wife was expected home at 10:30pm and by 10pm I was already dreading it. I opted to buy a six pack of Miller Lite (not the best choice!), drank four before wife got home (fortunately in OKish mood) and killed the other two while installing the hardware on the gate.

We eventually "made out", kind-of (1st time in 7-10 days) but I couldn't get into it (alcohol buzz? libido issues? both!?). Anyway... I eventually ate and got to bed at 2am with instructions that a man was arriving at 7am the following morning to start moving the mounds of "free dirt" I'd advertised on craiglist (left over from building driveway). 7am! Jeez! Who starts digging dirt at 7am on a Sunday morning!? Anyway... At least it'll clear the back yard up. There's probably 10-15 tons of dirt piled up there.

Oh! Just FYI... NEVER dig a driveway out by hand! Advertise FREE DIRT and there'll be a queue of people will to dig the driveway out for you just so they can keep the topsoil. It'd've been nice to know that before I spent 2month of my life digging 25-30tons of soil out of the ground last year (to make space for 22ton gravel, 3ton sand and 7 skids of paving stones!). Live and learn!

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
NOTE: Took ActivaTe religiously, but forgot to add to food-log.

VITAMINS - I forgot to take any today. Too busy working. Oops!

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

SLEPT (last night): 2:15am-7:15am (had to get up early - two men arrived to clear dirt from back yard)

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 8:00am
Meal 2 - 10:45am (hungry already. 2nd breakfast. Mmm!)
Meal 3 - 1:00pm (milk only. couldn't stop working on fence)
Meal 4 - 3:30pm
Meal 5 - 7:00pm
Meal 6 - 11:30pm (waited for roast beef to be done).

WORKOUT: None. Had one scheduled but it took all day to complete fence and install new handrail (w/turned-spindles) in back yard. Got done at 9:30pm but spent the evenving cooking mad-loads of green veggies, roasting beef and chicken and baking swt potatoes.

PROJECTS: 8am-9pm. Long sweaty day! Measuring, cutting and installing fence pickets for 4'x20' fence separating back yard into two. Completed fence and moved onto installing fancy new handrail by back door. It looks awesome! Next comes some wood-stain for the fence and white paint for the handrail. Gotta get this done during the week, plus build remaining 3 raised veggie patch boxes so I can get whatever dirt I need (to fill boxes) before the two men (who spent all day loading and hauling away excess dirt - from driveway today) come back next weekend to finish the job.

BEER: I wanted a beer all day!

Went out to get groceries and literally battled myself for an hour trying not to buy some. I hate it when it's like that.

Still though... I didn't drink, so I won, I guess (in a semi-neurotic kind-of way).

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Took ActivaTe religiously, but forgot to add to Meal 1 & 5 in food log.

VITAMINS - Took all the normal stuff (after meal 1) but forgot to add to food log. Oh well.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:45am-7:15pm

WEIGHT (before breakfast):170.4lb

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:30am
Meal 4 - 4:45pm
Meal 5 - exhausted. slept 6:00pm-2:00am
Meal 6 - 2:20am, then slept again 3am-7am.

CARDIO: Cancelled. Had cardio scheduled for lunchtime but reconciliation of personal checking accounts revealed we fell $2k further into debt during July and this news left me seriously bummed. Will catch-up cardio tomorrow lunchtime after catching up Pull/Tri workout tonight (schedule for yesterday).

WORKOUT: Pull/Tri: Cancelled. I am sooo tired, it's stupid. I'm sat at work trying to enter budget numbers and I am literally falling asleep with my eyes open. If I shut my eyes I can feel the room spinning and I know I'll be asleep in just seconds. Something tells me I need some R&R! God knows I didn't get any this past ass-busting sleep-deprived weekend!

I'll do Pull/Tri at lunch tomorrow with Legs after work. Cardio will have to get postponed to Wed.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Fell alseep 6pm-2am. Took last ActivaTe w/Novedex at 2:30am (when I woke up) before sleeping again 3am-7am.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 6pm-2am, then 3am-7am.

WEIGHT (before breakfast): not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 10:10am
Meal 3 - 12:50pm (PWO shake. still using up cytogainer!)
Meal 4 - 4:15pm (snacked on a peach to make it this far!)
Meal 5 - 7:20pm (PWO shake, again)
Meal 6 - 10:20pm

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT Pull/Tri.(Rescheduled from Sunday! Didn't complete fence and stairway handrail on Sunday until too late to workout, plus garage looks like a bomb exploded and needs at least an hour to rearrnage gym after moving everything around to sell old multi-stn home-gym on Saturday):
[NOTE: Tried NO-Explode pre-workout for 1st time - 1scoop].
ALSO... Forgot workout notes from last week (again!). I must stop doing that! It just bugs me. Anyway...
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW) - 3x6 (full extension all reps. Only just failed rep6 set3) [Me-52lb:1x10 warmup]
(2) Bent-over BB rows (knees bent, back straight) - w/bar:1x10(warmup), 65lb:1x10, 75lb:1x10, 85lb:1x10 (reps 8-10 not fully to abs, but not far off)
(3) Dips w/10lb DB - 3x8 (struggled last rep, but otherwise cake. Maybe next time try 30lb DB 1st set, then 15lb, then BW. Or something).
(4) Cable Row w/narrow handle - 110lb:2x10(reps8-10 set2 not fully to abs, but not far off), 100lb:1x12, 100lb:1x10.
(5) Bent over lateral raise (rear delts) w/25lb DBs: 3x10(perfect).
(6) DB Pullover - Dammit! I forgot about this one. I was wracking my brain trying to remember what the hell I included in this workout, but still screwed up. Must remember last weeks notes. It helps (me, anyway!)
(7) Skull-Crushers - 25lb:1x9, 1x6, 1x3.\

MEMO: Speedy sweaty workout. Packed it all in 35minutes! Mostly just had 30 sec RI. Got to gym at 1:20pm after meeting wife (working 2-10pm today) so had to rush to get back to office by 2pm. Almost made it too. Almost.

AFTER WORK WORKOUT (Per schedule).
Warmup - 5mins on elliptical, 1min fwd, 1min bckwrd.
1.Incline situps: 2x25 + 1x20 (while throwing/catching 4lb ball), plus 1x20 twisting situps (for the burn. no additional weight).
2.Full Squats - 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x10, 165lb(new max from last workout):1x7(3more than last time) then 135lb:1x6 (squats totally killed me today. I was sweating like a pig! Do pigs actually sweat? Dogs don't, I know that much. Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah...).
3.Deadlifts (I l-o-v-e deadlifts!

) - 175lb:1x10(fuck starting on 155lb. That's shit's for the birds!

), 195lb:1x8, 225lb(last session's new max):1x6(no re-grip

), 245lb(new max):1x4(I had to try.

)
4.Lunges w/2x30lb DBs - 1x10, 1x8 and I just gave up. I couldn't go on. For some reason my legs were just fucked! I don't know if it was the extra few squat reps at 165lb, the crazy 245lb deadlifts (Grrr!), the new NO-Explode Vs usual Animal Pump (probably not) or having worked out already today. Either way, my legs were just completely beat. I couldn't even handle the thought of an extra set w/25lb DBs.
5.Laying leg curls - 90lb:1x10, 100lb:1x10, 110lb:1x10, 120lb:1x5(killing me).
6.Seated Rotary Calf Press - skipped it. I wanted to do it but someone jumped on the machin ejust when I got there and they were taking their sweet time. Meanwhile I was just sitting around with my legs aching a nausiating throbbing ache. I decided to call it a day and head out.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Took everything perfectly.

Posted by: SamEaston

Oh my God - you have Border Collie Puppies in your house. Ooohhh, how sweet! I bet they are gorgeous!! Never mind about the sheets - as long as the pups are healthy and your Vera got through the birth without any problems, i would be happy with that!!

OOhh, get you with the 245lb deadlifts! Amazing work! And im not surprised you had to stop on the lunges. Lunges are such a demanding exercise anyway, but to do them after Squats and Deads - bloody hell mate - i would have been in a puddle on the floor!

Your legs are gonna kill tomorrow though - guaranteed

Hope you're well

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Oh my God - you have Border Collie Puppies in your house. Yup!

Ooohhh, how sweet! They really are. I love 'em.

I bet they are gorgeous!! Yeah. They're about the size of a mouse at the moment. They're just a few days old, so they still don't have their eyes open yet. They can't walk yet, but they'll be up and about in no time, I'm sure. We keep 'em for 6-8 weeks before they're sold. The money goes into my wife's Surgery Fund. We need $13k to get her skin cut off (after her 310lb weight loss!). It'll take years, but we'll get there.

Never mind about the sheets - as long as the pups are healthy and your Vera got through the birth without any problems, i would be happy with that!! You're right. At the end of the day that's all that matters. Vera did really well. This is her fourth litter. She's an incredible Mum. We have two other dogs too and when the pups squeek they both look the opposite direction.

With the first litter they'd look over towards the pups when they squeeked and Vera would rush over, get right in their face, snarling and drooling like a ferocious wild dog! It didn't take the other two dogs long to learn that Vera won't tolerate looking at the box when the pups make a noise. These days both of the other dogs look completely the opposite direction and lower their heads like they've already done something wrong. It's cute. One of the dogs is her hubby (King Arthur & Lady Guenevere

) and he's allowed to sit by the box if Vera has to go outside to pee, but the other dog (a semi-retarded border-collie/lab mix we call "Izzy" - short for Queen Isabella) is not allowed anywhere near the box. It's unfortunate really because she needs to walk kind-of close to the box to go outside and pee. More often than not Vera clamps her jaw around her leg and hold her. She releases for a second - just long enough for Izzy to take a step - then clamps back onto the next leg and holds her again. She obviously doesn't hurt her becuase Izzy never complains. She'll just stand still for a moment until Vera lets go, she takes a step, then waits for Vera to let go of the other leg. If you knew Izzy you'd get how funny this really is. Izzy is like a mule. She'll walk in any direction that she's facing. Honestly, I'd have gotten rid of her ages ago, but my wife won't let me. It's still funny to see little 40lb Vera bossing stupid ol' 90lb Izzy around.

OOhh, get you with the 245lb deadlifts! Amazing work! And im not surprised you had to stop on the lunges. Lunges are such a demanding exercise anyway, but to do them after Squats and Deads - bloody hell mate - i would have been in a puddle on the floor! OK. Kewl. Thanks for the encouragement. I've been pounding my legs pretty hard since I got into all this back in Nov' last year. I used to barely be able to walk out of the gym after doing legs. I haven't eased up much (I did change from 20rep squats to 10rep full-squats) but my legs are definitely just much much more resilient these days. They're sore afterwards (typically two days afterwards) but not like before. I used to get so sore I could barely bend down. They've toughened up a lot since those days, and my quads are definitely showing results. My inner leg above my knee has a big bulge by it and the outside of my upper leg has all bulged out too. When I complete my next cut, planned for Jan-Mar next year I hope to drop down to around 5% body fat (just for fun!). I bet my legs look awesome then, covered in striations etc. Right now they look pretty damn good compared to a lot of other guys at the gym (some guys just won;t do legs it seems) and they certainly look awesome compared to any photo you can find of me in mt younger years. There's certainly visible definition. I bet at 5-6% bf they're gonna look crazy. Freakishly veiny, that's for sure! They're veiny already, especially after a workout. My wife hates it. I think it's funny.

Your legs are gonna kill tomorrow though - guaranteed

Nah! Hardcore!

Hope you're well

You too.

How's England these days? I'm from central London. I moved to Ohio, USA to marry my online sweetheart (from AOL 0.0) back in '98. I haven't been back yet becuase there's always something else to do with a thousand bucks, but I will, I guess, some day.

Ohio sucks, I know that much! As soon as I'm done pimping my old ramshackled duplex (two semi-detached bldgs - I bought both of 'em and rent one out) I'm hoping to sell it, bank $30-50k and head south. Either Carolina (ah... beach!) or New Orleans (ah... jazz!

) would do. I want to buy a factory, an old school, a warehouse, a church or some other weird building. Something to work on for 10-15 years to make into an incredible home. It'll be cool. Plus it'll be lovely to get out of the snow! I hate the cold and it's freezing in Ohio six months out of the year. And c-r-a-z-y wish-you-were-dead cold for three of 'em! I can't wait to move.

Where in UK are you from?

BTW... I figured you were from UK due to "Bloody'ell mate" comment

Yo don't hear much of that in The States.

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 1:30am-7:00am (not enough!).

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:20am (T.Joes was out of complete-protein bread!)
Meal 2 - 12:30pm (Late! In mtg +trip to bank. Starved!

)
Meal 3 - 3:20pm
Meal 4 - 6:10pm (before leaving work, in prep for painting)
Meal 5 - 9:00pm (read from 10-11, then slept 11-1am)
Meal 6 - 1:15am (woke up hungry. had shake & back to bed)
NOTE: Error in food log. I entered "Meal 6" and "Meal 7" instead of "Meal 5" and "Meal 6", but there were only 6 meals.

WORKOUT: None. Planned rest day. 2x WOs yesterday.

CARDIO: 20mins on elliptical @ 8-9mph w/resistance 10 (HR @ 140-145 throughout). 10mins fwd, 5mins bkwrd, 5mins fwd (Usually do 30mins. Stopped due to time constraints - gotta get back to work). "Active recovery" for legs following yesterday's WO.

THE PLAN (See previous post, or click on IM Journal link below) - The Plan is fully on track. I had to maintain some flexibility due to lengthy weekend construction projects and additional time constraints at work, but have stuck pretty-well to The Plan (give or take a day or two). All workouts and cardio planned by this point have been completed.

CALVES: Rotary calf presses - 190lb:15(easy!), 210lb:15, 230lb:15(burn!) NOTE: Did these after run becuase I missed them yesterday. Not ideal, I know. See yesterday's note for more info.

AFTER WORK - Intended to go home and paint cedar stain on new 4'x20' fence between garage & house (chopping back yard in two, to keep dogs out of new raised veggie patch area w/shed). I got out of work at around 6:30pm, raced home to find it had rained only in my neighborhood and the fence was sopping wet.

Project postponed to tomorrow! After that's done, there's a 30'x20' deck, two 10'sqr paved patios and 220', property-line, hand-built, scalloped, custom, wooden fence (to be painted white) to build before summer is done! Ambitious year!

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Meal 2 was so late I took ActivaTe #2 with it instead of meal 3. Took 3rd w/meal 4 and final one before bed. i.e. ActivaTe timing was good, but food timing was off. 4th ActivaTe was taken after I woke up from 11p-1a nap (before sleeping 1a-6a).

Posted by: juggernaut

your sleep patterns suck. Stopping you from growing and repairing.

Posted by: SamEaston

Im actually Scottish, from a small town on the east coast of Scotland called Fife. If you are familiar with golf, then Fife is where Saint Andrews golf course is - a really spectacularly beautiful part of the world. But im biased of course!

England is okay, London is okay. I think the thing i don't particularly like about London is that im not meeting very many Londoners - lots and lots of foreigners instead. Which is okay, don't get me wrong but sometimes i love a bit of cockney charm, and you don't often get it here!

I can't believe you moved to the states! I would never even consider it! I went to Boston last year and wasn't that impressed to be honest! We went to Harvard and it looked like a dump - our universities here are so grand and decorative, stunning to look at, but i just found the uni and the whole of Boston in general, rather bland. But hey, i do want to go to Vegas and Florida so i guess parts of the US are okay

On another note - i agree with what Jug just posted. It's quite likely that the limiting factor in your recovery (even though you're still progressing with the weights really fast) is lack of sleep. Is there any way you can get more? A catnap during the day? I know you're a busy guy but i also think you could benefit so much from some extra kip.

You probably think that too huh? Like 'tell me something i didn't know'

Posted by: katt

I think you need more sleep than that also!! You need to get a handle on that

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by juggernaut

your sleep patterns suck. Stopping you from growing and repairing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

i agree with what Jug just posted. It's quite likely that the limiting factor in your recovery (even though you're still progressing with the weights really fast) is lack of sleep. Is there any way you can get more? A catnap during the day? I know you're a busy guy but i also think you could benefit so much from some extra kip.

You probably think that too huh? Like 'tell me something i didn't know'

I know, I know. That's why I started tracking it. It's the cause of my f^%$ed up libido too, I'm sure. I never seem to get enough sleep. I was reading recently that hormone production/release occurs predominately between 6-8 hours sleep. I get 5-6 most nights it seems. I'm up at 7am every day so in theory it sounds simple to get myself in bed by 11pm and get a full eight hours. But it never seems to work out like that.

If I go to the gym after work I don't get home until around 7:30pm. After a bit of TV, possibly some work on whatever project I've got going on, dinner, updating this journal and reading a few pages of whatever book I'm on, it's after 12am. I don't know where the time goes. Even if I don;t go to the gym and get myself home by 6pm I'm often working on some project or other and time just keeps on flying by. Evenings are just too short if you ask me.

Often I'm aware that it's 10:45pm and, if I'm going to get 8hours, I need to go to bed if I want to read for a few minutes, but I'm just not tired. I'm wide awake.

I'm going to do better. That's actually a promise I made to myself maybe a month ago and I really haven't done much better at all. But I will. Dammit. I will.

Thanks go to both of you for your input though. Much appreciated.

w/thx,
G.

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY

SLEPT (last night): 11:00pm-1:00am (woke up hungry so had PP shake), then 1:15am-6:00am (i.e. not enough!). Got up early to go to work early (I left work early yesterday in hopes of staining new fence, but it had rained [apparently, only in my neighborhood!] so plans got cancelled. Today's workout will be at lunchtime, so I can get home early again and try to get wood-stain completed tonight).

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):173.0lb. Reduced by 16oz in weightloss/gain graph to offset cup of coffee, 4 slices of bread and 8 egg whites (maybe should be more of a reduction, but that's close enough).

Meal 1 - 6:10am (Up early to prepare budget rpt for mtg).
Meal 2 - 8:50am (A little early. Pre 2½hr budget mtg).
Meal 3 - 11:30pm (A little early. Pre 12:30 workout).
Meal 4 - 1:45pm (Finally! The last of the cytogainer!).
Meal 5 - 5:10pm
Meal 6 - 8:15pm
Meal 7 - 1:00am (Woke hungry. Tested 1st home-made PWO shake).

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT: Press/Bi.
WORKOUT (Press/Bi):
(1) Incline BB Press - w/bar(warmup):1x20, 95lb:1x8, 115lb:8, 135lb:1x7½(fail), 155lb(new max):1x2

Kewl!
(2) CG Chin-ups - 3x8 (failed rep8,set3)
(3) Seated Military BB Press - 115lb:1x6, 135lb(new max):1x4(fail), 125lb:1x5.
(4) DB Press - 55lb:1x10, 60lb:1x8(just!), 65lb(last week's new max):1x4½(fail), 60lb:1x4.
(5) Arnold Press - 40lb:1x8, 45lb(new max):1x5½(fail), 40lb:1x7(just!)
(6) Smith-machine shrugs - 185lb:1x10(easy!), 205lb:1x10, 225lb(new max):1x10, 245lb(new max):7(good enough for now).
(7) EZ-Bar Curls - 75lb EZ-bar BB:1x10(just). Out of time.

NOTE: Great workout! Man, I love the pump I get from working out shoulders & traps together.

My traps were definitely twice their regular size at the end of the workout. I felt huge and looked awesome!

Funny shit!

AFTER WORK: Planned to stain new backyard fence when I got home but instead just chilled-out in my LA-Z-Boy reading Psycho-cybernetics. Interesting stuff. Early to bed. Tired.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Took everthing perfectly but forgot to add ActivaTe #1-3 to food log. Oh well...

Posted by: juggernaut

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

try melatonin and zma. Dont buy into the bullshit claims that zma raises T levels. It works for sleep. Also, try a casein protein drink mixed with a scoop of whey and natural peanut butter. Going to bed with a full stomach always makes me relax.

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by juggernaut

OK. Kewl. Thanks. I've never heard of melatonin or zma (you take 'em both, right?). I'll have to hunt around and see what I find out. Damned supplements are going to backrupt my ass though, I swear!

I'd been thinking of casein before bed. I'll typically have a whey shake if I'm up much after meal 6 (in an effort to minimize catabolism while sleeping) but I know that casein is a processed more slowly so it lasts longer.

Posted by: SamEaston

Failing that, i have some HU-UGE biochemistry books you could borrow if you like.

No wonder i had no trouble sleeping when i was studying

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by juggernaut

D'ya think it's worth an extra $5/30srvngs to get ZMA with Mucuna Pruriens (seeds) standardized for L-Dopa/Polypodium vulgara Suma (root) standardized for 20 Hydroxyecdysone?

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Failing that, i have some HU-UGE biochemistry books you could borrow if you like.

No wonder i had no trouble sleeping when i was studying

Funny!

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey BigG!

How ya doin' mate? Hope all is well and you had a fantastic weekend!

Posted by: Big G

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamEaston

Hey BigG!

How ya doin' mate? Hope all is well and you had a fantastic weekend!

Nope. Dammit. Hospitalized again for dehydration. Kidneys were fine this time though (probably just went to the hospital much sooner this time). I got one mother of all mother headaches in the gym and ended up just curled up holding my head. It was awful. The medic was a complete prick too. He said "You're gonna have to lift your head up to talk to me son. I just can't hear you down there" and departed with "You just need to take it slow. You won't get a physique like mine over night" (apparently still unaware that I hadn't raised my head up!).

I'll update everything tomorrow, chillin'.

G.

Posted by: SamEaston

That is not good news. You just take it easy and rest up.

Lucky for the medic you couldn't lift your head - you might have popped him one. Fuckin retard.

Hope you feel better soon!

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY

SLEPT (last night): 11:15pm-1:00am (woke up hungry. drank ½ of 1st-ever home-made PWO shake - not too bad. not exactly "good" but anyway...).

WEIGHT (before breakfast):171.8lb.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:20am (Got hungry at 9:30am! WTF!?)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (Home-made PWO shake - See notes below).
Meal 4 - 3:30pm (Even home-made shakes only last 2hrs!)
Meal 5 - 7:30pm (PP shake @6:45p. couldn't wait for food)
Meal 6 - 9:30pm (rehersal dinner, eating early. boredom!).

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT (Pull/Tri):
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW) - 3x6 (full extension all reps. All completed for 1st time! Woohoo! Do same again next week. Hopefully less effort required for final reps each set) [Me-52lb:1x10 warmup].
(2) Bent-over BB rows (knees bent, back straight) - w/bar:1x10(warmup), 65lb:1x10(cake!), 75lb:1x10(still cake!), 85lb:1x10 (All reps fully to abs. 1st time. Woohoo! Up the weight! Next time try 75, 85 & 95lb sets)
(3) Dips w/30lb DB - 1x8 (struggled last rep, but not too bad) w/15lb DB - 1x8 (easy), BW:1x8 (Too easy! Next time try all three sets w/30lb DB!).
(4) Cable Row w/narrow handle - 110lb:3x10(all reps fully to abs. 1st time. I'm an animal today!

).
(5) Bent over lateral raise (rear delts) w/25lb DBs: 3x10(No problem! Next time use 30lb for 1st and possibly 2nd sets).
(6) DB Pullover w/40lb DB - 3x10 (NOTE: Right shoulder felt tight, but loosened up as sets progressed. good extension on all reps - keep this the same for next time)
(7) Skull-Crushers - 25lb:3x5 (faied r3, s3. triceps apparently fried!).

WORKOUT NOTES: Awesome! Smashed last weeks #s. Felt like a power house. NEXT TIME: Up the weights, up the weights, up the weights!!!

PWO SHAKE NOTES: I made my first home-made PWO shake last night. It had ½cup fat free yogurt, ½cup milk, ½cup ground rolled oats and a banana all blended up togther. It looked like asphalt sealant when I got it out of the fridge this morning (to take to work - i.e. transfer to office fridge) and it was it was still pretty thick when I took my first sip, but adding a little water made it actually OK. It's kind-of weird but not too bad. I might add some dried cherries to see if it sweetens it up a bit. All in all though, not too bad. Thanks to all IM members that recommended cessation of Cytogainer. I'd rather be on whole-food any day.

AFTER WORK: Family hell! Wife's sister's son is getting married tomorrow. Rehersal dinner tonight (since when is it necessary to "reherse" eating fucking dinner!?). Sat around bored while wife caught up with family members.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
May not have them all in food log but I took everything perfectly.

Posted by: Big G

SATURDAY

SLEPT (last night): 11:30pm-7:00am

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 11:30am
Meal 3 - 2:30pm
Meal 4 - 5:30pm
Meal 5 - 7:30pm
Meal 6 - 8:30pm

MORNING: Painted freshly built handrail recently built by back door.

ATERNOON-->NIGHT: Wedding & reception for wife's sister's son. Went on for ages. I was soooo bored. I couldn't wait to leave. They served food at 7:30pm. I ate again before they put it away, plus took a whole bunch of chicken and beef home. It was crazy good food!

Not worth going through 9-10 hours of reception but still...

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Even remembered to take ActvaTe to wedding. All taken timely.

Posted by: Big G

SUNDAY

SLEPT (last night): 12:30pm-7:00am (up early, someone arrived to clear topsoil from back

WEIGHT (before breakfast):

Meal 1 - 7:45am
Meal 2 - 11:50am (trip to H.Depot took too long. hungry!)
Meal 3 - 4:00pm (slept 12-2. took 'til 4 to feel hungry)
Meal 4 - 9:15pm (grocery shop 6-9pm. lived on cherries!)

NOTE: Forgot to add Meal 4 marker in food log. Can't be bothered to fix it.

"Bad day for food and water" - That's what I wrote in my little carry-around leather day-log/journal. Look what happened tomorrow! Related to today's water intake, or or bigger/different issue? Surely the latter, right?

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
"Took ActivaTe perfectly" - That's what little book says. It's Fri 8/10 as I type this. I fell behind updating this due to tomorrow's events.

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY

SLEPT (last night): 1:45am-7:00am (nowhere near enough! went to bed at midnight but just laid there, unable to to sleep - made out w/Mrs G at 1:15am! - slept fine after that!

). Woke up at 3:30am hungry - had protein shake and went back to bed.

( I'm going to try Melatonin & ZMA soon (to see if it helps with my awful sleep patterns).

WEIGHT (before breakfast):not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am (Got hungry at 9:30am! WTF!?)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (Home-made PWO shake - See notes below).
Meal 4 - 4:45pm (late. couldn't stop. urgent budget rpt).
Meal 5 - 7:45pm (driving home w/headache - see below)
Meal 6 - 10:15pm (in hospital waiting room)
Meal 7 - 1:15am (still in the &^%$ing waiting room!)
Meal 8 - 3:30am (while on IVs) + PP shake after discharged.

AFTER-WORK WORKOUT (Legs) Rescheduled from yesterday. Garage is still a wreck (Home gym inaccessible). See yesterday's notes for more info (crappy weekend!). NOTE: Today's cardio is rescheduled to tomorrow as Active Recovery for legs... Anyway...

Warmup - 5mins on elliptical, 1min fwd, 1min bckwrd.
then...
1.Incline situps: 2x25 + 1x20 (while throwing/catching 4lb ball), plus 1x20 twisting situps (for the burn. no additional weight).
2.Full Squats - 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x10, 165lb(new max from last workout):1x8(failed #8. was trying for one more than last week), when...

SUDDENLY!!...*POP*

AND...

HEADACHE FROM HELL!!!

I couldn't stand up after that last squat. It wasn't my legs. It was my head. Bad bad bad inside my head. Right on the top, in the middle. I just curled up held my head in both hands and thought "FUCK! It must be renal failure again!" That's what it was in March when this same thing happened (although I didn't go to the doctor for about a month that time, I just kept taking breaks and trying lighter and lighter weights - and still getting headaches - until I finally broke down and went - only to be told I was in 90% renal failure!). Anyway... I digress...

I made it home (after a miserable experience with a medic - see a few posts above) and my wife took me down to the hopital. I sat in the waiting room for almost 7 hours! My wife even left to go to bed (Bored? Uh.. Yeah! I spent seven hours wishing I'd brought a book!). They did the same shit to me last time too. This time I went armed with bread, PB, bananas, apples and protein powder!

I'm dying in pain and fucking starving to death at the same time this time! I finally saw the doc who told me my kidneys were fine, my electrolites were fine, there was a slight elevation in whatever the hell its called when the damaged crap in your muscles is filtered out after a workout. But I was dehydrated. WTF!? I've drank waaaaaay more water than I've ever drank in my life since adopting this lifestyle (9mo back) and yet now I'm dehydrating. 2litres of IVs later I'm out - but my head still aches - not as bad - nowhere near as bad as at first, that's for sure, but I'm still aching. Told boss I'd be late but didn't want to use ½ sick day. He was cool with it.

Life goes on. Off to the doc anyway. Gotta get my blood results to post on IM

(plus, I've honestly never looked at bloodwork results before - might learn summink).

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Forgot to take one to the hospital - took one before and after though. Otherwise timely.

Posted by: Big G

TUESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 4:15am-11:00am (In hospital on IVs for dehydration 8p-3:30a - Actually it was more like 7 hours in pain in the waiting room and 40 minutes getting 2 litres of IV fluids! But anyway...)

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):176.8lb (NOTE: Spent night in hospital getting re-hydrated - see yesterday's notes. Recorded 175.8lb in weight-log to offset coffee, toast & egg breakfast). Up from 161lb in March and still have abs! Woohoo!

Meal 1 - 11:00am
Meal 2 - 2:00pm
Meal 3 - 5:00pm
Meal 4 - 8:00pm
Meal 5 - 11:00pm

NOTE: Bad headache, like a really nasty hangover, all day long! Progressed into blinding migraine by 4pm, Couldn't see anything but flashing colors 4:30-6pm. Had to stay a little late at work just to be able to drive home.

Got home at 6:30pm and fell alseep in LA-Boy until 7:30pm.

Identified 500mg of methylxanthine matrix (incl. caffeine) in Animal Pump. I'm hoping that avoiding caffeine will stop dehydration issues. Time will tell.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****

Posted by: Big G

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT (last night): 6pm-7pm, then 12:15am-7am

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):174.8lb (Down 1lb from yesterday, after being re-hydrated via IV Tuesday night).

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 8:15pm (couldn't stop listing Craigslist items)
Meal 6 - 11:00pm
Meal 7 - 3:00am (Woke up. Had pee, PP shake & back to bed).

NOTE: Crappy day. Had miserable breakdown at work with boss (after finding out that wife had wracked up another almost $400 on the credit card I've already banned her from using). Told him about my suicidal thoughts and debt-related depression. Left work determined to something about it. Namely, to sell anything (and damned near everything!) I own on Craigslist (incl. golf cart, trailer, home gym

, pressure washer, kitchenaid etc). Anything worth over $100 is outahere. $25k credit card debt has to go away (and will, dammit). Photographed items for sale and listed craigslist ads for 5hours 6pm-11pm. Read replies to my dehydration/hospitalization thread on IM and posted response. Got to bed at about 12:30am. Late again, but I just wasn't tired at 11pm.

Never enough sleep. Still need to order ZMA and whatever else was recommended in this jrnl (above).

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Took everthing perfectly.

Posted by: Big G

THURSDAY.

SLEPT (last night): 12:30am-7am (again, not enough!

) Was listing damned near everything I own (incl. home gym

) for sale on craigslist) in an effort to stop mounting interest on $25k credit card debt (wife's gasitric bypass $20k + mastectomy $5k). Using Psycho-cybernetics techniques to drive self to acheive debt-free goal. It can't hurt!

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):174.0lb (Down .8lb from yesterday and 1.8lb from Tuesday morning - after being re-hydrated in hospital via IV Monday night).

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:35am
Meal 3 - 1:25pm
Meal 4 - 4:30pm (No food. No milk. Muesli w/PP = Gross!)
Meal 5 - 7:30pm
Meal 6 - 10:30pm

NOTE: I've decided to sell anything and everything we own to try and get out from under our $25k of credit card debt ($20k wife gastric bypass + $5k wife's mastectomy). Someone was supposed to be coming round to look at my pullup/dip station so I went to the garage to dust it off and make it look nice. As a fairwell Goodbye I decided to do a quick half-dozen pullups. As soon as I hit #6, I felt that old familiar pressure head-pain that i'd felt in the gym on Monday. It wasn't as bad as Monday (by a long way) but, if it's solely dehydrated related, then why am I still getting this pain after being re-hydrated and rested for 3days? It only happens when I do some kind of strenuous physical activity.

DOCTORS: I made an appt to see my doctor this morning, but they phoned me back and cancelled me. Actually they didn't call me, they called my wife, and I didn;t even know they'd rescheduled until I went to bed last night. Fuckers! I've only been to see them three times and twice they've done this to me. I guess head-splitting headaches, dehydration and hospitalization is no big deal to them.

Rescheduled to Monday 8:15am anyway.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Missed cap 1 w/breakfast. Took it at 10:35am w/meal 2 & supplements. All other pills taken perfectly.
SIDE EFFECTS - I don't know really. Nothing much. Maybe a few extra spots on my forehead but they might've happened anyway. I don't know. My libido's been fucked since I started working out 9months ago (never had any libido issues before) and there's been no change there. I don't know really. Nothing particular to mention anyway.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
Took everthing perfectly.

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY.

SLEPT (last night): 12:30am-7am (as always, not enough!

) Wide awake at 11:30pm talking to Dad in UK. Haven't spoken for a month or more, so stayed up chatting. Gotta get more sleep. Need to order ZMA and whatever else was recommended in my IM journal to see if it helps. I never sleep enough. No wonder my libidos fucked! I never sleep enough to produce hormones!

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):174.0lb (Same as yesterday. Down .8lb from Wednesday and 1.8lb from Tuesday morning - after being re-hydrated in hospital via IV Monday night). FYI - I drank 13pints of water yesterday and didn't gain an ounce. Surely 174lb is a true weight.

WATER - I drank water like a madman today. 2.9gal to be exact! It was nuts! I had to pee 16 times! I counted! I drank all day long (as usual) but just drank more. I'm interested to see my weight tomorrow morning. Assuming I don't sweat an unusually large amount overnight I should be able to tell if 174lb is where I'm at, or whether I should be closer to 176, like I was after being re-hydrated in hospital. Anyway... drinking that much water and peeing that many times is defintely not practical for a daily routine! 16x! Sheesh!

I WONDER... how long it takes the body to rehydrate without IVs. I mean, if it took 2 litres of IVs to rehydrate me in hospital, how much water would I need to drink (and for how long) to rehydrate myself. Would one day of three gallons do it, or does it take the body a couple of days (or more) to osmosis whatever it needed to replenish itself. I wonder.

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:50-11:20am(busy at work. bite here, bite there)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (hungry already)
Meal 4 - 4:30pm
Meal 5 - 8:00pm
Meal 6 - 12:00pm (after updating this journal, Sat-Fri).

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****

Posted by: SamEaston

Hey G. Im totally gutted for you with all this shit that's going on. I hope you get some decent results from the blood tests.

I just have a minor suggestion with regards to your dehydration issue. When we are racing or doing some strenuous training (especially in the summer), we are told not to drink water, as it doesn't hydrate you properly. The best thing to drink is something isotonic, which will replace your lost salts from your workouts that keep your body in osmotic balance.

The fact that you're drinking so much water, and it's going right through you (peeing 16X right?!), suggests to me that the water isn't doing you any favours and may actually be diluting your already weak electrolyte balance within your body.

Does this make sense? Its the only thing i can think of that may be worth a try while you're waiting to see a doctor who actually cares. I use lucozade, but i buy the powder stuff which is cheaper than buying a dozen bottles of the stuff. I dont know if you get Lucozade where you are, but i buy the Orange and Passionfruit Sports Recovery stickpack, website here: (5th one down)

Shop : Product list : Sports & Recovery Powders : Lucozade Sport Shop: buy Lucozade Sport online, sports drinks, bars, powders and gels

Its worth a try mate! I hope you feel better soon!

Posted by: Big G

Geez. Thanks.

The bloodwork said elctrolytes were fine, but I have been trying to find something that'll do better than just water, especially for workout days. Thanksfor the links (and reminding me of the word ISOTONIC - I'd been trying to remember it. Trying to explain to a moron in a sports store what you're looking for when you can't remember what it's called is a pain giant pain in the wahzoo!

Anyway.. It's 8/30 as I write this. Almost 3 weeks since I last updated (what a slacker!). The road of life got p-r-e-t-t-y bumpy from for a few days. I hate it when life beats me down into a worthless rambling pulp. Here's the journal logs from 8/10 until now. Some of the food-log stuff is missing, but who the hell looks at that anyway (except me - when I'm going back through shit, researching). Anyway... here goes...

Posted by: katt

Hey G! Nice to see you're back in it! What are you talking about???? I look at the food logs....but, then again,,, I'm the anal type

Posted by: Big G

FRIDAY.

SLEPT (last night): 12:30am-8:30am - Got woken up by someone calling to buy golfcart (already sold yesterday - I'm very sad to see it go, but gotta get out of debt).

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):172.6lb WTF!!? I was 172lb when admittd to hospital dehydrated. I was 176lb when I came out. I drank 2.9gal of water yesteday and dropped from 174lb yesterday morning to 172.6lb this morning. If I was 172lb when admitted to hospital dehydrated and 176lb when I came out rehydrated then surely being 172.6lb 3 days later means I'm dehydrated again! This just isn't making any sense. Something's up.

Meal 1 - 8:45am
Meal 2 - not updated.
Meal 3 - kept records on paper.
Meal 4 - but, as of 8/30
Meal 5 - I can't be f&^%ed to go
Meal 6 - back and enter it. Ate OK though.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****

Posted by: Big G

I don't know. I probably took notes of the food, but I never updated this day. As of 8/30 I can't be f*&^ed!

Posted by: Big G

MONDAY.

SLEPT (last night): 12:45am-7:00am - Up late cooking food for the week (veggies, chicken etc).

WEIGHT (AFTER breakfast):175.2lb - Entered 174.2lb in weight log to offset bread, PB, eggs & coffee breakfast.

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:50am (late. after Dr's appt - see below).
Meal 3 - 1:45pm
Meal 4 - 6:00pm (after wk - hungry!)
Meal 5 - 9:15pm
Meal 6 - 11:15pm (shake before bed)

DOCTORS APPT (8:15am): Good news and bad news...
The good news is that my dehydration (and resultant headaches) could be caused simply by a lack of sodium. Not eating any processed foods has eliminated a lot of sources of sodium from my diet. And, while I do put salt in the water I boil veggies in (and add seasoned-salt to most meats/sauces) it's apparently not enough.

The doc prescribed me a bag of pretzels! I thought that was pretty funny. He's told me to eat a few servings of them today, tomorrow and Wednesday, drink plenty of water (at least a gallon) then go to the gym for a workout Wednesday night. He also suggested taking a serving of pretzels into the gym and munching on them during the workout (He said it might even make me feel better). I'll be the only MF with a bag of pretzels in the gym, but Hey! Whatever it takes, right?

The bad news is that if I get a headache on Wednesday he wants me back in for an MRI of my brain. He was concerned that I got head pain two days after being rehydrated in hospital while doing a few pullups (to say goodbye to my pullup stn, currently for sale). He said I should've got enough sodium from my IV to prevent something like that occuring. He said it could be a weak point in my brain. And, while my blood pressure is currently 115/65 it could go up to as much as 180 or 190 while lifting. There could be somewhere in my head unable to deal with this kind of pressure.

I honestly think it's a sodium thing. If it was a head thing then surely it would've been a problem sometime between March (last hospital stay) and now becuase I've been lifting regularly throughout. Also, whenever I get head pain in the gym it always turns out that I'm dehydrated. Coincedence? I don't think so.

Time will tell! Fingers crossed.

*********** NHA Stack (DesignerSupps) ****************
ActivaTe: 1cap w/meals 1,3 & 5 and one more before bed.
Novedex Rx: 2caps before bed.
************************************************** ****
#3 & #4 were kind-of close together becuase meal 5 was late and bed was early. Other than that though, all were taken timely.
SIDE EFFECTS - Still nothing particular to mention. I do have a number of spots on my forehead and my libido is still non-existant, but other than that, nothing much.

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